Considering the typical engagement ceremonies of the royal family, today’s engagement ceremony for Callid and Bellia was incredibly small in scale. Of course, while small in size, the procedure was not significantly different from a typical engagement ceremony.

In her previous life, she had gone through both engagement and wedding ceremonies in the Empire. If she were to compare the timing, her engagement to Raul had happened much later than now.

So she hadn’t anticipated that the engagement ceremony would be held in a simplified manner in Ronica, nor that Count Selon would come as the Emperor’s representative.

Bellia recalled Derek, to whom she had given instructions.

‘By now, rumors must be starting to circulate in the Empire?’

As soon as the Emperor’s personal letter arrived deciding the wedding date for next spring, she sent a letter to Derek to execute the plan.

“Princess. It’s time to go to the ceremony hall now.”

At the maid’s announcement, Bellia rose from her seat.

The dress she was wearing had a simpler design than a wedding dress.

However, it was not pure white but had a very light pink tint, making it look a bit more vibrant.

“Alright.”

Anyway, there wouldn’t be many people attending the engagement ceremony, and all of them would merely be witnesses to prove that Bellia and Callid were a couple promised to marry. And the Archbishop would come to give a simple blessing and leave.

Bellia imagined her engagement ceremony with an indifferent feeling.

It wasn’t anything special. Feeling a bit tired, she hoped it would end quickly as she looked at herself in the mirror, checking her appearance with such light thoughts.

“Let’s go.”

Bellia slowly made her way to the engagement ceremony hall.

When she arrived at the central square where the engagement ceremony was to be held, everyone was already seated, waiting for her.

“You look beautiful.”

Callid, who met her at the front of the ceremony hall, admired Bellia.

“I thought you’d look pretty when I chose this dress, but my imagination couldn’t do justice to reality,”

Bellia burst into laughter at his words, which he uttered shamelessly with an unabashed face when he should have been embarrassed.

“You look handsome too.”

She meant it sincerely. After all, when someone who is already handsome dresses up, they can only look even more dashing.

Then Callid smiled and extended his hand.

Soon, when the entrance of the protagonists is announced, they will walk down the flower path laid out in front.

“It’s our engagement ceremony. We’re declaring to the people here that we’re going to get married.”

Saying that, Callid took a deep breath and asked Bellia.

“Are you nervous?”

“Hmm. Well…”

Callid, who had been quietly observing Bellia’s composed appearance, moved his lips several times as if to say something, but in the end, he didn’t utter a word.

When there was no word from him for a long time, Bellia turned her head to look at Callid.

He had a face full of dissatisfaction somewhere.

“What’s wrong?”

“Sometimes you’re too much for me.”

“Ah… Did I answer too carelessly?”

Bellia asked cautiously.

She was worried that she might have said something wrong.

But Callid shook his head.

“It’s a more fundamental problem than that.”

Callid sighed softly and held back his words. Explaining in detail why he felt hurt here would be a very pride-damaging thing for him.

“But I’ve decided not to force anything on you… So I’ll overcome this disappointment on my own.”

Bellia then realized her mistake.

Since she had already gone through both engagement and marriage in her previous life, such formal events weren’t that important to her. So she had only thought of it as a process to pass through for a purpose. But it wouldn’t have been the same for him.

“Callid.”

“…”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t consider your feelings.”

“Bellia. It’s better not to say anything right now.”

“Umm. I’m sorry.”

She hadn’t meant to hurt him.

Bellia tightly squeezed Callid’s hand that she was holding.

“…Don’t act cute either.”

That wasn’t her intention.

Bellia squeezed his hand tightly again.

Then she whispered in a small voice.

“Once we walk this path together, we can’t turn back. But that’s okay.”

Bellia smiled bravely.

“Don’t forget. It was I who chose you.”

At her words, Callid’s tense face relaxed helplessly.

He thought he was being childish and simple, but her single sentence made him feel better.

“I’ll do my best to ensure you don’t regret your excellent choice.”

Eventually, the Archbishop’s voice was heard announcing today’s protagonists.

To the accompaniment of the orchestra, Callid and Bellia walked slowly down the path beautifully strewn with white flowers, holding hands tightly.

Their faces were full of smiles.

Everyone watching them was convinced that, as rumored, they were truly in love. There was no way their hearts could be false with such happy smiles.

‘Damn it…!’

Of course, there was someone who felt even more upset because of this.

Raul, sitting in the front row, gritted his teeth as he watched Bellia walking in with a smile so beautiful it seemed to brighten her surroundings.

He should have been by her side.

‘Why? Why is it Callid next to Bellia, not me?’

He still couldn’t understand.

Does she really love Callid?

“Your Highness. Please smile. Your expression has hardened.”

“…I know that without the Duke telling me.”

Raul put on a fake expression again. However, the strength in his hands clapping gradually weakened. Raul gritted his teeth, trying to act as if nothing was wrong.

‘This feels disgusting…’

Was it because he thought Callid had taken what was his? Or had he unknowingly developed genuine feelings for Bellia?

He couldn’t clearly define the reason.

While Raul was lost in thought, Callid and Bellia were already sharing their vow kiss.

“They really are a well-matched couple.”

“Indeed they are.”

The whispering voices from behind kept bothering him.

The sight of the two kissing looked quite natural.

‘Of course it would, since they’ve even spent nights together.’

His mood, which he thought had hit rock bottom, kept sinking lower and lower.

Raul couldn’t take his eyes off Bellia. If it had been his usual self, he would have certainly withdrawn cleanly, but strangely, he didn’t even think of doing so now. His feelings about her weren’t settling well.

“Your Highness.”

“…Duke Selon. I think I should have the princess.”

Raul whispered softly as he watched them walking down the long flower path again after the engagement ceremony ended.

Duke Selon sighed at the sight of Raul.

“Your Highness. That’s not possible.”

“I’ve been thinking about it. But I can’t help but think that woman should be mine.”

It had been that way since he first saw her.

He had never believed in fate before, but he thought a perfect companion for him had appeared as if by design.

From her conditions to her innocence and gentleness, untainted by worldly matters. Nothing about her grated on his nerves. As if she had appeared just for him.

‘But that wasn’t all there was to it.’

The moment Bellia rejected him, a sensation of mismatched puzzle pieces swept through his entire body.

This isn’t right, something is wrong.

“There will be better matches than the princess. There’s no need to covet the Second Prince’s consort.”

That wasn’t it.

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

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

It was because she was Bellia.

“His Majesty will find you a good match. The princess of the Ronica Kingdom is certainly a good marriage partner, but that’s all.”

“What if I’m sincere about her?”

“…Your Highness. Please stop with these unfunny jokes.”

Duke Selon’s expression hardened.

He tried to understand, thinking it must be because he was upset about being rejected for the first time. But the prince’s unusual attitude raised an uneasy feeling.

“…She’s mine. She’s my person. It should have been that way.”

A strange sensation of constantly going against the natural order dominated Raul.

“Your Highness. His Majesty has the Lady of Canterif in mind.”

Duke Selon mentioned Ellin Canterif, who had been designated as Raul’s consort for a very long time. The Canterif Duke’s family, holding central power in the Empire, would be an even greater force than the Ronica Kingdom.

The Emperor intended to pass the throne to Raul, who lacked legitimacy, by giving him control of the central core power.

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

It was frustrating, but it was time to build power.

“I think we need to move up the timeline.”

Duke Selon looked worriedly at Prince Raul.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Tell His Majesty to prepare for the engagement with the Canterif Duke’s family.”

If he couldn’t have her right now, he could become Emperor, kill Callid, and take her away.

Raul’s expression brightened immensely.

Bellia was lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. And beside her, Callid was fiddling with her hair, strand by strand.

The engagement ceremony ended more smoothly than expected.

“Are you sleepy?”

“A little.”

At first, they had come into the room to talk about future plans, but as soon as she lay on the bed, fatigue suddenly overwhelmed her.

She had thought she was fine, but actually going through with the engagement ceremony had apparently involved a lot of things to be nervous about, as her whole body felt heavy now that the tension had eased. The nerves that had been on edge while observing the reactions of Raul and Duke Selon had also calmed down.

“Heh heh. Then get some sleep.”

Callid grinned at Bellia’s docile response, probably due to sleepiness. Bellia, half-asleep, was too cute.

“You must be tired.”

“I’m sleepy because you keep playing with my hair.”

Her eyes kept closing at the gentle touch stroking her hair. But Callid didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping.

“Your hair is so pretty.”

“Is it?”

“Yes. Like very fine threads spun from silver.”

“Really…?”

Bellia’s voice grew fainter and fainter. Eventually, Bellia fell asleep, breathing softly.

Callid lay down beside Bellia, who had fallen into a light sleep, and admired her face. With her eyes tightly closed, she looked like just an innocent princess who had grown up in brightness. It seemed almost out of place compared to the image of her confidently proposing a deal to him.

“Bellia.”

There was no answer.

“You can’t go anywhere now.”

Even as he spoke words that clearly revealed his possessiveness, the hand arranging Bellia’s hair was affectionate. He wanted to quickly return to the Empire and tie Bellia tightly to his side.

“But then you’d be scared, wouldn’t you?”

Callid smiled.

Looking at Bellia sleeping so defenseless, not knowing what kind of person he was, he somehow wanted to take a bite out of those fair cheeks. Bellia’s sweet scent kept shaking his reason.

Callid adjusted her position slightly so that Bellia could sleep comfortably. Bellia whimpered and snuggled her body closer to Callid.

“Heh heh. This is troublesome, princess.”

But Bellia leaned against Callid’s chest and fell back into a comfortable deep sleep.

‘Now what to do from here on…’

He hadn’t necessarily thought he would become Emperor. He just didn’t intend to let Raul become Emperor comfortably, so he had prepared various obstacles.

Well, if he became Emperor in the process, all the better – that kind of light-hearted attitude.

Callid sighed and ran his hand through his hair once. Then he looked down at Bellia’s clear face with a complicated expression.

‘Bellia doesn’t seem to know anything.’

However, he didn’t want to bring it up first without being asked.

Because he wanted Bellia to be curious about him.

“What should I do with you? Hm?”

Callid’s gaze wavered.