“It’s undeniably beautiful,” she answered simply, her tone cutting through the excessive praise others might have lavished. Cedric appreciated her straightforwardness—it assured him that her words were genuine.

“Doesn’t it make you want to have it for yourself?” Cedric teased, a playful edge to his voice.

“What do you mean?” Helia asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I mean, if you wished, all of this could be yours,” he said with an air of casual confidence.

Cedric Prekin had a knack for catching people off guard with sudden remarks like this.

The implication was clear: if she married him, everything here would belong to her.

Helia chuckled lightly. “That’s quite the joke.”

“It’s not a joke,” Cedric muttered, feigning indignation. Helia didn’t respond further, allowing a faint smile to linger on her lips.

“Sometimes, it seems you think my proposal is insincere,” Cedric sighed theatrically. Despite his exaggerated tone, Helia had no counterargument—because he wasn’t wrong.

It wasn’t that she thought his proposal was a lie, but she didn’t believe it was entirely heartfelt either.

He was the Crown Prince of the empire. Marriage proposals were steeped in political calculation, even for a princess of a small kingdom like hers. Her own forced engagement to Ruben by Xeroth was proof enough of that.

And yet, the Crown Prince of an empire proposing to her out of
genuine affection, without ulterior motives? It was a notion too absurd to take seriously.

“Even if it’s not a lie, it’s not entirely genuine either,” she said.

“That’s not true,” Cedric insisted.

“Can you truly say there’s no calculation behind your proposal?”

Cedric fell silent as if momentarily caught off guard. Helia, expecting this reaction, calmly lifted her teacup. The bittersweet aroma of the tea lingered on her lips.

“…May I speak frankly?”

“No, it’s perfectly fine if you’re not frank.”

Frankness? That was a word unbefitting not only royalty but especially the imperial family. Every word they uttered had to be calculated and politically nuanced. Sincerity or honesty had no place in their lives.

If impurities like emotions crept in, they would become a problem in their own right. Sincerity often, or rather quite frequently, became a vulnerability. Therefore, honesty was something to be shared only within a firmly established relationship of trust. Royals were inherently solitary beings.

“You are truly the epitome of royalty, Your Highness.”

“And at times, Your Imperial Highness seems not to be a royal at all.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Cedric laughed heartily. His platinum-blonde hair shimmered as it caught the breeze, glowing in the sunlight. His beauty shone wherever he stood, but under the sun, it became all the more radiant.

“Even so, I will speak frankly. Precisely because of that, I believe you are the most suitable candidate to become the Crown Princess of this empire.”

“…”

Cedric’s overly candid statement rendered Helia speechless. Yet, the more he spoke, the more convinced he became that she was the person he needed.

Though his status allowed him to meet any woman he desired, Cedric was not one to take reckless risks. While many perceived him as a daring and adventurous crown prince, in truth, he was calculative and composed. Helia Bailey was the one who caught his discerning eye.

Her reputation was certainly at rock bottom. However, objectively speaking, she was a viable candidate for Crown Princess. Her family wielded little influence—an advantage. She was a princess from a kingdom not even a century old, long removed from the line of succession and now living in obscurity. Rather than forging a marriage alliance with a powerful noble family and risking a shift in the balance of power, it was better to place someone with no ties to the empire in that position.

The future Cedric envisioned required unprecedentedly strong imperial authority. There was no need to empower any one faction unnecessarily through marriage. Yet, the Crown Princess could not be of such low status that her position lacked legitimacy.

For him, the ideal empress needed no real power but should embody the dignity befitting her role. Helia possessed that dignity. She carried herself with the flawless grace of royalty and the natural superiority of someone who stood above others. Even without power, she would never bow her head.

To claim there was no calculation involved would be a lie. From the start, his ideal partner had emerged due to such deliberations. But that did not mean his desire was insincere. He was genuinely drawn to her because she embodied his vision of the Crown Princess.

Would he have even noticed her if he were not the Crown Prince? Perhaps not. But for Cedric, his identity as Crown Prince was inseparable from himself. In society, everyone has a role to play. In a world beyond the primitive, individuals carry both privilege and responsibility. Speculating “if I were not the Crown Prince” was meaningless.

What mattered was that as Crown Prince, he found her his desired partner. While he could likely find someone with a better reputation than Helia, his insistence on her was a rare indulgence of personal preference.

“The empire’s standards for evaluating a Crown Princess seem quite unconventional.”

“I have an excellent eye for people.”

Cedric smiled innocently. Helia gazed at his smile, unable to look away.

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had to acknowledge it now—he genuinely liked her. While it might also be true that he had an eye on swallowing up the Kingdom of Bailey, it seemed to be a lower priority. After all, he sought her out far more often than Bailey’s delegation.

Still, she could not understand why. Why her? Even if he had an unusual taste for courting women who would scorn him, he was someone who could find countless others to fit such preferences.

‘He could easily find someone else willing to humor such tastes.’

Ah, perhaps he wasn’t looking for someone to humor him but rather someone who would sincerely disdain him. If that were the case, finding someone capable of maintaining a wall against such a stunning man might be more challenging. Helia concluded this was the reason. Another layer of misunderstanding formed yet unresolved.

But even as she understood, it did not mean she intended to accept his proposal. Most importantly, it came down to her own feelings. Helia had sought death, even attempting it not long ago. The sudden proposal from the empire’s Crown Prince did not sway her.
She had never even dreamed of becoming the empress of an empire.

Her life had been wholly devoted to Bailey’s throne and, afterward, to bringing down Bailey alongside Xeroth. With that goal unfulfilled, how could she suddenly entertain the idea of becoming Crown Princess?

Though the path ahead was clear—a cliff—it seemed more natural to walk off it than to veer onto an unfamiliar side road.

Even so, when Cedric mentioned giving her “a place that fits perfectly,” her thoughts wavered. It was the first time someone had said such a thing to her.

Could such a place exist?

Cedric’s words resonated deeply, even though she still doubted whether the position of Crown Princess suited someone bearing the name Helia Bailey. Yet, she found herself listening. Strangely, the man who calmly declared such a place existed was convincing.

Helia remained silent even as Cedric escorted her back to the guest palace after tea. He did not press her for an answer. Though no words were exchanged, Cedric knew instinctively that her heart had begun to soften. He was willing to wait, confident that time was on his side.