A Night Worse than Death - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“Did I ask you a difficult request, Lady? No, Aleisha.”

Aleisha, who was sitting blankly, slowly blinked her eyes at Franz’s call.

‘Why are you doing this? How—’

She narrowed her brow and gazed at Franz.

After a long silence, he withdrew his smile. Her honey-colored eyes that gleamed nervously contained him.

“Was it too much of an unreasonable request?”

“I’m sorry.”

She responded firmly to Franz’s gentle prompt. She couldn’t take his favor purely. It was because his true appearance was clearly engraved in her mind when he despised and ignored her.

‘An ordinary couple?’

It was ridiculous. If Franz from the past heard it, he would laugh.

He did not even try to talk, let alone an ordinary couple.

When the day to neutralize magic, Aleisha was thrilled to do her bathing from the previous day. But, he would show up just like he had just been training at the training hall till he get sweaty.

The cold body temperature that held her wrist with a bitter expression like a child who was forcibly taken to the doctor. As soon as the magic was neutralized, he hastily released her hand as if it had been scorched by fire.

All of that is just plain clear.

While Aleisha was Franz’s wife, she had to see much more of his back than his face.

He would smile brightly, though when she and his eyes met, his face hardened. Why is that? He also hurriedly left.

Regardless, seeing that he said he wanted to be an ordinary couple like that… Franz seemed to be joking.

“I heard that there are different laws in the imperial court. Although I haven’t learned much, I’m going to serve your Highness accordingly.”

Aleisha gave the standard answer and then bit her mouth. For a while, there was only the sound of the coach’s hurling and rattling in the carriage.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

She added an apology with no regrets at all.

Franz gazed at her and shook his head.

“You don’t have to apologize. It was me who asked for an unreasonable request.”

And after those words, there was no further conversation in the carriage.

* * * 

“This…”

When the carriage stopped and the door opened. At that moment, Aleisha could finally see the scenery outside the door and she was greatly perplexed.

What awaited her was not the villa, but the Second Prince’s Palace.

“This is the Second Prince’s Palace. You’ll stay here until the ceremony—No, you will stay here even after the ceremony.”

As she listened to Franz’s explanation, she had a bewildered expression on her face. Aleisha didn’t immediately understand what he was talking about. Strictly speaking, she couldn’t figure out why.

The Second Prince’s Palace was a space where she could enter only when Franz called.

So, she was forced to live in a detached house, despite her being the Princess.

She sat still, staring at the ivory-colored dome roof, the hallway with columns lined up like a temple, and the garden in front of it.

‘The fountain…’

Aleisha looked at the fountain in the garden, enchanted, not realizing that Franz had reached out his hand to her, who got out of the carriage first.

The water splattered from the fountain was reflected in the light and glistened. The inside of her neck was heated by the bright scenery.

‘I thought I had thrown away all the regrets of the past.’

It actually seemed like that. Even when she saw Franz, she was able to act quite casually, and she was able to be resolute in the fact that she had to go to the Imperial Palace to get married.

However, the sight of the fountain that was lit up as a blessing for the marriage stopped her from crying. In the previous life, Franz demolished the fountain when Aleisha couldn’t take her eyes off the fountain.

It was right after the wedding reception was over.

Even the object that she gazes touched was an act of displeasure. At the news, she cried in the empty space.

Franz came late at night to the weeping Aleisha. He did not comfort her. Instead, he spent the obligatory first night without a word.

That was it.

He wasn’t even with her until morning. Since then, rumors that the Second Prince hates the Princess have begun to spread within the Imperial Palace. If anyone doubted, the one who spread the rumors would put this fountain in their mouth and say.

‘I mean, if he doesn’t hate her, would he have even demolished the fountain?’

The fountain was proof of Aleisha’s ruined love. However, the fountain survived…

For now, Franz has not broken the fountain yet.

Tears welled up in Aleisha’s eyes as she looked at the statues of angels with wings.

“You seem to like the fountain.”

She was startled by Franz’s words, and turned her gaze away.

“No.”

‘Don’t cry, Lesa. Then again, the past will repeat itself.’

“It’s blinding for a while.”

Aleisha barely spoke quietly.

She swallowed her breath and took Franz’s outstretched hand. His body temperature was lower than before. Even though his whole body was in pain as if it were freezing, Franz maintained a calm expression on his face. As if suppressing magic was a daily routine.

“Franz! Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for a while.”

Aleisha, who was walking with Franz’s escort, stopped at the sound of a voice behind her. The voice that was getting closer together with the light footsteps was familiar.

“When your brother calls, you have to answer. You’re still blunt.”

The man who grabbed Franz’s shoulder and turned him around was Prince Creighton. At his appearance, Aleisha took a step back.

Creighton frowned upon finding her.

“Who is this?”

He did not answer Creighton’s questions and put his hand away from his shoulder instead. Despite the quiet gesture, Creighton showed no sign of backing down.

“Who are you?”

Alessia bowed her back, showing her politeness.

“Greeting Your Highness the First Prince. May the splendor of the sun stay. I am Aleisha Ambrose.”

“Ambrose? Oh, are you Caleb Ambrose’s younger brother?”

Creighton answered her greeting with a question. Aleisha lifted her bowed head, startled by the familiar name that came out of the First Prince’s mouth.

“How does the First Prince know my brother?”

“We studied together at the academy. Nice to meet you, Lady. Ah, should I call you sister-in-law from now on?”

He replied with a friendly smile.

Creighton Eustache.

First son of the sun. A strong candidate for the crown prince and a powerful person as the next emperor. With his status alone, it was enough to get people to follow. He was known for his soulful personality and great leadership skills.

He would always be the head of any organization, including serving as president of the academy.

The First Prince’s Palace was always crowded with guests, and Creighton had no nobles he didn’t know. He was the one who had it all.

His wife, Princess Glena, was even the only daughter of Duke Corneille, the most powerful man in the Empire.

‘Compared to the stylish Glena, I was just plain old-fashioned…’

The smile was erased from Aleisha’s face, who had been thinking bitterly.

Maybe, that was why she thought that Franz would have been more displeased with her. So, that was why his heart was fascinated at Niris Roshanak, whom he met at Creighton’s birthday banquet.

Creighton didn’t have any ill feelings. However, it was very uncomfortable that his banquet became the background for Franz to meet his lover.

‘If Franz hadn’t met Niris, he wouldn’t have even tried to kill me.’

Had it been, Aleisha would have lived and not died like that…

‘Then, I couldn’t have come back like this. Is this better than dying looking at Franz like an idiot?’

She swallowed a bitter laugh and opened her mouth.

“Please take care of me, First Prince.”

“If you wish. I heard that next month you would be getting married. Congratulations on becoming a member of the Imperial Family. Oh, and…”

Creighton glanced at Franz and leaned over to Aleisha.

As Creighton drew closer to her, Franz grabbed him and spoke sharply.

“What are you going to do?”

“Nothing. I was just trying to let her know in advance that your character is like this.”

Creighton, who was stopped by Franz, put on a shy expression.

He smiled playfully and tilted his head to the side.

“As you can see, it must be very difficult for you with this kind of younger brother. Whenever that happens, come to the First Prince’s Palace to play. I will be your companion.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s not going to happen.”

Aleisha was startled by Franz’s callous refusal. He was glaring at Creighton as if he was an enemy.

“You don’t know.”

Creighton was calm even with his brother’s sharp gaze. It was an attitude as if it was not just a day or two.

Looking at the scene in front of her, she was bewildered by the sharp hostility that flowed between the brothers.

‘Did something happen between the two of you that I didn’t know?’

They did not get along well in her previous life. It was because they were competing for the Crown Prince position. However, the relationship was not so cold. Franz treated him as an elder, and Creighton cared for him enough to introduce Niris to Franz.

But, what was this atmosphere now?

Without Aleisha knowing, was there anything that could cause a crack between the two of them?

‘I haven’t done anything yet. The future should not be changing?’

Perplexed, she looked at Franz’s expression.

In the awkward silence, Creighton opened his mouth.

“Look at this. The rebellion isn’t over yet. I’m sorry to show you a bad side., I’ll have to go along before it gets even more embarrassing.”

Creighton greeted her with an exaggerated gesture, his arm swinging wide. Franz’s harsh attitude didn’t seem to offend him at all. He was a man of great sociability.

“Your mother is looking for you. She asked why you were doing something against the rules. I gave a brief explanation…”

Creighton, who had been telling Franz about his business, curled his words and looked at Aleisha.

She immediately recognized what the ‘against the rules’ was in his eyes. It was unprecedented for a prince to pick up his princess directly to her residence, or to have her stay in the Prince’s Palace rather than a private palace.

The current Emperor was sick, so the Empress, the mistress of the Imperial Family, must have summoned Franz.

“Well, you’ll figure it out on your own.”

When Franz didn’t respond, Creighton gave up on hearing an answer and withdrew his hand.

“Well then, see you next time. Once again, congratulations on your wedding.”

Creighton said goodbye to Aleisha and quietly disappeared. She stared at his back and groaned at the harsh breathing coming from her side.

“Uhhk—!”

Franz sat down, breathing in pain.