Awkward Pure Love

Diane, accompanied only by her lady-in-waiting Giselle, was nervous as she visited the Sevran army camp.

With her face hidden beneath the hood of her dark-colored cloak, she entered the room with downcast eyes, unable to see the faces of those gathered inside.

King Surlyton, Rudiger—the man Diane wanted to meet—was there. He was staring at her with a stern expression.

Short black hair, eyes of the same color. He stood a head taller than the other men, with broad shoulders and an imposing physique.

A single table stood in the center of the not-so-large room. Several chairs were placed around it, but no one, including Rudiger, was seated.

There were about five other men in the room besides Rudiger. All of them directed sharp gazes at her, ready to restrain her at the slightest suspicious movement.

"Please clear the room."

Diane stepped forward before Rudiger. She bowed politely but kept her hood on.

"I won't clear the room. Besides, isn't it rather rude to keep your hood on when you want people to hear what you have to say?"

At Rudiger's words, Diane held up her hand to stop Giselle, who was about to step forward. She hadn't wanted to show her face in public, but there was no helping it.

"Yes, you're right. I was wrong... I had hoped to avoid showing my face to too many people... but I was being disrespectful before Your Majesty."

With these words, she brushed back her hood.

From beneath emerged platinum blonde hair. An oval face with violet eyes. Though her features were fine, her blank expression gave her a doll-like appearance.

"...Diane."

Come to think of it, it had been ten years since they last met. She hadn't expected him to recognize her just by seeing her face.

"Then that red-headed one behind you must be Giselle."

"Red-headed—"

Diane held up her hand again to stop Giselle, who had started to speak as if forgetting she was before an enemy king. Time was precious now.

"Will you hear my request, Your Majesty?"

She just needed to appear dignified. She straightened her small frame slightly to appear taller.

"I'll listen. What do you want?"

"The death of my father Maxim—and the extinction of the current Surlyton royal family."

The room stirred slightly at Diane's words wishing for the destruction of her father and family.

"That's something I'd like to accomplish as well, but it's quite difficult. Noel says you've brought a way to make that happen?"

Noel seemed to be the name of the man who had guided Diane and Giselle here. He stood in a corner of the room, still holding their swords.

"...If you could clear the room, I will show you."

"That's impossible. How could we leave our king alone with an enemy princess?"

Noel spoke in a mocking tone. Though she had managed to get them to listen this far—it seemed being alone was indeed impossible.

She hesitated to reveal what she had hidden here in front of everyone, but there was no choice. Diane's shoulders trembled, but after taking several deep breaths, she steeled herself.

"...I suppose there's no choice."

"Princess!"

Ignoring Giselle's reproachful voice, Diane took off her cloak and handed it to Giselle. She pulled her loose hair forward over her shoulders and ordered Giselle to undo the buttons on her back.

"Are you trying to seduce us?"

Someone's teasing voice rang out. She could feel Giselle's fingers trembling with anger as they undid the buttons on her back.

But Giselle said nothing. Though her fingers trembled, she helped undo the buttons and loosen the corset strings to remove it.

"Would someone lend me a knife?"

Looking around, it seemed no one was willing to lend her a knife. Thinking calmly, that was only natural. If only she could have handled this more skillfully.

"Then... would someone cut here with a knife?"

Though it was incredibly shameful to expose her undergarments before young men, this was no time to worry about such things.

Covering her nearly-exposed breasts with one hand, she placed the corset on the table. She couldn't show any sign of distress now.

"I'll do it."

Noel, who had spoken up, handed the swords he was holding to another man and cut where indicated. While their eyes were focused on Noel's hands, she adjusted her clothing back up to her shoulders and put on her cloak without the hood.

"Thank you. I'll handle the rest."

After Noel stepped back, she inserted her fingers into the cut.

What she pulled out was a piece of white cloth. No—it was a floor plan of Castle Surlyton drawn in black ink on white cloth.

"The placement of our soldiers, and how the fortress defenses are arranged. I investigated with Giselle's help. This is what I wanted to give you."

The number and location of soldiers, the vulnerable points for attack, the heavily defended areas.

The armory, the food storage—and even where the royal family was hiding. With this much information, they should be able to break through this stalemate.

"...And here. Giselle and I will open this gate. The defenses are thin here. If you enter through this gate—you should be able to reach my father and brothers relatively easily."

As her slender finger pressed a point on the map, Rudiger turned a calm gaze toward her.

"Earlier you asked me to kill your family, and with this much information, that becomes possible. So, what do you want in return?"

"Marriage to me."

"You're planning to sell out your family to save yourself alone!"

Noel raised his voice in fury. The men hurled curses at Diane one after another.

Selling out her family to ensure her own survival. Moreover, selling her family—such actions must be incomprehensible to them.

Though she could tell Giselle beside her was grinding her teeth in frustration, this time she seemed to restrain herself as well.

"Noel, was it? How long do you estimate it will take His Majesty Rudiger to pacify the country?"

But she couldn't falter here. There was no other way to stop her father and half-brothers.

"Two years. That's even on the long side."

Two years—was that enough time to handle everything? Diane took a breath. Striving to keep her voice steady, she spoke in one breath.

"In our country, women also have the right of succession. If you destroy my family, I alone will inherit the throne. If I marry His Majesty Rudiger, I can formally transfer the right of succession to him. Once the formalities are in place, we can somewhat suppress the resistance from the nobility. What I want is for you to completely pacify the country within those two years."

"And what do you plan to do after those two years?"

Rudiger, who had been silently listening to the exchange between Noel and Diane, interjected. Diane smiled faintly.

"After two years, I would like you to divorce me. I will return to the convent—so our marriage would be a white marriage."

She had no intention of walking through life with Rudiger. The path of light was what suited him.

"But then—no, you would gain nothing from this. You would only bear the infamy of being the villain who sold out her country."

Not only selling out her family and surviving alone. Marrying Rudiger only to return to the convent after two years.

"Don't you think my reputation is a small price to pay if my father's bloodline is ended?"

She directed a perfectly expressionless face at Rudiger. At her words, the room fell completely silent at last.

"I understand. I accept your proposal."

"Your Majesty! To trust someone from the Lefebvre family...!"

"It's fine. Diane and I are old acquaintances. We can verify if this map is usable tomorrow—no, early this morning, can't we?"

Though all the men in the room seemed reluctant, Rudiger's word was final.

"I trust Diane—we should be able to reach the gate by afternoon."

"I await you—Your Majesty."

He trusted her. That was enough.

Pulling up her hood as she had when she arrived, Diane exchanged glances with Giselle. That was the signal to leave this room.