The Princess’s Final Wish Before Her Time Runs Out - Chapter 38

“Oh my.”

“Did you see that?”

“How bold of her…”

Low murmurs of mocking laughter rose behind her.

You cowards!

The same noble ladies who always said nothing to her face were now giggling behind their fans, directing their amusement at Emily.

Her face flushed red—shame and humiliation crashing together. But the person who made her angrier than anyone else… was Lady Tericia of House Hespelt.

How dare she ignore me and walk away while I was speaking?

Emily was furious—furious beyond reason. No one had ever treated her like that. She was the only daughter of Count Feder. No one had ever dared show her such disrespect.

“Ugh…!”

She clenched her teeth in rage.

I won’t let this go. I’ll make sure she regrets it.

Her hand trembled as she gripped her fan so tightly it looked like she might snap it in half.

While Emily fumed, Josephine—who had been quietly observing from behind—had a very different reaction in her eyes.

Wow…

Emily Feder and Josephine Glen had been friends since childhood.

To Josephine, who only had two older brothers, Emily was like a spoiled little sister. The youngest, who was pampered by her parents and had grown a bit self-centered because of it.

Because of that, Josephine had often been the one to rein her in—especially when Emily got overly emotional or was about to cause a scene.

This time, too, Josephine had followed her, sensing trouble might be brewing.

But when she saw Lady Tericia simply smile, say nothing, and walk away without a second glance—at first she was surprised, then completely impressed.

Without saying a word, Lady Tericia had expressed her displeasure and corrected Emily’s disrespectful behavior—while also humiliating her in front of everyone.

She’s not ordinary at all.

Josephine had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. If she laughed now, she knew she’d have to spend the rest of the evening trying to soothe Emily’s temper.

So much for being just a pretty name with no substance.

As if drawn in, Josephine turned her gaze toward the retreating figure of Lady Tericia leaving the ballroom.

She was genuinely intrigued.

After leaving the hall, Tericia stepped out onto a quiet, empty balcony.

She could’ve gone to the lounge, but she knew that room would be filled with other noblewomen, and she preferred somewhere with no one around.

Sigh…

She leaned against the railing, weary. All she wanted was a quiet evening and a quick return, but nothing was going according to plan.

Her head ached, and she pressed her fingers to her temples to ease the pain, but the pressure did little to help.

What a mess.

Her thoughts wandered back to Emily Feder and the girls who’d followed her.

Young girls, still living in a world where they believed everything revolved around them. No doubt they believed that whatever they wanted would come true.

Of course, not all the girls with Emily were necessarily her people—but that red-haired girl who had stood by her side with serious eyes… she was likely a real friend. A friend, huh.

I suppose nothing’s changed. Back then or now—I’ve never had any friends.

Tericia gave a faint, bitter smile. She had never really missed it before, but maybe, just maybe, there was a part of her that felt a little envious.

Somehow, things had already started off poorly between her and the other noble ladies.

“At this rate, my social life is going to be a disaster from the beginning.”

She had no desire to forge connections just for the sake of it, but she did have plans to participate in society.

She had considered hosting tea parties and throwing small banquets—ways to slowly blend into the social circle. It would make business matters smoother and, more importantly, wouldn’t cause trouble for Rashid.

But even from the start, this hunting festival felt like it was going off the rails.

A hunting festival…

What had happened during the hunting festival back then?

Her memories of the past were too limited.

Back then, she’d been so focused on protecting her crumbling ducal house that she hadn’t had time for social gatherings. Her life had revolved solely around maintaining her family’s estate and managing its affairs.

Naturally, she had drifted far from the social world.

Ah… That’s right. It was canceled because of the war.

Rashid’s first campaign—launched to solidify his position—had ended in just a year. That war had led to the cancellation of the hunting festival.

But this time… the hunting festival was being held.

“Does that mean the war won’t happen this time?”

Surely not…

Something stirred deep in Tericia’s chest, a subtle tremor of unease.

There hadn’t been just one war. For three years, a series of different wars had dragged on. At one point, the situation became so grim that no one was willing to take overall command.

In the end, Rashid took command simply because he was the heir of House Hespelt.

The war began when barbarian forces crossed the border from the eastern edge of the Membrox Mountains. It had turned into a brutal, prolonged battle.

Rashid had led the 1st and 2nd Knight Orders of Hespelt into that war—and barely managed to return alive.

And even after that, by order of the Emperor, he had been sent out again—this time lent to an allied kingdom along with his knights.

Three long years.

He spent them constantly at war, all just to be fully recognized as the rightful Duke of Hespelt.

And finally—finally—after gaining that recognition, he was sent to his last battlefield. A battle that was expected to be a guaranteed victory.

And that was where he died.

“The timing…”

Tericia quietly counted the years in her head. In the previous timeline, Rashid had already been sent to war by now.

“If a war doesn’t break out this time…”

Then Rashid might avoid that fate.

What’s more, this time around, he’d already been officially acknowledged as the heir. People even called him the Young Duke. There was no need for him to prove himself through war anymore.

“If he doesn’t go to war…”

Then he won’t be hurt. If that’s all it takes—if that’s enough—then maybe Rashid won’t die this time.

But then… why did she still feel so uneasy?

“There you are, Tericia.”

A chilling voice made her heart drop.

Tericia spun around.

Standing there was Count Clu, holding a champagne glass in one hand. He shut the balcony doors behind him with a sly grin on his face.

Meanwhile…

“We need to increase the troop presence along the Membrox border.”

“That would be premature. If we deploy more troops, it might provoke the other side. That could start a war. We have to avoid that at all costs. We should continue monitoring the situation through diplomacy.”

“But we can’t just do nothing. We need to be prepared.”

“That’s why we’re saying—”

“At this rate, the eastern region is—”

Rashid sat back in his chair, listening to the nobles argue, though only half-heartedly.

He spun his champagne glass slowly in his hand, clearly disinterested. Anyone watching could tell he wasn’t fully present in the conversation.

Fortunately, the young nobles were too caught up in their debate to notice.

Only the Crown Prince glanced his way, gave a short, amused smile, and let it go.

I left her alone… is she alright?

In Rashid’s mind, he kept seeing Tericia’s bright, calm smile as she sent him off. If he’d known they’d be apart for this long, he might not have come to the banquet at all.

I just want to go back.

With a quiet sigh, he lifted his gaze—just in time to spot Tericia.

He hadn’t chosen this seat on purpose, but from where he was, he could see her clearly.

A soft smile appeared at the corner of his lips. Just being able to see her, even from afar, put him at ease.

You should eat something…

Rashid’s eyes didn’t leave her.

He noticed everything—the way she stared straight ahead and sighed quietly, the way she fiddled with the hem of her dress, then smoothed it out.

It was as if she were right in front of him.

“Are you even listening to me?”

Ludwig gave him a nudge and leaned in to whisper.

“…I’m listening.”

Rashid answered a moment later.

“To get to the point, you want the diplomatic delegation to request Adler’s assistance, don’t you?”

“…”

Ludwig’s jaw dropped slightly, surprised.

Rashid had clearly been looking elsewhere, seemingly zoned out, yet he had caught the heart of the discussion without missing a beat.

Adler Reissfeld’s intelligence and skill with words would surely give them the upper hand in negotiations—and Rashid had hit the mark perfectly.

“No.”

The rejection came as sharp and final as a blade.

“Why not?”

“I’m busy.”

“Who? You? Or Adler Reissfeld?”

“Both of us are busy.”

“…How petty. There’s no one better suited to this task.”

“Give it up. If you send an ill-prepared delegation relying solely on Adler’s silver tongue, and they come back headless, I’ll be the one left cleaning up the mess.”

Rashid replied without once turning to Ludwig. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, the faint curve of a smile lingering on his lips, making his expression oddly unreadable.

“What are you even looking at—”

Ludwig turned his head to follow Rashid’s gaze—and this time, he genuinely gaped.

At the end of Rashid’s focused stare stood Tericia.

“If you’re done talking, may I be excused?”

“You’re insane.”

Ludwig muttered in disbelief, watching Rashid’s face as if expecting some reaction.

But Rashid looked completely at ease, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

“You keep this up and she’ll run away from you.”

“Then I’ll chase her.”

“She’ll hate that.”

Rashid finally shifted his gaze toward Ludwig.

“Then I just won’t give her an escape route to begin with.”

Ludwig actually got goosebumps.

Rashid’s smile was so radiant that even other men would’ve paused to stare, but behind that charm lay something chilling.

“Little by little, I’ll make it so she can’t live without me—until she can’t ever leave my side.”

“…You really are mad. Do you even realize how sick that sounds?”

Ludwig grumbled, baffled, but Rashid simply shrugged.

“This is how my sister raised me.”

He didn’t even flinch at the Crown Prince’s muttered, “Funny how she’s only your sister when it suits you.”

Then, suddenly, Rashid’s expression shifted. His smile vanished. He set his champagne glass down on the table and stood up so quickly it startled Ludwig.

“Hm? What’s going on?”

Ludwig followed his line of sight toward where Tericia had been standing.

He saw a few noble ladies gathered there now, and Tericia was walking away, her back turned to them.

“What’s the big deal…”

Ludwig couldn’t spot anything unusual. But Rashid saw something he didn’t.

Just moments ago, Tericia had turned and smiled sweetly before walking away. That alone hadn’t concerned him—nor had the fact that she was heading toward the balcony.

But then he saw Count Clu silently following behind her.

“Rashid? Rashid!”

Ludwig called out, but Rashid was already moving.

His golden eyes had turned cold, like ice.

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