DYBAR - Chapter Seven

I thought my debutante would be perfect. I thought the same way before my debutante debut. I went on a diet by starving myself, and everything from the dress to the makeup and hair fit really well. That was when the first waltz started and my heart felt like it was going to explode with anticipation. The moment the dazzlingly handsome Leopold asked the daughter of the Marquis Ethel as his first dance, everything fell apart. I knew it.

Leopold was reluctant to become engaged to me, and the fact that the Crown Prince was betrothed to Madeleine, a member of the imperial faction, could ask the daughter of the Marquis of Nordic to first dance in order to appease the anxious aristocracy.

But knowing and experiencing it firsthand are different. Even flashy jewelry or a sparkling dress couldn't cover up the feeling of being stained with dirt. Despite my status as an Imperial Princess and the Crown Prince's fiancée, I became a wallflower, having not been asked to dance by anyone in my first debutante. I wish someone would talk to me. Please, I was hoping you would ask me to dance just once.

I remembered the desperation of that time when it seemed like everyone was looking at me and whispering. I hurriedly looked around, but neither the Duke, Conrad nor Jade saw me. I felt like my smiling face would crack, so l clutched the hem of my dress tightly. The only silver lining is that I didn't behave in a disgraceful manner during my debutante.

I laughed every time Leopold looked at me. When I did that, Leopold smiled sweetly. Like a Madeleine, like someone who would one day become a crown princess, it was worth the effort to remain composed. During the twelve waltzes, the hand that held my dress grew limp. and when I got home, I buried my face in the pillow and cried.

"Olivia."

Only after hearing Conrad's warning did I blink my eyes out of those tattered memories.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought about the Debutante."

It had already been two years. I have grown up so well. Occasionally, I would eat with my siblings and even gained a degree of control over the household. I glanced at Esella, who was brimming with anticipation. 

"Esella, you will do much better than me." I meant it. Esella's cheeks turned rosy.

"Really? But you'll come with me to my debutante, right?"

When young ladies made their debut, a noblewoman or a debutante lady would often accompany them. I instinctively looked at Conrad. Conrad, who had been gazing at Esella kindly, faced me with his face as cold as the midwinter north wind. His pursed lips signaled that I didn't have to speak.

"...... What should I do? I don't think it'll work out because I'm busy with palace matters. I'm busy, but there's nothing I can do about it. Esella, I'll find a good Lady to accompany you."

"Yes..."

Despite Conrad's urging, Esella nibbled at her food with a dispirited expression. Even though she tried to hold back, she couldn't conceal her disappointment. Esella finally stood up.

"I enjoyed the meal. I'll go up first."

The listless steps faded away, and the dining room became quiet. Conrad gently swirled his wine glass.

"Olivia."

"Yes, brother,"

"Who is your brother?"

My thoughtless remark was met with a harsh response. Conrad said dryly.

"You have to realize it clearly."

"..."

"You are just a member of Madeleine."

He says this in a very painful way. Not a family member, but a member of the Madeleines. That one word felt like a huge wall separating me and Conrad. Conrad's lips moved slowly. I knew exactly what he meant. I clenched my fists, as if to cushion the blow. As soon as my nails dug into my palms, even more painful words stabbed me.

"So, keep your distance from Esella. You dare to converse with her? Do you intend to reduce Esella to your level?"

"How dare you converse with someone like herself? Are you trying to make Esella like my mother? Are you trying to bury your rumors from Esella?"

Conrad's words came to my mind like a stamp. At those words, the young me, who had wanted to play with Esella so much, gave up that desire without any hesitation. I knew very well how much social gossip could hurt someone. So it was only natural for me to be careful not to hurt Esella.

"Answer."

There's nothing I can do about it now. If I tried a little harder, I can become a Crown Princess who is recognized as my father said. It will be different then.

If Conrad sees my efforts to successfully become Crown Princess, he will accept me as part of his family. So I had to answer now. I gave a reluctant answer, clenching my numb fists once again.

"Yes."

Only then did Conrad seem to ease his temper a bit and beckoned to the dining room door.

"Go out."

"Okay then, I'll just leave. Have a good day... Brother."

The last words I added were half sincere and half revenge. I fled the dining room and quickly closed the door. The hallway was empty. I took a deep breath then exhaled slowly. It was my mother's habit. She said that although things were difficult, if she took a deep breath, she would regain her strength. 

I added one more thing to this habit. I promise myself to become a beloved Crown Princess. Now, that was truly the only way. If I became the Crown Princess, my family and Leopold and everyone else would smile brightly at me. I clung to my last hope and tried to keep smiling, ignoring the fact that the edge of my smile was crumbling...

The red wine swirled in his wine glass. Conrad, left alone in the dining room, let out a muffled breath, as if he were exhausted. 

"Okay, I'll be going now. Have a nice day... Brother."

Olivia was a disaster that entered my home. Because of that child, my affectionate parents became worse off than others, and ultimately, my mother died because of her. Even if I tear her apart, it wouldn't be enough, because she's a half-made Madeleine. However, instead of Esella, she had to go to the icy palace and cling to the scoundrel crown prince.

That was all Olivia had. Just holding her position would have been enough. She looked at me, our father, Jade, Esella with her green eyes, as if hoping for something. Even though she knew what it meant, I nipped any hopes that arose in the bud. That child didn't deserve it.

The wine's aftertaste was bitter. As if to relieve his annoyance, Conrad retrieved Jade's letter from his bosom. He had read it as soon as he received it, and it contained a backlog of updates. He's already received reports while working at the Foreign Ministry, but Conrad reread the last part...

'Victory is confirmed. As soon as a few things are resolved, I'll be back soon. Thank you always, brother. Please take care of father and Esella.'

Naturally, there was no mention of Olivia. There was no reason to inform a child outside of the family circle. Conrad scoffed and folded the letter again. The last sentence, where something had been overwritten several times with a pen, as if erasing a mistake, and the faint word 'Oli' beneath it - it was none of Conrad's business.

***

Inside the magnificent drawing room, the Emperor sat on the throne. The most noble seat, adorned with gold and agate, was reserved for him.

The Emperor, with his dazzling blonde hair and bright blue eyes befitting his royal lineage, smiled with satisfaction. Immense wealth and power. Everything was at his feet. He especially had that 'guy'. 

The Emperor nodded leisurely. When the chamberlain opened the door, a tall man wearing black robes walked into the drawing room.

"You're finally arrived. The protagonist of this war."

The Emperor let out a hearty laugh and looked at the man with unsmiling eyes. The man slowly removed his robes. When jet-black hair, a beautiful face, and red ruby eyes were revealed, The Emperor sighed softly without realizing it.

"...You look just like your mother."

The difference between him and the previous Grand Duchess was that he did not smile. The face of the Grand Duchess, who always smiled kindly, came to mind, and the Emperor raised a corner of his mouth.

But, when the previous Grand Duke disappeared and was presumed dead, the Grand Duchess was forcibly confined to this palace. Back then, she too looked at the Emperor in exactly the same way. Just like her son, who know kneels, emotionless, and looks up at the Emperor.

"Edwin Lowell Vikander. I see the sun of the Empire"

The voice that echoed through the living room was eerily cold. The Emperor looked at the man, Edwin Lowell Vikander, with keen eyes.

The Emperor's Dog. A nickname secretly passed around for the man. The Emperor's eyes gleamed greedily at that satisfying nickname. His eyes were blank as if he felt no emotions, and he carried out every command with perfection. He was only a Grand Duke in name, but his actions were no different from those of an assassination squad.

Remembering the tasks he had commanded, the Emperor felt a chill run down his spine. That the noble 'Vikander' family was acting like an assassination squad. It had taken a full ten years to tame 'Vikander'. After swearing oaths to the first emperor and monarch, the Grand Duke of Vikander were granted the Vikander territory, a desolate, cold, wintery mountainous north. They were a thorn in his side, arrogant and boastful of their exceptional swordsmanship.

Those who discovered mines and gold veins in the useless lands of the north instantly overtook the imperial authority. Naturally, he thought of the stiff necked former Grand Duke Vikander. That unlucky bastard who had taken the princess of a fallen nation, whom he thought was his, as his Grand Duchess. 

'It was I who ultimately broke their necks.'

The Emperor, blinking his bright eyes, spoke benevolently. 

"I heard that the Grand Duke always took the lead in this war. As expected of Vikander."

"You are too kind."

"The Grand Duke will soon be officially appointed, and we must hold a magnificent victory banquet. I look forward to the precious spoils he will present to the Imperial Family."

"I will visit the imperial palace immediately after returning."

"Yes. I'll look forward to it. Now that I think about it, you are already over twenty. Now's the time to get married and solidify your family line."

The Emperor secretly took a chance. 

"...I haven't thought about it yet."

"Oh, don't be like that. Vikander's only direct descendant is the Grand Duke. In times like these, we need to strengthen the lineage."

At the emperor's words, the fists beneath his robes clenched so tightly that the tendons stood out. Oblivious to his own mood, the emperor continued to ramble on.

"Come to think of it, didn't the Grand Duke avoid having a debutante? I believe his knighthood was also a simple ceremony."

The Emperor trailed off, pretending not to remember. He knew perfectly well that during his debutante days, he had been repelling the Serach tribe, who were creeping east, and that he had barely received his knighthood, covered in blood, to replace a certain royal commander who had fled. 

'Tsk, if that bastard hadn't fled, Vikander's name wouldn't have spread so widely.'

The emperor clicked his tongue in regret. That made him even more envious. Until now, he had simple wandered the battlefield, as I had sent him, but now he was a thick haired twenty-one-year-old. Vikander's reputation was already rife in the empire, and at some point, his power had grown. He never knew when the lynx might crawl up to him. Therefore, he had no choice but to secure another leash. 

"Still, a knight must have a lady. I heard the princess prepared flowers for you at this victory banquet."

And if it was the shackles of marriage, it was a good deal, one that wouldn't be broken. If the Grand Duke, who resembled the previous Grand Duchess, were to become my family... That would truly be satisfying. Wouldn't the princess of a ruined nation, who had ignored me until the very end, vomit blood if she saw me in the afterlife? The cheerful emperor lowered his voice and spoke softly. 

"...I have some news that the Grand Duke would be happy to hear. That Lowell white crystal mine is now the princess's."

The mine, which she, the former Grand Duchess, treasured as the last remaining asset of the kingdom of Lowell. At the same time, the leash that bound the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke's eyes lit up at that single word. Only then did the emperor, with a leisurely smile, add:

"It's not that the title isn't important, but if you're a married couple, wouldn't you be able to tour the mine without the palace's approval?"

Who would've thought that he'd be so obsessed with the white crystal mine, which he'd received as compensation for the previous Grand Duke Vikander's disappearance in battle? Perhaps because he'd only ever been on the battlefield, he was incredibly naive. He'd advertised the "White Crystal Mine" over twenty times, yet his eyes sparkled like that every time. And this was a mine that had been dry for a full fifteen years. The Grand Duke's obsession was so strange that he searched every nook and cranny of that mine. Even though he dispatched skilled magicians and geologists, all he got back was a report that it was an abandoned mine.

Thinking it was his last chance, he entrusted the investigation to the princess last year. Having grown significantly in the past few years, the princess had even completely restored the land struggling during the spring family, and she thoroughly investigated the white crystal mine. However, the report was the same: it had long since ceased operations. The emperor granted the princess with the mine for her hard work. It was an abandoned mine where the production of white crystal had already run out, but since he had been fighting on the battlefield since he was ten years old, because he cared about his parents, he probably wanted to inherit his mother's last legacy. He had no intention of giving it to anyone, anyway.

The emperor laughed, drenched in arrogance. That arrogance cloud the emperor's eyes. It was unclear whether the Grand Duke looked at the laughing emperor with cold, mocking eyes. And that day, a special edition circulated throughout the Franz Empire. It was good news that the war against Hefferti, in which the Grand Duke had gained the upper hand, had ended in victory.

editor's note: 

heyyyy so if my chapters are wonky in font size - idk why that happens. i edit in wattpad then paste here and edit again. the size is super inconsistent and this is my first blog so excuse my mistakes here. i'll likely be rewriting chapters 1-6 (they were lowkey chopped) so from here on out my quality should be much better. i wrote chapters 1-6 on a whim on my day off (before new The Pitt episode) lol

Chapter Eight