The Alliance

The next day.

Dahlia hurried to the underground vault with the key as soon as dawn broke.

When she woke up in the morning, she thought what happened last night was just a dream.

But upon seeing the neatly placed key beside her bed, she realized it was real and let out a joyful cheer.

Dahlia's steps quickened as she descended to the underground.

"Madam! Please go down slowly. What if you trip and fall...?"

Samantha nervously followed her, worried that Dahlia might fall down the stairs.

However, Dahlia didn't slow down and answered casually.

"Thanks for worrying, but I'm not going to fall. Believe it or not, I'm being careful."

Holding up her skirt, Dahlia continued hurrying down the stairs.

Just as she started to feel a bit tired, a massive door appeared before the two.

"Wow..."

Dahlia looked up at the enormous door, much taller than herself, from bottom to top.

The basement door was much larger than she had expected, but she quickly shook off her amazement and inserted the key.

As the door opened, darkness greeted the two. When they could see nothing ahead, Samantha stepped forward and lit a candle.

The once dark view became slightly brighter.

Relying on the candlelight, Dahlia stepped forward cautiously.

"Samantha, this place is much bigger than I expected. I'm a bit surprised."

"The Seayer family's history is unimaginably deep."

Exiting the narrow and long entrance, a wide-open space came into view.

Samantha approached the wall-mounted candlesticks at regular intervals and began lighting them.

Soon, the entire basement lit up.

The underground vault, maintained for hundreds of years, was undoubtedly more magnificent than anything she had ever seen.

It felt like a small museum and also like peeking into someone's intimate secrets.

The large circular interior was densely built with high-grade marble bricks, and there was a massive fireplace in the center.

It appeared covered in a thick layer of dust, as if it hadn't been used for a long time.

Dahlia walked further toward the center of the basement. As she glanced around, the grandeur took her breath away.

The statues, exuding an overwhelming presence, seemed to watch her from all sides, and the densely inlaid jewels and weapons on display felt both protective and threatening.

Everything appeared to be well-maintained.

Dahlia then moved toward the bookshelves lining the walls, filled with various types of books.

As she reached out to gently touch a book, Samantha quietly approached her.

"I've heard that among all the previous duchesses, you are the one to receive the key to the underground vault the fastest. That's proof of how much the Duke trusts you."

"…Yes."

Snapping back to reality, Dahlia responded with a slightly shy tone.

In truth, the contents of the vault didn't matter much to her.

It only brought her amazement; what mattered most to Dahlia was the fact that Clayton trusted her.

The fact that Dahlia Seayer had become someone whom Clayton Seayer—seemingly an unbreakable fortress—could entrust with the family's vault.

"It looks really old, but it seems well-maintained. Who takes care of this place?"

"I'm not sure… I've heard even we aren't allowed to enter freely. As far as I know, an external service regularly maintains it, but always accompanied by one of the family's knights or butlers."

Dahlia nodded slowly.

"It's being managed more thoroughly than I thought."

Then, a question suddenly came to her mind.

'Why didn't they tell me anything about that when they gave me the key?'

Even when she spoke with Jason before coming here, he hadn't explained how exactly Clayton managed the basement.

'He must be planning to explain it step by step.'

Her doubt was fleeting. Dahlia set aside her curiosity and began exploring the basement again, feeling as though she were touring a historical museum of ancient relics.

She was engrossed in examining the items in the basement when it happened.

Samantha, who had been watching Dahlia's every move, discreetly hid one of the displayed necklaces inside her skirt.

* * *

It was early afternoon, and bright sunlight streamed in through the window.

Crown Prince Alexion was calmly gazing at the imperial palace garden outside his office window.

The vibrant red roses filling the garden made the palace brighter than ever. It was the beginning of summer.

Just moments ago, he had been informed of an unexpected visitor requesting to see him.

It was such an unexpected visitor that he considered sending them away.

But this only piqued his curiosity. Why would they want to meet him? What interesting news could they possibly bring?

Just as he lowered his gaze from the garden and lifted the teacup by the window, the "unexpected" visitor entered his office.

His neatly arched eyebrows lifted.

"I don't recall us having much of a connection."

Alexion coldly spoke as he neatly set the teacup down. His gaze swept over the guest with subtle curiosity.

"What brings you here, Lady?"

"I came because I have something to ask His Highness the Crown Prince."

It was Roze Hertz. She swept back her falling hair and curved her eyes into a crescent moon shape.

"I'm quite curious about many things."

She spoke calmly, but in truth, the situation was rather surprising to her.

She hadn't expected Alexion to agree to meet her at all.

She had applied for an audience with the Crown Prince with half-hearted expectations, so the fact that it had been granted left her mind in chaos.

She had rushed into the meeting, but now she wondered where to even begin.

She was afraid that a misstep in her words might backfire on her. Although she was smiling outwardly, she was a mess inside.

She considered apologizing and leaving, but she shook her head.

'No, I've come this far. I have to ask.'

She needed to find out what his relationship with the Duchess was and whose child was growing in Dahlia's womb.

Only then could she decide on her next course of action.

While she was busy organizing her thoughts, Alexion's patience ran out. He spoke first.

"I'm not exactly a man of leisure, so I can't wait around while you're lost in thought. If you have no business, please leave."

He smiled politely, but his cold eyes betrayed his irritation.

Roze quickly shook her head. After briefly catching her breath, she parted her lips to speak.

"It's about the Duchess of Seayer."

At that, a spark of interest lit up Alexion's indifferent face.

"The Duchess of Seayer is pregnant."

For a moment, the smooth curve of his lips stiffened.

"Pregnant...?"

He looked completely caught off guard.

"Yes, and I was wondering... if His Highness the Crown Prince might have any involvement in this matter."

It was an impertinent question, one that could bring dishonor to her family if mishandled.

However, Roze straightened her back further and looked Alexion square in the eye. Her boldness made him let out a dry laugh.

"You make it sound as if the Duchess and I are having an affair."

Roze answered with silence.

"My answer seems to be of great importance to you."

"..."

"Is it out of loyalty as a vassal of the Seayer family, or is it..."

Alexion tilted his head slightly.

"A lowly unrequited love?"

He had already seen through Roze's feelings.

His tenacious gaze followed her, as if determined not to miss even the slightest reaction.

Roze tried her best not to reveal any weakness, steadying her voice.

"I don't think Your Highness is truly interested in me. Didn't you grant my audience request because you believed it was related to the Duchess of Seayer?"

Ha! Alexion burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. Whatever he found amusing, he laughed heartily for quite a while.

He genuinely seemed to enjoy the awkward situation. Soon, he pretended to wipe away tears as he spoke.

"Interesting. You're a truly fascinating person, Roze Hertz."

Roze frowned, and at that moment, Alexion's narrowed eyes turned icy cold.

He looked like a completely different person from the one who had been laughing moments ago.

He tilted his lips into a crooked smile.

"If my assumption is correct, I think you and I would make excellent partners. It seems we're heading in the same direction."