IAYATP CHAPTER 12

Episode 12

Lady Riviette Ellinium had been from Iarid since birth.

Her parents held the title of Count and mainly served as attendants to the Grand Duke and Duchess of Fidelanis.

Because of this, they were always invited to the parties hosted by the Grand Duke and Duchess, and Riviette would always accompany her parents to those gatherings.

And there, whenever she saw him, Riviette had always harbored a secret crush on a boy whose upright expression and posture grew ever more dignified with each passing day.

As her family had devoted themselves to the Grand Duke and Duchess, Riviette once believed without a doubt that Lankea would be her rightful reward.

But despite setting aside her pride and making repeated advances, Lankea never accepted her confession.

In the end, Riviette accepted the proposal of the Marquis of Ellinium and became his wife, yet even now, whenever she saw Lankea, those old memories would resurface.

But… but… you so easily made a princess from the neighboring kingdom your Grand Duchess?

Riviette felt she would never be satisfied until she saw the Grand Duchess’s face for herself.

So she had purposely timed her banquet to coincide with Lankea and the Grand Duchess’s arrival in Iarid.

Let’s see that oh-so-perfect face for myself.

And now, Riviette stood before the very woman she had so longed to meet.

I have a feeling I shouldn’t turn my head right now.

Sensing a burning gaze from somewhere, I exhaled and looked to Libed for help.

“……”

Libed said nothing.

And I didn’t need to think too hard to figure out what that silence meant.

It was essentially telling me: Remember what you’ve been taught, but do your duty.

In the end, I turned calmly, just as I had been taught, to face the Marchioness of Ellinium, who had greeted me.

“Hello, Marchioness Ellinium. Thank you very much for welcoming me to Iarid.”

Hmm, that level of greeting wasn’t bad.

Having regained a little peace of mind, I lifted my lips slightly higher, my breathing a bit more steady.

After all, there’s a saying that you can’t spit on a smiling face.

“Congratulations on your marriage to His Grace the Grand Duke. But this is Iarid. Here, we must always be prepared for monster invasions, and of course, ready to fight them off.”

“…And?”

“But now that I see Your Grace the Grand Duchess in person…”

The Marchioness didn’t finish her sentence, but the scorn in her eyes spoke volumes.

“I—”

A gaze full of disdain is always irritating—no matter who it’s from, no matter when.

Especially when I lived as a beggar, those were exactly the kinds of looks I got from people I met.

Back then, there was nothing I could do. I knew better than anyone how low my status was.

All I could do was keep my mouth shut and wait for them to look away.

But when you have power, it’s a different story.

The reason I took the risk to accept Princess Eos’s proposal wasn’t just for the money… though yes, money was the biggest reason.

The other reason was power.

Even if only for a moment, I wanted to stand on the brightest stage and make myself the protagonist. I had lived in the shadows all my life—one bout of such greed seemed acceptable.

“I am here today as one of His Grace the Grand Duke’s forces.”

In other words, at this moment, the person speaking to the Marchioness of Ellinium was not Eos, but me—my own words from my own will.

Even if I was a stand-in, I had at least some strength now to support Lankea.

“I have the power to heal, and if His Grace is ever injured, I will be at his side to help him.”

At the word “His Grace,” the Marchioness’s straight eyebrows twitched.

I don’t make a habit of picking fights, but if someone insists on starting one, it’s only proper to respond.

“…I see.”

After a long pause, the Marchioness finally forced out a few words.

Her lips still moved, suggesting she had plenty more to say.

The brief conversation had drained the little energy I had left, but I had no regrets.

Thinking back, the cringeworthy lines I’d just delivered really did feel like a scene straight out of a romance fantasy.

“Your Highness, then—”

“Princess Eos.”

The unyielding Marchioness, who knew no retreat, called me again as I tried to step away.

And this time, another, far more familiar voice called my name at the same time.

“Your Grace?”

At some point, having finished his conversation, Lankea had come to stand behind me.

Under the light, his black eyes looked even darker yet still shone, making him all the more captivating.

“Your heel.”

“?”

At his brief remark, I turned to look at my heel.

Earlier, it had stung, but not enough to bother me, so I had ignored it.

But now that he mentioned it, it seemed to hurt again.

“Oh.”

When had he noticed?

Sometimes, he seemed to have an oddly unnecessary attention to detail.

“Is there a lounge here?”

“Ah… yes, of course.”

And this was my chance—my last chance to escape this awkward space.

“Your Grace, I’ll be in the lounge, then. And you, Sir, stay here. I’ll just rest for a bit and come back.”

As a bonus, it was also my chance to escape Libed.

Libed looked like he wanted to follow me…

Not a chance.

Before he could stop me, I followed the maid who had come to guide me, my steps growing lighter as I left for the lounge.

“Ah! That’s better.”

Truly, a bit of peace and quiet is the best.

Sitting alone in the empty lounge—that was the life.

I picked up a macaron from the plate of extra desserts the maid had brought for me and made myself a resolution.

There’s nothing wrong with being poor, but there’s absolutely no harm in having money, either.

Though… when did he even see my ankle?

I tossed the macaron into my mouth and glanced again at the scratch behind my ankle.

Even I had been ignoring it.

Well, it had at least served as an excuse to get out of that stifling banquet hall.

If he’s got looks, wealth, and—though I can’t speak for his character—he’s also attentive to details… maybe Lankea really is the male lead.

Official reports and rumors alike tended to paint him in a certain light—

Cold-blooded. Ruler of the North. Merciless.

Cheesy, but all standard male lead settings.

Ugh, I’m getting sleepy.

The empty room, the breeze drifting in through the slightly open window, and the occasional warm current amid the chill lulled me.

I really shouldn’t fall asleep right now.

If I sleep now…

Now…

Clop clop.

The steady sound of hooves woke me.

“Mmm…”

What?

I had only closed my eyes for a moment in the lounge, so why was I hearing hooves?

The wind seemed stronger now, too.

And my body felt like it was leaning against something hard, making my neck a little stiff.

Where am I?

I quickly came to my senses at the faintly familiar scent.

Fruit?

No, right? It can’t be. It mustn’t be.

But once the thought took root, it didn’t take long to confirm it.

The familiar view of a carriage interior, the faint aroma drifting through the air—it was the same massive Grand Duke’s carriage I’d ridden in that morning.

“……”

For now, I decided not to make any noise.

Not that it would do much good with a man who noticed the slightest movement.

Still, my resolve didn’t last long—not with the ache in the back of my neck.

Ow, my neck…

I must have been leaning for quite a while, because it had gone from stiff to sore.

Just a bit… I’ll just get up without a sound. Slowly.

I waited for the carriage to jolt and, in that moment when its sway was transmitted through my body, I naturally lifted my head from his shoulder and let out a tiny breath.

Since Lankea made no movement and said nothing, it seemed I had succeeded.

“……”

In the still carriage, the only sound was his calm breathing.

Is he really asleep?

I turned my head slightly—and found that my guess was right.

Eyes closed, not moving a muscle, leaning gracefully against the seat, arms folded.

Even asleep, he managed to look perfectly composed, like a work of art.

As I stared absent-mindedly for a while, his eyelids began to twitch ever so slightly.

And then…

“Ah…”

I found myself face-to-face with those deep black eyes, like the midnight sky.

“……”

Neither of us spoke.

Honestly, I couldn’t even think of what to say.

We were barely a centimeter apart, and my eyes had been fixed on him all this time.

“I didn’t… do anything.”

“……”

Without thinking, I blurted out a stupid line to assert my innocence.

He gave no reply, only continued to look at me.

Perhaps that was why the heavy air between us grew even heavier, and all I could do was wish this carriage would hurry to the Grand Duke’s estate.

Thunk.

Finally…!

At last, the carriage came to a stop.

To be continued.