“Do you mean to say, Your Highness, that you would risk your life in a duel when the empire is right in front of you?”

“If you’re serious about it, feel free.”

Lucas stood calmly, but he was ready to draw his sword at any time. Hyde wasn’t much different.

However, they couldn’t guess the moment to draw their swords since neither had sufficient reason or duty to clash blades.

“Archduke, I’ve roamed and fought through many more battlefields than you think. I’m stronger than what you see. I know you are a strong man too, but if lives are on the line, I will win.”

If Lucas had not been so well-established, he wouldn’t dare converse leisurely with the famous warrior Archduke Pharel.

The two seemed evenly matched, but the difference would likely be made by Hyde, who had not encountered the outside world from a young age, and Lucas, who had accumulated countless experiences.

Of course, that difference was not Hyde’s choice. The role of Archduke fell entirely on his shoulders due to his father’s premature retirement.

That sacred duty was in some way his shackles. The reason he couldn’t take a step further despite his desperate proposal to Serena was because of his heavy position as Archduke Pharel.

“So… you’re risking your life for a woman, Your Highness?”

It sounded more like a soliloquy than a question.

“Would you risk your noble life forgetting family, lineage, and subjects, only for a single woman?”

“Yes.”

Lucas answered without any hesitation.

“Serena is worth that much to me. She’s been my goal and dream that has kept me alive till now.”

Lucas’s face, calm and composed, held eyes filled with conviction and sincerity.

Just as the tension between them escalated, Hyde dropped his hand from the hilt of his sword. His defeat was clear even before the blades could cross.

“I wanted to make her my Archduchess someday.”

Hyde spoke indifferently.

“But even if you propose a duel, I can’t draw my sword.”

“That’s because you’re a responsible Archduke.”

Though Hyde seemed unbeatable in both martial arts and stature, he couldn’t let go of the responsibility that weighed on him at that crucial moment.

The name of Archduke Pharel, his mother who only looked at him, the subjects loyal to the Archduchy… He considered dueling for a woman an act of betrayal.

“May I ask just one thing? If you truly intend to marry her, why have you left her alone for the past six years?”

“I didn’t want to show her my unworthy self. And then my feelings only grew, until there was no paper that could hold them all.”

Lucas’s love was truly simple.

“Is it different now?”

“That’s why I came looking for her.”
The simple answer pierced Hyde’s heart. No matter how much he yearned, he was envious of Lucas, who could love a woman so defenselessly.

“There’s nothing to worry about. I’ve disappointed many with my years of wandering, and now there’s no one left who expects much from me.”

Was this also Lucas’s calculation? Hyde couldn’t know.

“So, I’m freer than anyone to love Serena, and if she wishes, it’s not just breaking her cage, but letting her roam the skies of the entire empire. With me.”

Through Lucas, who was not the concerned party, Hyde finally understood why his own proposal had been rejected.

He wasn’t prepared enough. To live a life with a woman as free and radiant as Serena.

The love both men had for Serena was deep, and Hyde’s feelings were no lesser than Lucas’s.

However, the freedom Hyde promised Serena could only be possible after the Duke entirely withdrew from his official duties, and given the atmosphere of the Farell Duchy, he couldn’t grant her complete freedom immediately.

“Do you not consider your words arrogant, Your Highness? There are things even I, a mere Duke, cannot do freely. What about you, the crown prince of the empire?”

“My status doesn’t matter. Who I am is what’s important.”

Lucas asserted without any hesitation.

“If my status makes her unhappy, then I don’t need it.”

Could he really be saying that he would abandon his position as crown prince for a woman? Hyde could only bow his head to that perfect answer. His spirit was also broken at that moment.

He wanted Serena while fulfilling his duties and responsibilities, but Lucas was different. From the beginning, he wanted only Serena and was prepared to sacrifice anything for that.

“I have… lost.”

Separate from his deep affection for Serena, he was a man too. There was a sense of relief on his face as he freely acknowledged defeat.

“I might regret showing you this expression for the rest of my life, but since you’re the competitor, please forget it appropriately.”

“It was brave of you to compete with me.”

Lucas took two steps forward and patted Hyde’s shoulder. It was a men’s way of interaction that skipped many words.

“She was worth it, after all.”

At Hyde’s bitter response, Lucas nodded. Who wouldn’t fall for such a special and radiant woman? The hearts were the same, but different fates had dictated the winner and loser.

“Well, now that I’ve admitted defeat, I must conclude. I’ll go back and bid her farewell.”

Lucas had that much magnanimity to allow it. Moreover, it was the result of their fight over Serena, so she had to know.

“All you can do is say goodbye.”

At that, Hyde scoffed.

“I’ve lost, so I’ll give up.”

The reason he didn’t draw his sword, the reason he wasn’t more proactive in his proposal, was ultimately because of the duties he carried.

Today, standing in front of Lucas, he realized that more clearly. No matter how much he wanted, he was insufficient in the capacity and readiness to be Serena’s companion. It hurt, but he chose to face the truth.

“This was a fight I was meant to lose from the beginning.”

Hyde mumbled, full of regret.

“My ambitions were too great.”

“I understand your situation. It’s just each person’s choice, after all.”

Lucas, who had said he could even abandon his status for her, had sincere eyes.

“Even though I’ve lost, I hope that your feelings continue forever. Because I… wish for her happiness.”

If Lucas, who could easily forsake the throne of the next emperor, was willing to indulge Serena’s freedom and stubbornness, then even if it hurt, he had to let her go.

Even if he couldn’t draw his sword once and lost the woman he adored, if that was the path closer to her happiness, Hyde was willing to be the loser.