“Ask me anything. I’ll tell you everything.”

Brandt spoke in a low, steady voice. Upon hearing his gentle reassurance, Seraphina smiled.

Only then did she feel as though she could finally breathe.

From the moment she woke up, everything had come crashing down on her all at once. No one had given her a moment to collect herself; they all simply demanded things of her, one after the other. No matter how many times she asked for an explanation, not a single person properly told her what had happened.

It had been suffocating.

Out of the countless questions swirling in her mind, Seraphina carefully chose just one. Simple curiosities could wait. Right now, she needed guidance on what was urgent and had to be resolved immediately.

“First of all… I don’t even know how I ended up marrying His Highness the Crown Prince. You know I already had someone I liked.”

“…Yes.”

Brandt listened intently, answering with a faint, calm smile. He had long known that someone from her past still held a place in her heart.

“Anyway, I want to have the marriage with His Highness annulled. I’d like you to explain the actual procedure to me.”

“What are you saying?”

At her request, Brandt’s brows shot up. Clearly flustered, he reached out and grasped her hand.

“Sephi—are you serious?”

His eyes were filled with worry. Having finally found someone she could confide in, Seraphina nodded emphatically.

“I never wanted to become the Crown Princess. Not then, and not now. I don’t care if it’s a divorce or an annulment — I just want to leave.”

Her gaze dropped to the dress she was wearing. Studded densely with rubies that reflected the afternoon sunlight, the gown was dazzling.

“This kind of thing doesn’t suit me at all.”

“But it looks beautiful on you.”

“That’s not the point.”

Seraphina shot back at Brandt, despite his gentle tone. At her sharp retort, he let out a small laugh.

“Haha, I know. A life bound by imperial etiquette doesn’t suit you at all.”

“Exactly. Anyway, to have the marriage annulled, we’d have to return the betrothal gifts. But it looks like my mother and Leoban already swallowed all of it.”

“The House of Lindenrosen moved to the capital not long ago. They bought a rather large estate.”

“As expected.”

Seraphina sneered. Her suspicions had been correct. It was clear that Marianne and Leoban had indulged themselves without restraint, using Seraphina’s betrothal gifts to secure a residence in the capital and enjoy the trappings of high society as the natal family of the Crown Princess.

“Sephi, if you truly want to annul your marriage to His Highness, I’ll cover the dowry myself.”

“…What?”

It was an unexpected offer. Seraphina took a sharp breath and looked at Brandt. She studied his expression closely, wondering if it was a joke, but he looked utterly serious.

“It’s not a small sum, but I have a trust fund in my name. There’s just one condition for accessing it.”

Brandt paused and swallowed. After glancing around, he lowered his voice and spoke confidentially.

“I have to get married.”

“Wait. Then are you saying that would be your marriage dowry?”

Seraphina asked in a shrill voice. Brandt was the Count of Steinbel and the heir to a long-established family line. She had no intention of blocking her friend’s path to marriage for her own sake.

“Thank you, but I’ll accept only the sentiment. How could I ever use something like that?”

“Don’t feel burdened, Sephi.”

Brandt tightened his grip on her hand. He moistened his lips, then looked at her steadily. Taking a deep breath, he spoke carefully.

“You just have to… do it with me.”

“What? I didn’t hear you properly.”

Seraphina tilted her head. He had spoken so softly that the most important word hadn’t reached her ears.

“I mean—”

Brandt was just clearing his throat when—

“What do you think you’re doing.”

A cool male voice cut through the air, and a long shadow fell over them. Seraphina turned towards the sound instinctively and blinked.

“Your Highness… the Crown Prince?”

With the dazzling sun behind him, the Crown Prince looked down at Seraphina and Brandt, seated on the bench. His expression was difficult to discern beneath the deep shadow, but an unmistakable sense of displeasure emanated from him.

“Take your hand off my wife. Now.”

“Y-Your Highness, I—ugh!”

Startled by the order, Brandt released her hand and collapsed to the ground. He clutched his throat, gasping desperately for air.

“Kh—Your Highness….”

“Brandt!”

Seraphina cried out in alarm and hurried over to check on him. As she put her hand on his shoulder in concern, the Crown Prince laughed coldly.

“A secret rendezvous with another man right in front of me. My wife is remarkably bold.”

“Your Highness, withdraw your pheromones at once!”

Seraphina lifted her gaze to glare at him. He stepped closer and replied in a low, ominous tone.

“If you want that, then take your hand off him first.”

“I did! Is that enough? Then hurry—!”

The moment Seraphina urgently pulled her hand away from Brandt, the Crown Prince shifted his gaze behind him. The attendants who had been standing at a distance immediately approached and lifted Brandt up.

“Take him away. I’ll deal with the dismissal of Count Steinbel later.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

A red-haired man, presumably the Crown Prince’s aide, bowed deeply in acknowledgement. Seraphina clasped her hands together and watched Brandt. Overwhelmed by the Crown Prince’s pheromones, he seemed to be on the verge of passing out.

‘Brandt….’

Seraphina couldn’t take her eyes off him as he was almost dragged away by the attendants. Sensing her concern, Rosalynde followed closely behind.

At least that was some relief.

‘To think Brandt would collapse so helplessly….’

Seraphina bit her lip. Brandt had never been frail, not even as a child. He was naturally strong and skilled with a sword enough to serve among the Imperial Knights.

Yet the moment the Crown Prince released even a hint of his pheromones, Brandt collapsed without putting up any resistance.

She had heard that the Crown Prince was exceptional even among dominant Alphas, but to overwhelm Brandt so completely…

The difference in their pheromones was staggering.

“What were the two of you talking about?”

The Crown Prince asked, approaching as Seraphina watched Brandt disappear into the distance. When he reached out to her, she slapped his hand away, her expression turning cold.

“You didn’t have to go that far.”

“…He was touching you.”

The Crown Prince’s blue eyes darkened. Staring straight through her, he continued.

“How dare he touch my Sephi.”

“…!”

Seraphina flinched and stepped back. In that instant—

A pheromone unlike anything she had felt even during intimacy with him washed over her.

Sorrow.
Rage.
Affection.
Jealousy.
Possession.

And obsession.

A sticky, cloying scent—an amalgam of countless emotions—wrapped itself around Seraphina.

“Hngh…!”

The Crown Prince’s pheromones were nothing like they had been when he attacked Brandt. Rather than overwhelming her, they unfolded brilliantly, like a peacock spreading its plumage: dazzling and seductive. They wrapped around her as they closed in.

It was strange. Despite being nothing more than a scent, it felt as though the pheromones themselves were speaking directly to her.

That he wanted her.

That he desired her.

As pheromones steeped in ruthless greed assaulted her senses, warmth bloomed between Seraphina’s thighs. Moisture spread quickly, dampening her undergarments, and her legs began to tremble beneath her.

“H—hn.”

Seraphina staggered and grabbed the armrest of the bench to steady herself. If she hadn’t, she felt she would have collapsed right there. Desperately, she scanned the area, searching for help.

But, of all times, there was no one nearby.

Clutching her chest, Seraphina shouted at the Crown Prince.

“S-stop it…!”

“What were you discussing with Count Steinbel?”

The Crown Prince asked again, his face completely expressionless as he looked at her. Faced with his relentless questioning, she bit her lip.

Feeling defiant because he was so determined to find out, she remained silent. If he was that curious, she wasn’t going to tell him.

And yet—

As if mocking her resolve,

“You were planning to annul your marriage to me… and abandon me?”

The Crown Prince asked with a captivating smile.