The day after a restless night, Amelia finally requested an audience with Josef through the chamberlain.

In hindsight, whenever Amelia sought Josef, it was always under his prior instruction. This marked the first time she formally conveyed her intention to meet him.

“Lady Amelia, His Highness commands you to come immediately.”

Contrary to her hesitation, the chamberlain, who had vanished beyond the garden to relay her request, soon returned in a hurry, knocking urgently at the door of the crown princess’s residence.

As a result, the chamberlain had essentially been running back and forth between the residence and the crown prince’s office like a relay runner, prompting Amelia to almost sprint her way to Josef out of guilt.

***

Facing Josef in his office, Amelia noticed yet another cigarette case casually resting on the table.

“I brought this… to return it to you.”

Feeling somewhat sheepish, she trailed off and placed the box she had brought next to it.

“…”

Without a word, Josef picked it up and tucked it into his pocket.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“I have something to ask.”

Just as Amelia began to rise from her seat, Josef spoke. She had no choice but to sit back down on the sofa.

“Do you want to go to Brienne?”

Caught off guard by Josef’s abrupt question, Amelia sat in silence for a moment. Josef didn’t rush her but gazed at her steadily.

“Is that an order for me to visit Brienne?”

“Let’s assume you’d be returning permanently.”

“…”

“Do you want to go?”

Josef clarified his question.

What kind of game was this? Amelia paused to think before speaking. Surely, Josef had no genuine curiosity about her desire to visit Brienne. Even if there were a request from Brienne, she doubted he would simply let her leave.

“If I could go, I would like to return.”

Amelia answered honestly. If this was a game Josef had started just to hear a particular answer, she didn’t want to lose.

Of course, she wanted to return to Brienne. Despite her ignorance of what was happening there and the anxiety stemming from that ignorance, not a moment had passed without longing for Brienne.

“What would you do if you went back?”

Josef asked again.

“Would you return here?”

His question remained inscrutable. Your Highness, what exactly are you asking? Amelia barely refrained from voicing this aloud.

“If Your Highness summons me, I would have to return…”

“…”

“But I don’t think I would come back of my own will.”

Her voice was low but firm. Had she offended the crown prince? It was too late now.

“I thought as much.”

Josef concluded the conversation with words that remained ambiguous until the end.

This happened the day before his departure for Kut.

***

Queen Olga stood in the audience chamber, still harboring doubts.

‘Why the crown prince?’

The credibility of the message sent by Crown Prince Josef was clear. Stories of an unusually tall foreigner sighted at the port late last night had already reached several guards.

Though such a tale wouldn’t ordinarily come to the queen’s attention, the captain of the royal guard had reported it, suspecting the man—black-haired, black-eyed, and strikingly conspicuous—might be an imperial royal.

While the queen pondered this report, Josef’s letter arrived. Its respectful language belied the fact that it was closer to a command than a request. After all, the kingdom could not refuse the crown prince of the empire.

The audience chamber contained no dais or chairs. Seating the prince wasn’t an option, and the queen herself couldn’t kneel before anyone but the emperor, according to continental law.

Thus, the two were to meet standing in a solemnly decorated but otherwise empty room.

“Your Majesty.”

Captain Perrin opened the chamber door.

“His Highness, the Crown Prince of the Empire, is here.”

Without a word, Olga nodded. Soon, Crown Prince Josef, draped in a jet-black cloak, entered.

“Tomar, it’s been a while.”

At the prince’s greeting, Olga feigned a warm smile.

“I am honored that you call me by the Kut royal family’s surname, Lestek.”

“Think nothing of it.”

“Were we ever that close?”

“I’d like to think so.”

He extended a hand. Olga offered her hand, the one unoccupied by the royal scepter. The prince bowed his head and pressed his lips to the back of her hand in greeting.

“How does it feel to be queen?”

“Exhausting.”

The crown prince smirked.

“Busy plotting an attack on the empire?”

Though Olstein horses were famed for their strength, Josef himself resembled a powerful stallion. Yet, those who admired his perfect exterior often forgot how cunning he truly was.

“What are you…?”

“…”

“…saying, Crown Prince?”

Queen Olga spoke, trying to maintain her composure.

“If it weren’t about this, why would I have come all this way?”

The Crown Prince shrugged. His nonchalant expression sent a small shiver down Olga’s spine.

“Kut attacking the Empire—surely that’s an unfounded accusation?”

“There’s far too much evidence for that.”

The Crown Prince replied calmly.

“Are you aware of the murder of an Imperial soldier in Brienne?”

“I am.”

Olga nodded. She was also aware that the incident had resulted in the second cargo ship’s navigator being taken by the Empire. Wanting to avoid provoking the Empire further, she had opted to wait and see.

“That navigator—I killed him.”

“…”

“I’ve heard many things. About why the Kut royal family is supplying lumber to Brienne at such low prices, and what you’re expecting in return.”

Olga sighed softly. So it was true, after all. No matter how much she had instructed the sailors to keep quiet, secrets inevitably leaked.

The situation was undoubtedly troubling. How much did the Empire know? Queen Olga held Josef’s gaze, maintaining a calm demeanor.

“What orders has His Imperial Majesty given?”

“You’re quick to admit things.”

At his remark, she laughed and shook her head.

“I cannot possibly acknowledge the words of such a petty criminal. But judging from the fact that you’ve come all this way, regardless of whether I admit it or not, the Empire already believes it to be true, doesn’t it?”

“Exactly.”

“So, have you come to negotiate before declaring war?”

At Olga’s question, a smirk appeared on the Crown Prince’s face.

“Who’s to say?”

“…”

“What does Her Majesty, the Queen of Kut, think?”

Olga spoke in an even voice.

“I think not. I hope not.”

It wasn’t a desperate plea but a grounded belief.

If the Empire truly intended to start a war out of sheer spite, there would be no need for such a meeting. If the goal were to threaten the Kut royal family, Olstein could achieve it effortlessly, whether by sending assassins or launching an attack on Brienne as a warning.

The Crown Prince’s decision to come to her personally suggested that he had other intentions. Olga was beginning to form this hypothesis.

“As you are well aware, the Imperial Court must consider the nobility’s sentiments.”

Unconsciously, Olga nodded. For a moment, it seemed as if Josef was speaking candidly.

“They no longer wish for war.”

“The Kut royal family feels the same, Crown Prince. So why don’t we dispel these suspicions…?”

“But I must issue a warning.”

The Crown Prince interjected.

“My decision does not require the Kut royal family’s acknowledgment. Today, I’ve come to make a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

“Attack Brienne directly from Kut.”

Even as Olga’s expression hardened, Josef continued without hesitation.

“Declare war on Brienne. Don’t mobilize too many troops—make it clear that there’s room for negotiation.”

Though it was Josef who had killed the navigator, the visible narrative suggested that a Kut navigator aiding Brienne had been taken to the Empire and disappeared. Thus, blame could easily be shifted to Brienne.

Josef’s demand was for Kut to declare war on Brienne, pressuring them to recover the navigator from the Empire.

“Impose the condition that you won’t withdraw until they bring back the navigator.”

After hearing Josef’s words, Olga responded.

“You’re asking me to force Brienne to plead with the Empire?”

“Precisely.”

“Without engaging in real combat?”

The Crown Prince nodded.

“It seems we understand each other well.”

If things proceeded as such, Brienne would find itself in the position of begging Olstein to placate Kut. Considering Brienne’s subordinate status as a governorate under the Empire, Josef’s approval would be difficult to secure without exceptional leniency.

From Olga’s perspective, it meant aligning with the Empire rather than Brienne.

“…”

She detested Olstein, but she was not yet prepared to face them head-on.

Thus, she had intended to cooperate with Brienne as requested, slowly building her base of power.

Under the original plan, in a year’s time, the Kut royal family was to receive a ship constructed identically to Olstein’s flagship. This would serve as a tacit signal of the alliance between Brienne and Kut.

But if Josef had already uncovered this…

As the Queen of Kut, whose priority was to protect her kingdom first, there was no longer any reason to risk allying with Brienne.

“I will pay a price that satisfies the Kut royal family.”

The Crown Prince’s words solidified her resolve.

“Understood.”

As Olga nodded, she suddenly recalled the inscription that Kut’s master carpenter had carved into the prow of the ship’s figurehead:

Beiad Amelia.

It was a prayer, meant to respond to Duke Leonid’s earnest wish to bring his daughter home.

But now, it felt like something that might never come to fruition.