At that, Idren raised his head and looked at her.

The moment those bright yellow eyes met hers, Ophelia unconsciously turned her head away. She remembered how he had reacted when she apologized before.

It wasn’t embarrassing, but being teased wasn’t particularly pleasant.

Idren observed the woman who hid her face every time he said something unfamiliar.

Her lips, visible from the side, were strangely set. That stiffness, filled with awkwardness and unfamiliarity, was evidence that their relationship was improving.

So,

“I heard that you were the only comfort to Her Highness the Princess when she was not faring well in the palace.”

To that extent,

“I heard that when your former fiancé was detained by Prince Mahanas, you tried to petition, and after the execution, you were greatly distressed.”

There’s no need to be concerned, is there?

In any case, Ophelia’s previous betrothed was dead.

In her previous life, Ophelia had never mentioned the deceased man.

If she had loved him so much, she would have resented him for taking the place of her dead lover, so her indifferent attitude was proof that the former fiancé was not an issue in their relationship.

Nevertheless, he suddenly recalled the voice that had been tinged with affection.

“Come to think of it, I’ve felt such emotions before too.”

That’s what Ophelia had said on the day she first apologized to him.

While knowing that she had a precious memory that made her reflect on and repent her own actions, Idren did not know who had created it.

In fact, he knew little about Ophelia properly.

From preferences to personality, Idren only knew what he had seen and what others had said. None of the information he knew had come directly from Ophelia’s mouth.

And he felt a bit of self-loathing. To be anxious even at this moment when everything was positive.

While not being able to properly utter a word to the person in question.

Idren already knew he would keep his mouth shut. He would remain silent, like the day she had leaned on him, like the day he had held the hand extended over her slender shoulders.

It couldn’t be helped. Idren lacked the courage to face the truth.

He felt like his throat was constricting just imagining Ophelia loving someone the way he loved her. He knew how hopelessly deep his own feelings were.

What’s worse was that even if Ophelia loved another, he had no right to stop her.

Ophelia’s heart was her own. She had no obligation to love him anywhere.

Some might say they were married, so he could claim a stake in her heart.

But Idren couldn’t bring himself to utter such hopeful words.

If theirs had been a love marriage, perhaps. But Idren knew how he had married Ophelia. He had hurriedly arranged everything according to Prince Mahanas’s words and brought her.

That was the only way he could marry Ophelia, and at the same time, a way that did not reflect her opinion at all.

What right did he have to demand love?

When he thought that far, Idren reached the conclusion that if Ophelia had to love someone, it would be better if she had loved the dead man.

After all, he was her husband in both her past life and this one.

Moreover, it was uncertain whether Ophelia really loved that man.

If so, there was no need to pry into a truth that might become uncomfortable.

Having concluded, Idren swallowed his words. He answered the woman who had already turned her head away again.

“Yes, I understand.”

The words drawn out as calmly as possible seemed to relax her face a little.

Mahanas Mevasa cherished the palace garden.

It was a garden filled with all kinds of luxurious flowers and trees. Not only those native to Reden, but also selected plants from nearby archipelagos and Egelbamot.

Enjoying these collected flora was one of his refined hobbies. Unlike gold or land, they bloomed once and withered, so their value couldn’t be compared to other things.

True elegance lies in how much one can consume of ephemeral things. At least, that’s what Mahanas thought.

Until now, he had to make some effort to maintain that elegance, but now it was no longer necessary. Because the Grand Duke of Aglante had taken his younger sister as a bride.

The attitude the young man had shown just before leaving the palace was strangely cold, but that wasn’t a big problem.

As long as he was infatuated with Ophelia, the Grand Duke was as good as in his hands. Because Ophelia was in his hands.

Of course, it’s true that Ophelia’s condition had been a bit strange lately.

Born with a tender heart and lacking in refined tastes, she had acted as if she had lost the whole world just because one worm-like fellow had died.

But Ophelia would come to her senses now.

If it was difficult for her to pull herself together alone, she could borrow the hands of those around her. Mahanas knew several friends who would help him properly educate his foolish younger sister.

Although Taeran, whom he had originally had in mind, had recently died suddenly, even without him, many would be willing to step up.

He had also sent loyal servants along with the wedding procession.

Ophelia should really be grateful for being born so beautiful.

Walking among the fragrant exotic flowers, Mahanas further solidified the thought he had held before. If she hadn’t been so pretty, the Grand Duke of Aglante wouldn’t have rushed in without considering the consequences.

Isn’t it a shame to hand such a girl over to Netepel Runtalis?

“Choose me instead of the Grand Duke. I can pay as much as he paid, no, even more.”

When marriage talks were in full swing, the 2nd Prince of Egelbamot had come to him and said so.

However, considering why he was in Reden, that prince was far from adequate as a son-in-law for Reden.

Netepel Runtalis had come on an errand for his half-brother, Crown Prince Orien. Like a servant.

Crown Prince Orien of Egelbamot grew Dallihwa flowers that wither easily, dried them, and enjoyed them with his friends.

And he sold the remainder to a select few royals and nobles, of which Mahanas often prided himself on being one.

The Crown Prince always designated his half-brother, not his own servant, to deliver the tea. It was clearly a humiliating task, but the 2nd Prince followed the order without a single resistance.

How could he sell something as valuable as the Princess of Reden to such a person?

The offer to pay more money was tempting, but Mahanas knew how to look at situations in the long term.

The money Prince Netepel offered would have been scraped together by squeezing out everything he had.

However, for the Grand Duke of Aglante, the same amount wasn’t a big problem. He was a man who could pay twice that amount if he felt like it.

So it was better to marry into the Grand Duke’s family even if the bride price was a bit less.

But not wanting to miss out on the benefits that Prince Netepel brought to curry favor with him, Mahanas pretended to consider until the very end before taking the Grand Duke of Aglante’s hand. That’s how one lives life cleverly.

Not stupidly clinging to trivial things like his younger sister.

Anyway, except for her looks, she’s not at all like Reden royalty.

Still, it’s fortunate she was born a girl. Mahanas thought as he caressed the flower petals as red as tea. Aren’t there men who would buy her just for her face alone?

The 2nd Prince of Egelbamot clearly hadn’t given up on Ophelia yet.

This time too, the young man’s face was filled with hurt and resentment as he brought Crown Prince Orien’s tea. He seemed to feel betrayed that he had handed his younger sister over to the Grand Duke after receiving everything he was due.

Yet the prince couldn’t raise his voice to him even once. Instead, he set down the tea container and hesitated for a moment before asking in a gentle voice.

“Why did you accept the Grand Duke of Aglante’s proposal?”

It was such an innocent question that Mahanas almost laughed at the young man. It was quite amusing that someone would ask about a reason everyone clearly knew.

He replied with a voice tinged with derision.

“Surely you don’t ask because you don’t know?”

At that, the young man’s jaw tightened.

But no matter how displeased he felt, there was nothing Prince Netepel could do. His younger sister was to become the queen of Aglante. There was no one who could block his path now.

Prince Netepel, too, remained courteous to him until the end.

“Of course, I lacked in many things. But isn’t there one thing worth choosing?”

So Mahanas lightly told the prince who didn’t know his place.

“The Grand Duke has a country, doesn’t he? Isn’t it more honorable to have a sister who is the queen of a large country than the consort of a prince who hasn’t even properly entered the ranks of royalty?”

The 2nd Prince seemed to understand his words. The young man didn’t bother him further. Mahanas spoke to his back as he rose from his seat.

“If Your Highness were the heir to the throne, it might have been different, but that’s not the case, is it?”

The prince who could never ascend to the throne no matter what hesitated for a moment at those words, but eventually acquiesced.

“That’s right.”

And he muttered.

“Unless God intervenes, the throne will be my brother’s.”

In an age where gods are dead, what better expresses the impossible than that?

Recalling the image of the prince indirectly stating that he would never sit on the throne, Mahanas broke the flower he was holding. The red flower, not yet withered, fell to the ground.