“We all know. It’s not Pennel who was chosen by God.”

“Mariette, there’s no need to emphasize what everyone already knows.”

“The situation has changed. Pennel’s daughter not only manifested but also awakened.”

Not many people knew this fact. Ricardo’s eyes narrowed. Nevertheless, Mariette did not avoid his wary gaze.

“Even so, nothing changes. We all know clearly. That the Saint is your companion.”

Ricardo revealed his inner turmoil by running his hand through his hair. Usually, he would have handled it flexibly, but somehow today he couldn’t tolerate the Crown Princess.

Regardless of his situation, Mariette continued speaking.

“Remember that you were able to be engaged to Pennel for a while only thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince’s consideration.”

“…”

“You must become the Emperor. You must never forget that.”

“Enough, Mariette. I understand your desperate feelings watching your husband who can’t walk…”

Ricardo loosely crossed his arms and stared at Mariette as if watching an uninteresting play.

“For now, I’m just letting you cross the line.”

Mariette clenched her fist. Desperate feelings, as a name was given to the emotion she had been feeling since yesterday, it became harder to control that emotion.

“You’re right. I’m miserable now. The fact that the cause of all this is none other than me and my son is unspeakably terrible. So you, who are involved in this, must know. How precious half of the remaining life is to someone who only has 10 years left.”

“…”

“Moreover, the feelings of one who has to leave behind those they must protect.”

“It was the Crown Prince himself who hastened his death for that.”

“I know that too! But right now, I can’t resent His Highness.”

Mariette had witnessed with her own eyes the scene of her beloved husband collapsing with his legs buckling like a newborn foal. It remained as a brand that couldn’t be erased no matter how much she tried. It would probably never be forgotten and would keep cutting her heart for the rest of her life.

“That’s why I resent you. I only hope that his life, paid as the price for protecting me and my son, won’t be wasted.”

Ricardo, who had been staring blankly at Mariette for a moment, let out a snicker. With that, the tense atmosphere between the two instantly shattered.

“Mariette…”

Ricardo called the Crown Princess gently as he stretched his neck far back over the chair’s backrest. He took in the sky in the distance.

If he were to spit towards the sky from here, it would just fall on his face. Not on the cursed gods.

The dazzling weather was utterly unsuited to his situation.

In fact, the entire Dermeyer Empire was like that. To Ricardo, the empire was excessively mild and unusually bright.

“I know why you came here. You wanted to see me looking at that woman.”

As if trying to find some meaning in the clouds changing shape, he tilted his head slightly to the right.

“Afraid that I might go crazy and break my promise with you all…”

“…”

“But it was in vain.”

As the bright light suddenly attacked him, Ricardo immediately squinted one eye.

“I don’t remember, Mariette.”

“…”

“I don’t remember anything.”

White, blue, black, and blunt emotions that sometimes knocked on his chest were so frustrating.

“Right now, I just feel like tormenting that woman a bit.”

Ricardo ended up closing both eyes. For a moment, thinking how grateful he would be if someone would stab a knife in his neck right now.

“When I look at that woman… I feel like I’m being thrown naked to the darkest, coldest bottom of the sea. That’s how I feel when I look at Miss Pennel.”

Nevertheless, he kept thinking of her. Even as the Crown Princess poured out words like a downpour.

That woman who acted as if she would push him out of this world if their eyes didn’t meet.

Ricardo slowly raised his head to meet Mariette’s gaze.

“So there’s nothing between that woman and me, Mariette.”

In the black eyes that met hers, a red flame burned as if deliberately revealing its wick.

“There’s nothing.”

The coldly shining eyes were icy and, on the other hand, so hot that it might burn, leaving Mariette momentarily speechless and breathless.

“Because of that damned contract that I don’t even remember making with your husband, I’m just moving. That means you have nothing to worry about.”

Because that gaze seemed like a warning not to touch her, who he said was nothing to him.

Like the blind instinct of a male protecting a female that had entered his territory.

Mariette eventually averted her eyes from him and stood up.

“Just remember this, Ricardo. It’s not long now. The day your true companion will enter this duke’s house.”

Half a year, in the world that only the Crown Prince remembers, she comes to the empire in half a year. Along with the prophecy that she will be the woman who becomes the Empress.

A week has passed since the Crown Princess visited.

Even with the mild climate, it wasn’t to the extent that one couldn’t feel the four seasons. The wind that was cool when I first came here gained warmth, and the colors of the flowers adorning the surroundings deepened.

The petals of spring flowers matured firmly, and the grass on the way to Blue Hill became more lush. It was amazing. Only a week had passed.

I couldn’t see Ricardo’s face since that day. He was busy with something and stayed at home even less than before. Thanks to that, the urging to get engaged was also temporarily in a lull.

Although I was spending time receiving excellent treatment, there wasn’t a single day when my mind was at ease.

“Are you going to the library?”

“The library?”

During the day, I usually took walks and read books brought by the maids. And I always had dinner at Blue Hill. As I rode in a carriage every day, I didn’t really feel like I was confined somewhere.

“Yes, I thought you might like to choose books yourself instead of us bringing them to you.”

Samantha had quickly figured out what kind of books I liked. Just by observing that she picked books similar to the ones I handled a lot, I could tell.

But I always thought it would be better to choose directly, so the suggestion to go to the library together was quite appealing.

“But I’m not sure if it’s okay for me to go to the library.”

For any family, the library was the most private space. It was considered impolite to enter and exit freely without the permission of the owner of the residence or the head of the family.

“The young master said you could go anywhere within the Hyacinth villa.”

That meant he had separately asked Ricardo for permission regarding the library. I left the room with a feeling of excitement I hadn’t felt in a long time.

The library was on the first floor. I came down the stairs next to my bedroom, turned to the opposite side, and walked for quite a while.

It’s said to be on the first floor, but after going down three or four more steps from the lobby and passing through a long corridor, you could finally reach it. It was definitely a place that would be difficult to enter and exit unless you were the owner of the mansion.

“By the way, when are you going to start speaking informally to us?”

Angela, with her wheat-colored hair and light brown eyes that showed kindness, was the most lively and sociable among the maids. As I treated the maids comfortably, Angela seemed to have opened her heart to me as well. Sometimes it felt like we were friends.

“Maybe… starting tomorrow?”

When I made this silly remark, Angela and the other maids laughed along. Actually, the reason I couldn’t speak informally was because I wasn’t used to this kind of relationship. Although I was a noble, I had never lived as one, so it was natural.

Of course, at the Pennel Count’s house, I spoke down to the employees without any hesitation. There was a desire not to be taken lightly because I was young, and the weight of the Pennel name at that time was such.

But afterwards, I lived a life similar to commoners. I cultivated my own vegetable garden and haggled at the market. As a result, it wasn’t easy for me to speak informally to those who showed me respect.

“We’ve arrived.”

Where Angela stopped, there was indeed a massive door. I took a moment to catch my breath with a slightly nervous feeling.

Inside the library was brighter than other rooms. The windows were larger than in other places, and there were many more of them. It was an excellent environment for reading books.

Beyond the windows, the back garden of the villa was spread out. The back garden of Hyacinth had a more delicate charm than other gardens. If I opened a book in front of the window, it seemed like I could stay all day.

Passing through the corridor inside and going a bit further in, an enormous library of a scale I had never seen in Lesothia unfolded before my eyes.

Bookshelves made of mahogany wood, which had a natural shine, were densely packed, and hardcover books that looked luxurious at a glance filled all those shelves.

“Wow…”

As I involuntarily let out an exclamation, the maids standing around giggled.

“Are you that surprised?”

“It’s really amazing.”

“Isn’t it?”

Angela guided me further inside while reciting words as if introducing her own home.

“There’s an even bigger library in the main building besides the Hyacinth villa.”

“Really?”

“Yes, they say it’s as grand in scale as the Imperial Library. The Duchess is quite proud of that library.”