“…….”

For a moment, the Audience Chamber fell into a silence so absolute it felt suffocating.

“What did you just say? Edmund and who?”

Even the Emperor, as though unable to believe he’d heard correctly, repeated the question. But no matter how many times it was asked, Ashis’s answer would not change.

“This is the conclusion that we Puglish and the remaining foreigners have come to. Fifteen years ago, the civil war ended with His Majesty the Emperor ascending to the throne following his marriage to a foreigner. This time, therefore, we propose that His Highness the First Prince, Edmund, should marry a Puglish woman named Ecla.”

End the war by marrying Edmund and Ecla.

Those words cut like a sharp blade through my heart. Marriage. Of course, Edmund would marry someone someday. I had always known that. But…

Knowing that I could never be the one by his side didn’t make it hurt any less. Just imagining it made my throat tighten. I turned my gaze towards Edmund. Had he felt this way when I spoke of marrying Galahad? No — that couldn’t be. If he had, there would be no way he could have congratulated me. No one could utter such words in such pain.

“Ha.”

Edmund let out a laugh and raked his hand through his hair, as if he found the whole notion absurd.

“Your Majesty, this is not even worth listening to.”

“…….”

The Emperor rubbed his deeply wrinkled face with one hand.

“In terms of ending the civil war, it seems you have nothing to gain. Why is that, Edmund? I have two sons. The nobles favor the second prince, Lucid, so wouldn’t he be a better choice?”

“But no one has cared for us as much as Prince Edmund.”

Sinia answered, and Rowell nodded in agreement.

“All this time, we have been watching closely to see how the two princes have dealt with the various policies you have enacted, Your Majesty. Prince Edmund truly cared for us. He pitied our situation and tried to help us. But Prince Lucid has always looked down on us and treated us with contempt, as though we were filthy.”

“That is why we believe he would never agree to a marriage alliance.”

It was true — if it had been Lucid, he would have done it. I never fully understood the depth of his hatred towards foreigners. While most nobles despised them, Lucid’s contempt was somehow different; it carried the weight of old resentment rather than mere disdain.

“As for Prince Edmund, he already carries Puglish blood within him, does he not? In the end, the most trustworthy person is one who shares the same blood. However faintly, the soul of our god must surely be etched into him as well.”

I hadn’t expected to hear talk of bloodlines in Rofan’s world. My gaze shifted towards Edmund. His gaze still burned — sharp, unflinching and unyielding.

“Fifteen years ago, my mother and father were in love. That is why they agreed to such terms. But I am not.”

“We know this. Ecla herself admitted as much—that she could not find a place within Your Highness’s heart. But precisely for that reason, does it not prove all the more how earnestly the Imperial House seeks to negotiate over the matter of foreigners?”

Ashis pressed on, his gravelly voice firm and deliberate.

“Your Majesty, this is utterly absurd. Everything I have done for the foreigners—I did for my mother’s sake. Because it was her will.”

“Edmund.”

“And now the result is that I must marry a woman I do not love? This cannot be right. You yourself hated being bound to a woman you did not love, did you not, Your Majesty?”

Edmund’s voice had slipped from reason into raw emotion. Did he truly despise the thought of marrying Ecla? Or was this the twisted consequence of my interference, warping the story from its intended course?

Could it be that, even in the original tale, the two had wed like this, and Edmund had still become Crown Prince? No—it couldn’t be. I had seen the ending. They had been happy. Perfectly, wholly happy. This had to be another knot tangled by my intrusion.

‘Calm yourself, Edmund.’

The Emperor pressed his fingers to his brow. What would he decide in this situation—take Edmund’s side, or that of the foreigners he valued so deeply?

“Ashis, was it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I am sorry, but that is a condition I cannot grant.”

It caught me off guard. From all the Emperor had shown until now, I hadn’t expected him to side with the foreigners right away—but at the very least, I thought he would weigh their request for a day or two.

“Since childhood, a fiancée had been chosen for me. As a prince, I accepted it as natural. But then I met Angelia, and everything changed. For the first time, I knew happiness. I gave up every privilege I had enjoyed as a prince, yet in return, I found greater joy in building a family with the woman I loved and the child we shared.”

The Emperor’s lips curved into a faint, wistful smile, as though lost in the memory of those days.

“People whispered that I became emperor only because I married a foreigner. But the truth is—I would surrender this throne in an instant if it meant saving my wife. Even now. Since ascending the throne, there has not been a single thing I have been able to do by my own will.”

In the end, after taking the crown, Kai had been forced to marry his former fiancée under the pretext that the Emperor could not leave the inner palace vacant. As for Lucid—he had been spoken of as a child conceived under the haze of drugs.

“I will not force my son to endure the same fate.”

At those words, Ashis’s grip tightened around the staff in his hand.

“In that case, the civil war will drag on—because of Your Majesty’s lingering attachment.”

“How dare you speak so before His Majesty!”

“To twist His Majesty’s compassion for the Puglish into a shield for your insolence!”

Even with the outcries rising around him, Ashis stood unshaken.

“Ecla. Come here.”

“Yes?”

Standing at Edmund’s side, Ecla glanced left and right at the unexpected summons.

“This so-called foreigner-friendly policy is nothing but a hollow façade. Just look at Edmund himself. When faced with a choice that puts him at a disadvantage, doesn’t he also refuse?”

That’s not the same at all! He knows nothing of how earnestly Edmund has fought for the foreigners. I parted my lips to protest, but Ecla’s voice rang out before mine.

“No, Grandfather! Prince Edmund is truly sincere about improving the treatment of the Puglish!”

“Silence! I will no longer allow you to waste yourself as the Empire’s dog. This work ends here.”

“But—!”

Ecla struggled to resist, but one of the foreigners at their side seized her by the arm and dragged her back.

As Ashis turned to leave the Audience Chamber, he cast a final, searing glare at the Emperor.

“Your Imperial Majesty will live to regret this decision.”

The words struck like a curse as he strode away.

“…….”

The foreigners who had filled the chamber followed after him, leaving behind a peculiar, heavy silence.

“Olivia.”

Within that silence, Edmund called to me. Instinctively, every gaze in the chamber shifted toward me as well.

“Yes?”

“Let’s go! We have somewhere important to be, don’t we?”

“Ah… yes.”

Of course, we had to go see Boreas now that he’d finally been found. But in this atmosphere… was it really right to head there now?

“Edmund.”

As I moved awkwardly to follow him out of the Audience Chamber, the Emperor called out to Edmund. Edmund did not answer, only halted his steps.

The Emperor’s gaze flicked between the back of his son’s head and me before he spoke.

“This matter will work against you.”

“I know. Please don’t worry about it.”

“If I’m going to grant your wish, this situation will make things difficult.”

A wish? Edmund—asking someone for a favor? That was hard to imagine.

I turned to him, curious, but Edmund’s expression only hardened as he slowly looked toward the Emperor.

“Do not worry. All Your Majesty need do is grant my request.”

“Very well. Then I shall wait.”

With that, the Emperor retreated inside again.

Edmund strode quickly down the hall and I hurried after him.

“Your Highness, what request did you make of His Majesty?”

“……Only that, once this is over.”

“Once it’s over?”

I waited for him to speak, but Edmund merely pressed his lips together and continued walking. Sunlight streamed through the windows of the corridor, flickering across his face, and my heart beat in time with it, swelling and aching.

When had my love for Edmund become so immense? All this time, I had tried to bury it because of Galahad. I thought that if I suppressed it enough, it would wither and disappear. Instead, however, it had merely coiled within me, biding its time, until finally it had swelled beyond recognition.

The mere thought of Edmund marrying Ecla plunged me into despair. This unfamiliar feeling, which had developed without me realizing it, was almost frightening.

“I know you’re saddened by the failure of the negotiations, but you need to stay focused. We’re on our way to meet Boreas.”

I nodded and followed him.

“If I were to marry Ecla, it wouldn’t trouble you, would it?”

At his question, I was unable to speak. There was nothing I could say that would change anything.

Edmund didn’t seem to expect an answer. He said nothing more.

Tears stung the corners of my eyes.