“Your Highness the Crown Prince?”

Prelia carefully called out to Keinen, who was just looking down at her face silently despite her loudly pointing out the mistake.

Keinen did not answer her but frowned and slowly looked around.

“Eek!”

Wherever his gaze landed, people made strange sounds and hurriedly bowed their heads.

Keinen’s displeased sliding gaze reached the Grand Duke.

The Grand Duke rose from his seat with apparent difficulty, as if moving against his will.

Then he opened his mouth, addressing Prelia rather than Keinen.

“Hahaha. Countess, it’s unacceptable to retract the token you gave to His Highness the Crown Prince. His Highness is also unmarried, so he’s fully qualified to receive that token. Countess, don’t worry and follow His Highness.”

‘Follow who! Not only did you fail to protect your citizens, but now you’re trying to sell one more!’

The Grand Duke seemed to have forgotten that the banquet hall was full of his subjects as he was busy trying to please Keinen.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke, weren’t there supposed to be only 10 women going from the beginning? Including me would make 11. This goes against the agreement. Therefore…”

Prelia tried to calmly point out the error point by point.

“Oh! Countess, that’s not for you to worry about.”

The Grand Duke cut off Prelia’s words and gestured to the maids and royal knights.

“What are the maids doing! Quickly escort the Countess to the annex palace and prepare her!”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

At the Grand Duke’s command, maids approached and grabbed Prelia by both arms, beginning to drag her out of the banquet hall.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke! Didn’t you say 10 women?!”

Prelia tried to struggle until the end, but the Grand Duke avoided her gaze.

“Prepare the other women as well. Those who were chosen should go to their assigned places, and today’s banquet is hereby concluded.”

At the Grand Duke’s command, other women were also seized like Prelia and began to cry as they were dragged out.

‘So that’s why only the Grand Duke was smiling earlier! Because he can take all the assets of the Transk family! Because he can sell off the vacant countess title!’

Prelia ground her teeth as she was dragged to the annex palace along with the other 10 women.

* * *

A few days earlier, Prelia had received a promise during her private audience with the Grand Duke.

“Countess Prelia Transk, I’m glad you’ve awakened again. I regret that your army was annihilated.”

This was what the Grand Duke said to her when she finished her courtesy and straightened her back in the audience chamber.

“Countess, why have you come to see me today?”

“First, to ask why my name was included in the Festival of Flowers list, and second, to reclaim the assets of the Transk family.”

“Hmm.”

At Prelia’s blunt statement without any cushioning, the Grand Duke revealed his displeasure with a loud fake cough.

“And third, regarding the treatment of the remaining families of my subordinates.”

Since the Grand Duke had been the commander-in-chief at that time, Prelia naturally thought he would know about the aftermath of her subordinates.

“You were always like this. Stiff beyond measure. With that face, if you had been just a little more compliant, how much better things would have been.”

The Grand Duke clicked his tongue and, unlike usual, looked her up and down from head to toe in her dress.

“Please answer my questions, Your Highness.”

Feeling as if caterpillar hair was brushing against her, she slightly turned her head to avoid his gaze while demanding an answer.

“So stiff. The Festival of Flowers is already a royal decree, so I can’t exclude just you.”

“Your Highness, I am not merely a lady but a countess with a title. How could you!”

“In exchange, if you are not chosen at the Festival of Flowers, I will return all the assets of the Transk family.”

“Your Highness, that is only natural. Because they are mine.”

“Hmm, I’ll give you 50% of the profits earned from the Transk family assets over the past 3 years.”

“Give me everything. They are rightfully mine.”

“You should fix that personality of yours first.”

When Prelia hardened her face without responding, the Grand Duke cleared his throat and spoke again.

“I’ll give you everything. If you are not chosen at the Festival of Flowers.”

“Even if I am chosen, if I break off the engagement and return, will you give me everything?”

“I will do so.”

When Prelia kept asking for confirmation, the Grand Duke answered while waving his hand as if annoyed.

It was a sign not to mention this matter anymore.

“I will follow your orders, Your Highness. And what about the treatment of my subordinates’ families?”

Her question must have been too bold, as the Grand Duke’s face contorted greatly as he gripped the chair’s armrest tightly enough to break it.

He clenched his teeth so hard that she could hear his molars grinding against each other.

“Time’s up, Countess. Farewell.”

“Your Highness!”

“They were nothing but vagabonds! The trash of this capital! Why should I take care of them too!”

The Grand Duke revealed his anger while breathing roughly.

The attendants beside him rushed to calm him down, but to no avail.

“Countess, do you dare to look down on me because we lost the war?!”

“Absolutely not, Your Highness! I just…”

“What did the noble Countess Transk do while I was being humiliated by the enemy! Just lying down!”

The Grand Duke came down with his sword in a fierce manner and eventually pointed it at her neck.

“I waited, Your Highness.”

“What?”

When she calmly answered without avoiding the sword, he looked dumbfounded.

“I waited, Your Highness. For your reinforcements. For a thousand days.”

She had been told that for a thousand days, no one had gone to collect the bodies of her subordinates.

They were left abandoned on that field as food for wild beasts and monsters.

It was unclear whether the bloodshot eyes of the Grand Duke were due to anger or guilt over the deaths of her subordinates.

“Your Highness, please keep the promise you made today.”

Prelia pushed away the Grand Duke’s sword with her hand and turned her back to leave the audience chamber.

Clang.

The Grand Duke’s sword, unable to suppress his anger, rolled on the marble floor.

It was as loud as a sword on the battlefield.

* * *

‘D*mn the Grand Duke!’

While recalling her private audience with the Grand Duke, Prelia was dragged into Keinen’s bedroom prepared at the Fresia Palace.

“Countess, we will help you prepare.”

“Prepare? What preparation are you talking about? We haven’t even had a formal engagement ceremony, and we’ve just met face to face.”

Prelia, still angry at the Grand Duke and slow to grasp the situation, asked in confusion at the oldest maid’s words.

“Countess, I’m not sure what His Highness the Crown Prince will do, but the engagement ceremonies for the others will be held in two days. Today and tomorrow are meant to be time for you to get to know each other…”

The maid, unable to meet Prelia’s eyes, trailed off at the end of her explanation.

‘Get to know? Know what? I already know his name and age!’

It seemed that this “getting to know each other” time wasn’t simply for basic introductions like a blind date her colleague once had.

‘I need to contact Jane and the butler; they must be very worried about me by now.’

The maids seated the fully adorned Prelia gently on the sofa.

Just then, click, the sound of the doorknob turning was heard.

“You’re not crying.”

Prelia’s eyebrows furrowed involuntarily at Keinen’s words as he strode into the bedroom.

The maids and servants left with quick steps, and Prelia stood up stiffly.

“Would you like me to cry?”

“No need. You’ll cry soon enough.”

‘What?’

At Keinen’s words, Prelia quickly surveyed the room.

Since she couldn’t win against him by force, she might have to jump from the terrace if things went wrong.

As she hesitantly moved her feet toward the terrace, he plopped down on the main seat of the sofa.

“Sit.”

“It’s a bit hot. I’ll open the terrace window.”

Prelia told him and confidently walked to open the terrace window wide.

She couldn’t think about running away.

If she ran away, Keinen might demand something greater, claiming he was insulted.

‘Since I can’t run away, I’ll jump down and break an ankle. Surely he won’t force himself on an injured person.’

Oh, not a bad idea.

It would be difficult to take a woman with a broken ankle on that long journey, so maybe they would leave her behind.

‘I need to fall at this angle. And break a wrist too. As long as my neck doesn’t break, it’s fine.’

Having died once, Prelia had become fearlessly brave. She felt the cool night breeze as she checked the position to fall from, then returned to the sofa.

Meanwhile, servants from the Aslan Empire had entered, prepared simple drinks and snacks, and left the room again.

“Pearls suit you well.”

Keinen suddenly looked at the top of her forehead and raised his champagne glass.

“Pearls?”

Prelia looked up and touched the top of her head.

Only then did she realize that elaborate pearls were decorating her hair.

“In the Aslan Empire, pearl decorations symbolize offering virginity on the wedding night.”

“What? W-wedding night?”

Shocked by Keinen’s direct words, she jumped to her feet.

“Surely you don’t claim not to know. It’s called an engagement, but in reality…”

“Your Highness, are the other women also… tonight?”

Prelia cut off his words and asked if the other 10 women would also be forced to spend their wedding night tonight.

“I suppose so. Tonight.”

“Your Highness, please give us a little more time. I don’t want to spend the wedding night like this on the day we first met.”

Prelia bowed her head, swallowing her pride while Keinen slowly sipped his champagne.

‘I never thought! That he would really try to do it tonight!’

The chosen women looked delicate at a glance, probably unable to run properly, let alone fight.

It would be difficult for them to shake off the officers’ strength and protect themselves.

‘I must protect these women. If they suffer a terrible experience tonight, they might have extreme thoughts.’

They must be very scared right now.

Some might even have family members who lost their lives to Keinen’s Mukro Knights.

Having been taught that virginity is a woman’s highest virtue, they might harbor dark thoughts if they can’t handle this situation.

“Countess, it was your king who dressed you all up like this. Grand Duke Peltra would want you to give up and follow along obediently. The easiest way to achieve that would be to have you spend the wedding night.”

‘Grand Duke, until the end!’

At his words, Prelia chewed the inside of her mouth in chunks while cursing repeatedly in her mind.

“And we simply accept that consideration.”

Having finished his champagne, Keinen poured another glass and casually twirled the glass with his wrist.

Even the transparent yellow liquid sloshing around seemed to irritate Prelia’s nerves as if it were being smug.

“I will ensure the women don’t run away. Please let tonight just pass. These women are very shocked. Didn’t you see them crying earlier?”

Suppressing the urge to chop off that wrist, Prelia bowed her head to him once more.

“You will ensure that?”

“Yes. As the only one with a title who was chosen by Your Highness the Crown Prince, I have sufficient grounds to lead them.”

“Really? I’ll decide based on what you do.”

Though he spoke like this, Keinen seemed to have agreed to listen to Prelia’s request as he immediately called for a servant.

“Tonight, let all the women rest comfortably in separate rooms, two per room, and have them guarded. Tell the officers there will be a meeting, so they should come to this palace.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I will convey your message.”

As the servant left to deliver his orders, Prelia, now relieved of tension, finally raised her head.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, I will now go to the room where the other women are.”

Being sold as 10+1, she didn’t have a woman to room with, but it would be better than staying in this room with Keinen.

As Prelia bowed deeply to Keinen, he stood up and folded his arms.

Seeing his head tilted slightly to the side, she must have unknowingly offended him.

“The Countess will remain here.”

Keinen unfolded his arms and grabbed a handful of Prelia’s hair.

“Your Highness.”

As Keinen brought the hair in his hand to his lips, her upper body was naturally pulled along.

“I told you. Based on what you do.”