"Just like Noel, I do not wish for you to get involved in dangerous things, but as you said, child, this is also your fight, so there is no way to exclude you from it."

"Thank you."

Sighting in relief, Irene bowed and answered softly when the Grand Duke took her side.

"But Grandpa." 

"Noel, I understand your feelings for this child more than anyone else. So how about this?"

"...?" 

"From what I heard, she is still not good at controlling the spirits."

"Ah ..."

Irene remembered the conversation she had with Noel a few moments ago. Although The Grand Duke seemed to be deep in thought at that time, he was still conscious of his surroundings and heard the exchange between the two.

"So, how about I add a condition, if Irene wants to go to the Imperial Palace, then she must be able to control the spirits adequately within two weeks."

Two weeks, even if she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings, she could easily guess why she was given only two weeks. That was due to the high possibility of a war occurring around that time.

At the Grand Duke's suggestion, Noel looked at Irene anxiously.

"Irene, what do you think?" 

"I will… I will do it."

There was nothing to worry about. Because the condition that the Grand Duke set was beneficial for Irene, she was doomed to get hurt if she went to the Imperial Palace recklessly, without complete control over her spirits.

"I want to do it, Noel." 

"...All right."

When Irene showed her firm will, Noel could no longer object and nodded.

"I'll take care of the preparations. I don't have to remind you that what we discussed here must never be leaked out."

"Understood." 

"That was all. You must be tired, go up and rest."

"Thank you, have a good rest as well."

After saying their goodbyes, Irene and Noel left the Grand Duke's room.

Irene let out a sigh after the heavy doors were fully closed, so Noel asked with a warm voice.

"Irene, are you okay?"

"I would be lying if I said I am. I'm feeling anxious. But..."

Irene bit her lower lip for a moment, then smiled softly at him as she continued speaking.

"I want to try and do my best."

-Just like how I gave it my best while pursuing you.

♔♔♔

"Imperial Father! Why have you been acting like this nowadays?"

After the morning meeting, the Crown Prince caught up with the hasty steps of the Emperor as he returned to his chambers.

"If you act like that, there will certainly be signs of conflict among the nobles!"

At the prince's second remark, the Emperor stopped walking. But he did not turn his back to face his son. The chamberlain read the chilly atmosphere and replied as soon as the Emperor spoke.

"Step away for a moment." 

"Yes, Your Majesty."

At the Emperor's orders, the chamberlain quickly retreated.

"What kind of frivolous behaviour is this? Are you still unaware of how a Crown Prince should act?"

"I apologise, Your Majesty. However, Your Majesty's actions have become questionable these days." 

"How dare you?"

At the Emperor's cold voice, the Crown Prince bit the inside of his cheeks. 

After a moment of silence, the Emperor slowly turned his back. Only a sneer showed on his face without any hint of affection towards his son. The eyes, which were cold as ice, were indifferent to the prince, looking at him like he would look at other people.

Pathetic.

"Why are you telling me what to do? Did I ask for your advice?" 

"It's not like that…." 

"You seem to be unable to come to your senses because it was your disposition to inherit the title of Crown Prince."

Stomp, stomp. 

The Emperor slowly narrowed the distance between them. When he was finally right in front of him, he made eye contact and shook his head sternly. Yet his spry tone contradicted his expression.

"Do you believe I will hand over everything to you?" 

"…Father." 

"The sole purpose behind your birth is to silence the ministers who kept saying that I should have a successor. It was only to solidify my position. You mean nothing to me. So stop getting in my way. I will show no mercy while getting rid of you if I feel that you're not useful to me."

The Emperor encased the crown prince's neck in his grip and pressed down while softly whispering. The Crown Prince let out a groan through his teeth at the suffocating pressure. 

"Ugh."

The Crown Prince ended up taking a step back due to the force that was mercilessly weighing down on him. Only then did the Emperor withdraw his hand in satisfaction.

-Cough!

"I can throw you out at any moment, so keep your distance because if you cross the line again, I won't spare you."

After giving the prince one more icy glare, the Emperor turned to leave. The prince soothed his aching neck and looked at the Emperor receding as he thought.

'He never treated me well..'