Chapter 4

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There was a reason why Olivia and the others were using opera glasses to observe Alan and Princess Florentia.

The incident began five days ago, before Princess Florentia arrived in the country.

Olivia and Silas were called to the king's office by the king.

The negotiations regarding the gold smuggling across three countries had not yet concluded, but Olivia had heard that so far, there were no major issues and the talks were proceeding smoothly. Suddenly being summoned by the king made her uneasy.

Perhaps there was some trouble.

The matter of Alan's demotion and the engagement between Olivia and Silas were on hold until the smuggling issue was resolved, to avoid causing chaos in the country. However, as a prospective fiancée, Olivia had been granted a room in the castle.

She often visited the castle to assist with the political affairs that Silas and Alan were handling, which is why she could immediately respond to the king's summons. However, when Olivia entered the office with Silas, she was taken aback.

This was supposed to be the office.

The office was where the king conducted his political affairs.

Unlike the conference room, it was mainly used for paperwork.

(Maybe a pastry shop came by?)

Indeed, a mountain of documents was piled on the king's desk. The documents were supposed to be divided into two piles: the ones on the right were pending, and the ones on the left were processed. However, the pile on the left was noticeably small, with only about five documents. It was already close to noon, and the number was far too few. Had they already been collected? No, that didn't make sense given the large number of pending documents.

(Perhaps he has something on his mind that's keeping him from his work?)

The king's expression was grim. This made the items on the low table in front of the guest sofa stand out even more. A mountain of pastries. What was this all about?

First, a three-tiered tray in the center was filled with colorful macarons. Around it were boxes of chocolates, various cakes on a large plate, scones, cookies, caramels, and candies.

The king wasn't known for having a sweet tooth.

"Well, sit down."

The king, standing from his desk, gestured for them to sit on the sofa where the pastries were arranged.

Ringing a bell, a maid brought in a tea set. Lemon slices floated in the tea placed in front of Olivia and Silas. The king was drinking coffee imported via Filarus from a distant southern country.

"Well, help yourselves to anything you like."

"Yes, thank you."

Olivia nodded, but Silas looked suspiciously at the pastries before speaking.

"What are you up to?"

Olivia's hand, which was reaching for a mint-colored macaron, stopped just short of touching it. "Conspiring" was a very ominous word. She withdrew her hand to her lap and gave the king a probing look. She sensed the danger of being saddled with an unreasonable request if she indulged in the pastries.

The king feigned hurt, saying, "How could you think that?" but his expression was too exaggerated. He was a terrible actor, the kind who would be immediately fired from an opera.

Silas glared at him, and the king cleared his throat dramatically.

"Actually, I have a favor to ask of you."

Olivia instantly thought it was a good thing she hadn't eaten anything. The fact that he was trying to win them over with pastries suggested that the "favor" was likely to be no good.

"No."

Silas answered immediately.

But the king didn't give up.

"This concerns you as well. If mishandled, it could affect your marriage—"

"I'll listen."

Silas changed his attitude abruptly.

The king narrowed his eyes and smiled, then cleared his throat again.

Olivia felt a bit uneasy seeing Silas being manipulated by the king, but it wouldn't be too late to judge after hearing the request. She decided to listen, though she kept her hands off the pastries to keep her options open.

"Actually, the third princess of Levanor is coming here."

"The third princess?"

Silas tilted his head. It was understandable. Levanor and Briolette had good diplomatic relations, and the princes and princesses often visited for diplomatic purposes. However, the third princess had never come, and even when they visited her, they only exchanged pleasantries. She was extremely shy, like a newborn rabbit, and left little impression. It was strange that she was coming for diplomatic reasons. The first princess had married into another country, and the second princess was still engaged and remained in the country, so it made more sense for her to come.

The king nodded solemnly.

"King Othar of Levanor wants to marry the third princess to either Alan or Silas—"

"Please, to my brother."

Silas answered immediately again.

However, the king said, "That's not possible," which made Silas genuinely angry. The cold air around him was almost palpable. Olivia gently squeezed his hand, and Silas glanced at her, softening slightly.

"Let's hear the reason."

Silas asked the king in a high-handed manner, implying that he wouldn't accept a bad reason.

The king took a sip of coffee, frowned slightly as if it was bitter, and added sugar and milk.

"If the third princess of Levanor marries Alan, he will become the crown prince. It's one thing if you've already ascended to the throne, but King Othar wants the princess to become queen. It would be impossible to demote Alan from the position of crown prince. Given the previous incident, I don't want any trouble. Do you understand?"

"Then why not let my brother be the crown prince? He can marry the princess, and I can marry Olivia. That would resolve everything, wouldn't it?"

"Absolutely not!"

After a series of events, Silas had started to consider becoming king, but he wasn't the type to cling to power. Alan had matured and grown as a person, and Silas would rather give up the throne than lose the chance to marry Olivia. The king was at a loss.

"If Alan becomes king, I'll lose the bet with the queen!"

"Again with that?"

Silas said with a sigh of exasperation.

"Isn't it time to let it go? Your mother is already forty. It would be physically difficult for her to have and raise another child. Why not give up?"

"I refuse. I don't like losing."

"…You lose most of the time, don't you?"

"Quiet!"

The king began to whine like a child, and Silas sighed.

"Anyway, if it's an engagement, please ask my brother. I have Olivia. If you try to take her away, I'll be seriously angry."

"I'm not saying you can't engage to Olivia."

"…You don't mean both of us should marry her, do you?"

"Of course not!"

The king's immediate denial relieved Olivia. Historically, there had been kings with concubines, but it would be inappropriate for a prince to have a concubine when a princess from another country was to be married. Besides, Olivia didn't want to be a concubine, and she didn't want Silas to marry anyone else.

Silas narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"…What are you up to?"

The conversation had come full circle.

The king smiled slyly.

"The princess is coming for a meet-and-greet. The engagement isn't finalized. I want you to do everything you can to make the princess dislike Alan. It would be awkward for us to turn down the proposal, but if she decides to end it, that would be fine. Of course, I won't ask you to do this for free. If you succeed, I'll grant you one wish."

Olivia and Silas were speechless.