“The problem, my lady, is that I do not wish for an engagement.”

At Karsten’s firm words, Sierra’s face turned ashen. He saw her slender shoulders tremble, yet his expression did not change in the slightest.

Karsten abruptly rose to his feet.

“Then I shall take my leave after some light conversation.”

Without another word, he walked out of the drawing room. Of all those present, the one most put in an awkward position by Karsten’s sudden action was Meliover.

‘I hadn’t expected my son to give a favorable answer, but I hadn’t imagined he would reject it so decisively.’

Meliover offered an awkward smile.

“My, I apologize, Marquis Etro.”

“Haha, well… if His Grace the Duke’s opinion is that firm…”

Just then, Sierra shot to her feet.

“Sierra?”

Ignoring her father calling after her, she hurried out of the drawing room in pursuit of Karsten. She saw him walking towards the far end of the corridor, caught up with him quickly and seized his arm.

“Why do you refuse an engagement with me?”

Karsten frowned, his displeasure evident as he glanced from his suddenly seized arm to Sierra. She could tell he wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t going to let go until she had an answer.

Gripping his arm more tightly, she said,

“If there is something you dislike about me, Your Highness, I will change it.”

“I have never said there was anything wrong with you, my lady.”

“Then why…!”

Karsten firmly brushed her hand away from his arm, his gaze dropping coldly.

“Lady Sierra.”

By now, tears had gathered in Sierra’s eyes. But Karsten didn’t so much as blink.

“Have I ever given you even the slightest hope?”

“…”

She bit her lip, unable to argue with him. She knew better than anyone that Karsten had never given her the slightest hint of interest. Not in the form of a touch, or even a fleeting glance.

Until now, it had always been her clinging to him.

“I have never desired anything from you, my lady, nor will I in the future.”

“…”

“I believe that alone is more than enough reason this engagement cannot happen.”

At his resolute words, a tear slipped from Sierra’s eye.

“I trust you understand me.”

Karsten turned his back on her and started to walk away. However, Sierra stepped in front of him and grabbed his arm once again, blocking his path.

“No, Your Highness. I do not understand.”

“My lady.”

His expression was laden with irritation.

“You say you have no expectations of me, Your Highness?”

“That’s correct.”

“Yes, perhaps so. But couldn’t we establish those expectations together as we move forward?”

Tears streamed down as she pleaded, her voice trembling.

“If we take the time to know about each other, might not our engagement come to feel natural?”

Releasing his arm, Sierra gently took his hand.

“Your Highness, let us get to know each other slowly. Please?”

Karsten lowered his gaze, staring intently—not at her face, but at the hand that held his. His eyes were cold.

“Come to think of it, I might actually want something from you after all.”

The annoyance on his face vanished completely, replaced by a neutral calm that made Sierra’s heart stir with hope. She looked at him, eyes bright with anticipation.

“First of all—”

Karsten gripped her wrist and roughly flung it aside.

“Remove this hand.”

When he took decisive action, the focus seemed to vanish from Sierra’s eyes. One might have felt sorry for her pitiful appearance, but Karsten did not.

“And do not expect any affection from me, now or ever.”

Rather than relenting, his words drove the nail in deeper, causing Sierra to break down and spill tears freely.

“That is all I want from you, my lady.”

Karsten’s eyes were harder than ever, as if he was putting an end to it once and for all. Without glancing back, he walked past her.

When he was gone, Sierra collapsed to the ground. Burying her face in her hands, she began to cry.

💙💙💙 💙💙💙

That evening, Breti stood outside Karsten’s office, holding an invitation. Despite urging Bagi to inform her the moment Karsten returned, she found herself unable to step inside.

It was only after she had steadied herself that she knocked lightly on the door.

“Brother, it’s Laterna. May I come in for a moment?”

“Come in.”

With his permission, Bret opened the door and stepped inside, gauging Karsten’s expression.

‘He looks fine.’

Contrary to her worries, Karsten seemed all right. In truth, Breti had witnessed everything that had transpired between Karsten and Sierra earlier that day.

She hadn’t intended to watch, but the situation had tangled awkwardly, leaving her to see and hear it all—from the way his expression had hardened beyond anything she had ever seen, to the firm manner in which he had pushed Sierra away.

For some reason, there had been a sense of relief in seeing him reject Sierra so decisively.

‘But…’

Breti knew better than anyone that she would never be the recipient of such feelings.

When he noticed that she was simply standing there, lost in thought, Karsten looked at her with a questioning gaze.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

At his voice, Breti snapped back to her senses.

“Ah, it’s nothing serious, just…”

She handed him an invitation from House Nox.

“House Nox… that would be the family of His Highness the Crown Prince’s fiancée, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes. Lady Nox is the Crown Prince’s betrothed.”

“She sent you an invitation.”

Karsten broke the seal on the envelope. As he read it, there was little change in his expression. It seemed the letter was just an ordinary invitation, not the kind of thing Breti had feared.

Karsten slid the letter back into its envelope and returned it to her.

“After making your debut at the Imperial Ball, it’s only natural you’d receive such invitations.”

“…”

“Don’t trouble yourself over it. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“But if I don’t, won’t people start gossiping about Lady Laterna?”

Breti spoke quietly as she took the letter back. Karsten studied her for a moment, then gave a small nod.

“Yes… you’re right.”

“Then I’ll attend.”

At her answer, Karsten’s brow furrowed faintly.

“There may be… unpleasant situations. You’re saying you’re fine with that?”

“Yes, I am.”

Her unwavering expression made something twist unpleasantly inside him.

“If you’re humiliated there, it will tarnish Laterna’s name.”

In his mind, he could already see her standing there, unable to say a word, simply enduring it all.

“I’ll make sure no stain touches my name.”

Despite her firm answer, Karsten could not fully put his mind at ease.

Breti glanced at his expression for a moment.

“By the way… have you been sleeping well?”

“Yes. I’ve been sleeping without any trouble lately.”

“Ah… I see.”

She should have felt relieved at his answer, yet for some reason, Breti felt a pang of disappointment.

Karsten averted his gaze and picked up his quill again.

“Go on to your room. It’s late.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Breti turned her back on him and started walking towards the door. Before it closed behind her, she glanced back at him briefly. His eyes remained fixed on the scroll, never once meeting hers.

Letting out a shallow sigh, Breti closed the office door.

Once outside, she turned her gaze to the corridor window. The clear night sky glittered with stars.

Seeing such a cloudless sky brought back the memory of the rainy season, when Karsten had come to her as Adrian.

“If you think of Karsten while looking at me, I’ll be hurt.”

Adrian’s last words echoed in her mind. He had been right. Every time she embraced Karsten in the guise of Adrian, she thought of him.

She had often wondered what it would feel like to be held by him.

Drawing another deep breath, she quietly resumed walking.

‘I wonder when it will rain again.’

Without realizing it, Breti was waiting for the day the rain would fall. At least on rainy nights, he would come to her—wanting her, cornering her, never letting her rest for even a moment.