The Princess’s Final Wish Before Her Time Runs Out - Chapter 108

“I’m insane.”

Tericia felt like she could die from embarrassment.

“What on earth was I doing—in front of all those people!”

The meat on her plate was already cut into tiny pieces. All she had to do was bring it to her mouth and eat. But every time she picked up her fork, the scene from earlier in front of the annex replayed in her head, and instead of eating, she just kept cutting the same piece over and over.

After several failed attempts, she finally let out a sigh and gave up on dinner altogether.

“You’re not going to eat anymore?”

Rashid Hespelt, who had been quietly observing her, asked immediately.

It had been a long time since they shared dinner together. He’d held back from saying anything, sensing that she was sighing more than eating. But now that she’d stopped entirely, he couldn’t stay silent.

“Have a little more.”

“I’m fine. I don’t have much of an appetite.”

Even as she said that, she shot him a subtle side-eye. Rashid let out a soft laugh.

“I’ll have them bring out dessert. You should at least have something sweet.”

“…Fine.”

At his command, the servants quickly cleared away the dinner plates and brought out dessert—her favorite kind of sweet cake.

It looked a little bigger than usual.

Tericia tilted her head, slightly puzzled, but still took a bite. The sweet flavor spread in her mouth and, for a moment, it did make her feel a little better. Not that the embarrassment had gone away completely.

As she started eating the cake, Rashid took a sip of wine, then leaned back in his chair.

Seeing her finally eat after all her blushing and freezing up gave him some relief.

Watching her with a warm gaze, he waited until she finished an entire slice before finally speaking.

“Is it still bothering you? What happened earlier?”

“It’s not the words. It’s the place.”

She answered with a sigh.

“I can’t go near the annex again. How am I supposed to face everyone?”

“No one was paying that much attention.”

Her cheeks flushed again, but Rashid replied with an air of casual dismissal.

“I was paying attention. I’m never going back there.”

“It’s not like I said anything wrong.”

“That’s not the point, and you know it.”

Her voice rose slightly in frustration as Rashid spoke as if he were the victim here.

“In front of all those people, you embarrassed me—”

“It’s not like we were rolling around together. What’s the big deal?”

Tericia stared at him in utter disbelief.

“What are you even saying right now?”

“We’re going to be husband and wife soon anyway. If the Duke and Duchess are close, isn’t that a good thing for the people who serve them?”

“Rashid!”

“Tericia.”

While she called his name like a shriek, face burning red, Rashid remained as composed as ever—even if his heart wasn’t.

To be honest, at this rate, he wouldn’t be surprised if Tericia tried to run away on their wedding night. She seemed like she’d wave him goodnight and go sleep in a separate room without hesitation.

“That’s absolutely not happening.”

He’d been holding himself back for too long.

Rashid leaned forward, resting his chin on his fingers, and gave her a slow, knowing smile.

“If it were up to me, I’d skip the engagement and go straight to the wedding. But since you wanted the engagement first, I’ve been patient.”

He wanted to reach across the table, take her hand, and kiss it. But if he did, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop. So instead, he simply tightened his grip on his own clasped hands.

“I plan to schedule the wedding as soon as possible. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for that day.”

And I don’t want to know, she almost blurted out.

But Tericia clamped her lips shut before the words could escape. She had a feeling Rashid wouldn’t take that well.

“When that day comes,” he added softly, still smiling, “I plan to satisfy every bit of my desire. It’ll be worth the wait.”

The way he said it, with such a gentle expression, made her brain take a moment to fully process it.

Once it clicked—her face went up in flames. It was nothing like the blushing earlier—this was deep red, like it might explode.

“You really…”

She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to speak, but no words came out. Her face turned red, then pale, then red again.

Eventually, she gave up and covered her face with both hands.

“…You have no shame,” she mumbled through her fingers.

Rashid burst out laughing. It was such a loud, unrestrained laugh that even the servants standing a short distance away turned instinctively in their direction.

“Rashid…”

Tericia had finally cooled down a little. She lowered her hands and called his name. Her face was still flushed, but at least her color had returned.

“You told Lord Adler and Harris not to give me anything to do, didn’t you?”

Her words made Rashid pause for just a moment.

“I know why you did it.”

“Tericia—”

“I won’t get involved in the banquet preparations. Since you don’t want me to, I’ll stay quiet.”

Rashid didn’t interrupt. He just listened.

“But telling them to keep everything from me… That’s a bit much.”

“……”

“You treat me like I’m fragile.”

“That’s because you are. You’re too delicate.”

“You’re right. Compared to you, everyone else seems weak. Well… except for Sir Heinz.”

At that, Rashid Hespelt’s brows furrowed ever so slightly.

“Hearing another man’s name from your lips puts me in a foul mood.”

“Why would you call Sir Heinz a ‘man’? He’d be offended if he heard that.”

Tericia laughed with a light, ringing voice.

There was a strange kind of obliviousness about her. Of course, Heinz didn’t see Tericia as a woman romantically, but anyone could tell he had a fondness for the young lady he served.

And there was no guarantee that fondness wouldn’t one day become something more.

Maybe he was overthinking it, but Rashid couldn’t stand the idea of any man being close to her. Deep down, what he really wanted was for no other man to be near her at all.

“I won’t ask for much. Just let me decorate the banquet hall. I’ll be better at it than Sir Adler or anyone else.”

“Well, that’s probably true…”

He let out a long sigh.

“Please, Rashid?”

Tilting her head slightly and flashing a soft smile, Tericia looked up at him. At that, Rashid quickly raised one hand to his mouth and looked away.

A beauty trap? Seriously?

Even with his mouth covered, he could feel the edges of a grin threatening to escape. He let out a small laugh, half in disbelief.

Is this how tyrants felt when they ruined a nation, swept away by a woman?

He wanted to give her everything she asked for.

“…I’ll speak to Adler.”

Only after schooling his expression did Rashid finally answer her. He had a feeling this sort of thing would keep happening.

And looking at Tericia’s face—glowing with happiness—he figured the goddess of victory would always take her side anyway.

Well… it’s not like I’ve ever won against her.

Rashid smiled faintly and took another sip of wine. He didn’t know if it was the alcohol warming his body or just the effect she had on him, but either way, it was starting to feel like he was melting from the inside out.

“Thank you.”

Seeing her bright expression made him think—maybe it really was the right decision.

“I was going to ask where you wanted the engagement ceremony to be held.”

“In the banquet hall, of course. Isn’t that the usual choice?”

At her response, Rashid hesitated. It felt strange to assign her the decorations and then refuse to tell her the location.

“I know that would be the most practical option… but I really don’t like the banquet hall.”

Understanding his feelings, Tericia nodded.

“Yeah. I can imagine.”

“I’m thinking of holding it in the corridor at the edge of the annex forest. …Would that be all right with you?”

This time, it was Tericia who froze.

The long corridor connected to the annex forest was traditionally used for the duchy’s major events—weddings, funerals, formal rites.

After finding out how much Tericia disliked the place, Rashid had avoided holding any events there since.

But he couldn’t stand the banquet hall. So many awful things had happened there, it made his skin crawl just thinking about it.

“…It’ll be fine,” Tericia murmured.

Probably.

“You dislike that place, don’t you?”

“I do. I still do. And I probably always will,” she said, smiling as if it were no big deal. “But I’m not a child anymore. I can’t just say no to everything.”

Her tone was light, but Rashid noticed her fingers tremble slightly as she held her teacup.

Even while trembling, she’s still choosing to make room for me.

“…Thank you.”

Rashid lowered his gaze as he spoke. He realized then: even if he could never win against Tericia, that would be fine by him.

＊＊＊

In the deep quiet of night, with the mansion fast asleep, only the sounds of soft snoring filled the room where the annex workers were resting.

Exhausted from the heavy workload—intensified to speed up the repairs—every single man had collapsed into sleep.

Except one.

Tossing and turning in his bunk, Sheffer Verus suddenly sprang up with a curse, his voice filled with fury.

“Damn you, Hespelt.”

His teeth clenched with a harsh grinding sound. The more he thought about it, the more unbearable it became.

He was the last surviving heir of House Verus. And now, he was nothing—forced to hide among laborers in a filthy place like this.

While the two who had destroyed his life laughed and lived in luxury.

“Damn it!”

“Hey, shut up already! We’ve got work first thing in the morning—mutter your curses and go to sleep!”

A voice barked from across the room. Likely half-asleep, but the message was clear. When Sheffer went quiet, that side of the room quieted too.

Silence returned to the space.

Sheffer let out a long, bitter breath.

Calm down. He had to stay sharp. Rage would ruin everything. He repeated the words to himself over and over until he finally felt himself settle.

This time, he moved carefully. He climbed down from his bunk and pulled out a box he had hidden beneath it.

Opening the lid, he stared down at a plain, unassuming dagger.

As his hand moved instinctively to grab it, he suddenly froze, pulling back quickly.

To the eye, it looked like a regular blade. But it was coated with a rare poison—fast-acting and without an antidote. A single cut was enough to kill.

“This is the end for you, Rashid Hespelt.”

He whispered darkly, a twisted smile forming on his lips.

Moonlight trickled in through the small window above, casting eerie shadows across his face, making the grin look even more sinister.

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