Because of what Melisa had just talked about with Alexius, Melisa's mind was constantly elsewhere until she didn't even realize that she had returned to her palace. Teresa had been waiting anxiously for her when Melisa got out of the carriage. Melisa finally smiled upon seeing the woman. She let Teresa approach her in a hurry, then checked if Melisa had returned safely.
"Are you alright, Your Highness?"
Teresa asked anxiously, afraid Alexius might do something after Melisa used the threat method to meet him. Fortunately, Melisa nodded calmly to answer Teresa's question. The girl even smiled and managed to soothe Teresa's heart, which couldn't stop fidgeting since Melisa's departure.
"I'm fine. Crown Prince Alexius treats me well. He's even willing to remain married to me, Teresa."
Melisa then continued the conversation by telling Teresa about the results of her meeting with Alexius and then what she should do tomorrow. Teresa listened to Melisa's explanation before she let out a long breath at the end of Melisa's explanation.
After hearing Melisa's explanation, Teresa's gaze changed from worried to sad. The woman seemed to hold her thoughts for a while before she said what was on her mind.
"However, is this really alright? Please forgive my impudence, Your Highness. But as of now, I feel that forcing this marriage is a bad choice."
Because Teresa looked serious, Melisa could understand that Teresa's worries were serious this time. But Melisa had gone so far to save her kingdom. Even if she withdrew from the fight this time, Melisa still hadn't found any other alternative to stop the war raging in the kingdoms flanking her kingdom.
"It's okay, Teresa. Even if problems arise in the future, I'll try my best to resolve them like today."
Melisa said confidently, though that alone was not enough to wipe away the worried look from Teresa's face. In the end, Teresa could only follow Melisa's will. As a servant, all Teresa could do was support the plan that her master had made as best as she could.
***
This time, Alexius didn't seem to want to delay meeting Melisa. Since morning, a horse-drawn carriage had been waiting for Melisa's readiness to go to the crown prince's palace. Of course, Melisa did not refuse the kind treatment. After finishing a simple breakfast, Melisa used the excuse that the crown prince himself had called her to skip her grueling lessons.
"His Royal Highness has been awaiting your arrival at the greenhouse, Your Highness."
As usual, a chamberlain greeted Melisa to show her the way to the greenhouse. Unlike the previous day, Alexius arrived early this time. But he was not alone there. The presence of Marquess Alister standing behind Alexius made Melisa ponder for a while.
Although it was only a glimpse, Melisa could see that Alister looked surprised when he saw her. The man also looked at her for a while. Alister's gaze turned from surprised to sad after that. Even if Alister had tried hard to suppress her emotions, Melisa still did not miss the subtle tremor in Alister's tightly clenched lips.
Unexpectedly, Alister's emotions could also affect Melisa's emotions. Melisa's gaze lowered after that. Deep in her heart, Melisa slightly regretted why it had to be Alister who witnessed their lie from everyone.
"Leave us. I don't want anyone around this greenhouse until I give you my permission."
With this order from Alexius, everyone was asked to leave except for himself, Melisa, and Alister. The three of them sat on a bench in the greenhouse. On the table in the middle of them, two pieces of identical paper had been prepared that Melisa believed to be the agreement she had to sign today.
"You can read it first before signing. Here, Marquess Alister will act as a witness to our agreement. You don't have to worry about him leaking this matter to anyone. He is my best friend. He has sworn loyalty to me and will not betray me no matter what."
Trusting someone is a ridiculous thing for an aspiring king. But Alexius' trust in Alister was so serious that Melisa couldn't help but be a little disappointed with Alister's status.
As Alexius' confidante, Melisa knew Alister would do anything for Alexius' interest. Alister's presence in that place only showed that from the beginning, Alister had known about the existence of Alexius' lover. It made Melisa remember Alister's warning about her future. From all the clues Melisa finally concluded that Alister might persuade her not to marry Alexius for Alexius' happiness.
Alister probably never cared about her situation in the first place, and such thoughts actually made Melisa a little disappointed in herself.
"Princess?"
Melisa finally came to her senses after Alexius reprimanded her for daydreaming. Melisa hurriedly picked up the appointment letter on the table. To hide her feelings, Melisa deliberately focused all her thoughts on the letter in her hand after that.
"This is ...."
The first stanza of the agreement explained that as long as Melisa was willing to keep her mouth shut about Alexius' secret, Alexius would marry her and protect Melisa as long as the girl lived in the palace. Everything had been fine up to that point. However, when Melisa finally read the second and final stanza, she couldn't help but think that she must have misread the agreement letter.
"I don't want to restrict your life. Therefore, you are still free to love anyone, even when you are married. I hope you can do that because I don't want you to keep expecting something that won't be possible."
The second point of the agreement mentioned that during their marriage, Alexius allowed Melisa to meet anyone as long as she could keep her lover hidden. The point clearly stated that Alexius supported Melisa in cheating on him, as there was no way Alexius would turn his back on his lover no matter what.
The contents of the agreement, as well as Alexius's words, tore Melisa's heart even deeper. But Melisa tried to hold it in because her main focus was on the last point of the statement.
The last point mentioned that after Alexius became a king with a strong position, Alexius would release Melisa to return to her kingdom while still protecting the Kingdom of Cyrille. There was no better gift than being able to return to her kingdom. Although Alexius seemed to dislike her, it was undeniable that the man was a good person who still thought about her future.
"I... can really come back once your position is strong?"
Alexius nodded seriously in reply to Melisa's question. The man paused for a few moments. He seemed to think about something before answering Melisa with words that were both firm and straightforward.
"Yes. I do plan to stop the war after I become a king. I've always believed that everyone deserves their own freedom."
Alexius' dream was indeed noble. But to make it happen, Melisa knew that Alexius' path would not be easy. The Kingdom of Cryrille is a witness to how stopping a war is harder than starting one. If Alexius truly intended to stop the war, Melisa knew that the man might have to be ready to sacrifice a lot for the sake of that beautiful dream.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I hope you can achieve what you want."
The only thing Melisa could do as a guarantee of peace was to wish Alexius success. For Melisa, who came with the mentality of being ready to die in the enemy kingdom, being able to return to her kingdom and meet her family again was the dream she wished for the most.
Without hesitation, Melisa put her signature on the agreement paper. Melisa stared at Alexius for a few moments before she handed over the agreement for Alexius to sign.
"Although it's not much, please allow me to help you realize that wish. A world without war. More than anyone else, I also want to be a witness to such a future."
Alexius nodded, then took the agreement paper given by Melisa. Little did they know, Alister's expression had changed when he heard Melisa's last confession. His gaze gradually softened after that. Alister smiled a little as his gaze focused on Melisa alone.