The day after that, I started to return to work .

  Tanya expressed a great deal of concern for me with tears in her eyes, and Merida was much the same .

  Although other people close to me didn’t know the details, they assumed I had fallen ill from overwork, so they were also caring and warm .

  The officials were overjoyed by my return .

  Even though I felt incredibly indebted to them, I still tried to do my best work every day .

  My heart still ached . I couldn’t forget him .

  No matter how much I immersed myself in work……no, that’s precisely why I threw myself into work .

  How much time had I spent with him in this house?

  There was always so much work, but we still spoke of the future .

  When we came up with a new strategy, we celebrated together .

  When we encountered an obstacle, we confronted it together .

  Even if I wanted to treat him as part of the past and abandon him, there were too many parts of this mansion that retained his memory .

  So, it couldn’t be helped .

  And so, I couldn’t fix things .

  After all, even now……I was certain that I loved him .

  These thoughts flashed through the corner of my mind while I dealt with the piles of work .

  And then time passed while I tried to refind the feeling of working from beforehand .

  The big project was finally here . The day of negotiation with the Acacia Kingdom had arrived .

  Tanya stood behind me, while my mother sat beside me .

  While both of them looked completely normal in what they wore, they were armed to the teeth .

  Whatever the other side did, they said, they’d be able to react immediately .

  Ryle and Dida hadn’t assigned any other guards indoors because of them, handing the protection of the mansion over to them .

  Since it was a negotiation for peace, if we marched out the troops for this discussion it would give others a reason to gossip .

  When I felt just about ready, Tanya approached me quietly .

  “Milady, I think they’re here . ”


  I forced myself into a state of heightened awareness .

  “Welcome, Prince Majid . ”


  I smiled to welcome the man who walked in .

  Prince Majid, who was dressed in full royal garb, responded with a smile too .

  He looked quite suspicious to me, but I’m sure he regarded me the same too .

  “I am genuinely happy to be able to see you again . ”


  Saying this, he kissed the back of my hand .

  I couldn’t help but grimace a smile at his antics .

  “Pleasure to meet you, Prince Majid . ”


  He made the same grimacing expression as I did .

  The first time he was here, it was his ideas leading the way . So this time it was our turn……he seemed to understand what I was saying .

  I’m sure he wanted to pretend as if the previous visitation hadn’t happened .

  Considering this, I emphasized it as if we were meeting for the first time .

  “Please, Prince Majid . Be seated . ”


  Waiting for him to sit, I sat across from him and stared at him .

  What a fearless smile . The noble, serious aura was quite a fit for his handsome, rugged face .

  Everything about him gave off the impression of a king .

  “What a good territory . The people live with wealth, and the rulers and politics are stable . ”


  “Ah……thank you . ”


  How false . I felt a shred of anger burn through my heart . Not that I’d let it show on my face .

  “But recently we’ve encountered our share of fearful matters . ”


  I purposefully said this with a sad tone .

  “Oh……”


  A concerning light shone in his eyes .

  “Other countries have attacked us . ”


  “How incredibly……unfortunate . ”


  “Indeed . I didn’t expect the nation who asked for my hand to attack us . ”


  In that moment the room turned dead silent .

  I was already testing his attitude in my own way . He must be considering his next words now too .

  “What I wanted to explain was……this was the intent of the Towair Kingdom and our previous king . I had nothing to do with the schemes . It was not my intention . ”


  His straightforward admission made me breathe out .

  “Not your intention……even so, the fact that the Acacia Kingdom invaded my nation’s territory is an indisputable fact . How does your country plan on taking responsibility for this?”


  He smiled . While I was questioning him .

  It was enough to rouse goosebumps on my skin .

  “Excuse me . Trying to explain myself to you is due to my personal feelings……after all, I do not want you to dislike me . Although I have my own thoughts, I have to explain on behalf of my country first . This whole incident was due to the previous king and a portion of his followers . Our nation had no intent of attacking your territory . ”


  “You’re saying it in a different way, but the contents of your statement remain the same . ”


  “What a pointed comment . ” Prince Majid said with an exasperated smile .

  “I’m getting emotional because my citizens were attacked . ”


  “How frightening . ”


  “Hm, was my expression really so scary?”


  “No, not the case . It’s precisely because your expression didn’t change, that’s why you are frightening . You wouldn’t act on your emotions . When people like that are disappointed, they tend to be easily led by their noses . ”


  I didn’t react visibly to what he said, but internally I didn’t know what to feel .

  How difficult it was to deal with him .

  “So, we’ve prepared reparations for the victims of this riot . The contents are in this document……all you have to do is sign . ”


  The middle-aged man waiting behind the prince retrieved the document respectfully .

  Accepting it, I began to read .

  “This is not enough . ”


  I said in a soft voice, skimming through it .

  “Oh?”


  Prince Majid’s gaze turned sharp .

  The whole atmosphere of the room tensed .

  “Prince Majid……as a matter of fact, the first prince of your nation has sought our protection and is currently staying here . ”


  His countenance seemed more stressed after this statement .