Ricardo’s mockery made my anger surge. What does he want me to do?

Does he want me to look him in the eyes and passionately swear my love? Or cling to his trouser leg and beg? If that’s what he wants, I could do it.

But he has a woman that God himself arranged for him, and I will never swear love to a man who already has a woman. Since my feelings are not my fault, I didn’t intend to feel guilty for harboring him in my heart.

However, somehow, I felt that wasn’t what he wanted.

I may not be clinging to his trouser leg, but I am hanging onto Ricardo in truth.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

At this point, I had no new feelings to hide from him.

Just as I was about to tell him that I wasn’t merely enduring him, that my heart was in tatters from constantly freezing and shattering the desire that kept rising when I looked into his eyes, and to please protect us safely for a moment, even if only out of pity, the butler approached with hurried steps.

Freddie glanced at me and whispered to Ricardo.

“The Crown Princess has arrived.”

Startled, I looked at Freddie, but he had already delivered the message and was retreating. Noticing my concern, Ricardo let out a small sigh.

“Don’t worry. The Crown Prince is not on good terms with the Emperor, so the Imperial family won’t find out you’re here.”

“Ah…”

Before I could ask anything more, the surroundings became noisy.

Soon, a woman who was visibly noble even from afar was seen approaching our pavilion. The hem of her dress seemed to be adorned with numerous jewels, reminiscent of a sparkling sea with every movement.

I reflexively stood up.

“You can go back now.”

Ricardo issued the order to leave, but I hesitated to move. Wondering if it was alright not to show respect in front of royalty, I lingered as the Crown Princess closed the distance.

“Ah, who do we have here? You must be the young lady Pennel.”

As she approached with a welcoming expression and quick steps, Ricardo stood firmly as if to block the space between the Crown Princess and me.

“Don’t say unnecessary things.”

Despite his sharp words, the Crown Princess craned her neck to try and see me.

Although her behavior was somewhat unbecoming of royalty, she was beautiful enough to warrant effusive praise.

With intelligent-looking green eyes, fiery red hair that seemed to reveal her personality, a perfectly matching raised chin, and lips that felt cool despite her smile, she was every inch a noble lady.

She tried to meet my eyes and exchange greetings, but Ricardo’s broad shoulders blocked my view.

Tilting my head slightly, I saw that the Crown Princess seemed to have given up on seeing me due to Ricardo’s actions. She nodded with a smile that curved her eyes.

“There’s no need to be so formal. We’ll have to greet each other properly later. Young lady Pennel, we’ll meet again soon.”

I hastily bowed my head and replied, “Yes, yes,” before being practically chased away from that place.

After Lienne left and the Crown Princess stood opposite Ricardo, the ducal maids hurriedly gathered around to serve. All the ducal maids exist only for the mistress of the house.

However, when royalty arrives, they take charge of serving them. The ducal maids were out of breath, as if the Crown Princess had barged in without any proper announcement.

“Ah, no tea is necessary. What need is there for tea for a ruffian who ignores etiquette and barges in?”

Unlike the ducal maids whose faces were flushed bright red, the imperial maids who accompanied the Crown Princess remained calm. There were a total of eight maids surrounding the Crown Princess.

Ricardo squinted one eye, as if struck by a passing headache at his temple. He raised his hand with a rather ominous air and shooed away the women. The maids looked troubled, but when even the Crown Princess gave permission, they all left.

“Young Duke, no matter how much you’re called the hero of the battlefield and the absolute beauty of the empire, a man who treats women like that isn’t popular. Especially these days.”

“…”

“Anyway, it was good that I pushed Freddie and barged in where you were. I got to see your potential fiancée.”

He slumped into a chair even before the Crown Princess could take her seat.

“My, acting like such a barbarian won’t make you popular either.”

The Crown Princess, seemingly accustomed to his behavior, simply sat down after him.

“It took quite a while, you know. To see young lady Pennel.”

Ricardo rested his elbow on the table and pressed his forehead with his long fingers. The strong scent emanating from the Crown Princess was worsening his headache.

“She looks more innocent than I thought. Although I only caught a glimpse. How do you intend to present her to people when you hide her away so tightly that you don’t even want me to see her for a moment…?”

Ricardo rubbed around his neck as if feeling stifled and furrowed his brow, but the Crown Princess paid no mind.

It had been like this since they were young. The Crown Princess was a close friend who had studied with Ricardo at the Imperial Academy.

Although he had only studied at the Academy for exactly one year, Mariette approached him without reservations. And she quickly claimed the title of his friend.

She was noble from birth and knew little about life’s failures. As is often the case with such people, her actions and words were uninhibited.

“Are the engagement preparations going well?”

Despite Ricardo’s continued silence, Mariette kept talking incessantly. The more she spoke, the tighter he sealed his lips.

“I’d like to give you an engagement gift. Would a blue jewel the same color as your fiancée’s eyes be nice?”

“…”

“It’s difficult to choose a gift, so I’d appreciate if you could give me some advice. Ah, but you must be busy. Then, instead of troubling you, I could directly request a meeting with young lady Pennel.”

“Please state the purpose of your visit.”

Ricardo finally opened his mouth at the mention of meeting Lienne. The Crown Princess smiled and leaned back in her chair a bit more comfortably.

“My, what have you been listening to until now? I’ve already stated my purpose.”

“Your Highness.”

At the cool call, Mariette took a moment to catch her breath and nodded.

“Yes, I understand. Young Duke, you always seem to have no patience when it comes to young lady Pennel.”

He turned his head to look at the Crown Princess, his hand still on his forehead. Though he was looking up, his eyes were piercing as if pressing down.

“Why did you come?”

It was a warning not to try to probe him any further by beating around the bush.

“The Crown Prince doesn’t want to press you, so I came instead.”

“What is it that I need to do right now that requires pressing?”

“Rather than pressing, it would be more accurate to say that confirmation was needed. It can’t be helped with such a narrow-minded woman.”

“…”

“Don’t you know? That the Crown Prince has been helping you all along. To protect young lady Pennel, I mean.”

Her words were true. Whenever Emperor Dermayer issued orders to exterminate all the Pennels, it was the Crown Prince who first informed Ricardo.

“At your seventeen, and this time too.”

“There’s nothing new about that.”

“Even when you were 12 years old.”

Ricardo sat up straight as if he no longer had any reason to endure. As he moved as if to bid farewell, the Crown Princess frowned.

“Hiding one Pennel and hiding her entire family are different in weight from the start. Word will leak out sooner or later. We need to prepare for that as well.”

“If the Crown Prince has so much to say, why did he send Your Highness? Do you intend to act as the Crown Prince’s proxy?”

Ricardo tried to stand up, unable to bear the irritating situation, but the Crown Princess finally uttered a sentence that made him sit back down.

“The Crown Prince can’t walk, Ricardo.”

His movement stopped abruptly. As the Crown Princess took on the appearance of a close friend, Ricardo too no longer pretended to maintain formalities.

“Since when…?”

“Since yesterday.”

A thousand years ago, Schneider, who founded the Dermayer Empire, had maintained its name without tarnishing it even once until now.

But to achieve flawless purity, one must endure and overcome the most despicable things.

To maintain their own integrity and power, the Schneiders occasionally mixed the same bloodline.

And unfortunately, God did not approve of their behavior.

Thus, the act intended to purify themselves yielded terrible results.

Although it was the Schneiders of hundreds of years ago who committed it, the task of bearing it has been passed down through generations.

The incestuous marriages forbidden by God had long since disappeared, but the bloodline tainted for the sake of that nobility left behind an unending genetic disease.

On average, one person in each generation would suffer from this disease.

This curse-like disease appeared suddenly one day, and slowly stiffens all the muscles in the body until death.

“So how can my heart not be urgent?”

The disease came to the Crown Prince five years ago. Once afflicted, death comes within 10 to 15 years after onset. No Schneider has ever survived beyond that period.