At Kias’s groaning call, Yelodia finally moved her stiff, frozen legs.

Her steps down the stairs were incredibly awkward, as if she herself had become a wooden puppet.

“Am I to be engaged to Baron Adrian?”

Yelodia asked as if she were speaking about someone else’s business.

‘Edward Kieri, Baron Adrian.’

Yelodia called the name softly to herself again, and then she was struck with surprise.

To the great god Raihel and his son and daughter, Zeus and Lonel, she swore she hadn’t known that name at all until last month.

The naval officer who had achieved great merit in the Feorn-Lota naval battle on the Phoenician Sea was famous among soldiers, but practically unknown in social circles.

He hadn’t even had a title until last month, so Baron Adrian was essentially someone who had dropped out of the sky.

‘To think that I am to marry that man…’

Thinking up to that point, Yelodia asked an unexpected question.

“How old is he this year?”

“I believe he is two years younger than me.”

That meant he was 23. Yelodia was six years younger.

Duke Xavier sighed deeply in concern, and Kias inhaled like an angry bull.

As Yelodia imagined a rugged military man six years her senior, she began to feel dizzy again.

Kias rolled up his sleeves roughly and stepped forward.

“I’ll petition His Majesty. We can’t proceed with this engagement.”

“His Majesty has likely already set the date not only for the engagement but for the wedding as well. Don’t go stirring up needless trouble and risk his disfavor; please, stand by His Majesty’s side.”

“Yedi.”

Kias’s voice softened with pity. Yelodia struggled to maintain her composure.

“I’m fine. His Majesty repeatedly promised to find me the best groom possible.”

“…”

The Duke of Xavier was rendered speechless by his youngest daughter’s unexpected composure.

Kias frowned, swallowing his dissatisfaction. His reasons were different from his father’s. He felt a bit of regret over his own hasty actions in a matter where the Emperor had personally intervened.

Yelodia quietly observed the two of them.

She wasn’t the type to complain about things that had already happened, and more than anything, she trusted her one and only uncle, the Emperor.

With a sparkle in her intelligent eyes, Yelodia said, “I’d like to meet Baron Adrian.”

* * *

The very next day, three people boarded a carriage at the Duke of Xavier’s residence: Duke Xavier, his eldest son, Kias, and his youngest daughter, Yelodia.

The Duke’s second son, Fabian, couldn’t miss his training with the royal guards, and the third son, Hester, had been bedridden with the flu for a week.

Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was stiflingly heavy.

“…”

Yelodia held her breath, casting sidelong glances at her father and older brother.

A day had passed since the shocking announcement, but dark clouds still loomed over their faces.

And Yelodia felt that her future seemed like someone else’s business.

‘What kind of person is he?’

She had briefly wished, perhaps, to meet a man with an honest and kind heart—someone like her brothers—and marry him.

She thought that maybe one day she would meet a husband who cherished her, and that they might laugh together in happiness.

But that was all.

Yelodia’s imagination had leaned heavily toward becoming a gardener, an adventurer traveling across the empire, or even a librarian at the royal library.

To be fair, seventeen was quite young for a noble to enter into a marriage of political convenience.

So, Yelodia envisioned the giant navy warships that roamed the Phoenician Sea.

The Feorn’s ships of the line, crafted from the oak produced in Caytan, were massive and intricately built, said to be able to take on three Lota ships alone.

At the time, Baron Adrian, who was merely an ordinary navy lieutenant, had sunk eleven enemy ships in the Phoenician Sea with only one vessel.

Aboard those ships had been 9,367 enemy soldiers, all of whom perished that same day. It was an achievement that reversed the sluggish tide of the war—a literal turning point.

In recognition of his contribution, the Emperor awarded him the surname Adrian, the title of Baron, and promoted him to Vice Admiral.

It was an unprecedented, shocking promotion.

‘He must be someone without a drop of compassion or tears.’

A thought suddenly struck Yelodia—perhaps a man who would be a reliable strength for the Emperor might not make the best husband for her. It was only natural.

Just because someone was thorough in everything and politically astute did not guarantee that he would love and cherish his wife.

With that thought, a chill crept down her spine, and an inexplicable fear arose.

At that moment, the carriage came to a stop at the entrance of the imperial palace.

“I’ve been expecting you.”

The person most surprised by the arrival of the chamberlain, Count Kershaw, was Kias.

The Emperor sending the chamberlain was a subtle hint that tonight’s dinner would also be of great importance to him.

“This way, please.”

The three of them followed the chamberlain’s guidance and climbed a long staircase that led to the Emperor’s reception room.

The imperial palace at sunset was both breathtakingly magnificent and timelessly elegant.

The walls and ceilings were covered in countless murals, while the pillars and pedestals were densely carved with images of Zeus and Lonel, the Empire’s guardian saints, along with dragons and lions.

According to the Empire’s founding myth, Zeus descended to the earth in the form of a dragon, and Lonel as a winged lion, out of pity for a land devastated by ancient wars.

The two deities loved humanity so deeply that they, too, became human.

Later, Zeus married a human and left descendants, the first of whom became Emperor Astor Feorn, the founder of the Empire.

And that is why dragons and lions can be found on every pillar supporting the imperial palace.

“Oh.”

Yelodia paused her steps when the crimson sun hung precariously on the edge of the palace’s tower.

Edward, who had been walking from the opposite hallway, also stopped as if on cue.

“Baron Adrian.”

At Duke Xavier’s call, both Yelodia and Kias turned their heads simultaneously.

“…”

“…”

Kias looked as though he was taken aback, clearly surprised by Baron Edward Adrian’s appearance.

Bathed in the blood-red glow of the sunset, the man was very tall with broad shoulders. His skin was tanned by the hot sun of the Phoenician Sea, giving him a slightly darker, yet intensely lively appearance.

But the Baron didn’t look as rugged as Yelodia had imagined. On the contrary, his limbs were long and his frame slender, almost to the point that one might mistake him for a dancer or a scholar. In fact, standing next to Yelodia, Kias appeared more like the soldier.

His neatly cut hair was black, and beneath his soft double eyelids, his long and large eyes held a deep bluish tint. His prominent nose and firmly set lips gave him an intellectual and proud appearance.

If she hadn’t already heard his age, she might have mistaken him for the same age as her third brother.

‘Is that man really Baron Adrian, who achieved such great feats in the war?’

Yelodia suddenly felt a sense of curiosity. Could he possibly not be a soldier?

Despite her bewildered gaze, Baron Adrian calmly bowed his head to Duke Xavier.

“It’s good to see you again, Your Grace.”

“It’s been a week. This here is my eldest son, Kias.”

“Nice to meet you, Your Lordship. My name is Edward Kieri Adrian.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Baron.”

Kias, representing the nobility of the Empire, responded with an air of arrogance and coldness.

Edward waited silently for the next introduction. However, even after some time, no introduction of Yelodia came.

“Your Grace?”

At the chamberlain’s prompting, Duke Xavier spoke reluctantly.

“This is my daughter, Yelodia.”

“Nice to meet you, Lady Xavier.”

Edward placed his right hand over his left chest and bowed his head.

His greeting wasn’t as graceful and soft as those of the social aristocrats, but Yelodia found Baron Adrian’s unpolished manners more appealing. Perhaps it was a form of greeting unique to navy officers.

She smiled faintly and curtsied.

“Good evening, Baron.”

Edward looked at Yelodia with a curious expression, as if he had heard something unusual.

Although this wasn’t the first time she had received the gaze of an adult man outside her family, Yelodia felt her breath slightly tighten as she looked up at Edward.

“Baron?”

It was the chamberlain again. Edward quickly turned his head to look back at him.

“My apologies.”

“Ahem, His Majesty is waiting inside, so let’s not delay.”

The statement was addressed to everyone present.

The chamberlain began walking down the hallway at a quicker pace than before.

Duke Xavier led the way, with Kias following behind him. Edward slowed his pace and fell in line behind Yelodia. Yelodia resisted the urge to look back.

‘What kind of person could he be?’

Seeing her fiancé so different from what she had expected left Yelodia quite surprised.

She had thought that he might even have a fearsome scar on his face, but her assumption had been completely wrong.

‘Do they perhaps select navy officers based on appearance rather than ability?’