The 17th Princess Just Wants to Live

From behind me, a voice of horror rang out between Rudolph and the people surrounding him

“Did… did His Highness the 12th Prince just smile?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen him speak so kindly.”

“My goodness, the rumors were true…”

I was curious about what rumors were going around, but at the same time, I didn’t want to know. While harboring such contradictory thoughts, I kept up my act of being the innocent little sister.

“Brother Rudolph is here too!”

I pulled Richard’s hand toward Rudolph. Just as Richard’s gaze met Rudolph’s, his eyes started to harden.

Squeeze.

I tightened my grip on Richard’s hand.

“You’re going to greet him, right?”

Please, don’t make a big scene—let’s just get through this quietly.

With that thought in mind, I looked at Richard pleadingly. Since he had animal-like instincts, I believed he would understand my feelings.

“What a blessed evening it is, Richard.”

Rudolph approached us first to exchange greetings. In the brief moment when Richard bowed his head and straightened up again, I was incredibly tense.

“Yes, it’s been a while, brother.”

Though Richard greeted Rudolph with a smile, his crooked lips and strangely casual tone couldn’t exactly be called perfect.

However, considering they used to fight to the death whenever they met, this was a huge improvement.

“Is that dress a gift from brother? You’ve got a good eye.”

Once again, voices of astonishment rose around us. Richard was complimenting Rudolph. I clearly heard people whispering that this had never happened since the two had become rivals.

“Thank you for saying so.”

“You’re too kind.”

But of course, Richard was still Richard.

“But I’ve decided to take care of Lucilia from now on. So, if you plan on taking her to places like this, you should inform me.”

The softening atmosphere instantly became tense again. I definitely heard Luke let out a small groan from behind Richard.

“Taking care of her? I wonder if Lucilia agreed to that. You see, I’m quite good at looking after my younger siblings too.”

Rudolph didn’t back down at all.

A taut tension, like a drawn piano wire, hung between the two of them. Some people around us began to back away cautiously.

Caught in the middle, I closed my eyes and briefly escaped from reality.

Goodbye, sister heroine. I thought it was all over, but now there was an even worse situation. I hoped we could meet again someday.

Starting tomorrow, rumors would surely spread across not just the palace but the entire social circle. They would say the 5th and 12th Princes had a showdown over a single princess. I wanted to disappear on the spot.

“I think it’s you who didn’t get her consent.”

But I couldn’t stay in my escape for long. Richard’s voice started to show signs of anger.

I opened my eyes wide.

Wait a second, wasn’t this dangerous?

These two had nearly fought in front of everyone before. Richard had half-drawn his sword while Rudolph had already prepared a spell, waiting for Richard to make a move.

Though that incident happens much later in the original story, their tempers were the same now as they were then, so it was just as dangerous.

In a panic, I grabbed the hem of Rudolph’s robe with one hand and Richard’s with the other. Both men flinched and looked down at me simultaneously.

With the heart of Mother Teresa giving a speech about world peace, I spoke up.

“Brothers, are you going to fight…?”

I put on a teary-eyed expression and let my voice tremble.

Even though princes and princesses tend to act more mature, I was only twelve, and this was my first time outside of my palace, let alone at a social event. Besides, I probably looked like a ten-year-old since I hadn’t eaten much.

“Please don’t fight. I like both of you…”

So, this should be okay, right?

I looked between the two of them with a trembling lip, then hung my head low.

‘Tears, come on…’

Though I managed to make a sorrowful face, producing actual tears was no easy task. As I fidgeted nervously, I heard the calm voice of an older woman.

“My, Princes. You’re troubling a child—what kind of brothers do that?”

Her words met with laughter from those around us, who chimed in one by one.

“She’s right, Your Highnesses. The 17th Princess is too young to understand any of this.”

“At twelve, playing with dolls is more appropriate than politics, ha-ha.”

“And it’s her first party, after all. Don’t be too hard on her—it’s a joyous occasion.”

The tension that had been at its peak started to ease. No one wanted this celebration to turn into chaos, and that sentiment was clearly conveyed to the two of them as well.

“I apologize, Richard. I got ahead of myself out of concern for Lucilia.”

It was Rudolph who offered an apology first. With that, he became the magnanimous older brother who graciously apologized to the younger brother who provoked him. Richard, however, still looked displeased.

Oh dear, Richard was still too young. He was no match for Rudolph when it came to slyness. Given his personality, I doubted even a few more years would make him as shameless as Rudolph.

“I understand how you feel, brother. Let’s talk about this later.”

Still, it seemed that Richard also felt it would be disadvantageous to escalate things further. As he backed down, Rudolph also nodded.

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

And that was the end of the conversation.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave. See you later.”

Richard left us with a farewell and walked away. As I watched his back, he turned his head and looked at me as if he knew everything.

His red eyes gleamed towards me.

You. Are. Dead.

Richard didn’t say a word, but that was what it felt like he was saying in my mind.

What would my future hold? I might need to give all the servants a day off if Richard ever came to our palace again.

Still, I was relieved to have averted the worst-case scenario for now. As I felt that relief, a fierce hunger roared in my stomach.

Oh, right, this was a party. I hadn’t eaten anything because I was busy greeting people.

How cruel it was to starve me! As I thought that and glared at Rudolph, he smiled as if he could read my mind.

“You must be exhausted, huh?”

I quickly hid my disgruntled expression and weakly nodded.

“Let’s take a break. And have something to eat.”

As Rudolph said this, he gestured to a nearby servant. The servant disappeared briefly and returned with several others.

I thought Rudolph had ordered food, but instead, the servants brought a table and chairs.

They placed a garden table and chairs next to us and quickly set it with food and drinks. Finally, they put up a decorative screen made of luxurious fabric around the table and vanished.

Everything happened so smoothly that I couldn’t take my eyes off it, like a child watching magic.

Oh, my goodness. So, this was how garden parties were supposed to be. Instead of going to the table, the table came to you — now, this was the life of the upper class.

I thought that as I sat down in a daze.

Seeing the food laid out on the table, my eyes widened once again. The dishes were so beautiful, like something out of a movie, glittering under the light.

But Rudolph didn’t seem interested in the food; he just held a champagne glass, not even glancing at the cutlery.

Not hungry? Well, I guessed he would eat when he was hungry.

I picked up a small cream puff that looked soft and popped it into my mouth.

It melted softly in my mouth, and as I gently bit down, the rich cream burst forth.

Oh my gosh. What should I do? It was so good.

After something sweet, I craved something salty. I grabbed a cracker topped with cheese, olives, and crispy bacon and ate it in one bite. The salty and savory flavors filled my mouth.

Next was whipped cream pudding, then a ham and cheese sandwich, and then a strawberry tart…

I happily started devouring the food, alternating between sweet and salty, the flavors almost overwhelming me.

I almost forgot about Rudolph’s presence altogether.

It was while I was taking a bite of a scone slathered with butter and jam that Rudolph suddenly poured tea into the cup in front of me, just as I was thinking the scone was too dry and catching in my throat.

When I lifted my head, my eyes met Rudolph’s as he watched me.

How long had he been watching me…?

Embarrassed, I avoided his gaze and sipped the tea. The fragrance of the tea was also delightful.

“The budget for Opal Palace must be pretty tight.”

Rudolph said.

Was that his way of saying,

Afraid that even Rudolph might stir up trouble in my palace, I shook my head vigorously.

“I didn’t eat much because of all the party preparations today.”

Since early morning, I’d been running around, getting washed and dressed, and except for a few pieces of fruit that Miriam gave me, I hadn’t eaten anything.

“Well, I didn’t either.”

Surprisingly, Rudolph nodded in agreement.

Did Rudolph go through the same chaos this morning?

Seemed to be. The emperor’s birthday celebration was the biggest social event in the empire, along with New Year’s. Rudolph probably had as much to prepare for as I did. He must be starving.

“Aren’t you going to eat, brother?”

“I’ve eaten.”

I hadn’t paid much attention to Rudolph while I was focused on the food, but this felt like a lie.

“This is really good.”

I decided to give him the chocolate pudding I had saved for the last, placing it on his plate.

If you were going to eat just a little, you might as well eat something high in calories. You would need the energy to get through the rest of the party.

However, Rudolph didn’t touch the pudding. Instead, he just looked at me and spoke.

“How much of this is an act and how much of it is genuine?”

“Pardon?”

I blinked.

“That silly little act you pulled in front of Richard earlier.”

I swallowed the food in my mouth.

Was he seriously throwing this fastball right now? And while I was eating?

“Richard didn’t seem to buy it, and do you think I would fall for it either? But looking at you like this…”

Rudolph stared at me for a moment and then said.

“You really do seem like a seven-year-old. It’s strange.”

So, he was saying he had seen through my act of pretending to be an innocent 12-year-old, right?

“I’m not sure what you mean…”

I tried to brush it off with a smile, but Rudolph ignored me.

“I wasn’t completely sure until the Carlyle’s Three Questions. But after being here, I’m certain.”

Rudolph slowly spoke as he rested his cheek on his hand. There was an amused smile on his face.

“I could tell by the look in your eyes.”

“My eyes?”

That wasn’t an act; that was genuine confusion. How could he tell anything just from my eyes?

“You weren’t interested in most of the nobles.”

Rudolph said, pouring champagne into his empty glass.

“No matter who introduced themselves, you didn’t care. It seemed like you were listening, but it was clear you had no interest. However, among them, there were a few people you observed with a sparkle in your eyes…”

Rudolph looked at me over his champagne glass. His blue eyes swirled like they were melting into the golden champagne.

“I found it all very amusing.”