All the spies planted around the Crown Prince were kicked out. Ancia had fired a large number of senior servants and courtiers. The Duke of Cassil and his half-brother Frank were furious, but Richard smiled inwardly.

Not only was the spy they had planted kicked out, but all his father’s spies had disappeared. The result was a success. The maid who had been aiding Blake was a good card, but he had an even better card left. It was ‘Ancia’ who became the Crown Princess.

Ancia liked Richard. He had seen her glancing at him every now and then. Ancia was a little girl who longed for familial love, so coaxing her was a piece of cake. When Ancia heard she would be married off to the Crown Prince, she attempted suicide out of desperation. Lamentably, she managed to survive and would have to live the rest of her hellish life with the monstrous Crown Prince.

Seducing a little girl who was in loneliness and despair was a simple task. If he could make the Crown Princess his puppet, it would be more effective than planting ten spies. Richard smiled lightly and headed to the Crown Prince’s palace.

“Ancia, you’re nice, so you understand my heart, right? You like me.”

Was there anything else that was as easy as winning the heart of a girl starved for affection?

Richard put on a sad expression on the surface while he laughed at Ancia inwardly, but for the first time, his prediction was off. Ancia’s gaze towards Richard was full of irritation instead.

Richard was shocked. 

Had she always looked that pretty?

In fact, she had always been pretty. Diana’s bright refreshing beauty at an early age was quite famous in social circles, but in fact, Ancia’s features were much more prominent than her, making her appear more beautiful.

However, her timid personality and longing for affection was obvious on her face, and it made her appear miserable, seeming like a jewel that lost its light.

But now she looked like a completely different person. With her beautiful appearance and imposing dignity, she was not just a ten-year-old girl, but the perfect ‘Crown Princess’.

Richard thought she was just one of the many women who liked him. He thought she was a stupid girl who became a princess so would be a little more useful.

“Ancia, are you still angry?”

Richard somehow became impatient and took Ancia’s hand, but soon, someone seized his hand. It was Blake, the Crown Prince.

‘How dare you touch me when you’re just a monster?’

Richard did not believe the rumors that the heir of the curse would transmit their curse to others, but he did not intend to be close to a cursed monster with no value. Richard angrily tried to strike Blake’s hand, but at that moment, a powerful force spewed out of Blake’s body. Mana burst out from his hand, as if it was ready to pierce Richard’s body.

“Get lost.”

As soon as Blake let go of his hand, Richard hurried out of the palace. After returning to the mansion, he looked at his hand.

It had been one hour since he left the palace, but his hands still hadn’t stopped shaking. What happened? How could a cursed monster wield such a powerful force?

What did the Emperor do? Although the Emperor pretended to ignore the Crown Prince, he knew that the Emperor was trying his hardest to lift his son’s curse.

He may have found a way. Richard shook his head. That can’t be it…

Emperor Tenstheon left for the Valley of Chaos to seal the gate of darkness. Even if he wanted to release his son’s curse, he didn’t have time for it.

He didn’t have time to do that even if he wanted to. Looking back at his hands, Richard recalled what had happened in the palace. The cursed inscriptions that covered the Crown Prince’s hand remained the same. Perhaps it was not that he had used some power, but simply the energy that sprouted from the curse.

“Richard, she’s no longer a Lady. She’s the Crown Princess.”

Blake glared at Richard and proudly expressed his intention. The Crown Prince had changed. Something fundamental had changed, along with his use of power. Was it because of Ancia? Did Ancia’s presence affect the monster?

At that moment Richard’s crimson eyes flashed with a deep possessiveness.

Interesting…

Richard thought of himself as a man without greed. He had never been interested in anything except for wanting to become the Emperor ever since he was young. But today.

‘Ancia. I want her.’

***

The next day, Richard sent me a gift with a letter saying he was sorry. 

‘What’s wrong with him?’ 

Did I look like I was worth using? Was he trying to seduce me, making me a spy of the Crown Prince?

I had to refuse more firmly, so I sent his presents and letters back.

Melissa said it was not polite to refuse the letter too, but it seemed that that arrogant son of a bitch would only give up if I sent his letters back too.

However, another gift arrived the next day, and the day after. I kept refusing. Rather than stopping the gifts, the scale grew bigger.

“Your Highness, Richard has sent you another gift,” 

“No need to tell me everytime. Just refuse them directly.” 

He was attacking me with gifts every single day.

“I tried to, but I heard it’s a valuable treasure.” 

“Treasure?” 

“Yes. It’s a ring made of mermaid’s breath.”

He was crazy. I almost spat out a curse without realizing it.

‘The breath of a mermaid’ was a mana stone with the power of the sea, a jewel that looked like a pearl.

In the original story, Richard gave Diana ‘The Breath of the Mermaid’ a rare treasure, but why was he giving this to me instead? 

His mind must’ve become muddled just because he wanted to plant a spy in the Crown Prince’s palace. 

To be honest, I wondered what ‘The Breath of the Mermaid’ looked like. It was a jewel that was praised for its beauty in the novel. 

“I don’t need it. Tell him not to send anything again because I won’t accept any of them.” 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Hans went out with a big smile. He told me that the present had arrived, but he seemed happy to refuse.

***

Hans felt good. 

The days had only been happy since Ancia came.

Warm light began to pour into the Crown Prince’s palace. Although he was nervous for a moment because Richard showed interest in the Crown Princess, she flatly refused all of Richard’s gifts and letters. 

Rather than conceding to the rare treasures, Ancia was rather annoyed. She passed her days peacefully, devouring various books, and making delicious exotic dishes. 

At night, she’d fall asleep holding the Crown Prince’s hands tightly. She’d also help the Crown Prince bathe and didn’t pay any attention to Prince Richard’s blatant courtship. 

Hans, Melissa, and Edon saw that and vowed once again to be loyal to her. 

‘But I didn’t think she’d refuse ‘The Breath of a Mermaid’.’

I couldn’t believe that she didn’t even look at the treasure. There would be less than thirty of them found, even if someone searched the whole world.

Hans prepared refreshments for the Crown Prince with a heart full of emotions.

He cracked a smile as soon as he saw the boy. 

“Your Highness, what brings you to the kitchen?” 

The Crown Prince rarely came out of his bedroom. The Emperor was not interested in Blake and the courtiers despised him for being a monster. 

But Blake never got angry. Nor did he resent his cursed fate. He just stayed in the bedroom alone with empty eyes, like a person who couldn’t feel sadness, anger, loneliness, or even pain. 

He spent each day expressionlessly, as if he wouldn’t care even if he died under the curse.

Though hidden, his mind seemed to already be dead. But now, the Crown Prince had changed. Laughter, tears, surprise, embarrassment, he started revealing his feelings to the fullest. His eyes used to be dim and covered with despair, unlike a normal eight-year-old boy. 

“Hans.” 

“Yes, Your Highness.” 

After marrying Ancia, Blake began to call the courtiers by their names. Before that, he gave orders, but did not call out their names or build relationships with anyone. 

Blake had distanced himself from the people around him as if he would disappear at any moment. But now, it was different. 

“When is Ancia coming?”

Blake hesitated and opened his mouth. Hans had a warm smile on his lips. 

“She went to the blacksmith. I think she’ll be back soon.” 

Ancia went to the blacksmith’s, saying she’d make a ‘cauldron.’ 

It was her first outing since she got married. 

“It’s been two hours, …”

“She’s been outside for a long time. I think she stopped by somewhere else in pasing.”

“There’s a lot of dangerous people in the square..”