Chapter 71
I Thought It Was a Dream. Everything
“It can’t be…”
Annette felt a crushing pain constricting her chest as she barely managed to whisper.
She had experienced this kind of silence before.
It felt like being trapped in a dreadful nightmare.
She couldn’t think straight.
Before she knew it, her eyes brimmed with tears.
As her blurred vision deepened, so did the flood of memories she had desperately wished to forget.
〈…Nanny? Are you still sleeping?〉
〈……〉
〈You’re such a sleepyhead, my nanny… I’m hungry. Stop joking around and wake up already, okay?〉
That day, Annette shook her nanny’s already cold body, whining in a way she never usually did.
She thought that if she acted like that, Sarah would open her eyes and hug her, saying, “Our princess is still a baby.”
It had been an unusually cold night.
Even when her nanny had been coughing so badly, Annette hadn’t been able to give her warm soup—only water with a crust of ice. That was all a seven-year-old Annette could do.
The looks from the maids who occasionally came to the annex were so terrifying.
And outside the annex? She imagined there were even more terrifying monsters than those maids.
So she couldn’t bring herself to leave.
When her nanny told her it was fine, that she would feel better after a nap, Annette believed it.
She shouldn’t have. No matter how scared she was, she should have gone out and grabbed someone—anyone—and begged them for help.
Told them her nanny was sick. Asked them to save her.
Now, tears so hot and thick she could hardly open her eyes streamed down her face.
With her face a mess of tears, Annette flung open the door and practically flew toward the staircase ahead.
Then—CRASH!
The loud noise filled the silent mansion.
She had tumbled down the steep stairs, rolling and rolling.
But Annette got up with a face that didn’t seem to feel pain.
The moment she stepped down, a sharp pain shot through her ankle—it must have been sprained.
But she clung to the banister and started hobbling down the stairs again.
She didn’t even notice that one of the fluffy slippers she cherished had slipped off her foot.
All she could think was that she had to find someone—anyone—fast.
That day, when the maids brought food to the annex, they were horrified to see the princess clinging to a corpse.
They panicked at first, but soon rushed to inform the higher-ups and remove the ominous dead body from the palace.
It was probably just a cold or pneumonia, but they couldn’t ignore the possibility of infection, so they wrapped the body in clean cloth, covering their noses and mouths.
This was the situation for a child who had just lost the only person she could rely on since birth.
And in front of her, instead of kindness, there were eerie figures covering their faces—nothing could have been more terrifying for a child already afraid of strangers.
But no one thought about how frightened the little princess was. They only wanted to get the job done quickly.
Perhaps that’s why the little princess who had always hunched her shoulders at a single mocking word or hostile glance, staring at the ground, wasn’t there that day.
〈G-Go away! I said go away!〉
The child clenched her thin, bony fists and screamed as she hugged the cold corpse.
The cursed spawn of the demonic beast.
With eyes so red they struck fear into hearts, the princess glared and shouted, terrifying not just the maids but even the attendants sent to collect the body.
They were so frightened of touching the ominous child—or even meeting her gaze—that they didn’t dare approach.
They thought, How long can a child resist? But shockingly, the little princess didn’t eat or sleep and clung to her nanny for three whole days and nights.
Every time someone tried to come closer, she hissed like a kitten that had lost its mother, full of suspicion and hostility.
Even at that young age, Annette sensed death drawing near.
She instinctively knew that if things went on like this, she would die just like her nanny.
She was terrified. She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live.
To survive… and someday, be happy.
Then suddenly, hot blood surged through her body.
Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst, and then—she fainted.
When she opened her eyes again…
“……”
There was no one around.
No cold, unresponsive nanny.
No people trying to take her nanny away.
Just silence. Absolute stillness.
…Just like now.
“Hhkk…”
Annette stumbled down the stairs step by step, trying to hold back her tears—but failed.
Her whole body ached as if bruised all over, and her chest throbbed painfully.
“Your Highness, where are you…?”
She whimpered, looking for Cardin.
Just yesterday, they had said a warm goodnight to each other.
So today, they should have greeted each other with a good morning.
And like yesterday, they should have shared a meal, talking about what to do today.
‘I just started to believe I was finally happy…’
She had known it was too much to ask, from beginning to end. But she believed anyway—because she wanted to.
That happiness had finally found her.
But the thought that it might all have been a dream… that Cardin might not be by her side… made her feel like the sky was collapsing.
How could the world be this cruel and harsh?
She had never even wished for much.
Then why—why let her dream such a beautiful dream…
Only to shatter and crush it?
“Why…”
Her voice trembled with unbearable grief and resentment as she stopped walking, clutching the banister.
Her chest heaved as she swallowed sobs—then suddenly, the quiet mansion filled with hurried footsteps climbing the stairs.
“Princess?”
The voice she had longed for more than anything was right in front of her—wearing a ridiculous party hat.
“What on earth…”
Cardin froze at the sight of Annette—hair disheveled, face streaked with tears, nightgown dirty and torn in places, one slipper missing.
Annette, still unsure whether the man before her was real, slowly reached out her hand.
Seeing that gesture, Cardin rushed up the stairs, knelt in front of her, and—forgetting even his handkerchief—gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his hand.
“Princess, why are you crying?”
At last, reality sank in.
Sniffling, Annette said,
“Because… there was no one here. I thought it was all a dream.”
“A dream?”
Nod, nod. Annette tried to look brave, but emotion welled up in her eyes despite her efforts.
“Everything. Meeting you, coming to the Empire.”
“……”
“Where did you go?”
She asked, sounding almost accusing—then noticed the party hat on his head.
“Were you playing a prank?”
Cardin looked awkward and nodded.
“Yes… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“……”
“It’s my fault.”
Annette had wanted to say It’s fine, because seeing him again filled her with relief and gratitude that it wasn’t a dream—but the words wouldn’t come.
Instead, as his apologies kept coming, the tears she’d held back spilled down her cheeks again.
At that moment, Cardin pulled her into a tight embrace.
“No one comes any closer.”
His cold, commanding voice made those climbing the stairs stop in their tracks.
Annette realized then that Cardin was shielding her from view, keeping anyone from seeing her cry.
She relaxed and leaned into him.
She could feel his warmth—and a heartbeat that wasn’t hers.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
His heart was racing so fast it could almost be an illness—and that made Annette laugh through her tears.
Just then, a strange noise came from above—and Samuel appeared.
“Your Highness was too fast, I didn’t have time to give the signal… huh?”
Panting, he froze when he saw Cardin holding Annette protectively and the servants below staring in shock.
He didn’t know what had happened, but one thing was clear: the surprise party he had planned with such ambition was ruined.
All strength drained from Samuel’s hands.
And then—POP! The firecracker he was holding exploded.
Startled, Annette looked up as colorful confetti fluttered down onto her head.
Now all eyes were on Samuel instead of today’s supposed star. Rolling his eyes awkwardly, he muttered,
“Uh… happy birthday, Princess.”
For having the audacity to be the first to say happy birthday to Annette—and for suggesting today’s surprise party—Samuel was relentlessly tormented by Cardin and the ducal household.
Meanwhile, Annette, freshly bathed and cleaned of her disheveled state, was in the bathroom with Larisa, applying ointment to the small injuries from her tumble down the stairs.
“Um… Larisa?”
“Snff… Does it hurt here, ma’am?”
“No, it doesn’t hurt at all.”
From the moment she saw Annette in that pitiful state on the stairs, through bathing her and now, Larisa hadn’t stopped sniffling—and Annette didn’t know what to do.
“Larisa, I recover quickly. These little scratches will heal in no time. Look, I can even move my ankle just fine.”
To prove it, she rotated the ankle she had twisted earlier, making Larisa gasp and grab her foot in a panic.
“O-Okay, I get it, ma’am! Please stop!”
“I’m really fine…”
Annette’s reassurance made Larisa sniffle and nod, though she still couldn’t hide her distress.
“I’m so sorry. I never should’ve listened to the aide. I should’ve been by your side when you woke up…”
Annette gave her an awkward smile, unable to deny it outright—when suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
“Master, you’re here?”
“How’s the treatment?”
“I just applied ointment. The lady insists there’s no need to call a doctor…”
Clearly eager to tattle, Larisa rushed out the moment she heard the knock, pleading earnestly,
“Please, sir, talk some sense into her.”
