Amelia often frequented a café that offered a sweeping view of the Brienne harbor. Her favorite activity was sitting on the terrace facing the sea, enjoying fruit tarts and sipping tea. Her childhood friend, Philip Clavier, knew this well.

But today was different.

“I’m sorry, Amelia.”

Philip offered a bitter smile as he glanced at Amelia’s untouched tea, now completely cold.

“I dragged you out here, didn’t I?”

Philip apologized for bringing her out, hoping to lift her spirits, but Amelia shook her head.

“No, I wanted to see the sea.”

She turned her gaze to the harbor stretched out before them. Ships with colorful sails drifted lazily across the blue waters, while sailors busily loaded and unloaded cargo from the docked vessels. It was a familiar sight, one she had seen many times while holding her father’s hand since she could first walk.

But now, things had changed. Imperial soldiers in dark armor patrolled the harbor on horseback, and in front of the trade office, a standard-bearer held a large imperial flag. Workers, once bustling with energy, now glanced around nervously, and the once noisy merchants were unusually quiet. Only the occasional jingle of a donkey pulling a cart broke the silence.

It had been less than a week since Crown Prince Josef arrived, but to Amelia, everything felt bleak and unfamiliar.

“How is Jerome?” Philip asked, concern evident in his face. His soft blonde hair, blowing in the sea breeze, gave him a princely air.

“In the end, the soldier only received a light punishment, and it was for causing a disturbance near the prince’s office.”

Beating up the head chef was less important than not disturbing Crown Prince Josef. That was his logic.

“I don’t see the problem,” his low voice still echoed in Amelia’s ears, as if he had been saying, ‘Who are you to question me?’ She hadn’t been able to respond at all.

“He’s as cold as they say,” Philip murmured, resting his chin in his hand. Given that Philip was the son of a diplomat from the great island kingdom of Sarnica, he was more knowledgeable about foreign affairs than Amelia. His dream, naturally, was to become a diplomat himself.

Having traveled across the continent with his father since childhood, Philip had spent more time in the Duchy of Brienne than elsewhere, making him and Amelia friends for as long as she could remember.

When Amelia asked what he had heard about Josef, Philip’s descriptions were predictable, the kind anyone could give upon meeting the prince. Things like: the imperial army had strict discipline, the soldiers were rough due to frequent wars, and Josef, who led such an army, must be strict and ruthless.

“Do you think Crown Prince Josef will act the same way here?” she asked quietly. Strict, and ruthless.

Silence lingered over the table for a moment.

“Are you worried?”

“…It feels like Brienne is changing faster than I expected,” she admitted, her eyes reflecting the sea growing darker with her thoughts.

The eyes of Brienne.

Her father used to call her that when he held the young Amelia in his arms. He would often say her late mother, who had died giving birth to Amelia, had the same blue eyes, the color of Brienne’s sea.

Since there were no portraits left of her mother, Amelia couldn’t even remember her face. She didn’t mourn her, either. Instead, she wandered the harbor, the beach, and the cliffs, sending her feelings toward the crashing waves as if releasing them into the sea.

The servants who had cared for her since she was a child, the sailors who would show her rare goods and ships when she loitered at the docks, the father who was always respected by them, and her mother who had become the sea—all of this made Amelia love Brienne deeply. Everything she cherished was here. She wished nothing would change.

“Amelia, let’s keep an eye on things for now. The empire’s army is here, so there’s a threat, sure, but Olstein’s empire doesn’t mistreat places that surrendered peacefully,” Philip said, trying to lighten the mood.

“I’ll stay by your side too.”

“Aren’t you supposed to follow Count Clavier’s schedule?” Amelia asked, knowing that Philip was here because of his father’s diplomatic duties and might need to visit other countries when required.

“Well, yeah, but… if I want, I can stay longer.”

“Really? That’s great!” Amelia’s face lit up as she reached across the table and grabbed Philip’s hand, causing his face to redden slightly.

“Y-yeah, of course.”

Philip awkwardly withdrew his hand from Amelia’s grasp and cleared his throat, while Amelia tilted her head in confusion.

“What’s wrong? Your face is red.”

“Huh? No, it’s not! I’m fine! It’s just… hot. Yeah, that’s it, it’s hot.”

Philip babbled incoherently in response, then hastily gulped down his tea. After awkwardly setting his now empty teacup on its saucer, he scratched his head, as if preparing himself for something.

“…Amelia.”

“Yes?”

Philip stared at her for a moment before shaking his head with a smile.

“Never mind. I’ll tell you later.”

“…Okay.”

Philip’s face had returned to its usual color. Though Amelia found it a bit strange, as they continued to chat, her curiosity quickly faded.

* * *

“Greetings to His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

A few hours later, Amelia entered Josef’s office for the first time in her new role as assistant to the governor.

The office was one she had visited daily when it had belonged to her father. Only the owner had changed; the enormous desk in the center, the table beneath the window, and the couch by the fireplace remained exactly the same.

Yet, despite this, the room felt unfamiliar, almost alien to her.

Perhaps it was because Josef was there. Though Brienne’s winters weren’t particularly cold, the air in the room felt thick with a chilling blue darkness, as if every breath she took would produce a visible puff of air.

Though Josef had summoned her, he remained seated at his desk, flipping through papers. His appearance was flawless enough to be painted into a portrait, but Amelia felt no fondness for him. Standing in front of the closed door, she hesitated before speaking.

“Your Highness, for what reason have you called me?”

Josef, who had risen from his chair, gestured silently with his chin. Amelia hesitated for a moment before stepping towards the center of the room. As Josef approached with a bundle of papers, the flickering candlelight cast his looming shadow on the wall, making it appear beast-like.

As they drew closer, Amelia had to tilt her head up to meet his gaze. Josef, who wasn’t smoking, carried a scent similar to sage, though cooler and sharper.

“Take it.”

Amelia instinctively took the documents from Josef and began to skim through them.

“If you want to understand my instructions, memorize it.”

At first, the papers were filled with numbers that didn’t make much sense to her, but as she flipped through the pages, they contained detailed information about the goods traded at Brienne’s trading post, the state of the shipyards, and the conditions of the ships. Even the volume of local products being traded was recorded meticulously.

It was surprising how much Josef had learned in such a short time since arriving in Brienne. Amelia, feeling slightly embarrassed, was turning another page when Josef spoke again.

“From now on, I’ll send a messenger. Just follow the orders.”

From now on?

Without realizing it, Amelia asked, “Are you leaving already?” It wasn’t out of disappointment, but more out of relief. Josef, who had walked to the window to pick up a coat hanging on the wall, glanced back at her.

“Did you think I’d stay in this insignificant duchy forever?”

“…Are you returning to the Olstein Empire?”

“I came here only to take your father as a hostage.”

He said this while adjusting his cuffs.

Amelia froze where she stood, her eyes wide with shock.

“Are you going to keep standing there?”

“…”

“The conversation’s over. You can leave.”

As Josef moved past her toward the door, Amelia, driven by desperation, cried out,

“Your Highness! Please wait!”

She not only stopped him with her words but also grabbed his arm, driven by sheer desperation.

“…What are you doing?”

Josef paused for a moment, then showed clear displeasure. Amelia quickly let go and took a step back, but she couldn’t believe what she had just heard and asked again, her voice shaking.

“Wh-what do you mean? My father… a hostage?”

A hostage?

From what Josef had just said, it seemed that he planned to take her father to Olstein.

Her father, who ruled Brienne, would be taken to the empire, alone, with this man. Amelia felt a wave of fear wash over her.

“It’s more convenient for me.”

As Amelia stood there trembling, Josef spoke coldly.

“I’m too busy to waste time worrying about when you might betray me. Taking him with me makes it easier to keep an eye on him.”

“My father would never do such a thing!”

It was an insult. Amelia, overwhelmed with anger, shouted in response, and Josef chuckled mockingly.

“That day, you came to see me because Leonid told you to, didn’t you?”

Amelia froze. *That day*. Josef was referring to the day when Jerome had been assaulted by the imperial soldier. Following her father’s instructions, Amelia had gone to see Josef to find out what he planned to do.

“Leonid must have said something like this: ‘Amelia, go and talk to the prince, find out what he’s thinking. I’ll work on finding a way to deal with him from the shadows.’”

“My father didn’t say that much…”

As Josef taunted her, Amelia tried to deny it, but then she stopped, realizing too late that she had fallen into his trap. A cold smile crossed Josef’s face.

“So, you did have that kind of conversation.”

“No, Your Highness.”

Amelia shook her head desperately, her eyes pleading with him.

“Your Highness, my father surrendered for the sake of Brienne. He would never risk the safety of its people by going against the Empire.”

“That’s what *you* think.”

Josef dismissed her words without a care. It seemed pointless to argue or offer any more excuses. Amelia felt the sting of tears welling up, but she fought to keep them down.

If her father becomes a hostage, what will happen to him?

“Are you… planning to kill him? Is that why you’re taking him?”

Amelia asked in a trembling voice, her expression filled with sorrow.

“If necessary.”

Josef turned away, leaving Amelia pale and trembling. He reached out and grasped the door handle of the office.

If he left the room now, nothing would be the same again. Brienne, and her life, would change irreversibly.

Sensing this instinctively, Amelia called out in desperation,

“I’ll go!”

Josef stopped and turned back to her.

“If Your Highness requires someone to understand orders and follow them, wouldn’t it be more convenient for you if my father remained in Brienne?”

Seeing that Josef was listening, Amelia took her one chance and spoke desperately.

She explained how her father cherished her, and how, with her life as a bargaining chip, he would never betray the Empire.

“If I’m taken as a hostage, Brienne will follow the Empire’s commands. After all, I’m the only heir left to Brienne…”

“…”

“If I stay here, I’ll only waste Your Highness’s time.”

Looking Josef directly in the eye, Amelia pleaded.

“Please take me instead, Your Highness.”

TL NOTE: Visit and bookmark the story at dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and updates of its latest release.