Biare spoke with a noticeably louder tone than her usual soft voice. So that all the other nobles could hear.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince. This is too much for me.”

Intrigued by her response, Ivan replied with the intention of playing along for a while, as if to observe her.

“But this is a gift for you, is it not?”

In an instant, silence fell over the cafe, and even those who hadn’t been paying much attention to them turned their gaze to the two.

“I must respectfully decline Your Highness’s kindness.”

It seemed she had deliberately let slip her intention to refuse the Crown Prince’s favor publicly.

People nearby who had overheard their conversation began to murmur again, and soon the word spread throughout the cafe, causing a commotion.

Despite being publicly rejected by a duchess and essentially humiliated, he showed no particular reaction.

“I’m curious about your reason, Duchess.”

“I think this gift should find its rightful owner.”

“Hmm, but who could be more suitable than you?”

“It’s not a gift that suits me.”

“I’m certain it would suit you well.”

Seeing that he had no intention of backing down, Biare smiled gently and spoke again in her soft voice.

“There must be someone more suitable for its caliber.”

“In terms of caliber, aren’t we quite similar?”

“You must know well what I mean.”

“…Indeed, the duchess is impossible to deal with.”

“I’m flattered by your compliment.”

“Come to think of it, it’s as if the duchess has planted a spy in my bedchamber.”

Although none of the nobles would be unaware of the Crown Prince’s reputation that had already spread secretly, he seemed rather brazen.

“How could I dare to plant a spy on Your Highness, the esteemed Crown Prince?”

“That’s right. Yet I’m curious.”

Ivan’s sly gaze, which had been fixed on Biare, suddenly changed to something different.

“What exactly could be your weakness?”

“……”

“I have high expectations for you. We’ll have plenty of time ahead.”

Biare deliberately ignored the hidden meaning behind Ivan’s words, which were all too clear.

She had no intention whatsoever of playing along with his tricks, no matter how much he tried to provoke her.

His determination to put her on the throne as empress, even to such lengths, was proportional to its ugliness.

Glancing at the window, she saw Diane and Tonio rushing over, and feeling somewhat relieved at the sight, Biare stood up.

“Much time has passed, so I’ll take my leave now.”

“I see, the Duke must be worried about you.”

No matter how notorious he was for his womanizing and frivolity, he couldn’t keep her for long without her consent.

Moreover, with countless spectators watching them, Biare was confident that Ivan would let her go, at least in front of them.

“Then let me escort you to your carriage.”

“That won’t be necessary. My loyal servants have just arrived.”

Following her gaze to the window, Ivan discovered two people watching him.

Tonio, who gave a short bow to Ivan, had eyes that were boiling like a candle with a blazing wick.

As if he were a dog ready to bite if even a hair on his master was touched.

Ivan chuckled at the absurd threat and said, looking at Biare.

“You seem to have very good loyal servants.”

“Yes, as you can see, they’re obedient.”

“I have no hobby of being bitten by dogs, so I’ll be going now.”

“Eternal peace to the Marta Empire.”

Biare, with a more solemn attitude than usual, politely greeted him and left the cafe with ease.

Empty-handed, with lighter steps than ever before.

Diane, who had been waiting for Biare to leave the cafe, was clinging to her with eyes on the verge of tears, while Tonio was carefully checking if his master had been harmed.

“Young lady, are you alright?”

“Yes, don’t cry. Everything’s fine.”

“I was so shocked when I heard from Miss Diane.”

“Tonio, don’t do anything reckless, no matter who the opponent is.”

“I’m sorry, young lady. I was thoughtless.”

“I’m telling you to protect yourself, not me. You’re still my knight, aren’t you?”

“Young lady……”

Biare quickly got into the Ruschef family carriage and said, trailing off.

“Everyone worked hard today. Thank you.”

She knew better than anyone that they had sweated not just for work, but truly to protect her.

Touched by her sincerity, Diane and Tonio seemed to pledge their loyalty to their master once again.

Biare, unbeknownst to them, wore a gentle smile at the peace of mind she had forgotten to live with all this time.

By the time Biare’s carriage arrived at the Duke’s residence, another Ruschef family carriage could be seen parked ahead.

The Duke and Gaizen, who had gotten out of the carriage, seemed to have returned home after finishing their usual business dealings.

Normally, she would have immediately gotten out of the carriage and approached them, but for some reason, her feet wouldn’t move.

As she hesitated to approach, looking at the Ruschef father and son, Tonio, finding it strange, called her in a small voice.

“Young lady, are you alright?”

“Yes. You all go in first.”

The Duke, noticing Biare getting out of the carriage, greeted her warmly with a bright smile.

“Bia, are you just coming back?”

“Yes, Father. You’re home early.”

“Yes, Gaizen couldn’t concentrate on the business at all.”

Biare casually glanced at her brother, and when their eyes met, he hastily turned away.

‘How can he be so obvious?’

While Biare was also trying not to show any reaction, it seemed Gaizen needed to make an even greater effort.

In the early morning as dawn was breaking, Manolin burst into Biare’s bedroom, pale as a sheet.

“Young lady, please wake up quickly!”

“What’s the matter, Manolin……”

Biare, barely opening her eyes in her sleepy state, could only guess why Manolin had chosen such an early visit when she saw the pile of newspapers she was holding.

Manolin, with worry clearly visible on her face, couldn’t close her mouth as she pointed to passages in the newspapers and gossip magazines.

“What on earth happened yesterday?”

The large headlines were composed of provocative phrases that anyone could see would attract attention and cause controversy.

Looking at the titles, each more outrageous than the last, she wanted to go back to sleep right then and there.

As fatigue washed over her and her temples began to throb, Biare sighed lightly and skimmed through the articles.

Although the articles claimed to be based on eyewitness accounts and reports, they had gone through the hands of journalists to the point of almost being recreated.

They were vividly disguising lies as truth to the extent that someone unfamiliar with the details might believe them.

‘The Crown Prince’s influence must have been considerable as well.’

Biare couldn’t understand why he was so obsessed with the position of Crown Princess.

This was unlikely to remain a simple gossip and had a high possibility of being raised as a political issue.

“It was just a brief conversation I had.”

“Young lady, I think it would be better to avoid social activities for a while.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

For the time being, the Ruschef family would become the talk of the nobles, contrary to her intentions.

Among them, the main topic of interest would be Biare Ruschef, herself.

No matter how famous Ivan was for his womanizing, to the nobles it would be considered mere rumors and a trivial matter.

Moreover, in the Marta Empire, it was not at all unusual for people to have concubines, divorce, remarry, or marry multiple times.

They would quickly rack their brains to decide whether to curry favor with the Ruschef family, be satisfied with the position of future empress, or somehow plan to slander the empire’s only duchess.

Therefore, Biare had to refrain from going out even more and wait for the situation to calm down.

‘Above all, I don’t want to create a situation that harms the Ruschef Duke’s family.’

She had no intention whatsoever of becoming bait for the nobles who were waiting to pick apart her every word and action, however insignificant.

Manolin seemed to be blaming herself, thinking that this had happened because the young lady had gone out due to her.

“I’m sorry, young lady. It’s because I said unnecessary things yesterday……”

“It’s not your fault, Manolin. I should have been more careful.”

Compared to before returning to the past, things that were unthinkable were happening now.

Instead of being complacent, she needed to prepare to respond accordingly.

‘How should I deal with the Crown Prince who holds both strategy and power?’

No matter how frivolous he might be, his schemes couldn’t be ignored. Moreover, Ivan had openly warned that he would find her weakness.

In the midst of all this, her only weakness was…

For her, the only weakness was her beloved former lover, Dension Verdeum.

Therefore, she absolutely must not let anyone discover her feelings for Dension.