WBWB | Chapter 56

“When I ascend to the throne, I want to offer you…”

“…”

“…the position of Maîtresse-en-titre.”

His words froze me in place.

“Please stay by my side, always.”

A shiver ran down my entire body. I stared at the Crown Prince, speechless. It was as if scales had fallen from my eyes.

“Did you truly not know? That I’ve loved you for a long time?”

The boy I knew seemed to have transformed into a completely unfamiliar man.

“I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you.”

My mind went blank. What was I supposed to say?

When we first met, he was just a child. I couldn’t believe he had harbored feelings for me since then. But the man before me, now the Crown Prince, was a young man. A young man in love.

I was so flustered that I wanted to flee. If I had known this was his intention, I would have refused his invitation.

“Your Highness, I…”

I tried to pull my hands free, but the Crown Prince held on tighter.

“I know you were unaware of my feelings. I tried to hide them. Back then, I had no power, no ability. But now, things are different.”

“…”

“Now, I have the power to protect you.”

My mind was in turmoil.

“Teacher, the court is a cruel and heartless place. I’ve been lonely my entire life. Even the nobles’ servants looked down on and mocked my mother and me. But now, everything has changed. After my father passes away, I will inherit the throne. And I will have to spend my life surrounded by those who scorned my lowly birth, never able to leave the palace.”

“…”

“You showed me love when I was nothing. I can trust you.”

His words created a strange dissonance. The court was cruel and heartless, as he said. Even though Duchess Ventadour was favored by the King, the nobles’ servants still ridiculed her and the Prince at every opportunity. Because she was the Maîtresse-en-titre. Just as the court jester existed to be laughed at, the maîtresse-en-titre existed to be scorned.

And he wanted to put me in that position? To ease his own loneliness?

‘If he truly loved me, knowing the humiliation his mother endured, would he want me to occupy the same position?’

But even if he offered me the position of Queen, I… I couldn’t accept. Because I didn’t love him.

“Your Highness,” I spoke. 

I already had someone I loved. 

“I cannot be your maîtresse-en-titre. You deserve a wife far better than me. Someone you can respect and love completely. Marry for love, and don’t take a mistress.”

I spoke, hoping he wouldn’t repeat the mistakes passed down through generations.

“I knew you would say that.”

But the Crown Prince didn’t give up.

“I’m not asking you to decide right now. Just stay by my side until I ascend to the throne. Give me a chance to prove my love. And in time… I’m sure you’ll come to love me too.”

‘Do men see me as mistress material?’

On the carriage ride home, I pondered the meaning of the two confessions I had received.

‘Not good enough for marriage, but good enough to keep around for pleasure?’

I leaned my head against the carriage window and gazed at my reflection. I wasn’t unattractive, but I wasn’t exceptionally beautiful either. I didn’t look like the typical image of a mistress, a seductive temptress who captivated men with her irresistible charm. The woman in the reflection looked merely bewildered and embarrassed.

‘What will my sister say when I tell him about this?’

No one would believe what had happened to me today. I didn’t even know how to tell them.

‘He doesn’t seem willing to back down. What should I do?’

If he continued to press the matter, I might have to tell him that I was already in love with someone.

‘That I fell in love with a man during my exile.’

My thoughts, as always, returned to him. Even though I had already fled his territory, I couldn’t forget. To be precise, I couldn’t forget him. Would time help me forget?

‘If so, how long would it take?’

The uncertainty tormented me.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t realize we had arrived home. I got out of the carriage and climbed the stairs. I rang the doorbell, and instead of the maid, An opened the door.

“You have a visitor!”

My sister’s eyes were wide, and she was slightly out of breath as she pulled me inside.

‘A visitor? I’m not expecting anyone…’

Confused, I asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s the Duke, the Duke of Skadi. The one you wrote about in your letters.”

“What?”

I almost fainted at those words.

“That’s impossible! It’s such a long journey, and…”

“Just go!”

An pushed me into the shabby room that barely qualified as a parlor. It contained only two chairs and a table covered with a tablecloth.

And there he was. He looked utterly out of place in such humble surroundings, yet he sat upright in one of the chairs, a teacup before him. Seeing the man I had been constantly thinking about, I felt so dizzy and weak in the knees that I thought I might collapse. He then looked at me.

“It’s been a while.”

“How… how did you… what are you doing here?”

“I took note of your address when you sent your letter.”

His expression was unreadable. Thus, I had no idea why he had come.

Why on earth had he come all this way? To ask me to return as a tutor? Or was there something unresolved from my abrupt departure? But if that were the case, he could have sent someone else instead of coming himself.

I sat down. The maid came in and brought me a cup of tea. I asked the first question that came to mind,

“Has something happened to Lady Ana?”

“Ana is fine. Although she is saddened by your departure.”

As he spoke, I took the opportunity to observe him closely. I was surprised. He had always been composed and impeccably dressed. But now, he looked haggard, his already large eyes appearing even larger, sunken into his pale face.

“Something has happened. To me.”

He said, taking a sip of tea and placing the cup back on its saucer.

“I’ve done a lot of thinking since you left. Mostly, that it was for the best that you were gone, and that time would heal everything.”

And then, as if reading my mind, he continued,

“I convinced myself that if you weren’t going to be mine, it would be less painful not to see you. I told myself this as I watched your carriage depart. But the moment the carriage was out of sight, I realized I was wrong.”

“… ”

“That you weren’t truly gone just because I couldn’t see you.”

I didn’t understand why he was saying these things.

“So I rode for three days to get here.”

“…”

“And as I rode, another thought occurred to me. Where you live, the weather is mild, surrounded by people you love. But what about my land? It’s prone to foreign invasions, it’s dreary and monotonous, with more bad days than good. Do you think it’s right to ask you to return to such a place?”

His expression remained unreadable.

“But didn’t you say you loved me? And that you wished me happiness, that you hoped I would marry someone I loved?”

His voice trembled.

“So I’ve decided to leave the decision to you.”

His next words sent a jolt through me, as if lightning had struck my spine.

“Will you become my wife?”