“I was at fault.”
The First Prince lowered his head without protest.
The Empress let out a slow sigh.
“What could you possibly have done wrong? The real problem is His Majesty, who keeps indulging you simply because he pities a child without a mother.”
As always, she deftly shifted all the blame onto someone else.
“I will devote myself more diligently to my studies. I will conduct myself with greater dignity and never act rashly again.”
Voltaire recited the words mechanically, as though repeating lines he had memorized countless times before. They were exactly what his mother wanted to hear. If he said them obediently, perhaps this suffocating audience would end sooner.
He wanted nothing more than to return to his own palace.
He wanted to shove food into his mouth until he couldn't think.
A tender veal steak. A glass of fragrant wine. Honey-soaked ice cream for dessert.
If he stuffed himself until his stomach felt ready to burst, then perhaps—for just a little while—that strange pressure his mother always placed upon him would disappear.
Kiyen studied him silently before speaking in her usual calm voice.
"As expected of my son. I believe in you."
Whether it was encouragement or a warning, he couldn't tell.
"Now return and continue refining your studies. You must become an example for all the people, Your Highness."
Only then did she finally dismiss him.
Voltaire bowed politely and left without complaint, but the moment he stepped outside, his pace quickened.
His chest felt unbearably tight.
The instant he reached the open air, he inhaled deeply.
Just last year, he'd believed every word his mother told him.
When I become Emperor...
When I wear the Imperial Crown and sit upon the throne... everything will move according to my will.
That was what he had believed.
But this year, something had changed.
Mother doesn't want me to become Emperor...
She wants to place me on the throne so she can rule through me as Empress Dowager.
His footsteps slowed.
Then... when will I ever be free?
The thought led him somewhere dark.
Somewhere terrifying.
If I want freedom... wouldn't Mother have to disappear?
Voltaire turned and stared at the towering roof of the Empress's Palace.
As a child, it had seemed impossibly high.
Now...
For some reason, it looked much lower than before.
Spring flowers bloomed in dazzling abundance.
The sky was clear.
The weather was perfect.
...And I was in an absolutely terrible mood.
The bite-sized sandwiches arranged neatly upon the white tea table were flawless, yet I had no appetite.
Even the sweet-and-tart strawberry juice tasted strangely dull.
Well, how could it not?
That damned womanizer was sitting right in front of me.
Lloyd Croizen.
The carefree young master of House Croizen.
The same man who had made my previous life miserable dozens—no, hundreds—of times.
Our grandfathers had brought us here.
Now we sat across from one another in the Imperial Palace's tea garden.
In my previous life, I became engaged to him at thirteen.
For exactly two years...
I had been happy.
Only two years.
Back then, I had completely fallen for that handsome face of his.
I truly believed his effortless charm and impeccable manners would be reserved for me alone.
I was captivated by his romance.
...I had simply been an idiot.
He was seven years older than me.
This year, he was ten years old.
Having accepted the Emperor's invitation, he'd entered the palace holding the hand of his grandfather, the Duke of Croizen.
Even now, his appearance was striking enough to promise breathtaking beauty in the future.
And those smiling eyes...
He already knew exactly how devastating they were.
Especially when the tiny beauty mark beneath one eye joined that mischievous smile.
Only someone fully aware of how lethal such a combination could be would smile so boldly.
To make matters worse...
His manners were flawless.
If I hadn't experienced every one of his countless affairs in my previous life, I would have been completely deceived.
Actually...
No.
I had been deceived.
Many, many times.
Now, however, I had only one thought.
This brat was already hopeless even back then...
I stared at him expressionlessly while sucking on my straw.
A mouthful of strawberry juice filled my mouth before I swallowed automatically.
I'd deliberately ignored him this whole time, pretending to be nothing more than an innocent three-year-old completely absorbed in strawberries and sandwiches.
I was just beginning to get irritated.
"It seems Her Imperial Highness is rather tired today."
At Lloyd's single remark—
The strawberry juice went straight down the wrong pipe.
Wait.
Was he watching me this whole time?
Seriously?
"Cough!"
I nearly sprayed strawberry juice all over the table as I broke into violent coughing.
"Cough! Hack!"
"Oh dear! Melly!"
Grandfather hurriedly patted my back.
Before the maids standing nearby could even rush over, Lloyd had already picked up the napkin in front of him.
He stepped beside me and carefully wiped the drops of strawberry juice from the corner of my mouth.
"Are you all right, Your Highness?"
His voice hadn't even deepened yet.
No wonder every noble lady had completely lost her mind over him later.
"Cough!"
"...Did I startle you?"
His observational skills were frightening.
He could instantly read another person's emotions and adjust his behavior accordingly.
It was hard to believe he was only ten years old.
...Right.
I'd fallen head over heels for exactly that side of him once.
Damn it.
The real problem wasn't Lloyd himself.
It was that I wasn't the only girl hopelessly in love with him.
And...
Lloyd was terrible at dealing with all of them.
That disaster lay five years in the future.
Once my coughing finally subsided, I quietly picked up another sandwich and resumed eating as though nothing had happened.
Grandfather awkwardly withdrew the hand that had been patting my back.
Meanwhile, Lloyd simply smiled gently—as though being ignored didn't bother him at all—and returned to his seat.
Watching him sit back down, Grandfather smiled in satisfaction.
Grandfather...
Please...
He's a walking disaster.
"What a thoughtful child! Hahaha!"
"You're too kind, Your Majesty. Hahaha."
The Duke of Croizen laughed along.
I felt like I was going insane.
Meanwhile, Grandfather looked even more delighted.
"That reminds me. During Princess Eonel's evening celebration for her investiture as Crown Princess, I'd like these two to spend some time together publicly."
His tone sounded casual.
Almost offhand.
But I knew better.
There was unmistakable political intent behind those words.
Grandfather wanted to secure House Croizen as my strongest ally.
Now, don't get me wrong.
An alliance through marriage with House Croizen?
Fantastic.
Incredibly reassuring.
I'd welcome that with both arms.
Just not with Lloyd!
I wanted to breathe fire like an enraged dragon.
Completely oblivious to my inner screaming, Grandfather delivered the finishing blow.
"I'd like Lloyd to escort Melly on the first day of the celebration."
The instant those words left his mouth—
I shot to my feet.
Well...
Technically, I climbed onto my chair first since it was too tall.
But I still slammed both tiny hands onto the table with all the dignity my three-year-old body could muster.
"I hate it! No! I don't wanna!"
Ugh!
Why did baby pronunciation have to ruin everything?!
I wanted to crawl into a mouse hole and hide forever.
Still, I puffed out my cheeks and tried my best to look serious.
Immediately, Grandfather panicked.
Neither the Duke nor Lloyd reacted much, but Grandfather looked completely flustered.
"Wh-Why? What don't you like? Hmm? Melly, tell Grandpa everything."
He hovered both hands anxiously in front of me, worried I might fall off the chair.
You'd really listen if I told you everything?
Then I object to this engagement!
I desperately wanted to shout those words.
But...
No one had even mentioned an engagement yet.
Grandfather had only suggested that Lloyd escort me at the official celebration so the nobility could become familiar with us.
I spun my tiny brain as hard as I could.
Then I found the answer that sounded most appropriate for a three-year-old.
"U-Um..."
"...He's ugly!"
"Ugly? W-Well... that's... not exactly something Grandpa can fix... No, more importantly, that's rather rude. He's actually considered quite handsome, you know..."
Rude?
Please.
Compared to everything this guy was going to do to me later, this was nothing.
"He's soooo ugly!"
I shouted again, scrunching my face into the fiercest frown I could manage.
Lloyd's eyes widened into perfect circles.
For the first time, genuine shock cracked his ever-smiling expression.
The Duke of Croizen merely chuckled to himself, as though thoroughly entertained.
Grandfather alone looked utterly helpless, glancing back and forth between the Duke and me.
"Ah... Duke Croizen... I-I'm terribly sorry. Melly simply... Well... inviting you here only for this to happen... I really..."
"It's quite all right, Your Majesty. Hahaha."
Judging by the Duke's laughter, he genuinely found the entire situation amusing.
He continued calmly,
"After all, shouldn't Her Imperial Highness's wishes matter most? If she doesn't wish to be escorted by Lloyd, nothing else should take precedence."
Hearing those words...
Lloyd's eyes slowly filled with tears.
"Y-You think... I'm ugly...?"
Apparently my comment had struck him much harder than I'd expected.
Come on...
If you sit there looking so pitiful, it makes me feel like I'm bullying you...
...Although...
Considering everything he'd eventually do to me...
Maybe I was the one getting revenge before the crime.
The thought made my conscience sting.
Nothing has happened yet.
Maybe... I should just go along with the adults for now.
The Lloyd before me hadn't wronged me yet.
And House Croizen truly was the easiest and strongest ally I could possibly gain.
Besides...
He was handsome.
His family was excellent.
Objectively speaking...
There was very little to complain about.
Fine.
We'll date.
Just date.
The moment he started showing signs of cheating—
I'd seize the opportunity immediately and break off the engagement.
Having reached that conclusion, I decided—for now—to play along with Grandfather's plans.
Late that night, after tossing and turning for what felt like hours, I finally fell asleep.
Only to awaken again.
A strange sensation.
Heavy.
Dreamlike.
It was another lucid dream.
For the past five years, I'd never stopped having them.
Sometimes they replayed memories from my previous life.
Sometimes they showed events that occurred after my death.
Like tonight.
In the dream, eighteen-year-old me walked quietly through a corridor.
It seemed to be somewhere within the Imperial Palace.
Dark.
Silent.
Without a single light.
Yet I could see perfectly.
Because it was a dream.
The air felt cold.
Yet I wasn't freezing.
Because it was a dream.
I continued descending.
Deeper.
Further underground.
And then...
I realized where I was.
The underground prison beneath the Cold Palace.
Whenever a member of the Imperial Family was exiled to the Cold Palace, there had to be some political—or genuine—justification.
And the attendants who had served them...
There was no way they could remain innocent.
If their master was stained with blood, they were stained alongside them.
This was where those servants were imprisoned.
My footsteps echoed softly.
Soon, a small iron door appeared before me.
I grasped the heavy metal handle.
I expected it to be locked.
Instead...
It creaked open.
I hesitated.
Then someone passed straight through my body like a ghost and entered first.
Duke Croizen...?
No.
Not the elderly duke I knew.
It was his son.
The younger Duke of Croizen from my previous life.
The one I remembered.
A long sword rested in his hand.
He spoke toward the lone figure sitting in the darkness ahead.
But I couldn't make out the words.
Everything sounded distant.
Muffled.
Even the dream itself crackled with strange static.
What...?
I stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
The shadow gradually came into focus.
"Ar..."
