Chapter 22
Alessia gasped for breath in Franz’s arms. The moment she met his eyes and heard his voice, a trembling emotion rose in her chest—followed by an indescribable wave of rejection.
It felt like her body was refusing to allow itself to be swayed by Franz.
“Haa… haa…”
“Are you alright? Hurry! Summon the royal physician!”
Franz’s urgent voice echoed from far away. Alessia weakly pushed his hand away.
“Go away…”
She stumbled back, clutching her chest with one hand and shaking her head.
“I don’t need a physician.”
“No, you need medical attention. You look pale.”
“I said I don’t need it…”
She shook her head more violently now, her red hair cascading over her shoulders.
Alessia wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to shield her body from him.
“No one will come. No physician will come.”
Her eyes widened at the word “physician,” and she glared at Franz, her red-rimmed eyes sharp and accusing.
“They won’t come.”
Franz, bewildered by her sudden change, tried to calm her.
“Please don’t worry. I’ve already sent for—”
“They won’t come, I said!”
Alessia screamed with a voice that bordered on hysteria. As her voice cracked, Lucette gave a discreet signal to the staff. The attendants and maids quietly exited the room.
Once everyone left, Lucette and Sara also slipped out, closing the door gently behind them.
Now, only Alessia and Franz remained in the room filled with wedding dresses.
Alessia didn’t even seem to notice. Her voice trembled as she muttered:
“Please… call the physician…”
“Calm down, Alessia.”
Despite just having refused one, she now desperately pleaded for a physician. Her emerald eyes, lost and confused, wavered.
“Please…”
She whimpered as she slowly lowered her trembling hands to her flat stomach. Her eyes grew damp with urgency.
“Call the physician, please!”
“Alessia!”
Franz grabbed her in panic and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
She struggled to break free, but he didn’t budge.
“Alright. Alright, I’ll do whatever you want. Just calm down.”
“Hrk… ugh…”
Alessia broke down in tears in his arms. Her hot tears trickled down her cheeks and soaked into Franz’s jacket.
Her shoulders shook as she cried silently.
It hurt. Everything hurt.
Her mind was a mess.
Her heart suddenly throbbed so painfully that she instinctively tried to push Franz away.
After all, every part of her pain was tied to him.
The scars on her wrists, the guilt and grief of losing a child, the feeling of abandonment—Franz had caused it all.
She thought that pushing him away would make it stop.
But the moment she heard the word “physician,” everything went blank.
She forgot she was in the middle of choosing a wedding dress and clutched her empty stomach.
The physician would not come.
No matter how many times she cried for help, no one had ever come.
There was no palace physician to tend to an abandoned Crown Princess.
Even when she soaked her pillow with tears and starved herself, no one in the palace came to her aid.
Yet Franz had so casually told her to call the physician.
As if it were no big deal. As if he truly cared about her.
Her head spun.
Past, present, and future blurred together. She couldn’t even tell where she was or what she was doing.
There was only one thing she was certain of—her fear of the future.
If she married Franz, she would have to share a wedding night with him. Then, sooner or later, she would lose another child.
No matter how hard she tried to change the future, she would end up in this wedding dress again.
“No…”
She sobbed helplessly.
It was too painful. It already felt like she had lost the child she hadn’t even conceived.
“It’ll be alright.”
“No…”
“You’ll be okay.”
Franz repeated the same words over and over, patting her gently. She kept murmuring “no” while crying in his arms.
Even if her words were incoherent, he remained steady, listening to her every word.
“If you don’t want to, we won’t do anything. So please don’t cry.”
“I hate you, Franz Oestache.”
“…”
“You’re horrible.”
She whispered, as if confessing her deepest truth. Franz said nothing. Alessia, frustrated by his silence, poured her emotions out and then closed her eyes.
Moments later, her body went limp.
“Alessia?”
Franz’s shocked voice faded away. But Alessia couldn’t respond.
She had fainted.
* * *
“…Don’t let her find out.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Alessia’s mind stirred at a familiar voice. Her body felt like it was sinking. She wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids were too heavy.
She gave up and drifted back into unconsciousness.
“…The dresses… all prepared…”
She heard Franz’s voice giving commands during brief moments of clarity.
Lucette and Sara responded calmly, but their words were indistinct.
Again and again, Alessia drifted between unconsciousness and waking.
After who knows how long, she was finally able to open her eyes.
Her vision was blurry. She blinked several times before seeing Sara’s joyful expression.
“My lady! You’re awake?”
“…Sa… ra.”
Alessia frowned at her dry, cracked voice.
Sara helped her sit up and brought her a cup of water.
“Have some water. Your throat must be dry from lying down so long.”
“How long was I out…?”
Alessia drank and returned the cup. Sara’s expression turned serious.
“Since yesterday—an entire day.”
“Ah…”
Alessia rubbed her forehead as she tried to recall what had happened.
She had been shaken by Franz’s gaze, and everything after was a blur. She vaguely remembered talking, but not the details.
She lowered her hand and asked Sara cautiously:
“Did I… do anything wrong?”
“Wrong? Of course not!”
Sara looked startled. At Alessia’s serious face, she shook her head firmly.
“You just fainted from the stress of the wedding preparations. There’s nothing you need to feel guilty about.”
“What about Madam Lucette?”
“She apologized, saying she was too enthusiastic about helping you find the perfect dress. She plans to visit during the fitting to apologize properly.”
“She didn’t have to…”
Alessia murmured awkwardly.
Lucette had done nothing wrong. If anything, Alessia should be the one apologizing for the sudden panic attack.
“And as an apology, she said she’s gifting you the wedding dress.”
“What?”
Alessia was stunned. Even if Lucette had caused her collapse, that seemed excessive.
Wedding dresses were three times more expensive than regular gowns—and Alessia’s was custom-made for royalty.
She grabbed Sara’s arm and spoke seriously:
“That’s not right. I’ll pay for it properly.”
“It’s not a loss for Madam Lucette.”
Sara grinned as she shrugged.
“His Highness ordered that all your clothes from now on—dresses, shoes, hats, and even accessories—must be from Lucette’s atelier. So by giving you this one dress, she’s now the official royal atelier. It’s a profitable deal for her.”
“Well… I guess that makes sense.”
Sara patted Alessia’s hand gently and continued.
“And thanks to that, Lucette’s staff are now on your side. You don’t have to worry about rumors spreading.”
“Thank you, Sara.”
Alessia smiled at Sara, grateful that she always thought ahead.
It wouldn’t be good if word spread that the future Crown Princess had fainted.
Fainting wouldn’t cancel the title—but it could mean she’d be sidelined at important events for health reasons.
‘I’ll have to be more careful.’
She softly grasped Sara’s hand as the maid held hers.
Sara sighed and said,
“But what do we do about the dress? You never picked one.”
“I’ll just go with the last one I tried on.”
“You mean the one His Highness saw? Good choice. It looked stunning on you.”
Alessia smiled back at Sara, then noticed a medicine bottle on the table.
“What’s that?”
At her question, Sara froze. She quickly blocked the bottle with her body.
“That? Oh, nothing!”
Alessia stared at her.
Sara bit her lip under her gaze.
“Sara… are you hiding something from me?”
Sara’s face stiffened at the quiet accusation.
