The Idiot Prince and the Grand Duchess's Proposal
I was smiling like an idiot again today. The simplest way to survive long in the imperial family is this: just smile like you don't know anything. Look blankly like you can't understand a single thing. Laugh when they mock you. Laugh when they curse you. When they point fingers, just blink vacantly like a pretty ornament. It's not dangerous, they say—so with that pathetic attitude begging only to be spared, I smiled again today. Like a fool.
The Imperial Grand Banquet Hall was dazzling. Crystal chandeliers cut like stars hung from the ceiling, and golden sun motifs were carved into the walls. The orchestra's splendid melodies, nobles dancing elegantly in time with them. The clink of glasses. The whisper of silk. Careful laughter. The mingled scents of sweet liquor and perfume hung heavy in the air. What an exhausting way to live.
Blades hidden behind smiles clash against each other, gleaming. Well, I suppose I'm no different, am I?
Tonight's banquet was held to celebrate the North's victory. It honored the Grand Duchess of the North, Adeline von Ehrenhart, for repelling a massive invasion by the White Iron Nomads and securing a great victory with minimal losses.
“She truly deserves to be called the Shield of the North.”
“I heard the White Iron bastards pushed quite deep this time, yet she stopped them so easily.”
“The Grand Duchess is truly remarkable.”
Amid the flowing praise, the imperial family's expressions grew awkward. The imperial family did not wish for the North to grow stronger. The North was the edge of the empire. From that edge, it blocked both winter and enemies, but it also easily pushed back imperial interference. The northern soldiers obeyed the Grand Duchess's orders faster than the emperor's, and the northern nobles watched the Grand Duchy more closely than the imperial palace. From the imperial family's perspective, such a force wasn't a loyal shield. It was a blade that might one day turn against them.
They had tried to diminish that power this time, only for her to return with even greater achievements. I could only imagine how they must be feeling right now… Still, stooping so low as to mess with supplies was just too much.
I popped one of the cookies in my hand into my mouth. Sweetness spread across my tongue, bringing a rush of happiness. I took a sip from the glass in my hand.
“Ugh.”
It was wine.
A maid approached cautiously.
“Your Highness, shall I bring you juice instead of wine?”
I looked up at her.
“Sweet one?”
“Yes, I will prepare something sweet for you.”
“Then yes, please!”
I nodded vigorously and reached for another cookie.
“The youngest prince is the same as ever.”
“Still acting like a child at that age.”
“I’m almost jealous. He must have no worries at all.”
Crumbs stuck to my fingers. I stared at them blankly for a moment before lightly licking the tip of my finger.
The youngest prince of the imperial family. Noel de Astrea. The shame of the imperial family. The idiot prince who couldn't even read properly. That was my name here.
I gazed vacantly at the grapes.
“I heard he was quite clever as a child, but then that accident happened.”
That day had been clear. White flowers had bloomed thickly in the imperial garden. Little me had climbed a tree because I wanted to look down at them from above. A child's whim. A broken branch. A body falling through empty air. The dull impact that struck the back of my head right after. And then the memories that came flooding in.
My past-life memories had returned. And with them, the realization that this world was from the romance-fantasy novel I used to love reading. The bloody storm that would sweep through the imperial family. The fight over the right to succeed the throne. I wanted to run away from all of it.
A smart prince is checked. A capable prince dies. A normal prince gets dragged into political marriages and schemes. So there was only one answer. I just had to look useless.
From that day on, I began acting like an idiot. Behind the scenes, I steadily prepared my escape. Using my shadow manipulation ability, I gathered all kinds of information and created clones to operate as an information broker in the underworld. The funds I'd accumulated that way were considerable. One month. Two at most. Within that time, I planned to stop being Noel de Astrea.
I picked up a grape and put it in my mouth. The sweet, cold juice burst on the tip of my tongue.
“Mmm.”
“Noel.”
At that voice, I instinctively shrank back. It was the Empress. She sat beside the high platform, her golden hair perfectly pinned up and a gentle smile, as always, on her lips.
“You’re being well-behaved today.”
I smiled awkwardly and nodded. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be in a bad mood today. Whenever she was, she would use the excuse of “discipline” to inflict violence. These days I had learned how to get hit without it hurting too much, so it was bearable.
The Empress seemed satisfied and turned her gaze away. That was the end of it. The word “parent” really was convenient. Even if they did nothing, people still tried to find affection in it.
The Emperor didn’t even look at me. He was listening to a minister’s report about the northern victory. His expression was solemn, the hand holding his glass relaxed. In his eyes, I simply didn’t exist. And that was easier. That was what I had learned.
“Little brother.”
This time the voice came from much closer. It was the Fourth Prince, Edwin. He approached me with a wine glass in hand, his face flushed, wearing a loose smile and reeking of overly expensive perfume. He picked three grapes from the fruit plate and placed them in front of me.
“Can you count how many these are?”
I folded and unfolded my fingers one by one.
“One… two…”
I stopped. I blinked.
“Next is…”
“As expected, our little brother never changes. Always the same. Sometimes I envy that purity of yours.”
The nobles’ mocking laughter followed right after. He always relieved his inferiority complex this way, using me.
The nobles’ conversation continued nearby.
“The Grand Duchess will probably receive quite a substantial reward this time.”
“Will she ask for more territory?”
“It could be tax reduction. The North is always complaining about being short on money.”
Creak.
The doors opened. In that instant, the atmosphere in the banquet hall changed. An overwhelming presence that dominated the space.
Adeline von Ehrenhart. The Grand Duchess of the North.
She wore the dark, nearly black formal attire of the North. There weren’t many flashy jewels. Instead, the collar and waistline were restrained like a military uniform. Her long silver-gray hair was loosely tied and flowed down her back. Her skin was as pale as snow, and her eyes were as cold as a winter lake.
She was beautiful. That was the only word that came to mind. I couldn’t help but stare, completely entranced.
Adeline’s gaze turned toward me. Her cold eyes softened slightly, drawing a gentle curve. Smiling like that, she gave me a wink.
I reflexively turned my head away. My face grew hot. Still, seeing that she was safe put my mind at ease. The North must not fall. No matter what.
In the original story, if the North shook badly, all the major characters afterward would suffer one after another. The original female lead, the original male lead, and eventually the entire empire. The truth was, I had helped her without any complicated calculations—I simply didn’t want to see my favorite character suffer.
“The Grand Duchess of the North, Adeline von Ehrenhart.”
The Emperor’s voice rang through the banquet hall. Adeline walked to the front of the platform and paid her respects. The Emperor gave a heavy nod.
“You have blocked the invasion of the White Iron Nomads and protected the northern border of the empire. The North’s loyalty has become the empire’s shield, and your achievement is by no means small.”
I rolled a grape around in my mouth like candy and thought, If I succeed in escaping, what should I do with the rest of my life? Just imagining it made me happy.
“Adeline von Ehrenhart. The empire will remember your merit. Therefore, speak. If there is any reward you desire, the imperial family will gladly honor your loyalty.”
All eyes in the banquet hall turned to Adeline. Would it be territory? Gold coins? Tax reduction? Expanded military authority in the North? An honorary imperial position? Someone of Adeline’s caliber would surely choose the most practical option within the range the imperial family couldn’t easily refuse. She would take what the North needed.
Well, it had nothing to do with me. There would be no more entanglement after this. I just needed to review my escape plan again. In one month, a carriage from the western merchants would pass by the warehouse on the outskirts of the capital. Fake identification papers would arrive there. Since the northern route had become dangerous, it would be better to use the southern port.
The banquet hall suddenly fell silent. I looked up in confusion.
Adeline was standing right in front of me, smiling as she looked at me. Her face up close had a far more destructive power than I had imagined. So much that I couldn’t meet her eyes properly. My gaze darted around frantically, my face burning hot. And then words slipped out of my mouth on their own.
“Pretty.”
Adeline smiled brilliantly at those words. So brightly it could blind someone.
“Your Highness Noel.”
Adeline bowed slightly at the waist.
“Then, would you come to this pretty person?”
“Huh?”
Ah, I messed up my words again.
Adeline knelt down and looked up at me. Then she took my hand.
The Grand Duchess of the North. The woman who guarded the edge of the empire. The ruler of the North whom even the imperial family could not treat lightly. She had knelt before the idiot prince of the imperial family.
The banquet hall stirred. The Empress’s smile faltered. Some of the drunken flush left the Fourth Prince Edwin’s face. The Emperor’s eyes hardened.
I couldn’t pull my hand away. Her lips pressed against the back of my hand. I swallowed. The sounds of the banquet hall grew distant. The clinking of glasses, someone sharply inhaling, the Emperor’s heavy silence—everything blurred. Only the sensation of her lips on the back of my hand remained vivid. The sweet feeling from that soft touch left me floundering helplessly.
“Will you marry me?”
Like I was under some spell, I nodded. For a brief moment, childlike joy flashed across the face of the cold, perfect Grand Duchess of the North. It was so unfamiliar. And so beautiful. I smiled back at her.
Still holding my hand, Adeline looked up toward the Emperor.
“Your Majesty.”
Her voice was low and clear. The entire banquet hall waited for her next words.
“I wish to marry His Highness the youngest prince, Noel de Astrea.”