Theodor turned his calm gaze toward his aide. Having served him for so many years, the man had become skilled at reading his master’s thoughts without a single word being spoken.

Therefore, Theodor did not bother answering. If his aide understood him so well, he should already know the answer.

‘For now, I must maintain appearances.’

It was the only way to exact his revenge upon Empress Scarlet. But what would happen afterward? Once his vengeance was complete, would he have to end the engagement?

More importantly, did he even want to?

The mere thought of breaking off the engagement caused Theodor’s brow to furrow slightly. The very idea felt unpleasant. It grated on him for reasons he could not explain.

He did not understand the source of that irritation, but he quickly pushed it aside. He had far too many urgent matters to handle.

“Let us go that way.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Leaving the bustling street behind, Theodor entered a quiet alleyway. It was wide enough not to feel gloomy, yet the absence of people lent it an eerie stillness.

Then, from somewhere nearby—

Whoosh, swish!

‘…A sword?’

There was no mistaking the sound of a blade slicing through the air.

Concerned that something might have happened, Theodor quickened his pace. Before long, he spotted a woman standing outside a weapons shop with a sword in her hand.

It was Laila.

Her golden hair was tied high, gleaming beneath the sunlight as she wielded the longsword with practiced ease. Every movement was sharp and precise, the blade carving flawless arcs through the air.

“Wow… I can barely see the blade moving.”

The admiration was well deserved. She was merely testing the sword’s balance, yet her extraordinary skill was evident at a glance. A single strike delivered with her full strength could easily prove fatal.

But Theodor was not looking at the sword.

His eyes were fixed upon her face.

‘Lai… Lailea?’

The woman looked astonishingly similar to his younger sister—his precious Lailea, who had died six years ago.

For a moment, Theodor forgot how to breathe. He stood frozen, as though time itself had come to a halt.

Then Laila turned in the middle of a swing, and their gazes collided.

“Lailea…….”

The name escaped Theodor’s lips in a daze.

Before he realized what he was doing, he was already walking toward her, reaching out as though his beloved younger sister had finally returned to him after all those years.

“Stop right there!”

But the instant Laila’s blade reached his throat, Theodor was forced to halt.

The sharpened edge gleamed dangerously close to his skin, yet he showed no trace of fear.

No—perhaps he was simply too stunned to notice the cold steel brushing against his neck.

“Lower your sword! Do you have any idea whom you are threatening?”

His aide, Dustin, rushed forward and drew his own weapon as he shouted at her.

To point a sword at the Crown Prince of the Adelina Empire was unthinkable. The air grew taut, the tension tightening like a bowstring drawn to its limit.

It was Theodor who finally broke the silence.

“Dustin. Lower your sword.”

“Your Highness!”

“Now.”

His calm, unwavering command caused not only Dustin but even Laila to falter in surprise.

‘Your Highness? Did he just address that man as Your Highness?’

Laila’s thoughts raced.

Only a Crown Prince or Grand Duke would be addressed as Your Highness.

‘But… I have never seen this man before.’

She knew the faces of both Cerclezia’s Crown Prince and Grand Duke, yet this stranger was neither of them.

Confusion clouded her expression for a brief moment. Then—

“The Crown Prince of the Adelina Empire has come to meet Princess Lenoa.”

Roselina’s jealous voice echoed through Laila’s memory.

‘Ah!’

Realization dawned upon Laila, and she immediately lowered her sword. Dropping to one knee, she offered him a knight’s formal salute.

“My deepest apologies. I failed to recognize Your Highness and have shown you grave disrespect.”

Theodor watched her every movement—precise, disciplined, and flawlessly controlled.

Everything about her reminded him of Lailea.

No, to him, this woman did not merely resemble his sister. She looked exactly as Lailea might have if she had grown up—standing before him, alive and well.

‘Lailea… my beloved sister.’

A wave of emotion swept over him, dragging him helplessly into the past.

If only his little sister—the child who used to run toward him with such a radiant smile—had not died so suddenly… perhaps she would have grown into someone exactly like the woman before him.

“Haah…….”

Theodor lowered his head and released a trembling breath. Tears gathered in his eyes, and he squeezed them shut, desperately struggling to contain the grief surging within him.

When he finally managed to speak, his voice was hoarse.

“Are you… from Cerclezia?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Does your family live here as well?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

‘Of course…….’

The fragile spark of hope within Theodor’s chest instantly went cold.

He had always known that his sister was dead. Yet beneath his composed exterior, grief and guilt had intertwined, whispering that perhaps, by some miracle, Lailea had survived.

But she had not. He knew that.

Even so, the sight of the woman before him had awakened that cruel and impossible hope.

Meanwhile, Laila was deeply unsettled.

The Crown Prince of Adelina was looking at her with eyes far too sorrowful and tender for someone meeting a stranger.

‘Why would he ask whether I am from Cerclezia?’

Had he taken offense because she had dared to point her sword at him? Was he asking these questions to determine how best to punish her?

When he had suddenly approached her earlier with shock in his eyes, she had reacted purely on instinct. Her sword had moved before she even realized what she was doing.

‘If this incident becomes any more serious, it will cause trouble…….’

No matter how she tried to explain herself, the fault remained hers.

He was the Crown Prince of Adelina and Princess Lenoa’s fiancé. Any scandal involving him could easily reach Carlo and drag him into the consequences of her mistake.

‘I need to leave before this becomes a greater problem.’

“Please forgive my insolence, Your Highness.”

“It is all right. The fault was mine.”

“Thank you, Your Highness. Then, if you will excuse me.”

After bowing respectfully, Laila returned the sword to the weapons merchant and hurried away, afraid that the Crown Prince might change his mind and call her back.

Only after she had disappeared down the alley did Theodor realize his mistake.

“I should have asked her name…….”

He had failed to learn even that much. The shock had left him unable to think clearly, and now the opportunity was gone.

Even though he knew she was not his late sister, he could not erase her face from his mind.

“Do you happen to know that knight’s name?”

He asked the merchant, who still held the sword Laila had tested.

“I am afraid I do not, Your Highness. She is a quiet customer who comes and goes without saying much.”

‘Her swordsmanship was extraordinary.’

Theodor thought as his gaze settled upon the blade in the merchant’s hands.

“I will take that sword.”

Perhaps he had been captivated by her remarkable skill. Or perhaps the faint smile she had worn while wielding the blade reminded him of Lailea.

It might have been foolish—a sentiment born from his guilt toward the sister he had failed to protect. Even so, Theodor found comfort in the weight of the sword he now held. Strangely, it felt perfectly natural in his hand.

‘I miss you, Lailea.’

Theodor remained motionless, gazing down the alley where the mysterious woman had disappeared.

Even long after she was gone, his eyes lingered there—as though wishing desperately enough might somehow bring her back.

All he could do was hope that their paths would cross again.

***

“I was told you wished to see me, Your Grace.”

“Ah, come in, Lord Carlo.”

Carlo entered the parlor and greeted the Duke of Crussian with a courteous bow.

Just as Laila had advised, he had come to meet the Duke—but not to reveal the truth.

Early that morning, he had received a letter from Roselina asking him to visit. Once the Duke learned that Carlo had arrived at the estate, he immediately summoned him.

“Was there something you wished to discuss with me, Your Grace?”

The Duke’s expression was unreadable.

“I heard that you are acquainted with His Highness, Crown Prince Theodor of the Adelina Empire. Is that correct?”

The question was completely unexpected, and the subject itself was a dangerous one.

Nevertheless, Carlo’s courteous smile never faltered.

“We were acquainted during my time in Adelina, yes. However, as Your Grace is aware, it has been nearly seven years since I left the empire.”

He deliberately emphasized that their relationship was distant and of little significance.

After all, Duke Crussian was loyal to Empress Scarlett, Theodor’s political adversary.

A friendship between Carlo and the Crown Prince was the last thing the Duke would want to hear about.

“I see… Well, the matter is……”

The Duke awkwardly cleared his throat. Despite being renowned for his cold precision in political affairs, Duke Crussian appeared surprisingly uncomfortable. Whatever was troubling him was clearly personal.

“Is this perhaps regarding Lady Roselina?”

At that, the Duke blinked in mild surprise before releasing a long sigh of relief, as though grateful to speak with someone who understood without requiring an explanation.

He had no idea that the man smiling before him was quietly sharpening the blade of vengeance.

“That foolish girl… she continues to chase an impossible dream. You must understand what I mean.”

“Yes. It is no secret that Lady Roselina has long harbored feelings for His Highness, Crown Prince Theodor.”

“Precisely. That is what concerns me.”

The Duke’s lips tightened with unmistakable frustration. His young daughter was pining after a man already betrothed to Princess Lenoa. It was disgraceful enough to make his blood boil.

Worse still, Empress Scarlet would hardly look favorably upon such behavior.

It was evident that the Duke’s true concern lay in the possible political repercussions.

“Therefore, I would like you to keep an eye on her.”

It sounded less like a request to dissuade Roselina and more like an order to watch her—to ensure that she did not cause trouble again.

After all, Roselina had already caused a scandal once by spreading a false rumor: that the Crown Prince was reluctant to marry Princess Lenoa because she was two years older than him.

“……You mean me, Your Grace?”

“Yes. With His Highness the Crown Prince visiting, who knows what that girl might attempt this time? Rumors are already circulating that his engagement may fall apart.”

“That is not a difficult request.”

Carlo replied smoothly before tilting his head with a faint, inquisitive smile.

“However, I must admit that there is something I find rather curious.”

He appeared the very picture of polite innocence as he continued.

“Even if Lady Roselina made a mistake in the past, she is no longer so young that she would repeat it. And regarding the rumors that the engagement may be dissolved—well, they could prove true, could they not? If the engagement were called off, would that not be welcome news for her?”

At those words, Duke Crussian’s brow twitched.

“Forgive me, but Your Grace’s request sounds less as though you wish me to restrain her and more as though you want to prevent her from becoming the Crown Princess.”

The Duke’s pupils visibly wavered, betraying the composure he had struggled to maintain.

Sensing the shift, Carlo pressed further. His tone remained unfailingly courteous, but his words cut with surgical precision.

“If Lady Roselina married His Highness, she would become the Crown Princess of Adelina. Are you saying, then… that you would prefer she did not?”

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with quiet provocation, tightening his grip upon the Duke’s composure until it began to fracture.