“Oh? So that happened to the princess.”

The Emperor’s expression became peculiar upon hearing the news from his loyal grand chamberlain.

The Emperor ruled the vast empire. His influence reached everywhere, and the imperial palace was especially in the palm of his hand.

Even in the princess’s Palace, far from the center, the Emperor had eyes and ears.

“Not only did she resolve the false accusations against the Third Prince, but now she has connections with High Priest Joachim…… Isn’t this the first time the High Priest has shown interest in a member of the imperial family? He remained indifferent even when the First Prince and Second Prince tried to recruit him.”

“Aren’t you worried about Her Highness? She coughed up blood.”

“Didn’t the imperial physician diagnose that there was nothing wrong?”

Despite his youngest daughter coughing up blood for no reason, the Emperor’s reaction remained cold.

He was more curious about Joachim’s intentions.

High Priest Joachim Teze. Who was he?

From a young age, he possessed holy power comparable to the Pope’s, was adopted by the Pope, and was known as the real power in the current temple due to his outstanding political sense.

Within the temple, he was considered likely to become the most powerful Pope in history.

For the Emperor, who was sensitive to power, Joachim was the person he should be most wary of, which was precisely why he kept him close for observation.

Thus, he learned a few things.

Joachim was surprisingly indifferent to power and was pessimistic in a way that made it hard to believe he was a believer in God.

He simply did what he could do, not involving himself in temple politics out of great ambition.

The Emperor, who was wary of the temple’s growing power, would have reduced the temple to barely maintaining its existence by now if they had tried to expand their influence using Joachim.

With such a personality in the future leader, the Emperor merely watched without completely dropping his guard.

But to hear that Joachim was showing interest in the princess?

The Emperor smiled with intrigue.

“So he is a man after all. Though the princess isn’t exceptionally beautiful, tastes are diverse.”

“It didn’t seem like romantic interest.”

“Grand Chamberlain, do you think a man would disadvantage himself over a woman without reason? He’s not stupid. Rather, he’s cunning. He knows better than anyone what it means to spend a night at the princess’s Palace instead of returning to the temple.”

“The Third Prince stayed there too……”

“Do you think people will care about that? By now, rumors about the high priest and the princess must be spreading.”

The Grand Chamberlain thought that Joachim didn’t seem to have that kind of interest, but with the Emperor’s opinion set, he kept his mouth shut.

Instead, he asked something else.

“Do you intend to match Her Highness with High Priest Joachim?”

“The princess already has a fiancé for that.”

The Emperor didn’t sound the least bit regretful saying this.

His arrogance suggested he could break off the engagement anytime.

“Duke Wade won’t stay quiet.”

“It’s just a rumor. Neither I nor the Duke can interfere with young people getting along.”

The Emperor seemed intent on using this situation.

Neither the Emperor nor the Grand Chamberlain were ignorant of why Duke Wade had proposed to the unnoticeable princess.

The old man’s greed was so great that he even sold his only son.

What the Duke wanted was imperial bloodline.

The Emperor knew that if the princess bore a son, the Duke would reveal his ambitions by putting his grandson forward.

He accepted the marriage proposal knowing this because the Wade family wasn’t a bad strategic match, and the compensation the Duke offered was quite substantial.

But now Joachim presented another option.

Through him, the Emperor might be able to control the temple.

“What do you plan to do with the high priest?”

“He must have his own plans. We’ll have to see how he proceeds.”

For now, he would observe. The Emperor’s declaration of non-intervention alone was a huge threat to Duke Wade.

The Grand Chamberlain inwardly winced at the thought of the Duke rushing over to make a scene.

“The princess has been doing many unexpected things lately.”

Confronting the Red Hawk Knights and visiting the temple seemed like political moves, but there’s no motivation for those actions.

However, she definitely captured the Emperor’s attention.

“Invite the princess to the upcoming hunting competition.”

“The princess, Your Majesty?”

“She’s a member of the imperial family. How can she keep missing events hosted by the imperial household?”

“Your Majesty, perhaps……”

The Grand Chamberlain denied the thought that briefly crossed his mind.

What if the Emperor was considering the princess as a candidate for succession?

There was no reason to bring in the sickly and introverted princess when there were two grown princes with succession rights.

The princes’ established reputation and achievements were already incomparable.

The Emperor’s interest must be temporary.

‘I’m overthinking this.’

“What is it?”

“Nothing. I’ll deliver the message to the princess’s Palace.”

The Grand Chamberlain answered with an uneasy feeling.

[Checking the updated information.

Name: Acelia Hedwig (Baek Seyeon)

Title: The Princess with Faint Presence (Fame 28/100)

Age: 23……]

“What’s going on here.”

Her fame had been rising since the day before yesterday.

Unlike previous increases that happened all at once, it had been climbing by 1 or 2 every hour until finally hitting 28.

“Is coughing up blood really that impactful?”

No way. The commotion must be because Gale and Joachim spent the night at her palace.

‘Gale is one thing, but what was Joachim thinking?’

Gale could claim family ties, but Joachim was a complete stranger.

Well, he said he strongly felt divine power from her? Honestly, that was just his claim; ordinary people had no way of knowing.

Whether it was his duty as a high priest or being the first witness, any explanation seemed excessive.

Just when she was hoping no troublesome matters would arise—

“Count Felix, you can’t do this!”

“Acelia! I need to talk to you!”

Thundering footsteps echoed through the corridor, and Liam appeared, fuming.

Considering the place had good soundproofing, for such noise to be heard…… was he a wild boar?

Liam revealed his true nature even in front of the maids, abandoning the gentle, soft image he usually maintained.

Acelia slowly raised herself from the sofa where she had been sprawled.

Examining her well-maintained nails, she muttered to herself,

“Has our Count Liam Wade Felix broken his hands……?”

“What?”

“I’m sure I told you to contact me before coming. Who let this person in? Why is the palace discipline like this? Do I have to point out even these things?”

“I apologize, Your Highness. I will inform the guards.”

The head maid bowed deeply when Acelia mentioned something she had been thinking about for a while.

Even though she might be a powerless mistress, this was still the imperial palace—weren’t the doors too open?

Soon even peddlers will be wandering in.

Acelia approached Liam and suddenly grabbed a vase from the table, making him flinch.

His momentary fear seemed to wound his pride, and his expression became quite entertaining.

Acelia smiled sweetly and put the vase back in its place. But her light blue eyes remained cold.

“I told you not to speak informally, Count Felix. Why can’t you understand after being told once?”

“That’s not important right now……! What’s your relationship with High Priest Joachim? Why did he spend the night at your palace?”

“……”

I knew this would happen. I knew problems would arise.

She had expected this to some extent when Liam appeared. Acelia suppressed her irritation and made no attempt to hide her mockery.

“What did you imagine that made you rush over? Why, afraid I might be having an affair?”

“……Is it true? Is it true! With High Priest Joachim……”

“Didn’t you come despite already knowing?”

Acelia deliberately spoke ambiguously. Her innocence was as clear as day, so she had no reason not to be confident.

She had no obligation to explain Liam’s misunderstanding and his wild behavior. This was the price for disturbing her rest time.

“Count Felix, you reap what you sow. You go around doing whatever you want, but I can’t?”

“I’m your fiancé, the man who will be your husband! Ha, how can you be so brazen?”

“That remains to be seen.”

“……What?”

“Whether you’ll become my husband or my ex-fiancé remains to be seen.”

“Acelia!”

His voice was so loud that her eardrums rang, and Acelia covered her ears.

Meanwhile, Liam felt confused.

‘Why does the princess suddenly seem…… attractive?’

He couldn’t grasp this emotion he had never felt before.

Her confidence in having no qualms about letting another man stay overnight at her palace. Her indifferent attitude toward him. Liam couldn’t take his eyes off all of it.

‘W-why…… am I feeling this way about Acelia!’

He had prided himself on knowing everything about Acelia. But that was a misconception.

Liam had never been treated like this in his life. Yet somehow, it didn’t feel entirely bad…….

“Oh? Are you going to cry? Your face is bright red.”

Suddenly, the back of his neck tingled, and Liam’s heart began to pound violently.