The 17th Princess Just Wants to Live

I tore up the paper detailing Tristan’s past and burned it.

The original story I knew turned into a handful of ashes. As I stared at the pile of ashes, a sense of anxiety washed over me.

Things were taking a very strange turn.

I already had the daunting task of choosing between two villainous brothers. That alone was harsh enough for a side character, and now I’d even encountered the abused male lead.

“Tristan…”

I muttered unconsciously, thinking about last night’s events.

No matter how hard I tried to shake off the thought, it kept creeping back.

The boy with empty eyes. His thin face, the slightly swollen cheek, and the way he vanished silently like a shadow filled my mind.

That shabby figure overlapped with someone else.

A small, skinny child with a bruise on his cheek, like a little Cinderella pulled straight out of a fairy tale. The first face I saw in this world.

I kept seeing the memory of Tristan, just like I would look into a mirror.

Could I really leave him like this?

If I did nothing, Tristan’s future would probably unfold similarly to the original story.

The Aschenbach ducal family would be destroyed, and Tristan would appear at the New Year’s auction as a slave.

Or, since Tristan’s backstory was different, would his future also change? Like the rest of the duke’s family who were executed, he might find his fate on the guillotine.

If the original story unfolded entirely differently than what I knew, and the Aschenbach didn’t end up accused of treason, then Tristan would live out his life like this.

As the illegitimate son of a duke, a mere servant, unable to even resist when he was beaten.

I bit my lips hard.

Whatever the future held, Tristan wouldn’t be happy.

If things went as in the original, he might suffer, but at least he would get a happy ending. But there were still three years until the story started. During that time, Tristan would…

The sharp sound of a burst echoed in my ears. The sound of a slap, the image of Tristan curled up on the floor, those eyes looking up at me—these memories wouldn’t leave me alone.

Those eyes, with the color of the sun but devoid of any light, filled with neither hope nor despair, only resignation. I—

“I can’t leave him like this.”

I jumped to my feet.

It took 30 minutes to devise a plan, and another 30 minutes to muster up the courage to act on it. An hour later, I was holding a letter in my hand. It was a short note, just a few lines.

[The tail of the blue snake lies in Alepha. Seek the place where the south wind rests.

If this letter has been of any help, I would like to meet and discuss Aschenbach and his illegitimate son. The sooner, the better.]

After reading the letter for what felt like the hundredth time, I called Matilda and instructed her to bring a maid named Emma.

Soon after, a maid with plain brown hair knocked on my door. I handed her the letter.

“Deliver this to your real master.”

Emma’s face tensed up slightly. Before she could say anything, I waved my hand dismissively.

“It’s fine, just go. You’ve been keeping in touch all this time, anyway, haven’t you?”

Emma glanced between me and the letter with a guilty expression. When I urged her again, she finally seemed to realize I was serious, tucked the letter into her pocket, and left the room.

Left alone, I tried to calm my racing heart.

Until now, I had been passive, even though I knew the original story. As long as I followed the story, the future was guaranteed, so I had no reason to intervene.

But now the situation had changed.

I had unintentionally drawn the interest of the villainous brothers, and whether by chance or fate, I had met the original story’s protagonist. The story was already twisted beyond recognition, and now I couldn’t even be sure if I could trust what I knew.

So, I would change my approach.

Instead of being dragged along by the villains, I would lead them. To do that, I’d need to use the original story’s information more actively and figure out how much of it differed from reality.

Being more proactive meant that I would be in more danger, but there was no other choice.

If it meant saving Tristan Aschenbach, I was willing to take that risk.

Three days later, in the afternoon.

The Opal Palace was buzzing in preparation for a guest.

The bustling activity of the servants, busy since morning, filled the palace with life.

The number of servants in the Opal Palace, originally ten, had been reduced to six by Richard, but had since increased again to twelve.

With more people working, my life had certainly improved. I looked around the Opal Palace, which was the cleanest and most polished it had been in a while and nodded in satisfaction.

When I went down to the parlor, a table set with tea utensils awaited me. Today, I was expecting to have a light teatime with my guests.

I approached the vase on the table. Inside was a simple bouquet of wildflowers that had been picked that morning.

I fiddled with the petals and took a deep breath. I wasn’t sure how I looked outwardly, but in truth, I was quite nervous.

“His Highness the Twelfth Prince has arrived!”

A loud voice announced Richard’s arrival. I turned to greet my guest, but Richard was quicker.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

Richard, as always, strode forward and reached the parlor in a few steps.

For … we weren’t exactly meeting that often.

While thinking that, I managed to smile and greet Richard.

“I’ve been well. Has everything been alright with you, brother?”

“Not really.”

Richard gave a vague response and gestured towards the back.

“I brought some snacks since you mentioned tea.”

Now, Richard’s servants, who were gradually becoming more familiar to me, began arranging plates on the table with their practiced hands.

Cookies, cakes, pudding… sweet desserts that made my mouth water just by looking at them piled up endlessly.

As expected from Richard. Good thing I trusted Ruby Palace’s chefs and didn’t bother preparing any desserts myself.

All I prepared was some tea leaves. Richard, on the other hand, didn’t just stop at desserts; he brought his own tea leaves and even a teapot.

When would I ever see Richard eat anything without worrying about assassination? Not that I was complaining — I got to enjoy as much cake from Ruby Palace as I wanted…

As I glanced at the cream cake, lost in those thoughts, Richard suddenly said something out of the blue.

“And I brought some people along.”

“Huh?”

I looked up and was taken aback.

The hall in front of the reception room was filled with people. Several individuals dressed in red uniforms were lined up neatly in the hall. While I was caught off guard, they saluted with precise movements.

“The Kalia Knights pay their respects to the Seventeenth Princess!”

I responded in surprise.

“Hello…?”

The Kalia Knights were Richard’s personal knights. Their red uniforms with golden buttons and epaulets were unmistakably Richard’s style.

And with almost twenty of them lined up, the already small hall of Opal Palace felt even smaller.

“Squads 1 and 2, survey the area around Opal Palace. Squads 3 and 4, check the southern forest. The rest, split up and familiarize yourselves with the layout of Opal Palace. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

At Richard’s command, the knights dispersed in all directions.

“Um, Brother?”

Meanwhile, I stood there, stunned. Anyone would think Richard was the master of Opal Palace.

“What are you doing right now?”

“They’re going to work here from now on. They’ll rotate shifts, but you should get used to their faces.”

“What I mean is, why are your knights working at my palace?”

“You don’t have any knights, do you?”

Richard said, leaving me speechless with how casual he sounded. What kind of reasoning is this? Like, ‘Don’t you have this at your house?’

“It seems like you don’t understand.”

Seeing my expression, Richard shrugged.

“Choosing to support Solea means your life will become more dangerous. It’s not an exaggeration to say you’ve become the top target for assassination. It would be easier to get rid of you than me.”

I tried to keep up with what Richard was saying.

“Choosing to support… someone? Me?”

Richard noticed my confusion and frowned.

“Weren’t you deciding between me and that bastard and made up your mind? Isn’t that why you invited me?”

Oh my god. Did he interpret me reaching out a few days after the banquet as that? That I weighed my options between him and Rudolph and chose him?

I opened my mouth to clear up the misunderstanding, but at that moment, an Opal Palace servant called out at the worst possible time.

“The Fifth Prince has arrived!”

Unlike Richard’s heavy footsteps, Rudolph’s steps were light and lively.

“There’s not a single magical barrier around the palace. I put up a temporary one, but it won’t be enough. Also, I detected about six armed individuals behind the palace and another six in the forest, it’s suspicious whether they’re assassins or not…”

Without even a greeting, Rudolph entered the reception room, listing his observations. Then, he locked eyes with Richard.

For a moment, their gazes clashed in the air before turning towards me simultaneously.

“What’s he doing here?”

“What’s he doing here?”

Except for their tone, their words were almost identical. I almost forgot the situation and laughed.

The two, unintentionally harmonizing, glared at each other.

“Who gave you permission to come here? Do you want to die?”

Richard growled as if he might draw his sword at any moment.

“You seemed more polite the last time we met, but I guess not. No greeting to your elder, barging into your sister’s palace without notice.”

Rudolph’s tone was soft, but the movements of his fingers suggested he was preparing a spell.

It felt like the nightmare of that banquet night was happening all over again. I hurried to intervene.

“I invited both of you!”

Both of my brothers turned to me simultaneously. Why did they have to be so in sync?

Having two displeased pairs of eyes staring at me was incredibly nerve-wracking. I almost shrank back, but then I stopped myself. I promised not to be pushed around anymore.

Steeling myself, I spoke firmly.

“I called you both here to give my answer to your proposals. So, please don’t cause trouble in my palace and have a seat.”

Maybe it was because I came on strong, but despite their displeasure, the two brothers sat down without further complaint.

When I took the host’s seat at the table, Rudolph sat to my left, and Richard sat to my right.

A tense silence settled over the room. The servants, sensing the moment, quickly set down the teapot and disappeared from the reception room.

The sweet aroma from the table mingled with the scent of tea. It looked like a perfect teatime from the outside, but no one reached for the desserts.

I wanted to eat some cake, but I’d probably get indigestion right now…

I took a sip of tea to soothe my anxious stomach and began to speak.

“The reason I invited you both today is to give my answer to your proposals.”

Richard’s face lit up with confidence.

Judging by his expression, he probably assumed I was going to choose him. Where did he get that confidence from?

In contrast, Rudolph’s expression remained unchanged. He looked at me with his usual faint smile, his face as beautifully composed as ever.

“I have something I really want to accomplish. But it’s difficult for me to do it alone. So, I’d like to ask for your help.”

After glancing at each of their contrasting expressions, I made my declaration.

“I will support whoever helps me with this task as Solea. If both of you help, I will support the one who contributes more.”