“About Armin, I mean.”
“What about Armin?”
The question from the prince left me speechless for a moment.
“What? Armin has gone on an unscheduled border inspection.”
“He is the heir to the Grey family. Protecting the empire is also the duty of the nobility.”
In other words, there was no issue with Armin leaving for the border. Prince Zeta’s firm and cold words caught me off guard, and I responded, somewhat defensively.
“Protecting the border is the duty of the frontier dukes, not Armin’s…”
“Lady Roha.”
Prince Zeta cut me off. There was something different about him now. His usual friendly demeanor had shifted, and his eyes, once warm, now appeared dark and heavy.
“I didn’t expect to talk about Armin when I met you.”
What? What did he mean by that?
“Then what else would I talk about with you, Your Highness?”
I asked, genuinely confused. Prince Zeta observed my expression and then slowly spoke.
“There will soon be the Crown Prince’s coronation ceremony.”
It seemed that, finally, with the rumors about his birth settled, the time for him to be officially recognized as the Crown Prince had come.
That made me even more frustrated. I helped with that!
Though it was obvious that the only heir to the throne would eventually be crowned, it didn’t feel the same when it was gained through hesitation and political maneuvering compared to being boldly given the position.
But I couldn’t complain. I forced myself to congratulate him. Then, he shared another piece of news that seemed like something worth celebrating.
“And after that, I’ll be looking for a consort.”
Was he fanning the flames of a burning house? After forcing separation between lovers and family, was he now bragging about a smooth path ahead for himself? I couldn’t tell.
But I decided to suppress any resentment toward Prince Zeta. Much like Armin, he too had no fiancée. The royal family, having so few heirs, likely wanted him to marry quickly to secure the future. I nodded understandingly.
Right. He had suffered enough; he probably wanted to brag to someone. Though he had gotten the wrong person to boast to.
“Congratulations. Your Highness, I’m sure you will find a wonderful wife.”
“Do you really think so?”
He asked me, and I nodded.
If he found a good woman, the Empress would likely stop her complaints too. As Sasha and others had said, maybe Armin and Sasha’s border defense would be finished soon.
“Yes. And about Armin… When do you think he’ll return? Have you heard anything?”
Even after offering two congratulations, his expression seemed off. He looked at me with a somewhat offended gaze. This was a side of the prince I hadn’t seen before.
At every previous meeting—whether it was the first time, the forced walk in the palace, or even in Mikael’s atelier—he had always been smiling and polite. But now, his face was cold and stern.
“You’re talking about Armin again.”
It was as though mentioning Armin was a great insult.
“What?”
“Don’t you prefer to talk about ‘us’?”
His eyes held a familiar coldness, reminding me of the Empress’s gaze.
In the royal family, words carried the weight of law. His eyes, full of the arrogance born from immense power, made it clear he wanted to intertwine me with his matters concerning “us.”
My heart dropped.
“‘Us’… what do you mean?”
“I mean exactly that. About what will happen between you and me.”
“W-Wait! Why would I become ‘us’ with you, Your Highness?”
Even though I knew my tone was sharp, I couldn’t control the unease building in me.
“You just said it yourself.”
“Huh?”
What had I said?
“You said I would find a good wife.”
“That’s…”
“Exactly what I said. Is there anyone in this empire more suitable to be my wife than you?”
The faint smile on his lips felt foreign. This wasn’t the kind and gentle prince I had known.
“Vivian Roha, the divinely chosen girl blessed by the gods, the guardian of the Imperial family. Those are the words used to describe you.”
“Wait, wait just a second! Why is the conversation going in this direction…?”
I waved my hands in protest. How had things ended up like this?
“Your Highness!”
I looked at him desperately.
“The good wife I mentioned wasn’t meant like that.”
“Wasn’t meant like that?”
“Yes.”
I nodded eagerly, trying to dispel the misunderstanding he seemed to have accepted.
“I meant that you would meet someone you could truly love and live a happy life with.”
“I see.”
He smiled brightly. Perhaps it was because they were distant relatives, but in that smile, I could faintly see Armin.
With a smile that resembled Armin’s, the prince shattered all my expectations.
“Then all the more reason for you to become my consort.”
“What? Why me?!”
“You said I’d meet someone I could love.”
His gaze burned with feverish intensity. Even if I only had one romantic experience across this and my past life combined, I wasn’t so clueless that I couldn’t recognize such an unhinged expression.
Startled, I backed away from him.
The prince gave a faint smile at my reaction. It was the kind of smile that said, You know you can’t really run away, don’t you?
He raised his hands, as if to say he meant no harm. The gesture made my head pound, and my hands trembled.
Was this a joke? I couldn’t believe the man in front of me, who now threatened me with that same mouth that once had a gentle image, was the same person I thought I knew.
“Don’t worry. I’m not the kind of man to touch a woman before we’re formally bound.”
“You know about my relationship with Armin. You can’t do this. Seriously!”
“What exactly is the relationship between you and Armin?”
“That’s…!”
“Isn’t it just childish play? You and Armin were never officially engaged.”
“When he comes back from the border, we’re going to be engaged right away!”
My desperate outcry didn’t faze him in the slightest.
“Don’t worry.”
Prince Zeta and I were worried about entirely different things.
“Before that happens, there’ll be my Crown Prince’s appointment ceremony and the selection of the Crown Princess.”
He smiled like he found it all amusing.
“Right. I suppose I can at least tell you one thing you’ve been curious about.”
What the hell is this lunatic going to say now? I found myself mentally referring to Prince Zeta as a lunatic without even realizing it.
Unaware of what I was calling him in my head, he looked at me with soft eyes and clearly enunciated his next words.
“The border Armin was sent to has been seeing frequent small-scale skirmishes lately. As someone bound by duty to protect the empire, he’ll have to take part in the fighting.”
“What… what did you just say?”
“And honestly, I don’t understand why you keep asking me to persuade my mother.”
Prince Zeta shrugged, and the casualness of the gesture made my head spin.
“It was my decision to send Armin and Alessandro to the border inspection team in the first place.”
“You—!”
“Don’t worry. As long as you listen to me, nothing bad will happen.”
“How… how could you do this?”
I didn’t want to cry, but my voice trembled with emotion, unable to hide the tears that had crept in. To that, the Prince gave me his usual insincere, superficial smile and said,
“Lady Roha, Armin has always been my closest friend and family since childhood. I care for him deeply. Once I become Emperor, he’ll serve right at my side.”
“…”
“I want to bring Armin back from the border soon. I trust you understand exactly what I mean by that.”
He might not have been holding a knife, but he was no different from a robber.
I was too stunned to say anything. My mouth felt frozen from the shock. The Prince, seeing my state, kindly added more.
“Starting tomorrow, reject every invitation that comes to the Viscount’s house and quietly stay home, waiting for the Crown Princess selection. I called you today just to tell you that.”
“Why…why are you doing this to me?”
That was all I could manage. Just that pitiful little question. Prince Zeta stood and began walking toward me. With each step he took, my body trembled like prey facing a predator.
His eyes, filled with a deep, suffocating darkness, locked onto mine. I tried to avert my gaze, but those unhinged eyes of his were seeking affection.
“I remember the first time I saw you.”
“Why… are you doing this to me?”
“It was near here. You were crying. I was the one who stopped you from going down that dangerous alley. Not Armin—me.”
“What does that have to do with anything…?”
“The truth is, I fell for you at first sight. But since I thought you were someone Armin liked, I held back. But then you appeared before my eyes again.”
“That’s… that’s absurd.”
“I tried to give up once. But fate doesn’t work according to human will. You received the divine revelation for my sake, silenced the rumors about my birth… don’t you think all of that was destiny?”
“That’s because… you were Armin’s family and friend…”
“Yes. That’s right. I’m Armin’s relative. But before that—”
The prince gently brushed a strand of hair off my shoulder, smiling softly as he did.
“He’s someone who’s meant to serve me. As I danced with you, the more certain I became. Armin was just a stepping stone, someone who brought me the woman who was meant to be mine.”
“A stepping stone…”
He sounded completely insane. And there was no convincing a madman.
“Armin won’t forgive you for this.”
That was all I could say. Upon hearing my words, the prince burst into laughter—like he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.
