Translator: Nox
(3) The Princess Who Wanted to Die and the Cursed Grand Duke (3)
Lucas Pelur and Elise Hailis were sitting in the seats where her father and mother should have been. She felt like she knew the reason, but she didn't want to. She wished that the thoughts flowing in one direction were wrong.
So, Roxana gripped her skirt tightly and waited for Lucas's answer.
Lucas watched Roxana with a slightly pitiful look and then gestured with his chin. At that, the people in the audience chamber hurried out. Now, only one knight guarding Lucas, Elise, and Roxana remained in the audience chamber.
Only then did Roxana realize that Lasha was nowhere to be seen.
"Lasha...?"
At the question that slipped out like a mumble, Lucas laughed in disbelief.
"Roxy."
Her family called Roxana Lotty, but Lucas always called her "Roxy." His voice, calling her by her nickname, was so affectionate that Roxana briefly held a glimmer of hope.
It won't be a big problem. It'll be alright. Something is a little, just a little, wrong, but it can be fixed.
"You're always like that. You think about too many things and are too relaxed in too many areas."
That wasn't true. Roxana wasn't relaxed at all right now. Countless thoughts surged in and out like a storm, and she felt like she would lose her mind being swept away by them. Just standing here without fainting was overwhelming.
"I've always been so sick of that side of you that I can't stand it."
What was that supposed to mean?
Lucas was always affectionate, calling her "my pretty flower." Lucas was always the one who initiated kisses and held her hand. She couldn't understand the cold words flowing from his mouth.
"Still, you were a little cute when you were younger..."
Lucas slowly walked down the steps in front of the chair and approached Roxana.
Roxana watched him approach without moving an inch. Hoping to find playfulness or affection somewhere on his face. Hoping that all of this was a surprise event to tease her.
But Lucas, standing in front of Roxana, stared at her with the bluest and most indifferent eyes and said,
"To think you'd grow up so disgustingly."
Roxana looked into his eyes, which were at the same height as hers. It wasn't that he was particularly small, but that Roxana was particularly tall.
-"You're getting bigger every time I see you."
-"You've grown a lot."
From about two years ago, Lucas had said something about her height every time he saw Roxana. Words that she had casually dismissed were now clearly etched in her mind.
It was like being splashed with cold water.
"Where is Father?"
The trembling was gone.
"Where is Mother, where are my family?"
"Yes, Roxy. You should have asked that first, not about your maid."
Lucas nodded to the knight, and the knight approached with a box that had been placed next to the King's chair.
Roxana's eyes were fixed on the box.
Roxana didn't want that box to come closer. She wanted to look away and run away, but she couldn't do anything and watched the box stop in front of her.
"Open it and show her. The princess should know what happened to her family."
As soon as Lucas's words were finished, the knight opened the box.
What was visible as soon as the box was opened was.
"Ah..."
A groan escaped.
"Aaaah...!"
A torn voice cut through the air. And with a thud, something snapped, and her vision went dark.
+++
"...Princess. Princess. Princess, wake up."
It felt like her body was floating on the water. Something kept shaking her shoulder, which was annoying.
She didn't want to open her eyes. She wanted to be enveloped in darkness and not think about anything. She wanted to drift through the darkness without knowing anything.
"Princess."
But she couldn't not know.
She clearly remembered what she had seen last before losing consciousness. Even in the darkness, that scene did not disappear and floated before Roxana's eyes.
Father, and part of Mother.
Her eyelids were too heavy. Was it because they were wet with tears?
Tears were constantly flowing from her closed eyes. A blade that tore through her flesh and entered her body was stirring all over.
"Lasha. You're safe."
Roxana said with her eyes closed. Lasha sobbed.
"P-Princess... Princess, what should I do? Our poor Princess, what should I do?"
"My brothers, Ranian, do you know what happened to them?"
Silence replaced the answer. Roxana could understand what the silence meant.
She didn't want to believe it, but it was reality.
Lucas had killed Roxana's family. There was no family anymore.
When she left the Great Temple, she thought that meeting her family on her return to Kanta Kingdom this time would be the last time, but it felt like a very long time ago.
This wasn't the last meeting.
That day when she left for the Great Temple.
That day when her father said, "Be careful on your way back."
That day when her mother hugged her, saying, "Lotty, don't get sick, okay?"
That day when her brothers teased her, saying, "Don't cause trouble," "Lotty, you're not supposed to swear at the Great Temple," "Don't hit the priests."
That day when her youngest brother, Ranian, sobbed, "Sister, if anyone bullies you, send me a letter. I'll fly over and protect you."
It was the last meeting and the last conversation.
What kind of expression did I make to my family that day? Did I smile, or did I frown?
She couldn't remember. Everything was as faint as a dream.
If I had known that was the last time, I would have looked at my family's faces, the faces of my loved ones, in more detail. I would have imprinted those already missed voices, eyes, and smiles in my mind as if stamping them.
"Ah... Augh... Ugh...!"
She thought she heard the sound of an animal howling, but it was coming from her.
Lasha watched Roxana, who was bending over and screaming, with a pitiful look.
'My poor Princess. What should I do?'
She was more worried about Roxana than her own situation. Roxana had been unconscious for two full days, and Lasha had heard various stories from the servant of Victian IV, who had been imprisoned during that time.
The servant who had been dragged out last night had not returned.
How should she tell her that Elise was involved in some of the things that had happened in Kanta Kingdom?
The Lady Elise Hailis, who was Roxana's best friend.
Even Lasha had doubted her ears when she heard that story.
Elise sometimes seemed to be jealous of Roxana, but the two had been together since they were born, like sisters.
If Roxana hadn't protected Elise when something bad happened to Elise's family, Elise would have been in the same situation as her family.
'I have to tell her... But what will change if I tell her?'
It would only give Roxana, who had already lost her family and was broken, another pain. It would be better to postpone telling this story until Roxana got a little better.
Just as Lasha made that decision, she heard the sound of the dungeon door opening.
Even with the heavy clanging sound, Roxana's screams did not stop. Roxana did not realize that someone had walked down the dirty, dark hallway and stopped in front of the iron bars where she was imprisoned.
"Princess!"
It was only when Lasha widened her eyes and shouted loudly that she came to her senses a little.
"Princess, Princess, you have to come to your senses! You can't collapse! You must never lose... Aaaah!"
It was only when Lasha was grabbed by the men and dragged out, shouting sharply, that she fully regained her senses.
Lasha, with her big, blinking eyes, being dragged out with her mouth gagged, came into view. Roxana jumped up and tried to reach out to Lasha, but two other men grabbed Roxana's arms and knelt her down.
Only after Lasha was no longer visible did Roxana's eyes turn to Elise, who was in front of her.
"Elise..."
Roxana barely remembered that Elise had been sitting next to Lucas. Because of the shock that Lucas was sitting in her father's seat, Elise's presence had been faint. She had forgotten about Elise because of the despair of losing her family.
"What, what is all this?"
"My poor Princess."
Elise's eyes turned red.
"In a place like this... How hard must it be for you?"
Elise's voice was as kind as ever. Elise took out a handkerchief and dabbed the tears flowing down her cheeks.
Roxana felt a little hope as she looked at her long-time friend, who was sobbing.
Maybe Elise had helped my family. Maybe she pretended to participate in Lucas's plan and smuggled out some of my family.
Such hope.
"Elise, Lucas... Did Lucas kill my whole family?"
"Yes, Princess. He killed them all. Without leaving a single one, he even killed the Princess's nephews and nieces."
The small hope that had momentarily bloomed collapsed again, and an even greater despair surged in than before.
Roxana felt her vision turning black. She couldn't lose consciousness again, so she clenched her fists tightly and asked desperately.
"W-Why...? Why so mercilessly?"
She knew that Lucas, no, the Gania Kingdom, had been aiming for the Kanta Kingdom. She didn't know how, but she knew that they had successfully taken over the Kanta Kingdom.
But that didn't mean they had to kill off the entire Franche family, who had maintained a good relationship for a long time.
They could have just exiled them, or if they didn't want to do that, they should have at least spared the children. That's usually how it is.
"Because..."
Elise suddenly covered her face with both hands and burst into tears. She looked so pitiful that Roxana almost forgot her own situation and wanted to comfort Elise.
"Because, Princess."
Elise's mouth was revealed between her two hands covering her face. Roxana saw Elise's red lips grinning.
"Because I told him to."
