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After that, time passed by as quickly as ever.
When I closed my eyes and opened them, it was already the day of the summer solstice. I woke up before the sun even came up and took a bath drowsily while dozing off. Muttering, I entrusted myself to Cisen, who got up earlier than I did.
"The summer solstice is the longest day of the year…"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"…I can't believe I woke up before sunrise on that day."
I am so sleepy.
The process of dressing up was twice as long as usual.
From head to toe, perfumed oil with a soft floral scent was applied. My hair was half-twisted, then a gorgeous and heavy headdress was decorated. All the flowers adorned between my hair were made of jewels.
The makeup was simple. She added color to my white skin and made my eyes stand out by drawing soft curves along the eyelids with a thin brush. Instead, my lips were painted a brilliant red.
And, the ceremonial dress.
It was a long, heavy garment with a geometric pattern embroidered with gold thread on a white background. There were even eight layers…
…It honestly looked like it was too hot to wear on June 21st.
It is morning now, so I think it would be fine, though it must be scorching hot during the day. Because of that, I was worried that my makeup might sweat off because I sweat a lot…
I tried to rule out the idea of hunting in the afternoon as much as possible. Otherwise, it seemed like I would be too nervous if I did not. Of course, trying not to think about it did not mean that it would work just like I wanted.
Cisen comforted me, saying something like—
She did not know what the people of the Actilus Empire looked like, but it seemed to her that I also had a talent for martial arts from the Unro Kingdom. The point was that I would not have been able to learn this so quickly.
'Thank you, but…'
To be honest, hearing that was not comforting since I was dealing with the monstrous humans from the Actilus Empire.
'Haha. I guess I should have prepared some poison in advance…'
If I did, I could drink it before I die in pain and collapse.
From the moment I possessed into this novel, the purpose was only survival. However, the burden of hunting was so great that I regretted not being able to 'commit s*icide if I had to!' After all, if I get caught by the Jacques' mother and son, I would not just die, but it would be a horrendous murder…
'No, calm down.'
I gazed at myself in the mirror, who became a little prettier than usual, and made up my mind.
'If I survive the hunt this time, I will live as if I were really dead! Don't let this ever happen again…!'
I clenched my fists resolutely in my long sleeves.
'In the meantime, every day might be full of life-threatening hazards… But, if I overcome this, it will be a goodbye!'
With that mindset, I will do my best somehow to show Raniero something—!
I ate only a little fruit for breakfast.
Since the robes were so dazzlingly pure white, Duchess Nerma and Cisen fed them to the side to avoid spilling juice while eating the fruit.
The cows were scheduled to be slaughtered at noon, so seeing them slaughtering live cows would be a big deal if I ate till my stomach was full. Besides, it was clear that I would lose my appetite when I saw it, so if I wanted to eat something at the luncheon after the blessing, I would have to starve myself to the point of being unbearably hungry.
'What if I do not have the strength to hunt like this?'
Well… I could not help it.
I moved to the Main Palace early before people started entering the Palace. The maids had to hold the long hem of my dress from behind to prevent it from being dragged across the ground.
'So, should I just make a palanquin…'
On the fourth floor of the Main Palace, there was a room prepared for such a day. In other words, it was like a waiting room.
There was a spacious balcony in this room overlooking the gardens of the Imperial Palace. It was the perfect place for the Emperor and his wife to show their faces when there is an event like this. It looked like a room that was originally built for that purpose.
As I entered the room, Raniero Actilus sat down on the sofa for one person and smiled faintly at me.
Even though I think about this too much, only his looks were perfect.
"You're here."
I laughed awkwardly and made timid jokes.
"I… I'm not late today, am I?"
I could not be late because Duchess Nerma had woken me up from dawn and prepared me. Nevertheless, he could not be obedient and give me the answer I wanted.
"You're late. I've been waiting for you for two hours."
Raniero did not even look at me, only tapping his fingers.
I approached him, being careful not to step on the hem of the robe. He then beckoned my maids out of the room.
As I stood close to him, he casually pulled me by the waist and sat me on his lap. It was a familiar thing for me now that he would make contact without even thinking about it. However, as I get closer, I become more concerned about making a mistake.
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