She Is a Daughter Raised As the Son of a Duke - Chapter 121

Episode 121

” I didn’t know how much I wanted to see you! Have you been well all this time?”

“Of course. And how about you, Princess?”

“I missed you so much, Lady-in-waiting. But our father, no, Emperor, said there was a big event and that you needed to rest, so I couldn’t come to see you.”

“Now it’s okay, you can come see me.”

“Really? I will definitely come then!”

As the princess looked at the brooch on my chest, she smiled brightly.

“You brought the brooch I gave you?”

“I wore the brooch even on the last day of the foundation day, but I couldn’t show it to you then. It goes well with the coral dress I’m wearing.”

“It matches incredibly well! Hehe.”

I handed her a birthday gift. It was a box of a size that could fit in one hand.

“Congratulations on your eleventh birthday, Princess.”

“Is this a present?”

“Yes. Apart from this, I’ve already sent you three dresses that I think would suit you, but I wanted to give this one to you personally.”

Excitedly, Isabella opened the box with eyes full of anticipation. Inside, a delicately sparkling pink pearl bracelet was revealed.

With joy, Isabella put on the bracelet.

“It’s so beautiful!”

“There’s a heart engraved on the round gold pendant.”

“Oh, really?”

Isabella laughed happily as she looked at the heart and then looked up at me.

“Lady, can I give you a kiss on the cheek?”

“A kiss…?”

“I want to give you a kiss!”

Slightly surprised by the sudden suggestion, I leaned down to allow her to easily kiss my cheek.

“Is it okay like this…?”

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I couldn’t meet her eyes, so Isabella leaned in and gave me a peck on my cheek.

I sat up a little, instinctively glanced around, worried if anyone had seen us.

Isabella looked up at me with twinkling eyes and held onto the hem of my dress.

“I want one too. I want a kiss!”

“From me…?”

Could I dare give a kiss to this small and precious child? I was a little fearful, thinking it might not be appropriate, like I might be caught by the royal guards. But I couldn’t resist her twinkling gaze.

I gently gave her a peck on her cheek. When I pulled my lips away, I noticed a kiss mark left behind. I quickly wiped it away with my hand.

“Oh, what do I do? You have lipstick marks because of my makeup…”

“It’s alright. Hehe.”

Isabella hugged me after receiving the kiss, clearly in a good mood.

‘So cute…’

Her height was so small that her head didn’t even reach my chest, making her even more adorable.

At that moment, a call from Diego came from behind.

“Isabella!”

Upon that call, both Isabella and I turned to look at Diego.

His wine-colored hair sparkled and swayed, creating a shimmering effect. While lighting played a role, it seemed markedly different from usual, likely due to his bangs being styled according to my suggestion. He looked nothing like the wastrel prince now; he had transformed into a handsome man well-received in society.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Had Diego always been this handsome?

Suddenly, the words we had exchanged in the past came to mind.

‘Next time, I’ll do it. Tell me I look handsome then.’

‘Hmm~ If you really look handsome.’

‘I would really look handsome.’

I felt like I had to say that he really was handsome, not just empty words.

Moreover, dressed properly, his beauty seemed to shine even more.

Diego, who had approached us, stared at me intently. I didn’t take my eyes off him either, and as we stood there gazing at each other without saying a word, Isabella asked.

“Big brother, why did you come?”

Upon Isabella’s words, Diego and I both cleared our throats and averted our gazes.

“Mother is looking for you. It seems an envoy from the Kalisha Empire has arrived. They want you to participate in a prayer for the blessings of the gods.”

When Diego extended his hand to go to his mother, Isabella held my hand with a disappointed expression as if reluctant to let go.

“I want to stay with the Lady a bit longer…”

“Just attend the prayer and come back.”

“Hmm… okay.”

Isabella was an obedient child.

Diego’s gaze turned back to me. After appearing embarrassed for a moment, he opened his mouth.

“You look so beautiful today, May.”

After speaking, as if overcome by embarrassment, he tousled Isabella’s hair and led her away. Then, as he turned back and spoke to me:

“I’ll come back, so wait there. Don’t go anywhere!”

Seeing Diego walk away again, a smile escaped me.

Meanwhile, the people around me were busy observing the envoy presumed to be from the Kalisha Empire.

“Isn’t the envoy incredibly handsome? To think such a person will offer a prayer of blessings… I envy the princess.”

Upon hearing those words, I shifted my gaze to the man who was likely the envoy. Since Diego and Isabella were heading in that direction, there was no need for me to search.

Is that him?

He was a man with bluish-black hair wearing a white envoy’s attire.

However, even though he was considered handsome, that envoy didn’t really catch my attention. It felt that way since encountering Diego.

Once again, I overheard conversations from those around me.

“That gentleman, is he married? Envoys from the Kalisha Empire can marry, you know.”

“That’s right. I heard his wife is one of the most beautiful woman in the Kalisha Empire.”

“I almost fell for him at first sight… it’s a shame.”

Everyone seemed to be focusing on the handsome envoy, but I found my gaze drawn more to Diego than to the envoy.

Standing beside Jed, I might not have realized it, but Diego must have been quite popular too. Perhaps some girls shed a few tears secretly.

He wasn’t the typical handsome prince; he had a bit of a bad boy style.

But unlike Jed, there didn’t seem to be anyone trailing behind Diego, which made me think it might be due to his personality.

‘Bangs down looks better.’

Just as I was appreciating Diego, an unwanted voice intruded into my ear.

“May.”

The person who called my name and approached was none other than Jed.

He stood before me, blocking the view of Diego. Unintentionally, my expression hardened.

“…I have something to say.”

I turned away as a sign of refusal.

“I have nothing to discuss with you.”

“I want to apologize properly. Let’s move to another place.”

Jed’s violet eyes were locked in a somber gaze, sinking deeply. He wore a more restrained expression compared to before.

“Even if you apologize, I won’t accept it. Just go.”

“Please… I’m begging you.”

I wonder who would have expected that he would end up pleading with me.

I didn’t know what was going on in his mind, but I wasn’t curious. All I wanted was to sort out my relationship with him.

“Let me apologize, May…”

What should I do? Should I follow him…?

It’s not that I wavered due to his begging. I thought that if I forgave him this time, there might not be any more of such incidents. That’s why I followed him.

“…Fine, let’s go.”

Jed stepped outside the hall and took me somewhere far away. I couldn’t help but wonder if he intended to confine me, like he did at the Arcsenter, but this time, unlike then, I felt the power of my family behind me.

Even if he were to confine me, I wouldn’t just obediently accept it.

But… how far is he planning to go?

Is he really planning to confine me? He took me to a guest room within a secluded palace building where no one would come and go.

In a quiet corridor with no one around, he opened the door and gestured me in.

“It’s the room I borrowed. Come in.”

I felt like I could see through his intentions, so I didn’t enter.

“Let’s talk here. I hesitated to come in because I thought you might confine me again, like last time.”

“…I was really sorry about that time. I realized I was falling for you, and that realization made me anxious, so I lost control of my emotions.”

As I listened to his words, I became agitated.

“It’s not that you like me; it’s that you like the lady of Flotina. If I were from another family, you wouldn’t have been interested in me, would you?”

“I thought the same, but no. Even if you became a slave right now, I would still like you.”

“Don’t just say whatever comes to your mind, there’s no chance that would happen.”

Unknowingly, my voice had risen, so I looked away and took a deep breath.

I didn’t want to argue with Jed. I didn’t want to feel weakened by him.

Jed explained that this time he hadn’t really intended to confine me, but his explanation didn’t quite register with me.

“…I brought you here because I remembered you liked the view from this room’s terrace. Without any ulterior motives, I wanted to sincerely apologize and confess on the terrace.”

At the mention of the terrace, I raised my head and looked around again. It was familiar. This room was the one Jed had brought me to once before.

Come to think of it, back then, Jed had shaken my feelings with a false confession. So this place wasn’t a warm memory for me.

‘Come to think of it, did Diego know that I went out with Jed back then?’

Ah, I didn’t realize…

Amidst that, I found myself momentarily thinking of Diego and wondered if he had cared about Jed and me during that time. As I realized that I had unconsciously brought Diego to mind, I involuntarily took a deep breath.

Whether he knew about my state of mind or not, Jed continued with what he wanted to say.

“Since you hesitate to come into the room, I’ll talk to you here.”

His confession followed.

“I like you. I hope you could be the one to fill my inner void.”

“…”

I couldn’t react in any particular way to his words. It wasn’t that his confession was outrageous or hard to believe. Though Jed looked a bit anxious while looking at me, I didn’t have any emotional response to offer him.

When I told Jed to find a woman who could fill his inner void, it was both genuine advice and a way of asking him to give up on me. It was like pushing him to look for another woman.

However, Jed didn’t understand and confessed to me. If that was the case, then the response I had to show was predetermined.

“I’m not the person to fill your inner void.”

I had liked him once, but I wanted him to realize that I didn’t feel that way anymore and that I wouldn’t feel that way in the future either.

Jed’s gaze shook greatly but soon calmed down. He averted his gaze and seemed somewhat resigned, though he didn’t appear pitiful.

“There are plenty of good people in the world—”

“Is it because of Diego…?”

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