106. It feels like I will be erased from you.

Johannes looked at Roselia, who stood as if confronting Barnessa and the palace attendants, and asked,

“What is the matter, Viscount?”

The Marquess of Euciliod, known as the pillar of Raphelios and currently the most influential figure in the imperial court, addressed her with familiarity. This caused Barnessa and the other palace attendants to stiffen their expressions.

Roselia swept her gaze over the attendants before speaking openly, making sure they heard her clearly.

“The attendants responsible for His Highness’s well-being were distracted, nearly causing him to suffer a grave accident.”

At Roselia’s words, Johannes furrowed his brows and turned to the maid who had been shouting at Roselia earlier.

“Is this true?”

The maid, frightened, bowed her head, and Barnessa, standing in front of her, spoke up instead.

“It seems Viscount Bernas is mistaken. His Highness was merely looking at the lake.”

“If I hadn’t intervened, His Highness would have surely fallen into the lake.”

“In that case, I shall ask His Highness directly.”

Speaking confidently, Barnessa turned to Prince Aaron and asked in a serious tone,

“Your Highness, were you planning to jump into the lake?”

With all eyes—including those of the palace attendants, Roselia, and Johannes—fixed on him, Aaron flinched, his shoulders tensing.

“I… I…”

Roselia carefully observed Aaron’s expression.

Always intimidated by Prince Alphonse and burdened by the pressure of being the first in line for the throne, Aaron looked anxious, as though he was being crushed under the weight of his position, even in this moment.

Under the pressing gazes of the Marquess and the maid, Aaron eventually lowered his head and spoke in a restrained voice.

“I… was just looking at the lake.”

At his words, Barnessa’s lips curled into a triumphant smile.

“You heard him, didn’t you?”

Roselia frowned deeply at the maid’s manipulative tactics, knowing full well that the prince could never speak the truth.

Perhaps realizing that prolonging the confrontation with the Marquess would be unwise, Barnessa quickly sought to retreat.

“Your Highness, you have been outside for too long. The etiquette lesson is about to begin, so let us return inside.”

At her urging, Aaron cast a fleeting glance at the Marquess and Roselia before responding with a bitter smile.

“Thank you for your concern, Viscount Bernas, Marquess of Euciliod. I am truly fine, so I shall take my leave first.”

As always, Aaron spoke with a forced air of maturity. With little energy, he turned and walked away.

Yet, despite his attempt at composure, his small and frail back made him look less like an imperial prince and more like a helpless child.

Roselia silently watched him until he disappeared from view. Then, in a subdued voice, she murmured,

“Is it really okay to let him go like this?”

“There’s no benefit in escalating the situation any further,” Johannes replied.

His expression, however, was dark. With a bitter look, he gazed in the direction where Aaron had disappeared and added,

“Empress Gwenhella must be holding back, for now.”

Whether she was simply holding back or waiting for the right moment to strike was something no one could know for sure.

Roselia turned to Johannes and cautiously asked,

“The Crown Prince’s ascension… is it truly fine as it is?”

“There is nothing more Her Majesty the Empress and the Marquess can do. The crown prince’s enthronement ceremony will proceed as planned, and His Majesty the Emperor prioritizes Prince Aaron’s legitimacy above all else. All we can do is hope that Empress Gwenhella lets it pass quietly.”

It felt like standing before a ticking bomb, uncertain when it might explode.

Though uneasy, Roselia knew she had no choice but to move forward.

“For now, since Her Majesty has requested to see us, let’s move to another location.”

Roselia left the meeting with Johannes and headed toward the Empress’s palace.

Upon entering the Empress’s garden, led by a palace attendant, Roselia tilted her head slightly in curiosity at the sight of the Empress seemingly enjoying tea time with someone.

It didn’t take her long to recognize the person sitting with the Empress—Klaus.

“You’ve arrived,” the Empress greeted warmly.

Unlike the Empress’s welcoming tone, Roselia’s expression hardened. Meanwhile, Klaus remained seated before the Empress, casually sipping his tea.

Unaware of Roselia’s reaction, the Empress smiled and introduced Klaus to her and Johannes.

“This is Duke Valtazar from Rugbeljet. Since you’ve both spent time in Rugbeljet, you may already know each other.”

Roselia and Klaus responded at the same time.

“That’s unlikely.”
“I know her well.”

The conflicting responses made the Empress raise an eyebrow.

“You two seem to be saying different things…”

At the Empress’s puzzled look, Roselia quickly cleared her throat and corrected herself.

“I merely owed him a small favor for a short time.”

Roselia’s concise and dismissive summary of their history made Klaus’s brow twitch slightly.

Johannes, sensing something was off, intervened with a questioning tone.

“But what brings the Duke here?”

The Empress answered on Klaus’s behalf.

“He wanted to discuss trade matters concerning Pelton Port and Raphelios. Since Pelton Port falls under the jurisdiction of the Marquess of Euciliod, I thought it would be best to have you join the conversation as well.”

Johannes, who had planned to bring up trade negotiations with the Bellog Merchant Guild through Pelton Port, frowned slightly before speaking.

“That’s quite the coincidence. I had something to discuss regarding the port trade as well. Since our topics seem to overlap, we might as well address them now.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“I plan to establish a trade partnership between the Bellog Merchant Guild of the Kingdom of Mule and Pelton Port.”

The moment Johannes spoke, Klaus’s brows furrowed slightly, mirroring Johannes’s earlier reaction.

The Empress, curious, tilted her head.

“Hmm… The Bellog Merchant Guild? That’s the one led by the Marquess of Bellog from the Kingdom of Mule, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

In Mule, the Bellog Merchant Guild was a significant trade entity, but its reach was mostly limited to domestic distribution and some dealings with Euphelios.

It was nowhere near the scale of the Valtazar family—a ducal house from Rugbeljet known as one of the most influential trading powers across the continent.

The Empress seemed to share the same thoughts as she hesitantly remarked,

“This seems to overlap quite a bit with Duke Valtazar’s proposal. If we consider expanding trade with Rugbeljet, wouldn’t the Duke’s proposal be more beneficial?”

At that moment, Roselia, who had been listening silently, carefully spoke up.

“The Kingdom of Mule has remained in the shadows due to its isolated geography, but it holds immense potential in the arts. If we use their merchants to trade not only Mule’s artwork but also artistic goods from the culturally opposite nation of Benuve, the financial gains could be significant.”

“Art, you say…? Though the two countries differ culturally, they both have deep artistic traditions. It’s an interesting proposal,” the Empress mused, nodding as if she found the idea convincing.

Klaus, who had been observing the conversation silently, finally spoke.

“But the situation in Mule won’t change just because of this. Considering the logistics of trade, accessibility and distribution must be taken into account.”

Though he addressed the Empress, Roselia shot Klaus a sharp glare and countered,

“That is precisely why the Marquess of Euciliod is partnering with the Bellog Merchant Guild. With Pelton Port under the Marquess’s jurisdiction, we can compensate for the geographical disadvantages.”

At Roselia’s firm rebuttal, Klaus met her gaze with his usual composed demeanor and responded,

“But if we consider trade with Rugbeljet as well, routing through Pelton Port would be inefficient.”

“What exactly are you implying?”

“Wouldn’t it be more efficient for trade from the Kingdom of Mule to pass through the Valtazar duchy instead?”

Was he playing word games?

Geographically speaking, the Valtazar duchy was indeed the closest route from Mule, but there was one significant obstacle—the massive, rugged Fjord Mountain Range separating the two regions.

This very mountain range was the reason Mule had remained isolated for so long.

And yet, after previously acknowledging Mule’s geographical constraints, Klaus was now speaking as if the mountains didn’t exist.

“You should be well aware that the Fjord Mountain Range is so treacherous that carriages can’t even pass through.”

“Then we should carve a path for them.”

“What?”

“If the Marquess of Euciliod intends to move forward with this trade deal, then the Valtazar house will lend a hand.”

“What are you saying…”

“The Fjord Mountain Range divides the eastern and western continents, a major obstacle no nation has dared to tackle. Its sheer size and difficulty have deterred even the most powerful rulers. But if the Valtazar family steps forward, that changes everything.”

At this point, Johannes, who had been listening intently, interjected.

“If that were so simple, Raphelios would have done it already. The reason it hasn’t been developed is because it’s nearly impossible. That’s why the Fjord Mountains are known as ‘The Continent’s Wall.’”

Klaus remained unfazed.

“If a wall blocks the path, we simply break through it.”

Roselia and Johannes were momentarily speechless, stunned by how casually Klaus spoke of something that seemed impossible.

Noticing their reactions, Klaus swept his gaze over them before continuing in a calm tone.

“We plan to carve a passage through the mountains.”

Johannes, still in disbelief, asked,

“Do you… truly believe that’s possible?”

“With the financial and political influence of the Valtazar family? Yes.”

Klaus wore the composed and confident expression of a seasoned businessman.

“It wouldn’t be a bad deal for the Bellog Merchant Guild or for Raphelios, either.”

The Empress, who had been quietly listening, nodded in agreement.

“I don’t see any drawbacks for either party… What do you think, Marquess?”

With the Empress leaning in favor of the plan, Johannes, despite his reservations, could no longer argue.

“I will review it carefully with a positive outlook.”

As the conversation subtly shifted in Klaus’s favor, Roselia shot him a displeased look.

Klaus, however, merely gazed back at her with unwavering composure.

* * *

Leaving Johannes behind to speak privately with the Empress, Roselia boarded her carriage and headed to the marquess’s estate.

As she stepped down from the carriage in front of the mansion, her gaze instinctively sharpened at the sight of another carriage nearby—one bearing a familiar emblem.

Sure enough, leaning casually against the wall near the estate was Klaus. The moment he noticed her, he straightened his posture.

Roselia stood still for a brief moment, her expression hardening, before she strode toward him with a firm resolve.

“What are you doing here?”

“Just wanted to see your face before heading back.”

His nonchalant reply made Roselia let out an exasperated breath.

“You saw plenty of me earlier.”

Her tone was sharper than usual, undoubtedly a result of what had transpired before. Klaus spoke in a low voice.

“I wanted to help you, Roselia.”

“Weren’t you just trying to entangle yourself with me somehow?”

Her voice was laced with coldness, and for the first time, Klaus’s expression darkened. But Roselia didn’t care. Without hesitation, she continued.

“Leave.”

With that, she turned away, intending to enter the mansion.

But before she could take another step, Klaus grabbed her wrist and pulled her back—forcefully enough that she stumbled against his chest.

His sudden closeness stole her breath, his warm breath grazing her forehead as he whispered,

“If I stay still, it feels like I’ll be erased from you. This was the only way to make sure you’d see me.”

TL/N:: Both of them are stupid fr fr

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