Contract Marriage: Rewritten - Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Translator: Yonnee
—
After returning to the annex, Laniakea immediately began packing her belongings.
First, she took out all of her possessions and set aside the things she could take with her. As expected, most of her belongings had to be left behind in the imperial palace.
Fortunately, she still had the clothes she had brought with her when she left Priatra, so at least she wouldn’t be leaving with nothing.
Since she didn’t own many things to begin with, it didn’t take long—within just a few hours, she had packed everything.
Despite having lived in the lavish, abundant imperial palace for nearly three years, everything that truly belonged to her fit into just four bags.
While Laniakea packed, Lucy stood beside her, looking dejected. Seeing Lucy’s expression, Laniakea let out a wry smile.
Lucy had stayed by her side not just because of the empress’s orders.
Unlike the other members of the imperial family, Lucy had always favored Laniakea, as if she had been sent here from the beginning to protect her.
But now that Laniakea was leaving, Lucy would have to remain in the palace and serve another member of the imperial family.
“Imperial Consort Highness. Me too. Run away.”
“It’s not running away—it’s leaving the palace. And Lucy, you have to stay here.”
Wasn’t it due to the long-standing agreement between the imperial family and the Lupin tribe that Lucy, the strongest among them, had been assigned here?
“But… together.”
With Lucy pouting in disappointment like this, Laniakea felt even more dejected.
How much had she relied on Lucy while living in the annex? From uprooting dead trees in the garden to dusting the high walls and washing the heavy, floor-length curtains—
Lucy had effortlessly handled tasks that would have required dozens of attendants.
Of course, it wasn’t just physical labor that Laniakea had relied on her for.
‘Thanks to Lucy, I wasn’t lonely.’
Even though Laniakea enjoyed solitude, there were times when she felt lonely, when the silence became suffocating.
At those times, she would teach Lucy the imperial language.
Lucy wasn’t a fast learner, but she was always diligent, so Laniakea had done her best to teach her patiently.
She had even gone so far as to teach her the imperial court’s etiquette—rules that Laniakea herself had yet to memorize properly.
‘To teach Lucy properly, I ended up studying court etiquette more diligently myself.’
As a result, Laniakea had unintentionally mastered the rules of etiquette with near perfection. She couldn’t afford to be an inadequate teacher to her only student.
‘Given her strength as a bodyguard, Lucy will likely become the new empress’s lady-in-waiting.’
Laniakea could only hope that the new empress would be someone who understood Lucy’s unique nature.
“I think we should sleep for now. You should go get some rest too, Lucy.”
Suppressing her own regrets, Laniakea spoke softly.
Perhaps Lucy had been hoping that Laniakea would invite her to leave the palace together. When told to return to her quarters, she slumped even further and trudged out of the room.
* * *
Lying in bed after turning off the lights, Laniakea pondered how much support she should ask from Hyperion.
She had spent all her time within palaces, but she was still well-informed about the outside world’s economy.
One of the few privileges she had as the prince’s consort was access to the imperial library, where she frequently read books and reviewed official economic reports.
The quarterly imperial reports contained not only summaries of government affairs but also detailed updates on regional conditions and price fluctuations.
She had often examined these reports, studying which regions were known for what industries, their climates, and which areas had the most affordable housing and living costs.
‘The Great Forest region would be best. It wouldn’t be as rich in vitality as Priatra, but land near the forest would still have strong life energy, making it easier for spirits to appear.’
Moreover, that region had a low cost of living.
‘Once I get a house and some household necessities… my way of making a living will have to be farming, won’t it?’
Laniakea thought of the small vegetable garden she had cultivated in the corner of the annex’s yard.
Situated near the boundary between the palace gardens and the imperial forest, it was so tiny that calling it a field might make someone laugh.
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