“I’ve already expressed my refusal to Your Highness, so wasn’t our marriage discussion over?”

His coldness hurt her feelings. She had held back last time, but this time Natalie couldn’t contain herself and snapped without thinking.

“I’m the daughter the Emperor cherishes most. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I’m well aware.”

“Yet you choose a woman abandoned by the Emperor instead of me?”

“That’s correct.”

“I am an Imperial Princess. An Imperial Princess! With one word from me, your family could be ruined. Do you understand?”

When reasoning failed, an agitated Natalie began threatening Claude.

“I am the Empire’s hero.”

Claude looked down at Natalie with an expression that seemed to ask what she expected him to do about it.

“I know that. Why are you bringing this up now?”

“The very reason you can peacefully proclaim yourself an Imperial Princess is because I protected the Empire. If anything, I should be receiving gratitude from His Majesty.”

“That’s just your job. You received a salary and lands for it.”

“I can return both the salary and lands. The Usta family won’t collapse without them, and I can return such trivial amounts anytime.”

The Usta family was among the wealthiest in the Empire. Natalie’s threats had no chance of working.

“If you intend to threaten me, you should go directly to His Majesty and tell him that if anyone touches me, the Empire’s peace will crumble as well.”

“Are you threatening me now?”

Natalie’s expression grew increasingly sour.

“You threatened me first, Your Highness. I’m merely stating facts.”

Claude’s words were so outrageous that Natalie was left speechless.

“Where has your chivalry gone? You should show me basic courtesy!”

“I am being perfectly courteous right now.”

“You call that attitude courteous?”

“Fine. Let’s drop the courtesy altogether.”

“?”

Natalie thought she must have misheard.

What kind of man is this? This wasn’t the man she had been infatuated with. Who was this arrogant man who acted like social status meant nothing to him?

He had seemed impressive before, but not anymore. The way he was friendly only to Lisette while being cold to her seemed not impressive but incredibly arrogant, making her lose whatever feelings she had for him.

‘Was I really trying to marry a man like this?’

“Lord Usta! Mind your manners.”

“You should accept my courtesy while I’m still willing to offer it.”

Natalie glared at Claude. She found him utterly infuriating. The most handsome man in the Empire? Nonsense. This man didn’t have a shred of manners.

But her anger and frustration changed nothing, driving her to the brink of madness.

At this point, she had no choice but to reveal everything she had kept quiet about. The Emperor had earnestly asked her not to disclose it to outsiders, but in this situation, it was the only way to change his mind.

Of course, she would be scolded by the Emperor for disobeying his orders, but he wouldn’t punish her severely, so that wasn’t a problem. If anything, she deserved credit for keeping quiet until now.

He was defending Lisette because he knew nothing. Once he learned what kind of woman he was trying to marry, his mind would change instantly.

“Do you know why Lisette fell out of His Majesty’s favor?”

Natalie smoothed her frowning face and smiled slyly.

“I’m not interested.”

This man is impossible! 

Instead of scowling again, she bit her lower lip hard, trying to contain her anger. If she got caught up in his pace, the conversation would end without her revealing the truth.

“Your mind might change after hearing it.”

So Natalie deliberately dropped words designed to subtly provoke him.

“I doubt my mind will change even after hearing it. I’ve said all I wanted to say…”

“Lisette is the child born from the former Empress’s affair. Her father was a mere palace gardener!”

When Claude was about to leave without listening, a desperate Natalie shouted, cutting off his words.

Expecting his mind to change now that he knew the shocking secret of Lisette’s birth, Natalie looked at Claude with anticipation.

“Are you finished speaking?”

But he showed no surprise, acting like he hadn’t heard anything shocking. Instead, he asked in an indifferent tone with disinterested eyes.

“You’re not surprised after hearing what I just said?”

How much do people scrutinize family backgrounds when marrying? Isn’t this shocking? Natalie couldn’t understand Claude’s attitude.

“When we marry, she’ll take the Usta family name, so what does it matter? I don’t care about her bloodline or whether His Majesty dislikes her. I’ll simply love her more to make up for it.”

“What did you say?”

It felt like talking to a brick wall rather than a person.

When the conversation didn’t go her way, Natalie stormed out of the Usta residence, fuming.

She won’t let this slide. For a family that thinks so little of status, accusing them of treason would be the best approach.

She headed straight to meet her mother.

At that moment, Marquis Usta was about to open the door to the reception room after hearing about the Princess’s visit when he hesitated.

That crazy fool! What is he doing?

Claude’s behavior toward the Princess was so disrespectful that he would have no defense if dragged before the Empress right now.

The boy showed little respect to his father too, but that was tolerable since he was his son. Who could have imagined he would behave so rudely to an Imperial Princess?

“He’s ruined any chance of receiving the Emperor’s favor now.”

A deep sigh escaped the Marquis’s lips.

But on the other hand, he felt somewhat relieved. He now understood why his son refused to marry the Princess.

Where had the dignified, well-mannered Princess gone?

Princess Natalie’s behavior just now was completely different from what he had observed at the Imperial Palace. She was just as arrogant as his son.

It was surprising that she had hidden such a personality all this time.

Had she been spoiled by monopolizing His Majesty’s love? Had Claude recognized a woman with a temperament similar to his own?

Of course, his son’s arrogance was backed by his accomplishments, but the Princess had nothing to boast about except the Emperor’s affection. She had no reason to act so haughtily.

What should he do now?

Having completely abandoned any lingering attachment to Princess Natalie, the Marquis felt like letting go of everything and allowing his son to marry whomever he wanted.

However, there was one troubling point in what the Princess had said earlier.

An affair? Was that why Imperial Princess Lisette had been confined to that shabby detached palace and made to hang her head in shame?

The Marquis’s eyes narrowed.

As far as he knew, the former Empress was not that kind of person at all. She was gentle and elegant, with dignity flowing through her every gesture. She seemed completely incompatible with the concept of an affair.

Honestly, she had been so beautiful that many noble men had courted her. The Emperor had fallen in love with her at first sight and immediately made her his Empress, ignoring her humble family background and skipping all the usual procedures.

If he loved her that much, why would he believe she had an affair?

Finding it impossible to believe, Marquis Usta felt he needed to discover for himself why the former Empress had been dishonored as an adulteress and why the Emperor believed Imperial Princess Lisette was the daughter of an affair.