Chapter 34
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34
This was an absolute secret, unknown even to the Emperor or the Empress. It was something only Ferdinand knew and kept hidden away.
Who would be pleased to have a situation where their critical weakness might be discovered?
Besides, I could see that the Crown Prince’s mood was souring by the second.
In a situation like this, wouldn't anyone want to kick a stray tin can just because it was an eyesore?
‘A bribe, a bribe...’
Suddenly, I remembered the handkerchief I had brought. I started to press it into Ferdinand’s hand but hesitated.
‘With his personality, he might just throw it away because it’s a cheap rag.’
Given my current circumstances, I couldn't afford a luxury handkerchief yet; the one I had on me was just a plain cotton one.
But the rain had started without warning, and the Crown Prince was now deaf.
He was observing me sharply, likely wary that I might discover his weakness.
“Wipe the blood.”
I spoke each word clearly and deliberately as I pressed the handkerchief into his hand.
As expected, I felt Ferdinand flinch just as he was about to throw it aside.
I immediately grabbed both sides of my skirt and curtsied.
“It was an honor to meet you, Your Imperial Highness.”
Normally, a noble’s greeting would end there.
However, knowing that this male lead—Ferdinand—had never spent a single comfortable night in his life, I added a short postscript.
“I hope you have a peaceful evening.”
In that brief moment when I handed him the handkerchief, I felt the boy’s hand. It was cold as ice.
* * *
“Wipe the blood.”
Ferdinand didn't hear Tulia’s words.
It was only natural.
Because of the rain, he had gone deaf.
It was all due to the damn, overwhelming divine power overflowing within his body.
However, as Tulia handed him the handkerchief, she mimicked the action of wiping one's mouth.
Like a baby bird following its mother, Ferdinand slowly wiped his mouth with the handkerchief just as she had shown him.
The red blood, which had just begun to dry, came off onto the fabric.
It was rare for Empress Carmi to slap him so openly.
She had carefully crafted her public image as a pure and merciful Empress.
The cunning Empress Carmi usually avoided leaving visible scars on Ferdinand’s face.
Instead, she killed Ferdinand’s nanny, tore out the tongues of the servants who pitied and cared for him, and hid needles in his clothes.
She had even put small amounts of poison in his baby food when he was a child.
‘She probably guesses that I won’t die from something like poison anyway.’
Not as long as the divine power flowing through this body didn't run dry.
But while it wouldn't kill him, the poisoning easily tormented the boy’s body.
The burning fevers and the sensation of his internal organs being torn apart had terrified the young Ferdinand.
No matter how much he cried, no matter how much he begged for medicine just once, the imperial physician never came to the Crown Prince’s Palace.
The cold-hearted servants of the palace, all handpicked by the Empress, deceived Ferdinand countless times with the words, “You’ll be fine once you sleep.”
He had grown enough now to be numb to that kind of pain, though.
Ferdinand looked down at the blood-stained handkerchief.
“It’s a rag.”
He was used to the fact that he couldn't hear his own muttered voice.
He simply recalled the young lady of House Frezier, who had trembled like a leaf while handing him the handkerchief.
A plain cotton handkerchief.
Usually, a perfectly loved noble lady would carry luxury items adorned with lace and ribbons, even for something as minor as this.
Though this was the first time he had seen her face in person, he already knew that Tulia Frezier of the Grand Ducal House was a lady with pink hair and light green eyes.
Seeing a lady from such a prestigious family using a handkerchief like this, he could roughly guess her situation.
She might have kind servants to dress her in matching gowns, but it seemed she lacked an intimate family to carefully pick out even her handkerchiefs.
For a moment, he thought she was similar to him.
But only for a moment. She was in a much better position than him, considering she at least had the former.
“It was an honor to meet you, Your Imperial Highness.”
He had heard those words from countless nobles, so he could recognize them just by reading her lips.
“I hope you have a peaceful evening.”
But what had she added right before she left?
He tried to reconstruct the shape of Tulia’s lips in his mind, but as expected, he couldn't be sure.
The rain continued to fall.
He had to wait for the swelling on his cheek to go down before he could leave.
He placed the pathetic, cold, rain-soaked handkerchief against his cheek. It was too humble for royalty to use, but it was also the thing he needed most among everything he currently possessed.
Ferdinand slowly closed his eyes while looking up at the pouring sky.
* * *
‘Whew. Seeing him in person, his aura is no joke.’
I understood why, in The Milk Bread, you had to meet the Crown Prince when he was young if you wanted to see his ending.
Even at this young age, his gaze was so intense it felt like he could devour a person. I wondered if I’d even be able to approach him when he got older without my knees knocking together.
‘The tyrant concept isn't just for show.’
I thought to myself as I quickly found a shortcut to make my exit. I was worried about my wet dress.
Adel had specifically picked out the most elegant dress for me since I was going to the imperial palace with the Grand Duke.
Now that it was soaked like this, it would take a lot of work to dry and restore it properly.
I managed to find my way out without much trouble. Just as I was rehearsing what to say to the soldiers who would be looking for me—
Thud!
“Huh?”
My foot caught on something, and I tumbled over.
Then, the shadow of an umbrella fell over me.
I lifted my head.
A boy was looking down at me.
“They call this the clean and noble White Ivory Tower, yet there’s all sorts of filth crawling around.”
An arrogant voice followed.
“And what is this drenched rat supposed to be?”
He wore a dark silk formal suit that screamed high status, complete with a silver insignia on his shoulder.
More than anything, he had those characteristically haughty, arrogant eyes that looked as if they had never encountered anything to fear in this world.
Even setting all those facts aside, I knew who he was.
‘It’s the Second Prince.’
It was Dave, the Second Imperial Prince and the biological son of Empress Carmi.
Did this brat just trip me on purpose?
“Tsk.”
Prince Dave clicked his tongue with a condescending look.
For a moment, I worried he might have seen me talking to Crown Prince Ferdinand and giving him the handkerchief, but he didn't seem to know.
‘Ah. He just tripped me because he was bored.’
And since I looked like a mess right now, he probably assumed I was some low-ranking noble.
It seemed he wanted to see me beg for mercy.
‘Well, that was his character setting in The Milk Bread, too.’
A member of the imperial family who was spoiled rotten and couldn't stand being bored for a single second.
On top of that, he was greedy and acted out however he pleased, relying on the backing of his mother, Empress Carmi.
I tried to stand up slowly and carefully.
But then.
“...!”
Thump!
I gasped.
Dave had kicked me back down just as I was trying to get up.
I was utterly dumbfounded.
This was a level of thuggery that even that brat Tedric hadn't reached.
‘Is this kid insane?’
“How insolent!”
Yet, shamelessly, it was Prince Dave who barked the reprimand.
“How dare you not beg for forgiveness after touching the body of the Second Prince!”
So, he kicked me because I tried to stand up without saying I was sorry first?
My ankle felt slightly sprained from being pushed by Dave, and I looked up at him in disbelief.
‘Wow, unbelievable.’
The Second Prince, Dave.
He wasn't particularly surprising, as he was portrayed as a selfish royal even in The Milk Bread.
But he hadn't been quite this much of a tyrant.
Was that only because the protagonist was Corico?
Is the intensity of the bullying this high from the very first meeting just because I’m Tulia?
But even so, this is too much.
‘Wait, actually...’
Does this Dave guy even know who I am?
Or is it just because I’m Tulia, the villainess whose daily routine is basically dying?
‘This godforsaken world...’
But for now, I had to survive.
Swallowing the anger and sense of injustice that I couldn't vent to anyone, I began to tremble, pretending to be terrified.
“I-I touched Your Highness?”
Of course, I had absolutely no intention of apologizing first.
“Yes! What if I had been hurt?”
“But... Your Highness.”
My voice was still trembling. In situations like this, the other person tends to get more triumphant, thinking they’ve already won.
“You’re mistaken.”