“Princess Bernardina, why would you do this?” He looked at me, his eyes squinting painfully.
Why? He didn’t even know that? He, of all people, was asking me why I’d do something as foolish as this?
Hurt by how he didn’t understand my feelings, I smiled vacantly. “I’m not going to apologize, Prince Edoardo. I knew it would turn out like this.”
“Bernardina! Why would you—” Seeing me smile at Prince Edoardo, Father spoke, flustered. I could see how haggard my father was, but... I’m sorry, Father. I don’t regret it. I had never expected for my plan to go well.
“Forgive me, Father. So, what will happen to me? Beheading? Imprisonment? Will I be married away somewhere? Anything is fine.”
“You...” Father hung his head at my stubbornness. Though I felt bad, I couldn’t take back what had already been done.
“So, did she die? The quiet brown-haired one,” I said, changing the subject.
“She’s alive.”
“Oh. That’s good.”
I thought back to the girl I had tried to have killed. She was an ordinary girl, with no worth other than the friendship she had with Her. Part of me was glad that she hadn’t been killed, but there was another part of me that despised her for living.
“Now, we should be done here. Take me away. I’ll go anywhere. Father, please give Ceci, Mother, and Ildebrando my regards. I’ll never see them again, after all.”
My heart hurt thinking about my family. I closed my eyes, waiting through my sentimentality. Hadn’t I already prepared for this when I decided to go through with this foolish plan?
Not wanting to look shameful the last time he saw me, I stood up straight, giving him my best smile.
“Bern...” Edoardo whispered his nickname for me.
Bern. You called me that back when we sat together in the Tower of Learning, didn’t you? And now, that was the first time he had used it since coming here. The nickname he would never use in front of Her.
I smiled as happiness welled up within me, and spoke. “Everything is your fault. Because you didn’t choose me. Goodbye, Prince Edoardo. I truly loved you.”
Turning away from him, I was taken away by the royal guard.
“Bern!” I could hear him call out after me, but I didn’t turn back.
Hey, Prince Edoardo. Will this make me unforgettable to you? If I was only a prospective fiancée, you would eventually forget me. I couldn’t bear the thought of being forgotten, on top of my fruitless feelings for you. If you would forget me, I’d rather live on as a wound on your heart.
Everything is your fault, Prince Edoardo. Because you didn’t choose me. So in choosing Her over me, at least remember that I existed. Remember that I was a fool, who loved you enough to follow my own desires rather than think of world peace or my country’s interests.