Since that day, Leoprick had been continuously searching for an opportunity.

An opportunity to meet Amelia alone at any time and talk to her about a way out of this situation.

He was planning to apologize for ignoring her feelings all this time, tell her about his plan, and ask her to escape together.

Now that Amelia’s heart had weakened more due to the fear of being abandoned than her feelings for Lloyd, wouldn’t she be able to face reality better?

That was when he was eagerly waiting for the right moment.

“I have something to discuss with you for a moment, Your Highness. Could you spare some time?”

It was a day before the imperial palace banquet.

A day not long before her second or third birthday since getting married.

Amelia had asked him first to make some time for her.

From Leoprick’s perspective, there couldn’t have been a more welcome request.

Not knowing what kind of catastrophe that time might bring.

“What is it, Bi?”

He treated her with appropriate courtesy that day as well.

Just in case she felt burdened.

So that she wouldn’t run away before hearing all he had to say.

And she also consulted him about this banquet with her usual indifferent attitude.

“Since it’s Your Highness’s birthday banquet, I thought it would be better to prepare what you like. I wanted to ask what foods you prefer.”

“You mean the food?”

It doesn’t really matter.

When Leoprick said it was fine in a tone that implied why she would even care about such things, Amelia let out a small sigh.

“It’s a celebration banquet for Your Highness’s birthday, so if there’s nothing you like, people will definitely talk. No one cares about the decorations, but amusingly, they pay a lot of attention to the food.”

Amelia spilled out the words quickly.

From her expression, it was clear that she wanted to wrap this up and leave her seat as soon as possible.

He was already excited just for this brief moment.

But since their hearts were not the same, it couldn’t be helped, Leoprick shook his head while comforting himself.

“It’s really fine. Everyone knows that I’m not picky about food. If you’re really concerned, you can ask the chef to make small cakes to share so that at least the people of the capital can enjoy it together.”

“You’re going to share cakes?”

“It would be food that the common people don’t get to eat easily. The capital is mostly affluent enough not to need relief, so we’ll provide relief separately only to the slums.”

Leoprick said he was only asking for that one thing because he didn’t want to trouble her.

Just the fact that she was preparing his birthday celebration was already more than enough to be grateful and happy about.

So he said that much was enough, but she didn’t seem to like it.

“Your Highness. It’s your birthday celebration. Not His Majesty’s birthday, but Your Highness’s birthday celebration. And you’re saying you’ll make cakes and share them? And provide relief only to the slums?”

“If the preparations seem difficult, there’s also a way to hire people from outside so the chef doesn’t have a hard time…”

“Even when there’s already talk about the authority of the imperial family, you’re going to provide relief in Your Highness’s name, not His Majesty’s name. Don’t tell me, is it for the sake of the throne?”

“…What did you say?”

No, she just didn’t seem to like it.

The moment Leoprick saw her expression, tone, and those anxious eyes, he felt all the words he wanted to convey to her fly out of his head.

Clearly, when he saw her a few days ago, she was someone who was so afraid of Lloyd that she didn’t know what to do.

They say she cried as if she was working for Lloyd half-voluntarily and half out of necessity.

But suddenly, this hook-like attack.

And so blatantly revealing hostility at that.

He was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Anyway, the budget for Your Highness is also limited, and we can’t use the national treasury for personal events like birthdays, so I’ll ask them to make a big cake that at least the people coming to the party can eat. I’ll leave the menu to the chef.”

The chef would know Your Highness’s taste better than me anyway.

This much is enough, right? Amelia arbitrarily concluded.

“Oh, and let’s pretend I didn’t hear about the relief. It could cause unnecessary rumors about Your Highness. My company and I are taking care of the slums in our own way, so you don’t have to worry unnecessarily.”

It’s true that there’s no budget for that anyway.

She finished her words in an indifferent tone.

Leoprick shut his mouth at her words that indirectly criticized the lacking finances of the imperial family.

No, he couldn’t open it.

In fact, after she became a member of the imperial family, there was a big change in the lives of the imperial family members who used to live frugally.

She said she couldn’t just leave their clothes as they were, so she had their clothes and jewelry redone every time there was a banquet.

She did so using only the money earned by her company, leaving untouched the budgets they had saved to provide relief to even one more region.

To the imperial family members who cared about the people more than anyone else, Amelia was always a reliable supporter and a grateful backer.

If only she hadn’t stirred up this and that while claiming to support Lloyd, they could have become a family that cared for each other, even if not affectionately.

From the moment they found out that Amelia was supporting Lloyd, the Emperor and Empress said they would no longer accept dresses, formal wear, or jewelry from her.

And they generously paid for the cost of the clothes and jewelry she had made for them, nearly emptying their entire fortune.

They conveyed that they wanted to support whatever she wanted to do, if only out of gratitude for the heart she had shown them, but they wouldn’t be able to support what she was doing now due to their lack of generosity.

And after that, the Empress never met Amelia alone.

The Emperor was wary of her and occasionally warned Leoprick to be careful of her as well.

But even so, he thought he wanted to be with her.

It was fine if she didn’t love him, as long as they could look in the same direction and move forward together.

However, her words now meant that she didn’t even want to do that together.

No, it meant wake up from your dream because she had never even thought about it in the first place.

“Those words sound like you’re telling me to do nothing at all.”

So he refuted her words in a low voice.

Usually, he would have just followed her words appropriately.

Hoping that she would understand his intentions this way.

So that if he could get out of the quagmire like this, wouldn’t he be able to turn this situation around, even if very slowly?

“Bi, it’s only because it’s you that I’ve been turning a blind eye…”

Leoprick deliberately made a more concerned face.

“I’m not a fool. I’m not unaware of what you’ve been up to.”

“…What are you talking about now, Your Highness?”

“I’m saying it would be better to stop around here. For your sake.”

When he said that, Amelia gave a hollow laugh.

“Are you giving me advice right now?”

Your Highness. You’re not in a position to do that right now.

Amelia blinked and stared at him intently.

“You should give up now, Your Highness. There’s no hope for Reinhart anymore.”

“Bi.”

“If you wanted to give such advice, you should have done it earlier. You didn’t say anything when I was running around until my feet blistered, so why are you doing this now?”

“Bi. I’m just worried about you.”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

Each and every one of Amelia’s words was full of thorns.

If she was that sharp, she would prick herself too.

Leoprick felt pain in his heart at her words, and at the same time, he was concerned.

Her expression as she shouted seemed to be trying hard to look venomous, as if hiding her actually wounded interior.

Why was she so quick to throw herself away, but so slow to care for herself?

“You don’t have to worry about me. And don’t pretend to care so forcibly either.”

She retorted sharply with a highly sharpened expression.

Disregarding his concern, she was just deliberately sharpening her words more as if to mock him.

“Keep your meddling to yourself, Your Highness. I won’t care what you do anyway.”

“…”

“As always.”

And stop following me around.

Amelia muttered in a tone devoid of emotion.

Please, just leave her alone.

Don’t hover around, don’t approach her for no reason.

Don’t try to pull any tricks like this.

She must have known that he had been chasing her with his gaze these past few days, looking for a chance to talk to her.

On top of that, even his current attempt to somehow persuade her. Leoprick lowered his head, looking at her who seemed unwilling to listen to anything.

He had to hide his expression so that his pity, concern, and sympathy for her wouldn’t show.

“This time too, did my heart get ahead of me again?”

“…Yes, I hope there won’t be such incidents in the future. Your Highness and I aren’t in that kind of relationship in the first place anyway.”

Amelia clearly showed her discomfort.

Then she turned her body away.

“Well, since the business is over, I’ll be going now. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything unnecessary to Lloyd.”

Even while turning away so coldly that it felt like a cold wind was blowing, she must have only been thinking about Lloyd until the end.

She left the room after leaving a final request to Leoprick about Lloyd.

As if she didn’t want to spend even a little time in this room.

And as if she didn’t want to face him, it was a blunt exit.

How can he help her?

Leoprick finally let out a breath full of pity.

And regret came rushing in, just as she said, why he hadn’t stopped what she was doing earlier.

‘If you wanted to give such advice, you should have done it earlier. You didn’t say anything when I was running around until my feet blistered, so why are you doing this now?’

If he had paid attention a little earlier.

Before she ran around until the soles of her feet blistered, as she said, or if he had sincerely dissuaded her even once then.

Then maybe she wouldn’t have been so broken.

Rather than trying to hide her inner thoughts by sharpening her words, she might have chosen a better way to express her feelings more honestly and ask for help.

“It’s all my fault…”

A hollow voice filled the place she had left.

As cool as the temperature she had turned away with.

Leoprick thought of her who refused to listen to any of his words and leaned his body back.

As he buried his whole body in the soft chair, an inexplicable sense of futility washed over him.

Futility? Or helplessness?

It was an emotion he was experiencing for the first time as someone who had always been running hard for his family and country.

He used to think it would be nice if a day was about 100 hours long or if he had more than two bodies.

But unlike his efforts and worries, seeing her not even willing to have a proper conversation and his straightforward approach not working to the point that she wouldn’t listen to his words.

Leoprick felt as if his whole body was sinking into the chair.

Not a very pleasant feeling.

And an incomprehensible feeling of wanting to escape quickly but also wanting to stay like this.

Leoprick thought.

It would be better to either find another way or turn everything upside down.