you've got the wrong woman, duke! | phileo boleoti

03.

♡

"so, what is it you desire, princess?"

the emperor's voice overpowers the whole hall, nobles from this the capital and not alike. all of them listening intently and their faces are filled with interest.

but none dare speak without a turn in the face presence of the absolute power in the empire.

"today, on this glorious day, I will give one wish to my daughter for her official debut in society. the same will also happen on my son's 18th, next year."

he explained in a firm voice, one that no one could refuse nor defy. the voice of an emperor, truly.

there is a moment of tense silence, even the emperor was anticipating your response from you who was standing in the middle of everything, audrey on the side because you knew she'd be unable to take such attention.

you finally make up your mind and look at your father with clear, resolute eyes. "your majesty, I wish to abdicate my right to the throne and all of mother's property and rights handed over to me."

confident words contrasting to your anxiety-filled heart, flow out from your lips. warranting gasps from all around you from nobles to struggled to contain themselves.

your eyes find themselves looking for phileo, wondering how he'd react to your request and you find him, just to your left, beside the duke and duchess whose faces showed no interest in what was happening.

he's just as uninterested as his parents...or maybe not? you couldn't tell with his expression honestly.

turning back your attention in front of you, you await the emperor's answer.

his answer comes almost immediately.

the emperor raises a hand and the murmurs cease at once. "...is this what you've decided after careful consideration, amelia?"

amelia.

he had never called you that in front of nobility. you liked the name, it was like a clean slate. "yes, father."

he nods seriously and contemplates, looking briefly in subtheo, your brother's, direction.

god, what an atrocious name.

was subtheo the best name they could have chosen? couldn't they have just named him theo? historically based novels always have that one strange name.

those sly power-hungry nobles did not take that glimpse lightly, they've already probably started planning on how they could support theo. you wouldn't need their support anyways. "alright. I'll fulfill it, since you are no longer eligible for the throne, you are exempted from any rules that a normal royal is tied to."

oh?

suddenly, you had thought of something very funny but you rid yourself of these thoughts and smile benevolently.

a smile so blinding that some men and women had fainted at the sight of it.

the girl you had told to hold your drink had a bright pink tint coating her cheeks. "thank you kindly, your majesty. I will forever hold your greatness in my heart."

you bow your head.

"now, rise and let us end this banquet with a final toast."

...

by custom, banquets are usually 4-5 days for royalty but you had strictly rejected and just decided to spend lavishly on one that was one day.

everyone knew that the emperor was biased towards you, that's why even after you had lost your right to the throne, many still approached you.

even though you had given up the chance to rule the empire you still inherited much wealth, paired with the businesses and estates your mother had left, it would be more than enough to generate money.

ay yes, money.

one of the many driving forces of the world. if you have money, you can do almost anything.

in your past life, you had been wealthy but it wasn't your money. it was the result of your mother's hard work. it had not helped that every time you'd spend a speck of money, your mother would tirelessly berate and guilt you.

now, you were half looking forward to continuing and starting a new business. in that way, you could spend money without feeling an ounce of guilt. you did take ABM in high school and your mother raised you to become a businesswoman, your father being a businessman.

no matter how much trouble your mother had put you through, it is certainly helpful to you now.

now, you are about to depart and people are lined up to send you off. it is when a group of young girls your age and younger approach you.

"If it's her majesty, late empress' business, then it is sure to flourish in the hands of your royal highness!"

one of the ladies shouted and the others feverishly nod in agreement. you thank them for their continuous support despite your shocking performance today and bid them goodbye.

"farewell, ladies."

"blessings to the princess of the empire!" they all say in unison before leaving in giggles, ah young girls.

how cute.

they were all either recently had their debut or hadn't had one yet.

this was enough. whispering to audrey beside you to call for a carriage, you exit from the lesser-known door of the palace.

you've decided to move in into your mother's estate in the capital before she had married and lived in the palace. the fast pace of moving might irritate your father but it was fine. now that audrey had left, you were all alone. coincidentally, the lesser-known exit of the palace was just past the garden you were staring at from the balcony.

walking was alright, it also helped that the view wasn't a complete eyesore, decent was what you could call it at best.

you arrive at the fountain that was at the center of the garden and sit down on the edge, eyes shut closed. you were dozing off, head slightly nodding back and forth. sleeping was one of your favorite things to do, you had spent many sleepless nights in high school doing all kinds of studious things.

in the past, you had trouble sleeping but in this life it seemed you slept too much, to make up for before. if there was a time you were most vulnerable, it was when you were starting to feel the call of sleep.

audrey walks towards you with hurried steps as your head falls more and more. at some point, you're almost fully asleep and before you can even collect yourself she does it for you and you hit her stomach.

"audrey...have you...called for the carriage...already?"

you ask audrey and lean on her. she only pats your head and doesn't answer. the comforting touch of your friend makes you fall into the darkness quickly.

...

you're awakened to you sleeping on the fountain's edge, audrey nudging you. how scary, you could've fallen in if you didn't move in your sleep.

rubbing your eyes to restore your blurry vision you hear audrey's voice calling you.

"your highness, the carriage has arrived." she helps you up and guides you along the way of the carriage, she was more than familiar with your sleeping habits at this point. a knight on patrol helps you up the carriage and salutes you.

you tell the coachman where you wanted to go and the ride goes smoothly. halfway through the travel, after staring at the window in a daze, you remember audrey's help in the garden.

"thank you for catching me earlier. it would have been detrimental to my beauty as I would've fallen face first on the gravel." leaning against the window, you mumble out with your eyes closed.

"what are you talking about, your highness? you were already laying on the fountain when I woke you up. you were not falling enough for me to catch."

audrey replies to you confused but before it could enter and process in your mind, you had already fallen into a slumber.