Chapter – 12
“So you already know. That will make this quick.”
Asel sat across from Laura.
“I’ve brought a contract. I propose that we extend our engagement under my conditions, but I think we’ll need to coordinate on certain points.”
Asel placed the document on the table between himself and Laura.
Seeing it, Laura asked,
“It’s blank?”
“We are in an equal relationship, so the contract should reflect mutual needs. It wouldn’t be right for me to write only my conditions unilaterally.”
“……”
“You each write your conditions here. If we agree to them, we’ll have the imperial seal affixed and keep it on record.”
Since this contract would be drawn up in a private setting, no one outside of the parties involved would know its contents. However, because it would bear the imperial seal, it would carry the authority of an official document, something even Asel could not ignore.
Laura silently stared at the blank page. She seemed both surprised by what she was seeing and, at the same time, strangely accepting of it. Observing the rapid emotional waves crossing her face—ones he could not fully understand—Asel spoke.
“May I state my conditions first?”
“Go ahead.”
Fortunately, Laura did not object.
“There are three things I wish. First, that you faithfully fulfill your duties as the prospective Crown Princess during the contract period. Second, that if I declare the contract terminated after two years, you comply.”
So far, Laura showed no reaction. She probably expected these sorts of conditions.
“The third, however: if your child is mine, do not use that child to intervene in imperial matters.”
At this condition, Laura lost her composure. Her face twisted, and her lips trembled, betraying the storm of emotions inside.
But for Asel, this was an essential condition. He would take responsibility only if the child was his flesh and blood—he had no intention of taking on Laura herself as a burden.
After a long silence, Laura grimaced and spat out her words like chewing on something bitter:
“…That will never happen.”
“Good. Then all the more reason to swear to this,” Asel urged.
Laura let out a deep, lingering sigh before picking up the pen. She wrote quickly but legibly, inscribing Asel’s three conditions as a sign of agreement.
“My conditions are twofold,” she said.
“I’m listening.”
“The first is that during the time I am your fiancée, I want to be treated as a proper fiancée.”
“What do you mean?”
“High society is conservative, and people there judge others according to their own standards and hierarchies. Especially if someone reaches a position others envy, any weakness can make them a target.”
Currently, the Imperial Court had neither Empress nor Imperial Consort. Naturally, as Asel’s fiancée, Laura would occupy the highest position in society—but she could still be broken off from at any moment. To the petty jealousies around her, she would be the easiest target.
“So even if I am a two-year ‘contracted Crown Princess,’ treat me as a proper partner. Don’t publicly humiliate me if trouble arises. I won’t deliberately create any scandals myself, of course.”
“That’s an unusual condition. If you avoid wrongdoing, then—”
Asel paused. He realized that, by habit, he assumed Laura might make mistakes to be scolded, and he had never considered treating her with respect first.
Perhaps this was why she made this her ‘first’ condition: she had never felt genuinely respected by him before.
“Understood. I accept that. And the other condition?”
“This one is more personal but also more important,” Laura said after a brief hesitation.
“Money.”
“…?”
“As you can see, given my situation,” she gestured lightly around herself.
With the collapsing ruins of the old temple nearby, it was far from ideal.
“I’ll have to rely on you a little to manage my life—raising a child, fulfilling Crown Princess duties, and making a mark in society. I’ll need to lean on you financially to do all that.”
Yet, for some reason, the honesty in acknowledging her need for support felt more delightful than when she was draped in jewels and glamor.
“So… I’d like you to take care of me.”
Meanwhile, Grand Duke Dante Orfasha received a report at his residence.
“So… the Mart drug den has been exposed?”
Dante’s habitual formal tone intimidated some subordinates while impressing others, keeping a mysterious distance.
“Yes. With the arrest of the Luweiz heir and the occupation of Mart, it seems the Imperial Court had precise intelligence from the start.”
Although publicly, the drug den was said to be owned by Gepetto, that was only the surface. In reality, Dante was the owner. The den was operated as part of his pharmaceutical company, selling illicit drugs in secret.
Drug trafficking carried severe penalties even for royalty, but it was a highly profitable enterprise. Dante had always taken extreme care to remain undetected, purchasing buildings for decades, converting them, employing security, and using front names to avoid suspicion.
‘And yet someone discovered it.’
“Who reported it?”
“Miss Luweiz herself—the illegitimate child of the caretaker’s family.”
The subordinate did not elaborate that Laura Luweiz, being Gepetto’s relative, had inside knowledge. Even Gepetto did not know all the names and addresses involved, so such a sweep required either a breach of security somewhere or Laura possessing extraordinary abilities.
It turned out Laura was a spirit user. She wasn’t a fraud; she had real skills.
“And this Miss Luweiz…”
“You know, the child the Marquis once took into the family?”
“I see.”
Dante felt a strange emotion, as if an old, dusty memory box had been opened.
“She became an informant… Time really does pass.”
Dante took the portrait his subordinate brought. A determined-looking woman sat clutching a fan, showing no trace of childhood innocence.
“Shall we send someone to meet her?”
“Considering she is engaged to our nephew, we should be careful. We can’t just do such a thing.”
“Then… I’ll check personally.”
He was planning a visit to the capital to see his sister anyway.
“If she is truly talented, meeting her in person is the proper approach.”
His first choice was persuasion; the second was bribery; if neither worked, elimination would follow. Nothing could be allowed to obstruct the ‘great work’ he had prepared in the shadows of the Empire.
“Um… long time, Miss Luweiz.”
“Yes.”
Silona, the imperial seamstress, wiped the sweat from her palm on her apron. She and Laura did not get along.
The tension had started when Laura became engaged to Asel. She claimed that being the Crown Prince’s fiancée gave her authority over the imperial seamstress.
[‘Whether this engagement becomes formal or not is another matter.’]
Asel stopped her, pointing out Laura’s position, leaving Silona in an awkward position. She had to follow whoever controlled her salary—the Imperial Court.
Despite her tension, Laura remained calm.
“I’ll measure you now.”
“Of course.”
Laura followed instructions without complaint—raising her arm, tilting her chin, even when choosing fabrics, she did not act difficult.
Silona initially thought the summons to the strange, ruined building was a bad omen, but Laura’s willingness to defer to experts in areas she didn’t know impressed her.
Of course, Laura did not yield on everything.
“Do you have other designs?”
“Huh?”
“I know the ball gowns with bell skirts are in fashion, but they don’t suit me. Honestly, this design suits petite, smaller women better.”
Silona agreed. The Empire’s beauty ideal favored small, girlish, protective figures, while Laura’s tall stature and striking features dominated the room. She was the opposite of the Empire’s standard.
“And the square neck? Isn’t it sinful to put this on someone like me? My broad shoulders will look worse.”
“Do you have another design in mind?”
After rejecting dozens of designs, Silona became slightly frustrated. Her decades of craftsmanship felt denied.
“Then, wait a moment.”
Without hesitation, Laura grabbed a sketchbook and began drawing. Silona initially thought it was a waste of paper, but as the lines formed the new design, she was drawn to it.
“This… what is this?”
It was a design she had never seen in her life.
