But his words and attitude were light to Rosana. Words that he’d cut off everything related to the ducal family on behalf of her, who had helplessly collapsed with no way out. 

That he’d cut off those who distorted things, clinging persistently no matter how much she shouted not to come, that they weren’t needed.

How could it not be dazzling? His words were a lifeline to Rosana, hope that fulfilled her expectations.

“…Really, if you could do that…”

Her words trembled from overwhelming emotion. The words she muttered softly like a breath echoed in her heart. Rosana’s eyes shook with joy. Rosana’s lowered eyelashes cast long shadows.

But unlike the joy she couldn’t contain, her face hardened stiffly. A softly smiling expression wasn’t permitted to Rosana. A brightly laughing face no longer remained in her. No smile lingered on Rosana’s expression. But her eyes shone like flowers holding vitality.

Jade’s confident smile and golden eyes shining like the sun were so dazzling that Rosana couldn’t approach them.

Rosana couldn’t pioneer a path herself. Unless she removed the shadow clinging stickily. She, who had barely gained the strength to stand, needed time to take steps forward.

Being able to send the knights back was because a situation had coincidentally been arranged. 

The knights would never have moved at Rosana’s words alone. They’d only obediently withdrawn because the knight order Jade sent had threatened them.

And now it is the same. Though Jade didn’t know, Rosana’s first impression of him wasn’t bad. 

Rather, favorable feelings overflowed. Admiration that she couldn’t be like that mixed with anticipation that he might do it.

Jade, who didn’t know Rosana’s inner thoughts, saw her hardened face and gave a small sneer. 

Meanwhile, Malek pressed his forehead. Words already spat out couldn’t be taken back. Malek slowly ran his hand down his face. He’d hoped they’d get along well, but it seemed impossible.

“Wh-what do you mean?!”

“Who are you?”

Unlike the other maids who quietly held their breath, Emma boldly stepped forward. The other maids had been forcibly dragged along, so they were secretly delighted at the words that they could return to the Arcadi ducal family. 

They had absolutely no intention of staying by her side, enduring beatings whenever her mood was bad while dealing with the difficult Rosana.

But Emma was different. She had conviction. She’d received orders from the Madam to take good care of Rosana. To Emma, the Madam’s orders were absolute. 

Though she’d stepped forward boldly, Emma’s heart pounded when she received the strong one’s gaze. Still, she spoke with a trembling voice.

“I-I am the young lady’s personal maid.”

“A maid? Yet you step forward without knowing your place… You must be dying to die.”

Cold sweat trickled down Emma’s spine at his killing intent. It was a pitiful sight, but Rosana didn’t take Emma’s side, thinking it was her own doing. Rather, she looked at her with cold eyes.

‘Should I have him remove Emma too?’

But Emma didn’t back down easily.

“The young lady can’t do without me!!”

Rosana couldn’t help but sneer at Emma’s words. She unintentionally spat out a sharp remark.

“…Ridiculous.”

That sound reached Jade’s ears precisely. Because they were close, he heard it very well. Jade glanced at Rosana. It was a voice suppressing anger in disbelief. 

Wasn’t she her personal maid? For a moment, Rosana’s tone was so cold he thought he’d misheard. But Jade erased the thought, thinking it was a mistake. Then Malek stepped forward.

“Your Majesty… Still, she came from far away.”

Malek met Jade’s eyes. Too much oppression isn’t good. He moved his lips. Jade glanced at Rosana, then spoke in a manner of showing generosity.

“Right. I’m not a bad person either. One person should be enough. I don’t treat the person who’ll become my wife carelessly either.”

Though Rosana’s words were suspicious, he hadn’t planned to remove everyone anyway. Malek clicked his tongue as the person who’d been emitting killing intent just moments ago spoke. He shrugged his shoulders in disappointment.

In the end, both the carriage Rosana rode in and the servants from the Arcadi ducal family had to return. The knights took all the goods, saying they’d return them after inspection. 

Until then, Rosana was quiet. Only Rosana and Emma passed through the castle gate. Just those two.

The surroundings were filled with silence. Malek and Emma constantly watched Rosana’s mood. Though her expression was utterly calm, everyone worried about what to do if Rosana got angry any moment. Rosana, who couldn’t not know Emma’s gaze, muttered softly in regret.

“…How unfortunate.”

This time too, her words reached Jade’s ears. Though Rosana’s words expressed regret at not being able to remove Emma, Jade mistook Rosana’s muttered words as expressing regret about the maids who would serve her and her belongings leaving.

“I’ll attach maids for you. With people far more useful and skilled than the ducal family’s maids. Of course, I’ll buy you things too. I have many spoils of war obtained from cutting the necks of surrounding kingdoms. Though I don’t know if they’ll satisfy your extravagance.”

“…”

Even at the blatant criticism, Rosana didn’t budge. Rosana smoothly passed over Jade’s provocation. To her, this level was ticklish.

And Jade, who’d been watching such a Rosana intently, had an expression like ‘this isn’t it?’ 

His eyebrow rose crookedly and he clicked his tongue softly. At her attitude that kept missing expectations, Jade also lost motivation.

He’d thought she’d do one of two things—struggle or scream at the insults stabbing in all directions. The Rosana Jade knew was someone who wielded her status as a Duke’s daughter arrogantly like she feared nothing.

‘But no reaction at all?’

There were sneering smiles and meaningful words, but no direct reaction. Still, as a Duke’s daughter, did it mean she knew her situation and the duties she had to perform? 

Jade ignored Rosana, who gave no response, and headed to the palace prepared for her.

“This is it.”

Silence came in a different sense. 

The palace he guided her to was one showing long history, but proving it had been without an owner for a long time, the garden was withered and the palace’s outer walls looked worn. It was even a palace existing on the outskirts of the imperial castle.

Even Jade, who’d confidently guided her, thought ‘was this too much?’ upon seeing the castle. 

Because Jade was busy, he’d left preparations for the palace to Malek. Beside him, Malek hung his head low in embarrassment. When the surroundings became quiet, the awkward Jade cleared his throat.

“Well… th-the war made repairs to the castle take time. After marriage, I’ll move you to a proper palace.”

Malek hurriedly added to Jade’s words. He lowered his voice apologetically with an awkwardly smiling face.

“That’s right. Due to the sudden marriage, we couldn’t prepare suitable quarters. Though it’s somewhat lacking in appearance, I believe the interior will be to the lady’s liking.”

Though they worried Rosana would get angry, she rather liked the desolate garden in front of the palace. The rose scent that always came through the window had made her sick of it.

‘This place is where I’ll live from now on…’

She rather liked the place that looked modest. 

Instead of splendid sculptures, trees lined around the building made the air refreshing, and because it was a secluded palace, the absence of people’s presence made her feel comfortable. The fact that the exterior wasn’t splendid was also good.

It was a palace that suited her perfectly. Unlike what was widely known, Rosana wasn’t an extravagant woman at all. What she wanted was a small space without interference. That alone was enough.

Seeing Rosana without reaction, Malek fidgeted restlessly. Nominally a national marriage, they were practically in an alliance relationship, and if Rosana protested and said she’d return, there was no way to stop her. 

Only now did Malek grind his teeth toward Jade, who glanced at the palace while trying to hide his embarrassment. Malek reproached him with his eyes.

‘That’s why I told you to come see it, didn’t I?!’

‘I didn’t know it would be like this.’

‘Then when do we have time to restore the castle?!’

Jade and Malek fervently moved their lips toward each other. From forming the alliance to deciding on marriage to Rosana’s arrival took less than a month.

Diovaha’s situation improved after winning the war. Before that, even royalty lived impoverished lives. Only a very few palaces functioned properly. 

And in a situation where they had to prevent monster invasions and watch whether the absorbed kingdoms were pulling strange tricks, preparations to receive her couldn’t be perfect. 

Jade looked at Rosana, who didn’t even move, and spoke.

“Maids will come soon. You must have worked hard coming here, so rest from your journey.”

With those words as the end, Jade turned his horse’s head, leaving Rosana and Emma behind. Malek sighed repeatedly behind Jade, who rode his horse majestically.

“Stop it. You’ll make the ground cave in. I know too.”

“What’s with that attitude from someone who knows?!”

Malek barely held back from wanting to beat his chest, saying he was frustrated. Jade was aware he’d acted like a child. He felt sorry seeing the castle’s appearance.

“What will you do if she really returns to Astrot?!”

“I won’t let that happen.”

Jade spoke decisively. Though it was confidence without reason, he felt she wouldn’t return. If she was going to return, she would have done so long ago.

Jade looked at his own hand. When he first saw Rosana Arcadi, whom he’d always heard about through rumors, his thought was that she was small.

Jade recalled Rosana’s height, which easily differed by about a head, and thought of the slender waist he’d grabbed when lifting her. It was ironic that all sorts of bad modifiers were attached to that small body.

“Your Majesty. Do you plan to guide the lady to the Empress’s palace after the wedding?”

“Well, I suppose I’ll have to. What we saw earlier…”

“It’s serious.”

There were no words between them. Jade ignored the stinging gaze felt from beside him. And he coughed awkwardly.

“In a situation where wedding preparations aren’t even complete, how far will Lady Arcadi’s patience go…”

As Malek explained to Rosana, time was tight. There wasn’t enough time to prepare or to receive her, yet strangely, the Astrot side rushed about Rosana’s whereabouts. 

Originally, marriage between nations didn’t proceed in an instant like roasting beans in lightning. There were procedures and preparation processes needed.

It was Astrot that first proposed the peace treaty to Diovaha, and it was Astrot that proposed to strengthen ties between nations through political marriage. 

Yet they said they’d send only Rosana first, omitting all preparation processes. They refused the offer to come meet her when ready and forced preparations, saying they wanted to solidify the alliance as soon as possible. 

Then the end was just words to get along well since Rosana was now Diovaha’s person.

Jade got the impression they wanted to pass off a burden as quickly as possible, but could that really be so? He was convinced they’d pull some trick. The alliance was to loosen vigilance, or they were preparing for war behind the scenes.

So Jade somewhat excessively pushed Rosana with firm resolve. To uncover their intentions. 

Just like Jade’s rumors were inflated in Astrot, the rumors about Rosana in Diovaha were considerable. Rather, they were worse if anything, never softened.

Someone who crushes everything with money and authority if dissatisfied.

And in the Diovaha Empire, which valued the framework of family, Rosana, who’d tried to kill her own sister, was an absolutely incomprehensible breed, and there was much talk that she’d committed moral corruption.

Besides that, there were many absurd rumors. That screams of maids never ceased from her room, that she had sadistic tendencies. There were even rumors she bathed in people’s blood to maintain her beauty.

Of course, Jade didn’t believe everything. He too had many ridiculous rumors. All stories tended to be inflated. But there wasn’t no truth. Rumors arose for a reason. 

That’s what he thought.