Translator: Nox
(14) The Darling of Lily Palace (6)
As soon as she thought of the dignified guard knight who had been by her side since before she could even remember, Roxana burst into tears, unable to hold back.
"Robert!"
Weighed down by the grief of losing her family, she hadn't been able to think of the absence of others. She hadn't even mourned the deaths of those who had protected her and those who had been loyal to the Franche Royal Family.
What a selfish princess she was.
How many people had died simply because they were loyal? How many people had lost their families?
The faces of the employees and knights who smiled at Roxana whenever they encountered her in Ider Palace flashed through her mind one by one. Robert's meaningless death and the sight of Masha being dragged away freshly tore at Roxana's heart.
The water in the bathtub rippled along with Roxana's sobs, but she didn't even realize it and cried for a long time.
"Roxana, are you alright?"
Petria, worried because Roxana hadn't come out after waiting for so long, knocked on the bathroom door. Roxana, who had been burying her face in her hands and wailing for a while, hurriedly scooped up water and wiped her face.
"I'm fine. I'll be out soon."
Roxana pushed herself deep into the bathtub before getting up and wiping her body with a dry towel. She put on the new clothes that Petria had prepared and came out of the bathroom. Petria was waiting in front of the vanity with a comb in her hand.
"I'll comb your hair for you, Roxana."
"It's alright. I can do it myself."
Seeing Petria's troubled expression, Roxana added.
"Petria, I'm not a real princess. His Grace the Grand Duke is just calling me that as he pleases, so you don't have to treat me so well. I'll tell His Grace that you're taking very good care of me."
"But, Roxana…"
"Every time you treat me well, Petria, I feel like I've become a princess again. It's really hard to bear."
Roxana carefully took the comb from Petria's hand.
"So, Petria, you can treat me comfortably."
Petria didn't answer, looking embarrassed, and Roxana felt sorry for her.
She must have dreamed of serving noble people when she became a maid in the Grand Duke's palace, but she must be embarrassed to be in a position where she has to take care of a slave. Yet she was always polite and kind, so Roxana felt awkward.
Roxana didn't want to see her face reflected in the vanity mirror, so she took the comb and headed to the window in the drawing room. The garden of Lily Palace could be seen from the drawing room window.
The Lily Palace garden was beautifully decorated, befitting a palace that hosted honored guests. There was a fairly large pond, and an artificial island was created in the center of the pond, with a pergola large enough for two people built on top of it. Thin lace fabric was draped around the edges of the white-roofed pergola.
A white-painted bridge connected the island in the center of the pond to the land, and two children were standing on the bridge.
Roxana stopped combing her hair and stared at the children.
The children were hanging on the railing of the bridge, throwing stones into the pond, and the moment she saw them, Roxana was sucked into the past.
'My nephews…'
Roxana threw down the comb and turned around.
'They're my nephews.'
Roxana didn't even hear Petria calling her as she left the room and ran down the hallway. She hadn't fully recovered yet, but she didn't know where she got the strength to run down the stairs and towards the garden without stopping once.
She ran through the wide garden, between the long flower beds. As she got closer to the pond, the children's figures became clearer.
"Roxana!"
Petria called out as she followed, but Roxana didn't hear her. All of Roxana's attention was focused on the children on the bridge.
A boy playing with a girl who looked like his younger sister.
My young and lovely nephews.
"Frischin! Winiel!"
The two children turned around at Roxana's shout as she stopped in front of the bridge. The moment she saw the children's startled expressions, the harsh reality struck Roxana.
The nostalgic scenery that had surrounded Roxana scattered and disappeared, and a scene completely different from Ider Palace was etched into her eyes.
It wasn't Frischin and Winiel. The children in the pond looked a little older than her nephews. They were also taller and had different appearances.
Only then did Roxana strongly feel the absence of her nephews.
'Ah, my nephews are dead. They were killed by cruel blades and thrown into a well. They died without knowing anything and fell into that dark and damp place.'
The moment she realized the reality, Roxana collapsed. Petria quickly ran over and supported Roxana, who couldn't hold on and slumped down. The children on the bridge also ran over and grabbed Roxana's other arm.
Roxana lowered her head and looked down at the children who were struggling to support her.
Petria said.
"Roxana, are you alright? You shouldn't run like this when you're still not well."
The children were staring up at Roxana. In their eyes, there was both worry for Roxana and anxiety that they had been caught playing in this place.
Looking at them slowly from this close, the children's appearances were so different from her nephews that she couldn't understand how she had mistaken them for her nephews. Her nephews' skin was so pale that it looked almost white, but these children had tanned skin from the sun.
"I'm sorry…"
Then, the boy said.
"We're sorry for sneaking in here."
Thinking that they had misunderstood the reason she was staring, Roxana quickly replied.
"It's alright. You can play more."
"Really? Dad said we shouldn't come in here without permission."
"It's alright. I'm living here now, so it's okay."
She didn't care who the children's father was. Seeing the children smiling at each other after getting permission, she felt relieved for the first time in a long time.
After the children returned to the pond, Roxana sat on a bench a little further away. The stone bench was cold.
"Roxana. The wind is cold. I think you should go inside."
Petria said anxiously, but Roxana replied while keeping her eyes fixed on the children.
"Just a little longer. I'll just stay here a little longer."
"Then I'll bring you a blanket to wrap around yourself. It would be terrible if you caught a cold."
Even after Petria left, Roxana couldn't take her eyes off the children. Watching the children throwing stones into the pond, picking flowers, and bickering with each other, she thought of her nephews.
Most siblings of that age were similar, playing well together but suddenly bickering and fighting. In all those scenes, she could remember her nephews, and her brothers and herself when Roxana was young.
Petria brought a blanket and draped it over Roxana's shoulders. Roxana fastened the ends of the blanket and said to Petria.
"Petria, sit down comfortably too."
Petria couldn't even imagine sitting next to the princess, but she thought Roxana would be distressed if she refused, so she obediently sat next to her.
It was the first time that Roxana, who had been living like a soulless doll, had moved on her own. Petria didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing, so she kept glancing at Roxana.
Jiloa, the elderly maid she had met last night, nodded repeatedly when she heard that Roxana had started eating.
-"That's a relief, a real relief. As her health gradually recovers, she will start to notice other things. At first, she will only see what she has lost, but she will start to show interest in other things."
She said that although sadness occupied her entirely now, if new things gradually pushed out the sad memories, the time she spent thinking painful thoughts would decrease.
Listening to those words, Petria thought of the time when the man she had once had a crush on had gotten together with her friend. At that time, Petria had cried as if the sky had fallen, and her head was full of that man, so she thought that her heart might be torn apart and she might die.
But as she ate with her family, took care of her annoying siblings, ran errands, ate street food at the festival, and watched the clowns, she stopped thinking about that man at some point.
'What the princess has experienced is a much sadder thing than when I was dumped…'
Still, she hoped that Roxana could gradually escape from her sadness, just as she had.
"I had nephews. They were a little younger than those children."
Then, Roxana murmured in a faint voice. Petria was happy that Roxana had told her story first, so she quickly asked.
"Where are those nephews now…?"
She said that far and then Petria closed her mouth. It was because she had heard what had happened to Roxana's family.
Roxana neither cried nor laughed, nor did she answer. She was just quietly watching the children.
Petria reproached herself for being foolish and wondered how she could fix this ridiculous mistake.
Then, the children, who had been sitting in the flower bed and glancing at this side while playing, jumped up and ran over. The younger girl was holding a bouquet of wildflowers tied with grass stalks in her hand.
The girl blushed on her plump cheeks and held out the bouquet.
"Fairy."
Roxana's eyes widened at the child's words.
"It's a gift."
The eyes that had been wandering in other times while looking at the children in front of her finally turned to the bouquet in front of her. The emerald-like eyes surrounded by gold trembled.
Roxana raised both hands. Her parched fingers trembled slightly. The hand hesitated for a moment before grabbing the small, sparse, but very lovely gift in front of her.
Something warm flowed in through the broken flower stalks.
Roxana buried her face in the bouquet and shed tears silently.
