TBHHB 07

Chapter 7

Perhaps because of what had happened at the pawnshop, the Countess staggered at the owner’s words before collapsing into a chair.

Romian, who had also swayed for a moment, quickly regained her composure and asked the owner in a much calmer voice,

“You mean they were sold to someone else? In just one day?”

“Yes. That is what happened.”

“But if they were pawned as collateral, there should be a grace period! How could you sell them after only one day?”

It was an entirely reasonable objection.

When an item was pawned as collateral, there was supposed to be a set period during which the borrower could repay the money.

No matter how unlikely it seemed that we could come up with three hundred million dena, you still have to honor the contract, don’t you?

But the pawnshop owner’s next words shattered even Romian’s carefully maintained composure.

“They weren’t pawned as collateral. From the beginning, he wanted to sell them outright for cash.”

The Countess of House Veldegart glared at Dukein.

Dukein merely whistled and looked away, pretending not to hear.

Romian let out a low sigh.

She wanted to tear her hair out and scream in frustration, but her naturally calm temperament, combined with the years she had spent as the Crown Prince’s fiancée, prevented her from acting emotionally.

She asked the pawnshop owner again.

“Who bought them? They’re very important belongings. I want to get them back somehow.”

“I fully understand your unfortunate situation, but all information concerning our customers is strictly confidential.”

“…Ah.”

Even that yielded no answer.

In the end, the three of them returned to the Veldegart estate without obtaining even a single clue.

“Oh, dear. What are we going to do? What should we do?”

Romian pressed her forehead against the carriage window and sighed repeatedly, while the Countess sobbed and struck her son’s arm.

“Do you have any sense at all? How could you create a debt of three hundred million dena overnight?!”

“Ah, I don’t know! That measly three hundred million dena can be paid off in an instant once that girl becomes Queen!”

“We’ll all be dead before she becomes Queen!”

Even at this point, Dukein showed not the slightest sign of remorse.

Instead, he continued pointing his finger at Romian.

He did not even suggest that he would repay the debt himself.

In a sense, his behavior was remarkably consistent to the very end.

Romian squeezed her eyes shut as her head began to ache.

I just hope nothing happens.

She was already struggling enough without incidents like this.

There was nothing more she could do, so Romian could only cling to a futile hope.

I hope no one realizes that these are Queen Nella’s belongings.

I hope they simply become family treasures in some noble household’s storage room and remain there for decades without ever seeing the light of day.

Of course, that was never going to happen.

Who would spend a fortune on something only to lock it away in a storage room?

And who would pay such an enormous sum for an old dress without realizing that it had once belonged to Queen Nella?

Without even knowing that Dukein had sold far more than just one dress, Romian repeatedly clung to that pitiful hope.

And, as though fate itself had been waiting to crush it, that hope was shattered the moment they arrived at the estate.

“Miss, a messenger has arrived from the royal palace.”

A white carriage—the kind used exclusively by the royal palace—was parked in front of the main entrance.

Sure enough.

The butler’s tense expression made it obvious that something serious had happened, and the first thing he mentioned was the royal palace.

Romian froze like ice as she stared at the royal messenger approaching her.

The messenger delivered his message succinctly.

“His Highness Crown Prince Shihab wishes to see you.”

For ten years of their engagement, Shihab had never once summoned Romian of his own accord.

And now he was calling for her.

Why does he want to see me?

Throughout the entire time Romian spent preparing to meet the Crown Prince, her face was so pale that she hardly needed any powder.

Her clenched fists were so tight that her fingernails had dug into her skin hard enough for blood to show.

…It must be because of that, right?

Queen Nella’s dress that Dukein had sold.

Romian could think of no other reason Shihab would want to see her.

Ah, what am I supposed to do?

She wanted nothing more than to bury her face in her hands and cry, but after having carefully applied her makeup for a meeting with the Crown Prince, she could not even afford to do that.

Because of the Countess’s insistence on fixing her appearance, Romian spent a considerable amount of time getting dressed and made up before she could finally board the carriage to the royal palace.

Naturally, Shihab’s mood only worsened after being forced to wait for Romian for such a long time.

He had spent a considerable amount of time pacing around his office while waiting for her.

But the moment he saw Romian standing before him in elaborate makeup and a new dress, his expression twisted.

She did something like that and still had the audacity to dress herself up like this and come see me.

Could it be that she sold Mother’s belongings because she needed money to buy dresses and jewelry?

The thought seemed plausible enough when he saw how extravagantly Romian was dressed.

After all, the women who had entered the palace over the years simply because they resembled Queen Nella had indulged themselves in extraordinary luxury and pleasure.

In reality, Romian’s elaborate appearance was entirely the result of the Countess’s insistence that she needed to make herself as beautiful as possible in a situation like this, so that she could win even the slightest amount of favor.

But Shihab had no way of knowing those circumstances.

As far as he was concerned, Romian’s standing in his eyes had only fallen further.

The moment they exchanged their obligatory greetings, Shihab spoke to Romian without even inviting her to sit down.

“You must already have guessed why I summoned you.”

Shihab’s gaze was as sharp as needles.

Even so, Romian could not bring herself to provoke him by bringing up the matter first.

With an expressionless face, she lowered her head.

“I apologize, Your Highness, but I have no idea.”

“Really?”

At her response, one corner of Shihab’s mouth curled crookedly.

He took a step closer to Romian.

The handsome young man, whose chin began above the crown of her head, looked down at her with overwhelming authority.

“You really don’t know? I have already secured all of my mother’s belongings.”

As I thought. He knows.

Romian squeezed her eyes shut.

Of course, she understood how Shihab must feel.

To Romian, Queen Nella was merely the former queen she had never even met.

But to Shihab, she had been his biological mother.

And just one day after her belongings had been given to Romian, they had ended up at a pawnshop.

How furious must he have been?

But there was a reason Romian hesitated to open her mouth.

It was because of the conversation she had had with her mother immediately before coming to the palace.

“Romian, Romian, my dear!”

The Countess called out urgently, yet more affectionately than she ever had before.

Just as Romian was about to board the carriage, her mother grabbed her tightly by the arm.

Romian looked at her questioningly.

Then she heard something she never could have imagined.

“Tell him you did it!”

“…What?”

Tell him she did it?

What exactly was she supposed to say she had done?

For the first time in her life, Romian realized that when something was truly absurd, even simple words could become impossible to understand.

She stood there in stunned silence.

Then the Countess spoke the cruelest words Romian had ever heard.

“If you say Dukein did it, His Majesty will kill him immediately. But you’re different, aren’t you? His Majesty favors you, so perhaps he’ll simply laugh it off and let it go.”

“Mother!”

What if he doesn’t forgive me?

What if he doesn’t laugh it off?

What her mother was saying was essentially that Romian should die in Dukein’s place.

How could a mother say something like this?

“Please, my dear. Think of it as saving your older brother’s life. All right?”

Romian trembled with betrayal as countless arguments raced through her mind.

The Countess smiled at her with an unbearably gentle expression.

“Once you marry and become Queen, the only person we’ll be able to rely on is Dukein, after all.”

So before you get married, do everything you can for us and then go.

Even the words the Countess had not said seemed to echo in Romian’s ears.

But at that moment, Romian genuinely wanted to ask her something.

Then once I get married, will I finally be free?

She already knew the answer herself.

So the question never left her lips.

“Young Lady.”

Shihab’s unbearably cold voice pulled Romian out of her memories and back into reality.

Romian moved her lips uncertainly.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally bowed deeply at the waist and answered.

“…I apologize. It was all my fault.”

There was no reason for me to do this.

Why should I take the blame for something I didn’t do?

I’m a victim too.

Countless words churned inside Romian’s stomach, but none of them could escape her lips.

She remained bent over, unable to raise her head.

Above her, Shihab’s incredulous voice rang out once more.

“Your fault?”

Romian squeezed her eyes shut.

Yes. Let’s just think of it as saving Brother Dukein’s life once.

If we let this pass, surely he won’t do something like this again.

And it was partly my fault for not locking the dressing room door, too.

It was a classic case of the Good Child Syndrome.

When she refused to obey her mother, she felt as though she herself would become a bad person.

Even when she had done nothing wrong, she would force herself to accept unreasonable demands and invent reasons to justify carrying them out.

After being oppressed by her family for so many years, Romian had already lost the ability to make objective judgments when it came to matters involving them.

In the end, just as the Countess had instructed, she lied and claimed that she had done it.

“The moment I received yesterday’s dress, I became blinded by material possessions and made a foolish choice. Please forgive me.”

“Ha.”

From Shihab’s perspective, completely unaware of Romian’s circumstances, her confession was utterly absurd.

“I understand His Majesty has already bestowed a great deal of wealth upon you and your family. And yet you still became greedy?”

Romian waited for him to hear her deny it.

She hoped he would realize that there had been some misunderstanding.

But the answer she received was a simple affirmation.

“I apologize.”

“Ha!”

What more could he possibly say?

Shihab abruptly turned around.

If he continued looking down at Romian, he felt that his anger would truly explode like fire.

Grinding his teeth, he spat out,

“I can’t stand the sight of you. Get out of my sight.”

“However, Your Highness…”

She had committed a crime.

Shouldn’t she be punished?

Romian cautiously raised her head and looked at Shihab’s expression.

If he wants you to leave, then just leave.

Shihab irritably swept his hair back and spoke.

“I am choosing not to report this incident because I am concerned about my father, who is unwell. I am not keeping silent out of consideration for you.”

He paused.

“If this happens even one more time, I will not overlook it.”

“What does that mean…?”

What on earth was Shihab saying?

Romian blinked.

Does he mean he’s simply going to let this go?

Even though three hundred million dena has been lost?

Even though he regards me as something he can’t stand?

If this incident were reported to the King, Henri IV would never remain silent.

And even if Henri IV somehow let it go, there was no way the nobles would remain quiet.

They would swarm around Romian like a hive of angry bees and condemn her.

—How can a thief who sells royal possessions become the Crown Princess?

—She must be removed! She is unfit for the position!

That was exactly what Shihab must truly want.

What on earth is he thinking?

Romian’s light brown eyes turned toward Shihab.

But the two of them could not meet each other’s eyes.

All she could see was Shihab’s jet-black hair and broad shoulders.

In a cold, sharp voice, he snapped at Romian.

“Get that pathetic face out of my sight.”

In the end, Romian could only grasp the sides of her skirt with both hands and silently offer her farewell.