The Mieschko Duke’s mansion, where the tea party was being held, wasn’t far from the Olstein castle. However, the carriage carrying Amelia and Philip only stopped after passing through the grand gates, crossing the garden, and entering the annex, emphasizing the immense size of the mansion.

As Philip had said, the hall in the annex was full of young nobles around Amelia’s age, creating a lively atmosphere. One side of the wall was made of floor-to-ceiling glass, connected to a greenhouse, allowing warm sunlight and a view of plants throughout the year. It was a luxurious space.

“Congratulations on your engagement, Lady Marika.”

“It’s been a while, Philip… And who is this partner of yours?”

Sitting at a table, Marika gracefully smiled as she acknowledged Philip’s greeting, then turned her attention to Amelia. Her blonde hair was adorned with a jeweled hairpin, and her voluminous red dress left a striking impression.

Her beauty was so dazzling that it made the table, decorated with silverware and colorful desserts, seem simple in comparison.

“Nice to meet you. I am Amelia Przhemysl from Brienne,” Amelia introduced herself. Marika, still with her graceful smile, glanced at her with interest.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Amelia… Since you’re from Brienne, you must be quite knowledgeable about lace.”

As expected, Marika brought up lace upon hearing that Amelia was from Brienne. It was natural for the daughter of a wealthy duke to be interested in foreign luxury goods.

“I’m quite familiar with it, having seen it often since I was young,” Amelia replied cautiously, sitting down while being careful not to step on Marika’s dress. Philip, sensing the mood, discreetly disappeared from sight.

“So, did you come here to sell lace, Lady Amelia?”

“Huh?”

Amelia was momentarily flustered.

It wasn’t that Marika’s question was rude—implying that Amelia had come to sell something—but rather, it was that Marika’s tone carried no malice. Amelia realized something: ‘She doesn’t know that I’m a daughter of a duke’.

“Ah… No. The Duchy of Brienne is ruled by my father, Duke Leonid , but recently, we surrendered to the Empire and were incorporated as a province under its control.”

“Oh my, how unfortunate.”

Marika’s eyes reflected sympathy. Upon learning that Amelia was now staying in the Empire, she looked even more surprised.

“You’re here all by yourself? Without any servants?”

“The palace provided me with one maid.”

“Only one? Lady Amelia, you must have lived quite modestly in Brienne. I couldn’t imagine living like that.”

Though Marika’s tone was filled with pure pity, Amelia couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

There was no need to criticize Marika for being ignorant; she simply didn’t care to learn things that didn’t directly affect her life. As the daughter of an Imperial duke, Marika could live happily without knowing who ruled Brienne or what their circumstances were.

“Thank you for your concern, Lady Marika.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Marika’s offer reminded Amelia of the letter her father had entrusted to her. Initially, she had planned to find a way to deliver it personally to Duke Mieschko. However, seeing the massive size of the mansion, she didn’t feel confident about navigating it alone to find him.

*Perhaps I should ask Lady Marika for help.*

It seemed unlikely that Josef would attend a tea party, and since Marika hadn’t mentioned him, this might be the perfect opportunity to deliver the letter discreetly.

“Um… Lady Marika,” Amelia began, carefully pulling the letter from her sleeve.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could you deliver this letter to Duke Mieschko for me?”

“To my father? What’s it about?” Marika asked, tilting her head in curiosity as she took the letter from Amelia’s hand.

“It’s from my father. He said he had a close relationship with your father in the past.”

“Of course, I can do that. It’s not a big deal.”

Marika nodded easily, much to Amelia’s relief. Marika, being unaware of the letter’s contents, was the perfect person to deliver it without suspicion.

“Thank you, Lady Marika.”

When Amelia asked if a piece of lace from Brienne would be a suitable token of thanks, Marika’s face lit up with anticipation, and she nodded eagerly.

Feeling a weight lifted from her shoulders, Amelia was relieved. Knowing she had fulfilled her father’s request gave her peace of mind.

“Congratulations again on your engagement, Lady Marika.”

Amelia rose from her seat and bowed her head respectfully.

***

After finishing her conversation with Marika, Amelia stood up.

From between the long leaves of the greenhouse plants, Josef watched her.

When he first heard that Marika was hosting a tea party at the mansion, he only intended to check the guest list to see which nobles favorable to the Mieschko family would be attending. However, upon receiving word from a servant that Amelia had come as Philip Clavier’s partner, his plans changed, and he found himself coming here alone.

“…”

He wasn’t entirely sure why.

Josef recalled Amelia’s cheek as she gazed at the snow, and how her hair slipped through his fingers as if trying to escape his grasp. It was cold but infinitely soft.

Every time he saw Amelia, an impulse to get closer welled up within him. Her anxiety, fear, and wariness—so openly displayed every time she looked at him—made him want to face them head-on.

It was a feeling similar to holding an animal in his hand, watching it struggle desperately, like a trapped creature trying to break free.

Josef began walking, following Amelia as she moved. Her figure kept appearing and disappearing, obscured by the leaves and branches of unknown trees swaying in the breeze.

It was the same for Josef. The people in the party room only glanced at the tall trees in the greenhouse with admiration from time to time, not noticing him.

Amelia walked almost to the end of the room and sat at a table. Josef noticed the man seated across from her.

‘Philip Clavier.’

Josef already knew that Philip was the son of a Sarnica diplomat and an old friend of Amelia’s. The two of them seemed to ignore the rest of the noble guests in the room, absorbed in their own conversation.

Amelia listened to Philip with a smile on her face, her blue eyes sparkling like the surface of a sunlit sea. Her hair swayed lightly, and there was a faint floral scent that seemed to linger in the air whenever it moved.

Realizing that the scent couldn’t possibly reach him through the glass wall, Josef clenched his fist tightly. It was a subconscious action, as if trying to remember the sensation of her hair in his hand from that one time.

‘This is a greenhouse, after all.’

The artificial summer air inside the greenhouse was filled with the scent of flowers, creating illusions. The heat, meant to protect the plants from winter, made the air stifling and uncomfortable. Josef felt thirsty and restless.

Suddenly, Amelia burst into loud laughter at something Philip said.

Though Josef couldn’t hear her, it must have been loud enough for a nearby servant to glance back at her in surprise.

Noticing this, Amelia’s face turned bright red, her ears flushing as well, and she wore an embarrassed expression. Josef chuckled quietly to himself.

She fanned herself with her hand, as if trying to cool the heat from her face, took a sip of tea, and picked up a pastry from her plate, bringing it to her mouth. Her eyes softened as if she found it to her liking, a smile spreading on her face.

“…”

In the dizzying scenery of golden sunlight rippling over the gently swaying leaves, even her most mundane actions seemed unusually slow and radiant.

Josef felt the heat rising again. Abandoning his search for a cigarette, he hurried out of the greenhouse and into the back garden, where only frozen weeds filled the landscape.

Escaping the artificial summer, winter’s cold embraced him as if waiting for his return. The unnecessary warmth vanished, and his body cooled down.

He lit a cigarette with a practiced motion, watching the smoke fade into the air.

He had intended to clear his thoughts while staring at the meaningless movements of the air. Yet, Amelia’s smiling face remained vividly etched in his mind.

It annoyed him. Seeing her with an expression he’d never seen before, in a place where he wasn’t present—Amelia, who continued to exist fully, even without him.

It was a trivial matter, yet it bothered him. The fact that he couldn’t reach out and touch her made him angrier. Was this feeling anger directed at her? But what was causing it?

Josef swallowed dryly, agitated. Was he upset because the hostage seemed to be enjoying herself too much? Yet, he knew yelling at her wouldn’t ease these feelings.

For the first time in his life, the crown prince felt confused.

***

“The Crown Prince went to a tea party, of all things?”

When Henrik asked about Josef’s whereabouts, the chamberlain replied as such.

Henrik, thinking it was a joke, became irritated, but the chamberlain responded seriously, even offering to bet on it.

Skeptical but intrigued, Henrik went to Duke Mieschko’s mansion and indeed found Josef in the back garden.

“Here you are, Your Highness.”

Josef, who had been staring into the distance, turned to look at Henrik, his face full of irritation, as though his important thoughts had been interrupted.

“…What?”

“My apologies, Your Highness. The Sarnica ambassador, Clavier, has requested an audience with you.”

Henrik explained that he had hurried to report, thinking it was an important matter, but Josef didn’t even ask for the reason and began walking in the opposite direction from where Henrik had come.

Wasn’t he going to meet the ambassador? This path only led deeper into the mansion. As Henrik followed behind, he conveyed the ambassador’s message.

“The King of Sarnica wishes to personally deliver a congratulatory gift, but it seems more like a pretext. I believe he intends to introduce his son, Philip Clavier.”

The Kingdom of Sarnica, with its vast territory and significant economic power, was not something the Empire could easily dismiss.

Their relationship with the Empire was fairly good. There was no need to refuse the meeting and create unnecessary tension.

It would also be wise to gauge Philip Clavier’s temperament, as he was set to inherit his family’s diplomatic duties.

While Henrik was thinking along these lines, Josef remained silent, walking steadily ahead. He seemed to be heading past the large greenhouse toward the main building of the mansion.

“Your Highness, when would be a convenient time for the visit?”

Henrik, growing more uncertain, asked. Josef’s response was unexpected.

“Tell them I’m busy. You handle the gift.”

It was clear that Josef intended to outright refuse Ambassador Clavier’s request for an audience.

“…Understood.”

Henrik nodded with a troubled expression. It seemed like Josef had personal feelings regarding Ambassador Clavier. If the crown prince had also rejected the gift, it could be interpreted as an intentional message to the Kingdom of Sarnica…

But had the crown prince even met Ambassador Clavier enough times to harbor ill feelings toward him?

“Ambassador Clavier… he’s not bad.”

Moreover, as Josef ascended the steps leading into the mansion, he muttered those words. Henrik found himself completely baffled by Josef’s contradictory statement and gave up trying to make sense of it.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“They say he was born after much difficulty.”

“Yes.”

“So, it’s probably best not to meet him right now.”

Josef noticed Henrik’s puzzled expression and added,

“It would be sad if their only son got hurt.”

“…”

Josef was the type of person who, if he said he would cut off someone’s finger, would actually do it. He never exaggerated or downplayed the truth, and anything that left his lips was bound to happen.

Now, this same man spoke as if he personally harbored ill feelings toward the ambassador’s son.

A cold sweat ran down Henrik’s back.

“Just kidding.”

Josef gave Henrik a grin, lightly tapping him on the shoulder and saying it was all a joke.

Knowing Josef’s habit of making jokes only when he was angry, Henrik could only nod, pretending not to notice.

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