TRETTHD 03

#3. Approach

“Prince Khalid…”

Belia tapped her fingers lightly on the desk, deep in thought.

Was he someone who could be of help to her?

‘If I had met him in my previous life, I could’ve made a quick decision…’

All she knew for now was that Raul seemed to be highly wary of him for some reason, and there were only fragmented stories about him circulating in high society.

Scandalous and negative rumors, filled with exaggeration.

But Belia couldn’t bring herself to trust those rumors.

Because in her previous life, she had witnessed how such rumors were fabricated firsthand.

Raul had tried to destroy Empress Belia’s reputation for the sake of his lover, Erze.

And because the Emperor desired it, terrible acts that Belia never committed were deliberately spread as though they were true.

One rumor gave birth to another, and they piled up until she became a cruel and vicious empress who died a miserable death.

Maybe—just maybe—Prince Khalid was another victim of similarly twisted rumors.

Because she had seen Raul’s true nature in her past life, Belia decided to keep all possibilities open.

“First, I need to learn more about him.”

Once she made up her mind, there was no point in delaying.

Muttering those words to herself, Belia began writing a letter addressed to Prince Khalid.

She casually hinted at information she knew would interest him. That alone should be enough to catch his attention.

Of course, the letter wasn’t sent under Belia’s name.

‘Something like this should be fine to test him with.’

To bring Raul down, she’d need partners. Many tasks lay ahead.

So it was necessary to confirm whether Prince Khalid was someone she could work with.

Would he be sharp enough to realize who sent the anonymous letter?

Belia had heard a lot about the prince’s arrogance and attitude.

But no one had ever spoken about his abilities.

In fact, people mostly spoke about his incompetence.

‘But…’

Belia tried to recall what the Second Prince had been like in her past life.

Strangely enough, she’d never crossed paths with him.

Even at the party he was supposed to attend, he never showed up.

Yet the lingering sense of unease she had back then kept nudging her to look deeper into him.

‘…It felt like he was planning something.’

Belia chose to trust that old intuition—the one that told her he wasn’t just some useless prince.

She quietly called for her knight, Ben.

“Princess.”

“Sir Ben. I have a favor to ask.”

She handed him the letter she had written, along with a small slip of paper.

“Please ensure the letter is delivered exactly as written on this note.”

Ben glanced at the paper and tilted his head in confusion.

“…If we do it this way, no one will know the letter is from you.”

“That’s the point. I’ve hidden a trap in there. If he’s clever, he’ll realize it’s from me.”

Belia smiled lightly.

“Please handle it for me.”

Ben didn’t quite understand her reasoning, but he trusted his princess and nodded firmly.

“Understood.”

Was choosing Prince Khalid the right decision?

As she watched Ben leave the office, Belia rested her chin on her hand.

Just thinking of Raul, who was likely still roaming this peaceful Kingdom of Ronica, caused a murderous fury to slowly boil up from inside her.

“Haa…”

She pressed her cheeks with both hands.

Even though she had returned to the past and was now living a much warmer life, the pain of what she had experienced hadn’t disappeared.

But rather than act out of emotion, she needed to calmly and clearly plan her next steps.

She had declared she would destroy Raul, but he wasn’t someone who could be taken down without a meticulous plan.

‘First…’

To see that shameless, deceitful face twist in despair, she had to ensure everything he believed in crumbled before his eyes.

And the first step toward that was the contents of the letter she sent to Prince Khalid.

‘…I have to make a deal with him.’

Not long ago, a massive gold mine had been detected in the eastern mountain range. The Kingdom of Ronica could have investigated it on their own, but its location was too tricky.

In the end, the king had decided to partner with the Ingot Empire, which could provide support from the Mage Tower, and deployed a large team.

However, due to the vast area, the investigation was progressing slowly. Magical tools could only narrow down the general location; actual discovery still required human effort.

That was why Raul had come all the way here.

If the gold mine was discovered while he was present, it would boost his image. Even if it wasn’t, his visit alone would paint him as a caring prince who encouraged the people.

Belia’s expression grew cold.

Returning to the past gave her an advantage: access to future information.

But it was still too dangerous for her to step into the spotlight.

‘If I tell Prince Khalid the exact location of the mine in exchange for him sabotaging Raul’s proposal…’

Yes. That would be a good start.

It wasn’t a bad deal for him either.

‘If he read the letter, he’s surely interested by now.’

And he’d be curious about who sent it.

If he managed to deduce that it was from her and reached out…

‘I must win him over.’

She would build trust with him as an ally, then ask him to become the sword to carry out her final goal.

Helping him become emperor in exchange for Raul’s destruction—surely a fair trade.

Tok. Tok.

The sound of fingers tapping the desk filled the quiet room for a while.

“Princess.”

Just then, a maid quietly called her.

When Belia looked up, the maid spoke with a troubled expression.

“The First Prince has requested an audience.”

Raul came looking for her every day.

He didn’t seem to realize how rude it was to show up so frequently.

He was so sure she wouldn’t reject him.

Even remembering how she used to enjoy his attention in the past made her feel disgusted now.

“…Where is he?”

“He’s in the drawing room.”

Belia fell silent again.

Continuing this situation wasn’t ideal.

‘In any case, rejecting Raul’s proposal comes first.’

Revenge would come after.

“Princess, should I tell His Highness that you decline?”

Since Belia remained quiet, the maid cautiously asked.

Having witnessed their encounters several times, she could tell that Belia disliked meeting with the First Prince. No matter how high his rank, she couldn’t bear seeing him trouble her lady.

“…I really hope you won’t force yourself, Princess.”

The maid spoke in a small but firm voice.

“Haha. Is that so?”

Belia let out a soft laugh at her maid’s concern.

Everyone in the Ronica royal palace was on her side—no matter who the opponent was.

Her heart warmed.

She liked her current life.

For a moment, she wondered if rejecting the proposal might be enough to preserve this happiness.

‘…But that’s not possible.’

Raul’s interest was never in Belia herself.

The Kingdom of Ronica was small but rich in resources. Even before the gold mine was discovered, it had always been abundant.

Fertile farmland in the west, timber and minerals in the eastern mountains, a large lake with plentiful water, and even a small diamond mine.

‘Now that the existence of a massive gold mine is known, his proposal isn’t strange at all.’

Owning Ronica would be a sweet reward.

In her past life, she’d naïvely believed he loved her sincerely—but not anymore.

Now, she saw that he only wanted her for his own gain.

‘And yet…!’

Seeing him show up pretending to be kind made her blood boil. Having to meet him was unbearable.

“Princess.”

The maid gave her a hopeful look, clearly wanting her to refuse the meeting.

But Belia sighed and spoke.

“…Tell him I’ll be out soon.”

She couldn’t afford to snub a prince of the empire.

Belia slowly began preparing to meet him.

* * *

When she arrived at the drawing room, Raul was seated beneath the window, basking in the sunlight.

His platinum-blonde hair shimmered, and his crystal-clear blue eyes glowed. That gentle smile he always wore was still there.

‘…He planned even this.’

Because she knew so much about him now, she could see through his every act.

Even that carefully chosen spot—right by the window—was no coincidence. It was positioned perfectly to make her fall for him the moment she entered.

He was a man who knew exactly how to wield his charms.

“Prince Raul.”

“Princess Belia.”

Raul looked up as if just now noticing her, and offered a small bouquet with a dazzling smile.

“The weather was beautiful today. On my way here, I saw these flowers and thought they reminded me of you. I wanted to show them to you.”

Belia smiled softly at his fake sincerity.

She took the bouquet and placed it on the table without a second glance.

“Thank you.”

His lips twitched slightly, clearly not the reaction he expected.

“More importantly… Have you still not made up your mind?”

He was referring to the marriage proposal.

He seemed confused by her delay in responding.

“I need more time to think.”

“Is there any reason to hesitate?”

The emperor was always overflowing with confidence.

She had once loved that about him.

But now, even the sound of his breathing irritated her.

“We’ve barely known each other. How could I make such an important decision so quickly?”

“…My feelings are sincere. I will raise you to the highest position in the empire. I will offer you everything noble.”

And he would.

But only as meaningless favors to achieve his goals. Things of no real value to him.

“Thank you, but I’m still not convinced.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Can you swear you will love only me for the rest of your life?”

“Of course!”

Raul answered confidently.

Belia looked at him silently, then slowly shook her head.

“…Unfortunately, I’m not that naïve.”

He couldn’t fully grasp what she meant by that.

Nor could he read what she was truly thinking.

‘I’ll destroy you. I’ll watch you crumble, completely and utterly.’

So just wait.

Wait and see how you walk straight into your own ruin.

Belia smiled coldly as she looked at the teacup that was growing cold.