I was lost in thought for a long time when suddenly a knocking sound interrupted me.

I had clearly told everyone not to let anyone in.

Thinking that Betty would handle it well, I remained seated, but when the sound came again, I stood up from my seat.

“Betty?”

“…It’s me, Amelia.”

Outside the door, I heard the voice I least wanted to hear at the moment.

At the same time, the face I most wanted to see came to mind.

The bright smile directed towards me.

The unwavering eyes that tried to look like a child from the slums by deliberately smearing dirt on them but remained untainted.

Even the shyly blushing cheeks.

Without even thinking to wipe away the traces of tears on my face, I opened the door as if entranced.

“……”

“……”

Through the slightly open door, our gazes met.

A gaze filled with concern, worry, affection, and apology directed at me.

Upon seeing my tear-stained face, he seemed momentarily surprised but quickly composed his expression and asked in a calm voice.

“May I come in?”

In response, I took a step back to let him enter.

He carefully carried what he was holding and entered, and I closed the door weakly.

“I brought some chamomile tea. I heard it helps calm the mind and body.”

It seemed like you were quite startled earlier.

He placed what he had brought on the sofa inside and spoke.

I could feel the genuine worry in his gentle voice.

Anyway, I slowly walked over to him and sat across from him.

“I guess you didn’t think I would be surprised.”

As soon as I sat down, sharp words mixed with resentment and anger spilled out.

If he had told me beforehand.

The thought that my past life might have been a little different kept overwhelming me.

Of course, it hasn’t happened yet in this life, but in my previous life, I dedicated my entire life to Lloyd because of those memories.

Claiming that we were destined, and what he wanted was also what I wanted, for absurd reasons.

But even then, my husband at the time, Leoprick, never said a single word to me.

If he had told me about what happened that day, or even just about the ribbon from that time.

If he had told me that he was the one who promised his heart to me.

Then, I wouldn’t have been so broken.

I wouldn’t have turned my back on my family and servants while being swayed by Lloyd.

Whether he knew or not, every fact stabbed me like a knife.

Of course, the fundamental fault lies with me for readily believing Lloyd’s words without properly verifying them.

Still, I couldn’t shake off the thought that things might have been different if he had told me even once.

“I’ve been thinking all this time that the boy was someone else.”

I asked, clenching the hem of my dress on my lap.

Did he really not think I would be surprised?

“But now that you’re telling me it was Your Highness, did you think I would accept it as if it were natural?”

“What do you mean, Amelia? You thought he was someone else?”

But it was I who was rather taken aback.

“I’ve never said anything to you until now, so how on earth……”

He asked back with a face that showed he knew nothing.

Saying that the only people who know about this are His Majesty the Emperor and Sir Daeon.

He asked me, with an even more surprised expression, who I heard it from to mistakenly think it was someone else when even his secretary, Arnold, doesn’t know about it.

“Even Father doesn’t know about this. Only Betty knows, and she’s the only one.”

I, who has only had Betty and Hayley as proper friends throughout my life, and only those two to discuss and consult with.

It’s even more nonsensical to talk about my story in social circles filled with nothing but enemies or potential enemies.

“Your Highness has never told anyone else?”

I brushed my hair back, looking at him as he tried to recall with a completely bewildered expression.

“Think carefully, Your Highness. Betty and I have no one else to talk to but each other.”

And with a long sigh, I sank into the sofa.

Actually, well, it’s not a big deal if he told someone somewhere.

You might tell someone while living your life.

Wasn’t it a good memory that you wanted to bring up occasionally?

I, too, used to often fiddle with the ribbon and talk about that time with Betty until my debut.

But the problem was that my life was completely turned upside down because of it.

“If it didn’t leak out from somewhere, it could mean that Your Highness had people working from the beginning to deceive me… and I almost ruined my life because of that. If I hadn’t come to my senses midway, I might still be swayed even now.”

Why didn’t you tell me sooner?

Even as I spoke calmly, I knew in my heart.

In fact, this is me venting my anger at him.

Venting my anger at why he didn’t reveal the truth to me sooner.

Venting my anger at why he didn’t appear earlier.

And……

“Until Your Highness spoke about it, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t even recall it as a memory.”

Venting my anger at all my memories that had faded because of it.

No, actually, it was venting my anger at myself for insisting on the wrong choice.

Overwhelming emotions swirled and raged in my head.

To the point where it was difficult to properly distinguish where my fault ended and where his fault began.

He probably didn’t know I was being deceived.

If he knew, he wouldn’t be able to look at me with such a pale face.

He wouldn’t be able to face me with an expression that seemed to be consumed by piercing guilt and apology.

Seeing him slowly crumbling, I sighed again.

“I know it’s not Your Highness’s fault. And that I was foolish.”

“No, no. Amelia. I, I……”

Perhaps with an even more haggard face than mine earlier, he couldn’t easily open his mouth.

I quietly looked at him for a moment and then handed him the chamomile tea he had poured.

“Have some, Your Highness. I think you need it more than I do right now.”

Leoprick silently accepted the teacup I handed him.

Then, for a while, he just stared at the teacup.

I also didn’t say much and sipped my own tea.

Right now, this silence seemed better than anything else.

“I thought it was enough… seeing you happy.”

And after a long time had passed, he finally spoke.

It was true.

At first, I really thought that was enough.

Amelia, who smiled brightly as if she had the whole world by Lloyd’s side, holding her hand affectionately.

Lovely Amelia, whose face was filled with happiness just by making eye contact with him.

That was truly enough.

If I was certain that Lloyd was pouring his heart out to her without any ulterior motives, I was confident that I could bury my own feelings like that for the rest of my life.

“Oh, Duke. What if someone sees you?”

It was an Imperial Palace ball that I attended while trying to suppress my bitter feelings.

An event arranged by Mother, saying that it was about time for me to get engaged.

But no matter how hard I tried to look, my gaze kept drifting towards Amelia.

The flower of high society, the precious jewel of the Prime Minister.

The beautiful person who was more dignified and lovely than anyone else, but had already had her heart stolen by my cousin, Lloyd.

Unable to bear that fact, I had briefly left the venue.

I just wandered aimlessly, following where my feet took me, and arrived at the Imperial Palace’s rear garden.

That’s when Leoprick heard a small laughter entering his ears.

At first, I thought I had misheard.

Among the people attending today’s ball, Lloyd was the only one who would be called “Duke.”

I was sure I had just seen him by Amelia’s side before I left, so suddenly being called Duke was strange.

“Everyone’s attention is on the Crown Prince anyway. They won’t think there’s anyone here.”

Behind the familiar voice, embarrassing sounds echoed.

Sounds like soft chuckling, shallow breathing, and the rustling of clothes.

Leoprick felt anger boiling up from within.

“Still, you should go back. You can’t leave the young lady of Vermerian alone, can you?”

“Ah, Amelia?”

A small snicker followed her name.

As if she was nothing.

Hearing that sound, it felt like my blood was flowing in reverse.

The name that I cherished and valued so much that I had never properly called her by even once, how dare he.

“It’s fine. She’s a woman who would believe me even if I told her I could make bread out of dirt.”

“Oh my. I heard she’s quite smart. You’re saying she falls for such obvious words?”

“Are you saying my words are obvious right now? I’m hurt.”

After a small giggle, several unpleasant sounds followed.

Then, Lloyd added a few words in an annoyed tone.

“Amelia is annoyingly smart. She should just do what I ask, but why does she keep asking strange things?”

“What, so you were just using her after all? I thought you were putting in quite some effort, but you’re a very bad man. Duke.”

The moment the woman’s laughter clinging to Lloyd’s voice sounded grating.

Leoprick made a decision.

Even if Amelia resents me for the rest of her life, I have to make sure she doesn’t live in fear by Lloyd’s side.

I can’t let her see such a sight for the rest of her life.

Regardless of how she feels, at least her body should be free.

With that thought, from that day on, he decided to thoroughly shatter all of Lloyd Alois’s plans that would make his beloved sad.

If not in this life, then even using the secret opportunity passed down through generations in the Imperial Family, no matter what.

It was that evening when he told the Emperor and Empress that he would write a proposal.