After she offered her greeting, he gestured with his chin toward Leon. Leon then pulled out the chair opposite him.
“Please sit, my Lady.”
When he pulled out the chair, Liliana sat down. Leon then quietly stood behind Estevan.
It was time to begin the real conversation.
Estevan looked at Liliana sitting across from him.
Wearing a red dress, she was the very height of extravagance. It was completely opposite to him, who disliked flashy things.
His first impression was terrible. What on earth had she been thinking when she asked to meet him?
He had accepted the meeting out of curiosity, but was she really planning to confess?
Looking at how she had dressed up, it was exactly the sort of appearance a woman would adopt to impress the man she liked.
If she truly said something absurd like a confession, he intended to scold her for wasting his time.
“I am curious about the matter for which you asked to meet me.”
Liliana curled her red lips gracefully and looked into Estevan’s red eyes.
“If I said that I have fallen for Your Highness, would you believe me?”
In that moment, Estevan’s gaze sharpened. As he suspected, the answer he expected had come.
“It seems I have only wasted my time.”
As he tried to stand up, Liliana spoke.
“I did not think so. Because I am going to propose a contract engagement to Your Highness.”
He remained standing as he looked at Liliana.
“A contract engagement?”
“That is correct.”
“Were you not supposed to become engaged to Mikael?”
“I was.”
“What is your intention?”
Liliana smiled faintly.
“Please sit first.”
Estevan reluctantly sat down. As if she had been waiting for it, Liliana began to speak.
“Now explain.”
“It is true that Prince Mikael has been passionately courting me, but I do not like him.”
“The reason?”
“I like Your Highness more than Prince Mikael.”
Estevan narrowed his brows.
“You like me? What kind of trick is this? Did Mikael tell you to seduce me or something?”
“Not at all.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“Whether you believe it or not is Your Highness’s choice, but I do not think it is a bad proposal.”
It was true, but Estevan didn’t show it.
“So you are saying that a contract engagement between you and me would benefit me more?”
“Of course. If you accept my proposal, I will do my utmost to place Your Highness on the Imperial throne.”
“Your confidence is excessive, my Lady. Do you think the Imperial throne can be obtained like a child’s game?”
Liliana made a deliberately hurt expression.
“That is a little harsh, dismissing my proposal as a joke. Well, I understand. Even I would find it difficult to believe if someone suddenly asked to meet me and said something like this.”
“At least you know that much.”
“So I brought a gift.”
“A gift?”
“It will be a gift that can show you at least a part of my ability.”
Estevan frowned.
He found it difficult to understand why Liliana was acting like this. The fact that she said she would stand on his side instead of Mikael was suspicious enough.
‘What on earth is she thinking?’
Estevan was suspicious of Liliana’s intentions. A contract engagement, of all things.
“Open it, Your Highness.”
When Liliana placed a small box on the table, he opened it with a frown.
The moment he opened the box, Estevan’s expression stiffened.
“This is…”
With trembling hands, he took the necklace out of the box.
The diamond necklace with its radiant sky-blue glow was the very item he had been searching for.
Just in case, Estevan turned the necklace over.
On the back of the necklace were engraved the initials A&R. It was the necklace the Emperor had given his mother as a wedding gift.
‘Mother…’
The necklace was the item the deposed Empress Anais had clutched tightly until the moment she closed her eyes. It was the only trace of his mother left in this world.
Just before she died, the deposed Empress Anais had repeatedly sent letters to the Emperor asking to meet Estevan’s nanny.
After much deliberation, the Emperor granted her final request, and Estevan’s nanny, Audrin, heard her last words.
Her last words were that when she died, the necklace should be buried with her. And she asked that this request be conveyed to Estevan.
But unfortunately, the nanny was attacked unexpectedly and lost the necklace she had been carrying.
Barely surviving, she hurriedly wrote a letter to Prince Estevan and secretly sent it to him.
The letter contained the final words left by the deposed Empress Anais.
That was why Estevan had decided to search for the necklace.
And now that very necklace was in his hands. What he had been unable to find for two years had been found by Liliana.
Clutching the necklace, Estevan looked at Liliana with a serious gaze.
“How did you find it?”
“Are you acknowledging my ability?”
“…I acknowledge it.”
He had no choice but to admit it.
She had found what he had failed to find for years.
“You went this far just to stand on my side?”
“Yes. I want Your Highness to become Emperor.”
“It seems you want more than just that.”
Liliana let out a faint laugh.
“In fact, there is one more thing.”
He had expected as much.
The corner of Estevan’s lips curled slightly.
“What do you want?”
“The safety of my House. When you ascend the throne, please do not make my House a target of the purge.”
Because it wasn’t the answer he had expected, Estevan was slightly taken aback. He had thought Liliana would want power.
To think what she wanted was the safety of her family.
“Is that truly what you want?”
“Yes. That is enough.”
“It seems like something that could be done even if it were not me.”
Liliana shook her head.
“Only Your Highness can do that.”
“Why are you so certain? What will you do if I change my mind?”
In that moment, Liliana’s eyes sharpened.
“If Your Highness obtains what you want and then fails to keep your promise, even I cannot know what I might do. Surely you would not wish for such a tragedy?”
At the quiet intensity of Liliana’s amethyst-colored eyes, Estevan felt a sense of being overwhelmed.
“I chose Your Highness because I am certain.”
“Certain?”
“Yes. I am certain that Your Highness will protect my House.”
“Does that mean Mikael would not?”
“After Prince Mikael becomes Emperor, he will certainly purge House Dayan.”
Liliana’s eyes were filled with conviction.
‘She’s not lying.’
Liliana smiled with her eyes.
“I happen to be very good at judging people.”
Estevan let out a faint laugh.
“If Mikael heard that, he would faint.”
“Please give me your answer.”
Clutching the necklace tightly, Estevan spoke.
He was very grateful for the gift she had given him. But he was still suspicious of her.
Moreover, his current situation wasn’t particularly favorable. The only thing he possessed was legitimacy.
On the other hand, Mikael had the support of many nobles.
In addition, House Ifriden, one of the two great Ducal Houses of the Empire, was trying to side with Mikael.
As if that weren’t enough, he was putting in effort to become engaged to Liliana Dayan of House Dayan.
If Mikael gained the support of both Ducal Houses, Estevan would be placed in a very difficult position.
According to Liliana’s words, it wasn’t a bad proposal for him. But he couldn’t fully trust her.
His deliberation was brief. He decided to use Liliana.
“I will accept your proposal. If you help me, I will also protect House Dayan.”
“Then shall we make a magic contract, just to be certain?”
“A magic contract?”
“It is best to make things clear from the start, so there will be no trouble later.”
A magic contract was a promise made by staking one’s life. If either side broke the contract, their heart would be destroyed and they would die. It was a terrifying contract.
“Your Highness, you must not do it.”
Leon spoke from the side with a tense expression. After thinking for a moment, Estevan nodded.
“Very well, we will do it.”
“Your Highness!”
“That’s enough. Step back, Leon.”
Leon’s lips stiffened.
“Let us begin.”
Liliana nodded and created a contract with magic.
The letters drawn by the mana flowing from her hand gathered together, and a single contract was completed.
She pricked the tip of her index finger with a knife and stamped the magical contract with her blood.
Estevan also drew blood from his fingertip and stamped the contract.
When the contract was completed, golden mana engraved the contract upon each of their hearts.
Liliana bowed deeply.
“Thank you for giving me the answer I wanted, Your Highness. You will not regret it.”
“I look forward to it.”
“I will request the engagement through my father to His Majesty the Emperor.”
Liliana suddenly leaned her upper body forward. For a moment, Estevan was taken aback.
“I should say this now, but Your Highness is truly handsome.”
As she said that, Liliana reached out with her index finger and smoothed the crease between Estevan’s brows.
“If you do not frown like that, you will look even more impressive.”
“…!”
Liliana leaned back again, then smiled brightly and bowed politely.
“I will take my leave now.”
