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“

What?”
What did I just hear? Maryam blankly asked back. As if doused in cold water, her head was frigid and the nape of her neck felt chilly.
“What do you mean?”
Maryam put on a forced smile, trying to keep her composure. But the corners of her lips quickly went down. She couldn’t control her expression at all.
“It is literally what I said. To be exact, I hope you won’t keep his highness in check or exploit him according to your needs after this, Your Majesty. Regardless of good or bad, please do not exert any influence on him.”
“

”
“Respecting his highness and giving him complete freedom – that is what I want. He is not a tool to do whatever you want, Your Majesty.”
Although Maryam’s expression turned cold, Renato said aloud his request without hesitation. Contrary to his calm expression, his heart was racing. He clutched the handle of the teacup, hiding his tremors. To gain the upper hand in negotiations, he must never show his nervousness.
“You say I treat Khalid as a tool? I keep that child in check and exploit him?”
Maryam looked at Renato with an absurd expression. When the remaining warmth on her face disappeared, the mellow air in the greenhouse immediately froze.
“At least it looked so to me, am I wrong?”
Renato quietly received the piercing gaze that made his skin tingle. Maryam’s reaction was within his expectations.
“Ha.”
Maryam forced a laugh at his confident question. She was bewildered as if someone had strongly struck the back of her head. Suppressing her boiling rage, she clenched her molars. She wanted to refute and said it was absurd speculation, but her voice strangely could not come out. Because Renato’s words were true.
Guilt toward Khalid and conscience that remained in a corner of her heart made Maryam unable to counter-argue. So all she could do was fiercely glare at Renato, who had exposed the uncomfortable truth she had been trying to ignore.
“As Your Majesty said, I have to start a fight to protect my family when I return to the Empire. To do that, I need to minimize hindrance as much as possible so that no variables will occur.”
Renato explained why he did so when Maryam went silent. When he chose to save Laila, he already thought ahead about his request to Maryam and prepared to speak without interruption.
“Are you saying I am a hindrance? How dare you

”
Maryam did not hide her displeasure at Renato’s words. She wanted to shout at him to get out of her sight, but Renato was sitting here as the royal family’s benefactor, not the Empire’s Prince or her brother’s companion. Raising her voice or getting angry at him would be a great disrespect. It would be like repaying good with evil.
She had already sent everyone else out, but the royal palace had eyes and ears everywhere. It was Maryam who would be in trouble if rumors spread that the Queen mistreated Renato who saved the Queen Consort’s life. Because of that, she was forced to rake all her patience.
“I want his highness to focus only on me. At least until my fight is over.”
Renato didn’t hesitate despite Maryam’s ferocious aura. He knew he was in control of this conversation. At this moment, Renato was the strong, and Maryam was the weak.
“What if I don’t accept your request?”
“You just promised that you would listen to anything I asked a bit while ago, Your Majesty. Are you denying your own words now?”
“No, I’m not. I must have told you ‘anything I can do is fine’.”
“I don’t think my proposal is impossible. But if Your Majesty says you can’t do it

 I guess I will be very disappointed. In that case, we probably can’t be on good terms like now.”
Renato emphasized the word ‘disappointed’. Then, he added a sentence as if regretful.
Can’t be on good terms.
Realizing the meaning of those words, Maryam crumpled her forehead. Renato was saying he would turn hostile if she didn’t grant his request.
“

Are you threatening me?”
Maryam growled in anger. She felt her vision turn bright red.
“How could it be a threat? I just want to make sure we do everything for each other.”
“Then what the hell is this if not a threat?!”
“If I had really wanted to threaten Your Majesty, I would have ordered my aide to withhold the issuance of commercial permits to the Ziyad family and the royal faction’s merchant guilds. And I would have made an appointment with Duke Vint.”
“Prince!”
Bang! Unable to contain her rage, Maryam struck the table with her hand. Directly mentioning Duke Vint in front of her was clearly an act that crossed the line.
“Watch your mouth! There is a limit to how your rudeness can be tolerated!”
“

I apologize if I have offended you.”
Renato’s shoulder stiffened, momentarily stunned by Maryam’s actions, then he calmly responded in a slow but unshakable voice. The upper hand would be transferred to Maryam if he showed his fear. He continued as if nothing had happened.
“But I believe that Your Majesty’s political and economic gains from this marriage will give you a sufficient advantage in the struggle against Duke Vint even without his highness’ help. You don’t mean to say you still can’t do it, right?”
Arrogant bastard. Maryam gritted her teeth, barely resisting the words she wanted to yell at Renato. Over the past few years, she had suffered repeated failures. She had thought everything would go her way once she became the Queen, but there was nothing easy in this world.
After several failures, Maryam admitted she lacked abilities. But being pointed out as incompetent by another person was a different thing.
“Does Khalid know you are like this?”
Feeling her self-esteem damaged, Maryam leaned back in the chair and sarcastically asked. Renato did not waver despite her provocation. Instead, he replied as if having waited.
“He doesn’t. But it doesn’t matter if he knows. His highness will not be involved in the conflict between me and Your Majesty. He said as long as our marriage lasts, he will unconditionally follow his companion’s opinions.”
“

What?”
“You can recheck it with his highness if you don’t believe me.”
Renato’s smile was brimming with confidence. It seemed to say Khalid was his person and not Maryam’s. In truth, he now believed that Khalid would be by his side no matter what the circumstances. That was why he could act so proudly in front of Maryam.
“Haa

”
I thought he was a gentle puppy, but he is actually a wolf with hidden fangs. Driven into a corner, Maryam realized she could not win against Renato. This fight was her defeat.
“Please just think of it as making a deal with me if you can’t accept my request. We can be good partners.”
Now the choice was up to Maryam. Renato quietly waited for her choice. But he wasn’t nervous. He had already prepared to immediately respond to Maryam regardless of which side she took. Besides, he could guess what Maryam would choose.
The day before their engagement, she showed signs of discomfort when Khalid and Renato’s relationship seemed better than expected. Then, at the engagement banquet, she quickly changed her attitude upon witnessing Renato’s friction with Marquis Ishbart. Seeing Renato’s wise coping, she decided it would be more helpful if he got along with Khalid than to divorce him at the right time.
Just looking at that let him know how calculating Maryam was. She was someone who could let go of her cherished brother’s hand or hold her bitter enemy’s hand if it was for her own good. In other words, Maryam knew which option would be the most beneficial for her.
“

Yes, fine. I understand. I will do as you wish. Is it okay if I don’t interfere with whatever you two do and don’t ask Khalid for help if something happens in the kingdom? Ah, there won’t be needless doubts and checks on that child.”
After a while, Maryam broke the long silence and accepted Renato’s suggestion. It was a very humiliating moment for her, but she endured it, thinking it was for Laila and her child. To protect the two of them, giving up her pride and bowing down were nothing.
“You thought well. Thank you for accepting my difficult request.”
I succeeded. As Maryam surrendered, Renato relaxed his stiff expression and faintly smiled. As his body, rigid from tension, relaxed, slight dizziness rushed in. He pretended to be relaxed all the time, but his back was already damp. Relieved, he lightly exhaled.
“

I want to ask you something.”
“Please say it.”
“Why are you doing this for Khalid?”
“Because he is my fiancĂ©. I am just trying to fulfill my duty as his companion.”
“Duty?”
“A couple has a duty to protect each other, right? I don’t want my companion to be endangered or hurt by others. I also want him to be socially recognized in both the Empire and the kingdom. For that to happen, I will do everything I can.”
Renato looked straight at Maryam and declared. It was a promise to himself and a declaration of war to Maryam as well as the rest of the world.
Maryam felt suffocated for a moment. They only made eye contact, but she felt her heart pound as if caught making a grave mistake.
It’s because of those eyes. Maryam easily noticed the reason for her discomfort. Those crystal-clear and honest eyes resembled those of Khalid as he dedicated his sword to her in the past. The moment she realized that, words unknowingly came out of her mouth.
“I always thought you two were more like having a love marriage rather than a political marriage, but

 Do you really like Khalid?”