(In the Heranis Empire, from the year 107 onwards.)
On a snowy day,
I had fallen off a cliff. I could already feel my fingers going numb from the cold. It was freezing.
I had no strength left to stand. I had been pushed off the cliff… I was badly injured from falling on the snow, but if I had fallen a little more to the more rocky parts of the cliff, I would have had no chance of survival.
Someone came up behind me. They must have seen me falling from the cliff . I was scared, who could it be?
"—Please…please don't pity me," I said. I hadn't wanted him to watch me like this. I hadn't wanted a strong woman like me to endure such torture like this after being betrayed by her sister. —"Do you want me to let it all end like this? They want to kill you. They want to erase your name from history. Is this how it should end? Aren't you going to get revenge on your father and sister?"
—…I'm tired.
—Princess Almila…Was this how everything was going to end? If you're tired, I can't say anything, of course…
—Don't call me princess! I'm not just a princess! I'm a poet! I'm a painter!
—Your father, the Sultan, didn't really appreciate your works of art…He wasn't a man who looked favorably on a woman being involved in art. They probably burned all your works of art…
—Who are you?!
—I'm just a diplomat sent from another country.
—Tell me your name.
—Victor Stormwell.
He helped me to my feet. But I couldn't stand up. I sat down to the side. He knelt down beside me on one leg. He talked to me. He took off his jacket and offered it to me. I put it on. I was a little cold.
"—Are you a stranger, an aristocrat? You live in a different kingdom, don't you?"
—"Yes, I am an aristocrat in the Kingdom of Siena," he said. He was a refined aristocrat. He had a refined gaze. His skin was whiter than snow, his hair black. His eyes must have been blue, as he wore an old-fashioned black earpiece that covered them, so I couldn't see them very clearly. He wore an old, black, ornate suit, fitting the style of the British royal family and the black, somber fashion of the time. He stood out like a grim reaper in the midst of the pure white snow. He was a young and handsome man. He wasn't really my type, to be honest.It must also be said that one shouldn't trust the faces of aristocrats. They all act so gentlemanly, but if you get close enough, you'll see their true, vile faces. Don't let me calling them handsome fool you; they might turn out to be the ugliest man you'll ever meet. I've met many aristocrats, and their primary goal was to live happily ever after, drinking their wine. Their secondary goal was to torment those around them.It must also be said that one shouldn't trust the faces of aristocrats. They all act so gentlemanly, but if you get close enough, you'll see their true, vile faces. Don't let me calling them handsome fool you; they might turn out to be the ugliest man you'll ever meet. I've met many aristocrats, and their primary goal was to live happily ever after, drinking their wine. Their secondary goal was to torment those around them."—Why did you come all the way from such a distant kingdom? And you even came down to the bottom of the cliff to save someone like me…"
I asked.
"—I had a small matter to discuss with the King. I wanted to talk to you about it. I want to save you," he said.
"—Why do you want to save me? I'm very weak right now, both in terms of reputation and financially. You might not gain much favor with the Sultan by saving me. As you understand and see…"
"—But I can give you the power to turn everything in your favor. Wouldn't you like that?"
His words piqued my interest.
"—How will that work?"
"—I'm offering you a deal. The power of the Stormwell family is undeniable. We are a powerful family."
"—Yes…And?"
"—We were the true owners of this empire… We were exiled. We were assimilated. We were humiliated, and we continue to be humiliated by everyone. The Emperor of Heranis is currently in his weakest position… I plan to take his place. I can make you the most powerful woman in the world, my lady. If I were to kill the Emperor and take his place, there would be a great war. I don't want that. That's why I want to marry you and force the Emperor to put me on the throne."
"—What? Did you really think I would accept that? No empire has ever been continued by a woman in history. I am a woman who has escaped death, Mr. Stormwell, but even I am not as delusional as you."Even though I said that,I was a little worried. What would I do if he left me on this snowy day? I asked him:
—"Let's say I accept your offer, how will you do it? How will you ascend the throne?"
—"I will force them. They will have no other choice. If you marry me, I will put you on the throne. As queen."
—"I want to ascend the throne as a monarch, not as a queen."
—"It's a pity I also want to ascend as a monarch. Too bad for you. It's ridiculous that you still want to be a monarch even in this situation. You were betrayed by your brother. You were left alone here, and your noble family members completely abandoned and forgot about you. Isn't even being a companion to the monarch a luxury for you?" —"At least history will record that I died trying to become a monarch."
—"Your name won't be written in history at this rate. The world we live in isn't fair. Especially for people like you. We're in a world ruled by men, unfortunately. In this world, your name will either be written as a monarch or not at all. Unless you win the gold medal, you're nothing. That's the kind of world we live in. Even your filthy brother will go down in history as 'an aristocrat.' You'd be lucky if history ever recorded that the Sultan had a daughter like you.""—I will change this! I will be the first female ruler!" She stood up and stepped on my hand with her foot.
"This makes us rivals. And I don't treat my rivals well." I was scared, but I couldn't say anything.
She said to me,
"You know what? I'm impressed. I thought that your fear of death would suddenly overwhelm you and you would immediately accept everything I said. I think this is the first time I've met a woman like this."
I stayed silent.
"—…"
"—Sultan. Please. Would you think about it one more time? I think we can come to an agreement." I was truly at my breaking point. I couldn't even survive alone on this winter day. He had already said she would take me to the palace, but my pride wouldn't allow me to accept help from him.
I didn't want to be rescued by someone important and noble, like my father. That was the only thing I didn't want. There was no such thing as a good noble in this world. And I had hated these "nobles" my whole life. I would rather die of pride than be rescued by a male aristocrat.
"—No. Please leave me. I'm fine here. There's no need…"
I said.
He said nothing.
I thought he would leave me alone here and go. But he didn't. He bent down and began to carry me.
"—Where are you taking me?! I told you not to take me!"
"—To the mansion the Sultan gifted us for our stay. We will heal you there."
"—I don't want to!"
" —I am not the kind of person who would leave a wounded person lying there on the road… I cannot do such a thing, Princess, whether you want it or not. I am not one of those aristocratic men you think of. I am not like your father or your brother. I do not sacrifice a human life for my own gain.""—But you just threatened me with this! You said you wouldn't treat your rivals well. Don't pretend to be a good person! —I'm not good. But I'm not a bad person either. I'm doing what every man and every ruler should do. If a man who takes the head of a kingdom doesn't even do this much, then the people in that kingdom are truly unlucky.
" —Will you harm me?"
"—No."
He said. But I still doubted. Of course, he could be like any other man. He could be speaking empty words. But there was a sense of trust in the certainty of his voice. Victor's voice could make you trust him. His diction was very strong. He pronounced every letter perfectly. (Despite being a foreigner, he knew our language very well.) His voice was harsh. He was like a commander, like a knight. He made me feel he would protect me. But when it comes to men, feelings are always deceptive. Women are too compassionate in these emotional matters, they can harbor the most precious feelings even for those who don't deserve them.
God must have tested us with this, for women always lost because of these feelings." Men, on the other hand, always won because of their lack of emotion.
Perhaps Victor really could have proven my thoughts at least slightly wrong. I wouldn't expect a man to show mercy… He wasn't like that. Or was he?
"If God showed no mercy to women, who would?" I used to think... Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps my words are not entirely true...