Princess Chloe
Princess Chloe. The Crown Prince's sister. The eldest daughter who held no claim to the throne among the Emperor's children and thus escaped unscathed from the princes' rebellion. The Emperor's only daughter, two years younger than the current Crown Prince—sharing the same mother—and the First Imperial Princess, renowned for her sharp intellect as she assisted the Empire's Minister of Internal Affairs.
Chloe Obillon Leo Rasing Valere Imperion. Or simply, Chloe. And once, there had been talk of her becoming engaged to me.
The talk had circulated, but no engagement was ever formalized. I had turned her down. I'd kicked her to the curb, claiming I couldn't marry into the imperial family. Back then, I wanted nothing to do with the Empire's power struggles at its core.
'But in the end, I went and helped the Crown Prince anyway.'
If only the world flowed as we wished. The problem was, the current was far too fierce.
"It won't end well if you see her."
"You think she'll grab you by the hair?"
"If she only grabs my hair, I'll count myself lucky."
"Haha, don't worry. I'll protect you."
"You're the one who knows my relationship with His Majesty the Emperor, yet you still summoned me here."
"Ahem, it was a necessary step. No helping it. And Father calculated that he couldn't publicly blame you in a place full of nobles."
The Crown Prince gave an awkward smile.
"I arranged this meeting with you in mind. Facing each other like this, we can clear up any lingering resentments. Good is good, right?"
Coming from the man who ordered the heads of his brothers lopped off.
"It's not just because of my relationship with Her Highness that I haven't seen her. You know that."
"……."
The man who beheaded princes. Not one, but two. Even if they were half-brothers on her mother's side, blood was blood. There was no way the princess would look kindly on the man who slew her siblings sharing the same father. That explained why she hadn't set foot in the convenience store even once since the rebellion ended.
"Hmm……."
Even the usually talkative Crown Prince fell silent. Did this guy feel guilt too? It had been ages since I'd seen such a remorseful expression on his face.
"She's a bit late, though."
"Pardon?"
"I already summoned her."
This guy did what?
"Don't be too mad at me. I didn't call her just because I wanted to."
"Meaning?"
"She requested it."
"……."
Before I could respond, there was a knock.
Tap tap tap.
"Brother, are you inside?"
A familiar voice came from beyond the door. The moment I heard it, my chest tightened, like something was lodged there. Breathing suddenly felt difficult, and I let out an involuntary cough.
"Ahem."
"The great Do-jin, tense? The world would be shocked."
"I'm always on edge around Your Highness and His Majesty."
"Hmm, is that so?"
The Crown Prince chuckled softly and called out to the door.
"Come in. We're waiting together."
The door opened before he finished speaking. In walked a woman in a lavish dress adorned with gold and jewels. Golden hair, identical to the Crown Prince's, cascaded in waves down to her waist, shimmering like silk. The silver tiara she wore enhanced the allure of her blonde locks. Her skin was as white as her radiant hair, framed by long golden lashes. And her blue eyes, matching her hair, held the depth of the ocean.
After bowing to the Crown Prince, Chloe turned and met my gaze.
"It's been a while."
Her voice was as beautiful as her face, resonating in my ears.
"Over a year, I suppose."
"Exactly 480 days and 7 more."
"You, uh, remember it precisely."
"Of course. How could I forget when you left without a word?"
"I have nothing to say."
A week before the princes' rebellion, I'd left a letter saying I couldn't stay in the palace lest I get dragged into the chaos. By then, half a year had passed since I'd broken off our betrothal, so I hadn't thought she'd take it too hard. Once the engagement was severed, getting any closer would only complicate things. I had no desire to be the subject of scandalous rumors with an unmarried princess.
'That was part of it too.'
A selfish urge to lighten the burden weighing on me. That's why I'd left her. I'd jumped into the fray without hearing her side.
And in doing so, I'd killed the other princes and bolstered the Second Prince's rise to Crown Prince.
"Why did you leave?"
"It was urgent. Too urgent to explain in person."
"Is that so?"
Chloe turned to the Crown Prince, her gaze sharp as a storm about to break. One wrong word, and he'd be torn apart.
"Of course. It was truly dire. Without Lord Do-jin, my head would've rolled instead."
The Crown Prince, ever unflappable, met her eyes head-on.
"Strange. I heard reports that you were pushed back, brother, but I never thought you'd be completely overwhelmed."
"Battlefield news doesn't always arrive promptly."
"……Understood. If that's what you say, brother, then it must be true."
Clack clack.
Her heels clicked as she crossed the room and sat at the central table in the office.
"I brought dessert. Care to join?"
The Crown Prince shook his head, feigning disinterest. Or rather, he was itching to escape. He didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.
"You two seem to have much to discuss, Chloe. I'll step out for a bit."
The matchmaker who'd set this up vanished in an instant.
"Sit. Lord Do-jin now, I suppose? You've received your noble title as of today."
"Call me whatever's comfortable."
At her gesture, the maid who'd followed her set the table. Tea and treats appeared in a flash.
"I prepared the chocolate cake you used to love."
"From our convenience store."
"Yes. The gift you brought when you first met Father. And what we enjoyed together."
My first visit to the palace, I'd distributed chocolate cakes everywhere—to the Emperor, the princes, Princess Chloe, and countless departments. It was also the dessert she'd shared with me. What was she getting at by bringing it now? As a man hopeless with women, I couldn't guess.
"Why haven't you come to the palace?"
Chloe cut into the cake with her fork and took a bite before asking.
"You know why. What I did during the rebellion."
"Is that the only reason? Because you killed my brothers?"
"Yes. I couldn't face His Majesty the Emperor."
"Is that all?"
"Yes."
For some reason, Chloe smiled bitterly. Even with the sweet cake, her expression wasn't bright.
"I thought you stayed away because you hated me."
"Not at all. Who in this Empire could hate Your Highness? No fool would despise the realm's greatest beauty."
"Spare me the flattery. I don't want to hear it from the man who broke our betrothal."
Ahem. It stung because it was true. I was the one who'd ended it.
"Is that why you came? To ask that?"
"No. I have something else to say."
"What is it?"
Chloe sipped her tea, her lips moving thoughtfully.
"I hate you. As much as a spider dropping from the ceiling."
"Ahem, I'm sorry."
I'd expected her to come out swinging like that. I'd left on my terms, rejected the engagement on my terms, severed ties on my terms.
"Every time I think of the hardship you caused me, I want to slap you."
"I'm sorry. If you want to hit me, my face is yours anytime."
"I really hate you…… I even stopped going to your convenience store to forget you."
Her eyes reddened. She bit her lip, holding back tears, repeating how much she hated me.
"I don't know about you, but I suffered terribly. I worried you'd die on the battlefield…… When I heard brother had won, you were my first thought. No news of you came. I feared something had happened. That you were hurt. But…… you didn't even attend the triumphal parade, as if my worries meant nothing."
Her words, nearly breaking into sobs, pierced my heart. She wasn't wrong. I'd kept my movements secret from the outside. I hadn't joined the parade. All true, due to the nature of my mission—striking from the shadows. Rumors had to be suppressed. We'd won through brutal intelligence warfare.
But to her, it must've been different. No word from the front lines meant I might be dead. And skipping the parade afterward? Political reasons weighed heavy. A commoner wiping out the enemy vanguard wasn't a story the nobles wanted spread. I hated getting tangled in politics anyway. Recognition for my merits was enough.
-The Second Prince's victory came thanks to his talented retainers. Chief among them: Do-jin Kim.
My name was plastered in the academy history books on the rebellion. I hadn't imagined it'd affect Chloe this deeply.
It was all my fault. If she slapped me in rage, I'd take it silently. In this equation, I was overwhelmingly the guilty party.
Chloe closed her eyes, steadying her breath, then fixed her blue gaze on me.
"You said it. That you were breaking the betrothal because you were a commoner."
Yes. Marrying a commoner would stain the imperial honor. Even the Emperor, who favored me then, hadn't pushed it—because of my status.
"Was being a commoner such a big issue?"
"Yes."
"And now? As a count?"
"It's a difficult question, but imperial and noble betrothals have happened plenty."
"No more excuses about status, then."
"No."
"Then tell me. Do you intend to propose to me?"
The beautiful Chloe asked me directly, her golden hair framing her face. I clamped my mouth shut.
"Impossible. Your Highness deserves a better man than……."
"Chloe. My name is Chloe. I told you it was fine to use it."
"You can meet a better man than me, Chloe."
"I know. I will. A man handsomer, higher-born, smarter than you. I'll make you regret it. Regret missing the chance to pluck the flower atop the hill—for life."
Her breathing grew ragged. Chloe was truly preparing to cut me loose.
Sorry. Truly.
"I'll become a woman so magnificent you'll regret abandoning me. Even more than now."
"You already are."
"That's not the praise I want."
"Sorry."
"Just watch. Even if you beg to see me, I absolutely won't meet you, Lord Do-jin."
"I regret it every day."
"I hope you regret it forever."
She rose from her seat and left without looking back.
She surely hadn't expected me to say I regretted it. At the very least, she'd hoped I'd grab her arm and beg her to stay.
I knew. Her feelings for me went beyond mere fondness. Even a dense guy like me could tell.
Yet I hadn't stopped her. Political reasons, again.
"Why didn't you hold her back?"
The Crown Prince, who'd slipped back in, asked. His tone was colder than before.
"I'm not suitable. She needs protection from a reliable house under Your Highness."
Someone to shield her from the Crown Prince's enemies. That's who needed to be at her side. Especially now, facing nobles' daggers, she required a stronger man.
"Haha, you really don't get it?"
"Get what?"
"That no one in my service is stronger than you."
"You know I lack the qualifications."
"Disappointing. I didn't think you were this dense."
The imperial family always overestimated me. How could a man who'd slain kin build a life with her? Absurd.
"Well done, Chloe."
The First Imperial Princess, Chloe, praised herself as she returned to her room, tears unshed.
"If I forget him like this, it'll be fine."
She declared it. She'd find an even better man and make Do-jin seethe with jealousy. Make him regret it.
But was there truly a finer man in the Empire?
'Brother will introduce someone if I ask.'
He'd do anything for his blood kin.
But Do-jin…… he'd grown even more handsome. More manly. His arms thicker, chest broader—it distracted her throughout their talk.
His presence, magnified after a year apart, nearly drew a confession from her unbidden.
She hadn't meant to bring up the triumphal parade. But the mood carried her away.
'Has he grown taller? How much does he work out?'
Contrary to her declaration of forgetting him, Chloe's mind was filled with thoughts of Do-jin.