The 17th Princess Just Wants to Live - Ch. 31

The next day, for the first time in a while, the weather was cloudy. The air felt damp, and I had a feeling it might rain.

“Well, it is summer now…”

I mumbled to myself, sitting on the grass and looking up at the sky.

The four seasons in Espel, the capital of the Esperusa Empire, were quite extreme. In spring, the weather was warm but dry, with little rain, making it the season for social gatherings.

But the summer weather was the complete opposite of spring. Unlike the dry spring, the capital in summer saw a lot of rain. The humidity raised the discomfort level, attracted more bugs, and increased the risk of epidemics.

So, the nobles who had come to the capital for the social season left their townhouses before summer arrived.

From there, they typically went one of two ways, they either returned to their territories or headed to the western coastal area to enjoy a summer vacation.

Now that I thought about it, which did Duke Aschenbach choose?

I looked toward the duke’s residence, deep in thought, and suddenly stood up.

From the distance, I saw Tristan emerging from Duke Aschenbach’s residence with a horse.

I waited until Tristan had moved far enough from the mansion and waved wildly once he could see me.

From afar, I saw him bow his head in greeting. He loosened the reins of the horse so it could graze freely, then approached me.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

Tristan said as he greeted me. I was moved.

“Did you know? This is the first time Tristan has greeted me first.”

Since the day we met, Tristan had always ignored my greetings. Not only did he ignore me, but he acted as if I didn’t even exist.

But today, he had bowed and greeted me first.

It was like when a cat that had always raised its claws at me suddenly rubbed its face against my hand. I felt moved to the point of tears.

However, Tristan interpreted my reaction in the wrong way, and his expression darkened.

“I have been very disrespectful up until now. I apologize.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

I waved my hands in embarrassment, but Tristan’s stiff demeanor remained unchanged.

“Oh, right! Today, we have meat pie.”

To change the mood, I showed him the picnic basket. A warm, savory smell wafted out from inside.

Tristan looked at me and the picnic basket alternately, then briefly frowned.

Haha, I had hoped he wouldn’t, but he really did.

It seemed to be a subconscious reaction because he quickly tried to erase his expression, glancing at me. But his behavior only confirmed my suspicions.

Tristan was just participating in the plan with me but hadn’t opened his heart at all…

The wall around the male protagonist was this high. Maybe being <partners> was the best I could manage in less than a month.

But still! I’m going through all this trouble just to save you, and you grimace at the thought of sharing a meal with me?

“Here.”

Just as my thoughts were about to spiral, something suddenly appeared in front of me.

Before my eyes, my nose reacted—a slice of warm pie on a plate, smelling delicious and inviting.

“It’s best to eat it before it gets cold.”

When I came to my senses, I saw that Tristan had already taken out all the food and tableware from the basket and arranged them perfectly. He even put a fork in my hand as I dazedly took the plate.

“What about you, Tristan?”

“I will eat as well.”

Thankfully, it wasn’t a lie. After handing me my plate, Tristan served himself a slice of pie and started eating.

When he took his first bite, his eyes widened slightly. It seemed he liked the pie.

Watching him eagerly eat with his fork brought a smile to my face. The heavy feeling in my chest started to melt.

Yes, just getting this far was an accomplishment.

After all, this was all for the sake of saving Tristan, so his participation in the plan was enough.

Wishing for him to like me or be kind to me was pure selfishness on my part.

Besides, if I mixed any impure intentions into this mission, things might not go well. Just look—Tristan Aschenbach was sitting right in front of me, munching on a meat pie. Wasn’t that enough?

“… aren’t you going to eat?”

My gaze must have been too intense because Tristan looked at me with a curious expression.

“No, I’m going to eat?!”

Feeling flustered, I avoided his eyes and quickly took a bite of the pie. I nearly choked from swallowing too fast, but Tristan handed me a glass of juice just in time.

“Thank you.”

A quiet moment passed.

The air was a bit humid, but it was warm, and perhaps because summer was approaching, the smell of grass was strong.

We ate the pie in mostly silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable—a relaxing kind of silence.

“The duke…”

After finishing the pie, I brought up the main topic for today.

“He’s plotting treason.”

Tristan looked at me without much surprise and slowly nodded.

“I see. So, the duke and the entire ducal family… will die.”

“That’s right.”

I briefly explained the plan to Tristan.

That the duke was plotting treason, that my siblings and I were gathering evidence of it, and that once we had enough, Tristan would accuse him and gain his position as a reward.

Tristan listened intently. His demeanor was serious—there was no sign of shock or regret about the impending doom of the duke’s family.

“So, what should I do next?”

Tristan’s interest in the matter seemed resolute, as if he was eager to see it through.

If Rudolph saw this scene, all his talk about betrayal would disappear. I thought about this as I spoke to Tristan.

“For now, just wait.”

After I spoke, I felt uneasy about the word <for now>. I fumbled to correct myself.

“No, for a while… It takes a long time to gather evidence.”

While I was meeting with Tristan, my sister and brothers were likely hard at work too. Rudolph was investigating the Magic Tower, and Richard was probing the western nobility.

But, with no news reaching my ears, it seemed that there hadn’t been much progress yet.

This was a plan that the duke’s family was preparing with their lives on the line. It was only natural that securing evidence would be difficult. It would be a long and arduous battle.

Even knowing that it would take time, I felt anxious. The longer it dragged on, the more time Tristan would suffer in his abusive situation.

Thinking of that, I felt guilty about asking Tristan to wait.

“I’ll do my best to make it as quick as possible.”

Tristan looked at my face quietly. Then he asked an unexpected question.

“Is waiting all I can do?”

“Huh?”

Surprised, I glanced at him. Tristan spoke again with a passionate tone.

“You said you’re gathering evidence. I don’t know much about politics, but I see and hear a lot working in the duke’s household. Isn’t there anything I can do to help? Like searching the duke’s study…”

“No!”

I shouted.

Tristan froze, closing his mouth. I looked at him with wide eyes and repeated myself.

“Absolutely not. Don’t do anything dangerous like that.”

“But.”

I shook my head firmly.

I was grateful for Tristan’s desire to help, but I couldn’t let him do such a thing.

He was a child who got punished even when he had done nothing wrong. I couldn’t even imagine what would happen if he got caught by Ludwig—or, in the worst case, the duke—while doing something suspicious.

“Listen to me.”

I spoke earnestly.

“I want you to be safe, Tristan. I want you to stay unharmed and unhurt. I’ll handle everything else…”

A raindrop fell onto the empty plate, though I didn’t notice. My attention was entirely focused on Tristan.

“Please, just wait.”

Tristan didn’t answer. I noticed the complex emotions in his golden eyes.

He avoided my gaze, looking down. At that moment, raindrops began to fall more heavily.

“Oh.”

When I looked up, the sky was already filled with gray clouds. I stood up, flustered.

“It’s raining…”

“You should head back now.”

Tristan quickly gathered the tableware into the basket. Then he picked up the blanket that had been spread on the grass, shook it a few times, and draped it over my head.

“Be careful…”

As he reached out to touch my hair, he awkwardly paused.

I could feel his hand close to my face. The eyes that had avoided me just moments ago now seemed fixed on my face.

As the raindrops fell harder, they began to dot Tristan’s nose and cheeks. He looked like a broken doll, unmoving in the rain, and it scared me a little.

“Tristan?”

When I called him, Tristan hurriedly stepped back. He looked at his outstretched hand, then slowly clenched it into a fist.

“Take care on your way back, Your Highness.”

Was it just my imagination, or did his voice sound a bit choked? Without waiting for my reply, he turned away.

“I’ll come back tomorrow!”

I shouted. He paused in his steps and looked back.

Amid the heavier raindrops, his face seemed to hover between a smile and tears.

Or maybe, on closer inspection, he looked as if he were grimacing.

When I returned to the Opal Palace, I was met with an unexpected visitor.

“Lucy.”

The expression on Theodora’s face, calling my name, was serious. I barely had time to dry myself before facing her.

“What’s the matter?”

“This.”

Theodora handed me an envelope.

“It’s an invitation from Duke Cardina.”

Ah, so the summer social season was starting.

Originally, <social season> referred to the spring season in the capital. But as the western coastal region became a popular retreat, more nobles chose to spend the summer at its beautiful beaches rather than returning to their estates.

Wherever nobles gathered, there was bound to be a gathering.

Over time, summer in the west had become a second social season. And the event that marked the start of the summer season was Cardina’s yacht cruise.

The luxurious five-story yacht departed from Cardina’s private dock, making stops at three ports over ten days. Unlike other parties, only a small number of guests were invited, so those hoping to establish connections with Cardina were eager to receive an invitation to this trip.

“Did you receive an invitation?”

It was surprising. Like Aschenbach, Cardina generally avoided central politics and kept their distance from the imperial family.

“Not just me.”

Theodora’s voice trembled.

“Rudolph, Richard, and…”

She gestured at the envelope she handed me. Opening it, I found an invitation written in blue ink.

An invitation with my name on it.

“All of us received one.”

“What about the others?”

Theodora shook her head.

Finally, I understood the situation.

Out of the emperor’s fourteen living children, Duke Cardina had chosen to invite only the four of us, meaning…

“The duke knows us.”

And he knew why we were working together.

“Cardina is aware that we’re after Aschenbach.”