Even the entrance to the palace library was more magnificent than I had imagined. The wooden doors were adorned with pure gold carvings, and the entire entrance had been polished to a gleam. After spending the whole journey brooding over the cloaked man's words, this excessive display of luxury strangely soothed my nerves.

The palace steward stepped forward and lightly knocked on the library door before opening it.

"Your Highness, Lady Beatrice has arrived."

"Send her in," a cold voice replied from inside.

Following the steward's guidance, I slipped into the room.

Everywhere I looked, there were bookshelves. Thick tomes stretched all the way to the ceiling. I couldn't take my eyes off them. Back in the modern world, although I had become obsessed with painting for a while, I had always loved reading. Now, this library had awakened that long-buried desire once again.

Guided deeper into the library, I eventually reached its inner section. A black-haired man sat at a table beside the window. A silver dagger rested in his hand as he spun it idly on the tabletop. Sunlight reflected off the blade, yet Crown Prince Liam Dawn seemed focused solely on his toy.

"Your Highness," the steward called, taking a few steps forward. "I've brought Lady Beatrice."

The crown prince fixed the steward with a threatening stare. I could practically feel the man trembling beside me. At last, those icy blue eyes landed on me.

The moment our gazes met, my mind felt as though it had been struck by a heavy blow.

Of course!

I'd gotten so used to acting however I wanted back at the duchy that I'd forgotten where I was. This was the imperial palace. He was the Crown Prince, and I was merely the daughter of a duke. There was an obvious difference in rank between us.

I quickly grabbed the hem of my dress and performed a curtsy.

"Your Highness."

Liam didn't even look at me.

"You may leave, Thomas," he said to the steward.

The steward practically fled from the library. Liam then gestured toward the chair across from him.

I sat down.

A teapot, two cups, and a file rested on the table. Those must have been the documents Duke Willow had sent.

"We meet again, Lady Beatrice," Liam said, his gloved hands folded atop the file. "I read the report. Luck charms, huh? Creative."

I felt my face heat up.

Duke Willow and his flawless excuses. That man was going to get me killed someday.

"Yes, Your Highness," I replied weakly. "Luck charms are... very popular these days."

Liam raised an eyebrow and sat up straighter. The heavy, masculine scent of his perfume filled my senses.

"A popular spell, you say," he murmured. "I didn't know you kept up with social trends, Lady Beatrice."

"But they really are fashionable these days. In fact—"

"Enough!"

Liam hurled the silver dagger toward the table.

It wasn't aimed at me, but I still recoiled in terror. The dagger embedded itself in the center of the table while I toppled backward along with my chair.

"Ah!"

"Lady Beatrice?!"

The crown prince shot to his feet and rushed over, but I'd already gotten up on my own. Without accepting his help, I righted the chair and sat back down.

Liam stared at me in disbelief.

My ability to act as though nothing had happened had apparently left him completely stunned.

"Have you lost your mind?" he hissed. "Do you honestly think I'm enough of a psychopath to drive that dagger into your skull?"

I wanted to say, Yes. Even worse than that.

But that would have been signing my own execution order.

So I lowered my head slightly and answered meekly.

"It was just a reflex, Your Highness."

Liam rubbed his face with a weary sigh and muttered something under his breath.

"You know, you're like a child. One moment you're plastered to the floor, and the next you're lifting the chair yourself and sitting back down."

"Picking up a chair isn't exactly difficult," I said with a hint of annoyance.

"I know," he growled through his hands. "I wasn't being serious."

"But even so— Your Highness? What are you doing?"

Liam had suddenly crouched beside my legs.

One hand gripped the side of my chair while he leaned underneath it.

I shrank back to the edge of the seat in horror.

"Your Highness..."

"Relax," he hissed. "Unlike you, my mind isn't always in the gutter."

I swallowed as he continued searching beneath the chair.

This man's moods changed too quickly. It was hard to keep up with what he meant.

"There it is."

Liam slowly stood up.

In his hand was my green pouch.

"You must've dropped it when you fell. Here," he said, holding it out.

"Thank you— Hey!"

Just as I reached for it, he pulled it back.

When I looked up, he was smirking.

"You didn't think I'd hand it over that easily, did you?" he teased. "Let's see what's inside."

His fingers moved toward the golden drawstring.

My brain immediately went into overdrive.

Inside that pouch were the enchanted green spheres the cloaked man had given me. The Empire despised mages. If the Crown Prince opened it—

Before I even realized what I was doing, I jumped to my feet and lunged for the pouch.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

I managed to grab it from below.

Liam looked as though he might resist for a moment, but then he abruptly let go.

The pouch was mine again.

"Are you crazy?" he asked, brushing his gloved hands together. "What's so important in there that you jumped around like a child?"

After safely returning the pouch to my pocket, I answered,

"It's a special gift, Your Highness."

"Is that so?" Liam crossed his arms. "Special enough that the Crown Prince of the Empire isn't allowed to see it?"

"Yes. Exactly that special."

At my answer, Liam returned to his seat looking oddly sulky.

This man had to have some sort of psychological problem.

Sure, I had plenty of inconsistencies myself, but this idiot...

One moment he looked playful, the next he was throwing daggers, and then he'd start sulking like a child.

Liam suddenly reached for the teapot.

His expression remained unreadable.

He poured tea into my cup first, then his own.

"Drink."

"Thank you, but I don't like tea."

"What?"

Liam looked so shocked that a few drops spilled from his cup onto what was clearly an expensive navy jacket.

"Damn it."

He practically slammed the cup onto the table and pulled out a white handkerchief.

"Did I hear that correctly?" he asked while wiping his jacket. "Did you just say you don't like tea?"

Beatrice probably did like tea, but I'd already committed myself to this path.

"Yes."

"That's strange," Liam said thoughtfully. "I offered you coffee before. I remember you knocking the cup off the table while pretending it was an accident. Whenever I served tea, you never did anything like that."

"People's tastes can change over time, Your Highness."

"I know, but... never mind. Let's get back to the matter at hand."

I straightened slightly.

At last.

The interrogation was finally beginning.

"Are the rumors true?" he asked suddenly.

"What rumors?"

That wasn't what I'd expected.

The questioning was supposed to be about the collapsed cave, not gossip.

"Are you really dating that bastard Matthew?" he asked.

"No. Absolutely not."

Liam slowly lifted his head.

His cold blue eyes studied me carefully.

After deciding I wasn't lying, he replied coolly,

"And why should I care?"

You're the one who asked, idiot!

"Right. My mistake, of course. Why would my love life matter to you?"

Apparently Liam didn't realize I was mocking him.

Despite his indifferent facade, the tension had left his features, and a satisfied smile now rested on his face.

"In that case," he said after a moment, "you won't refuse to be my partner at my birthday ball."

My eyes widened in shock.

You bastard.

"What is it? Why are you staring at me like you've lost the power of speech? Unless you lied to me?"

"N-No, I didn't lie, but... I don't know how to dance."

"That's not a problem," Liam cut in. "I'll arrange dance lessons for you at the palace. The ball is in two weeks. A few lessons should be enough to make you passable."

"But... but..."

"No objections. You're my partner," Liam declared, folding his arms. "You'll attend that ball. Now go. The interrogation is over."

The meeting hadn't even lasted ten minutes.

Though it had been called an interrogation, it felt more like an uncomfortable conversation than anything else.

I didn't know what had happened between Beatrice and Liam in the past. Judging from Duke Willow's warnings, Beatrice must have been hopelessly infatuated with him.

But after that conversation...

From what I'd observed, Liam was arrogant, sarcastic, and a bully.

If he knew about Beatrice's disastrous love letters and repeated confessions, there was no way he'd pass up the opportunity to torment her.

Of course, that was assuming her feelings weren't returned.

The moment Owen opened the carriage door at the duchy's estate, my thoughts were interrupted.

I'd arrived home.

There was no point wasting time now.

Before that cursed ball arrived, I needed to complete my missions and escape those ridiculous lessons—and this hellish world itself.