Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 9

Every evening, the Cladnier household experienced a small commotion during dinner time. This was, of course, due to the princess’s eccentric behavior at the table.

The Margrave of Cladnier, who often frowned at the sight, eventually began avoiding dinner under the pretense of visiting the homes of his vassals.

The Margravine of Cladnier did not hide her dissatisfaction, complaining that her husband seemed to be experiencing mood swings in his old age. Seeing this, Eirik suggested that they have a formal family dinner only once a week, which brought a temporary peace to the household.

Initially, the royal maids who claimed they would serve the princess now only showed up at the end of meals to clean her up. As a result, Eirik found himself dining alone with his wife in their bedroom every evening.

Strangely, with fewer people around, the princess became noticeably more docile. Just when Eirik thought this might not be as difficult as he had anticipated, an incident occurred.

“This is roast quail.”

Suddenly, the princess turned her head away, refusing to even look at the plate. Puzzled, Eirik cut a piece of sea bass from the other plate and offered it to her. She glanced at it out of the corner of her eye, opened her mouth, but kept her gaze fixed elsewhere.

“Have you had a bad experience with quail? Should I take it away?”

Despite the maids’ assurances that she wasn’t picky, the princess didn’t respond. However, as soon as Eirik removed the quail dish, her tense body visibly relaxed.

“Let’s not include quail in the meals from now on. Ah, how about mushrooms? Do you like them?”

The princess ate relatively well, with the exception of quail.

***

The maids were no longer surprised when the princess entered the workroom. When the royal maid left on some pretext, they would routinely inform the butler of the situation.

Today, the princess, instead of touching anything, simply stared blankly out the window before sprawling out on the floor. Two maids quickly dropped their tasks and rushed over to guide her to a pile of clothes.

“Young madam, the floor is cold. Please lie down over here,” they coaxed.

When the princess ignored their attempts, the maids brought over blankets and garments, carefully rolling her onto the makeshift bed.

“That’s better.”

“Young madam, you should stay on this. The floor is cold and hard.”

Once settled, the princess closed her eyes and soon began to snore softly, allowing the maids to return to their work.

“You know, young madam would look so much better in finer clothes.”

“Indeed. If the problem is getting dirty, perhaps we could make a nice bib with some embroidery?”

While a few maids discussed this wistfully, the new maids exchanged puzzled glances.

After finishing his afternoon duties, Eirik sought out his wife again. He wanted to ask about her day, but communication was impossible, and she wouldn’t even meet his gaze. With a sigh, he rang the bell for dinner.

As usual, the royal maids came to clean up the princess, now sticky with food. Once they had her washed and settled back in bed, Eirik moved to the adjoining study.

Opening the safe, he found a letter from Edil, his mother’s maid, tucked among the documents. It was news he had been waiting for, so he opened it first.

― That woman deserves to be ground up and fed to the dogs…

The letter began with a string of curses. Eirik quickly skimmed past them to get to the point.

― Other than Sir Kelbanig visiting occasionally, there have been no visitors. And…

There was nothing new. When his father had suddenly proposed a marriage with the Crispins, Eirik was the only one to harbor doubts. The vassals and knights had seen no issue with the proposal.

Eirik, however, had quietly investigated his father’s actions. He discovered that a barmaid from a small border village had been frequenting his father’s quarters.

Although disheartening, Eirik could not address it immediately due to the ongoing war. He also didn’t want to burden his mother, who had endured years of sending her husband and son to the battlefield.

After investigating, Eirik found nothing suspicious about the woman and decided to let the matter rest. The war ended shortly thereafter.

However, a few days ago, he learned that his father had made Sir Kelbanig take the woman as his second wife and brought her all the way here.

His father, usually rigid and exemplary, had gone to such lengths for this woman, showing an unusual devotion. Eirik discreetly informed his mother through Edil. The reply he received today was:

― Madam finds even hearing about it tiresome. She says she’s too old to care if he gives her away and is actually relieved not to see him at dinner every night.

Eirik let out a bitter laugh. Even he knew that their relationship was more of a partnership, working together to build the family.

― The woman has no known connections. It would have been easier if she were a noble.

As he pondered the letter, he heard movement from the bedroom. He thought the princess was asleep, but she was stirring awake.

“Are you awake?”

She seemed to stare blankly at the ceiling for a moment before climbing down from the bed and staggering toward him.

“Do you need anything?”

Of course, there was no answer. Without even making eye contact, the princess approached him.

“Dear?”

As Eirik moved to turn around and pushed his chair back, the princess suddenly plopped down on his lap. Her unexpected action surprised Eirik, but it didn’t bother him as much as he thought it might.

“Can’t you sleep? There’s not much interesting here.”

Ignoring him, she glanced around the desk, and then picked up Edil’s letter. She giggled and started tearing the corners bit by bit. Since he was going to burn it anyway, he just moved the ink bottle out of her reach and let her do as she pleased.

In the dimly lit room, illuminated by the flickering lamp, the sound of tearing paper and occasional laughter filled the air.

Eirik watched her head sway back and forth in his lap, seemingly content. He recalled her strange smile the first time he saw her at the victory ceremony. Was she wearing that same smile now as she sat in his lap?

He hadn’t given it much thought due to her unexpected state and his resentment toward the king, but this woman was someone he would spend his life with. They would share a bed every night and grow old together. His name would be inscribed on her tombstone as the husband of Miesa Esquillir Cladnier.

Despite his complicated feelings, one thing was certain. He hadn’t expected much from a wife. Since realizing his position and responsibilities as the family heir, he had not anticipated a close relationship with a woman. So, having someone who seemed happy with just a piece of paper wasn’t bad.

He felt a sense of resignation. Holding her in his arms, Eirik thought about the future. After succeeding the marquisate, the duties of the mistress could be delegated to a relative, and as for an heir…

He sighed deeply. If acceptance was the only option, it would be best to get along with her. His mother seemed to find her quite endearing.

“Miesa.”

He softly called her name. It was the first time he had spoken it aloud, and it lingered on his lips before dissipating.

She seemed to perk up slightly, but she didn’t turn around. The princess had finished tearing the paper and began searching the desk for another diversion.

“What would you like, dear?”

Eirik pondered for a moment. Perhaps following his mother’s lead and preparing some caramel or sweets might be a good way to engage her.

With no treats on hand, he offered her some papers he had already reviewed. Important documents like reports on Crispin’s movements, the king’s activities, and updates on the two royal maids were written on precious parchment and were easy to dispose of by burning.

His wife seemed to enjoy crumpling the paper with Crispin’s financial details. When she reached for a document about the prime minister, Eirik pulled it away.

“That’s enough. You can’t have this one.”

In his arms, Miesa’s gaze followed his hand as it moved the paper away. She remained focused on it.