Chapter 193: An Imperial Invitation [2]

The Imperial Princess had specifically requested that Ilya attend their meeting without a representative from House Belozersky.

That suited him perfectly.

After everything Anastasiya had said about their engagement, Ilya had begun to appreciate the advantages of settling matters without involving their respective families.

His sister had spent the better part of an afternoon explaining how their marriage might drag the North into an Imperial succession struggle, and although he disliked admitting it, she had raised several concerns worth considering.

Fortunately, Liselotte seemed willing to discuss the matter privately.

There was, however, one person he needed to inform before visiting the Imperial Palace.

Anastasiya.

When Ilya mentioned the invitation that evening, his sister immediately abandoned the correspondence she had been reviewing.

"You’re meeting Her Highness? Alone?"

"That’s what the invitation says."

"And you agreed without consulting me?"

"I was under the impression that I didn’t need my older sister’s permission to speak with my own fiancée."

Anastasiya’s expression darkened.

Ilya wisely continued before she could begin another lecture.

"Look, I understand what you’re worried about. The engagement has political consequences, and neither of us knows how the Imperial Court intends to interpret it. That’s exactly why I want to speak with Liselotte before anyone starts making arrangements on our behalf."

His sister considered his explanation.

She had been occupied with the Volnograd affair for most of the day, and the documents spread across her desk suggested that the situation was far from settled. Nevertheless, she still found enough patience to remind him that their father’s approval did not mean every decision surrounding the engagement had already been finalized.

Ilya understood.

There was no need to turn the conversation into another argument when their concerns were largely the same.

"I won’t make any promises involving the North," he assured her. "Whatever Liselotte and I discuss will concern us personally. Anything beyond that can wait until the families are involved."

Anastasiya eventually accepted his explanation, although her expression made it clear that she would have preferred accompanying him.

"Fine. Just remember that you’re representing House Belozersky whether you like it or not."

"I’ll try not to disgrace our ancestors."

"Don’t joke about that."

"Then I’ll try not to disgrace our living relatives. Much more achievable."

Anastasiya threw a document at him.

Fortunately, it missed.

Their relationship had certainly improved over the past several months.

Whether that improvement was sufficient to qualify as a healthy sibling relationship remained debatable.

The following afternoon, Ilya arrived at the Imperial Palace.

As the second son of the Northern Grand Duke, he was already familiar with the formalities required when visiting the Imperial residence. His invitation was inspected, his identity confirmed, and an attendant escorted him through the eastern wing toward a private reception room.

Liselotte was waiting beside the windows when he entered.

Unlike their previous encounter at the academy, she wore a pale dress with minimal jewelry. Her light-blue hair had been neatly arranged, and a small plate of pastries sat beside the tea service on the table.

The moment she noticed him, her expression brightened.

"Ilya! You’re here."

"Good afternoon, Liselotte."

"Hehe. I was beginning to think you might change your mind."

"After going through all the trouble of requesting an audience? That would be a terrible waste of paperwork."

Liselotte laughed before inviting him to sit.

The attendants withdrew shortly afterward, leaving them alone.

Ilya had initially considered approaching their engagement as a formal negotiation, but after seeing Liselotte’s familiar smile, he decided there was little reason to make their conversation unnecessarily complicated.

They already understood the original arrangement.

Liselotte wanted to avoid being married off to some ambitious nobleman chosen for political convenience, while Ilya provided a suitable alternative whom she trusted.

Their fathers had approved, and neither of them had objected.

The problem was that their supposedly convenient arrangement had become considerably more troublesome since Liselotte announced it before an entire classroom.

"Anastasiya nearly lost her mind when she realized what our engagement could mean for the North," Ilya explained after they settled down. "And after listening to her, I realized we probably should’ve discussed a few things beforehand."

Liselotte smiled apologetically.

"I suppose announcing it at the academy was a little sudden."

"A little?"

"Hehe. Well, everyone was going to find out eventually."

"That’s true. Although I would’ve appreciated learning about the announcement before the rest of our classmates."

She laughed again, apparently having no regrets about the commotion she had caused.

Nevertheless, Liselotte understood his concerns.

Their engagement had been arranged to protect her from unwanted marriage proposals, but that did not prevent other nobles from interpreting it as a political alliance between House Belozersky and the Imperial Family.

The situation had become particularly delicate following Siegfried’s death.

Without the Crown Prince, the question of succession had become increasingly important, and Liselotte’s elder sisters occupied positions that could eventually place them at odds with one another.

Ilya had already witnessed enough of the Imperial Family to understand how dangerous those circumstances could become.

"Anastasiya believes our marriage might be interpreted as the North supporting one of your sisters," he explained. "I don’t particularly care who inherits the throne, but I’d rather avoid discovering that I’ve joined a political faction simply because someone decided I belonged to it."

Liselotte’s expression became more thoughtful.

"That’s understandable. Sister Marianne has always taken matters concerning the succession very seriously, and Sister Dorothea has her own responsibilities. I imagine neither would appreciate discovering that the North had suddenly decided to interfere."

"And you?"

"Me?"

"Do you have any interest in the throne?"

Liselotte looked genuinely amused.

"Goodness, Ilya. Do I look like someone who wants to become Empress?"

"Would you prefer an honest answer?"

"On second thought, never mind."

Ilya smiled.

Although Liselotte treated the question lightly, he knew better than to assume her position within the Imperial Family was simple.

Siegfried had once been the designated successor, and his death had left a vacancy that could not be ignored forever.

More importantly, Liselotte had been closer to him than either of their other sisters.

She had lost far more than a political ally when he died.

"I don’t intend to involve myself in the succession," Liselotte eventually said. "As long as Father allows me to continue my studies and live comfortably, I’m perfectly satisfied."

Ilya accepted her answer.

He had known Liselotte long enough to recognize that her cheerful personality concealed a sharp mind. If she wanted to pursue the throne, he doubted she would be foolish enough to announce it during a private conversation with someone whose family was already worried about Imperial politics.

Nevertheless, he had no reason to suspect she was lying.

Their arrangement benefited them both precisely because neither intended to pursue political authority through the marriage.

The difficulty would be convincing everyone else.

"Then I suppose we should make that clear whenever the formal arrangements begin," Ilya suggested. "House Belozersky has no intention of interfering in the succession, and our engagement shouldn’t be treated as a declaration of support for anyone."

Liselotte agreed.

Although neither could control how the Imperial Court interpreted their relationship, they could at least avoid making unnecessary statements that encouraged speculation.

For Ilya, that was sufficient.

He had accomplished the main purpose of their meeting.

However, just as he was preparing to change the subject, Liselotte mentioned something that made him reconsider.

"Actually, Ilya, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you."

"Hm?"

"Do you ever think about Brother Siegfried?"

The question came unexpectedly.

Ilya remained silent for a moment.

Of course he did.

Siegfried Tobias Bismarck had been one of the few people in this world whom Ilya genuinely considered a friend. Even now, months after the incident on the mountain, he occasionally found himself remembering their conversations.

More importantly, he had never forgotten Siegfried’s final words.

The promise of another life.

Another chance.

It was a possibility Ilya had spent considerable time contemplating, although he had never discovered anything that could confirm whether Siegfried had actually regressed.

"Sometimes," he admitted. "It’s difficult to forget someone like him."

Liselotte smiled faintly.

"I thought so."

She had already heard everything Ilya knew about her brother’s final moments. During their first private conversation, she had even managed to arrive at a theory remarkably close to Ilya’s own suspicions.

That Siegfried might have possessed some method of returning to the past.

For Liselotte, the possibility had become a source of hope.

For Ilya, it remained an unanswered question.

"Brother used to speak about you occasionally," she continued. "He always seemed rather amused whenever your name came up. I never understood why until we met."

"Oh? What did he say?"

"That you were surprisingly troublesome."

"That bastard."

Liselotte laughed.

"He also said you were someone he could trust."

Ilya fell silent.

For some reason, hearing that was considerably more difficult than listening to the insults.

Siegfried had been the protagonist of the original novel, someone whose existence had shaped the lives of countless people. Yet during the time they spent together, Ilya had gradually stopped thinking of him as a character from a story.

He had simply been his friend.

And now he was gone.

Liselotte seemed to understand his silence.

"That’s one of the reasons I chose you, Ilya. I knew Brother trusted you, and after speaking with you myself, I understood why."

Ilya considered her words before smiling.

"That’s quite a lot of faith to place in someone your brother described as troublesome."

"Hehe. I suppose I have questionable taste."

"Apparently."

Their conversation continued for a while longer, gradually returning to more ordinary subjects.

Liselotte spoke about her experiences at Holy Trinity, the difficulties of adjusting to academy life, and her growing familiarity with the students in her department.

She also expressed considerable interest in spending more time with Ilya outside their classes.

Since they were already publicly engaged, she saw little reason to avoid behaving like an ordinary couple.

Ilya wasn’t entirely convinced that an Imperial Princess could ever enjoy an ordinary romantic relationship, but he had no objection to getting to know her better.

After all, their marriage remained a distant prospect.

There was plenty of time to discover whether the arrangement would eventually become something more.

By the time he prepared to leave, the two had reached an understanding regarding their political circumstances.

Their engagement would remain in place, but neither intended to use it to interfere in the Imperial succession. Any formal negotiations involving their families would be handled separately, and Ilya would continue pursuing his education without unnecessary restrictions.

It was a satisfactory outcome.

As he rose from his seat, however, Liselotte suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, Ilya. Before you go, there’s something I wanted to show you."

She reached toward a nearby cabinet and retrieved a familiar stuffed wolf.

Ilya immediately recognized it as the prize Anastasiya had won during their visit to the carnival.

"I named him!" Liselotte announced proudly.

"Congratulations. I’m sure the wolf appreciates it."

"Hehe. Would you like to know what I chose?"

Ilya had a terrible feeling.

Nevertheless, he indulged her.

"What?"

Liselotte hugged the stuffed animal against her chest.

"Little Snowflake!"

Ilya closed his eyes.

Apparently, escaping that nickname was going to be far more difficult than escaping an Imperial marriage.