What broke the deafening stillness was the stuttering voice of the previously majestic king.
"Pi, Peony······."
Gaping big eyes, enlarged nostrils, and a wide-open mouth.
My father's face was displaying an expression of someone who was terribly shocked.
"W-What did you say just now?"
His words stammer as if he couldn't believe his ears.
I panicked. Does saying 'I hate you, Dad.' in this world have any tremendous meaning?
Because of the king's dignified appearance I couldn't say anything intense, it was already the most disobedient word I can think of.
Alright. Then one more time.
"I hate dad."
Once again, I told him clearly.
My father still seemed to feel the same amount of shock even though it's already the second time he heard it.
"H-How can you say such harsh words?"
The king's hand's trembled as he endured the shock.
"Who the hell on earth is that Grand Duke Stern?! What kind of chap is it?!"
The shock, which had consumed her father's mind, drastically shifted into anger.
"I can't believe he made our nice, lovely Peony say such harsh words!"
The place, where the burning eyes of their father were directed at, was her two brothers.
"You two didn't even consider stopping you're your younger sister, and you came here together like this, spurting nonsense?"
"Father, it's not something to be so angry about. Peony's already all grown up."
"All grown-up! How can you say that this little kid is all grown up! She's just the same size as a rolling acorn!"
Leon's words added fuel to his father's anger.
"Peony too, is already an adult."
"It doesn't mean that when you get older, you're already an adult! Peony's mental age is still as a child!"
Am I that abnormal person they're talking about······ I'm mistaken, right?
"Besides, who will accept that acorn-sized thing as a bride? Her body's no different than a child!"
But I think it's really me father is speaking of·····.
"However, now that she's already an adult, she'll also have to get married one of these days, right? When she finds someone she likes······."
"Marriage! What marriage!"
This time, my father suddenly rose from his throne.
"What does a child know when it comes to marriage!"
"I, have to······ get married, too."
"What are you talking about, Peony! Didn't you say you'd live with this dad for the rest of your life? You said you like this dad the best in the world! You even told me you want to marry me when you get old!"
"That's······ when I was young."
I uttered as I stealthily glanced at my father.
"Young! It hasn't been 10 years since you said that!"
Father cried out as if what I said was inconceivable.
"Whether it's Stern or churn, I can't give our Peony to such a guy. Never!"
"But father······."
"Leon, do you really want to send this cute little sister of yours to that faraway place? Where it takes a month to go by land, and 15 days by sea?"
"······."
"We can be the one to visit her······."
"Rachel, are you really going to send our weak Peony to that cold country? That kid who lives with cold in the warm, winterless Garten?"
"······."
Both the eldest brother and the second older brother, who was supposed to be supportive, fell into silence due to their father's words.
It was natural, obviously, their father picked exactly the subjects they were most concerned about.
Phew······ There's no helping it then.
I've decided to take out my secret weapon.
"If you don't allow me to marry Grand Duke Stern·····."
I closed my lips and looked at my father, Leon, and Rachel one by one.
They were staring at me with a tense look, as if a nuclear bomb was about to be fired out from my mouth.
I'm sorry, father and brothers.
But I really want to meet my favorite character.
"I'm not going to eat from now on."
* * * *
"Hmmn, I'm hungry······."
I've just starved myself for one lunch.
Nevertheless, I already felt grumpy because of hunger.
I've never imagined that the road to know my favorite character was this difficult.
"Will······ there be honey?""
I seriously agonized over the flowers in the vase.
I even approached and observed the flowers. But I couldn't figure out how to get the honey. Of course, because I'm not a bee.
Instead, all I could get was the it's fragrant scent.
The name of the flower is unknown, but it has a subtle yet refreshing smell.
"Is this flower edible?"
I pondered.
Why, there are herbs and petal teas, right? Since there are flowers that can be eaten like azaleas, is it possible to eat these flowers as well?
I snapped off a petal and carefully brought it to my mouth.
The soft petals touched my tongue, and it wasn't strange.
"Ugh! Puh! Ptooey!"
But soon after I bit it, it tasted strangely bitter, and spit out what was in my mouth.
"Ewww·····."
While she was shaking her head due to the strange taste, she heard the voice of the court lady from the door.
"Princess Peony, His Highness is here."
F-Father?
I jumped into bed quickly, and was able to lie in safely before my father came into the room by a hair's breadth.
"······Peony."
I heard my father's voice, but I kept my eyes closed as if I hadn't.
"My goodness······ my princess, your face looks gaunt already."
I've only starved for one meal, I can't be gaunt that fast. Father.
"Your closed eyes look shrunken."
No, I mean, not eating a meal doesn't make people shrunken though.
"······Father."
I opened my eyes, calling him in a wistful voice. Pretending to be the world's pitiable person, like my father thinks.
"Yes, my princess. Father is here."
The king answered in a grave voice. If someone hears it, they will think the king is talking to his seriously ill daughter.
Once again, I only starved for lunch, and now it was dinner time.
"Today I told the royal chef to prepare only what you like to eat. Come on, get up, and let's have dinner together."
I shook my head at my father's words.
"If you don't eat anything like this, you'll get sick."
"I won't eat until Your Majesty consents to my marriage."
"Did you just say, Your Majesty?! Peony! Call me father as usual."
It's just a title, but my father jumped out of his seat.
·····Alright, if it's like this then!
"I can't, Your Majesty."
"Peony, call me father, or dad, as usual."
As a sign of resistance, I closed my lips tightly and shook my head.
"Haa······."
A sigh poured out of my father's mouth.
I sneaked a glance at him.
My father softly closed his eyes and fell into agony.
"Do you like that man that much?"
"Yes!"
I nodded vigorously. My father sighed again as he looked at me.
"You want to leave this father and your brothers and leave for that cold country?"
"I·····."
I bit my lips.
My father and brothers treated me kindly and loved me so much since I transmigrated.
They treated me as if I am the most precious person in the whole wide world.
I was sorry at first because I felt like I was cheating them, and I wondered if I should reveal that I wasn't really Peony.
However, who would believe that this is a world inside a novel, or that I possessed the body of a novel character princess named Peony?
The most important thing is, to tell them that Peony's soul is already dead······ I couldn't bear to do it to them.
"I love my brothers and father."
To him who regarded me as her real daughter and gave me great affection, it was not easy to say that I wanted to leave.
I wish my father could understand my heart.
"You are my most precious family in the world. If I were to be born again in my next life, I would love to be born as your daughter again."
Though my life right now is almost the same as being born again, if I will have the chance to reincarnate, I will choose him as my father again. Because I loved being his daughter.
I took out my hand from the blanket and grabbed his hand.
Father's hands were warm.
"My love for the Grand Duke of Stern is different from these things. That person······ the thing is······ I like him as a man."
My cheeks slightly turned red.
That's the real reason why I wanted to go to him. It was my heart that's urging me.
Abandoned, alone in the cold and harsh north, I felt sorry for him.
I just wanted to see his face, and give him what he needed.
And if possible, I wanted to be with him. Beside him all the time.
"I'm not saying I'm going to abandon my father and my brothers, then marry Grand Duke Stern. Even if I get married or go far away, I love my father the same way."
I looked at my father with a mournful heart.
My figure was reflected in the same blue eyes as mine for a long time.
A long sigh, similar to the one before, flowed out of his mouth.
"All right. I lost. I give up."
I opened my eyes wide at the king's declaration of surrender.
"I allow the Princess of Garten, Peony de Garten, to marry Fairspren Empire's Grand Duke Richt de Stern."
"Da, dad!"
His words made me so happy that I covered my mouth with my hands.
Since I think that shouts for joy would burst any minute now.
Still, at this moment, I knew it was an atmosphere that I shouldn't be like, screaming and jumping around the bed.
"Are you that happy?"
My father looked at me and smiled as if he was a little lonely.
I smiled brightly, and nodded.
Hooray! I got approval!
I'm getting married to my favorite character!
★★★
"Nonsense!"
I was amazed as I saw the paper that Leon gave me with a smile.It was me who was in the bridal class dreaming of a happy newlywed with my favourite character for the past month.
However on that paper, there was a message about breaking my sweet dreams into pieces at once.
I am very grateful for the friendly offer to Archduke Stern in the kingdom of Garten.I was impressed by the courtesy of the kingdom that the king was watching our Stern estate so much.But very unfortunately, I will refuse the favour sent by the kingdom ... ...
In a very elegant handwriting, in a gentle tone, there were phrases behind him about why she rejected.The 'very friendly proposal' written here was, of course, the marriage between her and Grand Duke Stern. And this paper was about refusing the marriage.
"So Peony, sorry, but you can't marry your beloved Grand Duke Stern. What are you doing now?"
"Ah.... "
My hand was rubbing as much as possible to remove any traces of the letter being folded.
From the writing on the paper "the Grand Duke of Stern", it was obvious that he had written it himself. What a handwritten letter written by my favourite character! Even though it says that I will refuse you, my dear handwritten letter! I memorized each letter by dividing it into consonants and vowels.
Still I was very upset at the fold marks in the letters that were not enough, even if i went into handwriting research right away. So, I was trying hard to erase the the fold by rubbing it with my hand,I should hang it on the frame of my room.
"Oh, it's nothing. "
"Anyway, it was like this, so there was no need to get married"
"No way! Why aren't I getting married?"
"That's it... Doesn't it say why you don't? "
"nevertheless. nevertheless! "
I looked at the paper again.As Leon's brother said, it was written about why he refused to marry me.
"That's why I'm not very convinced!"
As I was trying throw out the paper, I put it very carefully on my desk, thinking that it was my favourite character's handwriting .
While in the bridal class, I asked the etiquette teacher, and she told me that the marriage would happen with almost 90 percent probability.
In the first place, marriage between aristocrats is no different from a contract between a family and a family, so You , the princess of Garten, would be a very attractive marriage partner to the Grand Duke, who was originally from the imperial city, but was now forced to the north.
In addition, Stern Territory is a barren land, so although it is far away, he can receive support from Garten, who has abundant resources, so he would think that it is a better marriage.
"I don't. I have to think about it."
"Should you be criticized? What?"
"What is it? I have to say that I can't understand for the reason."
".....To whom."
"To Archduke Stern!"
"...What?"
"Yeah! It's not like this, I have to go find it"
"Wait a minute!Peony"
Leon grabbed my arm as I tried to run out to speak to my father right away.
"You're looking for it? Where are you going?"
"Of course I go to Stern estate."
" going there? What do you do when you go find it? Would You say,you can't understand why?"
"then no?"
"Of course not. He,the royal prince, refused so politely. But it's rude to say that you can't understand it. You shouldn't do that considering the friendship between the two countries."
"Then I won't. "
At that time, I said, as if he was lucky, his shoulders came down slightly.
"I still have to go to Stern! "
"What? Why?"
"Let me propose to the Grand Duke directly."
Leon's mouth was so big that it couldn't be bigger. To see his face, I had nothing to do.