Maria and the Prince’s conversation lasted only a brief moment.
While Maria’s submissive responses came from being overwhelmed by the Prince, the primary reason was that she had been revealing the position of the Jews.
It all began when, after answering the Prince’s questions consistently, Maria suddenly hesitated and opened her mouth.
‘Um, I’m really sorry to say this, but… we won’t be contacting Your Highness directly.’
The Prince could guess why. These were people who had admitted they were walking a tightrope between the Ottoman Empire and the Empire.
Although they were cooperating with the Empire for now, it was obvious which side was stronger from an objective standpoint.
If the Ottomans won, the Jews could be purged for having aided the Empire. In this way, the Jews had their own standards for dealing with the shifting political landscape. The Prince’s assumption was correct. There was no need to get angry over it.
After all, the Empire had only just been acknowledged as a possibility.
Without a word, the Prince nodded in understanding. However, Maria seemed to have another lingering concern. She cautiously widened her eyes and gazed at the Prince.
‘…But how did you know that I’m not the leader?’
The Prince pondered how to respond. It was a trivial question, yet that was precisely the problem.
There were times when one received a question so obvious that it became confusing—was she truly unaware, or was she pretending not to know? After some thought, the Prince chose to answer kindly.
‘Because the Jews would never recognize a woman as their leader. I simply assumed that there must be a true power acknowledged among them.’
Only then did Maria realize what she had asked and, felt embarrassed with shame. She was certainly someone amusing to tease, but there was already a thorny path ahead.
Stirring up unnecessary rumors would only bring trouble. More importantly, there was a woman waiting for him.
It was at that moment, as the Prince reaffirmed his earlier resolution, that he stepped into the corridor.
“How was she, Your Highness? An interesting woman, wasn’t she?”
Sophia. The Serbian princess and the Prince’s wife was waiting a step ahead of him. Her gaze, much softer than before, was filled with playful amusement. Sophia must have fully understood who Maria was when she arranged the meeting. The Prince could not remain silent in response.
“In the end, she was not the leader of the Jews.”
“Hehe… Please understand, Your Highness. The Jews are extremely cautious. Even I have never seen his face. I can assure you, meeting him will require a great deal of effort.”
“What my lady says is reasonable, so I have no choice but to believe it.”
“In that case, I’ll tell you his name in advance.”
As she spoke, Sophia’s delicate shoulders trembled ever so slightly.
The sound of clear footsteps echoed through the corridor.
The Prince, lips tightly sealed, silently watched as Sophia approached.
How long did he watch her? By the time she stopped walking, the distance between them had closed enough that they could feel each other’s breath.
The Prince, not particularly amused, turned away, but soon realized that ignoring her would only prolong their closeness.
With a faint sigh, he accepted it and finally met her gaze. At that moment, Sophia’s expression changed ever so briefly.
Unconsciously, the Prince found himself chasing the change in Sophia’s eyes, trying to decipher the emotions swirling in her dark pupils.
Yet, what he found was little at best. Admiration, respect, resentment, sorrow, regret—each emotion was present in differing proportions, creating only further confusion.
But as those scattered emotions gradually subsided, a single, fleeting desire flickered before disappearing.
Before he could identify it, Sophia had already steadied herself and moved her lips.
“Kyrikos.”
Despite her whisper-like tone, the name reached the Prince’s ears with perfect clarity. Kyrikos—the true leader of the Jews.
Would the day come when he would meet him face to face? It was a pure question, devoid of even the faintest expectation, and it quickly turned into a self-mocking chuckle.
The Prince reminded himself of who he was. A ruler. One who leads and represents his people.
“I appreciate my lady’s consideration, but I don’t believe I needed it.”
“And why is that? Haven’t you shown great interest in the Jews?”
“Of course. However—”
As he spoke, the Prince reached out and gently placed both hands on Sophia’s shoulders.
Startled by his unexpected action, she shuddered slightly. Yet, paying no mind, the Prince slowly pushed her back.
Only when the space between them widened, their breaths no longer mingling, did the Prince allow a faint smile to form on his lips.
“An audience is not something a ruler seeks—it is something requested of him. They approached me for protection, so I shall wait until they lower their heads.”
It was a statement that could sound utterly aristocratic and arrogant.
However, Sophia keenly understood that words always depended on the speaker.
The weight of the Prince’s words was entirely different from those of a noble merely intoxicated with authority.
She could guess why he refused to bow his head, and that only made it clearer—this was why someone like her, so deeply practical, could never truly grow close to him.
Even knowing this, Sophia opened her mouth once again.
“…Your Highness, just earlier, you told me to take my time, didn’t you? To seek out someone I hold in my heart or someone I could come to love.”
“I gave you a period of six months.”
“What if I were to choose Your Highness as that person? What would you do then?”
“…For the sake of our alliance, I would endure it.”
“And if we speak only of personal feelings?”
“Well… I’m not sure.”
It was clearly an vague answer. The Prince chose to guard himself rather than respond directly.
Yet, despite the wary glint in his half-lidded eyes, Sophia did not hesitate to approach.
The distance between them shrank—but not in a physical sense. Of course, the Prince was not one to sit idly by and allow this, but Sophia simply acted before he could.
“Oh? That’s unexpected. I thought you would be utterly repulsed.”
“Since my lady insists on speaking so plainly, I shall do the same. It is uncomfortable.”
“You really are being straightforward now… Hehe. But for the sake of the alliance, you would tolerate it, wouldn’t you?”
“A person’s heart does not move so easily. Neither of us has the luxury to waste time, so I would prefer if my lady put in proper effort.”
“Then, shall I try persuading you with a rational reason?”
A rational reason? The Prince was about to dismiss her words as nonsense when Sophia suddenly stepped back, slipping free from his touch.
The moment she met his gaze, now fixated on her newfound freedom, she offered a fleeting smile before slowly beginning to walk—circling behind him.
“I don’t know which women Your Highness has held in your heart, but I do know there is more than one. And that your relationships with them are far from honorable.”
Her footsteps echoed through the corridor, her voice cutting through the air with clarity.
The Prince found himself unconsciously hardening his expression. Not missing the shift, Sophia gazed at him with amusement before smoothly continuing.
“Would a spouse, and their family, so easily accept such relationships? No matter how insignificant a noble house may be, feeling humiliated beyond repair might lead them to sharpening their blades in secret. Surely, Your Highness can imagine that much.”
“…”
“If Your Highness wishes to resolve your affairs with these women, wouldn’t it be most urgent to secure a spouse who understands such circumstances?”
“I have already stated, my lady will never become Empress Dowager.”
“The Empress Dowager was never my goal. I simply wanted to understand Your Highness better.”
With those words, Sophia took a deep breath.
Then, as the still-wary Prince watched, she turned toward him with a graceful motion, her lips curling into that characteristic, mysterious smile.
“Isn’t it about time we became a real couple?”
At that moment, the Prince felt a genuine headache coming on.
TL : Didn’t our MC had a system at the beginning? It even had something like ‘Solitary Growth,’ which allowed him to grow when he was alone and had no significant relationships. That’s why MC stayed far from women at the beginning. Did the author forgot…?
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