Chapter 4 – It Was That Face Again

They say the things one least wants to do always find their way to you without fail.  

At this moment, Seilia was wandering through the endlessly long corridors of the Imperial Palace, having left her breakfast unfinished.  

She had no idea what was happening or why, and her dazed eyes briefly flickered with clarity. A single question arose in her mind:  

‘What am I even doing right now?’  

It was absurd. From the moment the steward entered the dining hall, everything seemed to spiral out of control.  

Naturally, Seilia’s refusal had been adamant.  

She had resisted with all her might, declaring she would never go, but under the Duke’s orders, she was practically dragged to her room by the stewards. There, a swarm of maids dressed her up beautifully and brought her to this place.  

It was a pitiful state of affairs.  

“If you just go up one more flight of stairs, you’ll arrive at the…”  

The steward leading the way ahead of Seilia trailed off mid-sentence.  

A dark, oppressive aura, heavy enough to send chills down his thick skin, was pressing down on his back. It hadn’t been there before.  

The steward hurriedly climbed the stairs as if fleeing, but Seilia’s steps were even faster than his.  

She had to get out of here as quickly as possible.  

She hadn’t expected it to come to this. She had thought he’d give up on this ridiculous marriage proposal game and happily marry that wretched Princess Blair, laughing and joking all the while. But it had all been her delusion.  

Now she remembered how, when she had tried to leave the lounge after abruptly ending their conversation, he had simply watched her with a leisurely demeanor, not bothering to stop her.  

So this was why. This was the reason!  

Seilia stormed up the stairs with angry, determined steps, as if flames were licking at her heels.  

The steward, trembling, pointed to the office where Leo was. But once again, Seilia’s actions were faster.  

“There’s no need to show me. Annoyingly enough, I know exactly where it is.”  

Ignoring the steward’s attempt to open the door for her, Seilia grabbed the doorknob she had turned countless times before and yanked it open.  

***

In the middle of the spacious room, Leo sat at his desk, coldly reviewing documents and signing them with his elegant hand.  

Seilia slumped onto the sofa, glaring at him.  

…If nothing else, she couldn’t hate that ridiculously handsome face.  

That face almost made her feel sorry for ruining the food at breakfast earlier in his absence.  

It was just her imagination, but it felt like tarnishing a divine and beautiful artifact blessed by the heavens.  

Lost in thought, Seilia stared at Leo absentmindedly before snapping herself out of it.  

‘Get a grip, Seilia! You’re losing it!’  

Perhaps it was because of the unexpected events of the previous day, which had disrupted her otherwise ordinary life, but she wanted to smack herself awake.  

‘What’s so great about being handsome? He’s just… slightly good-looking, that’s all.’  

Though her conscience pricked at her, she firmly concluded as much.  

Clearing her throat, which had grown hoarse from disuse, she deliberately spoke in a cold tone.  

“What’s the point of calling me here?”  

After waiting patiently for about ten minutes, she finally heard a casual response.  

“Work.”  

It was an answer devoid of any sincerity.  

Is he joking with me right now?  

“Then I suppose I should leave you to concentrate.”  

Seilia stood up with a deep scowl, but Leo, after glancing at her, carefully placed his pen down and stood as well.  

There was no way he stood up to thank her for leaving. He was undoubtedly planning something.  

With the sunlight streaming through the half-drawn curtains behind him, Leo’s face took on a slightly eerie appearance.  

“What… what are you doing? Why are you acting like this?”  

Her voice trembled as if an earthquake had struck, and Seilia took a cautious step back, her eyes filled with wariness.  

She had no idea what he might do next, given how often he defied expectations.  

“…?”  

When Leo reached out his hand, Seilia instinctively shrank back, bracing herself for a punch. But instead, she felt a careful pressure on her shoulder.  

‘Oh, please.’  

She hadn’t asked for this, nor did she want it, but she also didn’t want to be humiliated like this.  

Leo’s hand merely guided her back into her seat.  

“Is that tiny brain of yours incapable of thinking anything but gloomy thoughts?”  

Perhaps it was true. Embarrassment surged to its peak as Leo’s words reached her ears.  

Leaning back comfortably in his chair, Leo faintly smirked. But that faint expression pricked at Seilia’s sharp instincts.  

He was definitely laughing. That was definitely a laugh.  

A mocking laugh.  

Though this wasn’t their first reunion after a year apart, Seilia had always wanted to appear more confident and unwavering in front of him.  

Still, the unexpectedly light response caused the dagger-like vigilance in her eyes to soften slightly. Leo observed her with interest, as if watching an amusing spectacle.  

“So, why did you call me? What, are you going to throw me in the dungeon if I refuse to marry you?”  

With him, it wouldn’t be out of the question.  

Though she had asked with a serious tone, Leo simply leaned back in his chair and chuckled, then called for the servants to bring refreshments.  

“What do you take me for? You haven’t changed at all—then or now. What are you, fifteen? Your thought process seems to be stuck at that age.”  

Seilia wanted to grab a cushion and beat him with it, but fearing the consequences, she instead picked up her teacup to calm her boiling anger.  

“Well, enough with the pointless jokes. Let’s get to the main point.”  

Leo finally began to speak.  

“There’s something I didn’t explain yesterday. The Empress position I mentioned—it’s for exactly two years. Not too short, not too long. Just two years. That’s enough time to get rid of those scheming people who keep pushing women at me, insisting I must marry.”  

Though there had been numerous marriage proposals during his time as Crown Prince, his secret relationship with Seilia had made him appear uninterested in anyone.  

As a result, opportunists had swarmed, claiming the empty seat beside him was to blame and subtly offering their daughters.  

This had gone on since his days as Crown Prince, and now even government officials were pressuring him to marry. Seilia had heard about this to some extent.  

She had never imagined she would become the protagonist of such a story.  

But now that things had come to this, if one were to determine who held the upper hand, it seemed like she had the advantage.  

After all, it was Leo, not her, making the proposal.  

“Fine. But what do I get out of this?”  

Setting down her teacup, Seilia’s eyes, which had been cat-like and sly, quickly turned sharp.  

Leo’s gaze fixed on her, darkening as if he were lost in thought. 

Why was he suddenly staring at me like that?  

“…Answer me, will you?”  

Her slightly impatient tone snapped Leo out of his trance. He frowned slightly and looked away.  

“To be honest, you’ve got plenty of people clinging to you too. And knowing you, you wouldn’t want to marry any of them. So why not have a marriage that’s practically meaningless?”  

The Belton Empire wasn’t particularly conservative. Among the nobility, divorce and remarriage were quite common, and there was no stigma attached to it.  

Of course, being Empress would change things significantly, but Seilia wasn’t one to care about such perceptions.  

The downside was having to see that infuriating face, but… if she continued to reject marriage, even her lenient father wouldn’t be able to stop her stern mother from stepping in.  

Yesterday, she had been furious at his audacity, but today, Leo’s clear boundaries allowed her to remain rational.  

It was only two years. She could go two years without loving him.  

She could say so with conviction, bolstered by the memory of that miserable time.  

No matter what came of it.  

Having finally gathered her thoughts, Seilia spoke.  

“Then I have a proposal of my own.”  

Leo, who knew better than anyone how shrewd Seilia could be, wasn’t surprised by her words.  

“If I become Empress, we’ll have to fool my parents and others by pretending to be affectionate. My parents don’t want me in a political marriage I don’t want.”  

Leo’s expression seemed to shift slightly at her words, but upon closer inspection, there was no discernible change. She continued.  

“And if I’m going to be Empress, I’ll need full authority to carry out my duties properly during those two years.”  

Her tone, which could sound childish when she was upset, now carried a sharpness that left no room for argument.  

“Fine. I accept. So, are you marrying me now?”  

“…I suppose I am.”  

She sighed in resignation.  

She had thought she would never stand by his side again, yet here she was, agreeing to it within a day.  

For two years, standing beside him wouldn’t hurt her.  

She would never love him again. Not even a sliver of hope remained.  

Though Seilia appeared confident, she hadn’t fully processed or acknowledged her emotions.  

Leo wasn’t much different.  

A faint, unreadable smile curved on Leo’s lips.