Chapter 09
The moment Prince Alec appeared, Blake’s face immediately filled with the exhaustion of having to deal with an annoying nuisance.
“Ah, Alec.”
“Hah, eating food meant for commoners again, I see.”
At those words, Blake gave a small sigh and set his sandwich down.
It wasn’t the insult about being a commoner that irritated him most, but rather the fact that Alec had made him put down the food he’d barely started eating.
Do you know how much effort it took for me to get him to eat that, and now you’ve ruined it after just a few bites?
I glared at Alec and rose to my feet.
“So noisy from the morning… oh, it’s Your Highness the Prince. Since you barged in without so much as a greeting, I thought there must be another master of this office.”
“What?”
I rarely crossed paths with Prince Alec.
Since possessing Ariel’s body, I’d mostly stayed in my palace quarters, hardly engaging in outside activities.
So my remark clearly struck a nerve, and Alec glared back at me before sneering.
“Well, if it isn’t Her Highness the Crown Princess, who’s always shut away and impossible to catch a glimpse of.”
“……”
“You were never the type to stick by Dominic’s side before, so what exactly are you doing here now?”
“Oh my, isn’t it obvious? My husband has been so busy he barely eats properly, so I was heartbroken and came to make sure he did.”
Even after Blake became Crown Prince, Alec never called him “Your Highness.” Instead, he stuck to “hey, you,” or his birth name, Dominic.
Since Blake was born of a maid, Alec looked down on him and never missed a chance to remind him of it.
Blake, however, always dismissed Alec’s insults as if they were beneath him.
When I’d only read about it in the novel, I’d brushed it off. But seeing it firsthand…
He’s always sneering about Blake being an uneducated commoner, yet isn’t it Alec who has no manners toward the Crown Prince?
I frowned, glaring at Alec with open distaste.
“Hah, ever since Dominic came back from the dead, he’s been acting strange. And now you too—have you lost your mind, following your husband’s lead?”
“Alec.”
Finally, Blake spoke, his voice low as he called Alec’s name.
“If you came here with business, then speak to me. Isn’t that the point?”
He sounded utterly uninterested, as though indulging a petulant child.
That only enraged Alec further, and he snapped.
“How dare you treat me like a child!”
“Then perhaps answer me properly, so I won’t.”
Alec, hot-tempered as always, soon blurted out his real reason for coming.
The Emperor had assigned Blake a task, and it was none other than the matter of Orion territory—the report I had peeked at earlier.
So that’s why Alec was here.
Still, he wasn’t completely brainless; before stating the details, he shot a glance at me.
“And you… shouldn’t you leave? If you had any sense, you’d excuse yourself by now.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of you two.”
Ah, but before leaving…
“Make sure you finish the sandwich I made, Your Highness. Should I prepare one for you too, Prince Alec?”
“Hmph, food fit for commoners…”
He grumbled, yet I noticed his eyes darting to my hand, where the sandwich was.
I smirked inwardly. Thought so.
Alec, so hot-blooded and impulsive, was engaged to Lady Vermia, daughter of the powerful Duke Vermia, thanks to his mother, Empress Lucia.
She was flawless in both status and character—but Alec had one complaint.
Her looks.
Not that Lady Vermia was unattractive. On the contrary, she was tall, elegant, and refined, like a model.
But she simply wasn’t Alec’s type.
And his type? Ironically, it was Blake’s “sham” wife—me, Ariel Lecaysha.
It was a detail briefly mentioned in the original novel, but memorable nonetheless.
Alec’s ideal woman was small, cute, and lovely. Ariel—with her cherry blossom–colored hair, sky-blue eyes, petite figure, and doll-like innocence—fit that image perfectly.
So whenever we met, he couldn’t help sneaking glances at me.
Just like now.
Curious whether he’d refuse even when offered by his so-called “ideal type,” I smiled and offered the sandwich.
But before Alec could respond, Blake cut in.
“Ariel.”
His tone was flat, but I couldn’t shake the sense that he was hiding some displeasure.
“Give that to me. Alec won’t eat it anyway, right?”
“Uh, wh-what? Hmph, r-right…”
“Thank you for taking care of me. I’ll come back early today so we can spend the night together. Now, would you excuse us?”
“…What? Ah, y-yes!”
Blake wore a faint smile, but mixed with his decadent features, it came across less kind and more chilling.
Almost frightening.
And the way he played the role of doting husband made my skin crawl.
Everyone in the palace knew we barely saw each other and slept in separate rooms.
So Alec’s baffled expression was understandable.
To an outsider, we’d look like a sweet, affectionate newlywed couple.
But in truth…
It was more like a zombie and the necromancer who’d raised him.
Still, I’d completed my mission of delivering Blake’s breakfast.
So I hurried off, basket and all, as if fleeing.
Next stop: the library.
First objective—find a way to repair Blake’s incomplete body.
The only knowledge I had came from the novel’s side stories, so I needed to dig through books for more information.
Second objective—the Orion estate matter Alec and Blake were discussing.
The Orion Counts, the Emperor’s maternal relatives, had fallen out with the imperial family after a power struggle, and ultimately perished as if their line had simply ended.
Their lands reverted to the Crown.
The Emperor then granted those lands and assets to Blake and Alec, instructing the Crown Prince to “divide them fairly between you two.”
Naturally, Alec came running early in the morning to secure his share.
But in truth, this was a test from the Emperor—whether the Crown Prince could negotiate with rivals while ensuring his own advantage.
The problem was… this was originally an event requiring the help of Saintess Seira.
Her holy power was crucial to resolving it.
But Seira was missing, her return uncertain.
Which meant I had to fill in for her, lest the story’s flow collapse.
The catch: unlike Seira, I had no holy power.
So I needed an alternative.
If I remember right, in the later part of the novel there was a way to resolve it without holy power. I’ll have to look it up at the library.
Formulating my plans, I strolled toward the library, enjoying the crisp morning air.
It really is autumn now…
But then, in the silence, I heard footsteps.
…Did I imagine that?
They sounded faint, as though someone were following me. I looked around warily, then turned a corner.
But there was no one—just the distant view of the library.
“……”
Probably my imagination.
I resumed walking, gazing absentmindedly at the neat path leading to the library—when suddenly, a pair of dirt-caked black shoes stopped in front of me.
Oddly enough, despite being covered in mud, the shoes were made of fine leather.
And they looked strangely familiar.
Above them were neatly pressed black trousers, which contrasted so sharply with the filthy shoes that it felt unnatural.
Finally, I raised my head slowly to see the figure blocking my way.
“…Huh?”
“Hello.”
A casual, friendly greeting.
That made it even stranger.
Because the man standing there was none other than my husband—
Blake.
