004
When the massive doors swung open, a meticulously maintained garden revealed itself.
It had long been Her Majesty the Empress’s hobby to adorn the garden with multicolored flowers that suited each season. The winding path twisted through it like a maze.
After the carriage circled the garden and passed a blooming field of lavender, it arrived at the Crown Prince’s palace.
One of the palace’s servants was waiting for me in front of the ornate gate.
As soon as I stepped down from the carriage, he bowed deeply.
“I shall escort you, my lady.”
I gave a slight nod, and we walked together through gilded corridors and gleaming halls until we arrived at the reception room.
The servant knocked, and we heard his voice from within.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and my gaze immediately fell upon jet-black hair.
Everything around him was gilded, making his form appear like the only remaining shadow in the room.
Hair as black as obsidian, and eyes that glowed like violets—they were fixed upon me.
Obsidian: a gemstone, a volcanic stone that comes from black lava rock.
I offered a light curtsy, lifting the hem of my dress with grace.
“I greet the pride of the Empire.”
“You may raise your head.”
I lifted my gaze and was met with a faint smile from Damian.
At the maid’s gesture, I took the seat opposite him.
“I heard you fell down the stairs today, but you seem well. That’s a relief.”
“Thanks to Your Highness’s grace, I am well.”
“I’m not the one you should thank for that.”
He let out a clear laugh. I smiled in return, though my cheeks and lips felt stiff.
Another maid entered silently and placed a teapot, cups, and a few sweets between us.
“I’m glad to see you in good health.”
“I fear I caused you needless worry, Your Highness.”
“You are my fiancée—it’s only natural that I worry about you.”
Steam rose from the teapot, shimmering faintly silver under the lights.
His long fingers, his pale skin made even paler by the darkness of his hair.
Damian, who lowered his eyes ever so slightly, looked like he couldn’t harm even a fly.
Would I be able to uncover what he’s thinking?
Sweat began to form in my palms.
Without hesitation, I picked up my teacup and took a sip.
It smelled divine, but would the day come when this same cup would be filled with poison?
“Has Your Highness been well lately?”
“As you know, I don’t change much. But you, Rose, look quite pale.”
He suddenly reached toward my face. My body flinched from the surprise, and he paused.
His eyes remained fixed on mine—was it because I avoided his touch, or was my pallor truly that severe?
And in that moment of silence, a flash of inspiration struck like lightning.
I hesitated briefly, then leaned my cheek into his hand.
His fingers brushed my skin lightly, then his warm palm cupped my face.
“…It’s nothing major, but there is something that troubles me, and I don’t know who to consult…”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if he would respond.
He had never voiced a personal opinion before.
But I had to try—didn’t I?
Fortunately, Damian took the bait. A glimmer sparked in his eyes.
“Would you mind if I listened?”
“Do you really mean that?”
I widened my eyes with feigned innocence, then smiled softly and pressed my cheek further into his hand.
It felt like a sharp blade was sliding across my skin, but I had no other choice.
The man before me smiled with satisfaction.
“It concerns my father. He’s been quite troubled lately by something.”
“Yes, Rosalyn.”
His calm voice sent a strange tingle down my spine, and I grasped his wrist with both hands, lowering my eyes.
“We received a letter from the Duchy of Moor. Viscount Albert, who manages the region, mentioned that a problem has arisen…”
I wove a fictional story on the spot.
Though it was improvised, it was rooted in a real event.
In the Duchy of Moor, there was a cobbler renowned for his craftsmanship.
A cobbler is a shoemaker—one who has mastered the craft of footwear, passed down through generations.
He came from a long line of shoemakers, and the father had two sons. The brothers were very close, and under their father’s guidance, both became master cobblers.
But trouble began when the elder son inherited their father’s shop.
The younger brother chose to start his own shop, and his reputation quickly spread—soon surpassing that of his elder sibling.
Eventually, the older brother could no longer keep his business afloat.
He hoped the younger would give up the craft, but the younger knew nothing else.
“So, the elder brother asked us to help resolve this issue. I proposed dividing the regions and assigning separate customers, but as you know, commerce is never simple. It’s proving quite difficult.”
I said this while watching Damian’s expression.
He listened without revealing any change in his face.
He still had no idea what this tale meant.
So then, how would he respond?
Just before anxiety took hold, he spoke in a soft voice.
“Rosalyn, you must have been thinking deeply about this. I’m sorry to see you so pale.”
“Ah, yes, that’s true.”
His gentle tone sent warmth rushing to my cheeks.
As I replied with flustered words, he lowered his gaze briefly, then looked straight at me.
“There’s only one solution. The younger brother must be expelled from the duchy so he can no longer make shoes there. With talent like his, he’ll survive anywhere else.”
“…But the elder brother loves him dearly and doesn’t wish to send him away.”
At this, Damian stared at me silently.
After a pause, he asked with genuine surprise,
“I thought shoemakers were smarter than that… Was I mistaken?”
He pulled his hand from mine, only to seize my wrist instead.
His grip wasn’t strong, but the warmth of his touch made my skin tingle. Then, he opened his mouth.
“Is this really what troubles you?”
I felt like he could see through me—I couldn’t utter a word.
When I finally managed a slow nod, a faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.
“…Then the answer is simple. Expel the elder brother as well. And if he refuses, dismiss the younger in the Duke’s name.”
“But… the elder brother…”
As I faltered, he slowly released his grip.
And with that, nothing remained in my palm but a cold emptiness.
His amethyst eyes, shadowed in darkness.
“Bringing a personal matter like this before the local lord means accepting whatever judgment is given—no matter the outcome.”
He looked at me as if asking if that was answer enough. I lowered my head.
“…Thank you for your counsel, Your Highness.”
The judgment had been passed.
Because he was only a cobbler, expulsion sufficed.
But what if his business weren’t shoemaking, but the throne itself?
I froze inside.
I had mulled over this during the entire carriage ride.
How could I prevent the poisoning incident?
In the novel, my fate was never mentioned.
Which meant I was neither killed nor imprisoned.
If I had committed a fatal mistake in Estelle and Theo’s heroic story, it would have been noted.
Just like our father—who played no meaningful role—was still mentioned through the events.
“Your Highness.”
“Call me by my name, Lady Rose. We are engaged, after all, aren’t we?”
Damian said this after taking a sip of tea, smiling gently.
His violet eyes resembled a vortex.
“Damian.”
My tongue almost froze as I spoke his name.
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
In that moment, the atmosphere rippled, as if a droplet had fallen on still water. His eyes widened as he looked at me. I didn’t back down.
I clenched my hands tightly, though they trembled. I opened my mouth again.
“Why me, out of all the young ladies?”
I had assumed the poisoning incident stemmed from a succession dispute. His killing of Duke Moor followed naturally from that.
My father was a stubborn man. Had he lived, he would’ve tried to dethrone the man who murdered his emperor and empress.
That’s why Damian had to eliminate Duke Moor as well.
With my father gone, how could we—the siblings of the emperor’s consort—oppose him when he was my husband?
Perhaps he killed Estelle and Theo later, seeing them as a threat to his crown.
Those uneasy about crowning the killer of the previous emperor might have chosen a completely different heir.
‘But Damian…’
If you merely wanted to suppress House Moor’s power, you could’ve chosen another young lady.
Did you truly choose me just to bind my family’s influence?
There was something suspicious that made me doubt it.
And that suspicion was the gap I could slip through.
A tiny crack in stone—pour water into it and freeze it, and the rock will break.
Lady Letty, the daughter of a newly promoted duke, was a year older than me, making her closer in age to the crown prince.
They had no romantic ties—but neither did Damian and I.
He began intertwining his fingers slowly, his cold gaze roaming across my face.
And his lips curved into a faint, sardonic smile.
“Is that what you’re curious about?”
