WHTL 06

“Do I look like someone who came here to harm Your Highness?”

“Since you discovered my identity, you must have come expecting something in return.”

You need to have something worth taking first. What exactly could I possibly extort from him?
I forced down the words rising to my throat.

At this rate, the meeting would likely end without accomplishing anything.

When I let out a sigh and glanced back at my sister, she shot me a look of restraint.

A look that clearly said: ‘I don’t know what you’re planning, but don’t do it. Just don’t.’

But dragging this out longer would only deepen his suspicions.

When I sent her another urging signal, a long sigh escaped her lips.

“…Understood. However, Your Highness must swear that you will not harm my lady.”

Instead of stopping me, my sister chose to make a direct proposal to Lucian.

“You are hardly in a position to make demands.”

“I may not be capable of defeating Your Highness with a sword. However, I am not entirely unskilled in combat either, and I would rather not recreate how I handled Your Highness in the previous life.”

Her tone was gentle, but the content was unmistakably a threat.

Please stop competing in intimidation here. Please.

Lucian’s red eyes stared fixedly at my sister.

After a brief moment of consideration, he finally spoke.

“I swear upon my name.”

“Good.”

Only after hearing a vow nearly equivalent to the highest form of oath did my sister place a hand on my shoulder.

In an instant, the pink strands of hair reverted back to silver.

No matter how violently emotions churned inside her, only cold indifference remained on the face of Flotie Rosena.

Fortunately so, considering the difficult person standing before us.

“Flotie of Rosena greets the Star of the Empire. Please forgive the discourtesy of deceiving Your Highness’s eyes.”

“……”

For some reason, Lucian seemed momentarily speechless.

Good. While I still have the chance to speak, I should finish this quickly.

“What I desire is the peace of my own life and the prosperity of the Empire. Knowing the divine punishment that will descend should the oracle be defied, I cannot simply stand by.”

The peace of my own life—that was truly all I wanted.
As for the Empire’s prosperity, honestly, I didn’t care that much.

I just wanted to live quietly. If that were possible, I could do anything.

“So you are a lady of Rosena.”

“Your Highness, allow me to correct one thing. This is not the will of House Rosena, but solely the will of myself, Flotie. The title of young duke was inherited by the eldest daughter of Rosena long ago.”

I bowed deeply as I continued my final words.

“However, if Your Highness chooses to ascend to the highest seat—”

“If I choose to ascend?”

He slowly repeated my words, having stared blankly at my face for quite some time.

“Then you shall receive the protection and support not of Flotie Rosena, but of House Rosena itself—the founding contributors of the Empire, the family called the Empire’s Gold.”

Of course, I had already received my sister’s permission for this.

My dependable sister had told me that no matter what path I chose, she would support me completely.

Even though I was offering the opportunity of a lifetime, Lucian still only stared at my face instead of answering.

When I gave a short cough, he finally seemed to regain his senses and opened his mouth.

“As you know, my elder brother also has red eyes.”

Naturally, I had expected this topic to come up.
For two imperial princes with crimson eyes to be born in the same generation—it was unprecedented.

In such a case, there was a high probability that one of them was concealing their real eye color.

History had seen countless people who believed all they needed was to sit upon the throne.

However, if we dug into that issue first, there was no way Lucian would willingly respond to our proposal.

“It may be an extraordinary situation, but even if the two of you are forced to compete for a single throne, I will ensure that victory belongs to Your Highness.”

Hearing my confident reply, he extended his hand for a handshake.

“To be honest, I can’t immediately accept being told to chase after that seat. You understand that your proposal is extremely bewildering, and that I cannot completely trust your identity.”

“I understand.”

If he had hidden his existence despite being born with red eyes all this time, then there must have been a good reason.

To someone like him, hearing a stranger suddenly say, ‘You were born with red eyes, so fulfill your duty and become Emperor,’ might not sound serious at all.

Anyone would find such a situation suspicious.

“And I’m selfish. If I think this matter becomes a threat to me, I’ll withdraw immediately.”

“The same goes for me.”

“And what happened to the lady who promised to guarantee my victory?”

His tone had become noticeably playful, and I smiled as well.

“Because surviving together with the people I love is, in itself, victory to me.”

When I clasped the hand he had extended, I felt the thick calluses on his palm.

They were not the hands of a wastrel who spent all his time drinking.

With this many clues, weren’t the people who failed to notice the truth simply fools?

“Since two calculating and selfish people have joined hands, I believe the outcome will also be favorable.”

Once again, he stared at my face for a long while.

It felt as though his gaze brushed over every feature of my face, making me strangely ticklish.

“Yes. I’m someone who values results more than the process.”

“I will remember that.”

I thought I had answered quite firmly, yet he still held onto my hand tightly.

When I cautiously took half a step backward, he finally let out a short sigh.

“My apologies.”

“It’s alright.”

Only after finally releasing my hand did I lower the veil over my face once more.

“I’ll leave first. I’m the sort of person who can wander around alone without it seeming strange.”

As Lucian prepared to leave, his eyes turned blue once again.

“Your Highness seems extremely skilled at magic that changes eye color.”

“What, do I look talented in magic too? There are many ways to maintain it without personally casting the spell.”

“I heard that if done carelessly, it could damage your eyesight.”

“And if I lose my eyes that way, you won’t hand me the throne?”

His slightly teasing tone made me laugh without realizing it.

If he had learned this from childhood, then there must have been someone who instructed him to hide his eye color since he was young.

Perhaps, besides us, there had once been someone else trying to keep Lucian alive.

After all, it would not have been easy for a boy to survive alone within an imperial palace filled with people who wanted him dead.

“Then travel safely.”

“I look forward to seeing you again before long.”

“Ah, but one more thing.”

Just as he was about to step outside, he suddenly paused as though something had occurred to him.

“My lady, are you perhaps married? Or engaged to someone?”

“…No, and I am not.”

Did my marital status affect his ascension to the throne?

If marriage were necessary to place Lucian on the imperial throne, I could simply find a suitable person and arrange a contract marriage.

Once Lucian became Emperor, we could divorce immediately afterward.

“I see.”

However, the moment I answered that I was unmarried, relief flickered across Lucian’s face.

Why was he relieved?

Feeling bewildered, I glanced toward my sister and Minabel.

Even my sister seemed caught off guard by the question, repeatedly clearing her throat awkwardly.

Only Minabel alternated her gaze between Lucian and me with eyes that practically screamed, “Oh ho?” like some kind of expert appraiser examining a fascinating discovery.

Meanwhile, Lucian acted as though he noticed none of those looks and left the mansion with light steps, following the ghost maid.

Once only the three of us remained, my sister scolded me in a distressed voice.

“Tie, why would you act so recklessly?”

“I wanted to stop the terrible future you saw, Sister.”

“I already stopped my terrible future. You’re alive right here. Tie, what worries me more is watching you wear yourself down like this.”

The icy expression she had worn vanished completely as she tightly embraced me, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment.

I was only tired, yet she was making such a fuss.
My sister really did worry too much.

“If Sister does everything she can to protect us, then we’ll do the same. That’s what love is.”

Of course, I wanted not only to protect my family, but also to prevent the Empire’s destruction.

Not because of some great patriotism—I simply wanted to live quietly and peacefully.

A joyful life as the youngest princess, indulging in everything I wished for.

No one could simply give up on something like that without even trying first.