Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 11

“What’s going on?”

It was Eirik. Having just finished his afternoon training and hearing that his mother and wife had headed to the greenhouse, he hurried over. Upon hearing the scream, he practically burst through the door.

He hesitated for a moment upon seeing his wife sprawled on the ground. This was not just a simple abnormal behavior. She looked like she had seen the God of Death, her large eyes wide open, barely able to stifle a scream.

“Damn it,” he muttered, quickly surveying the situation as he strode over to his wife. “Miesa, dear.”

Miesa, who was barely able to breathe, reached out her thin arms upon hearing his voice. Eirik knelt and gathered her in his arms. Trembling, she burrowed into his embrace like a chick finding its mother.

Her frail hands clutched his clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned white. It felt strange—she clung to him so desperately despite barely knowing who he was after only spending a few weeks together.

“What happened?” he demanded.

Margravine Cladnier could only shake her head. Then, the royal maid suddenly interjected.

“The princess is afraid of birds. It must be the sight of that bird that frightened her.”

Unlike everyone else, who was too shocked to react, Mrs. Maleca spoke with irritating indifference. Even the usually composed Margravine Cladnier raised her voice.

“It seems like more than just a fear of birds.”

Edil joined in, exasperated, “And why didn’t you tell us this? What’s the point of you coming to the mansion if you don’t share such critical information?”

Mrs. Maleca pursed her lips in irritation. “We bathe and dress the princess every day. It’s just one thing I forgot to mention, and now you’re all over me.”

With no point in arguing further, Margravine Cladnier glared at Mrs. Maleca. The maid carrying the birdcage tried to hide it behind her skirt, while others exchanged uneasy glances.

Seeing no reason to linger in this chaos, Eirik stood up with Miesa in his arms. “I’ll take her and calm her down.”

He left without waiting for a response.

Was that why she refused the quail?

In the bright sunlight, Miesa’s face was still pale, her tear-streaked face pitiable. Eirik gently murmured, “There won’t be any more birds on the table. And we’ll make sure there are none in the greenhouse either.”

He quickened his pace toward the mansion, fearing another encounter with a bird. Just then, her thin hand tugged at his clothes.

“…Ah, ugh…”

Miesa waved her other hand toward the garden as if wanting to go there. After a moment’s hesitation, Eirik asked, “Are you sure? There might be birds in the garden too.”

She trembled but stubbornly waved her hand toward the garden.

Thinking it over, Eirik realized she had spent most of her days indoors except for the one time his mother took her to the temple. She must have been feeling stifled.

Thankfully, the hunting grounds and the knights’ training kept most birds away from the garden. And if one did appear, he could always throw a stone at it. He adjusted his direction and carried her to the garden.

Sitting on a bench in a secluded corner, he placed her on his lap and examined her face. Her eyes and nose were red, her clear, wet blue eyes briefly met his before looking away.

He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped her eyes. She took a deep breath, her post-cry breathing shaky.

As he wiped the tears from her long eyelashes, he noticed her small mouth tightly shut.

Eirik’s gaze traced her face down to her still slender jawline and neck. He thought she needed to be fed better.

While lost in these thoughts, he gently brushed back her sweat-drenched hair and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ll chase away any birds that come near. Just relax.”

Miesa had her eyes tightly shut. However, the occasional twitch of her eyelids and the sighs that escaped her lips suggested she wasn’t truly asleep.

To reassure her, Eirik added, “If you fall asleep, I’ll carry you back to your room.”

As he lifted his head to check for any distant birds, he noticed his cousin Emmerich approaching.

Unlike birds, Emmerich’s movements were anything but light. While Eirik debated whether to throw a stone to chase him away, Emmerich cheerfully perched on the garden fence.

“Taking a stroll with your wife, huh?” he teased.

“Go away,” Eirik snapped, uncharacteristically annoyed.

But the uninvited guest was undeterred. He craned his neck like a pigeon and peered at Miesa’s face. “Your wife seems to be asleep.”

Unsatisfied, he walked closer. Eirik, frowning, shielded Miesa’s face with his body. Emmerich, feigning surprise with exaggerated gestures, said, “Wow. The young lord and lady seem very close.”

“Is there a reason we shouldn’t be?” Eirik retorted.

“Oh, but the rumors have spread all the way to our house,” Emmerich drawled, his tone dripping with insinuation.

Eirik’s expression darkened. With Emmerich’s father trying to position his son as the heir by swaying the cadet branches, rumors about the head family leaking outside were no trivial matter.

“…Who is it this time?” Eirik demanded.

“There’s a maid named Vina, from the capital. She just started working here. She’s been gossiping along with a red-haired servant. His name is…”

Emmerich detailed how the rumors had spread.

“Thanks. You’ve done me a favor again.”

“No problem. It’s been quite entertaining these past few days.”

Their relationship was unique. Having fought side by side in battles, their bond was strong. Moreover, Emmerich, being a carefree spirit, had long sided with Eirik, unbeknownst to his father.

“But are you really that smitten with your wife? I heard you even cut her toenails.”

“What do you mean, you expect me to stand by and watch my mother do such things?”

“Well, I suppose…”

Still unconvinced, Emmerich muttered as he observed Eirik tenderly holding his wife. “But it does seem a bit over the top.”

“What are you trying to say?” Eirik asked, his tone sharp.

“Well, the young lady’s feet never touch the ground. They say you never put her down.”

“You saw her struggling with her legs that day. Besides, she’s unpredictable. Should I drag her around like the maids did during the ceremony?”

Eirik’s frustration was palpable. “Could you treat your family that way?”

“Well, if you put it that way, I suppose it’s a mix of practicality, your responsibility, and maybe some compassion…”

Emmerich trailed off before raising his voice again. “But still, I can’t understand it. When I heard the rumors, I thought it was just a performance to deceive the king. But now, there’s no one around to see. Yet you’re still so…”

Eirik, who had shown little interest in women and never even joked lightly about them, was now doting on a wife he had been forced to marry. It didn’t make sense.

Emmerich questioned again, trying to grasp the situation, “Then are you just going to leave her like this? Really?”

Before Emmerich could finish, Eirik covered his wife’s ears and glared fiercely at his cousin.

“Shut up.”

“Come on, isn’t it just common sense to get rid of her? You were about to marry that Rakane Crispin, and now this disaster? I’m asking because I don’t understand your thinking.”

Seeing Emmerich trying to understand, Eirik thought it might be time for a conversation.

“So, what’s so exceptional about Lady Crispin?”

“Oh, her beauty is renowned even in the frontier, and her dowry is beyond compare—”

Eirik ignored his cousin’s rambling. Instead, he brushed his wife’s platinum blonde hair back while keeping his hand over her ears, speaking his mind.

“All wives cause trouble. Rakane Crispin toys with people, and the princess plays with shoes. Can you really say one is better than the other? Besides…”

Eirik paused. No matter how close they were, Emmerich was still a member of the family. He couldn’t outright say that Crispin was not a good match, implying that his father, the Margrave, had lost his judgment.

Hesitating, Eirik chose to steer the conversation back to his wife and added simply, “This woman knows nothing. She doesn’t even know whose lap she’s sitting on or how she’s being treated. Is there any need to make someone like this even more miserable here?”