PRKE 25

CHAPTER 25………………………………………………….

The moment I stepped out alone to dance, a new worry cropped up.

Ah… I’m not confident about aristocratic dances.

I was good with my hands, and it wasn’t that I couldn’t use my body—but there was a problem.

I knew absolutely nothing about the dances nobles performed.

When the Fifth Prince’s large frame came into view, a sigh rose to my throat.

“What’s wrong?”

The prince frowned slightly. Seeing me hesitate, he looked impatient.

At this rate, I’d be kicked out before we even managed a proper conversation.

“I don’t know what kind of dance I’m supposed to do.”

“Dance something you know.”

“……”

“None at all?”

“I do know some, but they wouldn’t really suit this place.”

I shrugged one shoulder.

“I’m from a maid’s background.”

Giovanni lifted one eyebrow.

I swallowed.

“If that disappoints you—”

“Disappoints me?”

The prince tilted his head.

“Why would I be disappointed when that’s not what I expect from you in the first place?”

“Huh?”

His face was still impassive.

My mouth, which had fallen open, slowly closed. It was a little awkward, but I felt relieved.

He didn’t seem to care much about lineage or background.

I kind of like that.

“Come closer.”

“Yes?”

When I didn’t understand right away, he strode toward me.

A dry, clean scent washed over me. It almost smelled like the sun—different from the perfumes common in the kingdom, a somehow nostalgic scent….

His low, pleasant voice slid along my ear.

“We’ll move. You just follow me.”

“……”

“It’s not very hard.”

I missed the timing to reply because the man’s arm wrapped around my waist caught my attention.

The orchestra raised their bows, and the music began.

He was very good at dancing. Just as he said, I only moved my feet in time with his, yet it felt like I was dancing quite well.

Despite his large build, the way he led me was incredibly gentle, and we strolled leisurely across the ballroom.

I was so absorbed in dancing with him that I couldn’t even properly feel Aris’s gaze.

The melody brushing past my ears felt pleasant, and the warmth enveloping me was comforting.

Just as my eyes were about to close from the sense of ease—

Wait, this isn’t the time for that!

I barely pulled myself together and opened my half-lidded eyes.

The prince’s chest filled my view. He was huge—thick, broad.

Even though I wasn’t particularly small, his chest seemed at least twice as wide as mine.

Suddenly, I became keenly aware of the places where our bodies touched.

As I shifted uncomfortably, he spoke.

“Is your injury any better?”

“The medicine you sent worked really well. It’s almost healed.”

“That’s good.”

After exchanging just a few words, the awkwardness eased a little.

Looking at his firm shoulder line, I parted my lips.

“About the letter you sent… may I take it to mean that you accepted my proposal?”

The prince was silent. After a short while, his voice blended with the melody and flowed into my ear.

“Is what you want still the same?”

Imperial citizenship.

Extraterritorial rights guaranteed by the Empire.

To me, the two meant the same thing.

“Yes.”

“If that happens, you’ll be half an Imperial.”

His gaze pierced into me.

“Do you understand what that means? You’ll be joining the group your people call barbarians.”

“But then no one will be able to look down on me.”

“So you value practicality.”

“Honor doesn’t earn money.”

He laughed, amused.

For some reason, I felt embarrassed. It didn’t seem like mockery, so why did I feel this way?

He leaned his head slightly forward. I’d heard that barbarians didn’t cut their hair—long strands slipped down near his ear.

In a languid voice, he whispered to me.

“An Imperial has a duty to devote themselves to the Empire.”

“……”

“Can you betray the kingdom for the sake of the Empire?”

Caught off guard, I fell silent.

But in a way, it was a simple question.

The Water Kingdom, Riorza.

The land where I was born and raised.

Compared to an unknown Empire I’d never seen, of course the kingdom should come first.

But—

If the kingdom is trying to kill me, that changes things.

In my previous life, it was Aris and Hubert who trapped me.

But the kingdom never gave me a life, either.

It ignored me, rejected me, oppressed me.

With invisible hands, it forced my head down, making me bow to this system.

No one else helped me. Not my mother, not my so-called “family.”

The people of Amtein—humans the world shunned as taboo—were more like friends and family to me.

“I won’t devote myself to either the Empire or the kingdom.”

“Then?”

“I’ll be loyal to whoever lets me live.”

In this life, I had no intention of clinging to illusions like familial love.

As long as I could live without fear of death, as long as my life was guaranteed, anywhere was fine.

“You’re not cut out to be a warrior.”

Was he disappointed by my answer?

Well, a calculating answer like that probably wasn’t the one he was hoping for.

“But I like it.”

I snapped my head up.

“You know my situation. I can’t guarantee your life if you follow me.”

The Empire’s ominous atmosphere surrounding the succession came to mind.

“But at least I can make sure you’re able to live your own life.”

“……”

“I say this because you’re not the kind of sly schemer I thought you might be.”

I held my breath while waiting for his next words.

“While I remain here, will you follow me?”

My mind raced.

He couldn’t guarantee my life.

But he would let me be the owner of my own life. My scalp tingled.

The owner of my life…

Until now, all my energy had gone into escaping the death I faced in my previous life.

Getting out of the Lorenst family’s grasp, surviving.

But after that?

I’d only thought as far as surviving with the Empire’s help.

I’d been swept along, struggling not to be overwhelmed by everything around me.

“If I follow you, can I live freely? Without being bound by anyone’s orders?”

“There will still be orders. But if you don’t want to follow them, you can refuse—by your own free will.”

I turned his words over and over in my mind.

In the kingdom, I always had to bow to someone’s command. Even orders I hated, I had to obey.

The phrase free will sounded dangerously sweet.

“You really know how to make an attractive offer.”

One that’s impossible to refuse.

A resigned smile rose to my lips.

The prince smiled.

“I am Giovanni.”

Giovanni briefly tightened his grip on my hand, then released it—like a handshake.

It felt better than when the king had casually called my name. No, incomparably better.

Giovanni…

His name stamped itself clearly into my mind.

Unlike the king, he truly saw me—not as a product of status or birth, but as an independent human being with free will.

“I’m… Ygraine.”

I deliberately didn’t say the surname Lorenst.

A family name I’d once been proud of now felt foreign attached to my own name.

A smile curved his lips—just as attractive as his offer.

Then the music ended.

What a shame.

The thought came to me instinctively.

I wanted to talk more. I wanted to keep talking.

At that moment, our eyes met.

Giovanni extended one hand, still without hesitation.

“Let’s dance one more.”

Before I knew it, a bright smile spread across my face.

“As much as you like.”

The conductor raised his bow, and new music began.

“When I was young, I was prophesied to become the glory of the Empire.”

Giovanni clasped my hand. Following his lead as we spun, I listened intently.

His low voice cut into my ear along the elegant melody.

“It’s practically the same as saying I’ll become a Khan.”

“……”

“But if I’m destined to become emperor, then I should become one without effort.”

It wasn’t an arrogant assumption that he would naturally become emperor.

Rather—

“You sound skeptical.”

“That’s right.”

Giovanni laughed lightly.

“If it’s an unbreakable prophecy, shouldn’t I become emperor even if I do nothing?”

He didn’t believe in prophecy.

He was mocking prophecy—or fate itself.

Detached. Cynical.

And that made me uneasy.

“I didn’t just board an express carriage to the guillotine, did I?”

“Guillotine?”

“The Empire has guillotines too, right?”

Giovanni frowned.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Is your older brother generous?”

“Not particularly.”

“If you become emperor, would he really leave your close associates alone to live peacefully?”

His expression turned strange.

“Well… who knows.”

My unease grew.

“You said you can’t guarantee my life, but at least try to keep me alive.”

It was a heartfelt request, made barely ten minutes after deciding to take his hand.

“Already regretting it?”

The subtle tone made my chest tighten.

“I have to survive first, don’t I?”

“I’ll make the effort.”

“That’s reassuring.”

After answering, I lifted my head slightly.

Since the waltz wasn’t over yet, his firm jawline and smooth nose bridge were close.

After a brief silence, I spoke again.

“Why me, Your Highness?”

“I’m not sure I understand the question.”

“As you’ve probably noticed, I’m treated as insignificant in the kingdom. My position is different from those born noble. Even in my family, I’m treated… so-so.”

Worse than so-so.

The words rose to my throat, but I swallowed them down.

“That’s exactly why.”

“…?”

“Because you’re not precious in this country.”

Again.

That clear, black gaze.

It felt like I might be pulled into it.

“I need you.”

In short, he needed someone who desperately needed the Empire’s help.

“I’m glad I met you, Your Highness.”

My golden lifeline.

Giovanni raised an eyebrow as if asking what I meant.

I didn’t answer.

Just then, the music ended.

I stepped back from him, lifted my skirt, and bowed.

As he returned the greeting, a faint curve appeared on his thin lips as he looked at me.

That alone made his impression far gentler than when I’d first seen him.