Chapter 35
Persephone, who had been wearing a kind smile, sighed softly, as if weary.
She seemed to think I was clinging to the engagement and trying to justify my reasons.
“I fail to understand why Your Highness won’t use the power you already possess.”
With the ducal house backing her, Rogian’s influence would be of little concern.
“The matter of the throne is my concern alone, not something for you to worry about, my lady.”
“I will agree to Your Highness’s request.”
Just as Persephone, thinking our conversation a waste of time, signaled Lerbian to show me out, she froze.
I had expected her to react with indifference or, at most, restrained satisfaction, but her response was neither. Was she taken aback that the lady who once sought this engagement now accepted its dissolution?
“What did you say…?”
“Isn’t this the answer you wanted to hear?”
“…Are you serious?”
“Considering you used to trail after me as a child, calling me ‘sister,’ it stings a little to hear you say that.”
“Lady April.”
At the mention of our past, a slight flush tinged his cheeks, perhaps with embarrassment.
I let out a soft laugh and spoke with a smile.
“However, I do have a condition.”
Predictably, his golden eyes turned cold, sensing the caveat in my words.
“I ask that the annulment be deferred for one year.”
“…I have many questions, but let’s start with why it has to be a year.”
That would be the time I planned to depart the ducal household—and the time April would need to endure alone.
If April remained unhealed, she would be unable to become the crown princess. And in this world, I alone possessed the means to restore her.
“There is something I intend to accomplish within the year.”
“Something you intend to accomplish?”
“You may not believe me, but there’s someone I hope to see once I am no longer your fiancée.”
He continued to look at me, a trace of confusion still lingering in his gaze.
“Are you speaking of another man in front of your betrothed?”
“It was Your Highness who first asked for this annulment.”
He seemed to suspect I had someone else in mind.
That it was not a man but a woman he would likely never imagine—nor that it was the beloved daughter of the ducal house, April.
I was indifferent to whatever misunderstandings Persephone might harbor.
What mattered to me was not an immediate annulment, but a delay of one year.
“Besides, if we sever ties now, Your Highness would find it more troublesome, wouldn’t you?”
Rogian, in particular, would be eager to exploit the opportunity.
He would seize the chance to parade noblewomen before Persephone, urging her toward a match of his own choosing.
“During this one-year reprieve, Your Highness can make the necessary preparations to keep Lord Rogian in check and ensure he doesn’t entertain any ideas.”
“…”
“For a perfect, mutually beneficial annulment in a year.”
“It’s difficult to simply take your word, my lady.”
“Your doubts are understandable, but I assure you my intentions are genuine.”
“…”
“Use me as you will for the next year—everything I possess, everything I am.”
“…You surprise me, my lady, with such a sudden change of heart.”
“What’s surprising is Your Highness’s reluctance to trust me.”
“What brought about this change in you?”
I was about to dismiss his question when he interrupted, his tone pointed, insistent.
“Is this a ploy to prolong our connection in some way?”
His words trailed off.
Persephone’s brow furrowed slightly.
“The reason will become clear to you in a year.”
“…”
“And, truthfully, I wish you well with the one you hold dear.”
In truth, I looked forward to seeing April’s reaction upon her return to the duke’s household—the heartbreak and sorrow she would feel when the annulment finally proceeded and Persephone would no longer be hers to cling to.
“Use me as your shield, Your Highness.”
“…”
“And in turn, I need the title of ‘Your Highness’s fiancée’ for just one more year.”
“My lady.”
“This is the first and last request from the sister you once wished me to be.”
I had rarely asked him for anything so earnestly. When Persephone had overcome her muteness, he would often say he wished I were his sister.
I had thought he might be embarrassed by the memory of his childhood wishes, but he showed no sign of that.
“In a year, whether you wish it or not, the engagement will end.”
“You’re certain?”
“I am.”
If Persephone failed to secure her position by then, Rogian would waste no time openly pushing for an annulment with the ducal family.
“You may hold me to my word.”
Persephone seemed unconvinced, but I offered a small smile. Lerbian and Persephone exchanged glances, contemplating my offer.
Was it concern for the one she cared for?
I felt a slight dryness in my throat, and though I wanted a sip of water, the table was devoid of any refreshments or even a single glass.
A smile tugged at my lips.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I’ve known you since you were a child, but I’ve never seen you so affected by anyone, Your Highness. You seem to be thinking of the lady who has captured your heart.”
He looked at me as if puzzled, then loosened the cravat at his neck.
He appeared slightly flustered, embarrassed by the mention of his childhood.
I stifled a chuckle, realizing just how much Persephone had grown—no longer the young boy trailing behind me but now a striking young man.
“As a child, you’d follow me everywhere, saying that you needed no one but me.”
“Is that so?”
Lerbian seemed taken aback, and Persephone frowned, trying to hide his embarrassment.
“…When was this?”
It was, indeed, a long time ago. In my memories, Persephone had always felt less like an equal and more like a younger sibling to be cared for.
Even three years before my departure from the ducal household, he still seemed like a shy boy. But now, after those years apart, he had matured fully.
Now, he was a young man—a former little brother who wanted this annulment because he had found someone he loved.
If things had been different, if I had genuinely been the duke’s daughter and his fiancée, I would have easily accepted his first request for annulment.
His golden eyes studied me with a faint hint of doubt.
Did he think I had an ulterior motive for making this proposal?
I couldn’t tell if he doubted my sincerity or if something else concerned him when his pale pink lips parted.
“You confuse me when you act like this, my lady.”
What did he mean? I blinked slowly.
“Today, it feels as if I’m speaking with the version of you I once knew.”
“…”
“For the past three years, you didn’t seem like the same lady I shared my youth with. But now… now you remind me of her.”
I thought I heard a gasp—almost as if someone had stolen my breath.
Of all things, I hadn’t expected to hear this from Persephone, and I found myself momentarily speechless.
The lightness in the room, briefly stirred by our reminiscing, grew still and heavy once more.
If necessary, I would reveal my true identity to Persephone, but not yet.
I would wait until April returned to the duke’s household before disclosing everything.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
In this situation, feigning ignorance was all I could do.
“I desire this annulment as much as anyone.”
Over the coming year, I would begin dismantling everything April cherished.
And I would ensure that all the things the duke’s household intended for her would be left in shambles, rendered unworthy to offer.
“I will assist you, Your Highness. Trust me.”
Enjoying the story? Don't forget to rate 5 stars and review in NovelUpdte!