Leopold blinked once, but Olivia’s expression remained unchanged. A face without a mocking gesture or a hint of reluctance.

As the tightly closed door emitted a faint taste of iron, Leopold stared at Olivia without even realizing he had relaxed his jaw.

An unfamiliar feeling he had never experienced before gradually washed over him.

No. It can’t be. Leopold forcefully denied his anxious thoughts. Should he bring up the subject with Olivia first?

“…I didn’t say that. Congratulations on the engagement, Your Highness.”

A slow voice intervened, disrupting the moment that had been exclusively between Olivia and him.

Ha. Leopold sighed heavily, shrugged his shoulders as if shocked, and met the Duke’s gaze, who had just now made his presence known, imposing himself.

The one who had been avoiding attention until a while ago now asserted his presence.

The Duke provocatively looked at Leopold, pressing closer with his escort arm as if challenging him.

Leopold twisted the corners of his lips. The seething anger rose, and the strange fear receded.

The seat next to her was reserved for him. There was no room for someone like a dog to intrude.

“…Engagement. You know better than anyone else that it’s not like that. Olivia.”

Even though the blackness spread beneath the heart, and the air under the skin turned black, it didn’t matter.

Suppressing the restlessness, Leopold forced a sweet smile and extended one hand toward Olivia.

“If you were so upset, that’s enough. Olivia.”

The flush of laughter disappeared from Olivia’s face.

The composed expression, after being broken, was even more seductive. Leopold, as if enchanted, spoke to Olivia again.

“Put aside the postponements and come into my palace. Prepare the prince’s room.”

“……. ”

“It’s the room you’ve always wanted.”

Olivia slowly raised her head. The green eyes looking at him finally seemed somewhat familiar. Eyes that always loved him with a gentle smile.

A faint sense of familiarity surged. Leopold’s handsome lips rose with relief as he faced that face.

Facing her, Olivia stepped forward, leaving behind the Duke who had escorted her. The Duke, who had reached out to follow her movement, quietly lowered his arm.

“Your Highness truly knows everything. Even what I wished for that room.”

“Well, it’s your room.”

“Then, Your Highness, what do you desire from me?”

What the defeated prince wants. Leopold’s mind was entangled with various thoughts. But only one word sprang forth from his lips as if on cue.

“…I hoped you would return to my side, Liv.”

Leopold blinked for a moment. The waves of the words he had uttered himself slowly shook his heart. It felt like the fog had cleared, and what was once hazy in his mind became clear.

Yes. That was it.
The reason for not calling it the Prince’s Residence but the Prince’s Palace, the annoyance at the delay, and the speechlessness while surveying the banquet hall after trying to annul Maria’s engagement announcement earlier.

Perhaps. Could it be that I harbor some affection for Olivia? Is that why I want her to stay by my side?

Suddenly, Olivia burst into laughter. Leopold, unable to continue his thoughts, stared at Olivia as her lively laughter cut through the night sky.

“If you grant me the position of a fake fiancee once again, will Lady Etel, whom Your Highness loves so much, become a government official again?”

“…Be careful with your words, Liv.”

His well-shaped forehead quickly wrinkled. The voice that had seemed sweet turned into a stern warning. Olivia smirked. The prince hadn’t changed. How could he be so disrespectful from the beginning to the end?

“I really haven’t received much respect from Your Highness.”

“Why are you suddenly saying such things, Olivia…!”

Leopold’s voice, now sharp with surprise, became sharper. Instead of answering, Olivia laughed lightly. Leopold’s expression slowly distorted, as if something had gone wrong.

Could it be that even now, Maria Etel believed that I would still love her?

Foolish, and even pitiful, Maria Etel. Does Maria Etel know about the current situation?

“Was your love so shallow that you could discard such a firm engagement so easily? Me…!”

His angry voice shouted like a challenge. Olivia responded with a thin smile. Was something wrong? Leopold’s expression, a mix of horror and full of anger, slowly twisted.

Could it be that she still believed that I would love her?

After a moment of hesitation, Leopold, who had been staring at Olivia, finally spoke.

“You love me…!”

Leopold’s eyes, uttering a final declaration, became increasingly desperate. Just like the way Olivia used to look at Leopold in the past.

So, since leaving for Bikan der, Olivia, for the first time, smiled affectionately at the prince. And as sweetly as possible, she replied.

“Forever. It won’t happen again.”

Olivia knew best how much of a shock her words would be to him.

The sea-colored eyes shook aimlessly. His gaze, denying the possibility, turned towards Olivia’s face. However, she continued to smile without any tremor.