The Crown Prince was in an exceptionally good mood today.
No.
To be precise, he had been in a great mood for some time now.
Ever since he sent all those corrupt officials who had been blocking his path straight to Zarat, the situation in the empire had completely stabilized.
To be honest, there was once a period when Kane had even thought about throwing his hands up, hopping on a horse, and finding a place to spend the rest of his life under an assumed name.
But after weathering the darkest days, the good times had finally arrived.
Of course, he also had to admit.
Among everyone, one person's contribution was particularly monumental.
Li An Adolf.
Crown Prince Kane was deeply grateful to Li An for everything he had done for the empire.
And because of that, he felt a certain sense of responsibility.
Upon learning that Li An actually planned to get married, Kane wanted to take this opportunity to properly reward him.
'I must find a suitable wife for that fellow.'
Such an outstanding talent naturally deserved a matching partner.
As the Crown Prince, Kane had seen countless people.
He considered himself a rather good judge of character.
Right now, Kane's sharp gaze swept over the noble ladies gathered in the Adolf estate's grand hall.
These were all young ladies who had come for the matchmaking event.
Each one was dressed in luxurious gowns, clearly having made themselves up meticulously for today's meeting.
A normal noble would probably have been completely dazzled by the vibrant display of beauty before them.
But Kane knew very well.
No matter how beautiful a flower was, it could still have thorns.
It might even be poisonous.
A gorgeously dressed woman noticed Kane and greeted him quite ladylike.
'Is this Miss Amyisha?'
Kane politely returned her greeting.
'I heard her father, Count Lesh, has been running a loan-sharking business lately... Disqualified.'
Before Amyisha even knew what was happening, Kane had already crossed her off Li An's list of candidates.
Immediately after, Kane's gaze fell upon another lady.
Alice.
'Tsk.'
'She was constantly involved in scandals with this man and that man before, and now she suddenly wants to turn over a new leaf and be a virtuous noble lady?'
'Too late. Disqualified.'
No matter how beautiful a flower was, if its roots weren't deep, it wasn't a good flower in the end.
Furthermore, Kane had just noticed something.
Reasonably speaking, this lady was supposed to be here today for Li An.
Yet, from the very beginning, her eyes kept drifting toward him instead.
Even more than she looked at Li An.
Seeing that Kane seemed to have noticed her, Alice eagerly made her way over to him.
“Your Highness, I wonder if—”
“Apologies, but this prince has some matters to attend to.”
Kane rejected Alice cleanly and decisively.
“Ah... Your Highness!”
With yet another candidate disqualified, Kane couldn't help but feel a little worried.
This one wouldn't do, that one wouldn't do, none of them would do.
Kane's gaze swept over the crowd. Based on his vast intelligence network, most of the people here could be directly eliminated.
Was there really not a single suitable noble lady for Li An among all these options?
Kane's eyes darted across the hall, and he quickly spotted someone.
Over in a corner of the hall, there was a girl who hadn't spared him a single proper glance from start to finish.
She kept looking in a different direction.
This actually piqued Kane's curiosity.
Just what kind of noble lady could treat the Crown Prince of the empire like a random stone on the side of the road, completely ignoring him?
Kane took a few strides forward with his long legs and walked over.
“It is a long journey here. You must be tired.”
“If you don't mind, could you tell this prince your name?”
The young woman had violet-colored hair.
Her light purple gown complemented her hair color perfectly.
Her temperament was highly unique.
Kane actually felt a bit puzzled.
Why hadn't he noticed her earlier?
The girl raised her head.
There was a powerful resolve gleaming in her eyes.
She remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.
“Celi Lavione.”
“So you're from the Lavione family. I—”
“You're Crown Prince Kane, right?”
Celi interrupted him without any ceremony.
“You're blocking my view. Could you move?”
Kane raised an eyebrow slightly.
It had been a very long time since anyone dared to speak to him like this.
But it was rather refreshing.
Just what gave this girl the confidence to act so arrogantly in front of the Crown Prince?
Could it be...
She was actually an illegitimate daughter that Imperial Father had abandoned out in the world?
Kane narrowed his eyes and took a closer look at Celi's face.
A moment later.
“Se— Serene—”
“Shut up,”
Celi said expressionlessly.
“Brother. Since you've realized it, don't ruin my plans!”
The next instant—
Thud!
A high heel unceremoniously stomped right on top of Kane's foot.
“Sss—”
Kane's face twisted instantly in pain.
But after the initial wave of pain, a sudden realization hit him.
I see.
She indeed had the right to be arrogant.
And it wasn't hidden.
It was extremely obvious.
What was more, she had even applied heavy makeup today on purpose.
His second sister.
“Hope you enjoy watching.”
After Serena finished speaking, she left Kane behind, walking away without looking back.
Kane watched his second sister's retreating back, his expression gradually turning bizarre.
Why had she run all the way out here?
She couldn't possibly be here for the matchmaking event, right?
His domineering, overbearing second sister actively coming to matchmake with a man?
“Ha...”
Kane was amused by his own thought.
On the other side of the estate.
Serena sat alone in an empty corridor.
Annoyed.
Everything was just annoying.
Her imperial brother who had inexplicably crashed the matchmaking event.
Those noble ladies gathered together, gossiping and chattering about who knew what.
And even herself, who had rushed over to join the event without any kind of plan.
'Just what are you thinking, Serena?'
Sometimes, she couldn't even understand herself.
In the beginning, she simply didn't want Li An to be stolen by anyone else.
She could at least understand that much.
If so, she should have used her status as the Second Princess to find a way to postpone or sabotage the event.
Yet, she had chosen the most ridiculous method possible.
Participating in person.
And not as Serena.
Instead, under a fake identity—Celi Lavione.
But here lay the problem.
What if "Celi" was actually chosen by Li An?
Would she tell him then that she was actually Serena, the Second Princess of the empire?
How absurd.
At that point, she would probably become a laughingstock for these noble ladies over tea for the rest of her life.
“Sigh...”
“You seem quite troubled.”
A voice drifted over from nearby.
For some reason, just hearing this voice made Serena feel a little calmer.
She raised her head.
What met her eyes was a resolute-looking man with short black hair.
His face bore the rugged air left by long years of martial training.
It was as if you took Li An, left him there, and let time and intense training carve him for a few decades—this was roughly what he would look like.
Serena quickly guessed his identity.
Arthur Adolf.
Li An's father.
And the head of the Baron Adolf household.
“I'm sorry, I...”
“You're also one of the young ladies here for my son's matchmaking event, correct?”
“...Yes.”
Serena nodded without hesitation.
Every time she uttered this ridiculous fake identity, she felt like a piece of meat was being carved from her heart.
So if he misunderstood on his own, she would actually prefer it.
“You don't seem to like it here.”
“Yeah... I guess so.”
Arthur didn't beat around the bush, nor did he make forced small talk.
He got straight to the point.
This directness actually made the exhausted Serena feel comfortable.
To the point where, for once, she didn't hide her true feelings.
“Do you like Li An?”
“...”
Serena fell silent.
This question was truly hard to answer.
Did she like Li An?
She was indeed interested in him.
But strictly speaking, that interest was more akin to her interest in a rare collectible.
An expensive, precious item that would easily make others envious if brought out, one she could even show off at banquets.
But if she judged solely by appearance, Li An was indeed her type.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have stubbornly pestered him for so long even after being rejected.
However, if it were the emotional kind of "liking," that was a different matter entirely.
That's right.
“Prince of the Night.”
From that day onward, there was only one person who truly occupied the position of her heart.
Li An Adolf.
I'm sorry.
But you arrived a little too late.
Serena slowly spoke up.
“No.”
“I don't like him.”
Arthur nodded.
“That's good.”
“There's no need to waste precious time on someone you don't like, right?”
Serena stood up.
Then, she lightly brushed the dust off her skirt.
“Thank you.”
“I've made up my mind.”
Her previously cluttered mind suddenly cleared up.
There was no longer any need for her to stay here.
All she wanted now was to rush back home.
Take a nice hot bath, slice some cheese, and pair it with a glass of fine wine.
However, just as Serena raised her head to thank Arthur, a familiar figure entered her vision.
'Elizabeth?'
Why is she here?
Before Serena could even recover from her shock, Elizabeth suddenly cast a glance in her direction.
And then—she smiled.
With that, she followed Arthur and walked away.
No matter how one looked at her, she seemed like an obedient and sensible daughter-in-law.
'Was she just mocking me?'
The veins on Serena's temples throbbed slightly.
The mind that had just cooled down began to heat up once more.
'It's been like this since we were young.'
'Why is it always you who gets the things I care about?'
She could yield to anyone else, but Elizabeth was the sole exception.
Even if she had to ruin it by splashing a bucket of water over it at the end, she would absolutely never watch something she couldn't have fall into Elizabeth's hands.
'Do you think I'll let you steal from me again?'
Serena bit her lip.
Then, turning around, she marched back toward the matchmaking hall once more.
This time, a raging competitive spirit burned in her eyes.
At the matchmaking event.
'My second sister and youngest sister? Did I come to Li An's matchmaking event or a royal banquet?'
Standing in the hall, Kane watched the newly arrived Elizabeth and fell into complete silence.
This was truly the Adolf residence.
Not the imperial palace?
Kane looked at Elizabeth, who was deliberately avoiding his gaze, a wave of complex emotions welling up in his chest.
In particular, he felt a deep, heartfelt sympathy for Li An.
'This is way too much.'
'Attending a matchmaking event without revealing their identities.'
'It'd be one thing if it was just some random girls.'
'But you two are my little sisters!'
'This has crossed the line!'
Kane decided to notify the victim first.
He had to let Li An know the cruel reality.
“Oh, so you're here.”
Kane quickly found Li An.
“Li An.”
“Greetings, Your Highness...”
Li An turned around slowly.
His face was entirely lifeless.
Like a pig that had been dragged into a slaughterhouse and had completely given up resisting.
Watching him, Kane couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
'Tsk.'
'How could someone so brilliant fall into such a state?'
Kane was just about to speak.
But Li An's body suddenly shuddered.
His gaze slowly drifted toward a spot nearby.
There.
Two distinguished "noble ladies" stood amidst the crowd.
One was Elizabeth.
And the other...
Was Serena.
Li An's face changed instantly.
As if he had already guessed something.
“No way...”
Kane and Li An locked eyes.
Sometimes, men didn't need to speak at all.
A single look was enough to convey all their emotions.
Kane's look seemed to ask:
These days... just how on earth have you been surviving?
Li An's seemed to answer:
Do you know what I've been through these days?
Their gazes met briefly.
Yet, their feelings had been fully communicated.
Finally.
Li An spoke in a low voice.
“Your Highness.”
“Hmm?”
“Please save me.”
Kane went silent for two seconds.
“Rest assured.”
“I will do my best.”
Saying so, Kane discreetly glanced at the exit of the manor.
Then, he seriously pondered a question.
...
Should we...
Just run away together?
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