IDGM 11

Chapter 11

While Chloe was relieved that her marriage to Callias had been confirmed, at that very moment, Callias’s subordinates were gathered in the dining room of his rented mansion, pouring out their worries and complaints.

“A sudden marriage? With a woman from Arental, no less—the princess of Arental?”

“What in the world is our lord thinking?”

“Those Arental bastards—whether commoners or nobles—despise us all the same…”

“There’s definitely some scheme from the Idelian royal family. They would never plan anything good for us. What if our lord was threatened without our knowing?”

None of the subordinates believed that Callias had proposed to Chloe on his own.

And for good reason. To the people of Ronhaim, Arental was an invading country, and the Idelian royal family was their sworn enemy.

No one could believe that Callias would choose a bride from such a family out of his own volition.

Surely, their lord had circumstances he couldn’t speak of.

“Whatever it is, the Idelian royals must have either pressured or threatened him into marrying the princess.”

“Aren’t those all basically the same thing?”

“What I mean is—there’s no other possible explanation.”

Callias’s men assumed that, as always, he was about to make another huge sacrifice for the sake of Ronhaim.

One of the others chimed in between the two who had been leading the conversation.

“Maybe Empress Kabala bewitched our lord with sorcery.”

At the mention of Kabala, their expressions turned grim.

Just thinking about her seemed to repulse them—they all shuddered.

“Have you seen how she looks younger than her own son? She’s nearly 60, but she doesn’t look a day over 20.”

“I heard she maintains her youth through sorcery. Isn’t that creepy?”

“Rumor has it the Emperor himself was seduced by her magic.”

“They say the former Empress only started losing her mind after Kabala showed up.”

After whispering among themselves for a while, the subordinates shook their heads and dismissed the theory that Callias had fallen to sorcery.

“Still, our lord is incompatible with magic. Even if she used her tricks, it wouldn’t have worked.”

“That’s true.”

Callias had inherited the special bloodline of a Ronhaim saintess. From his mother, he carried the blood of healing and purification.

It was faint, but it granted resistance to most poisons and magical influences.

“It must be blackmail.”

Everyone nodded in agreement at someone’s muttered remark.

Ever since Ronhaim had been subjugated by Arental, the Idelian royal family had made relentless demands on Callias.

Because of this, Ronhaim had suffered immeasurable losses.

Their homeland, already harsh and lacking resources, had been burdened with excessive taxes for decades, resulting in a long-standing financial crisis.

Ronhaim’s people had no choice but to hunt endlessly and even dig through the frozen ground for tree roots to survive.

If they weren’t people as tough and tenacious as weeds growing through rocks, they wouldn’t have made it.

On top of that, whenever a border dispute occurred, the Idelian royal family drafted soldiers from Ronhaim.

But with no resources to maintain a proper military, Ronhaim couldn’t even afford troops to send.

So, Callias and his subordinates had to personally take the field.

Their recent visit to the capital was also at the Emperor’s order. After being deployed for border defense, they had come to report the outcome.

Given such circumstances, it was only natural that his subordinates would be hostile to the idea of him marrying the Emperor’s daughter, Chloe.

But what could they do?

Ronhaim had no power to oppose the tyranny of the Idelian court.

“Damn it.”

There was no stopping this.

They had no choice but to comply.

That was the fate of a powerless country’s people.

The soldiers muttered curses under their breath, their faces dark with gloom.

Just then, a man with short, fiery red hair burst into the dining room, fuming.

“There you all are!”

He had a fierce look, with a small hoop earring piercing the tip of his left eyebrow.

“Did you hear? That Chloe or Clue-whatever princess threw away the gift our lord sent her!”

Everyone turned to stare at him.

“What did you say, Alex? Who told you that?”

Alex, who had accompanied Callias and Brentiarn to the palace for the final engagement arrangements, recounted the incident gruffly.

“The princess’s maids were laughing at us and gossiping!”

He clenched his teeth at the memory of the mocking stares he had received that day.

“This is why I didn’t want to go!”

Callias’s men usually avoided visiting the palace. They knew they’d see nothing good there.

So, except for his chief aide Brentiarn, they drew lots whenever someone had to accompany Callias. Today, Alex had drawn the short straw.

“I heard the princess said, ‘Do you think this petty gift is enough to make me laugh?’ and threw it to the floor. Even if she didn’t like it, isn’t that just plain disrespectful to our lord?”

Alex stomped the wooden floor in frustration, unable to contain his fury.

Everyone’s faces in the dining room hardened.

They assumed Chloe had deliberately ordered her maids to insult Callias.

Unaware of Chloe’s situation, they couldn’t imagine that the maids—who neither respected nor feared their mistress—might have twisted her intentions.

How could they possibly guess that the legitimate princess of the Idelian Empire was being treated so poorly?

“Damn it. How dare she insult our lord?”

“If we’re going to the palace again, I’ll go next time. Let’s see that smug face of hers.”

“Count me in.”

“Me too, me too!”

That day, the resentment Callias’s men held toward Empress Kabala swelled to include Chloe as well.

“Haa…”

I let out a quiet sigh as I looked at myself in the mirror.

My reflection showed a stiff and awkward expression.

The heavy, elaborate jewelry, the flashy and weighty dress, and the thick makeup—like wearing a mask—all felt unbearably uncomfortable.

Today was the engagement ceremony where the betrothed would face each other and declare their consent before witnesses.

Once both parties verbally agreed to marry, the engagement would be finalized.

If even one refused, the whole arrangement could fall apart on the spot.

‘Of course, for an imperial heir, the engagement ceremony is just a formality. It won’t happen.’

Imperial heirs, bound by political interests, had no real right to refuse partners chosen by the Emperor.

Still, I had to go through the motions, playing the role of the “beloved imperial princess” to meet Callias.

‘Kabala wants it to appear that she cherishes me like her own daughter, at least publicly.’

That’s why, for the first time in my life, I was dressed this extravagantly and awkwardly.

Staring at the unfamiliar figure in the mirror, I hardened my resolve.

‘It’s just a formal procedure. I just need to say I agree to the marriage in front of the Emperor. Then I can finally say goodbye to this wretched palace forever.’

It was simple in theory, but the thought of standing before people made me nervous.

Having been confined to my quarters all my life, attending such a formal event was overwhelming.

The day I went to the banquet to meet Callias was the only exception.

That day, I’d been in such a rush and had no time to feel pressured.

‘Besides, I didn’t care how I looked. I wanted to seem crazy.’

But today was different.

‘I want to make a good impression on Callias and his people.’

I didn’t want this marriage to be as painful and lonely as the one in my past life.

I wanted to live peacefully in Ronhaim.

To do that, I needed to show Callias’s men the best side of me.

I trembled like a debutante preparing for her first ball.

Just then, a familiar voice called out.