"Don’t forget, she once died by my hand,"

Where there’s a first, there’s a second.

That’s why she couldn’t understand why both Wayne Lane and Sheffield Benedict were so wary of Hannah.

She was the First Princess, the future ruler of the empire; she would not be defeated.

Sheffield knew he couldn’t persuade her; he’d tried many times before, and now he didn’t want to try anymore.

He left her with one comment, "Suit yourself."

After he said that, he left.

...

After Sheffield left the palace, he told Wayne about the warrant.

Wayne was unaware of this matter.

It seemed that the king no longer trusted him and had assigned someone else to the task.

Sheffield, upon learning this, found it amusing, "Even you, the god of war, couldn’t defeat Hannah, yet they still think about sending someone else."

Wayne was in the simulation battle room.

He had just finished a virtual duel, and he was still catching his breath.

The small screen on the right side of his mech showed Sheffield sitting and resting on his own sofa.

Even though his face wore a benign and proper expression, the look in his eyes gave away his interest in watching the drama unfold.

Wayne didn’t want to meddle with this warrant either, "Let them do what they want; I already said what I had to say."

He had long since told them that he was no match for Hannah, but the royal family thought he was just being modest, or that he was deliberately showing favoritism.

He couldn’t get through to them.

Later, the fact that he had successfully captured Hannah made it even more difficult for him to explain himself.

Arrogance and disregard for others seemed to be etched into the very bones of the royal family.

The two talked a little about work, and Sheffield brought up his visit to the palace to see Emma today.

"I heard the king intends for you to marry the First Princess?"

This was not the first time this subject had come up.

Almost the entire royal family knew that the First Princess Emma had set her heart on Commander Wayne Lane.

The king also favored Wayne as his son-in-law.

After all, Wayne was powerful and he had grown up with Emma, almost like childhood sweethearts.

Marriage would bind Wayne firmly to the royal family.

Of course, the most important point was Wayne’s "loyalty" to the royal family.

Since Wayne’s grandfather’s generation, their family had sworn to guard the safety of the royal family.

However, Wayne had always been clear about his feelings regarding Emma, "I only see Tiffany as a sister."

"Is that so?" Sheffield’s words were laced with teasing, "But I remember you two used to get along quite well."

The three of them grew up together, with Emma clearly favoring Wayne.

Despite Wayne’s consistently distant facade to everyone, he was always warmer, even accommodating towards Emma.

Many of their contemporaries had taken for granted that the two of them would end up together.

Even Sheffield had once believed that his taciturn good friend liked Emma.

Wayne lowered his head to fiddle with the weapon in his hands and responded absently, "I also get along well with you."

Sheffield’s expression paused, "Forget it, I’m not interested in you, I already have someone in my heart."

With that, he smiled.

Wayne looked up at him.

Their gazes met for a moment before Wayne lowered his head again, saying nothing more.

Although Sheffield held an important position within the royal family, his feelings towards it were not deep.

His mother, though of noble birth, had moved out of the royal household long ago.

To be precise, their family did not participate in any of the royal power struggles.

So, if Sheffield wanted, with his means, it would be very simple for him to leave the royal family unscathed.