Why Is Everyone Hiding Everything? - Chapter 06

Chapter 6

“Do I really look like someone who came here to harm Your Highness?”

“You discovered my identity, so you must have come expecting something in return.”

There has to be something worth taking before someone can extort it from you.
I swallowed the retort rising to my throat.

At this rate, the meeting would end before we accomplished anything.

When I let out a sigh and glanced toward my sister, she shot me a warning look.

A look that clearly said:
I don’t know what you’re planning, but don’t do it. Absolutely don’t.

But dragging this out any longer would only deepen his suspicions.

When I signaled her again to continue, she released a long sigh.

“…Understood. But Your Highness must swear not to harm our lady.”

Instead of stopping me directly, my sister chose to negotiate with Lucian herself.

“You are hardly in a position to make demands.”

“I could never defeat Your Highness with a sword. However, I am not entirely inexperienced in combat either, and I would rather not recreate the way I handled Your Highness in my previous life.”

Her tone remained gentle, but the meaning was unmistakably a threat.

Please stop fighting for dominance here. Please.

Lucian’s red eyes stared fixedly at my sister.

After a brief moment of thought, he finally spoke.

“I swear it upon my name.”

“Good.”

Only after hearing a vow nearly equal to the highest class of oath did my sister place a hand on my shoulder.

In an instant, my pink hair faded back into silver.

No matter how violently emotions churned within me, the only thing visible on Flotie Rosena’s face was cold composure.

Thankfully, that was useful when facing someone as difficult as him.

“Flotie of Rosena greets the Star of the Empire. Please forgive the disrespect of deceiving Your Highness’s eyes.”

“……”

For some reason, Lucian seemed momentarily speechless.

Good. While I still have the chance to speak, I need to finish this quickly.

“What I desire is the safety of my own life and the prosperity of the Empire. Knowing the divine punishment that will descend if the oracle is defied, I cannot simply stand by.”

The safety of my own life—that alone was truly what I wanted.
As for prosperity, honestly, I didn’t care that much.

I just wanted to live quietly.
If that were possible, I would do anything.

“So you are a daughter of Rosena.”

“Your Highness, allow me to correct one thing. This is not the will of House Rosena, but the will of myself alone, Flotie. The title of heir has long since passed to Rosena’s eldest daughter.”

I bowed deeply before continuing.

“However, if Your Highness chooses to ascend to the highest seat—”

“If I choose to ascend?”

After staring blankly at my face for a long moment, he slowly repeated my words.

“Then you shall gain the protection and support of House Rosena—the family of founding retainers, known as the Gold of the Empire—not Flotie Rosena alone.”

Of course, I had already obtained my sister’s permission for this.

My dependable sister had promised that if this was the path I wished to walk, she would support me completely no matter what happened.

Even while I was offering the bargain of a lifetime, Lucian still kept staring at my face instead of answering.

When I gave a short cough, he finally seemed to return to himself and spoke.

“As you surely know, my elder brother also has red eyes.”

Naturally, I expected this topic to come up.

Two imperial princes with red eyes born in the same generation—such a thing had never happened before.

In a case like this, the chances were high that one of them was disguising their eye color.

History had seen countless people who believed simply sitting upon the throne was enough.

However, if we dug into that issue first, Lucian would never agree to our proposal so easily.

“It is certainly an unprecedented situation. But even if the two of you must someday compete for the same throne, I will ensure that victory belongs to Your Highness.”

After hearing my confident response, he extended his hand toward me.

“To be honest, I cannot immediately accept being told to chase after that seat. You understand that your proposal is extremely bewildering, and that I cannot fully trust your identity yet.”

“I understand.”

If he had spent his entire life hiding his red eyes despite possessing them, then there had to be a reason.

To someone like him, a stranger appearing out of nowhere and saying you were born with red eyes, so fulfill your duty and become emperor could hardly sound sincere.

Anyone would react skeptically if told:
I happened to discover your secret by chance, so now go claim the throne.

“And because I’m selfish, the moment I think this threatens me, I’ll withdraw immediately.”

“I am the same.”

“What happened to the lady who claimed she would guarantee me victory?”

At his noticeably more playful tone, I smiled as well.

“For me, victory means surviving together with the people I love.”

When I clasped the hand he offered, I felt the thick calluses covering his palm.

Not the hands of a man who spent his days drinking and indulging in debauchery.

There were already so many clues—weren’t the people failing to realize the truth simply fools?

“Now that calculating, selfish people have joined hands, I believe the outcome will also be favorable.”

Again, he stared at my face for a long time.

It felt as though his gaze traced every feature of my face, and for some reason it made me strangely ticklish.

“Yes. I’m someone who values results more than the process.”

“I will remember that.”

I thought I had answered firmly enough, but he still continued holding my hand tightly.

When I cautiously stepped half a pace backward, he finally released a short sigh.

“My apologies.”

“It’s alright.”

Only after finally pulling my hand free did I lower the veil over my face again.

“I’ll leave first. I’m the sort of person who wandering alone wouldn’t seem strange for.”

As Lucian prepared to leave, his eyes turned blue once more.

“Your Highness seems very accustomed to using magic that changes eye color.”

“What, do I look talented in magic too? There are many ways to maintain it without personally casting the spell.”

“I heard it can damage one’s eyesight if used carelessly.”

“And if I lose my eyes that way, you still won’t hand me the throne?”

His teasing tone made me laugh without realizing it.

If he had learned this since childhood, then someone must have instructed him from an early age to conceal his eye color.

Perhaps there was someone besides us who had once tried to keep Lucian alive.

After all, it would not have been easy for a young boy to survive alone inside an imperial palace filled with people trying to kill him.

“Then travel safely.”

“We shall meet again before long.”

“Ah, but one more thing.”

Just as he casually stepped toward the door, he suddenly paused as though remembering something.

“My lady, are you perhaps married? Or engaged to someone?”

“…No, and no.”

Would my marital status somehow affect his rise to the throne?

If a marriage were necessary to place Lucian upon the imperial throne, I could always find a suitable person and enter a contract marriage.

After Lucian became emperor, we could simply divorce immediately afterward.

“Good to know.”

However, the instant I answered that I was unmarried, relief flickered across Lucian’s face.

Why are you looking relieved right now?

Feeling bewildered, I glanced toward my sister and Minabel.

Even my sister seemed caught off guard by the question, coughing awkwardly several times.

Only Minabel looked back and forth between Lucian and me with the expression of an expert appraiser examining something fascinating.

Meanwhile, Lucian acted as though he noticed none of it, leaving the mansion with light footsteps behind the ghost maid.

Once only the three of us remained, my sister scolded me in a sorrowful voice.

“Tie, why would you act so recklessly?”

“Because I wanted to stop the terrible future you saw.”

“I already stopped my terrible future. You’re alive now, Tie. What worries me more is watching you destroy your health like this.”

All the coldness vanished from her expression as my sister pulled me tightly into her arms, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment.

I was only tired, yet she was making such a fuss. My sister truly worried too much.

“If you do your best to protect us, then we’ll do the same. That’s what love is.”

Of course, I wanted not only to protect my family but also to prevent the Empire’s destruction.

Not because of some grand patriotism.

I simply wanted to live quietly and peacefully.

A joyful life as the beloved youngest ducal daughter, enjoying everything I wanted to my heart’s content.

Nobody could give up on something like that without at least trying first.