“Your Highness, we should arrive in about half a day.”

The sound of horses’ hooves squelching on wet ground grew closer, and then Henrik stuck his head into the carriage to speak.

Josef, exhaling a puff of smoke, waved his hand silently. He didn’t need to be told; the cold air seeping through the window already signaled that they were nearing Olstein.

The sun was beginning to pierce the dawn on the horizon. The imperial flag fluttered above the carriage, a reminder that all the land they had traversed thus far was part of the Olstein Empire.

Josef was contemplating what to do after his wedding.

‘Perhaps I should grant Mieschko a government position,’ he thought.

When Olstein had declared itself an empire and set out to conquer the continent, resources were in short supply.

At that time, the Mieschko family had unhesitatingly emptied their vaults to provide the necessary military funds.

As one of the founding families of Olstein, the Mieschko family needed to be handled carefully, with just enough incentive to keep them satisfied and loyal.

The emperor had suggested marrying the chancellor’s daughter as the crown princess, but Josef had declined. He knew all too well whose favor the emperor was trying to curry with that suggestion. The chancellor already wielded enough power, and Josef had no intention of letting him boast about securing the crown prince as his son-in-law.

‘To keep the chancellor in check, it’s necessary to forge ties with the Mieschko family,’ Josef reasoned.

Like any noble, Josef weighed his options, and in the end, he decided to proceed with the marriage alliance with the Mieschko family.

It was, in his view, the perfect card to play at this point in time, just like laying down a trump card in a game when the moment called for it.

Josef flicked the ash from his cigarette. As the carriage rolled along a gently curving road, the group of guards following behind also curved along with it.

This allowed Josef to notice Amelia’s carriage at the rear, jostling on the muddy road before it suddenly came to a stop.

* * *

Josef stepped down from his carriage. The coachman, panicked by the muddy ground, advised him against getting out, but Josef ignored him.

“What’s going on?”

“The ground is soft here. It seems the wheels got stuck in the mud,” the coachman replied.

Hearing this, Josef made his way toward Amelia’s carriage. A few soldiers dismounted and followed him.

Henrik approached, explaining that the wheels were clogged with mud, but Josef continued walking toward the carriage. He was the kind of man who needed to see things with his own eyes.

“One, two, three!”

The coachman and soldiers were practically lifting the carriage out of the mud.

A few steps away stood Amelia, hugging a trunk to her chest, shivering violently. She was only wearing the dress she had brought from Brienne.

“What happened to the robe?”

At Josef’s question, Amelia jumped as if startled, turning her head like a deer caught in headlights.

“Y-Your Highness.”

“Have you already adjusted to the cold?”

“N-No, it’s just that…”

Amelia shook her head. Her nose and cheeks were red from the biting cold.

“The robe is too long… it drags on the ground. If I wear it here, it’ll get dirty…”

Josef glanced at her slender frame. It made sense, considering the robe he’d given her was one he had brought from the Empire.

“Can’t you just wear it and discard it afterward?”

“…”

“Or cover yourself with it from head to toe.”

Amelia, clutching her trunk tightly, blinked her large eyes in confusion.

“…Pardon?”

Her expression was bewildered. She was probably trying to figure out whether Josef’s words were a joke or serious.

“If you don’t want to freeze to death, get back in the carriage.”

“If I get in, it’ll add weight. It’ll make pulling the carriage out even harder.”

“Thank you for enlightening me on that fact.”

“That’s not what I meant… Ah-choo.”

Amelia’s hurried explanation was cut short by a small sneeze, which silenced her.

Josef, watching as Amelia sniffled, turned on his heel and started walking back toward his carriage. By the time he almost reached it, there was a commotion behind him. Amelia’s carriage had finally been pulled free from the mud.

Even then, Amelia was still standing on the road, stamping her feet to stay warm. It wasn’t until the coachman gestured for her that she ran over to the carriage, struggling as she handed him her heavy trunk. Why had she insisted on clutching that thing the whole time?

Josef, without realizing it, found himself observing Amelia’s every move. Her fingers fussing with the strands of hair loose by her ears, the pale, thin wrist exposed as her sleeve slipped down—all seemed more fragile than he had imagined. He remembered the moment just a few days ago when those same hands had gripped him tightly.

“Please take me instead, Your Highness.”

Every time she glanced around, taking in the cold air, her chest rose and fell, and even the brief glimpse of her feet as she boarded the carriage seemed delicate and vulnerable. He found himself wondering where her strength had come from when she had so resolutely declared she would go in her father’s stead.

Josef drummed his long fingers lightly against the window frame of his carriage. Amelia’s frailty irritated him. It felt like something troublesome, a nuisance.

He hated when things deviated from his calculations, even slightly. And Amelia was beginning to feel like one such deviation.

The carriage wheels began to turn faster.

* * *

Upon arriving at the Empire, Amelia stepped out of her carriage and followed a soldier into a building she had never seen before.

“Get inside.”

The man’s rough command startled Amelia, who had been looking around curiously at the hallway.

“Thank you…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the door closed with a loud thud. Though the unexpected silence was a bit unsettling, Amelia felt a small sense of relief.

Now alone, she tightly wrapped herself in the robe draped over her shoulders and took in the cold, quiet bedroom.

The room is about the same size as Amelia’s chamber in Brienne Castle. It had all the basic furniture, including a bed, wardrobe, fireplace, and even a bathroom.

Despite the luxurious furnishings, the room still felt unfamiliar.

‘Where am I?’

Amelia quickly crossed the room and headed toward the window.

From the moment she passed through the castle gate and reached this building, no one had given her any explanation. She could only guess that this was somewhere inside the imperial palace.

Amelia pressed her nose against the window and looked outside.

The central garden of the castle and the enormous statues that had astonished her on the way were nowhere to be seen. All she could see was a small patch of grass and a few unimpressive trees.

‘Castles look different in every country, I suppose…’

Unlike Brienne Castle, perched like a fortress on the side of a winding mountain, the imperial palace she had seen from the carriage was built on a vast plain.

From her room, neither the outer landscape nor the back of the castle was visible.

Unfortunately, the window in this room didn’t have a good view.

Bored of looking out at the empty garden, Amelia turned and headed for the bed.

‘Has Philip arrived?’

Philip had promised to arrive when she reached the empire, but there was no way to confirm this. She didn’t even know where she was staying, and no one had told her anything about it.

“…It’s cold.”

Amelia shivered. The long journey by carriage had taught her one thing—Olstein winters were bitterly cold. Now she understood why the soldier had laughed at her back in Brienne when she’d boarded the carriage wearing only a dress.

Amelia hesitated, then walked toward the fireplace. There were logs already placed inside, but she didn’t know how to light the fire.

Surely there were servants in the castle? Should she go out and look for someone to help?

Just as Amelia was about to leave the room, the door suddenly swung open, and Josef entered.

“…Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Beside him stood a nervous-looking maid.

Amelia immediately sensed something was off.

The room had been quiet—had she simply not heard the knock?

“One servant should be enough, right?” Josef asked.

Or had this arrogant prince entered without knocking at all?

Hiding her unease, Amelia replied, “…Yes. Thank you.”

The maid approached Amelia and bowed deeply.

“My name is Betty, Lady Amelia. It’s a pleasure to serve you.”

Amelia, caught off guard, nodded, and Betty stepped back.

“Are you satisfied with the room? If it’s too small, I can change it,” Josef offered.

“No, it’s fine,” Amelia replied.

Josef nodded at her answer, then turned to Betty with an order.

“Search her belongings.”

“…Yes, Your Highness,” Betty hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Wait! Why?” Amelia exclaimed in shock.

It was one thing for strangers to barge into her room, but searching her belongings was too much. She hated the idea of laying her personal items out in front of the Crown Prince.

“Everyone entering the empire is searched—even hostages,” Josef explained.

His reasoning sounded like an excuse to her. Amelia’s carriage hadn’t been stopped for inspection at the checkpoint or the castle gate.

“Does Your Highness suspect me?” she asked.

“There’s no reason not to.”

Now, he implied it was because the hostage seemed suspicious. Refusing the inspection would only make her seem more guilty.

At Josef’s signal, Betty hesitantly brought the trunk forward, and Amelia had no choice but to nod in reluctant agreement, indicating it was hers.

“Excuse me,” Betty said with an apologetic expression as she placed the trunk on the bed and unfastened the lock.

“Make sure to check between the clothes,” Josef ordered.

“…Yes,” Betty replied.

The trunk contained Amelia’s usual clothes, a few books, an embroidery kit, and a jewelry box—nothing out of the ordinary. Betty unwrapped the protective paper around the dresses and flipped through the pages of the books.

“There’s nothing unusual, Your Highness,” Betty reported.

“What about the lining at the bottom?” Josef asked, pointing at the trunk from a few steps away.

“This… is also clothing,” Betty replied hesitantly.

“Open it,” Josef instructed.

Betty glanced at Amelia for approval before carefully untying the oilcloth, revealing undergarments like corsets and slips.

“…Nothing here either,” Betty quickly covered them again, making sure the items were hidden from view. Amelia, who had been embarrassed, felt slightly relieved by the gesture.

The trunk was now empty. Betty opened the jewelry box last, gently pouring its contents onto the bed. A few pieces of jewelry tumbled out.

“Your Highness, it’s done.”

“Bring it here,” Josef commanded.

Betty carried the trunk over, and Josef pulled a dagger from inside his coat and sliced through the inner lining of the trunk.

“Y-Your Highness…” Betty tried to stop him, but it was already too late.

The thick leather was sliced as easily as paper. After peering into the gap between the separated outer and inner layers, Josef slipped the knife back into his coat and carelessly tossed the trunk onto the floor.

“I’ll buy you a new bag,” Josef said, looking at Amelia.

Amelia couldn’t tear her eyes away from the utterly destroyed trunk. She slipped her hands inside her robe, trying to hide her trembling fingers, shaken with fear.

The man’s endless indifference was terrifying.

Josef’s ruthlessness, masked under the guise of a baggage inspection, frightened her. The sharp tip of his knife slicing through the leather felt as though it were cutting across her heart. In that moment, Amelia became certain that Josef was the kind of man who could kill someone—perhaps several people—without so much as blinking an eye.

“If you need anything, let the maid know,” he said.

When Amelia remained silent, her head still bowed, Josef tilted his head and grasped her chin, lifting it. He might have thought he was holding her gently, but to Amelia, already paralyzed by fear, it was more than threatening.

“Amelia, you should thank me.”

“…”

“I said I’d buy you a new one.”

Thank him…? Confusion clouded Amelia’s eyes as she stood frozen, held by Josef’s grip. She couldn’t understand how he could expect gratitude after this.

“Your Highness, why are you going this far…?” she asked, her lips trembling faintly as she summoned the courage to speak.

“There’s no need for Your Highness to go to such lengths. I haven’t done… I haven’t done anything.”

Wasn’t it enough that she had been taken hostage? Threatened with her father’s life, locked away in a room somewhere in the castle, interrogated about the contents of her bag—surely all of that was more than sufficient to keep her compliant.

Josef, meeting her gaze, responded with a puzzled expression.

“You should be asking more important questions, Amelia.”

“What?”

“For example… how many Imperial spies are currently watching your father in Brienne?”

Amelia’s face turned pale.

“Or perhaps, will you even be able to leave the Empire alive?”

“…”

With his thumb, Josef brushed her soft, trembling cheek, still holding her chin in his hand.

“If you don’t want to die like a dog, think carefully about your actions.”

Olstein had never welcomed Amelia.

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