Me, a Princess? My Lord! - Chapter 41

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 41

 

“Please take it.”

 

“….”

 

“Your lordship may have offered it with no particular meaning, but there are watching eyes. It’s better not to act in ways that might invite misunderstanding.”

 

Lawrence, who had been making eye contact with Deshion for quite a while, said as he took the coat from his hands.

 

“You keep leaving your partner alone.”

 

“….”

 

“It makes me want to take care of her, it seems.”

 

Lawrence smiled gently toward Heidi.

 

“See you again.”

 

Swish.

 

Before Lawrence had even gone far, Deshion roughly drew the curtain. He took off his coat and strode toward Heidi.

 

“….”

 

He silently helped Heidi put on his clothes. His movements were careful, but his hands fastening the collar were firm.

 

‘He looks angry.’

 

Heidi said while watching his mood.

 

“I….”

 

“….”

 

“I was thoughtless. If someone saw, it could cause misunderstanding. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

 

Deshion’s hands, which had been carefully buttoning up, paused.

 

“No, I was the one who was thoughtless.”

 

Deshion let out a low sigh. He whispered quietly as if talking to himself.

 

“I should have….”

 

Huh? What did he just say?

 

Heidi, who hadn’t caught what Deshion muttered, looked up.

 

Swish.

 

Just then, the curtain was pulled back sharply. The heads of the two people standing close together turned simultaneously.

 

“Oh my.”

 

Anastasia, standing at the entrance, tilted her head sideways and smiled wickedly.

 

“Did I interrupt something?”

 

* * *

 

“Come in.”

 

At Anastasia’s words, Heidi carefully stepped forward.

 

“This is my dressroom. It’s a place I’ve never shown to anyone, so this is the first invitation.”

 

“Ah… Thank you for inviting me.”

 

Anastasia chuckled at Heidi’s polite greeting.

 

“Well, the maids come and go several times a day. But anyway.”

 

As the dressroom door opened wide, Heidi’s eyes grew round.

 

‘My goodness.’

 

It was large enough to rival even Frida’s dressroom that she had seen in Aras.

 

‘How many are all these? There must be thousands.’

 

Enough dresses to wonder if she could wear them all in a lifetime filled the large room. Seeing Heidi’s surprised face, Anastasia’s lips curved in a long arc.

 

“Pick one you like and take it.”

 

“…Take one?”

 

“Yes, whatever you wear would be better than that pitiful outfit you have on now, wouldn’t it?”

 

Anastasia said condescendingly.

 

“Most of them have never been worn, so feel free to look around.”

 

Heidi bit her lip slightly in bewilderment.

 

‘What on earth is she scheming?’

 

Is she planning to use this as an excuse to frame me as a thief later?

 

Did she poison the dresses or something?

 

Heidi, who had been trying to guess Anastasia’s intentions, picked up a cream-colored dress that was tucked away in a corner of the wardrobe.

 

‘I should take something that looks as inexpensive as possible. Just in case.’

 

A modest design with only a few buttons at the neckline as decoration.

 

It was completely different from the flashy dresses Anastasia favored.

 

“I’ll take this one.”

 

“You decided already?”

 

Anastasia’s eyes slowly followed the dress.

 

And her smile deepened a little more.

 

“You liked that one?”

 

“Yes, I think this would… suit me best.”

 

“I suppose it would.”

 

She took a step closer.

 

“Plain, very modest…. It suits you perfectly. How did you pick exactly something like this?”

 

Anastasia laughed out loud as if delighted. She placed her hand on Heidi’s shoulder and said.

 

“I really like people like Heidi.”

 

“People like me?”

 

“Yes. People who know their place.”

 

Anastasia smiled with her eyes toward Heidi. The hand gripping Heidi’s shoulder tightened.

 

“People should live according to their station. Don’t you think so? Everyone has their proper place.”

 

“….”

 

“What would happen if you took a fish that lived in a lake and released it into the ocean?”

 

Anastasia’s purple eyes glinted sharply.

 

“It would die.”

 

At that moment, Heidi felt all the hair on her body stand on end. To feel such murderous intent from someone’s smiling face.

 

Heidi’s face turned pale. She tensed her entire body to keep from trembling and met Anastasia’s gaze.

 

‘Don’t tremble. Don’t show that you’re nervous.’

 

But Anastasia chuckled as if Heidi’s efforts were admirable.

 

“What do you think? I feel like I gave Heidi a very expensive lesson today.”

 

Heidi’s hand gripping the dress tightened.

 

‘If Deshion were by my side right now, what would he say to me?’

 

He would probably say there’s no need to tremble. He would tell me not to be nervous, to stand tall with confidence.

 

At that moment, something miraculous happened.

 

Her rapidly beating heart slowly returned to its normal pace. Her trembling knees stopped, and her breathing began to stabilize.

 

Just by thinking of Deshion’s face, strangely the fear in her heart disappeared.

 

Heidi straightened her back and met Anastasia’s eyes.

 

“I think exactly the same way. That people should live according to their station, that everyone should return to their proper place.”

 

“….”

 

“Well then, I’ll see you again.”

 

* * *

 

On a night when moonlight bathed the garden in silver.

 

The King was strolling through the quiet garden with a priest from the Holy Kingdom. The two men had been together for many years and were close friends without formality.

 

The priest asked.

 

“Your Majesty, your face looks more gaunt than before. Are you getting some sleep?”

 

The King laughed briefly.

 

“A monarch originally cannot sleep peacefully at night. But lately it’s been particularly hard to fall asleep.”

 

The priest stopped walking for a moment and looked at him.

 

“You must have complicated feelings because of the princess’s coming-of-age ceremony. You’ll be thinking about abdication soon too.”

 

“There’s that too….”

 

The King trailed off. The moonlight in the night sky dimly illuminated his profile.

 

There are secrets that cannot be told even to close friends. The King recalled the faces of two people who had been troubling his mind constantly for some time now.

 

‘They seem alike yet so different.’

 

Just then, the sound of people could be heard not far away.

 

The priest turned his head and spoke.

 

“It seems there are still people who haven’t returned yet. Ah, that man appears to be Count Haizen. And beside him is…”

 

The King also raised his head, following the gaze.

 

At the end of the stone path, under the moonlight, the figures of two people were clearly revealed.

 

“Heidi.”

 

The King’s eyes wavered subtly.

 

Heidi was wearing the simple dress she had received from Anastasia.

 

The modest cream-colored fabric, without jewels or gold thread, flowed softly along her body’s lines.

 

It was a dress that might have looked shabby under garish lighting. But under the gentle moonlight, it felt remarkably elegant instead.

 

The King gazed at her for a while before murmuring quietly.

 

“…Doesn’t that dress look quite similar to the ones the Queen used to favor when she was young?”

 

The priest nodded in agreement.

 

“Indeed, it truly does. Because of the dress, one might believe the Queen had returned to life.”

 

“Does it appear so to your eyes as well?”

 

The King turned to look at the priest as he asked. His violet eyes rippled greatly.

 

“Yes, it does.”

 

The King raised his head to look up at the large moon. The noble moonlight stirred his heart.

 

“My friend.”

 

After gazing up at the night sky for a long while, he parted his stone-heavy lips.

 

“I have a favor to ask of you. No one must know. It must be carried out in complete secrecy. Can you do this for me?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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