“I ran away…”

Sitting absentmindedly in front of her vanity, Amelia muttered unconsciously.

“Wait.”

She had defied the Crown Prince’s command and fled.

As she left the office, her mind was filled with only one thought: she had to escape that place as quickly as possible.

Even though no one had followed or called after her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Josef would catch her, and she ran in a frenzy.

It wasn’t until she reached the safety of her bedroom and caught her breath that reality began to sink in.

Amelia stared at the mirror with vacant eyes. Her hair, tousled by the wind, was predictably disheveled. The hem of her skirt, which she had clutched in both hands, was wrinkled as well.

Right now, she didn’t even have the strength to pick up a brush. She half-heartedly smoothed the stray hair by her ear, and her gaze drifted to her left hand.

“…”

Her fingers were still faintly trembling. Amelia cautiously examined the inside of her hand. The small cut from the pin was as thin and faintly red as a hairline crack.

Josef’s eyes as he looked at the wound. The sensation of his nose and chin touching her fingers. The warmth of his lips as they pressed against the wound, as if to soothe it. All of it still lingered vividly in her mind.

Amelia covered the inside of her left hand with her right, trying to hide it, and let out a faint sigh.

How should she even describe such an improper encounter?

Would Josef punish himself for his behavior, calling it a breach of etiquette? And why had his gaze felt so foreign when he looked at her after she had cried out in shock?

After some thought, she reached a conclusion.

Amelia disliked him.

***

“You saw Crown Prince Josef that day?”

Philip nodded as he set his teacup down in response to his father’s curious question.

“…Really.”

Count Clavier’s face darkened with displeasure as he listened to Philip’s account.

“What’s wrong?”

Philip, feeling a slight chill, leaned back into his chair. Olstein’s winter was definitely colder than elsewhere.

Even though the embassy had been built with proper heating facilities to accommodate diplomats from other countries, it made little difference. It was hard to imagine that in a few months, the snow would melt and flowers would bloom in a place like this.

“The captain of the guard came to fetch the gift that His Majesty had ordered me to send to Crown Prince Josef. He said Josef was too busy. But he was at a party instead…”

Philip recalled seeing Josef with Duke Mieschko that day, as his father expressed his frustration.

Perhaps Josef’s prior commitment with Duke Mieschko had taken precedence, but was it really important enough to delay a meeting with the Sarnica ambassador, Philip’s father?

Given the political tensions between Sarnica and the empire, it seemed unlikely that Josef would deliberately antagonize Sarnica.

“You’re just as guilty, Philip Clavier.”

Lost in thought, Philip looked up to find his father glaring at him with disapproval.

“Where did you disappear to? You were supposed to be introduced that day. What if Josef had changed his mind and decided to visit? What would you have done?”

“Father, why are you suddenly turning this on me?”

Philip laughed awkwardly, but the count’s expression remained serious.

“Philip, it’s time for you to start acting in accordance with your position.”

“…”

“His Majesty has high expectations for our family. He hopes that the Clavier family will continue to serve the Sarnica royal family faithfully.”

“I understand that,” Philip sighed.

He was grateful to have been born into Sarnica, a kingdom that had remained relatively peaceful despite the expansion of the Olstein Empire, and he appreciated his parents for raising him in a privileged environment.

However, ever since Amelia had been staying in the empire, Philip’s thoughts had been consumed by her—more than ever before.

He had a plan: to study trade while staying in Brienne, to live with Amelia, and then to propose to her once the royal family appointed him as a diplomat.

Until a few months ago, everything seemed to be going smoothly.

But then everything changed when Amelia’s father, Duke Leonid , surrendered.

Despite all his excuses, his father hadn’t allowed him to remain in the empire alone. The only way forward was for Amelia to be released from her position as a political hostage before he returned to Sarnica.

“If you understand that, then follow your mother’s instructions, Philip.”

His father’s tone was stern.

“My mother’s instructions?”

“While we’re in the empire, she’s looking for someone to arrange a match for you.”

“What?!”

Philip’s voice rose in surprise. Was that why his mother had been absent? This was the first he’d heard of it.

“It would be best to unite with a noble family from our kingdom, but given the rising power of Olstein, finding a bride here wouldn’t be a bad option either.”

“Father, I’ve already told you. I love Amelia…”

“Amelia?”

At his father’s question, Philip’s face turned red. After a brief silence, he nodded cautiously.

“…Yes.”

“So what’s your plan?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you intend to propose to Lady Amelia, marry her, and settle down in Sarnica?”

It was strange.

His father spoke of the vague hopes Philip had held in his heart as if they were absurd, unrealistic fantasies.

“Did Lady Amelia accept?”

“…I haven’t told her yet.”

Philip hadn’t even confessed his feelings to Amelia, let alone proposed.

“And her father, Duke Leonid?”

“…”

“Philip, Lady Amelia is like collateral. As long as she remains here, the empire doesn’t have to worry about Brienne’s betrayal, and Brienne can build a good relationship with the empire based on that trust.”

As his father calmly analyzed the situation, Philip’s expression darkened.

“The safest place for Lady Amelia is within the empire, but do you think her father, who adores her, will allow her to marry you? And it’s unlikely that the calculating Crown Prince will grant her an easy pardon.”

His father’s explanation left little room for argument. But Philip didn’t give up and spoke again.

“Father, I still want to be with Amelia.”

“…”

“My feelings remain unchanged.”

At Philip’s firm declaration, Count Clavier let out a deep sigh.

“Philip, we have to leave Olstein before winter ends if we’re to attend the council. Even on a fast ship, it takes at least ten days to get to Sarnica.”

“…”

“I’d like to respect your wishes, but I’m not sure we’ll find a way in the meantime.”

Count Clavier finished speaking, his face troubled as he looked at Philip, who remained silent. The sadness in his son’s eyes pained him, but there was no clear solution at the moment.

***

The Crown Prince’s engagement ceremony was dazzlingly grand.

It was held on a large scale, as if to showcase both the might of the Olstein Empire, which had prospered under his rule, and Josef’s achievements in leading the empire to victory in numerous battles.

The banquet hall, which remained open late into the night, was filled with exotic flowers not native to Olstein, so beautiful and grand that the attending nobles forgot their dignity and marveled openly.

The noise from outside the hall spilled into the warm glow of the lights.

“Your Highness, are you leaving?”

When Josef opened the door and stepped out, Henrik who was standing in the corridor, addressed him. Josef nodded as he accepted the robe Henrik offered him.

“I have something to take care of.”

The guests, having drunk too much of Olstein’s strong liquor for the first time, were so intoxicated that they had forgotten who the true star of the party was.

Marika, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoying herself, smiling as she danced waltz after waltz with various nobles, already reveling in her role as the Crown Princess.

“Are you heading to the office?”

Josef turned and said, “Yes. Make sure Marika gets home later.”

“Understood.”

Henrik nodded, understanding that Josef didn’t want him to follow.

To reach the office in the auxiliary residence, Josef had to leave the central hall where the banquet was held.

He walked alone, without a lantern, in the cold shadows cast by the building. Though it was a solitary walk, Josef was accustomed to it.

Guards stood watch along the fortress road and atop the watchtowers. As Josef walked silently across the snow, the engagement ceremony faded in his mind, becoming just another successful royal event.

It was then that he realized that the Crown Princess’s residence, where Amelia’s chambers were, wasn’t far from his office.

“Should I charge her with insubordination?”

She had disobeyed his command not to leave, so he had every reason to punish her if he wished. But it wasn’t a particularly satisfying thought.

Nothing truly satisfied Josef.

He had worn the same ceremonial robe stained with Amelia’s blood to the engagement. The memories of that moment resurfaced slowly as he wore it.

The feel of her slender, pale fingers and her lingering scent were still vivid in his mind, as if etched into his body. He had also enjoyed the look of shock on her face as she recoiled from his actions.

Yet none of it had fully satisfied him. The unfulfilled desire inside him was gradually turning into an insatiable thirst, a fierce fire that threatened to consume him.

“Wait.”

Don’t go.

The moment Josef tried to hold Amelia back, he had to admit that his feelings weren’t just a fleeting whim. Whether it was lust, possession, or obsession, the name didn’t matter. What mattered was that he realized it.

Just as one hunts to capture a beast or wages war for power, he had to do whatever it took to satisfy his desire for Amelia.

“…”

Amelia’s chambers remained quietly in place.

Josef stared up at the darkened window for a long time before shifting his gaze to the lawn in the inner courtyard.

The footprints left by people over the once-thawed, now frozen ground were scattered here and there.

The snow along the edge of the courtyard, where the tree stood tall against the cold, remained untouched by the workers. More snow would fall in the coming days, covering it again.

Josef recalled the image of Amelia, as beautiful as a marble sculpture, from that night. That night when even the robe draped over her shoulders had felt like a sacred relic.

Her footprints still remained near the tree.

Kneeling on one knee, Josef gazed at the small footprints.

Amelia was probably the only person in Olstein who found it amusing to look at snow-covered trees. The fact that her footprints remained even after several days was evidence of that.

Josef brushed them away with his hand, erasing them so that they were no longer visible, as if they had never been there. He didn’t want anyone else to notice them.

Instead, he imprinted her footsteps in his heart and rose to his feet.

It was time for the hunt to begin.

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