“Good morning, Oscar. Morning, Lucas.”
“Good morning, Mother.”
The family sat down for breakfast in the castle with smiles on their faces. Crown Prince Conrad, Crown Princess Delphine, and their two sons, Oscar and Lucas, all shared the same golden hair that shined in the morning sunlight.
Even though the servants were accustomed to seeing this sight every morning, they couldn’t help but let out sighs of admiration at this beautiful, picture-perfect family.
Conrad was about to take a sip of his tea but paused to speak to his wife. “Are you going to be busy today, Delphine?”
“No, not particularly. I’m meeting the marchioness for tea, and then I have a charity meeting. That’s all.”
“I see.”
Delphine smiled elegantly at her husband as she glanced at him.
They’d been married for twelve years now, and things had gone quite smoothly during that time. It was everything she had dreamed of.
Delphine was originally from Eagal, the kingdom located north of Ashbury. When she had first married the prince, Ashbury’s commerce had been thriving, and it had only grown more prosperous since then. In fact, Ashbury had a habit of welcoming crown princesses from its surrounding nations.
Although it was never made public, the queen was a former princess of Randall, and the queen before her had come from Hagl.
When Conrad was born thirty-one years ago, there had been a series of births a few years later in the Eagal royal family and Eagal’s marquisate, which also had royal blood. After all, it was widely known that a royal girl of the right age could be chosen as the crown princess of Ashbury.
But fate doesn’t always align with our desires. Out of all those babies born, Delphine was the only girl.
She was three years younger than Conrad, and at age three, the kingdom of Ashbury approached her family with an offer of betrothal to Prince Conrad.
The Eagalian royal family was delighted, and Delphine’s father, the marquess, agreed without hesitation.
And so, Delphine was raised with the expectation of being the future queen of Ashbury. Her family assigned her the bare minimum number of attendants in order to reduce the odds of her coming down with an illness, and she was raised with the utmost care to ensure she would have no scars on her face.
“I want to walk around town.”
Delphine had made that request at age nine.
“That’s impossible.” Her nanny and tutor immediately shot down the idea.
“Please, just for a little while. What if I bring a guard with me?”
“Absolutely not. What if someone throws a rock at you?”
“Well, wouldn’t the guard arrest them?”
“That isn’t the point. What if they made a mark on your face, Lady Delphine?”
“Oh, right… I guess I can’t, then. Fine. I won’t ask again.”
Delphine was a very clever girl and had mastered all the necessary knowledge and etiquette required for her to be the future queen. Despite growing up in such a sheltered and restrictive environment, she was always obedient and amenable, never selfish or demanding. She cared for others and developed a gentle, thoughtful personality.
When Delphine was ten years old, she grew quite attached to one of her attendants, the daughter of a baron, and requested they be with each other at all times. That was the very first selfish thing Delphine had done in her entire life. The girl’s name was Elly, and she was a quiet and serious girl who adored Delphine more than anyone else. Owing to Elly’s hardworking nature and the importance Delphine placed on the girl’s service, Elly’s father was eventually given a higher rank of viscount.
One day, Delphine asked Elly a question while the girl was combing her hair. “Elly, have you ever been to a festival?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Really? Who did you go with?”
“My parents and my younger brother and sister.”
“What are festivals like? I asked my wardrobe attendant Henri, and he said, ‘All the young men and women dress up on festival days.’”
The festivals were held twice a year, and Elly felt sorry that Delphine hadn’t ever been to one. But she was wise enough to not say as much aloud.
“Well, there are plenty of food stalls. But at festivals, their priority is to keep the costs as low as possible, so most of the food is made with rather low-quality ingredients. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up with a stomachache!”
“Really? How scary!”
“And there are many pickpockets and thieves lurking about. I’ve even heard there are some who wait to abduct the cheerful, unsuspecting young girls who’ve been caught up in the excitement of the festival.”
“Goodness!”
After hearing all that, Delphine stopped asking to go to the festivals. Elly was relieved, but it pained her to lie. In reality, there were always guards assigned to watch over these events, which made things safer than they were under normal circumstances. Plus, the food from the stalls was both cheap and delicious. Young boys and girls happily ate the dishes on offer, and if they were sharing a meal with someone special, the boy would give the girl the flower from his breast pocket. Many romances began at festivals.
Lady Delphine is better off not knowing about all that, though. They would never allow her to go walking around a festival in the first place.
Delphine continued to grow under Elly’s loving care and blossomed into a beautiful young woman. When the two attended balls, every man would be drawn to Delphine’s beauty. However, she was betrothed to the crown prince of Ashbury, so no one dared to speak to her. The only men who would approach her were the elderly heads of high-ranking noble families. And so, Delphine was married off to Ashbury at the age of seventeen, having never experienced exciting dalliances, let alone love.
Her first long-distance trip was to leave her kingdom for her betrothal. Although she put on a brave face, deep down, she was very lonely and grieving the fact that she would no longer be able to see her parents and brothers.
She had been taught that crying or losing one’s composure in front of others was unsightly and pathetic behavior, so she kept an elegant smile on her face at all times, weeping inwardly.
But outside the window of her carriage, Ashbury was even more vibrant and prosperous than she’d ever dreamed of. Delphine had only seen portraits of her future husband and did not know what he looked like in the flesh.
Prince Conrad is a handsome man, but what if he has a cold personality? The only one I can confide in when I go through difficult times is Elly…
Delphine was beside herself with worry. Meanwhile, Elly reached over and clasped her hand. “Don’t worry. I’m right here,” she said encouragingly. That kind gesture made Elly grow even more important in Delphine’s heart.
“I’m sure you must be exhausted from the long journey. Please, come in.”
When Delphine arrived at the castle, Prince Conrad greeted her with a warm smile and took her hand as he showed her inside. He was even more handsome than he was in the portraits.
Delphine only had to talk with him for a short while to be convinced of his intelligence and kindness.
He showed concern and compassion for Delphine during the wedding ceremony, fretting over the lengthy period of time she had to stand in her tight dress. Noticing this, Elly wept with happiness, thinking, Prince Conrad is a truly wonderful man. I’m so happy for Princess Delphine!
“Elly, I think I can fulfill my role as princess as long as I have Prince Conrad by my side,” Delphine confided in the girl later.
“Of course you can. You’ll be a splendid crown princess, Princess Delphine. Now you can finally use all the knowledge you’ve worked so hard to acquire,” Elly gushed.
Delphine was overcome with a deep sense of happiness as she watched her two sons chatting cheerfully with each other.
“You look beautiful today, as usual,” Conrad said to her.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
They’d been married for twelve, almost thirteen years now, and they’d never had any problems.
Delphine sipped her fragrant tea, thinking, I’ve lived such a blessed life.