Lea was at a loss for how to respond to Terran.

‘Should I say that I need to succeed and reclaim the stolen Hamilton Trading Company, and also for revenge against Allen?’

To say such things, she would first have to reveal her true identity. But would Terran believe her? Even if he did believe, how could she handle the shock he would receive?

‘What should I do? I can’t stop now at this point.’

“Why are you suddenly asking that?”

She asked Terran in return. She needed to know his intentions to give an appropriate answer.

“Hmm, it seems too dedicated for just a hobby.”

“It’s not a hobby.”

The words came out without thinking.

“Do you want to start a trading company or something?”

Terran asked with a bewildered expression.

“Is that not allowed?”

When Lea became serious, the smile gradually faded from Terran’s face.

From wondering why Lea was so desperate about business to the petty worry of what if she doesn’t rely on him because of it – complex thoughts intertwined.

Honestly, Terran wanted to be an absolute existence for her.

Not that he wanted to confine or dominate her.

He just wanted to be indispensable to her, whether materially or emotionally, and to be her top priority above all else.

“I don’t like being second.”

“To whom?”

“To what Grace does.”

The two looked at each other silently for a few minutes.

Lea finally realized what he was worried about. Instead of answering, she kissed him.

After the sweet and tender kiss ended, Lea caressed his eyes and nose with the back of her hand and whispered:

“To me, Terran is my home, my dream, my everything.”

Terran’s eyes widened, and the smile that had disappeared bloomed again.

“Love seems childish. Always needing confirmation.”

“Don’t forget. The reason I can do what I like is because you exist.”

Those words were sincere. However, since she also couldn’t stop her revenge, Lea had no choice but to avoid mentioning it directly.

Then, a great worry came over Lea.

She had previously negotiated alone with Empress Theresa at the Bellis banquet.

[I will find a way to cover Your Majesty’s scars.] [When you find it, what should I do for you in return?] [I don’t know when, but there will come a time when I need to ask Your Majesty for help. At that time, please believe in my sincerity.] [I can do that, but it’s quite vague. Then conversely, what if you can’t find a way to cover my scars?] [I will accept any punishment gladly.] [Accept gladly? Even if I cut off your head?] [As I said before, I came here prepared to die.]

If Terran found out about her negotiation with Empress Theresa, he wouldn’t stay quiet. At that time, the very existence of Grace Bizac might be questioned.

‘Terran mustn’t know. So I must succeed no matter what.’

“What if I tell you not to do it?”

His question shattered Lea’s serious thoughts.

Terran didn’t miss how her eyes moved anxiously at his question.

Why was she hesitating? She had just said she was one with him.

“I won’t do it.”

Lea answered firmly. It’s true that Terran is now more precious to her than revenge. But she could say this because she was confident he wouldn’t block her path.

“Ha! With a face that looks like it’s about to cry?”

“!?”

“I have no intention whatsoever of stopping Grace from doing what she likes.”

Terran smiled gently and took Lea’s hand, kissing each finger.

Lea was surprised, and as her flipped heart found its place again, tears suddenly welled up. Even though it was love, she felt a little hurt that Terran had tested her.

“I promise too. I won’t go to the battlefield again, leaving Grace behind. I could tell His Majesty I want to retire even tomorrow.”

“Th… thank you.”

‘Terran, please wait a little longer. Until I can tell you the truth with my own mouth.’

Lea hoped Terran would continue to believe in her as he did now.

The thought of him finding out first that the soul of Lea Hamilton was in Grace’s body was horrifying even to imagine.

He might curse Lea Hamilton as shameless for becoming Grace, stealing her life, and seeking unwanted revenge.

‘I will definitely succeed.’

It was a moment when she acutely realized how difficult it was to have a secret she couldn’t tell the man she loved.

“Say you love me.”

He said, fiddling with Grace’s lips with his finger.

“I love… mmph.”

His finger slightly entered her mouth, and Lea punished the intruder with the tip of her tongue.

When Grace’s red tongue tickled his finger, Terran was overwhelmed with impatient desire.

“I can’t hold back.”

He stood up abruptly and held out his hand.

When Lea just stared blankly at Terran, he pulled her to her feet.

“I want to eat right now. Let’s go to the bedroom.”

‘Now, he wants to do it? This man, really!’

A man’s unleashed desire seems to start as a small whirlpool, gradually becomes a storm, and eventually crashes like a tsunami. At any time.

“It’s before dinner.”

Lea tried to calm him down while looking around.

“We sometimes eat snacks before meals, don’t we?”

‘Am I a snack? Ah! Beast!’

“It’s still light out, how lewd.”

Lea shook her head in refusal.

“What are you talking about? I meant to eat real snacks? Comfortably in the bedroom…”

Terran looked with a puzzled face at Lea, who had turned as red as a tomato.

“!?”

That’s right, the man who had been looking at her with burning eyes just moments ago was gone.

Lea headed to the bedroom with him, her face embarrassed.

‘Ah! How embarrassing! What if he thinks I’m too eager?’

As soon as they entered the mansion, Terran instructed a maid to bring snacks to the bedroom.

It was Lea’s complete misunderstanding. But the problem was after they finished the snacks.

“It’s time for the real snack.”

His attitude changed completely. The hungry beast that had disappeared for a moment roughly pounced on the golden rabbit in front of him.

“You, cheater!”

Lea kept shouting, frustrated that she had been tricked by him, but she didn’t dislike the sweet snack time with him.

* * *

Rivette looked at herself in the full-length mirror wearing the dress.

“Why is there a goddess in the mirror?”

She talked to herself, laughing and crying, completely enchanted by her appearance in Chainer’s dress.

Marie quietly whispered to Pauline.

“If she just held a marigold, she’d look exactly like Empress Theresa.”

“Is she that similar?”

“Completely.”

Marie was curious why Rivette insisted on wearing a wedding dress to the selection banquet. So she asked.

“I heard that Empress Theresa looked like a goddess when she was a bride. I hope the Empress will be moved when she sees me. How happy would she be to see her younger self?”

It was exactly as expected.

“Surely you’re not going to hold a bouquet too?”

When Marie asked out of concern, Rivette looked at her as if to say ‘why not?’

“Well, I remember too, though I was young. Empress Theresa was as beautiful as you, Miss Rivette. And she was happier than anyone.”

“The selection is a strategy anyway.”

Pauline was quite surprised by Rivette’s words.

She thought Rivette only cared about being pretty, but she had even made plans of her own.

‘I’d be moved even if I were the Emperor.’

Pauline understood why the media predicted Rivette as the strongest candidate. At that moment, Marie stepped towards Rivette.

“Have you decided on your lady-in-waiting, Miss Rivette?”

“Yes, my brother’s lover agreed to do it. She’s even a noble. I can’t bring a commoner lady-in-waiting, can I?”

‘What? What’s wrong with commoners? Do you even know what kind of × your brother’s lover is?’

Pauline’s mouth itched to speak. But she didn’t step forward because there was someone else to shatter Rivette’s fantasy.

“Unless there’s an unexpected turn of events, I believe Miss Rivette will be selected.”

Marie spoke in a calm tone.

“Really?”

“But a critical weakness has appeared for Miss Rivette.”

“Weakness?”

Marie clicked her tongue as she looked at the pale Rivette.

“From what I know, Empress Theresa despises women with loose morals. Of course, I’m not saying Miss Rivette is like that. The problem is that Emily Landt woman who agreed to serve you.”

“What about Emily?”

Seeing Rivette asking back, Marie barely managed to hold back her laughter.

When she spoke seriously, even Pauline looked gloomy in response, which made her want to laugh more, so she kept poking her thumb with her index finger.

“Recently, Count Armand of the Bellis Empire got divorced. They were a happily married couple for over ten years…”

“Don’t tell me Emily was involved?”

Rivette’s tone was filled more with curiosity about an interesting gossip than worry.

The divorce of Count Armand was such a big event that it even made the newspapers. He was not only a wealthy man of Bellis, but as Marie said, he was also famous for his good relationship with his wife, so the news of the divorce was a big issue.

“If he had divorced and married Miss Emily Landt, people wouldn’t have criticized so much.”

“That’s right. To others it might look like adultery, but to them, it could be romance.”

Pauline, whose mouth had been itching, added a word. It was truly as sweet as honey that such an interesting thing was happening here.

“But Emily didn’t seem to have told my brother about this…”

Rivette wondered.

No matter how shameless a woman is, breaking up someone else’s family as if she’s going to marry them and then becoming another man’s mistress? How should I put it, it doesn’t make sense.

“Ah! Emily must have had her reasons.”

Rivette even defended Emily. Even she thought that was going too far.

“Is this reliable information?”

At Rivette’s question, Marie sighed deeply and looked her straight in the eye as she spoke.

“I was Countess Marie Armand.”