I had been waiting for him all day, so I jumped up from my seat and ran to Nathaniel.

“What’s going on?”

Nathaniel felt something strange, either from my expression or behavior, and raised an eyebrow as he slightly stepped back.

I clenched his arm in mine and led him toward the table. On the table were desserts with a sweet aroma and fragrant tea.

Nathaniel’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the unfamiliar dessert.

“It looks delicious, doesn’t it?”

“What is this…?”

It was round like a donut but had a hole in the middle. Unlike a regular donut, it had layers and seemed thicker.
The top was adorned with dried coconut, making it both beautiful and appetizing.

Nathaniel’s eyes widened at the dessert he saw for the first time.

“What is this?”

“It’s called cronut. It has layers like a croissant, but it’s a dessert with cream inside, like a donut.”

“Donut?”

Ah, had Nathaniel never tried a donut?

Considering it’s a dessert widely known, mainly consumed by commoners, I didn’t think he wouldn’t know.

I took a cronut on a piece of paper and brought it to Nathaniel’s mouth.

“Try it.”

“Don’t you cut it into pieces?”

“No. Just eat it.”

After hesitating for a moment, Nathaniel opened his mouth and took a bite. The skeptical expression gradually turned into one of surprise.

“It’s delicious.”

“Right? Now, you can eat this whole thing.”

Having forgotten the caution from a little while ago, Nathaniel finished one cronut while sitting.

Late to realize, he blushed and asked me.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I’ll eat.”

Caught.

I grinned and sat across from him.

It had been a long time since we sat facing each other like this and ate food.

Nathaniel, focused and earnestly eating the dessert after a long time, seemed to enjoy it.

“Why are you suddenly being so nice like this?”

“Well, um, that’s…”

I wiped the cream from Nathaniel’s mouth with my finger and said, “Because I have a favor to ask.”
“What favor do you have that you’ve prepared all this?”

Nathaniel narrowed his eyes.

I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself.

“I’d like you to accompany me to meet the Emperor.”

“You don’t know where His Majesty is?”

“The Empress mentioned that she would be at the townhouse.”

“Even if I go, he probably won’t meet us.”

“That’s why we have to meet secretly. If it’s related to the DS Knights, she might be under a dark spell.”

At the mention of a dark spell, Nathaniel’s face wrinkled.

“Surely, the usual Empress wouldn’t behave like this.”

“Isn’t that right?”

Nathaniel mumbled as if it were a hassle.

“Why not just capture and kill them with magic?”

“No! If something goes wrong in the middle, it could be seen as treason.”

Always worrying about the “what-ifs.” Things could turn quite unfavorable.

Nathaniel rubbed his chin and muttered.

“Anyway, since we’ll use the magic detection device, sneaking in with magic seems impossible, doesn’t it?”

“That’s right. But we have a secret weapon they don’t know about.”

“A secret weapon?”

I took out a communication device resembling a bracelet.

“What’s that?”

My father made it; it’s a bracelet with built-in recording and listening functions.”

“Why would he make something like that?”

“To expose my mother’s affair.”

“So, what do you want me to do, wearing this thing and meeting them?”
I held out the necklace to Nathaniel and said, “Nathaniel, you’ve never voluntarily transformed into your dragon form, have you?”

“Dragon… No, I haven’t.”

Nathaniel looked uncomfortable with the cute nickname, which was almost embarrassing to say aloud.

Grabbing his hand firmly, I continued, “In the book I translated back then, it said that you can change your appearance by regulating emotions.”

Nathaniel squinted his eyes and regarded me with a suspicious look.

I purposely grinned and said, “I’ll transform into a dragon, wear this necklace, and meet the Emperor. It’s to check on his condition.”

Nathaniel remained silent, and I stuck close to him, saying, “Just once, okay?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“Well…”

“Because it’s embarrassing?”

“That’s part of it.”

Nathaniel fell silent for a moment, and I waited for him to speak.

After a while of silence, he mumbled softly, “Maybe my father would reject me too.”

It was an unexpected response. Nathaniel already had memories of being rejected by his mother. If he were rejected by his father as well, it would be a significant blow.

I reached out and took his hand. “I didn’t think about that. I’m sorry. Let’s find another way, together.”

After a brief contemplation, Nathaniel, with a determined expression, said, “No. It’s a problem that had to be revealed eventually. Let’s try it this time.”
Nathaniel reached out and grasped the bracelet.

Still, his hand was trembling nervously. I took his hand, pressing my lips against it.

“Don’t worry. Even if we don’t know anything else, the Emperor’s love for Nathaniel is genuine.”

The Emperor’s attitude toward Nathaniel was clearly based on affection. Though a selfish man, he overflowed with love for the human he favored. Nathaniel, as his son, ranked second, so it wasn’t just a means to an end like with other nobles.

Moreover, the Emperor had a more open-minded mindset than expected, so he would likely accept it easily.

With a small smile at my reassurance, Nathaniel said, “Let’s practice first.”

“Okay!”

I tightly held his hand, hoping that he wouldn’t forget I was by his side, even if betrayed by someone.

Maximilian waited for Theresa with an anxious expression.

The tension never left him since receiving the letter she sent when she asked for time to think.

The cozy reception room of the Menecil Viscountcy, which always felt comforting, now felt prickly like a thorn cushion.

Soon, the door opened, and Theresa, wearing a simple outfit for a brief outing, entered.

“Thanks for coming, Max.”

“No, I should be thanking you for calling me.”

Theresa gestured for Maximilian to take a seat, and she sat on the opposite side.

She took a deep breath.
At first, she thought he was overreacting too much. However, that was her misconception.

These days, strange things continued to happen around Theresa. Things fell from above her head, and paths crumbled.

Yesterday, the horses pulling the carriage she rode with her family suddenly went wild, almost causing the entire family to die. If she hadn’t heard from Maximilian, she might have just thought it was bad luck.

Theresa was kept awake at night by the words of the Crown Prince, brought by a worried Jaina. It wasn’t scary if only she got hurt.

But it was terrifying to think that a mistake could cause problems for her family.

“About what you said back then, I’ve been thinking. I might be in danger.”

“Ah, well…”

Maximilian worried that Theresa wouldn’t believe his words.

When he first heard that fact, he couldn’t believe it either.

“I’ll stay at the Winter’s Duchy.”

“Then I’ll…”

“It’s not marriage. That’s too far-fetched.”

Theresa quickly interrupted Maximilian.

She had no intention of marrying him.

But there was nothing more terrifying than staying here and causing harm to her family.

A bit cowardly, but she wanted to hide in a safe place.

“Then…?”

“Let’s start with the engagement again. No need for a formal ceremony.”

Maximilian nodded, saying anything would do.
If he could care for her up close, any relationship would be fine.

“And there’s a condition.”

“What is it? Whatever it is, tell me. I can listen to anything.”

Teresa tightly clenched her fist and said to him.

“I’d like us to write an engagement contract.”

“What?”

Maximilian was greatly surprised.

Not a prenuptial agreement but an engagement contract.

Theresa, looking at the bewildered Maximilian, spoke with a cold gaze.

“The contract period is one year. After that, we cleanly part ways.”