Chapter 18

 

I took a step backwards and walked away.

His eyes look so dangerous.

“Yulia, you don’t have to be so vigilant.”

“……”

“If anyone sees it, they’ll think I’m hurting you.”

Probably not right now, but I couldn’t let go of my vigilance for even a single moment.

“You don’t need to be like that. After all, there is plenty of time.”

“……”

Huh?

He is a very confident person.

Well, with that kind of mindset, he was able to become the villain in the original.

“Yulia.”

“Why?”

“I heard that you are attending this year’s celebration.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

How did you find out? I never told him.

And does his smile make me feel anxious?

When a normal person smiles, I should’ve felt reassured or comfortable, but why do I feel so anxious?

I suddenly started getting nervous.

“I think you’re hiding a lot from me.”

“… I didn’t hide it, I forgot to say it.”

“Just say yes.”

I looked at him, bewildered.

It wasn’t a lie, but I was annoyed by such a reaction.

If I had known that he would react like that, I would have just lied from the beginning.  “Yulia. Right now, even if you have something to hide, I will close my eyes, but when I come back, there should be nothing to hide.”

“… I have nothing to hide.”

“I wish you didn’t have a boyfriend with the thought that I would die or lose the war.”

“It will never happen.”

Because you will never come back victorious from the war.

“If I come back and there is someone else by your side, I will accept it as a request to kill him.”

“Huh? Wha- what?”

I doubted my ears.

No, is it such an easy thing to say that you want to kill someone?

“When I come back, if you had a boyfriend, I would kill him.”

“……”

“Because I’m the only one who can be by your side.”

Why is the obsession that should be directed at the female lead given to me?

I couldn’t understand.

From the moment I stopped chasing after the villain, the original story might have changed little by little, but it was unthinkable for the aftermath to be this way.

He hadn’t done anything yet, but I didn’t know when he would take his sword and kill the members of the imperial family.

The treason in the original story also happened so suddenly.

He killed all of the imperial family when their power was weakened by the defeat of the war.

So I still couldn’t stop being wary.

Maybe it’ll end up being even more tragic than the original.

“If you have a boyfriend and dispose of it before I come, I won’t say anything.”

“……”

“So I hope you don’t do anything to get blood on my hands when I return.”

“I don’t think you need to worry.”

“Yes. When I come back from the war, please help me so that I don’t get blood on my hands, wife.”

“We’re not married yet! Why are you acting like we already did?”

“Because we will.”

“Haa…”

Should I find someone who can protect me?

I felt so anxious that I couldn’t live. Or should I secretly employ an assassin and get rid of him?

No. He’ll find out that I emplog him through a harsh torture because he was captured alive.

“Go back.”

“Yulia. I will give you the glory of victory.”

“I don’t need it?”

“Do you not like it? I thought you would like it.”

“I don’t like it at all!”

He took my hand and kissed the back of my hand briefly.

“It’s a pity we’ll be seperated, but I’ll go. You’re welcome whenever you want to see me.”

“I’ll never visit you.”

“Remember, if you visit me, you will be able to do anything there without any restrictions.”

”…… I don’t want to remember that!”

It was really useless. I wouldn’t even go near it anyway.

“Then go back!”

“There is no need to rush, Yulia.”

“… I’m not rushing you.”

“It’s a bit sad to just go.”

What are you sad about? What other tricks are you trying to do!

Why not just go completely?

At that moment, something touched my lips.

When I raised my head, wondering what it was, I looked at him.

So I hurriedly took two steps back.

“You don’t have to run away from me like that.”

“Go back!”

“I was thinking of going back.”

“Then why did you do it?”

He didn’t answer me, he just smiled without saying a word. So I was even more scared.

“I am very satisfied today. Well, I wasn’t good enough yesterday, but I’m a sweet person.”

Sweet? If he is a kind and sweet person, what would all the kind and sweet people be?

It wasn’t funny, but I just kept my mouth shut.

Because I realized that the best way to reply to this man is to not answer his bullshit.

“See you later, Yulia.”

“…… I don’t want to see you again.”

***

The New Year’s Celebration is already approaching. This is the first one I’ll participate in since I was born…

… I was very nervous.

Because I’ve never been to a place where there are a lot of people.

I haven’t been to a more crowded place than  Cecil’s birthday party.

However, as it is a national event, I was worried that there would be a lot of people.

Unlike me, who was troubled like this, the maids in charge of me seemed very excited.

“Your Highness! We can finally show off our skills!”

“Should you wear the dress that His Majesty sent for the festival?”

“First, I’ll bring you jewels that are as pretty as the princess’s eyes!”

It was the maids who were busy, but why do I feel tired? Is it just me? I already felt tired after taking a bath in the morning.

“Your Highness! Stay still! If you move, it will be ruined!”

“… How much longer do I have to close my eyes?”

My eyelashes trembled from the tickling.

After closing my eyes for a while, I was able to open my eyes only when I was about to fall asleep.

“Your Highness! We Are done!”

“Wow…! You guys are so talented!”

“Now, I think it would be better to choose earrings and necklaces that match the dress!”

The maids began to display a variety of necklaces and earrings sets.

Here, about one-third was given by the villain, and the rest was given to me by my father and brother.

It was the biggest challenge.

Because I had no idea which were given by whom!

My memory isn’t as good as I thought, so I couldn’t remember exactly what someone gave me

Here, I had to choose only what the villain gave me.

“But it’s a new year’s festival, so wouldn’t it be better to go with what dad gave me as a present?”

“Then shall we use this?”

Well, the maid’s eyes would be better than my eyes. Let’s not believe in my eyes. Because my perspective is not reliable. It’s an eye that I shouldn’t trust.

“Your Highness…!”

Everyone’s voices were filled with emotion.

My hair, which was always hanging down, was neatly pulled up. I also wore earrings and a necklace, a set of exquisitely crafted silver gemstones.

The image of a woman in a dress that was not too revealing in light purple was reflected in the mirror.

Obviously it’s me, but it felt very unfamiliar.

“The main character of this festival is, of course, the princess! Because there is no woman in the world who has a higher status than you!”

“… Thank you.”

This compliment was awkward.

“Yulia.”

I heard my brother’s voice outside. My brother arrived just in time. I agreed to be escorted by my brother.

“Brother!”

“Yulia…”

My brother must be surprised because he never saw me like this.

Maybe he thought of our mother after seeing me.

“Yulia, you’re beautiful. I thought an angel fell from the sky.”

My brother reached out his hand to escort me.

I know it was just a compliment, but it feels good to hear it.

He always tells me I’m pretty, but… It’s always nice to hear that I’m pretty.

“….. Mother would like to see it if she were alive.”

“Brother.”

I grabbed my brother’s hand and moved.

We held hands tightly and went outside.

It was the first outside event I attended.

“Right Yulia, dad will come as soon as work is done. He will probably arrive a little later than us.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t be nervous. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

“Yes!”

The door opened.  The moment I entered the room, I felt as if everyone’s eyes were being swept in this direction.

As soon as I walked in, I almost froze.  Because there were so many people, I held my brother’s hand even tighter.

I felt like I was out of breath as a lot of people’s eyes turned towards me.

“Yulia. If you can’t stand it……”

“No, brother. I’m fine.”

“Yulia. You’re saying this but you don’t look all right.”

“… I’m fine. It might be all right when daddy comes, right?”

“Okay. I’ll stay by your side instead, so you don’t have to look scared like that. After all, you will be the main character of the day.”

I was led by my brother’s hand, and headed for a seat.

Right, I have my brother. I become energized remembering that.

“Yulia. Maybe here, you will meet the person you’ve been waiting for so long…”

“I really hope so.”

The boy was clearly a nobleman, judging from his clothes.

“I just want to see him again.”

I’m not going to actively search for him. Unless he did so first, I wasn’t going to pretend to know him even when I recognized him.

It would be difficult to talk to him because of the villain.

“Yes. Most nobles participate in the New Year’s festival, so check it out.”

“Yes.”

Then I heard a voice announcing my father’s arrival.

“The sun of the empire, His Majesty the Supreme Emperor enters!”

The door opened and my dad entered.

I was a little perplexed when I saw the man following him.

No, why are you coming in with the villain dad?

I wasn’t the only one surprised.

The people talked about it.

Why did they come together?

I was anxious.

No, it’s probably nothing to worry about.  Because there is no need to be anxious.

As dad sat at his seat, the villain knelt down on one of his knees in front of the stairs.  Why do I feel a sense of ominousness in that action?

My heart was pounding.

I was anxious.

At that moment, our eyes met.

He smiled slightly at me.

Why does a smiling face feel so ominous?

“Chester Siegbert. I swear allegiance to the imperial family.”

Was there a scene like this in the original?