Princess, Please Fall in Love with Me

Chapter 13: The Rose, Wishing Only to Be Among the Briars

“Yiwen, as expected of my daughter, you saved many lives this time.”

The time returned when Yiwen headed to the royal palace’s grand hall.

To commend Yiwen Kelake, the sixth princess, for her critical appearance during this crisis and for bringing the precious antidote of Clover Grass, the Emperor specially convened this commendation assembly.

The ministers had already gathered around the meeting table, passionately discussing the outcome of this sudden attack.

Many of them had also received Yiwen’s favor, and naturally, there were more voices speaking for this previously unremarkable sixth princess.

When Yiwen, dressed in relatively splendid clothes, walked into the hall, the other princes and princesses had already been waiting for some time.

The twin brothers, GeLabu and Gelabi, saw Yiwen and happily greeted her.

Though they had only met a few times, from their mother’s words, they knew it was this unfamiliar little sister who saved their lives.

Under the upbringing of the Oak Family, anyone who helped was someone worth befriending, and their impression of Yiwen grew warmer.

On the other side, the Second Prince and Third Princess, though affected by the incident, were fortunate to have only mild poisoning.

But toward Yiwen, they maintained their usual lukewarm attitude.

In their eyes, this princess had merely been lucky to gain their father’s favor.

As for the First Prince, who had remained uninvolved, he had planned to swoop in with an antidote supposedly found in the library when everyone else was helpless.

But instead, he was preempted by a little girl he had never taken seriously.

Seeing the jealous and resentful look he cast her way, Yiwen only calmly returned a greeting to the twins as a courtesy, standing quietly below the platform, respectfully awaiting the Emperor’s summons.

“Yiwen, my good daughter, speaks. What reward do you desire this time?”

“Father, my brothers and sisters all have companions. I, Yiwen, also want a companion!”

It sounded, indeed, like a child vying for her siblings’ favor, a twelve-year-old finally able to act coy with her father.

This pitiful appearance stirred a trace of emotion in the Emperor.

“Then, my child, tell me, who do you want as your companion?”

The Emperor showed a kind and gentle smile, looking warmly at the innocently excited Yiwen below.

Yiwen, as if receiving the greatest gift, excitedly bowed to thank the Emperor.

“Thank you, Father! Thank you, Father!”

“Yiwen is good friends with the girl from the garden before.

I want to bring her with me, is that alright, Father?”

“Hahaha, of course, Father agrees. Whoever you want is fine!”

“She is called Loka. She said she came with her family's beautiful woman.

The Empress, seated beside the Emperor, changed her expression, as if realizing something.

She stood to intervene, but the Emperor’s words had already been set and could not be easily altered.

“Since it is so, I will grant you a handwritten letter. No matter which noble family this child belongs to, you are permitted to request her as your companion from her parents.”

It was called a request, but for ordinary nobles, becoming a companion to an royal heir was a blessing akin to divine favor.

Especially for those nobles eager to elevate their status, they would eagerly offer their children for the princess to choose.

The Emperor, seeing Yiwen’s elated demeanor, was quite pleased and quickly summoned a servant to bring paper and pen, handing the handwritten letter to Yiwen in front of everyone.

With the letter in hand, Yiwen hurried to the Duke’s mansion without delay, but unfortunately, the Duke was unaware of the matter.

Had he known what happened today, his expression might have been even more colorful than it was now.

“So, Your Grace, may I take my person and leave?”

Yiwen’s words were humble and gentle, but her tone carried an undeniable authority.

Even so, the Duke stood, feigning composure, his eyes staring sternly at her.

“Your Highness, the Princess, to come to the Duke’s mansion and take someone so casually, shouldn’t you at least ask the parents’ opinions? His Majesty wouldn’t allow you to disturb the Duke’s residence so freely, would he?”

Victor took out his ducal authority to suppress Yiwen’s intentions, but Yiwen only smiled faintly, gesturing with her hand.

An old servant beside her respectfully handed the letter to the Duke.

“Since it is Your Grace, we naturally show greater respect. However, this is, after all, a letter Father gave me in front of everyone. Could Your Grace please explain to Father?”

“This…”

The Emperor’s promise, made before all the ministers, was such that if he took the letter to request the Emperor retract it, it would undoubtedly be a slap to the Emperor’s face.

Even a power as great as the Duke’s mansion could not so brazenly provoke such a challenge.

Victor gripped the letter sealed with bright gold wax, his eyes scrutinizing the twelve-year-old girl before him.

Turning away, his face darkened as he tore the letter to pieces and threw it into the fireplace, letting the flames reduce it to ashes, the firelight reflecting his furious expression.

“Please, Princess, do as you wish.”

Faced with this impossible choice, the Duke had no option but to yield, stepping aside to let the princess and her retinue pass.

As she walked by, the princess suddenly turned to look at Victor.

“Your Grace, please remember one thing: she is already mine.”

In the dim dungeon, light suddenly flooded back in.

Loka lay leisurely on a wooden board, humming a tune.

A sycophantic servant approached respectfully.

“Miss, the Sixth Princess from the palace has come to fetch you.”

“Who? Don’t know her.”

“What, I came so late you feel wronged?”

Loka, who had been playing coy, immediately stood upon hearing the voice, ignoring the servant nearby and rushing to Yiwen’s side, grinning as she took the princess’s hand.

“How could I? I only feel sorry for Your Highness.”

“Such a smooth talker.”

Yiwen suddenly hugged Loka, patting her back with some heartache.

Loka said nothing, but her other hand held on tightly.

Kafu, receiving a signal, gave the not-so-innocent servant nearby a thorough beating.

At that moment, in the imperial garden, the Empress and Emperor were leisurely enjoying afternoon tea.

Seeing the Emperor’s good mood, the Empress cautiously brought up the day’s events.

“Your Majesty, the companion the Sixth Princess wants seems to be the Duke’s illegitimate daughter…”

“What illegitimate daughter? Isn’t she a daughter of the Duke’s family?”

The Emperor ignored the Empress’s insinuation, leisurely lifting his teacup to savor it.

His eyes, glancing at the Empress, flickered with probing, but she clearly did not notice.

“But Your Majesty, that illegitimate daughter, she—”

“Empress, I think I’ve made myself clear. She is merely one of the Duke’s daughters. It’s not because her mother isn’t from your Clover Family that you think she’s not legitimate, is it?”

“The First Prince’s companion, I’ve already allowed him to choose himself. I can’t favor one prince too much, can I? Don’t you agree, Empress”

The teacup slowly lowered, his eyes now full of impatience.

The Empress then realized how absurd her words had been.

In her agitation, she accidentally knocked over the teacup, the red tea staining her white skirt.

“The Empress seems tired today. Look, you can’t even hold a cup steady.”

“Yes, yes… I seem a bit unwell today. Your Majesty, I’ll take my leave!”

The Empress hurriedly lifted her skirt, leading her maids in a flustered departure from the garden.

The Emperor gently stirred his teacup with a spoon, creating a dark red vortex in the tea, reflecting his unpredictable expression.