FTMR 35

Chapter 35

 The Princess Isn’t a Fool

 Gulp.

The Empress Dowager involuntarily swallowed as the image of her adorable granddaughter flickered in her mind.

He might be crazy, but since childhood, no one in the empire could rival Cardin in terms of beauty.
And though she hadn’t expected it, Anette was also remarkably beautiful. So it was certain that any child born between the two would also be striking in appearance.

Of course, even if the child didn’t resemble the parents at all, as long as it was her grandchild, she was sure she’d adore them beyond reason.

Before she knew it, the Empress Dowager—who had just been thinking of her son as a lunatic—found herself grinning, imagining a child born before marriage.
Startled, she quickly pulled herself together.

But her eyes already betrayed an excitement and anticipation that couldn’t be hidden.

“…Do you think you can handle this?”

“If Your Majesty helps me, I can.”

Cardin claimed that if he left the palace and lived alone with Anette in the Grand Duchy, they would naturally grow closer, and their relationship would progress swiftly—eventually leading to the birth of a lovely grandchild.

It wasn’t a sound or logical plan—it was entirely self-serving.
Yet the Empress Dowager found herself nodding as if hypnotized by Cardin’s confidence and persuasive tone.

Then, with a worried expression, she murmured:

“Still, having a granddaughter won’t be easy…”

Due to the nature of their bloodline powers, the Alkan imperial family rarely bore children, and daughters were especially rare.
In fact, to find the last-born imperial princess, one would have to go back more than 300 years.

So how could he be so confident about having a daughter?

Cardin simply shrugged and answered casually.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep trying until I do.”

…This brat.

Did he have any idea how hard childbirth was for women?

The Empress Dowager wanted to scold him on the spot but ended up succumbing to a temptation she couldn’t resist.

In a low voice, she said:

“From now on, treat the princess well.”

“I’ll treat her well even without you telling me to.”

“Don’t talk back.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

And with that, the last strong opponent standing in the way of Anette moving to the Grand Duchy had vanished.

…Or so they thought.

“Waaaah! Don’t go, Auntie!”

Cardin pressed a hand to his forehead, caught off guard by an unexpected obstacle.

The round, golden-haired head—so much like his own—was buried in Anette’s arms, trembling with sobs.

It was Mikhail, who had just learned that morning that Anette was leaving for the Grand Duchy.

“Mikhail, now stop crying,” Charlotte said, unable to bear watching any longer.

Only then did Mikhail slowly loosen the grip he had around Anette’s waist.
But the tears wouldn’t stop, and he kept rubbing his eyes with his chubby hands.

Seeing this, Anette gently wiped the tears from his cheeks.
The child sniffled and asked:

“Auntie, can’t you stay a little longer?”

“Your Highness, I’ll be back very soon.”

In three months—whether by her own recovery or with Lucius’s help—she’d return to the capital to prepare for the royal wedding.

“I’ll check your sword form then. I’m not sure I’ll be of much help, but…”

Just yesterday, Mikhail had eagerly asked about her training routine and begged her to look at his swordsmanship.

Thinking that’s why he was crying, Anette tried to comfort him.

Of course, she knew her chaotic training methods wouldn’t be very useful to a boy learning from royal knights.

“But I wanted to spend more time with you, Auntie…”

Despite her reassurance, Mikhail pouted and shook his head.
It felt like he was saying that wasn’t the only reason he was upset.

Anette was taken aback.

Strictly speaking, she hadn’t even had a proper conversation with Mikhail over the past two days—they had only just formally introduced themselves yesterday and chatted briefly.

Even if he had heard stories from the Grand Duke, how could a child become so attached to someone so quickly?

And Mikhail wasn’t the only one looking disappointed.

Charlotte and even Lucius couldn’t hide their sorrow at her departure, which left Anette with mixed feelings.

She had never felt this way back in Heyworth.

No one had welcomed her like this. No one had been sad to see her go.

“If I hadn’t come to the Alkan Empire… I would never have known what this feels like.”

An unexplainable emotion stung her eyes.
Not wanting to cry like little Mikhail, Anette took a deep breath to calm herself.

Then Lucius, brushing aside the mood, said:

“By the way, we’re sending a courier to Heyworth today.”

The letter would request punishment for the delegation—including the knights—who had failed in their mission to escort Anette to the palace.

It also contained a message stating that, due to the monster attack, Anette’s health was poor and she would be recovering until the wedding date was decided.

Additionally, Lucius explained that the previously listed dowry items would be sent along, to which Anette nodded.

Since both the Grand Duchy and the Heyworth Kingdom were two days away from the imperial capital, the message would likely arrive at about the same time she reached the Grand Duchy.

Anette wondered how the King of Heyworth would react to receiving what was essentially a letter of protest and shook her head.

In truth, the original delegation probably hadn’t made it back alive—so actual punishment would be unlikely.

“They’ll probably just throw a fit about the kingdom’s honor being damaged and leave it at that.”

Heyworth didn’t have the backbone to defy the Alkan Empire.
No matter how much they disliked her, the kingdom’s side was clearly at fault in this case.

They might even feel relieved the engagement wasn’t canceled and focus on the dowry instead.

“Hm.”

Lost in thought, Anette swallowed without realizing.

When she’d first seen the dowry list prepared by the Empire, she had been astonished.

She had never cared much for wealth, yet the items were so rare and valuable that even she felt it was excessive.

If the dowry had gone straight to the imperial treasury and helped expand the perpetually underfunded Royal Knights’ budget, she wouldn’t have minded.

“But that’s not going to happen.”

Before leaving, she had already pleaded with the treasury to increase the knights’ budget—and now that she was gone, they should be fine.

But knowing that all those treasures would fall into the hands of Queen Esther or Brigitte still made her stomach churn.

“That dowry’s just too extravagant…”

“No. Not at all,” Cardin said firmly.

She had muttered that so softly—how did he even hear it?

Anette glanced toward the emperor, expecting him to be irritated by Cardin’s boldness, since it was the imperial family—not the Grand Duchy—who had prepared the dowry.

But Lucius merely nodded in agreement, as if he’d been waiting for the chance.

“Frankly, it’s nowhere near enough to welcome a royal princess to Alkan.”

“That’s right. Anette is worth far more than that,” Cardin added.

Even Charlotte, patting Mikhail’s back, chimed in, causing Anette’s cheeks to flush.

At first, she had assumed the luxurious dowry list was just a way to flaunt the Empire’s wealth—but now she knew that wasn’t the case.

“Too late to regret it now, though. The engagement is official,” Lucius said.

“They might even complain that we sent too little,” Charlotte joked.

It really seemed like the Emperor and Empress believed Anette was more valuable than even the lavish dowry they were sending.

“Value… Value, huh…”

She didn’t think she had anything like that.

It made no sense—but everyone in this Empire seemed to lose their objectivity when it came to her.

And perhaps that thought showed on her face.

Cardin gently tapped her shoulder, leaned in, and met her gaze.

“The Princess isn’t a fool,” he said. “Don’t lump yourself in with those who were stupid enough to give away the goose that lays golden eggs.”

“…!”

His soft, ocean-colored eyes and dangerously sweet words sent a new sensation flooding through her body—different from embarrassment.

Anette was sure her cheeks had turned red, even without looking in a mirror.

She fought the urge to cover her face with both hands.
If she did, he’d surely tease her again.

Instead, she straightened her posture, determined to act confidently rather than be laughed at in front of everyone.

Cardin had intended to tease her anyway—but seeing her stand tall only made her look more charming, and he burst into laughter.

Watching them, Charlotte shook her head.

Her husband had said that watching the two flirt was more nauseating than entertaining—and he’d been right.

Shivering at Cardin’s lovey-dovey gestures, Charlotte muttered:

“Ugh.”

“Your Majesties, the Grand Duke’s carriage and knights have just passed the palace gates,” a servant announced.

At those words, tension flickered across Anette’s face.