CH 117

‘First of all, let’s convince everyone other than Alan. That we really like each other a lot.’

Benny was a war hero who recaptured the Western Continent, so he had enough qualifications to marry a princess. All that was left was to make an emotional appeal.

It might be easy for others, but it was very difficult for us. It was the first time either me or Benny got engaged.

“You mean we have to prove… our affection?”

Benny, who was sitting with his back straight even in the swaying carriage, grabbed his chin, lost in thought.

I nodded my head.

“Yeah. For example, holding hands…”

Tak! Before I could finish speaking, Benny grabbed my hand. He pushed his fingers between mine, interlocking them, and looked straight at me.

“You mean this?”

“…….”

I thought it would be difficult for both of us to show affection…

‘Now that I see it, it seems difficult only for me.’

Somehow, my face heated up. As his cool body temperature touched my skin, the memories of yesterday burst out like a water balloon pierced by a needle.

‘I didn’t know the day would come when I would kiss a boy.’

The first kiss felt strange.

Even though our lips just touched, the muscles all over my body tensed up and my stomach swirled.

It wasn’t tickling like how it appeared in a play, but when I tried to keep it out of mind, I remembered Benny’s lowered eyelashes.

‘Since we’re getting engaged, we should get used to it, right? We might have to do it in front of others…’

Then I shouldn’t be nervous when it was just the two of us.

I mustered up the courage and smiled.

“Yes. This and… uh, just like what happened yesterday…”

Benny thought for a while, then tapped the seat next to him.

“Let’s practice.”

“Huh?”

“If you don’t come, I will go.”

Without time to stop him, Benny moved to my side. He gathered the flowing skirt of the dress, put it on my lap, and pulled me close.

Suddenly, I was in Benny’s arms. The boy’s cool, hard body pressed tightly against my chest.

Benny wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled my face close to his. I finally closed my eyes.

Badump, badump, badump.

My heart was beating so loud that it hurt.

However, even after waiting for a long time, I did not feel any touch on my lips.

I slowly opened my eyes. Benny was staring blankly at me.

He patted me on the back, as if he had no other intentions besides hugging.

I closed my eyes and muttered involuntarily.

“…Is this the end?”

“What…?”

Benny tilted his head blankly. At that moment, my face heated up.

“Is there anything you’ve been looking forward to?”

Benny touched my chin as his eyes grew wide open, like the thought just entered his mind.

“Ah. You mean kissing?”

‘I want to die because I’m too embarrassed.’

Seriously. I pulled my body away with that thought.

“Oh, it’s nothing!”

I shifted my hips to the other side and looked out the window with all my might.

I covered my face with a velvet curtain. I looked like an ostrich hiding its head to avoid threats, but I couldn’t help it because I was embarrassed.

Thinking back, Benny’s action was closer to absorbing my power than kissing me.

It was said that his demonic powers became stronger when he was by my side, so it wasn’t an affectionate contact from the beginning.

At that moment, while I was screaming inside, the carriage stopped.

It was noisy outside.

As I pulled my head away from the curtain and looked out the window, I doubted my eyes.

“…Hmm?”

Even when I rubbed my eyes, the scenery outside did not change at all.

The luxurious carriage door swung open. At the same time, I heard a shout so loud to the point where my soul could fall out.

“Uwaah!” 

Boom! Boom! 

Cannons erupted from all sides.

Had it not been for Benny, who got down first and reached out, I would have been stuck in the carriage, dazed.

People dressed in all kinds of colorful clothes such as red, green, purple and so on were gathered at the entrance to the Crown Prince Palace.

Looking at the emblem of the imperial palace engraved on the headbands or belts, they looked like those of the imperial palace, but they had a completely different feeling from the ones I encountered when I visited the imperial palace.

The emperor’s attendants wore a uniform akin to priests’ robes and served with ascetic gestures.

On the other hand, it was questionable whether the crowd in front of us were really imperial attendants.

Everyone was dressed like a clown, and there was also a drunkard who hung a row of alcohol on his belly band.

“Welcome, Princess!”

“Welcome to the Crown Prince Palace!”

It felt like my eardrums were about to burst at the sound of applause. Paper petals coming down from overhead were closer to pouring than to scattering.

I looked around the huge crowd and came to one conclusion.

‘The red dress was the right choice.’

This morning, I picked a dress red as blood. It was because I didn’t want to be discouraged in front of the crown prince.

From the moment I got into the carriage, I felt a little regret because I thought it was too much, but in the end it was the right choice.

If I had worn a different dress, I would have looked more modest than the maid here.

“It’s been a while, Princess!”

At that moment, while I had no idea how to move through the crowd, children with white hair popped out.

“Ack?!”

Three children, who seemed to be barely over 10 years old, hugged me without hesitation.

Two boys and one girl, and they had the same face as if they were triplets.

Their hug came with such force that I almost fell backwards, but luckily Benny supported my back.

“It’s been four years, isn’t it?”

“Wow, is this Sir Benimus?”

“I’ve only seen him in pamphlets, it’s my first time seeing him in person! To meet the hero who saved the empire…”

The triplets screamed incessantly.

I grabbed my pounding head and asked.

“Uhm, who…?”

At my question, the children looked shocked as if the sky was about to fall.

“You don’t remember us? Four years ago, when you came to the Imperial Palace, we became friends!”

“You were invited to a luncheon… I was sad that you didn’t come.”

“…Ah!”

I remembered

The children in front of me were the imperial family members who rushed to my bedroom the next morning after my first visit to the Imperial Palace.

If it weren’t because they were triplets, I wouldn’t have recognized how much they grew in four years.

I hurriedly grabbed my skirt with both hands. I had to be polite when meeting the imperial family.

Of course, the other side didn’t seem like that.

“Thank you for welcoming us.”

I slowly bent my knees and raised them. And after making eye contact with each child, I smiled brightly.

The triplets froze in place.

I was worried that I had done wrong. I glanced around and shook my head.

‘I can’t do this. I am the daughter of the duke.’

If I were to live my life as Lily, at least I shouldn’t be submissive to people besides the Bauner family.

The triplets burst into exclamation as they raised their jaws that were as stiff as a barrage of bricks

“Oh my God, you are full of grace!”

“I didn’t know you had become so elegant in the time I didn’t see you!” 

“So that’s the reason you didn’t show your face in the social world. I heard you were precious like a jewel…”

The three siblings chattered amongst themselves, complimenting me.

It was a bit embarrassing, but I decided to view it as a good response.

‘I didn’t think the etiquette I practiced to look like Lily would be helpful in this way.’

You never truly know what’s going on in the world. Efforts to hide myself were now making me stand out.

After commenting, the triplets raised their hands at the same time.

“Come on, I’ll take you to my older brother!”

The girl said, clapping her hands. The other two boys followed one after another.

Then, a shining tree vine rose through the crowd.

The vine curled up gently like a snake and made a path leading to the inside of the Crown Prince Palace.

“Ahh!”

I couldn’t even move by myself, my body floated forward. I managed to focus and looked down at the ground.

Suddenly, the vines that reached my feet were leading me into the palace.

The boisterous crowd that had been sprinkling flowers disappeared and a secluded garden appeared.

The space made of marble was amazing enough to make me lose my mind.

The white floors, pillars, and statues were in every corner.

Furniture in the shape of clouds was placed like how statues would be in a temple, and from small ornaments to the pipes, there was no place where delicate patterns were not carved.

In the middle of the garden, a huge fountain spouted liquid of various colors, and when I smelled it, it was probably different kinds of liquor and milk.

Unlike the Imperial Palace, which was surrounded by nature, the Crown Prince Palace was filled only with artificial beauty.

That might be why the excessive decorations even gave a decadent feeling.

“There he is, Big Brother.”

The princess, who had hair cut short like her brothers, pointed over to the huge fountain.

There was a space divided only by pillars, without any walls.

It looked like an outdoor lounge, with sofas and benches scattered irregularly.

“See you next time!”

Without even setting foot in the garden, the triplets left without any lingering regrets.

Swoosh.

The fresh breeze shook my hair. The sudden silence was somehow awkward, perhaps because it had been so loud up until recently.

“…Let’s go, Benny.”

I took Benny’s hand and walked towards the direction the princess had pointed.

Someone was lying on a chair covered with a thin cloth.

The two feet protruding from the edge of the chair were dark copper.