Chapter 56
“Still, thanks to you, Lady Roembeck, I was able to come outside today. Thank you.”
“His Majesty ascended the throne only a year ago, didn’t he? But I heard that Your Highness hasn’t gone out much at all during that time.”
The Emperor, Kashimir, was exactly that kind of man. He cared about nothing except his own gain.
But I’ve heard the late emperor cherished his daughter.
If her outings had been restricted for such a reason, then why on earth was it the same even when the late emperor was still alive?
“You mean, why didn’t I go out even when my father was still alive?”
“Yes.”
“Lady Roembeck, do you perhaps have a pet you cherish?”
At Christina’s question, Ludiana thought of Midnight, the horse she had received as a gift a few days earlier, and nodded.
“If one day you had to give that pet to someone else, what would you do?”
“Hmm… I guess I’d try to see it often and cherish it while I could. I’d want to build as many memories with it as possible.”
“You’re a very affectionate person, Lady Roembeck.”
She smiled faintly, but her eyes were cold as ice.
“My father was the opposite. He didn’t want me to become attached to this place. Since I’d have to leave eventually, he thought it would only make things harder if I grew attached and refused to go. I suppose, in his own way, that was how he loved me.”
“Ah.”
A small exclamation slipped from Ludiana’s lips.
At last, she understood why this girl had caught her attention from the very first meeting. Christina’s expressions, her tone, and the circumstances she was in—it was all too similar to Ludiana’s own past.
The surface of Ludiana’s eyes rippled as though troubled by a sudden wave.
“It must have been overwhelming for you.”
Those were the very words she herself had once most wanted to hear.
Because what everyone else treated as normal had always been unbearably heavy for her. She had longed for anyone to recognize her feelings.
Christina’s crimson eyes, usually dulled like a fog, flickered with fierce turmoil.
What does this girl know, to say something like that…
Words even her own blood family had never spoken to her—she was hearing them now from someone she had only just met today. And because of that, the long-frozen walls inside her heart felt as though they might suddenly collapse.
Biting her lip, Christina lowered her head and whispered quietly,
“Thanks to you, I had a good walk. I’ll be going now.”
She quickly turned and left the garden. Ludiana opened her mouth to speak but, after hesitating, ended up following her in silence.
By the time Christina reached the grand imperial carriage and set her foot on the step, Ludiana’s voice called her back.
“Your Highness, the Former Princess.”
Christina stiffened, her neck slowly turning.
“If it’s all right with you, may I send you a letter?”
“I wouldn’t really recommend it.”
“I’ll still do it.”
Christina’s eyes trembled violently as they met Ludiana’s in midair. Her lips parted as if to speak, but she climbed into the carriage without a reply.
“You’ll answer me, won’t you?”
Yet Ludiana didn’t give up. Standing on tiptoe, she looked in through the carriage window. Startled, Christina ducked her head low and muttered,
“…Yes.”
“Thank you.”
Satisfied with the answer, Ludiana finally stepped back, and the imperial coachman cracked the reins.
“Hyah!”
“Ludi, you’ll get covered in dust.”
Carlos, who had come up silently, waved his hand at the rising dirt. Ludiana turned to him and spoke softly.
“Sorry about earlier, Carlos.”
“It’s fine.”
His lips curved into a faint smile, and his gentle eyes rested on her.
“Nothing happened, right?”
“Mm. We just… went for a walk.”
As she gazed at the carriage growing distant, Ludiana sank into thought.
The reason Christina had been sent to that party today was surely because of the emperor’s schemes.
For the emperor to personally attend a birthday party for a minor noble would have been beneath his dignity. But not sending anyone at all would mean losing the perfect chance to flaunt his ties with the Eastern Academy.
The girl he usually kept hidden away like a treasure, not to be seen, he had pulled out today purely for his own gain. To Kashimir, his younger sister was nothing more than a commodity to be used at his convenience.
“Why do you think the princess came here?”
“To show off the emperor’s stake in the Eastern Academy. And, more than that, to subtly announce that both Roembeck and Pianus families are part of his power.”
Carlos and Ludiana exchanged glances, then once more turned their eyes to the disappearing carriage.
Ludiana’s face hardened as she recalled Christina’s expression, which kept surfacing in her mind.
A few weeks later, ladies seeking the “Roembeck jewel” never missed a chance to shower Lito with compliments about Ludiana.
They were eager to boast that they themselves had attended that party—the one still stirring up the social scene.
“Lord Roembeck must be very proud. Your daughter is so remarkable.”
“Haha, I agree.”
“She’s so elegant and mature for her age.”
Meanwhile, among the nobles who hadn’t attended the party, some began requesting to buy the children’s jewelry pieces that had been given out as party favors.
“I’m sorry, but the gifts from the birthday party were exclusive and are not for sale.”
“My child is upset. They say their friends won’t let them join in because they don’t have one.”
“My apologies.”
Among the young nobles, those emerald trinkets had become the latest trend. Knowing they couldn’t be purchased anywhere made them all the more treasured, strengthening the bonds among the children who had them.
“So now, they say children are divided into groups based on whether they have the emerald jewelry or not.”
“Everything’s gone exactly as planned.”
Lito, who had come to see Ludiana again for the first time in a while, nodded in agreement.
“Yes. In fact, even some families from the West, known for their strong pro-Nürnbern stance, have inquired about purchasing them.”
“Oh my, that’s an unexpected gain.”
Ludiana smiled in satisfaction and raised her teacup.
“But you won’t be selling the children’s jewelry, correct?”
“No. Please continue turning everyone down, just like now.”
In the empire, the true reins of power were held by the great families of the West—the so-called pro-Nürnbern faction. The moderate and eastern houses were comparatively weaker.
Through this opportunity, Ludiana intended to draw a sharper line between those western powers and the neutral-eastern bloc.
“For western families who have never once known what it feels like to be the minority, this will be quite an ordeal.”
Jewelry that couldn’t be bought, not even with money.
Simply owning it allowed the children of neutral and eastern families to soothe their latent inferiority complex toward the mighty western houses.
And yet the westerners couldn’t complain. After all, they were just children’s trinkets.
A subtle smile of triumph appeared on Ludiana’s face.
“Good.”
After chatting a little longer, Lito rose from his seat.
“Then I’ll take my leave now.”
“Yes. Thank you as always, Lito.”
Watching him disappear out of the greenhouse, Ludiana stood as well.
“The weather’s warmed quite a bit.”
She stepped into the garden, looking up at the sky where the chill had finally eased. The air that drifted through the slowly greening garden was pleasantly fresh.
Rustle.
She sensed someone behind her and turned. There stood Carlos.
“Carlos?”
“Oh, you caught me.”
“What are you doing back there?”
He grinned playfully, and Ludiana couldn’t help but laugh as well.
It was obvious he was pretending to be caught on purpose, and it was both amusing and strangely endearing.
“Ludi. Do you have a moment?”
“Mm. Sure.”
Despite his bold approach, the tips of his ears and his cheeks were tinged with red. Tilting her head curiously, Ludiana asked,
“What is it?”
“You know how in three months the Eastern Academy will be accepting early students?”
At that, the smile on Ludiana’s lips faltered.
Because of Baron’s belief that the entrance exams should be fair, both Carlos and Irene would soon leave for the East to prepare. Which meant the day they would part ways was not far off.
Hiding her disappointment, Ludiana smiled.
“Yes, I know.”
“I’ve decided—I’ll enter the academy, just like you said.”
“Mm.”
“I’ll study hard, and even stay there during the holidays. Since I’ll be enrolling late, I need to work twice as hard.”
“Mm.”
But the more he spoke, the more rigid Ludiana’s face became.
This was what she had wanted: for Carlos to grow, unhindered by her presence. For him to put distance between them and walk his own path.
Yet the emptiness she felt was different from when Irene had left.
“As I said to the Baron, I want to become the kind of person you’d wish me to be.”
“Carlos, you need to do it for yourself, not for me.”
“That is for me.”
Composing her expression again, Ludiana looked at him calmly. Only then did she notice one of his arms was hidden behind his back. Curious, she asked,
“What’s that behind you?”
“Ah.”
Carlos’s lips parted slightly, and he fidgeted nervously. As Ludiana leaned closer, his face flushed hotter and hotter until it was bright red.
“Carlos?”
When she called his name again, he seemed to steel himself. His eyes firmed, and he finally swung his hidden arm forward.
“Ludi. This is a gift for you.”
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