Chapter 06

In truth, it had been Kallias who escorted me out of the ballroom the previous night, so it wasn’t unusual for him to stop by to make sure I had returned safely.

His visit today wasn’t rude or improper in the slightest. If anything, it was the behavior of a perfect gentleman.

Andrea’s reaction, on the other hand, was far too extreme.

There really is something between them.

Judging by the look on Andrea’s face, it went beyond simple dislike—it was pure hatred.

What on earth did Kallias ever do to him?

Whatever it was, it’s good news for me. He clearly can’t stand him.

Seeing Andrea’s reaction made me want to applaud my own decision to choose Kallias.

If I really end up marrying him, I wonder how completely Andrea will lose his mind.

The thought made me smile.

The fact that I—someone who once dreaded marriage more than anything—was actually looking forward to it now was almost unbelievable.

Because I had asked him to personally lecture the marquis, Andrea hastily came up with an excuse.

“The Princess isn’t prepared to receive visitors. Tell him to come back another time.”

I didn’t bother stopping the maid after she received the order.

There was no need.

Because—

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“You can’t enter without permission!”

The guards outside suddenly erupted into chaos.

Then—

“Princess, I’ll be coming in.”

Bang.

Kallias stepped through the door.

For an instant, I thought Kal had appeared before me.

They really do look alike.

His perfectly balanced features, the elegant shape of his eyes that naturally drew one’s attention…

And the golden eyes within them looked remarkably similar to Kal’s.

Of course, unlike Kal—whose childish mischief and innocence could never quite be hidden despite acting like an old man—Kallias carried himself with overwhelming maturity.

There was an entirely different weight to his gaze.

“I greet Your Highness the Princess. Your Highness the Prince is here as well.”

His golden eyes, sharp as a predator’s, swept over Andrea and then me.

No one in the room dared speak.

The oppressive aura surrounding Kallias seemed to freeze time itself.

Everyone stood motionless.

Having survived countless battlefields, perhaps it was only natural.

It felt as though an enormous wolf had calmly wandered into the room.

A man who had spent years fighting where blood soaked the ground…

He looked like an invincible warrior.

He walked toward us with measured, disciplined steps.

Wow…

Compared to Andrea, who was dressed in lavish finery, Kallias wore nothing more than a simple black formal suit with an unremarkable design.

Yet as he approached, his broad, powerful physique looked like a masterpiece carved from marble.

So they were right.

It’s not the clothes that matter—it’s the person wearing them.

Standing beside Kallias, Andrea looked like nothing more than a skinny metal skewer.

Was it just my imagination?

Without realizing it, I had been openly staring at him.

When I finally came to my senses, I discovered he was looking back at me.

I flinched.

Then the man who had filled the room with suffocating tension suddenly smiled.

“…?”

The corners of his eyes curved gently.

The instant he smiled, the frozen atmosphere melted away.

Breathing became easy again.

Andrea must have felt it too.

Only then did he finally find his voice.

“M-Marquis Rodrian! In the Imperial Palace, proper etiquette requires informing the royal attendants of your visit and waiting until you’re invited inside!”

Kallias answered calmly.

“They simply left me standing there. I came in to ask how much longer I was expected to wait.”

The shamelessly matter-of-fact response left Andrea speechless.

“…Ha.”

He let out an incredulous laugh.

“Now that you know, you should quietly wait outside until you’re summoned!”

“I came to see Her Highness the Princess, not Your Highness the Prince.”

I hurriedly interrupted.

“Marquis Rodrian, my brother said he had something important he wanted to discuss with you. You arrived at the perfect time.”

“With me?”

Kallias turned toward Andrea.

His gaze alone carried overwhelming pressure.

I saw Andrea swallow nervously.

“W-Well…”

“It was because you gave me flowers yesterday that my reputation was damaged!”

I answered for Andrea before turning to him.

“Isn’t that right, Brother? What was it you said? That because of those flowers, people were calling me promiscuous… saying the Princess didn’t know how to behave?”

“C-Cloe! Chloe!”

Andrea desperately tried to stop me.

But Kallias spoke first.

“If anyone dares attach such insulting meaning to a simple bouquet, then I will personally hold them responsible for slandering Her Highness.”

He stared directly at Andrea.

“Shall I present Your Highness with the heads of those who dared speak such words?”

He looked completely serious.

As though he would draw his sword that very moment and decapitate every noble responsible.

Andrea panicked.

Afraid the matter would spiral out of control, he turned around and scolded me instead.

“Chloe. That’s not what I meant. I wasn’t saying anyone actually said those things. I only meant they could. You shouldn’t twist people’s words.”

“But you just said you were going to properly punish the man responsible for ruining my reputation…”

Kallias folded his arms, clearly amused.

His thick muscles bulged beneath his sleeves.

It looked as though Andrea’s fragile neck could be snapped with one hand.

“Chloe!”

Andrea abruptly cut me off before glancing at the clock hanging on the wall.

He forced an awkward smile.

“I just remembered I have an extremely important appointment. I’ll excuse myself first. My apologies, Marquis. It’s truly a very important engagement.”

“Pfft!”

The moment Kallias and I reached the palace garden, I burst into laughter.

Andrea’s going to explode later.

I could already imagine him lecturing and berating me for hours afterward.

But at this moment…

It felt far too satisfying to regret anything.

Still laughing so hard tears gathered in my eyes, I apologized.

“I’m sorry, Marquis. That was just too funny.”

“It’s fine.”

Apparently Kallias had already figured out what had happened.

Oddly enough, though…

He wasn’t laughing.

He was simply staring at me.

“…?”

Feeling self-conscious beneath his gaze, I awkwardly cleared my throat and looked away.

“Shall we continue the conversation we couldn’t finish yesterday while we walk?”

I lowered my voice so the maids following us couldn’t overhear.

“If we keep this much distance, no one will hear us.”

“They won’t.”

Even while we walked…

His eyes never left me.

…?

Why was he staring so intently?

As though I were something fascinating to look at.

I touched my face.

Did something get on it?

No.

Everything seemed fine.

I even considered asking him to stop staring.

But there wasn’t the slightest trace of malice in his eyes.

If anything…

They were unbelievably calm.

Maybe it’s just a habit?

Since his gaze carried no hidden intent, it almost felt as though I was the strange one for being so conscious of it.

Eventually, I pretended not to notice.

“So…”

I cleared my throat again.

“Have you decided to accept my proposal?”

“Yes. I’d like to hear your plan. I looked into your circumstances. Apparently you’re already engaged.”

“That’s… admittedly a bit of a problem.”

“It is. But the greater problem is that Ronheim blood flows through my veins.”

Even without my engagement, the Empire’s prejudice against the people of Ronheim made marriage between a princess and Kallias nearly impossible.

Father.

The Empress.

Andrea.

All three would oppose it with everything they had.

Not for my sake.

But to preserve their own dignity.

They’d never allow someone from Ronheim to become part of the Imperial Family.

Royal marriages existed for political gain.

Baron Pelsus had promised the Imperial Family an enormous fortune in exchange for my hand.

There was no chance they’d approve a marriage that brought them nothing.

Well… I did ask Kallias for a gold mine as a wedding gift.

But that would belong to me—not the Imperial Family.

I intended to keep the existence of the mine completely secret.

There was no reason the palace would ever approve this marriage.

Of course…

I had already anticipated that.

That’s why I came up with another idea.

Trying to escape his unwavering gaze, I finally turned to face him directly.

He was still looking at me.

Without blinking.

I raised my chin proudly.

“I told you yesterday.”

“I chose this losing marriage because I believed you could take me as far away from this place as possible.”

“And?”

“Getting me out of the Imperial Palace is part of our bargain.”

“I see.”

“I’ve already proven my intelligence and the value of the information I possess.”

“Now it’s your turn.”

“Show me what you can do.”

That was my plan.

Instead of trying to accomplish everything myself…

I’d let Kallias handle the things I couldn’t.

Revenge didn’t have to be a one-person endeavor.

“I need a capable partner.”

Kallias smiled.

“So you intend to test me.”

“I do.”

His eyes softened.

“Very well.”

“Good.”

His unwavering gaze refused to leave me.

It was making me strangely nervous.

Those eyes…

I can’t even breathe properly.

Trying not to show it, I swallowed.

I nearly choked.

As I struggled to hide my embarrassment…

Kallias spoke again.

“But that wasn’t what concerned me.”

“…Then what is?”

Did I overlook something?

He gave me a strange look.

As if asking whether I truly didn’t understand.

“Your Highness…”

“Are you truly comfortable marrying someone from Ronheim?”

“I already knew where you came from.”

“Are you certain you’ve thought this through?”

“Are you worried I’ll regret it?”

“If you come to Ronheim…”

“There will be many hardships.”

“You’ll have to endure an environment harsher than anything you’ve ever imagined.”

“And you’ll hear the same whispers about me that people speak here.”

Apparently…

He didn’t want me treating marriage to him lightly.

The concern hidden beneath his words caught me off guard.

Why would he worry about me?

Maybe…

He’s worried I’ll start complaining later and try to run away.

Yes.

That had to be it.

There’s no way he’s actually worried about me.

He just doesn’t want me becoming a burden.

He didn’t know.

He had no idea what kind of marriage I had already endured for ten years.

Every day…

Baron Pelsus beat me.

Whenever I finally managed to fall asleep, terrified…

I dreamed of being murdered by my own husband.

And in the end…

The person I had trusted my entire life—

Andrea—

Killed me.

The realization that the one who had isolated me…

The one who had made me miserable…

Was the very brother I’d devoted my life to—

That truth had followed me into death.

There is no future worse than that.

I’d already hit rock bottom.

There was nowhere lower to fall.

“Don’t worry.”

“I’m not treating this like some leisurely trip or vacation.”

My voice was firm.

Kallias raised one eyebrow with obvious interest.

Then…

He bent down until our eyes were level.

“In that case…”

“Let me warn you of one thing in advance.”

“…What?”

The sudden closeness startled me.

I instinctively stepped backward.

Lost my balance.

Before I could fall, he caught me firmly.

Then he leaned close enough for his breath to brush against my ear.

And whispered—

“You don’t honestly believe the rumors about us eating people are completely baseless…”

“…do you?”