As the Ruschef family’s carriage stopped at the imperial palace, the maids lined up in waiting slowly approached.

Seeing this, Biare raised one eyebrow and let out a hollow laugh.

“Such treatment is unnecessary.”

“It is by order of His Highness the Crown Prince.”

She was dumbfounded, wondering if he had arranged this in case she might try to flee back in the carriage.

Inwardly swallowing a sigh, Biare pointed to one maid with a seemingly nonchalant expression.

“You, guide me to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Yes, Lady.”

The maid who answered with a bow soon took the lead, and Biare followed her towards the Crown Prince’s palace.

‘To think I would come here again.’

Although she had visited the imperial palace several times as a child holding her father’s hand, she always felt uncomfortable here and was filled with unpleasant emotions.

From the intricately carved golden statues to the interior that seemed to insist on only the finest materials, it all seemed to reveal his nature of always claiming to be the best.

‘You must rise higher for me to enjoy pleasure.’

When he would reach the top and feel the joy of ecstasy, Biare would drag him down to hell for all to see.

Therefore, until that day came, she intended to move as Ivan wanted.

After passing through a long corridor with arched windows arranged regularly, they finally arrived in front of the audience chamber.

The maid knocked on the door three times to announce Biare’s arrival, and a very low, deep voice was heard from inside.

“Let her enter.”

At this, the maids opened the doors, and Biare entered the audience chamber with proper etiquette.

“Glory to the holy Marta Empire.”

Meeting him for the first time since her birthday celebration three years ago, he looked even healthier than before, as if he had been doing well as rumored.

He had been politically flawless, and recently even successfully implemented relief policies, receiving praise from many imperial citizens.

She couldn’t help but know about Ivan’s activities, as they were heard everywhere from gossip magazines, various newspapers, and social gatherings, even though she didn’t want to hear them.

“I told you. Formalities aren’t necessary between us.”

Brushing back his light blonde hair, he was still unrestrained with his mischievous jokes as before.

Seeing his outrageous attitude even after meeting again after years, Biare swallowed a shallow sigh.

After greeting, she sat on the opposite sofa and looked at him, who seemed to have a triumphant expression.

“You seem to be in a good mood, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Indeed, I wonder if there could be a happier day than today.”

He showed strong confidence, as if he already knew well the reason why Biare had requested an audience.

Then he took out a gift box from his chest and placed it on the table.

“You haven’t forgotten this, have you?”

It was a gift box she had seen before and could never forget, so Biare almost bit her tongue.

“…You still had this?”

Ivan, who had been staring at her cyan eyes filled with astonishment, soon lifted the lid of the box and brought it in front of her.

“Didn’t I say before? No one would suit it as well as you.”

“……”

The finely embroidered white lace gloves still emitted a beautiful luster.

Ivan was cunning enough to anticipate her intentions in her thoughts.

He would never be an easy opponent in executing her plan, so it seemed more delicate acting would be necessary.

Lifting the lace gloves and putting them on her hands, Biare spoke to Ivan in a deliberately affectionate voice.

“It seems these gloves have now found their owner.”

“Yes, no one would suit them better than the Lady.”

“Then I gratefully accept them, Your Highness.”

At that moment, Biare was looking at him with the most radiant smile she had ever shown him.

She had practiced in front of a mirror, but she thought she might get a cramp if she kept it up much longer.

Staring at her, Ivan stiffened slightly, cleared his throat a couple of times lightly, and said.

“How well I’ve listened to the Lady’s words all this time.”

For the past few years, Ivan had not sought her out, and on days when they attended the same events, he stood far away and didn’t even acknowledge her.

He must be satisfied with his own attitude, asking her to recognize his efforts.

“I personally tried to become someone worthy of you.”

As he said this, he explained, as if making excuses, how quietly he had lived all this time.

Biare simply listened quietly, not knowing how to react, as such behavior from him was never familiar.

“I told you. The Lady was too young to understand.”

Leaning back on the sofa with his arms crossed, Ivan said with a crooked smile.

“……”

“But I understand. You were young then, weren’t you?”

“……”

“Not even a full-grown adult yet.”

Biare, who had been listening to his words silently, looked into Ivan’s red eyes and replied.

“Yes, it was my youthful indiscretion. But now I’ve developed a desire for that position.”

The pangs of conscience for uttering words she didn’t mean had long since disappeared.

Even now, anger was rising, but she only clenched her fist under the table without showing it.

‘I’ll break you more miserably than the pain Sion must have felt.’

Unaware of Biare’s inner thoughts, Ivan smiled more contentedly than ever and said.

“I’m glad that the Lady finally seems to share the same intention as me. Truly.”

Biare smiled faintly at his words and requested one condition regarding the engagement.

“I’d like only our two families to know about the engagement until the official announcement, if possible.”

This meant that she wished for no one to know this fact until she stood beside him as the Crown Prince’s fiancée.

“So you want to hold the engagement ceremony privately?”

He frowned and stared at her intently, as if he couldn’t understand at all.

To this, Biare calmly uttered words she had prepared in advance.

“Your Highness will become the Emperor in the future, won’t you?”

At her words, he raised an eyebrow and took a posture of resting his chin on his hand, as if telling her to continue.

Rumors were circulating among the nobles that the Emperor, whose condition was worsening day by day, didn’t have many days left to live.

Therefore, Ivan, who had been handling the Emperor’s duties, was weighing trustworthy people to keep by his side in the future.

If the fact that he was engaged to Biare was revealed in the midst of this, all the work he had been discerning so far could become an illusion.

Even fools would join in upon seeing the union of the imperial family and the Ruschef family.

“If the fact of our engagement is revealed, it will be difficult for Your Highness to discern those who will truly be your people.”

He, who had been listening to her words earnestly, soon nodded and said.

“Your words are correct. Indeed, my eye for people is certain.”

Before people’s attention was drawn, she had to move as quickly as possible within that period.

She couldn’t take the position of prospective Crown Princess without dealing with the things she had already set in motion.

As he accepted her intentions, Biare showed a knowing smile, and after some hesitation, she asked a question that had been on her mind all along.

“…There is something I’d like to ask Your Highness.”

To this, he tilted his head with a puzzled look, then answered with a benevolent smile.

“Ask anything, Lady.”

“Why… are you trying to give me the position of Crown Princess?”

She had been trying to grasp his intentions all this time, but it was utterly incomprehensible and had been unsettling.

No matter how much she thought about it, what Ivan could gain by putting her in that position didn’t seem that significant.

Even if it wasn’t the Ruschef family, several influential families wanted to offer their daughters as his bride.

Therefore, she really wanted to know why he was so obsessed with putting her in that position, why he had to kill Dension of the past.

“…Well, perhaps the impulse of a twelve-year-old remains even in adulthood.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Don’t take it too seriously.”

He laughed awkwardly as if embarrassed, and Biare wore an ambiguous expression at his puzzling answer.

“I’ll send the engagement document to the Duke’s residence soon.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’d like to send a proposal letter, but that would make you uncomfortable, wouldn’t it?”

“……”

“Once we hold the engagement ceremony… Yes, I’ll make you a spring bride next year.”

‘A spring bride…’

On that cold winter day, did the Crown Prince who took her beloved from her smile with the same face as now?

If she hadn’t used the power of the ‘Eyes of Truth’, Ivan would have clung to her position until the end and not let go.

Perhaps he had the arrogant confidence that he would keep someone by his side by isolating them.

From the beginning, Ivan Rio Kartos was a person who didn’t consider her will important.

Even now, he was trying to put her in the position of Empress as if it were only natural.

‘Let’s just endure until this winter somehow.’

This winter, when everything ends, she would never become his bride.

‘You will curse me.’

If she saw Ivan resenting and cursing her, Biare felt she would face unparalleled joy.

“Then I suppose I’ll just wait for next spring to come.”

As she gently raised the corners of her mouth, he finally seemed to feel he had taken one step closer to his desired ideal, and said with a satisfied look.

“By my side, the Lady will become the Empire’s finest woman.”

Just thinking about it made her want to vomit, so Biare only chewed on her tightly closed lips.