CH 3.03

As she sat there quietly, watching the Crown Prince review the documents, she couldn’t help but feel drowsy. At first, the fact that they were alone made her anxious, but as time went on without any incident, her anxiety eased, replaced by a growing sense of weariness.

‘No, no. Let’s think of something scary.’ She desperately tried to fight off falling asleep in front of the Crown Prince. She conjured up terrifying thoughts, widened her eyes forcefully, pinched her thighs, and so on. For a while, thanks to her efforts, she managed to hold on. But it only lasted a couple of minutes, and as time passed, she began to slowly succumb to the irresistible pull of sleep.

‘I can’t fall asleep… I can’t…’

Eventually, she began to doze off.

Meanwhile, Rael, who had been keeping an eye on her while reviewing the documents, immediately noticed that Marie had fallen asleep.

“Marie?”

“.…..”

“Marie?” He called, but there was no response from her.

Rael pursed his lips. ‘She must’ve been really tired.’

He got up from his seat and walked carefully towards her. Despite being right in front of her, Marie remained lost in a deep slumber, her eyes shut tight.

‘Haaaa,’ he let out a long sigh as he observed her in that state.

“What in the world am I supposed to do with you?” Rael murmured, followed by a sigh. “Was it a mistake to keep you by my side?”

In fact, he couldn’t concentrate properly on his work. Despite spending the entire day poring over documents, his mind kept wandering towards her.

‘How should I deal with this frustration? Maybe it would be better to send her away and keep her out of my sight.’ But he shook his head. The instant he thought of not seeing her, a deep sense of loss consumed him. It was a loss that felt like falling into an endless abyss.

‘Does she even realize how much distress she’s causing me?’

He gazed at Marie’s serene sleeping face. Her pure and innocent face was so different from his blood-stained self.

‘Marie.’

Almost as if enchanted, he slowly raised his hand and brought it towards her face. Rael’s throat tightened as his hand brushed against her cheek. It felt feathery under his fingertips.

‘Marie.’ Rael felt a burning ache welling up inside his heart. His fingers moved with utmost caution, as if touching a fragile glass.

The fingers that gently caressed her cheek gradually moved towards her rosy lips, but as they made contact, Rael abruptly snapped back to his senses.

‘What are you doing to a sleeping girl, Rael!’ He bit his lips forcefully. ‘…Perhaps I should take a walk for a while.’ He feared what he might become if he continued to watch her sleep. As he was about to leave the office, his gaze unconsciously turned back to Marie, finding her still soundly asleep. After a moment’s hesitation, he fetched a blanket from a nearby corner and gently draped it over Marie.

“Haaaa,” he let out another deep sigh, unable to shake off the stuffiness that clung to his chest.

How much time had passed since then? Suddenly, Marie’s eyes snapped open. ‘Oh my goodness! Did I really fall asleep? In front of the crown prince?!’

Her complexion turned pale. It’s only her first day of working under the crown prince, and she’d already committed an unthinkable blunder!

‘How long was I asleep?’ She panicked and looked out the window. The sight of darkness greeted her, illuminated only by the presence of the moon.

‘…I’m doomed,’ she thought, her face filled with distress.

It was difficult to guess how long she had been asleep.

Suddenly, a gruff voice called out to her. “Are you awake now?” It belonged to Viscount Almond, the Crown Prince’s royal guard.

Marie jolted in surprise and quickly bowed her head. “I-I’m sorry!”

“You must be very tired.”

Marie’s face turned red. She was indeed exhausted, but no matter how tired she was, she shouldn’t have let something like that to happen.

“I’m really sorry.”

“It’s alright. After all, His Highness wasn’t around anyway.”

Marie’s expression became puzzled. Come to think of it, only Almond was present, and the Crown Prince was nowhere to be found.

“Where is His Highness?”

“He went out for some business.”

“Ah…” Marie felt relieved in a way. If the Crown Prince had seen her doze off, she would’ve died from embarrassment. ‘I vowed to be careful, and yet I ended up falling asleep in front of the Crown Prince anyway.’

She was ashamed of herself. If the Crown Prince had been strict, it would have been an unforgivable mistake, no matter how much she begged for forgiveness.

“Go back and rest now. It’s getting late.”

“But His Highness hasn’t retired to his bed yet…” Marie shook her head. It was her duty to remain by his side and serve him until he retired for the night.

In other words, Marie’s work for the day would be done once the Crown Prince retired to his bed.

However, Almond said something unexpected. “Ah, I suppose you haven’t been informed yet because it’s your first day. His Highness suffers from chronic insomnia, so he rarely gets any sleep at night.”

“Ah…” It was such a revelation. Rael, the Crown Prince of Blood, struggling with insomnia? To the point that he could hardly sleep?

“So, there’s no need for you to wait until he goes to bed. Someone else will take over from here, so you should go and rest.”

“…I see.”

Heeding Almond’s words, Marie rose to her feet. Before leaving the office, she bowed her head in gratitude. “Thank you for the blanket earlier.”

“Blanket?”

When Almond asked with a puzzled expression, Marie replied sheepishly, “Yes, earlier… you covered me with a blanket while I was sleeping. I really appreciate it.”

When she woke up, she thought that Almond had placed the blanket over her. However, Almond shook his head and said, “It wasn’t me.”

“What? Then who did?”

“Hmm? I don’t know. But I can assure you that it wasn’t me.”

Marie blinked her eyes. It wasn’t Almond?

‘Then who? Besides Sir Almond, who else was in the room?’ Marie pondered, her eyes widening slightly. There’s only one other person in the room besides Almond: Crown Prince Rael.

‘No way.’

Did the Crown Prince really cover her with a blanket while she was asleep?

‘It can’t be.’

She shook her head, but there was no one else in the room besides the Crown Prince.

‘What on earth is happening?’ Marie thought, her face filled with confusion.

After some time passed, the Lion Palace grew busier. The arrival of the Crown Princess candidates were fast approaching, and so the preparations to welcome them were underway.

“Are the Princess Candidates only two this time?”

“Yes, Lady Ariel from the Grand Duchy of Schulian and Lady Rachel from the Count of Istvan are the final candidates.”

In the maid lounge, Marie was currently having a conversation with Lesia. Even though it was only the maid’s lounge, it was significantly more luxurious compared to the modest one she used as junior maid.

“The Archuduke of Schulian is the Crown Prince’s closest ally. Meanwhile, the Count of Istvan… supported the 1st Prince, the faction against the Crown Prince during the civil war,” Marie explained, causing Lesia’s eyes to widen slightly. It was surprising because Marie, who was not even a noble, accurately relayed the information.

“Yes, both noble houses hold significant power. The Schulian Duchy is one of the most influential households in the Empire, while the Istvan County was the leading force behind the First Prince’s faction.”

“Which of the two will be chosen as the Crown Princess then?”

“Well, that is up to the Crown Prince. Ultimately, it may depend on the background and status of the families,” Lesia pondered for a moment before adding, “However, it’s most likely that Lady Ariel of the Schulian duchy, hailing from one of the most powerful families in the empire, will be chosen.”

Lecia was right. Among the highest noble houses in the Empire, these three stood out the most:

Prime Minister Oren of the Sovien Duchy!

The Commander of the Imperial Guards, Marquis Kierhan of Seyton!

And lastly, Lady Ariel of the Schulian Duchy, who’s now one of the Crown Princess candidates!

If such a powerful family with close ties to the royal family were to be connected through marriage, it would bring great advantage to the Empire. Marie believed that Lady Ariel would be ultimately chosen.

‘But will it really turn out that way?’ However, Marie inwardly shook her head.

‘It’s not that simple. By choosing the Istvan County, he can gain the support of the late 1st Prince’s faction, which is equally advantageous.’

Then she thought, ‘It’s only natural that the candidates were chosen for strictly political reasons.’

Marie inwardly clicked her tongue as a sudden realization occurred to her. It seemed that the Crown Prince’s personal preferences held no bearings in the selection of the Crown Princess candidates. The sole criterion was whether it would bring the greatest benefit to the empire. Naturally, as the future ruler of the empire, it was the logical and right course of action.

‘Anyway, which candidate should I assist?’ Marie deliberated inwardly, her mind drifting to her plan of escaping the palace. Her plan was to secretly aid the Crown Princess candidate and later use it as a leverage to secure her freedom.

‘Since both noble households offer similar political advantages, the one who captures the Crown Prince’s heart has a higher chance of being chosen. Depending on the situation, I will discreetly provide assistance to one of the Crown Princess candidates in winning the Crown Prince’s affections.’

It was hard to imagine that the Crown Prince would be captivated by a woman, but Marie believed it wasn’t entirely impossible. With that in mind, she mentally devised her Operation Love Cupid.

‘I must do well. I will definitely succeed and escape the palace,’ she resolved firmly.

Just then, Lesia asked, “Marie, isn’t it difficult to wait on the Crown Prince?”

“Ah… It’s alright.”

Upon hearing her response, Lesia made an odd expression. “Really?”

“Yes.”

Contrary to her expectations, serving the Crown Prince hadn’t been difficult at all. Though she couldn’t help but feel anxious about the possibility of being discovered, the work itself was quite comfortable. If only the circumstances were different, she wouldn’t mind making it her permanent profession.

‘And above all… he treats me well too…’ Marie thought to herself.

Yes, it sounded incredulous, but the cold Crown Prince had been kind to her, which was truly shocking.

‘He may be merciless to his enemies, but he seems to have a compassionate side to those beneath him. After all, even the commoners I saw at the street festival held great reverence for him.’

Marie’s perception of the Crown Prince suddenly transformed in her mind. While he was ruthless towards his enemies, he proved to be a just ruler to those he considered his own.

“Really? I actually find it really difficult to serve the Crown Prince. He doesn’t even speak a word to me, and yet, he still makes me nervous and scared for some reason.”

Marie had a vague idea of what Lesia was talking about.

‘Well, even the ministers who came to meet the Crown Prince were also incredibly nervous.’

Come to think of it, the Crown Prince wasn’t always kind to everyone. No, he was rather cold to most people. Especially those who came to report to him, they looked like they’re meeting the Grim Reaper.

Although he didn’t fuss over trivial matters, if there were any administrative mistakes that cause harm to his people, he’d never let it slide.

When he scolded someone in a cold voice, even Marie, who was observing from the side, couldn’t help but tremble.

‘Does he only treat the maids well?’ Marie tilted her head in confusion.

t/n: thank god rael didn’t become fully edward cullen, he’s halfway there i nearly cringed ಠ_ಠ and also, he’s not as good as a ruler if he’s easily led by favoritism !!!