Recalling the stern expression of the archbishop who had given the blessing, Biare worried that he might have noticed her power, but she soon shook her head.

Only her mother, the Duchess, and Biare herself would know about the ‘Eye of Truth’.

Because even tracing back to the power holders, including her maternal grandmother, they had all long since passed away.

Attracting the attention of the believers, Biare only smiled slightly at their questions without giving any answers.

As more time had passed than expected, she was overcome with fatigue.

‘I want to go back and rest quickly.’

Having prepared since early dawn to visit the Grand Temple, she felt like she would collapse from drowsiness.

She had deliberately chosen a time when people wouldn’t be crowding, but contrary to expectations, many people had come to the temple for morning mass.

A belated regret washed over her, thinking she should have slept enough and visited in the late afternoon instead.

It would take about two hours to reach the mansion, so Biare hurried her steps.

As she left the chapel and walked endlessly down a long corridor, reaching a sparsely populated path, it happened.

“Why is the Duke’s daughter here?”

A very low and deep voice echoed through the corridor, and Biare raised her head to look at the source of the sound.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have come out of the mansion at all today.

Thinking that nothing was going right, Biare clicked her tongue briefly and bowed politely to the man standing in front of her.

“Glory to the holy Marta Empire.”

The man with pale blonde hair and red eyes was smiling with the corners of his lips raised, as if he had found an interesting toy.

“What’s with the formalities between us?”

Even as he said that, Biare felt as if she had been doused with cold water when his gaze, seemingly exploring her this way and that, touched her.

‘Ivan Rio Kartos’

He was the only crown prince of the Marta Empire, and the one designated as the next emperor whom no one should rebel against.

When Biare was about ten years old, she had visited the imperial palace with the Duke, excited, and that was when she first met Ivan.

Ivan, two years older than her, looked so extraordinary for his age that he seemed almost like an adult.

He was that aware of the ways of the world and could deal with any situation nimbly, but Biare didn’t like him.

It was partly because he always seemed to want to tease and play tricks on her whenever he saw her, but the arrogant boy was also skilled at manipulating people. And cruelly so, behind the adults’ backs.

For these reasons, Biare couldn’t like him.

When marriage talks between her and Ivan were circulating, she cried and went on a hunger strike that shook the entire mansion.

When their young daughter refused him, even rejecting meals, the Duke and his wife took the situation seriously and soon withdrew from the marriage talks.

Afterwards, Biare did not attend events where it was known he would participate, and fortunately, on the day of her debutante, Ivan was participating in the southern front.

Becoming the crown prince with the full support of his base forces along with the joy of victory, he was impeccable even in his political attitude.

He worked hard on relief efforts and cultivated public sentiment, to the extent that he was evaluated as an unparalleled future emperor.

Biare was not unaware that there were many ladies who admired him, with his supreme power, handsome appearance, and tall stature.

‘If only that was all there was to see.’

It was no exaggeration to say that a different woman came out of his bedroom every dawn due to his severe womanizing.

He didn’t even bother to explain, and his vulgar behavior, which he carried out even in broad daylight, contributed to this.

It was astonishing that there were no illegitimate children so far, but the crown prince was not someone who would create a situation that would harm himself.

If by any chance a woman appeared carrying his child right now, he was the type of person who would cut down the woman on the spot.

In fact, before the regression, when a lady appeared with the crown prince’s illegitimate child, turning the empire upside down, he had killed them without anyone knowing.

Biare didn’t even want to encounter such a person, so she hadn’t set foot in the imperial palace, making this the first time she had met Ivan since then.

She put aside the fleeting thoughts and answered politely, bowing her head slightly.

“I was about to deliver a donation and leave.”

“Ah― So that’s why I couldn’t see the Duke.”

When she realized that he had been looking for her father, Biare raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at him.

No matter how loyal a snake the Duke of Ruschef was to the emperor, he wouldn’t have sworn allegiance to the crown prince as well.

Biare frowned slightly at their unexpected encounter, and his persistent gaze, which didn’t miss this, entangled with hers once again.

“Is there a need to be so surprised? You already know.”

“I’m not sure… what you’re talking about.”

“Hmm, it seems the Duke hasn’t told you yet.”

“……”

Finding her displeased expression amusing, Ivan chuckled and began to speak.

“You’ll be of age next year, won’t you?”

“That’s right, Your Highness.”

“Then let’s do it then.”

Realizing she had to engage in a war of words with a man who was so incomprehensible, Biare inwardly swallowed a sigh.

She tried to understand Ivan’s intentions, but just as she was thinking that perhaps trying to understand his way of speaking was a foolish and futile endeavor,

As if finding this situation amusing, he smiled deeply and slowly approached her.

Surprised by Ivan’s unexpected action, Biare took two or three steps back.

He looked around as if no one should hear, and whispered secretly so that only Biare could hear.

“It’s our engagement ceremony, of course.”

Biare wasn’t here to waste time listening to such nonsense.

Letting out a shallow sigh, she suddenly glared at Ivan with a cold face, and her reaction was nothing short of frigid.

“It would be better if you stopped with the pointless jokes.”

“Why? Are you going to go on a hunger strike again like back then?”

Just because her childish behavior at the time had been concealed within the Duke’s residence didn’t mean it hadn’t reached the ears of the imperial family.

There was no trace of resentment or anger in his red eyes, but if his pride had been hurt by that incident, Biare was willing to apologize as many times as necessary.

“Though late, I sincerely apologize for that incident.”

“Do you really think I’ve been angry about that all this time and am trying to put you in a difficult situation because of it?”

As Biare just stared at Ivan with indifferent eyes, a low laugh fell from his lips.

“Hah― How much of a trash do you think I am?”

“……”

In Biare’s mind, he was already trash, but she didn’t feel like revealing that.

As she just stared blankly at Ivan without any reaction, he said awkwardly.

“It’s not like I could marry a man anyway.”

Currently, among the four great ducal families of the Marta Empire, only the Ruschef ducal family had a daughter.

It would be his intention to solidly establish his power by also backing the influence of his wife’s family, having already laid the political foundation.

Ivan, as if thinking of something, frowned one eye and added.

“I absolutely detest illegitimate children. I don’t want an adopted daughter either.”

The thought of him easily embracing other women while saying this made her want to laugh bitterly.

“Have you… already finished talking with my father?”

“Who do you think was the happiest when I brought this up?”

He was showing a triumphant attitude, as if he had already finished all conversations with the Duke.

The Duke’s attitude of trying to place her by his vacant side gave Biare a great sense of betrayal.

Biare had always found the greed of nobles trying to attach their daughters to him by any means despicable, given that the crown prince’s character was publicly known.

As she looked at Ivan, who was showing an arrogant attitude without even knowing what she was thinking, anger welled up inside her.

“My opinion wasn’t included, I assume.”

His relaxed smile towards her seemed to suggest that Biare’s opinion didn’t matter at all.

“My, you must be too young to understand.”

“Yes, that’s why I don’t have the skills to please Your Highness day and night.”

“……”

“Moreover, I think I’ll never know.”

As she answered while looking at Ivan, there was a sardonic smile on her lips.

Surely the esteemed Crown Prince would understand the meaning of these words.

Gradually removing his smile and becoming quite serious, Ivan suddenly grabbed her waist and pressed his body close.

“It would be better to stop playing hard to get, Duke’s daughter.”

Biare tried her best to escape from Ivan’s embrace, but the more she struggled, the more firmly his arms pulled at her waist.

Ivan’s usual glib demeanor had long disappeared, and only his red eyes were staring threateningly into Biare’s blue-green eyes.

“It would be better if you let go now.”

As Biare glared at Ivan with such intensity that her eyes turned red, he chuckled as if she was hopeless and released her.

“It’s better to seize opportunities when they come.”

Then, whistling, he casually passed by her and headed to where he was originally going.

Biare, not understanding for a moment what had happened to her, just watched as he walked away.

When Ivan’s back was no longer visible, she collapsed, her tension released, and soon began to tremble.

Realizing that she had easily crumbled without properly standing up to him, she became angry at her own weakness.

“Damn it… this sucks.”

Recalling the humiliation she had just received, Biare was determined not to let things go as he wanted anymore.