Chapter 3

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 3

Chapter Title: The Princess Who Wants to Die and the Cursed Grand Duke

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Lucas and Elise were seated in the places where her father and mother should have been. Roxiana had a feeling she knew why, but she desperately wished she didn't. She hoped the thoughts relentlessly pulling her in one direction were wrong.

So Roxiana clutched the hem of her skirt tightly and waited for Lucas's response.

Lucas watched Roxiana with a hint of pity before giving a slight nod of his chin. At that signal, everyone in the audience chamber hurried out. Now, only one knight guarding Lucas, Elise, and Roxiana remained.

Only then did it dawn on Roxiana that Rasha was nowhere to be seen.

"Rasha...?"

The question slipped out in a murmur, and Lucas let out an incredulous laugh.

"Roxi."

Her family called her Loti, but Lucas always used "Roxi." The affection in his pet name made Roxiana harbor a fleeting hope.

It won't be a big deal. Nothing serious. Something might be a little off, just a tiny bit, but it can be fixed.

"You're always like this. Overthinking everything and acting so carefree about it all."

No, that wasn't true. Roxiana had no room for leisure right now. A storm of thoughts crashed over her and receded, over and over, threatening to sweep her away until she lost consciousness entirely. Just standing there without fainting felt overwhelming.

"That side of you always makes me sick to my stomach."

What did that even mean?

Lucas had always called her "my pretty flower," showering her with affection. He was the one who initiated kisses and held her hand. She couldn't comprehend the cold words coming from his mouth.

"You were kind of cute when you were little, though..."

Lucas slowly descended the steps in front of his chair and approached Roxiana.

Roxiana stood frozen, taking in his nearing figure. She searched his face desperately for any sign of playfulness or warmth. She prayed this was all just an elaborate prank to surprise her.

But when Lucas stopped before her, his eyes were utterly cold and blue as he stared down at her.

"Who knew you'd grow up to be so repulsive."

Roxiana met his gaze at her own eye level. It wasn't that he was particularly short; it was because she had grown so tall.

-"You're getting taller every time I see you."

-"You've grown so much."

For the past two years or so, Lucas had commented on her height every time they met. Words she had brushed off lightly now etched themselves sharply into her mind.

It was like a bucket of cold water had jolted her awake.

"Where's my father?"

The trembling faded.

"Where's my mother? Where's the rest of my family?"

"Right, Roxi. You should've asked about that first instead of your maid's well-being."

Lucas signaled the knight with his eyes, and the knight approached carrying a box that had been placed beside the king's throne.

Roxiana's eyes locked onto the box.

She didn't want it coming any closer. She wanted to look away, to run, but she couldn't move as it stopped right in front of her.

"Open it and show her. The princess should know what happened to her family."

As soon as Lucas spoke, the knight opened the box.

The moment it opened, what she saw was...

"Ah..."

A groan escaped her.

"Aaaah...!"

Her voice tore through the air in shreds. Then, with a snap like something breaking, her vision went black.

"...ma'am. Princess. Princess, please come to your senses."

Her body felt like it was floating aimlessly on water. Something kept shaking her shoulder, which was annoying.

She didn't want to open her eyes. She wanted to stay wrapped in darkness, thinking nothing at all. She longed to drift through the shadows without knowing anything.

"Princess."

But she couldn't ignore it.

She remembered all too clearly the last thing she'd seen before blacking out. Even in the darkness, that image floated persistently before her eyes.

Her father... and a part of her mother.

Her eyelids felt impossibly heavy. Were they soaked with tears?

Tears streamed endlessly from her closed eyes. It felt like a knife was ripping through her flesh, slashing across her entire body.

"Rasha. You're safe."

Roxiana spoke without opening her eyes. Rasha sniffled.

"P-Princess... Princess, what are we going to do? Our poor princess, what on earth should we do?"

"What about my brothers? Lanian? Do you know what happened to them?"

Silence was her answer. Roxiana understood what the quiet implied.

She didn't want to believe it, but it was reality.

Lucas had killed her family. Now, there was no family left.

When she had left the Grand Temple, thinking that her return to Kanta this time would be her last meeting with them felt like ancient history now.

It hadn't been the last meeting.

The day she departed for the Grand Temple.

The day her father had said, "Come back safely."

The day her mother had hugged her and said, "Loti, don't get hurt, okay?"

The day her brothers had teased her: "Don't cause any trouble," "Loti, they say you can't swear at the Grand Temple," "Don't hit the priests."

The day her youngest brother Lanian had sniffled and said, "Sis, if anyone bullies you, send me a letter. I'll fly over and protect you."

Those had been their final farewells, their last words.

What expression had she worn that day as she faced her family? Had she smiled? Frowned?

She couldn't remember. Everything felt hazy, like a dream.

If she'd known it was the last time, she would have looked more closely at her family's faces, etched the visages of those dear to her more deeply into her mind—the voices, eyes, and smiles she already missed so terribly.

"Ah... Ahh... Ugh...!"

She thought she heard an animal howling, but it was her own voice.

Rasha watched Roxiana curl up and wail in anguish with heartbreaking worry.

Poor princess. What should we do?

Rasha was more concerned for Roxiana than herself. Roxiana had been unconscious for two full days, and during that time, Rasha had heard various stories from Victien IV's attendant, who had been locked in the adjacent cell.

The attendant, dragged out the previous night, never returned.

How should she tell Roxiana that Elise was involved in what had happened to Kanta Kingdom?

Elise Haylis Duchess, Roxiana's closest friend.

Even Rasha had doubted her ears when she heard it.

Elise had occasionally seemed jealous of Roxiana, but the two had been inseparable since birth, like sisters.

When something terrible happened to Elise's family, Roxiana had protected her. If not for that, Elise and her family would have met the same fate.

I need to tell her... but what would change if I did?

It would only bring more pain to Roxiana, who had already lost her family and was crumbling. Better to wait until she recovered a bit.

As Rasha made that decision, the door to the underground dungeon creaked open.

Even amid the heavy clanking, Roxiana's cries didn't stop. She didn't notice someone walking down the filthy, dim corridor to stand before her iron cell.

"Duchess!"

Only when Rasha's eyes widened and she shouted did Roxiana regain a sliver of awareness.

"Princess, Princess, you have to pull yourself together! You can't break down! Absolutely don't lose— Aah!"

Roxiana snapped fully awake only when Rasha was seized by the men and dragged away, her sharp cry echoing.

Her wide, blinking eyes caught sight of Rasha, gagged and being hauled off. Roxiana shot to her feet, reaching for her, but two other men grabbed her arms and forced her to her knees.

Only after Rasha vanished from view did Roxiana's gaze turn to Elise standing before her.

"Elise..."

Roxiana barely recalled that Elise had been sitting beside Lucas. The shock of Lucas in her father's seat had blurred Elise's presence. In her despair over losing her family, she had forgotten Elise entirely.

"What... what the hell is going on?"

"Poor princess."

Elise's eyes reddened.

"Locked away in a place like this... how hard it must be for you."

Elise's voice was as gentle as ever. She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Seeing her longtime friend sniffling, Roxiana clung to a faint spark of hope.

Maybe Elise had helped her family. Maybe she'd pretended to join Lucas's plot but smuggled some of them away.

Such hope.

"Elise, did Lucas... kill my entire family?"

"Yes, Princess. He killed them all. Not a single one left—not even your nephews."

The tiny spark of hope crumbled instantly, unleashing an even greater wave of despair.

Roxiana felt her vision darkening again. She couldn't afford to pass out, so she clenched her fists tightly and asked desperately.

"Wh... why...? Why be so merciless?"

She understood that Lucas—no, the Gania Kingdom—had targeted Kanta. She got that they'd somehow succeeded in taking it over.

But that didn't mean they had to exterminate the entire Franche family, with whom they'd maintained good relations for so long.

They could have exiled them moderately, or at least spared the children. That's what usually happened.

"Because..."

Elise suddenly covered her face with both hands and burst into sobs. She looked so pitiful that Roxiana forgot her own plight and wanted to comfort her.

"Because, Princess."

Between her covered hands, Roxiana glimpsed Elise's lips. She watched as those red lips curled into a smirk.

"I told him to."