Chapter 7: In the End, a Dark Smile
“So Their Majesties departed early this morning, then.”
Because of yesterday, Faustina made sure to wait properly today.
Had she not, Rinsue would have chased her all over the mansion with a demon-like expression.
After exchanging brief greetings, the room was left with only Bernhardâs guard knights, Faustinaâs personal maid Rinsue, and the head butler.
The two at the center spoke to each other quietly.
The initial topic was the king and queenâs departure to the neighboring country early that morning.
Bernhard spoke cheerfully of how Prince Neige had been well enough to see them off and had been delighted.
His doting attitude toward his younger brother had not changed at all.
(When he talks about Prince Neige too, his beauty inherited from Her Majesty is dazzling today as wellâŠ)
The former dukeâs daughter, now queen, possessed beauty that only grew more radiant even after bearing two princes.
The queen had once confided to Faustina that while the king was perfect as a ruler and a father, he was hopeless as a husband.
When Faustina asked what she meant, the queen smiled like ać°ć„ł and replied, âYouâll understand when you grow older.â
Despite being the same age as Faustinaâs parents, only the queen seemed untouched by time.
When I grow older, maybe Iâll ask her the secret to her beautyâŠ
Faustina nearly drifted into such idle thoughts for a moment.
She took an extra sip of orange juice and listened to Bernhard with a soft smile.
Today, Bernhard spoke at length about his younger brother.
Seeing him off together in the morning and sharing breakfast for the first time in a while had made him happy.
After returning to the castle yesterday, Bernhard had immediately discussed Neigeâs meals with the king and queen.
Neige had been frail since birth, and there were days when he could barely eat at all.
Starting today, they would gradually adjust his meals.
Food that was gentle on his stomach, easy to eat, and highly nutritious.
The castle chefs and physicians had consulted together, and Neige had taken a great liking to the dishes they prepared.
Bernhard spoke excitedly about the breakfast table.
Then, suddenly, he stopped.
“S-Sorry.
Iâve been talking too much.”
“Not at all.
Itâs clear how dearly you treasure Prince Neige.
I only know him through your stories, so I do not yet know what kind of person he is.”
“Neige hardly ever goes outside.
Among the nobility, there isnât a single child who has met him.
Even within the castle, he only interacts with Father, Mother, me, and a few servants.”
In her previous life, Neige entered society at fifteen.
It coincided with his enrollment at the noble academy and his debut.
Honey-gold hair and deep violet eyes like the queenâs.
His beautiful features made him extremely popular among noble ladies.
At that time, he had no fiancée.
What happened after Faustinaâs death, she did not know.
(âŠBefore that, how did I even die?)
No matter how hard she tried, she could not remember the reason.
Her final memory was of being expelled from the ducal house as a last act of mercy.
With the severance money she received, she stayed at a cheap inn, weeping and regretting the many sins she had committed.
(If I could start over, I swore I wouldnât make the same mistakesâŠ
Thereâs no way Iâll make them again.)
She wanted Bernhard to annul their engagement.
To be freed from the education meant for a Crown Princess and future queen.
To do all the things she had longed to try in her previous life.
A major example was raising animals.
She had been thinking about it constantly, but no good idea came to mind.
The fragile-lady strategy had already failed thanks to her stubbornly healthy body.
Throwing a tantrum and declaring she did not want to be Crown Princess felt childish and unacceptable.
âŠBut then, she paused.
Instead of crying that she did not want to be Crown Princess, couldnât she cry that she could not keep up with the harsh education anymore?
The queenâs personal instruction was strict and uncompromising.
In both her previous life and this one, she had nearly cried countless times.
She never shed tears in public, but she often cried hidden behind hedges in the castle gardens.
(âŠAh⊠noâŠ
This is bad⊠painful memories are coming backâŠ)
No one ever noticed Faustina when she hid there.
But Faustina noticed.
Bernhard walking through the garden, chatting affectionately with Elvira, even though there was no need for him to be at the castle that day.
The tender lapis eyes he never once turned toward her.
(Donât remember thatâdonât remember it!)
Her face threatened to contort with emotion, though outwardly her lips twitched in a strained smile.
To hide her agitation, Faustina took another sip of orange juice.
“Come to think of it, Elvira isnât here today.”
“!”
(This isâ!)
If he noticed Elviraâs absence, then somewhere in his heart he mustâ
Seeing her chance, Faustinaâs pale yellow eyes flashed as she lowered her glass.
“If you mean Elvira, sheâs likely in her room.
Shall I have her called?”
“No, itâs fine.
I just thought it was strange since sheâs usually here.”
With that, Bernhard drank his orange juice.
(Heâs being considerate in front of his fiancĂ©e, after allâŠ
Ahâwait!)
At that moment, a good idea struck her.
Faustina excused herself briefly.
She left the room with Rinsue, raised her thumb, and flashed a beaming smile.
Rinsue stared at her, mouth agape.
“It worked, Rinsue!”
“Um⊠what did?”
“Letâs go to the back garden like this.”
“Why would we do that!?”
They spoke in hushed voices, at least.
“Didnât you hear what he said just now?
His Highness wants Elvira to come!”
“He merely found it strange that Lady Elvira, who always comes when His Highness visits, was not present today!
He absolutely did not say he wanted Lady Elvira to come!”
“Thatâs not how it sounded to me!”
“Miss, what exactly is wrong with your ears!?
We are going back to the room!”
Rinsue had sensed trouble the moment Faustina raised her thumb with that radiant grin.
It was not behavior befitting a dukeâs daughter, but since it was only shown to her, Rinsue overlooked it.
Running away, however, was something she could not overlook.
Reluctantly, Faustina complied, and the two returned to the guest room.
Faustina gave a vague excuse for having left, and the same atmosphere as before resumed.
Bernhard had been carrying the conversation, so this time Faustina brought up a topic herself.
She spoke of her upcoming visit to Mistle Lake.
“Mistle Lake?”
“Yes.
Father said he would take me.
At this time of year, if the timing is right, we may see swans resting on the lake.”
“Iâve only seen them in books.”
“So have I.
I wanted to see them in person, so I insisted.”
“I see.
Leaving the capital and touching nature doesnât sound bad.”
“I believe it would also be good for Prince Neige to experience nature as part of his recuperation.
Iâve heard the air there is fresh and delicious.”
“âŠYes.”
“?”
At his hesitant reply, Faustina tilted her head.
Did I say something wrong?
She replayed her words, but nothing seemed amiss.
Assuming it was nothing, she continued talking about when they would go to Mistle Lake.
“Haah⊠Iâm exhausted⊔
Talking with Bernhard was even more tiring than dealing with the designer.
That night, after dinner and her bath.
With nothing left to do but sleep, Faustina dove onto her bed now that no one was around.
The bed softly received her small body as she thought.
“Hmm⊠the more I think about it, the harder it gets.
Annulment.
But if I do the same thing as last time and harm Elvira, Iâll be disowned along with the annulmentâŠ
And I canât exactly talk to anyone about this.”
Because she remembered, she aimed for an annulment she believed would lead to everyoneâs happiness, even if it brought her some misfortune.
But who would believe her if she said she remembered a previous life?
At best, they would think she had lost her mind.
“Or should I just become someone who lost her mind?
But then itâd probably be confinement in the territory instead of disownment⊔
She collapsed face-down onto the bed.
“âŠIn the end, I really need His Highness to think Elvira should be his fiancĂ©e.”
The engagement between Faustina and Bernhard was a formal arrangement between the royal family and the ducal house.
However, it had not yet been publicly announced.
They had decided to wait until both turned fifteen, entered the noble academy, and made their debuts.
This was in case Faustina collapsed again and was deemed unfit as a Crown Princess candidate.
At present, she was diligently receiving her education and showing steady results.
Her reputation with the queen was good, and Bernhardâs regular visits meant there was no perceived problem.
“Annulment, annulment, annulment, annulment⊔
âHow am I supposed to do it!?
Faustina screamed internally.
“⊔
“Brother?”
At his younger brotherâs questioning voice, Bernhard snapped back to himself.
“Whatâs wrong?
You seemed lost in thought.”
“Ah, no.
I was just thinking.
Itâs nothing.”
“I see.”
That night, Bernhard visited Neigeâs room to check on his condition.
Though Neige smiled wryly and teased him for being overprotective, he accepted the visit.
Their parents and brother were always worried about Neige, frail since birth.
Neige himself was the kingdomâs Second Prince.
He wanted to recover as soon as possible to ease his familyâs worries, and so he devoted himself to treatment under the physiciansâ guidance.
Concerned by Bernhardâs distraction, Neige asked what was on his mind.
“Is it Lady Faustina?”
Bernhardâs shoulders twitched.
As Crown Prince, he was always told to remain calm and suppress his emotions.
He managed that during training and official duties, but in front of his fiancĂ©eâor when her name came upâhis true self slipped out.
“I often hear about her from Mother.
She says Lady Faustina is highly capable as the Crown Princeâs fiancĂ©e.
That your relationship is good as well.”
“⊔
From their motherâs perspective, that may have been true.
Butâ
“I donât think so.”
“Why not?”
“Faustina doesnât look very happy when I visit her.
There are times when I canât even see her.”
He always sent notice of his visits well in advance.
And yet, there had been several occasionsâabout threeâwhen Faustina was not there.
She had been present yesterday and today, but next time she might not be.
“When Faustina isnât there, Lady Elvira is always there instead.”
“Her younger sister?”
Neige laughed softly.
That is strange, he seemed to say.
Bernhard returned a wry smile.
Though Faustina herself denied it, Bernhard believed she did not want to see him and sent her sister in her place.
Even if Elvira had no fiancée yet, it was not a pleasant thought.
StillâŠ
Being told that he looked happier with Elvira than with Faustina pierced his chest sharply.
He was simply happy to hear stories about Faustina.
But to others, he must have looked more cheerful with Elvira than with his own fiancée.
“I donât meet other children besides you, Brother, and I donât have a fiancĂ©e yet, so I may not understand well.
But there is still plenty of time until adulthood.
Why not approach her slowly?”
“Thatâs true⊔
Despite only being a year apart, it sometimes felt unclear who was older.
Bernhard had wanted to hear someone elseâs thoughts to ease his unease.
After seeing Bernhard off, looking somewhat relieved, Neige slipped under his blanket.
“Ah, butâ”
With a dark smile completely unlike beforeâalmost like a different personâNeige murmured,
“You donât have to fall in love with Lady Faustina, Brother.
Just fall in love with Lady Elvira again, just like last time.”
He spoke to the darkened ceiling, not meant for anyone else to hear.
“âAfter all, youâre going to fall in love with Lady Elvira anyway.
Or maybe you just havenât realized it yet, and you already doâŠ?”
âIf thatâs the case, Iâd be happyâŠ
This time, properlyâŠ
Neige closed his eyes, having uttered words far removed from anything a normal person would say.