~Chapter 9~
Since Father had approved it so casually, I hadn’t really thought too much about it—but seeing how annoyed Eden looked now, I started to feel like I’d really caused trouble.
“I know this causes trouble for the Lindbergh family, but still… I can’t take it back. I want to live.”
I swallowed hard and lowered my gaze.
Better to play it safe.
“I’m sorry…”
But then—
“Did Romanov do something to you?”
“Huh?”
He said almost the same thing Father had.
I was starting to feel a bit guilty toward the Duke of Romanov, who had honestly done nothing wrong.
“If you’re talking about breaking off the engagement, then he must’ve done something rude. What did he do?”
“Wait… what?”
Eden looked even angrier than Father as he pressed me for answers.
It was honestly baffling.
“Do they both need dirt on the Duke or something?”
As far as I knew, the Lindbergh and Romanov families weren’t on bad terms.
So it was weird how both of them seemed so eager to find fault with him.
“There’s nothing he did wrong.
I just don’t want to marry him.”
“You don’t want to?”
Eden looked completely confused, like I was speaking a foreign language.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I don’t want to marry someone I don’t love.
And Father already gave me his permission.”
I threw in Father’s approval as the final nail—because even Eden couldn’t go against that.
He didn’t say anything else about the engagement after that.
But still…
“Then your earlier comment makes even less sense.”
“What comment?”
“You said you were leaving.”
“…”
I wasn’t planning to sneak away from the Lindbergh house.
I knew I’d eventually have to explain everything. Just… not yet.
I didn’t even have a plan in place.
“Especially not to Eden and Harry, who’ve always treated me respectfully…”
How was I supposed to say, “I’m leaving because you’re uncomfortable around me”?
They’d just deny it.
So I needed a more rational excuse.
Something that made sense in terms of etiquette or duty—something they could agree with.
I decided to deflect for now.
“I just meant that… someday, when I find someone I want to marry, I’ll leave.
That’s all.”
“Oh… I see.”
“Yes.”
There was a short pause.
I glanced up at Eden.
He didn’t look angry anymore—just like he was thinking hard about something.
“I wish he’d do that somewhere else.”
The silence was starting to feel awkward.
I pressed my shoulders and quietly said, “Harry said we should all have tea together.”
That finally seemed to jog Eden’s memory. His expression softened.
“Ah, right.
That’s why I came to get you.
Let’s go.”
“Came to get me? Why personally…”
Eden was usually cold to me, but every now and then, he’d do something unexpected like this.
Though now that I thought about it, it wasn’t that strange—before our mother passed away, it was pretty common for Eden to come find me around the house.
That stopped five years ago when I began avoiding him.
“It just feels weird now because it’s been so long.”
We walked side by side down the second-floor hallway.
“Are we going to the parlor?”
There was a certain parlor we always used when the siblings gathered for tea.
It wasn’t used for guests—it was more like our private hangout space.
“Well, there are plenty of parlors, so it’s fine if we keep one to ourselves.”
I glanced up at Eden.
“Wow, he’s really tall.”
All three brothers—Eden, Harry, and Lucian—were tall like Father, but Eden was the tallest by far.
“We’re meeting in Father’s room, not the parlor.”
His words snapped me out of my thoughts.
“But you haven’t seen Father yet, right?”
“Oh…”
Oops.
Lucian must’ve tattled already.
“I was going to visit him tonight.”
I glanced at Eden, nervous.
But he didn’t say anything back.
“Is he mad?”
Worried, I kept walking quietly.
But even when we arrived at Father’s bedroom door, Eden didn’t scold me.
“Let’s go in.”
“Okay.”
He opened the door for me, and I stepped inside.
The first thing I saw was Father, half-reclining against the headboard of his big bed.
Harry and Lucian were sitting across from him at a table.
“Look who finally decided to show up!”
Lucian shouted the moment he saw me.
“Lucian, enough.”
Father leaned his head back, looking annoyed.
“Don’t go easy on her, Father.
You spoil her, and now she doesn’t even know her place.”
“…Ouch.”
That last line hit me hard, like a knife to the chest.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at Lucian.
“Even if I try to be understanding, his words are always so harsh.”
Almost like he heard my thoughts, Lucian started grumbling again.
“Look at that glare.
What, you think you’re someone special? You’re the youngest here…”
Before he could go on, Eden warned him.
“Enough.
My head’s starting to hurt.”
Then Harry gently added, “Yeah, Lucian.
Don’t make such a fuss when Father’s not feeling well.
Hazel, come sit.”
I stopped glaring at Lucian and awkwardly walked over to the empty chair.
“Every time I’m around, it feels like I ruin the mood.
It’s uncomfortable.”
Still, teatime began.
It had been a long time since we all sat together like this.
“When Mother was alive, we always had moments like these…”
But now, surrounded by three blond men, my own pale hair made me feel like I didn’t belong—like I was in the wrong place.
“It didn’t used to feel like this.”
The more time passed without Mother, the more distant I felt from them.
It was sad, but it couldn’t be helped.
I lowered my gaze and quietly sipped my tea.
Aside from Lucian, everyone else was always quiet—so the atmosphere was calm.
And because Lucian had just gotten scolded, even he kept his mouth shut.
It was hard to tell whether we were having tea or attending a serious meeting.
“You all know the Founding Festival is coming up.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Since you’re in the capital anyway, don’t go back to the estate right away.
Stay for the festival.”
Everyone nodded.
“The Founding Festival…?”
My brain started racing.
The Bryant Empire holds seasonal festivals in spring, summer, fall, and winter.
“The Founding Festival, the Music Festival, the Harvest Festival, the Prayer Festival…”
The Emperor was known to be really into festivals.
Rumor had it he even thought up events for the nobles and commoners alike.
The empire itself wasn’t that old, but if you traced its roots back to the former Lavit Kingdom, it had a long history—and plenty of power.
So celebrating all the time made sense.
“The Founding Festival is one of the biggest ones.”
Then Harry suddenly said something that snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Hazel, why don’t you join this time?”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
I hadn’t gone out in years.
“My debutante ball a few years ago was the first and last time I appeared publicly.”
Technically, I’m the empire’s only princess.
I should’ve been the star of high society.
But I never did anything.
Just stayed locked in my room.
And honestly, no one in the Lindbergh family tried to involve me.
They just ignored me.
“Wait… weren’t Father and my brothers happy that I stayed out of the spotlight?”
