PRKE 07

CHAPTER 07………………………………

He had remarried her because he liked her glamorous looks and noble air, but it seemed he could never love her excessively ignorant side.

Her weight gain probably didn’t help either.

The viscount glanced at her plump body and quickly turned his head away.

“Even if it’s a desert empire, the Desert Nation is still ruled by the Emperor of the Sands. The Fifth Imperial Prince of Doverakan is someone we—a minor noble family of a small kingdom—could never hope for as a marriage partner. Unless you were from the royal family.”

At the word royal family, Lady Emmern, who had looked tempted for a moment, scrunched up her face again.

“But he’s a barbarian!”

“Even so, there are plenty of lesser nobles eager to offer their daughters as his bride. But the fact that Aris’s name has come up… that suggests a problem.”

At the implication that Aris was somehow lacking, both Lady Emmern and Aris frowned unhappily.

Only the ever-realistic Hubert nodded with a serious expression.

“The problem is precisely that he is the Fifth Prince. As you know, he’s considered one of the strongest contenders for the next emperor of the great empire—along with the First Prince, Lodraki Koon. But for that reason…”

“He’s in danger.”

“Yes. The First Prince Lodraki holds enormous power. He has drawn more than half of the warrior clans to his side, and most of the great merchant families of the desert have ties to his household.”

“So he already has everything needed to become emperor.”

“Exactly. Compared to him, the Fifth Prince is considered insignificant, except for his martial ability. The next emperor will be Lodraki. And Lodraki despises the Fifth Prince.”

Aris’s complexion grew paler with every word.

“If it were any of the other princes, perhaps, but becoming the wife of the Fifth Prince is practically the same as being handed a death sentence. If we could support the Fifth Prince and help him ascend, it might bring us enormous benefit… but that’s easier said than done.”

Hubert shook his head with a troubled expression.

“If we misstep, our entire family could be swallowed by the desert’s sandstorms. Viscount Demestia has shoved a difficult problem onto us. And on top of that…”

Seeing Hubert hesitate, Lady Emmern asked breathlessly:

“What else is wrong?”

“There are rumors… that he prefers men.”

“…”

“…”

Silence fell.

Aris had turned deathly pale. Lady Emmern’s mouth hung open.

Any interest she had felt at the idea of a marriage beyond the reach of ordinary nobles evaporated instantly.

A man doomed in the imperial succession battle, a barbarian, and a rumored homosexual!

“Hic…”

Aris buried her face in her hands and broke into tears. She said nothing—simply cried—looking as tragic as a water spirit abandoned at the riverbank.

Hubert and the viscount couldn’t bear to look at her and sighed. Lady Emmern embraced her, lamenting loudly.

“Don’t cry. I won’t let that happen. Do you think we brought you here just to marry you off to a barbarian who’ll die soon anyway? His Majesty would never allow such a thing. You are revered as a priestess of the Water God!”

But her words did not comfort Aris. Her ability to summon rain was precious, yes—but was she more precious than the king’s only daughter?

Even without Aris, there were other priestesses. They might have already calculated that sacrificing one priestess to avoid war was acceptable.

Even Princess Laratou was a priestess. There was simply no comparison.

It didn’t take long for Aris’s tears to soak through Lady Emmern’s white handkerchief.

While everyone in the family was steeped in sorrow, I alone felt like a spectator watching a tragedy being performed.

A spectator who already knew how the premiere ended.

How did this turn out again?

I sifted through my memories.

Back then, I only vaguely wished Aris would become a princess.

Whether she became the bride of a barbarian or married some noble, I had simply prayed she would hurry up and wed and get away from Hubert.

But in the end, that didn’t happen.

Perhaps Hubert had fiercely refused. And Aris’s special status as a priestess likely played a part.

What I remembered clearly was this:

Aris became neither a barbarian’s bride nor a fake princess.

In the end, wasn’t it a distant royal relative who became the princess? A duke’s daughter? Someone whose birth and status already made her practically royalty.

And the marriage between the royal family and the empire failed anyway.

Because the newly appointed princess took her own life.

The royal family, in a panic, had scrambled to find a woman who could please the imperial prince.

And that was Aris—beautiful and without strong backing.

Strictly speaking, Aris wasn’t without backing. Hubert and the entire Lorenzte family supported her. Plus, she held the sacred rank of priestess.

She escaped both the fake princess position and the role of the Fifth Prince’s bed companion.

The women chosen for the imperial prince changed constantly—gradually becoming more powerless, more obedient, more convenient.

And the last one was me.

At that thought, a sigh escaped my lips.

I clenched my fist.

Right. A weed doesn’t die just because it’s stepped on.

Well… I did die in the end.

I quickly forced my mind to strategize.

They’ll definitely try to use me again. How do I avoid it?

“Igraine!”

A sharp voice rang out. I lifted my head.

Lady Emmern stood with her arms crossed, staring at me.

“At a time like this, you’re bored? Oh—because it’s not your problem, hmm?”

Well, of course I was bored. I knew Aris wouldn’t become a princess.

But I couldn’t say that, so I forced my eyes to droop mournfully.

“Of course not. I was trying to think of a way to help the young lady.”

“…”

“The young lady is young and beautiful. She should marry a promising young man in a happy ceremony, not be forced into an unwanted marriage with some imperial stranger she’s never met. If there’s any way to stop it, of course we must. Ahh, to think something like this would happen… truly, what should we do…”

I dabbed beneath my eye with my sleeve, pretending to fight tears. My stomach churned at the nonsense I was spewing.

But at least she won’t pick a fight with me for now.

Sure enough, Lady Emmern’s harsh expression softened.

But then her eyes began to sparkle strangely, as if she had just had a brilliant idea.

A bad feeling crept over me.

“Wait… if it’s only an honorary princess they need, then any woman with merit could do, right?”

“As long as appearances are maintained. Everyone knows why an honorary princess is needed anyway.”

Hubert replied honestly, looking confused by her sudden question.

Lady Emmern’s eyes brightened even more. The bad feeling grew stronger.

“Then even a woman of low birth would be acceptable?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Clap!

Lady Emmern clapped once and spun toward me.

“We have Igraine—smart and hardworking!”

In that instant I nearly screamed, but somehow held it in.

You insane woman!

In my previous life, she had pitied Aris but never dragged me into it. What in the world had changed?

Just a little resistance toward Hubert and Aris? That barely even counted as resistance!

I said nothing and only rolled my eyes.

The viscount, perhaps taking pity on me, sighed and shook his head.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Wow. The classist man is actually defending me?

“How could Igraine become a princess? The girl used to be a maid. Her bloodline is street-bred!”

…Ah. So that’s why.

Lady Emmern even made an “oh right” expression, as though she’d been thoroughly persuaded by that one sentence.

Should I be grateful or insulted?

I simply stared in disbelief as husband and wife argued with me stuck in the middle.

“She may be from the streets, but if she’s only meant to fill the role, it shouldn’t matter! A foster daughter of the Lorenzte count’s family is respectable. Isn’t she?”

Her indignant gaze turned not to me, but to Hubert.

Even Hubert looked flustered by her outrageous proposal. I placed my last shred of hope on him.

Come on. At least you say something reasonable.

“What the lady says isn’t exactly wrong.”

My lips twisted.

Of course. I had placed hope in the wrong person.

“Decades ago, during the great drought, the High Priestess Isola—who saved the kingdom with rain—had once been a butcher’s girl.”

“…”

“After she was revered as a priestess, she was appointed princess. In truth, she was so popular that the royal family couldn’t avoid showing her some honor.”

Lady Emmern lit up with joy.

“Then Igraine is perfectly eligible!”

The viscount let out a disbelieving snort.

“Absurd.”

His stubborn mind simply could not accept that someone of street origin like me could become a princess.

For once, his disdain actually worked in my favor.

“What do you think, Igraine?”

The arrow suddenly flew toward me. I had no idea why she was asking for my opinion, so I remained silent.

If I answered honestly, there was only one correct answer.

It’s complete nonsense!

I was just opening my mouth when Lady Emmern cut me off quickly.

“No need to ask! Even if it’s only honorary, this is a chance to become a princess of the royal family. Who would refuse? Before anyone else applies, we should act first.”

Hubert grimaced.

“I told you—if this goes wrong, our whole family could be dragged in.”

“But you also said that if things go well, it could benefit the family, didn’t you?”

Even seeing Hubert distressed, she refused to back down. She truly seemed to believe this was the best option.

A way to protect her beloved Aris and gain profit.

By throwing me into the jaws of an imperial prince.

Lady Emmern often spouted unreasonable nonsense. Surely no one would agree with her this time…

But strangely, the Lorenzte men—who normally bristled with irritation whenever she said anything foolish—were silent.

As if they were actually considering her idea.