“Your Highness, Princess!”
“Your Highness…!”
“Please, just meet me!”
Rosena turned her head toward the sound. His face was not visible, but outside the Third Prince Palace, someone was screaming hard.
They had been visiting the palace for days, but they weren’t allowed in, so they called Rosena from outside like that.
“Please, convince His Highneeeeesss!”
Rosena shook her head at the voice that resonated like an echo.
“Haa…..”
A sigh burst out.
Now they were hoping that Rosena would persuade Yerhan to rise to the throne. On the day of the meeting, Yerhan said he would not become the crown prince, and Rosena accepted. Still, they kept coming and it was a mess.
Besides, it was troublesome because they only came when Yehan wasn’t around. She wanted to kick them out, but she gave up because it would get into Yerhan’s ears and bother him.
“The crown prince! Is only His Highness, the Third Prince!!”
“Only the Third Prince!”
Seeing them even shouting slogans, Rosena drank the cold tea. Then someone knocked on the door.
As Rosena looked at the door, the doorknob slowly turned and Illian stuck his head out.
“Mom?”
Rosena immediately stood up. Come to think of it, it was time for Illian to return from his class.
“How was today’s class, wait… What is that?”
Rosena looked at the boxes in Illian’s arms.
From shiny candies to flashy toys, they were just what the kids would love.
“Hmm, the uncles outside gave it to me.”
…… Now they were even trying to convince the child.
Rosena took a deep breath.
“……”
Illian put all the gifts he had received from the nobles on the floor.
He got it by accident, but if he had known that Rosena would make such a worried face, he would have thrown it in the trash right away.
After a while, the sound stopped outside. They stopped only when Yerhan came to the palace. When he looked out the window to see if Yerhan had come, she heard a knock again.
“Your Highness, Princess. Marquis Jurgen is here.”
At the words of Ella, the maid, Rosena stopped.
“The Marquis of Jurgen?”
He is Ibella’s father. And he had a private session with Rosena before.
Rosena said, pondering why the marquis had suddenly come to visit her.
“Let him in. Illian, in a little while, Mom will go to your room with a snack.”
“All right.”
“Be good.”
As Rosena stroked his hair, Illian smiled broadly.
Not long after Illian left the room, the door opened. Rosena looked at the face of the one who had just entered.
“Long time no see.”
Seeing the Marquis still standing straight, Rosena smiled faintly.
“You’re right. Please sit here.”
At Rosena’s suggestion, Marquis Jurgen sat down on the sofa opposite her. The sofa was so soft that he felt like he was going to sink down.
Rosena set the teacup in front of Marquis Jurgen. As the delicate rose scent brushed the tip of his nose, the marquis said,
“The tea smells good.”
“Really? Maybe it’s because it’s made of dried roses that were last year’s first blooms.”
Rosena laughed softly. It had to be special because it was made from roses that Yerhan picked for her.
“By the way, what did you come here for?”
Rosena asked, holding up her teacup. Then, Marquis Jurgen’s lips twitched.
Rosena tilted her head, wondering what he wanted to say to look like that.
After a while, the Marquis opened his mouth with his head straight as if he had made up his mind.
“Your Highness, please become the empress.”
Rosena didn’t say anything and just blinked.
Not the crown princess, but the empress.
When Rosena was silent, Marquis Jurgen spoke again.
“The only person who can become the empress now is only Your Highness.”
“The empress is still alive, so why?”
Rosena remembered Empress Tersia.
She hadn’t seen the empress since the funeral that day. She heard that she was just being imprisoned in a deep palace, thinking that Zigrit was dead, and was only screaming madly. However, since she had not been deposed yet, Tersia was still the empress.
Even if she could not appear in the future vacancy, it was considered a little early to discuss the new empress.
Besides, it was no one else, and to her the position of the empress… was too heavy.
“Your Highness.”
Marquis Jurgen quietly called for Rosena. Rosena realized that he was trying to persuade her, and she refused.
“Please find someone else.”
“…Now, the only people left in the Imperial Palace are the Little Highness, the Third Prince and Your Highness.”
As Marquis Jurgen said, the only remaining royal family was the family of the third prince.
Asilia was also expelled, and the second prince, Zeref, sneaked out of the Imperial Palace with his children.
This vast imperial castle had become a place where only the third prince’s family stayed.
But Rosena did not want to accept the offer. It was burdensome, but she did not want to make any more sacrifices.
After all of this was over, she was planning to take Illian and go to Astania with Yerhan.
However, if she suddenly accepted the offer to become the empress, she had no choice but to be trapped here in the future.
When Rosena was silent, Jurgen placed his interlaced hands on the table.
“The reason why I come and persuade Your Highness is not because of the royal family.”
“……”
“Because I believe that His Highness the Third Prince and Your Highness can change the empire.”
The expression of Marquis Jurgen was one of strong faith. Rosena’s eyes fluttered at his serious look.
“The empire is too corrupt.”
Rosena agreed with him. The nobles have forsaken reason for profit.
Without going too far, even if Rosena’s father spoke the right words, he was hated by the nobles and cast aside by the emperor.
From the top, the discipline collapsed, so of course the bottom was a mess.
The soldiers guarding the fortress and the guards in charge of policing the city were given small bribes.
“…If this continues, the empire will soon collapse.”
There was no exaggeration in his gloomy voice.
As Rosena looked at him softly, the marquis said with strength.
“We must open the future of our descendants. For the sake of our children.”
Rosena pursed her lips. As Rosena was also raising a child, she fully understood what he was saying.
A future for the children. It was also an issue for adults to take responsibility for. But Rosena was not ready to answer. She was born and raised here, but there were more painful things than pleasant and delightful things.
“Your Highness’ father, the Count… also worked hard to change the empire. I heard that he was hated by the emperor, but he did not give up until the end.”
Rosena’s eyes quickly became wet. Every time she heard stories about her father, her heart ached.
The empire her father tried to change so much……
But in the end, her father had to face reality and had no choice but to be frustrated.
“Please do not abandon the empire.”
Rosena slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. And after a while, she opened her tightly closed lips.
“…I’ll think about it.”
“That means…”
“It’s not something I can decide on my own.”
Rosena barely managed to suppress her overcrowded emotions.
The marquis looked at Rosena quietly and stood up. After he politely greeted and left the living room, Rosena remained still for a long time.
“….Haaa.”
Rosena let out a small sigh. She had not been shaken up until now, but today’s conversation with the marquis was different. She thought she should have a serious conversation with Yerhan.
“Your Highness, Princess!”
“Your Highness…!”
“Please, just meet me!”
Rosena turned her head toward the sound. His face was not visible, but outside the Third Prince Palace, someone was screaming hard.
They had been visiting the palace for days, but they weren’t allowed in, so they called Rosena from outside like that.
“Please, convince His Highneeeeesss!”
Rosena shook her head at the voice that resonated like an echo.
“Haa…..”
A sigh burst out.
Now they were hoping that Rosena would persuade Yerhan to rise to the throne. On the day of the meeting, Yerhan said he would not become the crown prince, and Rosena accepted. Still, they kept coming and it was a mess.
Besides, it was troublesome because they only came when Yehan wasn’t around. She wanted to kick them out, but she gave up because it would get into Yerhan’s ears and bother him.
“The crown prince! Is only His Highness, the Third Prince!!”
“Only the Third Prince!”
Seeing them even shouting slogans, Rosena drank the cold tea. Then someone knocked on the door.
As Rosena looked at the door, the doorknob slowly turned and Illian stuck his head out.
“Mom?”
Rosena immediately stood up. Come to think of it, it was time for Illian to return from his class.
“How was today’s class, wait… What is that?”
Rosena looked at the boxes in Illian’s arms.
From shiny candies to flashy toys, they were just what the kids would love.
“Hmm, the uncles outside gave it to me.”
…… Now they were even trying to convince the child.
Rosena took a deep breath.
“……”
Illian put all the gifts he had received from the nobles on the floor.
He got it by accident, but if he had known that Rosena would make such a worried face, he would have thrown it in the trash right away.
After a while, the sound stopped outside. They stopped only when Yerhan came to the palace. When he looked out the window to see if Yerhan had come, she heard a knock again.
“Your Highness, Princess. Marquis Jurgen is here.”
At the words of Ella, the maid, Rosena stopped.
“The Marquis of Jurgen?”
He is Ibella’s father. And he had a private session with Rosena before.
Rosena said, pondering why the marquis had suddenly come to visit her.
“Let him in. Illian, in a little while, Mom will go to your room with a snack.”
“All right.”
“Be good.”
As Rosena stroked his hair, Illian smiled broadly.
Not long after Illian left the room, the door opened. Rosena looked at the face of the one who had just entered.
“Long time no see.”
Seeing the Marquis still standing straight, Rosena smiled faintly.
“You’re right. Please sit here.”
At Rosena’s suggestion, Marquis Jurgen sat down on the sofa opposite her. The sofa was so soft that he felt like he was going to sink down.
Rosena set the teacup in front of Marquis Jurgen. As the delicate rose scent brushed the tip of his nose, the marquis said,
“The tea smells good.”
“Really? Maybe it’s because it’s made of dried roses that were last year’s first blooms.”
Rosena laughed softly. It had to be special because it was made from roses that Yerhan picked for her.
“By the way, what did you come here for?”
Rosena asked, holding up her teacup. Then, Marquis Jurgen’s lips twitched.
Rosena tilted her head, wondering what he wanted to say to look like that.
After a while, the Marquis opened his mouth with his head straight as if he had made up his mind.
“Your Highness, please become the empress.”
Rosena didn’t say anything and just blinked.
Not the crown princess, but the empress.
When Rosena was silent, Marquis Jurgen spoke again.
“The only person who can become the empress now is only Your Highness.”
“The empress is still alive, so why?”
Rosena remembered Empress Tersia.
She hadn’t seen the empress since the funeral that day. She heard that she was just being imprisoned in a deep palace, thinking that Zigrit was dead, and was only screaming madly. However, since she had not been deposed yet, Tersia was still the empress.
Even if she could not appear in the future vacancy, it was considered a little early to discuss the new empress.
Besides, it was no one else, and to her the position of the empress… was too heavy.
“Your Highness.”
Marquis Jurgen quietly called for Rosena. Rosena realized that he was trying to persuade her, and she refused.
“Please find someone else.”
“…Now, the only people left in the Imperial Palace are the Little Highness, the Third Prince and Your Highness.”
As Marquis Jurgen said, the only remaining royal family was the family of the third prince.
Asilia was also expelled, and the second prince, Zeref, sneaked out of the Imperial Palace with his children.
This vast imperial castle had become a place where only the third prince’s family stayed.
But Rosena did not want to accept the offer. It was burdensome, but she did not want to make any more sacrifices.
After all of this was over, she was planning to take Illian and go to Astania with Yerhan.
However, if she suddenly accepted the offer to become the empress, she had no choice but to be trapped here in the future.
When Rosena was silent, Jurgen placed his interlaced hands on the table.
“The reason why I come and persuade Your Highness is not because of the royal family.”
“……”
“Because I believe that His Highness the Third Prince and Your Highness can change the empire.”
The expression of Marquis Jurgen was one of strong faith. Rosena’s eyes fluttered at his serious look.
“The empire is too corrupt.”
Rosena agreed with him. The nobles have forsaken reason for profit.
Without going too far, even if Rosena’s father spoke the right words, he was hated by the nobles and cast aside by the emperor.
From the top, the discipline collapsed, so of course the bottom was a mess.
The soldiers guarding the fortress and the guards in charge of policing the city were given small bribes.
“…If this continues, the empire will soon collapse.”
There was no exaggeration in his gloomy voice.
As Rosena looked at him softly, the marquis said with strength.
“We must open the future of our descendants. For the sake of our children.”
Rosena pursed her lips. As Rosena was also raising a child, she fully understood what he was saying.
A future for the children. It was also an issue for adults to take responsibility for. But Rosena was not ready to answer. She was born and raised here, but there were more painful things than pleasant and delightful things.
“Your Highness’ father, the Count… also worked hard to change the empire. I heard that he was hated by the emperor, but he did not give up until the end.”
Rosena’s eyes quickly became wet. Every time she heard stories about her father, her heart ached.
The empire her father tried to change so much……
But in the end, her father had to face reality and had no choice but to be frustrated.
“Please do not abandon the empire.”
Rosena slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. And after a while, she opened her tightly closed lips.
“…I’ll think about it.”
“That means…”
“It’s not something I can decide on my own.”
Rosena barely managed to suppress her overcrowded emotions.
The marquis looked at Rosena quietly and stood up. After he politely greeted and left the living room, Rosena remained still for a long time.
“….Haaa.”
Rosena let out a small sigh. She had not been shaken up until now, but today’s conversation with the marquis was different. She thought she should have a serious conversation with Yerhan.
