Carlo’s once-calm eyes sharpened like blades in an instant.

Theodor’s words could have referred to any number of things—his revenge, Laila’s existence, Duke Crussian, or Empress Scarlet.

“I heard that you sent your exceptionally talented knight to the Northern Front to curry favor with Duke Crussian.”

“That matter has nothing to do with Your Highness.”

Carlo’s reply came out harsher than he intended. For a moment, fear seized him—had Theodor somehow uncovered Laila’s true identity?

But Theodor stepped closer, his voice grave and deliberate.

“How can it have nothing to do with me when Empress Scarlett is involved?”

‘Ah. So he has not discovered the truth yet.’

The tension in Carlo’s shoulders eased slightly as he released a silent breath of relief. At least now, he understood why Theodor had sought him out.

He decided to let the Crown Prince speak and discover exactly how much he knew.

“My mother and yours,” Theodor said quietly, his eyes blazing with restrained fury. “Empress Scarlet was responsible for both of their deaths.”

Bound together by the same grief, the two men sought only one thing—the truth.

“And Lailea…….”

Theodor’s voice faltered, her name catching painfully in his throat.

“The person who killed Lailea was Empress Scarlet. You already know that, do you not?”

“Yes. I know it very well.”

“Then tell me everything you have discovered. I will help you.”

For a moment, Carlo hesitated.

Forming an alliance with Theodor would give him a powerful ally who was equally determined to bring about Scarlet’s downfall.

It should have been the obvious choice.

But if Theodor ever found out that Laila was alive, Carlo would lose her forever.

“The fact that you sent your most treasured knight to join Duke Crussian’s forces tells me that he knows something. Do not even think of deceiving me.”

Perhaps mistaking Carlo’s silence for reluctance, the Crown Prince issued a warning as sharp and cold as steel.

Carlo clenched his jaw. Hearing Theodor repeatedly mention Laila made his skin crawl, but he forced himself to answer calmly.

“Understood, Your Highness. I will join forces with you.”

“A wise decision.”

“But we must proceed discreetly. No one can be allowed to suspect anything. You must not come to my estate, nor may you have me investigated.”

“…….”

Theodor remained silent, but his expression softened with reluctant agreement.

Only a week remained before Laila departed for war.

Soon afterward, Theodor would return to the Adelina Empire—leaving behind an uneasy alliance forged from lies, grief, and a secret Carlo could never allow him to uncover.

‘Then there is no reason for me not to join forces with him.’

With that conclusion, Carlo shared the information he had gathered over the years, and together he and Theodore began drafting their next move.

***

That night, darkness enveloped the Cerclezian imperial palace, while the grand hall hosting Theodor’s welcoming banquet glittered brilliantly beneath crystal chandeliers.

“You seem nervous, my lady.”

He had attended the banquet as Roselina’s partner. Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, with his broad shoulders and sleek black hair combed neatly into place, he drew admiring glances from every corner of the room. He looked every bit like a man born to stand beneath the brightest lights.

Roselina should have appeared equally radiant, standing beside a man envied by every noblewoman present. Yet her smile never quite reached her eyes.

“I suppose I am simply nervous because I am attending with you, my lord.”

A lie.

A beautiful yet transparent lie.

Although her lips curved into a smile, her restless gaze repeatedly darted toward the entrance as she waited for Theodor to appear.

‘So even while clinging to me, she continues to wait for the Crown Prince.’

Trying to hold on to two desires at once was foolish.

‘In that respect, she and I are no different. Once she realizes that the Crown Prince has no interest in her, she will turn to me completely.’

That was Carlo’s plan. When the time came, he intended to play the role of the devoted man whose heart she had wounded. A little risk was necessary if he wanted to claim Roselina’s heart for good.

“I am honored to be your partner tonight, my lady. Please… look only at me this evening.”

His tender tone drew a chorus of wistful sighs from the noblewomen eavesdropping nearby.

Roselina blushed and nodded shyly, though her gaze continued wandering elsewhere.

And then—he appeared.

Theodor, the Crown Prince, entered the hall with Princess Lenoa at his side, her hand resting delicately upon his.

He appeared more striking than ever, the very image of regal composure and effortless charm.

At the sight of him, desire flared openly in Roselina’s eyes, sharper and greedier than before.

“I heard rumors that their engagement was about to be dissolved. But it appears those rumors were false.”

Roselina’s face tightened as frustration, jealousy, and humiliation warred beneath the fragile smile she struggled to maintain.

‘So she truly is waiting for their engagement to end.’

Carlo thought, the corner of his mouth curling faintly.

“It has been a long time since I saw His Highness smile that way.”

“What do you mean?”

Roselina immediately asked, her voice taut with interest.

Carlo nearly laughed. She was far too easy to manipulate.

“His Highness rarely gives his heart to anyone. However, when he does, that is the smile he shows the woman who possesses it.”

“……!”

Roselina’s hand trembled, and fury blazed in her eyes. As he watched her composure unravel, Carlo smirked inwardly.

‘Perfect. Just a little longer, and she will walk straight into the trap herself.’

Across the grand ballroom, Theodor held Princess Lenoa’s hand as they danced—graceful, elegant, and unmistakably affectionate.

Their laughter seemed to fill the entire hall, and their gazes remained fixed upon each other as though no one else existed.

“Look at them, His Highness is smiling. Their wedding must be close at hand.”

That was the final spark. Unable to endure the sight any longer, Roselina abruptly turned and stormed out of the ballroom, her skirts swirling behind her.

“Ha. How shameless.”

Carlo muttered beneath his breath, his voice dripping with contempt.

She was desperate to keep him by her side, yet willing to do anything to claim the Crown Prince’s heart—even if it meant humiliating herself.

He took a sip of wine, concealing a cold smile behind the rim of his glass.

The remainder of the banquet proceeded without incident, filled with courteous laughter and empty toasts. Then, just as planned, Theodor excused himself on the grounds of fatigue and quietly slipped into the garden.

It was all part of the trap that he and Carlo had devised.

Theodor waited within the dim and secluded garden, already knowing who would follow him.

A soft rustle disturbed the silence before a familiar voice timidly called out.

“Your Highness.”

Theodor slowly turned around, as though he had been expecting her all along.

“And you are?”

He had not truly believed she would come—but Roselina had followed him after all.

Desire burned in her eyes, and Theodor had to suppress the urge to recoil. Instead, he forced a courteous smile that immediately brought a blush to her cheeks.

“Do you not remember me, Your Highness?”

“Oh, forgive me. It has been so long since my last visit that I remain unfamiliar with the names of many Cerclezian nobles.”

His courteous manner only intensified her impatience. The man before her seemed flawless—distant, composed, and utterly beyond her reach. That only made her desire him more.

“I once accompanied my father, Duke Crussian, during his visit to the Adelina Empire. That was when I had the honor of meeting you.”

At the mention of the Duke, Theodor’s faint smile disappeared. His eyes turned cold, sharpened by sudden understanding.

“Ah. You are the Duke’s daughter.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I followed you because there is something I must tell you.”

Roselina did not falter even beneath his icy gaze. Instead, she stepped closer, desperation seeping into her voice.

“And what might that be?”

“I know that your engagement to Princess Lenoa is not what you truly desire. So please—give me a chance.”

“A chance?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I have loved you sincerely for many years.”

Theodor exhaled, and a quiet, humorless laugh escaped his lips.

“……How absurd.”

His mask fell away.

Theodor’s true presence—commanding and suffocating—bore down upon Roselina until she had to swallow merely to breathe.

It felt as though she were standing defenseless before an enraged predator.

“So you are the woman who claimed that I could not marry Princess Lenoa because I am two years younger than her. You also said that she would eventually be cast aside.”

Roselina’s body stiffened.

She had never imagined that he would know about the rumor, much less confront her about it here.

The romantic encounter she had envisioned shattered in an instant, replaced by a chilling tension that made her skin crawl.

“A mere young lady such as yourself, dares to slander the woman who will become my bride?”

“……!!”

“I intended to warn you about this regardless. If you ever insult her again, I will not overlook it. I also suggest that you abandon this delusion of becoming my consort. I will not tolerate such filth being directed at my fiancée.”

‘Filth.’

The word struck her like a slap across the face. His tone and gaze made her feel like nothing more than refuse beneath his feet.

Tears of fury gathered in Roselina’s eyes. After years of hopeless longing, everything had ended like this—so bitterly and humiliatingly that she could scarcely remain standing.

“Now, if you will excuse me.”

With that curt dismissal, Theodor turned and walked away without sparing her another glance.

Roselina remained frozen, too stunned to move as she stood amid the ruins of her pride.

Just when she thought the situation could not possibly grow any worse—

“My lady…….”

A familiar voice called softly from behind her.

Carlo appeared with an expression heavy with pain. Disappointment, resentment, and resignation flickered within his eyes.

He glanced toward the path down which Theodor had disappeared, then released a weary sigh and briefly closed his eyes as though struggling to compose himself.

‘No… please do not.’

Roselina’s heart lurched. She instinctively understood what he was about to say. He had witnessed her pleading for Theodor’s affection, and now he intended to end their relationship.

“So, you have chosen His Highness after all.”

“M-My lord, please……!”

Roselina stepped toward him, but Carlo moved beyond her reach. It was the worst possible moment. The thought of losing Carlo as well filled her with genuine, suffocating fear.

She reached for him again, but he retreated another step and shook his head, silently warning her not to come any closer.

“I continued to believe that if I loved you long enough, your heart would eventually turn toward me.”

“That is not true, my lord. You have misunderstood—”

“Please, do not insult me with lies. Not now. Not when everything is already over.”

‘Over.’

The weight of that word struck her like a physical blow.

“I will not do this any longer. I will stop loving you. I will no longer watch you from afar.”

A single tear slid down Carlo’s cheek as he turned away.

Without another word, he left Roselina standing there alone, accompanied only by the hollow echo of everything she had lost.

It truly was—the perfect conclusion to his plan.

Every piece had fallen precisely where Carlo intended: Theodor’s fury, Roselina’s humiliation, her desperate sense of loss, and finally, the decisive separation that freed him from her.

Cold though it was, the plan had neatly tied off every loose end.

It was an ending cruel enough to satisfy his vengeance……yet somewhere deep within him, it still left behind a faint and bitter aftertaste.