The black gloves did not appear to be worn merely for fashion.

The same was true of his formal attire. It was so immaculate, without a single crease, that it felt strangely unnatural.

Then she remembered the past.

‘How did the Crown Prince die in the past?’

There had been many rumors. However, the most credible one claimed that he had been cursed.

A curse.

When Cordelia first heard the story, she had scoffed.

Back then, she had not believed in miracles, invisible forces, souls, or any such nonsense.

But now……

Cordelia von Bluerose had died once and returned to the past.

‘What if the curse was real?’

After all, he was the noble Crown Prince.

What could possibly bring a man like him down without him being able to do anything about it?

At his summons, even the High Priest of the temple would come running, and he could command the delivery of any rare medicinal herb in the world.

And yet, he had died.

“Your Highness is the same.”

“……What?”

“Are you not desperate as well, Your Highness?”

His gaze was as cold as ice: impenetrable and merciless. Not even a needle could have slipped through it.

But why did she feel this way?

Perhaps it was only her imagination, but Cordelia sensed that he was as desperate as she was.

He knew the name Bluerose. He recognized her at a glance, even though she had never made her social debut. Most importantly, he was still listening to her, even though he had every right to dismiss her by now.

Beneath it all, there was a hidden sense of expectation.

‘He was already interested in our family. But why?’

A man of noble blood who had enjoyed every privilege the world had to offer could not possibly be like her—a woman who had returned after witnessing the very depths of hell.

And yet……

‘He clearly needs Bluerose.’

At that moment, Cordelia saw something strange.

‘Huh? What is that?’

At first, she thought she had imagined it, but there it was, unmistakable. There was something glittering around the man.

Gradually, her heart began to pound as though it might burst.

‘Could it be……?’

The instant she saw that golden light, a peculiar certainty came over her.

“Enough to place your hopes in someone whose face you do not even know.”

Cordelia spoke as though entranced.

“In the miraculous Bluerose, I mean.”

“Why are you suddenly introducing yourself?”

“Your Highness Noel, my eyes are deep blue.”

“And?”

“What would you do if I possessed the very thing you are searching for?”

What she needed now was not caution. Somehow, she had to make that man……

“If I were the only answer you had left, what would you do then? Would a deal between us still be impossible?”

……continue speaking with her.

Despite her trembling, feeble voice, those words made the Crown Prince, who had been about to dismiss her mercilessly, falter.

“Well, now.”

The man scoffed.

“How arrogant. But it is amusing.”

He fixed Cordelia with another deep gaze and turned back toward her.

As though willing to hear more.

“Go on. Convince me.”

Cordelia clasped her hands together and stared at the golden light, which was becoming increasingly vivid.

“You are my only answer? What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said.”

The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes.

Cold sweat trickled down Cordelia’s skin.

However, she could not reveal all of her family’s secrets here, especially since she did not fully understand them herself.

“No. You will have to offer a more detailed explanation. I have never made a deal with someone who speaks in such vague terms. I don’t know what you knew before you came here, but if you’re just toying with me, I find it extremely unpleasant.”

As though she had failed to give him the answer he wanted, the man’s gaze turned dangerously sharp.

Though his lips curved into a gentle smile, his words stung like thorns.

Cordelia gritted her teeth, resolutely resisting the urge to flee.

“Your Highness……”

Ah, please let me be right.

Once she said this, there would truly be no turning back.

Cordelia squeezed her eyes shut, then abruptly opened them and exhaled. The words poured rapidly from her lips.

“Your Highness is ill!”

The instant she said it, a chilling presence surged toward Cordelia with a sharp hiss.

Bloodlust.

That sword is going to pierce me!

‘Ugh!’

A terrifying chill swept over her, and her heart seemed to plummet.

Thud!

A heavy sound rang out.

“Enough. Stand down.”

The Crown Prince struck the terrace floor with the silver cane in his hand, unleashing a powerful force.

In that instant, the bloodlust that had threatened to cleave Cordelia apart vanished as though it had never existed.

‘Good heavens……’

How many people were hiding here that she could not see? Could they have been the Crown Prince’s infamous shadow guards?

For a moment, she thought her heart would be pierced. She tried to remain calm, but she was actually utterly and completely terrified.

Although she had seen nothing, she could not deny that she had almost died. Just as she had in the past. Just as when Julius’s merciless blade had pierced her.

‘But……’

At the same time, she felt exhilarated. This time was different. She had done it. She had survived. The Crown Prince had chosen not to kill her. From this moment on, everything would change.

“The heir to the Skia Empire is ill? What absurd nonsense. How very amusing, Cordelia.”

He addressed her by the name she had never given him, speaking with unsettling familiarity as he smiled as beautifully as a painting.

He resembled a beast inflating itself to hide its weakness.

“It’s not nonsense. I gave the right answer. You are unwell, Your Highness. You are so unwell that you have to hide the truth to keep your place as heir. You are in such a desperate state that you have no choice but to cling to the legend of a mere family. Am I wrong?”

Cordelia rubbed her clammy palms together and lifted her chin as though she had never faltered.

“That must be why Your Highness’s loyal swords tried to kill me.”

She met his measuring gaze head-on, glaring back at him.

“Assuming you are correct, what is it that you want?”

“As I said, I want my engagement broken. I need Your Highness’s help in the process.”

“Mine?”

Noel’s gaze turned exceedingly peculiar.

“Well, now……”

Perhaps it was a habit of his, but the Crown Prince’s eyes curved like crescent moons. Yet there was no amusement within them. As expected, his words were equally cold.

“This is the first time I have received such an ardent marriage proposal.”

A chilling silence descended.

Had her words really sounded like that?

After all, asking a young imperial prince to help end her engagement was no different from asking him to intervene personally. It was understandable that he might have interpreted her request as a marriage proposal.

Nevertheless, Cordelia felt unfairly accused. She hadn’t actually asked him to marry her. Yet the merciless man shook his head as though he had no intention of listening to her flustered explanation.

“But, my lady, before making such a proposal, you should have proven the value of Bluerose. So far, your words sound like nothing more than the empty claims of a fraud. I would prefer to dismiss them immediately.”

Forgetting her fear of him from only moments earlier, Cordelia frowned slightly.

“I did not come rushing here to ask you to marry me.”

“Then the matter is simple. I cannot wager my one and only marriage on something uncertain. Now, the exit is that way.”

He pointed outside with his elegant hand. It seemed as though he wanted her to leave as quickly as possible, and Cordelia became anxious.

She had bitten her lip so many times that it was bleeding.

She had no choice.

What she was about to say might incur his wrath, but she had nowhere left to retreat to.

“Would it not cause trouble for Your Highness if you sent me away like this?”

The Crown Prince’s icy eyes narrowed, even the faint trace of a smile disappearing from his face.

“Oh? And what might that mean?”

“Exactly what I said.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Yes.”

Cordelia slowly placed a hand over her chest and straightened her back.

“If you reject me and send me away like this, Your Highness’s secret may leak out. My lips might be looser than you think.”

Cold sweat soaked her entire back.

The Crown Prince’s guards were no longer making any effort to hide their bloodlust.

Cordelia was so frightened that she thought her heart might stop; she could feel pain prickling across her skin. She endured it by biting her lip.

But this was only the first step.

“You seem to have lost all sense of fear.”

“That is how desperate I am.”

“The dead tell no tales.”

“Even Your Highness cannot kill the daughter of Bluerose and conceal it so easily.”

“What amusing nonsense. You would hardly have left a trail behind while entering this place. In that case, making you disappear would be quite simple.”