Amelia wrote a letter to her father, Duke Leonid.

Although she sealed the envelope with wax, she was aware that her letter might be censored multiple times before it left Olstein’s gates, passed through the quarantine, got loaded onto the mail coach, and finally reached Brienne Castle. Thus, she filled it with only cheerful updates.

She wrote that she was very comfortable at the Crown Princess’s residence, that she had been honored with the task of decorating the place on the Crown Prince’s orders, and that the garden was becoming a small forest encircling both the Crown Princess’s and the Crown Prince’s estates.

Two weeks later, Betty brought back a reply, along with a small box wrapped in lace ribbon.

“To Amelia,

Brienne is very busy with shipbuilding.

I’m glad to hear you’re doing well there.

I’m grateful that the Crown Prince entrusted you with a task.

You always liked exploring every nook and cranny of Brienne Castle as a child.

Thinking of those days might help.

You did get scolded for entering my office uninvited, though.

Are you attending social events?

Don’t forget that interacting with the nobles is also part of your duty.

Father.”

“…”

Amelia reread the letter in confusion. She stood up, held the paper to the sunlight, turned it over, and looked inside the envelope, but nothing changed. That really was all it said.

“This is it?”

She felt a pang of disappointment. It was such a short reply compared to the heartfelt letter she had spent days composing.

Amelia couldn’t easily lie to her father, which was why she rarely wrote to him in winter. She didn’t want even a drop of sadness to taint a letter meant for him.

She had poured a lot of thought into her first letter, carefully choosing happy things to share so he wouldn’t worry. Plus, someone might read it along the way…

“Ah.”

Could her father have done the same? Could he have anticipated it might be intercepted, and so had kept the message brief and filled it with odd anecdotes?

With that thought, the letter felt different. Amelia examined it again. Half of the short letter was about her childhood.

“As a child…”

She had indeed wandered tirelessly through each room of the castle. She even ended up in her father’s office, crouching under his desk like a puppy and sometimes sneaking open the drawers.

He hadn’t been too angry about her rummaging through his desk; the issue had been her denial when he confronted her. The moment she lied, he’d looked so sad, and that expression had made her cry. She had promised through her tears never to lie to him again.

Though it was a fond memory, she still wondered what meaning it might hold now. She opened the package that came with the letter. Inside the palm-sized paper box was a tiny pendant, no bigger than the length of a fingertip.

“…Vidal.”

Amelia opened the pendant and read the engraved word inside. She remembered the necklace from when she opened her father’s desk drawer. After she had cried her heart out, her father had explained that Vidal had been his surname before he married.

Was that why he wrote about her childhood? Was this his way of reminding her never to lie again?

Amelia fastened the necklace at her vanity. The chain was long enough that the pendant nestled between her collarbones, hidden from view over her dress. She liked how it looked.

“It’s not a lie.”

“I’m doing well,” she murmured softly. A branch stirred in the breeze, tapping at the window as if inquiring after her.

* * *

“A debutante…?”

“That’s why the shops are all in a frenzy,” muttered the chamberlain to a puzzled Amelia. Servants carrying large boxes walked past them, climbing the steps of the Crown Princess’s mansion.

Amelia had requested new curtains for each room, and though the chamberlain had boasted they would be ready in three days, it was only on the afternoon of the fifth day that he returned.

With the debutante event planned for the week after next, the ladies of each noble family were frantically commissioning hairpieces, dresses, and shoes, putting all the shops in the capital on high alert.

“It seems everyone’s excited since it’s the first debutante ball after the war.”

In Olstein, a debutante ball marks the opening of the social season. During the war, such events had been minimal, but this year, they wouldn’t hold back. In fact, the emperor had decreed that the event should be lavish. The royal attendants were busy decorating the central hall in preparation.

“Both His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince will attend.”

The custom is for the Empress to welcome the young ladies at the debutante ball, but the emperor currently had neither an empress nor even a consort. And it would be odd for the emperor himself to host a ball for young girls who hadn’t debuted in society yet. So, the emperor, the crown prince, and Marika would take on the role of celebrating the debutantes from the platform.

“If His Highness the Crown Prince had married this year, Lady Marika would have taken center stage.”

“Indeed.”

Amelia nodded at the chamberlain’s wistful remark. When would Josef decide to marry? The Crown Princess’s residence was steadily preparing each day to welcome its new owner.

However, that wasn’t something she had any reason to wonder about, nor was it something she could ask anyone. Amelia responded with a smile to the chamberlain’s suggestion that she should attend the ball, given the emperor would be present, and then she headed toward the garden.

What had once been a simple grassy lawn had transformed into something closer to a small forest. The wind that used to sweep across the barren winter wilderness now rustled the leaves, carrying a fresh scent of greenery.

Amelia walked between the trees, which shaded her view like a parasol. She thought of continuing on all the way to the lake.

The garden felt beautiful and secluded, almost as if stepping off the path would lead to a mountain stream. Just as she took a step forward, she noticed her view open up slightly.

“…”

In the clear sky beyond the shadows of the trees, the Crown Princess’s mansion came into view. From here, she could even look directly up at her bedroom window. Nearby, a marble bench by the fountain looked perfectly placed for sitting.

And there, Josef sat, as if he owned the spot.

“Greetings, Your Highness,” she said.

Lost in thought, Josef turned his head a beat later than her greeting.

“Out for a walk?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Enjoy.”

He extinguished his half-burned cigarette. It sounded like he was sending her off, as if he intended to stay there watching until she finished her walk, returned to her room, and drew the curtains.

Amelia hesitated, unable to leave, and finally spoke up to him.

“What… are you doing here?”

“I’m looking around, now that the garden is complete.”

“It seems you’ve seen almost all of it.”

Josef looked at her for a moment and then smiled faintly.

“You’re hoping I’ll hurry and go.”

“What?”

Startled, Amelia jumped slightly, and Josef chuckled again. She quickly shook her head.

“No, Your Highness.”

“It’s fine. Even if you try to lie, it shows on your face.”

What expression do I have?’ At his words, Amelia felt an urge to run over to the fountain to check her reflection.
‘
Maybe it was because he’d hit the mark, or maybe because she hadn’t managed to conceal her reaction, but it felt like she’d already lost a battle she hadn’t even started.

“I apologize. I was just nervous, worried I might act improperly in front of you.”

“Nervous?”

Josef laughed like he’d heard a poor joke.

“Aren’t you usually composed, even around strangers?”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure myself.”

He ended on a cryptic note and stood up, casting a long shadow with the sun behind him.

“Do you like the garden?”

Amelia nodded. Josef’s expression seemed pleased when she said it felt like walking in a forest.

“Your Highness, I think the mansion’s renovations may need a bit more time.”

She relayed to him what the chamberlain had said about the shops being busy with debutante preparations.

“When did you go into town? I haven’t seen any carriages going in or out.”

“…I heard it from someone else.”

“About the debutante?”

“Yes…”

Technically, it was more of a passing remark about work delays due to the debutante. But Josef seemed to misunderstand her comment.

“Haven’t you passed the age for a debutante ball?”

His face, once smiling, now looked displeased. Amelia let out a small laugh. Did he think she, as a hostage, was interested in having a debutante here?

“As Your Highness said, I already had my debutante ball back in Brienne.”

Amused, she laughed a bit more.

“But the chamberlain suggested it might be best to attend the ball, since the emperor will be there…”

“There’s no need.”

Josef didn’t smile.

“Just because the emperor moves doesn’t mean you have to follow him like a dog.”

“…”

“Nor should you force yourself to do anything you don’t want to.”

Amelia found his words oddly amusing. ‘Things I don’t want to do’—was there anything here in Olstein she genuinely wanted to do?

Apart from trying to endure and focus on the positives, she didn’t do anything out of personal desire.

“Is that alright?”

“…”

“I’m only alive here by Your Highness’s grace.”

She borrowed a line she’d once heard somewhere, thinking there was no point in pretending in front of Josef, who’d already told her she couldn’t hide her thoughts.

“Yes.”

Josef nodded.

“Not the emperor’s grace, but mine.”

“…”

“So my orders come before any imperial decree.”

“Your Highness, isn’t that…?”

‘Isn’t that treason?’ Amelia thought, almost voicing it aloud, then stopped, realizing she was about to lecture Josef on Olstein’s etiquette.

“Would it be considered treason?”

When she was speechless and shook her head, Josef laughed mischievously.

“It’s a rule that applies only to Lady Amelia, so don’t worry.”

“…”

“And another rule is that you’re not to leave here without my permission.”

He still sounded like he was joking, but his eyes, shadowed deeply, held no trace of humor. He meant it.

“I was just planning to walk to the lakeside. Is that not allowed?”

“I’m not a tyrant, Amelia.”

He tilted his head in mock exasperation.

“I’m not about to restrict a simple walk—so long as it’s brief and you avoid unsavory company.”

Amelia didn’t really feel like pushing it, so she bowed to Josef and continued along her path.

But had he known who she would meet at the lakeside, he wouldn’t have allowed even that. After all, in the end, she had decided to attend the debutante ball.