The following afternoon, Alexis rose at his leisure, indulged in a long bath, and only then deigned to meet with the King and Queen.

“I slept well enough last night.”

“I trust you have recovered from your fatigue?”

“Tolerably.”

Though deliberate care had been taken to receive him in the grand sitting room rather than the throne room, the atmosphere remained uncomfortable throughout. Alexis’s arrogant expression and condescending manner of speech grated at every turn.

“The diplomacy is Marquess Blanc’s concern in any case, not mine — but I hear the daughter of the Duke of Lates is here.”

“She is.”

Milton answered as evenly as he could manage.

“You are surely aware that she is my fiancée. I intend to meet her myself.”

And there it was — Alexis’s true purpose, laid bare at last. Yet the King and Queen, who had prepared well for this day, nodded without so much as a flicker of change in their expressions.

“But of course you must.”

“We have already arranged for the meeting, as it happens.”

At that, one corner of Alexis’s mouth curved upward. Whatever his reasons, he was quite pleased with the King and Queen’s compliant attitude toward his wishes.

“Shall we call for her here, in this very room?”

Milton played his hand boldly.

“That would do.”

Fortunately, Alexis agreed without resistance. With this, any possibility of Annabella being left alone with him was avoided. It was proof, if any were needed, that quietly enduring Alexis’s arrogance had been worth it.

“Go to the inner palace and bring the young lady.”

Grace gave the order with natural ease, and the head lady-in-waiting dipped in a curtsy and left the sitting room.

A short while later, the lord chamberlain announced Annabella’s arrival with quiet deference. The doors opened, and Annabella entered in a pale blue dress, dipping into a curtsy before the King and Queen and the Crown Prince alike.

“I present myself before Their Majesties the King and Queen, and His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince.”

Annabella, wearing a semi-translucent blue veil, immediately caught Alexis’s attention.

“I beg your pardon for wearing a veil — my health has not permitted otherwise.”

Hmm. Alexis made a peculiar sound.

“I heard you had smallpox.”

“I did.”

“When the news reached me, I was so very worried. That is why I made the journey to find you myself.”

Ha. What a ridiculous thing to say.

She was well aware of how he had been living practically as husband and wife with Delilah back in the Imperial capital. He was not the least bit different from the man she had known in her past life.

“I am sorry to have caused you concern.”

Annabella suppressed her feelings with effort and answered compliantly.

“Why the veil? You are family to the King and Queen, and I am your fiancé — there is nothing to hide.”

And here it was at last.

“Since recovering from smallpox, my face has been left with marks. I have no wish to show such an unsightly appearance.”

Annabella answered readily, by design. The more compliant she seemed, the more Alexis would lower his guard and let his greed show itself.

“I say again — what could you possibly have to hide in this company? I am your fiancé, and I have come all this way to see you.”

And yet just days ago he had been holding Delilah in his arms. The words came easily enough.

“Watching this is trying my patience.”

Alexis stepped forward — and in an instant, pulled the veil from Annabella’s face.

“…!”

Even knowing he would overstep, the brazenness of the act made even Annabella draw a sharp breath.

“My.”

Yet Alexis, with no regard whatsoever for the atmosphere around him, studied Annabella’s face with cold detachment — as one might appraise a work of art.

“What a waste.”

It was undeniably a refined face — yet pockmarks covered it entirely. To Alexis, it was like looking at a ruined masterpiece.

“Why couldn’t the Duke of Lates keep better watch over his own daughter… Such a lovely face, completely ruined.”

In her past life, words like these from Alexis had cut like a blade and wounded her deeply time and again. But now Annabella understood perfectly well that every such word sprang from a vicious and contemptible nature. And so she was able to meet them with composure, without being wounded.

“I can only apologize.”

Alexis looked away from Annabella’s face and dropped the veil he had been holding carelessly to the floor. Seeing this, Annabella reached toward Agatha without missing a beat.

“Agatha, another veil, please.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Agatha handed Annabella a veil, her own pockmarked face fully on display. At the sight, Alexis’s expression twisted into a severe grimace, as though he had witnessed something deeply offensive.

“Tch… what a truly dreadful disease.”

He clicked his tongue, unable to rid himself of the look of a man who had seen something that had ruined his eyes. Annabella, under that cold gaze, felt something like a crawling sensation across her skin. But to let her revulsion show here could unravel everything.

“As I have yet to complete my recovery… I would like to take my leave, if you would permit it.”

Alexis had already turned his head away, as though he could not bear to look in her direction any longer.

“Yes, go. Quickly.”

Counting herself fortunate, Annabella dipped into a curtsy and slipped from the room without incident and the King and Queen allowed themselves a quiet sigh of relief within.

“The Emperor told me to look in on her since she is my fiancée — but it was a wasted trip all this way.”

Alexis had a talent for voicing his thoughts exactly as they were. The King and Queen were seething at his insolence, but held themselves in check with great effort.

“We can only apologize that things have come to this.”

“Frankly, no one could be expected to see this engagement through. Would you not agree?”

Alexis assumed, as a matter of absolute certainty, that Annabella desperately wanted the position of Crown Princess.

“She is our granddaughter — we have nothing to say to that.”

Milton had been dropping carefully vague remarks for some time now, drawing out the words he needed from Alexis.

“And besides — she has yet to finish her recovery. How could someone in such a condition become the Crown Princess of the Empire?”

“There is nothing we can say to that, either…”

Milton put on a deliberately crestfallen expression. It was a distasteful thing to do — but there was nothing he would not do for Annabella’s sake.

“Indeed — if even the King says as much, what is to be done if this engagement is broken?”

Grace wore an equally crestfallen expression.

“I must hurry back and report to His Majesty the Emperor.”

The mere sight of the pockmarks had left Alexis thoroughly displeased. Every instinct urged him to leave this kingdom at once and return to the comfort of the Imperial palace. There, he could take the lovely Delilah in his arms again and turn his attention to other women besides.

“This is a matter of some urgency for our Empire — I shall depart immediately.”

It was the most welcome thing she could have heard — and yet it was absolutely not a moment to smile.

“B-but you came all this way… surely you could stay a little longer.”

Milton said what he didn’t mean in the least, and Alexis shook his head with irritable impatience.

“No. I must return at once.”

What wonderfully welcome words.

“The diplomatic delegation is Marquess Blanc’s responsibility, not mine — so I shall head back first. I trust the King and Queen will understand?”

“What could we possibly say, having failed to look after our granddaughter properly.”

Milton bowed his head in a show of sorrow, suppressing the urge to cry out in triumph.

“Someone go inform the Marquess of Blanc. Have my departure prepared within the hour.”

Alexis sprang to his feet and dusted off his trousers — as though something filthy might have rubbed off on him.

“The Emperor’s formal decree has yet to be issued, but consider this engagement ended in practice.”

Maintaining the performance of reluctance to the very end was no easy thing. But for the sake of their beloved granddaughter, the King and Queen could endure anything.

“It is a sorrowful turn of events.”

“As it is for me — but there is nothing to be done. Do see that the young lady is properly consoled.”

“Yes, we shall keep that in mind.”

Just then, an attendant approached to report that the Marquess of Blanc was waiting outside the door. Without a moment’s hesitation, Alexis turned on his heel.

“Well then — a pleasure.”

As though someone were hurrying him along — or rather, as though the pockmarks might somehow be contagious — Alexis spun around and made off at considerable speed.

“Safe travels.”

Milton saw it through to the last. And a moment later, once Alexis had completely disappeared from sight, he let out a long, slow breath.

“Grace — I believe we’ve done it.”

“Yes. It was agony to endure — but thinking of Annabella gave me the strength to bear it.”

The two took each other’s hands once more. Though they had suffered their share of indignity, Alexis would no longer cast his eyes toward Annabella.

“You could search the entire continent and not find a more arrogant creature.”

“Indeed. Arrogant to the very last.”

Even in retrospect, Alexis was not a match fit for Annabella. Which made it all the more unnecessary to say how much this moment had meant to the two of them.

“Now we can bring Annabella good news.”

“Yes — but we must be careful. Let’s wait until the Crown Prince has left the palace before telling her.”

“Agreed.”

“Oh — Cedric must be uncomfortable in the detached palace as well. We should let him know at the same time.”

Grace nodded at Milton’s words. From beyond the door, the occasional sound of Alexis snapping irritably at the Marquess of Blanc still drifted through.

“The greatest victim of this whole affair may well be the Marquess of Blanc.”

Milton felt a pang of sympathy for the poor Marquess.

Before long, the noise outside the door fell silent. It seemed the Marquess of Blanc had taken Alexis and departed.

“Part of me wants to make him pay for the humiliation one day — and yet he’s the last person I ever want to lay eyes on again.”

Milton summed up his impression of Alexis in a single breath. Grace nodded, clearly of the same mind.

In any case, the King and Queen had endured their share of humiliation — and kept their beloved granddaughter safe.