• In chapter 2, the author wrote the princess’s name as “Thea”, but starting from this chapter, started referring to her as “Sheila in this chapter and so on.

My shop in the royal capital thrived every day, and in no time, the day when the crown prince of Elda was scheduled to visit dawned upon us.

The princess sent me a series of letters, one after another. As my shop became more successful, she became increasingly persistent. As always, I used the reconstruction of my territory to turn her down.

However, the party that was to be held tonight was to welcome the crown prince of Elda—Milan Magnoyer Elda—so I couldn’t afford to miss it. There, I’d probably meet Princess Sheila even if I didn’t want to. Merely thinking about it filled me with reluctance.

“It’s been a while since I’ve last seen you dressed up.”

“The same goes for you, Eric.”

When a woman attended an evening party, it was customary to have a man escort her. Usually, it was either her fiancée or relative. I, who’d been on the battlefield since I was twelve, had no fiancée. Thus, I decided to have Eric escort me tonight.

“It looks much better than a military uniform.”

Eric whispered in a quivering voice. It was as if he was saying, “I think Uncle would have liked to see the current Iris, too.”

I smiled. “I wish my father was here to see me.”

A lost future. We always imagined unattainable futures, as if by doing so, we’d be whisked off to the past. Nevertheless, what was impossible was impossible. We both knew that, so we kept our mouths shut.

“Let’s go.”

“Sure.”

◇◇◇

“My, if it isn’t the Duchess of Lowenberg! It’s been so long.”

A plump woman in her fifties greeted me. She had doused herself in so much perfume, my nose almost fell off.

Since a little while ago, a lot of people had been talking to me in a friendly manner, but there was no one I was particularly close with.

“You should make appearances at evening parties more often! We all miss you.”

“I apologize. I’ve been busy with my territory.”

“Ah.” The woman covered her mouth with a folding fan. “You should leave that kind of thing to men. In no way is that the duty of the duchess, is it?”

In other words, a woman shouldn’t be working in her territory?

“By the way, I’d like to introduce my son to you. I’m sure the duchess is lonely all by herself.”

Did she want me to entrust the management of my territory to her son and became a trophy ruler?

—It’d been like that since a while ago.

They denied my very existence, as if I was a mistake. They merely wanted the profit from the business I started.

“It is none of the countess’ concern. Excuse me.”

“Hey, how rude!”

I left the woman who exclaimed that.

It wasn’t like I was uninterested in the prospect of marriage. If the war hadn’t happened, I’d have been betrothed just like any other noble lady and have left the territory to my fiancé.

I shifted my gaze to the young ladies dancing with their fiancés.

To me, they were like a dazzling sun. They seemed so in love.

Will I be able to shine like them someday?

As I pondered that, I lowered my gaze—my hands were bloody.

I was hallucinating. Sometimes, I still saw them—the faces of those I killed, of my dead comrades, and of my bloodstained hands. They’d return to me from time to time, as if reminding me of my sin—as if telling me I wasn’t allowed to be happy.

“…I know.”

I turned my back on the ladies enjoying the party.

I’d never go to the other side—for it was an unattainable future.

I couldn’t cling to such things forever.

---

***T/N: Yea! My Iris needs no man!

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