Chapter 8
At dawn, the first place I went was the Denevola Palace—where Rinoel resided.
“I’ve come to see Prince Rinoel.”
I clenched my teeth and put on a bright smile.
The attendants of the Denevola Palace subsidiary office stiffened awkwardly.
“His Highness has ordered that no one from the Regulus Palace be allowed inside.”
“So have I.”
I swallowed the rising sharpness in my voice and answered calmly.
Maybe it was because I’d spent decades in the workforce if I counted my past life—but even in this situation, I managed to keep smiling. That alone felt impressive.
“I didn’t want to come to the Denevola Palace either.”
“……”
“But Prince Rinoel created a situation where I had no choice but to visit, didn’t he?”
That was true.
Judging by their expressions, everyone agreed.
“Lady Amber.”
The door near the prince’s office opened, and the head of the subsidiary office called out to me.
“His Highness will see you.”
The moment permission was granted, I strode inside—and there he was, smiling with that infuriating face.
“I apologize for the early hour. What brings you here?”
“What do you mean, what?”
“The First Imperial Domester Corps was clearly assigned to accompany Prince Lombre’s expedition. Why have they been reassigned to Prince Rinoel—”
“It was changed. I decided to go on an inspection myself this time. On your advice, no less.”
“…Excuse me?”
“You said on-site inspections are crucial for governing the Empire. I took your advice to heart.”
He winked at me.
“Since the successor after His Majesty hasn’t been decided yet, I thought I should study in advance.”
If you changed your mind, then why not go to the Frik territory yourself?
And if you changed your mind, why arbitrarily alter the schedule of the First Knight Order?
Harsh words spun endlessly in my mouth.
“The First Corps—!”
“And is there really a reason for my brother Lombre to take the First Corps with him?”
“What?”
“My brother possesses exceptional swordsmanship and magic. He doesn’t really need the First Corps, does he? And if things get difficult, he could always fight in his Monter form.”
Lombre, a half-beast of this generation, was far more adept at using magic than ordinary humans.
“Please apologize for speaking so disrespectfully of Prince Lombre.”
Rinoel merely shrugged, clearly having no intention of retracting his words.
I genuinely wanted to punch that smug face.
Wasn’t he the one who used to sneer about half-beasts, barely even treating Lombre as human?
Sending him to Mount Monde right now was no different from sentencing him to death.
The reason we wanted the First Corps wasn’t just to finish the mission quickly—it was because Lombre needed protection.
Unless one was exceptionally skilled, a Monter expedition wasn’t about us protecting Lombre—it was about Lombre protecting us.
“And besides,” Rinoel continued shamelessly,
“the one closest to the throne right now is none other than me, isn’t it?”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
“Therefore, the Imperial Knights should prioritize protecting me above all others.”
“That’s past tense.”
The moment I cut him off bluntly, Rinoel froze.
“What?”
“You were the closest successor—until Prince Lombre returned to the imperial family.”
The First Prince, long thought dead, had returned.
By succession order alone, Lombre now stood above Rinoel.
“I didn’t realize you had a talent for nonsense.”
“Well, whether it’s nonsense or not is something time will tell.”
The tension crackled between us.
Given Rinoel’s temperament, I expected him to tear me apart on the spot—but surprisingly, he showed no reaction.
One thing was clear: he had no intention whatsoever of yielding the First Corps to us.
I no longer wanted to argue.
The First Corps would follow Rinoel anyway.
“I’ll take my leave.”
I turned around, suppressing the urge to clutch my throbbing head.
“Your resignation letter.”
That single sentence stopped me cold.
I turned back slowly.
Rinoel was smiling at me, and I frowned slightly.
“I hear your resignation letters keep getting rejected every time you submit them to my brother.”
Rinoel stood up from his seat.
“My brother has a tendency to cling to the few people close to him. There aren’t many who approach him willingly.”
Lombre and Rinoel were half-brothers and looked nothing alike—except for one thing.
Their red eyes, identical to the Emperor’s.
“I want someone loyal like you, Amber.”
The difference was that where Lombre had jet-black hair that seemed to swallow darkness,
Rinoel’s blond hair looked as though it had absorbed the sun itself.
“How about abandoning my brother and becoming my person instead?”
Rinoel smiled with utter confidence.
When I first met him upon entering the imperial palace, I’d honestly thought he was an angel.
Pale, flawless skin.
Golden hair glowing like sunlight.
Red eyes that sometimes shimmered with a purplish hue.
And since the original story had reverse-harem elements—where Rinoel became obsessed with Aurora and later begged desperately for her affection—I’d once thought he was rather charming.
I’d even thought it might be entertaining to see that beautiful face crying and pleading for love.
The reason all of that is past tense—
Is because it no longer applies.
“Amber, if you become my person, I’ll give you everything you desire.”
The only thing worth looking at about Rinoel was that pretty face.
And honestly, even that only lasted about a week.
Ever since I entered the palace, the one constantly interfering with Lombre and my work was this bastard.
Pretty or handsome only goes so far—if someone keeps ruining projects you’ve spent months preparing through sleepless nights, you’d want to smash that pretty face into a rag.
And yet, despite sabotaging me at every turn, Rinoel had the audacity to think I’d accept this offer.
The absurdity made me laugh.
“Well? Doesn’t the idea of serving under me tempt you even a little?”
He asked in a low, coaxing voice, standing against the sunlight.
I swallowed a sigh.
If only his behavior matched his face.
If Lombre was a rugged, cold beauty shaped by every storm in the world,
Rinoel was like a sculpture delicately carved by a god in an ancient founding myth.
Between Lombre and Rinoel, it was a matter of preference—but neither lacked in appearance.
“Amber?”
Mistaking my silence for hesitation, he narrowed his eyes and smiled seductively.
“I’ll place unimaginable wealth and honor into your hands.”
That final line snapped me back to my senses.
I smiled brightly at Rinoel, who had blocked the door to keep me from leaving.
“I’m not resigning because I don’t want to stay by Prince Lombre’s side,” I said.
“I’m resigning because I don’t want to work anymore, Prince Rinoel.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. You misjudged me.”
And as if I’d ever serve under a rotten rope like you.
No matter what, I intended to remain loyal to the male lead and keep my lifeline intact.
Of course, the best outcome would be Lombre finally accepting my resignation.
“Since you don’t seem inclined to cancel taking the First Domester Corps, I’ll be going.”
Now I had to find knights willing to accompany Lombre.
Though given the circumstances, I’d likely have to forcibly conscript them.
Sighing at problems that resurfaced no matter how many times I cut them down, I opened the door—
“But, Amber.”
That single line caught my ankle again.
I turned back.
Rinoel had returned to his seat, sprawled lazily with his chin resting on his hand, grinning.
“I meant it when I said I want you as my person.”
“Ha.”
I gave a short, humorless laugh—words not even worth responding to—and slammed the door shut.
I’d seen plenty of bosses like Rinoel in my past life.
They sweet-talk you, pretend to take care of you—then take what they want and discard you without hesitation.
Someone who’s betrayed once can always betray twice.
I had no intention of siding with Rinoel.
Even if I did, I’d be thrown away soon enough.
As I walked briskly past the servants of the Denevola Palace, who all bowed deeply, I muttered—
“Damn it. What do I do now?”
I needed people—first and foremost.
Among the imperial Domesters, did no one have any discernment at all?
Why cling to a rotten rope like Rinoel?
I pressed my aching head hard.
Lombre said he was used to this kind of treatment after enduring it his entire life—but no matter how often I faced it, I couldn’t adapt.
Was it because I knew the entire original story?
That extremely brief letter saying I’d been selected as one of the candidates for the Crown Prince’s consort.
Bloom’s words resurfaced slowly in my mind.
Why did that bother me so much?
From Lombre’s perspective, wasn’t that a good thing?
Was I worried about him being harassed by others?
“…I’m insane.”
Is this really the time to worry about that, Amber Cedarwood?!
I clenched my fist and smacked my cheek lightly—hard enough to sting.
Don’t worry about him. Worry about yourself and the extra workload this will cause!
Entering the original storyline meant Lombre’s curse would be lifted and a happy future would draw closer—
But like all novels, reaching that happy ending required one final stretch of suffering.
In short, that suffering would fall squarely on me, buried under an avalanche of work.
Even though Lombre weighed on my mind, I had to resign as soon as possible.
If he continued to reject my resignation…
I really didn’t want to do it, but maybe I should consider ghost-resigning.
I had just left the Denevola Palace and was heading toward the Regulus Palace when—
“Lady Amber Cedarwood?”
At the unfamiliar voice calling me, I stopped abruptly and turned.
The voice was unfamiliar, but the face wasn’t.
Like me, he was a staff member of His Majesty’s personal office—one of the Emperor’s direct secretaries.
Seeing the deep shadows under his eyes, I offered silent sympathy before asking,
“What is it?”
“His Majesty is summoning you. Please come with me.”
At the unexpected summons, my throat bobbed noticeably.
