Chapter 016. The 21-Year-Old Princess (5)

A repetitive sound of something hitting and bouncing off the window in Sionne’s room could be heard.

He got up and opened the window.

However, beyond the window, all he could see was the quiet garden of the Imperial Princess’s palace. No matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t figure out the source of the sound.

At that moment, a small stone grazed past him.

“!”

Sionne quickly hid his body behind the window frame and stared outside. He had been too complacent.

He slowly closed the window, careful not to provoke the other party. When he surveyed the garden again, he noticed a faint presence behind a tree.

As soon as their eyes met, the unknown figure quickly disappeared.

While confirming the direction in which the figure vanished, Sionne shifted his gaze to the stone that had entered the room.

A white piece of paper was attached to the stone. Sionne unwrapped the paper.

“I contacted you to let you know the contract is still valid.
When you arrive in Anata, kill the Grand Duke.

This afternoon, the Emperor noticed a slight change in Rosalyn’s expression when he joked about Sionne Feitan.

He immediately realized that there is still a chance for Sionne to kill his sister. One cannot ignore the usefulness of a valuable chess piece.

P.S. I’ve heard rumors that you can’t kill women—this isn’t true, is it? Even if it is, you must kill her if you want to save your people.”

Lucas tightened the leash he had placed on Sionne.

* * *

That night, a physician from the outskirts of the capital, Perry Jean, secretly visited the Imperial Princess’s palace.

“Have you been experiencing any discomfort?”

“Not particularly.”

His patient was none other than the infamous Grand Duke of Anata.

However, she, having lost her memory, was entirely different from the rumors. She was noble and disciplined, a perfect embodiment of the “blue blood” that was chosen by fate.

“Have you been eating and sleeping well?”

“…I’ve been eating enough.”

“It seems you haven’t been sleeping well.”

Perry scribbled in his notebook, scolding her as he went.

“You haven’t stopped taking valerian, have you? Even if you gradually reduce the dosage, you must continue taking it for now.”

“……”

When Rosalyn chose to remain silent, Perry sighed and moved on to the next question.

“Have any memories returned recently?”

“Not yet….”

Rosalyn, who had been answering indifferently, suddenly stopped.

“Has there?”

“There was a very brief moment.”

“Could you explain the situation in which the memory returned?”

Perry adjusted his glasses and asked.

“I saw a man, and the scene of the collapsing royal palace came to mind. That man was in my memory.”

“Who is that man?”

Perry’s hand, which was taking notes, became busier.

“Do I have to tell you that much?”

“Hmm.”

Scratching his forehead a few times, Perry shook his head.

“If it’s uncomfortable for you to say, that’s fine. However, it would be beneficial to keep that person close.”

“Close?”

“Yes, if you spend time with the person who brings back your memories, other memories might resurface as well. Memory begets memory.”

Although Perry had never treated an amnesiac patient before, he muddled through his response. He had heard that was the case, but it was hard to explain precisely.

“So, you should stay close to that person.”

“Close…”

After contemplating, Rosalyn spoke.

“Yes, I was already thinking about doing that.”

She recalled the words the Emperor had left earlier in the day.

“You’ve been working hard lately, haven’t you? I’ve been hearing from all over that you’re dedicating yourself to your duties.”

Only after hearing those words did Rosalyn realize that she had been acting quite out of character for the ‘28-year-old Rosalyn.’ Everything she believed she would naturally do had been a mistake.

She immediately began to investigate her 28-year-old self.

However, the information she could gather was extremely limited.

Her nanny, who had been apart from her for seven years, knew almost nothing. All Rosalyn could gather from her were pieces of information easily found in the Imperial newspapers.

The maids and soldiers who had worked at the Imperial Princess’s palace were no different. Even when Meriwood subtly pried, they all shook their heads, saying they didn’t know much.

“Your Grace, everyone says they don’t know the details, but Peggie would have known something.”

But there was no way to ask the dead for answers.

“In the end, the only one who knows about the 28-year-old me is that man.”

In an instant, Rosalyn’s mind recalled the tear-streaked eyelashes.

Sionne Feitan. He was clearly a man she found unpleasant and uncomfortable.

But he was necessary.

“Until I go to Anata.”

“I have to keep him with me,” Rosalyn said, as if repeating to herself, to the doctor.

* * *

The next day, Sionne was dragged before Rosalyn once again.

“……”

A strange silence settled between them. Neither spoke first, both merely observing the other.

“Sionne Feitan.”

It was Rosalyn who finished her observation first.

“Before I finalize your fate, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“?”

“After my head injury, I lost all my memories of you.”

“Memories…? You mean all your memories of me?”

“Yes.”

Sionne already knew this, but he pretended to be surprised, widening his eyes and mouth.

Actually, he was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected her to tell him so readily.

Revealing a secret could be both a good sign and a bad one. Secrets always came with a price.

“So I need to be clear about something. What exactly was our relationship?”

Rosalyn once again asked a question similar to what the Emperor had asked before.

‘…What exactly was your relationship with my sister?’

“We were…”

Sionne found his answer within another of the Emperor’s questions.

‘Did you meet eyes on the battlefield? Or why else would my sister be so protective of you?’

“We met eyes.”

Sionne raised his head and made eye contact with Rosalyn.

“And lips.”

His gaze slowly moved downward.

“And even stomachs.”

‘Stomachs?’

Reading the sinister undertone in his gaze, Rosalyn bit the inside of her cheek. She didn’t understand why her lower abdomen felt so tense just from those words.

“…I see.”

Feigning calmness, Rosalyn shifted the conversation as if unaffected.

“These past few days must have been difficult for you. To have someone who could be called your lover doubt and distrust you for so long.”

The first lesson in royal studies was to understand your opponent’s interests and motives.

A ruler had to consider everyone’s stance and pretend to understand them.

“But, Prince, how long do you think such feelings between us would have lasted?”

And all of this was to fulfill the ruler’s will.

“As time passed, surely those feelings would have changed. It would be easier for you to think of it that way, wouldn’t it?”

Sionne Feitan was necessary for the Grand Duke of Anata. But a lover was not.

“Just as seven years of future came to me overnight, I believe a future not far from now has arrived for you.”

To get what she wanted, Rosalyn spoke with extreme selfishness. Pretending to care for the other but really only for herself.

“……”

As her words ended, Sionne lowered his head without saying anything. Not out of disappointment, but to think.

‘Something’s off.’

He couldn’t shake the feeling that the situation was being manipulated. Telling him to move on while claiming memory loss felt unnatural.

‘She’s being too kind. Excessively so.’

“…Why did you tell me that you’ve lost your memory?”

Sionne asked.

In truth, there was no reason for her to admit it. It would have been easier and safer to say nothing and send him away.

“You intend to kill me, don’t you?”

And even without hearing her answer, Sionne already knew.

“Hmm, why would I need to kill you?”

Rosalyn, intrigued by his statement, showed interest. The fallen prince was sharper than expected.

“Because you have no reason to take the risk of keeping someone like me alive.”

“Such arrogance. What risk could a prince, who has lost his country, army, and honor, possibly pose to me?”

“But now, thanks to you, I know that you’ve lost your memory.”

“All I need to do is cut off your tongue before sending you away.”

“There are other ways to communicate besides words.”

“Then I could cut off both your wrists as well.”

Listening to their horrific conversation, Meriwood shuddered.

“Perhaps it’s better to kill me out of old sentiment.”

“Huh?”

Rosalyn snorted in amusement, but Sionne continued undeterred.

“Now I’m certain that your memory loss isn’t a lie.”

He moved his throat up and down, pretending to suppress bitterness.

“You’ve really… forgotten all the time we spent together.”

His trembling eyes, quivering lips, and voice tinged with emotion.

“I couldn’t possibly reveal your secret, could I…?”

It was the perfect face of a man who had just been heartbroken.