Translator: Nox
(7) The Princess Who Wanted to Die and the Cursed Grand Duke (7)
Cain thought his twin brother was too harsh with his words, but he couldn't argue because it was true.
He hadn't seen the slave mark branded on Roxana with his own eyes. But being trapped in a slave trader's box meant that a slave mark was branded somewhere on her body.
The Grand Duchy of Torkan forbade slavery, but other countries on the continent still had the slave system. Even the Kanta Kingdom, Roxana's country, had slaves.
No matter how good your family background was, the moment you were branded with a slave mark, the possibility of rising in status disappeared.
"Don't you remember the Patran Marquess family of the Bionik Kingdom? Marquess Patran cherished his daughter so much, but he killed her because she was branded with a slave mark."
Hearing Adrian's words, the incident came to mind.
It happened two years ago. The daughter of the Patran Marquess family was kidnapped by bandits while on vacation and rescued a few months later. At the time, the Marquess's daughter was serving a Count from another country at night.
Marquess Patran, who had intended to take her in even though his daughter had lost her purity, shed tears of blood and drew his sword when he saw the slave mark on his daughter's back. It was because he couldn't leave a slave in the Marquess family.
"Marquess Patran avenged his daughter by killing the Count, but the princess of Kanta has no family, so revenge is impossible... If they find out she's alive in Gania, they won't leave her alone, so she won't be able to settle down in one place. It would have been better for her to die with her family."
Adrian's words were cold but true.
While Cain hesitated, unable to respond, Hexter hit Adrian on the back of the head.
"Why did you hit me? Do you want to die?"
"You really have a talent for saying harsh things, Lian."
"I told you not to call me Lian."
Adrian hated his nickname because it sounded too feminine. While Adrian and Hexter were bickering, Arsene, who had diligently finished his mission and came up, frowned at the sight.
"Did you drink, Hexter?"
Hexter shrugged. Arsene sighed and said.
"Refrain from drinking during work. This job is mostly done, so let's go back."
+++
She heard a familiar voice.
"Sister. Even if you get married, I'll visit you often. If Lucas Pelure Crown Prince bothers you, I'll scold him."
Roxana smiled as she listened to the dignified voice. Our youngest, my lovely brother Ranian.
Roxana, who was always treated like an immature youngest child, was very happy when her younger brother Ranian was born. Unlike her mischievous older brothers, she had vowed to be a kind and good sister to Ranian.
When his plump little hand tightly gripped Roxana's index finger, Roxana thought she could die for this child. Roxana was also young, but she felt that way.
"But why are you living alone, Sister? I'm dead."
A resentful voice struck Roxana sharply. Only then did reality rush in and crush Roxana.
Yes, my family is dead. Even my brother, whom I should have protected, is dead. I'm the only one who survived. My family is dying by cold blades, and I didn't even know it, just praying in a safe place.
The weight of unbearable sorrow and despair jolted her awake.
The first thing she saw in her eyes was a white ceiling. A ceiling with a scene from mythology engraved on it, and sculptures decorating the edges of the ceiling where it met the walls.
Next, she felt the soft touch of the plush bed and fragrant blankets that wrapped around her body.
So, Roxana felt like she had returned to the old days for a brief moment. Ider Palace, her room. The room of Princess Roxana Franche, decorated and filled with the best things.
So, was it all a dream?
My family dying, being thrown into a well, being branded with a slave mark, being put in a small box and almost sold somewhere.
Was it all just a terrible nightmare?
"You're awake. Is there anything uncomfortable?"
The hope that had briefly bloomed was shattered by the unfamiliar voice she heard. Roxana slowly turned her head and stared at the man sitting next to the bed.
A man with dark brown curly hair and brown eyes, with a gentle impression, was watching Roxana quietly. It was a face she had never seen in Ider Palace.
So, this is not Ider Palace, and I am not in the Kanta Kingdom or the Great Temple, but somewhere else, and my family is dead.
Despair gripped her heart. Sharply split pieces of sorrow flowed through her blood vessels. Her whole body ached as if it would break.
When Roxana didn't say anything, he introduced himself.
"I'm Kirshan. Kirshan Lepe."
"......"
"I'm a bodyguard of Grand Duke Latean, and I also work as a doctor."
"Grand Duke Latean......"
As a hoarse voice flowed from Roxana's lips, Kirshan sighed in relief. Kirshan had been worried that her vocal cords might be damaged because Roxana hadn't said anything.
"Yes. This is the Grand Duchy of Torkan. Lily Palace in the Grand Duke's palace where Grand Duke Latean resides."
Only then did Roxana recall what had happened earlier.
The box was broken, and she met the eyes of a man as huge as a tiger. After that, for some reason, a huge Fire Demon covered Roxana. It was a cruel and merciless flame that seemed to burn everything.
"I thought I was dead......"
Kirshan nodded at Roxana's murmur.
"That's right. Everyone thought you were dead. It's hard to survive Grand Duke's flames without a scratch."
Kirshan's eyes scanned Roxana's hair, face, neck, and arms in turn.
"But surprisingly, you're safe and sound without a single scratch."
"Why...... Why didn't you let me die?"
Kirshan was noticeably flustered.
"Pardon?"
"Why didn't you let me die back then?"
Roxana seemed to think that someone had saved her from the flames. Kirshan blinked in embarrassment and barely replied.
"Well. I think you should talk about that with Grand Duke. He told me to let him know when you wake up, Princess."
"I'm not a princess anymore."
Kirshan, at a loss for words, quickly got up from his chair.
"Yes, I think you should talk about that with His Highness."
After Kirshan left the bedroom as if fleeing, Roxana gripped the blanket tightly. Everything that came into her eyes was so splendid and beautiful that it was suffocating.
A well-made dressing table, a carved chair, beautiful tapestries and curtains made of good fabric, a plush carpet, and lace hanging on the edge of the bed.
Everything was the same as when she was a princess of Kanta, and it felt suffocating. The unchanged environment from that time rather pushed Roxana into pain.
My family is gone, and my country is ruined, but what am I doing lying in this luxurious bed? My family must be wandering in the cold, dark well without finding rest, so why am I the only one wrapped up in such a good place?
"I want to die......"
Roxana just wanted to end this life.
"Mom...... Dad......"
The titles she hadn't used since she was old enough to know better pierced her heart.
"I want to die too. Brother...... Ranian...... I want to be with you too......"
She pulled the blanket over her face, but she couldn't stop the sobs. Tears burst out, but no tears came out. She thought that she, who had survived alone, must have run out of tears.
If she wanted to die, she could die. She could cut off her tongue, or jump out of that window.
But if she died here now, someone might pity Roxana and allow her an Adelia Flower.
Roxana didn't want to return to God's embrace after death. My family is wandering in a place that is neither here nor there, so I can't rest alone.
Therefore, Roxana was continuing her harsh breath, unable to die carelessly.
Knock knock-
She was so lost in despair that she didn't even realize someone had knocked on the bedroom door. Only after the bedroom door opened did Roxana raise her upper body and turn her head towards it.
A huge man was entering the bedroom.
A height tall enough to reach the top of the door, broad shoulders and a thick neck, reddish-brown hair that looked like it hadn't been combed.
His figure, walking in slowly, was overwhelming. It felt like the wide bedroom was filled just by him entering.
He walked to the side of the bed and picked up the chair that Kirshan had been sitting on a little while ago. His bulk was so huge that the chair looked smaller than before.
He brought the chair close to the bed and sat down on it with a thud. The sunlight coming through the window made his hair look as red as if it were burning.
Sitting in the chair, he hunched his back and rested his elbows on his knees, then clasped his hands together. In that position, he stared intently at Roxana for a while.
His gray eyes were sharp, heavy, and intense. Roxana endured his gaze, feeling like she was being strangled.
She could see why he was called the Crimson Tiger. If you met him as an enemy on the battlefield, your body would freeze as if you had encountered a huge tiger.
He was silent for a very long time. Just as Roxana was about to open her mouth first, unable to bear the silence, a heavy voice flowed from his lips.
"Princess."
Roxana flinched and shuddered at his call.
The moment she was branded with a slave mark, no, the moment the Pelure Royal Family swallowed the Franche Royal Family, Roxana was no longer a princess.
He probably knew that fact well. But calling her a princess was not a good thing. Rather, it was like a cruel mockery.
But Roxana did not reveal her unpleasantness at being ridiculed and looked at him, clutching the blanket.
'This man is the only one who can grant me what I want.'
