“Your Highness, do you really have to go in person?”

At my words, Calix looked at me as if I was asking something obvious.

“His Majesty the Emperor has entrusted me with this task. Of course, I have to handle it myself, who else would I send?”

I awkwardly scratched my cheek standing next to Calix.

Wouldn’t you usually send subordinates with specific instructions…?

“Perhaps Lord Ruel and I could…”

“And what if Ruel discovers your identity? You know his personality, do you think he’d let you live?”

I closed my mouth tightly at Calix’s words.

He’s right. Even if we’ve become somewhat closer, being a rational person, there’s a high chance he’d behead me without hesitation the moment he realizes my true identity.

“Then, are we really going to the elven residential area with just Your Highness and me?”

The elven residential area, being a group that worships Morisias, is surrounded by a magical fog barrier to prevent outside intrusion.

So Calix said that I, being the ‘Chosen One’, must go to break through it.

He said that if I could break through the magical barrier of the Temple of Fate, I should be able to break through their barrier as well.

Saying it like this makes me sound like I’m something special…

“I can’t bring all my troops. Besides, if we charge in with a full army, it’s obvious the elves will consider it an attack and retaliate.”

“Then… do you have a separate plan in mind?”

To my question, Calix answered confidently.

“You said they plan to use me, the Imperial Crown Prince, to resurrect Morisias.”

I nodded at his words.

Overthrowing an established system requires quite a lot.

‘The most important among them is the justification for revolution and the figure to lead it.’

I couldn’t know what justification Morisias was planning.

But Calix would have been just the right person for them.

There were many constraints in using Rose.

First, the Estanya family itself had a history of worshipping Morisias, and over time, the family’s power had weakened.

Therefore, the Estanya family alone couldn’t possibly lead a revolution or anything of the sort.

“We’ll pretend to negotiate and infiltrate. I need to find out what they’re researching and what they’re plotting.”

But Calix was different.

He was the Crown Prince, yet harbored nothing but contempt for the Imperial family.

His mother branded as a traitor, his father forcing him to maintain the Crown Prince title while showing no interest in him.

Hardened by countless assassination attempts, he had grown bitter with this wearisome world—making him the perfect target to exploit.

A fallen Crown Prince. And Morisias.

Personally, it wasn’t a scenario I particularly liked.

Isn’t this a villain’s narrative to anyone who sees it? I stared blankly at Calix.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

And I thought quietly.

The immediate danger wasn’t the First Prince’s rebellion, but Morisias who might be resurrected.

Moreover, they openly said they would use Calix, so no one knew what would happen if we recklessly charged in by ourselves.

To put it bluntly, if Calix didn’t move according to their wishes, they could corrupt him with demonic energy like the Second Prince.

It felt chilling to my heart.

“Your Highness.”

Of course, I could guess Calix’s intention to expose and stop the elves’ experiments.

“What.”

Since it has become publicly known that the Second Prince is currently rampaging under the control of demonic energy.

This is a very serious matter for the Empire.

Also, if Calix resolves this, it could be a golden opportunity for his public support to skyrocket.

An opportunity to overturn the current power dynamics of the Imperial family.

That’s why Calix’s plan to charge into enemy territory with just the two of us was excessive.

“Wouldn’t it be better if I went alone instead?”

At my words, Calix visibly frowned.

But no matter how I thought about it, this wasn’t a good choice.

As much as it was a golden opportunity, we needed to move with a safer and more perfect plan.

This is definitely…

‘It seems like it’s because of me?’

If others found out about my connection to Morisias, I would be in danger.

So it seems like he came up with this kind of plan.

It was a reckless plan.

“…If you’re intentionally trying to provoke me like this, you’re doing a great job. Congratulations.”

“But Your Highness. You are the Empire’s one and only Crown Prince. We don’t even know what the elves might do, how can you take such a risk and go in person?”

Seeing his reaction, my expression hardened involuntarily.

I was worried.

With Calix being this adamant, I was starting to get confused about how to approach him.

So I could only bow my head with my hands clenched.

“Do I look so careless in your eyes that I would act without any plan?”

Calix asked, seeming a bit angry.

I glanced up at him.

“I now painfully understand that you’re worried about me as the Crown Prince, so stop it.”

I silently bit my lip at that.

Calix gazed at me silently for a moment, his expression thoughtful.

Then he soon asked me in a tone tinged with hesitation.

“…Do you think it would be good if I became Emperor?”

I hesitated for a moment at the question thrown at me.

I didn’t have much to say. Was Calix becoming Emperor important to me?

Of course, it was a fact decided from the moment I took Calix’s hand.

The fate of a loser in political battles was obvious.

But that didn’t seem to be the answer Calix wanted.

“What about Your Highness?”

I swallowed hard. When I asked back, he tightly closed his mouth.

His eyes seemed to flicker slightly, betraying a hint of confusion.

“…Should I just kill them all?”

I tilted my head at Calix’s sudden response.

He spoke with a gloomy face I had never seen before.

“If I side with that damned Morisias, can I get rid of everything in front of me, be it the temple or the imperial family?”

I held my breath at his words.

It didn’t seem like an empty threat.

“Should I just do that?”

That’s why it was more confusing.

At his question, I clenched and unclenched my fists.

And I looked straight at Calix.

“Is that truly Your Highness’s wish?”

At my question, Calix hesitated for a moment, then immediately chuckled.

“My wish… I wonder if such a thing even exists. My wishes have never been reflected in my life even once…”

For a moment, his eyes seemed to sparkle.

Calix looked at me straight without saying a word.

With a quite lively face, unlike his gloomy expression just moments ago, he said to me.

“So this time, I’m trying to reflect it.”

Calix’s lips curved into a smile.

“On you.”

For a moment, it felt like my heart dropped.

The air in the room felt strangely hot.

I immediately lowered my gaze.

Then I saw Calix’s large hand coming close to my hair.

“I trust you, Rose Estanya.”

His fingers lightly brushed through my hair.

“So you trust me too.”

My breath caught.

I sensed it.

‘It’s over.’

My head throbbed, filled with complicated thoughts.

“Your Highness…”

As expected of a protagonist. How am I supposed to react when he says such cool things with that perfect face?

Now I wasn’t confident I could answer Milla and Aaron’s playful questions nonchalantly.

“I trust you.”

My voice trembled. My heart was pounding so much I thought I’d go crazy.

Calix smiled brightly at my answer.

“No more complaints now?”

I nodded my head vigorously.

“…What, why are you crying?”

Ah, really. It was so unfair.

I had never cried except when I was alone, but this guy had to go and act all cool.

I guess it was too much to endure alone in a world with no one else.

I completely crumbled at just one word telling me to rely on him.

Tears embarrassingly fell down my cheeks.

“Your Highness, am I not strange to you at all?”

At my question, Calix frowned as if I was saying something nonsensical.

“What kind of answer do you want?”

“No, it’s weird to anyone who sees it. Why are you like this to me?”

“What did I do?”

I gritted my teeth and glared at Calix.

He flinched, seemingly flustered, and stepped back slightly.

“Aren’t you suspicious of me? I’m not even from this world, and I’m connected to Morisias?”

If things went wrong, he could even lose his position as Crown Prince because of me. However, he wiped my tears with his thumb and answered with a calm face.

“Didn’t I tell you? A possessing ghost is more realistic than a fairy.”

And he tucked my messy hair behind my ear.

“I knew from the beginning that you weren’t an ordinary person. From the moment you threw my wine glass at the slave auction.”

His gentle tone made me more annoyed. How could he say such things so casually?

He’s saying that he kept me by his side despite suspecting my identity from the start.

“Above all, if you were ordinary, I wouldn’t have even thought of keeping you by my side in the first place.”

“…..”

“It’s funny, but you’re the first person who approached me without malice.”

At those words, I finally buried my face in my hands.

“You’re really too much…”