She stared at the chest with a mix of curiosity and fear on her face. Half of her wanted to open the lid and confirm the prince’s face, while the other half was too afraid to do so.

“By the way, Osc…”

Genevieve started to call Oscar but stopped short.

Oscar’s gaze had been directed at Genevieve for only a brief moment after getting out of the carriage. Since then, he couldn’t take his eyes off the chest. Genevieve had never seen Oscar look like this before. Oscar, who was so downcast that he couldn’t even muster a forced cheerful joke, looked… as if he might burst into tears at any moment if touched.

However, neither Oscar nor Genevieve could continue staring at the chest.

Thud. The ground rumbled lowly. The two turned their gazes towards the source of the sound, which felt like an earthquake.

“You’ve arrived.”

They were magnificent, befitting the reputation of the Holy Empire that wielded sacred power. Knights riding horses as large as houses, and a slender but strong-looking woman on horseback. Despite secretly infiltrating the Solaris border, they exuded an overwhelming aura.

As soon as Oscar and Genevieve saw the woman, they immediately greeted her with the proper etiquette for royalty.

“It’s an honor to meet the Princess, the light of the Empire.”

It was the arrival of Princess Celestia, one of the leading candidates to succeed the imperial throne.

“Rise. We don’t have time for this.”

She was at the center of the longest and fiercest succession battle in imperial history. Her voice carried more authority than when heard through the communication device, and possessed an undeniable power.

As Oscar and Genevieve raised their heads, the Princess’s gaze immediately fixed on Oscar.

“…”

She stared at Oscar so intently that it made others uncomfortable. Oscar didn’t react to her blatant stare. He was lost in deep thought.

After a long silence, the Princess spoke first.

“Miss Genevieve, may I check the item?”

“Of course.”

Item.

Understanding her meaning, Genevieve moved everyone nearby back. Immediately, the Princess’s holy knights came forward and received the chest.

Click. The heavy lid of the chest opened in the hands of two knights. As soon as the lid was carefully opened, the Princess stared blankly at the person inside the coffin. Genevieve also widened her eyes in surprise.

‘Zachary Thaddeus, the prince everyone thought was dead…’

He was sleeping here. His large body had to be slightly curled to fit in the chest, but soft silk was abundantly laid out to make him as comfortable as possible. Lavish jewels and treasures adorned the sides around Zachary.

He looked strong and beautiful. He was sacred, as if he had stepped out of a myth, and so radiant that he outshone the decorative jewels around him, making it impossible to look away. Even the knights who saw him momentarily held their breath. It was as if they had glimpsed a sacred god protecting the empire in his sleep.

‘There was no need to include jewels.’

Genevieve muttered internally. It seemed they had filled it so abundantly intending to give them to Zachary. Even to Genevieve, who was skilled at appraising the value of jewels, these were all precious, top-quality pieces.

‘What’s that?’

There was also a long cloth with indiscernible patterns engraved on it next to the sleeping Zachary. However, Genevieve’s thoughts were interrupted as the Princess standing beside her continued speaking.

“I don’t know how Zachary ended up staying at Serpentine… but to think he’d return like this.”

The Princess, who was initially shaken, soon looked at the sleeping Zachary with subdued eyes.

The Princess’s expression seemed bitter. For a while, she looked down at the chest with a strange expression, as if lost in regret.

“It’s difficult to explain the detailed reasons right now.”

“I wasn’t asking you for reasons.”

The Princess sharply rebuked Oscar, who said he wouldn’t explain the reasons now.

Oscar, who was about to give a brief explanation, closed his mouth at her keen response. Oscar stared at her with wavering eyes for a moment. For a fleeting instant, he looked at the Princess as if resentful, but then, as if it never happened, he suppressed all his emotions and said,

“He will definitely need treatment when he wakes up.”

What Oscar handed over was a small book.

“This is…”

“I’ve written down the spells cast on him and their characteristics, to the best of my knowledge. Some are unclear. I’ve also noted the side effects, which I believe can be sufficiently dispelled with the Empire’s sacred power.”

The family’s spell formulas had never been released to the outside before. Moreover, those who wielded sacred power had a strong aversion to those who used spells. Yet Oscar had provided this information to none other than the Princess of the Holy Empire.

“Is it alright for you to give me something like this? Who knows how I might use it.”

The Princess, who also seemed not to have expected this, received the small booklet with a sour expression.

“It’s fine. You are his sister, after all.”

For a moment, the Princess was speechless and looked at Oscar, but Oscar didn’t meet her gaze. Oscar’s eyes were still fixed on the peacefully sleeping Zachary. Watching Oscar’s profile as he couldn’t take his eyes off the chest, Genevieve thought.

She had often considered Oscar to be somewhat of a broken person.

Honestly, it was an absurd contract marriage. The combination of Oscar and herself was close to a beautiful but unripe apricot. For her, who would inherit the wealth and be with her loved one, it was a deal with nothing to lose, but not for Oscar. If they divorced after a short time, it would greatly affect his future reputation. Oscar would probably be followed by the story of his divorce from Genevieve until the day he died.

Yet Oscar had accepted this absurd proposal, throwing himself into it. He didn’t even try to gain any personal benefit, only wanting to send Zachary back to the empire. Genevieve found this puzzling. But even when planning, Oscar never revealed his true feelings.

However, Oscar was different now.

“Please, I entrust him to you.”

Oscar showed his emotions more honestly than ever before. He looked extremely desperate.

As he bowed deeply to the Princess while making his request, Genevieve bit her lip hard and bowed her head alongside him.

“I also join in this request.”

“…”

The Princess, who had been staring at the two bowing their heads, spoke in a slightly softened tone.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. I too… have a debt to repay.”

The Princess also seemed to have complex thoughts on her mind.

With their heads bowed, the two couldn’t see, but for a very brief moment, the Princess looked at Zachary with a contorted expression.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

But this was only for an instant. As if she had never made such an expression, she gestured with her hand to give an order. Following the Princess’s command, the holy knight carefully closed the lid of the chest. Oscar didn’t blink as he stared at the slightly ajar lid of the closed chest.

“Young raven of Raven. Make sure to keep your promise.”

“Of course.”

The Princess looked at Oscar standing next to Genevieve, who had responded politely.

She didn’t say anything particular to Oscar. It seemed like she had something to say, but in the end, she pulled on her horse’s reins without opening her mouth.

They disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared. Genevieve looked at Oscar while barely exhaling. It was because the tension had finally eased.

“Well, now that the task is done, let’s return to our house…”

Genevieve, who was about to suggest returning home now that the deed was done, stopped speaking.

Although she didn’t know the details, she thought Oscar would feel relieved like herself.

But that wasn’t the case. Oscar’s gaze was fixed on the frozen ground. His expressionless face held nothing. Looking at the ground with empty eyes, Oscar seemed like a dead person.

Genevieve was at a loss for words, feeling as if his emptiness was contagious.

“Genevieve.”

Then Oscar slowly raised his head. His amber eyes looked unusually pale today. After staring blankly at her for a long time, Oscar suddenly asked,

“There are no ants in winter, right?”

It was an out-of-the-blue question.

Usually, she would have laughed it off, saying how could ants be wandering around in winter, but seeing Oscar now, she couldn’t do that. Although Genevieve was perplexed by the question, she tried to answer calmly.

“Of course not. And it’s not just ants, right? All insects would be dead or hibernating. How could they survive in this frozen land?”

Genevieve, who was about to ask why he suddenly asked such a thing, slowly opened her mouth.

Tears welled up in Oscar’s eyes. Sadness filled his eyes, which looked even more transparent in the sunlight. Round tears trickled down his cheeks.

“That’s a relief.”

She couldn’t even ask what was a relief. Oscar was just silently shedding tears.

The sight of him crying without making a sound was heart-wrenching. If only he would wail out loud. Crying so quietly and sorrowfully made the viewer’s heart ache even more.

Oscar tried to wipe away his tears. But no matter how much he tried to brush them away with his hands, the tears wouldn’t stop, so it was of no use.

Was it because of the cold, or because the sadness had spread to his fingertips? His hands were pitifully trembling.

Plop, drip. Tears fell from Oscar’s cheeks to the ground. At the beginning of winter, water stains spread on the faded and withered leaves.

“Wipe them.”

Genevieve sighed and held out a handkerchief. Oscar shook his head, still with empty eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

He didn’t accept the handkerchief and tried to compose his face with his own hands somehow. As if he already had a handkerchief from someone else and didn’t need it. Or as if he wouldn’t accept any handkerchief that wasn’t given by that other person. Oscar shed silent tears for a very long time.

Genevieve wanted to give Oscar more time to collect himself. But not long after, Oscar called out to her.

“Genevieve.”

Genevieve turned around in surprise. The man she saw had returned to his original face, as if he had sorted out the overflowing emotions. Only his bloodshot eyes still revealed the remnants of his emotions.

“Let’s go back now.”

Genevieve’s gaze fixed on Oscar’s bright red ears. Unlike his composed face, his ears were red as if they might fall off.

“…Alright.”

Genevieve felt as if she might cry along with Oscar for some reason. However, she held back firmly and turned her head nonchalantly, walking towards the carriage first. So that even if he cried, he wouldn’t be conscious of her.

However, after this day, Genevieve never saw a crack in Oscar again.

Not even when over a year had passed, and the wedding was just around the corner.55