The Princess’s Final Wish Before Her Time Runs Out - Chapter 53

“Ha.”

Rashid ran a hand roughly through his hair, laughing under his breath. His expression was one of disbelief like he’d just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.

“Who was it?”

“What?”

“Who told you to think something so absurd?”

“Rashid.”

“Was it Adler? Heinz? Harris? Who dared say something like that to you? No… you’re not the type to be easily swayed. Then was it Father—?”

“Rashid!”

Tericia’s voice rang sharp and clear, finally cutting him off. He stopped mid-sentence and looked at her.

“No one. No one said anything to me.”

She paused and took a breath.

“But it doesn’t matter. It’s true. You’re my younger brother. And the feelings you’re talking about… they can’t exist between us.”

“…Why?”

Rashid’s voice was low, trembling with suppressed emotion. Beneath it, a quiet anger simmered.

“Why do you think you can decide what I feel? Do you think you can define my emotions? We’re not even related by blood. We’re strangers, Tericia.”

“Even so, I’m still your sister.”

She didn’t even realize her voice had become so desperate.

But Rashid didn’t step back. If he had known she’d been holding on to such a hopeless thought, he would have never held back from the beginning.

“Unbelievable.”

He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head.

“I told you—I never once saw you as my sister.”

“That’s not true. You always called me sister—”

“Yes, I did. I called you ‘sister.’ I treated you respectfully as the Lady of Hespelt.”

As he watched her trembling lips, a twisted smile tugged at his own. Her violet eyes wavered with confusion and pain, and yet it only made something dark stir inside him.

“I called you that because it was the only way I could stay by your side.”

“Rashid…”

“Because if I didn’t, you would have pushed me away. You wouldn’t have let me hold your hand. Wouldn’t have let me stand beside you.”

“That’s not true, I—”

“Am I wrong, Tericia?”

His voice grew sharper.

“You draw these lines around yourself, and no one’s allowed to cross them. You act like you’d give me everything, but you never offer yourself. You know exactly what I want most—and you still won’t give it.”

Tericia’s face went pale. Her hands clenched in her lap as her tear-filled eyes stared at the man in front of her—someone she suddenly didn’t recognize.

Though morning light had started warming the air, between the two of them, everything had gone cold.

After a long silence, she whispered:

“I wish I really were your sister. I wish we truly shared blood…”

“I don’t.”

“I’m someone who’ll leave one day. No matter how or when.”

“Don’t say something so awful.”

Rashid cut her off immediately. He looked like he couldn’t breathe properly, dragging a hand down his throat to calm himself.

“Don’t say that. Please.”

“Rashid…”

“If that were true, you shouldn’t have reached out to me. But you did, Tericia. You reached for me. And now you say we’re nothing?”

Then what am I supposed to do with the heart I’ve already given you?

Without another word, Rashid reached out and gathered her hair in his hand—those gold-brown strands he’d once let slip through his fingers.

This time, his touch was tender, as though holding something he could never bear to lose.

“If you want me to keep calling you ‘sister,’ I will. If you want me to treat you gently, I will. No matter how many times I’m reborn, I’ll still love only you.”

She didn’t answer.

“But if you leave me…”

A small, chilling smile appeared on his lips. His golden eyes gleamed with something possessive.

“I’ll find you, no matter what it takes.”

“…”

“Even if I have to tear the world apart.”

His hand slowly moved down from her hair to her shoulder, then gently to her hand. He held it with care—like it might break—then raised it to his lips.

Just like the night before, he didn’t take his eyes off her. And just like then, he looked like he could devour her whole.

“Because I can’t live without you.”

He pressed a long, deep kiss to the back of her hand.

Tericia gave up on holding the tea party at the Hespelt estate.

Her thoughts were in disarray, and time slipped past without her realizing. When she finally came to her senses, it was already too late.

According to Mandy, she had been working diligently, only to freeze with a blank expression, staring out the window. She would touch the back of her hand every time—absentmindedly.

The same place Rashid had kissed her.

It felt like I’d been burned.

Her cheeks flushed as she looked down at her hand.

There was no mark. Nothing had changed. But sometimes it throbbed, like a brand. The place where his lips had touched still felt hot.

Why did it always feel like this—only when it was him?

“Are you feeling unwell?”

The sudden voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up and smiled softly at Josephine, who was watching her with concern.

“I’m fine. Just had a lot on my mind.”

“If you’re feeling sick, don’t hesitate to say so.”

“Truly, I’m okay. I was just thinking about canceling the tea party. I was hoping to debut a new fragrance, but…”

That part was genuine. It had been troubling her.

She had never hosted a tea party before. She’d planned formal banquets, yes—but tea parties were more intimate. And to someone who had little to no experience with society, it was an unfamiliar challenge.

Part of it was bad timing. But she also had no one to guide her. No family figure, no mentor. She was on her own.

“You mentioned starting a fragrance business, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I’ve created a new scent with excellent effects.”

Tericia nodded and smiled politely.

“I only made a few samples, so I wanted to reveal them in a more private setting… but it’s not easy.”

“Then do it at my tea party.”

Josephine said it so casually that Tericia blinked in surprise.

“Your tea party?”

“It would be an honor. To be the first to showcase the Lady’s fragrance? I’d be bragging about it for years.”

“And if my scent fails?”

“Then it’ll just become a funny story we’ll laugh about for years.”

Josephine answered with a cheerful grin, and Tericia couldn’t help but laugh along with her.

“Then I’ll take you up on that, Josephine. I promise I’ll repay you.”

“Just having you as my friend is more than enough. Do you know how rare it is to walk into Hespelt this casually? You’re letting me do something no one else can.”

And it was true—Hespelt had always been a closed house.

Unlike other noble families, where visitors came and went for favors or negotiations, the Hespelt estate rarely allowed outsiders past its gates.

Even after Rashid became the new Duke, that policy didn’t change. It was as if he were hiding something precious—he never opened the doors easily.

And since he didn’t avoid public appearances altogether, it wasn’t easy to use the excuse that one had to visit him directly.

As the empire’s only ducal house, Hespelt was a place people approached with caution.

“To be honest, tea parties really aren’t my style,” Josephine said with a quiet sigh.

“Sipping tea and making polite conversation? It’s slow and boring.”

Tericia chuckled. A tea party definitely didn’t suit someone as active and straightforward as Josephine.

“I heard you trained with a sword.”

“Yes, I did. I learned from my father, alongside my brothers, ever since I was little. Got hit a lot, too.”

Despite her words, a fond smile spread across Josephine’s face.

“I prefer a duel to a tea party, honestly. That’s why I’m extra thankful to you, for giving mine a little more meaning.”

Tericia smiled at that. Josephine would no doubt be impressive in a sparring match—her bright red hair flying, blade in hand. More striking than most knights, surely.

“You’ll have to show me someday.”

“You can count on it,” Josephine replied with a confident grin.

Josephine Glen’s tea party wasn’t extravagant, but it had a quiet elegance.

Naturally, since it was a gathering of noblewomen, there were flowers and some decorative touches. But none of it felt excessive—it all reflected Josephine’s taste: neat, grounded, and practical.

It had a refined presence, like the border house she came from.

The only thing flashy was the carriage from House Hespelt.

As the black-and-gold coach arrived and a woman with golden-brown hair stepped down, all eyes turned toward her.

“Tericia.”

“Josephine.”

Tericia offered a graceful smile as Josephine welcomed her, then leaned in to speak quietly.

“Are you sure you want me to present it here?”

“Of course. And if it’s a hit, you’d better thank me properly later.”

Tericia laughed brightly. As always, Josephine had a way of easing tension with just a few words.

“Then I’ll be sure to prepare something you’ll truly like.”

With that, she followed Josephine into the gathering.

At this tea party, the true focus wasn’t the host—it was Tericia, who had finally stepped into high society.

The long-whispered-about Lady of Hespelt had finally appeared. Naturally, attention flocked to her.

Many had expected her to be proud or cold, riding on the name of Hespelt. But instead, she was graceful, warm, and undeniably beautiful.

Still, when she listened quietly and nodded with a soft smile, there was something unmistakably poised about her. A calm strength that made others hesitant to take her lightly.

“As expected from someone from Hespelt—such dignity.”

“But she’s not even blood-related, right?”

There were hushed voices in the corners, but no one dared speak ill directly to her—not when the daughter of the Glen family, a prominent border noble house, treated her with such respect.

“To thank you for this lovely gathering… may I offer a little gift?”

As the party settled into a relaxed mood, Tericia leaned toward Josephine.

Josephine nodded without hesitation.

At Tericia’s signal, a servant wheeled in a small trolley with an incense burner resting delicately atop it.

When Tericia gestured again, Sara stepped forward and gently lit the incense.

A faint sizzle, then the scent began to fill the room—subtly sweet, comforting, warm. It drifted through the air, softening the space and calming everyone present.

“Oh wow…”

“What a lovely scent…”

The moment it spread, any lingering nerves about the mysterious noblewoman seemed to melt away. In its place came a sense of calm—and even, strangely, courage.

“Lady Hespelt, what is this scent called?”

Encouraged by the welcoming air, one of the younger girls found the courage to ask.

“It doesn’t have a name yet,” Tericia said with a gentle smile.

She looked at the girl with kind eyes, then swept her gaze across the room.

“Would you all like to help me choose one?”

Support The Princess’s Final Wish Before Her Time Runs Out