YMPDKMA Chapter 29

Rupert seemed a bit shocked by her defiance. Instead of Tori directly opposing him, he glared at me with irritated eyes. Why glare at me? Along with feeling wronged, I felt a groundless reassurance that he wouldn't harm me right now. How fortunate that it ended with just 'glaring.'

"Your Highness!"

"What!"

When Tori raised her voice boldly, Rupert frowned, unconcerned. He could create a quite menacing atmosphere even with that girl-pretty face, so Tori mumbled and trailed off. Not knowing what Rupert might do if truly angry, I couldn't even cheer her on. Tori spoke for me with a somewhat deflated face.

"...D-don't bully."

"When did I bully you?"

"I mean Lariette."

At Tori's answer, Rupert propped his chin on one hand with an incredulous expression. Grinding his teeth, he scrubbed his face irritably.

"She's being noisy."

"You made her cry."

"...She won't shut up."

I saw him glance at the book on the floor and quickly ran to pick it up. I approached Rupert with docile, servile steps and handed him the book—he raised his lip corner mockingly. Tori gaped, shocked that I was groveling to him even while she defied him for my sake.

"N-no... the book fell."

I mumbled, justifying my servility. At that moment, Rupert opened the book I'd handed him and mischievously grabbed my hair and pulled. He pulled slowly, almost guiding, so it didn't hurt, but his touch treating me like an animal soured my mood and I furrowed my brow.

"Smile."

I curved my lips into an arc at Rupert's command. He grabbed my neck without hesitation and showed Tori my smiling face.

"See? She's smiling. She's not upset right now."

I was quite upset.

I tensed my neck trying to escape Rupert's grip, but his hand strength was more impressive than expected—flinching was all I could manage. A bit breathless, I shed tears that had finally stopped. Drip, drip. Truth was, I was a young lady who'd lived receiving considerable treatment in Bellua. I'd seen harsh treatment just before death, true, but I wasn't accustomed to anyone treating me this insignificantly.

Rupert had naturally always had that attitude from the start, and I'd never expected him to treat people like people, so I'd adapted. But with Tori recognizing my grievance, accumulated resentment flowed out as tears, like throwing a tantrum.

Honestly, I did my best. I didn't do a single thing that would get on his nerves, so why was he being so terrible to me? If you spend a whole year stuck with someone, the natural human thing would be to warm up to them even a little, but this one really didn't seem human at all. If he became Crown Prince in this state, he'd target Bellua first, whether I'd served him or not. The injustice of it was driving me insane.

"L-Lariette!"

When my tears and snot started soaking the floor, Tori panicked and raised her hands. Rupert turned his head sideways at her cry and confirmed my pathetic face.

"Why are you crying again?"

"Hic, hnngh, hkk!"

"...Does it hurt?"

He released my throat with a reluctant expression.

"Oh my, Your Highness! How could you grab her throat like that!"

"I didn't grab it hard!"

"Hkk, hkp."

As I kept crying, the raccoon that had been hiding under the table crept out and touched the top of my foot. Not to comfort me—it poked with its fingers like it was teasing. A nasty beast taking after its master. I secretly kicked the raccoon with my foot while Rupert wasn't looking.

"Hey, stop crying. You're so loud I could die."

"Stop tormenting Lariette!"

"Don't kill her, don't abuse her. Don't you think you're asking for too much without offering anything in return?"

So should I ask him to abuse me and kill me? Flabbergasted, my lips jutted out on their own. I blew my nose and pretended not to hear his question.

"What did I even do? I said I'd let you live."

"..."

"Answer me. Not Tori. You."

"...It's fine if you abuse me. E-even if you hit me."

I'd prefer if he didn't, but honestly, as long as Rupert didn't harm me and Bellua, I was prepared to endure his contempt, mockery, and violence. Verbal threats or violence directed only at me weren't scary. What made him frightening was the future and Bellua's survival.

"What do I gain from hitting you?"

As if the remark was absurd, Rupert's low voice twisted slightly. I'd only assumed that because he was violent, he'd take pleasure in causing others pain. I had no answer, so I kept my mouth shut.

"I won't hit you, so stop crying. Your dumpling's bursting."

It was welcome news, but not satisfying. The words tacked on at the end grated, so I blew my nose loudly—pretending to blow it while actually snorting—and shuffled over to Tori in quick steps, grabbing her sleeve.

"Lariette, don't cry. Goodness. You'll collapse at this rate."

Rupert looked back and forth between Tori and me standing there blankly, then laughed with a deflating sound.

"You said you were on my side, didn't you?"

"...Hkk, yes."

"Until when?"

I couldn't answer his question easily. Rupert distrusted me far more thoroughly than I'd expected. It wasn't that he didn't trust me because I was me—it was just that he was that kind of person by nature.

"If there's something you want from me, say it clearly. That's easier to deal with."

His attitude was so rational, as if he'd have me write up a contract right then and there if paper had been available. At his perfect distrust, I lifted my bowed head. I thought our attitudes toward each other were remarkably similar. We needed each other, and we didn't trust each other as much as we needed. I was merely useful to Rupert, so naturally I was the more desperate one.

I realized there was no point anymore in stubbornly insisting he trust me without giving him even a trivial reason. In the end, after hesitating very briefly, I opened my mouth.

"Your Highness."

"..."

"As long as Your Highness holds power."

The deep green eyes that met mine narrowed with suspicion. I didn't avoid his doubtful gaze.

"But I'm an imperial who's completely removed from power."

It was a calm denial. His face was impassive, showing no sign of shame about his powerlessness.

"Didn't you see me get beaten by Arnulf? That's my position here. I could die at any moment. The only reason I'm alive is because the Imperial Consort judged me not worth killing."

I didn't answer, but lifted the teapot on the table and poured tea. Rupert had more patience than I'd expected. He didn't press me, just flipped through the pages of the book he'd been reading.

"The Imperial Consort misjudged."

"What?"

"I believe Your Highness will become Emperor."

The fingers that had been meaninglessly turning pages stopped abruptly. I heard Tori—hic—holding her breath. Rupert moved his gaze very slowly. His eyes glinted strangely for a moment. When greenery grew dense, did it emit that kind of eerie aura? It gave me chills, like facing a goblin from an old forest no one visited anymore.

"You say amusing things. If I told His Majesty what you just said, even you wouldn't be safe."

"You can't say it, though. Not right now."

"Let's say your assumption is correct. So what do you want, I asked."

Rupert took a sip of the tea I'd poured. I waited obediently until he set down the teacup before answering.

"Protect Bellua."

"From what?"

From you.

But unable to say that, I smiled broadly to hide my anxiety.

"From anything."

"Protect Bellua when I hold power?"

"Yes."

"What do I get?"

His long fingers tapped the table rhythmically. Nervous, I moved my lips, then squeezed my eyes shut and opened my mouth.

"Me."

"What?"

"I'll give you me."

As if my words were unexpected, Rupert's face twisted into something ridiculous. Tori, who'd somehow gotten behind me, hurriedly grabbed my shoulders, but I didn't look back.

"Lariette of Bellua. I'll live my whole life however Your Highness wants. You can use my name for political purposes if you want. I'll become entirely yours."

"I could sell you to some old man like Count Goncharova?"

Count Goncharova was a middle-aged noble of considerable years, a snake rumored far and wide to be a pervert. But I nodded my head vigorously without hesitation.

Rupert frowned as if somewhat disgusted, but I wasn't forcing myself to say it was fine. It really was fine. If marriage could only be a political tool, using it as a shield to protect Bellua was most satisfactory.

"You're insane."

"I'm perfectly sane."

"How am I supposed to trust you?"

"I'm not asking you to trust me right now."