Selina concealed her agitation and smiled. What helped calm her mind, which was on the verge of exploding in rage, was Antor’s promise to remove Hari. However, even that patience didn’t last long.

The moment she spotted nobles watching this strange encounter between the three people from a distance, humiliation overwhelmed her all at once.

Regardless of the truth, Achilleon and Selina were officially Imprinting partners. Despite knowing this fact clearly, it hurt to see Achilleon looking at her while casually wrapping his arm around his mistress’s waist.

With the sun behind him, his face was darkened by the backlight. Even that face wrapped in gloomy darkness was so handsome that Selina almost smiled foolishly, forgetting the unfair treatment.

Of course, she was partly to blame for things turning out this way…

“Protecting the kingdom’s people is a natural duty. I hope Lady Karnos also enjoys peaceful times.”

While she was recalling the source of the tea she had unsuspectingly drunk in the waiting room, Achilleon turned his body gently. It was a polite yet cold dismissal.

“Wait, just a moment! Your Highness! Don’t you have something to say to me?”

Grabbing Achilleon was an impulse. Her urgent feelings created a raised voice. He turned slowly. Though his tired gaze pierced her sharply, Selina didn’t back down.

“I need to speak with you about the Imprinting Ceremony.”

“Let’s do it later.”

“This is important to me. If Your Highness made a ‘promise’ with my father, I think you should act properly, if only for the sake of your reputation.”

Her voice was deliberately lowered, conscious of the surrounding gazes. Achilleon let out a small laugh as he watched the woman who kept glancing anxiously at Margharita. How far did she intend to push her impudence?

“Later.”

“…How can you spend time with another woman, leaving me behind? And in the main palace’s walkway where nobles enter through the main gate!”

Unless the situation was particularly irritating, Achilleon usually tolerated Selina’s outbursts. Though he might throw contempt her way, he couldn’t treat the only daughter of the impressive Karnos family carelessly, as they contributed significantly to the royal waterway projects with their vast wealth.

That’s why Selina could remain confident even while knowing Achilleon didn’t see her as a romantic interest. This peculiar relationship where he couldn’t push her away despite disliking her meant she was different from other women who begged for Achilleon’s attention. If she tried hard enough, surely he would open his heart someday. The storm of first love that suddenly struck at age six still burned hot in Selina’s heart even after fifteen years.

She had endured being ignored with that single-minded devotion, but now a slave dragged from war occupied the place that should have been hers alone. When her thoughts reached this point, Selina found it difficult to control her emotions. She had taken stabilizers and reduced her medication to barely maintain a presentable appearance, so she couldn’t back down here.

“Is that a problem?”

The man, appearing even more heartless in contrast to the trembling Selina who looked ready to burst into tears, asked back.

“Of course-“

“The Imprinting Ceremony is just a formality. You should know better than anyone about wanting to spend time with those you truly wish to be with.”

“What are you saying? How much I-“

“Should I say it here for you to understand? Selina, if you want me to ignore the men who secretly enter through your palace’s back door, you should know better than to act this way.”

Selina’s eyes went blank for a moment.

“This is a warning not to cover up that filthy love with your feelings for me, My Lady.”

After giving a slight nod to her who stood there with her mouth agape, Achilleon delivered his final blow and turned away.

“Oh, Miss!”

The sound of her collapsing and Hela’s scream as she rushed to support Selina mixed chaotically. Achilleon left the walkway without looking back. When he reached the arch leading to the main palace’s garden, he stopped. A slight irritation spread across his hardened face.

“Go back now.”

The cold eyes that had completely dismissed Selina now commanded Hari.

“She’ll think something was taken from her. Selina won’t be able to see straight right now, so you’d better be careful.”

His warning wasn’t empty words. Though he was wary and contemptuous of many aspects of Selina – her violent tendencies, drugs, promiscuous lifestyle, and her suspicious father – it all started when she was seven years old. No, there were countless incidents afterward too. At seven, she threw his favorite sword into the river, claiming someone had taken Achilleon’s attention. At ten, it was his riding lesson partner, at twelve his favorite horse, and when she reached an age mature enough to understand romance, she would take personal revenge on women who caught Achilleon’s eye or those who admired him.

That was Selina Karnos. In all those violent narratives, Achilleon chose indifference. He had no interest in getting involved in troublesome romantic disputes. While he felt somewhat sorry for the victims who were cruelly punished simply for being close to him, the satisfaction of getting rid of annoyances was greater. From that perspective, Selina served as an excellent fly swatter.

So even if Margharita were to be harmed…

“You should be able to protect yourself at least. That’s why I gave you the dagger.”

He would remain unmoved, just as he always had. Certainly, Margharita currently held value to him. However, there was no need to show more interest than the usefulness she provided. Though Selina might attempt to harm her, she didn’t have the guts to kill someone, so Margharita would probably be seriously injured. As long as she didn’t die, it didn’t matter.

“Make good use of the knife in your hand.”

Having reached this clear conclusion, Achilleon turned away, leaving behind Hari who gave no response.

* * *

“You must be heartbroken, Lady Karnos.”

Hearing leisurely approaching footsteps, Selina wiped her heated eyes and looked up. The woman wearing a dark green himation was Lady Pasha, a member of the Elder Council and Duke Karnos’s nemesis. Though she pretended to be concerned, her slightly upturned lips showed unmistakable mockery.

“To think that the fruit of love you’ve pursued for over a decade would amount to this. Though you pushed for the Imprinting Ceremony using every means possible, the goddess unfortunately didn’t show mercy to Lady Karnos. It seems the Third Prince is wrapped up in another woman’s skirts… Oh my.”

How detestable. Selina composed her expression as she faced Lady Pasha. This woman who had tried to put forward her own daughter as the Third Prince’s consort. Though she wore the disguise of an innocent sheep, Selina knew well the ambitions of this old woman who always attended the Queen’s tea parties. However, to Selina’s eyes, she appeared to be desperately reaching for an illusion beyond her grasp. Selina responded with a bright smile and pretended nothing was wrong.

“No matter how much you sharpen your blade and guard against me, your daughter will never catch the Third Prince’s eye in her lifetime.”

There was venom in Selina’s brightly curved eyes.

“That’s not for someone who boasted about His Highness recognizing true love to determine, is it? Unless you’ve received a divine prophecy, you can’t know such things.”

“Whatever happens, your daughter seems to understand her place better than you do. What can you do when you lack the weapons to compensate for not being beautiful? It’s quite wise of your daughter to know her limits when she has neither sufficient money, power, nor beauty.”

The blatant counterattack seemed to have struck Lady Pasha’s sore spot. The woman’s expression hardened and her gaze sharpened.

“Yes, my daughter is much smarter than someone who’s all shine on the outside but empty inside. It must have been quite upsetting for Lady Selina, who worked so hard on her appearance, to fall short of a Galate slave in both dignity and charm. If you had focused on filling your head like my daughter, rather than your exterior, you wouldn’t have suffered such humiliation. How truly unfortunate.”

Selina, who was about to snap back at the harsh criticism, suddenly lost interest in this conversation. While she engaged in this meaningless battle of wits with a worthless person, ‘that woman’ would be monopolizing Achilleon’s love. She might expand her territory and eventually push out Selina, the fake bride, to take that position herself. Antor’s warning flashed through her mind. At this thought, Selina’s large eyes grew moist.

“Perhaps your daughter should start paying attention to her appearance now. His Highness probably wouldn’t want to share a bed with a woman whose flesh spills out of her undergarments. That’s the only advice I can offer you.”

Selina turned sharply and ordered Hela who was following her.

“We shouldn’t delay the party any longer, Hela.”