Eldin was a clear example. Being treated ruthlessly every year by the monsters, considered prey by the Duchess’s people, showed how much Krycia relied on magic.

Now that Kirian had realized that Reyna was alive, there was no reason for Krycia to continue searching in the name of monster subjugation.

Maybe he couldn’t think rationally, swayed by personal emotions and acting recklessly, as his mother suggested.

But for some reason, Duchess Maginé seemed unsettling. Even the commoners who appeared at today’s party seemed like individuals who had been trapped for a long time and barely managed to escape.

“Your Highness.”

Someone behind him called out to him.

“Ah, are you the Crown Prince now?”

When he turned around, he saw Esmeralda smiling gently.

“Ah, Duchess Maginé.”
His tried to control his expression as much as possible and bowed politely. The approaching Esmeralda was somewhat annoying, but now that they had met, he couldn’t coldly ignore her.

He didn’t know her true feelings. It was always proper to show a certain level of courtesy to all the noble ladies.

“Congratulations on your official debut in high society, Young Lady. The party today was truly exquisite.”

Certainly, it couldn’t be called a successful debutante’s ball, but empty words of politeness naturally flowed.

The young lady seemed pitiful, to some extent. It was evident at a glance that she had put a lot of effort into today’s party, and all that effort had turned into nothing in an instant.

Even now, Esmeralda’s complexion didn’t look particularly good. It was disheartening to see her so pale, almost worryingly so.

“Thank you.”

Esmeralda gave a faint smile. Even in normal times, her white face looked even paler.

“Among the congratulations received today, yours is the one I like the most.”

Esmeralda, still wearing the cream dress of a debutante, looked like a beautiful picture, but there had never been a time when she looked as miserable as she did now.

“Yes… I see.”

Although there was some concern in Esmeralda’s appearance, His felt like he shouldn’t stay any longer with the Duchess.

It had been a day with many events in various ways. He just wanted to go back.

However, as His turned to leave, Esmeralda grabbed onto his sleeve.

“Your Highness!”

Unable to brush off the young lady, His came to a halt.

“What’s the matter?”

“Um… with me…”

Esmeralda chewed on her lips until they turned white. The hand that tightly grasped His’s sleeve showed visible tension. However, her fingertips were trembling slightly.

“Please… engage with me.”

“What?”

His furrowed his brows. It was an unexpected proposal. He couldn’t be sure if he heard correctly.

Just today, Esmeralda’s eyes were following Prince Kirian throughout the party. Her inner thoughts were so apparent that people around her noticed.

But to suddenly propose like this? It wasn’t easy to believe. Yet, His couldn’t easily shake off the thin hand that held onto him.

With a short intake of breath, Esmeralda continued speaking with a shaky voice.

“I, I, it’s been several years since Lady Reyna left. It’s time for you to get engaged again. How about… with me?”

Esmeralda wore an indescribable expression. Even as she forced a smile, the corners of her lips were forcibly pulled up, and her reddened eyes seemed tearful.

“…I’m sorry, but it seems appropriate to reject such a sudden proposal. You’ll surely regret it, Young Lady.”

In the end, His lightly took Esmeralda’s hand to remove it. Though the words written densely on her palm were somewhat curious, it was too late now that he had taken her hand.

“Don’t worry, Duke. I’ll try to persuade him.”

Duchess Bellua fanned herself while pressing on her temple.

“Thank you.”

Unlike the Duchess Bellua, Marjane Viscountess, who seemed calmer, took a sip of her tea.

At that moment, the door to the drawing-room creaked open.

His entered with a somewhat absent-minded expression.

“Oh, what’s going on, son?”

However, even with Duchess Bellua’s question, His showed no reaction.

“I will do it.”

Approaching with hesitant steps, His grasped the contract. Though His spoke with a steady and rhythmic tone, his pupils seemed oddly dilated.

“Promote the development of the magical stone mine.”

Marjane Viscountess momentarily looked surprised but quickly covered it with a smile.

“Of course. It’s an honor to work with the Crown Prince.”

Esmeralda tightly squeezed her trembling fingers. The bloodless words didn’t fold neatly, but she forced herself to move them.

“You did well. You did a good job.”

Her voice trembled without mercy, repeatedly muttering words, but the more she did, the tighter she clenched her fist.

She wanted to be the protagonist at least once. For just one day, she wanted to shine more brightly than anyone else at the debutante’s ball.

The image of Kirian passing by her and approaching Duchess Douglas still vividly appeared in her mind. In that momentary jealousy, she wanted to run out of the party.

Surely, Reyna had disappeared. Opportunities didn’t come back to her. Perhaps there was never a chance in the first place. She didn’t know if she could never become the protagonist.

The fact was so unbearable that she eventually, without her mother’s permission, cast a spell on someone else.

“I hope you suffer as much as I did.”

Esmeralda whispered harshly.

“Just once, you should suffer as much as I suffered.”

It was the price for taking away the protagonist’s position from her.