“What did you say just now?”

For a moment, I wondered if I had heard it wrong.

The duke spoke once again with a dark face as if to confirm death.

“His Majesty wants you and the 2nd Prince to get married.”

His voice fell heavy in my ears one syllable at a time.

I frowned at the completely unbelievable news.

“Why did His Majesty suddenly…”

“I don’t know that either.”

The Emperor had no interest even when the Crown Prince and Roxana were engaged in the first place. Even after the breakup was known, he wasn’t interested.

But suddenly he wanted Payne and I to get married?

The marriage arrangement with the Crown Prince was what Roxana wanted and obtained directly, so her decision was justifiable.

But if the emperor ordered it, the story would be different.

To disobey the imperial order was to rebel against the imperial family.

It was not an easy task for the duke either.

“His Majesty asked if I knew about your relationship with the second Prince and I replied I didn’t know. It’s the truth. The second Prince is cold on the outside but gentle on the inside and the Emperor saw that he was close to you, so he requested this marriage.”

“…”

“The second Prince is a person who knows justice and loyalty. He’s single and has no women issues.This marriage doesn’t look too bad to me.”

It was as if my brain had become jumbled up, and not a single word of the Duke’s words came to my ears.

I heard the words, but I couldn’t understand them at all.

“Besides, since His Majesty brought up the subject, I thought I had talked to you beforehand…”

“I don’t want to live in the imperial palace.”

The Duke sighed and continued.

“I see. I’ll tell His Majesty. Do you have someone you like?”

I should have answered no right away, but for some reason I was speechless.

The Duke’s dark complexion lessened.

“It seems that there is. Is that person Young Master Croix?”

The duke looked at me with a suspicious gaze.

His eyes were golden, just like Roxana’s.

His gaze at me was soft with strength. It was enough to tell me he knew the answer.

The thought of how he knew did not leave my head.

‘Could it be… the Crown Prince again.’

Recalling the time the Crown Prince visited the duke’s residence a few days ago, the hand that I clenched naturally became stronger.

“Ever since you were little, you had a clear distinction between what you liked and what you didn’t like. I understand what you mean.”

The Duke saw my dark expression and said in a soft voice as if to reassure me.

“Roxana, if you don’t like it, don’t worry too much, because even if it’s His Majesty’s orders, I’ll stop it.”

“Thank you.”

“But give up on Young Master Croix. He has a high status and is good looking, so you can be tempted, but he is not a good person. He is colder and more heartless than the Crown Prince, so he will surely hurt you if you stay by his side. I cannot let you be with such a person.”

A look of pain flashed in the Duke’s eyes.

I could see what he was worried about.

But he didn’t know the truth.

Elvin was a much better person than what others said.

However, the words to defend him that were up to the tip of my throat scattered like smoke when I saw the duke’s face full of pain.

“I said I would support whatever you do, but not this time. The experience of almost losing you once is enough.”

***

“Your Highness, may I come in?”

“Come in.”

Ellen cautiously opened the door and Payne greeted him, sitting at his desk.

Ellen was speechless for a moment at his calm and relaxed attitude, as usual.

“Did you take good care of the princess?”

“Yes. By the way, Your Highness, I overheard the chatter of the courtiers on the way, and they said that the Emperor said something strange to Duke Lillian today.”

Ellen looked at him and said cautiously.

Payne answered in a calm voice.

“You mean that His Majesty discussed the princess’ marriage with me to the duke…”

“You knew?”

Ellen asked, his eyes widened.

However, he soon narrowed his eyes with a face that realized something.

His eyes were full of shock and suspicion.

Payne spoke calmly.

“Of course I know. It’s what I asked for.”

Ellen couldn’t believe it even after hearing Payne’s words. He knew the second Prince liked the Princess, but marriage?

The shocking news rendered him speechless.

Payne didn’t change his complexion even as he watched him stare at him with his mouth open like an idiot.

Ellen finally came to his senses and asked with a shocked voice.

“Your Highness, what on earth were you thinking? And why did His Majesty…”

He couldn’t finish talking.

The more he thought about it, the weirder it got.

The emperor, who cared about his image, agreed to the proposal of marriage between the second Prince and the Princess even before the cancellation of the engagement between the Crown Prince and the Princess was finalized?

The picture of two brothers competing for the same woman did not look good.

Even if there were many dissolute people in the imperial family, this kind of love affair was just the right spark for others to talk about.

In addition, the emperor was not a soft and affectionate father who would listen to his children under any circumstances, so this situation was even crazier.

“I plan to formally propose to the Princess soon, so be prepared.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“Did the princess agree to it?”

“Well. It’s been a while since the duke left the palace, so she probably knew by now.”

Payne was born into the royal family, and his life was threatened every moment, so he could not afford to wish for anything else because he was so desperate to survive.

He had wanted to have many things in his life, but he couldn’t have anything.

As he grew up little by little, he gradually gave up.

Even he wasn’t trying to obtain the throne simply because he didn’t want it. He had no choice but to fight to live.

But now he got what he wanted for the first time in his life.

It was worth it. Ellen felt Payne’s calm attitude raised his blood pressure.

He had a hard time accepting this sudden situation.

He frowned in displeasure.

“I cannot understand Your Highness’ sudden decision. Aren’t there many other ways to get Duke Lillian’s attention?…”

“Ellen, stop talking.”

Payne warned with a cold face.

For a moment, Ellen froze.

“If I were going to use the Princess as a political means, I would have chosen another means.”

Payne added.

He seemed to have already made up his mind, so he wouldn’t hear no matter how much persuasion.

Ellen said in a weak voice as if resigned.

“Anyway, isn’t this too sudden?”

“I know.”

“How about taking your time and thinking about it slowly?”

“That’s not allowed.”

Payne made a bitter face at Ellen’s words.

A gloomy expression flashed in his gaze.

If he waited, he would have no chance.

Perhaps he was already late.

So while he was forced to resort to shortcuts, he wasn’t sure if this was the best option.

Payne recalled the necklace of the princess he had seen today.

It was given by Elvin.

It was the first time he knew what jealousy was.

It was a strange thing that he had never imagined before, but on the other hand, it was bitter.

And he hadn’t known before that the princess’s face as she thought of Elvin could be so warm and lovely.

Even when she was with him, he knew she was thinking of someone else.

She didn’t seem to be aware of it herself, but at that time, the princess’s face was dazzlingly beautiful.

Her sparkling eyes were slightly curved, with the corners of her mouth raised slightly, and her flushed cheeks were lovely.

She was so beautiful that he couldn’t take his eyes off of her, and his greed grew even bigger, but at that time, she seemed to be in a place he couldn’t reach.

He felt as if he was staring up at a high light in a mire where no light could reach, longing for it.

It seemed close, but he couldn’t reach it if even if he stretched out his hand, and that light, warm and dazzling like the spring sun, shone on someone else, unfortunately.

***

The Empress’s Palace.

The empress paced the room with a very angry face.

Nervousness could be seen in her steps, and her brows were furrowed.

The sun had already set outside and the cool wind was blowing in from the open window, but she was fanning herself with a fan studded with red jewels as if to cool off the heat.

Her clothes were beautiful and neat, but her usual relaxed and gentle appearance was nowhere to be found.

“It’s crazy…he can’t do this. The lowly thing…”

The empress spoke in a sharp voice.

“It’s so vulgar that a young woman is already bewitching the man and causing trouble. It’s better to cut the buds that will become a problem early. Don’t you agree?”

The complexion of the Crown Prince, who was standing opposite her, deteriorated at the harsh words she spat out.

She was an empress who usually kept her composure on most things, but this time, she couldn’t stay calm.

The Duke of Lillian was the strongest rope that the Crown Prince could hold.

However, if the marriage arrangement was canceled, that tie would have been severed.

In addition, since he had a grudge against the Crown Prince, it would be even worse.

These days the power of the second prince was stronger, this was never a good thing.

The Crown Prince’s infidelity was revealed to the world, and public opinion was boiling that he fell for a mere woman and killed innocent people.

There was a strong public opinion about this incident even among the ministers, as if the duke had used his hand in this matter.

He could mess up the great country that they had worked hard for a long time.

Because of a woman of low status who was in a dishonorable relationship with her own proud son.

“It’s not once or twice that I’ve pretended not to know that you’ve been playing with that lowly thing. Because I wanted you to realize and sort things out for yourself. But if I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have just stood by and watched.”

“I’m ashamed…”

The empress turned her head towards the Crown Prince.

Looking at her only son, her eyes were filled with anger and disappointment unlike before.

“Jeremy, I never dreamed that you, no one else, would betray my expectations like this.”

The Crown Prince listened quietly to the empress with his head bowed the whole time.

Because even though he had ten mouths, he had nothing to say.

But the sight made the Empress even angrier.

He turned his fiancée, a princess, into an enemy for his mistress, and killed a prisoner in prison.

Of course, one of the criminals was the nanny who raised the princess, so the princess, who had endured countless insults and ugly rumors for several years, eventually notified him of the breakup.

When she thought of the Lady Dana who tricked her docile son, she felt disgusted.

Her heart ached when the Crown Prince fell for such a woman and created the current situation.

Her anger intensified.

If this had been known right away, it might have been possible to deal with it before the rumor spread.

However, he did not even tell her about what he did, and in the end, she found out about this incident only after rumors had already spread.

It was too late now, and it was not easy even if she used her power.

“I have warned you several times before. But the warning doesn’t work, so I can’t help it now.”

The empress folded the fan she was holding in her hand with a snap.

Her eyes shone darkly.

A look of uneasiness crossed the Crown Prince’s face.

“Surely, if I had to kill that woman (Claire) to make you come to your senses, and as your mother, I would be willing to risk blood on my hands for the sake of my son’s future. Coincidentally, since she has a low status, it’s even easier. It’s nothing serious to get rid of one of the baron’s daughters.”