Chapter 17

* * *

In a garden where moonlight poured on…

‘Is it too late?’

I reached the garden a little late because of the unexpected meeting with Deborah.

‘I I wouldn’t have anything to say even if Rixus just left.’

I busily walked among the fresh green trees while holding the hem of my skirt, embracing the scent of spring. And finally, I stopped at the purple lavender garden.

In the distance stood the wide back of a familiar yet unfamiliar man waiting for me.

Ah… Rixus, he was still waiting for me.

‘He would have waited a long time.’

I hid my presence and walked slowly behind him and stood next to him, pretending to be unaware.

“…….”

Rixus suddenly looked down at me. The moonlight was shining beautifully on his side.

His eyes slowly curved to resemble the crescent moon in the night sky.

I smiled along to that beautiful and friendly smile without realizing it, but I hurriedly regained my senses and flattened my lips.

I turned down his expensive gift earlier, and I was sure Rixus would bring the topic up. So I shouldn’t smile softly while looking at him. I might get caught up in his pace.

I asked in a polite, sober voice.

“Have you waited long?”

“Not at all.”

He answered simply in a relaxed and lovely voice.

Lies. You must have waited a long time, Rixus… 

‘Sometimes, he’s surprisingly kind. Is this really his character?’

If so, then what was that cold and scary Rixus that I read in the original…? What was the cruel and unrelenting man I had encountered as a natural enemy during those times?

Ever since I decided to get married, I hadn’t been able to get used to it every time I saw something unexpected in Rixus.

Rixus said, sticking out an arm.

“It’s dark at night, so I want to escort my wife.”

Instead of putting an arm around Rixus’, I crossed them.

“Remember that your wife has very bright night vision.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Let’s just walk. The weather is nice.”

I took the first step and continued to talk as I walked ahead.

“It’s good weather to just walk side by side.”

This was sincere. It was such a warm spring night, good weather to walk with anyone.

After a while, my steps caught up with the big strides of the Rixus.

But as we started walking side by side, Rixus adjusted the stride of his long legs to match up with me.

I glanced up at him.

‘When he’s expressionless, he’s the guy I knew.’

Someone who looked as cold and expressionless as me.

The black hair soaked in the pale light was very beautiful because it was scattered effortlessly.

Conversely, the blue-violet eyes created a feeling of being crushed just by looking at them.

His broad shoulders looked as strong as a warrior forged out of iron on the battlefield.

The Rixus I knew was just like that.

A man who was not easily approachable. Scary.

As I was keenly spying on him, the expressionless man opened his mouth.

“Are you secretly looking at me?”

……I am.

I was startled and naturally pulled my gaze away, turning it forward. 

“I didn’t look at you. And what’s wrong with looking at you?”

“I’m nervous.”

“…What are you nervous about?”

Without blinking an eye, he said,

“How can I not be nervous, the woman looking at me is too pretty.”

“……What?”

“Then be less pretty.”

…He’s surprisingly sly, and anyway.

“The gift I sent earlier today was sent back.”

In response to Rixus’s question, I hastened my steps. In fact, I felt a little sorry about the constant refusal.

Standing between yellow tulips and lush green trees, I answered.

“I told you. You don’t have to give me presents.”

“How can I convince you to accept it?”

“I’ll never accept it, so there’s no need to work in vain.”

I cut Rixus off without a second thought, trying to ignore the look of disappointment in his eyes.

Although I saved Rixus from poisoning… 

It was just out of respect, not because I had faith in him.

‘…Rixus can become my enemy even tomorrow.’

Just because the heads of enemy countries get married, there was no guarantee that the marriage would last forever.

Our marriage could be broken according to national interest.

And when blue roses bloomed on my body and when the oracle came down, I couldn’t avoid a confrontation with him.

If we get close to each other, and later have to point our swords for the other’s life… What could be worse than that?

I wanted to prevent that in advance.

“Rixus. Strictly speaking, we are the leaders of countries who are enemies. Even if we get married, we can divide according to national interests.”

“I’m going crazy because I like you.”

…What did I just hear?

I stood tall and looked at him, stunned.

Of course, I thought it was a joke, but Rixus’s eyes didn’t look like he was playing around at all.

“I’m going crazy, I like you.”

I was completely taken aback by his straightforward confession that immediately broke down the wall I had struggled to build.

With my face blushing, I pursed my lips in embarrassment, like a sea otter that had been deprived of shells.(TL/N: Otters have been observed to use a clam shell as a digging and prying tool. Welcome to NatGeo with Ame.)

“So what…”

I couldn’t be this silly after asking blankly.

In regret, he immediately wrapped my hand in his, and looked directly at me with passionate eyes.

My heart was pounding as if I had been burned by Rixus’ body temperature.

“I can only think of you all day like I’m crazy. I’m in trouble too.”

I sighed and asked.

“What? Are you kidding me…?”

“I’m serious.”

He put his lips on the back of my hand.

Even so, he was persistent and did not take his eyes off me, and it felt like my whole body was being wrapped in heat by his gaze.

Rixus confessed in a low tone.

“If you want, I’ll give you the sun, but you don’t want anything from me.”

He expressed his pain sweetly.

“I can’t even give my wife a necklace…”

…Had I really gone back? Unless Rixus’ brain went weird……

No, rather than that, wasn’t he satisfied with gifting the jewelry room? He gave me more than 100 necklaces.

I looked up blankly at him with my lips parted, then slowly hardened my expression.

‘That’s nonsense.’

His confession felt so unrealistic that I was even a little offended.

I didn’t know the reason, but he must be making fun of me. Because he’s a very playful guy. But this kind of prank was really unpleasant.

My red eye slowly shifted. Soon, I opened my mouth cynically.

“You fell in love with the queen of an enemy country that you met for the first time not long ago… just because a few words were exchanged.”

My lips rose scornfully.

“What a cheap heart.”

“…….”

I slowly turned around and looked away.

Before long, we were at the large lake behind the garden.

“Did you say you wanted to give me anything?”

I looked up at Rixus’ still unfamiliar eyes, and raised my hand.

And as I slowly recited a spell, a blizzard blew, bringing along the sound of sharp winds and swallowed the lake in an instant.

Rixus covered his eyes with the back of his hand in the raging wind.

Whoosh.

Soon, everything around him began to freeze.

The trees froze as if stuffed in ice, and even the water of the lake was covered with sharp, thin ice.

I pointed to the blue flower blooming in the middle of the lake.

“Then pick that blue flower, Rixus.”

“…….”

“And I’ll think about receiving that necklace.”

How could anyone jump into that frosty lake covered with ice?

It was as good as telling him to die.

The middle of the lake looked very deep, so he could get caught in the ice while swimming and suffocate.

Besides, the lake at night was so dark that one couldn’t even see an inch ahead.

It was suicide to jump into that lake in this situation.

‘Am I being too mean?’

But if I came out like this, even Rixus wouldn’t play such ridiculous jokes in the future.

Rixus stared at the blue flower in the middle of the lake.

I thought that my response was too much, so I slightly dampened the momentum.

“…So, from now on, don’t play jokes on me.”

He dug a hand into my waist.

“We didn’t meet for the first time a few days ago.”

…Huh? You mean you had seen me before?

At that time, a memory struck like a storm in my confused mind.

‘Do you remember that, Rixus?’

No way, back then, Rixus couldn’t even see my face.

It couldn’t be.

As I narrowed my eyes in thought, Rixus looked down at me with dark eyes and said,

“Think about when we met.”

“…….”

“Until I come back.”

What? By the time I asked, Rixus had already jumped into the icy lake.

The dark and dangerous lake water opened its mouth and swallowed him in an instant.

My heart sank to the floor.

“Oh, no…….”

I screamed his name with trembling lips.

“Rixus!”

* * *

(Flashback)

It was a day of strange hopes.

I was standing in front of the palace.

It was the same palace where my parents and brothers lived.

In the last 7 years of my life, I had never looked for my parents who abandoned me… 

It wasn’t until my 8th life that I found the courage to find my parents who left me.

In fact, I had been seriously ill for a few days after eating poisonous herbs, and I was in a very weak state because I was a child.

When I woke up after being ill for three days without drinking a sip of water, I suddenly thought of that for the first time.

‘Maybe my parents are regretting that they abandoned me?’

They threw their daughter into a swamp full of poison just because she was an odd-eye.

For ordinary parents, it would remain a bruise on their chests for the rest of their lives.

Sometimes parents abandoned their children due to unavoidable circumstances, but most of them lived with regrets for the rest of their lives, not forgetting their children.

‘Why didn’t I think of this? Of course, you may be regretting it by now.’

If so, would they welcome me back to their lives?

Even though I was caught up in such thoughts and went to the front of the city gate, I could not easily get close to the guards.

The messy hair in the dirty clothes caught my mind for no reason.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Mom and Dad, but I came here acting like a dirty beggar.’

But I swore this was my best.

In the swampy area, walking just 5 minutes could cover one in dirt.

“There…….”

I walked over and looked up at the guards.

The guard looked down at me with a frown.

“What?”

“I’m here to see my parents.”

The guards’ lips twisted into a blatant smirk.

“How can a beggar’s parents be in this castle?”

“Go away. You stink.”

Instead of answering, I slowly took off my eyepatch.

The bloody left eye, the symbol of the royal family, and the diamond-like odd-eye were clearly visible.

“!”

The guards’ eyes widened as if struck by lightning.

The youngest princess, thought to be dead, was back!

Ame: Double update today since I’ll be mostly outside this weekend. Get ready for their childhood arc!