“Yes, to be precise, it’s the Grand Duke Kshant’s residence. You can take me to the Grand Duke’s domain.”

“The, the Grand Duke’s residence? You mean all the way to the mansion?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Natasha repeated her answer clearly to the coachman who was blinking and asking again. However, the other party still seemed uneasy and couldn’t easily start off.

Hesitating at the door, he finally let slip what he was concerned about.

“I know that place as somewhere you can’t enter without permission…”

“Even if we can’t reach the front of the mansion, I’ll pay you the full fare we agreed upon, so please don’t worry and start driving.”

She spoke firmly, taking out and handing over a money pouch. The coachman, having received the fare in advance, hurriedly left, saying he wouldn’t add any more words.

Soon after, the carriage began to roll. The window that had been capturing the scenery of Baile soon reflected an unfamiliar picture. Faced with an unfamiliar sight she had never encountered before, Natasha unknowingly became anxious.

‘Will I succeed?’

Cooperating with the Grand Duchy of Kshant was something she had attempted in her previous life as well.

She hadn’t guaranteed success, but she thought she would at least get to the negotiation stage and find a place to hide.

However, what actually came back was a complete disregard without even a response. The Grand Duke had even forwarded her letter to the Duke as a sign of rejection. Even the last bit of courage she had mustered to choose the lesser evil had completely faded.

Would the Grand Duke’s answer change just because that time had come a little earlier?

Would she, without a title, be ruthlessly driven out, or worse, have all her cards taken away…? Could it be heading towards the worst-case scenario that Lord Dante had once worried about?

Her worries were mountainous.

In fact, shouldn’t she give up everything even now? She was full of concern that meeting the Grand Duke of Kshant might be hastening her misfortune.

‘Let’s get married.’

However, now that Sieghart had come looking for her, facing misfortune was inevitable. This time too, it was just choosing the lesser evil instead of the worst.

She firmly believed that if she explained in detail the true feelings and plans she couldn’t convey that day, the Grand Duke of Kshant’s heart would change.

The Grand Duchy of Kshant was not far from Baile, so they quickly reached their destination.

The gatekeepers standing guard approached the carriage that had stopped in front of the main gate. They seemed wary of the carriage that didn’t look like it belonged to a noble at all.

The frightened coachman pointed to the back, passing on the response. The armed knights soon knocked on the carriage door.

“Excuse me. Would you open the window?”

Natasha pulled back the curtain, poked her head out, and answered indifferently.

“I’ve come to see Grand Duke Kshant.”

“As far as I know, there are no scheduled visits to the Grand Duke’s house today. If I may ask, where are you from?”

“I am a guest of the Grand Duke’s house. I think you can deliver this note to His Grace the Grand Duke.”

She cleverly deferred the answer and handed over a note. Inside was Natasha’s signature and a brief reason for the audience, and if the Grand Duke, who occasionally exchanged letters with the woman, could recognize the handwriting’s owner.

“We cannot take items from someone whose identity is unknown to His Grace the Grand Duke.”

“It’s just paper, so there’s no danger. And whether to meet or not is for him to decide.”

“Procedurally…”

“Sometimes there are cases that deviate from formal procedures. Please deliver the note to His Grace the Grand Duke.”

The knights exchanged glances at Natasha’s forceful response.

In fact, visitors who come so forcefully like this could simply be sent back, even by force if necessary, but strangely, their bodies wouldn’t move. Was it because they felt they should follow this woman who smiled innocently yet had a strangely coercive attitude and tone?

Eventually, they exceptionally complied with Natasha’s request.

“Understood. As the lady requests, we will deliver the note. However, if His Grace the Grand Duke does not permit the visit, we cannot welcome you as a guest either.”

“Of course, I understand and will withdraw immediately. Oh, when you deliver the note, could you add one thing?”

“…What is it?”

“Please tell His Grace the Grand Duke that if he doesn’t let me in, the carriage’s next destination will be the Letius Imperial Palace.”

The knights had no way of knowing that the message the woman asked to be delivered with a sweet smile was a threat to the Grand Duke.

It was an impertinent attitude for someone who came to extend a helping hand, but it was the best way to protect herself from the Grand Duke. After all, who knew if the Grand Duke of Kshant might reject her in a harsh way like last time?

And, a little while later, the returning knights let the carriage in.

“Welcome, Princess.”

“I am in the presence of the ruler of the Grand Duchy. Have you been well, Your Grace?”

Natasha, guided to the reception room, naturally took a seat next to the Grand Duke.

Though she had boldly barged into the mansion, the situation was actually awkward, and she had been fiddling with the surface of the teacup. Thankfully, the Grand Duke of Kshant opened the conversation first.

“I didn’t know the Princess was alive.”

“As I was out on a sudden outing that day… I’m not sure if I should say this, but I was lucky.”

“It’s fortunate that even a princess like yourself didn’t come to harm.”

The Grand Duke smiled faintly and sipped his tea. In the momentary gap in conversation that was created, Natasha also watched carefully and sipped her tea. It was a sweet liquid she tasted after a long time.

“By the way, I heard you had business with me.”

The silence at that time seemed to have been deliberately inserted to move on to the main topic after the casual greetings.

The warm atmosphere suddenly faded, and now a calm air circulated in the room. Natasha unknowingly swallowed at the Grand Duke’s official demeanor.

The start was good.

To successfully complete the plan, she had to lead the upcoming conversation flexibly.

“Do you know why I, who survived, didn’t come to you immediately, Your Grace, but lived in hiding?”

“Hmm, isn’t it because the Grand Duchy and the Empire formed a close bond? You must have judged that the Grand Duchy was not safe either, as it strengthened ties with those who exterminated the entire pure bloodline of the royal family.”

“Yes, that’s similar. My existence would once again put the Grand Duchy, which has just regained peace, in danger, so I thought the Grand Duchy and Your Grace would not welcome it.”

Natasha, who finished speaking softly, glanced at the Grand Duke. As if it wasn’t entirely wrong, a troubled look crossed the Grand Duke’s clear face.

“So I lived in hiding. Until the Empire’s vigilance towards the royal family subsided, and until the Grand Duchy’s power strengthened. Although it still seems early, I too had circumstances that forced me to urgently seek refuge here.”

“I see. Then, Princess, are you saying you want to stay in the Grand Duchy?”

“Yes, I want to be guaranteed safe residence. At least until the descendants of Charliee are born.”

The Grand Duke of Kshant put down his cup on the saucer. He tucked his dark blue shimmering hair behind his ear and chewed his lips. As expected, it seemed difficult to accept her request right away.

In another sense, it also meant it was ambiguous to reject her request outright. It was clearly different from the response in her past life when they rejected by not answering the letter.

“Even if you hide as much as possible, when Charliee’s descendants are born in the future, everything will be revealed. When the truth comes to light, friction with the Empire will be unavoidable.”

What the Grand Duchy was worried about must be the future, not the present.

It was clear betrayal for the Grand Duchy, which had formed an alliance with the Empire, to directly protect the Charliee royal family.

The Grand Duchy had signed a peace treaty with the Empire in exchange for giving up part of the Charliee Kingdom, and the revival of the royal family was a kind of signal that they would reclaim the lost territory and royal family.

Therefore, for Natasha’s request to be approved, something was needed to guarantee the future of the Grand Duchy.

“By the way, this is not a one-sided request.”

At these last added words, the Grand Duke’s eyes changed for a moment.

“I think there’s a reason Your Grace allowed my visit. You wouldn’t have let me in just because of personal feelings.”

Natasha decided to give what the other party had been implicitly expecting.

“The royal seal that Your Grace took is useless as it’s attributed to the former king. The authority is only given to the attributee, and to change the attributee, royal blood is needed. I will help you with that.”

“Are you proposing to trade the royal seal for the Princess’s safety?”

“That’s right.”

She answered boldly, pretending to be at ease not wanting to appear shallow, but inside she was worn out.

After all, it was a proposal that had been rejected once. It was too much to expect the answer to change just because the method of proposing was different from the past.

“Alright.”

“…Pardon?”

“But, how?”

“…Pardon?”

At the Grand Duke’s acceptance, the tension that had spread throughout her body crumbled in an instant. Perhaps because of this, Natasha ended up consistently responding with a stupid attitude, repeatedly asking the Grand Duke who was speaking repeatedly.

“I believe you know what the seal means to the Grand Duchy. Yes, our Grand Duchy wants to reclaim the lost territory and people from the tragedy. But the seal alone is far from enough to reclaim them.”

“…That’s right. It will certainly be a long journey. But I thought that if it were the Grand Duke of Kshant, you wouldn’t mind even that long journey.”

“Of course, it was what I hoped for. If I had known of the Princess’s existence, I would have done whatever it took to attribute the seal to the Grand Duchy earlier.”

Judging from the answer that revealed sincerity, the Grand Duke also seemed to be positive about territorial recovery and the independence of the Grand Duchy.

“I’m not saying I won’t accept the Princess’s deal. However, to successfully lead the hopeful future directly related to our deal, something bigger is needed.”

“Then…”

“We need an ally. Someone who can help us confront the Imperial family. When the Princess’s existence becomes widely known to the world, someone with strong power to protect the Princess from the threat of the Imperial family.”

The Grand Duke’s eyes, continuing to speak steadily, were filled with confidence. It was an ambitious aspiration as if he had anticipated Natasha’s visit and made plans.

“But, Grand Duke. Is there such a person? Even if there is, I’m not sure if they would willingly cooperate with me.”

There was only one person who met the Grand Duke’s conditions. So Natasha unknowingly turned away from the correct answer and went off in search of another non-existent solution.

“There is.”

But the Grand Duke, as if mocking such a Natasha.

“Duke Sieghart Asthart.”

“…”

“He’s a famous person, so I’m sure the Princess knows well who he is.”

Sieghart Asthart.

The man Natasha had resolved never to meet again, the correct answer she had turned away from, was once again brought before the cold reality.