#6
I didn’t need to see what happened after I passed out—it was obvious.
Ruslan began to hate me, and the Empress was similar. If I had changed my attitude after waking up, things might have been different, but the young “me” really hated the situation.
It was a terrible wedding that left wounds for everyone.
‘It’s not all my fault, though.’
Still, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ruslan. I had hurt him many times after that.
We couldn’t become close right away. But at least I hoped he wouldn’t hate me.
Standing in front of the angry Ruslan, I lowered my head.
There was nothing I could do except apologize sincerely.
“I’m sorry for what happened on our wedding day.”
“…..”
Ruslan narrowed his eyes and glared at me. He didn’t look like someone who would easily believe me.
“What’s your point in suddenly saying this?”
“I’ve just accepted my situation.”
“Situation?”
“I’ve realized that no matter what I do, I can’t go back home…”
I didn’t plan to try to convince him with sweet words, as he was just a child. If I said nice things, it would only make him more suspicious.
“… You want to go home? Isn’t your family falling apart?”
I didn’t know where he heard that, but it was true, so I had no response.
“Even if we’re poor, it’s still my family.”
Ruslan looked a bit confused.
“Yeah, I heard you forced yourself to marry me for money.”
“You also married me because you wanted to get better. What’s the difference?”
“That’s true, but…”
“And all the money I received, I couldn’t use. It was all taken by the family.”
“At least you live in the palace!”
“But I have to live around people who hate me, constantly having to watch my back.”
That was how my past life had been.
“So, are you apologizing to look good to others?”
“I’m apologizing because I truly feel sorry. If I were trying to look good, I would just beg you, not go through all this.”
“Ugh, ugh.”
Ruslan, confused, grabbed his head and mumbled. I sat on the bed and continued speaking.
“I’m not asking you to understand right now or to reconcile.”
“Then?”
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
This was sincere.
Even though I was young, I wanted to apologize for fainting in front of him and for all the hate I had caused.
“Okay… I’ll accept your apology.”
Ruslan’s voice softened a little. I smiled and stood up from the bed, offering my hand to him.
Ruslan, still filled with doubt, hesitated but then reached out.
His hand still had the marks from the blisters, but it didn’t surprise me since I had held it several times during his treatment.
When I naturally took his small, soft hand, he gripped it firmly, unlike usual.
“Let’s try to get along from now on.”
“I’m not fully forgiving you, so don’t get the wrong idea.”
He was still acting a bit prickly, but that was okay.
This was already a big improvement.
I walked toward the door connecting our rooms.
“I’m not expecting us to become close right away. I just hope you don’t avoid me anymore.”
I waved lightly and opened the door.
“I’ll go now. See you tomorrow when I go to greet the Empress.”
“What? Hey!”
Before he could catch me, I closed the door and rushed to my room.
The room I had been assigned was better than I expected.
The high ceiling and warm sunlight filled the room, decorated in white, pink ribbons, and lace, fitting my young age.
Colorful flowers were scattered around the room, adding a pleasant scent.
I opened the door and called out to Nana, who was waiting outside.
“I think I can move my things now.”
Nana smiled with relief and signaled the maids, who started bringing in my things.
I locked eyes with Betty, who looked at me with a betrayed expression, almost like a lover scorned.
The next morning.
I woke up at 7 and opened the door connecting my room to Ruslan’s. The air still felt heavy, as if the soothing incense had been used again.
I walked to the window, opened the curtains, and looked outside.
“Ugh.”
Ruslan, holding his rabbit doll, was sleeping with a frown, pulling the blanket over his head.
I walked over to him, pulled the blanket off, and said,
“Get up.”
“Ugh, ugh.”
I helped him sit up, and still half asleep, he obediently followed.
“What are you doing here?”
“We’re supposed to go greet the Empress today.”
“When did I say that?”
The maids I had called earlier came in, taking the confused Ruslan with them.
With their help, Ruslan got cleaned up and ready, and he looked much better.
“These clothes are so tight.”
“You’ve been lounging around in pajamas, which is making your body weaker. Let’s go greet the Empress and have breakfast together.”
“I want to sleep more…”
“I heard the Empress is leaving for the war soon.”
Ruslan, surprised at hearing something he didn’t know, widened his eyes.
“What? Really?”
“Yeah. I heard the maids talking.”
I grabbed his shoulders and continued,
“And Count Orleans is here too.”
“My dad?”
A warm flush spread across his face.
“Yeah. You haven’t greeted him yet, have you?”
“I didn’t even know he was here…”
I hadn’t realized Ruslan didn’t know the Count had visited. For a moment, Betty’s obsessive face flashed in my mind, but I shook my head.
“Every time the Count came, you were sleeping, so he just left. This time, you should go meet him.”
“Yeah!”
Excited to meet the Count, Ruslan quickly got ready.
When he finished and opened the door, Betty, breathless from running, was standing outside.
“Your Highness, where are you going?”
“Dad’s here, so I’m going to see him!”
Ruslan, unaware, smiled brightly.
Betty’s face darkened at this.
“But the doctor said you need to rest. How far is it to the Rose Palace where the Count is staying?”
“The doctor said it’s okay to walk that distance as exercise.”
I couldn’t hold back anymore and interrupted their conversation.
Betty glared at me and then made eye contact with Nana, who was standing behind me.
“Lower your eyes.”
At Nana’s words, Betty quietly lowered her head.
But as she was shorter than me, I could briefly see the anger and jealousy on her face.
‘Could it be that she’s really obsessed with Ruslan?’
The trust between Betty and Ruslan was too strong for me to interfere. If I said anything, it might ruin the fragile relationship I was starting to build with him.
‘I’ll have to tell the Empress and Count Orleans.’
Luckily, they trusted me.
“Let’s go!”
Ruslan, now in a hurry, urged me, taking slow steps as he thought about things.
“Your Highness, don’t run, and be careful.”
“Okay, I’ll be careful!”
Waving to Betty, Ruslan skipped down the hallway.
It seemed the treatment I had given him over the past few days was really working well.
In my memory, he had been getting weaker day by day, and after a year of marriage, he couldn’t even leave his bed.
It was hard to imagine that now, as he looked so healthy.
The Rose Palace, where the Count was staying, was only a ten-minute walk for a child.
I had already contacted the maids, so at the end of the path leading to the Rose Palace, the Count was waiting.
“Father!”
Ruslan, with his short legs, ran toward the Count and jumped into his arms.
“Ruslan, don’t run, you might fall.”
The Count scolded Ruslan but smiled warmly, clearly happy.
I had only seen the Count angry or with a stern face before, so seeing him smile like that made him look even more handsome.
‘No wonder the Empress fell for him at first sight.’
The Count patted Ruslan’s head and lifted him up, creating a picture-perfect moment between father and son.
It was almost enviable, considering my own family had betrayed me so much that I now hated the idea of blood ties.
“Shall we go?”
“Yeah!”
Excited, Ruslan grabbed the Count’s hair and shouted. His bright, childlike smile made me smile too.
“Here.”
Suddenly, a large hand reached out in front of me.
“The way to the Imperial Palace is more complicated than you think. Hold my hand so you don’t get lost.”
The Count’s words made me open my mouth in surprise.
