“What’s this commotion, suddenly barging in? You must explain why you’re taking my mother and sister away!”

“It’s the crime of assaulting royalty. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Assaulting royalty……”

At the messenger’s words, Jeffrey’s face turned towards me.

Not only was my appearance disheveled, but my arms, neck, and cheeks stung from nail scratches. As I brushed back my messy hair, strands tangled in my fingers.

Even though he couldn’t help but know what had happened, Jeffrey muttered in disbelief.

“How could this happen……”

“You didn’t hear the commotion inside the house?”

“The rooms are far apart, and I must have dozed off.”

The messenger conversing with Jeffrey wrinkled his nose.

“You’ve been drinking.”

It’s still afternoon, with the sun high in the sky.

A noble drinking at this hour isn’t a major flaw. But drinking alone at home, not even for entertaining guests, won’t be seen favorably.

The messenger’s expression hardened further.

Jeffrey, seeming to realize the embarrassment, avoided the messenger’s gaze.

“What will happen to my mother and sister?”

“There’s a witness and the assault is certain, so they’ll be investigated and brought to trial.”

“Trial…… Good heavens, are you saying my mother and sister will be imprisoned?”

“Even assaulting family members deserves punishment. Let alone assaulting royalty. Even if you hire a lawyer, no one will take the case of royal assault. Leniency will be difficult.”

The messenger answered diligently.

Despite his answer, it likely won’t proceed to trial.

A married royal being assaulted by in-laws – the King won’t tolerate such a scandal.

For the sake of the royal image, won’t they quickly handle this as if it never happened, to keep people from finding out?

Jeffrey couldn’t calculate that far. He repeatedly rubbed his face in bewilderment.

Jeffrey was about to yell at me but noticed Liam standing beside me.

“Is this person from the Empire?”

“This is Hall Rund from the Empire. He’s assisting Marx Benum.”

Liam gave a different name since he was here secretly.

“Why is an Imperial envoy here?”

“I’ve been visiting with the messenger to invite royalty to the Empire. We don’t know who will be invited to the Empire in the future, but I was given permission to build relationships in advance.

As the first step, I came to meet Princess Ormia.”

“Ormia is married. A married person won’t abandon their family to go to the Empire.”

“Well, I heard the Princess wants a divorce. Especially since a family member even committed assault… This might be a good opportunity for her to change her mood by visiting the Empire.”

“This is the first time it’s happened! To arrest over an impulsive act my mother committed in anger!”

“You seem to know well who struck first without even seeing the situation.”

Jeffrey’s face turned bright red at the mocking words.

Jeffrey clenched his fists and glared, but soon turned away.

They were the invaders who destroyed Glishia. He was no match for Liam’s aura.

“The messenger will need to report today’s events, so let’s go now. I’ll take responsibility for escorting the Princess to the palace.”

“Ormia is the mistress of this household! Why are you taking her to the palace?”

Jeffrey hastily approached and tried to grab my arm.

His fingertips, sharp like a hawk’s talons trying to snatch prey, sliced through the air.

Thanks to Liam pulling me away, I was able to avoid it.

“That’s why it’s more dangerous!”

Everyone stiffened at Liam’s thunderous shout.

“The Princess is still a baroness. She was assaulted inside the house, but the servants didn’t inform the baron. Whether out of fear of the baron or because assaults were frequent, I don’t know, but we can’t leave the Princess in this mansion when we don’t know what else might happen.”

The messenger’s brow furrowed, seemingly realizing the gravity of the situation.

“I said it’s the first time this has happened! Tell them, Ormia. Whether there were assaults before!”

“Ah……”

Instinctively, I covered one cheek.

When I brought up divorce, Jeffrey had impulsively slapped me.

“Oh my, Ragras God……”

Following the messenger’s pale exclamation, I heard the sound of gritting teeth from Liam beside me.

Jeffrey, flustered, made a mistake.

“No, that time… Ormia! Explain properly! That time was unavoidable circumstances!”

“Yes, it was only that one time.”

I answered as Jeffrey wanted, but no one there believed it.

The messenger looked at Jeffrey with contempt, as if seeing an insect.

“Let’s go now. I’ll escort you both. Baron Olan, please restrain yourself in the mansion. As a Glishian, I’m utterly ashamed and dismayed.”

“No, please listen. It’s not like that……”

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Cutting off Jeffrey’s excuses, Liam stood behind me.

As if to protect me in case Jeffrey followed and tried to use violence.

Jeffrey isn’t such a brave person. Leaving Jeffrey standing dazed in the study, intimidated by Liam’s aura, we left the mansion.

People had gathered at the front gate, likely due to the commotion Madam Olan caused while being taken away by the knights.

Thanks to Madam Olan’s insistence on getting a mansion not far from the center of the capital when I married, rumors couldn’t be stopped.

“They say the baroness hit the Princess.”

“Look at her state. Her arms and face are all scratched.”

“How could they do that to the Princess!”

The Olan family’s affairs became a spectacle for people. The messenger had a soldier bring one horse.

“I’ll go ahead and inform the palace of the situation. Please escort the Princess first, and Rund, could you wait until a carriage arrives?”

With only one carriage Liam rode in, he tried to send me separately.

“Couldn’t I ride in the carriage with him? He’s the one who saved me.”

“But this person is a guest from the Empire.”

The messenger hesitated for a moment.

Leaving an Imperial envoy who came to invite royalty alone with me could cause problems.

“I’m scared and frightened. I thought I could feel at ease if I went with the person who saved me… But I guess not. I’ll ride alone.”

“Hmm, if the Princess is alright with it, you may go together.”

The messenger asked Liam for understanding, and he didn’t refuse.

As the carriage departed, a knight rode alongside to monitor the situation inside.

Liam crossed his arms and glared at me.

This is the only time to talk properly with him.

“His Majesty hates scandals, so he’ll resolve today’s incident quickly.”

The carriage walls are thin, but the rattling and surrounding noise drowned out my voice.

The coachman and knights outside wouldn’t be able to hear.

“The Olan family is at fault, but it’s a dishonor for royalty to be assaulted. It won’t go to trial.”

Thanks to that face, I was able to live as royalty.

In my first life, I was the king’s youngest daughter but lived an ignored, invisible life that felt unfair. But when I was confined to the tower in my third life, I realized my first life was somewhat better.

The king couldn’t abandon me, called a divine negation, for the sake of face and dignity.

There can be no god who abandons family.

It was a choice solely for the king and royal authority, but it became the fence that protected me.

“But for appearance’s sake, he’ll force a divorce. As a divorced royal, my position has become worse than before. Using recuperation as an excuse, I might be sent away from the capital… or even confined.”

He was a king before being a father.

He confined me, saying I was a threatening existence that could overthrow royal authority.

Through the window, I could see people going about their daily lives. When I was confined, I had to live without even seeing such ordinary scenery.

“Before that happens, have the Empire extend an invitation.”

From now on, the Imperial envoy must act.

I told him the detailed plan. Liam quietly listened to my plan.

“There’s the pretext of the Emperor inviting royalty, and His Majesty can take this opportunity to remove me from Glishia, so he’ll pretend to deliberate but ultimately choose it.”

Only after experiencing it three times did I finally acknowledge it.

To the king, I’m not a child.

“He’ll abandon me.”

With an unreadable expression, Liam uncrossed his arms and stared at me silently before speaking.

“So this is why you wanted to leave Glishia.”

His eyes turned to my injured arm.

He occasionally showed emotion towards me as I was dying.

He spewed out the anger bottled up in his chest.

It was anger towards me, Beltoa, and Glishia, but I was glad to hear his low voice.

Whether in the underground prison or the confined tower, it was too cold and lonely.

“No. I only instigated the Olan family’s assault, but before that… Ah, the madam did come at night and hit me with a pillow. But it wasn’t life-threatening.”

I told him everything without hiding anything.

So that he could make plans too.

“So this was your reason for calling me here today.”

Liam’s voice lowered by a notch. It was a voice displeased with this situation.

“You deliberately provoked them to assault you to show me this state?”

His dark hair had fallen, half-covering his eyes. I read his uncomfortable emotions.

Is he uneasy about the plan?

I looked down at my arm, scratched and injured by fingernails.

“Is this situation not enough? Should I have broken an arm?”

Thump. Liam kicked the chair I was sitting on. The vibration shook me.

“Ah, I apologize. There must have been a stone on the road.”

The royal coachman apologized loudly, saying he was extremely sorry.

Grinding his teeth, Liam glared at me.

“You haven’t forgotten our contract, have you? I said I’d take the Princess out of Glishia, and you said you’d save my sister.”

His contorted eyes were more vivid and lively than at any time during my three lives.

Liam warned me in a low voice like an animal’s growl.

“I’ll tolerate it only this once, Princess.”

He kicked the chair I was sitting on again as he whispered. Thump. The vibration reached my heart.

“That body is no longer yours alone. So don’t create situations where you get injured like this again.”