After finishing his conversation with Bellia, Callid left the royal palace, and Acid, the guard knight who had been waiting nearby, quietly approached him.

“How was it?”

Judging by Callid’s bright expression, the conversation seemed to have been quite enjoyable.

Acid was very curious about what they had talked about. But his prince didn’t seem to have any intention of telling him.

“Hmm. Well.”

“Seeing you smile, it seems you liked it very much.”

“Well. She was quite bold.”

Even thinking about it again, Bellia was too fearless.

Not knowing who he really was…

‘Well…’

She would become his lover in the future.

So Callid closed his eyes, thinking he should warn her to refrain from such dangerous behavior from now on.

“Did you hear about the location of the gold mine?”

“No.”

“Isn’t that why you came all the way here?”

Acid asked back in puzzlement.

He didn’t know how many people had been deployed to find the owner of that letter.

Fearing that the First Prince’s side might find out, they had traced back the route of the letter with the maximum number of personnel currently available.

Through the production site of the sealing wax that was obviously left intentionally, the places where the letter had stayed in between, and the combination of letters remaining on the stationery, they were finally able to determine that the sender was Princess Bellia.

Recalling how Callid had pressed him with cold eyes until he was certain of the sender, Acid felt somewhat depressed.

Despite receiving such harsh treatment to obtain that information.

“Perhaps the princess lied…”

“Acid. Don’t jump to conclusions needlessly.”

As Acid began to express suspicion about Bellia, Callid raised his hand to stop him.

“More importantly, prepare for an official visit to the royal palace soon.”

So it had come to this after all.

Acid nodded, thinking he would have to make significant changes to the planned schedule.

“And we need to spread some rumors.”

If they spread the word in advance that he was in a relationship with the princess, it was obvious that Raul would be desperate to persuade her before he visited the royal palace.

The thought of that self-absorbed guy struggling to win someone over made him feel oddly good.

Moreover, it would definitely fail.

‘This should be interesting.’

Given how things were unfolding…

From now on, it would be impossible for Raul to follow the princess or have someone monitor her.

‘You should have done it properly without being noticed. Stupid guy.’

Always living off his own conceit, his actions were consistently sloppy when you looked at them.

Although he tried to use his brain to some extent, his underlying thoughts were so full of arrogance that most of his strategies didn’t even consider the possibility of failure.

Of course, Raul’s current position, with the full support and protection of the emperor, was absolute enough to offset all of that and more.

“What kind of rumors?”

“That Princess Bellia and I are actually in a very deep relationship. That’s why she couldn’t accept the First Prince’s proposal and is now in a very difficult situation.”

Ah, and adding to that.

“It would be good to add that she’s eagerly waiting for her true love.”

“…Pardon?”

Now that they had joined hands, he should properly help her, shouldn’t he?

“There’s a lot to do for my beloved.”

“What do you mean…?”

What did he just say…? Love? Beloved?!

Acid blinked, unsure if he had heard correctly.

“And I think I’ll get married. Keep that in mind.”

“…What?!”

Acid shouted, unable to understand the context at all.

Marriage…!

“W-wait! Your Highness!”

Ignoring Acid’s cry that was close to a scream, Callid moved on with a smile.

* * *

The rumors spread in an instant.

The story that the Second Prince Callid of the Empire and the First Princess Bellia of the Kingdom of Ronica were secretly in an intimate relationship.

Because their status was too significant to dismiss it as mere gossip, people everywhere whispered about it.

“Sister!”

Eventually, the rumors reached the Royal Palace of Ronica, and Closet, who heard about it at a tea party with her friends, rushed to Bellia’s room shouting.

“I just heard some absurd rumors?”

Bellia, who had been elegantly sitting and reading a book, looked up at the sound of the door bursting open.

Confirming it was Closet, she neatly inserted a bookmark to mark her place and closed the book.

“Closet. I’ve told you not to run like that.”

“Sister! Is this the time to talk about that?!”

Closet continued speaking without pause, even while panting.

“Now you and the Second Prince…! Th-that!”

“…Has a rumor spread that we’re dating?”

Bellia spoke up, replacing Closet who was stumbling over her words, unsure of what to say.

“Yes! That!”

“So what?”

Seeing her sister respond so calmly, Closet pounded her chest in frustration.

“What do you mean ‘so what’?! They say the rumor has spread among all the nobles! It must have reached the Empire too!”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Bellia’s attitude was unusually nonchalant.

“Don’t tell me…”

Come to think of it, she remembered her sister being busy trying to find a way to refuse the First Prince’s proposal.

Moreover, she recalled herself saying that the Second Prince would be much better than the First Prince.

No way, it can’t be…

Closet cried out, clutching her head.

“You didn’t spread the rumor on purpose, did you?!”

Bellia shook her head.

“It wasn’t a rumor I spread.”

Right.

No matter what, there’s no way…

She wouldn’t have spread such a rumor herself…

“He probably spread it.”

“Ah…?”

Wait!

W-what did she say?!

“Are you saying that the Second Prince spread that rumor?”

“Yes.”

“Sister!”

Bellia frowned and covered her ears at Closet’s shouting voice.

“My ears hurt. Why are you shouting?”

“No, wait. Just a moment…!”

Seeing her sister so flustered and at a loss, Bellia spoke calmly.

“There’s no need to be so surprised. It’s already an agreed-upon story with the Second Prince.”

“You’re not saying you’re really in that kind of relationship with the Second Prince, are you?”

“That’s correct.”

Bellia casually confirmed the fact and got up from her seat to walk to the terrace.

It was still bright outside.

The sparkling sunlight somehow made her feel refreshed.

‘He’s trying to fulfill the contract.’

It would be perfect if Raul withdrew his proposal here, saying he couldn’t marry someone with a scandal.

‘But that’s unlikely.’

He was still coming every day to the point of being annoying.

Then, although she felt sorry for Prince Callid, it might be better to quickly make public that they were lovers.

‘I wonder how we should announce it…’

Actually, it bothered her to think about a relationship so calculatingly. It felt no different from what Raul had done to her.

However, this was a relationship without love from the beginning.

Just a relationship formed by the convergence of mutual benefits.

Then it’s different from before.

If Callid, like Raul in her previous life, came to tell Bellia that he had fallen for someone else.

‘Then I can just step back cleanly.’

Since divorce among the imperial family was prohibited by imperial law, she could go down to a countryside villa and live as if dead, out of their sight.

If only she could utterly crush Raul…!

If only she could return to him that hellish time she had experienced, she could endure that much.

“Sister. You were complete strangers with the Second Prince until recently. No matter how much you don’t want to marry the First Prince, suddenly being lovers…! This will be difficult to clean up!”

Closet, who had followed Bellia to the terrace, poured out words in bewilderment.

What on earth had happened during that short period! And how did she even meet the Second Prince?

“Don’t worry.”

In contrast to Closet’s shocked face, Bellia’s expression was calm.

She looked at her sister with a faint smile.

This time, she would not cause anyone’s death.

To prevent such a terrible ending from coming.

So that all her precious family members could live happy lives.

“I have it all planned out.”

Because in this newly given life, she was determined not to repeat that tragedy.

‘It’s atonement for everyone.’

It’s about reversing the misfortune that occurred due to her choice.

So there’s no problem.

Even if it means sacrificing Bellia’s life.

* * *

The rumors about Bellia and Callid had now grown uncontrollably.

However, Raul still persistently sought out Bellia. He tried to turn her heart by presenting things he could give her instead of Callid. While doing so, he didn’t stop subtly spreading rumors about Callid.

“Haah…”

Since it wasn’t said outright, to people who didn’t know anything, it might have looked like an older brother worrying about his younger sibling, but Bellia knew.

It was Raul’s typical method of subtly tearing someone down.

“So please reconsider my proposal.”

“Your Highness. As I’ve told you many times…”

Bellia was about to utter words of rejection with a bored expression, but Raul cut her off with a smile.

“Princess Bellia. I am a person with very strong patience. I can endure the time it takes to win you over. So why don’t you think about it more deeply?”

“I…”

“You said you have Callid in your heart, didn’t you?”

Raul kept interrupting Bellia’s words. As if he was determined not to let her say anything he didn’t want to hear.

“That’s because you don’t know him well.”

A few days ago, Bellia had told Raul that there was someone she held in her heart. So doing this to her was just a meaningless act.

The tone was too strong to say she just conveyed the message; it was closer to a notification that she was rejecting his proposal. But Raul didn’t stop.

“I know him well.”

“No. That’s your misconception, Princess. You’ve only met him once, haven’t you?”

Bellia let out a scornful laugh at his attitude, as if what he knew was everything and it couldn’t possibly be otherwise.

“Your Highness Raul. He is currently staying in the kingdom’s capital. In such a situation, do you think I would have met him only once?”

At Bellia’s words, Raul’s expression hardened.

But soon he smiled again and tried to persuade her.

“Princess, it’s been barely a month since you got to know Callid. How can you be so hasty with such shallow feelings?”

It hadn’t even been two months since Raul met Bellia either. It was ridiculous that he spoke as if he was an exception.

“It’s a bit strange for Your Highness to say that. In fact, you haven’t known me for long either.”

Even after pushing him away this much, there should have been at least some change in his expression, but he seemed completely unaffected. Raul spoke still kindly while pulling up the corners of his mouth.

“I sincerely love you. And that feeling is growing. I am the one who can make you happy, Princess.”

Lies…!

The past Bellia had no idea that he was lying.

That fact made her resentful and angry.

How ridiculous must she have looked to him!

Bellia contained the deep anger that kept trying to burst out. Now is not the time.

Although Raul continued to persuade her appealingly, Bellia was firm.

As she stood up, saying she would end the tea time now, she conveyed her strong will to Raul, who seemed unable to understand.

“No matter what you say, I don’t think my heart will change.”

Not for any sweet talk.

I will never choose you, she thought.