“Haha.”

“Duke Ivanstein!”

Mel’s face instantly turned deathly pale. Whatever calculations had taken place in Genoa’s mind to produce such a result, this was unacceptable. From Mel’s perspective, becoming the empress of the empire meant being a slave.

Of course, if she kept her mouth shut, Genoa would never know. If he had known, such calculations would never have emerged in his mind. Nevertheless, it was absolutely, absolutely, absolutely impossible and should never happen. Her conscience ached at how impossible this was.

“You correctly guessed that I don’t welcome this idea, so why are you so agitated?”

“Ah…… Ah, right.”

Only after Genoa gave a definitive negative answer with a smiling face could Mel finally calm down.

Even at this very moment, the real princess was likely alive somewhere in Reibritton territory, hiding. If Mel were to become empress, this fact would certainly reach the ears of the king and princess who had abandoned their country. Despite being in hiding, they couldn’t possibly remain ignorant of such news. Then Mel’s true identity would inevitably be exposed.

To both Genoa and Amelia.

“You had quite an absurd thought, Duke Ivanstein.”

“Indeed. Because what you want is freedom, Princes.”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

Mel nodded her head quickly.

“Even now, pretending to be elegant and refined makes my whole body ache. How could I possibly play the role of empress?”

While pretending to be elegant and refined wasn’t so difficult during her time as Amelia’s stand-in, now, having to maintain a princess’s dignity all day was nothing short of torturous. Her entire body felt stiff, and her mind, constantly in a state of tension, throbbed. Mel wanted to obtain her freedom as soon as possible and be at ease.

“Hmm, that’s a strange thing to say. I’ve heard that the princess was renowned for being born naturally elegant and refined.”

Genoa lightly laughed as he pointed out the error in Mel’s words. But at his light remark, which was almost like a joke, Mel’s heart suddenly sank.

“My country and others’ countries aren’t the same.”

“That’s true.”

Genoa nodded without suspicion at her excuse, which was as light as his observation. Behind Genoa’s back, Mel swallowed hard and pulled down her shirt sleeves to cover her goosebump-covered forearms.

Had she been caught up in the feeling of closeness from their childhood because Genoa had shown her his inner thoughts? Mel was horrified at herself for unconsciously becoming so relaxed in front of him. Even if Genoa had peeled away one layer of himself, his inner self was surely surrounded by tens of thousands of layers like a fortress.

Even in their childhood, when Genoa showed kindness by revealing his true self to Mel, there had been a wall in him that she couldn’t penetrate. Now, Mel was neither in the position nor the standing to dig into Genoa’s solid inner thoughts.

Mel was an enemy prisoner, a slave who had betrayed him in the past, and someone who was still deceiving him without revealing the truth. With what confidence was she letting her guard down and relaxing in front of him?

‘Please get a grip. Just because the young master calls you princess, do you think you’ve actually become one?’

Mel quietly chastised herself. If she didn’t constantly remind herself of her position, she would forget. She kept forgetting.

As cold sweat ran down her back and seemed to pool in her scars, Mel discreetly poked her thigh with her fingertip, small enough that Genoa wouldn’t notice.

“Anyway, I hope you’ve abandoned the idea of matching me with the Second Prince. He’s a good person, and someone better suited to be empress will surely appear.”

“You seem to think quite highly of His Highness the Second Prince, princess.”

“I think he’s worthy of such regard.”

Genoa stared intently at Mel’s face for a while as she answered with a casual shrug. As Genoa delayed his response, just as Mel was about to move her lips again, he spoke.

“He earned your favor just by lending a servant’s uniform. As expected, I’m convinced that His Highness the Second Prince is suited to be a monarch.”

“What do you mean?”

“Making others feel they’ve received charity while not actually losing anything—that’s a calculation an emperor should frequently employ.”

“……”

He was pointing out that she was excessively grateful for the Second Prince’s kindness over just a servant’s uniform. Genoa thought that the princess, being intelligent, would fully understand his meaning.

“……”

Indeed, her tightly closed lips made it clear she had grasped his meaning. Yet Genoa didn’t feel particularly pleased.

‘What have I missed that makes me feel this way?’

Genoa quietly examined the princess’s solemn expression as she mulled over his words. Though she looked completely different from when she had entered the party, she showed no sense of humiliation about her appearance. The princess seemed more troubled by Genoa’s mood, appearing more upset than her own situation.

What could possibly be in that woman’s mind that allowed her to act as if the shame and humiliation she should rightfully feel didn’t exist at all?

After receiving Bane’s report that something had happened to the princess, while heading toward Rudrich’s lounge, Genoa had crossed paths with the First Prince returning to the party with quick steps. The First Prince’s eyes had been fierce, and his movements to hide his sleeve betrayed his irritation. In the corridor he had passed through, Genoa could see an imperial servant moving like a mouse, avoiding eye contact while holding a wet rag.

Though Genoa hadn’t witnessed the specific situation, he could grasp what the First Prince had done to the princess at that moment.

It must have been an insult difficult for a princess of a country to experience and endure. Yet somehow, Rudrich’s kind generosity had left no trace of humiliation in the princess’s heart. This woman still trembled with fear she couldn’t fully hide when she saw him.

Thinking this, Genoa slightly furrowed his brow and knitted his eyebrows as a throbbing, stinging headache constricted him.

“Are you feeling unwell? Your expression……”

“I’m sleepy.”

Genoa made an offhand excuse to Mel, who was concerned about him. But after saying it aloud, he wondered if his heavy head might indeed be due to sleepiness.

“Put me to sleep, princess.”

“You seem to have left that task to me.”

“What am I to do if I only realize it now?”

“……”

Mel visibly pushed out her lips, and Genoa closed his eyes, resting his temple against the carriage wall. His head swayed with the slight movements of the carriage. With his eyes closed, he stayed still, like he’s truly waiting for Mel to help him fall asleep.

As Mel had pointed out, he wasn’t narrowing his brow, but nevertheless, traces of tension remained on his face that he hadn’t completely erased.

“……I don’t know what’s upset you this time.”

Mel sighed and rose from her seat across from Genoa. Then she sat down right next to him, placing her hip against his. Without meeting Genoa’s gaze as he narrowly opened his eyes to look at her, Mel took his head in her stubborn hands and placed it on her shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“Putting you to sleep. Is it uncomfortable?”

“Quite?”

“Don’t think about it too much and just relax.”

“It’s not my mind that’s uncomfortable, but my posture, princess.”

“Just bear with that for now.”

Her voice clearly conveyed the thought: Who asked to be put to sleep in a carriage? Genoa could feel the nerves that had been constantly scratching at his mind, gradually quieting.

“Well, it’s not bad.”

“Why wouldn’t it be bad……”

Genoa closed his eyes as he heard Mel’s small lament.

The carriage was now entering the mansion. As soon as he closed his eyes, the carriage wheels rolled very slowly.

Mel could tell by looking outside that this moment, when everything seemed to slow down, wasn’t just her imagination. As dusk fell, the servants had all come out to the darkening mansion, lighting lamps and waiting for their master’s return.

Mel blinked a couple of times, feeling as if she had made eye contact with the head maid in the distance. Perhaps she felt this way because she knew the promised time was approaching.

“I request that you hold a tea party at the Ivanstein mansion.”

“As long as the duke doesn’t know about it, it shouldn’t matter, should it?”

She had to choose whether to create another secret from Genoa or not. Which choice would bring her one step closer to freedom? Which choice would allow her to leave this mansion without regret?

After brief contemplation, Mel stared intently at Genoa’s peaceful face as he rested with his eyes closed on her shoulder. A heavy resolution settled over that gaze.

“……”

The carriage was slowly coming to a stop. Now the faces of the Ivanstein ducal house’s people who had come to greet them were just beyond the carriage window. They saw their master’s face as he slept, leaning on Mel’s shoulder, through the carriage window. No one moved from their spot, and no one opened the carriage door.

“I want to go up to my room, Duke.”

“……”

There was no answer from the sleeping Genoa. Until he opened his eyes, those damn people would absolutely not open the carriage door first, nor would they send her back to her room.

“I miss Lin.”

Thinking of Lin’s face, who had returned to the ducal mansion early due to sudden stomach pains before entering the party venue, Mel closed her eyes following Genoa. If she couldn’t move anyway, it would be better to get some rest.