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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: A Bold Proposal
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A short while ago, Calius Rodrian had received a letter addressed to him.
“…”
He stared intently at the gold-rimmed envelope.
It was a highly suspicious letter with no sender.
‘If it were from Ronheim, it would have come by carrier pigeon.’
Since it was delivered by a messenger, it must have been sent from within the capital.
The idea that someone in this capital would send him a letter was puzzling.
Calius hailed from Ronheim, a land whose people the nobles of the Arental Empire despised as barbarians.
The nobles of the Arental Empire would wrinkle their noses, claiming he reeked of blood and beasts.
That someone would send a letter to a man like him.
Given that it was sent anonymously, it could have been a prank or a letter with malicious intent.
‘No matter how bad a letter is, it's still just words on paper.’
Calius tore it open nonchalantly, only for his eyes to widen.
[To Marquis Rodrian.
I know that you have recently cultivated a beautiful Moon Garden in Ronheim. I hear lovely Leknes flowers are blooming there, are they not?
I wish to see that flowerbed before anyone else. If you grant me this, I will reward you greatly. I am very fond of flowers, you see.
I won't write much more in this letter.
If you wish to know who I am, I hope you will attend the Lovers' Day celebration at the imperial palace in a few days.]
Moon Garden. Before anyone else. Reward.
It was a code only he could decipher.
The Leknes flower, said to glow golden in the moonlight.
In Ronheim, gold was often compared to the Leknes. The Moon Garden, therefore, meant a gold mine.
No one outside of his closest aides knew of the gold mine Calius had recently discovered.
‘There's no way the information could have leaked.’
Calius glared at the suspicious letter.
‘Who, and how?’
Hoping to find even the smallest clue, he meticulously examined the stationery and the envelope.
But he could find no clues.
Even if the sender's name had been written, he likely wouldn't have believed it.
He would have only assumed someone was using the name of Princess Chloe, who was widely rumored to have lost her mind.
* * *
“Look over there!”
At the sound of a mocking voice, everyone gathered in the banquet hall turned to look in one direction.
“My, how scandalous.”
“In her nightgown? Is she truly mad?”
Today was Lovers' Day, the day of the year when the most couples were formed.
The Lovers' Day banquet was in full swing at the imperial palace.
Young lovers could be seen everywhere, exchanging gifts they had prepared for one another.
It was a day when any romantic gesture was permitted.
As a result, countless amusing incidents often occurred among those swept up in the atmosphere.
This Lovers' Day was no different, with people anticipating delightful gossip to enrich their tedious lives.
And the prey that appeared before these hyenas was none other than Princess Chloe.
“That's the mad Princess Chloe, isn't it?”
“She must have no sense of shame. A disgrace to the imperial family.”
“Shouldn't she be locked away? To let her wander around like an animal like that.”
People whispered as they gawked at Chloe, who had entered the banquet hall, treating her like a monkey in a cage.
Behind fans and cupped hands, mocking smiles were rampant.
Weaving through the crowd to the center of the hall, Princess Chloe was dressed simply, with no adornments and a face bare of makeup.
People were aghast when they saw the furry bedroom slippers on her feet.
“Goodness, they said her illness was severe. Tsk, tsk, what a pity.”
“Oh my, is no one looking after her?”
But their shock was fleeting, for they soon saw her smiling radiantly at someone.
For a moment, a hush fell over the boisterous hall.
Shimmering silver hair, porcelain skin that seemed to glow, and sapphire-blue eyes as clear as the finest gems.
Despite wearing only a white nightdress, Chloe was dazzlingly beautiful.
“What? Who is she smiling at?”
Curious to see who was the recipient of such a lovely smile, people craned their necks to look, only to be startled.
The person she was looking at was none other than Marquis Calius Rodrian.
Ronheim, the land of the northern barbarians, subjugated by the Arental Empire after decades of war.
He was originally royalty from that land.
Ronheim was a land subjugated by the Arental Empire after immense bloodshed. However, the people of Ronheim were too wild and fierce to be easily contained under the empire's name.
Because of this, incidents big and small continued to plague Ronheim even after its defeat, and eventually, the empire chose to send Calius, whom they had held hostage, back to his homeland.
“Calius Rodrian is hereby dispatched as the Governor-General of Ronheim.”
Having lived amongst themselves in that harsh land, the people of Ronheim were lenient toward one of their own blood, even if he was merely a governor in name. In truth, it was the only way to effectively control them.
With such a background, Calius was naturally ostracized by the Arental nobility.
The Arental nobles believed the chieftain of those barbarians had no place at such an elegant party.
He was an intimidating giant of a man, clad in a rough suit that, while formal, felt utterly out of place.
Calius stood alone in a corner of the hall, his menacing eyes looking ready to tear anyone apart. Then, he looked quizzically at Princess Chloe, who was smiling at him.
Her soft slippers making no sound, Chloe padded lightly toward Calius and abruptly held out her hand to him.
“I would like to receive something from you.”
Chloe's soft voice permeated the hall.
“?”
Calius narrowed his eyes.
To any observer, the two looked like they had undoubtedly met for the first time today.
They seemed far too awkward to be lovers with an unspoken promise to exchange gifts on a day like this.
“Anything will do.”
Chloe extended her open palm a little further toward Calius.
“Are you going to leave my hand hanging?”
When Calius still didn't move, she gestured with her chin toward the vase behind him. It was a vase filled with a lush bouquet of flowers.
Chloe's demand was clear. She wanted him to pluck one out and offer it to her.
“…”
The onlookers expected Calius to either ignore Chloe and walk past her or coldly refuse and leave.
“The lovely princess is about to be humiliated and cry, isn't she?”
“Goodness, of all people to approach.”
But to everyone's surprise, Calius stared blankly at Chloe for a moment, then, with a composed demeanor that was neither flustered nor rude, he plucked a single flower from the vase and placed it on her palm.
As if willingly participating in this inexplicable game.
At that, Chloe flashed that same dazzling smile and laughed brightly.
As if she had received a completely unexpected surprise gift.
“Thank you, Marquis Calius Rodrian.”
Everyone in the banquet hall who witnessed the scene thought the same thing.
‘What are they doing?’
Everyone had seen it clearly.
The mad princess extorting a flower from the beastly marquis.
And the beastly marquis meekly playing along with the mad princess's game.
“A beautiful simpleton. What a waste.”
Someone muttered. It was a thought everyone shared but dared not speak aloud.
The crowd wore expressions of intense curiosity, wondering what Calius could possibly be thinking at that moment.
Calius was watching Chloe with a peculiar gaze.
Chloe, delighted like a child, said loudly,
“I am very fond of flowers, you see!”
In that instant, a strange light flickered in Calius's eyes.
It was because a line from the letter had come to mind.
[I wish to see that flowerbed before anyone else. If you grant me this, I will reward you greatly. I am very fond of flowers, you see.]
Was it a coincidence?
Just then, however, Chloe bumped into a servant precariously carrying a tray full of wine glasses.
Crash!
“Ah!”
The glasses toppled, and the spilled wine stained Chloe's white nightgown red.
“Are you alright?”
Seemingly unfazed, Calius asked curtly, his expression still peculiar.
“Hic…”
Chloe looked up at Calius, her face on the verge of tears.
Without suspicion, the crowd watched as Calius gently escorted her out of the banquet hall.
“Why did they let someone who's not in their right mind wander about freely?”
“Well, someone had to take her out.”
Watching the pair's retreating backs, people shrugged and continued to gossip about Chloe.
The hall filled with voices feigning pity, slandering her with talk of a curse on the imperial family and how pitiful she was.
Princess Chloe, born the daughter of a once-admired empress, beloved by all.
The sole legitimate heir of the Idellian Imperial Family, once more noble and perfect than anyone, who had fallen into ruin in an instant.
The atmosphere of hatred and contempt toward her was inexplicably pervasive.
The people were busy, lost in their endless slander of Chloe.
* * *
“You can stop the act now.”
The moment we were far from the banquet hall, Calius coldly removed the hand that had been supporting me.
In truth, it wasn't support to begin with. I hadn't injured my leg at all.
‘This was more like being restrained and escorted away.’
I stared into his golden eyes, which shone mysteriously even in the dark corner of the garden.
I pretended to be calm, but in reality, my entire body was stiff with tension.
‘He's terrifying.’
Calius Rodrian. He was larger and more intimidating than I remembered.
‘So this is what they meant by beast-like? It's the first time I've seen him up close…’
I had heard that the people of Ronheim were, with some exaggeration, as large as giants.
Calius, too, was an incredibly large man. He seemed bigger and more solid than anyone I had ever seen.
His body looked like a boulder that wouldn't flinch even if stabbed with a knife, and his gaze was just as sharp.
It felt like I was standing before a ferocious beast.
‘Perhaps choosing this man was a mistake.’
I swallowed dryly, thinking such thoughts.
But I did not back down. I had nowhere left to retreat.
‘Don't be intimidated. Just talk to him calmly.’
Taking a deep breath, I consciously straightened my shoulders.
He tilted his head slightly and pulled a letter from his coat, waving it.
“I received your invitation, Princess.”
His growling voice felt like it was seizing my heart.
“I'm glad you're quick on the uptake.”
I forced a relaxed smile, hoping he wouldn't notice the tremor in my voice.
“I knew you would come to meet me.”
“Do you have any idea what you've said?”
He stepped closer, whispering lowly. The movement sent a faint breeze across my face.
‘Ugh.’
Overwhelmed by his presence, I instinctively shrank back before forcing myself to straighten up again.
He had only moved a little, but my heart was pounding with tension.
‘They said he smells of blood and beasts.’
Indeed, just as the rumors said, he had the peculiar scent characteristic of the people of Ronheim.
But I knew it wasn't the smell of blood.
Contrary to what people said about it being a foul and nauseating odor, it was more like the scent of the cold wind that drifts through the outdoors in midwinter.
He whispered menacingly, as if he might grab my neck with his large hand and snap it at any moment.
“What do you want, Princess?”
I spoke as briefly as possible to hide the shaking in my voice.
“A deal.”
“A deal?”
He looked down at me with sharp eyes, then scoffed.
“So the rumors of you being mad are true.”
I knew he would say something like that. I calmly delivered the response I had prepared for this moment.
“And there are rumors that you're a cannibal. What's the point of fellow victims exploiting each other's weaknesses?”
He was a man hounded by malicious rumors, just like me.
Hoping not to look like I was fleeing, I took an elegant step back.
Just putting a little distance between us made it feel easier to breathe.
“I don't have much time. If I don't return to my chambers, people will come looking for me.”
I glanced toward the banquet hall.
Fortunately, Andrea hadn't been in the hall when I entered, which bought me this much time, but by now, word of my appearance must have reached his ears.
An unreadable smile played on Calius's lips.
I couldn't tell if it was a positive sign or not. His gaze was still sharp.
“A deal. What can you, the fallen princess of the Idellian Imperial Family, possibly offer me? Especially when you're busy pretending to be mad?”
I lifted my chin.
“Me.”
He let out a short, incredulous laugh.
But I paid him no mind. I had no choice but to be brazen.
“I will marry you.”
His brow furrowed tightly.
My next words made the lines on his forehead deepen even more.
“As a wedding gift, give me that gold mine.”
“Marriage to a mad princess isn't enough, now you want me to hand over a gold mine?”
I expected this reaction.
I forced a relaxed expression and shrugged.
“It's not like it's a real gold-producing mine. What's there to weigh?”
“I don't know what nonsense you're spouting.”
“You, of all people, should know my words aren't nonsense, Marquis Rodrian. You don't really think that I, who discovered the existence of the gold mine, would only know that much, do you?”
“…”
“It's too early to be surprised. We haven't even started yet.”
I looked up at him with a calm and serious expression.
“Have you now realized that my value is incomparable to that of a worthless, empty gold mine?”
