The 17th Princess Just Wants to Live

“Welcome, brother.”

Richard looked displeased as he entered the Opal Palace. However, he seemed in better shape than yesterday. At least today, it seemed like he’d warn someone before killing them. I thought nonchalantly.

“What kind of state are you in?”

“Excuse me?”

Richard glared at the servants behind me.

“Do you think this is something a princess should be wearing? What kind of sack have they dressed you in?”

Why did he keep picking on my servants? I hurriedly tried to calm him down.

“Please don’t get angry, brother! It’s because I’m too skinny!”

Oh. That was a mistake. That was practically the same as saying, “They starved me.”

Richard seemed to think the same, glaring alternately at me and the servants. But unlike yesterday, he didn’t draw his sword immediately.

Richard gestured irritably toward his back. Then, the servants from the Ruby Palace who were waiting outside began bringing in a pile of something.

“Change into this.”

“Excuse me?”

The servants stacked the boxes in front of me. I opened the topmost one.

It was a dress. A soft light green, similar to the color of my eyes, like the first sprouts of spring.

I looked up at Richard in a daze.

“Is this for me?”

“Who else would it be for? Should I wear it?”

Without thinking, I imagined him in the dress.

… it would look really, really good on him.

At that moment, Richard approached and abruptly closed the box I was looking into. He then whispered in a chilling tone.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Sometimes, I suspected Richard wasn’t human but a beast. How else could he have such sharp instincts?

“Hurry up and put it on.”

“I-is this really for me?”

I stammered and tried to refuse.

“I can’t accept something like this. It’s too expensive…”

“If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll cut off your servants’ fingers.”

What kind of jerk was this?

Stunned, I glared at Richard with all my might.

Seeing my expression, the Ruby Palace servants gasped in horror and swallowed hard. Hearing that, I snapped back to reality and forced a smile. Richard smirked as he looked at me.

“So, go on and change.”

Before I knew it, I was already in my room, and Miriam was fussing over me as she helped me into the light green dress.

I buried my face in my hands and sighed deeply.

Ugh, seriously, that jerk with a terrible personality had such a devastatingly beautiful smile that it made people lose their minds.

***

“I’m dressed…”

I stood awkwardly before Richard in the dress.

It fit me well. Perfectly, annoyingly so.

I met him just yesterday, so how did he manage to get a dress in my exact size within a day? I wanted to ask, but I didn’t think he’d answer.

Richard looked at me up and down. His sullen expression remained, but it seemed to have softened from a 10 to an 8, which was a relief.

“Hello, Princess. Did you sleep well last night?”

When Richard, that rude jerk, didn’t respond, Luke Clyton, who stood beside him, greeted me.

Luke’s voice was soft and calm, putting people at ease. His presence was especially valuable since he was the only sane person who could keep Richard in check.

I gave Luke a warm smile.

“Thanks to you, yes.”

I added a question out of concern.

“Don’t you have a lot of work to do? Is it okay for you to be here?”

Having read the original story, it was natural for me to ask.

In the original, Luke Clyton was a character who worked a lot. He managed all the strategic planning for Richard, who hated dealing with political matters, and had to clean up after him too.

In the original story, he was described as having sunken eyes and being as thin as a walking skeleton, but since this was before the story began, his face still looked full of life.

It was a pity such a good person would end up suffering because of the heroine in the original.

“Serving the Prince is my most important duty.”

“There’s no need for that.”

Richard spoke in a dismissive tone.

“Just hurry and bring the food.”

Was he in a bad mood because he was hungry? I called Matilda, who was waiting nearby.

“Matilda, could you…”

But Richard stopped me.

“Never mind. I brought it myself.”

At his signal, the servants from the Ruby Palace bustled in and began setting the table with food.

I watched in disbelief. Brought it himself? From the Ruby Palace to here?

The Ruby Palace was quite far from the Opal Palace. Just bringing the food here would’ve been a hassle, and the dishes laid out on the table were even warm. That meant either the cooking was done with magic, or the dishes had been enchanted to keep the food warm.

Come to think of it, Richard was particularly sensitive about food in the original story too.

For Imperial Family members, worrying about being poisoned was a basic concern, but I remembered Richard was particularly obsessed with it. I recalled a scene where he didn’t drink a single sip of water at a banquet hosted by the emperor.

“Hey.”

“Yes?!”

Richard suddenly called out to me. I was so startled, deep in thought about the original story for the first time in a while, that I immediately responded.

Even though Richard certainly didn’t have such abilities, he was surprisingly perceptive, making me feel like he could always read my mind.

But still, what did he want to pick a fight about this time…?

“You, come work under me.”

“Sorry?”

I asked back in a dazed tone. I couldn’t understand what Richard was trying to say.

Work under him? What did that mean? Was he offering to take me in as a servant?

“What His Highness Richard means…”

Luke, who had been observing the two of us, cautiously intervened in the conversation.

“His Highness Richard hopes that you would support him to become the Solea. If you do that, we will guarantee many things, including your safety.”

My jaw dropped open in an unseemly manner.

Solea referred to the official successor of the emperor, the next emperor.

The Imperial Family of Esperusa had a unique tradition where not only the emperor but also the emperor’s children participated in the meeting to choose the Solea. Everyone could cast a vote fairly.

The tradition of siblings killing each other supposedly originated because of this. There were so many instances where people promised their votes and then backstabbed others that killing was deemed cleaner. Indeed, the family had been crazy for generations.

So, for Richard to ask me to support him as the Solea…

Simply put, it was a proposal to join his side in the battle for the throne.

Why was this happening? Did he think I’d abandon my sister and side with him?

While I was too flabbergasted to speak, the servants of the Ruby Palace quickly placed a bowl of soup in front of me.

“Why don’t you eat first?”

Richard said, picking up a spoon. His carefree attitude made me bristle.

I took a deep breath, trembling. I was about to say something to Richard. I told him yesterday that I wanted to live quietly, so why was he saying something completely different now?

However, as soon as I caught a whiff of the soup’s aroma lingering at the tip of my nose, the anger that had surged suddenly melted away. In its place, an overwhelming hunger took over.

“Thank you for the meal…”

I picked up the spoon as if I were in a trance.

Even though I had breakfast, my stomach rumbled as if it had never happened. I guessed a growing child couldn’t help it.

I took a spoonful of soup. I intended to ask Richard if he was joking after that.

But the moment I swallowed the soup, all thoughts in my head vanished.

Wait, just one more bite.

Mm, another bite.

Yes, just one more, and then I would ask if he remembered what I said yesterday.

With that in mind, I busily continued to eat, and before I knew it, the plate was empty.

As soon as I saw the white bottom of the plate, I realized that I had focused solely on eating without saying a word.

“Uh, um…”

Embarrassed, I tried to say something, but Richard gestured toward his servants. They cleared the soup plate and placed the next dish in front of me.

“You have a good appetite; it’s nice to see.”

There was a faint smile on Richard’s lips as he said that.

It was an unexpectedly gentle expression. It wasn’t just my imagination, as I could clearly see Luke, who was standing behind Richard, widened his eyes in shock.

I looked at Richard, feeling a strange and indescribable emotion.

Why was he acting like this toward me?

The Richard I knew was a complete madman with a thirst for blood. He killed people without a second thought, and even enjoyed it. He was a violent, self-centered beast. That was the Richard I knew, the Richard I remembered.

But who was this man, smiling as if he was satisfied by just watching me eat?

“Eat a lot and put on some weight. If you still look like a skeleton the next time I see you, the chef of Opal Palace will die immediately.”

Ah, it really was Richard Khan Esperusa, after all. At least in some ways.

I picked up the fork, trying to steel myself against the softening feelings.

“Brother.”

“What?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I have to decline.”

Richard frowned.

“You’re refusing to gain weight?”

“Not that! I mean the offer to work under you!”

I said that while carefully watching Richard’s reaction. He had gone out of his way to be kind, so I wondered if he would get angry if I rejected him.

But Richard didn’t get angry.

“You don’t have the right to refuse.”

“What?”

Richard rejected my rejection.

“But it’s my decision! Why wouldn’t I have the right to refuse?”

“Because.”

Richard picked up a knife from the table and pointed it at me.

“You’re weak and powerless.”

I was struck speechless.

“Do you know what it means to be weak? It means you can’t live your life the way you want. It means you get pushed around by the strong and end up doing only what you don’t want to do until you die. Your life has probably been like that so far, and if you have your way, it will continue to be like that.”

Richard’s fingers moved elegantly. The knife that had been pointed at me slowly tilted downward until it dropped onto the table.

No, it didn’t just drop—it embedded itself into the table.

Without a sound, the silver knife sank into the wooden table as if it were soft butter.

“But I am strong.”

There was no need for this kind of show of strength; I already knew very well…

“I’m strong enough to control your life.”

Richard easily pulled the knife out and placed it back where it belonged, then flashed a grin.

“So, your life is mine now.”

This was driving me crazy, really.