Chapter 18
As though he had been waiting, Zen replied immediately to Lia’s request to meet in the reception room in front of the library. They sat facing each other in the same room where Lia had once shared tea with Erni.
“So. What brings our Crown Princess-to-be to want a private meeting?”
His face was impassive, but the words coming out of his mouth were teasing, almost shameless. Lia’s eyes first checked his waist. Thankfully, he wasn’t carrying a sword today. Still, his fingers spun a dagger round and round.
That size… even if I got stabbed, it probably wouldn’t kill me.
She quietly repeated to herself the spell she knew—the one that could produce fire stronger than a lighter, something closer to a gas stove. Not that she was confident it would do much good.
The previous night, after hearing the Duchess’s words, she hadn’t slept a wink. Her head had been full of thoughts about what she wanted to do, about what made her heart race, until she felt almost sick from it.
Here, in this world, she had money. And with money came time. She had family who supported and loved her.
But what should she actually do? She had always thought before that if only she had money, she could do anything. Yet finding what she truly wanted to do turned out to be harder than expected.
She could also choose to do nothing. She could become Empress, just as Zen proposed. In her original world she never could have reached such a position, and perhaps she would even be good at handling state affairs.
Or, if she found a way to live here without marrying Zen, she could spend the rest of her life as a leisurely noble lady.
There was no need for her to desperately cling to survival anymore. She didn’t have to work to live, didn’t have to sell her pride for a single meal, didn’t have to embrace misery just to scrape by.
That was the life she had always dreamed of. But still…
Something that makes my heart race…
Lia squeezed her eyes shut and drew in a deep breath. Then she finally shouted—
“…I want to postpone the marriage!”
Silence filled the room. Lia blinked her eyes open slowly.
“…Say that again.”
Zen tilted his head slightly, staring at her. His voice was so low it felt like it brushed along her skin. Lia shivered.
He really won’t kill me. He said he needs me to save his life.
Once more, she squeezed her eyes shut and yelled—
“I said I want to postpone the marriage!”
Clatter—
Zen pushed back his chair and stood, his glare murderous, as though he might strangle her then and there. Lia hurriedly added more words. She had expected this kind of reaction and prepared a countermeasure.
“In exchange, I’ll tell you who wants to kill you!”
“…What?”
Zen froze in place. In that moment, Lia unleashed the words she had prepared.
“I thought about it a lot. You said the reason you want to marry me is for your life, right?”
“So what?”
Zen jerked his chin, signaling her to continue.
“I don’t really know what you mean by that. But if you want to marry me to stay alive, then that means… if you don’t die, you don’t need to marry me.”
This was the conclusion she had come to the night before.
Since agreeing to Zen’s proposal—since thinking of herself as the Crown Princess—her presence in this world had been steadily returning.
That meant it might be possible to survive even without marriage.
Honestly, she didn’t hate the thought of marrying Zen. He was handsome, and marrying him was indeed a guaranteed way to survive.
But marriage would get in the way.
In this world, a noblewoman who married belonged to her husband’s house. She was bound to the duties of mistress of that house, and of course, she couldn’t have an independent career.
That was why Lia wanted to delay marriage, and why the Duchess had told her to first find what she truly wanted to do.
Sure, my existence might fade again if I delay the marriage… but it’s worth the risk.
For the first time, she had something she wanted to do. She didn’t want to give it up easily. It was strange—she hadn’t even thought of it until the Duchess mentioned it. But once it entered her heart, she couldn’t let it go. If she did, she knew it would linger as lifelong regret.
“So just postpone it for now. I’ll help you. I’ll save you.”
“Hah.”
Zen let out a mocking laugh.
“And how exactly could you save me? Didn’t you say you don’t know how?”
“That’s…”
Lia hesitated, then resolved to stick with her conclusion from last night. Zen smirked and pressed—
“Do you think delaying marriage will change anything?”
“…If you give me time, I’ll find out who wants to kill you.”
Though in truth, I already know.
She planned to hold back Korend’s name for now. The more cards she had, the better. Show them all at once, and she’d be left defenseless.
“Someone who wants to kill me?”
Zen leaned close, his blue eyes gleaming coldly. Lia instinctively leaned back.
“Why do you think I’d be killed at all?”
“What?”
Because you are, in the real story…
She swallowed down the secret she couldn’t reveal. She had expected him to doubt her.
“You’re the Crown Prince of the Baisen Empire. The sole heir to the throne. It’s unthinkable that you’d die of illness or accident. And if it’s something beyond human power, marrying me won’t change that either.”
“So?”
“So the only possibility left is assassination. For some reason, you think marrying me will prevent that. Am I wrong?”
“You think the sole heir to the throne being assassinated is possible?”
Lia swallowed hard. Zen was sharper than she had expected. If she failed to persuade him here, all her efforts would be for nothing.
“Yes. Precisely because you’re the sole heir!”
His eyebrows twitched.
“Yesterday, after hearing my brother’s words, I thought about it. I never imagined Byron could have such intentions. That means you have that many enemies around you.”
“I said to forget what you heard. Do you trust your brother that much?”
“Why are you so sure Korend Widia, the Grand Duke, wouldn’t kill you?”
She had resolved just moments ago not to speak Korend’s name, but the frustration broke through. Zen trusted him too much.
“Because that’s the kind of man he is.”
“And you think you know everything about him? What if he was pretending? What if he changed?”
Thud—
Zen drove the dagger into the desk. Lia flinched.
“Enough.”
But Lia glared back defiantly.
“No, I won’t stop.”
“Lia Kevlik.”
He growled her name like a final warning. Lia pressed on without backing down.
“I know that when you were a child, Grand Duke Korend risked his life to save you. I know he nearly lost the sight in one eye because of it.”
Zen’s eyes widened. As if to say—how could you know that?
“You…!”
“You think he’s a fool. You think, if only he hadn’t saved me that day, he would have become Emperor instead. Don’t you?”
All night, Lia had tried to recall the original story. She had wanted to know why Zen trusted Korend so blindly.
And then I remembered Zen’s end.
In the original story, at the moment of his death, Zen briefly suspected Korend. But recalling how Korend had once saved his life, he blamed himself instead for doubting him.
He trusted him to the very end. Foolishly.
Zen’s lips trembled.
“…People change, Zen.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
Lia’s throat bobbed. She realized that to convince him, she’d have to lay all her cards on the table. Taking a deep breath, she declared—
“Grand Duke Korend… is the one who will kill you.”
Her words landed like a hammer. Zen collapsed back into his chair, as if forced to face a possibility he didn’t want to acknowledge.
I don’t know why Korend would change like that either…
Lia looked at Zen with pity. Perhaps he already suspected it deep down, but he just didn’t want to admit it.
“…Where did you learn that?”
Zen’s pupils still trembled as he asked. Lia carefully chose her words. She had expected this question.
“I can’t tell you.”
“…What?”
He sneered, but Lia quickly added—
“But I want you to trust me. Not many know that Korend nearly lost an eye saving you as a child. You know that.”
“And?”
“Does it matter how I got that information? What matters is—I did. Which means I have sources of information.”
“So I should believe you when you say my uncle will kill me—just because you ‘have sources’?”
“You don’t have to believe me. But if you give me time…”
“…You’ll find a way to save my life?”
“…Maybe.”
Lia met his gaze without flinching. She quickly added—
“I’m not saying to delay the engagement. Just the marriage. I still have to graduate, after all. So let’s wait a little while. It’s not a bad deal for you either.”
She stared at him, silently begging him to agree.
After some time, Zen finally looked away and muttered—
“…Why do you want to postpone it so badly? Once we’re engaged, rumors will spread. A delayed marriage could hurt you more than help.”
Yes!
Finally, Zen had budged. Hiding her inner relief, Lia calmly answered—
“I know. And I’ll accept that risk. Because… in this Empire, married women can’t have a career.”
“You want a career?”
Lia recalled the Duchess’s words from yesterday.
“Do what you want to do.”
“I believe you have something you truly want.”
“Yes. I do.”
Lia spoke slowly. After a night of sleepless thinking, she had finally reached a conclusion. Even saying it herself felt strange.
“…I want to become a magician.”
