A Happy Life in the Empire - The Princess Once Called a “Failure” Becomes the “Most Important Person” as a Hostage in the Empire - Chapter 18

Jake’s workshop was small, just as it appeared from the outside.

It seemed that he managed everything on his own, and the workspace was designed for a single craftsman.

Glass shards and tools were neatly arranged on the walls, and in the back, a small kiln was visible, set up perfectly for finishing glass spheres.

The well-organized space seemed to reflect his personality.

“It may be a bit cramped and unsightly, but please forgive me.”

Jake bowed his head apologetically.

Compared to when we spoke outside, he seemed much calmer.

“Not at all! It has such a wonderful atmosphere!”

I said with a smile, and Jake looked relieved.

“Each of these wind chimes is handmade here. The small ball inside is called the tongue, and the sound is created when the outer part and the tongue collide.”

Jake picked up a wind chime and explained it to Alto.

“Oh, so even the inside has a name.”

Alto nodded, looking impressed.

“In our workshop, we mainly create the outer part of the wind chime. We heat the glass spheres in a small kiln, shape them, and then blow air into them to form a round shape. After that, we add colors and patterns, cool them, and let them harden. Finally, we attach the tongue, completing the wind chime.”

As he spoke, Jake gestured toward the tools lined up on the wall.

He made it sound simple, but I was sure it required a great deal of skill.

Looking at the wind chimes again, I suddenly felt the craftsmanship behind them.

Alto and I began our wind chime-making experience.

That said, Jake handled the dangerous part of processing the glass spheres.

Our task was to work on the next steps—painting colors and patterns on the outer glass, attaching the tongue, and tying the paper strip to the string.

“Can I paint anything I like with this brush?”

“Yes. This brush is coated with a special paint that sets once it dries.”

“I see.”

Following his explanation, I started painting on the glass sphere.

Once I actually tried it, I realized how difficult it was.

It was incredibly hard to draw the patterns I wanted on the curved surface of the glass.

I had planned to draw flowers, but halfway through, I changed my approach.

I moved the brush freely and ended up with an abstract pattern.

“Grr… Ugh…!”

Alto, working beside me, was also struggling.

His brows furrowed, and his hands trembled as he tried to paint something.

But just like me, he seemed unable to draw what he had imagined.

(Alto has the most serious expression I’ve ever seen…!)

I stifled a small laugh so he wouldn’t notice.

“Next, we just need to thread the string through the glass sphere and attach the tongue and paper strip, right?”

“That’s correct!”

This step was much easier.

The tongue’s position mattered, but it wasn’t something to struggle over.

According to Jake, this task was usually handled by his daughter, Hinata.

It did seem simple enough for a child to do.

“It’s done!”

“Congratulations! Now, shake it to check the sound.”

“Okay!”

I shook my wind chime.

A clear and pleasant chirin sound rang out.

“What a lovely sound! It’s perfect!”

“I agree. The design is beautiful too. I wouldn’t believe this was your first time making one.”

Jake clapped his hands in praise.

“That’s too much praise.”

I laughed shyly and scratched my head.

Meanwhile, Alto…

“Why…? Why won’t it ring…? Bell…!”

…was struggling more than I expected.

No matter how much he shook his wind chime, it wouldn’t make a clear sound.

“Alto, let me take a look.”

“O-okay.”

I took his wind chime and examined it.

And then—

“The tongue is in the wrong position! And the way you attached it isn’t how Jake explained!”

It was immediately obvious what was wrong.

Actually, there wasn’t a single thing he had done correctly.

Even the paper strip, which should have been at the bottom, was attached to the very top.

“Sorry, I’m not used to delicate tasks like this…”

“That’s not good! Let’s fix it properly! I’ll help you!”

“I appreciate it…!”

We took apart Alto’s wind chime and reassembled it correctly.

While threading the string through the glass, our hands accidentally overlapped.

“Ugh.”

For some reason, Alto turned his face away.

“Hey, Alto, you need to look this way or we can’t finish!”

“S-sorry…!”

His cheeks had a faint red tint.

It was rare to see him like this—he looked kind of cute.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Alright, let’s secure this part… Then attach the paper strip… Okay, it’s done!”

“Whoa! My wind chime is complete!”

“Well done, Your Highness!”

Jake applauded even louder than when I finished mine.

“Alt, try ringing it now!”

“Alright!”

Alto, looking tense, shook his wind chime.

A clear chirin sound rang out.

“Perfect! This is amazing, Sophia!”

“Not at all. I only helped. You finished it yourself. And the design looks nice, doesn’t it? This is a duck, right? It looks great flying like this!”

“No, it’s a chipmunk… I saw one in the forest on our way here…”

“But it totally looks like a du— Oh! Now that you mention it, I can see the chipmunk! It’s really cute!”

“……”

The mood became a little awkward, but in the end, we had successfully made our wind chimes.

As a side note, we decided to hang them on the carriage.

That night, I was getting ready for bed in my room at the guesthouse.

The night in Tiorna was quiet, and the sound of wind chimes carried gently on the breeze.

A pleasant drowsiness wrapped around me.

“Alright, time to sleep!”

Just as I thought that and dived into bed—

Knock, knock.

A knock came at the door.

“Sophia, are you awake?”

It was Alto’s voice.

He sounded tense.

“I’m awake.”

“I’m coming in.”

Alto opened the door.

Normally, he would wait until I said, “Come in.”

Something important must have happened.

“Sorry for coming so late at night.”

Alto sat down on a wooden chair.

I moved to the chair beside him.

“I don’t mind, but what’s wrong?”

“There’s something I need to report.”

“Report…?”

Alto placed his left arm on the table and turned his body toward me.

“Do you remember the bandit attack in Harmene Village?”

“Of course I do.”

There was no way I could forget.

I was really scared back then.

“I’ve been investigating that incident. Specifically, who hired those bandits to kill me.”

“Did you find out!?”

“To some extent.”

Alto’s expression turned serious.

“To put it simply, someone from the Luminar Kingdom is involved.”

“What…!?”

I could feel my face turning pale.

“However, we still don’t know the exact culprit. But at the very least, we’ve traced it back to someone in the royal family or the nobility.”

“It has to be my father! Especially after what happened with Grandfell!”

The assassination order I received was unmistakably written in my father, Julius’s, handwriting.

“That possibility is very likely.”

“Then let’s take this opportunity to expose the royal family!”

I couldn’t help but raise my voice.

I felt a strong anger toward the royal family.

“That would be difficult. Like I said before, we don’t have any proof. Of course, we could use the bandit incident to accuse them, but that wouldn’t accomplish anything.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The Luminar Kingdom would just pick a random noble and claim that it was their independent decision. It wouldn’t solve anything, and we’d lose our valuable card—the fact that someone in the kingdom hired the bandits.”

“I see…”

Alto’s explanation was extremely logical.

Because of that, I couldn’t argue and could only accept it.

“If only I had been more careful before opening that letter… If only I had kept it…”

No matter how much I regretted it, it wouldn’t change anything.

I should have expected that the letter would disappear after being read.

Yet, I carelessly opened it right there.

“Don’t blame yourself. That letter wouldn’t have served as proof no matter what. Even with the kingdom’s magic technology and rituals, it’s impossible to undo the magic used for secret messages. Even if the duke and I had seen the contents, simply saying ‘we saw it’ wouldn’t be evidence.”

“I see…”

I lowered my shoulders.

The frustration of being powerless was unbearable.

“That’s all for my report. Sorry for disturbing you so late.”

“No, thank you for telling me. But… are you sure? Is it really okay to share such important information with me?”

“There’s no problem. You were there when the bandits attacked, after all. You have the right to know the truth, Sophia. That’s all there is to it. But… I’m sorry if this report made you sad. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No, I appreciate you telling me. …But, why is the Luminar Kingdom so determined to target you, Alto?”

That had always been on my mind.

The kingdom lost a key defensive position in the last war.

Because of that, even if they rebelled, they couldn’t stand against the empire.

Alto’s life alone wouldn’t change that.

It wasn’t just out of spite for losing.

If their assassination attempt was exposed, they wouldn’t just be in danger—their entire standing would be at risk.

The risks far outweighed the rewards.

“Their goal is to cause a civil war within the empire.”

Alto said.

“A civil war? If you die, will that really happen?”

“Without a doubt. His Majesty the Emperor—my father—doesn’t have much time left. My mother has already passed away, and I am the only one left with imperial bl00d. If I die, the battle for the throne will almost certainly lead to civil war.”

“And the kingdom plans to take advantage of the chaos and launch a counterattack?”

“That’s right.”

Once again, I was reminded of how important Alto was.

Hearing his explanation, I finally understood why so many people wanted him dead.

Not just the kingdom—even within the empire, he must have many enemies.

(Alto… how can you bear all this…?)

If I were in his position, I wouldn’t even be able to step outside.

The pressure alone would have crushed me.

“Well then, I’ll be going. Let’s go around town together tomorrow. Good night, Sophia.”

“Yes! I’m looking forward to it! Good night, Alto!”

Alto smiled, stood up, and left the room.

(Alto said it was ‘someone in the kingdom,’ but there’s no doubt in my mind that the one who hired the bandits was my father…!)

I felt a deep rage toward my father, Julius.

If he had done it for the sake of the kingdom, I might have been able to understand.

But in reality, he did it only for himself.

The kingdom had become a vassal state of the empire, yet the terms were shockingly lenient.

Even my father admitted that the empire could have erased the kingdom from history if they wanted.

And yet, they allowed the royal family to continue ruling, without annexation.

Even the other conditions were generous.

The empire didn’t interfere in the kingdom’s politics.

They didn’t demand tributes.

They simply weakened the kingdom’s military power to prevent rebellion.

In other words, the kingdom’s people suffered no burden from their subjugation.

In fact, they were relieved, as the taxes for military expenses had been reduced.

And yet, the royal family wanted to destroy this peace.

Their pride couldn’t accept being subordinate.

(Alto always thinks about the happiness of the empire’s people. But my father…!)

It wasn’t just my father.

My older brothers and sisters who supported him were the same.

Even the kingdom’s nobles were just as guilty.

I clenched my fists tightly and gritted my teeth.

The night wind gently caressed my cheek, but inside, a storm raged in my heart.