Chapter 32 : Was this a Romance Novel? (4)

The term “a match made in heaven” was not wasted on them.

Crown Prince Jaiha was unparalleled, and Lana’s blossoming beauty and grace were equally remarkable.

No one could come between Crown Prince Jaiha and Lana.

Yes, it seemed like a story without any flaws—a tale of a girl who worked for seven years to finally be with the man she loved.

Even though some worried that the Frost Duchy’s influence was growing too powerful, no one could deny Lana’s worth.

To put it another way, even Lana’s political rivals who envied the Frost Duchy couldn’t oppose her.

She had perfectly earned the qualifications of a Saintess, leaving no room for objections.

Initially, Crown Prince Jaiha showed little interest in her.

But he seemed moved by Lana’s diligent efforts.

Eventually, the two began discussing their future seriously.

“Didn’t you say it felt strange to marry your friend’s sister?”

“…That was a long time ago. Things are different now.”

“Ha! A man who changes his words, I see!”

“Brother, please grant me your sister’s hand in marriage.”

“Not for another ten years.”

Others might not remember, but Theodore did.

Back then, Theodore and Jaiha were sworn comrades and close friends.

To be honest, he didn’t like the idea.

Though he understood that Lana becoming queen would elevate their family’s status, the thought of his precious little sister marrying someone else left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Still, Lana deeply loved Jaiha, and Jaiha was not only Theodore’s lord but also his close friend.

In the end, Theodore had to abandon even his token objections.

Most importantly, Lana smiled more brightly beside Jaiha than she ever had before.

‘Fine, as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.’

That’s why he remembered that day so vividly—the day they were hunting together in the royal hunting grounds.

Lana had wanted to impress Jaiha.

“Ahhh!”

“That voice…?!”

“An intruder? We should check immediately.”

It may have been that very moment, the day a girl’s scream tore through the air, that marked the beginning of Lana’s downfall.

Theodore and Jaiha quickly moved toward the source.

There, they found a girl with jet-black hair and dark eyes, standing alone.

At least, that’s how it appeared at the time.

Her unusual appearance and rare hair color raised their suspicions.

Though Theodore quickly deduced she wasn’t an assassin, he intended to follow protocol: apprehend her and send her to the dungeons for trespassing.

“She’s just a child. Isn’t imprisonment too harsh a punishment?”

“Trespassing in the royal hunting grounds is a serious crime. What if she’s an assassin?”

“You can tell just by looking at her that she’s not.”

From that moment, Theodore felt a chill deep within his gut.

While mercy was a virtue taught to the royal family of the Kingdom of Mines,

this level of leniency—pardoning an intruder in the royal grounds—was beyond reason.

All because she was “just a child”?

Theodore wasn’t planning to enforce severe punishment without investigation.

He intended to thoroughly examine her circumstances and release her if her trespass was indeed accidental.

But blind forgiveness and unconditional mercy? That was something Theodore would never consider.

And he assumed no royal would, either.

“If His Highness wishes to grant mercy, who am I to oppose?”

“Lana.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Not at all. Now, child, what is your name?”

It was Lana who ended the standoff between Theodore and Jaiha.

She mediated between them and approached the girl Jaiha had saved, asking her name.

“M-My name…?”

“I am Lana Frost, the eldest daughter of the Frost Duchy. Surely you have a name?”

“I… I’m sorry. No matter how hard I try, I can’t remember…”

“So, even your name has been lost to you. How pitiful…”

Whether the girl’s words were true or a lie, no one could know for certain.

But Lana chose to believe her.

And so, Lana spoke.

“Jeanne.”

“Excuse me?”

“Until your memory returns, use that name.”

Moved by sympathy for the girl, who had no name or home to return to, Lana gave her a name herself.

It was an act of compassion and kindness.

If only she could go back to that moment.

If only she’d known the betrayal that kindness would bring.

She wouldn’t have hesitated. She would have struck her down on the spot.

This was Theodore’s one lingering regret from the past.

Sitting in the military tent, Theodore recounted his story calmly.

Wolfgang absorbed every detail, committing it to memory.

From this, two things were clear:

First, her original name was Lana Frost.

Second, she had deep ties to the Kingdom and the position of Saintess.

However, one question began to arise in Wolfgang’s mind.

“Wait a moment.”

“Is something wrong?”

“When… when Lana was exiled from the Kingdom, how old was she?”

“She was 15.”

“Then you’re saying she lost everything and was exiled in just a year?”

Theodore nodded solemnly.

It wasn’t for nothing that people said “a rolling stone displaces a settled one.”

Lana had shown mercy to Jeanne.

And what Lana received in return was a cruel betrayal.

Jeanne had been cunning, pretending to serve Lana faithfully at first.

Lana, feeling sorry for Jeanne, kept her close, even elevating her above other attendants.

That was the problem.

Lana deeply loved Jaiha, so much so that she needed to see him at least three times a day to feel at ease.

Jeanne, always by Lana’s side, was there for every meeting.

It was like leaving the fish with the cat.

“Yes, sadly, that’s exactly how it happened.”

“How could something like that even be possible?”

“At first, I suspected foul play—magic or some sort of curse. But no, there was nothing of the sort.”

Even Lana had noticed something strange eventually, but by then it was too late.

Who could have predicted that, within half a year, Jaiha’s heart would shift toward Jeanne?

The memory still made Theodore’s blood boil.

Lana had given Jeanne everything: a name, a home, even paid her wages without delay.

And yet, Jeanne had the audacity to betray her.

“At least as far as I know, there was no magic or curse involved. That makes her betrayal even more contemptible.”

Jaiha and Jeanne had carried on their affair in secret.

While pretending to love Lana,

while Jeanne feigned loyalty to her mistress,

they whispered their love for each other behind her back.

If not for Lana’s perceptiveness, they might have continued their charade for much longer.

At first, Theodore couldn’t believe it.

The man Lana loved, and the girl she had cared for like a sister, were involved in a secret affair?

The betrayal, the rage, the hatred, the disbelief—

Theodore had felt all of these emotions.

So how must Lana have felt?

Yet Lana hid the truth from everyone.

“Why on earth would she hide something like that?” Galina asked, clicking her tongue.

“Probably because she didn’t want to trouble me, given my friendship with Jaiha. And Lana was always responsible—she likely tried to handle it herself.”

“Still, keeping that to herself… That’s enough to drive anyone insane!”

“And it did, you fool!”

Wolfgang gave Galina a swift smack on the head for interrupting.

Turning back to Theodore, she signaled for him to continue.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t.

Urgent footsteps were approaching the tent.

Wolfgang sighed, giving Galina a look.

Reading Wolfgang’s silent order, Galina nodded and went outside.

“What’s going on?”

“S-Sorry to disturb you, but the Kingdom has sent an envoy.”

“At this late hour?”

“Yes, they claim a Kingdom traitor has fled to the Empire and are requesting cooperation.”

At such a late hour, and given the strained relations between the Kingdom and the Empire,

Galina could easily read the true intent behind this move.

‘They’re trying to disrupt the captain’s meeting with Von Frost.

So desperate to conceal the truth—how pathetic.’

Though Galina saw through their intentions, she couldn’t act on her own.

No matter how strained relations were, dismissing an envoy unilaterally would be seen as overstepping her bounds.

She had no choice but to report this to Wolfgang.