Princess Helena

January, as the new year began, was a time when a party was always held at the royal palace to celebrate. In the evening, the party was held, and Ian, having come to the venue, had to spend time sitting side by side with Adrina while receiving greetings from countless people.

In fact, he spent such a busy stretch of time that it felt like most of it was nothing but standing in line to receive greetings. Among those greetings, what made him feel especially awkward was the moment nobles kept introducing their daughters.

“I’m not saying this just because she’ll be coming of age this year, but she is truly well-mannered and can bear children well.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Our household is known for having many children, isn’t it. I can confidently say my daughter will be good at bearing babies as well.”

“Then marry her off quickly so she can have many children. Wouldn’t that be good for the country?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Hm. I’m getting a bit tired now.”

At Ian’s words as he rubbed between his brows, Mardin—the secretary waiting nearby—cut in at the right moment. He said that His Majesty seemed tired and that the greetings should end here.

The noble and his daughter looked flustered, but hearing that the king was tired, they had no choice but to withdraw. Those who had been waiting in line behind them also heard the news, and with regret written on their faces, they had no choice but to step back as well.

At that moment, Adrina, who had been sitting beside him, asked in a quiet, worried voice.

“Your Majesty, are you okay?”

“Ah, I’m fine. I suppose I’ve just heard too many of the same things. More importantly, are you okay?”

“Why would I have a hard time? They’re words I don’t need to care about anyway.”

Even as she spoke, Adrina had to grit her teeth. After attending this party, the behavior of many people looked like they were trying to force their daughters into the palace as consorts. Seeing Queen Adrina with no children, they seized what they thought was an opening and brought their daughters forward to greet the king.

In truth, such things had happened before as well. Even with a lawful queen, every king in history had always taken many consorts. So any noble with a daughter would dress her up extravagantly and bring her, hoping to catch the king’s eye.

This year, it could be said to be worse. They were entering their third year of marriage. It was not long, if you thought of it as short, but with no news of pregnancy in that time, many people could not help but begin to harbor doubts.

A king having no heir was truly a serious situation. They had given people hope through engagement and marriage, but as time passed, more and more people began to think something was strange.

“Don’t worry yourself over people’s words and stares. No matter what they say, I intend to keep things as they are.”

“But for the royal family… isn’t it necessary? Is there a reason Your Majesty won’t take a consort?”

Adrina felt her tension spike as she spoke. She worried that he might agree with her words. But when she heard his reply, she felt her strength drain away.

“If I intended to take a consort, I wouldn’t have bothered to create the outcome of marrying you. I like it as it is.”

“…Is that so? Then what will you do about the matter of an heir?”

She spoke because she feared that with a contract marriage like theirs, the birth of an heir kept being pushed back. At her words, Ian shrugged as if it were nothing.

“Well, one will come someday, won’t it? I think children, too, have their proper time.”

“That’s… too irresponsible. Your Majesty is the sovereign of this country. The fact that someone like you has no heir can only become a flaw.”

“That may be true, but why are you getting so worked up?”

“Me? Ah, it’s just… it feels like you’re being harmed because of me.”

“Didn’t I just say it? This was something I chose to do. There is nothing you need to worry about.”

“I…”

She tried to say more, but in truth, there was nothing more she could say. What she had said just now had already slightly crossed the line. Realizing she was getting too heated, she could only feel that she should not speak further.

“Um, Your Majesty.”

At Mardin’s voice, both of them turned their gaze to him. Behind him, they could see a woman. A red-haired woman of striking beauty stood there. In some ways, she was as beautiful as Princess Adrina.

‘Who is she?’

“I’m told she is Princess Helena from the Doicheun Empire.”

“Princess Helena?”

“May I greet you directly?”

“Ah, go ahead.”

“Hello. I’m Helena di Doicheun. It’s an honor to be able to meet Your Majesty like this.”

She was a girl who felt bold and somehow aloof at the same time. Something about her gave him a feeling similar to Adrina. Why did this moment feel like déjà vu? As he thought that and glanced to the side, Adrina’s expression also looked as if she felt something similar—her eyes widening.

“Thank you for visiting our country. I hope you will rest comfortably here.”

“I didn’t come all the way here to hear that. I have something to say to Your Majesty.”

“What is it?”

“Please accept me as a consort.”

“W-what?”

He felt not just flustered but dumbfounded. She was asking him, out of the blue, to accept her as a consort—what was that supposed to mean? And she was an imperial princess. Even if the Doicheun Empire was in no condition to stand tall right now, considering her status as royalty, she ought to preserve some dignity.

Look—nearby nobles who had been lingering around were already murmuring as they heard her. It might even be said that this could cause the Doicheun imperial family’s prestige to fall to the ground. Did she know that and still say it?

“I know my place. I won’t ask to be the lawful queen—I’ll be satisfied with being a consort, so please accept me as a consort.”

It was absurd that she could say such a thing so boldly. She looked as though she were demanding something she had left in his care. For a moment, he wondered whether bloodline compatibility would even allow it. As he knew, the Doicheun Empire had branched off long ago from the same ancient bloodline—the Grasen royal line—as the Polia royal family.

‘So it might be possible?’

If even cousins beyond a certain degree posed no genetic issue, then after hundreds of years of separation, it likely would not be a problem at all. But that thought was only momentary. From Ian’s standpoint, the request itself was outrageous.

‘Still, I need to respond tactfully. We’ve traded with the Doicheun Empire, after all.’

“Ahem. It seems Princess Helena has a tendency to disregard procedure.”

“I know. I’m ignoring procedure right now, but I’m desperate. If it’s not Your Majesty, I’ll end up marrying someone decades older.”

“Someone older…”

So even an imperial princess could not escape the shackles of political marriage. Still, asking to become a consort was not something he could accept. He thought it would be something he could not do to Adrina, who was right beside him. And accepting a consort also meant there was the very real issue of the bedchamber.

‘In a situation where I haven’t even properly held Adrina’s hand… I can’t do that. First, does Emperor Rednix know about this?’

“Does Emperor Rednix know about this?”

“Yes, he knows.”

“Hm? You just said he knows?”

“Yes. In fact, he told me that if I return without securing a promise to become a consort here, then the moment I come back he will make me enter a political marriage—one with an older man.”

“That…”

From that, it was clear Emperor Rednix had deliberately sent Princess Helena to him. He must have threatened her with something close to coercion: if she did not become a consort, he would marry her off to an older man the moment she returned.

‘That’s a high-level move. Maybe he’s trying to create an even firmer safety device.’

Through a secret agreement, they had decided to develop various technologies and weapons together. They had even drafted a secret treaty—yet he still thought it was not enough and sent his daughter. Thinking that, Ian realized that the princess before him was, in a sense, a sacrifice for the sake of her country.

‘Even so, accepting her as a consort is…’

Accepting this would be something he felt sorry for toward Adrina, and once such a precedent existed, anyone would begin manufacturing circumstances like this to force their way into becoming a consort.

It would set a bad precedent for him, and for the noble daughters who would follow. He thought he needed to handle it well—button the first button correctly. As he was thinking that, he heard Adrina speak beside him.

“Did you say your name was Helena?”

“That’s right.”

Before he knew it, the two were facing each other. Why did it feel as if sparks were flying when their gazes crossed? Then Adrina’s voice continued, asking questions.

“How old are you?”

“I’m seventeen this year.”

“You’re very young.”

“I’m not young at all. Next year I’ll be an adult.”

“That’s not what I mean. Do you know that no matter how much you ask to become a consort, you cannot be taken as a consort before you’ve undergone your coming-of-age ceremony? This is stipulated in royal law.”

‘Seventeen? Then that means she’s ten years younger than me. And she’s the same age as Charlotte?’

She truly felt too young. Of course, Adrina was still young as well. More than that, Ian thought Adrina was explaining things step by step in a very measured way. She looked as if she were trying to organize the situation. Naturally, that was something he very much wanted.

Meanwhile, at the mention of royal law, Princess Helena faltered. As if she had not considered this, she forced her flustered expression away and spoke.

“So there is such a royal law. It’s different from our Doicheun Empire. Still, I think there are situations where exceptions can be made.”

“I know. That could be the case. But I don’t think it should be this sudden. How about we take time and talk slowly?”

“I wasn’t saying this expecting an immediate yes. If I weren’t desperate, I wouldn’t have done this either.”

“Then that settles it. For now, how about you stay here at the royal palace?”

“Is that… allowed?”

“Your Majesty, would that be acceptable?”

At Adrina’s question, Ian thought, Why bother?

“Princess Helena, stay here at the royal palace? Do you truly want that?”

“Yes, I do. If things continue like this, it’ll be like what happened to me before. I don’t want to make it that way.”

Deep down, Adrina seemed to see her past self in Princess Helena. In the past, she too had been forced into a political marriage with someone chosen by the imperial family. That feeling clearly stirred her heart.

“Do as you like. If you’re fine with it, then I have no objection.”

“Thank you.”

Seeing Adrina smile brightly as she spoke, Ian wondered whether this was truly a good outcome. Meanwhile, Princess Helena watched the two of them with a strange look. It felt as if there was some unspoken bond tightly connecting the two of them.

‘Can I wedge myself into the space between them?’

She thought that briefly, then decided it did not matter. Father had ordered her to enter King Ian’s palace as a consort. Whatever her own will, as an imperial princess who had lived under Father’s authority, Father’s command was absolute. So from her position, she had no choice but to comply.

‘They must think they can only be at ease about the debt if they form a marriage tie with the Polia Kingdom.’

Before coming here, she had looked into the situation from various angles. The Doicheun Empire, having lost the war, was being picked clean from every direction. Massive war reparations and rights to many resources were being taken away.

It was a miserable and humiliating reality. In the midst of that, she learned that they owed an enormous debt to the Polia Kingdom. She believed that debt was likely the reason Father ordered her to become a consort—though she knew nothing at all about the secret agreement.

‘Still, he’s quite a decent man.’

He was ten years older than her, but he could still be called young, and he was even handsome. With hair in a similar red hue to hers, and a physique that looked quite strong, he made a good impression.

She had heard that the previous king had been quite strange in temperament, but compared to that, the current king, Ian, had no such oddities. Thinking of that, he was the best possible marriage partner.

‘At least it’s better than the older sisters who were married off to men with twisted fetishes and violent tendencies, isn’t it?’

As she thought that, she began to feel a desire to become a consort. Even if the current queen’s appearance was comparable to hers, and even if the two of them seemed to share some mysterious bond, she believed she could still wedge herself in.

‘I have my own charms too.’

Princess Helena resolved to do her utmost in life at the royal palace.