“Finally, the Crown Princess’s empty residence will have its mistress,” the Emperor said, sounding pleased.

Josef, seated beside him, smiled as if in agreement.

The Emperor had not been happy since Josef rejected the marriage proposal with Chancellor Konrad’s daughter—a suggestion made by the Emperor’s mistress. Yet, in front of Duke Mieschko, the Emperor wore a much more genial expression.

“I am deeply honored, Your Majesty,” Duke Mieschko replied with equally deliberate formality, bowing his head. His attire sparkled so much that it was hard to tell who was the Emperor and who was the duke.

The duke was fortunate to have earned a reputation as a well-connected man of influence, though all he’d done was cultivate connections for his own benefit.

His daughter, Lady Marika Mieschko, stood beside him, dressed in an equally splendid gown and smiling radiantly. If she weren’t the daughter of a founding noble family, or if there wasn’t a need to keep Chancellor Konrad in check, Josef wouldn’t have paid her any attention. She was lucky as well.

“I want the engagement ceremony to be as grand as possible,” Josef said.

The faces of Duke Mieschko and Marika lit up. The Crown Prince’s engagement needed to symbolize the Olstein Empire’s progress on the path to expansion. Josef deliberately invited prominent figures from various kingdoms.

When Josef told Marika to let him know if she wanted anything, she smiled brightly.

“Your words alone are more than enough, Your Highness.”

The Emperor looked on, pleased, as Josef and Marika exchanged words.

“The two of them together are like a painting,” he remarked.

“His Highness, the Crown Prince, grows more distinguished by the day, Your Majesty,” Duke Mieschko chimed in, making the Emperor’s mood even better.

“Lady Marika, too, is a rare beauty in the Empire.”

They continued their exchange, speaking in meaningless pleasantries about how pleased they were with the match and how perfectly suited the pair was. The Emperor and Duke Mieschko conversed as if they were old friends.

“Josef, do your best in preparing the Crown Princess’s residence and the wedding,” the Emperor ordered.

“That was my intention, Your Majesty. May I delay the formal wedding for some time to make proper preparations?”

“Very well.”

At the unexpected news of postponing the wedding, a brief flicker of surprise crossed Marika’s face, though she quickly smiled shyly when Josef met her eyes, as if nothing had happened. She must be eager to become Crown Princess and take over the palace. Josef looked at her impassively.

Duke Mieschko would boast about gaining the Crown Prince as a son-in-law, and Marika would be itching to run the royal household. But Josef had no intention of giving them power so easily. He wouldn’t hand over control to the Mieschko family too quickly. He could wait and hold the wedding when the timing was right.

“Marika, do your best not to disgrace His Majesty or the Crown Prince,” Duke Mieschko said.

“Of course, Father.”

“There’s no need to burden her with such concerns, Duke Mieschko,” the Emperor said.

The three of them resumed their idle conversation. Josef turned to watch the darkened sky through the large window. It looked like snow would fall soon. The people of Olstein weren’t fond of the monotonous view of snow piling up.

“I wish the Olstein Empire could grow even larger,” Josef thought.

Just as lions birth lions and dogs birth dogs, Josef was born a Crown Prince of Olstein. He lived a life as predictable as solving a known equation. He had undergone the strict education required of an imperial heir and, thanks to that, could handle everything with ease.

Sometimes, he felt bored, but even that had become as routine as breathing.

* * *

“This is the Crown Princess’s residence.”

No one had explained this to her. Betty, who had been pouring tea into Amelia’s cup, murmured sympathetically.

“I see,” Amelia nodded, sipping her tea.

After Josef left the previous night, she had felt utterly drained and collapsed into bed, falling asleep almost immediately. When she woke up in the morning, the fatigue had lifted, but she had no idea what to do until Betty arrived.

Amelia had been asking Betty questions, stopping her from cleaning up the room after lighting the fireplace.

“This is the east wing of the palace. The Crown Prince’s residence and the office where he conducts his affairs are not far from here.”

Although the building was small compared to typical noble estates, it was referred to as the residence of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, respectively.

“The Crown Prince is getting engaged soon, isn’t he?” Amelia asked.

Betty nodded. “I believe they plan to have you, as a lady from another country… perhaps serve as a lady-in-waiting to the future Crown Princess. That’s what usually happens, or so I’ve heard.”

“You can just call me a hostage.”

Because that was the truth. Amelia smiled at Betty, who shook her head, looking uncomfortable.

“How could I possibly, my lady?”

Amelia may have come to Olstein as a hostage, collateral from Brienne, but she was still a foreign noblewoman. Ordinarily, she would have served as a lady-in-waiting to the Empress or Crown Princess, watched closely but treated with a certain dignity. However, Olstein’s Empress had died young, and the Crown Princess had yet to marry.

That’s why she had been sent to the empty Crown Princess’s residence, Amelia reasoned.

“Do you think I could manage as a lady-in-waiting?” Amelia tilted her head, setting her teacup down.

A lady-in-waiting serves as a companion to noblewomen, advising them on etiquette, assisting with selecting appropriate attire for parties and official events, and managing the household staff. In the case of a Crown Princess’s lady-in-waiting, it’s a role so important that the Empire often grants it an official title. Amelia, unfamiliar with Imperial customs, wondered if she could truly take on such a task.

“For the time being, you can continue living as usual, my lady. The Crown Princess has yet to move into the residence,” Betty said.

“Hmm…” Amelia gazed at the vanity by the window, where she had stored the letter from her father.

Shortly after leaving Brienne, Amelia had rummaged through her trunk and hidden the letter her father had told her to deliver to Duke Mieschko inside her dress. Josef didn’t trust her father, and Amelia felt he would be suspicious of anything given by him. To avoid any possible trouble, she had decided to conceal the letter.

Given how Josef had angrily torn through her belongings the previous night, it seemed she had made the right decision. But still…

‘Does he hate me that much?’

Now, without needing to hear it from others, Amelia felt she knew what kind of person Josef was. She recalled his ever-cynical demeanor.

A man accustomed to harsh words and threats, who intimidated others with his black hair and an even darker uniform. Josef, the first person who had ever made Amelia feel fear, even though she had never feared or hated anyone before.

He was the Crown Prince of the Empire, and she was his hostage—perhaps this dynamic was only natural. As Amelia leaned her head on her hand and stared out the window, Betty, who had been adding more firewood to the hearth, spoke up.

“Are you going for a walk, my lady?”

“…Hm?”

“I think it’s going to snow today. Why not stay inside?”

Betty must have thought Amelia was looking out the window because she wanted to go outside. But instead of correcting her, Amelia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Snow?”

“Yes, the sky is overcast. Look,” Betty pointed out the window. Amelia quickly ran to the window and looked outside. Over the bare branches of the trees, the sky was heavy with thick, gray clouds.

“…Will it snow a lot?”

“Probably… Oh my, Lady Amelia! Where are you going?”

Betty’s eyes went wide as Amelia, who had already begun putting on a robe, replied.

“I’m going to see the snow.”

“What?”

Betty instinctively asked again in a loud voice, but Amelia, her eyes sparkling with excitement, paid no attention.

“I’ve never seen snow before. It doesn’t snow in Brienne because the weather is so warm.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We hardly ever light the fireplace, even in the middle of winter.”

Betty looked concerned.

“In that case, you really shouldn’t go outside. You might catch a cold being out in the snow.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll just take a quick look, right out front.”

Amelia lightly waved off Betty’s concern and left the room.

* * *

Josef was heading to his private office. He was irritated that his audience with the Emperor had delayed his work.

“…”

Through the long exhale of cigarette smoke, he saw snowflakes swirling in the air.

He felt something cold land on the tip of his nose. It was the first snow of the winter.

Of course, no one in this country cared about snow. Those born and raised in Olstein saw snow so often during the winter that it became tiresome. The snow would fall again just as it melted, piling up endlessly, creating the illusion that all life was hibernating beneath it.

As Josef walked silently, Amelia caught his eye.

“Amelia Przhemysl”… Josef found himself murmuring her name to himself.

Amelia, who stood a short distance away, did not seem to hear him. Josef hadn’t expected to encounter anyone in the courtyard on such a snowy day, so he stopped in his tracks and watched her.

She was wearing his robe. She stood there as still as a statue, her hair perfectly in place, her face slightly tilted upward toward the sky.

‘Is she looking at the snow?’

The way she occasionally blinked her large eyes but otherwise remained motionless suggested that could be the only explanation.

The snow slowly settled on her long eyelashes, her hair that flowed over her shoulders, and the robe she wore, giving her a strangely sacred appearance.

Amelia’s gaze moved from the sky to the bare branches in the garden. She stared curiously at the snow piled on the branches before extending her delicate fingers to touch one. She then recoiled, her expression startled.

As if she hadn’t expected the snow to be that cold.

“…”

Josef, still holding the burned-out cigarette between his lips, suddenly realized he had been observing her too intently, as though he were spying on her. Like a lion watching its prey, he had stood perfectly still, silently watching Amelia’s every move.

Josef questioned himself about his intent. Amelia was completely harmless, so why had he focused so intensely on her, as if she posed some sort of threat? He couldn’t quite understand why he had been holding his breath and scrutinizing her so closely.

If there was no reason, then standing here any longer was pointless. Shaking himself out of his deepening thoughts, Josef prepared to turn away.

At that moment, he noticed Amelia flinch, sensing his presence.

The garden, covered in snow, was so still that even the rustling of a cloak was enough to alert someone to another’s presence.

“…Your Highness?” Amelia’s surprised voice came from the side.

Instead of turning his head toward her, Josef waited for her to approach.

The light, faint sound of footsteps on the snow eventually stopped.

“Greetings, Your Highness,” Amelia said, lifting her head and looking at him.

The curiosity and brightness that had sparkled in her eyes, like stars reflected in the night sky, were now gone. The serene statue-like figure had shattered the moment she faced him. Her gaze, filled with fear and confusion, made it clear that she now saw him as an unwelcome intruder.

“Who said you could wander around as you please?” Josef found himself spitting out harsh words, almost involuntarily, at the sight of her expression.

“I’m sorry. I was just watching the snow,” Amelia replied softly.

“Watching it? It’s going to keep falling until you’re sick of it,” Josef said, his words biting.

Amelia blinked her frightened eyes, then smiled innocently.

“I see.”

Her small voice sounded almost delighted.

“It’s my first time seeing snow. It never snows in Brienne,” Amelia said, glancing past Josef’s shoulder toward the sky. The snow that had settled on her hair had already melted into tiny sparkling droplets.

At that moment, as a faint breath escaped between her slightly parted lips, Josef impulsively reached out and brushed the hair that had fallen over her forehead.

As he tucked the stray strands behind her ear, the silky softness of her hair slipped between his fingers before fading away.

Amelia’s cheek, which he had barely touched, felt cold.

“Good,” Josef said in a low voice to Amelia, who stood frozen in place.

“You’ll get to see plenty of it. You might never return to Brienne.”

This time, Josef turned and walked back toward his residence.

White snowflakes poured down from the black night sky like a meteor shower.

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