Chapter 3
When I first saw Romian, I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t even greet her properly. I still remember the face that smiled kindly at me when I didn’t know what to do.
Could I trust her and rely on her? My heart beat pleasantly at the thought.
At least, that was how I felt until I saw that.
—From the diary of Sihab Napolinus
The Crown Prince’s Palace, Kahir.
The people of the Kingdom of Baudelaire considered yellow the most auspicious color.
That was why yellow flowers were scattered during every festival, and dazzling golden hair was considered the ideal of feminine beauty.
Reflecting those beliefs, the gardens of Kahir Palace were filled with yellow flowers that formed a golden sea, while gold patterns had been engraved here and there across the snow-white marble.
At the wide window of that magnificent palace, the Crown Prince, Sihab, sat with his chin resting on his hand.
Anyone could tell from his expression that he was in a foul mood.
“…so I think she ended up getting into an argument with the Duchess of Formier. That’s why Mother was asking what the dress code for your coming-of-age ceremony would be…”
The gentle voice did not even register in Sihab’s ears.
With his brow deeply furrowed, his black eyes remained fixed on the garden beyond the window.
Eventually, the man who had been rambling on sighed and blocked Sihab’s view with his palm.
“Sihab?”
Only after his view was suddenly obstructed did Sihab slowly raise his head and look at the man speaking to him.
The familiar face of a young man with soft, curly black hair and blue eyes was staring at Sihab with his lips slightly pursed.
He was the only person who could freely enter the Crown Prince’s private quarters and address him by his name.
He was Sihab’s cousin, Viscount Alfredo Linhardt.
“What on earth are you looking at that you can’t even concentrate while I’m talking about Formier?”
“Ah. Sorry.”
Sihab obediently apologized.
Even so, his cold gaze turned toward the window again.
He muttered in a chilly voice,
“Something irritating caught my eye.”
“What?”
Alfredo blinked and strode toward the window.
He looked out at the scenery Sihab had been watching.
Among the blue and yellow gardens, he spotted a small figure walking lightly along the path.
Alfredo asked incredulously,
“…Isn’t that your fiancée?”
“She is.”
Sihab answered in a sullen voice.
Alfredo let out a quiet laugh.
You actually managed to find her.
Since the garden was filled almost entirely with yellow flowers, Romian, with her dazzling golden hair, blended into the scenery almost perfectly.
Unless someone deliberately looked for her, they might not even realize there was anyone there.
Alfredo folded his arms and leaned his forehead against the window, taking a closer look at Romian.
The first thing that caught his eye was the bustle dress, which was enormously puffed out around her hips.
“What is she wearing on a hot day like this? She looks like she can barely breathe. It must be difficult even to walk. Ah, she’s staggering.”
Almost as soon as he said it, Romian’s body swayed as though she were about to collapse.
It was already the season when people began to sweat even while sitting still.
And yet she was walking outdoors in such heavy clothing.
Of course she would be dizzy.
Alfredo turned back toward Sihab.
“Are you sure you don’t want to help her? At this rate, she’ll collapse before she even reaches the carriage.”
But Sihab’s answer was as cold as ice.
“Leave her be. It’s her choice, so there’s nothing for me to say about it.”
“Her choice? You mean she’s deliberately choosing to wear something like that? That’s ridiculous. That dress went out of fashion about ten years ago.”
“That is Mother’s dress.”
“What?”
What was he talking about now?
Alfredo blinked in disbelief.
Sihab lowered his eyes as though the matter had nothing to do with him and answered,
“She wasn’t wearing that when she met me earlier, so Father must have given it to her.”
“My goodness. Does His Majesty still love Queen Nella that much?”
Alfredo folded his arms and looked down at the garden again.
It had already been eighteen years since Queen Nella died giving birth to Sihab.
Even so, traces of Queen Nella remained everywhere in the royal palace.
Not only had her palace been preserved exactly as it was, but the harem was filled with women who resembled her, and her portraits were displayed throughout the royal palace.
Sihab’s fiancée, Romian Veldegart, was another one of those remnants.
A woman who had become the Crown Prince’s fiancée for the sole reason that she resembled Queen Nella.
She’ll become Crown Princess soon.
Sihab’s coming-of-age ceremony was right around the corner.
The girl who had been lucky enough to become the Crown Prince’s fiancée simply because she resembled the late Queen would soon officially become Crown Princess and have her name entered into the royal genealogy.
Everyone whispered about how lucky she was.
But Alfredo was not particularly negative about it.
She had been born with both talent and wealth, and on top of that, she had inherited an appearance similar to the late Queen.
Wasn’t that something only she could have?
Besides, she must have extraordinary determination to endure being compared and judged against Queen Nella every single second of every single day.
But Sihab seemed to have a different opinion.
He spoke coldly, as though he were judging a complete stranger.
“I don’t blame her for the way she has chosen to survive, but she is gaining enormous benefits by taking advantage of it. Naturally, she should also bear the risks that come with it. In that sense, there’s no reason for me to help her.”
“But that’s awfully cold. If the King asks a young lady who has only just come of age to wear the clothes of his deceased wife, how could she possibly refuse?”
Alfredo crossed his arms and posed the question with perfectly reasonable fairness.
But his words did not sway Sihab in the slightest.
Sihab rose from his seat by the window and turned his back completely toward it as he answered,
“It’s not worth considering such a thought.”
“My goodness.”
Alfredo awkwardly scratched his hair.
Then he looked outside over his shoulder again.
Romian was staggering once more.
I wouldn’t exactly call this a happy situation.
Was there really anyone in the world who wanted to stop existing as themselves?
Especially when the person they were constantly being compared to was already dead and therefore endlessly idealized.
“…She’s not my fiancée, so if I interfere, wouldn’t that be overstepping my authority?”
After casting one last sympathetic glance outside, Alfredo eventually stood up as well, following Sihab.
The dress was heavy.
Far, far too heavy.
Just walking to the carriage had been an ordeal.
And even after arriving, Romian couldn’t sit comfortably because of the bustle.
Until she reached home, she sat upright with her back straight, breathing heavily.
“My lady, are you all right?”
Emma repeatedly asked if she was okay, fidgeting anxiously as Romian’s face grew increasingly pale and cold sweat gathered on her forehead.
Romian gave her a faint smile instead of answering.
I’ll be able to rest once I get home.
But another troublesome person was waiting for Romian there.
“Well, well. The hen that lays golden eggs has finally returned.”
The person welcoming Romian as she entered through the door, drenched in cold sweat, was none other than her older brother, Dukein.
Like Romian, Dukein was a handsome young man with beautiful golden hair and dark brown eyes.
But his personality was the exact opposite of Romian’s.
He had no perseverance, hated difficult tasks, and was extremely greedy.
He bared his pointed canine teeth in a grin and leaned against Romian’s shoulder as he whispered,
“That dress you’re wearing today is gorgeous too, little sister. Even though it’s old-fashioned, it should still fetch a pretty penny.”
Dukein’s greedy eyes traveled over the dark green dress Romian was wearing.
As Dukein said, the dress was no ordinary garment.
The cameo pinned to her chest alone was undoubtedly worth an astronomical sum.
How much could this possibly be worth? Is everything sparkling along the hem a gemstone? They actually embedded real jewels into the dress.
Dukein licked his lips as he calculated the dress’s value.
That was when Romian answered him in a cold voice.
“Don’t be foolish, Brother.”
She spoke as though she could see straight through his filthy intentions.
Being spoken to that way by a girl so much younger than him irritated Dukein.
But the truth was that everything Dukein enjoyed had been brought to the family by the very girl standing before him.
So Dukein put on a sly smile and acted as sweet as candy, completely contrary to his twisted thoughts.
“I know, I know. Do you really think I’d sell a dress His Majesty the King gave you?”
“…”
Romian could not answer that he wouldn’t.
He already had a history of doing exactly that.
Just as Romian narrowed her eyes and stared at her brother—
“Romian!!”
A booming voice called her name so loudly that it echoed throughout the entire hall.
Romian bit down hard on her lower lip and looked toward the noblewoman hurrying down the stairs.
It was none other than her mother, the Countess of Veldegart.
The Countess of Veldegart rushed over and immediately grabbed Romian by both arms.
There was not the slightest trace of concern for the daughter who had spent the entire day at the palace being tormented.
Instead, she asked anxiously,
“How was it today? What about His Highness Sihab?”
Romian’s head began to throb.
With her pale face, she answered obediently,
“The same as always.”
“And the ribbon?”
“……”
Romian could not answer that.
Once again, Sihab had refused to accept the ribbon she had made for him.
With Emma as a witness, and knowing that the Crown Prince would inevitably appear at the hunting festival carrying a bare sword, Romian could not carelessly lie either.
At Romian’s negative silence, the Countess’s face instantly turned bright red.
“Y-you stupid girl!!”
Smack!
“Ah!”
The Countess’s hand viciously struck Romian across the cheek.
