Princess Shu

Chapter 6.2 – My Name Is Valia Dean

“Oh, I’ll call you Sir Shu, too,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter what you call me by,” he answered briefly.

The woman’s appearance caught his eye after she introduced herself. She had long dark hair with a blue hue, and silver-grey eyes just like the dawn. Her skin was pale, and she had a composed maturity that didn’t match her age.

Most impressive of all was the woman’s reaction. In front of so many people, and while she was alone in a foreign country, she almost fell off the carriage, but there was little to no change in her expression. She had more composure than most ladies in the Imperial Capital had. The priests had begged him to come and select a princess, but it felt like he was here to select a wife candidate.

As a matter of fact, it wasn’t a bad thing for Shuden. For the position of the Lady of the House of the Marquis Garth Household, the weight she had to shoulder was by no means light. She would have to inevitably stand strong, and, of course, she couldn’t show weakness. The woman before his eyes looked cultivated enough to wear the insignia of Madame Garth on her chest.

“Lady Dean,” he said. Shuden was still curious about something.

“Yes?” she answered.

 

“I’ll ask you straightforwardly. Why this princess recruitment? More familiar names would enlist as an offering. Why did you apply for this selection? As you know, volunteering for this wouldn’t reap you much benefits.”

Valia had expected someone to ask. However, she didn’t know it would come from the Marquis. She calmly drew her breath.

“This was the best choice I had,” she answered.

There was a trace of bitterness in her expression. Shuden was puzzled when Valia’s silver-grey eyes, which had remained dignified all this while, dimmed.

Shuden furrowed his brow. “Do you mean to say that you wouldn’t mind even if you didn’t know whether you would die or not?”

“Because sometimes it’s better to die than to live.”

“That’s not something a young lady like you should say,” he remarked.

“And…” she trailed off.

“And?” he prompted.

“There’s something my grandfather used to say. If there’s anything you want, go and get it yourself. You must forge your own path.”

 

“Great words. Then what is it that you want, My Lady?”

Valia grinned. “It’s not something great enough to tell others.”

Shuden grinned back, copying her. The tips of her ears were still a little red, but there was no hesitation in her answer. Her bearing was somehow impressive.

“Lady Dean,” he said.

“Yes?” she replied.

“Are you perhaps against marriage?”

“No…? It’s not like that.”

Shuden continued his questioning. “Do you have a particular age you want to get married?”

“No, not really…” Valia said non-committedly.

“Then that’s good.”

Shuden did not worry any longer. Worries only brought about mixed feelings, so it was better to cut it short if it was present. It was his belief. In that sense, there were similarities between the both of them, but the two of them wouldn’t have known.

He rose from his seat. “We’re to be married soon.”

Valia blinked confusedly. “Huh?”

“You only have a few days left where you can sleep alone, so take a good rest.”

“…Huh?”

After finishing what he had to say, Shuden left the guest room. Valia sat absent-mindedly and only blinked. As soon as she heard those words from Shuden, her brain completely short-circuited. But he didn’t say anything difficult.

‘Oh my God.’

The realization hite her late. Valia’s face slowly heated up. She wrapped her hands around her cheek and squeezed it. Her cheeks were flaming red.

‘What did I just do?’

She slowly drew back into reality. She just had a private audience with Shuden Garth, the Marquis of the Gel Empire. And it was held on the bed, and the conversation was even about marriage. Valia held back her desire to scream and roll around wrapped in a blanket.

[We’re to be married soon.]

Her heart was pounding. She couldn’t calm down at all. Was it supposed to be this easy to get married? Valia had expected the Marquis to press her with a series of difficult questions. She thought she had to go through interviews, exams, and pass all those complicated procedures. Oh dear God.

“Marquis Garth…”

There were a few hiccups in the process, but it wasn’t too bad. She was told that she only needed to go to the capital city. Valia exhaled a deep sigh to soothe her nerves.

‘But the mistake just now was so embarrassing.’

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The Marquis tried to give his clothes to her in good faith, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding from her side. It was fortunate that she mastered hiding her emotions because she had worked for the Imperial Family for a long time. If Valia had been a little inexperienced, she would have fainted with shame. Her blushing a little was just the side effect.

Valia sighed a few more times and hugged her knees. “How the hell could someone have that kind of gaze…” she muttered.

Shuden had a polite demeanor, but his eyes were truly uncanny. They looked so peculiar that she could imagine being intimate with him. He did not have dull and leery eyes. When she had worked in the palace, she had seen many nobles, but never any with such eyes as his. Just like a mature predator, he was relaxed and unrestrained, and kept…

“I must be crazy…’

Valia covered herself with a pillow.