Leina returned to the royal palace with a blank, gloomy expression.

The servants and guards bowed when they saw her.

However, unlike usual, Leina ignored them and kept walking.

The servants and guards were clearly surprised, exchanging confused looks. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"What happened? Why is Prime Minister Leina acting differently than usual?" one of them asked with concern.

Normally, Leina always responded to their greetings, no matter how exhausted she was after handling her duties.

But this time, she ignored them completely—something very unlike the Leina they knew.

"I don’t know," another servant replied, shaking his head. "But I heard from some soldiers that the Kaldarion Kingdom isn’t doing well. There’s a threat from the white dragon, along with attacks from two enemy kingdoms. Maybe that’s why the prime minister is exhausted and distracted, so she didn’t have time to respond to our greetings."

The others pondered his words, and for some reason, that explanation made perfect sense to them.

Meanwhile, Leina stopped in front of a door and knocked softly.

"Come in." A tired voice came from inside.

Leina opened the door and saw Glarvic sitting quietly, his back resting against the chair.

When he noticed Leina, Glarvic’s face immediately brightened.

"Welcome, Leina. How did the negotiations go? Were they successful?"

For the past few hours, he had been waiting for news from Leina about the outcome.

After all, it would determine whether the Kingdom of Kaldarion would survive or fall.

Leina walked toward him and lowered her head.

"Everything went smoothly, Your Majesty. Prince Nolan is willing to help," she replied flatly.

Glarvic let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, Nolan had not refused. Otherwise, he would not have known whom else to turn to.

However, in the next moment, he sensed that something was wrong with Leina’s demeanor.

It was as if she had lost her will to live.

Frowning, Glarvic asked, "Did something bad happen? Wait... let me guess. Are the conditions set by Prince Nolan Lorian very harsh?"

Despite his attempt to conceal it, his voice sounded heavy.

Leina raised her head and looked at Glarvic with an empty gaze.

"Prince Nolan demanded full control over Sevarn Port and Nalvos Port. All maintenance and repair costs will be borne by the Kingdom of Kaldarion," she explained calmly.

Glarvic’s eyes widened at her words. At first, he thought the conditions would be the same as before.

Even if they were different, he had expected Nolan to take only Sevarn Port while leaving the kingdom some profit.

But what was this? Demanding both Sevarn Port and Nalvos Port at once?

Worse still, he wanted the Kingdom of Kaldarion to shoulder all maintenance and repair costs without receiving even the slightest benefit.

This was no different from completely draining the Kingdom of Kaldarion dry.

Glarvic’s breathing grew heavy, his chest tightening as if a massive weight were pressing down on it.

Gritting his teeth, he glared at Leina and demanded angrily, "How could you agree to this? Leina, you’ve disappointed me! You’ve betrayed me and the kingdom!"

Those words were like a knife plunging into Leina’s chest. Her eyes widened, brimming with sorrow and rage.

Then, under Glarvic’s stunned gaze, Leina stepped forward and slapped him hard.

Glarvic staggered back, completely unprepared for her action.

"Leina, you—"

Just as he was about to scold her, Leina cut him off with ruthless words.

"You want to blame me? Your Majesty, this is all because of your stupidity!"

She stared at him coldly, her gaze sharp enough to kill.

"Who unilaterally canceled the negotiations with Nolan Lorian in the first place? It was you! Yes, I’m also at fault for allowing you to make that foolish decision, and I admit it. But in the end, the choice was yours. And now what? You place all the blame on me without reflecting on your own actions!"

Her breath quickened as she pointed at Glarvic, her eyes filled with disappointed tears.

"You were the one who handed the renegotiation with Nolan Lorian to me. I even had to ask Miss Jisha for help—something that completely humiliated me in front of her. And what did I get in return after I succeeded? You blamed me again and again and treated me like a traitor!"

Clenching her fists, she straightened her back and sneered, "Back then, the other princes called you a foolish heir and said the kingdom would collapse in your hands. I didn’t believe them because I trusted you. Unfortunately, I was naive—and foolish."

She let out a cold laugh. "Do whatever you want. Punish me or not, I don’t care anymore. I resign from my position."

Without another word, she turned around and walked away, leaving Glarvic standing there in a daze, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.

***

Leina walked out with a sullen, downcast expression. She had not expected herself to say those things to Glarvic, but she could no longer hold them back.

Her mental state had been completely shattered by Nolan. In her situation, Glarvic should have tried to calm her down or at least offered his support.

But what did she receive instead? Glarvic blamed her and even regarded her as a traitor.

The pain was overwhelming, as if all her efforts had meant nothing to him.

"Leina? Why are you crying?"

A voice called out to her from ahead.

Leina looked up and saw Olivia standing there.

She quickly composed herself and replied in a calm tone, "It’s nothing."

"Nothing? Don’t hide it from me. You were clearly crying just now, weren’t you?" Olivia frowned as she walked closer.

Leina knew she could not lie to her. Still, she felt too embarrassed to admit the truth in front of her.

"Your Highness, I have to leave now."

She tried to slip away, but Olivia stopped her.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

Leina paused for a moment before replying flatly, "I’m going to another kingdom—or even another continent. I’m no longer the prime minister of this kingdom. I’ve resigned."

Without saying anything else, she continued walking away.

Olivia was stunned, not expecting Leina to say something like that.

’Another kingdom? Another continent? Did Leina argue with Father?’ Olivia narrowed her eyes.

That was the only explanation that made sense.

With anger written all over her face, she headed toward her father’s study and knocked on the door.

"Father, it’s me, Olivia. May I come in?"

There was no response from inside, making Olivia wonder if her father was even there.

Just as she was about to knock a second time, Glarvic’s weak voice came from within.

"Come in."

Olivia quickly opened the door, and the moment she did, she froze in shock.

"Father...!?"