***

With a resigned look on her face, Helena asked.

“So… is she planning to have me executed? Or exiled, perhaps…?”

Count Winston, whose complexion had calmed somewhat, wrinkled his scholarly, well-shaped nose and replied.

“Executed?! Don’t say such terrible things – not even in a joke!”

Count Winston snapped.

“Her Majesty the Empress simply stated that she hoped your marriage arrangements would be settled promptly.”

“A marriage decree, then…”

Helena muttered dramatically.

The Countess placed a hand on her now stiff neck and said.

“The real question is… who would take you in after all this?”

Helena sniffed and covered her mouth with her hand.

“Of course… who would want the daughter of a crumbling noble house…”

The countess flamed up.

‘Crumbling? Who’s crumbling?!’

“Don’t you start! Even now you want to joke?”

Helena dropped her hand and sulked as she raised her voice.

“Can’t I at least joke? I was trying to lighten the mood!”

“Lighten? Lighten?!”

Sensing that the Countess’ anger was beginning to boil over again, Helena quickly reverted to her pitiful expression.

But it really didn’t seem like a moment for jokes.

Once upon a time, proposals of marriage had been as common to Helena as stones on the road.

Letters requesting formal courtship with the intention of marriage arrived by the dozens every day.

If she lined up all her suitors, they could easily wrap around the entire Winston estate – and with a little more space between them, perhaps even include the gardens.

But the Crown Prince had openly shown his affection for her, and Lady Adela Bayard – daughter of the Ducal House of Bayard, one of the six great houses of the Empire – had fallen ill from the emotional blow.

Furthermore, word had spread throughout the capital that the Empress herself was absolutely furious over the matter.

At this rate, Helena could very well end up despised by the future Emperor, the powerful Bayard family, and the Emperor and Empress themselves.

In the midst of this chaos, her suitors had disappeared like snow in the sun.

Helena sighed and said.

“Very well, Father. I’m ready to accept it now.”

Count Winston, who had been slumped in his chair, raised his head.

“Accept what exactly?”

Helena looked directly into her father’s face and said.

“Think carefully. Don’t you have an old friend to whom you once made a promise – to match your children when you each had a son and a daughter?”

Count Winston replied in a weary voice.

“There was once such a promise. To Duke Coban’s youngest son – David. That was before you told him he looked like a piglet in a pink shirt.”

“A potential son-in-law you secretly considered?”

“Sir Turlow. I was thinking of bringing him in as a son-in-law. That was before you told him his breath and feet smelled the same.”

“I wasn’t lying about that! Oh! What about a secret, coveted match you were keeping just in case…?”

“You said you didn’t want to marry Crown Prince Rufus.”

“……”

As the father and daughter continued their pointless bickering, the Countess intervened.

“Well, Her Majesty the Empress has made the following proposal.”

She read the last part of the Empress’s letter.

“If a suitable match has not already been arranged, Her Majesty will personally select one for you.”

Helena swallowed dryly.

“This smells suspicious…”

Count Winston pressed his fingers to the corners of his eyes and said wearily.

“Helena. The Crown Prince’s marriage is a matter of state. As long as His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress wish a union between the Crown Prince and Lady Bayard, that outcome is already decided.”

“I have no objections to His Highness the Crown Prince’s marriage!”

“I know. But the problem is that it was none other than Her Majesty the Empress herself who saw you with the Crown Prince. His Highness insists on marrying you, the Bayard family has suffered a serious blow to its dignity, and now it’s a situation you can’t just walk away from. If you insist on your personal feelings without a valid reason and refuse to marry the Crown Prince, it would be no different from tarnishing the prestige of the Imperial Family.”

Count Winston shook his head.

“There is nothing more important than the dignity of the Imperial Family. It’s a blessing that His Majesty is away from the capital at the moment for the Hunt. If the Emperor were to learn of this situation…”

At the mention of the Emperor, Helena could only close her mouth like a clam.

Emperor Tercal Arpend of the Empire was an unpredictable man, but one thing was certain: he was utterly merciless to anyone who got in his way.

If he found out, the punishment would be no joke.

And he had the power to make it happen.

Helena, who had been swallowing nervously the whole time, finally spoke.

“So… what should I do?”

The Countess laid a gentle hand on Helena’s back.

“Fortunately, it seems that Her Majesty is at least willing to hear you out. So go to her first, explain the situation clearly and ask for her help.”

“That’s probably the best way, isn’t it?”

Helena stood up as if to storm out of the Winston estate – but the Countess gripped her hand tightly.

“And whatever you do, don’t mention the booger story in front of Her Majesty. No matter how fond she may be of you, she’s still the Crown Prince’s mother!”

Count Winston grabbed Helena’s other hand, his tone urgent.

“Please don’t say anything about ‘not sleeping together’ or steps A and so on,” pleaded Count Winston. “Her Majesty may have enjoyed your chatter in the past, but when it comes to her son, she’ll find it absolutely appalling – of course.”

Helena tore her hands from her father and stepmother and exclaimed.

“Oh, do you think I’m an idiot?”

***

Helena was now speaking in a calm, collected tone.

“So Your Majesty really had nothing to worry about.”

In the Empress’s Garden.

Helena and the Empress Clarissa sat facing each other across a marble table.

It was a place where the Empress often enjoyed her tea – a place with a breathtaking view, where old garden trees draped their beautiful leaves like curtains and vibrant flowers bloomed in every season.

Of all the young ladies, Empress Clarissa was particularly fond of Helena and often invited her to tea.

Through Helena, the Empress heard news of high society and sometimes asked Helena to read poetry or sing for her.

In these moments, the way the Empress looked at Helena was filled with deep affection, so much so that people whispered that the Empress, who had three sons and no daughter, regarded Helena as the daughter she never had.

And in truth, Empress Clarissa was a special presence for Helena.

Since the memory of her own mother had disappeared in early childhood, Helena had often found a sense of motherhood in the Empress.

So she was as afraid of disappointing the Empress Clarissa as she was of incurring the Emperor’s wrath.

She didn’t want to hurt the Empress.

Fortunately, the look in Clarissa’s eyes remained calm as always, and her demeanour as she sipped her tea was composed and unshaken.

After taking a sip, the Empress finally spoke.

“I see. If that’s what you say, then I believe you.”

Helena had just begun to feel a sense of relief—

“But, Helena, there are some things in this world that simply cannot be changed.”

Empress Clarissa set down her teacup with a gentle clink.

“Because of his feelings for you, Rufus says he wants to break off his engagement to Lady Bayard. Poor Adela has taken to her bed, refusing food, and the Duke of Bayard is absolutely furious. I’m doing my best to contain him, but it’s only a matter of time before it reaches His Majesty.”

Helena squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them.

She looked at Empress Clarissa and asked in a desperate voice. “Your Majesty, please lend me your wisdom. What should I do?”

The Empress gave a small sign to her ladies-in-waiting and they bowed respectfully before quietly withdrawing from the garden.

Only when they were all gone did the Empress speak again.

“Helena, you’ve always said you wanted to be happy – even if it meant doing it alone.”

“…I did say that.”

“There is a way to resolve this situation and still get what you want.”

Empress Clarissa said, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

“Time heals all things. Young men are like hungry beasts – the prey in front of them is always the most important thing. If you leave the capital for a while, the Crown Prince’s feelings will cool quickly. And so will the anger of Duke Bayard and His Majesty.”

Helena replied with a sulky expression.