“Count!”

“……Don’t follow me.”

I passed by Duke Belaste without looking at him and turned to the side.

Seeing that no one was passing by, I crouched down leaning against the wall.

My eyes burned and the tears that had welled up finally flowed down.

‘How foolish.’

Even though I vowed hundreds of times not to hope again, I easily broke that resolution.

‘If only I hadn’t asked why, it wouldn’t hurt like this now.’

I struck my throbbing heart hard.

‘Because it was the first time, I was clumsy……’

Why did I get so angry at the word “first”? At the end of the slowly pinpointed emotion, there was sorrow that had been piling up.

‘Uncle, who said he loved me to the best of his ability every moment, was also his first. But it’s so different from Duke Belaste.’

Wasn’t he a good person to others, even though he said he was clumsy?

‘Was that all you had to say? Just excuses like being clumsy and it being the first time?’

If only he had been like that to Uriel too. If he really didn’t know how to love because it was his first time.

‘Then I wouldn’t be shaken like this and would be fine.’

Even if I couldn’t completely forgive him, I wouldn’t have kept being so harsh.

I might have even allowed him to meet Blanche as he requested.

But that wasn’t the case, and Duke Belaste knew better than anyone that his actions were wrong.

Yes. He was someone who knew how to love his child.

‘He just didn’t do it to me….. How can he be so consistent?’

Not being able to do something and not doing it were clearly different issues. The responsibility for the latter was heavier than the former.

‘If this wasn’t the imperial palace, I would have cried comfortably, poured out all sorts of resentment, and hurt him back the same way.’

Unable to even cry freely, the unresolved emotions became knotted in my chest.

‘Packaging the wounds I received with words like that… No. Let’s stop.’

Repeating and thinking about this further would only make me feel more resentful.

‘I need to pull myself together and go see the emperor.’

Right now, there were priorities other than gauging the extent of my sadness and falling into self-pity.

It was much more important to meet the emperor and smooth over Blanche’s engagement.

‘Things need to go well, as Jade said. Get it together. It’s okay. I can handle this much on my own.’

It wasn’t difficult, as I had always done so. I repeated inhaling and exhaling.

I organized and erased the thoughts cluttering my mind.

‘It’s okay. It’s not even new. It’s not like I’m experiencing this for the first or second time, I’m used to it.’

I wiped away my tears and arrived at the greenhouse garden.

“Countess Boston!”

In front of it stood the Countess of Escalif.

“Umm, did something happen with Duke Belaste? Your capillaries……”

The Countess of Escalif looked me over with concerned eyes. It seems my capillaries had burst even though I had only cried for a moment.

“Ah, some dust got in my eye on the way here. I only exchanged brief greetings with Duke Belaste.”

I didn’t want others to know that I was in this state because of Duke Belaste.

“I see, that must have happened. It must sting a lot.”

The Countess of Escalif withdrew her curiosity and expressed concern.

“Oh, right now Princess Cassandra is inside. It seems she came to see His Majesty.”

“……Oh dear. Should I come back another time?”

“No, not at all. When I mentioned that you had entered the palace, His Majesty said to come right in when you arrive.”

Did he say to come in because Princess Cassandra would be leaving soon?

‘Well, since the emperor gave permission, it should be fine.’

The strong scent of roses mixed in the air wafting through the greenhouse garden hit me.

‘My guess was right. It was Princess Cassandra’s scent.’

It was exactly the same smell that was on Jade.

‘The emperor tried to marry Jade to……’

Princess Cassandra’s red hair shimmered with luster as she fanned herself beside the emperor.

“May holy glory be upon Your Majesty the Emperor, the great sun of Langrangsha, and blessings upon Your Highness the Princess, the shining star.”

I bent one knee at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

“Rise, Count.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“I sent Countess Escalif to the Bostons’ residence, but I didn’t expect to see you again today after yesterday. I hope we can meet often like this in the future.”

The emperor conveyed a blatant meaning that he wanted the engagement to be accepted.

“Oh my, Father. How scared would Count Boston, a mere noble, be if Your Majesty says you want to see him often?”

A mere noble.

That designation wasn’t incorrect in front of the emperor and princess.

‘Still, you don’t use words like “mere” so openly in front of the person concerned.’

Princess Cassandra’s behavior was clearly dismissive.

“Hmm, the princess has a point.”

The emperor was pleased with Princess Cassandra praising him.

“Isn’t that right, Count? Don’t feel burdened by Father’s words.”

Princess Cassandra’s disposition became clear as she spoke in a seemingly friendly tone pretending to be considerate.

‘Sharlin was openly hostile, but Princess Cassandra is the opposite.’

Unlike her, Princess Cassandra hiding her true intentions was not to be underestimated.

“Ho ho, Count Boston. More importantly, why did you enter the palace with Countess Escalif?”

“I came to gladly accept Your Majesty’s proposal for the engagement between Prince Serendio and Blanche.”

The emperor lightly tapped the table and laughed heartily.

“Is that true? Oh my, I’m overjoyed to have such a lovely granddaughter-in-law!”

“I will teach her well so as not to be a burden to Prince Serendio.”

“When I saw her yesterday, Count Boston’s daughter seemed very intelligent and warm-hearted. No need for unnecessary flattery.”

I bowed deeply, and the smile did not leave the emperor’s face.

“Your Majesty, may I make one request?”

“Of course! On this joyous occasion, how could I not grant it? Speak freely, Count. I will grant you anything.”

In a good mood, the emperor took the bait in one go.

‘Things are going according to the method Jade told me.’

I placed my hand on my chest and lowered my head.

“I would like the engagement ceremony and exchange of gifts to take place after my daughter has her debutante.”

The emperor’s upturned eyes drooped downward.

“……Debutante?”

His soft voice also hardened.

“Yes. I am grateful for Your Majesty’s generous grace in saying you would grant any request.”

Having said he would grant anything, taking it back would diminish his dignity.

‘This type especially values face.’

What the emperor had to keep was the words he had already uttered.

“……Well, you’ve already accepted the engagement anyway. What reason is there not to wait until the debutante.”

The emperor strained to hide the twitching at the corners of his mouth.

“Then…… you may go now, Count.”

Staying any longer would only irritate the emperor, so I quietly paid my respects and left.

“I’ll be going now, Countess Escalif.”

“Wait a moment!”

Just as I was about to leave, exchanging glances with Countess Escalif, a sharp voice was heard.

Princess Cassandra, who had followed, signaled Countess Escalif to go inside with her eyes.

‘The emperor must be angry.’

Countess Escalif, understanding the signal to go to the emperor, entered tensely.

“Even if the engagement ceremony is postponed, can it be said that they are a couple who have promised a future if they don’t exchange engagement gifts to prove the engagement?”

Princess Cassandra closed her fan with a sound.

“What are you trying to say, Your Highness?”

“No matter how much His Majesty said he would grant everything, there should be a proper limit. Wouldn’t it be better to reconsider and exercise restraint?”

She threw pressure to go back now and retract what I had said earlier.

“Your Highness. I did not say I would not accept the engagement.”

I deliberately continued in a calm voice.

“Ah, more than that…… No. Your Highness. I almost misspoke without realizing. Please forget it.”

One method of irritating the other person was to start saying something and then stop.

“What were you going to say? Speak freely, Count. I am generous and will surely not take it seriously.”

Princess Cassandra blinked her eyes coyly.

“Since Your Highness is not in the position of having a young child like me, I’m a bit hesitant to share thoughts as a mother.”

“……What?”

“If Your Highness becomes a mother in the future, we may be able to have a conversation with different thoughts than now. How about we discuss this again then?”

I mocked her indirectly while staying within the bounds of courtesy.

‘If the princess also had a young child, she wouldn’t have followed me out to speak like this.’

Understanding the meaning not to interfere rashly, Princess Cassandra raised her eyes fiercely.

“Also, speaking like that sounds as if Your Highness does not respect His Majesty the Emperor’s wishes. Please point out if my understanding is incorrect, Your Highness.”

‘If you say more here, it means you’re openly disrespecting the emperor’s wishes.’

Princess Cassandra inhaled and calmed her excitement.

“Father is so looking forward to this engagement that he wants it announced soon. I hope there are no misunderstandings.”

“Misunderstanding? Not at all. Then if you’ll excuse me……”

I smiled and nodded, cutting off the conversation.

“Ah, Count. I have something to tell you regarding Marquis Rowe.”

Princess Cassandra mentioned Jade and stopped me from leaving.

‘What could she have to say about Jade……?’

An inexplicable sense of unease came over me.