Chapter 12

At Agnes’s words, the Emperor tilted her head slightly with one corner of her lips curling upward.

That small movement alone filled the townhouse with silence so heavy it felt suffocating. The air grew so still that even the faint swish of the Emperor’s ponytail brushing against her back could be heard.

Yet Agnes continued to look directly at Cali with a gentle, almost innocent smile.

She looked defenseless, but her posture was perfectly guarded.

Was it genuine innocence, or was she saying these things with full awareness?

The Emperor crossed her arms and spoke in an unhurried tone.

“You dare to answer something entirely different from what I asked. You already knew who I was the moment you saw me, didn’t you?”

Agnes lowered her head and waist a little deeper, replying softly, almost soothingly.

“I have heard that Your Majesty, the sun of the Empire, is wiser than any sage. I did not think someone as discerning as you would be unaware of what has taken place here.”

Her tone was calm, but her words held a quiet edge.

“I imagine Your Majesty believes that I am unworthy of being your beloved brother’s partner. I only thought that such concern showed deep affection and care for him.”

“Hah.”

The Emperor gave a short laugh, then strode forward.

Before the tall, imposing ruler, Agnes looked as small and delicate as a frightened deer.

When the Emperor lifted Agnes’s chin with a finger, everyone around them froze and turned away. It was an audacious gesture, yet no one here could protect her, no one but herself.

“So you think I’m being petty right now?”

At that, Agnes’s eyes widened briefly before she smiled shyly.

“You misunderstand, Your Majesty. I only felt the warmth of a sister’s affection. Surely it is natural to wish the best match for one’s beloved family.”

Agnes smiled as though she were genuinely enjoying the situation.

“So I am being petty, after all?”

“If this is Your Majesty’s way of showing temper, then I would gladly endure it. In truth, I might even find it pleasant.”

Cali stared at her for a long moment before finally releasing her chin. Agnes’s flawless smile remained as she lowered her head again in perfect courtesy.

“Hah, haha! Ahahaha!”

The Emperor first let out a small laugh, then burst into hearty laughter.

“Dylan’s taste in women is truly amusing.”

Was that truly what the Emperor had meant to say?

Everyone had the same thought, but no one dared to speak. Relief washed over them instead, for it seemed Agnes had managed to survive the moment unscathed.

The Emperor sensed it too, the subtle ease spreading among the servants.

‘They already favor her, do they? Even before the wedding?’

Usually, a woman who entered a household as her master’s fiancée drew quiet resentment from the staff. Yet this felt different.

It said much about how Agnes had conducted herself during her stay.

‘So she hasn’t been flaunting her position as the future duchess. That’s interesting.’

The Emperor wiped a tear of laughter from the corner of her eye and smiled, her expression mischievous and youthful.

“Well, you’re right. I think quite highly of my brother. I had even planned to find him a good match soon, though you, Lady Everchen, do not exactly fit the conditions I had in mind.”

“Do you disapprove of this marriage?”

Even as she asked, there was no trace of despair or defeat on Agnes’s pale face.

Did she mean it wouldn’t matter if the marriage fell through?

Or did she trust Dylan that deeply?

The Emperor’s blue eyes narrowed slightly.

Dylan was a guarded man, always wary of others. People like him found it difficult to trust, and even harder to be trusted in return.

Yet this woman already seemed to believe in him completely.

Amused by that thought, the Emperor gave a small shrug.

“If I could oppose it, I might have, but I cannot.”

“May I ask why?”

“I made a promise to Dylan.”

What kind of promise could exist between siblings known across the Empire as rivals, one the Emperor, the other the Duke of Vasteron?

An inheritance deal? The right to rule without interference?

But the Emperor’s words turned out to be surprisingly sentimental.

“He told me he wanted to marry someone he loved. I still remember how shocked I was to hear that from him, of all people. He has always taken his duties as a royal more seriously than anyone.”

Agnes blinked rapidly. For the first time, her serene expression wavered.

“Someone he loves…”

She whispered the words and brought a hand to her mouth, as if overwhelmed by emotion.

It was a lovely gesture, one that could easily be mistaken for romantic awe, but her thoughts were far from that.

‘So that’s the dream he once had…’

She, more than anyone, knew that Dylan was a gentle, thoughtful man beneath his distant exterior.

It didn’t surprise her that he once dreamed of marrying for love.

But their contract had crushed that dream.

A pang of guilt flickered through her chest, though she couldn’t let it show.

Covering one cheek as if to hide a blush, she smiled softly.

“I will prove in time that I am worthy to stand beside your cherished brother. Please, come inside, Your Majesty.”

At her gesture, Gavelin stepped forward to guide the way.

When the Emperor’s sharp gaze fell on him, his throat moved nervously. He quickly lowered his eyes.

‘What was that just now?’

Agnes frowned slightly. The way the Emperor had looked at Gavelin felt oddly cold.

Sensing the tension, she stepped forward, deliberately placing herself in the Emperor’s line of sight.

She was too small to block him completely, but she did it without hesitation.

The Emperor watched her for a moment, then broke into a radiant smile that made her look strikingly similar to Dylan.

It was as if the chill from a moment ago had never existed.

“Well then, shall we? I’d like to taste the tea personally prepared by my brother’s fiancée.”

She extended her hand toward Agnes like a gentleman offering his arm to escort a lady.

Agnes hesitated for a breath but dared not refuse. She placed her hand carefully on the Emperor’s palm.

‘Was I mistaken?’

Even in her confusion, one thing caught her off guard. Despite her graceful face, the Emperor’s hand was rough and calloused like that of a knight.

As they walked together, Agnes tried to shift the mood by asking quietly,

“Did you learn to wield a sword, Your Majesty?”

Her tone carried genuine curiosity and admiration.

Agnes had lived her whole life as a proper lady. Even as a child in House Everchen and later as Countess Overhen, she had been expected to remain modest and reserved.

A lady was to be graceful at all times, never too loud, never too bold.

The Emperor, however, had once been a princess, the most noble lady in the Empire, yet she had learned swordsmanship. That alone felt remarkable to Agnes, and her curiosity escaped before she could stop herself.

Cali looked amused by the sparkle in Agnes’s golden eyes.

“Yes. I found swordsmanship quite enjoyable, and it was essential training for anyone destined to become Emperor. This Empire, after all, was built by knights.”

“That must be why the Imperial Knights are so powerful even today.”

Agnes spoke gently, her words polished and respectful without sounding servile.

The Emperor suddenly remembered something Dylan had once said.

‘She’s not quite as demure as she seems.’

Yes, he had said that.

And for a brief moment earlier, Cali thought she might have seen that hidden side herself.

Feeling a sudden urge to tease, the Emperor smirked.

“True, though no matter how hard I trained, I could never surpass Dylan. He really was a once-in-a-century genius.”