Chapter – 21
‘But not me.’
Those who covet what they cannot have only become unhappy.
I had always faced the limits of what I could achieve through my own efforts, so I never rushed to seize what was not mine.
Of course, I could not explain this to Ángel.
“Please tell me more about Princess Luiji. What should I be careful of?”
I changed the topic.
After all, the guest arriving this time was quite an important figure.
‘Princess Luiji is Asel’s aunt, isn’t she?’
Strictly speaking, she was not technically a princess.
Since she married into the Mortum Kingdom, her royal title had disappeared. Properly, she should be called the Duchess of Arjen.
However, even after her marriage, she occasionally visited the Empire, and Asel’s father still called her “Princess” as he had when he was young. Out of convenience, others also referred to her as the Princess.
Princess Luiji did not wield significant influence in the Empire. Most of her life was in the Kingdom, and her visits to the Empire were brief.
Yet I remembered her name because of an extra episode in the side story. I didn’t recall her personality or traits in detail, since she had been a minor character.
‘She dies from poisoning at the banquet in a few days.’
The reason why only Princess Luiji would die at a banquet attended by many people was that she was quite elderly, and no other nobles enjoyed seafood as much as she did.
Later, it was revealed that one of the Kingdom attendants who had accompanied her was responsible, but since the incident originated in the Empire, both the Empire and the Kingdom engaged in a tense standoff over whose act it was.
Rumors of a war between the Kingdom and the Empire spread, shaking the stock market.
‘The stock market hates instability.’
Fortunately, the culprit who poisoned Princess Luiji was caught quickly, but then a civil war broke out in the Kingdom, which became a problem.
The Kingdom was divided between the pro-Empire 2nd Prince and the anti-Empire 1st Prince. Princess Luiji’s death disrupted this balance.
‘Since I already know the future, it would be great if I could prevent Princess Luiji’s death and also stop the civil war.’
I couldn’t stop the first, but I wondered if at least I could do something about the latter.
“Well… there’s no need to do anything special.”
“…?”
Ángel’s reaction was strange. He looked hesitant, or perhaps he was trying to avoid the topic.
As Asel’s loyal aide, he had always been the one to take on difficult tasks head-on, so this uncharacteristic behavior was suspicious.
“Just stay put and everything will pass.”
He even spoke as if Princess Luiji were some kind of storm.
That puzzled me.
“Then speak up if you have a mouth.”
I realized when I saw her in person.
“I heard there was a commotion at the ball. But the fact that you got involved shows your lack of capability, doesn’t it?”
“Also, displaying a spirit in front of so many people! Don’t you know how dangerous that was? A crowded ball could have resulted in casualties from the spirit you summoned, and Asel could have been hurt!”
“And yet you go around like nothing happened without a hint of remorse! How can you even call yourself the Crown Princess?”
At the same time, I realized something old but long forgotten.
‘This woman, she hated Laura. Truly.’
How could anyone not know someone hates them?
This was my first time facing Princess Luiji directly.
Laura had met her long before I had even possessed this body…
‘The original Princess Luiji wouldn’t have acted this way.’
The original Luiji liked Seraphina, saying she was kind and diligent.
But to me, she was stricter than a mother-in-law during kimchi-making season. It felt as if she was itching to tear me apart.
Of course, I didn’t just sit there silently.
“Even so, now that suspicions have been raised, I could not remain idle. Above all, the Crown Prince himself was proving my innocence, so I could not risk tarnishing that reputation. For the dignity of the royal family, I had to present overwhelming evidence.”
“Hmph, that’s a clever excuse.”
She glared at me with her mouth twisted, unable to find any flaw to pick on.
Just for a moment.
“It’s amusing to see you act like the Crown Princess already. If you are so capable, then surely you can manage hosting someone like me, a Duchess of a small kingdom?”
A few days later, Luiji asked me to organize the banquet.
Though she said “organize,” it was obvious that no matter how much effort I put in, she would diminish it to suit her taste.
“What do you mean? There are so many who wish to host Your Highness, yet you expect your fiancée to do it?”
Asel panicked and tried to intervene for his aunt.
“Stop overprotecting her. You left her by your side because you believed she had the qualities of a Crown Princess, right? Then she must be able to handle this kind of task!”
“Oh, no…”
“Or is it that there is no proper lady in the Empire? If you want me to introduce worthy ladies from the Kingdom, I can always arrange that.”
Princess Luiji silenced Asel instantly.
In addition, the Grand Duke said:
“If something were to happen to your niece, this young lady would take over the imperial duties at royal events. Even as a fiancée, she is still part of the royal family. Therefore, she should be capable of managing such events.”
It was as if it were natural for me to take on this task.
Behind Luiji was Mortum’s 2nd Prince, Malken.
“…Surely your aunt has her reasons for this judgment.”
The 2nd Prince offered no opinion. He merely said that if public opinion was as such, he would follow it and remained silent.
Asel was beside himself with frustration.
“You don’t have to handle this.”
When he and I were alone, he spoke again.
“Your aunt is sensitive because of the long journey. You don’t need to take all that anger on yourself. Our agreement was that you fulfill your duties as my fiancée. This is not something written in the contract.”
His words were meant to ease my burden.
“No, I’ll do it.”
‘Why would I refuse?’
Just a moment ago, I had almost given up on preventing Princess Luiji’s poisoning.
As the prospective Crown Princess, I had no right to involve myself in every matter of the royal court.
What if I told people at the banquet that I knew about the plot?
‘I might be able to prevent the poisoning… but…’
What came after that was the problem.
[Then how did you know poison would be used at the banquet? Answer properly.]
At worst, I would be accused of being part of the plot, and at best, I would be under suspicion.
But if I became the one responsible for the banquet,
‘I would naturally be in a position to prevent the poisoning!’
Moreover, by solving this incident, I would save Princess Luiji and also prevent the civil war.
‘At least a 5% gain!’
A definite advantage.
“Isn’t it part of a Crown Princess’s duty to gain recognition from the royal elders?”
I gently held Asel’s hand, smiling slyly.
“Let’s try to win over Princess Luiji in the process.”
I was curious just how much charm I possessed myself.
The Grand Duke was given a palace on the western side of the royal court for lodging.
It was smaller than the palace he had used as a prince, but with few residents, he could move freely.
Asel wanted to give him a palace with many attendants under the pretext of proper treatment, but failed.
The Grand Duke had never revealed his ambitions to Asel or anyone else.
At the center of this secured space,
The Grand Duke stood with his hands behind his back.
“Are you really going to do this?”
A longtime subordinate asked.
“You care for Princess Luiji, do you not?”
The man held a small poison vial. It contained the poison that the 2nd Prince had given, intended for the upcoming banquet.
“That too would be a necessary sacrifice for a greater goal.”
Indeed, the Grand Duke had a special affection for Luiji. Unlike his older brother, who fought for the throne, Luiji had no such ambitions from childhood.
All she wished was for her three siblings to get along.
In her presence, the Grand Duke could play the part of a normal sibling. His affection for her was genuine.
However, he prioritized reality over sentiment.
“Personal feelings will not interfere with the plan.”
