“Jade, you, what are you doing?”

“Tell me why you tried to run away in a way I can understand. Larien.”

Anger welled up at Jade’s call.

I sat down on the floor and gathered the pieces of the pulverized train ticket.

As I clutched it in my hand, sorrow swept over me like a wave.

“Because I’m going to enter the Crown Princess selection!”

“…Crown Princess selection?”

“The selection is just for show. I’ve already been chosen. They say the royal wedding will be held next spring, so I was trying to secretly flee. Are you satisfied now that you’ve heard everything?”

To be precise, it was because of the baby in my womb, but I had to hide that from him, so I shouted.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the selection?”

“Do you have time to worry about me while you’re busy preparing for your engagement?”

The corners of Jade’s mouth lifted slightly.

“I didn’t think you’d remember that, Larien. Should I… not get engaged?”

Jade asked in an extremely happy voice, and I found it absurd.

“What about Lady Winst?”

“I told you I don’t love her. I said it was because of business that I accepted Count Winst’s request.”

“Even so-”

“Come to think of it, I’m not poor enough to need Count Winst’s investment.”

“…I’ll get another train ticket and flee to Trianon on the scheduled date. So please pretend you don’t know. If only you keep quiet, Jade, no one will know.”

“So you want me to just stand by and watch you leave forever like this?”

I couldn’t understand Jade showing such intense possessiveness.

We had shared emotions beyond childhood friends only once.

“…Are we, something more?”

That night, wasn’t embracing me just for a moment of pleasure?

‘I wonder what feelings Jade has for me.’

Should I honestly confess now that I’m carrying your child?

“Larien. We’re, friends.”

“…Friends?”

At that answer, I realized the worry I just had was meaningless.

“Isn’t this much possible between friends?”

I hated how he confused me with his ambiguous attitude and then simply defined us as just friends.

Tears welled up. I felt pathetic for having hoped even for a moment.

“Larien. Don’t cry.”

Jade reached out to wipe away my tears.

‘If we’re just going to be friends, he shouldn’t hold me back. Or… he shouldn’t have been so kind.’

His touch was so tender, I couldn’t bear it.

“Get your hand off.”

I swatted Jade’s hand away in one breath.

“Larien. What should I do for you?”

“I don’t need your help. Please don’t do anything.”

“Larien. You know this isn’t a problem that will be solved by being stubborn.”

“Stubborn…?”

It was more frustrating that it seemed like I was simply being stubborn.

“Why are you acting so unlike yourself?”

At Jade’s sigh, the emotions I had been holding back burst out.

“It’s my life! Let me handle it myself!”

“…Larien. Why are you being so tiresome today? It’s not like you.”

“I’m being tiresome?”

“…I misspoke.”

Jade pressed his brow firmly.

From the moment I first met Jade, I watched his moods.

Even after becoming close with him, I unconsciously catered to Jade’s temper.

…Now I was sick of it. The reason I was told I was acting unlike myself and being tiresome was ultimately the result of my choice not to offend his sensibilities.

I had lived in fear that Jade would kill me, and I was fed up with it.

I wanted to end this relationship, thinking I wouldn’t have to be that way anymore.

“If you don’t want to hear it, we don’t have to be friends anymore.”

“…What do you mean, Larien?”

Jade’s eyes became piercingly sharp.

In the past, I would have apologized and yielded at this point. To maintain my relationship with Jade.

Now there was no need for that.

“So from now on, don’t interfere in my affairs or take an interest. This is the end of us seeing each other.”

With those final words, I left Jade alone and exited the alley.

I thought I would feel relieved after cutting ties with Jade, but everything was a mess.

Not only the fact of my pregnancy, but having my plans to go to Trianon exposed as well, I felt uneasy.

I don’t know what to do from now on.

“That bastard…”

The problem was that Jade knew about my plan to flee to Trianon.

I had boldly said I would get another train ticket and leave as scheduled, but it was dangerous to hide the baby’s existence.

Jade seemed ready to chase after me to Trianon.

‘It would be better to look for somewhere other than Trianon, but what should I do?’

Maybe because time was pressing, no clear solution came to mind and my thoughts were in chaos.

‘Even if our relationship was just friendship.’

I knew well enough from this that he cherished me.

Unlike his rough treatment of others, he was kind to me.

He even said he wouldn’t get engaged to Lady Winst because of me.

‘It’s probably because we’ve known each other for so long.’

I, who had approached the lonely him first, was quite precious to Jade.

But.

‘Once he says something’s not, it’s not until the end. He won’t take back what he said about us being friends.’

So I knew Jade well.

If I were to die in childbirth like Larien’s mother, would he really protect the child?

‘I’m sorry to Jade, but…’

To me now, Jade was just an obstacle that had to be discarded to protect my child.

‘Because of Jade, my original plans were ruined and I can’t do anything now.’

Moreover, Jade, who manipulated everything as he pleased, was different from me.

If I hid the baby in my womb and became the Crown Princess, I could clearly see a future where I would die for the crime of insulting the royal family.

‘If the due date approaches like this, I’ll either die for insulting the royal family, or by the Duke’s hand.’

Duke Belaste valued honor above all.

One way or another, the end was death.

To avoid death, the only way was to flee as far as possible, to a place where no one could find me.

“Mary. Please contact my uncle.”

“By uncle, you mean… Earl Boston?”

Earl Cloin Boston.

The older brother of Rachel, Larien’s mother.

I had intended to keep it secret even from Earl Boston if possible, but there was no luxury of choice.

In front of the greenhouse garden, Sunset Palace.

Jade came to see the Emperor to undo Larien’s selection as Crown Princess.

He wanted to follow Larien, but she was the type who needed a few days to cool off when angry.

Trying to hold her back now would likely only backfire.

‘I can go find her later and make up.’

…Surely Larien wouldn’t really never see him again.

“Lord Rowe. His Majesty bids you enter.”

Jade followed the chamberlain into the greenhouse garden.

“I greet Your Majesty, the radiant sun of Langransha.”

The Emperor, who had been resting, welcomed Jade warmly.

“Duke Rowe. It’s been a while. Sit.”

As the chamberlain brought a new teacup, the Emperor poured the tea himself.

“Have some. It’s a tribute from Rouen, so the aroma is excellent.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Jade lifted the teacup and brought it to his lips appropriately.

“By the way, Duke Rowe could meet with me without a separate audience request, but…”

The Emperor’s face changed from his benevolent smile.

“There must be a reason for this sudden visit.”

At the words to get straight to the point, Jade loosely raised the corners of his mouth.

‘…Impatient old man.’

He didn’t want to drag things out either.

“Your Majesty. Please remove Lady Belaste from the Crown Princess candidates.”

“Remove Lady Belaste? You’re saying this knowing the Lady has already been chosen as Crown Princess?”

The Emperor was dumbfounded at Jade’s words. It was an expected reaction.

He wouldn’t agree to the request to remove Larien when she had already been chosen as Crown Princess.

“Well, I wonder if there’s anything Duke Rowe doesn’t know. Ah yes, how is the mining business going?”

As expected, the Emperor changed the subject, expressing his intent not to discuss it further.

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s grace, it’s going well.”

“Oh, I didn’t expect Duke Rowe to say such things.”

It wasn’t difficult to give the Emperor the answer he wanted.

‘If only I can remove Larien from the Crown Princess candidates.’

When she asked if they were something more, his answer that they were just friends wasn’t sincere.

It was a lie to keep seeing her in the future.

If he had told Larien, who was pregnant with another man’s child, that he liked her, she would surely have felt burdened.

‘She might avoid me.’

If they remained friends, he thought he could keep seeing her.

The word “friend” gave him a sense of stability.

Jade was satisfied with that relationship.

…If he became greedier, it would be a precarious relationship that could break at any time.

‘This is better than not seeing her at all.’

Anything more was just unnecessary greed, so Jade suppressed his desire to possess Larien.

A precious existence soon became a fatal weakness.

That’s why he didn’t want to create one as much as possible, but Larien had entered his heart before he could stop it.

‘I should find a place for Larien to give birth, away from Duke Belaste’s eyes.’

If she hadn’t asked him to get a train ticket at the rendezvous, he wouldn’t have known Larien was trying to run away.

This incident made him anxious, thinking she could flee at any time.

He wanted to keep Larien where his eyes could reach.