Beriel’s blue eyes shook unsteadily. She immediately confronted Raiden accusingly after Duchess Pellentes and Bran left.

“You’re taking an Empire Count as the next queen?! Are you serious, Your Highness!”

“…Is this really something to get so worked up about?”

“…!”

“When she comes to the royal palace, help her out well. That’s what you need to do.”

Raiden turned away from Beriel as he spoke. But Beriel grabbed his arm firmly.

“This is absolutely ridiculous!”

Raiden looked down at Beriel’s hand gripping his arm, then spoke in a low voice without raising his lowered eyes.

“Remove it.”

Beriel quickly let go of him.

“Your Highness!”

Raiden looked at Beriel. He’d had some idea when he saw her hardened expression earlier when he brought up the topic. But he hadn’t expected her to get this worked up.

She was the woman who’d shared his first time, paired by the ministers and king according to the country’s customs. But that didn’t mean he intended to make Beriel his wife because of that first experience.

Taniaran was already the most noble bloodline among the aristocrats excluding royalty, and their power was truly formidable. 

Originally, according to the late queen’s will, Raiden’s first partner should have been a marquis family’s daughter, but the reason it changed to Beriel was also because of Taniaran’s power.

Even without Rihana, marriage to Beriel would give her family too much power. So he’d never considered marriage with her. That’s why he didn’t like Beriel crossing the line and confronting him like this. She’d also foamed at the mouth in opposition when he said he was going to the Empire, which had been somewhat unpleasant.

“I don’t understand what you think is so ridiculous about this.”

“The very idea of an Empire person becoming the kingdom’s queen is ridiculous.”

“…”

“Your Highness, no matter how much it’s a political marriage for friendship between the two countries, you shouldn’t be the one making that political marriage. Your Highness should marry someone of noble blood recognized by the kingdom…”

“You?”

“…!”

Raiden turned around and looked down at Beriel with an indifferent face.

“Excluding royalty, aren’t you and your brother the most noble bloodline in the kingdom? I won’t be taking a man as my consort, so that leaves only you, doesn’t it?”

“…”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been living with that expectation all this time?”

“Expectation! I’m!”

“I’ve never once considered marriage with someone from Taniaran. Wouldn’t a union between royalty and Taniaran give Taniaran too much power from the start? Can’t you imagine how many nobles would oppose it? Someone as smart as you couldn’t possibly not know that.”

“If Your Highness backs Taniaran, your power would reach the ends of heaven, not Taniaran’s. Taniaran would devote their lives to protecting Your Majesty and Your Highness.”

“…”

“And can’t you simply ignore the opposition of those nobles? Don’t you certainly possess such power, Your Highness?”

“That’s right. Since I have such power, I’m going to use it.”

Beriel’s face gradually began to turn pale as she realized what Raiden’s words meant.

“Marriage with an Empire Count.”

“…!”

“Make sure to carefully complete the unfinished records.”

Raiden turned sharply and walked outside.

Beriel stood frozen like ice in that spot. Ever since returning from the Empire, Raiden had seemed a bit strange, and apparently it was all because of a woman. 

Previously, even when she touched his disheveled hair or linked arms with him, though his face was indifferent, he never imposed any restrictions. But the moment she tried to hug him, happy that he’d returned safely from the Empire, he stopped her actions and told her not to touch his body.

He’d always rejected other women’s touches, but not hers. Since they’d shared his first time together, she was certainly different from other women. She would have been special to Raiden, and she thought he treated her specially because of that.

When he said he was going to the Empire without any guards, she’d cried and begged him not to go – perhaps that had been the problem. The way he looked at her then was strange, making one side of her heart anxious, and seeing him put up walls when he returned was despairing.

Though they’d shared his first time, she’d expected becoming queen would be difficult. If her family gained more power than now, it was obvious the kingdom’s power would tilt. So she would certainly be excluded from being Raiden’s bride, and she thought he would take another noble lady as his wife.

Hating that idea, she’d worked desperately to become his aide. Since the queen’s position wasn’t something that could be obtained through family power like being his first partner, she stuck to his side like a limb, helping him handle the kingdom’s affairs to the point where he’d be uncomfortable without her. 

She thought Raiden could certainly break the nobles’ opposition without concern and make her his wife. No, he was more than capable of doing so. He was a man with abundant ability to do that.

Such a man had been bewitched by a woman in the Empire and said he’d take a woman from another country as his wife. This was impossible and shouldn’t happen. Since he’d already made up his mind, it would certainly proceed this way, but she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

Beriel was mistaken. She thought that if not for that woman from the Empire, Raiden’s side would belong to her. Since Raiden had never embraced any other woman besides herself, she naturally fell into this misconception. That Raiden held her in his heart. That he liked her so much he wouldn’t even glance at other women.

Beriel, who’d had a one-sided love for Raiden since childhood, had become his aide for the Raiden she’d created in her own delusions, and had lived only for a future with him until now.

* * *

After Casian left for the Tarecus Kingdom with Rihana, Melissa couldn’t contain her uncontrollable anger and was throwing everything in her room.

“These d*mn things…!”

Her blood boiled backward at the thought that she’d been used by Rihana and Casian. Though Rihana had no fault in that matter, for some reason Melissa hated Rihana, who’d bound him with engagement, more than Casian.

As she threw everything within reach while venting her anger, the Crown Prince came to see her. In his hands was a portrait of the Tarecus prince.

Melissa found the person in the portrait quite familiar and stared at it for a long time before realizing he resembled Rihana’s guard slave, her eyes widening.

“When Marquis Lewandes and Countess Ariella capture the Tarecus prince alive, we’ll suppress the rebellion and have you marry him.”

At the Crown Prince’s words, Melissa’s eyes, which were already wide enough to pop out, grew slightly larger.

“I know you have feelings for Marquis Casian. But because of you, His Majesty the Emperor already knows about the Empire’s rebellion, so the rebels will fail.”

“…”

“I rather hoped His Majesty the Emperor would step down from the throne, but apparently you didn’t.”

“He’s our father!”

“Exactly. So to protect you and my father, we must first prevent the Tarecus Kingdom from helping the rebels anymore.”

“…”

“For that, there’s no method other than marriage between you and the Tarecus prince. If there had been a princess there, I could have made that political marriage myself, but as you know, there’s only one prince there.”

“…”

“Well, that might actually be good for us. Anyway, know this and familiarize yourself with his face.”

“But I’m with Lord Casian…!”

“Melissa. You couldn’t guard your tongue well, so His Majesty the Emperor learned all the facts. Since you created this situation, shouldn’t you take responsibility too?”

“…!”

“Well, I think this matter might also be God’s will, but either way, the rebellion will fail because of your mouth, and you’ll have to make a political marriage with Tarecus.”

“I don’t want to! I’ll tell His Majesty the Emperor! This person…! This person…!”

He resembles Rihana’s guard slave. The one she’d wanted to play with for one night.

That had certainly been simple and pure curiosity. She’d never had any intention of living by his side for life. Melissa had only dreamed of a future with Casian alone.

“His Majesty the Emperor is currently gathering all the Empire’s armies. He intends to purge the rebels and restore the Empire to its original state. Do you understand what this means? His Majesty has returned to being the Emperor he once was.”

At some point, the Emperor had fallen into debauchery, pushing the Empire’s affairs to the back burner and only showing interest in women. Since he was such an Emperor, even his mother the Empress had turned her back on him, giving the Empire’s nobles sufficient justification to rebel. Even he, who would inherit his position, had acknowledged and overlooked that rebellion.

But at Melissa’s words, the Emperor had regained his former sharp gaze and was working hard to quickly return to being the previous Emperor. So he too had no choice but to help the Emperor. 

Though he’d had a heart inclined toward rebellion to the point of writing messenger birds telling his uncle to flee again after seeing him only a few times.

“Then wouldn’t that be even better? I don’t have to marry the Tarecus prince! No, wouldn’t it be much better for His Majesty the Emperor if I married Lord Casian instead?! Lord Casian has the second most troops and wealth in the Empire…!”

“How stupid!”

The Crown Prince got angry at Melissa.

“Do you think Marquis Casian will actually abandon Countess Ariella?!”

“…!”

“Can’t you tell from seeing him personally go to the Tarecus Kingdom following Countess Ariella?!”

Melissa’s face turned white.

“In the end, he won’t choose you. Never, as long as Countess Ariella is alive.”

Foolish sister. The Crown Prince sighed briefly and turned away.

As Melissa stood blankly watching the Crown Prince’s retreating figure, only one phrase he’d spat out kept floating in her mind.

‘As long as Countess Ariella is alive.’