While playing with her dress and observing the serious atmosphere of the imperial family, Anette suddenly recalled Mikhail’s grave misunderstanding.

And Charlotte, realizing the same issue, furrowed her brows with a sudden realization. She understood that her son’s irresponsible remarks weren’t just influenced by Cardin’s words.

〈Oh, Mikhail. You should behave properly. She’s going to be part of our family soon.〉

“It wasn’t meant to be taken in that sense…”

Thinking it wasn’t a big deal since he was young and could be explained later, Charlotte never anticipated such an outcome from what seemed a trivial matter at the time.

Feeling responsible for the ambiguous statement she made, Charlotte approached with a mixed smile of embarrassment and concern.

“Mikhail, the princess is not your betrothed.”

“Wha…?”

“She is going to be your aunt.”

Mikhail, who had been tearfully sniffing in sorrow, looked utterly confused, not understanding what she meant.

Eventually, Charlotte leaned in and whispered something in her son’s ear.

The revelation made Mikhail’s eyes widen in shock as he looked at Anette.

“The princess is Uncle’s?!”

In disbelief, he couldn’t fathom how someone his age could be in such a position. His gaze, filled with incredulity, finally landed on Cardin.

“Nephew? Why are you looking at your uncle as if he’s some kind of weirdo? There’s a reason for all this…”

Cardin hurried to explain, but his words were cut short.

“……!”

Without warning or any preceding symptoms, Mikhail collapsed forward as if his strings had been cut.

Anette gasped in surprise, while Lucius, as if anticipating this, caught Mikhail in his arms.

“Princess, thank you again for today. There’s much you must be curious about, but I will explain another time.”

Lucius spoke quickly before turning away, carrying the unconscious Mikhail, followed by Charlotte.

Anette’s eyes wavered as she watched them leave. Sensing her unease, Cardin reassured her.

“It’s okay. He’s just sleeping because he’s tired.”

“But…”

“He’ll be fine once he wakes up.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

Though still worried, Anette nodded, accepting Cardin’s words.

“Let’s go then. We should show your wound to the physician right away.”

“Okay… Ah!”

As soon as she responded to Cardin, she was suddenly lifted into the air. Cardin had scooped her up in his arms.

“What are you doing? Put me down!”

Startled by her sudden change in perspective, Anette instinctively clung to Cardin’s neck.

But Cardin, stepping out of the garden, remained calm.

“You’re the patient.”

“It’s just my hand that’s hurt, not my legs.”

“Still, this is faster. My legs are longer, after all.”

“Ah…!”

Unable to argue with his logic, Anette let out a frustrated sigh.

She didn’t need a mirror to know.

She must look just like a daughter in her father’s arms, similar to how the Emperor had carried the Crown Prince. The sense of adult indignity and a strange sense of betrayal from her fiancé, along with a foreboding feeling of experiencing this more in the future, made Anette’s face pale.

〈Such a weakling.〉

〈Father…〉

〈Don’t call me that. Until you awaken your power, you are not my son!〉

“……!”

Startled by the sudden harsh reprimand, Lucius’ eyes snapped open.

He quickly caught his breath that had been rising to his throat and looked around.
The tranquil scenery of the study entered Lucius’s view.

Only then did he remember coming to his study late at night to finish some pending work, after watching his wife and son asleep.

“Not even a child anymore…”

Lucius let out a low chuckle.

He had closed his eyes for a moment, unable to concentrate, and had fallen asleep, dreaming an old nightmare he hadn’t had in a long time.

Taking off his glasses and washing his face, Lucius stood up.

He felt the need for some fresh air.

Whenever his heart was troubled, he found himself drawn to a particular place – the secret garden where a commotion had erupted earlier in the day.

And in that garden, which he thought would be deserted, was…

“Cardin.”

As Lucius called out to his brother, who was standing still, gazing at a large tree, Cardin slowly turned his head.

Lucius’s face lit up with joy at seeing his brother but then quickly frowned.

“Why are you still wearing that here, where no one is around? Isn’t it suffocating?”

Cardin fiddled with his mask and let out a light chuckle.

“Not really. I’ve gotten used to it.”

“That’s… fine.”

What Lucius really wanted to say was to ask his brother to show his face, as it had been a long time. But Cardin seemed to misunderstand, or perhaps pretended not to understand.

Ordinarily, Lucius would have nagged Cardin a bit, saying that since he was now engaged to a princess, it was time to lower his guard. But today, he wasn’t in the mood for it.

Sighing deeply, Lucius walked up to his brother’s side.

The garden had returned to its peaceful state, as if the chaos of the day had been just a dream.