Two-Faced Princess

unedited

Apollonia was amazed. It was an issue that she didn’t tell anyone because she was being careful. Of course, she asked Adrian to run some errands, but she never told her the exact reason.

“Do you learn magic from the Bella these days?”

It was a serious question, but Adrian only laughed. “I know what my master feels even if no one tells me. That’s how much I love Your Highness.”

Adrian said in a relaxed manner and began to comb Apollonia’s hair. Her hair was a little messy after she stormed out of the banquet hall in tears.

“I thought you were looking too closely at the portraits I gave you a few days ago, so I assumed that you’ve found the right person already.”

“Since when did you know all my intentions?”

“When Her Highness asked me to find someone who resembles His Majesty’s first love.”

“What the? You knew it from the beginning then.”

Apollonia chuckled small. She just realized how obvious she acted.

“I’m really having a hard time, you see. You asked me to get a portrait of someone I’ve never seen and to search the whole continent for someone who resembles that person.”

Adrian scolded her lightly. Then she added with a slightly somber expression.

“Your Highness. I couldn’t believe you were able to write down what you heard in that situation.”

“He’s my son and Satin’s.”

“Satin died because of the Emperor. Her family was annihilated for participating in the rebellion.”

Apollonia noted exactly what the emperor had said to Princess Elenia when she was nine years old. Five years ago, she succeeded in finding an old woman who knew about the traitorous family called ‘Arietta’.

The old woman said that Satin’s father was an ordinary farmer in the Leifer estate, but in pursuit of prosperity, he worked in a nobleman’s household and did all kinds of illegal errands.

Unfortunately, most of the errands he did were to help plan a rebellion against the Emperor, and in the end, the nobleman and most of the people who took part in the rebellion, including the family, were wiped out.

Satin’s father was no exception. Upon hearing the news, Satin hid somewhere with the help of Gaius, the lord at that time, but was soon caught and executed after someone tipped them off.

Apollonia laughed bitterly. Although it was only her assumption, it seemed that the emperor had his own love story until he met Princess Elenia. It was like a reminder for Apollonia that in the Emperor’s mind, Paris was the son he had with his beloved woman, while Apollonia was the daughter he had with his enemy.

She reconstructed Satin’s facial shape based on the old woman’s description. Several artists that she commissioned failed countless times before they finally completed the portrait.

“This is exactly how she looked in the past!”

After that, she searched the whole continent and found a woman who resembles the portrait. It was hard to believe that a man with a twisted mind like Emperor Gaius could love someone wholeheartedly, but now Apollonia was convinced.

He couldn’t forget Satin.

He got along with the queens and even favored some of them, but only two of the first five queens who came in remained safe without being kicked out or killed. The Emperor used and abandoned them according to political interest and replaced them with new people.

‘It means that he never truly gives his heart to anyone else.’

He would be reminded of Satin whenever he saw Paris. And so he poured all his affection to Paris only.

Apollonia sent people all over the empire in order to find someone who could take all that affection away, and as a result, she was able to find such people. It was a woman named Lua.

“Can you show me once more?”

After putting down the brush, Apollonia looked into two portraits given by Adrian. One belonged to Satin, and the other belonged to Lua. The two faces looked identical as if they were twins.

“She’s a prostitute in the Bartan district near the capital. I don’t know how she’ll fit in the Imperial Palace considering she grew up in a rough environment.”

“A prostitute from Bartan district….”

Apollonia frowned slightly. As far as she knew, that district was a place where prostitution was strictly prohibited.

However, Apollonia turned her gaze to the portrait. A woman who sells her body. It wasn’t a bad thing. She would be different from any concubines the emperor has ever seen. In the first place, Satin Arietta was not a noblewoman.

“She looks like His Highness Paris. Her features, especially the jawline.”

Adrian bowed her head to look closely at the portrait.

“Her eye color isn’t exactly the same as His Highness Paris’s appearance in the past…but it shines light brown when it’s exposed to sunlight

Apollonia nodded lightly

Paris, as a matter of fact, was not born with any royal characteristics. However, most people believed that he was born blonde because he had dyed his hair bright blond since childhood.

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