CH 8.2

Princess of the Irenberg family just asked him a sudden proposal. But if he could just think about it a little bit, he would see that getting married to me wouldn’t cause him any loss.

Then, I persuaded him straight.

“Your Highness, please think about it. Your Highness will not lose anything. When you marry me, you will have a strong Irenberg family as a strong ally. You know how powerful the Irenberg family is, right? Even His Majesty wouldn’t be able to mess with the Irenberg carelessly.”

The Irenberg family contributed significantly to building the kingdom’s wealth with outstanding diplomatic skills and business skills.

The Irenberg family has blocked more than five wars, and around ten countries have established diplomatic relations with the Irenberg family.

There was also a King who said he would give up their country’s most fertile territory if the Irenberg family were naturalized into their country.

My point was my offer was attractive; me and my family! So, Your Highness, you should accept it.

If you were shy, you could just nod. Weren’t you clever?

“Please marry me. Your Highness.”

So, Cassion, I asked you to marry me.

“No, I have no intention of marrying you.”

I couldn’t have him say no, though.

***

“Are you going to the palace again today, Lady?”

Janice asked.

I had no time to feel down from the first broken heart.

After securing a secret passage to sneak into the Third Prince Palace during a royal palace tour, I often visited Cassion.

Every time I went there, I was rejected at the door, but I didn’t give up.

It took years to create a great family portrait, so it had to be as hard to get a husband.

“No.”

Janice thought I would definitely go to the palace today, but I had a different place that I had to go to today.

I woke up early in the morning, took a bath, and changed with the help of Janice.

Today, I paid special attention and put a large ribbon on the dress.

After I finished dressing up, I looked in the full-body mirror. No matter how much I looked at the reflection, I was lovely.

“I don’t like pumpkins.”

Cassion refused my proposal for ridiculous reasons.

“I won’t accept the word pumpkin, but beauty standards vary from person to person, so I suppose I can accept it. Also, I have a lot of money.”

“What’s the point of having a lot of money? I can’t use it all and die anyway.”

When I heard that he was dying, I was speechless. At that moment, I understood his act of not even considering my proposal.

Maybe he was worried not because he didn’t like me, but because he couldn’t bear the responsibility even after getting married.

‘I saw you grown-up before, so stop worrying about things’– I swallowed it even though it was already on the tip of my tongue.

“If dying is the problem, I can just save him.”

“Yes? What did you say, Lady?”

‘Oh, I will save you! What do you want? No, you don’t have to tell me. I’ll do everything for you!’

Cassion, who survived thanks to me, snickered as he heard what I said.

Janice suddenly looked at me, who was smiling with strange eyes.

“Let’s go, Janice.”

“Where? Where are we going?”

Janice followed along and asked, but I didn’t answer.

I was going to meet someone, but I wasn’t sure if I could meet that person.

***

“Lady, where are we?”

In the back alley that didn’t match the fancy dress I was wearing at all, I leaned against the wall and waited for someone.

Foul smells came out of the dirt stuck on the floor and walls.

Janice was trying to hold it, and I blocked my nose.

“Don’t you feel bothered by the smell?”

I have smelled something similar in the dungeon.

I didn’t want to remember that time, but I couldn’t avoid it.

Painful memories made me angry, and anger was my driving force to take my revenge.

When I was about to say that this smell was nothing, I heard footsteps.

Someone was approaching us. Probably the one I was waiting for.

I looked up with a big smile.

Sure enough, the person I eagerly waited for was coming toward me.

I waved at the approaching person.

The highly tied red hair waved as she approached me.

My heart trembled when I saw a woman with a younger face compared to the past.

Glad to see you; I missed you, and thank you.

“Auntie!”

My aunt, who was the head of Journee and appeared on death row for me in the past, stopped walking.

“Auntie, I’m Diana Viola Irenberg! Your only niece!”

I quickly approached Zoe, who stood blankly and blinked, before I held her hand.

I shook her hands up and down and showed my pleasure of meeting her.

“Uh.”

But I guess I was the only one who was happy to see her.

In the blink of an eye, I caught a spark from Zoe’s eyes.

Zoe held me from behind, bound me, and put a knife on my neck. There was a faint smell of sweat from her body.

“Lady!”

Janice, who was far away from me because I ran toward Zoe, screamed. When Janice went into a panic, the mice began to cry in the alley.

“Tell her to stay still.”

Zoe murmured grimly in my ear.

“Janice, don’t move! This person won’t hurt me. She’s my aunt.”

“Stop calling me aunt.”

“Yes, auntie.”

I answered quickly because I was an obedient niece.