Chapter 125: Rumors of the Imperial Princess
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 125: Rumors of the Imperial Princess
*
The news of my awakening spread like wildfire throughout the Empire.
I was the only one who hadn't realized it, but apparently, the story of the adopted daughter who fell under a curse and into a deep sleep immediately after becoming an Imperial Princess was quite famous.
People called me the "Tragic Princess" or the "Sleeping Princess."
Furthermore, combined with the stunning looks of Nathaniel—who had become the Pope’s adopted son and successor—many romanticized stories were circulating about his devoted efforts to treat me.
Because of that, there were even ridiculous rumors that Nathaniel had fallen in love with the sleeping me, and that the princess's curse was broken not by divine power, but by his kiss.
It was a classic fairy tale I was quite familiar with from my past life, but I never imagined I would become the protagonist of such a story.
Thanks to the maids who constantly kept me updated, I learned every single detail of the rumors surrounding me.
"Isn't Lord Nathaniel just so dashing?"
"Hmm, Niel is quite pretty, I suppose."
I nodded in agreement with Reina, who had a dreamy expression on her face.
After finally turning away the swarms of visitors and gaining some peace, I was enjoying a sweet, well-deserved rest.
The table was piled high with snacks that my mother had personally and meticulously selected. I chewed on a cookie that suited my taste perfectly and gave a casual nod.
As expected of Mom, she knows my tastes exactly.
I hadn't fully realized it before I fell asleep, but it seemed that while I was unconscious, Veronica’s and my mother’s souls had perfectly synchronized.
Now that I had opened my eyes and faced her again, she looked exactly like Veronica, but the expressions she made and the way she acted toward me were identical to my mother. She didn't seem to notice it herself, though.
Still, as her daughter, it was easy for me to tell. I took a sip of the perfectly cooled black tea and smiled contentedly.
"And Lord Nathaniel must definitely be in love with you, Princess!"
"Pfft!"
"Oh my, Princess!"
Startled, I nearly spat out the tea in my mouth. Having narrowly avoided a social disaster, I stared at Reina with wide eyes.
"Are you alright?"
"That... ahem, what do you mean by that?"
I asked, wiping my chin with the handkerchief Reina handed me. Even though I knew it was just an extension of the rumors she had been talking about, my heart pounded strangely.
"Isn't it obvious, Princess? How could anyone come to treat you every single day for ten years if they didn't have feelings for you?"
"As you know, Niel is my childhood friend. So..."
"Oh, come on! No one would do that for just a friend!"
"Hmm."
Reina exclaimed with a fuss. I took another sip of tea as I listened to her.
Unfortunately, there were things Reina didn't know.
Specifically, about my body. Having contracted with demons, my body was picky about accepting divine power.
It might have been different for someone like Veronica, who was close to being a Sword Master, or Dantalion, who actually was one, but I simply had a lot of mana.
On top of that, my body was weak, so it was difficult for me to accept divine power even when I was young. It likely wasn't much different while I was asleep and unstable.
Therefore, Nathaniel was probably the only one who could handle my treatment. That was why he had stubbornly refused Marianne’s request to take turns and insisted on providing me with divine power all by himself.
Above all, I was Nathaniel’s savior.
Nathaniel had been captured by the radical priests and subjected to terrible things every day. So, he must have a special attachment to me for rescuing him from the Temple.
In other words, there were plenty of holes in the romance that Reina and so many others were projecting onto Nathaniel and me.
"I just know it. The way Lord Nathaniel looks at you is unusual. It’s definitely...!"
"Ahem, Rey."
"Ah."
Reina, who had been pouring out her words in excitement, flinched and fell silent at Dorothy’s intervention.
"I'm sorry, Princess."
"No, it's okay."
I gave Reina a bright smile so she wouldn't feel embarrassed.
It was a bit disrespectful for a maid to act that way toward a princess, but I didn't want to get angry at a maid who had stayed by my side since I was a child over something like this. Reina and Dorothy, like Sophia, were people who had followed me all the way from the Winston Ducal Family.
"Your Highness, the Saintess and Lord Nathaniel have arrived."
"Oh, tell them to come in!"
Demia announced the visitors in a stiff voice. Surprised to hear that Nathaniel had arrived just then, I stood up from my seat.
"I greet Her Imperial Highness."
"I told you not to do that, Sister!"
"Still..."
Marianne, who had grown much more and now looked like a proper lady, gave a troubled smile. I grabbed her hands and shook them playfully.
"Even though you turned it down, we're still sisters. You could have been a princess too..."
Surprisingly, while I was asleep, Dantalion had tried to adopt Marianne so she could become a princess. Of course, my mother had agreed to it as well.
In fact, they said my mother had been the one to suggest it proactively. Marianne was a good girl, my mother liked her, and she had played a part in rescuing me from the Temple, so it was only natural.
However, Marianne had firmly declined the offer. She said that as a Saintess, she had a duty to rebuild the Temple that the radicals had destroyed, and she did not accept the position of princess.
"It's enough for me that you call me 'Sister' like this in private."
Marianne said with a beautiful smile. Her shy face was so lovely.
"Yes, Sister!"
I hugged Marianne tightly in delight. Her hand patted my back. As expected, Marianne was still as kind as ever.
"Welcome, Niel."
"Yeah."
"..."
Only then did I look at Nathaniel and give an awkward smile. His gaze was fixed on my arm, which had just been holding Marianne’s hand.
Tilting my head in confusion, I reached out and casually took Nathaniel’s hand.
"Let's go have some cookies. Oh, I should tell them to bring chocolate cookies since Niel likes them."
"Okay."
Nathaniel’s face remained expressionless. Just as he did when we were young, he simply gave a silent nod and followed obediently as I pulled him along.
[That brat was certainly devoted while his master was asleep.]
What?
As I sat down, Desmond lay down at my feet and spoke in a listless tone. Bibi chimed in to agree.
[That's right. Coming every day for ten years is no easy feat. Especially since the Pope kept calling him here and there, claiming he was his successor.]
Ah.
I stared blankly with my mouth slightly open at Nathaniel, who was eating the chocolate cookies the maids had brought. For some reason, my fingertips felt itchy.
"Dia, are you really okay? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"Huh?"
I hadn't heard Marianne clearly because I was lost in thought. Startled for a moment, I quickly nodded and replied.
"I told you, I'm fine. I'm completely back to normal."
"I'm so glad."
It had already been a week since I woke up.
When I first woke, Marianne couldn't come right away because she was in the outskirts helping people in need. Instead, she had been coming to the Imperial Palace every day with Nathaniel to check on me.
"Well, Lord Nathaniel did treat you every day, after all."
"Y-Yeah."
Marianne cast a soft gaze toward Nathaniel. As a Saintess, she seemed to view Nathaniel, who was now the Pope’s successor, much more favorably than before.
Back when they lived together in the palace, they had been quite awkward with each other. Marianne didn't know how to handle the blunt Nathaniel, and Nathaniel had constantly ignored her.
But now, they seemed to at least engage in basic communication. Nathaniel gave a curt nod toward Marianne. Honestly, considering how he used to be, even that much of a reaction was surprising.
I guess he's been socializing well while I was gone. I also looked at Nathaniel with a proud smile.
"Shall we go out to the garden?"
"The garden?"
"Yeah, it's stifling being stuck inside the palace all the time."
"Oh my."
Marianne’s face filled with sympathy.
My mother and Dantalion were so worried about me that they hadn't let me take a single step outside the palace for a week.
Instead, they said that if I met with Marianne and Nathaniel for a week and received confirmation that I was fully recovered, they would let me go out. Today was the last day of the "check-up."
I had barely managed to get permission yesterday to at least go to the garden. I bounced on my heels and pulled the two of them along.
"Slow down, Dia."
"Hurry up, Sister!"
Marianne followed me with a quiet smile. Nathaniel followed silently behind.
Soon, the scenery of the garden came into view.