“If you had acted like a corpse until your death, I might have harassed you for being an eyesore, but I wouldn’t have gone this far. How dare you sully your body.”

Richard thought, and thought again.

And he came to one conclusion.

He too could capture Mercedes’ gaze. He didn’t desire something like love. He wanted Mercedes to fear only him.

It won’t do for anyone else. He will make her submit only to him.

“Your… Highness.”

Mercedes called out to him, her body trembling. She seemed unaware that she was shaking.

“Mercedes. If you had done well, this wouldn’t have happened, would it? So how merciful is my order for just you to disappear. Without even punishing your family!”

“…So Your Highness’ words… mean that I should… take responsibility…”

“Yes. Take your own life.”

Mercedes couldn’t take her eyes off the dagger.

“I’m not telling you to do it right now, I’ll give you time to get your affairs in order… Yes, I’ll mercifully give you a week.”

As Richard was speaking, somehow no sound reached Mercedes’ ears. She was simply perplexed.

‘Did I do something so wrong that I deserve to die?’

Looking back on her life, she didn’t think there had been such a time.

Being with the Emperor was only for a very brief moment. It could be called a mistake, but not a wrongdoing.

Not sure if her chastity could be confirmed, she opened her mouth anyway.

“Please let me be examined by the court physician. You say I sullied my body. I—”

“Is that important? Don’t you understand yet, Mercedes? How fortunate that I witnessed you that dawn? If someone else had seen, the scandal would have been even greater.”

“Pardon?”

“See. You keep creating news that insults the royal family. Really, you’re everyone’s headache. I can’t face Her Majesty the Queen Mother. Yes. Your life has no value. You deserve to die.”

Richard cackled as he drank more alcohol.

‘No value?’

Everyone condemns her. It had been that kind of life forever.

So it seems she did something wrong… but not enough to die for.

A whirlpool of confusion began to consume her. Since they said she did wrong, she apologized.

But a sin ‘worthy of death’? Such a sin was far from her life.

Doesn’t it have to be something like taking someone’s life or property, or threatening the stability of the country, to be called a ‘capital offense’?

Mercedes mentally counted her sins.

For not consummating the marriage? For bringing disgraceful rumors and insulting the royal family? For encountering the Emperor at dawn?

Was that a capital offense?

But setting aside the Emperor incident, the one who caused the rumors to spread like wildfire was…

Richard.

Then shouldn’t Richard be the criminal, not herself?

“You should be grateful it ends like this. Wrap up your sullied body with suicide.”

At Richard’s words, Mercedes’ body trembled slightly. Richard’s heart soared at her reaction.

What will she do now? Won’t she beg for her life?

No matter how proud a person is, they can’t remain calm in the face of death.

Just imagining Mercedes clutching his feet and shedding tears was thrilling. He desperately wanted to see her distorted face.

Though he handed over the dagger, he didn’t really mean for her to die.

What Richard truly wanted to see was Mercedes submitting to him, showing her belly, and acting coy. Knowing she was actually chaste, if she just fawned on him like that, he was willing to clean up this mess and dote on her.

“…Suicide. You say.”

“Go. Think it over well for a week.”

“…”

“What are you doing, I said get out.”

Richard’s cold voice settled.

Mercedes opened and closed her mouth as if trying to say something, but in the end she quietly stood up and left the room.

She was still holding the dagger Richard had given her.

Richard, who had been staring at the closed door, remained lying on the sofa.

Then, when enough time had passed for Mercedes to have left the room, he got up and approached the window. Indeed, Mercedes could be seen heading towards the Crown Princess’ palace outside.

Richard muttered as he watched her.

“You should admit it soon, Mercedes. You should be my possession. That’s how it should be.”

* * *

“…What did I do wrong.”

In her hand as she returned to her room was a single dagger. Her head ached incessantly.

A mistletoe flower was engraved on the handle. It was a simple yet lovely pattern.

Mercedes knew the flower language of mistletoe.

She learned it after finding the amusing folk belief that kissing under it would make unrequited love come true interesting.

Strong perseverance.

It seemed to be a saying attached to a plant that barely survives even by parasitizing other plants.

And it was a flower language that suited Mercedes quite well.

A life that can barely survive by parasitizing the lives of others.

Something with so little strength, unable to do anything.

While thinking that if anyone was to blame it should be Richard, Mercedes knew there was nothing she could do.

In the end, all that remained in her hands was…

The strength to stab her own chest, that was all.

Mercedes held that power in her hand and fell into thought.

Her times with Richard flashed before her eyes like a kaleidoscope.

‘You should know it’s an honor. I, who will become the master of this kingdom, have taken you in, just the third daughter of a count.’

‘I am grateful.’

‘…But what’s with that expression? Since the national wedding ceremony earlier.’

‘Pardon?’

‘You should be laughing with joy, fawning excessively.’

‘Ah. I’m sorry. That is…’

What was it again? Something about those eyes devoid of any emotion not being to his liking.

Life in the royal palace was by no means pleasant.

Still, if she just holed up in her room, she could escape all kinds of gazes. Richard’s tyranny was a little more bearable compared to the violence of the count’s family.

She thought somewhat naively that she could apologize for the scandal or somehow resolve it.

But to order her death.

To doubt her chastity.

“Your Highness. That sword… Is something wrong?”

Gertrude called out to Mercedes, who was lost in thought. Though it was in its sheath, it was a dagger that looked dangerous even at a glance for a woman to hold.

Gertrude hesitantly took her hand. It was warm. Ah, this is a person’s hand. Feeling the warmth, Mercedes suddenly came to her senses.

It was just a moment ago that she had returned at night and sat down holding the sword, but the sun was already high in the sky.

“Ah, it’s… lunchtime.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Won’t you give me that sword? It looks dangerous.”

“No. This is… fine.”

“What’s wrong? You didn’t answer even when called since morning, and you seem to have been up all night. With your weak body…”

Her body wasn’t weak.

Thinking that it might seem that way since she was cooped up in her room every day, Mercedes smiled bitterly.

At that, Gertrude’s face gradually crumpled into a tearful expression. It was a look that seemed to truly care for her.

Maybe that’s why.

Mercedes, whose head felt like it would burst from the confusing turmoil, was overcome by an impulse instead of keeping her mouth shut as usual.

The impulse to tell someone she trusted, someone who cared for her.

“His Highness ordered me to take my own life.”

“What?”

“His Highness the Crown Prince. My husband… ordered me to take my own life. Saying all the recent scandals were my fault. And also, he doubted my chastity.”

Saying it out loud made her feel unexpectedly calm. Mercedes faced Gertrude with no change in expression. Gertrude, as expected, was in an uproar.

“What? What do you mean? What wrong has Your Highness done! Chastity? How can that be when you haven’t even had your wedding night!”

“Nanny, do you think so?”

“Yes! It was just a corset tied wrong once. And that was this nanny’s fault if anything… To order suicide over that. It’s absurd.”

Gertrude had been full of self-reproach since the day Mercedes collapsed, saying she should have tied the corset herself. It was just that she had stepped away for a moment.

“This, this is all this nanny’s fault. I should be the one to take my own life. Or, Your Highness. Should we, should we run away? I am always on Your Highness’ side. Your Highness…”

As she watched Gertrude at a loss, her face pale, Mercedes smiled without realizing it.

“What, what are you smiling about…”

Gertrude was about to burst into tears now.

“Nanny. Prepare to resign as head maid.”

“What? What do you…”

She didn’t know what would happen a week later, but.

An unexpected feeling arose.

Looking at Gertrude, she realized.

She did have something in her hands after all.

“What are you saying? Did this nanny do something wrong?”

There was a nanny who had been by her side from childhood until now. The only person.

“No. If I die, you’ll be harmed too. At least you should be safe. I’ll make a way for you to live, so look for a place to settle down. I want to do everything for you, but there’s not enough time.”

“Your Highness…! What are you saying!”

Usually one would say they want to run away. The nanny shook her head, now really shedding tears.

“I don’t want to! I will stay by Your Highness’ side until the end. I… I don’t want to! I’ve never let Your Highness out of my arms. I’ve dared… dared to think of Your Highness as my own daughter.”

Gertrude hugged her tightly and clung to her, sobbing loudly. Something Mercedes had never done even once.

Crying out loud.

‘I’d like to try it, but.’

It just wouldn’t come out. She had only ever kept her tears inside.

“…Alright, Gertrude.”

In the end, Mercedes gave in to Gertrude’s strong refusal.

In fact, she could prepare Gertrude’s escape on her own.

She decided to focus on planning Gertrude’s escape rather than examining her own emotions or situation.

She didn’t want to think about anything regarding herself.

‘Alright, that’ll do.’

If she could protect her only one like this and die, it would be fine.

No matter what happens a week from now.