THVS 26

Chapter 26

It wasn’t unusual for Sier to devote himself entirely to work.
He believed that the only way to stand alongside the First Prince—backed by powerful maternal relatives—was to achieve distinguished merit or have his abilities fully acknowledged.

Work during the day, magical research at night. Repeating only those two things and staying up all night was routine.
He endured and endured, gritting his teeth and holding on while hoping these days would eventually come to an end.
Someday, he wished to have his abilities recognized so he could stand proudly at her side.

To Sier, Tien was that kind of existence.
The only hope that made him want to get back up even after collapsing.

Then one day, his fiancée, Leila Arvid, requested the annulment of their engagement.
The very first emotion he felt upon hearing this was discomfort.

In the imperial center, where he had no backing, the only thing that allowed him to stand on equal footing with the Namaretti family was this political engagement.
He had never intended to marry her anyway. It was only natural—this was a political engagement that continued solely because their interests happened to align at the right time.

Although they were technically engaged, they rarely encountered each other, so it was more accurate to say they felt nothing in particular toward one another. The same was likely true for Leila Arvid.

Engaged in name only—strangers no different from any others.

“Prince, you like Tien—Lady Elopez, don’t you?”

Sier felt deeply displeased when those words came from Leila Arvid’s mouth.
How on earth did she know that?

No one knew except Terdeo, his attendant. He had never once let it slip into the outside world.
He hadn’t shown any sign of it either. In the past few years, they had only brushed past each other at official events. He had concealed it thoroughly, even then, for fear the Empress might notice. It was strange that anyone could have figured it out.

A woman he had never even met privately knew about the feelings he harbored. This was a situation that warranted suspicion.

“How do you know that? Did you threaten my aide or something?”

Terdeo wasn’t the type to open his mouth for a bribe. If he wanted wealth or prestige, he would have sided with First Prince Euclid long ago.
Faced with Sier’s firm question, Leila responded calmly.

“Your Highness’s aide is safe in the next room.”

Her answer carried not a trace of guilt. He had heard she was timid, but this was completely different from the rumors, and it felt unsettling.
Sier knew very well what emotion he saw in Leila’s eyes.

He couldn’t not know.

That was helplessness—accumulated day by day through repeated frustration. Exactly the same as his own.

“What are you trying to say? If you’re planning to blackmail me with that, you’d better stop.”
“Blackmail…?”
“I heard you’re close friends with Lady Elopez. Are you planning to use me to put her in a difficult position?”
“Ha… I didn’t expect such a novel idea. I’m a little surprised.”
“…What do you mean?”
“First, let’s make one thing clear. I have absolutely no intention of using Your Highness to trouble Tien.”
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
“Kill me, then. If I ever truly betray Tien, kill me with your own hands.”
“Hah!”

He was dumbfounded by her audacity. And yet, as he met her utterly indifferent gaze—one that looked as though she truly wouldn’t mind dying—his suspicion strangely faded.

“Then why did you come to see me?”
“To request an annulment.”
“…This is an engagement with the imperial family. Do you think it’s that easy to break?”
“I’ll make it happen. You don’t want to marry someone you have no feelings for either, do you?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me. If you’re worried because you need the power of the Arvid family, don’t be. Even after the annulment, I’ll continue to support you.”
“…Has this been discussed with your father?”
“Not yet. But as I said, I’ll make it happen. Everything. I’ll even bring the Temple over to your side.”

Every condition she offered favored him.
What on earth was this woman plotting?
What could she possibly gain from this?

“And the price?”
“Please stay by Tien’s side. No matter what happens.”
“…You know my situation. If you stay close to me, the entire Elopez family could be endangered.”
“If that happens, Tien will distance herself from you on her own.”
“Why propose a deal like this? If I were you—if I truly cherished Lady Elopez—I’d place someone who would treasure her above all else at her side.”
“That’s exactly why.”
“…”
“Because Your Highness will surely cherish and treasure Tien more than anyone else.”

Her words were filled with certainty, leaving Sier speechless.
What made her so sure?

“You speak as if you know something.”
“…Well, a little.”
“…And what if Lady Elopez thinks I’m approaching her just to use her family?”
“You’ve only been watching from afar all this time because you were afraid of that, yet now you worry about everything.”
“…”
“Of course, she might misunderstand. Tien would definitely suspect something like that. But why does it matter? You don’t intend to do that anyway.”
“How can you be so sure? I might be deceiving you.”
“In my experience, people like that don’t worry about the other person first.”

At first, Sier thought Leila was merely saying things she didn’t mean.
No matter how he looked at it, there was nothing for her to gain. So after that meeting, he kept her under constant watch.

Contrary to his expectations, however, Leila showed no greed whatsoever.
She didn’t seem to be trying to put Tien in a difficult position either. She smiled as if simply being near her made her happy.

She even took the blame upon herself as the reason for the annulment, so that Lady Elopez wouldn’t be branded as someone who stole her friend’s fiancé.

“…Is she serious?”

A noble engagement—no matter that he was an illegitimate child, he still carried the Emperor’s blood.
Even knowing that making herself the justification for the annulment would invite criticism from high society, she volunteered without hesitation.

Leila Arvid couldn’t hide her genuine affection for Tien Elopez—so much so that it almost felt obsessive.
And so, Sier decided to trust Leila just once.

As if to make his doubts seem foolish, she began helping him wholeheartedly, in every way possible.

That was when it started.

“I greet the Second Prince.”

Just as Leila Arvid had planned, he began hovering around Tien’s side under the guise of coincidence.
He never should have begun. He had been too greedy for someone who knew his place.

“Your Highness?”

Her voice echoed in his ears at all hours, and her image refused to leave his mind.
Until now, he had endured harsh words from the Empress or the First Prince without complaint—but now, every time it happened, he found himself wanting to see her.

Despite having been by her side, he hadn’t been able to protect her.
“Lady Tien… I miss you.”

He agonized over it thousands of times—should he just go and look at her from afar?
He even went so far as to leave his office, but that was as far as he could go.

What right did he have to seek comfort from her when he couldn’t help her at all?
And so, Sier always returned to where he started.

Watching him from the side, Terdeo looked on with pity.
“It’s already been three days like this…”

Even if the Empress had stationed mages from the Mage Tower in the Princess’s palace as watchers, Sier’s magical skill was high enough to avoid their notice.
Even so, his master didn’t attempt even the slightest thing.

Because it was his younger sister, Ricia, who would suffer if he made even a small mistake.

Terdeo turned his head toward the window to avoid being caught staring—and his pupils widened dramatically.

“…L-Lady Elopez?!”

There was no mistake. It was Lady Tien Elopez.

Barely suppressing his excitement, Terdeo spoke calmly.

“My lord, would you like to take a short walk?”
“…”

Despite the suggestion, Sier didn’t move an inch.

As a last resort, Terdeo forcibly snatched the documents from his hand and plopped down onto the sofa.

“What are you doing, Terdeo?”
“I may not be as capable as Your Highness, but I’m still plenty competent. So please, go get some fresh air. At this rate, you’ll collapse. Are you planning to make Her Highness the Princess worry as well?”

The blue eyes wavered for a moment.
Letting out a low sigh, Sier rose weakly from his seat.

“Just for a little while, then.”

“Take your time, my lord.”