✿ Prologue ✿
The Emperor's office.
Behind an antique desk that looked like a work of art, the ruler of the Lucifon Empire leaned comfortably back in his chair, staring right at her.
Dalia clasped her hands tightly together, stealing a glance at the hourglass sitting on the desk.
She had been granted no more than five minutes.
Her heart raced wildly, yet her lips refused to part.
Shhhhk.
The sound of the trickling sand echoed in her ears like thunder.
Following her gaze to the hourglass, the Emperor let a brilliant smile spread across his lips.
‘Good heavens… He’s dazzling.’
No matter how hard she tried, Dalia simply could not get used to just how handsome this Emperor was.
Lowering her gaze slightly, she forced her lips apart.
“Y-Your Majesty.”
“I refuse.”
Dalia lifted her cast-down eyes, widening them in sheer shock.
“I haven't even said anything yet!”
“Truly?”
The Emperor gave a slight tilt of his head, gesturing for her to speak.
“Please marry me.”
“Splendid. Quite a bold proposal.”
“A proposal?! N-No! I don’t mean me! Anyone will do! Just enter an imperial marriage!”
Dalia waved her hands in frantic denial, stunned bewilderment written across her face.
When the Emperor chuckled, his eyes curling into crescents, the small beauty mark beneath his eye became strikingly clear.
“I refuse that even more.”
His gaze drifted toward the hourglass as if checking how much time remained for their audience.
Instinctively, Dalia's eyes followed his.
Why was the sand running out so fast?!
“Why do you despise marriage so much?”
“And why is the Princess so fixated on my getting married?”
“That’s because…”
“Princess, we don't have much time.”
Dalia abandoned her hesitation and drew a deep breath.
Just thinking about the impact of the words she was about to utter made her heart tremble.
Casting all hesitation aside, she looked the Emperor dead in the eye.
Staring into his clear, dark eyes, she parted her lips slowly.
“For world peace.”
For a moment, the light in the Emperor’s eyes seemed to waver before he let out a deep sigh.
“Princess.”
His voice as he addressed her was languid, sweet as chocolate.
“Yes?”
“Isn’t it time for you to take your medicine?”
Dalia stared at him in utter bewilderment.
“How did you know?”
His smile froze for an instant before returning to its previous ease.
“Isn’t it about time you understood the point of what I’m saying?”
“Ah! You mean it figuratively, don’t you?”
Dalia smiled brightly. A vein popped on the Emperor’s brow, then subsided.
He picked up the hourglass, clearly unwilling to continue any further.
“Time’s up.”
Dalia reached out her hands pleadingly.
“Couldn’t you give me just five more minutes?”
“Do you really think that's possible?”
He asked with a gentle smile, his eyes curving.
Dalia bit her lip, then lowered her head in surrender.
“Then… I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You’re returning tomorrow as well?”
“Yes. I will not give up.”
Dalia said it firmly. The Emperor's brows drew together briefly before relaxing once more.
“Princess, aren’t you often told that you waste your efforts on futile things?”
“How did you kno—”
Dalia broke off, her eyes wide, but the moment she saw his brow twitch, she let out a faint smile.
“Ah, figurative again.”
The Emperor’s eyes flickered slightly as he looked at her.
Secretary Orion, who had been watching the exchange with rapt attention, pressed his lips tight to keep from laughing.
A truly formidable opponent had appeared before the Emperor.
Swwwish—
The sound of curtains drawing back echoed through the room, and sunlight poured through the window, refracting into rainbow hues.
Dalia was sprawled across the bed as though she were an extension of the mattress itself. She raised a hand to shield her face from the blinding light and cracked her eyes half-open.
Through her blurry vision, a beautiful, expressionless woman came into focus.
It was Annie, her childhood friend and current personal maid.
“Annie… did I do something wrong?”
“No.”
“The sunlight is too bright. I prefer the dark.”
Dalia tried to close her eyes again and burrow under the covers, but a firm hand gripped her shoulder.
“My Princess. It has been two weeks since you last stepped foot outside this room. Mold is going to grow on you.”
“It will not.”
“It will!”
Annie declared with utter finality, ripping the blanket away in one swift yank.
Clutching at the edge of the blanket, Dalia looked up at Annie reproachfully.
“Did you really have to snatch it like that?”
“Go outside, get some sun, and let the fresh air touch your face.”
“Is there any point? In the end, everything is just…”
Dalia let her voice trail off, her expression weary.
Catching the flash of worry across her face, Annie quickly feigned indifference.
“Did you have a bad dream again?”
A dark shadow settled over Dalia’s face.
A bad dream…
If only it were just a dream.
“Listen to me closely, My Princess. Even if the world were to end tomorrow, I would still plant a strawberry tree.”
Annie balled her fists, determination shining in her eyes.
Dalia blinked at her, wide-eyed like a startled rabbit.
She had never told Annie anything about the end of the world.
Had she spoken in her sleep?
Gauging Annie’s expression, Dalia asked cautiously,
“…Why strawberries, though?”
“Because you love them.”
Annie answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Thank you, Annie, but strawberries don’t grow on trees.”
Dalia corrected her gently, loyal to a friend who always put her first.
Annie’s expression twitched for a brief second before her composure snapped back into place.
“In any case, the point is that I will not put off what must be done today! So you mustn’t put off today’s walk either.”
“But you’re a maid, not a farmer.”
Dalia corrected her once more. Annie rested a hand on her hip and lowered her voice coldly.
“Princess.”
“…All right. I’ll go out.”
Watching Annie’s face warily, Dalia climbed out of bed.
She shuffled listlessly across the room, but Annie’s voice pursued her from behind.
“Are you going out just like that?”
Only then did Dalia look down at her nightclothes, her violet eyes lighting up as if she had struck gold with an excuse.
“Right! A princess must maintain her dignity. I can’t possibly go outside looking like this, can I? And if I wash up and get dressed properly… it’ll be nightfall before I’m done—”
“To begin with, no one is permitted to enter Your Highness’s detached palace without His Majesty the King’s permission. Therefore, you are to go out to the back garden without fail and walk for a full hour. While you are outside, I will clean this room thoroughly so no mold can grow in it.”
Annie cut her princess off without room for argument.
“I told you, there’s no mold.”
Dalia muttered with a defiant pout, pursing her rosy lips as she stepped outside.
