“When was this letter written? Couldn’t Queen Marguerite have confessed the existence of the letter to Leo III already?!”

While the Archbishops of Montpellier saw Gallico’s fault as ‘the unauthorized espionage activities of the Duke of Mireille in a foreign palace’, it was irrelevant to the current Duke of Oude. The Duke of Oude stood up abruptly from his seat.

“This is not the time. I must meet His Majesty Philip IV immediately!”

“I will prepare the carriage, Your Grace.”

“I need to bring Larissa back quickly.”

Even if she had caused an accident, she was his blood kin.

“Although it might tarnish her reputation if she came back from abroad without being married, it’s a hundred times better than being locked up in a foreign prison.”

“Do you have a preference?”

One of the servants rushed in and spoke hastily.

“The carriage is ready.”

“Let’s go!”

Duchess Larissa had lately confined herself to her quarters, not moving at all. She had barely eaten, and she hadn’t slept at all.

‘What if the world finds out that the Duke of Mireille died because of me…!’

With her pale and wan face, she lay on her bed far into the afternoon, lost in hellish thoughts.

“Lady Larissa.”

A voice came from outside the room. It was the Count of Rubian. Larissa didn’t answer.

As if used to it, the Count of Rubian continued speaking without batting an eye.

“Orders have arrived from the homeland.”

Larissa’s eyes widened. It’s come. After all, what decision have Father and His Majesty Philip IV made? Have they abandoned me…?

“It’s an order to return.”

Larissa trembled under her covers. For the first time in ten days, she answered Count Rubian. Her voice was a wreck.

“…What does that mean?”

“It’s an order from His Majesty Philip IV to temporarily suspend the marriage negotiations and return home for now.”

Larissa couldn’t contain herself and sprang out from under the covers. She flung open the door, her eyes swollen and looking very thin.

“I understand words, you know! So, what does that mean! Does it mean… I can’t marry Prince Alfonso?!”

Count Rubian responded curtly. Since the Duchess Larissa caused a major accident this time, Count Rubian did not try to placate her.

“It’s just a temporary suspension. The homeland did not specify that the negotiations had failed.”

Larissa shrieked at Count Rubian’s reply.

“That’s what you mean! Telling me to come to this faroff foreign land, live in a stranger’s palace for nearly half a year, and then return to Gallico emptyhanded?! I can’t! I can’t do it even if I die!”

“It is an order from His Majesty.”

Count Rubian barely suppressed his urge to yell back at Larissa, ‘You should be grateful, you foolish Duchess.’

Larissa’s father, the Duke of Oude, made many political sacrifices to bring Larissa back to their homeland.

King Philip IV hesitated even though he received intelligence that the Etruscan Kingdom would blame the Gallico Kingdom for the death of Duke Mireyu. This was unlike his usual sensitivity to political advantages and disadvantages.

Duke Oude, in an unprecedented move, ripped off the label of the ‘aristocratic family that has been the most loyal to the royal power so far’ for the honor of the Gallico Kingdom—actually, for his daughter’s life—and insisted that negotiations should not proceed.

Philip IV, who inevitably needed the cooperation of Duke Balloa Oude in various domestic affairs, had no choice but to step back and declare a temporary suspension of negotiations and send the embassy back home.

‘Even from the perspective of His Majesty Philip IV, the loss was great.’

Philip IV could not send the embassy home emptyhanded when Duke Mireyu was dead. He insisted to the Etruscan Kingdom that, regardless of the circumstances, the Gallico Kingdom must definitely receive the murderer who took the life of Duke Mireyu. It was a fight for pride.

After lengthy debates, the Etruscan Kingdom took a step back and decided to hand over Count Elko, who was believed to have killed Duke Mireyu, to Gallico. He was scheduled to be taken to Gallico with the Gallico embassy.

If Duke Mireyu had committed a crime, Gallico would have had no reason to receive Count Elko, and given that it was an absolute necessity to save the face of a king who had just ascended to the throne, Gallico could only be in a disadvantageous position in the negotiations.

In exchange, the Gallico Kingdom agreed to reduce the tariff on border trade from the current 80% to 65%. It was a huge expense.

‘This time it went as Duke Oude wished. But His Majesty the King will definitely get revenge on the Duke sometime.’

Count Lebian looked down at the duchess, who was as doughy as flour, with a cold eye, the one who had burdened his lord. Feeling the contemptuous gaze of her followers, Lariesa involuntarily shivered.

“We will depart tomorrow. Tell your maids to prepare the luggage.”

“……Tomorrow?”

“I would like to leave today, but due to the number of people and the presence of the Duchess, we set it for tomorrow morning. There is no time to delay. We must get out of the border as soon as possible.”

Lariesa wanted to cling more to Lebian, but feeling the futility of it, she weakly shook her head.

“……I understand.”

Count Lebian left the room with only a curt reply.

Duchess Lariesa sat down on the floor and stared blankly into space for a moment.

The death of her sister Suzanne. The opportunity that rolled in for her. The prince of gold. She ruined everything with her own hands.

“No!”

Duchess Lariesa suddenly screamed, tearing her hair with both hands. She could feel the murmurs of the maids waiting outside the room, but Lariesa was too engrossed in one thing to care about that.

“There’s no way! No way!”

She would meet the prince of gold himself and hear his story. Perhaps he might tell her? That in fact, he didn’t dislike her that much, that he was sorry for spouting harsh words. It was just a discussion about the issuance of the archbishop’s dispatch, and he would welcome her, who was of noble birth, as his queen.

“Maid! Maid!”

Lariesa, who called the scared maids, ordered roughly.

“Bring my dresses right now.”

The maids, who were scared of what might happen, quickly brought three dresses for Lariesa to choose from. After choosing the most glamorous among them, Lariesa, with tearstained eyes, picked out everything from cosmetics to jewelries.

“I’m going to see the prince.”