Chapter 29

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 29

Chapter Title: Love or Hate?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Gaspal often said,

"The stories in fairy tales and legends about dragons kidnapping princesses probably arose because of the bride's existence."

"If the imperial family's madness comes from failing to overcome the dragon's bloodline, then there's no more efficient solution than you."

Ma Tower Lord Gaspal was a dreadful human being.

But one undeniable fact was that he was a genius.

Otherwise, he couldn't have risen to Ma Tower Lord, and the possessor Evangeline wouldn't have chosen him.

So when I went to the underground tomb to find Arpad, I first observed his reaction to my blood.

If the madness had progressed, Arpad wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation of my blood.

But he didn't lunge at it like a madman.

After that, I could proceed with a sense of relief.

The reason I approached him first, even knowing he was dangerous to me, was simple.

'Because I knew my existence would be that useful to Arpad.'

At the same time, the reason I remained wary of him and couldn't fully trust him was the same.

'He's too useful, which means Arpad could end up being dangerous to me.'

And honestly, I had this thought too.

'Rather than just being used by Ludwig and Evangeline like this, I'd sooner let Arpad drain my blood and die!'

That way, at least Arpad would escape the madness, and I'd be able to deliver a massive blow to Ludwig.

But that was only if there were no other options.

I wanted to live if at all possible, so I hoped Arpad's madness could be cured without him ever learning about the bride's existence.

Whether Arpad himself would feel the same, though, was impossible to know.

'The easiest and quickest method for him would be sucking my blood dry.'

Of course, it wasn't only that...

'Th-there might be that other, embarrassing method too...'

Either way, no matter the approach, I wanted to safeguard my own well-being.

I also wanted to hold the reins of the situation myself.

So unless something extreme happened, I had no intention of being the first to tell Arpad that I was the 'bride'.

That's what I thought. At least, until now...

Facing this ferocious gaze right in front of me, I couldn't help wondering if I'd made the wrong choice.

I met Arpad's gleaming red eyes and thought,

'But even now, I can't be certain his madness hasn't progressed.'

After freezing for a moment, I forced my body to move.

I waved my hands in front of Arpad's face.

"Excuse me? Are you in your right mind?"

Even with all that waving right in front of him, Arpad's gaze remained stubbornly fixed on me.

"Arpad Estrid?"

"...Now you're not even using the proper title?"

"Ah, that's a relief."

"A relief? How?"

"I thought the madness might have flared up. Good to know it hasn't."

Arpad gave me a dissatisfied look before asking again.

"Why dodge the question?"

"Huh? What question?"

"I just asked you—should I love that existence or hate it?"

I widened my eyes.

"Why are you asking me?"

"What?"

"Deciding whether to love or hate that existence is up to Your Highness."

That's right. Why ask me about your feelings?

"If anything, it's the reverse. So, do you want to love... or hate?"

This, I was genuinely curious about.

As my eyes sparkled in anticipation of his answer, Arpad let out a long sigh.

"You always wriggle out of it so deftly."

I trailed after Arpad as he ignored me and headed for the bed.

And I asked once more.

"No, that's not an answer. Come on, tell me. Do you want to love... or hate?"

I was truly, seriously curious.

'That existence' was me—and here he was, asking me without even knowing it.

It was the very thing I'd been fretting and agonizing over.

No, more precisely, I wondered why he'd tacked 'hate' right after 'love'.

"Normally, wouldn't you just naturally come to love such an existence? Like how Artanus loved Estrid Princess?"

Arpad's footsteps halted abruptly.

"You wouldn't normally pair it with something like 'hate', right?"

He answered without turning around.

"Because it feels like I'll want to hate it."

"...!"

I was shocked—no, more than that. It felt like my heart had plummeted below my ribcage.

Fortunately, with Arpad's back turned, he couldn't catch my expression or my turmoil.

"To be unable not to love them upon meeting... Doesn't that mean even my own emotions aren't mine to control? If someone did that to me, I couldn't help hating them."

Well, that was just like him.

Arpad had said as much several times right in front of me.

He despised anyone who tried to manipulate him.

That was why he even scorned and rejected his own father.

Pretending as if my heart hadn't just sunk, I replied brightly.

"That's really fortunate, then."

Arpad turned back to me.

"Fortunate how?"

"Since I'm not that existence, you won't have to hate me."

Arpad offered no reply to my words.

He didn't press with any more questions, either.

He simply sprawled out languidly on the bed first and stared right at me.

It was my bed, but I couldn't very well tell him to get out or move over.

We were an officially married couple, after all—we'd even completed the marriage rite.

What's more, we were supposedly locked in a love for the ages, the kind that sparked a bride abduction on sight.

It hadn't even been that long; starting to use separate bedrooms now would only fuel ugly rumors.

Like doubts that the bride abduction had all been for show.

I held my head high and climbed proudly into the same bed as Arpad.

Then I turned my back to him and pretended to fall into a deep sleep.

From behind me, it felt like Arpad stared intently before sighing, but I ignored it.

And so, the entire night passed that way.

"Ugh... What a completely useless man..."

In the end, I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

The maids from the Crown Prince Palace assisting with my preparations glanced at me hesitantly.

"Pardon? Did we do something wrong...?"

"No. It's just... last night. Never mind. Nothing."

A subtle tension rippled through the maids.

One particularly oblivious maid jumped in with excessive zeal.

"Has someone been disturbing Your Highness's bedchamber? Please tell me—I’ll give them a piece of my mind!"

"......"

The senior maids shot her warning glances, but she seemed utterly clueless.

Explaining it all would just be too much hassle.

"It's not like that, so don't worry."

At that, one of the seniors dragged the clueless maid aside.

They lowered their voices, but her scolding was perfectly audible.

"Their Highnesses get along so well that the Crown Princess is worn out from it! How can you be so dense?"

"Gasp! I'm so sorry!"

It was the exact opposite of the truth, but jumping in to correct them felt awkward.

'Well, it's a little embarrassing... but rumors like that aren't the worst thing...'

I gazed off at the distant mountains, feigning ignorance.

The maids were working diligently to make me presentable.

They were especially struggling to conceal the dark circles under my eyes from the sleepless night.

Among the maids assigned to me, the most capable one was Asia—the very girl meticulously covering my dark circles right now.

She had skilled hands and moved with brisk efficiency, which I appreciated.

Once my preparations were complete and there were fewer eyes and ears around, I asked her quietly.

"Ah, His Highness the Crown Prince said to get the Delphin Mansion updates from you."

"Ah, right. Should I report now?"

"Yes, please."

That's right. This maid was one of Arpad's direct subordinates, under his personal orders.

She wasn't high-ranking enough to gather intelligence herself, but apparently trusted enough to relay it to me.

"No need to worry at all about the maid named Annie. Things are so chaotic at Delphin Mansion right now that no one would bother singling her out to harass her."

"That's a relief. But if Annie's fine, does that mean Sir Beltein isn't?"

"Yes. Grand Duke Ludwig is still there at Delphin Mansion."

That bastard hadn't left Delphin Mansion even after the humiliation Arpad dealt him last time.

Maybe after treating it like his own home for the past three years, he actually believed it was.

"Is Ludwig tormenting Sir Beltein?"

"They say he's locked him in the underground prison."

Barreling into someone else's house and harassing their knight.

It was outrageous, but Ludwig was exactly the type who'd do something like that.

"He hasn't been badly beaten or seriously hurt, has he?"

"They say not."

"Did he get proper treatment for the injury from the wedding?"

"...I'm not sure about that, Your Highness."

Well, even this level of detail was more than I'd expected.

'Arpad's information network really is impressive.'

He wasn't moonlighting as the Mercenary King for nothing.

Still, I couldn't rely on Arpad's skills and organization forever.

'I need to build my own people and network.'

That would take time. But I couldn't just sit idle, either.

I gave Asia her orders.

"Send someone to Delphin Mansion in my name to bring back maid Annie and Sir Beltein."

I was especially worried about those two—I couldn't stand it.

Sir Beltein was injured and shut away in some basement. I couldn't just leave him there.

I might have to purge the entire ducal residence eventually, but for now, rescuing those two came first.

Asia hesitated for a moment before asking,

"Did you get permission from His Highness the Crown Prince for this?"

"...!"

My face hardened as I turned to her. It was obvious to anyone that I was furious.

Asia startled and dropped to her knees.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness."

"Whose side are you on?"

"His Highness ordered me to serve Your Highness."

"...So you're His Highness's person."

"That's..."

I already knew that—both Asia and I did.

It was clear from her passing along Arpad's intelligence to me.

That she belonged to him.

But her questioning my orders for the Crown Prince's approval was a different matter entirely.

I replied coldly.

"Go back."

"...Pardon?"

"Back to your master. There's no reason I need His Highness's permission to manage my own household."

Asia's face drained of color.

She'd realized her mistake.

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me just this once!"

But I didn't waver.

The other maids finished my preparations in tense silence.

Asia remained kneeling the whole time.

I acted as if she weren't even there.

And I instructed another maid to relay the order bringing Annie and Beltein from Delphin Mansion.

I wasn't trying to pick a fight with the maids, per se.

I knew full well that everyone around me answered to Arpad, of course.

But if even trivial matters like this got obstructed, I'd never accomplish anything.

Besides, the biggest and most pressing issue on my plate was something else entirely.

'The banquet at Artanus Hall one month from now!'

If that event didn't go off without a hitch, I'd never be truly accepted as Crown Princess.

And the greatest obstacle looming before the banquet was the scheme cooked up by the Empress and Evangeline.

'Those two have already declared war on the capital's social elite. Attend the Artanus Hall banquet, and face exile from high society.'

That had to be smashed first.