For two days after the imperial ball, Zenus had been sighing at the grand ducal residence.

“Your Highness. Whatever possessed you to say such things?”

‘If someone talked about marriage so abruptly, even I would run away!’

Will deliberately swallowed the latter part of his thought.

“I couldn’t control myself. All I could think about was making her mine. I thought I was being gentle about it.”

“So you spoke directly and were rejected?”

“I…… cannot dare accept that proposal. Please forgive my rudeness in expressing refusal.”

“I said I want to marry you. Are you rejecting that?”

“Yes, I am, Your Highness.”

Zenus, who had been sighing continuously, recalled that moment and smiled.

“She rejected me quite clearly.”

Watching Zenus speak happily about being rejected, Will said with emotion, “You’ve finally found the real one.”

Then, clenching his fist, he muttered, “Then what have we been searching for all this time?”

“Enough, at least we’ve found the real one now.”

At Zenus’s words, Will calmed his anger and asked, “Does it really feel different?”

“Yes. First, her scent is different. That’s how I recognized her from the start. It seems like a scent only I can detect. I should inform the research society.”

“Then if you smell that scent, you can immediately know where she is?”

“Exactly. But why didn’t I know until now?”

“Lady Arsen has been in the capital all along. There was hardly any point of contact. You know some people never find their companions until the end. Like your grandfather.”

Will’s mention of “grandfather” referred to Zenus’s maternal grandfather.

He ascended to the emperor’s throne with the dragon’s power but never found his companion.

Eventually, fearing he would harm those around him as the power consumed him, he voluntarily confined himself to the abandoned palace.

The dragon’s power passed to the next generation only when the current holder died.

And those who couldn’t marry their destined companions lived short lives.

The current emperor had naturally expected the dragon’s power to come to him.

He was the only surviving son, after all.

To claim the throne, he killed his siblings before even turning twenty.

But heaven did not grant him the opportunity.

As news spread that the emperor in the abandoned palace was growing weaker by the day, and after disposing of his siblings in anticipation of inheriting the power—

The dragon’s power passed to Zenus’s mother, Christa, who had been spared because she was a sister who went to the battlefield.

Charles, the current emperor, red-eyed with jealousy, drove his own sister to the battlefield.

He was so wary of Christa that it was questionable whether her unsettling nickname, “Black-haired Witch Who Calls Blood,” truly originated from the enemy.

And when Christa died on the battlefield, her power passed to the young Zenus.

He was three years old at the time.

Becoming the youngest successor, he collapsed immediately upon receiving the power and hovered between life and death for over a week.

It happened because his still-young body couldn’t accept the immense power.

“Zenus!”

Zenus’s father, Philip, burst into the study without knocking.

He was Christa’s companion; the two had met on the battlefield and immediately fallen in love.

Philip was bewildered when Christa suddenly approached and pinned him against a wall, but they soon became sincere about each other.

Thus, a mere common soldier became the husband of a princess.

Christa, enjoying a happy marriage, soon became pregnant with Zenus.

Fearing that Christa would settle in the capital under the pretext of pregnancy and childbirth and covet his position, the emperor somehow sent her back to the battlefield.

The task of caring for Zenus naturally fell to Philip.

Around the time Philip was awkwardly adapting to childcare, Christa died in battle.

Though he lost his wife at a young age, Philip never remarried and lived caring only for Zenus.

He passed down all the expertise he had gained from rising from soldier to knight commander, and always stayed by Zenus’s side when the imperial command sent the boy to the battlefield at a young age.

“So, you’ve met your companion?”

“Yes, this time I’m certain.”

“How did you become so sure?”

“She had a strong scent that I couldn’t detect from anyone else.”

“Oh, a scent. Your mother said she saw some kind of light from me.”

‘Wasn’t that… just saying she fell in love at first sight?’

Zenus swallowed those words and watched Philip speak cheerfully.

Philip had established the Dragon Power Research Society for his son.

He kept records of everything related to Zenus’s growth and changes, trying to understand even a little more about the largely unknown realm of dragon power.

But this too was not easy.

The imperial family made excuses not to share information, and Philip and Zenus alone had woefully insufficient data.

“Even now, I wonder if I was truly her companion.”

Though Christa had said Philip was her companion, Philip still found it hard to believe.

“I certainly tried to become someone worthy of standing beside Christa, but I never experienced any special changes. Even after sharing love… ahem! with Christa.”

The large warrior with reddened ear tips speculated that a true companion would have felt special changes after harmonizing with the successor’s power.

“I think your mother’s short life might have been because I wasn’t her true companion.”

“Mother died from the enemy’s concentrated attack. It happened because the enemy nation deployed all their mages and holy knight units toward her.”

“I should have been by her side then.”

On that tragic day, Christa was on the battlefield while Philip was in the capital.

Hearing the news belatedly, he rode without rest, only to cradle the cold body of Christa and weep.

“It was too late then. Such a thing must never happen again.”

Before the knot in his heart could be untied, Philip had to return to the battlefield with his young son.

The emperor showed absolutely no mercy.

“He’s not even ten years old yet!”

“He inherited the power at three, and I’ve already waited four years! Am I supposed to let that power rot? When war breaks out, one naturally goes to defend the empire. Now that those Autumn bastards are cheering about killing your sister, show them that the Sepaia Empire isn’t finished!”

He ranted and issued fierce threats.

“Disobedience means death. You, as a warrior, know that better than anyone.”

His sister had the power he couldn’t possess, and then his sister’s son inherited it.

The first thing the emperor did while Zenus, who manifested the power at age three, was hovering between life and death, was to proclaim Eric, who was the same age, as Crown Prince.

‘Were you that afraid?’

He couldn’t even scoff at the sight of the emperor fearing the loss of his throne.

After that, Philip had to do everything to save his son.

From the first time he headed to the battlefield at age seven until now.

He never left his son’s side and taught him all tactics.

He arranged for warriors to be his teachers, ensuring he learned all types of combat—spear, bow, sword—without discrimination.

Young Zenus had only learned how to survive on the battlefield.

So he had no idea what to do when meeting his companion.

“She seemed to dislike the idea of marrying me.”

Seeing his son with drooping eyebrows, so unlike his reputation, Philip laughed heartily and said, “Son, a woman’s heart is always unfathomable. I never really knew what was in your mother’s heart either. Let’s try to understand bit by bit from now on.”

Striking his son’s shoulder with audible thumps, Philip spoke joyfully.

‘What might our future daughter-in-law like? How can we make her happily agree to marriage?’

It was a moment when the father and son, both completely ignorant of women’s hearts, united in their efforts to win Selina’s heart.

※※※

“I can’t live with such embarrassment!”

‘I’m sure I banned entry to the east wing.’

Three days after the ball incident, Flora burst into the east wing, having heard some rumor or other.

‘Does she have no capacity to learn? Well, fine. I’ll make her regret coming here.’

Passively enduring was something Selina did only in her childhood.

Now, Selina knew well how to repay Flora and Brandon twofold.

Making a commotion from the entrance, Flora flung open the study door without knocking.

Selina rose from her seat.

“What brings you here today?”

Selina was slightly taller than Flora.

When Flora barged in like this, the quickest way to drive her out was to stand with a cold face, say a few words, and then look down at her imposingly.

But today, Flora raised her eyes as if determined not to back down.

“There’s a limit to how much you can disgrace the family!”

Her unusually confident attitude caught Selina off guard.

‘What is this? Did she hear about the dress incident at the ball? No, that couldn’t have spread so widely.’

It was a kind of custom not to spread rumors about what happened in the lounge.

Such incidents were considered private matters, known only to those present.

“I already asked why you’re here. If you’re not going to answer properly, please leave, Flora.”

Though she said this, Selina decided to observe Flora’s behavior first to see more clearly what she was holding, rather than immediately driving her out.

When Selina didn’t order her maids or butler to remove Flora, Flora grew more emboldened and said, “Well, it seems even you realize how much you’ve burdened the family this time.”

“Please tell me what great burden I’ve supposedly placed, Flora.”

“This is really…”

‘Still calling me Flora, Flora! Am I your friend?’

Suppressing her rising emotions, Flora smiled and said, “People from the Patel family just entered the head’s meeting room. You know why they’ve come without me having to say it.”

‘Ah, so that’s what this is about.’

Relieved it wasn’t about the dress incident, Selina felt somewhat at ease.

If Flora and Brandon learned about the commotion with the foreign princess, they would undoubtedly cause an uproar, demanding the immediate revocation of her acting head position.

And Count Arsen might not take this lightly either, as conflict with a foreign country could be a significant flaw for a family head.

‘Well, if she were going to bring that up, she wouldn’t have come quietly to my quarters like this. She would have spoken openly in front of Father, saying I’m not suited to be acting head and that Brandon should quickly replace me.’

Seeing Selina nodding to herself without responding to her words, Flora grew irritated again and spoke sarcastically, “Didn’t you say it was right for you to take the acting head position since you were proudly engaged to the Patel family’s heir? But now you’re breaking off the engagement when the joint trade between our families is right around the corner? Is someone like you, who brings harm to our family, really suitable as the acting head?”

Selina’s expression hardened slightly at Flora’s words.

This was indeed a problematic situation.

‘If only the talk of breaking the engagement had come after finalizing the contract, I wouldn’t be this worried.’

They were at the point of officially starting the joint trade after several trial trades, and once the contract was finalized, there would be no major issues.

Having spent three years in negotiations, this trade would bring great benefits to both families for generations once established.

If this contract faced problems due to Selina and Morgan Patel’s relationship, the responsibility would be heavy.

Seeing Selina’s expression, Flora sensed an opportunity and continued, “Honestly, your reputation in high society is nothing short of garbage. The Patel family endured for so long only because they’re good business partners. Imagine how difficult these three years must have been for them.”

She laughed with apparent satisfaction.

“If you’re jilted now, you’ll never make a good marriage, so you’d better start getting on Brandon and Sebastian’s good side. Apologize for all your past rudeness and show through actions, not words, that you’ll follow them like a mouse from now on. Understand?”

Flora smirked with an annoying expression.

‘What she’s saying isn’t wrong. Even if Eric and I try to explain later, who would easily believe us? A woman with a bad reputation who isn’t even married wouldn’t be recognized by the family as head. Even if I break off the engagement with Morgan, I need to marry someone the family can’t ignore.’

Then a voice echoed in Selina’s mind.

“Shall I send a marriage proposal to Count Arsen’s household tomorrow?”

It was the man who had passionately proposed to her three days ago.

‘No, no. This isn’t right. No matter how difficult my situation is. How could I possibly use him…’

“I said I want to marry you. Are you rejecting that?”

‘That gaze when he said those words and looked at me… Do all men look at women with such intensity? Or is it just His Highness?’

“Hey!”

Realizing that Selina was again ignoring her words and lost in her own world, Flora shouted angrily, “You’re ignoring me even in this situation? Just wait, as soon as the Count finishes the meeting with the Patel family, you’re finished! There will be no leniency, understand?”

After shouting loudly, Flora stomped out of Selina’s study.

“Cassie.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Spray some air freshener. And make sure that woman never enters this room again.”

“Understood.”

After completely removing even the lingering scent Flora had left behind, Selina sat at her desk and pondered.

‘For the acting head position to remain unaffected after breaking the engagement, my new fiancé’s rank should be higher than count. But there’s no family of marquis rank or higher who would propose to me right now.’

The young masters of families she had connections with from the academy briefly crossed her mind, but she soon shook her head.

‘I can’t just grab anyone and ask them to go along with an engagement. But if I’m jilted like this, my position in the family will only weaken. It could even lead to the joint trade falling apart. After three whole years of preparation, I can’t afford to lose here.’

As she was contemplating a solution with furrowed brows—

‘If I became the Grand Duchess, I wouldn’t have to worry about this. As the only Grand Duchess of Sepaia, I would be respected even by other empires.’

When that thought crept in again, Selina shook her head to dismiss it.

‘That’s really not an option. His Highness must have misunderstood something when he spoke to me like that. I can’t use someone who helped me that way.’

Merely worrying wouldn’t solve anything.

Selina headed to the central meeting room in the main building where the head’s meeting was in full swing.

Inside, they were discussing the engagement breakup that threatened even her position as acting head.

Before entering, Selina clenched and unclenched her fist.

‘How much will my words carry in there?’

It was a meeting between the heads of two families. Their decision would determine how long it would take for Selina to reach her desired goal.

‘Breaking an engagement just based on rumors is a bit much. No matter how little they know me. And is Morgan such an idiot that he can’t even think about what’s more beneficial for him?’

Though he was a fool, if he had quietly gone through with the marriage, he would have secured a contract that would bring great benefits to his family members without any effort.

But to speak of breaking the engagement now, of all times, because Selina was a villainess, because her reputation was bad?

It seemed beyond mere inability to calculate profit and loss.

“Announce me.”

At Selina’s command, a servant went in to inform those inside of her arrival.

After a moment of stiffened faces, Count Arsen, Count Patel, and other meeting participants from each family permitted Selina’s entry.

With each step toward the meeting table, the voices from inside grew louder.

“Perfect timing! We can hear an explanation from the person herself! Please ask her to come in!”

“It’s clearly a misunderstanding. Our lady isn’t that kind of person!”

The atmosphere inside the meeting room was already chaotic.

“I heard she even attempted murder recently. That says it all.”

“If all those rumors were true, wouldn’t the injured lady have sought justice through an imperial trial? Why is she silent? Because it’s all a misunderstanding. Such misunderstandings—”

“Would rumors spread so widely if they were just misunderstandings? To the point where everyone knows?”

“Lady Selina has arrived.”