Chapter 30

Dieldo kept his word thoroughly. He arranged a second meeting in no time—literally the very next day.

“I didn’t expect you to come all the way here, Your Highness.”

Professor Hesington looked at Dieldo, who seemed even more haggard than the day before, with concern. Dieldo shrugged.

“They say the Kingdom contributed to this, so as royalty, I should come see it. Don’t you think?”

He absolutely didn’t want anyone to know he’d spent the previous day reading 《Empire’s Herbal Encyclopedia》 or 《Herbology》. Only one loyal aide who’d fetched those books looked at him with “Prince, are you seriously crazy?” eyes. Even now, Petricks was sending him a “Why are you pretending to be something you’re not?” look. Exactly, d*mn it.

Dieldo pretended not to notice and scanned the lab where Amber spent her time.

“So this is where you worked.”

It was the first time he’d ever set foot in a laboratory. Contrary to his expectations of an intellectual space, it was messy, cluttered, with tables covered in books, herbs, and mysterious things. His first impression was, “Amber works in this dump?”

“It really is a mess.”

He thought he’d accidentally spoken his thoughts aloud, but was relieved to see Petricks whispering beside him.

“You’d get sick just being here.”

“Shut up.”

Dieldo agreed, but thinking it was Amber’s workplace made it seem a bit more impressive. He gave a sharp warning and searched for Amber with his eyes.

Amber stood at the messiest table, oblivious to his arrival, talking with other researchers. Maybe it wasn’t as much of a dump as he thought… Maybe it was just the mark of passionate scholars? With his rose-tinted glasses, Professor Hesington approached and asked,

“Should I call Amber over?”

“No.”

He’d come to see Amber, but couldn’t bring himself to interrupt her. She was so lively—how could he disturb that?

Dieldo had to admit there was an Amber he didn’t know. Amber at work, Amber doing what she loved, Amber burning with scholarly passion. It was Amber Serentano outside Napolia. He’d wished she’d never leave Napolia… But if she hadn’t, he’d never have known this side of her.

Dieldo suddenly asked,

“I heard you’re going back to the Kingdom. When?”

“Well, I’ve set the date generously… but the palace contacted me about holding a research presentation, so it might be moved up.”

“So, if it’s moved up, when?”

“In a week…?”

“What?”

A week? That was sooner than he’d expected. The Professor looked at Dieldo’s reaction.

“Is there a problem?”

“Yeah.”

With a firm answer, the Professor looked confused, but Dieldo found a less cluttered spot, sat down, crossed his legs, and ignored him. Then he asked,

“And after the presentation?”

“You mean what I’ll do?”

“Yeah. Will you come back to the Empire, or stay in the Kingdom?”

The Professor seemed to ponder.

“Hmm. The Empire is strong in herbology… but with this project, the Kingdom has agreed to provide support, so we’ll have to see.”

“I see.”

“…Amber will probably stay with the lab now that she’s joined. She has real talent.”

Professor Hesington quickly added.

Hearing about her talent, Dieldo felt proud for some reason. Of course, Amber had talent. But if she did, wouldn’t it be better for her to stay in the Empire? That thought troubled Dieldo, even though it wasn’t his business.

Thinking about Amber’s future, maybe it was better for her to stay in the Empire. But selfishly, he wanted her to return to the Kingdom. After all, Dieldo couldn’t stay in the Empire forever.

Just then, another visitor entered the lab.

“Who’s that?”

Dieldo saw a middle-aged man with a knight approaching the researchers and asked. The Professor answered with a stiff face.

“That’s the young Marquis of Sperado.”

“He’s the Imperial Princess’s rival.”

Petricks added.

“He’s considered opposition, but the Princess’s power is so overwhelming that there’s not much he can do. And as a young Marquis, the gap is even bigger.”

As Dieldo’s eyebrows rose, Petricks kept talking. As an informant, Petricks’s skills shone even in the Empire.

“But he is a nuisance. And with the Princess’s influence growing thanks to this international academic achievement, the young Marquis is even more displeased…”

“Right.”

There was nothing more to hear. Nothing more to be said. Dieldo stood, his face cold. The young Marquis of Sperado had reached Amber. He spoke with Imperial researchers, then suddenly turned to Amber.

“Amber Serentano. I heard you received documents from one of our researchers. That’s a vital resource for our lab, so I’d appreciate it if you returned it.”

“If you mean the document…”

“This is troublesome. How can we predict what’ll happen if our research ends up elsewhere?”

The young Marquis of Sperado was clearly displeased. He hadn’t inherited the title yet, and had grown anxious recently. His father valued only ability, never giving more power based on age or gender, and was harsh about mistakes.

The problem was, a research project he’d personally funded had recently failed. And it was all because of a foreign woman!

Rabigarden, a toxic herb. For over a hundred years, it had been considered poisonous, and was common in the Empire. But it turned out to have remarkable effects. What a discovery! And the Empire was the perfect place for Rabigarden—monopoly was possible. He could elevate his status, and amass wealth.

But the opportunity went to the Imperial Princess. When the young Marquis supported the lab, the Princess’s research team was struggling. He’d planned to get ahead in Rabigarden research.

Until that woman appeared!

A timid-looking woman from a minor country, she solved problems the existing researchers couldn’t, and even won the Princess’s favor. To the young Marquis, she was an annoying enemy. And that enemy, looking timid and frail, answered with wide eyes.

“So… you’re asking me to return the document I borrowed?”

“Yes. Or am I mistaken?”

“I think you’re mistaken.”

“What?”

The young Marquis looked down at Amber as if she’d just told him he was wrong.

“It wasn’t a document we borrowed, but a copy of a document I lent. So there’s no need to worry about our research being leaked.”

“What?”

The young Marquis’s face flushed.

“What does that mean? Are you saying I’m picking a fight over nothing?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Then why bring it up here?”

He raised his voice. At this point, he’d decided to make Amber look bad. After all, she was just a researcher from a minor country. All the researchers present thought, “He’s just picking a fight…” but none dared say it aloud. He was the heir to a Duke’s household.

“Speak up!”

“Well…”

Amber was flustered by his agitated tone. She had no reason to incur the young Marquis’s wrath, but she didn’t want researchers from the Kingdom to suffer, so she lowered her head.

“You said you’re the young Marquis of Sperado?”

A familiar voice… Amber’s eyes widened. A deep shadow fell over her. The young Marquis turned his gaze, looking surprised.

“What brings you here, Your Highness?”

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?”

The young Marquis trailed off. He seemed to wonder if he really had to humble himself this much before a Prince, but by title, the Prince was indeed his superior. In fact, as the Prince of the Kingdom and, officially, the Imperial Princess’s fiancé, he was someone to be wary of.

At that moment, Dieldo pressed him from behind Amber.

“Go ahead and finish what you were saying. Accusing her over nothing.”

As if he was her solid backing…. In truth, he was. If she mentioned the young Marquis’s fault now, the situation could be overturned in an instant.

But Amber didn’t want to do that. It wasn’t because she had any fondness for the young Marquis. She simply wanted to handle things on her own strength, without anyone’s help. She couldn’t live forever relying on others. So, in the end, she bowed her head just as she had decided.

“I was disrespectful. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

She felt Dieldo’s gaze from beside her. It was unreadable. After a long pause, he slowly turned to the young Marquis and said,

“Why don’t you let it go as well?”

The young Marquis coughed with a face full of words, then, as if he had no choice, brushed it off. He left less noisily than when he’d arrived.

Dieldo watched the situation resolve in an instant, finding it a bit pathetic. Amber looked up at him and spoke.

“You don’t have to help me.”

“Who’s helping?”

Dieldo replied shamelessly.

“I didn’t help. I did it for myself.”

The way he smiled down at her was the very image of a fine Prince. It could make anyone feel strange.

* * *

Walking through the Imperial Palace gardens, they looked more like people walking separately than together. The scene was picturesque, but the air between them was bland. They didn’t even exchange glances.

Dieldo turned his head to answer a question the Imperial Princess had asked a few minutes earlier.

“I knew.”

“So you knew and did nothing.”

Dieldo replied coldly. The Imperial Princess shrugged.

“Yes, I didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble.”

She knew the young Marquis of Sperado often came to bother Amber…. Dieldo’s eyebrows arched.

“I thought you cared about her.”

“I do. But not enough to complicate things. The Sperado family is bothersome, but….”

“You’re more than capable.”

“And you, Prince, are you capable enough to solve it yourself?”

Struck to the core, Dieldo clenched his fist. He’d paid the price for his past recklessness. The Princess was right. Ever since regaining his memory, he’d kept thinking about his own pathetic side. When there was nothing he wanted to protect, his incompetence didn’t matter. But now….

For a moment, Dieldo’s expression changed.

“If I can solve it.”

“…You?”

The Princess asked again, but his gaze wasn’t on her. From the moment he spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

The Princess clicked her tongue as she turned her eyes. Amber, moving with other researchers, looked utterly ordinary, even to the Princess. Yet Dieldo had spotted her and seemed ready to run to her at any moment.

“Go ahead.”

The Princess said, knowing he wasn’t listening. Dieldo truly disappeared without looking back.

From the moment he saw Amber, he knew. Amber didn’t need his help. She didn’t need him to sleep at night as she had in Napolia, nor did she secretly rely on him. Not anymore.

In short, it was he who needed to change.