Don’t Concern Yourself With That Book

With my arms crossed, I leaned back.

“Princess.”

There was a dazzling white robe hanging on one of the hangers. With a gust of wind, the jewels woven at the end of the silk chimed clearly.

“Don’t you like the fabric? We still have time so if you’d like to change it…”

“No.”

“You don’t look pleased.”

“It’s not because of my clothes.”

Rebecca placed the documents she had been holding down before turning towards me.

“Rebecca, what kind of expression does someone have when in love?”

“What? What is this all of a sudden…”

She gave me a slight frown.

“Well. I’m not very sure but I’m sure one would have a dazed expression free of any burden?”

“So, their gaze would turn dreamy and their cheeks would dye red?”

“That’s right.”

“Yeah. I think they’d look lovely.”

Then, Rebecca raised her chin proudly before throwing me a look.

“… You look quite lovely too, mistress.’

I felt bad for saying this but when she spoke with such a cold expression, her compliment did not sound like one.

“What’s the matter? Did the patronus you chose fall for another woman?”

“Uh. I think… it’s a… misunderstanding?”

“Yes?”

“Something similar happened.”

The prophetic writings stated that she was going to kill me and since the desert princess did fall in love with Castor, Rebecca wasn’t really wrong.

“Oh dear.”

Rebecca raised her eyebrows and mumbled under her breath as if she could not believe it.

“… Mistress. You’re plentifully charming.”

“H-huh?”

“You have to fight for what’s yours.”

“H-huh??”

“Haven’t you heard? Society is just another invisible war which is why you need to fight.”

As expected of a villainess, she had very progressive thoughts.

“Did you lose him because he said you were lacking something? Which lady was it? Which house is she from?”

“No, Rebecca, that’s not…”

“This is a fight of tongues and dresses, not knives.”

Blinking my eyes, I stared at her. Regardless, she continued to push forward and teach me about how merciless society is.

“It’s something you won’t be able to see. If you step out like this, you’ll only lose face so I’ll fix it for you. Please command me to do so. I might be able to address this issue under the name of Aventa.”

It seemed like I had gotten myself deeper into trouble because of my slip of tongue.

“Uh… If I tell you who it is, Rebecca, will you scold me?”

Shaking my leg, I rested my chin on the table and looked up at Rebecca.

With her slender body, she was put in charge of so many things. I held back my laughter and tried to make the most pitiful expression I could muster.

“Scold you? What do you mean?”

“Uh… you’re not?”

“Of course not.”

Rebecca replied to me firmly.

“We have to make sure those who tried to take advantage of you so arrogantly won’t even dare to turn your way ever again, mistress.”

“… Hahahahaha. I feel so reassured.”

From the day Rebecca introduced herself as my lady-in-waiting, I had something I was curious about which had been eating at a corner of my heart.

“Rebecca. You mentioned how I must have a patronus for the Founding Festival, right?”

“Yes, that is what I said.”

“Would you still care for me no matter who I bring?’

“Well… I don’t think I would kick them out of your palace without warning.”

With an arrogant tilt of her head, my dazzlingly beautiful lady-in-waiting looked at me.

“But for you, mistress, I’ll make him the best.”

Would a person in love have an expression as lovely as beautifully dried autumn leaves? So lovely it’d be hard to take my eyes away? I recalled my former boss who was about to get married and my friend bragging about her boyfriend having such an expression.

“I’m begging you.”

Ahacia said.

“The Founding Festival. I want to be the Crown Prince’s patronus. Can you do that for me?”

She wanted to become Castor’s patronus and announce her engagement. I didn’t know what her intentions were. However, I know that if that happened, my death would only be set more in stone.

Ahacia. I had no clue if she was really in love with him. Perhaps she had another way of expressing love. But even if she did love him, I couldn’t make that happen.

“Rebecca. Bring me a pen and paper.”

There were days where I would be gripped by the shackles of a painful life in which I would never be happy as the nightmares continued to haunt me. There were even nights where I found it difficult to sleep out of resentment. When I closed my eyes, I could still see the sunlight trickling in and the red blood that shone brightly. The azure blue sky that painted my last moments and the nightmares which made my nights feel so excruciating. Even when I buried my face into my pillows out of pain, I couldn’t cry.

However, as time passed, as more people came and left the palace which had been empty for a long time, life breathed into the palace. Rebecca who continued to follow me and the love of my warm brothers who always supported me.

“Here it is.”

The nightmares I went through alone were difficult, sad and painful but if I knew someone would be outside when I woke up, my nights did not seem as painful. Someday, I might even become happy.

“… So it’s an invitation.”

“Yeah. This is how I’m supposed to send it, right?”

“Yes.”

Normally, a princess wouldn’t directly request for someone else to be her patronus.

Of course, there were cases where they had been secretly decided or arranged through vested political interests. In that case, they would communicate using secret letters but what I was doing now was different.

“I don’t know who your patronus is but I think he’s a blessed man.”

She sounded like she was nagging me. As if she was wondering how I got to my current state, Instead of replying, I smiled as if I didn’t know either.

“You haven’t written down who’s the recipient yet.”

“Are you curious?”

“Yes, I am.”

It feels like I was about to enter a classroom filled with people to confess to the guy I like.

When I reached the end of my invitation, Rebecca let out a small sigh when she saw the recipient’s name left empty. She lamented.

“Mistress. … Are you not going to tell me who it is?”

“It’s more fun to keep it a secret.”

“Fun is not something you should be caring about.”

She quickly left at the request of a messenger sent by the duke who ran over busily.

“Hm… I’m done.”

Once I was left alone in the room, I glanced over the invitation I had finally completed. A breeze blew through the open window and my hair which had been tucked to one side now tickled my cheek. Someone told me that love was a feeling that tickled hearts just like this. I wondered how it would feel if this tickling sensation moved to my heart?

“I’m sorry, Rebecca.”

I’m not sure if this was a good day to turn my life upside down.

I sent the invitation and received a reply a few days later.

‘If constraint really works in this world…’

Now, all the pages in the <Light of Rusbella> might be vibrating. They might be trying to yell at me to stop.

“My patronus had already been chosen for me for a long time, mistress.”

The Founding Festival was when Rebecca finally fell in love with the Crown Prince and was reborn as a villainess in the original novel. Originally, the desert princess and her delegation would have just arrived in the Empire.

But it’ll be different.

In remembrance of what used to be the original novel, I smiled calmly albeit a little sadly as well.

I successfully twisted one of the original storylines. The day when one of my pending goals would be achieved was approaching. I closed my eyes.

“Look forward to it. My lovely Ashley.”

The person I chose as my patronus was Castor.

***

“The clothes you’re wearing today are not fit for moving about, princess.”

I like wearing comfortable clothes. But today, I was wearing a traditional robe that was easily wrinkled. After greeting me secretly, Granius went straight to his main point.

“The desert princess has requested a meeting with the Crown Prince.”

“Hm, and that princess is the real one, right?”

“Hoho… did you hear that from Penne? She wants to meet him to propose.”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

I only found out a few days ago but the patrols found the Royal Seal of Ra-Hart in the hideout during their raid.

It was one of the items that the desert princess first asked me to find. I heard that only the members of the Royal Family of Ra-Hart could possess it.

The kidnappers had kept it in the corner of their hideout because they were unsure whether or not to dispose of it. Because of the seal, there was proof that she was the real princess.

I already knew that she was real because of my prophetic writings but I could not confidently prove it so I chose to keep it to myself. I guess waiting was the right answer.

“Because of the discovery, there was a commotion amongst the patrols and her residence she had been in was turned upside down. She went through a lot.”

“There was no way for us to be sure of her identity before the investigation but we can’t just let a princess of another country sleep in a shabby room.”

“Yes. That’s right. Until now, she’s been asking to meet the princess. She wants to thank her.”

She seemed to have attributed all of this to me. And she had been looking for me ever since.

“I’m sorry but I didn’t actually do anything.”

It was thanks to Amor’s information that we found the place. The patrols were the ones who rescued the hostages. And I only started all this to find Hannah and my maids.

I didn’t do it for her and I didn’t even know she was going to be there. Even though I was flustered, she continued to think of me as a benefactor.

“The situation has become more complicated. But there was something I’ve been wanting to tell you but I’ve been keeping it from you until I confirmed everything.”

“What is it?”

“Actually, about 15 days ago, we received a secret letter from the expedition from Ra-Hart.”

“A letter?”

“Yes. This is information that only high-ranking officials are aware of. The desert princess had disappeared. They requested us to contact them immediately once we found her. It was a short but provocative warning.”

“…. So, Granius already knew?’

Granius paused for a moment before continuing.

“Yes. My apologies. I didn’t mention it to you because I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I didn’t know this would happen.”

He bowed his head slightly. I brought up my thoughts calmly.

“That means Granius didn’t think it was a ‘big deal’ because you didn’t think it was related to me?”

T/N:

omg I know some of yall already called it but I was still pretty surprised that ash chose Castor of all people like I had to pause while translating bc did she go insane? (ofc I get where she’s coming from but still??)