“Your Highness, I cannot go with you.”

The warmth in Aidan’s heart that had flared at her response suddenly cooled.

It felt as if the blood was draining from his body.

‘Why.’

He wanted to ask Brody, but his lips wouldn’t part.

As Aidan froze, Brody moved.

She escaped his embrace and stood up.

“You should have rather told me tomorrow.”

And she mumbled as she turned away.

“Then I could have driven you away tomorrow.”

“Brody!”

Aidan stood up and approached Brody, who was showing her back. He hugged her and said,

“Please.”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

Brody removed his arm. Unlike before, she was cold and firm.

‘Because I’m lonely.’

It seemed as if she was trying to use him because she was lonely, just for today.

‘Without even going with him.’

She felt guilty.

Brody spoke with her back to him.

“Please go back, Your Highness.”

It seemed more difficult to push him away if she looked at him.

No matter how she thought about it, her place was not by his side.

‘Duchess? No, now that he has declared independence, a queen.’

Becoming his wife would be no joke.

The life of Jack’s mother, Lady Duchess, whom ‘Original Brody’ had watched over her shoulder from her memories, was not easy.

The higher the status, the better the food and clothes, and not having to do menial tasks, but there were still many things to do.

The duchess took a week just to sequentially look over the household chores.

It was an important virtue to engage in proper social activities.

Many small parties and grand feasts.

Although they were made by the hands of maids and servants, planning and directing them was the lady’s task.

Parties and feasts were not always fun.

They did not use knives, but the conversation among the nobles was no different from a war on thin ice.

It might have been better if she enjoyed that temperament…

She would have worked hard like a cow, but mental warfare with people was not Brody’s taste.

Sometimes sickly wives obtained their husband’s permission to retire from politics and live.

But as much as she shirked that duty, there would be a penalty for the family.

Especially beside the Northern Duke, who was newly organizing the country.

That was an undeniably important position.

She was not the type to shirk her duty. If it seemed necessary, she would undoubtedly not stay still.

Since she had a personality that had to do things thoroughly, she would never be casual about it.

‘Yes, even if we concede a hundred times that she can handle those difficult tasks, but…’

Brody did not have confidence to walk on thin ice with her life on the line.

Besides, her identity was not ordinary. She was a spy aiming for the Duke’s life, and was connected to the empire’s prestigious family ‘Duke Makashi’.

Even if she could hide that fact from people, that she was a prisoner, that is, a person on the empire’s side, was already a public matter.

She becomes the Duchess? That would be an easy way to be hated by both the North and the Empire. And that would be a threat not only to herself but to Aidan.

More than ever, she thought so today, seeing him fall into darkness.

The life of worrying whether he lived or died, adventuring, and risking her life to boot.

She didn’t want to experience that feeling twice.

‘So, you shouldn’t choose to jump into the pit, being deceived by the present sweetness.’

“Is it… Is it because I’m not enough?”

Aidan asked in a trembling voice.

“The North’s situation is getting better now. It will continue to get better…”

He swallowed his words.

No matter how much the North improved, it would definitely be lacking compared to Brody’s living environment, the affluent capital, Duke Jack’s mansion.

“No, that’s an excuse. I will do well. I’ll do so well that you won’t think you’re lacking.”

Brody smiled bitterly.

That’s not what she wanted.

But she spoke coldly, contrary to her heart.

The thought occurred to her that she must leave here harshly.

“Do you know what I will demand?”

She turned around.

Aidan could only look at her, unable to reply.

Her cold, rigid face, adorned with a sarcastic expression, looked unfamiliar.

“The people of the North would be greatly disappointed if they knew you were acting like this, Your Majesty. If you had just listened to the Chief of Staff, you would not have made such an unreasonable decision. To neglect duty in pursuit of a single woman.”

Brody’s words pierced Aidan’s heart, mostly because they were true.

“Your Majesty, how much do you know me? Isn’t all you know about me either as a prisoner or a spy? I was just conforming to you. The me you wanted is an illusion.”

Aidan lowered his head and asked,

“Was it all a lie?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. That’s correct.”

“Lies.”

Aidan’s demeanor changed suddenly.

He slowly raised his gaze. Brody, trying not to flinch from his sharp look, stared back at him.

“It would have been more effective to say you hate me than to confess that it was a lie.”

Brody’s right hand, clutching her left arm, tensed up.

Aidan watched her intently, trying not to miss a single movement.