“Rest well, Lord Schneider. You’ll be staying in Blauberg for a while, so we’ll see each other often.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

There was an intimate atmosphere between the two. It felt more like a grandfather-granddaughter relationship than that of a duke and a princess.

It was natural, considering she had known him since she was very young. After Nadia’s stepmother had passed away, the Duke had offered to be her benefactor.

Despite the influence of the king and queen, Nadia enjoyed all the privileges of being a member of the royal family because Duke Schneider had stood by her side.

Nonetheless, the fox-like Duke Schneider quickly excused himself from their interaction. Oscar left the room with him.

In the room with just the two of them, Nadia turned her gaze to Christoph. Her turquoise eyes sparkled innocently.

“Christoph Schneider closing the office door and being just a consultant for the Blauberg Police Department. Are you saying all that is just a rumor?”

The information she had was quite accurate. Christoph leaned back on the sofa with a casual attitude, crossing one leg over the other.

“No, Nadia, the rumor that we’re getting divorced is the false one. There’s no chance of that happening. At least, not before dirt gets in my eyes.”

At his unchanging attitude, Nadia’s eyes widened for a moment, but soon her expression softened.

Nadia had first met Christoph when she was five years old, and he was four. The reserved child had not changed even as an adult.
She leaned back, casually resting her chin on her fist. Her turquoise eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Christoph, how about marrying me?”

At her words, Christoph furrowed his brow in surprise. He stared at Nadia, as if trying to penetrate her intentions, with sharp eyes.

Eventually, he responded nonchalantly, “Let’s stop with the uninteresting jokes, Princess Nadia.”

“I’m not joking, Duke Schneider. I think I’m quite a suitable match. Do you think otherwise? I’m the king’s daughter, a queen of society with both charm and elegance. Although my maternal family has fallen from grace, they were once a noble family that produced a queen. You should have enough understanding not to be bothered by my remarriage. Are you going to miss this opportunity?”

Nadia replied with courtesy that didn’t match her usual demeanor, indicating her words were genuine.

Suddenly, Christoph narrowed his eyes. His muttered soliloquy escaped his lips, vacant.

“Why Marianne looked at me with those eyes, I understand now.”

With a sound that was almost like a sigh of relief, he raised his chin and asked, “Do you usually make such statements yourself?”

The rebuke he had heard from Marianne a little while ago had been directed at him now. His sharp gaze softened, and the cold atmosphere surrounding him disappeared without a trace.

Nadia widened her eyes, clearly surprised. In the next moment, Christoph, in his usual arrogant manner, stated, “What a princess needs is not me but the Schneider family, I suppose.”
Nadia, as if taken aback, widened her eyes slightly. In the next moment, Christoph spoke with his usual arrogance.

“What the princess needs is not me but the Schneider family.”

Nadia silently stared at Christoph. She was clever and quick-witted, but the problem was that Christoph was a step ahead of her, even knowing her true intentions at times.

He could see through her, even the truths she wanted to hide.

Christoph tugged at one corner of his mouth.

“The king’s daughter, a queen of society with both charm and elegance. Do you think I wouldn’t know why a princess as sought-after as you hasn’t married yet?”

“…….”

Once again, Nadia remained silent, only casting a calm gaze. Her deep turquoise eyes seemed to mirror him.

“It means that the princess is surprisingly ambitious.”

Nadia Blomberg. The king’s daughter and the offspring of a former queen. A beautiful and wise princess of ill-fate. She possessed all the qualities that the media adored.

Between the current queen and the king, there was a son, the beloved Crown Prince Leopold Blomberg.

Because of this, she had been treated as a mischievous troublemaker within the royal family. Everyone knew that fact.

However, Nadia was smart, cunning even, and she had ambition. She had risen to the position of society’s queen through her own abilities, and the newspapers praised her brilliant rise.
The situation with the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Leopold, was even more troubling. He constantly found himself in inappropriate company, spreading scandalous rumors about him daily.

Incidents of excessive drinking and causing disturbances were not uncommon, and he had incurred the wrath of the media by squandering state funds on extravagance. He had no interest in the affairs of the state and relentlessly pursued lavish parties.

In stark contrast, Nadia’s conduct was the epitome of an ideal royal. She had a keen interest in culture and the arts, actively participated in social projects, and was admired by the public for her familiarity with common people.