Translator: Nox
(15) The Darling of Lily Palace (7)
"She was a kind fairy."
Jewelry said as she exited the Lily Palace garden. Dennis nodded.
"Yeah, but there are no fairies in this world, Jewelry. She must be a princess, not a fairy."
"There's no way a princess would be here."
"There is. Dad told Mom. He said a princess would be living in Lily Palace."
"Really? So she wasn't a fairy, but a princess?"
"Yeah. She looks like a princess."
Jewelry listened to her brother and recalled the face of the beautiful woman she had just met.
Hair that shone silver in the sunlight, skin as white as snow, rare in this country, and jewel-like eyes sparkling beneath beautiful eyebrows.
She wasn't wearing a fancy dress like a princess in a fairy tale, but she was much more beautiful than any princess in her imagination. So Jewelry decided to acknowledge her as a princess.
"She was a kind princess."
"Right. If it had been Sir Cain or Sir Adrian, they would have picked us up and thrown us out there."
"But why was the princess crying?"
She was grateful that she hadn't scolded them for playing in the garden. Her mother had told her that when expressing gratitude, you should give a gift, so she made a bouquet of flowers.
She had expected the princess to smile brightly, but instead, the princess buried her face in the bouquet and cried for a long time.
Not knowing what to do, they were flustered when a maid said,
"Young lady, young master. It's alright, so it would be best if you returned now. It's almost time for the knights' training to end."
At those words, they quickly came to their senses and fled the scene.
"Maybe her loved one died."
Jewelry stopped walking at Dennis's words.
"Like Carrie?"
"Yeah. Carrie looked like that when Lord Vester died."
"Then that's so sad. Oppa, let's be nice to the princess. Carrie said she felt energized because we were nice to her."
"Yeah. Let's be nice to her. But right now, we have to hurry home before Dad finds out."
"Okay!"
The children were about to start walking again when they stopped, seeing a huge figure walking towards them from the opposite side. A bright smile appeared on the children's faces as they looked up at him.
"Lord!"
At the children's simultaneous shout, a smile spread across Floyd's lips. Floyd looked down at the children with honey-dripping eyes and opened his arms wide.
Jewelry and Dennis ran to Floyd and hugged him. Floyd picked up Jewelry in one arm and Dennis in the other, standing up in one swift motion. Jewelry, who had suddenly risen to a high place, giggled.
"Where did you go?"
"To Lily Palace."
Floyd's arm tightened at Dennis's answer.
"Lily Palace? In the garden?"
"We met a pretty princess at Lily Palace."
This time, Jewelry answered. Floyd looked back at the path leading to the Lily Palace garden.
"The princess was out in the garden?"
"Yes. But is that woman really a princess?"
"Yes, she's a princess."
"She's really pretty. Prettier than Carrie. She's a kind princess."
"She was kind?"
"Yes, she didn't get angry even though we were playing. But, Lord. She cried when we gave her flowers."
"Hey, don't say things like that. You're not supposed to go around telling people that someone was crying."
"But the princess is so pitiful. You said her loved one died."
"I said that might be the case."
Floyd looked down at the bickering children and fell into thought. He didn't know whether Roxana crying after receiving the flowers from the children was a good thing or not.
"Lord, can we go play at Lily Palace again?"
Floyd hesitated for a moment at Jewelry's question, then nodded.
"Yes, go play often. I'll talk to your dad about it."
Floyd, who had let down the brightly smiling children, ruffled their hair and walked towards Lily Palace.
+++
It was a little past lunchtime when Roxana was led back into the palace by Petria. While the maids were moving the food onto the table in the drawing room, Roxana stood by the window.
She had placed the bouquet she received from the children in an empty vase.
-We'll take good care of them.
-These children will live for a long, long time.
Those voices, which only Roxana could hear, were not as annoying as before. Thank you, Roxana said inwardly, gently stroking the petals.
"Lady Roxana, please eat."
At Petria's words, Roxana turned and headed to the table. Even though she had told them not to prepare too much food, there was more than enough to fill the sofa table.
"I can't eat all this by myself, so let's eat together, Petria."
"No, how could I..."
"Let's eat together, Petria."
Petria blinked and carefully sat opposite Roxana. Roxana picked up a piece of bread, then changed her mind and cut a piece of crispy grilled pork and moved it to Petria's plate.
Petria looked down at the juicy meat with a moved expression and said,
"Thanks to you, Lady Roxana, my mouth has been living in luxury these days."
"Is that so?"
"Jackie too... Ah, Jackie is a trainee cook working in the kitchen. She said she's gaining weight thanks to the food that Lady Roxana sends back. Ha, but that's not a good thing. Lady Roxana should eat a lot."
"I'm eating plenty."
Roxana finely chopped the bacon, grilled it until crispy, and sprinkled it on the soup, then cut a piece of bread and soaked it in the soup. Just as she was about to put a piece of the soaked bread in her mouth, a voice was heard from outside the drawing room door.
"May I come in?"
Petria hurriedly put down the fork she was holding and jumped up, heading to the drawing room door. Roxana also swallowed the bread in her mouth and got up, preparing to greet the owner of this palace.
Soon, Floyd strode in through the opened door.
Every time she saw him, she felt it, but Floyd's presence was so overwhelming that it felt like the room was full and suffocating just by him entering.
Roxana walked towards Floyd and was about to kneel, but before she could, Floyd grabbed her arm and pulled her up.
"I told you not to do this."
Floyd looked around the drawing room and asked.
"You were having a meal."
"I'm done eating."
"Done eating?"
Floyd narrowed his brows and looked down at the remaining food. His gaze turned to the plate opposite her, and Petria flinched.
To share a table with the princess, a harsh order would be issued.
But Floyd silently took Roxana and sat her on the sofa, then sat opposite her and said,
"Eat more."
"Is that an order?"
Floyd's brow twitched.
"Yes, it's an order."
Roxana sighed briefly and picked up her fork. Petria, who was watching the scene, realized that she was not in a position to interfere and quietly left the drawing room.
Floyd watched Roxana force the food into her mouth and chew and swallow it, then turned his gaze away. It was hard to keep watching her swallow the food, made with all sorts of good ingredients, as if she were eating mud.
Looking around aimlessly, his eyes fell on the vase placed by the window. Several unknown wildflowers were placed in the vase.
That must be the bouquet that Jewelry and Dennis gave her.
I heard she cried, but she didn't throw it away, so does she like it? Should I take this opportunity to tear up all the flower beds in the garden and fill them with those wildflowers?
Floyd opened his mouth, his eyes fixed on the wildflowers.
"Flowers."
Roxana, who had been looking down at her plate, raised her head and followed his gaze.
"Yes."
"Do you like flowers?"
"Yes."
"I see. What else do you like?"
Roxana closed her mouth and said nothing more. Floyd, who was waiting for an answer, felt a surge of anger, but he held back and said,
"I've sent people to the Kanta Kingdom, so we'll be able to get news from there soon."
Again, Roxana didn't answer. Floyd added, feeling inexplicably anxious.
"Maybe someone from the Franche Royal Family is still alive."
Only then did Roxana turn her gaze and stare straight at Floyd.
"Really? Does Your Highness really, sincerely think so?"
Her tone was even, but Floyd could feel a slight anger in her voice.
Floyd wanted to tell her, even if it was a lie, that someone had survived by luck, that they had escaped well. Because then, maybe a faint light would return to those dead eyes.
But even those dead eyes strangely bound Floyd, and he couldn't lie.
When Floyd didn't answer, Roxana lowered her gaze. The shadow cast under her long eyelashes looked like tears of blood.
"Your Highness, I am grateful for everything you have given me. But please, do not instill false hope in me. Do not let the fire that has been attached to the hope I barely abandoned burn my body once again. If you wish for the body that remains in this life to live even for a year by gathering the ashes, then just let me live like this, breathing without any hope."
Floyd felt suffocated by the desperate plea that contained no resentment or blame. He was furious at her attitude, which still couldn't let go of her self-abandonment.
'I'm angry again.'
It wasn't something to be so angry about, but he couldn't understand the surging anger. And what was even harder to understand was.
'Why isn't anything happening?'
Floyd looked down at his palm.
When he felt this bad, flames should have been flowing from his body. At least the surrounding air should have been hot.
But right now, the crazy being coiled deep inside Floyd was suspiciously quiet and peaceful, as if it were asleep.
