Lately, the word "betrayal" had taken on a particularly deep meaning for Iolyn.

There were two main reasons for this.

The first was not exactly betrayal, but it felt close enough—her personal attendant, Ayton, who had always been loyal and treated her orders as sacred, had attacked her in a way. He had ruthlessly confiscated her entire collection of fairy tale books and manga.

Of course, she had somewhat brought it upon herself, so she could endure it with tears in her eyes.

But what she couldn’t forgive was her younger brother, the third prince, Edric, who had practically sold her out for a limited-edition illustration. How could someone who loved the same manga as her commit such a heartless act?

She still vividly remembered the look on Edric’s face as he smiled while receiving the limited-edition illustration from Ayton after betraying her.

The shock of being betrayed by her beloved younger brother, something she never imagined in her wildest dreams, made Iolyn more cautious and secretive in her actions.

Her servants were, of course, under Ayton’s watchful eye. Asking them to undertake any mission would be too burdensome.

Her bodyguards? They could undoubtedly handle the task, but they were too well-known. There was a risk that something similar to Edric’s betrayal could happen again.

The issue could have been resolved by simply giving up on the limited editions.

Regular hardcovers or standard editions were hard to come by in their first print, but with time and patience, they could eventually be acquired as regular stock.

‘But what’s the point if I can’t get the limited edition?’

For Iolyn, the standard editions were for everyday reading.

The hardcovers were for display.

And the limited editions were to be cherished, occasionally taken out to admire their beauty.

In her heart, she wanted to write to Rupert, offering to pay any price for him to make a special limited edition just for her, but…

• "Your Highness, making such a request to a nobleman could be a great burden on them."

After Ayton’s sincere advice, that idea became impossible.

It was the first time Iolyn realized that her actions could burden someone else.

The idea that even without trying to force anything, just mentioning something could make it obligatory was a shock to Iolyn.

Born into the royal family and rarely leaving the palace, she realized that she lacked a common perspective.

She hadn’t thought of it as an order from a princess, but others would only see her words as representing the royal will.

It was a bitter realization, but one she had to accept as part of her duty and destiny.

So, as she pondered finding a way to obtain the books without issuing commands or orders, she finally managed to get her hands on them thanks to her shadow guard, Jorge.

Knowing about her dilemma, Jorge had offered to help, leading to a secret manga exchange late at night.

Telling her maids and Ayton that she couldn’t sleep and wanted to take a walk alone, she snuck to the designated meeting place and received the manga in secret.

For the first time in her life, Iolyn felt the thrill of doing something mischievous.

It was akin to the strange pleasure she got from reading Rupert’s fairy tales or manga.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, she carefully tucked the precious limited edition book into her dress to keep it hidden.

And with a calm expression as if nothing had happened, she returned to the palace and headed back to her quarters.

But she didn’t realize something.

Her walk was awkward and unnatural as she tried to keep the book from slipping out.

And shortly after, as she excitedly crawled under the covers to read her new manga, a scream erupted from Iolyn’s mouth.

Naturally, the maids and guards stationed outside her quarters rushed in immediately.

“Your Highness! Are you alright? What happened…?”

The guards quickly spread out, scanning every corner of Iolyn’s quarters in a defensive stance.

But the windows were tightly shut, and there were no signs of intrusion.

The maids gathered around Iolyn, who was still lying in bed, to check on her condition.

“…It’s nothing, really. Just a bad dream.”

At her words, everyone collectively sighed in relief.

If there had been any threat to the princess, they would all have faced severe consequences.

But they all sensed that something was off with her.

Despite it being the middle of winter, sweat beaded on Iolyn’s forehead.

Her expression was slightly flushed.

And her clothes were a bit disheveled.

The guards assumed she’d had a nightmare, but the maids thought differently.

‘She wouldn’t have fallen asleep right after returning from her walk, would she?’

‘Could it be that the princess is now at an age where she enjoys a lady’s little games?’

‘Come to think of it, she did summon the second son of the Somersets recently, which was unusual.’

Iolyn was completely unaware of the deepening misunderstandings among her maids.

Her only thought was to protect the limited edition of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist Volume 3 that she had managed to acquire.

The maids, seeing her odd posture as she tried to hide the book, all thought the same thing.

‘She’s at that curious age, but still, to the point of screaming…’

It was a misunderstanding that would continue to grow.

Meanwhile, in the third prince’s palace, the atmosphere was the complete opposite of the princess’s quarters.

It was late at night, and everything was quiet, which was normal.

After all, when royalty retires for the night, it would be unthinkable for their attendants or guards to cause any commotion.

At this hour, the palace should be silent.

But the third prince, Edric, was not asleep.

In fact, he wasn’t even trying to sleep.

In his quarters, which had recently undergone a secret renovation, there was now a hidden room.

A space that opened when one of the books on the bookshelf was tilted precisely 45 degrees.

That’s where Edric was.

In the small, dimly lit room, Edric sat in a chair, staring at something.

“Elza…”

His gaze was fixed on an illustration on the wall, a beautiful piece of art he had carefully and delicately hung himself.

It was a collection worthy of betraying his sister, Iolyn, to obtain.

At first, Edric had felt some guilt.

But after seeing this, he had resolved never to regret his decision.

To do so would be to insult Elza.

He would bear the shame of betraying his sister. Even if he went back in time a hundred times, he would make the same choice.

‘Let the world call me mad. As long as I have you, Elza.’

Then he would find the strength to rise again and fight the world for her.

He had acquired every related item released as noble-exclusive merchandise for The Kingdom of Ice—the dress, the magic staff—but to give up the special illustration just because he couldn’t get the limited edition?

Betraying his sister was the better option.

There were already plenty of good people around his sister to heal the wound he had caused.

From her loyal servants to Ayton, not to mention the countless knights who would jump into the fires of hell for her.

But who was there to protect Elza?

No one but him.

It had to be him.

As Edric stared at the illustration on the wall, his fists clenched, veins bulging.

His fist was so tightly clenched that it could easily smash the wall without any mana.

A deep dent formed in the wall.

Though his hand should have been in pain, Edric felt nothing.

• “Wait for me, Edric.”

No one else could hear it, but he could feel it.

He was sure that she existed within that thin piece of paper.

People might call it nonsense, but as long as he believed, it was real. At this moment, Edric felt it with all his being.

This world existed by the grand design of fate, so that he and Elza could meet.

Meeting Elza had given his life meaning.

Every moment had been a step toward her, a declaration of will, a heartfelt desire.

If snow fell in the summer, would he be able to see her?

If flowers bloomed in the winter, could he meet her?

Even if it meant doing something the world deemed impossible, if it allowed him to meet Elza…

Edric found himself becoming unusually emotional every time he thought of Elza in the quiet hours before dawn.

“Hah… I suppose I’ll calm down by reading a new manga.”

He had already purchased the new manga The Iron-Blooded Alchemist through his attendants, but he hadn’t had a chance to read it while being so absorbed in The Kingdom of Ice.

It was the first work to introduce the concept of a series, unlike previous works that were completed in a single volume, so he had planned to put it aside for now.

But since things had come to this, he decided to check it out.

“I doubt it could surpass The Kingdom of Ice or Elza, though.”

He didn’t expect much.

No matter how talented the creator was, he couldn’t imagine a work more captivating than The Kingdom of Ice or a character more enchanting than Elza.

And then Edric sat down and read The Iron-Blooded Alchemist Volumes 1, 2, and 3 in one sitting.

Morning had come before he realized it.

“Windy Rockbell!!! How can there be such a bold woman….”

Another winter had come to the third prince.