The 17th Princess Just Wants to Live

That night, the full moon rose.

“Ha…”

Looking up at the silver moon as big as my head, I let out a sigh for what felt like the hundredth time.

After that, dinner was just a series of my boring rebuttals and Richard dismissing them as nonsense.

At first, I tried to speak nicely, but Richard wouldn’t listen, so eventually, I ended up shouting.

Richard didn’t get angry. He didn’t try to soothe me, either. No matter what I said, he just kept offering me food.

Eat this, eat that, why aren’t you eating? Have you tried this? Do you know what this is? Your chef can’t do things like this, can he?

It was such a childish attitude. It was pathetic to try to break someone’s spirit with food.

But what was more frustrating was that the food Richard brought was undeniably delicious.

Especially when I took a bite of the whipped cream cake served for dessert, I nearly blurted out that I’d do whatever he wanted with Solea if he’d just give me his chef.

If this was all a strategy, then Richard was undoubtedly a brilliant tactician, unlike in the original story.

“If you need anything, contact Ruby Palace.”

After finishing the meal, Richard left with those words.

I gave a vague reply and locked myself in my room, continuing to agonize over the problem with no solution in sight.

“What should I do…”

My plan to quietly endure for three years and then ride the coattails of the heroine to a life of ease seemed to have completely and utterly shattered.

There was still hope until yesterday. Nearly half of the servants in Opal Palace had died, but Luke had promised to keep it under wraps as much as possible.

But not anymore.

Richard had already decided to bring me into his faction. He came in broad daylight, openly, and even showered me with gifts. This was far beyond what Luke could contain, and he probably wouldn’t even try. Richard wouldn’t want him to.

By now, rumors must be spreading through the palace. That Richard had recruited a princess who was barely known.

I groaned in frustration and clutched my head.

At this rate, the story wouldn’t follow its original course. Three years from now, the awakened Imelda would only recruit weak and powerless princes and princesses. She would never come for someone under Richard’s influence.

Ah, before that, I should worry about whether I would even survive the next three years. If word got out that I’d allied with Richard, there would be more than a few people who’d kill me without a second thought. Hahaha.

“Please, just let me live…”

I hugged my pillow and buried my face in it. A pleasant floral scent filled my nose. The fragrance wasn’t coming from the pillow but from outside. The spring breeze carried the scent of acacia flowers through the open window.

Soft air, a large, shining moon, a strong floral scent. On this perfectly beautiful night, I was stuck worrying about how to survive for just one more day. How miserable.

“Should I just side with Richard?”

I kept thinking about it, and at this point, it seemed like the most realistic strategy.

In the original story, Richard lost to Imelda. But if I remembered the story, I might be able to put Richard on the throne. Knowing the future was a huge advantage.

“But that…”

I let out another sigh, I lost count of how many it had been.

“First of all, it’s scary.”

I was not confident about jumping into the middle of a political battle. For one, the risk of assassination would skyrocket, and I’d have to consider the possibility that Richard might change his mind and abandon me.

And there was a fatal flaw in this strategy.

If I made Richard the emperor, there was a high chance that both the original protagonist, Imelda, and Tristan would die.

I loved the original novel, . I really did.

I loved Imelda, who overcame everything with her abilities despite the odds, and who maintained her kind heart until the end in the insane palace.

And I absolutely, unbelievably loved Tristan, who was saved by her and stayed by her side until the end.

If it ever seemed like there was a difference in my affection between Imelda and Tristan, it was a mistake.

Anyway, was it really okay to sacrifice everyone just so I could survive?

“What should I do…”

At the moment I threw the question into the empty air, where no one would hear it.

“What is it?”

Someone answered.

“Eek!”

I jumped like a startled rabbit.

“Haha, did I scare you?”

A beautiful laugh, like the sound of a clear bell, rang out. I stiffly raised my head.

Someone was sitting on a branch outside the window.

With icy silver hair that seemed to be cut straight from the moonlight and blue eyes that sparkled like jewels. The man, dressed in pure white, was incredibly beautiful, so much so that he seemed unreal.

“Hello, Lucilia.”

He smiled as he said my name.

That smile captivated me like magic. I couldn’t move a finger and could only stare at him.

He was so beautiful that I knew who he was.

Standing frozen, I thought.

I really had crossed a point of no return. Now I’d even met him.

“Hmm?”

He tilted his head slightly, as if puzzled. That movement snapped me back to my senses.

This was no time to lose my mind. Because once again, here I was, in danger of dying, and I was not even tired of it.

If there was one consolation, it was that you got used to crises after a few encounters.

“Welcome to Opal Palace.”

I lightly bowed my head and greeted him.

“Brother Rudolph.”

The 5th Prince, Rudolph Sol Esperusa.

The master of Sapphire Palace and the greatest magician of the empire.

Oh, wait a minute. Was it Rudolph’s mother who was the tower’s master? Then he was not the best yet, just the next in line.

Anyway, the important thing was…

The second of the top three villains from the original work had appeared. Could I cry now?

Whether he knew my complicated feelings or not, Rudolph looked surprised when I mentioned his name.

“How did you know? It’s my first time seeing you.”

In Esperusa, princesses and princes couldn’t attend social gatherings alone until they turned fifteen.

Some imperial children debuted in society while still in their mother’s arms before they could even walk, but not everyone could do that.

Those without supporters, like Lucilia who lost her mother early and had no significant relatives, usually stayed holed up in the palace until they turned fifteen.

Lucilia had never attended an official event. So, it made sense that Lucilia wouldn’t know Rudolph.

I didn’t answer. I just smiled at him.

Rudolph looked at me intently with an expression of interest. It felt like his gaze had a physical touch, and every time he looked at me, it gave me chills.

He was probably lying about it being his first-time seeing Lucilia. Many people were deceived, but you must never be fooled by that innocent and mysterious appearance.

Rudolph Sol was a terrible liar. That interested expression and the faint smile on his lips were all fake.

He didn’t know emotions. He understood the various emotions humans felt with his mind, but he had rarely felt them deeply.

Richard liked fighting and enjoyed winning even more. So, he smiled when he won and got angry when he lost.

But the only emotion, or something similar to emotion, that drove Rudolph was one.

Curiosity.

Rudolph was an empty doll with nothing but curiosity.

So, if you didn’t want to die at Rudolph’s hands, there was only one way.

You had to stimulate Rudolph’s curiosity. And never satisfy that curiosity completely.

“I have a question too, brother.”

And so, I said.

“Did you come to kill me?”

Rudolph’s smile widened a bit more. Seeing that, I almost collapsed.

Your eyes weren’t smiling, you jerk…

Rudolph’s eyes, with the smile gone, were colder than the glaciers in the middle of winter. It felt like just a touch would turn me into an ice statue.

“We both have questions.”

Rudolph stood up from the branch and took a step towards the air. Of course, he didn’t fall clumsily into the air.

Rudolph walked through the sky, approaching me step by step with elegant movements like a fairy of the night.

“Shall we do it this way then?”

Standing right in front of the window, Rudolph spoke to me. His eyes held the same faint smile as before, which reassured me. Facing that fake smile was much better than the earlier look.

“Let’s do the Three Questions of Carlyle.”

I bit my lip and lowered my head slightly.

The Three Questions of Carlyle was an old custom in Esperusa. Two people took turns asking each other three questions and answering them.

The questions must be answerable with or , and once in the three rounds, one could refuse to answer. And the most important thing was, you must tell the truth.

Sometimes they left it to each other’s conscience whether it was the truth, but most of the time, they used magic.

In very old stories, two people would light three enchanted candles in front of them and start questioning. Each time a question was asked, one candle was extinguished, and if the answer was a lie, the candle didn’t go out.

But Rudolph didn’t just check for lies. He bet his life on this questioning.

I took a deep breath with my head down.

This was as expected.

Since I saw Rudolph by the window, I thought this might happen. To be precise, I led it to happen this way. This situation was exactly like the scene where the heroine Imelda met Rudolph in the original work.

Since he greeted me almost identically, I responded the same way Imelda did, leading to this.

But from here on, it was different.

Imelda and I were in very different situations. At that time, Imelda drew attention because she suddenly won the male lead in an auction. That wasn’t a big problem.

The male lead was a slave, and at that time, only a few sharp siblings, including Rudolph, thought it was the start of some plan.

But now, I’d been offered to join Richard under his wing. Rudolph might already see me as an enemy.

Of course, the Three Questions would be different from the original. I must navigate this crisis alone.

It was a lie to say I was not scared, but the fact that Rudolph didn’t kill me right away gave me some courage. It meant I’d succeeded in piquing his curiosity.

So, I needed to be brave. Running away in fear meant the end. Since I’d come this far, I might as well go all the way.

I looked up at Rudolph and spoke.

“Alright.”

For a moment, Rudolph smiled so happily.

Like a child receiving a box full of chocolates, sweet enough to melt away.

Ha…

Crazy…

What was it about beauty that made you lose your mind even in the face of death? If you wanted to know about it, come to the Imperial Family of Esperusa.

Following Richard, I learned for the second time that overwhelming beauty could completely overtake reason.

Suddenly, I had a thought. Let’s use the information from the original as much as possible and become the emperor. Then, instead of killing my siblings, I would keep them around and admire them every day. The happiest happy ending for everyone!

Such handsome men were like national treasures. Killing them all was too wasteful. What idiot threw away a national treasure?

“I hate liars. So, if you want to do the Three Questions with me, you have to bet your life.”

Rudolph’s soft voice brought my wandering mind back to reality.

Right… throwing away a national treasure was foolish, but keeping a psycho machine that enjoyed killing people was even more foolish…

I steadied my dizzy mind and answered.

“I’m not a liar. So, I’m fine with betting my life.”