The Duke, as if waiting, walked towards the sofa. Then he sat down and looked at Rose with a thoughtful gaze.

“You should sit too.”

“Oh, yes.”

Feeling awkward, Rose, who was standing still, quickly walked to the other sofa.

“Shall I make you a cup of tea?”

“No, I’ve had enough tea to last a lifetime.”

Duke Artem leaned forward and didn’t take his eyes off Rose.

He only awkwardly moved his lips as if he had something to say.

Rose looked at the Duke with a puzzled expression.

…Why?

Could it be… the meeting with the CEOs didn’t go well?
“Why did you come?” When asked this question, he had said there was no reason, but it could have been difficult for him to speak directly.

“…If that’s the case, things will get complicated.”

What if the princess couldn’t make a place for him? How would he deal with it then? Would those arrogant nobles who had fallen meet him?

Rose anxiously rolled her head.

Although it was a situation that had not happened yet, worry was already piling up.

With an anxious heart, Rose looked at the Duke.

At that moment, the Duke’s voice flowed out calmly.

“When is a good season to have a wedding?”

…Huh?

It was a question completely unexpected.

Rose blinked her eyes in a bewildered state.

…Why is he asking me about a wedding?

It was perplexing.

That the Duke was asking her something like this.

He could have asked his engaged fiancée instead of her.

Rose was quite taken aback, but soon she calmly accepted it.

Well… since I have experience with marriage, maybe he’s simply curious and wants to ask.

It could be that someone who has been married once might want to hear some experience.

“When would you like to have it, Your Grace?”

“I think the sooner, the better. Since we’ve already confirmed each other’s feelings, there’s no need to waste time.”

It was a truly spirited response.

Rose was surprised at the Duke’s confident answer.

‘He must really like his engaged fiancée.’

Even to the Duke, who seemed like he wouldn’t bleed even if pricked with a needle, there was a woman he loved.

‘Hmm, still unexpectedly quite humane.’

As time passed, his walls seemed to be crumbling.

The Duke was a very cold person to others, but to his colleagues, he was relatively kind.

Rose was unaware that the Duke’s kindness was limited only to her, continuing her thoughts.

‘But… has the Duke ever proposed due to his personality?’

Actually, it would be more appropriate to propose before talking about marriage, but in this place where strategic marriages were common, marriage often progressed naturally without a proposal.

Then, without proposing, they might spend aimless time and end up having a cold wedding.

Although a proposal was not necessary, if they didn’t do it, there might be a lot of nagging about proposals throughout married life.

With a sense of curiosity, Rose asked the Duke.

“By the way, Your Grace, have you ever… proposed?”

The Duke’s eyes widened at Rose’s words.

‘Indeed, he hasn’t proposed yet.’

Her expectation was correct.

With a somewhat hopeful heart, Rose offered advice as an experienced person to the Duke.

“Your Grace, even though the marriage is already decided, wouldn’t it be better to propose?”
“Even though marriage promises have been exchanged, I don’t know if there’s a need to propose. After all, if we’ve already decided to get married and I ask you again, what’s the reason?” In response to the Duke’s words, Rose let out a quiet sigh and tilted her head.

“I want to see how sincere this man is toward me. Of course, not proposing doesn’t mean there’s no sincerity, but it’s good to do it when the situation allows. It will make the relationship even closer.”

The Duke didn’t quite understand Rose’s definition of a proposal because it sounded highly inefficient to him.

“However, there’s no reason not to do it if she wants it so much.” Rose was boldly appealing to him for a proposal.

“Proposing properly is necessary.” Rose, who had already made her feelings clear and confessed first, was now asking for a proposal.

The Duke nodded as if understanding her words.

“Ah, and personally, I think spring and autumn are suitable for weddings. Winter is too cold, isn’t it? But the Artem Territory feels like winter even in autumn, so late spring or summer should be fine.”

The Duke’s expression became quite serious at Rose’s words.

“Are you suggesting we wait until then?” The Duke wanted to hold the ceremony immediately. He wanted to proudly announce Rose as his woman to the whole world.

He was annoyed by Viscount Wentz, who clung to Rose even after the divorce, and also bothered by the unknown business partner of Rose.

And when Rose started her business, she would meet even more people.

Every time, it was clear that obscure men would rush toward Rose.

“Then let’s do it next year.”

“Well, it’s just my opinion. If Your Grace wants to do it quickly, do it quickly. It’s Your Grace’s wedding, after all.”

The Duke was about to say, “It’s your wedding too,” but Rose was a step ahead.

“But doing it next year wouldn’t be bad. By then, the current complicated situation should be somewhat resolved.”

When that time comes, the person marrying the Duke may be called not ‘Duchess’ but ‘Empress.’

Although the situation with the Emperor was uncertain, strangely, she didn’t feel scared or want to run away.

Because the protagonist of this story was Rose herself.

The unchanging law of protagonists.

The protagonist survives in any situation.

And, the main characters were the same.

The Duke was no longer an extra.

Rose believed without a doubt that he would regain the throne.