“Can we go out for a while? It feels a little stuffy here. ”

“Really? Since the rain stopped, I think we can go out if we can avoid the mud.”

I stepped out of the banquet hall with him.

We walked in the garden silently for a long time. Unlike the banquet hall, which was filled with all kinds of noise, the midnight garden was quiet and tranquil. As I breathed in the cool yet moist air, I felt a little refreshed.

Was it because the rain just stopped? I looked up at the cloudy sky, where no moon or star was visible. The dim darkness looked like my future which had become more uncertain because of Jiun’s appearance.

One question came to my mind suddenly while I was looking at the dark night sky.

Why is Jiun hostile towards me? Given the way she acted at the conference hall and spoke to me a moment ago, it was clear that she held a grudge against me.

Why is she doing that to me? It’s me, not her, who has the right to hold grudges. Didn’t she lead a happy life unlike me? Didn’t she enjoy sharing her love with him, who loved and cared for her, bound by the thread of fate?

Then, why is she hostile to me? What can she get by doing so?

I pondered over it hard, but I couldn’t think of any particular reason. I felt frustrated again.

“Whew!” I sighed deeply.

Carsein, who walked silently by my side, looked at me and asked with a worried expression, “I thought you would feel better if you took a walk. Are you still frustrated? Why are you sighing like that?”

“Oh, I just… ” I slurred, looking around.

A familiar scenery caught my eye. Uh, this place is…

“Did you notice it now? You remember where you are now? ”

“Yes, I bumped into you here at last year’s National Founding Day. ”

“I’m glad you remember. I thought you forgot as you didn’t say anything.”

“No, I didn’t. I was thinking about something else for a moment. Well, it was right here that I discovered Sir Lars and Frincia, who were missing.”

“Oh, right. I still can’t forget the shock when my brother proposed to her suddenly.”

“Why? I think his proposal was great.”

Suddenly, I recalled how Sir Lars proposed to Frincia when she left for the Lua kingdom.

Everyone there stiffened, shocked by his sudden proposal.

While recalling the expressions of those who came out to see her off, I broke into laughter.

Looking at me chuckling silently, Carsein said, “You really liked it, right? You look better now as you are talking about my brother’s proposal. As a little girl, you like it that way?”

“What? ”

When I tried to balk at his teasing, I saw a couple walking toward us at a distance.

A middle-aged man with blazing red hair and a lady with fine blue hair. The woman who found me raised her eyebrows.

As if to stop me from flinching, Carsein stepped forward and said, “Daddy and Mommy, you are here! I couldn’t find you in the banquet hall. ”

“… Hello, Duke Lars and Duchess Lars. ”

“It’s been a long time, Lady Monique.”

His eyes resembled Carsein’s, but they were cold unlike his son’s warm eyes.

I got nervous unconsciously. As someone with experience in society, I was used to various kinds of hostility from many people. But strange enough, I found the duchess hard to deal with. She was particularly wary of me after her son was seriously wounded because of me.

“Sein, can I talk with you for a moment? Lady Monique, I’m sorry to say this as soon as I see you here, but can you excuse us for a minute?”

“Of course, Madame.”

“Mom, even if we are in the palace, it’s dark here in the night. If you really insist, let me escort her back to the banquet hall and come back. Okay?”

“Hey, Carsein…”

When the duchess knitted her brows at Carsein’s sullen reaction, Duke Lars stepped forward and interrupted, “Sein has a point, too. Let’s do it this way. Let me escort Lady Monique, so you talk to him.”

“Thank you, Duke Lars.”

As Carsein was put on the spot because of me, I quickly stepped back, expressing gratitude. I slightly bowed to the duchess and turned quickly.

“Sir Monique, no, should I call you Lady Monique as you are wearing a dress now?”

“It doesn’t matter to me. I am both a knight and the eldest daughter of the Monique family. ”

“Yes, then let me call you Lady Monique. I think you really did a good job for the past week. Thanks for your hard work.”

“Thank you.”

“So, have you made progress in your fencing skills?”

“Thanks to your generosity, I’ve mastered all the techniques of the Lars family for women.”

“Oh, I see.”

The trail in the garden, paved with rugged stones, had a puddle of water here and there.

Duke Lars quietly watched me stepping carefully away from the puddle and said, “Can I ask you one thing?”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“Don’t you actually want to be the crown prince’s wife?”

“… ”

“I know the history of the Monique family. Your family is one of the three remaining families that contributed to founding the empire, and your family has a brilliant history of almost 1,300 years, dating back to the days when your ancestors ruled a kingdom. As your family has no relatives, your family will cease to exist if you don’t succeed the family, and I know that very well.”

Letting out a deep sigh, he looked up into the sky with pensive eyes. Although the heavy rain that poured down for the past one week stopped, there was no moon or star in the cloudy sky.

“That’s why I tacitly supported your father’s decision to make you the successor of the Monique family. It would be a great misfortune if the Monique family ceased to exist because you didn’t succeed. Your family is not only essential to the imperial family due to its absolute loyalty, but also a strong supporter of our faction.”

“… ”

“But the situation is different now. I didn’t worry when you had the sole right to be the crown prince’s wife. But now Jena’s daughter has the same right. Besides, she has divine power. We can’t even try to assassinate her for fear of God’s punishment. So, the only way for us to respond is that you claim the crown of the next empress. You know it well, right?”

I took a deep sigh because what he said was true.

In a situation where the pro-emperor faction could not even touch her for fear of God’s punishment, they had to have the crown prince choose his wife from their daughters to stop Duke Jena from interfering with the imperial family through Jiun. They had no other alternative than promoting me, who had the same qualifications as hers, to beat her, called the child of God’s prophecy.

Of course, my father would have protected me early on before the situation became complex like now if they had found any other realistic option.

“It looks like you really don’t want to be the crown prince’s wife as you haven’t responded. Then, can you strike a deal with me?

“Pardon? Deal?”

“Well, I think we can’t find any solution if you keep sticking to your decision. The more you try to protect yourself to avoid the position of the crown prince’s wife, the more threatening Lady Jena will be to us. In that case, it’s obvious that the noble faction will try to ignore us. I guess our faction won’t let go of you. It’s going to be a vicious cycle. You don’t want that situation, right?”

“No, I don’t want it.”

As the head of the pro-emperor faction, he was discerning. I immediately nodded, agreeing to his statement that hit the nail right on the head.

“So, how about this? As the leader of our faction, I’m thinking of disgracing Lady Jena as much as possible during the one-year grace period, arguing she doesn’t have any qualifications as the crown prince’s spouse. In the process, I want you to support me. It will be much easier for me to do my job if you can show him that she is nothing, compared to you.”

“But in that case…”

“You are worried that the imperial family won’t free you, right? Listen to me first. While you are dealing with her for one year, try to find a lady from the pro-emperor faction who can replace you. I mean a substitute who can take care of work on your behalf.”