“… Are you saying I should cooperate with that man?”

“You heard correctly.”

“Why does it have to be him?”

The tone of the question had become sharp. The Grand Duke, seemingly sensing the subtle difference, momentarily revealed his bewilderment.

“As the Princess also knows, transferring the seal’s ownership to our side is unrealistic for now. It might expose all our plans. The process must progress slowly. As if everything were coincidental.”

The Grand Duke continued calmly. His tone was gentle, as if soothing a startled child.

“For that to happen, the Princess’s existence must be revealed to the public. It will be an appropriate threat to the Empire, and a glimmer of hope for the people of other kingdoms. The presence of royalty means the restoration of the kingdom.”

“……”

“To ensure the Princess’s safety during this process, the Duke’s power will be necessary. Marriage to him will make the Princess belong to the Empire, and his authority will protect her from the imperial threats.”

Unlike the usually cautious Grand Duke of Kshant, she was making assertions.

“… But isn’t Duke Asthart not closely tied to the imperial family? Choosing him as an ally seems risky.”

“That’s also a thing of the past. From what I hear, the Asthart ducal family is on the verge of severing ties with the imperial family. A family that rose rapidly with the imperial backing is now turning its back on them, intending to confront the imperial family.”

The Grand Duke of Kshant strongly pushed for unity with him, as if she had marked the Asthart ducal family as their ally from the beginning.

At that moment, Natasha also recalled past events.

After the marriage, the Asthart ducal family cut off exchanges with the imperial family. It wouldn’t have been for Natasha’s sake, and thinking in support of the Grand Duke’s claim, it seemed the ducal family had intended to sever ties with the imperial family from the start.

‘Someone powerful enough to confront the imperial family. And someone who will cooperate with me. Sieghart is indeed the most suitable.’

It wasn’t entirely wrong. When she was under Sieghart’s protection, even the imperial family couldn’t touch her carelessly.

The theory itself sounded plausible. If Natasha hadn’t known the future, she might have followed the Grand Duke’s words without knowing better.

To persuade the hesitating Natasha, the Grand Duke added one more thing.

“Princess, Duke Asthart is the best person to realize our plans. There’s no need to choose a second-best option over him. I don’t know why you’re hesitating, but in the current situation, there are no better candidates than him.”

Her words were correct.

Sieghart Asthart was a powerful figure who could guide a princess who had lost her status, and a future ally who would confront the imperial family.

“Don’t you have a future you desire, Princess?”

“……”

“To safely reach that future, you must join hands with Duke Asthart.”

The firm voice shook Natasha’s heart. As the Grand Duke said, she had a wish that she had to fulfill.

‘The child…’

The child remained Natasha’s pure love.

Though it was a brief moment, it was so brilliant and precious that it would be painful to speak of.

‘I need a safe foundation, if only for the child.’

After losing the child in the hellish ducal family, she realized. That what’s needed to continue the lineage isn’t just the process. That protecting life is as important as having a child.

‘I thought I had finally let you go… But in the end, is it you again?’

So, even in the face of a clearly unfortunate future, she had no choice but to plunge into the ordeal.

‘… Well, I’ve sacrificed enough to be sick of it.’

She had already repeated meaningless sacrifices in her past life. At least this time it would guarantee a future, so it wouldn’t be a meaningless sacrifice.

If she could secure a residence and build a safe fence for the child, she could endure this sacrifice.

“Two years, I will be with the Duke for two years. Will that be enough time?”

Natasha specifically requested the period. Two years was the duration she had been married to Sieghart in her previous life.

“I will try my best.”

The Grand Duke of Kshant responded with a determined smile.

The Grand Duke of Kshant stared blankly at the place where the guest had left. The warmth of the woman who had appeared as a mature lady had not yet faded.

‘I never thought the last princess of the Charliee royal family would really be alive.’

Recalling the meeting, she naturally thought of her encounter with Sieghart next.

‘The princess of Charliee will come to see the Grand Duke. Catch that woman.’

‘… Excuse me, but could you please repeat that?’

‘Whatever the princess says, there’s only one thing for the Grand Duke to do. Push for a marriage with me under any pretext.’

The man who came forward to join hands with the duchy put forth a very unexpected condition.

Soon, the surviving princess of the royal family would visit this place, and at that time, make the woman the mistress of Asthart.

In return, the Asthart ducal family promised financial support for the duchy and assistance in confronting the imperial family.

The Grand Duke readily accepted the man’s proposal, as there was no reason to refuse the windfall of catching both rabbits – Natasha’s deal and the Asthart ducal family’s deal.

‘While the princess had no choice but to find a way to survive, why the Duke?’

Although she had blindly concluded the deal as she wasn’t in a position to raise objections, in fact, the Grand Duke had been constantly puzzled by the man’s attitude.

With marriage proposals frequently coming in for royalty of powerful nations, to choose a princess of a fallen kingdom as a carefully selected match? Moreover, a woman whose title is now just an empty shell, useless for anything?

‘Either mad.’

Of course, it was perfect as a symbol to announce confrontation with the imperial family. But, perhaps it was just a feeling, the Grand Duke was inwardly confused as the Duke seemed to have other impure intentions.

‘Or fallen in love, I suppose.’

The Grand Duke waved their hand as if finding their own romantic reasoning amusing.

Saying that cold-blooded one wouldn’t act for such a trivial reason.

Natasha finally returned home after a long journey. She had decided to come back someday, if only for Lord Dante who would be waiting for her, but she didn’t expect it to be right after she left.

It was night when she reached the village, with darkness and thick fog settled in.

She opened the door and entered, lighting a candle.

It had been over a fortnight, nearly a month since she left home. The house, which should have been dirty with accumulated dust, was somehow clean. Instead of a musty smell, a fragrant flower scent wafted from inside.

Puzzled, she examined the house. As she was looking around relying on the small light, Natasha was startled to discover a figure sitting at the dining table.

As the candlelight illuminated the darkness, the outline of the shadow gradually revealed itself. It was much larger than a bird.

Soon, the silhouette that had been stiff all along began to rise and approach her. The face occasionally visible through the light was very familiar.

“You are……”

It was the very person Natasha should have sought out soon anyway.

The man snatched the candlestick from her hand and held it instead. His tall face became even more clearly visible.

“You said you’d give an answer in ten days. It’s been ten days past the scheduled date.”

“……”

“I came in worried that the princess might have collapsed alone inside, so please understand.”

Natasha, at a loss for words, could only move her lips.

“……I had things to sort out during that time.”

And the answer she barely thought of after a while was a monotonous and insincere excuse for someone who broke a promise, briefly explaining the situation without detailing the inside story.

For some reason, the other party smoothly let it pass without picking at it.

“It’s fortunate that you seem fine, considering how much you worried others. Shall we postpone our answer for later?”

After a moment, Natasha replied in a small voice.

“I’ve thought about your proposal, Your Grace.”

Unable to meet the man’s red eyes, she continued speaking while staring blankly into space.

Although it seemed a bit early to speak today, Natasha faced it head-on without hesitation.

If not now, the firm resolve she had barely grasped might waver.

“I’ll accept the proposal on the condition that you accept my terms.”

“Terms, is it? Well, we must grant every wish to welcome such an esteemed person.”

His tone softened considerably. Afterwards, Sieghart kindly led Natasha inside and seated her at the table.

She brought a sheet of paper and a pen, and soon began writing down the marriage conditions. It would be more certain to write them down, as she could never match the man in spoken words.

Silence continued for a while. Inside, only the tickling sound of the pen tip meeting the paper remained.

Sieghart, who had been maintaining a noble posture, was now sitting with his legs crossed and his eyelids lowered. It was an expression of boredom at the current situation that showed no progress.

Natasha ignored him and focused on writing the conditions. After a while, just as she seemed to finish writing, she began to carefully read through the text. The tedious time came to an end after several careful readings.

“It’s done.”

At last, the paper was handed over to its owner.

As if her attempt to set conditions would barely affect him, Sieghart showed no interest while she was drafting the contract.

That remained the same until he read the introduction of the paper he had barely received.

“My, what troublesome conditions.”

He let out a low, mocking laugh and put down the paper with some force.