A party was held to commemorate the 2nd Prince Callid’s first visit to the Kingdom of Ronica.

After the party began, Bellia appeared holding Callid’s hand as his partner.

Due to the aftermath of what happened at the 2nd Prince’s welcoming ceremony recently, everyone whispered as they saw them, but the two paid no attention. This was the situation they had wanted from the beginning after all.

Even when Bellia and Callid danced the first dance signaling the start of the party, people couldn’t take their eyes off them.

Their matching appearance – her in a red dress embroidered with gold thread and him in a black uniform – as they faced each other smiling was the talk of the nobles at the party all day.

They thought such different images wouldn’t suit each other.

But the picture of them together wasn’t as incongruous as expected.

“Elder sister.”

Hearing a small voice calling Bellia, she turned around to see Closet dressed up prettily with a grumpy expression.

“What’s the matter?”

While Callid had briefly left his seat to talk with the King of Ronica, Closet seized the opportunity to slyly approach and puff out her cheeks.

“What did you talk about with Prince Callid that day?”

“We didn’t talk about anything special.”

Bellia avoided answering.

Closet found it very strange that her elder sister was keeping secrets from her.

So she slightly brought out her hidden mischievousness and asked a question.

“What did you do alone in the room together?”

“Just talked.”

“A very, very intense talk?”

Closet asked with a lewd look.

“Hey, what are you saying?!”

What kind of lives are kids living these days to say such things?!

Bellia shouted in shock.

“Hmm?”

But Closet narrowed her eyes as if her elder sister’s reaction was even more suspicious.

“Did you sleep together?”

Bellia hurriedly covered Closet’s mouth.

“Mmph!!”

“Promise you won’t say anything. Then I’ll let go.”

Closet nodded vigorously.

Only then did Bellia remove her hand and quietly say.

“You… We need to have a talk later.”

“Are you going to tell me about the 2nd Prince?”

Closet showed no signs of remorse.

Just as Bellia was about to say something to Closet.

“Princess Bellia.”

Raul appeared.

Bellia’s expression hardened.

“Would you dance one song with me?”

Raul said, politely extending his hand.

She wanted to push that hand away, but there were too many eyes watching.

Bellia let out a small sigh and took Raul’s hand.

When did he even arrive? If she had known, she would have gone somewhere else beforehand.

And of all times, when Callid wasn’t here.

“I wanted to dance with you.”

“Didn’t we dance together before?”

“Yes. It was the day I first came to the Kingdom of Ronica.”

I should have said I was sick and skipped out back then!

Bellia regretted her past self as she walked to the center of the hall holding Raul’s hand.

“I fell for you at first sight that day, Princess.”

Bellia didn’t respond.

Because she was a bit tired of Raul’s attitude now.

“I thought you felt the same way as me.”

“No.”

“You certainly did. There was always warmth in your eyes when you looked at me.”

Raul tightened his grip on Bellia’s hand.

His voice became a bit stiff.

“Then, why did your heart suddenly change?”

“People’s hearts are always changing. To be honest, I was a bit swayed by Your Highness at one point.”

Bellia continued calmly.

“But that small curiosity disappeared. So please don’t waste your heart on me anymore, Your Highness.”

“Is it because of Callid?”

“…Not entirely because of him. It’s just that my heart doesn’t want it.”

Raul moved his feet to the music and quietly whispered in Bellia’s ear.

“Princess Bellia. I will not withdraw my proposal.”

“…Your Highness.”

“The Kingdom of Ronica should think carefully. About what it means to reject the 1st Prince’s proposal.”

“Is that a threat?”

“How dare I threaten the Princess. Of course not. I’m just letting you know.”

Raul smiled kindly.

And then he didn’t speak to Bellia anymore.

Like that, without any conversation, they just repeated a few movements to the music, and when the song ended, they exchanged greetings.

“Princess Bellia.”

Raul caught Bellia as she was about to return to her seat after dancing.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“…You will regret it.”

“What?”

Bellia asked back as if dumbfounded.

“Not choosing me. And choosing Callid instead.”

“No. I won’t regret it.”

Bellia shook off Raul’s hand and clicked her heels back to her seat. There, Callid, who had briefly left his seat to talk with the king, was standing.

“What did you talk about?”

Callid asked.

“Words not worth listening to.”

Bellia ruthlessly evaluated the conversation just now.

Callid, who had been looking at the dejected Bellia, smirked and held out his hand.

“Will you dance one song with me too?”

He was standing there with an uncharacteristically gentle expression.

Bellia stared blankly at the hand he extended for a moment.

‘Regret…’

Among the methods Bellia could think of, marrying Callid to deal with Raul was the best way to move without raising suspicion.

But is it right to bind him with her own greed?

Does he really want to become emperor?

Did she fail to properly grasp his intentions because she was blinded by revenge?

Numerous questions floated above her head.

“I’m tired.”

Bellia said, gently pushing away Callid’s hand.

She had already danced the first dance with him. There was no need to dance twice.

But Callid seemed not to have expected to be rejected, and was silent for a moment.

Bellia pretended not to notice Callid’s state and looked around as she spoke.

“Why don’t we go to the terrace instead? I’d like to rest a bit.”

At her words, Callid smiled again and held out his hand.

“Let’s go to the terrace. I wanted to go somewhere quiet too.”

“That sounds good.”

Bellia placed her hand on top of Callid’s.

She wanted to go somewhere Raul couldn’t be seen.

Because every time she faced him, she kept feeling the scent of blood.

They entered the terrace, locked the door, and drew the curtains.

Everyone probably saw them come in here, so various rumors will spread again.

Most will question Bellia’s chastity, and criticize her for lacking the dignity a royal should show. But it didn’t matter. She had long since let go of everything about herself.

“Has the investigation team left for the south?”

“Yes.”

Since his investigation team had secretly moved to the location of the gold mine I had informed him about recently, we should be able to hear the results soon.

I had expected it would take at least a month, but it seemed it would be possible to confirm sooner than that.

‘The level of their magic tools was much higher than I thought.’

It was something even Bellia, who had regressed, was seeing for the first time.

Magic tools with much more complex formulas than those used by the Empire and the Kingdom.

Why does Callid have such items?

But she decided to find out about that later. Anyway, the shortened time is good for us.

“It seems you’ll have to stay here for at least 2 more weeks to hear the results.”

Bellia said, leaning her body against the railing. The wind was cool.

From inside the locked door, cheerful music being played leaked out.

But on the opposite side towards the garden, only very quiet air flowed.

It felt somewhat surreal.

“Actually, I don’t like coming out to the terrace at parties.”

“Why?”

The terrace at parties was a place where incompatible words coexisted unrealistically.

Noisy, dizzy, lonely, solitary, desolate.

And all those words were directed at Bellia.

As if mocking her.

Look at the result of your choice.

In the end, you’re alone.

Everything.

‘…I created this.’

Bellia lifted her head and looked up at the sky.

Countless stars shone in the darkness.

“Standing at the boundary of such contrasting places, I feel strangely detached from reality.”

Bellia closed her eyes.

This place was similar to her position as Empress of the Empire yet not belonging anywhere.

Because she trusted Raul, she didn’t even think to create her own faction for later.

In the end, all that remained was the name of the solitary, noble Empress.

And that too, a princess from another country with just the empty title of Empress, cast out by the Emperor with no power.

‘I should have at least borrowed Ronica’s power from the beginning.’

I shouldn’t have been so stubborn.

I should have at least put myself forward with the name of the Kingdom of Ronica behind me.

Thinking it would burden her family, Bellia tried to solve everything on her own.

Meanwhile, not knowing what situation her family was in.

By the time she realized she had been deceived by Raul, Ronica had already been invaded by the Empire.

The Emperor completely blocked all information going to the Empress, and overthrew the Kingdom of Ronica through a very secret operation. In the end, nothing remained by her side.

“I often come to the terrace too, to avoid those I don’t want to see.”

Callid, noticing Bellia’s suddenly darkened expression, stood beside her.

Then he looked up at the sky indifferently and spoke.

“There are so many annoying people. Those who only speak ill of me behind my back tremble in fear and flatter me to my face.”

He calmly told his story, as if to comfort her.

Somehow, it was clearly different from his usual joking tone.

It felt a little warm, she thought.

Bellia spoke to him in a playful voice that had brightened a bit.

“I’ve heard rumors about Your Highness too.”

At those words, Callid looked at her.

Bellia also opened her closed eyes and turned her head to meet Callid’s gaze.

“Ha. You heard such rumors and still asked me to marry you?”

“For me, those rumors were nothing.”

Bellia paused for a moment.

Then she chuckled and opened her mouth.

“Well. The 2nd Prince I see before me now doesn’t seem as bad a person as the rumors say.”

“Is that so.”

After that, they stood leaning on the terrace for a while without saying anything.

Bright light and music still flowed from inside the window.

On the opposite side flowed darkness and silence.

The wind was cool.

The stars in the night sky shone.

They shared that strange feeling of being alone, not belonging anywhere.

Though they didn’t reveal any inner thoughts, they even had the ridiculous thought that they could understand each other’s hearts.

The cool air blowing gently was refreshing.

Bellia brushed back her fluttering hair with her hand and spoke to Callid.

“Still, being here with Your Highness like this, it’s not so bad.”

It was the first time she had stayed on the terrace with someone.

It wasn’t as uncomfortable as expected.

No, it even felt a bit pleasant.

Bellia turned and leaned on the railing.

“Really, it’s not bad.”

She murmured, not knowing to whom she was speaking.