Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 12

As he gently patted her, who was nestled in his arms with her eyes closed like a child, his cousin shrugged and muttered, “Well, everyone is treating the princess like a plague.”

A plague, he thought, mulling over the word as he sat there. Emmerich added in an exaggerated, theatrical tone, “Do you think they’ll look you in the eye now? They all avoid eye contact with you, making pitiful faces as they scurry away.”

“Quiet,” Eirik replied.

“The old ones bow their heads so low out of guilt. As if they could have stopped it, knowing that the king intended to mess with us from the start.”

“Enough. As long as whoever we take in benefits the family, it doesn’t matter.”

Eirik sighed, adding, “Bringing her here means the king will leave us alone for a while. There’s no greater benefit than that right now. It was unavoidable but still the best choice.”

Eirik’s face was weary, making Emmerich hesitant to press further. Finally, he stood up, his tone deliberately light and teasing. “Well then, young lord, I’ll take my leave. We can talk properly later.”

Eirik managed a faint smile and played along, “Aren’t you going to greet the young lady before you go?”

“Yes, yes. I’ll take my leave, young lady,” Emmerich said with a flourish, adding theatrically. Eirik waved him off, clearly tired.

***

Two days later, the poetry reading was held. The ladies of the noble houses acquainted with the Cladnier family began to arrive one by one, including the mother and daughter from the Crispin family. Though everyone pretended otherwise, their attention was inevitably drawn to them.

Once everyone was seated, Margravine Cladnier had the butler call for Eirik. He was supposed to make a brief appearance in the greenhouse with Miesa to greet the guests.

Waiting in the garden gazebo, Eirik, upon receiving the butler’s message, headed to the greenhouse with Miesa. Though he worried that she might have lingering trauma from the last visit, Miesa giggled as they approached the greenhouse. Eirik, still cautious, helped her inside.

As soon as they entered, dozens of curious eyes fixed on them. Ignoring the attention, Margravine Cladnier addressed everyone in a kind voice.

“As you know, the princess has now become a cherished member of our family. Although she cannot stay for long due to her health, we wanted her to come by and greet everyone.”

Everyone offered their congratulations to Eirik and Miesa, though not all were genuine. Even the Marchioness of Crispin extended her greetings with proper decorum. The greenhouse held a tense yet civil atmosphere as the event proceeded.

Just then, Miesa, who had been squirming uncomfortably, started to lower herself to the floor. Eirik quickly picked her up, offering a brief farewell.

“My wife seems unwell, so we’ll take our leave. Please have a good time.”

Though Miesa squirmed in his arms, Eirik ignored the prickling sensation of the stares on his back as they left the greenhouse.

On their way back to the mansion, Miesa kept pointing towards the garden, opening and closing her mouth as if trying to say something. It seemed she had enjoyed her last outing there.

Praying no birds would fly by, Eirik set her down in a quiet corner of the garden. Miesa began to explore, touching and examining everything.

“Are you having fun, dear?” Eirik asked.

Crouched on the ground, Miesa pulled a worm out of the dirt, grinning as it wriggled and broke in half. Watching her thin body shake with laughter, Eirik couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

Despite her noble birth, her greatest joy seemed to come from playing in the dirt. Judging by the behavior of the maids, it was clear she hadn’t been treated well in the royal palace. As he kept an eye out for any birds, Eirik pondered Miesa’s situation, which led him to reflect on his own life.

He felt a sudden wave of futility. They were both merely pawns on a chessboard, moved around for the sake of the king, their families, and hollow honor.

His thoughts were interrupted.

“May I have a word with you?”

Turning around, he saw Rakane Crispin standing there. Even the strands of her hair seemed to exude elegance, and she held herself with the same impeccable posture as always.

They had exchanged brief greetings just before the victory ceremony, when she was still to be his bride.

Although he had never felt any personal affection or even need for her as a lady of the house, he had resigned himself to the notion of a lifetime of fidelity and loyalty to her. That, he believed, was what a marriage should be.

Eirik couldn’t quite grasp the discomfort brewing inside him. Was it the feeling of being a traitor, shifting his loyalty to another? Or perhaps the guilt of conversing with another woman while his wife, incapable of understanding, was right beside him?

Quickly stopping Miesa from putting the worm in her mouth, Eirik responded, “Isn’t it unwise to walk alone like this?”

“I don’t have much time, so I’ll be brief,” Rakane whispered, her gaze fixed on the approaching royal maid.

“Do not have children,” she said quietly before turning back toward the greenhouse, leaving Eirik with the chilling finality of her words.

***

“Did you drop the handkerchief properly earlier?”

“Yes.”

“And did you deliver the message to the young lord of Cladnier?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” With a grimace, the Marchioness of Crispin muttered, “My, how she clung to him like she’d die without him. It’s disgusting.”

“……”

“She’s exactly the kind of girl men like. Pretty face, knows how to giggle.”

Rakane stared out of the carriage window. Her mother never stopped talking.

“Will she nag, or splurge on luxuries? She won’t be able to complain even if he fathers a child outside. Men at that age would go crazy for her.”

Rakane didn’t want to hear it. She silently watched the green shadows cast by the trees outside the window.

“Are you listening? A woman needs to be flirtatious and stupidly agree with everything her husband says, at least until she bears an heir.”

Did her mother really do that for her father? Why did she force her to do something she couldn’t do herself? But Rakane focused solely on letting the repeated words flow past her.

“You need to settle into that family so that both you and I can finally receive the treatment we deserve. The Crispin family is in decline.”

The sorrow of not having a son lingers for a long time. In noble families of civil servants, it’s common for daughters to inherit, but Crispin is one of the military families that form the backbone of the nation.

Rakane Crispin had been raised to be the best match for a son-in-law. She had only learned the virtues required of a family’s mistress. But…

Rakane silently fiddled with the calluses on her fingers.

The next day, Eirik returned to the mansion and looked for Miesa. She was in the living room with his mother. It seemed natural for the princess’s maids to be absent these days.

When Eirik entered the living room, Miesa was sitting on the floor, chewing on playing cards. His mother, who had been amusing her, smiled awkwardly.

“Ah… I tried to teach her card games, but it didn’t go well.”

“Thank you for your efforts. May I take her now?”

“Of course. Tomorrow, I plan to teach her how to knit.”

As he picked up Miesa, who had spat out the cards and flopped down, Margravine Cladnier gestured to her maids standing at the side of the living room.

“Please leave us.”

“Is there something you want to tell me?”

Seeing his mother’s serious expression, Eirik realized it would be a long conversation. He sat down on the sofa.

“It’s something neither of us wants to talk about, but it must be said.”

“Yes.”

“Yesterday, after hearing what Lady Crispin said, I remembered something. Are you two using contraception?”

Eirik’s face rarely flushed. Margravine Cladnier whispered in a low voice, “Everyone will need time to get used to Miesa. For now, it’s impossible.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“When one is pregnant, the body changes significantly. Even ordinary people have a hard time during pregnancy. Miesa, though—”

Eirik shook his head, cutting her off. He knew his mother had grown fond of Miesa over the past few days, but he hadn’t realized how far her thoughts had gone in that short time.

“No. I have no intention of making her endure the pain of childbirth without understanding why. No matter what, how can you think of me that way?”

“Miesa’s condition is more of a mental ailment. It’s not as bad as we first thought. She might improve over the years… and it seems like your relationship is better than expected.”

He was taken aback by her last words. It felt like his mother was implying he might be so driven by lust that he would harm this poor woman. He made his stance clear.

“We can bring a suitable child from a branch family to be the heir. Discussing this now will only arouse the king’s suspicion. Let’s talk about it later.”

“But—”

“This is as far as I’ll listen.”

He took Miesa and left for their room.