Chapter 2

A long time ago, Cecil spoke with the maids of the palace.

<This year, I’d like to see something that will make others say, “Isn’t that crazy?” Do you think anything’s going to work?>

is what she said.

As she said that, Cecil had imagined several things like perhaps changing all the signs in the royal palace wrong, or order dozens of different food then throwing them away after taking a bite, or wearing winter clothes in the middle of summer.

At that time, she would never imagine that she would do something that would risk her life at all.

Just like what’s happening right now on her wedding day. She just spouted something outrageous to the emperor and she’s certain she’ll die soon enough.

After hearing the words that came out of her mouth, her heart pounded wildly and began to throb.

Cecil’s heart screamed, ‘Are you out of your mind?! What have you done?!’

‘Forgive me, my heart. Both my brain and  mouth have certainly gone mad, but it’s quite difficult for me to be normal.’

Cecil, the first person alive to say hello to her heart, started to look around.

The servants and knights who have been standing around her since a little while ago, were now looking at her with sympathy and pity.

They looked at Cecil the same way the citizens of Navidan stared at her.

And those very eyes made Cecil realize what kind of life would be waiting for her if she just peacefully followed with her wedding ceremony.

She married a man she didn’t like, spend a night with him, keep her eyes peeled to avoid death, and when she finally meets her demise, she’ll be properly buried without anyone to cry for her death.

Cecil’s the only who’s been visiting her mother’s grave ever since she died.

‘I don’t want to live like that.’

The teachers who taught Cecil for a month had given her the details on how many people the emperor had killed so far.

She was told never to dream of crawling up to the emperor but to prostrate themselves instead.

As she listened to them, Cecil knew her life would end just like a fly by the hands of  the emperor.

No, I’m not a fly. Flies can fly and run away!

‘I don’t know when I’ll die anyway, so I’ll just go crazy and then kick the bucket.’

Cecil was pondering what people would say during her burial after she dies today.  At least, there’ll be more talk about her death rather than that of her mother’s records.

***

“What? What do you mean by that?”

The prime minister’s voice rang through out the catherdral where the emperor and others were gathered.

They looked at each other as if they couldn’t believe it. More precisely, they couldn’t believe what he said.

“Oh, that’s exactly what she said. Princess Cecil of Navidan Kingdom herself… told me that she would not take a single step unless her groom, His Majesty came to personally pick her up. And there’s more…”

“There’s more…?”

What else does the royal princess want when her demands just now was enough for her to lose her head?

The people in the hall got rowdier. Standing behind them was the vicar, already making the sign of the cross as he gazed above.

He muttered a prayer, for Cecil, obviously, “Oh Dear God, please guide and take care of the poor soul who will be seeing you soon.”

“That’s, uh….”

“Come on, can’t you speak?!”

Despite the urging voice from many people, the servant closed his eyes, as if he had made up his mind and said,

“After that, she requested to be carried by His Majesty when they enter the cathedral according to the Navidan’s custom!”

[

“What? Has the princess gone mad? To whom she does want to do what now? “

At the end of the day, the nobles finally let out their inner voice. They finally processed the message relayed by the servant which made their faces go paler.

It’s a great honor for a princess of a small country, from who-knows-where, to marry the emperor of the empire.

You want the emperor to come and pick you up? And you want him to carry you in the cathedral?

They felt the back of their neck stiffening.

However, today’s the wedding day, so they were relieved they wouldn’t see any blood being spilled. They never imagined they would see the bride bleeding before the ceremony starts. Well, the bride brought this onto herself.

“And…”

“You’re not done yet with her requests?!”

“It’s just the beginning….”

“……What?”

It’s only the beginning, he said. The two demands earlier were enough to keep her out of the picture.

In front of the devastated nobles, the servant held an expression of ready to die. He closed his eyes and said,

“She has requested that the current flowers being tended should be changed immediately from white to red flowers in accordance with the customs of Navidan, and a red hat should be worn by male servants and a red flower crown should be worn by the female servants, as per Navidan’s customs.

With her seemingly endless demands, the nobles finally exploded.

“Enough! Navidan, Navidan! Doesn’t that princess know this is the Empire? If she’s in the Empire, she has to follow the rules of the Empire. She is making such a fuss by following the custom of Navidan!”

“Oh, about that…”

“What about that?”

” She said ‘I have come a long way, and I don’t think His Majesty would be so narrow-minded as to not allow it.’“

Now, there was no sound of surprise from the nobles. They asked them to send a bride for the emperor, and they sent an insane woman instead.

This was the first time this kind of declaration of war happened.

In their heads, they listed Navidan’s name as one of the countries that must be annihilated next time. Their hostility and boiling fury were directed to a country that they’ve never stepped a single foot on.

“Do they really have such a thing as a custom in Navidan?”

As soon as the low voice was heard, it silenced the commotion that was once there.

The nobles turned their gazes at the owner of the voice. A young man standing in front of the altar with an expressionless face.

It’s Estian, the emperor of the Empire.

The emperor, who was wearing an elegant ivory wedding robe, had a calm look, unlike the nobles who were so agitated. The knights finally cried out to the emperor,

“Your Majesty! What so important about it?! If you give me an order, I’ll cut that crazy woman’s head off and wipe out the entire Navidan Kingdom right away.”

“Never mind that, Your Majesty! When that country disappears from the face of the Earth, that custom is going to disappear too!”

[

As the knights knelt down, they clenched their cold swords. How many countries have fallen so far under the emperor’s orders? Another one would be added to it today.

Estian looked at the servant who knelt before him and clicked  his tongue.

“We only have three wars a year?”

“I think four times would be fine.”

“Really? Then next month, I’ll conquer Etia. Let’s save this conversation for next time.”

The emperor, who spoke in a light voice as if he had decided on the dinner menu, moved on.

“Your Majesty! Where are you going?”

“Where else?”

The emperor’s lips rose slightly.

“Wouldn’t the broad-minded groom fulfill the request of his bride who has come from afar?”

The knights went silent, seeing such expression from the emperor. The emperor laughed.

It was something they had never seen since he was crowned.

***

Is it right or left?

Cecil was lost in agony as she listened to the showering flowers and the sound of the blaring music.

When the furious emperor gives his order, she wondered whether her head would roll to the left or to the right.

Cecil, under everyone’s cold gazes, covered her mouth slightly and yawned as if she were bored.

She loved the way she was being glared on, and everyone’s eyes just got sharper.

Her heart want to shout ‘Please hate me even more! The princess from Navidan!’

Even if she doesn’t shout that out, it seems like everyone has decided that Navidan would be the next kingdom to be destroyed.

‘Those are some awfully frightening glares.’

She doesn’t think anyone would like to see her causing an uproar.

But seeing such faces didn’t make her feel sorry at all. Cecil was amazed by her conscience.

She’s trying to destroy a country quickly, yet she feels no remorse at all.

‘I think I was born with an innate talent to do evil.‘

Cecil wanted to slam on the ground from her belatedly-found talent. She can’t believe she only discovered run-off-the-mill talent on the day she would die. It’s too late.  There’s not much time left to show-off her talent.

She’ll be dead soon anyway.

Cecil was lost in thought as she tore the petals of the bouquet in her hand one by one.

‘It’s a custom that I made on the spot, but I’ve never been able to say those kinds of lies without stammering.’

Those were the lies about the customs of Navidan that she had told the servant. Without any hint of stammering, the words smoothly flowed out.

Every time she spoke nonsense to a servant, she made sure to include the name of Navidan.

What will the emperor think about Navidan when the servant relays her message?

Perhaps every time he hears that name, his face would make a distorted expression.

Cecil stretched out her body while looking at the motionless door of the cathedral. Then she placed her on the palm of her hand. The maids were coughing as if they were not physically fit, they seem to know something.

‘I do not have anything to do, so let’s write a will now.’

Thinking so, Cecil shook her head. This is a suicide note without any recipient because she has no relatives anyway. She doesn’t have anything to leave. She doesn’t even have any money.

‘If I marry and die, will the Emperor receive this?’

Anyway, when she gets married, the emperor becomes her legal family.

That simple thought made Cecil a little sad. If she had known this would happen, she’d rather go on a rampage after the wedding. She can ever write a letter that will make people go crazy.

Soon, the door to the cathedral creaked open, and there emerged a man in glistening white robes who started walking towards the carriage.

There’s no need to ask who the man was. The people who showered countless flowers immediately fell straight down and planted their foreheads on the ground while the knights bent on one knee to express their utmost respect.

‘It’s the Emperor.’

Cecil looked at the emperor approaching her and gulped.

Cecil’s eyes examined him. And when she realized that he had no sword, she gave a relieved sigh unknowingly.

Such a smile came out of him. She thought that she wanted to live even in this uproar.

‘He loves swords so much that he may try to take another knight’s sword and slash my neck.’

Cecil shook such a thought in her head.

No. Just from the stories she’d heard, the emperor could kill her with his fist.

When his sword broke on the battlefield, he beat his opponent to death with his bare fist.

‘He’s got that terrifying power.’

The people were afraid of the emperor partly because he was a monster, he was inhuman. Of course that’s just an exaggeration. How can a man pierce another person’s body with just his fist?

As the distance grew shorter, Cecil was able to look closely at the emperor.

“……….Huh?”

Cecil’s eyes grew wide.

His black eyes with the same color as his soft-looking black hair. The raised corners of his eyes with that expressionless face gave a slightly sharp-looking impression, but that wasn’t the problem now.

Cecil stared at the emperor as if she was bewitched. And when he stood in front of her, she muttered without realizing it.

“You’re handsome?”

She didn’t hear anything about this?