TRETTHD 06

#6. Proposal

Belia’s pupils trembled subtly.

There was clearly a hidden meaning behind those words.

“…What did you just say?”

A curious glint flashed in the blue eyes that met hers.

“You pulled quite a cute stunt. That letter, I mean.”

He had received the letter—and realized that she was the sender.

As soon as that dawned on her, Belia’s heart pounded loudly.

But it wasn’t due to anxiety or fear.

It was pure exhilaration.

A fierce surge of thrill gripped her heart, a high that came from finally buttoning up the first clasp of her revenge.

Unable to hide the flush on her cheeks, Belia slightly parted her lips.

“Prince Khalid…”

She had to win him over—absolutely.

The fact that he had made it this far already proved his capabilities.

Now what she needed was…

A private place, away from the annoying Raoul, where the two of them could speak candidly.

“How rude of you, Khalid.”

Raoul, who had been watching Khalid whisper something into Belia’s ear, furrowed his brow deeply and strode over. He forcefully removed the hand that had taken hold of her.

“I’ll ask you again. What are you doing here?”

Raoul stepped in front of Belia, blocking her from Khalid’s view.

The man who was usually so composed now wore a subtle edge in his demeanor.

‘Ah?’

Not missing that brief flicker, Belia became even more convinced she had chosen the right prince.

She didn’t know exactly what it was, but it was clear Raoul felt uncomfortable about the second prince.

It seemed she wasn’t the only one to notice Raoul acting more sensitive than usual, as Khalid twisted his lips into a look of amusement.

Didn’t it seem like it would be absurdly easy to get under that man’s skin?

“A guy like you, who should be wandering around casinos gambling, wouldn’t have come all the way here without a reason.”

“Since when were you so interested in what I do?”

“Khalid.”

Raoul sighed and called his younger brother’s name in a low voice, irritated by his mocking tone.

Yes. That voice and that tone.

Raoul was a man born and raised in a position where having everything below him was only natural.

So, this wasn’t anger or indignation. It was more like a pure and simple disbelief that someone would dare confront him.

Belia realized that although Raoul was wary of the second prince, he didn’t regard him as his equal. He was keeping his guard up, but inwardly, he still underestimated him.

‘Which is exactly why choosing the second prince was the right call.’

While he remained complacent in his position…

That would be when she’d rip his throat out.

Belia smirked coldly, staring at Raoul’s back blocking her view.

“Hm. I was originally just going to take a look around and head back… But seeing you in person, brother, I just can’t leave now. Since I’ve come this far, I should at least drop by the royal palace and greet King Ronica.”

Khalid exaggeratedly swept his gaze around and spoke up.

“And it was such a coincidence to run into Princess Belia, too. You could call it fate.”

As Khalid spoke with a deep smile, Belia’s eyes sparkled.

If he entered the royal palace, it meant there would be an opportunity to speak with him privately—without Raoul’s interference. Raoul wouldn’t be able to stop a personal meeting between the princess and her guest inside the royal palace.

It was quite the clever idea.

So Belia quickly opened her mouth before Raoul could object to Khalid’s visit.

“I hadn’t realized it before. So, you’re His Highness, the Second Prince Khalid of the Empire. The royal palace of Ronica has always been friendly toward the Empire. We would, of course, welcome your visit as well.”

Since this wasn’t an official meeting, she simply held her skirt lightly in an informal curtsy to grant permission for his visit. This was undeniably an opportunity.

“You and I seem to understand each other quite well.”

Like clockwork.

Khalid had already suspected that Belia, the sender of that letter, wasn’t an ordinary person.

Even now, she had deftly steered the conversation in the direction she wanted.

“Khalid. If you’re here to stir up trouble, I suggest you leave quietly. This isn’t the Empire.”

Raoul threw out the warning with clear displeasure.

“Come now, brother. How could you know whether I’ll stir things up or behave myself? Hm?”

Khalid bent forward slightly and looked over at Belia, whom Raoul was desperately trying to shield, before speaking in an exaggerated tone.

“Besides, the beautiful princess here says she welcomes my visit. I couldn’t possibly refuse that, now could I, brother?”

Raoul, unable to retort in front of Belia, clenched his teeth and turned away.

Belia postponed her meeting with Derick and returned to the palace accompanied by the first and second princes.

Though she hadn’t achieved her goal outright, the outcome wasn’t without gain.

She confirmed Derick was indeed at the tavern, and she’d also met the second prince, whose reactions she had been watching all along.

It felt like she now held a powerful card in each hand.

“Ha-ha, welcome to Ronica.”

King Ronica looked quite flustered at the unexpected visit from the second prince.

Two imperial princes visiting the kingdom at the same time could have serious diplomatic implications.

The imperial crown prince had yet to be chosen, and the two brothers were known rivals for the throne.

Moreover, since Ronica was currently conducting a joint gold mine survey with the Empire, it might appear that the kingdom was being dragged into an imperial power struggle.

Thus, the king couldn’t readily welcome the second prince’s surprise visit.

“We too need time to make preparations. Would it be acceptable if we ask you to wait a little?”

After careful consideration, the king decided to treat this as a casual visit between acquaintances, not an official state affair, and set a future date for Khalid’s formal visit to Ronica.

Later, when Khalid’s knights were gathered in the capital, a grand welcoming ceremony would be held as if today’s visit had never happened.

“Very well. I’ll return formally on the appointed date.”

Khalid readily agreed.

He never intended to officially stay in the palace in the first place.

This was simply to mess with Raoul.

‘Besides, I did have something to talk to the princess about.’

In truth, Khalid hadn’t taken the contents of the letter seriously.

It was curious how she knew there was no gold mine, but maybe it had just been a lucky guess. At first, he simply wanted to find out who sent it.

If the letter’s information was true, he could gain a huge advantage. And if it was a prank, it might be annoying, but he’d lose nothing.

But once he discovered the sender was Princess Belia of Ronica, everything changed.

The words written in that letter suddenly carried a new weight.

And the fact that the woman Raoul had been desperately chasing after had secretly reached out to him—with the clear intent to humiliate Raoul?

‘This is interesting.’

Standing by the window with his arms crossed, Khalid let out a quiet chuckle.

He was curious about her true intentions.

“Nice to see you. Let me greet you formally this time. I’m Belia Ronica.”

Belia entered the drawing room with a bright smile.

“You’re here.”

Khalid lifted his head slightly to look at her, his expression as cold as the rumors said. He also carried the haughty air characteristic of royalty.

The sharpness in his gaze, half veiled by the red shadows of the sunset, was cutting. The only feature he shared with Raoul was his piercingly clear blue eyes.

“Khalid Ingold.”

As he introduced himself and slowly walked from the window, Belia responded with another soft smile.

“Let’s skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point.”

Khalid pulled a letter from his coat and dropped it onto the table with a soft thud.

Since this was their first proper meeting and small talk was pointless, it was better to get straight to business.

No need to waste time.

“This—was this your doing, Princess?”

Belia glanced at the letter and tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.

“I’m not sure what you mean?”

“Don’t bother denying it.”

The expression she wore, pretending ignorance after deliberately leaving a trace, was infuriating.

Crossing his arms again, Khalid spoke firmly.

“Why did you send me this letter?”

In response, Belia tugged up the corners of her lips and stepped closer to him.

One step. Another step.

So small and frail, and yet—

As she boldly approached him without a hint of fear, Khalid found himself genuinely amused.

When she stood close enough that he could reach out and touch her, Belia looked up to meet his eyes.

“Yes. I sent it.”

She admitted it brightly.

“But before asking why, shouldn’t you first answer the request in my letter?”

She had offered to reveal the location of the gold mine—if he would help her.

“Princess, wasn’t coming all the way here enough of a reply? So stop trying to test me and just say what you really want.”

Khalid shrugged lightly.

Getting the imperial prince to come here in person was reason enough to take her seriously.

But that was as far as his goodwill extended.

He still needed to know how she had learned what was in that letter.

‘She’s not just anyone…’

As a princess of Ronica, it wasn’t something she would have claimed lightly.

How had someone confined to the palace come to know the gold mine didn’t exist?

Khalid sighed, exhaling softly.

“Where did you get your information?”

Judging from her behavior, she clearly knew something.

But Belia wasn’t one to give in easily.

Instead, she feigned a confidence as if she had a powerful source backing her.

“I can’t give that up so easily.”

He rubbed his chin in thought, falling silent.

Despite his lack of response, Belia spoke in a confident tone.

“I really do know the location of the mine. And Your Highness came all this way because part of you thought it might be true, didn’t you?”

He would take her hand.

Because—

“Wouldn’t Your Highness also like to land a blow against the First Prince?”

“…What? Hah!”

Khalid burst out laughing at her slyly spoken words.

As his laughter slowly died down, he asked with genuine amusement:

“What is it that you want from me?”

As expected.

Belia’s prediction had been right on the mark.

“What I want is…”

Her lips curled into a wicked smile.