And it was not a suitable topic of conversation for an open space. To have a formal conversation, they needed to move to a private space, like a lounge.

“It won’t be a losing trade. How about it? Shall we talk?”

“Fine. But the moment you try something dangerous, my sword will be at your neck.”

Her whole body shivered at the almost threatening words. Seeing his face, it wasn’t a lie meant to scare her.

Adelia swallowed and said,

“Then please invite me to the lounge.”

With Adelia’s words, the dance music concluded.

They naturally distanced themselves from each other.

Adelia placed one hand on her chest and lifted the hem of her skirt with the other as she bowed her head.

“It’s a pity the song was so short.”

“I feel the same.”

As Adelia lifted her head, Lucian raised her white hand.

With a gesture like that of a polite gentleman, he pressed his lips to her hand.

“Would you spare me some time? I would like to invite you to the lounge.”

“It would be my honor.”

Being invited to the lounge or terrace after dancing was an expression of interest.

They were leaving to understand each other’s intentions, but to others, it didn’t seem that way.

Lucian’s actions were very polite, and during the dance, his gaze was persistently on Adelia alone.

People who knew nothing could only misunderstand their relationship.

Lucian lightly held her hand and escorted her outside.

As they left the ballroom, he glanced at the Emperor.

“I guess there’s no need for me to stay.”

The Emperor’s heavy bass voice echoed through the ballroom.

The purpose of holding the ball had already been blurred out.

Both their apparent and hidden purposes faded in front of Adelia.

The Emperor stood up and gracefully disappeared.

The unexpected situation left the nobles in disarray.

Since both the Crown Prince and Emperor had left, the ball was essentially over.

It was still early, so it became a place for exchanging information about ‘the Crown Prince’s lover.’

Soft music played, perfect for having conversations.

“Who is that lady?”

“It seems like I’m seeing her for the first time…”

No one knew Adelia except for her family since she hadn’t had her debutante ball yet.

But even Robelia and the Countess, who loved being the center of attention, and her father, the Count, did not step forward in front of people.

“Father! What is this… Why did she go with His Highness the Crown Prince!”

“Honey, what about that jewelry, and what about those clothes? What has she done!”

The Countess and Robelia could not scream out loud but gritted their teeth and voiced their complaints to the Count. Their necks were red with rage-filled with anger.

‘That she caught the eye of the Crown Prince…’

The Count focused on this situation rather than listening to his daughter and wife’s complaints on either side of him.

He greedily curled his lips upward.

He had planned to send her as a bride to an old Count, but if she was chosen by the Crown Prince, the story changed.

‘Our family will be connected to the imperial family, even if she dies, money will come out of it, so it’s beneficial.’

The Count twisted his mustache with a vile smile.

He grabbed Robelia’s wrist as she nagged beside him. She looked at the Count with wide eyes in surprise.

“Father!”

“Shut up. Anyway, since the Crown Prince took her, something will come out of it. She’ll know to repay this father’s kindness by making me a position. And they’ll look into a good marriage for you too. Besides, you’re healthier and younger than her; maybe you’ll become the Crown Prince’s wife. You’re better off in many ways, aren’t you?”

For the first time, Robelia was scared of her father.

But that fear was fleeting, as she was enticed by the possibility of becoming an imperial consort.

As Robelia’s hand went limp, the Count forcefully dragged her wrist and stepped forward in front of people.

“Heh heh. That child is my daughter.”

The Count’s eyes were filled with greed.

* * *

Lucian and Adelia walked down the corridor in silence.

There were no people around, but because of the corridor’s characteristics, where sounds echoed loudly, it wasn’t suitable for talking.

Adelia quietly kept her mouth shut, and Lucian also maintained silence.

Passing through the empty corridor, they came upon a large door.

The empire’s symbol, a black panther, was prominently displayed on red fabric.

They entered through the red door, revealing a large lounge equipped with desks, beds, tables, chairs, and spare clothes—everything needed for rest.

On one side of the sofa, facing each other in the middle of the room, sat the Emperor.

He had arrived first by using a passage known only to him while they were walking down the corridor.

Adelia showed proper respect.

“I greet Your Imperial Majesty. I am Adelia Vita, the eldest daughter of the Count of Vita family. I run a small merchantry.”

“If the Eileen Merchant Guild is small, then other places must be street stalls.”

The Emperor said mockingly.

The only person who calls a merchantry that controls the continent modest must be the merchantry owner themselves.

A subtle tension unfolded between them.

“Sit down for now.”

Lucian mediated the situation.

He sat arrogantly next to the Emperor, and Adelia sat opposite them.

Their sharp eyes closely observed every move Adelia made.

It seemed they would draw the sword by their sides if she made any foolish moves.

“Let’s skip the preliminaries and get to the main point. What do you want?”

It was a typical thing for the Emperor, who dislikes trivial matters, to say.

Adelia also preferred conversations without unnecessary words.

She made a concise proposal that met the Emperor’s request.

“I want to make a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“The power of being the Crown Princess, the support of the imperial family, and after 2 years, a clean divorce with a small territory and a title, perhaps?”

Adelia narrowed her eyes and smiled harmlessly.

Then she slightly tilted her head and listed what she wanted as if it were nothing.

It was a direct way of speaking, hard to find among nobles.

She intended to plainly offer what she wanted and cleanly pay the price without measuring or gauging the other person.

The Emperor fell into thought upon hearing her proposal.

He crossed his arms and tapped his other arm with his fingers.

“You know that receiving such a title means you must serve the empire for life.”

“Of course. All the foundations of my merchantry are in the empire, where else would I go?”

Even if it wasn’t for the merchantry, Adelia had no intention of leaving the empire.

Why go anywhere else when all the interesting things would happen here? Besides, being at the center of the continent made it suitable to run a merchantry.

It would be beneficial for the empire to tie down a white mage and the owner of a major merchantry to the empire.

“If you do that, I will hand over the trade rights to white magic stones. A holy sword would be appropriate for my dowry.”

“Trade rights are one thing. But a holy sword?”

“I happened to learn the location of a holy sword. I’ve never wielded a sword, so it’s useless to me, and I can’t sell it anywhere. It’s right that it goes into the hands of someone who can use it better.”

“A holy sword as dowry…”

Lucian’s eyes narrowed as he trailed off.

Isn’t that too legendary for a dowry?

It was the holy sword used by the first Emperor. Lucian snickered at how she treated the holy sword, which all past Emperors had desperately wanted to obtain, like an ordinary rock by her house.

The Emperor asked with an unconvinced face,

“There are plenty of ways to obtain a title without having to marry.”

“I have quite a story. Because of that, I need to become independent without any problems. It’s also convenient to use some power along the way.”

Completely crushing her family and becoming the family head was her first goal.

This marriage was a stepping stone for that and an escape route in case of failure.

“Just that?”

Lucian murmured in a low voice.

Looking at the conditions alone, it was a deal where Adelia seemed to be on the losing side. To be precise, it was just that their side had too much to gain.

‘It’s not a deal to pass over just because it feels off.’

Though he’s never seen a deal too favorable to be normal, this opportunity was too good to pass up.

Adelia added more words to help them with their deliberation.

“While we maintain our marriage life, you may take a mistress or have a lover as long as it does not harm my standing. What I want is power, not your heart, Your Highness. Ah, but we should still pretend to get along well. A Crown Princess who doesn’t receive any attention from the Crown Prince has no power.”