Duke Hersher only believed part of the rumor.

It was because it was completely unimaginable within his common sense.

That the Crown Prince and the daughter of the Odoi family had a secret meeting.

He believed even a small part of it only because Aria said she had seen it with her own eyes.

He actually thought she had seen something wrong and misunderstood.

Therefore, when Admund granted the audience, Duke Hersher was overflowing with confidence.

Confidence that he would arrange his marriage with Aria through today’s meeting.

“It’s been a long time, Duke. Have you been well?”

“I have been well and without incident until now, thanks to the grace of His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“I’m grateful that you say so.”

Compared to having been refused several times when requesting an audience, the atmosphere was not as bad as expected.

The Duke was anxious, wondering if Admund had some resentment towards him.

However, seeing Admund’s gentle demeanor in return, the Duke was relieved, thinking he had misunderstood.

“So, what is the reason you requested this audience?”

In fact, Admund was not particularly pleased to meet with Duke Hersher.

To be honest, it was because he knew well why he had come here now.

Admund wanted to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

He had to make her and her family face reality, as they were holding onto hope for something that would never happen.

He wanted to prevent Aria from being mentioned as a candidate for the Crown Princess any longer.

He took a sip of bitter tea. He smiled, thinking the bitterness in his mouth was from the tea.

“I believe Your Highness has now reached the age of twenty-two.”

“Come to think of it, it has indeed been that long.”

Admund held back a laugh at the Duke’s words, which were exactly as he had expected.

He intended to watch and see what kind of unreasonable demands he would make.

“I believe you know at what age emperors have typically married on average.”

“I remember my father only did so after he turned twenty.”

“Even so, he had an heir early, didn’t he?”

“Haha, an heir, you say?”

Admund, who couldn’t possibly not know that the heir referred to himself, barely held back from frowning.

He wanted to say something about the unnecessary meddling, but the conversation had not yet reached the main point.

Admund felt this time spent facing him was too precious to waste.

‘Clea.’

She has a cursed body.

Although he hadn’t properly confirmed whether it was true or not, he had often seen her suffering.

Admund also knew what a curse was.

But he had never seen anyone actually cursed.

He was only aware of the common point that curses exist, and that all those who were cursed met miserable ends.

Clea didn’t tell him, but Admund had already guessed.

That she didn’t have much time left.

‘If I hadn’t asked, would she have intended not to tell me until the end?’

On that day when the mood was good after having dinner together, Clea was trying to work up the courage to say something.

It fizzled out when Aria Hersher intervened in the middle, but rather, as if Clea felt less burdened, she spoke without much difficulty.

On the other hand, Admund kept feeling more and more bitter.

Indeed, if he hadn’t asked, she probably wouldn’t have told him until the end.

Clea, who would have ended up bearing everything alone. He thought of her, who would have quietly faced her approaching death someday.

“Your Highness, are you listening?”

“…I’m sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment.”

“It’s alright. I understand, given how busy Your Highness must be.”

“So what were you saying?”

Duke Hersher did not show any displeasure on his face.

Unlike with Lloyd, Duke Hersher was showing the utmost respect towards Admund.

Well, Lloyd and Admund were very different after all.

The nobility emanating from Admund was incomparable to that ruffian of the Percy family.

Of course, if even such a Duke were to see inside Admund’s buttoned-up collar, he would not think of nobility at all.

“His Majesty had long ago declared that he would entrust all matters related to marriage to Your Highness.”

“He did.”

“So I dare to suggest to Your Highness now. How about forming an alliance through marriage between Your Highness and our family?”

Without immediately answering the Duke who spoke so directly, Admund took another sip of tea.

He observed the Duke’s expression.

The Duke still had the same confident expression as when he first entered.

Admund was curious.

How his expression would change if he refused here.

“Who are you suggesting I marry?”

“My daughter. The one who was close friends with Your Highness at the academy.”

“Who was your daughter again?”

As Admund played dumb, the Duke’s expression darkened slightly.

However, it’s not that he hadn’t anticipated this kind of reaction from Admund at all.

After all, even he couldn’t be unaware that Aria had been hanging around with other men, including Lloyd, rather than Admund.

Thinking that he might be jealous or view it negatively because of such incidents, the Duke tried his best to clear up any misunderstandings.

“Your Highness, she has ended her relationship with the eldest son.”

“Oh my, the eldest son would be from the Percy family.”

“To become the Crown Princess, shouldn’t she first settle her relationships?”

Seeing the Duke’s attitude, as if he had no doubt she would become the Crown Princess, Admund was about to reveal the truth.

He felt almost sorry to keep watching his desperate efforts.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot accept your proposal.”

“Your Highness, it’s true that she has ended her relationship with Lloyd. So please, now…”

“Duke, you seem to have misunderstood my words.”

“Pardon?”

“Did you really not hear anything from the young lady?”

“Your Highness, what do you mean?”

Admund had thought that Aria would have already told him everything.

Surely if it were her, she would have informed the Duke and his wife of the truth and sought their help.

And indeed, the Duke seemed to have caught on to something in Admund’s words. His previously confident appearance began to gradually disappear.

“I have someone else in mind. And recently, I made a promise for the future with that person.”

“Your Highness, this is the first I’m hearing of this.”

“I’m sure it is. It happened quite recently.”

The Duke’s expression gradually darkened.

Even for a Crown Prince, this kind of distasteful joke was unwelcome.

“Is it that you dislike Aria?”

“It’s not that I dislike Aria, but that I have someone I’ve made a promise to, as I said.”

The Duke couldn’t bring himself to ask who this person was.

He could only tell him to stop lying.

He tried to imagine who Admund was referring to. But while continuing to deny it, he tried to make a proposal to Admund.

“Your Highness, if you were to marry Aria, our family would promise to provide several diamond mines we’ve just begun excavating, fertile territories and port areas, as well as money equivalent to their profits.”

He made a bold proposal. Surely, if Admund was as wise and rational as he seemed, he wouldn’t refuse such an offer.

In any case, if she became the Crown Princess and then Empress, it was clear that this investment would return to them.

At the same time, even investing this much wouldn’t be a significant loss for the Hersher family.

What the Duke wanted was solely honor.

His ancestors had already amassed immense wealth.

Now, he desperately wanted his only daughter to become a member of the royal family.

Knowing the Duke’s thoughts, Admund could only sigh at his behavior.

“Duke, do I look like a man who doesn’t even have that much to you?”

The previous Admund might have accepted the Duke’s conditions without hesitation.

After all, he could gain quite a lot by giving away the position of Crown Princess.

But now, such conditions no longer held much appeal for Admund.

“As I just said, I already have someone to share my future with. So it would be best if you stopped proposing marriage. That is, if you don’t want relations between the Emperor and the Hersher family to sour in the future.”

At those words, the Duke lost all sense of propriety.

He was overcome with curiosity about how the Crown Prince had changed so much.

So he asked directly.

“Is it really that woman from the rumors?”

Admund had been known for his integrity, without a single bad rumor to his name.

The only rumor that had ever been attached to such an Admund.

It was that he had desired a woman who was already engaged.

And the woman referred to was no ordinary person.

At the Duke’s question referring to her, Admund smiled genuinely for the first time.

“The woman from the rumors, you say.”

He knew well who the Duke was referring to.

“If I say yes, what will you do?”

He asked the Duke provocatively.

Admund, who possessed both the dignity and the intimidating presence that Lloyd lacked, was perhaps even more difficult to deal with than Odin.

It was a question implying affirmation. The Duke bit his lip, doubting if he had heard correctly.

“I… would find it difficult to accept.”

Having eagerly anticipated his daughter’s marriage to Admund for many years, it was indeed hard for him to accept.

“Then it would be best for you to come to terms with it as soon as possible.”

But Admund’s answer remained unchanged.

“Otherwise, who knows how the relationship between myself and the Hersher family might change.”

He was still looking at the Duke with cold eyes, as if he didn’t even consider the Hersher family.

Hearing those words, the Duke offered his greetings and rose from his seat first.