Josef, seated on the long chair in his office with his legs crossed, showed no reaction even upon seeing Amelia’s tear-streaked face.

“What is it?”

He asked casually, not bothering to rise from his seat.

“I… I have something to ask,” Amelia replied, struggling to steady her trembling voice.

“Is it true that you rejected Brienne’s request?”

“What request are you referring to?” Josef countered, his tone calm and unhurried. “Brienne often comes begging for help, which puts me in quite a bind.”

“…Brienne…”

She wanted to respond as calmly as he did—to speak with composure, like a noblewoman. Yet the weight of the name “Brienne” wrapped tightly around her throat, rendering her voice inaudible.

Thus, she had to rely on the power of her tears.

“…I heard that the Kingdom of Kut declared war on Brienne,” she said, her voice breaking. 

“They demanded an explanation from the Empire, but Your Highness refused to respond.”

“Indeed,” Josef replied, a faintly amused smile playing on his lips. Uncrossing his legs, he leaned forward slightly, adopting a posture as if interrogating her.

“Did you hear why I refused?”

“Your Highness, that’s not—”

“Did you also hear that Imperial soldiers stationed in Brienne were killed? Or that funds for the ships were embezzled?”

“That’s…”

Amelia bit her lip so hard it seemed it might bleed. Her large eyes flickered, unable to find a focus. Her tears now stemmed less from sorrow and more from the crushing frustration of hearing Josef’s unyielding reasoning. If this were a trial, the judge would have accepted his testimony and condemned her on the spot.

“But… Your Highness,” she began, forcing herself to argue.

“Brienne cannot possibly engage in a full-scale war with the Kingdom of Kut. If Brienne suffers, it will also hinder the shipbuilding project—”

“Leonid has already caused enough delays,” Josef interjected, his tone as cold as winter.

“The shipyard has burned to the ground. Does Brienne even have the means to compensate for that?”

“Your Highness…”

“Whether your father dies on the battlefield or by my hand for embezzlement, the result is the same, isn’t it?”

“Your Highness, stop!”

Unable to endure any longer, Amelia stumbled forward and collapsed to her knees at his feet.

“Please don’t say such things!” she cried out desperately. The mere mention of her father’s potential death struck her with an instinctive terror that gripped her heart.

“Please don’t say you’ll kill my father! I beg you! Please… Please forgive him…”

Her restrained sobbing erupted into uncontrollable weeping. Bowing her head, she let the tears flow freely.

The idea of negotiating with Josef had been naive from the start. She felt utterly foolish for thinking she could make any headway. The despair of standing before an immovable wall crushed her entirely.

Amelia found herself transported back in time—to the day she left Brienne. All the days she had endured in Olstein seemed to dissolve into nothingness. Her mind returned to that bitterly cold winter carriage ride, to the moment she first experienced a chill so penetrating it felt like death itself.

Nothing had changed.

She hadn’t grown at all. She was still the same powerless, helpless girl who had left Brienne. Like a cowering beast, she could only curl up and weep.

“Please, help me. Just once, send a letter to the Kingdom of Kut, even if it’s just a single sentence,” she begged.

“…”

“I’m asking you, Crown Prince… Please forgive my father. Forgive my failings. Just once, grant me mercy, Your Highness…”

She spoke with every ounce of desperation, more earnestly than when she had prayed to the gods to bring her mother back as a child. She felt as if she could truly worship Josef like a deity if he demanded it.

It was as though everything she loved was pushing her into a coffin, urging her to close the lid herself.

“Why are you going to such lengths?” Josef asked, his voice breaking the silence as he looked down at her.

Still sniffling, Amelia raised her head. Unlike her, weak and defenseless, the Crown Prince of the Empire remained aloof and imposing.

He was smirking.

“Your servility has no value,” he said, his words like ice.

Josef extended a finger, slowly wiping away the tears on Amelia’s face. His movements were so deliberate that it felt as though his touch would remain on her cheek forever.

“Then what should I do?” Amelia murmured vacantly, still slumped on the floor.

“…If I truly have no value in Your Highness’s eyes…”

“…”

“Tell me what I can do. I’ll do anything. But I lack the power to protect Brienne or to defy you. All I can do is grovel. If that’s all that’s left, then I’ll degrade myself as much as it takes.”

Her heart felt like it was being torn apart as she recalled her father bowing his head before Kut’s navy. The thought of Marco, the knight commander, rushing all the way to deliver his message weighed on her so heavily she couldn’t stop the tears.

If only she could erase this grief. She felt she could kneel before Josef forever, begging until her dress wore thin and her neck gave out.

“Amelia,” Josef said at last.

“I didn’t say you lack value.”

“…?”

“I only meant there’s no need for you to humiliate yourself like this.”

Amelia blinked rapidly, her tear-dimmed eyes struggling to understand.

“If you want something, negotiate for it,” Josef said, his deep voice resonating through the room.

Amelia’s lips, bloodied from her desperate biting, slowly parted.

“Negotiation…?”

“Yes.”

“But I don’t have… anything to negotiate with…”

“…”

“…What do you want from me?”

Amelia asked, breaking the silence from Josef.

She thought his dark eyes deepened unnervingly. She had encountered such a gaze before.

On a lakeside path during spring, and in the secluded garden of the palace where rose vines obscured her view.

Back then, she hadn’t realized it. But now it was clear—Josef’s desire-filled eyes openly and unabashedly claimed her as their target.

“Your Highness…”

Amelia’s eyes widened with confusion and shock.

“You said you’d do anything,” Josef said with the same unwavering gaze.

“Didn’t you?”

Amelia could only stare at him in fear, unable to respond. Her dress, disheveled and wilting like a flower past its bloom, seemed to mirror her crumbling resolve.

Josef stood from his chair and grasped Amelia by the shoulders, pulling her to her feet. She offered no resistance, only gazing up at him desperately, like a trapped animal seeking salvation.

“Come to my chambers after sunset,” he commanded.

“If you come, I’ll take it as your answer.”

“…”

“You need only decide. I’ll handle the rest.”

***

Josef sent Amelia away immediately.

She left his office quietly, passing through the lush gardens and ignoring the concerned stares of the guards, walking aimlessly back to the Crown Princess’s residence.

Although the doors opened audibly, Helen did not seek her out, perhaps thanks to Betty’s intervention. Without a word, Amelia retreated to her room in silence.

On the table was a basin of water infused with rose petals. On the bed lay a chemise and robe prepared for her to sleep in. It seemed Betty had anticipated Amelia’s emotional turmoil since meeting the commander of Brienne’s knights. Her intuition was correct—Amelia wanted no one to see her tear-streaked face.

She struggled to undress alone, managing to don the chemise with some effort. Dipping a handkerchief into the water, she dabbed at her face, soothing the sting in her swollen eyes.

“Ah…”

A sob caught in her throat. Alone in the dark room, she curled into herself on the floor, releasing the remnants of her tears. But the unyielding weight of despair refused to lift.

***

The twilight faded as Amelia sat dazed, hugging her knees. Her tear-filled gaze settled on the hues of sunset outside. She rested her head on her arms, Josef’s voice replaying in her mind.

At one point, Amelia had thought herself warming to the man she once deemed heartless. Occasionally, his words and demeanor had shown fleeting glimpses of normalcy, enough to lower her guard.

But it had been a deception. Josef was no different—a tyrant who made cruel bargains to get what he wanted, with no right to punish the desires of lesser lords.

Surprisingly, she felt betrayed. She had dared to hope for something better from him. That foolish hope now filled her with self-loathing.

“What if I don’t go?”

What would happen if she didn’t go to Josef’s chambers? If she stayed in bed and let sleep claim her, dreamless and untroubled? Or would nightmares plague her instead?

But the consequences were painfully clear. If she refused, not just Brienne’s shipyard but its entire harbor—or even the castle—could burn to ash. Innocent fishermen’s boats would shatter, cargo ships would be consumed by flames, and horses would perish.

Or Josef might actually carry out his threat to execute her father.

“…”

Amelia forced herself to her feet and walked to the window.

She stood quietly, watching the light fade as the sun dipped below the horizon. The contours of the garden’s trees grew darker, their shapes merging with the night.

Only after the moon had fully risen did she close the shutters and don her robe. With unsteady steps, Amelia left her bedroom.

***

The night insects chirped faintly. Amelia’s thin robe fluttered in the occasional breeze, revealing her frail silhouette. Every step through the garden felt arduous.

She neither hurried nor lingered, maintaining a steady pace as if erasing all thoughts from her mind.

By now, she should have known that patrols would intensify after sunset in a place like the Crown Prince’s residence. Yet, one secluded side door lacked any guards. Visiting this area for the first time at night, Amelia thought nothing of it as she slipped through the door and entered the estate.

It wasn’t until she reached the second floor that doubt crept in. Halfway through the corridor, she realized why her steps had carried her unhesitatingly despite not knowing the location of Josef’s chambers.

The layout was identical to that of the Crown Princess’s residence. Apart from the opposite orientation of the rooms and the decor, the stairs and hallways mirrored each other precisely.

Which meant his chamber must lie at the far end of the corridor.

“…”

Amelia gritted her teeth, steeling her resolve. But with every step, her fragile determination began to crumble. A dreadful sense of déjà vu clawed at her, dragging her thoughts back to the despair she had felt when first meeting Josef as he entered Brienne.

At last, she reached the door at the end of the hallway.

Hesitating, Amelia took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock.

“Ah…”

Her hand froze mid-air. The door opened inward before she could touch it.

Josef stood on the other side, his gaze already fixed on her.

“I…”

Before she could speak his name, he pulled her into the room.

The door closed behind them without a sound.