Chapter 127 - The Girl With Red Eyes

She soon stopped crying as she calmed down. 'I should start leaving now.' As I was about to stand up, I heard a quiet voice.

"There's too much expected of me."

I unconsciously looked back at her words to find that she was watching me with her red eyes. 'Speaking impolitely to the daughter of a duke in this empire… She reminds me of Max.' I felt a sense of déjà vu but decided against saying anything to avoid causing a commotion.

As if she took my silence as an agreement, the woman continued. "The expectations are so burdensome that I sometimes want to let them go… but I can't. I fear that I'll be hated if I do so."

Perhaps it was because no one has ever expected anything of me before, but I couldn't sympathize with her. However, when I looked at her frightened expression, it reminded me of my younger days where I made constant efforts to not be hated by my father. 'I wonder if she doesn't have any friends either… seeing how she's saying these things to me when we've just met.'

Suddenly, I noticed a coin sitting next to her feet. I pointed at the coin and asked, "Hey, could you pick up that coin for me?"

"No," she frowned at my words.

"Okay, then," I replied apathetically.

I took out another silver coin from my pocket and tossed it towards the center of the fountain. Unfortunately, I ended up missing again. 'Ah, what a waste.'

I was feeling regretful when the woman glared at me. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

Her appearance and tone prompted a certain someone to come to mind, but I answered calmly without showing it. "It is said that one's wish will come true if they throw a coin and it lands in the middle of this fountain. That's why I was planning on giving you that coin next to your feet."

She remained silent at my words and picked up the coin on the ground. The coin in her hand was soon launched through the air and landed in the fountain, causing a splash followed by a small ripple near the center of the fountain. A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Your wish will now come true," I mumbled softly as I gazed at her.

She blushed at my words and shot back brusquely, "That's just a superstition! Aren't you aware that this won't solve my problem?" By her harsh tone, I figured that she was a very sensitive person.

"Yes, it's a superstition," I mused as I tossed another coin into the fountain. This time, the coin landed near the center. "But sometimes, it's the little things that encourage people to keep going."

She turned her gaze towards the fountain at my words, then narrowed her eyes at me. "What a strange thing to say."

When I was about to retort and tell her that she was the same, I heard a voice come from the entrance.

"Lady Jubelian! Where are you?" It was Veronica's.

I sighed. "I've got to go. I hope everything works out," I said, then quickly made my way to the entrance.

* * *

The woman scowled as she watched Jubelian leaving. 'What an arrogant girl. As if it wasn't enough for her to speak to me informally, she dared to talk about my future.'

"Maybe I should have asked for her name," she murmured softly.

At that moment, someone approached her. The man was an imperial knight who wore a uniform with the royal coat of arms engraved on the chest.

"Your Highness, we must return now," he said.

Beatrice, the royal princess, nodded at his words and went to cover her face with a black veil when she realized what she held in her hand. She scrunched her face. The handkerchief she was holding onto was originally clean but had become soiled with her tears and snot.

She soon stopped crying as she calmed down. 'I should start leaving now.' As I was about to stand up, I heard a quiet voice.

"There's too much expected of me."

I unconsciously looked back at her words to find that she was watching me with her red eyes. 'Speaking impolitely to the daughter of a duke in this empire… She reminds me of Max.' I felt a sense of déjà vu but decided against saying anything to avoid causing a commotion.

As if she took my silence as an agreement, the woman continued. "The expectations are so burdensome that I sometimes want to let them go… but I can't. I fear that I'll be hated if I do so."

Perhaps it was because no one has ever expected anything of me before, but I couldn't sympathize with her. However, when I looked at her frightened expression, it reminded me of my younger days where I made constant efforts to not be hated by my father. 'I wonder if she doesn't have any friends either… seeing how she's saying these things to me when we've just met.'

Suddenly, I noticed a coin sitting next to her feet. I pointed at the coin and asked, "Hey, could you pick up that coin for me?"

"No," she frowned at my words.

"Okay, then," I replied apathetically.

I took out another silver coin from my pocket and tossed it towards the center of the fountain. Unfortunately, I ended up missing again. 'Ah, what a waste.'

I was feeling regretful when the woman glared at me. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

Her appearance and tone prompted a certain someone to come to mind, but I answered calmly without showing it. "It is said that one's wish will come true if they throw a coin and it lands in the middle of this fountain. That's why I was planning on giving you that coin next to your feet."

She remained silent at my words and picked up the coin on the ground. The coin in her hand was soon launched through the air and landed in the fountain, causing a splash followed by a small ripple near the center of the fountain. A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Your wish will now come true," I mumbled softly as I gazed at her.

She blushed at my words and shot back brusquely, "That's just a superstition! Aren't you aware that this won't solve my problem?" By her harsh tone, I figured that she was a very sensitive person.

"Yes, it's a superstition," I mused as I tossed another coin into the fountain. This time, the coin landed near the center. "But sometimes, it's the little things that encourage people to keep going."

She turned her gaze towards the fountain at my words, then narrowed her eyes at me. "What a strange thing to say."

When I was about to retort and tell her that she was the same, I heard a voice come from the entrance.

"Lady Jubelian! Where are you?" It was Veronica's.

I sighed. "I've got to go. I hope everything works out," I said, then quickly made my way to the entrance.

* * *

The woman scowled as she watched Jubelian leaving. 'What an arrogant girl. As if it wasn't enough for her to speak to me informally, she dared to talk about my future.'

"Maybe I should have asked for her name," she murmured softly.

At that moment, someone approached her. The man was an imperial knight who wore a uniform with the royal coat of arms engraved on the chest.

"Your Highness, we must return now," he said.

Beatrice, the royal princess, nodded at his words and went to cover her face with a black veil when she realized what she held in her hand. She scrunched her face. The handkerchief she was holding onto was originally clean but had become soiled with her tears and snot.

'Disgusting.' Just as she was about to throw the handkerchief to the ground, she recalled what had just transpired.

"I've got to go. I hope everything works out," the strange woman had said.

Remembering her innocent smile, Beatrice hesitated for a moment, then smirked when she recalled what her mother had said.

"You wouldn't be suffering like this only if you were born as a man."

'How dare you say such things when you don't even know anything about my situation?'

Her coming-of-age ceremony would have been perfect. Her mother would have definitely been delighted if her coming-of-age was celebrated without any trouble in front of many people, and she had been recognized by her father. But her stepbrother had to go and commit an act of brutality, causing the attention of the people to shift, making him the new star of the banquet. Just thinking about it made her blood boil.

'She doesn't even know anything about me!' Beatrice stomped on the pink handkerchief with the heel of her shoes to vent out her frustrations. She glared down at it for a moment, then started feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Her gaze shifted into a nervous look.

"Bea, don't be weak. You have to be perfect for your mother."

With a resolved look, Beatrice covered her face with the veil. "Let's go," she stated firmly.

* * *

It was well past dinner time, but no one had touched the food set out on the long table in Duke Floyen's mansion. Regis had skipped dinner and was nervously pacing back and forth.

"Why hasn't Jubelian returned yet? She's never been this late."

"She'll be here soon. She was accompanied by the escort guards, so you shouldn't worry too much, Master."

He had certainly selected the most talented men to escort her, which meant that she was going to be safe unless a transcendent being attacked. Furthermore, it was safe to say that no one would dare to attack Jubelian as long as he remained healthy. Still, he couldn't help but worry.

'Should I have followed her?' He was deep in his thoughts when he felt a carriage moving towards the mansion. Regis quickly made his way to the front door. The moment he saw his daughter open the door and step foot inside, he felt the tension drain from his body as it loosened. He was relieved but felt strangely choked up at the same time.

****

Hope you enjoyed it,

Love,

Biji ^^,

Oct.22.2023