“Your Highness. Please smile. Your expression is rigid.”

“……Even if the Count doesn’t say it, I know it well.”

Raul tried to make an expression again. But his clapping hands were gradually losing strength. Raul gritted his teeth, pretending nothing was wrong.

‘It’s disgusting…….’

Was it because he thought he had been robbed by Khaled? Or had he unknowingly developed genuine feelings for Velia?

He couldn’t define the reason accurately.

While Raul was lost in thought, Khaled and Velia were sharing a kiss of vow.

“They really are a wellmatched couple.”

“I know, right?”

The whispering voices from behind kept annoying him.

The sight of the two kissing looked quite natural.

‘Of course, they spent the night together.’

His mood, which he thought had hit rock bottom, was continually driven further down.

Raul couldn’t take his eyes off Velia. If he was his usual self, he would have gracefully stepped back, but strangely, he didn’t feel like doing that now. His feelings towards her were not neatly sorted out.

“Your Highness.”

“……Count Ceylon. I think I need to take the princess.”

After the engagement ceremony, while watching them walk back down the long flower path, Raul whispered softly.

Count Ceylon sighed deeply at Raul’s words.

“Your Highness. You can’t.”

“I’ve thought about it. But I can only think of her as mine.”

That’s how he felt from the first time he saw her.

He never believed in destiny, but he thought that his perfect companion had appeared as if everything was set.

From the conditions she had, to her innocence and modesty for not knowing the ways of the world. Nothing about her rubbed him the wrong way. She seemed like someone who had appeared for him.

‘But that was not all.’

The moment Velia rejected him, a feeling of a misaligned puzzle swept over him.

It’s not right, something’s gone wrong.

“You have better suitors than the princess. There’s no need to covet the Second Prince’s fiancée.”

That wasn’t it.

It wasn’t because she was Khaled’s lover.

It wasn’t because she was the princess of the Ronika Kingdom.

It was because she was Velia.

“The emperor will find you a good match. The princess of Ronika Kingdom is a good marriage partner, but that’s it.”

“What if I am sincere to her?”

“……Your Highness. Stop the tasteless joke.”

Count Ceylon stiffened his expression.

He tried to understand, thinking Raul was acting like this because he was upset at being rejected for the first time. However, a sense of unease crept in at the prince’s different demeanor.

“……She’s mine. She’s my person. She should have been so.”

A strange sensation, as if going against the norm, was dominating Raul.

“Your Highness. The Emperor has the Princess of Canterlief in mind.”

Count Ceylon mentioned Elin Canterlief, who had long been chosen to be Raul’s bride. If it was the Duke of Canterlief who held the central power of the Empire, it would be an even greater force than the Ronika Kingdom.
The Emperor intended to hand over the throne to Raul, despite his lacking legitimacy, granting him the central core power.

Knowing the Emperor’s intentions, Raul turned his back on the Duke of Cellon.

It was a time of division, yet he needed to amass power.

“It seems we may have to expedite matters.”

The Duke of Cellon watched Prince Raul with concern.

“There’s no need to worry. I’ll speak to His Majesty and arrange an engagement with the House of Cantelipe.”

If he couldn’t have her now, he could always kill Khaled and take her once he became Emperor.

Raul’s expression became utterly bright.

Velia lay on her bed, blankly staring at the ceiling. Beside her, Khaled was softly stroking her hair.

The engagement ceremony had ended smoother than expected.

“Are you tired?”

“A little.”

At first, he came into the room to discuss their future plans, but as soon as she laid on the bed, fatigue rushed over her.

She had thought she was fine, but having the engagement ceremony made her realize how much stress she had been under, her body felt heavy as if all her tension had released.

Her nerves, on high alert watching Raul and the Duke of Cellon’s reactions, relaxed.

“Heh heh. Then, rest a bit.”

Khaled’s face brightened at Velia’s submissive response due to drowsiness. Halfasleep Velia was adorable.

“You must be tired.”

“It’s because you keep stroking my hair.”

Her eyes kept closing under his gentle touch stroking her hair. But it seemed Khaled had no intention of stopping.

“Your hair is beautiful.”

“Is it?”

“Yes. It’s like a fine thread spun from silver.”

“Really…?”

Velia’s voice grew fainter. Soon, she fell asleep, breathing lightly.

Khaled lay next to the softly sleeping Velia, observing her face. With her eyes closed, she looked nothing but an innocent princess. It was oddly incongruous with the assertive girl who had proposed a deal to him.

“Velia.”

There was no response.

“You can’t go anywhere now.”

His words were possessive, but his hand fixing her hair was tender. He wanted to hurry back to the empire and bind Velia securely by his side.

“But that might scare you, wouldn’t it?”

Khaled smiled.

Watching Velia, who didn’t even know what kind of person he was, sleeping defenselessly, he had a sudden urge to nibble her pale cheek. Velia’s sweet scent continually disrupted his rationality.

Khaled adjusted Velia’s position slightly so she could sleep more comfortably. Then, Velia nuzzled against him with a murmur.

“Heh heh. This is a problem, princess.”

But Velia leaned against Khaled’s chest and fell back into a deep sleep, looking content.

‘What to do now…’

Becoming Emperor hadn’t been his definitive plan. He just didn’t intend to let Raul ascend to the throne easily, having prepared various obstacles.

Well, if he became Emperor, that would be even better it was that kind of lighthearted thought.

Khaled sighed, running a hand through his hair. Then he looked down at Velia’s peaceful face with a complicated expression.

‘Velia seems to know nothing.’

But he didn’t want to bring up the topic unless she asked.

He wanted Velia to be curious about him.

“What should I do with you, huh?”

Khaled’s gaze wavered.