If she’s from the capital, she’d surely know who he is, so she must be from a noble family in the south.

“She seems to have fallen for you at first sight. Go talk to her,” Cade urged.

Ian sighed and walked away.

“Why? Why are you avoiding her?”

“….”

“Hey, this is the time to bring even one more ally to our side.”

As soon as Ian reached a quiet spot, he had a brief moment of contemplation. If he hit him here, no one would see it, right?

“Why do you look so insolent? It’s not like I’m wrong.”

“What should I propose to win her over? ‘There’s a 70% chance we’ll both die, but if we’re lucky, we might survive, so let’s get married’?”

“Seventy percent…”

“If you keep acting senseless, soon enough, even the remaining 30% will disappear. I’m not thinking about marriage until you become Emperor.”

Cade smirked, seeing Ian as shrewd to a fault.

“Hey, what’s more reliable than a marriage alliance? I gave up on Celia to become Emperor, and it led to this mess. But you refuse to do anything you don’t want to?”

“And what did you do? You chose to ally with another family rather than drag your woman into danger, but in the end, you basically brought in a predator who forced her out of her comfortable life. Look at the result. One family that used to support you has gone into seclusion after their daughter disappeared, and now you can’t even control the predator you brought in, and you’re spiraling. All you can do is hope the woman you loved managed to escape and is still alive.”

Cade fell silent. The two glared at each other for a long time until, eventually, Cade sighed and backed down.

“…I’ll get my act together. I’ll go ahead and get engaged to Lady Plethon, as planned.”

“….”

“But I won’t give her the Empress’s seat. I’ll ruin her at her happiest moment.”

“Do as you please.”

Before the end of that social season, Cade became engaged to Lady Plethon.

The following spring, even as a fierce struggle raged beneath the surface, the high society of Cardia remained as dazzling as ever. Today, his duty was to display his strength at an outwardly peaceful ball, dancing with young ladies he had no real interest in as though he were searching for a marriage partner. Like it or not, it was something he had to do.

But Cade, in his annoying way, was still hanging around Ian instead of paying attention to his fiancée.

“That young lady doesn’t have a fiancé yet.”

Ian quietly pressed his fingers to his brow. Struggling to keep his expression calm, he was annoyed by Cade’s oblivious chatter.

“She’s quite beautiful, and she has a good reputation among the neutral southern nobles. People say she’s incredibly kind. And her father, Count Hershey, is even nicknamed ‘the Saint’ by the commoners. Among the nobility, he’s considered too idealistic, but if he joined our side, public opinion…”

“Quiet.”

“Oh, come on. She’s been following you with her gaze. Isn’t it polite to at least acknowledge her?”

It wasn’t because of Cade’s words, but he glanced over out of curiosity and saw her there. Lady Olivia, daughter of Count Hershey. The moment their eyes met, she quickly looked away with wide, startled eyes. She hid behind her friends instead of hopping away, reminding him of a small rabbit.

“Not like we’re getting any proposals in our current state. You should make the first move.”

“If she really likes me, why hasn’t she come over to talk?”

“Maybe her father disapproves.”

“If she understands why her father disapproves, then she’s wise.”

Cade grumbled as if he were losing his mind.

“Hey, you’ll regret this, you know? If someone else snatches her up by the end of this season, you’ll seriously regret it! Look at her; she’s exactly your type.”

“What do you know about my type?”

“You like small and cute things.”

Ian looked at Cade as if he’d lost his mind, surprised since it was the first time he’d ever heard such a thing. He couldn’t believe Cade was talking like he knew everything about him. But Cade was adamant.

“Pitiful idiot, I know you better than you know yourself. You’ll regret this.”

However, the next year, she was still unmarried.

She smiled quietly among the southern nobles, appearing to have matured in just a few short years. She no longer had that sparkle of curiosity in her eyes like when she first debuted, though sometimes their gazes would still meet.

Ian was curious. What exactly was the meaning behind that calm gaze of hers—neither seductive nor longing, but rather so straightforward?

This was her third year since debuting, and soon, she would become someone’s wife. Meanwhile, they were preparing for war. After the harvest, the battle that would decide their fate would begin. Without delving into complex strategic analysis, the odds were fifty-fifty. Life or death. So, if he wanted to talk to her, now was the only chance.

Thinking that, he found himself walking toward her. Watching her back, unaware of him yet, he began considering how to address Count Hershey. The proper etiquette would be to request an introduction from her chaperoning parents, the Count and Countess.

All he wanted to ask her was the meaning behind that calm gaze, so unlike the sneering, pitying looks of everyone else. That was it. But then he saw the Count hurriedly asking his daughter for a dance when he noticed Ian approaching.

At that moment, his feet froze in place. His body realized first that he could go no further. The dance music soon began, and Ian was pushed back to the wall, following the retreating crowd. He alternated glances between her, smiling happily, and the Count, who kept stealing nervous glances at him, worried her happiness might be shattered.

Ian hid himself in the shadows and thought to himself, ‘It can’t be helped.’ After all, this is a world where even a brief conversation can be suspected of political motives. He had momentarily been mistaken, but fortunately, he realized it before taking any action.

And so he resigned himself to it—and then one day, she disappeared.

“I heard Count Hershey died in an accident.”

“….”

“She rushed back to the estate, so she’ll probably marry soon. Don’t worry about it. We’ve got more immediate problems to deal with.”

Ian nodded at Cade’s words.

He had to live—for the people of Keppel’s estate. He had a duty to stay alive at least until Cade became Emperor. He repeated this to himself as a habit, trying to shake off his distracting thoughts.

Just as he always had, Ian tackled each task in front of him one by one. Sometimes it was overwhelming, sometimes uplifting, but with nowhere to retreat, he carried on quietly. And eventually, he survived.

Cade became Emperor, and the immediate threats vanished, but he soon found himself busier than ever. Cade, having no one else he could trust to manage affairs, had forced the Chancellor’s duties onto him. Ian knew a fair amount about war, but his knowledge of politics and economics was limited to the basics he had barely managed to learn.

Even as he worked and learned on the job, invitations and marriage proposals began flooding his residence in the capital, to the point where his mother, whom he’d suspected of having selective mutism, finally spoke up.

“It’s time for you to marry.”

“….”

“Is there someone you like?”

“No.”

Despite his answer, a face came to mind. But he tried to erase it. It had already been three years since he’d last seen her, and she must be married by now.

“Oh dear, what should I do!” I was so embarrassed that I squirmed on the creaky bed like a freshly caught carp. Was it because I liked him too much? I woke up, writhing.

“Liv? Are you alright?”

Ian dropped the papers he was holding and came over. The sunlight streaming in through the window seemed especially bright today. And Ian looked even brighter.

“Another nightmare?”

“…No. It was a good dream.”

“That’s a relief. But why were you struggling so much?”

Because I was too happy? I instinctively reached my arms out to Ian. He held me, and I nestled into his embrace. My body was still shy, but I couldn’t hide my excited breaths.

“Are you really alright? Your breathing seems heavy.”

“Yes, I’m fine. It was a really good dream.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“I dreamed of my debutante day.”

I wondered if that dream had actually happened.

“Did you really kick His Majesty that day?”

Ian looked bewildered by my sudden question. I explained more calmly.

“Did you go to fetch His Majesty to the New Year’s ball because he was out of his mind and didn’t plan to attend?”

It seemed Ian finally remembered.

“…Yes. That did happen. Did that come up in the, uh, book?”

“Apparently, yes. Though until now, it’s only shown me things I remember. Haha.”

When I suddenly laughed, Ian’s expression turned sour.

“Oh, sorry. I couldn’t help it; remembering it made me laugh. It would be great to see a scene like that as a movie rather than in a book.”

“A movie?”

“Oh, uh… it’s something like that.”

I vaguely dodged the question and began putting on my robe, but then, seeing Ian’s face, I sat back down on the bed. He looked deep in thought, and his expression was dark.

“Ian? What’s wrong?”

When I cupped his cold face in my hands, a light returned to his deep blue eyes. Without answering, Ian abruptly got up and brought over a tray.

“Liv, eat something. You should have something before you fall asleep again.”

Although I picked up my spoon at his words, I felt uneasy. Ian’s face looked normal when I checked it again, and he was as caring as ever. But what was that expression? He’d looked so lonely. My mind went back and forth, and I grew anxious.

“Why aren’t you eating? Does it taste strange?”

“No, it’s fine…”

“Should I get you something else?”

Thinking about it, digging up someone else’s past wasn’t very polite. And it could have been a past Ian didn’t want me to see; I’d seen it and laughed about it as I pleased. I glanced at him carefully and asked, cautiously,

“Um… Does what I mentioned earlier bother you?”