Chapter 91

Ashilom opened his mouth.

“It is Grand Duke Florence of the Sirius Empire.”

Demian fiddled with his teacup with a calm expression, but his intense gaze made it seem as if he might shatter the cup.

“Grand Duke Florence, you say…”

The Grand Duke Florence inherited the bloodline of the Sirius Empire’s imperial family and possessed a claim to the throne. He governed the Florence territory, located in the southern region of the empire, surrounded on three sides by the sea.

With power second only to the Emperor, and given that the Sirius Empire was a powerful nation, the Grand Duke Florence could not be ignored.

But ignoring him and moving on was not an option either.

He embraced her. And even escorted her…

“They went to the Mage Tower together…”

“That’s correct.”

Demian told Ashilom to leave.

As if waiting for this moment, Ashilom quickly stood up and disappeared beyond the door.

“Glen!”

At Demian’s loud call, Glen, who had been waiting outside, opened the door and entered.

“Prince Demian!”

“Glen.”

“Yes.”

“Find out everything about Grand Duke Florence. Whether he’s engaged, married, or how old he is. And just in case…”

Although Demian appeared composed as he spoke, the cold atmosphere around him could not be hidden.

“Whether Meia is there as well.”

“Understood.”

Glen stepped back, bowed, and left.

***

Returning to the Berton household, Ashilom could not forget the obsessive gleam in Demian’s eyes.

In Demian’s words, there was only Meia.

<Since I was young, I’ve always hated losing things to my brother. Be it objects or people.>

It was a blatant statement.

<If someone tries to take what I consider mine or interferes with me…>

Knowing exactly what Demian meant, Ashilom could neither agree nor respond, swallowing dryly in tension.

<If I decide I want something, it’s already mine. But she keeps trying to escape, and it pains me.>

It was an obsession that crossed into madness.

Ashilom’s brow furrowed involuntarily. Cassandra, noticing this, asked,

“You don’t look well after returning from the imperial palace, Brother Ashilom.”

At Cassandra’s remark, Clairira, who had been seated and drinking tea, looked at him curiously and asked,

“Did something happen, Ashilom?”

Cassandra looked at him worriedly, and Ashilom let out a small sigh before speaking.

“Prince Demian asked about Lady Meia’s recent whereabouts.”

The eldest son, Kaycee, chuckled and said,

“After seeing the article about her rescuing people on the cruise ship, he must have been curious. So, what did you tell him?”

“He asked about the man who embraced Lady Meia. So I told him. The man who embraced her is Grand Duke Florence of the Sirius Empire. At that moment, Prince Demian’s gaze turned chilling.”

Clairira asked Ashilom,

“Is it true that the Grand Duke Florence embraced Lady Meia?”

“I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Are you certain?”

“His name was also on the list of those who reserved first-class seats on the cruise ship.”

“It must’ve been impossible to evade Prince Demian’s question.”

Knowing Demian’s personality, it was likely he already knew and summoned Ashilom to confirm.

“If only you hadn’t published that article, Brother Ashilom…”

“Who could have known! That Prince Demian would want to make Lady Meia his princess!”

Cassandra covered her mouth with her fan and said,

“After Prince Demian declared his intention to make Lady Meia his princess, the families who wanted to marry her have become very uneasy.”

Many families welcomed Meia’s broken engagement with Patzraelli and sent proposals, love letters, and expensive gifts to the Hatzbellua family. However, Duke Hatzbellua rejected them all, saying he would let his niece marry the man she wanted.

Even so, the rejected families did not give up.

Interpreting the Duke’s words differently, they believed it meant, “If Meia likes him, we’ll let her marry him.” Naturally, the families who desired Meia gathered their most handsome and physically fit sons, dressing them up desperately.

Thus, Demian’s declaration of marriage made them uncomfortable.

Clairira, recalling Meia’s face when they met at the Grand Duke Florence’s estate, said,

“But Lady Meia doesn’t seem to have any feelings for Prince Demian.”

“How can you be so sure, Sister Clairira?”

At Cassandra’s question, Clairira stammered in embarrassment.

“Well, um, Lady Meia likes my dresses, doesn’t she? When I asked her before if she found Prince Demian charming, she said she wasn’t interested. Haha.”

“That was when she was engaged, and now it’s different.”

Cassandra was undoubtedly correct. But it wasn’t as if Clairira could shout, “Lady Meia already has someone she loves!”

“The Lady Meia I know wouldn’t want to become part of the imperial family.”

“Why not? Lady Meia and Prince Demian seem like a good match.”

“Yes, Sandra. They do seem well-suited, but if Lady Meia becomes a princess, many families will have no choice but to follow Prince Demian.”

At Clairira’s words, Cassandra tilted her head.

“Why?”

“While the heads of all families are men, the ones who influence them are their wives. And the person those wives follow is Lady Meia.”

The eldest son, Kaycee, who had been listening to the conversation, recalled a past discussion with Lady Meia.

<A useless dog doesn’t watch its master’s mood—it just barks. A barking dog isn’t worth keeping.>

<Lady, they can be trained.>

<Young Master Berton, just because someone has been trained or has survived doesn’t necessarily mean they’re smart or strong.>

<Those who understand the current situation, lower their heads, and watch carefully are the ones who survive.>

Meia had a way of making people follow her.

Even those who were enemies would somehow end up becoming her allies. That was Meia’s talent. And so, Kaycee wondered.

Everyone knew that Prince Demian desired the position of Crown Prince, whether they were part of the Emperor’s faction or the nobility’s faction. The fastest way for him to achieve this was to make Meia his princess.

“Does Prince Demian truly want Lady Meia as his princess because he loves her?”

“Brother Kaycee, isn’t it obvious he does?”

“Sandra, it’s not that simple.”

“But it could be love. She was his brother’s fiancée, and after their engagement broke off, he saw an opportunity.”

Shaking his head, Kaycee sighed.

“If Lady Meia marries Prince Demian, the position of Crown Prince will change.”

Meia was someone who could turn even a “fool” into a “king.”

Thus, from Kaycee’s perspective, it didn’t seem like Demian’s desire for Meia stemmed from love.

***

Clairira, feeling uneasy, immediately went to visit Meia.

Although she hadn’t sent a letter or arranged a visit in advance, she was fortunately allowed in at the entrance.

The moment she met Meia, Clairira shared the story of Demian summoning Ashilom.

Listening to Clairira’s story, Meia maintained her composed smile and said,

“It’s not unexpected, Clairira.”

That didn’t mean Clairira’s visit was meaningless. In fact, it was valuable.

Thanks to her, Meia was able to hear recent news about Meryl. The tale of her pulling another young lady’s hair made Meia laugh in disbelief.

Thinking about Meryl’s reckless behavior causing the Hatzbellua family’s name to be on everyone’s lips made her slightly angry.

“I’m worried, my lady.”

“Thank you for your concern, Clairira. And thank you for coming today.”

“Prince Demian is going around saying he will make you his princess.”

“I don’t know what kind of proposal Prince Demian will make to me to persuade me to become his princess, but I have no intention of becoming one.”

After Clairira left, Theodore entered the room and approached Meia.

“You don’t seem to be in a good mood.”

“Do I?”

Instead of answering, Theodore nodded.

He reached out to Meia, took her hand, and kissed it.

“Theo, Prince Demian might come to the Grand Ducal estate.”

Theodore frowned.

“It seems someone recognized us on the cruise ship when we saved those people. And now Prince Demian knows.”

“You’re upset because Prince Demian might come.”

Theodore’s grip on her hand tightened slightly.

“Prince Demian is confident I will become his princess. That means he believes he has a reason to ensure I become one.”

Revenge on her uncle and cousin? Becoming Empress? Removing Patzraelli from the position of Crown Prince?

She recalled her parents’ last conversation before they passed away.

<Mei, you need power to express hatred.>

<If you express hatred without power, all it does is prove that you are a weak person. That’s worse than showing emotions on your face.>

<Expressing hatred without power will only hurt your pride even more.>  

“Even if the family my mother and father managed so well becomes a laughingstock, even if Prince Demian uses me to make a fuss, I will never express my feelings right now.”  

For now, at least.  

Theodore opened his mouth to speak.  

“I became a Grand Duke at the age of twelve. As the head of the Florence family, I stood on the frontlines to protect my people from pirates, and I fulfilled my duties. But there was only one thing I couldn’t do.”  

“What was it?”  

“Accepting the death of my parents.”  

“The position of a Grand Duke is heavy. That’s why I had to stay silent about all my emotions, including my grief.”  

Meia approached Theodore and gently stroked his cheek.  

“Even now, can you still not accept it?”  

“No. I won’t avoid it anymore.”  

From the death of his parents to the pain caused by his failure to properly manage his retainers.  

“Never again.”  

He would no longer avoid it. He would face it and accept it.