# 26
Every year, on the anniversary of the third princess's death, Empress Isabella would go home to the Barren Kingdom to rest and recuperate.
So, they didn't meet until the day of her divorce from Revan, and it looks like they won't meet at the upcoming party either.
Helen didn't feel sad about it.
Although Empress Isabella adopted her, she was not her biological daughter.
“Why did you send this...”
Helen felt a burden to receive such gifts.
Empress Isabella was not the type to care about such matters.
“Please convey my thanks to Her Majesty the Queen and the Crown Princess.”
Although puzzled by the gifts, Helen smiled slightly and answered politely.
“The Crown Princess is busy, so I asked for your understanding that she was unable to bid farewell to you.”
"concept."
Then Countess Kane and the maids left Agnasse's palace.
“Your Highness! The ceremony is approaching! We still have to receive the Emperor, my God, what should we do?”
Overwhelmed by jewelry boxes, Elisha began to panic when she saw the clock ticking.
“Calm down, Elisha, we're not late yet.”
“Your Highness, how can you stay so calm? Even I'm so nervous...”
“It's my second time, after all.”
“Your Highness, indeed.”
Elisha laughed at Helen's joke, looking more relaxed.
“Hmm, these earrings will suit Her Highness’s eye color. You can wear the necklace as part of a gift, and...”
Elisha, now calmed down, took various pieces of jewelry out of the box and held them up in front of Helen.
“Your Highness, I think the crown the Crown Princess sent will look amazing.”
“…Then put the crown on, please.”
"present!"
Elisha carefully braided Helen's hair and secured it with a crown.
When Helen saw her final appearance, she covered her mouth with both hands in admiration.
“Princess, you look so beautiful.”
“…thanks to your hard work.”
Helen felt embarrassed by Elisha's compliment, so she turned her head slightly.
“That's right. Even Grand Duke Belzeit would fall in love at first sight.”
“……”
“Well, you have to wear a veil when entering the temple. First, you will greet the Emperor, right?”
Helen nodded without answering.
She was to greet Emperor Roman before the ceremony began.
Helen looked into the bedroom where Shivalin was.
“Elisha, tell me if Shivalin wakes up.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After Helen entrusted this task to Elisha, she walked towards Emperor Roman.
I met the butler at the door.
“I salute the Fourth Princess.”
“I came to see my father before the ceremony.”
The butler welcomed Helen warmly.
“Yes, we were waiting for you. Get out of here.”
Helen followed the butler until she reached the deepest part of the bedroom where Emperor Roman was sleeping.
The sound of his faint breathing was the only evidence that he was still alive.
Emperor Roman was in critical condition.
He was unconscious for more than ten years.
“Come on, take your time.”
The butler stepped aside respectfully.
It was very quiet.
“…….”
Helen stared intently at Emperor Roman's wrinkled face.
“It's been a long time since that day.”
The sight of his hair, completely white now, was still foreign to her.
When she visited him just before her wedding to Revan, she briefly greeted him from outside the tent and did not notice.
Now that it was time for her to leave for Belzeit, she came to see him in person, but she had nothing to say.
“Dad, you spoiled me a lot. You even sat me on your knees and fed me yourself.”
Helen tried to recall her childhood memories, and thought she should say something.
“…Although this was not what I liked, but rather what my aunt liked.”
Even if this tenderness stemmed from longing for someone else, there was a time when she secretly enjoyed her father's attention.
"my dad."
“…….”
“I no longer need to seek your affection or imitate my aunt.”
Her words were sincere. Now she can live without Emperor Roman's attention.
And... she no longer had to pretend to like what she hated or act deliberately cheerful.
She wanted Emperor Roman to know that.
And that she can live well even without him.
“So, Dad, please wake up soon.”
“……”
“Watch me live my life as I am.”
With these words, Helen turned her back without regret.
If she had turned around a moment later, she might have seen it.
A very slight movement of Emperor Roman II's finger.
“Ken, did you deliver the gift to Helen? How did she react when she saw what her mother sent?”
Glizi, who had been practicing swordsmanship in the training hall since dawn, spoke to Countess Qin who came alongside her.
“She seemed pleased.”
“This is convenient… Did you inform Marquis Rata of Helen’s second marriage?”
Out of curiosity, Glizi asked several questions at once.
“Yes, as you ordered. I heard that he left the Emek Kingdom and boarded a ship as soon as he received the news. He should arrive soon.”
:Emek Kingdom? “This is the residence of the Dowager Marchioness.”
“Lady Reisen, Countess Louise, resides there.”
“Mrs. Risen? Isn’t she his ex-fiancée?”
“His ex-fiancée?”
Glizzy paused in confusion.
“I heard she gave birth to a baby at Countess Louise’s residence.”
“…….”
“It is not certain whether the child is Marquis Rata’s son, but it is said that he helped her seek asylum in the Kingdom of Emek.”
Countess Kane's explanation brought Glizzi back to fencing with renewed enthusiasm.
“…That's why I hate that man. Not only did he inherit his title in a hurry, but he had a long-time fiancée.”
Glizy wiped her sweat with the handkerchief Countess Qin had given her, and gritted her teeth.
At that moment, a maid approached and whispered something in Countess Qin's ear.
Countess Qin nodded, and immediately passed the information to Glizi.
“Madam Crown Princess, Marquis Rata has arrived at the Marquisate.”
“Grand Duke Belzeit is in the temple, and Helen is with the Emperor, right?”
"Yes."
"Let's go to the temple. I want to speak with the Grand Duke."
Without delay, Glizi headed to the temple.
Before she reached the entrance, the commander of the Imperial Guard, who had seen her first, bowed to her.
“I salute the Crown Princess.”
“When Marquis Rata arrives, let him in without stopping him.”
I ordered the Imperial Guard stationed abroad.
As she entered, she saw a silhouette that looked very nervous.
“Did he dress nicely to impress Helen?”
Aachen was standing there, adorned with the Liu Din earrings that had been given to him, wearing a white uniform with a short cloak.
“Crown Princess?”
“I have something to say to the Grand Duke.”
“Please speak.”
“I hope you understand that an uninvited guest will arrive shortly.”
Aachen, who still did not understand what she meant, raised his eyebrows slightly.
“Are you leaving now, Princess Helen?”
“Take good care of my father.”
The butler answered Helen's request in a gloomy voice as she left Emperor Roman's bedroom.
“I firmly believe he will wake up soon.”
"I hope so."
Helen complied with the butler's request, and entered the corridor where Elisha was waiting for her, wearing a veil.
“…Her Highness.”
“Elisha, did Shivalin wake up?”
Helen thought the baby had woken up when Elisha called her.
But Elisha's words were completely different from what she expected.
“Hmm… I have been informed that His Highness the Grand Duke of Belizet has arrived at the temple.”
“…Indeed? There’s still some time before the ceremony starts, right?”
Helen was surprised by Elisha's news.
“Let me put the veil on for you first.”
“Elisha, bring Shivalin to the carriage after the ceremony.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After putting on the veil, Helen headed to the temple.
Upon her arrival, the Imperial Guard bowed to her.
“Welcome, Fourth Princess. His Highness the Grand Duke of Belizet is waiting for you.”
When I opened the temple door, I found the Grand Duke inside.
“This marriage to the Grand Duke is of great national importance. Don’t show any emotion; be calm.”
Helen suppressed her conflicting emotions.
Then she gently pursed her lips.
A slight trembling revealed her nervousness.
She tried to hide her worry with a fake smile.
Finally, her face shone like a blossoming flower in spring.
“Open the door.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Although the ceremony is simple, signing the documents will make them a couple.
Helen calmed her nerves and moved forward with steady steps.
“You are here...”
Aachen, fiddling with his white gloves, saw Helen and looked startled.
'What's wrong with him?'
Aachen, who seemed to be in a trance, slowly approached Helen and picked her up.
His Adam's apple moved violently, indicating his nervousness.
His eyes were…clear and mysterious like the Oswaltz Sea.
“Thank you for accepting my offer.”
"You're welcome."
Helen recently learned that she had spent a night with his twin brother.
I deliberately tried to hide it.
'I can't spoil the party.'
Although she wanted to ask him why he asked to marry her even though he knew about it, she suppressed her anger.
The high priest began the marriage ceremony, and Helen stood next to Aachen.
“We will complete the marriage ceremony.”