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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: The Pitiful Princess
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“The princess who will be used and discarded feels so pitiful.”
“......Is that so.”
Major Rodriguez spoke in his characteristic calm voice.
“Masera Brigadier General seems to plan on divorcing the princess after reaping the benefits of her royal bloodline. And right on cue, the grand duchess—a collateral royal from Media—sent a marriage proposal.”
Brigadier General Steve sensed a subtle shift in the major’s gaze.
“There were rumors that the grand duchess still pines for the brigadier general. It must mean she doesn’t mind a remarriage.”
The reason the brigadier general brought up such talk was that sympathy and pity were the sparks that ignited incidents.
Especially among vigorous young men in their prime—they were like perfect kindling.
Whether it’s a scandal or a love affair...... I’ll use whatever I can.
Your smooth married life is over, Masera.
The brigadier general, who usually harbored an inferiority complex toward Masera, smiled leisurely.
“Lady Cynthia, let me go over the people to deliver the invitations to...... Ah? You’re already done?”
Diego hadn’t even finished explaining before the invitation list check was over.
That was because, surprisingly, Cynthia had no one to invite.
I have as many friends as a dung beetle does.
Beyond the invitation list from the Queensguard family, there was no one she personally wanted to invite.
Guess I need to make a lot more friends from now on.
After wallowing in misery for about three seconds, Cynthia headed to the room of her top priority—number one on her list of people she wanted to get close to: Eugene.
Masera was someone she had to get close to in order to survive, but didn’t exactly want to.
“Eugene, we’re supposed to decorate the frog house together, remember?”
Cynthia opened the door first and knocked belatedly, speaking brightly.
Eugene, who had been sitting at his desk reading a book, looked at the small aquarium in her hands.
“I never agreed to that.”
“I did. You just didn’t hear me.”
Cynthia barged in like a child insisting on her way and held out the round aquarium.
With soil filled in, aquarium decorations, a pine cone, and a small figurine set up inside, it looked like a tiny garden.
“Isn’t it cute? The frog is sleeping inside here.”
Though he pretended to be uninterested, Eugene’s clear green eyes were fixed on the aquarium.
“Before the cold snap hits, I’m planning to make a warm nest for the cats too. You’ll help, right?”
“Do that with Uncle. He likes cats.”
“That was actually true?”
Even on the day of Helen’s wedding, when he’d vanished midway, she’d thought it unlikely, but he really was a cat lover.
Cynthia briefly imagined making a kitty house with Masera, all cozy and hand-in-hand.
She put in the maximum setting of harmonious, affectionate vibes......
“Why do you want to make it together? I’ll just do it all myself anyway.”
In her imagination, he wasn’t just a cat lover—he was a rude one.
Cynthia shook off the imagining with cloudy eyes and asked,
“Eugene, do you like books? I like them too. What are you reading right now?”
“A book from the teacher.”
Cynthia sneaked a peek at the book Eugene was reading.
It was about rabbit families competing to find the biggest carrot—no issues there.
Then she spotted a book stuck in the bookshelf.
The Snow Queen
So that’s the book Eugene read and got scared by.
“Hey.”
Eugene turned to the pensive Cynthia and spoke.
“Yeah?”
Eugene hesitated for a moment, closed his book, and opened his mouth.
“Why don’t you look like your family, Sis?”
It was a sharp observation worthy of a child. She didn’t share their hair color or eye color, and there wasn’t a single resemblance.
Everyone only talked about how the Frost Queen had white features and red eyes—no one had ever raised such a suspicion before, so Cynthia was a bit flustered.
“You think I don’t resemble them at all?”
Eugene pointed to the rabbit illustration in the book and said,
“Your family looks like foxes, but you look like the white rabbit in this book.”
“Really? I must take after Mom a lot then. It’s been so long, I don’t remember well.”
At Cynthia’s words, Eugene made a wistful expression more suited to an adult.
“Do memories disappear when you grow up? As time passed, Mom’s face faded more and more. But now it’s coming back.”
According to Dalia, Eugene had been in a hospital in the ruined principality after the bombing.
Smaller and younger than now, Eugene had to endure the sorrow of losing his parents and being left alone in the world. Just like her in her previous life.
“How did it come back to you?”
At Cynthia’s question, Eugene stared straight at her.
Complex emotions swirled in the boy’s eyes. It was like he was projecting someone onto her.
“I don’t look like Mom. Why is that?”
Instead of answering, Eugene posed another question.
Not knowing what to say, Cynthia awkwardly scratched her cheek.
“You’ll find out when you grow up, maybe? The reason you turned out so pretty must be thanks to your mom’s blessings too.”
Eugene pouted and fiddled with the aquarium on the desk.
No one knew anything about Eugene’s parents beyond that they’d died in the bombing.
Still, he must’ve been raised gently.
Just looking at Eugene’s pale, spotless hands made it clear.
She’d seen plenty of parents who made their kids do chores from the time they started walking.
Cynthia, one such child, glanced down at her own rough, scarred hands hidden in silk gloves.
Suddenly, Dalia’s words came to mind.
“We tried looking for relatives to hand him over to, but whenever his parents came up, he’d clam up. We decided not to ask anymore to avoid stirring up his wounds and trauma.”
The fact that Eugene was talking about his mom now meant he’d opened his heart a little, right?
Thinking that, Cynthia handed the invitation she’d brought to Eugene.
“Here, your invitation. You’re the first one I’m giving it to in person.”
Eugene took the invitation, skimmed it carelessly, and set it down—clearly putting on a sulky act.
But Cynthia didn’t mind.
“See the flower drawn here? It’s an invitation only for special people.”
Eugene, who’d been feigning disinterest, looked Cynthia over carefully.
Is Sis really a bad person? I don’t know.
A question full of confusion kept circling the boy’s mind.
He couldn’t understand why everyone said people with white hair were bad.
Especially his tutor Hayden, who said, “Don’t be fooled by their kind smiles.”
That Cynthia would show her true colors after marrying Masera and becoming the lady of the house.
Will Sis really kick me out?
Eugene both liked Cynthia’s warm smile and feared it.
“This child’s mother had white hair and blue eyes? We can’t take this kid in.”
“If we keep treating him in this ward, who knows what trouble we’ll get into. My friend got dragged to a camp for helping a runaway Esat person.”
Left alone in the ruined principality, Eugene had wandered from place to place and already experienced such things.
That’s why he hadn’t even told Masera—the one person he trusted and relied on most—about his mother.
“This invitation......”
Eugene’s lips moved, then clamped shut again. The words “thank you” stuck in his throat.
“It’s ugly.”
In the end, he put on another sulky act against his feelings.
“Huh? The invitation’s ugly?”
Cynthia’s eyes went wide as she examined the invitation this way and that.
The still-young child wanted to avoid Cynthia, yet didn’t know that this nagging feeling of interest was longing.
Cynthia personally delivered special invitations to the ducal ladies and the manor’s staff.
She’d meant to give one directly to Major Rodriguez too, but since he didn’t visit the manor afterward, she had no choice but to send it to his address.
And so time passed, until the day of Cynthia and Masera’s wedding arrived.
