IBMILRFL | Chapter 83

Episode 83

The Crown Prince’s office within the Imperial Palace.

Leo leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smile.

A stark contrast to the expression of the aide standing beside him.

The aide tried for a moment to suppress his unease, but he couldn’t hold it back and eventually asked carefully.

“…Your Highness, do you really intend to make that proposal to Vanessa Winder?”

The aide, who would usually never question the Crown Prince’s words, couldn’t let this one go.

Even upon second thought, this was the most shocking decision yet.

“Why? Are you nervous?”

Leo smiled leisurely. His gaze showed no intention of retracting the decision.

“…Yes, to be honest, I am uneasy. I simply can’t understand why you made such a decision in the first place. Wasn’t your original plan to kill that woman?”

There was no fault in the aide’s words.

From the moment Vanessa came to Onz seven years ago, Leo had continuously searched for ways to pressure her.

He subtly imposed all sorts of disadvantages to prevent the Winder family from gaining power, and at times incited her collateral relatives to plot her assassination.

‘She’s a tenacious woman. Everything failed.’

No matter what tactic he used, Vanessa always managed to avoid the traps he laid.

It was the first humiliation Leo had ever experienced in his life. That’s why he would get angry whenever he faced her.

No matter the circumstance, she would always return unscathed and smile loftily as if to mock him.

Just seeing those red eyes made his insides churn and his temper flare.

Until recently, when he heard from his cousin Seira about the circumstances surrounding the engagement between Count Winder and Lady Locke, his feelings hadn’t changed.

So even Leo hadn’t imagined he’d suddenly make such a proposal to his hated enemy.

It was then, while he was lost in thought, that the aide added with a troubled expression.

“Still, perhaps it would be better not to make this proposal… It concerns marriage, Your Highness. It’s not just anything.”

Leo shrugged.

“That’s true. But… now that this has arrived in front of me, doesn’t it change things?”

The Crown Prince looked down at the crimson letter paper on his desk.

A letter that had secretly arrived a few days ago.

A deep-colored paper no imperial citizen would ever use—its origin was clear just by looking at it. The only country that used such a distinctive hue was the neighboring kingdom of Onz.

Leo scanned the contents of the letter once more with a meaningful look in his eyes.

‘I wonder what kind of expression she’ll make when she sees this letter.’

One thing was certain… that lofty demeanor of hers would finally be broken.

With a strange sense of anticipation, Leo’s lips curled slightly.

He hoped Vanessa would accept his invitation.

Reception room of the Crown Prince’s palace.

Having received an invitation from Leo, I entered the palace in secret.

‘…He’s probably planning to wrap up the conversation we had at the theater.’

On the day he came to see me, he demanded that I stand on his side instead of Dais.

‘What on earth is he thinking? There’s no way he believes I’d agree to that.’

We had been political enemies for a long time.

Even now, I had no intention of accepting his outstretched hand.

‘Not simply because of old grudges, but because we fundamentally can’t trust each other.’

Leo knows my personality.

Even if I pretended to yield and promised to align with him, he wouldn’t believe me. Even if I truly yielded, the situation wouldn’t change.

Either way, he would continue to doubt me endlessly.

No matter how I ran the numbers, the result was the same.

I could never side with Leo.

Of course, if there were some way to establish absolute trust between us, maybe it would be possible…

‘But using such a method would be more troublesome than just aiming for my neck again.’

That’s why I concluded that he had some other scheme in mind.

And today, I had accepted his invitation specifically to confirm that suspicion.

Following the attendant, I headed to the reception room, where Leo was already waiting inside.

I greeted him with a bow, as etiquette required.

“I greet the future sun.”

Click.

Once the door closed, I swallowed dryly from the tension. Through the numerous attendants standing silently against the walls, I saw him.

Ha. Leo let out an odd laugh.

“Is there a need for such formality between us?”

“…”

A subtle reaction. Something felt off, but I sat across from him anyway.

“Thank you for coming. I didn’t expect you’d accept my invitation.”

“You say that knowing full well I’m not in a position to refuse. Are you teasing me on purpose?”

“Well, that’s true. You know how these things go—it’s just empty formalities. Come to think of it, how have you been since then?”

Leo set down the teacup he was holding with a light clink.

“Thanks to you, I’ve been doing terribly.”

“Haha, you jest. By the way, I hear perfume is trending among young ladies lately. You’ve never been interested in that sort of thing? Didn’t you always like to be at the forefront of trends?”

Of all things, to mention perfume to me. An uncomfortable coincidence, but I knew. That wasn’t why he’d summoned me.

There was no point in continuing this trivial, pointless conversation.

I raised my chin slightly and fixed him with a cold glare.

“I didn’t realize Your Highness summoned me simply to waste my time.”

A normal person might have flinched at my sharp tone, but of course, Leo was no ordinary opponent. He remained composed and aloof.

“You want to get to the point? Efficient. That’s why I like you.”

Leo’s eyes curved like crescents. A beautiful smile, but it felt strangely eerie.

“I’ll get straight to it. Won’t you become the Crown Princess?”

At that absurd statement, my body tensed involuntarily.

It was something I’d never imagined, not even once.

“Your Highness, I believe you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

“No, I’m never wrong. I’m talking to you. Yes, Vanessa Winder—you.”

As if to prove his sincerity, Leo arrogantly crossed one leg over the other.

“I didn’t expect you’d be so shocked. Didn’t you pair your son with Lady Locke to side with Dais anyway? I’m making a similar proposal.”

Seeing the bright gleam in his golden eyes only made me more confused.

Indeed, nothing symbolizes trust more than marriage.

‘There are times when even noble families at war reconcile through political marriages.’

Still, it made no sense. He wasn’t proposing a match with someone close to him—he was proposing to marry me himself.

It was too suspicious.

What did he stand to gain from giving up the singular position of Crown Princess to me?

‘It can’t just be about wanting the wealth of the Winder family…’

I tried to gauge what kind of conversation he might’ve had with Seira, but with the information I had, I couldn’t figure it out.

As I remained silent, Leo spoke again.

“I won’t ask you to immediately break off the engagement between Count Winder and Lady Locke. Even if it’s a relationship built on pretense, it’ll take time to wrap up naturally. Instead, as proof of your support for me, I need you to become my consort.”

“The empire must be doomed. The next emperor says the most outrageous things. No wonder I have no choice but to support someone else.”

Even in the face of my rejection, Leo’s expression didn’t change. As if he had another card up his sleeve.

“Hmmm, are you still bitter about the time I targeted you? Try to understand. I had my reasons.”

He pulled out a letter from inside his robe and handed it to me.

“I was ordered to. By your brother.”

The moment I saw the form of the letter, I instinctively clenched my fists.

A familiar red paper.

Even though I had been away from my homeland for several years, there was no mistaking the type exclusively used in the Kingdom of Onz.

“He asked me to kill you.”

With that brief sentence, Leo gave a twisted smile.