CH 30

“…Your Highness, I’m….”

“No need to rush to answer. I told you then that I was prepared for a long war.”

“But still…”

“Think about it carefully. There may be more advantages than you think. You’ll be marrying the future ruler of this country. Moreover, I’m someone you won’t get tired of looking at and I’m also completely infatuated with you. It would be hard to find a much better fiancée than me anywhere in the world.”

“…….”

“Don’t make that incredulous expression. It hurts.”

I sighed softly. Raphir chuckled softly again.

“Besides, if it’s not someone like me, the head of the Department of magic, Rojasis wouldn’t hesitate to let you go.”

“…….”

His words caused me to pause involuntarily.

“I hope you won’t forget that I am the only path for you to escape your father’s control. As I mentioned before, if you want, I’ll make sure you can continue working in the Magic Department.”

In that moment, I felt a sudden realization wash over me like a sudden gust of wind.

It was as if the answer to my long-standing dilemma might have been with Raphir all along.

‘If it’s His Highness, he might be able to arrange for me to join the Archaeological Exploration Team.’

Of course, the ultimate authority over the Magic Department rested with my father, the head. However, the final decision-maker was still the Emperor.

If the Emperor himself issued a direct order, my father wouldn’t dare to defy it. And for Raphir, asking the Emperor for such a favor would be no big deal.

Sylphia had mentioned that Raphir’s proposal was “approved by the Emperor and Empress.”

If it was the desire of the future Empress, the Emperor would undoubtedly not refuse.

That’s right. But that was only if I accepted Raphir’s proposal.

“What’s wrong, Eila?”

“…….”

With a confused heart, I cast my eyes downward. My eyelids were trembling slightly.

“…It’s nothing.”

Raphir didn’t seem to fully believe my words, but he didn’t press further.

I excused myself from Raphir, citing the end of lunchtime, and left the place.

*****

I spent the entire night unable to sleep, pondering.

But in reality, there was no need for such deliberation.

No matter how many times I thought it over, the conclusion remained the same. This was the most realistic and feasible option.

The stakes involved in this matter were not just my personal fate.

If mishandled, there was a risk that the people of the Palma Empire could lose their lives, just like in the original story.

If I could prevent such a catastrophe through my marriage, it could be seen as a small price to pay.

Moreover, I wasn’t being sold off to some disgusting old man with a twenty or thirty-year age difference.

The other party was none other than the Crown Prince of this country, Raphir.

Raphir was an impeccably perfect man in every aspect.

If we had to point out a problem, it would only be that the life of a crown princess or empress was far from the life I desired. But even that was not something to complain about in this situation.

“…All you need is determination.”

Considering the urgency stated by Count Mazenkir, it couldn’t be said that there was much time left until the establishment of the expedition team. If a decision had to be made, it was better to hurry.

Feeling frustrated and restless, I stood up from my desk and wrapped myself in a shawl.

“I should go out to the terrace and get some fresh air for a moment.”

I went down to the first-floor terrace and immediately spotted guests who had arrived earlier.

It was Nita and Aslan.

‘What are you two doing together? That’s unusual.’ 

“Brothers.”

I called from behind them. The two looked back in amazement.

“…Eila. You still awake?”

“Yes. I couldn’t sleep, so I came out for some fresh air. What about you, brothers?”

“Oh, us too. Similar reasons.”

Nita seemed strangely hesitant. I tilted my head and approached them.

“Your clothes are thin, aren’t you cold?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s still summer.”

Despite my response, Aslan took off his vest and draped it over my shoulders.

“I’m fine.”

“We don’t want you catching a cold.”

Nita looked at us with a slightly discontented expression.

It seemed like he was thinking, ‘If he had clothes to take off, he would have done it first,’ unlike Aslan, he was only wearing a shirt.

“What were you two talking about?”

“Uh… that….”

“Just everyday things, nothing special.”

While Nita hesitated and rolled her eyes, Aslan quickly intervened and spoke.

‘Something seems suspicious.’

“Were you talking about something I shouldn’t hear?”

“What? Oh, no, why would you think that?”

“Because Brother Nita has been so flustered since earlier.  What were you talking about? Something naughty?”

“Hey, Eila.”

Nita made a disgusted expression. Then, Aslan shrugged his shoulders.

“You got caught.”

“What?”

“There’s no point in hiding it now. Eila has already noticed everything.”

“…….”

Nita’s expression was a mix of embarrassment, injustice, and complexity.

“That’s interesting. Even my brothers talk about those things.”

“Are you disappointed?”

“No. On the contrary, since you don’t seem to be interested in girls, I was wondering if you might be into guys.”

Aslan chuckled at my playfulness.

“No way.”

“Eila, you know too. Big Brother is sacrificing himself for humanity without even getting married. We, who are comfortably living in the rear, can’t just sit idle.”

Nita said with a serious face.

“Marriage is one thing, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a girlfriend.”

“So you want me to tell the girl I’m in love with to wait because I can’t get married yet? That’s not fair.”

Not only Heufeln, but the men in our house were quite sincere in this regard.

Well, if they weren’t, they wouldn’t have been able to resist so many temptations.

“At this rate, won’t all three of you end up never getting married?”

“Then we’ll just keep living together in this house.”

“I don’t want to live with Little Brother forever.”

“What was that?”

Nita glared at Aslan. I chuckled softly.

“…What if I were to get married? What do you think?”

I said it as casually as I could.

Nevertheless, my brothers turned to look at me in unison.

“What? What are you talking about, Eila?”

“Oh, just… I mean, I’ll have to get married someday too.”

“…Whatever. I don’t like it.”

Nita spoke honestly without any hesitation. He frowned as if he didn’t even want to imagine it.

“Did you even receive a proposal?”

“…….”

I hesitated for a moment, unable to answer Aslan’s question.

“Is it true, Eila? Did you receive a proposal from that guy?!”

Aslan raised his hand to stop Nita’s words.

“…That guy?”

As I tilted my head, Aslan asked again.

“So? Did you really receive a proposal?”

I hadn’t expected Nita to react so seriously, let alone Aslan.

“Well, actually, His Highness the Crown Prince…”

“…His Highness the Crown Prince asked you to marry him?”

Both Nita and Aslan’s eyes widened simultaneously.

I nodded in agreement.

“I heard there will be a selection ceremony for the Crown Princess in a while. But if I accept the proposal, it will be decided without any further procedures.”

“…….”

The two brothers were taken aback by the suddenness of the story.

“…Does your father know about this?”

“No, I don’t think he knows that his highness himself asked me to marry him. They sent a letter to our house for the selection of candidates, but Father refused.”

“…How come I didn’t know any of this?”

Nita said in disbelief.

Aslan, on the other hand, seemed relatively calm.

“Eila, what do you want to do?”

“…….”

I dropped my eyes to the ground.

“…I don’t know.”

“If you don’t like it, you can reject it. Even if it’s His Highness the Crown Prince, you can’t force yourself to marry someone you don’t want.”

Nita quickly interjected.

“It’s not that I dislike it. But…”

“But?”

I hesitated for a moment to answer.

I couldn’t tell my brothers the truth, because then I’d have to tell them about Clyde.