Chapter 12

“If you already know, this will go faster.”

Alex sat across from Laura.

“I’ve brought a contract. Since we’re extending the engagement, I thought it necessary to coordinate our terms.”

He laid the document between them.

Laura glanced at it and asked, “It’s blank?”

“We’re entering this agreement as equals, based on mutual need. I didn’t think it was right to bring something one-sided with only my conditions.”

“…”

“We’ll each write what we want, and if we agree, we’ll seal it with the imperial stamp and keep a copy.”

Since the contract would be drafted in private, no one else would know its contents. But with the imperial seal affixed, it would carry the weight of an official document—and not even Alex could ignore that authority.

Laura stared silently at the blank page.

She looked like someone facing something completely unexpected—or like someone quietly coming to terms with something. Alex watched as a wave of emotions passed over her face, ones he couldn’t quite read.

“May I state my conditions first?” he asked.

“Go ahead.”

Thankfully, Laura didn’t object.

“There are three things I want. First, that you faithfully perform your duties as the Crown Princess-to-be during the contract period. Second, if I declare the contract void after two years, you will accept it without protest.”

Up to that point, Laura didn’t react much. It was as if she’d expected as much.

“The third and final condition: If your child turns out to be mine, you are not to use the child to interfere in imperial affairs.”

At that, Laura’s composure broke.

Her face twisted, and her trembling lips showed how much that condition struck a nerve.

But to Alex, it was a critical term.

If the child was his, he would take responsibility for them—but he had no intention of carrying Laura, a potential bomb, on his back along with them.

After a long silence, Laura finally bit out her words like she was chewing on glass.

“…That won’t happen.”

“Good. Then you should have no problem agreeing to it.”

Alex pressed her, and with a heavy sigh, Laura picked up a pen.

She scribbled quickly—yet legibly—writing out the three conditions Alex had stated. A sign of her agreement.

“My conditions are two,” she said.

“I’m listening.”

“First, while I’m Your Highness’s fiancée, I want to be treated as such.”

“What do you mean?”

“The social scene is conservative. There are people who judge and control others based on strict hierarchies. If someone is in a position others envy, and if she happens to have any flaws—well, she becomes a target.”

Right now, there was no Empress or Crown Princess.

Which meant that as Alex’s fiancée, Laura was at the top of society—but she was also in a position where she could be discarded at any moment.

There was no easier target to satisfy their petty insecurities.

“Even if I’m only a ‘two-year’ Crown Princess, don’t make that public. While the contract lasts, treat me like a legitimate partner. And if I get caught up in any trouble, don’t humiliate me in front of others. I won’t cause trouble on purpose, of course.”

“What a strange request. If you don’t give anyone a reason to—”

Alex stopped.

He realized that he was automatically assuming Laura would do something wrong, criticizing her before she had done anything.

Maybe that was why she made this her first condition. Because she had never once felt respected by him.

“…Understood. I accept that condition. What’s the second?”

“This one’s more personal, but actually more important.”

After hesitating a moment, Laura spoke in a smaller, yet clear voice.

“Give me money.”

“…What?”

“As you can see, I’m in a bit of a situation.”

Laura leaned back slightly and gestured toward their surroundings with her eyes.

He had tried to ignore it, but the crumbling, abandoned temple was a dreadful sight.

“Raising a kid, acting as the Crown Princess, making an impression on high society… I’m going to need to leech off Your Highness a bit to survive.”

But strangely enough…

There was something refreshing about the way she openly admitted her financial struggles—more so than when she used to strut around in glittering jewels.

“So, I’m counting on your support.”

Grand Duke Dante Orpacia received a report from his subordinate in his private estate.

“So, the Mart drug den was exposed?”

He spoke formally even to those beneath him.

Some of his subordinates found it respectful, while others found it terrifying. That formal tone created a cold distance and made Dante an unreadable figure.

“Yes. Judging by how they stormed Mart and arrested the young Lady of Rueize simultaneously, it seems the imperial palace already had solid intel.”

Though Zepetto was the publicly known owner of Mart, he was only a front.

The real owner was Dante. Mart was just one outlet distributing drugs made by a pharmaceutical company he secretly owned.

Drug trafficking was a serious offense, even for royalty, but the income was too lucrative to resist. Dante always took extreme care to stay undetected.

Every time he opened a new den, he bought buildings that had been run as storefronts for decades and remodeled them quietly. He also bought neighboring properties under false names and stationed security and surveillance to eliminate risks.

‘And yet someone noticed.’

“Who’s the informant?”

“Lady Rueize. She’s the manager’s half-sister…”

The subordinate placed the investigation file on the desk.

He didn’t bother making excuses—Laura Rueize may have been Zepetto’s relative, but even he didn’t know the full names or addresses of everyone involved.

So for multiple people to be arrested at once, there were only two explanations.

Either there had been a security breach somewhere, or Laura was competent enough to uncover all this on her own.

Turns out she was a spirit user.

She wasn’t some charlatan using an obscure power to run scams. She had real ability.

“If it’s the Lady Rueize I’m thinking of…”

“She’s the child the Marquis adopted years ago, remember?”

“Ah.”

A peculiar feeling welled up in Dante.

It was like realizing an old, dusty box of memories had been left untouched in a corner of his mind.

“To think that baby turned into a whistleblower… So it’s already been that long, has it?”

He picked up the portrait his aide had brought.

A young woman, with not even a trace of childhood left in her sharp expression, sat with a fan tightly clenched in one hand. She radiated defiance.

“Should we assign someone to follow her?”

“Considering she’s engaged to my dear nephew, she must matter to him. We can’t make a move.”

“Then…”

“I’ll check for myself.”

Conveniently, he was planning to visit the capital anyway to see his sister.

“If she’s truly talented, it’s only polite to meet her in person.”

‘And fortunately, she and my nephew don’t seem to get along.’

His goal would be to win her over.

If that failed, he would try to buy her.

And if that failed—then she’d be removed.

The “great project” he had been preparing for under the empire’s shadow for years would not be derailed, no matter what.

“It’s… been a while, my lady.”

“Yes.”

Madam Silona, the imperial tailor, wiped the sweat from her palms onto her apron.

She had an awkward relationship with Laura Rueize.

Their strained history dated back to when Laura became Alex’s fiancée.

Laura had claimed that, as the Crown Princess-to-be, she had every right to summon the imperial tailor.

[“Shouldn’t we wait and see if the engagement becomes official or not?”] Alex had interrupted and questioned her status.

[“What did you just say?!”] Laura had exploded.

Silona had found herself stuck between the two in their power struggle. But if she had to prioritize someone, it would be the imperial family—her paycheck came from them, after all. So she had avoided Laura.

Which, in turn, had made Laura accuse her of disrespect and lash out even more.

She never expected to be face-to-face with her again like this.

She never imagined Alex would personally push her toward Laura.

But Silona had no way to escape.

Her only solace was that, backed by the imperial family, Laura couldn’t physically harm her.

Despite her nerves, however—

“I—I’ll take your measurements.”

“Go ahead.”

Laura was calm.

She raised her arms or tilted her chin on request without complaint and wasn’t picky about fabric selection either.

‘I thought calling me to this decrepit place was the start of a tantrum…’

But Laura admitted when she didn’t know something and trusted the expert’s advice.

Of course, there were things she stood her ground on.

“Don’t you have any other designs?”

“Pardon?”

“I know bell-line dresses are trending in high society, but they don’t suit me. Honestly, that style fits petite and delicate girls much better.”

Silona agreed.

The current beauty ideal in the empire favored small, girlish, delicate types that evoked protectiveness. Laura, with her tall stature and striking features, completely broke the mold.

She walked a path opposite to the empire’s standards.

“And square necklines? Putting that on someone like me should be a crime. My broad shoulders will look even harsher.”

“Then… do you have something else in mind?”

After having dozens of her designs rejected, Silona was a bit irritated.

It felt like her decades of reputation as a master tailor were being denied.

“Give me a moment.”

Without hesitation, Laura grabbed a sketch pad and began drawing.

At first, Silona thought it was a waste of paper—but as the lines came together into a finished design, she found herself drifting closer in fascination.

She couldn’t help it.

“What… is this?”

It was a design she had never seen in her life.