***
Judith’s steps quickened as she left the palace where the queen resided.
Her mind was racing, preoccupied with the tasks ahead, so much so that she didn’t notice someone approaching from around the corner.
“Ouch!”
She collided with someone, letting out a startled cry before regaining her senses.
Clutching her throbbing forehead, she swayed slightly—only to feel something firm supporting her waist.
It was a hand.
A man’s hand.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked up.
When she realized who it was, she recoiled as if someone burned, stumbling back a few steps.
The dull golden hair—a mirror image of the queen’s—and his lips curled into a slow, sly smile formed a face she could never forget, nor should she ever.
Krolld Jedekair.
The one who had driven her to a miserable death in her previous life.
The son of the queen—Gilsis’ very own.
“Well, well.
Who would have thought?
The new sister-in-law, wandering so carelessly around my mother’s palace,” Krolld, with a hint of mockery in his laughter, spoke.
He was three years younger than Franz, making him one year younger than Judith.
He was just sixteen years old, but he already towered over her.
However, it wasn’t Krolld’s imposing size that made Judith tremble.
Shortsighted as he was, he assumed her trembling—like she had seen a ghost, with her fists clenched—was out of fear.
He was mistaken.
Judith was herself holding back.
If she didn’t, she feared she might have lunged at him and strangled him right then and there.
“Why are you trembling like a trapped rabbit?
People might think I’ve done something to you.”
His voice, devoid of any youthful innocence, dripped with such oily mockery that it made her stomach churn.
For Judith, fully aware that Krolld had already begun preying on the palace maids and vulnerable noblewomen, it was an understandable reaction.
She still vividly remembered the night he had crept into her room.
He had tried to commit an unspeakable act against his defenseless sister-in-law.
But when his attempt failed, he and his mother conspired to pin the crime on Judith instead.
Branded with the horrific accusation of attempting to seduce her husband’s younger brother while her husband was mentally unstable, she bore that shame until her death.
‘If I could kill him right now, I would gladly do it.’ she thought.
However, she currently lacked the power to defeat Krolld.
Subduing him and his mother would have to wait until she gained the strength to crush them both in one decisive blow.
Calming the fury bubbling inside her, Judith remained in place and feigned a polite bow.
“You must be the Second Prince of Lotheir.
I apologize for not recognizing you; we haven’t met before.”
“No need to be so formal.
We’re family now, after all.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
Krolld, looking down at the petite Judith, let his gaze roam over her in crude interest.
He had no intention of respecting her simply because she was his brother’s wife.
He had rushed to the queen’s quarters upon hearing that she had gone to meet his mother, eager to see how pathetic this bought-and-paid-for princess looked.
But to his surprise, Judith seemed unfazed.
Instead of the sniveling, broken figure he had anticipated, she stood unexpectedly calm and composed.
‘If only she had a pretty face…’ Krolld thought, his lips curling as his eyes raked over her.
Slowly, he crept closer.
Judith instinctively began to step back, but before she could, his arm shot out like a spear.
His hand locked around her waist and pulled her close.
“…Second Prince.”
“Call me Krolld.”
“Krolld, I fear people might misunderstand if they see us like this.
Please let go.”
“What’s there to misunderstand?
You’re my brother’s wife, which makes you my sister-in-law.
What’s wrong with a brother-in-law and sister-in-law getting along?”
This kid was utterly insane.
Judith, exasperated, let out a dry laugh and lifted her head.
The smile on his face deepened, becoming even more repulsive.
“Or perhaps, you’re entertaining some thoughts that might invite misunderstanding?”
“Your Highness, please release me.”
“Franz doesn’t seem to care much for women anyway.
It’s a pity you ended up marrying someone like that.
If it were me…”
As Krolld leaned in, his breath—which Judith couldn’t bear to be near—brushed against her cheek and lips.
The icy sensation made her flinch, as though bitten by a snake.
She pushed him away with all her might.
“Ugh!”
A thud echoed as Krolld, caught off guard, stumbled and slammed his back against the stone window frame.
He never expected anyone to dare push him, least of all a frail girl who seemed as if she would faint at the slightest touch.
His eyes flared in fury.
Blinded by momentary rage, he seemed to forget that the girl before him was the princess.
He raised his hand, poised to strike her across the face.
“Krolld.”
Krolld froze at the sound of a heavy, somber voice.
Judith, bracing herself for a blow, had shut her eyes tightly.
She turned her head towards the source of the sound to see Franz standing there, his expression dark.
“What’s happening here?”
“Why are you here, Franz?” Krolld’s tone was laced with mockery, but he slowly lowered his hand.
Despite his disdain for the princess, even he wouldn’t dare strike her in front of Franz.
“Just passing by.”
“Then keep passing.
Oh, are you here to fetch her?
You two seem awfully close for having only just met.”
“If you have no other business with the princess, I’ll take her with me.”
“Suit yourself.”
Krolld’s insincere grin lingered as he pretended to back away.
Franz didn’t approach Judith.
He simply gestured with his eyes for her to come closer.
Judith had no time to feel hurt by his coldness.
She knew if she didn’t leave this place immediately, she might lose control and kill Krolld.
This image of his body colliding the stone window frame was still vivid.
She regretted that it wasn’t his head instead of his back.
She wanted nothing more than to grab him by the hair and drag him down.
She had to leave before she did anything reckless.
Feigning an awkward expression, she approached Franz.
Before she could reach his side, Franz abruptly whirled around, his back to her.
She heard Krolld’s derisive snicker from behind, but neither she nor Franz looked back.
They reached the path leading to the Prince’s Palace gardens, crossing the long courtyard.
Franz stopped first.
Judith, who had been silently following him, also halted.
The silence between them, a mere two steps apart, felt heavy and oppressive.
Most of it emanated from him.
He stood with his back turned for a long time before finally turning to her, as though he had made a decision.
“I take it you know who that man was.”
“He is Krolld, your Highness.
The Second Prince of Lotheir, and the queen’s own son.”
“Yes, that’s right.
So, stay away from him.”
A faint smile flickered on Judith’s lips.
It was a smile born from the realization that she was the one who knew the truth better than anyone else, but Franz seemed to misunderstand her expression.
“Do you think I’m joking?”
“Of course not, Your Highness.”
“If you underestimate Krolld because he’s younger, you’ll soon find yourself entangled in problems you can’t handle.
I won’t stop you if you choose to follow him, but if you don’t…”
He trailed off, his words faltering as a sigh mixed with bewilderment.
She stared at him with wide, incredulous eyes, as though he had been covered in filth.
It was unexpected.
“…Follow him?”
Her sharp, cutting response made his lips clamp shut.
He realized, a beat too late, that he had misspoken, but there was no taking it back now.
“What do you mean by that?
Do you think I would ever seek refuge with Krolld?
Do you think so little of me, Your Highness?”
Judith’s face, which had been calm and composed until now, contorted with rage so intense, her features even twitched slightly.
Franz, even more flustered, stammered.
“I meant….”
“Even though my brother, blinded by greed, sold me into this marriage, I am not the kind of woman who would warrant such concern from Your Highness.
I thought we had that level of trust, but I suppose I was mistaken.”
Judith pressed Franz, as if she were interrogating him.
Her reaction stemmed from her own private knowledge, her own personal pain, something Franz couldn’t possibly understand.
It left him to find the situation quite perplexing.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I can endure Your Highness not loving me, but I won’t tolerate you insulting me like this.”
Her eyes were red, as though she might burst into tears.
Franz, completely unprepared for such a reaction, furrowed his brow, clearly uncomfortable.
“…Any woman in her right mind would prefer Krolld over someone as weak and unimportant as me.
That’s what I meant.”
“I’m not like that, Your Highness.
Never, no matter what.”
“How can you be so sure?
You’ve only just arrived here.
The name ‘Franz Jedekair’ is the most delicious gossip in Lotheir.
So, what difference does it make if you are my wife?”
“How could you even think that I would turn to another man, especially the younger brother of my husband, just because I couldn’t handle the gossip?
How could you even think that?
How can you still call me your wife if you think that way?”
Judith, her fists clenched in anger, resembled a small bird flapping its wings in frustration.
If she hadn’t seemed so weak, Franz wouldn’t have cared what she did in the palace.
But he couldn’t ignore how vulnerable she seemed.
That was why he had intervened, going out of his way to warn her about Krolld, whom he deemed not worth speaking to.
The sight of such a delicate girl, so full of fury, demanding that he not doubt her, made him suddenly feel an unexpected and absurd impulse.
He was overcome with the urge to pull her into his arms and pat her back, and he was surprised by the thought.
Gazing into her bright azure eyes, brimming with tears, he slowly lowered his head.
“…I misspoke.
I apologize.
I am truly sorry.”
“I will take Your Highness’ advice and avoid Krolld.
But don’t ever doubt me like that again.
Ever.”
Franz, still slightly dazed, nodded slowly.
Judith still looked upset, but she didn’t lash out at him anymore.
Instead, she suppressed her rising anger, making a silent vow to add this unpleasant encounter to the list of debts she would collect later.