Chapter 364
He looked at me silently. Without breaking through those men and frowning at me.
Rather, I narrowed my forehead.
“Why don’t you say anything?”
“…….”
“Adrian.”
At my words, people’s eyes turned to Adrian by the door.
The uninvited guests looked at me and Adrian alternately, and shortly after, East, the least tactful of them, said.
“I’m happy to see Adrian, but the priority is for her to accept my bonquet. I like you, Leblaine. Be my wife.”
As East spoke, the others were also clamoring.
“You know how long I’ve been watching you.”
Hayton too,
“Give me a chance this time.”
Storas too,
“If you and I hold hands, we can embrace this continent.”
“If you want, I’ll be the son-in-law instead of the heir to the Grand Duke!”
Both Jin and Lionel offered me bouquets, but Adrian just looked at me.
I was grumpy for some reason.
‘Why? No, I know why I’m grumpy.’
Let’s be honest.
I don’t want to see Adrian give up on me for any reason now. Even if it’s for me.
‘It’s obvious what’s going on in his head.’
He is the only child of the emperor.
Now that Andre has been completely excluded from the succession, he is a man who will naturally succeed the throne.
And I was the one who said to the emperor and the people of the empire, “I don’t want to live in the empire.”
If I marry him, of course I will move to the empire.
Knowing how much I love Dubblede, he couldn’t let me move away.
I stared at Adrian.
“You are a man with a weaker will than a sea cucumber!”
As soon as I shouted back, my family who came towards us stopped running like an angry wild boar, perhaps because they heard from my servants.
“Leblaine?”
“Ki-kid.”
Everyone was surprised because I was so angry in front of them.
I turned my back with a huff.
Adrian’s voice, who had only been staring at me until now, finally came out.
“Then what should I do?”
“……What?”
Turning my head, I saw Adrian’s eyes clouded.
“You’ll be happier here. Those who propose to you are all people that can leave. They can be with you here.”
“So? You can’t leave, so if I accept your proposal, I have to leave Dubblede forever?”
“……Yes.”
I stared at Adrian fiercely.
“Coward! Dumb! Fool! This @#$@#tard @#%@!”
Then, everyone was startled when my swearing came out. Only my mother covered her cheek with one hand and muttered, “That side of hers looks like me.”
I said,
“Enough. I have no intention of accepting the proposal of a coward like you.”
“Leb-”
“I!”
I screamed and glared at Adrian.
“I want a man who tells me that no matter how hard is it, we can overcome it together.”
“…….”
“I want a man who wants to be with me even though it might hurt me.”
While everyone was quietly looking at me, East and Lionel shouted, “That’s me!” .
I looked at Adrian without paying attention to the two.
“Go back. You’re a precious person who will become the Crown Prince. I will remain in Dubblede waiting for a brave companion-”
As soon as I said so, Adrian strides toward the center.
He passed by the men and grabbed me.
I stared at him questioningly.
“Gasp!”
“This person……!”
“Let go now!!”
The situation was only understood after shouts broke out around me.
Holding my face with both hands, he kissed me.
I hardened with my eyes open, and the surroundings were chaotic.
My mother wrapped her red cheeks with both hands, saying, “Oh my, oh my,” but my brothers were shouting.
“Hey, that crazy…!”
“Adrian Louerg!”
“Enough, Leblaine and me will marry.”
The last one who reply was dad,
“The entire army, get ready for battle.”
Adrian was kissing me until my mom covered my terribly angry dad’s mouth.
He spoke in a slightly hoarse voice after we parted.
“You think you know me well, but you’re mistaken.”
“Wha- what…?”
Confused, I stuttered.
‘What, what? His gaze…’
His eyes were sharp and intense.
He whispered,
“I’m not running away. I’m giving you a chance to run.”
Like a predator showing mercy to small animals.
‘Mom… … .’
I know without looking in the mirror. My cheeks would have turned red without realizing it.
I gulped and looked at him.
“I’m won’t run. So you run instead.”
Adrian stared at me.
He was lost in thought for a moment as if to grasp the meaning of what I was saying, but I laughed a little at him.
And while looking around, I found a violet stuck in a vase.
Since I returned, the people have put violets all over the hall.
I took a handful of violets from the vase and walked over to Adrian.
“Leave the country and come to me. I will make you happy.”
“…….”
“I’m so greedy that I can’t leave my country and family that I got after all sorts of hardships. I’m sorry to be selfish, but you love me anyway. So, Adrian.”
“…….”
“Princess Leblaine Lisette Dubblede is proposing to Adrian Louerg.”
Adrian’s eyes trembled.
The surrounding area became quiet.
I smiled at Adrian, who was staring blankly at the violet.
“If it’s okay to be in such a bad country, then, Adrian… will you accept me?”
“……course.”
“What?”
He hugged me tightly.
“Of course.”
Adrian, who faced me was smiling again.
A very, very bright smile of happiness.
Who I choose is this man.
He is not a descendant of a brave tribe leader with wisdom comparable to the devil.
Perhaps he is not a crown prince who will rewrite the history of the werebeast people.
He is not the son of a brave prince who endured the hardship of not knowing his family.
He’s not an ambitious person and have many connections.
He’s not a devil who has only looked at me for over a thousand years.
‘But this man.’
This foolish man has sacrificed himself for me, he had no excellent ability, no honor and didn’t had the best lineage on this continent.
But he’s a man who puts me first over anything.
I chose this fool who couldn’t easily bring up the word of love because it was too heavy.
I said with a big smile.
“Don’t worry. I won’t make you worry about money for the rest of your life, or worry about bowing your head to others.”
“Is there no option for me to work?”
“You want to?”
“I wanted to do business with the socialites.”
“Okay. Make your dreams come true by my side.”
“Yes.”
That’s how I become a vicious Dubblede princess who took away the crown prince from the empire.
***
Aside from the empire, there was still many oppositions.
First of all, my family was in an uproar.
[Kid, you are underage!]
They were adamantly opposed to my marriage.
I lightly stopped those words.
[I’m no longer a minor though? It’s been three years since I left.]
However, the enemies (my father and brothers who oppose my marriage) did not easily back down. I was helped by my strong allies (my mother and aunt).
[Do you think you can protect her forever? Will there any man who would sacrifice that much like him?]
Everyone shut up at the mother’s attack.
In fact, the family would not have liked anyone as my partner. However, Adrian, who even made such a sacrifice, had no excuse for them to oppose.
He will be Dubblede’s son-in-law and remain with Dubblede, so where else would there be a good groom?
Adrian even took on the troublesome task, saying, “I’ll take care of the empire.”
Eventually, my father and brothers (I don’t know why, but also my maternal grandfather and uncle) gathered together and drank alcohol for two consecutive days, and after shedding tears, they allowed it.
Mom, aunt, and chairman shook their heads as they saw them cry under the influence of alcohol.
Even when my dad was drunk, he looked at me with sad eyes.
Every time, I avoided looking at him.
Anyway, it was a good ending.
And…
“You’re really bad. You naughty kid…”
“How could you propose to another man in front of me who proposed to you… you trampled on this man’s innocence!”
The men who proposed to me left the castle crying.
To be exact, East and Lionel did.
I smiled and saw them off.
“Goodbye! Find a good girl!”
Seeing the excited me, Jin smiled sadly.
“You may regret it.”
“Will I?”
“Yes. I’m a better guy than you think. We’d get along pretty well.”
“In this life, I have decided to put my regrets in Adrian’s arms.”
Jin chuckled, took my hand lightly and kissed the back of my hand.
“I wish you happiness. The strongest Shutala (warrior) I’ve ever seen.”
I thanked him with a big smile.
Hayton looked at me silently and took a step.
I thought he would say something, but he was walking silently and it was unexpected.
‘Is the wound deep?’
Feeling a little sorry, Hayton paused and said,
“Even if it’s an affair, I’m fine.”
“Can’t you go?”
When I said that, he muttered.
“If you have a next life, give me a chance.”
“……Okay.”
He looked at me, so I added.
“I’ll give you a chance around my tenth life.”
“Damn.”
“It means to let go. Because I will never go to you.”
“…You don’t have to do that.”
So he left.
‘And all that’s left……’
When the men left and the last one remained, Boone and Pur said.
“It was too much for Storas.”
“Yes, child. We know how much he has loved you since ancient times…”
Boone and Pur, who said so, went away after saying that.
Storas and I faced each other in the courtyard where there was no one.
“Are you going now?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to come back?”
When I asked, he looked at me.
“I won’t come forever… …forever.”
I answered.
“Okay.”
“…….”
“…….”
I didn’t know that Storas’ gaze would be on me. I recalled the ancient him who called my name happily.
“I know you don’t like that name, but let me call you one last time.”
“……Okay.”
He hesitated and opened his mouth.
He, who had hesitated for a very long time after saying he would call me, whispered in a small voice.
“Meria…”
“…….”
“Meria.”
“…….”
“Meria. …Meria.”
I didn’t avoid his eyes. It was courtesy for his desperate affection.
He called Meria over and over again, as if to vent his sorrow. And he asked.
“Next time, next time I…”
“It’s a meaningless assumption.”
“It’s okay. I’ll stay forever.”
“…….”
“I’ll wait for you who will be reborn, the next you, and the next you…”
“…….”
“Meria.”
“Thank you for loving me.”
He covered his eyes with one hand. I pretended not to know that his tears was flowing through his knuckles.