After tossing and turning before opening her eyes, Karina suddenly sat up as she remembered what position she had fallen asleep in last night. For better or worse, the space beside her was empty.

Could it have been a dream?

Just as she wondered if falling asleep in Aidan’s arms had been a dream, the bathroom door connected to the bedroom opened and Aidan came out.

“You’re awake?”

His bangs were wet as if he had just washed his face.

“I was thinking we should head back to the palace soon. Is there anywhere you want to go?”

Asking if there was somewhere she wanted to visit before returning to the palace… He seemed too normal, as if he had forgotten all about last night. She felt like she was the strange one for being so conscious of it.

“Not really…”

While sitting on the bed about to answer there wasn’t, Karina trailed off and looked up as Aidan approached right in front of her.

“It’s all messy and disheveled.”

He reached out and smoothed her hair. Looking up at him blankly before processing the word ‘disheveled,’ Karina became embarrassed and pushed his hand away.

“I’ll wash up and come out.”

As she tried to escape to the bathroom not knowing what she looked like, Aidan caught her wrist.

“But I was going to say you’re pretty even like that.”

It wasn’t anything special, but her mouth felt suddenly dry. Her heart also started beating foolishly fast.

Pulling her hand free from Aidan’s grip, she hurriedly entered the bathroom and closed the door. Leaning against the closed door, she pressed hard against her chest with one hand.

It must be broken. No, it might really break at this rate.

She felt the thumping under her palm, and let out a long breath. She had been really strange lately. Why was she so shaken by being called pretty? Besides, she couldn’t possibly look pretty right after waking up.

Standing in front of the mirror, it wasn’t as messy as he made it sound, but her hair that she had braided before sleeping had come undone and was disheveled.

Saying she’s pretty when she wasn’t even properly dressed up… his taste really was strange.

But it was strange. More than the praise she received from everyone after dressing up beautifully and elegantly, Aidan’s single word—calling her pretty right after waking up—struck her heart more deeply. Her chest tightened more than it had during last night’s passionate kiss.

At this rate, staying with him might damage her heart and shorten her life.

She let out a laugh at the ridiculous thought.

*

“Have you found out?”

The Empress asked the knight kneeling before her.

“The elite knights searched all of Marquis Belmont’s territory but couldn’t find him, Your Majesty.”

The Empress’s expression didn’t change at the knight’s report. She already knew Marquis Belmont hadn’t returned to his territory. The mercenaries she had hired had spotted him near the capital several times and attempted to attack, but failed each time. Had Marquis Belmont’s subordinates always been that skilled? Or was someone helping him?

It was fortunate that the Emperor’s knights hadn’t caught him, but it was unexpected that he kept slipping through her hands as well. The longer things dragged on beyond her expectations, the more she had a bad feeling. By now, Marquis Belmont would have had enough time to harbor deep resentment against her.

She had disposed of Marquis Belmont’s subordinate who had been captured to prevent any words from spreading, and had even brought forward a witness who claimed to have seen him kill the servant working in Aidan’s palace, but variables would exist as long as Belmont wasn’t caught or killed.

What if something strange comes out of his mouth?

Chewing her lip anxiously, she shook her head. Even if he harbored resentment against her, that matter wasn’t something he could carelessly speak about. If revealed, he too wouldn’t escape execution. Besides, there was no evidence.

‘I left nothing that could harm you. I burned everything, so don’t worry.’

Twenty years ago, Belmont had clearly said that with his own mouth. Indeed, all traces in his mansion had disappeared cleanly that day. So she shouldn’t need to worry. The only one left was the witness, Marquis Belmont, but her trust in him had already plummeted because of the incident.

Drawing things out too long wouldn’t be good. Though it was an unwanted event, Lloyd and Kate Spencer’s wedding would be held soon. She needed to cut off any dangerous sprouts before then…

After dismissing the knight, the Empress called someone to run an external errand. The letter she handed over contained instructions to find and eliminate Marquis Belmont before Lloyd’s wedding without fail. It also included a threat that while success would be rewarded with double the fee, failure would mean losing even the fees they earned so far.

*

Lloyd had spent days and days drowning in alcohol. His servants worried as he kept demanding only alcohol while skipping meals. Though the Emperor had ordered him to meet Kate Spencer once a day for meals, he didn’t keep that either. Kate had come several times but had to return without even seeing Lloyd’s face.

After repeatedly filling empty glasses, Lloyd ran out of bottles and called his servant loudly.

“We’re out of alcohol! Bring more right now!”

At his shout, the servants waiting outside the door looked at each other uncertainly. They felt that leaving him like this might lead to serious trouble before the wedding. If Lloyd collapsed, the Empress might try to kill all the servants.

While they were just stamping their feet anxiously, Lloyd, angered by the lack of response, opened the door and came out.

“What are you all doing! Can’t you hear me? Do you think I’m a joke to you too?”

Staggering from drunkenness, Lloyd approached a nearby knight and drew the sword from his waist.

“Ha… I’ll kill you all. I’ll kill every last one of you bastards who dare look down on me!”

“Kyaaah!”

The servants screamed in surprise as Lloyd swung the sword around. The knights tried to stop him but couldn’t even get close as he kept swinging the sword wildly. Though the knights would need to draw their swords to stop him, they didn’t dare attempt it since he was a prince.

“What are you doing!”

When they heard a thundering voice from behind, the servants turned, quickly bowed, and stepped back. The Empress frowned seeing the staggering Lloyd.

“Why are you just standing there watching instead of taking the prince’s sword away!”

At the Empress’s command, the knights finally rushed in and subdued him by force. Caught by the knights, Lloyd glared at the Empress while breathing heavily. The Empress approached right in front of him with a rigid face and struck his cheek without hesitation. Slap! Hearing that intense sound, the servants and knights stiffened.

“Mother…”

Lloyd also stared at the Empress with wide eyes.

“There are many watching eyes, so come inside.”

The Empress spoke and entered first. When the knights released his arms, Lloyd glared at them once before following the Empress inside.

In the reception room, the Empress frowned far more severely than she had in the corridor.

“What is all this…”

The smell of alcohol permeated the reception room. Several empty bottles lay scattered on the floor and table.

“So it was true that you haven’t been sleeping properly, not eating, and only drinking?”

The Empress’s voice grew sharper. Lloyd, who would normally have shrunk from his mother’s scolding, let out a mocking laugh.

“How can I stay sane? Marrying Kate Spencer… does that even make sense?”

Lloyd hadn’t been particularly enthusiastic even about the marriage talks with Princess Elena of Icinia. How prestigious someone’s background was didn’t matter to him.

Karina Hewitt or not — that was all that mattered.

The Empress wasn’t entirely unaware of Lloyd’s feelings. That’s why his foolish attachment made her angrier. Why couldn’t he let go of a ship that had already sailed?

Right after Aidan and Karina’s wedding… Perhaps she should have targeted Karina instead of Aidan. If she had disappeared completely from his sight, Lloyd wouldn’t have developed this abnormal obsession.

Clicking her tongue, she sat in a chair and gestured to the seat across from her. Though stumbling, Lloyd sat where she indicated.

“You shouldn’t think of the marriage to Kate as entirely negative.”

Lloyd exhaled in disbelief at the Empress’s words.

“How is it not negative? It’s the worst situation for me. I can’t understand why I have to accept that woman as my consort.”

Lloyd poured out his frustrations. Though he had fallen into his own trap, he only complained about the unfairness.

“Didn’t I tell you there should never be even one mistake?”

The Empress frowned as she spoke harshly. It was truly astounding that he had managed to get Kate Spencer pregnant in just one night. But it wouldn’t have happened if that one night hadn’t existed at all.

“As a prince, weren’t you prepared for a political marriage? Accept it. Consider the marriage talks with Count Spencer’s family as something unavoidable.”

Even as Empress, she could no longer prevent this marriage. So Lloyd had no choice but to resign himself to it.

“Everyone is playing me for a fool. How can it be that Kate never slept with Aidan? They’re conspiring to trick me!”

Lloyd still couldn’t accept the fact that Kate was pregnant with his child. The Empress frowned but didn’t agree with his words. Aidan might have falsely blamed Lloyd, but Kate’s position was different. She, who had genuinely liked Aidan, would have preferred to remain as his lover than become Lloyd’s consort. If there had been any ambiguity about whose child it was, she would have insisted until the end that it was Aidan’s. Yet she only shed tears in despair. It proved that truly nothing had happened with Aidan.

“You need to think differently. Once you accept Kate as your consort, you’ll be in a more advantageous position than Aidan.”

Lloyd’s face twisted in confusion at what this could mean. He had lost at the knights’ tournament and had to accept a woman inferior to Karina as his consort. He couldn’t understand how this could put him in a better position than Aidan.

“Because she carries imperial blood. If Kate bears you a son, that would be perfect. If that happens, His Majesty will have no choice but to name you crown prince to prevent future succession disputes.”

Lloyd only took a long breath at the Empress’s words. He didn’t care whether Kate’s child would be a boy or girl. Even becoming crown prince because of it didn’t make him particularly happy. The fact that he had to marry Kate was just too horrifying.

“But there’s something we need to do before securing your position.”

Lloyd felt a chill run down his spine as he sensed the Empress’s voice growing increasingly cold.

*