I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

“I guess you can walk around now,” I said as I reluctantly walked to Paku’s side, and Paku pointed to the wheelchair he was sitting in.

“The Harpion Empire has such good things. Thanks to that, I was able to breathe outside like this.”

I thought as I looked at the wheelchair he was sitting on. I can’t believe they give such expensive things to a guest. What the hell, the people at the duchy were too soft. That extremely self-centered way of thinking was really Arianne’s style.

“Why don’t you take that and go home?”

Take it and leave. I wanted to get rid of him quickly, even if that meant I had to give him such an expensive wheelchair. The situation was urgent, so I helped him, but he was clearly the prince of the enemy of this empire. There was nothing good about being together with him.

“I’ve never felt so peaceful in my life.”

It looked like my words didn’t enter his ear. Paku tapped the petals of the purple hydrangea blooming next to him.

“I don’t think that’s what the person who was stabbed should say.”

Paku, who smiled at my remark, replied, “Even if I was stabbed or my arm was broken, I had to move. The battlefield doesn’t care about my circumstances; if I stayed still, I would die.”

“You must have been through a lot of wars.”

“I’ve been on the battlefield since I was 13. It was such a desperate life that I couldn’t believe that even after being stabbed and fainting for two days, my neck was still attached.”

I asked as I didn’t understand. “That’s strange. Aren’t you a prince? Why does the prince live like that?”

The crown prince of his empire would never set foot on the battlefield.

“I have to prove it.”

“Prove what?”

“Prove that I am useful,” Paku still tapped the hydrangea and said indifferently.

“Isn’t the prince supposed to eat well?”

What is that? Even in the Harpion Empire, there is a prince famous for doing useless things.

“It’s a symbiotic mutualism… if we win the battle, my brother will give me something to eat, and I won’t get any food if we lose.”

“Eh? What did you say? If you lose, he won’t give you food? The most despicable thing in the world is not giving food to someone!”

I was furious to hear that because I knew the feeling of starving very well. At the same time, I thought that starving was natural. You couldn’t eat if you didn’t give something. We are no different from livestock. However, just as a person cannot go back to before they indulged in luxury, starving was something I hated to the point of making me shudder.

Paku was looking at me with an incomprehensible face as if he couldn’t understand. “Why are you so angry? You sounded like someone who has experienced starvation.”

“I have no comment.” I dismissed him coldly. It wasn’t something I wanted to brag about or tell him every detail of my situation. “Well, don’t you think everyone has their own circumstances?”

“Is that so?” Paku tilted his head quietly. Where did this woman’s extraordinary and eccentric words and actions that are not like nobles of the Harpion Empire come from?

“By any chance, were you adopted?” asked Paku as he removed his hand from the hydrangea. It was the most valid reason he could think of.

“No, I grew up with my own father.”

“Even though you lived with your own father…” Did she grow up that way? I’d like to see the face of that father. For some reason, he seemed to understand without listening to the rest.

Arianne spoke with a bitter look on her face. “Not all parents raise their children properly.”

Paku laughed in vain at Arianne’s outspoken words as if she was talking about someone else’s. “I think you’re right.”

Paku thought quietly. That’s strange. His mind, which had been troubled a moment ago, became calm. Could it be due to this woman? She was blunt but a person who put people’s hearts at ease.

“So when are you going to leave?”

Paku raised his head and looked at Arianne. She had a bad expression on her face. Seeing her expression like that, he wanted to stay here a little longer.

This greenhouse was filled with rare plants that couldn’t be seen in his empire, and the people of this duchy, who were calm as if they didn’t know what war was, were all like a dream to him. A dream he didn’t want to wake up from. But it wasn’t a place where he belonged.

“I’ll leave as soon as I get better enough to ride a horse.”

“I hope you get better soon. Then I’ll say goodbye.”

Paku looked at Arianne’s back, which turned around when the cold wind blew.

“She’s so honest to the point of making me sad.”

* * *

Layla asked Leni again. “You’re saying there’s a really handsome man in this mansion?”

“Yes, Lady. He’s so handsome.”

“Is he more handsome than the Duke?”

“Lady, their handsomeness is different. If the Duke is a sculpturally handsome man, that man looks like the morning dewdrops on a single rose petal.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You will know when you see him yourself.”

A little while ago, Layla’s maid, Leni, who was on her way to town on an errand, saw Bein, who was practicing shooting. She told Layla about it. Just as no women hated handsome men, no men hated beautiful women, so Layla walked across the mansion with a quick step.

Bang. Bang.

“Ah, that gunshot. I’m so annoyed by it to death!”

It wasn’t once or twice that she had been startled in her sleep by that gunshot she had heard a few days ago.

“Lady, please wait a little bit. The person shooting that gun is that handsome man.”

“Really? So he had been in the mansion since three days ago?” But how can no one introduce me to such a handsome guy?

“I guess so. But how can no one tell us that such a handsome man exists?”

“You mean they did it? How dare they ostracize us?”

Thinking that people of the duchy had ostracized her, Layla walked faster. How can everyone do this to me? The position of Duchess was originally mine! Why is that conscienceless woman who took my place from me being treated well, and I being treated coldly?  

“It’s all because of that foxy woman!”

“That’s right, Lady. I can’t believe you’re treated this badly because of that foxy woman. It’s ridiculous!”

“Leni, how dare you call a noble like that!” Lalya stopped her steps and stood tall, glaring at Leni.

“I’m sorry, Lady.” Leni hurriedly apologized.

Leni was treated better than other maids by acting like the tongue of Layla’s mouth. Still, Layla was quite proud of being a noble. She would never allow a commoner to insult a noble like that. Even though she hated Arianne, she hated more to watch Leni, a commoner, treat a noble like that.

Layla, who glanced at Leni, soon hurried her steps as if she had never done that before.

* * *

At that time, the emperor, Prince Luiden, Duke Krow, and Charter were secretly gathered together in the imperial palace.

“All already gathered. Then let’s start talking.”

“Your Majesty, the crown prince is not yet present.”

At the emperor’s words, Duke Krow announced the absence of the crown prince.

“Even though he has a brain, he doesn’t know how to think, so don’t mind about it.”

“Y-Your Majesty, shouldn’t the crown prince be present at a meeting like this to discuss important matters?” Duke Krow looked warily at Luiden, who was sitting across from him.

The Emperor looked at Duke Krow and said, “Isn’t your opinion the opinion of the crown prince anyway? We’re going to start now.”

“…Yes, I understand, Your Majesty.”

Duke Krow didn’t like it, but he couldn’t help it. The emperor was the law, and the crown prince didn’t become the emperor yet.

“Four days ago, Prince Paku of the Kelteman Empire was attacked.”

“Attacked? Wasn’t he always in the imperial palace? How could he have been attacked inside the imperial palace?”

“He wasn’t attacked inside the imperial palace, but it was true that he was attacked inside the Harpion Empire.”

The emperor’s words surprised Duke Krow. The fact that the prince of another empire who came as an envoy was attacked was a big matter. In addition, the problem was that the prince came from the Kelteman Empire.

“Does the Kelteman Empire know about this?”

“Beyond what I know, it seems it was done by the Kelteman Empire.”

“How could they do that!”

Charter replied to Duke Krow, who was shocked. “They’re trying to start a war. Maybe this envoy was planned from the beginning.”

Duke Krow then asked Charter. “Then, did you mean that the prince came to this place even though he knew this place would be his grave?”

“That’s not true. He said that this attack wasn’t planned.”

“He? Is he still alive?”

“Yes. Fortunately, thanks to the quick treatment, his life was saved.”

“That’s a relief. Where is he now?”

When asked by Duke Krow, Charter said with a nonchalant face, “He’s in the safe place.”

For a moment, Duke Krow’s face hardened. Judging from Charter’s attitude, Duke Krow didn’t bother to ask anymore because Charter won’t answer even if he asked again. Since he didn’t really know anything about it, it wouldn’t change anything. Duke Krow let out a long sigh as he leaned against the back of his chair.

“Kelteman Empire finally made a move.”

At Duke Krow’s words, Luiden opened his mouth. “It was going to happen someday. The emperor of the Kelteman Empire seems more barbaric than I thought.”

Duke Krow agreed with Luiden, but he didn’t show it. He didn’t want to be involved with that nasty prince, but the fact that Prince Luiden, not the crown prince, was sitting in such an important seat was terrifying. He spoke to the emperor instead of Luiden.

“Then we must prepare for war immediately. When are you going to tell the other nobles?”

To this question, Charter answered instead of the emperor. “We are not going to tell them.”

At that, Duke Krow slammed the table and shouted, “That’s ridiculous! How can you keep quiet when the fate of the empire is at stake! We must inform this fact immediately and prepare for war together!”

Charter said while facing Duke Krow with a polite, nonchalant face, “Do you really think so? Are you saying that we should inform this fact right away and prepare together?”

“Isn’t that obvious!”

“Does Duke Crow still trust them?”

“What does that mean?”

Charter picked up his thoughts for a moment and opened his mouth. “A war will break out soon, so if we were to give up soldiers and supplies to defend the empire together, how many people do you think would be willing to do so?”

“That…” Duke Krow couldn’t deny his words. It was obvious that everyone would want to take their possessions and run away.

“Then, let’s not tell them until the war really happens.”

“Yes. I have no intention to give them time to flee, abandoning this empire and its people.”

Duke Krow asked resignedly. “Then, is there any alternative? We need to deploy troops on the border as soon as possible, so shouldn’t we have a plausible excuse to move that amount of troops?”

“Can’t we just say that the purpose is to show the power of our empire under the pretext of escorting Prince Paku to return?”

“That seems to be a plausible excuse,” said Duke Krow, nodding his head.

“Then you should lead the advance party right away. The sooner, the better.”

“My adjutant is already clearing the border.”

“What do you mean by sending only your adjutant at such a critical time? You should leave immediately.”

Duke Krow pressed on, wondering why the fastidious and shrewd Duke Kaien handled things so carelessly. Of course, he thought Charter would answer, ‘Of course, I will.’ However, he was stunned by Charter’s following words.

“I will leave after spending my first night.”