"Have you made contact with the First Prince of the Christi Kingdom?"
"Fortunately, he welcomed our proposal. It should proceed without issue."
"That is hardly fortunate. There’s little to gain from this arrangement."
Cabelenus’s lips twisted slightly in displeasure. To minimize his losses, he had even sought out Veloa’s eldest brother, yet securing a meaningful advantage was proving difficult. The prince was not pleased with Veloa’s engagement to Cabelenus, but that was all. The terms he offered in exchange for breaking the engagement paled in comparison to the conditions Veloa had initially proposed.
"There’s no helping it. The perspectives of a ruler and one who is leaving are fundamentally different."
Gajev chuckled awkwardly. As the most likely candidate for the next king, the First Prince had little to lose. Even if Cabelenus had gone through with the engagement, the prince would have simply lamented that he couldn’t sell his sister at a higher price—nothing more. He would not have taken any further action.
"I suppose I should just be grateful that the nuisance is being dealt with so easily."
Cabelenus let out a short sigh and pressed his fingers to his temple. Just remembering Veloa screaming at him like a petulant child over the broken engagement made his head throb.
"By the way, the princess has requested a meeting."
"Reject it. The matter is already settled."
"Anticipating that response, I turned her down myself. However, it seems she still refuses to accept Your Highness’s decision."
"She carried herself as if everything already belonged to her. It’s only natural she would resist."
Veloa’s displeasure was expected given the sudden reversal. However, her protests could not be entertained indefinitely. Noble marriages were always subject to change until they were officially sealed. It was said that a true noble would experience at least a dozen broken engagements in their lifetime. There was no grounds to make an issue of a mere verbal agreement falling through. Veloa knew this just as well as anyone.
"She knows all she can do is raise her voice, which is why she’s making such a fuss. Ignore her and ensure she leaves without incident. The deal with the First Prince will go more smoothly if she remains unharmed."
Cabelenus crossed his legs and absentmindedly flipped through the documents in front of him. Gajev, pretending to organize papers, cautiously observed his superior’s expression. It was highly unusual for Cabelenus to go back on a decision, especially when it meant forgoing an obvious gain. Even knowing it was a futile hope, Gajev couldn’t help but wonder.
"To be honest, I never expected Your Highness to make this choice."
"Neither did I. That I, of all people, would allow my emotions to blind me into making such an absurd decision."
His answer came without hesitation. Encouraged, Gajev pressed further.
"Even though this has delayed your plans?"
"You’ve been preparing for this for a long time."
"When did you start talking so much?"
Cabelenus stared at him for a moment before finally setting down his pen. He could have ignored Gajev, but silence alone wouldn’t be enough to quell his frustration.
"They said that if the child is harmed, their own life is forfeit."
"…You mean the lady?"
"Yes. No one else—she was the one who said it."
Cabelenus exhaled heavily and rubbed his forehead. He had assumed Alicia would accept things quietly, but her resistance was far stronger than he had anticipated. No matter how much he tried to persuade her, her stubborn eyes never wavered.
"Her attachment to that creature is growing. I need to separate them as soon as possible."
"…Wouldn’t it be better to observe a little longer?"
"Observe? What, exactly?"
Cabelenus let out a short, derisive laugh.
"It hasn’t been confirmed that it’s a monster."
"But what if you’re wrong? What if the same thing happens as before?"
Cabelenus’s grip tightened, his fingers splayed across the table, eyes cold and calculating.
"I’ve seen this before. The last time, the monster’s power manifested while still in the womb. The mother died as a result."
That power had not been created easily. Countless failures had led to a single success. Experiment after experiment had been conducted in pursuit of unnatural strength, each leaving behind detailed records of its outcome.
"It was a rare case, an anomaly—an incredibly unlikely event. That’s why I didn’t even consider the possibility. But now, the monster I fathered is defying those odds."
The likelihood of it happening had been minuscule. A statistical impossibility. And yet, Alicia’s unborn child was already showing signs of power, just as the experiment records had described.
"Yes, maybe it really is just an ordinary child. Maybe its power means nothing. But what about the alternative? How can I be certain it won’t be like before?"
"I refuse to gamble with her life."
Like a chessboard, every situation required sacrifices and strategic choices. Victory was assured as long as checkmate was achieved, no matter the means. But Alicia—Alicia was different. She could not be treated as just another piece on the board. From the moment he met her, and every moment since, she had been an exception.
Cabelenus slowly ran his thumb over his furrowed brow. Looking back, it had been disturbingly easy to fall for her. She unsettled him, weakened him. But it was too late to dwell on such things. He had already made his decision.
"The child must be a monster."
He had to believe that. Otherwise, he would be left with lingering doubts.
Cabelenus dismissed the thought and reached for his pen once more. But with the pressure he applied, the pen snapped in two after barely a few strokes. Black ink spilled over his hands, staining them completely.
‘The child looks so much like me. He adores you, Your Highness.’
‘No matter how harshly you speak, he still wants to see you.’
‘The moment you look at him, you’ll know. He is ours.’
Even after making his choice, Alicia’s words haunted him. He knew it was impossible, yet why did he keep imagining a child who resembled her?
Cabelenus scowled and turned his gaze back to the documents, but it was futile. The ink-soaked pages were too ruined to make out a single word.
"Breaking the engagement, what an unfortunate situation you’ve found yourself in."
"Unfortunate? Do you honestly not see how ridiculous my position has become?"
"Getting worked up won’t change anything."
"What can be done? Matters of the heart cannot be resolved by force."
On the other side of the communication mirror, Jerpeneus took a leisurely sip of his tea. Unlike Veloa, whose face was flushed red with anger, he remained entirely unshaken.
Unable to contain herself, Veloa slammed the table.
"How can you be so indifferent at a time ?"
"What does it matter? Nothing has changed."
"Nothing has changed? Even after this humiliation?"
"If my dear brother did not fall for you, then wasn’t it simply a failure on your part?"
Jerpeneus smiled slyly, savoring the aroma of his tea.
"Are you mocking me?"
Veloa clenched her teeth, glaring at him.
"Not at all. I’m merely clarifying our agreement."
"You seem to have forgotten, Princess. Our deal was never about whether you would marry my brother. It was about you removing that slave girl from his side. Only then would I grant you her place."
Setting down his empty cup, Jerpeneus finally looked her in the eye. For someone who had gone so far as to employ others in his schemes, he was disturbingly composed.
"Are you toying with me right now?"
"So, Your Majesty intends to sit idly by and let this situation unfold?"
Jerpeneus smiled elegantly, but behind his curved lips, his green eyes held a depth like an unfathomable swamp.
"…So you're telling me to take care of it myself?"
As he watched the tremble in Veloa’s gaze, Jerpeneus’s smile grew even more pronounced.
Surely, you already know the answer, don’t you? Jerpeneus’s gaze carried an unspoken insinuation. At last, a satisfied smile stretched across Veloa’s lips.
"In that case, lend me your men immediately."
"What did you just say?"
The brightness in Veloa’s expression darkened in an instant. She leaned forward toward the communication mirror, her narrowed eyes filled with suspicion.
"You’re just playing with me, aren’t you?"
Jerpeneus’s eyes, curved like a crescent moon, reminded her of a serpent’s coiled tail. Veloa clenched her fists, swallowing her anger. The sight of the emperor flaunting his advantage with such arrogance was infuriating.
"No. I don’t need it."
"Didn’t Your Majesty say it yourself? If I cannot handle a mere slave, I have no business aiming for the position of empress."
The weight of his gaze felt like sinking into a swamp, yet it was too late to turn back now. Veloa forced down her displeasure and hastily smoothed out her disheveled hair.
"I have never once failed to get what I wanted."
Once she became empress, she would see to it that that silver tongue of his was cut out. Veloa glared at the ever-smiling Jerpeneus before abruptly severing the communication.
"What about the Grand Duke?"
"He refused to grant an audience—"
A vase shattered against the floor, spilling water everywhere. Veloa shot her guard a venomous glare before shoving him roughly.
"Th-The Grand Duke said he has nothing more to discuss with Your Highness—"
"Hah! And you call that news worth bringing to me?"
She sneered, a twisted grin curling her lips.
"Did you not hear me when I said I’d kill anyone who didn’t drag him before me?"
"Of course not! But as a mere knight, it is impossible for me to forcibly bring the Grand Duke of Schwarhan—"
She spat out her frustration, kicking over the tea table in a fit of rage. The room was already in complete disarray, unable to withstand her temper.
"What do you intend to do? Are we returning to the kingdom?"
"No. That’s out of the question."
"But the Grand Duke has already made up his mind—"
"And what? You think his mind can’t be changed again?"
Veloa’s sharp glare bore into her guard as she seethed. He was a pathetic excuse for a knight—her nanny had pleaded for his appointment, and she had foolishly allowed it. All he did was cower and gauge the mood rather than act.
"This isn’t a complicated problem. It doesn’t need a solution—it just needs to be simplified."
She pressed the tip of her shoe against the shards of broken glass, grinding them into the floor. Reflected in the glass, her lips curled into a wicked smile.
"Yes. I’ve been far too lenient."
"The wench was going to be dealt with anyway. Moving up the timeline doesn’t change a thing."
"But what if the Grand Duke retaliates?"
"Let him rage all he wants. I’ll make sure he gets a show worth his temper."
The mere thought of his carefully composed face twisting in fury eased some of the bitterness in her heart. Taking a slow, deep breath, Veloa raised her chin with calculated poise.
"…Will you be handling it yourself, then?"
"It’s more efficient than relying on someone as useless as you."
Blasted Blanches. She swiped at the air in irritation.
Somehow, a staff taller than she was had appeared in her grasp.
"Just wait and see. If I have to dirty my own hands, I’ll make sure the price is paid in full."