Chapter 61

The middle-aged crown prince slightly lowered his head.

“…I’m ashamed, but yes.”

“Not exactly difficult, is it?”

I spoke calmly.

The price I had to pay was nothing more than being criticized as a woman who abandoned her homeland and family for love—a relatively safe course of action.

Having lived my whole life as a tool, being called foolish at this point didn’t bother me.

Besides, playing the villainess was something I was used to.

I wasn’t sure how effective the statement would be, but at the very least, it would serve as a weapon for the Kingdom of Arete to smother any disputes over the control of Peroa.

Still… there was something that personally bothered me. I cupped one cheek with my hand.

“I’m worried about what kind of fuss Alpheios will throw.”

At my words, the crown prince let out a deep sigh.

“Is that your thought as well?”

“Yes. In fact, he just stormed out, shouting, ‘Do you still think you’re a princess just because we treated you well even though you’re a slave?’”

“…He really said that?”

The prince looked appalled at the crude remark. I gave him a soft smile.

“If the prince hadn’t run away upon hearing Your Highness was coming, I might’ve heard something even more ridiculous. He was in quite the childish mood.”

The crown prince furrowed his brow in discomfort.

It seemed he hadn’t expected Alpheios to be that immature.

“Sigh… As a member of the royal family of Arete, I apologize on his behalf.”

“Sometimes, family is worse than strangers.”

“Ahem. Actually, there was something else I wanted to say—”

Just then, an enormous crash sounded from beyond the wall.

BOOOOM!

Sounded like someone had kicked open the main gate?

Right after came the loud rattling of the iron door connected to the stables, and then the drawing room door burst open.

“What in the world is this scene?”

I turned my head while lifting my teacup.

Breathing heavily as if he had run all the way without stopping, Riorem glared at the crown prince.

“What are you doing here, Your Highness?”

There was a sharp edge of hostility in Riorem’s voice.

The prince’s guards rushed in after him and tried to restrain him, but his solid body didn’t budge.

At that obvious reaction, the crown prince simply shrugged.

“I was merely meeting with Princess Peroa officially as a representative of the Arete royal family. We were discussing the Empire’s one-sided statement. Don’t misunderstand.”

“And that kind of discussion had to be done alone? Secretly, in a room like this?”

As Riorem continued his fierce barrage, the crown prince silently mouthed a question to me:

Is he always like this?

I nodded lightly.

His brow furrowed deeper.

Thanks to Riorem’s temper, the crown prince barely managed a quick farewell before climbing into his carriage.

Blasphemously, Riorem even refused to let me escort him out, so I returned alone to my bedroom.

A statement, huh…?

As I was contemplating how to write the statement the crown prince wanted, Riorem stormed into the bedroom.

He approached the sofa where I sat, placed his hand on the backrest, and bent down to kiss me.

Without warning, his tongue forced its way in. His dry tongue rudely swept through my mouth, sucking up all the saliva.

The rough texture scraped against my taste buds and slid around.

Only after thoroughly tasting everything in my mouth did Riorem finally pull back.

“What did that man say to you?”

Somehow, I already knew what he was about to ask.

“What were you talking about that made you two look so comfortable together?”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Until now, I never understood why Riorem would say strange things out of nowhere.

But now, it was clearly jealousy—something I could finally understand.

The pleasant feeling was just a bonus.

At my reaction, Riorem frowned.

“Are you mocking me right now?”

“Of course not. I was just thinking how adorable you are.”

“…A-Adorable? What is that supposed to mean…”

“You’re so full of jealousy—it’s quite amusing.”

Riorem flushed red instantly and clamped his mouth shut. I reached out and caressed his cheek.

The bloodthirsty gleam in his blue eyes noticeably calmed.

I kissed him first.

His lips, frozen in surprise, obediently parted.

But instead of continuing into a deep kiss, I shared with him the conversation I’d had with the crown prince.

“The Empire is now calling me ‘princess’.”

“…That’s true.”

“My fallen status has somehow risen even higher.”

Riorem flinched visibly at my words.

I gently stroked his tense arm and leaned my head on his shoulder.

“The Crown Prince asked me to release a statement under my name.”

“What does that mean?”

“He wants me to announce to the world that I eloped with you. If I’m a woman who abandoned her country after falling for a slave, then no one will try to take me, even if I’m a princess.”

“Well… it’s not entirely false.”

At my words, Riorem’s shoulders stiffened even more.

After a while, he finally spoke.

“But… if the Empire ignores the statement, wouldn’t it be meaningless? I doubt they’d even believe it.”

Was it because it involved me?

Though still unfamiliar with reading political tides, he keenly grasped the situation and pointed out the flaws.

It was unexpectedly refreshing.

‘Is this what they call being blinded by love?’ I thought to myself.

“In the end, it’s all about building narratives. The Empire uses me as an excuse to keep Arete Kingdom in check. Arete uses this so-called love affair to push back against the Empire’s interference.”

“If we were to disappear from here, none of that would matter anymore.”

“…Disappear? What do you mean?”

A low voice whispered into my ear.

“Exactly that. If you left behind your mansion, Dinamis Castle, your other lands and titles—everything—and vanished with me… then all their excuses would become nonsense.”

I whispered sweetly.

“That would be a true elopement.”

Even after hearing my explanation, Riorem didn’t respond. I turned my head to look at him.

But since he wouldn’t meet my eyes, I could only see his profile.

I asked him,

“It would be the easiest way out. But… could you really do it?
To abandon everything you’ve achieved as ‘Riorem Vellic,’ and return to being just ‘Riorem,’ an ordinary man.”

Riorem couldn’t answer. I stroked his arm again.

“Think carefully. Don’t give up anything. You’ve spent your whole life earning those things.”

Even after all that grueling effort, none of his achievements helped him reach his goal of marrying Lady Peroa.

If he threw them away, then Riorem’s ten years of toil would truly amount to nothing.

That’s why I didn’t want him to elope with me for real.

But then Riorem asked me,

“Haven’t you given up everything?”

His voice was low.

“Your title, your wealth, your country. Didn’t you give it all up to come to me?”

“Well… those were all things I was born with anyway. Things easily gained are just as easily given up.”

Even with my answer, Riorem still seemed unconvinced.

As we lingered in silence, someone knocked on the bedroom door.

It was the butler.

“General, the carriage has arrived. Where should we place the item you brought?”

“Bring it in here.”

“Understood.”

Soon after, a servant came in, dragging a large box.

As I stared at it, Riorem cleared his throat slightly.

“Would you like to open it?”

“Is it for me?”

Riorem nodded.

I unlatched the gilded clasp and opened the box.

Even the wrapping that covered the item was luxurious—fit to be a royal tribute.

But what was inside was even more impressive.

“Oh.”

I let out a soft exclamation.

Inside was a white fur.

Its mystical grey tint made it unlike any white-furred animal I knew.

And it wasn’t just one item.

Inside the box was a large blanket, and a fur coat made of the same material.

The pieces were so intricately stitched together that it was hard to tell, but it looked like the pelts of several animals had been used.

At that moment, something came to mind.

The gift the Crown Prince had given at the hunting ground—and Riorem’s reaction to it.

‘He asked if I’d ever seen a wolf before.’

It was clear now.

This was…

“A white wolf?”