Chapter 26 — The Imperial Princess
Chapter 26 — The Imperial Princess
Translation: Godtl
"......!"
Coming to her senses at those sounds... she saw her own hand tightly gripping the doll, and Julianna fallen on the floor.
"Ow, it hurts..."
Julianna frowned on one side and looked down at her palm.
Oh no. A small wound on one hand was dripping blood. Lelia's vision went dark.
"Ow..."
Julianna made a crying face and blew on her palm. She had gotten scratched from the wooden floor.
"My goodness! There's blood!"
"Are you okay, Julianna?"
The faces of Cedric and Damian turned pale upon discovering the red blood drops.
"I'm okay, brothers..."
Julianna spoke bravely and calmed the two who were worrying.
"Let's go to the physician right now! Get on my back!"
"I told you it's not that bad!"
Julianna pushed away Cedric who was showing his back, telling her to get on right away.
Then she slowly stood up and approached Lelia, who was hugging the doll and trembling.
"I'm sorry. I just thought the doll was cute and was only going to look at it..."
"......."
"But who are you? I think I saw you last time too."
Julianna asked with a bright face. At that attitude without a single trace of resentment, Lelia strangely felt herself becoming smaller.
In truth, Julianna had no intention of taking the doll, and having made a fuss on her own and treated her like a thief, guilt rushed in.
Moreover, she had hurt Julianna one way or another.
"......."
Just as Lelia hesitated and was about to answer.
"Who she is? She's the daughter of the woman who tormented our mother to death."
Cedric answered instead with a distorted expression.
"What?"
At those words, Julianna seemed taken aback, but Damian wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"Julianna, you don't need to concern yourself. With the likes of that vile demon's bloodline."
"By the way... why are you here? I wondered who was staying here... so it was you?"
Cedric scoffed and looked around the interior again. Seeing the neatly made bed, anger seemed to rise.
He frowned deeply and shouted.
"Living comfortably, eating and sleeping, despite being the daughter of the murderer who killed our mother! Isn't that too unfair?"
"And you made Julianna get hurt? Do you know what punishment you'll face for harming an Imperial Princess of the empire?"
Cedric and Damian slowly walked toward Lelia.
Though still young, the two were much taller than Lelia. They felt sufficiently threatening to her.
"......."
Lelia felt her mind going completely blank.
More than those children's vicious words, anxiety that this space might be taken away washed over her.
And as expected.
"Anyway, from today this place is ours. We're going to turn it into a place to watch the constellations! We'll give it to Julianna as a birthday present. So get out right now!"
Cedric commanded with his chin raised.
Just as Julianna was about to step forward, Damian blocked her and added.
"Wait, she can't leave yet. She hasn't apologized to Julianna, has she? After treating an Imperial Princess like a thief and even hurting her."
"That's true, come to think of it."
"Brothers, I'm fine..."
Damian cut off Julianna's words and explained in a calm and kind tone.
"Julianna, I know you're kind, but you can't just let something like this go. You were so kind to the maids too.... Now you're an Imperial Princess of the empire."
"...Mm."
"Moreover, that girl is the daughter of the woman who tormented our mother, no, perhaps even killed her."
"......."
At those words, Julianna murmured as if she had no choice. Cedric beckoned to Lelia with his finger.
"Come here. Murderer's daughter."
Lelia blinked blankly. It was a situation similar to the scene she had seen in the original work.
Though the circumstances had changed, the result was the same.
"Come here, kneel and apologize. It would be right to punish you according to imperial law, but if you sincerely beg for forgiveness, I'll spare your life."
"......."
Lelia had a dazed face.
'It's just like the original work....'
She had tried to prevent this from happening... but perhaps things that are meant to happen will happen no matter what? Lelia's vision went pitch black.
"Hurry up and do it."
But that too was momentary.
At Cedric's shouting, Lelia resignedly approached Julianna. And slowly knelt.
Her eyes stung, but she didn't want to cry.
"I'm... sorry, Imperial Princess."
When Lelia apologized obediently, the expressions of Cedric and Damian seemed to soften a bit.
However, even if their anger had dissipated, nothing changed.
"Repeat that 100 times."
Eventually that day, Lelia found freedom only after reciting 'I'm sorry, Imperial Princess' 100 times just like in the original work.
Lelia felt unjust, but she didn't even have time to feel miserable.
By the time the apology was ending, attendants from the main building rushed in. This was because Cedric had called them through a magical tool.
They opened the door leading to the top of the tower and began cleaning the inside of the tower according to Cedric and Damian's orders.
"W-wait...! You can't do that!"
For Lelia, it was a situation where she instantly lost her entire sanctuary.
The attendants carefully pushed away Lelia who was clinging to them.
"N-no..."
Lelia stomped her feet as she watched her belongings being moved outside the tower like trash.
Meanwhile, Cedric, Damian, and Julianna had gone up to the top of the tower and were looking at the stars. They had brought Julianna out because she was nervous about the large-scale banquet she would be attending for the first time as an Imperial Princess.
It was a night when the full moon had risen and the stars were shining exceptionally brightly.
Eventually, Lelia had to start gathering her precious belongings at least.
The letters from friends she had hidden, the fountain pen, the doll, the robe, and so on.
They were all things related to her time living in the temple.
"Now that you've gathered everything, please leave. You're in the way of moving the luggage."
At the attendant's cold words, Lelia had to turn away.
"......."
When she came out of the tower, she saw the old bed and desk that had been moved in front of the building.
Those objects looked truly pitiful like trash. They were things she had been using until just a moment ago.
Honestly speaking, she was dumbfounded.
In the original work, another child had hurt Julianna and suffered misfortune, but eventually it became her own situation.
Not only that, but she was even robbed of the space that was her only sanctuary.
"...This doesn't make sense..."
Lelia slowly raised her head.
She heard laughter coming from the top of the tower.
It was the affectionate voices of the three siblings looking at the stars.
Julianna's laughter was lovely, and the voices of the two brothers treating her were kind.
"......."
Lelia clenched her fists. Her throat felt hot as if boiling water had been poured into it.
After standing for a while, Lelia slowly began to walk.
With exhausted steps, Lelia headed to Elizabeth's hut.
'Emperor Perseus might kill me if he finds out....'
Lelia laughed emptily.
'If that happens, there's really nothing I can do. I'll just have to accept the fate of death.'
She walked like someone who had given up on everything.
After arriving at the hut, she opened the door with the iron rod like before and locked it tightly behind her.
It was a cold space without a single light lit, but it still felt warm to Lelia.
Her mind was still blank like someone who had experienced a major accident.
As soon as she entered the hut, Lelia sank to the floor.
'Mom...'
It felt as if her dead mother was embracing her, saying she had come well.
'Right, it's rather better this way.'
Lelia wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks and decided to think positively.
That tower was too old anyway. Moreover, this place had her mother's touch remaining, and it seemed like it wouldn't be cold even at night, so it was actually a better sanctuary.
Of course, if Emperor Perseus found out, she might die... but if he heard it was because of his sons, there was a possibility he would assign her an even better quarters.
'But if that happens, I'll end up in a strange marriage after all.'
If that happened and someone was assigned to watch her, there would be no way to escape. If it came to that, it would be better to die.
Lelia opened her bag and took out the items she had brought.
The fountain pen with the magic stone removed, the letters, the cute rabbit doll.
Looking at the items related to her friends, her mood seemed to improve quickly.
However, separately, her nose stung and tears began to flow.
'I don't need to cry.'
Lelia comforted herself.
'It's okay, why would I cry over something like this? I'm not sad at all.'
Julianna has older brothers, but I have friends. The very protagonists who defeated the Dragon are my friends.
But strangely, the more she comforted herself, the tears wouldn't stop. Lelia eventually began to cry, shaking her shoulders.
Because she tried to hold back her voice, not wanting to cry like a child, only tears streamed down.
'Because I have friends... I'm not alone.'
To force herself to stop crying, Lelia read the letters she had exchanged with her friends.
Oscar: I can't sleep well these days. Are you all okay?
Kalix: I fall asleep as soon as I lie down.
Griffith: I heard that thoughtless, stupid kids sleep well too.
Kalix: Do you want to die?
Romeo: I can't sleep well either. I miss the times we stayed in the temple.