How to Perfectly Break Up with You

When Sienna silently stared at him, Jeremiah curled up the corners of his mouth.

“They call him the cold-blooded massacrer. After all, he contributed the most to the Empire’s reign as a fearsome predator across the continent.”

It made sense. While he might be hailed as a hero from the Empire’s perspective, conversely, he would have been the most threatening existence to countries bordering the Empire.

“Whatever Your Highness thinks, the Grand Duke made the greatest contribution to the late Emperor’s achievements. And that legacy continued on to the current Emperor.”

Jeremiah smiled coldly.

“As a man so obedient to the Imperial family, wouldn’t he have earned tremendous trust from the late Emperor as well?”

“That’s nonsense. That’s…”

Sienna frowned in frustration. While she understood his words, it was an absurd suspicion.

“When my father passed away, the Grand Duke was serving as Commander-in-Chief in the northern border battle. How could he have intercepted and forged the will in such circumstances?”

Only then did Jeremiah nod as if convinced. Sienna let out a helpless sigh.

“You should have just come to find me at the funeral with the ring. If you had, things wouldn’t have gotten this far…”

“I did try, but you had already left the Imperial Palace, so there was no other way. Actually, until then, I thought you would contact me after the funeral, but when there was no word…”

He hesitated, unable to continue. But even without hearing the rest, she could guess what the situation had been.

Although the engagement was known only to the late Emperor and himself, Jeremiah probably hadn’t thought that she, the person directly involved, would be unaware of this fact. In the midst of this, when the late Emperor passed away, he must have believed the Imperial Princess would step forward to keep the promise.

This must have been why this fact hadn’t come to light in her previous life as well.

“Moreover, if I had recklessly revealed this ring to the public, things would have gotten even more complicated. Wouldn’t I have met a terrible end, accused of secretly stealing an Imperial treasure?”

Sienna couldn’t help but laugh at Jeremiah’s half-joking, half-serious mumble about how it wasn’t impossible given that the Imperial Princess had been driven to the North.

Jeremiah also smiled broadly as he watched her. Then, with a slightly embarrassed face, he tilted his head.

“I never thought Your Highness would be completely unaware of this matter. I thought at least he would have told you through someone trustworthy. After all, you were father and daughter.”

Well, they weren’t exactly a typical father and daughter. Sienna smiled bitterly.

“So what do you plan to do now? Unfortunately, what happened between you and my father cannot be helped anymore.”

Even if Joseph hadn’t known about this, it would be unreasonable to publicly raise the issue now. Too much time had passed. Bringing up the evidence Jeremiah had received would only invite backlash.

“That depends on Your Highness. So let me ask honestly. Do you really want this marriage to proceed smoothly as planned?”

There was a time when she thought this marriage would be the only escape from all the misfortune that had befallen him and herself.

But now…

Sienna lowered her gaze.

“The Emperor has already issued the official announcement, so there’s no way to withdraw it.”

“How naive. How can anything be certain when the marriage documents haven’t even been stamped yet?”

Jeremiah smirked.

“If Your Highness wishes, I can break off this engagement myself.”

Sienna let out a hollow laugh at his rather bold statement. She wasn’t naive enough to be easily moved by such words.

She turned her head sideways and met his gaze directly.

“What do you want from me in return?”

“Ricata.”

The prince spoke in a voice as light as the wind. But the territory that fell from his lips carried a weight that was anything but light.

For a moment, Sienna was speechless. Or rather, she was too dumbfounded to speak. As she stared at him with unconcealed astonishment, Jeremiah spoke brazenly.

“I think it’s not a bad proposal for Your Highness either.”

“That’s absurd…!”

Sienna raised her voice unconsciously but quickly closed her mouth, becoming aware of her surroundings. After taking a moment to compose herself, she spoke in a low voice.

“Ricata is the largest region in the East. Do you think such territory can be handed over to a foreign country with just a will?”

“It’s not just any will. It’s the final testament left by this country’s Emperor.”

Before she could respond, Jeremiah added in a gentle tone.

“They say a will carries the strongest power, being words uttered at life’s end.”

That much was true.

She had experienced it herself, hadn’t she? She had survived her execution thanks to her husband’s will.

“But as I said before, I have no authority over Ricata.”

“No. As your mother’s daughter, you’ve naturally inherited all of her authority.”

“You must already know. Daughters’ succession to titles isn’t recognized in the Empire. Therefore, neither I nor my late mother have any rights to Ricata, Your Highness.”

“It’s possible in Parma.”

“There was a time when it was possible in Ricata too. Though that was before the Empire’s flag was planted there.”

Sienna said this without changing her expression. Jeremiah didn’t give up either.

Instead, he changed his approach to persuasion.

“My father won’t live long.”

Sienna’s eyes narrowed at this sudden statement.

“Perhaps he’ll breathe his last even before you step into the wedding hall. He was in critical condition right until I came to the Empire.”

“…”

“And if that happens, it’s clear that Your Highness will be in trouble.”

Sienna let out a disbelieving laugh. In contrast, Jeremiah maintained his composed attitude until the end.

“I hope you’ll make a wise decision.”

****

As time passed, the wedding preparations steadily progressed. Therefore, she too had to make a decision. She couldn’t waver forever.

In the end, it was Sienna who sought out Jeremiah first.

“I’m not completely accepting your proposal. Right now, finding the original will my father left and evidence that grants me succession rights to Ricata takes priority.”

At her firm voice, Jeremiah smiled faintly.

‘She’s not as soft as I thought.’

He wasn’t displeased by her implicit statement that she wouldn’t completely trust him. It meant she was thorough in character. If they were to be in the same boat, someone cautious was better than someone rash.

When he didn’t respond, she continued.

“However, if you help me find the real will, I could consider your proposal positively.”

“…Is that how someone asking for cooperation should act?”

When Jeremiah asked incredulously, Sienna snorted lightly.

“I’m making a proposal. From your perspective, cooperating with me would be the most promising bet, wouldn’t it? If you don’t want to keep living under the Empire’s boot.”

“…”

“If I find the real will and obtain succession rights to Ricata, who do you think I’d choose between the Emperor and you?”

When Jeremiah stared blankly without answering, Sienna slightly furrowed her brow.

“Logically, I wouldn’t choose the person who drove me out.”

At her question that seemed to ask if he really didn’t understand, Jeremiah burst out laughing. Then, as if giving in, he nodded.

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

Looking at it objectively, he had nothing to lose either.

Even if the Imperial Princess obtained succession rights to Ricata, it would be nearly impossible for her to completely escape the Emperor’s grasp. She would inevitably need his help.

Therefore, in this relationship, neither party would lose anything.

****

In the Grand Duke’s quiet office, only the sound of turning pages occasionally broke the silence.

Baron Vermont sat stiffly in his chair, swallowing hard. Tension was evident on his face.

Strange though it was, even within the same Imperial Palace, the air in the Grand Duke’s office felt distinctly different.

‘Perhaps it’s less about the space and more about its master.’

The Baron thought to himself. Though there was nothing overtly forceful about the Grand Duke’s manner of speech or behavior, he possessed a power that couldn’t be casually defied. Even now, that was true.

[There’s something being searched for by His Majesty’s orders, and I need your cooperation.]

With just those words, the Baron couldn’t manage even a feeble protest. Unlike the Baron, who sat anxiously even after handing over the confidential will, the Grand Duke showed no hesitation.

No, perhaps ‘brazen’ would be a more accurate description.

Declan only lifted his eyes from the papers after checking the final page of the will. The Baron, who had been secretly glancing at the Grand Duke, hurriedly lowered his gaze.

“Who delivered this?”

“Well…”

The Baron rolled his eyes around as if searching through his memories. Quite some time had passed since the late Emperor’s death, and the situation had been so chaotic that he couldn’t remember immediately.

After nervously moving his lips for a moment, the Baron suddenly lifted his head.

“The chamberlain delivered it. Since he attended to His Majesty until his final moments, there was no reason to doubt it might be a fake.”

“The chamberlain, yes…He was also the first to notice when the late Emperor passed away.”

Declan nodded in agreement.

The current chamberlain had maintained his position from the previous reign through to the current Emperor. He was among the Emperor’s closest confidants and followed his every move like a shadow.

Therefore, he would most likely know best about the Emperor’s final actions. Declan was methodically organizing the situation in his mind.

At that moment, the sound of a commotion could be heard from outside the window.