Amelia, observing the peculiar standoff between the emperor and the crown prince, quickly realized she didn’t have the luxury to dwell on it. She lowered her head in haste.

“Greetings to Your Majesty.”

“And who might you be?”

“I am…”

“You look familiar somehow.”

As Amelia was about to state her name, the emperor’s remark prompted her to raise her head slightly. The emperor’s reaction was almost unnaturally exuberant.

“Oh, yes. You’re Lady Amelia of Brienne, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I am honored.”

What struck Amelia as strange about the emperor was not just his presence but the knights surrounding her, almost as if encircling her.

She didn’t know how many guards the emperor typically traveled with, but the retinue near him, including his imperial guards and the knights fanning out like wings behind him, numbered no fewer than thirty.

If Amelia had been alone, she might have found the sight intimidating but not necessarily unusual.

But Crown Prince Josef was also present. It seemed unlikely that the emperor considered his own son a significant threat. Amelia couldn’t understand why all the soldiers remained stoic and on high alert.

“What an unexpected encounter,” the emperor said with a kind smile, yet he didn’t tell his guards to stand down.

Josef stood silently, ignoring all the hostility. It seemed his earlier acknowledgment of “Your Majesty” sufficed as a greeting.

“So, what brings the two of you here alone?”

Amelia felt her face flush with sudden heat. The emperor’s remark wasn’t entirely unjustified. Both Josef and Amelia were unaccompanied by attendants. At first glance, it could easily be misinterpreted as a secret meeting between lovers.

Would the emperor reprimand her for her impropriety? Perhaps blame her poor judgment on her prolonged seclusion in the crown princess’s residence?

“I came to inspect an item that will be auctioned,” Josef said in an even tone, contrasting with his cold expression.

“The auction items? Aren’t they all spoils you brought back from the battlefield?”

“Not this one.”

The emperor’s gaze followed Josef’s to the diamond on display.

“Oh, this is the diamond of Kut?”

The emperor moved closer to the showcase. While he examined the diamond, Amelia cautiously stepped back.

“Even upon second glance, it’s remarkable. Such a large diamond is incredibly rare, and from Kut, no less…”

Josef remained silent.

“Still, why come to inspect it in person?” the emperor asked, his composed tone tinged with suspicion.

“Lady Marika expressed a desire for it, so I came to confirm,” Josef replied.

Amelia was momentarily surprised at his response, thinking he might have fabricated a reason before realizing it made sense. A thirty-carat diamond would be coveted by anyone, especially someone like Marika, a bride-to-be in need of a ring. Perhaps Marika’s desire was genuine, and Josef had decided to accompany Amelia here on her behalf.

“Lady Marika, you say?”

The emperor’s expression seemed to ask, Then why are you here with Amelia?

Amelia stepped forward. “Your Majesty, I beg your pardon, but there have been unfounded rumors suggesting… that this diamond may not be genuine.”

The air, already tense, seemed to grow heavier with Amelia’s words.

“I informed His Highness the Crown Prince of this possibility, which led us to verify it.”

“I see,” the emperor said with a nod.

“Now that I think about it, I heard Lady Amelia once identified a counterfeit jewel at a certain atelier, didn’t you?” He went on to praise her, recounting tales he’d heard from courtiers who frequented that shop.

“I am deeply honored,” Amelia replied.

“So, what do you think of this diamond?” the emperor asked, his curiosity genuine. He appeared to trust her discernment.

“It is undoubtedly authentic, Your Majesty.”

Amelia felt the same. The moment she laid eyes on the diamond, she knew it was genuine. No matter how many times she examined it, her conclusion remained unchanged.

The diamond, the perfect size to fit into the pendant she currently wore, dazzled as if encased in countless rays of light. It seemed to rebuke any doubters with its brilliance.

“That’s a relief,” the emperor said.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Indeed, a relief…”

Amelia smiled in relief, though it also served to mask her inner turmoil.

She was truly glad the diamond was real. Yet, if so, it meant her father had removed a family heirloom—a Vidal family treasure—from her pendant to auction it in the empire. She couldn’t fathom why.

“I’m glad Your Majesty’s doubts have been dispelled,” Josef’s low voice suddenly cut through the moment, dousing the mood like cold water.

“Josef, doubts?”

“I was referring to the suspicion that I might steal the diamond,” Josef said in a tone that seemed like a jest.

“Utter nonsense,” the emperor replied with a hearty laugh.

“Why would I harbor such suspicions?”

“Then I must have misunderstood,” Josef said with a shrug.

“It’s just that the number of soldiers seemed oddly excessive—blatantly abnormal, even. I couldn’t help but misinterpret Your Majesty’s intentions.”

The emperor fell silent. Though his lips curved into a faint smile, his eyes, lined with age, grew rigid.

Amelia felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest, as though the weight of anxiety was pressing down on her.

“You’re right,” she said.

“……”

“It’s purely your misunderstanding, Josef. I couldn’t sleep and was merely taking a walk around the palace,” the Emperor said.

At the Emperor’s words, Josef bowed his head.

“My apologies, Your Majesty.”

“The Crown Prince does not need to apologize,” the Emperor replied, waving a hand dismissively.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

“……Very well.”

The two exchanged ordinary pleasantries, but the icy tension between them lingered. The Emperor was the first to turn away. Amelia watched uneasily as the knights escorted the Emperor out of the room, a vague sense of foreboding rising within her.

Josef retraced his steps through the cool night air. His figure, clad in dark clothing, was sharply outlined against the darkness, making him easily discernible. The pale gray castle walls, illuminated by moonlight, lit the path well enough that torches were unnecessary.

“Why did you lie to me?”

Josef was the first to break the silence. Amelia, walking beside him, turned her head to look at him.

“Pardon?”

“You didn’t tell me that you came to inspect the diamond out of suspicion.”

He looked angry.

“……I missed the chance to explain. It wasn’t a lie……”

“Amelia.”

Josef stopped abruptly, turning to face her. The distance between them was only a few steps.

The moon hung serenely above, its light revealing Josef’s features with stark clarity. His sharp and orderly features seemed both composed and dangerously intense. To Amelia, he appeared like a looming shadow, ready to swallow her whole at any moment.

“To me……”

Josef began to speak but suddenly stepped back, cutting himself off.

“……”

Amelia couldn’t understand his actions. However, as she stood there watching Josef maintain a measured distance, the fear she felt toward him began to ebb. Though still angry, Josef did not seem like he would act aggressively toward her.

“……The fact that you didn’t tell me at all—it’s the same as hiding it, isn’t it?”

“……”

“You have a talent, Amelia,” Josef said with a faint, sharp smile. “To irritate me this much.”

“Were you upset because I doubted the auction item?” Amelia asked.

“I only heard rumors that the diamond might be a fake.”

“And what do those rumors have to do with you?”

Josef’s voice was so cold that it made Amelia flinch.

“Since when did you start taking an interest in such matters?”

“……”

“Besides, you told the truth to the Emperor. If you wanted to deceive me, it would have been simpler to lie and claim you just wanted to see the diamond.”

It seemed Josef was displeased that Amelia had informed the Emperor before him. As Amelia hesitated, considering whether to reveal her true motives for investigating the diamond, she felt oddly relieved. But Josef’s anger over such a reason seemed unfair. Thinking about it, most of Josef’s treatment of her was hardly justified.

“Don’t forget. My orders take precedence over the Emperor’s when it comes to you,” Josef said.

It was something he had told her before. While Amelia had taken it as symbolic at the time, Josef seemed to mean it quite literally.

“We’ve been standing here too long,” Josef said, breaking the brief silence. His words made Amelia aware of the cold that had seeped into her body. Having left in a rush, she was clad only in a thin dress, without even a robe.

Amelia quickened her pace to catch up with Josef, who had already removed his jacket and was carrying it in one hand. He draped it over her shoulders.

“……Thank you.”

The warmth of the jacket immediately began to soothe her cold-stiffened shoulders. Josef’s expression seemed slightly less tense, prompting Amelia to finally broach the topic she had been hesitant to discuss.

“But, Your Highness, if I were to say in front of others that your orders take precedence over the Emperor’s, I might face punishment.”

“Why are you worried about that?” Josef asked, walking beside her.

“Do my chamberlain or guards prioritize the Emperor’s orders?”

“……But I’m not your chamberlain or one of your guards.”

“Indeed. You’re not.”

Josef’s voice was low but firm.

“You’re nothing, Amelia.”

“……”

“So there’s no need to worry about such things.”

Neither a noblewoman nor a hostage. Nothing. A trivial, unnecessary existence, fortunate not to be dismissed outright.

Amelia accepted his words. Josef’s voice was so resolute that there was no room to interpret them otherwise.