Isabel froze on the spot.

But she was even more shocked when he pressed his lips precisely against the scar on her right wrist — a secret that only she knew about.

As if he had always known about it, he lifted his gaze and smiled faintly and knowingly.

‘Purple eyes…?’

Isabel was entranced for a moment by the man’s languid gaze revealed in the moonlight. Then, belatedly noticing the color of his eyes, she widened her own in shock.

His skin was unnaturally pale, his hair was jet black and his eyes were sharp and feral, as though they belonged to a beast. They felt anything but human.

“I knew I’d meet you.”

The man looked at Isabel and smiled lazily.

“My girl.”

The unfamiliar greed flickering in his violet eyes, vivid in the moonlight, and the searing heat of his hand gripping her wrist sent a sharp wave of fear through her. Isabel stepped back instinctively.

But the man pulled her effortlessly into his arms.

Had she been bewitched by those eyes, now so close?

Forgetting her struggle to break free just moments ago, she could only stare up at him, dazed and unresisting.

Something was wrong. Her heart was racing in a way she couldn’t understand. She had never seen this man before, and yet… why did it feel like this?

It was as though she had finally found someone she had been searching for all along.

As if under a spell, Isabel slowly lifted her hand. Gently brushing aside the strands of his black hair swaying in the breeze, she moved towards his eyes.

Then, suddenly, voices rang out nearby.

Startled back to her senses, she looked at him in flustered confusion and, without thinking, slapped him across the face.

“H-how dare you! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“You’re just as feisty as ever.”

The man met her glare without reacting at all, even letting out a quiet chuckle. Isabel could only stare at him in disbelief.

What kind of lunatic was he?

“Then why are you crying?”

She glared at him, utterly dumbfounded. But as he chuckled for a moment, his expression suddenly changed. His brows drew together as he fixed his gaze on hers. Without warning, he reached out and brushed his fingers beneath her eyes.

At his touch, Isabel’s eyes wavered.

Was she crying?

Who was crying?

“W-who says I’m—!”

“Then what is this?”

As she tried to slap his hand away, he held his thumb up in front of her eyes. Isabel stared blankly at the faint trace of moisture on it.

Only then did she realize that she had been crying pathetically.

Flustered, she quickly covered her face and snapped at him.

“W-what does that have to do with you?!”

Her cheeks flushing red, the man let out a low laugh and dragged his tongue over the tear glistening in the moonlight. He did so without hesitation.

“Who made you cry?”

Just moments ago, his face had been filled with playful amusement. Now, however, it was completely expressionless as he stared straight at her.

Isabel looked at him, her eyes filled with confusion.

If she told him, he looked ready to hunt the person down and tear them apart without a second thought.

The man cupped her cheek with one hand and bent down to meet her gaze.

“Tell me—who made you cry?”

Staring blankly into those violet eyes shimmering softly under the moonlight, Isabel felt herself swept up by an emotion she couldn’t understand.

“You… what are you…?”

She didn’t even know who he was, and yet…

A ridiculous thought crossed her mind: that he was trying to protect her.

Had her heart already been worn down to nothing? Why did the words of a man she had never met make her eyes sting with unshed tears?

Anna, whom she had once called her own, and Cedric, whom she had trusted as a friend, had both turned their backs on her. And yet here she was, feeling something like this towards a complete stranger.

Had she really become this weak?

The thought was humiliating.

A surge of emotion welled up inside her, and she slapped his hand away sharply.

“What are you, exactly?! What do you think you’re doing to—!”

“Kin! What are you doing there?!”

Just as she raised her hand to hit him again, a sharp voice rang out nearby.

Startled, Isabel turned her head, then froze.

Prince Adrian Morita, who had arrived with the diplomatic delegation, was hurrying towards them with a tense expression.

“…Your Highness, Prince Morita?”

“So it was you.”

The prince, who had been approaching quickly, recognized Isabel only then and offered his greeting.

“It’s been three years, hasn’t it? The young lady of House Lewen… or should I now call you the Duchess of Francia?”

His smile was as bright as the wind-tossed strands of his blue hair.

“In any case, it seems this one has been terribly rude. Allow me to apologize on his behalf.”

“It has been a long time, Your Highness.”

Isabel regained her composure with great effort, smoothing her disheveled appearance before greeting him properly. Glancing to the side, she saw that the madman was still staring at her.

He frowned, clearly displeased by the prince’s arrival.

After shooting him a brief glare, Isabel turned to Prince Morita.

“Is that man part of the Morita Kingdom’s delegation as well?”

“Yes, that’s right. He is my escort knight.”

When the prince responded, Isabel’s gaze turned cold for a moment. Who would have thought that someone like that would guard a man known for his refinement?

A knight?

“I fail to understand how someone like him could be entrusted with Your Highness’s protection. Frankly, he doesn’t look like a knight at all.”

Perhaps taken aback by her icy tone, Prince Morita gave an awkward smile

“The journey to Anita was rather perilous, so I hired him as a mercenary.”

“Ah… I see.”

To travel safely through the harsh Calium Empire, it was often necessary to hire a mercenary. It made sense. There was no way a man with such poor manners could be an official envoy.

Upon hearing this, Isabel’s expression softened slightly and she nodded. However, perhaps out of some attachment to the man he had hired, the prince added.

“There is no one on this continent who could defeat him.”

“…In any case, it’s a pleasure to see you again after three years, Your Highness.”

As if she had no interest in hearing more about the man, Isabel smoothly changed the subject. The prince responded with a faint, somewhat strained smile.

“Haha… and how has married life been?”

Even though she had changed the subject, the topic remained unwelcome. She could only force a polite smile.

Then, suddenly, the man stepped forward and fixed his gaze on her.

She flinched at this sudden attention, only to see the coldness in his eyes.

“You’re married?”

His gaze betrayed such raw betrayal that Isabel absurdly felt as though she had done something wrong.

His expression was twisted and laid bare without restraint.

He looked as though he was hurt.

When their eyes met, she felt an inexplicable tightness seize her chest; his eyes were like those of a wounded beast.

What is this?

Why is he looking at me like that?

She felt as though she had become a heartless woman who had toyed with an innocent man, only to abandon him.

Before she could make sense of it, he let out a stunned murmur.

“You’re married… I didn’t.”

The more she looked at him, the more he seemed utterly unhinged.

Isabel stared at him as if he were insane.

“It seems he’s drunk out of his mind.”

As though she had heard enough, she turned away from him coldly. The man protested at once.

“Drunk? I would never touch the tainted liquor of this worldly empire—”

“Yes, that’s right. You are insane.”

Before he could continue his nonsense, Prince Morita cut him off sharply.

“I chose him solely for his skill—I had no idea he’d be like this. Still, as I said, his ability is exceptional. As a mercenary, that alone is enough, wouldn’t you agree? Ha ha!”

With a bright smile, the prince gestured for her to go ahead.

“My lady, please head inside first. I’ll see to it that he behaves and follow shortly.”

“…Very well.”

After exchanging one last glance with Prince Morita and the strange man, Isabel gathered up her disheveled skirts and slipped back inside quietly.

As long as she remained within his line of sight, Adrian maintained his smile perfectly. But the moment she disappeared from view, his expression twisted instantly.

“Arkin, have you lost your mind? I was wondering where you’d gone—what on earth did you do to the Duchess of Francia?!”

Despite Adrian’s sharp rebuke, Arkin paid him little heed. His face darkened as he stared at the spot where Isabel had been standing just moments earlier.

“I didn’t expect her to be married.”

Then, as if resigning himself to it, he let out a quiet sigh.

“Well… it’s not as if she’s particularly young anymore.”

“Arkin. Are you not hearing me, or are you just pretending not to?”

“What is her relationship with the Duke of Francia like?”

“… ‘Distant’ would be an understatement. It’s practically common knowledge that they never consummated their marriage. Three years have passed and there isn’t a single child — what more needs to be said? It was a political union from the outset. She was originally supposed to become the Crown Princess. But then the Emperor suddenly branded her parents as traitors and threw them off a cliff.”

“The Emperor…?”

Arkin, who had been silently listening, suddenly grew still. His expression sank.

“You’re saying the Emperor killed her parents?”

At the ominous look on his face, Adrian let out a weary sigh.

“From what has been revealed, it was indeed the Emperor who—hey!”

Before Adrian could finish, Arkin had already turned and strode inside.

Glaring at his back, Adrian let out a long, exasperated sigh before hurrying after him.

❖ ❖ ❖

The banquet hall was breathtakingly extravagant.

Under the dazzling lights, a long table stretched out endlessly, its surface completely covered with sumptuous dishes.

Isabel regarded the display before her with a cold, distant gaze.

Ironically, very few of the ingredients used for the banquet came from within the Empire itself. Most had been gathered as tribute or imported from Werdia.

“They’ve truly lost their minds.”

Margaret von Francia, her mother-in-law, clicked her tongue as she surveyed the dishes: meat doused in Werdian spices, tropical fruits preserved in honey, and fine wine.

“At a time when countless citizens of the Empire are starving on poisoned land, how can you indulge in such excess?”

Her voice was cold as she spoke.

Just then, the Emperor and Empress entered, followed by the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

The Emperor strode in with commanding authority, his expression one of open satisfaction — until his gaze fell upon Isabel.

In an instant, his face twisted with undisguised displeasure.