* * *

“What?”

Disbelief coursed through me as I stared at the princess, who immediately began stammering in her flustered state.

“Well, it’s because of me…! I think others are being inconvenienced because I… um… pointed out Duke Eudanet that day…!”

The maid beside her held the princess’s hand, trying to soothe her nerves.

I watched as the princess gathered her courage, shutting her eyes tightly before continuing.

“So, because of that… I think everyone’s in an awkward position… I was hoping you could talk to Father for me….”

Her words hung in the air, and I found myself suppressing the urge to laugh at the absurdity.

Did she think a mere conversation with the Emperor could fix this?

“I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand what you’re asking me to do,” I said, crossing my arms and waiting for her to explain further.

Her gaze darted around the room, desperation clear in her expression.

“Well… about the marriage…! It’s not that I have any feelings for the Duke… I just happened to give him the flower that day because he was nearby. He caught my eye first, and, well, he’s, um, strikingly noticeable….”

As her explanation grew more ridiculous, I couldn’t help but feel suffocated. I cut her off.

“So, in short, you’re saying you never wanted this marriage to begin with?”

Her face brightened, nodding fervently as if she’d finally been understood.

“Yes…! That’s right! I’m still… young, after all….”

I felt my frustration bubbling over.

If she didn’t want the marriage, why hadn’t she said so herself?

Did she truly have to come all the way here to dump this problem on me?

“That’s impossible,” I replied curtly.

“If even you, his own daughter, couldn’t persuade His Majesty, why would he listen to me?”

At my refusal, she flinched, and her maid stepped protectively closer.

Their reaction made it clear—they genuinely feared the Emperor.

But if his own daughter couldn’t approach him, why should I?

“Forgive me, but have you even attempted to speak to His Majesty yourself?” I asked, struggling to remain patient.

The maid answered instead.

“Her Highness cannot have a private audience with His Majesty.”

“……?”

I blinked, confused.

“Why not? As his child, that is your rightful privilege, isn’t it?”

Surely the Emperor wouldn’t refuse his youngest daughter.

Unless…

The maid clarified.

“Her Highness is still young and lacks sound judgment. To prevent any unintentional offense, Her Majesty has forbidden her from seeing His Majesty alone.”

So it wasn’t the Emperor—it was her mother.

I could barely contain the twitch of amusement threatening to break through my expression.

“To summarize: you don’t want this marriage, but you haven’t expressed that to His Majesty, nor can you because of Her Majesty’s orders. Is that correct?”

The princess nodded eagerly, her relief palpable.

“Yes, exactly…!”

Exactly? I stared at her, unimpressed.

“There’s absolutely nothing I can do to help,” I said, cold and unyielding.

“If even Her Highness remains bound by Her Majesty’s decisions, I see no path forward.”

I rose from my seat, ready to end this farce, and gestured toward the door.

“No…! Wait, I came here to ask for your help…!” she cried.

“Unfortunately, despite my efforts to think of a solution, I’ve concluded there’s nothing I can do,” I said, my voice laced with polite finality.

“I deeply regret not being able to assist and will have to bid you farewell.”

I reached for the tea set, intending to clear it, but was interrupted by the maid’s sharp voice.

“Lord Everdeen, Her Highness is not finished speaking!”

The impoliteness didn’t stem from me—it was from the two uninvited guests.

“I’ve already told you, haven’t I? There’s nothing I can do to help you.”

Of course, I had no real intention of turning them away outright.

After all, I needed to uncover what the Emperor intended to do to Hernan.

However, their audacious demand for assistance, without even attempting anything themselves, rubbed me the wrong way.

Moreover, to maintain the upper hand in the conversation, I couldn’t just respond with a deferential, ‘Oh, of course~ You’ve come to exactly the right person~’ attitude.

“B-but… Viscount Everdeen, you have connections… and you’re, uh, resourceful…!”

The princess stammered, her face burning red as if she were about to catch fire.

“Yes, I do have many acquaintances,” I replied smoothly.

“But whether any of them would act on my behalf in place of you, Princess, is another matter entirely. I believe you’re wise enough to discern that much.”

Certainly, if I were to humbly bow my head and plead for help just once, some might create an opportunity out of goodwill from past interactions.

But that would still be meaningless.

What could I possibly accomplish by meeting the Emperor?

It’s not as though I have a secret weapon to wipe away this debt with a single word.

“T-that’s….”

The princess fell silent, lowering her head.

Her hands clenched and unclenched with such force that her palms bore red marks.

If I were to muster exceptional empathy, I could acknowledge that she, too, had her struggles.

But was her plight pitiable enough to evoke unbearable sympathy?

Hardly. In Nirvan, poverty relief was well-developed, ensuring no one starved to death.

Beyond Nirvan, however, countless people lived in conditions worse than slaves.

The princess lived a life of warmth, luxury, and security, draped in opulent jewels, her father the most powerful figure in the empire.

Now she played the role of the world’s most unfortunate maiden, pushed into an unwanted marriage because of a misunderstanding she herself had caused.

It was nothing more than a spoiled child’s tantrum.

Suppressing a sigh, I opened my mouth to speak again.

“It would be best to clarify something. Does His Majesty wish for you to marry the Grand Duke?”

Her face crumpled as if she were about to cry, but she nodded.

“Are you prepared to obey His Majesty’s wishes for the rest of your life?”

Of course, being excessively defiant and pulling a stunt like Berta’s would also be problematic.

As I carefully pressed forward, the princess faltered.

“T-that’s…”

I leaned in more firmly.

“Please answer clearly. It would help me respond appropriately.”

Before she could reply, a lady-in-waiting intervened, shielding the princess protectively.

“Viscount Everdeen, please allow the princess a moment to collect herself—”

But I had no intention of letting the lady-in-waiting take over.

“I asked the princess. Do you believe you have the authority to speak on her behalf?”

Though I remained polite, it was an undeniable fact that, as a future inheritor of a count’s title, my status outranked that of a palace maid, no matter her noble lineage.

‘I hate resorting to words that feel like abuse of power…’

But I had no other choice.

The simplest resolution required the princess herself to step forward.

“S-stop, I’ll… answer for myself…” the princess stammered, her voice trembling.

“I-I know I should…”

“Should?”

“But marriage is… it’s a decision that affects the rest of my life… I want to marry someone I love, at a time of my choosing…”

The moment she finally took a step forward, the lady-in-waiting tried to intervene again, but I raised a hand to stop her.

“Anything else aside from marriage—would you accept it, as long as it’s what His Majesty desires?”

Pressing the wound further, I elicited an emotional outburst from the princess.

“What choice do I have?! I was born into the royal family. I have to… fulfill the responsibilities that come with my status… Obeying Father and Mother’s orders is my only duty…”

And where exactly was that written? Even the heroine had rebelled and left. Such rules no longer existed in this world.

I smiled faintly, as if finally finding common ground.

* * *