Marika, who was sprinkling rosewater on her hair, stared intently at the mirror.

“…”

Her flawless blonde hair, a face radiating dignity, and her body draped in a soft silk gown — even she found herself beautiful. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she recalled the events from a few days ago.

“They called her formally.”

Wasn’t her name Brienne? Amelia had come from a duchy, so it made sense for her to be called a Lady there. But in the Olstein Empire, which had already accepted Brienne’s surrender, was it really necessary?

Especially considering even the head of the guard, known for his strictness, addressed her as such. If Josef didn’t say anything, it must have been under his approval, but Marika couldn’t fathom why.

And then there was Josef.

Despite showing considerable interest in the competition, rewarding not only the boy who won but also all the children who participated, as well as the sled dogs, he had abruptly left the base camp, only to return with Amelia on his horse.

Marika furrowed her brows slightly and adjusted her hair. The only thing she could recall about Brienne was lace. Was the duchy really so significant that even the Crown Prince would take an interest?

“I’ll have to ask Father.”

Interrupting her preparations, Marika left her bedroom. Her father was usually in his study around this time.

“Father.”

“Oh, Marika.”

Duke Mieschko, who had been reading by the fireplace, warmly greeted his daughter as she knocked and entered the study.

“I have something to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“What kind of place is Brienne?”

“The Duchy of Brienne, hmm…”

Duke Mieschko furrowed his brow in thought before replying.

“I don’t know all the details since it only recently became a governorate, but it’s a place where a lot of intermediary trade happens at the port. However, its military was no match for the Empire, so Duke Leonid probably made the first move.”

“Who is Leonid?”

“Amelia’s father. He was originally from the Kingdom of Kut, but during a visit to Brienne, he stayed and married the Duchess Claire Przhemysl of Brienne.”

Marika recalled that her father had spent a few years in the Kingdom of Kut during his youth. Kut, located in the southeast of the continent, was a large kingdom comparable to Sarnica. Was Josef paying attention to Brienne because of its ties to Kut?

Seeing Marika deep in thought, Duke Mieschko smiled.

“Is the future Crown Princess already taking an interest in foreign affairs?”

At her father’s words, Marika briefly explained what had happened during the sled race. Josef’s unexpected act of helping the injured Amelia had briefly drawn more attention to the ‘Lady Amelia’ hostage than to the race itself among the nobles.

“Is the Crown Prince’s reputation really that bad among the nobles?”

Duke Mieschko burst into laughter.

“Even for that Crown Prince Josef, there’s no way he would lack enough chivalry to ignore an injured young lady.”

“…That’s true.”

Josef was perfectly mannered, as a crown prince should be, and never engaged in unnecessary harsh words or actions. Yet, whenever his name came up, nobles and officials would awkwardly smile and quickly change the subject.

Perhaps it was because of the Imperial Household’s focus on war and training leading up to Josef’s engagement, or perhaps it was simply because Josef himself was at the center of it all.

Since the proclamation of the Olstein Empire by the current emperor, the image of the imperial family had been one of strong, unyielding leadership, distant and cold, revered as rulers but feared at the same time.

“Marika, once you become the Crown Princess, that image will soon fade.”

Duke Mieschko explained that the Empire’s foundations had already been well established, and Marika’s role would be to add grandeur and splendor that would elevate Olstein’s prestige.

“Inviting Lady Amelia to the dinner party wouldn’t be a bad idea either. If the Crown Prince isn’t treating her poorly, it shows that he has some respect for Brienne.”

“Yes, Father.”

Marika nodded, though she now felt slightly different about Amelia than before.

When she first asked Amelia to review her engagement dress, it had been more like offering a job to a needy servant. But now, Amelia was someone Marika had to pay a bit more attention to.

Having another noble in such a position felt bothersome. Marika steeled herself with the thought that managing the social scene as Crown Princess would be no different.

Later, she gave instructions to send Amelia an invitation to the dinner party. However, those plans were soon put on hold.

Not only that, but the other nobles invited to the party had to be notified that it was being postponed.

The Emperor’s only concubine had died.

***

The funeral was simple. Her body was cremated, and her ashes scattered to the mountain wind, just as she had wished.

The Emperor’s concubine wasn’t young, but neither was she old enough to succumb so easily to another harsh Olstein winter. The doctor suspected her long battle with tuberculosis had been the cause.

For a long time, perhaps from when Josef was a child, the woman had stood by the Emperor’s side. Throughout the years, as countless concubines passed through the palace after the Empress’s death, she was the only one who remained until the end.

But in death, she couldn’t be buried beside the Emperor.

As he gazed at the snowflakes melting against the window, Josef recalled the ashes that slipped through the Emperor’s fingers as he wept.

“Katrin…”

Beside the ostentatious bed, so grand it seemed vulgar, the Emperor, disregarding all sense of dignity, sat crumpled, muttering the concubine’s name as he sobbed. Josef stood quietly at a distance, watching, just as he had done back then.

“Katrin, Katrin.”

The Emperor buried his face in the bedsheets as though they were her funeral shroud and mourned.

Josef, meanwhile, was already considering what to build on the site of this palace. It wasn’t far from the main castle, so tearing it down to create a training ground for the cavalry seemed like a good idea.

“What do you intend to use this place for, Your Majesty?”

“……”

“How about a training ground? Without the mistress, there’s no need for the annex, is there?”

“Leave it as it is.”

The Emperor’s somber voice echoed.

“When you consider the size of the building, the budget for maintaining it would be significant…”

“I said, leave it!”

The Emperor’s face, contorted with rage, approached suddenly. His disheveled hair and smudged tears gave him a pitiful appearance. Josef nodded calmly.

“Despite potential opposition from the ministers, understood.”

“……”

“However, please consider changing its use later.”

“I don’t expect you to mourn for Katrin, Josef Restec.”

The Emperor seemed to be struggling to suppress his anger as his voice trembled.

“Katrin, as Lily’s godmother, wanted nothing more than for Konrad’s daughter to be happy. That’s all she wished for. If you had loved the Duke of Mieschko’s daughter, she would have understood.”

Katrin was an old friend of Chancellor Konrad’s wife and the godmother of her daughter, Lily. After Konrad’s wife passed away, Katrin suggested to the Emperor that Josef marry Lily. It was a proposal made without any political motives, purely out of concern.

But Josef rejected it, choosing instead to align himself with the Duke of Mieschko’s family.

Now, the Emperor blames himself for not fulfilling Katrin’s final wish. Josef inwardly scoffed at how self-centered the Emperor’s thoughts were. Yet, in some way, they were exactly what one would expect from his father.

“Now you’re blaming me for her tuberculosis?”

“Katrin worried about Konrad’s daughter until the very end. She knew that you intended to manipulate the Mieschko family to keep Konrad’s in check.”

“Your Majesty, I don’t see how that warrants criticism.”

He was well aware of how others viewed him.

“You must become a protector of the empire as the Crown Prince.”

From birth, his father had taught him as much, and Josef had learned without complaint. Just as God had given him life, Olstein had given him the title of Crown Prince. He simply followed the path laid before him.

As his father had commanded, he had safeguarded the empire, fought wars at the behest of the ministers, and brought wealth as the nobles had wished. And yet, those with full hands continued to question him.

‘Are you threatening us? Isn’t this too much?’

“Did you learn nothing from war, Josef? Do not forget that I am still the Emperor.”

“Do not forget your own duty as Emperor, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor gritted his teeth, his eyes seething with fury. Josef ignored him and, stating he would take his leave, turned his back. As he closed the door behind him, he heard something being thrown against it from inside, but he paid no mind as he left the annex.

What is the duty of an Emperor?

“Josef, it’s okay to act your age,” his uncle had once said, ruffling his hair with a touch of pity.

Josef had never responded to his uncle’s affection, always too focused on scribbling with his quill. If he didn’t complete his daily assignments or found his training too difficult, punishment swiftly followed.

Of course, such days were rare. His uncle had praised him for his rapid learning, claiming it was the mark of a true-born sovereign. Amid his hectic days, Josef hadn’t even understood what it meant to act his age, nor had he questioned it.

Was he simply born that way, or had he been denied the chance to learn it from birth?

“Brother, Josef is still just a child.”

His uncle had often said such things, but Josef had never grasped their meaning. Instead of teaching him to embrace his youth, the Emperor had taught him to kill beasts with bow and sword, and to strike down men.

The only person who had ever shielded Josef from such lessons was his uncle, but he died before Josef could even learn how to grieve.

“It’s my fault! It’s because of me…”

Josef recalled Katrin, the Emperor’s mistress, weeping with her head bowed, and the Emperor holding her in his arms. A little distance away, Josef quietly realized that the figure lying under the white sheet on the bed was his uncle’s corpse and stood by in silence.

“Katrin, I love you.”

“Stop…! Not today!”

“I love you.”

Had the Emperor stolen his brother’s lover, or had his brother fallen for the Emperor’s mistress? Or had both fallen for the same woman simultaneously?

While rumors among the nobles swirled with speculation, Josef grew up indifferent to it all. Gradually, he came to accept that the Emperor had sent his uncle to his death by ordering an overly risky campaign.

“……”

The sleet blew irritably against his face. Mounted on his horse, Josef pulled his hood over his head. His long, gray reverie always ended the same way.

“If only the Olstein Empire could grow even larger…”

The distant voice of his uncle, who had once gently patted him on the head. It was the last thing left in Josef’s heart, after being robbed of the chance to grieve for the one person who had shown him affection.

Josef didn’t know whether it had been a fervent wish or a passing remark. But somehow, that sentence had lodged itself in his heart, like a carving made with a chisel. It remained the only sprout in his otherwise deadened emotions. Without trying to understand its meaning, he had lived by it.

The horse slowly left the annex behind. Josef urged it to pick up speed, the hem of his cloak flapping in the wind. The relentless snow tangled in his hair. Beneath the rugged mountains, a massive fortress stood like a sentinel.

What is the duty of an Emperor?

Surely, driving a brother to death over a mistress was not the role of an Emperor.

‘When I become Emperor, I will never live like that.’

Josef had finished his mourning for Katrin. This would be the end of his memories of the woman his uncle had once loved.

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