“I know, right.”

“A woman the Crown Prince is looking for. Whatever it is, isn’t it romantic?”

Romantic my *ss!

“Thank you. I was curious about the shoes.”

“It’s nothing. Hehehe, if you happen to find the owner, give it a try! It could be an opportunity to change your life.”

“Hahaha.”

Laurel turned to me with a deathly pale face. The entire nation was searching for the owner of the shoes. We finished our coffee in silence and left the coffee house.

Everywhere two or more people gathered, they were talking about the shoes.

Walking down the street as the sunset descended, Laurel said:

“Why don’t you just turn yourself in? As the owner of the shoes.”

“What?”

“They’re offering money to the owner too. Two hundred thousand gold seems worth it.”

“Laurel!”

“No, I mean, if you’re going to get caught anyway, wouldn’t it be better to turn yourself in……”

“Do you have to be so right all the time?”

Laurel heaved a deep sigh. I truly felt like everything was crashing down. If I could go back to that day, I would have grabbed the shoes and fled.

“What if I report you and take the 200,000 gold? It’s a life-changing opportunity, they say.”

“Laurel! Are you trying to abandon me?”

Laurel’s sigh deepened.

“……Hans made those shoes, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll contact Hans.”

I nodded. Hans was a leather craftsman in Lorentz who had been doing business with us all along. He was also the person who made the first pair of shoes I commissioned.

If anyone could recognize those shoes at a glance, it would be him.

I hope Hans will keep it a secret.

But I should consider the possibility that he won’t.

“……I could say I’m not the owner of the shoes.”

“What?”

“What if I say I sold them?”

“Who would you say you sold them to?”

That’s a problem too. Given the scale of this situation, they would likely chase the buyer to the ends of the earth. I chewed my lip anxiously.

But no matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn’t think of anyone who could pretend to be the owner of those shoes in my place.

Should I go find Cappuccino?

“……Right. That would be better. I just need to create a fictional character who bought the shoes.”

“I hope…… you succeed, boss.”

Laurel encouraged me with a solemn expression.

We nodded while maintaining eye contact.

That day, Vairen had clearly pronounced:

‘Ires Liberk.’

I felt somewhat bitter. I was going to deceive Vairen, who was looking for me when even my family wasn’t.

Vairen, who still remembered me after all this time…….

I don’t know why he’s looking for me, but it made me feel quite bitter. And I felt sorry for Vairen. This would hurt him once again.

But I absolutely did not want to return to the past, or to their side.

I was satisfied with my life as Iris.

A life where I gain what I work for and enjoy what I strive for.

I don’t have to lose to Rozenne, and no one can force me anymore. No one can hurt me in the name of family.

That’s why I didn’t want to give up this life. I simply loved living as Iris.

So, Vairen.

I’m sorry, but you need to give up on me.

※※※

Given the large reward, tips about the shoes flooded in. Claims about their grandmother’s shoes, self-made shoes, or sightings of someone wearing them.

But none of them provided any clues about Ires.

Meanwhile, the day of the promised meeting with Rozenne came around again. Rozenne had set a condition to pretend to be engaged for three years in exchange for information about Ires’s whereabouts.

As part of that arrangement, they had to dine together in public once a month.

Only six months of this charade remained.

Rozenne seemed to be going around talking as if she would really become the crown princess, but that didn’t matter. As long as he could get Ires back.

Vairen mechanically chewed and swallowed his food.

“……You’re really killing my appetite.”

Rozenne sighed and put down her utensils. Her gaze toward Vairen had grown cold.

She bit her lip tightly.

“How long are you going to be like this?”

Vairen glanced at her and casually wiped the corner of his mouth. Then he tossed his utensils down. It was a rudely impolite behavior. Vairen spoke coldly.

“How long? I believe we have six months left in our contract.”

Rozenne’s cheeks reddened with anger.

“After that, we won’t have to face each other like this. Of course, if I find Ires before then, we’ll end this earlier.”

Rozenne’s fingers trembled. Three years.

It was Rozenne who had set the three-year condition. She thought that even a man as wooden as him would fall for her within three years. But as soon as Vairen made the contract with Rozenne, he made Ires the crown princess. As if to ensure there was absolutely no room for her.

During that time, Rozenne had tried everything. She wore dresses Ires had left behind, pretended to be sweet and lovable.

She had even entered Vairen’s bedroom wearing only underwear.

Vairen had never once given in during any of those moments.

He pushed her away and rejected her to the point of humiliation. And that’s how they had ended up where they were now. That was also why Rozenne was anxiously searching for Ires.

Ires must never return.

“I’m starting to think you don’t actually know where Ires is.”

Vairen spoke coldly. Rozenne’s heart sank. He was a perceptive man.

“For the past two years and six months, you haven’t provided me with any information. That violates our terms, yet I continue this farce because of a thread of hope.”

Vairen bared his teeth. His eyes flashed like those of a beast, filled with cold anger.

“I’m really looking forward to what excuse you’ll make in six months.”

“……You misunderstand.”

Rozenne spoke in a deliberately calm voice.

Right now, the Duke and Duchess of Liberk were waiting for Rozenne to ascend to the position of crown princess. They were still testing her.

〈You said it yourself. That you could become the crown princess instead of Ires. If you don’t think you can keep that promise, tell us now. Shouldn’t we bring Ires back? Our family must produce the crown princess.〉

〈Are you trying to make a fake into an Empress?〉

〈We have no choice. Don’t worry, Rozenne. We won’t neglect you, who shares our true blood. There are ways for you to inherit the family or marry into a good family.〉

Never, she would never allow that. Rozenne intended to keep her position even if it meant killing Ires.

What makes them so special, what makes Ires so great?

“Stop looking for those shoes.”

Rozenne spoke in a voice strained with suppressed emotion.

Vairen stared at Rozenne with a cold expression.

“That’s none of your concern.”

“His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress don’t view it favorably. The Crown Prince of this country causing such a commotion over finding the owner of mere shoes?”

The relationship between the Emperor and Vairen had deteriorated severely after Vairen made Ires the crown princess.

Their already distant father-son relationship had developed a deep rift. Since then, the Emperor had been focusing on the children born to the current Empress.

Vairen acted as if none of this bothered him.

‘Why doesn’t he realize that I can be helpful?’

Rozenne trembled slightly.

She had built a friendship with the Empress and made efforts to support Vairen from behind the scenes. But Vairen refused to acknowledge Rozenne.

As if something was blocking his vision!

‘D*mn Ires!’

If she had known it would come to this, she would have had someone follow her when she left.

She had cut off all interest hoping Ires would disappear forever, never expecting things to turn out this way.

Moreover, Rozenne had also secretly investigated those shoes. Vairen seemed firmly convinced that the owner of the shoes held a clue to Ires’s whereabouts, but well.

Rozenne let out a small laugh.

“I told you this is none of your concern.”

“Keep doing what you’ve been doing. Don’t concern yourself with what I do, and you should continue as you have been. Just keep pleasing my father and the Empress.”

“……Do you really think Ires will return just because of that? What guarantee is there that she’ll come back just because you’re looking for her? If she wanted to, she would have returned long ago.”

Rozenne stabbed at Vairen’s heart with a cold expression. She hoped he would feel angry and hurt as much as he had damaged her pride.

Rozenne smiled, her eyes crinkling.

“It’s been three years since you made Ires the crown princess.”

Vairen’s face froze like ice.

Rozenne wasn’t entirely wrong. If Ires had intended to return, there had been plenty of opportunities. But Ires hadn’t come back, as if she had completely forgotten Vairen, as if she had completely forgotten that night.

The promise between Vairen and Ires was fading and growing old.

“Just give up, Vairen. And those shoes.”