His Majesty called me?

Yes. Duke.

The attendant responded with a bowed head politely.

Roxana, will you go with me?

The reason why the emperor called the duke was probably to discuss political affairs.

But before I could say no, the attendant quickly interrupted.

Im sorry, but His Majesty only called you.

Is that so?

The duke frowned.

However, the servant still kept his composure with his head down.

There was still time before the trial began.

However, he hesitated, unable to take a step easily, as if he was concerned about me being left alone.

Then, the servant opened his mouth again to encourage him.

Your Excellency, His Majesty is waiting for you.

Ill go inside first. Its okay.

Keep the guards with you. Ill be back soon, but if anything happens, call me right away.

The duke glanced at the Crown Prince, not at me.

He must have said it with him in mind.

At this, the Crown Prince laughed incredulously.

Soon after, the duke followed the attendant with a disgusted face, and I too tried to go inside with the knights he had left behind.

But the Crown Prince stopped me.

Are we not done talking yet?

The dukes knights immediately stood in the way between him and me.

Then, the Crown Princes escort knights shouted, ready to draw their swords at any moment.

Outrageous! How dare you stand in front of His Highness the Crown Prince!

It was similar to before, but the situation was different.

The imperial palace was different from the dukes residence.

We couldnt fight armed battles in the imperial palace anyway, so putting aside the fact that our knights were outnumbered, nothing good would happen if we made a fuss in the princes realm.

Stop.

As soon as the Crown Prince raised his hand, his knights retreated.

He came slowly and stood in front of me.

Really. Are you going to go all the way?

The Crown Prince asked me with a complicated face.

Your Highness must be aware that we have come too far to turn back, right?

No. Its not too late. Were young, so theres plenty of time to right the wrongs of the past.

Right the wrongs?

Considering what he had done so far, wasnt he too shameless for those words to come out of his mouth?

Your Highness is right. But once the trust has broken, its hard to mend. The person is gone and she wont come back.

After hearing my words, the Crown Prince was silent for a while.

I was getting tired of dragging this out.

He stared at me, and I did not avoid his gaze.

A few minutes later he sighed and said.

I apologize for what happened to Viscountess Willis. I misjudged. But dont you feel like youre giving up too much because of the one person who betrayed you?

I am not talking about Viscountess Willis.

At my words, suspicion filled the Crown princes gaze.

Then who are you talking about?

He asked but I couldnt answer.

I thought of Roxana at this moment.

She did not give up her expectations of the Crown Prince until the end.

Even though she knew he deceived her.

Even if he favored Claire and treated Roxana badly, even if he insulted her, Roxana hated Claire, but she had never hated the Crown Prince.

She is foolish, but she must have loved him deeply.

Just as a baby bird that has just hatched from her egg follows her mother, the Crown Prince was such a being to her.

Even if she gave everything she had, she couldnt bear to let go even after hearing countless insults by him.

Perhaps if it were Roxana who was here instead of me, she would have forgiven the Crown Prince once more.

I could hear him grinding his teeth.

You dont even try to hide it anymore. How did it come to this? (CP

Because there is no need for fooling ourselves. (Rox)

Its like youve been waiting for this. Were you having fun while deceiving me? (CP)

Who was he to talk about deception?

In terms of deceit, how can I compare to Your Highness? Its good to be clean with each other, so lets break off the engagement by agreement. Wouldnt it be better if you think about reputation, money or other complex issues?

What if I cant accept it?

I am afraid its not entirely up to you. This is my last consideration for Your Highness. After all, the annulment is possible only by one partys decision. However, Your Highness must know who is at a disadvantage when it is dragged out to trial.

The Crown prince opened and closed his mouth several times, but he couldnt say anything.

The small spasm of the muscles in his face gave me a rough idea of how angry he must be.

Roxana, I never knew you could talk so well before. Alright, lets break up. Its no use holding on any longer.

Ill take it as a compliment. Then Ill assume the agreement is over and lets go in first.

***

His Majesty is inside.

At the words of the attendant, Duke Lillian made a puzzled face.

Since the emperor had called him, he expected to go to the meeting hall or the office, but this was a place he had never been to.

Suspicious, he went in and saw a woman sitting inside.

It was the empress.

Duke, youre here.

The Empress asked as the door opened.

Was it the Empress who called me?

The duke asked coldly.

There was no particular exchange between him and the empress.

The Empress took care of internal affairs of the palace so there was no path crossing between them.

However, Duke Lillians gaze toward the empress was not kind.

She was the birth mother of the Crown Prince.

He wondered what the empress wanted to have called him here, especially right before the trial began.

He couldnt help but think that it was suspicious.

Plus, the thought of leaving Roxana and the crown prince behind made him feel even more uneasy.

Yes.

The empress nodded her head in acknowledgment.

I apologize for the mistake my son made. But should we cancel the engagement because of the childrens problems? Its not too late, so lets forget about the annulment.

Im sorry, but that would be difficult.

Despite the dukes resolute refusal, the empress maintained a gentle smile without showing any displeasure.

However, if you look closely, her mouth was a little hardened.

Are you saying you disagree?

My daughter has a strong will. I would do anything for that child.

The Dukes gaze and voice were resolute without the slightest wavering.

The empress let out a small sigh and continued.

It is an undeniable fact that your family has supported and helped the crown prince so far. I know that the crown prince hasnt been his best. I am also a woman, how can I not understand that feeling? Hes been careless all this time.

She added in a serious tone.

I swear on my name that this will never happen again. When the crown prince ascends the throne, your familys hard work will not be forgotten. If it ends like this, wouldnt it be a waste of what you contributed so far?

Does it matter? However, it is impossible to pick up water that has already been spilled. I believe that the Empress will understand my feelings as youre also a parent. I think the conversation is over and Ill be on my way.

Despite sharp warnings and gentle persuasion, the dukes intentions did not change in the slightest.

The empress could only keep her eyes open as the Duke closed the door and left the room.

As soon as the door closed, the gentle smile on her face was all erased.

The Empress clenched her fists with a hardened face.

Her sharpened fingernails stabbed her palms deeply, causing a stream of blood to flow.

***

Not long after I sat down, the solemn atmosphere and a sharp impression entered the Supreme Court.

As soon as we were seated, the trial began in earnest.

Unlike ordinary trials, todays trial had very few observers.

It was probably because of the crown princes image.

Then, the trial of Roxana Lillian, the eldest daughter of Duke Lillian, and the Crown Prince, Jeremy Clyce will begin.

Our counselor handed over a bundle of documents to the Supreme Court Justice, who was in charge of the trial today.

The judge read it carefully and then spoke in a hard tone full of authority.

Princess Lillian, please get up.

When I got up from my seat, the Supreme Court judge asked me.

I will ask you this for the first and last time. Do you have any regrets about the fact that you asked the crown prince to annul the marriage? You will have to answer carefully as irreversible consequences will be determined by your answer.

I could feel the Crown princes gaze piercing me.

I answered with a calm voice, ignoring his gaze.

Yes, Your Honor.

This time he looked at the Crown prince and asked.

Would His Highness the Crown Prince accept this decision?

I turned my head towards the Crown prince and met his eyes.

Naturally, there were no more good feelings left in his gaze at me.

He exuded such a hideous aura that the people sitting around him had cold sweat on their foreheads.

Whatever it was, it wasnt my business.

I will ask you again. Does His Highness the Crown Prince accept this?

I accept it.

The judge hit the wooden board with a gavel.

Then I approve of the annulment.

As the Supreme Court Judges voice fell heavily, the hall became silent in an instant.

It felt like time had stopped.

Soon, however, a murmur was heard from the observers seat, and only then did the stopped time seem to flow again.

The annulment ended more easily and quickly than expected.

As if he thought about the image of the imperial family, he did not disclose the things submitted as a reason for the annulment.

The audience was small and everyone knew the content anyway, so it wouldnt have a big impact, but it was a little sad to think of Stephen, who stayed up all night preparing for today.

Well, thanks to the thorough preparation of the material, even the crown prince accepted it without dragging it out.

Since it was done under an agreement between the two, there is no need to pay alimony.

The ill-fated relationship was finally over.

After the Supreme Court Justice adjourned, I got up from my seat without looking at the Crown Prince.