Through the fulllength window, the darkness was swarming late at night.

Having been worn out by the endless line of jewelers and cobblers since early morning, Olivia was in awe, fatigue forgotten.

“……You decorated this in just one day?”

The dressing room, reminiscent of a highend boutique, was perfectly organized.

Dresses delivered from Madame Pluto’s boutique were hung on hangers, and the finely crafted glass display cases were suitable to fill with the jewelry and shoes purchased that day.

“I told you, Sobel is competent.”

Edwin, sitting on the velvet sofa, spoke as if it were a matter of course.

The memory of him saying the same thing earlier when choosing the items, joking about where to place all these things, crossed her mind.

She thought it was a joke, but it was serious. Olivia chuckled at the Duke’s grand scale.

Sobel nodded his head with a stoic face.

“We hurried as much as possible considering that you will be going to Vicander soon.”

Ah. Olivia blinked her eyes.

The obvious fact that she would be leaving for Vicander once she received the Emperor’s permission to marry felt strangely fresh. She seemed to have grown fond of the Duke’s residence in just a few days.

A strange sense of disappointment arose at the thought of leaving the Duke’s residence. Olivia changed the subject, sitting across from Edwin.

“But was it really okay not to go to the palace today?”

“If they won’t open the door even after I contact them, well, what. I sent a letter saying I will visit tomorrow afternoon, so let’s go tomorrow afternoon.”

Tomorrow. Olivia pondered the date.

The morning was the day of the nobles’ meeting. It was a wellknown fact that the Emperor took a break from state affairs in the afternoon on meeting days.

“You picked the day well,”

Just as she had this thought, Olivia suddenly stopped speaking and looked at Edwin.

As their eyes met in midair for a longer time, Edwin’s eyes mischievously curved.

“Why are you staring so hard? It makes me flutter.”

“Why didn’t Edwin attend the nobles’ meeting? I suddenly became curious.”

Even against his tempting tone, Olivia’s calm reply spread disappointment across Edwin’s face. However, Olivia sank into careful thought.

There were many nobles whose territory was far away, making attendance difficult, but all highranking nobles had to attend the meeting obligatorily. That the only Duke in the empire did not attend was strange.

As she thought about it, Edwin nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, I’m always fighting wars.”

“That might be true before, but now the war is over.”

Edwin’s fame as a war hero had pierced the sky. Now would be a good time to solidify his position within the system. Olivia, who had been speaking openly, suddenly bit her lip.

“If you know so well, why doesn’t the Princess step forward?”

Leopold’s annoyed voice vividly came to mind.

It was a funny thing. The former fiancé. Now a relationship that meant nothing. However, Leopold’s words still seemed to linger deep in Olivia’s mind.

No matter how affectionate Edwin was, he would not be pleased. Olivia, unknowingly watching Edwin’s face, widened her eyes.

His red eyes were seriously looking at her.

“Do you want me to attend the nobles’ meeting?”

“It was just a question out of curiosity. Don’t take it so seriously.”

Olivia tried to brush off her words as a joke. She was used to working undercover, but expressing her opinions like this was unfamiliar. However, Edwin looked at Olivia cautiously but persistently and asked again.

“Don’t do that and tell me. What can Vicander gain if I attend the nobles’ meeting?”

What Vicander could gain.

Suddenly, the increasing annual tax came to Olivia’s mind. The tax that was growing sharply on the pretext of mining jewels was one of the sources supporting the empire’s affluence.

“……You could speak about the mineral tax. Edwin is offering all the spoils of war to His Majesty, after all.”
Olivia’s heart throbbed. Even without intending to, she kept glancing at Edwin’s expression. Would my words sound utterly absurd? It was a moment filled with tension,

“Truthfully, I’ve never thought about the taxes. Vicander is just too wealthy.”

At Edwin’s soft voice, Olivia’s heart thumped, and fell. As the thought that she spoke unnecessarily brushed through her mind, Edwin exaggeratedly looked around the dressing room.

When his gaze reached the completely empty display case, Edwin calmly added,

“……Well, if Olivia’s distribution gets larger, who knows?”

Olivia’s green eyes sparkled. It was a clear provocation and a transaction. And Olivia was fully prepared to accept this deal.

“How did you know that I can’t indulge in luxuries without worrying about the taxes when I leave the duke’s house?”

“Then the situation changes, doesn’t it? I’ll have to consider attending the conference now.”

At the mention of considering, Olivia hung her head low. Her lips kept curving upwards, and her heartbeat quickened.