"Miss, is there anything uncomfortable?"
I looked up from my book at Hannah's careful question.
I grinned and shrugged lightly.
"No. Everything happens the moment I speak. How could anything be uncomfortable?"
I meant it.
For three days at the Grand Duke’s residence, I’d been content every single moment.
Delicious meals. Frequent, delicate snacks. A library full of books. A cozy bed.
Even with his busy schedule, the Grand Duke spent every morning and evening with me.
Each time he appeared in a new, immaculate suit and escorted me to my door, I slipped my hand into his—shyly, but willingly.
"It’s nothing major. It’s just... the day after tomorrow is the last day of the victory banquet."
"Yes. I heard His Highness is attending as a war hero. Why does that trouble you?"
"I just... don’t care for banquets."
It was a pretext—but half true.
It was hard to enjoy gatherings where I always stood alone, surrounded by whispers.
But this time, my dislike had nothing to do with crowded rooms or gossip.
Everyone I’ve run from is in that hall. Father. Conrad. Jade. And Leopold.
Just thinking his name made my chest ache.
Echoes of their voices rang faintly in my ears.
"If you hate it that much, it would be better not to go."
Hannah hesitated, even as she spoke—as if she knew the words were impossible.
I chuckled and called her name.
When she hurried over and I patted her hair, she smiled like a child.
"You’re right. It would be better if I didn’t go."
That thought had come to me before every banquet.
I don’t want to go.
But I’d never dared say it aloud.
Olivia Madeleine.
Princess Madeleine. Crown Prince’s fiancée.
Outside the royal family, the highest-ranking woman in the Empire.
I couldn’t simply refuse a banquet I was expected to attend as a future Crown Princess.
No matter how quietly I fled the Duke’s house—there was no returning to Leopold’s side.
I sighed slowly.
And again.
Hannah watched with tears in her eyes, but I couldn’t stop.
---
"..."
"..."
I said nothing.
So he said nothing either.
Silence stretched between us.
Once it began to feel suffocating, I dropped my gaze.
"...No. There’s really nothing I should ask Your Highness to do."
I kept it vague.
These were matters for the Duke. For the imperial faction. For my family.
No matter how great a war hero he was, there were things the Grand Duke shouldn’t be entangled in.
I forced a gentle smile.
"If I ask for more, I’ll be too greedy. You’ve already made a place like this for me."
It would be wonderful if this kindness could last.
But I knew better.
Dreams always ended when the sun rose.
I swallowed slowly. Something stung at the back of my throat.
"...So, I’ll return to the Duke’s residence tomorrow."
"...Truly?"
"Yes. Dresses and jewelry usually arrive a day in advance."
Bitterness coated my tongue.
That’s the reality. A place that lets me hope—then discards me.
I couldn’t continue imposing upon the Grand Duke.
If I stayed, the imperial faction—led by the Duke and the Emperor—would surely move against him.
I put on a mischievous smile:
"Now it’s my turn to repay my debt. Remember? Madeleine is thorough when it comes to repaying favors."
My surname—which I’d once worn proudly—felt oddly uncomfortable on my tongue.
I laughed to cover it up.
The Grand Duke’s narrowed eyes rested on me a moment too long.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Am I?"
"You look angry."
"It’s not anger. More... confusion."
He let out a short breath. His crimson eyes sharpened.
"You said you would invite me. What kind of heart is it that chooses to endure instead of calling?"
I pressed my lips together.
I couldn't breathe.
The truth was—I didn’t want to go back.
Once I noticed it, the dam broke.
All the feelings I’d smothered beneath duty and habit flooded out.
I was tired of being Princess Madeleine. Of being the Crown Prince’s fiancée.
I was tired of being the Princess’s workhorse, the Empress’s scapegoat, the nobles’ subject of mockery.
Most of all, I was tired of looking at a family that wouldn’t see me. At a fiancé who would never love me.
I couldn’t keep pouring sincere love into a void.
So I looked at him.
At those red eyes that seemed to understand everything already.
For a moment, I thought I would cry.
Why does he wait for my answer?
All my life, decisions had been handed down to me—not asked of me.
That earnestness shook me to my core.
At last, I whispered:
"...Will you really help—no matter what I want?"
"My lady."
He regarded me as if he pitied me.
A hint of provocation curled at my lips.
"I told you, didn’t I? I’m ready whenever you are."
---
Maria Ethel floated over in a glittering gold gown, clinging delicately to Leopold’s arm.
"Is something wrong, Your Highness?"
Her voice was sweet with concern.
He gave a clipped answer.
Maria, perceptive as always, didn’t press further.
Instead, she lifted her skirt and whispered:
"I heard Your Highness ‘reached out’ to the Princess. So I chose brilliant gold—like Your Majesty’s hair. How do I look?"
Leopold chuckled at her flattery.
He combed his fingers through her blonde locks and kissed them.
Maria glanced around proudly, savoring the sight of his open affection.
The final banquet was more crowded than usual.
She knew exactly who the main character was supposed to be.
And that half-grown Princess clearly doesn’t.
As she looked around, her eyes caught on the Madeleine heirs.
Conrad—expressionless as ever, despite rumors that his sister had vanished.
Jade—barely containing his temper.
Olivia—the half-blood who’d shackled her lover since they were children, just by virtue of being a Duke’s daughter.
Because of Olivia, Maria carried the stigma of "the lover of an already-engaged prince."
But that will change tonight.
Maria smiled to herself, watching the nobles.
The gossips she’d primed in advance began to move.
"I heard that half-breed Princess has already been kicked out of the duchy."
"Nonsense. She’s still the Crown Prince's fiancée."
"Engagements break all the time..."
"But the Duke leads the imperial faction. Then what of the Second Princess?"
"Watch your tongue. He treasures his younger daughter dearly."
The whispers grew louder.
Jade ground his teeth, poised to bolt.
"Don’t make a scene."
Conrad’s hand dug into his shoulder and held him back.
But Jade’s venomous glare swept the crowd, making more than a few nobles cough and avert their eyes.
Still, the buzz wouldn’t quiet completely.
His chest felt tight.
Five days had passed since Olivia left.
He’d searched every inn in the capital—without finding a trace.
Where are you?
Jade bit his lip.
Just as his anger began to crest—
"His Highness, war hero Edwin Lowell Vikander, enters!"
The herald’s cry echoed through the hall.
Jade glanced toward the great doors.
The Grand Duke strode in, jet-black hair and a black suit edged in gold embroidery making his pale skin seem even more stark.
Jade scowled automatically.
Then froze.
Standing beside the Grand Duke...
A woman in a blinding white dress surveyed the hall serenely.
Green eyes swam over the sea of faces.
"...Olivia."
He spoke her name under his breath.
The herald, flustered, hastily shouted again:
"By his side, Her Highness Princess Olivia Madeleine enters as his partner!"
Olivia Madeleine.
The unsightly young woman who always wore dull, dark dresses with barely any adornment.
Tonight, she wore pure white.
A gown studded with jewels. A sparkling pink diamond at her throat. Intricate, delicate accessories.
The jewelry and fabric alone looked outrageously expensive.
Yet no one could focus on any of that.
They saw only Olivia herself.
Was she always this beautiful?
Her expression was calm, almost distant. The elegance of it made her seem untouchable.
Her green eyes—once mocked as vulgar—cast a sweet, mysterious spell over the room.
So many mouths went dry at once that the sound of someone swallowing was almost deafening.
And the most dangerous man in the Empire—Grand Duke Vikander—had shed his usual cool mask.
At her side, he smiled as he offered his arm.
Escorting Olivia as if there were no one else in the world worth looking at.