Aria watched the carriage pull away, her heart full of a longing she couldn't quite explain. She wanted Charlize to stay and comb her hair for hours, to tell her more stories, to just... be there.
Charlize was so different from the ladies-in-waiting she’d known. True, before Charlize’s "banishment," she’d said some very cruel things. But even then, Aria hadn't been truly offended. To a girl who had never known luxury, being told her dress was "gaudy" or her accessories were "cheap" didn't feel like a deep insult.
*“Tsk, what a waste of such a pretty face,”* the old Charlize had once muttered.
Aria had actually taken that as a compliment. In her innocent heart, she’d interpreted Charlize’s malice as a sign that the Princess actually found her beautiful. It was a distortion, of course, but it had protected Aria from the worst of Charlize’s toxicity.
'She’s just not good at expressing her emotions,' Aria thought, clenching her fists. 'I want to get to know her better. I want to be the kind of friend she can share secrets with.'
The door opened, interrupting her thoughts.
"Aria."
"Brother!" Aria turned, her face lighting up with a genuine happiness that Askin rarely saw. It was the same look she gave him when he returned from a long day of work.
Askin walked over to the window, his expression guarded. "Did the Princess say anything... strange to you just now?"
"No! Not at all! In fact, I don't think the Princess is a bad person at all. She’s just... bad at expressing herself."
Askin stared at her, genuinely bewildered. "Aria, do you have any idea what that woman has done—"
"Brother, do you remember what you told me five years ago?" Aria interrupted. "When I first woke up after being so sick? I was so afraid I would fall ill again."
"I remember."
"You told me, 'You're healthy now. Always look at the present, Aria.' So... Brother, why aren't you looking at the present?"
Askin was silenced. Aria didn't know the full extent of Charlize’s past atrocities—everyone in the castle had worked hard to keep the worst of it from her. He couldn't find the words to explain the "black and deep sea" of Charlize’s previous corruption.
Aria grabbed his sleeve, her eyes pleading. "Don't be so cold to her. Can't you just... try to be a little warmer?"
Askin looked at his fragile sister and, for some reason, the image of Charlize being dragged away by her grandfather’s knights flashed through his mind.
*“Let go of me!!”*
It was absurd to compare the two of them, and yet... something about the way Charlize had fought back, the way she’d looked so utterly alone, tugged at his conscience.
"...I’m just worried about you, Aria," he said, his voice softening.
He didn't mention that he’d been feeling strange lately. He’d been overworking himself, and even with his mastery of the sword, the exhaustion was starting to set in. He chose to ignore the truth—that the "Ice Rabbit" was starting to feel the chill himself.
"Oh! Look! There she is!" Aria cried, pointing out the window.
Askin followed her gaze. Charlize had just stepped out of the castle and was storming toward her carriage. She was stomping her feet, a look of pure, unadulterated frustration on her face. It was a familiar sight, but somehow, it looked different today. Instead of the usual fierce, toxic anger, she looked... bothered. Worried. Almost human.
"Is she... storming off?" Aria asked.
"I suppose so."
Askin watched as Charlize stumbled over a small rock. She didn't fall, but she looked down at the offending stone with a look of absolute fury. Then, with a sudden, violent kick, she sent a large rock flying.
The impact was so loud that even Aria gasped. But then, Charlize immediately doubled over, clutching her ankle in pain.
It was... a comedy. If Askin told anyone in the capital that the "Evil Princess" had just lost a fight with a rock, they’d have laughed him out of the room.
"Look at that," Askin muttered, though he couldn't quite keep the amusement out of his voice. "She really does have a terrible personality."
Just as he was about to continue his critique, a clear, bright laugh filled the room.
Aria was doubling over, clutching her stomach as she laughed. It was a sound Askin hadn't heard in nearly ten years—not since she was seven years old and had discovered a butterfly in her first garden.
Askin froze, his heart skipping a beat. He watched his sister laugh, a genuine smile finally spreading across his own face. And for a moment, he realized that his smile wasn't just because of Aria’s joy... but because of the "Vicious Princess" who was currently hopping around on one foot and cursing a stone.
* * *
Time passed, and the day of the Goddess Festival banquet finally arrived.
I was busy with preparations from early morning when my grandfather summoned me to his study.
"...Grandfather?"
"Come in, Princess."
I had a feeling I knew what he wanted to say, but that didn't make me any more eager to hear it. I’d spent the last few days in a state of high-alert diplomacy.
After confirming that Askin hadn't heard the marriage rumors, I’d called another meeting of the "Gaemang Club." I’d channeled the full power of the "real" Charlize to warn them.
*“I’ve been hearing some very boring rumors lately. I wonder... who was the one who started them?”*
The girls had immediately lowered their tails. They knew better than to test me when I was in that mood.
*“If those rumors spread any further... it won't be funny. Do you think my grandfather would be pleased to know you’re using my name for your gossip?”*
To distract the capital, I’d ordered them to start spreading even *more* scandalous rumors—about me. We followed the "hide the trees in the forest" strategy. Within forty-eight hours, the news of my "marriage" was buried under a mountain of even more shocking stories about my past drunken exploits and legendary tantrums.
*“Did you hear? She once caught a wild bird while drunk and tried to train it to be a guard dog for her mutant wolf, Terry!”*
By the morning of the banquet, the capital was so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of "Charlize Gossip" that the marriage rumor had been reduced to just another piece of junk news.
I walked into my grandfather’s room, my expression calm. He was waiting for me, looking more satisfied than I’d ever seen him.
"You know what today is," he said, as I sat on the sofa.
"I do."
"Good. Because today... I will be announcing your marriage to the Duke of Lemut."