《The Abandoned Empress》 Chapter 1 - Chapter 1 Part 1 Past Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Part 1 Past The Castina Empire was the only empire of the continent, a time-honored country boasting almost one thousand years of history. The empire, which had been rising and falling under the rule of several emperors, was in the midst of revival under the good governance of the 33rd emperor, Mircan Lushana Castina. Emperor Mircan was wless in every regard including character, personality and other qualities except for the fact that he had no child. The imperial family had only a few offspring from generation to generation, so if the emperor died without having a child, the empire would be in turmoil due to the fight for session. When the emperor became more and more worried and the nobles¡¯ fighting for their own political benefits became more and more severe, his only blood, Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina, was born. All the people of the empire cheered at his birth. His name meant ¡®The man who will bring the glory of the new morning.¡¯ The only problem was that Rublis was born toote. There was no daughter of a great noble family who would be suitable as his bride in terms of age. Under the imperialw, the empress candidate was supposed to be selected among the daughters of the noble families whose titles were the marquis and above. Strange enough, after he was born, there was no daughter born into the families of the marquis or above. In the end, there was a debate among the aristocrats about whether or not to revise the imperialw. Finally, there was a prophecy about the uing birth of a girl who would be the prince¡¯s bride. A yearter, Aristia La Monique was born to Marquis Monique, the only founding father of the empire except the dukes. The warm golden-eyed girl with the silvery hair was chosen as the prince¡¯s future wife as soon as she was born. By the time she took her first steps, she began to be disciplined as the next empress. Shortly after the prince turned 23, Emperor Mircan died. Following him, Rublis became the 34th emperor of the Castina Empire, but the empress next to him was not the marquise¡¯s daughter with golden eyes and silver hair, but a young woman with ck hair. A mysterious young woman suddenly appeared at theke of the imperial pce the year the crown prince turned 21 and Aristia turned 16. Soon, people began to think that she was the protagonist of the prophecy before Aristia was born, namely the mysterious young woman sent by God to be Rublis¡¯s wife. Aristia was forgotten on the day the whole empire celebrated the crowing of Rublis as the new emperor, the day she had been earnestly looking forward to, the day she was meant to stand beside him as the empress. It had been a day when pollen flew through the air and the people cheered. Watching Rublis, who was always cold to her, smiling at the mysterious young woman, happily holding her hand, and receiving crowns as the emperor and empress, Aristia, who was raised to be the future empress, was given the title as the emperor¡¯s concubine, and bowed to the young woman entering the empress¡¯s pce that she thought would be her home someday. Although she was destined to be the firstdy of the imperial pce, Aristia began her life as one of the emperor¡¯s concubines. *** ¡°Wow, silver hair! This color really exists! You¡¯re really pretty. Hi? What¡¯s your name?¡± The child of prophecy, a mysterious girl sent by god to the empire. As someone loved by everyone, she smiled at me brightly. Praised by so many people for her innocence, her innocent smile made her look like an idiot. ¡°I, Aristia La Monique, am honored to greet the Moon of the Empire, Your Highness.¡± If I had been the empress, I would have been given Castina as myst name, but my current name is Aristia La Monique. Castina is only given to the emperor¡¯s official wife, the empress. As the emperor¡¯s concubine, I would never be allowed to have the gloriousst name of Castina. ¡°Aristia? Your name is long. Can I call you Tia? ¡± ¡°¡­Yes, it¡¯s my honor, Your Highness. ¡± Tia, Tia. Didn¡¯t she know? For aristocrats, first names were only used between people with some kind of acquaintance. Nicknames were allowed only between blood rtives, very close friends or lovers. ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Jiun. Let¡¯s get along well in the future. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Tia, you are pretty, but the way you speak is too rigid. Can¡¯t you treat mefortably?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Sorry? Oh my god¡­ that¡¯s the word I hear often in historical soap operas. Don¡¯t talk to me like that. Can you just talk to mefortably? I¡¯m so ufortable when you talk to me like that. ¡± It is basic to use formalnguage among aristocrats, and it is the custom of the imperial family to use more formal and archaguage. This young woman, the child of prophecy, loved by God and called a girl of mystery, used the vulgarnguage ofmoners while ignoring all the royal manners. Is she clumsy at etiquette? Or is she ignoring me just because I¡¯m a concubine and not worth her good treatment? I had better not make a wild guess. She might not be good at manners yet. I don¡¯t think she knows who I am. ¡°Tia, would you like to go outside and y with me?¡± ¡°Where do you wish to go?¡± ¡°Well, I want to go outside the pce, but my sisters won¡¯t let me go. Let¡¯s just go for a walk, huh?¡± ¡°Your sisters?¡± ¡°Yeah, I mean those sisters who take care of me. Phew! Do you know how scary they are? I don¡¯t know why there are people here who are older than me. They make me ufortable. ¡± I nkly looked at the empress as she grabbed my wrist blindly, saying something like the ¡®easternnd of courtesy.¡¯ I felt very unpleasant, but there was something more offensive than that. Sisters? If they were taking care of her, they would be called maids, not sisters. I heard the rumors that the emperor was kind and generous to people around her. Was it because of her actions like this? I let out a sigh. It was a due virtue for masters to treat their servants tenderly and warmly, but there is a limit to everything. If a person is indulged by his supervisor¡¯s too generous treatment, it is his supervisor¡¯s fault. Of course, it was definitely necessary for the empress to be kind and warm to her maids so feelfortable and regard her as a good empress. ¡®But why doesn¡¯t she know that it is presumptuous for the maids to meddle in the emperor¡¯s actions as the firstdy of the empire?¡¯ I felt that maybe I should discipline the maids again. In that case, I would have more work to do. ¡°Isn¡¯t this ce so pretty?¡± Although the empress was slender, she was very strong. Led by her, I arrived at the empress¡¯s private garden, hiding my unpleasant feelings. It was a ce that thete emperor, who doted on me, often invited me to when I was young. It was also the ce I met Rublis for the first time, who I thought would be my better half for the rest of my life. The wind was blowing through the colorful flowers and fresh greenery of the garden. I felt as if I could hear his familiar voice somewhere from this familiar garden where I could walk easily even with my eyes closed. I was suddenly moved to tears. Those good old days when I thought I would be happy with everybody shed through my mind in the blink of an eye. ¡°Tia? Are you okay?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m sorry to have worried you, Your Highness.¡± The girl looked at me, tilting her head to the side. I clicked my tongue in my heart. ¡®You still need more self-discipline, Aristia. No matter how deeply you miss thete emperor, howe you are showing your feelings in front of others?¡¯ I thought to myself. ¡°What are you thinking about? Did something bad happen to you? ¡± ¡°No. I was just thinking about what I dearly missed. ¡± Her expression, which I thought was always bright, suddenly grew dark. ¡°What you missed¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Mom, Dad, even my naughty brother, Jisu¡­ I miss them so much.¡± Oh, I see. Probably she has a family, too. I hear she is eighteen years old this year. Like me, she is still missing her family. I have a father, though he is brusque, but she doesn¡¯t have any family here. Suddenly, she was separated from her family, and became an empress regardless of her will. She is probably a victim. Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Chapter 2 ¡°Mom and dad¡­ ¡­ . ¡± I felt sorry that I have hated her until now. When I opened my mouth to say something tofort her, I suddenly heard a cold voice from behind me. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± It was a very cold voice. Obviously, I didn¡¯t hear anyone approaching, but he came to me and stared at me sharply. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see the Sun of the Empire, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Jiun, what¡¯s up? Why are you crying? ¡± ¡°Rub.¡± Rublis Camaludin Shana Castina. Rub? I gave a hollow smile at that. For the past sixteen years, I was not even allowed to call his name, but she called him by his nickname so easily. ¡°What did you do to Jiun? What did you say to make her cry like this? Why is she crying? ¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± I felt it was unfair. Why is he ming me first? What did I do to her? ¡°No, Rub. Tia didn¡¯t do anything to me. I just cried because I missed my family.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, got it, Jiun, go and get some rest. I will follow you soon.¡± I felt bitter when I saw him looking at her tenderly. My heart was broken when I saw him soothing her with a warm voice that I had never experienced. I shed tears when I watched him wistfully looking at her, as if he felt she was so lovely. Even when he looked at me coldly with contempt and a cynical smile after she left, I lowered my head without telling him I was heartbroken. ¡°Let me warn you,¡± he said. ¡°Pardon? Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t approach her. She is tender and innocent. She is not the type of woman you can mess with.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± I was choked with emotions when he scolded me like that. ¡°Did you think the position of the empress was yours? No way. You were once respected as the future empress because I wrongly interpreted the oracle. It was originally reserved for Jiun, not you. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Let me forgive you this time. But when this happens again, I¡¯ll get you.¡± ¡°I will keep it in mind, Your Majesty.¡± I was so heartbroken when he turned back coldly after warning me. What did I do to her? I didn¡¯t do anything. I just tried to understand her. ¡°Oh, you are here.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I have been looking for you for a long time because there are some papers you need to sign urgently. As the emperor is not avable, we can¡¯t handle lots of stuff¡­¡± ¡°¡­Really? Got it. Let¡¯s go back. ¡± I nced at the chief pce official nkly. Papers that need urgent signing, and the affairs of the pce office that don¡¯t run smoothly without me. That¡¯s the value of my existence. I¡¯m supposed to make up for the empress¡¯s role as she is not yet ustomed to the royal manners and customs. And that¡¯s why I¡¯m here at the pce. Telling the official with a sigh to walk ahead of me, I followed the pce affairs director, ignoring the tears dropping on my dress. *** ¡°Tia, are you the emperor¡¯s concubine?¡± What happened to her today? I was annoyed when she, with tears welled in her eyes, abruptly came to me and asked if I was the emperor¡¯s concubine. I was dumbfounded to hear that. It¡¯s already been four months since she suddenly appeared before me. For more than two months she often visited me without any notice and disrupted my work. Despite that, she was now asking me who I was. Does that make any sense? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Then, you are really Rub¡¯s concubine?¡± Concubine. Even though a concubine is not the emperor¡¯s official wife, there is a hierarchy in concubines. In the empire, there is only one empress and only one royal concubine. ordingly, the empress is called the emperor¡¯s official wife, while the emperor¡¯s unofficial wife is called a royal concubine. The royal concubine manages all the pce women and in times of emergency she acts on behalf of the empress. The meaning of the title ¡®royal concubine¡¯ was changed since the 11th emperor¡¯s reign as it was given to the woman that the emperor favored most. So, there were few royal concubines who yed their roles properly in the history of the empire. ¡°Yes, I am the emperor¡¯s royal concubine, Your Highness.¡± Nearly half a year after she became the empress, she still does not know the difference. She probably doesn¡¯t understand why I am correcting the name of my title. Unlike the previous empresses, she is not yet familiar with her work and role as the empress, so I¡¯ve been subbing for her. Despite that, she doesn¡¯t realize what a big insult it is to call me one of the usual concubines. I wonder when she will realize that. ¡°By the way¡­ ¡± ¡®What are you trying to say this time? What the hell are you gonna tell me? ¡® Due to severe hypotension, I didn¡¯t feel well in the morning. Strangely enough, today I felt so dizzy, and I had a headache, so I could not get up when I had so much work to do. Was it because of that? I was growing more and more annoyed when she visited me abruptly and hesitated to say something. Given that nobles usually have social gatherings untilte at night, it is the standard manners for them to avoid visiting somebody in the morning. She has been learning royal manners for almost half a year, but she still doesn¡¯t know basic manners. I just don¡¯t know what her etiquette coach is teaching her. ¡°Uh¡­ let mee backter. Sorry.¡± After hesitating for a while, she jumped out. While looking back at her in annoyance, I picked up the pile of papers with a sigh. I was thinking I should hand over my job to her around next year, it seemed impossible. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tia. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± My temper red when she again came to see me the next day and made me upset. The moment I saw her, I thought to myself, ¡®Please, can¡¯t you stop your rude behavior by abruptly visiting me without any notice?¡¯ I pressed my aching head and said with a straight face, ¡°Why are you sorry to me, Your Highness?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Tia. I am so sorry. ¡± I was frustrated, thinking, ¡®Stop it, please! Yesterday you made me upset by asking me whether I was a royal concubine. Why are you doing it again today?¡¯ I was boiling with rage when I saw her crying after she visited me abruptly with a haggard look, as if something happenedst night. I felt like shouting at her, but I didn¡¯t. I thought to myself, ¡®Why are you so sorry to me? Because I have to take care of all the messy work you¡¯ve haven¡¯t done? Because you have left all the pce work to me? Or because of your poor manners that you can¡¯t improve at all? Can¡¯t you stop now? If you¡¯re not here to test my patience, please stop it.¡¯ ¡°What I mean is¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I heard you were originally designated as the empress. I heard that you were Rub¡¯s fianc¨¦e since you were born.¡± ¡®Ah, you only heard it now? Howe you heard it only now, when it was already half a year since you became the empress?¡¯ ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°What I really mean is¡­¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to apologize, Your Highness.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± In fact, I was just trying to listen, letting her words in one ear and out the other. But because of my headache in the morning, words tumbled out of my mouth in spite of myself. ¡°I heard the emperor¡¯s wife was decided by God. So, it is true that as the child of the prophecy, you are the emperor¡¯s wife. As we were ignorant, we misinterpreted God¡¯s will. ¡± ¡°How can you say that so easily?¡± ¡°What do you mean, Your Highness?¡± ¡°God? God decided the empress? Why did God decide it? Is it such a big deal?¡± What? I was speechless at the moment. She shouted at me when I stared at her nkly. ¡°How can you say that as if it¡¯s so natural? Aren¡¯t you upset about it?¡± Do you really think I am taking it for granted? Do you think I have epted the reality calmly without getting angry? ¡°Empress? Oh my god! I didn¡¯t want to be this kind of empress at all! One day, when I was on my way back home, I just picked up a coin. After that, I was thrown into this empire. Everybody around me, dressed in strange clothes, looked at me weirdly. They were speaking anguage I¡¯ve never heard. Somehow I could carry on conversation with them. They reminded me I was in a different world from where I used to live, and they even said I was a girl sent by God!¡± After she spat out some words that I could not understand at all, she gasped for breath. ¡°All of a sudden, a guy named the emperor appeared before me and asked me to be the empress. I¡¯m only neen years old by Korean age, so I¡¯m not an adult yet, but I was forced to get married to him!¡± Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Chapter 3 ¡°Empress? I don¡¯t want to be anything like that. I just want to go back home. I endured it until I could go back. Although I didn¡¯t want it, I diligently learned strange letters and manners.¡± When I heard that, I found myself boiling with anger. I held the hem of my dress with my hands that started to tremble. ¡°I regarded you as a sister, but I discovered you were a royal concubine, and originally designated as the empress. You didn¡¯t be the empress because of me, right? I¡¯m so hurt now, but now I¡¯m a bad girl because of that. Empress? What the heck is that?¡± ¡°Are you done talking to me, Your Highness?¡± I coldly stared at the ck-haired girl. And I kept venting my anger by rebuking her subtly. ¡°Did you ask me what the empress was? She is the firstdy of the empire. It¡¯s never a position you can treat as trifling. You had better not shoot your mouth off.¡± ¡°¡­Tia? ¡± I turned away from her who was gazing at me with trembling eyes. Though I thought I should not act like this, I couldn¡¯t control my boiling anger. ¡°Did you say you just want to go back? Did you say you were sorry because you knew my title only now? Did you say you were sorry because you took away the title of the empress from me and as a result you were a bad girl? Then, why did you say you wanted to be the empress from the beginning! ¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­¡± ¡°You are so cowardly. You did so because you probably didn¡¯t know anything. I think it was probably difficult for you to refuse. However, I think you should be responsible for your decision, to say the least.¡± I gasped for breath, now pouring out some of the emotions I have been holding back. She was trembling when I spoke. ¡°If you wanted to be the empress, you should have at least realized what it was. Writing? Manners? Did you say it was hard to learn them, but you did against your will? Did you think the role of the empress looked so easy? You¡¯re the mother of all the people in this empire. At the same time, you¡¯re the only partner and resting ce of the emperor who is ruling this country. You can¡¯t afford to think about going back home while keeping your position as the empress.¡± ¡°I just¡­¡± ¡°You asked me if I was not angry at all, right? Of course, I¡¯m really angry. I feel sorry for the emperor and my people. Above all, I feel sorry for myself. I think I wasted so much time helping someone like you until now. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Just leave. I don¡¯t want to see youining like this. I really hope you can realize how important the position of the empress is.¡± I trembled with boiling anger. I felt so miserable about myself. Was I demoted to a concubine because of this kind of deplorable woman? Why did the emperor choose this woman instead of me as his wife? Why did he think she was so lovely? ¡°Tia, I just¡­¡± ¡°Please go ahead and leave.¡± ¡°I was confused that I suddenly fell into a strange ce¡­ ¡± As she was hesitant for a while, she continued, ¡°I found it hard to ept that Rub had another woman because in my country, no man is allowed to have another wife except for his legal wife. As it turns out, Rub¡¯s other wife was you, who I like so much just like my sister. In fact, I think I came in between you and Rub.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s a slip of my tongue. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­Let me leave now.¡± I let out a sigh, ovee with fatigue. I pressed my stinging temple with both hands as I felt a pain there when I poured out anger. And I took a deep breath as my breathing was getting rough. I thought I was quite good at controlling my emotions. But these days I often flew into a rage for reasons I can¡¯t exin. I don¡¯t know why I am acting emotionally these days. It¡¯s not the first time I have experienced it. When I saw the pile of papers on the desk, I just felt frustrated. The empress, not me, was supposed to take care of this work, but she didn¡¯t know anything about the role of the empress. She enjoyed the privilege of being the empress and enjoying his love fully but didn¡¯t care about her duty as the empress. I just feigned a smile at her disgusting behavior. How long has it been? I raised my head, surprised to hear the door open loudly. He was standing there, losing his temper. How did hee here? I was very puzzled, but I got up and bowed to him out of courtesy. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see the Sun of Empire, Your Majesty¡­¡± At that moment, he pped me in the face. My head was turned back. I barely held back a groan, covering my burning cheeks with both hands, thinking, ¡®I should not show him the ugly side of mine. ¡® He stared at me for a while and he said in a cold voice, ¡°What did you say to Jiun? Did you tell her you were the legitimate empress? ¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Then, why is she crying? Why did you tell her to leave? ¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­¡± I was speechless for a moment. I couldn¡¯t figure out what to say. While hesitating, he seemed already convinced that I had spoken some evil words to her. When I met his cool eyes looking down at me contemptuously, I felt heartbroken just like I used to whenever I met his eyes. Although I felt resentful, I didn¡¯t use any harshnguage towards her. I felt it regrettable that she became the empress, but I¡¯ve never thought that the position of the empress was mine. Actually, I had never thought so even before she appeared because he was never warm to me. ¡°Do you really want to be my wife?¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°For what? I know that love is never the reason. There is no chance that a cold woman like you who doesn¡¯t moan when I hit your cheek can love me. If so, what is it? Your family is still living in splendor and honor, so you don¡¯t have any reason to be the empress for your family. Why are you acting like this? Are you going to give birth to the next emperor for the interests of your faction?¡± Everything he said turned into a dagger and stabbed my heart. While I was standing by his side, I just tried to protect myself against those who tried to find my mistakes all the time. Even though I wasn¡¯t loved by him, I wanted to be a woman who could love him freely and help him with what he was doing. ¡°Take it off.¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± I could hardly believe my ears when he said that unexpectedly. When I looked up at him with trembling eyes, I noticed his eyes sparkling strangely. I felt goosebumps at his twisted smile. ¡°If you want to be my wife, let me make you mine now.¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Why are you pretending to hesitate? Didn¡¯t you say that, expecting me to do this? ¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty! Please don¡¯t!¡± While I was trying to get out of his rough grip, I begged him to stop. I was so scared when he undressed me as if he was taking my clothes off violently. I was seized by extreme fear at the moment. The moment I struggled to pull my hands from him, I suddenly recalled that he had nevere to Jiun¡¯s bedroom before. I don¡¯t know why, but it was certain that he didn¡¯t, because that¡¯s what the courtdies standing outside her room said. ¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯ I was trembling when I thought that. If I epted him now, could he treat me a bit differently? If I had his baby, would he take care of me? Isn¡¯t he a man who grew up alone without any rtives? If he had a child who could seed him, couldn¡¯t he care for me as the child¡¯s mother? I slowly stopped moving my body. I took a deep breath while trying to calm my heart that was beating like crazy. I said in a calm tone, opening my trembling lips, ¡°Although I¡¯m not your official wife, I¡¯m your concubine, so this is not the right way for you to treat me. I want to undress myself, so please respect me.¡± Chapter 4 Chapter 4: Chapter 4 ¡°Concubine? Do you want to tell me you are my favorite concubine? As you are in that position, it looks like you¡¯re really on top. Don¡¯t be mistaken! You are nothing to me. ¡± Staring at me as if he was dumbfounded, he pulled me to him roughly. I closed my eyes when he violently took off my clothes. I trembled with fear, but kept murmuring to myself I was fine, and let him touch my body with his cold hands. I once imagined that one day I would sleep with him, but this wasn¡¯t what I expected at all. When I opened my eyes and looked at him, his expression was so cold that I felt heartbroken. I closed my eyes again because I couldn¡¯t look at his eyes without any emotions. But Iforted myself, thinking, ¡®Even if he is cold right now, he could get better over time. If he keeps making love to me like this, he will take care of me even if he is destitute of human feelings.¡¯ I hurt and felt distressed when he made love to me without any consideration of my feelings, but I put up with it, biting my lip. I just epted him meekly. How much time has passed? I nkly watched him leaving without any hesitation. I wiped tears from my blurred eyes and stroked the bed next to me, where I could still feel his warmth. I hoped that one day I could feel his warmth wholly. *** I didn¡¯t feel tired after he was done. ¡®Well, this isn¡¯t anything new because it¡¯s not the first time.¡± Since he had sex with me six months ago, he sometimes came to see me. After hugging me coldly, he would leave me without looking back at me every time. I felt miserable. Although he treated me coldly every time, I couldn¡¯t give up hope that someday he would care for me. And I hated myself every morning because I had to take care of my wounded heart and handle misceneous work on the empress¡¯s behalf. Every day I wasnguishing with hatred of myself, my fleeting hope for him, and myplex feelings toward his wife. ¡°Whew!¡± I took a deep breath to get a load off my heart, but I didn¡¯t feel better. I was annoyed to see the piled papers. What the heck was I doing this for? Looking at the top of the stack of thick papers, I recalled the reason I let out a sigh in the first ce. One year after she appeared in the empire, the sun of the empire, the thirty-fourth emperor, Rublis, of the great Castina empire, ordered a banquet tomemorate the anniversary of his wife and empress¡¯s appearance, the child of prophecy and his onlypanion. He could not prepare a banquet for himself. Eventually, I was assigned to that work, too. Even if he ordered her to prepare the banquet, she couldn¡¯t do so anyway. What a ridiculous thing! He said it had been a year since she appeared in the empire amid the god¡¯s blessing and love. Others may have been happy, but it had been like hell to me. Ironically, it was me who had to prepare and organize the banquet tomemorate the anniversary. Isn¡¯t it really funny? After bursting intoughter for some time, I nced over the tight schedule on the paper. The banquet was due tomorrow. It was going to be a veryvish banquet as he ordered that I prepare it as magnificently as possible, so they would look like a magnificent couple at the banquet. Amid the attention of numerous aristocrats at the banquet he would dance sweetly with her, whispering love with a warm smile he has never shown me. Of course, he would not pay attention to me standing in the corner. Suddenly, I recalled her, who came to see me a few days ago and said she was sorry. She said she didn¡¯t ept his courtship because she thought the position of the empress was mine. And then she said she was sorry because she loved him, after all. She said she couldn¡¯t help but love him because he took care of her so warmly. She also said she would ept him after the banquet. She said she would treat me well and take care of me just like her sister for the rest of my life. She said she wanted to get along with me like her full sister. I sighed deeply. After the banquet tomorrow, he and she would be tightly bound lovers. Then, he wouldn¡¯te back to me again. I sighed again because of the sad feelings deep down. I can¡¯t understand what kind of woman I was. I couldn¡¯t resent him even though I should. Although I felt miserable because of his cold rejection, and I felt hurt every time he looked at me with contempt, I still longed for his love. Full sister? If she epts him and he doesn¡¯te to see me, could I get along with her as a sister? Can I give up my persistent love for him? Will there be a day when I can get all this frustration and despair off my chest? I really don¡¯t know. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Your Highness.¡± ¡°How are you, Duke Lars? It¡¯s been a long time since I saw youst. ¡± The next day, I was busy in the Central Pce banquet hall, giving instructions to the servants and the maids. To carry out the emperor¡¯s order to prepare the avish banquet, I was absent-minded, sending invitation cards to all the nobles in the empire. Besides, I had to check if there was any factional fighting, if there were any disturbances caused by the localndlords trying to curry favor with the influential nobles in the capital, or if the banquet was going on well. As it was so nice to see him when I was exhausted, I brightly smiled. ¡°How have you been? ¡°Oh, just so and so. By the way, you don¡¯t look good. Are you okay? ¡± ¡°Fine. Thank you for your warm consideration.. ¡± It¡¯s been a long time since I met him. I was so happy to see him who was really worried about me. I smiled, looking at his blue eyes sparkling warmly. He was the head of the Duke Lars family, Arkint de Lars, called the sword of the empire. His family was one of the empire¡¯s top founding fathers. As head of the Lars family, ranked first in the imperial order, he was also my father¡¯s close friend and my teacher. As soon as I was born, I was chosen to be the crown prince¡¯s wife, so I received the most rigid and intense education, and one of the teachers who taught me was Duke Lars. He always emphasized my conduct as the firstdy of the empire, and my responsibility and duty. He also taught me how to evaluate a political situation. ¡°It looks like you have overworked yourself while preparing the banquet. I know you are so weak. Please take care of yourself. ¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t overwork myself, but I think I have worried you.¡± ¡°Really? But you really don¡¯t look good. Are you alright? ¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been a little sicktely, but that¡¯s always been the case with me. Ah¡­ ¡± When I shook his head, I felt dizzy suddenly, so I touched my head. I felt like the world was going round and round. The moment I lost my bnce, he quickly grabbed my hand. Oops, I almost fell on the floor, making a lousy scene. I smiled gently to express my gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Duke Lars.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Your Highness. Please forgive me for touching your body without your permission. ¡± ¡°Forgive? Oh, it¡¯s me who has to thank you.¡± Was it because I was faltering with steps? Quite a few people were watching me and Duke Lars. He beckoned a servant, telling me I had better drink something, then he picked up a cup and handed it to me. The moment I took the cup to my mouth, I was overwhelmed by the intense aroma of the drink. It seems like I felt like throwing up, so I shut up my mouth hurriedly. Duke Lars, staring at me, asked with a puzzled look, ¡°Your Highness?¡± ¡°Duke Lars, I¡¯m sorry to show my ugliness¡­.Oops!¡± Oh my god, I felt like I would pass out, with so many people watching. It seemed that my face was drained of color. I couldn¡¯t face his ring eyes, so I hurriedly turned my eyes from him. People gathered nearby began to whisper about me. Astonishment, anger and jubtion? What the heck is this? Why are they looking at me like that? ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Chapter 5.1 Chapter 5: Chapter 5 I trembled at somebody¡¯s chilly voice. Apparently dragged by her, he looked around, frowning deeply. Suddenly, he fixed his eyes on me with irritation and disdain. His cool eyes seemed to ask me if I was going to dare to ruin the party for her, which made me shrink back. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see the Sun of the Empire, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to see the Moon of the Empire, Your ¡­.Oops!¡± Oh my goodness! I didn¡¯t want to show my ugliness to him, but I spaced out because I felt nauseated. Colorful lights and various colors were going round and round before my eyes. I felt like I would vomit what I had in the morning, so I took a deep breath to calm down somehow. Duke Lars, looking at him and me alternately, stepped forward. After looking at the empress coldly, he reluctantly smiled at her. ¡°Congrattions, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Congrattions?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet, but I think she is pregnant. If it¡¯s true, it¡¯s certainly something you have to celebrate. As you know, there have only been a few offspring in the imperial family from generation to generation. Indeed, this is a big event for celebration.¡± ¡°Pregnant?¡± Am I pregnant? He looked at me with surprise, but Duke Lars was faintly smiling. Some looked at me with joy, some with astonishment, and others with incredulousness and anger. At that moment, someone squatted down with a scream. The tiara that had decorated her dark hair rolled down to the floor. She was now looking up at me nkly. Her arrogant attitude beat me. Can¡¯t she feel others looking at her with disdain and contempt? I couldn¡¯t find any trace of pride and dignity as the most noble woman in the empire. The emperor hugged her, who flopped down, and raised her up. Then he immediately smiled lightly at me. I was thrilled at his first smile at me. My heart began to pound when I thought that he might care for me a little more than before. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re pregnant. What a happy event!¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to hear that, Your Majesty.¡± My heart was thrilled at his unexpected words and actions for a moment, but as soon as I met his eyes, I quickly realized that he didn¡¯t say that because he was genuinely happy. He is the ruler of the Castina Empire with a poption of 20 million. Just like me who received training as the emperor¡¯s wife, he received more rigorous education as the only sessor of the emperor as soon as he was born. Obviously, he, the only heir to the empire, was speaking to me warmly, conscious of my family and factions, based on his logical thinking. I could confirm it in his cold eyes, contrary to his lips with a warm smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t it great that I came to hear you¡¯re pregnant on the one-year anniversary of her crowning as the empress? I¡¯m so happy.¡± The nobles around him bowed and shouted congrattions to the emperor. ¡°Congrattions, Your Majesty! ¡± But I could not show any reaction because of his chilly and confusing gaze on me. I could not take my eyes off his cold eyes and her eyes mixed with jealousy and treachery. Looking at me for a while, he said with a voice that contained no emotion at all, ¡°It looks like you don¡¯t feel well. Why don¡¯t you go and take a break?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Let me leave now.¡± ¡°Although I should escort you to your residence, I can¡¯t leave his ce as today¡¯s host. So, please understand me. I will see you soon.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m honored to hear that, Your Majesty.¡± Obviously, he was letting me get out of this ce. I went back to the pce after bowing to him, who was still cold to me, and her casting a cold nce at me. I heard from the royal doctor sent by the emperor that I was officially pregnant. Taking off my heavy dress, Iy in bed wearing somethingfortable and stroked my belly. I was very confused. Pregnant? I felt I didn¡¯t feel good because I overworked myself these days. I thought I lost my appetite due to the heavy workload and heightened tension. I thought I felt dizzy because I hadn¡¯t been eating well. All my assumptions were false. So, is a baby in my womb now? Baby¡­His and my baby. I had a dream. I dreamed that as thete emperor had only one child after great difficulty, Rub, his only sessor, felt lonely like me all the time. Although he despised and hated me so much, I once dreamed that if I had his child, he would treat me warmly. But dreams were just dreams. In reality, he was so cold to me. I didn¡¯t care even if she betrayed me when she told me she wanted to get along with me as a sister. What really saddened me was his chilly reaction when he heard that I was pregnant with his baby. I felt I was so stupid because I could not give up the ray of hope that I had for him. I became deeply skeptical about myself because I found myself still waiting for him earnestly, although I knew he said out of courtesy that he was happy about my pregnancy. *** Although he told me that he would see me sooner orter, he didn¡¯t visit me even after a week or two. I was a little puzzled because I knew that he kept his promises, no matter what. I believed that he would certainlye to see me, no matter how much he hated me and my pregnancy. He needed to talk with me at least once to cope with this situation somehow. I kept waiting for him, but he didn¡¯te. Instead, an unexpected person visited me. Even though he hadn¡¯t seen me for a long time, he just looked at me without saying anything. He was none other than my father, one of the empire¡¯s founding fathers, and the head of Monique family, who was called the spear of the empire and the most loyal subject of the imperial family. As the head of my family, my father once led the regr imperial knights, staying loyal to the imperial family for generations. Unlike other aristocrats who sometimes criticized and checked the seeding emperors¡¯ tyranny, my family showed absolute loyalty to the imperial family, no matter what. As the head of the Monique family, my father was also a very old-fashioned and blunt knight. The day after I entered the pce as the emperor¡¯s concubine, he volunteered to be dispatched to the border areas, saying that his family members¡¯ rise was not good for the emperor¡¯s governance. My father, who came to see me after hearing that I was pregnant, did not say anything when he saw me haggard due to morning sickness that had only grown worse. He just took some of my work. Although I didn¡¯t expect much, I couldn¡¯t hide my bitterness as he didn¡¯t show any concern towards me. Late in the morning one day, three weeks after the banquet, the emperor finally called me. Because I had bad morning sickness and dizziness in the morning, I really wanted to take a rest, but I had no choice but to head to the Central Pce to see him. I looked up at the sky where dark clouds were gathering. When I passed through the dark garden because there was no light, I saw a huge building that looked gray under a shade. Was it because it was cloudy? I felt unusually heavy today. ¡°Sit down there.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The moment I sat down, I felt dizzy again. Because of dizziness, I began to feel nauseated. I barely pulled myself together. After taking a deep breath, I looked at him. ¡°Let me get to the point.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say that the baby in your worm is not mine. Given that you are a highly proud woman, I think it¡¯s my baby. ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°But keep this in mind. I¡¯m going to choose my sessor among the babies that the empress will deliverter. Do you understand? ¡± His voice was cold. Every word that he spat out was cold to the ear. When I flinched, he continued coldly, ¡°Why are you not replying? It doesn¡¯t matter how many babies you have or how smart they are. Your child will never be my sessor. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll keep it in mind, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°If you got it, get out. I expect you won¡¯t make any fuss over this matter.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Then, let me leave¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t talk back when he was using such harshnguage. I barely stood up when I felt dizzy again. At that moment, the world went round and round before my eyes. Oh, no. The moment I fell, losing my bnce, someone quickly grabbed me. When I barely raised my head, calming down my nausea, I saw him holding me and him stiffening with a hardened expression. ¡°Rub? Tia? ¡± Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Chapter 6 She was very confused. Looking at him holding me, she began to get angry and shouted, ¡°Rub, what are you doing now?¡± ¡°Jiun, I¡¯m just¡­¡± Embarrassed by her sharp voice, he hurriedly responded, but she cut him off and said with a trembling voice, ¡°How can you do this to me? ¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t misunderstand. Jiun! Wait a minute!¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± Jiun yelled and left. As she, staring at him in anger, quickly turned around and left the audience room, he stood up, very much embarrassed, forgetting he was holding me who had lost bnce. I could hardly breathe. I felt I bumped into something, but I hurt so much that I couldn¡¯t breathe. I curled up a lot but felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. I moaned unconsciously. ¡°Oh, I feel pain here in my¡­¡± ¡°You?¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± ¡°Is anybody there? Call the royal doctor now!¡± Unlike his aloofness, he was embarrassed and shouted at the maids. Soon the maids who came running were astonished to see me. Why? Why is he so embarrassed? What the heck are these maids doing? When the royal doctor rushed to me, he ordered the doctor to take care of me and left the room quickly. With a deep sigh, the doctor quietly told the maids to help me move to the bed. The moment I got up with the help of the maids, I saw my silver dress stained with blood, which my father gave me at mying-of-age ceremony. I felt dizzy again. I heard the voice of the royal doctor and the maids fading away. Smelling the strong scent of blood, I was falling into the bottomless pit. *** I opened my eyes because of the pain. Sunlight shone through the open curtains, and birds were chirping outside the open window. It¡¯s morning. It¡¯s the same morning as any other day. But why do I feel so empty? ¡°Oh, you are awake now. Are you okay, Your Highness?¡± When I saw the royal doctor¡¯s face, I recalled that he held me when I was about to fall out of bnce with dizziness. I also remembered that she was there with him. And¡­ ¡°Let me ask you some questions.¡± ¡°Sure, Your Highness!¡± ¡°I guess it, but I wonder if my expectations are correct. Did I have a miscarriage?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Your Highness. ¡± ¡°My guess was right.¡± I guessed that because I saw my stained dress with blood, but when the doctor said I miscarried the baby, I was really at a loss how to express my feelings. The most important question was not this. I was very scared, so I didn¡¯t have the nerve to speak, but I had to confirm a couple of more things. ¡°Let me ask you one more question. Can I still have a baby?¡± He didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Why don¡¯t you answer me? I asked you.¡± ¡°You were very weak¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry, Your Highness.¡± ¡°I got it.¡± Although I had more pain than joy when he made love to me, although I was pregnant all of a sudden, although the fetus didn¡¯t grow enough to feel my maternal love, and although the fetus bothered me with morning sickness and dizziness, I could not see my and his baby ever. My and his baby won¡¯t ever exist. ¡°¡­Got it. You can leave now.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness. Please take care. ¡± Without even thinking about getting up, I stared into the air for a long time. I saw the chief pce official going back while carrying a stack of papers, and the maids on standby outside going out silently, but I couldn¡¯t afford to pay attention to them. I touched my heart as I felt more and more empty. When I wasforting myself lonely, I saw a man in uniform entering the room. With his silver hair shining in the sun, he was staring at me silently with his blue eyes. Suddenly, my eyes were blurred. ¡°Daddy..¡± ¡°What happened, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Just like you heard it, dad. I¡­¡± ¡°I heard His Majesty pushed you back while hurriedly standing up in order to clear the empress¡¯s misunderstanding. That¡¯s why you miscarried a baby. Is it true? ¡± ¡°¡­Who spread such frivolous rumors. It¡¯s because I foolishly stumbled, so don¡¯t listen to groundless rumors, dad.¡± My father never heard or repeated bad rumors about the empire and the imperial family. I couldn¡¯t believe my ears when he asked me that question, so I just smiled at him as if nothing happened. No matter who gossiped about me, I had to set the example as a member of the imperial family while refraining from saying or doing anything that could disgrace the empire and the imperial family. My father, who looked at me for a while without saying anything, spoke in a low voice. There was loneliness in his blue eyes. His navy blue eyes were filled with bitterness. ¡°Oh, what I heard is true.¡± ¡°Daddy.¡± ¡°¡­ You were gravely injured. Take a good rest. ¡± While I was looking at my father, Iy in bed, thinking of his reminder that I should take a rest. But how can I rx at all? As Iy still, several things came to my mind. His cold look and eyes, his cold voice with which he dered that my child would never be his sessor without showing joy at all, and his cold-hearted actions when he simply called for the maids to take care of me even after I fell bleeding then followed the empress. I felt heartbroken. I was more heartbroken by the fact that he was following her than by the fact that I lost a child I hadn¡¯t seen yet. Perhaps it was fortunate that the child was not born to a woman like me who was frustrated more by the fact that she did not gain his love than by the fact that she lost a baby. Come to think of it, maybe he was right when he said I was indeed a cold-hearted woman. I felt like I would go crazy when I just sat silent. So, I started working randomly. When I wake up in the morning, I read and read papers even though my head was in the clouds. I kept reading a mountain of documents until all the maids went to sleep and the day broke. When I had no more papers to read, I reread the documents I had already reviewed. Every time Iy in bed, I kept recalling what happened that day. Every time I took a nap, I had a nightmare. I didn¡¯t want to lie down nor sleep. How many days passed? Or weeks? Months? When I was writing something in a dream-like state, I heard the maids whispering among themselves quietly. They said Jiun had his baby. ¡°Hahaha.¡± I made a heartyugh at their funny gossip for a long time. I keptughing, while struggling to breathe, until the stunned maids ran out and my dad came running to me to talk. ¡°What are you doing, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Daddy, isn¡¯t it so funny? Her Highness, that woman allegedly blessed by God got pregnant. Ahahahaha. ¡± ¡°Your Highness?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny? My baby is gone, but she got pregnant. I can¡¯t have any babies for the rest of my life, but she will have a baby. Isn¡¯t this funny? Ahahahaha! ¡± ¡°Come to your senses!¡± My father grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me back and forth. I tilted my head. Why isn¡¯t he enjoying this funny story? Why is he staring at me like that? ¡°What is the matter with you, dad? Isn¡¯t it funny, dad?¡± Stars shed in my eyes. I came to my senses when I was hit by my father for the first time in my life. I didn¡¯t have the nerve to look at my father¡¯s face when he was gasping for breath, so I looked down slightly. ¡°¡­ Sorry, Dad. ¡± ¡°Now, have youe to your senses?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry to show my ugliness.¡± ¡°I wish I had not married you off to him.¡± I learned the royal courses as soon as I took my first step after I was designated as his wife. Like the head of the empire¡¯s foremost loyal family, my father never resisted the imperial decision to take me as the crown prince¡¯s wife by treating me as the child of the prophecy. Even when there was a confrontation between the factions who wanted to make the mysterious girl his wife and the faction who wanted to make me his wife, my father, as a faithful servant of the imperial family, didn¡¯t raise any objection to the crown prince¡¯s decision to take Jiun as his wife. And he humbly epted the prince¡¯s humiliating order to have me, who was originally chosen as his wife, epted as his concubine. Despite that, my father now said he regretted that he married off me to the prince. I could hardly believe my ears. Did I hear wrong? My father was not the type of man who could have said that. ¡°What did you say, daddy?¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Chapter 7 ¡°Listen to me well.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I have to go to the border for a while for urgent things. Wait for some time When Ie back, I will take you back home. ¡± His resolute expression and sparkling in his blue eyes looked so strange to me, I asked him with a trembling voice, ¡°¡­ Daddy?¡± ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I got it. You areing back soon, right? ¡± ¡°Sure, I will. So, you must be firm and healthy until Ie back. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, daddy.¡± After getting my reassurances once more, he turned away with a faint smile. I just felt so nervous and even worried about him, watching him disappearing. Could I ask him not to go? I hesitated again and again before shutting my mouth. I was certain he would be back soon because he was a man of his word. If I waited a little longer, he would certainly take me home soon. Then, I would ask him things like ¡®What did you mean when you said you wished you had not married me off to him? Do you really think I was more important to you than the empire and the imperial family that you always made top priority?¡¯ Three days after my father left for the border, the empress, who begged for the emperor¡¯s approval for her outing and went out with two bodyguards, was attacked by an unidentified assant. After that, she had a miscarriage. It was the very next day that my father was arrested for treason as the mastermind behind the attack of the empress. ¡°Please save my father, Your Majesty. I¡¯m begging you. ¡± I thought charging him with treason was ridiculous. There was no chance that as the head of the family most loyal to the empire, hemitted such a crime. However, the situation surrounding him was not good. Wicked rumors kept circting. Ironically, he visited my pce for the first time since I had a miscarriage. When I was nervous about the emperor¡¯s possible rejection of my father¡¯s request to see me, I begged the emperor to save his life. ¡°Save your father?¡± ¡°Please save his life, Your Majesty, considering our family¡¯s dedication to the imperial family ¡­ I don¡¯t want anything else. Please save his life, Your Majesty. ¡± Looking at me with curiously sparkling eyes, he smiled a twisted smile. ¡°Okay? Then kneel down. ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°You said you wanted to save your father¡¯s life. Kneel down and bow to me. If you do so, let me consider it. ¡± As his designanted wife from the start, I grew up as his better half as soon as I was born. I was educated to work with him on an equal footing as his partner. Therefore, I had a lot of pride that I was superior to anyone else, even those older than me. I was proud that as someone who learned demeanor and education from the best teacher, I was superior to Jiun, whose family or origin was not even known. Maybe the emperor wanted to test my conceitedness. Only a few days ago, I might not have given up my high pride for my father who always put the imperial family before me. Even my father, who always supported the imperial family, would never have wanted me to do anything humiliating as a member of the imperial family. But I was not in such a position now. I witnessed the emperor¡¯s injustice, which my father confirmed to me. I thought of leaving the imperial pce with my father. Pride? Dignity of the imperial family? None of that mattered to me. I had something that I wanted to check with my father. I wanted to ask him whether he thought of me as more precious than the imperial family, and whether he really loved me. And I wanted to act like a baby with him, which I hadn¡¯t done for a long time. Above all, I had to save my father¡¯s life by all means. The sweltering and hot energy rose, but I knelt in front of him with my lips tight. I slowly leaned down. Although I was raging with anger and frustration, I put up with it, biting my lip, and knelt before him. And I slowly lowered my forehead on the floor. ¡°Please save my father. I¡¯m begging you earnestly, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Hahaha! Oh, I¡¯m surprised how you, who are so arrogant and on such a high horse, can kneel before me! Ha ha ha ha ha!¡± I was lying with my face down before him for a while, while he wasughing like crazy. I began to feel cold all over my body, but clenched my teeth because I had something to do. ¡°Satisfy me like a lowly ve as much as you can. Then, I will save your father. ¡± Didn¡¯t he feel satisfied with my actions? I felt like it was thest straw when he treated me like a whore. I again bit my lips tightly even though I was quivering with rage. ¡®Yeah, I can do this much for you if you want it. If you want my perfect obedience, let me do as you wish.¡¯ I¡¯ve kept self-esteem, pride and so much more for the past seventeen years. The moment I touched my forehead on the cold floor, what I had cherished for a long time fell down in my heart gradually. While swallowing hot tears, I repeated his name. ¡®Daddy, daddy, daddy¡­¡¯ That was the only hope left in my empty heart. How much time has passed? I trembled with shame, but I barely opened my mouth with trembling lips. ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± ¡°Well.¡± ¡°Are you going to save my father¡¯s life as you promised?¡± He opened his eyes and cast a sarcastic smile at him. I looked down, feeling nervous with an ominous foreboding. ¡°What a spectacle! You acted like the most arrogant and conceited woman in the world, but you are like any other vulgar woman who took off their clothes to get what you wanted. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Did you ask me to save your father?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Your father is dead. He was executed this morning. ¡± What? I couldn¡¯t believe my ears. When I stared at him sharply, he said mockingly, with lots of disdain on his face, ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly naive. Did you think I would save your father, who killed my baby and tried to kill my only woman? ¡± ¡®What? You killed my father?¡¯ I feignedughter. I did not wish or dream about my father¡¯s love until now. But it was the only hope I wanted to believe right now. He showed me that when I felt like I would fall because I was weary. As I hoped for it, I pocketed my pride. I gave up my pride, my self-esteem and everything, including my status. I gave up everything I should have received as the future empress only a year ago. Then, what did he say? He killed my father? I took a rough breath. I couldn¡¯t even confirm my father¡¯s thoughts or feelings, who I wanted to save by risking everything I had. ¡®You said my father killed your baby? ording to your logic, you killed my baby. By killing my baby, you ruined my hope that I could live with you, and you ruined my past days by killing my father. You took everything from me. What a bad guy you are!¡¯ I heard some buzzing sound in my ears. Fuming, I took out the hairpin from my ornaments. Looking at its sharp edge, I stabbed him without any hesitation. ¡°Argh.¡± When I saw his red blood, I came to my senses suddenly. What did I do? I reached out to him bleeding and groaning in pain, but the royal guards quickly came in and pulled me hard. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± I saw the royal doctor rushing to him and the maids shocked to see him bleeding. I met his blue eyes among them. While I was taken out roughly by them, I could not take my eyes away from him, dripping with blood. I heard my heart was pounding hard. I felt some sort of feelingsing up from my heart. What is this feeling that has nothing to do with any worry? Excitement, despair, resignation, and an unknown feeling. All kinds of feelings were swirling in my heart. ¡°Are you okay, Your Majesty?¡± Among the crowded people around him, the royal doctor asked the emperor whether he felt okay. Dragged along by the royal guards, I was disappearing from him gradually. Even though my heart was pounding hard, I could see his cynical smile on his face for thest time. ¡°As a result, I remove your title of a royal concubine¡­¡± Where did it go wrong? ¡°All the properties, including the title and estate of the Marquis Monique shall be confiscated¡­¡± Why am I here? ¡°On charges of attempting to kill the emperor¡­¡± What did I do wrong? ¡°¡­You¡¯ll be beheaded. ¡± I¡¯m only guilty of having loved you. Chapter 8 Chapter 8: Chapter 8 Part 2 Present I sh! When the executioner lifted the ax high into the sky and its de shone briefly, reflecting the sun, I saw himughing at me. As if he was so happy to get rid of me, he wasughing. ¡°Hahaha,¡± I feignedughter. In a lonely and empty world, he was once my only light and salvation. I thought he was the only reason for my life. Even though he had never taken care of me, I tried tofort myself, thinking that someday he would pay attention to me. I was happy to think that I could be of some help to him even though I spent every day subbing for the clumsy empress who didn¡¯t know anything about her work and role in the kingdom. But obviously I was just a hindrance to him. The moment the ax fell, I saw the empress covering her mouth and turning her head as if she didn¡¯t have the nerve to see me, and the empress cautiously hugging her. I flopped down. My consciousness faded. A stream of tears flowed from my eyes. If I could start all over again¡­ I¡¯ll never¡­ love¡­ you¡­ *** I opened my eyes. There was something blurry and out of focus in my eyes. I blinked my blurry eyes and slowly got up. As I opened the white curtains on my bed, I noticed a carpet embroidered with a silver shield and four spears. I also saw a full-length mirror whose edge was decorated with silver with the same emblem. ¡®Why do I see the crest of my family here?¡¯ I felt something strange, so I got out of bed and looked around. I approached the window and opened the white curtains. I stiffened when I looked at the scenery outside the window. ¡®What happened? Why do I see my garden here? ¡® I stood in a daze for a while and then looked again at the room. It was strange. I can¡¯t believe this is my room. It¡¯s the same room inside the mansion owned by the Monique family that I left shortly after my sixteenth birthday. Tilting my head, I approached the silver mirror that was shining in the sunshine. My silvery hair was curled down to my back and my golden eyes looked back at me. Obviously, it was me. But why do I look so short? My eyes, facial expressions and body are slightly different from what I remember about myself in my memory. It looks like me in my childhood¡­ ¡°Good morning, mydy. You got up early this morning.¡± ¡°Lina?¡± I opened my eyes wide at the brown-haired girling in, wondering while looking in the mirror. Why is Lina here? When I entered the pce, my parents married her off to a good man. This is very strange. Why does Lina also look so young? ¡°I know you find it difficult to get up early in the morning, but you woke up early today. You must be excited about the good news. ¡± ¡°Huh? What news? ¡± ¡°Oh my gosh! Don¡¯t you know you have decided to take the courses for the role and duty of the empress, starting today. Three dayster, you are supposed to go to see the emperor. ¡± What the heck is this? Am I taking the empress course? To the best of my knowledge, I took it when I turned ten. ¡®Very strange. Did I have a nightmare? I was definitely arrested and beheaded for treason¡­ Wait a minute, daddy?¡¯ ¡°Lina, where is my father?¡± ¡°I guess he is on the training field. As you know, he is usually practicing around this time. ¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°Well, where are you going, mydy?¡± I had to check. I thought I could be relieved after I checked with my own eyes that he was safe. I was not sure if what I experienced was a dream or reality, or if I¡¯m dreaming now or not. All I wanted to do right now was go and see my father right away. As a nobleman¡¯s daughter, I am not supposed to run no matter how busy, but I didn¡¯t care about such manners now. I missed my father so much. Ignoring Lina¡¯s loud call, I grabbed the cumbersome hem of my dress and ran. I ran downstairs through the second floor corridor where my room was, to the entrance, past the beautifully decorated garden, and to the training field. ¡®Dady, daddy, daddy!¡¯ My father had been a loyal servant of the imperial family for generations, always putting the interests of the empire before anybody else including me, but in thest moments of his life, he thought of me first rather than the empire, and promised to take me back home, realizing that I was having an extremely hard time. My determined wish that he woulde back soon came to my mind. I was afraid that I could not see him if I did not find him right away. The servants and maids looked at me in surprise, but I didn¡¯t care. When I caught my breath and looked around, I saw his silver hair shining in the sunshine far away. My heart began to pound. I once again clenched the hem of my skirt and put my feet down. ¡°Mydy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!¡± ¡°What are you doing? Get out of my way!¡± I saw knights sparring or training in the middle of the training field looking at me in surprise when I was running across the field. Some of them seemed to be groaning while they were withdrawing their swords urgently, but I didn¡¯t care. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t be bothering them, nor visit the training field, but that was not important to me right now. ¡°Tia?¡± ¡°Daddy!¡± As I approached him quickly, he was surprised and looked at me. My heart was so full. I ran faster and reached out to my father, hanging on to him desperately. I felt him stiffening when he instinctively held me in his arms. I felt his warmth from practicing when he hugged me. I had never felt it before. I buried my face in his chest and rubbed my cheek against him, hearing his heart beating fast. Ah, how fortunate! When I fully felt his warmth, I could confirm that he was alive with his vivid heartbeats. I hoped that I was not dreaming now. ¡°Tia?¡± Suddenly my vision was blurry because he had never called my nickname since I started taking the empress courses. For fear I fell, my father carefully embraced me and spoke in a hesitant tone. ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°T-Tia?¡± I was choked with emotions when he stuttered, calling my nickname in embarrassment. I noticed his concerned eyes and his voice full of anxiety. It was the first time I felt his warmth. Was it because I felt relieved? Tears kepting down my cheeks, and my father carefully wiped my tears and asked me in a low voice. ¡°Why? What¡¯s the matter with you, Tia? ¡± ¡°Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy¡­¡± Suddenly, my father stiffened, at a loss about what to do, breaking out in a cold sweat. I came to my senses a bit when I saw him. As I took a deep breath and looked around, I saw him standing nkly and the knights brightly smiling at me. ¡°Are you okay, honey, now?¡± ¡°Yeah, daddy.¡± I barely answered with a feeble voice. I was ashamed. Howe I cried like a child in front of these knights? I didn¡¯t have the nerve to raise my head, so I buried my face in his chest. ¡°Why did you cry so sadly? Did something bad happen? ¡± ¡°Oh, that was because¡­¡± My father carefully put me down on the ground, kneeled on one knee and made eye contact with me. I folded my hands together and hesitated at his unusually kind posture. There was a moment of silence between us. ¡°What happened, Tia? Tell me. ¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± ¡°Oh, I just wanted to see you.¡± There was a deadly silence throughout the training field. As I carefully looked around, I saw my father with a rather hardened face and the knights staring at me nkly or with a burdensome expression. I regretted that I came here. Stupid me! I should not have expressed my genuine feelings before them. Let me get out of here before I get more embarrassed. I heard someone calling me from behind, but I ran out of the field without looking back. Returning to my room, I tried to calm down my throbbing heart. I felt so ashamed, but I didn¡¯t care. I was not sure if I was dreaming now. Or it might be God¡¯s final consideration, who twisted my life in the past by sending that girl of prophecy. Chapter 9 Chapter 9: Chapter 9 If this was really a dream, I could not know when I would wake up. So, I wanted to do all things I couldn¡¯t do even for a short time while I was dreaming. I broke out in a cold sweat when I thought of seeing his face again. How could I have a meal with him when I showed my ugliness? I tried not to go anyway, but I eventually got up at Lina¡¯s repeated persuasion. ¡°Come on in!¡± My father was already waiting for me. I sat down, still feeling awkward. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte, daddy.¡± Huh? Did he wince at me? As his motion was so small, I did not know if I had seen it well. I tilted my head while moving my fork in silence. Why is he making such an expression? Is he displeased with behavior? ¡°You don¡¯t look good. Are you okay, daddy?¡± This time his motion was rather big. Didn¡¯t he really like the food? ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°You look ufortable. Are you really alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Then, what¡¯s the matter with you? If you tell me, let me tell them to correct it immediately. ¡± I asked him again why he was acting unnaturally today. He was silent for a long time, with his face hardened, and then said finally, ¡°Why don¡¯t you call me like you did before?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I mean, why don¡¯t you call me like you did in the training field?¡± Huh? Training field? What did I call you then? ¡°Daddy¡­¡± My face blushed. Oh My God. What did I do there? I realized that I was doing something that I wouldn¡¯t have even imagined normally. Although I vowed that I would act freely as I wished, I was very embarrassed. As I couldn¡¯t see him face to face, I looked down. As if he felt the same way, he cleared his throat several times and said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the thing.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Call me like that in the future.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Hummm¡­ let me leave first as I have got something to do.¡± I nkly stared at my father as he quickly left the dining room. Does he mean I have to call him daddy in the future? Oh, no way. I think I heard it wrong. As someone who is notorious for being blunt, he wouldn¡¯t want me to do that. When I stood up, shaking my head, I suddenly saw the attendant and maids looking at me nkly. I was suspicious of their puzzled look. Wasn¡¯t it that I heard wrong? Then, he wanted me to call him daddy from now on? I broke intoughter unconsciously. If this was a dream, I never wanted to wake up because unlike the harsh reality I had lived in, I was happy in my dream. I thought of my father, who tightened his grip on his hands holding me in his arms, for fear that I had fallen. I also recalled his strong chest and fast heartbeat. The warmth of my father that I felt for the first time soothed my tired mind. If this moment could continue, if I could enjoy this happiness, I could sleep and die forever. I prayed with all my strength that if this was a dream, I would never wake up. *** ¡°Good bye, daddy.¡± As the Captain of the 2nd Knights, my father went to work every other day with Duke Lars, the Captain of the 1st Knights, unless something special happened. Every time my father went to the imperial pce, I showed him the basic manners out of courtesy for him. The rtionship between me and my father was chilly. But today it was different. When my father nodded, I often saw his face ovepped with when told me he woulde back soon to pick me up. I grabbed his blue uniform with my trembling hands. I was afraid he would suddenly disappear. If I let go of his hands now, I felt like I would wake up from a cozy dream and be thrown into a cold reality. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Tia? Do you have anything to say to me? ¡± ¡°Oh no, daddy.¡± ¡°Well, are you sick?¡± ¡°No, daddy.¡± ¡°Then, what¡¯s the matter with you? You look so different today. ¡± He extended his hand to touch my forehead. When I met his deep blue eyes filled with anxiety, I felt as if the anxiety weighing on me seemed to go away a bit. I knew that doing as I wished was different from troubling somebody. So, I felt that I should not trouble my father anymore. I was still scared, but I released my grip on his uniform and said reluctantly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing special. Please take care, daddy. ¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± I smiled as brightly as possible, but my father frowned. There was a moment of silence. When I was about to tell him I was okay, he held out his big hands and said, ¡°You want to go with me?¡± ¡°Pardon? To the pce? ¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°Of course, you can.¡± ¡°Thank you, Dad!¡± I brightly smiled at his unexpected response, and clung to his arms. I heard somebody murmuring behind my back. Looking back, I saw the knights staring at my father and me sharply. Why were they staring at us like that? Tilting my head, I met a middle aged knight¡¯s eyes. I also smiled unconsciously when he smiled at me. Then, their whispering became louder. What the hell were they doing? Their long whispering stopped only after my father ordered them to leave. I was puzzled, watching them going back to their ce as if nothing happened. Was it because of me? Because I acted differently today? If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s too realistic for a dream. Then, am I in the real world now? Was the long and painful pain of mine just a nightmare? I headed for the pce with such doubt. *** ¡°Let¡¯s get down, sweetheart.¡± ¡°Yes, dad.¡± Get out of the carriage, I looked around. The sunlit white building shone golden, and the thick green trees cast shadows over those who hid there from the hot sun. There were servants and maids walking briskly, officials talking to each other holding a handful of paperwork, and knights trading ces with each other, dressed in fancy uniforms. All these were the same familiar images that I had in my past memories when I entered the pce cautiously. I could see a magnificent pce towering over lots of buildings. Unusuallyrge, it was the Central Pce, the center of the imperial pce as well as the residence of the emperor. When I was looking at the white building, I was troubled by anxiety again. I didn¡¯t know if it was a dream or a reality, but all kinds of miserable memories came to my mind. I felt as if the emperor appeared before me right away and sneered at me, so I grabbed my father¡¯s sleeves with my trembling hands. My father¡¯s face hardened when he looked at me strangely. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Tia? Are you sick?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stand it anymore. Let me take you to the royal doctor.¡± Without giving me any time to respond, he moved quickly. I put my arm around my father¡¯s neck and leaned on his shoulder. It felt like the warmth I felt from his broad chest whispered to me that I would be okay, so I could feel relieved. Only then did my trembling subside. My anxiety subsided little by little. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Captain?¡± I came to my senses when I heard them exchanging greetings with each other. Where am I now? When I turned and looked around carefully, the knights in indigo uniforms were standing stiffly nearby. They were looking at my father in surprise. In fact, they were staring at me in his arms. Oh My God! I whispered small, hiding my blushing face. ¡°Please put me down, daddy.¡± ¡°We¡¯re almost there. So, hang on a minute.¡± ¡°No, I still don¡¯t like it. Please put me down, Dad. ¡± ¡°No way.¡± I asked him to put me down several times, but he was very determined. Although I was ashamed when they were looking at me, I gave up and buried my face in his shoulder rather than asking again. I was speechless when I met his blue eyes. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, Captain!¡± ¡°Wee, sir.¡± ¡°Well, nice job, man.¡± When I turned my head slightly, I saw a couple of knights bowing to my father. I stiffened at their burdensome look. Why are they making such expressions? It looks like they are looking at their puppies! ¡°Well Captain.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Can I hold her? You look tired¡­¡± ¡°No, sir. I can do it because this guy is very tired because of heavy training today¡­¡± ¡°No thanks, guys. Just go back to your work.¡± I saw lots of wistfulness in their eyes when my father rejected their request. After rejecting them out of hand, my father began to walk again. Chapter 10 Chapter 10: Chapter 10 ¡®Huh? What is this sound?¡¯ As I turned around the corner, I suddenly heard somebody screaming and walking quickly. I craned my neck to see what happened, but I couldn¡¯t because my view was obstructed by the wall. I felt ufortable, but I thought that it was not a big deal because there was no big disturbance. *** I visited my father¡¯s office as the captain of the knights. It was not very different from the office in my memories. Documents were stacked on arge desk. There were chairs and simple tea sets for his aides and visitors. It was a typical office. Although I told him several times that I was okay, my father called the royal doctor as soon as he arrived at the office. When the doctor said I was okay, but I felt dizzy because I was too weak, he was relieved and went back to work. When I noticed the mounds of documents, one thing shed my mind. In the past, I always handled a lot of documents in a dreamy state. If my memory was true, could I understand and deal with my father¡¯s documents, too? I picked up a document on his aide¡¯s table. My father gave me a look, but didn¡¯t care. Contrary to my expectation that it was difficult, the thick paper was surprisingly easy to understand. If so, are things in my memories not a dream? Or am I dreaming now? I looked up at my father with trembling eyes. I looked at him very briefly, but he immediately met my gaze, so I lowered my head in a hurry. Pretending to be casual, I was reading the documents. I tilted my head, thought. Something was not correct. ¡°Are you sure? Huh? Oh, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± Suddenly, the door opened wide and two men came in. One man with zing red hair and the other man looked intelligent had green hair. I stood up at the appearance of these two familiar men. They were Duke Lars and Duke Verita. They were the masters who taught me a lot in my dreamy memories. ¡°How are you, Duke Lars and Duke Verita?¡± ¡°Long time no see,dy. Did you learn everything I taught youst time? ¡± Did he teach me anythingst time? What did he teach me? I knew I hadn¡¯t yet started the empress course. I was puzzled a bit, but nodded because of my faint memories. Yes, that¡¯s right. My empress ssed started after I turned ten, but I was taught before. When I came home to see my father, he used to tell me lots of things. When I nodded, Duke Lars approached my father with a faint smile. I looked up instead of focusing on the document because Duke Verita was staring at me intently. He asked me, pointing to the document with interest, ¡°Have you prepared this document?¡± ¡°Yes, I have.¡± ¡°Why did youe to this conclusion?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because¡­¡± What I thought was rather strange was the expenses for the meal kits for the knights. The document stated that next month some of the 2nd Knights Division would leave to inspect the border. If so, the number of knights stationed in the capital would be reduced, and the expenses of their meal kits had to be reduced proportionally, but the document didn¡¯t reflect the necessary decrease in the original expenses. So, I searched for thest budget proposal andpared the cost of the meal kits and their cost after adjusting intion. I found that the meal kits were being overcharged. When I exined this in detail, Duke Veritas looked at the document carefully. ¡°If that¡¯s true, I think I have to find out the man responsible for the overcharge and punish him.¡± ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, he could have made a mistake. Even if he did it deliberately, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right for you to punish him without finding out the exact reason.¡± He nodded again and asked again, ¡°How about calling the budget guy right now and asking for his exnation?¡± ¡°No, that is not good.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°If he made a mistake, you could forgive him with a light warning, but if he did it on purpose, he might lie to avoid punishment. How can you determine if he is telling the truth or not by simply listening to him? If you are not tactful enough, he might feel scared and run away at your question. So you had better investigate whether he had any reason to overcharge the meal kit expenses.¡± ¡°I think your exnation makes sense.¡± I didn¡¯t know when he overheard our conversation, but Duke Lars cut in. ¡°So, you discovered the overcharged items to reduce costs, right? But you have to take into the cost of investigation if you follow thedy¡¯s rmendation. Instead, call the guy responsible for the overcharges and punish him. Why should you bother about it?¡± ¡°Because we are aristocrats.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Veritas asked back quickly. ¡°We are nobles serving the Emperor above while ruling 20 million people in the empire. It is the duty of the nobles to support the empire sincerely, so he can make choices to enhance the people¡¯s lives.¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°As you know, nobles rely on the taxes collected from the people in the empire. In that sense, saving the budget is very important, but it should not be done by sacrificing innocent people. ¡± ¡°Great.¡± Duke Lars nodded silently. With a slight smile, Duke Verita looked back at her father. I recalled something that was too vivid for me to call it a dream. The emperor¡¯s eyes, which were cold from the first meeting, and his cold smile at me, but kind smile at another woman, hurt my feelings. My heart was racing when I recalled my father¡¯s promise that he woulde back soon to take me back home, the emperor¡¯s brutalughing after telling me my father had been beheaded, his distorted smile after I stabbed him with the hairpin, and hisughter even when I was beheaded. ¡°Ouch!¡± I plucked my chest. I could hardly breathe. I broke out into a cold sweat, and I felt dizzy. My head was spinning with a mix of green and silver before my eyes. I heard somebody shouting something. The whole world turned ck for thest time I felt like someone was picking me up. *** I opened my eyes. It was dark. ¡®Where am I now? Am I awake from my dream?¡¯ Although I couldn¡¯t see anything, I looked around and held back the urge to scream. Was I dead? Was the brief happy moment as well as a shred of conscience God¡¯sst gift to me? Where am I now?!¡¯ The moment I tried to scream like crazy, my heart sank when I heard something familiar. As I reached out my trembling hand, I felt a thin thread. What is this? ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± I heard somebody saying with a subdued voice. I felt relieved at the moment. How fortunate! It seems like I haven¡¯t yet woken from my dream. Or I might have had a terrible nightmare. But was that memory a nightmare? It¡¯s so vivid. No matter how hard I thought about it, I could not be sure if it was a dream or if my bitter memory was a dream. I was very confused. ¡°Daddy.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Oh, Dad.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Daddy, Dad, Dad¡­ ¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I called and called my father for fear that he might disappear again. My anxiety began to disappear gradually when he kept responding to my repeated crying ¡°Daddy¡± and his tight grip on my hands. As I was getting familiar with the dark, I began to see my father¡¯s eyes now, which were full of affection for me that I had not noticed. His navy blue eyes full of worries and anxieties looked so warm. I was choked with emotions. I did not want to miss this moment. ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°Well.¡± ¡°I want to go to the temple.¡± ¡°Temple?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Yeah, if you feel better, let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°No. I want to go there alone tomorrow. Would it be okay?¡± If this moment was a dream to me, there may be no tomorrow for me. But if that terrible memory was a dream, I felt I needed to go to the temple at least once because it may have been the revtion from God for my future. I wouldn¡¯t care if it was amon dream, but the appearance of a mysterious girl who appeared from nowhere was certainly unusual. If it¡¯s a prophecy, wouldn¡¯t it be God¡¯s prophecy? As they have to disclose it unless it¡¯s very important, I could hear about it if there was God¡¯s prophecy to be heard. ¡°Yes, you can go there.¡± ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡± ¡°Think about it tomorrow and sleep more.¡± ¡°Will you be here when I sleep?¡± Because I may have no tomorrow, I yed baby as if this was thest moment I was with him. Chapter 11 Chapter 11: Chapter 11 When I said persistently that I didn¡¯t want to sleep alone, he smiled brightly with a perplexed expression, I slowly stepped into the unconscious world, feeling his gentle touch. Was it because I went to sleep, holding my father¡¯s hands tightly? I sighed with relief at my childhood appearance in the mirror. Oh, how fortunate I am! Even if I haven¡¯t awakened from my dreams yet, I can have a happy life at least today. After reassuring my father several times, I headed for the temple. I had a lump in my throat when I found what I saw was so different from my memory. I prayed earnestly, folding both hands that this moment was the reality, and that I just had a long and vivid nightmare. In fact, even if I went to the temple, there was no guarantee that I could get a clear answer. They might not have received God¡¯s prophecy yet. In that case, I would again suffer from anxiety because I wouldn¡¯t know if this was a dream or just a nightmare. Even if there was God¡¯s prophecy, its meaning may vary depending on who interpreted it. Even in my memory there was apeting view that the prophecy of God was me, not Jiun. ¡°We have just arrived,dy.¡± While I was lost in thoughts, the carriage carrying me arrived at the temple. When I got off the wagon, helped by the attendant, I saw the snow-white temple in the midsummer sunshine. The great temple Sanktus Vita. The great building before me was magnificent, befitting the guardian saint of the empire, Vita. When I passed through the arched door to the entrance of the temple, one of the priests approached and bowed to me. ¡°May the blessings of life be bestowed upon you! Wee to Sanktus Vita. Please state your name and purpose of the visit. ¡± ¡°I am Aristia La Monique, the eldest daughter of Marquis Monique. I want to see God¡¯s prophecy. Can I see it?¡± ¡°Which prophecy do you want to see?¡± ¡°I want to know about thetest one. Did you receive on in the past few months? ¡± ¡°There is nothing like that. Thest one we received was five years ago. ¡± Five years ago? If so, it¡¯s probably not rted to my memory, but I asked him to show me all the God¡¯s prophecies and lead me to the prayer room. As it would take quite a while, it seemed better for me to wait in a quiet space. I entered the prayer room and looked up at the sculpture carved on the small altar. There was a tree shape entangled in several branches, a symbol of Vita, the patron saint of the empire. When I was left alone in a quiet space, all sorts of thoughts came to my mind. ¡®What should I do? It looked like I couldn¡¯t find the prophecy that I was looking for. How could I understand this situation?¡¯ I¡¯m 16 in my memory. If I¡¯m really ten now, logically I would have spent seven years in my dream overnight. Is that possible? The emperor¡¯s chilly eyes are still vivid in my memory, let alone my lonely and sad days. Then, am I dreaming now? Or is it just God¡¯sst mercy before I breathe myst? I was trembling and getting more and more anxious. How much time passed? I opened my eyes at the unfamiliar space in front of my eyes. Where am I now? Although I looked around, I saw nothing. I just saw the endless white space before me. I sighed in despair at the extremely unrealistic scene. Was I dead then? I was stunned to hear some voice ringing through the white space. ¡°Who is it?¡± I was very embarrassed by the voice that called itself God. Is this possible? Maybe someone is ying a bad trick on me? Although they were calling me the child of the prophecy of God, our family was not on good terms with the temple. How is this possible? It¡¯s absolutely impossible unless I went back in time¡­ What? Turned back the time of my life? Can even God do that? If so, what¡¯s the reason? It surely goes against the causal rtionship. What? I was dumbfounded to hear that. In other words, the child of God¡¯s prophecy, that woman, was the child also blessed and loved by God, and was she the one destined to be married to the emperor from the beginning? Was I just made to rece her? ¡°Haa¡­ ¡± Little by little I was short of breath. I felt something like defiance wasing up deep in my heart. ¡°How ridiculous!¡± My anger raging deep inside burst out like a volcano. I vented by shouting loudly, which I had stored over the years. I screamed in spite of myself. Did I have to be deprived of freedom since I was young for that reason? Did I have to be raised as a woman for him for that reason? Did I love him just because of fate when I felt I was most lonely in the world without realizing my father¡¯s love? Did he think he could justify ruining everything I had? Just because I wasn¡¯t tied to him originally? I screamed like crazy. I could hardly endure the fiery feelings rising in my heart. I felt like I would go crazy if I just kept putting up with it, so I screamed and cried until my throat was hoarse. How much time passed?. When I heard another voice echoing through the space, I burst intoughter in spite of myself. Giving me a gift after having ruined my life so miserably? Giving me a present? Chapter 12 Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Well, good. God, as you promised to give me a gift while saying my fixed fate will stay the course, I would like to see how great it is. I¡¯m going to use that reward to break my fate that never changes. ¡°Okay, let me receive your gift. I don¡¯t want to call you God. I will never regard you as God. I won¡¯t thank you because you have already unjustly taken too many things from me. I now realize that there is no God who loves all things fairly. ¡± There was a long silence between them. Maybe God was angry at me. The god I believed in was infinitely merciful, clear about punishment and reward, and just, but I knew already that there was no such God. The moment I was about to burst intoughter, I heard a horse¡¯s neighing in my mind. The white space surrounding me began to disappear quickly. When I closed and opened my eyes quickly, I found myself sitting in a small prayer room. *** I was abandoned by the man I thought was my partner, ignored by the masters who raised me as the firstdy of the empire, and condemned by the beloved people as a bad woman then deserted by even God. Although he never treated me warmly, I wholeheartedly served and loved him. Although I was treated as his concubine, not queen, I tried to live ording to the master¡¯s teachings. Even if I was condemned as a bad woman, I didn¡¯t hate the people. The reason God has given these trials was because he wanted to train me. God only knows I braved through all the difficulties and hardship even though I wanted to give up everything because I was so lonely. I thought that as God loved and cared for all things fairly, God would reward me with a better gift¡­ But the god I met said that I was not his blessed child, but a substitute for another woman, adding that I had to ept this because it was my fate. I had to train and better myself untilte every night to be a girl who suited him. Even withoutining about my hardship, I sobbed alone many days at night when everybody went to sleep. Even though I wanted to give it up as a bad job because I hurt and felt sad, I spent many days just putting up with it silently. But all my time and energy I spent until now became useless the moment God said I was not the emperor¡¯s designated partner from the beginning. My desperate efforts throughout all those years came to nothing. I was upset because I felt I was totally denied. After realizing that the god I believed in and relied on so far was an illusion, I became hopeless. I shivered with betrayal. Now that I was done with everything, an unbearable extreme emptiness filled my mind. What have I lived for? What is the value of my existence? Who am I? I¡­ Somewhere in my heart waves of despair crashed. A ck sea through which no light prated and towering ck waves swept me away. *** ¡°¡­Ah.¡± I heard someone¡¯s voice breaking the silence. ¡°¡­ Ah!¡± What the heck is this? It¡¯s so noisy. ¡°Tia! ¡± Leave me alone ¡°Tia!¡± Don¡¯t call me. Don¡¯t look for me. Anyway, I was nothing. Why are you bugging me? Just leave me alone. Don¡¯t want anything more from me. I was annoyed by her repeated calling. I was no more than a substitute for Jiun. What more do you want from me when you have abused me so much until now? I like this ce right now. I won¡¯t get out of here. No one loves or values me in this world. I don¡¯t need it. Just leave me alone. ¡°Tia! Come to your senses!¡± Although I wanted the owner of the voice to get out, it had no intention to leave. As I was so annoyed, I frowned. What are you looking for me so persistently this time? I have nothing to give you anymore. You denied my efforts, my pride, my tears, my love, and eventually my existence. What more do you want? Why are you doing this to me? ¡°Please.¡± Who are you calling me so desperately? ¡°Pleasee to your senses! Please. ¡± Suddenly a drop of water fell somewhere in my dark space. Tuk, tuk, tududuk. Water drops began to fall here and there. Initially one or two drops, and then a column of water began toe down everywhere. ¡°Please wake up.¡± Streams of water from all sides were removing the darkness around me. Where the darkness disappeared, light beams were pouring down. A white light wrapped me. *** Where am I now? Looking around with blurred eyes, I saw columns with a geometric pattern mixed with white and green. This is the temple! Why do I feel stuffy then? Why does my back feel damp? As I slowly looked down, I could see wide shoulders and a strong back. ¡°Daddy?¡± It was a dry and hoarse voice. Even though it was very small, my father responded immediately, raising his head and said, ¡°Are you awake now? You havee to your senses now, right? Huh? Answer me, Tia! ¡± I could not say anything because tears were flowing from his eyes. I was speechless when I discovered that my father, who was always cold-hearted, called me so earnestly and shedding tears that I had never seen before. ¡°Have youe to your senses now? Are you okay now? Say something, mydy! ¡± My father kept calling me without thinking of wiping his tears, and Lina was asking me with a crying voice if I was okay. The two knights of my family were anxiously trying to check my condition. And my father¡¯s personal aide was looking at me nervously, holding my father¡¯s official uniform. I finally realized that I was not alone in this world. Although I denied the existence of God and gave up hope, who I believed and relied on until thest minute, when He abandoned me, I was not a trivial being without anyone¡¯s interest or love. I had a father who loved me so much that he broke his lifelong conviction in the protection of the imperial family, my friend Lina who had always been with me since childhood, and the family members who cared about me. When I thought that even God abandoned me, did I realize that there were so many people around me who could help me if I reached out, while I failed to look around, only seeking God¡¯s salvation. Only when I abandoned myself who believed that only God could recognize my efforts did I realize it. From now on, I¡¯m going to live, depending on them. I will never lead a life for God. I won¡¯t seek Him anymore who has turned away from me when I needed Him and has awakened me to this reality when I was abandoned. I¡¯m going to lead a different life, making eye contact with people,ughing with them, sharing my hard life with them and throwing tantrums. I bowed to those who looked at me nervously. Thank you, father. Thanks, Lina. Thank you everyone. I felt as if my empty heart was filled with new hope. I hugged my father¡¯s neck and smiled brightly, filled with gratitude for my beloved ones. *** I opened my eyes. When I got up hastily, I saw someone¡¯s shiny silver hair reflecting the sun. I saw my father sleeping soundly. Obviously, he was stressed out because of me. These days, I showed him my ugliness and made him sad. I cried, passed out and gawked at him. I sighed. When I thought it might be a dream, I felt fine. But when I realized it was real, I felt rather calm. My past memories as a 17-year-old girl as well as my current memories as a 10-year-old girl were all real. Not only his stout arms that lifted me as I shivered, but also his heartless words that I would be the empress, and his reassurances that he woulde back to take me home were not illusions. I felt empty. I¡¯ve been living really hard all my life, but all my efforts came to nothing. My heartfelt love and sad memories existed only in my mind, which hadn¡¯t yet happened in reality. Is that the reason? Even though I knew I had a chance to live differently from the past, I kept feeling bitter. I felt just empty and lonely. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake.¡± Chapter 13 Chapter 13: Chapter 13 My father spoke with a slightly croaky voice. He straightened up and looked at me, taming his disheveled hair. ¡°Good morning, Dad.¡± ¡°Good morning. Yesterday you fell asleep as soon as you got in the carriage. Are you okay now? ¡± He looked at me with concern. I burst intoughter when he looked around me carefully. My empty heart felt a bit warm. ¡°I¡¯m okay, Daddy. I¡¯m sorry to have you worry about me, Dad. ¡± ¡°Sounds good. Hmm, Tia.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Would you tell me what happened at the temple?¡± ¡°That was¡­¡± I was speechless. What can I say? I was killed at seventeen on charges of treason, but when I opened my eyes, I was ten again? I was nothing but a substitute for the chosen girl? Had I heard God¡¯s prophecy from the chosen among the priests serving God? I shut up because I couldn¡¯t say any of that. He would think I was crazy if I told him that because my memories as a seventeen-year-old girl only existed in my mind and have not yet happened yet. Looking at me in silence, my father said, ¡°They received God¡¯s prophecy when you were in the prayer room. Everybody at the temple was excited.¡± What the heck is he talking about? ¡°Well, God¡¯s prophecy was that he would give you a name.¡± Come to think of it, only when my middle name Pionia was given, I felt I heard the entire space vibrate in my mind. Was it God¡¯s prophecy? Oh my God, was this his reward? ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°So, Tia. His Majesty wants to see you. ¡± ¡°His Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As I never received God¡¯s prophecy, it was certain that the emperor would call me. I sighed in anxiety. In the past, I often had an audience with the emperor, but this time it was different. In the past, the emperor was seeing me as the next empress and his daughter-inw, but this time he would try to check God¡¯s prophecy, my name. ¡°Okay. When am I supposed to see him?¡± ¡°He told me he wanted to see you as soon as you woke. ¡± ¡°Okay, let me prepare to see him then.¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± After my father left the room, I urged the maids to make the necessary preparations for my audience with the emperor. As I couldn¡¯t keep him waiting for long, I got ready as soon as possible. ¡°Kairan, It¡¯s nice to see you here. ¡± ¡°Arkint.¡± ¡°Yes, Captain.¡± When I was walking towards the Central Pce, two men in uniform approached. Red hair and red eyes and the same appearance: they were Duke Lars and his eldest son. I bowed and smiled gently. Every time I saw them, I felt the son was a chip off the old block. ¡°Where were you going? Hmm, it looks like you are going to see His Majesty as you are with your daughter.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Isn¡¯t he wise? ¡± ¡°I know that, but¡­¡± ¡°Well, as I have something to report to him, let¡¯s go now,¡± said Duke Lars, who patted his father on the shoulder. After saying goodbye, I headed to the Central Pce with my father and Duke Lars. When I arrived at the audience room, I looked around and took a deep breath. My heart began to beat harder. ¡°The Sun of the Emperor, His Majesty is here.¡± We all stood up from the seat. A heavy door was opened, and soon an elderly man with gray hair entered. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see the Sun of the Empire, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Come on in, Duke and Marquis. Is she your daughter?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Aristia La Monique is honored to see the Sun of the Empire.¡± The emperor was Mircan Russana Castina, who revived the slowly declining empire. He entered proudly. In his eyes there was confidence, dignity, and an authoritative aura that could onlye from the ruler who controlled the empire. Following him was a man with green hair. ¡°Just go outside while I am seeing them.¡± The emperor kept silent while all his staff including the Chief Chambein left. Then, he began to speak to them, ¡°Wee. In fact, I have something to consult with you. ¡± ¡°Please go ahead, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°It looks like there are still some kingdoms that are disloyal to our empire. Even if we don¡¯t have to punish them, I think we should be prepared for their possible rebellion. So, I¡¯m thinking of increasing knights and soldiers.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Duke Lars said, frowning for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t think recruiting soldiers is going to be difficult. For the past several years we managed to recruit them at a proper level, so I think we can recruit more without drafting them.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty, you will need lots of money to increase the knights. Don¡¯t you think it will strain the financial resources?¡± My father asked in a worried tone. ¡°I think so. I¡¯m thinking of receiving some donations. ¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°There are several ways. For example, I can give extra points to the knights when reviewing their promotion based on their donation.¡± ¡°But if you do so, the quality of the knights decline, Your Majesty.¡± I heard my father¡¯s sharp voice. I could understand him because as a knight, my father couldn¡¯t afford to see the quality of the knights decline. But that wasn¡¯t the point now. I tilted my head and looked at the man with green hair. Why is he keeping silent? He was allegedly one of the brightest knights in the empire, and he must have found the problem in the emperor¡¯s proposal. ¡°Well, this is an inevitable situation. I¡¯m going to give the benefits to those knights who won¡¯t drive down overallpetence too much. If you increase the intensity of their training, it won¡¯t be a big problem.¡± ¡°Got it, Your Majesty.¡± The emperor smiled at my father who reluctantly agreed. ¡°And I¡¯m going to raise taxes. Temporarily, I¡¯m going to raise taxes by one percent. For those nobles with estates, I¡¯m going to impose a 3% tax rate, and the top nobles are going to pay 4%.¡± With a sigh, Duke Lars said, ¡°You have tormented nobles since you were young, and you are still at it, Your Majesty. Increasing the number of knights will give you a lot of problems, and now you are going to increase taxes? This is too much. This man who is blindly loyal to you won¡¯t take issue with your proposal, but it¡¯s me who is sandwiched between the political factionsining hard about such a proposal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m tipping you off in advance.¡± ¡°You will face stiff resistance from the grumbling nobles, but you can¡¯t help it. ¡± Duke Lars replied as if he had no other choice but to follow the emperor¡¯s order, so did Veritas and his father. Something came to my mind suddenly. In my memory of the past, it was a policy recorded as the fly in the ointment during Emperor Mircan¡¯s rule. Because of the possible revolt of the Lisa¡¯s kingdom, the empire decided to increase its military spending, so the emperor imposed more taxes on the nobles to avoid taxing its ordinary people more. His intention itself was not bad, but it turned out that the increased taxes were shifted to the rest of the people in the empire, incurring their wrath. Three yearster, when the new taxation method proposed by Allendis de Verita, Duke Verita¡¯s second son who was called a rare genius, was adopted, many people wished that it had been implemented a little earlier. No matter how smart Duke Verita or his second son was, they might not know the problem the additional taxes proposed by the emperor would cause, but even then there was nothing like the donation policy at that time. Nheless, why would Duke Verita keep silent about it? ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯ve been talking about a boring topic too long. I¡¯m sorry. ¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve heard that you are smart. I wonder what you think about what you just heard. ¡± The emperor spoke, turning his attention to me. ¡°I¡¯m still young and dull, so I don¡¯t know anything about it,¡± I replied. ¡°Really?¡± The emperor turned to Duke Verita, looking at me suspiciously. ¡°Duke, give it to me.¡± After receiving the document, the emperor took out the seal and asked again. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t have any objection to my proposal?¡± I closed my eyes at his question. Of course, I knew that he was testing me now. Even if I pretended not to know, he would not implement the donation policy as it was now because Duke Verita must have noticed its problem. But what if he signed the proposal and the new tax policy would go into effect? In that case, I would not be affected, but the people of the empire would go hungry for several years and resent the emperor. Chapter 14 Chapter 14: Chapter 14 What should I do? As I was given my name by God, it¡¯s dangerous for me to get too much attention. But if I pretend not to know, I am worried about the people in the empire. What should I do? What should I do? I hesitated for a while and opened my eyes. I opened my mouth with a bitter smile, ¡°I don¡¯t think you should adopt the donation policy.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If you give promotions in return for donation, it can lead to the knights¡¯ overall power increasing and the lowering of their morale. It can also cause internal division by creating conflicts between those who receive the benefits and those who do not.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Of course, you can enjoy the small benefits of the donation policy in the short term, but over the long run, your original purpose will be warped and you can expect more issues than you face now. If you look at history, the small benefits led previous emperors to buy and sell knightships and status and caused great harm to the countryter. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t think that you should not give promotions as a reward for donations.¡± The emperor nodded as if he agreed with me, which confused me. Wasn¡¯t he persuaded by now? He must have understood my opposition, but I could not stop there. From the start, I decided to open my mouth because of his additional tax proposal, not the donation policy. ¡°I also think you should not adopt the additional tax proposal.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± The emperor asked, looking at me in interest. Duke Veritas raised his head and looked at me, too. ¡°Your intention is great because you¡¯re taxing the nobles to ease the burden on the ordinary people of the empire. But do you think only the nobles will be burdened with your new policy? ¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°The taxes paid by the noblese from the residents in their estates, right? As a result, the tax burden will go to them.¡± ¡°Do you know what you are talking about now? It means that the nobles would dare to disobey the emperor¡¯s order and exploit their people. Do you know that?¡± His cold blue eyes turned to me. I felt overwhelmed by his cold attitude. I was trembling as if he sentenced me to death, but I kept trying to look casual. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s the fact.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Do you really think there will be no resistance from the nobles? Do you think there are no nobles who won¡¯t exploit their own people at the risk of their reduced wealth?¡± ¡°The imperialw strictly regtes the rate at which nobles can collect from their people living in their estates. Who can dare to ignore it and increase their tax burden? ¡± Of course, they wouldn¡¯t if there had not been a massive famine. No noble could have exploited their people without being caught by His Majesty, who had strictly enforced the imperialw for more than two decades. However, the problem was that the lower nobles, whose crop yield was greatly reduced due to the famine, had exploited their people to pay higher taxes. Had it not been a famine, there would have been no reason for them to abuse the higher tax system to exploit their people. ¡°The empire will have a massive famine in about thirty or forty years.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I hear that when the annual crop yield fell less than the average yields over the years, that¡¯s a sign of uing famine.¡± ¡°Wait a minute. If that¡¯s the case¡­¡± Duke Verita suddenly interrupted as if he forgot it was disloyal to cut off the emperor. ¡°Does it indicate¡­¡± ¡°Yes, exactly. I think there will be a massive famine in the next few years. ¡± ¡°Right! That¡¯s why you think the additional tax rate at this point is dangerous,¡± Duke Verita said, smacking his knees. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Though I didn¡¯t notice it, given the past track records, we will experience a massive famine in a few years like she said. You can¡¯t impose the additional tax in this situation.¡± ¡°However, reinforcing military power is also a must. But our budget is so tight now. What should I do?¡± I sighed while looking at the emperor in distress. I felt I should speak out about everything as I already began to talk about the problem. I apologized in my heart to Duke Verita, who had gained fame for inventing the new tax policy. I was very sorry, but I couldn¡¯t help it to solve the current situation. I opened my mouth finally, ¡°There is one solution.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You can charge a luxury tax.¡± ¡°A luxury tax?¡± ¡°There are many luxury goods used by nobles that are not essential to their lives. You can levy a tax on their purchase of luxuries.¡± ¡°I think there will be a strong resistance. ¡°You can pay taxes on the luxury goods. Namely, you can have the sellers sell the luxury goods at a price that includes luxury tax then collect the tax from the merchants. ¡± ¡°Right.¡± Duke Verita, who nodded greatly, also said, ¡°That¡¯s a good solution, Your Majesty. When nobles buy luxury goods, they don¡¯t usually care much about the price. Besides, the more expensive the luxury items, the more they are proud of them. If you charge taxes on luxury goods like she said, you can increase the revenue without any bacsh. ¡± ¡°Good. Enforce it then.¡± After ordering them with a subdued voice, the emperor turned to me. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot that you are smart, but now that I¡¯ve confirmed it, you¡¯re much smarter than I think. You are the blessing of the empire!¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°I would have been very happy, but¡­¡± I heard a long sigh. His Majesty, who was silent for a moment, said, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice it, but why didn¡¯t you say full name? ¡± ¡°I apologize, Your Majesty. I¡¯d like to introduce myself even now. Aristia Pionia La Monique is honored to greet the Sun of Empire, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I mean, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± I felt creepy when he stared at me with his cold eyes. Obviously, it was not the type of warm look he was giving to his future daughter-inw. His blue eyes that looked so much like his son in my memory¡­ ¡°As you know the ¡®meaning¡¯ of that name in your full name, you didn¡¯t say your full name, conscious of that, right?¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What you are saying, the girl is not sure.¡± ¡°You are smart enough to foresee a massive famine that no one expected and propose an excellent tax proposal. Then, are you going to insist you still don¡¯t know that your middle name that you received from God actually means the session right of the throne?¡± He stared at me with the eyes of the ¡¯emperor¡¯ looking at his enemy or his political rivals. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Do not interrupt me. I asked her,¡± the emperor, with his eyes fixed on me, spoke coldly. I looked back at the two dukes and my father who were silent, and opened my mouth as calmly as possible. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a threat to the crown prince?¡± ¡°As the proverb says, you can sound water ten fathoms deep, but you cannot sound the human heart a single fathom. How can I know your intention?¡± ¡°Do you really think so?¡± I smiled at him who was staring at me intently. ¡°I have one thing to check with you before you go further.¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°You must have sensed that I was testing you now, but why did you pretend you didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ ¡± ¡°Of course, you have somebody that you can rely on, but I think you couldn¡¯t pretend not to know for your own safety even if you can prevent the people from being impoverished. That¡¯s why you took my test, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± With a calm expression, the emperor said with a heartyugh, ¡°I didn¡¯t even think from the beginning that you would be a threat to the crown prince.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You are not guaranteed the throne simply because you have the session right. As your middle name was given by God, it¡¯s very special, but I¡¯ve not raised my child foolishly enough to feel threatened by that.¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Duke Lars shouted very bitterly. ¡°I have not allowed you to talk yet, duke.¡± He rebuked Duke Lars then turned to me again. ¡°But the reason I tested you was because I wanted to find out if you are dangerous enough and how to remove it in that case, but I don¡¯t think you are cut out to be the emperor.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Chapter 15 Chapter 15: Chapter 15 ¡°People who don¡¯t know you well will say that you are very rational and cold-hearted, but she doesn¡¯t look so in my eyes. She is a very warm person. She puts the importance of the people¡¯s lives before her safety, but this makes her unable to give a cold-hearted judgement.¡± In the past, everyone around me saw me as a very cold and rational person. In their eyes, I was a very strict master to my subordinates, I was a cold-hearted daughter to my father, and I kept up a calm attitude even when I had the status of empress taken from me by Jiun. The crown prince hated me so much for that. He looked down at me with contempt, calling me a doll-like woman. But now, the emperor said I was a warm person. I¡¯ve never heard anybody calling me a warm person. I somewhat felt strange about it. ¡°The emperor must always keep cold-hearted. And above all, he must love himself. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean you should turn a blind ear to the impoverished lives of the people. But you should not choose to sacrifice yourself for some other valuable things.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°The emperor must lead all the people in this empire. Of course, the absence or change of the emperor does not make the empire disappear, but the empire will be very confused unless there is a normal session change. If that happens, it¡¯s the people who will end up suffering the most. Therefore, the emperor needs to take care of himself more. ¡± The emperor, who sipped a cup of tea that had already cooled, continued, ¡°What do you think you should do in the same situation as before? If I were you, I would immediately pretend I didn¡¯t know. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t think you really don¡¯t know anything. But there is no direct evidence that you are the direct threat, nobody can harm you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°As you know, it takes a long time to implement a policy. If I were you, I would pretend I didn¡¯t know, but I would have informed the duke behind my back that there was a sign of famine. There are lots of ways to do so.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°If you had done so, you could have achieved your goal while ensuring your own safety. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I replied with a sigh. I never thought there was such a method. ¡°So, you are not cut out to be the emperor, but an ideal empress. I¡¯m impressed with your warm considerations for the people, your smart brain and warm character. Aren¡¯t those the perfect as your qualifications for the next empress? That¡¯s why I think it¡¯s too regrettable.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Veritas cut in carefully. ¡°You know already. I¡¯ve done a bad job raising my son.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Well, my son thinks he should be the best in every field as he was elevated as the only sessor to my throne. Just because he is in the top position, it doesn¡¯t mean he has to be the best in every field. But he doesn¡¯t know that. How stupid! If he meets thisdy here, how will he react?¡± He said with a deep sigh. He continued, ¡°She was raised as his partner, and she has been given a name by God on an equal footing. Besides, she is smart and intelligent. Everyone regards her as the ideal empress. If she is admired so much, how will my arrogant son react? I¡¯m just worried.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ ¡± ¡°So, every time I heard you praising thedy here, I was worried whether she could have a good chemistry with my son. I was even more troubled because I heard she received God¡¯s prophecy. And now that I¡¯ve met her directly, I think my worry was not groundless. Obviously, she is an ideal empress, but she is too much for my son. Besides, if he finds out her middle name means the session right to the throne¡­ ¡± The chill came over my whole body. No way, no way! ¡°What shall I do? It would have been much easier if you hadn¡¯t received the name. But I can¡¯t do anything about it now. Since you have the right to inherit the throne, I can¡¯t send you to another country. It makes me worried to promote you as the empress as scheduled, and I can¡¯t marry you off to a noble family¡­¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty, I¡¯m sorry to hear that. You can send her to my family¡­¡± But the emperor grinned at Duke Lars¡¯s response and said,¡±As you know, how can I send her to your family when I know she was once the crown prince¡¯s fiancee and that she also has the right to seed the throne. If she gets married to your son, there is no greater coalition of power than your family. As the emperor, I can¡¯t ever allow that to happen.¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just kidding, but you know well why I¡¯m saying this.¡± Having said that to him casually, which would have put him on the spot, the emperor turned to me and asked again, ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Just rx. I want to hear how you feel honestly.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­ I don¡¯t want to be the crown prince¡¯s concubine.¡± ¡°Did you notice that?¡± Who said like father, like son? The emperor and his son were the same in terms of their words and deeds. I felt strongly resentful about the emperor¡¯s remarks, but I bit my lip. ¡®I should behave myself well here. I can never repeat my past life.¡¯ ¡°As I have the session right, you can¡¯t send me off to another noble family. As I have received my middle name from God, I can¡¯t give it up. You said that you were worried if I could be the next empress. If that¡¯s the case, you want to have your son take me as his concubine, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Please forgive my disloyal remarks. But I have to tell you this. I don¡¯t want to be entangled with the crown prince in any way.¡± ¡°Why? Weren¡¯t you designated as the crown prince¡¯s partner as soon as you were born?¡± I took a deep breath and said, ¡°As you know, there is no guarantee that the crown prince¡¯s partner is me. You will feel awkward to pinpoint me as his partner in the current situation. ¡± Yeah, there was nothing guaranteed about it. It was not me from the beginning. I wanted to tell him right away that the next empress would be Jiun after six years. But who would believe me as I am not a prophet? Moreover, the fact that the crown prince¡¯s partner is Jiun has nothing to do with his intention to take me as his concubine. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how would you deal with this situation?¡± ¡°Give me some time. I will find the solution. ¡± ¡°Giving you some time?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember you have told me that if I am not in a hurry, I have to excuse myself first and think about my next move carefully before taking advantage of both sides. Whatever decision you make, you wanted to keep me as the crown prince¡¯s concubine internal, right? If you suddenly announce disengagement, many people will misunderstand whether there is a conflict between the imperial family and the Monique family. ¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± the emperor said, as if he was surprised. ¡°Good. It will take some time for the crown prince toe of age, so let me give you the time to find the solution until then.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You may leave now. Ah, can you two see me before you leave?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Then let me leave now.¡± Leaving the audience room, I was plodding along. I had a lot on my mind. Walking around for a long time I suddenly looked around. Where am I now? I certainly remember the ce, so I looked around for a moment. I was surprised to find myself in a familiar ce! ¡°Who are you? This is a private garden owned by His Majesty. Nobody can enter this ce!¡± I heard somebody shouting at me with a cold voice. I trembled and flinched at that because I could never forget his voice. I slowly turned my head to the owner of the voice. His blue hair was fluttering by the wind and his eyes were blue like the sea. I saw a boy who looked much younger than when I saw himst time. At that moment, I stiffened in spite of myself. I felt as if I saw hostility in his eyes looking at me. When I slowly blinked my eyes, I could see his cold-hearted blue eyes. Did I see wrong? Did I just feel that way because my idea of him was of his childhood? Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Chapter 16

When I encountered his cold eyes, I felt a cold sweat breaking out on my back. On the one hand, my body felt hot. On the other, I suddenly remembered thest few moments of my life:his expressionless face when he had sex with me, his cruelughing after he told me he killed my father, and his smirking bloody lips. Did the wind blow over me? I felt cold on my neck. I trembled because I felt the same feeling as when my neck was cut by the ax de in my past life. My eyes began to burn ck. The eyes of the boy who I just encountered in my darkened view came to mind. His eyes that I had met for thest time were ovepped with the boy¡¯s. Right at that moment my blood was frozen. The cold energy that began to spread from my heart ran all over and bound me tightly. After keeping silent for a while, he spoke, ¡°Silver hair. I wonder if you are the daughter of the Monique family.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± I knew I had to show him due manners, but I couldn¡¯t do anything. I had to reply, but my frozen lips refused to move. When I was just blinking my eyes without opening my eyes, he said, ¡°Even though you are the daughter of the Monique family, you are very arrogant. I think you know who I am, then where is your manners?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± He shouted as if he was dumbfounded by my silence. My face turned white. Now that the hot energy that flowed through my heart disappeared, I was shivering in fear that my past would be repeated right now. ¡°You don¡¯t want to answer my question?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Oh my goodness, how arrogant you are! I hear every political faction is supporting your family. It looks like you are holding your head high because of them.¡± My heart sunk at his annoying voice. I tried to open my trembling lips but couldn¡¯t. ¡°You beat me. Enough. I think it¡¯s useless to talk to you more. ¡± While trying to tell me more, he stopped and turned. It was not until I heard his footsteps disappearing that I began to rx. I flopped down as if the noose that was coiling all over my body had loosened. My hands had turned pale and were shaking. How much time passed? I stiffened when I heard somebody approaching me. ¡®Is heing back?¡¯ When I looked back with my trembling eyes, I saw shiny silver hair reflecting the sun. ¡®Daddy?¡¯ My father walked to me with quick strides and reached out to me. My cold heart began to pound little by little. ¡°Oh, you are here, Tia.¡± ¡°¡­Dad.¡± I grasped the sleeves of my father¡¯s navy blue uniform with my trembling hands. He looked at me suspiciously, his eyes full of anxiety. ¡°Why are you trembling so badly? What happened?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± When I turned into his arms, he stopped asking and hugged me silently. I felt his warmth spreading over my body. Just like the snow melting in the warm sunlight, my frozen blood melted little by little. The terrible horror that had surrounded me gradually disappeared. When he touched my back gently, I fell asleep before I knew it. Suddenly, I saw his cold blue eyes faintly, but they quickly disappeared like the melting snow. I began to hear my father¡¯s voice disappearing gradually. In no time, I was being sucked into the world of sleep.
After meeting the emperor, I stayed put in the house and spent my days peacefully. Was it because I always led a busy life? Spending everyday without doing anything was very strange and precious to me. I woke upte in the morning and had breakfast with my father after he came from training and spent the afternoons reading books or taking walks. I decided not to go to the training field as much as possible. Whenever I walked near the field, the training knights seemed to watch me, which seemed to disturbed them. After dinner, I was very happy with the ordinary life that I had never experienced before, going to sleep after checking the papers or quietly reading books next to my father. A little after three weeks after I spent peaceful days, an unexpected visitor visited me. ¡°Who came to see me, Lina?¡± ¡°Second son of Duke Verita, Alendis de Verita came to see you,dy.¡± ¡°Verita¡¯s second son is here, not his father?¡± ¡°Yes,dy.¡± ¡°Well, okay.¡± I woke up nervously. Just a few weeks ago I made a suggestion about a new taxation based on the same one he announced in the past as if it was mine. Had he already devised the method at this point? So, did hee here to take issue with my suggestion, arguing that it was originally his? Pondering over it, I headed to the parlor. When I came into the room with Lina, the boy sitting on a cream sofa stood up. I bowed slowly towards the stranger. ¡°How do you do? Sir Verita, I¡¯m Aristia La Monique. ¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Lady Monique. I¡¯m Allendis de Verita. ¡± ¡°Nice to see you.. Please sit down. ¡± I briefly greeted him and asked him to sit down. I now sat face-to-face with the boy. ¡°Lina, please bring us some tea. Rosemary tea, please. ¡± ¡°Yes,dy.¡± I carefully watched him while Lina was preparing tea. His fresh green hair like spring buds and emerald eyes resembled his father¡¯s and shined with intelligence. He was fair-skinned as if to confirm the rumor that he was a bookworm. He was handsome for a man, but he didn¡¯t seem weak at all. The old me brushed by him, but had never met him in person. As he was already an adult by then, this was the first time I saw him as a boy. I remember he was three years older than me, so he was probably 13 this year. ¡°I have tea ready,dy.¡± ¡°Come on in.¡± Carefully pouring tea, Lina quietly closed the door. The unique refreshing scent of rosemary wafted through the room. ¡°I heard that you were a bookworm, so I¡¯ve prepared rosemary tea that helps keep your head clear. Do you like it? ¡± ¡°I enjoy this tea. Thank you for your consideration.¡± I drank tea silently. I favored rosemary because the pungent scent tickled my nose and its sige in the mouth rather than its taste. In the past, I almost always enjoyed it because of my hypotension and chronic headaches. How much time passed? He put down the cup silently and said, ¡°You must be surprised by my sudden visit. I didn¡¯t mean any disrespect, but I came here to ask you something.¡± ¡°You want to ask me something?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Is it true that you proposed the newly introduced luxury tax? Was my prediction right? What should I say? ¡°I now see you did.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Wow! That is amazing! I hear you¡¯re only 10 years old, and you¡¯re a real genius! ¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± Verita shouted, jumping up and grabbing my hand. I was stunned by the boy¡¯s sudden change of attitude. ¡°Please call me Allendis casually. I¡¯ve never allowed anybody to call my first name, but I think you are well qualified to do so. ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Can I call you Aristia? I was frustrated because I couldn¡¯t speak the samenguage with my peers so far, but I am happy to know we can speak the samenguage.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Okay, call me Allendis now. ¡± I freaked out. What happened to me? I was speechless when he called me Aristia slyly, with his emerald eyes sparkling brilliantly. I nodded at him, pleasantly surprised by his sudden change of attitude. As if he was satisfied with my smile, he picked up the teapot and filled the teacup. I restored myposure gradually when I smelled the fragrance of pine needles. Suddenly, I wanted to ask him one thing, so I opened my mouth hesitantly, ¡°By the way¡­¡± ¡°Call my name and talk to mefortably.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°Never mind. Call me by my first name. Come on!¡± ¡°Okay, then. Allendis.¡± ¡°Yes, why?¡± ¡°How did you know I proposed it?¡± In the past, as I was respected as the next empress, nobody had called me by my first name. I only lived with that hope in mind, so I didn¡¯t remember calling someone¡¯s name, either, because I didn¡¯t have any close friends mine. Was it because of that? I felt very awkward to call the boy in front of me by his name. When I called him with a stutter, he smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s simple if you think about it a little bit.¡± ¡°What do you mean? How? ¡° Chapter 17 Chapter 17: Chapter 17 ¡°Well, one day my father, who returned from the Imperial Pce, reviewed the luxury tax with a serious expression. But I have never seen my father devise such things. That means someone else devised it, right? ¡± ¡°Yes, logically.¡± ¡°Besides, he suddenly mentioned you as his daughter-inw.¡± ¡°What the heck?¡± Did the duke suddenly mention me as his daughter-inw? I tilted my head curiously, he continued, ¡°Let me tell you about itter. Anyway, if my father mentioned you, the next empress as his daughter-inw, that means something remarkable has happened to you or you were involved in treason. Definitely there is no possibility that you were involved in treason. If that¡¯s the case, there is a high likelihood that you made the proposal.¡± ¡°Oh, I got it.¡± I replied, surprised at his reasoning. But his reasoning did not end there. He said, lifting the teacup gracefully, ¡°By the way, my father can¡¯t say anything that might seem like treason. I just feel something bad has happened to your status as the next empress.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Well, I guess I know. If I¡¯m right, it¡¯s going to be quite serious, so I won¡¯t mention it any more. I can¡¯t stand my curiosity, though. I wondered if it was you who first devised the luxury tax, and I was so impatient that I came here to meet you, although I knew it was a breach of etiquette.¡± I was a little frustrated when he looked at me curiously. What should I say? I can¡¯t say I already knew it, and he would notice it quickly if I answer vaguely. After pondering it for a moment, I opened my mouth slowly. ¡°Actually, I was not the first toe up with that luxury tax idea.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Well, I saw it in an old book. It said there was such a system in ancient times. ¡± ¡°Book? Which book? What¡¯s the title? ¡± ¡®Oops!¡¯ I clicked my tongue in my heart. Why did I make such an excuse? The boy in front of me was an immediate family member of Duke Verita, who has produced many prime ministers in the empire, so he must have grown up reading a huge number of books. I thought I made a mistake, but now I couldn¡¯t cancel what I already said. So, I said, pretending to look casual, ¡°Well, it was a book without a title. I happened to see it at the Imperial Pce Library, but I couldn¡¯t find it the next time I went there. ¡± ¡°Hmm. Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The boy, who asked as if in doubt, shrugged and sat back as if it didn¡¯t matter. I sighed in relief, but I raised my head when something suddenly came to my mind. I felt I couldn¡¯t call him by his first name since he got close to me because he thought I was responsible for devising the luxury tax. At that moment I realized how cunning I was. Even a moment ago I was very embarrassed when he asked me to call him by his first name, but now I felt a bit regretful that I might not be able to call his first name. ¡°Well, are you going to cancel your request for me to call you by your first name?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He opened his emerald eyes wide and looked at me. Looking at me for a moment, he smiled and said, ¡°Aristia, you are the first who hase up with the luxury tax. When you told me that you saw it in a book, did you think I¡¯d cancel my request for you to call my name?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°No way. I didn¡¯t allow you to call my name simply because of that. I feel a bit sad if you think so.¡± ¡°Then, what is it?¡± When I asked curiously, he slightly clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Of course, I was surprised that a ten-year-old girl came up with it. And I was also curious about what made my father mention you as his daughter-inw. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I was a bit suspicious that you didn¡¯t think about it, and even if that¡¯s true, I¡¯m d to know that you read a book that you couldn¡¯t find again at the library. I don¡¯t think otherdies are stupid, but I¡¯m d I can have a deep conversation with you. Even if you didn¡¯t devise it but read about it, not all could digest it and propose such a tax idea like you.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°And I¡¯ve not told you yet about the most important thing.¡± Suddenly, I raised my head. When I met his eyes, the boy opened his mouth again with a bright smile, ¡°I like you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Of course, I like your looks, too, but I liked yourposure. You might have been embarrassed or angry when I suddenly changed my attitude, but you flinched a bit and kept calm all along. I like your good manners and intelligence. Besides, my father also likes you. So, Aristia, I know you can¡¯t think straight now. When you are done sorting out your problems, won¡¯t you marry me?¡± ¡°What¨C What are you talking about?¡± ¡°No way! Absolutely not.¡± As I was so embarrassed, I was stuttering when somebody suddenly opened the door of the parlor and shouting at him. ¡°Oh, Daddy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I saw youst, Marquis Monique.¡± Unlike me, who was at a loss of what to do, Allendis greeted him in a calm tone, as if he had been ready for my father¡¯s reaction. ¡°Tia,e here.¡± My father approached me quickly and pulled me behind his back. ¡°Oh, I think you really care about your daughter, sir. I like her better for that because only the one who has received love can love someone well. ¡± ¡°¡­ I told you clearly I said no¡­¡± ¡°Why do you not like me?¡± I felt strange because I¡¯ve never experienced things like this as I was always treated as the crown prine¡¯s fianc¨¦e since I was born. I thought this would happen to mostdies who got married to their partners for the political interests of their families. I even thought what I experienced today was simr to the novels the maids used to enjoy. ¡°To the best of my knowledge, you have never met my daughter before.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Then you met my daughter for the first time today. Do you think it makes sense to propose to her blindly like this? ¡± ¡°Well, I think I could. I may have fallen in love with her at first sight. ¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± My father spoke as if he was dumbfounded. ¡°I hear you are thirteen this year.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. But do you think I can¡¯t even love her because I¡¯m young?¡± ¡°Let me stop talking about it here. Please sit down. Tia, you sit down, too. ¡± My father cut him off coldly and said, ¡°Even if you are called a rare genius, I am not free or foolish enough to argue with a thirteen-year-old boy. Let me get to the point. What do you want from my daughter? ¡± ¡°I told you. I love your daughter¡­Oh, okay. I will tell you seriously, so will you please withdraw your murderous look?¡± Allendis stopped smiling at his cold look and said in a serious tone, ¡°I don¡¯t know how much you heard me talking to her, but I really like your daughter. But as you said, we are still too young to talk about love. ¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°But it is true that I have a good feeling about Aristia. I don¡¯t think Aristia hates me, so maybe my good feeling can develop into love. So, how about this way? First of all, given the ongoing situation, it seems quite possible that Aristia will not be the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. Is that correct?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m right. I am saying this based on my assumption that Aristia is not getting married to the prince. What would other nobles think about you if her marriage to the prince was nullified? I¡¯d definitely think they would start gossiping about your daughter¡¯s problem. ¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t stay idle in that case.¡± I gave a thought to what Allendis just pointed out, but I gave it a pass because I had no way to solve it. ¡°How are you going to put a gag on those of the social circles? And if that happens, then your daughter¡¯s reputation will have been damaged enough to bar any good promising partners for your daughter. Well, those nobles with lower ranks or anybody trying to cultivate rtionships with the Monique family will show interest. How are you going to endure such humiliation?¡± My father was just listening to him without replying at all. Chapter 18 Chapter 18: Chapter 18 Allendis continued, ¡°If you would consider me as her prospective partner, it would be very useful to solve that difficult situation. I feel ufortable saying it, but I¡¯m a good groom, though I¡¯m still young. What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­My daughter¡¯s opinion does really matter.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. If my rtionship with your daughter has fully developed by that time, I would like to propose to her formally. But if your daughter is dating another man, I will give up neatly on the condition that he is worthy of being her partner.¡± Although the main topic was about me, they totally excluded me from the conversation. They were now slowly wrapping it up. ¡°Good. I don¡¯t think of you as my son-inw, but if you meet one condition, I will allow you to hang around her as Tia¡¯s friend, but be careful. My daughter is still the crown prince¡¯s fiancee.¡± ¡°Of course. What is the condition? ¡± Allendis said with a bright smile. Without answering the question, however, my father rose from his seat and looked back at me. ¡°Tia, I have to go to the pce. Actually, I should have left earlier, so I¡¯m a littlete. See youter in the evening.¡± ¡°Oh, you were supposed to go to work today. Take care, Dad. ¡± ¡°Okay.¡± While walking away without casting a nce at Allendis, my father turned slightly and said, ¡°If you want to stay with my daughter, you should be able to save her from any dangerous situation. As Duke Verita has never been trained in martial arts,e to see me in person, starting tomorrow. Let me train you directly.¡± ¡°Uh, how much progress do you want to make in martial arts?¡± ¡°Well, if you want to defend my daughter, you should be able to beat a group of knights without any difficulty. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. ¡± The boy, who stared at my father who made such remarks casually flopped down on the spot. ¡°Not one knight but a group of knights? I¡¯m done!¡± I chuckled at his desperate expression. When he watched me giggling quietly, covering my mouth, Allendis said with a sigh, ¡°Don¡¯tugh. My family members have never been trained in martial arts from generation to generation. Besides, I¡¯m also very clumsy in using a sword.¡± ¡°Oh, really? That¡¯s why I¡¯ve never seen any remarkable knights from the Verita family. ¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. They are very smart, but strange enough, they are very clumsy in martial arts. I can¡¯t help it, though. I have no choice but to follow your father¡¯s direction in order to get a pretty and smart wife like you.¡± I couldn¡¯t find any of the seriousness in him that he showed while he was talking with my father. He was back to his jovial and yful moods again. ¡°Oh, sorry. Aristia. ¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°I think I didn¡¯t ask for your opinion while I was talking with your father about you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± To be honest, I didn¡¯t feel bad at all. I was absent-minded when he was about to propose and my father suddenly appeared to stop him, which got them entangled in a war of words. I felt good when he politely apologized. So, I said with a light smile, ¡°Well, let me ept your apology.¡± ¡°Thank you, miss,¡± his tone was polite and yful as he smiled. ¡°Let me start my rtionship with you as a friend like your father suggested, but Tia¡­ ¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°When you be an adult, I hope you can recognize that I was the first to know your true value and propose to you.¡± ¡°¡­ Sure, thanks, Allendis. ¡± Suddenly, I felt heartbroken to hear that. In fact, I really wanted the crown prince to propose to me like that, but he did not take care of me even at the end. Even at this moment when I came back from my past, he never changed. But now, Allendis, not the crown prince, was asking to stay with me. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me as I¡¯m now forcing you, Tia,¡± he said, tilting his head and clicking his tongue as if he was in doubt. ¡°Oh, dear. I didn¡¯t ask for your opinion about it again. Sorry.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s put aside our future, Aristia. Will you be my friend for now? ¡± When he reached out with a bright smile, I felt somewhat touched. I had no one who I could call a friend in the past. There were no noblewomen in my age group, and I was designated as the crown prince¡¯s fiancee as soon as I was born. Because of that, I was the object of otherdies¡¯ admiration or envy, so I could not make friends with anyone. Bachelors from the noble families also avoided me because they were afraid of being misunderstood by others. When I was pushed into the position of the emperor¡¯s concubine because of Jiun, I turned into an object of their ridicule and sympathy. A friend means someone who was on an equal footing. That¡¯s why I never had a friend. So, I felt strange and warm when Allendis asked me to be his friend. ¡°Yes, I hope I¡¯ll be in great hands, Allendis.¡± I smiled brightly as I grabbed Allendis¡¯ hand. Everybody had a friend, but I was not allowed to have a friend. I was thrilled to know that I finally had someone who I could call a friend, who I could mingle with on an equal footing. While looking into his sparkling emerald eyes, I thought that only now I could ept the reality that I took pains to ignore until now, and that I was living a life different from my past. ¡°See you tomorrow, Aristia.¡± ¡°Okay, take care!¡± While I was talking with Allendis, I didn¡¯t know how fast time had passed. Dinner time was already approaching. As it was discourteous to stayte at somebody¡¯s house unless invited, he stood up and left. While I was resting briefly after seeing him off, I received a message that my father would be back home a bitte today. I let out a sigh when I heard that. ¡®If you had informed me a little earlier, I would have asked Allendis if he would like to have dinner with me.¡¯ I got used to eating dinner with my father at home, so I lost my appetite when I was alone for dinner. ¡°Lina, tell the kitchen staff they don¡¯t have to prepare dinner today. My father iste, and I don¡¯t feel like it.¡± ¡°What do you mean,dy? You know, you¡¯re too weak.¡± ¡°Even if I skip one meal, I won¡¯t fall, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Fine, Lina. By the way, can you tell the butler to bring me a list of the servants and maids in this house?¡± ¡°Yes, youngdy.¡± After assigning her, I headed to my father¡¯s study. I had something to tell my father, but as he would bete today, I had to handle other things first. When I was organizing something to do in my heart, I heard a knock on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Did you need me, mydy?¡± A well-dressed butler came in and greeted politely. The butler, who was in his early thirties this year, was the first son of the former butler who had recently retired to his estate. Though he took over his father¡¯s job recently, he seemed to get on top of it already. He¡¯d been learning it even as a child. ¡°Although you said you didn¡¯t want it, I brought some food for you. Please try it, mydy. ¡± ¡°Oh, thank you for your consideration.¡± When I cut a small piece of white cake into my mouth, he said, giving me a thick book, ¡°This is a list of the staff of this house that you requested.¡± ¡°Well, I have a few questions to ask.¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°Is each person¡¯s personal information listed here correct?¡± ¡°Of course,dy.¡± I carefully examined it. ¡°Their names, descriptions of their features and clothing, their birthces and families, their location, etc. Hummm¡­ Looks good. By the way, can you look into one more thing?¡± ¡°What should I investigate?¡± ¡°I want you to investigate the personal details of their families. When you do that, review the existing list carefully whether it is correct.¡± ¡°Sure, I will do. Lady.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s burdensome to you, but please do me a favor.¡± ¡°I will look into it and report back to you as soon as possible.¡± After he received the list back, the butler was about to leave. But as something came to my mind suddenly, I called him again. Chapter 19 Chapter 19: Chapter 19 ¡°Oh, by the way, your father¡¯s birthday is the day after tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± As if he didn¡¯t expect me to remember his father¡¯s birthday, he was surprised. I smiled softly at him, who was obviously touched by my consideration. ¡°Your father used to like snacks a lot, right? Let me give you five days of vacation, starting tomorrow, so you can visit your father. Tell the chief chef to make some cakes and cookies for your father, and get some herbs that are good for senior people.¡± ¡°Thank you, youngdy.¡± ¡°Please send my regards to him. Have a good vacation! ¡± ¡°Thanks,dy.¡± The butler bowed deeply before leaving. I felt it would take a bit more time to investigate the personal details of the staff, but as it was not urgent, I leisurely opened a thin book. ¡°Mydy.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your father has just arrived.¡± ¡°Oh yeah. Let me go down to see him,¡± I took my eyes off of the book at Lina¡¯s reminder. When I hastily got down downstairs, I saw him approaching me with disciplined footsteps. ¡°Come on in, daddy!¡± ¡°Sorry for beingte. It¡¯s quite chilly outside. Let¡¯s go in. ¡± ¡°Yeah. It looks like you had lots of work today. ¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re right. I had to take care of something.¡± I didn¡¯t think he was at the pce until a moment ago. Although I was a bit puzzled, I didn¡¯t ask further. ¡°You look very tired, Daddy.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Really? Follow me, then. ¡± ¡°Yes, Dad.¡± As if he wanted to talk to me first, he headed to the office right away instead of telling me to go first and wait. Taking off his navy blue uniform jacket, he sat down and said, ¡°So, what do you want to say to me?¡± ¡°Well, l have something to tell you first, Dad. I gave the butler five days of vacation leave. As the day after tomorrow is his father¡¯s birthday, I told him to visit his father back home.¡± ¡°Yes, good job, honey.¡± ¡°I have something to tell you about myself. Well, can I take care of household affairs from now on?¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± He looked at me curiously. ¡°Yes, daddy. Right now, you¡¯re taking care of everything by yourself. I want to help you in one way or another. Besides, household affairs are supposed to be managed by a woman, so I think it¡¯s not good to rely on others blindly.¡± ¡°Got it. Tia, I¡¯m not saying this because I can¡¯t believe in you, but don¡¯t you think you are biting off more than you can chew?¡± ¡°I will ask for your help if I find it hard. As I don¡¯t have a mother, I¡¯m gonna have to do it on her behalf someday anyway. Just think of it as I¡¯m starting a little earlier than others. ¡± ¡°Okay, I understand. Let me tell the butler to help you take over as soon as hees back from the vacation. If you have a hard time, feel free to talk to me anytime.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you, Dad. ¡± Although I was supposed to take care of the household work someday, I was surprised that he dly epted my request. Taking charge of the household work might seem attractive at first nce because I would have the enormous power over the cash, but it carried lots of responsibility on my part. The higher the noble, the greater the size of the family. That meant more responsibility on the part of the person keeping the cash. Therefore, even if there was nody of the house, it was impossible for a ten-year-old child to keep the cash, and that was unthinkable in the case of the Monique family. But my father didn¡¯t hesitate to give me this position that came with great power and duty, even though he did not know that I had been responsible for the internal affairs of the imperial pce in my past life. Of course, for the time being he would be watching me closely if I¡¯m doing my job properly and make the final decision. Nheless, my father showed great trust in me in the process, which was quite surprising to me. ¡°So, that¡¯s why you wanted to see me, Tia.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve got one more favor to ask of you. I hope you can do me a favor. ¡± ¡°Go ahead, honey.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°I want you to teach me how to use a sword.¡± ¡°You mean swordsmanship?¡± I looked at him nervously. He stroked his chin as if he was suspicious, and said, ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡°I also felt strange when you talked to the emperorst time, but why are you so hateful towards the crown prince? Did you remember anything about him? ¡± I stiffened at his words. I don¡¯t think he knows I can remember all the things that happened to me until I was 17 years old. When I was at a loss about how to respond, he added, ¡°I mean when you were young.¡± ¡°As a kid?¡± Whew! I swallowed a sigh of relief in my heart before tilting my head. What¡¯s the rtionship between my avoidance of him and my childhood memories? Wasn¡¯t it when I was ten years old that I met him for the first time? I felt somewhat ufortable about it, but that¡¯s important now. What¡¯s the point of bringing back my childhood memories that I don¡¯t remember at all? I¡¯m not going to get entangled with him anyway. ¡°Oh, it looks like it¡¯s not relevant. Hmm, then why do you hate the prince so much? ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to marry. I just want to live happily with you, Dad, like now. ¡± ¡°I see.¡± My father shut up, though he obviously wanted to say more. When I looked at his restless eyes in silence, he gave me a faint smile and said, ¡°Got it. Let me do as you wish.¡± ¡°Thank you, Dad!¡± As I brightly smiled, he rose from his seat and reached out to embrace me. I buried my face in his arms. I felt his gentle touch when he stroked my hair. ¡°I thought you were grown up, but you are still a baby to me.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s start your fencing practice tomorrow, but remember this, I¡¯m a very strict teacher. ¡± ¡°Of course, Dad. Thank you very much. ¡± ¡°Okay. Is there anything else you want to say to me?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°It¡¯ste. Go and get to bed. You have to start training tomorrow, so you need a good rest. Let me take you to your bedroom. ¡± He picked me up and walked with discipline, which shook my body pleasantly. Afterying me down on a soft bed, he said goodnight and pulled a nket over me before leaving. Is it because I was tired after a long day? I quickly fell asleep. Is it because I was thrilled to learn new things? I woke up early in the morning before the sun had risen. I urged Lina to find me clothes asfortable as possible, but they were all skirts. So, I thought I had to order several pairs of pants. In the end, I changed into a riding suit, which looked better than the other clothes. ¡°Are you already up?¡± ¡°Good morning, Dad¡± ¡°Good morning, honey. Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You must be very excited as you look so happy today. Then, shall we go? ¡± I headed for the training field with my father. The day was starting to break, but there were already many knights training at dawn. When I stepped onto the field half excited and half nervous, they came running to me and greeted me. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Are you going to ride a horse so early?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I have seen you, mydy!¡± ¡°Stop there, guys!¡± When a man¡¯s low voice rang through the airfield, the knights surrounding me stiffened. As I expected, my father was a strict boss. When I was about to run to the edge of the training field, I saw a boy with yellow green hair running from afar. ¡°Aristia!¡± ¡°Allendis, wee! I thought you wouldn¡¯te! ¡± ¡°No way. What are you doing here? Gimme me a break! Are you here to cheer me up while I¡¯m struggling here?¡± While greeting him dly, I looked around because I felt strange. Not only my father, but all of the training knights were staring at me and Allendis. ¡®Oh my goodness, did I greet him so loudly?¡¯ I hurriedly apologized to the knights and spoke as quietly as possible. ¡°No, I decided to learn fencing, starting today.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡± Chapter 20 Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Allendis was so pleased that he suddenly hugged me. Surprised, I detached myself from his embrace but patted him on the back quietly. Like me, he was trembling before practicing, but unlike me who wanted to learn voluntarily, he had to learn against his will, so he might have more fear than thrill. I thought I should stay with him until he felt a little calm, but suddenly someone pulled me to his side. My father, who hugged me, with his eyebrows raised, said, ¡°What are you doing now, Verita?¡± ¡°Oh, dear. I didn¡¯t mean it, sir. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Do 30ps around the training field track first before practicing. ¡± ¡®Huh? I¡¯m doing only tenps. Why 30ps for him? Is it because he is a man?¡¯ I wondered, but ran with him anyway. I was bothered when the knights and my father watched me, but it was the beginning of a refreshing day for me anyway. ¡°Huck, huck¡­¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Ha¡­¡± I was gasping for breath. After barely doing tenps, I flopped down on the ground, unable to control my wobbly legs. I felt I might look funny, but I couldn¡¯t control my body. I knew I was weak, but had never realized how weak I was physically. What should I do? I¡¯ve just started. How can I learn fencing without any basic physical strength? Can I really learn fencing properly? ¡°Allendis, are you okay?¡± ¡°Huck, huck¡­ I¡¯m okay¡­¡± After doing seventeenps around the track, he almost fell and sat next to me, taking a breath. ¡°You guys are better than I thought. Hmm, today is the first day, so let me stop here. ¡°Thank you, sir¡­¡± ¡°For the time being, let me put you on a physical training regimen like this, Verita. After that, let me teach you fencing seriously. Tia, you are no exception. See you tomorrow. ¡± ¡°Yes, dad.¡± My father, who lightly pat my shoulder, turned away. I could open my mouth only after I got my breath back. ¡°Are you okay, Allendis?¡± ¡°Whew! I¡¯m fine now. What tough training on the first day!¡± ¡°Sorry. It looks like you¡¯re having a hard time because of me. ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Tia. I¡¯m okay. I told you yesterday. I have to pay the price to obtain a pretty and smart wife like you,¡± Allendis smiled brightly at me and stood up. ¡°I think I have to stay with you for some time. Why don¡¯t you introduce me to your family¡¯s knights?¡± ¡°Oh yeah. Let¡¯s go.¡± I thought that as he and I had decided to learn fencing in the future, it would be inevitable for us to mingle with the knights, so it would be good to introduce Allendis to them. After I put my disheveled hair in order and adjusted my clothes, I approached a middle-aged knight overseeing the training to introduce him. ¡°How are you, Sir League?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor that you remember my name, mydy! ¡± I was not sure if the knight¡¯s name was right, so I felt relieved that he responded. As I got his name right by chance, I felt sorry for him. I wish I had memorized the names of my family¡¯s knights. In the past, I had nothing to do with the army people, nor did I have any interest in them. I remembered the names of those servants and maids of my house, but I didn¡¯t remember all the knights assigned to my family as security detainees. As I was so busy learning the virtues befitting my status as the next empress, I neglected to learn the most basic martial arts, even though I was the daughter of the Marquis Monique family, the spear of the empire. I was very ashamed of it and at the same time angry with myself. Looking back, I ignored so many other things while blindly pursuing only one thing. At least, I should have been interested in them, even though I didn¡¯t have to learn them. Aside from my interest, I should have memorized the names of the knights defending my family. ¡°Lady?¡± ¡°Aristia?¡± Did my face look contorted? Allendis and Sir League called me with nervous expressions. ¡°Oops, sorry, Sir League. I was distracted for a moment.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine!¡± As soon as I said I was sorry, Sir League shouted resoundingly. Unlike my father, who was strong but had a small build, the knight¡¯s voice was loud and matched his stout build. When I heard his loud voice, I felt like I was freed from my idle thoughts. ¡®Yes, as I have received a new lease on my life, let me work hard to make up for what I wascking in the past. It¡¯s good that I¡¯ve realized it even now. I can do well in the future,¡¯ I thought to myself and smiled at the middle-aged knight. ¡°I have decided to learn fencing from my father, starting today. I hope I¡¯m in great hands.¡± ¡°Oh dear! Are you sure, mydy?¡± ¡°Yes. And this man¡¯s name is Allendis de Verita. He has also decided to learn fencing with me. Allendis, this is ¡­ ¡± ¡°My name is Freer Sen League.¡± Allendis bowed to him as he quickly responded to her introduction. ¡°Nice to meet you, Sir League. I hope I¡¯m in good hands.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Verita. Even though there is a difference in our status, as you¡¯re a rookie, let me talk informally to you. ¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Why does he call me ady and call him a rookie? I felt something strange, but I stopped asking further because our long conversation seemed to interfere with his training. ¡°If I won¡¯t disturb their training, I want to say hello to other knights. Is it okay?¡± ¡°Of course,dy. I guess they, too, are looking forward to seeing you.¡± Are the knights¡¯ voices loud by nature? It seemed like my ears were ringing when Sir League replied. Anyway, after exchanging greetings with them, I got out of the crowd and asked Allendis, ¡°Will you have breakfast before going back home?¡± ¡°I want to, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m an unwee guest. To be honest, I don¡¯t have much appetite because I am exhausted. ¡± ¡°I feel the same. See you tomorrow, Allendis. Let¡¯s get along well.¡± ¡°Oh, sure, Aristia.¡± I smiled brightly at the boy with bright green hair. The sun was shining brightly on his back, who gently waved his hand. The world was now covered with pure white, and the frostwork on the bare branches gave way to young shoots and disappeared. Thedy of the spring, ying around while waving her yellowish green skirts, chuckled merrilly, and the petals that bloomed shyly blushed at her smile. Under the warm sunshine of May, the silver des of swords sparkled on the training field. A strange shadow appeared on the training field where Tia was busy learning swordsmanship. The imperial attendant, looking around nervously, approached her and said, ¡°You¡¯ve got a message from the Imperial Pce, mydy. The emperor wants to see you.¡± ¡°What kind of message? To me? What¡¯s up? ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Okay. Thanks.¡± I hurried back home. When I changed clothes and entered the parlor, my father looked at me. He nodded to me then gestured to the servant who was on standby. Shortly afterwards, a messenger wearing an ID on his chest showing he was from the pce office, came into the room. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see Sir Monique and your daughter. I¡¯ve brought the emperor¡¯s message to you.¡± ¡°Got it. Is the message sent to my daughter?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. His Majesty wants to have a light tea this afternoon in the garden of the Central Pce. So, he said he hoped your daughter could attend by all means.¡± ¡°Okay. I got it.¡± I was lost in thought while watching my father seeing him off. ¡®Why does the emperor want to see me?¡¯ Was it because I was stressed out when I saw himst? I was scared. He told me that he was not worried because I was not a threat to the crown prince, but didn¡¯t he like the fact that I was given my middle name by God? Or was he bothered by my wishes to not get entangled with the crown prince in any way? Or was he going to cancel his promise that he would give me some time to think about his offer to have me be his son¡¯s concubine? I was scared. I was afraid that I might have to repeat my past hellish life. I lifted my trembling arms and wrapped them around my stiffened body. At that moment, I heard my father letting out a deep sigh. ¡°Tia?¡± Chapter 21 Chapter 21: Chapter 21 ¡°¡­ Yes, did you call me? ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he called you just for a cup of tea. As far as I know, the emperor never breaks any promise he has made. You don¡¯t have to be so scared. Just go there with a light heart.¡± ¡°Sure, will do, daddy. Thanks. ¡± Although I felt nervous, I smiled at him because I didn¡¯t want to worry my father. I went up to my room with a heavy heart and prepared to go to the Imperial Pce. I sighed a little while looking at my makeup and hairdo done by the maid. Unlike my gloomy look, my outfit was very colorful. Touching my braided hair tied on both sides, I headed for the Imperial Pce. ¡°This way, Lady Monique.¡± Guided by the attendant, I headed to the imperial garden. Recalling my past memories when I was 17, I looked around. By the time I reached there, I could see a white table. When I greeted him cautiously, he smiled at me tenderly. At that time, I thought highly of him who was kind enough to care for me who was hungry for affection. I sat down with bitter feelings. I thought my meetings with him were very precious back then. What happened since then? Who knew that a day woulde when I felt so ufortable about meeting him? While I was fidgeting with a teacup, I stood up when I saw something blue far away. Looking at the shadow getting closer to me, I suddenly stiffened. Why did hee here? ¡°¡­Howe you are here again?¡± His dark eyes reflecting the deep sea were looking straight at me. The moment I saw something scary in his cold eyes, he frowned. He was standing there and pulled me after scolding me. ¡°Go away. I don¡¯t have time to talk with you long now, so I¡¯ll rebuke you for your rudenesster. ¡± ¡°¡­¡± I heard his cold voice ringing between the buzzing sounds. When I opened my eyes after breathing out nervously, I felt something hot flowing between my fingernails. I came to my senses, still feeling scared about him. ¡°I felt it before, but you are really arrogant. Why are you still there? I clearly told you to go away.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± I barely opened my mouth, and I took a deep breath to calm my troubled mind. ¡®Hey, stay calm, Aristia. You vowed you would ept the fact that you¡¯ve earned a new life. You made the firm vow that you would lead a different life from your past, right?¡¯ I murmured to myself. ¡°Oh, are you going to reply to me this time?¡± ¡°I am just¡­¡± I swallowed dry saliva. ¡®Do not be afraid, Aristia. You can live quietly without being noticed until Jiunes. If you can avoid the fate of being the emperor¡¯s concubine, at least you won¡¯t repeat the same thing as you did in the past.¡¯ But the more I thought I had to act calmly, the more I was breathing irregrly. Over and over again, I tried to pull myself together to stay alert. I kept thinking that the body standing before me was not not the man from my memories. He just looked like him. Without thinking like that, I felt as if I had been thrown into a vortex of scary feelings. ¡°I¡¯vee here at the order of His Excellency.¡± ¡°His Excellency¡¯s order?¡± He sharply retorted, looking at me coldly. I found myself curling up at that, so I straightened up. He looked next to me while trying to say something with an annoyed expression. There was a maid standing there, who was looking at him and me nervously. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a message from His Majesty.¡± The maid approached him and gave him a finely folded note. When he opened and read it, he chuckled and said, ¡°Ha, I¡¯ve felt strange about your behavior all along. Was it because of this?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Sit down there if you don¡¯t want to disobey His Excellency¡¯s order.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about¡­¡± ¡°Read it for yourself.¡± Sitting across me, he handed me the note he was holding. I received it, trying to be careful not to show him the scars on my palm. While the maid was pouring tea into the silver cup, I read what was written in the luxurious paper. Was this the reason he invited me to the teatime here? Although he told me he would give me time toe up with a solution, obviously he didn¡¯t want me to leave the imperial pce. I sat down cautiously, suppressing my desire to run away immediately. Murmuring to myself that I had to calm down, I fixed my eyes on the clear tea. ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough for us to have a cup of tea like this.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Oh, what I mean is as you and I don¡¯t enjoy this kind of meeting. We had better part ways after having this tea.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Got it, Your Majesty.¡± I nodded at his annoyed tone, which showed he was tired of talking with me. Like he said, I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. I reached out carefully, checking his sentiment as he drank silently. In fact, I was not sure yet whether this young prince was him or not in my past memories. I thought about him while calming my irregr breathing. I still couldn¡¯t make a correct judgement, but I decided to assume that the boy right before my eyes was the same person. As he put the mug down, he quickly nced at me. He might feel strange about my irregr breathing, but he just cast an indifferent nce at me, which broke my heart. The man in my past memories used to look at me like that. Whether I was sick, sad or distressed, he didn¡¯t care at all. He was always indifferent. I gave a hollow smile. Although I tried to keep thinking he was a different man, his cold eyes, not his voice or actions, immediately reminded me of his images in my past memories. Can¡¯t I be free from my past memories? Can¡¯t I erase the scars of the past left deep in my heart? I suddenly felt thirsty. I picked up the teacup to reinvigorate my devastated heart. I barely moved my trembling arm and spilled yellow tea into my mouth. The moment I put down the cup, moistening my throat, I felt my hand grow wobbly. The sshing tea was scattered over the tablecloth. Looking at the white cloth that was gradually turning yellow, I felt my face was drained of all color and animation. When I raised my head awkwardly, he stood up, while staring at me. ¡°Let me leave now.¡± ¡°Oh, ah, yes, Your Majesty.¡± Without hearing me, the boy turned around without hesitation. Feeling lonely and empty, I stood alone in a world tinged with light green under the sunlight of May until he disappeared. I breathed out the hot air because of the heating from the ground. Under the intense summer sun, I moved my heavy legs. Eagerly looking at the dark green shade of the lush green leaves, I was counting the number. Fifty more times. Sweat ran down my back. I frowned at the unpleasant feeling. It¡¯s so hot and sticky. ¡°Oops, it¡¯s hard. Are you okay, Aristia? ¡± Allendis asked. ¡°Hoo, hoo, yeah.¡± I barely finished my share of practice sessions today and took a rest under the shade of the tree. Shortly afterwards Allendis almost fell down next to me and breathed out. I covered my cheeks with both hands. My face was hot because of the heat in August. ¡°This is the end of our training today, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Great. Whew! This practice is killing me.¡± ¡°I think you feel it¡¯s harder because of the heat. Um, do you want to stop by my house for a break?¡± ¡°Really? Okay, then. Thanks for your invitation.¡± With a pleasant smile, he stood up and reached out. When I grabbed his hand and tried to stand up, I lifted my head to see somebody else reaching out first. A middle-aged knight, who already approached, was looking at me. ¡°Hold my hand, mydy.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you, Sir League.¡± Somehow his voice was heavy. Did I do something wrong? Tilting my head, I grabbed Sir League¡¯s hand and stood up. As he nced at me adjusting my crumpled outfit, he told Allendis, ¡°Verita, I¡¯ve something to tell her. Can you excuse us?¡± ¡°Sure. Let me head to your house first, Aristia. ¡± ¡°Oh, yes. See youter.¡± I looked up at Sir League curiously. What the heck does he want to say to me? If he wanted to talk about my practice, he didn¡¯t have to ask Allendis to make himself scarce. Sir League opened his mouth after Allendis waspletely gone, ¡°Mydy?¡± Chapter 22 Chapter 22: Chapter 22 ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡°As for Verita, please don¡¯t offer your heart to him. ¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean? ¡± I opened my eyes wide at his unexpected remarks. Looking at me silently, Sir League said with a sigh, ¡°At first, you seemed to be a bit wary, but these days it seems like you have a screw loose.¡± ¡°But the Verita family is¡­¡± ¡°You mean they are on our side, right? That¡¯s true, but Verita is a man. If something goes wrong, you can be easily misunderstood.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Besides, his intention to learn fencing from your father looks rather¡­ Hmmm, I don¡¯t want to me him, I want you to remember one thing. He is basically from a civil official¡¯s family. Even though his family and yours are in the same boat, they are supposed to differ from yours in many respects. Political machinations are more harsh than you think. No matter how close his family is to yours, keep in mind they can break away at any time if they can¡¯t no longer be on the same page with yours anymore.¡± I just nodded, trying to say something. Although I felt a bit bad when he was trying to teach me as if I was a child who knew nothing, I agreed with his exnation of the fluctuating political interests of the two families. I also agreed with hisment that I didn¡¯t need to be talked about in the social circles. Back at my mansion, I washed my sweaty body and changed into simple casual clothes. When I entered the parlor, Allendis, who arrived ahead of me, weed me with a smile. Shortly afterwards, the maid who came along put down a kettle with hot water and teacups. The nobles enjoyed a wide variety of tea and mostly brewed the leaves and stems of nts that were fragrant or medicinal. This kind of tea culture had been around even before the empire was founded. There are more than a hundred different types of tea and the prices vary widely. Thus, having good tea leaves and tea sets often showed the power of the family. When I brewed lemon balm tea for Allendis who enjoyed reading books, he said, taking a sip of tea, ¡°Oh, the tea you brew is the best.¡± ¡°Huh? Thanks for thepliment. ¡± ¡°What do you think? How about ying chess?¡± Emperors and nobles have enjoyed ying chess. The game was created by the great magician nd, who was the teacher of the crown prince during the third emperor¡¯s reign. It was mainly used to train talents who would lead the country or teach the crown prince the tactics to win the war or rule the empire. It was regarded as the basic culture of the aristocracy. ¡°Sure, I will beat you today. ¡± ck and white horses were ced on the chessboard. I¡¯ve been moving the horses with a focus for a while. As soon as I caught the white knight with a ck rook, I moved the white bishop three diagonal lines to catch the ck knight. I checked the position of the rest of the horses and clicked my tongue in my heart. Gosh, I should have moved the queen, not the rook. I let out a sigh because I was losing the game as time went by. While looking at the thoughtful Allendis, shining with emerald eyes, I asked a question that had been hovering in my head. ¡°Alendis.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What do you want to do in the future? Do you want to join the government? ¡± ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t decided yet, but maybe.¡± ¡°I see.¡± As expected, he wanted to be a civil officialter. Like Sir League said, he was from a civilian family. I already guessed it, but I felt sorry when I confirmed it. I knew that while he and I were young like this we wouldn¡¯t draw people¡¯s attention. When we got older and made our debut in social circles, I knew we would get more and more estranged because of others¡¯ attention. I was surprised when something suddenly came to my mind while I was fidgeting with the ck queen calmly. Yes, Sir League was right! When did I begin to feel affectionate towards him? Although I allowed him to call me a friend because I was surprised to see a sudden change in his attitude, I tried to distance myself from him with some wariness, as I had been taught for a long time. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your expression?¡± ¡°Huh? Never mind.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Looking at me curiously, Allendis dropped the white bishop and straightened up. ¡°Are you sorry that I¡¯m not going to be a knight?¡± ¡°¡­ No, not at all. ¡± ¡°I can reassure you that I won¡¯t be officiated as a knight. Fencing is fun, but I think I¡¯m in my element when I use my brain.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Why? Are you so regretful about it? ¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± It would be a lie if I said I was not regretful about his decision at all, but I couldn¡¯t easily agree with his frank opinion. There was a smile in his mouth when he looked at me silently. ¡°Aristia, do you know the oath of a knight in an old story? I mean his oath to thedy. ¡± ¡°I know, but it is not relevant anymore these days. It happened a few hundred years ago. Why are you bringing it up suddenly? ¡± A knight¡¯s oath to ady was a story that could be found only in history. Unlike now, when knights swore allegiance only to their masters, they had a pledge to theirdies back then. ording to history, the knights of the time vowed to give evesting love to thedy for the rest of his life while giving the monarch his allegiance to die for him at any time. Why did he bring it up all of a sudden? ¡°Well, I wonder if you wish you had a knight who could only love you just like they did in an old story. You are more greedy than I thought. ¡± ¡°¡­No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m thinking.¡± I wondered why he suddenly brought it up, but it looked like he did so to tease me. While watching me shaking my head, Allendis smiled a little more. ¡°Okay, I decided. If you really want to be ady, I¡¯ll be happy to be a knight for you, my one and precious friend. The knight for you!¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about? ¡± I tilted my head at his unexpected announcement. Suddenly, he got up and knelt in front of me. Slowly he leaned, grabbed my right hand and gently touched his lips over the back of my hand. Startled, I tried to pull my hand, but he tightened his grip on my hand and said, ¡°I, Allendis de Verita, would like to swear to serve you, Aristaa Monique as my owndy. Would you ept me as your knight? ¡± I suddenly stiffened. I felt happy at his promise that he would be my knight, but at the same time I felt somewhat ufortable and awkward. ¡®Why is he doing this to me? What does he want from me?¡¯ I looked at Allendis who was looking up at me, kneeling. His light smile and emerald eyes sparkled with affection for me. I could not turn my eyes away from his pure gaze looking up at me. If I recall Sir League¡¯s sharp reminder, I was supposed to be wary of getting too close to him, but I didn¡¯t have the nerve to stop him from flirting with me. ¡°¡­ Sure, I will,¡± I replied with a sigh, after all. I thought that over time his innocence would fade away and our promise today would be remembered as faded memories at best. I decided to let him do what he wanted, so I could watch his innocence that I had lost a long time ago. Right after Allendis left after saying goodbye, my father returned. ¡°Tia, can I see you for a moment?¡± When I was about to go back to my room after having dinner with him, my father stopped me. ¡®Does he have something special to say?¡¯ Even after I entered his office, I tilted my head because he was hesitating for a while. ¡®What¡¯s the matter with him? Did he hear about what Sir League said to me?¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s up, Dad?¡± ¡°Well, I just want to say something.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. I forgot.¡± Yes, it was my birthday tomorrow. I will be eleven years old tomorrow. It¡¯s a bit after I turned ten when I came back from the past, soit¡¯s been a year since I came back to my past. I realized how fast one year passed! My father cleared his throat and said, ¡°Just take this. ¡± ¡°What is it, Dad?¡± ¡°Khmm, it¡¯s your birthday present.¡± ¡°A birthday present?¡± Chapter 23 Chapter 23: Chapter 23 I opened my eyes to his unexpected words. Why did he prepare a birthday present for me? Wasn¡¯t I supposed to receive it after I came of age? I shook my head and received the box from my father. It was almost half the size of my body. Why is this so big? When I unwrapped the navy blue ribbon and opened the lid, there was a big doll inside. A woman doll wearing a pretty dress with her shiny gold hair tied together. I was speechless at that moment. I guess he gave me this gift because he thought I was young, but it was a little embarrassing for me who had lived up to seventeen years. I would have thought so even if I had no memory of the past. ¡°You don¡¯t like it? Well, actually, the knights told me that a kid your age¡­¡± ¡°No, Dad. I really like it! ¡± Iughed brightly when he spoke awkwardly as if he tried to make some excuses. What¡¯s the big deal anyway? It¡¯s a gift from my father. After I shook my head several times, telling him to make any excuses for the gift, my father smiled a faint smile. I closed my eyes when he was touching my hair gently. ¡°Khmm, it looks like you don¡¯t like dolls.¡± When my father, who was having breakfast with me, said that in passing, I flinched. Obviously, he felt sad to know that I kept the doll for a few days without ying with it. Coming back to my room, I sighed, looking at the doll. Thanks to Lina¡¯s good handling, the doll¡¯s golden hair glowed brightly. I felt I had to pretend to y with the doll. With a big sigh, I held the doll in my arms. I didn¡¯t really want to do this, but it seemed like I had to carry it for some time. Because of the big size, my vision became narrow, so I hugged the doll with one hand and grabbed the railing with the other hand and cautiously went downstairs. ¡°Hut,dy?¡± ¡°Wow, I love her image like that!¡± When I arrived at the front door, I heard several people holding their breath and looking at me. The knights waiting to apany my father opened their eyes wide. A knight who silenced another young knight¡¯s shouting, smiled awkwardly at her. I was so embarrassed to see the surprised servants. I knew I would go through this. ¡°Tia?¡± Whileing downstairs, my father¡¯s eyes popped up wide. When I blushed in embarrassment, he naturally smiled at me. When he extended his hand to me, I tilted my head, but one of my feet almost missed a step. I instinctively hugged the doll and looked at my father¡¯s navy blue eyes. ¡°Dad?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Pardon? To the Imperial Pce? ¡± ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯d love to.¡± When I hurriedly shook my head, my father walked away. When I could no longer see the knights looking at me curiously because of the wagon blocking my vision, I suddenly came to remember I was holding the doll. ¡®Oh, I wish I had left it behind.¡¯ The closer the wagon got to the imperial pce, the more anxious I was. I wondered for a moment if I had to take the doll with me, agonizing about what¡¯s the best way to deal with it. But when I saw my father looking at me pleasantly, I decided to take it, though I was a bit embarrassed because he liked it. When I was getting out of the wagon with my head down, I could not see well because of the doll in my arms. I held my father¡¯s cuff with one hand, walking after him cautiously. I felt many people around were looking at me curiously. Even though I could not see them, I could imagine what kind of expression they were making on their faces. I quickly followed him, with my blushing face down. When I entered my father¡¯s office and took a break after putting down the doll, Sir League said, ¡°Captain, I think you shoulde out for a moment.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°There was an ident during the training. Two knights were seriously injured. I just got back after taking the appropriate measures right away.¡± ¡°Got it. Let¡¯s go right away. ¡± As soon as his father got up and disappeared, the silence fell in the office. ¡®If I had known this, I would have brought a book with me.¡¯ Out of boredom I stood up. I felt I would like to read a book about war tactics as I had to learn about it anywayter. I picked up one book that looked easy, and sat down. It¡¯s not so thick, but as I¡¯ve never read such a book before, I focused on it. It¡¯s not as difficult as I thought. The basic t of the tactics was simr to politics and diplomacy. Maybe that¡¯s why politics and diplomacy were called wars without weapons. I thought it was just a simple metaphor. While I kept reading the book with delight, I already came to read thest page, but my father hadn¡¯te back yet. I wondered if the two injured knights were in serious condition, given that he didn¡¯te back yet. I wanted to read another book, so I stood up, but suddenly, the doll in my seat caught my eye. ¡°Well¡­ ¡± I slowly raised the doll and put it on myp. When I was looking into its blue eyes for a long time, I suddenly felt warm in my heart. It was the first birthday gift from my brusque father. Strictly speaking, I received one at mying-of-age ceremony, but this was definitely the first one that I received in my newly earned life. Besides, my father gave me one, ignoring the customs of the empire that parents didn¡¯t give gifts to their children before they came of age. I thought that I should treat it more valuably, so I grabbed the doll¡¯s crooked skirt and opened it, when I heard the door opening. ¡®Is my fathering back now?¡¯ When I slowly turned my head, I was startled. It was not my father who came in, but the boy with blue hair. ¡°Oh¡­. the little son of the empire¡­ ¡± While I hurriedly bent over, I hugged the falling doll with a little scream. I barely managed to grasp it, but I stiffened when I felt goosebumps at his unexpected appearance. ¡®Oh my God, what did I do now?¡¯ When I swallowed and raised my head, I could see something passing by in his blue eyes. As always, his gaze came back to me without expression and said, ¡°Where is your father?¡± ¡°He went out, saying there was an ident during the training¡­¡± ¡°Got it. As I¡¯vee here, let me wait.¡± I bowed my head, swallowing a sigh that I couldn¡¯t help. I sat down awkwardly when he asked to sit down. As I felt so ufortable and awkward, I only touched the hair of the doll in my arms. I was conscious of his gaze, but I kept my head down, pretending not to notice it. How much time passed? The two who wereing into the office chatting jovially stopped. The blue-haired boy nodded at my father and Duke Verita who hurriedly greeted him politely. ¡°I stopped by here for a brief inspection at the order of the emperor.¡± ¡°I see. What do you want to inspect first?¡± ¡°I inspected the training session sometime ago, so let me pass it. I want to see some financial documents today.¡± While the two were talking, Duke Verita, who looked at me as if my presence was very unusual, said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had this side to you. Only now do you look your age.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t neglect to study. OK? ¡± ¡°Yes, Duke Verita. I will always keep it in mind. ¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re doing well without my advice. I know you have a very perceptive mind. I was very surprised when you insisted on introducing a luxury tax the other day. How can you who is only ten years old think of it? How smart you are!¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered Duke Verita. It¡¯s all thanks to your guidance.¡± As I bowed to appreciate his praise, he patted my shoulder gently with a smile. While I was talking with him for a while, I turned my head when I found their quiet conversation seemed to stop. I saw my father collecting the papers as if he was done reporting, and the boy looking at us. Looking back at the boy, the duke said in a satisfied voice, ¡°She is only 10 years old, but she is so special. Isn¡¯t it really the blessings of the empire?¡± ¡°Yes, I am also very happy to have a smart fiancee, ¡± He said, nodding slightly. My heart sank when I saw him leaning against the chair, locking his fingers together with a very happy expression. It was an expression he usually made when he didn¡¯t like something. Chapter 24 Chapter 24: Chapter 24 I hurriedly looked back at my father and Duke Verita, but they were not aware of his disguised expression. They smiled at him gently. I looked back at him with anxiety. I could feel some mixed feelings in his smiling blue eyes, something like hostility or resentment. I noticed his face losing color. I felt a little better now, but my fingertips which had grown cold began to tremble again. I grabbed the hem of the doll I was holding. My father¡¯s face hardened when he looked back at me. ¡°You look pale, Tia. Are you okay? ¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. Please allow her to leave. My daughter is very weak these days, so I think she should take a break.¡± ¡°Yes, please go ahead.¡± ¡°But daddy, you have to ¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Today, I stopped by briefly because I have to take care of something urgently.¡± The boy stood up, while watching my father reaching out and lifting me up. I met his cold eyes over his shoulder. There was hostility, resentment and some other feeling in his dark blue eyes. ¡®Why is he looking at me like that? Why does he hate and resent me? What the hell did I do to you?¡¯ He ignored my affection and hurt my feelings. I should duly hate and resent him. I breathed out in anger. This was not fair. Even though I was the victim, I was trembling with fear that I might repeat my past instead of resenting him. I hated the reality that I couldn¡¯t even feel hostile towards him because the fate of my family was interlocked with the imperial family. I was so frustrated about the fact that while the memories of my painful and grievous past were so vivid, he couldn¡¯t remember anything. After he took his gaze from me, he passed by my father. His coldness seemed to sweep over my whole body. As my cold body shuddered, I buried my face in my father¡¯s arms for a scrap offort. ¡°Good morning, mydy.¡± ¡°Fine, Lina. Good morning to you. ¡± Did my physical chemistry change when I returned to my childhood? It was really difficult for me to wake up early in the morning when I was the emperor¡¯s concubine, but I could wake up without any difficulty these days. My body always felt heavy in the past, but it felt light as a feather now. Smiling at Lina who was surprised to see me wake up early, I got out of bed. ¡°Look out the window, mydy. It snowed. ¡± ¡°Really?¡± As I opened the curtains covering the windows, I saw snow everywhere. White snow piled up on frozen ground and white snowkes on the branches of the trees came into my view. Servants were sweeping the snow withrge brooms, with white steaming out of their mouths, while white frost sat on the arm badges of the knights guarding my mansion. ¡°It snowed a lot. If I don¡¯t have any schedule today, I would like to take a walk. ¡± ¡°You bet, mydy. I¡¯m sorry for that.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t help it. I have no time, so let¡¯s get ready. ¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± It was the second New Year¡¯s morning since I came back to my childhood. They didn¡¯t consider the New Year¡¯s Day as a big holiday in the empire, but this time it was different because this year marked the 25th anniversary of His Majesty¡¯s taking office. I heard that the government nned a grand event to celebrate the emperor¡¯s achievements of reviving the falling empire. One of them was the performance of a y. All the noblemen in the capital were supposed to watch it. It was not mandatory, but they didn¡¯t dare refuse toe, so it was sort of mandatory for them to watch it. I didn¡¯t want to be entangled with the imperial family, but I was not free from it, so I had to attend. That¡¯s why I had to get up earlier than usual today. After preparing meticulously, I arrived at a theatre downtown in the capital with my father. Originally, the 11th emperor started the court y for his beloved wife by inviting clowns. After that, the emergence of genius ywright Benard brought about a period of robust court ys thatsted about three hundred years. ywrights and actors are all sponsored by the imperial family, and their main task is to create ys that suit the taste of the imperial members and nobles. They arrived at the theater Aristia. It had been renovated by thete emperor, characterized by blocking the space between the seats for luxurious interior and entertainment. Only nobles could see a y there, where seats were arranged in a semicircle around the stage. The theater was a cascading structure, with the royal family in front of the stage. Great nobles above the marquis were seated there, surrounding the emperor and queen. ¡°Glory to the empire! I¡¯m honored to see Your Majesty and the Crown Prince.¡± ¡°Everyone, sit down.¡± As I sat in my reserved seat and had a conversation with my father, the emperor and the crown prince entered the theater, escorted by the royal guards. All of the nobles already seated rose and bowed to them. After telling everybody to sit down, the emperor beckoned a servant and said something. Then, the servant came to us. ¡°Lady Monique, the emperor wants to see you.¡± ¡°Me? Okay. I¡¯ll be back soon after seeing him, Daddy.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I rose with some anxiety. ¡®Why is he calling me? What does he want to say this time?¡¯ My ominous feelings soon became reality because he ordered me to sit next to him. ¡°Your Majesty, but I¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the official fianc¨¦e of the prince? Sit down. I want to watch the performance with my future daughter-inw. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Why are you hesitating? Is there anything wrong with what I said? ¡± ¡°¡­No, Your Majesty.¡± There was nothing to refute because the probationary period of my status as the future queen was only known by His Majesty, the two dukes, my father and I. I sat on his left very nervously. I felt as if I had something stuck in my throat. While trying to ignore his watchful eyes, I fixed my eyes on the actors who appeared on the stage. ¡°So, how are you doing these days?¡± I turned my head to him when he asked suddenly. Despite the fact that the y was intended to celebrate his achievements, he seemed a bit bored. ¡°I¡¯m doing well thanks to your consideration. Are you doing okay, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°So far, so good. Hmm, I¡¯m sorry for your father as he¡¯ll be watching alone. ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± ¡°Come to think of it, your father has a small family. He and you, only two. Hmm, I feel sorry that that young woman passed away so early. ¡± Young woman passed away so early? Did he mean my mother? When I looked at him curiously, the blue-haired boy who fixed his eyes on the stage turned his head to me. Whether he knew that or not, the emperor continued, lightly patting my hand, ¡°It would have been nice if your mother had lived longer. Her good images are still in my memory. She made all of us sad by leaving this world like that.¡± The emperor was making a sad expression, while the crown prince was looking at me curiously. What should I reply in this case? As I had no memory of my mother, I couldn¡¯t chime in, nor could I be silent. I raised my head a bit after some hesitation when something shed my mind quickly. I had a simr conversation with him in the past. What did I say then? I didn¡¯t remember exactly, but I must not have replied smoothly because I haven¡¯t had much interest in my mother from the beginning. In the past, I had never thought much about anyone around me, let alone my mother. My interest was focused solely on cultivating the qualities that the empress should have, and gaining the crown prince¡¯s love. I didn¡¯t change much in that respect. I learned to take interest in people around me a bit, but I assumed I had no mother from the beginning. I couldn¡¯t have any feelings about her because I had no memory, and my father and other family members refused to mention my mother, which was strange enough. However, I felt I should not answer carelessly, given the emperor¡¯s sincere attention to myte mother. What should I do? I had been pondering over it when I heard a thunderous apuse. It seemed that the first act of the y was over. As I turned my eyes at the stage, I felt it fortunate to see the emperor and the crown prince pping their hands. I also pped. Chapter 25 Chapter 25: Chapter 25 There was whispering here and there in the theater. I sighed. I wanted to go back and see my father for a minute, but I couldn¡¯t because the emperor seemed not to leave the ce. After telling the royal guards not to approach him, he said with a bright smile, ¡°Oh, I heard that you stopped by the pce in a cute dress. Rumors about your visit were already spread to the 2nd Knights Division. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°I heard you also met the crown prince. So, what do you make of him? Were you really cute? ¡± How did my visit reach his ear? While I bent my head in embarrassment, I looked back at my side, startled. I met his dark blue eyes instantly. While looking at me indifferently, he said, ¡°Yes, she dide to see me, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± What did he mean by that? The emperorughed happily, while the prince who was looking almost like a young man came into my view. His neatlybed blue hair, pure white robes, and deeply sunken eyes as well as his smile on the corner of his mouth. For the first time, I saw another man instead of his past self that ovepped my image of him as a boy. An image of him as the crown prince of the past who showed no particr emotion to me vanished as he smiled at me. Suddenly, I felt heartbroken. When did he get screwed up? Though he was asionally hostile to me, he was basically just cold to me, but at some point he began to act brutally. Why was he so cruel to me? Did something about me make him so annoyed? ¡°And finally the sun of the future has been born to seed his noble blood,¡± one of the actors said loudly on the stage. Trying to empty my head while blinking my blurred eyes, I raised my head, hearing the actor¡¯s narration about the birth of the crown prince. ¡®When did Act 3 start?¡¯ Was I so deeply lost in thought that I didn¡¯t even know that Act 2 gave way to Act 3? I hurriedly checked his countenance. I felt relieved to find he didn¡¯t look bad and turned my eyes at the stage. ¡°Thanks to God¡¯s warm consideration of the son of tomorrow. He gave him a noble fiancee. May God bless the child of God¡¯s prophecy!¡± While I was listening to the actor¡¯s praise of the prince that he would surely bring a new glory to the empire, I flinched at his next words. What the heck is he talking about me here? ¡®Did the emperor have me sit next to him because of this?¡± Looking back at him with a suspicious expression, I suddenly noticed the boy¡¯s face, who was sitting next. Watching the stage nkly, he interlocked his fingers and smiled very happily, which made me feel goosebumps because he made that expression like that when he didn¡¯t like something. Did he hate the actor¡¯s narration mentioning my name? I smiled bitterly as if I was thrown by cold water. Why was I mistaken? ¡®Look at that, Aristia. Isn¡¯t it obvious that he doesn¡¯t like you?¡¯ ¡°The Sun¡¯s partner, the noble moon¡­¡± With a sigh, I looked at the stage. At that moment, the chandelier suddenly fell down with a loud noise. Screams were heard here and there. The surroundings on the stage became dark and caused confusion instantly. ¡°Your Majesty, are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Are the prince and his fiancee fine?¡± As if he was not surprised, the emperor¡¯s voice was very calm. But I couldn¡¯t help but answer the emperor¡¯s inquiring about my safety because I felt creeped out at the moment. When I noticed the shattered chandelier and the dark stage, my cold hands trembled. And I was breathing roughly. Obviously, it was the moment when the two on the stage joined hands. Just as the two actors who yed his and my role respectively looked at each other, swearing eternal love, the heavy chandelier fell from heaven as if the two should not be united together, implying an ominous future for them. At that moment, I felt goosebumps. Perhaps this meant that the same bleak future I went through once would be waiting for me. Or it might mean God¡¯s ridicule that I could not escape my fate no matter how much I struggled. ¡°Your Majesty, Crown Prince, and noblemen and noblewomen!¡± I came to my senses when I heard a loud announcement in my ears. I took a deep breath, blinking my blurred eyes. A person with a smile on his face came into my view. The only man looking calm despite the messy stage. ¡°As the noble Sun and precious Moon attend here today, even the bright chandelier is trembling, shy of its light. May glory be bestowed upon His Excellency, as well as the Sun and Moon of the future! ¡± The theater resounded with a storm of apuse. The man who dominated the stage bent over and announced the resumption of the y. Was it because of his remarkable showmanship? Nobody seemed to care what happened a little moment ago. In fact, even if they thought it was ominous, they couldn¡¯t dare to speak out. They knew they would be in big trouble if they talked about the imperial affairs recklessly. I turned my head and noticed the emperor and the prince. The former was looking down at the stage with a satisfied smile, while the blue-haired boy fixed his eyes with a nk expression. What were the two thinking about? About the future that the actor mentioned? Or about the ominous feelings I felt? ¡®What does it matter to me?¡¯ I shook off such idle thoughts by shaking my head. Although the boy in front of me could not remember what happened in the past, he would repeat the same actions as long as he hated me. So, there was only one future left for me. In order not to repeat my past, I had to avoid being entangled with him. I turned to the stage again, vowing to think a little deeper. On the third day after my twelfth birthday, a couple of unexpected visitors came to me. They were none other than Duke Lars and his son, Sir Lars. As if they were very busy, they came into my house even before the butler asked them about their purpose of visiting. Duke Lars said to my father, ¡°Do you remember what your daughter said the other day? I mean about the uing famine in the empire. ¡± ¡°Of course. Why are you suddenly bringing it up?¡± ¡°It looks like we¡¯re going to see a massive famine this year, as she predicted.¡± ¡°¡­I see. What is the problem? I think they were fully prepared for it, right? ¡± ¡°Of course they did. But there is one problem. Despite the government¡¯s earnest request, it looks like there urred looting in some of the provinces. So, I hear there are signs of riots in those areas.¡± The duke, who sighed deeply as if he was frustrated, unfastened the top button of his jacket. Looking at him nkly, my father said, ¡°What you mean is we have to dispatch knights to stop the riot?¡± ¡°Yes. In addition to that, they¡¯re thinking of appointing one of the knights as the supervisor who ensures the safe distribution of foods to them.¡± ¡°Supervisor?¡± ¡°As the famine was so severe, they are worried about dispatching an official alone. As the border areas are under the direct control of the imperial family or defended by seven marquises, they pose no problem, but they are worried about small estates.¡± That was true. My family was a special case, but the rest of the marquis families could not move to the central political stage because they were busy defending the borders from generation to generation. It was all because of the first emperor¡¯s decision to have them keep their estates near the borders. Because of that, they had scarce power in the central government, but their military power was great. Of course, there were regr troops defending the borders to keep them at bay. There was no need for the central government to worry about the border area. The only problem was the estates of the lower aristocrats, whocked their own defenses and had little assets, which made them more likely to rip off the peasants in their own estates. Like the duke said, they couldn¡¯t afford to dispatch a civil officer alone in a situation where many hungry people could turn into mobs. Chapter 26 Chapter 26: Chapter 26 ¡°Just in case something goes wrong, some of the royal guards and the 1st Knights must remain. However¡­ ¡± ¡°You mean that all the 2nd Knights and my knights must be dispatched.¡± ¡°Yes. In addition, I n to send all the knights of my family, too.¡± ¡°I see. Then, you are probably the only one to stay here, Arkint.¡± ¡°Well, the emperor would have wanted a loyal guy like you instead of someone like me who is recalcitrant. But you know there are other nobles watching the emperor¡¯s action. Sorry, Kairan. I¡¯m thinking of sending my son instead.¡± ording to my father and Duke Lars, part of the 1st Imperial Knight, all of the 2nd Imperial Knights as well as all the private knights of the Duke Lars family and my family were mobilized. And my father and Duke Lars had to lead them. I was afraid that I might not be able to see my father for years in the worst case. What should I do if my father never returns? My anxiety grew more and more when I recalled my father from the past that he never returned despite his saying that he would return soon. ¡®Let¡¯s not think about it, Aristia.¡¯ I shook my head slightly. I heard that unfortunate things would happen when I thought about ominous things. ¡®But now is different from the past. Daddy wille back safely.¡¯ ¡°Got it. I¡¯m sorry to say this, but Arkint, please take care of my daughter while I¡¯m not here. ¡± ¡°Your daughter?¡± ¡°Yes. As she is smart, I think she can manage well, but she is still too young, as you know. So, I hope you cane here and check if she needs any help.¡± ¡°Not a problem,¡± My father expressed thanks to Duke Lars by nodding and said, ¡°Thank you. Can I ask you one more favor?¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± ¡°My daughter is learning fencing from me these days. She has just learned the basics, so she needs to keep practicing steadily. However, if all the knights here leave, there is no one to coach her. It will be difficult, but can you coach her sometimes? ¡± ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know if I can give her personal coaching. Well, how about asking my second child for that?¡± ¡°You mean that child of yours who is called a genius of swordsmanship?¡± ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed to say so. Anyway, let me have him coach her, and sometimes let me coach together. How about it? My son has had more training than your daughter, so he can help your daughter in one way or another.¡± A genius of swordsmanship and Duke Lars¡¯s second son: when Ibined the two, one thing came to my mind. I remembered a man like him. He was a genius who had no rival when it came to swordsmanship. Unlike Allendis who is a genius in many respects, he only stood out in fencing. His name was Karsane de Lars. He was the youngest knight ever in the empire who achieved an unprecedented fencing record. Men had theiring-of-age ceremony at 18, and a women at 16. He was officiated as a knight at the age of 18 when he came of age. I recalled there was some strong opinion that the sessor of Duke Lars should be his second son Karsane instead of his eldest son, Sir Lars. ¡®Who eventually became his sessor?¡¯ I traced my memory, but I couldn¡¯t recall. ¡°Okay, then. Let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°Good. Then, when are you leaving? ¡± ¡°As it¡¯s very urgent, I¡¯m leaving as soon as I¡¯m ready. I think I can leave tomorrow afternoon if I finish organizing the knights.¡± ¡°I see. I might not see you off. Be careful! Do not worry about your daughter.¡± ¡°Thank you. Then I think I should stop by the Imperial Pce. ¡± ¡°Okay. Keiran, I have something to tell you for a moment. ¡± ¡°Let me leave now, sir,¡± I said and quickly got up. Sir Lars who came out of the office with me turned and greeted me. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Tia.¡± ¡°Yeah, we haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time, Sir Lars. ¡± ¡°By the way, I hear you are learning fencing?¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m only a beginner now.¡± ¡°I see. You must have a lot of hard training.¡± I smiled slightly at his remarks. I only started it recently, and I would not have told my father to teach me if I had thought it was too tough for me. I said goodbye to him and turned, but something suddenly came to my mind. I looked back at him and said, ¡°By the way, Sir Lars.¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± ¡°Can you tell me about your brother?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Sir Lars didn¡¯t reply. Did I make a mistake by asking about his brother? I felt he was estranged from his brother as theypeted over who should seed his father. Discovering I made a mistake, I hurriedly tried to apologize, but Sir Lars opened his mouth first, ¡°Well, to be honest with you, he is not a bad guy once you get to know him.¡± ¡°¡­ If you know, you are not a bad guy. Ah, sir. ¡± I tilted my head, watching him greeting my father. Did he say his brother was not a bad guy when I got to know him? I felt ufortable, but I couldn¡¯t hold him as he had to help my father. ¡°Then, please take care until I see you again.¡± ¡°Thank you. I hope that you will return safely afterpleting the mission. Take care, daddy.¡± ¡°Sure. I think I¡¯m going to be a littlete today, so go to bed first. Sir Lars, let¡¯s go.¡± Having said that, my father turned right away. Maybe he won¡¯te back today because it will take a long time for him to determine the number and list of the knights to send to each estate. After saying goodbye to him, I changed into a training outfit and headed to the training field. In order not to disturb the training of other knights as much as possible, I looked for a ce with few knights. I noticed shiny green hair in one corner of the training field. ¡°Allendis?¡± I wanted to call him again, but didn¡¯t. His tight lips, serious eyes and his disciplined posture. I¡¯ve never seen him focusing on training like that over the past two years. While I was debating whether or not to bother his training, something shed through my mind. Who is going to coach his fencing? My father asked the duke to coach me only, but he didn¡¯t mention anything about Allendis. ¡°Aristia? When did youe?¡± ¡°Oh, I just got here.¡± I think I was lost in thought. I didn¡¯t know Allendis had finished training and looked at me. ¡°What happened? You don¡¯te here around this time. ¡± ¡°Well, I came back because I had something to tell you. ¡± ¡°Really? ¡°I hear Duke Lars stopped by here. You already heard something from him, right?¡± When I saw Allendis, who smiled bitterly, I guess what he was going to say. ¡°Are you leaving, too?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I heard.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Maybe your father is leaving, too?¡± ¡°Yes, with the knights here,¡± Allendis said with a worried expression. ¡°Then, you will be left alone here. Are you going to be okay, Aristia? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright. As one of the nobles of the empire, I have to do what I¡¯m supposed to.¡± ¡°Nheless¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m really okay. Hummm¡­ would you like to go for dinner? If we part today, you won¡¯t see me for a while. ¡± ¡°Sure, I do. Thanks for inviting me.¡± ¡®Did you notice my intention to change the topic?¡¯ Allendis dly epted my invitation. ¡°Is this the first time we have had a meal together? You always have meals with your father.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Is he busy?¡± ¡°Yes, he said he had to leave as soon as possible. He said he was going to organize the formation of the knights today.¡± ¡°I see. If that¡¯s the case, I have to leave even without greeting him.¡± I nodded slightly and replied, ¡°Let me convey your message to him.¡± ¡°Thanks, Aristia. Ah, this is delicious. I feel it every time, but your family chef is really skillful.¡± ¡°Really? He would love it very much. Let me convey your praise to him.¡± ¡°Great. It looks like I am not popr in your family. I need to score brownie points.¡± I wanted to deny it, but I couldn¡¯t when I recalled what Sir League told me the other day. After he smiled awkwardly, he said, ¡°Okay. All I want is that you don¡¯t like me. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Oh, of course I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. By the way, Aristia, why don¡¯t you ask me where I¡¯m going?¡± Chapter 27 Chapter 27: Chapter 27 ¡°Well, I thought you were going to leave with Duke Verita. As he is going there to oversee the relief work, I thought he would keep moving without any dwelling. ¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to send messages until Ie back. ¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± I replied feebly. Suddenly, I felt empty. My father, Alendis, my family knights. I knew I couldn¡¯t live around them forever, but I was separated from them much earlier than I thought. I kept feeling depressed. Did he notice my gloomy feelings? Or was he depressed like me? There was silence between me, unwilling to open my mouth, and him, who was just eating silently. ¡°Aristia.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± When he broke the silence finally, I also stopped indulging in idle thought. It was already dessert time. Many people ate dessert to refresh their mouths with sweetness after mainly meat-based meals with spices and sauces. Because sugar is expensive, it is mainly enjoyed by nobles and wealthymoners, and top nobles prefer cakes, pies, choctes and sherbets. When I cut a piece of cake white like snow and put it in my mouth, I felt a bit better because of the sweetness spreading through my mouth. ¡°Do you feel better?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry, Allendis. I think I was discourteous to you even thoughI invited you for dinner.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not a big deal between you and me.¡± He replied gently and stood up after wiping his mouth with a napkin. I grabbed his hand and walked to the front door of the mansion. ¡°Thank you for the invitation. I want to spend some more time here, but my schedule is tight. Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Be careful, Allendis. ¡± ¡°Sure, I will try to contact you often.¡± ¡°You said it would not be easy, so don¡¯t overwork yourself.¡± Allendis looked at me quietly and pulled me into his arms, ¡°I do really feel bad as I have to leave you behind. I feel like kidnapping you.¡± ¡°Oh, Allendis?¡± ¡°You should not be friends with other guys while I¡¯m away, okay? Be careful about the crown prince in particr. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Take care then. Hope you can keep well while I¡¯m away, mydy. ¡± He briefly kissed my forehead. I saw his light-green hair gradually fading away before disappearing in the dark. ¡°Your Highness!¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Please get up, Your Highness!¡± I opened my eyes when someone shook me gently. I saw my father looking down at me with a resolute expression. I tilted my head a bit as his uniform looked different from when he went to the Imperial Pce. What happened to him? ¡°Please listen carefully, Your Highness.¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°Because of some urgent matters I have to go to the border area for some time. Please wait a little longer. When I get back, I will take you home. ¡± I opened my eyes because I already heard what he was saying before. What the heck is he talking about now? Only then did I see correctly who I was now. It¡¯s not me who just observed my 12-year-old birthday, but I was a 17-year-old girl who was going half crazy. ¡°Until then, you need to be strong-willed and stay healthy. Do you understand? ¡± ¡®No, you should not go.¡¯ I was very confused, but I had to stop my father from going to the border. If I let him go, I would certainly never see him again. I could never let him go. ¡°Please don¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Your Highness?¡± ¡°No, daddy. Please don¡¯t go.¡± I hastily tried to catch him, but he was getting farther away from me. I was so nervous. I couldn¡¯t let him go away like that. ¡°Please don¡¯t go.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Please, Dad.¡± When I was reaching out desperately, I felt I touched something stiff at my fingertips. I don¡¯t know what it was, but I grasped it in my hand and clung to it with all my might. ¡°You can¡¯t go now.¡± ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Never, ever¡­¡± ¡°Now, you¡¯re fine. Tia, open your eyes.¡± I opened my eyes to someone¡¯s friendly whispering. I saw his blue eyes full of concern. When I quickly looked around, my room in the mansion came into view. I saw myself grasping my father¡¯s shirt as a child. ¡®It was a dream.¡¯ I sighed with relief. My father, who reached out and pulled me into his arms, patted my back, and said lightly, ¡°You must have had a nightmare.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You¡¯re alright. It¡¯s just a dream.¡± While he slowly swept my hair, I smoothed out my rough breathing. I sunk into his arms to feel a little more warmth. Only now could I feel relieved. ¡°You¡¯re still very young. I think I¡¯m so foolish as to forget your age. ¡± ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°Are you so heartbroken if I am leaving like this? Sorry. I didn¡¯t know you would be so sad.¡± ¡°No. Sorry I have worried you. By the way, did you take care of your business well?¡± ¡°Yes, I finished it earlier than I thought. I¡¯m leaving tomorrow morning. ¡± ¡°Tomorrow morning¡­¡± ¡°I will try toe back as soon as possible, but maybe I might note back until sometime next spring. I¡¯m sorry. ¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to be sorry.¡± I tried not to show sadness when he repeatedly said he was sorry, but I shook my head, pulling myself together deep down. As a nobleman and an imperial knight, he was doing what he was supposed to do, so I should not dishearten him who was leaving on a long journey. I spoke as brightly as possible to him as he let out a long sigh, ¡°I¡¯m really fine, so don¡¯t worry about me, and pleasee back safely when you carry out your mission. ¡± ¡°¡­ Sure. Can you go back to sleep now? You must be very tired as you slept fitfully,¡± he said, releasing me carefully. When I saw my father pulling the nket over me, my heart began to pound nervously. I got up unconsciously and grabbed his sleeves when he was about to leave after saying goodbye. ¡°Tia?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I just did that unconsciously.¡± He slowly smiled after looking at me with a perplexed expression. Sitting slowly on the edge of the bed, heid me back and covered me with the nket again. ¡°Let me sit here by your side until you go to sleep.¡± ¡°You will be tired, daddy¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I think I can sleepfortably when I see you fall asleep. ¡± ¡°Still¡­ ¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright. By the way, Tia.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Cutting me off strongly, he said in a soft voice,¡±I will leave everything with you when ites to our family affairs while I¡¯m away. Take care of any urgent things, and leave the non-urgent stuff alone. As you have other work to do, don¡¯t overwork yourself. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°Avoid going outside as much as possible, and try to stay home.¡± ¡°Yes, will do. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Okay, I believe you will keep well. Don¡¯t worry too much about me. Make sure you practice properly. Even though you feel better these days, you are basically weak, as you know.¡± ¡°Yes, daddy.¡± ¡°And¡­ ¡± I began to feel drowsy when he gently stroked my dishevelled hair on the pillow. I heard his gentle voice fading away. I was slowly falling asleep with my father next to me. The next day I frowned slightly at the lukewarm air even in the early morning. I felt my father and the knights would find it harder to travel to the border areas. When I arrived on the training field, a silver-haired knight, who looked well in his blue uniform, standing in front of the knights and calming down the neighing horses, looked at me. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Yes, daddy. Please be careful. ¡± ¡°Sure. Keep well. When something happens, ask Duke Lars for help, okay? ¡± ¡°Sure, will do.¡± ¡°Okay, then. Goodbye!¡± ¡°Oh, dad, wait a minute.¡± My father, who stroked my head once and turned around, looked back. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± His blue eyes opened wide slightly. As he looked surprised, I said quickly, ¡°I made it, praying that you coulde back safely¡­ ¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Receiving a silver tassel that I spent all night making, he spoke in a slightly subdued voice. While watching him put the tassel on his sword, he looked at it for a while. I opened my eyes wide because he took off the cufflinks decorating his shirt sleeves and gave it to me. ¡°If you give me this¡­ ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve a spare. As I have received a precious gift, shouldn¡¯t I repay it? ¡± I stood pleasantly surprised by his bright smile. At that moment, I suddenly heard a loud noise. Chapter 28 Chapter 28: Chapter 28 ¡°Please ept mine!¡± ¡°Mine, too!¡± ¡°Here you are!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to give us,dy?¡± The knights, who lined up on the field, came running and reached out to me all at once. I saw one of their sleeves loosened and fluttered in the wind. I was too embarrassed to respond. What should I do? Then, my father ordered them sharply, ¡°We¡¯re leaving now!¡± ¡°Wait a moment, Captain!¡± ¡°Can I give it to her before I leave?¡± ¡°We, too, would like to hear thedy wish that we can return safely.¡± I hesitated at their desperate requests. It was understandable that they felt sorry for my failure to wish them well. They had been training with my father in the training field everyday. Nheless, I only prayed for my father¡¯s safe return. ¡°Pleasee back safely, everyone!¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll be back safely!¡± ¡°You have to keep well, youngdy. Watch out for good-for-nothing guys! ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Although Verita¡¯s son is going to the border, you never know who else will hover around you. You should watch out,dy. ¡± ¡°Pardon? Ah, yes. I will be careful. ¡± I nodded, overwhelmed by their excessive interest in me. Watching the knights often looking back at me after walking several steps, I smiled gently at them. When they finally disappeared, silence fell on the noisy field. I looked at the tinum cufflin in my hand for a while and turned back slowly. It seemed that I could feel my father¡¯s warmth through the button. After my father left, I could not get by as usual for the first few days. As I had no regr trainer, I got nowhere in my fencing practice. No matter how hard I tried, I didn¡¯t see any progress. I idled away 15 days, and in the end, I sent a letter to Duke Lars, asking if I could visit. The next day I received a reply, asking me to attend a tea party at his mansion. I tried not to cause any trouble to him, but I couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°I am honored to meet you, Duchess. My name is Aristia La Monique, the eldest daughter of Marquis Monique. ¡°Nice to meet you, Monique. I¡¯m Ernia Shana de Lars. Have a seat.¡± Duchess Lars wasn¡¯t that different from how I remembered her. Unlike the duke or Sir Lars whose warm impressions stood out because of their red hair and eyes, she had dark blue hair and blue eyes and looked very chilly due to her expressionless face. ¡°I heard about it. Your father asked my husband or son to teach you fencing. ¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. I¡¯ve sent someone to bring my son. He¡¯ll be here soon. ¡± ¡°Ah, thank you, Duchess. ¡± I flinched at her chilly tone, but I expressed gratitude with a smile. It wasn¡¯t the first time I saw her chilly attitude. Wasn¡¯t she unusually chilly to me in the past? I don¡¯t know why, but unlike the duke, she hated me very much even though the duke¡¯s family shared the same political faction with mine. While I was drinking tea in the cold silence, I heard the door opening suddenly. When I slowly turned my head, I noticed a boy looking like Allen walking in with a nervous expression. ¡°Why have you called me here? It¡¯s so annoying.¡± ¡°Sit down. You have a guest here. Why are you so rude?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care¡­¡± The boy, who looked at me with a scornfulugh, suddenly shut his mouth. I don¡¯t know why, but I greeted him with a smile. ¡°Nice to see you, Lars. I am Aristia La Monique, the eldest daughter of Marquis Monique.¡± ¡°¡­ My name is Carsein de Lars. ¡± The boy had the duke¡¯s hair and the duchess¡¯ eyes. He looked cold as he took after her mother more. Was it because of his cold look? The boy¡¯s blue eyes staring straight at me seemed to remind me of someone else. I felt goosebumps at that moment. ¡°Wait, Monique? So, is this the same girl you mentioned? Do you want me to practice fencing with this girl? ¡± ¡°Watch yournguage, ¡®Sein. Maybe you should learn manners again.¡± ¡°No, thanks, Mom. I don¡¯t have enough time to practice fencing for myself¡­ ¡± ¡°¡®Sein!¡± ¡°Oh, got it, Mom. I can be polite. ¡± The boy, who reluctantly responded to the duchess¡¯s calling, was very displeased. He stared at me for a long time and said in a crackling voice, ¡°Well, shall we go, miss?¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°You said you are here to practice fencing with me, right? I have to check your skills first if I can spar with you. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°¡®Sein!¡± ¡°Oh, why are you calling me again, Mom? I¡¯m being respectful to her. ¡± Pressing her temple, the duchess sighed deeply and told me, ¡°What would you do? I just thought of introducing you to my son today, but if you¡¯re going to ept his offer, I will send someone to bring you some clothes to change. ¡± ¡°Ah, that would be kind of you. Can you do that? Thank you for your consideration. ¡± ¡°No problem. Let¡¯s have tea until he brings the clothes. Sit down, ¡®Sein. ¡± The boy looked dissatisfied but quietly sat down. I swallowed a sigh while drinking the almost cold tea, seated between them as they showed hostility toward me. ¡®That¡¯s why I was trying to do it myself.¡¯ As soon as the maid who went to pick up my clothes returned, the duchess ended the tea time. I thanked her for inviting me then changed into a training outfit. Guided by the servant, I headed to the training ce. . ¡°It took you a long time to change clothes.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ Sorry for beingte, Lars. ¡± ¡°My father told you to practice fencing with me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Ha, it ¡®s funny. Do you think you can learn fencing quickly? Don¡¯t ever think anybody can learn it easily.¡± Carsein de Lars was, perhaps, fourteen or fifteen. He was the youngest knight in history with an unprecedented record, and he was called a fencing genius who had no rival when ites to swordsmanship. As I have never met him before, I imagined what kind of person he was when I was on my way to his mansion. I thought vaguely that he would be a man of few words who only focused on fencing like my father. But the boy before my eyes waspletely different. He talked down to me and showed no manners at all. He was a sharp contrast to Alledis, called a genius who could lead the empire, who was kind and gentle. When I saw him looking down at me arrogantly, I suddenly got enraged. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I would learn fencing as a pastime, Lars!¡± ¡°Ha, I know you are pretending to learn fencing for a few years then quit to get married, right? What a joke!¡± ¡°I am not¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to make poor excuses. If it¡¯s not a joke, show me your skills and determination, won¡¯t you?¡± I shut my mouth slowly because he was right. No matter how much I talked, I couldn¡¯t prove my will. It was me, not him who was asking for help anyway. ¡°You are right. How can I prove it? ¡± ¡°¡­ Let me see if you can show me the basic skills,¡± said the boy, staring at me in dissatisfaction. I picked out what seemed to be a lighter practice sword in the corner of the empty training ce. I demonstrated the basic skills that I learned so far before the boy with red hair looking silently with his arms folded. I even showed him whatever slumsy skill I learned by myself. ¡°It¡¯s terrible. You want to learn fencing with your poor skills like that? ¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°I think your basic skills seem to be solid, but what¡¯s that you showed me at the end?¡± I felt like crying at his scornful tone, but tried to look expressionless as best I could. ¡®Be patient, Aristia. It¡¯s you who needs help.¡¯ After taking a deep breath, I said in a voice as calm as possible, ¡°My skills are what you see. I tried practicing by myself, but there was no progress. ¡± ¡°Of course. You know why? Your basic fencing posture is wrong. How can you expect to improve?¡± ¡°Then, what can I do?¡± As he pointed out my problems, I felt he might give me some tips on training. But he replied as if he was annoyed, when I asked how I could improve. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Why should I help you practice? Take care of yourself, and don¡¯t bother me! ¡± ¡°¡­ Lars!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Chapter 29 Chapter 29: Chapter 29 ¡°Don¡¯t you know I won¡¯t make anywhere if I practice alone? No matter how much I try, I can¡¯t make any progress. I¡¯m really frustrated.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure about it because I¡¯ve never felt like that. ¡± I felt he was really cheeky. I turned around after staring at him for a moment. I didn¡¯t feel like I would get an answer even if I kept talking, and I didn¡¯t want to face him any more because of the shadow of another man whose image was constantly ovepped with his. ¡°Now that you give up right away, I don¡¯t think you were serious about learning fencing.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, I don¡¯t want to talk anymore with you who is trying to toy with me,¡± I sharply rebuked him. ¡°You need more muscle and strength to practice fencing. That¡¯s why you can¡¯t get anywhere. Why don¡¯t you build up your strength first before talking about fencing?¡± I stopped for a moment. Physical strength and muscle? I sighed, but as I was looking for a solution, I felt a bit light-hearted. At the same time, I became more emboldened. ¡®I¡¯ll never give up. You won¡¯t get away with this!¡¯ ¡°Wee back, youngdy.¡± When I got home, every maid and servant weed me. I greeted them with a nod and called the butler. ¡°Butler, wait a minute.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, youngdy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to do more intensive training in the future. Starting tomorrow, I would like to eat mainly nutritional food, so tell the chef about my request. ¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to do more training than now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded at the butler double checking with me hesitantly. Silent for a moment, he replied with a heavy voice, ¡°Okay, mydy, but don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡± ¡°Sure, thanks.¡± I went up to my room with the worried butler looking at me anxiously. When she was reflecting on my conversation with Lars, Lina came in with a knock and asked, ¡°Mydy, what happened to you at the duke¡¯s house?¡± ¡°Huh? Well¡­ Why?¡± ¡°Because you told the chef to change your menu as soon as you came back. Did you argue with Sir Lars¡¯ brother? ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I think my guess is right. Mydy is not the one to quarrel with anybody, so he must have done something wrong to you. Cheer up, youngdy! Hang in there! ¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± I smiled at her awkwardly as she was eager to cheer me up, and organized what I had to do from tomorrow. Anyway, I went to bed thinking that I should try hard from now on because I realized what my problem was, Starting the next day, I started building my muscles. Based on my memories of other knights¡¯ training, I asked Lina to make a sandbag tailored to me so that I could attach them to my wrists and ankles. And, as usual, I did basic fitness exercises and practiced basic fencing constantly. I kept running until I was gasping for breath, and wielded my sword until my arm was almost paralyzed. Because of this hard training, I had to skip dinner and went to sleep right away after training. How many days did I practice? I knew not. The butler and other staff began to show concern about my hard training. I knew when I woke up in the morning, I felt so heavy and my face looked haggard. I knew that I could not improve my skills with this practice method. Despite all this, I continued to go out to the training ce before the morning sun rose, then came back home after dark. I couldn¡¯t stop this reckless thing because fencing was the only way for me to avoid the fate of getting entangled with the royal family. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Then one day, an unexpected visitor came to me. The boy whose face turned red like his hair color screamed at me, ¡°Do you think you¡¯re practicing in the right way? Huh? Are you serious? ¡± ¡°Yes, of course. Didn¡¯t you tell me I needed to build my physical strength first before talking about fencing?¡± ¡°Who told you to practice like this? You don¡¯t want to hold the sword for the rest of your life, do you? Stop it now! ¡± ¡°None of your business!¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± He asked as if he was dumbfounded. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember you asked me why you should bother teaching me? I won¡¯t ask you for help, so don¡¯t meddle in my matters and go back.¡± ¡°¡­Are you upset with me because I asked you to prove your skills? Are you protesting right now? ¡± ¡°If you have no intention to help me, don¡¯t bother. As I¡¯m busy, let me leave. Take care.¡± ¡°Hey, you!¡± I just ignored him when he was trying to say something to me, and left. It was about ten steps that I walked when he began to chase me, hurling abuses. When I took another step pretending I hadn¡¯t heard, I felt my knees buckle. When I tried to keep my bnce, I suddenly felt dizzy. ¡°Damn it¡­.Hey! Wake up!¡± My blurry vision was filled with red thread, and soon, the whole world became dark. Finally, I passed out, feeling like someone was pulling me. When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling. I smiled bitterly. After returning to being a ten-year-old girl, I was steadily trying to get in good shape, but I had no choice but tough uncontrobly as I passed out often. I was struggling to live a life different from my past, but it was so difficult. ¡°Have youe to your senses, youngdy?¡± ¡°¡­Lina.¡± ¡°First, drink water. Here you go.¡± After drinking the water that Lina gave me, I barely sat up. I couldn¡¯t see the sandbags that were bound to my wrists and ankles, and my hands and feet were a bit swollen because they had been bound a bit tightly. I sighed a little. What should I do? If I can¡¯t do this, how can I escape from my past? ¡°Miss.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Lars is here.¡± ¡°Lars?¡± ¡°Since he brought you home after you passed out. He¡¯s been visiting here every day since then.¡± I opened my eyes at her unexpected news. I could understand that he caught me when I was falling, and carried me home, but I was curious why he kept visiting me everyday. I was puzzled, but I felt I had to express gratitude to him, so I told Lina to let him in. ¡°Uh, are you okay?¡± ¡°Fine. Thank you, Lars.¡± ¡°Uh, for what?¡± ¡°Well, you caught me when I was falling that day. I wasn¡¯t injured because of your help. Thanks.¡± I still felt bad about his actions, but bowed and thanked him. As if he was greatly embarrassed, the boy swept his red hair. His gaze was wandering all over the ce without turning at me straight. Was it because he was nervous? Unlike how I felt at the first meeting, this time I didn¡¯t see the shadow of someone else ovepped with his blue eyes. When I looked at himfortably, the boy who took a deep breath said more calmly than before. ¡°Hey, just stop this kind of practice right now. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°If something goes wrong, you will never hold the sword. Why do you think your father didn¡¯t train you?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°When you attach something like a sandbag to your ankles when you¡¯re young, all your joints are injured. That¡¯s why your father didn¡¯t train you that way, I think.¡± I agreed. It was for this reason that my father did not train me on top of my weakness. Even though I practiced with Allendis for the same period of time, the reason why he achieved far more than I was because he was superior to me in terms of inbred muscr strength and physical strength. Perhaps that¡¯s why there were a few female knights in the empire while most of the empire¡¯s knights were men. But no matter how difficult it was, no matter how disadvantaged my innate physical condition was, I had to learn fencing. I could never give up because I had a desperate reason to get out of my past. ¡°Why are you trying to learn fencing? Why are you in such a hurry? ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re the only legitimate child of the Monique family? Are you trying to be the sessor of your family?¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°Good, but I feel you are still weird. You don¡¯t have a rival. So, there is no reason for you to hurry up. Then, what the heck is the reason? Why are you being so hard on yourself?¡± Chapter 30 Chapter 30: Chapter 30 ¡°Can you please leave now?¡± I demanded, clearing my throat. I had a right to challenge him since he ignored andughed at me. ¡°You have no reason or right to intervene in my matters. I¡¯m sorry for the trouble I caused the other day. I won¡¯t bother you anymore. So, please leave.¡± ¡°¡­ Hey.¡± ¡°Though it was brief, I value our first meeting. In that respect, let me tell you one thing. Even if you are called a genius in any specific field, it doesn¡¯t mean you can cover your weakness in other areas. If you value the honor of your father and your family, you had better pay attention to your words and deeds and show due manners.¡± ¡°What? What the heck are you talking about?¡± I pulled the line. As if she was on standby nearby, Lina immediately appeared before he could refuse. I instructed her to escort him out of the mansion and bowed slightly as he left. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t see you off because I¡¯m not feeling well. Goodbye. ¡± ¡°Hey! How dare you¡­!¡± ¡°I will escort you, sir,¡± Lina said. While his yelling faded away, I pulled the nket over me. I didn¡¯t want to see or talk to anybody. I slowly closed my eyes and went to sleep. Was it because I fell sick from excessive training? Or was I depressed? After I expelled Lars rather rudely, I was very sick for some time. I had a fever and my whole body ached as if I had been beaten by somebody. I had to change bed sheets several times a day because of the cold sweat, and I couldn¡¯t eat anything because I felt nauseous. Lina expressed her concern and the butler was also pretty concerned about my condition. I¡¯ve never been sick as much as I am now even when I was physically weak. When there was no change in my worsening condition, the butler said he would send a letter to my father, but I told him not to. I didn¡¯t want to worry him, and I think I knew why I was sick. It was because my feelings got hurt. The reason I was obsessed with fencing was because it was the only way I hade up with to avoid repeating my past life. I was desperate because it was so difficult. I knew that I didn¡¯t have any outstanding talents like Allendis or Lars. I knew that it was difficult for me to achieve the desired results within a given time. So I made a self-fulfilling prophecy that there was nothing impossible, and I couldn¡¯t progress quickly in fencing. Despite that, I kept practicing excessively. It was inevitable that I got sick. I sighed. As I was pressed for time, I couldn¡¯t shorten the training time to make any progress. As the promised deadline approached each day, I felt more and more frustrated. I thought about asking for a deferral, but there was little chance of my request being epted. There was no chance that the emperor, who wanted to tie me to the imperial family in one way or another, would agree to my request. I felt hopeless. I had to stick it out until Jiun appeared, but the time was too short. Even if I could hang in there, it posed another problem. If I didn¡¯t have the minimum qualifications, I wouldn¡¯t escape the fate of the next emperor¡¯s concubine when Jiun arrives. Didn¡¯t I already experience it in the past? The more my desire to get out of my doomed fate through fencing became weaker, the more gloomy and frustrated I became. I smiled bitterly. I vowed I would reject my given fate, and that I would lead a new life even with the denial of God. Was it just my arrogance? Is there really no way for me to get out of my past? ¡°Lady Tia, you¡¯ve got a letter.¡± On the seventh day while I was sick in bed, Lina, who brought me medicine and gave me a letter. I noticed the crest on the outer envelope. It was engraved with a roaring lion. It was none other than the crest of the imperial family. My heart sank. I put my hand on my chest as my heartbeat beat nervously and took a big breath. When I opened it with a trembling hand and read it, I tilted my head. It had just one sentence on the luxurious paper saying that I had to see the emperor. ¡®What is going on?¡¯ Typically it would mention the reason, but I didn¡¯t find it. ¡°Lina?¡± ¡°Yes, youngdy.¡± ¡°I think I should go to the Imperial Pce. Please help me get ready.¡± ¡°Really? But¡­¡± ¡°You know I can¡¯t disobey the emperor¡¯s order. Please.¡± Although she hesitated for a while, Lina reluctantly nodded. As I was sick, I didn¡¯t want to go, but I would feel ufortable if I didn¡¯t go. The emperor might have omitted to mention the reason why he wanted to see me, but what if it was so serious a matter that he couldn¡¯t mention the reason in the letter? I raised my body, feeling dizzy. I took a bath with warm water, put on thickyers of clothes and stood in front of the mirror seeing my pale face, dishevelled hair, and cracked lips. ¡®Can I really go see the emperor like this?¡¯ ¡®Do I have to reply even now that I can¡¯t go? What if I get med?¡¯ After hesitating for a moment, I headed for the Imperial Pce, leaving Lina behind, looking at me worriedly. ¡°I, Aristia La Monique, am honored to see Your Majesty, the Sun of the Empire.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Arisia. By the way, are you sick? ¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been feeling well. I¡¯m sorry to let you see me like this. ¡± ¡°Oh, if I knew you were sick like this, I would have called upon you another day. I¡¯m sorry. Let me send a royal doctor to treat you.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to, Your Majesty. I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°This is my order.¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks for your considerations, Your Majesty.¡± When I answered reluctantly, the emperor nodded. ¡°You must feel lonely as your father is away now. How are you doing? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m keeping well, all thanks to Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, I wanted to see you as I have some questions. Who is serving you as your bodyguard? Are there any knights around in your house?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°s! He should have left a couple of knights to protect you. How inflexible he is! How can you keep the house without any guardians? Let me dispatch a royal knight to you as of today.¡± I opened my eyes wide. ¡®A royal knight?¡¯ They exist to protect the royal family alone. The emperor¡¯s measures were highly extraordinary. Except for legitimate royal family members, nobody can be escorted by the royal knights. Even though I am the crown prince¡¯s fiancee, I am currently a daughter of a marquis family. ¡°Please withdraw your order, Your Majesty. That¡¯s an extraordinary special treatment for me.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. You are the next empress, aren¡¯t you? ¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Let me promise you I won¡¯t ask you for anything more because of this. How about that? Are you still going to refuse it?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m deeply touched, Your Majesty. I¡¯m endlessly grateful to you.¡± I barely expressed my gratitude, clearing my throat politely. When I was moistening my dry lips, I heard somebody announcing that the crown prince just arrived. A boy with blue hair stepped in through the door silently. After ncing at me quickly, he said, ¡°Did you call me, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Come on in. I called you to have tea with you and your fiance.¡± I hurriedly opened my mouth when the emperor looked at me, ¡°I am fine. Please don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t have you join in this tea time as you feel sick. You can go back home and take a rest. Let¡¯s do this. Hey, crown prince, why don¡¯t you escort her back home? Let me have them prepare tea for when youe back.¡± ¡°Oh no, please. I¡¯m fine¡­:¡± ¡°Okay, Your Majesty. Let me escort her then.¡± Although I tried to refuse by all means, the boy cut me off with a cold voice. I stiffened when I saw his expressionless look. I awkwardly got up as his cold blue eyes seemed to urge me to stand up. I barely showed manners to the emperor as he looked at me kindly and left the reception room quickly. Chapter 31 Chapter 31: Chapter 31 I walked away in breathless silence. Was it because I felt so tense? Or was it because of his brutal coldness? Suddenly, I felt a fevering back. When I closed my lips tightly, I let out a hot breath unconsciously. My head was pounding, so I squeezed the hem of my skirt tightly unconsciously. ¡®Hang in there a little more, Aristia.¡¯ Trying to straighten up as I felt wobbly, I soon came out into a spacious field where there were a lot of wagons lined up. I sighed with relief and bowed to the boy with blue hair. ¡°Thank you for escorting me here. Let me leave now.¡± ¡°Sir Lank!¡± He turned away, ignoring my goodbye, and called a royal knight nearby. When the knight came near, he said with a cold voice, ¡°Get a wagon ready as soon as possible. I¡¯m going to go to the Monique house.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± I opened my eyes wide. What the heck is he talking about? He stared at me after giving him the instruction. Obviously, he was annoyed. At that moment, it urred to me that the crown prince wanted to escort me to my house since the emperor didn¡¯t specify how far he should go in escorting me. He had to escort me to my house because he didn¡¯t want to get med by the emperor. I hurriedly lowered my eyes. I was afraid that I might annoy him all the more when he was already feeling bad. I kept trying to pull myself together as I felt wobbly, biting my lips. Iforted myself, vowing I would stick it out a little longer. How much time passed? I saw an ornate wagon engraved with the crest of the royal family approaching us. I got in the wagon nervously. I fixed my eyes on my folded hands on my knees, and I raised my eyes at someone¡¯s gaze. I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking at the moment, but the boy with blue eyes was staring at me. The moment I breathed heavily with nervousness, he took his gaze off of me and looked out the window. Again, heavy silence fell inside the wagon. I barely arrived at my mansion and got out, helped by the knight. I felt like I was alive now. I felt it took me unusually long to get back home today. Had I been alone with him a little more, I thought I might have suffocated. When I adjusted my clothes and said goodbye, the boy who fixed his eyes on the window until I got off said, ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, thank you¡­ ¡± Bang! The wagon door closed before I said goodbye. I smiled bitterly, looking at the wagon disappearing gradually. With my hand on my stinging forehead, I walked into my house with a heavy heart. Is the Imperial Pce different from other ces? Three days after I returned from the pce, I barely left my sickbed. I still felt heavy, though I felt much better. As soon as I opened the door of my room, I sighed at the white uniform. ¡®How did I end up like this?¡¯ The emperor sent a couple of royal knights to protect me. Introducing themselves as Seymour and June respectively, they alternately guarded me. They even stayed up all night at the door of my bedroom every day, saying that nighttime was the most dangerous. Why did the emperor give this order? In the current situation where the local political factions were too busy with securing their own estates to fight, it¡¯s unlikely that anybody would try to harm me. In addition, more than half of the regr knights were out of the capital, which led to an increase in each knight¡¯s workload. In this situation, the emperor sent me not one, but two royal knights who were supposed to protect the royal family alone. Did that mean that the emperor had no intention of freeing me? I tried to live without paying attention to such stuff, but I couldn¡¯t because these two royal knights kept following me. Suddenly, I broke intoughter. I didn¡¯t get this kind of treatment when I was a 17-year-old royal concubine, but I¡¯m getting this special treatment now when I¡¯m still a daughter of the marquis and the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. ¡°Lady, you have a letter from Verita.¡± When I wasughing in this contradictory situation, Lina came with a letter from Verita, which I received a month after everyone including him left. My heart was pounding. I immediately opened the seal and read it. His hair fresh green like a spring bud came to my mind. I also remembered his emerald eyes with warm light. While reading the letter, it seemed as if I could hear him talking to me right beside me. ¡®Thanks for your warm considerations, Allendis.¡¯ When I reflected on hisforting words, my eyes grew blurry with tears. I raised my wet eyes and looked up at the ceiling. When I was blinking my eyes for a clear view, I heard somebody knocking. Soon, the butler came in. ¡°Mydy.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked with a subdued voice. I desperately tried to hold back my tears, but the butler seemed to have already noticed that I was emotionally charged while reading Allendis¡¯s letter. After he put down an envelope silently, the butler signalled to Lina to get out of the room. I silently looked at the two leaving and opened the letter. Chapter 32 Chapter 32: Chapter 32 ¡°Daddy¡­ ¡± I covered my mouth with my trembling hands. The dark despair, frustration, and desperate sense of shame lurking deep in my heart melted away with hot tears. I felt I was stupid because I misunderstood my father. Why did I misunderstand him when he was so worried about me? Even though he didn¡¯t express it to me, he was supporting me. I didn¡¯t trust him because I saw him just passing by with a smile in his blue eyes when I said I wanted to learn fencing. Even though it was me who answered childishly that I wanted to live with my father instead of replying honestly, I overlooked the fact that his approval of my fencing learning showed his trust in me. Even though he has always been a strong support for me, I struggled to do it by myself instead of trusting him totally. I decided that instead of relying on God, I would live while caring for people around me. I decided that I would live making eye contact with people,ughing together, expressing my sorrow when I have a hardship, andining when I have to. Why did I forget such a decision for a long time? I¡¯m not alone anymore. There are people around me, who care about me and want to try to help me. I wanted to see Allendis. Looking back, I always met his eyes. I wanted to see my father, too. He always hugged me whenever I was caught in the shadow of the past. I missed them. I missed these precious people who I was turning away from again. I missed their affectionate eyes and warm touch. Wiping my tears, I vowed that I would not be impatient any more, thinking that like my father and Allendis said, I now had people to hold me whenever I reached out, and all I had to do was to do my best because others would fill in when I wascking. ¡°Can Ie in for a minute,dy?¡± How much time had passed? I came to my senses at someone¡¯s low voice outside. I hurriedly looked into the mirror. My nose and eyes were red. What should I do? Resigned to the situation, I asked him toe in, and the door opened. Soon a knight in white uniform stepped in. He looked at my face and flinched for a moment, but said why he came to see me without asking anything. As a royal knight, he must have seen many other women in the pce. In fact, he came to say goodbye as the other night was taking over now that his shift was over. I opened my mouth slowly when he was about to bow out. ¡°Sir Seymour.¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°Can you help me?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Well, shall we move to another ce first. I think seeing is believing.?¡± I smiled gently at the young blonde knight who was looking at me curiously. Now that I couldn¡¯t get any help from Lars, I needed this knight¡¯s help. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were learning fencing until now.¡± Sir Seymour, who was puzzled the moment I entered the training ce, was surprised when I picked up the training sword skillfully. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°But you are the next¡­¡± ¡°What you want to ask is why I am wasting my time practicing fencing as I won¡¯t use it when I be a member of the imperial family, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I am an immediate member of the Monique family, the spear of the empire. Do I need another reason? ¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± The blonde knight was slowly shaking his head. It seemed that he thought I could learn fencing as my family was one of the best martial arts families in the empire. ¡°I ran into many difficulties while practicing alone after my father left. So, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to ask you to coach me.¡± ¡°Oh, I see, but ¡­¡± ¡°Please. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad offer to you. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to guide and train me rather than just escorting me all day long? ¡± ¡°¡­ All right, no problem.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Sir Seymour. Hope I¡¯m in great hands.¡± I vowed, ¡®Let me start again with a new determination. Let me do it slowly. Don¡¯t be impatient and do my best. By doing so, I¡¯m going to repay myself who made a strenuous effort and those who have trusted me until now.¡¯ I pledged once again and smiled broadly at the blonde knight shining under the sun. It seems like yesterday when I thought autumn wasing soon, but it was already winter. I was puffing white steam from my mouth, and my hand holding my sword was frozen. It seemed that the winter came very early this year. ¡°Your posture is not right, mydy!¡± Since I requested it, Sir Seymour coached my practice from time to time. Although he focused on teaching me the basics, that was enough for me. Thanks to his help, my skills have been improving. ¡°Good job, mydy.¡± ¡°Thanks for your coaching today.¡± When I returned home after heating up my frozen body in warm water, Sir Seymour changed into afortable uniform which was white like snow. Despite his polite refusal, I asked him to have a seat across from me and read a book. As I focused only on fencing until now, I was trying to learn other things as much as I could. ¡°Someone ising. Be careful ¡­ ¡± The blonde knight, who silently drank the tea in front of me, suddenly stood up. The door was thrown open even before he finished his words. The moment I turned my head in surprise, my view was blocked by his white uniform. ¡°Who are you? Please identify yourself. ¡± ¡°¡­Royal knight? Why is the royal knight defending the imperial family hanging around here?¡± I clearly remembered his voice. Why did hee here? I thought he would nevere again. I felt I needed to tell Sir Seymour that he didn¡¯t have to be wary. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Sir Seymour. I know him. ¡± ¡°Okay,dy.¡± When the young knight stepped slightly to the side, his ming red hair caught my eye. I stood up slowly, sighing deep down. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Carsein.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± ¡°Why did youe here? I thought I would never see you again.¡± The boy had no answer. Instead, he nced at Sir Seymour. When the boy asked the knight to leave, he nodded unexpectedly. The red-haired boy raised his eyes and spoke as soon as the door closed,¡±Hey, you!¡± ¡°Go ahead, please.¡± ¡°The more I think about it, the more angry I get. I just can¡¯t give it a pass.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You told me to behave myself, conscious of the honor of my father and my family, right? Do you know how rude you were when you said that? Even if your family and mine are in the same boat, your remarks could spark a family fight if something went wrong. Do you know that?¡± ¡°I know.¡± I nodded when he got down to the point. I just spat out what came to my mind as I was upset about him at that time. So, what I said could entangle the two families into a big fight. ¡°I was reckless back then. Sorry, I apologize. ¡± ¡°¡­ Hey, you!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Do you think you can get away with such a quick apology when you have told me to behave myself?¡± I smiled at him as he stared at me as if he was dumbfounded. I thought it¡¯s funny that I told him what I learned from his father about the basic manners of the empress candidate. ¡°Do you think offering apologies disgraces your honor?¡± ¡°Of course!?¡± ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you think that failure to apologize for doing something wrong or express appreciation even if you receive a favor is something dishonorable? If you are med by others for your needless pride, can you say that it is an honorable behavior?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I apologized for something that I felt wrong about. By the way¡­¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± ¡°Do you know that the way you have treated me disrespectfully until now could also escte into a family feud?¡± I looked up at him with a scornful smile. He would notice my smile was meaningful if he were not stupid. Not surprisingly, the boy¡¯s expression slowly distorted. ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s because¡­¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°Sorry,dy. I¡¯m really sorry for that.¡± ¡°I ept your apology.¡± ¡°What I mean is¡­¡± Chapter 33 Chapter 33: Chapter 33 The boy stammered, very nervously. I thought he was cute at that moment. At first he reminded me of someone in my past life, and now I don¡¯t recall him anymore when I found him at a loss what to do. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know! I was born like this from the beginning. Let me just talk informally to you. If you are ufortable about it, justin formally.¡± ¡°Okay. Then, can Iin to your father formally? ¡± ¡°Oh, no way!¡± ¡°Why not? As a member of a noble family who values honor, you don¡¯t want to retract what you have promised me, right?¡± ¡°Dang it! Yeah, go ahead if you want. I¡¯m ready!¡± When I saw the boy muttering with his head down, I burst intoughter. It was the first time I had a heartyugh like that. I really felt refreshed to hear that. As I was obsessed with thinking that I should act with dignity as the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, I always smiled silently ording to the imperial manners, so I have neverughed like this once. ¡°Wow! You know how tough, huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Why are you so serious? What¡¯s wrong?¡± I hurriedly changed my expression when he stared at me with his eyes wide. He mumbled something then said, clearing his throat, ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± ¡°As we have apologized to each other, I think we have reconciled with each other, right?¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°So¡­ You cane back to my house from now on.¡± I smiled at him when he said it casually. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have to go to your house, but¡­¡± ¡°Huh, why? Did you give up? Huh? Are you quitting fencing that you wanted to learn so much? ¡± ¡°I never said that.¡± I replied calmly to him when he asked nervously. After taking a deep breath, he asked again, ¡°Then, why are you not going toe to my house? Are you still angry?¡± ¡°No, what I mean is I don¡¯t have to practice with you any more.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Sir Seymour decided to coach me. I just hope I won¡¯t be a burden to him as I¡¯mcking in skills.¡± ¡°Sir Seymour? Are you talking about that royal knight?¡± He said with a frown, adding, ¡°Why is he protecting you? You are not a member of the imperial family, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Well, I¡¯m nominally a royal family member.¡± ¡°Nominally? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I am. Did you not know that? ¡± ¡°Oh, I heard that the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e is the only daughter of the Monique family. So, that daughter is you, right?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Got it¡­ Damn it.¡± Tracing his memory, he slurred and became silent as if he finally remembered the fact. I was silent, too, but shortly afterwards, he said with a frown, scratching his head, ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. As my father ordered me to coach you, I can¡¯t ignore it. So, let¡¯s do it like this. You keep letting him coach you. Instead, I wille over here.¡± ¡°Are you going toe here?¡± ¡°Yes. I would like to see how good that knight¡¯s fencing skills are, and if I feel I need to learn from him, I would like to learn while watching him.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Okay, hope I¡¯m in great hands!¡± I sighed at his casual remarks. He should learn how to behave himself, but it was hopeless for me to expect that. When he grinned at me casually after dering he woulde to my training field, I suddenly felt a headache. I missed the peaceful afternoons that I used to enjoy without anybody¡¯s interference. I gently touched the light green paper and smiled, covering it. ¡®Oh, today is the very day he has promised me. If what he said is true, is something special happening to me today?¡¯ The sunlight shining through the slightly open curtains was dazzling. I drew aside the bed curtain and opened the window. Chirp, chirp! I heard birds chirping here and there. My hair was scattered by the refreshing wind blowing through the windows. When I looked down, breathing in fresh air, I saw the garden dyed in light green. It looked like something good would happen to me this morning. ¡°Good morning to you!¡± ¡°Good morning, mydy!¡± When I opened the door, I saw the two knights who stayed up all night. They escorted me outside. I greeted Sir Seymour, who was off in the morning, then went to the training field with Sir June. ¡°You seem to feel good somehow. Did you have a good dream?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t, but I feel like there¡¯s something good happening to me today.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because spring ising. Anyway, you look good. If my friend had seen you now, he would have liked you very much. ¡± ¡°Which friend are you talking about?¡± ¡°Do you know this man? He is Adel Su Ryan with the 2nd Knights Division. He misses you a lot.¡± ¡°Sir Ryan?¡± ¡®Son of Viscount Ryan? Who is he? What was the crest of his family?¡¯ When I traced my memory, I recalled a face that quickly came to my mind. Is he the same man? One day he was looking at me as if he was watching a puppy. Yes, he was the young knight who told me bashfully that he would escort me home. I think I saw his family¡¯s crest embroidered on his uniform. ¡°Are you talking about that young knight with gray hair and dark blue eyes?¡± ¡°Yes, you know him. If he knows you remember him, he will like it very much,¡± Sir June said with a smile. After strolling through the garden, chatting with him, I headed to the training field. Satisfied with my good condition, I was warming up when I saw the red-haired boying in. ¡°Good morning, Lars!¡± ¡°Ugh, you look good today? Did you have any good dreamsst night?¡± ¡°Well, I do not know.¡± ¡°What is it? What kind of dream was it?¡± Chapter 34 Chapter 34: Chapter 34 Leaving the curious boy behind, I ran on the track around the training field. How much time passed? I slowed down to catch my breath, but suddenly I felt like someone was following me. ¡®Is it the duke¡¯s son?¡¯ The moment I stepped aside for him to go in first, someone pulled me from behind. In an instant, I felt warmth around my whole body. ¡°Who is it holding me like this¡­?¡± ¡°I got you, mydy.¡± I almost got angry with him for his overly friendly gesture but didn¡¯t. I stiffened suddenly. A friendly voice was heard in my ears, which made me shudder. ¡°Oh, Allendis?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Aristia.¡± I turned back quickly. A boy who looked very familiar but a little different caught my eye. I blinked my eyes slowly when I saw Alllendis, who I had not seen in almost six months. ¡®Why does he look so strange to me?¡¯ I momentarily thought to myself. However, his hair shining in the sunshine was still fresh green just like I first met him, and his emerald eyes looked at me tenderly. Feeling warm towards him, I smiled and hung in his arms. ¡°I missed you, Allendis.¡± ¡°Me, too, mydy. Ah, I feel I can breathe now!¡± Allendis whispered, holding me when I was wrapped in his arms. As if he touched something precious, he stroked my hair cautiously. I closed my eyes. He smelled refreshing as he held me in his arms. I felt so rxed. At that moment someone snatched me roughly. When I looked back, I saw a boy breathing hard, staring at me. ¡°Why are you acting so rudely, Lars?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I want to ask you. What the heck are you doing with this person?¡± As if he was not happy with something about me, Lars screamed with a red-hot face. I pulled my arm roughly from his grip and frowned unconsciously. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m alright.¡± I smiled slightly at Allendis when he asked me anxiously. I felt so rxed at hisforting voice. ¡°By the way, Aristia, who is this man?¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot to introduce him. This is Carsein de Lars, and he is Duke Lars¡¯ second son. Hey, Lars, this is Allendis de Verita, Duke Verita¡¯s younger son.¡± ¡°Oh, it looks like you are that son who is the same age as me, right?¡± Allendis smiled at Lars and reached out. ¡°Nice to see you, Lars. I¡¯m Allendis de Verita. I think you have made friends with Aristia while I was away. ¡± ¡°¡­ Hey, you.¡± Lars shouted at me, pretending not to have heard Allendis. How rude! I knew he was insensitive to manners from the beginning, but I didn¡¯t know he acted so rudely to Allendis, who had the same status. ¡°Are you discriminating against me now?¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about?¡± Responding to his annoying remarks nonchntly, I looked at Allendis. He could have been upset with him about his rudeness, which was close to insulting, but surprisingly, he seemed not to care about it. ¡®Is he really fine?¡¯ Anyway, I felt a bit uneasy and sighed with relief, when the rude man turned me around hysterically and shouted, ¡°Why are you calling me ¡®Lars¡¯ when you call his name? And the way you speak to him is also different.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I and Allendis agreed to call each other by first name. But you and I have never agreed on that, right?¡± ¡°Really? Call me by my name from now on!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Ah, why?¡± ¡°Can you introduce yourself to him with good manners first? How can you be so rude to him when you have only just met him?¡± When I retorted coldly, the boy, who shook his dishevelled hair nervously, turned to Allendis and said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s nice to see you. My name is Carsein de Lars. ¡± ¡°I already know your reputation. It is my first time seeing you in person. Nice to meet you, Lars.¡± When Allendis naturally introduced himself to him, Lars nodded at him and looked back at me. ¡°Are you satisfied now? Now, call me by first name. ¡± ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t make any big difference¡­¡± ¡°I want you to call me like that. Okay? Call me now.¡± ¡°Carsein. Enough? ¡± ¡°Oh, can you call me more kindly? ¡°I said I would call you by your name, but didn¡¯t say I would talk to you more kindly.¡± I looked at him dumbfounded, but almost broke intoughter when I saw him hitting his chest. When I covered my smiling lips with my hand, something suddenly was ced on my head. ¡°I came back after a long time. Don¡¯t you have any gift for me?¡± ¡°Huh? Do you have anything you want, Allendis? ¡± ¡°Yes, I do. Will you give it to me? ¡± ¡°Sure. What?¡± ¡°Your nickname.¡± ¡°My nickname?¡± I asked nkly. Nickname. Well, people close to each other can call them by their first names. But a nickname was a little different because it was allowed only between rtives or lovers. Of course, people can call each other by nickname if they are in intimate rtions, but it was very rare. I hesitated for a long time. What should I do? Alendis, who is smarter than anyone, must know the implication of the nickname. I was speechless when he just smiled at me, waiting for my reply. I was afraid that he would be hurt if I refused. But I didn¡¯t feel up to it. Believe it or not, I¡¯m still the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e. What if he takes an issue with this? When I was agonized, Allendis said with a sigh, ¡°Can¡¯t you find one as my friend?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡­ ¡± ¡°I am not so stupid, Aristia. I¡¯m not going to call your nickname in front of others. So, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. ¡± Oh, was it what he meant? Well, as a genius, Alendis must have thought of it. Well, I could have a nickname. Although I was a bit bothered because of Carsein, I felt he would not pick a fight with me on this because his and my families are in the same boat. I nced at Allendis, after looking at the boy who was still annoyed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t answer quickly. Yes, of course. No problem. I¡¯ll let you call my nickname. It¡¯s Tia.¡± ¡°Thank you, Tia. Then, why don¡¯t you call me Allen from now on? ¡± ¡°¡­ Allen. ¡± I was touched when somebody who was not rted by blood called my nickname for the first time in my life. I wanted to be called that by the man who I loved from the bottom of my heart, but didn¡¯t. However, he never called me Tia. When I saw him and Jiun calling each other¡¯s nickname kindly, I had to hide my strong envy back then. Suddenly, my heart ached. Now, the fact that I¡¯ve got somebody who calls me by my nickname, and somebody who I can call by his nickname struck a strong emotional chord in me. Suddenly, I felt like crying. As I hurriedly lowered my head to hide my tears, Lars poked his face at me and asked,¡±Hey, are you crying now? Why are you crying? Did he make you cry?¡± ¡°How dare I make Tia cry? You¡¯re mistaken, Lars.¡± ¡°Wait a minute. Why are you calling by her pet name?¡± ¡°Because I just got her permission.¡± Allendis looked back at me, smiling at Lars with a wry face. ¡°Can I talk with the duke¡¯s son, Tia? As I¡¯m going to see him anyway, I think I have to make friends with him.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Please.¡± ¡°Thank you, mydy. Lars, shall we move to another ce? ¡± ¡°¡­ Well, good. ¡± After replying reluctantly, Lars left the training field with Allendis. I was worried a bit. ¡®Allendis, is he okay?¡¯ What if Lars kept being rude to him? I¡¯m sure he would be hurt. I know he¡¯s generous and mature, but I was still worried. I returned to my house with a heavy heart and took a shower. When I sat in the parlor and opened a book, Lina came in shortly with some refreshments. ¡°Thanks, as always, Lina.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, mydy.¡± ¡°Sit down. Let¡¯s have a snack together. ¡± ¡°With you, mydy?¡± ¡°Yes. In fact, as I¡¯ve been busy these days, I haven¡¯t spent much time with you. ¡± Lina, who has grown up with me since childhood, was special to me. She was even more so to me in the past. To me, who was always lonely, Lina was the only chatting friend and closer than my father, my only kin. ¡°However¡­ ¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay because I gave you permission.¡± Chapter 35 Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Lina kept hesitating, but reluctantly sat down across the table. She felt awkward only briefly. When I broke the ice, she quickly began to chat with me excitedly. Tilting my mug, I was listening while she was chatting, and at one point she pped her hands as if she suddenly recalled something. ¡°Oh, mydy. I idently looked out the window, bringing refreshments here. I saw Verita and Lars together. Did you know that?¡± ¡°Yes, they said they had something to say between themselves. Why, what happened? ¡± ¡°Well, the atmosphere didn¡¯t look good. Verita was telling him something, but Lars was frowning a lot as if he wanted to hit.¡± ¡°Really? Where are they?¡± I thought as Allendis was always kind and calm, he would not cause any trouble. I wish I had stopped them going out. When I was about to stand up hurriedly, Lina, who was excited a lot, shook her hand and said, ¡°It must be because of his jealousy. Both of them knew clearly that they had the same woman in mind. So, obviously they were trying to check against each other.¡± ¡°Jealousy?¡± ¡®What? What the heck is that?¡¯ I grinned in spite of myself at Lina¡¯s guesswork. These days Lina had been avidly reading romance novels, and perhaps she seemed to think about me in the context of my rtionship with Verita and Lars. In fact, reading romance novels in the empire is, in principle, banned, but romance novels were getting very popr among nobles as well as thosemoners who were literate. So, on the days when a famous writer¡¯s new romance novel is released, bookstores all over the country are crowded with noblewomen. The most popr contents are mainly about the love between the nobles andmoners or between the knight and ady. Recently, Madame Gem¡¯s < After the Moon Rises and Wanes Seven Times> was extremely popr. ¡°Nonsense. Why would they be jealous because of me?¡± ¡°Well, I am not sure about Lars, but obviously Verita likes you. Because a new man appeared while Verita was away, as you know. That¡¯s why Lars hates him very much. I¡¯m not sure, but I think Verita told him something that rubbed him the wrong way.¡± ¡°Well, Allendis and I are just friends. Besides, as a polite and well-mannered man, I don¡¯t think Allendis said something mean to him.¡± ¡°Howe you and Verita are just friends? I know he has proposed to you.¡± ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s not anything like a proposal. He cracked some jokes to break the ice when we first met. You know, a guy wouldn¡¯t like me from the beginning.¡± I know I don¡¯t have any charm to attract a man. Perhaps that¡¯s why he had never looked at me even though I dearly cared for him. He repeatedly said I was such a cold and heartless woman, telling me I meant nothing to him. When I recalled my heartbreaking memories rted to him, I smiled bitterly in spite of myself. ¡°What the hell are you talking about? Don¡¯t you know how wonderful ourdy is?¡± Did she notice I felt under the weather? When Lina hastily tried to say something, the door was flung open. ¡°Hey, you!¡± ¡°What the heck is going on here?¡± ¡°What is the matter with you, Lars?¡± ¡°I told you earlier that I would talk to you like I used to.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? How is he rted to you? ¡± ¡°Are you talking about Allen?¡± ¡°Yes! That dumb bastard! ¡± With a sigh I lifted the mug. What¡¯s the matter again? My head throbbed, so I was drinking tea silently. But the boy took a seat that Lina just left and said as if he felt frustrated, ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me! Anyway, you¡¯d better keep a distance from that guy.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°That guy is really a nerd. Well¡­ ¡± I frowned when he was ndering Allendis behind his back. I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so I was going to rebuke him after putting down my mug when Allendis cut in, ¡°Are you referring to me, Lars?¡± When I met his eyes, Allendis slightly lowered his head and said, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry I came in without your permission, Tia.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine, Allen, do you want tea? ¡± ¡°What kind of tea? Ah, it¡¯s lemon-balm. Sure.¡± Allendis sat next to me before I knew it and nodded when he saw my mug ced on the table. I told Lina to bring one more teacup, who was standing on one side. ¡°What happened? I heard that the atmosphere was not good. ¡± ¡°Huh? No. I was surprised that I could have a good conversation with him. I find he is very discerning in some respects. Don¡¯t you think so, Lars?¡± ¡°Gosh, don¡¯t say that.¡± I tilted my head when Lars wiggled his eyes at Allendis¡¯s sarcasticpliment. Did anything really happen between them? Allendis was too calm for that. If something bad had happened like Lina said, Lars would not have sat on his hands. Well, it was not a big deal, I thought. They could ignore any slight differences in opinion. I stopped getting lost in idle thoughts like that when I saw Linaing in with a teapot and a mug of hot water. I took out well dried leaves and brewed the tea. Allendis was reading the book I took out while Lars was staring at him in frustration. I poured tea in their cups and put a piece of white cake in my mouth. While I was enjoying the taste of the cream that melted like snow, I raised my head when something came to my mind. ¡°Allen.¡± ¡°Huh? Why, Tia? ¡± ¡°Remember the letter you sent me? What was that special gift that you mentioned would be delivered to my house? You mentioned something white, warm and sweet. ¡± ¡°Oh, haven¡¯t you figured it out yet? Well, I¡¯m a bit disappointed to know that.¡± ¡°Huh? What is the answer? ¡± ¡°Well, of course it¡¯s me. As you know, I¡¯m a warm and sweet guy, with fair skin.¡± ¡°See! He is crazy, man. What ridiculous bullshit are you saying¡­¡± ¡°Oh, was that what you meant?¡± I smiled at Lars who was looking at Allen scornfully and Allen was grinning at me without paying any attention to Lars at all. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a really special gift. Where can I find a special gift as nice as a friend I haven¡¯t seen in a long time?¡± At that moment the butler came in without knocking on the door and gave me a letter. ¡®Who sent this?¡¯ When I received the luxurious white envelope, the crest imprinted on the envelope caught my eye. A roaring lion. I stiffened unconsciously. I felt as if my heart stopped. ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s an imperial crest, isn¡¯t it?¡± When Lars spoke with a suspicious look, Allendis took his eyes off the book. Looking at the crest, he looked at me with concern, ¡°Are you okay, Tia?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯m fine. Whew! ¡± After taking a deep breath, I opened the seal. I bit my lip while reading the long letter. I have been preparing for it since the New Year came in, but I became hopeless when I realized that the day was approaching. What should I do now? Now that my father is away, how can I get out of my fate? ¡°Why do you look pale? Any bad news? ¡± ¡°No, nothing like that, but¡­¡± ¡°Then, what is it? What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Are you sure you are okay? What the heck is troubling you this time¡­?¡± I handed the letter to Alendis, who slurred. After reading it silently, he sighed and put it down. Lars also grabbed the letter and asked, tilting his head, ¡°Huh? What the heck is this? You have to attend the crown prince¡¯sing-of-age ceremony? Besides, they are sending a royal tailor to measure you and make a dress. I thought you¡¯re twelve. Why do you have to go there?¡± ¡°Because I am the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Come to think of it, you are the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e¡­ Damn it. It¡¯s not time I wasted my energy on the wrong target¡­¡± Lars remained silent after murmuring something inaudible. I closed my eyes to block out Allendis¡¯s worried expression. The crown prince¡¯sing-of-age ceremony was the day I promised to give my answer to the emperor a few years ago and was fast approaching. I felt like I was falling into hell. Why now, when my father was away? ¡°¡­Tia. ¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Chapter 36 Chapter 36: Chapter 36 I opened my eyes when Allendis spoke with a subdued voice. With a bitter-looking smile, he pulled me to his side silently. I wasforted when he gently patted my back and held me in his arms warmly, looking at me silently. Although I could not find the absolutefort in him that I found in my father, I felt consoled by his gentle patting on my back. Carried away with his warm touch, I leaned my head on him. It looked like some of my despair disappeared when I was held in his arms, smelling his unique body odor. As I felt much better, I breathed deeply when Lars caught my eye while turning his head. With a wry face, he immediately got angry at me and said, ¡°What are you doing now? Pull away from him right now! I can¡¯t stand it anymore. How could ady hug a man so easily?¡± ¡°Hey, Lars?¡± Allendis challenged. ¡°What are you doing, Allendis? How shameful¡­¡± ¡°I think I have to leave now. If I stay a bit longer, I think I¡¯m overstaying and in breach of the table manners.¡± Allendis let go of me, responding to Lars scornfully. I slowly stood up and looked out the window. ¡®Oh, time passed so fast!¡¯ After seeing Lars off who often looked back and Allendis who told me he woulde back tomorrow, I headed to my bedroom. I felt I should go to bed early today. As the day of the crown prince¡¯sing-of-age ceremony was approaching, the capital city of Casti became crowded with iing nobles. The boutiques specializing in dresses for nobles were booming, and the people were satisfied with the emperor¡¯s rule thanks to the release of the massive reserve grains. Some of the nobles balked at the luxurious ceremony at a time when the empire was suffering from famine, but the emperor was determined to have the ceremony proceed in a splendid manner even if the imperial family was financially strained because of the poor crops. Moreover, the person who came of age would be the next emperor. Everyone was in a cheerful mood, but I couldn¡¯t be. I was so busy because I had to attend in my capacity as the crown prince¡¯s fiancee, but I was often afflicted with despair and hopelessness. As the day wasing nearer day by day, I got more and more nervous. ¡°Please eat a little more, youngdy. You have to go through a big event tomorrow¡­ ¡± ¡°I can¡¯t eat anymore. Let me stop here. By the way, Lina, have you heard anything from my father? ¡± ¡°No, not yet. Don¡¯t worry too much,dy. He will be in touch with you soon. ¡± ¡°¡­ Got it.¡± Iy on my bed and thought about it. What happened? Although those officials dispatched to the border returned to the capital one by one, I haven¡¯t heard anything from him. ¡®Did something bad happen to him? What if he neveres back? ¡® When I came to think of the day of possible farewell to him, my heart sank. I couldn¡¯t stand it. ¡°Let¡¯s not think that way, Aristia.¡± I murmured to myself, holding the doll he gave me on my birthdayst year. Probably he forgot to send me a letter because he had to go on a long journey. In terms of swordsmanship, he was the best and strongest man in the empire. So, there is no possibility that somebody could harm him. Besides, he didn¡¯t go to the battlefield, but the border area for regr inspection. I curled up and pulled the nket over me. I was exhausted because I had to prepare for the ceremony for the past several days, but I was still lucid. While tossing and turning on the bed because of endless idle thoughts, I opened my eyes at the noiseing from outside. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Shortly afterwards, Lina came in and asked carefully. ¡°Mydy, Veritas wants to see you. What should I do?¡± ¡°Really? Please let him in. I would rather move to another ce to talk with him, but I¡¯m too weak to do so.¡± ¡°Okay, mydy. Instead, I¡¯ll leave the door open a bit. ¡± ¡°Whew! Yes, please.¡± I slowly raised my body and sat, leaning against the pillow. What the heck is going on? Unlike me, who used to attend official events as a child because of my status as the fianc¨¦e of the crown prince, it was customary for most of the nobles to make their debut in social circles for the first time when they came of age. But the banquet tomorrow was a little different. As the ceremony was tomemorate the next emperor¡¯sing of age, it was clear that most nobles would attend, even if they were young. If that¡¯s the case, even Alendis would attend the banquet tomorrow, and he would be very busy. Nheless, he visited me. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Tia. I was going to ask if you were keeping well, but you don¡¯t look good.¡± ¡°Well, so so.¡± ¡°Why do you look so pale? I¡¯m sad,Tia.¡± Looking a bit tired, Allendis approached my bed and kneeled beside it. He held my shaking hands, ¡°I¡¯vee here to tell you something, but you look too tired. Should I leave?¡± ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m a little tired, but I can talk with you.¡± ¡°Are you really okay?¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry.¡± When I smiled feebly, he felt sympathetic. ¡°So, are you prepared now?¡± ¡°Yes, sort of.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you must have been distressed as your father was away.¡± ¡°Well, a little.¡± I could say I was very distressed, but I didn¡¯t. As he looked at me anxiously, he gently patted my hands andforted me. I smiled gently, feeling his warmth when he touched my hands. There was silence for a long time. He said he came here to tell me something, but he kept hesitating, as usual. What was he trying to tell me? The moment I tried to ask because I couldn¡¯t wait anymore, Allendis said with a determined expression, ¡°You know, Tia. Actually, while I was talking with Lars, I came to hear about your condition until now. ¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about? ¡± ¡°Well, I heard you were very sick. I also heard that you seemed impatient as if you were being chased by somebody.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I was very upset after hearing that. I wrote a letter to you just in case you were sick. I really hoped you wouldn¡¯t get sick.¡± I had nothing to say, so I shut up. I listened silently to what he was saying. ¡°So, I think it¡¯s still premature for me to say this. You might try to push me out if I say this, but I don¡¯t think I can¡¯t stand it anymore.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Tia, just a little, a little bit is enough. Can you open your mind? Can¡¯t you tell me what you¡¯re thinking deep down?¡± My face stiffened at that. I put my hands on my heart that started to beat faster and faster, pretending to be casual. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re always kind to me, but you never open your heart to me. So, I don¡¯t know why you are distressed or what makes you feel stressed out or why you hate the crown prince or why you are trying to get out of the imperial family so desperately. I just don¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°Allen.¡± ¡°If you father were here with you, or if you had someone you can rely on, I wouldn¡¯t be here like this. But your father is away and you don¡¯t have anyone to depend on now. Obviously, you¡¯re greatly distressed when you have to attend the crown prince¡¯sing-of-age ceremony tomorrow, but I really don¡¯t know how to help you. I can¡¯t find a solution because I don¡¯t know.¡± I began to feel nauseated. I closed my eyes to try to turn away from his emerald eyes. ¡®Don¡¯t tell him anything!¡¯ Some cold voice deep inside me ordered me. ¡®Are you going to open your heart to him because of hisforting words? What if you get abandoned again?¡¯ This time another voice asked. ¡®Can¡¯t you believe in Allendis? Remember your vow that you would walk with people around you? Even if he knew that you¡¯re hiding something, he¡¯s asking you how to help instead of avoiding you? ¡®Can I believe him?¡¯ I was breathing faster and faster. ¡®If you don¡¯t want to be abandoned again, say no!¡¯ Said the first voice. Another voice refuted it, but it was fading away gradually. Chapter 37 Chapter 37: Chapter 37 I was afraid that I would be abandoned by precious people if I told the truth. I couldn¡¯t shake off the harrowing memories of being used by the god that I believed and relied on, and that I was deserted by the one I loved from the bottom of my heart. So I just bit my lip hard. ¡°Could you tell me why you are so scared and how I can help you?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Trust me, Tia. I¡¯ll take some of your burden off your chest. Tell me what you are so afraid of. ¡± ¡®Don¡¯t you want to get the burden off your chest?¡¯ The second voice began to whisper again. ¡®I know you have been keeping your worries inside without talking to anybody. Have you already forgotten your vow that you want to live with people around you? If you don¡¯t tell him, you are going to get stuck where you are for the rest of your life.¡¯ I replied to the second voice with my eyes closed. ¡®Yes, you are right. I¡¯m scared. But if I keep hiding like this, I won¡¯t be able to escape forever. I hate to live like that. I don¡¯t want to be trapped in that memory and let it torment my whole life.¡¯ I took a big breath. Putting my hands on my heart that was beating so fast, I opened my mouth, ¡°¡­ Well, I had a dream. It was a very long dream.¡± ¡°Dream?¡± I trembled when I looked at Allendis tilting his head. I barely plucked up the courage to tell him, but I became weak again, so clenching my fists, I opened my mouth, ¡°Yes. I loved someone a lot in my dream, but I was distressed because of that love. I was lonely, my heart was broken, and I was very hopeless.¡± When I saw his expressionless look, I was scared, but I couldn¡¯t tell him the whole truth. I came back to ten from seventeen, but everything around was real. Who could believe this kind of nonsense? This was a matter ofmon sense before faith. ¡°Now, I ampletely awake from that dream, but I can¡¯t erase my memories and feelings from that dream.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°So I wanted to get out of that dream by all means. I didn¡¯t want to repeat that pain. But¡­ ¡± My miserable times came to my mind, let alone the painful memories that were never easily forgotten, though they were not as vivid as before. ¡°I really want to shake it off, but I can¡¯t. I thought I found out the way, but I am running out of time. I just don¡¯t know what to do and how to escape. I really don¡¯t know. ¡± I grabbed the bedsheet with a trembling hand. I was breathing too fast, gasping for breath. I desperately blinked my eyes to clear my blurry vision. Allendis, who was listening to me without saying anything, slowly contorted his face. A sense of anxiety gradually began to seize me. I tightened my grip on the bed sheet. ¡°I see. You must have had a nightmare. Don¡¯t worry too much. A dream is just a dream. It can never be a reality.¡± ¡°Allen.¡± ¡°By the way, Tia. I¡¯m a little sad. ¡± Tears came from my eyes the moment he soothed me kindly, but very briefly. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are telling me about your dream. You know that¡¯s not what I asked you. Why are you trying to beat around the bush, Tia? Are you afraid I will do something bad to you if you tell me the truth?¡± I freaked out when he said that. Looking at his hollow eyes, suddenly I came to realize one thing. Yeah, it was not me alone who didn¡¯t trust the other person. ¡°¡­Allen, you are asking me to open my heart to you, telling me I should trust you, but it seems you are not trusting me.¡± ¡°Tia?¡± ¡°In the first ce, you didn¡¯t think I would open my heart to you, right?¡± Although my memories faded as time passed by, I didn¡¯t forget how hopeless I was when I was abandoned by the god that I relied on and how frustrated I was when I was betrayed by him that I trusted. And now I saw my trust in Allendis was being shattered in front of my eyes. ¡°I trusted you. If you can¡¯t trust me, I have nothing more to tell you.¡± ¡°¡­ Tia. ¡± ¡°I wish you hadn¡¯t asked me anything. If so, at least I wouldn¡¯t have noticed that you didn¡¯t trust me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be mean to me, Tia. please.¡± Only now did I finally decide to turn over a new leaf in my life. I decided that even if I couldn¡¯t change quickly, I thought about opening my heart little by little. ¡°Sorry, Tia. Please don¡¯t. It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m all wrong. Please don¡¯t shut me out. ¡± I was so disappointed in him. ¡°I will never ask you again. I won¡¯t ask you to tell me about it. I was all wrong. So please don¡¯t desert me. Please!¡± As I trusted him, I showed him my hurt feelings, but he didn¡¯t understand. I really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Can you leave now, Allendis?¡± ¡°Tia!¡± I pulled my hand from him and covered my ears with both hands. I turned away from him. I didn¡¯t want to see him anymore. When I found he betrayed my trust in him, no matter how little it was, I didn¡¯t want to see him. ¡°Lina!¡± She came in a hurry to my sharp shouting, which was almost close to screaming. She was standing before me, at a loss what to do. Allendis dropped his head after begging me to forgive him. I never looked back at him until he left the room with heavy footsteps. ¡°Where¡¯s my sapphire pin?¡± ¡°Bring me one of a little lighter color. Yes, that one. ¡± ¡°Mydy, would you like to raise your head slightly?¡± I turned my eyes away from the messy stuff in the room and looked in the air. As the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, I had to enter with him at the ceremony today, so all the housemaids of my house were eager to get me dolled up as best they could. Of course, I wasn¡¯t interested at all. I was afraid of the arrival of today¡¯s ceremony until yesterday, but I wasn¡¯t scared anymore. Perhaps, it¡¯s because I felt empty. I wouldn¡¯t care even if things went wrong. Now that I lost track of my father and Allendis betrayed my trust, my mind was nk. Looking at me notining at all even when they tightened the corset around my waist and put on a pannier to make my skirt look abundant, the maids whispered among themselves, but I didn¡¯t care. I just moved my body as they led me. Even after I examined my outfit for thest time, I felt like I was floating in my dreams until I got in the carriage. ¡°Are you okay,dy? You do look pale.¡± When Sir Seymour spoke with a worried look and when I got out of the wagon with the royal knight¡¯s help with people around me whispering about me, I didn¡¯t care because I felt empty. ¡°I, Aristia La Monique, am honored to greet you, the Little Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°You¡­ okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Even though the man who greeted me politely was my partner, I felt h e was acting strange. I didn¡¯t like his dreamlike voice. He frowned when he replied to my greeting with an expressionless look. He tried to say something, and reached out, shaking his head. I put my hand lightly on his cold hand and left the waiting room. When I entered the banquet hall, I stood in front of the entrance and checked my dress briefly. Since he was engaged to me, he and I were dressed as a pair. He wore a gracefully shining white robe, while I wore a light blue dress decorated with a white ribbon. When I adjusted the ribbon and straightened up, he gestured to me lightly. After clearing his throat, the chief attendant shouted loudly. ¡°The Little Sun of the empire, Prince Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina and the Moon of the Future, Aristia La Monique, are entering the hall!¡± The door slowly opened. I smiled consciously with my back straight. Slowly moving, I saw nobles bowing to show their manners to the next emperor. As I walked along the red carpet, I stopped in front of the tform and bowed to His Majesty sitting on the throne. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to see the emperor, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Come on, Crown Prince. Wee, Aristia. Raise your heads. ¡± Chapter 38 Chapter 38: Chapter 38 When he and I showed due manners to the emperor, he ordered the nobles still bowing to him to raise their bodies. When everyone fixed their eyes on the emperor, he said with a solemn expression. ¡°Today is the day when the crown prince grows up andes of age. How can¡¯t I be so happy?¡± ¡°Congrattions, Your Majesty. Congrattions, Crown Prince. ¡± Everyone bowed toward the tform at once. After letting go of his hand, I also stepped back a few steps, spreading the skirt with one hand, and greeted them politely. ¡°In ordance with the imperial tradition, I give the crown and sword to the crown prince Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina, who hase of age,¡± the emperor said, taking out the shining crown from the box that the servant brought. It was slightly lesser in size andr splendor than the emperor¡¯s crown, but it was exquisitely elegant thanks to the delicately crafted jewels. The crown brilliantly reflected the light of the chandelier on his blue hair as the emperor ced it on his head, then gave him a ceremonial sword with a brilliant decoration. After looking back at those who bowed deeply and paying respect to him, the emperor said, ¡°Raise your heads. I am so happy that so many people here celebrate hising of age. I would like to thank you all. ¡± ¡°We¡¯re honored, Your Majesty.¡± After handing the crown and sword to the servant, he approached me and reached out with a light smile on his face. ¡°To you.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Can I ask you for a dance to celebrate mying of age?¡± Suddenly, a scene from my past came to mind. Back then I was having fantasy about the crown prince while struggling to take courses about the empress at a time when I didn¡¯t know the harshness of reality yet. As someone who was told that I had to live as a woman for him, the crown prince was like a man who had the ideal qualities of a man I always dreamed of. I even took his cold attitude toward me for granted because he had to lead the empire. The reason I offered my heart to him the first time was because he asked me to dance at theing-of-age banquet like this. He was the only one who, if perfunctorily, smiled at me among the people as I looked silly inthe banquet hall that I had visited for the first time. As he reached out to me who was always lonely, I gave him my whole heart on that day. But now ¡­ ¡°It is an honor, Crown Prince.¡± I shook off my idle thoughts and held his hand. Hising-of-age ceremony was the same as in the past as was his asking me to dance, and his cold hand. I wondered if my fate was again destined to be the same as the past. Maybe the name of ¡®the pioneer of fate¡¯ was of no use to me. When I arrived at the dancing floor, I felt his strong grip around my waist. The chamber orchestra members picked up their instruments. I moved slowly, holding hands with him, in line with the slow dance that started grandly. Only the man who came of age and his partner could dance the first dance. Because of this, he and I alone were dancing under the attention of numerous guests. Even though I practiced all night long, I was so tense that I was taunted when I got my feet twisted, but now I didn¡¯t make the same mistake. Even if I didn¡¯t even practice for a single time, even if I wore high-heeled shoes, I could do dance steps well because I had already been here. When I followed his lead, he suddenly said with a cold voice, ¡°Oh, It¡¯s surprising.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I barely replied, struggling to pull myself together. ¡°I¡¯m talking about you. Isn¡¯t it the first time in your life that you are dancing today?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°But why are you so used to it?¡± He asked coldly, pulling me toward him when I was stepping a bit away from him. ¡°I can see you¡¯re focused on something else, but you¡¯re still dancing so well. Does it mean that you have danced with another guy so many times? ¡± ¡°What do you mean? How could I do¡­?¡± ¡°Really?¡± After snorting withughter, he pulled me tight. He grinned strangely at me. ¡°That guy over there. Is he Duke Verita¡¯s younger son, right? I hear he often visits your house.¡± He put his lips close to my ear and whispered. When I turned my head along his gaze, a boy with light green hair came into my view. With his fresh hair and deep emerald eyes in my view, I felt my heart was broken when he was looking at me. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t like him. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± I raised my trembling eyes and looked up at him. I trembled with anxiety, he once again looked at the boy and smiled in satisfaction this time. I felt goosebumps. Why did he feel Allendis rubbed him the wrong way? As if somebody threw cold water over my body, I felt cold and nervous. The blood flowing through my heart seemed to have frozen, and my whole body began to tremble. At that moment, the music stopped and a thundering apuse was heard. But I couldn¡¯t take a step forward on the spot. He, who was staring at me, also did not intend to move. My mouth was bing dry. Their whispering was getting farther away. ¡°Thank you for dancing with me first at mying-of-age ceremony.¡± ¡°It was an honor for me¡­¡± After he took his eyes off of me after a long time, he let go of my hand. Then he smiled casually as if nothing had happened. When I replied, barely calming down my trembling body, he reached out with politeness and grabbed my hand. Almost dragged by him, I was headed to the tform where the emperor was seated. After bowing to the emperor, I was about to turn when I flinched. He stopped me and walked to the tform. ¡®What the heck is he doing?¡¯ Although I looked up at him in surprise, he was already on the podium. Only then did he look back at me and gestured at me to sit down. There were two chairs ced side by side just below the emperor¡¯s. My heart sank. I looked around hesitantly, but suddenly he put his hand on my shoulder and pressed it hard. When I came to my senses, he was already sitting next to me. I grew more and more nervous as he looked more different than usual. The messengers from each country lined up to offer him gifts and congrattions, and I watched the emperor expressing gratitude to them, but I felt confused with mixed feelings of fear and tension. ¡°Hey, you.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± When I responded in surprise to his sudden call, he said with a frown, ¡°I felt a moment ago that you looked strange. Why are you so scared of me?¡± ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t get it, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You must know what I¡¯m talking about. What is the reason? Did your childhood memoriese back? ¡± ¡°Pardon? My childhood? ¡± ¡°I guess not, then. Hmmm¡­¡± He put his lips to my ears and said as if he was whispering to his lover, ¡°Is it because of your middle name?¡± ¡°Howe you¡­.?¡± ¡°Did you think I didn¡¯t notice it?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Although there is little possibility, you have the right to seed the throne, and that you can¡¯t give it up because it was given by God¡¯s prophecy. Although the emperor ordered them to keep silent about it, how couldn¡¯t I know it?¡± ¡°¡­ What are you going to do to me, Your Majesty? ¡± I thought I shouldn¡¯t draw his attention in order to avoid mying fate. Unlike the old me, I was not receiving any education as the next empress. So, I thought that if I was intentionally keeping a low profile, there was less of a possibility that he would take me as his wife instead of Jiun. So, I kept a low profile as much as I could. I made sure my middle name, given as the God¡¯s prophecy, did not draw any unnecessary attention, and I didn¡¯t foresee Jiun¡¯s appearance. If he wanted to have a different woman, he could take her as the next empress, but the imperial family would not let me go as long as I had the God-given right to the throne. If that¡¯s the case, I thought I had better draw as little of his attention as possible until I found the way to deal with my session right. Chapter 39 Chapter 39: Chapter 39 ¡°The crown prince¡¯s wife.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°It would be safe to give you a title lower than that, but given the devotion and loyalty of your family, I can¡¯t. Are you satisfied?¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°Why do you look displeased? I¡¯m going to give you the formal title as my wife. Are you afraid that your family¡¯s honor will be disgraced by that?¡± Maintaining my status as his wife? He seemed to think I was afraid of being his concubine, but regardless of my title as his wife or concubine, what I really feared was going through the recurring memory of my past. Even if I be his wife, the fact that Jiun wouldeter to take my title wouldn¡¯t disappear. There was no guarantee that I would not follow my past fate just because I didn¡¯t be his concubine. I held my hands to hide trembling. It was today, thest day that I promised to the emperor to give him my answer. As for my throne session right that the imperial family could not give up, I have been struggling to find a way to get rid of my entanglement with the imperial family and free me from the fetters of the past for the past few years, but time was running out. ¡®Am I done here?¡¯ I was freaking out. After I attended hising-of-age ceremony, I thought I wouldn¡¯t care whatever happened to me. But when I was faced with the situation now, I was so scared. No matter how hard I tried to escape, I felt like I was devoured by the deep swamp that I could never escape. At that moment, there was fanfare, which made mee to my senses. After the foreign messengers were done offering gifts, it was time for the nobles in the empire to offer congrattions to the emperor and the crown prince. ¡°Next is the sword of the empire, Duke Lars,¡± announced the chief protocol official. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see Your Excellency, the Sun of the empire. Congrattions on youring of age, Crown Prince.¡± ¡°Thank you, Duke.¡± When the chief protocol official announced, Duke and Duchess Lars and their son Carsein Lars walked out. On the left and right sides of them showing due manners, there were other nobles standing in line ording to their ranks. There are three duke families in the whole empire, but there was hierarchy even among them. The first in the hierarchy of the duke families was Duke Lars, followed by Duke Verita, and the third was ¡­ ¡°The family of Duke Verita is here to greet His Excellency.¡± ¡°Greetings to the Sun of the empire, His Majesty and the Little Sun, the Crown Prince. I would like to congratte the crown prince on hising of age.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I fixed my trembling eyes on the floor. I couldn¡¯t see the boy standing behind Duke Verita. ¡®Allendis, you know how much I was agonized after you asked me to trust you? Do you know I was devastated by someone that I believed in when I saw a look of incredulity on your face?¡¯ When I was struggling to hold back my tears, someone held my hand strongly. ¡°What are you doing now? Pull yourself together!¡± I came to my senses at his sharp voice. The protocol official already called the third most powerful family. ¡°The family of Marquis Monique, the spear of the empire is here to greet.¡± I slowly stood up. As I went down the tform, my eyes met Duke Jenna¡¯s, who was the fourth in rank. The old man who looked very stubborn was staring at me sharply. As I turned away from his sharp gaze, I suddenly heard some noise. I couldn¡¯t look back, but I could feel that the person responsible for the fuss was walking toward me. My heart was beating fast when I heard his footstepsing closer at regr intervals. My blood that became cold in despair because of the crown prince standing next to me began to circte quickly. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see Your Majesty, the Sun of the empire, and the Little Sun, the Crown Prince. I sincerely congratte the crown prince on hising of age. Please punish me for beingte.¡± His blue uniform, his gray hair scattered under the light, and his voice that I missed so much! ¡°Marquis, you¡¯re finally back. Do you know how worried I was when I was told they lost track of you? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. I couldn¡¯t keep in touch with them timely since I was in a hurry to arrive here in time for the crown prince¡¯sing-of-age ceremony. Please punish me. ¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say that. How can I punish you unless I go crazy? Thanks foring all the way. Let me hear moreter.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Then let me leave now. I¡¯d like to congratte you, Crown Prince.¡± Then he wrapped my hands warmly. ¡°How are you doing, Tia? I think you grew up a little more while I was away.¡± ¡°Dad¡­! ¡± While other families were greeting the emperor and the crown prince, my father took me to a ce far from the tform and spoke, caressing my head. I broke into tears suddenly at his warm and familiar touch. ¡°You¡¯re a grown-updy, so don¡¯t cry. Others might me you for that. ¡± My father, kneeling, reached out and wiped my cheeks wet with tears. Tears kepting out when I saw his affection for me reflected in his blue eyes. The tension that had been seizing me until now melted. ¡°I don¡¯t feel good since you are crying. It¡¯s been a long time I have seen you, honey. Can you stop crying and smile at me?¡± My father, who wiped my tears for a while, whispered. I trito smile brightly as he looked sad, but I couldn¡¯t because of the tears that kept flowing. ¡°Gee, Marquis, your daughter is still young.¡± I looked back when somebody spoke with a smallugh. I saw the emperorughing pleasantly and the crown prince frowning a bit. My father, who put his hand lightly on my shoulder, answered in a calm tone. ¡°As you said, my daughter is still young, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Too young for her to serve the crown prince who hase of age.¡± ¡°So, what would you do?¡± Tilting his head, the emperor asked. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to decide on the sessor of my family sooner orter.¡± ¡°Really? Are you going to marry again?¡± ¡°Oh, no, Your Majesty. You probably haven¡¯t forgotten my oath. ¡± ¡°Of course not. Huh, are you serious? Are you sure you¡¯re going to do it?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know.¡± There was a faint smile on my father¡¯s mouth, while the emperor showed surprise. The blue-haired young man, who was listening to their conversation with a frowning expression, muttered. ¡°Swordsmanship, session, oath. Oh, that¡¯s what he wants?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s why you showed such a reaction.¡± My heart beat fast. He paused for a moment as if thinking about something then said, ¡°Don¡¯t do that, Marquis. I admit that I have neglected your daughter. but it doesn¡¯t mean I denied her. No matter what others say, she is my fiancee as given by God, isn¡¯t she? But you are talking about the sessor of your family all of a sudden. I am a bit embarrassed.¡± ¡°I have nothing to say about that. But¡­ ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thister. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate to mention it today. Your Majesty, there are many people around us watching us. Shall we move?¡± ¡°Sure. Marquis, see you again next time. ¡± His Majesty slowly nodded then turned. The crown prince who stared at me for a while also slowly disappeared into the crowd. Those who were paying attention to us with interest also left one by one. ¡°Whew!¡± I let out a sigh of relief unconsciously. Only now did I feel better. I felt I could get out of the tense moment when I was caught among the emperor, the crown prince and my father, whose aura was too heavy for me to breathe. I wiped cold sweat on my forehead and looked down the hallway where he disappeared. ¡®What will happen to me from now on?¡¯ I overcame the crisis this time, but my fate will be decided some day. When I saw his blue eyes staring at me coldly, I felt the blood circting through my body be cold. I began to feel a spring of anxiety growing deep down. Chapter 40 Chapter 40: Chapter 40 When my father returned home, the atmosphere of my house seemed to have changed. I felt warm and cozy in my house that seemed so empty and lonely before. He must have been very tired, riding all the day from the faraway borders, but as soon as he changed his clothes, he came to talk with me. ¡°You look haggard. Did anything happen to you while I was away? ¡± ¡°Nope, nothing particr.¡± When I looked at his anxious expression, I felt like something wasing up from my heart. However, I didn¡¯t say anything about it. While looking at me silently for a long time, he pulled me into his arms. As if he let out a sigh, I felt his warm breathing on top of my head. ¡°Are you sure? Anyway, you must have been distressed while I was away.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I came backte without any notice. I should have realized you were worried. It¡¯s my fault, honey.¡± ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°Hmmm, let me give the butler a piece of my mind. You look so pale even though nothing has happened to you, which means the butler neglected his duty.¡± ¡°No, Daddy¡­¡± Did I really look so pale? In fact, I could hardly eat food because I was on edge for some time. I hesitated for a moment. What should I do? I couldn¡¯t tell him about my situation in detail, but I couldn¡¯t let the butler be taken to task for something beyond his control. ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Dad.¡± When I was hesitant, my father said, lightly patting my back, ¡°I don¡¯t want to ask. Tell me whenever you feelfortable enough.¡± I was touched by his warm consideration and trust that I felt after a long time. Suddenly, I had a lump in my throat. ¡°Thanks, Daddy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, honey.¡± ¡°How about you, Daddy? Did everything go well? I think you must have had lots of hardship, travelling all over the empire ¡­ ¡± ¡°As the central government was well prepared, I found the situation was under control. On the way back to the capital, I had some problems, which dyed my arrival here.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s a relief!¡± There was silence for a moment. When I was hesitating because I didn¡¯t want to get out of his cozy arms, he whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to mention it anymore, but you look so nervous. It looks like you are nervous because you didn¡¯t solve the issue in a satisfactory manner. But the emperor must have fully understood my intention. So, he won¡¯t be able to take action recklessly. ¡± ¡®Really?¡¯ I trust my father, but can I really feel okay? Given His Majesty¡¯s expression, it looked like he wouldn¡¯t agree easily. ¡°Tia.¡± When I looked up at him, he sighed deeply and hugged me. I felt that my arms were trembling. I was going to ask why, but stopped because it was me, not him. ¡°I want to leave¡­¡± I moved my lips before I knew it and spoke with a sigh. Hesitant a bit, my father said, ¡°Sure. Why not?¡± ¡°Pardon? Are you serious?¡± ¡°Sure. Why don¡¯t you stop by my estate on this asion? You never visited there before, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to, but¡­ ¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m going to ask the emperor for vacation leave tomorrow, so be prepared. Let¡¯s go together.¡± I raised my head when he gave a greenlight so easily. ¡®Is he serious?¡¯ As he came back after several months, he must have gotten behind in his work. As if he noticed that I was surprised, he smiled faintly and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, honey. Since you want it, I can grant you this kind of request without any problem.¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks, daddy.¡± I felt the tension inside me melting away when he gently swept my soft hair. As I rxed, I felt more and more drowsy. While I was blinking in my father¡¯s warm arms, I fell asleep before I knew it. I thought it would not be so easy for the emperor to approve my father¡¯s request for one-month vacation leave, after not having been around for a long time, but he went the next day and got his approval. ording to imperialw, all the marquis estates were located in the border areas since the founding of the empire. However, my family alone owned an estate located within two days of horse riding from the capital because of my family¡¯s special rtionship with the imperial family. Thanks to that, my father and I could arrive at our estate two days after leaving the capital. ¡°Long time, no see, butler. How have you been?¡± ¡°Wee, my lord. I¡¯m doing well. Is there anything special for an old man like me here? You look better. ¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I saw youst, butler.¡± ¡°Mydy, you have grown up a lot. You look like a maturedy. ¡± I smiled at the old butler who I hadn¡¯t seen in three years. He was formerly the butler of my house in the capital, but after his son took over, he went down to this estate where he had little work to do. I felt rxed at his generous and kind smile. It was my first timeing here, but I felt I could get used to it quickly. One month passed quickly. It had been a long time since I enjoyed a peaceful time like this. On a typical day, I spent my time practicing with the knights of my family, learning from watching my father taking care of his documents and chatting with Lina. It seemed that my nervousness finally began to disappear. Sometimes, I felt terribly anxious or empty, but whenever I felt so, I snuggled into my father¡¯s arms to shake off my anxiety. However, my calm life at the estate was broken by the two family knights from the capital three days before her father¡¯s vacation ended. ¡°Sir Seymour, Sir June?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time.¡± ¡°Long time, no see,dy. How have you been?¡± The two knights in white uniforms bowed their heads. I was happy to see their familiar faces, but I got nervous at their appearance. Why did theye here? Did they bring a message from the emperor that we had toe back to the pce immediately? My heart started beating fast. Shortly afterwards, my father came out to the reception room. The two knights saluted and said, ¡°Glory to the Empire! I, Sir Seymour of the Royal Guards, am honored to see you, the Captain of the 2nd Knights. ¡± ¡°I, Eriton Su June with the Royal Guards, am honored to see you, Marquis Monique. Glory to the Empire! ¡± ¡°Wee! Nice to meet you, Sir Seymour, and Sir June. Why did the royal guards like youe here?¡± ¡°We have the order from the crown prince.¡± ¡°From the crown prince?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The crown prince said that even after your vacation was over, she could continue to stay here as long as she wanted to, and he ordered us to protect her while she was staying here.¡± ¡°Protect her?¡± My heart sank. I could understand why the two royal guards were sent to me because there was a precedent. But I couldn¡¯t understand why the order was issued by the crown prince, not the emperor. Why did he give such an order? Is this his reply to his conversation with my father on that day? Did he want to send me a clear warning that I could not get out of the imperial family? When I recalled his blue eyes shining coldly, I felt goosebumps. Pondering over something with a frown, my father nodded, saying, ¡°Hmm, I got it. First of all, I think I have to think about whether she wants to stay here longer or not. It won¡¯t take several days, so stay here until then. Let me talk about other stuffter. ¡± ¡°Okay, lord.¡± The two slightly bowed to him and left, following the butler. Staring at their back, my father said with a sigh, ¡°What are you going to do, Tia? Are you going to go with me to the capital?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Please tell me frankly. ¡± To be honest, I was not sure if I would feel okay to go back to the capital. I was always afraid to encounter the crown prince. Given that my father, who was always prudent, suggested firmly that I go with him, he must have something in mind for my protection, I was still nervous. I still vividly remembered the crown prince talking to me without any empathy. He said he would make sure I would maintain my status as his fiancee. I also recalled him smiling at me as if he was very satisfied with something. Chapter 41 Chapter 41: Chapter 41 I also felt ufortable about meeting Allendis. If I went back to the capital, I would most likely bump into him. But I had no idea how to deal with him. I felt frustrated when I thought about him. ¡°¡­I want to be here a little longer, ¡± I said after hesitating for a while. My conclusion was I decided to avoid them. I knew it wasn¡¯t like me to avoid them, but I wanted to enjoy a little more peaceful time here. ¡°I see. I am sorry I can¡¯t stay with you, but if you want it, let me respect your decision. You can stay here as long as you want. Let mee down here whenever I¡¯m free.¡± ¡°Thank you, Daddy. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m a bit bothered since the crown prince, not the emperor, has sent the royal guards here, so I don¡¯t have to worry about your safety. Be careful, Tia. Contact me always if anything happens. Okay?¡± ¡°Yes, Dad.¡± Obviously, my father was worried, but quietly agreed with my decision. I was so grateful that he still didn¡¯t ask me anything, but I felt so sorry that I left the reception room, with my head down. On the third day after my father left for the capital, the butler handed me a letter when I came back after practicing in the morning. ¡®Who sent it?¡¯ Tilting my head, I took the envelope and looked at the crest on the envelope. As soon as I saw it, I stiffened at the crest showing two crossed keys and a roundurel leaf surrounding them. ¡®Crest of the Duke Verita family.¡¯ It was the first letter from Allendis after I broke contact with him. What did he write in this letter? Was he angry at me for shunning him? Or was he announcing he would never see me again? I hesitated for a long time before opening it. I opened the finely folded yellow-green paper and began to read. He started with the routine greetings in the beginning. < I heard that you left for your father''s estate, but only now I''m writing you a letter. I wanted to ask for your forgiveness early on, but I thought we both needed some time. You were right. I didn''t trust you and doubted what you said. Even though I knew better than anyone else that you would say nothing rather than beating around the bush. But I was foolish enough to think that you were beating around the bush because you didn''t want to open your heart to me. Come to think of it carefully, how stupid I was! I first asked you to trust me, but I didn''t trust you, which pained me. No matter how angry you are, I have nothing to say. I''m so sorry, Tia.> I couldn¡¯t read thatst part because of my blurry vision. Tears came down my cheeks. I wiped the tears quietly. I looked down at the letter withplicated feelings and slowly put it in the drawer. On the day I received his second letter, I repeated holding and putting down a pen several times. When I received the third letter, I only tapped the letter paper with a pen, but couldn¡¯t write a single letter. It was the same for his next letter. I just kept sighing, looking down at a nk page. I couldn¡¯t reply to him in the end. Then one day, an unexpected visitor came to see me. ¡°Hey, long time, no see!¡± ¡°¡­ Carsein Lars? ¡± The boy who jumped off the horse greeted me with a cheerful voice. I tilted my head, watching his red hair blowing in the wind. What the heck was he doing? I felt strange suddenly. But that¡¯s not important right now. Why is he here? ¡°Hey, why are you looking at me like that? I¡¯vee a long way to see you.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. But why did youe here? ¡± ¡°Well, I want to stay here for a few months. Hey, don¡¯t look like that. I got permission from your father. ¡± ¡°My father?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s all because of the deal between my family and yours.¡± ¡°A deal?¡± ¡°Yes, didn¡¯t you know that?¡± What the heck is he talking about? When I asked curiously, Carsein asked back, as if he couldn¡¯t understand. Was there ever a deal between his and our family? What the heck was the deal that made hime all the way down here? ¡°Remember what I told youst time? I told you that the kind of fencing you were practicing didn¡¯t suit you.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember it.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes my job easy. The swordsmanship of your family is too tough for a woman to learn. But it¡¯s not the case of my family. ¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°Your father has formally asked my family to teach you fencing suitable for you as a woman. In exchange your father has promised to give my family something in return.¡± What? To a family of martial arts, its original swordsmanship is the pride and symbol of the family. Nheless, has my fathermitted to pass it on to another family, even if it¡¯s just one person? Because of me? When I reacted in shock, he said with a smile, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. The target of the deal is only you and me. Its transfer to another family is prohibited.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s a relief! ¡± ¡°So, I decided to pass down one thing about fencing to you first. As for me, I can take it from your familyter. Anyway, that¡¯s why I came to teach you.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Now, call me Master,¡± he said yfully. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡± ¡°Why? I¡¯m your master, and I¡¯m here to teach you.¡± ¡°I still hate it.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you be generous to call me master?¡± With an irritated look, he turned away. He stopped while trying to walk away, sweeping his dishevelled hair fluttering in the wind. Then, I took out something from his pocket and gave it to me. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°How long are you going to use honorifguage to me?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Oh, dang it! You always say ¡® I don¡¯t know¡¯ when I ask that. By the way, I clearly gave it to you. That stupid guy asked me to deliver it to you.¡± ¡®Oh, Allendis? ¡® I nced at the light green envelope smelling of a fresh scent. While looking at me hesitating to open it for a moment, Carsein said as if he was annoyed, ¡°Oh, dang it! Did you quarrel with that stupid guy?¡± Quarrell? Can I define it like that? He was now asking to reconcile with me when I consistently refused it. How would I define this kind of rtionship? ¡°You guys are really funny? You were like a couple in the past. And now you are separated like this? What the heck is going on here?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Well, I thought of tearing it on my way here, but I didn¡¯t because of his pathetic expression. Anyway, this time I gave it a pass. I never knew he could make such a pathetic expression.¡± He then turned away as if he was displeased with our rtionship. A serene silence surrounded me. I looked at the light green envelope in my hand and slowly opened the seal. I went back to my room with a sigh. Determined to reply this time, I opened the stationery, but when I picked up the pen, I couldn¡¯t figure out how to. However, I was bothered by what Lars said. He said he saw Allendis¡¯s pathetic expression on his face. I guessed that Allendis was greatly hurt, but when I heard from Carsein that he looked so pitiable, I felt something stuck in my throat. ¡®Let me write anyway.¡¯ I tried to encourage myself to write a reply several times, but I still couldn¡¯t write a single letter. I stared at the paper for a while and put the pen down with a sigh. I folded the nk stationery into the envelope and sealed it. For now, it was the best I could do. Chapter 42 Chapter 42: Chapter 42 ¡°Again.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Again!¡± Carsein was a very strict coach. When I showed even the slightest sign of fatigue, he rebuked me severely. I don¡¯t know why, but he was burning with desire to improve my skills in a short time. ¡°Oh, it ¡®s really frustrating. Can¡¯t you do it right? Push a little more. No, that¡¯s not the right posture!¡± The boy who was staring at me sharply got fretful. Although he got really annoyed, he was a good coach, pointing out and correcting the position of my arms and waist as well as the angle of the sword. When I wielded the sword, reflecting on what Lars pointed out, I felt like I was doing better. It has been six months since I came to my father¡¯s estate. Suddenly, the hot summer passed, and now it grows cooler everyday. Exposed to the cool wind, I smiled pleasantly. Was the day when I practiced until I was exhausted and took care of my skin at the urging of Lina finally over? ¡°That¡¯s all for today. You got much better. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s surprising! Howe you are praising me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t talk any nonsense as far as fencing is concerned. You¡¯ve really made great progress. If you continue to practice like this, you might be able to aim for a knight in a few years. I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°No way! Thanks for your praise anyway. ¡± As I spent the two seasons with him, my rtionship with Carsein changed a lot. The biggest change is that we finally started to speakfortably. Well, as I used to use honorifguage to him from the beginning, I think I have started to feelfortable. Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I headed for the mansion. Even though it was quite cool, my whole body was still hot because I was practicing in the hot sun for a long time. After I took a shower and came downstairs, a maid brought out tea and cake. I nced at the red tea water nkly and looked around. As always, Sir Seymour, the royal guard in white uniform, was standing still at the door today. ¡°Thanks for your hard work, Sir Seymour. Would you like a cup of tea? ¡± ¡°No thanks, mydy.¡± ¡°Just moisten your throat. When I see you standing there, I feel ufortable. ¡± ¡°¡­ Okay. Thank you,dy.¡± After I handed a mug to the blonde knight, I checked the letter that came today while drink the sour hibiscus tea. ¡®Let¡¯s see. This is for Carsein, and this is from Allendis.¡¯ As I opened the light green envelope, Carsein, who already sat next to me, said in a sulken voice, ¡°What the heck? Another letter from that stupid guy? What is he saying this time?¡± ¡°Go away, Carsein. Why are you trying to look at another man¡¯s letter? ¡± ¡°Oh, dang it! You are so mean! I am not looking at it.¡± Carsein, who got fretful with his dishevelled red hair down, picked up the letter addressed to him. Did he feel it was funny that Carsein and I were squabbling? I smiled at Sir Seymour awkwardly, opening the envelope. At first, it was difficult for me to even reply to Allendis, but over the passage of two seasons, he and I continued to exchange letters, and we were restoring our friendship little by little in the process. When I read about half the letter that filled it up, Lina gave me another letter. When I checked the lion crest on the envelope, I stiffened. It was the letter from the imperial family. I hadn¡¯t seen it in a long time since I spent time together at the estate with my father. ¡°What is it? Did you quarrel again¡­?¡± The boy, who said something with an annoying voice, slowly shut up. His blue eyes were fixed on the lion crest. Even when Sir Seymour, who was remaining silent, watched me closely, I let out a long sigh. I put down the light green stationery that I was reading, and picked up the imperial letter. I took a big breath and read it written in the gorgeous handwriting unique to the imperial family. ording to the luxurious white paper, the crown prince would leave the capital for inspection of the border areas early next week, and on his way back, he would be visiting the estate of the Monique family, so I had to be fully ready for his uing visit. In thete afternoon, the cool breeze blew as I headed to the outer castle with Carsein, two royal guards and the staff at the estate to wee the crown prince. Although the horses here were not as good as mine in the capital, I stroked its smooth mane and turned its head. Today, the sky was so blue. My father¡¯s estate wasrge enough to match that of a duke¡¯s estate. As it served as thest defense protecting the road leading to the capital, it had double walls that could be seen from anywhere in the border areas. The sturdy walls and defense weapons surrounding the outer castle among other things were the pride of the Monique estate. There were crowds already gathered near the castle gate early in the morning to see the crown prince. The rtionship between the imperial imperial family and my family was famous enough to be known by all the imperial citizens, so the people in our estate were generally very loyal to the empire. For them, the crown prince and the royal guards¡¯ visit was a must-see spectacle. Was it because so many people came out? I felt many of them casting curious nces at me. I looked at them for a moment and slowly turned my head. As I came here to greet the crown prince, I couldn¡¯t respond to them now. After a lot of time passed, I heard several horses¡¯ hoovesing toward me. It seemed that he arrived finally. ¡°I, Aristia La Monique, am honored to greet the Crown Prince, the Little Sun of the empire. It is an honor for you to visit my shabby estate.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been awhile. How have you been?¡± ¡°I was doing well thanks to your grace. How are you, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Thanks for your consideration. ¡± As if he was conscious of people around him, he smiled at me a bit instead of showing his usual cold expression. Suddenly, my eyes met his eyes. I stiffened at his cold blue eyes that were so unlike his kind attitude, but I got on my horse, trying to pretend to stay calm. ¡°May the empirest eternally!¡± When someone spoke loudly from behind, there were shouts here and there. He waved to the people lined up. ¡®Wow!¡¯ I was almost deafened because of the thunderous cheers. ¡°Haven¡¯t we met in half a year?¡± ¡°Pardon? Ah yes, Your Majesty.¡± I replied in surprise. Looking at me quietly, he looked to the left and said, ¡°Long time, no see, Carsein Lars.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you here, Your Majesty. How are you doing?¡± ¡°So-so. Hmm, how goes the practice?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing my best, though I have yet to improve my skills.¡± ¡°I see. I have high expectations for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Your Majesty. I will do my best to meet your expectations. ¡± Nodding to Carsein with appreciation, he turned his eyes. He saw the thick wall of the castle of my estate in the distance. The soldiers on standby saluted him and opened the gate. While he was lost in thought, heading to the gate, he said, ¡°Did you say that the Monique estate was thest defense protecting the road leading to the capital?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s why the defense around here is very tight. And you seem to have managed your weapons well. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Your Majesty. We¡¯re just trying our best to carry out our duty. You¡¯re almost there. You see the mansion over there.¡± It was a beautiful mansion that they arrived across the wide open boulevard. Unlike my mansion in the capital, the outer walls of the mansion were built with bricks and covered with ivy. The green leaves, tinted red by the autumn sun, were fluttering in the wind. Along the wall everyone lined up and bowed to the crown prince politely. Chapter 43 Chapter 43: Chapter 43 ¡°I¡¯m honored to greet the Crown Prince, the Little Sun of the empire!¡± Ordering them to raise their heads with a cold voice, he jumped off the horse. The royal guards also got off the horses one by one, and I followed suit. ¡°As I heard that you skipped lunch, I ordered my kitchen staff to prepare dinner a bit early. Would you like it right away? ¡± ¡°Well, let me first beat the dust off.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll escort you to the guest room first. ¡± The quick-witted butler came quickly and bowed to him. I looked at him disappearing, escorted by the old butler. ¡®Oops!¡¯ I couldn¡¯t afford to idle away here. Parting with Carsein who seemed to be displeased for some reason, I headed to the kitchen. I could have asked him why, but I was too busy to do it now. ¡°Chef?¡± ¡°Oh, wee,dy!¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re busy, but I stopped by to see how you preparations are going. Are the preparations for dinner going well?¡± ¡°Well, we are preparing dinner for three, namely you, the crown prince and Carsein Lars, plus a couple of more servings. Do you think it¡¯s enough?¡± ¡°Oh, that sounds good. You can prepare dinner for three of us.¡± As most of the attendants who followed the crown emperor were royal guards, they were not eligible to attend the dinner. The deputy of his entourage could attend, but he was very busy arranging the royal guards¡¯ seats. So, only the emperor, Carsein and I would have dinner together. ¡°Got it, mydy. The menu is the same for all three, but let me bring some other dishes, wines and desserts as you directed.¡± ¡°Good. You keep in mind the precautions well? ¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve prepared grilled mushrooms instead of fish for the emperor. I made the mushrooms less salty. As for wine, I¡¯ve prepared the Belotic red wine made in 900 by the imperial calendar and the white wine of Freia in 928 by the imperial calendar. You also instructed me to prepare fresh lemon tart that is not sweet. Correct?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It may not be easy, but since he is picky, please pay a little more attention. Make every effort to make the best food for the crown prince, but at the same time make sure you prepare good food for Carsein Lars, too. I trust your excellent skills, chef.¡± ¡°Thank you,dy. I won¡¯t let you down. ¡± I patted the middle-aged chef¡¯s shoulder lightly as he replied loudly and left the kitchen. I looked for Carsein to talk about something for a moment, but he was already entering the dining room with the blue-haired young man. ¡®I think I have to ask him the reasonter.¡¯ I sat on the crown prince¡¯s right side in the upper seat, facing Carsein. In silence, we began to eat. Just like those who mastered perfect table manners, we were busy enjoying the food with nimble hands. After having appetizer and clear soup, the maids silently put down the tes. They served mushrooms instead of fish for the prince, and grilled fish for me and Carsein, based on our favorite taste. Looking down at the dishes in front of him, the prince paused for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Your Majesty? Is there anything missing?¡± ¡°¡­ No, nothing, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it. ¡± ¡°Okay. How about you, Carsein? Do you like it?¡± ¡°Well, I like it. Thanks.¡± Carsein, who was inadvertently talking down to me, looked embarrassed at the moment. Looking at him nonchntly, the prince picked up the fork silently. A serving servant came over and poured a drink into each ss. He served white wine for the prince and Carsein, and simple fruit drinks for me. After enjoying a sour sorbet, the prince again looked at me with a mysterious expression. ¡®What else did I do wrong?¡¯ When I asked why, he replied again, ¡°Nothing special.¡± Somehow, I felt heavy. Why is he staring at him if there is nothing wrong or special? His persistent gaze at me continued until the dessert came out. After ncing at the dessert ced in front of us, he looked back at me again. I slightly changed my posture to avoid his eyes as I was very ufortable. What the heck is he doing now? In a strangely subdued atmosphere, I barely finished dinner and led him to the drawing room. Was it because I ate, conscious of his countenance? I ced my hand on my bloated stomach and signalled to the maid. She quickly bowed and left the room. Shortly afterwards, she came back and put a teapot, a teacup, and a small jar on the table. One cup of chamomile and two cups of hibiscus. She prepared tea well as I instructed. I stirred light chamomile with a silver spoon and put it down in front of him. Then I pretended not to have noticed his persistent gaze and put a sugar cube into each teacup and gave it to Carsein. ¡°Thank you,mydy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± said Carsein with a gentle smile, pulling my mug. Only then did the prince take his eyes off of me and slowly lifted the mug. After sipping yellow tea, he said, ¡°Carsein Lars.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± he said with a rxed look, leaning on the chair, with his hands folded. ¡°Thank you. I was worried a lot because my fiancee was alone in this estate. I feel relieved to know that a fencing strongman like you is here with her.¡± Carsein remained silent for a moment. There was a cold silence. With some uneasy feeling, I carefully put down the mug I was holding. When I tried to say something, the prince said first with a cold voice, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Carsein Lars?¡± ¡°¡­Oh, nothing, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Hmm, really?¡± After looking at Carsein for a moment, he turned to me. ¡°By the way, when are you going to return to the capital, my fiance?¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± I was embarrassed for a moment by the way he spoke to me in an overly friendly manner. Why is he doing this? Normally, he would have rebuked me coldly when I didn¡¯t reply, but he asked me again casually. ¡°Well, when are you going to return? ¡± ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t decided yet. Why are you asking, Your Majesty? ¡± ¡°Because you¡¯ve been away for a long time, I feel empty. And the emperor seems to want to see you a lot. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± I was very embarrassed to hear that. Why is he doing this? Looking at me stuttering a bit, he reached out to the mug with a smile. He, who used to enjoy tea alone in the frozen atmosphere of the Imperial Pce, said as if he remembered something, ¡°Carsein Lars!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to you, but I want to spend time with my fiance from now on because I haven¡¯t seen her for a long time.¡± When he said that, my heart sank immediately. Although I was ready, I was scared when I thought that I would be left alone with him. When I stiffened and looked down at the teacup, he told Carsein, who was still hesitant, to get out by saying, ¡°Is there anything else for you to say?¡± Carsein, sitting silently, stood up slowly. Although his shoulders seemed to shake when he bowed politely, I couldn¡¯t afford to pay attention to it. I was stricken with a sense of fear. ¡°You!¡± He uttered with a cold and low voice. I momentarily shivered and barely raised my head. Turning cold to me as usual, he looked at me, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t understand. What about your contradictory attitude? ¡± ¡°Well, what do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Howe you know what only a few know? Well, good. You can find it out with the intelligence power of the Monique family. Why are you so thoughtful towards me even as you¡¯re avoiding me? Is it your nature? You are contradictory enough to tremble before me because you are scared. I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Yeah? I don¡¯t know what you mean¡­¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t know? Fish dishes, wine, desserts, and tea. ¡± ¡®Fish dishes, wine, dessert, and tea? What is he talking about?¡¯ I found it out while I was reflecting on his question. I felt goosebumps at the moment. ¡°Now you have realized what I mean.¡± ¡°That was¡­¡± ¡°Huh? What did you say?¡± Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Chapter 44

I could hardly hear him. I spaced out. He took issue with the fact that I knew his secret taste of foods. For example, he hates fish dishes, he likes to drink red wine Beloit produced in 900 by the imperial calendar and white wine Freia produced in 928 by the imperial calendar, he prefers fresh desserts that are not sweet. He prefers chamomile tea, which induces a good night¡¯s sleep because of light insomnia, and he hates anything that tastes strong. This kind of his taste is known only to a very few inside the imperial family, butpletely unknown to the outside world. I had discovered his taste through careful observation during the days when I had been hanging around to draw his attention by all means. I had found it all out little by little in desperate hope that he would like or pay attention to me if I did it. She informed the pce office about her findings. ¡®Although I vowed that I would never repeat my past behavior, I found myself directing the kitchen staff from habit to prepare food suitable for his taste.¡¯ What did I do for the past three years? Why did I struggle to learn fencing that didn¡¯t fit me at all for the past three years? Was the three years not long enough to erase the seventeen years I spent to live as his woman? I gave a hollow smile. I was so scared of him, but at the same time, I took care of him unconsciously, which meant that my body and soul were still his hostages. Even if I¡¯m trying to push him out now, someday I may find myself sticking around him. I might again be hurt while hoping for his love and eating my heart out while watching him smile at Jiun and then¡­ ¡°What are you thinking? Why are you losing your mind?¡± I turned my head at his cold voice while I was almost out of my mind. He said, looking at me as if he was aghast, when he looked at me taking a big breath and blinking his eyes, ¡°Let me ask you once more. Why are you so scared of me? ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Why are you avoiding me when you know my tastes so thoroughly? I really don¡¯t understand. I already promised you that I would keep your status as my wife, so you are not avoiding me because of the right to seed to the throne. Why are you refusing to be my woman? ¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± I felt like a danger signal was ringing somewhere. ¡®Please stop, please stop. Don¡¯t push me anymore!¡¯ ¡°Isn¡¯t everyone saying that you are the child of God¡¯s prophecy or my partner sent by God, right? Why are you refusing me? You are destined to be my wife, right?¡± I heard a humming sounding from somewhere. It looked like I heard another young man¡¯s voice ovepping with that of the crown prince sitting in front of me. What I heard again was clearly the prince¡¯s voice. ¡°Is it because you want to be the sessor to your family? Why are you rejecting the status of the next empress? If you be my wife, your child can be my sessor, right? Even if you are from the great Monique family, your status can¡¯t bepared to that of a marquis¡¯s daughter.¡± This time I saw another man who seemed older than the prince talking to me. ¡®Stop! Please stop!¡¯ I felt something was disconnected suddenly. I closed my eyes because I didn¡¯t want to see the two young men with identical faces. I closed my ears because I didn¡¯t want to hear their cold voices. I got frozen with their coldness that spread up to my fingertips. Their cold expression, cold voice and cold-heartedness did not let me go. It looked like the world was cracking like a broken mirror. ng! ¡°Stop! stop! Please stop! Ahhhhh!¡± I saw the old him smiling coldly behind him walking toward me hastily. I saw the old him throwing me away coldly touching his forehead with a confused look. I saw the old him following Jiun, leaving me behind as I was bleeding, after calling for an imperial doctor while holding me after I fell. The world went round and round. Darkness fell on me. Suddenly, I was falling endlessly into a familiar abyss.
When I opened my eyes, the world was covered with all white and ck. I slowly blinked my eyes as everything around me was ck and white. It didn¡¯t matter anyway as long as I felt so cozy andfortable. ¡°Are you up, mydy?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I am so sad when you copse like this, when I feel you look okay.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Who is this woman who is making a fuss? Oh yeah, she is Lina, my one and only maid who has been with me since childhood! ¡°Let mee back after telling him that you are awake. Please wait, youngdy!¡± I heard her running away quickly. While looking nkly at the crest of the family embroidered on the carpet, I looked out the window. The blue sky turned also all gray, whose color seems to have no joy or sorrow. Carried away with that beautiful color, I looked at the sky for a long time. ¡°Are you up?¡± ¡°Hey, what happened¡­ Oh, have youe to your senses now? ¡± I turned my head slowly. The two men were whispering something, which I couldn¡¯t figure out. I heard their voice, but I couldn¡¯t understand what they said. It was like birds singing and water flowing. ¡°¡­ of the Imperial Pce.¡± When the young man mentioned that short word, the middle-aged man stepped forward. He approached me and said, ¡°Lady Monique, have youe to your senses?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Can you hear me, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± I turned my head because I was annoyed by the noise constantly bothering me. I liked the serene gray sky very much. I looked out the window, ignoring the noise around me. ¡°¡­ Let the marquis know of her condition right now.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, your schedule is being disrupted. You don¡¯t have time to dy. ¡± ¡°How can I leave her left alone like this?¡± ¡°But, Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°She is my fiance. Besides, this is the matter involving the Monique family. I can¡¯t leave in this situation. There should be some dy, but let me wait until the marquis arrives. It will take two days for him to arrive. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Their endless voices stopped and silence fell. Shortly afterwards, I heard a voice breaking the silence. ¡°You.¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°¡­Okay. Let me talk to youter. Take a break. ¡± The crown prince, who tried to say something, turned around with his lips tight. Carsein, who hesitated for a moment, eventually followed him. Everyone went out, and silence fell in the room where I was left alone. I closed my eyes in the cozy silence. When the gray sky turned ck and found its color again, I suddenly got tired of seeing the sky through the narrow window. I wanted to enjoy watching the vast blue sky, so I approached the window with a staggering gait. When I opened the window wide, a beautiful gray sky came into my view. At that moment, I looked down at the sound of someone murmuring. A young blue-haired boy and a red-haired boy were sparring in the small training ce located below the window. The royal guards were around them in a circle, looking at them. As if he found the other party¡¯s weak spot, Carsein thrust his sword. While watching them duelling, I raised my head. When I was trying to look at the gray sky, I heard several people drawing their swords simultaneously. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s so noisy.¡¯ When I looked down, covering my ears, I saw two men pointing their swords at each other¡¯s necks. Just in case, the royal guards drew the swords, wary of Carsein as he did not yield. When Carsein, who was confronting the other party for a while, put down the sword first, the young man who slowly lowered the sword said something and turned. Carsein, standing nkly, threw the sword on the ground nervously. While looking at him for a moment, I turned my gaze back to the sky. I liked the serenity of the sky. ¡°Mydy.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Pleasee to your senses! Mydy, your father is here.¡± ¡°What the hell is going on? What happened to Tia?¡± Chapter 45 Chapter 45: Chapter 45 I turned my head to a familiar voice. Silver hair and blue uniform covered with dust. When I met his eyes, I saw his face crumpling gradually. At that moment, a group of people stepped in. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I would see you so quickly. I¡¯m sorry to call you, Marquis Monique.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to see Your Majesty, Crown Prince. I came running here as soon as I got the message, but what happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, either. She suddenly copsed, and she is still in bed. The imperial doctor who examined her said that she seemed to have been shocked by something, but he said he didn¡¯t know the cause exactly.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°I looked into other parts of her body for some clue, but there was nothing unusual. Ah, maybe¡­ ¡± ¡°Do you have any clue, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Hmm, no. I don¡¯t want to jump to conclusions. ¡± ¡°Got it, Your Majesty. ¡± After bowing to him politely, my father approached me. I looked up at my father, who just stared at me silently for a long time. His blue eyes trembled with anxiety. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Tia? What¡¯s wrong with you? ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°What was so shocking to you? What is it that has distressed you so much as to copse? Huh? Tell me. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Please tell me anything. I¡¯m so frustrated as you keep your mouth shut. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Are you upset because I camete? I¡¯m sorry. If I had known this earlier, I would never have left you alone. ¡± Although he talked in a very friendly tone, I could not understand well. I heard only the sound of his voice, but its meaning was not conveyed to me. What was he telling me? When I blinked slowly and tilted my head, there was some liveliness in his face. He began to say with a subdued voice, ¡°Can¡¯t youe to your senses?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Are you going to live absent-mindedly like this?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Tia!¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± He began to shout with a cracked voice. His hardened face was contorted, and his repressed voice was growing bigger. As I didn¡¯t want to hear his cranky voice that broke the peace of my mind, I covered my ears with both hands. He grabbed my arms tightly. Pulling away my hands from my ears, hemented, ¡°I¡¯ve raised you wrong. As I was worried that you might suffer, I overindulged you when I raised you. As a result, you have grown up as a weak child. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You often pass out like this. Can you say you are the immediate member of the Monique family since you are weak like this? Why did you say you wanted to learn fencing with such a weak spirit? Howe you told me you wanted to seed the family with this weak mental power! ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Aristia La Monique!¡± When I heard his severe rebuke imbued with sadness, I began to understand thebination of meaningless words little by little that sounded like a flowing sound. I could feel my body again gradually. My body was shaking violently. My shoulders felt painful. ¡®What the heck is this?¡¯ Surprised by his very strange look, I reached out to him, whose face was hardened. ¡°Daddy?¡± ¡°Have youe to your senses now?¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Oh my God, you don¡¯t know you have been out of your mind until now.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Whew! I¡¯m relieved to see youing to your senses. Take a rest today. Let¡¯s talk again tomorrow. ¡± While trying to say something, he stopped and slowly raised his body. The blue-haired young man, leaning on the doorway with his arms folded, pulled his body off the wall while watching him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to show you my daughter¡¯s sorry condition, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°No, marquis. Well, I¡¯m sorry to say this in a situation like this, but I think I should leave. They say I can¡¯t dy anymore. ¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine. Please don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Thank you. By the way, will you allow me to talk to your daughter for a moment? ¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead please.¡± Even after the door was firmly closed, he said nothing. Why is he so hesitant before talking to me? The longer he kept silent, the more anxious I became. I heard his cold voice when I was fidgeting with the hem of the bed sheet, with my head down. ¡°You may have heard it, but I have to leave now.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ Okay, just have some rest. I¡¯ll see you next time,¡± he said, stopping me from getting up. Wasn¡¯t he about to say something to me? I was puzzled, but I didn¡¯t have the courage to ask him, so I turned and watched him leave. His blue hair was dishevelled and the hem of his white cloak fluttered. Thump! The door was closed behind him. I couldn¡¯t go to sleep. I tried to sleep, with my eyes close, but the more I did so, the harder it was. As I couldn¡¯t stand it, I got out of bed. The room was not very dark thanks to the moonlighting through the slightly open curtains. I was lost in thought in the dark blue moonlight. The crown prince and I, past and present, and fate. When I came back to my days as a ten-year-old girl and opened my eyes, I thought it was a dream. But my thinking was shattered when I received God¡¯s prophecy. It didn¡¯t matter whether it was a dream or a reality for me to havee back to childhood. What¡¯s more important was the fact that I was abandoned by God, and that I was determined to crush something that God described as fate. Since I didn¡¯t want to repeat my terrible past, I desperately looked for a way, but it wasn¡¯t that easy. I couldn¡¯t even think of revenge because of my fate entangled with the imperial family, and I didn¡¯t want to gamble on the lives of people around me who became precious to me little by little. Moreover, unlike the old me, I even had the right to seed to the throne. As a result I could be charged with treason if I acted strangely. I found a way in the hard way despite all the difficulties, but unfortunately, it took a lot of time. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve avoided being entangled with the imperial family and went running to achieve the goal while being careful not to get his attention. Unlike my past, I was loved by my father, favored by many knights, and cared for by Allendis and Carsein a lot, but I could not open my heart to them because I couldn¡¯t afford to look around me. At first, it was okay to me. I thought that if I tried hard, I would certainly change my destiny. But time was running out, and the path I chose became increasingly distant. The more I felt so, the more desperate I became. I spent a sleepless night, trembling with anxiety every day because I suspected that I could not change my fate, I could not escape him forever and, in the end, I could be hurt and lose my life again. I might have passed out two days ago because all my deepening worries burst out into the open finally. When I unconsciously remembered his tastes, followed him and checked his countenance, I found the same old me in the past. I was aghast when I saw the shackles of the past that were choking my throat. It seemed to me that the god that I was vigorously rejecting wasughing at me, telling me I would never get out of my fate no matter how hard I tried because it was my destiny. ¡®However¡­ ¡® I bit my lips. Was it really true? At first nce, it seemed that nothing has changed so much from the past, but his actions and words at the dinner the other day were very different from what I remembered about him. The reason I kept my distance from him until now was probably because he was somewhat different from the man whom I used to know. I couldn¡¯t figure out what it was, but it was certain that he changed recently. If he had not changed, he would never have recognized that I tried hard to satisfy his taste. Suddenly, I had one question. If he really changed, what was it? I tried topare his past and present self, I couldn¡¯t because I had too many memories of him. I sighed because I felt frustrated. I saw stationery and a pen on the table. Yes, that¡¯s it. With the moonlighting in, I opened a shiny silver paper, dipping the pen in ink. When organizing my thoughts, it was best for me to write it down. I tapped the paper with a pen. When I tried to write something, I couldn¡¯t get out what I wanted to write. ¡°Whew!¡± After hesitating for a long time, I slowly began to write finally. I started with the first letters gorgeously on the silver stationery. Chapter 46 Chapter 46: Chapter 46 It was a bit difficult for me to start writing at first. However, when I wrote down the first few letters, all kinds of memories burst out quickly. Seeing the crown prince when I was ten, starting sses on empress when I turned twelve, attending hising-of-age ceremony when I was thirteen¡­ When I grew older by one more year in my past, I became more and more choked with emotions. In no time, my eyes were filled with my tears. They fell onto the paper. But I did not stop the pen, and I couldn¡¯t. I kept writing down what I experienced in the past, so much so that I didn¡¯t know whether I was writing or the pen was encouraging me to write. How much time passed? I felt that my arm was getting stiff and my hand was slowing down. I felt exhausted physically. Unlike the fatigue of my body, the more my mind cleared. All the painful and sad memories came to my mind and hovered in my head. Pages covered in ck letters piled up. I felt someone brought something to drink and eat, but I didn¡¯t care. I couldn¡¯t stop my hand holding the pen from moving. I wrote down the memories that floated in my head, rubbing my eyes that kept closing. Only when I reached the moment when I died at seventeen did I close my eyes. My stiff arms fell down. ¡°Ugh?¡± Suddenly, the surrounding atmosphere around me changed. I was in a room surrounded by mirrors. Where am I? Apparently I wrote down my memories up to my age of 17 before closing my eyes. If so, am I in a dream now? I looked around, but I couldn¡¯t see the way out because I was blocked by mirrors around me. What should I do? When I was looking around for an exit, I suddenly saw myself in the mirror in front. There was a thirteen year old girl who hadn¡¯t grown up yet. When I slowly reached out, the girl in the mirror also reached out to me. The moment the two hands touched each other with the cold metal in between, the girl in the mirror changed. She changed into a child who was about 10 years old. Stunned, I turned to the left. There was a 10-year-old girl. I saw the same girl to my right and in the back. What happened? As I couldn¡¯t understand the situation, I just blinked. At that moment, the girls in the mirror on three sides began to move. A little girl was reading a book. The girl was reading, rubbing her sleepy eyes until the dark window was lit by the sun. She sorted out what she read on the paper next to it. While I was watching outside the mirror, the little girl continued her routine life. She read books, memorized the contents, learned about etiquette and dancing, and the rule of the people. She sometimes cried alone on a night when no one was there, but she never revealed her weakness to anybody. The girl met the emperor. She also met the crown prince who was cold and heartless. I saw a girl smiling brightly at the emperor, who called her a daughter-inw, and the crown prince staring at her. The emperor hosted a meeting between the two and asked them to have a good time, saying they would be destined to be a couple, but the prince never appeared, so the girl sometimes spent time alone, and sometimes with the emperor. When she turned 13, the girl twisted her ankle while dancing at the prince¡¯sing-of-age ceremony, and the princeughed at her scornfully. The girl trembled among the nobles, who scornfullyughed while pretending tofort her. After that, she began to show less emotion day by day, and in the end, her facial expression disappearedpletely. Even in her eyes that people said reflected the sun, there was no more light. What she was left with was her face with no emotions and her hollow eyes. When she was fourteen and fifteen, the girl tried her best to make a debut in social circles in order not to be ridiculed by nobles. At some point, she began to be praised as the flower of the empire. Sometimes, there was desperate wistfulness in her eyes when she looked at the crown prince, but it was fleeting. When she turned sixteen, her world crashed when a woman with dark hair appeared. When she was seventeen, the girl ended her short life. The mirrors on the three sides turned ck at the moment she saw the frightening light of the axe. Instead, the front in the mirror shined brightly. The girl who was touching me started moving. I saw the girl running towards the training ce of her house in the capital. She saw a silver-haired knight who soothed the young girl as she suddenly jumped into his arms and cried. On the day, she returned after seeing the emperor, I saw the crown prince¡¯s eyes looking at the girl. His eyes were as cold as I saw them in the mirror on the three sides. Unlike the days when he treated me more and more coldly over time, he showed little emotion except when he asionally showed hostility. When she was eleven, the girl started practicing fencing. Unlike the girls in the other mirrors, the expressions on her face were vibrant. The girl sometimes smiled gently at her father or the boy with light green hair. When she was twelve, the prince escorted the sick girl back home, though he didn¡¯t like it. When she was thirteen, the girl nervously attended the crown prince¡¯sing-of-age ceremony. Unlike the past when he simply ignored her and treated her unkindly, he showed some interest in her. When he noticed that she refused the position of the crown prince¡¯s wife, he, who would have been furiously upset in the past, responded rationally and told her they would talkter instead of getting angry. Unlike the past when he went away, leaving me alone when I was bleeding, I saw him checking her condition in embarrassment when she passed out. ng! All the mirrors except the one in the front broke suddenly. The girl in the front mirror, who fell with a pale face, opened her eyes. The girl¡¯s eyes, who were looking around for a moment, met mine outside the mirror. She approached me and said something. I opened my eyes wide to understand what she was trying to say. ¡°Oh, do I still look the same?¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± I shook my head because the old me reflected in the mirror was different from me now. The girl in the mirror smiled at me. As if she shook off all her worries, she smiled brightly and waved to me. As she looked so happy, I smiled at the girl. The girl in the mirror was disappearing gradually. A bright light surrounded me. ¡°¡­Oh, it was a dream. ¡± Slowly raising his body, I muttered. My whole body ached because I fell asleep on the table covered in stationery. I picked up the pages piled up high and read them again. It was the same that I saw in the mirror room. I chuckled. ¡®You were stupid, Aristia. Your past and present were already different, and you are changing your destiny little by little. ¡® Foolishly enough, I didn¡¯t realize that even if my change was not tangible enough, the future in my memory could change as long as the present was changing little by little. I felt as if a burden had been lifted off my mind that felt stuffy all the time. The moment I was about to get up with a light mind, I found a yellow-green letter among the pile of pages. It was Allendis¡¯s letter. ¡®Right. Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t finish reading it as I was absent-minded.¡¯ I took it out from the heap of letters and began to read. Chapter 47 Chapter 47: Chapter 47 ¡®Yes, you were right, Allendis.¡¯ The reality I was in was different from the past. It won¡¯t be easy, but I¡¯m not going to get stuck in the past anymore because my past will nevere back. I was dreaming of the future, and I found a little hope that I could change my fate. I suddenly missed my father. Even though he knew I was sick, he didn¡¯t ask me anything because I might be hurt more. I could guess how much his heart was broken. I could guess how much he wanted to ask. And I could understand how he felt when he couldn¡¯t ask because he feared I would hurt more, knowing his only daughter¡¯s heart suffered so much. I was choked up with emotion. I wanted to see my father right now and jump into his arms. I wanted to tell him all the things that distressed me so far. I raised my body by straining my wobbly legs. With faltering steps, I opened the door. I saw my father standing frozen on the spot. He was standing at the door, dressed in white uniform covered with dust. Tears pricked my eyes. At least one whole night had passed since I passed out, but he must have been standing outside like that, as if he was waiting for me toe out. I walked to him slowly with faltering steps. A trembling voice came through my lips. ¡°Daddy.¡± ¡°Yes, baby.¡± He replied in a hoarse voice. I jumped into his arms as if I was going to copse. He quickly hugged me and kept stroking my hair. I knew he felt immensely relieved when he did so. I whispered, with my body wrapped in his arms. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the capital, Daddy. I have a lot to tell you. ¡± ¡°¡­ Sure, let¡¯s go back.¡± I raised my head fully and smiled at him brightly. There was a grin on his face, too, as he was looking at me anxiously. Under the bright blue autumn sky without clouds, the brightly shining morning sun beamed on us. The sky without a cloud was brilliantly blue. It was already autumn. The garden, where even the breeze was not blowing, was very calm. Ivy vines covered the exterior wall of the mansion, built with bricks. I sighed as I looked at the red and green curtains. ¡®Ah, I¡¯m bored. If I had known this, I would have just said I would have just helped.¡¯ The employees of the mansion were very busy packing their stuff to head to the capital. Originally, I was supposed to help them, but the butler insisted I should take a rest, so I just went out, leaving all the assignments with him. ¡®Well, how can I kill time?¡¯ Even if I went back to the mansion, he wouldn¡¯t allow me to do anything. I can¡¯t chat with them leisurely when they are so busy at the moment. I sped my hands, pondering over what I could do. ¡®Yes, Carsein!¡¯ I turned and headed for the training field. As I hadn¡¯t seen him all day long, it was clear that he was practicing fencing there. When I got out of the garden and walked a little further, there was something red glimmering in my eyes. ¡®Got it. It¡¯s you who was practicing here.¡¯ I waited silently for him to finish. However, he didn¡¯t stop even though a lot of time passed. I was hesitant when I found that he didn¡¯t show any sign of stopping although he was soaked with sweat. ¡®What should I do? Do I just leave¡¯ When I turned back, I suddenly heard something dropping. When I looked back in a hurry, I noticed a familiar sword rolling on the floor. I was startled and stopped because the boy looking at the sword was very strange to me. ¡°Damn it.¡± The boy kicked the ground nervously andy on the ground. ¡®Should I just turn around now?¡¯ He didn¡¯t look good. When I was hesitating for a moment, the boy who caught his rough breath, greeted me, covering his eyes with his hand. ¡°Oh, are you here?¡± ¡°Oh, you are practicing hard.¡± ¡°Well, not so much.¡± I shook my head at his unusual reaction. Did something bad happen to him? ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡± ¡°Huh. I¡¯m sorry to make you worry about me. ¡± ¡°¡­ If you know it, don¡¯t be sick.¡± Why is he acting like this? Normally, he would have responded by telling me he didn¡¯t care about my condition or I was physically so weak. I opened my eyes wide to his unexpected reply. When I was about to ask him what happened, Carsein suddenly picked up the sword again after springing to his feet. ¡°Are you practicing again?¡± ¡°Yes. If you¡¯re not going to practice, just leave and mind your own business.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay. I got it. Then, I¡¯ll leave now.¡± He shook his hand as if he was annoyed and began to wield the sword again. What the heck? Why has he changed so much? What happened? ¡°Tia, you¡¯re here.¡± I suddenly looked back at the voice I heard. I didn¡¯t know when he came out, but my father was looking at me. As if he had something to say, my father gently stroked my head and asked, ¡°The weather is good. Will you walk with me for a moment? ¡± I walked in the garden with autumn flowers in full bloom with my father. My father, who had been enjoying the scenery for a long time, said, ¡°I thought we could leave tomorrow. Aren¡¯t you sad? You must have liked this ce very much.¡± ¡°Yes, but I have to go back now. As it¡¯s not too far from our house in the capital, I¡¯m thinking of stopping by asionally. ¡± ¡°I think that sounds good,¡± he said after some silence. ¡°Weren¡¯t you surprised?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I mean that day. I¡¯m sorry if I surprised you.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Did it bother him that he rebuked me for having lost my mind? I felt better somehow. I felt something warm wasing up in my heart. Was I loved like this until now? ¡°I was surprised, but I wouldn¡¯t have woken up if you hadn¡¯t done so. Thank you.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I know you have been upset because of me. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± ¡°No, not at all. Are you alright now?¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that, honey.¡± I smiled brightly at him, who was obviously relieved. I felt I could leave in peace now because I realized that my present life was different from my past. I also knew that if the present changed, the future could change as well. Although nothing had changed so far, I was satisfied with the fact that I saw that little possibility. The next day, I set out to the capital city with my father and Carsein. The house employees saw us off with regret. When I went down to the estate, I could watch the outside scenery, but now I had no time to do so. I had something else to do. ¡°Oh, this is the way how it works.¡± ¡°Yeah, good job, Tia. Let¡¯s take a break.¡± I put down the documents and sighed. My father¡¯s work was very different from what I had learned so far, so simply sorting it out took a lot of focus. I blinked my stiff eyes and tilted my head because I noticed Carsein looking out the window while holding his chin with one arm. ¡®What is he thinking so hard about?¡¯ The moment I tried to speak to him, the wagon stopped violently. I momentarily lost bnce and fell at the sudden stop. ¡®Oh, no!¡¯ ¡°Are you alright?¡± He was holding me tightly with his warm hands. When I opened my closed eyes, I saw him looking at me in embarrassment. His arms were wrapped around my waist as he held me. Suddenly, my face blushed because he was too close. ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯m alright. Thanks, Carsein. ¡± Turning my blushing face, I pulled away from him. When I adjusted my posture and sat down again, I heard a young man¡¯s voiceing from outside. ¡°Sir, are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. What is going on? ¡± ¡°It¡¯s been raining for thest few days around this area. I think the wheels got stuck in the mud.¡± ¡°Got it. Let me get out for a moment. ¡± Nodding, he opened the carriage door. After the two got out, I also stepped out, avoiding the mud. Given that the wheels were deep in the mud, it looked like it was going to take some time to get the carriage out of it. ¡°As you might get bored, please take a walk around here. It will take a while to get it out.¡± ¡°Ah yes. Okay.¡± Chapter 48 Chapter 48: Chapter 48 I nodded gently at the young knight¡¯s remarks. I felt I would not be of any help if I hung around here anyway. Although my father didn¡¯t like it, he reluctantly let me take a walk, telling me I should not go too far. As soon as I was away from the mud, I was amazed at the great scenery. Had there always been a ce like this near here? I didn¡¯t know that. The golden field that unfolded endlessly under the clear blue sky was so beautiful. There was a golden wave trembling in the wind. While watching the wild flowers dancing in the field, I asked Carsein, who was following me silently, ¡°The scenery here is very good. right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the knights who are working hard to get the carriage out of the mud. But I think I would feel very sorry if I passed by without seeing this.¡± ¡°You bet.¡± ¡°You have never seen andscape like this, Carsein?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Carried away with the beautiful scenery, I asked various stuff before stopping suddenly. Carsein replied very shortly to my questions, which I thought was very strange. It looked like he was lost in thought, so I quietly shut my mouth not to disturb him. I walked through the field, silently observing the scenery. ¡°Aristia?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I walked a few steps ahead when he suddenly called me. The boy standing in the golden waves was looking at me. His red hair was dishevelled by the wind. As his hair was so beautiful, I looked at him in joy. ¡°Well, hummm¡­¡± He could not easily open his mouth with hesitation. I looked at the boy curiously as he kept silent for long. Why was he acting strangely, starting yesterday? ¡°Carsein, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Oh yeah. I think you had something to say to me, right?¡± ¡°Huh? Was that what you mean? Well, I would like to stop practicing fencing for the time being. How about a couple of times per month? Is that okay?¡± ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± ¡°Are you mad at me?¡± ¡°No, I like it. Actually, I also need more time for my own practice.¡± I thought he would get angry with me, but he, unexpectedly, epted my offer. Still I felt a bit uneasy. I felt a bit relieved that he wasn¡¯t hurt, but on the other hand, I was a little sorry, thinking to myself, ¡®Don¡¯t do this, Aristia. It¡¯s true that his practice time was shortened because he had to coach you, right? As a friend, you shouldn¡¯t be in the way if you can¡¯t help him.¡¯ ¡°By the way, Aristia.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Well¡­ ¡± After he hesitated for some time, he was about to open his mouth when somebody called me. ¡®Dang it!¡¯ I said I told them I wasing and turned, but Carsein shut his mouth. When I asked him repeatedly what he wanted to say to me, he never answered. As he was so adamant, I just gave up and walked away. I felt a bit sorry for that. Because of the unexpected ident, we arrived at the capital a littleter than expected. When we arrived at the mansion of Duke Lars, Carsein jumped from the wagon and bowed politely. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lars. I will keep my promise, so pleasee back anytime. ¡± ¡°Got it, sir. Please take care. Goodbye, Aristia. See you in two months. ¡± ¡°Okay. Goodbye, Carsein. ¡± I saw Carsein through the window of the wagon leaving quietly. He looked a bit lonely. As I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off of him for some reason, I looked out the window until his red hair vanished. When I came to our mansion in the capital, I felt like I was back home finally. I had a great time at the estate, but this was where I was born and grew up. Because he rushed to the capital without finishing his work, my father immediately headed to the Imperial Pce as soon as he dropped me off. Left alone, I oversaw the house employees unpacking my stuff for the rest of the day. Was it because I was busy half the day? When I was all done, I was exhausted. ¡°You must be very tired, mydy.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m. I have to sleep early today. ¡± ¡°You had better do so. I will tell your father when hees back.¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Answering absentmindedly, Iy myself on my bed. As I was about to close my eyes after tidying up my disheveled hair, something suddenly shed through my mind. ¡®Oops!¡¯ It slipped my mind. ¡°Hey, Lina.¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± ¡°Where did you put that thing I was nning to keep in a separate ce?¡± ¡°You mean the silver envelope? I put it in the first drawer of your office desk. ¡± ¡°Oh, thanks. As you also had a hard time, take a rest today. ¡± ¡°Thank you, mydy.¡± When I opened the door next to my bedroom, I saw a small room that was newly decorated as my office. I approached the spacious desk and opened the first drawer. Inside was a tightly sealed silver envelope and various writing utensils. It contained the writing memos on my life from the age of ten to seventeen. I forgot it at the time as I was too absent-minded, but after I came to my senses, I picked it up and sealed it tightly before other people saw it. Regardless of whether my memories were a dream or reality, writing it down was very dangerous. As the empire declined in power, the emperor¡¯s power was weakened and the nobles gained power for a while, but after the current emperor took office, the emperor¡¯s power was gradually strengthened, barely striking a bnce of power between the two. The reason that the emperor could strengthen his power wasrgely because Duke Lars, Duke Verita, and other pro-emperor families including my family helped him. Just like many talented people gathered under a good ruler, the pro-emperor lords were extraordinarilypetent. That¡¯s why the emperor¡¯s trust and ties with them were also very strong. What if it was known to the public that the eldest daughter of the Monique family, the key supporter of the emperor, had a record like this? The emperor, who had a strong trust in his father, mayugh it away, but it was clear that the nobles trying to weaken the emperor¡¯s power would never ignore it. Even if the record was just about her dream, it was enough to bring about their suspicion and misunderstanding because it ndered and desecrated the crown prince, the legitimate sessor. Since I didn¡¯t need to stir up any controversy, it was wise for me to burn it, but I didn¡¯t have the nerve to get rid of it. So, I sealed it, so that no one could see it. I thought of moving it to a secret location or disguising it as a simple document or a book. When I put the envelope back inside, I suddenly noticed a letter ced on one side of the drawer. When I looked at the neatly colored stationery, I thought of Allendis. I thought of writing a letter informing him that I returned to the capital, but I felt it would be better for me to go and see him in person because I had just returned after a long time. The next day I went to my father¡¯s study, holding a cup of tea that I brewed myself because my father asked for tea. I guessed why he called me, but he didn¡¯t say anything until he emptied the teacup. I looked at him silently even after he put down the empty mug. Do I have to break the ice first? I took a big breath before he had set the mug down. I opened my mouth slowly, looking at his blue eyes fixed on me. I decided to tell him the truth when I came to the capital anyway, but it was not easy for me to say first. Did I vent pent-up feelings too much while I was writing down my painful past life? I spoke in a much calmer tone than I expected. As I had so many things to say, I kept talking until it was past the afternoon and darkness fell, namely things about my ¡°dream¡± in the past and what happened to me in the past. I stopped for water after I told him up to the point that several days before I observed my sixteenth birthday, when Jiun appeared, and as a result, I was pushed out of my status as the empress and entered the pce as the emperor¡¯s concubine. While she was telling him about her past life, he was silent. Chapter 49 Chapter 49: Chapter 49 Finally he said, ¡°So, in your dream, did you see the dark-haired girl in the year you turned sixteen? She appeared suddenly as if she fell from the sky?¡± ¡°Yeah. So, everyone said she was the child of God¡¯s prophecy.¡± ¡°I see.¡± After watching his hardened face, I decided to cut off the kind of story that could make him feel heartbroken. So, I said I was very unhappy because Jiun engrossed the crown prince¡¯s love, and that I was falsely charged with treason because I was entangled in an unfortunate incident. My father¡¯s face already hardened when I confided as far as that. ¡°Got it. Was it such a vivid dream? I guess you must have gone through a lot of distress.¡± ¡°Daddy.¡± I thought he might not believe what I said. Because of my recent copse, I even thought he might rebuke me, saying I was too weak. But I felt immense trust in him when heforted me without showing any doubt about what I told him. There was a loud crackling sound when the teapot and teacup entangled in the hem of my jacket hit each other. He was stunned when I suddenly jumped over the table. As he instinctively extended his hands, I jumpedfortably into his arms, sat on hisp, and wrapped my arms around his neck. ¡°Tia?¡± When he asked in an embarrassed voice, I replied, burying my face in his chest, ¡°Thanks, Daddy.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Thanks for believing me, Daddy.¡± He must have noticed my voice tinged with tears. He silently stroked my hair in his arms. I felt drowsy at his gentle touch. When I was about to fall asleep, I heard his low voice. ¡°How can¡¯t I know my daughter?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Tia, I know you are not talking nonsense. I believe what you told me.¡± ¡°Daddy, thanks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you said you hated him. You must have felt a lot of pressure as you so vividly recall it even if it was a dream.¡± My father kept talking to me when I looked up at him nkly. ¡°As I heard you, I think I now know why you have been feeling nervous all along.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you would have recklessly talked about the imperial family and even treason if you had not believed it was not true. Even if it had been only a dream, you wouldn¡¯t have dared to talk about it unless you¡¯re 100% sure. I now know why you became haggard.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you scold me?¡± ¡°Why? Scolding you because of the dream?¡± When I nodded, he said with a faint smile, ¡°Well, I can rebuke you because you¡¯re weak enough to worry about your dream. There are certainly lots of people in the world who are having a more difficult time than you. But Tia¡­ ¡± ¡°Yes, Dad.¡± ¡°How can I judge the severity of each person¡¯s distress? Everyone is precious to themselves. As far as your dream was concerned, it was your biggest concern, right?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me that you overcame your problem by yourself? That is enough. Even if it was a small concern from an objective point of view, I can¡¯t say you are weak if you have ovee it by yourself. I¡¯m proud of you because you have ovee it by yourself.¡± I felt relieved at his warm encouragement. I was also puzzled. Why was he hard on me at that time? When I looked up at him with a puzzled expression, he stopped stroking my hair for a moment. ¡°Why did you do that to me previously?¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°Back then¡­ Well¡­¡± My father was obviously hesitant, but in no time he said with a sigh, ¡°I knew you seemed to be worried about something, but you looked much more serious after you returned from the estate. Although I wanted to talk it out with you several times, I put up with it again. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I was nervous that you were bing more and more haggard everyday, and my heart sank when I received a letter about you. The moment I found you spaced out, I felt as if the sky was going to fall. I med myself, thinking if I had pressed you to tell me the whole truth early on, you would not have ended up losing your mind. I lost your mother without even having her treated. So, I was afraid I might lose you, too.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°First of all, I felt it regrettable that you didn¡¯t tell me anything until your condition got so serious. I got upset with myself because I thought I was not good enough to get your trust.¡± I tightened my arms around his neck. ¡°That¡¯s why I think I pressured you too much. I¡¯m sorry, Tia. ¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t, Daddy.¡± I replied with a tearful voice. I really didn¡¯t know my father thought so. I was so sorry that I didn¡¯t have anything to say. ¡°Sorry, Dad. I was wrong. ¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry, honey.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t tell you early on. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± ¡°I feel good as you say so, Tia. But promise me you will never repeat this. If you have any concerns next time, please tell me.¡± ¡°Sure, I promise you, Daddy.¡± My father raised his body with a faint smile. I opened my eyes wide when I felt floating in the air. ¡°Oops! Dad?¡± ¡°Hmm, I should tell them to clean the floor.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Looking down on the floor, I saw a carpet messed with spilled tea and broken pieces of porcin. Embarrassed by what I did on impulse, I buried my face in his arms. I felt the regr vibrations of his heart when he walked. As I liked that feeling, I rubbed my cheeks gently. ¡°Thank you, thank you very much, Daddy.¡± ¡°It¡¯ste at night. You have to sleep now.¡± He put me down on my bed and pulled the nket over me. I felt drowsy when he gently patted my shoulder. Hearing him whisper something to me, I fell asleep in no time. When I was having breakfast with my father, an imperial messenger, who was familiar to me by now, came to me. I was curious why the emperor was looking for me now when the crown prince was absent, but I agreed obediently because I nned to see him anyway after returning from the estate. ¡°I, Aristia La Monique, am honored to greet Your Majesty, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Oh, long time, no see, Aristia. Are youpletely back now? ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Good. I think I can see your father often now. ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± When I tilted my head, he said with a heartyugh, ¡°You know what happened when you were away at the estate? Your father, who has never taken vacation leave since he entered politics, asked for vacation leave.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Come to think of it, my father took a one-month vacation leave when he went down to the estate with me. After that, he spent one or two nights every month at the estate after taking vacation leave, then went back to the capital. Considering that it took two days toe and go from the capital to the estate, he took at least seven days of vacation leave per month while I was staying at the estate. Looking at me curiously, the emperor smiled at me and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to look at me like that. I¡¯m amazed by the fact that a blunt person like your father has loved you so dearly. What a relief! I thought he had no feelings after his wife passed away like that.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Well, although he looks emotionless, he was once regarded as the romanticist of the century.¡± Romanticist of the century? Really? When I blinked at his significant words, the emperor again smiled and lifted the mug. ¡°By the way, did Rub¡¯ stop by your estate? I heard he also nned to visit your mansion there.¡± ¡°Yes, he visited a while ago.¡± ¡°Good.¡± He responded with a low voice and remained silent. Given that he was looking out the window, lost in thought, I felt he was sort of sentimental. ¡°It looks like winter ising soon.¡± I silently drank tea in order not to disturb his idle thoughts. ¡°Do you like winter?¡± At that moment I was startled at his sudden question and raised my head. He was holding the cup with both hands, with his eyes still looking out the window. ¡°Yes I do, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s contrary to what I¡­¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty? Contrary?¡± Chapter 50 Chapter 50: Chapter 50 ¡°No, nothing,¡± said the emperor, putting down the mug after taking his eyes off from the window. ¡°By the way, how is your fencing practice? Have you been studying hard?¡± ¡°As I¡¯m only a beginner, I can get by in one way or another.¡± ¡°Really? Good. I don¡¯t think your father will go easy on you just because you¡¯re his daughter. It looks like you are catching up better than I thought. That¡¯s great.¡± Why is he interested in my fencing practice? I was afraid he would tell me to stop fencing practice immediately ande to the pce. I was puzzled, but instead of expressing it, I continued the conversation over tea. After finishing tea time after a long time, I headed to the 2nd Knights¡¯ Building to meet my father. As I left the inner pce and headed for the outer pce, I remembered what the emperor said. ¡®Hmmm¡­ Is he treating me specially? It¡¯s strange. My father doesn¡¯t treat me specially just because I¡¯m his daughter.¡¯ While walking deep in thought, I arrived at the 2nd Knight¡¯s Building. Responding to the cheering knights here and there, I found a familiar guy with red hair while walking in the corridor. ¡®Is that Carsein?¡¯ ¡°Nice to see you, Lady Monique! It¡¯s been a while.¡± The man with red hair was not Carsein, but his brother Sir Lars. I felt mixed feelings of joy and regret, but I greeted him dly without revealing such feelings. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Sir Lars.¡± ¡°I¡¯m seeing you for the first time in six months. Have you been at the estate?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you for asking that.¡± ¡°Are you on your way to see your father?¡± ¡°You, too?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Then, can I escort you? ¡± ¡°Of course. Thank you.¡± When I saw his vivid red hair, I kept thinking of his brother, Carsein. I wonder if something happened to him. When I saw him in the field and met himst time, he was a lot different than usual. ¡°Is Carsein doing well?¡± ¡°You mean ¡®Sein? Well, I don¡¯t know if I can say he¡¯s doing well. ¡± ¡°Pardon? What¡¯s the matter with him? ¡± ¡°Oh, he is not sick or something like that, but he has changed for some reason. Obviously, like before he is practicing fencing all day long, but he looks a little different from before. Well, in some respect, it looks like he is desperate.¡± ¡®Desperate?¡¯ In my case, I was desperate to avoid being empress, but why was he practicing so desperately? As far as fencing was concerned, he was always rxed. ¡°Come on in, Tia. Oh, wee, Sir Lars!¡± ¡°Oh, Lady Monique, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± When I entered the office, someone with a familiar voice greeted me. It was Duke Lars. ¡®Why is he here when he is supposed to stay at the First Knights building?¡¯ I was a little puzzled, but I bowed to greet him politely. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Duke Lars. How have you been? ¡± ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m doing well. I hear you went down to the estate. You¡¯re back now. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Good. This friend of mine was so worried about you that I couldn¡¯t bear to see him. I am just so sad as I don¡¯t have a daughter, man.¡± ¡°Arkint, please.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Let me stop it. ¡± Looking at my father¡¯s expression, he replied with a smile. When I took a seat cautiously, my father, who exchanged eye signals with him, said, ¡°Tia, do you know the organization and characteristics of each knight division?¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°Then, you know that the leader of the 1st Knights Divisiones from the Lars family while the leader of the 2nd Knights Divisiones from our family, right?¡± ¡°Of course, I do.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s easy for me to exin how they work. Traditionally, the next captain of the 1st and 2nd Kights yed the role of the captain¡¯s deputy to learn how he works before switching. That¡¯s why Sir Lars is working as my deputy now. ¡± ¡°Yes, I got it now, Dad.¡± ¡°So far, as there was no sessor to our family, we didn¡¯t have to follow the tradition, but isn¡¯t the situation different now?¡± When I gently nodded, Duke Lars told me, ¡°I thought it was a joke, but ording to Carsein, you started learning how to be a sessor in earnest. And I heard the emperor tacitly agreed. If you¡¯re really serious about seeding the family, I think you should learn the assignments of the knights little by little. If you can, I want you to be my assistant starting next spring. What do you think? ¡± ¡°But I am far from an apprentice knight¡­¡± ¡°I heard from ¡®Sein that you are alreadypetent enough to beat an apprentice knight. Don¡¯t worry. You can quickly solve the problem once you take the knight test.¡± ¡°If so, I will ept your offer.¡± ¡°Then, I understand you have epted my offer. If you have any questions, please ask this man. He will help you a lot, ¡± Duke Lars said with a smile, patting Sir Lars¡¯ shoulder. ¡°I will. Sir Lars, I hope I am in great hands.¡± ¡°Oh, I hope, too, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Great. Let me leave first. I¡¯ve got some business to take care of. I¡¯ve got my work backed up a bit.¡± ¡°Sure. See you again soon. ¡± After bowing to Duke Lars with a nod, I watched how Sir Lars was doing his work and put down a list of things that the captain¡¯s deputy was supposed to do. ¡®Wow, there are so many things to do!¡¯ When I learned there were simply too many, I sighed somehow, but I was d that I was making a different life from the past. How much time passed? When my father said we were done for the day, I cleaned up after myself and left the office. A knight urgently arrived and said, ¡°There was a fire in the inner pce. I think you should go there immediately. ¡± ¡°Fire? Got it. Go immediately to the scene and help them put out the fire. Sir Lars, issue an order to gather all the knights and dispatch them there immediately without having to report to me. ¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± When the two knights disappeared quickly, my father turned to me and said, ¡°Tia, go back home first. I think I will bete today. ¡± ¡°Yes, Dad. Take care!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Only after he asked to go back home safely did he walk away with big strides. ¡®Fire in the inner pce? Where did it catch fire?¡¯ While I was walking down the hallway, lost in thought, I suddenly stopped. Perhaps the fire broke out there? I hoped it was not, but I stopped a running servant and asked, ¡°I heard that a fire broke out in the inner pce. Do you know exactly where the fire broke out?¡± ¡°Oops! You must be Lady Monique. I¡¯m sorry I have not recognized you. The fire broke out in the garden. ¡± ¡°Garden? Where is the garden? ¡± ¡°It is the garden in Ver Pce.¡± My heart was beating quickly. ¡®Oh no! Why was fire there? That ce is¡­¡± ¡°Lady Monique, are you okay? ¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m okay. Go ahead and help them put out the fire.¡± ¡°Excuse me, let me leave now.¡± I closed my eyes, watching the servant running urgently. ¡®You should not go there, Aristia. The emperor might be interested in you again if something goes wrong. Just go back home. You don¡¯t have to take the risk. There¡¯s no difference even if you go home.¡¯ I reluctantly walked towards the wagon, taking one, two, two and a half steps. ¡®Oh no, I can¡¯t.¡¯ I stopped. I could hardly go back. Rationally, I should go home, but I couldn¡¯t emotionally. I couldn¡¯t tolerate myself if I decided to go home. In the end, I turned back. Holding the cumbersome hem of my skirt in both hands, I ran towards the Ver Pce. I was gasping for health because I was suddenly running, but I didn¡¯t care. When I was about fifteen, the emperor, who liked me, calling me his daughter-inw kindly, took me to a small garden. While walking and talking with me, he suddenly stopped in front of a tree and asked if I knew what it was. When I answered that I did not know because it was my first time seeing it in my life, he smiled and said, ¡®It¡¯s rare in itself, but it¡¯s even harder to see its blooming flowers.¡± ¡°I am so curious what it looks like since you say it¡¯s rare. Do you know which flower it blooms?¡± ¡°Well, I saw it only once. That tree blooms only in winter. It is a silver flower that shines more beautifully in the moonlight. ¡° Chapter 52 Chapter 52: Chapter 52 I thought of telling him about my new assignment at the Imperial Pce, but I felt I might worry him, so I stared into his blue eyes for a moment before bringing up a different topic. I was afraid that he would feel lonely again when I mentioned it. ¡°I can do it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You made allowances for my situation when you lessened my practice, right? You were worried I might have a hard time. I¡¯m fine, Daddy, soI want you to teach me a little more. ¡± ¡°Yes, I got it,¡± he said calmly, nodding. ¡°Okay, then. You may find it hard, but just think of it as a punishment for your dangerous actions. As you know, I am strict and fair when ites to public matters. So, keep it in mind.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Dad. ¡± My lips trembled, but I answered, smiling at him. Somehow, my spine felt chilled by his words. I thought of telling him about my new assignment at the Imperial Pce, but I felt I might worry him, so I stared into his blue eyes for a moment before bringing up a different topic. I was afraid that he would feel lonely again when I mentioned it. ¡°I can do it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You made allowances for my situation when you lessened my practice, right? You were worried I might have a hard time. I¡¯m fine, Daddy, soI want you to teach me a little more. ¡± ¡°Yes, I got it,¡± he said calmly, nodding. ¡°Okay, then. You may find it hard, but just think of it as a punishment for your dangerous actions. As you know, I am strict and fair when ites to public matters. So, keep it in mind.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Dad. ¡± My lips trembled, but I answered, smiling at him. Somehow, my spine felt chilled by his words. ¡°Lady, take a break over tea.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time for tea. Just leave it there.¡± I screamed silently as I was frustrated with my heavy workload. When I used to function as the queen, I didn¡¯t have this much work. At that time, I only had to deal with the affairs of the pce, but what I had to do now was at least double that workload. It had been my responsibility to take care of the housekeeping for a long time, but now, as I am being trained as the sessor of my family, I had to take care not only of the housekeeping, but also all kinds of other things in the family. Typically, an ordinary aristocrat had little work to do, but I am from the Monique family. As head of the family, my father took the role of the captain of the knights, in addition to the unique rtionship with the imperial family that no other noble family has. I already knew most of the noble families in the empire and memorized their characteristics and learned how to cultivate a political rtionship, but I had to cultivate the basic qualities of a knight to be the sessor of my family famed for martial arts. I also had to master how to wield a sword, use a spear on horse, tactics of war, andmanding soldiers. I also needed to learn how to control and direct the knights and how to handle various administrative tasks rted to the knights to be the captain of the knights division. Because of this, I was busy learning and mastering all the skills at once. ¡°Take some rest, mydy. You¡¯ve been working all morning. You look so tired. ¡± ¡°But I have to finish all this before my fatheres back.¡± Waving my hands, I browsed , which my father asked me to finish reading by today. I was writing down the gist of the contents, but the quill didn¡¯t get wet even when I dipped it deep in the ink bottle. Had I used it up already? I opened it only a few days ago. After putting it down after a while, I opened the first drawer of the desk. Massaging my stiff shoulder, I looked for a new ink bottle, but suddenly I noticed a letter iron with colored stationery. At that moment, something shed through my head. What a surprise! ¡°Lina!¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± ¡°Have you ever received anything for me? For example, a letter or somebody¡¯s request to visit me.¡± Why hadn¡¯t Allendis contacted me until now? It¡¯s already been more than 15 days since I returned to the capital. Maybe he was busy, but he sent a letter once a week when I was staying at the estate. I felt it strange that he didn¡¯t send me a letter, let alone visiting me. ¡°Letter? Uh, I haven¡¯t received any, mydy. ¡± I knitted my eyebrows when she hesitated. I felt strange because she stuttered and didn¡¯t make eye contact with me. ¡°You must be hiding something from me. Tell me, Lina. ¡± ¡°Well, that is¡­¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± ¡°In fact, there was a letter from Allendis¡­¡± ¡°Really? Why didn¡¯t I see it? ¡± ¡°I was going to bring it to your office, but your father noticed me and told me not to convey it.¡± I tilted my head at her unexpected reply. What the heck is this? Why did my father do that? ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He told me you had to focus on your work for a while, and he said you also wanted to.¡± ¡°Really? Did he say anything else? ¡± ¡°Well, he told me not to convey the letter to you and he seemed to feel a bit displeased. That¡¯s it. He didn¡¯t say anything else. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Lina, it is me, not my father, that you serve. Even if my father told you so, you should have told me about it. ¡± ¡°Yes, I know it. I¡¯m so sorry, mydy. ¡± Lina bowed her head and apologized. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Ugh? Where are you going?¡± ¡°Duke Verita¡¯s mansion.¡± ¡°But you haven¡¯t even informed them of your visit¡­ Got it, mydy. I will prepare as soon as possible. ¡± After checking my appearance, she quickly disappeared, saying she would be ready. It was impolite to visit another family without any advance notice. Hearing what Lina said, I guess that my father took a dim view of me making friends with Allendis, so I had no other choice. If I formally informed them of my visit, my father would find out and stop me from going. ¡°Oh,dy Monique!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Madame. Please forgive me foring here without any advance notice.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯m so d you came here. You¡¯re here to meet Allendis, right? ¡± ¡°Yes, yes, but¡­ ¡± ¡°You will be escorted to him right away. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Yeah? Ah yes. Thank you, Duchess. ¡± I tilted my head a bit when she weed me so heartily. I thought she would be a bit displeased about my rude visit, but she was d I came. I couldn¡¯t understand why she thanked me, but I nodded at her casually. I felt a bit strange after the maid quickly disappeared after escorting me into Allendis¡¯s room, but I just shrugged and knocked on the door lightly. All kinds of books and documents were piled up on a spacious desk in the room with creamy wallpaper. It looked warm and cozy. The boy with green hair said in a cold voice, which seemed so unfamiliar to me, ¡°What the heck is this? I told you not to let anybodyee into my room.¡± Suddenly, I stopped at his strange voice. Instead of his usual warmth, I felt his voice and attitude were cold. I just blinked nkly. Did I hear wrong? Nope. There are only two in this room, Allendis and I. ¡°Get out right away!¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ . ¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me shouting at you¡­? Oh my¡­ are you Tia? ¡± Allendis flinched while nervously raising his head. He made a bitter smile on his face that seemed a bit haggard. ¡°Again¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I heard you¡¯re back.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°But I haven¡¯t heard from you. Tia, have you forgiven me yet? ¡± ¡°¡­Allen. ¡± He stiffened a bit then sprang to his feet. Documents piled up around him copsed as he stood. Pushing a bunch of scattered paper on the floor, he came and reached out to me. His emerald eyes were trembling. ¡°I can hear your voice now.¡± The moment he touched my cheek, I stepped back unconsciously. I was surprised by his trembling eyes. When I noticed his hurt feelings on his face, I came to my senses. What did I do to him? I wrapped his stiffened hands. Feeling the warmth of his hands, I opened my mouth hesitantly. Chapter 53 Chapter 53: Chapter 53 ¡°Allen.¡± ¡°¡­Tia? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯vee here a littlete. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I wanted to meet you in person, but I couldn¡¯t take time out. I¡¯m so sorry, Allen. Were you hurt a lot? ¡± Allendis, standing nkly, hugged me all of a sudden. When I was wrapped in his arms, he said with a hoarse voice, ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Tia, is it you really? Huh? Are you my girl? ¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Allen.¡± Allendis called me endlessly, with no sign of letting go of me. I was stunned when I felt wetness dropping on me. ¡°Are you crying now, Allendis?¡± ¡°I thought I could n¡¯t see you anymore.¡± ¡°Oh no, Allen.¡± ¡°I thought you closed your heart to me after you didn¡¯t contact me since you mentioned your dream to me. I was impatient again, and I was scared.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine now. I¡¯m sorry to have worried you.¡± I carefully stretched out my arms and pat his back. I felt sorry I couldn¡¯t write a letter to him because I wanted to see him in person. I wish I had sent him a letter if I had known he was in this sorry condition. How much time passed? Allendis released me finally and smiled awkwardly. I was reflected in his emerald eyes that seemed a little reddish. ¡°Sorry, Tia. Were you surprised a lot? ¡± ¡°Well, a little?¡± ¡°I see. Sorry to have surprised you. ¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t write to you. By the way, you look very busy. Am I interfering? ¡± ¡°Nope. You are always wee at my ce. Um, shall we move? There is no ce for us to sit here. ¡± With a smile, he reached out. When I took his hands and turned around, I saw a shiny silver letter in the middle of the documents that fell on the floor. ¡®Huh? Silvery? Few people would write on that colored stationery.¡¯ When I opened my eyes wide, I saw a straight and neat font that looked very familiar to me. ¡®Ugh, that¡¯s ¡­¡¯ ¡°Tia?¡± As he called me curiously, I took my eyes off the letter paper. However, I couldn¡¯t shake off the afterimages of the silver letter that glimmered before my eyes until I arrived at the reception room as he escorted me. I wasn¡¯t sure because I was a bit away from it, but if I wasn¡¯t wrong, the sender of the letter was definitely someone I knew. ¡°Please give me a slice of lemon with hot water.¡± Shortly afterwards, he spoke with a smile to the maid who came in. The maid, who stood nkly, disappeared after repeating his request. Why is he doing so? Obviously, the maid was not a rookie, so she knew what his favorite tea was even without him asking for it. Looking at the maid who was disappearing, he turned around and said, ¡°You look much better than when I saw youst, Tia. How has your life been at the estate?¡± ¡°WWell, I went through ups and downs there, but it was okay.¡± ¡°Good. How about the people there?¡± ¡°Well, I saw many of the employees there for the first time, but they were all kind and the knights were good. Well, sometimes there was a sh between Sir Seymour or Carsein, but it wasn¡¯t that bad. ¡± ¡°As for Sir Seymour, is he the same knight I saw before?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The moment he heard my answer, I felt his eyebrows wiggled. ¡®Huh? Does Sir Seymour bother him?¡¯ When I slowly closed my eyes and opened, he was looking at me with a calm expression. ¡°Got it. By the way, what do you mean when you say Carsein and the knights shed¡± ¡°Well, they had arguments sometimes, but they didn¡¯t duel or have a fist fight.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. As you know, the way Carsein speaks is a little rough. At first, they had an argument because of that, but they got along wellter. When I said I was leaving, Carsein said he was sorry I had to leave. Come to think of it, I wonder if he was keeping well now. He looked a bit strange when I returned to the capital.¡± When I was about to talk about him, the maid appeared and put down a teapot and a mug with hot water. There was also a dish with lemon slices. Allendis looked back at me in a pensive mood and said, ¡°Can you excuse me for a moment, Tia? I have something to bring here. ¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± When I nodded gently, he got up with a smile. He was holding a little box when he got back a little whileter. What was that? As if he noticed I was curious, he handed the box over to me and told me to open it. When I opened the lid of the wooden box engraved with the cross key, it was filled with blue and purple dried petals. ¡°What is this, Allen? I think this is the first time I have ever seen something like this.¡± ¡°This is a flower that only grows in my estate. It¡¯s called Blue Mellow. ¡± After exining about it in detail, he put dried petals in the teacup. When he poured water, its bright blue color spread out in the tea. It was so beautiful that I eximed unconsciously. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s pretty.¡± ¡°You bet. But this is not all. Look at it carefully, Tia. ¡± He grabbed a slice of lemon and dropped a few drops of juice onto a blue-green mug. ¡°Wow! The color has changed¡­ ¡± ¡°How about it? Isn¡¯t it pretty?¡± The blue color disappeared, and the clear pink color was suddenly overflowing in the teacup. How did this happen? My eyes popped up. When I moved the teacup for a closer look, he chuckled and handed me the box. ¡°ept it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my gift. I prepared it while thinking about you. I¡¯m d you seem to like it. ¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this precious? You told me it only grows only on your estate.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I prepared it for you anyway.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I smiled broadly at the unexpected gift. When I was about to express gratitude, he shook his head violently while looking at me silently. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Allen?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you smiling before.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I mean it¡¯s the first time I have seen you smiling so brightly.¡± ¡°Well, do I look strange?¡± ¡°Oh, no. Tia, don¡¯t smile like that before others. Okay?¡± ¡°Huh? You must be kidding.¡± While grinning at him, I looked into the box again. I smelled the peculiar scent of the dried flowers inside the box blended with blue and purple. How amazing! Why does it turn pink? ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°¡­ Are you okay now? ¡± ¡°Well, lots of things happened, but I¡¯m okay now. Thank you for your concern.¡± ¡°Yeah, I feel relieved to hear that.¡± Allendis nodded, trying to say more. I wondered what he was trying to say, but I didn¡¯t ask. As I already talked to him a lot, based on my dream, I no longer wanted to tell him about my past. Drinking the sweet-looking pink tea, I chatted with him about lots of other things. As he and I didn¡¯t see each other for the past six months, we had so many things to talk about. I was surprised while refilling the empty mug because time passed so quickly. I got up in a hurry as it began to dark outside the window. Considering what Lina said, I thought it would be better to go back home before my father came home. ¡°Allen, I think I should leave now.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s this hour already?¡± He spoke with a wistful expression. I also felt sorry I had to leave. Saying goodbye to his mother who felt sorry I had to go back, I headed for the carriage with him. ¡°Let me write to you often. By the way, are you quitting fencing?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not quitting it once and for all, but I don¡¯t think I can dedicate my time to it like before. I think I have to help my father from now on. ¡® ¡°Oh, those documents you worked on were rted to your new assignment, right?¡± ¡°Ugh? Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Allendis, who seemed embarrassed for a moment, immediately nodded. I was a little sorry when I thought that our paths were diverging, but I just smiled silently because I already knew that we would choose a different path one day. ¡°Tia?¡± Chapter 54 Chapter 54: Chapter 54 I turned while I was getting on the wagon when he called me. When I turned my head, he said, smiling feebly, ¡°Oh, just nothing.¡± ¡°Okay. Goodbye, Allen. I¡¯ll write you a letter. ¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I looked back again. He was looking at me with an uneasy expression. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡¯ He said as if something came to his mind, ¡°Oh, that blue mellow. I¡¯ll give you it again when you are out of stock. So, drink it as much as you like.¡± ¡°Really? Thanks for the tea.¡± I brightly smiled at him. I waited a bit more until he spoke, but he said nothing. So, I said goodbye to him and tried to climb the wagon when he called me urgently. ¡°You know, Tia. Um, let me escort you back home.¡± ¡°I like it, but isn¡¯t it a burden to you?¡± ¡°Not at all. Let me tell them to get ready for my departure. I¡¯ve only just seen you after such a long time, so I feel a bit sorry as I let you go alone like this.¡± ¡°Sure, then. Thanks, Allen. ¡± After he disappeared, saying he would prepare a wagon, I told the horseman of my carriage who was waiting for me to board to leave.As he knew I was close to Allendis, he nodded without any objection. Soon a wagon arrived with the sound of a horse¡¯s hoofs. As if it was cold outside, there was puffing up white steam from the horse¡¯s mouth. ¡°You must have gotten cold while waiting. Let¡¯s get inside. Come on. ¡± ¡°Sure.¡± It didn¡¯t seem that much time passed, but it got dark suddenly outside the window. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ I think my father has returned already. As Duke Verita¡¯s manor was not far from mine, we reached our destination shortly after we left. I looked anxiously at the knights guarding the main gate, but fortunately, it seemed that I was notte because they didn¡¯t mention anything special after bowing to me. ¡°Thanks for escorting me here, Allen.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Tia. I think it¡¯s toote, so go in now.¡± ¡°Okay, Allen. Take care.¡± When I turned after waiving to him, I heard the tter of a horse in the distance. Another wagon approaching the mansion had the crest engraved with the four spears intersecting over the silver shield. ¡®Oh my god! Why is heing back now?¡¯ While I was at a loss what to do, the wagon drove at a high speed and stopped. Soon the door was opened and a man stepped down. I sighed. Although it was hard to see him because it¡¯s dark, I clearly saw his shiny silver hair. ¡°Daddy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, sir.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you Duke Verita¡¯s son? It¡¯s been a long time,¡± my father said. Walking to me with great strides, he bluntly nodded at him. ¡°Oh, you returned after seeing him.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in because it¡¯ste. Thanks for escorting my daughter here, young man.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, sir. Then, I¡¯ll see you again next time. Goodbye, Tia. See you next time.¡± ¡°Take care, Allendis¡­¡± I barely responded while checking my father¡¯s look because I almost called him so naturally by his first name. However, perhaps because of the darkness, I couldn¡¯t read anything from his expression. ¡°Goodbye, boy. Tia, let¡¯s go in. ¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Dad. ¡± My father, who walked silently up the stairs, looked back at me halfway through the stairs and said, ¡°It¡¯ste, but would you like to have tea with me?¡± ¡°Ah yes, Daddy.¡± I felt like I was guilty for some reason when I headed for his study. As I sat facing him in the soft chair, my father said, sighing low, ¡°So, did you have a good time there?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I¡¯m sorry. ¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Oh, I am sorry I didn¡¯t tell you in advance before I went to his house.¡± Upon hearing my answer, he was silent for a moment. He seemed to choose words while I was waiting, and then broke the silence with a low voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen in the future, but you¡¯re engaged to the crown prince. If you are making friends with boys of other families, you know people will begin to gossip about your rtionships.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Well, the reason I haven¡¯t stopped you from making friends with Duke Verita¡¯s son and Duke Lars¡¯s son was because I saw you were happy while mingling with them.¡± After catching his breath for a moment, he said again,¡±But I heard that Verita¡¯s son visited you on the eve of the crown prince¡¯sing-of-age ceremony after you passed out. I also heard that you told him not toe back, and that you had a hard time after that.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°As you know, the crown prince is absent right now, so people will be paying attention to you. If they hurt you rather than giving you peace of mind, I don¡¯t have any reason to allow you to meet them, right? I want you to be happy. I really don¡¯t want you to hurt because of them.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t have to stop me from corresponding with them by letters¡­¡± I could understand his position, but I grumbled because I thought he went too far when he intercepted Allendis¡¯s letter to me the other day. Looking at me silently, he said with a sigh, ¡°Oh, did you already hear about it?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. I did so because I didn¡¯t know what the letter was about. I took it because I was worried you would feel hurt again when you had just begun to feel better.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I was so happy to see you working hard in a cheerful mood, so I took the letter. I¡¯m sorry for that.¡± Suddenly, I felt sorry somehow. He did it because he was worried about me. I didn¡¯t feel good when he said he was sorry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for throwing a tantrum, Daddy.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. I left the letter sealed. Would you take it? ¡± ¡°No, Daddy. You can give it to meter when you think you feelfortable about it. I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know why you did it.¡± ¡°¡­ Didn¡¯t you hate me for that? ¡± ¡°How can I hate you, Daddy? You know that.¡± When I smiled bashfully and leaned on him, he sighed and swept my hair. ¡°So, did you have a good time?¡± ¡°Yeah. By the way, you told me you would like to have tea with me, right?¡± I pulled the string and asked the maid to bring some hot water, and I showed my father the box I received from Allendis. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°I received a gift from Allendis. He said it¡¯s a very precious nt growing only in the estate of the Verita family. When I brewed it for tea, it was very pretty.¡± ¡°Really?¡± After being silent for a moment, he called me as if he recalled something. ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Well, a little while ago when Verita¡¯s son was here, I heard him calling you by your nickname.¡± I smiled awkwardly because I didn¡¯t have anything to say. He heard it, too. I thought he didn¡¯t hear it because he didn¡¯t mention it until now. ¡°Well, I believed that I was the only one who could call you by your nickname¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ I¡¯m a bit sad.¡± ¡°Oh, Daddy, that is¡­¡± I was very embarrassed at his sad expression. What should I do? I was thinking of making an excuse somehow, when I heard somebody knocking on the door. I let out a sigh of relief. ¡®Am I out of the crisis since he didn¡¯t take any issue with it?¡¯ After the maid brought the teacup and a teapot with hot water, I quickly pulled the teacup before he asked me more about my nickname. After adding a spoonful of dried petals and pouring hot water, the vivid blue color gradually spread out. I was a little worried because it was the first time I made it. But I carefully filtered out the petals and handed the mug to him. ¡°Isn¡¯t the color pretty?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, it is. ¡± ¡°When I added lemon juice, it turned pink. It was amazing. ¡± ¡°I see.¡± I tilted my head as he silently leaned over the mug. ¡®Did I brew it wrong? It¡¯s strange. It looks the same as when I enjoyed it at Allen¡¯s.¡¯ ¡°How does it taste?¡± ¡°Well, the scent is just so-so, but I like it because you brewed it.¡± Does he mean he liked it or not? When I looked at him curiously, he sipped a cup of tea and said, ¡°Hmmm¡­I guess you didn¡¯t finish your homework today.¡± ¡°Ah yes. I¡¯m sorry, Dad. I¡¯ll definitely finish it by tomorrow morning. ¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to stay up all night to do it.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯m afraid I am too hard on you. As it¡¯s toote, go and have a good sleep, but you should make up for what you missed today.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± I nodded lightly and stood up. Now, it was time to go to bed. Chapter 55 Chapter 55: Chapter 55 Part 2 Present II The sunlighting through the wide open windows was dazzling. The cold air that followed the wave of sparkling light happily hovered in the room. I smiled gently, breathing deep in the unique fresh air of the morning. It was a refreshing morning. ¡°Are you awake, mydy? Good morning!¡± Lina, who wasing in carefully, said with a big smile. After putting a ss of water on the table, she made the bed, humming a tune. She was a cheerful girl by nature, but she felt really good today. Obviously, something good came her way. ¡°Lina, is there anything good to you? You feel good today. ¡± ¡°Gosh, mydy. Today is the winter clean day! So, I have to redecorate your room and change this curtain and carpet. ¡± ¡°Winter clean? Already?¡± ¡°Already? Well, it¡¯s toote. This year a lot of things happened, so the butler told me to do it a littlete. It looks like you were snowed under with work, mydy, as you didn¡¯t know that the season has changed.¡± As she looked sympathetic, I counted the dates on the calendar. Yes, she was right. It would be thest month of the year in a few days. It seemed like I started my new assignments only recently, but time passed so quickly. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s already winter. ¡± ¡°In that sense, how about decorating your room today?¡± ¡°Well, what is that?¡± ¡°Come on, mydy. You are not interested in decorating at all. As you will soon make a debut in the social circles, it¡¯s time you had to pay attention to it little by little. ¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t. I¡¯m going out to get a handle on my new work anyway. I shook my head to refuse her offer. I didn¡¯t feel up to it, nor did I have to. Anyway, I was supposed to do something else all day long, so I couldn¡¯t afford to pay attention to things like decoration. Not caring about what I said, she spread out all kinds of hair bands. The red, yellow, and blue hair bands ced on the dressing table were varying in color and type. While looking at the various colorful colors for a while, I tilted my head. Did I have so many hair bands? I think there were some I hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, mydy?¡± ¡°Huh? I think there is much more that I think. ¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t think so. You may be confused because you haven¡¯t paid any attention to it. Now, which one do you like better? Pink? Red? Or green or yellow? ¡± After being silent for a moment, she asked, presenting three or four types of hairbands. I sighed, watching Lina who was all smiles. ¡°Anything is fine. So, pick one as you wish.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll choose pink. By the way, even if you be a female knight, please pay attention to your appearance. As they say, a woman is supposed to pretty up. Look at me, mydy. I do look really different when I put on make-up and get dressed.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean? Are you dating somebody?¡± Come to think of it, Lina seemed to have shown lots of interest in her appearance recently. When I asked curiously, she waved her hand with a slightly embarrassed look. ¡°Oh no, mydy. I just¡­¡± ¡°My guesswork is right. Who is he? Do I know him?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have anyone, mydy. I just said that because I wished you looked more beautiful¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me a lie. I think you are dating somebody. Who is he? A servant? A knight? As your ideal type is a tall, slim man with dark hair, maybe he is a knight, right?¡± ¡°Oh my god! I don¡¯t have anyone. I¡¯m serious!¡± I smiled when she vehemently denied it. While she was busy denying with her face blushing, she pouted, ¡°It¡¯s not fair. I told you everything about me, but you haven¡¯t told me anything. ¡± ¡°Huh? What didn¡¯t I tell you about? ¡± ¡°Look. You know my ideal type, right? But you don¡¯t even tell me what type of guy you like. Well,e to think of it, I¡¯m upset.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°What type of man do you like in that sense? A reliable person? Or a kind person? Or a friendly person? ¡± As if she seized the right moment, Lina asked, with her eyes sparkling. Ideal type? In the past I would have replied he was the crown prince, but now I don¡¯t have any intention of loving anyone. I loved the crown prince with all my heart and sincerity, but I still feel heartbroken deeply because I was not rewarded for it. So, if I had to choose one, I want a man who can make sure that I will never suffer the pain of being abandoned again. Yes, a man who will kneel in front of me and swear he will never abandon me. I smiled bitterly. Anyway, it didn¡¯t matter to me because I was bound to the imperial family through marriage, so I couldn¡¯t do anything with my own will. In that respect, there was only one answer. Regardless of whether he was my ideal type or not, the crown prince was not my type at all. ¡°¡­ I¡¯mte. Let me get out.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­ you won¡¯t tell me about your ideal type?¡± ¡°See youter, Lina. Supervise the cleanup work well.¡± I stood up, leaving her behind as she stared at me. She looked upset, but she nodded when I told her to clean my room. Maybe it was because the employees were preparing for the cleanup that the whole mansion was messy, so I headed for the training field. Although I tried not to disturb the knights, some of them already began to look at me. They seemed to expect something from me, I tilted my head. Why are they looking at me like that? ¡°Good morning, mydy.¡± ¡°Good morning, Sir League!¡± I smiled at the middle-aged knight who greeted me with a big smile. When I turned to look for a wooden sword for training, I suddenly heard cheers from behind my back. ¡°Wow, that dark pink!¡± ¡°Oh my god! How can she¡­¡± Stunned, I looked back and found a young knight smiling at me brightly and several other knights staring at him as if they were frustrated. ¡®What? Dark pink? If it is dark pink, Is he talking about my dark pink hairband? No way, what does my hair band color have to do with them?¡¯ But I still felt strange. There wasn¡¯t anything else in the training field other than this in pink, and their gaze at me bothered me. I thought I had to go back and question Lina. I walked away when I heard someone calling me from behind. ¡°Lady, you are here.¡± ¡®Huh? Why is the butler here? He should be very busy overseeing the cleanup.¡¯ ¡°You have a letter from the Imperial Pce. It¡¯s addressed to you, mydy.¡± The letter he gave me was in a gorgeous envelope studded with golden pearls on a blue background. ¡®Ugh? This is the first time I have seen something like this¡¯. It is clear that the letter was sent by the Imperial Pce since its envelope had the imperial seal. I flinched, epting it. In the blue envelope, there was a signature written in block letters, reflecting the character of the sender: Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina. The signature was written in a beautiful typeface used by the imperial family, but it sounded cold and hard. ¡®Why did he send me a letter?¡¯ I was hesitating for a long time in an uneasy mood, but finally, I opened the seal. There were a few lines written in white ink on the colorful letter paper studded with golden pearls on a blue background just like the envelope. < I heard that you returned to the capital city. Are you okay now? I¡¯m arriving in the capital early next month. I hope to see you then. Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina.> As today is four days from the end of this month, he would arrive in a week or so. ng! My sword and his shed with a loud noise. My arm was shaking as I was overpowered by the other party. Cold sweat broke out when I felt the other party¡¯s sword pointing closer to me. ¡®I can¡¯t do this anymore. I can¡¯t win a battle of strength like this.¡¯ I gently pulled back. At that moment, the guy struck down the sword as if on cue. I tried to block it, but his sword approached me first. The de of the sword he wielded stopped right above my forehead. It was a close call. ¡°I lost.¡± Chapter 56 Chapter 56: Chapter 56 My voice trembled as if I was surprised. I heard the knights, watching me duelling the man, running to me in a hurry. They pushed the man out and asked with a very worried look. ¡°Mydy, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Were you injured?¡± ¡°No, I was a little surprised, but I wasn¡¯t hurt. ¡± ¡°Did you say you were surprised? Hey, what are you doing? Bring some cold water!¡± Sir League shoute. The young knight, who duelled with me a moment ago, rushed to get water. I smiled awkwardly. I was not as surprised as he thought. To tell the truth, I was more surprised right now than a moment ago because they asked me a barrage of questions. ¡°Mydy, please drink some water.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Ecs.¡± The young knight who came back in no time quickly offered a water bottle. I took a sip of water after receiving the cold bottle. I smiled naturally at their warmth when they looked at me with concern. Sir League looked at me with a warm expression, ¡°Lady, you are very pretty. Smile more often. You used to be cute in the past. Time flies so fast!¡± ¡°Thank you for saying that, Sir League.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. I mean it. I¡¯m a bit worried about how your father is doing these days. If you get married¡­¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± While I was smiling awkwardly at his repeated praise, I heard a cold voice from behind. I grinned broadly, turning to the man who asked Sir League. ¡°Have you been doing well, Daddy?¡± ¡°Yes, Tia. Did you have a good day today? ¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°It looks like you practiced fencing after a long time.¡± ¡°Yes, I think I have to start over. You must be very tired. Come on in. ¡± After saying goodbye to the knights who felt sorry I had to leave, I went to the mansion with my father. He didn¡¯t have to go to the pce today, and he had just returned after weing back the crown prince who arrived in the capital. Yes, today was the day he returned to the capital. ¡°You came back early today, Daddy?¡± ¡°Well, If I hadn¡¯t met Arkint in the middle, I would havee much earlier. By the way, Tia? ¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°Arkint asked me how much you have learned with respect to your new work. He asked if you coulde to his office to take over his work. He said if you didn¡¯t mind, you coulde, starting the day after tomorrow. ¡± Time really passed so fast. It looked like yesterday when I decided to join the 1st Knights Division as an aide to Duke Lars when spring came, but it was already almost one year since I made that decision. Today is the 3rd day of thest month of the year. Next month would bring in a new year. ¡°Sure, I wille to his office the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Good. By the way, the crown prince has sent you a message¡± ¡°¡­His Majesty? ¡± ¡°Well, like he said the other day, he wanted to see you at the crown prince¡¯s pce in the afternoon the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± I recalled a colorful letter paper sprinkled with gold pearls on a blue background that I received from the crown prince the other day. I remembered its contents, too. When I thought of facing him again, I felt gloomy suddenly. With a sigh, I nodded to my father, who looked at me nervously. As I can¡¯t disobey the crown prince¡¯s order, I had to go see him the day after tomorrow. Two dayster, I headed for the Imperial Pce after telling my father about my visit. As my father and Duke Lars went to work every other day, they rarely met at the pce unless they made an appointment. That meant I had little chance of bumping into my father. ¡®It looks like I have no asion to meet my father during the day.¡¯ I sighed, feeling regret about it. Although I couldn¡¯t rely on his protection forever, I still felt a bit sad when I thought about it. When I entered the crown prince¡¯s pce, a servant who appeared to belong to the Central Pce came to me and asked, ¡°Are you Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Yes. What is going on? ¡± ¡°His Majesty wants to see you.¡± ¡°Got it. Can you escort me to him?¡± I called the chief attendant of the crown prince¡¯s pce and told him that I would bete because I was on my way to see the emperor at his request. I walked after the chief attendant. There was another man in the meeting room of the Central Pce. When I stepped in, the emperor, who was drinking tea with Duke Lars, turned to me. I leaned slowly towards the emperor, who smiled at me nicely. ¡°I, Aristia La Monique, am honored to see Your Majesty, the sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Come on in. In fact, I heard from Duke Lars that you would serve as his deputy as of today.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Good. In the end, did you decide to seed the Monique family? ¡± The emperor asked bitterly. He continued, ¡°If you look at your father¡¯s character, he will never remarry. In that respect, your session is not that bad¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty,¡± Duke Lars seconded. ¡°Hey, Duke Lars, are you coveting her, too? Well, I hear your son has a close rtionship with her. Did you say he stayed with her at the estate of the Monique family for half a year? ¡± ¡°Well, I understand you already approved it. To be honest with you, I¡¯m interested in having her as my daughter-inw, too, but I don¡¯t think Duke Veria will sit on his hands.¡± ¡°That ¡®s right. If I had not picked her as Rube¡¯s fiancee, he would have dered that he would have her marry his son and stay with his daughter-inw for the rest of his life. I could bet my whole fortune on it,¡± the emperor said with a heartyugh. Duke Lars alsoughed. ¡°By the way, why did youe here in ceremonial dress, not uniform? Didn¡¯t you say you came here to take over his deputy¡¯s work?¡± ¡°Well, as I was pressed for time, my uniform has not yet been made. And I came at the crown prince¡¯s order¡­¡± ¡°Really? Did Rube call you?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°When did he call you? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard that. ¡± The emperor asked curiously, looking at me. ¡°Well, some time ago when he was returning from an inspection journey, he sent me a letter asking to see me at his pce.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Now, I understand what happened. ¡± His face was full of a warm smile. I swallowed a sigh deep down. In fact, the emperor used to arrange meetings for me and the crown prince to meet on purpose. In that respect, I could understand why the emperor was so happy to hear that the crown prince took the initiative to meet me. As expected, the emperor said with a very satisfied expression, ¡°Then I should let you go now. I was going to ask you whether you would be willing to think twice about the deputy position, but as the two dukes were vehemently opposed to my idea, let me give up. You can leave now.¡± ¡°Thanks for your consideration, Your Majesty. Then, I will leave now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you go today, but if you ever change your mind,e visit me any time.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You can leave now. Have a good time. ¡± After saying goodbye to the emperor, I left the meeting room and headed for the crown prince¡¯s pce. It seemed a bit far from the Central Pce, so I walked back and soon arrived at the entrance. A chief chambein who oversaw the pce affairs bowed to me politely. Maybe he was waiting for me. ¡°Wee, Lady Monique. I will escort you.¡± While walking down the hall, escorted by the chief chambein, I looked around the inside of the pce again. I¡¯ve never been to this ce before because he always avoided me as the crown prince. Even when I entered the pce as the queen after he became the emperor, I only visited the Central Pce only a few times. But now, as someone who was back from the past, I was walking in the hallway of his pce at his order. If he had invited me in the past, I would have been very happy, but I didn¡¯t feel happy at all now. I was just nervous why he went to the trouble of sending me a letter asking to see him. Chapter 57 Chapter 57: Chapter 57 It was the crown prince¡¯s office that I arrived. The bookshelf that upied one side of the wall was packed with all kinds of books and file folders, along with the piles of documents. I bowed to the young blue-haired young man writing something hard in front of arge desk. ¡°I, Aristia La Monique, am honored to see you, the little sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Oh, you are here,¡± he said, taking his eyes from the document and putting down the quill. ¡°I hear the emperor called you on your way here.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°So, what did he say?¡± ¡°He asked whether I was willing to reconsider the position of the 1st Knights captain¡¯s aide.¡± ¡°His aide?¡± He asked as if he had doubt then suddenly hardened his expression. There was silence for a moment. When I was messing around with the hem of my skirt as I felt awkward, he said with a cold voice, ¡°Shall we take a walk for a while?¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± I was embarrassed. I knew he hated winter. Then, he offered to take a walk. I stopped to wonder if I heard wrong, but he already stood up. ¡°You are not going out?¡± ¡°Ah yes. Sorry, Your Majesty.¡± I hurriedly got up. I thought he would rebuke me right away, but he turned around without saying anything. Because of the recent snow, the road was covered with snow here and there, but it was quiet. The snow that fell on the naked branches looked like white flowers, and the surroundings with no wind was serene like a picture. I watched the young man walking ahead a few steps ahead of me, hearing the sound of his shoes trampling on the frozen pebbles. His blue eyes that stood out in the snow-covered world were unusually cold. For that reason, when I looked at the snow-covered garden, I felt warm rather than cold. Even after he walked long past the wisteria-arched door, he said nothing. My heart was beating anxiously as he was silent all the time. Why is he silent so long when he has something to say? ¡°¡­me?¡± How much had passed? Stunned to hear his voice that broke the long silence, I stopped walking. He stopped walking and turned to look back at me. His blue eyes stared at me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­it¡¯s nothing. Sorry, Your Majesty. ¡± I barely spoke through the frozen lips. My heart, squeezed by the breathless tension, was pounding hard like crazy. Silently watching me hiding his cold fingertips inside the hem of my skirt, he said, ¡°I asked you if your condition is okay.¡± ¡°Ah¡­yes, Your Majesty. I¡¯m fine,¡± I said hesitantly. Why is he asking me that question? No matter what I did, he didn¡¯t care. Obviously, he didn¡¯t ask that question because he was worried about me. Then, what motivated him to ask? With a puzzled look, I was reflecting on his motivation. Suddenly, I recalled myst meeting with him. Only then did I seem to know why he asked. It¡¯s the first time I met him since I parted with him at the estate. Back then I realized that I was again checking his countenance like I used to in the past despite my vow that I would never repeat my past life. If that¡¯s the case, did he want to see me for that? Namely, he wanted to see me because he wanted to ask why I was so afraid of him and why I refused him so much? If so, what should I reply? I couldn¡¯t easily avoid replying because I passed out in front of him. Extremely tense. I looked up at him, but he nodded unexpectedly without saying anything. Then he turned and walked again. I breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to catch up with him. Suddenly, the cold breeze passed through the snowkes that bloomed on a lean branch. White snow fell off in droves. He raised his head and watched the falling snow and asked, ¡°¡­Are you still dreaming?¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I mean that nightmare.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean¡­¡± I asked hesitantly. When he mentioned a dream, a nightmare, I recalled something, but there was no chance that he would ask about it. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s continue to walk.¡± He tried to say something, but stopped and resumed walking. While trying to calm my trembling heart, I walked after him, pondering over my conversation with him. ¡®Dream, and that nightmare? Why did he ask me that thing?¡¯ I felt something strange about him for some time. Tilting my head, I looked at him walking ahead of me. Did he hear some strange rumors about me from someone? Something like the rumor that I was dreaming a nightmare? But that was impossible. My father and Allendis were the only ones who knew of my nightmare. After walking, lost in thought, I suddenly looked around and felt that the road I was walking along was very familiar to me. ckened trees stood around the narrowing trail. There were also burnt fallen leaves here and there through the melted snow. ¡®This is the garden of Ver Pce! How does he know this ce? It¡¯s a small pce in the corner of the inner pce, so there are few whoe here.¡¯ I naturally cast my nce at the middle of the garden, where there was an unknown tree that I barely saved from the recent fire. ¡®What happened to the silver budding flowers? I hear they bloom in winter, so they should have bloomed by now?¡¯ However, When I got closer to it, the condition of the tree was still disastrous. The damages of the fire were less severe than before, but my heart was broken when I saw the naked tree standing in the middle of the garden without properndscaping due to the season. I went a little closer and touched the tree trunk. He also looked up at the tree silently. How much time passed? With his eyes fixed on the unopened buds, he murmured to himself, ¡°¡­ ¡­ Strange. Flowers should bloom around this time. ¡± ¡°Do you know that flower, Your Majesty?¡± Surprised by his unexpectedment, I asked, forgetting I had been tense all along while walking with him. He answered without taking his eyes off the silvery buds, ¡°I have seen the flowers once as a child.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°That tree blooms irregrly. Mostly, buds start to shoot out in winter, and bloom just before spring. They are not gorgeous but elegant, beautiful silver flowers. ¡± ¡°I see. I wonder what kind of flower it is. ¡± ¡®Elegant and beautiful flowers? What do they look like?¡¯ I was surprised while thinking about the various appearance of the flowers in my mind. I turned my big eyes towards him. ¡®Did he just exin to me? I didn¡¯t even ask what kind of flower it was! ¡® I felt creepy somehow. Why is he doing this to me out of a clear blue sky? Even if I asked him questions, he was never kind enough to answer them, but he is generous and kind to me now. However, as if he seemed not to have noticed my gaze full of doubt, he opened his mouth, in a pensive mood, ¡°Hmm, do you know the flower called D?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± I was speechless when he asked me kindly again, which was somewhat different from what he was until now. However, as if interpreting it in a different way, he exined in more detail. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the white flower that allegedly bloomed in the ce where Mother Earth cried, looking at the sky while yearning for a lost lover. They say that if you share the flowers from a branch, love blossoms.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, yes, Your Majesty. You mean the white flowers blooming in the summer?¡± ¡°Right. The flower of this tree looks a bit like that. ¡± ¡°I see.¡± Although I answered reluctantly, I suddenly recalled D. D is praised for its beauty because its six white petals shyly spreading like snow looked like a woman who had just begun to love. ¡®Is that flower simr to D?¡¯ Suddenly, I smiled because I was very excited about the full blooming of the silver flowers. ¡°Is your curiosity satisfied now?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I guess they will look really beautiful when they bloom. ¡± When I replied, looking at the silver buds closely, he said after a little silence, ¡°Now you look like a human.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Chapter 58 Chapter 58: Chapter 58 ¡°Are you Sir Monique?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. That¡¯s right.¡± I hesitated for a moment when I was called by that unfamiliar title, ¡®Sir Monique.¡¯ It was right to call me that way because an apprentice knight like me was still a knight, but I felt awkward since I wasn¡¯t yet ustomed to it. There were many changes in the organization of the knights as the regr knights division, which were as many as five during thete emperor¡¯s reign had been reduced to three after the current emperor took office. Ten years ago, when the Duke Heidel and Duke Laurel families were ruined, the 2nd and 3rd Knights divisions whose leadership they had maintained for generations were disbanded, and the 4th Knight Division that our family was in charge of was promoted to the 2nd Knights Division. The emperor ordered the dissolution of the 2nd and 3rd Knights, and selected only those who were loyal to him to join the 1st and 4th Knights, currently the 2nd Knights, for reinforcement. In the process, the number of both knight divisions increased somewhat, but the total number of all the knights was reduced. Therefore, it was very difficult to be appointed as an official knight in the empire because the selection standards were strict, and the overall quota was also reduced. In order to be the aide to the captain of the 1st Knights Division, I had to be an official knight first, so I took the test to obtain knighthood a few days ago. I was notpetent enough to be a knight, but thanks to my hard training, I became an apprentice knight and as a result, I was fortunate enough to be the captain¡¯s aide. ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Sudin Dillon. ¡± Sir Dillon greeted me with a very happy expression. Initially, I was worried that he would ignore me because I was a woman or young or I took away his job, but he didn¡¯t. I felt nothing like that in this man who had a good and generous impression. ¡°Thank you for weing me instead of belittling me, Sir Dillon.¡± ¡°Belittling you? No way. You are my savior.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± When I was a bit puzzled, he replied with a smile, ¡°You will find out if youe to work as his aide.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± Suddenly, memories of the past I had forgotten came to my mind. Duke Lars was one of the teachers in charge of my empress sses in the past. Unlike his cool impression, he valued his principles. He was so meticulous in everything that I was always nervous when taking his ss. So, I felt I could understand he must have been stressed out while working as his boss¡¯s aide. ¡°Come to think of it, it looks like the captain is not an easy-going boss.¡± ¡°You bet. By the way, as my boss is a close friend of your father, I guess you met him often, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I see him sometimes.¡± ¡°Oh I see. What a relief! Shall we start now? ¡± Touching my throbbing head, I wrote down the gist of his points in a small notebook. Even though I learned from my father over the winter, it was harder than I thought to understand lots of stuff that Sir Dillon exined in detail. There were lots of things assigned to the 1st Knights. They were in charge of the guard of the Imperial Pce, collectivebat training as well as maintaining the security of the capital. Besides that, they were responsible for supervising the training of the soldiers and sometimes dispatched to local provinces. As a member of the 1st Knights and the captain¡¯s aide, I had to understand all the tasks, so I had to handle a lot more work than an ordinary knight. I felt Sir Dillon took this kind of heavy workload into ount when he described me as his savior. ¡°You are new to this job, but you understand quickly, Sir Monique. Well, I think I¡¯m satisfied with you taking over my job at this point.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. As you understand quickly, it was easy for me to exin it to you. If you have any doubt, please feel free to ask. ¡± ¡°Yes, I will. Thank you.¡± I smiled softly at the young knight looking at me in satisfaction, breathing a sigh of relief. Then, I suddenly heard the door opening and saw two men with red hairing in. They were Duke Lars, and another man familiar to me ¡°Oh, daddy¡­ Well¡­¡± Carsein, who said something with a frown, opened his eyes wide. I didn¡¯t see him for a few months, but he changed a lot. His red hair, which was not so short, already grew down to his shoulders. He seemed taller than before. ¡°It¡¯s been a while!¡± ¡°Hi, Carsein.¡± He walked up to me with strides and turned me around after grabbing my hand. ¡°Daddy, let¡¯s talkter. Let me talk with her for a moment.¡± ¡°¡­ Sure, I¡¯ll talkter. Sir Monique, thanks for your good job today. ¡± The moment I said, ¡®Oops!¡¯, I was already taken out of the office by Carsein. When I looked up at him with an embarrassed expression, he said with a smile, ¡°How have you been?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. How about you, Carsein? ¡± ¡°Well. Just soso.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I pouted at his indifferent reply. Then Carsein put his fist on my forehead gently with a smile. With my forehead smarting a bit, I frowned, staring at him. ¡°What the heck are you doing, Carcein?¡± ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m your senior, so try to be polite to me. Got it?¡± ¡°Huh? Senior? ¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know it? I¡¯m going to be officially appointed as a knight next month.¡± ¡°A regr-status knight?¡± I looked up at him in surprise. While I was spending a lot of time with him, I forgot that Carsein was a genius swordsman. Nheless, his knighthood was too fast. To the best of my memory in the past, he became a knight at the age of eighteen after hising-of-age ceremony, which was also an unprecedented record in the history of the empire, but now, he was only sixteen. Given that I observed my birthday only a few months ago, he became a knight two years earlier than I remembered him. ¡°Huh. You know that no matter how long you spend your days as an apprentice knight, you are still a regr-status knight¡¯s junior, right? That¡¯s why I¡¯m your senior. Got it?¡± Carsein spoke to me yfully, stroking my hair. ¡°Call me senior, my cute junior, will you?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Oh you might be in trouble if you don¡¯t listen to me.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re not officially a knight now. You said you would be officiated as a knight next month, right? ¡± As he teased me in a yful tone as if he was treating me as a child, I was annoyed. When I suddenly turned and walked a few steps, I heard him calling me with an embarrassed voice, ¡°Hey, let¡¯s go together! ¡± I chuckled at his embarrassment. At the same time, I was amused by the unusual side of me that I usually didn¡¯t find when I was with Allendis. I felt delighted with it. Strangely enough, I felt young when I was with Carsein. ¡°By the way, did you grow your hair, Carsein?¡± ¡°Yes. Do I look strange? ¡± ¡°Well¡­ ¡± I tilted my head to the side to check his appearance carefully. His red hair, which was always neither short nor long, was covering his shoulders. As if reflecting his character, his hair was let down freely, but I thought it looked good on him though it might have looked messy to others. It looked like mes swaying in the wind. ¡°No, it suits you.¡± ¡°Really? I like it.¡± Carseinughed, sweeping over his long hair. Then, he stopped walking a few steps and asked, ¡°Hey, did you eat?¡± ¡°No, not yet.¡± ¡°Good. Originally I thought of sparring with you. As you¡¯re well dressed and look pretty, let me give you a pass today. Let me treat you to celebrate my full status as a knight. ¡± Carsein just pulled me along without giving me a chance to answer. Escorted by him, who walked with big strides, I headed for the most popr restaurant in the capital. While ncing at me silently, he giggled suddenly. It was the first time I saw him smiling at me genuinely, not sarcastically. At that moment, I stared at him because I was touched. Smiling at me again, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay, Your Majesty. ¡± With strange feelings, I walked back with him. Chapter 59 Chapter 59: Chapter 59 Only when it was getting dark did I return home because Carsein held me until then, saying he couldn¡¯t let go of me since he hadn¡¯t seen me in a long time. However, when Iy down in bed, my pleasant memories during the day were fleeting. In no time, I was lost in all kinds of thoughts. I was troubled by my ufortable meeting with the crown prince during the day and my father¡¯s gloomy expression when I saw him before going to bed. Above all, I could not forget Carsein¡¯s words that he became a knight only at the age of sixteen. Although I was younger than him, I didn¡¯t achieve anything,pared to him. I vowed to live a full life now without being bound to my past, but I was so envious of his talent shining so brilliantly. I kept thinking how good it would have been if I had possessed a brilliant talent like Carsein¡¯s. I got out of bed thinking I might sleep better if I walked a bit in the garden. Holding a candlestick in my hand, I opened the door quietly. Those who lived on the same floor as me were Lina, my father, and his assistant, but I had to be careful not to wake them. While I was walking silently through the dark corridors, muffling my steps, I saw a faint lighting from somewhere in the middle of the corridors. With a puzzled expression, I walked towards it. ¡®Who is it? Is there any other person who is awake at thiste hour? ¡± I saw an unidentified human shadow between the slightly open doors. I instinctively leaned against the wall closely. My heart was pounding hard. ¡®Come on, he is not an intruder?¡¯ I wondered if anybody could be bold enough to break into my house, but the possibility was still there. I extinguished the candle I was holding, then snuck into the room and hid myself in the shadow of a small table. Then, I looked around the room. It was dark, so I couldn¡¯t see clearly, but I could see arge portrait on the wall and a white bouquet under it, let alone a ck shadow facing the portrait. ¡®Who the hell is this person?¡¯ I opened my eyes wide to check the shadow, but this man, obscured by the darkness, was not easily recognizable.. I could guess the shadow was a man. ¡°Jeremiah.¡± I felt relieved at the familiar voice of the man. It was my father. While standing with a sigh of relief, I flinched because he mentioned Jeremiah. ¡®Did he say Jeremiah?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s been already seven years since you left.¡± Jeremiah La Monique was my mother. ¡°When we were together, the time was fleetingly short, but as I¡¯m alone now, time is passing so slowly. Are you watching me? Our daughter has already grown up a lot. ¡± His silver hair shone under the flickering candle. As his shadow fell, he looked more lonely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Tomorrow is the day you left, but I don¡¯t think I can show Tia this time. Please understand my selfish mind. I don¡¯t want to distress her by recalling your memories because she is still young.¡± So far, I have never thought deeply about why my father didn¡¯t tell me about my mother. I just thought he didn¡¯t feel healed enough to talk to me about herfortably. But little did I think he didn¡¯t talk about her because he was worried about me. ¡°Are youfortable there? While you were here with me, you never led a peaceful life. So, I hope you arefortable there. With my feelings of atonement towards you, I wanted to make our daughter live peacefully¡­ But I¡¯m so sorry I can¡¯t. ¡± Somehow, I felt empty and gloomy. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to pass our daughter this curse flowing through my blood, but she wants it. I couldn¡¯t stop Tia¡¯s intention, but let me try my best to stop her. Others might me me, who they say I¡¯m the most loyal subject in the empire, pointing a finger at my actions. You¡¯re going to support me, right?¡± ¡®Curse flowing in his blood.¡¯ He was probably referring to the Monique family¡¯s covenant with the imperial family, embedded into the blood of the Monique family. I thought it was a double-edged sword for my father, but I never thought he hated it that much. ¡°His Majesty is good. As I agree with his political ideology, I¡¯ve taken the lead in realizing it, but I don¡¯t want Tia to get hurt because of that. I wish she could live freely.¡± I felt the gravity of his worry when he sighed. Somehow, I felt heavy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I told you about something gloomy. Do you like my gift? It was your favorite flower. ¡± I looked at the white bouquet under the portrait once again. As it was dark in the room, I could not know which flower it was, but the white bouquet stood out in the dark. ¡°It¡¯s because she took after you. Tia grew up as a very pretty girl. There are already some guys trying to win over her heart. She is still a child in my eyes. Today, I forgot about my work and yed with one of them. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, but I didn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t want to look petty. I feel like I¡¯m already jealous, so I¡¯m worried how I can marry her off. Sir League is saying the same thing.¡± I was moved to tears when I heard his low voice full of longing for her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I stopped by here as I can¡¯t sleep andmented to you. Let me go now. I wille back tomorrow. ¡± His footsteps were getting closer and closer. My heart was beating fast though I didn¡¯tmit any crime. I closed my mouth with my hands to muffle the sound of breathing. A dark shadow was cast over the table, and soon, I heard the sound of him closing the door. I got from behind the table after he went into his room. As he went out with the candle, I groped around the darkened area and approached the portrait. I strained my eyes to look hard, but it was so dark that I didn¡¯t see it properly. Instead, I saw the white bouquet shining alone in the dark. It was a pure white camellia flower. My mother passed away less than six months after my sixth birthday. At that age I should have been able to recall herst moments, but no matter how hard I tried to recollect, I couldn¡¯t recall anything other than the tears I cried. Perhaps it¡¯s because more than ten years, including those years I lived aftering back from the past, passed since then. But still, how could I forget tomorrow was the date my mother passed away? In the past, I could make excuses because I was so busy taking empress sses. Of course, even now I could make some excuses since I¡¯m leading quite a busy life, but I felt I went too far. After touching the white camellia flower, I came out of the room carefully. The next morning when I saw my father while practicing fencing, he didn¡¯t look different. But when I was about to go to the Imperial Pce to do what I didn¡¯t finish yesterday, he told me that he would not report to work today although he was supposed to. ¡®It¡¯s probably because today is the day when mother passed away.¡¯ Looking at me in uniform, he praised me with a smile by saying it suited me well, but his smile seemed bitter. I was going to tell him that I know that today was the day mother passed away, but I hesitated a few times because he might ask me how I got to know it. As soon as I arrived at the Imperial Pce, I encountered Duke Lars who had already reported to work. I told him I would start working today, then opened the document, but I couldn¡¯t work. I didn¡¯t want it on my first day on the job, but I couldn¡¯t concentrate because I kept recalling what my father didst night. Duke Lars, who quickly looked at me working on the same page for almost an hour, told me to get some fresh air outside instead of scolding me. Since he was my father¡¯s friend, probably he knew what day it was today, so it seemed that he decided to go easy on me. Chapter 60 Chapter 60: Chapter 60 After getting out of the 1st Knights building, I walked here and there. I thought my father might not like the idea of me bing a knight because of its weight and price I would have to pay, but never did I expect he, who supported my decision silently, was actually opposed to it. It often broke my heart when I recalled that he wanted me to live freely. Was that the reason why my father sent the old me, his only daughter, to the Imperial Pce? ¡°Whew!¡± I let out a deep sigh. I came out to shake off my idle thoughts, but it looked like I was more distracted. I took a deep breath and turned around because I felt I couldn¡¯t think straight no matter how much I tried. At that moment, I saw someone walking toward me across the street. He had blue hair fluttering in the breeze and put on a ceremonial uniform as white as snow. He was the crown prince. ¡°I, Aristia La Monique, am honored to greet Your Majesty, the little sun of the empire.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± ¡°I was getting some fresh air.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He nodded silently and told me, ¡°Can you walk with me for a minute?¡± ¡°Sure, Your Majesty.¡± I was walking a few steps behind him carefully, but he opened his mouth, breaking the silence, ¡°Looking at your uniform, it seems that you joined the knights.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± I looked at my uniform again. My uniform had the silver badge of the 2nd Knights, my original unit, on the ck background of the 1st Knights where I¡¯m currently assigned. This was the uniform that the only one who could seed the Monique family, namely the Captain of the 2nd Knights, could wear in the empire. Although I was not yet fully qualified, I could wear it because I was the legitimate sessor of our family. He continued to walk as if he didn¡¯t want to hear my answer. When I walked silently behind him, I saw a maid walking from the opposite side, holding a handful of beautiful white flowers. She was holding pure white camellia flowers. ¡®It¡¯s the same flower I saw yesterday! The flower that my mother liked most. ¡® When I was surprised by the surprise coincidence, the maid approached us and bowed deeply. ¡°Your Majesty, I brought you the flowers you have ordered. Shall I ce them in your room like every year? ¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± Bowing out deeply, the maid disappeared with the flowers. Because of the afterimage of a bouquet of white camellia in my mind that I sawst night, I opened my mouth unconsciously, ¡°Do you like that flower, too?¡± I asked. ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°What a coincidence! My mother also liked that flower. ¡± ¡°Yes, she did.¡± Surprised by his unexpected reply, I looked up at him. How did he know that? I never expected to see this flower in an unexpected ce today. Is there any rtionship among my father, mother and the crown prince? ¡°Did you know your mother well? How did you know about it?¡± ¡°Well, I heard it identally some time ago.¡± ¡°Then, how do you know? I understand you didn¡¯t know when your mother passed away.¡± ¡°Well, I heard it identally the other day.¡± ¡°I see,¡± he said with a deep sigh. He turned his eyes from me and stared into the sky. It was the first time I saw apassionate expression on his face. He always looked expressionless or cold, but this time he made apassionate expression as if he were longing for someone. ¡°Come to think of it¡­¡± He was whispering something to himself. Strangely enough, I couldn¡¯t feel any coldness in his voice now. ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Well, you look a lot like your mother.¡± Suddenly, I was speechless. I didn¡¯t know how to answer because I had no memory of my mother. And there were only a few who told me about my mother. A weak wind blew over us. Somehow, I smelled a camellia flower blown by the wind. It wasn¡¯t until dark when I got back home. My father was not there. It seemed that he went to the room where my mother¡¯s portrait was hung. I went up to the second floor and paced up and down the corridors. I found the room by tracing my memory, but I couldn¡¯t enter because it was locked. I sighed somehow. ¡®I wanted to see my mother¡¯s portrait once.¡¯ My mother who doesn¡¯t exist at all in memory. What kind of woman was she? Do I really look like her? If I do, which part of me takes after her? My face or character? With my curiosity growing, I came out of the house with a deep sigh. When I breathed in a cool night air, I felt much better. ¡°Who is there?¡± I stopped at the sudden voiceing from the darkness. I saw a middle-aged man approaching me from the end of the trail. ¡°It¡¯s me, Sir League.¡± ¡°Lady Monique? What are you doing here at this time? ¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep. I think you¡¯re on night duty today. ¡± ¡°Yes, I am,¡± said Sir League, who walked to me with big strides. ¡°I will escort you. You should not be alone at this time. ¡± ¡°Oh, thank you. Sorry for giving you trouble.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s my honor to serve you, mydy.¡± Of course, it was not a dangerous ce because I was walking inside my garden, but I nodded gently when I noticed that he was genuinely concerned about my security. I was d to see him. If he knew my mother, he could solve some questions that dogged me all day long. ¡°Sir League.¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± ¡°Well, I would like to¡­¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°Well, do you know my mother?¡± ¡°Are you talking about yourte mother? Of course, I do.¡± As soon as he replied in the positive, I asked him questions without hesitating any more. In fact, I kept on reflecting on these questions because I didn¡¯t have the nerve to ask my father. ¡°In your eyes, do I look like my mother a lot?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think your father has said that. Who told you so?¡± ¡°The crown prince.¡± ¡°Oh, I see,¡± said Sir League with a sigh after hesitating for a moment, adding, ¡°It looks like the crown prince also remembers today.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, because the crown prince kept your mother¡¯s deathbed.¡± ¡°Did the crown prince really?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He was also there that day. ¡± I stopped walking at the moment. I felt like I spaced out. Given his reaction at the pce, I thought he might be rted to my mother in one way or another, but I didn¡¯t know he was close enough to my mother to keep her deathbed. I have never heard of this in the past or even after I came back from the past. ¡°You may not remember it that time. You had convulsions while crying for a long time after knowing about her death. You might have lost your life unless your father hade and soothed you in time.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Since that day, your father has forbidden anybody to speak of her in front of you, but I think somebody told you about it.¡± ¡®Now I see what happened.¡¯ Only then did I know why I couldn¡¯t even remember my mother¡¯s death. I also knew why my father didn¡¯t even let me know about the date of my mother¡¯s death. ¡°You look like her very much.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°You have just asked me, right? You really look like your mother. You¡¯re a chip off the old block except for the color of your hair.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± When I replied with a hoarse voice, Sir League immediately stopped and said, ¡°It¡¯s spring, but it¡¯s still chilly at night. Why don¡¯t you go back inside, mydy? ¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± With a heavy heart I headed back to the house, escorted by Sir League who insisted on taking me there, although my house was just around the corner. My life as a knight was more interesting than I thought. I trained with apprentice knights in the morning and helped my boss with his work and worked or practiced personally in the afternoon. Thanks to my special status as the captain¡¯s aide, I never had to be on guard duty, so I had more personal time than other knights. However, more personal time did not necessarily mean I had more break time. ¡°Hey, you have to swing faster! Don¡¯t you remember I¡¯ve told you as you can¡¯t overpower the other party, speed really matters to you? ¡°¡­ ¡± Chapter 61 Chapter 61: Chapter 61 ¡°Don¡¯t you answer me? Are you balking at your senior¡¯s instruction now? ¡± ¡°¡­Got it.¡± ¡°Good. Practice it one hundred times. ¡± Although he must be very busy with preparing for his knighthood next month, Carsein was burning with the desire to make me a regr-status knight as soon as possible. I had no idea how he found out my schedule. Whenever he could find free time, he suddenly appeared and pulled me to the training field for intense practice, so I couldn¡¯t think of taking any break. Thanks to his one-on-one coaching, I made tangible progress in my skills. But I really had a hard time because of his rigorous training for the past week. After swinging my sword one hundred times and catching my breath, he patted my shoulder as I did a good job. I nced at him like that. I¡¯d appreciate his help normally, but as I was exhausted right now, I felt upset about him. ¡°Hey, why are you staring at me like that? Are you going to get in trouble? ¡± ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He quickly approached me and put his fist on my forehead lightly. ¡°Ouch! Why are you bothering me, Carsein? ¡± ¡°How can you say ¡®Huh¡¯ without appreciating my coaching? I think you need to swing your sword another one hundred times.¡± Although I was upset about him, it was true that his rigorous training paid off well. So, I stopped staring at him and took the sword again with a sigh. I needed to do my utmost to get out of my determined fate during this short period of grace. After barely finishing my training sessions, I returned to my room and took a shower. I logged in the timesheet and headed to the wagon checkroom with Carsein when I saw a man with light green hair walking from a distance. Dressed in a civilian uniform showing the pattern of the Ministry of the Interior, Allendis greeted me with a smile. ¡°Hi, Aristia. Hello, Carsein! ¡± ¡°Hi, Allendis. I heard you got a job at the government. Congrattions! ¡± Only a month after my seventeenth birthday, Allendis was appointed as a ranking official in the Ministry of the Interior, even though he was still a minor. Like Carsein, he was the youngest senior official in the history of the empire. Their factions were delighted with the amazing achievements of the two promising talents, and there were rumors that some noble families were trying to curry favor with them. ¡°Well, I heard about some news about you. Well, congrattions anyway. ¡± ¡°Thank you, Carsein. Oh, let me give you this.¡± With a smile Allendis pulled out light green envelopes and handed it to Carsein and me respectively. ¡°What is this, Allendis?¡± ¡°Oh, my mother is having a garden party in three days. Just think of it as an afternoon tea time. ¡± ¡°Garden party? In this season? ¡± ¡°Yes, I guess invitations were sent out to some prominent families. I came here to give you the invitation personally.¡± ¡°Got it. Thank you.¡± Carsein, staring at the invitation, asked with a puzzled look, ¡°I can understand you giving it to her. But why me? Any reason?¡± ¡°You will know when youe to the tea party.¡± Carsein frowned, but nodded as if he appreciated his invitation. I smiled at Allendis, who was begging me to attend, then went out of the pce with Carsein and headed to my house. Three dayster, I headed to Duke Verita¡¯s mansion in time for the tea party. As I got permission from my father, I had no problem attending it. But when I got into the wagon, I let out a sigh before I knew it. My head throbbed after I was pestered by Lina who aggressively tried to pretty me up, saying that she wanted to make me as beautiful as possible because it was the first time that I had been seen in the social circles since the crown prince¡¯sing-of-age ceremony. ¡°Wee, Lady Monique. I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± ¡°Thank you for inviting me, Duchess. I heard this ce was famous. Wow, it really is a beautiful greenhouse. ¡± I smiled gently while looking around the ce surrounded by fresh green nts. Unlike the cold outside, which turned my breath into steam, the warm air inside reminded me of summer. Unlike the usual garden party that takes ce in the garden, today¡¯s party venue was a greenhouse because it was winter. Besides, Duke Verira¡¯s greenhouse was renowned for its vast size and variety of nts growing there. When I walked inside the verdant greenhouse, I saw Allendis chatting with four men and women. When he quickly found me, he stood up and smiled. ¡°Aristia, wee!¡± ¡°Thank you for inviting me, Allendis.¡± As there were several guests around him, I used honorifguage when I called him and looked back at the four men and women who stood up from their seats. The woman with a light brown hair bowed and introduced herself, ¡°Nice to see you, Lady Monique. I¡¯m Ilia Segenoa, the second daughter of Earl Genoa.¡± Beginning with Lady Genoa, they introduced themselves as the eldest daughter of Eal Whir, the eldest son of Earl Burt, and the second daughter of Viscount Nuen, respectively. After they were done introducing themselves, I also introduced myself. When I was about to sit down, I saw a young man with red hairing in. ¡°You¡¯rete, Casein.¡± With a smile Allendis raised his hand at him. Carsein frowned when he called kindly, which was unusual, but he replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. Actually, we were about to sit down. Have a seat.¡± Even if it was a simple garden party, there was an established table manners in terms of seating because it was a social meeting of the nobles. ording to the rule, the highest person was Carsein. Although I was the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, my official status was the daughter of Marquis Monique, so I was the third in rank after Carsein and Allendis. But Carsein, who was supposed to take the top chair, gave in to me and sat down on my right, and Alendis sat on my left. Because of this strange sitting, I suddenly found myself talking between them. ¡°I saw you first at the crown prince¡¯sing-of-age ceremony, but it seems to me that this is the first time I have seen you in a gathering like this, Lady Monique,¡± said Ilia. As she broke the ice, everyone began to chat in small groups of twos and threes. It had been a really long time since then, but I routinely attended this kind of gathering in the past, so it wasn¡¯t so difficult to bring up a topic for conversation. Rather, it was more difficult to engage Carsein, who pretended to stay indifferent, in the conversation. A maid who appeared before we knew it ced teacups in front of us. The teacup with an elegant curve was filled with bright red tea. ¡®Oh, this is Hibiscus. I was expecting Blue Mellow.¡¯ When I lifted the mug and looked to the side, I saw Carsein frowning. I sighed and took cube of sugar from the jar and put it in his mug. I was aware that he liked sweets. ¡°Thanks,¡± Carsein, who had been silent, said with a smile. Smiling at him, I felt strange a bit, so I looked around. Suddenly, the four around us were watching me and Carsein closely. ¡°Aristia, would you please pass me some sugar? The jar is a little far from me,¡± said Allendis, whoid down the mug in a rxed manner. ¡®Huh? Sugar?¡¯ Although I was bothered by their intense attention, I first looked at Allendis and said, ¡°Allendis, you don¡¯t like sweets, do you? In particr, you said that it spoils the unique sour taste of Hibiscus, so you never add sugar to hibiscus, right? ¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but today I want to have something sweet.¡± I felt he was a little weird, but I nodded silently and took the sugar out of the jar and put it in his cup. When I smiled at Allendis, who expressed gratitude to me, Ilia, the daughter of Earl Genoa, who fixed her eyes on me a little while ago, said, ¡°It seems that you have a close rtionship with these two men.¡± ¡°I guess so. You are close to both of them. I thought the rumors might be true because you know his personal tastes. Anyway, I¡¯m d to know that. I was worried if there might be division between the political factions¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute, Lady Nuen. What rumors? ¡± I asked. Chapter 62 Chapter 62: Chapter 62 What are the rumors that could divide the political factions? When I cut in and asked, everybody was paying their attention to me. ¡°Oh, haven¡¯t you heard it, Lady Monique? Well, the parties concerned usually get to know it thetest.¡± I felt some sort of uneasy feelings, so I cut off Ilia who was trying to say something and asked, ¡°What rumor is it about?¡± ¡°Well, the rumors are that you and Allendis are lovers¡­¡± Suddenly Lady Nuen¡¯s face turned white. Trembling like a leaf, she looked at Allendis. ¡°Lady Nuen?¡± ¡°Yes, yes?¡± She was so surprised that she touched the mug in front of her while standing up. The tea in the cup was spilt on her ivory-colored dress. ¡°Lady Nuen!¡± ¡°Please stay seated. Let me take care of it.¡± Allendis stopped me and Ilia who hurriedly stood up and approached her. ¡°Lady Nuen, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Please wipe it with this first.¡± Allendis pulled out a folded handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to Lady Nuen. I was puzzled while watching her wiping the spilled tea with her trembling hands. Why is she trembling like that as if she was afraid of somebody? ¡°Oh my god¡­ Your beautiful dress is all messed up. Do you have any extra clothes to change into?¡± The nobles¡¯ banquets, such as tea parties, dinners, and balls, often take several days to finish even without intermissions, so the participants usually brought extra clothes. At small tea parties or short events, they didn¡¯t carry extra clothes, but it is still essential to bring shawls or simple clothes. So, it was customary that when they sent invitations, they gave the guests such a reminder. ¡°Oh, no. I didn¡¯t bring any extra clothes.¡± ¡°I see. I can¡¯t give you the dress my mother used to wear. What should I do?¡± Making an embarrassed expression, Allendis asked the maid urgently, ¡°Are there any extra dresses that she can wear?¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry, we don¡¯t have one.¡± ¡°Oh, what should I do?¡± ¡°Fine, never mind. As I can¡¯t stay here like this, I¡¯d like to leave first,¡± she said calmly. She seemed to havee to her senses now. I looked at her stained dress with a bit of sympathy. I wish I could give her my extra dress, but she looked several years older than me, so it wouldn¡¯t fit her. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any extra dress, Lady Genoa and Lady Whir?¡± ¡°No, how about you, Lady Monique? ¡°¡­Neither do I. ¡± Right after Genoa said in the negative, Whir followed suit. I felt they were a bit strange, but couldn¡¯t afford to question them. I just nodded to Lady Nuen who was leaving after saying goodbye. ¡°Sorry, Lady Nuen. I think I¡¯ve not been prepared well enough. Let me take you to the carriage as a sign of apology. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°No, I feel ufortable if you go like this. Excuse me, everyone. Please enjoy the party while I¡¯m away briefly.¡± Allendis asked for our understanding, voluntarily asking to escort her. As expected, he was kind and considerate. Obviously, he felt very sorry that he didn¡¯t prepare any extra dresses just in case. When the two disappeared to the other side of the greenhouse, I heard somebody giggling on my right. ¡°Carsein?¡± ¡°How funny and ridiculous! I see it every time, but it¡¯s really ridiculous.¡± ¡°What is so ridiculous, Carsein? ¡± I asked quickly. But Carsein wasughing so much that he couldn¡¯t answer. I couldn¡¯t understand what was so funny. Afterughing his head off, he said, looking back at me, ¡°I wonder if he is stupid or if he really believes it. Well, that¡¯s enough. It¡¯s good I came here, though I didn¡¯t want to. It really was something to see.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Now, everyone, as Allendis has asked us to enjoy our tea party, shall we have a chat until hees back? What would you like to talk about? Rumors circting in social circles? Or ndering Allendis?¡± The atmosphere that became cold because of the happenstance a moment ago got better when Carsein broke the ice by cracking jokes. Watching them having a dialogue at Carsein¡¯s initiative, I was lost in thought for a moment. ¡®Rumor?¡± Given the atmosphere, it didn¡¯t seem to be a big deal, but I wanted to find out a little more about the rumor. Allendis returned after seeing her off and sat down. I thought that as soon as I got home, I would have to order my family¡¯s intelligence people to look into the rumors. Soon I also chatted with them in a good mood. Today is the first day of 962 by the imperial calendar. And I turned fourteen this year. As the damages caused by the massive famine in the previous year had not fully recovered, the emperor issued a decree that he would cancel the New Year¡¯s festival just likest year. Even though the New Year¡¯s festival was cancelled, the Central Pce was very crowded with nobles who came to greet him in the New Year. It was because three dukes, eight marquises and more than half of the empire¡¯s earls were waiting for their turn to offer New Year greetings to the emperor. ¡°Wee, Keiran and Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s been a while, Ruth. Hello, Duchess!¡± When I entered the waiting room, Duke Verita greeted my father and me. He stood at the center of one of the two groups. I could not see Duke Lars and his family members perhaps because he already went to see the emperor. I saw the duchess, Allendis and another man who looked like his elder brother standing next to the duke. I bowed to the duke and looked at the duchess. ¡°Hi, Duchess. Thank you very much for inviting me the other day. I enjoyed the party.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m d you enjoyed it. You are wee to visit my house anytime, soe often. By the way, do you know my eldest son?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s my first time meeting him. Nice to meet you today. My name is Aristia La Monique, the eldest daughter of Marquis Monique. ¡°Nice to see you here. I am Alexis de Verita, Duke Verita¡¯s eldest son.¡± Alexis looked like Allendis very much, but he had a different impression. He had his father¡¯s dark green hair, mother¡¯s dark eyes and white skin like Allendis. He was twenty this year, but he looked younger than his age. Unlike Alendis, who never seemed weak, he looked pale. Maybe the rumor that he had poor health was true. ¡°I really wanted to see you once. Nice to meet you. ¡± ¡°Really? Oh, nice to meet you too.¡± ¡°I heard you have turned my brother into a meek boy, so I was very curious about who you were.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Hey, brother.¡± With a gentle smile, Allendis called his brother. Surprised by his gentle tone, Alexis smiled at him. When he tried to say something more, a protocol officer came into the waiting room and announced who was the next person to see the emperor. Duke Verita¡¯s family, the 2nd most powerful in the empire, was the next. ¡°Then, see youter, Keiran. Let me leave first.¡± ¡°Okay, Ruth. See you next time, madam. ¡± After the Duke Veritas¡¯s family left, my father and I remained. Everyone around us belonged to the same political faction, so they should not have been neglected. Moreover, the people here were the members of earls and above in rank. However, I had no friendship with any of them because I hadn¡¯t been active in social circles since I came back from the past. Of course, I remembered their names and appearances, based on my past memories, but it was a little difficult for me to exchange greetings with them as I didn¡¯t know them well. At that moment, a woman, with her thin brown hair twisted into an elegant updo, approached and gently bowed to me. She was Lady Genoa. ¡°Hello, Lady Monique. It seems to be my first time seeing you since I met you at the previous garden party.¡± ¡°Hello, Lady Genoa. How have you been?¡± ¡°Thanks. I am doing well.¡± After she replied calmly, she introduced me to the sessors of the four marquis families as well as sons and daughters of those powerful earl families who belonged to our faction. Among them were the daughter of the Whir family and the son of the Earl Burt family whom I met at the recent garden party. Chapter 63 Chapter 63: Chapter 63 While I was chatting with them, the protocol officer announced the next to see the emperor. The next was our family¡¯s turn, who was the third most powerful family in the empire. When I was about to leave the waiting room with my father, I suddenly felt someone was staring at me in a disapproving manner. They were none other than a gray-haired old man and a purple-haired middle-aged man. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Tia?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at them. Let¡¯s go.¡± My father, who looked at them, spoke with a displeased voice. His voice was even threatening. I opened my eyes wide and looked at my father. Our family, the center of the pro-emperor faction, and the Duke Jena family, the leader of the anti-emperor faction, couldn¡¯t mingle together, but I didn¡¯t think my father showed such a hostile reaction to them. ¡°Wee, Marquis Monique and Lady Monique.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to see Your Majesty, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°I, Aristia La Monique, am honored to greet Your Majesty, the Sun of the empire.¡± As if he was in a good mood on the asion of the New Year, the emperor weed us cheerfully. ¡°You don¡¯t have to offer such formal greetings to me, given our rtionship, Marquis Monique. Let¡¯s have a chat.¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my order as the emperor. I hope you understand me. You can leave after you see me, but I have to see all the guests outside.¡± ¡°¡­ Sure, Your Majesty.¡± The emperorughed heartily at my father¡¯s reply, then told me, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique. How is your new job as the captain¡¯s aide?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m still learning, so I¡¯m causing lots of trouble.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯ve just heard from Duke Lars that you¡¯re doing a good job. You know, too much humility is pride.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored if you say so, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I think your father deserves the credit. No matter how smart she is, I hear she has had only a few months of apprenticeship. Still, you have trained her so well that even Duke Lars is praising herpetence so much. Awesome! ¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Your Majesty.¡± While he was chatting with my father for a while, the emperor said as if he recalled something, ¡°Oh, I recently heard an interesting rumor. Well, they say that you and Duke Lars¡¯ son are lovers.¡± I flinched at the emperor¡¯s unexpected remarks. When I looked into it, I found out that it was just ungrounded gossip, and most of our faction didn¡¯t believe it. Actually, I also gave it a pass, but I didn¡¯t think the emperor seemed to be interested in it. ¡°It was really interesting. ording to the rumor, he eloped with her, so the crown prince stopped by the Monique estate as he couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. As I neglected my duty, I was foolish enough not to check my daughter¡¯s behavior and disgraced the honor of the imperial family¡­¡± But the emperor stopped my father in a hurry and said, ¡°Ah, don¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m not trying to me you or your daughter. I came to know the whole story. I was just afraid that some stupid guys were spreading such ridiculous rumors.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t you know who spread the rumors? As your daughter joined the knights division, they must have felt something strange. I think they tried to test the rtionship between the Monique family and the emperor by spreading such strange rumors,¡± said the emperor, clicking his tongue. ¡°Lady Monique, as you are smart, you must have understood what I said, right? Why do you think I tacitly agreed to let you join the knights division?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Your Majesty.¡± I was curious about it. I just guessed that my father must have done something to make it work. Looking at me, the emperor said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s because I owe a great deal to your father, but I¡¯ve not yet given up. I feel sorry for you and your daughter, but I still think your daughter is the most ideal empress candidate.¡± I tightened my grip on the hem of my skirt, but I struggled not to express my feelings. I silently looked down. ¡°A few years ago, I was worried that I would sh with Rube about this matter, but he seems to be a little different now. I¡¯m sorry, Marquis Monique. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to let go of your daughter. Forgive my selfishness.¡± After being silent for a moment, the emperor said with a little sigh, ¡°Can I ask you a favor, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡°If you seed the Monique family in two yearster as you wish, will you be my lonely son¡¯s friend just as your father was my friend?¡± Surprised by his unexpected request, I gazed up at the emperor. I could see his overflowing affection for his son in his pensive blue eyes. I was surprised. I didn¡¯t know how much the emperor, who was allegedly always displeased with his inferior son, loved him so much. ¡°¡­Sure, I will.¡± ¡°Thank you. Then, I¡¯ll talk to youter as I have other people waiting to see me. Oh, I haven¡¯t talked with you much because I focused on your daughter. Sorry, Marquis. When youe to the pce next time,e and see me. We can talk a lot then.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± When we left, led by the protocol officer, I saw the old man and the middle-aged man with purple hair, who had been in the waiting room, approaching us. Duke Jena, the stubborn old man walked and stopped in front of me and my father, said, raising his eyes, ¡°Long time, no see, Marquis Monique.¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s been a long time, Duke Jena. ¡± ¡°Where are your manners? You are a marquise, but I am a duke.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you are lower in terms of protocol rank here. I would feel shameful in this situation, but it seems that you are proud of your title.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± As if he was conscious of people around him, Duke Jenna responded in a low tone instead of shouting at my father in a fit of anger. ¡°She looks like your daughter.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°These days there are wild rumors about her. You know, the apple never falls far from the tree. I think it¡¯s because she has inherited vulgar blood from you.¡± ¡°What did you say, Duke Jena?¡± Suddenly, my father stared at him with a murderous intent. I stiffened unconsciously. I even shuddered at my father¡¯s offensive stance as if he was about to hit him. ¡°I asked, what the heck did you say, Duke Jena?¡± ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± My father gnashed his teeth and stepped closer to him. At that moment, the protocol officer standing a little way from them was restless, calling Duke Jena. As he was the next to meet the emperor, his quarrelling with my father dyed the order of the other nobles waiting their turn. Duke Jena smiled sarcastically at my father and passed by him roughly. Watching him leave, I was lost in thought. ¡®Vulgar blood? What does that mean?¡¯ Although I couldn¡¯t understand what it was, my father was obviously hiding something from me, given that he was so upset with Duke Jena. ¡°Tia, let¡¯s go.¡± How much time passed? As my father was staring in the direction Duke Jena walked for a long time, I opened my mouth after hesitating a bit, ¡°Well, Daddy?¡± ¡°Yes, honey. What¡¯s wrong? ¡± ¡°I mean what the duke said a little while ago.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just bullshit. Never mind. ¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± As he cut me off resolutely, I quietly shut my mouth, but I was still perplexed by Duke Jenna¡¯s words. He was clearly referring to me when he mentioned ¡®vulgar blood.¡¯ Even though he was in confrontation with my father, the duke was not in a position to say that the blood of the Monique family, one of the empire¡¯s founding fathers, was vulgar. If that¡¯s the case, his mention of ¡®vulgar blood¡¯ referred to my mother. I was puzzled. Although I was involved in the social circles in the past, I had never heard of anything about my family¡¯s pedigree. Even if my mother was from a vulgar family, they would have mentioned her name at least once. ¡®Is Duke Jena lying?¡¯ However, the duke¡¯s convincing attitude and my father¡¯s violent anger bothered me. If he was lying, there was no reason for my father to be so angry. Then, what is the truth? I thought I needed to look into my mother a little further. ¡®Oh, I think I have to ask him.¡¯ Chapter 64 Chapter 64: Chapter 64 ¡°Sir League, can I talk with you for a moment?¡± ¡°Of course, mydy! ¡± ¡°Mydy, why are you favoring him. This is discrimination! ¡± ¡°Right! We also want to talk with you alone.¡± I smiled awkwardly at the knights whoined that I was only talking to Sir League. The only reason I called Sir League was I felt he knew something about my mother. I didn¡¯t have any reason to favor him. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind, you can join our conversation¡­¡± ¡°Thank you, mydy!¡± When they approached me with a bright smile, I greeted them and sat in the shade of a tree. Then, I asked them first as they seemed to be curious about what I had to say. ¡°I have something to ask all of you. I hope you can tell me the truth. ¡± ¡°Ask anything, mydy.¡± ¡°If you have any questions, we will answer with sincerity.¡± They spoke with great fervor. I was worried because they might tell me more than I wanted. Can I handle the matters rted to the knights if I am weak? I may have to ask my father about it, but I had something more important to do right now. ¡°Thank you. What I want to ask you about is my mother. ¡± When I mentioned my mother, all of them shut their mouth all at once. As they turned their eyes from me, I hastily looked around and talked to Sir League, ¡°You have already told me about my mother. If you don¡¯t answer me, I will tell my father that you broke his order to keep quiet about my mother.¡± ¡°Oh my god, mydy. Please don¡¯t!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir League, but I¡¯m really curious. She is my mother, and I have the right to know. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡± I felt sorry when I saw Sir League getting nervous. As this was an important issue for me, too, I didn¡¯t want to give in. ¡°Tell me please. What kind of family was my mother from?¡± ¡°Your mother¡¯s family?¡± ¡°Yes, I mean my mother¡¯s family. I don¡¯t have any memories of my mother, but why don¡¯t I have anyone on my mother¡¯s side of the family?¡± I looked closely at the faces of Sir League and other knights. I thought that if there was something secret about my mother¡¯s origin, they might make a slight change in their facial expressions, but they were not surprised, or they didn¡¯t show any intention to hide their surprise, although they wondered why I asked such a question. ¡°Well, as far as I know, your mother¡¯s family are Baron Sonia¡¯s family.¡± ¡°Baron Sonia? I¡¯ve never heard that name.¡± I memorized the list and family trees of all the nobles in the empirest fall when I took the empress sses in earnest. However, no matter how hard I traced my memories, I never read or heard about the name Baron Sonia. ¡°Maybe you might now know because the Sonia family doesn¡¯t exist now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because your mother was thest blood of the Sonia family. As I understand, your mother¡¯s family was stripped of its baron title when your mother got married to Marquis Monique.¡± ¡°Really? What was it like originally? ¡± When I asked, raising my head slightly, the middle-aged knight sitting on Sir League¡¯s right replied, ¡°As far as I know, Baron Sonia was originally a vassal of the Monique family.¡± ¡°Vassal?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. When Marquis Monique announced that he would break up his original engagement and get married to your mother, there was a big fuss in the family.¡± ¡°Got it. What do you mean by his original engagement? ¡± ¡°Did you not know that well-known incident? Originally, your father¡­¡± ¡°Stop. That¡¯s enough. ¡± Sir League stopped the middle-aged knight trying to speak in excitement and said, ¡°Mydy, I think our answer so far was enough to satisfy your curiosity. It seems like we arete. Shall we go back?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. Thank you, everyone. ¡± I nodded to them slowly. It was unfortunate that I couldn¡¯t hear more, but I felt okay because I heard the essential part of the whole story about my mother. Now that I have found a clue, I can find out more by myself. As soon as I returned to the mansion, I headed straight to my father¡¯s study. Then I found the book among the tightly packed books. The imperial family issued a nobles¡¯ directory once every five years and distributed it to each aristocratic family, while discarding any list that was more than five years old. The directory dating back more than five iterations was only kept by the imperial family. The directory contained all the nobles in the empire, the crests of each family, the title, the location of the manor, the current head of the family, his sessor and immediate family members. Although I turned the pages, I couldn¡¯t find the name Baron Sonia in the nobles¡¯ directory published by the imperial family every five years. In some respects, if the title of Baron Sonia was removed when my mother got married, it was natural that I couldn¡¯t find it in the directory. I put the directory back in its original ce and picked a book published about 20 years ago from the pile of books on the bookshelf. I already memorized the thick silvery book while taking the sses to be the family sessor, but what I read was thetest edition. I never read the earlier editions published in the past. I didn¡¯t have to memorize the vassal of the family that didn¡¯t still exist. < Baron Sonia: He took over and managed a small vige in the estate. His only legitimate daughter was Jeremiah Sonia. Her title was returned because of her marriage.> Although I found the information that I wanted, I was more curious. What is it? Of course, if the marquis was married to the daughter of his family¡¯s vassal, it could be an issue, but given that she had the middle name ¡®Ro¡¯ she was obviously a baron¡¯s daughter. It was far lower than a marquis in rank, but it could never be described as vulgar. ¡®Was it mere nder? Then why was my father so angry? ¡® I was perplexed, and there seemed to be no way to figure it out, except for asking my father directly. For now, I had to refrain from asking. It was the fifteenth day of the first month in 962 by the imperial calendar. There was a ceremony to officiate knights in the Imperial Pce . The ck and navy blue uniforms of the new knights shone brilliantly in the training field where the snow had not yet melted. There were mixed feelings on the faces of the knights who saluted in time with the arrival of the emperor and the crown prince: joy and satisfaction, pride and envy. When the ceremonial trumpet rang, the first among the new knights came up on the tform. The deputy captain of the 1st Knights Division came forward to certify him. When the deputy captain pointed the sword at him and nodded. They fought a duel, and other knights exploded in cheers. In order to be officiated as a knight in the empire, it was necessary for knights to first spar with the knights with the rank of the deputy captain and above in front of everyone. After they were certified like that, the seven knight candidates stepped toward the podium where the emperor and crown prince were seated and kneeled. The maids who approached them cautiously put one shoulder strap on their shoulders, then draped cloaks embroidered with the crest of the royal family around their shoulders. The emperor came down six steps and took up a ceremonial sword. It was a sword made of rubies, symbolizing the blood to be given to the emperor. The emperor knocked their shoulders lightly three times with the ruby sword, the newlymissioned knights shouted with a sword in front of their knees. ¡°The one who gave me life is Vita, but the one to whom I give my life is the emperor. As I give the blood that flows through my body and the flesh that makes up my body, please take it as you wish. Loyalty to the lion, glory to the empire!¡± ¡°Glory to the empire, honor to you!¡± After swearing an oath, they kissed the hem of the emperor¡¯s robes lightly and stepped back three steps. After the first five repeated the same ritual and Carsein was finishedst, the emperor dered that all seven men were appointed as the emperor¡¯s knights. Thundering apuse came out from other knights. Chapter 65 Chapter 65: Chapter 65 I stood nkly looking at Carsein whose uniform was shining brilliantly. I was pleased with his amazing achievements, and I was very envious. Somehow, I felt subdued by such contradictory feelings. ¡®Can I stand there someday? Will there be a day when I can stand there to swear an oath and get out of the that binds me?¡¯ Apanied by the chief of the Royal Guards and the captain of the 1st Knights Division, the emperor left, followed by the knights who attended the ceremony. I remained there. I felt a bit depressed somehow. How long did I stand there? I came to my senses when someone pat my shoulder. A young man with red hair quickly approached and looked at me. ¡°Why are you standing there?¡± ¡°¡­Carsein. ¡± As one of today¡¯s protagonists, he had to be very busy, but Carsein was alone for some reason. He said with a smile, ¡°Hey, you look aghast. Are you carried away with my gorgeous uniform?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Tell me. Did you like it? When I looked at myself, I thought I was awesome. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°¡­ Well, you were soundly defeated by my father today. Do you still want to boast?¡± ¡°Hey, you shouldn¡¯tpare me to him! By the way, your father is really terrific. To be honest with you, I thought I might be killed,¡± said Carsein, chatting me up. He was very happy, even though he had a tough time because my father sparred with him to certify his skills. ¡°It was still a good experience for me. You know it¡¯s very rare to have a chance topare and learn the fencing skills of your father. By the way, do you feel better now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wait. I¡¯m going to make you an official knight pretty soon. Don¡¯tin even if the training is tough for you.¡± ¡°Thanks, Carsein.¡± ¡°Good. Don¡¯tinter. Oh, are youing tomorrow? It¡¯s been quite a while since I sent you the invitation, but I haven¡¯t received any reply from you.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s because¡­¡± A few days ago I received an invitation contained in a sealed letter. It was the invitation sent by the Duke Lars family asking me to attend a party to celebrate Carsein¡¯s knighthood and a letter in which he asked me to be his partner. Of course, I could congratte him, but attending the party as his partner was another matter. When I hesitated after receiving the invitation, my father advised me that I had better not attend a party that would generate ungrounded rumors about me. I agreed with my father¡¯s opinion, but it wasn¡¯t easy for me to refuse his invitation, so I was putting off RSVP until now because it bothered me not to attend the party for Carsein on that monumental day, one of my two close friends. When he saw me face to face and checked with me about the invitation, I was kind of embarrassed. I was so sorry. ¡°Oh, you can¡¯te as I expected. Okay. ¡± ¡°¡­Sorry.¡± ¡°Well, that ¡®s fine. We had better be careful especially in times like this. They are hellbent to find fault with you anyway.¡± ¡°Still¡­ It¡¯s a memorable day for you. I¡¯m really sorry I can¡¯te to celebrate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, that¡¯s fine.¡± Carsein, who had lightly waved his hand, said with a smile, as if he had thought of it, ¡°If you¡¯re so sorry, can you do me a favorter?¡± ¡°Favor?¡± ¡°Yes. If you hear it and think you can¡¯t, you don¡¯t have to do me a favor. What do you think?¡± ¡°Sure. Thanks for understanding.¡± Is it because he has be a knight who took an oath? I smiled at him who seemed to be unusually mature today. This was the first time I felt he was trustworthy. ¡°Thank you so much, Carsein. And congrattions!¡± I muttered to myself as I walked back with Carsein. I was depressed somehow in the morning. As I thought I would feel better in a crowded ce than being alone at home on this day, I followed my father to the Imperial Pce. However, there were few people in the training field today, and the office of the captain of the 1st Knight Division was empty. ¡®Well, today there was the celebration party for Carsein, so Duke Lars is perhaps at home.¡¯ While I was killing time, skimming through paperwork, an attendant came in and handed me a letter. It was an invitation to a tea time. ¡®Who is inviting me today?¡¯ Extremely tense, I headed to the Imperial Pce. As if he was waiting for me in advance, the chief attendant escorted me like he did before. It was neither a garden nor an office that he escorted me to. It was none other than a personal study filled with the smell of books. As soon as I stepped inside, my eyes widened at the amazing scene. Can this ce be called a study? There were three floors. On the second floor, there were bookshelves full of books, as well as movable bookshelves. The windowpane with a full view of the outside was draped with white curtains to block sunlight from directly hitting the books, and the ceiling had a window that could be opened and closed for venttion. In the center of the spacious room with a fluffy carpet embroidered with the royal crest, I saw a young man with blue hair sitting in afortable chair. His eyes were closed and his fingers were interlocked. There was a sort of mncholy in his dark blue eyes. I approached him carefully. As if he was in a shallow sleep, he did not open his eyes until I reached the other side. As I couldn¡¯t wake him up, I quietly turned and headed to the bookshelf. There was a variety of books on the bookshelves. I was impressed by the neat arrangement of the books about politics, economy, history, military, tactics, and administration by genre. When I was looking at the books here and there, holding back exmations, I suddenly noticed luxurious ck leather and gilded letters. As the imperial family retrieved the directories more than five years old while distributing thetest edition, I had no opportunity to read the old ones, but this ce seemed to possess even old ones as it was the crown prince¡¯s library. I picked the fifth book from the right, which was a directory published about twenty years ago. When I turned the first page, I saw the pedigree of the noble families. 1st, Duke Kasil, the ¡®Shield of the Empire.¡¯ 2nd, Duke Heidel, the ¡®Red Rose.¡¯ 3rd, Duke Lars, the ¡°Sword of the Empire¡±. 4th, Duke Laurel, the ¡°Glory of Victory¡±. 5th, Duke Jena, the ¡°ck Rose¡± The hierarchy of the duke families was the same as what I heard when I took a course on the history of the past empire. ¡®Well, this is not important anyway.¡¯ I opened the back of the book. I quickly browsed through the list of barons when I heard him calling me coldly behind my back. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± I didn¡¯t know when he woke up, but he had already approached and begun to stare at me. I hastily put the directory back on the bookshelf and turned to him. Just as usual, he was looking at me with a nk face. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Looking at your costume, it looks like you were in the Imperial Pce. I understand you are not supposed toe to the pce today.¡± ¡°Well, I came to get on top of my assignments quickly because I had nothing else.¡± ¡°Why? Didn¡¯t you go to the party to celebrate Duke Lars¡¯s son? ¡± ¡°As for that¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, it looks like your father told you not to go.¡± As if he understood the situation, he nodded and pulled the string to tell the attendant to bring tea. Shortly afterwards, the attendant who came in put the mugs down. I sighed a little while drinkingvender tea and enjoyed the fragrant scent. Even though I was enjoying the best tea avable only to the imperial family, I was not happy as usual. ¡°Do you really want to go there?¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°It looks like you are not happy because you can¡¯t attend the party.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°If you really want to go there, let¡¯s go with me. Then, nobody will gossip about you.¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± I asked nkly. ¡®What did he just say? Did he say he wanted to go there with me? Really?¡¯ Chapter 66 Chapter 66: Chapter 66 At that moment, I smiled in spite of myself. I was supposed to be wary of him, but I forgot it because I was overjoyed with the idea that I could go to the party to celebrate Caresein. I sprang to my feet and thanked him. He looked at me silently for a while before standing up and said, ¡°Okay. Let me prepare to go out. Just wait here for a minute.¡± ¡°Thanks for your thoughtful consideration, Your Majesty.¡± As if he was used to this kind of asion, he came back quickly, afterpleting preparations. Wearing white ceremonial dress, he reached out to me. ¡°Okay, I think I have to stop by your house first. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± When I returned home with him, my family employees were pleasantly shocked to see him. He waved to them who hurriedly came to offer formal greetings and said he would take a walk in the garden. Then, he disappeared with the royal guards. When I told Lina that I would attend the party to celebrate Duke Lars¡¯s son, she cheered. She kept chattering to me endlessly, prettying me up in time for the party. ¡°Mydy, what happened? Why is the crown prince here?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m surprised, too. ¡± ¡°I was really surprised. Well, what kind of dress is a good match for you? As the crown prince is in white, I think your dress should match it. ¡± Lina seemed quite excited about his visit. I could understand her feelings, but I opened my mouth because I would bete for the party as she spent too much time prettying me up. ¡°Can you choose any matching dress? And can you hurry?¡± ¡°Okay, mydy.¡± Only then did she begin to shut up and focus on preparing me. I hurried through taking a shower, drying my hair, putting on light makeup, choosing a dress, putting on a corset, and so on. Even though Ipleted preparations as soon as possible, I was still in danger of beingte for the party because it was about to start pretty soon. Finally, I looked in the mirror after adjusting my clothes and thanking her. I looked a bit mature in the mirror perhaps because my hair was in a knot. My blue-purple dress, decorated with a white ribbon, seemedrge thanks to the pannier supported on it, and my waist seemed more slender than usual due to the tight corset. But I liked it, given that Lina hastily prettied me up in such a short time. When I went downstairs in a hurry, I saw Sir League overlooking the garden from the balcony across the hall. He looked back at me and said pleasantly, ¡°Oh, how are you, mydy? You are so beautiful, dressed like that.¡± ¡°Thank you. By the way, did you see the crown prince?¡± ¡°He is right there!¡± At the ce he directed, a young man with blue hair was overlooking the garden tree, escorted by three royal guards. I thanked him and turned when someone murmured behind my back. It was Sir League. ¡°Oh, the crown prince became taller than before.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°When he came herest, he was smaller than the tree over there¡­¡± ¡°Has he ever visited here before?¡± I stopped walking at that. What the heck is he talking about? These days it seems that I¡¯vee to know a lot about him that I have never heard before. ¡°Yes. He came here often for some time.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yeah, but when you were about five years old, he came here suddenly, then just left. He never returned since then.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. At that time, I was on duty inside the mansion, so I remember it vividly because I was here. He was looking at you and your mother standing over there. When you approached him and said something, he left. If my memories are correct, he hasn¡¯te back since then. ¡± I was suddenly confused. What the heck is this? Why am I hearing a lot about what I didn¡¯t know in the past? To the best of my recollection, I met him for the first time when I was ten, not five. What happened to me, him and my mother in my childhood that I can¡¯t remember? Also, what was our rtionship at the time? I stood nkly, lost in such thought, when I came to my senses at Sir League¡¯s urging. Now, it was imperative for me to leave if I was to arrive at the party in time. He was standing right where he looked down from the second floor. As if deep in thought, he was also lost in thought. I approached him carefully and said with my head down, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re done preparing, let¡¯s go now.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± He climbed into the wagon first and reached out to me. I was a little surprised by his kindness I had never experienced, but I silently took his hand and got in the wagon. The royal guard on standby closed the door. Escorted by guards in white uniforms, he and I headed for Duke Lars¡¯s mansion. The party had already started long ago when we arrived. There were not many people around. Sir Lars, who was waiting for us at the entrance, bowed politely and said, ¡°I¡¯m so honored to greet Your Majesty for your visit to my shabby ce.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Sir Lars. How have you been?¡± ¡°I have been doing well. All thanks to you, Your Majesty. Thank you for your concern. I¡¯ll escort you inside. ¡± After bowing his head to express gratitude, he headed straight to the banquet hall. When I stood at the door, a very nervous employee announced with a trembling voice. ¡°Crown Prince Rubis Kamaludin Shana Castina, the Little Sun of the empire, and Lady Aristia La Monique have arrived!¡± The music stopped right away and silence fell. Everyone bowed deeply toward him when he entered. They showed due manners to the next emperor. ¡°Please raise your heads, everybody.¡± When they did, I could see the family of Duke Lars approaching him and me in a hurry. ¡°Your Majesty, I never expected you woulde here. We¡¯re endlessly honored to have you here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. As you know, I have a special bond with your family, right?¡± I looked at Duchess Lars unconsciously. Duchess Lars, with dark blue hair, was looking at him with a bit of a fear, which was unusual. ¡°As you got married to Duke Lars, your rtionship with the imperial family was cut off, but in terms of our personal rtions, you¡¯re my father¡¯s sister. Don¡¯t you think so, aunt?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, please don¡¯t say that. Like you said, my rtionship with the imperial family was cut off when I got married. Why are you bringing it up?¡± Duchess Lars said in a trembling voice. Her full name is Ernia Shana de Lars. As seen in her middle name ¡®Shana¡¯, her status before marriage was a princess. In the early days of the empire, a princess¡¯s power was strong, but after they experienced several disputes of session, her power was drastically weakened until she was irrelevant under the revised imperialw. ording to the revised imperialw, a princess had to abandon all her rights as a royal family member, including her right of session, once she got married, and she obtained her husband¡¯s status only. Even though she was the crown prince¡¯s only younger sister before her marriage, she was now no more than the duke¡¯s wife. If a princess who lost her ties to the imperial family promoted her personal rtionship, she could be misunderstood for plotting treason, so most of the princesses hardly visited the Imperial Pce once they got married. Although she was taking care of the women affairs of the pce with Duchess Verita in her capacity as the First Lady of the empire because of the Queen¡¯s absence, her role was confined to that as the wife of Duke Lars, ranked the first in the nobles¡¯ list, not as a princess. Because she was always careful about her words and deeds during the emperor¡¯s rule, it was only natural that she was afraid of what the crown prince said. Clicking his tongue a bit, the crown prince said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so afraid, Duchess. I just wanted to say that I am valuing Duke Lars¡¯s family and feel happy about your son¡¯s remarkable achievement.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so honored to hear that, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I would like to congratte today¡¯s hero.¡± ¡°I, Carsein de Lars, am honored to greet Your Majesty, the Little Sun of the empire.¡± He opened his mouth silently, watching Carsein dressed in great uniform greeting him. Chapter 67 Chapter 67: Chapter 67 ¡°Oh, I think I have to call you Sir Carsein from now on. I was always grateful to you, and now you have made such a wonderful achievement. I don¡¯t know how to praise you properly.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m so honored, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Last year I told you that I would look forward to seeing you be a knight in two years. You have be a knight when you¡¯re only sixteen. What a surprise! Indeed, it is the blessings of the empire. His Majesty was also very pleased with your achievements. ¡± He stepped forward and hugged Carsein lightly. When he hugged Carsein, there was the sound of everybody whispering here and there. By hugging him, he wanted to show his trust in Carsein. Even though he might be exposed to security risk for a moment by doing so, his hugging symbolized his trust in somebody. He was now showing everybody that he trusted Carsein. After patting him on the shoulder lightly, the crown prince said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m worried that the duchess might misunderstand again, but you¡¯re my cousin in terms of our personal rtionship, right? I have always trusted and liked you.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m honored to hear that, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Oh,e to think of it, I have to thank you again.¡± He looked at me, standing a few steps behind him, and reached out to me. When I reluctantly approached and ced my hands on his, he said with a gentle smile, ¡°My fiancee is a lonely woman. It¡¯s not easy to make a friend with someone who she can chat freely with because she has been chosen as my fiance as a child. I have always felt sorry and regretful about it.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°But in thest few years she looked to be in a cheerful mood. So I asked why, she told me that you and Duke Verita¡¯s son were her close friends. As I always felt sorry for not caring for her well, I would like to thank you for being her friend on my behalf. ¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m honored to hear that, our Majesty,¡± Carsein replied in a slightly dry voice. When I raised my trembling eyes and looked around, I saw a courteous smile on his lips. At that moment, I felt my heart freeze. ¡°As you know, I¡¯m so busy that I don¡¯t care for my fiance much. I have to me myself for that, but I¡¯m very sorry for her. Fortunately, I am a little relieved because you and Duke Verita¡¯s son are her friends. I hope you can continue to be her close friend.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Thank you. Hmm, where is Duke Verita¡¯s son?¡± Smiling at him, the crown prince looked around. I thought Allendis might not havee because he was at odds with Carsein, but surprisingly, he also attended the party. Elbowing his way through the participants, the young man with light green hair approached the crown prince. ¡°I, Allendis de Verita, am honored to greet Your Majesty, the Little Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Nice to see you here. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever had a conversation with you. ¡± After looking at Allendis silently for a moment, he said to Carsein, ¡°I feel a bit awkward as I¡¯m saying this in the presence of today¡¯s hero, but I want you to understand my rudeness.¡± ¡°Of course I do, Your Majesty.¡± He nodded lightly to Carsein¡¯s response and said to Allendis, ¡°Thank you. I called you here because I wanted to praise you, too. I hear you¡¯re called a genius of the century. I know that only at the age of seventeen you have be an official. How wonderful! With so many talented people like you, I think the future of the empire is very bright.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to hear that, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I want to say the same thing to you. Please take care of my fiancee. Please continue to be her close friend. ¡± After saying that, he quietly gazed at the participants and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve disturbed your wonderful party time. Why don¡¯t you resume it?¡± ¡°Thank you so much, Your Majesty.¡± When Duke Lars, who bowed to him and waved his hand, music yed again, and they began to enjoy the party again. When Duke Lars and his wife bowed out, only four were left behind in an awkward atmosphere. After being lost in some thought for a while, the crown prince looked at me with a smile and said, ¡°Can you still dance well like before?¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I was surprised at how well you danced at mying-of-age ceremony, so I want to see you dance today.¡± I couldn¡¯t believe my ears for a moment. Obviously, he asked me to dance, given the way he talked to me. Is it true he really asked me to dance? Before I came back from the past, I danced quite a bit in social circles, but I danced with him only a few times. After my dancing with him at hising-of-age party, he had never asked me to dance on formal asions except when he had to dance first. Of course, he never asked me to dance after Jiun appeared. But now he was asking me to dance even though this was not a formal asion, and he didn¡¯t have to dance first. ¡°Yes? No?¡± ¡°¡­ It is my honor, Your Majesty. ¡± As he seemed to be impatient, I okayed with a faint smile. When I walked with him to the dance floor, the nobles who were dancing stopped and stepped aside. The band started ying new music. I felt his hand encircle my waist. His hand on mine was still cold, but not as cold as in my memory. I was lost in thought while stepping through the dance as he led me. ¡®Why did he suddenly ask me to dance? And what did he mean when he asked Allendis and Carsein to be my close friends? ¡® I stepped away to the tune of the music and looked into his eyes when he pulled me back, but I could not read anything in his blue eyes. Suddenly, I came to recall something like longing in his eyes recently. I think I saw it on the anniversary of my mother¡¯s death. As it urred to me suddenly, I hesitated for some time before asking him, ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The moment I was bold enough to ask, the music stopped. He looked at me for a moment and reached out after he finished his dance. Holding back the urge to ask, I put my hand lightly on his hand. I found it hard to ask again as I lost the right timing. ¡°Sir Carsein.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I think I have to go because I am busy. So, please take care of my fiancee. I don¡¯t want to take away her pleasure.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do as requested, Your Majesty.¡± Nodding at Carsein¡¯s answer, he then looked at Allendis and me and said, ¡°Let me make the same request to you. Please take care of my fiancee. ¡± ¡°¡­ Sure, will do, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Okay, enjoy more. I¡¯ll see you next time. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to see me off. I don¡¯t want to disturb the exciting atmosphere. Please send my best regards to the duke and duchess.¡± He stopped us from seeing him off and left without any hesitation. I saw the royal guards on standby escorting him right away. He was gradually fading away and disappeared among the guests. ¡°Shall we dance, mydy?¡± Carsein asked, breaking a long, awkward silence. When I looked at him in surprise, he shrugged and said casually, ¡°Since the crown prince asked me to care for you, it would be discourteous for me to leave you standing here bored. Would you like to dance with me?¡± I hesitated for a moment. Is it okay for me to ept his dance request? What if they spread rumors about me again? Come to think of it, however, I didn¡¯t need to think so. Most of the aristocrats who attended this party were those affiliated with our faction, and they watched and heard what the crown prince said. ¡°I am honored to have the opportunity to dance with today¡¯s hero.¡± I smiled and put my hands lightly on his hands. As soon as I came on the dance floor, the band finished ying one song and began to y another one. ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯te, so I was really surprised when you appeared with the crown prince¡± ¡°Somehow, it happened that way. Sorry, were you surprised a lot? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. Fortunately, I was honored to see him in person.¡± Chapter 68 Chapter 68: Chapter 68 Carsein responded in a usual tone and led me to the right. While the crown prince was rather defensive in dancing with me, focusing on his dance rather than leading his partner, Carsein led me vigorously. I thought that he might not be good at dancing because he practiced fencing every day, but he led me surprisingly and skillfully. I was a bit surprised. ¡°You might have wanted to ask me why I danced so well, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, how do you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s written all over your face. Well, do you think I only spend my time practicing fencing? As you know, I¡¯m a duke¡¯s son, so I¡¯ve learned the basic skills of dancing.¡± When I looked at him with incredulity, he pulled me to the left and whispered, ¡°Why, did you get a crush on me again? I know you recognize I¡¯m cool in many ways, but you shouldn¡¯t have a crush on me, okay?¡± ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t. Don¡¯t get me wrong.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t deny. It¡¯s written on your face.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t, Carsein.¡± ¡°Hey, are you balking at me now?¡± When I stared at him sharply, Carsein giggled and brought up a different topic. I felt upset a bit, but as he kept cracking jokes, I stopped being angry andughed with thim. Anyway he was so good at changing topics for a change. After enjoying the dance for a while, I said that I would be back after taking a break in the lounge. I was a little tired because I hadn¡¯t attended a party in a long time. The lounge was divided into a space with soft chairs for sitting and chatting, and a space with a mirror where one could adjust his or her clothes under a widely draped curtain. I went inside the draped curtain to tidy up my dress. The space where nobody was around was quiet except for the sound of music flowing from the banquet hall. I heard several peopleing in. As if they saw something interesting, they spoke in excited voices. ¡°Did you see Lady Monique a moment ago?¡± I flinched when they mentioned me. What did I do? ¡°Yeah. I could understand the crown prince because he is her fiance, but I really can¡¯t understand the two men¡¯s behavior. How despicable!¡± ¡°You bet. I know their families are close from her childhood, but how could they do that on an asion like this?¡± ¡°Do you know that? I went to a garden party at the Duke Verita¡¯s house the other day. Well, she put some sugar into the two men¡¯s teacups. Oh my, it¡¯s really disgusting.¡± I grabbed my trembling hands tightly and clenched my fist. I was taking a deep breath, holding back the urge to get out of the ce. Somebody cut them off with a firm voice. ¡°Stop that talking. I feel ufortable to hear that. ¡± ¡°But she was¡­¡± ¡°No matter what, she is going to be the next emperor¡¯s wife. She is the one we have to serve in the future. So stop talking like that. You are showing disloyalty to the empire. ¡± I clenched my fist more. Did he say I was going to be the next emperor¡¯s wife no matter what? He seemed to dissuade them on the surface, but when I reflected on his words, he was actually trying to ridicule me like them. ¡°What are you talking about,dy Genoa? Didn¡¯t you hear the rumors aboutdy Monique? ¡± ¡°Right. I heard she became an apprentice knight. I hear she started to see other knights.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t fit ady! I wonder if she is really interested in bing the queen. Maybe the crown prince is thinking about a breakup. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad. If it wasn¡¯t for imperialw or God¡¯s prophecy¡­¡± I clenched my teeth. Is she Lady Genoa? Even though she was the leader of the daughters of the pro-emperor groups, she was sympathizing with them! This time I heard another voice with a high tone among their whispering. If my memories are correct, she was Lady Whir. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the emperor hates the Temple? As he is conscious of the people, he just respects her as the child of God¡¯s prophecy. That¡¯s it. If she had not been the daughter of the Monique family, the crown prince would have broken off his engagement.¡± ¡°Yea, I think so. But the thing is she is the daughter of the Monique family, the most trusted one by the imperial family. ¡°Stop it,¡± said Lady Genoa firmly. She continued, ¡°Even if she doesn¡¯t be the queen, Lady Monique has the highest status in our faction. How can we gossip about her in a situation where we are at a standoff with the anti-emperor factions? Please watch yournguage, so what you have just said will not be leaked.¡± ¡°Okay, Lady Genoa.¡± ¡°Sure. But I really feel sorry for you, Lady Genoa. I think you¡¯re better than her as the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. Even if it wasn¡¯t her family¡­¡± ¡°Stop it, Lady Whir! Now, let¡¯s go back. We stayed here longer than we thought. ¡± I heard them dragging their skirts, and in no time, silence fell in the lounge. Even though they were gone, I stood inside the curtain for a long time. I felt my clenched hands were trembling. ¡®I think I didn¡¯t pay any attention to the rumors circting in social circles.¡± I thought about it rationally. In order to get out of my predetermined fate as soon as possible, I had no choice but to be a knight. That¡¯s why I refrained from socializing with people and focused on fencing whenever I had free time. In fact, I was sick and tired of socializing and partying in social circles before I came back from the past. But now I couldn¡¯t stand still after hearing their conversation. How can an earl¡¯s daughter dare to nder me behind my back? I couldn¡¯t believe they were eager to put me down instead of being united against the anti-emperor factions. Although I didn¡¯t want to, I felt I needed to control these youngdies in social circles. If I continued to stay aloof from this situation, it would continue to adversely affect them, me, and the imperial family as a whole. I had to fight to protect my precious friends and other things that I cherished. I straightened up. I checked my hair and clothes once again and tried to look calm. Looking in the mirror, I practiced making the kind of smile suitable for socializing, which I got ustomed to in the past, but rarely made aftering back from the past. It made meugh somehow when I thought of my past. In the past, I was ignored as a woman who didn¡¯t win over my fiance¡¯s heart, but now, I was ridiculed for trying to tempt several men. No matter how different the old me was from me right now, the difference was so dramatic. I held back the urge tough and looked around. I heard somebody calling me at a distance. ¡°Aristia! You are here. ¡± ¡°¡­Allendis. ¡± While he was approaching me with a bright smile, his eyes were trembling violently. Smile quickly disappeared from his lips. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. ¡± ¡°Oh, howe you have such a look? Your smile is weird. What happened? Who depressed you like this?¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, nothing.¡± When I shook my head, he paused for a moment and sighed. ¡°You look tired. You had better go back.¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°I am telling you because I¡¯m worried. You have to report to work tomorrow, right? ¡± ¡°Okay, Allendis. Let me go and ask for his understanding.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to escort you there.¡± When I heard he was talking to me with a worried look, I was suddenly ovee by fatigue. It was natural that I was exhausted. I had a heavy workload because of the official ceremony tomission the new knights. Besides, I was very busy yesterday and today. When I looked around the banquet hall, I saw Carsein and his mother surrounded by many daughters standing by the window. When I approached slowly and said goodbye, Carsein, who was chatting with severaldies, asked me, ¡°Are you going back, Aristia?¡± ¡°Yes, Carsein. Congrattions once again.¡± ¡°Thank you. But can you go back alone? ¡± ¡°Oh, Carsein, don¡¯t worry. I will escort her back home,¡± said Allendis with a smile. He added, ¡°The crown prince asked you and me to take care of her, as you know. As you¡¯re today¡¯s hero, you won¡¯t be able to leave, so let me escort her. ¡± ¡°¡­ Oh yes, please. Thank you. ¡± ¡°See you next time. Let¡¯s go, Aristia. ¡± ¡°Thank you, Allendis. See you next time, Carsein. ¡± Because the banquet is still in full swing, it didn¡¯t take long to prepare a wagon. As soon as he climbed into the wagon, Allendis spoke in a very decisive tone, which was unusual. ¡°Now, tell me, Tia. What happened?¡± Chapter 69 Chapter 69: Chapter 69 ¡°¡­ It¡¯s nothing. Never mind.¡± ¡°You think I don¡¯t know your feelings? Think about how much time I spent with you!¡± ¡°Nothing happened.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ . ¡± ¡°¡­ Are you serious?¡± I couldn¡¯t tell him what I had heard in the lounge. As someone who was kind to me, Allendis would certainly share my anger, but it was my personal matter. I didn¡¯t want to involve him. As if he noticed my intention, he sighed suddenly, ring. ¡°What the heck is this?¡± I inadvertently looked down at my palms. Maybe it was because I clenched my fists too hard, there were nail marks on my hands. I tried to hide my hands, saying I was okay, but he stopped me and pulled my wrist gently. Then, he bowed his head slowly. I stiffened when I felt something warm gently touch my palms. ¡°I¡¯m upset.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°In the past, I thought I knew you well¡­¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°These days it seems more and more difficult for me to understand you. I feel like you are flying to a ce I can¡¯t follow you. ¡± ¡°Allen.¡± My heart sank. He always looked rxed to me, but today he seemed very nervous and even dangerous. I bowed my head, looking at his emerald eyes. I had nothing to give him, and I was very sorry for that. ¡°That¡¯s how I feel when I meet you, Tia.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re too close to Carsein these days? I was the first who made friends with you. Just be nice to me like you are to him, please. I¡¯m so hurt.¡± He was stroking my hair with a warm smile when he said that. I agonized while looking at him and my eyelids grew heavier due to fatigue. I was lost in thought, blinking slowly and came to the conclusion. I decided that now was the time for me to fight to protect them, not to worry about my angst. By then, I couldn¡¯t lift my eyelids. I closed my eyes and was falling asleep before I knew. ¡°Mydy, what happened? When you went out, you were with the crown prince, and when you came back, you were with Duke Verita¡¯s son! ¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a long story, Lina.¡± When I sat in front of the mirror with an awkward smile, Lina brought my uniform from the dressing room, ¡°Your father waited for you for a very long time. When I told him that you went with the crown prince, he said just okay, but he had been anxiously waiting for you all evening.¡± ¡°Really? Did he wait for a long time?¡± ¡°Yes. Later he paced up and down in the garden. Then, he went out to the carriage and carried you in his arms because you were asleep.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°By the way, mydy¡­¡± Lina kept chatting whilebing my hair until it was shiny. ¡°Why does your father hate him so much? I mean Duke Verita¡¯s son. Yesterday, when he held you in his arms, he seemed very displeased,¡± she said, tilting her head, while tying my silvery hair together, the way she did whenever I went to work at the pce.. She continued, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about nobles¡¯plicated situation, but I still know the things rted to you, mydy. Given that you are learning lots of stuff from your father and you have joined the knights division, I think you are trying to take over your family, right? ¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange. Then, there is no reason for your father to hate him. As far as Duke Verita¡¯s son is concerned, he is a top-quality bridegroom candidate, right? Honestly, you¡¯re warm and sweet, though I¡¯m not¡­ By the way, you are engaged to the crown prince, right? What happens to your engagement when you take over the family? It¡¯s an engagement with the imperial family, so can you break it off so easily?¡± ¡°Well, I have no idea.¡± It wasn¡¯t an easy topic, so I just smiled faintly. Checking my expression, Lena pouted, throwing my pajamas on one side and bringing a uniform. It seemed that she was frustrated because I couldn¡¯t answer her. ¡®Breaking off the engagement, the sessor of the family, and Allendis¡­¡¯ When I thought about his expression fromst night, I felt heartbroken because I couldn¡¯t repay his genuine concern and affection. I couldn¡¯t love him. Love is not mine. I still have the painful trauma from my past that although I loved the crown prince from the bottom of my heart, I was miserably abandoned rather than rewarded. Maybe I can¡¯t believe in love because of that trauma. I didn¡¯t want to go through the same ordeal again. Having loved once was enough for me as I had already experienced painful love. Back then, I couldn¡¯t say one single word even if I was heartbroken. I know that Alendis is not such a person, but who knows? Even if I feel like loving Allendis, what if he changes his mindter and abandons me like the crown prince did in the past? If I were abandoned twice by the loved one, could I live normally? ¡°By the way, mydy.¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Lina, who was done adjusting my uniform, asked with a very curious look, ¡°Why do you hate the crown prince so much?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Well, at first I felt uneasy because you seemed so scared of him. You know, he is your fiance. He cared for you when you passed out at the estate, and he was kind enough toe here to attend the party with you the other day. It seems that he cares for you a lot. Why do you hate him so much? ¡± ¡°Well¡­.¡± ¡°Oh my God¡­ you are not talking at all. Sometimes, you have to confide in me. You might get sick if you are stuck in angst like that all the time. I think it¡¯s the reason you often pass out without any particr reason. ¡°Really?¡± As I had nothing to say, I just smiled. Lina sighed and said, ¡°Whew! Well, that might be your charm, mydy. All done. I think your father is waiting for you downstairs. So, hurry up and have a meal. ¡± ¡°Okay. Thanks, Lina. ¡± When I went down to the dining room at her urging, I saw my father already seated in his chair. As I felt sorry for what happenedst night, I just greeted him with a smile. ¡°Good morning, Dad?¡± ¡°Hi, did you sleep well? I guess you were very tired yesterday. ¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°I heard that the crown prince took you to the party. Did you have a good time? ¡± I thought I might be scolded for my behavior yesterday, but he didn¡¯t say anything to my surprise. He seemed relieved because the prince went with me. After eating with a lighter heart, I headed for the Imperial Pce. After working as the captain¡¯s aide all afternoon, I headed to the training field. As always, Carsein was waiting for me. ¡°Hey, hi!¡± ¡°Hi, Carsein.¡± ¡°Oh, did you go back home safely yesterday? ¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Alright. Then, today, practice the basic posture one hundred times. ¡± I lifted the sword, relieved by his usual coaching style. After reviewing the fencing I learned so far, I tried to learn the next posture, but I didn¡¯t do as well as I expected. Looking at me in embarrassment, he asked curiously, ¡°Hard?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s hard.¡± ¡°Hmm, watch me carefully. Veer it off like this and¡­.¡± After hearing his additional exnation for a long time, I finally understood. I practiced the new moves over and over again as he taught me. When I put down the sword because I felt I had enough training, he said with a smile, ¡°Now you seem to get it. So, do it three hundred times over and over again.¡± ¡°Whew! Okay.¡± ¡°Now there¡¯s only a few things left I can teach you. So, try a little bit more. ¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s very tough for you. You¡¯re doing well.¡± At that moment, I flinched in spite of myself. Today he didn¡¯t touch my head like he used to after he was done training me. Is he also wary because of the rumor about me? When I looked up at him curiously, Carsein, who took his eyes from me, said with a sigh, ¡°Let¡¯s finish the training today. Let me leave first. ¡± ¡°Ugh? Okay. ¡± ¡°Then, see you next time,¡± Carsein turned back and left the ce. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ I looked at the direction where he disappeared for a moment and held my sword. Anyway, I was nning to do the new move three hundred times. When I was done training, the afternoon was over. I put on the uniform jacket with a light heart. ¡®I can go back home a little early today.¡¯ Chapter 70 Chapter 70: Chapter 70 Normally, I would not have any personal time because Carsein would nag me while training me, but as he left early today, I had a little more free time. When I tried to go home, I suddenly thought about the silver flowers in the garden of Ver Pce. Winter was almost over. I wondered if the silver flowers bloomed. As I was curious, I went to the inner pce instead of the wagon center. As I left a bit earlier than usual, I felt I could stop by the pce before going back home. ¡°Hummm¡­ What brought you here?¡± When I almost arrived at the destination, I saw a young man with blue hair walking across from the other side. I paused for a moment, but I politely replied, ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the empire. I just stopped by on my way home.¡± ¡°On your way home? The 1st Knights Division is in the outer pce, not here. ¡± I corrected what I said with a sigh, ¡°Sorry, Your Majesty. I was on my way to the garden of Ver Pce.¡± ¡°Got it. I guess you¡¯re going to see the flowers then.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Really? I was just curious, too. Let¡¯s go together.¡± While hesitating at his unexpected response, I found him going in first. I barely caught up with him with short steps. I walked carefully behind him, checking the distance between me and him. Unless escorted, I was not supposed to walk with the crown prince side by side. ¡°So, did you enjoy the party?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you.¡± When I bowed my head to express my gratitude, he said calmly I didn¡¯t need to, adding he went there for his own business, too. He then went silent. After walking along the cobbled path through the rattan arch, I saw the garden of Ver Pce at a distance. It was very different from what I sawst time. With spring just around the corner, the small garden was in good shape after it went throughndscaping construction. There was a strange nt standing alone in the center of the garden, the silver flower tree was ckened here and there by fire. ¡®Let¡¯s see. Any flowers blooming?¡¯ Straining my eyes, I looked at the tree here and there. However, the tree still only had silver buds and had not blossomed. Besides, as they were high on the branches of the tree, I couldn¡¯t look at them up close. I was so frustrated that I tried to look at them by standing on tiptoes, but to no avail. When I sighed a little, he giggled after looking at me silently. Then, he called a royal guard walking ten steps behind him. ¡°Tell the attendant to bring adder here.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡®Ladder?¡¯ I opened my eyes wide and looked up at him. As if in a pensive mood, he looked at me face to face. After looking at me for a long time, he turned his eyes to the silvery buds and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of me now?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Whenever you looked at me in the past, you avoided your gaze, but now you don¡¯t.¡± I had someplicated thoughts when he said that. Ever since I came back as a ten-year-girl, I did my best to avoid him. In order not to repeat my past life and not to draw his attention, I controlled my emotions as much as possible. In fact, I was so anxious to hide my trembling before him. Merely thinking of him drove me nuts. But as the years passed, I realized that he was different from the old him in the past, which seemed to change my attitude toward him. I still wanted to break off my engagement to him, but I was a bit hesitant when I found that I wasn¡¯t as scared as I used to be anymore. ¡°Your Majesty, I brought adder.¡± ¡°Good job.¡± The attendant put it under the tree. When I hesitated for a moment, looking at thedder, he smiled again at me and reached out. I looked at his hand nkly. ¡®What does this mean?¡¯ ¡°You really wanted to see the silvery buds, right? Let me hold thedder, so climb it and take a look.¡± ¡°Oh, no. How can I be so rude¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I brought adder here. So, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, Your Majesty.¡± Hesitantly, I took his hand. Then, I climbed thedder step by step, carefully. I looked at him for a while. He held me a little more tightly, before I turned my attention to the silvery buds. ¡®Ah!¡¯ Silver buds as long as my index finger were all over the tree. I examined them to see if there was anything blooming, but the buds were all closed tightly. ¡®When will you show me the flowers? I saved you from being burned to ashes, but have you not ovee the shock of the fire yet? Is that why you¡¯re not blooming yet?¡¯ I sighed a little and came down thedder. Whenever I took a step down, I felt he tightened his grip on my hand. As I felt ufortable, I carefully pulled my hand out of his hand the moment I hit the ground with both feet. When I bowed to express gratitude, he silently nodded. ¡°So, how was it?¡± ¡°Not much different from what I sawst time.¡± ¡°Really? It¡¯s definitely weird. Is it because of the shock of the fire? ¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°But it will bloom someday as long as the buds are on its branches. Since you are so curious, I wille back with you next time if I¡¯m free.¡± When I looked at him in surprise, he turned calmly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°¡­ Sure, Your Majesty. ¡± His blue hair that seemed ck and fluttered in the sunset. The uniforms of the guards, who greeted when he suddenly returned, turned red with varicolored autumn leaves. Unusually, the red sunset was shining on his back today. As I was having breakfast with my father, the butler brought a bunch of invitations and handed them to me. Since I made a debut at hising-of-age ceremony, I received misceneous invitations, but it was the first time I received so many invitations. ¡®Did he give me the invitations addressed to my father?¡¯ It was possible. As my father refused most of the invitations, the senders didn¡¯t invite him. Nheless, he received dozens of invitations because he was the emperor¡¯s most trusted man, the Captain of the 2nd Knights Division, his position almost identical as that of a duke and his status as a bachelor. However, all the invitations were addressed to me. ¡®What a surprise!¡¯ I turned over the invitations casually one by one, but there was one that drew my interest. Thedy who came to the garden party at Duke Verita¡¯s mansion was Lady Nuen. She was the woman who first told me about the rumors about Carsein and me. She had to go back home after she spilled tea on her dress. I opened the envelope and read. I traced my memories for a moment and asked my father, ¡°Dad?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Viscount Nuen¡¯s estate a famous ce for ruby and diamond?¡± ¡°Yes. It is a very wealthy ce in the empire.¡± I see. In fact, I was looking for the proper social circle. I thought it¡¯s good asion for me in terms of the timing, status and situation of the party. ¡°Why are you asking me that suddenly?¡± ¡°Oh, somebody sent me an invitation. The party takes ce five dayster. I think I¡¯m going to attend it.¡± ¡°Viscount Nuen. Not bad. ¡± ¡°Right? Not bad.¡± When I answered with a slight smile, my father looked at me as if he felt sorry and said, ¡°Even though I wanted you to stay away from politics as much as possible, you can¡¯t avoid fate as long as you were born as a noble. So, who is going to be your partner? ¡°Well¡­¡± I smiled awkwardly. I have only Allendis and Carsein who coulde as my partner, but I felt it was awkward to take one of them with me in this situation. ¡°Then, are you going to go there with me?¡± ¡°Pardon? Are you serious? ¡± ¡°Yes. Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never attended a party with my daughter. ¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Dad!¡± Chapter 71 Chapter 71: Chapter 71 Suddenly, I was highly anticipating the party five dayster. Looking at my face all smiles, he said with a light smile, ¡°As you picked the specific invitation, it seems to me that you have decided something. Is there anything I can do for you?¡± Hearing that, I came up with what I needed. ¡°Oh, can I get some information about the families that belong to our faction? Everything ranging from secret things to trivial stuff.¡± ¡°Not a big problem.¡± ¡°Really? Is it possible for me to get it in three days? ¡± ¡°Hmm, I have to tell Ruth to give it to me. As he is the premier of this empire, this is the right time that I got his help.¡± As I watched my father answer seriously, I asked for Duke Verita¡¯s forgiveness in my heart. Even before I came back from the past, I had started to go to social circles around this time. At the time, however, I had nobody to help me, nor had I experience or tips in the field, so after a lot of trial and error, I managed to control the social circles. This time it will be much easier than it was, but as the situation was different now, I needed to obtain urate information to make sure that I achieved my goal. Even if I didn¡¯t go to the trouble of doing this, I could get the necessary information if I went around and gathered rumors about me. This was just more effective. ¡®It is not the Monique family who avoids the fight if someone else throws the gauntlet.¡¯ I thought about how to control thedies at the party at Viscount Nuen¡¯s house. ¡°Tia, this is the information that you asked for.¡± I don¡¯t know if it was my father or Duke Verita who deserves the credit, but my father handed me the list of nobles belonging to the pro-emperor faction. Of course, the information about Duke Lars, Duke Verita and our family was missing, but the documents containing information on the families ranging from the dukes down to barons was very thick. ¡°When you¡¯re done, be sure to burn them.¡± ¡°Yes, Dad.¡± I went to my office with the thick documents. While reading the documents all night, I checked them against my memories in the past. Almost all of the information matched with what I remembered, but there were a lot of things in the papers that I didn¡¯t know. After memorizing the new facts over and over again, I put the thick papers in the firece. How much time passed? I left only after the documents werepletely burned to ashes. As I was sitting at my desk all night, checking the documents, my whole body ached. ¡®Let me go out and do some morning training.¡¯ I changed into a training suit and headed for the training field. Five knights were practicing with swords when I got there. How diligent! When I stepped in with admiration, the young knight standing closest to me said urgently, ¡°Mydy, why did youe to the office so early?¡± ¡°Hi, Sir Ecs, I ended up being here. ¡± Sir Ecs was a young knight with brown hair who had sparred with me once. When I saw him, the contents of one document I read earlier came to my mind. ¡®Aer Ecs.¡¯ Although he was born to Earl Ecs, he had no middle name for some reason. Sir Ecs¡¯s family did not make any significant contribution to the empire, but they belonged to the pro-emperor faction. ¡®Well, unless he is a member of the pro-emperor faction, he couldn¡¯t be my family¡¯s knight anyway.¡± ¡°Good morning, mydy. You don¡¯t look good these days. Did you stay up all night again? ¡± said a middle-aged knight that I see often these days. His name was Freer Sen League. He is the third son of the Earl League. His eldest brother inherited the title. The Earl League family, also belonging to the pro-emperor faction, produce lots ofpetent knights from generation to generation. That¡¯s why Sir League¡¯s fencing skills were extraordinary. ¡°Ah yes. Actually, I stayed up all night. ¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t stay up all night like that. What if you damage your skin?¡± ¡°If you say so, don¡¯t you think I should stop practicing fencing?¡± ¡°Well, that makes sense, but fencing strengthens your body, and you can also maintain your slim body,¡± he said when I smiled at him brightly. He continued, ¡°As I told you the other day, just keep smiling. You are so beautiful. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered. Thanks anyway. ¡± ¡°Today you won¡¯t go to the Imperial Pce, right? As you feel under the weather because you workedst night, just practice a bit and go to bed early. I am worried that you might be hurt.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you for your concern.¡± Iughed at him who kept nagging about my health. Like he said, I practiced a bit and went home. Finally, it was the party day at Viscount Nune¡¯s mansion. Calming down my excitement, I prepared to go. Today, I needed to look soft and mature, so I made my makeup a little darker than usual, and I had my hair in a knot with tendrils hanging. To match my father¡¯s uniform, I wore a soft white dress with a navy blue ribbon. For a long time, I looked at the mirror and practiced a ceremonial smile until I felt it was perfect. Viscount Nuen¡¯s mansion wasn¡¯t as big as expected. However, while I was escorted by the butler to the banquet hall, I found the interior of the mansion decorated with the finest furniture to show off the wealth of the owner. I was satisfied with the old-fashioned and tasteful interior decoration. I thought I chose the right ce. ¡°Marquis Kairan La Monique and Lady Aristia La Monique have just arrived!¡± As soon as the attendant announced our entry, a woman approached quickly and bowed deeply. ¡°Marquis Monique, and Lady Monique, I¡¯m honored for you to visit my shabby ce. I was so happy to learn that you would attend. My name is Beverly Sue Nuen, Viscount Nuen¡¯s wife,¡± said a middle-aged woman with a smile. After confirming that my father nodded lightly, I greeted her with a ceremonial smile. ¡°I wanted to see you, Mrs. Nuen. My name is Aristia La Monique. ¡± ¡°I am very honored to meet you. I never knew that the day woulde when I would greet the famous marquis and his daughter at my house. Gee, I¡¯ve kept you standing too long. I¡¯ll escort you inside. ¡± Mrs. Nuen, who spoke to us in an excited tone, hurriedly escorted me and my father. I liked her even more. Although she was the wife of a wealthy family, she seemed to be easy going. I was afraid she might be a sophisticated woman, but she wasn¡¯t, fortunately. When I smiled in satisfaction, I saw my father who was looking at me smiling bitterly. Looking up at his navy blue eyes, I smiled awkwardly. ¡°Do you hate my look, Dad?¡± ¡°Well, you look good. Hang in there!¡± ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡± ¡°As you started it, just make sure you aplish your mission.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± I was deeply touched when he said he would support me. I was very grateful to my father, who remained my strong supporter since I came back as a ten-year-old girl. After greeting many nobles and their wives at the introduction of Mrs. Nuen, I asked for her understanding and got out of the throng of people near my father. ¡®Let me see. Where can I find them?¡¯ When I looked around for a moment, I saw the youngdies chatting in small groups of two and three. I found the person I looked for in the third group. ¡®I¡¯d say it¡¯s time to gloat.¡¯ When I approached her nonchntly, the woman who checked my look came and greeted me. ¡°Hello, Lady Monique. I am sorry I was rude the other day.¡± I smiled brightly at the woman who looked at me with trembling eyes. ¡°Hi, Lady Nuen. You weren¡¯t rude, so don¡¯t say that. In fact, I was sorry that I couldn¡¯t help you that day. ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°As you can see, I am still small, so I couldn¡¯t help you. Had I been a little taller, I would have given it to you.¡± Without deliberately mentioning it, I tried to find out whether she understood my point. The fact that she poured tea into her dress was a shame, so I didn¡¯t mention it in front of otherdies. So, if she was stupid enough not to understand my point, I had better find another woman to make my project today sessful. Chapter 72 Chapter 72: Chapter 72 Fortunately, she seemed to understand what I was saying, bowing her head and expressing gratitude. ¡°I know what you tried to help. I didn¡¯t tell you about it in advance. I really appreciate it. ¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. I didn¡¯t help you, so I¡¯m embarrassed if you say so.¡± I smiled in satisfaction at her response. She was a woman who was rather innocent, quick-witted and suitable for her title, but not powerful enough to lead the pro-emperor pack of youngdies. Even though she was powerful enough to be invited to the garden party hosted by Duke Verita, who must have carefully selected core members, she was ignored when Lady Genoa declined to lend her extra dress to her. ¡®Dang it! I really decided I would not step in this messy ce in this lifetime.¡¯ I just hoped to be a knight by practicing fencing hard and be a formal sessor to my family. Until recently I never thought of stepping back into the battlefield of nasty women like them. I felt bitter, but I tried to pull myself together by recalling that I had to protect my precious people. ¡°I was very happy to receive the invitation. Actually, I was very lonely because I didn¡¯t have any friends my age. ¡± ¡°Well, haven¡¯t you had a close rtionship with the two dukes¡¯ sons since childhood?¡± ¡°Yes, but they are men. asionally, when they talk about topics about men, I just feel out of it. So I wished I had some same-sex friends, but I had no chance. Now I have a good chance like this.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, are you going to give me a chance? ¡± I could see her brown eyes trembling. At the same time, I watched her calcting her mind quickly in her eyes. I was worried if she was just innocent because of the garden party ident the other day, but it seemed that she learned a lesson from it. ¡°Thank you, Lady Monique. I¡¯ll serve you with all my heart. ¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s strange if you say you will serve me between friends. Let¡¯s get along well, Niav. Please be my good friend. ¡± Wearing a ceremonial smile, I called her first name deliberately as a gesture of friendship. A bright smile was on her face, which was not ugly nor pretty. Somedies around were seen looking at her with envy. ¡°Would you like to introduce your friends to me, Niav? I don¡¯t know many as I¡¯ve made a debut in social circles recently. ¡± ¡°Of course! Let me introduce them from this side. She is Naira, Sharia and Viscount Senk¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°I see. Everyone, nice to meet you all. As you¡¯re here together, you¡¯re probably Niav¡¯s closest friends. I hope you can be my good friends, too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my honor, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°I will serve you with all my heart.¡± ¡°Thank you so much for this opportunity, Lady Monique.¡± I quickly bowed my head and looked at the girls swearing allegiance, and smiled once again. My efforts paid off better than I thought. Viscount Nuen was famous for owning an estate rich in rubies and diamonds, Viscount Naira is famous for producing quality sapphires, Viscount Sharia is well known for running a merchant vessel fleet, and Viscount Senk employs lots of jewelry craftsmen. As I havee to make friends with their daughters, I was satisfied with my first try. I¡¯ll offer them a chance to join the mainstream social circles in return for them giving me a stepping stone to control the social circles. Isn¡¯t this a good deal? All of a sudden, I missed Allendis and Carsein so much. They were the type of people who could be my friend regardless of profits or political calctions. They made me smile genuinely. Although I approached them with some political calction from the beginning, I felt empty when I found that they smiled at me kindly after judging my value in a calctive manner. It was the same empty feeling that I felt when I struggled to be recognized by the crown prince in social circles. It was the first time that I felt that feeling in a long time. ¡°¡­Tia. ¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± I thought although I felt empty, I didn¡¯t reveal it, but I couldn¡¯t deceive my father. He suddenly came to me with a pitiful look and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you this as you¡¯re having a great time. I¡¯m a little tired after attending the party after a long time. I¡¯d like to go back if you don¡¯t mind. What do you think? ¡± ¡°Oh, I just focused on enjoying myself and didn¡¯t spend time with you, Daddy. I¡¯m sorry, Daddy. Yes, please go ahead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you as you are having a time with your friends. ¡± I shook my head and said, ¡°No, Daddy. Everyone, as you¡¯ve heard it, I think I should go back now. Thanks for inviting me, Niav. I had a good time. ¡± ¡°It was an honor to have you here, Lady Monique. Can I send you an invitation again next time?¡± ¡°Of course, Niav. We are now friends. Sarah, Catherine, Entea and others, too. I will hate you if you don¡¯t invite me.¡± ¡°No worries. How can we not invite you? I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you again. ¡± ¡°Thank you. Then we¡¯ll see you next time. Come on, Daddy.¡± ¡°Sure. Goodbye,dies! See you again next time.¡± I wore a ceremonial smile to the end and got out of her house with my father. I got on the wagon and sat next to him. When I leaned my head on his broad shoulder as if I yed the baby, he reached out and touched my hair gently. ¡°You must have a hard time as it was the first time you were there, but you did well. ¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know my daughter had this kind of socializing talent. I was a little surprised. ¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t disappointed in me, are you?¡± ¡°No, not at all. Isn¡¯t it necessary for you to live in a tough society? No matter how thick a mask you are wearing, I know you are a good and tender-hearted girl. How can I be disappointed in you? Don¡¯t worry about it. ¡± ¡°¡­ Will they feel the same way as you do?¡± I asked with a weary voice. While I was hanging out with them, I was consumed by some sort of anxiety. In the past, I did not know how precious the person that I could confide in was. In the past, I was not worried if somebody would hate me while if I made a feignedugh or false friends. But now that I havee to know the presence and weight of those I can genuinely confide in and reach out, I was afraid that my precious friends might be disappointed after discovering my disguised self. I was afraid they would abandon me, thinking I deceived them. ¡°I don¡¯t like them very much, but I know that you are not that type of girl. Don¡¯t you know it well? ¡± ¡°Really?¡± I leaned my worn-out body against him and closed my eyes. As my eyelids became heavier, I closed my eyes. Today, I was exhausted mentally and physically. ¡°Do you have any unusual hobbies?¡± One day on a warm spring day, I had tea time with ten youngdies in my home garden . As host and the highest title holder in today¡¯s party, I sat in the top chair, with Niav, Sarah, Entea, and Katrine on my left and some other daughters of the baron and viscount families on my right, whom I made acquaintances with recently. As they looked at me curiously, I smiled brightly and exined. ¡°For example, a unique hobby. If you don¡¯t think it¡¯s frivolous, let me talk about it. ¡± ¡°What is your hobby, Lady Monique?¡± Niav, who sat on my right hand and showed off her dignity as my closest friend, asked. Sarah, a girl with pink hair sitting on her right, also asked with her eyes sparkling, ¡°What¡¯s your hobby, Lady Monique? I am very curious. Please tell me. ¡± ¡°Well, my hobby is designing things like essories. ¡± ¡°essories?¡± As soon as I replied, Catherine asked as if to prove she was the daughter of Viscount Senk, well-known for employing many jewelry craftsmen. ¡®You¡¯re caught in a trap!¡¯ ¡°Yeah. Although I¡¯m embarrassed to show you my essories as my skills are poor, I can show you what I have made recently. I¡¯m telling you because I want to hear your feedback.¡± ¡°Can you show it to me, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit embarrassed, but as I¡¯ve brought it up, let me show it to you. Here it is.¡± Chapter 73 Chapter 73: Chapter 73 I took out a piece of paper that I had prepared in advance and handed it to Catherine. When she carefully opened and looked at a slip of paper, she looked up at me and asked, ¡°What is its use?¡± ¡°Usually, when you put your hair up in a knot, isn¡¯t it hard because you have to use multiple pins or heavy decorations? So I devised it. Using this, you can not only put up your hair easily, but also decorate it. ¡± ¡°Ah! This is a really innovative idea. It¡¯s convenient, and if you use this kind of decoration on the top, I think the design is diverse, which I think will add to the hairstyle,¡± she said. ¡°Do you think so?¡± I smiled at Catherine who responded with admiration. A hairpin was drawn on the slip that I gave her. The hairpin had been invented by an obscure jewelry craftsman around the time when I just had aing-of-age ceremony and became very poprter because it was very difficult to put up a woman¡¯s hair in a knot before it was invented. The tiara could only be used by the royal family women, so they had to use dozens of slender pins or multiplerge decorations to fix their hair. Not only did that method take a lot of time, but also caused pain in their scalps. Therefore, the nobledies were enthusiastic about the new hairpin because they could hold their hair with only one hairpin. While I was thinking about a proper reward for the fourdies who swore their allegiance to me for the first time, I thought of this hairpin. In a situation where this hairpin could enjoy a tremendous poprity among noble women, it couldn¡¯t be a better gift for these women. ¡°Do you have any ns to actually produce this, Lady Monique?¡± asked Entea, whose eyes glistened. She was the daughter of Viscount Sharia who ran a famous merchant vessel group. ¡®Yeah, I think you must be eager about it as a merchant¡¯s daughter. I already know you¡¯re trying to push out your stupid brother to seed the family. If you take this, you can get closer to your goal.¡¯ She was also caught in a trap I set up, but I deliberately smiled shyly and expressed humility. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just my little hobby. I¡¯ve never thought of marketing it.¡± ¡°No, Lady Monique. This is indeed a groundbreaking piece. It will surely enjoy a huge poprity. I can guarantee as a member of the Sharia family. ¡± ¡°Do you really think so?¡± ¡°Yes! I think the condition for that is perfect. With this design, you could make tremendous profits if the craftsmen of the Senk family would work on it by attaching quality gems from the Nuen and Naira estates and sell them through my family¡¯s cargo vessels.¡± When Entea said that, Niav, Sarah and Catherine looked at me earnestly. I deliberately pretended to stare into the air and counted up to ten and said with a low sigh, ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good design, but it might be a little help to you, my precious friends. What can I do? ¡± ¡°We can¡¯t ask you to give it to us as a reward. How about sharing the profits? We will surely make itmercially sessful.¡± ¡°As you¡¯re my good friends, I¡¯m afraid we would damage our friendship because of financial issues. I am okay. It was just my hobby anyway, so please share your profits among yourselves,¡± I said boldly. Anyway, it was my investment to get bigger returns. When I thought about the bigger returnster, I had no problem giving it to them without any reservation. ¡°But Lady Monique¡­¡± ¡°If you think my hobby was of help to you, I¡¯m fine. If you really want it, I¡¯ll sign a contract when you show me the final product based on my design. I would be satisfied with that.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you very much, Lady Monique. I will never forget your favor, ¡± said Entea, bowing deeply to thank me. The other threedies said the same thing. While looking at them in satisfaction, I smiled brightly at the other sixdies who were envious of them. I could read from their restless eyes how impatient and desperate they were to curry favor with me. If not only thesedies but also otherdies of the pro-emperor faction followed me, they would realize what kind of reward they could expect. ¡®In that case, how would Lady Genoa and thedies following her react?¡¯ Pondering over my future action n, I smiled brightly once again at the ten youngdies. The next day, I went to work at the Imperial Pce and practiced fencing in the training field all day. As I attended social circles, my practicing hours were drastically reduced, so I had to practice whenever I could find free time. I¡¯ve been waiting for Carsein, who usually appeared around this time, but he didn¡¯t show up. ¡®It looks like he is very busy now.¡¯ In fact, everybody was so busy because of the birthday banquet for the crown prince in a few days, so there were few who had free time. The reason I could practice like this was because the emperor specially took my situation into ount. After I practiced alone to my satisfaction, I returned to my office and took a shower. I took off my sweaty training uniform and changed into a clean uniform, then tied my messy hair tightly. As I sweated a lot, I really felt refreshed. I checked my clothes onest time before going out. At that moment, I noticed a note on the desk. As he opened it curiously, I recognized it was the handwriting of Duke Lars. He asked me to convey a document to the imperial government on his behalf as he was so busy. ¡°This is a document sent by the Captain of the 1st Knights Division, Duke Lars.¡± ¡°Okay. I certify that I received it,¡± said an official in charge. I handed over the document and left. While I was walking down the road, I suddenly came to think about Allendis. ¡®Can I see him for a minute?¡¯ It was on my mind when I saw himst. As I stopped by the building where he worked, I wanted to see him briefly. I asked officials passing by where Allendis worked. Partly because he was the premier¡¯s son and partly because he was verypetent, he already had a private office even though he just joined the imperial government. I finally arrived at his office after walking around several corners and corridors. I hesitated before his office for a long time before knocking on the door carefully. But I didn¡¯t hear anything from inside. ¡®Is he not in today? Strange. With the crown prince¡¯s birthday party a few days away, there is no chance he left the office early in this emergency situation.¡¯ I hesitantly opened the door. When I looked around the room, I saw a young man with yellow-green hair lying asleep on a long chair. His hair, which was always tied neatly, was let down for some reason, covering his white face. His face seemed a bit haggard due to fatigue. ¡®What should I do? Should I leave?¡¯ The moment I turned back, I suddenly felt he held my hand tightly. My eyes popped up with surprise, and my heart was beating like crazy. His big hand grabbed my neck even before I came to my senses. Stunned, I tried to pull my hand off, but he held my wrist tightly with another hand. His tightening grip made me scared little by little. ¡°Oh, Allen¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Tia? ¡± Only then did he lessen his grip on my neck and wrist, but he didn¡¯t let go of me. His emerald eyes, which always shined brightly, looked a little tired. He slowly stroked my cheeks His cold touch reminded me of my past memories. My body trembled at the cold voice that echoed into my mind. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t do this¡­¡± I barely said through my trembling lips. I felt goosebumps. ¡°What would you do if I touched you like this? You would hate me, right? ¡± ¡°Oh, Allen, please¡­ ¡± ¡°I know you are not ready yet. I¡¯m feeling exhausted.¡± He looked at me with sorrow in his eyes. My fear melted away when I looked at his eyes wet with tears. My trembling body calmed down little by little when he touched my cheeks sadly. ¡°I have some regrets. If I had pursued the path of the knight instead of a government official, I would have been able to meet your father more confidently like Carsein.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chapter 74 Chapter 74: Chapter 74 When I saw his trembling eyes, I suddenly recalled something to say, but I didn¡¯t have the nerve to get it out of my mouth. Allendis, who looked at me silently with his lips closed, sighed deeply and stood up. ¡°Well, if you choose the path of a knight, I still have a chance, right?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°When the dayes when I can confidentlye forward¡­¡± Instead of finishing his words, he smiled at me and helped me up. His smile was the same, as usual, but his bitter feelings in it broke my heart because I felt sorry and guilty. ¡°Whew!¡­¡± Allendis sighed long and said, ¡°I am sorry, Tia. I did that while asleep.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, that¡¯s fine, Allen.¡± Alendis, who smiled feebly at me when I responded hesitantly, walked toward the window. He stood with his back toward me and seemed to refuse any further conversation with me. I was about to leave the room silently, but stopped suddenly. I was bothered by his lonely figure, with his dishevelled hair around his shoulders. After hesitating several times, I approached him. I raised my hand to release the hair strap on my head, and put it in his hand, who fixed his gaze outside the window. ¡°Tia?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t need it because I was just on my way back home. I know I will be ufortable if you keep standing here like this,¡± I said, ncing away from him, who looked at me nkly. After remaining silent for some time, he replied in a subdued voice, ¡°¡­ Thanks.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re wee. Let me leave now.¡± I came out and stood with my back leaning against the door. I felt sorry and guilty, along with other mixed feelings lingering in my heart. I could not forget his wet eyes and his sad touch. While I was standing aghast like that, I suddenly heard somebody chatting loudly at the end of the hallway. Only then did Ie to my senses. I forgot that this was a government building where many anti-emperor nobles wereing and going. ¡®Who knows somebody notices me standing here and spreads rumors? Let me get out of this ce first. ¡® Although I felt like something was pulling me back, I walked down the hallway, biting my lip without looking back. Today was the day when the crown prince¡¯s birthday banquet would take ce. When I caught my breath after finishing preparations, my house was turned upside down because today¡¯s hero, the crown prince, made an abrupt visit. I rushed downstairs to greet him. Why did hee here? He must be very busy preparing for his birthday banquet. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°You must be busy preparing for the banquet¡­ ¡± ¡°The pce affairs office is busy, not me. Are you preparing now?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty. I was just done, so I was taking a break.¡± ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± After exchanging pleasantries, we moved to the reception room. He was silent. After pondering over something, he asked me, breaking silence, ¡°Have you noticed anything unusual around you these days?¡± ¡°Pardon? I don¡¯t know what you mean¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not a big deal, so don¡¯t worry. ¡± He remained silent again. I looked at him with a puzzled expression, who was knocking on the chair in a pensive mood. ¡®Did he have such a habit? I don¡¯t think so. ¡® I was thinking about asking him what was going on, but he said, staring into the air, ¡°Can you give me a cup of tea?¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. I will call somebody right away. ¡± ¡°Well, I want to drink the tea you brew for me.¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± My eyes popped up at his unexpected request. Just like he didst time, his repeated entric actions embarrassed me very much. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t you serve tea?¡± ¡°Oh no, Your Majesty. I can.¡± I urgently pulled the string and called the butler. While the butler was bringing the best tea leaves and tea set, I took a deep breath and calmed down. As far as food and tea were concerned, he is very picky, so I had to make sure he wouldn¡¯t find fault with me. Shortly afterwards, the butler returned, putting down all kinds of tea leaf boxes. I picked chamomile and mint, mixed them ording to a given proportion, and poured water. Then, I, counting time inside as I was so nervous, carefully poured water. I gave him a cup of tea to him anxiously, hoping I brewed it well. After sipping tea without a word, he said, ¡°¡­This tastes different.¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. It tastes good.¡± I felt rxed now. I smiled before I knew it. In fact, I felt like he appreciated my efforts because I practiced brewing tea over and over again in case he, who was very picky in his taste, came to my house. He was different from the old him in my memory, but his picky taste was still the same. ¡°I thought you were very tired after preparing for the banquet, so I prepared tea that is good for your quick recovery from fatigue.¡± ¡°Really? Thank you.¡± Watching him tilting the mug silently, I ced my cup to my lips. While I was drinking tea with him with tea aroma wafting into the reception room, I wanted to ask him some questions that I kept to myself because I was so busy. What does he know about my mother? And what happened between him and me when I was a child? Normally, I would not have dared to ask, but I felt I could today. After hesitating for a long time, I got up my nerve to speak to him. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I heard that you were close to my mother.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I was.¡± ¡°What was my mother like?¡± He was silent for a long time. I became nervous as his silence became longer. When I was more and more restless, regretting asking him such a question, he broke the silence and said with a cold voice, ¡°She was a beautiful woman. She looked a lot like you. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Her hair glowed red in the sun and her golden eyes were like yours. I remember the time when she first entered the pce, carrying a newborn baby on her back.¡± He put down the teacup and said, staring into the distant air. ¡°As she was in poor health, she didn¡¯t go out often and she knew few people knew, but everyone liked her.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Even the queen, who was heartless and cold-hearted, liked to keep her on her side. Sometimes when she came to the pce with you, my father took me with him, and we spent time together at the queen¡¯s pce.¡± I wanted to ask something while he was talking, but I decided to focus on listening to him. ¡°Come to think of it, you¡¯ve got one more thing that resembles your mother. Not only my father, but also my mother and your mother loved you very much. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Yes, she loved you so much.¡± There was a sigh in his voice that I would never know. When I saw him, I wanted to ask something. The emperor and he seemed to know me when I was younger than ten years old, but why did the emperor treat me as if he saw me for the first time when I made the case for luxury tax? And why did he treat me like a stranger on the day he bumped into me at the Imperial Pce? As if he was waking up from his memories, he lifted the mug again. While looking at him, I hesitated for a long time before opening my mouth, ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Um.¡± ¡°Well, then, do you know my childhood? I heard from my family member a while ago that you visited my house often..¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m done talking about it,¡± he said coldly, putting down the mug. I hurriedly shut up because of his chilly reaction. I was very embarrassed by his sudden change in attitude. Did I say wrong? Why did he suddenly change his attitude? ¡°Your Majesty, did I make a mistake?¡± ¡°No, it is not your fault.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Oh, time is up. If you are ready, let¡¯s start. ¡± Rising from his seat, he went outside without looking back. When he ordered the royal guards to get ready for heading to the pce with a cold voice, they looked at me sharply, but I could not understand his actions. Chapter 75 Chapter 75: Chapter 75 When I was about to leave, I ran into my father who had just entered the mansion. ¡®Why did hee back home? He should be in charge of security around the Imperial Pce. ¡® ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the empire. I didn¡¯t know you woulde here. ¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Marquis. I just stopped by as I was free at the moment. I was going to head for the pce now.¡± ¡°I see. In fact, I just stopped by my house as I was free. Can I escort you back to the pce right away?¡¯ I smiled gently at my father. I wondered why he stopped by, but it looks like he came because he was worried about me going to the pce alone. After arriving at the Imperial Pce with him in an awkward atmosphere, I went to the banquet with him, who was still in a cold mood. After barely dancing with him in a choking silence, I left the ce with his understanding. He suddenly became cold to me while drinking tea, so I was so nervous about being around him. ¡®What the heck is this? Why won¡¯t he tell me the reason?¡¯ When I was grumbling to myself, a group of youngdies approached and greeted me at once as if on cue. ¡°Hi, Lady Monique!¡± I smiled brightly at the blonde woman standing in front of them. ¡°Oh, Niav. Nice to see you here.¡± ¡°Today you are so beautiful. Did you match that dress with the crown prince¡¯s, too? What a good match!¡± said Catherine. I briefly looked at the dress I was wearing. My dress that featured a silver ribbon on a ck background was obviously designed to match with his robe with ck on a white background. I felt good about it this morning, but I didn¡¯t like my dress now. ¡°By the way, Lady Monique, I¡¯ve found the craftsman you told me about the other day. His skills were very impressive.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m d to hear that. ¡± ¡°How did you find him? I think I can make a prototype product in the near future. ¡± ¡°Well, Entea, everybody has a couple of things that they don¡¯t want to reveal, right?¡± Although I gave her the hairpin design, it looked like she could not easily make a hairpin that was very different from the existing models. So, on the day when I met them, I handed Catherine some tips about the original craftsman. She might have not listened to me at first, but when it wasn¡¯t easy to make the hairpin based on the design, she finally found the craftsman. As it was originally the craftsman¡¯s invention, he would make it well. ¡®It¡¯s not as good as the reward I gave them in the past, but this is enough for now.¡¯ When we talked about a hairpin, other youngdies¡¯s eyes sparkled. I felt disgusted when I saw the girls trying to curry favor with me, but I chatted with them with a brighter smile. ¡°Look over there, Lady Monique. Looks like they were quarrelling.¡± When I looked at the ce Sarah pointed, I saw two groups quarrelling each other. Twodies were confronting each other with other girls taking side with their leader. The woman with light brown hair on the left side was familiar to me. ¡°That¡¯s Lady Genoa and Lady Hamel. Here they go again.¡± When Entea pointed it out, otherdies followed suit, criticizing the two. I looked at the two quarrelling groups while letting Entea¡¯s words in one ear and out the other. ¡®Lady Hamel? I hear the leader of the noble factiondies is Lady Hamel, the eldest daughter of Earl Hamel. Isn¡¯t she a rtive of Duke Jena? ¡® I raised my right hand and hissed down Entea and others around me, then headed toward the arguing women. While they were standing with a nk face, one of them quickly followed me. ¡®Entea.¡¯ She acted like a woman with a quick judgement of the situation. Only then did otherdies began to follow me in a hurry. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Lady Genoa?¡± ¡°¡­ Hi, Lady Monique.¡± When I spoke with a slight frown, she paused for a moment and bowed her head. When I asked, pretending that I didn¡¯t know anything, she exined in detail. ¡°As I was thirsty, I called an attendant holding a tray with soft drinks, but Lady Hamel also called him at the same time¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, which person called the attendant first?¡± ¡°Well, we called him almost at the same time¡­¡± ¡°Obviously, I called him first, but Lady Genoa is arguing she did first.¡± ¡®What the heck is this?¡¯ I abruptly turned my head and stared at Lady Hamel. Her challenging look beat me at the moment. ¡®Oh, this crap is challenging me?¡¯ ¡°Which family are you from?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Raia Se Hamel, the eldest daughter of Earl Hamel.¡± ¡°I see. I thought you were Duke Jena¡¯s granddaughter, so you are from the Hamel family.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Lady Monique? You didn¡¯t say that by looking at the color of my hair, right? Don¡¯t you know that everybody knows Duke Jena has no granddaughter? ¡± I smiled brightly as she retorted arrogantly. Thosedies who sympathized with her seemed startled. ¡°Yes. Even a woman who just made her debut in social circles knows that. But the thing is¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Everyone knows that there is no woman who is higher than me in status, right?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯re right.¡± I smiled more brightly at Lady Hamel, who answered with a suppressed voice. And then I reprimanded her clearly by saying, ¡°I must punish your manners teacher. I don¡¯t understand why your teacher hasn¡¯t taught you that it¡¯s rude to interrupt someone who has a higher status than you while she is talking with someone. This is a big shame to people in social circles. And I don¡¯t think you don¡¯t know such simple manners ¡­ Obviously, you were very sloppy in your manners. Who is your manners teacher? I must set an example by punishing your teacher by all means.¡± Lady Hamel just stared at me, as if she was upset, but didn¡¯t respond. I nced at the otherdies standing with a nk look, and said to Lady Genoa¡¯s group, ¡°Do you know why you are at this ce today?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you answer? Then let me ask someone else. What is this ce, Niav? ¡± ¡°It is the ce tomemorate the birthday of the crown prince, Lady Monique.¡± Trying to ignore Niav¡¯s happy smile in my eyes, I smiled coldly at Lady Genoa and her followers. ¡°Right. How can you quarrel over a trivial thing in this ce? If the crown prince hears about this, he will be very displeased. This is a huge disgrace to him. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you got it. Hmm, then let¡¯s talk about the cause of the quarrell. Hey, attendant!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Lady Monique.¡± The attendant, who stiffened, quickly approached in surprise. I naturally picked up a cup from the tray he was holding and said, ¡°Bring your colleagues and serve the drinks to all the youngdies here.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Thank you.¡± I looked at the attendant disappearing quickly. Somehow, I felt empty. Those hanging out in social circles disguised themselves with a bright smile and graceful rhetoric, but the women¡¯s quarrelling was so childish. In the past, I was also involved in this kind of quarrelling, but in the end I climbed to the top status that nobody dared to touch. ¡®Was I also childish like them at that time?¡± It was me who plunged myself into the nasty social circles that I wanted to escape so much, but when I jumped into the battlefield, my mood was quickly subdued. At that moment, I felt that thedies around me turned their eyes to someone behind me. ¡®What are they looking at?¡¯ Looking back, I saw a young man with blue hair looking at me with a deeply serene gaze. Nodding at the women who showed due manners, he said with a smile, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here! I¡¯ve been looking for you as I couldn¡¯t find you nearby.¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°It¡¯s good for you to get acquainted withdies here, but it¡¯s my birthday today. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re too mean? I feel like I¡¯m getting a bit upset.¡± His words were so sweet. I knew that he spoke kindly just for demonstration, but I felt a little better at his kind words because I was getting depressed because of Lady Hamel¡¯s arrogant attitude. I was pleasantly surprised that even the person who said that was none other than the crown prince, not my father, Allendis, or Carsein. I tried to erase the images of my precious men from my mind and bowed to the crown prince and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to have offended you, Your Majesty. Please punish me. ¡± ¡°Okay. Then, let¡¯s do this. ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Chapter 76 Chapter 76: Chapter 76 ¡°Could you take time out for me? The music is good at the moment. ¡± ¡°¡­ It is my honor, Your Majesty. ¡± He politely asked me to dance with him and reached out. I put my hand on his with a reluctant smile. I went to the dance floor with him amid their envy and exmations. Unlike the slow tempo up to now, the tune this time was fast and cheerful. I had to almost hop around to the fast tempo, but because of the beat change in the middle, I really found it hard to step to the music, although I used to dance well in the past. When I was so nervous about missing the step, he, who was silent all along, said, ¡°It¡¯s surprising. I thought you were with Duke Verita¡¯s son or Sir Lars.¡± ¡°Pardon? Sir Lars? ¡± ¡°I mean Sir Lars who was appointed as a knight this time, not Sir Lars, your father¡¯s aide.¡± ¡°Oh, are you talking about Carsein?¡± While I was talking with him, the music tempo changed once. For a moment, I stumbled on the steps, but I quickly stepped to the new beat and tried to smile. ¡°Oh, is his name Carsein? Anyway, I thought you were with him.¡± ¡°Sir Carsein is on duty today. Allen ¡­¡­Oh, I don¡¯t know if Duke Verita¡¯s son is here today.¡± ¡°Oh, are you close enough to call them by their first names? Looks like you¡¯re calling their names naturally.¡± Why is he mentioning their names? Anybody can call his or her friend by their first name when they get acquainted a little bit. As I couldn¡¯t read his intention, I couldn¡¯t find an appropriate answer to his question. While I was pondering over how to reply, the band began to y the highlight of the music. The dance motion of this part is regarded as very beautiful due to its delicate and gorgeous movements, but at the same time it is the climax part that¡¯s absolutely impossible to dance if you can¡¯t step through the dance with your partner well. So, couples or engaged couples mostly stepped to the tunes of this music. I stepped to the tune nervously. As I had never stepped through a dance with him to this tune, I was so nervous. As I paid a lot of attention to the tempo, though, I could finish dancing the most difficult part of the highlight without missing the steps. ¡®Ahhh!¡¯ Was it because I let down my hair because I was done with the most difficult part? My feet got twisted before I knew it. The moment I lost my bnce and fell, he lifted me by my waist with his strong arms. Breathing a sigh of relief, I felt greatly relieved and expressed thanks to him, who was looking down at me nkly. ¡°Thank you, Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know how I can understand¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I thought you looked like a doll because you were tough, but you were not. Then, you look like a sophisticated woman who was very good at dancing, but you missed the steps this time.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Is this the charm they found in you?¡± He whispered, with his mouth close to my ears. It was the same situation I was faced with at hising-of-age dance party. At the time, I was shuddering with fear, but I didn¡¯t feel scared, which surprised me. But I began to be conscious of people around me. When I blushed at my missed steps, at a loss what to do, he giggled after staring at me for a while. Then he said, tightening his grip around the waist, ¡°Don¡¯t miss the steps again. Follow my steps.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± Originally, he only focused on his own dance steps, but he led me properly every time the tempo of the music changed. Thanks to his consideration I finished dancing. I expressed gratitude with a sigh of relief, ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± He silently nodded and called an attendant. Then, he picked up two cups from the tray and gave me one and said, ¡°So, are you going to go back to a flock of snakes again?¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty? Flock of snakes? ¡± ¡°I mean that group of women.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± ¡°Looks like they are smiling, but they are always hissing, full of poison. How can I describe them in another way?¡± I suddenly broke intoughter. Laughing out loud was against manners, but I couldn¡¯t stop it. The best thing I could do was to cover my mouth with my hands and muffle the sound as much as possible. I felt as if I shook off my unpleasant feelings as if I was thrown with the mud. ¡°Was it so funny?¡± I just smiled at him who was looking at me curiously. I could not tell him I didn¡¯t know there was such a perfect expression to describe them, and that his description really made my day. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m d to see you smile.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Smiling face suits you more than your rigid expression.You look like them with that rigid expression.¡± I felt embarrassed when he said that. I even felt ashamed because he pointed out that I hadn¡¯t followed the etiquette. When I fanned my face with my hand because I felt hot, he grinned at me. I felt like I couldn¡¯t stay with him any more, so I hurriedly asked for his understanding by saying, ¡°Your Majesty, may I go back to my friends?¡± ¡°Friends? Sure, you can.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Breathing a sigh of relief deep down, I was about to go back to my ce when someone who looked like Allendis passed by the guests. ¡®Is that Allendis?¡¯ I looked around and checked. The moment I almost gave up because of those who spoke to me asionally, I saw a man with light green hair slipping out of the door of the banquet hall. I looked around for a moment, but no one noticed me. What should I do? At first nce, his back looked simr to Allendis. Should I follow him? I carefully got out of the banquet hall and looked around. As it was dark outside, the hallway of the Central Pce looked dark even though the lights were lit. I walked away after hesitating to go back, but I didn¡¯t want to because I felt sorry about finding him so exhaustedst time I saw him. How much time passed? Although I walked quite far from the banquet hall, I could not see his light green hair. ¡®Did I see the wrong person?¡¯ When I was about to turn after giving up, I saw a ck shadow at the end of the corridor. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ The shadow that looked around went into a room. I just tried to pass by, but stopped because I smelled a rat. Unless it¡¯s something secret, that guy didn¡¯t have to look around carefully. Why is he looking around so carefully to go into that room? I thought of calling a knight just in case, but didn¡¯t. What if I am mistaken? But I didn¡¯t want to give it a pass because I knew something was going on. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ I hesitated for a moment then headed for the ce where the shadow disappeared. ¡®Even if I¡¯m an apprentice knight now, I can¡¯t back down once I have decided to be a knight.¡¯ I put my ears close to the closed room, but it was quiet. While hesitating a bit, I pushed the door slightly. Fortunately, the door opened silently. No one was inside the room that looked through the tiny gap. ¡®I think the shadow obviously came in here.¡¯ The moment I was about to close it, thinking I was mistaken, I noticed there was another room inside. It seemed that the structure of the room was designed like that. As I approached carefully, I heard someone talking inside. Though they talked with a low voice, I could hear it clearly because it was so quiet inside. I decided that if I found something suspicious after hearing them a bit, I should call the knight. ¡°It¡¯s already the crown prince¡¯s birthday. Time flies so fast!¡± ¡°You bet.¡± ¡°He is now an adult, so it would be easy to find a new woman without the obstacle. I feel regretful about it.¡± ¡°I know. The next empress should be from the anti-emperor noble faction by all means. How can the emperor choose Lady Monique? Absolutely, we can¡¯t let it happen, Duke.¡± ¡°Of course. We have to defeat the crown prince in order to regain the power we lost because of the emperor.¡± I was bothered by the words ¡®anti-emperor noble faction¡¯ and ¡®Duke.¡¯ ¡®Is this guy talking with Duke Jena and his clique?¡¯ Chapter 77 Chapter 77: Chapter 77 My heart was thumping. Holding my breath, I carefully listened to what they were saying. ¡°I am afraid of the consequences, but isn¡¯t it better to get rid of her?¡± ¡°I have already tried many times. However, it was not easy because the sophisticated emperor is protecting her.¡± ¡°Really??¡± ¡°Yes. There are over a hundred knights defending her house, and the marquis in charge of her security is a very savvy guy. I thought his daughter would break off her engagement to the crown prince after she became an apprentice knight, but she didn¡¯t. Looking at the crown prince¡¯s attitude today, it seems the sly emperor put him among the knights, so our faction can¡¯t touch him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem. I spread the rumors about her in a timely manner, but the emperor or the crown prince didn¡¯t bat an eye.¡± ¡®Now, I know you spread the rumors.¡¯ That¡¯s why there were so many ungrounded rumors in social circles these days. ¡°I think we have to manipte public opinion, so the crown prince and Lady Monique have no other choice but to break off their engagement.¡± ¡°I already know her weakness. The problem is how to find a suitable woman. ¡± ¡°But if her engagement is broken, she could be the sessor to the Monique family. Aren¡¯t you bothered by the oath of blood?¡± ¡°Bah! Do you think it¡¯s easy for a woman to be a knight? Monique family¡¯s sessor? How ridiculous!¡± Duke Jenaughed sarcastically. Even though I didn¡¯t care about the so-called ¡®oath by blood,¡¯ I was bothered by his mention of ¡®weakness.¡¯ What is my weakness that he mentioned? Is it rted to what he described as my ¡®vulgar blood? ¡®Well, I don¡¯t have any ¡®vulgar blood¡¯ no matter how hard I try to find.¡¯ ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t reasonable to think that he trained his daughter for several years to have her join the knights division by deceiving us. Just ridiculous.¡± Duke Jenna spoke in a tone of ridicule. Several menughed together, agreeing with him. ¡°Anyway, now it¡¯s important to find another woman to rece Lady Monique. It¡¯s hard to get rid of her right now, so look for a woman that fits the condition.¡± ¡°How about Lady Hamel? She is your distant rtive, Duke Jena, and the leader of the youngdies of our faction.¡± ¡°How stupid! Why do you think the emperor, who hates the temple, has chosen Lady Monique as the crown prince¡¯s fiancee, citing her as the child of God¡¯s prophecy? It¡¯s because he is conscious of the general people. So, you have to find a woman like that who could be called the child of God¡¯s prophecy,¡± Duke Jena continued to say in an irritated tone. He continued, ¡°First, we have to separate the crown prince from Lady Monique. I thought he was not interested in girls when I heard that he didn¡¯t object even when she was mingling with Duke Lars¡¯s second son. But looking at his attitude, I don¡¯t think my guesswork was correct. Somehow, I have an ominous feeling.¡± ¡°Got it. I will try to find one as soon as possible. Then, what are you going to do about Lady Monique?¡± There was deep coldness in the voice of the man who asked the duke about my fate. ¡°Just leave her alone until we find a suitable woman. If there is any undercover protecting her, we have no chance of getting rid of her. So, keep it in mind! You should never be discovered by the emperor or his close aides. Although they are quiet now, they removed half the noble factions opposed to him, as you know. So, be careful and act with extreme caution.¡± ¡°I will keep it in mind, Duke Jena.¡± ¡°Good. If you¡¯re gone for too long, they¡¯re going to suspect you. So, go back one by one. ¡± Muffling any noise, I left the room. I had to get out before they came out. I had to hide somewhere, but there was only one corridor from here to the banquet hall. I tried to push the door next door, but the door was locked. It seemed like I would be caught by them. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ At that moment, someone pulled me hard from behind. I struggled, but I couldn¡¯t yell because he shut my mouth. The man, who pulled me with strong force, pushed me behind the dark shade of the statue along the hallway, and whispered, ¡°Shush! I don¡¯t have time to exin the situation, so stay quiet here. ¡± I felt a bit rxed because I seemed to have heard his voice before. When I nodded silently, the man released my hand and stood firmly in front of me. His white uniform blocked my view. I heard someone walking toward me gradually. The man stopped for a moment near the man, then moved to the banquet hall. As I was wearing a ck dress, he didn¡¯t seem to find me in the shade. A few more men passed by, and the moment I felt relieved, I heard another man¡¯s footstep again. His footsteps stopped before the man suddenly. My breathing was getting rough and my heart was beating like crazy. Am I caught? ¡°You¡¯re a royal guard. Why are you in this ce? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing my duty, Duke.¡± ¡°Hmm, really?¡± I could feel his voice was arrogant. He was Duke Jena. I felt cold sweat on my back. I stopped breathing, covering my mouth with my hand. I was afraid that he could hear me if I moved a bit. Duke Jena, who stopped for a moment, said, ¡°Okay. Good job. ¡± His footsteps were disappearing now. When I breathed a sigh of relief, the man politely bowed politely and said, ¡°I am sorry for what I did a minute ago, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Oh, it ¡®s been a long time, Sir Seymour. But howe you are here¡­?¡± I guessed it, but it was Sir Seymour who saved me from the emergency situation. I was delighted to see him after a long time, but I was more surprised and curious about how he could save in such a timely manner. ¡°¡­ I was passing by.¡± What did he say? That¡¯s not the proper excuse. When I looked at him in embarrassment, he avoided my nce and said, ¡°I think you had better go back to the banquet hall.¡± ¡°¡­Sure, I will.¡± I reluctantly epted. I wanted to ask further, but as he said, returning to the banquet hall was more important now. While I walked down the hallway, I was lost in thought. Duke Jenna said he already tried several times to get rid of me, but failed because the emperor defended me thoroughly. He also said that there might be an undercover to protect me. Suddenly, it urred to me that when I said that my house was empty in the year when there was a massive famine, the emperor dispatched a royal guard to me immediately. At that time, I thought it was just a means for the emperor to tie me further to the imperial family. ¡®What if they had been trying to get rid of me then?¡¯ Once I began to doubt their threat against me, I had many more questions. Come to think of it, not only my father but my family knights wouldn¡¯t leave me alone these days. For example, Sir League followed me even in my garden when I was taking a walk alone. Today my father, who strictly separated his public from private affairs, was away from work and came to the house to pick me up. ¡®Wait a minute, he said he came to pick me up?¡¯ Suddenly, it urred to me that he suddenly came to me in the afternoon, asking me if I found anything suspicious around me. Was he aware of their threat against me? Was that the reason why he came to the house to pick me up directly? ¡®Ah, no way. I¡¯m mistaken.¡¯ I chuckled in spite of myself. It was true that he was more kind to me these days, but there was no reason for him to be overly protective. ¡°Because I showed my face to them a little while ago, I think I had better not go in with you. Please go in first. ¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you for your help, Sir Seymour. ¡± After greeting him, I went back to the banquet hall. I saw a bunch of youngdies approaching me, asking me where I was. ¡®Yeah, let¡¯s sleep on this and ask my fatherter.¡¯ Leaving my growing doubts behind, I smiled brightly at them approaching me. Chapter 78 Chapter 78: Chapter 78 It was getting colder everyday, and the leaves began to turn red. The sun shining in the training field was slowly setting. The gentle breeze blowing over me was quite cool. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Nice job, Sir Dillon. Then see you tomorrow. ¡± I let down my sweaty hair while getting out of the training field. While I was walking, enjoying the cool breeze, someone who approached me quickly disturbed my hair. I narrowed my eyes and stared at him. ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Carsein.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll let it down to wash it anyway, right? Don¡¯t be too mean!¡± ¡°It¡¯s wet with sweat, you know.¡± ¡°Okay. You¡¯re so edgy today,¡± said Carsein, who raised his hands over his head, showing surrender. ¡°Is it tomorrow when the princesses are arriving? ¡± ¡°Perhaps. Ah, Carsein. Go alone today. I have to stop by the pce to see the emperor as he wants to see me.¡± ¡°I see. I think he wants to see you because of that. Okay then. See you tomorrow. ¡± Nodding lightly, he waved to me then disappeared. I looked at his back for a moment and returned to my office. While taking a shower, I was lost in thought. ¡®Time flies like an arrow!¡¯ Two seasons have already passed since his birthday banquet. As soon as I went back home after the party that day, I told my father what happened. I heard lots of things from my father that I hadn¡¯t known. My father told me that as soon as I was born, my life had been constantly threatened after I was designated as the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Because of this, the emperor made an exception to the imperialw that prohibited the stationing of troops in the capital, allowing the Duke Lars family and mine to maintain private knights in the capital. I was also told that after I got older, the situation got a little better, but when I returned from my father¡¯s estate recently, there was another attempt on my life, so the emperor dispatched royal guards to me temporarily. The emperor cracked down on the number of noble families to strengthen his power because the noble factions prevailed for about three generations before he assumed power. Nevertheless, there were so many rebellious families that he left some of them intact because he could not govern without their help. They were now called the noble faction. Even though the emperor knew their intentions, he couldn¡¯t do anything about them for now. My father said that¡¯s why the emperor could protect me only passively. ¡°You¡¯re done, Sir Monique,¡± said the maid, who checked my uniform. After thanking her, I headed for the Central Pce. Since they found it hard to find the right woman to rece me, the noble factions turned to a foreign country to search for a woman. It has been more than a year since the crown prince came of age, so they strongly raised the issue with the emperor two months ago by criticizing that it was ridiculous for the crown prince not to get married because he had a young fiancee. They argued that since it was impossible to change the already determined fiancee, the crown prince should choose a woman to be his wife. They also argued that if it was difficult to choose the candidate among the noble daughters in the empire, the emperor should invite the princess of each country and select his wife, namely the next empress, during the uing festival to celebrate the national founding. ording to imperialw, it was not possible for the crown prince to ept another woman without choosing his wife first. Therefore, the pro-emperor factions might have balked at the noble factions¡¯ proposal, but the emperor who could have instigated them to fight the noble factions unexpectedly remained silent. In addition, Duke Lars, Duke Verita, who were called the emperor¡¯s close aides, and my father, thergest stakeholder in the empire, did not object. ordingly, invitations were sent out to the princesses of neighboring countries quickly, and finally, those chosen as the candidates would arrive in the capital tomorrow on the asion of the festival to celebrate the national founding one monthter. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s been a long time. Are you here to see the emperor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Good. Thene on in. ¡± I noticed his voice was subdued, which was unusual, and his face was gloomy. Obviously, he felt under the weather. When I hesitated a bit, he turned and started walking toward the exit. Looking at him a bit, I entered the meeting room with a sigh. The emperor, who I hadn¡¯t seen in two months, was a bit tired. Is it because he was stressed out because the noble factions began to attack him more severely these days? It seemed that he had more gray hair than he had a few months ago. However, his discerning judgement as well as his overwhelming authority were as strong as before. He was truly the ruler of the empire. ¡°Oh, how are you doing these days?¡± ¡°I am doing well. All thanks to you, Your Majesty. How are you doing, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing fine. Hmm, let me get down to the point. You know that several foreign princesses areing tomorrow. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± When I nodded my head, he said with a bright smile, ¡°You are very happy now, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, if one of them is chosen, she wille here in the name of a concubine, but once she gets the title, she will try to aim at the queen¡¯s status.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It has been almost six months since you joined the knights division. Now that everyone knows that you will seed the Monique family, I think they areing here, assuming that the crown prince is looking for his fiancee.¡± That was true. The moment I entered the knights division, there were some who questioned what would happen to my engagement to the crown prince, and their suspicion began to grow rapidly because the two dukes and my father, regarded as the emperor¡¯s closest aides, remained silent on the invitation of the foreign princesses. The noble women and youngdies were very curious about the possible breakup of my engagement, but nobody dared to ask me directly as I was very powerful in social circles. ¡°By the way, do you think that can happen as you wish?¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I trust my son,¡± he said confidently. ¡°Years ago I told you I raised my child wrong. I thought my son was really immature, but he has grown up. Given that he is behaving these days, I don¡¯t think he can let go of a precious gem like you so easily.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°If my son is foolish enough to lose you, I will not hold you anymore, but I trust my son¡¯s discerning eye.¡± I was puzzled. Did he really trust him? Then, why is he always so strict with his son? Suddenly, his expression that I saw right before I came into this room urred to me. Come to think of it, he was always in a bad mood before or after meeting his father. I understood him. It¡¯s because his father didn¡¯t always like him. ¡°Um. You seem to be curious. Is there anything you want to ask me? ¡± ¡°Oh yes, Your Majesty. Well¡­ ¡± ¡°Please askfortably. You are fully qualified to ask.¡± ¡°I am honored to ask, Your Majesty. So¡­ if you trust him so much, why are you always strict on him?¡± Before I heard him talking to me asionally, I thought like others that he didn¡¯t like his son because his son wascking too much. As if he was surprised at my unexpected question, the emperor smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Who else can be strict to him?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°He grew up without being loved by his mother. He felt better for some time thanks to your mother¡¯s caring¡­ your mother also quickly died.¡± He mentioned my mother, but it was not time for me to ask about it. So I just listened silently. ¡°Why don¡¯t I want to give love to my son who doesn¡¯t know what love is? If I had been amoner, not a noble, I would have loved him a lot. As you know, Rube is not an ordinary child. He is supposed to rule the empire after me. I had to scold rather than soothe him when he yed the baby and reprimand rather than forgive him when he did wrong. Even when I praised him, I had to scold him for fear he might bezy.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± Chapter 79 Chapter 79: Chapter 79 Suddenly, an episode came to my mind. While the emperor was very kind and generous to me, he was unusually strict to him. I wondered why he was so strict to his only son. At that time, I thought the emperor weird because I didn¡¯t think about the reason deeply. ¡®However¡­ ¡® Was that the best option for the emperor? I remembered an episode that I experienced before my return from the past. He was drinking tea quietly while I was chatting with the emperor. I also remembered his face that I saw in the mirror room in my dream, in which he stared at me with his father. ¡°Well, I called you because I wanted to talk with you. I still think you are the best empress candidate. Although I haven¡¯t seen them yet, these princesses won¡¯t beat you.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m honored to hear that, Your Majesty. ¡°By the way, it looks like the knights are very busy as there are more people you have to protect. I can¡¯t hold you too long. You can leave now.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Then, let me take my leave now. ¡± After getting out of the pce, I looked back at the inner pcete in the evening. I felt heartbroken when I thought about how hard it was to understand the heart of others. Since that day, the knights division has been busy protecting new VIPs. There was little change in the Royal Guard Division in charge of protecting the imperial family members, but the 1st and 2nd Knights divisions were busy protecting the princesses from many countries, coordinating with their bodyguards and other VIPs. Unless they had anypelling personal reasons, even those who were off duty were summoned to help. As the assistant to the Captain of the 1st Knights Division, I was also very busy. We all had to work all through the night for several days. We went to work early in the morning and came back homete at night. No matter how much we nned in advance, things changed oftentimes. It took at least seven days for us to get ustomed to working normally. I sank exhausted in my office. I was torn between a desire to go back home for a full rest and a desire to sleep here in the office as I had toe to work early next morning. When I was blinking my eyes, leaning against the window, I suddenly heard someone knocking on the door. ¡°Come on in.¡± ¡°Hi, Tia.¡± ¡°Allen? What business has brought you here?¡± I thought it might be Duke Lars or somebody else, but it was Alendis who opened the door and came in. He looked as exhausted as I was, but he smiled at me. His light green hair as well as his soft, white face also looked haggard, his emerald eyes glowed warmly. He said with a warm smile, ¡°I came here, expecting you were exhausted.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°As you know, knights and officials alike are all in emergency mode. I¡¯m so tired, but you might be more tired than me. It¡¯s not good for a grown-updy to fall asleep in this ce. ¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I barely nodded and leaned against the window. When I was about to barely walk from the window, he held me and gave me a small box. . ¡°Okay, take it.¡± ¡°What is this, Allen?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m repaying your gift from the other day.¡± I received the box and untied the green ribbon. Inside the tiny silver box were lots of colored hair ties. ¡°Wow, they¡¯re pretty.¡± ¡°What do you think? Like it?¡± ¡°Yes. But you don¡¯t have to give me so many like this¡­¡± ¡°Because I didn¡¯t know which one you would like,¡± he said, taking out a green hair tie from the box. ¡°Don¡¯t you know the polite thing is to try it when you receive it? Let me see. I¡¯ll tie it for you.¡± ¡°Huh? Okay.¡± As I was about to tie my disheveled hair again at the moment, I turned around and unhooked the ck hair tie. My thick silver hair fell down all at once. He grabbed my long hair gently and put it together. Somehow, I became drowsy. I slowly blinked my eyes as I felt sleepy, but suddenly I was surprised by the unexpected scene reflected on the window. Bowing his head, he was putting his lips on my silver hair. I suddenly felt wide awake. My heart bled. ¡®What should I do with you, Allen? Your affection for me seems to be getting deeper and deeper, but what should I do as I can¡¯t repay you? I¡¯d rather feel the same toward you. Whenever I try to say something to you, I feel so sorry and heartbroken to see you trying to turn away from me with a bitter smile. Allen, every time I look at you, I remember what I was like in the past, so I really don¡¯t know what to do.¡¯ ¡°¡­Allen. ¡± Allendis, who looked at me hesitating, just smiled, but I couldn¡¯t smile either because his smile seemed so bitter. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, Tia. I haven¡¯t said anything to you yet.¡± ¡°Allen.¡± ¡°Stop there. Let¡¯s stop talking about this. You have to go home now, mydy. ¡± For the past few months, Allendis cut me off like this every time I hesitated. Whenever I felt guilty because I had to turn away even though I knew how he felt toward me, or whenever I tried to tell him I was sorry because I knew how painful it was to wait indefinitely, he just smiled and cut me off as if he was okay. The more he acted like that, the more nervous I was. What should I do? I couldn¡¯t open my heart to him, nor could I turn away from him. I came out of my office with a heavy heart with Allendis. Tired, I trudged along the road leading to the wagon storage center. When I almost arrived at the destination, I saw a man and a woman walking across the street. A young man with blue hair, the crown prince, and a woman who I don¡¯t know. I thought she was probably one of the princesses who arrived as one of the crown prince¡¯s fiancee candidates. Pretending to ignore them, I wanted to pass by, but I was too close to them. I stopped with a sigh and showed due manners, ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°I, Alendis de Verita, am honored to greet you, the Little Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s been a long time. Are you on your way home?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Originally, he was cold, but his voice felt so cool today. He looked at me and Allendis with subdued eyes. ¡°Oh, you have silver hair and golden eyes¡­ May I ask if you are Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Ah yes, I am.¡± The moment the woman standing next to him tried to speak to me dly, the crown prince cut her off and said, ¡°You look very tired. So, go home and rest. ¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I will, Your Majesty. Then, I¡¯m leaving now.¡± I paused for a moment and expressed gratitude by bowing silently. He nodded lightly and turned. The woman who looked back at me wistfully before taking short steps to catch up with him. I was puzzled by his weird attitude these days, but I was too tired now to think about it. I got in the wagon with Allendis and headed for my house. ¡°How about the status of knights¡¯ deployment?¡± ¡°Well, as for the security of the princesses from each country, their own knights decided to protect them. Half of our knights are currently assigned to defending each pce. I think there will be about 30 knights and 70 apprentice knights for each pce. ¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°For the event of a crisis, we doubled the guards at the Central Pce and the Imperial Pce. I think we have to expect some tough work for the time being.¡± ¡°Right. Nice job, Sir Monique.¡± About ten days after the foreign princesses arrived in the capital, I toured the inner pce with Duke Las and checked the status of the security around major ces. When I looked around the Central Pce and the crown prince¡¯s pce and headed to the ces where the princesses were staying, I saw a woman walking across from the other side. With red straight hair and green eyes, she was dressed in a gorgeous green dress and walking towards the crown prince¡¯s pce. Just like the woman I saw the other day, she was probably one of the princesses who came here as a candidate for the crown prince¡¯s wife. ¡°Hi, sirs!¡± Chapter 80 Chapter 80: Chapter 80 When I was hesitating to greet her first because it was a delicate situation, she stopped first and shouted to us arrogantly. I couldn¡¯t ignore her because she spoke to us first, so I nced at Duke Lars first and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°What perfect timing! I¡¯m not used to this ce. Can you show me around here?¡± ¡®What?¡¯ When I instinctively looked back at the duke, I saw his red eyebrows wriggling. After he remained silent for a moment, he ignored her coldly and moved on. ¡°Are you ignoring me now?¡± ¡°¡­ Which kingdom are you from?¡± There was no change in the pitch of his voice, but I knew he was in a very good mood because he was my teacher in the past and now my supervisor. He usually follows the emperor¡¯s order, but if he feels his order is not right, he rejects it. He was ruthless in punishing anybody if his actions went against principles even if he was in the same faction, so even nobles regarded him as the most difficult person to deal with. As such, there was no chance that Duke Lars could pass over the current situation. ¡°Do you want me to introduce myself first? It looks like you guys are treating a foreign dignitary poorly like this.¡± ¡°Okay. Let me introduce myself to you out of courtesy to a foregin dignitary. My name is Arkint de Lars, head of the Lars family.¡± I noticed that the knights standing behind the princess flinched. He was the head of the Duke Lars family, the No. 1 imperial family. The status of the duke in the empire was treated as the same as the royal family, and the head of the Lars family was as powerful as the emperor. ordingly, this unknown princess was not in a position to treat him poorly or order him to show her around. But unlike the knights who looked at us with anxiety, the princess said confidently, ¡°Oh, you are the head of the Duke Lars family, called the ¡°Sword of the Empire.¡± My name is Moira de Date, the first princess of Eet Kingdom. I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t recognized you. I am sorry, duke, I havemitted a breach of etiquette.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t recognize me? As a candidate of the crown prince¡¯s wife, you came here without even understanding the major figures of this empire¡­. Well, let me give it a pass. Sir Monique, let¡¯s go.¡± As if he was dumbfounded, the duke said goodbye to her and walked away, but Princess Moira stopped him and said, ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°What else do you need, Princess Moira?¡± ¡°I admit that I was rude to you, but what about the knight next to you who was disrespectful to me?¡± ¡°¡­ What are you talking about? ¡± She was staring at me coldly. Suddenly, something shed my mind. She nned this! She knew our identities. She deliberately stopped us, pretending not to know us, and she wanted to make me bow to her with some excuses. ¡°If she is Sir Monique, isn¡¯t she a member of the Monique family? No matter how highly the Monique is regarded by the emperor, they are not a duke¡¯s family. As long as she uses the middle name ¡®¡¯, she is lower in rank than me as I use the middle name ¡®de.¡¯ But why aren¡¯t you greeting me first? ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I know that you are the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e. And I know I¡¯m here as a candidate for his future fiancee, too. However, my status at the moment is the first princess of the Eet Kingdom while you are Sir Monique. As I didn¡¯t introduce myself as the crown prince¡¯s candidate, isn¡¯t it the right manners for you to greet me first, Sir Monique?¡± Duke Lars was silent. Strictly speaking, the princess was right. Unless she was officially introduced as a candidate for the crown prince¡¯s wife, her status was the first princess of the Eet Kingdom. Of course, the moment she was introduced as a candidate for the crown prince¡¯s wife, she would be lower than me as his fiancee. At this moment, she was higher than me. Although I was treated like a princess, my official status was still the daughter of the Marquis Monique family. I felt bad for some reason. ¡®Hey, what¡¯s the matter, Aristia? Anyway, if you be the sessor of your family, you might have to serve this woman. Thanks to these queen candidates, you are one step closer to your goal of getting freed from the destiny of being the queen, which is good for you. Good for you! Wake up!¡¯ I took a deep breath. I stepped forward to show due manners to her, but I heard someone calling coldly from behind. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Duke Lars.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the Empire!¡± As if he came out for a break, he was apanied by numerous aides. The princess, who was staring at me coldly, greeted the crown prince with a graceful smile. ¡°I saw you when I first arrived, and today, I was fortunate to meet you again, Your Majesty! My name is Moira de Eet, the first princess of the Eet Kingdom. Please call me Mona.¡± ¡°Nice to see you, Princess Moira.¡± Although he ignored her request to call her by her pet name, the princess said kindly without losing her smile, ¡°I came here as your bride candidate, but as it was too difficult to see you, I was on my way to your ce to meet you, though I knew it was discourteous. As I have run into you like this, I think we are destined to have a good rtionship.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not so rude, could you take out time for me?¡± As she asked kindly, he turned and looked at me, saying, ¡°I¡¯m very busy right now.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t disturb you. Just allow me to walk by your side. ¡± ¡°Well, do whatever you like. Duke Lars, see you next time.¡± I breathed out freely only after he and the princess disappeared. When I looked down at my sleeves, I noticed some dust. I was bothered by my untidy uniform, so I adjusted it. As I did it several times because I didn¡¯t like it, Duke Lars, who was watching me silently, said with a sigh, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Your uniform is clean and nice, Sir Monique.¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks, Duke Lars.¡± ¡°You know what? She is the woman that the noble factions are supporting as the crown prince¡¯s wife. Little did I expect to meet her here. As expected, she is tough.¡± Staring at the direction where the two disappeared, he said with regret, ¡°Given the way she was behaving to you and me, it looks like she is clearly aiming at the next empress. I don¡¯t understand what the emperor is thinking. I¡¯m sorry to say this to you and your father, but I think you bing the next empress is more for the benefit of the empire than you seeding the family.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have said that. Forget it. Let¡¯s go!¡± I walked after the duke who turned. It was time for me to work again. A few dayster when I met Carsein and headed for the wagon storage together, I saw a woman passing by us, who I seemed to have seen somewhere. I felt something strange. Was there a woman I knew in the Imperial Pce? She was familiar to me. ¡°That woman over there, she isn¡¯t dressed like others working here in the inner pce. If she is not working here, howe she is going around without any escort?¡± Only then did I remember her. She was the woman I saw with the crown prince on the day when I was returning home, exhausted from overtime work, with Allendis. If that¡¯s the case, she was one of the princesses here as one of the crown prince¡¯s bride candidates. Why did she appear alone in this ce without an apanying knight? As a noble woman in this empire, not as a knight, I couldn¡¯t let a royal family from another country wander alone in the imperial pce, so I was about to go to the ce hurriedly where she was. I would certainly have met her without the red-haired knight who was hurriedly approaching her. ¡°Uh, is that my brother?¡± Like Carsein said, the knight with red hair was none other than Sir Lars. Given that he was putting on the 2nd Knight¡¯s uniform and its red insignia, he was certainly Sir Lars. After approaching her, he talked with her for a long time. Chapter 81 Chapter 81: Chapter 81 ¡®Oh, I heard that he was also responsible for the security of one of the pces where the princesses stayed. Maybe he is also in charge of that princess. ¡® I decided not to care about them anymore, so I turned around and tried to walk away. I stopped, though, when Carsein said, ¡°Where are they going? They are going out of the pce!¡± ¡°Yes, they are!¡± Surprisingly, the two were passing through the Imperial Pce. I couldn¡¯t understand this situation, so I blinked for a moment, seeing Carsein face to face. Then, suddenly something shed through my mind. ¡°Let¡¯s shadow them!¡± ¡°Ugh? Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know which kingdom she is from, but she is a princess. If anything bad happens while Sir Lars is escorting her, our empire must take responsibility. Besides, she is here as a candidate for the crown prince¡¯s bride. What if they have a scandal ¡­ . ¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Hurry up before they disappear!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Carsein and I quickly followed them. After walking out of the Imperial Pce for a long time, they continued to move past the ce with noble mansions. As they walked very fast, Carsein and I could barely catch up with them when they reached downtown where there were lots of stores for nobles. ¡°Brother?¡± ¡°¡®Sein? Why are you here, Lady Monique?¡± Sir Lars asked with an embarrassed expression. The princess who nced at Sir Lass quickly asked me dly, ¡°Oh, Lady Monique! Haven¡¯t we seen each other before?¡± ¡°Yes, that ¡®s right¡­ ¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Frincia de Lua, the 2nd princess of the Kingdom of Lua. When I saw you the other day, I wanted to introduce myself, but I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Oh I see. My name is Aristia Monique, the eldest daughter of the Marquis Monique family.¡± Unlike the princess of the Eet Kingdom, who arrogantly demanded me to introduce myself first, she casually introduced herself. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to see you once, but after seeing the crown prince, I really wanted to make friends with you because I was very curious about who you were. ¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­? ¡± Why does she want to make friends with me? Lua Kingdom is a strong country like the Lisa Kingdom. As the princess of such a kingdom, why does she want to approach me? Regardless of the rumors about me, I¡¯m the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. ¡®Does she think building a friendship with me to get to him will work, or is there something she wants from our family?¡¯ As if she noticed that I was wary of her, the princess shook her head and said, ¡°Ah, don¡¯t ever think that I want to approach the crown prince by demonstrating my friendship with you. I¡¯m not interested in him at all. I don¡¯t like a cold-hearted man.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any particr reason. I was just a little curious about the daughter of the famous Monique family. And I was also curious that you joined the knights as the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. It¡¯s not something anyone can do, right? ¡± As I had nothing to say, I just remained just silent. While staring at me for a moment, she said with a smile, ¡°As we met like this, why don¡¯t you eat with me? I think time is also appropriate for a meal. ¡± ¡°Well, I think you had better return to the pce¡­¡± ¡°Please. As I¡¯vee out like this, I don¡¯t want to go back without seeing anything. I want to take a look at what the capital of the empire looks like.¡± ¡°However¡­. ¡± ¡°Sure, why not? However, you have to go back to the pce after eating.¡± When Carsein suddenly cut in, she said with a smile, ¡°Thank you. May I have your name? ¡± ¡°My name is Carsein de Lars. I¡¯m Duke Lars¡¯s second son.¡± ¡°Oh, you must be Sir Lars¡¯ brother. Nice to meet you. Then, Sir Carsein, would you please introduce a decent restaurant? ¡± ¡°There is a good one if you walk a little more over there. I will guide you. ¡± Suddenly, the two hit it together and walked to the restaurant in a good mood. ¡®What the heck? Carsein, why are you excited?¡¯ I felt a bit embarrassed, but I walked with Sir Lars after them. While I was following them, I suddenly felt empty and turned around. At that moment, I saw Sir Lars staring at the two with a nk look, standing still. I sighed unconsciously. What¡¯s wrong with Sir Lars? ¡°Sir Lars?¡± ¡°¡­ Ah, did you call me, Lady Monique?¡± Surprised, he walked again. He hurried to catch up with them. While I was trying to keep pace with him, I said carefully, ¡°Sir Lars, it looks like you are in charge of the pce where the princess is staying, right?¡± ¡°Pardon? Oh, yes, I¡¯m.¡± ¡°What kind of person is the princess? I can¡¯t figure it out.¡±. Suddenly, he got excited and began to talk about her with an excited voice, which was very unusual because he was always calm and disciplined. ¡°She is kind to her subordinates and the knights here. Of course, she isn¡¯t kind to everybody. When she needs to, she shows her dignity. She had some friction with another princess, but she was very cool-headed¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Although her kingdom is notparable to our empire, she was confident and elegant as a princess from the powerful Lua Kingdom. In my eyes, she looked like a very ideal princess. ¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± I nodded meekly, as I was a bit surprised by her fine qualities. I¡¯ve known Sir Lars for quite some time, but I never saw him praising ady like this. Is Princess Frincia such a great woman? It was quite surprising to me that Sir Lars, who was blunt and cold-hearted like his father, talked about her with excitement. With a puzzled look, I followed Carsein and Princess Frincia. When I arrived at the noble-only restaurant, the most popr restaurant in the main street, Carsein said to me before I sat down, ¡°You will have steak and salmon, okay? I will get you if you choose that sd fromst time. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­ Why are you bugging me again, Carsein? ¡± ¡°Like I saidst time, physical strength is the most important thing to a knight. You should eat well. No sd or vegetable menu, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I reluctantly nodded. He didn¡¯t allow me to pick my foodst time. On the day, he said he would buy dinner for me to celebrate his bing a knight, he forced me to change the menu when I ordered vegetables. He was forcing me again today. But regardless of whether I liked it or not, Carsein smiled with a happy expression. Princess Frincia nced at us and said, looking at Sir Lars, ¡°Sir Lars, would you please choose a menu for me?¡± ¡°Me, do you want me to select the menu for you?¡± Sir Lars replied, stuttering a bit, which was very unusual. When I looked at him curiously, I was surprised to see he was blushing slightly. He raised the menu with a perplexed look and said, ¡°Well, you might like beef steak, but sometimes the meat here doesn¡¯t taste good¡­ Oh, how about fish? Fish dishes are very good here. Or what about the truffle pie?¡± ¡°Um?¡± Carsein, who was trying to choose his menu, raised his head. Looking at his brother with a pitiable look, he said, ¡°Beef steak tastes fine here, Princess.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Then, I¡¯d love to have steak. I appreciate Sir Lars¡¯ rmendation, but the fish menu is so diverse that it¡¯s hard to pick. Let me have it next time. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine, Princess,¡± Sir Lars said hesitantly, silently covering his face with the menu. As soon as we ordered and food began toe out, three of us including me enjoyed food, chatting about various topics. Princess Frincia mostly asked me questions, then I answered. Carsein interrupted in the middle, but Sir Lars was just eating rather in a stiff manner without joining in the conversation. As if she was bothered by Sir Lars who remained silent, the princess, who started talking about various stuff including her private things, suddenly turned her eyes to him and said, ¡°Sir Lars?¡± ¡°Oh, did you call me?¡± Her voice wasn¡¯t that loud, but he replied in surprise. Because of that, he dropped the knife that he was holding on the floor with a sharp noise. Looking at the knife and Sir Lars alternately, with an absurd expression, Carsein asked in a puzzled tone, ¡°Are you sick, brother? You look very weird today.¡± ¡°Oh, nothing, ¡®Sein. Never mind.¡± ¡°Hmm, if you feel ufortable, talk to me right away.¡± Sir Lars nodded, blushing. When I put down the fork, thinking he made an absurd mistake that didn¡¯t fit him at all, I suddenly heard a familiar voice. Chapter 82 Chapter 82: Chapter 82 ¡°Sir Carsein?¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± The owner of that voice was Lady Whir. Behind her stood some of the youngdies following Lady Genoa. Carsein asked in an unusually hard tone, ¡°Excuse me, who are you?¡± ¡°I met you at the garden party at the Duke Verita¡¯s mansion the other day. It seems you don¡¯t remember me. My name is Kirina Se Whir.¡± ¡°Did I see you there?¡± ¡°Yes. I also went to the party celebrating Sir Carsein¡¯s bing a knight. ¡± Smiling at Carsein who was looking at her nkly, she turned to Sir Lars and bowed politely. She looked at me and flinched for a moment, then casually bowed to me with a smile. Even though she didn¡¯t know who she was, she also greeted Princess Frincia anyway and walked away, saying goodbye. ¡°I think she is interested in you, Sir Carsein.¡± As she cracked a joke, Carsein replied with a shrug, ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°Well, I think she is.¡± ¡°Even if you think so, I am not interested in her anyway.¡± ¡°Really? Then, what type of woman do you like? ¡± Carsein could have been surprised at her unexpected question, but he responded casually without hesitation, as if he had a ready-made answer. ¡°I want a woman like a sword.¡± ¡°Oh, you must be a born knight! A woman like a sword? I hope you can meet a good woman. ¡± After stopping for a moment, the princess looked at me with a meaningful smile. What the heck? ¡®Why is she looking at me like that?¡¯ ¡°Lady Monique?¡± ¡°¡­Oh you¡¯rete. It¡¯s time to go back to the pce, Princess, ¡± I cut her off because I was feeling nervous somehow, she stood up with a smile. I and Carsein then stood up. However, Sir Lars wouldn¡¯t move, still seated. He was thinking about something so deeply that Carsein called him several times before he hurriedly stood up with apologies. ¡°I really had a good time today, Lady Monique. Pleasee to the pce where I am staying next time. ¡± ¡°Okay. Please take care.¡± ¡°I enjoyed it, Sir Carsein. Thank you very much. ¡± ¡°See you next time, Princess.¡± Upon arriving at the assigned pce, Princess Frincia left with a wistful look and said goodbye to Carsein. As Sir Lars said he was on night duty, we left the two behind and headed back to the outer pce. ¡°It was a long day.¡± ¡°You bet.¡± ¡°But Carsein, don¡¯t you think Sir Lars looked a bit weird today?¡± ¡°Did you also notice that? I don¡¯t think his behavior today fitted him at all.¡± ¡°As far as I know, he was always calm¡­¡± ¡°If you found him weird, I think that¡¯s it. How stupid, my brother!¡± Carsein said, clicking his tongue. When I tilted my head at his remarks, he smiled and stroked my hair. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t think about it, little girl.¡± ¡°Little girl?¡± ¡°Of course, you are a little girl in my eyes! You have to go a long way to be an adult.¡± Narrowing my eyes, I looked at him. I felt a bit upset when he smiled at me. ¡®Hey, I¡¯m not a little girl. If Ibine my age before I came back from the past, I¡¯ve lived longer than you.¡¯ Although I mumbled, his remarks pricked at my conscience. Is it because my heart became young because I became young again? I felt I was still young when I found myself often doing things that the old me would never have done. Still, I think I behaved better in front of others, but when I was with Carsein, I felt like I was childish, which I couldn¡¯t understand at all. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back? You¡¯re going to bete.¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± I felt a bit ufortable, but I just thought if I was happy, I didn¡¯t have to dwell on it. I kept pace with him and walked away. < Dear Lady Monique, Thank you very much for your kindnessst time. I had a really good time. As an appreciation, I am sending you the specialty tea made in our kingdom. It is a small gift, but I hope you can ept it. See you again next time. Princia Frincia de Lua> A few dayster, Princess Frincia sent me a small box with a letter. I was a bit puzzled why she was so kind to me, but I sent her a reply, along with tea leaves from my estate. When I sorted out all the letters, including the princess¡¯s letter, LIia, who eximed with joy while looking at the prototype hairpin I received from Entea, asked as if she recalled something, ¡°Mydy, how about not ordering a new dress this time? I hear the banquet willst for five days in a row. ¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you receive a letter from the Imperial Pce around this time?¡± ¡°¡­ You bet.¡± I smiled awkwardly because I had nothing to say. Come to think of it, around this time of the years, the imperial pce asked me what color and style of clothes I would wear, but strangely enough, I was not notified this time. Does this mean that I no longer need to create a friendly atmosphere? In fact, there are rumors circting about the crown prince breaking his engagement to me, and the princess candidates are also attending the party. At the moment, I was delighted to think that I was finally getting free of him, but at the same time, I felt some mysterious regret in one corner of my heart, but I shook my head to shake off such idle thought. ¡°Just pick an appropriate one.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to order a new one? How about ordering a colorful dress this time?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I already have a lot¡­¡± Lina, trying to say something, quietly shut her eyes after checking my expression. While I was at it, I stopped by clothing stores and chose some to put on at the uing festival banquet. Strangely enough, there were not many that I liked, so it was hard to pick. But as there were a lot, I chose some dresses that I liked. Lina insisted the dresses I chose were not good enough, but I didn¡¯t care much because I might get out of the imperial family soon. Seven days before the festival date to celebrate the national founding I received a letter stamped with the imperial seal. It was sent by the crown prince asking me to have tea time with him. The ce that the chief attendant escorted me was his personal study, where I visitedst time. His study, which might be better called a library, boasted of an enormous collection of books. I saw a young man with blue hair sitting in front of a table and reading a book seriously in the middle of his spacious study. I went across the fluffy carpet embroidered with the royal family¡¯s crest and bowed to him. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the Empire.¡± ¡°Oh,e on in.¡± As if he seemed very tired, he put down the document he was reading and pressed around his eyes with his thumbs. In fact, his workload has increased since five princesses arrived, and three of them kept going in and out of his pce. Besides, there were rumors that the emperor started to hand over his work to him these days. ¡°So, how have you been?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing well. All thanks to you. How are you doing, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°How do I look?¡± I didn¡¯t respond because he must have been exhausted from umted fatigue, given that he usually didn¡¯t tell anybody about his health condition. When I just smiled awkwardly, he looked at me silently and said, ¡°The tea you served me the other day was very effective.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to hear that, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Can you brew tea for me today?¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty.¡± I pulled the string and told the maid to bring tea leaves and boiled water. For a moment silence fell, but he soon broke the silence and asked me, ¡°Okay, which dress color do you want this time?¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Why are you surprised? Don¡¯t you order custom clothes when you attend the official banquet? ¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± As I was not notified this time, I didn¡¯t order this time. Was it because he was so busy that he didn¡¯t have time to send me a message? With mixed feelings of disappointment and relief, I traced back in memory. What dress color did I pick? I think I just chose it without any much thought. ¡°Light green¡­ ¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°And maybe it was navy blue, blue purple, dark red, or ck.¡± ¡°¡­ You seem to like dark colors quite a bit. ¡± Did I? Lina said the same thing a few days ago. Come to think of it, I preferred a calm and dark color at some point. Chapter 83 Chapter 83: Chapter 83 When I pondered over my color preferences, several maids came in with several boxes with a variety of tea leaves. Opening the boxes full of tea one by one, I felt happy for a moment. As they were used by the imperial family, the tea leaves were best among the best, so I couldn¡¯t figure out which one to choose. ¡®Let me pick one effective for oveing fatigue.¡¯ I chose chamomile, rose hip, and peppermint among the many tea leaves. I mixed the tea leaves in the proper proportion in an empty kettle and poured hot water. Then I counted inside and poured it into the mug when I thought it was about the right time. ¡°Here you are¡­ ¡± I hastily shut my mouth as I was about to give the teacup to him. I found him asleep, leaning against a chair. There was peace on his expressionless face. It was the first time I saw his face so calm and peaceful. I felt strange at the moment. In the past, he was so cold when I wanted him to be with me so much, but now when I tried to move away from him, he called me and showed me his new attitude and look. Namely, he was changing. Never did I expect that I would see his new look like this so easily in an unintended situation. Hesitating for a long time, I quietly took off my jacket. I walked on tiptoe for fear I might wake him up, but I was startled at the sound of his tossing and turning. I held my breath and stopped on the spot, but fortunately, he was still asleep. I gently covered him with the jacket and stood up silently. ¡®As he¡¯s busy, it¡¯s okay to let him take a break like that.¡¯ I walked to the bookshelves and looked over the titles. When I came herest time, I was so nervous that I couldn¡¯t look properly. When I saw the books packed in every bookshelf, I was just amazed. ¡®Wow, this is a rare book with only ten copies left on the entire continent! This book is It¡¯s amazing that he has an undamaged version.¡± I was so excited that I looked at the books here and there. I thought a lot of time passed while I was at it. He was still asleep. Maybe I should wake him up now. Even if he didn¡¯t take a nap long enough, I thought he might feel better by now. As I approached him on tiptoes, I suddenly saw a teacup on the table. I felt I would like to brew it again, so I silently opened the door and told a maid to bring me boiling water. After receiving the new kettle from the maid, I brewed the same tea as before and called him quietly, ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Please wake up, Your Majesty.¡± As if he was in a sound sleep, he didn¡¯t open his eyes at my repeated calling. Although I knew it was rude, I couldn¡¯t help but shake his shoulder. At that moment, his blue eyshes trembled suddenly before opening. Finally, he opened his sleepy eyes. ¡°Oh, you are waking up now, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, how long have I been sleeping?¡± ¡°Not that long.¡± ¡°I see.¡± When he slowly raised his upper body, my ck jacket, the official knight uniform, fell off. Looking at the jacket without a word, he slowly picked it up and handed it to me. Maybe it was because he just woke up. He was looking at me intensely for a moment. ¡°¡­ Thank you. ¡± ¡°Tea is getting cold.¡± Smiling awkwardly, I took the jacket. I couldn¡¯t figure out what to say when he thanked me for the first time. He reached out and picked up the mug, then tilted it without hesitation. ¡®Ooops!¡¯ It might be very hot because I just brewed it. He paused for a moment and emptied the cup without saying anything. ¡°Isn¡¯t it hot? I just brewed it again¡­¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s a little hot. ¡± He replied, putting down the empty cup. When I was about to lift the kettle and brew it again, he said, stopping me, ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving? Oh my, time flies!¡± ¡°Ah. Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Let me see you off in return for your tea. Let¡¯s go to your wagon.¡± ¡°You must be busy¡­ I¡¯m fine, Your Majesty. ¡± Despite my dissuasion, he got up and walked out first. I helplessly walked after him, thinking he was really strange these days. On the way back home I thought about what was going on with him. Last time when I brewed tea, he emptied it quickly and took a second cup. Why did he refuse it today? Didn¡¯t he like it? Of course, he emptied the first cup. Come to think of it, when he came to my house the other day, he acted rather strangely and hastily drank hot tea. Did he react like that when he was embarrassed? ¡®Well, let me check if my guesswork is right next time when I see him.¡¯ Lost in thought, I opened the carriage window and looked at the scenery outside. With the festival around the corner, all the roads were full of excited crowds, street musicians¡¯ ying and delicious smells. It was the first day of the National Founding Day festival. The streets that I watched on my way to the Imperial Pce were all festive. Because the festival was banned due to a massive famine for the past three years, it was natural that everyone was excited about its return. Even though it was already getting dark, there were many crowds on the street. While I got carried away with the sound of crowds¡¯ voices, street musicians¡¯ ying music and children¡¯s joyfulughter of children, I suddenly felt like I wanted to go out there to join them, but gave up. ¡®Well, I may have a chance to enjoy the festival someday.¡¯ I closed the window quietly, giving up the urge with regret. I arrived at the Central Pce and entered with the crown prince waiting for me. Shortly afterwards, the emperor entered and delivered a short congrattory speech, starting the first day of the festivals to celebrate the National Founding Day. After delivering the speech, the emperor, who sat at the top of the tform, looked at him and me who were sitting side by side on the lower tform. ¡°Lady Monique, you are so beautiful today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to hear yourpliment, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you wear things like this more often instead of wearing a uniform all the time? ¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty.¡± I replied feebly to him who cracked a joke with a heartyugh. I looked at my dress again. The dress I picked in advance was dark, but I changed it because I was bothered when he asked me why I liked dark colors. I was putting on a light blue dress that fluttered like a wave, a hairpin iid with sapphire and diamond and a ne made of aquamarine on a silver line and earrings with the same design as the ne. I looked different from what I was before. At that moment, I saw five women approaching us. Come to think of it, today they were supposed to formally introduce themselves as candidates of the crown prince¡¯s bride candidates. Starting off with Princess Frincia, they showed due manners by bowing to the emperor. He then left, asking them to enjoy the banquet. After bowing to the emperor, I came down from the tform, holding the crown prince¡¯s hands. ¡°Some of you have already met her, but this is the first official meeting. Please introduce yourself.¡± The princesses were silent. They looked hostile to each other. It seemed that they felt offended as they had to bow to each other because they were ustomed to living as royal family members in their mothends. Or they might have felt bad because they might have to bow to me first as they heard about the rumors about the crown prince¡¯s alleged breakoff of engagement to me. Princess Frincia spoke to me first with a smile. ¡°Hi, Lady Monique. I¡¯m d to see you again. Since it is an official ce, I would like to introduce myself again. I am Frincia de Lua, the 2nd princess of the Lua kingdom. ¡± She slightly made an eye gesture to me with a smile. I also smiled at her. When she stepped back, another princess greeted me hesitantly. ¡°Nice to meet you, Lady Monique. I am Beatrice de Lisa, the fifth princess of the Kingdom of Lisa. ¡± Chapter 84 Chapter 84: Chapter 84 She was a princess from the Lisa Kingdom. I heard that the kingdom was in a war. Did they send her to get the support of our empire? But why is she shaking like that? She alone looked timid among the other princesses staring at me. ¡°I am Beary de Sapu, the eighth princess of the Sapu kingdom.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Naima de Sono, the third princess of the Sono Kingdom.¡± After Princess Beary, wearing a splendid dress and jewels, and Princess Naima, a stunning beauty, introduced themselves, Princess Moira came forward. Looking at the young man with blue hair, she smiled and bowed to me. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you once before, Lady Monique. My name is Moira de Eet. I am the 1st princess of the Eet kingdom. ¡± ¡°Hello, Princess Moira. I¡¯m Aristia Monique. ¡± After she was done, the crown princess reached out to me after nonchntly watching them greeting him. It was time for him to start the festival to celebrate the National Founding Day. When he went out to the dance floor, the band began to y a slow dance song, as usual. After I finished dancing with him and tried to leave, he suddenly asked me with a smile, ¡°Can you dance with me once more?¡± ¡°Pardon? Why are you¡­?¡± ¡°Good. Don¡¯t miss your steps and follow me well.¡± They began to whisper among themselves when they watched him speaking to me face to face even after the dance was over. Noticing that, he raised his hand. Suddenly, the band started ying a new song. It was dance music with speedy tempo, simr to the song the band yed at his birthday party. As it required one¡¯s stepping to the music fast and violently, nobody could dance well without keeping step with his or her partner. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t concentrate, you will miss a beat again.¡± I looked at him with an embarrassed look, but he casually pulled me. ¡®Dancing twice in a row?¡¯ Fortunately, I¡¯m engaged to him, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about a scandal. Typically a scandal would certainly have broken if a man and a woman who had no romantic rtionship had danced twice in a row. In fact, at a time when rumors were circting that his engagement with me was broken off, why was he doing this in the presence of the princesses who were here topete to be his bride? I looked up at his deep blue eyes to find out his intentions, but I couldn¡¯t read anything. ¡°Did you go back home safely the other day?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I enjoyed the tea you left behind that day.¡± ¡°Pardon? I think the tea got cold when you went back¡­ ¡± ¡°Oh, cold tea tasted good anyway,¡± he said, while leading me. If so, did he actually drink the cold tea after he escorted me and returned to his study? I couldn¡¯t imagine it because it didn¡¯t fit him at all. Normally, he would have told the attendant to bring fresh hot tea. So, why did he drink the cold tea as it was? This time, I didn¡¯t miss a beat or stumble while dancing, so I grabbed his hand and left the dance floor. As he returned to the ce where the princesses were sitting, he picked up two cups from the servant and handed me one. He said with a smile, ¡°You danced much better today. You had good steps as well. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m pleased to hear that, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I enjoyed you dancing. But when you said she danced well today means that she didn¡¯t ¡­¡± Prince Safu slurred. Her tiara studded with luxurious jewels shone in the chandelier. She must love something colorful and gorgeous. ¡°I heard that Lady Monique is a knight. Maybe you¡¯re too busy to pay attention to dancing. I saw you wearing a uniform the other day. You looked really knightly, ¡± said Princess Moira with a bright smile. I didn¡¯t feel good about the hidden meaning of what they said, but I just drank tea silently. If one of the princesses bes his bride and Jiun appears soon after that, I would be freed from him finally. As he can¡¯t ept me as his concubine, the imperial family will have no choice but to wait until I be the official sessor of my family. If I think about it, I can put up with this kind of mockery. ¡°Well, Lady Monique wearing a uniform? Come to think of it, I remember seeing you then.¡± ¡°Oh, now you remember me, crown prince.¡± ¡°Exactly. I was very impressed with your behavior at that time. ¡± Princess Moira smiled more brightly at his words. Princess Naima, whose frowning even looked pretty as she was so beautiful, asked, ¡°May I ask what part of Princess Moira impressed you?¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know how good she was at manners. If you want to keep good manners ording to the time and ce, you really have to pay lots of attention. I think she was really good at it.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± The princess looked at him as if she couldn¡¯t understand at all. Nor could I. Why did he suddenly bring up the topic about manners? Was he talking about the time when I bumped into her when I waspleting the security checkup with Duke Lars the other day? At the time, she challenged me by saying that she was higher in rank than me, citing the reason that she was not yet officially introduced. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Princess Moira. Um, by the way¡­¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Now that I see you here, you are not only good at manners, but also you look frugal. Personally, I am satisfied, but I would not say that looking frugal even at this ce is good. ¡± All their eyes were fixed on the princess¡¯s dress. Her dark blue dress with a low neckline and skirt swollen with panniers had pink ribbons at regr intervals, and her angajangte reflecting thetest fashion trend was also made of pink ruffles. The chest part of her dress glistened as if it were sprinkled with jewelry powder. By any standard, one could not say she looked frugal. ¡°Really?¡± As if she was embarrassed, she stopped smiling. Princess Naima and Princess Beatrice were puzzled, and Sapu nodded as if she agreed. Princess Frincia wasughing silently, turning her back. ¡°So, if you don¡¯t mind, let me give you a dress. As you came as a guest here, it would not be polite if I don¡¯t.¡± Generally speaking, presenting a dress to one¡¯s opposite sex in the empire was the expression of one¡¯s good feeling to the other person. ¡°You are giving me a dress?¡± Her eyes stopped trembling, and she smiled brightly again. Puffing out her chest, she stared at him with her green eyes shining. Princess Naima and Sapu were frowning while Princess Frincia looked at him with her eyes wide open, as if she felt his offer was unexpected. With a puzzled expression, I also looked at him because I suspected that he was really interested in her. ¡°Oh, I have to ask my fiancee first if she feels okay.¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Actually, I have a dress I prepared for you, but as you can see, it seems that she needs it more urgently. I would like to give it to her. Is it okay with you?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, please go ahead, Your Majesty.¡± I paused for a moment and nodded slowly. He stopped an attendant nearby and instructed him something. Then, he lifted a cup silently. While looking at him who was silent, I tried to think straight. He said he was going to give the princess a dress he had prepared for me. How should I take this? Does he want to give her the title of his bride, or even empress? I met his blue eyes briefly, but I couldn¡¯t read anything. I looked at Princess Naima and Princess Beary trying to put their best foot forward for a while, then looked back at Princess Frincia. With a gentle smile, she whispered to me, ¡°Lady Monique, your water color dress looks really good on you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Princess. I enjoyed the tea you sent me. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you liked it. I was afraid you might be offended as my gift was so small.¡± ¡°No, not at all. Thank you very much. ¡± Princess Frincia in a light purple dress was very beautiful. She could not bepared to Princess Naima, whose stunning beauty stood out at first sight, but she had a calm and intellectual beauty. After looking around with light purple eyes, she whispered, ¡°Anyway, I was a little surprised. Do you remember when we first met? I mean before we were with Sir Lars.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± Chapter 85 Chapter 85: Chapter 85 ¡°We will talk about the detailster when we are alone. The crown prince I saw at the time is so different now.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I thought he was cold-hearted all along, but the way he acted today, he is not. I think I have to wait and see a little more to size him up urately.¡± When I was puzzled, I saw an attendant bowing to him, holding a box and an borately crafted gift box. Everyone¡¯s eyes were fixed on the attendant. Obviously, the box contained the dress that he mentioned. ¡°Give the gift box to Princess Moira and put the other box here.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± As the attendant opened the box in front of her, everybody eximed with admiration. The pink dress in pastel tones. The dress, which featured a white flower shape, was decorated with a whitece, creating the image of a dreaming girl. With a bright smile overspreading on her face, Princess Moira bowed to him. She was feeling thrilling and ted with happiness. ¡°Thank you so much for this precious thing, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can you change your dress and show it to me now?¡± ¡°Of course. I will be back right away after changing my dress. ¡± Standing from her seat, she smiled at me and quickly walked out of the banquet hall, escorted by the attendant. As if upset, Princess Naima and Princess Beary were staring at the ce where she disappeared, while Princess Beatrice just sat still without saying anything. While the princesses remained silent with mixed feelings, I met his blue eyes identally, who was staring at me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m going to give you this first. It was originally made to match that dress, but as you know, it didn¡¯t work that way. Let me give you another dress that matches it next time.¡± ¡®What the heck is this?¡¯ Is he trying to save my face because I¡¯m his fiancee? When I looked at him curiously, he pushed another box to me. The moment I opened the door after hesitating for a moment, my eyes popped open with surprise. Princess Frincia, sitting next to me, eximed, ¡°Oh my gosh!¡± The borately crafted jewelry box contained a ne and earrings. The ne was made of elegant gold strings studded with pastel-tone pink stones, and the earrings were gold-ted on the same pink gemstone, sparkling with a small diamond in the middle. It wasn¡¯t gorgeous, but it was very luxurious yet sophisticated in design. When I looked up at him in amazement, I saw him gazing calmly at me. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes. Thank you, Majesty. ¡± ¡°Good.¡± He nodded silently. I looked into the box, amid the princesses¡¯ excitement and envy. Even if he gave the gift to me to save my face, I was deeply touched because I received it from him for the first time. Someplex feelings mixed with ufortableness and iprehensible emotions disturbed me. As I looked at the ne, Princess Moira who left to change her dress came back. I thought she woulde back with a smile, but surprisingly, she didn¡¯t look good. Is she sick? She was alright until a little while ago. ¡°As you dly epted my gift withoutining, can I ask you to dance with me?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, it is my honor, Your Majesty. ¡± After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Princess Moira epted his request. While looking at them walking away to the dance floor, I looked to the side when Princess Frincia touched my hand softly and patted it several times. ¡°How fortunate you are!¡± ¡°Pardon? What are you talking about? ¡± ¡°Well, it means you¡¯re still young.¡± What the heck is she talking about now? When I looked puzzled, she said, shaking her head slightly, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry if you feel offended. I meant well.¡± ¡°No, not at all. By the way, why are you¡­¡± ¡°Nothing. By the way, may I leave? As I¡¯ve been sitting here too long, I¡¯m itching to move around,¡± she said, standing up from her seat. I also stood up as I felt I could leave, too. I wanted to socialize with the noble women here, so I was moving to the ce where people gathered when I suddenly heard a scream and mumbling from the dance floor. Princess Moira, who passed out, turning white in his arms. ¡°Call the royal guard!¡± He shouted, looking down at the princess casually. A royal guard who came quickly took the princess from him. ¡°Call a royal doctor and move her to a different ce,¡± he ordered an attendant. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I hope you can stay on and enjoy the banquet.¡± The attendant got out of the banquet hall in a hurry. As lots of guests gathered around him, the crown prince turned around and left. The knight holding the princess followed him. I and other princesses also walked behind. The royal guardid the princess in a guest room and politely went out. I was a little worried when I saw her whose face turned white. ¡®What if she got sick?¡¯ Shortly afterwards, a royal doctor hastily came in and began to untie the string of her dress after checking her pale face. It was so tightly tied around the dress that the doctor struggled to untie it. I quickly went out and got a dagger from the guard to cut it. Then, the tight knot was cut at once. ¡°Cut off the corset string, too,¡± the doctor said. When I cut them off, the princess took a deep breath with a more rxed expression. Why did she tighten the strings so tightly? Did she tighten her waist with the string to look more slim? ¡®Wait a minute. Did she really do it?¡¯ ¡°What happened?¡± I asked the doctor. ¡°Well, she had a temporary shortness of breath because she tightened her corset too much. As the string was removed, she wille to her senses in no time,¡± said the doctor, cing the incense bag on her nose. The other princesses giggled at that. Just a little while ago, Princess Naima and Princess Beary, who stared at her with a jealous look, were gazing at the fallen princess with disdain. At that moment, she came to her senses. She looked around for a moment nkly. She screamed, grabbing her loose dress while trying to get up. Pulling the dress to cover her breasts, she stammered, ¡°What happened¡­¡± ¡°On, you nowe to your senses. You suddenly passed out while dancing,¡± the crown prince said. ¡°Ah!¡± Her face suddenly turned red. She looked at Princess Beatrice and Princess Frincia as well as the two other princesses smiling derisively before turning her eyes to me for some time. There was intense anger in her green eyes. ¡°It seems like you are tired, so I hope you take a rest today.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, thank you, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°So, let¡¯s all go out for her to take a rest. You seem to have been away from the banquet hall for too long. ¡± Giggling at her, Princess Naima and Princess Beary went out, followed by Princess Frincia, who looked back hesitantly. Grabbing his hand, I went back to the banquet hall, but I was bothered by Princess Moira¡¯s venomous look that I noticed right before closing the door. Her overtightened waist, his sudden offer to give her a dress and Princess Frincia¡¯s ambiguous remarks to me. When I put together the puzzle words, I felt more and more convinced about my guesswork. ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± As I now understood the whole situation, I felt kind of woozy. Was it true? The reason he gave her the dress was to keep her at bay, not to show her his good feelings? I looked nkly at him in embarrassment and asked, ¡°Why did you do that to her?¡± ¡°Well, let me say it¡¯s for multiple purposes for now.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, your behavior doesn¡¯t suit you, Your Majesty. I wonder why you mixed your personal feelings with this grave national event.¡± Although I was grateful that he cared for me, I thought he went too far, so I spoke out firmly. No matter how different he was from the old him, I just wondered if he was the same man I used to know. Of course, he might have wanted to hold the anti-emperor noble factions in check by disgracing Princess Moira, but I couldn¡¯t understand why he, who always handled matters rationally and cool-heartedly, took it personally this time and botched the job this time. ¡°It looks like you really want me to take one of the princesses as my bride, even if she is from the noble factions¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Okay. Let me take it into ount.¡± Chapter 86 Chapter 86: Chapter 86 As soon as he arrived at the banquet hall, he went away from me after he said that coldy . ¡®That¡¯s not what I meant. Well, he might take it that way.¡¯ I definitely thought I could be freed from the imperial family if he took one of them as his wife. While looking at him disappearing gradually, I saw some youngdies approaching me, so I changed my expression. The first day of the National Founding Day festival passed like that. On the second day of the festival, I was on duty. I received a message from the Imperial Pce, saying the crown prince could not attend the banquet as he was busy. As I was supposed to attend it as his partner for the next five days, I didn¡¯t have to go unless he attended. Initially, I decided not to go, butter I thought I had better just show up then leave quickly. But I didn¡¯t think I needed to go there on time. So, I practiced fencing untilte, then arrived at the banquet hall veryte. ¡°H, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Entea, you are also there.¡± ¡°Yes, I was waiting for you toe.¡± ¡°Me? Why? ¡± Entea had a serious look. Thanks to themercial sess of the hairpins that began to sell in the marketst summer, she secured a stepping stone to seed the Viscount Sharia family. When she became more and more impatient because she was close to achieving her goal, she came to my house shortly after the sale of the hairpin and offered a deal to me. She suggested that if I supported her efforts to be the sessor of her family, she would swear allegiance to me. When he heard what she said to me, my father initially didn¡¯t like her idea, but eventually epted her offer. It was not a bad deal. The merchant vessel group of the Sharia family could obtain the political support of our family, while our family could secure the wealth and intelligence of the Sharia family. Of course, our mutual support could be provided only within the reasonable limit as stipted under the imperialw. She volunteered to be my right hand man in return for the deal. Even though she couldn¡¯t collect quality intelligence like Duke Verita did, she was quite good at collecting intelligence thanks to the wealth of her family¡¯s merchant vessel group and extensive contacts. I could get a handle on important stuff while reducing my activities in social circles. So, I could expect she brought some important information if she sought me in a hurry. ¡°Well, the atmosphere of the banquet hall is strange today,¡± she said. ¡°Why? What¡¯s going on? ¡± ¡°There are some rumors about why the princess fell on the dance floor yesterday. The noble factions remain silent because they support the princesses here, and the noble women are whispering among themselves. But the youngdies led by Lady Genoa are tantly making a mockery of the princess. Right now the princess pretends not to know it, but if something goes wrong, there is going to be a big disturbance.¡± ¡®Who spread such rumors? The only people who were there yesterday were the crown prince, me and the other princesses,¡¯ I thought to myself. But I didn¡¯t think too much about it. Princess Moira couldn¡¯t talk about it out of shame, while Princess Frincia and Princess Beatrice weren¡¯t the type of women to spread rumors. Then, most likely Princess Naima and Princess Beary were responsible for the rumors because they were openly against her. Suddenly, I was annoyed by Lady Genoa and her followers. Why did they run their mouth so recklessly? Besides, the victim of the rumors was none other than a foreign princess. ¡°Okay. I think I have to make them shut their mouth first.¡± ¡°I think so. I¡¯m afraid you might be involved in it against your will.¡± ¡°Thank you, Entea. You are really helping me a lot. ¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothingpared to your favor to me, Lady Monique. I¡¯m ttered by yourpliment.¡± I tried to cope with the situation as quickly as possible, but when I found Lady Genoa and her followers, they were already confronting Princess Moira. To be precise, they were embarrassed by her confident and undaunted attitude. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯m so ashamed¡­¡± ¡°Oh, my dear princess!¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I was too arrogant because I failed to control myself¡­ But how could you be so cruel to me as you¡¯re a woman like me?¡± In the end, Princess Moira took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears. Lady Genoa, with her face hardened, and other youngdies, who were at a loss what to do, stood in front of her. I barely held back a sigh. I knew that the princess was a pickydy, given that she was acting differently to me and the crown prince, but I found her much more picky than I thought. I hated using the method, but I had no choice but to deal with her in person. ¡°What the hell is this? Why is Princess Moira crying? ¡± After taking a deep breath, I stepped forward. When I asked with a cool voice, Lady Whir, standing behind Lady Genoa, flinched. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s you who spread the rumors!¡¯ At the moment, the princess said, looking at me, ¡°Sorry, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say that, princess!¡± ¡°This happened because I tried to covet your ce without knowing my ce. I¡¯m so sorry, Lady Monique.¡± She repeatedly lowered her head and cried. Then she whispered to me, ¡°A little underdeveloped kid like you mocked me like this? I¡¯ll get you!¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Howe you managed your subordinates so poorly? I think I can carry out my mission more easily now.¡± She was now pulling herself together and began to challenge me. Although I felt like making a frown at her, I didn¡¯t. I even made a sorry expression when she was pulling herself away from me. When I saw her green eyes burning with a desire to get even with me, I boiled with rage, but I calmed down as best as I could. ¡®Don¡¯t feel offended. She is just helpless. I know you want to avoid this kind of situation, but this is the only option under the current situation.¡¯ After taking a deep breath, I bowed slightly to her. Severaldies looked at me with surprise, holding their breath, because as the future empress I, not she, bowed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Princess Moira.¡± ¡°¡­ Lady Monique. ¡± ¡°It is my fault that I failed to manage thesedies properly even though I had a duty to supervise them.¡± ¡°Oh, no. It is not your fault. It¡¯s because I¡¯m clumsy.¡± ¡°Well, as supervisor, I¡¯m responsible for their wrongdoing. I¡¯m so sorry, princess. Please forgive me generously. ¡± Princess Moira¡¯s expression began to change. ¡®If you want to maintain your image as a pitiful victim, you had better stop now.¡¯ As expected, she stepped forward and grabbed my hand and said she was okay with a trembling voice. When I apologized once again, she, who was staring at me annoyingly, bowed and left the ce. People around us, who were watching us amid chattering, began to disappear one by one. Lady Genoa and her followers, who stiffened at the scene, came to me hesitantly and said, ¡°Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sorry¡­ It¡¯s my fault.¡± Lady Genoa, who was always calm, was very embarrassed like the princess. When I looked at Lady Genoa, Lady Whir and their followers, I let out a deep sigh. Why are they so narrow-minded? ¡°I won¡¯t tell you to stop gossiping behind one¡¯s back.¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°But let me tell you one thing. All of us have sworn allegiance to the emperor. Please keep in mind that one small mistake can immediately disgrace the empire and the imperial family. ¡± ¡°¡­ I will keep in mind. I¡¯m so sorry, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Good. Please be careful in the future.¡± I cut them off coldy and left them behind, who were at a loss about what to do. When some of them came to me with a worried look, I told them I wanted to be alone and left the banquet hall. I walked through the garden, exposed to cold night air. Unlike the banquet hall, which was filled with all kinds of noise, the garden here was located far away from the central pce. I liked the serenity of this garden where I couldn¡¯t even hear a very small sound. I looked up at the night sky for a long time. It looked like I was left alone in this world. I felt as if I was being sucked into the ck sky right now. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Oh, Carsein.¡± I came to my senses at the sound of a familiar voice. Chapter 87 Chapter 87: Chapter 87 After expressing gratitude to him, I walked silently through the quiet garden with him as he followed me quietly. While walking for a long time, I found my anger andplex feelings melting away in the darkness, restoring peace in my mind. When I decided to go back, I heard somebody chatting nearby. ¡°Now, you had better go back¡­¡± ¡°I want to walk a little more. When can I enjoy the pleasure of walking in peace like this again?¡± ¡°But it¡¯s gettingte¡­Whew! Okay, then.¡± They were Sir Lars and Princess Frincia. His shiny golden hair and red hair caught my eye even in darkness. ¡®Should I recognize them or pretend not to know?¡± After thinking for a moment, I decided to watch them quietly. Like me, Carsein didn¡¯t move. When I saw the two, walking through the garden silently turning back, I stood up. At that moment, there was a rustling sound. When I looked down, startled, there were fallen leaves here and there as it was autumn. Oh my god¡­ ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°If you don¡¯te out right away, I will call someone.¡± At Sir Lars¡¯ sharp warning Carsein came out of the shade with a shrug and said,¡±Brother, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡®Sein? What were you doing there? ¡± ¡°Sir Lars, Princess Frincia, hello!¡± When Sir Lars asked, I stepped forward with an awkward smile. I felt awkward even though I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Princess Frinciaughed when she noticed that I was wearing Carsein¡¯s jacket. ¡°Sir Carsein, Lady Monique, it seems like you were walking together until now.¡± ¡°Ah yes. We were just about to go back. ¡± ¡°Good for you. We were also on our way back. Let¡¯s go together, Lady Monique. ¡± I nodded because I wanted to do well. The moment I took off the jacket to give it back to Carsein hurriedly, I suddenly had a chill because of the cold night air. ¡°What is wrong? it? Okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. I just feel chilly. Here you are.¡± ¡°Go back quickly. You might catch a cold.¡± ¡°Thanks, Carsein. ¡± ¡°I have to go back on duty. Let me leave first. See you tomorrow, Aristia. ¡± Carsein smiled at me, epted the jacket, and disappeared into the darkness. While looking at him gradually disappearing, I approached Sir Lars and Princess Frincia. Looking at the direction he disappeared in a pensive mood, the princess murmured low, ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s why he mentioned a sword when I asked what type of woman he liked.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. Let¡¯s go back. Come on, Sir Lars. ¡± ¡°Ah, sure.¡± Sir Lars followed her, replying in a hurry. The princess, who was walking silently by my side, said, ¡°Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we keep it secret that we ran into each other in the garden today? Will you?¡± ¡°Ah yes, of course.¡± When I nodded, she smiled meaningfully. It was a smile that only people who shared something could recognize. With a smile on her face, I walked with her back into the banquet hall where bright lights wereing out. ¡°Hello, Lady Monique!¡± ¡°Hello, everybody.¡± On the third day of the National Founding Day festival, I attended the banquet with the crown prince. As soon as I left the banquet hall after chatting with the participants, somedies came to me in droves and surrounded me. The people who flocked around me were very diverse, ranging from noble women to youngdies. What they were mainly interested in was the hairpin that I had been wearing for the past several days. As Duchess Lars and Duchess Verita, to whom I gave the hairpins as gifts, also wore the hairpins, the rumor seemed to have spread that the hairpin was a popr essory among noble women. They kept asking for style tips and where they could buy it. It seemed that the hairpin would be a hot seller among them pretty soon. ¡°Oh, you are here, Aristia.¡± ¡°Hello, Carsein.¡± ¡°This is the first time I have seen you in a dress, Sir Monique. Why don¡¯t you sometimes go to work in a dress instead of a uniform? ¡± ¡°I agree, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°I know you said that jokingly, but I feel good. Thank you, Sir Dillon. It¡¯s been a long time, Sir Lian. It looks like three of you are off duty today.¡± The three men walked in when the women made way for them, bowing their heads. Thedies¡¯ eyes sparkled when these proud knights came in. ¡°I understand Sir Dillion and Sir Carsein know each other. Howe you know them, Sir Lian? Your affiliations are different, right?¡± ¡°Well, I and Sir Dillon have been friends since childhood. I came to know Sir Carsein through Sir Dillon. ¡± ¡°I see. I hear you also know Sir June. You really know a lot of people!¡± ¡°Thank you for thepliment,¡± Sir Lian replied in an exhrated tone. When the three and others who knew me introduced each other, the youngdies were eager to speak to them and introduce themselves. In particr, they were most interested in Carsein. But Sir Lian from a viscount family and Sir Dillion from a baron family were also very popr among thedies because they were the sessors of their families and knights. Unlike Carsein, who was busy chatting withdies, the two knights were at a loss what to do, surrounded by them. I was smiling at him because I felt their embarrassing interaction to them was interesting, when another young man elbowed his way through the crowd spirits toward me. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Aristia.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Allendis. You seemed to be very busy these days. Are you free today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m on vacation today. As I worked hard, I need to have some rest sometimes.¡± Alendisughed cheerfully, his emerald eyes looked brighter today. I saw severaldies blushing when heughed. ¡®I know Carsein is popr among youngdies. It seems like Allendis is also very popr.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t surprising. They were both sons of dukes in an empire where there were only three, and they were widely known as geniuses in their own field. Besides, they would likely receive hereditary noble titles instead of their lifetime only titles. ¡°Oh, Allendis, wee!¡± ¡°Long time, no see, Carsein. Are you off today?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± I watched the two exchanging greetings and looking at each other with a smile. They didn¡¯t usually smile at each other. One was wearing white and the other, ck uniform. One had fresh light hair, while the other had red hair. Allendis looked like a handsome prince, while Carsein had a cold look. I thought they were very different, but their contrast was more striking today. ¡®Is that the reason why they don¡¯t like each other?¡¯ Allendis, who found me lost in thought, said with a smile,¡±Oh, Carsein, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve left thedy here alone while I talked with you for a long time? Sorry, Aristia. I think I¡¯ve made a gaffe.¡± ¡°No, Allendis. I am fine.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve sinned by leaving ady alone. What do you think? Would you like to dance with me?¡± Suddenly, I broke into a smile. ¡®Hey, Allendis, you are so smart! If you ask me like that, how can I refuse?¡¯ ¡°It is my honour.¡± I gently put my hand on the back of his hand. Then, thedies around me made way for us, sighing with envy. I waited for the song that was ying to finish and went up to the dance floor. When I looked around unconsciously before the band yed a new song, I saw Carsein buried in the youngdies and other nobles chatting in small groups of two and three. I also saw the crown prince sitting side by side with three princesses. ¡°Today you really look gorgeous, Tia.¡± ¡°Thanks, Allen.¡± When he whispered to me, I took my eyes from the crowd and looked at Allen. ¡®Um?¡¯ I felt the crown prince was looking toward us, so I turned my eyes toward him, but he was chatting with the princesses. ¡®Did you see it wrong?¡¯ Tilting my head a bit, I turned to Allendis again. Then, I smiled brightly at his warm, emerald eyes. ¡°It looks like this is the first time I have danced with you on a formal asion.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°How have you been, mydy? I couldn¡¯t see you because I was busy preparing for the festival.¡± ¡°Well, so so. I just get by.¡± As the band was ying the song at a slow tempo, I danced with him, chatting with himfortably. When I let go of his hand and turned three times to the right and went back, Allendis pulled me with a soft smile and said, ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Would you like to go to the vige with me once after the festival is over?¡± Chapter 88 Chapter 88: Chapter 88 ¡°To the vige?¡± ¡°Yes. When I saw the festive vige on my way to the pce, it looked a lot of fun. I heard that the street festival will continue three more days after the banquet is over. ¡± When I heard that, I suddenly recalled the outside scenery while I was going to the pce on the first day of the festival. I wanted to go out on the street crowded with people, but I gave up, just thinking I could have a chance one day. ¡°Sure. In fact, I was curious, too.¡± ¡°Great. You promised me, okay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± We were already at the end of the song even when we didn¡¯t seem to have talked much. I made two turns to the left, then grabbed the edge of my skirt to show manners. He also bowed to me as an etiquette. After I stepped out of the dance floor, I looked at the ce where the princesses were chatting. But there was only Princess Moira, surrounded by thedies of the noble factions, and two princesses staring at her from a distance. I couldn¡¯t find the crown prince. As I couldn¡¯t find him anywhere in the banquet hall, it seemed that he left. ¡°Are you going back there, Aristia?¡± ¡°No, let mee back after walking outside a bit.¡± ¡°Can I go with you?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± I shook my head while pondering for a moment. Officially, I was the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, so I felt it was not good to slip out of the hall with Allendis. I came out of the banquet hall and got some cool night air. I walked through the garden of the Central Pce while exchanging silent bows with the knights on sentry duty here and there. The bright white autumn flowers shone in the moonlight. When I saw them, I suddenly recalled the silver flower tree in the garden of Ver Pce. ¡®I think I saw itst spring. Are the buds there blooming now?¡¯ I wanted to go see it as I came out for a walk, so I headed there.. When I arrived at the garden, I saw the knights in white uniforms guarding the entrance. When I stopped, I saw a young man with blue hair, sitting in an untidy condition, with his back towards the silver flower tree in the distance. Surprised, I forgot to feel ufortable for a moment and quickly approached him. He was always neat and clean, so I wondered what happened to him. He was sitting there, with the tie of his ck suit loosened. His disheveled suit was strange, but his face also looked pale. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him all of a sudden? Is he sick?¡¯ As I couldn¡¯t keep looking down at the next ruler of the empire, I squatted in front of him, asking me carefully, ¡°Are you sick, Your Majesty? Your face looks pale.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I will call a royal doctor. Please wait a moment¡­Your Majesty?¡± I felt nervous when I heard his subdued voice, so I stood up quickly. When I tried to turn my body to call a doctor, he suddenly grabbed my wrist tightly. As I looked back in surprise, he said with a sigh, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t feel any pain in my body. So, you don¡¯t have to call a doctor. ¡± ¡°But Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Can you just sit next to me?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± As I couldn¡¯t call a doctor when he said he didn¡¯t need one, I sat down next to him carefully as he requested. He looked a bit better than I saw him first, but I was bothered by his unkempt appearance ¡®I think I should call a doctor. It looks like he is afraid they are going to make a big fuss.¡¯ ¡°By the way, did you attend the banquet yesterday?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to. I wish you took a rest.¡± ¡°Originally I wanted to, but¡­¡± ¡°So, did you enjoy the banquet?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± When I remembered what happened yesterday, I felt blue, but I immediately calmed down. ¡®Hey, it¡¯s just your useless pride. Even if she were not Princess Moira, you would have to bow to the crown prince¡¯s wife anyway, whoever she is, if you be the sessor of your family. You will have to bow to Jiun, too.¡¯ Come to think of it, I felt sooner orter Jiun would arrive soon, maybe two years to go. ¡°You told me I looked pale, but you look pale, too.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Did anything bad happen at the banquet yesterday?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± When I made a forced smile, he nodded silently after staring at me for a moment. He was silent. He sighed after shaking the loosened tie and said, ¡°Now, I can breathe freely.¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. By the way, the weather is so nice.¡± I instinctively looked up at the night sky. Yesterday, there was no starlight in the sky, so it was dark, but today¡¯s night sky was full of twinkling stars everywhere, and the trees in the garden were shining under the bright moonlight. Fallen leaves fluttered in the wind. I raised my head and looked up at the silver flower tree. I saw the silvery buds on the trees shimmering in the moonlight. ¡®Oh, you still haven¡¯t bloomed. When will you bloom?¡¯ ¡°The buds haven¡¯t yet¡­¡± ¡°Um?¡± ¡°They haven¡¯t bloomed yet.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°When will they bloom?¡± I asked unconsciously. It was a question that I asked casually. But he pondered over it and replied, ¡°Well, don¡¯t you think they will bloom when they¡¯re ready?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I guess they have not yet recovered from the shock of the fire. So, I guess they¡¯re not yet ready to bloom.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± ¡°I think that as long as the buds are there, they will bloom one day when they are ready.¡± I nodded because they could. After looking at me with eyes that I couldn¡¯t read, he stood up, reaching out to me. I hesitated for a moment, then grabbed his hand and stood up. He asked after adjusting his disheveled suit. ¡°Are you still thinking about bing the sessor of your family?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°Let ¡®s go back. I think I spent too long here.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± He turned with a deep sigh. I walked behind him. He and I headed for the Central Pce, escorted by guards in white uniforms shining in the moonlight. The weather was so good yesterday, but today it was very cloudy. Although I was on vacation leave, starting yesterday, I went to the office in the afternoon to take care of something urgently. After reviewing the document, I dropped it in the captain¡¯s office. Then, I ssified the documents piled up on the desk as those that needed immediate approval and those that could wait. I came out of the office after cing the memo on the sorted documents on his desk. ¡®As I took care of urgent things, I won¡¯t have toe back tomorrow.¡¯ I returned to my office and was about to pick up the uniform jacket I had taken off to work, when I heard somebody knocking on the door. Who is it? ¡°Come on in.¡± ¡°Glory to the Empire. Hello, Sir Monique! ¡± ¡°Loyalty to the Lion. As a royal guard, why did youe here?¡± ¡°Are you busy?¡± ¡°No. Not really. ¡± I thought he was either Carsein or one of the 1st Knights Division, but the one who came in was a royal guard that I had never seen before. I tilted my head. Has a royal guard visited the 1st Knights Division? I don¡¯t think the Royal Guards made any special request to us for cooperation. ¡°Perfect timing! The crown prince is currently inspecting the knights divisions. He said if you are not busy, he would stop by briefly.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Then, let me tell him that you have no problem.¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to. Let me go with you. I can¡¯t have the crown prince take the trouble ofing here.¡± I hurriedly stood up. While I was walking down the hallway, I suddenly realized that I was wearing just a shirt. Oh my god! If he saw me, he would reduce my sry because of my untidy clothes. But I couldn¡¯t go back to get the jacket. When I arrived at the training field, hoping he would not notice, I saw the young man with blue hair walking across from the other side. ¡°I am honored to see you, the Little Sun of the Empire!¡± ¡°Did you get back home safely yesterday?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, shall we walk for a while?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Chapter 89 Chapter 89: Chapter 89 After instructing his assistants to go back first, he walked silently toward the inner pce for a while. Doesn¡¯t he want to say something to me? I thought he had something urgent to tell me because he would stop by briefly. I was puzzled, but I just followed him. Until he entered the garden attached to the Imperial Pce, I was worried how to speak to him who just kept silent. At that moment I saw two shadows standing in the corner of the garden. ¡®Who are they?¡¯ Nobody could enter the garden of the crown prince¡¯s pce without his permission. ¡°Your Majesty, did you allow someone to enter the garden today?¡± ¡°No, nobody. It looks like they¡¯ve got a lot of nerveing to this garden.¡± When he responded coldly and stopped, a royal guard approached them silently and identified the intruders. ¡°They are the princess of Lisa and her bodyguard, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh I see. Got it.¡± He frowned slightly. ¡®Princess of Lisa? I didn¡¯t hear that she could go in and out of the crown prince¡¯s pce freely. As far as I know, she was a timid princess who did not go around. With only two more festive days to go, did she decide to be more confident and move around out of impatience? When I approached the princess who was talking with her bodyguard, the crown prince walking next to me suddenly stopped. I also stopped. When I was wondering why, I heard them having a dialogue. ¡°Now we have only two days left, Ryan.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, Vera. I know you find it hard to get by here.¡± What was the name of the princess of Lisa? I tried to recollect it, but I couldn¡¯t. Unless they knew someone very well, the nobles wouldn¡¯t call them by their first names. Most nobles only remember each other¡¯sst name and status. Nheless, I felt her name was not that simple. Oh, that¡¯s not the issue. The thing is her bodyguard dared to call the princess by her first name. ¡°I felt like I have been walking on thin ice during the past month. If I had known this before leaving the kingdom, I would never havee to this ce, no matter how strict the king¡¯s order was. ¡± ¡°I feel the same way, Vera. If I had known this, I wouldn¡¯t have made you suffer like this.¡± ¡°As we have kept a low profile here, everything will be alright after tomorrow. Maybe it¡¯s fortunate for us, Ryan. ¡± ¡®What the hell is she talking about with him now?¡¯ I felt it was very strange for her to chat with him, looking at him kindly, because she was so timid that she couldn¡¯t even make eye contact with anybody. I almost screamed when I saw her smiling shyly, putting her hands on her belly and gently stroking it as if it was very precious. ¡®Oh my god! Is she pregnant?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s run away as soon as we get out of the border, Ryan. Let¡¯s go hiding in a ce that nobody knows for the sake of our baby¡­¡± ¡°You will have a very hard time. Is it okay with you, Vera?¡± ¡°My life in the kingdom was hell. It was you that saved me from that hell. Ryan, I¡¯m happy wherever I am with you. I can throw away the status of a royal princess. It¡¯s just useless. ¡± ¡°Vera¡­ ¡± I closed my eyes, watching them hugging each other. Love between a princess and her bodyguard? It could exist in a romance novel, but unfortunately, it was a reality. ¡®Why did the king of the Lisa Kingdom send her here?¡¯ Based on the situation, there was no way she would havee here willingly. I don¡¯t know why her father sent her here. She must have known it only after she left the kingdom. Well, what¡¯s the point of the King of Lisa knowing her rtionship with him? The important thing is the result. Whether the king intended it or not, he sent the pregnant princess to the empire as the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate. She had been discovered by the crown prince, not by anyone else. This was a terrible development that could escte into a war between the two countries. I already felt as if the noble factions were appealing to the emperor to storm and destroy the kingdom of Lisa. I looked up at the crown prince with trembling eyes. He was nonchntly staring at the two still hugging each other. I thought even though he would not rage with anger, he would express displeasure, to say the least, but surprisingly, he stood still, with no change in facial expressions until the princess of Lisa and her bodyguard disappeared. His blue eyes became hollow as if he was lost in thought. I was silent because I felt I shouldn¡¯t disturb him. I stood next to him silently, but suddenly something cold touched my face. When I looked up at the sky, I felt something falling on my face again. Rain? ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s raining. How about moving inside¡­?¡± The raindrops, which were falling one or two drops, quickly began to pour down. Startled, I slurred because he already took off his coat and covered my head. ¡°Oh, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go inside,¡± he said, pulling my wrist. I walked quickly after him, struggling to get from under his coat. He is the crown prince of the empire, and I¡¯m only a knight. I should not dare to avoid the rain by covering with his clothes, nor should I let him get exposed to the rain. ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m a knight. As a rule, I am not supposed to avoid rain when I am wearing a uniform. Besides, I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°In just that?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my outfit?¡­ Ah.¡± Only then did I remember that I left my jacket behind. When I looked down hurriedly, I could see my white shirt soaked with rain, revealing my naked skin. I blushed. ¡®He put this on me because of this.¡¯ When I discovered the reason, I couldn¡¯t refuse anymore. I was so embarrassed that I said feebly, with my head down, ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Come on in. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± When we entered the pce, the servants and the maids came in a hurry. I was in better shape because I put on his coat, but he was all wet to the skin. Water was dripping from his wet blue hair and shirt that got stuck to his upper body. The royal guards standing behind were all soaked to the skin. After wiping with the dry towel brought by the maids, he said, ¡°Let me take a bath. Arrange for her to take a bath, too.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Are you going to catch a cold?¡± He cut off my words coldly. He called the attendant and ordered him to go to the 1st Knights¡¯ Division to bring my clothes. When I watched him give instructions, I just shut my mouth because I knew it was useless for me to refuse. I felt ufortable when he repeatedly showed kindness to me, which didn¡¯t fit him. I had a chill when the cold air touched my wet body. The maids approached me as I shivered with cold and wrapped my body with several big towels. After he looked down at me in a pensive mood, he turned his eyes to the royal guards who were standing, drenched to the skin. ¡°You guys, go back and rx.¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Why are you knights behaving like this? If you don¡¯t take care of your body well, you can¡¯t carry out your mission well, which is a great disservice to the empire. Don¡¯t you know that?¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty, we¡¯ll take your order.¡± ¡°Good. By the way, everyone here should keep mum about what happened a while ago. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± answered the royal guards with a thrilled voice and left. How much time passed? The attendant came hurriedly and said the bathroom was ready. He told me toe to his study after taking a bath. After seeing him disappearing for a moment, I headed to the bathroom where the maid guided me. When I soaked my body in warm water, my whole body felt warm and relieved. While trying to pull myself together, I recalled what I saw in the garden. ¡®How is the crown prince going to deal with this matter?¡¯ The Lisa kingdom is a country with strong military power. It was evident that if a war broke out, the empire would incur a big damage because the number of knights had been significantly reducedpared to the past as a result of the restructuring of the knights a decade ago. However, the matter was too serious for him to give it a pass. Chapter 90 Chapter 90: Chapter 90 ¡°Done, Lady Monique,¡± said the maid who helped me take a bath. After thanking her, I headed to his study. In front of the heavy door of his study were standing other knights than the ones who escorted him. When I stepped inside, I saw the young man sitting in a clean, neat manner, as usual, and talking to his aide. As it happened that he was done, the aide stood up, bowing to me slightly. ¡°Oh, tell the emperor that I want him to take time out for me before today¡¯s banquet begins.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± He was wearing a knight uniform instead of casual clothes because it was a festive period. ¡°Are you on duty now?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m taking a break now. I¡¯m on night shift until today, and I¡¯m off duty tomorrow. ¡± ¡°Got it. You are very busy.¡± ¡°You are an exception, I think. Everyone is busy these days.¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯m supposed to work seven straight days after the festival days are over.¡± ¡°Really? Well, I know my father doesn¡¯t give any special treatment without anypelling reason.¡± Looking at me with a sympathetic look, Carsein asked curiously, ¡°But why are you here, not at the banquet hall?¡± ¡°Oh, I felt a little stuffy inside.¡± ¡°Oh, I see, but it¡¯s cold out here. If you keep staying here on the outside, you might catch a cold.¡± He clicked his tongue a bit, then took off his jacket and put it on me. Was it because he had been wearing it until now? I could feel his warmth in the jacket. While looking at him, who was kind enough to adjust his jacket for me meticulously, I felt sorry after hesitating a bit, saying, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this¡­¡± ¡°You know I am much stronger than you, right? If you¡¯re so worried, just walk a little bit and go back, okay?¡± ¡°¡­Got it. Thanks, Carsein. ¡± ¡°You can leave now. Lady Monique, can youe and sit down here?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± I carefully walked across the carpet embroidered with the crest of the imperial family and sat face to face with him. Leaning against the chair in a rxed position, he asked, ¡°Have you warmed yourself?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Thanks for your consideration.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not asking you for anything like a price for it, but can I ask you for a cup of tea today, too?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I nodded in satisfaction. Given that he asked me for tea several times, obviously he seemed to like the tea I brewed. I looked at the table full of tea boxes. This time I was thinking about which tea to make. Considering that he was exposed to the cold fall rain, I picked tea leaves that would be good for preventing colds: chamomile, rosehip and lemon balm. I blended the three tea leaves in the proper ratio and brewed it. I handed him a teacup and poured tea into my cup and sipped it. ¡®Um, the quality of tea served at the imperial pce is really good.¡¯ When I looked at him, he seemed satisfied, too. ¡°By the way, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Um.¡± ¡°What are you going to do with the case of Princess Beatrice?¡± ¡°I have thought about it, but I think I have to consult with the emperor first, so I want you to keep it to yourself until tomorrow. ¡± ¡°Yes, of course, Your Majesty. ¡± I was surprised deep down because I expected he would me me for asking about it or meddling with his job, but he answered readily. Somehow, I felt strange. The old him would have rebuked me, saying this was none of my business. Of course, the old him wouldn¡¯t have cared about whether I was soaked to the skin or not. ¡°Lady Monique, how about taking a break at home instead of attending the banquet today?¡± When I was silently drinking tea in a pensive mood, he spoke to me, looking at me with eyes that looked a little darker than usual. ¡°But Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°You must have felt very cold in the autumn rain, so don¡¯t overwork yourself.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°If you pass out again, I¡¯m afraid your father will be worried sick about you.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I¡¯ll do as you wish, Your Majesty. ¡± Did he say that because he was really worried about me? Somehow, I felt weird because he said that, looking out the window. Suddenly, I felt ufortable in this awkward atmosphere. After fidgeting with the teacup, I looked out, too, following his gaze. The world outside the window was turning gray everywhere. I heard the sound of rain dropping, shaking trees, and red and yellow fallen leaves falling in the rain, which I didn¡¯t see at all when I was hurriedly walking back to the pce a little while ago. It was a typical peaceful scene on an autumn day. For a long time, he and I shared silence, relishing in the peace of autumn rain. Finally, it was thest day of the banquet. I was having a peaceful time with my father after a long time. When I closed my eyes for a moment and enjoyed a cozy mood, the butler came in and put down a letter and a box on the table. I took my head off my father¡¯s shoulder and looked straight at the butler because I was not supposed to be caught being rude even to my father. ¡°It is from the Imperial Pce. It was sent by the emperor to Marquis Monique, and the box was sent by the crown prince.¡± ¡°Got it. Thanks.¡± After watching my father open the seal of the letter for a moment, I grabbed the box. What is it that he sent me? He didn¡¯t say much about it when I saw him yesterday. When I opened the lid of the box, there was something meticulously written on a piece of white paper and an envelope on top of it. I saw it before. The gorgeous envelope with gold pearls densely scattered on a blue background had his signature in shiny white ink. It was the second letter he sent to me. When I opened the seal, I saw a few lines in white ink on a colorful letter paper with a golden pearl on a blue background, just like the one I received recently. Making a dress in three days? I just thought he just said it out of courtesy the other day. When I removed the white wrapper, I was wowed at the gorgeous dress inside. What he sent me was a cream-colored dress. Pastel-tone pink stones and small diamonds like the ne and earrings I received from himst time were tightly sewn on a creamy skirt and glistened with a subtle pink color. If the dress he gave to the princess felt like it was designed for a dreamy girl, this one felt like it was designed for a girl full of happiness. It was a really pretty dress in my eyes, even though I didn¡¯t pay much attention to clothes. ¡°Did the crown prince send it to you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When I slowly nodded, he looked at the dress for a long time and said, ¡°Hmm. Anyway, you should say thank him when you see you in the evening. ¡± ¡°Huh? Are you going to the banquet, too? ¡± ¡°Yes. The emperor sent me a letter asking me to attend today¡¯s banquet. Maybe it was rted to the selection of the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate.¡± When I saw my father folding the letter nonchntly, I suddenly recalled Princess Beatrice¡¯s dialogue with her bodyguard. I agonized about it, but decided to shut up because the crown prince asked me to keep it secret until today. If he attended the banquet, he would hear about it anyway. Later that afternoon, I showed Lisa the box, telling her I had to change my dress today. Looking inside the box, she was speechless for a while then eximed that it was so beautiful. After trying to calm her down, I changed into the new dress and went downstairs, feeling the weight of my silver hair on my shoulders. I let my hair down because she strongly argued that putting it up would make me look girlish. When I went downstairs, my father, who was already ready and waiting for me, looked at me for a long time. ¡°Dad?¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, are you ready now?¡± ¡°Yes, have I kept you waiting for long?¡± ¡°No. By the way¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Chapter 91 Chapter 91: Chapter 91 ¡°I know you are beautiful, but today you¡¯re awesome! So beautiful. I was carried away with your beauty for a moment, Tia.¡± My father, who smiled faintly, looking at me blushing, reached out to me. I took my father¡¯s hand and climbed into the wagon to head for the pce. When I saw his silver hair like mine and his navy blue blue eyes looking at me warmly, I felt warm deep in my heart. As if he didn¡¯t mind when I babbled like a child, held in his arms, he just kept stroking my hair with a bright smile. I felt my fatigue melt away. The crown prince said he would attend the banquetter because he had to take care of some work with the emperor. So, I entered the banquet hall with my father. I greeted Duke Lars and Duke Verita who weed my father as soon as they saw him. They weren¡¯t enthusiastic about the banquet, but they were excited to see my father who usually didn¡¯t attend these sorts of events. Besides, as they were so busy these days, they rarely saw my father. So, I could understand why they were so happy to see him. When Duke Verita asked me kindly how I was doing, I felt a little ufortable because I thought of Allendis unconsciously, but I greeted him with a smile. After I was with them for some time, I left after asking for their understanding. Even before I walked a few steps, I was surrounded by several youngdies. As I was filtering out the information I needed while talking with them, Lady Genoa and her followers approached me. She smiled awkwardly at me, conscious of their nervous look, and said, ¡°Hello, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Ah yes, hello Lady Genoa.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Um? Do you have anything to say to me? ¡± I thought she would say no, but she nodded after hesitating a bit. ¡®What does she want to say to me? Is she confronting me? Has there been a sh among thedies of the factions overnight? No way. If there was, otherdies wary of her would leak it anyway.¡¯ After silencing thedies around me, who were opposed to engaging her, I went with her to a corner of the banquet hall, which was not visible to others. ¡°I don¡¯t think they can see us here. So, what do you want to say to me?¡± ¡°¡­ What are you going to do with the princesses?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You have a father most trusted by the emperor, and you also have a solid base as the child of God¡¯s prophecy. If you had strongly opposed it from the beginning, the princesses would not havee to our empire. Then, why did you tacitly agree to theiring here? Are you going to break off your engagement to the crown prince like they say on the street?¡± As she asked me the question bluntly, I just eyed her, so she could continue to talk. Initially I thought she was a poor manager, given how she dealt with her followers, but it seemed that she understood the situation well enough. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you this, but did you know that the princesses began to look down on you because of the recent ident? Aren¡¯t you going to be the next empress? Nheless, why are you allowing them to be rude to you?¡± As I had nothing to say, I was silent for a moment. Unless the imperial family first announced the breakoff of my engagement, it would be disloyal for me to tell them about it first. When I was pondering over how to respond, someone spoke to me in a very arrogant voice. ¡°Oh, you are here, Lady Monique. I¡¯ve been looking for you for a while because I didn¡¯t know you are in this ce.¡± ¡°Princess Naima?¡± Princess Naima, wearing a gorgeous see-through red dress with lots of makeup, smiled at me. I knew that after seeing me bow to Princess Moira, the princesses began to look down on me, but I was dumbfounded when Princess Naima openly ignored me. However, I held back the urge to rebuke her, deciding to put up with this kind of mockery. ¡®Yes, I have to hang in here for my goal.¡¯ ¡°Well, as you are so small, it would be hard for me to find you even if you were not here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I guess the crown prince must be very worried as you are so small. Even considering your age, you are so small. That¡¯s why Princess Moira was put to shame in public. Anyway, I think you should eat a lot to grow more,¡± she said, sticking out her chest proudly and examining my body from head to toe. When she said that, I saw Lady Genoa flinching for a moment. Even if she was a princess, she was from a foreign country. ordingly, Lady Genoa felt upset as I was ignored by this foreign princess even though she hated me. ¡°What are you doing in this corner?¡± ¡°Hi, Princess Beary, I hope you are doing well.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m doing well. ¡± Even today, Princess Beary, gorgeously dressed up as usual, nced at me up and down like Princess Naima did. Then she said, looking at me disdainfully. ¡°Oh, I see the ne and earrings he gave you the other day. It looks like he also gave you a new dress. ¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Oh my god, don¡¯t you know he gave it to you to save your face. Howe you are happy about the new dress when he gave it to you as a recement for the original dress he gave to the princess? How can you say you are his fiancee with any pride?¡± She said, clicking her tongue as if I was so pitiable. ¡®Did the two agree to nder me like this? Howe they are acting like twins?¡¯ I made a fakeugh in spite of myself. Lady Genoa¡¯s face turned white as was holding her skirt tightly. Obviously, she wanted to get angry with them, but she held it back because I was silent. What should I do with their mockery and insult? Should I rebuke them right now? Or do I have to put up with them to the end? I was agonized for a moment, but as I have put up with them up to now, I decided to stay the course. If I couldn¡¯t stand it in a fit of anger and strengthened my position as the future empress, my years of efforts to disengage from the imperial family woulde to nothing. At that moment, I heard someone calling me coldly from behind, whose voice was very familiar. ¡°Oh, you are here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the Empire.¡± ¡°The emperor is looking for you. Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Ah yes. Majesty.¡± I stiffened as he acted unusually cold, so I came out of the banquet hall with some fear. As I walked a few steps along the hallway, he said with a low voice, ¡°How vulgar they are!¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± He stopped walking suddenly, then turned around abruptly. He was staring at me coldly with his deep blue eyes. ¡°Why, why were you standing silently without retorting?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Why did you put up with their insults?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Do you hate me so much that you don¡¯t even want to refute these frivolous women who are making a mockery of you?¡± I looked puzzled at his angry voice. Why is he getting angry with me? He is not upset just because I was insulted. Does he think the imperial family was disgraced because I, as a future member of the imperial family, turned a blind eye to their rudeness? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Um?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to disgrace the honor of the imperial family.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean!¡± He screamed nervously, sweeping up his hair. I momentarily flinched and stepped back. At that moment, I saw his blue eyes trembling. When I blinked, thinking I saw it wrong, he sighed deeply, looking at me silently. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up as the emperor is waiting.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± Although he told me to hurry up, he rather walked more slowly than before. I walked behind him along the long corridor of the Central Pce. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see Your Majesty, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Oh,e on. Have a seat.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± I sat next to my father who seemed ufortable and checked his face. Why is he showing that expression? He looked okay until I parted with him at the banquet hall. ¡°Are you curious why I called you suddenly?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Um, you know I¡¯m going to announce who will be the crown prince¡¯s bride soon. Before I announce that, I wanted to hear your opinion.¡± ¡°You mean what I think, Your Majesty? ¡± ¡°Right. Who do you think is the best candidate as his bride?¡± Chapter 92 Chapter 92: Chapter 92 ¡°Well, I think ¡­¡± I suddenly felt my heart beating faster. I was only vaguely thinking that one of the five princesses would be his final choice, but I felt mixed feelings as the emperor wanted to take into ount what I felt toward them. So far, I had been looking forward to the day I would be freed from the imperial family, but now I felt nervous somehow. Taking a deep breath, however, I tried to shake off my nervousness and anxiety and said firmly, ¡°¡­ I think Princess Frincia is the most suitable candidate.¡± ¡°Really? Why? ¡± ¡°As the Lua kingdom is a strong country, I thought it would be good to have an alliance with the kingdom on this asion. Although there is the Eet kingdom, I hear Princess Moira is strongly supported by the noble factions, and the Lisa kingdom is¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, an alliance with the Lua kingdom? Thanks for your feedback. Let me take it into ount.¡± I barely breathed out, which I was holding back, as the emperor nodded. I felt sorry for Princess Frincia, but I thought it was the best decision for the empire. ¡®Good job, Aristia. As the emperor said he would consider it, maybe he would decide on her. Now, it¡¯s all over. If you can hang in there a little longer until Jiun arrives, you can be a free woman.¡¯ The emperor, who was looking at me silently, suddenly smiled and said, ¡°Come to think of it, you look very different from the old you I used to watch. I heard that the prince suddenly ordered clothes and ornaments for you. Are you wearing them now?¡± ¡°Ah yes. Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Hmm, I think he picked them wisely, but one thing iscking. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°You have a dress and a ne, but you don¡¯t have an essory on your head. Something iscking there. How about this? This is my gift to you.¡± He then smiled at me as if he had some mischievous intention. I received a small box ufortably. When I opened it hesitantly, I noticed something I never expected. I stiffened in spite of myself. Checking it inside the box, my father said with a sigh, ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Yes, Marquis Monique?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this a tiara? Why are you giving it to my daughter? ¡± ¡°Did I not tell you? I¡¯m giving it to her because something is missing on her hair.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± It was a tiara that was inside the box that I received from the emperor. A sparkling tiara decorated with pastel pink stones and diamonds on a gold background. As it was a symbol of women¡¯s authority, it was an ornament that only royal family women in the empire could use their hairs. This wasn¡¯t something I could use as a daughter of a mere marquis. Since my father knew the meaning of it, he was now balking at the emperor¡¯s gift. ¡°Got it. Let me exin to you, so don¡¯t be so displeased with me.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You know that since your daughter joined the knights division, there were rumors circting that her engagement to the crown prince was broken off, right?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I know that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember I made the promise in the past? I told you we¡¯re going to have a grace period until shees of age. In that respect, she is the crown prince¡¯s bride-to-be. Right?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± As my father responded a bit slowly, the emperor said with a pitiable look, ¡°Besides, you know that the noble factions are on the offensive these days. The two dukes and you agreed with what we discussed a moment ago. How do you think Duke Jena will react after I announce it? I guess they¡¯re going to raise the issue again, which they had forgotten for sometime. In that respect, it¡¯s better to solidify her position before they take up the offensive and attack us again. That way it is easier to protect her.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Marquis.¡± ¡°Okay, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said the emperor sadly, watching my father letting out a deep sigh. Obviously, they discussed me among themselves. What the hell did they discuss? And what is the emperor going to announce? As I was kept in the dark, I couldn¡¯t figure out what they discussed. When I looked at my father with a puzzled expression, he sighed once again and said, putting his hand lightly on my shoulder, ¡°As the emperor gave the gift to you in person, please say thank you, Tia. ¡± ¡°Oh, Daddy, but¡­ ¡± ¡°Are you now going to disobey me?¡± ¡°Oh, no, Daddy. I¡¯m honored to receive the gift, Your Majesty.¡± My father used to talk to me softly and gently, but this time his voice was so harsh that I felt I could not refuse his order. When I thanked the emperor gently, he smiled gently and said, ¡°Can youe to me with that tiara?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± When I approached next to him carefully, he took out the tiara and put it on my head. Then, moving it back and forth without caring about me, he said with a satisfied expression, ¡°It looks good on you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to hear that, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°As I see it perfectly matched, I think it has found its owner. I¡¯m satisfied. Hmm, why don¡¯t you go to the banquet hall with her first? I¡¯m going to join you after I talk with the marquis a little more.¡± ¡°Okay, Your Majesty.¡± Getting out of the room with him, I walked down the hallway silently. When I was close to the banquet hall, someone came running to him from a distance. The man, who appeared to be his aide, came with a bunch of papers and said, gasping for breath, ¡°Your Majesty, here you are. I¡¯ve brought the papers you asked for. Princess Beatrice and Princess Moira, and ¡­ ¡± ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Looking at me, he stopped the aide who was speaking quickly. ¡°Lady Monique, can you go in first? Let me follow you soon. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Thinking I shouldn¡¯t hear their conversation, I nodded and entered the banquet hall first. Given that he mentioned Princess Beatrice, it looked like he was talking with the aide about her. ¡®Huh? If so, why did he mention Princess Moira? Does she have a secret?¡± When I walked a few steps, there were several men stopping me violently. They were Duke Jena and several other nobles. As if they were trying to scare me off, they were staring at me, with their back upright. I couldn¡¯t look stupid in front of them. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have anything to say to me?¡± ¡°Are you asking me what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you really know, Lady Monique? ¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? As a mere marquis¡¯s daughter, you don¡¯t know it when you are wearing a tiara on your head now?¡± When Duke Jena shouted at me, Lady Genoa and otherdies following her came running to me and stopped in front of me as if they protected me. However, Duke Jena said angrily, without caring about them at all, ¡°Hmm¡­ no matter how young you are, howe you are so childish?¡± ¡°Why are you gathered here?¡± At that moment, Princess Moira appeared with thedies of the noble factions including Lady Hamel and smiled brightly. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a pretty tiara, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I understand a tiara is only put on by a royal family woman, but I guess I¡¯m mistaken. In my kingdom, it is hard to even think that a non-royal family woman wears it. I think you are more generous in this empire.¡± Although she said softly, her green eyes glowed coldly. I looked at the noble faction members around me. I sighed somehow. ¡®This is why I didn¡¯t want to receive it.¡¯ Even though the emperor and the crown prince allowed me to wear it, I had no legitimate reason to justify it when they tried to interpret the imperial rule that only ¡°a royal family member¡¯ could wear it. If I could not defend my position properly, it was clear that I would have to wage a boring and unfavorable fight. At that moment, someone stopped before Princess Moira who was undermining me with the support of thedies of the noble factions. She was Lady Genoa with light brown hair. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you from the first day you arrived here. How rude you are to her!¡± ¡°¡­I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°First of all, I¡¯m telling you this on my own. If you¡¯re going to insult her like you didst time by using me, stop it now.¡± The princess nodded as if she was dumbfounded, after looking at Lady Genoa full of anger. ¡°Even though you came here as one of the crown prince¡¯s bride candidates, you went in and out of the crown prince¡¯s pce without obtaining any understanding or approval of Lady Monique who¡¯s going to be our empress. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°So what?¡± Chapter 93 Chapter 93: Chapter 93 ¡°Regardless of whether you are the crown prince¡¯s bride or not, you should not stand in the way of his governance. But you tried to take away his time by visiting the pce endlessly by using your status. That¡¯s enough to disqualify you. Look at what you did on the first day of the banquet. Weren¡¯t you put to shame in public while trying to covet what Lady Monique, our next empress, has?¡± Princess Moira¡¯s face turned red in embarrassment. Nevertheless, Lady Genoa continued, ¡°Besides, even though Lady Monique had nothing to do with it, you insulted her. Even after you won an apology from her, you have been extremely rude. How dare you leave when she was apologizing? It was you who should have apologized to her for your rudeness. With all these disqualifying factors, are you still interested in being his bride?¡± ¡°What the heck?¡± Princess Moira raised her right hand high. I quickly intervened between the two and grabbed her hand when she was about to hit Lady Genoa. She was staring at me intensely in a fit of anger. ¡°Can¡¯t you let it go?¡± ¡°¡­ Well, this is too much. I can¡¯t stand it anymore. Your behavior is more and more ridiculous! ¡± I heard someone¡¯s cold voice at that moment. The young man with blue hair appeared with an aide holding a bunch of papers behind him and stared at them coldly. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should have anticipated this would happen to you. I think I was narrow-minded,¡± the crown prince said to me softly, walking among them as they made way for him. He pulled Princess Moira¡¯s aside politely and said, ¡°Princess Moira?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t want a princess like you causing disturbances, so please go back to your kingdom!¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± She shouted out as if she was frustrated, but he looked at her coldly and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you since the first day you arrived here. So, don¡¯t try to make poor excuses before me! Do you think Lady Monique, who is bound with the royal family, came here, wearing a tiara without any reason? This was given to her by the emperor even though she refused it strongly.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty¡­¡± Duke Jena tried to balk at him. But the crown prince ignored him and said, ¡°As most of you are here, I think I can tell you about my decision. I won¡¯t choose any of the five princesses as my bride candidate.¡± ¡°Oh my god! How can you¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do this, crown Prince!¡± Duke Jena shouted, gnashing his teeth. Everyone paid attention to the duke because of his loud voice, but I couldn¡¯t look at him. Not caring about them, he was looking at me intently. What the heck is he thinking? Why was he saying this kind of nonsense in the presence of all the princesses? After looking at me mysteriously for a long time, he turned his head only when Duke Jenna called him for the third time. ¡°You cannot do this, Your Majesty. Didn¡¯t you already decide to ept one as a bride? Why have you retracted your decision? ¡± ¡°How stupid you are! I don¡¯t know how you can get by as a noble in this empire.¡± He cut his words off and raised his right hand. His aide, standing behind him, brought a bunch of papers and stood next to him. He picked up the paper on the top, and he opened it wide. With everybody holding their breath, he slowly opened his mouth amid their intense attention, ¡°Beary de Sapu, the eighth princess of the Sapu kingdom. She is 18. The king¡¯s beloved royal princess but the biggest troublemaker. Since childhood, she was indulged in luxury and pleasure. The money she spent for a month is usually equivalent to one month¡¯s budget of the kingdom. There is widespread public opinion that they should not tolerate her anymore even though the kingdom of Sapu boasts great wealth. After hearing the news that our empire¡¯s crown prince was looking for his bride candidate, the cab council decided to send her to the empire unanimously.¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± He threw the paper he was holding in front of Duke Jenna, who seemed to be speechless, and picked up the next document and said, ¡°Naima de Sono, the third princess of the Sono Kingdom. She is seventeen. As a prominent beauty as a kid, she was favored by King Sono. Even though she just came of age, she officially dated as many as five guys secretly, but many more unofficially. Rumor has it that she is not interested in learning,pared to her beauty. One notorious anecdote has it that she burnt the national treasure of her kingdom, ¡°The Chronicles of the Sono Kingdom,¡± simply because her dress got dirty from the book.¡± He threw the paper down the floor. Then he said, picking up the next paper, ¡°Frincia de Lua, the second princess of the Lua kingdom. She is eighteen.¡± ¡°Oh, are you mentioning me, too? Your Majesty, please skip it. I want to give up my candidacypletely,¡± she said with a smile. He nodded silently and picked up another paper. ¡°Beatrice de Lisa, the fifth princess of the kingdom of Lisa. Sixteen¨C¡± ¡°I want to give up, too. Your Majesty, please don¡¯t mention anything about me!¡± ¡°Got it. I won¡¯t mention you here, but I¡¯m going to bring it up someday, so you had better prepare for it,¡± he said to her as she trembled with fear. He picked up thest paper and said, ¡°Moira de Eet, the first princess of the kingdom of Eet. She is eighteen. She has nothing worth mentioning except that she expelled some of the nobledies from social circles because they challenged the royal family¡¯s authority. She has an ambitious personality. While leaving for the empire, she dered that she would be the next empress of the empire. She also revealed her ambition for the crown prince¡¯s bride while constantly making contact with the nobles including Duke Jenna. And¡­¡± Coldly staring at Duke Jena, he roughly handed the duke a pile of documents about her. After receiving and opening them, he opened her eyes sharply. ¡°Now you realize why she isn¡¯t qualified, right?¡± ¡°Howe¡­¡± ¡°Hey, Duke Jena, you¡¯re overlooking the intelligence capabilities of the imperial family? I already started to investigate you when you first mentioned the issue of the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate.¡± Nobody knew when he arrived, but the emperor was watching the crown prince and the duke in interest. Next to him were standing Duke Lars, Duke Verita, and my father. The emperor said, smiling mischievously, ¡°I know you gave a considerable amount of wealth to the kingdom of Eet. I wonder what kind of deal you made with the kingdom¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty, that was¡­¡± ¡°You know that there are provisions in the imperialw that prohibit the transfer of the empire¡¯s wealth to other countries. If I apply that strict rule to you, which you applied to the tira a little while ago, this is clearly a vition of the imperialw. It¡¯s a felony equivalent to treason. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± Looking back at me once, Duke Jena kept silent. ¡°However, it depends on us humans how to interpret thew. So, I don¡¯t have to be so strict. Just like I gave the tiara to Lady Monique as I love her as my future daughter-inw, I think you gave some of your wealth to the Eet kingdom to promote good friendship for the interests of the empire. Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t think you attempted to secretly support the kingdom of Eet in their attack on the Lua kingdom, our empire¡¯s nascent ally, which allied with the Lisa kingdom. I also don¡¯t believe you promoted Princess Moira of the Eet kingdom as the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate to gather information about the imperial family, and I don¡¯t think you wanted to use Princess Moira to influence our politics after she bes the next empress. I can¡¯t imagine how you could do that. Right, Duke Jena?¡± Duke Jena tried to stay calm as if what the emperor said was not a big deal, but he was holding the hem of his robe tightly, with his face turned white. ¡°Kaisil, Heidel, Laurel.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I think you know these names better than anybody else, so you can¡¯t do these things. I just want to believe that you were overzealous to promote friendship with the Eet kingdom. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯re right, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you confirmed it. I was really worried if my guesswork was wrong.¡± The emperor smiled sarcastically at him. Chapter 94 Chapter 94: Chapter 94 ¡®Oh, that is the way he rules the empire!¡¯ I didn¡¯t know the emperor¡¯s real self because he was always kind, generous and smiled at me. But when I saw him smiling at the duke with a murderous expression, I suddenly realized one fact. Namely, if I had not been a daughter of the Monique family, he would not have given me a grace period, and he would have punished me who continued to refuse the imperial family. And even if I were a daughter of the Monique family, he would have me married to the crown prince if he really had wanted. Then what does he really want me to do? Does he want me to be the crown prince¡¯s wife or the sessor of my family? ¡°Princesses, pleasee forward.¡± With the duke standing behind him, the emperor said, looking at the people around him. Princess Moira, who stood right before me, came out first, followed by Princess Naima, Princess Beary, Princess Frincia, and Princess Beatrice, who was trembling and pale. After ncing at them one by one, the emperor said, ¡°Princess Frincia?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Please go ahead.¡± ¡°You came here to conclude an alliance agreement with the empire. I think we have produced a satisfactory result through the secret negotiations for the past one month. Can I expect a good rtionship between the two countries? ¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. My king will surely be satisfied. ¡± ¡°Thank you. Sooner orter let me send the diplomatic delegation to your kingdom.¡± After bowing to him, she stepped back. ¡®Now I see why she acted differently from other princesses.¡¯ I realized why she was not interested in the crown prince and why she tried to get along well with me unlike other princesses. She came here to secretly sign an alliance agreement. Her application for the prince¡¯s bride candidate was only a trick to deceive others. ¡°Princess Naima and Princess Beatrice, I¡¯m sorry, but for the same reason I can¡¯t ept you as the prince¡¯s bride candidate. So, go back to your kingdom safely.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± When the two stepped back, with their faces white with shock, the emperor looked at Princess Moira. Unlike his casual gaze at the other princesses, he was staring at her sharply. ¡°You are no exception, Princess Moira. Are you unhappy with my decision? ¡± ¡°¡­ No, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say one thing for your own good. The Kingdom of Lua is now an ally of my empire, and I¡¯ll dispatch a delegation to the Kingdom of Lisa. Do you understand what I mean?¡± ¡°Yes, I know, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Although she was full of anger in her green eyes, she stepped back, biting her lip. Now, Princess Beatrice was thest turn. She was trembling heavily before him. ¡°Princess Beatrice.¡± ¡°I want to give up, Your Majesty. I didn¡¯t even dream about it. ¡± ¡°Is your kingdom on the same page with you?¡± ¡°Well, that is¡­¡± When she didn¡¯t answer clearly, the emperor smiled at her gently. ¡°I don¡¯t think your kingdom would balk at my decision. In some respects, your kingdom should be grateful because it was not destroyed by the empire yet.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Good. Let me send an official delegation to the Lisa kingdom sooner orter. I want you to stay here until then.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Your Majesty.¡± When Princess Beatrice stepped back, trembling more noticeably, the emperor looked at them once more. Duke Jena and his followers were standing, nervously looking at the emperor. Whenever their eyes met his eyes, they lowered their heads. In fact, the emperor had never officially mentioned the families of Kaisil, Heidel and Laurel that he disbanded ten years ago. ordingly Duke Jena and other nobles had no choice but to cringe at his direct mention of the annihted families. As the emperor had legitimate cause to crack down on them, he could disband their families, too, anytime if he made the decision. ¡°As all five candidates have given up or have disqualifying factors, I have decided not to select the crown prince¡¯s bride this time. If you have any objection, speak to me now.¡± Cold silence fell. Who could dare to raise their objection in this situation? Looking around the quiet banquet hall once more, he said with a satisfied smile, ¡°Fortunately nobody is opposed. Thanks for your loyalty. I won¡¯t forget about it. ¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± After everyone bowed to him to show due manners, they remained silent. Looking at them casually as if nothing happened, the emperor said, clicking his tongue, ¡°Well? What are you doing here? Today is thest day of the festival. Enjoy the party fully.¡± Of course, it all started from the confrontation between me and Duke Jena, but it was the emperor who froze the jovial atmosphere of the banquet. When I looked at him with a puzzled look, he happened to see me and said with a smile, ¡°Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Can I ask my future daughter-inw to dance with me?¡± ¡°¡­ It is my honor, Your Majesty. ¡± I made a forced smile brightly and held his hand. As I knew his true self, I could not deal with him asfortably as I used to. Even though the band yed a song at a very slow tempo, I found myself moving unnaturally. Looking at me quickly, he said with a smile, ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t intend to surprise you, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°When you were young, you often acted cute to me. As you are growing up, you are acting like your father more and more. I¡¯m a bit sad about it. ¡± What did he say? Did I act cute to him as a baby? When I opened my eyes as I have never heard it before, he said with augh, ¡°Why, are you surprised?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Jeremiah, your mother. When she was alive, she often came to the Imperial Pce, holding you in her arms. When I came to see you, you often toddled along to me, babbling cutely. How cute you were when you reached out as if you wanted me to hug me!¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°When I hugged you because you were so cute, youughed and yed with my hair. Yeah, you did so when you were a baby,¡± he said, as if he was lost in old memories. ¡®What should I say?¡¯ I was agonized over how to reply, when the music required me to pull back from him. I let go of his hand and made two turns to the left. At that moment, I caught the eyes of the crown prince, who was staring at the emperor with some nostalgic feelings. It was something like a deep yearning that I felt for him in the past. After making one turn, I looked at him again while approaching the emperor. This time, he was looking at me, but I could not read any emotion in his deep blue eyes. Suddenly, I recalled a question that I had forgotten. Holding the emperor¡¯s hand once again, I thought about it. Can I ask him? As if he noticed I was hesitating to say something, he said yfully, ¡°If I look at the way you are hesitating to say something, you are really acting like your father. So, what do you want to ask me? ¡± ¡°Well, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Just make yourself at home. Feel free to ask.¡± ¡°When you said you are nning to announce something, is it about the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± When he readily answered, I plucked up courage and continued to ask. ¡°If you decided not to ept any princess, may I ask why you allowed them toe here from the beginning?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you the reason before? I just respected my son Rub¡¯s decision.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Well, with my decision, I kept the noble factions at bay, and broke the alliance that the Eet kingdom was trying to form with the Lisa kingdom. Thanks to that, I won the support of the Lua kingdom as a new ally. Besides, Princess Beatrice caused an unexpected trouble while she was staying here, which worked in favor of us, too. Come to think of it, I gained a lot in return for allowing it.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°What did I say anyway? I told you that my son would not easily give up a precious woman like you. Did you see his expression when you rmended Princess Frincia? Well, she is a smart girl, and it¡¯s good for him to marry her to strengthen the alliance between the two kingdoms. So, I asked for his opinion ¡­ And what he replied is what you see now¡­¡± Was it the crown prince¡¯s decision not to ept any princess? Why? Suddenly, I was more confused. When he looked at me, who was blinking with a nk look, he said with a gratifying smile, ¡°You must be confused. There¡¯s still a lot of time until youe of age. So, think about it a little more.¡± Chapter 95 Chapter 95: Chapter 95 The music ended as soon as he was done talking to me. I lifted the hem of my skirt to show due manners. I headed for the restroom after asking for his understanding. Sitting on a fluffy chair, I was lost in thought. I felt dizzy when I heard that it was the crown prince¡¯s decision not to take any of the princesses as his bride. Why did he make such a decision? ording to the documents he was holding, it was clear that both Princess Naima and Princess Beary had disqualifying factors, let alone Princess Beatrice. As for Princess Moria, it would be difficult for him to choose her because she was strongly supported by the noble factions. But why not Princess Frincia? The crown prince always analyzed the situation cool-heartedly and chose the most reasonable one. He was rational enough to be treated as one who had no emotion. As such, he must have recognized her qualities. Even I, who didn¡¯t know that she was here for the secret mission of concluding an alliance agreement with the empire, rmended her as the best candidate for the friendship of the Lua kingdom. As he was involved in the negotiations, he must have sized up her capabilities. Above all, the best way to strengthen the alliance was to form an alliance through marriage. When I sighed, I suddenly saw myself reflected in the mirror. A hair ornament on top of my wavy silver hair and the glittering jewel tiara decorated with pastel pink stones and diamonds on a gold background. ¡®Wait a minute, pink stone?¡¯ I hastily took off the tiara. Tiara in gold. Ne and earrings made of gold chains. A tiara decorated with pink stones and diamonds, nes and earrings decorated with pink stones, and a dress stitched with pink stones. No matter how closely I looked, they looked like one set. How can this be possible? The ne and earrings were given by the crown prince a few days ago, and the dresses were made to match with them. So, I could understand his gifts. But the tiara was given to me by the emperor today. There was no possibility that the emperor saw my ne and earrings in advance. If then, how could he have the tiara made to match them as one set? Only the crown prince could make this possible. Was there any possibility that the emperor and the crown prince agreed¡­? ¡°Do you like it?¡± When I was surprised at my own guesswork, I heard somebody calling me coldly from my behind. I hurriedly got up and showed due manners. The crown prince sat down and beckoned me to sit, too. ¡°How about it? Do you like it? ¡± ¡°Did you prepare the tiara?¡± ¡°Um.¡± ¡°Why? Why did you give it to me?¡±I asked him in a trembling voice. The tiara is the symbol of the royal family. If the emperor gave it to me, I could understand it because he always told me that he wanted me to be his son¡¯s wife. But the crown prince, not the emperor, gave it to me. If he thought that I was only nominally his fiancee, it was good enough for him to look kind and generous to me. But he didn¡¯t have to give it to me. ¡°Well, because you are my fianc¨¦e.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I had it made beforehand, but I wanted to ask your opinion first.¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± ¡°When I asked you a few days ago, you said you still wanted to be the sessor of your family.¡± After he said that, he stopped for a moment. This time he was hesitating, to my surprise. ¡°As for the tiara¡­ Um.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I made the promise to you on the day when I came of age. As you have one year and a half to go before youe of age, I want you to reconsider your decision.¡± ¡°Oh, Your Majesty?¡± My heart was beating like crazy. Did I hear him right? His request that I reconsider my decision to be the sessor of my family was like asking me to be his wife. My eyes trembled as I looked at him. He was staring at me seriously. There was seriousness in his eyes, with no more coldness, dry feelings or mockery. I thought he would choose Jiun if she appearedter, so I thought if any woman was selected as his wife, I would not have to be entangled with his life anymore. But for now I had a little hope that he would take care of me even if Jiun appeared. I bit my lips tight. ¡®Maybe I¡¯m crazy.¡¯ Even though I suffered so much, I was still entertaining a fleeting hope. I¡¯ve been struggling to escape from him for the past four years, I still found myself clinging to him. As a daughter of the Monique family I really had a hard time, so I wanted to be freed from the predetermined fate by all means. ¡®Was I so wimpish that I could let my hair down easily before his warm touch and look? Was I foolish enough to find hope in his kind words when I suffered too much because of him?¡¯ ¡°Lady Monique?¡± He asked in a subdued voice. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°When you look at me, I feel you areparing me to somebody.¡± I was startled to hear that. Like he said, whenever I saw him, I was alwaysparing him with the old him in the past, something like ¡®Oh, he is the same here, different there whenpared to him in the past.¡¯ To my surprise, he already noticed it. ¡°Can¡¯t you see me as I am now?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who is the object of myparison, he or they.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I want you to know that what you have seen in me is my true self.¡± My lips trembled. I tried to say something, but when he got up, he turned away without looking at me. When he gradually disappeared, I suddenly felt frustrated and sad. My eyes were welled with tears. Although I sat alone in the empty lounge, with nobody around, I tightly closed my lips for fear that somebody might hear me sobbing. I raised my trembling hands and covered my face. What he said before he left was absolutely true, though I tried to ignore it. I knew he was getting better in his words and deeds, but I was always checking his present activities against what he did in the past. Even though I vowed I would escape from him, I used topare him with the old him. Obviously, the way he acted to me now waspletely different from what he had done in the past, but I continued to reflect on my memories of him in the past when I was with him. In the end, I enjoyed doing so. I thought I overcame my trauma when I didn¡¯t feel repulsive about him and when I could confidentlypare him with the old him. Was I mistaken? I was short of breath. Suddenly, one question came to my mind when I was taking a breath. Then, who did I pin my hope on when I entertained it a moment ago? Was it him now or the old him? If I had hope in the old him, was I still holding on to my ties with him in the past that I tried to cut off so desperately? What he said kept hovering into my ears. The old him and he now and here, and me. I felt dizzy. ¡°My Lady, please wake up!¡± ¡°¡­ Lina.¡± ¡°Mydy?¡± Starting today, I was supposed to report to work at the Knights Division, but I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes open. My voice was hoarse. Approaching my bed in a hurry, she touched my forehead and said in surprise, ¡°Mydy, you have a fever! Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were sick?¡± ¡°Really? I felt fine until yesterday. ¡± ¡°Wait a moment. I will tell your father.¡± ¡®Oh, you don¡¯t have to do that.¡¯ I thought to myself. I thought I didn¡¯t feel good because I was very much agonized over what he said to mete into the night yesterday. I tried to raise my body, but I couldn¡¯t strain my arms. My father came in with a surprised look when I was struggling to get up. ¡°Tia, I¡¯ve just heard that you are sick. You looked fine just yesterday, but it looks like you overworked yourself these days. ¡± ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°You have a high fever. Take a rest today. ¡± ¡°But I have to report to work, starting today¡­¡± ¡°Let me tell you boss about your condition.¡± He came to the side of my bed, gently hugged me as I tried to get up and had me lean on his chest. He said, touching my forehead, ¡°I have to call a doctor.¡± ¡°Oh, no, Dad. I will be alright if I rest well. ¡± ¡°Okay, then take a rest. If the fever doesn¡¯t go down in the afternoon, then let me call a doctor.¡± Chapter 96 Chapter 96: Chapter 96 My father pulled a nket over me. Watching him leaving the room, I fell asleep. How much time passed? When I opened my eyes again, I saw Lina standing beside my bed in embarrassment. ¡°Lina, give me some water.¡± ¡°Oh, here it is, mydy.¡± When I quenched my thirst with lukewarm water, I felt a bit better. Holding the empty cup, she said, ¡°Mydy, there is something for you from the Imperial Pce¡­ ¡± ¡°Huh? What is it?¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± What Lina gave me was a small box and a letter. The moment I saw the envelope, I was short of breath. An envelope with golden pearls on a blue background. It was from the crown prince. Breathing hard, I opened the box. I saw the finestvender leaves inside. The peculiar scent ofvender leaves tickled my nose. Was it because I smelledvender leaves that were known for soothing the nerves? My breathing eased little by little. I took a big breath before opening the envelope. < I heard that you took sick leave.> I let out a deep breathing. When I saw thest part of the letter written in sloppy writing, which was unusual, I felt stuffy again. ¡°Oh, mydy?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I came to my senses when she called me hesitantly. She was usually hesitant. ¡°Well¡­ Duke Verita¡¯s son is here.¡± ¡°Allendis?¡± ¡°Yes, he came a long time ago, but he said he just wanted to see your face before leaving¡­¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± I quickly got up, started. Why didn¡¯t she wake me up If I had a visitor instead of keeping him waiting? I hurriedly changed into casual clothes and headed for the reception room. ¡°Hi, Allen¡¯.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Tia.¡± ¡°Huh? It¡¯s only been three days since we metst. ¡± ¡°Really? By the way, I hear you¡¯re sick. You don¡¯t feel so good? Can¡¯t you take some more rest?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine now. I got better after rest. ¡± Suddenly, I remembered my first meeting with him. One day after I had just returned from the past four years ago, I was sitting here like I am now. When I saw his with light green hair, I stood up. ¡®At that time I called Lina and gave him tea.¡¯ Lost in old memories, I asked Lina to bring the same tea I had served him back then. ¡°Lina, please bring a cup of rosemary tea. ¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± Hearing my order, Allendisughed brightly. Back then, he was only thirteen. Now, he was a seventeen-year-old young man. Her fresh light hair and emerald eyes were still the same as before, but his short hair grew long enough toe down to his chest. The boy with white face now looked more mature. ¡®Wow, time flies!¡¯ So much time has already passed since the day I started living a new life from the day I came back as a ten-year-old girl. ¡°Tia, that sounds like what we talked about when we first met, righ?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Oh, you also remember it. ¡± ¡°Of course. I remember vividly whatever I have seen or heard once. ¡± ¡°¡­That must be hard for you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Iughed bitterly at Allendis, who seemed to be puzzled at my response. Memories of one¡¯s past that came to mind vividly? What if I remembered the memories for the rest of my life, which always tormented me before epting a new reality? I would go mad. I didn¡¯t even want to think about it. ¡°To remember anything vividly means that you keep thinking of bad memories or things that you want to forget as if you just experienced it, right? That must be hard for you.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re right, but it depends on how you think about it.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well, you just keep making good memories so much that you don¡¯t recall bad things or what you want to forget.¡± Maybe he was right. When I had just returned from the past, I was troubled by the memories of the past that came to mind, but as I made new acquaintances and rtionships, I recalled fewer things than I did before. But that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯repletely free from that memory. After the day I wrote everything down in the mirror room in my dream, the memories that came to my mind vividly were fading away little by little, but I could notpletely get rid of my painful memories of the past. ¡°Here you are, mydy.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, just leave it here. ¡± I woke up from my idle thoughts as Lina came in. When I lifted the mug, I suddenly saw a small basket next to Allendis. What is that? I have never seen him carrying something like that. As if he noticed my gaze at that, he put the mug down and said, ¡°Well, I nned to give it to you, but forgot while we were talking about our old memories.¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± ¡°I went to the vige and bought it, thinking about you. Take it. ¡± I stood up hastily and received the basket that he gave me. What is this? When I tried to ask him what¡¯s inside, I noticed a bunch of round hair moving. ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡°¡­ a cat?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard the cat was born two or three months ago. I was about to pass by the pet shop, but I bought it as it looked like you. The moment I saw it, I thought of you. ¡± It was a kitten I saw in the basket. She was very small, with soft, long silver fur. When I touched it curiously, the crouched cat raised her head. When she raised her right foot and mewed, rubbing her golden eyes, she was so cute. ¡°So pretty¡­¡± ¡°Do you like her?¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you so much, Allen. ¡± The small cat curled up again and fell asleep after yawning. I carefully put the basket down next to me and raised my head. I could see his emerald eyes warmly looking at me. ¡°Allen, what¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°Huh? You have to name her, Tia. ¡± ¡°Really? Well, which name would be good? ¡± ¡°Think hard about it and let me knowter. Okay?¡± ¡°Sure, Allen.¡± I nodded, smiling at him brightly. What¡¯s a good name? I wanted to give her a really good name. I thought about it, but couldn¡¯t find one. While I was thinking hard about her name, I suddenly felt sorry for Allen looking at me. Oh my god! I was neglecting him while I paid attention to the cat! Originally, I nned to go to the vige to enjoy the festival with Allen. I got a little better, but I couldn¡¯t go out today. ¡®Oh, let me try that.¡¯ I suddenly thought we might y a chess game that we used to enjoy in the past. ¡°Allen, how about ying chess? We haven¡¯ yed in a long time.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯d like to. Let me see if you are better now, mydy,¡± he replied with a smile. When he and I were practicing fencing together, we often yed chess together in the parlor on a rainy day when we couldn¡¯t practice. I thought I was above average, but I was defeated every time I yed against him. No matter how hard I practiced it, he used all sorts of extraordinary tactics to beat me. ¡°Checkmate!¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Well, this is my 78th win, Tia.¡± ¡°¡­ Hey, don¡¯t remember that. ¡± When I retorted bluntly, he grinned at me. ¡®Dang it! How can you sacrifice a lot of pawns and throw knights as bait, then catch all my pieces with just one bishop? Does it make any sense?¡¯ Why can¡¯t I beat him even once? ¡°Would you like some advice?¡± ¡°Ugh? What is that?¡± ¡°Tia, you tend to focus on rooks and knights. Why don¡¯t you try other things such as bishops or your queen? ¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Thanks, Allen. Let¡¯s y one more game.¡± ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± He then put the knights back. Let me try using bishops and queen like he suggested, taking out some rooks and knights. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s a draw!¡± ¡°Yea, you¡¯re right!¡± ¡°Wow, I yed a draw in our 79th game!¡± I eximed with joy. ¡°Hey, you told me not to count the game, but you cared about it deep down, right, Tia?¡± Despite his teasing, I was happy. When I used knights like he advised, I yed a draw for the first time. Although I didn¡¯t win, it¡¯s an achievement for me. While looking at me, he stood up with a smile. I stood up, too. He gently stroked my hair and said, ¡°I have to go. You should rest now. ¡± ¡°Okay, Allen. By the way¡­¡± ¡°Ugh? Why, Tia? ¡± Chapter 97 Chapter 97: Chapter 97 ¡°You know we promised to go to the vige. We¡¯ve got only two days, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Which day is good for you?¡± ¡°I thought you forgot it, but you didn¡¯t. Given the choice, what about thest day of the festival?¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll see you then.¡± After seeing him off, I came back to the room and looked down at the cat, which was asleep with Lina. In the end I, too, fell asleep while looking at the sleeping cat. The next day I was about to report to work with a light heart when I heard the cat meowing. I hugged the little cat with glittering golden eyes, crying at me. ¡°Hi, Luna. Good morning.¡± The name of the cat I coined after thinking hard all evening was Luna. I gave her that name because its glittering silver fur was like the beaming moonlight. When I saw her looking at me with her golden eyes, I really couldn¡¯t walk away. ¡®As I have to work inside the office today, can I take her with me? Oh no, I¡¯m working in the office. I shouldn¡¯t.¡¯ After agonizing a bit, I put Luna down. I felt sorry as she hung on to me, meowing, but I got in the wagon, thinking I would spend time ying with her aftering back. When I arrived at the Imperial Pce and got out, I saw a bunch of silver hair curled up on the foot step, with its head buried in its paws and shivering. I felt sorry rather than embarrassed to know how she got on the wagon. Even though the wagon was driving at a slow speed in the capital street, she must have been very scared out there. When I saw her trembling, I couldn¡¯t send her back, so I finally hugged her and headed for the 1st Knights building. When I put her down on a soft chair and stroked her several times, her golden eyes closed in no time. After I confirmed that Luna was asleep, I started taking care of the backlog of work. I was so absent-minded working all day long that I didn¡¯t know it¡¯s already time to go home. I straightened up and stretched my back for a moment when I heard someone knocking. ¡°Come on in.¡± ¡°Hi, time to go home!¡± ¡°Hi, Carsein. I¡¯m almost done now. ¡± ¡°Really? Then I will wait. Come with me.¡± ¡°Sure. Can you wait a minute? I¡¯ll be done in a minute.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± After nodding, he was about to sit in a chair in front of the table. Awakened from sleep, Luna meowed low, wary of Carsein. ¡°Oh my! What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Ugh? It¡¯s my kitten, Luna. ¡± ¡°Luna? Meaning moon? Good name. By the way, she looks like you. Where did you get her? ¡± ¡°Allendis gave it to me as a gift yesterday. She was born two or three months ago.¡± ¡°Did that guy give it to you?¡± Then, he tried to catch her quickly, but hurriedly wrapped his hands. She extended her ws and scratched his hand before hiding under the desk. Her golden eyes were sparkling in darkness, full of wariness. ¡°Hey, you scratched my hand!¡± ¡°Are you hurt, Carsein? Let me see. ¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a little bit of a scratch. Oh, she has a temper! She¡¯s the same as the jerk who gave the kitten to you.¡± ¡°Sorry. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Okay. Why don¡¯t you finish your work?¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Even a kitten has sharp ws. I thought she was soft and gentle because she was docile with me. Was she scared in a strange ce like this? I was sorry for Carsein, and Luna, meowing low under the desk, but I turned my eyes to the papers I was working on. After I was done finally, I held a handful of documents. ¡°I¡¯ll be back after leaving them in the captain¡¯s office.¡± ¡°You done? Okay.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Duke Lars was not in the office today. As he was so busy, I could not know where he was. I waited for a while, but I didn¡¯t feel like he would arrive anytime soon. So, I left a note summarizing the contents of the documents that I sorted out, and returned to my office. When I opened the door, the kitten suddenly came out of the office. ¡®Luna?¡¯ I hurriedly stretched out my hands, but the kitten suddenly disappeared. ¡°Oh dang it!¡± ¡°Carsein?¡± ¡°¡­ Like that guy, she is so annoying. Let¡¯s go out and find her.¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± While I was nkly looking at the ce where Luna disappeared, I came to my senses when he said that. Carsein said he would try to look for her outside the pce gate, and I went to the inner pce. ¡®Where is Luna? She¡¯s still young, so she couldn¡¯t have gone far. ¡® I felt she might be hiding in a dark ce, so I intensively looked for her under the shade of the garden trees and the bush, but to no avail. ¡®Luna, where are you?¡¯ I regretted not sending her back home. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± While I was bent on looking for her, with my head down, I stiffened when I heard a cold voice, which was familiar to me. I knew I had to thank him for sending me the tea leaves, but I didn¡¯t have the nerve to face him, so I tried writing something on the silvery letter yesterday, but stopped several times. In the end, I didn¡¯t send him a reply. I didn¡¯t expect to bump into him so quickly like this. I really didn¡¯t want to check who he was, but I reluctantly raised my head and confirmed who called me. Yes, he was the crown prince with deep blue eyes. He was looking at me quietly, with something in his arms. ¡°Luna?¡± ¡°Luna? Are you the owner of this cat? ¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m honored to meet the Little Sun of the Empire. Yes, she¡¯s my cat.¡± That silver kitten I couldn¡¯t find anywhere was asleep in his arms. How did this happen? I wanted to ask him, but didn¡¯t. When I hesitantly looked at Luna in his arms, he, who was staring at me, opened his mouth, ¡°As the kitten suddenly came running towards me, I thought somebody lost her, so I kept her for now.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you, Majesty. ¡± I lowered my head, smacking my dry lips. I felt very awkward when he kindly exined the situation, with his deep blue eyes fixed on me. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you liked cats.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, I guess it¡¯s a gift you received from somebody who really cares about you.¡± I hesitated, not knowing what to answer. As if he noticed it, he turned after handing the sleeping Luna back to me politely. ¡®Whew!¡¯ I was breathing a sigh of relief when he suddenly turned again after walking a few steps. When he walked back to me and stopped, his face was as calm as usual. I felt relieved to see it, but at the same time I felt a bit upset. ¡®Doesn¡¯t it matter to him? Are you alright? My head is a mess now.¡¯ It was only yesterday that he asked me to look at him as he was now, seeing that I keptparing him with the old him. ¡°I understand you were absent-minded while searching for this kitten. You look like crap!¡± I instinctively looked at my body and stiffened. He gently brushed off the silver hair and the des of grass all over my ck uniform. His blue eyes fixed on me and his gentle touch. I was afraid of his sudden touch, but my fear was fleeting. I found myself moved again when he carefully adjusted my dishevelled uniform. Some meaningless words were on the tip of my tongue. As I was distraught at the moment, I tightened my grip on Luna unconsciously. Luna moved a bit and meowed low. Her golden eyes looked at me as she was trying tofort me. I felt a bit rxed at her warmth, snuggling into my arms. While silently looking at me, he sighed, pulling his hand from me. I was looking at him as he turned and disappeared. ¡°What should I do? I can¡¯t find her¡­ Ugh? Have you found her? ¡± ¡°¡­Oh, yes.¡± How much time passed? I came to my senses at Carsein¡¯s sudden voice. As if he felt relieved to see Luna in my arms, he said with a sigh of relief, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you found her? I was so worried, man.¡± ¡°Ah. Sorry, Carsein. ¡± ¡°Are you okay? You look a bit nk. Were you so shocked because you almost lost her?¡± Chapter 98 Chapter 98: Chapter 98 ¡°I¡¯m alright now.¡± ¡°Really? d to hear that. Let¡¯s go back home as we left the pce anyway.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As he egged on me, I finally took my eyes from the ce where the crown prince disappeared. Holding the little silver cat in my arms, I walked with Carsein toward the house. The next day after the National Founding Day festival was over, Princess Moira left the empire, and Princess Naima and Princess Beary left the day before. And today Princess Frincia was leaving for her kingdom. There were lots of people in front of the gate to see her off, including the crown prince, some of the knights and some ranking government officials. I thought for a moment that it was too much for such arge group of VIPs of the empire to see her off, but at the same time, I felt that it was good to treat her well as she was the princess of the empire¡¯s new ally Lua Kingdom, let alone showing such a spectacle to the outside world. After saying goodbye to the crown prince, she praised other ranking officials for their job during her stay and finally stopped before the wagon. ¡°I wanted to see you before I left, but I¡¯m d to see you here, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Thank you, Princess Frincia.¡± Did she already feel affectionate towards me? I felt a bit sad when I saw her greeting me with a smile. The princess, who saw me smiling wistfully, said, holding my hands tightly, ¡°Lady Monique, I don¡¯t know if you think I¡¯m weird, but the moment I first saw you, I liked you.¡± ¡°Oh, Princess.¡± ¡°You were rational, but when it came to emotions, you were so clumsy in expressing them, so I was impressed with your contradictory attitude. It was amazing to me. I am not sure if I can see you ever again after I leave the empire. But I want to ask you one thing. Would you please be my friend? ¡± ¡°¡­ Of course. ¡± When I saw her sincere look, my heart was filled with a warm feeling. Like Nia or Entea, my rtionship with her was not one of hierarchy, but we were on an equal footing as women. Although I didn¡¯t share much with her, I was d she had the same feeling as me. At the same time, I was sad that after she left, I might never see her again. ¡°Even if we don¡¯t meet, let¡¯s write to each other often. Can you promise?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Smiling brightly at me once, she tightened her hand holding mine and let go of it. She then bowed to the knights and turned hesitantly. She turned towards Carsein who was standing close to me and asked, ¡°Well, Sir Carsein, did you see Sir Lars here? I can¡¯t find him.¡± ¡°Oh, my brother? Well, he has been stuck at home for the past several days. It seems he is not sick, but he wouldn¡¯t answer even if I asked him what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°Really? I wish I could have said goodbye to him before I left. ¡± She turned, saying she was sorry not to see him. After she bowed to everyone once again and ced one foot on the wagon¡¯s foot step, she heard a loud voice, along with the sound of a horse hooving. ¡°Wait a minute, Princess!¡± The man who stopped the horse and jumped down. Waving his red hair and approaching the princess, he stood in front of her. Then, he fell on a knee after looking at the princess for a while. I stopped breathing momentarily at Sir Lars¡¯s unexpected behavior. People began to whisper about him here and there. Opening her light pink eyes wide, she said with an embarrassed look, ¡°Sir Lars?¡± ¡°Princess Frincia!¡± ¡°What are you¡­¡± ¡°Please marry me.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± The whispering that began when Sir Lars knelt reached its peak now. Some of them held their breath, some began to gossip openly, and others even coughed or had the hups, as if something got caught in their throats. Now the princess¡¯s delegation members were also confused and began to whisper among themselves. Stunned like everybody else, Princess Frincia was staring at Sir Lars with a nk expression. Only Sir Lars continued to speak with a serious look, ¡°I was amazed at your beauty when I saw you first, and I had good feelings toward you when you were kind and sweet to everyone. I fell in love with you when you confidently handled it with dignity and grace when you shed with other princesses.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°At first I tried to give up when I thought I couldn¡¯t marry you. But I couldn¡¯t give up. Don¡¯t say that even if we met only briefly, my thought about you was also fleeting. I love you from the bottom of my heart.¡± ¡°¡­ Sir Lars. ¡± ¡°So, Frincia, would you ept my proposal?¡± Everybody became silent. People who stood aghast or surprised shut up one by one when they noticed his serious expression. As soon as he was done proposing, they turned their eyes at her all at once. I was no exception. I felt strange about the way he dealt with her, but never did I think he loved her and openly proposed to her in the presence of everyone. How would she react? My heart. What will she answer? My heart pounded with anticipation. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ept your proposal.¡± Ah! Groans were heard everywhere. It seemed that Sir Las and Princess Frincia were a good match. Sir Lars is the sessor of Duke Lars. As the empire¡¯s next duke, he didn¡¯t have to feel inferior in status. Besides, if she epted his proposal, there would be a stronger alliance between the two countries through their marriage. So, her refusal was more regrettable. Given her character, she would have managed very well as the wife of the empire¡¯s most powerful noble family. The princess, who silently looked at Sir Lars, said with a smile, ¡°How can I get married to you without dating you? I can¡¯t ept your proposal. I can think of getting engaged, of course.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, Princess!¡± ¡°You proposed, calling my name confidently a moment ago. Why are you calling me a princess? Just call me Lynn. Sir Lars, no, let me call you Kaisian.¡± ¡°Are you epting my proposal now?¡± ¡°Yes, but on condition we start dating first.¡± ¡°Lynn!¡± Sir Lars stood up suddenly and hugged her, who was smiling bashfully. Surprised by his bold actions, she quickly closed her eyes and leaned her head on his chest. My heart throbbed when I saw they were happy. I was so envious. At the same time, I was sad. I was sad when I thought of myself, who could not have such pure love like them. I knew I would not have that kind of pure love because I was so exhausted after having loved the crown prince so much and being abandoned by him, even though I desperately wanted his love. I know even though I¡¯m loved by him now, I won¡¯t return it because I will be confused byparing him now with the old him constantly. And perhaps I will constantly feel anxious and nervous, always afraid of being abandoned by him again. ¡°Well, it looks like I¡¯ve done what¡¯s good for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the Empire. Please forgive me for my rudeness as I didn¡¯t greet you first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Congrattions, Sir Lars, Princess Frincia! It seems like we still need to coordinate between the two countries about this matter, but I think we can expect some good news. Right?¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± I heard the crown prince speaking to him with a faint smile. I saw him appreciating the greetings of Sir Lars and bowing to the princess slightly. After congratting the two, he approached the delegation of the Lua kingdom and smiled at them. Just like I did, he must have concluded that Sir Lar¡¯s marriage to the princess would bring more political gains than losses. ¡°Soon, I think we have to send a delegation to the Kingdom of Lua, so please send my best regards to your king.¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Then, I hope you return safely.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After exchanging a friendly conversation with the delegation, he said to Sir Lars, ¡°Let me give you vacation leave for the next week, so escort her to the midpoint of her journey.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Even if you feel I¡¯m not that generous, please be satisfied with it. I will surely include you in the delegation to the kingdom.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Then have a good trip.¡± Chapter 99 Chapter 99: Chapter 99 When the princess bowed to the crown prince and got in the wagon, the delegation of the Lua kingdom, including Sir Lars from the empire, also climbed into their wagons and horses. As the start signal went off, the wagons slowly began to move. ¡®Congrattions, Sir Lars! That¡¯s great, Princess Frincia! I thought I couldn¡¯t see you again, but I will see you sooner orter. I wish you peace until we reunite.¡¯ After I wished her well and turned my head, most of the people already left the ce. I could see Carsein standing nkly in the empty ce. He seemed to have been surprised to see the unexpected behavior of his brother Sir Lars, who was always reticent and blunt. Was it because Sir Lars didn¡¯t tell Carsein anything? ¡°Carsein?¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°Carsein?¡± ¡°¡­Huh? Ah, did you call me? ¡± ¡°Yes. Almost everyone left. Let¡¯s go back now. ¡± Carsein looked back at me with a nk expression and shook his head violently. Then he shook off idle thoughts about his brother and stared at me intensely. When I stepped back at that, he came to me with a meaningful smile. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Carsein?¡± I stammered a bit, embarrassed by his sudden approach, but he raised my hand, ignoring my question. His red hair falling down her bowed head tickled the back of my hand. ¡°Beautifuldy, would you give me a chance to serve you?¡± ¡°Hey, Carsein?¡± Carsein smiled, straightening up. His blue eyes were full of mischievousughter. ¡°Hey, are you surprised? ¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°Oh, you were thrilled, my little girl! Well, I know I am handsome and cool.¡± ¡°¡­What the heck are you doing? I was surprised.¡± When I responded with an upset voice as if I was teased, he reached out to dishevelled my hair and said, ¡°Well, I thought you were hoping for something like this because you looked at the princess with envy.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Are you upset, my little girl?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a little girl!¡± ¡°The fact that you were mad at my word, ¡®little girl,¡¯ means you are a little girl.¡± Heughed out aloud and dishevelled my hair once again. ¡®Dang it!¡¯ He messed up my neatly tied hair. When I opened my eyes wide and stared at him, heughed once again and reached out to me. ¡°Let¡¯s go now. We will bete. ¡± ¡°¡­Okay. ¡± Following Carsein, I was about to turn towards the knights building when I saw the young man with blue hair walking away to the inner pce in the distance. The princess¡¯s delegation left long ago, so I thought he already left. What did he do until now? ¡®Maybe he had something to do.¡¯ By the way, what am I supposed to do today? I did all the paperwork yesterday, so I think I can practice all day long today. Deciding to learn new fencing skills from Carsein today, I headed to the knights building with Carsein. ¡°Hi, Tia. You didn¡¯t forget your appointment today, right? ¡± ¡°Hi, Allen. Of course, I didn¡¯t. I was going to go there now.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. Then, you can leave with me right away. ¡± When I was preparing to leave the office earlier than usual after finishing practicing, Allendis came to see me at the office. Carsein wasn¡¯t there because he went back home first after being called by the duke urgently. ¡®Perhaps he was called over the matter of his brother Sir Lars.¡¯ As it caused such a sensational event, his father might want to hear the details from Carsein who witnessed it all. ¡°What are you thinkin about, Tia?¡± ¡°Ah, Sir Lars and Princess Frincia. Did you hear about it, Allen? ¡± ¡°Huh. I heard. The administration was not upset because of it.There was a big fuss within the imperial government because of Sir Lar¡¯s proposal.¡± ¡°I see. Isn¡¯t it great? How can he propose in a public ce?¡± While walking outside the pce, I chatted with Allendis about various topics. When I got out of the pce and walked a little further, I arrived at themercial district, the nobles¡¯ residential area. But three days after the official festival period was over, there were few going around in those areas. ording to Allendis, I should go a little further and enter the district where themoners live to see the festival on thest day. As it was very far from the pce, he and I had to walk for a long time. I passed by that district while riding in a wagon, but I had never been there personally, so I was very excited to know how themon people lived. Suddenly, he and I became silent. I found it hard to break the silence first, so I walked silently for a while. I saw a gray shadow hanging on the well-paved road. When I moved one step at a time, I looked at the shadow moving with me together and raised my right hand. The shadow also raised its right hand. When I tilted my head, the shadow shook its head. While I was looking at the shadow following me to the end, I recalled the memories of the past. No matter how hard I tried to erase them, or rece them with better memories, the shadow of my past memories that I wanted to forget persistently followed me. ¡°What are you doing, Tia?¡± ¡°Oh, Allen.¡± Allendis, walking with me side by side, was looking at me with a puzzled look. I momentarily wondered whether to speak to him, then asked him a question. How would he behave in a situation like this as someone who remembered everything he saw and heard vividly? How would he ovee it if he was in the same situation as me? ¡°Allen, how can anyone escape from his or her shadow?¡± ¡°Um. Well, like this?¡± After agonizing for a moment, he pulled me to the shade. When I waspletely under the shade, the shadow following me was no longer visible, as Alendis said. But that didn¡¯t seem to be a fundamental solution. I said with a little sigh, ¡°It¡¯s a temporary solution. You can¡¯t escape the sunlight forever. ¡± ¡°Right. But Tia¡­ ¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°If the shadow can think, wouldn¡¯t it be sad? Denying a shadow is like denying the existence of the shadow from its point of view, right?¡± Really? If I deny the memories of the past, does it mean that I am denying everything about the old me in the past? Just because it was difficult to live with the memories of the past, and because it was difficult to continue to embrace me in those days, I decided to ignore the old me and move forward. Although I decided to ignore it, the memories of the past came to me often and tormented me. In order to ovee the past and confront the shadows that keep following me, do I have to embrace all the difficult memories of the past? It has been so hard for me for the past four years. It would be more painful if I had to embrace all the memories of the past. After all, is there no other way than that? Should I embrace all the memories of the past and the shadows of the past that I want to forget in order not to deny my existence? ¡°¡­ I envy the shadow. ¡± ¡°Huh? Why do you think so, Allen? ¡± ¡°Well, the shadow is sofortable, isn¡¯t it? It doesn¡¯t have any expression, nor does it need to talk.¡± ¡°Um.¡± ¡°You know, all the shadow needs to do is to stay silent. No one is telling the shadow to reveal itself.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be too frustrating?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to think about it, and you are envious because there is no one to show you? You envy the shadow because it can stay silent and it doesn¡¯t need to reveal itself?¡± When I replied, tilting my head, Allendis smiled bitterly. I also smiled a bit sadly. A shadow that can¡¯t be separated from me, and our different interpretation of it. ¡®Does Allendis have a shadow, too? If the shadow is a memory of the past that I want to escape, what does it mean to him?¡¯ ¡°Whew, we¡¯re going to bete, Tia. It¡¯s thest day. We need to see various stuff. Hurry up,¡± he spoke with a sign. ¡°Oh, yes. Let¡¯s go. ¡± I resumed walking, seeing eye to eye with him. Two long shadows stretched under the autumn sun walked along the road with us. Chapter 100 Chapter 100: Chapter 100 As it was thest day of the festival, I thought there would not be many people, but the streets were full of the crowds, such as dating couples beautifully dressed up,ughing children cruising through the crowds, pendlers shouting at the passers-by to buy their products, street musicians and dancers, and the spectators. I and Allendis were among the crowds. I breathlessly looked around here and there. As there were so many things to watch, I couldn¡¯t figure out what to see first. Allendis smiled, watching me looking around absent-mindedly. ¡°What do you think? Isn¡¯t it much different from the banquet at the Imperial Pce? ¡± ¡°Absolutely. So many wonderful things and attractions around me.¡± It was really amazing. In the past, I had never experienced anything like this because I was busy taking sses on the empress or trying to avoid the fate of bing the queen. Unlike the pce banquet, where they yed music, danced and talked in a calm atmosphere, the festivals of themon people were more dynamic and vibrant even without music or dance. I wandered from ce to ce and enjoyed watching lots of things. I listened to the songs by street musicians, looked into the foods made from unknown ingredients and looked at the nondescript products disyed for sale on the makeshift stands. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fun, Tia?¡± ¡°Yes. I wish I hade out earlier.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± After smiling at him, I looked around again, wondering if there was anything else worth watching. At that moment, I noticed a ce where lots of people gathered. I heard someone yelling at them toe quickly as the show would start soon. ¡®What is going to begin there?¡¯ When I looked at them closely, I saw them who were in line going into arge makeshift tent. ¡°Allen, let¡¯s go there.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Although lots of people were waiting, they began to move in quickly, so we could go in no time. Even before I went around, the first thing that caught my eye was a white cloth. ¡®Why did they block one side like that? Don¡¯t they need a stage to perform? ¡® I was puzzled, but I found a seat. People gathered together sat, facing the white cloth draped from the top of the tent to the floor. As soon as I sat down with him, there was an announcement that the show was about to start. People chatting here and there paid their attention to the white cloth. When the entrance to the tent was closed, the inside quickly became dark. Shortly afterwards only the white fabric was brightly lit. Perhaps somebody lit a candle behind it. ¡°Thank you foring to the Shadow on thest day of the festival. Now, we¡¯re starting.¡± A shadow of a female doll appeared on the white cloth. ¡®Oh, this is the so-called shadow y I have only heard about.¡¯ I was wondering what it was about, so I focused on the shadow of the woman. My eyes sparkled. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to get married yet.¡± There lived a beautiful girl in a vige. Lots of vige youths tried to win over her heart, but she rejected everybody including a handsome guy, a rich guy and a noble guy. Some said that the woman was too picky, others said she had a hidden lover. Her parents asked why, but the woman always shook her head and refused to answer. What was the reason that she refused to reveal to her parents? In fact, the woman had a guy that she loved. But she couldn¡¯t tell her parents about the man because she didn¡¯t know the man¡¯s name, appearance, age and location. She didn¡¯t know anything about the man. The only thing she knew about a man was what was written in the man¡¯s letters delivered to her two or three times a week. She was very anxious to know where he lived, what he looked like and what his name was, but the man never showed up. ¡°Oh, my cursed blood!¡± The shadow of the woman disappeared, and the shadow of a young man appeared. ¡®Is that the guy who sends her letters?¡¯ I focused on the shadow with excitement. There was a young man living in the vige right next to her vige. He was loved by young women because he was handsome and smart. Although he was a man of excellent talent from a prestigious family, he could not seed the family because he was a concubine¡¯s son. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for my blood¡­ ¡± The young man had a brother. He was not handsome or smart as his brother. He was physically weak, to say the least. Nevertheless, it was this elder brother who would seed the family because he was the son of his father¡¯s official wife. The young man was frustrated and angry, but he was helpless. One day, the young man¡¯s elder brother who stopped by the next vige began to get sick. When his parents asked the doctor, they heard he had mental sickness, and there was no medicine to cure it. In the end, his father urged him to find out the reason. The cause of his brother¡¯s sickness was lovesickness. He fell in love with the woman at first sight, but he didn¡¯t have the nerve to confess to her, and he became lovesick. So, his father promised him that he would certainly help his son marry the woman. But his younger brother, who was strongly opposed to his elder brother¡¯s marriage to the woman, decided to find fault with her in order to nullify his father¡¯s promise. So, he went to the neighboring vige and began to keep an eye on her. However, rather than finding fault with her, the young man suddenly fell in love with the woman. < Dear Lyria, Please forgive my rudeness as I''m writing to you without revealing my name. I am an ordinary young man who loves you. Although I tried not to reveal my heart to the end, I''ve decided to write to convey my affectionate feelings to you. Would you please have mercy and allow me to send you a letter? If you tie your head in a knot when you take a walk in the vige tomorrow, I understand that you have granted my request. Sincerely, Anonymous.> As his father chose her as his elder son¡¯s bride, the young man could not show up in front of the woman, so he tried to give up, but couldn¡¯t. The day after he wrote her a letter after hesitating again and again. The young man who could not sleep at all from anxiety was pacing up and down the next morning. However, even though he waited all day long, the woman did not appear until dusk. As the disappointed young man drooped his shoulders and tried to return home, he saw the woman trudging across the town. She had her hair tied together. All throughout the season, the young man kept writing to the woman. The more letters he sent to her, the more he came to love her. The more he imagined the woman expecting to receive his letter, and the more he imagined her blushing whenever she received his letter, the more he agonized. In the end, the young man burned with hatred of his brother, who stood in the way of his rtionship with the woman, and he was in agony. ¡®Shall I kill him? Without my brother, I can take everything. My family, wealth and honor, and the woman.¡¯ ¡®No, no. Am I crazy? How can I kill my brother because of her? He has cherished me since I was young!¡¯ As the shadow of the agonizing young man stumbled away, the first act of the y was over. It was bright a bit inside during the intermission because they reopened the entrance. ¡®It¡¯s interesting in that it is a y making use of the shadows, and the scenario of the y is very solid. How will it unfold in the second act?¡¯ I was very excited. ¡°Allen.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Allen?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Tia, did you call me?¡± Even though the first act was over, Allendis, who was staring at the front, looked back at me only after I called him several times. What was he thinking about so hard? I asked, ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Chapter 101 Chapter 101: Chapter 101 ¡°Oh, nothing, Tia.¡± ¡°Well, I know you¡¯re busy. I wish I didn¡¯t ask you toe here.¡± ¡°Oh, no. I was just thinking about something for a moment. ¡± Allendis tried to smile indifferently, but there was anxiety in his emerald eyes. I wanted to ask what was going on, but even if I asked, I felt he wouldn¡¯t answer. So, I pretended not to know. When I tried to bring up a different topic, there was an announcement that the second act was about to begin. With the candlelight flickering, the ck shadow appeared again on the white cloth. ¡°Who is the man who sends me a letter? He is a friendly and kind man. Why is he saying he can¡¯t appear before me? I don¡¯t need wealth, honor, or power. Ah! Pleasee to me. No matter who you are, I can love you confidently. I miss you, who you call yourself anonymous.¡± Now, the young girl began to fall in love with the young man who sent her a letter every day. The woman, who thought that someday the young man would appear in front of her, refused all the proposals from other guys and only waited for the young man. However, the young man still could not stand before her. Meanwhile, the young man¡¯s elder brother, who learned that his proposal was rejected by the woman, got sick gradually and finally plucked up the courage to get close to the woman¡¯s house. The woman, who stood near the window waiting for the letter, watched his elder brother returning after hesitating several times. Now, she was convinced that he must be the young man who sent her letters. Deciding not to lose him, she ran out quickly and held him. ¡°I have been waiting for you. Why have youe to me only now? ¡± ¡°Oh, Lyria, you have been waiting for me?¡± Her misunderstanding upset the whole applecart. Since his elder brother appeared in front of her, she didn¡¯t receive letters from him anymore, which she received every day. She soon learned that he was not the one who wrote the letter, but she now began to have good feelings toward this shy and gentle man. She still waited for the letter from his younger brother, trying hard to ignore her good feelings toward his elder brother. The young man, who felt a sense of crisis when his elder brother and the woman were getting along well, was distressed and agonized so much, and finally decided to confess that he was the anonymous who wrote her the letters. On the day he decided to confess, the young man headed for her house, dressed up as nicely as possible. ¡°Lyria, do you remember the anonymous person who wrote the letters to you? No, this is not the way to persuade her. Let me try this. Lyria, please forgive me for appearing before you only now. Oh, not this one. How can I confess to her?¡± While he was agonized about how to confess, the young man already arrived at her house. Waiting for her who was returning from her walk, he was pacing up and down near her house with excitement. The moment he caught his breath and adjusted his dress, watching her shadowing nearer from a distance, he was thrown over his head with dirty water. ¡°Oh my god! I didn¡¯t know somebody was standing there¡­¡± The woman¡¯s mother, who threw the filthy water out of the window after cleaning on the second floor, screamed after btedly noticing a young man outside. ¡°Ahahaha.¡± Laughter came from the crowds here and there. Although they felt sorry for the young man, they couldn¡¯t help but break intoughter as the timing was so dramatic. I also found myself unable to controlughter. Whileughing inaudibly, I looked at Allendis next to me. Even though everyone wasughing, he sat silently. Was it because of the candle shade that he looked gloomy? His face seemed to have hardened for some reason. ¡°Mom, what happened? Oh my god, are you okay? You are all soaked.¡± I was a little puzzled by Allendis¡¯s reaction, but I couldn¡¯t ask because of the y. So, I turned my eyes back to the shadow of the woman. The vigers who saw the young man¡¯s miserable lookughed, pointing their fingers at him. The woman, who returned from her walk, was so surprised to see him that she took out her handkerchief and wiped the water dripping from his body. ¡°Come to think of it, I think I saw you around this ce. Am I right?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. My mother didn¡¯t notice you standing there. Can youe inside and change your clothes? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m really okay.¡± Clenching his fist, he answered bluntly and turned. And he never came back to her house or sent her any more letters. As the young man didn¡¯t show up, the woman was bing tired of him while waiting for the letter he never sent. In the end she gave up the man who she loved, and epted his elder brother¡¯s proposal. Finally, their wedding day came. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I left without telling you in advance.¡± ¡°I wish you attended my wedding. Sorry as you say you have to leave because you¡¯re so busy. Please take care.¡± When all the vigers were heading to the temple to bless their wedding, the young man, who congratted her wearing a pure white dress with a trembling voice, climbed a steep hill overlooking the temple. ng! ng! A bell ringing the beginning of the wedding mass was heard in his ears as he climbed the top of the hill. Looking down at the small temple, he took out all sorts of letters that he had never sent. ¡°Why is love so harsh to me? When I saw you smiling, thinking of me, my heart was sweet like honey. But when I see you wearing a pure dress for someone else, my heart is so bitter as if I am drinking poison. Now, all I have is my heart that has already burned white and be ash. Beloved ones, be happy! I will spread the flowers of blessing for you.¡± The young man holding a handful of letters spread letters one by one down the hill. After sending away thest letter, he threw himself down the hill. People screamed here and there. I, too, could not help but scream. Thest flickering candle was put down when the young man¡¯s shadow threw itself away. Suddenly, the shadow of the young man and the shadows of the couple who had a happy wedding ceremony disappeared, and the tent was filled with darkness. The announcement that signaled the beginning of the first and second act rang. ¡°On the wedding day of the young man¡¯s elder brother and the woman, vigers said something like letters were being thrown from the hill like flowers. As they disappeared quickly, there were not many people who saw it, but they thought they were flowers that blessed the couple¡¯s marriage. After their wedding, the young man never returned to the vige, but his elder brother and the woman allegedly lived happily ever after. ¡± After hearing thest announcement, I was deeply touched. While I was blinking with wet eyes, the candle was lit again. The shadows began to show up one by one behind the white fabric. The woman and the young man¡¯s brother stood hand in hand and bowed. The young man¡¯s parents, the woman¡¯s parents, and the vigers also bowed to the crowds. No matter how long they waited, the young man¡¯s shadow did not show up. Instead, the person who introduced himself as the original ywright of this puppet show came out behind the white cloth and bowed. ¡°Have you all enjoyed the show?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Oh my, the atmosphere is too heavy. As you know, it¡¯s a fun festival, but why don¡¯t you cheer up and enjoy it?¡± As soon as he said that, several clowns came up on the stage and began to show various talents. A clown doing cunning tricks, a clown who threw and caught a dagger and a clown who acted humorously and kept people in stitches. While I wasughing at the funny acts of the clowns, I stepped back, shocked by the sudden appearance of a shadow in front of me. ¡°Gosh, I surprised a beautifuldy. I will give you this as an apology. ¡± When the clownughed humorously and waved his empty hand, a red flower was instantly held in his hand before I knew it. My eyes popped up at that. The clown, whoughed out loud, handed me the flower and walked to the other side. I briefly looked down at the red flower in my hand. Have I ever received this kind of flower? No matter how hard I traced the memory, it seemed that I had never received a flower from anybody. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Tia?¡± Chapter 102 Chapter 102: Chapter 102 As the clowns moved around and had the spectators in stitches, Allendis sat stiff in a pensive mood and looked at me with a puzzled expression. ¡°Ah, nothing.¡± ¡°Huh? Anything wrong with the flower? ¡± ¡°Oh, no. Well, I just don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever received a flower from anybody. ¡± After hesitating for a moment, he said casually, ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry, Tia? It¡¯s already past dinner time.¡± ¡°Really? I feel hungry a bit.¡± ¡°How about the restaurant we went tost time? They serve good food there. ¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go.¡± We passed through the crowds who still had no signs of decreasing and left themoners¡¯ district. As I was amazed by lots of things I saw today and I felt good about the red flower I received, I kept talking to him while walking toward the restaurant, but he responded btedly as if he was preupied with something else. ¡®He is really weird. I thought he was okay before the show started.¡¯ However, when I thought about his attitude, I didn¡¯t think he would answer if I asked why, so I just headed to the restaurant without asking. When we arrived at the restaurant after a long walk, there were not many customers. We sat at a table with a good view that was isted from the outside, but Allendis asked me to excuse him briefly. After he came back, we ordered and soon enjoyed the dishes, which were quite good today. When I smiled in satisfaction, cut a piece of a dessert cake, and put it in my mouth, a waitress appeared with a handful of flowers and handed them to me. ¡®What the heck?¡¯ When I looked at him curiously, Allendis said with a smile, ¡°Take them, Tia.¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± ¡°You said you had never received a flower from anybody, so I ordered them.¡± ¡°Ah. Thanks, Allen. They¡¯re really pretty.¡± Did he act strangely a little while ago because of flowers for me? I smiled, looking at the handful of flowers in my arms. When I was smelling the scent of the flowers with my face close to them, he opened his mouth after hesitating for a while. ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Tia, mydy.¡± ¡°Why, Allen?¡± ¡°I would like to tell you something.¡± ¡°Huh? What is that?¡± His emerald eyes looking at me were sparkling intensely. Then he took a deep breath and said, ¡°I like you, Tia.¡± I breathed in roughly and stuttered with a trembling voice, ¡°¡­ Ah, Allen. ¡± ¡°From the moment I met you, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off from you as I liked you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s too early. I know you¡¯re still the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e. But Tia, can you ept me on the day you be the sessor of your family?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care when, as long as you can be my girl¡­ I can wait for you forever. ¡± I looked at his trembling emerald eyes. Unlike his usualposure, he was waiting for my answer nervously. As I was at a loss about what to do, I just looked down at the flowers in my arms. A number of thoughts crossed my mind. ¡®What beautiful flowers!¡¯ The red petals were shiny, and its green leaves were vivid like the greenery shining in the summer sunshine. Given its gorgeous appearance and vivid colors, its scent should be strong, but it was not strong, but fragrant enough to tickle the tip of my nose. The bouquet, which was too big for me to hold even in my arms, was full of dazzling color because of the small white flowers covering dozens of red flowers like drops of blood on a white snow field. ¡®Stop avoiding reality, Aristia.¡¯ I scolded myself for looking at the flowers, lost in idle thoughts, as I had not the courage to face the reality when I was not ready for it at all. Now, I had to tell him about my honest feelings instead of appreciating the bouquet. When I came back as a ten-year-old girl, a boy suddenly appeared before me as I was doted upon by my father. He was none other than Allendis, a boy with light green hair and a vibrant look like spring buds. The boy helped me enter my current reality. Thanks to him, I got out of my easy-going life and started fencing, the first step to bing the sessor of my family. The boy cried andughed with me instead of sending me alone to the world of swordsmanship that would be a long and arduous journey. The boy with the green eyes like the verdant summer and dynamic youth helped me get out of the past and move forward. The boy gave me the warmth of a human when I refused to contact anyone except my father and Lina. He began to embrace me warmly when I was often surprised by a mere touch. A sense of fear and rejection that I felt when I touched someone gradually began to disappear thanks to him. Suddenly, I was looking for warmth in another person. He and my father were everything to me. At first, I was wary of him and did not open my heart, but as I spent more time with him, I suddenly found myself getting addicted to his warmth. He was like my brother and only friend. I blindly followed him because he sometimes acted maturely like my brother to lead me and sometimesforted me like a family member. I felt warm when he cautiously stroked my hair andforted when he gently embraced me. I was happy when I watched him calling me ¡®mydy¡¯ with a vow to be my knight. I was sometimes jealous of his brilliant talent. I trusted him when he told me he would help me escape the fate of bing the queen. ¡®He was all of me.¡¯ As my rtionship with him was shaped like that from the beginning, there was no way for our rtionship to avoid unravelling. I blindly turned to Allendis just like I did to the crown prince. On the day I finally confided my genuine feelings to him, however, my heart sank when I read distrust in his eyes. I felt as if my blind trust in him had been shattered. That day when I asked him a question with the same trust in him that my father had shown me, he replied with shocking disbelief, which made me realize that though he was all of me, I was not all of him. I was so sad. I felt as if my heart would break anytime like cracked ss. I went down to my father¡¯s estate because I was so sad about my broken trust in Allendis and the restoration of my rtionship with the imperial family. At the estate, I could face the reality little by little. I realized that my current life was different from my past life, but through the ¡°mirror room,¡± I finally realized where I was standing and where I had to live in the future. I could stand on my own without relying on anybody else blindly. I think it was around that time when my rtionship with him started to change. I couldn¡¯t rely on him blindly anymore. Although he was still like my family member and a dear friend of mine, he was not all of me anymore because I began to live my own life. Even though I didn¡¯t realize it, the fact that I didn¡¯t think of contacting him when I returned from the estate showed that my rtionship with him was different from the past. In fact, it was a poor excuse that I was too busy with taking courses on bing empress to contact him. In the past, I would have contracted him first no matter how busy I was. It was when I visited him again after my return to the capital that I clearly realized it. When I avoided his hand unconsciously when he reached out to me, and when I could no longer feel the warmth in his arms that took away all my worries, I clearly realized that my world would not revolve around him again. While I began to stand on my own, my reliance on him began to decrease inevitably. My world that had beenposed of my father and him began to be filled with people who were important to me in various ways. Namely, the knights of my family, my colleagues in the 1st Knights Division, the knights of the 2nd Knights who dly weed me when I visited them sometimes, noble wives and youngdies I met in social circles and Carsein, who became as close to me as Allendis, and the crown prince who I seemed to take me a little more seriously as my fiance. Chapter 103 Chapter 103: Chapter 103 Since I couldn¡¯t remain reliant on him forever, I began to spend less and less time with Allendis as time went by, and I began to carve out my own life. Of course, he was still a good friend of mine and a precious person to me, but he didn¡¯t mean everything to me as he did when I was a child. ¡®Then, what does he mean to me right now when four years have passed since I met him?¡± As I met many different people over time, I found my heart going away from him gradually. Despite that, he was still very important to me. He was my first friend as well as the one I wanted to rely on for the first time. He was the only one that I allowed to call me by my pet name, and the sanctuary of my heart. But it was not what Allendis wanted from me. He was asking me to be his partner. He was asking me to be his only lover now. ¡®What kind of feelings do I have for him now?¡¯ So, I decided to unravel my feelings about him one by one, which I had sealed in my mind as I was so confused and scared, andpare them with the kind of love that I came to know. Only when I looked into them carefully did I realize that although I felt cozy and happy about his warmth, I was not thrilled anymore. Although I missed him when I didn¡¯t see him often, I didn¡¯t feel heartbroken because of that. Although I enjoyed spending time with him, I wasn¡¯t looking forward to it as eagerly anymore. ¡®Ah, that¡¯s the answer.¡¯ My feelings toward him were definitely different from his toward me. That¡¯s why my heart didn¡¯t beat fast like before when I felt so cozy and warm like spring sunshine in his arms. That¡¯s why I felt good but didn¡¯t feel thrilled when he stroked my hair. And that¡¯s why I felt sorry and sad when I realized how he felt toward me . Although I felt affection for him as someone who was precious to me, I didn¡¯t love him as someone of the opposite sex. I was aware of this unconsciously, but I was afraid of facing this reality even when I realized that our feelings for each other were not the same. I could not tell him the truth because it would hurt his feelings all the more. ¡°¡­ Allen. ¡± Was it because I was so nervous at the moment? I swallowed unconsciously because my mouth felt dry. When I looked at him waiting for my answer while touching my hair tie nervously, I began to feel heartbroken. ¡®Do you know that? Even though my feelings for you are different from what you feel for me, you¡¯re still the most precious person after my father. You are my most cherished friend. You are like a shade of a tree thatforts my tired mind and you are like the new buds that you grew on my frozen heart. I don¡¯t want to lose you, Allendis. But at the same time I don¡¯t want to lie to you.¡¯ Now that I realized how cruel I was to you, I could not put false hope in you because of my unscrupulous selfishness. ¡°Allen.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°I really¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ Tia? ¡± ¡°Allen, I really¡­ ¡± As soon as I tried to say something, I was suddenly choked with outpouring emotions deep down. Tears were welled in my eyes in an instant as I was choked up. Barely clearing my throat, I began to open my trembling lips. When I lowered my head as I couldn¡¯t look him in the eye, I saw the bouquet in my arms. ¡®This is the first bouquet I received from my precious one.¡¯ The green, red, and white colors of the flowers were blurred in my eyes. I felt so sorry, sad and guilty at the moment that tears began to drop onto the flowers. ¡°I am really¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Stop there, Tia. You can answer meter.¡± ¡°Allen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to get up. We¡¯re going to bete again.¡± ¡°Allen¡­ ¡± ¡°Your father will hate me. Come on, Tia. Do you wanna see him rebuking me?¡± ¡°Stop it, Allen. stop¡­ ¡± My tears now began to fall in big drops. When I saw him trying to avoid this awkward situation by responding in a hoarse voice, as if nothing happened, I felt more heartbroken. ¡®It¡¯s my fault. Because I was selfish, and because I couldn¡¯t tell him the truth for fear he might leave me, even though I knew his heart, I broke his heart.¡¯ Although I experienced the excruciating pain of love myself, and even though I knew better than anyone else how severe a torture it was to give a little hope to someone earnestly expecting a bit of love, I was so cruel to Allendis. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Allen. I¡¯m so sorry. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I am sorry that I cannot ept your love. I¡¯m so sorry I have to break your heart so much. I am really¡­ ¡± When I saw his tightly closed lips and empty green eyes, I was so saddened. In the end, I covered my mouth with both hands, holding back my crying. As someone who had been so cruel to my most beloved person for my selfishness, I was not even qualified to cry before him. I bit my lip as hard as I could. I felt something hot flowing with a tingling sensation and tasted the blood at the tip of my tongue. I didn¡¯t care because my pain was nothingpared to the pain he was feeling right now. Compared to the blood that he shed because of the pain inflicted on him, a few drops on my lips were just nothing. ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t do it, Tia. ¡± ¡°What?¡± Since I couldn¡¯t see him talking to me with a hoarse voice, I asked, looking down at the beautiful bouquet in my arms. He said in an unstable and trembling voice, ¡°Don¡¯t bite your lip. You have blood on your lips. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Why did you bite so hard? It will hurt. ¡± ¡°¡­ Allen. ¡± He stumbled while standing up. He ced one hand on his forehead, closed his eyes for a while and opened them. He then approached me as if nothing happened, and slowly knelt before me. With one knee up and the other knee down, he looked at me. As I still couldn¡¯t face his warm green eyes, I lowered my eyes. My hands holding the bouquet trembled. After seeing me nervous, he held my hands with both hands. My eyes were blurred with tears again when I felt his warmth when he was kind to me even in this situation. Folding my hands gently, he put his on the back of my hands and patted them lightly. He took out a folded handkerchief from his pocket and put it on my lips. My heart ached when he wiped the blood on my lips gently. I saw his white, long fingers. As he wiped away my welled tears, he said in a low croaky voice, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Tia.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You are much prettier when you smile. So, don¡¯t cry and smile, mydy. ¡± ¡®Mydy.¡¯ I flinched at that title at some point when he began to call me like that casually. One day while I was practicing fencing with him, I asked him if it was true that Sir League told me he would not be a knight, no matter how much he practiced. I knew that as the second son of the top civilian official Duke Verita, it would be more natural for him to join the government, not the knights division like me. At that time, he said even if he would not pursue the path of a knight, the woman he had in his mind all the time would be me, so he would call me ¡®mydy.¡¯ Yes, that¡¯s what he told me. ¡°Tia, even if you don¡¯t ept my love¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Just like I promised you as a child, the woman in my mind will always be you.¡± ¡°Allen¡­¡± ¡°So, just allow me to call you mydy, will you?¡± My tears, which stopped a minute ago, began toe down again. ¡®Allen, don¡¯t expect me. Do not have any hope in me. Don¡¯t love me. Just hate me. Hate me who nted false hope in you by not being honest about my feelings toward you. Hate me who acted so selfishly because I didn¡¯t want to hurt. Just hate me who could break your heart brutally to the end.¡¯ Chapter 104 Chapter 104: Chapter 104 As I got carried away with the crown prince¡¯s love that I had never received, butter abandoned by him, Imitted the same cruel thing to you like I suffered in the past. I broke your heart too much by avoiding you, but at the same time I didn¡¯t want to lose you. I really don¡¯t deserve to be loved by you. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. I didn¡¯t say that to make you cry, Tia. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m sorry to have given you a burden.¡± ¡°Allen.¡± ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go, Tia. It¡¯s time we went back, ¡± he said with a hoarse voice, turning his head from me a bit. Can I stand up like him? I was afraid I might hurt his feelings again by failing to speak my mind clearly. Although he wanted me to allow him to continue to call me ¡®mydy,¡¯ I couldn¡¯t now. Allendis looked up at me, when I shook my head, signalling my refusal. He closed his lips and stood up. He grabbed my hands and raised me up and said with a trembling voice, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to look at me?¡± ¡°I¡­ ¡± ¡°It¡¯s already dark. I can¡¯t let you go back home alone now. If you don¡¯t mind, just allow me to escort you back home today.¡± ¡°¡­ Sure.¡± I could hardly hear Allendis¡¯ reply because he spoke feebly. When I saw the red and white flowers in my arms, I felt so sorry, sad and guilty again that I was choked up with more tears. I started walking while trying to turn away from the flowers. I heard the sound of him trudging behind me with a heavy heart. Was it because of the mellow autumn? The days were getting shorter. When I arrived at themercial district where nobles lived, I saw a street wide enough to allow several wagons to pass at once. As it was getting dark, the youngdies of the nobles and noblewomen were busy getting back home here and there. Lots of wagons with various crests of the noble families were constantly driving on the well-paved streets, with horsemen shouting ¡®Giddy-up!¡± and whipping the horses. With the sky beginning to turn gray and darkness falling down, I was walking nkly. Was it because I was exhausted? I felt hazy as if I was wandering about in a dream. My head was a mess. I mechanically walked along with Allendis next to me. I didn¡¯t even know how long I walked or where I headed. Nothing came to my mind. I felt as if I was moving as led by somebody. How long did I walk like that? My foot suddenly struck against something. I stopped at the moment and looked down. Something round was there at my feet. I bent over and picked up the round object. ¡®What do I call this?¡¯ Obviously, I knew its name, but my dumb brain couldn¡¯t recall it. I thought hard about it, spinning it in my hands. ¡°Dang it! Can¡¯t you strike it right? Why are you telling me to pick it up all the time?¡± A small child came running to me, grumbling something. Looking for something here and there, he finally found it in my hand. After hesitating a bit, he looked at me and Allendis and opened his mouth, ¡°Excuse me,dy.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°That¡¯s my ball¡­ ¡± ¡®Right. It was a ball. ¡® I was very happy when I could recall the name of the round object, which I couldn¡¯t a moment ago, no matter how hard I thought of. I stopped spinning it. Why didn¡¯t its name ur to me?¡± ¡°Young miss?¡± ¡°¡­ . ¡± ¡°That ball¡­¡± I heard him saying something to me, but I could not understand properly. I still felt as if I was wandering in a dream. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, nobledy.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I will never do it again. So please give the ball back to me. If I don¡¯t get it back, my brother will scold me.¡± It took some time for me to understand what he said to me as I couldn¡¯t think straight. In the end, the child who checked my expression burst into tears. His crying hovered into my ears. Only then did Ie to my senses as if I was awakened from my dream. I looked down at the crying boy. He, who seemed to be a son of amoner family, was neatly dressed up. I quickly smiled brightly at him and gave the ball to him. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s yours. Take it. ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± ¡°Here it is. You said your brother would scold you if you didn¡¯t get it back.¡± I smiled again at the boy looking nkly at me and gave him the ball. Rubbing his eyes, he took it with a smile. ¡°Thank you, sweet gentledy!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Take care!¡± I thought, watching him running back in a cheerful mood. ¡®Gentle nobledy? Gentle? Well, I could look gentle like you said.¡¯ ¡®Love and care for your people. Even if you throw your body at thest moment, try to win their hearts by rendering a service to them while maintaining yourposure. Take care of your subordinates¡¯ pitiful situation and be warm and kind to them because we are nobles reigning over them.¡¯ I was fed up with the motto. But the boy, who didn¡¯t know anything about my situation, might have thought I was a gentledy by just seeing my ceremonial smile. But why is themoner boy hanging around here? There is no ce for themoners between the restaurant in a noble business district and my house in the nobles¡¯ district. As I felt strange, I looked around. Stranger roads and buildings came into my view. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ When I was moving around the capital, I wasn¡¯t familiar with the roads because I usually used a wagon, but I was not in a noble district. Did I take the wrong way? As I was walking in a daze, I didn¡¯t know where I was heading. What about Allendis? Didn¡¯t he also know that he had taken the wrong way? ¡°Allen?¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°I think we took the wrong way.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± He almost resumed walking away when I said that. Only then did he look around as if he noticed something strange. His emerald eyes were looking at me for a while. In the end, he spoke with an awkward smile, ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Tia. ¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± ¡°I think we took the wrong way as I was absent-minded. It looks like we took the opposite road.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s how I felt.¡± My heart ached, but I just nodded. Given that he never forgot what he saw or read once, he must have been so distressed and absent-minded as to take the wrong way. Biting my lip as I was stricken with a sense of guilt again, I walked in the opposite direction. Although I quicked my steps to get back home, I barely arrived at my house after it waspletely dark because I took the wrong way and turned back. ¡°Good night, Tia.¡± ¡°Good night, Allen.¡± ¡°¡­Tia. ¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Whew¡­¡± He let out a sigh after hesitating for a while, which seemed to indicate he felt dejected and frustrated. As I couldn¡¯t see his green eyes, I just tapped my feet on the ground, looking down. I felt helpless and frustrated, too. ¡°Never mind. Take care.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay. Be careful, Allen. ¡± Without seeing him walking away, I stepped into the house, escorted by the house knight at the door. I felt like looking back, so I took a few steps before looking back at him. He was still standing there right outside the gate, looking at me. When I saw his shadow under the torch that lit the entrance to the mansion, tears sprang to my eyes. I turned quickly, covering my mouth with one hand. And I never looked back again until I entered the mansion. ¡°Mydy, you look so pale. You told me you were going to a festival. What happened?¡± ¡°Lina.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on, mydy? Did you quarrel with him?¡± ¡°¡­Sorry. I want to be alone.¡± ¡°What the heck¡­ Whew, got it. I¡¯m on standby outside. So, if you need help, please call me. ¡± ¡°Sure, thanks.¡± As soon as she left, I threw myself on the bed. My tears began to fall in big drops quickly, which I held back because I could not cry heartily in front of Allendis. When I was left alone in my room now, I could cry freely. I hugged my pillow and buried my face. I cried my fill, biting the pillow cover so that my crying could not be heard outside the room. With a sense of guilt, I hated and med myself for rejecting the confession of my closest friend, so I cried and cried for a long time. Chapter 105 Chapter 105: Chapter 105 When I felt a burning sensation in my swollen eyes, and my neck was stiff and my voice was hoarse, I released the soaked pillow. I felt like a limp noodle. As I tried to stand up to put out the candle on my wobbly legs, a soft fluffy thing hung on me and meowed. When I looked down with blurry eyes, I saw the small silver cat. ¡®I forgot you, Luna.¡¯ I held Luna in my trembling arms. I felt sad as the kitten without worry or concern looked up at me casually. ¡®It was Allendis who brought you to me.¡¯ Maybe it was because I was thinking about him that I dropped her. ¡®No, Luna!¡¯ A silent scream burst out in my croaky voice. Fortunately, the silver catnded safely on the floor. While I breathed a sigh of relief, she, meowing sharply at me, ran into the corner under a table. As she would not move out of it, I was worried a bit. ¡®What if she got hurt?¡¯ I put some power in my legs and got up. The kitten, who saw me approaching her, turned around and bumped into the leg of the table. ¡®Oh my!¡¯ The chess board and chess pawns ced on the table fell all at once. Surprised by the loud noise, Luna ran to me and hung on to me. I held her, trembling on the floor covered with the chess pieces. ¡°You¡¯re okay. It¡¯s nothing. Calm down.¡± As I stroked her gently with a croaky voice, she stopped trembling and soon closed her golden eyes. When I was about to get up, holding the sleeping Luna in my arms, I saw the shadows of the chess pawns created on the wall by the swaying candlelight. It reminded me of the shadow y I saw in the vige. I also recalled the puppets that only moved as shadows behind the white cloth. I gently put her down and picked up the bishop near my feet. The shadow of the bishop was on the wall in my hand. I moved my hand around, and the shadow moved along. When I was looking at the bishop wearing a round hat, Allendis came to my mind, who always used the bishop skillfully when he yed chess. When I thought of Allendis, my heart began to ache again. What if I had given him a different answer? Did I really close my heart to him? Could I begin to love him if I had more time? While looking nkly at the shadows of the bishops and pawns on the walls, I opened the chessboard on the floor. I ced a bishop on a ck square. Gathering scattered pieces, I picked up one of them. White queen. ¡®No, not this one.¡¯ I put down the queen and put the rook back on the chessboard instead, which I tended to be obsessed with, ording to Allendis. ¡°¡­ Good.¡± When the shadow of the bishop on the wall asked, the shadow of the rook hesitantly answered. The shadow of Bishop approached the rook with joy. At that moment, the shadow of the rook moved back. The closer the bishop approached, the more the rook retreated. I stopped the bishop in its ce with a sigh. His sad emerald eyes came to my mind. Alendis, who was friendly, kind and warm to me. Allendis who used to care for and love me. ¡®Why don¡¯t you love him, Aristia? Think carefully. Where can you find another man like him? Do you think any man in the world can love you more than him? Change your mind. Don¡¯t you see him looking at you only? If you can¡¯t love him right now, you can try. Try getting close to him instead of staying away from him.¡¯ I moved the rook instead of the bishop. One space, two spaces. The shadow of the rook on the wall gradually approached the bishop looking at it. The distance between them was gradually narrowed. But when there were only three spaces left, the rook didn¡¯t move as if it had been stuck there. Even if I tried to move it with my wobbly hand, the shadow of the rook was still there as if to show that¡¯s as far as it could move. The distance remained as the shadow of the rook that would not move. I smiled a bitter smile. Even though I knew that there was no man better than him, I couldn¡¯te closer to him stupidly. I was a woman who broke his heart. He who was so precious to me. How cold, cruel and heartless I was! I pounded my chest with a fist out of frustration. However, no matter how hard I knocked on my chest with a deep sigh, I didn¡¯t feel better. Does Allendis feel the same way now? When I recalled his green eyes as he waited for my reply nervously, I also recalled the deep blue eyes of Carsein who was looking at me wistfully like Allendis did. How were my feelings toward him? Just like I broke Allendis¡¯s heart, did I do the same to him? I quickly looked down on the floor and put the ck knight on the chessboard, which I found among the scattered pieces on the floor. ¡®Carsein.¡¯ He was aggressive in approaching and contacting me excessively. He smiled at me, cracking jokes childishly after casting an intense gaze on me sometimes. My first meeting with him wasn¡¯t very pleasant, but the young man with red hair, who got close to me little by little, became one of my best friends. The knight¡¯s shadow was indignant. I smiled to myself. ¡®What are my feelings for Carsein?¡¯ Actually I don¡¯t feel the same warmth that I do in Alendis, but he gives mefort in another sense, and he keeps preaching at me to be more mature and makes me smile with joy when I am with him. What the heck are my feelings for him? The shadow of the knight approaching the rook suddenly stopped. The rook then moved one space towards the knight, which seemed to be hesitant. The shadow of the rook that stopped with three spaces to go hesitated. After hesitating for a long time, the shadow of the room paused once again instead of trying to step forward. I saw the shadow of the knight standing still in its ce without moving forward. As the intention of the knight is unfathomable, it¡¯s hard to narrow the distance between it blindly. After hesitating, the rook stopped finally, with three spaces to go. The shadow of the knightughed yfully as it saw the rook hesitating. After looking at their moves for a moment, I cleared the bishop and knight on the chessboard with a sigh. ¡®What the heck am I doing now? Let me clear the chess pieces.¡¯ I picked up the chess pieces scattered all over the floor, and suddenly noticed a king scattered in a shade. I hesitantly picked up the king. I put it on the chessboard. The shadow of the king on the wall and the shadow of the rook standing on the other side. Stunned at seeing the king, the rook hid at the edge of the chessboard. As if it didn¡¯t see the rook or didn¡¯t care about its move at all, the shadow of the king stood firmly in its ce. The king, standing still for a while, gradually began to approach the rook hidden in the dark. The rook, awkwardly hiding in the shade, now walked out of it cautiously. The king¡¯s shadow asked the rook half covered with darkness. As if it didn¡¯t care about anything around it, the king¡¯s shadow quickly moved to the rook. The shadow of the room trembled and retreated. Whenever the king¡¯s shadow approached, the rook stepped back a little, step by step. At that moment, the candle flickered. The shadow of the king on the wall was split into two. The surprised rook lurked into the darkness. The shadow of the king saw its other shadow and said in a bitter tone. When I saw the two shadows, I remembered a headache that I had forgotten for a while: the old him and the present him. Which of the two shadows was the rook looking at? Who was it the old him or the present him that made me have hopes that my frozen heart would be able to survive once more? Two shadows and two princes. The shadows of two dark and light kings, the same but different. Chapter 106 Chapter 106: Chapter 106 The shadow of the rook wandered between the two kings. I was confused while looking at them. Myplicated thoughts and continuing confusion as long as I can¡¯t erase my past memories. I sighed, looking at the rook that was between a rock and a hard ce. When I saw the shade of the table that darkened the shadow of the rook by half, I suddenly recalled that woman with dark hair like that dark shade. ¡®Jiun, who took him away from me. He who was everything to me.¡¯ My confused mind began to settle. I thought everything was fleeting. Regardless of whether the king¡¯s shadow is one or two, it would be invisible once it went into that dark shade. No matter how much he cares for me now, I¡¯m nothing if he abandons me and falls for Jiun who will soon appear. There is no guarantee that my heart will beat again just because I am loved by him now. I barely stood up by putting strength in my legs. Putting down the king and the rook on the table, I hugged the sleeping Luna carefully. After putting Luna on a fluffy cushion near my bed, I looked around the table once again. The shadow of the king was still visible as two because of the flickering candle. The shadow of the rook, half covered by the shade¡­ After a long sigh, I blew out the candle. I didn¡¯t see the bishop, knight, or king¡¯s shadow in the dark room. ¡®Jiun will be hereing soon. Let me put off judging the crown prince until then.¡¯ With aplicated mind, I pulled the bed sheet over my head. It was a very tiring day. I, Allendis, was a special child. They often called me a genius, not an ordinary genius, but an extraordinary genius. I was always praised, but I didn¡¯t care that much because I took it for granted. I still remember the moment I was born. I remember the conversations of the maids who helped my mother give birth to me, what my father said when he first saw me, and the pain of being spanked by him. What I experienced once, whether I read it in books or said or did, came to my mind vividly as if it just happened. I remembered where I was in which year, which month, which day and which time, who I met, what clothes they put on and what color they were. No matter how difficult a book someone brought me, I mastered it by just looking at it once when it took several years for others to do so. People were amazed by me, but my family was happy but at the same time scared. My sickly brother who was very smart, my ordinary mother and even my father, cited as the smartest member of my family looked at me with awe and surprise. As someone who was very good at understanding their emotions through people¡¯s expressions and words, I knew how my family members looked at me. I struggled not to show the genius aspects of my mind, but there was a limit to my efforts because I grew up as an extraordinary child. I still remember my father¡¯s surprised expression when he discovered that even as a five-year-old girl, I solved a math form instantly that would take some time for others to solve. Well, the expression ¡°still¡± was wrong because there existed nothing like oblivion in my head from the beginning. My father loved me much more than my elder brother, Alexis, who was just good enough. I could understand him because he was human. ording to the books I read, humans were such creatures. But my heart was always empty. Whenever I saw my brother smiling brightly at my father and mother, I felt chagrined and frustrated. ¡®Dang it! He and I were born to the same parents.¡¯ At first, I just felt bad about my brother, but as time went on, I hated him more and more. I hated even my parents who liked him only, who were less smart andpetent than me. I felt the urge to kill him when my parents chose him as the official sessor of the family despite the strong opposition of my rtives. ¡®Without that stupid brother, I would have had everything in this house.¡¯ Of course, it would have been very easy for me to obtain a knighthood if I had joined the government, but it was nothing,pared to the wealth and power that came with being the sessor of my family. Controlling my frustration and raging anger, I decided to wait until I met the right timing and change. As I¡¯m still too young to resist my father¡¯s decision, I decided to wait until I came of age. Then one day when I was walking in the hallway, I identally heard what my father was talking in the room. It was about that woman who would change my life. ¡°Lady Monique, what do you think of her as Alexis¡¯ fiancee? ¡± ¡°Pardon? Why are you saying such a scary thing? You know, she is going to be the crown prince¡¯s wife. I am afraid if somebody overhears our conversation and misunderstands.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right, honey. I¡¯m sorry. I think I said nonsense.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but break intoughter. Wasn¡¯t Lady Monique called the child of God¡¯s prophecy?¡± ¡®Are you going to take Lady Monique, destined to be the next empress, as that stupid brother¡¯s fiancee? You¡¯re daydreaming, Dad.¡¯ I almost turned while clicking my tongue and stopped at the spot. Unless he was thinking of treason, my father, well known for his rational judgement, would not have mentioned Lady Monique. Is there any sign that the engagement between the Monique family and the imperial family wille to an end? I know the emperor is adamant about having her as his daughter-inw. If that¡¯s the case, either the crown prince or Lady Monique is trying to break off the engagement. ¡®I wonder if the Monique family can break off the engagement by using the vow that only they can turn to?¡¯ If that¡¯s the case, Marquis Monique is really ridiculous. Why is he trying to kick away good fortune? Besides, no other noble family would challenge him because of his daughter¡¯s status as the child of God¡¯s prophecy. I became curious. I wondered what kind of woman she was as she dared to reject the crown prince. I also wondered what the heck she did to make my father fall for her. Besides, wasn¡¯t she the only daughter of the Monique family?¡± ¡®Can I hit on her?¡¯ Damn it. If I seeded in making her my woman, who my father has already chosen as my elder brother¡¯s fiancee, he would feel bitter and even upset. Besides, isn¡¯t the Monique family a prestigious family that has been traditionally treated as a duke family for its credit as the founding father of the empire? If I marry her, I may take over his father¡¯s noble title. Isn¡¯t this the effect of killing two birds with one stone? ¡°I¡¯m Allendis de Verita, the second son of Duke Verita. I¡¯d like to see Lady Marquis. ¡± I know it¡¯s polite to make a formal request for visit in advance, but I had to make things work secretly to screw my father and my stupid brother over, so I visited her house without advance notice. I was satisfied with the calm reaction of the employees of her mansion despite my unexpected visit. Escorted to the parlor of her house, I was satisfied with thefortable and cozy atmosphere and the stylish interior without splendor. ¡®Wow, a prestigious family is really different!¡¯ Shortly afterwards, a little girl came in with a woman who appeared to be her exclusive maid. Did she say she turned ten this summer? The girl, who looked much smaller than those at her age, was far from cute. Her slender face, skinny body and in blue dress were more mysterious and elegant than cute. I was surprised. Although she was about the same age as the noisy and ignorant girls who sometimes came to my house, I could hardly find anything characteristic of a young girl. Perhaps because of her silvery hair that was softly shining and wavy, the girl seemed to give off a dreamy vibe isted from reality instead of a cheerful and bright atmosphere of the children at her age. ¡°How do you do, Duke Verita¡¯s son? My name is Aristia Monique. ¡± I was once again surprised by the girl¡¯s greeting. As she was so calm when she introduced herself, I couldn¡¯t believe she was a ten-year-old girl. When the girl sat across from me and stared at me, I felt it in my bones that the girl was in my league. Although she pretends to be demure, I saw a swirling madness and deep darkness in her golden eyes. My heart, which I have never felt beating hard since I was born, began to pound faster. Chapter 107 Chapter 107: Chapter 107 ¡°Are you the one who has proposed the newly introduced luxury tax?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Although she was not a match for me, she was much smarter and quicker to understand than the many dumb girls and stupid Alexis around me. Guts got me here, but I now genuinely became interested in her. As I aggressively questioned her, she was clearly embarrassed, which was cute to me. I liked her dreamy vibe, far from reality, as well as her ability to carry on dialogue with me, which I could hardly find in other women. But the reason I really got interested in her was because my father stopped me from proposing to her and I saw her intense gaze at my father. When I saw the deep darkness and a touch of madness in her golden eyes, I thought her gaze was peculiar to that of those who were not loved like me. When she hurriedly pulled her hand from me in surprise when I grabbed it, and when I saw her trembling with her face white, I thought she was perhaps being abused, but I discovered btedly that she wasn¡¯t. I found myself enthralled by her affectionate gaze at her father who looked at her as if she was so lovely. I was fascinated by the deep darkness emanating from the girl¡¯s eyes that had blown away her dreamy aura as well as her desperate obsession with her father and a touch of some blind madness. She was insanely beautiful, and I wanted to have her. ¡®What if she directs that madness and blind obsession at me?¡¯ My heart started beating like crazy at the mere thought of it. I gave up the idea of defeating my stupid brother Alexis. Instead, I decided to make her gaze only on me by all means. However, I made a serious mistake by getting carried away with her in ecstacy. Her father noticed I had a crush on her. Seeing him overly wary of me, I ridiculed him in heart. ¡®Oh, so what? I already know you have a soft spot for your daughter. So, all I need to do is make her like me. Then, you won¡¯t oppose me openly. Well, I¡¯m sick and tired of waiting. So, I want to make her fall in love with me little by little and slowly.¡¯ ¡°Aristia.¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± I didn¡¯t think she was a normal girl, but she was really weird. She seemed to be out of touch with reality as if she was from another world. She did notugh, nor did she cry. I have never seen her get angry. She disliked being touched by people. She was like a doll with no emotions, except when she looked at her father. I didn¡¯t want to give up. ¡®Please show me the same enthusiasm you feel about your father. I want to have you, and I miss you. Please show that blind obsession and dark madness to me, too. Huh? Show me your fascinating beauty, please, my lovely littledy.¡¯ It took me two full years for me to make her feel interested in me. After numerous attempts, I made her ustomed to me touching her. I yed a gentle friend and a sweet lover to her by reciting ¡®softly, warmly, little by little, slowly.¡¯ Now, I began to tame her little by little by stroking her wavy and soft hair and feeling her warmth when she was in my arms. ¡°Allendis.¡± ¡°Did you call me, mydy?¡± Is it her reward for my strenuous efforts? Her golden eyes towards me began to reflect something I had been longing for. Obsession, madness, darkness and blind trust. I was fascinated. Her eyes were so beautiful. I wanted to lock her up right now and make her look at me alone. Whenever I recalled her eyes, my heart beat like crazy. So, I visited her every day. If it had not been for her engagement to the damn crown prince, if the condition had been right for me to take her anywhere, I would certainly have hidden her in a ce no one knew and never shown her to anyone. I began to fall in love with that little silver-haireddy who showed her obsession and blind trust in me. ¡°Are you going to the Imperial Pce today?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡®Damn it.¡¯ Even if she was struggling to escape from the Imperial Pce, the girl was still the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. Sometimes, she had to spend time with him because of the emperor¡¯s order. I did not want to send her. I didn¡¯t want to show her to anybody else. I was afraid that the crown prince would notice her brilliant beauty. Whenever the girl went to the pce, she had a hell-like time. Although I smiled at her as if nothing happened, although I knew through careful background information that the crown prince was not interested in my youngdy, I was trembling with nervousness whenever this happened. I was afraid that she might be taken away. ¡°Again.¡± I threw hot tea on the floor. Clear tea water flew and permeated on the carpet embroidered with two keys intersected between the dried leaves ofurel, the crest of my family. Shortly afterwards, the maid brought tea again with trembling hands. After taking a sip, I tilted the mug again. ¡®It really sucks.¡¯ Tea flowed again on the carpet soaked with water. ¡°Again.¡± ¡®Damn it! Why can¡¯t you brew tea as well as mydy does?¡¯ I felt frustrated and upset, grabbing my chest. By now, mydy would be drinking tea with the crown prince. Even if she doesn¡¯t show him the beautiful eyes reserved for me and her father, she would be chatting with him quietly, with a distinctive, gentle smile. My heart was burning with jealousy. I wanted to go to the pce right away and take her with me. Controlling my raging anger, I poured the new tea the maid brought me on the carpet. ¡°Brew it again!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master.¡± ng! The maid with her eyes welled with tears dropped the empty mug while trying to hold it. Broken pieces of the teacup were scattered on the carpet. She grew so tense at that. ¡®Stupid! You¡¯re not good at anything. Well, there are all stupid guys in this house. My father doesn¡¯t appreciate my value properly, and my mother is busy checking his expression and moods, and I don¡¯t have to mention that stupid brother!¡± ¡°Beat it!¡± The maid, who shed tears helplessly, went out. I looked at the shattered mug pieces once and picked up the book nervously, which the girl said she read with interest recently. I read it a long time ago and memorized all of it, but as she said she read it, I opened it again. Taking into ount her character, I read it, analyzing which part of the book she might have read with interest, and what part would interest her when I brought it up. ¡°Allendis.¡± ¡°What is it? Do you want to say anything to me?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t feel very good. What is going on? ¡± ¡°Why do you care?¡± ¡°You¡¯re back early today. Did you have words with Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Please get out. Don¡¯t meddle in my affairs. Go and take care of my handsome brother. ¡± My mother¡¯s chocte-colored eyes were wet with tears. ¡®Don¡¯t look at me like that. If you don¡¯t love me only, if you don¡¯t look at me alone, please don¡¯t look at me like that. Don¡¯t pretend to care for me now. Go and live with your proud elder son that you dote on so much. I don¡¯t need you. If you¡¯re not going to look at me like mydy, just go away!¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter whether my mother turned in tears or not. ¡®Damn it. I wasted my time on something useless!¡¯ I focused on the book again. I had to sort out my thoughts to share with her if I met the girl tomorrow. ¡°Alendis, the emperor has told me to take you to the restoration projects this time.¡± I should have restrained myself, but I couldn¡¯t stand it if I could not see her insanely beautiful eyes even for a day. So, I visited her house almost every day. In the end, my frequent visit to her house caused trouble. My father said I needed to help him because my brother was physically weak, but it was unreasonable for me to apany my father when I was only 15 years old. Needless to say, it¡¯s the emperor who ordered my father to take me. Obviously, the emperor didn¡¯t like me hanging out with Aristia. I had no other choice but to leave the capital with my father. I had no power to refuse. Somehow, I felt very bad about the situation, but as I had no other choice, I decided to go and build a reputation for myself for the sake of my future. Just in case I can bring the girl back to me, but when I returned to the capital the following spring, the girl was not mydy any more. Chapter 108 Chapter 108: Chapter 108 There were some guys trying to win over her heart as if they could appreciate her worth, including the royal guard apparently dispatched by the sly emperor for her security. When I came back to the capital, I hugged her as if to show off, controlling my raging annoyance. When I saw her hanging on to me with a bright smile, my always present emptiness seemed to melt away instantly. It was the first time I felt such a feeling. Her shyness and trembling from before was gone. Now this little girl with silvery hair initiated an embrace, and the texture of her soft hair wrapped around my hands was so lovely. ¡°Allen.¡± Damn it! At first, I first approached her with the idea of taking her away from my brother Alexis, and I felt good when she paid attention to me, but she became too precious a woman to me before I knew it. When I heard her calling my nickname shyly that no one else called, my empty heart was filled up with joy. When I saw mydy showing tears in her affectionate eyes, I felt so heartbroken. Damn it! Now, I wanted to have all of her, not just her lovey eyes. Her blind trust in me was still fascinating, but her other things were as precious as her trust, such as her faint smile, her calm voice calling me Allen, her silvery hair sparkling like a river, and her golden eyes reflecting me. ¡®I¡¯m trapped!¡¯ I thought I had trapped her in my, but suddenly, I found myself trapped in the. I gave a hollow smile, but I thought this was not bad either. As long as she looked at me, I could devote all of my body and soul to her, such as it was. ¡°Shall we move, Carsein?¡± ¡°Well, good.¡± But I had to deal with this guy called Carsein de Lars. His name was already familiar to me. He was born in the same year as me, called a genius like me and a duke¡¯s son like me. I heard that when it came to swordsmanship, he was unmatched, but I was dumbfounded when I was treated as equal to him when he was only excellent in only one thing. ¡°Carsein, thanks for taking care of Tia while I was away.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I wanted to see you once. I don¡¯t know if I will see you often in the future, but I¡¯m d I can see you here like this.¡± ¡°What the heck?¡± It looked like Carsein was not stupid, given that he noticed I hated him. While trying to smile at him gently, I stared at him sarcastically. I would not have done so in other ces, but as he was in mydy¡¯s house right now, I needed to control the expression on my face. ¡°Hey, I think I know what type of guy you are. Why don¡¯t you show your true colors?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve found out you¡¯re trying to be kind to me only in front of her. So, let me see your true colors, dude!¡± ¡®What the heck?¡¯ I jeered at him. ¡°Oh, you know what you¡¯re doing, man. You look like a carrot guy!¡± ¡°What? Carrot guy?¡± ¡°Looking at the color of your hair, I think that¡¯s a perfectparison.¡± ¡°Hey, you little imbecile!¡± ¡°Are you going to challenge me now, you childish jerk! Come on if you dare.¡± I smiled sarcastically at him as he raged with anger, shocked by my outspoken behavior. But I felt so upset when I learned that he had been around mydy during my absence. ¡°It looks like you have be interested in Tia while I was away.¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°Piss off, when you can. She is mine. I won¡¯t give her to anybody.¡± ¡°Why is she yours?¡± ¡°Dang it! What do you know about Tia, you bastard?¡± I reflected on those memories one by one that vividly came to my mind even without closing my eyes. I suddenly missed this little silver-haireddy. I have to go see her soon and give this jerk a warning. Why do I miss her so much when I¡¯m away from her only briefly? Mydy, you feel the same way, right? Hang in there. I¡¯ll be back to you soon. ¡°She and I first met at two forty-three pm on the third day of the ninth month in 958 by the imperial calendar. That day, Tia was dressed in a simple blue dress, which was long enough to reach her knees.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Since then, we¡¯ve met a total of 561 times. Today is our 562th meeting. In terms of time we spent together, it is 3,226 hours. ¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°We drank 1,358 cups of tea together. We drank lemon balm tea the most among them, a total of 373 cups. Nextes Hibiscus, 294 cups. We hugged 901 times. I stroked her hair 1,384 times. ¡± The carrot guy¡¯s face was contorted. I could see his face turning white little by little. I felt a bit rxed to see that. ¡°So, how long did you spend time with Tia? Can you remember?¡± ¡°You must be a crazy jerk!¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Hey, does Tia know you are so crazy?¡± ¡°What do you think? Does she seem to know in your eyes?¡± ¡°Oh my god, you dumb bastard!¡± I saw Carsein turning back and running away with a dumbfounded expression. Perhaps he will go bug her, insisting he¡¯s going to reveal what kind of guy I am. Stupid guy. Do you think she is going to believe what you tell her? She has total trust in me, dude. I¡¯m sure she will me you, advising you against any bad words about me. If you still want to badmouth me, just go ahead as much as you can. ¡°It¡¯s not the right thing to talk about somebody behind his back, so I won¡¯t listen, Carsein. ¡± ¡®Yes, you don¡¯t betray my expectations, Tia.¡¯ When I saw her cutting him off, I was so proud of her. She was indeed so lovely. My girl, mine, my love, mydy. I had be obsessed with her, though it was me who tried to have her obsessed with me at first. ¡®Just keep looking at me like that, mydy. I¡¯m going to look at you only.¡¯ Just keep staying obsessed with me just like I¡¯m obsessed with you. Only long for me just like I¡¯m anxious to have you. ¡®Beautiful, Tia. I want to have you, mydy. We¡¯re going to keep getting along like this. Got it? My lovely and precious little girl.¡¯ Her trust in me and obsession with me would not go away easily. Nheless, I was nervous. I was afraid she might not trust me anymore. I was afraid she might look at somebody else with her golden eyes. I thought Ipletely beat Carsein, but when he asked me why I didn¡¯t know she was sick because of excessive training, I was really scared and restless. ¡®Why didn¡¯t you tell me about it, Tia. Why? ¡®You can¡¯t believe me? Or did he steal your heart while I was away? Or did the crown prince show interest in you? Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Why?¡¯ I felt like I was going crazy. Even though she looked at me alone, even though her gaze at Carsein was far from affectionate, and even though she was so scared of the crown prince, I was still afraid she might desert me. I was so anxious about her possible change of mind. What if I¡¯m mistaken in my assumptions? I¡¯vee to the point I can¡¯t live without Tia. I already knew how sweet and exciting it is to be around her. Perhaps because of extreme anxiety, I stopped thinking with the rationality that I was so proud of, so I made a terrible mistake that was irreversible. ¡°Would you trust me, mydy? I can take off some of your burden.¡± She showed me infinite trust, but she wouldn¡¯t reveal one thing about her. She didn¡¯t tell me how she got to have such deep darkness and madness. I knew that it wasn¡¯t easy for her to tell me about it even if she trusted me. So, I did not ask her because that¡¯s why I fell in love with her. I fell for her golden eyes filled with deep darkness and her maddened gaze. I thought she would be better off without curing it because I was afraid that after oveing her inner darkness, Tia may discover her madness and abandon it. I was afraid that if she met those guys who noticed her bubbly personality and real worth, she might leave me. Chapter 109 Chapter 109: Chapter 109 Above all, I found her most beautiful when she was messed up like now. Tia¡¯s blind obsession with one thing thrilled me. Her obsession with her father, obsession with me, and obsession with swordsmanship. Her craze about moving forward while ignoring everything around her always thrilled me. I was satisfied with her as she was, and I wanted to develop my romantic rtionship with her slowly, but as theing-of-age ceremony of the crown prince approached, I became more impatient. When I thought of her spending time with the crown prince, I was upset. I didn¡¯t like the fact that as she made a debut in social circles, she would draw the attention of many people. ¡®She is mine. Mydy.¡¯ It was very annoying for me to see an increase in the guys sticking around Tia. I was nervous because she might show interest in other guys. ¡®Don¡¯t look at others. Just look at me. Huh? Please! Stay as mydy, like now.¡¯ Out of impatience I egged on this unprepared girl to confide in me. I tried to persuade her with all kinds of sweet talk. I thought she would rely on me even more if I seeded in making her reveal a darkness within herself. Then, it would be more and more difficult for her to leave me. No matter how many guys tried to approach her romantically or even if the crown prince noticed her charm, I would make sure she would never escape from me. I promised her that I would never abandon or leave her, begging her to tell me about it as I would share her burden. I took advantage of her strong obsession with me, but I had no intention of healing her mental trouble. I just wanted her to hang on to me in her messed-up condition. ¡°I wanted to get out of that dream somehow. I didn¡¯t want to repeat that pain. But¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Now I don¡¯t know. I have no idea what to do or how to escape. ¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why she mentioned her dream. I felt betrayed, thinking that Tia, who trusted me, lied to me. As a result, I forgot to tame her gradually by going easy. s, I should have listened to her more carefully. I wish I had thought about why she, who had never talked nonsense, brought up her dream more carefully. How much better it would have been if I had asked her to tell me in detail instead of asking her what the heck she was talking about! Even if I didn¡¯t believe her at that moment, I should have listened to her seriously andforted her by sharing her pain and concern first because I could reflect on her storyter. I should have noticed that she exined to the best she could. I regretted numerous times what I had done to her. I still couldn¡¯t forget how her blind trust in me was shattered. Her erstwhile obsession with me and trust in me kept urring to me. I couldn¡¯t forget the day she looked at me like a stranger and rejected me. ¡°Can I ask you to dance with me as an adult?¡± ¡°It is my honor, Your Majesty.¡± The youngdy I saw at the crown prince¡¯sing-of-age ceremony was so beautiful. When I first met her, she looked like a girl who stayed aloof from reality, but she was now so lovely and beautiful. It broke my heart. Wearing a dress matched with somebody else¡¯s clothes, she was holding his hand and dancing with him. It was very painful for me to socialize with him. While I was watching her chatting with the crown prince and saw her turning her eyes as soon as her eyes met mine, I could not take my eyes off her because I waspletely fascinated by her. ¡®Don¡¯t look at him. Don¡¯tugh at him. Don¡¯t talk to him. Just look at me only, Tia. I¡¯m only looking at you. Just look at me, like I look at you only.¡¯ ¡®Tia, give me one more chance. Trust me once more.¡¯ ¡®Please, don¡¯t abandon me. Don¡¯t leave me. You have made it impossible for me to live without you, and you have made me smitten with your ecstatic beauty. Please don¡¯t leave me. I¡¯m begging you like this. Huh? Mydy.¡¯ While I was hesitating for fear of beingpletely abandoned by her, she went down to her father¡¯s estate. I felt like I was going crazy. Several times a day, I felt a swift rage of anger. Should I go down there and take her right now? Once I take her, let me lock her up in a ce nobody knows, so that you can look at me, not noticed by anyone. I packed and unpacked my stuff every day. Damn it. I wanted to drag her here right away and hide her, but she was with her father, Marquis Monique. Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t even have a house for Tia while I kept vowing I would take her. How stupid. What¡¯s the point of me being called a genius when I don¡¯t know how to take her out of that estate? So, I searched for the right ce diligently. Money was not a problem because I already had a fortune. The funds that I stashed just in case I had topete with my stupid brother were increasing rapidly even now. Let me buy a house in a small countryside that nobody knows. As my lovelydy is going to live there, let me decorate the house with the best quality of stuff that she wants. Tia will definitely love it. She is going to look at me again with a lovely expression. So wait a minute, mydy. I¡¯ll prepare it perfectly for you, my little silver-haireddy. When everything was ready, I wrote a letter to Tia. While trying to keep down my excitement and stay as calm and gentle as possible, I wrote to her, expecting she would certainly write me a reply. However, no matter how long I waited, she didn¡¯t write back to me. I became more and more nervous. I shook off my anxiety about her while secretly decorating the house for Tia. So, I wrote to her again, but she didn¡¯t write back to me. If I hadn¡¯t heard that Carsein was going down to Monique¡¯s estate at that time, I would have gone there and taken her with me. When I thought that he would stay with her, I was so upset. But it was more urgent for me to persuade Tia to leave the estate first. But I was bothered by the crown prince¡¯s attitude during hising-of-age ceremony. I could beat Carsein anytime, but the crown prince was still Tia¡¯s fiance. It was dangerous. I kept reminding myself that I should be careful of the crown prince and that I should have him take less interest in her. ¡°What the heck are you doing here, Allendis?¡± ¡°Hey, Carsein.¡± ¡°Why are you looking pale? Why did youe to me suddenly?¡± ¡°You also saw Tia and the crown prince at hising-of-age ceremony, right?¡± ¡°¡­ So what?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s join hands. Damn it, you know we have no hope if the crown prince takes serious interest in her, right?¡± After thinking about my offer for a minute, Carsein agreed. Damn it! Shit! I didn¡¯t really like it, but I kept saying to myself this was the best option for now, while calming myself down. ¡°By the way, hand it to Tia.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go down there yourself? Given your obsessive habits, I think you might have been there early on.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not qualified to visit her. Damn, I really hated to say this to you. Anyway, please take care of her well, Carsein. ¡± I¡¯m asking you for a favor only this time. And this is the only time I will leave her at your hand. I¡¯m not going to make the same request again. Only after I asked Carsein to hand the letter to her could I receive her reply. Nothing was written on the finely folded letter, but I was satisfied with it. Anyway, it was evidence that Tia started to open her mind to me again. ¡®I won¡¯t make a mistake this time. Let me start again. Tia. I¡¯ll approach you more carefully, more slowly, and more warmly than before.¡¯ She began to write more in the letter than before, which thrilled my heart all the more, but I had to keep a low profile to rebuild her broken trust in me Whenever I thought that the silver-haired girl who wasn¡¯ting back for two seasons would be spending time with this red-haired guy, I thought of getting rid of him or dragging her to the house I prepared for her. Whenever I felt my anger soaring high, I wrote something down because I felt like I was going crazy. Chapter 110 Chapter 110: Chapter 110 ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Think about it carefully. Do you want to live behind your brother all your life when you are much smarter than him?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°If you join our faction, we will guarantee you the status of a duke. Isn¡¯t it a reasonable deal? You get the duke status, and we get the intelligence we want.¡± ¡°¡­ Let me think about it. ¡± When the anti-emperor noble factions discovered that I violently resisted when the sessor of my family was decided, they tried to strike a deal with me behind the scenes. It was not a bad deal. Under the deal they could collect intelligence about the pro-emperor factions when they hired a son of the noble family like me, and I could get the status of a duke in return. But it was also a very dangerous deal. The current emperor was not a doormat that they could deal with easily, and my father, who was not as a genius as me, was regarded as a very smart noble. That¡¯s why I dyed the decision to join the nobles factions and walked a tightrope. ¡°Tia.¡± Since I heard that the prince was going down to the estate of the Monique family, I have had no reply from Tia. Although I was consumed by a gloomy foreboding, I didn¡¯t know what to do. My mother and elder brother desperately stopped me from going down to the estate. I really wanted to cut them with a sword. If it wasn¡¯t for my father who strongly dissuaded me, I might have cut them and ran away. One day when I couldn¡¯t calm down with nervousness, I heard that Tia had returned to the capital. Of course, I thought she would contact me in a few days. But even after one week passed she didn¡¯t send me a letter, let alone visit me. Initially I thought she might be sick, but given the rumor that she took the initiative to put out the fire, she was obviously not sick. I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so I sent her a letter, but I received no reply from her. In the letter, I carefully asked if she was busy, but she didn¡¯t reply. My heart was pounding nervously. ¡®What happened, mydy? Why aren¡¯t youing to see me? You always thought of me first. You needed me. I was everything to you. But why are you not even replying? Did you forsake me? Do you no longer need me? Are you trying to leave me? Is that what you want, Tia? ¡® The letter from her father around that time was thest straw. Refrain from meeting her? The crown prince¡¯s fiancee? Tia was already everything to me. She was my life. ¡®Oh, bullshit! I don¡¯t care.¡¯ As he was mydy¡¯s father, I tried to treat him to the best I could. For the sake of mydy who had to be absolutely loyal to the emperor as a daughter of the Monique family, I tried to keep a low profile and stay on the side of the pro-emperor factions, but I changed my mind. ¡®I will break the Monique family.¡¯ As she was left alone as a result, it would be easier for me to take her with me. In fact, I didn¡¯t like her father because she had to share her blind obsession with him and me. ¡°I will join your nobles faction!¡± ¡°Good! You will not regret it. ¡± So, I joined the noble family factions, smiling brightly at the weing people. ¡®Wait a little more, mydy. I¡¯m getting ready to bring you little by little. ¡® One day when I started collecting information on the pro-emperor factions by stealing my father¡¯s papers little by little, my youngdy, who I had been waiting for earnestly, visited me. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but when I heard her calling me calmly, I had some hope she didn¡¯t yet leave me. When I finally realized that she was indeed mydy and reached out, my heart sank when I saw her stepping back. As soon as Tia extended her hand to grab my stiff hand, I realized that the woman standing before me was mydy, but at the same time, she was not mydy anymore. The deep darkness, madness, and blind obsession in her golden eyes, which always fascinated me, had disappeared. It didn¡¯t disappearpletely, but it was not as strong as I remembered. What happened to her? Howe she changed so much? Who are you, Tia? You are not the same girl that I used to know. ¡°Tia, are you sure you are Tia? Huh? Are you the samedy I used to know?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Allen.¡± ¡°Tia, Tia, Tia¡­¡± As I was afraid to see her familiar but strange look, I hugged her tightly. I called her name over and over again. This was the girl who used to look at me blindly, with obsessive golden eyes and a dazzling darkness in them. However, I clearly realized that the girl I loved as well as the girl who was only looking at me was gone, and that I would never see that type of girl anymore. Suddenly, I felt lonely. I really missed her. I was sad even though I held her tight. Tears flowed from my eyes, which had never been wet with tears before. ¡°Sorry, Tia. Are you surprised? ¡± Although the girl I used to love was gone, the girl in front of me was also mydy. Even if I could no longer find her golden eyes that fascinated me, she still had everything I cherished. Namely, her charming smile, calm and quiet voice, long silvery hair that fell down her back, and her golden eyes that were no longer maddened, but warm. When I met her father in front of Tia¡¯s house, I deliberately called her pet name. At that moment, he hardened his face. As he clearly understood that I did not care about his warning, he would do anything to separate Tia and me. But I could never let Tia go. She was the only girl that I could fall in love with. ¡®What should I do, mydy? I found you so lovely. What should I do, Tia? Now, your pure look makes me thrilled. Should I ruin your life or save you from it?¡¯ Your smile made me so thrilled that I want to ruin your life. But we came too far for me to keep you. ¡®What should I do now, Tia? What should I do, mydy?¡¯ ¡°Hi, Allendis. I heard you joined the government. Congrattions!¡± One winter day, when I would observe my seventeenth birthday in three months, I became a public servant. It was not that difficult. Of course, the pro-emperor factions weed my joining the government. The noble factions opposed my decision on the surface, but weed it privately. Because I haven¡¯t decided what to do yet, I was sticking around my youngdy who joined the knights. Whenever I saw her hanging out with Carsein, that red-haired fellow, I raged with anger, but fortunately, she didn¡¯t like him. I would be very mad if she got interested in him. I was agonized about what to do about her several times a day. ¡®Can I just go and kidnap her?¡¯ Whenever I saw Carsein stroking her silver hair, I wanted to cut off his hand. ¡®How can he dare touch her hair? She is mine, my one and onlydy.¡¯ Even though he noticed rising anger in my eyes, Carsein didn¡¯t care at all. I wanted to get rid of him immediately, but I couldn¡¯t reveal my feelings in front of mydy. I barely controlled my raging anger. I still needed him because I was not strong enough to keep the crown prince at bay by myself, who was holding her in the name of his fiancee. I felt it was really regrettable, but I had nothing to do except harass him sometimes, while calming down my frustration. ¡°Have you heard the rumor? There are rumors that Carsein, the second son of Duke Lars, is dating the daughter of the Monique family. I can¡¯t believe how she could be so reckless to act like that.¡¯ ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know it yet? Such rumors are getting around everywhere now.¡± Chapter 111 Chapter 111: Chapter 111 Damn it. Perhaps such rumors spread because Carsein stayed with Tia at the estate for several months. The rumor, which initially seemed to be mere gossip, was spreading more and more because the noble factions actively began to spread it. ¡°I need your help, mother.¡± I visited my mother for the first time. The rumors circting in social circles had to be stopped there. When the rumor was spread by the pro-emperor factions, it was my father who stopped them, but if the noble factions spread it, I needed my mother¡¯s help without inviting their suspicion. I turned my eyes away from her with chocte-colored eyes. She was thrilled by my unexpected visit. ¡®Don¡¯t mistake me for forgiving you just because I asked for your help once, Mom. I just came to you because I needed your help.¡¯ Damn it, I felt really bad. I clenched my teeth, thinking of my youngdy who Carsein cared for kindly. I felt terribly bad because I had to define myself as a friend of Carsein, but anyway, I made those young men and women of noble families that my mother invited with extreme care recognize that the rumor about Tia and Carsein was a groundless rumor. I thought I handled the matter in a way that my youngdy didn¡¯t know about it. I almost thought so, without that stupid woman. ¡°The rumor that Lady Monique and Carsein are lovers¡­ ¡± I sharply stared at the woman who thoughtlessly babbled about such a groundless rumor. I wanted to kill her. I was so annoyed. Her skin turned white when she noticed my murderous look, but I didn¡¯t care. Anyway, mydy couldn¡¯t see my contorted face. Everyone except Carsein and Tia stiffened, surprised at my rough behavior. ¡®These guys arefortable around me as I am so kind and generous to them.¡¯ Looking at each of their faces turning white, I considered their families. Should I blow them out of the water? Anyway, I really felt bad because I showed mydy¡¯s kindness and warmth to them. ¡°I¡¯m fine, sir. As I can¡¯t stay here any longer like this, let me leave a little early,¡± said the woman who gossiped about the rumor. Good. That¡¯s your smartest judgment today, although you made a bungle of things. I don¡¯t know what I would have done to you if you had annoyed me a little more. Carsein is Lady Monique¡¯s lover? How dare you say that so recklessly? Tia is mine. She is my woman. She is my one and only woman. I won¡¯t give her to anyone. I found her first, I fell in love with her first, so she is mine. How can you associate mydy with that guy? I said, ¡°Lady Nuen, it¡¯s a gem mine. It¡¯s a very dangerous ce. You don¡¯t know when an ident will happen. There are many people coveting it.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°I heard rumors that there are many who are coveting the mines of your father¡¯s estate. You had better be careful, Lady Nuen. ¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I smiled, staring at the stupid woman who replied with a trembling voice. You had better watch yournguage; otherwise, I will ruin your whole family. What an eyesore you are! Just beat it, if you understand me. I was in a bad mood because of this stupid woman. However, my raging anger disappeared like melted snow when I saw the girl smiling brightly at me. ¡®Ah, Tia, mydy, my angel, all of me. You are my one and only love.¡¯ Even if everyone shuns me and is scared of me, you will always smile at me. I¡¯m fine even if it¡¯s because you haven¡¯t seen the darkness within me because you thrill me and make me feel ted. ¡®I love you, Tia. Keep smiling at me like now, my beautifuldy.¡¯ ¡°Nice to meet you, Alexis.¡± ¡°Nice to see you, Lady Monique.¡± My youngdy whom I met to say Happy New Year was still beautiful. I looked closely at Tia saying hello to my brother Alexis. Even though she shook off much of the darkness within her, she was still wary of strangers. So, I was curious about how she would respond to Alexis. I was happy to find that even though she exchanged greetings with him politely, she looked at him as a stranger. ¡®I like your attitude, Tia.¡¯ I stopped my stupid brother from showing further interest in her. ¡®Don¡¯t look at her. She¡¯s not the type of woman you can expect to date.¡¯ I looked at the crown prince¡¯s face while meeting him. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to know that although I belonged to the pro-emperor factions, I was supporting the noble faction. Of course, I could not be sure. Even if he was generous to his men, the current emperor once annihted half the noble families in the empire. For example, he murdered all his brothers and sisters except for Duchess Lars because they tried to challenge him when he was the crown prince. I had to be as careful as possible, in particr for the sake of Tia, who I would bring to my sideter. ¡°Loyalty to the lion, Glory to the empire!¡± ¡°Glory to the empire, honor to you!¡± Shortly after New Year¡¯s Day, Carsein became an official knight. I felt dirty, but I had to admit it. That¡¯s why I chose to wait until Tia became Monique¡¯s sessor. I felt like shit, but I had to recognize it. It was for this reason that I didn¡¯t choose the option of bing a knight to marry Tia, although it was much easier than waiting for her to be the sessor of her family. Although I didn¡¯t admit it, his talent was one cut above me in fencing, and he spent much more time and effort on it than me. If I decided to pursue the career of a knight, it was obvious that I would have to be content with being a No. 2 man under him all the time. In that case, it would be difficult for me to obtain the noble title by making a contribution. I really hated the idea of working for him even more than dying. ¡®Well, it¡¯s all over if I overturn the existing order.¡± It would be good if Tia became her family¡¯s sessor and chose me, but if not, I would have to give up the title because all I wanted was Tia. If something happened, I would take her to a ce nobody knew about and live there. ¡°Hey, Allendis, I didn¡¯t know you woulde? What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Well.¡± The noble factions, who started to trust me when I gave them some useful tips on the pro-emperor factions several times, asked me to attend a party to celebrate his knighthood. In fact, the invitees were ironically the members of the pro-emperor factions, so it was almost certain that they would exchange high-quality intelligence tips among themselves that outsiders could hardly get ess to. Because of this, I visited the mansion of Duke Lars, even though I had no intention of celebrating Carsein. Looking at Carsein who made a dumbfounded expression at me, I smiled sarcastically. ¡®You¡¯re free to interpret why I¡¯vee here.¡¯ As mydy would not be here anyway, I didn¡¯t even need to control the expression on my face. After parting with Carsein, I was walking around here and there to gather information when my heart sank at the sight of the crown prince and his fiancee at the entrance. ¡°The Little Sun of the empire, Crown Prince Rubis Kamaludin Shana Castina and Lady Aristia Monique have arrived!¡± ¡®Who hase here? Mydy is with whom now?¡¯ When I raised my head after bowing to them to show due manners, I saw the girl in a blue-purple dress with a white ribbon, as if her dress was designed to match the crown prince in a white dress. My heart sank. ¡®Why did the crown prince appear here?¡¯ As far as I knew, the crown prince wasn¡¯t interested in Tia at all. Besides, he attended an informal party like this wearing a tailored suit. Did he also notice mydy¡¯s charm? Did he discover the dazzling beauty of my youngdy, which had been invisible when she was consumed with the darkness within herself? Just like me who found myself carried away with her charm, or Carsein who had been sticking around her for a while, did the crown prince also fall in love with her? When the crown prince called Carsein and me and announced that we were only Tia¡¯s friends, my heart jolted. When he asked her to dance in the presence of all the participants, I burned with jealousy. Chapter 112 Chapter 112: Chapter 112 I felt my status as the second son of a duke was cursed because I couldn¡¯t say confidently she was my woman. Watching the crown prince and her dancing closely, I felt like I was falling into hell. I felt an ominous feeling. I felt as if the ground on which I was standing was cracking open with a squeaking noise. Although I didn¡¯t see it properly, I felt some anxiousness in mydy¡¯s eyes looking at the crown prince. In a break with her erstwhile fear of the crown prince, she seemed calm and cautious, although she didn¡¯t show any affectionate expression. Of course, she could try her best to be loyal to the crown prince as the daughter of the Monique family, but I didn¡¯t feel good about her changed attitude. Indeed, it made my blood run cold. I couldn¡¯t see my youngdy who went dancing with Carsein. ¡®Where did she go?¡¯ Forgetting my original purpose of gathering information, I began to search for her and barely found her, but her look and attitude was rather weird. Her serious look, stern eyes, and twisted smile were strange. I had never seen herughing like that. It was neither graceful, nor a bright smile that thrilled me. It was something like a ceremonial fake smile. My heart ached. I fell in love with her messed-up look. Even if she showed a deep darkness within herself, I thought she was fine as long as she looked at me only. As I already saw her healed once, I felt heartbroken when I saw her making such a ceremonial smile at them. ¡®Don¡¯t smile like that, Tia. Don¡¯t be sad, mydy. What the heck is going on? Who messed you up like this, huh? Who the hell broke my preciousdy¡¯s heart?¡¯ While I was escorting this hurtdy home, I asked her what was wrong with her several times, but she didn¡¯t reply, which I regretted. When I saw the nail marks on her palms, anger surged within me. I gently pulled her hands and kissed the deep cuts on her palms. ¡®Don¡¯t be sick, don¡¯t get hurt, my precious and precious youngdy.¡¯ ¡°I think I know less and less about you these days, Tia. I feel like you¡¯re trying to fly to a ce where I can¡¯t catch you. ¡± Trying not to show my sorrow, I spoke to her softly. Although I thought she was always the same girl, I felt she was rather unfamiliar to me after she returned from the estate. I haven¡¯t changed anything, but I was always afraid that Tia, who grew up rapidly, might leave me. I could hardly sleep as I was so nervous, but Iforted myself by thinking that I could confine her to a ce that only I knew as ast resort, just in case. Damn it! Now it was harder for me to see her messed-up behavior. I fell in love with her gloomy character, but she changed to a bright personality. I was scared. I began to lose self-confidence gradually. Since I haven¡¯t gotten out of the darkness yet, can I hold onto Tia who already started to shine on her own? I looked down at the silver-haired girl who already fell asleep, leaning on my shoulder. ¡®What should I do about you, mydy?¡¯ When I thought she just needed to be by my side, I didn¡¯t hesitate, but I want to win over her heart. Instead of your blind trust in me as a child or your warm gaze on me, I would like to hear you saying, ¡®I love you.¡¯ What should I do? I have a crush on you. What should I do? I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t get away from you anymore. ¡°Tia.¡± I wanted time to stop forever, but the vibration of the wagon suddenly stopped. Looking out through the half-open window, I saw someone approaching the wagon, holding amp. It was the marquis waiting for his daughter. ¡®Oh, you¡¯re really loved by your father, mydy.¡¯ I looked at Tia, sleeping and breathingfortably. ¡°Tia, wake up. We¡¯re at your house now.¡± Whispering into her ear, I shook her shoulders gently. But the little girl didn¡¯t wake up, as if she was tired. When I tried to wake her up again, I suddenly saw her pink lips slightly open under her sharp nose and her silver eyshes. My heart was pounding suddenly. Somehow I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off her lips. My mouth went dry. After hesitating for a moment, I slowly extended my arms and touched her pink lips. ¡°Whew!¡± After holding back a sigh nervously, I carefully wiped her soft and dry lips. My heart thumped when I felt her warm breathing at my fingertips. I quickly looked out the window. The swayingntern light was getting pretty close to the wagon. I instinctively closed the window and grabbed her dishevelled hair in one hand. With a trembling heart, I leaned my face close to my deardy¡¯s. As my face was getting closer, my heart was pounding fast. What if Tia woke up because of my thumping heartbeat? When my mouth was close enough to feel her breathing, I closed my eyes gently and finally, my lips touched hers. I felt as if my heart stopped. It was more satisfying than everything I had received from the girl so far. When I felt her warm breathing, I gently kissed her lips that were softer than feathers and a baby¡¯s skin. At that moment I didn¡¯t feel lonely, and my icy heart melted. Tia¡¯s warmth, which I felt through that gentle kiss, was something I desperately longed for. ¡°Um.¡± She made a smile while asleep. ¡°I feel warm.¡± Her whispering that came out from her soft lips and filled my emptiness with her warmth. If I could have my way, I wanted to stay with her like now forever. The moment I disengaged myself from her wistfully, the carriage door was opened suddenly. The marquis¡¯s eyebrows stood stiffly when he found his sleeping daughter. I hesitated a bit when I saw him unconsciously taking her out of my arms coldly and her snuggling into his chest unconsciously. ¡®Am I doing fine now?¡¯ On the way back home inside the carriage, I gently wiped my lips. When I recalled the texture of her lips, I suddenly had a deep thirst. A little while ago, I felt like I had the whole world, but I was now craving for much more than that. I want to have you, mydy. Can youe to me, Tia? Can you just look at and think of me like I think of you, and stay by my side? Huh? Please, mydy! ¡°Allen?¡± One month after my 17th birthday, I was busy preparing for the birthday party for the crown prince, the first such since I joined the government. I was too busy to see mydy for a while. Just like yesterday, I took a nap as I was too tired with handling a backlog of work, when I felt somebody reaching out to me. I suddenly felt wide awake. Who was it? Opening my eyes, I grabbed someone¡¯s wrist. The moment I pushed her on the sofa and grabbed her by the neck, I was stunned by the familiar colors before my eyes. The person before me was not an assassin. She was none other than my girl, Tia. Her disheveled silver hair and trembling golden eyes caught my eye. I missed her face so much. Even though I was snowed under with work, I recalled her face several times a day. I had a strong thirst for something when she looked up at me with her big eyes wide open. Her pink lips that I remember kissing sometime ago tempted me strongly. ¡®I want to have you. I want to touch. Can¡¯t I kiss you again, Tia? Huh?¡¯ In fact, I had been growing anxious little by little by then. I saw that darkness within her, which thrilled me several years ago, in her eyes. No, don¡¯t do that. Just look at me. Don¡¯t see anyone else. Don¡¯t have anyone in your heart unless you¡¯re going to have me in your heart. I was upset when she tried to pull her wrist from me. You didn¡¯t act like this before, right? Why are you trying to avoid me now? Don¡¯t do that, Tia. Don¡¯t leave me. Don¡¯t push me out. I¡¯m still here in the same ce. Why are you trying to move away from me? Don¡¯t leave me alone in the dark. Chapter 113 Chapter 113: Chapter 113 If I take her forcibly, would she still look at me? If I ruin her, could she stay beside me? I know it¡¯s heartbreaking to think irrationally like this, but it¡¯s better than seeing you with somebody else. So, stay with me in this deep darkness. Stay with me in this dark shadow. Even if you go out into the world of light, you will only have a hard time. I was very pleased with my reflection in her golden eyes. As I lowered my face gradually, the other things reflected in her eyes disappeared little by little. Yes, that¡¯s what I want, mydy. Just look at me like that, reflecting me alone in your beautiful eyes. ¡°Hey, what are you doing? Don¡¯t¡­¡± I suddenly came to my senses when she shouted at me, shivering with fear. Her eyes were trembling with fear, and her face turned white. My heart jolted when I saw her calling me in fear. I felt her shivering in her trembling wrists. What did I just try to do to her? Am I really going crazy now because I¡¯ve been stuck in the darkness too long? I¡¯m sorry, Tia. I know better than anyone that I¡¯m not ready yet, but I¡¯ve been craving for it so long that I often forget it. I¡¯m getting more and more impatient these days. I¡¯m afraid you might fly away from me with wings. I¡¯m scared that you might walk into the bright light, leaving me in this darkness. ¡°Because I¡¯m going home after work, so I don¡¯t need this hair band. You¡¯ll make me ufortable if you keep doing this.¡± Even though she was so frightened, she came back because I seemed ufortable and gave her hair band to me. Suddenly, my heart ached. Apparently you were locked in the deep darkness like me, and you were living in a rage of madness. When did youe into the light and began to shine like this? Teach me how. Give me your hand, too. Now that I know the joy of being with you, I no longer want to live in the shadow on my own. Please don¡¯t forsake me, Tia. Do not leave me. ¡°Duke Verita is waiting for you.¡± ¡°Got it. Let me hurry up.¡± On the day when the crown prince¡¯s birthday banquet was held, I kept dawdling because I really didn¡¯t want to go. In the end, I arrived there btedly to find herughing heartily before the crown prince. ¡°Ha¡­. ¡± I made a hollow smile. Feeling heartbroken, I headed to the ce where people were chatting. Hearing their conversation aghast, I suddenly came to my senses when they mentioned the daughter of the Monique family. ¡®What? Did they try to kill mydy several times? Did they put it on hold for now, looking for a chance to kill her?¡¯ At that moment, I thought it would be okay. I thought she would rather disappear from this world rather than be taken away by some other guy. Anyway, Tia would be alive in my memory. The little girl in my memories would smile at me brightly, showing a blind trust in me. I thought that if I closed my eyes and ears for a moment, I would be able to live with my lovelydy in my memories forever. Although I couldn¡¯t hear her calm voice calling me in person, although I couldn¡¯t see her smiling at me brightly, I thought I could ept it. I thought it was better than losing her like this. But I suddenly broke into tears when I came back home and took out my youngdy¡¯s dark hair tie from the drawer and saw her initials embroidered on its edge and the letter she wrote to me even after her blind trust in me was gone. ¡®Ah, Tia.¡¯ Even though I knew that she was going away from my heart, even though I was aware that she would not stay with me anymore unless I took some action, I could not harm her. Although the girl in my memory was important, it was more important for her to live and breathe under the same sky. Damn, I couldn¡¯t let go of my girl. ¡°Here it is, Master.¡± I had a maid make several colored hair ties for mydy, as if I wanted to clutch at straws. Though not visible on the outside, the inside of the doubleyered hair ties was embroidered with a d flower that allegedly made lovee true. I had the ties prepared with my love for my youngdy who told me she always wore a tie while on duty. I hoped that she could look at me again while she was wearing this. I knew I was doing useless things, but I felt like my heart might explode if I didn¡¯t do this. ¡°Wow, they¡¯re pretty!¡± Tia smiled when she saw the colored hair ties I prepared for her. I felt sad when I found her golden, bloodshot eyes and pale lips as if she couldn¡¯t sleep properly because she was so busy. Noticing that her silvery hair tie sticking out of her dishevelled hair, I took out a hair tie. It was the same green tie I had on. Looking at her thick silvery hair falling down her shoulders, I suddenly felt my heart throbbing. ¡®What happened?¡¯ Whenever I saw a girl in the past, I was always happy. But my heart began to ache whenever I met her at some point. I looked at her back and the hair tie in her hand. I felt like some cold voice was whispering into my eyes, ¡®She doesn¡¯t love you. She doesn¡¯t look at you. She will abandon you and run away. You will be alone again. You will struggle in loneliness, trapped in the dark. ¡® ¡®No, she won¡¯t run away from me. She is not such a cruel woman,¡¯ protested another me. ¡®Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡¯ said the cold voice that teased me first, adding, ¡®You know she doesn¡¯t love you. Are you just going to see her going to another guy? Just kill her, so if you can¡¯t have her, you can make sure another guy can¡¯t have her, either. As time goes by, she¡¯ll be estranged from you more and more. Just kill her now when you can deal with your sorrow, so that nobody can have her. Anway, she is alive in your memory, smiling at you, right?¡± I held the hair tie tightly with a trembling hand. When I put her silvery hair together, her white neck was revealed. Hers was a slender neck that would break if I grabbed it tight with one hand. If I wrapped the tie around her neck, she wouldn¡¯t be here, leaving for a world nobody could follow her to. Then, she would live and breathe only in my memory. Even if she were forgotten little by little by those who remember her with the passage of time, I could vividly think of her. I would be able to make my cherished dreame true. I would keep her to myself and have her look at me only. No one could covet her then. The moment I tried to wrap the hair tie around her thin neck, I could see Tia¡¯s face reflected in the window. She was closing her eyes while slowly blinking her eyes as if she couldn¡¯t stand feeling drowsy. She was standing close to the window with a calm face without any fear or anxiety just like her in childhood when she blindly trusted me. ¡°Ha¡­¡± I made a hollow smile. ¡®Oh my god! How can you trust me, Tia?¡¯ You shouldn¡¯t trust me so much! Your father and maid hate me after they instinctively figured out what kind of man I was, but you still keep trusting me? For what? Don¡¯t you see the darkness swirling within me? Or is the remnant of your blind trust in me already embedded within you? I can¡¯t trust myself. How can you let your hair down and trust me so blindly? Maybe I¡¯m already crazy. How can I think about getting rid of her, who believes in me so much, and trusts me when I don¡¯t trust myself? It had only been a few days ago when I thought I couldn¡¯t dare to hurt you. How could I dare to think of killing you like this? I wonder if I was caught up in the unknown darkness inside me. My hand holding the hair tie was trembling. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Tia. So sorry.¡¯ I kissed her silvery hair with a sense of guilt. Chapter 114 Chapter 114: Chapter 114 ¡°Why did you ask to see me secretly, Allendis?¡± After agonizing for a few days and nights, I asked for a secret audience with the emperor. I asked my father to arrange a meeting for the first time in my life. Keeping my meeting with the emperor secret was essential to stop the noble factions from smelling a rat. Looking at his sharp blue eyes, I told him what I had done for the noble factions until recently, ranging from the types of intelligence that I took from the pro-emperor factions, the behind-the-scene negotiations with four kingdoms except for the Lua kingdom to the detailed n to assassinate Tia amid the turmoil of the princesses, which he came to know only a few days ago. Even though I tried so hard, I still had no power to protect my youngdy. It didn¡¯t matter if I were punished for daring to betray the pro-emperor factions and stealing information about them because it was much more important to me to protect my beloveddy. Having heard me without much agitation, the emperor offered me a deal. In return for the emperor stopping the noble factions¡¯ plotting and protecting mydy, I would steal quality information from the noble factions and give it to the government department doing the background investigation of the princesses who came as the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate. I knew it was an unfair deal because the emperor had no other choice to protect my youngdy even without striking a deal with me. However, the fairness of the deal was not important because it was more important to me to protect Tia from the noble factions¡¯ plot and from myself who didn¡¯t know when I might be sucked into the dark. ¡°Even if you reveal this information to me, I won¡¯t forgive you. Why did you confide in me? I don¡¯t think you are doing this to lessen your punishment. Is it because of Lady Monique?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I think my guesswork is right. Tut, tut. As she is so precious, there are more and more guys trying to win her heart. What should I do about you? Your crime is very severe.¡± ¡°I will ept it even if you execute me.¡± ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m not a foolish man. How can I execute you, the genius of the century? Let me punish you like this.¡± I came out of the meeting room only after I got ¡°punished¡± by the emperor. Suddenly, I missed mydy very much. For the next couple of months, or less than that, I wanted to see her. But I could not. I was dangerous now from my point of view. In order to protect Tia from me, who didn¡¯t know when I would go crazy, I had to minimize my contact with her. While I looked at the building of the 1st Knights Division, where mydy was on duty, I turned, biting my lip and holding back my frustration. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to know there is a safe house in a ce like this.¡± I thought the noble factions were nothing, but they were more powerful than I thought. That¡¯s why even the current emperor with absolute power couldn¡¯t get rid of thempletely. A shabby house in the residential area ofmoners. At the noble factions¡¯ meeting, I was struggling to steal the information about the princesses and the details of the n to assassinate Tia. Recently, the nobles who were loyal to Duke Jena were losing ground to Tia, who designed a very popr hairpin, and Viscount Sharia who marketed it sessfully. Because of this, I had to be more cautious to deceive Duke Jenna who was plotting to do harm to mydy, vowing to get even with her. There was nothing more important than money in a power struggle. Tia already secured arge line of funding, namely, the Sharia family who ran merchant vessel groups, Viscounts Nuen and Naira who owned gemstone mines and Viscount Senk, famed for jewelry craftsmanship. She made a powerful group by pulling together the noble families who usually weren¡¯t noticed. She did it without help from anyone. Instead of getting stuck in the dark, she suddenly grew up and exuded light little by little, stepping forward. I walked along the street sadly, while I was satisfied with her achievement. ¡®I miss you more today, Tia. Are you doing well, mydy? ¡® I missed her wavy silver hair and her shiny warm golden eyes. What would Tia say if I hugged her and said that it¡¯s too hard for me now? My gentledy would certainlyfort me, feeling sad as if she felt the same. But she wouldfort me as my friend, not lover. When I was walking, with my heart bleeding for her, I suddenly noticed something sparkling. A bundle of silver hair trembling in the corner of a shop. As its silver fur shimmered like the moonlight, it reminded me of my youngdy as a child, I couldn¡¯t pass by her casually. I walked toward the shop in spite of myself. Ignoring the shop owner weing me, I embraced the small creature. When I saw the kitten crouching without even trying to struggle, I thought of my lovelydy. So, I kept stroking her fur carefully for a while. It wasn¡¯t long before I became fascinated by the golden eyes of the cat slowly raising her head. ¡°¡­ Tia. ¡± After paying a price I don¡¯t remember, I brought the baby cat home. I couldn¡¯t leave this small creature that resembled mydy there. I named her ¡®Tia¡¯ after the girl I loved. Looking at the kitten that blindly followed me as if I was her mother, I kept thinking of the little girl the way she was when I first met her. For a while, I spent time doting on the little cat that looked like Tia I loved so much. ¡°Hi, Allendis.¡± A week after meeting the emperor, I bumped into mydy who was walking with that red-haired guy Carsein in the outer pce. My heart ached when I saw them walking side by side, but I was delighted to meet Tia, who I missed so much. My little girl, Tia, was happy to see me with her eyes sparkling brightly. I was happy for a moment when I saw the green hair tie I had given her tying her curled silver hair together. ¡®Do you know that the inside of the colored hair band is embroidered with d flowers for lovers?¡¯ My joy of meeting her was fleeting. I thought I had to leave this ce soon. At a time when the noble factions were plotting to kill her, I didn¡¯t know what would happen if they watched me with Tia. It didn¡¯t matter if they suspected me, but I didn¡¯t want them to revise their assassination n without letting me know. I barely said goodbye to my beloveddy and turned. Although it was so difficult for me to walk away, I had to for her safety. ¡®No, don¡¯t look back at her. Never forget your decision to protect Tia. ¡® ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Aristia.¡± As the festival to celebrate the National Founding Day started, I had one month to go before D-Day. Although I really wanted to see mydy who must have been beautifully dressed up, I could not attend the banquet because I would feel so heartbroken when I saw her with the crown prince. However, the more I thought about the banquet, the more I missed her. ¡®I miss you, mydy. I really want to see you, Tia. Can I go see you only once? I know I shouldn¡¯t approach you to protect you. I know it¡¯s dangerous, but can I go see you only once, really just once?¡¯ After hesitating, I finally attended the banquet on the third day. As soon as I entered the banquet hall, my heart was beating fast when I found the youngdy with silvery hair. I didn¡¯t know when she made friends with so many people, but I found her surrounded by a group of youngdies. Carsein and a couple of unfamiliar knights were standing with her. When I saw Tia smiling and chatting with people around her, my heart began to ache agai. I was used to it now. ¡®You are shining more and more brightly, Tia. You are leaping into a different world, mydy. ¡® ¡°Will you dance with me?¡± Chapter 115 Chapter 115: Chapter 115 Initially, I thought of leaving the ce right after taking a look at her face, but I impulsively asked her to dance at the sight of her enthralling beauty. My youngdy with her wavy hair pinned up in one knot was wearing a light green dress, which was unusual. She looked fresh and bright like buds shooting forth in spring or a light illuminating the darkness. Tia grabbed my hand with a fascinating smile. The warmth of her handforted my emptiness. I whispered into her ear that she was beautiful today. ¡®Time, stop like this, so I can confidently hug mydy in front of all the people here!¡¯ I didn¡¯t know how to stop feeling sad as my dance wasing to an end with music ying. When I attended the banquet, I definitely wanted to see her face, but I was being greedy now. There was not much time left now, but there were so many things I hadn¡¯t done with mydy. When I recalled Carsein telling me boastfully that he went to the vige with her, I really felt frustrated and upset. So, I reluctantly asked her toe with me to the vige in themoners¡¯ area. I felt so happy when she readily responded she would love to. I thought this was thest time I would see her, but I had one more chance to see her. I felt like I was walking on air. ¡°I¡¯m here to see, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Sorry, Allendis. She can¡¯t see a visitor now,¡± the butler said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She is sleeping because she doesn¡¯t feel well.¡± She is not feeling well? I frowned unconsciously when he said that rather arrogantly. Why is she sick? She looked okay when I saw her at the banquet. Is the butler trying to stop me from seeing her at her father¡¯s order? ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°She had some fever, so her father told her to take a rest.¡± ¡°Let me wait then.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know when she will wake up.¡± I was upset with the young butler. If it¡¯s true that her father was intentionally stopping me from seeing her, I would wait here indefinitely. If she was really sick, I really needed to meet her and check her condition. Otherwise, I felt I could not feel rxed. ¡°You¡¯re arrogant as a mere butler here. Howe you are talking to a noble man like this? ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Enough. If she wakes up, just let her know I am waiting. ¡± Giving him a piece of my mind, I looked down at the basket with the baby cat, while waiting for her for a long time. As the day came closer when I had to join the delegation leaving for the Lua kingdom, as I promised to the emperor, I became more anxious. I was afraid the cat might not be able to survive without me. Even so, I couldn¡¯t take the cat with me, as she was sensitive to the changing environment. In the end, I took the cat here to see if I could leave her with Tia. Although she seemed to have no emotions on the surface, my little silver-haired girl was warm-hearted, indeed. I thought she would take care of the kitten very well, hoping against hope that she could recall me whenever she saw the cat. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Tia.¡± ¡°Huh? It¡¯s only been three days since we metst. ¡± The silver-haired girl who came in with her maid looked a little pale. ¡®I hear you have be an apprentice knight, so you should be strong, Tia. Of course, you look much better than before.¡¯ When I first started practicing fencing with her, she was very weak. She used to gasp for breath when she ran even a short distance. As the season changed, she used to get sick frequently. I also found out that she often passed out. Compared to that, she may have gotten a lot better recently. I was upset at her haggard look, and my heart ached when she said we met only three days ago. ¡®The three days that seemed to be so long to me was ¡®only three days ¡® to you.¡¯ Three days. It was a very long time for the lovers, but not very long for friends. I could not help but hide my bitter feelings as the three days seemed to show how close people felt toward each other. At first, we were so close, and there were no other lovers than us. How did we end up being estranged from each other like this? Maybe it¡¯s a good thing. Even if I leave, it won¡¯t be too hard for you. ¡°It must be very difficult for you,¡± she said. I was deeply touched when she said that. She once said that, talking about my memory that even my family members were scared about, my cursed memory that can urately recall anything that I have seen or heard at any time and anywhere. I was speechless as I was so grateful when she said that. ¡®Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m miserable, Tia? Don¡¯t you feel it¡¯s terrible that I remember everything about you without forgetting it at all? Aren¡¯t you scared of me because I can collect all the information about you to infer all your emotions and thoughts? ¡® My lovelydy, I keep turning to you. It was you whoforted me, praising my cursed memory highly when others were so scared of it. You are so cruel because you fascinate me all the more when I have to leave you soon. As I know that you mean well, and as I know your pure heart better than anybody else, you are so lovely as you are the only one in the world who understands me. You are truly ruthless because you make me keep longing for you even while I¡¯m looking at others. ¡®What should I do about you, beautiful and cruel Tia?¡¯ I looked at her for a long time, who was so happy to see my kitten, Tia. I wanted to remember her wavy hair, her neat silver eyebrows and long, thick eyshes, sharp nose, sweet pink lips, slender face and slender body that hardly looked like a knight for a long time, even her white fingers stroking the kitten. I also remembered her smiling shyly as if she noticed my intense gaze on her. ¡°Allen, how about ying chess? We haven¡¯t in a long time.¡± ¡®You¡¯re still avoiding queen, Tia.¡¯ I knew that since I yed chess with her when we were children. As if she rejected her fate to be the empress, she rarely touched the queen, even when she could beat me by using it. Instead, she was obsessed with knights and rooks as if it reflected her desire to be a knight and seed the family. ¡°Can you give me a piece of advice, Allen?¡± I never thought I would tell her something that I vowed I would never let her know. I still wanted to have her stay by my side without being interested in something like a queen. As she was in danger if she was with me, I thought I couldn¡¯t help it. I repeatedly told myself that it was okay, although nothing was fine. Only one of the limitations of her unconsciousness was lifted, but she changed so muchpared to me, a genius. After ying chess, I stood up, feeling frustrated more than ever. When she asked me when I would like to go to the vige with her, I felt light-hearted again. Suddenly, I felt empty. Can I live away from you when I am now d, and now sad like this? ¡°Allen, what should they do if those with shadows want to escape from them?¡± Shadow? Although you are shining brightly, I sometimes notice darkness in your eyes, Tia. Only now you seemed to have realized it. It looks like you think it¡¯s a shadow to you. Do you want to get out of the darkness and go out to the world of light now, mydy? But Tia, you are asking the wrong person. As someone who is buried in the dark, always locked in his shadow, I can teach you one thing, namely, avoiding the light and hiding in the shadow. Since I have never been out to the world of light, I don¡¯t know a fundamental solution. I don¡¯t know how to free you from your shadow. Could you let me know if you figure it out someday? Can you tell me how to get out of this darkness and how to get out of this damn shade. I see. You¡¯re shining brightly, and you want to shine more brightly. As I was going after you, I had to be your shade all the time. I was your shadow. Chapter 116 Chapter 116: Chapter 116 I wish I were your shadow, so I can hang on to you casually. I wish I were your shadow because nobody will ask me to reveal myself. Tia, don¡¯t hate the shadow too much. So, don¡¯t deny the shadow too much, mydy. If the shadow that chases you knows that, it will be very sad. If you deny it, I have to hide in the shade like a shadow and disappear quietly. My moonlight, my love, mydy. Should I, looking at you like this, really disappear like a shadow quietly? I¡¯ll do it if you want, Tia because the shadow that is denied by its owner will lose the meaning of its existence. I¡¯ll do it if you want, mydy. I hope that you can be a brilliant light. ¡°Wow, there are a lot of people here.¡± Hiding my frustration, I looked at my youngdy wandering around excitedly. She was smiling broadly as if she shook off all her worries and troubles. Perhaps this might be myst date, perhaps this might be thest chance for me to be with my beloved girl alone, I couldn¡¯t smile brightly, but no matter how hard you tried. I felt more and more empty. Although I knew that I would regret that I didn¡¯t enjoy the party as much as I could have, even though I felt the precious time was passing by, I could not enjoy it like mydy. ¡°Is it fun, Tia?¡± ¡°Huh. I wish I hade here sooner. ¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± Yes, as long as you have fun, I¡¯m okay. As long as you enjoy it, I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m okay because I can remember your joy. As I told you someday, I can recall all the good memories I made with you instead of the bad ones. I can only recall your smiling pretty. I¡¯m d as you said it¡¯s fun to spend time with me. I¡¯m really d because you can have a good memory of thest day I had with you today. ¡°Allen, why don¡¯t we go over there, too?¡± I nodded at my lovelydy smiling at me. Led by her as she grabbed me excitedly, I went into a makeshift tent. I was so sad I couldn¡¯t appreciate the y, but I found myself getting immersed in the y on the stage before I knew it. As the y progressed, it seemed like it was dealing with my story, so I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off it. The shadow young man who wants to take the ce of his weak and stupid brother was I who want to take my brother Alexis¡¯ position. The woman that the young man¡¯s father chose as his brother¡¯s bride was Tia, who my father chose as my brother¡¯s bride candidate. The young man who loved was I who loved and longed for Tia. I regarded myself as the young man who repeatedly sent letters to the woman. I recalled the days I wrote numerous letters to Tia when she went down to the estate. Even now when I am overwhelmed with my longing for Tia, I¡¯m still writing dozens of letters that I will never send to Tia. My heart was broken when I saw the young man who couldn¡¯t confess his love to the woman. Everyone around meughed at him, and even mydyughed, but I couldn¡¯tugh because I sympathized with his miserable feelings more than anyone else. I felt like I was like that young man. I could acutely feel how he would have felt in that situation. ¡°How cruel love is! When I saw you smiling and thinking of me, my heart was sweet like honey. When I saw you wearing a pure white dress for someone else, my heart was burning like a poison. Now it looks like my heart already burned and became ash. Beloved ones, be happy. I will nt the flowers of blessing for you. ¡± Especially, the young man¡¯sst message struck emotional chords. I was like that young man. When I saw Tia smiling at me, it was sweet like honey, but when I saw her smiling at the crown prince, I felt like my heart was burning as if I had been poisoned. Like that young man, my heart turned into white ash. What if I saw mydy wearing a pure white dress for another man? Maybe I would take the same path as that young man because I had no reason to breathe anymore, losing the meaning of my life. When my heart turns into a pile of ashes, the blood flowing through my body will also be burned. While I was sliding into despair, I came to my senses when I found Tia holding a red flower nkly. Oh my¡­ my condition is serious now. How can I feel so nervous just because she is holding a flower? When I looked at her, who was looking down at the flower, the first such in her life, I made the decision to propose to her even if she refused it. I just wanted to reveal my honest feelings to her instead of repeating the life of that young man who led a nervous life without ever confessing his love to that young woman. If I did, I would not have to regret not having confessed to her. Mydy will know a little bit of my affectionate feelings towards her, to say the least. Yes, that¡¯s enough for me. Even if she doesn¡¯t ept my proposal, if I can let her know how much I love her, I will be satisfied with that. ¡°I like you, Tia,¡± I confessed to her atst. No, I love you. I¡¯m craving for you. I long for you and miss you. I want you to smile at me and look at me only. I pray everyday that you feel the same way as I do. When I see you, I am happy, joyful, heartbroken, and I am crying. How can I express my feelings with just one word ¡®like¡¯ ? But let me use that expression for you now,Tia. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be scared when you find out about my turbulent feelings. Please forgive my selfishness, mydy. Although I knew how you would react, I confided in you to ease my nervousness a bit. Even though I said I didn¡¯t want to burden you, I gave you a burden as I couldn¡¯t stand it. Please forgive me. ¡°¡­Allen. ¡± I realized that she would reject my proposal when she, who had been fidgeting with the bouquet for a while, raised her face. I knew she would not let me into her heart. The reason I confessed to her, however, was because I wanted to hang on to the small possibility out of my selfishness that she could appreciate how much I loved her. Although I knew her reply, I felt heartbroken when I saw her breaking into tears, saying she was sorry. Just like her tears fell in big drops, I was also crying in my heart. Tia, I just wanted to be with you. I wanted you to love me. I thought that if you only epted me, I could throw away all my status, noble title and desire for the top position. But it was just my dream, which could nevere true. If you were the old you stuck in the dark, maybe I could have you stay with me, but as someone shining brightly now, you don¡¯t match me now. ¡®After all, I am your shadow, a poor shadow that chases you shining like the moon. I cannot be a shining star thanks to the moonlight.¡¯ I felt upset when I saw blood on her bitten lip. I was hurt when she refused my proposal, but I was more heartbroken when I saw the blood. Sorry, Tia. Sorry, sorry. I already knew your answer. Forgive me for hurting you because of my selfishness. Although I prayed you could be a brilliant light, I wanted to hold you because I couldn¡¯t forsake you. Please forgive me. Don¡¯t cry, Tia. Smile, mydy. I don¡¯t want to leave you, with the image of your crying in myst memory. I wanted you to be stuck in the darkness with me, but your shining look suits you more. Smiling looks more on you than crying. So, don¡¯t be sad, Tia. Please, it¡¯s all my fault. ¡°Tia¡­ ¡± I thought I gave her up, but when I saw her walking along with me with a nk look, my mind was wandering again. ¡®Can¡¯t you stay with me, Tia? I will love you more than anyone else. I will devote my whole to you, looking at you only all my life, please. ¡® Chapter 117 Chapter 117: Chapter 117 The emotions I thought I had suppressed erupted into the open. My empty heart began to beat again. ¡®I want to have you. I don¡¯t want to lose you. I want to confine you, so nobody can see you. Look at me, who is looking at you only. Come to me who loves you so much. Don¡¯t go. Stay by my side. Please, mydy.¡¯ What if I took and confined her to the house I had prepared a long time ago? I could carry out my n this time when her father probably thought she waste because of the festival. There was food and money in the safe house of the noble factions that I visited the other day. Nobody would be able to find mydy if I stopped by the safe house, took the necessary supplies and escaped the capital today. Anyway, I saved enough money to live and eat all my life. If I could flee from the capital without being caught, nobody would find us as we would be holed up in a remote ce forever. Don¡¯t worry. As the genius of the century, I can outsmart them, no matter what. We headed for themoners¡¯ district. When I saw Tia following me casually, my heart pounded. When we arrived at the safe house, I would knock her out right away. Then, I could get out of the capital by carrying her in the wagon. Forgive me, Tia. You will be happy eventually because I will be there to care for you, love you and look at you. You also wanted to escape from your shadow, right? If you live in hiding with me, you won¡¯t have to face the shadow or struggle to escape from the darkness. You can lead a normal life by escaping from the grave status as the crown prince¡¯s fiancee as well as the pressure to be the sessor of the Monique family. So let¡¯s go, mydy. ¡°Allen, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re on the right way back home.¡± When I saw the golden eyes of mydy looking at me purely without any doubt, my insane thoughts began to fade away slowly. Her serene gaze on me full of blind trust in me the way she trusted in me when she was a child blew away the cobwebs in my brain. My heart sank. I could not believe how I could have thought of impulsively carrying out such a reckless n when I vowed to protect her so firmly. I just couldn¡¯t understand how I thought of hurting her and dragging her back into the world of darkness. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Tia. I guess I was out of my mind. What should I do, mydy? I think I am going crazy more and more.¡¯ ¡°Nice job, Allendis. You¡¯re leaving in three days. So, how about your preparations? No problem?¡± ¡°So far so good, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°When I look at you, I¡¯m reminded of my youth for some reason.¡± After I enjoyed the vige festival with Tia, I didn¡¯t visit her. Tia also didn¡¯te to see me. I want to see her. Watching me sighing with deep longing for Tia, the emperor said, ¡°I also loved a woman intensely. It was the first time I thought I could throw away the status of the emperor and even give up the empire if I could win her heart.¡± ¡°So, did you have her?¡± ¡°No, I let go of her.¡± ¡°Why did you release her? You¡¯ve got everything to make her your woman, right?¡± ¡°Well, she had another guy who loved her so much, and she loved him, too. I thought a lot about taking her away from him, but I finally let her go,¡± he said with a bitter smile. I thought he was only a sharp and cool-hearted person, but he also had a soft spot for love. I silently looked at the emperor after finding his unusual aspects. I had never met him personally except on the day I requested for a secret meeting with him. I seemed to understand why my father, who was so rational and would only take the righteous path and Marquis Monique, who was so blunt, pledged allegiance to him at the sacrifice of so many people. I wonder how many kings there were who would be considerate enough to care for his subordinate¡¯s inner thoughts. ¡°Allendis.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°So, don¡¯t feel bitter and just listen. Time gradually dulls your love and pain. At that time, I thought I would die if I didn¡¯t get her love, but I got by without her. I managed to endure the pain of separation.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°So, even if it¡¯s so hard to be separated from her, hang in there! Over time, there wille a day when you can shake it off like me. I don¡¯t want to lose a talent like you because of this. Do you understand? ¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°You can think of it as my selfishness. While handling the matter this time, I felt you are an essential talent for the empire. So, endure the punishment ande back by all means. Even if you can¡¯te back immediately, can you promise me you will return someday by all means?¡± Did he already know? He seemed to be choked with tears in his blue eyes when he looked at me. Was there any other person who cared for me more than him, except for mydy? Even my parents kept me at a respectable distance. Had I met the emperor a little faster, would my life have been different? While looking at me for a long time when I didn¡¯t reply, he said with a sigh that I could leave. I was so sorry. However, I had already decided to love only Tia, so I could not reply to his proposal. ¡°¡­ Allen. ¡± Two days before the delegation to the Lua kingdom departed, I was unexpectedly visited by Tia. When I saw her hesitating, I couldn¡¯t control my emotional outpouring. ¡®Well, I thought I would never meet you again. So, did youe to see me off, mydy?¡¯ Even if I¡¯m not there, don¡¯t be sick, Tia. Even if you seem cold, you are still tender-hearted. I guess you must have felt heartbroken after I proposed to you. I know you must have been distressed by that, but don¡¯t feel that way anymore. It distresses me more to see you heartbroken because of me. You don¡¯t have to feel sad for me who has betrayed your faith in me. ¡°I heard you¡¯re joining the mission.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Well, it just kind of worked out that way.¡± I tried tough casually, but it seemed that I couldn¡¯t control my facial expressions. Her golden eyes were trembling. Anyway, you came at the right time because I had a lot to say to you. ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get sick.¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°Even though you have gotten better these days, you weren¡¯t that healthy in the past. Don¡¯t skip meals because you¡¯re stressed out. Don¡¯t overwork yourself. If you copse, your family will be turned upside down.¡± ¡°¡­ Allen. ¡± The look on her face turned subdued, but I kept talking. I still had lots of things to tell her. ¡°Take care not to catch a cold on rainy days, in particr. As you¡¯re a knight now, I think you will get caught in the rain even if it rains. In that case, take a bath with hot water, and if you still have some tea I gave you the other day, brew it. They say it¡¯s good for preventing colds. ¡± ¡°Allen.¡± ¡°Winter is just around the corner, so dress warmly. Don¡¯t unfasten the top buttons of your coat just because you feel stuffy. Tighten it, okay?¡± ¡°Allen!¡± In the end, her golden eyes were gradually wet with tears. My heart ached at her trembling ¡°Don¡¯t say so, Allen. Why are you telling me like that as if you will nevere back. You¡¯re going as a member of the delegation, right? You¡¯ll be back when your mission is over. right? Huh? Allen. ¡± ¡°¡­ Tia. ¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If I ask you to ept my heart even now¡­ you won¡¯t ept it, right?¡± I smiled bitterly when she hesitated. I turned because I didn¡¯t want to see her feeling a sense of guilt. When I was putting a small bottle of medicine in my baggage, she said faintly, ¡°I won¡¯t say I am sorry anymore.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°But Allen, just know this. Even if I¡¯m not of the same mind as you, I want you to know that you and my father are the most precious people to me in this world.¡± ¡°¡­Tia. ¡± Chapter 118 Chapter 118: Chapter 118 My eyes welled with tears at her touching voice. She turned me back and gave me a small box hesitantly. She looked at me nkly, urging me to receive it quickly. It was a light green box with a green ribbon. There was a colored hair tie in the box. ¡°This¡­. ¡± ¡°I was wondering if there was anything I could give you as you set out on a long journey. As you tie your hair all the time, I thought you might need it. ¡± Touched by her warm consideration, I reached out to her in spite of myself. The moment I tried to pull her small, soft body to me and hug her, I stopped. My reason ordered me not to get close to her, warning me that she and I would have a hard time if I did. I withdrew my hands in a hurry. I took my eyes off her as she looked away with an awkward expression and looked back at the hair tie. I had a lump in my throat when I saw my initials embroidered at the edge of the tie. ¡®I tried to kill you with this, but you gave me this out of so many other things, and that with my name embroidered beautifully.¡¯ Suddenly, I wanted to tell her everything honestly, such as the darkness and madness that boiled inside me, my crooked affection for her, the past days when I tried to ruin her life and my murderous intent, for she had the right to know. I was afraid that she might look at me critically, but I thought I should tell the truth even now, because she wouldn¡¯t know if I didn¡¯t tell her now. ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Tia was still looking at me with trust. I hesitated for a while, but I didn¡¯t have the nerve to confide in her. ¡®I don¡¯t want to be hated by you. I don¡¯t want to betray your pure trust in me. Even if I am remembered as a crazy person and a bad guy to others, I want to be remembered as a warm and friendly man in your memory. ¡®Forgive me, Tia. Forgive me for deceiving you to the end out of my selfishness, mydy. ¡® When I refused to reply when she repeatedly asked me if I woulde back, she turned helplessly, and I felt heartbroken. ¡°Hey, Allendis, what¡¯s going on?¡± said Carsein. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I heard you¡¯re going as a member of the delegation to the Lua kingdom. You also resigned, right? ¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Were you dumped?¡± The day the delegation departed, I was busy packing my stuff when Carsein stormed my office and cut to the chase. ¡®Man, he has smelled a rat already?¡¯ I turned with a frown. ¡°Dang it. I hated you from the beginning because you caught on quick from the beginning.¡± ¡°Tut, tut. Hey, Allendis, how can you be so stupid when they call you the genius of the century? How can you propose to her at this time? Nothinges out if you do it this time.¡± Clicking his tongue, he tapped my shoulders gently as if heforted me. I was agonized over whether I should thank him for his empty words, but at the moment, he was smiling sarcastically. Obviously, he would be happy without me as he also knew I was interested in Tia. ¡®Damn it. You are so happy because one of your rivals is out, right?¡¯ ¡°Hey, Carsein?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be happy. You will grow nervous as time goes on. If you stand looking at her like that, you will be sticking around her all your life.¡± ¡°Well, I am not like you, stupid man. I¡¯m more like an intuitive hunter. ¡± I giggled when he confidently spoke. ¡®I was going to visit you once, so it¡¯s good you came to see me, Carsein.¡¯ I threw something at him, which I had prepared in advance. Stunned by a long sword thrown at him, Carsein barely caught it and said angrily, ¡°What the heck are you doing, Allendis? Are you asking for a duel?¡± ¡°No, take it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I need it anymore.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Carsein, suddenly frowning, walked toward me quickly and grabbed me by the cor. Staring at his frowning face, I agonized for a moment about whether I should hit him in his crumpled face or not. Should I hit him one or not? I was carrying a lot of emotional baggage toward him. ¡°Hey, Allendis.¡± ¡°You had better forget this. Listen to me, okay?Don¡¯t ever say you¡¯re going to give up your life because I kicked your ass out of the running, got it?¡± ¡°How stupid, Carsein! I am not nning to give up my life. How could I be killed by a guy like you?¡± ¡°Shut up. Even if you¡¯re crazy, I have recognized you as my rival. So, if you give up like this, I won¡¯t forgive you forever. Got it? When youe back, let¡¯s have a duel fairly. ¡± Carsein¡¯s blue eyes were sparkling. After staring at him for a moment, I twisted his hands and disengaged from him. Then I adjusted my crumpled clothes and turned. Now it was time for the delegation to depart. ¡°Please take care of Tia well.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a reply, dude?¡± ¡°Care for her well. She is tender-hearted although she looks strong.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± I left the angry Carsein behind and went out, carrying my package. ¡®Goodbye, Carsein! I thought I would have lots of annoyances with you, but looking back, I was sometimes happy because of you. I think you can take care of mydy. Please protect her well on my behalf. Don¡¯t make her cry like me. Please cherish her, my tender-hearteddy.¡¯ ¡°Thanks for your hard work, Allen.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee , Duke Lars. I hope you can return safely. ¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not going back with us, Allendis?¡± ¡°Yes, princess. I want to stay here more and look around. If anybody inquires after me, please tell them so. ¡± Unlike the empire, the air, mountain streams and the environment of the Lua kingdom were all unfamiliar to me. I did my best here. As my job involved the conclusion of an agreement between allies, it was not that tough, but I had to negotiate and gather intelligence everyday to make the most out of the negotiation. It was fun, though it was my first time negotiating with a foreign kingdom. I was happy not because I worked to get a promotion, destroy somebody or plot, but because I could put my abilities to work. I watched Princess Frincia and Sir Lars gradually love each other and have a happy wedding. Finally, the day came when the delegation would return to the empire. Since I decided that I would never go back from the moment I left the empire, I refused their offer to return. The border areas were naturally formed by tall mountains. When I said goodbye to them, I was left alone in the kingdom. I climbed a steep mountain and stood on the cliff. Far away I could see the territory of the empire. My lovely girl is alive and breathing somewhere over there. ¡®How are you doing, Tia? I miss you, my deardy. ¡® I searched through the luggage I had brought when I left the empire. There was a small vial hidden in the corner. I kept it because I thought I might feel good if I drank it all and forgot everything, but I couldn¡¯t drink it for fear I might cause trouble to the delegation. I threw the vial down the cliff. Now, I won¡¯t need this. If I just walk a few steps forward, everything will be over. ¡°Whew!¡± I took a deep breath. Suddenly, I recalled Tia¡¯s face that I saw before I left the empire. Even though she asked me several times with a tearful voice if I woulde back, I couldn¡¯t reply. I also recalled the kitten Tia that hung on to me, wiggling its tail. When I asked Tia what name she gave the kitten, she said she gave the name Luna. I realized clearly that mydy was a moon. She was a silver moon that could shine only when it got the sunlight. I, who was the darkness wanted the moonlight, hoped to be the shining star in the moonlight, but I ended up being the shadow of the moon. A shadow chasing the moon. ¡®I loved you, Tia. And I still love you, mydy. ¡® I longed for your light. I wanted to be with you Chapter 119 Chapter 119: Chapter 119 Present III But you are the moon, I am the shadow chasing the moon. The day when I can stand by your side will nevere. I don¡¯t want to live that kind of life anymore. I loved you who gave me the only light in my life which was so burdensome, but the shadow that was locked in the deep darkness by that light is about to end its life. You have to be happy, Tia. You have to live a shining life like the moon that everyone looks up to. Let me carry the darkness you wanted to get away from and the shadow you wanted to shake off. I slowly walked toward the cliff and finally stood at the edge of it. If I take one more step forward, my bitterness, empty heart, pain, sadness would all disappear. If the fairy tale I read as a child is correct, I might be a star as I¡¯ve been hoping, and watch over my girl. The moment I took a deep breath and lifted my right foot from the ground, I saw the bag I was holding being blown by a strong wind. The light green box that I kept in it previously was turned upside down, and the colored hair ties were scattered by the wind. I instinctively reached out and grabbed one of the flying hair bands. When I looked at it in my hand, my eyes popped open. ¡°¡­! ¡± D flowers were embroidered on the hair tie whose inside was visible because its seam was torn. ¡®What happened? This is the one I gave to Tia! ¡® I turned it over with a trembling hand. Everything in the box was blown away, and the only one left was a green hair band. No matter how carefully I looked at it, it was the one I gave her as a gift to mydy. Besides, it was the same one with which I tried to wind around Tia¡¯s neck on the day I was crazy. Yes, it was the same hair band. ¡®Oh my, Tia. Did you give it back after embroidering over it?¡¯ As thest resort I gave you a pair of it in the hope that our love coulde true. If then, did you pull out one of those two strings and embroider my initials there? ¡°Hahaha.¡± Suddenly, I broke intoughter. ¡®It really sounds like you, Tia.¡¯ Obviously, you didn¡¯t even know the meaning of this hair band or why I gave you a pair. Just like you said, you probably gave me this gift for my long journey with a pure heart. As you had two, you thought you could give me one of them. And you decided to embroider my initials on it because you felt awkward about giving it back as it was. ¡®But Tia, do you know the myth that if you embroider a lover¡¯s name on D flowers, you will be bonded with that man forever?¡¯ It¡¯s okay if you regard it as superstitious. Because you embroidered my own name without yours, I would love only half of you forever, ording to the myth, missing you and longing for you. That¡¯s fine with me, Tia, because you embroidered my name. Even if you don¡¯t ept my love, I understand that you appreciated my wishes to get your love. Let me assume you have allowed me to continue to love you. Thanks, Tia. Even if you said you wanted to shake off the shadow, thanks for allowing this shabby shadow to keep chasing you. Thanks so much, mydy, for not denying this shadow. This shadow tried to end his life because he thought he was abandoned by the owner. I sincerely thank you for recognizing the existence of the shadow. I¡¯m happy that I can continue to chase you. ¡®I think I can answer yourst question now, Tia.¡¯ Okay. Someday, I¡¯ll go back to you when I can get out of the darkness trying to swallow me. I promise that I¡¯lle back to you someday. If I can be a shadow that can love you as you are, when the dayes when the shadow that follows the moon dares not think of swallowing it, then I will definitely go back to you. ¡®So, you have to be doing well until then, mydy.¡¯ My moonlight, my love, mydy shining brightly. Please be happy until the day we meet again. I could hardly breathe in the scorching heat. I was sweaty on my back. Whenever my hair that was tied up in a knot touched the back of my neck, I felt sweltering heat. I raised my arms and looked down at the jacket covering the back of my hands. When I saw the hot ck cloth of my uniform, I sighed in spite of myself. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s so hot. I feel even hotter seeing this.¡¯ It was already half a year from the day the delegation including Allendis and Sir Lars left for the Lua kingdom. In the meantime, the season changed twice and spring came back. Before I came back from the past, I had never felt this before, but this year the weather was really strange. Last winter was unusually warm, and it¡¯s very hot even though it was only five months into the New Year. ¡®What will I do in midsummer if it¡¯s already hot like this?¡¯ When I raised my head after wiping sweat on my forehead, I saw the roof of the Central Pce shining brightly under the hot sun as well as the sturdy wall of the inner pce and the blue g embroidered with the silver shields fluttering above it. Knights of the 1st Knights, including me, lined up in column and in line at the entrance to the huge wall. The gs held high by the riders who stood in the middle of them were embroidered with four crossed spears. Everyone fixed their gaze on Deputy Captain Earl Fleck, who was enthusiastically exining something. ¡°¡­ This is our mission. Do you understand? ¡± ¡°Yes, sir! We got it! ¡°Good. The squad that makes the greatest contribution will be given a corresponding reward, so do your best in your training.¡± When he issued an order, Eral Fleck shouted, drawing his sword, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Castina¡¯s spear! There is nothing you cannot break through! ¡± ¡°Yaah!¡± Knights in line were yelling at once, drawing their swords. I let out a sigh, looking at them. ¡®Is it really possible?¡¯ Today was the first day of the fifth month in 963 by the imperial calendar. They had mockbat drills every two years. It took almost two weeks for them to prepare for the drills, and one whole day to think about the strategy. However, the proposal I made at the strategic meeting was ignored. ¡®I proposed the idea after careful deliberation, but was it so academic that everybody shook their heads?¡¯ I asked myself. ¡°Everybody, clear for action!¡± Looking aside, I saw Carsein and eight other knights. When he met my eyes, Carsein smiled. I felt refreshed, smiling at him, too. Fortunately, I was in the same squad as him. The mock battle was one of the regr training drills of the knights. Two knights groups were divided into an offensive team and a defensive team, with each team aiming to capture or defend the Imperial Pce. This time the 1st Knight I belonged to participated in the drills as the offensive team. In order to win, we had to capture the inner pce in half a day and rescue Duke Lars held captive in the De Pce. ¡°Attack!¡± ¡°Yaah!¡± Knights at the forefront of the 1st Knights Division including my squad, ran forward. This year¡¯s training was simplified due to the sweltering heat, so it was somewhat different from the full-fledged battle n. Therefore, the gate of the inner pce was already open, and only the swords, shields, bows, and portable weapons were provided to both knights. ¡°Run! Run faster! ¡± ¡°Soon, you guys will be in range of their bows! Be careful, everyone! ¡± I lifted the shield, feeling regret that I could not ride on horseback. More than a hundred arrows flew over the heads of the knights running ahead, shielding themselves with shields like me. The bows were loaded with blunt cloth of yellow dye instead of pointed arrowheads. ¡°Ugh, damn it!¡± ¡°Those hit by arrows step back!¡± As those with their ck uniforms hit by arrows stepped back one by one, the knights at the first row who entered the gate safely began to fight with the knights of the 2nd Knights Division who were blocking the entrance. Arrows flying from the wall knocked down the number of our allies who could advance against the enemy desperately blocking the gate. Looking at our knights blocking the arrows with shields, I drew my brows together. ¡®They will be in trouble if they can¡¯t advance quickly.¡¯ Chapter 120 Chapter 120: Chapter 120 A considerable number of allies were still exposed to the enemy¡¯s attacking range. Even if they were behind the shields, they could notpletely avoid the storm of arrows. As it was still in the early stage of the battle, it was not good for the allies to incur such a big damage. ¡®How can I stop them from shooting the storm of arrows?¡¯ I bit my lip, wielding my sword against the enemy approaching me. As I was the only one wearing a silver badge amid the wave of red uniforms worn by the 2nd Knights members, there were many more knights targeting me than I anticipated. Blocking the sword aimed at my chest, I pulled my body back. Another sword aimed at my belly stopped right before hitting me. ¡°Whew!¡± Calming my pounding heart, I grabbed my sword again. Even though it was like a realbat drill, the enemy¡¯s attack a moment ago was dangerous. The enemy knight who tried to stab me was breathing a sigh of relief as if he was also surprised. At that moment, a small wooden door about a hundred steps away caught my eye. It was the entrance for the servants, maids and carts. Yes, that¡¯s what I want! When I stepped back, striking back the enemy¡¯s sword, an ally knight in the rear row came out and filled my ce. Taking this opportunity, I confirmed Carsein¡¯s position. I noticed that he was moving back step by step after defeating an enemy knight ¡°Carsein.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Carsein!¡± ¡°Ugh? Why are you calling me? I¡¯m distracted. ¡± Carsein, grabbing his sword again and catching his breath, looked back at me a bitte. When I pointed at the wooden gate with my chin, Carsein¡¯s eyes, who also noticed it, sparkled. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡± After replying quickly, he checked the position of his squad members. Then, he helped them in the fight against the enemy knights, knocked them down, and let his subordinates step back one by one. It wasn¡¯t easy for them to step back at a safe distance amid the intense fighting. When they seeded in moving back, pretending to be dead, Carsein said, ¡°Sir Monique has found something good. Let¡¯s hit it. ¡± ¡°Ugh? Are you saying you want to go around the main gate? ¡± ¡°No. Look aside! The stairs leading to the wall are right there.¡± A big knight who heard Carsein replied frownedly, ¡°Do you want to upy the wall? I¡¯m afraid our squad alone couldn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Hmm, Sir Monique?¡± Carsein, who was trying to say something, said, turning to me. I quickly exined, looking straight in the eyes of the squad members who were frowning. ¡°We can because the defending enemies who were positioned at each path in the inner pce are not that many, so entering the pce is a matter of time. However, we are having difficulty because their resistance is stronger than expected. In this situation, if we upy the wall, we can quicken our advance into the pce.¡± ¡°Nheless, it¡¯s practically impossible for us ten to upy the wall¡­ ¡± ¡°How dare you say that? You look much more scared than I think.¡± When I challenged him with a provocative tone, the bulky knight looked at me with a grumpy expression, gnashing his teeth. Telling me to go in first, he grabbed his sword again. So did other squad members. ¡®It¡¯s as expected.¡¯ I smiled faintly, looking at them. Unlike Sir Dillon, who had been friendly to me from the beginning, or my family knights who were generous to me, I thought that these knights who looked coldly on me would certainlyin about my provocations. Since they subtly ignored me because I was a woman, saying I joined the knights division with my father¡¯s help, it was natural that they could not put up with my insinuation that they were cowards. I, Carsein, and eight other knights moved forward, leaning cautiously against the wall to stop the enemies from noticing us. After walking to the wooden gate, we finally reached our destination and pushed the small door in front of us as hard as we could. Bang! The wooden door was broken with a loud noise. Everyone hurriedly looked around and checked if the enemies were turning their attention to us. Fortunately, we were not caught despite the loud noise because allies and enemies were locked in a fierce battle. I ran fast and climbed a steep staircase up the wall. As they didn¡¯t expect allies would strike them from behind, the 2nd Knights members were shooting arrows with their gaze fixed on the main gate of the pce. I silently approached and removed them. Shortly afterwards, some of them noticed something suspicious, but it was already toote. Our squad members moved toward the top of the wall. Standing in the second row and moistening my dry mouth, I measured the distance to our destination. ¡®Approximately 20 steps from here.¡¯ We beat the 2nd Knights members charging toward us from behind. The number of the enemies remaining on the wall was suddenly reduced. ¡°Carry out the next operation!¡± When we shouted at the top of our voices, the enemies flinched and grabbed their swords tightly. However, we pushed them as hard as we could and rushed towards our target. ¡°Stop them! The watchtower is their target! ¡± The 2nd Knights members shouted, but our squad had already arrived at the entrance of the watchtower. Except for the two of our squad members, the other members of our squad entered the watchtower, Carsein and two knights holding their shields stood on guard in front of the tower, while I and four other knights got rid of the enemies while climbing the spiral staircase. Finally, we reached the top of the castle tower. ¡°Does everyone have a good view?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, all clear!¡± ¡°Good. Let ¡®s shoot freely!¡± With a gentle smile, I picked up a bunch of arrows. Looking at me bitterly, other members of the squad also silently put the arrows on the bows. I shot five arrows with yellow dye towards the 2nd Knights members, who were defending the main gate. While they were distracted by the storm of arrows, the allies fighting them were encouraged by our unexpected support. Their morale went up. How much time passed? Watching the parade of the allies moving slowly, I took the arrows from the bow. Thanks to our effective support, the allied knights who already passed through the gate were advancing toward the six roads leading to De Pce. Suddenly the 2nd Knights members began to descend from the wall. As the battlefield changed, it seemed that they were thinking of giving up the wall that had been already captured, and focusing on blocking the roads leading to the pce. I smiled unconsciously. As we seeded in entering the inner pce faster than expected, the chances of our winning were much higher now. ¡°Now, everyone, let¡¯s shoot five arrows each before going down.¡± ¡°Okay, Sir Monique.¡± The squad members, who obviously looked down on me before the operation, didn¡¯t show any sign of disrespecting me. Feeling a bit satisfied, I shot five arrows and turned. I thought I could go down now. As I descended the steep staircases, I saw Caresin¡¯s red hair fluttering. One of the three knights defending the entrance to the castle tower were gone as he seemed to have been counted as killed, and only the bulky knight, who had frowned on me a little while ago, and Carsein were struggling to beat them back. ¡°Good job, squad leader, and Sir Giss. Take a little rest. ¡± ¡°Oh, you are here.¡± As five knights including me came forward, the members of the 2nd Knights who were holding out there to the end flinched and blocked the road. As it was toote for them to retreat, it seemed that they wanted to defeat our squad. How much time passed? After fierce fighting, we barely defeated them. As soon as we got rid of thest knight, we squatted down, exhausted. Carsein, pondering about something while we were taking a break, said abruptly, ¡°Which road would be better?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think a big road would be better? I think it¡¯s better for us to meet our allies there¡­¡± ¡°No, we have to choose a small road. Why are you trying to get around instead of the shortcut?¡± ¡°But Sir Gis, we have got only seven members left¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? Didn¡¯t we end up being in this situation because we epted your opinion? Why are youining about the number of our squad?¡± Sir Gis balked. I sighed a little, looking at Sir Gis¡¯s sarcastic remarks with a disgusting expression. Chapter 121 Chapter 121: Chapter 121 Our squad walked after him to head for the narrowest of the six roads. ¡°¡­ We are surrounded, ¡± several members said with a moan. ording to Sir Giss¡¯s opinion, we infiltrated through the small road and easily arrived at the point where we could see D Pce faster than expected. However, it seemed to be the enemy¡¯s trap for us. It was almost certain, given that we were blocked quickly in the front and rear. ¡®What should we do? It is unreasonable for us to break through.¡¯ We lost one more, leaving the six of us. In contrast, the enemies consisted of at least three squads. It was an unfavorable fight of three to one to us, but it was fortunate that the road was narrow enough only five people could stand side by side. I bit my lip, looking at the enemies fast approaching. They lunged at us, shouting all at once. As soon as I blocked the sword from the right with the shield, another sword was pointed at my shoulders. I hurriedly lowered my body. When I saw the sword passing over my head, I got goosebumps. The moment I breathed a sigh of relief, another enemy swung at my chest. It¡¯s already toote for me to block. I closed my eyes, thinking this was the end, but his sword was stopped by an ally knight. He was Carsein. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I stepped back, thanking him. We lost one more, and now we have got only five. As things stand now, it was obvious that we would be defeated. ¡®Is there any good way?¡¯ While I, biting my lip, was wary of the enemy trying to strike me from behind, I suddenly noticed a building located not far from me. At that moment, I hit upon an idea suddenly. ¡®Is it possible?¡¯ The ce we were in was very narrow because it was in the middle of the passage to Lotus. Because of that, I could see the building on my right easily. Again, I checked the distance, blocking another sword. Maybe I could seed or maybe I would fail, but the problem was how to stop the enemies before us. Given the current situation, I could not use this method I just hit upon. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ I hesitated for a moment and decided to take the risk. Anyway, the result would be the same whether we were defeated or failed in our attempt. After I pushed the enemy back with my sword, I rxed my left hand. The shield I was holding tightly fell on the ground with a loud noise. The moment the enemy lunging at me looked at the falling shield, I quickly took out a portable hook and threw it over the building. Was it because the building was not high? It hooked at the spot I targeted. I beat back the enemy and grabbed thedder. Then, I quickly climbed the building and pulled the bow from my back. With a smile, I put an arrow on the bow. An arrow stained with yellow dye hit the knight who chased me up thedder. After taking a deep breath, I put a second arrow on the bow. It hit the knight who attacked Sir Giss¡¯s back. Only then did the 2nd Knights members notice they were sniped and turned quickly. It was imperative for them to stop our squad members from approaching them on thedder. ¡°Great! Keep attacking them like this! ¡± Carsein shouted cheerfully. ¡°Sure!¡± responded the squad members. I heard Carsein¡¯s delightful voice and the squad members¡¯ spirited response in chorus. With their backs against the wall, they fought. I shot arrows at the remaining ten 2nd Knights. By the time the arrows I had ran out, the squad members shouted for joy after beating thest 2nd Knights defender. ¡°We won!¡± ¡°Yes, we made it!¡± ¡°It was a great sniping!¡± ¡°¡­Thank you, Sir Monique. ¡± I smiled, wiping sweat from my forehead. Watching the squad members giving me thumbs up, praising the operation, and Sir Giss bowing to me slightly, I felt great, with my heart pounding with joy. ¡°Now,e down from the watchtower. I think it would be better for us to escape quickly before the enemy¡¯s reinforcementse.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ming down now.¡± I stopped while I was going down. As if somebody touched it during the battle, one of the two hooks holding thedder was missing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± I stepped on the swaying rope carefully because I thought thedder would be okay without a mp as it was also used with a single hook. Even though it was somewhat swaying, I felt relieved as if it was fixed rather tightly. But the moment I took another step, thedder step below my feet was suddenly taken off. I felt like my body was floating in the air. I closed my eyes tightly. Thinking of the falling impact, I cured up as much as possible. However, I didn¡¯t feel any big shock, except for the force of somebody hugging me tightly. ¡°Be careful, little girl!¡± When I opened my eyes carefully, I saw something red blurring in my eyes. I slowly blinked and asked nkly, ¡°¡­ Carsein? ¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± Apparently, he was far away, but I found him holding me with both arms before I knew it. He said, frowning while breathing heavily, ¡°Who told you to do that recklessly. Uh? ¡°Oh, first of all, let me¡­¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± When I turned my blushing face, Carsein, who looked at me curiously, giggled as if he understood what I meant. After putting me down carefully, he stood, leaning against the wall. As I was so surprised, I ced my hand on my fast-beating heart and caught my breath. When I kept breathing in and out, my blush went away and my short breath went back to normal gradually. Did he notice that I felt much better? Carsein, standing with his arms folded, beckoned to me. As I approached hesitantly, he gently hit my forehead with a fist and said sternly, ¡°That was your punishment. If you do it again, I won¡¯t forgive you, okay? ¡± ¡°¡­ Okay. ¡± ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m just a bit surprised. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Only then, Carsein, who was frowning at me, disengaged himself from the wall. When they found the atmosphere got much better, the squad members, who had been looking at us silently, began to speak one by one. ¡°Wow, squad leader, you are so fast!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you got here at the perfect timing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯ve been watching her.¡± ¡°Oops! That¡¯s a pretty dangerous statement¡­¡± ¡°Bullshit. Let¡¯s move! Didn¡¯t you tell me we had to get out of here before the enemy¡¯s reinforcement unit came here? ¡± After each of them said something, they went silent and checked their equipment. As we lost three more in between, we have only five left now. Although the De Pce was not far away from us, it seemed that we had better wait until our ally members got together before attacking the enemy again. While walking behind the three knights watching around us warily, I looked aside. Carsein, who was walking next to me silently, asked, leaning his head to one side, ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? Did you fall in love with me?¡± ¡°¡­ Whatever.¡± ¡°Ugh? I saved you from getting hurt. How can you respond like that instead of expressing gratitude? Whatever!¡± Come to think of it, he was right. As I was so surprised to find myself held in his arms, I forgot to say thanks to him. ¡°Sorry. And thank you so much, Carsein. ¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. By the way, don¡¯t you think I was cool a minute ago?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t deny it. I saw you blushing, little girl.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, we¡¯re here at De Pce. Looks like they¡¯re fighting now. What should we do? Are you going in right away? ¡± When I asked, avoiding his gaze, Carsein chuckled with a nod, ¡°Good. If they are fighting, we don¡¯t have to spare ourselves. Let¡¯s go in right away!¡± I and Carsein ran straight to De Pce to join our allies. The remaining three members of our squad also joined. How much time passed? Our forces, who had been locked in a boring fight with the enemy, barely reached the second floor of the pce with the closing hour of the drills almost over. ¡°Hang in there a little more!¡± ¡°You should never let them rescue the prisoner!¡± Thanks to the achievement a moment ago, the squad members felt better, but he was still hostile to other members. Obviously, he seemed to hold grudges because I provoked him, calling him a coward. ¡°Got it. Let me respect Sir Giss¡¯s opinion this time and take the small road,¡± said Carsein, making the decision after nodding. Chapter 122 Chapter 122: Chapter 122 Given the situation now, the prisoner, Duke Lars, was inside the room at the end of the hallway where the enemies were blocking our forces¡¯ entry desperately. Neither ally nor enemy forces were in a situation where they could no longer step back. Eventually, with the target area only about thirty steps away, the two sides stood face to face, staring at each other. They were in a lull for a minute. I let out a sigh. I thought that a little more push would have them driven away. But it was very difficult to get there as the 2nd Knight members were desperately resisting. ¡®Is there any way to break through them?¡¯ When I was lost in thought, Carsein shrugged and looked around at the knights around him. ¡°As we can¡¯t dy anymore, why don¡¯t we confront them directly? Let¡¯s move in and fight.¡± ¡°What if we are blocked?¡± ¡°Then we are defeated, of course. But the result is the same whether the closing time is up or we are defeated, isn¡¯t it? ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go ahead then.¡± When some squad leaders agreed, Carsein said with a smile, ¡°Good. If I count three, begin attacking them. By the way, Sir Monique? ¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± At his sudden calling, I turned my head while grabbing my shield. ¡°As you are very quick in wielding the sword, stand behind the second row. Then, if you think you can do it, go straight to the target area.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°The same goes for those who think they are fast. Okay, let¡¯s go. One, two, three!¡± Everyone rushed to the target area, holding their shields before them. Although the 2nd Knights members were on the defensive even before we charged at them, they began to step back little by little as if they felt it was too difficult to stop our attack. Was it because we pushed them as hard as we could? There was a hole in their defensive line finally. They noticed it and tried to close the ranks quickly, but I was a little faster than them. After barely breaking through their loose defense, I opened the door without looking back. ¡°Duke Lars!¡± ¡°Wow! Sir Monique! Nice joy. Thanks for your efforts toe over here.¡± Duke Lars, who was having tea with my father in a leisurely manner, spoke. Next to him were Deputy Captain of the 1st Knights Division, Earl Fleck, and Deputy Captain of the 2nd Knights Division, Earl Burt. ¡°¡­ ¡± I blinked with a nk expression. I felt empty somehow. I arrived here after desperately fighting my way through the enemies. I just felt drained to find them so rxed, unlike the chaotic situation outside where they were locked in a fierce battle. Earl Fleck, who looked at me blinking aghast, said with a smile, ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve made a great contribution, but I didn¡¯t expect you woulde here.¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°I think I underestimated my abilities. I¡¯m sorry. Although your strategy was reckless, it was good. If you make further efforts, I think you can be a good staff officer. ¡± ¡°Thank you, Deputy Captain!¡± When I bowed to express gratitude, Duke Lars, who put down the teacup, looked back at my father and said as if he felt good, ¡°Kairan, I know you¡¯re happy with your daughter¡¯s achievements, but I don¡¯t think you can be happy now. The 2nd Knights you are in charge of are lost. ¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I agree.¡± The moment my father¡¯s eyebrows were wriggling, I heard a trumpet ring from a distance. The trumpet sound meant the end of drills. ¡®Is it true we have won? Really?¡¯ Suddenly, I smiled. Though exhausted, I felt refreshed at the sound. Standing up from his seat and approaching me, my father stroked my head and said, ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame that you defeated my knights, but I¡¯m so proud that you have carried out your mission so well. Good job!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± I was so happy that my heart was throbbing hard. My father has supported my decision without raising any objection from the moment when I, right after my return from the past, told him that I would learn fencing, but it was the first time he praised me as a knight. When I was overjoyed, looking at my father, Duke Lars picked up a quill pen and said, writing down something on a piece of paper on the table, ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s time for me to evaluate her performance. Kairan, I¡¯m thinking of giving her the final score like this. What do you think? ¡± ¡°I have no objection, but I¡¯m afraid they are going toin.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Earl Fleck, Earl Burt, what do you think? ¡± ¡°Comin? Bullshit! There are lots of knights who have witnessed the wonderful performance of the two knights.¡± ¡°You heard it, Kairan, right? You¡¯re worried needlessly, Now, let¡¯s go and announce the results.¡± After folding the paper, Duke Lars pulled out the one embroidered with four spears out of the two gs hanging from the wall. Only then did my father nod and pulled out the blue g embroidered with a silver shield. I left De Pce with the four and headed for the outer pce. In the spacious vacant lot the knights of the 1st and 2nd Knights Divisions, who already adjusted their uniforms neatly, were lined up in column and in line. Their eyes looking at my father and Duke Lars on the tform were all sparkling with anticipation. At that moment, a group of knights were seen approaching from a distance. The blue-haired young man and the knights in white uniforms escorting him. At the sudden appearance of the crown prince they began to whisper here and there. Of course, they stopped whispering as soon as they checked Duke Lar¡¯s sharp nce. ¡°Loyalty to the lion! I¡¯m honored to see the Little Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Glory to the Empire! Sorry if I have disturbed you. I wanted to observe the drills from the beginning, but somehow, I came only now as I finished my work.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t disturb us, Your Majesty! I am honored to know you are so much interested in our knights,¡± said my father with a nod. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t observe the drills, I would like to give the awards directly to those who have achieved the best performance.¡± ¡°Please go ahead. They will take it as an honor.¡± My father handed him the paper with the award winners on it and stepped back. After opening the paper, the crown prince looked through the names there. Then, he paused for a moment before opening his mouth slowly. ¡°You knights who are the spears and shields of Great Castina and the glorious empire! I admire your hard work and enthusiasm, and I sincerely appreciate your patience and courage. May you enjoy the glory of endless honor in the future!¡± ¡°Wow! Wow!¡± ¡°Glory to the Empire!¡± ¡°Loyalty to the Lion!¡± After waiting for their shouting to subdue, he said, ¡°Then let me announce the winner. The winning team today is ¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Today¡¯s winner is the offensive team. Spears of the empire, let me praise your agility.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± At the moment, the 1st Knights Division shouted loud. Smiling lightly, Duke Lars lifted and shook the g embroidered with four spears. On the other hand, the 2nd Knights Division members looked gloomy. As captain, my father was expressionless. As both sides¡¯ reactions were showing such a contrast, the crown prince raised his right hand to silence them and said, ¡°Then let me announce the best squad. The best squad of the drills this year is ¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°It is the 13th squad of the 1st Knights Division. Members,e forward. ¡± I opened my eyes wide. ¡¯13th Squad? Really?¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s go, Aristia.¡± Carsein patted my shoulder and smiled. Members of the squad including Sir Giss stood with a nk expression like me. As I stepped on the tform nkly, the members of the 1st Knights Division shouted all at once. ¡°The 13th Squad of the 1st Knights Division, squad leader Carsein de Las and nine others. I award swords and badges to each of you who have shown great courage and strategy to lead the team to victory. Always remember what you have done today and try to set an example for the knights of the empire.¡± After offering briefpliments, the blue-haired young man handed a decorative sword and badge to each squad member. My colleagues received the souvenirs and finally it was my turn. The young man who stopped a couple of feet before me looked at me and said, ¡°¡­You.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­ Nothing. Thanks for your nice job.¡± Instead of trying to say something, he silently picked up a spear-shaped badge and pinned it on my cor. He adjusted my crumpled jacket a bit. Then he turned around after passing the decorative sword to me. Chapter 123 Chapter 123: Chapter 123 I looked at him for a moment and stroked the spear-shaped badge on my cor once. Suddenly, I smiled in spite of myself. This was my first achievement since I decided to learn fencing. When I recalled my father¡¯s praise, I couldn¡¯t stop smiling. After he was done giving the awards, he said, ¡°Let me give one month¡¯s sry as a special bonus to all the knights who went through such hard training.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Hooray to the Crown Prince!¡± The crown prince continued, ¡°Besides that, let me treat you to alcohol and meat. Have a great time today. That¡¯s all.¡± After he finished speaking, he looked back at me quickly and went down the tform. It seemed that my eyes met his deep blue eyes, but as he turned quickly, I was not sure. When I was looking at his blue hair immersed in the sunset, a familiar knight came and greeted me. ¡°Congrattions, Sir Monique.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Dillon.¡± ¡°I heard that you used a hookdder at the crossroads of Lotus Pce to snipe them, right? There were more than a few squads defeated there. How did you think of that strategy? ¡± ¡°Oh, just¡­ ¡± I smiled awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed. He smiled, ¡°Did you know? There are more than a few guys looking at you now.¡± ¡°Pardon? Why? ¡± ¡°Well, I guess they felt something. Tut, tut. That¡¯s why I told you that repeatedly¡­¡± I looked around slowly. Like Sir Dillon said, several knights were squinting at me. When my eyes met theirs, they quickly turned their eyes from me, which made me burst intoughter. Rather than showing a scornful or disrespectful attitude, they seemed embarrassed or awkward about what they had done. ¡®Are they recognizing me a bit now?¡¯ My squad members, Sir Giss, my father, and the members of the 1st Knights: though their way of reacting differed in degree, I smiled brightly, thinking of their changed attitude. Today was a very rewarding day for me. Haze rose everywhere under the scorching sun, and the steaming heat made me sweat profusely even when I stood still. The pure white roof was dazzlingly lit by the pouring sunlight, and my ck jacket warmed by heat was so hot that my fingertips would be burnt at the slightest touch. Breathing in the hot air, I headed for the 2nd Knights building because I received a message from my father that as he came to the pce for urgent matters, he wanted to go back home with me when I was done for the day. ¡®By the way, he is off today. Why did he go to the pce?¡¯ As I entered the training field, I saw several knights sitting in small groups under the shade, wiping their sweat with a towel and drinking water. ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you Sir Monique who defeated us terribly?¡± ¡°Oh, you must be Sir Monique. Please stop by more often. ¡± ¡°By the way, how long are you going to stay with the 1st Knights¡¯ Division?¡± ¡°Please return to the 2nd Knights before the next training session. You know we were given severe discipline for our defeat that day. My body still aches all over.¡± I gently smiled at them as they babbled about their defeat at the recent mock drills. I heard that unlike the 1st Knights, there were many people here at the 2nd Knights who had good feelings toward me from the beginning, but certainly their favorable reaction was more palpable after the drills were over. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. How are you, everyone? It ¡®s very hot today. ¡± ¡°You bet. I think it will be very hot this year. ¡± ¡°Yes, many people have already startedining about it.¡± ¡°By the way, what business has brought you here? Are you here to see the captain?¡± I nodded at his question, and said, ¡°Ah yes. I thought he was here around this time, but I don¡¯t see him.¡± ¡°As I understand, he went to see the emperor. As he went there long ago, he should be back here soon. Oh, he ising here now.¡± Looking back, I saw a silver-haired knight walking toward me from a distance. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°Oh, it looks like you had a hard time working early in the morning. Why didn¡¯t you wait in my office because it¡¯s so hot outside?¡± ¡°Well, I thought you were here around this time, so I came here. Did your meeting with the emperor go well?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± When I looked up with a smile, my father slightly smiled and lightly stroked my hair. After saying goodbye to the knights who felt sorry I had to leave, I left the training field with my father as he insisted we should go back home. Was it because I was on my back home with my father after a long day? I felt I was walking on air, and I kept babbling about what happened today while walking toward the wagon center. Then, I climbed the wagon after appreciating the horseman¡¯s greetings. The wagon suddenly stopped when I was chatting with him with gentle vibrations. We still had to drive a little more to reach our house. When I looked out the window curiously, I saw themercial district, located in the center of the capital. ¡®Aren¡¯t we going back home?¡¯ When I tilted my head a bit, he said with a faint smile, ¡°Well, I felt a bit sorry because I couldn¡¯t spend much time together with you these days. So, today I¡¯m going to spend time with you. What do you think?¡± ¡°Really?¡± I smiled brightly. Right after I returned from the past, he was very blunt and clumsy in expressing his emotions, but he has changed enough to suddenly ask me for a date. Of course, he was not still good at expressing his feelings, but his asional expression of affection like this made me very happy. My father, who got out of the carriage first, reached out to me. I grabbed his big hand and carefully got out of the wagon. Although I was already excited when I left the pce, I was even more thrilled when I thought of going on a date with my father. Carried away with excitement, I dared to do something that I would not have done normally. I wrapped my arm around his waist. ¡°Hmm¡­ hmm.¡± Iughed uncontrobly because my father didn¡¯t resist, though he cleared his throat. When I saw the silver-blue tassels on the sword on his waist, I kept smiling. It was the gift I gave him when he left the capital for relief work due to a bad harvest year. ¡°Where shall we go first, Dad?¡± ¡°Well, do you have anything you want? ¡± I visited shops here and there with my father who looked elsewhere as if he felt awkward. Then I stopped walking in front of Mrs. Rosa¡¯s shop, whose items were very popr among thedies these days. ¡®To the best of my memory, I think they sell men¡¯s clothes.¡¯ Yes, this is it! ¡°Daddy, why don¡¯t we stop by this shop for a minute?¡± ¡°Well, you mean this shop?¡± My father, who paused for a moment, unexpectedly nodded. ¡°Come on in, Lady Monique. If you have silver hair ¡­ ¡± Mrs. Rosa, who came out hurriedly, slurred. There are only two in the empire who have silver hair, namely my father and I. So, she must know who my father was because she heard lots of things about him from the noble women who frequented her shop, but she seemed to think my father¡¯s visit strange because he rarely attended social circles. But she seemed embarrassed only for a moment, and she quickly bowed to my father and said, ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Marquis Monique.¡± Mrs. Rosa was a sensual beauty in her early thirties. Although she was amoner, she was renowned as the best dressmaker in the capital. Known for her sensual designs, her dresses were loved by many noble women. For that reason, noble men who wanted to look a little stylish and dandy seemed toe here for their suits. ¡°I want to order custom clothes for my father. A couple of formal dresses and as many casual clothes as possible. Can you?¡± ¡°Of course. Pleasee inside, Marquis and Lady Monique.¡± When I went in, led by Mrs. Rosa, my father looked back at me with a perplexed expression and said, ¡°Why do I need formal clothes all of a sudden? I thought you were here to order your own dress, honey.¡± ¡°You only wear uniforms. I would like to see you dressed up with different clothes. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Please, Dad.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Chapter 124 Chapter 124: Chapter 124 I smiled in spite of myself when he was so embarrassed, but I struggled to hold back the uncontrobleughter. ¡®He is still so cool. He is too handsome to wear just uniforms.¡¯ Although he was now in his mid forties, he looked only in his mid thirties. His silvery hair with fine texture came down to this chin, and his strong build and wide shoulders made many noble women long for him with a sigh. I was told that when he asionally attended a party, young widows and youngdies were fascinated by him. As such, I thought it was too strict for him to only wear uniforms just because he was a knight. So, I intended to use this golden opportunity to order custom clothes for him. ¡°Excuse me for a moment, Marquis,¡± said Mrs. Rosa, who came out with a tape measure. I observed her attitude just in case she might be interested in him, but she just focused on taking measurements for his new clothes nonchntly. Then she brought a booklet that collected fabrics and handed it to me, asking, ¡°What kind of fabric or design do you like?¡± ¡°Well, what do you like, Daddy?¡± ¡°¡­ I have no idea. Can you choose for me?¡± ¡°Sure. Please don¡¯tinter.¡± My father, who looked at me smiling bashfully, flinched for a moment and avoided my gaze. ¡®What would suit him?¡¯ Although I bugged him for wearing a uniform all the time, the 2nd Knight¡¯s uniform with a mix of navy blue and silver suited him well enough to be the perfect fit for him. So, I had to take it into ount. After discussing with my father for a long time, I came up with an outline of his dress and got up when he stopped me suddenly and looked back at Mrs. Rosa. ¡°Are you Mrs. Rosa?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°As I¡¯m here, I also would like to order dresses for my daughter. Formal dresses, please.¡± ¡®Huh? Why formal dresses all of a sudden?¡¯ I looked at him with a puzzled expression, but he continued, without caring about my reaction, ¡°Consult my daughter for details. As for her dress, all I want is just one thing. Embroider the crest of my family on the cor and hem. ¡± ¡°Daddy?¡± My eyes popped open. What did my father say now? Is he really serious about handing me the right to seed the family? I have not yet be his formal sessor yet. Me, who has not yet be a formal sessor? In the empire, the only one who can have the cor and hem of their formal dress embroidered with the crest of his family is the head of the family or an appointee who can represent his authority when he is absent. ¡°Are you serious, Daddy?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why, are you doing this all of a sudden¡­ ¡± ¡°Because I felt you could manage well when I examined how you were training.¡± My father patted my shoulder gently with a faint smile. He asked Mrs. Rosa to visit his mansion sooner orter, then he stood up. ¡®The right to represent his authority?¡¯ Fully ted with pride, I went out of the shop with my father. As soon as I came out, hot air blew over me. Frowning, I made a shade with my hands. My father was frowning after checking the fountain in the center of the square. Why is he upset? It seemed that the floor was clean with no particr problem. ¡®But¡­oh, my.¡¯ ¡°Can you see it?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s serious. If it doesn¡¯t have ¡­¡± There was little water in the fountain. Because of the unusually hot weather, water has started to dry up even though it was just the fifth month. Given that even the best-managed capital in the empire had water scarcity, it was obvious that lots of people would suffer from shortages of water. Damn it! Why are we having a drought when we just overcame the great famine only recently? Suddenly, I felt goosebumps. ¡®There was no sign of this before I came back from the past. What happened? Is the future that has changed little by littlepletely twisted?¡¯ ¡°It is a sign of drought at a time when the emperor might have to leave the pce¡­This is serious.¡± ¡°What do you mean? The emperor has to leave the pce?¡± ¡°Well, I have to be careful about saying this, but you know that his health has been failing sincest winter. That¡¯s why the crown prince has started to focus more on his work these days.¡± ¡°Yes, I know. But why did his condition suddenly ¡­ ¡± Sincest winter, the emperor has begun to hand over arge amount of work to the crown prince. Not only did he delegate diplomatic negotiations with the Lua Kingdom to the crown prince, but also he had the crown prince take over the inspection of the knights. I heard that this spring the crown prince presided over about half of the political meetings. Thanks to this, I rarely bumped into the crown prince after I met him at the National Founding Day festival. Because I decided to withhold my judgment of him until Jiun came, I wanted to avoid meeting him as much as possible, so it was fortunate that I didn¡¯t see him often. But it was certainly unusual that he had to concentrate on political affairs suddenly. ¡°As you know, it¡¯s already very hot this year. So, top ranking officials began to strongly request the emperor to move to the summer pce during the summer for his health.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± It was said that magic existed when the first emperor founded the empire about a thousand years ago. There are schrs who doubt it because there is none who can use magic now, but the majority believed that magic existed. In fact, there are three vivid examples of proof of this in the empire. The first of these was the covenant between the emperor and the Monique family, and the second was the summer pce my father mentioned. The eleventh emperor, who favored a certain concubine, had the concubine take the ce of the emperor¡¯s concubine, who had exercised mighty power as the second wife of the emperor until then. Originally, the emperor¡¯s concubine was an honorable position given to the biological mother who gave birth to the crown prince when the queen could not deliver him. But since the 11th emperor, the emperor¡¯s concubine was recognized as the emperor¡¯s most beloved wife. In any case, one very hot summer the emperor¡¯s concubine copsed due to the sweltering weather, the emperor hired a court magician to find a cure for her. So, the court magician grew a tree with special magic then weaved the branches of the tree to make an awning on the roof of the Imperial Pce. Perhaps because the awning was bewitched, the emperor and his concubine were cool for some time during the summer. Then one day, there was a conflict between the 11th emperor and the magician. The magician left the empire, and because of the awning that remained even in the winter, the Imperial Pce was cool in the summer but very cold in the winter, making it uninhabitable. Eventually, the eleventh emperor dered that he would move the Imperial Pce to a new capital. So, the legend has it that the new pce built at that time is now the current pce, and that the pce bewitched at the time became the summer pce for the seeding emperors. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s why you met the emperor.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Sooner orter the emperor will formally announce his n.¡± Summer pce? I only heard about it, but have never been there. While I was walking, lost in thought, I stopped, surprised, because my father suddenly stopped. ¡®Where am I now?¡¯ As I looked around, I saw a strangendscape. Low-story houses and shabby streets. As I was so absent-minded while talking with my father, I didn¡¯t know that I left the nobles¡¯ district. ¡°Daddy, we havee too far from our mansion. Let¡¯s go back. ¡± I gently pulled his arm, but he wouldn¡¯t move. When I tried to pull his sleeves once more, he suddenly walked away after staring at somewhere for a while. ¡®Ugh? What¡¯s the matter with him?¡¯ I thought I had to follow him first, so I quicked my pace to catch up with him. He walked with big strides and barely stopped walking in front of a remote alley. ¡®Is he looking for something here?¡¯ I looked around, but the narrow alley was quiet without any humans. I looked up at him, tilting my head. I saw his lonely blue eyes and vaguely blurred look. It looked like he was immersed in memories. ¡®Does he feel nostalgia here?¡¯ Chapter 125 Chapter 125: Chapter 125 I quietly closed my mouth for fear I might disturb my father. Suddenly, Allendis came to my mind as I stayed put in the shade of the gray alley without sunlight. When I asked him how to avoid the shade, he answered that all I had to do was simply go into the shade. The day Ist saw him before the delegation departed for the Lua kingdom, he made a lot of requests to me as if he would never see me again. Somehow, I felt uneasy with an ominous foreboding, so I asked him repeatedly why he spoke like that and when he woulde back, but he never replied. I just turned around with a bitter smile back then. When I recalled his emerald eyes, who always looked at me warmly, I was suddenly choked with tears. I quickly blinked my eyes to clear my blurred vision. ¡®Let me stop feeling depressed. Allendis will definitelye back. ¡® When I turned my head, pulling myself together, I saw my father still standing there. ¡°Daddy?¡± I started to be more and more anxious as he didn¡¯t move at all. I reached out and carefully pulled out his navy blue cuff, but he didn¡¯t move. This time, I pulled his sleeve a little more strongly once again. Only then did he look at me and called with a subdued voice, ¡°¡­Tia. ¡± ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Are you surprised? ¡± ¡°No, Daddy. Anything wrong? Why did you all of a sudden¡­ ¡± ¡°Well ¡­¡± Pretending not to have noticed he was in a difficult position, I looked up at him. Normally, I would have given him a pass, thinking he was put on the spot, but I was curious because he acted differently this time. ¡°¡­ We stayed too long here. Let¡¯s go back. ¡± ¡®Why is he trying to avoid answering me?¡¯ As I looked at it with a puzzled expression, he turned his head to avoid my eyes and said, ¡°How about eating out? It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°¡­ I want to, but um¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go. I know a restaurant.¡± Given that he repeatedly beat around the bush, it was clear that he didn¡¯t want to tell me the reason. I wondered why, but I didn¡¯t ask. I walked away with my father. Shortly afterwards, we arrived at a luxurious restaurant for nobles. It was the first time I came to this kind of restaurant. I headed to the quiet window side table, guided by the manager who bowed to my father. I knew some of the nobles who were chatting and eating with soft music ying, but I just passed by them because I wanted to spend time with my father today. They also bowed slightly, but didn¡¯te to see me. ¡°By the way, Daddy.¡± ¡°Why?¡± After I hesitated while waiting for food, I opened my mouth. I felt I had to tell him what I had in mind. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry to mention this suddenly, but are you willing to remarry?¡± ¡°¡­What the heck are you talking about? ¡± ¡°It¡¯s been eight years since Mom died, but you can¡¯t live alone forever.¡± ¡°I never thought of that. Why are you suddenly mentioning it? ¡± ¡°Well, I just thought I might have to bring it up one day.¡± After hearing my answer, he put down the fork and the knife and said in a serious tone, ¡°I haven¡¯t told you about it because you were still young, but you know what the oath of our family is like.¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± ¡°Good. As you know, it is to devote your life to the imperial family to achieve one single wish. I hated it so much. Of course, our family earned the reputation as the best loyalist in the empire, but on the other hand, it also sounded unbelievable without our oath. I thought it was enough to show my loyalty to the royal family even if I didn¡¯t swear. ¡± I nodded. The day before my mother¡¯s anniversary of death, as I hardly could sleep, I wandered around my house and identally overheard him saying that. ¡®He expressed it as a curse, saying he would not like to have me do it.¡¯ ¡°I promised that I would never swear, but it was your mother who broke my decision. I vowed allegiance to the royal family upon my blood flowing in my body to have your mother. Do you know what this means? ¡± ¡°It means that you have devoted your whole life to have Mom. ¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Even if your mother passed away early, who could have taken her ce? I¡¯ve already bet everything on her.¡± ¡®I see.¡¯ Now I could understand why the emperor made passing remarks to me recently. I also understood why my father earned the nickname of ¡®the romanticist of the century.¡¯ Who could devote his whole life to a woman? I feltplicated. Even though I devoted all my love to the crown prince, I was not rewarded. So, I can¡¯t believe in love. Unlike me, my mother is loved by my father even after her death. I was very envious and even jealous. What kind of person was she as she was loved so much by my father? I suddenly became curious about my mother whose face I didn¡¯t even remember. After hesitating for some time, I opened my mouth, ¡°Daddy?¡± ¡°Um.¡± ¡°What was my mother like?¡± ¡°Your mother?¡± After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°Jeremiah was a strong woman. She usually didn¡¯t speak much, but when she really needed it, she used to show a strong determination and an amazing wit. Yes, just like you. ¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Yes. One day, when I went to the Imperial Pce, there was a fire at the mansion. When I came back home in a hurry after hearing that, she was in charge, yelling andmanding people, although I thought she was defensive. When I saw you putting out the fire at Ver Pce, I thought you were exactly like your mother¡­ I feltplicated.¡± My father spoke as if he was reminiscing about her. ¡°In fact, that street where I stopped a while ago is the ce where I first met your mother. ¡± ¡°Really? That street? ¡± I opened my eyes wide. It was a secluded, dark alley with a wall stained with iprehensible graffiti. As if nobody cleaned it properly, the street was littered with garbage here and there. It smelled really bad. How did my father meet my mother first in a ce that looked bleak, where nobody passed by? Why? ¡°It¡¯s already been over twenty years. It was only a few years after the emperor was inaugurated. Factional fighting was much more fierce than now. Numerous people lost their lives when they were caught off guard. One day, the emperor asked me to go out on an unofficial inspection tour.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°I opposed it, saying it was dangerous, but he wouldn¡¯t listen. So, Arkint and Ruth, namely Duke Lars, Duke Verita and I apanied the emperor for the inspection. These days themoners¡¯ district is much better, but at the time it was so miserable that you couldn¡¯t even see it. When we, including the emperor, were done inspecting the area, and turned with a heavy heart, we suddenly heard a woman screaming.¡± ¡®If the emperor just took office, was it the time when the emperor was in decline?¡¯ Nodding silently, I listened to him. ¡°Even before I stopped him, the emperor already walked to the ce where the woman was screaming. It was the alley where we hurriedly chased after the emperor. Three unidentified strangers were threatening a woman¡¯s life. The screams we heard were her desperate request for help to save her life. ¡± ¡°That woman was Mom, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. As it was a close call, I jumped right in to stop them and save her without asking her about the situation. If I had acted a littleter, your mother would have lost her life. ¡± ¡®I see. That¡¯s how my father and mother met first.¡¯ Ever since I had a little glimpse of my father¡¯s desperate longing for my mother on her memorial day, I sometimes wondered how the two met and how they came to love each other. But I never thought they had met like that. ¡®A silver-haired knight who saved her when her life was at stake. It¡¯s a romantic story that can only appear in romance novels ¡­ ¡® Wait a minute. Something strange. ¡°By the way, Dad.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Suddenly, I hesitated when I looked straight into his navy blue eyes, who was always looking at me tenderly. One question that suddenly came to my mind. ¡®I wonder if I can ask this. I feel like I¡¯m exposing a hidden truth. But she was my mother, and I had the right to know the truth. So, I hesitated for a long time before opening my mouth carefully. Chapter 126 Chapter 126: Chapter 126 ¡°Well, I understand my mother was born to one of our family¡¯s vassals, Baron Sonia. Howe you met her in the capital instead of your estate first? And in that filthy alley?¡± At that moment, I could see his silvery eyebrows wiggling. I thought, looking at my father¡¯s hardened face, ¡®Yes, he must be hiding something about her. Then, what Duke Jena told me was not nonsense.¡¯ My father, who was silent for a moment, asked me with a stiff voice, ¡°Who told you that?¡± ¡°Well, I idently found it out while reading a book on the family tree of the vassals of our family in the library.¡± I didn¡¯t want to lie to my father, but if I told the truth, I thought that Sir League and other knights were going to have a lot of trouble. So instead of telling the truth, I said carefully, looking down instead of gazing at his navy blue eyes, ¡°In fact, I learned about my mother¡¯s memorial day some time ago. As I couldn¡¯t sleep, I came out¡­ and happened to see you.¡± ¡°¡­ Did you? ¡± ¡°Yeah. So I wondered what my mother was like, but, well, I didn¡¯t have the nerve to ask you. If I may say, you looked so lonely when I saw you. ¡± ¡°So, is that why you asked me why I didn¡¯t remarry?¡± he asked, looking at me with aplicated expression. Then he continued as I remained silent, ¡°Well, even if I haven¡¯t sworn it with blood, there is another person to whom I have already vowed to give my whole life. ¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­.¡± ¡°The person is you, Tia. When I knew your mother was dying, it was because of you that I never gave up. After hearing about it, you came running btedly. You were in despair, and when I saw you passing out after crying, I suddenly came to my senses. I decided to live for you as long as you would survive, seeing you almost dying. So Tia, don¡¯t worry about this in the future. I am perfectly satisfied with living with you like this.¡± ¡°Dad¡­ ¡± When I saw his soft expression and eyes filled with affection, I felt choked up. Was it because I knew my father¡¯s inner thoughts that he rarely revealed? My eyes welled with tears. My father, who cleared his throat after looking at me blinking my blurry eyes, said with an awkward expression, ¡°Hmmm, by the way, Tia.¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± ¡°Sooner orter when they talk about the emperor¡¯s move to the summer pce, I think the knights will be very busy. How about your job as Duke Lars¡¯s assistant? Can you manage it?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. At first nce, it seems that I¡¯m snowed under with work, but I can have some free time, to my surprise. ¡± ¡°Good. Hmm, I¡¯m worried that the emperor¡¯s health is failing and the crown prince has been tasked with too much work all of a sudden. Besides, if the emperor decides to move to the summer pce, half the government officials and knights will have to take care of him. If you have to n their work schedule, I think you¡¯re going to be extremely busy for a long time.¡± While listening to my father, I suddenly recalled the crown prince that I had forgotten. I tried to avoid him as much as possible, but when I had to run into him, he was just looking at me as I stiffened before him. After hearing him asking me if I could reconsider being the sessor of my family, I felt so ufortable meeting him. In fact, I had some faint hope that I could love him once more, but I was not sure if I wanted the old him or the present him. Besides, the fact that he already noticed I began to look at him through another person made me more ufortable and stressed out. I felt really nervous and frustrated because I knew Jiun would soon appear. I didn¡¯t want to have my barely revived life trampled on. So, I thought that giving up such hope from the beginning was the best way to protect my present life. What did he think when he saw me avoiding him for nearly half a year? At his birthday banquet, where I had no choice but to attend as his fiancee, he sighed with a deep sigh after seeing me who couldn¡¯t even meet his eyes. At the time he told me I didn¡¯t have to reply to his request, saying as I still had a lot of time, I could give it more thought. He also asked me not to avoid him anymore. At that time, I found wounded feelings in his blue eyes. Maybe I was mistaken. Maybe it was the scratch on my mind reflected in his eyes. Anyway, at that moment, I turned my eyes without looking straight into his eyes. It would have been easier if I had drawn a line at his feelings just like I did with Allendis. I felt cursed as I couldn¡¯t. I was so frustrated that I couldn¡¯t do it, when I vowed so many times that I would get free from the fate of bing the empress, throwing away the old me and making myself anew. There was one more year until Jiun appeared. Thest six months have been so difficult and awkward to me. How can I endure it another year like this? I kept sighing before the dark reality. I kept recalling his blue eyes and his request, with hisplicated feelings, for me not to avoid him as he would give me more time to ponder over it. ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Did you call me? ¡± ¡°Why are lost in thought? Are you worried about something? ¡± I was apparently too deep in my own thoughts. I smiled brightly at my father, who looked at me with a worried nce, and said jokingly, ¡°Well, it seems we are only talking shop even outside the pce. When people look at us, they¡¯re going to make a mockery of us,menting that we are befitting the descendants of the Monique family, the most loyal in the empire.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Tia. I didn¡¯t think about that.¡± I was embarrassed by his serious apology because I just cracked a joke. ¡°Oh, no. It was a joke, Daddy. So you don¡¯t need to apologize¡­¡± He had a faint smile, looking at me when I waved my hands hurriedly. I also smiled awkwardly. Work and dating, and some other things were mixed up in my schedule today, but it was a really happy day because I could feel his deep love. As I got up from my seat to finish the day, arm in arm with him, I smiled brightly at his warm and blue eyes. ¡°What did you say, Sir Lars? Please say it again. ¡± ¡°Allendis left the delegation, saying he wanted to stay a little longer and look around the kingdom, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°¡­ When did he say he woulde back? ¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything about it.¡± My heart sank when I heard that. Suddenly, I remembered the time I saw himst. His resigned green eyes, bitter expression on his face, and his unusual requests as if he would not see me forever. What he said and did has been weighing on my mind. When I handed him a hair tie with his initials embroidered on it, he suddenly stopped while reaching out to me. I didn¡¯t feel good about it. I was also bothered when he suddenly stopped while trying to say something to me. ¡®That¡¯s why you deliberately acted like that? So, were you looking at me with a resigned expression? Were you hurt so much by what I said that you wanted to get out of your hometown and leave for a strange ce indefinitely?¡¯ My time now is passing differently from the past, and my fate has begun to twist. Am I disturbing the fate of others under the cause of pioneering my destiny? If I hadn¡¯te back as a ten-year-old girl, and if he had stayed with his fate as before, Allendis would have led the life of a promising young genius in the government. He would not have felt heartbroken and left the empire because of me. ¡®Then, why did God bring me back?¡¯ On the day I visited the temple in an iprehensible situation, God told me that he decided to send me back because the fate of many people was distorted. Then, what would God do with the people who led a life that had nothing to do with Jiun, but whose fate began to be disturbed because of me? If the fate of other people began to twist because I refused to live ording to my fate, did Iplicate the thread of fate more instead of unravelling it rightly? I let out a sigh in spite of myself. Chapter 127 Chapter 127: Chapter 127 Why has my fate been so messed up? I didn¡¯t ask for much. I just didn¡¯t want to live a miserable life like before. I knew that because of my changes, others have also changed a bit. For example, my father began to express affectionate feelings, though he was still blunt. The crown prince was not as cold-hearted as before. Allendis and Carsein became my close friends, though they were total strangers to me in the past. I didn¡¯t know the names of my family knights before I came back from the past, but I was very familiar with them now. However, I never thought that such minor changes kept adding up to change the fate of others so much. I just thought I alone changed and acted a bit differently from the past, but the fate of people around me were influenced. How can Ipensate these people who have had their future taken away because of me? What should I say to Allendis whose fate has been twisted by me? I was freaking out when I thought about all this. I felt so stuffy as if something was stuck in my chest. ¡°¡­Ahhhh! ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Lady Monique, stay alert!¡± When somebody violently shook my shoulders, the darkness that surrounded me was pushed out. Sir Lars was shaking me with a stiff expression. In the end, I breathed out while blinking slowly. Only then did Sir Lars lift his hand from my shoulder and said, ¡°Forgive me for my rudeness.¡± ¡°No, Sir Lars. I am grateful for shaking me. I¡¯m sorry for making you worried about me.¡± ¡°Are you alright? Your face looks pale.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m okay. You don¡¯t have to worry. ¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± Although he seemed not to believe what I said, he didn¡¯t ask me further and handed me a letter as if he thought of it only now, saying he was handed it on his way back. I quickly nced at the envelope to check if it was sent by Allendis, but the writing on the light pink envelope was someone else¡¯s. ¡®It was sent by Princess Lisa.¡¯ I opened the seal and looked at the finely folded invitation. I was reading it while heading to the 1st Knights¡¯ building. Suddenly, a ck shadow hung over my head. ¡°What invitation? Who sent it this time?¡± ¡°Hi, Carsein.¡± In the formal uniform, he was wearing a white shirt. His vicle was seen through the open cor as the top button was loose. ¡®Why is he dressed like that?¡¯ His outfit was really uneptable. I could understand it¡¯s dirty, but he would get a good scolding if he were caught by somebody. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s so hot.¡± Carsein, who had been taking his sweaty hair off his neck, nervously shook his head from side to side. His red hair that fell down to his shoulders was scattered like mes, and there were the beads of sweat on his forehead. ¡®He looks like Luna.¡¯ I giggled in spite of myself. The way he shook off his wet hair reminded me of Luna, the baby cat who shook off droplets while trembling after I bathed her. ¡°What the heck? Why are youughing like that? ¡± ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± ¡°Hmm. Are you sure? By the way, aren¡¯t you hot? Why are you wearing your uniform so tight?¡± ¡°I am hot, but this is the way we wear our uniforms, you know. If you are found in such a sloppy state by Sir Lars, you will be punished much more than a sry cut.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t need money, so it¡¯s okay. If he suspends my duty, I like it better. As it¡¯s so hot, I don¡¯t have to work outside, right? In that case, I can rx at home. Sometimes, I cane over here and disturb you. How about that?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Why? Were you so impressed by my terrific idea?¡± ¡°¡­ Well, I was speechless by that.¡± I folded the invitation finely and put it in the envelope with a smile. Carsein asked me, tilting his head, ¡°Well? What is it about? Are you attending? ¡± ¡°Huh. you know Sir Feden, right? His wife sent an invitation to me.¡± ¡°Oh, really. That¡¯s good. I haven¡¯t even been able to say hello to him these days. Let¡¯s go there together.¡± ¡°Ugh? Carsein, are you familiar with Sir Feden enough to exchange visits?¡± He looked at me curiously at my casual asking. Princess Lisa, Sir Feden, and Carsein: what do they have inmon? I saw Princess Lisa at the National Founding Day festival, but as Carsein was not interested in social circles, I thought he was not on close terms with Sir Feden. ¡°Well. I was curious about the fencing style of the Lisa kingdom. Besides, Sir Feden was assigned to the 2nd Knights Division, so it¡¯s a bit awkward for me to spar with him in the Imperial Pce. I visited his house.¡± ¡°¡­ Got it.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t you think you want to check out all the famous fencing styles? Someday, I would like to watch Earl League, Earl Dias and Marquis Enesil¡¯s swordsmanship. Marquis Ensil¡¯s fencing style is simr to our family¡¯s, so I am very curious.¡± I smiled unconsciously, watching him babbling in excitement. His visit to Sir Feden out of curiosity about his fencing style really befitted him. Wait a minute. ¡°By the way, why didn¡¯t you mention my family¡¯s fencing style?¡± ¡°Ugh? Don¡¯t you remember? I agreed to learn your family fencing styleter. After I have taught you first, I¡¯ll learn it in earnest. ¡± ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Oh my, I think you need more practice. If I want to absorb your family¡¯s fencing style as soon as possible, I think I have to train you much harder. Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time to practice. ¡± ¡°¡­Why are you suddenly mentioning practice?¡± ¡°Why? Follow me right now. ¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± I sighed and walked after him, who was full of zeal to teach me. Somehow, I had cold sweat on my back. ¡°Lady Monique, thanks foring.¡± ¡°Hello, Baroness. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°You bet. It¡¯s been a long time since west saw each other. Hi Sir Carsein? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to visit you suddenly.¡± Princess Lisa, who turned up her red hair finely, greeted us, with her blue eyes sparkling. Standing next to her, Sir Feden with brown hair bowed bluntly. With unbelievable eyes, I shook my head from side to side, looking at Carsein asking him for a duel even before I took a seat. ¡®Dang it! How can he ask him for a duel as soon as he sees Sir Feden?¡¯ Sir Feden was the bodyguard of Princess Lisa who came to the empire recently as one of the crown prince¡¯s bribe candidates. He has be a knight of the empire since then. The crown prince, who was given the full authority to conduct diplomatic negotiations with the kingdom of Lisa during the winter, seeded in acquiring some of the kingdom of Lisa facing the empire by taking advantage of the fact that Princess Lisa was pregnant. In such a situation it was almost certain that Sir Feden would lose his life if he was sent back to the kingdom, so the emperor presided over the couple¡¯s marriage ceremony and gave Sir Feden the title of baron. Then, at the knights¡¯ inauguration ceremony this year, Sir Feden was appointed as a knight and assigned to the 2nd Knights. At first, there were some who felt jealous towards him because he was from a foreign kingdom and his noble title was hereditary, but as he proved his excellent fencing skills, their jealousy and opposition went away quickly. In terms of military power, the Lisa kingdom was the best out of several kingdoms. In such a situation the fact that he was chosen as Princess Lisa¡¯s personal bodyguard meant that he was verypetent in fencing. As soon as they asked for our understanding, the two quickly disappeared. While looking at them nkly for a moment, I sat down as Princess Lisa suggested. ¡°How are you doing in the empire, Madame?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing fine thanks to your consideration, Lady Monique. I don¡¯t know how to show my gratitude. ¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m ttered. If you have any inconvenience, please feel free to tell me. I will help you as best I can.¡± ¡°Thank you for saying that.¡± Looking at the princess replying coyly, I was curious about something I wanted to ask all along. ¡®How did they havee to love each other?¡¯ I wanted to ask her about their story, but as I was not close enough to her, I felt it was rude to ask her about it. So, I held back the urge to ask that question until now. But I was so curious. How can this shy and coy couple have a baby even before marriage? Chapter 128 Chapter 128: Chapter 128 ¡°Please ept myte but heartfelt congrattions! I hear you delivered a baby girl.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lady Monique. I appreciate the baby products you sent me. I¡¯m using them well. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered. By the way, I don¡¯t see the baby. Can¡¯t you show her to outsiders yet?¡± ¡°Oh, not really. It seems like my baby is too hot, so I had her nanny take care of her in a cool shade¡­¡± ¡°Oh I see. I¡¯m afraid the sweltering weather will affect you and your baby¡¯s health. Please be careful.¡± I didn¡¯t say that out of courtesy, but I was genuinely concerned. They made their lovee true by oveing lots of difficulties. Besides, their baby was a disaster to the Lisa kingdom, but she was a lucky charm to the empire because the crown prince could acquire a part of the Lisa kingdom without shedding blood, which had been trying to invade the empire. ¡°What is the baby girl¡¯s name?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t named her yet.¡± ¡°Really? Why? ¡± ¡°In fact, I would like to ask the emperor or the crown prince, our savior, to name my baby, but they are so busy. So, I have hesitated to give her name until now.¡± I understood her position. In particr, she must have felt it too trifling to ask the crown prince, who was so busy these days, or the emperor, whose health was failing, such a favor. She might have feared that if rejected, she might be talked about in social circles, where she was out in the cold. Princess Lisa was shunned in social circles because she was from a foreign country and she betrayed her home country to be a citizen of the empire. It would have been a bit easier if she had not been married, but she was now a baroness. There were certain manners and customs in the noble women¡¯s social circles. So, there was a certain limit as far as I could help her. I was looking for someone to support her, but I couldn¡¯t find one. The best candidate would be Princess Frincia, a foreign princess like her, but she was the daughter-inw of Duchess Lars, who also rejected Princess Lisa. ¡®Maybe I think I have to tell Lady Genoa about this.¡¯ She said she would have a wedding ceremony with Sir Alexis, the eldest son of Duke Verita this summer, so Princess Lisa might be in a better position with Lady Genoa¡¯s protection. Thinking about that, I lifted the teacup, filled with a fragrant scent. Carsein returned after sparring with Sir Feden when I was done chatting with the princess after a long time. As it was alreadyte, I stood up as soon as Caresin came back, saying goodbye to the princess. Then, I climbed a horse instead of a wagon and rode to the dark street with Carsein. ¡°I see few on the street today.¡± ¡°Right. Of course, it¡¯s natural there are few walking on the street at this time, but I don¡¯t even see wagons.¡± I nodded. It was natural that the nobles¡¯ district, where not many people lived, was quiet, unlike themoners¡¯ district, usually crowded with people. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Ugh? Carsein? ¡± ¡°I hear Allendis won¡¯te back for a long time?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I suddenly came to recall what I had forgotten until now, such as the reason why God sent me back to this world, and my feeling sorry for Allendis, whose fate changed because of me¡­ ¡®Carsein, how twisted was your fate because of me?¡¯ I felt guilty. My only memory of Carsein in the past was that he was a genius of swordsmanship, who was appointed as a knight as soon as he came of age, and that there was a dispute over who should seed his family in ce of Sir Lars, his elder brother. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t know what his fate was like, or how twisted it was now because of me. ¡°Be careful, Tia!¡± While I was deep in thought, he alerted me by calling me sharply. A ck shadow quickly passed over me. I instinctivelyy down on the back of the horse. I felt goosebumps at the sharp chills that swept overhead. I tried to get out of the ce by putting spurs to my horse, but somebody already threw a dagger. ¡°Heehaw!¡± The wounded horse galloped like crazy. Clenching my jaw, I let go of the reins. I felt it would be better to get off the horse with the least possible impact rather than trying to appease the galloping horse, then deal with the unidentified assassins. ¡°Wouch!¡± I could not help but moan from the impact when I got off the horse. I felt sharp pain in my back, but I didn¡¯t have time to hesitate. I quickly stood up, rolling my body half a turn to avoid the dagger flying at me. At that moment, another ck shadow attacked me again. ¡®Damn¡­ ! ¡® ¡°Ugh! damn it!¡± Carsein, who already hugged me from behind, cursed at them. I saw a dagger stabbed deeply in his left shoulder. In a moment, his white shirt was stained with blood. Clenching my teeth, I drew my sword. Although I was worried about Carsein¡¯s injuries, it was imperative for me to stop the assassins¡¯ attack. The streets grew dark and the tall walls created a shadow. Where are they hiding? ¡°Are you okay, Carsein?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, so be careful.¡± As soon as Carsein said that, ck shadows began to appear from all directions. When I saw them surrounding us in an instant, my mouth dried out. I felt sweat on my palms. I felt my back go cold at their murderous intent. A ck man threw a dagger at my neck, but I blocked it. I felt a tug at my wrist when I knocked it away. At that moment another man wearing a mask wielded a sword at me. My ck uniform was cut out. Blood flowed out from where the sword cut through. Turning half a turn to the right, I cut the third man lunging at me deeply. I felt like something stuck at the tip of the sword. Blood gushed from the masked man from the deep cut. I stepped back after taking a deep breath. I shook off the blood flowing over the tip of the sword and stared at Carsein. I saw his shirtpletely stained with blood. ¡®I wonder if he is okay. ¡® ¡°Ugh!¡± When I failed to stay alert for a moment, a ck shadow stabbed me in the waist. The cut was shallow, but I saw blood flowing down my uniform. There were still fourteen assassins out of 17 left. ¡®Can we really stop them?¡¯ Bending forward, I avoided a dagger aiming at my neck and cut the other party¡¯s chest diagonally. I quickly wiped off the hot blood sshing on my face and lifted my sword. Now thirteen. ¡°Uhaaaaah!¡± As if he was raging with anger, Carsein shouted, fighting with somebody. Now twelve. I didn¡¯t feel good about his shouting, though. I stroked back the other party¡¯s piercing sword, drawing my brows together. ¡®No way! I can¡¯t believe Carsein is using his left arm.¡¯ After taking a deep breath, I caught my breath. I was on edge because their attacking style waspletely different from what I experienced when sparring. What¡¯s his next target? While avoiding the sword targeting my chest, I stabbed him in the chest. At that moment, I felt creepy. Now I was being attacked from both sides, as my sword was entangled with his. ¡®Dang it!¡¯ I let go of the sword and quickly bounced back. I avoided his attack by a close call, but my hand was cut. ¡®Am I done here?¡¯ I noticed the attacker¡¯s sword that fell one step ahead of me. ¡®If I can pick it up, I can hold out somehow.¡¯ But if I leaned forward to grab the sword now, it was clear that I would be killed immediately. While I was hesitating for a moment, I felt several swords touching my body. I felt blood rolling down my body with burning pain. I thought about lots of things as the shadow of death was approaching me slowly. ¡®Is this the price I have to pay for rejecting my fate?¡¯ At that moment, many faces shed through my mind. When I thought of my father, I was choked up with tears. ¡®He said he was living because of me. What about my father if I lose my life here?¡¯ Was I destined to be a bad girl again to him, who I deeply hurt in my past life? No, I should not lose my life here. I bite my lips tightly. I couldn¡¯t end my second life for no purpose. ¡®Let me hold out to the end. I have to be ready for some wounds.¡¯ Chapter 129 Chapter 129: Chapter 129 Instead of avoiding the sword, Iunched myself at the attacker, leaning forward quickly. At that moment, I felt a sharp pain. Arge amount of blood gushed from the deep cut in my left arm. ¡®Anyway, I got hold of the sword, and I can hold out.¡¯ I tightened my grip on the sword with a trembling hand. When I tried to block the dagger flying at me diagonally, a ck shadow stopped me, blocking my vision. No! When I could see again, Carsein was blocking the masked man who was about to cut me. Carsein was holding his sword with both hands. Striking back his sword, Carsein stabbed him in the heart. The blood from Carsein¡¯s left shoulder dropped to the ground and stained his shirt with more blood. ¡°Are you okay, Tia?¡± ¡°What about your wounded left arm¡­ ¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a big deal now.¡± Catching his breath, he pointed to the assassins with his chin. As if surprised by our strong resistance, they paused for a moment and tried to regroup to attack. I felt hopeless. There were still eight assassins left. And we were exhausted while they seemed to be growing stronger. Defeat seemed certain, but I grabbed the sword, closing my lips tightly. ¡®I can never give up!¡¯ Besides, I had Carsein with me, who had been wounded while protecting me. While I was looking for their weak spot, I saw a couple of shadows darting out from the alley nearby. I moaned unconsciously. Even now I and Carsein were stretched thin, but if they were joined by another two, there was no hope we could survive. ¡°Dang it! Were they prepared for this?¡± One of the masked men said. ¡°What?¡± Another asked back. ¡°They are royal knights! They are tough for us to deal with.¡± I strained my blurry eyes: white uniform with a gold insignia. ¡®Wow! They are royal knights, indeed.¡¯ It seemed they had also been attacked by these masked men because their uniforms were stained with blood here and there. The masked men were confused at the appearance of the royal knights. After exchanging eye signals quickly, they quickly dispersed in all directions. ¡°Let me chase them, so take care of her and the wounded knight.¡± ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Saying goodbye to the other knight, the blonde knight turned to me and Carsein. After checking our condition, he said, with a troubled expression, ¡°Sorry, Lady Monique. It looks like they noticed our presence here and attacked us all at once, so we couldn¡¯te to your rescue in a timely manner.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. Thank you for saving our lives. ¡± ¡°I think you need treatment first. As the Monique mansion is nearer than Duke Lars¡¯, let¡¯s go there.¡± Although I had lots of things to ask, I followed him silently. When I saw the dagger stuck deep in Carsein¡¯s shoulder and the blood gushing from it, I was very troubled. I prayed it was not a major injury. ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Carsein. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not me who needs treating immediately. Look at your shoulder ¡­ ¡± ¡°Oh, this? Well, it can be cured anyway.¡± I bit my lip hard. It was obvious that the unidentified assassins were sent by the noble faction. But why now? Why didn¡¯t they mount an attack at the National Founding Day festivalst year? I was confused. It would have been much easier if they had attacked in a chaotic situation where the knights were busy protecting the princesses. I could not understand why they chose to attack me at this particr time when there was no one instead ofst year when there were princesses to rece me. As soon as I entered the mansion, I ran to my father. Raising his silvery eyebrows, he immediately ran to me. He must have heard from the knight standing on duty at the gate what happened. He directed the butler, ¡°Call the doctor right away. And inform the temple that I need to have the high priest over here, tell them that this is an official request from the Monique family. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± I was surprised. ¡®High priest? Is Carsein¡¯s condition so serious?¡¯ As if he was also surprised, Carsein opened his eyes wide and said, ¡°Sir, calling the high priest?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know your condition? Obviously, your wounds won¡¯t be cured by a doctor alone.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back to my house and make the request.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. Let¡¯s move inside. You need first aid now.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I am your father¡¯s friend. Do you still want to refuse my help?¡± As my father spoke firmly, he helplessly walked inside, expressing gratitude. When I was about to climb the stairs after looking at his shoulder stained with blood, I felt somebody holding me strongly. When I looked back, my father¡¯s expression mixed with worry and anger came into my view. ¡°Tia, are you okay? You were also hurt a lot. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright. Sorry for worrying you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs first. Let me help you.¡± Holding his arm, I climbed the stairs carefully. Upon arriving in my room, Lina, who had been waiting for me in advance, carefully removed my ragged uniform and wiped the wounds with a clean towel dampened with water. After getting first aid from the doctor who came to my room immediately, I headed straight to the room where Carsein was escorted. Unlike me, with no deep cuts except for my arm, Carsein¡¯s condition was not very good. His left shoulder was wounded heavily because he took the blow for me twice. ¡°I gave him first aid, but his left shoulder¡­ ¡± ¡°Got it. Good job. ¡± Carsein smiled at me, with a bandage wrapped around his shoulder and other parts of his upper body. ¡®Do you feel like smiling now?¡¯ Holding back tears in spite of myself, I said, ¡°¡­the high priest will be here soon. So, just bear with it a little more.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I seem to be giving your family a burden.¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about? Just focus on your treatment.¡± Carsein nodded, smiling once again at me when I got mad. When I came to him cautiously and sat down, he raised his right hand and said, dishevelling my hair, ¡°You really did well a little while ago. I think my teaching paid off nicely!¡± ¡°¡­Well, I didn¡¯t expect such a surprise attack.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I was so good. By the way, are you okay? ¡± ¡°My wounds are not as serious as yours. So, don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°Not that. I mean how did you feel?¡± I tilted my head a bit. How can I feel good when I was faced with such a surprise attack? As if he noticed my puzzlement, he slightly clicked his tongue and exined kindly. ¡°I think it was the first time you cut a man, right? Are you feeling okay? ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± Suddenly, I recalled the sensation I vividly felt during the battle a little while ago. Obviously, I didn¡¯t feel good when I cut the enemy and felt terrible when I was sshed with blood gushing from the enemy. But I was not timid enough to escape from reality and freak out. Was it because I already experienced death? It seemed that I had already gone through too much to tremble with fear of such things. Above all, I would have been killed if I hadn¡¯t killed them. I seized another chance to make up for my miserable previous life, so I wasn¡¯t good enough to give it up just because I didn¡¯t want to kill them. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m d to hear that. You look great, my little girl! I would love to praise you. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a little girl, Carsein.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, youngdy.¡± Looking at me closely, heughed and stroked my hair as if he was proud of me. Howe he looks so calm? He must feel extreme pain from those deep cuts. Staring at him who pretended not to have noticed my intense gaze, I opened my mouth, turning to Sir Seymour. ¡°Sir Seymour.¡± ¡°Please go ahead, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Thank you. As you came to rescue us at the right time, I guess the emperor gave you an order. I would like to express gratitude to himter, but please convey my gratitude to him.¡± ¡°Well, the fact is¡­¡± Sir Seymour hesitated to say something, but shut up. I asked curiously, tilting my head, ¡°Do you have something more to say?¡± ¡°Well, the one who ordered me to escort and protect you was the crown prince, not the emperor. So, let me convey your gratitude to the crown prince.¡± ¡°Pardon? The crown prince?¡± Did he say the crown prince ordered it? Not the emperor? When I was about to ask him more out of curiosity, a young man in a white new robe came in. Chapter 130 Chapter 130: Chapter 130 He had white hair as well as transparent and soft eyes. They were the characteristics of the high priest. When I heard about him, I thought he might look very bizarre. But when I faced his eyes directly, I felt they were very beautiful and mystical. His mysterious voice that seemed not to belong to this world rang through the air. ¡°May the blessings of life be bestowed on you! This is Tertius, the third root of Vita, our God.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you first, Your Eminence.¡± A thousand years ago, when magic existed, it was said that the divine power was so strong that anyone could use the divine power as long as they reached the status of the Great Priest. However, at present, the only priest who could demonstrate divine power was the Great Priest priest of the god Vita. There were only six Great Priests throughout the whole continent. They had divine power from birth ording to God¡¯s will, and their birth is known to everyone by God¡¯s prophecy. The high priest of Vita is determined at birth, unlike other high priests, and he is especially marked by white hair like snow and transparent and soft eyes. Great Priest¡¯ divine power is highly efficient in treating injuries, internal wounds as well as addiction by maximizing the target¡¯s vitality, but it¡¯s not effective for those who have already exhausted their vitality. Also, they are not interested in wealth or honor, even though they are at the top of the denomination. These kinds of characteristics are visible in their names. Instead of their proper names, they are called in order of their birth such as Primus, Secundus, Tertius, Quartus, Quintus and Sextus. When one of them dies, their names change ording to the order of their birth. They don¡¯t stay in any particr ce for long and keep moving to serve God¡¯s will. Therefore, no matter how high the nobles are in rank, it was not always possible for them to receive his treatment. In the temple, it is said that it is the will of Vita, the father of life, who is in control of all things whether the person lives or not after receiving treatment. In addition, because of the emperor¡¯s wariness of the Great Priests who tried to get involved in politics, they hardly came to the empire. The temple made huge profits by taking advantage of the high priests¡¯ sacred power. Unless it was very urgent, there were few high-ranking nobles who wanted to use their sacred power at the risk of the emperor¡¯s wrath. Nevertheless, the reason that the Great Priest came to my house was because the imperial family called for his help due to the emperor¡¯s deteriorating health. Fortunately, my father, who had already known the Great Priest was staying at the temple, formally made the request to the temple for his help. ¡°Oh, you are the child of God¡¯s prophecy, right? May God bless you.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± Bowing to me slightly, the Great Priest smiled faintly. His transparent and soft eyes were shining. Child of God¡¯s prophecy? I have no choice but to be called like that until Jiun appears. But now that I know that the title is not mine, I felt a bit ufortable about it. So, I just smiled awkwardly. ¡°The scent of flowers that bloom in thend of Vita, the God of life, will embrace you, so may the Father of life take away your pain, and the love of life be given to you.¡± ¡®¡­ What kind of prayer is that?¡¯ White light came out of the young man¡¯s hands. At the same time, the scent of flowers wafted through the air. When I opened my eyes wide at the divine power that I saw for the first time, he, with a bright smile in his light green eyes, put his hand emitting white light on my left arm. At that moment, the wound that was cut deeply healed and new skin came out. ¡°You Eminence, it¡¯s that man, not me, who needs your treatment.¡± ¡°Well, you are the child of God¡¯s prophecy, so you are the priority.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± His hand touched the wounds on my body here and there beforending on my side. He leaned forward deeply, and whispered, with his face close to my ears, ¡°I¡¯m doing it because I want to. So, please don¡¯t resist, Pioneer.¡± His whispering voice. I stiffened at the message of his mysterious voice. Pioneer. It was my middle name I received as God¡¯s prophecy, which helped the emperor give me the right to seed as the empress. It was the name that made it impossible for me to break off my engagement to the crown prince. The emperor ordered no one to mention the name for fear that it could sow a seed of conflict. Pioneer, namely the pioneer of fate. I didn¡¯t know that I would hear the name again, as I had forgotten for some time. I barely moved my stiff tongue and replied in a small voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°¡®You are the one who receives my attention but rejects your fate. The way you go is your destiny, and what you want will be your way. Your name is the one who pioneers destiny, Aristia Pioneer Monique. Don¡¯t you know your name? You, the child of God¡¯s prophecy!¡± ¡°Uh, how do you know¡­ ¡± ¡°I am a Great Priest as well as the man who has received the token of God.¡± Straightening up slowly, he smiled faintly. ¡®I see.¡¯ I was so embarrassed a moment ago that he couldn¡¯t make a judgement. Come to think of it, he was in a position to obtain God¡¯s prophecy. Besides, if he received God¡¯s token already, it¡¯s natural that he knew my middle name because he must have heard God¡¯s voice ringing in his head. The prophecy of God Vita was a little different from that of other gods. If the Great Priests with the token of God prayed earnestly for His will, they would hear the voice of God answering them. If they receive God¡¯s prophecy, they usually heard the same thing at the same time. After I came back as a ten-year-old girl, I visited the temple to find an answer to the situation. At that time God gave me that ¡®name¡¯ as His prophecy. As he said that he was the one who had the token of God, the high priest was one of those who received Gods¡¯ prophecy. Then it would be rather strange that he didn¡¯t know the name Pioneer. But just knowing the name is different from calling it. Why did the emperor suddenly order everybody to stop mentioning it now? At that time, the emperor even put pressure on the temple to cooperate in this matter. When I looked at him suspiciously, the high priest¡¯s smile was reflected in his transparent eyes. The scent of flowers tickling the tip of my nose became more and more intense. ¡°I¡¯m done treating you, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± He wrapped up by touching my palm which was torn while I was wielding the sword, then disengaged himself from me with a smile. Turned around, he quickly approached Carsein and winked lightly. A servant who came up quickly untied the bandage around Carsein¡¯s shoulder. Even though it was bandaged up a little while ago, the bandage was profusely stained with blood, which broke my heart. But for me, he wouldn¡¯t have been wounded like that. Had the fever just started? Or did he feel rxed when he knew the high priest was in the room? He looked fine a while ago, but he now had a fever. He looked at the high priest with blurred eyes and greeted him. ¡°¡­ Nice to meet you, Your Eminence. My name Carsein de Lars.¡± ¡°May God¡¯s blessing be bestowed on you.¡± His voice was quite cold now. When he examined the condition of his shoulder, there was a white light on his palm. I nervously watched the high priest treating him. ¡®I hope he can be cured well.¡¯ It took some time for the high priest to treat him. As if he was a bit exhausted, he said, raising his body, ¡°You hurt your bones and muscles. Although I treated the wounds with divine power, you will have to do rehab exercises for some time.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you.¡± ¡®Doing rehab exercises?¡¯ Although I was surprised, Carsein nodded as if he was okay. He looked a lot more lively than before, but I couldn¡¯t afford to rejoice at it. Does he mean that he can¡¯t fully be healed even after he treats the wounds with divine power? ¡°Your Eminence, you just mentioned rehab exercises. Does it mean he can¡¯t be curedpletely?¡± Chapter 131 Chapter 131: Chapter 131 ¡°Oh, not necessarily, Lady Monique. As the disconnected muscles are connected again after healing, they are not the same as before immediately. If he takes a full rest for a couple of months, they will be the same as before. ¡± ¡°Really? How fortunate!¡± ¡°You are very warm-hearted, child of God¡¯s prophecy. I think you deserve the love of our God.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you.¡± Love of our God? I wanted to ask him whether God really loves me, but it was pointless to ask the high priest who didn¡¯t know the situation. Smiling faintly with a bit of appreciation of my gratitude, he said, pulling his hands from Carsein¡¯s wounds. ¡°All done.¡± Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± When he turned after replying coldly, my father, who had stayed in the room since he checked Carsein¡¯s wounds, bowed to him. With his bow down, the high priest said in a mysterious voice, ¡°May the blessings of life be bestowed on you. Spear of the empire, this is Tertius, the third root of Vita, our God. ¡± ¡°You again changed your name. This is Keiran Monique, head of the Marquis Monique family. Thank you for your help in curing my daughter and Carsein.¡± It was customary for the Great Priest to introduce again when his name changed. ¡°Everything depends on the will of our God who reigns over it. Sometimes people misunderstand Him.¡± ¡°¡­ It is a pity that human beings are foolish, so they cannot properly interpret God¡¯s will. ¡± The Great Priest smiled slightly at my father¡¯s response. My father, who looked at him calmly, said in a respectful manner, ¡°It¡¯s a littlete, but I would like to serve you dinner if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t eat today.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°But this is also how God leads us here. How about seeing me separately next time, Lady Monique? Let me contact you.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡®Why is he suddenly involving me here?¡¯ When I looked at him in surprise, he said with a mysterious smile, ¡°It was the knight over there who needed my divine power from the beginning. So I would like to get paid additionally for healing you, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I will surely repay at the temple.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m now saying. I would like to have thedy pay me in personter.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Eminence.¡± ¡°I was hoping to leave the empire within a few days, but I don¡¯t want to miss the chance to see the child of God¡¯s prophecy up close.¡± My father¡¯s eyebrows wiggled. He felt that Carsein and Sir Seymour were watching him. ¡®What does he want?¡¯ I looked at the high priest¡¯s light grey eyes, but couldn¡¯t read anything. He just had a slight smile on his lips. I nodded, holding back a sigh. I didn¡¯t want to get entangled with the temple as much as possible, but I had no cause to refuse it. The Great Priest smiled at me quickly and got out of the room after slightly bowing to me. The sound of his long, long gray hair rustling on the floor was fading away. ¡°¡­ Sorry, sir. It seems that Lady Monique has gotten entangled with the temple because of me,¡± said Carsein. ¡°Oh, no, Carsein. I¡¯m not sure why he wants to see my daughter separately. Stay here for a minute. Let me go and see him off first.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to leave to report to the crown prince.¡± ¡°Take care, Sir Seymour. Thank you very much. ¡± I sat down beside Carsein, staring nkly at my father and Sir Seymour leaving the room. ¡®How could so manyplicated things happen to me in a single day?¡¯ Carsein, who looked at me sighing, grinned and said, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m calling you a little girl.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Where are you sitting down now? I¡¯m not wearing a shirt right now. ¡± I blushed. Carsein stopped me from standing up andughed out loud. ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte, youngdy.¡± ¡°Hey, put on your shirt first.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re so mean, Tia? Even if I was treated by divine power, how can you tell me to put on a shirt by myself when I had a dagger stabbed in the shoulder until a moment ago?¡± ¡°Oh sorry. Let me help you.¡± I hastily stood up and grabbed the shirt on his shoulder. Then I put it on him cautiously, who gave his arm, with all smiles on his face. When I adjusted his cor and buttoned the cufflinks of his sleeves, he patted my head gently with a smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. I should have cared for you first. Is your shoulder really okay?¡± ¡°Well, I feel stiff when I¡¯m moving, but I am okay.¡± Suddenly, I felt depressed. But for the high priest, his shoulders would not have been cured. As someone who has been called a genius of swordsmanship, praised as the youngest knight with everybody¡¯s high expectations, he might not have been able to wield his sword for the rest of his life because of me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Carsein.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°You were entangled in this matter because of me. If I hadn¡¯t visited you a few years ago¡­ you would not have experienced this. ¡± Carsein looked at me as if he was dumbfounded at my remarks and said, dragging me to my side. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t talk nonsense, will you?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°It¡¯s my decision to have you stay with me. Of course, you came to see me first. However, it is me who visited you who left, vowing never to see me again, and I expelled you again, telling you to refrain froming to me. It was also me who chased you persistently when you went down to your father¡¯s estate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because of the deal between your family and mine¡­¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you see my true worth? Regardless of the deal, I would not have followed if I had not liked it. Got it? It was me who decided to be with you. It¡¯s my decision. Tia, you don¡¯t have to take any responsibility.¡± I was about to give a nod at his adamant attitude when something suddenly came to my mind. ¡°But¡­ ¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°If you cannot wield a sword for the rest of your life, you wouldn¡¯t say that.¡± Carsein was silent for a moment. Then he looked at me in a pensive mood and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m fine anyway. There¡¯s one more sword I love. ¡± ¡°What is that?¡± Looking at me nkly when I was tilting my head curiously, he gently tapped my forehead with his fist. Rubbing my forehead with my right hand, I looked at him with a disgruntled expression. ¡°Ouch! It hurts. What¡¯s the matter? ¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a man. And as your superior, how can I move around if I can¡¯t protect you? If I had survived alone without protecting you, I would have stopped wielding a sword out of shame. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°So, stop ming yourself. Are you really okay? ¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± He swept my hair with a gentle smile. His actions seemed unfamiliar to me somehow. I would have lost my life if he hadn¡¯t protected me twice during their surprise attack. I smiled with gratitude at this young man with red hair, who seemed to have grown up suddenly. ¡°Thanks, Carsein.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee,dy.¡± Carsein also smiled at me. When he and I were smiling at each other, somebody suddenly cut in and said, ¡°I want to thank you, too, Sir Carsein. Thank you for saving my daughter. ¡± ¡°I just did what I should have done, sir.¡± When my father said that, entering the room, Carsein replied calmly, as if it was not a big deal. Looking at him in a pensive mood, my father said, ¡°Will you have dinner with us, too?¡± ¡°Of course. Thank you for the invitation.¡± ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go downstairs then. ¡± I walked after them, who were going to the dining room, shoulder to shoulder. Although I was not unfamiliar with their surprising engagement, I felt relieved, and at the same, time I thought it was interesting. ¡®He and my father are simr in some respects.¡¯ Actually they were. Given that they were knights, there was something inmon between them despite their different appearances and character. ¡°So, can you exin what happened?¡± ¡°You know Sir Feden with the 2nd Knights, right? We were attacked on our way home from his house. ¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Because I was stillcking in skills, I was injured while blocking their first attack. Anyway, I and Lady Monique beat half of them, but without the royal knight¡¯s help, we would have been seriously injured.¡± My father put down the fork and nodded at his exnation. ¡°I see. I think we let our hair down because the noble factions were inactive for a while. I don¡¯t know why they targeted Tia¡¯s life this time¡­ Hmm, thank you once again anyway. ¡± ¡°You are wee. Aristia is precious to me too, so I think I should apologize for not having protected her properly. ¡± ¡°¡­Oh, I see.¡± Chapter 132 Chapter 132: Chapter 132 His cool blue eyes were fixed on Carsein. Despite my father¡¯s cold look, Carsein was not agitated at all and looked at him with a faint smile. The servants and maids flinched at their tense gaze at each other while bringing the next dishes to them. ¡®Should I stop them?¡¯ When I tried to interrupt, my father said, smiling faintly, ¡°How long would it take for you toplete your rehab?¡± ¡°ording to the high priest, a couple of months, sir. I think one month is enough for me.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± said my father with a nod, and continued, ¡°When you¡¯re done with your rehab exercises,e back to me. I will pay the remainder of the deal that I have not yet fulfilled.¡± ¡®You mean swordsmanship, sir?¡± ¡°Yes. Visit me a couple of times a week to get my coaching. We can adjust the schedule as needed.¡± ¡°Okay, sir!¡± My father smiled at Carsein, who was all smiles. As soon as their tense moment was gone, the two hit it off right away and began to chat about the knights division. Looking at them, I reflected on the concerns I had all day long. ¡®Pioneer, the pioneer of destiny ¡­ ¡® I was sharply reminded by the high priest of the middle name that I had forgotten. I thought about the fate of those whose lives were derailed because of me who rejected fate. Although I wanted to care for them, I felt so heavy with a sense of guilt that I couldn¡¯t for what¡¯s most important to me was to get out of my previous life. After eating in a warm atmosphere, I stepped out of the mansion to see Carsein off. The wagon belonging to the Duke Lars family, who received the message about Carsein, was already waiting at the entrance. ¡°Take care, Carsein.¡± ¡°Thanks. You must have been surprised. Take a rest. ¡± Carsein, who smiled lightly and patted my shoulder, climbed into the wagon. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Casein. I got you involved in my stuff.¡¯ When I turned away while looking at the wagon disappearing on a dark road, I saw another wagon driving quickly from the opposite side. I stoppeding back because I noticed the family crest engraved on the gorgeous wagon. The roaring lion was the symbol of the imperial family. ¡®Why is the imperial wagon here?¡¯ As soon as the wagon stopped, the door opened quickly. I opened my eyes wide, looking at the man getting out in a hurry. His navy blue hair and white clothes. Isn¡¯t he the crown prince? ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the empire!¡± ¡°¡­ Why are you here outside? I heard something bad happened.¡± ¡°Oh, I came out to see somebody off for a moment¡­¡± ¡°Got it.¡± He then kept silent for a moment and said, ¡°¡­I hear you were ambushed. Were you injured?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Something unfortunate happened.¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry, Your Majesty. Even though I knew that the emperor was wary of it, I dared to heal my wounds with the divine power of the temple. Please punish me. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± He was silent for a moment. He seemed upset that I was helped by the high priest who I should have been wary of. Staring silently at me as I checked his countenance, he spoke, ¡°Do you¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Did you think I would get angry at you for relying on the power of the temple?¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± His voice was angry and his blue eyes were trembling. I thought something was wrong, and I opened my mouth hesitantly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Pleasee inside. As you came here, why don¡¯t youe inside for a cup of tea?¡± He looked at me silently and sighed. Then he said hesitantly while trying to reach out, ¡°¡­ Are you really okay? ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Whew! I¡¯m d to hear that. As you must have been exhausted, just take a break. I can have teater. ¡± He then got back in his wagon. After looking at the wagon disappearing into the darkness, I turned with a sigh. Now it was time to take a break, leaving all myplicated thoughts behind. < Dear Aristia. I heard that the emperor arrived safely at the summer pce. How is the weather over there? Is it really cool as they say? I was thrilled that I could see you when I came to the empire, but I''m sorry that I have to correspond with you through letters instead of seeing you. Don''t worry about the capital. It seems that the crown prince is running the empire well, and your father also seems to be doing well. Can I see you in the fall? I am looking forward to the day when we can meet again. Yours sincerely, Frincia de Lars> I smiled, putting the light purple letter with a faint rose scent into the letter rack. Frincia. My friend, who married Sir Lars, now lives in the empire as the Duchess-to-be Frincia de Lars. A month ago, when I was ambushed by unidentified assassins, the emperor got very angry and ordered the royal guards to find the mastermind of the attack. However, as expected, there was no evidence that the noble factions were involved in it. Only circumstantial evidence was found. As my father couldn¡¯t identify why they mounted such an ambush at a time when they could gain nothing, he forbade me to go anywhere except the Imperial Pce. In the meantime, the emperor suddenly left for the summer pce, and half of the Royal Knights and the 1st Knights were selected as the apanying knights. As a result, I had to go to the summer pce without reuniting with Frincia. ¡®I¡¯m d she¡¯s doing well. My father seems to be keeping well, too.¡¯ I stood up, thinking I should write a letter to my father who would be lonely. ¡°What is that? Was it sent by my sister-inw?¡± ¡°Oh,e to think of it, Frincia is now your sister-inw, Carsein.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I still can¡¯t understand how such a blunt and reticent person like my brother proposed to her.¡± ¡°You know, the brave deserves the fair. Sir Lars was really cool when he did that.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± Carsein gazed at me suddenly, with his blue eyes sparkling. Why the heck is he looking at me like that? ¡°Got it. You like that, too.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. By the way, why are you dressed up? Are you going somewhere?¡± ¡°Yes, the crown prince wants to see me.¡± ¡°Okay. Go well. ¡± As he shook his left arm casually, I looked at his left shoulder clothed in his uniform for a moment. After one month of persistent rehab, Carsein could now use a sword almost as well as he did before. He said that he would healpletely with a little more rehab. How fortunate! The garden of the summer pce waspletely different from that of the Imperial Pce, which consisted of a variety of small trees and seasonal flowers that allowed for easy maintenance by the gardeners. Was it because of the legend that the wizard himself grew the trees? The garden here consisted of tall trees, so I felt like I was in the woods. Cool and fresh air as well as the sunlight shining into the shade of the trees belied the sweltering summer outside the woods. I felt like I was in a different world. An elderly man was standing tall in the woods. I heard his health was deteriorating. Indeed, the emperor was visibly weak. His hair was bing more and more gray, and his body that once seemed full of energy wascking in vitality. My heart ached at his failing health. He was like my father in the past. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Come on, Lady Monique. It¡¯s been a long time. ¡± His Majesty beckoned me toe near with a smile. When I approached carefully, he said, walking slowly to me, ¡°How do you feel abouting to this pce?¡± ¡°It is amazing. When I was in the capital city, it was so hot. But as soon as I stepped here, I felt the heat go away. It¡¯s so amazing.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± His long hair fluttered in the gentle wind, and the hem of his neat robe was swollen. I felt refreshed at the moment, but when the emperor asked what I had experienced before I came down here, I felt tense. ¡°I heard that you were ambushed. Sorry I am asking you only now. Is it true you received the high priest¡¯s treatment? So, Are you okay now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. Unfortunately, I ended up turning to his help. Please punish me. ¡± Chapter 133 Chapter 133: Chapter 133 ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t a situation I couldn¡¯t understand, so you don¡¯t have to ask for punishment. By the way, I heard the high priest asked to see you separately. Is that right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I nodded slowly. Did the emperor call me to ask me about this? As someone who was always wary of the high priest, the emperor was obviously not happy about the high priest¡¯s intervention. He couldn¡¯t do anything about my middle name, which got me the title of the child of God¡¯s prophecy, but he really didn¡¯t want me to get entangled with the high priest at the temple. If that¡¯s the case, why did he promote me as the crown prince¡¯s bride for the reasons of my title as the child of God¡¯s prophecy when he was so wary of the temple? Was it because he couldn¡¯t betray the people¡¯s trust in God¡¯s prophecy? Or was it because he couldn¡¯t find a bride candidate that suited the crown prince? ¡°So, why did the high priest ask to see you?¡± ¡°I have no idea. He only said he wanted to see me in return for his treatment, but he hasn¡¯t contacted me yet¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, if you meet himter, listen carefully to what he is saying and report to meter.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Did you notice my hesitation? While leisurely looking around the surrounding scenery, the emperor said, clicking his tongue, ¡°Don¡¯t me me. You also know it as you learned the history of the empire. There¡¯s never been a single time when the priests¡¯ intervention in politics has brought about good results.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Faith is only faith. God is absolute, but the one who interprets His will is a human. Keep it in mind. ¡± It was a fact that I already knew well and agreed with. After I returned from my past, I was skeptical about God, but God was an absolute being. However, the problem was that humans interpreted God¡¯s prophecy or the Bible. How many times was history tarnished by human greed in the name of God? ¡°I know, but Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Something else?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask you this. I understand you are so wary of the temple. Then, why do you want to promote me, called the child of God¡¯s prophecy, as the crown prince¡¯s bride? I¡¯m very curious about it, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m trying to have you join the imperial family just because you are called the child of God¡¯s prophecy?¡± As if he gave me some time to ponder over it, the emperor walked silently. I walked silently behind him. The fresh air that I had never felt in the capital seemed to clear away myplicated thoughts. After being silent for a while, he finally said in a quiet voice, ¡°Did you ask me why I wanted to have you as Rube¡¯s wife?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°There may be several reasons, but one of them is because of the promise between your father and me.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°It was a promise that I would protect you by all means.¡± What does that mean? What does that promise to do with having me as crown prince¡¯s wife? I looked at him with a puzzled expression, but he just smiled without saying anything. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m a little tired after walking. I heard that you brew tea very well. Can you serve me a cup of tea?¡± ¡°My honor, Your Majesty. I will do my best to serve you tea, such as it is.¡± There was a white table arranged in the middle of the garden. I picked out rooibos from various tea boxes on the table, carefully brewed it, and poured it into a teacup. His Majesty enjoyed the red tea with a refreshing aroma of fruit then set down the cup with a satisfied expression. Fortunately, it seemed to suit his taste. ¡°It¡¯s exactly how they said. Very nice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Your Majesty. ¡°I¡¯m d that you don¡¯t resemble Jeremiah, your mother.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Was he close enough to call my mother by name? Come to think of it, he called her by name once before. I hesitated for a long time before opening my mouth. Normally, I would not have dared to ask, but today I felt I might get an answer to my question today. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Um. Any question?¡± ¡°May I ask you one thing? ¡± ¡°Okay, go ahead.¡± The emperor put down the cup and looked at me. ¡°I don¡¯t think other people know it¡­ Actually, I heard a strange story from Duke Jenna. ¡± ¡°Hmm, you mean something about your vulgar blood?¡± Given that he asked calmly, was the emperor also involved in my mother¡¯s case? As if he was sorting out his thoughts, the emperor emptied the tea that was already cold and opened his mouth with a worried expression. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how much you know¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Just forget about it. Jeremiah was an educated and cheerful noble woman. ¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, I see.¡± When I replied a bitte, he said thoughtfully, ¡°Think about it. If she had been of humble station, Duke Jenna could not have sat idle. He would have spread rumors all over the ce.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°But the fact that he didn¡¯t do so means¡­ Um.¡± When I turned my head along his gaze, one of the royal knights who was on guard at a distance was seen approaching carefully. Maybe it was time to leave. ¡°We should leave now. Let me wrap it up here. I think I satisfied your curiosity enough.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go. See you again next time. ¡± I stood up and bowed deeply to the emperor who was disappearing into the other side of the garden. In the shade of fresh green, I was looking in the direction of his disappearance for a long time, then I slowly moved to the ce where I was staying, reflecting on my mother. The outer walls of the white marble, towering through the densely wooded garden lush with trees like the forest, reflected the sunlight and shined brilliantly. The cool wind blowing over a huge pond of transparent water blew the heat away. I was in a room with the bright sunlight beaming through the window and the wind blowing softly inside. I sat in front of the desk in one corner of the room and opened some silver stationery. ¡®Today I¡¯m going to write a letter to my father. Let me also write a reply to Frincia. ¡® I dipped the quill in the ink and wrote the letter sincerely. < Dear Father, Please forgive me for sending you a letter only now. I hear it''s very hot in the capital. Are you doing well? It''s very cool here in the summer pce unlike the capital city. The emperor also seems to be satisfied. I''m doing fine, but I often feel ufortable when I recall that I only am having a happy life while the servants and maids at my mansion in the capital are having a hard time. With a shortage of knights, I think you are working without rest , right? Even if you''re busy, don''t skip meals and take care of your health. Just as you have told me that I am the only one you have, you are the only one I have. Please send my best regards to the 2nd Knights and the employees of our family. I''ll write to you again. Love. Tia> < Dear Frincia, I received your letter well. It''s very cool here at the summer pce. It looks like the rumor is true that this ce is under a spell. Thank you very much for letting me know what''s going on in the capital. I was wondering how my father was doing, but I feel relieved to hear from you he was doing fine. I look forward to seeing you again. Yours sincerely, Aristia Monique.> After waiting for the ink on the silver stationery to dry, I folded it finely and put it in the envelope. After signing the shiny silver envelope, I stamped my family¡¯s seal. I was about to stand up after picking up the two letters when something suddenly came to my mind. ¡®Shall I also send a letter to the crown prince?¡¯ Was it because my recent meeting with him weighed on my mind? Whenever I heard about the events in the capital, I was concerned about him unconsciously. Since I read Frincia¡¯s letter, I was all the more concerned about him. After hesitating for some time, I picked up my pen again. I dipped it in the ink and tried to write something on the silvery letter, but I often hesitated after writing the first line. ¡°Whew!¡± In the end, I put down the pen with a sigh. However, I was bothered by the nk paper. What can I do? What should I do? ¡®Oh, I don¡¯t know.¡¯ I got up, letting out a sigh again. Then, I went to the administrative department in charge ofmunicating with the headquarters in the capital, handed them the letters, and headed to the temporary training fiend of the knights. It was time to start work for the day. Chapter 134 Chapter 134: Chapter 134 ¡°Are you Sir Monique?¡± ¡°Yes, but what is going on?¡± ¡°This package is for you, sent from the capital.¡± ¡°Thank you. Nice job.¡± It¡¯s been a week since I sent the letters. I received a small box of two letters and a small box from an attendant working for the administration while I was in the middle of training. The two envelopes were silver and blue, respectively. The box was small and made of wood. After taking a deep breath, I headed to the corner of the training field. Sitting in the shade of a tree, I opened the seal of the silver letter. I smiled at the letter full of my father¡¯s affection for me. Touching his neat handwriting on the page, I whispered, ¡°I miss you, Dad.¡± I came down here only recently, but I missed him very much today. ¡®Let me read this letter now.¡¯ I picked up the blue envelope hesitantly. As always, there was a signature written in pure white ink on the envelope with golden pearls scattered on it. Looking at the lion¡¯s seal stamped on the envelope, I sighed and opened the seal. The blue stationery, shimmering in gold, had just a few short lines, as always. < How are you doing? I heard that it''s very cool down there at the summer pce. As the emperor cares for you a lot, I hope you can take care of him well while he is staying there. Bye. Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina.> The handwriting used by the imperial family was beautiful and the few lines were cold. Barely breathing out, I carefully folded the letter. I was rather relieved when I saw his letter that was just as short as usual. I opened the box, rxing my stiff body. When I was about to open it, a young man with red hair approached without my knowledge and sat down beside me. ¡°What is that? Sent by somebody in the capital? ¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­It looks like the letter is from the crown prince.¡± ¡°Oh, it is!¡± I saw the imperial seal stamped on the lid of the box. If so, was this also sent by him? I hesitated for a moment and opened the lid. It contained the best quality dried rosehip berries, the small red berries were effective for beating the heat. ¡°What is it, tea?¡± ¡°Yes. Should I brew it for you?¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°Well, okay.¡± Carsein nervously swept his hair and looked back at me quickly. His red hair was dishevelled like crazy. ¡°Hey, how long are you going to focus on the letter? You don¡¯t want to practice today?¡± ¡°Oops! I should, of course.¡± ¡°As you idled your time away, let me have you do it another 100 times.¡± ¡°Oh, no! Never say that.¡± ¡°You often forget the fact that I¡¯m your senior as well as your master. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­Got it.¡± I pouted, lifting the sword I had put down a little while ago. ¡®I¡¯m fortunate enough to be here at the cool summer pce. I couldn¡¯t do it another 100 times in the capital!¡¯ I whispered to myself. ¡®No, I should not think like that.¡¯ Obviously, the members of the 2nd Knights Division in the capital must be struggling to practice in this sweltering weather. I haven¡¯t realized how lucky I am to be here. How can Iin? After correcting my posture, I suddenly swung my sword the way I was used to. Perhaps it was because I experienced a near fatal battle recently that I seem to have be more agile during sparring. In fact, other knights praised that my skills improved a lot after they sparred with me. Wait a minute. Sparring? Come to think of it, I have never sparred with Carsein. I think I have to ask him since his shoulders are almost healed. After I was done practicing as assigned, I asked Carsein, who was checking my posture. ¡°Carsein.¡± ¡°What, Tia?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Wait a minute.¡± When did Carsein begin to call my nickname? Narrowing my eyes, I looked straight into him. I was dumbfounded at his casual look on the one hand, but I was curious, on the other. ¡°When did you start to call me by my nickname?¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about? I¡¯ve called you like that for some time.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. I think I called you like that from the day we were ambushed.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± Come to think of it, he seemed to have called me Tia then, but I was not sure. ¡®Dang it! He should have asked for my permission first, though.¡¯ As he was one of the few precious people to me, it was not difficult for me to allow him to call my nickname, but I felt I lost out somewhere. He grinned at my grumpy expression, saying, ¡°Why, do you think it¡¯s unfair?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I feel like I¡¯m losing¡­¡± ¡°Then, you can also call me by my nickname. Now, call me Sein.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± When I looked up silently, he said with a smile, ¡°You don¡¯t like it? How about calling me brother then?¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°Then, call me Sein. Repeat after me. Sein.¡± ¡°¡­ Sein.¡± ¡°Good job, my little girl!¡± Carsein smiled in a satisfied manner and stroked my head gently. ¡®Oh my, you are treating me as a child again!¡¯ I felt a bit ufortable as he tried to gloss it over, but I decided to give it a pass as he already began to call my nickname. Then I picked up the sword again. ¡°Carsein.¡± ¡°Call me Sein or brother, will you? It¡¯s up to you.¡± ¡°¡­ Sein.¡± ¡°Why, Tia?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we have a sparring match?¡± ¡°Oh, little girl. Are you now challenging your brother?¡± His blue eyes were shimmering. As I stared at him sharply because I felt he ignored me, he chuckled, raising both hands, ¡°Okay, okay. No problem. It seems like you look down on me because I¡¯ve notpletely healed. I don¡¯t care if you cry after sparring. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­ No, I don¡¯t look down on you.¡± ¡°Good. Once I draw my sword, I¡¯m not going to go easy on you. Do your best. ¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I want.¡± Grabbing the sword, I stood face to face with Carsein. As soon as he drew his sword, Carsein quickly got ready for fighting. I caught my breath while staying alert. His blue eyes looking at me sharply sparkled. Then he pointed the sword at my side. I stepped to the right and pointed my sword at his neck. But he moved one step to the right and blocked it easily. The two swords ng against each other, making a screeching noise. ¡®I can¡¯t win in terms of strength.¡¯ ¡®There is no odds in terms of the power fight. Let me hold out a bit more and move back.¡¯ When I was trying to loosen my grip on the sword, Carsein beat me to the punch. I lost my bnce. ¡°Be careful, youngdy.¡± Carsein caught me as I was falling. He said, giggling at me, ¡°You want to do it again?¡± ¡°Well, sure. You won this time.¡± Although I kept challenging him, I was no match for him because he beat me by using a different fencing style. Eventually, I gave up and squatted down, gasping for breath. ¡°Is it hard for you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak to me now. I¡¯m short of breath. Whew!¡± ¡°Hmm, Good sparring. Your skills have improved a lot.¡± ¡°Oh my, how can¡¯t I beat you even once?¡± ¡°I told you. I don¡¯t go easy on anybody once I grab my sword.¡± Unlike me who was gasping for breath, Carsein didn¡¯t look tired at all, except for his asional rough breathing. ¡®He¡¯s like a monster. There is a reason why they call him a genius swordsman.¡¯ Somehow, I felt dispirited. I regained some confidence after winning at the recent mock drills, but I just sighed at the dark reality that I had to go a long way. Will I ever be a full-fledged knight? ¡°Nheless, you have made good progress¡­ Um?¡± While patting my shoulder with a gentle smile, Carsein suddenly raised his head and stared into the distance. I opened my eyes wide at the violent ttering of horse¡¯s hoofs. Unless it was urgent, nobody would ride a horse inside the pce like that. Did something bad happen in the capital? ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Tia.¡± Chapter 135 Chapter 135: Chapter 135 I headed with Carsein in the direction where they drove the horses. Several people were gathered under the dark shade of a tree. I saw the emperor standing upright, surrounded by the royal knights escorting him, and a messenger, who knelt down, reporting to him. ¡®What is he reporting?¡¯ I listened attentively, but I couldn¡¯t hear well. I was biting my lip in frustration when a royal knight who recognized me stepped aside. As I approached with an ominous foreboding, I heard the emperor shouting at the messenger. ¡°What did you just say? Say it again. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid to say this, but I got the message that a dark-haired woman suddenly appeared in the imperial garden. ¡± Right at that moment, I was shocked. ¡®What? A dark-haired woman appeared? ck hair ¡­ ¡® My heart was now beating like crazy, and I was gasping for breath. My knees were bent wobbly. Dark hair? A woman who suddenly appeared in the Imperial Pce? Is this that woman? The genuine child of God¡¯s prophecy, Jiun? Did shee finally? Why now, instead of one yearter? I was confused and full ofplicated thoughts. I spaced out. I moaned and fell into a pure white world where nothing could be seen or heard. A world of pure white where I could neither think or feel. How long have I been drifting in the pure white sea? My empty vision slowly came back, and the ringing in my ears lessened gradually. I closed and opened my blurry eyes. The blurry world began to clearlye into my view little by little. When I closed and opened my eyes wide for thest time, a young man with red hair was looking anxiously at me. ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Tia?¡± ¡°¡­ Sein.¡± I looked around. I saw towering trees and a breeze was blowing over my ears. It was quiet everywhere. Not only the emperor but also the messenger and the passers-by disappeared. Only I, Carsein and a couple of others were standing in the shade of the tree. With his blue eyes full of doubts, he asked me with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? You suddenly stood aghast and¡­¡± ¡°Oh, no. nothing.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Carsein leaned forward to meet my eyes and suddenly put both hands on my cheek. His rough but warm palms felt like my father¡¯s hands. Is it because they were both knights bearing swords that I felt like that? ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Tia?¡± ¡°Huh? How do I look?¡± ¡°Are you really asking me now because you don¡¯t know?¡± With a frown, Carsein crooked his thumb and index fingers to pinch my cheeks. ¡®What the heck is he doing now?¡¯ Even before I asked him, my cheeks were already smarting from his pinching. Only then did I stop feeling nauseated. I felt as if I got off the ship that was rocked by high waves and finally set foot on the ground. When I came to my senses and looked ahead, Carsein, who was pinching my cheek, smiled at me. His blue eyes fully reflecting the blue autumn sky danced wiggled with a smile. ¡°Ouch. Don¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°What did you say, little girl?¡± ¡°¡­ Stop it.¡± When I pulled at his big hand still pinching my cheek, he straightened up and patted my cheek with his index finger. Narrowing my brows, I spoke with a grumpy voice, ¡°Why are you teasing me like this?¡± ¡°My little girl, you look like that little cat in your house as you are so on edge today.¡± When I stared at him sharply, knitting my brows, he smiled brightly and reached out to my chin. ¡®Is he trying to tickle me?¡¯ Suddenly, I recalled Luna because she meowed pleasantly when I tickled under her chin gently. Is he now treating me as a cat, not content with calling me a little girl? ¡®Then, should I make a sound like Luna?¡¯ When I recalled her meowing, I suddenly burst intoughter. Looking at me carefully, he stopped reaching out and said, ¡°Hmm, I think you are okay now.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Well, it looked like you would run away a little while ago.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m serious. What happened to you? What¡¯s wrong?¡± I hesitated because I couldn¡¯t reply properly. I could not tell him about my life before my return from the past, nor could I talk about Jiun. Noticing me hesitating to say something, he giggled at me and said, ¡°As you are so worried like that, you will not grow any taller.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Whew! When can I make you grow up and get married? I¡¯ve got a lot on my mind because of you.¡± ¡°¡­ What the heck are you talking about now, Sein?¡± Pouting at him, I tried to walk out of the garden when a royal knight came up and greeted me politely. ¡°Glory to the Empire! Hello, Sir Monique. ¡± ¡°Loyalty to the Lion! Do you have anything to say to me?¡± ¡°The emperor is urgently looking for you.¡± ¡°His Majesty is looking for me? Howe he didn¡¯t tell his personal attendant¡­¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± ¡®Why is he looking for me? Was it because of what happened just a little while ago? ¡® Anyway, I felt I had to see the emperor, so I said goodbye to Carsein and walked with the knight. ¡°Come on in, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Sun of the Empire!¡± ¡°I called you for a cup of tea.¡± ¡°It is my honour, Your Majesty.¡± I thought he called me for that simple reason, but I silently held the teapot brought by the maid. The silver kettle, which was carved with borate engravings of the roaring lion, the royal emblem, was very beautiful. The lion¡¯s crest was also engraved on the silver teacup and silver spoon sets. Appreciating the elegant beauty of the imperial teacups, I took the rose hips out of the box and brewed it in a silver teacup. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that box before. Is it yours?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Why is he staring at it so carefully? It¡¯s just an ordinary tea box. When I followed his gaze out of curiosity, I noticed the imperial seal stamped on the box. ¡®Oh my god¡­¡¯ Although I didn¡¯tmit any sin, I felt guilty somehow. So, I said in an apologetic tone, ¡°In fact, it was sent by the crown prince recently.¡± ¡°Oh, did he send it?¡± He said as if he couldn¡¯t believe his ears. With a smile, he said, with his gaze fixed on the box, ¡°I thought it was surprising that my son prepared a tiara and left it with me recently. But I didn¡¯t know that Rube gave you gifts like this.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mention it to me you, Lady Monique. I just thought his behavior was a little strange. I was worried that he would not hit it off with you until a few years ago. Both of you have changed a lot since then. ¡± My guesswork was right. It was not me alone who felt that the crown prince changed a lot. But what¡¯s the point of talking about his change now? Jiun has arrived. I was so shocked that I only heard the messenger¡¯s first word, but failed to hear what he reported to the emperor. So, I didn¡¯t know the details of Jiun¡¯s arrival. Has he already met Jiun? Just like then when he first discovered her after she fell into theke of the Imperial Pce. ¡°Monique.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°In fact, I called you because I had something to say secretly.¡± ¡°Please go ahead, Your Majesty.¡± ¡®Has what I¡¯ve been dreading finallye true?¡¯ I pressed on my pounding heartbeat, swallowing in anxiety. After sending the royal knight and the maid out of the room, so they could not overhear, the emperor leaned forward and whispered, ¡°In fact, my condition has gotten worse since the day before yesterday. I am easily tired and feel dizzy oftentimes. ¡± ¡°I will call the royal doctor right now.¡± Although it was not what I expected, I was shocked to hear that. I thought he got better after he went to the summer pce here. What happened? He stopped me when I sprang to my feet and tried to call the doctor, and said, clicking his tongue, ¡°Well, your actions now really resemble your father! If I wanted to call the doctor, I wouldn¡¯t have to call you here, right?¡± ¡°But Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to let others know. So, can you help me?¡± ¡°How can I¡­ ¡± Chapter 136 Chapter 136: Chapter 136 Looking at me trying to choose my words carefully, he said, tapping the table, ¡°Just stay with me and help me with handling small andrge things. Don¡¯t feel insulted because I tell you to do things reserved for the attendants. I just want to have someone with me I can trust.¡± ¡°Oh, how can I feel insulted? I¡¯m okay, Your Majesty. By the way, don¡¯t you need a doctor?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to make a fuss. If my condition gets worse, let me call the doctor.¡± ¡°¡­I believe you have made a promise. ¡± I felt it would be better to call the doctor now. Although he didn¡¯t treat me as kindly as he did before I came back from the past, I was distressed to see his health deteriorating day by day. I felt heartbroken all the more because I knew he was caring for me especially even now, and that he didn¡¯t have much time left for survival. ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Please be strong and stay healthy. Your Majesty is the parent of all the people in the empire.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Looking at me with a gentle smile, he lifted the teacup. I looked at the lion¡¯s crest engraved on the silver teacup and quietly put it to my mouth. Even though the emperor came down to the summer pce for a break, he continued to hold cab meetings throughout the day without stepping back from day-to-day duties. As the entire empire suffered from severe drought, he had to help the crown prince who was struggling to tackle it alone in the capital. It had already been three days since I apanied the emperor who attended the political meeting. I thought there would be a strong opposition to my presence at the meeting, but surprisingly nobody objected. Perhaps many of the nobles who came with the emperor were pro-emperor faction members. ¡°Please have tea, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± His strained blue eyes wiggled gently. While enjoying the vor of delicatevender, I pondered over the political meetings for the past three days. I thought the emperor would bring up the agenda of Jiun, but he didn¡¯t, to my surprise. Instead, topics such as drought and the measures to deal with the worsening public sentiment were mainly discussed. ¡®Oh, yeah, they also discussed the outbreaks of arson in the capital at the meeting.¡¯ ording to what I heard at the political meeting, there were a series of arson incidents in the capital these days. Somebody set a fire to the mansions in the nobles¡¯ district, but they couldn¡¯t catch the culprit, no matter how hard they tried. Arson idents and the bad public opinion about the imperial family put the emperor and the crown prince in a very difficult situation. I was worried that somebody dissatisfied with the imperial family and the nobles might have set fire to their houses, but the emperor reacted calmly. When he was briefed about it, he skipped to the next agenda. ¡®Does he think the drought is more important now? Otherwise, is there any conspiracy that I don¡¯t know?¡¯ While I was lost in thought under the shade of a tree, the emperor, who was pondering over something, suddenly said, ¡°What a headache! Drought is extreme at the moment. I hear there are rumors among the people that drought happened because of God¡¯s anger.¡± ¡°Since ancient times, they have called floods, drought, and earthquakes natural disasters. As the faith of the people in the empire is deep, I think they can rightly think so. Have you heard anything particr from the temple?¡± He sighed deeply and said, ¡°As they are only interested in power, I don¡¯t expect they are thinking of any measures to ally the people¡¯s concerns. I haven¡¯t even heard that they received God¡¯s prophecy on this.¡± ¡°I heard that the crown prince has taken all the measures he can, and the lords of each province are in close contact with each other, taking care of the sick and distributing water. Rumors are only fleeting. As everyone is doing their best to ovee the crisis, the agitated general public will soon calm down. So, please don¡¯t worry too much. Your health isn¡¯t good, Your Majesty.¡± While listening to me silently, he turned to me with a warm smile. His gaze like that was unusual because I hadn¡¯t noticed it after I returned from my previous life. I suddenly became curious about it. Why is he acting like that? ¡°In every aspect I think the crown of the empress suits you rather than the position of marquis.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m really persistent in my demands, right? But I am saying this as a ruler who has to use the right person for the right job.¡± Did he merely say that, thinking of me as a talent? What part of my remarks made him feel that way? I was tilting my head with a puzzled expression when there was a sudden noise in a corner of the garden. When I turned my eyes there, I saw a mane running in a hurry among the guards who made way for him. Forgetting that the emperor was with me, I stood up right away. He had shiny silver hair, dressed in a navy blue uniform with lots of dust. ¡®Daddy?¡¯ ¡°Oh, Dad?¡± ¡°¡­ Tia. ¡± I saw him looking at me with an anxious look while examining me. His wide shoulders were shaken a bit. As he was before the emperor, he tried to let out a sigh without being noticed. When I smiled awkwardly, my father barely took his eyes from me. Only then did he bow to the emperor to show due manners, ¡°I¡¯m honored to see Your Majesty, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Marquis. By the way, why have youe down here, covered in dust like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got something to report, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You want to report to me directly, Marquis?¡± he said, with a puzzled expression. He continued, ¡°Maybe you are not here because of that¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m d you¡¯vee down here. In fact, I have been wondering what¡¯s happening in the capital. I heard the news that a dark-haired woman appeared with a halo. ¡± ¡°Well, that woman was¡­¡± After briefing the emperor about the situation in the capital city, my father began to exin about the situation in which Jiun appeared. On the day that Jiun appeared, the crown prince suggested to the cab members locked in hot debate about severe drought that they go outside briefly to get some fresh air. So, my father, the chief of the royal knights, and several nobles including Duke Verita, Marquis of Enesil, who was staying in the capital after recently inheriting the title, and Duke Jenna were walking with the crown prince in the garden of Ver Pce. However, since the core members of the two opposing factions gathered, the atmosphere among them was pretty bad. When the crown prince tried to intervene as their animosity was deepening, suddenly a bright halo appeared around the garden. And shortly afterwards when they could look again, they saw a strange woman standing there. Even though she was surrounded by royal guards, she was looking at the crown prince with a nk expression, then she was taken to prison. So, that was the whole story. ¡°Hmm, what did the noble faction say?¡± ¡°Well, the core members of the noble faction including Duke Jena are the witnesses, right?¡±¡±They were arguing that she must be a woman sent by God, given her unusual appearance.¡± ¡°Well, I was worried about that when the messenger gave me such a briefing. Your testimony confirms my concern. So, what did Rube say?¡± My tense heart was beating fast. As he did in the past, he was the first to witness Jiun¡¯s appearance. ¡®God told me that the two were entangled with the thread of fate.¡¯ I heard that as soon as she appeared, Jiun only looked at him. Then, how did he react? Did he fall in love with her at first sight like he did before I came back from the past? Did he realize that she was his partner? And¡­ ¡®Did he feel attracted to her by fate?¡¯ To calm down my pounding heart, I took a deep breath and listened to my father¡¯s answer. ¡°He ordered them to put her in prison because she was an unknown intruder and said he would wait for the emperor¡¯s decision.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°But the noble faction as well as the people at the temple balked at the crown prince¡¯s decision so strongly that he allowed her to stay at Rose Pce before I headed down here.¡± I bite my lip to pull together with all my might as I felt faint. Chapter 137 Chapter 137: Chapter 137 ¡®Exactly the same situation.¡¯ Actually, when Jiun appeared in the past, it was Rose Pce where the crown prince let her stay. Although I felt my present obviously changed from the past, though it did little by little, I felt like I was going back to the same old past with Jiun¡¯s sudden appearance. My hands and feet suddenly became cold, and I felt short of breath. My heart pounded like crazy. I lifted the silver cup to calm down, but my hand trembled so much that I couldn¡¯t put it to my lips. Looking at me quickly, the emperor said to my father, ¡°Good job, Marquis. That¡¯s enough. I appreciate youring all the way down here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Your Majesty. Then, can I leave with my daughter?¡± When I looked at him hesitantly, the emperor told me with a smile that I could leave. I didn¡¯t remember how I showed due manners when I got out. I just instinctively walked after my father. It was only when my father, who walked ahead for a long time, stopped walking and put both hands on my shoulder. When I blinked nkly at his touch, I saw him looking at me with a worried expression. ¡°¡­ Dad?¡± ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I guess you have been through so much here.¡± Having said that, he suddenly hugged me. When I was held in his arms, I felt greatly relieved as if I was relieved of all the troubles in this world. Only then did I realize that I was still trembling. When I heard he was whispering that I was okay, and that he would help me out, stroking my hair kindly, I felt refreshed and regained my good spirits. It looked like there was a ray of light in the darkness that bound me tightly. ¡°¡­ Daddy.¡± ¡°Yes, honey.¡± ¡°Why did youe down? You are in charge of the defense of the capital¡­ ¡± ¡°When I saw the woman with ck hair who appeared suddenly, I recalled your dream. As it was a dream that left you with such a truma, I was concerned about you, just in case. Although the timing of her appearance was different, I was afraid that you might be shocked a lot if you heard the news about that woman. When the messenger left, I also wanted toe, but as I had to gather some more information, I arrived here just now. Don¡¯t worry as I let Marquis Enesil take charge of defending the capital while I was away. By the way, are you really alright?¡± When I heard his considerate questioning, I could feel he was gravely concerned about me. I could feel it even in his warm embrace and the hand stroking my hair. Did my fathere all the way down here for the past week with just one thought that I might be shocked? As Jiun really appeared, he might have thought that my dream wasn¡¯t just a dream, but a prophetic dream. Nheless, it would have been hard for him to trust my dream. Was my father worried about me so much that he even left his official duty with Marquis Enesil? ¡°I wasn¡¯t okay¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°But I¡¯m okay now. Since you are with me, I¡¯ve be convinced that everything will work out well. ¡± ¡°¡­ Tia. ¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Daddy.¡± My intense anxiety for the past three days went away quickly. As I snuggled into his arms like a child ying the baby, he tightened his grip on his arms embracing me. Patting my back silently, he asked me after a while. ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Dad.¡± ¡°As you heard a little while ago, the noble faction and the temple guys joined hands together and began to im that the dark-haired woman was the child of God¡¯s prophecy. If you go to the capital, you will hear lots of people arguing that the woman should be made the crown prince¡¯s wife.¡± His nave blue eyes were staring seriously at me. He said with a determined voice, ¡°I don¡¯t think the emperor will betray my expectation, but I would like to honor your decision.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Do you intend to be the sessor of my family like you said when you were a child? Or do you want me to make you the next empress by fighting with the pro-emperor faction? I will support your decision, whichever choice you want to make.¡± ¡°I want to¡­¡± I thought that if someone asked me, I would say I would choose to be the sessor of my family without hesitation, but when he asked like this, I found myself hesitant a bit. Although I didn¡¯t see it directly, I felt my past was now being recreated before my eyes in the same manner, so my current path to be the sessor of my family was the best choice. Nheless, I could not move my stupid mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tia.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°It seems that I pressured you to make a quick decision on such an important matter because I was too impatient.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I guess you are also confused a lot now. Let¡¯s think about it slowly. ¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you.¡± I barely answered, closing my dry mouth, at his considerate words. Straightening up, he patted my shoulder gently and said, ¡°I must prepare to go back to the capital.¡± ¡°By the way, Daddy.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The emperor seems to be very sick. Can he safely move to the capital?¡± ¡°His Majesty? That¡¯s strange. When I saw him a little while ago, I didn¡¯t feel that way. ¡± When I briefly exined what happened over the past three days, he pondered over something and said with a smile, ¡°It looks like the emperor has yed pranked on you.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me he called you as soon as he heard it, right? Perhaps he pretended to be sick, so he could have you be around him to protect you.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I was speechless when he said that, trying to mutter. Only when he told me to go back did Ie to my senses and follow him. Did he really try to deceive me by pretending to be sick? When I returned to my ce after chatting with my father, the emperor was back in good shape and ordered his staff to be ready to go back to the capital. Although he made the decision hastily, those who knew the situation in the capital didn¡¯tin and busied themselves with preparing to return to the capital. So, everyone was now busy preparing to return, packing their stuff and cleaning up. It took them seven days. In the end, the people who apanied the emperor to the summer pce left for the capital, ending their stay at the summer pce When I returned to the capital after a long time, it was so different from what I saw before leaving for the summer pce. Was it because the emperor¡¯s procession arrived in the afternoon? The streets seen through the wagon window were bleak. There was a haze rising on the well-paved roads, and the people weing back the emperor looked dispirited like withered grass. I felt gloomy at the shocking scene of the capital. It was much more severe than I expected. As I stayed at the summer pce, I was not aware of the stark reality in the capital caused by the severe drought. What was the emperor thinking about, faced with this shocking situation? In this dire situation, how was the crown prince managing national affairs? When I got out of the wagon, the air was so hot that I could hardly breathe. I swallowed unconsciously because of the burning sensation in my face and hands due to the sweltering weather. ¡®The heat is so extreme!¡¯ The sizzling sunshine was murder. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see Your Majesty. Have you been well? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to see Your Majesty, the Sun of the empire. Glory to the empire! ¡± Several nobles and the crown prince, who came out to the main gate of the Imperial Pce, showed due manners to the emperor, who just got off the wagon. The crown prince, who I was seeing for the first time in a long time, looked a bit haggard. However, his uniquely cool voice and vibrant attitude were still the same as before. ¡°I felt great as I could look back on memories of the past. Especially since I spent thest few days veryfortably thanks to Lady Monique.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I hear it¡¯s the best remedy for heat. The rose hips tea that you sent to my daughter-inw was very effective in beating the heat. Thanks, my son. I really enjoyed the tea in a happy mood.¡± At that moment, everybody turned their eyes toward me. The pro-emperor faction were looking at me warmly while the noble faction were casting a murderous nce at me. I saw the crown emperor making a faint smile among them. ¡®Your daughter-inw?¡¯ Chapter 138 Chapter 138: Chapter 138 Hearing that, I smiled bitterly. Of course, I heard him calling me like that often in the past, but unlike in the past when he called it out of pure affection for me, this time he said it for political reasons. The crown prince, who fixed his gaze on the emperor, turned his eyes to me finally. He spoke while looking at me with his eyes that seemed more hollow for the past several months while I was away at the summer pce. ¡°Thank you for taking good care of the emperor.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Your Majesty. I just did what I had to do. ¡± ¡°Can you take time out for me? I want to express gratitude to you. I might bete, but if you don¡¯t mind, can you wait for me at my pce? ¡± ¡°Sure, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll see you soon. Pleasee inside, Your Majesty. As it¡¯s so hot outside, it¡¯s not good for your health if you keep standing here.¡± He turned with his father after taking his eyes off me. The pce people who returned from the summer pce and the weing party followed them. After watching Duchess Lars, with her light blue hair let down, lead the noble women to the women¡¯s pce, I made eye contact with my knight colleagues, then headed for the crown prince¡¯s pce. ¡°Wee, Lady Monique, let me escort you.¡± When I arrived, I was escorted by the chief attendant, who was familiar to me as I visited before several times. When I opened the massive door, I saw his magnificent study. I hadn¡¯t been inside in a year. Because of the intense sunlight, the inside of the study was very bright despite the white curtains on the front window. A huge collection of books was still there and seemed to have grown. I thought of waiting for him quietly in a seat, but I changed my mind and approached the endless bookshelves. As he would be telling the emperor what happened while he was away, he¡¯d take some time toe back. So, I browsed through the books that I wanted to read so much, but couldn¡¯t. My eyes opened wide at the vast collection. ¡®It¡¯s so amazing. How can he collect such arge number of books in his study?¡¯ I was surprised because he could have kept those books he didn¡¯t read in the library of the Imperial Pce. ¡®If then, did he read all the books here?¡¯ I slowly examined the bookshelves. Even though I had a quick nce before, I saw several rare books I hadn¡¯t read before. I picked one among them that drew my interest most. ¡®I wonder if he will be here by the time I finish reading this.¡¯ But he didn¡¯t appear when I finished reading the book, so I picked another. ¡®I expected he would bete, but it is taking him too long.¡¯ I let out a small sigh after closing the second book after reading itsst page. My eyes were dry because I was reading for so long. I blinked my dry eyes and put the two books back on the bookshelf. While I was walking inside the study slowly, looking for something else to read, I suddenly noticed a collection of books covered with ck leather and gilded letters. The title of the glittering books caught my eye. < The Directory of the Empire''s Nobles> Come to think of it, aroundst year when I was very curious about my mother¡¯s family tree, I tried to read the same book, but failed. I hesitated for a moment. The emperor said that my mother was not a woman of low birth, but an educated and cheerful noblewoman. I couldn¡¯t take him at face value because I was bothered by what Duke Jena told me before. ¡®Can I just quickly browse through it?¡¯ I unconsciously looked around once and approached the bookshelf with the nobles¡¯ directory. If I wanted to find a clue on my mother¡¯s identity, now was the time. I chose the fifth directory from the right, which was published about 20 years ago. Then, I opened the back of the directory and looked at the family trees of barons. ¡®So, Sona, Sonia! Here it is!¡¯ My heart sank. ¡®Yes, the emperor is right.¡¯ Given that her name was in the directory of the nobles, she was clearly a noble woman with a middle name, even if she was a daughter of a mere baron married into a marquis family. Then, why did Duke Jenna say that? Apparently his im that he knew my weakness was rted to my mother. I put the directory back with a sigh. ¡®I think I wasted time. I wish I had chosen another book. ¡® Then I was going to find the first edition of , which I observed carefully a moment ago, but something suddenly came to my mind. I stopped walking in spite of myself. ¡®No way.¡¯ This time I pulled out a nobles¡¯ directory published 25 years ago and checked the section on barons. < Baron Sonia: As the vassal of the Marquis Monique family, he runs a small vige on the family-owned estate. The family consists of Baron Sonia and his daughter, Jeremiah lo Sonia.> Still the same. I chose the seventh directory from the right, which was published 30 years ago. < Baron Sonia: As the vassal of the Marquis Monique family, he runs a small vige on the family-owned estate. The family consists of Baron Sonia. As he has no close rtives, his title will be retrieved after the baron''s death.> ¡®What?¡¯ In a hurry, I pulled out the directory published 35 years ago. It was the same as the previous directory. ¡°What the heck¡­¡± I am currently 15 years old. I heard that my weak mother barely gave birth to me seven years into her marriage. If she had survived, she would have been at least in herte thirties. Why didn¡¯t her name exist in the directory published 30 years ago? Of course, I could put aside the directory published 35 years ago, she would have been about ten years old back then. If Baron Sonia had had no close rtives, she would certainly have seeded his family as his legitimate daughter. Why was her name missing from the directory that was famous for its thorough recording and description? It was impossible. I felt so depressed, and my whole body felt frozen as if cold blood was flowing through every corner of my body. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± I was standing nkly at the surprising fact, when I came to my senses when he called me suddenly. He looked at me curiously, then turned his eyes at the book I was holding. I hid the directory from his eyes and quickly put it back on the shelf. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the empire. Please forgive me for my bted greetings.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just sit instead of standing like that.¡± I quietly followed him to the table in the middle of the study. When I sat across him, carefully adjusting the hem of my skirt, he said with a distinctly cold voice, ¡°I have heard from the emperor that you were on hand to help him a lot.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t do anything particr. His Majesty gave me a generous credit for my work. ¡± ¡®Anyway it¡¯s important that the emperor was satisfied with your help. I think you must have handled lots of stuff. I would like to express my gratitude to you,¡± he said calmly. ¡°You¡¯re wee, Your Majesty.¡± Although I couldn¡¯t pinpoint what it was, I felt somewhat strange about his change in attitude. When I was looking down at my neatly folded fingers, I heard a small knock on the door. Shortly afterwards, an attendant came in, gasping for breath. ¡°Sorry, Your Majesty. I¡¯ve got an urgent message for you.¡± ¡°No problem. What is going on? ¡± ¡°An urgent message from Rose Pce. As for the details¡­¡± The attendant squinted at me and suddenly stopped talking. ¡®Can¡¯t he talk in my presence?¡¯ Chapter 139 Chapter 139: Chapter 139 The Rose Pce was where Jiun was staying. I turned my eyes at the crown prince. Not sure that I was watching him, he asked the attendant nonchntly, ¡°Who conveyed the message to me?¡± ¡°The chief maid at Rose Pce. She has told me to escort you there quickly.¡± ¡°The chief maid?¡± Slightly knitting his brows, he nodded. ¡°Got it. Let¡¯s go right now. ¡± My heart jolted when he responded without hesitation. Standing up, he looked at me and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Let¡¯s talkter.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Goodbye for now.¡± I nkly nced at him walking away. I couldn¡¯t help but give a hollow smile. ¡®Is this what I deserved, after all?¡¯ I suddenly got upset with God. If God had let me be swayed by fate like this, why did He give me the name ¡®Pioneer of fate¡¯? I¡¯d rather have pursued my path without having to get entangled with the crown prince if God had not given me such a name. Why did God give me the middle name? And why did He let Jiune one year earlier than scheduled? Biting my lip, I left the crown prince¡¯s pce. When I arrived at the wagon center with a heavy heart, a family knight who had been waiting for me in advance handed a letter to me. ¡°May the blessings of life be bestowed on you, Lady Monique. Why have youe to the temple?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here at the request of the High Priest.¡± ¡°¡­ I see. Please wait a moment.¡± I smiled bitterly, watching the apprentice priest disappear quickly. When I came here five years ago, I didn¡¯t feel at all that they were wary of me. But this time it was clear that they were wary of me, which made me realize that they heard of Jiun¡¯s arrival. So what? Even before returning from the past, I rarely stopped by the temple because I am the daughter of the Monique family, the core member of the imperial faction. Besides. As I was skeptical of God, I couldn¡¯t afford to pay attention to their attitude here. Waiting for a while while looking at the holy paintings hung on the hallway, I saw a young man in a white priest robe walking toward me from the end of the long corridor. His long white hair that stretched to the floor made a rustling noise as he walked. ¡°May the blessings of life be bestowed on you. It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while, Your Excellence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s been a long time since I asked to see you. How have you been? ¡± ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ve been through lots of things¡­ ¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I take delight in waiting for a beautiful woman.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± When I looked at him in embarrassment, he smiled faintly and said with a worried look, ¡°How do you feel now? Does it still hurt?¡± ¡°No. Thanks to your treatment, I¡¯ve been healedpletely. Thank you.¡± ¡°How fortunate. By the way¡­ Um?¡± The moment the High Priest¡¯s handsome face was about to make a frown, I heard some buzzing in my ears. As my eyes became blurry, the voice I once heard once was ringing in my head. Back then, I was aghast at his voice sounding loudly in my ears with an impressive message. The voice that buzzed in my ears disappeared, leaving a few short words, but I couldn¡¯t escape from it. Is that the reason? I spat out a few words in spite of myself. ¡°Jiun¡­Graspe¡­¡± That moment someone grabbed my shoulder strongly. When I looked up, stunned, I saw the High Priest, who seemed to be rxed all the time, staring at me intensely with transparent eyes. ¡°What did you just say a moment ago?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Did you also hear the voice?¡± Obviously, he was surprised at my muttering a moment ago. Feeling I made a mistake, I bit my lip. If the voice I just heard was God¡¯s prophecy, the high priest, one of those who received the token of God, must have heard it, too. ¡®Even when I was given the name Pioneer, no one knew that I had heard God¡¯s prophecy in person.¡¯ No matter how absent-minded I was, I had to admit that I acted recklessly a little while ago. What should I do? Should I deny it? ¡°Please answer me. Did you hear it, too?¡± I tried to deny it, but he was already fully convinced. I sighed deep down. When I thought about the repercussions of my admission, my head was pounding. ¡°Well¡­¡± When I opened my mouth carefully, I saw five senior priests running toward us in a hurry with apprentice priests. Their yellow-green priest robes were embroidered with geometric patterns that looked like trees and threads. ¡°Your Eminence! We¡¯ve been looking for you. By the way we heard some noise just a moment ago¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it is God¡¯s prophecy. All the tokens in Sanktus Vita are gathered? ¡± I thought to myself, ¡®Are they the ¡®tokens of God ¡® who allegedly receive God¡¯s prophecy directly?¡¯ Regaining hisposure, the High Priest opened his mouth, ¡°Bring me a paper and pen, apprentice priest.¡± ¡°Here you are, Your Eminence.¡± ¡± Will everyone be the witness of this ce, swearing on the name of Vita, the father of life? From now on, we will check what God¡¯s prophecy is.¡± ¡°Of course, Your Eminence.¡± As the rumor spread that the high priest received God¡¯s prophecy, the priests, who began to gather in the corridor one by one and replied, bending deeply. Taking the paper and quills from the apprentice priest, the high priest said, ¡°Give a pen and sheet of paper to Lady Monique, too.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Eminence.¡± Speaking to the apprentice priest sharply, he turned to me and smiled vaguely. This time he said very softly in a break with his cold voice a moment ago. ¡°Lady Monique, could you write down what you heard from God a little while ago?¡± ¡°¡­ Your Eminence.¡± ¡°There must be a reason why our God Vita gave his prophecy to you. Even if you deny it now, the fact that you already have received it will not be concealed.¡± ¡°¡­ I see, Your Eminence.¡± I took a pen and a sheet of paper with a sigh. I heard the priests who heard his dialogue with me whispering here and there. As the spacious corridor was full of their noise, the High Priest silenced them by raising his hand with a frown. The High Priest wrote down God¡¯s prophecy without hesitation, and the priests watching me closely also began to take up the pen one by one. ¡°Whew¡± I let out a sigh unconsciously. ¡®Why did I end up being in this situation?¡¯ After staring at the white paper for a moment, I wrote down the contents of God¡¯s prophecy that was still in my head. When I was about to fold the paper in half, the priests came and reached out to me, the high priest and the five priests with the tokens of God. ¡°Then, we will disclose God¡¯s prophecy.¡± With everyone¡¯s eyes focused, the seven sheets of paper spread simultaneously. God¡¯s prophecy written down on the paper was all the same. ¡°What the hell¡­? ¡± ¡°How could Lady Monique dare¡­?¡± ¡°This is unbelievable¡­ ¡± The eyes of numerous priests focused on me. Everyone was amazed at the fact that I, who was not a priest with the token of God, heard God¡¯s prophecy. An elderly priest, who appeared to be a senior priest, asked the high priest, swallowing, ¡°How could this happen, Your Eminence?¡± ¡°You saw it. It seems that Lady Monique has also received God¡¯s prophecy.¡± ¡°How can an ordinary person who has not received our God¡¯s token receive God¡¯s prophecy? I smell a rat¡­¡± ¡°Priest Omar, it seems that you are suspicious of me who received the name Tertius as the third root of our God Vita,¡± the high priest retorted coldly. At his chilly reaction, the old priest, called Omar, paused for a moment, then replied casually, ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t mean that, Your Eminence. But don¡¯t you think you should deal with it more clearly?¡± Chapter 140 Chapter 140: Chapter 140 ¡°I swear in the name of our God and the divine power He has given me. I¡¯m just the first who has discovered that Lady Monique received God¡¯s prophecy. I have never given her any clue on it.¡± ¡°¡­ You seem to be right, Your Eminence. I apologize for my rudeness.¡± ¡°If you got it, why don¡¯t you make a beeline to your dotard priests?¡± ¡®Dotard priests?¡¯ I was stunned by the high priest¡¯s anger because he always looked rxed and calm. With his face turning red, Priest Omar responded coldly, ¡°Your Eminence, I can¡¯t tolerate your rudeness to them, even if you are the high priest!¡± ¡°What will you do if you can¡¯t, Priest Omar? Do you think the dotard priests can drive me out of this ce when they can not hear God¡¯s prophecy, let alone exercise any divine power? How will they treat people? Just go ahead and tell them what I just have told you. I am very anxious to know how they will react.¡± His chilly voice resonated throughout the corridor. Even with the wind blowing, his long white hair suddenly began to scatter wildly. Everybody hesitantly stepped back at his ferocious look. ¡°What the heck is all this disturbance?¡± Is it the power of God¡¯s prophecy? Unlike the high priest¡¯s in robes without any decoration, the senior priests in white new clothes embroidered with all kinds of geometric patterns with gold thread arrived in droves. ¡®Are they the highest priests?¡¯ These priests actually made the emperor shut the temple as much as possible. In terms of rank, they were lower than the high priest, so they were not called with the title ¡®Eminence.¡¯ But unlike the high priest, who had to wander around to trante God¡¯s prophecy into action, they were more powerful than him at the temple The whispering noise was quickly gone with their appearance. It looks like they were careful about their words and deeds not to lose favor with any of the senior priests. Come to think of it, I could understand. The highest priests at this temple here in Sanktus Vita in the capital were regarded as the most powerful of all the other priests of the Vita denomination. The oldest among the highest priests, who stood firmly in the middle, stepped forward. Although he looked very old, he bowed to the high priest politely, but his gaze at the young priest was very cold and hostile. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Your Eminence?¡± ¡°I think Priest Omar knows better than me,¡± he responded coldly. His fluttering white hair already settled down calmly, but he seemed very displeased. The highest priest turned his head toward Omar and said, ¡°I will assign you to temple cleaning along with apprentice priests for the next three months as punishment.¡± ¡°Are you giving him punishment without asking the reason?¡± ¡°Well, he has made you ufortable, Your Eminence. He should be duly punished for that.¡± ¡°If you think you can punish him for having offended me, you have to punish yourselves too.¡± ¡°If Your Eminence wants that, we will do so because that¡¯s the will of Vita.¡± Arrogantly looking down at him, who was talking back nonchntly, the high priest said, ¡°Oh, you think my will is that of Vita. That¡¯s funny.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Anyway, I have confirmed that she has received God¡¯s prophecy, which is the same as others here. So, you can go back and enjoy interpreting whatever you have, which is your pastime.¡± ¡°Okay, Your Eminence. We¡¯ll leave now.¡± As the top priest politely bowed and turned, the other priests immediately followed. Even the apprentice priests checked the high priest¡¯s countenance s for a moment before going out quickly. I was standing ufortably because I witnessed something I shouldn¡¯t have seen, when the high priest came next to me and said with a faint smile, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have shown you something disgusting. I am ashamed. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, Your Eminence.¡± Although I said that, I was still ufortable. Even before returning from my previous life, I had never been to the temple before and never ran into the high priests, so I didn¡¯t know there was such an intense enmity between them. ¡®Why are they antagonizing each other?¡¯ Of course, I was aware that given the title of the high priest, the highest priests might feel ufortable about those with that title, but I couldn¡¯t figure out why they were so wary of each other. There was no reason for the high priest, who had no interest in wealth and glory, topete with the highest priests for hegemony. While I was lost in thought about it. I heard the high priest speaking to me gently. ¡°Well, I forgot what I had to tell you because I was surprised by you receiving God¡¯s prophecy. Shall we move to another ce? This ce doesn¡¯t look very suitable for our conversation. ¡± ¡°Ah¡­Yes, I have no problem.¡± ¡°Thene with me. I will guide you. ¡± I walked with the high priest for some time and arrived at a ce, located in the deepest part of the Sanktus Vita temple here. There were threerge rooms facing each other with arge corridor in between, and in the middle of the corridor there was an indoor garden with a small fountain. The well-kept green nts were full of the fresh energy of life. I didn¡¯t feel hatred for this ce unlike other ces of the temple that were unusually gorgeous. This ce, consisting of only green and white, gave out a feel of holiness, along with the vitality of life. ¡®I¡¯ve never seen a ce like this in this great temple.¡¯ As I opened my eyes wide while looking around, he said with a bright smile, ¡°Do you like this ce, Sanctuarium?¡± ¡°Oh, it means a holy ce, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It is a ce where only the six roots of our God Vita and those who have the permission can enter. I think we can talk privately here, so I¡¯ve escorted you here.¡± He approached the table in the indoor garden and sat down after giving me a chair. ¡®Why did he take me to a ce called the Sanctuarium?¡¯ I tightened my grip on the hem of my skirt unconsciously. He looked at me silently and said with a smile, ¡°Are you scared of me? You don¡¯t have to be so anxious, child of God¡¯s prophecy!¡± ¡°¡­ Am I still the ¡°child of God¡¯s prophecy¡±? Didn¡¯t you hear God¡¯s prophecy a while ago? ¡± ¡°Well, the name of the dark-haired woman who suddenly appeared this time is called Jiun. Hmm, her name is quite a contrast to your name ¡®Pioneer.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I have to find it out a little further, but there is little possibility that that woman who received the name Graspe received God¡¯s prophecy directly. Pioneer, howe you could receive God¡¯s prophecy without even having received God¡¯s token? A prophecy that¡¯s not about you, but about that woman?¡± As I did not know, I could not answer. Why did God give me His prophecy twice? I could understand when He gave me my middle name. But why did He let me know about Jiun? Did Jiun receive God¡¯s prophecy like me? Although the high priest denied the possibility, I couldn¡¯t rule it out because she might have heard it like I did when I received my middle name. ¡°Lady Monique?¡± ¡°¡­ I am not sure. My eyes suddenly got blurred and I heard some voice echoing in my head.¡¯ ¡°Can you figure out anything? I wonder if you had prophetic dreams as usual or heard God¡¯s words or prophecy before?¡± ¡°¡­Not really.¡± Although I received God¡¯s prophecy in the past, I couldn¡¯t tell him about it. Of course, since the enemy¡¯s friend was my friend, the high priest might be my friend if what I saw a little while ago was true. But that doesn¡¯t mean that I can trust him blindly. As they say, men are blind in their own cause. So, the High Priest and the highest priests were in the same boat at the end of the day, even though they were hostile to each other now. Besides, I couldn¡¯t help but doubt the high priest¡¯s hidden motivation. ¡°Hmm, I think you are hiding something¡­ ¡± The high priest said. ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°It¡¯s not polite for me to find out what you¡¯re trying to hide. Okay. I respect your intention.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± While speaking in a serious tone, he suddenly pushed his face toward me, with one hand resting on his chin. When I stepped back, stunned, he said with a mystical smile, ¡°Did you say you were 15 this year?¡± ¡°Yes, but why are you asking?¡± ¡°I guess the crown prince is very much blessed to have a beautifuldy like you as his fiancee.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Chapter 141 Chapter 141: Chapter 141 When I looked at him nkly because of his unexpected statement, he smiled intriguely. He said with a softer voice, ¡°No, let me correct it. The crown prince is very unfortunate. Even though he has such a beautiful fiancee like you, he can¡¯t touch your body as you are too young.¡± ¡°Your Eminence!¡± ¡°Your hair that bears the cold moonlight is sacred, and your golden eyes that look like the sun are shining so brightly. I¡¯m sorry to mention sphemously about your body given by Vita, but I feel like I¡¯ll lose my eyesight if I continue to look at you.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± I couldn¡¯t think of how to respond, so I was just listening. After staring at me, he smiled, raising his eyes, ¡°Oh, I guess you are immature in other aspects. Hmm. Then, that ¡®s it for today. Praise the beauty given by the Father of Life. I would like to convey Vita¡¯s blessings to you.¡± A white light shone around his hands. Everywhere was full of flower scent, and pink petals began to fall around me. ¡®What the heck is he doing now?¡¯ I was embarrassed. Although I was very skeptical about God¡¯s will these days, I felt God gave him the divine power to use it for this kind of asion. As I was so dumbfounded that I was going to retort, I felt refreshed now , even though I was very tired a moment ago. ¡®Is this what he means by blessing me?¡¯ Although I felt somewhat ufortable, I slightly bowed to him. ¡°Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± ¡°By the way, why did you ask me to see you?¡± ¡°Oh, well, I just wanted to see the child of God¡¯s prophecy up close, but considering what happened today, I think Vita led me to see you. ¡± ¡®Hummm¡­you wanted to see me only for that reason?¡¯ When I looked at him with a suspicious expression, he said feebly, ¡°Well, I¡¯m done talking to you. Shall we go out? I¡¯d like to escort you to your house, but in that case, I¡¯m afraid I have to pay the price for that. I¡¯m sorry, but let me escort you to the front door. ¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. It was my honor to have a beautifuldy here. ¡± Then he stood up and went out first. I stared at the young man walking with long hair rustling over the floor. Why the heck did he bring me over here? Why did he keep calling me the child of God¡¯s prophecy when he already heard God¡¯s prophecy about Jiun? Why did he disclose that I heard God¡¯s prophecy? ¡°If you stare at me so intensely, I¡¯ll get embarrassed.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± The High Priest, who was walking ahead of me, smiled faintly, looking back at me. Sighing at his smile, I walked after him to the outside of the sanctuary. ¡°Oh, wee back, Lady Monique. I¡¯m d you havee back safely. ¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. How are you all? ¡± ¡°Yes, nothing particr happened. Did you keep well, too? ¡± ¡°Yes. How about my father?¡± ¡°Well, he sent me a message that he will not return home today because something urgent happened.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± Maybe it¡¯s because of God¡¯s prophecy. He was supposed to notify the imperial pce, so by now the emperor was briefed about what happened. The name ¡®Graspe¡¯ sent by God with the modifier, ¡®a woman sent by God.¡¯ I let out a deep sigh unconsciously. Her middle name. It meant that Jiun also had the right to seed the empress. Judging from what the emperor said to me a few years ago, it was evident that the emperor would never let her go, as long as she also had the right to seed the empress. From now on she had no choice but to get entangled with the crown prince in every way other than death. ¡®Graspe, the one who seizes fate.¡¯ Does God¡¯s decision to give Jiun such a name mean that He wants to give her a chance to seize her fate as the empress again? Or does He have some other intention? I carefully reflected on my dialogue with the high priest, but couldn¡¯t find a proper answer to my question. I felt tired again, although I felt refreshed from fatigueness thanks to the high priest¡¯s blessings. ¡®I don¡¯t know. Let me think about other things tomorrow. ¡® I changed my dress with Lina¡¯s help and threw myself onto the bed. As soon as I opened my eyes the next morning, I received something like a letter. It was a summons to attend the political meeting in the afternoon. ¡®Is this the beginning?¡¯ With a sigh, I folded the summons. When I was thinking of practicing fencing before I went to the meeting, Lina came in and gave me a small note. While feeling a bit strange, I read the postscript again. ¡®My father gave me a gift?¡¯ At first nce, it seemed like he asked me to bring something he had forgotten, but I couldn¡¯t really understand what he meant. When he mentioned ¡®the other day,¡¯ he probably referred to the outing with me before he went down to the summer pce. ¡®Is he talking about the formal dress he gave me as a gift at that time?¡¯ There was no chance that he wanted me to bring the formal dress as a spare. Then, does he want me to wear it when I attend the political meeting? ¡°Ah!¡± I suddenly found out what he wanted. He wanted me to wear the formal dress, not my usual knight uniform, to the political meeting this afternoon. ¡®Oh, I see. That¡¯s what he wants.¡¯ I knew how political affair meetings usually took ce. I also knew what I was supposed to do at the meeting. As requested, I changed into a formal dress and headed for the Imperial Pce in time. Given the importance of the agenda, it looked like they convened a big conference, which was held only twice a year. Even though the meeting started, I had to stand by in the waiting room for some time before entering. The conference room was really spacious. I slowly stepped inside, looking around the conference room. Numerous nobles sat in front of several rows of tables on both sides of the tform where the emperor and the crown prince were seated. I see. That¡¯s why my father sent me such a message. ¡°Sir Monique, please take a seat here.¡± The seat I was shown to by an attendant was facing the tform. It was also the seat reserved for the defendant when a trial was held at this ce, which was sometimes used as a courtroom. ¡®You guys want to treat me like this from the beginning?¡¯ I walked up to the seat by clicking my heels on purpose. Then, instead of sitting on the chair, I looked up at the emperor at the tform. I saw him smiling at my dress slyly. Just as I suspected, my father seemed to have sent me the message with the emperor¡¯s tacit approval. My father didn¡¯t give the noble any excuse to find fault with me, so he just used a figurative expression in the message. ¡®Anyway, as the emperor tacitly approved my formal dress, let me see what happens.¡¯ ¡°I, Aristia Monique, am honored to greet you, the Sun of the empire, and the Little Sun of the empire.¡± With one hand on my chest and the other hand holding the hem of my dress slightly, I leaned forward to show due manners to them. I noticed Jiun, who was looking at me in front of the tform facing me. However, I opened my mouth, totally ignoring the ck-haired girl that I saw again after in five years. I couldn¡¯t afford to look at her or spare a thought for her because not only the pride of my family and the pro-emperor faction but also mine was at stake in this ce. ¡°Your Majesty, can I ask you one thing before I take a seat?¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± ¡°Am I sitting here as a criminal defendant today?¡± ¡°No. What are you talking about, Monique?¡± said the emperor. ¡°I see. Then, I, Aristia Monique, would like to use the legitimate right to formally raise an objection to my seating here. ¡° Chapter 142 Chapter 142: Chapter 142 Was it because of my unexpected challenge? The participants began to whisper about me. As I looked around them, turning up my mouth slightly, I saw them making mixed expressions on their faces. Nobles were murmuring, the emperor was smiling, the crown prince remained still with a poker face and the two dukes were looking at me with a warm smile. When I saw Duke Verita in a white civilian official uniform, I suddenly recalled his son Allendis. But I couldn¡¯t afford to be sentimental about him because I was stunned by Duke Jena¡¯s angry shouting. ¡°What the heck are you talking about here? How can a mere marquis¡¯s daughter without any title raise an objection?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m raising the objection, Duke Jenna.¡± In order to get my message clearly to him amid the noise, I raised my voice calmly. I never thought I would be acting like this after my return from the past. The conference hall suddenly became quiet at my resistance. Everybody looked at me with unusual interest. But I straightened up and said clearly, looking straight into his eyes, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I¡¯m a mere marquis¡¯s daughter? That¡¯s why I¡¯m disputing my seating. ¡± ¡°What the heck are you babbling about?¡± ¡°I am not amoner or a lifetime only nobleman or a lower-rank nobleman. I¡¯m the daughter of the great noble Marquis Monique family, called the Spear of the Empire. As you know, you can never question a great noble family without the emperor¡¯s approval under the imperialw.¡± ¡°So?¡± I continued to speak out, staring at the duke and the members of the noble faction following him. ¡°The emperor confirmed that I am not attending this meeting as a criminal defendant. If so, you cannot question me under the relevantw of the empire. I can¡¯t sit in this seat reserved for the defendant.¡± ¡°How arrogant!¡± ¡°Stop it, Duke Jenna. She has a point,¡± said the emperor, while the crown prince was watching me closely as if he found my argument interesting. A protocol officer hurriedly came and showed me to a different seat. I sighed at that. Obviously, the noble faction must have arranged my seating before I came, but this time the emperor was testing my patience as my new seat was not much different from the previous one. I was agonized for a moment about what to do. But as I put on a formal dress for this meeting, I could not step back. Given my father¡¯s intention in the message, he seemed to want me to hold my own. ¡°¡­ Let me repeat. I am here as the eldest daughter of the Monique family. So, I can¡¯t ept my new seating, either.¡± ¡°Are you now insisting that you should sit at the head table as a mere apprentice knight?¡± Somebody shouted at me. What the heck is he talking about? I chuckled in spite of myself. When I looked in the direction of the voice, I saw a man with reddish brown hair sitting among the noble faction members. Who is he? Nobles often nder each other, but they usually watch theirnguage because any slip of the tongue could lead to a family dispute. So, nobody is stupid enough to put his foot in it in an important ce like this. When I looked closely at him, straining my eyes, I noticed a brooch on that man¡¯s cor. Amaranthine, an immortal flower blooming only in the desert. ¡®I wonder which family uses this crest. Roni¨¨re? Luni¨¨re? Larnier? Um, I think it¡¯s the Earl Larnier family that uses it.¡¯ I deliberately tilted my head and said with a puzzled expression, ¡°Is the current seating arrangement in the hierarchy of rank? Well, I thought that the seating here was arranged in terms of the hierarchy of nobles because the sessor of Duke Jena, who doesn¡¯t have any title, although he is the vice-chairman of the noble council, Marquis Mirwa¡¯s son who doesn¡¯t belong to either the Knights division or the government, and Earl Hamel¡¯s son who just joined the government were sitting at the head table.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, they are sitting here as the formal sessor or the representative of their families, so they are clearly different from you who are only the marquis¡¯s eldest daughter¡­¡± ¡°It looks like you didn¡¯t notice it as you are far from me, Lord. Don¡¯t you see the brooch of the cor or the tassel on my dress?¡± Everybody focused their attention to my dress. Navy blue dress embroidered with silver thread. What was special about this dress, which might just look in, was the embroidery on its chest and hem, and the brooch on the cor. Four spears and the silver shield intersecting them. It was the crest of the Marquis Monique family, the Spear of the Empire. The only one who could wear a dress with the crest of the family embroidered and the crest brooch was the head of the family, its sessor, or the one who had the authority to handle the family¡¯s matters on behalf of the head of the family in contingencies. Therefore, what I said to the earl meant that I, too, did not attend here as a mere daughter of the marquis family. Earl Lanier, who looked at my dress, stuttered, ¡°Hey, how ridiculous¡­ ¡± ¡°Stop it. She is right. Protocol officer, take her to the seat suitable for her position,¡± said the emperor with a satisfied smile. The protocol officer approached me cautiously and showed me to another seat. My seat now was right next to my father¡¯s at the head table. ¡®Okay, all done?¡¯ I sat down with a sigh. ¡®The meeting hasn¡¯t started yet, but I¡¯m already so tired.¡¯ ¡°Hello, Lady Monique. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Oh, hello, Marquis Enesil. I heard that you just took over the title. I would like to express my condolences for yourte father.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The golden-haired young man sitting on my father¡¯s right replied, bowing to me. He was the young marquis who inherited the title due to his father¡¯s recent death. ¡®Marquis Ensil¡­¡¯ Before I returned from the past, his family was not influential, but since the young man inherited the title, he intended to move into central politics to increase his power. Maybe he was trying to seize the chance since the noble faction was showing signs of losing power recently. ¡®There are rumors about the creation of the 3rd Knights Division. Is he aiming for the position of its captain?¡¯ ¡°Okay, as the parties involved are all here, let¡¯s resume the meeting. Prime Minister, announce the agenda. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Our agenda is about God¡¯s prophecy. Yesterday evening¡­ ¡± While Duke Verita got up and exined God¡¯ prophecy yesterday, I smiled brightly at Duke Jenna and Earl Larnier, who were staring at me in terror. I smiled sarcastically at the earl who immediately frowned, unlike the expressionless Duke Jenna. ¡®How pitiable you are!¡¯ After clicking my tongue, I turned my head toward Jun, who was left alone in the ce where I was originally supposed to sit next to her. When did she start looking at me? Her dark eyes seemed to have been fixed on me for a while. When her eyes met mine, she smiled, a smile that seemed to be the same as hers in the past, but somewhat different this time. When I saw it, I recalled the old Jiun, who used to smile brightly at me whenever she met me. ¡°Tia.¡± While I was lost in idle thought, I turned my head when my father whispered to me. It seemed that Duke Verita gave a brief exnation about what happenedst night. A lot of participants now cast their nce at me. ¡°Let me ask again. There was a rumor that you heard God¡¯s prophecy directly. Is that true? ¡± ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Well, the priests and the high priest present at the temple verified it.¡± ¡°Hmm, good. Let me double check when the high priest appears.¡± Earl Lanier, who swept his reddish brown hair back nervously, replied to Duke Verita¡¯s words, ¡°How can a young daughter of a marquis hear God¡¯s prophecy, let alone His token? I think she made up her story.¡± ¡°It was none other than the high priest who verified her testimony. How can she fabricate it? He said he confirmed it in the name of the divine power,¡± said Duke Lars. ¡°Well, what about this assumption? She herself might be God¡¯s token, right?¡± said the emperor. As the emperor joined the fray, there was a growing mumbling among the participants. Looking at them for a moment, the emperor raised his right hand, ordered them to be quiet and looked at me. Chapter 143 Chapter 143: Chapter 143 ¡°Let me tell you this. I think you heard God¡¯s prophecy once before, right? His blue eyes staring at me brightly sparkled. ¡®How did he know? I have never told anyone about it. ¡® My heart sank. The moment my father told me toe in a formal dress, I was ready for any question, but I was scared because I felt the emperor¡¯s determination in his sparkling eyes that he would make me the next empress. ¡®Let¡¯s stay calm, Aristia. There is still a way to get out of here, ¡® I murmured to myself. I took a deep breath to calm down. When he nodded with a sigh, the emperor turned his mouth up slightly as if he knew it. ¡°It¡¯s as I expected. Obviously, you heard God¡¯s prophecy about your middle name.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Your Majesty, what do you mean by her middle name?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve kept mum about it until now, but it¡¯s just thatdy named Jiun sitting there who received God¡¯s middle name. Lady Monique also received her middle name from God five years ago.¡± Was it because they were so shocked to hear that? Both the pro-emperor faction and the noble faction were silent. Those who stayed calm were only a few, including my father and the two dukes. Among them was Duke Jena. I smiled bitterly when I saw Duke Jena¡¯s calm expression. Although he didn¡¯t let anybody know about it, he must have discovered it already because he had a close rtionship with the priests at the temple. How much time passed? A thick voice broke the silence. It was Earl Larnier¡¯s voice. ¡°What are you talking about? If she received it five years ago, howe it is being revealed now¡­¡± ¡°I clearly ordered you to be quiet. Are you saying I¡¯ve fabricated her story, Earl Larnier?¡± As the emperor rebuked him sharply, the earl became silent again. Duke Jena, who had been silent all along unlike the murmuring nobles, opened his mouth finally, ¡°I don¡¯t think he insinuated something like fabrication. I guess he wanted to point out the possibility that Marquis Monique might have tipped her off on her middle name by mistake. She is not a priest, and she doesn¡¯t know what God¡¯s token is. So, it is more credible to give her father the benefit of the doubt.¡± As soon as the duke said that, his followers began to make a big fuss, saying something like ¡°Her middle name was fabricated¡± ¡°Her middle name is very doubtful¡± ¡°She is hellbent on being the next empress.¡± In response to their argument, the pro-emperor faction also began to refute them one by one. The moment my father, who quietly watched the situation for a while, was gradually getting angry and Marquis Ensil, who remained silent, was about to open his mouth, someone struck the desk savagely. Everybody focused their attention at the tform because of the bang noise. The crown prince, who remained silent next to the emperor, was looking around them coldly. ¡°Too noisy here. After all, what matters is whether Lady Monique really heard God¡¯s prophecy or not, whether the two women really received their middle names from God, and which of the two is the child of God¡¯s prophecy, right?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite simple. By now, the high priest would have arrived. We can ask him. ¡± After speaking with a cold voice, he beckoned to the protocol officer. While the protocol officer went out to call the high priest, the conference room, where the two opposing factions were having a war of nerves, became silent. Was it because I was too nervous? When I looked at my wet palms, someone gave me a handkerchief suddenly. The golden-haired young man sitting on my right side was smiling at me. ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you, sir. ¡± ¡°I was very impressed with the way you entered here. Lady Monique, I heard that you belonged to the 1st Knights¡¯ Division, but it is hard to find anyone at your age well versed in thews of the empire. Oh, don¡¯t think I¡¯m looking down on those in the knights¡¯ world. My family is also a knights family.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered. Thank you.¡± ¡°I think I will join the Knights division sooner orter. If I am assigned to the 1st Knights Division, I hope I¡¯ll be in great hands.¡± While handing the handkerchief back to Marquis Enesil, who spoke to me kindly, I thought about him for a moment. Given that he would join the knights, it was certain that he wanted to move into the central political stage. ¡®Is he really aiming for the creation of the 3rd Knights Division?¡± Suddenly, the golden falcon brooch on his cor caught my eye. I also noticed the crown ne that the golden hawk was wearing around her neck. Marquis Enesil. His was a family with a history of humiliation, founded by the first emperor¡¯s brother. There was no such evidence in the past, but as their future began to change little by little, the Enesil family seemed to get out of their humiliating past and make aeback in the central political world. ¡°His Eminence, the high priest has arrived!¡± At the protocol officer¡¯s announcement, everybody, who was busy talking in small groups of two and three, became silent and turned their eyes at the entrance of the door. At that moment, I felt my eyes seemed to have met the crown prince¡¯s, but it was so fleeting that I could not be sure of it. The heavy door was opened, and the high priest wrapped with a white robe came in. His pure white robe without any dust and his long hair rustling on the floor created a mysterious aura. Approaching the seat reserved for him, which was right below the tform where the emperor and the crown prince were seated, the high priest slightly bowed to them. ¡°May the blessings of life be with you. This is Tertius, the third root of Vita.¡± ¡°Oh, you are already the third root. It¡¯s been a while, high priest. I think I am seeing you for the first time in almost 20 years, but you still seem very young.¡± ¡®Twenty years?¡¯ I thought he was about the same age as Marquis Enesil at most. I couldn¡¯t believe that the high priest had known the emperor for such a long time. In fact, given that he was called the third root, he might be in his mid orte 30s, considering the characteristics of the high priest. ¡°All thanks to Vita, our main God. Yes, twenty years. Time flies like an arrow.¡± ¡°I have some questions I want to ask you. Can I ask you to confirm?¡± ¡°Of course. Please go ahead.¡± When his reply resonated through the air, Duke Verita stepped forward to ask questions. ¡°I¡¯ve already confirmed it, but let me ask you again. Your Eminence, is it true that Lady Monique heard God¡¯s prophecy?¡± ¡°I swear on the name of our God and the divine power that He has given me, yes, it is true.¡± ¡°Is it true that Lady Monique and the woman over there received their middle names from God?¡± ¡°I am a high priest as well as God¡¯s token. I heard God¡¯s prophecy on their middle names. It was true that God gave the middle name ¡®Pioneer¡¯ to Lady Monique, and ¡®Graspe¡¯ to the woman named Jiun.¡± When the high priest said that, the whole conference room was noisy with their whispering. As the loud noise diminished in no time, Duke Verita asked thest question, ¡°Finally, let me ask you this. So, who is the true child of God¡¯s prophecy, Aristia Pioneer Monique or Jiun Graspe? I would like to hear your opinion.¡± ¡°You are asking a difficult question. Hmm, well, good. Let me tell you what I think. ¡± His red lips were curled up with a smile. His light green eyes seemed to turn at me, then moved to the tform where the emperor and the crown prince were seated. When everyone was holding their breath, his tightly closed lips slowly opened. ¡°Aristia Pioneer Monique is ¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­She is not the true child of God¡¯s prophecy. Jiun Graspe is the genuine child of God¡¯s prophecy, recing the existing one.¡± As soon as he said, the angry pro-emperor faction yelled at him. ¡°How ridiculous! That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± ¡°As expected, she was a fake!¡± shouted one of the noble faction members. The noble faction, including Duke Jena, nodded with a satisfied smile. I felt something like a deja vu at the unprecedented disturbances among them. ¡®Come to think of it, I experienced the same thing before my return from the past¡¯ After Jiun appeared, I was demoted to the emperor¡¯s concubine from the empress as the rumors spread that she was the genuine child of God¡¯s prophecy. Chapter 144 Chapter 144: Chapter 144 Even though I knew that I was not the child of God¡¯s prophecy, I suddenly came to recall my past when they came up with the same interpretation of God¡¯s prophecy, even though it was clearly different from the past.. Somehow I felt terrified by that. When I looked at the High Priest, I could see him turning up his red lips slightly. There seemed to be a smile in his light green eyes staring at me for a while, then his mysterious voice rang through the conference room. His voice that seemed to echo strangely sounded as if it was ringing in their ears, which made them quiet in no time. ¡°Well, what I have just said is the official position of our temple.¡± ¡°¡­ That means you have a different opinion from them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. As Tertius, the third root of Vita, I think both Aristia Pioneer Monique and Jiun Graspe are the children of God¡¯s prophecy.¡± ¡°Do you think that makes any sense? That¡¯s nonsense!¡± Earl Larnier suddenly stood up and shouted at him. Gazing at him indifferently, the high priest replied coldly, ¡°Each of God¡¯s prophecies has its own meaning. Any im that one God¡¯s prophecy supersedes another is just nonsense. I think that Pioneer and Graspe were given their middle names respectively ording to God¡¯s will. If so, both of them who have received their middle names from God can be said to be the child of God¡¯s prophecy.¡± ¡°I understand what you mean, Your Eminence, but I can¡¯t believe it easily. Haven¡¯t you verified that Lady Monique here is the child of God¡¯s prophecy, right? On the other hand, Graspe only just received her middle name, but she has no abilities. I think it¡¯s absurd that the two are equal. ¡± When Marquis Enesil said that, the pro-emperor faction members nodded all at once. The high priest, who turned around and looked at Jiun who was seated at the bottom of the table, said with a soft voice. ¡°Graspe.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Are you already feeling the power that Vita has given you? Why are you silent? ¡± ¡®The power that God has given her?¡¯ I tilted my head a bit. Even before my return, I don¡¯t think that happened. She was often called the child of God¡¯s prophecy, a mysterious woman, or a woman loved by God, but I have never heard that she showed any special capabilities. ¡®But suddenly what the heck is the high priest talking about? Did she hear God¡¯s prophecy like me?¡¯ The emperor, who was sitting with a tired look, suddenly leaned forward and spoke. His blue eyes sparkled with curiosity. ¡°She received God¡¯s power? Is that true? ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if you haven¡¯t realized it yet, or if you are keeping silent on purpose. But I can feel the divine power in Graspe.¡± ¡®What? Divine power? ¡® Everybody looked at Jiun, stunned. I was no exception. Divine power. Does she really have the divine power that only six high priests possess in the whole continent, which is the evidence of God¡¯s blessings? Is there anything inmon between the two contrasting figures, the high priest wrapped in a white robe and Jiun in a dark blue dress? As if she felt ufortable at the intense gaze of the participants, the dark-haired girl trembled. As she didn¡¯t show any sign of opening her mouth, with her head down, the participants turned their attention toward the high priest. Nodding seriously, he said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t describe her divine power asparable to another root of Vita, but I still feel it, although it is notplete. I can swear it in the name of our God.¡± Both the pro-emperor and the noble factions kept silent, at a loss about what to say. How much time passed? A cold voice rang out on behalf of the emperor who was lost in serious thought. The crown prince said, ¡°It seems that everyone has nothing to say anymore. Prime Minister, I think we have taken care of today¡¯s agenda thanks to the high priest¡¯s testimony. Let¡¯s wrap up the meeting.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Is there anyone who wants to speak more? ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Nobody. Then, like the crown prince said, let¡¯s wrap up our meeting at this point. We¡¯re going to discuss the next agenda item tomorrow morning. ¡± When Duke Veritas announced the end of the meeting, the emperor and the crown prince immediately left the meeting. Subsequently, the nobles present at the meeting began to leave one by one. I looked back at the ce where Jiun was sitting. She was already heading out of the conference hall, escorted by an attendant. Her waving dark hair faded away. Carried away by her eye-catching dark hair, I turned my head at the sound of somebody¡¯s whispering into my ears. ¡°May the blessings of life be with you. You are beautiful today, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Your Eminence.¡± When I tried to respond to him who was smiling brightly at me, my father stood up and blocked him. My father bowed to him politely and said firmly, looked back at me, ¡°I have got something to tell him, so go and wait for me at the wagon.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy. Please forgive me for taking my leave first, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°Fine. As our God Vita has allowed me to meet you like this, I think we can seeter again.¡± ¡°Thank you. Goodbye.¡± When I left the conference hall and arrived at the wagon, I seriously thought about what had happened during the day. The pro-emperor and the noble factions. God¡¯s token and the divine power. I and Jiun. Pioneer and Graspe. And he. When I was lost in thought for a long time, the door of the wagon opened wide. I felt sorry for my father when he smiled faintly at me, even though he looked exhausted. Without me, he would not have been that busy. ¡°You look good in that dress, honey.¡± ¡°¡­Really? Thank you, Dad,¡± ¡°Yes. In fact, I was sad because you always seemed to be timid and discouraged. But I was happy to see you acting and speaking out proudly today. So, keep going like this.¡± I only smiled awkwardly. I still had pride as a great nobleman¡¯s daughter and the first among the daughters of nobles, but I have rarely boasted of it since I came back from my past. Unlike in the past, when I could always act arrogantly and proudly as the next empress, I could not act recklessly now because of various restrictions. If I wanted to show my pride, I could at any time, but as I was trying hard to be freed from my status as the crown prince¡¯s fiancee and seed my family, my reckless actions would only diminish such hope. However, I could not get out of the circumstances so easily. I was still the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, so I could not bepletely free. That¡¯s the situation I was faced with today. If I had just kept silent, without acting proudly, I would have been insulted, but I could have taken one step away from my rtionship with the imperial family. However, I had no choice but to stand on my pride as long as my father granted me the right as the head of the family in an emergency, and as I was virtually representing the interests of the pro-emperor faction. In the past, I would not have lost my pride as a great noble family even if I had lost my life, but now it was more important for me to keep those precious people around me than keeping my pride. I was willing to suffer any humiliation for that cause. ¡°¡­ Tia. ¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I promised to give you more time, but I can¡¯t afford it anymore. Let me ask you again. What would you want me to do? Do you want the empress¡¯s crown or do you want to be the sessor of our family? ¡± He was staring at me seriously as if he was determined. I hesitated for a moment, but I already had the answer. ¡°¡­I am going to be the sessor of our family.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Got it. I¡¯ll do my best to help you. ¡± ¡°By the way, Daddy.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Why do you want to respect my opinion? If you don¡¯t send me to the imperial family in this situation, Jiun will get the empress¡¯s crown.¡± I could understand his offer to help when I was the sole candidate of the empress because he could find a substitute for me among the daughters of the pro-emperor faction members. But now the situation is different. I was perplexed at his offer to help me without any objection. As someone who knows the truth about Jiun, he could not answer like that if he thought about the interests of the pro-emperor faction. Chapter 145 Chapter 145: Chapter 145 There was something I was agonized about for a long time when I decided to reject my rtionship with the imperial family after returning from my past. Namely, if I rejected fate as the empress because it was certain that Jiun woulde, I was worried that the noble faction would increase their power. Of course, I could not insist on finding another candidate among the daughters of the pro-emperor faction members to rece me, for she would repeat the same fate as mine. Then I suddenly thought that Jiun had no particr abilities. Even if she could be the empress with the full support of the noble faction, there was no possibility that she could carry out her job as the empress properly. In such a situation, it would be enough to select someone from the pro-emperor¡¯s faction to assist her even if that candidate were not the emperor¡¯s concubine. That¡¯s why I could tell my father proudly that I wanted to be the sessor of my family because I had a solution. But my father didn¡¯t know that. Looking at me with a curious expression, my father said with a faint smile, ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Dad.¡± ¡°You are recognized as the child of God¡¯s prophecy, but if you refuse, that woman will be the crown prince¡¯s wife. But the emperor¡¯s woman is not the empress alone. It¡¯s quite simple if you give up the position of his official wife. There are lots of candidates among the pro-emperor¡¯s noblewomen who can be the crown prince¡¯s concubine to watch over Jiun and wield power.¡± ¡®I see. My father shares the same with me on this.¡¯ However, unlike me, who couldn¡¯t have them repeat the same fate as mine, I didn¡¯t think of sending anydy from the pro-emperor faction to the crown prince, but my father didn¡¯t know much about my past. Wait a minute. I feel something strange. I clearly told my father that I was used of treason while telling him about my past. If that¡¯s the case, did he say it knowingly? When I looked at him in surprise, he said with a bitter smile. ¡°¡­ While I was living as a loyal vassal of the imperial family in the past, I didn¡¯t lead a clean life all the time. Of course, there are few ancestors of my family who lead clean lives.¡± ¡°¡­Daddy.¡± ¡°I have no intention of marrying you off to the crown prince. As I see that the dark-haired woman actually appeared, I think that your dream is not unusual. No matter who takes on the role of his wife, I¡¯ll make sure you are not concerned about it. So, don¡¯t worry. First of all, only care about the meeting tomorrow. ¡± ¡°Sure, Dad,¡± I said with a nod. Like he said, what was urgent for me right now was the conference to be held again tomorrow morning. I could imagine how angry the noble faction who were so happy to know I was not the child of God¡¯s prophecy would be at the fact that there was a stumbling block called ¡®Lady Monique.¡¯ ¡®Tomorrow they are going to attack me from every angle.¡± My father was right. Tomorrow¡¯s meeting was far more important to me than the agenda regarding the emperor¡¯s concubine, which could wait a little more. The next day I left the house with my father wearing the same dress embroidered with the crest of the family and the crest brooch. Arriving at the conference hall, I passed by Jiun sitting in the same seat as yesterday and headed to the head table. ¡°Good morning, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Hi, Marquis Enesil.¡± ¡°So, are you psyched up for the meeting today? I guess the meeting will be most hostile towards you,¡± said the golden-haired young man who arrived first and sat in his seat. Although he didn¡¯t have much experience attending this kind of meeting, he seemed fully rxed. While I was having a conversation with him for a while, the protocol officer announced the arrival of the emperor and the crown princess. Everyone showed their due manners to them at the head table. As soon as the meeting started, Duke Jenna, who asked for the right to speak, said to the emperor, ¡°I have a request for you, Your Majesty. I beg your approval.¡± ¡°What is it, Duke Jenna?¡± ¡°I would like to have the woman sitting there, Jiun Graspe, as my foster daughter.¡± ¡®What?¡¯ My eyes popped out before I knew it. Is he serious? Granted that his proposal had political intention, it was really hard to understand why he offered to adopt her as his foster daughter because he always emphasized the purity of his family line and as a result he never adopted any of his rtives as his foster children. Besides, Jiun¡¯s family background was unknown. How could he adopt her as his foster daughter? All the nobles including myself were astonished. Even the emperor at the head table was stunned. But the duke himself was as calm as ever, as if nothing happened to him. ¡°Like the high priest said, if there are two children of God¡¯s prophecy, it means that the two women deserve to be the crown prince¡¯s wife. This is nonsense. Moreover, the abilities of the two women are simr. One woman has the divine power, although it¡¯s notplete, while the other woman can hear God¡¯s prophecy.¡± ¡°Hmm, so what are you going to do?¡± Duke Jena responded in a very serious look, with his purple eyes sparkling strangely. ¡°In this situation, it is inevitable that Lady Monique has the upper hand. First of all, she is the daughter of the marquis and enjoys the full support of her family, and she even has the authority to substitute her father in contingencies. Hmm, that¡¯s weird. The right to represent one¡¯s family is originally given to the person who seeds the family. I think the marquis knows it very well. Then, how can he give his daughter the right to represent him because she is actually mentioned as the crown prince¡¯s fiancee?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Anyway, the woman who suddenly appeared is inferior to Lady Monique in terms of her status, so she does not have the same qualifications as Lady Monique. If she is also a child of God¡¯s prophecy, she shouldn¡¯t be disadvantaged at least because of her status, so I would like to adopt her as my foster daughter, although I¡¯m bothered by her unknown family background.¡± I felt more and more creepy at his remarks because my original n was based on the assumption that Jiun didn¡¯t know anything about the empress¡¯s job. If she was adopted as his foster daughter, Duke Jena would certainly teach her harshly to seize power to take control of the internal affairs of the Imperial Pce. In addition, the duke would obtain the official status to control her as much as he wanted. If so, there was no way to stop the noble faction from monopolizing the national politics. I couldn¡¯t let that happen. I had to stop Jiun from being adopted as his foster daughter under any circumstances. Duke Lars, who was silent for a moment, opened his mouth with a low voice. ¡°If it is your goal to have her obtain the same qualifications, I can ept her into my family, too. If she joins my family, the No. 1 family in the noble hierarchy in the empire, she will gain much more power because your family is ranked No. 4.¡± ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t make any sense. She is amoner at best. Even if she is adopted as the duke¡¯s foster daughter, she can¡¯t have the same qualifications as Lady Monique, a great noble family¡¯s daughter,¡± said Earl Whire. This time Earl Genoa said, ¡°Earl Whir has a point. Didn¡¯t this woman suddenly appear? As we don¡¯t know what kind of woman she was, we can¡¯t darepare her to Lady Monique just because she is given a status as the duke¡¯s foster daughter. She can¡¯t be called the same child of God¡¯s prophecy as Lady Monique. First of all, Lady Monique heard God¡¯s prophecy much earlier, and she has been doing a fine role as the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e since her birth, right? So, I cannot recognize her equality with Lady Monique because we haven¡¯t verified her qualifications.¡± ¡°Ha, noble blood? When did Lady Monique have noble blood? ¡± At that moment, all eyes were fixed on Duke Jena. Suddenly, my heart started pounding. I felt my fingertips be cold, and the blood of my body circted rapidly. ¡®No way, no way! I hope he won¡¯t say what I¡¯m concerned about.¡¯ His cold purple eyes stared at me. At the moment, I met his gaze, he made a sarcastic smile. My heart sank. ¡°How candy Monique mixed with a vulgar blood be called a noble woman?¡± There was silence in the conference hall. Everybody was shocked. Chapter 146 Chapter 146: Chapter 146 ¡°What the hell is he talking about?¡± ¡°This is an insult to the Spear of the Empire!¡± ¡°She is a woman mixed with vulgar blood!¡± ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous!¡± The astonished pro-emperor faction members came to their senses after a while and shouted, standing up all at once. On the other hand, the noble faction members were looking at the duke with a perplexed expression. Obviously, they were not informed by the duke about it beforehand. When I looked at his malicious eyes, it seemed that my face was drained of blood and animation. I clenched my fists unconsciously. ¡°Well, I tried not to disclose the behind story of the marquise because it was a disgrace to myself. But I would like to reveal the truth about her in this ce in order to ensure fairness in selecting the crown prince¡¯s bride. Let me tell you now.¡± ¡°Duke Jenna, can you stop there? What you have just mentioned can be taken as an insult to the Monique family,¡± said the emperor. But the middle-aged man with purple hair sitting next to the duke balked at the emperor¡¯s interruption. ¡°Your Majesty, this is not only a disgrace to the Monique family, but also my family. Despite that, my family tried to reveal the truth even at the risk of suffering disgrace. It¡¯s because discussing the qualifications as the child of God¡¯s prophecy serves to determine who will ultimately be the First Lady of the empire in the future. Even my family suffered it. In that respect, as the most loyal family in the empire, I think the Monique family should actively cooperate in finding out the truth for the empire.¡± ¡°I think he is right, Your Majesty. As Duke Jena has already raised doubts about Lady Monique, the suspicion about her will only grow rapidly even if you try to cover it up. So, I think it¡¯s reasonable to reveal the truth about her clearly right now, ¡± said Earl Hamel, the distant rtive of Duke Jenna. As if he thought Earl Hamel¡¯s efforts to take side with the pro-emperor faction, the emperor turned his mouth up and said, ¡°Earl Hamel, what¡¯s important now is to determine how to handle the matter of the woman named Jiun Graspe. So, don¡¯t confuse the discussion point today.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°And is there anybody here who thought Aristia Peonia Monique didn¡¯t have the right qualifications as the crown prince¡¯s fiancee? If so, why didn¡¯t any of you raise an objection for so long? Think about what happened a year ago. When I invited the foreign princesses here, I called Lady Monique as the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate, not fiancee. I think her qualifications are more than enough. So, don¡¯t discuss her qualifications anymore. Got it?¡± All the members of the noble faction were silenced by the emperor¡¯s harsh warning. Even Duke Jena breathed hard without refuting at all. Looking at them coldly, the emperor said, ¡°As the atmosphere seems to be overheated, let¡¯s take a break before moving on.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± After pondering over something, Duke Lars asked to see my father, me and Marquis Enesil for a brief informal meeting as soon as the emperor left. When the four, including me, moved to a separate room, Duke Verita, who already arrived, said with a serious expression, ¡°The situation is worse than I thought.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I think we should take extreme measures. ¡± ¡°Before that, I think I have to ask your opinion first. Kairan, I need your consent to ovee this situation. ¡± ¡°My consent? What are you talking about? ¡± Duke Verita opened his mouth carefully at my father¡¯s asking, ¡°Even though we knew the danger of that dark-haired girl, we let her contact the noble faction instead of engaging her into our fold just because if something went wrong, we might antagonize you. Maybe other factions might feel the same way.¡± I opened my eyes wide. ¡®That¡¯s right. Obviously, there was also a way to draw Jiun into the pro-emperor faction. ¡® Because of my embedded memories of Jiun in the past, I seemed to take it for granted that she belonged to the noble faction. As my father heard from me about her, he also seemed to have never thought of it beforehand. He remained silent while Duke Lars spoke to him. How much time passed? My father slowly opened his mouth, ¡°¡­ Well, I never thought about it. Why didn¡¯t you ask me early on? ¡± ¡°Your daughter was certain to be the next empress. Who was going to adopt Jiun as his foster daughter topete with your daughter at the risk of antagonizing you? Well, I thought I could undermine the noble faction even without taking that risk. Who would have ever thought that stubborn Duke Jena offered to adopt her as his foster daughter?¡± After Duke Verita finished talking, Duke Lars opened his mouth. Looking at me in a pensive mood, he said to my father in a soft voice, ¡°Well, we let our guard down too much. We need your answer. What are you going to do with her? Are you going to promote her as the crown prince¡¯s wife or your family¡¯s sessor?¡± ¡°I am nning to install her as my sessor.¡± Duke Lars sighed at my father¡¯s resolute answer and said, ¡°Privately, I¡¯m d to hear that. But from the point of our faction, I think it¡¯s a great pity. Got it. With your consent granted, let me officially propose to the emperor that I want to adopt her as my foster daughter.¡± ¡°Well, I agree with Duke Lars. I feel ufortable about it, but we have to stop Duke Jena from adopting her as his foster daughter by all means.¡± ¡°Hmm, I think I know why you called me here. In case of an emergency, do you want me to be ready to ept her?¡± said the golden-haired young man, who had been silently listening to their conversation. Duke Verita pulled up the sses and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m d we¡¯re on the same page, Marquis Enesil. I think you can be our strong partner in the future. ¡± ¡°Thank you. By the way. How about the Monique family epting her?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good way. I didn¡¯t think about it because I was preupied with Lady Monique. I think Marquis Enesil is right. Kairan, this matter can be solved easily if you decide to ept her.¡± ¡°Hmm, yes, but¡­¡± My father was lost in thought for a moment. He had never thought about it. ¡®Adopting Jiun as our family¡¯s foster daughter?¡¯ I remembered her words in the past that she always wanted to get along with me like a sister. If she bes the empress and I be the sessor to my family, will things like what I experienced in the past not happen anymore? Perhaps her adoption was the most rational way to keep the interests of the pro-emperor faction while avoiding the repetition of my past. After getting his head together, my father turned to me as if he asked for my opinion. ¡°Okay. Let me propose it to the emperor first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good thinking. Then let¡¯s go back. It¡¯s time to resume the meeting.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± When we were about to go back to the conference hall, we bumped into the noble faction members including Duke Jena in front of the door. We argued with them about who should go in first, but in terms of hierarchy, it was our group who included Duke Lars. Leaving the angry Duke Jena and his followers behind, we stepped in and sat in the same seats as before. ¡°Now, let me resume the meeting.¡± Right after Duke Verita announced, Duke Lars immediately asked for a say. ¡°Your Majesty. As you said, I don¡¯t think we need to discuss Lady Monique because her qualifications have already been verified, but if we end the meeting like this, I¡¯m sure there will be people who will continue to raise the issue of Jiun Graspe. So, if we have to give her the so-called ¡®equal qualifications¡¯, I would like to adopt her as my foster daughter. Wouldn¡¯t it be more beneficial for that woman to be my foster daughter than Duke Jenna, who is only No. 4 in the noble ranks in the empire?¡± ¡°What nonsense!¡± Earl Larnier stood up, screaming at him. However, Duke Verita said, stopping him, ¡°My family is also willing to ept her as our foster daughter.¡± ¡°The Enesil family also wants to adopt her as our foster daughter, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, the Monique family is also ready to ept her as our family¡¯s foster daughter.¡± Chapter 147 Chapter 147: Chapter 147 The noble faction members became noisy after not only Duke Verita but also Marquis Enesil and my father showed their wishes to ept Jiun into their families. Starting with Earl Lanier, who ridiculed Duke Lars, both sides began to argue violently to get the upper hand. I looked back at Jiun, ignoring Duke Jena, who seemed to be dumbfounded at the unexpected situation unfolding before his eyes. I saw a smile on her face as she looked at me nkly. ¡®Smiling in this situation?¡¯ I had an ominous feeling that something was going wrong. ¡°Well, then, how about epting Jiun Graspe as the empress?¡± The emperor jokingly asked, as the top five noble families of the empire showed their willingness to adopt her as a foster daughter. It drove the already turbulent meeting into a panic. At that moment, a high-tone voice was heard among those who remained silent, at a loss what to say. ¡°Your Majesty, can I, Jiun Graspe, say a word?¡± ¡°¡­ Hmm? Go ahead.¡± ¡°I have heard about what God¡¯s prophecy about me was. I heard God said the ce I wanted was my ce. If so, I want to choose a family for myself.¡± What the heck? My eyes popped open at her surprise suggestion. ¡®Is that woman sitting over there the same Jiun that I used to know?¡¯ I looked down at her, trying to catch my breath. After ncing at me slightly, she smiled brightly. I felt a more ominous feeling now. My nervous heart beat quickly. ¡°Did you say the ce you wanted was your ce? So, you want to assert your rights to God¡¯s prophecy? If that¡¯s the case, I feel like I have to give up the throne if you want it.¡± ¡°How can I, Your Majesty? I don¡¯t have any qualifications to be the emperor. But¡­¡± After parrying his cold response gently, she said, sweeping her ck hair back, ¡°But if it means assisting you as the empress, it¡¯s a different story. As someone said a while ago, I am not equal to Lady Monique. I am the one God sent directly to this ce. I am not something like vulgar blood. ¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°But when ites to Lady Monique, I want to know more. If Duke Jena¡¯s words are correct, it means there is vulgar blood flowing in her body. In that respect, I would like to hear more from Duke Jena about her. If the family I would like to turn to has vulgar blood¡­¡± Jiun smiled brightly, slurring her words. When I thought about what she failed to mention, my whole body trembled. Not caring about me at all, she said, with her dark eyes sparkling, ¡°I believe God will respect my choice, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ ¡± After remaining silent for a moment, the emperor nodded. Looking at her, Duke Jena said with a satisfied expression on his face, ¡°There are many people who can¡¯t remember because it happened a long time ago, but I had a younger sister who allegedly died of sickness. But that is not true. I concealed the truth because it was a disgrace to my family. She was kidnapped by amoner knight who earnestly loved her.¡± Everybody became so quiet in the conference hall that they could even hear even a hair dropping. Looking around them, Duke Jenna continued, ¡°I organized a chase squad to find her, but it took a while. When they found her, she was already pregnant with amoner baby. She got pregnant after being raped. Do you understand now? Thatmoner, the kidnapper¡¯s vulgar blood flowed in that baby girl. She was none other than the marquis¡¯s wife. Thanks to the marquis¡¯s protection, she lived as a marquise even though she had no qualifications at all.¡± I felt as if the blood in my whole body got cold. ¡®Is this the hidden truth about my mother?¡¯ So, that¡¯s why my father was so reluctant to tell me about my mother¡¯s story? And the emperor must have tacitly turned a blind eye to it, even though he was aware of it? Your Majesty acknowledged me even though you knew it? I felt as if everyone¡¯s eyes seemed to focus on me. I tried to stay calm, holding the hem under my desk as much as I could. Whatever the reason, I should not act strangely enough for the noble faction to find fault with. ¡°Duke Jena, it looks like you have a great talent as a storyteller. Thanks for your story,¡± said my father, who listened to the duke silently. He looked the same as before, but I felt his voice was subdued a lot. ¡®It seems some of the duke¡¯s story is true.¡¯ Holding my trembling hands tightly, I barely controlled my expression. Tilting his head, Duke Jenna talked back, ¡°Novel? I¡¯ve just told the truth.¡± ¡°If you want to argue what you have said is true, you need evidence. Can you present the evidence to support your im? If you med me without any specific evidence, you will have to pay the price for disgracing my family. ¡± ¡°Then, Marquis, can you present the evidence about yourte wife¡¯s family background?¡± ¡°It is you who came up with the groundless story first. So, you have to present the evidence first.¡± As if he looked aghast, Duke Jena showed his teeth to my father. When he tried to counterattack, raising his eyebrows as much as he could, someones¡¯ cool but determined voice was heard. ¡°Stop there! Marquis is right, Duke. You¡¯re just making ims without presenting any clear evidence? If you question the marquise¡¯s family background, it is directly rted to the honor of the Monique family. As a result, I have to take your groundless im about her birth as nothing more than nder, ¡± said the emperor in an angry tone. ¡°Your Majesty, but¡­¡± ¡°Stop it! I won¡¯t allow you to say anything more about it. As the master of the empire, I can¡¯t tolerate the conflict between the two prestigious families. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty, he has already insulted my family. Please allow me to restore my tarnished honor. ¡± ¡°I have already said that I don¡¯t want any conflict between the two families. So, stop it, Marquis. Instead, in order to clear the groundless suspicion, let me disclose the document that recorded the confistication of the marquise¡¯s title as the time of her marriage and the confisticated seal of the Sonia family. Jiun Graspe, isn¡¯t this enough to clear your suspicion?¡± The emperor looked around sharply as if he would not tolerate anymore if anybody again raised suspicion about her. Overwhelmed by his threatening posture, the pro-emperor faction and the noble faction shut up, but those who were still looking at me were deeply suspicious. I realized Duke Jena¡¯s cheap trick suddenly. ¡®Duke Jenna was aiming for this kind of thing from the beginning.¡¯ He had no evidence about his preposterous im from the beginning, though he was convinced. Perhaps he felt if he could make a dent in my honor, that was enough for him. I don¡¯t know how credible his im was, but when I examined the directory of the noblesst time, it was certain that my mother had an unknown family background. The matter of her birth could be quickly solved if the emperor decided to disclose the noble directory that recorded her birth, but he didn¡¯t say anything about it. I felt something fishy about it. Even faced with the emperor¡¯s sharp gaze, Jiun opened her mouth casually, ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. After hearing their argument, I havee to realize for sure which family I should turn to.¡± ¡°Okay, which family do you want to choose?¡± ¡°I would like to be epted by Duke Jena as his foster daughter. I believe God will respect my choice, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°¡­ Let me approve. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m so grateful for your decision. Then, just like Lady Monique did, can I go to the seat that I deserve to sit in as a member of a great noble family?¡± ¡°¡­Sure, go ahead.¡± As soon as the emperor approved, Jiun slowly raised her body. Like I did in silence, she also clicked her heels to walk to her seat. After she approached the head table, she bowed to Duke Jenna and said with a smile, ¡°Thank you for epting me, Daddy. I will not forget your favor.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯m d to have you as my daughter. Have a seat here.¡± After warming up to him with greetings, she sat down next to the duke just like I did. Sitting now, on an equal footing with me, she turned her eyes to me after looking around. At that moment, Jiun¡¯s and my gaze met simultaneously. She smiled gently while looking at me. Her red lips seemed to be saying something. I strained my eyes to read the movement of her lips. ¡®It¡¯s been a while.¡¯ I got goosebumps. Chapter 148 Chapter 148: Chapter 148 I didn¡¯t know how the meetingsted or what they discussed. Only Jiun¡¯s words were echoing in my head that was in the clouds. As I never expected anything like this before, I didn¡¯t know how to cope with or respond. ¡®What is going on? What should I do in the future? ¡® I freaked out. Extreme horror seized me. I heard somebody saying something to me, then raising my body cautiously. I walked along nkly, guided by someone¡¯s gentle hands. How long did I walk? Suddenly, someone snatched my wrist roughly. Feeling creeped out, I turned around, pulling my hand from it. The person standing there was the crown prince with blue hair. ¡®Crown Prince?¡¯ At that moment, I felt like cold water was thrown on me. ¡®What have I done?¡¯ Only then did my lost sensese back, and I felt very hot. I hurriedly leaned forward and I opened my mouth, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. By the way¡­¡± As I dared to shake his hold, I had nothing to say even if I was punished. Fortunately, he did not appear angry. After looking at me for a long time, he said in a low voice, ¡°I was going to ask you to take some time out for me, but it looks like you are very tired. Take a break. Let me ask youter.¡± Obviously, he came to see me to say something, but he told me to take some rest without saying anything about it. While I was hesitant, my father stepped forward and bowed to him on my behalf. ¡°Thanks so much for your warm consideration, Your Majesty. I¡¯ll see you at the conference room tomorrow.¡± Even after I got in the wagon with my father, he stood there and looked at me. His blue eyes facing mine with a ss window in between, were hollow. ¡°Tia.¡± Some time after the wagon started, my father called me in a quiet voice. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have to act this way in front of me. So, take off your mask now. ¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Are you going to smile a ceremonial smile even before me? Tia, there are only two here, you and me. So, you can feel rxed.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± Only then did I realize that I was still smiling the kind of smile I was used to in social circles. When I lowered my head and looked down, I saw my hands trembling. Not only my hands, but also my whole body was trembling like a leaf. ¡®Was I in this condition all along after Jiun spoke to me?¡¯ I suddenly felt drained and leaned on the back of my seat, while trying to keep my bnce. ¡°Was it so shocking?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°It seems the crown prince was very much surprised by your pale face, given he told you to go home for rest.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Was that the reason he looked at me like that? Suddenly, I recalled his blue eyes looking at me outside the wagon window. ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Tia?¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± ¡°I know how worried you are, but don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll have nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Daddy.¡± I replied feebly to my father looking anxiously at me. But I was nervous deep down. All kinds of thoughts lingered in my head. Can I work things out as I nned? As Jiun appeared early, I have to revise lots of ns I had made beforehand. I grabbed my stinging head and looked out the window. Dazzling bright sunshine was shining in the streets in the afternoon, but oddly enough, they seemed dark to me today. ¡°Let me talk to you for a moment.¡± Apparently, I closed my eyes on the bed, but I was standing before the imperial wagon center before I knew it. The young man with blue hair, who grabbed my wrist, said in a cold voice. As I didn¡¯t hear his voice for a long time, I got cold feet unconsciously. ¡°How dare you try to enter the Imperial Pce with dirty blood in your body? I¡¯m dumbfounded.¡± Jiun, wearing a tiara that was shining brightly behind him, appeared before me. Hugging his shoulder kindly, she smiled brightly at me. ¡°In the past and even now, he is still mine.¡± ¡°Of course, Jiun. Did I ever say that I was not yours?¡± ¡°Oh, Rube. I¡¯m ashamed to hear you saying that.¡± Two people holding each other¡¯s hands looked down at me coldly and pointed their fingers at me. ¡°How vulgar you are!¡± ¡°Vulgar blood.¡± The two turned and sneered at me coldly. I squatted down on the ground and caught my breath as I felt stuffy. I tapped hard on my chest to ease my breathing, but I found it harder and harder to breathe easily. My eyes were getting more and more blurry. Shortly before my breath stopped, my eyes opened. The familiar ceiling and a curtain engraved with the family crest came into my view. ¡®It was a dream.¡¯ I looked out the window, breathing in hard. Suddenly, the dawn was breaking. Was it because I had a nightmare? Even though the meeting was to open soon, I was still too tired. I felt heavy as if I was wearing a wet dress. When I saw Jiun sitting next to Duke Jenna, I had mixed feelings about her. I never expected that she would return from the past like this. I was confident that I would control her as much as I wanted, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what to do because she, too, returned with her past memories. I sat nkly, waiting for the meeting to start. As soon as the meeting started, Marquis Ensil who asked for a say spoke. ¡°I have something to say before the meeting begins, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What is it, Marquis Ensil?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to raise the issue of JIun Graspe¡¯s seating arrangement.¡± I felt the noble factions¡¯ attention focused on his remarks. Smiling at them, the golden-haired young man said, with his green eyes ring, ¡°On the first day of the meeting, Earl Lanier told Lady Monique clearly that the person qualified to sit at the head table is the head of the family or someone who has the authority to represent the family, and that the daughter of a mere marquis should sit at the end of the table.¡± ¡°He clearly said that. So what?¡± ¡°Jiun Graspe de Jenna became Duke Jena¡¯s foster daughter as of yesterday. So, she is only a duke¡¯s daughter, not the head of his family or an agent representing the duke¡¯s family. How can she sit at the head table?¡± ¡°Sure thing. What do you think, Duke Verita? ¡± Turning his mouth up a bit, the emperor looked at Duke Verita because as prime minister, he was well versed inws. Duke Verita nodded with a very serious look and said, ¡°Obviously, Marquis Enesil has a point. In principle, anybody who is not the head of the family or the agent representing the family can¡¯t sit at the head table.¡± ¡°Duke Jena¡¯s daughter is a child of God¡¯s prophecy. You can¡¯t call her a mere daughter of Duke Jena¡­¡± Earl Lanier balked. Duke Lars, with his red eyebrows raised up, cut him off. His red eyes clearly showed he was displeased. ¡°Earl Lanier, your actions betray your words. Just two days ago, you told Lady Monique, a child of God¡¯s prophecy, was a daughter of a mere marquis, right? I hope you will be more prudent in the future. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Besides, even if she is a child of God¡¯s prophecy, she became Duke Jena¡¯s foster child as of yesterday. If she is the duke¡¯s daughter, I think it is right for her to act duly ording to the relevantw of the Empire. if not¡­ ¡± Duke Lars paused for a moment and said, looking at Duke Jena coldly. ¡°Duke Jena, are you going to make her the sessor of your family instead of the existing sessor? If that¡¯s your intention, let me keep her ce as it is now.¡± ¡°I think Duke Lars is right. Duke Jenna, what are you going to do? Are you going to make her your sessor or have her sit in the right seat?¡± As the emperor asked in a cheerful mood, Duke Jean paused for a moment and looked at Jiun, ¡°Go to your seat.¡± ¡°¡­ Got it, Daddy.¡± She stood up, biting her lip slightly, and tried to look calm. While watching her moving to the end of the table, I turned my eyes at the head table. Turning his mouth up slightly, the emperor, who was watching Jiun seated at the end, said, ¡°Okay, as her seating issue was resolved, what is today¡¯s agenda?¡± Chapter 149 Chapter 149: Chapter 149 ¡°Today¡¯s agenda is about which of the two daughters is more suitable as the crown prince¡¯s wife.¡± I stiffened at his announcement. ¡®Is it finallying?¡¯ I thought I was ready for any measures about Jiun until the meeting began yesterday. So I rxed to some extent, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what to do now. Regardless of her abilities, she once served as the empress in the past. As such, it seemed unlikely that she would give her power to other people. Given the way she spoke and acted to me, it seemed that she was determined to be the crown prince¡¯s wife. Even if she had no desire to be the empress, Duke Jena, her stepfather, would not sit idle, doing nothing. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ If I put priority on the interests of the pro-emperor faction, I had no other choice but to be the crown prince¡¯s wife. It was only me who could promote Jiun as, called the child of God¡¯s prophecy, as the crown prince¡¯s wife. My original n to make her the crown prince¡¯s puppet wife was immediately discarded the moment I realized she returned from the past. But I didn¡¯t want to be his wife. Although I knew he was different from what he was in the past, I was still scared. Besides, I had so many people to protect, namely my father, my family, countless people I learned after returning, and myself. ¡°I don¡¯t know how this can be qualified as today¡¯s agenda,¡± Duke Lars, who was allowed to speak first, said. ¡°Lady Monique was engaged to the crown prince as soon as she was born, and she has been impable in her actions and deeds for more than two years since her debut at hising-of-age ceremony. Besides, even before she started imperial education, she had all the qualifications as the next empress. That¡¯s why they cancelled her imperial education with the approval of the emperor. She is such a smartdy and a proven talent whosepetence has been verified for long.¡± I felt nervous. Obviously, Duke Lars changed his position as a spectator to an active participant to support my suitability to be the crown prince¡¯s wife. Only yesterday he agreed with my father¡¯s position on my being the sessor of my family, but it was only based on the premise that Jiun was in the hands of the pro-emperor faction. As the situation changed a lot from yesterday, he seemed to think that it was the best option to promote me as the head of the pro-emperor faction. And that was also true. ¡°On the other hand, Jiun appeared all of a sudden. Although she is a child of God¡¯s prophecy, no one knows what kind of life she lived so far. In other words, she has not been verified at all. So, I think Lady Monique is suitable as the crown prince¡¯s wife.¡± As soon as he was done talking, Earl Hamel responded, ¡°What are you talking about? Duke Jena¡¯s daughter is the owner of divine power. She has power that only six High Priests in the entire continent can use. This means that she received our God¡¯s love. In other words, she is a talent verified by God. Lady Monique is nothingpared to her.¡± ¡°But Lady Monique also received God¡¯s prophecy twice in person. If you¡¯re talking about God¡¯s verification, she also has the same qualifications. ¡± When Earl Genoa, sitting along with the pro-emperor faction, refuted his remarks, Earl Hamel said sarcastically, ¡°It is clear that the divine power is more direct evidence of God¡¯s blessing than the ability to hear God¡¯s prophecy, just like the number of high priests is less than the token of God less than that of the high priests. Besides, ording to the official interpretation of the temple, I must say once again that Duke Jenna¡¯s daughter is the only child of God¡¯s prophecy.¡± This time Duke Lars said, lightly clicking his tongue. His red eyes glowed coldly. ¡°Earl Hamel, don¡¯t cloud the issue. I only mentioned whether the two daughters could perform their duties as the crown prince¡¯s wife. God¡¯s recognition of her does not necessarily mean that she can perform her duty properly, right?¡± ¡°Well, I have something to say with respect to that issue.¡± Duke Jena, who remained silent up to now, opened his mouth, breaking the long silence. ¡°You might remember that I proposed the idea of the crown prince having a concubine. My proposal was discarded because of an unfortunate ident.¡± I nced at the duke speaking casually. I was really frustrated to listen to him. After he was strongly warned by the emperor at the banquet of the National Founding Day festival, Duke Jena preserved the power of his faction by shifting all the responsibility to Earl Apinu who was assigned to securing the crown prince¡¯s concubine. As a result, Duke Jena and some members of the noble faction were dealt a blow to some degree, but Earl Apinu was demoted to a viscount for his failure. ¡®But how brazen he is!¡¯ Now Duke Jena casually described it as an ¡®unfortunate ident.¡¯ I could take his shifting responsibility as a political act, but he could not make such a mean statement to his deputy who was demoted because of him. Since the earl was present in this meeting, the duke was not supposed to say reckless things like that. I turned my eyes to the viscount, the former earl, unconsciously. I noticed a middle-aged man, who was bowing his head with a flushed face. As if he clenched his fists too tightly, they turned white. But the duke didn¡¯t care at all and continued, ¡°Then and now, the issue is the same. Namely, Lady Monique is still a minor. What¡¯s the point of iming she is such a smart girl? She can¡¯t be of any help to the crown prince as his wife.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°It has already been two years since the crown prince came of age. Besides, he is handling political affairs on behalf of the emperor. In this situation, what¡¯s the point of having a woman who can¡¯t help him at all? Compared to Lady Monique, my daughter has alreadye of age, so she can help him immediately.¡± Earl Lanier, who was dejected after Duke Lars rebuked him, chimed in, with a proud smile on his face, ¡°That¡¯s right. No matter how hard I think about it, I¡¯m still bothered by her mother¡¯s family background. Like the duke said yesterday, there is vulgar blood flowing in Lady Monique¡¯s body, right?¡± ¡°Earl Lanier, stop that nonsense!¡± ¡°Why are you continuing to bring up the groundless fact?¡± ¡°This is a conspiracy to disgrace Lady Monique!¡± I was watching Earl Lanier closely while trying to stay calm. His tan eyes were staring at me with a mean spirit. I felt nauseous, so I hurriedly covered my mouth with a handkerchief. There were lots of shouting and yelling flying around. Bang! I heard the sound of him hitting the desk hard. Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the head table all at once. The emperor stood up, extraordinarily upset, and stared at Earl Lanier. His blue eyes sparkled coldly. ¡°Earl Lanier, are you challenging me now?¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°I told you that I would not tolerate any further disturbance because of this issue. As I don¡¯t deal with political affairs these days, do you think you can challenge me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean¡­¡± ¡°Stop it! I order you to get out of this conference room for ignoring my order. Also, you shall be prohibited from attending the big conference for the next three years. Anybody who opposes my order,e forward!¡± The conference hall was overwhelmed by the cold silence. Everybody knew that even though the emperor was now a peaceful ruler, called the Sacred Emperor, he once led the efforts to initiate a bloody crackdown on his opponents, executing many of them in the process. A cold voice echoed through the quiet hall where everybody was holding their breath. ¡°I think both sides have a point. So, let me propose my idea.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°It is clear that Lady Monique has great qualities as the crown prince¡¯s wife. As for Duke Jena¡¯s daughter, she was also given her middle name by God, so she also has the qualifications as the crown prince¡¯s wife. But I am not sure if Jiun can perform her duty as the crown prince¡¯s wife properly,pared to Lady Monique whose job qualifications have been verified. So, how about the crown prince having Lady Monique as his wife, and Jiun as his concubine?¡± My heart sank at the moment. My cold hands and feet became stiff. My eyes met Jiun¡¯s, who was also shocked at the emperor¡¯s suggestion. After a moment of silence, Duke Lars and Duke Jena replied respectively, representing their own faction. ¡°I agree, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­I agree, Your Majesty.¡± Chapter 150 Chapter 150: Chapter 150 Although some opposed, most of the pro-emperor faction were satisfied with the emperor¡¯s action because they seeded in securing the position of the crown prince¡¯s wife for me. Even the noble faction members seemed to be satisfied. Because they initially aimed to pull strings by sending one of their daughters to the crown prince, they seemed to have been satisfied with getting some results. ¡®Oh, no!¡¯ I looked at my father, while trying to pull myself together with all my might. I felt so nervous as he was lost in deep thought, raising his eyebrows. ¡®You said you would help me, Daddy? Please help me! Please!¡¯ I looked around eagerly, but no one could help me. All were blinded by their own interests. I was getting more and more nervous because the situation was all the same as that in the past except that my title was changed from the crown prince¡¯s concubine to his wife, while Jiun was demoted to the status of his concubine. I¡¯ve been really trying hard to get out of this for the past five years, but I was terrified to find that nothing changed. Although I was physically weak, I ran and ran in the training field to enhance my stamina. I practiced fencing very hard in the sweltering weather. I bent over backwards to master war tactics and strategy while learning the way of my family affairs. I finally joined the knights division and hopped around in social circles to assert my own voice. All of these efforts came to naught the moment the emperor announced his own proposal. I made a hollow smile. If I was destined to end up like this, why did I work so hard to achieve my goal for the past five years? It was only recently that I got so excited because I was formally recognized for my outstanding performance at the regr training contest and I was given the right to represent my family. I was deeply despaired that I could be so easily tied up by the fate I tried to avoid so much, while it was so difficult for me to be the sessor of my family. I found myself totally spaced out when I saw my father who was lost in thought showing no sign of opposing. I felt dizzy now. A humming sound rang out in my ear. Just as I was dragged into the bottomless darkness, an icy voice rang out in the conference hall. ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± Everyone¡¯s gaze turned to the head table. The crown prince, who remained expressionless all along, was looking at the participants with a determined look. ¡°What did you just say, crown prince?¡± ¡°I said that I couldn¡¯t agree with your decision, Your Majesty.¡± Although he replied to the emperor, his eyes were fixed on the nobles in the conference hall. He raised an objection at the moment when everybody except for me and Jiun felt that the emperor made a satisfying conclusion. They all looked puzzled. ¡°Why?¡± asked the emperor, who was looking at him silently. Instead of answering, the young man turned to me. At that moment, my eyes met his blue eyes. But even before I closed and opened my eyes, he turned to Duke Jena and asked, ¡°I would like to ask you a question before replying to the emperor, Duke Jena.¡± ¡°Please ask me.¡± ¡°Is it true that in return for me having your daughter as my concubine, you want me to ept her as my wife first ahead of Lady Monique, the same way you nned for the foreign princessesst time?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Now that you are also involved in handling the affairs of state, don¡¯t you think you need a wife who can assist you?¡± ¡°I see,¡± said the young man coldly. ¡°Your Majesty, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate to decide the issue of my wife right now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You said a moment ago that,pared to Lady Monique whose qualifications were verified during your longtime observation, you were not sure whether the duke¡¯s daughter could perform her duty as my wife properly.¡± ¡°Yes, I did. That¡¯s why I asked you to have Lady Monique as your wife, while having the duke¡¯s daughter as your concubine.¡± He nodded at his response, but continued, ¡°But Lady Monique is still a minor, so even if I decide to have her as my wife, the position of my wife will remain empty until shees of age.¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem, Your Majesty. In that case, regardless of whether I have the duke¡¯s daughter as my wife or concubine, she has to perform her duty when her qualifications have not been verified. Do you agree?¡± The emperor said, with his mouth turned up a bit, ¡°Well, I have to disagree, but go ahead.¡± ¡°So, I would like to suggest that we postpone the decision until Lady Moniquees of age. In the meantime, I think we will have about one year to fully evaluate the abilities of Duke Jena¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The emperor, who was looking at him in a pleasant mood until a moment ago, turned to Duke Jena with a cold look. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the crown prince would put forward such a condition instead of expressing gratitude for sending your daughter to him¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Anyway, the crown prince has a point. I think it would be good to postpone this decision for a year. What do you think? ¡± The two factions briefly had a discussion among themselves. The noble faction who had little to lose easily agreed. As Jiun was pushed out for reasons of herck of qualifications, they thought they could promote her again as the crown prince¡¯s wife, not concubine, by training her hard for one year. On the other hand, there were more opposing views within the pro-emperor faction members. In the end, their pros and cons were wrapped up only when Duke Verita said it would be better to nip the danger of Jiun getting pregnant first in the bud when she became his concubine. ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Good. Then, let¡¯s end the conference now. Thanks for your nice job, everybody.¡± The three-day conference ended, with me granted one year of a grace period. The emperor and the crown prince left, and the nobles, too, began to get out one by one. But I just sat nkly. I was overwhelmed by a deep emptiness. I felt so empty and frustrated at the fact that my efforts for the past five years almost came to naught, and that the same thing would be repeated one yearter. I felt so hurt by the fact that I was born to the Monique family that had to be loyal to the imperial family. If not, I would have rebelled. ¡°Tia, let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± I barely stood up, straining my wobbly legs. Even though the meeting didn¡¯t go along as he intended, my father looked calm. I suddenly became puzzled about his attitude. I felt strange about his calmness and long meditation a moment ago. Does he have a secret n in mind? However, now that the pro-emperor faction failed to make Jiun the crown prince¡¯s puppet concubine, they had no other option but to promote me as his wife.My father probably had no particr alternative, either. I let out a deep sigh. I know my father couldn¡¯t help it, and I know I shouldn¡¯t do this, but I kept feeling resentful about my father who couldn¡¯t help me at all. I was so helpless and frustrated. When I was about to leave the conference hall with my father, Duke Lars, who was waiting for us at the door, said, ¡°Kairan, can you see me for a moment? Lady Monique, I¡¯m sorry, but could you please excuse us?¡± As he looked so serious, I nodded silently and left. I saw the duke talking with my father and Marquis Enesil at a distance. ¡®Are they talking about what happened at the conference?¡¯ I thought their conversation would end quickly, but it took much longer than I thought. The atmosphere also looked serious. Duke Lars was saying something with a serious expression, while Marquis Enesil was making an awkward smile, and my father looked calm. ¡®Why is the atmosphere so serious out there?¡¯ When I was looking at them with a puzzled expression, an attendant came to them and said something. Soon my father and Duke Lars were seen following him. Left alone. Marquis Ensil was approaching me. ¡°Hi Lady Monique!¡± ¡°Yes, Marquis Ensesil.¡± ¡°They went to see the emperor at his request. Your father asked me to escort you back home. So, I¡¯ll take you home. ¡± The golden-haired young man politely reached out. I put my hand on his and bowed slightly and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Chapter 151 Chapter 151: Chapter 151 I left the empty conference hall. While walking silently, watching the pictures hanging in the hallway, I looked up at him at my side. He looked at me and said, ¡°Do you have anything to say, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Well, if you excuse me, can you tell me what you talked about with my father and Duke Lars a little while ago?¡± I was bothered by Duke Lars¡¯s uneasy expression, which was quite unusual. I served him as my boss for about one and a half years, but I¡¯ve never seen him making such a serious look before. After a brief pause, Marquis Enesil smiled awkwardly. It seemed he was embarrassed because he wasn¡¯t ready to leak their conservation yet. ¡°Well, that was¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°They might not like my telling you, but I think it¡¯s better you know about it as you are directly involved. Even if your father discovers itter, I hope he won¡¯t feel regretful about it.¡± ¡°Sure, don¡¯t worry.¡± After hesitating a bit, he said calmly, as if he made up his mind. ¡°Although Duke Lars told your father he should be ready to send you to the imperial family because there was no other choice, your father didn¡¯t agree. So, they had a quarrel.¡± ¡°¡­ I see. Thanks for tipping me off.¡± I expected the same thing. I already realized that the pro-emperor faction had no other alternative but me topete with Jiun. I also knew that I could not escape the fate determined through the oath. I knew that no matter how much I hated it, they would try to put me in the position of the crown prince¡¯s wife for their own interests after the year¡¯s grace period. Can¡¯t I escape this face when I tried so hard? I was consumed by a sense of emptiness that I had forgotten for a moment. An extreme sense of emptiness engulfed me. ¡°Excuse me. Are you Lady Monique? ¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, im. What¡¯s the matter? ¡± ¡°The crown prince wants to see you.¡± ¡°I see. Got it.¡± Why did he ask to see me so earnestly, starting yesterday? What more has he to say when the decision was already made? Do I have to see him? I¡¯m sick and tired of everything right now as my efforts for the past five years almost ended in tears. ¡®Well, I have no other choice anyway.¡¯ With a sigh, I walked after the attendant after seeking the marquis¡¯s understanding. The ce where the attendant escorted me was the bigke in the back of the Imperial Pce. It was the veryke where Jiun was discovered before my return from the past. The drought drastically reduced its size, but the breeze was still blowing over theke, which was still veryrge. D flowers blooming in the trees around theke glowed white in the sunlight. After bowing to the royal knights standing on guard at the entrance, I stepped in and found a young man with blue hair overlooking theke. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the empire!¡± ¡°Oh, hi.¡± I paused for a moment, looking at his hand in front of me. I felt awkward as he offered to escort me in a private ce like this. But what does it matter at this point? No matter what I think, I will have no choice but to follow my destiny as already determined. With my hand on top of his heavy hand, I silently moved as he led. While walking silently along theke for a while, he stopped suddenly and said coldly, ¡°¡­Are you okay? ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± I answered nkly with my gaze fixed on theke. Was it because I didn¡¯t sleep properly, or was my heart empty? My whole body felt heavy like wet cotton, and my brain was befogged as if I was wandering in a dream. ¡°Really? I know you have been on edge for the past several days.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry. ¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t say that to make you feel sorry, but even now you don¡¯t look good. Anyway, I¡¯m d to know you are okay.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Come to think of it, it¡¯s the first time I saw you wearing a formal dress. It looks good on you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± The sunlight shining on the tranquil water was beautiful. I fixed my gaze on the surface of the dazzlingke. Suddenly, I felt like I would like to melt away into that bright light. If I was inside that light, I would be able to shine beautifully without any dark darkness or despair. ¡°I don¡¯t think I expressed gratitude to you properly as I was so busy. Thanks for your caring for the emperor when you were at the summer pce.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Back then¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°There was a dispute at the Rose Pce. Jiun, now the duke¡¯s foster daughter, had a quarrel with the duke¡¯s wife.¡± ¡°I see.¡± As the breeze blew, a white petal fell. It floated on the water of theke. I sighed unconsciously, looking at that. I envied the white petal that already melted into the rays of light, leaving no trace. ¡°As the woman called God¡¯s child quarrelled with the duchess who was in charge of the family affairs, there seemed to be no troubleshooter. When I arrived at the Rose Pce, the chief maid looked pale and exined the details.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, I see.¡± ¡°It seems that the maids neglected Jiun, called God¡¯s child, because she had no title. So, Jiun rebuked them, but the duchess found it out and stopped her. So, the two had a quarrel.¡± Was it because I kept my eyes fixed on the glitteringke? I heard him saying something to me, but it let in one ear and out the other. ¡°¡­Pardon, Your Majesty? ¡± Silence fell on us. Only then did I blink my eyes and look up at him. His navy blue eyes were staring at me. ¡°Sorry, Your Majesty. As I was so clumsy, I didn¡¯t listen to what you told me.¡± ¡°¡­ I was asking you how you would have solved it in that situation. ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± Is he asking me how I would put in Jiun¡¯s shoes and deal with the maids if they looked down on me? Hummm, I think I experienced the same thing in the past. How did I react then? I tried to trace my memory although I still couldn¡¯t think straight, but I couldn¡¯t recall. The more I struggled, the more I felt spaced out. ¡°Well, I would¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°If I were in her shoes¡­¡± No matter how much I thought, I couldn¡¯t think of the proper words. When I was hesitating, suddenly I felt myself pulled hard. I was now shrouded with cool fragrance. ¡®What is this fragrant scent?¡¯ I blinked slowly. I felt warmth around my body, something cozy and warm. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s warm. I think I can fall asleep¡­ ¡® ¡°Please¡­! ¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± I suddenly came to my senses at somebody¡¯s sudden pull and earnest voice. ¡®Whose arms am I held in right now?¡¯ Stunned, I tried to disengage myself with all my might. But the more I twisted my body, the more strongly he pulled my arms. ¡°Why are you¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty, please let go of¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Aristia. ¡± I stiffened. My eyes opened wide. What did he just say? Did he call my name a moment ago? He has never called my name before. Does he remember my name? My heart started beating fast. The trembling that started at my fingertips spread through my whole body in ripples. Some strange words were on the tip of my tongue. When I felt his breathing into my ear, I felt creeped out. While I was struggling to disengage from him, I felt all the strength drained out of my body. He whispered, holding me tight, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± My whole body stiffened. His chest I felt through the very thin cloth was wide and hard. It was different from my father¡¯s chest that wasfortable, and Allendis¡¯s that was warm. Held against his broad chest, I found myself stiff. His whispering lingered in my ears. He didn¡¯t say sorry just out of politeness or formality, but he was serious. I was astonished by his candid behavior. I even felt dizzy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I forced you, even if I know you don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t help you properly.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I wanted to respect your opinion as much as possible, but¡­ this was the best I could do for you.¡± Was it because I was held in his arms as closely as possible? Even though his voice wasn¡¯t big, I flinched when I heard something like self-mocking in it. Even though I was absent-minded, I could hear it clearly, something quite different from his typical voice. My astonishment began to diminish little by little, though. Chapter 152 Chapter 152: Chapter 152 I blinked my eyes slowly. The reason I felt frustrated and as if all my efforts were in vain was because I felt I was following the fate already determined regardless of my intention, not because I was resentful about him who could not resolve this situation. As I could do nothing, he would have done nothing else. The marriage involving a royal family member was politically motivated and arranged to promote each other¡¯s interests without reflecting the opinions of the bride and bridegroom. So, the crown prince didn¡¯t have to apologize to me. In fact, he tried his best to buy me some more time. ¡°But I promise you this. Let me swear on my name that I will not force you to do what you don¡¯t want. I will never force you to be my wife if you don¡¯t change your mind even one year from now.¡± Something warm began to fill my empty heart. The ray of hope he gave me in his words when I felt so empty made me very excited. Tears pricked my ears when he promised to respect my intentions under his name and not to force his will. ¡°So, please be tough and hang in there until then ¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t ignore me.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± I pulled my face from his chest and looked up at him. When I felt a little relieved, I could feel his expression. I saw his sincerity not only in his earnest promise and expression as he looked at me seriously. I suddenly realized that he was really different from the old him. If the young man in front of me was the old him, he would never have said this to me. If he was the same man of the past who always looked down on me arrogantly, if he was the same man of the past who was armed with a cold reason, he would not have cared for me like this. If he had been the old him, he would immediately have epted me along with Jiun from the moment he confirmed my middle name. Suddenly, I made a bitter smile. He asked me to see him as he was, but I wasparing the two again unconsciously. ¡®When can I be freed from my past memory?¡¯ I let out a sigh out of frustration. As I tried to disengage my body from him with a bitter smile, I felt him tightening his arms holding me. He said with a subdued voice, ¡°¡­ Why are you so skinny?¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°If somebody looks at you, they might think your father is starving you. Are you eating properly? ¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°You must have been in a hurry to see me in the morning. Did you eat anything?¡± I was silent. I felt sorry to see him beating around the bush. I felt grateful but awkward when I found him trying hard to care for me. Taking his hand off my shoulder, he asked, looking at me, ¡°It seems like you didn¡¯t eat anything today, right?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°You know you are small, and you shouldn¡¯t skip meals. Come with me to eat something.¡± ¡°No, thanks, Your Majesty, I ¡®m fine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my order.¡± I looked up at him nkly as he spoke firmly with a straight face. His navy blue eyes were staring at me firmly. As I was hesitant, at a loss what to say, he reached out. I helplessly put my hand lightly on his hand with a sigh. It seems that he already arranged for the attendant to prepare food for me. When I and the crown prince went into the crown prince¡¯s pce after going around the ce, the chief attendant, who was now familiar to me, escorted us. As soon as I sat at the table, food was served. The tes started to pile up on the table. ¡®So many kinds of foods!¡¯ I tilted my head a bit. He prefered a simple course for food, so it was unusual that the table was served with too many foods like this. I felt something strange. He preferred fresh, rarely seasoned dishes, but the food served here was far from his taste. As for vegetables, there were some made from fresh vegetables, or some boiled with little or no seasoning, while others were marinated with spices and stir-fried with vinegar and sugar. There were even fruits of the deli tree famous for their spicy taste. ¡®Did his taste change already?¡¯ While eating a variety of vegetable dishes in confusion, I suddenly raised my head as I felt his gaze on me. The young man with blue hair, staring at me, said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t eat vegetable dishes only.¡± ¡®Oh did I?¡¯ Tilting my head a bit, I was lost in thought. I¡¯ve never thought I picked at food. Come to think of it, I ate vegetables only. As there were so many side dishes, I didn¡¯t seem to recognize that I was eating vegetables only. I felt bitter and even heartbroken when I confirmed his kind attitude that I had been looking for so dearly, that I could never imagine before. ¡®I never thought a day like this would evere.¡¯ I felt like breaking into tears, so I said what came to my mind. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Um?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t you go to Duke Jena¡¯s daughter?¡± ¡°¡­ Why should I do that? ¡± He looked at me as if he was dumbfounded, and said with a deep sigh, ¡°As you are so smart, I don¡¯t believe you think what I said at the conference was to make her my wife, right? I requested you so many times before. Are you still trying to push me away?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°As I have only one woman in my mind, I can¡¯t open my heart to her, well not only her but any other woman.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°The reason I said that at the conference hall was because my power is still weak at this point, so that¡¯s all I could announce. So, please stop pushing me away from you.¡± I dropped my head as I had nothing to say. I thought that he would feel attracted to Jiun when she appeared. But he didn¡¯t, and he kept being kind to me, which made me have mixed feelings about him. My frozen heart began to melt away, even as my erstwhile bitter and resentful feelings troubled my heart. I know that the person in front of me is different from him in the past, but I was still resentful towards him for a reason. ¡®How good it would have been if he had acted like this in the past. I wish he had done the same to me back then.¡¯ If so, I wouldn¡¯t have left with this bitter feeling. I would not have felt so bitter and heartbroken because of my painful memories of the past. My eyes began to blur with tears gradually. I could not help but smile bitterly. As I let out a deep sigh, he said with a sigh after being silent for a moment, ¡°¡­By the way, why are you eating so little? That¡¯s why you are so skinny. Have some more. I¡¯m watching you.¡± It looked like he wasn¡¯t saying empty words. He was watching me eat, rmending various dishes. I couldn¡¯t taste or smell any of it because I lost appetite, but I picked up the food and put it in my mouth silently as he rmended. I could not refuse his kindness, though it was toote. How much time passed? A stack of tes was removed from the tabe one by one, along with silver forks and knives. A white tablecloth made ofce was newlyid on the table, and a couple of small sses were newly ced on it. A cute silver spoon was next to it. I stared at something orange in the opaque ss. I felt something cold from the ss emitting white vapor. Cold water droplets formed on the white cloudy ss. ¡®Is it ice sorbet?¡¯ I picked up the small silver spoon and scooped out some of the orange substance. As I swallowed the refreshing and cool sorbet, I felt my frustration and depression fading away a bit. When I, with my eyes closed, enjoyed the chillness spreading all over my body, I heard him whispering to me, ¡°Now you look a little better.¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Well¡­ A little while ago you looked somewhat restless and even dangerous. Even though you answered my question, it looked like you would disappear somewhere.¡± ¡°¡­ Did I?¡± He nodded silently and hesitated for a moment. Chapter 153 Chapter 153: Chapter 153 ¡°What was so shocking to you? You always said that you would be the sessor of the family. Were you worried that you might not get out of the imperial family? If not¡­ is it because of what happened yesterday?¡± ¡°Pardon? What you mean by is¡­¡± ¡°Well, I mean what Duke Jena said about your mother.¡± ¡®Huh? Why is he suddenly mentioning my mother?¡¯ While I was puzzling, I flinched because something suddenly shed through my mind. ¡®Ah, yeah, I remember that.¡¯ Although I was so shocked by the matter of Jiun, it was a very serious issue to me. ¡°¡­ ¡± He spoke, staring silently at me, ¡°You should stay firm all the more in a situation like this. Steel yourself for it.¡± ¡®Is this a matter that I can solve even if I steel myself for it?¡¯ When he brought up the matter of my mother, I suddenly wanted to ask him something. ¡®Why doesn¡¯t he me me?¡¯ Any aristocrat values their pedigree. So, even though he doesn¡¯t express his feelings about it openly, any nobleman would point his finger at me if he discovered my mother¡¯s family background. As a royal family member, the crown prince is no exception. But he hasn¡¯t med me for it. Even if Duke Jenna¡¯s argument was partially true, the crown prince could despise me with legitimate reason, but he didn¡¯t. ¡®But why?¡¯ ¡°Your mother was a wonderful woman.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± As I didn¡¯t know why he said that, I was just looking at him nkly. He continued, as if he understood my puzzlement. ¡°This is a secret between you and me. Your mother scolded me as a child.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± Why is he suddenly talking about my mother? I was confused. Nodding at my question, he continued, ¡°Yes. Before you were born, I visited your house with my father. I didn¡¯t want to hear the boring conversation of the seniors, so I wandered through the spacious mansion and found something. It was made of ruby, and it looked like a small marble I could hold in one hand. It was very beautiful because of its borately embroidered patterns with a blue tassel string.¡± ¡®Was there anything like that in my house back then?¡¯ I traced my memory, but no matter how much I thought, I didn¡¯t seem to have seen it. What was it then? I momentarily forgot myplicated thoughts and listened to him. At first nce, it seemed to be quite precious, but I wondered if there was a precious thing like that in my house that I didn¡¯t know. . ¡°I wanted to have it so much because I was a child, so I took it and came out of the ce and I was caught by your mother. I was given a good scolding.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Well, at first, I thought it was very rude for her to scold me because I was the crown prince. But only after I came back to the pce did I realize after hard thinking that your mother scolded me with so much affection. I¡¯ve seen nobody admonishing me gently before. But your mother was an exception.¡± As if he was reminiscing about her, he said, putting down the teacup, ¡°Since then, I¡¯ve often thought about your mother. But as I was scolded once, I felt hesitant to go and see her. Fortunately, your mother came to the pce, holding a newborn baby in her arms. Then I wept openly, held in her arms, for the first time since I was born.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh I see.¡± ¡°As I was embarrassed, your mother pinky swore, saying this was a secret between her and me. Your mother was such a bright and warm woman. She was also strong enough to scold the crown prince of the empire.¡± He paused for a moment after he was done talking. I, too, fidgeted with a silver spoon silently. Looking at the empty ss, he got up and reached out to me. ¡°I think I have held you too long for my greed. Let¡¯s go. I will escort you to your carriage. ¡± ¡°¡­Thank you, Your Majesty. ¡± I felt somewhat strange about this young man who was kind enough to tell me a rare episode about my mother, but I just walked up to the wagon with him silently. When I was about to climb the wagon, telling the horseman that I was sorry for having kept him so long, I felt him tightening his grip on my hand.. ¡°What they call the so-called blood¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think blood is so important. I don¡¯t believe the family pedigree is that important. Never.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± ¡°So, I hope you can think so, too.¡± The door closed, and I felt the wheels rolling smoothly in no time. Left alone in the carriage, I slowly closed my mouth. His desperate expression and his words deeply touched my heart. I was choked up with tears. I felt my eyes getting wet. Did he tell me about his memories of my mother because he wanted to convey that message to me? He was clumsy in confiding in me, but he was serious, which touched me deeply. Although I was worried by the appearance of Jiun and the possible repetition of my fate, along with the pressure of my restlessness on my mind, I was deeply moved by his warm consideration, whoforted me by telling me the fact about my mother after discovering that I was deeply concerned about my mother¡¯s mysterious birth. My eyes suddenly welled up with tears. Even before I wiped them, hot tears fell on the hem of my ck dress. I was surprised by the fact that as the foremost royal family member who had to value the importance of family blood, he didn¡¯t me me, and that he went to the trouble of telling me an episode about my mother. I was grateful to his thoughtful consideration of me, but I was scared at the same time. I was so sad because I could not repay his sincere and warm consideration that I had been longing for so much. I was still too weak-minded to ovee fear of him ande nearer to him. Can I love him again if I tried even now? Can I get out of the fear that I might be abandoned someday? No. Perhaps I will never be able to trust anyonepletely because it won¡¯t be easy for me to forget my past of when I was so miserably abandoned by the one that I devoted myself to and loved so much. Even if I realized that he was different from the old him before my return, I couldn¡¯t be confident enough to live with him without recalling my harrowing experiences in the past as long as I was with this man with the same face and the same voice. No matter how much I didn¡¯t want it, it was clear that the memories of my past would haunt me from time to time. ¡®Think about it, Aristia. Do you think you canpletely heal all those memories of the past? ¡® If one is wounded, it leaves a scar even if it is healed. Likewise, it was clear that I could move forward, burying my past memories, but it would be impossible to live as if nothing had happened in the past, so I could never live with him. I grabbed my chest as I felt so heartbroken, with hot tears flowing down my face. Heavy rain poured down from the gray sky. The sound of rain pattering on the hard earth and the sound of the leaves hitting the raindrops were heard. I was captivated by the transparent water droplets falling on the ss windows. The sound of their friendly conversation was fading away gradually. I was smitten with the peace of silence that seemed to exist alone in the world. I lifted the mug ced on the table and sipped red tea. I enjoyed hibiscus¡¯ unique sour taste in my mouth. While I was drinking hot tea and looking at the rain outside the window, I suddenly remembered what happenedst fall. One day when I attended the National Founding Day festival, I remembered looking out the window in the autumn rain and having tea with the crown prince at the pce. ¡®Even though I didn¡¯t talk with him at all, I felt like I was sharing something with him during the long silence.¡¯ At that time, I did not know how he felt, but it was a peaceful moment for us. What is he doing now? Chapter 154 Chapter 154: Chapter 154 Present IV Is he also reminiscing about what happened at that time, drinking tea like me? As he is so busy, he might not. Since it was a short rain after a long drought, he would be snowed under with work. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Aristia?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Frincia.¡± I smiled with appreciation toward the golden-haired woman who looked at me curiously. When I apologized, softly stroking Luna sleeping in my arms, Frincia smiled gently. ¡°It looks like you like rain.¡± ¡°Ah¡­Yes.¡± In fact, I didn¡¯t like rain, but I just nodded because I didn¡¯t have to feel like correcting her. As I lifted the mug containing the ruby-colored hibiscus, I noticed the crest of a sword and a rose carved into the white porcin. Oh, the Duke Lars family seems to engrave its family crest even on a teacup. My family doesn¡¯t. In some respects, it¡¯s rather scary to engrave a spear and a shield on a teacup. ¡°I asked you if you were busy. Did I ask you too obvious a question?¡± ¡°Oh, no. Well, I was a little busy because a big conference was held as soon as I came back from the summer pce, but I¡¯m not busy now.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯m d to hear that. Was it fun to stay at the summer pce?¡± ¡°The scenery was beautiful, and it was cool. ¡± ¡°I envy you. I wish I had a chance to go there next time. Ah, Beatrice, how is your baby doing? I heard she had a cold. ¡± ¡°She is okay now. Because of that, I and Ryan had really¡­ ¡± I looked down at Luna, who fell asleep on myp, listening to Beatrice, now called Baroness Feden, having a conversation with Frincia, the former princess of Lisa. The silver cat, which was a bit heavier than before, shook her body, smacking her mouth. As she was so cute, I patted her back with a smile. Suddenly, I recalled my father who weed me back home in the evening of the day when the big conference took ce. He was so nervous because I came back home after crying heartily. Was it because he knew to some extent what had happened before my return? Or was it because he persistently opposed my being the crown prince¡¯s wife? My father was very worried that I went to see the crown prince at his request. I remembered how heartbroken I was, seeing his sad expression when he carefully told me about my mother. My mother, whose story I heard from my father after a long, long time, was like a heroine in a novel. My grandmother, who fell in love with a knight, virtually amoner without a middle name, allegedly fled in the face of the fierce opposition of Duke Jenna, who tried to make her the wife of the then crown prince, currently the emperor. But her dreamy time was fleeting. My grandmother, who grew up without knowing a day of hardship, could not find a job or do anything on her own. As a result, the knight became a mercenary to feed my mother and my grandmother. One day he returned as a corpse. Abandoned in a harsh world with her young daughter, my grandmother got sick from doing various chores. My mother came up to the capital to cure her mother¡¯s illness and visited Duke Jena¡¯s house only to be kicked out. After all, my grandmother died as she couldn¡¯t get proper treatment, and my mother went back to her hometown after her mother¡¯s funeral was over. On her way back home, however, my mother was ambushed by unidentified thugs. Fortunately, she was rescued by my father who was on a secret inspection tour with the emperor. That¡¯s the whole story about my mother as told by my father. I felt that¡¯s why the emperor said that my mother was a great ¡°noble¡±. Even though my mother¡¯s title was valid during her lifetime only, the knight, my grandfather, was a nobleman. Because of that, if I had not asked my father carefully, I probably wouldn¡¯t have realized that Duke Jenna was actually my grandmother¡¯s brother. I came to know the reason why my father was so reluctant to tell me about my mother¡¯s family background because I could be offended by Duke Jena, a distant rtive of my family. ¡°You found her, sister-inw? Oh, you¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Come on in, Master.¡± When I was lost in thought, tilting my teacup, Carsein, dressed in casual clothes with his dishevelled hair hanging over his shoulders, came into the reception room. Lifting a cup reserved for him, he sat next to me with a smile. ¡°Hey, you idle assistant! Don¡¯t you know you¡¯ve got lots of work to do. You can¡¯t afford to have free time here for a cup of tea. I can¡¯t tolerate you.¡± ¡°¡­You know what? I have to keep working until the eve of the ball, starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°Really? Good for you! Let me go and enjoy the ball.¡± I nced at the red-haired young man smiling brightly at me. ¡®You¡¯re so annoying!¡¯ Beatrice, who curiously looked at me pouting at him, said, ¡°Lady Monique, oh Aristia, I¡¯ve never seen you acting like that. It looks like both of you are very close.¡± ¡°¡­ Do you think so?¡± I asked back. ¡°Well, um¡­ by the way, we have only one week to go before the ball,¡± said Beatrice. Frincia, who heard Beatrice, asked me carefully, ¡°You¡¯re right, Beatrice. By the way, Aristia, is the crown prince also attending the ball with Duke Jena¡¯s daughter?¡± I said, nodding with a bitter smile, ¡°Yes, actually it¡¯s a ball to celebrate her registry into the Duke Jena family.¡± On the day when Duke Jena decided to adopt Jiun as his foster daughter, he invited all the nobles who attended the conference tomemorate the event. The invitations were sent out to them, regardless of their factions. It angered many members of the pro-emperor faction. Besides, the crown prince¡¯s attendance order worried them, who were clenching their teeth as they couldn¡¯t find any legitimate reason to shun the ball. They were dissatisfied with the fact that the crown prince, who seemed to defend her at the conference, said he would host a ball for her at the Imperial Pce. I didn¡¯t know what his intentions were, but as the ball was held to celebrate Jiun¡¯s registry into the duke¡¯s family, his partner was supposed to be Jiun, the heroine of the day. Because of that, the pro-emperor faction got enraged once again and put pressure on me. ¡®But what should I do? There is nothing I can do in this situation. ¡® I stroked Luna¡¯s silver hair lying on my knees, avoiding Beatrice¡¯s eyes, who seemed to look at me sadly. Carsein, who put down the cup, said with a smile. ¡°My little girl, are you entering the ball alone?¡± ¡°Nope. I will go with my father.¡± ¡°Hey, that makes you more lonely. What if he is on duty on that day?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. Let me ask him.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t bother your father who is busy. How about going with me? Let me save you.¡± When he said that, Frincia turned to me. Her light pink eyes looked at me quickly. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s surprising, Master! I didn¡¯t know you were thinking of attending the ball. Good for you! Aristia, why don¡¯t you two go together? ¡± ¡°Yeah, that sounds good. They will think you look like a good match.¡± As Beatrice chimed in after Frincia, I thought about it for a moment. ¡®Well, that would be okay.¡¯ If I ask my father, I¡¯m sure he will certainly change his shift, so I can go to the ball with Carsein. As he doesn¡¯t like to go to balls anyway, I don¡¯t have to give him a burden because of it. ¡°Okay, thanks, Carsein. ¡± ¡°Good. By the way, you have to go back, I think. You told me you¡¯re on duty starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Oh, gosh, look at the time. Frincia, Beatrice, I¡¯m sorry. I think I should leave first.¡± ¡°No problem, Aristia. Thank you for your time. See you in a week. ¡± ¡°See you next time, Aristia.¡± Is it because both of them share the fact that they got married and came from a foreign kingdom? As close friends, both of them seemed to have more tea time, so I left after saying goodby to them. I got on the wagon with Carsein who came out of the mansion, insisting he would escort me back home because he couldn¡¯t let me go back alone in bad weather. He suddenly broke the silence and called me, while looking at the rain outside the window silently, with his chin on his hand. Chapter 155 Chapter 155: Chapter 155 ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Are you upset?¡± ¡°Huh? What the hell are you talking about suddenly? ¡± When I looked at him curiously, his blue eyes stared at me quietly. He looked at me silently for a long time and said in an unusually serious tone, ¡°I mean the crown prince. As you know, the noble faction is hellbent on making Duke Jena¡¯s daughter the crown prince¡¯s wife.¡± ¡°Well, I think¡­¡± I slurred, trying to avoid his eyes. I felt sorry for the crown prince when he asked me not to shun him, but even after my return and now, I had no intention of being his wife. Even now, there was no way to stop Jiun from being the crown prince¡¯s wife unless I reced her. I was worried about the consequences on my family and the pro-emperor faction if Jiun became the crown prince¡¯s wife, but I could not live with the painful memories of my past, which kepting to my mind. ¡°Why do you look like that again? Are you still bothered?¡± ¡°¡­ No, nothing.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Let me ignore his question. Carsein grinned at me, while looking at me carefully as if he examined something. Then he asked with a puckish sense of humor, ¡°Then how about me?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯m from a great family and I¡¯mpetent. Just look at only one person. You don¡¯t know much about me, but I can reassure you I¡¯m a first-rate bridegroom candidate.¡± ¡°¡­ What the hell are you talking about?¡± I giggled at him and stroked the silver cat asleep on myp. First-rate bridegroom? I felt Carsein didn¡¯t match the image of a first-rate bridegroom. Of course, he had a point when I looked at it objectively, but I felt such a mix was rather awkward. How long was it? I felt the wagon stop. As soon as the door was opened, Luna, rubbing her golden eyes at the sound of raindrops, pricked her ears. Lightly clicking his tongue, Carcein said, watching Luna fluffing up her fur with wary eyes. ¡°Anyway, she resembles her master. Hey, give me the umbre. I will open it. ¡± ¡°Oh, thanks, Sein.¡± When I held Luna tightly with both hands, he unfolded the umbre, got out and wrapped my waist with the other hand. I stepped on the ground with caution, relying on his strength. The heavy rain soaked the hem of my skirt. I felt warmth from Luna and Carsein who got close to my body as well as the cold rain. When I was about to walk away, trembling with cold, a familiar voice was heard from behind. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back now, Tia. It¡¯s been a long time, Sir Carsein. ¡± When I turned my head, I could see my father getting wet in the rain. He was wearing a uniform. I rushed to him, forgetting that I was holding Luna. The silver cat was soaked to the skin, crying sharply. ¡°Hey, she got wet because you rushed to him! ¡± Carsein hurriedly came running to me and put an umbre over me. Looking at him, my father said, with a light smile, ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. Ah, Sir Carsein, why don¡¯t youe in for a minute? I have something to tell you. ¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Since the rain came after a long drought, it was pouring down. We got soaking wet during the short movement from the door to the porch of the mansion. By the time I entered the porch, water was already dripping from my wet clothes. Luna was trembling after jumping from my arms. I took a towel from the butler on standby, and dried my face with a towel. I gave him instructions, ¡°Butler, please prepare warm bath water. Then, send a man to Duke Lars to bring some clothes for Sir Carsein. Also, get meals ready as soon as we¡¯re done taking a bath.¡± ¡°Okay, mydy.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go up first, Daddy. See youter, Sein. ¡± Coming back to my room, I took off my wet clothes with Lina¡¯s help. When I soaked in the warm water, my cold body got warm, and I felt relieved atst. Come to think of it, I experienced the same thingst fall. One day during the National Founding Day festival I was soaked in the sudden autumn rain, so I rushed to the pce with the crown prince. Although I refused, he had the attendant prepare bath water ready for me, so I could warm myself. He also asked me to take a break instead of attending the banquet. I shook my head strongly. Did I get sentimental because of the rain? Why do you keep thinking of him today? ¡®I can¡¯t live with him anyway. I can¡¯t open my heart to anybody.¡¯ I closed my eyes with a bitter smile. The warmth of heated water wrapped around me. How nice would it be if this warmth could spread to my frozen heart? If so, I might have a little hope that I might be able to love someone. In that case, I might be able to revive the buds of hope which I thought sprouted but disappeared soon. I was submerged in the water until thevender scent attached to my body, then I came out at Lina¡¯s nagging. When I changed my clothes and entered the dining room, the two men who were chatting looked back at me. ¡°Oh,e on in.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± When did they be so friendly? After they got close after the raid, the two covered all kinds of topics on the knights, such as training, organization, operation, and tactics. They finally talked about the grand topic of swordsmanship. ¡°I promised to honor my deal with you, but I kept dying it until now, I¡¯m sorry for that.¡± ¡°No, sir. You have gone through lots of things until recently.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I can coach you about fencing after the imperial ball is over. How about that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine anytime, sir. Thank you for your guidance in advance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it. As you know, they call you the genius of swordsmanship.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered, sir.¡± After talking with him, my father got up, folding his napkin. Then he said with a faint smile, ¡°Let me go upstairs as I¡¯m tired. So, see him off on my behalf.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°Okay, Sir Carsein, see you next time.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Have a good rest.¡± ¡®Daddy seems strange today.¡¯ I tilted my head. ¡®He looked a little tired, but he didn¡¯t tell anybody about it.¡¯ I knew that my father had good feelings toward Carsein after he saved my life in the recent raid by the unidentified hooligans, but he was unusually kind to him,pared with Allendis. Besides, my father let me spend time with him on purpose. He always used to tell me that I should be careful about my words and deeds, so that I could not be talked about in social circles. While I was lost in thought, someone suddenly stuck his face out in front of me. I hurriedly pulled my body back, surprised. ¡°Oh my! You surprised me, Sein.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look so dumb! Why are you so absent-minded like that? As a knight,e to your senses. Let me give you some special training, starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t do that. Let me see you off, Sein.¡± ¡°No thanks. My house is not that far from here, Tia. By the way¡­.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He quietly reached out and stroked my hair. When I looked up, feeling his gentle touch, he smiled at me softly. Suddenly, the light of the chandelier was obscured with a darker shade because he came closer to me quickly. ¡®As you stand there, you are much taller than I think.¡¯ I thought he was tall, but I didn¡¯t know he looked much taller up close. ¡®Huh?¡¯ I felt his face getting closer to me, although I could not see it well because my view was blocked by the light. I blinked a couple of times because I felt I saw it wrong, but something moist touched my forehead then fell off. ¡®Huh? What is this ¡­ ¡® ¡°What the heck did you, Sein?¡± When I stepped back, surprised, he looked at me quietly with a smile. ¡°Are you surprised? Why are you surprised? I think you probably kissed Allendis, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Well, I was very young then.¡± ¡°When you were young? You¡¯re still a little girl in my eyes! Hey, don¡¯t imagine something weird. You are too young to think of that. You need another ten years for that. Got it? ¡± When I stared at him sharply, pouting, he gently tapped my forehead with his fingers and turned back, waving at me. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. See you tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Are you upset? That¡¯s why you are a little girl¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Just go away!¡± I heard himughing heartily at me. He walked with long steps and disappeared. While looking at him for a while, I headed to my room. Chapter 156 Chapter 156: Chapter 156 ¡°Let mee in, mydy.¡± I raised my head at someone¡¯s voice. The butler who appeared with a handful of something in both hands was standing at the door of my office. When I nodded, he approached the desk, putting down what he had in his hands one by one. ¡°These are the documents you mentioned this morning. Are you going to review all these?¡± ¡°Yes. As you know, I was so busy these days that I didn¡¯t pay much attention to my family matters. Let me take a look.¡± ¡°I am worried that you might suffer great fatigue from hard work. So, please take it easy, mydy.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I was about to turn my head with a smile when arge box ced on one side of the desk caught my eye. Did the butler bring it, too? ¡°By the way, what¡¯s this box?¡± ¡°It was sent by Sir Carsein to you. Would you like to open it? ¡± ¡°No, let me open it a littleter. I think I had better check the documents first. ¡± I was curious what was inside the box, but I first took my gaze out of the box and checked the stacked documents. While I was away in the summer pce, and for the past three days since I had tea time with Frincia, I was backed up on paperwork. As I had to learn the basics of bing the sessor of my family, unlike an ordinary noble woman in charge of housework or a youngdy, I was really busy. Suddenly, I let out a sigh. ¡®I was preupied with work before my return.¡¯ Come to think of it, I had less work back then. At the time, I took care of housework while handling the women affairs of the pce. But now I had to do three jobs, namely attending to household duties while mastering how to be the sessor of my family and the next captain of the 2nd knights division. Besides, I had a more important task than anything else. It was for me to be a full-fledged knight by improving my fencing skills. No matter how well I managed the household duties of my family, I could not be a formal sessor of the Monique family unless I became a full-fledged knight. No matter how much my father loved me, he couldn¡¯t make any exception for me because the head of the Monique family was supposed to be the captain of the knights division in every generation. I had to be a full-fledged knight in order to carry on my family tradition. ¡°By the way, where is my father?¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t yete back.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Thanks. Then go back to work.¡± After sending the butler back, I reviewed the documents for a long time. My eyes dried out then began to sting, so I slowly closed and opened my eyes. Suddenly, I became tired. In fact, I had training in the rain in the morning, I reviewed the documents of the 1st Knights all afternoon, and even aftering back home, I sat in my office and worked untilte at night. ¡®I can¡¯t overwork myself like this. Let me stop here today.¡¯ I stood up and picked up the silver box. When I untied a red ribbon, I saw something wrapped in thin paper and a red envelope with the seal of the Duke Lars family. ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯ When I removed the thin paper, a white dress caught my eye. ¡®Oh my! Dress? Hope it doesn¡¯t mean what I think it means.¡¯ I was very much surprised, so I hurriedly opened the sealed letter. As I opened it, I noticed Carsein¡¯s unique cursive handwriting. I folded the red stationery, blushing with embarrassment. Of course, Carsein might not be embarrassed at all, but I was surprised and very embarrassed. ¡®Dang it! You really make me embarrassed with this stuff.¡¯ I took out the nicely folded dress, pouting. The muslin dress on a white background had severalyers of red ruffles to reduce monotony, and the enclosed white underskirt was decorated with red roses everywhere. It¡¯s definitely beautiful, but it¡¯s very different from what I would normally wear. I sighed for a moment while looking at the white dress. ¡®What should I do? Should I return it? ¡® However, I felt it was strange to return it to him because he didn¡¯t send it for a romantic reason. ¡®I don¡¯t know. Let me wear it.¡± I shrugged. Others wouldn¡¯t know unless I told them I received it as a gift. I didn¡¯t have to care about it so much because Carsein didn¡¯t send it in that sense anyway. Like he said, I didn¡¯t prepare a dress as I was too busy. I folded the white dress nicely into a box and turned off the light. I had to stop here and hit the sack to handle the backlog of work tomorrow. The rain, which had been pouring down for a whole week, seemed to stop finally. Standing in front of the window that I threw open, I looked out at the drizzling rain and put my hands out the window. The feeling of cold water dropping on the palms of my hands and the unique scent of soil on a rainy day. ¡®What a relief!¡¯ I was really worried that if it rained too much, though it was a wee rain after the drought, there would be flooding. I suddenly remembered what I heard at the Imperial Pce yesterday. It was about Jiun. The noble faction argued that it was clear that Jiun was the true child of God¡¯s prophecy because the rain came down to ease such a severe drought after she was epted as Duke Jena¡¯s daughter. On the other hand, the pro-emperor faction argued that because Jiun appeared in the middle of the extreme heat and drought, she was very ominous. I sighed to hear that. Since I was born as a member of a great noble family, I could not help but get involved in politics, but I was frustrated that I was forced to be taken hostage to the interests of the pro-emperor faction regardless of my will. I made a debut in social circles at the crown prince¡¯sing-of-age ceremony, so I was supposed to be his partner at parties and banquets. Because of that, I would be under severe pressure today when the crown prince would appear with Jiun, not me, at an official ball for the first time. The noble faction would make utmost efforts to look down on me as much as possible, while the pro-emperor faction would want me to deal with her and at the same time hold on to the crown prince¡¯s love. I had a headache just thinking about it. If I could, I didn¡¯t want to attend the ball. In that case, it was obvious that there would spread bad rumors about me, something like ¡®she was jealous¡¯ or ¡®she was narrow-minded.¡¯ So, I had to attend it even though I hated it. I couldn¡¯t allow them to find fault with me because of my impulsive mood. ¡®By the way, when is Carseining? As he has promised to escort me, it¡¯s about time he arrived.¡¯ ¡°Mydy, Sir Carsein is here.¡± I smiled lightly when Lisa came to me timely. As they say, the wolf appears when you think about it. Carsein arrived at the perfect timing. I broke intoughter unconsciously. Is Carsein a wolf? A red-haired wolf? That would be amazing. He might look like a me if he ran around. ¡°Okay, let me go down now.¡± ¡°Wait a minute,dy. Your hair ornament is a bit crooked. Let me fix it. ¡± ¡°Really?¡± After letting her fix it, I looked at a strange girl in the full-length mirror. The silver-haired girl in the mirror wore a white muslin dress, featuring red frills and roses, with ruby ornaments on a silver string. Chapter 157 Chapter 157: Chapter 157 As I didn¡¯t wear such a dress normally, I felt strange about it. Lina carefully let down my hair, grabbed half of it and turned it up with a silver hairpin made ofrge ruby. Then she grabbed the other curly half andbed it. Then, after my hair was shiny, she stoppedbing with a satisfied expression. I thanked her, then headed downstairs where Carsein was waiting. ¡°Hi, Sein.¡± ¡°Oh, hi.¡± Carsein, dressed up in the 1st Knights uniform, stood up and approached me. The 1st Knights uniform, with its red badge on the ck background and two red shoulder straps symbolizing that he was a full-fledged knight, matched very well with his hair. When I saw the spear-shaped badge on his chest, I suddenly recalled what happened at the regr training. As I was smiling, lost in memories, Carsein looked at me up and down and suddenly circled around me. What the heck is he doing? Is there anything wrong? I thought it was okay when I just looked in the mirror. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sein?¡± ¡°Hmm, I can¡¯t find fault with what our ancestors said.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about suddenly? ¡± ¡°As they say, fine clothes make the man. You really look beautiful today. I was trying to look for something wed, but failed.¡± ¡°What the heck¡­¡± I broke intoughter. I knew he was good at cracking a joke, but he had a way with praising, too. Looking at me giggling, he said with a nod, ¡°Good. That¡¯s what I want.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I mean your expression. Try to keep it like that, okay?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Was he worried about my expression because I might feel ufortable due to the pressure by the pro-emperor faction? I looked at him with a pleasant surprise. I was very grateful for his consideration today. ¡®Okay. Let me forget all theplicated thoughts. Like he said, let me enjoy the ball. I still have one year to go. ¡® I smiled brightly at Carsein. ¡°Okay, I will. Thanks for your concern, Sein. ¡± ¡°Good. Then shall we go,dy? ¡± Carsein politely bowed, reaching out to me. After gently putting my hand on his big hand, I headed for the pce with him. ¡°Duke Lars¡¯s second son Sir Lars and the Moon of the future, Lady Aristia Pioneer La Monique are entering the hall.¡± I was always introduced at the imperial ball with the modifier ¡®Moon of the future¡¯ in front of my name. I stiffened at such an introduction because I felt like it was the standard modifier showing others that I was the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. I didn¡¯t think much about it in the past because I always appeared with him at such events. So, I felt already pressured when the protocol officer didn¡¯t omit the modifier. ¡®Is it because the emperor or the pro-emperor faction intervened that the protocol officer used the standard modifier before my name, even though I am not the crown prince¡¯s partner?¡¯ I reluctantly turned up my mouth, conscious of others at the banquet. I stepped into the banquet hall with a ceremonial smile that I was quite used to by now. ¡°Oh Master, Aristia, wee!¡± ¡°Hi, Frincia, hi Sir Lars!¡± Sir Lars, dressed up in the 2nd Knights uniform, and his wife Frincia, approached us, with their arms intertwined. Frincia with light purple eyes smiled brightly and said, ¡°Aristia, your dress is very pretty. It really looks good on you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Frincia.¡± ¡°You must be ready for some stress today. I don¡¯t know if I can be of any help, but I will do my best to help you. Please let me know whenever you need my help. ¡± ¡°Thank you, Frincia. Thanks for saying that.¡± I smiled slightly at her warm encouragement. At that moment, the protocol officer announced the arrival of today¡¯s protagonists. ¡°The Little Sun of the empire, Crown Prince Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina and Lady Jiun Graspe de Jena are entering the hall!¡± Everyone bowed towards the entrance all at once. I also put one hand on my chest and leaned forward, holding the hem of my dress slightly with the other. I heard his robe rustling over the floor and shortly afterwards he told us to raise our bodies. When I straightened up, I noticed him dressed in a formal dress marked by blue on a white background, and Jiun wearing a ck dress studded with silver cubics and ornaments made of blue pearl. It looked like they had their dresses custom-made as a couple. When I saw the noble faction and the pro-emperor faction whispering about the couple, my head already seemed to throb. Pressing on my temple, I was about to turn my head when I met the crown prince¡¯s eyes, who was looking at me. His eyes were sparkling sharply. ¡°Are you okay, Tia?¡± Did I flinch unconsciously? Carsein grabbed my hand tightly. When I barely took my eyes off from him and looked at Carsein, he patted my back lightly with a smile. ¡°¡­Thanks, Sein. ¡± ¡°Do you remember what you promised?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Then smile, little girl. If you keep smiling like this, let me treat you to something delicious today.¡±, ¡°¡­Well, I know you will let me have what you want, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you always prefer vegetables. I told you not to pick at food, right? I think I have to watch you every day. ¡± I broke into a smile at his threatening attitude. Looking at me giggling, he also smiled at me. ¡°So, shall we go now, youngdy?¡± ¡°Huh? Where? ¡± ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful. Even if we can¡¯t dance to the first tune, don¡¯t you think we should be the main dancers on the next song?¡± ¡°The next tune must be courant, right? I think that¡¯s too¡­¡± I flinched momentarily. I almost fell down when I failed to dance through the steps at the crown prince¡¯s birthday banquet in the past. The beat of the tune often changed with irregr rhythm, so it caused one to miss the steps if one didn¡¯t concentrate. As someone with some experience in social dances, I found the tune rather difficult to dance to it well. Besides, the tune required the dancing couple to be in sync with each other well, so it was mainly favored by those who got married or engaged. ordingly, I found it rather hard to say yes easily. No matter how much I didn¡¯t want it, I was officially the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. ¡°Why? Are you not confident? Don¡¯t worry. Believe me. I will make sure you won¡¯t make an exhibition of yourself.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Can we just dance to the next tune?¡± ¡°Oh, no. I don¡¯t like slow-tempo songs. As you know, I don¡¯t like dancing, so if the tune is slow, I really can¡¯t have any fun.¡± I sighed, watching him shaking his head from side to side. But he didn¡¯t care. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s do it. As you lost the first tune to her, you should be the heroine of the second tune. Are you going to lose to her?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Okay, I understand you. Come with me for the next song. Got it?¡± Smiling brightly at me, Carsein pulled me hard when I was hesitant. I helplessly walked after him as he pulled me with a soft but strong grip on my hand. When I walked to the dance floor, I saw the crown prince with blue hair nodding with an expressionless look and Jiun saying something with a bright smile as if they were done dancing just a moment ago. I met his navy blue gaze, but gently bowed to him because the next tune was about to y. ¡°¡­ Hope I¡¯m in great hands, Sein.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just trust and follow me, little girl.¡± Carcein, who bowed politely before the start, got ready for dancing with a smile. Shortly afterwards, a cheerful tune began to y. I moved my body as led by Carsein, dancing to the tune while taking care not to miss the steps. Was it because he led me skillfully? Even though I have danced with him only a few times, I felt much morefortable than when I danced with the crown prince. Sein, who pulled me tight with his hand around her waist, said, ¡°I thought you only practiced fencing every day. When did you practice dancing?¡± ¡°Uh, are you jealous now? Are you worried I danced with another man? ¡± Was it because he was too close to me? I felt his hot body temperature as I danced in a thin muslin dress. At that moment , I missed the steps as I stiffened, but he quickly led me to the next action and chuckled at me. ¡°I¡¯m troubled.¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± Chapter 158 Chapter 158: Chapter 158 ¡°Hey, don¡¯t dance to this tune.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s why I told you I didn¡¯t like this tune.¡± Who dragged me out here? I stared at him, pouting, but he smiled casually. ¡°Hey, they¡¯re watching you. Control your expression, will you?¡± ¡°Oh my! You¡¯re so annoying.¡± ¡°Uh, I¡¯m serious. What if they spread rumors that you have a bad personality?¡± When I giggled in surprise, he just looked at me with a smile. Now, that the band yed out the tune, I duly showed my manners by holding the hem of my dress. Then I came out of the dance floor, holding his hand, who bowed politely. When I took a few steps, chatting with him, a couple stopped us. They were Crown Prince and Jiun. ¡°I, Casein de Lars, am honored to greet you, the Little Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°I, Aristia Monique, am honored to greet you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s been a long time, Sir Carsein. And you, too. ¡± Then he nodded nkly as usual. He looked at me and Carsein silently. Jiun, who stepped forward with her hand on his, looked at me with a bright smile. ¡®Does she want me to greet her first?¡¯ In terms of protocol I was higher than her, but right now she was higher than me logically as she attended the ball in her capacity as the crown prince¡¯s partner. Controlling my displeasure, I slightly bowed to her. ¡°Hello, Lady Jena.¡± ¡°Hello, Lady Monique. It¡¯s my first time to see you here after meeting you at the conference hall.¡± First time? Maybe she is right because I saw her for the first since my return. Just like I did at the conference hall, I felt scared when I found her so different from the old her that I remember. Given that she said she saw me after a long time, obviously she came back from the past like me. What the hell is her real intention? ¡°Your dress looks good on you. It¡¯s hard to look good in a red dress, especially if one¡¯s young like you.¡± ¡°Really? Thank you.¡± ¡°You also look great. As you are wearing a uniform, I guess you are probably a knight? I think both of you go really well together. ¡± ¡°Thank you, Lady Jenna. I¡¯m sorry to introduce myself btedly. My name is Carsein de Lars, Duke Lars¡¯s second son. I belong to the 1st Knights Division. ¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re with the Duke Lars family! Come to think of it, your hair really resembles your father¡¯s.¡± Was it my mistake that I was annoyed by the way she spoke? I felt like she was using themon talking trickmonly used in social circles, namely pretending to praise the other party while looking down on them in her heart. I felt something strange. Why is she hostile to me? In the past, she was so friendly to me. Was she trying to keep me at bay? Was she afraid I would take away the crown prince because I was still his official fiancee? ¡°As you make such a good couple, I¡¯m afraid the crown prince might misunderstand you. Oh, please don¡¯t misunderstand me. I¡¯m saying this because your clothes and dancing today were so beautiful like a picture.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think the crown prince will misunderstand us. Actually, he asked me to take good care of Lady Monique recently.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. That¡¯s good to know.¡± ¡°Anyway, thank you for thepliment. ¡± Jiun and Carsein were having a war of nerves, hiding their intention while talking. But the crown prince was only looking at me, not casting a nce at them at all. He seemed to have something to say to me. I slowly caught my breath and looked away from him as naturally as possible. Then I saw a man walking to us urgently. He was the crown prince¡¯s aide, whom I saw several times before. ¡°Please forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty. I¡¯ve got an urgent report¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. What is going on? ¡± ¡°We got the urgent report that the Lumo River flooded due to the downpour of rain for the past seven days. They say the damages around the river are enormous.¡± ¡°Flooding after the drought? I¡¯ve clearly ordered them to prepare for it. Summon all the nobles with the rank of earl and above, as well as the government officials involved right now.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± After giving instructions coldly, he turned to us and said, ¡°I think I have to leave first because of the bad situation. Lady Jena, I hope for your understanding. ¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. Please go ahead. ¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see youter, Lady Monique. Sir Carsein, nice to meet you. Have a good time. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°It was my honor, Your Majesty.¡± After greeting them one by one, he finally looked at me once more and turned. When I watched him walking with long steps with his aide, I heard Carsein saying to Jiun sarcastically, ¡°Oh my! It¡¯s a pity that he left so early as you¡¯re today¡¯s protagonist. If I hade here alone, I would have asked to escort you, but I can¡¯t. What should I do?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s fine. Thanks for saying that.¡± ¡°As he left such a beauty like you alone here, I think the crown prince would feel bad, too. What can you do? As he is so busy, we have to understand him.¡± ¡°¡­Of course.¡± ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you Lady Monique?¡± While watching Carsein and Jiun waging a war of nerves, someone in a white uniform approached me before I knew it. Then, a man in a navy blue uniform appeared and politely bowed to me. ¡°Hello, Sir Monique. I sometimes saw you dressed in a uniform, but it¡¯s my first time seeing you in a formal dress.¡± ¡± ¡°Hi, Sir June, Sir Ryan!¡± When the two knights appeared suddenly, Jiun, who was staring at Carsein sharply, quickly bowed out. Watching her with a smile, Sir June said, ¡°Oh, Sir Carsein, it looks like you had a big quarrel with her from the start.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not worth being called a quarrel. I just chatted with her a bit.¡± With a significant smile, Sir Ryan looked back at me, not caring about the two chatting with each other in a good mood, and said, ¡°Today you look really beautiful, Lady Monique. I¡¯m sorry my colleagues didn¡¯te here and see your beauty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Sir Ryan. Thank you anyway. I know everybody is having a hard time because of the downpouring all through this week, so I feel ufortable because I am having a fling like this.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? If they know that you are concerned about them, they will be happy to know it. And you don¡¯t have to worry about it as the rain stopped finally.¡± ¡°Oh, really? What a relief!¡± I was worried about the flooding, so I felt so relieved that the rain stopped. Of course, it might still rain in the areas damaged by flooding. It would really have been dangerous if the capital where the emperor lived had been flooded. ¡°By the way, did you hear the news?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°There is a rumor that the emperor is thinking of founding the 3rd Knights Division. That¡¯s why Marquis Enesil and Marquis Mirwa¡¯s son are staying in the capital.¡± That¡¯s the rumor circting everywhere when I checked the knights groups these days. I said with a nod, ¡°Yes, I heard it too. I think the 3rd Knights Division is definitely necessary. The 1st and 2nd Knights are already overcrowded.¡± ¡°Right. But I wonder how they can enlist the short-staffed full-fledged knights if they decide to create the 3rd Knights Division . By the way, Marquis Enesil might soon be the Deputy Captain of the 1st Knights. ¡± ¡°Oh, really? I saw him a couple of times before. He seemed to be verypetent. I¡¯m sorry to my father, but I hope he coulde to the 1st Knights Division as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Really? I feel sad to hear that, Lady Monique. Like I said at the recent regr training session and this time, too, please don¡¯t forget that you have toe back to the 2nd Knights Division someday. Please don¡¯t forget it.¡± ¡°Oops! I think I put my foot in my mouth. Sorry, Sir Ryan.¡± When I slightly leaned forward and apologized, Sir Ryan shook his head, saying he was fine. Suddenly, I broke into a smile. As the sessor of a viscount family, he was so innocent that I doubted if he could survive in society. After chatting with the two, I was about to turn when I felt stuffy. I thought about going out as the rain stopped. In fact, I was kind of frustrated as I got stuck at home because of the rain all week. ¡°Sein?¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± Chapter 159 Chapter 159: Chapter 159 ¡°Can we go out for a while? It feels a little stuffy here. ¡± ¡°Really? Since the rain stopped, I think we can go out if we can avoid the mud.¡± I stepped out of the banquet hall with him. We walked in the garden silently for a long time. Unlike the banquet hall, which was filled with all kinds of noise, the midnight garden was quiet and tranquil. As I breathed in the cool yet moist air, I felt a little refreshed. Was it because the rain just stopped? I looked up at the cloudy sky, where no moon or star was visible. The dim darkness looked like my future which had be more uncertain because of Jiun¡¯s appearance. One question came to my mind suddenly while I was looking at the dark night sky. Why is Jiun hostile towards me? Given the way she acted at the conference hall and spoke to me a moment ago, it was clear that she held a grudge against me. Why is she doing that to me? It¡¯s me, not her, who has the right to hold grudges. Didn¡¯t she lead a happy life unlike me? Didn¡¯t she enjoy sharing her love with him, who loved and cared for her, bound by the thread of fate? Then, why is she hostile to me? What can she get by doing so? I pondered over it hard, but I couldn¡¯t think of any particr reason. I felt frustrated again. ¡°Whew!¡± I sighed deeply. Carsein, who walked silently by my side, looked at me and asked with a worried expression, ¡°I thought you would feel better if you took a walk. Are you still frustrated? Why are you sighing like that?¡± ¡°Oh, I just¡­ ¡± I slurred, looking around. A familiar scenery caught my eye. Uh, this ce is¡­ ¡°Did you notice it now? You remember where you are now? ¡± ¡°Yes, I bumped into you here atst year¡¯s National Founding Day. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you remember. I thought you forgot as you didn¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I was thinking about something else for a moment. Well, it was right here that I discovered Sir Lars and Frincia, who were missing.¡± ¡°Oh, right. I still can¡¯t forget the shock when my brother proposed to her suddenly.¡± ¡°Why? I think his proposal was great.¡± Suddenly, I recalled how Sir Lars proposed to Frincia when she left for the Lua kingdom. Everyone there stiffened, shocked by his sudden proposal. While recalling the expressions of those who came out to see her off, I broke intoughter. Looking at me chuckling silently, Carsein said, ¡°You really liked it, right? You look better now as you are talking about my brother¡¯s proposal. As a little girl, you like it that way?¡± ¡°What? ¡± When I tried to balk at his teasing, I saw a couple walking toward us at a distance. A middle-aged man with zing red hair and ady with fine blue hair. The woman who found me raised her eyebrows. As if to stop me from flinching, Carsein stepped forward and said, ¡°Daddy and Mommy, you are here! I couldn¡¯t find you in the banquet hall. ¡± ¡°¡­ Hello, Duke Lars and Duchess Lars. ¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique.¡± His eyes resembled Carsein¡¯s, but they were cold unlike his son¡¯s warm eyes. I got nervous unconsciously. As someone with experience in society, I was used to various kinds of hostility from many people. But strange enough, I found the duchess hard to deal with. She was particrly wary of me after her son was seriously wounded because of me. ¡°Sein, can I talk with you for a moment? Lady Monique, I¡¯m sorry to say this as soon as I see you here, but can you excuse us for a minute?¡± ¡°Of course, Madame.¡± ¡°Mom, even if we are in the pce, it¡¯s dark here in the night. If you really insist, let me escort her back to the banquet hall ande back. Okay?¡± ¡°Hey, Carsein¡­¡± When the duchess knitted her brows at Carsein¡¯s sullen reaction, Duke Lars stepped forward and interrupted, ¡°Sein has a point, too. Let¡¯s do it this way. Let me escort Lady Monique, so you talk to him.¡± ¡°Thank you, Duke Lars.¡± As Carsein was put on the spot because of me, I quickly stepped back, expressing gratitude. I slightly bowed to the duchess and turned quickly. ¡°Sir Monique, no, should I call you Lady Monique as you are wearing a dress now?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me. I am both a knight and the eldest daughter of the Monique family. ¡± ¡°Yes, then let me call you Lady Monique. I think you really did a good job for the past week. Thanks for your hard work.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°So, have you made progress in your fencing skills?¡± ¡°Thanks to your generosity, I¡¯ve mastered all the techniques of the Lars family for women.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± The trail in the garden, paved with rugged stones, had a puddle of water here and there. Duke Lars quietly watched me stepping carefully away from the puddle and said, ¡°Can I ask you one thing?¡± ¡°Yes, please go ahead.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you actually want to be the crown prince¡¯s wife?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I know the history of the Monique family. Your family is one of the three remaining families that contributed to founding the empire, and your family has a brilliant history of almost 1,300 years, dating back to the days when your ancestors ruled a kingdom. As your family has no rtives, your family will cease to exist if you don¡¯t seed the family, and I know that very well.¡± Letting out a deep sigh, he looked up into the sky with pensive eyes. Although the heavy rain that poured down for the past one week stopped, there was no moon or star in the cloudy sky. ¡°That¡¯s why I tacitly supported your father¡¯s decision to make you the sessor of the Monique family. It would be a great misfortune if the Monique family ceased to exist because you didn¡¯t seed. Your family is not only essential to the imperial family due to its absolute loyalty, but also a strong supporter of our faction.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°But the situation is different now. I didn¡¯t worry when you had the sole right to be the crown prince¡¯s wife. But now Jena¡¯s daughter has the same right. Besides, she has divine power. We can¡¯t even try to assassinate her for fear of God¡¯s punishment. So, the only way for us to respond is that you im the crown of the next empress. You know it well, right?¡± I took a deep sigh because what he said was true. In a situation where the pro-emperor faction could not even touch her for fear of God¡¯s punishment, they had to have the crown prince choose his wife from their daughters to stop Duke Jena from interfering with the imperial family through Jiun. They had no other alternative than promoting me, who had the same qualifications as hers, to beat her, called the child of God¡¯s prophecy. Of course, my father would have protected me early on before the situation becameplex like now if they had found any other realistic option. ¡°It looks like you really don¡¯t want to be the crown prince¡¯s wife as you haven¡¯t responded. Then, can you strike a deal with me? ¡°Pardon? Deal?¡± ¡°Well, I think we can¡¯t find any solution if you keep sticking to your decision. The more you try to protect yourself to avoid the position of the crown prince¡¯s wife, the more threatening Lady Jena will be to us. In that case, it¡¯s obvious that the noble faction will try to ignore us. I guess our faction won¡¯t let go of you. It¡¯s going to be a vicious cycle. You don¡¯t want that situation, right?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want it.¡± As the head of the pro-emperor faction, he was discerning. I immediately nodded, agreeing to his statement that hit the nail right on the head. ¡°So, how about this? As the leader of our faction, I¡¯m thinking of disgracing Lady Jena as much as possible during the one-year grace period, arguing she doesn¡¯t have any qualifications as the crown prince¡¯s spouse. In the process, I want you to support me. It will be much easier for me to do my job if you can show him that she is nothing,pared to you.¡± ¡°But in that case¡­¡± ¡°You are worried that the imperial family won¡¯t free you, right? Listen to me first. While you are dealing with her for one year, try to find ady from the pro-emperor faction who can rece you. I mean a substitute who can take care of work on your behalf.¡± Chapter 160 Chapter 160: Chapter 160 It was an unexpected proposal. I thought he would make the maximum use of me because I was the surefire card to beat Jiun, but Duke Lars had in mind another card that could put him at risk when things went wrong. ¡°If you canmit these two things, I will support your decision to be the sessor of your family in the name of my name. I¡¯m sorry to the emperor, but if the two opposing factions agree, he has no other choice but to ept it. As you will seed the great noble family of more than 1,000 years of history, he might not be upset.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Sure. How about my proposal? I know your father is so strongly opposed right now. Right now, the two factions are barely keeping a bnce of power. There is nothing good if our rtionship with the Monique family goes sour, as you know. So, I hope you can ept my proposal.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you, Duke Lars.¡± I felt I won an unexpected ally, but at the same time I wondered if I could really trust him. As he said he promised it under his name, I had to trust him. But I wanted to double check with my father just in case. By the way, a suitable candidate for the crown prince? In fact, I gave it a thought once, but put it off because I couldn¡¯t let an innocentdy tread on the same path I had walked in order to save my life. But right now there was no other way than that if I didn¡¯t want to be the crown prince¡¯s wife. What about this? Isn¡¯t it okay to look for ady who covets the position of the crown prince¡¯s wife rather than seeking his love like I did? As long as thedy didn¡¯t want his love, she wouldn¡¯t be hurt like I had. As she wouldn¡¯t lose her power easily once she became the crown prince¡¯s wife, she would be a strong ally of the pro-emperor faction. While I was pondering over the right candidate, an attendant urgently came and said, ¡°Duke Lars, the crown prince said he wanted to meet you as soon as possible. As he issued the order some time ago, you had better hurry up right now.¡± ¡°Really? Okay.¡± Oh,e to think of it, the crown prince summoned all the nobles with the rank of earl and above with respect to the flooding. I clicked my tongue in my heart. I should have told him about it as soon as I saw him, but as I was so tense when I saw the duchess, I forgot to tell him. ¡°You were also summoned to the pce.¡± ¡°Me, too? Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I understand that Lady Jena was also summoned.¡± ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s go together. ¡± As he was about to walk away quickly, he turned to me and said. I headed to the pce with him. In the meeting room of the pce there were already the emperor, the crown prince and several nobles. There were also a number of government officials with lower ranks who appeared to be responsible for the work. When I sat down next to my father after showing due manners to the head table, I saw Jiun sitting at the end of the table biting her lip gently. ¡°Oh, everyone is here. Shall we discuss the measures? ¡± ¡°Your Majesty, can I ask you one thing before that?¡± ¡°What is it, Duke Jenna?¡± ¡°Why did you call my daughter and Lady Monique here?¡± ¡°You have argued that your daughter should be given a chance to prove her abilities, right? So, I called them here to get their opinion.¡± The emperor spoke in a very tired voice. I was worried about his health when I saw him so tired after he returned from the summer pce only recently. Was he getting worse? ¡°I heard that bothdies were already briefed about the situation. So, let me ask right now. What do you think? As the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate, give me your idea on how to tackle the flooding of the Lumo River?¡± Measures to tackle the river flooding? While I was trying to figure out what to start with, Jiun opened her mouth with a smile as if it was not a big deal. ¡°May I speak first?¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± ¡°First of all, as the damages of the areas surrounding the river were severe, I think you must evacuate the people there to a safe area. I think our empire can only stand if they survive.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Besides, I think you should hold those responsible for the flooding ountable because they didn¡¯t make the necessary preparations for the flooding despite the crown prince¡¯s order. I think it is right for you to take back or demote the titles of the lords involved as well as forfeit their estates.¡± Facing the emperor confidently, who was watching her, she continued, ¡°And before we have further damages, I think we should temporarily build a dike to protect the river from flooding.¡± ¡°Temporary dam? How?¡± ¡°Well, you can build it by using sandbags. You can make arge pouch with a coarse cloth, then put a lot of sand in it. So, if you use sandbags like that, you can make a temporary embankment in a short time. The effect is excellentpared to the efforts. ¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know that.¡± Those who attended the meeting turned their eyes at her in surprise. As I didn¡¯t think about it, I also looked at her with a surprised expression. Then she said, smiling brightly after sweeping her back, ¡°Also, how about collecting money from the nobles and richmoners in the empire for donations to the affected people in the areas? Even though the donation is small to them, it will be of great help to the affected residents.¡± ¡°Good idea. Great, Lady Jena.¡± The emperor nodded, looking at Jiun for a long time meaningfully. I cleared my throat when he turned and looked at me. ¡®It¡¯s my turn?¡¯ ¡°Okay, now, how about you, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°As Lady Jena already presented excellent ideas, I don¡¯t have much to add, but¡­ ¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°I think that recing those responsible should be postponedter. Considering the personality or conduct of those who ruled the affected areas, it is unlikely that they neglected the crown prince¡¯s order without any reason. Even if they did, it would only add confusion if you reced the leadership when they were so busy coping with the flooding. So, I think it won¡¯t be toote for you to punish them only after you find out the cause of the flooding first and resolve the situation.¡± By any standard, Jiun presented a better idea than me. When I looked around, I saw Marquis Mirwa¡¯s son and Duke Jena smiling in satisfaction. They cast a sarcastic nce at me. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Anybody can second one¡¯s opinion easily. Your Majesty, what do you think? I think you can ept my daughter¡¯s proposal as it is.¡± ¡°Okay. Let me ept her proposal. But Lady Monique also has a point. So, let me deal with the matter of punishing those held ountableter.¡± I smiled bitterly at Jiun who was watching me proudly. My head throbbed because of her burning hostility toward me. ¡°Hmm, let me ask both of you one more thing. I asked you to tell me about the measures to tackle the flooding. Do you have any more to say, in addition to what you already said?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty.¡± When I saw her answering quickly, I guessed what she was thinking about. It seemed that she wanted the emperor to be satisfied with her solution instead of trying to seek a better one. ¡®I wish he could keep his promise.¡¯ I stared at Duke Lars quietly. If he pretends he doesn¡¯t know my reaction, Jiun¡¯s answer is going to be a shackle that will tie my ankle further. As if he noticed my anxious eyes, Duke Lars nodded slightly. ¡®Okay, let me trust him once.¡¯ I sighed a little and opened my mouth, ¡°If I add a little more, the n she mentioned can be a measure to tackle the current situation right now, but it can¡¯t prevent the recurrence of the same flooding in the future. So, I think we need toe up with preventive measures to stop the drought and floods in advance, based on the lesson we learned this time.¡± ¡°I think she is right. If so, what do you think are the long-term measures that you have in mind, Lady Monique?¡± Chapter 161 Chapter 161: Chapter 161 ¡°I was told that the depth of the Lumo River is not shallow. Despite that, flooding urred. This means they didn¡¯t take good care of the surrounding areas. So, I think we need to build dykes along the branches of the river and nt trees first.¡± ¡°Hmm. Then?¡± ¡°Well¡­I think we need to build a reservoir that stores part of the floods to prepare for the possible damages of droughts and flooding. We can also import and grow crops resistant to droughts in consultation with the Eet kingdom or Sono kingdom both of which suffer from frequent droughts.¡± The emperor hardened his face and said with a very harsh voice, ¡°Who can do the job? I mean we are short of hands to carry out that enormous task.¡± ¡°Of course, those affected by the flooding should take up the work.¡± ¡°In other words, are you proposing something like a relief work for them? Paying them for the job?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean. If you gave them money when they are devastated by flooding, they would fritter away the money and give up and be desperate. So, I think it would be good to lower their taxes based on their workload.¡± With his eyes sparkling suddenly, the emperor asked, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Considering the nature of the imperial tax system, which collects a certain percentage of the total harvest, I think they will work harder because the more tax benefits they have, the greater their share will be.¡± ¡°There is a problem with your idea,¡± Duke Jenna objected with a cold voice. ¡°Even today, the empire¡¯s tax rate is the lowest in the continent. How can we cut the tax rate more? Besides, you are talking about making them exempt from taxes, right? That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Whew!¡± I let out a sigh at the stubborn duke¡¯s argument. ¡®Is this person really a distant rtive of my grandfather?¡¯ I was really annoyed. It seemed that he didn¡¯t know the meaning of the existence of the nobles, carried away with his position as the great nobleman. Does power make people like that? As a great nobleman who enjoys wealth and power, he is supposed to carry out the obligations that are appropriate to their privileges. I hardened my face after clearing my throat. I felt it¡¯s time I had to show my grit that I had refrained from exhibiting in order to keep a low profile for so long. ¡°Do you think the imperial family looks like a fruit?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°What I mean is if you think this empire will copse if the imperial family doesn¡¯t collect taxes from the people for a few years?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Whiches first? Tax? Yes, that¡¯s important because you need taxes to run the country. But don¡¯t you think you have to remember that there is no empire without the support of the people? As a parent, it is the duty of the imperial family to care for the people, and the duty of the imperial family is the duty of the nobles who assist the imperial family. As the people are devastated by droughts and floods, isn¡¯t it the proper duty for the imperial family to rescue the people as their parents?¡± I gasped for breath because I spoke fast without letting up. Then, I spoke very clearly, ¡°Oh I¡¯ve got an idea. If you are so loyal to the imperial family, why don¡¯t you make up for the insufficient taxes for the imperial family? If you do, the emperor won¡¯t forget the loyalty of the Jena family.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good way. Thank you, Duke Jena. I will never forget your loyalty.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s my honor, Your Majesty.¡± Unlike the emperor who seemed very happy, the duke¡¯s purple eyes were full of anger. I looked around once, with my mouth turned up a bit. I saw Duke Lars, Duke Verita and Marquis Enesil smiling satisfactorily. Marquis Mirwa¡¯s son of the noble faction was also smiling. ¡®Why is he smiling? Isn¡¯t he in the same faction led by Duke Jena?¡¯ When I was puzzled by his iprehensible smile, the emperor said in a cheerful mood, ¡°Okay. I think we have the solution thanks to the twodies¡¯ proposals. Regarding the details, please consult with the prime minister and the relevant ministry and report to the crown prince. Let me take my hands off this matter.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Hmm,e to think of it, the ball for Lady Jena is still going on, right? Everybody, go and enjoy. Let me take a rest as I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Then I will take my leave, Your Majesty.¡± After showing due manners to the emperor in a meek voice, Jiun looked at the head table quietly. The young blue-haired man, who looked back at me, slowly stood up and reached out to Jiun. Then, he escorted her out. While watching the couple disappearing for a moment, the two dukes, my father and Marquis Enesil came to me. Duke Verita said with a satisfied smile on his face, ¡°So wonderful! This is the first time I¡¯ve seen Lady Monique doing such a good job in these five years.¡± ¡°Let me correct that. Actually, we saw her excellent performance when that fire broke out recently, right?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. But she has been trying to keep a low profile until now. Anyway I was really satisfied with her performance. Did you notice Duke Jena¡¯s expression?¡± When I saw himughing loudly, I wanted to ask him about Allendis, but couldn¡¯t because my father was next to me. Is he doing well? ording to Duke Verita¡¯s replies to a couple of letters I sent to him, he lost track of his son after he left the delegation. ¡°Duke Lars, I think you will keep the promise by all means.¡± ¡°Promise? What the heck are you talking about, Arkint? ¡± ¡°Oh my, Lady Monique. Can¡¯t you still trust me? Let¡¯s move to the banquet hall anyway. Let me exin to you on the way there.¡± I was a little sorry when I saw him bursting out augh, but I smiled awkwardly because I wanted to make sure that he should keep the promise by all means. While I was walking after the four who talked about a ¡®deal¡¯ seriously, I arrived at the banquet hall. I saw the two dukes and my father surrounded by the pro-emperor faction nobles as soon as they arrived at the banquet hall, then headed for the lounge. I sat on a soft chair and closed my eyes. My body felt heavy like a wet dress. ¡®Oh, I¡¯m so tired. I think I¡¯m having an unusually long day today. ¡® Without a hair ornament, I could leanfortably on the back of the chair, but as I was in a stiff posture for fear my dress might be crumpled, I felt even more tired. When I was pressing down on the stinging temple, I heard someone entering the lounge. When I inadvertently turned to him, I got up quickly and showed due manners by bowing. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the empire.¡± His blue hair was swept back neatly, the blue scarf he wore seemed to match it, and the white suit was pristine. When I looked up, I met his navy blue eyes looking at me. Why did hee here? Although its use is not clearly defined, the lounge is mostly used by women. Moreover, isn¡¯t he Jiun¡¯s partner, the protagonist of today¡¯s banquet? ¡°Your Majesty, why are you here¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± He was silent. He was just staring at me with deeply subdued eyes. The longer I met my eyes, the more dry my mouth was. When I looked down, pretending to check my dress while swallowing, he said, breaking the silence, ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was so hard to get a chance to talk with you alone.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s going to be hard in the future.¡± I was speechless at his empty tone. As I didn¡¯t have the nerve to raise my head, I silently fidgeted with the hem of my white dress. Awkward silence fell. ¡°¡­ Aristia. ¡± I stiffened when he called my name for the second time. I heard him saying with a sigh, ¡°Look at me.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m embarrassed, Your Majesty. ¡± When I lifted my head hesitantly, I saw his navy blues eyes fixed on me. Once again, he sighed deeply and shook the neck part of his suit. My eyes opened wide when I saw his neat dress was dishevelled. Did that mean he felt stuffy? He was a man who didn¡¯t allow himself to look unkempt. It seemed that he felt frustrated in his actions. I felt sorry for him somehow. He was busy paying attention to lots of national affairs, but now he was distressed by the problems of Jiun and me. ¡°I heard your opinion on how to tackle the flooding of the Lumo River. I think it¡¯s excellent. I¡¯m going to implement your proposal.¡± ¡°Thank you, Majesty.¡± ¡°But why didn¡¯t you¡­ Oh, I think I know the answer even if I don¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Chapter 162 Chapter 162: Chapter 162 He paused for a moment while he was trying to say something, then he brought up a different topic. ¡°I have to ask you for your understanding.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Like I did yesterday, I think I¡¯m going to attend more official balls with Lady Jena. Sorry. I had to buy more time, but as I said I needed more time to verify her, I have no other choice.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m fine, Your Majesty. ¡± I already knew that. Although I was still his official fianc¨¦e, Jiun was given the same qualifications as me, so it was obvious that he would change his partner at official events in the future. However, I didn¡¯t expect he would seek my understanding on this. Staring at me when I looked at him in surprise, he said ufortably, ¡°Your dress¡­ ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°¡­ It doesn¡¯t seem to be the style you normally wear. But it looks good on you. ¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you, Majesty. ¡± I suddenly realized that he was agitated a bit. Obviously, he knew that I received it as a gift. And he misunderstood me because he knew the meaning of a gift that a man gave a woman. Suddenly, my fingertips felt frozen cold. I was wondering if I should tell him it wasn¡¯t a gift. He remained silent for some time before opening his mouth. ¡°Aristia. I¡¯m not going to ask you to be by my side yet. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°But can you give me a chance?¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± I felt ufortable. Although he and I were engaged, I was a member of a dedicated noble family, so I felt bad since he kept showing his faint heart. I suddenly became curious. Why does he respect my will so much? No matter how different he was from the old him, he is still the crown prince now. So, if he gives me an order, I have no choice but to obey him. ¡°Your Majesty¡­ ¡± ¡°Um?¡± ¡°Why are you asking for my understanding?¡± Hearing my question, he stared at me. Then he sighed as if he was frustrated and said, ¡°Are you asking me because you really don¡¯t know the reason?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If I im my right as the crown prince and your fiance, you have no choice but to fulfill your duties, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I want. As a man before the crown prince, I would like to win over the true heart of a woman who I have at my side.¡± His hollow blue eyes looked at me alone. I was moved by his sincere look and desperate voice. I can¡¯t live by his side or by anyone else¡¯s, so I felt a bit sorry that he kept trying toe to me with hopes for my frozen heart. ¡°Sorry, Your Majesty. I am¡­ ¡± He reached out to me with a sorry face. While trying to put his hand on me, he paused for a moment and said, ¡°¡­ I know you are trying to shun me.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ Let me go out first.¡± I nkly watched him leaving the lounge. Hisst words kept bothering me. How much time passed? I stood up with a deep sigh. I still felt bitter and confused, but I had to get out now. I got a cup from a passing attendant and had a cold drink. I felt a bit better as if myplex feelings seemed to subside. Then, a woman approached me and bowed deeply. She was Entea, the sessor of Viscount Sharia and his merchant vessel group. ¡°Lady Monique, how have you been?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Entea. It seems this is the first time I¡¯m seeing you since the wedding of Niav and Sarah. By the way, are they doing well? ¡± ¡°I think so. It looks like at first they found it hard to adjust their lives after they went down to their estate from the capital. But they seem to be doing alright. ¡± ¡°What a relief! I hear Catherine is also getting married soon. Now only you are left by my side. Am I too greedy if I ask you to keep staying by my side? ¡± ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s my honor if you think so, Lady Monique. I will always be loyal to you. ¡± I came to know four youngdies who helped me establish myself when I decided to step into the social circles: Niav, Sarah, Catherine, and Entea. Among them, I lost my association with two of them after they got married, but their families were brought into the influence of my family. I gained a lot by associating with the families with quality jewelry mines and craftsmen as well as merchant vessels, but the biggest gain was that I made Entea, my right-hand man. Ambitious and smart, she was an indispensable presence for me who was not so active in social circles. ¡°I heard lots of disturbances due to droughts and flooding. How about your trading business?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that a drought was likely, given that it was so hot for the past five months? So, I sold at a close figure the fabric and drinks I imported from foreign countries. Thanks to this, people began to have a better perception of our merchant business. Recently, I was praised by the crown prince. All thanks to you, Lady Monique.¡± I walked with her while being briefed about what had happened. As I listened to her exining to me calmly, I felt like my head,plicated by my encounter with the crown prince, became clearer. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. How about your estate?¡± ¡°Well, I heard that the staff out there will send the relevant documents sooner orter. I think you can review the details then. As for the flooding, you don¡¯t have to worry about it because they were very well prepared. It was the drought that caused a problem.¡± ¡°I see.¡± As there was nothing urgent about her estate or finances, the pending issue at the moment was to find out what was going on in social circles. As I had been at the summer pce, there must have been lots of rumors and gossip circting. I listened to Entea when she was quick-witted enough to bring up the topic about Jiun. I could gather the high quality information from Frincia and Lady Genoa that I couldn¡¯t get from Entea, so I needed to listen to her briefing first. ¡°There is a lot of talk about Lady Jena these days.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°I was hoping she would have trouble with Lady Hamel, but she seemed to have brought her on her side in a short time. When I examine the situation these days, the youngdies of the noble faction seem to have been united behind Lady Jena strongly.¡± I tilted my head with a puzzled look. How can that be possible? Human nature does not change so easily. Jiun was once mocked in social circles when it was known that she called a maid her elder sister. Even though she once lived as the empress, how could she control and lead all the youngdies of the noble faction? Little by little, my heart began to beat uneasily. I felt it when I saw her saying with a bright smile ¡°It¡¯s been a while,¡± but she was so different from the old her that I knew. What has changed her so much? ¡°¡­ Is there any reason why she could control them in such a short period of time? ¡± ¡°Well, it seems that she had several meetings with them before the ball. I think something happened there, but I didn¡¯t get any details. ¡± ¡°Got it. Anything else?¡± ¡°She seems pretty smart. She only recently became Duke Jena¡¯s foster daughter, but she memorized almost all the names in the nobles directory. She dared topare herself with you, arguing actively that she was a better candidate than you as the crown prince¡¯s bride.¡± Entea¡¯s intelligence about Jiun was not very useful because I could easily recollect it based on what I knew before my return. What I really wanted to know was why she changed so much and why she was so hostile to me. I felt I needed to dig a little more. ¡°Hmm. Too little intelligence about her. I think I need to collect more ¡­ Do you have any progress in having the small and medium-sized merchant groups in our pockets?¡± ¡°Since Lady Jena appeared, there has been a lull in my activities, but I¡¯m still trying.¡± ¡°Did you say you recently seeded in bringing three of them to our side? It is important to weaken the noble faction¡¯s power, but it is equally important to bring those who are neutral to our side. The more information, the better. ¡± ¡°I always keep that in mind, Lady Monique. Let me speed up my efforts. ¡± ¡°I always trust you, but as this is an emergency, let me ask you to try harder.¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Chapter 163 Chapter 163: Chapter 163 Staring at Entea who politely bowed to me, I was lost in thought. Would it be better to give additional instructions only to my family¡¯s intelligence collectors or ask Entea for more? Maybe it¡¯s better to ask both of them. I might be in trouble if any of them were caught by the other side, but this kind of spying is done by both sides, so I didn¡¯t have to avoid it. ¡°How many informants are nted in the Duke Jena family?¡± ¡°Around five.¡± ¡°Well, please increase them by three fold, no, five fold.¡± ¡°But in that case, there is a greater risk of them being caught¡­ ¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about nting them inside the duke¡¯s mansion. Dispatch them not only to the duke¡¯s merchant groups but also his vassals and estate. Don¡¯t forget to nt a couple of moles around the duke¡¯s daughter. No matter how trifling it is, try to collect as much information as possible.¡± ¡°Sure. Will do.¡± Is this enough? Anyway, I left it to the vassals and intelligence collectors of my family to win the support of some nobles including Viscount Apinu and gather information about Jiun, so I didn¡¯t have to give Entea any more assignments regarding that. Suddenly, something came to my mind when I was about to wrap up my meeting with her. ¡°Do you have anything else?¡± Entea asked. ¡°Can I ask one thing? How many hairpins have you sold recently?¡± ¡°Well, the new hairpin is a steady seller because they can turn their hair up with just one hairpin because of the hot weather.¡± ¡°Hmm, really?¡± For a moment, I recalled my recent memories. At that time, it was not so hot like now and I hadn¡¯t invented the hairpin yet. So, I could imagine how Jiun would reactparing the situation before and after the hairpin were sold on the market. ¡°Perhaps sooner orter the merchant vessel groups controlled by the duke family might try to buy muslin. So, try to buy muslin as much as possible in advance. I believe you know what I mean even if I don¡¯t say anymore.¡± ¡°Of course, mydy. I will take the necessary measures.¡± ¡°Good. Then, I think all is good. Anyway, for now, gathering information about Lady Jena is the most important. So, pay the most attention to it.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I think it was more than enough. I¡¯d given the necessary instructions. As for my substitute for the crown prince¡¯s bride, I can consult with Frincia. As I don¡¯t have much information at this point, I can¡¯t make a judgement about Jiun¡¯s purpose or take the necessary measure as soon as I obtain additional information. Did I talk too much to Entea? I felt empty all at once. Suddenly, I had mixed feelings. Why am I doing this now? It looks like I¡¯m trying to be the crown prince¡¯s wife instead of getting away from him. Of course, it wasn¡¯t my original purpose, but it was obvious to anybody that I was now trying to keep her at bay for fear of losing my status as the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. Despite that, however, I couldn¡¯t let Jiun have her way. I was so anxious that I couldn¡¯t let her do whatever she wanted to do. What if she took away my happiness just like she did in the past? ¡°Whew!¡± I let out a sigh. Well, that¡¯s it. I¡¯ve done everything I can do right now. For now, I just hope they can carry out the job as I instructed. I felt I had better sit on this for a while until then. As there was nothing I could do right now, it would drive me crazy if I kept thinking about it. When I stopped wrestling withplex thoughts and looked around, an unexpected scene caught my eye. Frincia and Ilya were talking with a man. Of course, it wasmon in any banquet hall, but the thing was not their meeting but their talking partner. He was letting his long gray hair in a knot hang down to the floor. Why is he in the banquet hall? ¡°Hey Entea, have Frincia and Lady Genoa met the High Priest before?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t heard of that. ¡± ¡°Really? Then let¡¯s go there. ¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I headed to them with Entea. As I made my way through the people, who were squinting at me, I heard his mysterious voice scattering into the air. ¡°You¡¯re as beautiful as a red rose and the dew on its petals, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°Oh, thedy here has fresh, dark green eyes like the shade of a forest in midsummer. The verdant green of summer symbolizes vibrant life. It¡¯s because Vita¡¯s blessing is with you.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± Unlike Frincia, who smiled softly, Lady Genoa, who was responding awkwardly, looked happy after seeing me and Entea. As she looked so happy, the High Priest who looked at us said with a faint smile, ¡°Blessings of life be with you! It¡¯s been a while, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°May have the name of this beautifuldy beside you?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m d to see you, Your Eminence. I¡¯m Entea Su Sharia, the sessor to Viscount Sharia. ¡± ¡°You are the one who embraces the blue of the sky. I wish you the blessings of life. ¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Watching Entea greeting him without any agitation, the High Priest turned to me and said cheerfully, ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you here. In fact, I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I think I might have to leave the empire for a while, so I¡¯ve got something to tell you before I leave.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving the empire?¡± Everyone including me was startled to hear that. What the heck is he talking abou? I know it¡¯s the fate of the High Priest to wander around the whole continent instead of settling down in any one ce, but how can he leave the empire at a time when the emperor¡¯s health is getting worse? Didn¡¯t hee to the empire to check the emperor¡¯s health from the beginning? ¡°That¡¯s right. I won¡¯t stay for long outside the empire, but I¡¯ve got something urgent to do.¡± ¡°Is it urgent?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t tell you now. I guess what it is, but I am not sure of it yet. I am sorry I can¡¯t answer your question as you have asked as the child of God¡¯s prophecy.¡± I wondered what was going on, but I could no longer ask anymore. His light green eyes were staring at me silently. ¡°Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Please go ahead, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°You may hear something soon. Don¡¯t be too surprised. Just respond calmly. Vita¡¯s protection will always be with you.¡± ¡°Pardon? Ah yes. Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡®What the heck is he talking about?¡¯ Looking at me when I tilted my head, he smiled up at me gently. Then he approached me, with his long grey hair rustling on the floor, and leaned forward, with his right hand on my waist. His pure white hair tickled the back of my hand, and his soft lips touched and fell off of it. Those around us looked at him breathlessly. I was as surprised as them. No matter how much authority they lost because of their bad rtionship with the imperial family, the High Priests numbered only six in the whole continent. And one of them showed due manners to me, a mere daughter of a marquis by bending over instead of bowing. Was it because I was too surprised? I was just moving my lips because I couldn¡¯t say anything. Not only I, but everyone was speechless. Not caring at all, the High Priest straightened up and made a faint smile. His clear soft eyes were smiling at me brightly. ¡°Why are you so surprised, child of God¡¯s prophecy?¡± ¡°Oh, Your Eminence, this is¡­¡± ¡°I just gave you blessings on behalf of Vita, our main God.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Oh my! I should have blessed others here as well. I¡¯ve made a mistake. Praise the beauty given by the Father of Life. I would like to give the blessing of Vita, the God of Life, to you,dies.¡± When he was done talking, a white light appeared on his hands. The scent of flowers was everywhere, and pink petals began to fall one by one. There erupted exmations of amazement from the people looking at us. While everyone was amazed, Frincia, who stood casually, said with a smile, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s very unusual that we receive your blessings. Thank you so much, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, beautifuldy. This is nothing,pared with the happiness you gave to me.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± ¡°Then, I think I have to leave as I said goodbye to you all. See you again next time. ¡± ¡°Hope you have a pleasant trip, Your Eminence!¡± Chapter 164 Chapter 164: Chapter 164 Then he slightly bowed and looked at me instead of turning around. His pure white robe fluttered in white waves. ¡°Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Please go ahead, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget what I said. Then, until the day I see you again, may God protect you.¡± His white robe fluttered again in a wave. I watched him for a long time as he walked through the people with his long gray hair rustling above the carpet. I couldn¡¯t figure out what he was up to. Why is he trying to leave the empire at this critical time? And what is it that I may hear soon? Why did he wish me God¡¯s protection repeatedly? ¡°He¡¯s interesting, isn¡¯t he?¡± When Frincia said that, I finally woke up from my idle thoughts. Lady Genoa said after looking at the entrance of the banquet hall. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t like people like him because I can¡¯t figure out what he is thinking.¡± ¡°Oh, Ilya, how radical your remarks are!¡± ¡°Besides, he is from the temple, right? I just don¡¯t know why he has approached us instead of the noble faction. The way he deals with Lady Monique is very suspicious, too.¡± ¡°You bet. The way he is dealing with Aristia was certainly a bit suspicious, but she alone received his blessings anyway. Let¡¯s try to think about the positive side of him.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As the former princess, Frincia was in a different ss from the otherdies. I regretted that she was a married woman. ¡®There is no better candidate for the crown prince¡¯s concubine than Frincia.¡± I admired her ability to control the situation by judging rationally and be gentle.. Of course, it was rude for me to think of her as the crown prince¡¯s concubine because she was living happily with Sir Lars after getting married. Compared to her, Lady Genoa was smart, but she was a littlecking in dealing with people and controlling her emotions. If she would fulfill her job as the crown prince¡¯s concubine, she would need to block Jiun¡¯s actions while controlling all the people at the pce, but I felt somewhat uneasy about it. Anyway, as she was destined to get married to Duke Verita¡¯s eldest son, I couldn¡¯t rmend her, either. ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t know what the crown prince is thinking. Howe he hosted the ball to celebrate Lady Jena¡¯s adoption as the daughter into the duke¡¯s family?¡± Entea asked. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good for us anyway, it¡¯s good for us. If the ball had been held at the duke¡¯s mansion, we would have been forced to see her holding her head high,¡± said Lady Genoa. ¡°You¡¯re right. Besides, as we had no legitimate reason to avoid going there, we would have to go and y second fiddle to her. Thanks to the crown prince¡¯s hosting the ball, we could enjoy it like this,¡± said Frincia. They were right. If the party had been hosted by Duke Jenna, the noble faction would not have been as quiet as they are now. So, the situation is much better for the pro-emperor faction now, although it was painful that Jiun was a bit undermined by this. ¡°Tia, you¡¯re here!¡± When I looked back at the familiar voice, I saw a silver-haired knight dressed up nicely in the uniform of the 2nd Knights. The crest of the spear and shield embroidered with silver threads, the three silver straps on the shoulder, and all kinds of medals glowed under the light of the chandelier. I broke into a bright smile in spite of myself. ¡°Spear of the Empire¡±, the head of the Monique family, he was my beloved father. ¡°Daddy!¡± ¡°Hello, sir, This is Frincia de Lars. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ilya se Genoa. It is an honor to see you. ¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, sir.¡± My father returned their greetings bluntly by nodding and said with a deep low voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt your delightful conversation, but can I talk to my daughter for a minute?¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± When I tilted my head, wondering if he had something important for me, he looked at me warmly, reaching out to me. ¡°Beautifuldy, would you give me the pleasure of dancing with you?¡± ¡°Dad¡­ ¡± Forgetting there were many around me, I clung to him unconsciously. I was thrilled when I saw his affectionate gaze. After carefully cing my hand in his warm hand, I headed to the dance floor, with lots of people watching us curiously. ¡°I think it¡¯s my first time dancing with you, Daddy.¡± ¡°I guess so. It has already been three years since you made a debut in social circles, but it seems that I haven¡¯t taken care of you. I¡¯m sorry. ¡± ¡°No, Daddy. I know you don¡¯t like to go to social events.¡± After politely bowing to him, I stood hand in hand, facing him. Luckily, the tune this time was slow and grand, so I danced in a big circle, held in his arms. His silver hair, like the moonlight reflected the light of the chandelier, was waving, and his navy blue uniform that fit him perfectly also fluttered beautifully. His blue eyes fixed on me, his hand that stretched toward me, and his warm yet sturdy chest. My empty heart was ted with happiness. My tired body and mind were refreshed. ¡°I heard something a little while ago.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°I mean your deal with Arkint, Duke Lars. That makes sense. I think you wanted me to get reassurances from him one more time, right?¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy. That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Good job. Unless he is ready to make the Monique family his enemy, he can¡¯t retract his promise. I¡¯m so proud of you because you are bing more and more mature. I was impressed with your outstanding argument at the meeting with the emperor. I think I am blessed because of you.¡± I let go of his hand as the tune was changing to its peak. Lightly turning two turns to the right, I gracefully walked back to his arms, with the hem of my dress fluttering gracefully. Pulling me with his arm hard, he said, ¡°Are you okay now?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°At first nce, your face looked gloomy.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m fine, Dad. Thank you for caring about me.¡± Did he ask me to dance with him for that? As I looked in surprise, he turned his head as if he was embarrassed. Then, thest part of the tune was yed. I bowed politely, lifting the hem of my dress slightly, then walked out of the dance floor with him. When I returned to my ce amid many women¡¯s envious gaze, I found Entea already left. Smiling up at me, Frincia said to my father and me, ¡°Your dancing was indeed a picturesque scene. I got carried away with the glittering of your hair reflected by the light ¡­¡± ¡°Thank you, Frincia.¡± ¡°Come to think of it, I hear that silver hair appears only in the people of the Monique family.¡± ¡°Ah¡­yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rare color, but it¡¯s still amazing. Thanks to this, when I first saw Aristia, I recognized you at first nce. ¡± Ilya seconded, ¡°Besides, as you know, the Monique family is a prestigious family boasting of one thousand years of history. There might be some exceptions, but I hear all the previous people of the family were all silver-haired. Isn¡¯t it really amazing? ¡± ¡°Oh, is that true, Aristia?¡± ¡®Well, there is a reason for that.¡¯ When I was smiling bitterly deep down, a young man approached and bowed to me. ¡°Hello, Marquis Monique, highdies!¡± His skin looked pale, giving the impression that he was sick. He was Duke Verita¡¯s eldest son. When I saw him, Allendis came to my mind, who was my precious friend and used to look at me warmly with emerald eyes. ¡°My father wants to see you urgently, sir. It seems he has something to tell you urgently. ¡°Okay. Tia, I may have a long conversation with him. If you are tired, go home first and take a rest.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°Mrs. Lars and Lady Genoa, it was a pleasure to meet you. Goodbye.¡± I watched the duke¡¯s son talking with Ilya, his fiancee. He had dark hair and chocte eyes while Ilya had dark green eyes and light brown hair. A man who looked weak and a woman who looked calm. They seemed a good match, but at the same time they looked like a disharmony. I had some ominous feelings, but I said hello to him, trying to smile nonchntly. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Alexis.¡± ¡°Oh hi, how are you?¡± ¡± I heard that you¡¯re going to wed Ilya sooner orter. Congrattions!¡± ¡°Thank you. Ah, I must thank you, too. ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Chapter 165 Chapter 165: Chapter 165 ¡°Oh, I would like to thank you for steadily inquiring about my brother Allendis. We¡¯re mobilizing all the resources in our family to look for him, but as of today we don¡¯t have any update about his whereabouts. I don¡¯t know where he is¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I see. Thank you for telling me.¡± My heart ached. ¡®Where are you, Allendis?¡¯ I suspected that the ominous feeling I had when I finally broke up with him had to do with his whereabouts, so my heart, which had warmed while I was dancing with my father, became empty again. ¡°Aristia.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes?¡± ¡°Lady Jena is approaching. I wonder what she wants to say.¡± When I looked ahead, she was indeed walking toward us. Her ck muslin dress studded with silver cubics was reminiscent of a rose because it was tapered toward the ankle, which was different from the trendy style these days. Come to think of it, the crest of the Duke Jena family was also a ck rose with amethyst tiara. But where is the crown prince? Why is sheing here alone? While I was puzzled, she already came and smiled brightly. ¡°Nice to see you here, Lady Jena.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°Why are you here alone? Where is the crown prince?¡± ¡°Why are you bothering?¡± I remained silent as she smiled triumphantly as if she didn¡¯t want to tell me. At that moment, Ilya, who was having a conversation with Alexis, said, looking toward me, ¡°Oh, I heard that they saw a messenger conveying the crown prince a message that the emperor wanted to see him urgently. What a pity, Lady Jena! It looks like the crown prince is so busy today when you¡¯re the ball¡¯s protagonist. A partner usually refers to the person you are supposed to stay with, right?¡± At her response, Jiun spoke, pretending to look around me. Her ck eyes sparkled, ¡°I see. By the way, as you talk about a partner, where is Lady Monique¡¯s partner? I mean that knight.¡± ¡°Sir Carsein¡­¡± When I was trying to choose some right words to make excuses for Carsein¡¯s absence, he appeared timely and asked with a pleasant smile, ¡°Sister-inw, Aristia, you are here. I¡¯ve been looking for you a while. Oh my, Lady Jena is here, too. It seems you are engaged in a very interesting conversation.¡± Frincia said, with a smile, ¡°Oh, you havee at the right timing. In fact, Lady Jena has been curious about your whereabouts here.¡± ¡°Uh, really? Thank you, Lady Jena. It is a great honor to draw the attention of such a beauty. ¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m ttered.¡± ¡°But you are alone again. Oh my! I don¡¯t know why the crown prince keeps leaving this beauty alone. ¡± Jiun remained silent at his barbed words. Obviously, she was trying to control her anger. I was surprised at that. She always revealed her emotions when she felt annoyed, but she was now good at hiding her feelings, too. Did she notice my gaze staring at her quietly? Her sparkling ck eyes turned to me, and she opened her red lips slowly, ¡°Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I would like to tell you something as another crown prince bride candidate. I hope you don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± ¡°I thought you were not hiding behind someone. I¡¯m disappointed. Isn¡¯t it necessary for you to stand tall on your own without the help of others to take care of the crown prince?¡± As she attacked me with hostile intent, I paused for a moment, and quietly opened my mouth, ¡°I thought so, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°I found out that standing tall on one¡¯s own wasn¡¯t the only best option.¡± ¡°What nonsense¡­ ¡± Carsein stopped Jiun from responding and asked for a dance, ¡°Lady Jena, would you give me the honor of dancing with you?¡± With everybody speechless, I looked up at the young red-haired man staring at her casually. ¡®Carsein, what the heck are you thinking?¡¯ Watching the two moving to the dance floor, I was lost in thought for a moment. ¡®She said I should stand tall on my own to assist the crown prince. Well, that¡¯s what I thought so too in the past.¡¯ When I was pondering over why she said such a thing, I noticed the two on the dance floor spinning to the tune. As soon as the hem of her ck dress fluttered beautifully, Jiun pretended to stagger on purpose and stepped on his foot with her pointed heel. ¡°Ah!¡± I eximed in spite of myself as if I felt the sharp pain he might have felt. Frincia, who was chatting with Sir Lars, was surprised and looked at me, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Aristia?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Although she looked at me suspiciously, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off Jiun and Carsein. They, who agreed like cats and dogs, seemed to be so different today, because Carsein looked so calm despite her stepping on his foot, and she moved her red lips sweetly. ¡°Aristia? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Ah yes.¡± At her repeated questions I reluctantly took my eyes off the two. After replying to Francis who looked at me worriedly, I looked back at them. They were walking back toward us after the dance. Is he okay? He looked okay on the surface, but it seemed that she stepped on his foot very hard. ¡°I enjoyed dancing with you, Lady Jena. Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Jiun reacted coldly and disappeared after bowing slightly. After casting a nce at her, Alexis said, ¡°Then please excuse us, me and Ilya. We should go see mother. ¡± ¡°Ah yes. It was a pleasure to see you, Alexis. See you next time, Ilya. ¡± ¡°Rynn, why don¡¯t we dance? Shall we go out to the floor?¡± ¡°Sure, Sean. Let¡¯s go.¡± When Alexis and Ilya disappeared and Sir Lars and Frincia walked out to the dance floor, Carsen turned to me and said with a smile, ¡°It looks like the party is almost finished. Shall we leave?¡± ¡°Well, is it okay to leave now?¡± ¡°We have stayed long enough. I don¡¯t think anybody will me us if we leave now.¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go.¡± I felt I spent a lot of time here. As I went through lots of things today, I suddenly felt tired a lot, so I quickly nodded at him. As I stepped outside the banquet hall and walked down the hallway, I squinted at Carsein from time to time. Is his foot really alright? He looked okay as he was walking without any problem. ¡°Why are you looking like that?¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± ¡°Do I look cool to you again? Well, I think I appeared before you at the perfect moment. What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯te earlier. In fact, I was stopped by my mother froming to you here. Fortunately, I managed to escape from her, but this time my friends stopped me. ¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± As there was a meeting among youngdies, there was certainly a young men¡¯s meeting, too. In the case of young men, there were lots of them in the high-ranking nobles, so Carsein didn¡¯t have toe. However, Carsein was very popr among his friends even though he rarely participated in their regr meet as the youngest knight. Some of them openly said they wanted to be like him when they joined the knights division. ¡®Totally unexpected. As he wasn¡¯t interested in social circles, I thought he was an oddball. Looks like he attends social clubs, too.¡¯ When he got in the wagon and closed the door, Carsein, who looked so casual until then, suddenly frowned. As he made a painful expression, I quickly looked at his foot. I thought he was okay because he looked casual, but he was very conscious about others. ¡°Are you okay, Sein? Does it hurt because she stepped on your foot?¡± ¡°Uh, did you notice? She was really mean. She stepped on my foot with all her might.¡± ¡°Really? Are you alright?¡± ¡°I am not okay. Actually, it hurts a lot.¡± ¡°Really? Let me see. What if your foot was wounded?¡± Stunned, I held him. He recovered from his shoulder injury only recently. What if he got wounded again? As he was a knight who had to move his body a lot, he had lots of minor injuries most of the time. Carsein stopped me from checking his condition with a smile. His blue eyes stared at me. ¡°Please calm down.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Why are you so friendly to me, little girl? It¡¯s not toote since you aren¡¯t married yet.¡± ¡°¡­ What the heck are you talking about?¡± As I was dumbfounded at his reaction, I pushed his chest gently. With a full smile on his face, he grabbed his chest and chatted me up, ¡°Oh, it hurts. Tia. You are very strong, man. It hurts more than when she stepped on my foot.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± ¡°Sorry, Sein.¡± When I narrowed my eyes to stare at him, he raised her hands to show surrender. I stared at him for some time, then turned my head outside the window. Chapter 166 Chapter 166: Chapter 166 I watched the Imperial Pce gradually fading away from the half-draped curtain of my wagon. As it was the day of the official ball, a yellow glow wasing out of the central pce and the surrounding was lit up with a lot of lights. It was so beautiful that I got carried away with it for a long time. A light that illuminated the darkness with a beautiful and mysterious look. As the wheels of the wagons rolled on, the yellow lights gradually faded away. I felt like I got a heavy load off my chest. I suddenly sighed when I thought I could breathe easily as I was being sucked into the darkness out of that bright ce. I stretched my arms towards the Imperial Pce. The central pce, which I seemed to touch with my fingertips, became a small dot and grew smaller until it was invisible. It looked as if it was a ce that shouldn¡¯t be within my reach. After giving the pce another nce, I turned my head again after looking around the bright and bright pce. The curtain that had been drawn halfway was pulled downpletely. Feeling relieved at the vanished light, I buried myself deeply in the chair. It was a long day. The summer heat, drought, and subsequent floods passed quickly, and it was already the ninth month of the year. Because it was still very hot outside, everybody on the training field was getting exhausted gradually. I headed to the training field, raising my body upright, which was limp from the heat. ¡°Hi, little girl!¡± ¡°Hi, Sein.¡± ¡°It looks like you feel under the weather these days. Your face also looks pale. Are you sick?¡± ¡°Not really. Maybe because it¡¯s too hot.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. This year we seem to have an unusually long heat. What are you going to do? Personal practice or sparring with me?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s spar. As it feels so stuffy, I would like to run at full speed.¡± Nodding, Carsein, took the sword and headed to the empty space of the training field. As soon as the sparring began, his eyes changed quickly. I heard that he was learning the fencing style of my family from my father, so he didn¡¯t give me any chance to attack him. Unlike the fencing style of the Lars family, which struck a bnce between defensive and offensive skills, the Monique fencing style focused on the offensive skills. His eyes sparkled when he hit my sword with his strength. He thrashed his sword when I hesitated because of the instant numbness in my sword hand. ¡®Well, you¡¯re now using the skills that you learned from my father.¡¯ Although I didn¡¯t master the skills because of my physical condition, I understood the fencing style of my family itself much better than him. I focused on defense with minimal movement to save my physical energy. I thought I could attack him when he was pulling back the sword for the next move. Did my waiting pay off? He seemed to be trying to withdraw his sword. ¡®This is the moment!¡¯ The moment I tried to attack with a satisfied smile, I felt breathless all at once. What the heck? While I was hesitating to catch my breath, he was already in attacking mode. ¡®Oh my! I missed the golden chance. ¡® Although I shot for the next chance, clicking my tongue, it was toote. I felt a sharp pain in my arm as I blocked the strong push of his sword. The sword fell from my trembling hand. I tilted my head. Was I short of breath like this? These days I¡¯ve had less basic fitness training than usual because it¡¯s so hot. Was it because of myck of training? I felt ufortable. Obviously, I focused on defending myself to reduce my physical energy. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± ¡°Ah¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm, the fencing style of the Monique family is definitely different. It seems more suitable for me than that of our family. ¡± ¡°Really? Good for you. I envy you. I would like to learn, but can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well, as it requires lots of physical energy, it¡¯s hard for you. Nheless, you¡¯ve improved a lot, my little girl. I think you can be a full-fledged knight in a few years.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Thanks for saying that, anyway.¡± I thanked him for picking up my sword that fell on the ground and shook off my idle thoughts. I felt I needed to increase training time again tomorrow. After training all morning, I came back to my office when I felt the sun was too hot. Looking at the pile of documents stacked on the desk, I sighed. ¡®Too much work to do¡­¡¯ I was snowed under with work and hadn¡¯t made any tangible progress in fencing, which was really frustrating. As I wanted to take a break, I called a maid to bring me some hot water and took out teacup from the cupboard. Was it meant to show his indirect support of my decision or was it because he recalled my hard work at the summer pce? The day after the ball to celebrate Lady Jena¡¯s adoption as Duke Jena¡¯s foster daughter, the emperor offered me teacups with a variety of tea, saying it was a gift for me. It was the same set of silverware exclusive for the imperial family, which I once used with the emperor at the summer pce. I took a silver mug and spinned it once. It was a gorgeous mug with the corner ted with gold and the crest of a roaring lion engraved on the handle and body. ¡®I think I have to bring it to my house anyway.¡¯ As I received it from the emperor, I felt I had better keep it at home rather than use it carelessly. Moreover, if I was caught using the teacup reserved for the imperial family, the noble faction would clearly try to find fault with it. I put the mug back into the cupboard and took out the usual mug I used to use. While I was looking at the tea box I received from the emperor, thinking about which tea to drink, I heard someone knocking on the door. Knock, knock. Who is it? There is no one to visit me at this time. ¡°Yes,e on in.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique.¡± The person who appeared after opening the door was someone that I never expected. It was a noble woman with her dark blue hair turned up high, wearing a bright creamy dress. As soon as I met her cool blue eyes, I sprang to my feet and greeted Duchess Lars. ¡°Hi, Duchess, what business has brought you here¡­?¡± ¡°I stopped by for a moment because I had something to tell you. I was on my way back after going to the pce to consult with the emperor about something. Can you take some time for me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I called a maid to bring some cookies or pies and brewedvender out of the finest tea the emperor gave me. After sipping tea, enjoying the distinctive subtle scent of the tea, she said, ¡°Oh, this isvender.¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s a little different from what I usually drink¡­ ¡± I sipped mine as she was tilting her head a bit. ¡®I don¡¯t know. What does she mean by a different taste?¡¯ Does she mean the tea reminds her of old memories because it¡¯s reserved for the imperial family? Maybe that¡¯s what she means. As she was a princess before she got married, she must have enjoyed the tea as a child before she left the imperial family. When I was lost in thought, her eyes looking at me sparkled coldly. ¡°You know, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I would like to let you know first that I don¡¯t like you that much.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°But as the situation is different now, let me help you. So, do it without letting me down.¡± ¡®What the heck is she talking about?¡± When I looked at her curiously, she put down the mug and said, ¡°In fact, I¡¯m not as physically strong as I was these days.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I hope you can recover soon. ¡± ¡°Thank you. Just in time, the emperor said he needed a test to verify the two candidates for the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate, so I asked him a favor. As for the National Founding Day festival¡­ ¡± I sighed. They are at it again? They already make it a rule to test me and Jiun at the monthly cab meeting. And now they are trying to verify our abilities at the uing festival. ¡°This festival will be held for three days. I will only be in charge of one day, and the other two days you and Lady Jena will take turns to host it. You should beat her by all means. I won¡¯t sit idle if you lose to that vulgar girl without any legitimate family pedigree.¡± Chapter 167 Chapter 167: Chapter 167 Is it because she heard it repeatedly from Duke Jenna, or is it because she heard the rumors about me circting in social circles since the recent conference at the pce? When I unwittingly stiffened, Duchess Lars, who was staring at me, said with a nk look, ¡°Oh I didn¡¯t say that with you in mind.¡± ¡°¡­ I know.¡± ¡°I heard something from my husband. Anyway you¡¯re the legitimate daughter of the Monique family.¡± What she meant was although she was not sure if I had vulgar blood, she would recognize me as the legitimate daughter of the Monique family. I suddenly felt a swift surge of anger, but smiled gently, controlling my raging anger. ¡°My point is you should not lose to Lady Jena. She isn¡¯t fit to be the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate at all. I happened to encounter herst time, but how rude she was! I really couldn¡¯t tolerate her.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Last time? Did she refer to what happened at the Rose Pce? What the hell made her so upset like that? I heard about it from him, but at that time I was aghast about the results of the conference, so I let the news about the Rose Pce ident in one ear and out the other. I didn¡¯t know the exact situation. ¡°At that time, she was just amoner even before she got her status as the duke¡¯s foster daughter. She harshly scolded a maid who looked down on her. How rude and arrogant! Although I was briefly away from the Rose Pce because I had to take care of some work at the summer pce, I was in charge of the affairs at the Rose Pce. When I rebuked her because she scolded my maid in front of me, she balked strongly, arguing that as long as the crown prince let her stay at the Rose Pce, she was in charge of managing the maids at the pce. I was speechless.¡± ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know that.¡± I threw away the lukewarm tea and poured hot tea back into the teacup. The duchess, who received the new mug, enjoyed the fragrance elegantly. But when is the maiding? I gave her instructions a long time ago. ¡®Why is she so slow in carrying out my order these days? I don¡¯t understand.¡¯ Thinking that I should give her a piece of mind, I lifted the mug. ¡°That¡¯s what happened. I was dumbfounded when she was so arrogant, telling me the crown prince gave her the pce, which was totally new to me¡­ After all, the matter was resolved only after the crown prince arrived at the pce.¡± ¡°What did the crown prince do?¡± ¡°Well, he solved the issue quickly by calling her a guest at the pce.¡± ¡°Oh I see,¡± I nodded. It was the best solution because he reminded the maids that they should serve Jiun, but it was the duchess who was in control of the pce, not the new guest. At that moment, I heard somebody knocking at the door. Only then did the maid who appeared carefully put down the pie dish in front of the duchess and me. It was an apple pie sprinkled with cinnamon powder. I looked at the maid with an annoyed expression. ¡®You brought the pie toote!¡¯ Thinking again that I have to scold herter, I cut the pie into small pieces and almost took it to my mouth, but I dropped it because of the intense cinnamon scent. The fork rolled down to the floor. ¡°What¡¯s going on,dy?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Sorry, Duchess. I suddenly felt dizzy.¡± ¡°Um, dizziness? Are you sick?¡± When she tilted her head at me, she looked ovepped in my view. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me?¡¯ I tried toe to my senses by putting my hand on the forehead when a servant came in after knocking. ¡°I¡¯ve got a message from the crown prince, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°¡­ What is that?¡± ¡°The crown prince asked if you could have a cup of tea with him at his pce if you had time.¡± Oh my¡­ this time I have to deal with the crown prince? ¡®What should I do?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m in the middle of a spooky mountain.¡¯ When I was at a loss about what to do, the duchess gracefully put down the fork and opened her mouth, ¡°Lady Monique, why don¡¯t you put off his invitation as you seem to be sick?¡± ¡°I think I should. Will you convey my message to the crown prince? Tell him I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Sure, mydy.¡± After the servant left, I still felt dizzy for some time. It went away only after I took a deep breath several times. Was it because of cinnamon? But I felt strange about it. Although I didn¡¯t usually like it very much, I didn¡¯t hate it that much. The thing is I have never felt dizzy while having cinnamon. Though I was puzzled, I pushed aside the cinnamon dish because I felt like my dizziness woulde back at the scent. Looking at me, she stood up. ¡°Then I must go. You don¡¯t have to see me off. By the way¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re an apprentice knight, but it looks like you¡¯re too weak for a knight candidate.¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry.¡± ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to feel sorry for me. See you again next time. ¡± She turned coldly and left my office quickly. I watched nkly her fading away, then sat down on a chair only when her light blue hair was seen no more. I was very tired even though I had only had a short conversation. I sighed, looking at the piles of documents because I still felt nauseated. ¡®It¡¯s really driving me crazy. I have so much work to do now.¡¯ I felt like a limp noodle due to the heat. Even though I knocked my chest with my fist, it still felt stuffy. My face felt burning because of the hot air. ¡®Why is it so hot? It was never as hot as now in the past.¡¯ The drought was alleviated thanks to the heavy rain, which caused flooding, but the sweltering heat that began in May was still there. ¡°Whew!¡± With a sigh I picked up a bunch of documents. But I could not concentrate. After reviewing the tenth document, I got up from the seat, putting it down as I couldn¡¯t stand the heat anymore. I felt I couldn¡¯t do work anymore today. The next day, I was summoned to a meeting to verify my qualifications as the crown prince¡¯s bride, so I headed for the Imperial Pce. My father went down to the estate to take care of the damages of the drought and flooding there, so I entered the conference hall alone for the first time. Heading to the head table, I looked around. Among the vacant seats here and there I noticed a seat reserved for the head of the Monique family. When I sat down, the young golden-haired man, who was seated already, smiled up at me. ¡°Good morning, Lady Monique! I look forward to your outstanding performance today. ¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± When I was chatting with several members of the pro-emperor faction including Marquis Enesil, the attendant announced the arrival of the emperor and the crown prince. The moment I hurriedly stood up, I felt dizzy again. I tried to keep calm and showed due manners to them. When everyone was seated, Duke Verita, holding a bunch of documents, stepped forward. ¡°Today¡¯s agenda is about the verification of the two candidates for the crown prince¡¯s spouse. We¡¯re going to test how they host and manage the three-day festival of the National Founding Day. Each of them will be taking care of one whole day as the host of the banquet.¡± As soon as the duke was done talking, Earl Hamel said, ¡°Which day of the three-day festival is assigned to which one?¡± ¡°Well, I decided to leave the banquet on the first day to Duchess Lars as usual, so I think they will be in charge of the second and the third day.¡± ¡°Can they choose which day they want?¡± All at once they turned their eyes at me and Jiun. As the third day was the most important, the noble faction was anxious to know who was going to host the third-day banquet. I sighed somehow. Anyway, they were supposed to test our qualifications as the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate, so they didn¡¯t have to care about whether it¡¯s second or third day of the test. As Jiun may have hosted a bunch of banquets as the empress in the past, she would have simr results in thispetition anyway. I turned my head and looked at Jiun sitting down there. Then I said with a ritualistic smile, ¡°I don¡¯t care. Can you choose the date first, Lady Jena?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to choose thest day then. ¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead. Let me take the second day, then.¡± Chapter 168 Chapter 168: Chapter 168 Even though I yielded the most important day of the festival to her, there was no disturbance among the pro-emperor faction. It seemed that they had considerable trust in me because I had been taking care of housework at my family since I was ten. On the other hand, they seemed to feel that Jiun was notpetent enough because she was adopted as the duke¡¯s daughter only a few months ago. But I felt pressured when I thought they would be quite disappointed about the results of thispetition. Jiun would not lose much even if she didn¡¯t do good, but even if I performed well, I would not be able to im the due credit because of my prior experiences. ¡°May I suggest one thing?¡± ¡°What is it, Earl Whir?¡± After thinking hard, Earl Whir of the pro-emperor faction asked for a say. As if he could not let this test work out in favor of Lady Jena, he said with a meaningful smile, ¡°I am not in doubt about the abilities of the twodies, but I think that they are very much concerned as they will be hosting the banquet for the first time. So, why don¡¯t we have them carry out dual roles? In other words, on the second day, Lady Monique focuses on her job as the host while Lady Jena serves as the crown prince¡¯s partner, and on the third day, Lady Jena ys the host only while Lady Monique serves as his partner. How about that?¡± ¡°Good idea. What do you think,dies?¡± ¡°No problem, sir.¡± ¡°Sure, I will.¡± Even before the noble faction balked at the idea, the emperor made the decision with a satisfied smile. Will I enjoy the same benefits as her then? It¡¯s Jiun who will host thest and most important day of the festival, but it¡¯s me who draws their attention as the crown prince¡¯s partner. ¡°Then what about the first day? Who should be the crown prince¡¯s partner on that day?¡± ¡°Of course Lady Jena should take on that role. Didn¡¯t Lady Monique already attend lots of parties with the crown prince?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Have you forgotten that the crown prince¡¯s official fiance is still Lady Monique? ordingly, it should be Lady Monique as his partner.¡± I put my hand on my chest because I felt frustrated, watching them bickering over the matter. ¡®What¡¯s the big deal? I don¡¯t understand why they¡¯re bickering over such a trifling issue.¡¯ I was more and more annoyed, although I knew that even this kind of little stuff could affect the selection of the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate, and that its position was of paramount importance in the empire. ¡°How about dealing with that matter like this?¡± The sessor of the Marquis Mirwa family, with wellbed honey-colored hair, said with a smile, ¡°As you know, it¡¯s very hot this summer, but fortunately it passed without much damage, right? So, how about making a very young girl the crown prince¡¯s partner with gratitude to Vita, our main god? I mean as a symbolic sense. I have a five-year-old girl in my family.¡± ¡°Hmm, a girl from your family?¡± Duke Lars asked. The Mirwa family belonged to the noble faction. After pondering over his suggestion for a moment, he agreed with a nod. His consent meant the noble faction was given two days for Lady Jena, but at the same time it was good for the pro-emperor faction because they could stop her from serving as the crown prince¡¯s partner for two consecutive days. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s start the real test then. With respect to the budget of the festival, the money will be divided in half for the twodies, except for the portion allocated to Duchess Lars. I received their written responses to how they would use the money. As I distributed their replies to each of you, please ask questions if you want. ¡± Earl Hamel raised his hand first. While listening to his long question, I took the cup on the table to my mouth. At that moment, my head started to throb, and I felt nauseated. ¡®Why is this scent so strong?¡¯ Trying to control my nausea, I put down the cut casually. Cold sweat broke out and flowed on my back. Come to think of it, I experienced simr things before my return. I think it was probably at a party celebrating the one-year anniversary of Jiun¡¯s arrival in the empire. But did I feel dizzy because I was pregnant at that time? ¡°¡­ Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. I momentarily¡­¡± ¡°Hmm. It looks like she is not ready yet, so please ask me first. I¡¯ll reply.¡± Smiling at me sarcastically, Jiun said, with her ck eyes sparkling. ¡°ording to your spending n, you are spending 20 stins of the 50 stins allocated to you on hosting the banquet at the pce and the rest for the festival, right?¡± The mary units of the empire are divided into kana, stin, gold, silver, bronze. One kana equals 100 stin coins, one stin equals 100 gold coins, one gold equals 100 silver coins, and one silver equals 100 bronze coins. These are round coins, each of which is about one finger long and are very heavy because they are made of metal. Kana coins are very difficult to obtain except for by members of the imperial family or the great noble family. The average cost of living for amoner family of four is about 4 gold coins per month. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Then, you describe in your reply that you are going to hold an inspection ceremony of the three knights divisions in the central square of the capital. Are you going to hold it in this sweltering weather?¡± ¡°Well, we can take up the ck as they might have cked off because of the heat, and at the same time we can give the people an eyeful. So, isn¡¯t it like killing two birds with one stone?¡± Jiun replied, smiling brightly at Duke Lars. I unwittingly let out a sigh. Her opinion as described in her reply was about the allocation of her budget for the festival. With respect to the knights¡¯ inspection ceremony, her idea was not bad itself, but it didn¡¯t show any consideration for the suffering of the knights who would have to practice for the ceremony in this sizzling weather. ¡®Well, before my return, I myself focused on caring about the welfare of the crown prince and myself, treating all others as someone who should be taken care and and ruled.¡± I suddenly made a bitter smile. Although I heard each individual¡¯s circumstances, I had no empathy for them back then. I was probably like a doll made only for the status of the ¡®Empress¡¯ and could not be considered a human. ¡°I think I have to consult with the knightsmanders first. You can¡¯t decide on your own.¡± ¡°I see. I apologize for that, Your Majesty. ¡± When she was done, the participants turned their attention to me. Duke Jena, who asked for the right to speak, opened his mouth coldly, ¡°It¡¯s not always the best policy to save money, but Lady Monique doesn¡¯t seem to be able to spend the money properly. Do you really want to return the remaining bnce to the government after you spend ten stins for the imperial banquet and 25 stins for each estate?¡± It was a bit annoying to see him finding fault with me often, but I replied silently to his sarcastic question, ¡°Well, I felt like it was abuse of money on my part. I already described how to use the money in my written reply¡­¡± When I sorted out my thoughts and began to speak, I suddenly heard buzzing in my ear. What is it? I heard my voice more and more faintly. My eyes were blurred. Shortly afterwards a voice that left a strong impression rang in my head. I was amazed by the voice that was ringing in my head. It was the same voice I heard just a few months ago. Isn¡¯t this God¡¯s prophecy? The birth of new buds, the buds to grow into roots and the six roots to be worshiped ¡­ No way! ¡°Stay alert, Lady Monique!¡± I was surprised by Marquis Enesil¡¯s voice that deeply but strongly rang into the ear. Where am I now? Chapter 169.1 Chapter 169: Chapter 169 I looked around, trying to ignore the voice that was lingering in my head. I saw the noble faction staring at me coldly, some of the pro-emperor faction watching anxiously, and the emperor and the crown prince looking at me with a puzzled expression. ¡®I don¡¯t believe it! How could I forget where I was just because I was listening to God¡¯s prophecy?¡¯ ¡°Lady Monique, you are so rude! How can you stay silent when I asked you twice?¡± ¡°Are you thinking about something else?¡± ¡°Were you distracted when you¡¯re in the test of your qualifications? If it¡¯s true, you are ignoring Lady Jena who ispeting with you, and at the same time disgracing the emperor who has hosted this event.¡± ¡°How arrogant you are! You should be duly punished.¡± The emperor raised his right hand, silently watching the noble faction harshly ming me like fish in the water. When the hall became silent, he said with a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s take a break before continuing the test.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty¡­¡± Ignoring those who resisted, the emperor left the hall. I was lost in thought, watching the crown prince walking after him. Is it better for me to hide it or tell them in advance? I could hide it, but as I heard God¡¯s prophecy, the priests at the temple would surely contact the imperial pce about it. In that case, it would be better for me to reveal it in advance rather than having to confirm it in front of everyone else, mentioning God¡¯s token. I was about to stand up after organizing my thoughts when I felt dizzy again. Marquis Enesil held me as I was staggering, and asked in surprise, ¡°Lady, are you okay?¡± ¡°Ah yes. I just felt dizzy a bit. Thank you.¡± ¡°Are you sick? You look very pale.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks for caring about me.¡± I quickly left the ce, expressing my gratitude, and headed to the lounge. When I stepped into the lounge with the emperor¡¯s permission, who happened to be there, he looked back at me while he was tilting the mug. The crown prince, who was reviewing the paper that recorded the dialogue at the conference hall, also stared at me silently. Putting down the teacup, the emperor said, ¡°So, did you ask to see me?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± I took a deep breath and opened your mouth slowly. ¡°In fact, I just heard something. That was¡­¡± ¡°That was¡­? Just continue.¡± ¡°I think It¡¯s probably God¡¯s prophecy.¡± ¡°God¡¯s prophecy? What was it about? ¡± His blue eyes sparkled. The crown prince stared at me, with his deep navy blue eyes glowing. ¡°Well, it was something like < New buds sprouted from the roots of the dried life. The buds sprouting from the saltynd with the sea breeze will stretch the roots of new life toward the continent. Praise and rejoice the new birth. Worship the six roots of life>. Probably¡­¡± ¡°Does it mean the birth of a new High Priest? A saltynd with the sea breeze? It must be near the sea,¡± said the emperor with a nod. ¡°I feel the same way, Your Majesty. The six roots or the new bud seems to refer to the birth of a High Priest. I hear that their birth is usually revealed through God¡¯s prophecy.¡± ¡°Given the circumstances, it¡¯s certain. But it¡¯s strange. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s time for a generation change. Anyway, we can get more information when the temple contacts us¡­ Anyway, I think I know why you looked nk a little while ago. Did you hear God¡¯s prophecy then?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Got it. I was worried you might be sick. It¡¯s good to know you looked pale because of God¡¯s prophecy. Good job.¡± ¡°Thanks, Your Majesty. Then I¡¯ll go back first.¡± I politely showed due manners to them and got out. I was about to return to the conference hall, but I stopped by in a separate break room because I felt nauseated and dizzy. While I closed my eyes, something suddenly shed through my mind. Was this what the High Priest said? Before he left the empire, he told me that I might hear something in the near future, and that I should not be too surprised and calmly deal with it. But¡­ ¡®Ifso, he already knew I would hear God¡¯s prophecy soon. How can he know? Is there any way to know in advance that a new High Priest will be born? ¡® Of course, he may have already known that there would be a generation change, but as the emperor said, the time was not ripe for the change. In the case of the High Priest, there was a change of generation every ten years. It was seven years ago that the High Priest was bornstly. How much time passed? I was pondering over it for a long time when I heard the attendant¡¯s announcement that the test would resume. I stood up and headed back to the hall. When I entered the hall, I saw a wee person. A silver hairy knight who was talking with Marquis Enesil with a serious expression, tilting his long straight hair. He was my father, who I saw in about a month. ¡°Daddy!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Tia. Why do you look so pale? Are you sick?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You are not fine,dy. You almost fell because you felt dizzy a little while ago, right?¡± As Marquis Enesil exined, he asked me several questions, frowning hard. ¡°You are feeling dizzy?¡± ¡°Well, yes. I think I¡¯ve overworked myself these days.¡± ¡°Hmm, let me call a doctor after you go back home.¡± I felt ufortable because I worried him again. I was going to tell him my condition was not serious when the chief attendant announced the arrival of the emperor and the crown prince. The emperor walked with long steps and took his seat. He said, ¡°Lady Monique, your opinion is definitely good, but isn¡¯t your budget for the festival really too small?¡± ¡°For a normal year, I would have allocated the budget for some other purposes. But in many ces including the capital they are holding festivals on their own to celebrate the National Founding Day. I don¡¯t think you have to increase the festival budget in a situation where you have more imperative projects to use the budget.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± The emperor nodded without a word. Then, the door of the conference hall was suddenly opened. Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on it. I slightly nodded, looking at the messenger who just got in with an urgent message. It was clear that the messenger arrived to inform the emperor of God¡¯s prophecy. As expected, the man, who said he was from the temple, pulled out a neatly folded letter. The attendant who received the white letter from him approached the emperor and gave it to him carefully. Opening the letter, he had a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s consistent with what Lady Monique said.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°A little while ago, Lady Monique told me that she heard God¡¯s prophecy. It¡¯s exactly the same as this letter. It¡¯s God¡¯s prophecy that a new High Priest was born.¡± Everybody looked at me all at once. ¡®Oh My God.¡¯ I closed my eyes tightly. I told him separately to avoid drawing their attention. How could he ignore my intention like this? As I watched the pro-emperor feeling proud of me and the noble faction filled with raging anger, I felt heavy as if something got stuck in my heart. I felt nauseated again. I and my father were about to go back after the test was over, but the crown prince, ignoring Duke Jena, fully dissatisfied with the results, stopped in front of us, ¡°Marquis, can you see me for a moment. Lady Monique, too. ¡± ¡®Dang it! Just let us go home now!¡¯ Controlling my frustration, I walked after him with my father. As soon as he entered a special guest room, he called an attendant and said, ¡°Call the imperial doctor right now.¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°The emperor might have thought your condition was not serious, but I don¡¯t think so. I do think you are sick.¡± ¡°My Majesty, I¡¯m really okay.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to cheat on me. I¡¯ve been watching you for several years. Do you think you can deceive me?¡± I just don¡¯t know why they are making a big fuss when I say I¡¯m okay. I was feeling a bit dizzy, so it¡¯s not a big deal. ¡°Did you find it, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Examine Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Okay, Your Majesty. Is there something inconveniencing you?¡± Chapter 170 Chapter 170: Chapter 170 I sighed deeply, looking at the royal doctor who appeared immediately. But I thought I had better get his treatment quickly to get out of here. ¡°Well these days I feel stuffy on the inside and I feel dizzy when I stand up. I also feel nauseated when I smell something strong.¡± ¡°Do you have any other symptoms?¡± ¡°Well, nothing special.¡± ¡°I see.¡± With a nod, the doctor again, ¡°I will ask one more thing. Are you on your period now?¡± ¡°¡­ No. ¡± Period? As I was so busy, I forgot about it. Is it time to start my period? I don¡¯t think so. Before my return, I definitely started menstruation at the age of 16, so I think I have to wait more than a year, given my current age. ¡°What do you usually eat and how much?¡± ¡°Well¡­. ¡± ¡°She eats like a bird. And she enjoys vegetables rather than meat. ¡± I was surprised by my father¡¯s low voice. Come to think of it, I forgot that I was now with my father and the crown prince. How could I mention my period before them? Suddenly, I blushed. I felt embarrassed, meeting my father¡¯s navy blue eyes and the crown prince¡¯s sea-blues eyes fixed on me. ¡°Do you have enough sleep?¡± ¡°About three or four hours a day.¡± ¡°I see. Um, I think you¡¯re feeling dizzy and nauseated because of your overwork,ck of sleep and a light exhaustion.¡± ¡°An exhaustion?¡± I guess I overworked myself. Or maybe because it¡¯s hot. Although I felt their intense gaze at me, I turned my head, pretending not to have noticed it. ¡°I hear lots of youngdies go and see doctors for simr symptoms because it was so hot after the droughts. In such weather, you might have malnutrition or exhaustion, so you should eat well. Please eat plenty of water and fruits and increase your meals. You should also eat meat, let alone increase your sleep time. ¡± ¡°Got it,¡± said my father with a nod. As the doctor stepped back after bowing deeply, the crown prince, who was silently listening to his diagnosis, turned to me and said, ¡°Remember I told you you should not pick at food and eat a lot more? You must have been so hard on yourself as to look pale like this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d it doesn¡¯t hurt much anyway. I¡¯d like to take care of your health in person, but I think you will feel morefortable back home. So, please go back and rest. ¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Marquis, please go back today. Let¡¯s talk when youe to the ce. ¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± I sighed secretly at my father¡¯s nk look, but he didn¡¯t talk to me at all until we got back home, as if he was really mad at me. He closed his lips tightly and hardened his face. ¡®I¡¯m in big trouble!¡¯ As soon as I got off the wagon, I stepped into the mansion, following him. ¡°Come on, sir. Wee back safely. ¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, butler. Is everyone okay? ¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Good. Ah, starting tomorrow, make a new menu for Tia. Add a little bit more meat and increase the overall menu. Also make sure she empties the tes.¡± ¡°Okay, sir.¡± As expected, he ordered the butler to change my diet as soon as he got home. I slightly sighed. It¡¯s true that I was weak these days, so I seemed to have no choice but to do what my father told me. ¡°Hi, Tia.¡± ¡°Sein, Why did youe again?¡± ¡°Did you forget that I was learning fencing from your father? As he just returned from a long journey, I wanted to say hello to him.¡± ¡°Oh I see.¡± ¡°What is that expression on your face? Don¡¯t you believe me?¡± When I changed my clothes and entered the dining room, I saw an unexpected man. Carsein was wearing a ck uniform, apparentlying back from the pce. As always, he approached and put his hand on my head and stroked it. ¡°Hey, little girl, how did your test at the pce go? Did you humble Lady Jena¡¯s pride?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, it was so and so.¡± ¡°Did you forget to knock her down to size? You should have gotten even with her.¡± ¡°Sir Carsein, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°I am seeing you after a long time, sir. You must havee a long way back, sir.¡± Carsein, who had pressed my head, quickly lifted his hand from it and greeted my father. I sat down, pouting at him secretly, and watched a variety of food being served. ¡®I don¡¯t think Daddy wants me to eat this all.¡± I looked back at him earnestly, but he cut arge piece of meat and pushed it to me with a very determined expression. When I lifted the fork and the knife with an awkward smile, Carsein asked as if he was puzzled, looking at me and my father. ¡°Can you eat it all?¡± ¡°No, but I have to eat everything. ¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°It looks like her body has been so weak. On the way back home, she was examined by a royal doctor. He said she got exhausted because of her overwork and the heat. He rmended she should eat more meat and drink more water.¡± At that moment, Carsein¡¯s face suddenly hardened. His cold blue eyes turned towards me. ¡°Well, I thought you were overworking yourself these days. I told you to go easy.¡± ¡°¡­sorry.¡± ¡°Now, try this one, too. I have to check if you eat them all.¡± ¡®Out of the frying pan into the fire¡­¡¯ I couldn¡¯t eat the food my father gave me, but now Carsein was pushing the food to my side, too. I sighed at the tes of food that kept piling before me. ¡®How can I eat it all?¡¯ I tried to put down the fork and knife again and again, but I had to stuff food into my mouth because of the two men watching over me. Oh, I¡¯m full. I think I¡¯m going to get an upset stomach if I eat any more. ¡°By the way, how about your fencing skills? Any progress?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. it was very interesting. If I may say, I think the fencing skills of the Monique family are more suitable for me.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m d you like it.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. So, if you don¡¯t mind, may Ie back and learn more from you?¡± ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± While he was talking with my father, he constantly gave me food. My father might have spoken to him about fencing, but he just watched Carsein silently. With the two watching me, I had no other choice but to eat all the food they gave me. In the end, I had to empty the tes almost twice as much as I normally ate before putting down the knife and fork. As I was so full, I didn¡¯t want to eat one more bite, but Carsein steadily pushed pie towards me. ¡°How did the meeting go, sir? Did you have the results? ¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t tell you about it. Well, Duchess Lars is in charge of the first day of the three-day festival, Tia will host the second, and Lady Jena host the third day.¡± ¡°Oh I see.¡± ¡°Well, I think I have to stand on duty on the second day. So, can you be Tia¡¯s partner on that day? ¡± ¡°Of course. But on the second day, she is the host of the banquet. Can I attend it as her partner?¡± Looking at him silently, my father said with a faint smile, ¡°I believe you will do well.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir. I will try to meet your expectations. ¡± ¡°Thank you. Then let go upstairs. See you tomorrow. ¡± ¡°Yes, sir. see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Tia, it¡¯s time to go upstairs. Take a rest for the next whole week. ¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy. See you tomorrow. ¡± Carsein got up from the seat and bowed to my father. He giggled at me when I slumped after putting down the fork. ¡°You¡¯ll be fat like pig if you keep staying like that.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t care.¡± I shook my head. As I was full, I didn¡¯t want to stand up. Looking at me quietly, he teased me with a mischievous look. ¡°So full? Did I give you too little?¡± ¡°Too little? Do you think it was too little?¡± ¡°You usually eat too little. That¡¯s why you haven¡¯t grown tall, little girl.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Now, why don¡¯t we go out and take a light walk? You might get an upset stomach if you go to sleep like this.¡± He was certainly right. The thing was I didn¡¯t want to stand up. Watching me still hesitating, he giggled again and walked up to me. As he was pulling me with both hands, I had no other choice but to stand up. Chapter 171 Chapter 171: Chapter 171 Was it because it was hot outside? Although it was already September, the garden was full of white d flowers instead of the autumn flowers. The sky was dark without any starlight today, but it wasn¡¯t that dark around us because of the white flowers shining in the moonlight. I walked along the promenade in the middle of the garden with him, enjoying the sweet scent peculiar to d flowers. ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Can you host the banquet well on the second day?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°Good. Cheer up.¡± The wind blowing softly was cool. Was it because some of the heat was gone in the evening? I felt refreshed a little more than before. Some of my dishevelled hair from the lightly tied hair band scattered little by little, obscuring my vision. As I was thinking about tying it again, he reached out his big hands and tightened my loose hair. ¡®Uh, I know that!¡¯ I tilted my head, looking at the cufflinks on the sleeves of his white shirt that were revealed when he stretched out his arm. Ruby cufflinks iid with a rose shape:they were the gift I sent to him in return for the dress he gave me when I attended Jiun¡¯s wee banquet. By the way, these days, he only wears them. ¡°Sein, those are¡­¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean? ¡± ¡°Those cufflinks. You seem to wear them all the time. Do you like them so much?¡± ¡°Well, this is the first gift I received from you, right? So, I feel they¡¯re monumental.¡± ¡®Hum¡­Was it a first gift to you?¡¯ I unwittingly paused for a moment because I felt I was indifferent enough not to give him any gift until now, despite my long friendship with him. As if he noticed I was sorry, he said, dishevelling my neatlybed hair, ¡°Hey, look at your expression? Did you realize only now that you were indifferent to me?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Well, I thought you were too mean. Let bygones be bygones. I know you are indifferent to me all the time.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me a gift. Hope you can grow up fast.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± When I tilted my head, he looked at me for a moment and said, ¡°I mean, grow taller than now by eating more. Do you know how hard it is for me to talk to you at your eye level?¡± ¡°¡­I wish I could be taller than now, Sein.¡± ¡°You know what? It¡¯s because you¡¯re working too hard as you¡¯re still young. Take a break on this asion. Let me tell your father.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sick. My heart aches if you¡¯re sick.¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry to make you concerned.¡± When I whispered, he leaned forward and wrapped my cheek with both hands, then tried to stretch it both sides. ¡°Hey, you look ugly like that. Don¡¯t make that expression!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to grow ten years more than now if you want to make that gloomy and sad expression! Don¡¯t do it. If you do, let me give you much harder training than now. Got it?¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Only then did he smile and let go of me. I rubbed my burning cheeks, but he took me back to the front door and turned. Watching him disappearing quickly, I also turned and went inside. I went back to my room, washed and changed my clothes. Thanks to the walking, I felt much better,pared with a little ago when I couldn¡¯t do anything because I was full. When I buried myself in my soft bed, I broke into a smile. I felt so rxed after such a long time that I fell asleep before I knew it. How much time passed? I woke up because I felt something strange. My back felt stiff, I had a slight pain in my stomach and I felt wet. I frowned. I think I have never experienced this before. I reached out and lit a candle on the bedside. As I moved the candlestick closer to the bed, I noticed red stains on the white sheet. I couldn¡¯t believe it. Why did you start my period so early? In the past, my first menstruation began only after I came of age. Was it because I am more healthy now? After hesitating for a moment, I pulled the string. Lina appeared, rubbing her sleepy eyes and asked with a confused look, ¡°Oh, mydy, what are you doing at this time?¡± ¡°Well, LIna¡­¡± Even though she was my bosom friend, I felt a bit awkward when I tried to exin, so I just removed the nket and showed her the bedsheet. Lina, who was blinking, standing on the side nkly, suddenly cheered. ¡°Oh mydy! Congrattions! ¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You are now an adult! You were a little behind, so I thought you would start your first period aftering of age. How happy!¡± ¡°Oh, did you think so?¡± ¡°Yes, wait a minute.¡± She quickly went out and came back, with a sheet, new pajamas and a bunch of other stuff. I simply took a shower and changed my pajamas while she was tidying up the bed. While lying on the new bedsheet, I frowned a bit because I began to feel a pain in my stomach. ¡®Oh, it hurts. Something wet is also bothering me.¡¯ ¡°Do you have any pain?¡± ¡°Well, a little bit, but I can manage it.¡± I nodded. Though I had a bit of pain in my back and my stomach, I could endure it,pared with the past when it was so painful that I couldn¡¯t even raise my body in bed. ¡°What a relief. As you are so skinny, I was worried you might feel lots of pain.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Oops! I forgot to tell your father about it. He will be very happy. ¡± ¡°What? What are you going to tell him? Don¡¯t do it. Please!¡± I barely persuaded her, who was about to run to my father. When I recall the time when the royal doctor examined my body the other day, I still find myself embarrassed, with my face blushing. But the rumor seemed to have already spread because the maids brought me cookies and cakes, with smiles on their faces. I was embarrassed, but felt pretty good. I felt like my temper tantrums that I often had recently seemed to go away. ¡°Please eat more, mydy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m full¡­¡± ¡°Your father has ordered me to make sure you empty the tes.¡± ¡°Ah, okay. Let me eat it all.¡± After I pushed away from the abundant lunch table, I grabbed an embroidery frame for the first time in a long time. I was not sure if I could do it well because I hadn¡¯t touched it for a long time. After cutting out the fabric to make a white glove for a knight, I slowly embroidered it. A silvery longsword and a red rose, which was the crest of the Duke Lars family, as well as Caresin¡¯s initials. As I was bothered by what he saidst night, I decided to make an embroidery gift for him. Afterpleting thest letter of his initials, I stretched once. Perhaps because I was sitting for a long time, I felt my back hurt more. When I saw the finished glove, I felt a bit strange. Sword and rose? I never expected there would be a day when I would embroider this. Before my return, I had learned embroidery as part of my ss on the empress orientation. At that time, I was told I should focus on embroidering the crest of the imperial family, not caring about anything else, because I would join the imperial family. Because of that, I had never embroidered even the crest of my family. The crown prince didn¡¯t know it at that time, but I made all of his handkerchiefs with the golden lion emblem on a white cloth with tears and sweat, reflecting my wishes to be hisdy. I put my hand on a white cloth. I cut out soft cloth and threaded a gold thread on the needle. Even though five years have passed since I returned, I skillfully embroidered a golden lion on a white cloth. I took my hands off the needle only afterpleting the lion¡¯s pupil with blue threads and embroidering his initials with the colorful handwriting used by the imperial family. When I looked at his name glittering on a white handkerchief, I felt like I was thrown with cold water. Oh my god! What did I do now? Chapter 172 Chapter 172: Chapter 172 While sitting with a nk look, I closed my lips. Then I lifted the scissors and took it to the handkerchief. ¡°¡­ ¡± The two legs of the scissors ced over a white cloth trembled. My heart began to pound as I began to cut it down gradually. All I had to do was to give the scissors a little more push, but I couldn¡¯t clench my fingers. After hesitating for some time, I put down the scissors with a deep sigh. I got up and went to the next room. I opened the first drawer of the spacious desk and carefully put down the white handkerchief next to the letter file neatly ced. After looking at the stuff inside for a moment, I closed the drawer and headed back to my room. This time I thought of embroidering something for my father. I closed the door. ¡°Thank you so much for helping me, Frincia. I know it¡¯s hard helping the duchess preparing for the banquet. ¡°You¡¯re wee, Aristia. We are friends. ¡± ¡°Same to you, Beatrice. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°My pleasure, Aristia. I should thank you for giving me the chance to help you.¡± I weed three women in the parlour, feeling refreshed a lot as I had a good rest for the week after I started my period. Perhaps it was because of mying period that I felt frustrated and annoyed, but I felt much better. These days, my body also felt lighter, so I felt like I was walking on air. I had three weeks to go before the festival would begin. As I didn¡¯t do anything while taking a long break, I had to prepare for the banquet on the second day. I felt I wouldn¡¯t have enough time to prepare alone because I had to take care of my work as the knights captain¡¯s aide. After agonizing for some time, I invited the two women I could call a friend and another woman. Frincia, Beatrice, and ¡­ ¡°We are meeting for the first time, right? Hope I¡¯m in great hands, Lady Whir.¡± ¡°Thank you for inviting me, Lady Monique. You may confuse me with my sister, so please call me Grace, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Sure, Grace.¡± Originally, I wanted to invite Lady Genoa, namely Ilya, but I couldn¡¯t because she was so busy with preparing her wedding which was at itsst stage. So, after trying hard to find someone to rece Ilya as well as test her abilities, I sent a letter to one of the candidates for the crown prince¡¯s concubine that I had been searching for. Lady Whir, or Grace, had a good reputation in social circles. Frincia and I praised her highly as the crown prince¡¯s concubine. I smiled, looking at Grace bowing to me gently. Although I have heard rumors about her, this is the first time I saw her face to face. ¡®She is pretty!¡¯ Her well-formed features, reddish hair, dark brown eyes and a gentle smile. Overall, she had an impression that gave people good feelings. ¡°How are you going to host this banquet, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Well, the emperor is not likely to stay at the banquet for long, and the crown prince likes natural things¡­So, I would like to paint the walls and floors with light colors and decorate with fresh flowers that don¡¯t smell strong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, Aristia.¡± ¡°I think so. It¡¯s going to be beautiful.¡± The two former princesses were very familiar with this kind of banquet, so they had no problem understanding my point. Grace quickly understood, even though she had never done this before. I decided to invite her after taking into ount various things about her, but I felt she was a good choice. For a long time, I discussed lots of things with the threedies. For example, the dance songs to y on the day, the type and color of fresh flowers for decoration, the patterns and colors and sizes of fabric to be used as tapestry, and the types and quantity of food and drinks. Besides, as the host of the banquet on the second day, I had to consider the time that would take for me to refurbish the banquet hall as the guests already used it on the first day. ¡°Then, you can do it this way¡­¡± ¡°As for the types of fresh flowers, I think I can tell Entea to bring them here through her traders. But the rest of the stuff needs to¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s solve it one by one, Aristia. First of all, why don¡¯t we call the musicians to coordinate the music program tomorrow, and bring the chefs to solve the food issue the day after tomorrow?¡± ¡°That sounds good. By the way, as a token of my appreciation for you, I would like to give you the dresses for the banquet as a gift. Please think of it as an expression of my little sincerity and ept it. ¡± ¡°Oh, thank you, Aristia.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lady Monique.¡± I smiled slightly at Frincia, Beatrice, and Grace who was brightly grinning at me. I spread out a rough sketch of the entire banquet hall and worked with them to create an overall harmony and iron out the details of the banquet. I was very satisfied with their discerning judgment, which confirmed the rumors about their good reputation in social circles. How much time passed? When we were done drawing the basic frame of the banquet, it was already getting dark. We all sighed a weary expression. Blinking her light purple eyes a couple of times, Frincia asked, ¡°By the way, Aristia, are you also participating in the inspection ceremony?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry if I gave you the impression that I¡¯m getting preferential treatment, but I was fortunate not to attend because I was so busy preparing this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Even now, you are snowed under with work. I think you might copse with exhaustion if you attended it,¡± said Beatrice, nodding at Frincia. ¡°I wonder if Lady Jena nned that inspection ceremony with Aristia in mind. Everyone knows that Aristia belongs to the knights group. How can you imagine Aristia attending the inspection ceremony while she is busy preparing her own banquet? If she decides to attend, she might neglect the preparation, but if she doesn¡¯t attend, she will be certainly talked about in social circles.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you can rule out that possibility. Based on my experiences of meeting Lady Jena in social events several times, she is far from a pushover.¡± When Grace said that, Frincia put down the teacup and opened her mouth with a smile, ¡°Hmm, the crown prince is definitely an excellent man, but he is not kind to women. I just don¡¯t know why she wants to be his wife so much? Oh, sorry, Aristia. I think I¡¯ve brought up an embarrassing topic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, Frincia. You don¡¯t have to worry that much. ¡± ¡°Nheless¡­ Aside from me and Beatrice who are already married, Aristia and Grace, what type of man do you like? I mean as your spouse.¡± As soon as Frincia said that yfully to change the topic, Grace was excited, with her blue eyes sparkling, and turned to me. I lifted the mug, turning my eyes from her who was staring at me curiously. Grace, who smiled softly at me pretending to be indifferent, said first, ¡°Well, I may look like a snob, but I like a man who is verypetent and high in the noble hierarchy. It would be better if he is ambitious.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course, it would be good if we were in love, but since he was born into a noble family, he would be more likely to marry for political reasons¡­I don¡¯t have any intention of going down to the local estate and living there. I also don¡¯t want my children to suffer because my husband doesn¡¯t have a hereditary title. That¡¯s why I want to marry someone who has a title and works in the central government.¡± While I was feeling tired and drowsy, I suddenly came to my senses hearing that. At that moment, my eyes met with Frincia¡¯s, who looked at me. As the next duchess who has lots of influence in social circles, Frincia said she would help me as a friend, saying she heard from Duke Lars about my conversation with him. Obviously, she and I read the same thing in Grace¡¯s shiny light purple eyes. Nodding at Frincia slightly, I smiled at her who was also smiling at me. Finally, I have found the right concubine for the crown prince to check Jiun! Grace was beautiful, a daughter of the nobleman with the pro-emperor faction and ambitious. It remains to be seen howpetent she was, but she looked like the right candidate, given the way she handled her job today. Chapter 173 Chapter 173: Chapter 173 As it was already dark, I saw them off after promising to see them tomorrow. Then I came back to the room and wrote down a gist of my discussion with them untilte at night. After writing for a while, I stretched because I felt stiff in my back. At that moment I noticed something on the other side of the desk. Three gold-colored envelopes. I sighed, looking at them stacked side by side. They were the letters from the crown prince after I was examined by the royal doctor. As I was so busy that I couldn¡¯t reply, he inquired after me in each of the letters. Was it because I felt jammed up inside? Although I had so much work to do, I couldn¡¯t finish writing it down quickly because I couldn¡¯t recall all the details of my discussion. I sighed again. I had no time to idle away like this. At that moment, I felt something tapping my feet. Now, the silver cat, much bigger than before, was looking at me with her golden eyes sparkling. ¡°Do you want me to y with you, Luna?¡± After hesitating for a moment, I leaned forward and hugged Luna. As I was less and less efficient, it was not a bad idea for me to take a little rest. While rubbing my blurry eyes, I was surprised that my room was already bright, so I looked out the window. The sun was starting to rise. ¡®Gosh, if my father knew, I¡¯ll be scolded again.¡¯ That¡¯s why I looked so nk. When I realized that I stayed up all night, I suddenly felt very tired. I jumped into the bed with Luna in my arms. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep together, Luna.¡± The silver cat running on the bed excitedly looked at me ruefully when I buried my face in the pillow. I pulled her into my arm with a smile as she began to tap me again. Even though she was much bigger than before, she was still small enough to be held in my arms. I pushed my face into her soft hair. Starting tomorrow, I¡¯ve got stacks of work to do. ¡°Hey, you are looking more and more pale these days, Tia. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Hi, Sein.¡± ¡°You looked okay for a while, then why? Take it easy. ¡± ¡°Well, three more days to go. I¡¯m going to have a good rest after the festival.¡± When I blinked my stiff eyes several times, a young man who was anxiously looking at me came into my view clearly. I got up with a sigh when Carsein walked toward me and took away the files I was reviewing. Was it because I worked without letting up for the past 15 days? I felt exhausted again. Pounding my chest as I felt dull and gloomy, I headed for the cupboard. I think I overworked myself because I was preupied with handling my job perfectly. I called a maid to bring me some hot water, then took out the rose flower, rose hip, and hibiscus box from the cupboard. I had six cups of tea per day these days. ¡°Do you want to have tea, too?¡± ¡°No thanks. You know, it¡¯s still hot outside.¡± ¡°Really? Okay.¡± When I put the box down and reclined on a soft chair, Carsein, who came next to me and sat down, put his hand on my forehead. At that moment, a sword and a rose embroidered on white gloves came into my view, so I unwittingly smiled. ¡°What? Why are you looking at my gloves?¡± ¡°Do you like them?¡± ¡°Um? Of course.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m d to hear that. Let me make another one for youter.¡± ¡°Really? My little girl, you¡¯re making my day today.¡± He brightly smiled at me, stroking my hair. Shortly afterwards, the maid put down a cheesecake and a kettle with hot water. She came back much faster this time. Obviously, my scolding the other day paid off. I mixed the rosehip fruit, rose flower and hibiscus well and brewed it for a long time. Then, I poured it into the mug. When I sipped tea blended with the sweet and sour taste of rosehip and the sour taste of hibiscus, my mouth was watering before I knew it. I cut a slice of delicious cake and handed it to Carsein. I cut a small piece with a fork and put it in my mouth. When I was enjoying the taste of the cake melting in my mouth, I suddenly felt nauseated. What¡¯s the matter with me? I hurriedly lifted the mug and filled my mouth with red tea. Even though I drank a cup, my stomach turned, so I poured tea again into the empty cup. Only after I had the second cup did I stop feeling nauseous. ¡®Strange. Was the cheese too greasy?¡¯ When I looked at Carsein to see if he was reacting the same way, he already emptied a te of cake and put it down. Staring at me for a long time, he looked puzzled. ¡°Were you so thirsty? Why did you drink it so quickly?¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± I hurriedly stopped speaking. I had only three days to go before the festival banquet. If I say I don¡¯t feel well when I have so much work to do, my father or Carsein will obviously force me to take a rest. ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t know why I drank tea so fast.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you are knocking yourself out preparing the banquet and doing other things.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± My head was pounding. As I slowly blinked my heavy eyelids, Carsein giggled and pulled me, so I could lean my head on his shoulder. ¡°Sein?¡± ¡°Take a nap for a minute. Let me wake you up a littleter.¡± ¡°Really? Oh thanks. Please wake me up,¡± I nodded and closed my eyes. No matter how hot it was, he should wear a uniform and he was not supposed to spray any perfume as a knight, so I could not smell any fragrance from him, but I could find warmth that always made me rxed andfortable. How much time passed? I opened my eyes in surprise. ¡®How long have I been sleeping? When did I lie down?¡¯ When I got up from the bench, my ck jacket fell off. The red-haired young man who was sitting across me,ughed when I picked up my jacket and looked around. His sparkling blue eyes stared at me. ¡°Did you have a good sleep, Tia?¡± ¡°How long have I been sleeping?¡± ¡°Well, about four hours.¡± ¡°Really? Oh my god! I have a lot of work to do. Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I took care of your work.¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± When I looked at him curiously, He rose from his seat and came to me, presenting a bunch of documents. ¡®You were done handling all this? No way.¡¯ I double checked each of them, just in case. However, as I handed over the papers one by one, I was more and more surprised. After confirming that he processed thest page of the document, my eyes jumped up. Chuckling at me, he sat down next to me and snapped his fingers lightly on my forehead. ¡°Are you surprised? You must have underestimated me, given your strange look. Right?¡± ¡°Well, sorry. I thought you were not interested in paperwork. ¡± ¡°Did you already forget which family I am from? I learned the basic administrative work of the knights¡¯ groups. Of course, I didn¡¯t dig into that too much because of my brother. I don¡¯t like paperwork, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t do it at all.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Well, in the case of my family, I¡¯m the only one who has to learn everything including the administrative work. But it¡¯s customary in most noble families to educate other immediate descendants of their families to a certain level just in case. Given that Carsein was an immediate member of Duke Lars, who took themander post of the knights division from generation to generation, he must have gone through that process, and as a result, it was natural that he mastered the administrative work of the knights division. Nheless, I found his excellent job amazing. Carsein and documents? What a mismatch! ¡°Do you still think I¡¯m weird because I¡¯ve made short work of it?¡± ¡°Well, I just feel this kind of paperwork seems unsuitable for you.¡± ¡°Are you messing with me now?¡± He smiled yfully and waved his fists. ¡°I think your job today is done. Shall we go back? I think my sister-inw Frincia must be waiting for you earnestly.¡± ¡°Okay. When I was getting up, I stopped for a moment because I felt dizzy again. At the moment, my legs were wobbly. When I was keeping my bnce by holding the chair back, he looked back at me and asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you sick?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. I think I¡¯ve been sitting too long. I think my legs were wobbly for a moment.¡± ¡°I prayed you could be an adult as quickly as possible, but you are regressing? Do I have to teach you to toddle from the beginning?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Chapter 174 Chapter 174: Chapter 174 ¡°I¡¯m kidding. Are you really okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay now. Let¡¯s go.¡± Catching my breath, I smiled at him casually. But I feltplicated deep down. What¡¯s wrong with me? I feel like my condition is worse than before. I¡¯m not going to make a big fuss over this now. Thinking I would have to see the doctor after the banquet, I walked with Carsein. The first day of the National Founding Day festival I was trotting on a horse in the streets of the capital. As I had to go to the central square on horseback, I was wearing a riding jacket. Was it because I am not yet familiar with the side saddle? My body unwittingly shook often. Although it was already into the tenth month of the year, the sun was still zing down in the afternoon. It was extremely hot in the streets of the capital, with the sun beating down. My body was hot even though I wore elbow-length gloves and a hat to prevent sunburn. I took a deep breath to slow down by pulling the reins of Sylvia trotting with her silver mane fluttering away. I was jammed up inside due to the hot air. The crown prince, who was riding a white horse beside me, said, looking back at me, ¡°Hey, you really look pale. Are you still sick?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty. I felt a bit awkward as I haven¡¯t sat side saddle for a long time ¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°By the way, is it okay for you to leave Lady Jena alone?¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been solved by the emperor. So, don¡¯t worry. ¡± As Jiun¡¯s proposal was epted at thest conference, the three regr knights of the capital held a parade on the first day of the festival. They agreed to march from the front gate of the Imperial Pce to the capital square, then hold an inspection ceremony in front of the crown prince who would attend on behalf of the emperor. Except for a handful of personnel, most of the Royal Guards and all of the 1st and 2nd Knights Divisions were supposed to participate in the ceremony. Originally, only the crown prince was expected to attend it, but the emperor, who suddenly convened a political meeting yesterday, ordered me to participate in the ceremony, ignoring Jiun. What else could strengthen my status as the prince¡¯s bride better than appearing with him in front of the people in the capital? That¡¯s why the nobles who heard his order strongly resisted, but he rejected them for three logical reasons. First, in the present situation where the people were confused by Jiun¡¯s appearance, it was necessary to calm them down by putting a stop to the rumors. Second, they should not forget the fact that Lady Monique was still the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. Lastly, if Jiun¡¯s qualifications were verified and she was finally chosen as his bride, they could correct the process then. When the emperor presented these reasons, the disgruntled noble faction remained silent. Although I didn¡¯t know the reason exactly, Duke Jena and Jiun didn¡¯t object as I expected, which was surprising to me. That¡¯s why I was riding side by side with the crown prince in the middle of the knights marching to the capital square after leaving the Imperial Pce. ¡®Anyway, this is really a spectacr parade!¡¯ Although my head was spinning like a top when I thought about the troubles, the scene before me was so nice that I could put aside any anxiety for a while. At the front of the procession the riders were marching with the gs of the 1st Knights with a red border on a ck background, embroidered with the emblem of a roaring lion symbolizing the imperial family. Following the riders, the members of the 1st Knights, who were dressed in uniforms with red swords with red tassels on their waists, rode horses in exact intervals. Behind the 1st Knights, the riders carrying the gs of the Royal Guards with a golden border on a white background, marched in line, followed by the guards dressed in white uniforms with ceremonial swords with golden tassels. Under their escort, the crown prince and I were riding side by side. Behind him and me, the riders holding the gs of the 2nd Knights with silver borders on the navy blue background and the 2nd Knights wearing uniforms and ritual swords with navy blue and silvery tassels were marching in columns. The spectators shouted with exmations, amazed by the riders and knights marching at the exact intervals and disciplined posture like one. ¡°Glory to the Empire!¡± ¡°Loyalty to the Lion!¡± ¡°May the Castina Empirest eternally!¡¯ There were numerous crowds on the streets of the capital to see the parade of the regr knights¡¯ march as well as the imperial family¡¯s march that they could hardly experience in a lifetime. Among them were peddlers selling drinks and food, little children on their fathers¡¯ shoulders waving their hands, young women looking at the knights with envy, lovers with their arms folded tenderly, senior people rubbing their bleak eyes to see the next ruler of the empire, crowds pushing and pulling each other tightly, and the security police knocking themselves out controlling them. Cheers from the crowds resonating through all the streets right after those who shouted the slogans first Although my head was spinning like a top, I smiled with a gentle smile and waved my hands towards them because it was the purpose of my mission to follow the crown prince. ¡°¡­Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t the marching guys really beautiful?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I was worried that the damage would be severe because of the continuing disaster, but I am so d to see them full of hope and vitality. Of course, what they are showing now may not be necessarily true.¡± Of course, they are not. If there is light, there is a shadow. Even if they were overflowing with joy on the surface, they might be sad and gloomy deep down. Given their happy and optimistic expressions, the people apparently survived the harsh summer this year. Although I felt dizzy and breathless because of the zing sunlight, I smiled softly as I felt gratified for some reason. Then, with a brighter expression, I waved my hands toward the cheering crowds. Therger of the two central zas in the capital was in the noble district. Because they needed as much space as possible for the knights¡¯ parade, the government opened the noble district to themoners only today. Therefore, the central square in the noble district was already crowded withmoners. When the procession arrived finally, shouts of exmations broke out among the packed crowds. If the security police had not controlled them to a separate space, there would have been no ce for the knights to enter. The 1st Knights, centered around the riders holding the gs, gathered in half and spaced apart on the left and right. The knights drew the ceremonial swords with red tassels flying and put them in front of them with the swords pointing up. Escorted by the Royal Guards, I and the crown prince passed through the 1st Knights saluted by raising the swords. Holding his hand, I got off the horse and climbed onto the tform. When I saw the two chairs ced side by side in the shade installed to hide the intense sunlight, I unwittingly let out a sigh. I knew this would happen, but I couldn¡¯t help it anyway. When he was seated in the left seat, the Royal Guards, divided into several columns, surrounding the head tables in severalyers turned toward the crowds. Shortly afterwards, the 2nd Knights in blue uniforms on the left side and the 1st Knights in ck uniforms on the left side lined up in columns, leaving arge space between them. With the great fanfare, the riders holding the colorful gs stepped forward. The riders holding the gs of the 1st Knights, mixed with ck and red, riders holding the gs of the Royal Guards, mixed with white and gold-colored, and riders holding the navy blue gs of the 2nd Knights marched, intersecting their gs. Although I felt sorry for their sweat and toil during their hard practices, I was fascinated by the feast of beautiful colors created by the colorful gs. Triangr and square gs drew colorful patterns as the riders moved along. The awnings on the head table fluttered by the wind caused by the moving gs. Lastly, the riders who turned toward the head table raised their gs toward the prince to show due mananers and returned to their respective ces. ¡°All hail!¡± There was tremendous cheering from the crowds around them. ¡°What a spectacr scene!¡± ¡°It really is, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Why do you look gloomy?¡± Chapter 175 Chapter 175: Chapter 175 ¡°In the past I would have just enjoyed it, but now I am a knight like them, so I can¡¯t enjoy it fully, when I think about their hard efforts to make this possible¡­ Sorry, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°I see. Like you said, they must have practiced a lot in the heat for this ceremony today, ¡± he said with a faint smile, ¡°Are you sorry that you didn¡¯t join the parade?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty. I¡¯m stillcking in many ways, so if I had participated, I would have caused them trouble.¡± ¡°If so, just enjoy it. If you think about their hard work, you should enjoy it as much as possible. ¡± He was right. I nodded, focusing on the spectacr scene before my eyes. As the riders took their ce, the knights in the rightmost row of the 1st Knights Division pulled out their swords all at once. Their ceremonial swords with all kinds of decorations shined in the sunlight. When I admired their tranquil posture on horseback as if they were standing on the ground, they began to turn their swords, creating various mysterious shapes. Everybody held their breath at their dazzling skills. Shortly afterwards, the knights in the second row from the right pulled the swords to join them, followed by those in the third and fourth rows. Whenever the knights were added, the square was more and more shrouded with sparkling lights of their swords. ¡°Wow! ¡± They eximed spontaneously. Despite such arge number of knights, there was no error in their motion. Making geometric patterns with the beautiful silver rays beaming at the tip of their swords. they finally showed due manners by erecting their swords in the middle of their bodies. The 2nd Knights¡¯ sword skills were also spectacr. The swords of the 1st Knights shed silver and red rays,bined with the red tassels, while the 2nd Knights¡¯ swords made a bunch of blue and silver rays in the sunlight. When their disy of splendid swordsmanship was over, the knights standing at the very end of both knights divisions turned behind those lined up and headed for the exits. When those lined up on both sides of the exits pulled the reins, the horses cried, raising their paws all at once. There were again spontaneous exmations of admiration from the crowds. The knights who turned the swords once gorgeously passed through the aisles and approached the tform facing the head table and lined up. When they lifted the swords before the crown prince and went back to their ce, the crowds broke out in apuse. When all the knights finished marching once, the riders crossed the aisle and stood up again in front of the crown prince to salute. They apuded again. When the riders returned, the Royal Guards who lined up in front of the tform pulled out the swords from the left in order to salute the crown prince. When they saluted by lifting the swords, this time, those on the right put the swords back into their sheaths first. When they turned the swords splendidly and put them back in order, the crowds apuded here and there. When thest knight sheathed the sword, everybody turned their eyes at the tform where the crown prince was seated. Looking around once, the crown prince got up slowly and reached out to me. I looked at him for a moment, then put my hand on his hand gently. When I was about to get up from my seat, I felt dizzy again. Oh please, no! I tried to keep my bnce, but in the end my legs were wobbly. The moment I staggered, he tightened his grip on my hand. I managed to stand upright, relying on his hand holding me tight. Did I barely save my face? With a sigh of relief, he smiled quickly. Then I stepped forward with him and waved to the crowds. ¡°Glory to the empire, loyalty to the lion!¡± ¡°Glory to the empire, loyalty to the lion!¡± After the knights shouted loudly, the crowds packing the square also cheered. While listening to their slogans and cheers for a long time, he raised his right hand silently, still holding my hand tightly with his left hand. The noisy square quickly became quiet. ¡°Glory to the great Castina Empire! Today is the 963th anniversary of the founding of the empire. On this auspicious day, I, Crown Prince Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina, would like to issue an order. Every knight who participated in today¡¯s ceremony will be given a month¡¯s sry and ten days¡¯ vacation leave. Glory to the empire! ¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Resounding shouts broke out among the knights lined up at intervals. I smiled gently, watching them shouting for joy. How wonderful! They must have felt tired all over as they had to practice the inspection parade, in addition to their tough training in the sweltering weather. As such, the crown prince¡¯s special recognition of their hard work could not be the most wee news to them. After calming down their excitement by raising his right hand, he continued, ¡°Also, during the festival days let me temporarily lower the tax rates for themercial transactions in the capital to 1.5%.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡± Long live the crown prince! ¡± ¡°Glory to the Empire!¡± This time apuse broke out among the crowds filling the square. I smiled again this time, but in a different sense than before. His announcement a moment ago perfectly fit his personality. He wanted to win the people¡¯s hearts by lowering the taxes, and maintain the national revenues by promoting consumption. From the perspective of the empire, it was a good policy because it didn¡¯t reduce the revenues. From the point of view of the people, they weed the lower taxes. So, his actions cut both ways. Of course, he could not turn to this way often because of the very low tax rates in the empire all the time. After looking at the cheering crowds, he turned around. He continued to hold my hand while he went down the tform and stopped in front of the ck horse. ¡°Please get on first.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hurry up. They are watching us.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty.¡± As I grabbed his hand and climbed onto the horse, numerous people focused their attention to me. While trying to look calm, I swallowed a sigh. That¡¯s why I tried to climb myself. I didn¡¯t want their attention. He already got on the horse and came next to my side. As the riders took the lead, the 1st Knights Division first started to march out of the square. After they went out, the Royal Guards drove the horses while escorting him and me. Arge apuse once again broke out among the crowds when the knight disappeared from the square. When their cheers went down some timeter, he looked back at me and asked with a small voice, ¡°Are you really okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Your face is very pale. Besides, you almost lost bnce a while ago. ¡± ¡°Sorry, Your Majesty. I worried you as I was careless at the moment.¡± ¡°I am not saying this to me you, as you know,¡± he said with a sign as if he was frustrated, with his navy blue eyes staring at me, ¡°Didn¡¯t you overwork yourself to prepare for the festival banquet? The royal doctor clearly said you should take a good rest, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Your Majesty. I didn¡¯t overdo it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re always saying you¡¯re okay when I ask you.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry. ¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Surprised by the crowds¡¯ shouting, I turned my head. As if his decision to lower the taxes already spread to the general public, people who lined up on the left and right shouted in praise of the imperial family, regardless of age or gender. When he waved to them with a smile, they cheered more loudly. I was short of breath because of the sweltering sun. Besides, big shouts here and there a louder shout broke out. I was getting short of breath in the hot air. I suddenly had a headache because of their thundering apuse. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t frown. I¡¯ll be there at the Imperial Pce pretty soon. ¡® I pressed my chest with my hand holding the reins and drove the horse. When I almost fell off the horse, feeling dizzy after arriving at the pce, he said with a firm voice, holding me tightly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t let you go like this. You had better not attend today¡¯s banquet. ¡± Is it okay if I don¡¯t attend the banquet on the first day? Given that I should prepare for the banquet on the second day, I would like to take a break, but I felt somewhat sorry for my absence on the first day. Chapter 176 Chapter 176: Chapter 176 I tried to refuse his offer, but I couldn¡¯t say anything when I noticed his cold gaze at me at the moment. Looking at me hesitating for a moment, he said with a deep sigh, ¡°You should prepare for the banquet on the second day, so let me tell them you are absent because of my order. So, just go back and take a good rest.¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks so much, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Thanks for your hard work today. See you tomorrow. Sir Lank, Sir Strah, escort Lady Monique to her house.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± I mounted a horse with a sigh, watching him turn back, escorted by the royal guards. ¡®I really don¡¯t know what to do. I will work it out in one way or another.¡± Escorted by two knights dressed in white uniforms, I turned the horse¡¯s head to my house. The sun was unusually hot in the afternoon. Clink! A sharp sound rang out in the banquet hall where soft music was ying. I managed to control my crumpling expression at the sound and turned up my trembling mouth slightly. ¡®Is it the third time already?¡¯ While pressing down my surging annoyance, I asked for the understanding of thedies who were talking with each other. As soon as I took a few steps off, I heard several people whispering among themselves as if they found it was funny. Carsein already appeared before me and said, ¡°Is it the third time? It seems like he was determined to do so.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°What are you going to do about him?¡± ¡°Well, I have to cope with it.¡± Staring at me nkly, he nodded and reached out. ¡®I can solve it on my own¡­¡¯ With a sigh, I put my hand on his. Anyway, since my partner today is Carsein, I thought it would be good to move around with him. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Sorry, Lady Monique. I made a mistake because I didn¡¯t realize Lady Lanier was standing behind me.¡± The servant, who was leaning forward to pick up pieces of ss scattered on the floor, apologized. I felt really annoyed. ¡®Mistake? No way! Lady Lanier stood right behind you on purpose.¡¯ Those who were in charge of chores at the Imperial Pce were usually senior or middle-level servants, so they must have beenmoners. That¡¯s why he felt he had to apologize, even though he was not responsible. I turned to the woman with sandy hair who was looking at her dress, at a loss what to do. Watching her embarrassed, I unwittingly broke into a smile. ¡®Oh, you are quite good at disguising yourself! Why don¡¯t you try ying an actor on this asion?¡¯ ¡°Lady Lanier, your dress was ruined. What a pity!¡± ¡°I know, Lady Monique. It¡¯s my favorite dress¡­The servants here are very careless today. The banquet started only a little while ago. I don¡¯t know how manydies ruined their dresses.¡± Although I was dumbfounded by her spitting out lousyints, I barely managed to make an apologetic expression instead of frowning. ¡°I am sorry that your favorite dress was ruined. Let me report this guy¡¯s mistake to the pce affairs bureau. By the way, I think you need to change first. Let me tell a maid to escort you to a guest room.¡± ¡°Fine. Let me tell my maid to do so. I¡¯m afraid your maid might make the same mistake as the servant. Excuse me then.¡± She roughly bowed to me and quickly disappeared. I once again suppressed my surging annoyance. I unwittingly tightened my grip on Carsein¡¯s hand. I recited the words ¡®Let me be patient¡¯ deep down, and said to the servant, who was lowering his head, ¡°Were you injured at all?¡± ¡°¡­ No, mydy. Sorry.¡± ¡°If you were not wounded, that¡¯s good. Whew! Be more careful next time.¡± Fortunately, it seemed that he understood what I was trying to talk about. I turned around, who kept bowing to me as if he was moved by my kind encouragement. When I let out a deep sigh, Caresein looked at me regrettably and said, ¡°It looks like you¡¯re very frustrated. What can you do about it? You can¡¯t leave this ce. Why don¡¯t you go to the lounge for a short break?¡± ¡°No. I have to tell the chief servant and chief maid to be more careful. ¡± ¡°I really can¡¯t understand why they are acting so mean. Why are they ying dirty?¡± said Carsein. I agreed to him, who was shaking his head as if he couldn¡¯t believe it, then ordered a servant to bring the chief servant and the chief maid to me. At that moment, several young men approached me and Carsein hesitantly, checking our expression. When I looked at them with a bright smile, a young gray-haired man stepped forward and said, ¡°Hello, Sir Carsein, Lady Monique!¡± ¡°Um, you must be Gray, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m. You remember me,¡± he said, brightening his face at Carsein¡¯s appreciation. ¡®Is he Viscount Gray¡¯s son?¡¯ When I was thinking about it, five or six young boys around me suddenly said hello to me. Gray asked Carsein first, ¡°There are rumors that you¡¯re learning the fencing skills from Marquis Monique directly. Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Oh, I see why you are called a genius of swordsmanship. I heard that the fencing skills of your family are also very difficult. Now you¡¯re trying even to master the Monique family¡¯s fencing skills¡­¡± I noticed the gray-haired man looked at Carsein with envy. Suddenly, I was puzzled, ¡®Is the Lars family¡¯s fencing swordsmanship difficult?¡¯ Looking back at me when I looked puzzled, Carsein giggled, then replied to the young man. ¡°Why? Because Marquis Monique is really a great swordsman. Individual fencing is important in swordsmanship by nature, but the master should have superior capabilities, too.¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± I knitted my brows, not caring much about these young men who were nodding to Carsein¡¯sments. ¡®Is Carsein telling them that he is excellent enough to teach me fencing?¡¯ I didn¡¯t want to deny that he was a very good teacher, but I felt a bit upset. I really had a hard time trying to catch up with his coaching. At that moment I noticed the chief servant and the chief maid approaching me. After seeking their understanding, I got out of the ce. And I asked the two to pay special attention and double check where the interior decoration was alright and whether drinks and food were sufficient for the banquet. I slowly looked around the banquet hall. Crystal chandeliers lighting up brilliantly, cream and light sky-blue curtains with geometric patterns on the doorway to the balcony, tapestries with the embroideries of the empire-building process and achievements of the first emperor across the wall, flowers decorating the dining tables, and a woman with light purple hair standing in front of the table. Wait a moment. Light purple? ¡®Oh my, she is Lady Hamel!¡¯ I moved away from her hurriedly, not knowing what kind of trouble she might cause this time, but it was alreadyte. Touching her forehead as if she felt dizzy, she deliberately stepped on the tablecloths that hung on the floor and fell. At that moment, a terrible sound rang out throughout the banquet hall. God, this is too much! I bit my lip and hurried to the scene. But she fell so adroitly that she emerged unscathed from the messy floor where there were broken sses, the spilled drink, and lots of food. ¡®How mean you are!¡¯ Suppressing my raging anger, I barely controlled my expression. Then I approached her who was standing up with the help of a young man from the noble faction, and asked with a worried voice, ¡°Are you okay, Lady Hamel?¡± ¡°Oh, Lady Monique, I am very sorry. I suddenly felt dizzy.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯m d you were not injured, thought.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you felt that way. I was almost hurt a lot because of the tablecloth that was thrown down to the floor. Besides, I was so surprised. ¡± I was going to give her a piece of mind when she was trying to ridicule me, giggling at me, when somebody suddenly came in between her and me. She was Jiun who raised her ck eyes foreciously. ¡°The way you speak to her is so rude, Lady Hamel. Apologize to right away. ¡± ¡°¡­ Lady Jena.¡± When Jiun shouted at her with an angry voice, she raised her head as if it were unfair. But I saw something like ridicule in their eye contacts, apparently aimed at me. ¡°Whew!¡± I closed my eyes slowly and opened them. I found deep anger surging from deep down. ¡®So, you are going to get on my nerves?¡¯ Chapter 177 Chapter 177: Chapter 177 I caught my breath, barely controlling my surging anger. As I was dumbfounded by their provocative actions, I couldn¡¯t even speak easily. ¡°Why don¡¯t you apologize to her right now?¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Sorry, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s fine. As you were surprised, why don¡¯t you take a break?¡± ¡°Please do, Lya. Come with me to the lounge. I can¡¯t stay with you for long because the crown prince will be waiting for me, but he will understand my brief absence, I guess.¡± ¡°Oh no, Lady Jena. How can I keep the crown prince waiting for you? I¡¯m fine. So, please go and join him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. He is not such a narrow-minded man. Come on. Lady Monique, see you next time.¡± I stared briefly at Jiun, who was disappearing, supporting the other woman. Then I told a servant and a maid, who came to me hesitantly, to clean up the messy floor and change the tablecloth. I also had them bring food and drinks again. When I took a few steps after coping with the situation, this time an old man with gray hair stopped me. Dang it! Why are they all annoying me like this? ¡°¡­ Hello, Duke Jena. ¡± ¡°What a noisy banquet!¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you control this kind of trifling stuff?¡± When Duke Jenna clicked his tongue, several members of the noble factionughed aloud. Putting up with a swift surge of anger deep down, I left the ce after bowing to them slightly. I thought they were going to make a mockery of me for some time, but they let me go without bothering me. I felt a bit suspicious about it, but I couldn¡¯t figure out their motivation. I wanted to get some fresh air outside, but I couldn¡¯t because I was the host today. While I was thinking about going to the balcony instead, a servant came to me carefully and bowed, giving me a ss. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It was sent by the crown prince.¡± ¡°Really?¡± When I looked at the ce where the servant kept looking, I noticed the crown prince talking to several nobles suddenly turning toward me. Watching me for a while, he nodded. ¡®Oh, I see. This is from the crown prince.¡¯ ¡°Go tell him I¡¯m very grateful for it.¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± Was it mixed with honey? When I drank a cool drink with a sweet taste, I felt a little better. But I still felt blue with my spirits sagging. Why is the banquet so long today? Before my return, I hosted a lot of banquets, but I had never felt stressed out as much as today. I was literally absent-minded, dealing with the youngdies of the noble faction trying to get on my nerves, checking if the banquet was going on well and trying to appease the youngdies of the pro-emperor faction who seemed to fly off the handle at the very slightest thing. ¡°Tia, you are here. I¡¯ve been looking for you for a while. ¡± ¡°Hi, Sein!¡± As I was so tired, even Carsein looked blurred in my vision. I blinked nkly. I didn¡¯t think my condition was so bad like this, even though I knew I was exhausted from overwork. When I was trying to stand erect, pulling myself together, Caresein asked seriously, ¡°Ugh? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Your face seems to be drained of color. What happened?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been working too hard today. Nothing new to you.¡± He suddenly stopped while trying to reach out to my forehead. Conscious of others around him, he went back to his role as my partner and reached out to me. As soon as he lightly put his hand on mine, he said, surprised, ¡°Why are your hands so cold? I think you have overworked yourself until now. You must be sick, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­ You know, Sein. ¡± ¡°Yes, tell me.¡± ¡°In fact, I¡¯m having a hard time right now. I¡¯ve managed to endure it up to now, but I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong. Maybe it¡¯s because I have feltid back as the banquet is about to end.¡± His face hardened when he noticed me trying to keep my bnce. He said firmly, ¡°You better go back home and call a doctor. You can¡¯t keep your body under control like this.¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why not? Do you know you are breaking out in a cold sweat right now? And your face looks so pale.¡± ¡°Well, I really can¡¯t. I am the host of today¡¯s banquet. As I was absent from yesterday¡¯s banquet, my acquaintances and supporters here seem to be in a difficult position.¡± ¡°Hey, are you kidding? You can¡¯t afford to be worried about them!¡± I¡¯ve never seen Carsein getting angry with me. Trying to catch my breath, I said with a croaky voice, ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, Sein. Just help me.¡± ¡°How stubborn you are¡­¡± ¡°Please, Sein. There¡¯s less than an hour left before the banquet ends. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Carsein, who didn¡¯t reply for some time, nodded with a deep sigh. ¡°Okay. Okay, go home as soon as it¡¯s over. Let me ask my sister-inw to clean up. ¡± ¡°But¡­ ¡± ¡°If you refuse this, I¡¯m going to carry you to the wagon and send you home. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­Okay, let me listen to you, Sein. Thanks. ¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve never seen a woman as stubborn as you.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± An hour seemed longer than a day to me. Carsein stood by me and supported me all along. He not only stopped young men from the noble faction from trying to find fault with me, but also dissuaded the pro-emperor faction members from approaching me senselessly. And finally an hour passed. When I heard the attendant announcing the end of the banquet, I felt so good with a great rxation. I asked Frincia to take care of the cleanup with a feeble voice and went home with Carsein¡¯s help. As soon as I went into my room, I threw myself on the bed and fell asleep right away. ¡°Mydy, would it be okay if I don¡¯t tell your father about your condition?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I¡¯m pretty sure he will be worried about me if you do.¡± Was it because my fatigue from a heavy workload had umted or was it because I felt rxed as the banquet was over finally? The next morning I could hardly move on the bed even though I was awake until Lina came in to wake me up. I couldn¡¯t get up because I was so weak and felt dizzy. I barely persuaded Lina not to when she told me she would report to my father about my condition right away. I didn¡¯t have to keep him worrying about me when I couldn¡¯t take a breakfortably. Today, I was supposed to attend the banquet as the crown prince¡¯s partner, so I could not avoid it just because I am sick. While lying in bed, I was lost in thought. No matter how much I worked, I thought there was something wrong. I felt dizzy or nauseated sometimes, but my physical condition at the banquet yesterday was certainly not normal. Even now I didn¡¯t feel okay. I thought about it a few days ago, but somehow I thought I should call a member after the banquet today, so I pulled the string and called Lina. ¡°Lina, can you bring me some hot stones? Bring a cup of tea, too.¡± ¡°Got it, mydy. Even if you can¡¯t call the doctor today, you should tomorrow. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll report to your father right away.¡± ¡°Sure. I will do that. ¡± ¡°You promised me, okay?¡± ¡°Okidoki.¡± After hugging a hot stone, Iy on the bed untilte in the afternoon. When it was time to attend the banquet, I barely got up from the bed. My face reflected in the mirror was very pale and looked gloomy, so I made my makeup a little darker than usual, then headed for the pce with a heavy heart. ¡°¡­ It looks like you were hard on yourself yesterday. ¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think you can hide your condition by making your makeup darker like that.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s because I¡¯m a little tired.¡± ¡°Hmm, if you¡¯re really tired, please let me know right away. As you are weak, I hope you won¡¯t get exhausted.¡± When I lowered my head a bit, embarrassed that he already noticed my condition, he said after remaining silent for a moment, ¡°I really liked the banquet yesterday.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Several people seemed to have forgotten the purpose of the banket as they were preupied with thepetition, but you coped with the situation very well. You did very good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so grateful if you feel that way. By the way, yesterday¡­¡± Chapter 178 Chapter 178: Chapter 178 Present V ¡°Your Majesty, it is time for you to enter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After getting off his butt, he reached out to me. I stopped what I was trying to say and put my hand in his carefully. Thanks to his grip on my hand, I could stand up rather easily as my body felt heavy. I was afraid I might feel dizzy again, but fortunately, I only felt short of breath, but didn¡¯t feel dizzy. ¡°The Little Sun of the empire, Crown Prince Lublis Kamaludin Shana Castina and the Moon of the Future, Aristia Pioneer Monique, are entering the hall!¡± When I entered with the protocol officer¡¯s announcement, I discovered that the banquet hall was significantly different from yesterday. Unlike yesterday, when the banquet hall was decorated with bright and light colors, it had a strong contrast of colors today. All the doors to the terrace were decorated with purple gray curtains, and ordingly, the walls also had tapestry embroidered with the cloths of the same color and ck fabric with gold thread and red thread. The tablecloths for food and drink were red, and there were statues of the former emperors wrapped around with purple and red cloth in every corner of the banquet hall. My eyes popped up, impressed with the very strong color. He looked around and said in a low voice, ¡°My eyes are sore already.¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°As you know, I hate bold colors. ¡± ¡°Ah¡­. ¡± Of course, I knew that. I nodded at his disgruntled voice, then trembled. I only nodded a bit, but why do I feel so dizzy again? What¡¯s wrong with me? Suddenly, I felt anxious for some reason. Am I really okay? ¡°How about dancing to just one song. Can you?¡± ¡°¡­Sure, I¡¯m fine. Your Majesty.¡± Okay, I can dance to one song. As the first tune is a slow beat, I can make it if I move my body slowly. Making a smile as if I was alright, I headed to the dance floor. I was nervous, but fortunately the dance song that started ying was a slow beat. With a sigh of relief, I moved as he led. I looked down as I felt ufortable when he stared at me, but the moment I saw the hem of my blue dress circling, mixed with his white dress, I began to feel very nauseous. Oh, no. I quickly raised my head. As if he took my bad condition into ount, I slowly danced as he led me, leaning on him. The moment I was almost relieved of nausea, the climax of the dance song began to y. I was supposed to let go of his hand and turn three turns to the left, then turn back and forth in the opposite direction. ¡®I just need to hold on to this.¡¯ Biting my lip, I let go of his hand. One turn. My head was spinning. Two turns. People were ovepped in my vision. Third turns. My vision was blurred. I barely controlled my staggering body by taking another step. ¡®Let me hang in there just a little more.¡¯ Clenching my teeth, I turned in the opposite direction. ¡®Now I just need to turn back¡­Please. ¡® One turn. I heard a buzzing sound in my ear. Two turns. The world was spinning like crazy. Third turns. My legs suddenly became wobbly. ¡®Oh please¡­! ¡® I felt blood flowing from my tightly clenched lips. I copsed in his arms when he held me, stunned. ¡°Aristia!¡± ¡°Sorry¡­Your¡­Majesty¡­¡± As soon as I barely said that, I cked out before I knew it. I opened my eyes. What happened next at the dance floor was all hazy. Where am I now? I tried to raise my body, but I couldn¡¯t as if I was pressed against something. I felt like it was not my body. Even though I blinked slowly, everything around me was still blurry. I could barely see the string through my blurry vision. I tried to reach out and pull it as much as I could, but even that wasn¡¯t easy. I was short of breath when I tried to pull it in vain several times. Whew¡­ Catching my rough breath, I traced my jumbled memories. Why am I here? I was definitely in the banquet hall yesterday. I danced with him despite my dizziness, and I bit my lip to hold out to the end with all my might, and¡­ Oh my God! Did I fall in front of the crown prince at the official ball, where I attended as his partner, and that on thest day, the most important of the three days? Stunned, I tried to raise my body, but I screamed silently at the terrible pain all over my body. I could hardly breathe as I was so hurt. Did somebody hear me moaning? I heard someone approaching me in a hurry. I could vaguely see him in my blurred vision. He hugged me urgently, pressing me to his chest with a strong force. ¡°Oops!¡± Only then could I breathe as my windpipe was opened. While I was gasping for breath, heid me on the bed cautiously and put a ss of water to my lips. I coughed when the liquid flowed through my dry throat. ¡°Now, have you recovered your consciousness?¡± ¡°¡­ Daddy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Daddy. Can you recognize me? ¡± Why is my vision so blurred? I blinked my eyes over and over again, but I could not see him clearly, only with his silver and navy blue uniform ovepped in my vision. I suddenly felt scared. ¡°Daddy¡± ¡°Yes, honey.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see well. What¡¯s wrong with me? Why?¡± ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s because¡­¡± My father, who was silently tapping my back, said in a subdued voice, ¡°It is because you overworked yourself. You will get better if you take a break.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°¡­Of course. Would I lie to you?¡± I see. I felt like I was missing something, but I couldn¡¯t think any more because I felt dizzy. I closed my eyes and leaned on his arms in afortable position. I was feeling drowsy while he was stroking my hair carefully. ¡°Daddy?¡± ¡°Okay, honey.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sleepy.¡± ¡°¡­ You were too hard on yourself until now¡­ Take a good rest. Don¡¯t worry as I am here with you.¡± His whispering faded away and I was slowly getting into the unconscious world, wrapped in his warm embrace. How much time passed? I woke up at the noise of something around me. I unwittingly frowned my brows because of my stinging head. What the heck is this? Why is it so noisy? ¡°What did you say now?¡± I stopped at my father¡¯s familiar voice. Daddy¡­? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir.¡± ¡°Get away right now¡­! ¡± Why is my father so angry? Did something go wrong? I barely got up and picked up a cup of water on my bedside. When I gulped down the bittersweet water, my throat suddenly hurt. Cough, cough. My cough kept breaking out, but I barely caught my breath and spat out one word, ¡°Daddy?¡± ¡°Cure her right now!¡± ¡°Well, it is really¡­¡± ¡°Daddy?¡± When I tried to speak as hard as I could, his angry tone suddenly stopped. He was silent for a moment, then he walked toward me quickly. ¡°Oh, you are awake now.¡± ¡°Yeah. By the way, you just mentioned treating somebody, right?¡± ¡°¡­Well, that is¡­¡± Although I couldn¡¯t recognize his expression clearly because of my blurry eyes, I clearly felt he was hesitating in front of me. I said, putting my hand on my heart, which was starting to beat anxiously. ¡°It¡¯s me who has to be treated, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Tia. ¡± That¡¯s why I felt bitter when I drank the water a moment ago. Was medicine mixed with water? The more I talked with my father, the more I could clear the fuzz out of my head. Thanks to that, I remembered more clearly what happened at the banquet yesterday. At the banquet hall on the second day, my condition was getting worse rapidly. Even now, I couldn¡¯t recover fully even though I got enough rest. My condition was not good at some point, but I didn¡¯t take it seriously because I thought my body was a bit strange. Something was strange. Although I overworked myself in the past, I didn¡¯t feel bad enough that my vision became blurry. As I worked all night everyday, I got used to it, so I was in good shape until I entered the pce. But several dayster I felt dizzy, I was out of breath and hazy in my head. Back then, I just thought my condition was bad like now. But I couldn¡¯t think like before because of my father¡¯s serious reaction and my bad condition. Then, is there only one thing left to cure me? ¡°Was I poisoned, Daddy?¡± Chapter 179 Chapter 179: Chapter 179 ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Please tell me, Daddy.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I expected that¡­¡± I broke into an empty smile. Poison, poison? Just as I thought the pro-emperor faction couldn¡¯t touch Jiun because of God¡¯s possible punishment, I thought that the noble faction couldn¡¯t touch me because I could hear God¡¯s prophecy. I felt I let my guard down too early. ¡°Can the doctor neutralize it?¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°It looks like he can¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­ Currently, I¡¯m trying to catch the mastermind, and the emperor ordered them to find the High Priest and bring him to the pce.¡± ¡°Even if you catch the criminal, there is no guarantee that you can get an antidote, so it¡¯s probably the best policy for me to stick it out until the High Priest arrives.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± He smiled bitterly. Compared to the past, my physique improved a lot, but I wondered if I could hold out until the High Priest came. ¡°Did you discover who was the suspect?¡± ¡°The maid who served you at the 1st Knights¡¯ Division.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± She was the maid I scolded for her sloppy job. When I asked her, she was alwayste. I unwittingly let out a sigh. If so, the reason that the crown prince sent me a set of silverware teacups was because he wanted to prevent this kind of danger in advance. I should have paid more attention to his motivation, but I didn¡¯t because I was absent-minded. If I had discovered it earlier, I would not have gone through this. ¡°Did you find out who ordered the maid?¡± ¡°¡­No, because the maid has already been killed.¡± ¡°As expected¡­¡± I broke into a bitter smile. What should I do now? If I can¡¯t find the mastermind, I wouldn¡¯t be able to raise my head before the emperor. It is impossible to punish the suspect with circumstantial evidence. I needed decisive evidence, but it was impossible because the maid was already killed. At that moment, something came to my mind suddenly. ¡®Oh yeah, I knew it.¡¯ ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m not so sure¡­ but maybe we could find the mastermind.¡± ¡°Really? How?¡± ¡°On the second day, there was an attendant who gave me a soft drink. He said the crown prince sent it to me, but I think we need to double check.¡± ¡°Got it. Let me check him out immediately.¡± As if the medicine didn¡¯t take effect any more, I was feeling a loss of energy rapidly. I hurriedly spoke to my father, who was standing up. ¡°Daddy.¡± ¡°Um?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was sick like this¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. So, just focus on regaining energy and getting better,¡± he said with a hoarse voice. I nodded, looking at him leaving the room. After burying my hazy head on the pillow, I fell deeply asleep. I woke up at the strange feeling over my body. Someone was touching my face. His warm fingers touched my forehead, then came down gently and stroked my cheeks. The moment I tried to open my eyes in surprise, I stiffened at the cool scent from the man who adjusted his posture. ¡®Is it the crown prince?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s the first time you haven¡¯t avoided my touch.¡± My eyshes trembled at his whispering. Yes, he really dide to me. How did he get here? ¡°I didn¡¯t want to see you sick like this. You are so cruel to me. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to see you so pale again. What¡¯s the matter with you? I want to know why you hate me, but you know I can¡¯t even ask because you might be freak out again?¡± My heart became heavy when he sighed deeply as he was frustrated. I knew at some point that his attitude toward me was prudent and cautious, but I didn¡¯t know it was because he felt that way. ¡°Forgive this selfish man who couldn¡¯t tell you I would free you, though I knew you ended up being in this situation because of me. Currently, I¡¯m looking for the High Priest. So, stay alert and in good heart until then. Please.¡± He put his hand on my face cautiously, took off the hair stuck to my face and swept it over the back of my ear. I felt goosebumps and curled towards his soft hands as he touched my cheeks. My heart skipped a beat for fear he might notice I was awake, but fortunately, he got up with a sigh. The sound of his footsteps faded away, and the door was closed. I tossed and turned on the bed for some time because of confusion before taking a catnap. But I woke up again when somebody shook me cautiously. ¡®Who is it this time?¡¯ When I blinked my blurry eyes, someone helped me raise my body. His voice was familiar to me. ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, Sein!¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve spoken to you.¡± When I leaned my upper body on several pillows stacked against the bed, I felt something cold touching my lips. He held my hand tightly when I flinched. ¡°I was told it¡¯s time you took medicine, so I asked toe here. You have to swallow it even if it tastes bitter. Got it?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I gently put the cup to my lips and drank the bitter liquid. The poison was taking the turn for the worse, the dosage of the medicine was gradually being increased. When I shuddered at the bitter taste, Carsein hugged me silently. Something reddish shimmered in my blurred vision. ¡°Your body is cold.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I responded slowly. That¡¯s why I missed his warm chest. When I lifted my sagging arm and wrapped his back, he tried to make me feel warm for some time, then said, ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You must survive. Please.¡± ¡°Yes, I will. ¡± ¡°Good.¡± He carefullyid me on the bed and pulled a thick nket over me, then swept my hair dishevelled on the pillow. Feeling his gentle touch, I was again sucked into the darkness I was ustomed to. I was in deep sleep now. I found myself more and more sleepy everyday. Now, even after taking the medicine, my mind didn¡¯t clear. I felt somebodying and going in my room, but I could not see anything. It has been a long time since I could not see, and I could hardly hear at some point. All the senses that existed in me were gradually disappearing. Day after day, I took medicine when somebody woke me up, then fell asleep. It was even hard for me to realize where I was, who I was talking to, and what I was saying. I was gradually dying in the middle of time when I couldn¡¯t even know whether I was alive or not. Then one day my senses also began toe back gradually. Thanks to this, I could hear somebody calling me clearly. ¡°¡­ mydy.¡± I had to recall what it meant. What does ¡®mydy¡¯ mean? Obviously, it refers to the noble family¡¯s daughter. Why is he looking for her here? Am I a noble¡¯s daughter? Who am I? Oh, I am Aristia La Monique. The daughter of the proud Marquis Monique family. Oh, if so, is he calling me now? Who is the man calling me repeatedly? Whose voice is it that I seem to have heard from somewhere? I cautiously opened my eyelids, which I had closed because I couldn¡¯t see anything at some point. Although my eyes were still blurred, my vision was much clearer now. Something white came into my view. sh. White waves came to me, making a rustling sound. sh. A human figure appeared in my vision. sh, sh. Whenever I lifted my eyelids, the cloudy fog surrounding me was cleared away. When the thick and dark fog finally cleared, a man shining white in a clear world came into my vision. ¡°Now, you seem to have recovered your consciousness, Lady Monique. I¡¯m sorry foringte.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Eminence.¡± His white hair hanging down to the ground, transparent green eyes, and mysterious voice echoing into the air were familiar to me. The one who is loved by Vita, and one of the six High Priests in the whole continent. He was the High Priest that I met before. ¡°Have youe to your senses, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± While I tried to raise my body in a hurry, I almost fell because my arm that was supporting my body copsed. Someone came to support me quickly. Something like red threads scattering in the air caught my eye. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t get up yet, Tia.¡± ¡°¡­ Sein.¡± Chapter 180 Chapter 180: Chapter 180 ¡°He¡¯s right, mydy. Don¡¯t get up yet. You should take a good rest for a while. ¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°If you insist, let me give you a pillow, so you can lean on it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­Thanks, Sein. ¡± Carsein helped me lean against several pillows, then pulled up a thick nket and covered me. Tilting my head, I looked at Carsein because he looked different up close. With his neatly trimmed hair, deeper eyes and sharp aura, he was very different from the old him that I used to know. Has something happened to him while I was in bed? When I looked at him again suspiciously, Carsein, who was tidying up the nkets, asked, tilting his head to the side, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Tia?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. By the way, where is my father ¡­? ¡± ¡°He¡¯s still in the Imperial Pce. He ising back soon. ¡± ¡°I see.¡± When I answered with a subdued voice, Carsein, who looked at me silently, said to the High Priest, ¡°Your Eminence, why don¡¯t you take a short break? I think you had better exin what happened since you arrived here after her father arrived.¡± ¡°Sounds good. As her poisoning has been neutralized, I think I can take a break. See you a littleter, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± When the High Priest disappeared, Carsein approached me carefully, sat at my bedside and put his hands on my cheeks. At that moment, I felt his hands suddenly hardening with a twitch. ¡°Sein, what¡¯s wrong?¡± He murmured as he hurriedly pulled me hard. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your cheeks feel warm¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­Sein.¡± ¡°What a relief! I feel so relieved now. It¡¯s so fortunate that you received treatment before it was toote¡­¡± When he kept reciting the words with a hoarse voice, I lifted my wobbly arm and patted his back slowly. Initially, I tasted bitter for some reason. If I had hurriedly called for help when I felt something was wrong, I would not have ended up in this situation. I thought I caused trouble to many people around me because I took my condition too lightly. Carsein, who had been burying his face in my shoulder for a long time, carefully disengaged me from his chest and stroked my cheeks gently with hisrge hand. ¡°Never again¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I thought I could never see you again, Tia. I thought I couldn¡¯t hear your voice. ¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry.¡± ¡°So, don¡¯t be sick, Tia. Please! I don¡¯t want to see you sick anymore. ¡± ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t be sick.¡± I felt heartbroken when he looked at me with tearful eyes. He stopped when I was trying to lower my head out of a sense of guilt, and said in a subdued voice. ¡°Don¡¯t feel that way, Tia. You know it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve seen each other like this.¡± ¡°¡­Sein.¡± ¡°I missed you a lot, Tia.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± When I barely smiled at him, he looked a bit rxed. At that moment, I heard somebody knocking on the door. Shortly afterwards, Lina stepped into the room and said, bowing to me, ¡°Marquis Monique has juste.¡± ¡°Oh, let me go downstairs, so please take care of thedy. ¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Carsein.¡± Watching him giving her instructions casually, I was dumbfounded because I didn¡¯t know he was close enough to instruct her like that. As if he noticed me gazing at him, he smiled slightly at me and walked out of the room, saying that he would escort my father here. Lina approached me cautiously and looked at me crying. ¡°Mydy, you¡¯ve regained your consciousness! What a relief. I¡¯m so happy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lina. How have you been?¡± ¡°How can I keep well when you are sick? You have been lying in bed so long.¡± ¡°Well, what month is it now?¡± ¡°It is the twenty-first day of thest month of 963 by the imperial power.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± When I fell, it was the third day of the tenth month. If so, has almost three months passed since I fell? How about the political situation for the past three months? What about my instructions to my subordinates? What about Jiun? Suddenly, my head was pounding. When I moaned, putting my hand on my forehead, she hurriedly helped me keep my bnce, and said, ¡°Are you okay, mydy? Should I bring the High Priest right away?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m okay. He will be back here any minute.¡± ¡°But your condition is¡­¡± ¡°If I feel I can¡¯t stand it, let me call him.¡± ¡°Got it. Then, before your father arrives, I¡¯ll wash your body a bit. Please wait.¡± Then she came back a littleter with a basin full of warm water. She wiped my face and body with a wet towel, then washed my disheveled hair. Lastly, she changed my sweaty nightgown and gave me a mirror with a proud expression. I looked at myself reflected in the mirror. My face, which I saw in three months, seemed very pale, but it was not bad as I just washed. I let out a sigh. As I¡¯m seeing my father after a long time, I didn¡¯t want to show him my haggard look. ¡°Oh, I look better. Thanks, Lina.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, mydy.¡± Lina, who smiled softly, went out with the basin. A littleter a man stepped into the room. He was none other than my father. ¡°¡­It¡¯s been a long time, Daddy. ¡± ¡°Yes, honey¡­¡± His haggard face and trembling navy blue eyes. I could feel how concerned he was about me when he held my hands tightly. When I smiled brightly, he pulled me to his chest silently. I rubbed my cheeks like a child, with my face buried in his strong chest. ¡®I missed you a lot, Dad. I¡¯m so d I can see you again like this.¡¯ ¡°Oh, you look a lot better than before, mydy,¡± said the High Priest yfully, entering the room. I pulled my body from my father¡¯s arms and bowed to him. ¡°You have saved her life, Your Eminence. I don¡¯t know how I can repay your help. Thanks so much.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. I could have arrived a little earlier, but something unexpected took ce¡­ I am very sorry for Lady Monique,¡± he said, sitting down after adjusting his long robes. His long white hair was dazzling. ¡°Oh, I¡¯d like to greet you again. May the blessing of life be with you. I¡¯m Secundus, the second root of Vita. ¡± ¡°Ah¡­. It looks like another High Priest seems to have returned to Vita.¡± ¡°Strictly speaking, that¡¯s not true. Well, I¡¯ll talk to youter. It¡¯s top secret.¡± ¡°Pardon? Ah yes.¡± Tell meter? If it¡¯s a top secret, isn¡¯t he supposed to say he can¡¯t tell me? I looked at him suspiciously, but the High Priest smiled slightly and said nothing. ¡°Since the Spear of the Empire is here, let me exin to you. Well, Lady Monique has been poisoned by two different agents.¡± ¡°Two?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Originally, chanting a charm to neutralize the poison is intended to drive away the harmful energy in our body, so it is not umon to know exactly what the poison is. Fortunately, I have experienced this specific poison before. As the royal doctor said the same thing, I think it¡¯s almost certain.¡± ¡°What kind of poison¡­?¡± At my asking he said with a serious look, ¡°I need to confirm one thing first, mydy. If you take this poison for a long period of time, you feel dizzy and very much nauseated. You feel jammed up on the inside, you are out of breath often and your mood is up and down often, For example you suddenly get annoyed or angry at the slightest thing. Is that correct?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, exactly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what this poison is all about. I think you were sick because of this poison. Your poisoning was not that much, but when the poison in your blood increased over time, it threatened your life. The frightening thing about this poison is that it will ruin a woman¡¯s body if she continues to consume small amounts for several months. ¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± My heart sank at that. No way¡­ Is the ominous sense I have right now really being realized in front of me? My eyes turned to my father. When I saw him frowning in agony, I tightened my grip on the nket unconsciously. ¡°If you take this poison, your womb will dry out. ordingly, it is difficult to have a baby or to give birth to a baby safely. In a word, it means that you would infertile. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Suddenly, one thing came to mind. In the past, when I lost his baby miserably, I asked the royal doctor nervously. I felt like I was falling into hell, hearing the doctor saying he was sorry, with his head down. Chapter 181 Chapter 181: Chapter 181 I was so sad and empty. Rather than being sad about the fact that I lost his baby, I was desperate because I realized that I could never win his love. I strained my eyes at this shocking diagnosis by the High Priest. My fists holding the nket trembled violently. What did the High Priest say a moment ago? If I took this poison for a long time, what would happen to me? Dizziness, nausea, poor breathing, and soaring irritation. When I felt these symptoms, I thought I suffered from these symptoms because I overworked myself. Although the High Priest continued to paraphrase, I was not listening to him anymore. I retraced all my memories rted to these symptoms like crazy. Come to think of it, I often passed out or felt dizzy because I was weak, but always managed to control my feelings. It¡¯s only a few months after I became the empress that I suffered from these symptoms of poisoning, or I often became angry and annoyed! ¡°Oh my¡­¡± I thought the reason I felt those symptoms was just because I felt resentful for his failure to care for me, and because Jiun kepting to me and annoying me. I thought the reason I had miscarriage was because I overworked myself and I was weak since I was inherently weak. Now, it was possible that the real reason was that I was poisoned. I was speechless and dumbfounded. I often broke into an empty smile. As all these things had happened in the past, I had no way to confirm the truth, but I shuddered at the mere thought such a possibility existed. ¡°Tia, Tia? Come to your senses!¡± said my father. ¡°Oh, I guess she was shocked by what I said now. Are you okay, Lady Monique?¡± I barely pulled myself together at my father¡¯s anxious calling and the High Priest¡¯s words. . As the shock gradually subsided, I came to think of what happened rationally. ¡®Let me put this aside for now. I still shudder at the mere thought of it, but what¡¯s more important is the present than things of the past that you can¡¯t confirm.¡¯ I looked at the High Priest earnestly and said with a trembling voice, ¡°Then, can¡¯t I have a baby?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Well¡­Marquis, do you know that your wife had also been poisoned before?¡± ¡°Really? My mother? ¡± ¡®What the heck is he talking about?¡¯ I felt a little woozy at that. When I helplessly blinked at his shocking remarks, my father said with a sigh, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. Your mother was also poisoned.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± ¡°At that time your mother discovered wayter that she was poisoned. At first, her symptoms were not so noticeable, and it was difficult to detect it because it was a rare poison. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°When I realized she was poisoned, it was alreadyte. If the High Priest hadn¡¯te, your mother would probably have lost her life. ¡± I now know why it took seven years for my mother to give birth to me after she got married to my father. As I heard she was not in good health, I thought she got pregnant btedly. When I let out a sigh, the High Priest turned his head and said, ¡°If you think about her survival, I think Lady Monique will be able to survive, but I am not so sure because her case is different from your wife. So, I can¡¯t guarantee anything.¡± I felt like my hope seemed to vanish. Suddenly, I was breathing roughly. I closed my eyes to turn away from the dark reality. However, the High Priest¡¯s voice rang more clearly. ¡°I mentioned two types of poison. I already told you about one of them. The other poison worked as an agent that increased poisoning when she had it steadily. Otherwise, your mother could not have such severe symptoms.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, what about me? ¡± ¡°Um, to be honest, I¡¯m not sure. If you had been poisoned a lot, you would have already lost your life before I arrived here, let alone your infertility. Before I left the empire for a long journey, your mother came to my mind frequently, so I kept praying blessings for you. Given that, I think you survived¡­¡± I see. When I thought about how I could have survived for the past three months, I now know it was because I received the High Priest¡¯s repeated blessings. But if I had been poisoned severely, I could have survived in one way or another. But what about the possibility of me oveing infertility? Though I was so nervous, I tried to calm down and expressed gratitude to the High Priest who kept avoiding my eyes. ¡°I see. Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. I could have arrived here much earlier if that guy named Lanier had not obstructed me¡­.I am really sorry for you, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Lanier? Did you mention Lanier?¡± When I asked nkly, my father said, ¡°Don¡¯t you know it? The servant who served you a soft drink had been killed, but I found out that Earl Lanier was the mastermind of this incident. He is now under investigation for his other crimes.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I recalled the man with sandy hair who took issue with whatever I said at the recent conference. I also recalled his daughter who was sarcasticallyughing at me on the second banquet of the National Founding Day festival. If Earl Lanier was the culprit, it was clear who was behind him. The bridegroom candidate for his daughter was none other than Duke Jena¡¯s grandson. ¡°¡­Lady Monique?¡± ¡°¡­ Ah, yes, Your Eminence.¡± When I awoke from my idle thoughts, the High Priest said, slightly bowing his head, ¡°You must be very tired as you got up from the bed. I think I stayed here too long. As I told you the gist of what happened, let me take my leave today. Have a good rest.¡± Bowing slightly, the High Priest stood up. My father also stood up and said, looking back at me, ¡°Let me escort the High Priest. So, take a rest.¡± ¡°Yes, Dad.¡± I sighed deeply, watching the two walking out of my room, What the High Priest said a moment ago was hovering in my ears. Earl Lanier, was he the culprit? Suddenly, I couldn¡¯t help butugh. I knew Duke Jenna made a scapegoat of Earl Apinust time. This time he obviously tried to get away with this murderous plot by making Earl Lanier the scapegoat. When I recalled that stubborn old man, I thought of another face. Before my return, she always smiled brightly at me. But she was burning with hostility that I couldn¡¯t understand at all. Did Jiun also take part in this murderous scheme? The Jiun that I remembered was not such a woman. But when I think about her now, I couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility altogether. Besides, her foster father is none other than Duke Jena! Suddenly, I was consumed with surging anger. I got angry not only with them who ruined me by using all kinds of dirty tricks, and myself who was toocent when I was clearly aware that they were looking for every chance to harm me. When did you be stupid like this? How could I forget what kind of society I was living in? Protecting myself to avoid being entangled with the imperial family and setting the fox to keep the geese waspletely different, but I had been ying into the noble faction¡¯s hands, preupied with avoiding fate like a fool. I closed my eyes, erasing the old man with purple eyes and the girl with dark hair from my mind. First of all, it was most important to recover my health. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Baron Carot. How have you been? ¡± ¡°How can I keep well, knowing that you were sick? How fortunate it is that you are alright? I¡¯m so relieved to hear that.¡± ¡°Thank you. Hmm, is this all I asked for? ¡± When I said that, pointing to the stack of documents, the middle-aged man with gray hair nodded with a worried expression. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re being hard on yourself as you have just recovered your health. I hope you can review the documents after you get better¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fit as a fiddle now. Besides, I can¡¯t go to sleep when I think I have not replied to those who sent me these terrific gifts three months ago.¡± When I said that with a smile, the baron said, sighing as if he couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°¡­ Okay. Then, I¡¯ll be on standby, so if you need anything to instruct me, please let me know.¡± ¡°Sure, I will. Oh, I¡¯m sorry I forgot to appreciate your help. Thanks for caring about me. I also want to thank you for taking care of my request.¡± Chapter 182 Chapter 182: Chapter 182 ¡°You¡¯re wee. I just did what I was meant to do.¡± The baron, who politely bowed his head, sat down on the opposite side. Looking at the face of this loyal family vassal for a moment, I picked up the top of the document on the stack. ¡®Let me see¡­ Earl Lanier is the only one who contacted the servant who handed me a drink at the banquet hall and the maid who served me at the 1st Knights Division.¡¯ I smelt a rat. There had to be a document that contained the details of his deal with Duke Jena. Of course, in principle, such a document is supposed to be burnt right away the moment it is read. Was it possible for him to leave no record at all while dealing with Duke Jena who was very good at shifting responsibility to others? If I were in Lanier¡¯s shoes, I would certainly hide some documents for a deal with himter. ¡°Well, Baron?¡± ¡°Yes, mydy. Please go ahead.¡± ¡°Do you think Earl Lanier has any ce to hide confidential documents or a hideout?¡± ¡°We, I¡¯m actually looking into that. So far I haven¡¯t found anything like that yet. As soon as I find it, I¡¯ll let you know immediately. Let me stop here today. You look very pale.¡± As he noticed me wiping cold sweat, he had a very worried expression. ¡°Let me check out one more person because I really should know about her.¡± ¡°Phew, got it.¡± Iughed bashfully at the baron who sighed and picked up the document about Jiun. All kinds of information about her were there. For example, she frequently contacted people at the temple, she went to the pce to approach the crown prince, and she was especially kind to the pce affairs officials. What¡¯s most surprising was the fact that she frequently met with ranking nobles, not content with controlling the youngdies from the noble faction. How is that possible? No matter how high the possibility of her bing the crown prince¡¯s bride was, how could she win over their hearts in only three months as people who valued their pedigree more than anybody else? While looking over the details about her, I noticed a simple paragraph. I unwittingly smiled, reading it. ¡®She is now buying muslin in bulk?¡¯ I recalled reminding Entea about it when I met her recently. ¡®You will find it very difficult to raise funds for it.¡¯ One needs money to do whatever one needs to do. So, I felt it might be good to ruin the merchants controlled by Duke Jena one by one. ¡°Whew!¡± I covered the thick papers and put my head with one hand. I felt a bit dizzy after reading the fine print after a long time. ¡°Are you okay, mydy?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop here today? If your father saw you now, you would be given a good scolding.¡± Baron, who firmly hardened his face, took the documents from me. As I promised anyway, I said, nodding gently, ¡°I know. Then let me ask you a favor.¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°Please find a way to either appease Earl Lanier or dig into him. And will you convey my message to Entea that she sell the Duke Jena family all the muslins I had ordered her to purchase recently? Let me have her set the selling price, but please ask her to sell it as expensive as possible.¡± ¡°Got it. Please have a rest now. Your father is very much worried about the matter of the emperor now, so I don¡¯t know how he will react if he finds out you are sick again.¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean by the matter of the emperor?¡± When I asked, tilting my head, the baron stopped abruptly while setting the documents on order. When I saw his hardened face, I had a bad feeling. After hesitating for a while, the baron said in a soft voice, ¡°Well, the fact is¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised. Just listen.¡± ¡°Yes. What¡¯s going on? ¡± ¡°The emperor is in a critical condition.¡± What? I was shocked. I was groaning deeply in a state of shock. After writing the letter, I put down the quill, breathing out long. I handed the sealed letter to the butler waiting nearby, then headed to the training field, helped by the maids. It was already three days after the High Priest departed. In the meantime, I practiced walking little by little to increase the strength of my weakened limbs. After walking and falling short of breath for some time, I arrived at the training field. A maid, who looked at me with a pathetic expression when I squatted down, wiped the sweat from my face with a towel. ¡°Is your body tired, mydy?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± I was frustrated because my body didn¡¯t move as easily as I wished. I was disappointed at myself, thinking how weak my body was, given that I¡¯m trying to be a full-fledged knight. When I raised my head with a sigh, I saw a couple of men pointing swords at each other. One had silvery hair while the other was a young man with red hair. I was amazed to see them wielding swords like twins. ¡®Wow, Carsein, he has really made impressive progress!¡¯ When I saw his red hair that seemed to shine more brightly under the sunlight, I remembered what happened two days ago. After Baron Carot left in a hurry, I could hear the exact situation from Carsein, who stopped by briefly after finishing training, and it made my heart jolt. It was because of me that the emperor became so sick after recovering his health enough to appear with Duchess Lars on the first day of the National Founding Day festival. The emperor¡¯s condition was good until the royal doctor diagnosed that I was poisoned. He became very angry after discovering that the poison I took was the same as that one that almost killed my mother. And he copsed after ordering them to track down the mastermind by all means. Will he survive? He had been ill for some time. While I was thinking about him nkly, a shadow suddenly fell over my head. ¡°How did you get here, mydy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Sir League. How have you been? ¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. How can I keep well when you are sick like that?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry for making you worry about me.¡± ¡°How could they do such a thing to you who are so weak¡­ Damn them! They¡¯re going to hell.¡± When I smiled feebly, Sir League spoke, with his face contorted. Other knights came to me to make someforting remarks. ¡°I¡¯m really d to see you¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°Howe you are so skinny?¡± ¡°Damn those bastards! How could they dare¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got to catch that damn bastard Lanier and punish him severely!¡± ¡°Hey, watch yournguage before Lady Monique, will you?¡± I smiled, watching them bickering with each other. Saying I shouldn¡¯t be in the sun for a long time, one of them took off his uniform and made a shade for my face. Another brought me cold water, and others cracked jokes, saying I would be cured more quickly if Iughed more. How much time passed? While I was having a pleasant conversation with the knights, I suddenly heard a familiar voice behind them surrounding me. ¡°What are you all doing here, guys?¡± ¡°Huh, sir¡­¡± ¡°Good morning, Daddy.¡± ¡°Um?¡± Only then did my father find me and opened his eyes wide. He approached me when they made way for him, and said, ¡°Why did youe down here?¡± ¡°Because I have been in bed for a long time, I have to move. I wanted to see you and the knights after such a long time. ¡± ¡°I see. But you have to be in stable condition, soe with me.¡± ¡°Sure, Daddy.¡± I responded meekly, reaching out to him. I nodded to Carsein, who was waving at me from a distance. I began to walk, helped by my father who raised my body cautiously. Thanks to my frequent walks these days, I felt my legs were getting stronger now. Chapter 183 Chapter 183: Chapter 183 As soon as I entered the room, I noticed a bowl of soup that was steaming, as if a maid just brought it there. Although I had little appetite, I had no choice but to sit down because I noticed my father next to me picking up a spoon for me. ¡°I can do it, Daddy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t refuse because I want to do it for you.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Although I tried to refuse, he was not persuaded. When he blew on the thin soup to cool it a bit before putting it to my mouth, I helplessly ate the soup as he gave it to me. When I swallowed a couple of times, my eyes suddenly met his eyes. His dark blue eyes looking at me were filled with all kinds of emotions, such as joy, sadness, regret, and guilt. Suddenly, I was choked up with emotions. I felt sorry for him who couldn¡¯t rejoice freely even when his daughter got up. I also felt guilty because I was also responsible for his sadness. When I shook my head when he tried to put the spoon to my mouth, he put down the spoon with a sigh, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Try to smile, Tia. I barely kept my daughter that I would have lost, but I feel so ufortable if you look sullen like that.¡± ¡°But the emperor¡¯s condition is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of those who tried to harm you. It¡¯s not your fault, is it? The emperor doesn¡¯t hope you feel that way.¡± Does the crown prince also think so? I wondered if he would think so when he heard that the emperor who barely recovered his health was back in a critical condition after hearing that I was poisoned? Really? I hesitated several times. Although I really wanted to see the emperor who was seriously ill, I was scared because of the crown prince¡¯s possible resentment towards me. I got cold feet because he might get upset the moment he saw me at the pce. That¡¯s why I wrote a letter to him, asking for my audience with the emperor, several hours ago. I felt as if the soup I drank was stuck in the throat. When I refused, looking up at him who put the soup again in my mouth, he pushed aside the soup bowl with a deep sigh and said, ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°I have to go back to the Imperial Pce. As soon as I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll be back right away, so take a good rest until then. Let me know immediately if anything happens. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I can¡¯t be with you now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±. As I rubbed my cheeks on his big hand like a child, he had a faint smile on his hardened face. Trying hard not to hide my heavy heart, I smiled as brightly as I could as my father stroked my hair again and again. ¡°Mydy, here you are.¡± ¡°Thanks, as always, Lina.¡± ¡°Only one hour only today. Right?¡± ¡°Sure, don¡¯t worry.¡± It¡¯s been a week since I got up from the bed. Now I¡¯ve recovered to the point where I can get around without being helped, but because of the people who were too worried about me, I found myself confined to my house. As a result, I was having an incredibly boring day. After struggling with boredom, I begged Lina to let me embroider for an hour everyday, which made me so happy. The reason I chose embroidery out of so many things to do was because I realized that Carsein¡¯sing-of-age ceremony passed by while I was in bed. Even though it had already passed, I couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to his once in a lifetime ceremony. I couldn¡¯t make up for my missed attendance with something trifling. So, I have been making a gift for him for the past few days. ¡°By the way, mydy.¡± ¡°Huh? Is my time up already? ¡± ¡°No. Not that ¡­ Well, you have a letter from the pce. It looks like the crown prince sent it¡­¡± The envelope she presented to me was now familiar to me. It was a luxurious envelope studded with a gold-colored pearl shining on a blue background. It was his reply to my letter asking for my audience with the emperor, four days after I sent it. My fingertips quickly got cold. After hesitating for a long time, I opened the seal with a trembling hand and read it. ¡°Whew!¡± I put down the letter with a sigh. Then I looked at his handwriting for a while and carefully put it in the letter file. ¡°Lina, can you like to put this back in ce?¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± While Lina, who received the letter file, went to the next room, I embroidered a red rose on a white cloth with a needle bit by bit. ¡°Are you giving it to Sir Carsein?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, do you feel better enough to hold the needle as soon as you have recovered?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± When I looked up at her strange tone, Lina said with a mischievous expression on her face, ¡°I wondered if you are on close terms with him, watching both of you getting along together, but I never thought you liked him. Well, it¡¯s time you are dating somebody anyway because you will soon have aing-of-age ceremony¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, he and I are not in a dating rtionship.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide, mydy. I feel that your father also likes Sir Carsein. ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me, Lina.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide it from me. Oh, I see. You are too shy, right? Let me keep it to myself. I¡¯ll pretend I don¡¯t know. ¡± ¡°Oh my God!¡± When I stared at her, knitting my brows, she chuckled and gave me a cup, taking the needle out of my hand. ¡°How long should I drink this?¡± ¡°I do not know. But you would have to keep drinking until you fully recover. So, drink it quickly and have a good sleep, so you can heal quickly. ¡± ¡°¡­ Okay. ¡± When I drank it with a sigh, I felt sleepy in no time. After burying my face on a fluffy pillow, I fell asleep immediately. . Two dayster, I headed to the Imperial Pce to see the emperor. Upon arriving at the central pce, one of the pce officials approached and bowed deeply. When I saw the sign on his chest, I felt goosebumps. From the moment I went to the pce to see the emperor, I was always greeted by the chief servant or maid, but the man who came to greet me was just a rank-and-file servant. What does this mean? Simple coincidence? Or a silent sign that I¡¯m not weed? With a heavy heart, I headed to the waiting room. When I saw the tightly closed door, I felt as if I was jammed up on the inside. ¡°Whew¡­¡± After taking a deep breath, I put my hand on the doorknob. When I was slowly trying to pull the handle, someone inside opened the door. The woman in the gorgeous purple dress was none other than Jiun. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°¡­I guess so.¡± Her dark blue hair was shiny, while her fair skin looked smooth. Her lively face was such a contrast with my face drained of color. ¡°As a woman like you, I am very sorry to hear the bad news about you. I¡¯m d to see you are safe. ¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you for your concern.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. I know how serious you were.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± The pce official standing next to me became nervous, knowing our conversation was soft but tense. Suddenly, I began to recall some questions about her, which I had put aside until now. I tried to find the answer to this question in every way, but couldn¡¯t. Why does she hate me so much? It is me, not her, if any of us has to hate the other party. After looking at me once, she said, ¡°By the way, I wonder if the emperor can see you because he is in a critical condition.¡± I unwittingly frowned at her arrogant behavior, who acted as if she was already the crown prince¡¯s wife. ¡°Well, I think that¡¯s none of your business. So, can you move out of my way?¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°Lady Jena?¡± Chapter 184 Chapter 184: Chapter 184 When I stared at her sharply, she stepped aside, biting her lip. It looked as if she was very much offended because she was higher in rank before my return yet now she was lower than me as I was his fiancee officially. Smiling at her sarcastically, I passed through the old-fashioned waiting room and opened the emperor¡¯s bedroom. The emperor¡¯s bedroom, which I saw for the first time in my life, had a very different atmosphere from what I thought. Although there were no windows inside to avoid assassination attempts, there were the portraits of the previous emperors and magenta tapestry hung on the wall in his brightly lit room, and the magenta carpet on the floor was borately embroidered with the crest of a roaring golden lion. As I approached therge bed in the middle of the room, the crown prince sitting by the bed looked around at me. I showed due manners by forcibly moving my body that was trying to harden. ¡°I, Aristia Monique, am honored to greet you, the Little Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s been a long time. ¡± After weing me with a dry voice, he rose from his seat. ¡°Given the situation, I can¡¯t allow you to meet him alone. I hope you understand. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, Your Highness. I¡¯m so grateful to you for granting my request.¡± Nodding at me, he moved back a couple of steps. Bowing to him once again, I approached his bedside. The emperor was so different from what he looked like him nearly three months ago. His gray hair became almost white, and his blue eyes that overwhelmed the people were hidden under his tightly closed eyelids. He was too weak and emaciated,pared with his former self, who was always strong and energetic. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± My heart ached. He was a strong supporter for me along with my father. He kept holding on to me who didn¡¯t want to be tied to the imperial family, but unlike the past, who treated me so kindly, he kept some distance from me perhaps because of my middle name. Nheless, he tried to protect me as best he could. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. I¡¯m really sorry ¡­ I found my eyes welled with tears, and soon tears began to drop. If he hadn¡¯t protected me so strongly, would I have survived until now? The emperor took the measure to protect me by having a security retainer escort me behind the scenes since I was young to protect me from the noble faction¡¯s hostile intentions. During the great famine period, he dispatched royal guards to give me escort service. After hearing that Jiun appeared, he had me stay with him for reasons of sickness for fear I might be ambushed at the summer ce where security was not tight. He also gave me a set of silverware that was used only in the royal family. After all, he ended up being in this situation because of my carelessness. ¡°Just like I recovered thanks to your help, I hope you can fully recover as quickly as possible.¡± For fear I might shed more tears uncontrobly, I stood up, wiping my tears. I bowed to the crown prince and tried to move with faltering steps, when I suddenly felt I hit something. In an instant, I lost my bnce. When I fell all of a sudden, a royal knight on standby quickly apologized. ¡°Oops, Lady Monique, I¡¯m so sorry. ¡± Embarrassed, I hurriedly pushed off the floor with my arms, I couldn¡¯t flex my arms as I wished. Suddenly, I let out a sigh. I wish he had helped me first raise my body before apologizing. If he were a servant, he could not dare to touch a daughter of a great noble family like me, so I can understand. But wasn¡¯t this man a knight who could? When I tried to flex my arms again, someone gently grabbed me from behind. I stiffened due to the cool scent of his body. ¡°Why are youing in so urgently, Sir Cor?¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± Instead of trying to answer something, the royal knight quickly nced at me. I tried to step back, thinking I should not overhear their conversation, but couldn¡¯t because he tightened his grip on my arms. I flinched because of the warmth I felt from his body. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Duke Jena and his daughter want to see you.¡± ¡°I clearly told you I wouldn¡¯t allow anybody to see the emperor because he was in a critical condition. Why did youe here to report to me?¡± ¡°Well, the duke strongly protested, saying you granted Lady Monique¡¯s request to see the emperor¡­¡± I opened my eyes wide at his unexpected words. What the heck is he talking about? The crown prince denied all the requests to see the emperor? At that moment, the crown prince asked coldly, ¡°Sir Cor, are you a knight of the imperial family, or a knight of Duke Jena?¡± ¡°¡­Of course, I belong to the imperial family, Your Highness.¡± ¡°But why did you disobey my order and dare to enter the emperor¡¯s bedroom without my permission? Do you know the consequences of your rude actions?¡± ¡°Please forgive me for my rudeness, Your Highness!¡± The knight, whose face turned white, kneeled before him right away. As if he let out a sigh, I felt his hot breathing touching my head. I cured up, feeling as if my hair bristled. ¡°Enough. Be more careful!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll keep it in mind, Your Highness.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ept their request to see the emperor. If they make a disturbance again, tell them I won¡¯t overlook their actions.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± ¡°And as soon as you go out, tell the chief chambein to bring Marquis Monique here.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Awkward silence fell in the room after Sir Cor left. When I twisted my body again, he sighed deeply and let go of me. ¡°You¡¯re still trying to avoid me.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Because you looked tired, I stepped back on purpose. How can I take my eyes off you when you are so weak like this? Are you okay? Are you hurt?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Now I can¡¯t believe when you say you are okay. Let me take a look.¡± Only then did I feel relieved. I thought he might be ming me because of his cold look, but fortunately he didn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t go to see you, although I knew you regained your consciousness.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say that. How could you havee to my ce when His Majesty is in a critical condition like this? I¡¯m so sorry, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Um. Sorry about what?¡± ¡°Because of me¡­¡± ¡°Why is his sickness your fault? It¡¯s because of those who tried to harm you.¡± Even before I continued, he cut me off and said, looking at me, ¡°Anyway, I wanted to say something when I see you.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Do not humble yourself so easily or pretend to be a sinner. Strictly speaking, you are a victim. Why are you asking to be punished when you didn¡¯t do anything wrong?¡± ¡°¡­Your Highness.¡± I looked at him nkly, who seemed to be upset. His cold look and voice at the moment were so familiar to me because I was terrified and saddened by that in the past, no, until recently. But he was different now. I wasn¡¯t scared or fearful about his face anymore. Even when I heard his cold voice, I wasn¡¯t bitter or sad. I felt rather light-hearted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about the emperor. As he is a healthy and strong man, he will be up and running soon.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I also think so.¡± ¡°So, try to focus on recovering. You look more skinny now.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you are in good shape. It could have been worse. I was worried I might lose you forever.¡± Suddenly, I remembered his visit when I was in bed. He confided in me with a low voice and his passing touch. Although I was asleep, I felt so sorry back then because I could have a glimpse of what he was thinking about me. ¡°¡­I¡¯m so sorry for having kept you worried about me.¡± Having heard my apologies, he remained silent and looked at me quietly. I stiffened when I saw his blue eyes looking at me. I felt as if I was having a silent conversation with him. Somehow I felt like I was going to be sucked into his eyes, so I hurriedly said, ¡°Your Highness?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡± Ah, what are you going to do with Earl Lanier?¡± ¡°Nothing to think about with him. He is a felon who dared to harm you. I¡¯m going to punish him heavily to set an example.¡± I kept silent at his cold voice. I myself could not forgive him at all, but I felt it would cause trouble to punish him at this point. Chapter 185 Chapter 185: Chapter 185 ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but could you put off punishing him for a while?¡± ¡°Um? What is the reason? ¡± ¡°Anyway, he is not the mastermind, right? I would like to find who is the true culprit on this asion.¡± ¡°Hmm, so you want to take him as a bait to get the mastermind?¡± he said after pondering over something for a minute, ¡°Okay. I will hand over the right to investigate this matter to the Monique family.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡± ¡°But this incident is a challenge not only to the Monique family, but to the imperial family. So, I can¡¯t keep putting off his punishment. I¡¯ll give him a three-month grace period. As for the rest of the investigation, consult with Duke Verita.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you, Your Highness. ¡± When I bowed my head to express my gratitude, he smiled, looking at me quietly, and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t feel good because you were ming yourself all along. As you came forward actively like this, I feel much better. You seem more vibrant now.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± I felt something warm from his cold voice this time. I suddenly felt thirsty when I saw his soft eyes and rxed mouth. As he smacked his dry lips, he paused for a moment and approached me. At that moment, a sharp noise was heard, breaking the silence. A littleter, a familiar man came in, bowing to the crown prince. ¡°¡­ Come on in, Marquis.¡± ¡°I¡¯vee here as you want to see me, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Well, I feel a bit ufortable as I have to let Lady Monique go home alone. As you worked hard to defend the pce, you can call it a day and go home with her.¡± ¡°But Your Highness¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have Earl Penril and Duke Lars with me, so I won¡¯t worry. Go home and have a good rest.¡± After waving at him as if it¡¯s not a big deal, he turned quickly without listening to my father. While watching him approaching the emperor for a moment, I stepped out of the bedroom with my father. Duke Jenna, sitting in the waiting room, saw me and my father and stood up, clenching his teeth. Beside him were Jiun and Marquis Mirwa¡¯s son. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s true that the crown prince allowed Lady Monique to see the emperor.¡± ¡°Yes, as you see her now. What more do you want to check?¡± ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t know what the crown prince is thinking. How can he allow in the culprit who made the emperor¡¯s condition worse like that?¡± ¡°Watch yournguage, Duke Jena. Good. As you said, let¡¯s assume my daughter caused trouble to the emperor. It seems you have forgotten the fact that you might have been the inw of the main culprit who has almost killed my daughter?¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about?¡± ¡°Calm down, Duke Jena.¡± Marquis Mirwa¡¯s son dissuaded him and stepped forward on his behalf. ¡°It seems both of you are very tense now. Marquis Monique, I hope you could understand Duke Jena¡¯s nervousness as his request to see the emperor was denied when the emperor¡¯s condition was so bad.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Bowing to my father slightly, he continued politely, ¡°It¡¯s so regrettable. Who knew Earl Laniermitted such an unscrupulous crime? Duke Jena is also extremely upset with his heinous crime. How can youmit such a crime as a human?¡± ¡°¡­ You bet. I¡¯m afraid there will be another man like him in this world.¡± ¡®¡­ I will. I¡¯m afraid there will be another person who canmit such an unpardonable crime.¡± ¡°Who else dare think of that?¡± I looked at Marquis Mirwa who was speaking to my father glibly. I thought he was a good-for-nothing guy because he belonged to neither the knights division nor the government, even though he went up to the capital for several months. Given the way he spoke to my father, I discovered that he was no ordinary man. While I was examining him slowly, I noticed a brooch on the coat hanging on his cor. It had a snake with three eyes coiling a weight that¡¯s horizontal, and ivy engraved on it. Come to think of it, he is the sessor of his family. As expected, nobody can be the sessor of a marquis family without the proper qualifications. There are not many who could calmly speak to my father who had a cold and sharp expression. ¡°Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m relieved to see that you are well and safe. I guess the emperor will be very pleased to hear this news about you. ¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you.¡± When I lowered my head, my father, who was listening to him with an ufortable expression, said, ¡°Then, let me leave first. As you know, I¡¯ve been reunited with my daughter only recently. Besides, as the crown prince has clearly said he would not allow anybody to see the emperor, you had better go back now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Tia. ¡± ¡°Sure, Daddy.¡± As I turned around following my father, my eyes suddenly met Jiun¡¯s eyes. At the moment, her ck eyes sparkled sharply. I stopped there and stared at her. ¡®If you were responsible for poisoning me, and if you did the same crime against me in the past, I will not let you get away with it this time.¡¯ When I was having a staring match with her for a moment, my father, who was walking a couple steps ahead, looked back with a puzzled look. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, honey?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing, Daddy.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back. You look very tired. ¡± My father reached out to me and gently wrapped my shoulders. When I began to walk, almost held against his broad chest, I suddenly saw the scenery outside the window. The dark clouds in the sky were gathering all over the capital. I moaned in spite of myself at the ominous feeling that something bad wasing. A silverdy with a red thread hanging around her waist danced on a white cloth. Red rose petals bloomed wherever her footsteps passed. The bright petals smiled and waved their hands, and the silverdy who looked at it burst intoughter. Afterpleting thest leaf of the red rose coiling around a silver sword, I put down the needle with a satisfying smile. Then, I tied it with the red thread wrapped around the needle waist, and cut it neatly with scissors. Holding the finished scarf, I double checked for any mistakes. Under the crest of the Duke Lars family beautifully embroidered on the corner of a white fabric were engraved Carsein¡¯s initials in gorgeous cursive. ¡®I guess this is more than enough.¡¯ Lina asked, watching me carefully checking the condition of the scarf. ¡°Are you finished? You¡¯ve been working on it for several days.¡± ¡°Yes, all done!¡± ¡°You really did a good job, mydy. I think he will like it very much.¡± ¡°Do you think so?¡± ¡°Absolutely. How can he hate this gift that reflects your sincerity? Ah, he stopped by to learn fencing a little while ago. Should I ask him toe back after he is done?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± With a satisfied smile, Lina went out, saying that she would convey the message to Carsein. I put the finely folded white scarf on the bedside table and opened the letter from Frincia on the table next to my bed. When I saw it, a smile came on my face before I knew it. It¡¯s already been ten days since I got up from the bed. In the meantime, I corresponded with Frincia by letters to gather information about what¡¯s going on in the social circles. Today¡¯s letter was also rted to that. I was worried that I was losing to Jiun because I couldn¡¯t find any proper candidate to rece me. Fortunately, with Frincia¡¯s support, Earl Whir¡¯s daughter, Grace, seemed to be in the spotlight in the social clubs these days. This led the noble faction to discuss the matter of promoting Grace as the crown prince¡¯s concubine. If things go well smoothly, I felt it might be easy to get freed from the imperial family as I nned initially. ¡®Now, can I just concentrate on digging into Duke Jena?¡¯ I thought about it, but it seemed like that I could for the time being, unless something new came in. I took out a tea set while feeling rxed after a long time. A young man with red hair entered the room as I was enjoying the strong, brewed vor of thevender. He stopped for a moment while trying to greet me with a smile, and slightly frowned as if he was dissatisfied. ¡°Hi, Sein. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chapter 186 Chapter 186: Chapter 186 ¡°¡­Oh my God! Are you still drinking tea when you were poisoned by drinks?¡± ¡°They are to me, not the tea. Who would have thought they put poison in the drinks?¡± ¡°Hmm, be careful. You never know.¡± ¡°Sure, I will. Just in case, I¡¯m using a silver teacup, like my father rmended. Would you like tea?¡± ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m sick and tired of tea. Don¡¯t even mention it!¡± Carsein came to me quickly and examined the teacup, sitting on the opposite side. It was a silver mug with its corner mounted with gold and the crest of a golden roaring lion engraved on the handle and body. It was the cup the emperor gave to mest summer. ¡°This is an imperial teacup.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the emperor¡¯s gift. Well, I¡¯m using it only now.¡± ¡°Well, you should be careful all the time.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I pouredvender into the cup again, which was strongly brewed. Watching me take a bite of a cookie, he suddenly smiled at me. ¡°Why are you smiling like that? Do I have dirt on my face?¡± ¡°No, I just feel good looking at you. It¡¯s so like you now!¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I smell the scent of tea around you all the time. I mean that soft and fragrant scent. So I feel calm when I¡¯m with you.¡± While resting his chin on his right hand, he reached out and pulled out the teapot. He poured tea into his cup. Looking at him, I tilted my head. He clearly said he wouldn¡¯t have tea a little while ago. ¡°Hey, are you thinking that I¡¯m fickle now?¡± ¡°Ugh? No, never mind.¡± ¡°When I recall this tea might have killed you, I hate it so much. But the thing is I literally can¡¯t think of you without tea¡­ Well, I think I have to give up.¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s good, Sein!¡± When I giggled at him, he also chucked and said, picking a cookie, ¡°Your maid said that you wanted to see me? Do you have something to say to me?¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s right.¡± I handed him the gift I prepared for him when he looked at me curiously. Keeping silent for a moment while looking at a piece of white cloth, he said, ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s my gift for youring-of-age. Sorry to give it to you sote.¡± His face hardened, who seemed strange the moment I gave him the scarf. He looked at me silently for a long time and said in a cold voice, ¡°Hey, did I tell you to make something like this? ¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°Why did you waste your time and energy on this? Did I ever ask you for this?¡± ¡°Sein¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t listen to me, Tia¡­¡± ¡°Why, did I do anything wrong?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that¡­!¡± Carsein suddenly stopped, while trying to say something with an angry expression. Then he swept his hair up roughly, with his lips tightly closed, and said with a sigh, ¡°¡­ Whew¡­ Sorry, I suddenly got angry. I got angry because I don¡¯t like it, not because you did anything wrong. I just¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I was angry because you made it when your condition is not still good. I wish you had taken more rest instead. Just look at you, Tia. You are so skinny¡­ you look like a sack of bones,¡± he said, making an expression as if he was upset, carefully holding my hands. I gradually calmed down when he whispered and stroked the back of my hands gently. ¡°Thank you for the gift, but for me your quick recovery is the greatest gift. So, just focus on recovering. Got it?¡± His voice was serious and his eyes were subdued, which was something unusual for him. I suddenly became sorry. If I had not been poisoned, precious people around me wouldn¡¯t have gotten hurt. If I had paid a little more attention, they would not have gone through this. When I let out a little sigh, he suddenly stopped caressing my fingers and said, ¡°Hey, I wish I could hit you on the head, but can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± ¡°What I mean is you don¡¯t have to me yourself for your illness. Just try to recover quickly.¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± ¡°You are not responding to my request? You¡¯ve got to recover quickly and build your strength to beat the noble faction, right? Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Sein. I know.¡± When I smiled lightly, he reached out and stood up after dishevelling my hair. ¡°Then let me leave now. Take a rest. By the way¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Thank you for the gift.¡± He grabbed the scarf from me and turned around after winking at me. I pouted, watching him nkly, who was already disappearing at a distance. ¡®Why are you throwing a tantrum like that? You said you didn¡¯t like the scarf, then took it from me?¡¯ I broke into a smile. I felt as if I could feel his warmth on my hands. One day, when half the winter was over, strange enough, it rained early in the morning. Due to the heavy rain, it was dim everywhere, and my house was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere with a mix of roaring winds and rain. When I was having breakfast in a calm mood, somebody opened the door suddenly with a loud noise. My eyebrows frowned, but my unpleasant mood disappeared as soon as I saw the person stepping inside without wiping his wet body. Little by little, my heart beat uneasily. The imperial messenger entered the dining room and said in a hurry, ¡°Since the emperor is very ill, the crown prince has ordered all the nobles in the capital toe to the pce immediately.¡± Clink! The ss I was holding in my hand fell to the floor and shattered. And my heart that¡¯s pounding hard darkened slowly. I felt goosebumps. If the message was so urgent as to summon all the nobles of the capital, it may be that the emperor¡¯s death might be imminent. While nkly looking at the messenger, I came to my senses at the loud noise. My father, who got up from his seat, walked away with strides. Without even changing my clothes, I headed for the pce after taking only the brooch the butler gave to me. When I entered the inner pce, I saw the armed knights standing on duty. In the hallway of the Central Pce, the royal knights were lined up at regr distances, holding their swords. It seemed that the crown prince issued an order that was in the same category of a war order. When I stepped into the waiting room quickly, the bedroom door, which was tightly closed, opened a littleter. The chief chambein bowed deeply and said, ¡°Duke Lars and his family, the No. 1 rank in the empire, pleasee in.¡± Raising his body with a gloomy mood, Duke Lars walked inside, followed by the duchess, Sir Lars, Frincia and Carsein. A littleter, when the Lars family came out and the Duke Verita family was done seeing the emperor, the protocol officer called my father and me. When I came into the room, escorted by the chambein, I saw three men standing on the bedside. They were the crown prince, the High Priest and Earl Penril, the Captain of the Royal Knights. My father and I bowed to them slightly and approached the bed. The elderly man, who was leaning against several pillows, smiled faintly and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Marquis and Lady Monique. I¡¯m d to see you because I have something to tell you. Thanks to the High Priest, I can say myst greetings to you.¡± ¡°Oh no, please don¡¯t say that, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Marquis, you already know my condition. So, let¡¯s not waste time. I don¡¯t have so much time now. ¡± As if it was too hard, he remained silent for a while, then continued, ¡°Marquis, I truly believed and relied on you. Even without your oath of blood, I would have given you my full trust and confidence. I am sorry for the two dukes, but I¡¯ve liked you most.¡± ¡°I am very grateful, Your Majesty. How can I repay your favor?¡± ¡°This is my request, Marquis. Please help the crown prince build the empire that you and I dreamed about together in the past¡­Lend him your power.¡± ¡°Yes, I will, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Thank you. Now I can feel a little rxed.¡± I felt heartbroken when I saw his lifeless blue eyes. Tears pricked my eyes when I saw him trying to cling on to life to thest minute. Unlike the old him, who kept a certain distance to preserve dignity as a ruler, he treated my father as his close friend, which made my heart ache all the more. Chapter 187 Chapter 187: Chapter 187 ¡°Lady Monique, I¡¯m so d you are well and safe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. I¡¯m so sorry ¡­ ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself. It¡¯s just that my time is up now. So, just focus on yourself.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Good¡­¡± said the emperor, getting his breath back. ¡°I know you are sick and tired of this story, but listen to me for thest time. So, are you still determined to be the sessor of your family?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°It must be a very difficult choice. I didn¡¯t say that because I am greedy. I still think the position most suitable for you is not the sessor of your family, but the empress. I sincerely hope you can keep it in mind.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Sometimes, I was harsh on you, but I regarded you as my daughter. When you were a baby, I kept being worried about you. After I am gone, I feel you¡¯re going to have great hardship¡­ I should have held out until I resolved this matter, so I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Tears now dropped from my eyes. Wiping my tears, I said to him who I always respected, ¡°If I may say, I also have always regarded you as my father. I will never forget your so many favors and benefits.¡± ¡°Really? Thank you. Can I ask you a favor for thest time?¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°Do you remember what I told you in the past? Even if you realize your dream¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I remember, Your Majesty. I will keep it. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking you again.¡± I pledged again to the emperor who slurred. Two years ago when I went to the pce to offer New Year greetings to the emperor, he told me he would like to ask me a favor. He asked if I could stay beside the lonely crown prince even as a friend when I became the sessor of my family as I wanted. When I shed tears, recalling my memories at the time, the emperor smiled faintly and said, ¡°Finally, I give you a small gift. I hope it can be of help to protect you.¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty? What do you mean¡­¡± However, the emperor kept silent, with his eyes closed. He didn¡¯t say anymore. I rose from the seat. Now it was time to get out. ¡°¡­ ¡± I took one step then looked back, and again and again. My eyes were blurred as he gradually faded away from my eyes. I felt like I was about to cry anytime soon, so I took onest look at the emperor, then went out the room. After a while, the chief chambein came back to the waiting room and said, ¡°Duke Jena and his sessor, pleasee in.¡± The old man who got up from the seat suddenly stopped. Looking at the chambein, he asked, with his eyes ring, ¡°Are you saying that only I and my son cane? What about my daughter?¡± ¡°It is exactly what I said. Your daughter¡¯s ess is denied.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the emperor¡¯s order. If you don¡¯t agree and make a disturbance, he said he would not allow you to see him.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± As if he was dumbfounded, the duke was moving his mouth up and down, then quickly turned around. ¡®Is this the gift that the emperor has promised me?¡¯ People in the waiting room began to whisper. Staring at me for a long time, the duke walked into the room, gnashing his teeth. A purple-haired middle-aged man followed him, with his mouth turned up a bit. When the family of Duke Jenna except Jiun disappeared, everyone¡¯s eyes turned toward her. Although she tried to be indifferent, she was burning with anger. As she was humiliated in front of the great nobles in the waiting room, it was natural that she showed such a reaction. The fact that the emperor didn¡¯t call her before his death meant that he didn¡¯t recognize her as the crown prince¡¯s bride candidate. ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty!¡± When Marquis Enesil, the fifth in the noble rank, came out of the room right after Duke Jena, an urgent scream was heard from behind the chambein who came out to announce the next person to see the emperor. Everyone sprang to their feet. A heavy silence fell not only in the waiting room but also in the hallway. Amid the silence in which one could even hear the sound of a falling hair, there was heard a desperate cry to keep the emperor alive a little longer. The moment I clenched my teeth, holding back the urge to jump right into the room, I heard a mysterious voice ringing through the cold air. ¡°It seems like the time that the Father of Life has allowed the emperor is over. He already passed away.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! Please use your divine power to resuscitate him¡­!¡± Along with the voice of the Captain of the Royal Knights, I heard another voice. However, since it was feeble, I could not understand it. Shortly afterwards, Earl Penril and the High Priest walked into the waiting room, and a servant went running somewhere. How much time passed? When everyone stiffened, there was the sound of a bell ringing somewhere. The bell was resonating grandly throughout the Imperial Pce. It was the bell that announced the emperor¡¯s death. People in the waiting room, who were sitting vacantly, came to their senses at the repeated ringing of bells. Shortly afterwards, one of them called out loudly first, followed by others one by one. ¡°¡­ His Excellency passed away!¡± ¡°His Excellency passed away!¡± ¡°His Excellency passed away!¡± A littleter the tightly closed bedroom door opened, and the crown prince walked out without expression. People who shouted the emperor¡¯s death bowed to the crown prince. It was their homage to the new ruler of the empire, the new sun of the empire. ¡°Hail to the New Sun of the empire! We¡¯re honored to see the new ruler of the emperor!¡± ¡°Long live the new emperor!¡± ¡°Long live the new emperor!¡± The whole world looked ck and white to me. Although the surroundings were very loud with people celebrating the session of the new emperor, I heard nothing.. I felt as if I was falling into the endless abyss and standing in a remote ce. It¡¯s only a little while ago that the emperor passed away. How can they express joy about the new ruler instead of expressing condolences over his death? I knew the practice reflected the customs of the empire, but I couldn¡¯t ept or understand it. In the past, I didn¡¯t keep his deathbed. I wasn¡¯t even allowed to enter the Imperial Pce. As it was a great shock to me. Was it the same back then? At that time, I saw a piece of paper on which just one line, ¡®His Excellency passed away,¡¯ was written. ording to the customs, I had to celebrate the new emperor¡¯s rise, but I didn¡¯t have the nerve to open my mouth. As I felt my eyes were blurred with tears, I hastily lowered my head to avoid being caught by the noble faction. It seemed I saw the crown prince¡¯s navy blue eyes, but I couldn¡¯t clearly see him because of my blurred vision. After wiping welled tears, I raised my head while controlling my expression. I saw the crown prince standing, escorted by the royal knights including the captain. Apparently, his poker face was the same as before, but he looked a bit different to me. As if it was only me who felt that way, people around me were celebrating the birth of the new sun of the empire. How much time passed? The crown prince raised his right hand and silenced the people, saying, ¡°His Excellency was great. Under his rule the confused empire regained stability and made remarkable progress. In addition, His Excellency cherished and loved the people so much that he was called the Sacred Emperor. Now, I wish him the blessing ofsting peace as he was held in Vita¡¯s arms, and I, Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina, proim that I will lead the empire by taking over and keeping His Excellency¡¯s will.¡± I looked up at him who announced thete emperor¡¯s achievements in a calm voice. I could read nothing from his navy blue eyes and expressionless face. Apparently, he was calm, but he seemed to be empty somewhere. ¡°Prime Minister!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Please give me your order.¡± ¡°It does not matter how long it takes, so please prepare a grand funeral appropriate for the achievements of His Majesty.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Tapping Duke Verita¡¯s shoulder once, he turned. Although he was praised by everybody, he looked too small as I could sense he was feeling empty. Suddenly, my heart began to ache. Chapter 188 Chapter 188: Chapter 188 The third day of the fifth month in 964 by the imperial calendar. Today, they were going to hold the state funeral ceremony of thete emperor after a long period of preparation. There were refreshing yellow green lights lit in the streets under the golden sunshine. The Central Pce was quieter than expected, although all the nobles of the empire arrived in the capital for the ceremony, except for the local nobles who could not attend because they were too far from the capital or had special circumstances. Those who could carry thete emperor¡¯s coffin were limited to the great nobles with the rank of marquis and above, so most of the nobles already moved to the great hall of the temple Sanctus Vita. In the central hall, where the emperor¡¯s coffin was temporarily ced, bells continued to ring softly. People on standby had a solemn expression, ready for the uing ceremony. When I was lost in thought, looking at the emperor¡¯s stone coffin, a blonde man who stood out among those in ck came to me and said, ¡°Hello, Lady Monique. Sorry for my mistakes the other day,¡± he was the son of Marquis Mirwa. ¡°¡­Hello, sir.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you with the crown prince? Oh, you are dressed in a formal dress, not uniform.¡± ¡°Well, only full-fledged knights can attend the funeral procession. I am not eligible yet.¡± ¡°Oh, really? I think I made a mistake because I¡¯m not familiar with the knights.¡± I sharply nced up at the man who slightly bowed. Isn¡¯t Marquis Mirwa one of the core members of the noble faction? Why is he trying to approach me and show interest? ¡°I heard that you were serving as the captain¡¯s aide. Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡°Then, you must know very well about the work of the knights. Sometimes¡­ ¡± ¡°The Sun of the empire, His Majesty, is entering now!¡± When I was wary of this man who kept talking to me, I heard the protocol officer announcing the arrival of the new emperor. People talking in small groups of two and three bowed all at once. ¡°We¡¯re honored to see the Sun of the empire, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Everybody, please stand up.¡± When I raised my head, I saw him in ck formal dress. His face was expressionless, as usual. ¡°Start the ceremony.¡± When he ordered coldly, the royal knights in ck uniforms instead of the usual white ones escorted him to thete emperor¡¯s coffin. Some of them carried the coffin covered with a blue cloth on which a roaring golden lion engraved on their shoulders. When they reached the main gate of the Imperial Pce andid down the coffin in a carriage drawn by six horses, the official knights of the 1st and 2nd Knights got on the horses. The 1st Knights, who saluted the new emperor, departed first, followed by the new emperor and great nobles in ck robes, escorted by the royal knights. Finally, the 2nd Knights in ck uniforms stood at the end of the procession. The streets of the capital were crowded with people. Unlike the knights¡¯ inspection ceremony heldst year, most of the people in the capital filled the streets in an orderly atmosphere. When they saw the procession carrying thete emperor¡¯s coffin, their cries were heard all over the streets. I looked up at the sky for a moment through the ck veil hanging under my hat. ¡®Are you watching, Your Majesty? So many people are grieved that you were held in Vita¡¯s arms.¡¯ I felt like tears were about to drop, so I quickly blinked and silently drove a horse. On the streets where everyone was silent, only the sound of cries, horse hoofs, and rolling wheels were heard. When the procession went around the capital¡¯s streets and reached the border between the noble andmoner districts, the pure white temple under the blue sky came into view. Today, hymns were resonating through Sanctus Vita, which was shining brightly with the bright sunlight. After the process arrived at the entrance of the temple through the huge arched gate, the High Priest and the top priests wearing green ceremonial cloaks over white vests greeted them. ¡°May the blessings ofsting peace with him!¡± People followed the priests spraying holy water, climbed the six stairs, which symbolized perfection, and went into the great hall. The pirs towering under the tall ceiling were colored golden, and the colorful stained ss was shining beautifully in the sunlight. The altar installed on the six steps was covered with pure white fabric embroidered with geometric patterns in gold thread, and the wall above the altar was borately carved with various shapes of wood branches. When the orchestra yed, the lower priests, who were wearing yellow-green and green priest suits, began to sing a requiem. As the nobles lined up on both sides bowed their heads, the High Priest leading the procession walked toward the altar slowly, dragging his long white hair followed by the royal knights carrying the emperor¡¯s coffin and the top priests. Thete emperor¡¯s coffin was ced on the altar covered with pure white fabric, and the new emperor in a ck dress stepped forward. After receiving a wreath made of white flowers from an apprentice knight, he slowly approached the altar. When I looked at him staring at the coffin without any movement, I felt worried. ¡®Is he okay?¡¯ I heard that he handled state affairs without any agitation on the day the emperor died, and I also heard lots of people whispering that he had no close rtionship with the emperor as father and son, but I was still worried. He was a human before the emperor. Could he stay indifferent when his only family member was held in Vita¡¯s arms? ¡°Pleasey the wreath.¡± When the protocol priest said that, all the nobles, starting with Duke Lars, approached the altar andid down the flowers under the coffin. While silently looking at the crest of a roaring lion embroidered on the cloth covering the coffin, I alsoid down a white flower and said goodbye to him. The area underneath the altar began to be covered with white flowers gradually. How long had the ceremony been going on? As thest person finishedying the wreath, the sea of flowers spread around the coffin. The requiem grandly echoing throughout the temple and the delicate floral scent wafted around the temple. A man with red hair, dressed in a ck uniform, stepped to the altar. He was Duke Lars, the Sword of the Empire and No.1 in the noble hierarchy. He looked around the participants and slowly opened his mouth. It was the start of the memorial service mourning the death of the emperor. ¡°Glory to the Castina Empire! Emperor Mircan Lu Shana Castina, the Sun of the great empire and the master of the honorable empire. He was the great emperor who ruled the millennium empire and the 20 million people. He was truly the father of all of us ¡­¡± Only Duke Lars¡¯s voice echoed in therge hall. While everyone was silent, the memorial service continued, praising thete emperor¡¯s achievements, starting from his ascension to death. Was it because of the floral scent that gently tickled the tip of my nose? Suddenly, I remembered his kind smile one day when I walked along the Imperial Pce garden. I also recalled his kind voice when he looked at the silver flower trees and showed me one by one before my return. After my return, he kept some distance from me but took care of lots of things for me. I was thirsty. ¡°¡­ The Sun of the glorious Castina Empire, please rest in the arms of Vita! ¡± I also said goodbye to him deep down, timed with Duke Lars¡¯sst words. ¡®Your Majesty, the people have regained the hope of living during your rule. Before my return, you said that it was your dream to create a world where the royal family members and the noble family members would conduct themselves ording to their titles. You said that since everything we enjoyed was from the people, we should know how to take responsibility for it, and that it was our duty as the ruler of the empire. Although I can¡¯t be the new emperor¡¯s wife as you wished, I will do my best to create the empire you were longing for.¡¯ When I raised my head, wiping my tears, I saw the new emperor staring into the air. He was standing nkly in a ck robe without any agitation. Lots of people misunderstood from hisck of sorrow that he was displeased with this ceremony, but his empty eyes clearly told the truth. His navy blue eyes looking up at the sky were empty. Chapter 189 Chapter 189: Chapter 189 As Duke Lars descended down the tform, instead of the High Priest stepped forward to the altar, dragging his long hair on the floor. The symbol of Vita, embroidered on a green cloak, danced splendidly in ordance with his movement. ¡°May the end of life and the blessing of rest be with you! Father of Life, God Vitasi, Mayfort and rest for Mircan Lu Shana Castina who took care of your children ¡­ ¡± While the High Priest recited the prayers of rest for thete emperor and blessings for the new emperor, I looked at the new emperor with my hands resting on my chest. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off him who looked very sad. ¡°¡­ May thete emperor rest in peace, and the blessing of Vita be bestowed on the new emperor! ¡± When the High Priest was done praying, a requiem rang through the temple again. The royal knights who approached the altar carried the coffin on their shoulders. The procession passed out of the huge hall following the High Priest holding the symbol of Vita in one hand, and the top priests. The new emperor and nobles followed. How long did I walk? All arrived at the imperial cemetery in the basement of Sanctus Vita. When thete emperor was enshrined in the ornately decorated stone coffin, and the High Priest and the top priests sprinkled holy water and chanted prayers, the state funeral process was all over. After showing due manners to the new emperor who remained silent all along, all the nobles, including me, stepped out of the cemetery, leaving him alone. I hesitated alone among the nobles who climbed the stairs, whispering among themselves. I didn¡¯t feel good because I was bothered by the new emperor. ¡°Oh, you are here, Tia.¡± ¡°¡­Daddy.¡± Hesitating to climb the stairs for a long time, I came to my senses at my father¡¯s voice. His dark blue subdued eyes looked at me anxiously. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you as I did n¡¯t know where you were. Do you have anything to do here?¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± I climbed the stairs, looking back. As I stepped on thest staircase, I suddenly recalled the crown prince when he ordered a funeral preparation on the day of the emperor¡¯s death. That day, none of the people who came to see the emperor for thest time might have noticed his emptiness. When I, who isn¡¯t tied directly to thete emperor by blood, am so sad, how hard it is for him now! Because of his status as the new emperor, he wouldn¡¯t be able to express his sadness openly, so he would be sitting alone and swallowing up sadness. The ruler is supposed to be like that by nature. The moment I recalled his navy blue eyes, I found myself walking back downstairs. After saying I was sorry to my father, who called me with a surprised voice, I ran down, grabbing the hem of my skirt. Some royal knights stood at the entrance of the Imperial Cemetery, but they gave me a pass without stopping me. Thanks to this, I could step inside rtively easily. When I looked around, gasping for breath, I saw a young man sitting in front of the sarcophagus of thete emperor and looking at it. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°¡­ Aristia? ¡± He was not a man who responded slowly, but this time he turned around slowly after I called him twice. At that moment, my heart sank. His navy blue eyes were empty as expected. ¡°Why did youe here? Why don¡¯t you go back and take a rest?¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh, look at your dress. Your hat is about to fall off.¡± When he said that lightly, unlike the old him who always buried his feelings, I felt heartbroken. Obviously, he was so stricken by the sorrow of losing his father that he forgot the imperial etiquette deeply embedded in his mind. He was a man who knew how to control his words all the time. As he was in a position to take responsibility for each of his trifling words and actions, he always refined his thoughts and expressed them in well-refined words when he talked about something. He was such a man. ¡°Your Majesty, you called me, but you didn¡¯t¡­ Pleasee to your senses!¡± Although I knew I was rude, I spoke to him loudly for the first time. But there were no feelings like surprise or anger in his navy blue eyes, which were still empty and lonely. He looked more serious than I thought, which tore my heart out. I took a deep breath and knelt down on the floor. Then I hesitated for a moment before reaching out to him. Was it because of my memories of him in the past? I found myself still reluctant to contact him unconsciously. It was okay for me to hold his hand for an escort or dance at official events, but I felt uneasy about contacting him physically in private ces. However, I wanted tofort him for some reason now. I couldn¡¯t let him crumble like this. I hesitantly touched his fingers with my fingertips. His hand that I held first for the first time was very cold, as usual. Is it because of that? I thought I might feel creeped out, but I didn¡¯t. Rather I felt sympathetic, I didn¡¯t feel scared or tremble. Now I took a little more courage and carefully wrapped his hands. When I patted the back of his hands as if tofort him, he said with a surprised voice, ¡°¡­Aristia? ¡± ¡°Your Majesty, please harden your heart!¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you tell me to harden my heart all the time?¡± I spoke to him with a low voice. He was always a level-headed man, so I didn¡¯t want to see him crumble helplessly. ¡°I know how hard it is for you now. It¡¯s natural that you are so sad because the emperor, who was your only blood, died in Vita¡¯s arms. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Please ovee your sorrow. Thete emperor would not want you to crumble like this.¡± ¡°He would not want me¡­?¡± While listening to me silently, he spoke in an unstable trembling voice. ¡°Maybe. He was only concerned about the empire even until thest moment of his life. ¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°He would be more worried about the empire than me, his only son.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not true. Thete emperor loved you from the bottom of his heart.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. He thought of me only as his sessor, and he was worried about the empire until thest moment, not trusting me.¡± When I saw his wounded feelings in his eyes, I was really emotional. ¡®Ah, Your Majesty. You shouldn¡¯t think so.¡¯ I sighed unconsciously, thinking about thete emperor. ¡®Why did sadden your son who craved your love so badly? Why didn¡¯t you love and care about him? You were so mean. Why didn¡¯t you say some kind words to him until thest moment?¡¯ I looked at his eyes and said, ¡°No, thete emperor was¡­¡± When I opened my mouth to help him clear the air, there was suddenly a loud noise from outside the cemetery. What is going on? The owner of the voice looked like a woman, given its high tone. Frowning his eyebrows, he stood up, raising me carefully. Then he adjusted his dress after shaking it off, and touched my hat with his soft hand. I thanked him in a little voice and headed for the entrance to the cemetery, holding his hand. I saw a woman bickering with the royal knight there. ¡°Nobody can enter here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got something to tell the emperor.¡± ¡°Please speak to himter.¡± ¡°I am an official candidate for the emperor¡¯s wife. Why do you stop me without asking the emperor?¡± It was none other than Jiun and the royal knights who made the loud noise. While quarrelling with them in anger, she rejoiced to see the emperor, then frowned badly. Obviously, she saw meing out with him side by side. Regardless of her reaction, who was breathing roughly, he said to them, ¡°We¡¯re much dyed. Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± I felt a bit relieved to see him giving instructions, but he looked back at me and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I said we should go back. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Ah¡­it¡¯s nothing, Your Majesty. ¡± Squinting at Jiun who was staring at me sharply, I was escorted up the stairs. My father standing at the entrance of the stairs looked at meing out with him and frowned a bit. After a while, he said to my father who bowed silently, ¡°Marquis, may I talk to her for a moment?¡± Chapter 190 Chapter 190: Chapter 190 ¡°Sure, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t talk with her here at the temple. I think I have to move to the Imperial Pce. ¡± ¡°¡­I got it, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Huh? What does he want to talk to me about? Is it rted to what he was going to say, but couldn¡¯t because of Jiun at the cemetery? I was a little sorry for my father who seemed puzzled and reluctant, but once I bowed my head to my father, then headed out of the temple with him. Time already passed quickly, and it was quite dark outside. Although I was bothered by the fact that it was toote, I couldn¡¯t retract my decision to go with him. ¡®I guess everything will be alright.¡¯ I swallowed a sigh and got on the wagon waiting outside. How much time passed? The wagon ran smoothly and arrived at the Imperial Pce, then passed through the main entrance and stopped in front of the Central Pce, where thete emperor used to reside. When I saw the towering pce, I murmured unconsciously, ¡®He seems to have already moved in.¡¯ Somehow, he looked a bit gloomy. Maybe he might not have felt good about moving to the Central Pce, histe father¡¯s ce, as soon as the state funeral was over. I felt a bit sorry for him, but I silently headed to the library with him. At first nce, the study of the Central Pce seemed muchrger than that of the crown prince¡¯s pce, but now I couldn¡¯t afford to appreciate it. I watched him who was remaining silent all along, and opened my mouth carefully. I thought I had better say something to him first now. ¡°Your Majesty. Well¡­ Would you like a cup of tea? ¡± ¡°Um. Is it okay for you to have tea? ¡± ¡°Oh, for that matter, I am fine.¡± Since I was poisoned by tea, some people around me began to feel very sensitive to tea. At first my father told me he was concerned, then Carsein and now the emperor began to feel anxious. After shaking my head lightly, I pulled the string and asked a maid to bring a tea set. Shortly afterwards, the maid who came in and disyed all kinds of tea with tea pots. I pickedvender from among them. Although I knew he didn¡¯t like the strong scent, I thought thatvender with a neuro-stable effect might soothe him, who was somewhat unstable now. But he put down the teacup on the table after lifting it. Didn¡¯t he like it? ¡°As I felt you needed stability, I brewed it strong¡­ Should I make it again?¡± ¡°Oh, no, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± I tilted my head. Why did he put down the teacup if it were not for the strong scent?¡± When I raised my cup with an anxious look, I suddenly saw his hand holding the mug trembling. I stopped putting the mug to my mouth. I thought he felt a little better because he was calm, but he didn¡¯t. Is it because he recalled histe father when he came back to the Central Pce? As I felt sorry, I put down the mug quietly. When he was carefully choosing words tofort him, he hesitantly opened his mouth after pondering over something. ¡°¡­ Aristia. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°In fact, I want you to do me a favor.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± I looked at him with a puzzled expression. Why is he so hesitant? When I was waiting for his reply with a bit of anxiety, he said, looking at me, as if he made up his mind, ¡°If I am alone here¡­ I think it will be too hard for me to endure tonight. So¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Would you stay with me tonight?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± I asked, startled. But he had no answer. I was just staring at me with deeply subdued eyes. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± At that instant my memories of the past shed through my mind. When I looked at it with my trembling eyes, I saw myself reflected in his dark, sunken eyes: wide open eyes, my face that turned white, and terrified look. He said with a sigh, while staring at me, who freaked out. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have any intention of sleeping with you as you have note of age yet. Besides, today we have no idea what to do with you who haven¡¯t evene of age yet. Besides, the state funeral was today.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡± ¡°I said that because I just wanted you to stay with me, though I knew I was forcing you¡­¡± When I barely calmed down my pounding heart, I saw him staring at me with an unstable expression. Suddenly, I felt sorry because I hurt his feelings, who was going through a hard time now. But it was obvious that I would be talked about in social circles if I stayed with him tonight. What can I do? What should I do? I closed my eyes tightly. Although I knew I would be in trouble if something went wrong, I could not refuse his request. I knew he would crumble if I left him alone. Besides, I had to tell him about thete emperor a little more. There were only a few who experienced thete emperor¡¯s affection for him, and I was one of them. Perhaps I was the only one who could tell him. When I got up with a sigh, he looked agitated. He said with a subdued voice, ¡°I knew you would refuse¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I would like to walk in the garden with you.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± ¡°The weather is good these days, so I think it would be good if you took a walk at night. What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­Thank you. ¡± He whispered to me. He got up and reached out to me. I was escorted to the garden. The imperial pce garden shrouded in darkness had a charm of its own, different from what I saw during the day. As we passed the arched door decorated with wisteria and entered the promenade, various colorful flowers greeted us. Under the moonlight, the flowers waved gently in the wind. The scent of flowers tickled the tip of my nose in the spring breeze and disappeared. Walking silently while hearing the sounds of bugs, he said, ¡°Is your condition okay now?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. It¡¯s been four months since I got up from the bed. I¡¯m going back to the knights sooner orter.¡± ¡°Well, your father submitted an application for your transfer. He asked me to transfer you to the 2nd Knights. ¡± ¡°Did my father?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? I think he felt uneasy because you experienced it at the 1st Knights¡¯ Division.¡± Only now did I know that. I thought I would return to the 1st Knights if I recovered. But I felt it might be better for me to be transferred to the 2nd Knights because they might have selected a recement for my position as the captain¡¯s aide. ¡®Well, can I go to work with my father from now on?¡¯ He looked at me, smiling gently, and said, ¡°It¡¯s rare to see noble family members having a solid family bond, but you must be very close to your father.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± ¡°It was surprising. As you know, your father was always blunt, so I never thought he loved you so much. Well, I now know why he used to be called the romanticist of the century.¡± I was surprised. Although the way he spoke to me was still the same, he was obviously envious of my father. Suddenly, I was reminded of myself who realized my father¡¯s love at thest minute before my return when I saw the emperor still failing to realize thete emperor¡¯s deep affection for him even though he actually received it. When I think about it now, my father at the time loved me even though he didn¡¯t express it. Of course, I didn¡¯t realize it out of self-usation at that time. ¡°In fact, I wasn¡¯t close to my father at first.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I once thought my father didn¡¯t love me because he was blunt and reticent. So I always kept a cold rtionship with him. ¡°But how are you so close to him now?¡± When I was pondering over how to say, a familiar road came into my view before I knew it. When I saw the white flower tree shining brightly under the moonlight, something suddenly came to my mind. ¡®Is the silver flower blooming now?¡¯ I was very curious about it, but I continued, without caring about it further, ¡°One day, I had a nightmare. I felt very lonely and empty. I felt as if I was left alone in the world. So I reached out to him.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°And only then did I realize that although he didn¡¯t reveal it, he always loved me. ¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± Chapter 191 Chapter 191: Chapter 191 ¡°I¡¯m sure thete emperor must have loved you, just like all parents in the world. I don¡¯t think there are any parents who don¡¯t love and care about their children, even though they don¡¯t express it.¡± But he was still silent. I thought I might need to back up my story, so I sighed low and traced my memory to tell him some episodes about thete emperor. ¡°Your Majesty, do you remember you inspected the border area in autumn a few years ago?¡± ¡°Of course, I remember. I stopped by the estate of the Monique family and saw you at that time.¡± ¡°Yes, you did. At that time, I returned to the capital shortly after you stopped by. And I had a chance to have tea with thete emperor. At that time, thete emperor asked me in passing whether the crown prince visited my estate, and he also asked me if I liked winter. ¡± ¡°Hummm¡­ Why did he suddenly ask that? ¡± ¡°I was also curious, but I said yes. Then he said the crown prince was the opposite.¡± So, I asked with a smile as I couldn¡¯t understand, ¡°I understand you hate the cold very much. Thete emperor asked me how you were doing, saying the winter was around the corner. Wasn¡¯t he worried about you because you hated winter?¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± I nodded at him, who was looking at me as if I was serious. I told him another episode. ¡°You said a moment ago that thete emperor didn¡¯t trust you all the time, right? That¡¯s not true. He really trusted you and felt proud of you.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You remember the time when he invited the princesses as candidates for your bride, right? At that time, when I met him, he told me he would honor your decision because he trusted you. In fact, when I asked him why he let go of Princess Lua, he said he respected your decision because he trusted you.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Yeah. And¡­ ¡± Can I tell him about this? I hesitated for a moment, but when I noticed his serious expression, I didn¡¯t hesitate anymore. As someone who heard what theter emperor had candidly told me about the crown prince, I had a duty to convey it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but you didn¡¯t look very good when I saw youing out of thete emperor¡¯s room. I was bothered, so I dared to ask him why he was so strict to you when he trusted you very much.¡± ¡°¡­So, what did he say? ¡± ¡°He said although he felt heartbroken, you were the only one to take his ce. He said if you had been born into a noble family, he would have loved you so much, but as you would rule the empire as the next ruler, he could not have done so. He also said he scolded you even when you did a nice job because you might getzy if he praised you.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, I see.¡± After hearing me out, he got lost in thought silently. I walked cautiously in order not to disturb him, with my mouth shut. How long did I walk? I saw the garden of Ver Pce at a distance. I noticed a silver flower tree shining in the middle of the beautifully decorated garden. I approached the tree carefully, tilted my head and looked up at the top. But no matter how hard I tried to look carefully, standing on tiptoes, the buds on its branches didn¡¯t bloom yet. I sighed somehow. It¡¯s been a few years since the tree survived the fire. It formed new buds, which never bloomed. It¡¯s about time the sprouting buds bloomed into flowers. Why don¡¯t they bloom? He said, staring silently at me when my shoulders drooped. ¡°It looks like you are still very much interested in those flowers.¡± ¡°Ah yes. Of course, you already exined to me about it the other day, but I was wondering what it looked like¡­¡± ¡°When I asked the gardener, he said that the tree wasn¡¯t dead or anything like that. Let¡¯s wait a little longer. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°By the way, I think we walked for some time. Why don¡¯t we sit down and take a break?¡± Sitting first under a tree, he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and spread it on the ground. Surprised, I looked at him. Regardless of whether it¡¯s dirty ground or not, how dare I sit on his handkerchief? ¡°Sit down.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, how dare I ¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Please sit down. Do you want me to say it¡¯s the emperor¡¯s order?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m much grateful to you, Your Majesty¡± I thanked him in a small voice, and I sat cautiously on the handkerchief he had spread out. With his back against the tree, he raised his head and looked up at the sky. I did, too. I saw sparkling stars reflected in his dark eyes. The white petals fluttered off in the wind. The gentle scent of flowers and the scent of the earthy secent tickled the tip of my nose. The sound of unknown grass bugs was heard from everywhere. I felt very peaceful and calm as if I was freed from the troubled world. When I got carried away with the atmosphere for a moment, his cold voice broke the silence. ¡°Come to think of it, I think I had many memories about you in this ce.¡± ¡°I guess so, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks to that, I¡¯ve changed my perception of you a lot.¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± He hesitated for a moment, then turned his eyes away from me and stared into the air. ¡°You may have already noticed, but in fact I hated you until a few years ago.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Your Majesty. I know that.¡± He certainly did. In the past, he hated me very much, and even after my return, it was evident that he shunned me for the first few years. But then and now I didn¡¯t know why he hated me so much. I was curious why he didn¡¯t like me. His hatred of me was so severe that I could not think it was rted to my political engagement to him. He hated me more after I found out about his association with my mother. As I didn¡¯t have the nerve to ask him, I just kept it to myself until now. Can I know the answer finally? I put my hand on my pounding heart and listened to his low voice. ¡°There are not many people who know this. In fact, my mother was not thete empress.¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Because I was the only sessor and bornte, I was called the son of the emperor as soon as I was born. My biological mother was a different woman.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°My biological mother was a low-level maid working in the Imperial Pce.¡± ¡°Really?¡± My eyes opened wide at that. His mother was a low-level maid? Was the biological mother of the empire¡¯s ruler a low-level maid, the lowest position of the pce positions? Wasn¡¯t a low-level maid a woman who served the nobles, who was even lower than the middle-level maids who did chores such as washing, cleaning, and cooking? ¡°As soon as I was born, I was left in the hands of thete empress because there would be some people who would question the legitimacy of my birth. As someone who was cold-tempered, she was not kind to me, of course, because I was not her baby. At first I craved her love, but gave up when I learned that my biological mother was someone else.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Then I met your mother. I didn¡¯t see her often because she was not in good health, but she treated me very kindly, sometimes smiling at me and sometimes scolding me. Back then I thought she was the type of mother that fitted the name. I now know why he called thete empress just an empress, not mother empress. I felt his calling of thete empress strange at that time. When I talked about my mother, he missed her greatly. ¡°One day when thete emperor was quarrelling with the noble faction, assassins entered the Imperial Pce. There were four of us there: the empress, your mother, you and me. The moment dozens of assassins pulled their swords to kill us, your mother instinctively hugged you and fell on her face, leaving me standing right next to her.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Well, logically I could understand. The empress coldly ordered a royal knight to protect me while your mother hugged you in her arms. What a contrast! I got upset because I felt like I was abandoned by someone who I regarded as my mother.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Chapter 192 Chapter 192: Chapter 192 My heart ached because I could feel how much he had been shocked and hurt as a child. ¡°Well, I could understand your mother was warm and kind to you because she was your mother, but even the empress was unusually kind to you. Even though thete emperor had never smiled at me, he took time out to spend time together with you and your mother when she entered the pce. When nobody around me loved me, you were loved by everyone.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°As time went on, I felt more and more alienated. Whenever the two dukes who pressed me hard to do better praised you, when thete emperor was happy about your performance even though he never praised me, I really tried harder, clenching my teeth¡­ but the results were always the same. ¡± He smiled bitterly, staring into the air, then said, ¡°That¡¯s why I hated you¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I was also envious of you.¡± I felt heartbroken to hear that. It¡¯s what happened when I was a child, and I don¡¯t remember. Was it the reason why he hated me so much in the past? Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that I will forgive or forgive what he did to me before my return, but I felt I could understand him a little better. The old him must have tried harder than me. Back then I knocked myself over to be the perfect empress. If what he said was true, the old him might have continued topare himself with me. I felt as if my heavy heart was a bit lighter. When I breathed out as if to throw out something stuck in my chest, he also took a deep breath and continued in a much morefortable voice than before, ¡°So, I decided that someday I would certainly be acknowledged and loved by the emperor. Then the emperor, who was my only blood, died like this. ¡± ¡°Sorry¡­ ¡± ¡°I would be mad at you if you again said sorry. Don¡¯t you remember that the High Priest said the time Vita gave to the emperor was used up?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Thanks for telling me. If you hadn¡¯t told me, I would have misunderstood thete emperor a lot.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Your Majesty. I feel it¡¯s fortunate that I can tell you about how he genuinely felt and thought about you.¡± With his back against the tree, he looked up silently at the sky. As I didn¡¯t want to disturb his thoughts, I just gazed at the sky, too. The twinkling starlight in the ck sky was so beautiful. It is said that when a person dies, he bes a star. If so, are they shining so brightly because they miss someone left on earth so much? The moment I eximed in amazement at a shooting star, I felt something touching heavily on my shoulder. Surprised, I looked around. I found him leaning on my shoulder in no time, with his eyes closed. When I saw him asleep with a rxed expression, I had mixed feelings. How did all this happen? Our rtionship was star-crossed from the beginning, and even now. I longed for his love so much in the past, but I was hated by him. Even though I have won over his heart now, I can¡¯t live with him. This is the essence of my contradictory rtionship with him. I sighed deeply. I pounded my stuffy chest when suddenly something fell on my arm. What is this? Is it raining in this nice weather? I looked up, but the sky was clear without any clouds. In all possibility, it won¡¯t rain. When I looked down, tilting my head, a drop of water fell again. I felt I had to wake him up, so I turned around. Oh no! I saw tears flowing under his thick eyshes. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± I hurriedly closed my mouth. Teardrops were falling from his eyes, but he smiled as if he were happy instead of being sad or in agony. I was so heartbroken to see it that I also began to cry. I quickly blinked my blurry eyes. Hesitating for some time, I carefully ced my hand on his shoulder. He would be ufortable in this posture. ¡®Let me help him have a happy dream.¡¯ I carefully put his head on myp while trying to not wake him up. Then, I tied up his disheveled hair and wiped his tears. I felt my frozen heart melt away at the warmth of his tears. I looked at his smiling face for some time before slowly leaning against the tree. I kept blinking my eyes slowly because I felt sleepy. The silver buds that seemed to open slightly seemed toe into my view. ¡®Are they blooming now?¡¯ While tilting my head, I closed my eyes unconsciously and fell asleep. I opened my eyes. When I was tossing and turning my body, rubbing my sleepy eyes, I found myself in a ce not familiar to me. Where am I? Someone approached me while I was wondering what happened, and bowed deeply. The badge of the pce affairs office on his chest was clearly visible. ¡®Huh? Am I inside the pce now? ¡® I immediately got up from the bed, startled. This time the crest of a roaring golden lion engraved on the carpet caught my eye. Oh my God! I asked the maid with a trembling voice, trying hard to open my mouth, ¡°Where am I now?¡± ¡°It is His Majesty¡¯s bedroom, Lady Monique.¡± Oh My God. I felt goosebumps. All kinds of thoughts passed through my mind. My father¡¯s angry face naturally came to my mind, let alone the fierce bickering between the pro-emperor faction and the noble faction over my overnight stay at the Central Pce. It didn¡¯t matter that nothing happened. Anyway, politics was a battle for justification. ¡°Why am I here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was ordered by His Excellency to serve you when you woke up.¡± ¡°I see. Where is he now?¡± ¡°He is in the meeting room.¡± ¡°Meeting room?¡± The maid bowed deeply to me when I was tilting my head, saying, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I heard that he called the heads of the marquis familiesst night and spent the night with them.¡± ¡°Huh? Did he summon all of them?¡± ¡°Yes, I heard so. His Excellency asked to have breakfast with you when you are awake. It¡¯s alreadyte, so you had better hurry up¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± I stood up with a sigh of relief. As he was with the noblesst night, there was no possibility that any weird rumors about me would spread in the capital. When I stepped down from the bed, I was bothered by my costume as I was dressed in the same ck satin dress, corset, and petticoat. ¡®I wonder if he saw my outfit.¡± Hiding my blushing face, I washed my face and changed into the clothes the maid gave me. The light water-colored dress fitted me perfectly as it was tailored for my body. I was a little puzzled because it was my first time wearing it, but I went out as the maid was in a hurry. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Hello, Sir June, Sir Seymour. Long time no see!¡± As I left the room, the two knights standing at the door bowed to me. Sir June said with a bright smile, ¡°I was ordered to escort you. Pleasee with me.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± I quietly expressed my gratitude and walked with the two knights. ¡°Did you have a good sleepst night? It seemed like you were sleeping very well. ¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­ ? ¡± ¡°Well, I happened to be on dutyst night, so I have been keeping an eye on you since you arrived at the Central Pce with His Excellency.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Suddenly, his face blushed. When the emperor died in Vita¡¯s arms, it was only natural for the guards to follow him, the only remaining immediate member of his family. But even though I understood it, I felt suddenly embarrassed to hear that he had seen everythingst night. In addition, Sir June and Sir Seymour were close to me. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the emperor sleep sofortably. I am not sure if you know it, but the emperor can¡¯t sleep because of insomnia. But yesterday he had a sound sleep. So, our opinion was divided over whether to wake up the emperor or not because it was cold at night.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± When I slowly nodded, Sir Jeanne continued in a very satisfied tone, ¡°So, after a long discussion, we approached the emperor to wake him up, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chapter 193 Chapter 193: Chapter 193 ¡°When he noticed we were approaching, he quickly opened his eyes and told us to go back. So, we watched him at a distance. He looked at you for a long time, took off his robe and carried you in his arms.¡± What? My eyes popped out. I thought somebody carried me to this ce because the ce I fell asleep was different from the ce I woke up, but I never thought he carried me in person. Not caring about my surprised look, Sir June continued, ¡°And then, heid you on the bed and looked at you for a long time, he came out with a deep sigh. I was rmed at his deep sigh.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°This is why youth is good. Oh my, I wonder if I will ever have a date¡­¡± ¡°Sir June, stop there,¡± said Sir Seymour. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Hey, that¡¯s the problem, man.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. So stop frowning like that.¡± Sir June shook his head at his warning voice, then remained silent. I walked on silently, covering my blushing cheeks. I was escorted to one of several restaurants in the Central Pce. When I stepped in after taking a deep breath, the young man with blue hair sitting at the head table said, ¡°Good morning!¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m honored to see the Sun of the empire!¡± Normally I would not have cared, but today I found myself conscious of people around me. Maybe it was because my father and the two dukes were here, or because not only the pro-emperor faction but also the noble faction led by Duke Jena and Marquis Mirwa¡¯s son were there. ¡°Sit down.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± A heavy silencested even after I took a seat. I was not sure whether it was because they stopped talking in the middle or the ranking members of both factions gathered. The silence continued after the second main course was served. How much time passed? After pushing aside the tes, Marquis Mirwa¡¯s son said, breaking the long silence, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you this again when you already talked about the state affairs all night. Your Majesty, how are you going to deal with the arson attacks spreading in the capital these days? It¡¯s been quiet for a while, now the arson is back. Don¡¯t you think you should increase the investigation staff to find the criminal?¡± ¡®Arsons again?¡¯ I was puzzled because I was never briefed about it. I clearly told my house vassal Baron Carot to report to me about every little thing, but why didn¡¯t he tell me about it? ¡°Well, I would love to, but there are already many involved in the search efforts. I am afraid I can¡¯t make more staff avable for the investigation.¡± ¡°However, the arsonist is not targeting ordinary people, but the noble families in the capital. I¡¯m afraid that the people will scorn the imperial family and noble families as the suspect is still on the loose.¡± Obviously, he had a point. But only Marquis Enesil nodded. My father and the two dukes did not respond. I felt ufortable somehow. Was there a conspiracy here? Duke Jena slowly put down the ss and giggled, saying, ¡°Well, it looks like he is a blessed criminal because we can¡¯t catch him at all.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± When he asked curiously, Duke Jena exined, ¡°Oh, you might not know about it, but he made a great disturbance in the capital ten years ago. There was a simr arson at that time. After all, we couldn¡¯t catch him.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Duke Verita said after looking at the son of Marquis Mirwa lost in thought, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that guy was responsible for this arson. That guy¡¯s arson attack took ce a long time ago.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of any wolf stopping hunting because it was old.¡± ¡°I know, but there were lots of rumors about that suspect from the beginning, but he was never identified. Now ten yearster he is at it again? I think that¡¯s pure spection.¡± ¡°Not identified yet? That¡¯s nonsense¡­¡± As both sides¡¯ argument was getting heated, the emperor said, ¡°Stop it. Let me order the security department to pay more attention to it. If they can¡¯t, let me consider dispatching the knights. Okay?¡± Although they were not satisfied, the sessor of the Jena family nodded as if he couldn¡¯t help it. Duke Verita also nodded with a smile. Duke Lars, who was watching the scene for a while, said, putting down the fork, ¡°Your Majesty, what are you going to do with your coronation ceremony? I think we have to begin discussing the matter.¡± ¡°Well, I was going to discuss the agenda at tomorrow¡¯s cab meeting. The ceremony itself is not a problem, but what really matters is the issue of noble session and amnesty.¡± At that moment everybody¡¯s eyes were ring. As this is a matter that can have a tremendous effect on the national political scene, both factions would most likely confront each other over the issue. ¡°Your Majesty, I told you yesterday about it, but I think the session of Earl Penril is still premature. This is a matter that permanently grants the status of themand of the Royal Knights to his family. I don¡¯t want to look down on the earl¡¯s loyalty, but the session of the noble title of his family is a different matter,¡± said Duke Jena¡¯s sessor. But my father balked at him and said, ¡°Is it your own opinion or that of the Jena family?¡± I hurriedly shut my mouth to hold back a peal ofughter because it was so funny that a man at my father¡¯s age was still called Duke Jena¡¯s sessor. In fact, he was old enough to inherit his father¡¯s title. Given the nature of the imperial nobles in charge of various affairs, it was customary to take over the title from their fathers in their mid tote-twenties. ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t know why you are trying to separate my opinion from my family¡¯s. Actually, my opinion is my family¡¯s.¡± ¡°Hmm, as you are so sure, it seems like you are here after getting permission from your father today.¡± When my father said that, there was heard someone letting out a chuckle silently. Everyone¡¯s gaze turned towards him. ¡°Hmmm¡­Sorry.¡± Marquis Enesil hastily changed his expression and apologized, but the face of Duke Jena¡¯s sessor was already contorted. Clicking his tongue at that, the emperor said, ¡°It looks like you are on edge because you sat up all night. Please stop it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. ¡± Although he responded reluctantly, the sessor of Duke Jena was still angry in his voice because his eyes fiercely glowed at Marquis Enesil. ¡°Now, let¡¯s stop talking aboutplicated political affairs. Please enjoy your food now. You can discuss this at the cab meeting.¡± Everyone nodded at his suggestion and held the forks. I also put the fork to the te in front of me. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s a grilled mushroom dish. I really enjoy it. ¡® When I was enjoying the taste of the dish happily, a servant approached me carefully and put down another te. I asked with a small voice, tilting my head, ¡°What¡¯s this? I think I already got my share. ¡± ¡°His Majesty has told me to bring this to you.¡± ¡°His Majesty?¡± When I raised my head and looked at him, he smiled, staring at me. I opened my eyes wide. How did he know I really liked this dish? I blushed when I noticed him winking at me to enjoy it. While I took my eyes off of him, I met the eyes of Marquis Mirwa¡¯s son. I was embarrassed when he smiled at me brightly, as if he knew something about me and the emperor. How much time passed? Except for one more argument, both factions enjoyed the breakfast in afortable atmosphere. After the emperor left the ce, expressing thanks for their work, the sessor of Duke Jena who was staring at my father sharply and Marquis Mirwa¡¯s son who bowed politely also left. Duke Verita, looking at them from behind with a smile, said, looking back at me, ¡°Good morning, Lady Monique. Did you have a good sleepst night?¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± ¡°Hey, Ruth, why are you teasing her? Let¡¯s go. We can¡¯t afford to spend time here to prepare for the new emperor¡¯s coronation ceremony.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. See youter, Lady Monique.¡± When the two dukes and Marquis Enesil left the ce, my father said, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well, I fell asleep while talking with him about thete emperor¡­¡± ¡°You fell asleep?¡± ¡°Yes. I took a walk with him briefly in the garden and sat down for a while walking, then¡­¡± Chapter 194 Chapter 194: Chapter 194 My father, who quietly looked at me hesitating for some time, said with a sigh, ¡°Tia, I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t believe you, but it was reckless of you.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes. I¡¯m sorry, Daddy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you are going to be in trouble because the emperor has taken the proper measure, but be more careful in the future. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°Okay. I think I have to stay at the pce to take care of some work, so go home and take a rest.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± I breathed a sigh of relief because he didn¡¯t seem angry, and went out of the pce with a sigh. When I arrived at the wagon station and looked for the coachman, a servant came running to me and handed me a small note. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It was sent by His Majesty.¡± ¡°His Majesty? Got it.¡± Tilting my head, I opened the luxurious white paper. There were a few words written in his ornate handwriting. < I wanted to talk to you in person, but as there were so many around me, I couldn''t. Thanks for your considerationst night. I don''t remember well, but thanks to you, I think I had a happy dream. Yours, Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina.> After carefully folding the note, I got in the wagon. The carriage started smoothly with the ttering of hoofs. Feeling a faint vibration, I looked at the Central Pce through the window. I felt something like warmth in my hand that held the note. I turned over the documents. The piles of papers were handed to me by Baron Carot the other day. They were the reports about the results of my instruction. ¡®Let me see. Though he failed to appease Earl Lanier, hepletely seeded in bringing Viscount Apinu into our fold.¡¯ I thought it would not be so easy to persuade the earl, but my efforts up to now paid off to some extent. As for Apinu, I already had Entea work out something in advance to entice him. Anyway, it was obvious that I had more cards to y against them. ¡®But why isn¡¯t there any information about the raid of unknown assassins?¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be a small matter, given that Marquis Mirwa mentioned it. I was in doubt why he failed to report it. ¡®I wonder if it¡¯s rted to my family.¡¯ Suddenly, one thing came to my mind, but I gave it a pass, giggling at myself. Was it because I heard about the blessed criminal? I felt I thought about nonsense. Thinking I would ask the baron about it, I wrote down a couple of more instructions asking him to look into Earl Lanier¡¯s hideout. At that moment, Entea knocked on the door and came in. ¡°Come on in, Entea. You got here faster than I thought. ¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Lady Monique. I received a message from when I was about to call on you. I heard you wanted to see me urgently.¡± ¡°Yes, I have a few things to ask. Sit down. ¡± I waited for Entea to sit down before asking. ¡°Please ask anything.¡¯ ¡°How many merchant groups are affiliated with Duke Jena?¡± ¡°There are two. Originally, there were three including the Lainer merchant group, but as you know¡­¡± ¡°I see. How big are those two? Compared to the Sharia merchant group, are theyparable?¡± ¡°Well, one of them is, but the other one is not yet big enough to rival the Sharia group. Why are you asking?¡± I smiled at her, who looked at me with a puzzled expression, and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it time for the Sharia merchant group to grow more? At least you have to control themercial activities in the capital.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes. Of course, I¡¯m saying this, on condition that you don¡¯t touch themercial activities of the merchant groups affiliated with the pro-emperor faction. If you merge the two merchant groups, I think you can increase your stake in the capital area. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, but¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m not telling you to do it right now. As for the business activities of one merchant group, its rival group knows better, as you know. Let¡¯s start by examining the history of tax evasion of the two merchant groups. I guess they must have raised a lot of funds to buy muslin, so there must be a loophole somewhere. ¡± Making an expression that she got my point, she said carefully, ¡°I know what you mean. You are thinking of turning to the government for this, right?¡± ¡°Well, the best option would be the government¡¯s order to disband them, but if we could change their leadership, that would be a great achievement.¡± ¡°You bet. I¡¯ll find out and give you the information on their tax evasion as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Good! Let me support you financially as much as you want, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Lady Monique. I¡¯ll devote my allegiance to you with all might.¡± I smiled brightly at Entea, who was bowing to me deeply as if she was touched. So far, I acted with moderation, but as long as they tried to threaten my regained life, I didn¡¯t have to wait and see until they took the upper hand. I needed to nip their wicked scheme in the bud in order topletely get rid of their bigger plot. I had to deal a fatal blow to them so that they could never threaten my life again. Of course, I had lots of work to do. In that respect, my instructions to Baron Carot and Entea would help mey the foundation for the sess of my mission. ¡®Let me see. What else can I do?¡¯ ¡°Oh, with regard to the muslin business, did you make any profits?¡± ¡°Yes, I did. As you instructed, I sold the whole stock of muslin to the Jena family three times as much as the original price. ¡± ¡°Three times? That¡¯s good. Hmm, what about the sales of hairpins these days? ¡± ¡°Well, they are selling steadily. Why are you asking about it?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it time for the consumers to feel sick and tired of the existing model? Let¡¯s give it a little change.¡± I noticed her smiling brightly. Given that the Jena family bought three times as much for the muslin, it was clear that Jiun was confident of sess, based on her memories before her return. But can she seed again this time? ¡°As for the changes in the hairpin, do you have any idea?¡± ¡°So far, the existing hairpin was used as a fancy essory, right? Let¡¯s think out of the box. Make the decoration as simple as possible, but make its design as stylish as possible. The consumers can feel differently about the new model, but not that different from the existing one.¡± ¡°Oh, I know what you mean. That¡¯s a good idea. ¡± Before my return, a muslin dress was popr around this time and the hairpin sold like hotcakes. Muslin stood out as a material to match the hairpin, so women could create a graceful hairstyle with it. But it was different now. The hairpin was an ornament that had been selling steadily since two years ago. So, at this point, there was no reason for muslin to be so popr. Besides, it was clear that women would turn a blind eye to muslin if the decoration of its matching hairpin was simplified. If both the essory and the dress are simple, it will make the woman look shabby, not simple. ¡°And before you sell the new hairpin, make sure you buy the finest sat. I don¡¯t have to tell you what to do after that, right?¡± ¡°Of course. Thank you, as always, Lady Monique.¡± Luna cried low and climbed on myp, waking from sleep. When I closed my eyes slowly, looking at her golden eyes, she also slowly closed and opened her eyes, Entea, who looked at me stroking Luna¡¯s soft fur, smiled gently. ¡°It looks like you have almost recovered fully. I¡¯m so happy to see you up and running.¡± ¡°Thank you. Come to think of it, I think I should start attending social events again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask, but can you really do that? Obviously, there will be lots of rumors about this¡­¡± I knitted my brows, but I said casually as if it was not a big deal. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t do anything about it. But you know I can¡¯t live in hiding forever.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m still worried. As you know, there are lots of rumors circting in social circles. Soon, they will gossip about the uing coronation ceremony. In that case¡­¡± ¡°Let me take care of that, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Entea flinched when I spoke coldly, and quickly apologized, bowing to me. ¡°Sorry, Lady Monique. I didn¡¯t mean to be presumptuous.¡± Chapter 195 Chapter 195: Chapter 195 ¡°¡­ That¡¯s fine. I know that you said that because you were worried about me. But I want you to be a little careful.¡± ¡°Sure. Thanks for forgiving me generously.¡± I wanted to change the topic at this point, so I said, patting Luna lightly, ¡°Hmm, social circles¡­Well, I¡¯m worried about the rumors, but I was out of the loop for a long time as you know. Are there any new rumors these days?¡± ¡°I think you already know about the news that an arsonist who has appeared in the capital recently¡­Nothing else¡­ Oh, there is a rumor about Earl Dias. ¡± ¡°Really? What is that?¡± I looked at Entea with a curious expression. Although I was curious about the arsonist, I didn¡¯t think Entea, who was a child just over a decade ago, knew well about the blessed criminal. So, I became more interested in the rumor about the Dias family. Anyway, I can ask Baron Carot about the arsonist. Earl Dias was one of the influential members of the noble faction, so I thought I might be able to get something useful. ¡°It is rumored that the baby boy Countess Dias gave birth to a few years ago is not the earl¡¯s child¡­ I don¡¯t think you have to pay attention to it.¡± ¡®He is not the earl¡¯s son?¡¯ Given that the earl was just over fifty, the rumor could be true, but the earl couple was widely known for their excellent rtionship despite their age difference. How could the countess have another man¡¯s baby? Of course, rumors are usually groundless, but on closer examination, there is usually something hidden that could generate rumors. As they say, where there is smoke, there is fire. For example, the rumors about me and Carsein were triggered by his staying at my father¡¯s estate mansion, plus the crown prince¡¯s visit to the mansion at the time. In that respect, the Dias family might have something to hide from others. ¡°It looks like a groundless rumor, but I think it¡¯s worth digging into. Can you check out why such a rumor is spreading? This kind of rumor is usually being talked about a lot among lower nobles or maids, so try to check them, too.¡± ¡°Sure, Lady Monique.¡± Entea politely bowed and stood up. After seeing her off, who promised to bring me the materials as soon as possible, I spent a leisurely time ying with the silver cat. As I threw the bait, I would see who would take it. A few dayster my father suddenly left the capital after being selected as the man to receive the delegation of the Lua kingdom for the new emperor¡¯s coronation. Given that his selection was hastily made at the initiative of the noble faction, it seemed that they would like to take care of the matter of the new emperor¡¯s wife during my father¡¯s absence. My father had no choice but to follow the emperor¡¯s decision because he had no particr reason to refuse it. When I was done for the day after seeing my father off, the butler informed me I had a guest. ¡°Mydy, a guest is here. He says his name is Marquis Enesil. ¡± ¡°Huh? Marquis Enesil?¡± I wondered why he came to see me sote, but I hurriedly rose from my seat. Upon entering the reception room, the young man sitting on a cream-colored sofa, who was tilting a mug at the moment, stood up. His golden hair glowed red under the sunset when he gently bowed. ¡°Please forgive my rudeness as I camete without any notice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Please sit down. ¡± I sat across him and poured tea into my cup. As the transparent tea flowed into the silver teacup, the strong fragrance of rosemary wafted into the air. Silently watching me pouring tea, the man opened my mouth, ¡°How is your condition? When I was at the ceremony for thete emperor the other day, I couldn¡¯t inquire after you as I was so absent-minded.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s already been four months since I got up from the bed. Thank you for your concern. ¡± When I bowed to express gratitude, Marquis Enesil said with a smile, ¡°I see. I¡¯m d to hear that. I guess your colleagues will be very happy to have you back.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°You know there is full training sooner orter. It looks like the knights are ardently waiting for you. Come to think of it, there are rumors that you have been transferred to the 2nd Knights Division. Is it true? ¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I think so. ¡± When the young man confirmed my positive reply, he sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. Actually, I wanted to learn from you because you are very good at mapping out military strategy.¡± ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m ttered. But I feel good as you praise me like that. I also think it¡¯s a pity that I have not had the opportunity to work with you because I felt I could learn a lot from you.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m embarrassed to hear that. In fact, I am a bit out of sorts these days because I have a strongpetitor.¡± ¡°Strongpetitor?¡± ¡°Well¡­as many people know already, let me be honest, I want to be the captain of the 3rd Knights Division. ¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s what I guessed.¡± When I nodded slowly, the young man lifted his mug and sipped the tea, saying, ¡°It seems like the son of Marquis Mirwa also wants that position. At first, I thought it was ridiculous for him to apply for it because he was not yet officiated as a knight. But I feel he is not a pushover.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Given the way he speaks at the cab meetings, he is no ordinary type. In particr, at thest meeting he ¡­¡± He suddenly stopped talking while trying to say something, then put down the teacup with an awkward expression. ¡°Well, as I mentioned the cab meeting already, let me get to the point. Let me tell you why I visited in thiste hour. ¡± ¡°Ah, please.¡± He swallowed with a determined look. Why is he making such a look before saying something? ¡°Do you know that your father asked me to take care of you before he left?¡± ¡°Did he?¡± ¡°Yes, because the two dukes are rather in a difficult situation now. Although he asked me not to say anything to you, I thought that you should know about it as you¡¯re directly involved, so I came here at this time of night.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Thank you.¡± When I bowed to express gratitude, Marquis Enesil smiled embarrassedly. ¡°I¡¯m a bit embarrassed as you thank me because I¡¯m here with some bad news. Well, you know that the current situation is serious, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know the details, but I know something about it.¡± ¡°I thought the noble faction would keep a low profile because of Earl Lanier¡¯s case, but they are very offensive, which is very unusual. By the way, do you know that our faction is supporting Earl Whir¡¯s second daughter as the new emperor¡¯s concubine these days?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I think you will understand quickly what I have to say from now on. You should be talking fast. Nowadays, the noble faction is openly arguing that the new emperor should have you as his concubine, citing your right to seed the empress and your position as the child of God¡¯s prophecy. It is Marquis Mirwa¡¯s son who has proposed that idea.¡± ¡°What, what did you say?¡± Suddenly, I felt goosebumps. I never expected that the noble faction, who I thought would be only bent on ruling me out, would use me for their own purpose. Marquis Ensil smiled embarrassedly at me when I was staring into the air nkly. ¡°For that reason, opinions are actually divided among our faction members. Some are arguing that we should proceed with the original n, but promote Whir¡¯s daughter as the emperor¡¯s concubine just in case, while others argue that we should let Lady Duke take the empress position while installing Whir¡¯s daughter as his concubine, considering the possible dispute between the Monique and Whir families¡­ I¡¯m really worried about the division because we need to be united to fight against the noble faction.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°The emperor is also trying to support us by all means, but he is in a difficult position because of the divided opinion among our faction as well as the noble faction¡¯s usible argument.¡± That¡¯s why my father was out of sorts these days. I now could understand how much my father was stressed out because of the fierce division within the pro-emperor faction at a time when they badly needed solidarity to challenge the noble faction. ¡°We will try to resolve this matter before your father returns. We¡¯re trying our best to stop it, but you may receive a summons sooner orter.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Actually, that¡¯s part of the reason why I came here.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Chapter 196 Chapter 196: Chapter 196 ¡°As both sides are now locked in fierce bickering, I think I have to tell you that you shoulde prepared for the summons.¡± ¡°¡­Got it. Thank you.¡± When I expressed gratitude, he stood up with a worried expression. After seeing him off, who looked back over and over again as if he wasn¡¯t relieved, I went to bed with a heavy heart. Two days after the marquee visited my house, I received two letters. One was a summons to attend the cab meeting in the afternoon, and the other one was sent by the emperor, asking me to stay at home instead ofing to the pce because he would handle the matter. I spent time pacing up and down in my house in the morning. If I were to attend the meeting now, it was clear that they would put an end to the long controversy over the vacant position of the empress. It was the moment I had been waiting for, but when its resolution was around the corner, I had a lot on my mind. At the same time, I was scared because there would be a fierce collision between the two rival factions in the process of making the conclusion. I opened the blue-colored letter from the emperor once again with my cold hand. He obviously asked me not toe because he would solve the matter somehow. The fact that he sent me the letter suggested that the noble faction¡¯s offensive was very strong. However, I couldn¡¯t avoid it, so I bit my lips to pull myself together. Even if I was faced with some difficulties and trials, I had to end this controversy that had been going on for almost six years. ¡°Lina, bring me the formal dress and the crest brooch. ¡± Ignoring her who looked at me with a worried expression, I wore a new ck dress. After stroking the brooch on the cor once, I headed for the Imperial Pce, holding the cufflinks my father gave me. ¡°The Sun of the Empire, His Excellency, is entering.¡± As soon as I raised my head, my eyes met his navy blue eyes. His cold look seemed to ask me why I attended the meeting. When I turned my eyes with an awkward smile, Earl Hamel said, as if he was waiting for the moment, ¡°Although the Monique family has been silent on this issue until now, I hope you can express your opinion, Lady Monique. I think it¡¯s time to put an end to this controversy. I can¡¯t understand why your family can be so disloyal as the most loyal family in this empire.¡± ¡°Earl Hamel, watch yournguage!¡± ¡°Well, I would like to speak out today. To be honest, isn¡¯t it an agenda we don¡¯t have to discuss? Lady Jena has demonstrated her qualities as the next empress for the past six months while Lady Monique was absent. On the other hand, despite her position as the emperor¡¯s fiancee, Lady Monique has joined the knights, or she has been attending this meeting in her capacity as the head of her family, which is very strange. She is acting as if she is more interested in being the sessor of her family. If you have given up the goal of being the next empress, why are you wielding the sword and learning military strategy or tactics instead of learning to quietly help His Excellency the Emperor?¡± ¡°He is right. It is clear that she has already given up, realizing she doesn¡¯t have the qualifications.¡± I closed my lips because I had nothing to say. It is true that he thought I would seek to be the sessor of my family, and that I was refusing the position of the empress. When both me and the pro-emperor faction kept silent, Earl Hamel said with a triumphant air, ¡°I would like to hear Lady Monique¡¯s opinion at this point. Please tell us whether you have given up on the position of the empress on your own or if you have any other reason.¡± Regardless of the noble faction or the pro-emperor faction, they turned their eyes toward me The future of their faction would depend on what kind of position I would take. The moment I closed and opened my eyes, my eyes met his, who was looking at me quietly. As if he read my mind, I saw his blue eyes trembling a bit. ¡°I am¡­¡± When I just opened my mouth, suddenly someone interrupted, saying coldly, ¡°Well, I think I have to take issue with something before she answers.¡± They looked away from me and focused on the man at the head table. Looking around as if he was very displeased, the emperor said coldly, ¡°Earl Hamel, you mentioned something about the qualifications of the empress. What about Lady Jena? It has been almost a year since she suddenly appeared in the empire. Has she ever shown better qualities than Lady Monique? Let me remind you that Lady Jena was never recognized by thete emperor.¡± The noble faction remained silent at his cold rebuke. They knew it was Lady Jena¡¯s big weakness that thete emperor didn¡¯t call her at the moment of his death. ¡®Did he stop me from speaking on purpose?¡¯ I looked up at him nkly as that question came to my mind. He must know that his intervention on my behalf would only add to the confusion. I knew when I expressed my opinion, the pro-emperor faction would end their division ande up with a unified position. ¡°That¡¯s right. If Lady Monique, who has proven her qualities well, iscking in the qualifications, Lady Jena doesn¡¯t have the qualifications either because she didn¡¯t show her ability to surpass Lady Monique.¡± ¡°I agree. Above all, Lady Jena has the disqualification that she was not recognized by thete emperor, right?¡± ¡°You mentioned disqualification? Oh my. As for disqualification for the empress, Lady Monique has much more, doesn¡¯t she?¡± The noble faction suddenly remained silent at Earl Hamel¡¯s counterattack. Looking at him, I tilted my head a bit. What the heck is the decisive reason for my disqualification? I don¡¯t think they regard my efforts to be the sessor of my family as the decisive reason. If so, ¡­ At that moment, one thing sshed through my mind. When I looked at him, guessing his motivation, Earl Hamel said, looking at me with a ridiculous expression, ¡°What is the most important duty as the empress, regardless of one¡¯s qualities, personality and family background? It is giving birth to the emperor¡¯s sessor. I feel sorry for her, but I can¡¯t support her as the next empress because her fertility is doubtful.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! The emperor¡¯s sessor should be delivered by the empress to avoid any rumors. What if internal fighting broke out because Lady Monique could not give birth to a baby as the empress?¡± ¡°I agree. How can we support an infertile woman as the next empress? Never, ever!¡± I immediately looked around. I saw the noble factionughing triumphantly and the pro-emperor faction shunning my gaze. It looked as if the pro-emperor faction were hit hard from behind. I was getting more and more nervous. I smirked. ¡®Oh, you guys have been thinking that way.¡¯ Even though I took the noble faction¡¯s reaction as granted, I expected the pro-emperor faction would take my side. Given the atmosphere, however, I felt they would also dump me. I felt an unbearable sense of betrayal. Did they have to show me their betrayal in this official meeting? Their silence meant that they would officially recognize that I was an infertile woman. Regardless of when I could be pregnant or not, I was already stigmatized as an infertile woman. ¡°Oh my God!¡¯ To these people, not only I but also my unborn baby was nothing but a pawn in chess. What else do I ask them for? Then even treat the emperor as a stallion. They already abandoned me in the past. Even though I did my best for the interests of the pro-emperor faction, they dumped me. There was no possibility for them to defend me now, even though I made the case for myself, arguing with the noble faction over every little thing? I shrugged my shoulder to hold back a burstingugh. Come to think of it, I was no more than an awful nuisance to these members of the pro-emperor faction. I was a woman who couldn¡¯t be with anyone or even deserve that. I felt like I was being drawn into a swamp. I felt I heard them shouting at each other and talking about me among them, but all of it just let in one ear and out the other. I was spaced out while I was at the meeting. How much time passed? I came to my senses when someone shook my shoulder strongly. When I blinked my eyes slowly, I saw a man with red hair. Chapter 197 Chapter 197: Chapter 197 ¡°Oh, you areing to your senses now.¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry, Duke Lars.¡± ¡°Tut, tut. Why did you attend the meeting? Well, I guess you couldn¡¯t help it as you received the summons¡­¡± ¡°Well, I had to go through this someday.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry. That¡¯s all I can say to you now.¡± I nkly looked at him who apologized to me with a sigh. Although I got upset, I didn¡¯t want to speak with him or any other pro-emperor faction member. When I stood silently with my lips closed tightly, the chambein of the Central Pce came to me and said with a deep bow, ¡°His Excellency the Emperor wants to see you briefly.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± I sighed in spite of myself. I was eager to ignore his request and go home for rest. On the other hand, I felt it would be better to conclude the matterpletely on this asion. ¡°Whew!¡± With a deep sigh, I moved my sagging body and followed him. When I entered the meeting room, the emperor, who was pacing up and down nervously, said in an urgent voice, ¡°Are you okay? That¡¯s why I asked you not toe to the meeting¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ve got something to tell you.¡± ¡°¡­ Aristia. ¡± ¡°Please break off your engagement with me.¡± A cold silence fell. The longer I stood silently, the more subdued my feelings became. When I could now think straight, I felt anger was surging up again. My clenched fists trembled. How could they dare to spit out such reckless words to the daughter of the Monique family, one of the empire¡¯s founding families as well as one of the most precious families? How could they insult me, not an ordinarymoner, by treating the sessor of a great noble family as a stallion? ¡°¡­ Why are you saying that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you already know? I am a woman who does not deserve to stand by you, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. You are¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°They called me an infertile woman.¡± I threw out the insulting words that they spat out one by one. I felt something hot and moist between my fingers. However, I was much more disillusioned with myself who couldn¡¯t refute their unbearable insult than my pain. ¡°No, you are not. Why are you hurting yourself by saying that?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°The High Priest clearly said he could not say conclusively. So, don¡¯t jump to any conclusions.¡± ¡°Well, I am already an infertile woman in their eyes. What else do I need?¡± I just felt pitiable about myself. Didn¡¯t I clearly hear that I might be infertile? Given that there was nothing as cold as politics, I should not have expected that the pro-emperor faction would defend me, to say the least. Besides, I was aware that they had abandoned me once in the past. Even if the emperor, my father, and thete emperor took this issue calmly, it was toocent for me to think that everybody would still believe I could get pregnant. I was simply too stupid. My hatred of the noble faction wasn¡¯t strong because they reminded me of the cold reality that I might be infertile. If I had not acted stupidly, I would have easily predicted their reaction. I felt more betrayal against the pro-emperor faction. Instead of refuting the noble faction who called me an infertile woman, the pro-emperor faction shunned my eyes, which made me deeply disillusioned with them. Yes, even Duke Lars didn¡¯t respond at all when they attacked me. ¡°Let me solve the matter, so you can¡­¡± ¡°No, you should not.¡± ¡°Aristia!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that? Immediately after you are sworn in as the next emperor, political chaos will follow. So, you must rally your own supporting groups and make those loyal to thete emperor your loyal vassals. You know better than anybody else that any political chaos will put you into big trouble.¡± Although I forgot for a moment because I was absent-minded, I dide to the meeting to ask for the emperor¡¯s breakup of our engagement Besides, if I didn¡¯t break up the engagement now, the noble faction would certainly install me as the emperor¡¯s concubine to deny Grace any chance. Even if Grace were allowed to be a mere concubine for the emperor and gave birth to a baby, the baby would not dare to threaten Jiun¡¯s baby because there was a big difference between the empress¡¯s baby and a concubine¡¯s. ording to Marquis Ensil, some of the pro-emperor¡¯s faction were supporting me as the empress while others were arguing that they should give me up and support Grace as the emperor¡¯s concubine instead. If something went wrong, there was a possibility that even the Whir family or those supporting the Whir family would turn against the pro-emperor faction. At a time when the noble faction was going on the offensive for more power, any confusion or division inside the pro-emperor faction who should be united around the emperor would bring about enormous political repercussions. ¡°I¡¯m ready to stand up to their resistance to make you my woman.¡± ¡°¡­Why are you saying that?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deny what you said, but I¡¯m not stupid enough to run as the puppet emperor. It will take a little more time for me to solidify my position.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I don¡¯t want that. Do I need to repeat it? They call me an infertile woman.¡± I felt a little sad. Was he really caring about me strong enough to hold on to me? I broke into an empty smile. I wish I had vehemently dered that I did not intend to be the empress, regardless of the political interests of the pro-emperor faction. If so, I wouldn¡¯t have been insulted like this. I was stupid because I thought I couldn¡¯t refuse thete emperor¡¯s will because of my father¡¯s loyalty to him through an oath of blood. Even thete emperor would not have given up on the Monique family easily unless my father hadmitted treason. In fact, thete emperor did his best to hold me, but he didn¡¯t force me under any circumstances. ¡°¡­Aristia. ¡± ¡°When I was foolish enough not to know I was poisoned, my bondage with you was already broken off. Even if you reconnect it, it can¡¯t be whole.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say so.¡± As I faced him up close, who was looking at me eagerly, I became more sober about my judgment. If I reached out to him now, he would definitely hold me. He would protect me from them offending my pride any further, though I was already offended as a great noble. As a woman and the wife of a man, I couldn¡¯t lead a life like that. I felt the only way for me to protect myst pride was to conclude this matter at this point. And I attended this meeting to break up my engagement with him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise to me that you would honor my intention with respect to my engagement?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying now. I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t want to be tied with the imperial family. So, please break off your engagement with me. ¡± ¡°¡­You have note of age yet.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± I swallowed a sigh. I was sorry for him, but I had to solve this matter today. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, but I would have changed my mind a long time ago if you expect I would change my mind in the next several months.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± He now made a desperate but hopeless expression. My heart ached when I noticed his offended look, but I kept up my determined attitude. His navy blue eyes were reflecting his mixed feelings. Surprise, embarrassment, sadness, and regret. Looking at me vacantly for a long time, he said with a deep sigh, ¡°¡­ I know what you mean. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Go back and take a break. Let me think about it.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Aristia, please give me some time to think about it. Why are you pushing me to decide so suddenly?¡± ¡°¡­ Okay. Then I will leave now.¡± Saying goodbye to him, I got out of the meeting room where he was standing alone nkly. Suddenly, I felt like I was throwing up. I just felt pathetic about myself. How hard I tried to promote the interests of the pro-emperor faction by making all possible sacrifices? Even though I made all my efforts and devoted myself to them, I was dumped by them at the end of the day. I was totally used after ying into their hands. I was like a fool. What and who did I trust? They already deserted me and my family even before my return. Even though they raised me as the next empress, they didn¡¯t protect me. Besides, they actively installed me as the emperor¡¯s concubine despite my strong opposition. Moreover, nobody helped when my family was eradicated. Chapter 198 Chapter 198: Chapter 198 I kept ridiculing myself while I was riding back home in a wagon and even when Iy on the bed after taking a shower after arriving home. I curled up inside the nket. I was jammed up on the inside because of variousplicated thoughts in my mind. I was sick and tired of the noble faction targeting my life whenever they found an opportunity. I thought I could live afortable life this time, but I couldn¡¯t. I was also upset about Jiun who screwed up my life because she returned from the past just like me. How long would she torment me before letting go of me? What ill-fated rtionship did she have with me to harass me in my second life? If she had joined the pro-emperor faction, I would not have had any problem like this, but she went to the noble faction to make matters worse. Above all, I was deeply disillusioned with the pro-emperor faction who abandoned me at once when they felt I was useless, who was trying to curry favor with them. I felt strongly betrayed by Duke Lars and Duke Verita who took care of me well since when I was a child, but deserted me now. I felt resentful towards my father who didn¡¯t tell me about them in advance¡­ ¡®Oh no, I shouldn¡¯t hate my father.¡¯ I shook my head. The political world is a heartless one. It was all my fault that I was toocent, carried away with the warmth of the people around me. It was my fault that I believed them so easily. I chewed my lips. When I was shuddering because of a deepening sense of shame, somebody tapped the nket. When I removed the nket hysterically, Luna was staring at me casually. ¡°Whew, Luna. I don¡¯t feel like ying with you today. ¡± I whispered, but Luna snuggled into my arms, crying low, as if she didn¡¯t care about my mood. The warmth through her soft hair warmed up my frozen heart gradually. Was it because of that? I suddenly felt drowsy. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, tapping Luna gently It was a long day. ¡°Gosh, mydy, are you sure you are going, dressed like this?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong about my dress?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I turned my mouth up a bit when Lina was nervous, looking at me. I felt bad because of the summons I received this morning. I was really dumbfounded. Do they want to harrass me more than they already did the other day? But I couldn¡¯t be the only one suffering. I should definitely get even with them. As soon as I received the summons, I thought it¡¯s a good opportunity to counterattack them, so I called Mrs. Rosa, the dress designer, immediately. And thanks to her hard efforts, I received the new dress from her, which I was wearing to go to the pce. ¡°They are going to find fault with your dress¡­¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°But howe you are so calm¡­¡± ¡°Stop there. Is the carriage ready? ¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, mydy. ¡± I cut her off and finally checked her dress. Then I got on the wagon, leaving behind the family knights looking at me with a surprised expression. Because I left early in the morning, I could enter the conference hall without being noticed by anybody. I took my seat and brushed up on what I had to say at the meeting today. How much time passed? Soon they began toe in and take their seats one by one. In no time the protocol officer announced the arrival of the emperor. ¡°The Sun of the empire, His Majesty, is entering the hall!¡± When everyone was seated after showing him due manners, Earl Hamel immediately asked for a say. ¡°I said it yesterday, so I need to hear Lady Monique¡¯s reply by all means. How long are you going to drag your feet on this matter? Even if you are resisting, your disqualification doesn¡¯t go away.¡± ¡°Earl Hamel, watch yournguage!¡± ¡°Did I say anything wrong?¡± ¡°Well, I was going to give you the answer right now,¡± I said, cutting him off, who was trying to refute Duke Verita¡¯s warning. But my calm voice didn¡¯t show any emotional reaction. When I stood up, everyone¡¯s eyes focused on me. ¡°I heard well what you said at this meeting yesterday. I appreciate your opinion very much.¡± When I looked around, with my mouth turned up a bit, I saw the noble faction staring at me aghast and the pro-emperor faction trying to shun my gaze. It seemed they took notice of my barbed words. After quietly bowing to the head table where the emperor was seated, I opened my mouth quickly before he said anything. ¡°So, I requested the emperor to break off his engagement with the Monique family.¡± ¡°What did you say? Is that true?¡± ¡°Lady Monique, what the heck is this¡­¡± ¡°Breaking off your engagement? How can you say that without consulting with us first¡­?¡± With a bright smile, I looked around at them making a fuss over my announcement. I couldn¡¯t help but smile when I watched the noble faction staring at me nkly and the pro-emperor faction getting confused. I felt like I got some heavy burden off my chest. ¡°Quiet! Everybody, be quiet!¡± Silencing them, Duke Verita said, looking at me, ¡°Lady Monique, can you exin once again? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Well, I just said my position clearly. What more do you want to hear?¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ is that really the intention of the Monique family?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. While my father is away, I¡¯m expressing my opinion as the head of my family, so I¡¯m now saying in my capacity as the head of the Monique family, not me as an individual.¡± Unlike the pro-emperor faction who were still confused, the noble faction regainedposure and seemed to ask for a say immediately. I raised my voice and warned them before turning to Duke Verita. ¡°So, I hope you can stop ndering me and my family.¡± ¡°Who is ndering you, Lady Monique? Please refrain from¡­¡± ¡°When you say you are breaking off the engagement, it means you are also giving up all your bodnage with the imperial family. So, don¡¯t argue that I should be the empress. When you once again make an argument over this, I will immediately retract my request, even if you continue to me me. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t get it¡­¡± ¡°And if I retract, I will do my best to prove my qualifications. In other words, I¡¯m going topete with Lady Jena who is the better empress candidate, either me who has defects as a woman or her who was not recognized by thete emperor.¡± As I spoke clearly, the noble faction became quiet in no time. Looking away from them who were silent, I now turned to the pro-emperor faction. I said with a bright smile at them, who I once felt as my reliable ally, ¡°Now, please sort out your divided opinion and present your unified position.¡± ¡°Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Let me tell you one more thing. The Monique family won¡¯t be involved in this matter again. So, don¡¯t expect any cooperation on my end.¡± ¡°Lady Monique! What the heck are you talking¡­¡± ¡°Hummm¡­ are you going to make our family turn against you, Earl Whir? Do you think I¡¯m a pushover because I give it away?¡± ¡°¡­No, you know that¡¯s not what I mean.¡± When Earl Whir, who was trying to say something, stepped back with a puzzled look, Duke Lars said, swallowing a sigh, ¡°I will respect the intention of the Monique family. So, please stop it, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Sure, I will.¡± I smiled and took my eyes off the pro-emperor faction. The moment I slowly turn my head, my eyes meet with the emperor¡¯s navy blue eyes fixed on me. There was reproach, desperateness and some other feelings in his eyes. ¡°Your Majesty, everyone seems to have a lot on their minds, so how about taking a break?¡± Only when he heard Duke Verita¡¯s voice suggesting the intermission, he slowly looked away from me. Turning to him slowly, he nodded, ¡°Sure, let¡¯s take a break.¡± ¡°The meeting will be adjourned for half an hour.¡± I stood up and headed for the door as soon as he announced the recess. As I quicked my pace, I felt many of them turning their eyes at me. ¡®Let me count how many are looking at me.¡¯ With a smile I began to count with silence. ¡®One, two, three.¡¯ ¡°Lady Monique! What the heck did you do a moment ago?¡± somebody said angrily from my behind. Chapter 199 Chapter 199: Chapter 199 I smiled sarcastically to hear the man¡¯s angry tone. As I slowly turned back, I saw a man with light purple hair staring at me as if he was dumbfounded. Suddenly, I felt it was fun because I could get even with him for his ndering yesterday. ¡°You must be Earl Hamel. What business has brought you here?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know why I havee? Why are you wearing such a dress here? What the heck are you doing here?¡± ¡°Well? I certainly wore a formal dress ording to the imperial custom. I don¡¯t know why you are upset about me.¡± When I tilted my head, he said with an annoying voice, ¡°Ha, formal dress? Do you think it¡¯s a formal dress?¡± ¡°Hmm, it looks like you don¡¯t have a good eyesight. Don¡¯t you see the crest of my family sewn on the cor or this brooch?¡± I smiled and pointed at the cor of my dress. The dress made with ck satte was clearly embroidered with the spears and shields in silver. Other than that, my dress was a typical dress for official asions. It was typically a woman¡¯s formal dress in a neat style, but after Mrs. Rosa adjusted it this morning, it was changed into a colorful dress. The upper part was the same as the existing one, but the lower part below the waist consisted of a skirt that gradually turned red with red satin padded down. Because of the wide satin red satte, the red skirt, with arge wave pattern without a pannier, was shining brightly with a cubic decoration. So, it was obviously too colorful to be seen as a formal dress. Nheless, one of the reasons I wore this dress was because there was no restriction on the color of the dress under the imperialw, and the other was ¡­ ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a formal dress just because you have the family crest and brooch? How can you have that vulgar color on a formal dress like that?¡± ¡°What did you say, Earl Hamel?¡± Yes, this was what I was looking for. A smile came to my lips. I expected it when he dared to nder me as an infertile woman at the meeting yesterday, but I didn¡¯t know he would take my bait like this. ¡°It looks like you began to insult me yesterday, and you are not stopping. I think you also know what you have just said is a grave insult to me.¡± ¡°Well, I just¡­¡± ¡°I repeatedly tolerated your insults in order not to make any dispute at this ce where we¡¯re supposed to discuss the emperor¡¯s coronation ceremony, but you are continuing to disgrace the honor of my family and mine. I really can¡¯t tolerate this anymore.¡± ¡°What the heck¡­!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Why are you quarrelling?¡± When I was trying to cut him off, I heard somebody interrupting coldly. When I slowly looked around, I saw the emperor also surprised at my outfit. But he asked me nkly, pretending that he didn¡¯t notice it, ¡°I think I heard you mentioning the honor of your family.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. At yesterday¡¯s meeting Earl Hamel insulted me with vulgarnguage that I couldn¡¯t even repeat. Nevertheless, I tried to tolerate him, but he again defiled the honor of my family and mine with vulgar expressions. So, as the representative of the Monique family, I am formally asking for a duel with his family to gain his territory.¡± ¡°What? To gain my territory?¡± ¡°A fight between the two families over each other¡¯s territory?¡± Those around us began to whisper here and there. The noble faction was holding their breath, while the pro-emperor faction was looking at us with interest. Based on the objective estimates of each other¡¯s power, there were few in the empire that could win against the Monique family, so it was almost certain that the Hamel family would lose, if they engaged in the fight. At that moment, the son of Marquis Mirwa standing among them stepped forward. ¡°Lady Monique, could you please calm down? Isn¡¯t it an important ce to discuss His Majesty¡¯s coronation procedure? I¡¯m afraid the families are going to fight before the coronation ceremony, which I think is a great disloyalty to the imperial family.¡± ¡°I know. That¡¯s why our family has been tolerating lots of things until now, including Earl Lanier¡¯s wicked scheme and Earl Hamel¡¯s ndering yesterday.¡± ¡°Of course, I know that the Monique family has been patient for a long time, so¡­¡± ¡°Stop it. If you keep quarrelling like this, we can¡¯t even have a break time. So, let¡¯s resume the meeting and discuss this matter first.¡± The emperor, who stopped the son of Marquis Mirwa, turned quickly and walked up to the head table. When everyone went back and sat down, the emperor turned to me and asked, ¡°Is it true that you are going to ask for a duel with the Hamel family for the control of each other¡¯s territory?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. In order to restore my family¡¯s honor, I cannot ignore the insults anymore.¡± ¡°Hmm, I think her reason is usible enough. What are you going to do, Earl Hamel? Let me hear your opinion.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± The son of Marquis Mirwa asked for a say on behalf of Earl Hamel and said, ¡°I think Earl Hamel is repenting. So, please ept his apologies and show mercy on him. Foreign delegations are arriving in droves to attend the uing coronation ceremony, so I¡¯m afraid that the two families¡¯ duel will give them a bad impression.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s a good point. But I can¡¯t allow the honor of the Monique family, one of the founding families in this empire, to be disgraced without taking any action. Besides, I couldn¡¯t save my face because of Earl Lanier¡¯s wickeds scheme. Apologies alone won¡¯t be enough.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, please¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do this. Earl Hamel, please offer formal apologies to Lady Monique in the name of the Hamel family, and hand over the mining rights of the emerald mine in your territory to the Monique family.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, that¡¯s too harsh¡­!¡± With great satisfaction, I smiled at Earl Hamel who stood up, stunned. I didn¡¯t know I would get this kind of unexpected bonanza because I just wanted to tten him out. ¡°If you don¡¯t like my proposal, you can ept her proposal.¡± ¡°¡­ No, Your Majesty. Thank you for your consideration.¡± ¡°Do you ept my arbitration proposal?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will. ¡± ¡°Good. Let¡¯s wrap up this matter here.¡± Although I achieved satisfactory results, I had some more work to do. I asked for the right to speak, and said, looking up at the head table. ¡°Please forgive me for saying something that is not on today¡¯s agenda. I would like to tell you that starting tomorrow, as the representative of the Monique family I won¡¯t have to attend this meeting.¡± ¡°¡­ What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a matter rted to Earl Lanier. I can¡¯t help but deplore the fact that he has not yet been punished for his crime. Of course, I know that you have refrained from punishing him because of the uing coronation ceremony. But I think it¡¯s a problem that the investigation into his crime is very slow. So, I would like to request you to hand over the right to investigate everything rted to Earl Lanier to the Monique family.¡± ¡°That ¡®s outrageous!¡± ¡°You should not give her the right, Your Majesty!¡± As soon as I made the request, I smiled sarcastically at the noble faction who sprang to their feet to balk at my request. No matter how much they opposed, they wouldn¡¯t get anywhere. In fact, thete emperor agreed to give the Monique family the right to investigate all the matters rted to the Lanier case when he was in grave illness. Did the emperor notice my intention? After pondering over something for a moment, he raised his right hand to silence them. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t ept your request, Lady Monique. Regardless of the breakoff of our engagement, Earl Lanier attempted to kill my fiance by poisoning. This could be considered an attempt to poison the royal family, so I think it is appropriate for the imperial family to have the right to punish him.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°For the same reason, I can¡¯t hand over the investigation right.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a wise decision, Your Majesty.¡± The noble faction seemed greatly relieved with a big smile, but their triumphant smile was fleeting. The emperor continued, ¡°However, Lady Monique¡¯s argument also makes sense. So, let¡¯s do this. The imperial family has the basic investigation right, but the Monique family can also investigate as much they want.¡± ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t allow it, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t allow a joint investigation!¡± Chapter 200 Chapter 200: Chapter 200 ¡°I¡¯m very happy about your decision, Your Majesty,¡± I said, expressing gratitude by bowing to him. Then, I turned to the noble faction who were desperate to oppose his decision, and said clearly, smiling brightly at them, ¡°I remember that everyone here said that Earl Lanier acted alone to poison me, so I don¡¯t understand why you are so opposed. Do any of you have something to do with Lanier¡¯s crime?¡± ¡°Lady Monique, watch yournguage!¡± ¡°Then why are you so opposed? If you are not involved in the incident, you will be found innocent whoever is in charge of the investigation, right?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± They had no more reason to oppose. The noble faction was undermined because of the ongoing investigation into Earl Lanier, while the pro-emperor faction plunged into chaos due to my abrupt request for the investigation. Was it because of that? The lengthy meeting thatsted all afternoon finally ended when the emperor wrapped it up with a sigh. When I was about to leave the ce, rubbing my temple, I saw the two dukes and Marquis Enesil approaching me. I smiled bitterly at them who were hesitating with mixed feelings. What are they going to say to me now? ¡°Do you have anything to say to me?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t, let me leave now. Ah, Duke Verita, can I send someone to the government to receive some materials about the investigation?¡± ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I politely bowed to the three and turned. I felt vindicated but empty when the emperor epted my request for the right to investigate the Lanier case. As soon as I went back home, I headed to the in-house office. I sat nkly in front of my desk for a long time, staring into the air. What happened at the meeting kept conjuring up in my mind. The pro-emperor faction was confused by my sudden change, while the noble faction was dumbfounded¡­and the emperor¡¯s deeply subdued eyes were looking at me. ¡°Whew!¡± With a sigh, I opened the drawer and noticed a small box deep inside. I slowly reached out and took it out. When I opened the lid, the crest of a golden lion embroidered on the white cloth caught my eye. When I was looking down at the handkerchief for a long time, the door was suddenly flung open. My eyes popped out. Why did he suddenlye here? ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Aristia.¡± Only then did the butler and royal knights try to say something, then quickly closed the door. When I saw him gasping for breath, I sighed in spite of myself. He must havee running here to outpace them. ¡°Your Majesty, how did you personally visit this ce?¡± ¡°Because I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Is it because of what happened today?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, you already know my decision. I¡¯ve already made up my mind.¡± When I answered with a firm voice, he walked a few steps towards me and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you change your mind?¡± ¡°You know. Today, I spoke as the representative of the Monique family. So, I can¡¯t retract what I said.¡± ¡°You said you would like to request the breakoff, but I didn¡¯t say I would approve it.¡± ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t say that, Your Majesty.¡± When I replied with a sigh,he walked one step closer to me and said, ¡°I came to ask you one thing for thest time.¡± ¡°¡­Please go ahead.¡± ¡°Do you really hate me enough to persistently refuse your engagement to me, which was determined when you were born, and mention the breakoff at the official meeting?¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°When I saw your attitude toward me on the day when the state funeral for thete emperor took ce, I thought I could have some hope in our rtionship, but was it just my illusion? Don¡¯t you have any room for epting me?¡± His voice was distressed and his blue eyes were trembling. I lowered my head because I had nothing to say. Although he sounded me out in various ways, this was the first time he asked me bluntly. But what can I say? I couldn¡¯t tell him about my painful memories in the past, and as a result I couldn¡¯t love anybody now. ¡°Aristia.¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry, Your Majesty. I have nothing else to say I¡¯m sorry. ¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± With a sigh he reached out. I stiffened instantly, but his arm was facing toward the box on the desk, not me. The crest of the golden lion embroidered on a white cloth and his initials were clearly visible. What should I do? I wish I had put it away somewhere else. When I was at a loss what to do, he asked, looking back at me while quietly touching the handkerchief with his thumb, ¡°What is this handkerchief for?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Please answer me. If you don¡¯t think of me as a lover, why are you keeping this?¡± I bit my lip tightly. I didn¡¯t want to say this, but there seemed to be no other way than this. ¡°My Majesty, I wouldn¡¯t say I never loved you in the past, though briefly.¡± It was my sad confession that I really wanted to make to him, but now it¡¯s just a thing of the past. ¡°But I don¡¯t love you now.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± The blood vein stood out on the back of his hand holding his handkerchief. My eyes were blurred with tears when I looked at him devastated. I felt heartbroken because of my painful memories and the current situation where I kept breaking his heart. How much time passed? The eternity-like moment ended, and he put down the handkerchief. He turned silently, then whispered, holding the doorknob, ¡°¡­I see. Let me do as you want.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Only when the white hem of his robe disappeared and the sound of his footsteps disappeared did I break into tears that I was holding back. Tears fell on the crumpled white handkerchief. I felt like my heart was bursting out. It looked like I could cry loudly if I stayed more, so I stood up, wiping my tears. I spread the crumpled handkerchief evenly and put it back inside the drawer when Lina came in and said, ¡°Mydy, the clothes you asked Mrs. Rosa for in the morning have just been delivered.¡± ¡°¡­ Really? Okay. ¡± I tried to act as casually as possible, but Lina seemed to have already noticed my condition. I headed to the dressing room, ignoring Lina who moved her lips with a hesitant look. After checking the condition of my dresses, I turned around, but suddenly I noticed one tightly hung inside. Okay, let me get rid of this one, too, as I have made up my mind. ¡°I would like to sort out my dresses, so bring all of them to me.¡± ¡°All?¡± ¡°Yes, all of them.¡± Looking at me curiously, she took out my clothes one by one. I stiffened, looking at the watery dress that she held up. It was the dress he gave me the next day after I spent a night in the Imperial Pce. At that time I was so absent-minded that I didn¡¯t give it a deep thought. Looking back, I felt something strange because it was tailored to me in terms of size and design. ¡®Did he order this dress for me?¡¯ I shook my head vigorously as something came to my mind at that moment. What¡¯s the use of this dress now? Anyway my rtionship with him is all over. ¡°Throw it away.¡± ¡°Pardon? But this one was¡­ ¡± ¡°I told you to throw it away.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, mydy. ¡± A variety of dresses in light pink, dark blue, sky blue, white began to pile up on one side of the dressing room. Few of the clothes Lina showed were put back to the dressing room. Only casual clothes, equestrian clothes, uniforms, and training clothes were put back in ce. ¡°How about this one?¡± ¡°Whew!¡± Suddenly, I felt jammed up on the inside.. What Lena showed was a white muslin dress, with multipleyers of red folds and rose decorations hanging here and there. It was the first gift that Carsein gave me. I stopped. I didn¡¯t hesitate to throw away almost all the clothes until now, but this time I couldn¡¯t easily reply. But I shook my head vigorously and said firmly, shaking off my lingering affection, ¡°Throw it away, too.¡± ¡°But this¡­ ¡± ¡°I told you to throw it away.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay. How about this one? ¡± This time, it was a creamy dress. The dress had pale pink stones and small diamonds tightly sewn on the skirt. It was a gift given by thete emperor on the National Founding Day festival two years ago. Chapter 201 Chapter 201: Chapter 201 I felt heartbroken, but I said firmly, ¡°¡­ Throw it away, too. ¡± ¡°But mydy, this is thete emperor¡¯s gift. If you abandoned it recklessly¡­¡± I closed my eyes tightly. Though I wanted to throw them away, she had a point. I replied with a deep sigh after pondering for a moment. ¡°¡­ Keep it deep inside, so nobody can see it.¡± ¡°Yes, mydy. That¡¯s all for now. Are you really going to throw all of them away?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s what I guessed. They are too precious to throw away. Can I put them back?¡± ¡°Burn them all instead of throwing them away.¡± ¡°Pardon? Burn them all?¡± ¡°Yes, burn them all.¡± Originally the clothes of someone who died should be burned. I¡¯m here as Aristia Monique, the sessor of the Monique family, not as the woman named Aristia who already died. ¡°Oh, mydy¡­ ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you hear me?¡± ¡°Oh, okay, mydy.¡± After Lina went out with a bunch of dresses after some hesitancy, I slowly rose from the sofa and looked around at the empty dressing room. Dresses in ck, gray, navy blue. I giggled at the mix of dresses in dark color. When I was about to walk away from the dressing room after tidying up the disordered dresses, Lina suddenly reappeared and said, ¡°Mydy, Sir Carsein is here. What shall I do? ¡± ¡°¡­Tell him to go back. I can¡¯t meet anybody today because I¡¯m in bad shape. ¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Lina, when did you start talking back to me?¡± I knew at some point that she followed Carsein like her master, but I felt she went too far. Staring at her who flinched, I said coldly, ¡°Because I regarded you as my friend, you seem to talk back to me too much. Yourment is okay, but if you meddle, I can¡¯t ept it.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, mydy. I will be careful. ¡± At that moment, the door was flung open. I stared at the young red-haired man who stepped in. How rude of him! ¡°What the heck are you doing? I didn¡¯t even allow you toe in.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t just go because you are out of sorts.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You were crying. I see your red face, ¡± said Carsein, approaching my desk and looking at me with a worried expression. As I was facing his blue eyes, I felt more and more jammed up on the inside. He said, breathing roughly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I hurt your feelings. But I was really worried about you. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± I suddenly felt sorry for him. Given my first meeting with him or rumors about him in social circles, Carsein was not the type of man who was careful and considerate. He was far from it. He wasn¡¯t so meticulous. Rather than being attentive, he was indifferent. In other words, he only focused on what he was interested in. While he was trying his best to do something good for me, I could do nothing for him. Rather I was taking out my anger on him without any reason. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry for being angry.¡± While I was apologizing to him out of guilt, I saw Duke Lars ovepping him. Despite his strong bondge with my family, he dumped me after thorough political calctions. ¡°Look at me, Tia.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Ugh? Please raise your head. ¡± I looked up at his low but appealing voice. I said with a sulken voice, ¡°¡­ What do you want to say to me?¡± ¡°I heard what happened at the Imperial Pce. Well¡­ was my father also involved? ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Oh, he was¡­¡± Carsein sighed again, said in a calm voice, ¡°Let me apologize on behalf of my father. So, please let off your steam.¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s alreadyte,¡± I said, turning away from his eyes. I unwittingly spat out some barbed words at him, though I tried not to. ¡°You said you heard what I told them at the pce. Don¡¯t you really know what that means?¡± When I saw him stiffening, I chuckled. Yes, you know it. You know what kind of decision I¡¯ve made and what I¡¯m thinking now. ¡°I said I would no longer interfere with the matters of the pro-emperor faction. So, I told them they should not expect any cooperation from my family. Don¡¯t you know what this means? It means I¡¯m willing to turn my back against them, especially your family, the chief of the faction, in particr.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you tried not to make eye contact with me? You¡¯re not going to see me because you have turned your back against our family?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Whew¡­¡± He sighed long, looking at me as I remained silent. ¡°Why are you always trying to think in extremes?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t do that. Isn¡¯t it too hard if you live like that? Let me help you. So, I hope you won¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡± I was silent. What can I do for Carsen, the second son of the Duke Lars family at the moment when I could pursue a different path from theirs? Even if this had not happened, how could he help me in a situation like this when he spent time only practicing fencing without any interest in politics? As if he read my mind, he let out a deep sigh after looking at me nkly for some time. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me at all?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Well, would you believe me if I say I would move out of my parents¡¯ house?¡± ¡°¡­Moving out?¡± I opened my eyes wide. Of course, as he wasn¡¯t the sessor of his father¡¯s title and as he came of age, he was supposed to move out someday. But he was too young to move out. Besides, given that it was customary for the rest of the brothers including him to move out when the eldest son inherited the title, his remarks were extremely unusual. When I looked at him in surprise, he nodded, looking at me with serious eyes. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m moving out.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m supposed to move out anyway. If I move out, I don¡¯t have to follow the political line of my family.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, don¡¯t do it. I don¡¯t want to get you involved in my matters.¡± Basically, it was my own matter. I didn¡¯t want to get him involved in something that I didn¡¯t like. Although I was grateful for his efforts to help me even by moving out, I didn¡¯t feel he would be a great help to me because he was not politically trained at all. Of course, he would be helpful when it came to fencing. When I shook my head with a determined expression, he remained silent for a long time, then said in a calm voice, ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s talk about it next time. ¡± ¡°¡­Sein.¡± ¡°You look tired. Have some rest.¡± Having said that, he turned. His red shadow flickered and disappeared out of the door. Looking at him disappearing, I sighed deeply. Somehow I felt frustrated and gloomy. Three dayster I received a letter with the results of the meeting. The luxurious white paper detailed the coronation schedule and procedures, but there was nothing about the emperor¡¯s wedding that was the center of the controversy. ording to the long letter, the emperor agreed to break off his engagement with me, but refused to hold a wedding ceremony with someone immediately. Was it because of that? Other letters enclosed in it included several precautions. For example, as he can¡¯t officially reveal his breakoff in the presence of foreign delegations, I have to continue to act as his fianc¨¦e until a few monthster when it is officially recorded. And I should not make any mistake as he will announce to the outside world that he and I have agreed to hold a wedding ceremony after Ie of age and fully recover from poisoning. Touching the two letters to the candlelight, I tilted my head. Why did they make this conclusion? This was not what the pro-emperor faction or the noble faction wanted. When I saw the ashes of the letters, I suddenly remembered what happened three days ago. The emperor came to see me urgently and asked me to think twice about my decision, but I refused his request coldly. I felt heartbroken when he turned, saying he would do as I wished. When I was working with a heavy heart, the butler came in carefully and gave me good news. He said the delegation of the Lua kingdom just arrived in the capital, and that my father would return home by evening. It was already in the evening after I gave house employees various instructions for my father who came all the way back from the Lua kingdom. Chapter 202 Chapter 202: Chapter 202 When I was taking a break after I was done with all the preparations, I heard from the butler that my father arrived home. Shortly afterwards, I saw a silver-haired knighting into the house. ¡°Wee back, Daddy. You must be exhausted after such a long journey.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not that tired. So, how have you been?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± When I smiled bitterly, my father quietly put his right hand on my shoulder and patted it. Although I felt a bit upset towards him before he came, I felt better again at his warm touch. Is it because we are a family? After eating together after a long time, I mixed mint with chamomile and brewed it strong for my father who must be exhausted after a long journey. When I was enjoying the peculiar vor of mint, he put down the silver cup and said, ¡°I heard what happened during my absence. You asked for the breakup of your engagement with the emperor? ¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°I see¡­It ended up like that.¡± With his head down, he fidgeted with the teacup. When I heard his deep sigh, I was jammed up inside. If I had been a little more careful, I would not have ended up like this. ¡°You did the right thing.¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± While rebuking myself who was like a fool, I was surprised by his unexpected remarks and raised my head. He held my cold hands in his hands tightly and said, ¡°You hated that position so much, and you are finally freed from it. Well done. ¡± ¡°¡­ Are you sure?¡± ¡°And don¡¯t be the sessor of our family, either. You don¡¯t have to swear to be freed from the empress¡¯s position now.¡± ¡°Daddy¡­¡± ¡°I was sad whenever I forced you to do what you didn¡¯t like. Now you don¡¯t have to bend over backwards trying to escape from the fate you didn¡¯t want. That¡¯s better for you. Just do whatever you want to do from now on.¡± Suddenly I was moved to tears because I knew that¡¯s what he had wanted to say to me for a long time, but couldn¡¯t. Didn¡¯t he think that the oath of blood was a curse? Although he said he supported my decision, he didn¡¯t want to bequeath his hereditary title, which was something like divine punishment, to me. He didn¡¯t want his only daughter to live in bloody political strife, taken hostage to his house as the sessor of the Monique family. ¡°I gave up the idea of family session when I decided to ept your mother. Despite that, you were born to my family with the blessings of Vita, our God. I¡¯m more than satisfied with you alone.¡± ¡°Daddy¡­¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t have to struggle to seed the Monique family. From now on, just lead a life that you want happily without suffering much.¡± I could clearly read his agony in his warm touch and his small voice mixed with sighs. My heart ached sorely when I thought he went through a lot of distress because of me for a long time. ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m determined to be the sessor of our family.¡± Although I was shuddering with guilt, I could not give up my first decision because that¡¯s the only thing I have now. I was always deprived of my guaranteed right to decide since my return. My wounded pride forced me to say that it would be a waste if I could not be the sessor of my family. Pride, self-esteem and honor. What the heck is this that makes me continue to take the path of sessor? I felt pathetic about myself because I could not give up when I knew I was hurting my precious people by being preupied with useless things. My father was looking at me with sad eyes. Tears kepting down from my swollen eyes. ** ¡°Excuse me, mydy.¡± The next morning Lina spoke to me hesitantly when I got up and changed into a training suit. After I coldly scolded her recently, she was checking my countenance more often. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Tell me.¡± ¡°Well, it looks like your father heard about itst night.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°I mean what happened on the day the emperor visited you recently.¡± Was she referring to the day when I burned all the dresses? When I turned to her after looking at the dressing room, she nodded her head as if my guesswork was right. ¡°Yes, it seems that your father was hurt a lot because of that.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard that he hurt his finger when he held the ss too hard while drinking¡­¡± ¡°What? Why did you tell me only now? Where is he now?¡± ¡°In yourte mother¡¯s bedroom¡­¡± Even before she finished speaking, I ran to my mother¡¯s room. When I opened the door without even knocking, he looked back in surprise, while looking out the window. My heart sank when I saw the bandage wrapped around his hand. When he noticed I was watching his hand, he said with an awkward smile, ¡°I think I¡¯m old. I hurt my hand while sparring¡­¡± ¡°Daddy.¡± Tears welled in my eyes quickly. I felt guilty, looking at him smiling at me, saying it was nothing. ¡°I didn¡¯t get hurt much. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Sorry, Daddy. I¡¯m really sorry¡­ ¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, honey. Don¡¯t cry. Why are you crying over this trifling thing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Daddy.¡± When I said sorry repeatedly, he pulled me silently and stroked my back with his other hand. Tears kept dropping and wet his shirt. How frustrated he was enough to drink alcohol that he didn¡¯t like? He must have held the ss so hard as to break it because he was so distressed. As he lived as thete emperor¡¯s closest aide for a long time, he might have quickly understood what it meant for me to burn all the dresses. He must have been heartbroken so much when he realized that his only daughter gave up being a woman and treated herself as a dead person. Actually, I did that because I wanted to get rid of everything rted to the imperial family. I couldn¡¯t go back because I already made the choice. But when I saw him agonized and distressed because of me, I was very sorry. I felt even more sorry because I would never give up seeding my family even though he didn¡¯t like it. How much time passed? Only when my voice was hoarse and my eyes were swollen with tears did I realize that my father¡¯s clothes were also wet. As I lowered my head, embarrassed, he reached out and put my dishevelled hair as if nothing happened. ¡°Are you okay now?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Daddy¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. It wasn¡¯t a deep cut.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, honey.¡± I felt so warm as his hand gently touched my back. As if to remind me of something, he said, looking around the room, ¡°Do you know where you are now?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it my mother¡¯s room?¡± ¡°Yes. When she was alive, your mother was always sitting by that window and reading a book when I was away. She never went to sleep, with the lights on all the time.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Even though I came backte, I was very sorry, but happy to see the room where the lights were on. I¡¯m sorry for her who was waiting for me despite her fatigue, but at the same time, I was happy that I had a home toe back to. ¡± I silently looked at the spot where my father was gazing at. A portrait of my mother was hung there. Like Sir League told me one day, the mother in the picture looked almost like me. The only difference was her wavy magenta hair. As my eyes were swollen, I barely opened my eyes and looked at him. From an objective point of view, she was inferior to him in many ways. Then what made him like her so much as to devote his love? ¡°Daddy?¡± ¡°Um?¡± ¡°Why did you like your mother?¡± ¡°¡­ Well I didn¡¯t fall in love with her at first nce. I was taking care of her at the emperor¡¯s order, so I wasn¡¯t that much interested in her. I don¡¯t know why I came to love her.¡± Then he said, staring into the air, as if he was lost in memories. ¡°I began to like her little by little, and when I realized that, I knew I could not live without her.¡± ¡°I see. Then that¡¯s the reason why you swore¡­¡± ¡°¡­Well, I don¡¯t want to hurt your feelings, but your mother was also poisoned like you. It was because of my promise that bound me at the time, but the main reason I swore was because of that, above all.¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean?¡± Chapter 203 Chapter 203: Chapter 203 I already knew that my mother was poisoned like me, but what does it have to do with his oath? ¡°Your mother was found to have been poisoned muchter than you. Lots of doctors as well as the High Priest came to treat her, but most of them said she would not survive. As you know, our family had no immediate children or distant rtives, but the conditions of the session of my family were very strict. So, the only one who could be a sessor at the time was me. Your mother refused me because she could not see the lineage of my family of 1,000 years disconnected because of her.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± I felt heartbroken because I could well understand how my mother might have felt at the time. How did she feel when she had to refuse the man she loved? She must have felt so sad as if someone cut her heart. As she had to reject coldly, she couldn¡¯t express her sorrow to anybody, swallowing it deep down. ¡°Of course, I could understand how she felt, but that didn¡¯t matter to me. I just tried hard to change her mind, and finally, I could win over her heart. Thanks to God¡¯s blessings, I earned a beautiful daughter like you.¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± ¡°So, Tia, I hope you won¡¯t give up easily.¡± ¡°Daddy.¡± ¡°Although she was poisoned, she got pregnant and gave birth to you. I¡¯m not saying I want to stop your decision, but I just hope you won¡¯t act extreme. You can still get pregnant, Tia.¡± I suddenly became curious about it when I faced his warm eyes. Were they happy during the seven long years of her infertility until she got pregnant with me? ¡°By the way, Daddy.¡± ¡°Um?¡± ¡°Well, you got married to Mom, knowing that she might be infertile, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± ¡°Nheless, didn¡¯t you want a baby? Even though you thought you wouldn¡¯t have any baby, were you happy? ¡± ¡°Sure. We were happy.¡± He said that without any hesitation. His voice was full of confidence. ¡°I was happier than anyone else in the world that I could be with her.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°And when I came to learn that she had a baby, I was the happiest man in the world. Your mother felt the same way.¡± His warm eyes, affectionate voice and navy blue eyes looking at me as if he saw the most precious thing in the world. I felt my emptiness filling up with something warm, and my frozen heart melting away. ¡°Tia, I¡¯m not going to change your mind, but don¡¯t block the possibility itself.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± ¡°There is a lot of happiness in the world, but no one can have it all. I hope you can live without missing all the happiness that you can catch.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°So, don¡¯t give up so easily. You still can achieve lots of happiness.¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks, Daddy.¡± Although my wounded pride was not restored, and I didn¡¯t change my mind to be the sessor of my family, I still felt my heavy heart grow lighter. A faint smile came to his lips while he was looking at me smiling gently. The morning sun shining through the open windows lit up the room. A few dayster, I headed for Sanctus Vita when the High Priest asked me to stop by the temple one of these days. Escorted by the apprentice priest who had been waiting in advance, I arrived at the deepest ce and found the space, where I once had followed the High Priest on the day Jiun received her name with God¡¯s prophecy. It was a sacred ce consisting only of white and green. It was the sanctuary Sanctuarium where only the six roots of Vita could enter and those who had their permission. When I stepped into the indoor garden created in the middle of the corridor, a young man sipping tea at a table caught my eye. When he found me approaching him slowly, he greeted me with a faint smile, ¡°May the blessings of life be with you! It¡¯s been a while, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Eminence. I am seeing you after a long time. ¡± Looking at me nodding, he smiled, then offered tea as if he recalled something suddenly. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry to treat you. Please have some tea.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± I unwittingly opened my eyes wide, holding the mug. Light pink tea and sweet scent. Uh, this tea is ¡­ ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± ¡°Good. Actually, I have reserved this for you as a gift. Please ept this.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Opening my eyes wide, I looked at the pouch he gave me. Is he going to give me this tea, and this much? ¡°I think I heard that you like tea. When I saw this tea, I immediately recalled you. Please ept it. It¡¯s a little something for you.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you for this precious thing ¡­¡± Watching me shaking my head, he said with a faint smile, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so surprised. Of course, it is a rare tea, but it is not as expensive as you think.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­ ¡± What he gave me was a special tea from the Sono kingdom, which had excellent taste and aroma. As very little was produced, its tax rate was hiked when the tea passed the borders, so even the imperial family found it hard to obtain. When I was the empress in the past, I enjoyed it only asionally. Then, why did he give this precious tea to me? ¡°As you know, all the imported goods brought to the temple here are exempt from taxes. So, you don¡¯t have to feel burdened by it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± He was right. All the imports passing through the borders are subject to tariffs, but those used at the temple were an exception. Of course, the importers had to verify they were actually used in the temple by apanying a priest. Even so, I felt a bit burdened because it was too much, but I could not refuse the favor given by the High Priest. I bowed my head to express gratitude, thinking that I should repay next time. ¡°If you insist, let me ept it, Your Eminence. Thank you for your favor. ¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. In fact, I had a headache because of lots of things. I¡¯m happy as you ept it dly. I feel like I fully recovered from my fatigue that has built up these days.¡± In fact, in times of uneasiness involving the change of regime, there were more people visiting the temple. Besides, these days the noble factions including the Duke Jena family were frequenting the temple. As if he was pondering over something, he suddenly said while ncing down at the pink tea, ¡°You look more shiny after going through a hardship. You are so beautiful. ¡± ¡°¡­Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°If you were like a sheltered nt in the past, you now look like a flower on a cliff that has blossomed in the midst of rain and wind. As you¡¯re in a precarious position there, I think there are lots of people who can¡¯t sleep, thinking of you.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± I stared nkly at the man in front of me. What the heck is he talking about? Did he invite me here to talk such nonsense? As if he read my look and expression, he smiled after staring at me. ¡°Oh, I got it. I hear you¡¯re going to have aing-of-age ceremony soon, but you¡¯re still unfamiliar with this. Let me get to the point right away.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Hmm, recently you have received God¡¯s prophecy about the birth of a new root, right? ¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Sooner orter, the baby who was born at that time, the sixth root of Vita, Sextus, wille to Sanctus Vita.¡± ¡°Is he the new High Priest? But he is too young¡­¡± Even if the High Priest can use divine power, how can a baby who has not yet be one year old do anything? Besides, isn¡¯t Sanctus Vita a temple where the High Priests¡¯ confrontation with the top priests is very severe? When I tilted my head, the High Priest said with a mysterious smile, ¡°You look puzzled. Well, I can understand because almost nothing is known about the new High Priest.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°By nature it is our duty as the root of our Lord to wander around without settling in any specific ce and practice the will of the Lord. However, there are exceptions to anything. Like now when there is a generational change, I¡¯m allowed to stay in a certain ce for a certain period while taking care of my new colleague.¡± Chapter 204 Chapter 204: Chapter 204 ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s why I¡¯vee to stay a little longer here. How fortunate I am because I can see your beautiful face!¡± There was a smile in his transparent light-colored eyes. I was puzzled, though. He would stay in the empire a little longer. Of course, his divine power would be helpful to me in many ways as it was notmon, but did he have to call me here for that? ¡°Your eyes are really beautiful whenever I see them. As your eyes are sparkling as if the sun is shining, I feel like I will lose my eyesight if I keep looking at them.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Eminence.¡± ¡°I knew another person with such sparkling eyes as yours. She had soft magenta hair, unlike yours with its aura of cold moonlight.¡± I was going to retort as I couldn¡¯t stand it, but I hurriedly shut my mouth. Isn¡¯t the person with magenta hair myte mother? ¡°Come to think of it, you really look like her. It feels like I¡¯m seeing the marquise right in front of me. Well, she was 18 when I first saw her, so it¡¯s only natural that I recall her when I see you like this.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°At that time, Imitted an irreparable sin against your mother. I am very ashamed and sorry when I think about it even now. ¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t tell you the details, but because of that, I owe a debt to her that I can never repay all my life.¡± A debt to my mother? What is he talking about? Is he referring to the incident in which my mother was poisoned and almost lost her life? When I looked puzzled, he said, ¡°So, I am thinking of repaying some of my indebtedness during my stay in the empire. That¡¯s why I wanted to see you today.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Praise the beauty of the Father of Life. Let me convey you the blessings of Vita, our Lord.¡± White light touched my head even before I asked him. Everywhere was filled with flower scent, and soon the pink petals began to fall one by one. When I smelled the soft floral scent, a strong feeling of refreshment wrapped my whole body. I felt like my heavy body was getting lighter. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can help you, but during my stay in the Empire, I will periodically give blessings to you. So, even if you are busy, pleasee to the temple every 15 days.¡± ¡°Every 15 days?¡± My eyes opened wide. It¡¯s difficult to receive his blessings even a couple of times during one¡¯s lifetime. But he was now promising me to give me a blessing every 15 days! Looking at me with his eyes raised a bit, he said in a mysterious voice, ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured by that. I won¡¯t expect anything in return.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing this because I would like to pay back my debt to your mother just a little bit, so you can appreciate it.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay. Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Although I felt ufortable, I nodded at his offer. How much time passed? After spending a long time with him at the temple, a bit tired of his praise, I left the sanctuary. Even though I gently refused, he took the trouble of escorting me to the entrance and giving me blessings once again. Though I felt a bit strange about his repeated blessings, I headed for home, calming down without asking further. ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± ¡°What are you thinking about? The ceremony will begin soon. Stay focused. ¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m sorry, Daddy.¡± I nced toward my father, who looked at me with a puzzled expression, then turned my attention. I thought I forgot where I was for a moment, while I was thinking about my meeting with the High Priest a few days ago. When I looked around, I saw a chandelier hanging from the high ceiling and lighting the room, the stained ss shining brilliantly, and the head tables and the emperor¡¯s chair installed at the top of six stairs. I also noticed the symbols of Vita carved in detail everywhere. With nobles and foreign delegations keeping silent, I heard the sound of cheering from a distance. The new emperor¡¯s procession seemed to enter sooner orter as the shouts were getting closer. How much time passed? The whispering noise stopped, and the priests holding the symbol of the Lord, the top priests holding a royal scepter and a precious marble, and the high priest holding a crown on a blue cushion came into my view. When they stood in their respective positions, the young man in a formal dress embroidered with gold threads with a blue velvet cloak around it walked in. With majestic music ying, the protocol officers followed the young man slowly entering, holding his cloak. As he stopped under the tform, the high priest, who was standing three steps above him, opened his mouth, opening a roll of paper. ¡°Do you, Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina, the 34th Emperor of the great Castina Empire, swear to rule the empire withw and customs?¡± ¡°I swear.¡± ¡°Do you, Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina, as the 34th Emperor of the great Castina Empire, vow to exercise the imperial power withw, fairness and mercy?¡± ¡°I swear.¡± ¡°Do you, Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina, swear to believe in Vita as the 34th Emperor of the great Castina Empire and practice His doctrine?¡± ¡°I swear, as long as the doctrine does not disturb the empire.¡± ¡°Finally, do you swear before Vita to faithfully carry out all your vows?¡± ¡°Yes, I swear.¡± After he was done swearing, he received the scroll from the high priest and signed it. It was an expression of his will to keep the pledge at the coronation ceremony. When he signed and turned it over to the protocol officer, the top priests standing under the tform handed him a royal scepter and a precious marble. ¡°May our Lord Vita¡¯s protection be with you, the Sun of the great empire! ¡± ¡°May Vita¡¯s protection be bestowed on the Sun of the glorious empire!¡± After he received the royal scepter in one hand and a precious marble in the other, he turned back to the high priest. The high priest slowly reached out and lifted the crown solemnly with both hands. With everyone holding their breath, he ced the brilliant diamond crown on his blue hair. When he climbed the six steps and sat down on the throne, the high priest went down the tform and bowed deeply toward him. ¡°In the name of the Vita, our Lord, I dere that Your Majesty has be the ruler of the glorious Castina Empire. May Vita¡¯s protection be with you!¡± ¡°To the Sun of the great empire, may the blessings of Vita be bestowed on you!¡± ¡°To the Sun of the great empire, may the blessings of Vita be bestowed on you!¡± ¡°To the Sun of the great empire, may the blessings of Vita be bestowed on you!¡± Everyone in the temple bowed and shouted. After they shouted three times, the new emperor spoke to everyone in the hall. ¡°I, Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina, the ruler of the glorious Castina Empire and the parent of the people, that as the 34th Emperor of the great Castina Empire, I will rule the empire byw and custom, exercise the imperial power with fairness and mercy, and take care of the people with love and integrity. Great glory to the great Castina Empire! ¡± ¡°Loyalty to the Lion! We ept the will of the Sun of the great empire!¡± When everybody responded to his deration, the members of the Duke Lars family, the highest rank in protocol, stepped forward on the tform. It was time for everybody to swear allegiance to the new emperor. Duke Lars, knelt and bowed to express obedience, recited an oath of allegiance. ¡°Loyalty to the Lion! I would like to devote my heart and life to the new Sun of the empire, so please ept my loyalty.¡± ¡°I ept your loyalty. Glory to the empire! ¡± After he bowed out politely, Duke Verita stepped forward and pledged allegiance like he did. Now, it was our family¡¯s turn. Hiding my trembling hands in the hem of the dress, I stepped forward with my father. As I faced him for the first time after he told me he would do as I wished, my heart was throbbing hard every step I moved forward. ¡°Loyalty to the Lion. I devote my blood and life to you, the Sun of the great empire. So, please ept my loyalty.¡± ¡°Glory to the empire! I ept the loyalty of the Monique family.¡± Chapter 205 Chapter 205: Chapter 205 I felt drained at his nonchnt reply, so I looked back at him again after bowing out. There were no feelings in his blue eyes. He even looked bored at the moment. I felt scared somehow. How much time passed? When everybody was done swearing allegiance, he stood up from the throne and walked down the six steps. While looking at him nkly, I suddenly noticed something unusual today. First, his blue eyes, which always looked at me, didn¡¯t turn toward me at all. Secondly, he passed by me without stopping like he did usually. His eyes that didn¡¯t look at me anymore, and his steps that didn¡¯t stop in front of me. Feeling even more scared, I bowed towards him as he went out for the parade. The sound of the hem of his robe rustling on the light green carpet faded away quickly. Watching his robe fluttering, I realized freshly that my rtionship with him now was only that of the ruler and his subordinate, which was only natural. ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± When I was having dinner after work, my father, who remained silent, suddenly called me. When I put down the fork and knife carefully to see if he had something to say, he drank a ss of wine and said, ¡°Now, youring-of-age ceremony is around the corner. Are you getting ready?¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy. I also keep that in mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you prepare for this. This is your once-in-a-lifetimeing-of-age ceremony. I wish your mother were here¡­¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say that, Daddy. It¡¯s my job.¡± ¡°Thank you for saying so.¡± I smiled broadly at him who also smiled. I thought I had to tell him what I had in mind, as he mentioned mying-of-age ceremony. ¡°By the way, Daddy, can I hold this banquet at the mansion on our estate rather than in the capital?¡± ¡°At the estate? Why? ¡± ¡°Well, as the pro-emperor faction members were divided because of the recent event, I think we had better use this asion to filter out those who are friendly to us and those who are not. ¡°Hmm.¡± As he was listening silently, I picked up a ss of water and moistened my mouth before continuing, ¡°And I would like to solidify my position as the sessor of my family. Even though I have been learning the family affairs steadily, there were lots of people who were suspicious about me because of my status as the emperor¡¯s fiancee. I think the situation got much better because of the recent event, but there are some of our family vassals who still cast a suspicious nce at me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°So, this time I¡¯m going to hold the banquet in a slightly different way.¡± ¡°Different way?¡± ¡°Yes. In order to solidify my position as the sessor, I think it is necessary to promote me as the daughter of the martial arts family instead of the daughter of a typical noble family.¡± The servants cleared the empty tes, and put down apple tarts with a sweet aroma. I looked at my father, taking a fork to a tart that looked delicious. I said, ¡°How about holding a hunting contest? It will provide entertainment for the knights guarding the estate and those who came a long way. I also want to give them the impression of me participating in the contest rather than waiting quietly with a handkerchief. I think we can hold a two-day event, and hold the banquet on the eve of the hunting contest¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a good idea. Do what you want.¡± ¡°Thank you, Daddy. Then I¡¯ll prepare for it, starting tomorrow. ¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I thanked my father with a bright smile. I knew that my father, who did not want me to be the sessor of our family, would not like this kind ofing-of-age ceremony, but I wanted to make the best use of this opportunity to promote my image as the family sessor. From now on, I needed to control the vassals of my family and solidify my position as the sessor gradually. Byte into the night I worked out a rough n for the banquet and drew a list of those to invite. I double checked with the invitation list to make sure there should be no loophole or mistake. ¡®I have to hold the event perfectly.¡¯ Although I was exhausted, very tired, I steeled my heart by clenching my fists. As I have to remind the participants of the authority and prestige of our family once again, I had to make sure the event should take ce without any w. A few dayster I headed to the new office with Sir Lian and Sir Feden, and Sir Spear, an apprentice knight. As I was transferred to the 2nd Knights Division one month ago when I went back to the 1st Knights Division, I had to work not as the captain¡¯s aide but as a general apprentice knight. What I had to do today was to stand guard duty at one of the pces, which was favored by many knights because it was rtively easy and leisurely. Of course, there was one drawback of this duty, which was that the guard post was located in a secluded ce where few people visited. Was it because of that? Sir Feden, who was on duty silently for some time, opened his mouth. ¡°Sir Monique.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I heard that you¡¯re holding youring-of-age ceremony in your estate rather in the capital. Is that true?¡± ¡°You already heard about it. Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± When I slowly nodded, Sir Lian, who was looking at us, said, ¡°Then, is it also true that you are holding a hunting event, along with the banquet?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ I think I have to request vacation leave as soon as I¡¯m done for the day.¡± ¡°Pardon? Requesting vacation leave?¡± ¡°Well, as you know, we can hardly leave the capital unless there¡¯s something else going on, so I think I have to request vacation leave to be able to go to your estate. Hope the application time is not over yet¡­ I hear there are so manypetitors applying.¡± When I looked at Sir Lian was muttering something, and Sir Feden pondering over something, Sir Spear, who remained silent all along, opened his mouth quietly, ¡°Sir Monique.¡± ¡°Did you call me?¡± ¡°Well, I was curious why you were transferred to the 2nd Knights this time and nning to host the hunting event¡­ Um¡­¡± I looked at the young knight who hesitated with a mysterious nce, and asked, just in case, ¡°Are you asking me that because of the rumors about me these days?¡± ¡°Oh, what I mean is¡­¡± ¡®I see. That¡¯s why he is asking me.¡¯ I was convinced when I saw him slurring. Actually, it was natural that he asked me such a question. Although they kept silent for now, there were lots of rumors about me and the emperor in social circles, ording to Entea. I felt the rumors spread quickly because I didn¡¯t end my official rtionship with the emperor, although I dered that I would break off my engagement with him. I was in a difficult position. Even though I wanted to tell the truth, I couldn¡¯t say anything because the emperor didn¡¯t officially announce it. When I was hesitating how to answer, I saw knights in ck uniforms walking toward me from a distance. I felt it was a good opportunity to distract him, so I hurriedly opened my mouth. ¡°I think it ¡®s time to shift over. I think I should be ready to relieve sentry.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°I thought I was going to enjoy a leisurely shift duty, but it¡¯s already over. What a pity! ¡± I wrote a log of what we did and handed it to the knights then walked away with the three. When I walked, chatting with Sir Lian, I saw Sir Feden suddenly stopping while silently walking. ¡®Why did he stop?¡¯ When I turned my head along his gaze, I saw a man and woman walking side by side in a very friendly mood. She was all smiles while looking at the young man, as if she was happy. Suddenly, I felt down, so I stopped on the spot as if I was frozen. I was used to that kind of scene in the past, but this time I couldn¡¯t hide my difort. I felt my breathing was getting a little rough. ¡°So, Your Majesty, did you¡­ Ugh?¡± The woman, who was sweeping her hair up while chattering, fixed her eyes on me. Then she smiled sarcastically, staring at me. At the moment, when she turned up her red lips, the young man¡¯s navy blue eyes looked at me. His nonchnt and cold-hearted look made my heart sink. ¡°¡­ ¡± While facing him silently for some time, I slowly bowed my head and turned quickly. I knew I was very rude to him, but I couldn¡¯t help it. Some sort of strange feelings deep inside forced me to get out of here right away. Strangely, I felt very bad. Chapter 206 Chapter 206: Chapter 206 ¡°Mydy, here are the documents from the government.¡± ¡°Oh, Thank you, butler.¡± ¡°And some letters to you.¡± ¡°Really? Give them to me.¡± When I was having breakfast with my father, the butler brought a handful of documents and letters and put them down on the table. I put down the fork and looked through the piles of letters. Entea¡¯s letter, banquet invitations from small andrge noble families, and a light purple envelope. ¡®What is this one?¡¯ While grabbing it, I frowned my eyebrows. A ck rose coiling an amethyst tiara. It was the crest of the Duke Jena family. ¡°Who sent it? Why do you look bad?¡± asked my father. ¡°It¡¯s from the Duke Jena family.¡± ¡°Hmm, it seemed like they were very busy these days. So, what is it about?¡± Actually, I was going to throw it away without reading when he asked. I opened the finely folded letter, and noticed someone¡¯s handwriting in purple ink on light purple paper. ¡­What the heck is this? I drew my brows. Gathering young nobles? Are you going to actively move to be the next empress? I heard about the rumors that she was very active these days, but it was the first time I confirmed her activities like this. After staring at the purple stationery for a moment, I tore it in half. Then I stood up, holding Entea¡¯s letter and the documents from the government. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go upstairs first, Daddy. Butler, throw away all the other letters.¡± ¡°All of them?¡± ¡°Yes. And please don¡¯t bring me those invitations from the nobles unless I really need to take a look.¡± ¡°Sure, mydy.¡± I went up to my room after smiling at the butler who politely bowed to me. And I read Entea¡¯s letter first My hands trembled. Is this really true? If so, I might already have a winning card in my hand. Looking back, I gave Entea some instructions to dig into some things about Countess Dias. If it is ck and a rose bud, obviously it refers to the sessor of Duke Jenna. ¡®I have to watch this a little bit more.¡¯ It would certainly be an unprecedented scandal if I broke it, but I wanted to deal with it with prudence. The chances that Entea¡¯s tip was correct was more than half, but that was not enough. If something went wrong, they would seize the chance to ruin me. I got up and lit the candle. I put the letter on its flickering me to burn it to ashespletely, then I opened the documents sent by the government. While reviewing them for a while, I noticed something strange in one of the documents. It recorded how they obtained the poison that sickened me in a foreign country, but they abnormally imported it. Even so, they didn¡¯t smuggle it. Moreover, they didn¡¯t even get rid of their conspirators. What happened? Is there another way to import goods from another country into the empire, rather than the usual import or smuggling? I drew my brows together. How is it possible? It is absolutely impossible without going through the temple ¡­ Ugh? Temple? Suddenly, I recalled something that I heard recently. Come to think of it, the high priest told me that the tea he gave me was also a duty-free product. ording to the imperialw, as for the goods for the temple, import duties were not imposed in principle as long as the apanying priest proved that they were for the temple. In other words, priests were free to cross the border. ¡®What if the person who brought the poison to the empire is a priest?¡¯ I felt goosebumps. Even if there were border patrols, they could not search the priests recklessly. So, it was not difficult at all for a priest to hide a couple of poison bottles in his inner pocket when he crossed the border. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± When I double checked the document again, I noticed several facts that I hadn¡¯t noticed. When I put in the key word temple into this mysterious puzzle, all the unclear and vague things rted to the investigation pointed to some significant clues. I got goosebumps at this surprising discovery. If then, did the temple also get involved in this case? After hesitating for a while, I headed for the Imperial Pce. If it was really true that the temple was involved, it was clearly out of my control. ¡°How are you, Lady Monique? Why are you here today?¡± ¡°I have to tell the emperor something urgently. Can I see him?¡± ¡°The emperor is seeing someone now. Can you wait a moment? ¡± ¡°Sure.¡± When I was nodding, I saw a womaning out of the meeting room at the moment. She was Grace Whir with her yellow hair hanging down to the waist, who was strongly supported by the pro-emperor faction as the emperor¡¯s concubine these days. Her dark brown eyes turned towards me. My feelings were subdued because of her strange look because I was not sure if she was d to see me or not. Why is she looking at me like that? Does she want to hold me in check? I knew I was rude, but I headed to the meeting room, ignoring her silent bow. I felt very bad somehow. ¡°¡­ I, Aristia Monique, am honored to see you, the Sun of the Empire. ¡± ¡°Sit down.¡± A servant who came in hurriedly removed the two teacups on the table. The fragrance ofvender wafting in the room bothered me, but I presented the document, trying to stay calm. ¡°I¡¯ve asked to see you because I¡¯ve got something to tell you, Your Majesty. It has something to do with Earl Lanier.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been briefed about the case. Do you have something new?¡± ¡°Yes, I think the temple seems to have been involved¡­ ¡± ¡°Temple?¡± His tone indicated that he was not interested, but I tried to ignore it and exin why. While he was listening to me for a while, he said, drawing his brows a bit, ¡°What you told me makes sense, but I think it needs a little more investigation.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the emperor should not interfere with the temple recklessly?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°So, just shut up and wait a little longer. I will instruct them to notify the Monique family of the results as soon as there is progress in the investigation.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay, Your Majesty. ¡± He cut me off coldly, which made my heart jolt because I had an ominous feeling that he might close the case without further investigation. Suddenly, I was upset towards him. This was not only an investigation of those who tried to harm not only me but also the Monique family that had been loyal to the imperial family for generations. How can he deal with it lightly? He once told me he would pass over the incident, but how can he change his mind now? I didn¡¯t expect he would think of it as a priority, but when he seemed to give me the impression that he was not as serious about the investigation as before, I immediately fell down. I broke into a hollow smile because I was not only abandoned by the noble faction but also by the pro-emperor faction and the imperial family. ¡°Oh, and¡­ ¡± ¡°Yes, please go ahead.¡± ¡°¡­ Nothing. Okay, let me take care of it like that. Do you have anything else to say? ¡± I looked at him nkly. Come to think of it, he only asked business at some point, touching his forehead as if I was annoying. I felt even more bad when I noticed his cold expression. No matter how loyal the Monique has been to the imperial family, does he think my family is just one of numerous noble families? ¡°¡­ No, I don¡¯t, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°¡­ May I leave now, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Chapter 207 Chapter 207: Chapter 207 I bowed to him slowly to show due manners and came out of the meeting room, biting my lip tightly. The way he casually dealt with me as one of his vassals kept bothering me. I felt kind of bitter about his attitude. Is it because I¡¯m asking him for too much? Even so, he is not supposed to deal with me like this. Even if I offered to be taken off the list of the empress candidates, how can he treat the Monique family like this? To talk about our family, it is one of the three surviving families in the empire that had decisively contributed to its founding. And our family has been showing absolute loyalty to the royal family since the founding of the empire. The oath of blood is a binding promise that requires the emperor to ept one¡¯s wishes in return for one¡¯s lifetime loyalty for the imperial family. Nevertheless, thete emperor didn¡¯t keep the promise, while our family showed absolute loyalty. How can the current emperor neglect our family like this? Suddenly, I felt sad. Given that even I, who had not yet made the promise, was treated like this, how much has my father suffered , who had his lifetime loyalty bound to the imperial family? Given thete emperor¡¯s character, my father was probably not treated unfairly. Nheless, he might have been forced to do what he didn¡¯t like. ¡°Whew¡­¡± I climbed the wagon with a sigh. I was about to close the door when I suddenly remembered a letter I received yesterday. It was the letter from the High Priest, asking me to stop by the temple within the next two or three days as the time for me to receive his blessings was approaching. Everything¡¯s a bother, but today was thest day I could visit the temple for his blessings. I closed my eyes after telling the horseman to head to the temple. I was tired in body and soul. ¡°Praise the beauty given by the Father of Life. I give you the blessings of our Lord Vita. ¡± The pink petals and floral scents have hovered around, it was familiar to me now. I expressed my gratitude to the High Priest and thought for a moment. ¡®Should I say this or not?¡¯ It was the central yers of the temple, including the top priests that the noble faction had a close rtionship with. Given that the High Priest was in extreme confrontation with them, there was no possibility that he was involved in this case. But I was not sure if he would try to protect them because he belonged to the temple. I hesitated to say again and again, but I thought that it would be better for me to be more prudent. In the end, I ended up leaving the sanctuary without saying a word about it. When I arrived at the entrance of the temple, tangled in my thinking, I noticed several people who seemed to be top priests surrounding and exchanging greetings with someone. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ I tilted my head with a puzzled look. Is there anyone who the top priests, called the strongman of the temple, wee so much? I was a bit curious, but I didn¡¯t want to take the trouble of checking who he was. When I said goodbye to him and took a few steps, while I was being seen off by some apprentice priests, I suddenly heard someone calling me from behind, ¡°Oh, you must be Lady Monique, right?¡± I quickly stopped walking. I drew my brows at the familiar voice. Was it Jiun that the top priests treated so preciously? When I slowly turned my head, I noticed a woman with dark hair approaching me in no time. Hertest fashion dress was making a beautiful wavy pattern when she walked toward me. ¡°¡­Hi, Lady Jena.¡± ¡°Hi, It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique. I really wanted to see you once, but I didn¡¯t expect that I would meet you in this ce. ¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°Well, I was really worried about you after I heard about what happened at the cab meeting the other day. I wanted to convey my message offort. Are you okay now? ¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± She indirectly ridiculed me by saying she heard I was called an infertile woman at the meeting. Nheless, she was looking at me with a worried expression as if she was genuinely concerned. I was dumbfounded when she spoke, holding my hands kindly as if I were her closest friend, but I smiled at her casually. There were too many around me for me to ignore her. ¡°Meeting like this is destiny, so can I escort you home? I¡¯m sorry I have not visited you earlier.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°Please. I think I would feel ufortable if I let you go like this.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay. Thanks for your offer.¡± Although I was annoyed when she pretended to be kind to me, I nodded, swallowing a sigh, because they would look at me strangely if I kept refusing. But I still felt ufortable about going with her. Although she wouldn¡¯t harm me on the way back, as many priests already saw her here, I still felt hesitant. When I looked back, the High Priest smiled at me faintly with a nod. Only then did I get in the wagon of the Duke Jena¡¯s family, feeling much more relieved. ¡°Finally, I have a chance to talk with you alone like this. How can I call you, emperor¡¯s concubine or Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Just as you like to call me.¡± ¡°I heard something ridiculous about you. I hear you are holding youring-of-age ceremony at your estate. Is that right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°You once pretended to be so proud, and now you¡¯re running away because you¡¯re just scared to hear rumors about you?¡± she said, looking at me with a ridicule, ¡°You used to do your job proudly no matter what anyone said, then you can¡¯t even make your own decision now? How ridiculous! I am disappointed in you.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Howe you showed such an attitudest time? Are you still hovering over her because you didn¡¯t know your ce yet? Oh my, how wrecked you are! It looks like you¡¯re trying to draw his attention by trying to refuse him, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t talk to me recklessly. I am not really interested in the empress.¡± ¡°How funny! Do you know you¡¯re talking nonsense now? You clearly eyed me with jealousy then. I would say you were eaten up with jealousy.¡¯ What? Jealousy? I felt as if I was hit by something because I recalled I really felt down when I saw the emperor walking with her some time ago. ¡®Was I really jealous of her then?¡¯ I shook my head. I couldn¡¯t be jealous of her. How can I love him again when I vowed so strongly that I would not love anybody? However, I still felt bad about her attitude, who acted as if I was a big nuisance. Watching me biting my lip, she said, ¡°You¡¯re really annoying. With an easy battle like this, I don¡¯t think my return is worth it. I¡¯vee back to beat you. It¡¯s too boring. It wasme! ¡± Suddenly, I came to my senses. What did shee back for? ¡°¡­ What did you just say? ¡± ¡°I said it was boring. Why?¡± ¡°Not that.¡± ¡°Well, I said my return was not worth it. Why? You always looked down on me, but as you are submissive now¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± I was just through the roof about it. What did you say? You came back to beat me? What and what? You¡¯re back to win? My clenched fists trembled. Was there a single asion when you didn¡¯t beat me? You were not satisfied with ruining my life in the past, and now you have screwed up my n that I drew up after my return! I think I can livefortably now, then you havee back for that despicable reason? My lips trembled with surging anger, but I kept trying to keep my voice low, asking sharply, ¡°So, what do you want from me?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why are you doing this to me? I told you I would drop from thepetition for the empress. What else can I do?¡± ¡°Oh, bring it on!¡± I stared fiercely at her sparkling ck eyes. What? Fun? How can you dare talk about fun when you have screwed up my whole life? ¡°You took away everything from me in the past, and you have chased me up to this point. Why are you going after me? Why are you doing this to me? ¡± Chapter 208 Chapter 208: Chapter 208 ¡°What? Did I take away everything from you?¡± I was taken aback at her staring at me as if she thought I was absurd. Who is yelling at who now? Do you think you can look at me like that? ¡°You took away my family, my love, my honor and my status. You took everything from me. Then, what did you say? You¡¯vee back to win? Why, is it because you were not satisfied with your achievements? What ill-fated rtionship did you have with me to do this to me?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯refortable speaking like that because you only lived until then.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t have to know.¡± She hysterically swept through her hair, while babbling about something I could not understand. When I tried to say something, I felt that the wagon stopped. After taking a deep breath, I looked out the window. The knights of my family who saw the crest of the Duke Jena family were staring at the wagon with a wary expression. Fortunately, the wagon arrived at my house. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me again. This is myst warning! ¡± After spitting out a cold warning, I got off the wagon. After responding appropriately to the knights asking me worriedly, I returned to my room and chewed over what I talked with her. The more I thought about it, the more upset I was. How can I kick her butt? Anyway, the mastermind of all this must be Duke Jena. ¡®Calm down for now, Aristia.¡¯ I organized my thoughts after taking a deep breath several times. But no matter how hard I thought, there was only one way. Although I didn¡¯t want it, there was no other way than to rely on the power of the pro-emperor faction to get rid of Jiun and the noble faction. No matter how powerful my family was, it could not solve everything alone. After agonizing for some time, I picked up my pen with a sigh. Then, I wrote down on the silver-colored letter. I wrote another letter with the same contents, put it in a silver envelope, and stamped it with the family seal. After writing down the recipient¡¯s name, I pulled the string. Shortly afterwards, Lina came in and said, ¡°Did you call me, mydy?¡± ¡°Yes. Can you send me these letters? The recipients are on the envelopes.¡± ¡°Okay. Do you need any more help? ¡± ¡°Well, can you sit down for a second? I have something to ask. ¡± When I spoke after agonizing for a moment, she sat down, tilting her head. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I wonder if any of our maids or servants here can find out what¡¯s going on in the Earl Dias family.¡± ¡°What? I don¡¯t think so. As you know, the Dias family is hostile to your family.¡± I sighed, looking at her shrugging dismissively. Although I expected her reaction, I felt jammed up inside when I confirmed it. ¡®How can I secretly get the information about the Dias family?¡¯ Looking at me pressing my temper hard, she hesitantly asked, ¡°Mydy, sorry for my presumptuous question, but why are you suddenly talking about the Dias family? Has anybody here contacted them?¡± ¡°Ugh? No, nothing like that. ¡± Although I shook my head, she was still looking at me with anxious eyes. It seemed that she wondered if there was a betrayer among the servants or maids in connection with several recent idents. After agonizing a bit, I opened my mouth slowly. Anyway, I needed her help, and I didn¡¯t want to tell her the whole story, so I felt it wouldn¡¯t be a big problem if I exined to her a bit. ¡°Well, actually, I want to know what Countess Dias is doing these days. As you, the best source of such information cane from those serving her.¡± ¡°Oh, is that what you want?¡± Feeling greatly relieved to hear me, she said, as if she hit upon a good idea, ¡°I think I can find out some way to do so.¡± ¡°Really? How?¡± ¡°Although I don¡¯t know the maids of the Dias family directly, I think I can get the news about her indirectly. For example, I can use the clerk working at the grocery store that they need food urgently, or the store their maids usually go to¡­ By the way, I have to do it secretly, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Got it. What should I do? I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible, but shall I check it out? ¡± ¡°Can you do that? But you should never let the name of my family be leaked.¡± ¡°Sure, please leave it to me. ¡± I smiled at Lina, who was pounding her chest as if she was confident. Even though she seemed frivolous, she carried out any assignment I gave her, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about. But I strongly asked her to keep it secret once more. I smiled rightly at her quickly getting out of the room. As the dice was already thrown, I would have to wait and see what I could get. The next day I was reviewing the action n about mying-of-age ceremony after seeing off my father who went to the Imperial Pce every day recently, when somebody knocked on the door. ¡°You have a guest, mydy.¡± ¡°Guest, who?¡± ¡°He is Duke Verita.¡± ¡°Really? Is he here to see my father or me?¡± ¡°He said he wants to see you. And I have got a letter from the Duke Lars family.¡± ¡°Ah¡­Okay, got it.¡± I opened my eyes wide. I thought my proposal would be attractive to him, but I didn¡¯t expect he would send me such a quick reply. While I was going down to the reception room, I first opened Duke Lars¡¯s letter. When I opened the red-colored letter with the sword and rose inscribed on it, his neat handwriting caught my eye. The direction of my sword has been set already? I giggled at that. This kind of description represented his personality well. Anyway I seeded in bringing the Lars family into our fold. My next goal was the Duke Verita family. Folding the red-colored letter, I headed for the reception room. The man with green hair sitting on a cream-colored sofa said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Lady Monique. How are you?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I have received your letter. It looks like you were very much upset with me.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell you long, but hope you can remember one thing. Either Arkint or I prioritized the interests of our faction. If we had been preupied with our own interests, we would have installed you as the empress under any circumstances,¡± Duke Verita said, putting down the teacup. ¡°Okay, did you say you wanted my help?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Okay. I would like to make the most of your proposal. I¡¯ll give you whatever information you want, so try to make an excellent sword to cut the ck rose at one go.¡± ¡°Thank you, Duke Verita.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s me who has to thank you. Even though you have earned a great cause, the price you have paid is too high. But don¡¯t take it too hard. Nothing is certain for now.¡± When I expressed gratitude to him who was looking at me pitiably, he said with a nod, ¡°First, let me dig into their possible tax evasion or smuggling of some major families. How about it?¡± ¡°Good. Actually, I have already done some investigation, but I think I can expect more quality information with the intelligence capabilities of the Verita family.¡± ¡°Huh, I was a little surprised to hear that your father gave you the whole authority of your family, but I¡¯m amazed by your shrewdness. I now know why he has shown me big confidence in you. Even if it takes a little time, let¡¯s make sure that we get rid of the Jena faction this time.¡± ¡°Thank you, Duke Verita.¡± I thanked him once again and saw him off at the porch, who said he wanted to leave. When I thought I would be quite busy in the days ahead, I sighed in spite of myself, but I had to knock myself out to get the most from now on, as I had the strong support of the two dukes. Chapter 209 Chapter 209: Chapter 209 A few dayster when I was having breakfast after morning training, my father, who was silently eating with a fork, said, ¡°Tia, I¡¯m afraid I have to change the hunting ce to the imperial hunting ground instead of our estate.¡± ¡°Pardon? What are you talking about? ¡± ¡°Well, the emperor has issued the order. He also told me to open the banquet at the guest house near the pce. ¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± My eyes opened wide. Use the imperial hunting ground and the guest house? What the heck is he talking about? ¡°Why did he issue such an order?¡± ¡°Well, he said he could not allow arge number of nobles including the captains of the knights to vacate the capital for long in the early days of his rule, I don¡¯t know the exact reason. ¡± Like he said, I felt strange about the order. Of course, the guest house is nearer to the capital because it only takes half a day to get there while it takes a couple of days to get to our estate. But I couldn¡¯t understand why the emperor opened the imperial hunting ground for that simple reason. Besides, the imperial hunting ground has been reserved for the imperial family until now. I raised my eyebrows in spite of myself. I was afraid the noble faction might find fault with me, citing this matter. No matter how good cause I presented, they, hellbent on nit picking on my back, would not pass over it. No matter how much I thought about it, I felt I couldn¡¯t ept it. So, after I finished my breakfast, I headed straight to the Imperial Pce. I could see him onlyte in the afternoon because there were lots of people who requested to see him today. So, I helplessly walked out of the Central Pce. I could see him much earlier with the power of my family, but I didn¡¯t want it. When I turned to the knights building after plodding along, I suddenly saw a knight in a familiar uniform walking toward me. As if he was d to see me, he bowed with a smile. ¡°Hi, Sir Monique. Good morning.¡± ¡°Hi, Sir Freia.¡± ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯ve got something to boast about in the morning. It looks like something good will happen to me today.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. By the way, I heard a rumor that the emperor would open the imperial hunting ground and the guest house for youring-of-age ceremony. Is that true?¡± I smiled in embarrassment at the man who was looking at me curiously. Has the rumor already spread to everybody? Maybe it¡¯s toote for me to ask the emperor to cancel it. I sighed somehow. I didn¡¯t want to hold mying-of-age ceremony ostentatiously. Of course, opening a hunting contest at my estate itself was extraordinary, but using the imperial guest house for that purpose was a different matter. Sir Freia asked, watching me sighing, ¡°Well, I know it¡¯s rude for me to ask this, but your breakoff of engagement with the emperor has been withdrawn then?¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry if you were offended. Well, I thought he would not have opened the imperial hunting ground and the guest house unless you had withdrawn the breakoff of the engagement¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I see. That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡± I thought about it for a moment, watching Sir Freia bowing slightly. ¡®Withdrawing the breakoff of my engagement with him? Come to think of it, I felt many people could think so. By the way, when is he going to announce it officially? The foreign delegations already left. When I thought I had to double check it sooner orter, one of the servants came over and said, ¡°Are you Sir Monique?¡± ¡°Yes, but what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°If you have time, please stop by the government building. The prime minister wants to see you.¡± ¡°Prime Minister? Okay. Let me go and see him now.¡± I was a little puzzled. Does he want to see me for that matter? But he should handle it secretly without the noble faction smelling a rat. Anyway, as he wanted to see me, I felt I should see him. After saying goodbye to Sir Freia, I headed to the prime minister¡¯s office in the government building. When I walked on the corridors where many people came and went with a bunch of papers, I suddenly recalled my memories of Allendis. Come to think of it, I often stopped by this ce when Allendis was still here. ording to a report recently obtained by my family¡¯s intelligence sources, the members of the Verita family were discussing the qualifications of his eldest son Allexis. His condition was getting worse after he got married to Ilya, former Lady Genoa, so they began to search for Allendis¡¯s whereabouts in the Lua kingdom. If he, whose health is getting worse, is deprived of his sessor status or dies, Allendis would be the only immediate family member to seed Duke Verita. I was frustrated. Where is he? How could the Verita family, who boast of the most extensivework of intelligence in the empire, find his whereabouts despite their all-out efforts to find him? When I let out a big sigh, I saw the duke¡¯s executive office in the distance. As I entered the spacious office, a man with green hair and three men and women who seemed to be his aides caught my eye. The duke, who was pacing up and down while muttering something, weed me. ¡°Come on in, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°I heard you wanted to see me.¡± ¡°Yes. I have something to tell you about the use of the guest house and the imperial hunting ground. Also the problem of cost rted to that.¡± ¡°Cost problem?¡± ¡°The emperor told me that as the ce was changed by his order, the imperial family should make up for the cost that was beyond the original budget of the Monique family for youring-of-ceremony.¡± ¡°Really? You don¡¯t have to.¡± I could never ept the imperial subsidy. Using the guest house and the imperial hunting ground itself was already a problem. How could the emperor subsidize the cost of theing-of-age ceremony for me? If this were to be leaked to the noble faction, it could bring about their strong resistance. Giggling at me when I showed embarrassment, he said, ¡°I see eye to eye with you on that, but this is the emperor¡¯s order, so I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± ¡°Can you hold it for a while? In fact, I was just trying to meet the emperor and ask him to cancel his order.¡± ¡°The rumors have already spread widely, so it¡¯s useless to cancel it. Just ept his order.¡± I sighed deeply. When I thought of the repercussions of this, I was really frustrated, but Duke Verita had a point, too. I sighed again and said, after thinking for a long time, ¡°Okay. But please don¡¯t take into ount the cost problem. I don¡¯t want the imperial subsidy. I believe you can handle it in your capacity as the prime minister.¡± ¡°Huh, I have nothing to say as you say so. Let me talk to the emperor about it first. Let¡¯s discuss the details then.¡± Even if the emperor rented the ce for me, there was a lot to discuss because a noble family used the private property of the imperial family, such as how to pay for the wages of the workers at the imperial hunting ground and the guest house, how to pay for the maintenance cost and how to reimburse the damaged properties, etc. Was it because of that? When I paused for breath, it was already past lunch time. I stood up to go back, but he stopped me and gave me a thick pile of papers. As he said the documents were about what he wanted to discuss more, I replied ordingly and came out of his office. When I was about to go home, I stopped by the Central Pce to cancel my request to meet the emperor. As I decided to ept the emperor¡¯s order, I didn¡¯t have to see him. Going back home, I opened the documents handed out by the duke. As I expected, I noticed the documents contained all kinds of information and questionable points about the members of the noble families. I dly read the thick papers one by one. ¡®Ugh?¡¯ I noticed something strange. There was every information about the tax evasions of Duke Jenna, Earl Hamel, Earl Lanier, Earl Holten, Earl Dias, Earl Resling, Viscount Apinu who I recently brought into my fold, as well as those marquises who rarely visited the capital. But there was nothing about Marquis Mirwa, to my surprise. Chapter 210 Chapter 210: Chapter 210 Everyone has dirtyundry. Even the imperial family members, who allegedly were very strict about tax and corruption, could get into trouble when the tax authorities conducted a thorough investigation of them. How did Marquis Mirwa, one of the core yers of the noble faction, not have any tax or corruption problem at all? Of course, the Mirwa family could be thought of as an honest family that strictly obeyed imperialws. However, I didn¡¯t think the Mirwa family was that clean. Could such a clean family work under Duke Jenna? Although they might have the same ideal, they would most likely collide in the process of moving toward that goal. ¡®I think I have to tell my staff to investigate the Mirwa family, too.¡¯ I put down the documents with a sigh. At that moment suddenly there was a knock on the door. Lina came in quickly and said carefully, ¡°Mydy, are you busy?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Why?¡± ¡°Well, you gave me some instructions the other day, right?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Did you find out anything? ¡± When I asked dly, she said hesitantly with a worried look, ¡°I dug out something, but it¡¯s not that significant¡­¡± ¡°Good. Can you tell me everything you found out?¡± Lina, who hesitated for a moment, started talking when I pressed her again. ¡°Well, this is what I heard from a maid who was serving the countess nearby, not her personal maid. You can still believe her. ording to her, the countess usually wakes upte in the morning, takes care of the housekeeping and her son¡¯s daily schedule. She always has breakfast with her husband no matter how busy she is. She has an excellent rtionship with her husband, so she takes care of everything about him, including his meals and clothes, etc. She is very kind to those working at the house, so everybody likes her.¡± ¡°Well, what else?¡± ¡°She often hangs out with Countess Holten or Viscountess Ageenta. As a devout believer, she often visits the temple. She is also interested in volunteering, so she not only makes a huge donation to the temple but also, once a week, she visits themoners¡¯ district for volunteering.¡± ¡°Ugh? Wait a minute. Is she doing volunteer work in themoners¡¯ district? What kind of volunteer work is she doing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ ording to the maid, she doesn¡¯t want to let people around her know about her volunteer work. When she visits there for volunteering, she usually takes her personal maid with her.¡± Oh, really? I smiled at Lina. Although Countess Dias was ady who seemed very perfect, I had doubts about her. I was more suspicious after I reviewed her wrongdoings as described in the documents. If she really cared for themoners, why did she tacitly allow the managers of her family¡¯s estate to levy more taxes than the imperial rate on the residents living there? She might not be aware, but I doubted it. I said with a smile to Lina who was looking at me, ¡°Got it. Thanks a lot for your work, Lina.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, mydy. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t help you very much. ¡± ¡°Oh, it really helped. Now, shall we prepare for theing-of-age ceremony? I think we are running out of time if it¡¯s held at the guest house.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ so, it will actually be held at the guest house?¡± ¡°Well, yes. That¡¯s what happened. So, please prepare ordingly.¡± ¡°Yes, mydy,¡± Lina replied with a bright expression. After letting her out, I wrote a letter to Baron Carot, asking him to look into what kind of volunteer work Countess Dias was doing in themoners¡¯ district and report back to me as soon as possible. ¡®Let¡¯s see what kind of volunteer work she is doing.¡¯ < I want to give this gift to you directly, but let me send it in advance because I won''t be able to see your face on the day. Congrattions on youring of age, Aristia. Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina.> With a long sigh, I folded the blue-colored letter from him. An borately crafted jewelry box was ced next to the envelope, it shimmered in gold. Made of tinum, it was decorated with diamonds and sapphires and looked very gorgeous and elegant. When I saw the shape of the deli flower on the lid, I let out a sigh again. Why did he send me a gift like this? He was so cold-hearted and indifferent to me, then why did he send me this gift? Of course, I think it might be a perfunctory gift, so I was bothered by the letter. Was there a time when the emperor wrote a letter by hand, congratting his vassal¡¯sing-of-age? ¡°Whew¡­¡± I sighed for the third time and picked up the jewelry box. When I opened the shiny lid under the light, I heard the sound of the spring winding with a little music. A female doll in a dress was dancing to the serene melody. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s the Orgel.¡¯ After listening to the calm melody for a while, I was going to cover the lid when I suddenly noticed the shape of a doll spinning to the tune of the music. ¡®This one is¡­ ?¡¯ I pulled the Orgel with my trembling hand and looked at the doll. The female doll, dressed in a light blue dress, had shiny golden eyes with wavy silvery hair as if I was made a miniature. But it wasn¡¯t that important. A tiara decorated with sapphires was ced on the doll¡¯s hair, the very tiara that only a royal woman could wear. I stared nkly at the tiara for a long time. A doll that looks just like me and the jewelry tiara¡­ Is this a simple coincidence or has he intended it? If this was intended, what is his motivation behind this gift? Calming down my confused heart, I sighed deeply. ¡®Let¡¯s not think, Aristia.¡¯ It had to be just a simple gift. Yes, it had to be a mere gift. I already dered in public that I would break off my engagement with him, and he epted it. So, his attempt to restore the broken rtionship was thest thing I wanted. I shook my head vigorously to shake off myplex thoughts about it. Pretty soon, I will sessfully have theing-of-age ceremony and solidify my position as the sessor of my family. I didn¡¯t want to be afflicted withplicated thoughts about it in the process anymore. Looking at the silver-haired Orgel still spinning, I slowly closed the lid of the music box. Blowing out the candle, I closed my eyes, burying my face in the pillow. The chandelier lights, decorated with multipleyers of crystals, danced gracefully, and the walls made of transparent mirrors produced a halo of yellow light. The dark blue curtains draped on the balcony swayed in the night breeze, and the crests of the spears and shield embroidered with silver thread made a silver halo because of the swaying soft cloth. Normally, I would have gotten carried away with the beautiful scenery, but I couldn¡¯t concentrate, no matter how much I looked at it. Even the gentle melodies yed by the musicians were going in one ear and out the other. I kept sighing in spite of myself. Why are things being messed up like this? ¡°Why are you sighing like that?¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± It was the man in front of me that made me all the more confused. The man who looked at me nkly smiled up at me, sweeping up his honey-colored hair. When I sighed, looking at him, I suddenly noticed a brooch hanging on his cor. The leveling scale, and the three-eyed snake and ivy coiling it. Why did hee to mying-of-age banquet? He was the sessor of the Marquis Mirwa family, highest rank after Duke Jena in the noble faction. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a banquet tomemorate youring-of-age? It¡¯s a happy day, Lady Monique. Why do you look pale?¡± ¡°¡­Oh, I¡¯m a little tired. ¡± ¡°Oh, I see. As you don¡¯t have your mother, I guess you must have had a hard time preparing for this big banquet. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. Thanks for your concern.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± I really felt ufortable when he kept speaking to me and acting kindly. I looked around to get away from him, but didn¡¯t see the right person. My father already disappeared somewhere with Duke Veritas, and the members of the pro-emperor faction didn¡¯t try to approach me after their rtions with me were soured at the recent meeting. They just keept an eye on me and the son of Marquis Mirwa. Chapter 211 Chapter 211: Chapter 211 Then another man greeted me, stopping me cunningly when I was about to leave. ¡°Congrattions on youring-of-age, Lady Monique!¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you, Sir Holten.¡± ¡°Wow! You look like a handsome couple! It ¡®s very nice to see you standing side by side.¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± I was so embarrassed to hear that. ¡®Who is this guy trying to match me with?¡¯ I tried to refute him, but I couldn¡¯t because members of the noble faction kepting and speaking to me. Looking at these peopleing to congratte me, I swallowed a sigh. What motivated them to do this? At that moment, I heard an unexpected sound at the entrance. ¡°His Majesty Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina, the Sun of the Empire, has arrived!¡± What? When I looked back, hardly believing my ears, I saw everyone looking at each other¡¯s face in surprise. ¡®Oh my God! Then, what I heard is all true! Is he here?¡¯ My head was a mess at the moment. I stood nkly, at a loss about what to do, and I hurriedly came to my senses and moved towards the entrance. I saw a young man with blue hair entering the hall with the guests lined up on both sides in shock and silence. Looking around, he fixed his eyes on me in no time. His navy blue eyes were not as cold as I saw themst time, but warm enough to sway my heart. ¡°I, Aristia Monique, am honored to see you, the Sun of the Empire!¡± When I approached carefully and greeted him, the emperor nodded lightly. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. By the way, howe you came?¡± ¡°Well, I thought I went hunting a long time ago, so I felt like I wanted to hunt this time, as the hunting ground was open.¡± He had a point. Typically, there was arge entourage following the emperor when he decided to go hunting. As it happened, there were lots of nobles here at the guest house to attend mying-of-age ceremony. Besides, even major yers of rival political factions also attended here with a different purpose perhaps because of the rumors about my withdrawal of the breakoff of engagement with him like Sir Freia said. But I felt ufortable somehow. It was only a few days ago that he sent me a gift, saying he would not be able to see me on mying-of-age day! Besides, he let me use the guest house for reasons that he could not allow major nobles including my father to vacate the capital for long. Then, why did he say that? If he came as far as here, didn¡¯t he already vacate the capital? ¡®What is the real reason he came here?¡¯ I was now so confused, but I said calmly, trying to shake off idle thought. ¡°You must be exhausted after such a long journey, Your Majesty. I¡¯ll tell them to prepare your amodations quickly.¡± ¡°Thank you. Congrattions on youring-of-age. ¡± ¡°Thank you so much, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°It looks like the ceremony has just started. Did you already dance to celebrate youring-of-age?¡± ¡°Not yet¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± He nodded lightly and moved into the banquet hall. I called the chief attendant and told him to arrange amodations for him and his attendants, and checked the condition of the banquet hall. At that moment, the band signaled to the participants that the dancing time was around the corner. When I looked around with a sigh, I saw the young man with blue hair standing in the distance. Next to him was my father, Duke Verita, and Marquis Enesil. I walked toward him with a heavy heart. Because he came all the way down here, he would be my partner anyway. Originally, theing-of-age dance meant that the star of the day showed him or herself to the world for the first time. Therefore, the meaning given to his or her partner was also significant. Therefore, I could choose my dancing partner on my own, whoever he was, and the one selected by me had to ept my request unconditionally on principle. That was possible among the nobles, but it was different now. Who would dare to ask any other man to dance than the emperor when he is here? Otherwise, the emperor would lose his face. So, I had no other choice but to ask him to dance. Although I pulled myself together, repeatedly thinking to myself I couldn¡¯t help it, I felt that my fingertips became cold as I approached him step by step to ask him to dance. Little by little my heartbeat quickened. I wanted to hear the participants whispering here and there, then their eyes began to turn towards me all at once. I passed by Duke Verita and Marquis Enesil smiling faintly and my father looking at me anxiously and stopped before the young man with blue hair. cing my hand on my chest that seemed to burst, I opened my mouth carefully. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ May I dare ask you to dance for the first time on the asion of mying of age?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my honor.¡± My eyes opened wide at that. What did he just say? My honor? People began to whisper here and there at his unexpected reply, which was far from customary. My head was spinning like a top, but I held his hand casually with a smile. When I stepped on the dance floor, controlling my nausea, he whispered, ¡°How have you been?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m doing well, Your Majesty. How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks for asking.¡± Is it because I am dancing with him for the first time in about a year? Or is it because of the question that has been running through my head for the past few days? I felt it was very awkward to see him face to face. Even though I danced with him numerous times, I found it very hard to do so today. I stretched my arm stiffly, but I couldn¡¯t feel anything on my cold fingertips. Pulling my hand in the air, he said, stepping on the first beat, ¡°Are you nervous because it¡¯s youring-of-age dance? It isn¡¯t like you.¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry, Your Majesty. ¡± I answered hesitantly, then moved back. However, my distance with him kept narrowing because he tightly wrapped his arms around my waist. ¡°By the way, I see lots of faces I didn¡¯t want to see here. Did you invite them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. I think you sent out the invitation.¡± Why is he asking obvious questions? The moment I looked up at him curiously, my eyes met his. When I saw his smiling face and navy blue eyes, my head was messed up again. I hurriedly lowered my eyes. I could feel he was looking down at me, but my eyes were fixed on his cor, but never above it. I didn¡¯t have the courage to see his face again. ¡°Come to think of it, I danced with you at mying-of-age ceremony three years ago.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Back then¡­ ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°¡­Oh, it¡¯s nothing. ¡± What was he trying to say? While I tilted my head, I let go of his hand, timed with the climax of the music. Two turns to the right, then two turns to the left again. When I was going round amid the participants¡¯ attention, I suddenly remembered thest time I danced with him. It¡¯s thest day of the National Founding Day festival when I, without knowing I was poisoned, passed out while trying to stick it out to thest minute. Suddenly, I caught a chill. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that won¡¯t happen again,¡± he said, pulling me close to him when I was trembling Did he already notice what I was thinking? My trembling gradually faded away thanks to his low voice and warm touch. My rough breathing also began to go back to normal. ¡®Why is he so kind to me now?¡± When I tried to express gratitude as I felt much better, I suddenly trembled again because I was suspicious about his sudden change of attitude. Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? He had been indifferent and cold just a while ago after I told him I would like to break off my engagement with him. If so, did he send me the Orgel on purpose? Once again my mind was soplicated. I wanted to ask why he sent me the music box, but the question was at the tip of my tongue. In the end, I couldn¡¯t ask, and the music stopped. Chapter 212 Chapter 212: Chapter 212 ¡°Your Majesty, it was my honor to dance with you at mying-of-age ceremony. Thank you so much.¡± After bowing politely, I pulled away from him, or I was trying to. ¡°¡­ Your Majesty?¡± When I looked up in embarrassment, he was looking at me silently, with his navy blue eyes trembling. I suddenly stiffened, so I twisted my body as carefully as possible with an awkward smile. The moment I almost disengaged from him, he pulled me again by tightening his hand holding me. Why is he doing this? ¡°Your Majesty?¡± When I said with a trembling voice, he finally let go of my hand and said with a sigh, ¡°¡­ Oh, sorry. It was a good time. ¡± Hiding my mixed feelings, I bowed to him who said he was going back to his seat. I turned back in confusion when the man with honey-colored hair approached me and said, ¡°It was a beautiful dance, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, I wonder if you can give me the honor of dancing with you.¡± I was getting annoyed gradually. Why is this guy bugging me when I¡¯m soplicated in my mind? ¡°¡­Sorry. As I danced for so long, I feel it¡¯s too hot here.¡± ¡°Then would you like to get some fresh air for a moment? I will escort you. ¡± ¡°¡­No. I¡¯m sorry, but I want to be alone for a while. Thanks for your consideration.¡± I know it¡¯s not courteous, but I thought I was done with him by now, so I refused his request and turned around. I had a lot on my mind because of the emperor¡¯s sudden appearance, some of the noble faction¡¯s feigned kindness, and the meaning of the Orgel. After looking around quickly, I headed out of the banquet hall. I walked through a well-decorated garden in the summer night, breathing in the cozy air peculiar to the summer. However, even after walking for a long time, I couldn¡¯t think straight. What the emperor told me a moment ago kepting to my mind. Why didn¡¯t I ask him about the meaning of the Orgel, the music box? As I thought about it more and more, I found there was only one answer to that question. Right. I was afraid to hear his answer, so I couldn¡¯t even ask him about its meaning. If he gave it to me in the same sense that he gave the tiara to me, I would certainly be at a loss about how to respond, which made me scared¡­ You¡¯re crazy, Aristia. Why are you so scared that you can¡¯t even ask him? Suddenly, I got angry at myself. Don¡¯t I look like the old me when I was longing for him in vain? Biting his lips in frustration, I suddenly noticed three men talking in the corner of the garden. Who are they? They looked like some of those who followed Carsein. Passing by them nonchntly, I stopped when I heard them talking to each other about something about me. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t feel good about her and the Monique family.¡± ¡°You bet. She almost ended up with us because of thatst time, but I don¡¯t know why she is so close to the noble faction these days.¡± ¡®What the heck are they talking about?¡¯ As my thoughts wereplicated at the moment, I could hardly understand exactly what they were talking about. I looked at the three men, trying to shake off the fog of my head. ¡°I didn¡¯t like her invitation from the beginning because it seemed she was trying to test our loyalty. I think the Monique family is going too far. To be honest, how much did our faction suffer because of Lady Monique¡¯s ambiguous attitude?¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± As the gray-haired man nodded as if he agreed, another man who stood silently said, ¡°Hmm, by the way, the Monique family seems to have gone whole hog. I just can¡¯t believe the marquis¡¯s only daughter is infertile. What about his noble title then?¡± ¡°Well, if she ever gets married to a man, he will inherit the title, I think. Are you going to challenge it?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? How can you say that when you saw the emperor attending this banquet today?¡± ¡°Ah, that doesn¡¯t make any sense. Why does the emperor want to marry an infertile woman? So, why don¡¯t you try to make her your woman? Even if the title you will inherit is for your lifetime only, you can still live as a marquis, right? I think some young guys of the noble faction are approaching her with that in mind.¡± My head, which was in the clouds, cleared when I heard them ridiculing me openly. Watching the three giggling loudly, I took a deep breath, and I tightened my clenched fists. What did they say? Infertile woman? ¡®Oh my, what should I do about them?¡¯ Biting my lip, I was wondering when it was the right time to go and shout at them, when I heard a familiar voice at a distance. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m quite a good candidate, too. How about me?¡± Something red in the dark began to move, then a knight in a ck uniform with his red hair hanging over my shoulders appeared. As I couldn¡¯t believe my ears, I stared nkly at the young man¡¯s face, stiffening on the spot as if I was nailed down. What the heck are you doing here, Sein? Have you been sticking around me with that thinking in mind? When I was shocked by Carsein¡¯s joining their conversation, I heard another voice that seemed to be very pleasant. ¡°Oh, nice to see you, Sir Carsein. Please do as you wish. How dare I be your rival?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Nodding at him, Carsein pulled a small dagger out of his pocket. Then, with a bored look, he pulled the dagger out of the sheath and examined it in the moonlight. ¡°By the way, are youfortable about her? Even if she is from a marquis family, she¡¯s an infertile woman.¡± ¡°Well.¡± ¡°In a sense, I think it doesn¡¯t matter that much because she¡¯s the marquis¡¯s daughter anyway¡­Sir Carsein?¡± At that moment something shed, and I heard someone¡¯s embarrassed voice. ¡®What was it a moment ago?¡¯ I stared nkly, blinking. The dagger held in Carsein¡¯s hand was already plunged in a tree as if he threw it. The handle of the dagger was still trembling, deeply stuck in the tree where the man was standing only a finger away from it. Watching the three whose faces turned white casually, he shrugged his shoulders nonchntly and said, ¡°Oh, I think I am a little rusty as I haven¡¯t practiced well enough these days. I threw it in the wrong ce. ¡± ¡°Oops! Sir Carsein?¡± ¡°I was going to cut off your flippant tongue, but that¡¯s too bad. How can you dare mention her name?¡± ¡°We just¡­ ¡± ¡°Shut up! Do you want to see tongues cut off?¡± The men who freaked out at his cold rebuke shook their heads hurriedly and said, ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°I am really ashamed of the fact that we are in the same faction. If you mention her name once again, I¡¯ll kick your butt by all means. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Carsein!¡± ¡°Get out of here!¡± The three men quickly disappeared, hurriedly saying goodbye to him who was staring at them coldly. Even after they disappeared, Carsein was staring down there for a long time, then he pulled the dagger with a long sigh. ¡°I wish I had cut them all.¡± He flinched while turning around, murmuring a bit. He looked at me, with his eyes wide open, and said, ¡°¡­ Did you see it? ¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°Really?¡± When I slowly nodded, he approached me, hardening his face. I let out a sigh, looking at his tightly closed lips. It looked like he was going to say something, but I was not in a mood to listen. My head was throbbing. ¡°Hey, how could you put up with them when you heard them ridiculing you?¡± ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t .¡± ¡°What? Are you sure?¡± Carsein, who was looking at me nkly, took a deep breath and opened his mouth, ¡°Then exin to me. Why were you just listening to them silently? ¡± ¡°Well¡­ I was just looking for the right time to interrupt.¡± ¡°Are you serious? When you see yourself being ridiculed like that, how can you stand nkly, doing nothing?¡± After rebuking me calmly, he swept up his hair, then breathed in and out several times as if to catch his breath. Finally, he said in a calm voice after a long time, ¡°¡­ I just wanted to stand by and keep you because you don¡¯t like me to intervene at all, but, Tia¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tolerate it anymore. I can¡¯t just let you be insulted and treated like this.¡± Chapter 213 Chapter 213: Chapter 213 I looked at him, putting my hand on my forehead. I couldn¡¯t understand what he was talking about because I felt a bit woozy. Obviously, I heard him talking to me, but could not understand exactly what it meant. ¡°¡­ Sein.¡± ¡°Why are you trying to fight with your back to the wall all the time? It seems you are always driving yourself into an extreme situation. Don¡¯t you know that?¡± ¡°Hey, Sein.¡± ¡°You are scared about it, too.¡± ¡°Sein¡­¡± ¡°Standing at the edge of a cliff, you¡¯re actually scared about it, right? But why are you driving yourself into a corner like that?¡± I took a deep sigh. I wanted to tell him to talk about itter. But Carsein kept talking, ignoring my repeated calling of his name. ¡°Don¡¯t think there¡¯s no ce to go. I¡¯ll pull you up. I¡¯ll hold your hand for you toe back. Got it, Tia? ¡± ¡°Whew¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make any excuses by citing my father. When I said that I would move out, I already gave up the idea of following his political line.¡± ¡°¡­Ugh? Wait a minute.¡± When he mentioned he would move out, I came to my senses suddenly. I was wondering what he kept babbling on, and he was repeating what he had told me the other day. ¡°Hey, you already told me about it the other day, right?¡± ¡°Yes, but as I told you a moment ago, I can¡¯t watch you being ridiculed anymore.¡± ¡°¡­Sein, you are one of the two most precious men to me. So, I don¡¯t want to sacrifice you because of me. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sacrificing for you. I told you that¡¯s what I want.¡± I sighed deeply. In fact, I didn¡¯t hate it when he offered to help. Had he not been precious to me, I might have epted his offer selfishly when he first mentioned it. Why did I reject it when he was determined to help me even at the risk of turning against his own family? Why did I refuse it when he said he would absolutely support me in a situation where I need an ally so badly? But I could not ept his offer. Then, and now. ¡°Are you serious? I know you hate politics andplicated things like that. You said you wanted to practice your sword and help your family¡¯s work even if you moved out. Then, are you going to enter the political world? Why? Because you are suddenly interested? ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what you want, Sein. So let¡¯s stop talking about it. I can¡¯t just watch you sacrifice yourself for a little help. ¡°¡­A little help. Didn¡¯t I give you any big help?¡± I flinched at his trembling voice, but I kept silent, turning away from him. I was sorry for offending him, but it was better than me watching him regret his decisionter. How much time passed? When I agonized about what to do in awkward silence, I heard someone calling me from a distance. It seemed that a servant came to look for me because I was away for too long. ¡°¡­ Let me go back first.¡± When I said that hesitantly, Carsein stepped sideways silently. I was bothered by that, but I walked away, ignoring him. I smelled earthy scent in the breeze. When I shook off myplicated thoughts, breathing in the fresh air as much as I could, I suddenly smelled a fragrant scent tickling the tip of my nose. Obviously, it was a familiar scent to me, but I could not find the owner of the fragrance when I looked around. Was it because of my mood?¡¯ I felt a bit ufortable to think like that, but I didn¡¯t have time to dy anymore. After a long sigh, I hurriedly walked back with the servant. ¡°The weather is very nice.¡± ¡°Yes, it is, Lady Monique. It ¡®s very suitable for hunting. ¡± Fortunately, the next day, the sky was very clear in the morning. When I looked up at the clear sky, a smile came to my lips. ¡®Okay, what I can focus on for now is to achieve good results.¡¯ Because of the emperor¡¯s sudden appearance, the original purpose of this hunting event was a little faded, but today the hunting contest was intended to prove mypetence as the sessor of my family. So, I had to achieve good results by all means. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°By the way, these are the guys who poisoned you, right? How fortunate it is your poisoning was found early! You might have been very dangerous.¡± I gratefully bowed to the tinum blonde young man who spoke to me with an excited voice. By nature this kind of hunting event usually had unexpected idents, so I double checked the weapons and the horse before I left. As a result, I found something strange. Obviously, everything was okay when I checked at dawn, but when I double checked, I found the reins and the saddle straps cut in half. Left as they were, I could have lost my life. In fact, there were more than ten nobles who died every year after being thrown from horses. If I had gone hunting on horseback like that, I would certainly have fallen from the horse before I could say boo, and in that case, I would have died. ¡°I think you must search the criminal of this incident and have him pay for the price of his crime.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± As I turned my gaze like Marquis Enesil, I saw the son of Marquis Mirwa chatting with some members of the noble faction including Sir Hoten. ¡®Do they also suspect their own members?¡¯ There was a high probability that the poisoning incident was the act of the noble faction, but I could not be sure like before because it might have beenmitted by someone from the pro-emperor faction who was dissatisfied with our family¡¯s actions these days. Of course, that was unlikely. Those who Carsein scolded harshly the other day could have gotten involved, but most of the pro-emperor faction were trying hard to mend fences with our family since yesterday. It seemed that the emperor¡¯s attendance at mying-of-age ceremony deeply influenced their attitude. ¡°By the way, are you confident? I¡¯m far from being a hunter. ¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not skilled either¡­ Ah, the g is up now. The contest has just started.¡± ¡°I see. Then I hope you can achieve good results. ¡± With a pleasant smile, Marquis Enesil went into the woods with his servants. After watching him for a moment, I also dug my spurs with the men around me. ¡°Sir Monique, you are quite good at hunting today.¡± ¡°Thank you for thepliment. I think I¡¯m lucky today. ¡± ¡®Is this the fifth deer?¡¯ I smiled up at Sir Ryan who wasughing at me. Watching the servants dragging the fallen deer, I checked the bow for a while, when I heard something moving among the grass. It seemed that the imperial hunting ground had plenty of game because it had not used for several years. ¡°What is it this time? Oh my¡­!¡± ¡°Bear?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you step back before shooting an arrow?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± It was a big bear that appeared through the bush. Even after seeing arge number of people, the bear was approaching slowly. Everyone stepped back a little ording to Sir Freia¡¯s advice. It could be dangerous if we didn¡¯t kill it at one go. After taking a deep breath, I aimed my bow at the bear¡¯s heart. When I was exchanging eyes with other knights to shoot an arrow at the same time, I saw a single arrow flying towards the bear. It was shot by Sir Spear. ¡°Sir Spear, you idiot!¡± ¡°Oh, everyone disperse!¡± The wounded bear began to charge toward us, growling. Everyone dispersed in every direction to avoid the roaring bear, shooting arrows. However, it wasn¡¯t difficult to urately aim at the bear on the rampage. When his horse began to foam at the mouth, Sir Ryan, who was shooting arrows, shouted as if it was impossible to knock down the bear. ¡°Sir Monique, get out of here safely!¡± ¡°What about others?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to follow suit. Come on! ¡± ¡°Okay. I hope everyone is safe. ¡± I hurriedly turned the head of my horse and left with my two servants. In a situation like this, it was the best policy to get out without any hesitation. What the hell is this anyway? A bear on rampage! In order to get out of there safely I rode the horse far away before stopping. When I turned back to give the next instructions to the two servants, I was stunned to see one of them bleeding from his shoulder. Chapter 214 Chapter 214: Chapter 214 ¡°What happened? If you were hurt, you should have told me in advance.¡± ¡°Because of the urgent situation¡­¡± ¡°As the wounds seemed severe, let¡¯s go back first. Let me hear the detailster.¡± ¡°But Sir Monique, if you go back now, they might gossip about you, saying you gave up hunting. Please think twice about it.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I was agonized. He had a point, but I could not leave the wounded servant untreated. What should I do? The best way is to send them back and join other groups while other servantse to my ce, or reunite with the dispersed knights. I wonder if anybody is passing by this ce. At that moment, I heard the sound of the horn at a close distance. I felt it sounded like Marquis Enesil¡¯s horn, so I looked around at the two servants.. ¡°Okay, can you go back and receive treatment? Also, you go and bring me another servant who is taking a break at the moment. All you have to do is go in the direction where you just heard the horn.¡± ¡°But Sir Monique.¡± ¡°Hurry up! Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s more dangerous to hesitate now? I¡¯m going to join them over there, soe back as soon as you find another servant.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°Okay. Then go now!¡± After sending back the hesitant servants, I quickly rode the horse in the direction where the horn was fading away. It was safe for me to catch up and join them before missing them. However, it was not long before I pulled the reins to slow down because I felt something strange about the horse. What the heck is this? It looked like the horse was limping. When I got off the saddle and looked closely, I noticed a wound on its ankle. It seems to have been injured while avoiding the bear. I thought it was okay, but obviously even the horse didn¡¯t know it was injured because it was also surprised by the bear. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ If I had known it in advance, I would have gotten out of the woods with the servants. It was toote now. I listened for the distant horn for a while, then sighed. As they were too far away from me, I felt it would be better to get out of the woods rather than join them. When I walked for a long time, looking around carefully, I saw a group of people running from a distance. I unwittingly moaned while looking at them with both joy and anxiety. ¡®Dang it! Why are theying this way¡­¡¯ Just in case, I stepped to the side, but they came right up to me before stopping. It was my wishful thinking that they would just pass by me. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m honored to see the Sun of the Emperor!¡± ¡°Why are you here alone?¡± ¡°Oh, something happened. By the way, why are you only with the royal knights?¡± ¡°Well, I wanted to be free and easy, so I told my entourage to leave me and have free time. By the way, it looks like your horse was wounded. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I am fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± He nodded, then reached out to me. ¡®What does this mean?¡¯ When I blinked, at a loss about what to do, he said with a sigh, ¡°Get on my horse.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very far from here to the main building, so I can¡¯t leave you alone here. I can¡¯t have you ride the wounded horse, either.¡± ¡°If you insist, can I use a spare horse?¡± ¡°Hurry up. I don¡¯t want to order you.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay, Your Majesty. ¡± Swallowing a sigh, I grabbed his hand and climbed onto the horse. After he ordered a royal knight to bring Silvia back, he spurred his horse. The horse, blowing from the mouth, began to run at full gallop, fluttering its white mane. I flinched at his warmth as he was right behind me on the horse. The refreshing scent that tickled the tip of my nose made my heart beat fast. Every time the horse hit the ground, the hem of his outfit touched the ground, making a rustling sound. At that moment, I stiffened at someone¡¯s sudden voice. ¡°What happened? I saw you going into the woods withpetent knights.¡± ¡°Oh, there was an ident.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for worrying you, Your Majesty.¡± I felt goosebumps when I felt his breathing near my ears, and I shrunk into myself. ¡°Given the sound of the horn, it looks like you hunted a lot of game today. Do you have a hobby in hunting?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty, but I often went hunting with my friends.¡± ¡°¡­ With your friends. I see.¡± He remained silent after that, and I also looked ahead silently. The fresh scent of the forest touched the tip of my nose and the cool breeze touched my face. The sound of the cheerful horses¡¯ hooves was heard everywhere, and the golden sun was shining amid the musicians¡¯ joyful ying. Suddenly, my hair tied in a band got loose and blown by the wind. And my hair that had been loosely tied was fluttering like snow. When I was carried away with the beautiful melodies of the music, the horse suddenly went heehaw roughly and raised its front legs high. My staggering body quickly leaned back, but he wrapped my waist with one hand, swallowing a moan. I felt he strained his body to keep his bnce. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± The royal knights who followed him shouted urgently, and the excited horse moved back with heehaw. A rabbit, surprised by the sudden noise, jumped into the bush. I sighed, watching the rabbit hopping away in the front. Although I felt empty, I thought it¡¯s fortunate it was a rabbit, not a bear. If it had been the wounded bear, there would have been a big fuss again. ¡°Are you alright, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I don¡¯t know when this will happen again, so please allow us to return to the escort formation, so we can protect you.¡± ¡°Sure, but keep some distance from me.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Only then did I realize the source of my difort that I began to feel for some time. It was none other than the formation of the royal knights escorting him. In order to escort the emperor in the open air, the royal knights were supposed to be positioned at the front and rear, as well as on the left and right respectively. But they were following him from behind for some reason. Obviously, there was no chance that they caused trouble to the emperor, so it was the emperor who issued such an order. I wondered why he wanted this kind of strange security formation. ¡°Maybe the horses as well as you knights must have been surprised. Try to find a ce to take a break nearby. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± When the royal knight left the ce, he asked me in a calm voice as if nothing had happened, ¡°Are you okay? Aren¡¯t you surprised? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Are you really okay, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine. Thanks for your consideration.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± While watching the knights moving around here and there, I suddenly paid attention to his arm around my waist. When I fanned with my hand after breathing in, he said after pausing for a moment, ¡°Are you hot?¡± ¡°Oh, not really, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s already midsummer. I¡¯m d it¡¯s not as hot asst year. ¡± ¡°I agree. I think it¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± Now I thought that the only rtionship between him and me was that of the king and his vassal, but his conversation with me, starting from yesterday, kept bringing back memories of the past. Was it because of that? The more I talked with him, the more ufortable I felt. Maybe it was because of the music box Orgel in question. When I discovered the tiara in the doll¡¯s hair, I was confused. I thought I might want to ask him the reason even now, but I couldn¡¯t for some reason. I vowed several times to pluck up the courage to ask him, but I couldn¡¯t. When I was only biting my lip, upset about myself, I heard him whispering, ¡°I think it¡¯s my first time seeing you in a hunting outfit. It looks good on you.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you, Your Majesty. ¡± I flinched when his breathing touched my temple. I kept stroking the horse¡¯s mane as I felt awkward, with my head down. I was very tired. I wish I could go back, but he wouldn¡¯t allow it. He said he would go back after taking a brief break. ¡°Well¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Come to think of it, you remember that silver flower, right?¡± ¡®Huh? Silver flower? ¡® Chapter 215 Chapter 215: Chapter 215 Suddenly, my ears perked up at his mention of silver flowers, so I forgot that I had just flinched and turned my head to look at him. What about the silver flower? Did it finally bloom? ¡°Are you talking about that silver flower? Did it bloom? I saw it looked like it would bloom when I saw itst.¡± I shut my mouth suddenly while asking him a barrage of questions in spite of myself. His navy blue eyes were looking at me up close. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡± When I murmured, with my head down, he broke intoughter. When I looked up, I saw him smiling with a very satisfied look. I just blinked my eyes silently in embarrassment. My heart was pounding at the sound of hisughter that I heard for the first time after my return. ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ve found a rest area that you ordered me. There is a pond not far from here.¡± ¡°¡­ Good. Can you escort us?¡± While I was looking at him nkly, I came to my senses at his sudden voice. When I hurriedly changed my expression, with my head down, he grabbed the reins and spurred the horse. ¡°I knew you were interested in that silver flower, but I never knew you were so interested like this. I wish I had told you sooner if I had known it.¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°When I looked at the flower some time ago, it looked like the buds opened a bit. Let me tell you when they bloom.¡± On the day I spent the night in the garden with him a few months ago, it seemed like the buds were blooming. Looking back, they actually did. At that time, I was not so sure because I felt sleepy. If the buds opened, would they bloom sooner orter? I¡¯ve been wanting to see them bloom so long, but I never saw them blooming before. I was very curious about the silver flower that was allegedly the same as my hair color. Are they bright and beautiful? Are they fresh but shy? Well, as it looks like d flowers, it must be elegant and graceful. When I was imagining the various shapes of the silver flower, I felt the horse stop. There was a pond shining like a mirror under the sunshine among the forest surrounded by tall trees. A white cloud was reflected on the surface of the blue water without any little ripples. When the singing birds soared into the sky, the green leaves were shaking. The royal knights who got off the horses all at once surrounded the pond. The young man jumped down and reached out to me. When I stepped down, grabbing his hand, the white horse, blinking her ck eyes, slowly walked to the pond and began to drink water. He said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was a ce like this on the royal hunting ground.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. I haven¡¯t had a chance toe down here because I was so busy for many years¡± ¡°As you opened this ce to me, I¡¯m so grateful to you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. As I have shot lots of arrows today, I would like to thank you, too.¡± Then he asked softly, ¡°By the way, how is your condition now?¡± ¡°Pardon? Oh, I¡¯m fine. As you know, I recovered a while ago.¡± ¡°Hmm, I hear that the High Priest is taking good care of you. So, even if you¡¯re busy, don¡¯t forget to visit the temple. The High Priest usually doesn¡¯t stay long there.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will keep it in mind. ¡± After nodding lightly, I walked after him. As it was near the pond, the soil on which I stepped on felt very soft. When I heard the horses drinking water, I felt his soft hand touching my hair suddenly. I curled up myself unconsciously and looked back at him. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I took off a leaf out of your hair.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you.¡± When I saw the leaf stuck between his long fingers, I blushed. I tried to turn my head in embarrassment, but I couldn¡¯t move. My heart began to pound fast at the fragrant scent carried by the wind. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing, Your Majesty. I¡¯ll be back after checking my horse for a moment. ¡± Even forgetting that I was rude, I quickly turned without his permission. Then I quickened my step to Sylvia, which was still drinking water. ¡°Whew¡­¡± When I buried my face in her silver mane, my heartbeat that was beating fast finally slowed down. I examined Sylvia¡¯s wound. Fortunately, the wound was not severe, and the blood from her ankle already stopped. ¡®Whew, what a relief!¡¯ ¡® When I was breathing a sigh of relief, he approached me in no time and said, ¡°It looks like you love her very much.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. She is called Sylvia. ¡± ¡°Pretty name. She seems to go well with you. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°As we had some breaktime here, let¡¯s go back now. You also need to have your beloved horse treated, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The moment I held his hand, I suddenly felt hot. I was annoyed with myself. I think I was strange for the past few days. I couldn¡¯t control my body as I wished, and my mind wasplicated with all sorts of things. I bit my lips hard enough to bleed. Because of the memories that reminded me of my painful past, I felt goosebumps. Why am I acting like this? What am I doing? ¡°Come on, get on the horse now.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± Pounding my chest anxiously, I climbed the white horse with him. The royal knights on the lookout nearby mounted their horses all at once. Heehaw! After going heehaw loudly, the horses began to run in full gallop. Everybody was now riding fast to the main building. The day I returned to the capital I headed for the Imperial Pce to stand on duty. When I entered the 2nd Knights building, a familiar knight with brown hair greeted me. ¡°Wee back, Sir Monique.¡± ¡°Hi, Sir Feden. Thank you for attending mying-of-age ceremony. You will receive my thank-you note sometime tomorrow.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure to attend it. Congrattions on youring-of-age once again! ¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°By the way, what happened on that day? I was really surprised to hear that you returned to the capital with the emperor.¡± As expected, there was a big fuss over my return with the emperor. It was natural that they were shocked. As the star of the huntingpetition, I rode the same horse with the emperor, and that I was his former fiancee. Everyone looked at me in shock, but he casually got off the horse and dropped me off. Moreover, after awarding the prizes, he gave me a silver fox fur to celebrate mying-of-age, saying he was sorry foring to the hunting event. Because of that, I had to receive congrattion letters from all the members of rival factions who came down to the guest house that night. In fact, I was absent-minded with so many letters pouring in from all over for the past several days. ¡°Oh, I think I asked you too many personal questions. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. By the way, shall we move? I think it¡¯s our working time now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s hurry up.¡± After I checked my work ce on the daily worklog and turned, Sir Feden checked his uniform and said, quickening his pace, ¡°By the way, did you read the public announcement?¡± ¡°Pardon? Public announcement? ¡± When I asked, tilting my head, Sir Feden exined in a calm voice, ¡°It¡¯s the announcement about the creation of the 3rd and 4th Knights Divisions, which were only rumored up to now. I hear the government will select arge number of full-fledged knights.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Besides, the families who will be in charge of the new knights divisions were also announced.¡± ¡°If they create two knights divisions, are Marquis Enesil and Marquis Mirwa taking over them respectively?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Well¡­It seems that the emperor is going to give one of them the position of captain.¡± ¡°I think so. I think he struck a deal with them in return for creating the two divisions.¡± I nced at Sir Feden, feeling envious of the new knights divisions. At first, I thought he was just a typical knight. But he was really an excellent knight with a political sense in my eyes. ¡®Can I talk him into it?¡¯ Even though I couldn¡¯t make him one of my family vassals, I felt he would be beneficial to me if I made good friends with him. But the knight with brown hair, who didn¡¯t know what I was thinking right now, continued in a calm voice, ¡°They have not decided how many knights they will choose, but they announced the selection criteria. I hear they will test the candidates in four areas.¡± ¡°What are they?¡± Chapter 216 Chapter 216: Chapter 216 ¡°Fencing, using spears on horseback, tactics and strategy, and administrative skills: the candidates get one hundred points in each area. If they gain less than forty points in any one area, they will be removed unconditionally. I hear that the finalists will be selected based on the total points they achieve. The total number of knights to be selected for the two divisions will depend on their grades, ranging from the top scorer down to those required by the quota.¡± ¡°I see. Thanks for your detailed exnation.¡± As I turned around the corner, I saw several knights on duty at a distance. I quickly approached them and took over their daily work journal. When Sir Freia and some knights who congratted me on mying-of-age disappeared, I gently bowed to Sir Ryan and Sir Spia who were already there. Unlike Sir Ryan, who seemed to be out of sorts, Sir Spia, who seemed to be excited because of the announcement, said, ¡°Have you seen the official announcement on the selection of knights, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it yet, but I know about it because Sir Feden has informed me.¡± ¡°Are you going to apply? I think you can easily pass the test because you will get extra points for qualifications. In my case, I¡¯m not good at all in administrative skills and tactics¡­ I¡¯m really worried.¡± ¡°I think you can also get good results. So, cheer up.¡± While encouraging Sir Spia, I gave it a thought to the knights test. I was confident that I would score well in the administrative skills and tactics. I¡¯m also good at spear skills on horseback. The only area I needed to improve in was fencing. I had only a month to go before the test, so I thought I needed to start special training from today. When I was working on my action n, Sir Ryan said, silently listening to my dialogue with Sir Spia, ¡°Then you must have heard about the Marquis Mirwa family, right?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little strange? I know Marquis Mirwa¡¯s son doesn¡¯t even have a knighthood. Can I carry out the role of the captain of the new knights division?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. I know he has no knighthood, but given that he is the sessor of the Mirwa family responsible for the security of the border area, don¡¯t you think he has some forces? Anyway, does he have anything to do with the position of Captain? As you know, that position is usually taken by the head of the family¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I was told that Marquis Mirwa was in critical condition after he fell off a horse recently. I hear his son might seed his father¡¯s title soon.¡± What the heck is this? Marquis Mirwa is in critical condition? If he really seeds his father¡¯s title, does it mean that another young marquis will emerge after Marquis Ensil? Suddenly I recalled the man with honey-colored hair who was smiling at me mysteriously. If so, is he also going to take the test this time? Did he attend my banquet for that reason? No matter how much I thought about it, it looked like he didn¡¯t. Even if he is not familiar with the duty of the captain of the knight division, will the sessor of the Marquis Mirwa family, who are the major yer of the noble faction, try to ask for my or my family¡¯s help? If he really does, he has to pocket his pride to do so. Can he do so? I felt ufortable about him in several aspects. First, he was too clean, no matter how much I dug into his background. Secondly, he persistently tried to be on close terms with me. Thirdly, he was pursuing the same political line of the Duke Jena family, but he acted differently from Duke Jena sometimes. Obviously, his actions bothered me, but I was frustrated because I didn¡¯t know exactly what his n was. How much time passed? As soon as I was done with my work that was easy and very boring, I made a beeline for my house. I was impatient because I had to gear up for the uing test. If I missed the test, I would have to wait for a few more years, and I was not sure if they would select such arge number of knights again. I needed to build my skills in fencing to seize the opportunity. I sighed. Although I have been training steadily, I was a little anxious about my fencing skills. Compared to other knights, I was notpetent enough, and my training period was shorter. Even though I hurried back home, I could not practice fencing because I had to meet Entea and Baron Carot, who had been waiting for me, holding documents that I asked them for. I headed to my office to check Entea¡¯s documents first, asking the baron to wait a little more. ¡°As the baron is waiting for you, let me report to you about what happened so far and leave. As for the new hairpin, there was a lull in sales because of its new simple design, but its sales are going up again. All thanks to you, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re wee. I owe its sess to you, Entea. ¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m so happy as you appreciate my efforts.¡± Looking at her bowing to express gratitude, I was lost in thought for a moment. If that¡¯s the case, is sat also popr, as expected? In the past, muslin was popr because of the gorgeous decoration of the hairpin. Now, as simple hairpins were popr, gorgeous satin should draw the consumers¡¯ attention. DId I bait them properly? As if she noticed what I was curious about, she quickly said, checking my expression carefully, ¡°It seems that sat is also popr because of the simple hairpin these days. Thank you very much, mydy. I think I can make a lot of profits thanks to your valuable advice in advance. ¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s wonderful! Hmm, sat. I wonder if they received my return presents.¡± ¡°As you ordered, I sent the top 50 families who attended youring-of-age ceremony satin dresses and hairpins, regardless of their faction, and other families only hairpins. How generous you are! You spent a lot of financial resources on this¡­¡± ¡°Well, our family can deal with that spending because of our wealth. So, don¡¯t worry about it. By the way, if sat is such a seller, I¡¯m afraid muslin won¡¯t sell as much.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± said Entea with a bright smile. I could imagine easily how embarrassed Jiun was by now. She might be agonizing about why muslin isn¡¯t as popr as before. Well, unless she is stupid, she has probably noticed that I am responsible for all this, and she might be so mad at me now. ¡°By the way, what happened to the two merchant groups controlled by Duke Jena?¡± ¡°Thanks to your timely measure, one of them has been hit hard financially. The other one is just barely surviving.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Let me take care of the other one. Thanks for your nice job, Entea. ¡± ¡°You are wee. Your project is also beneficial to my merchant groups, too.¡± While expressing gratitude, Entea was furtively reminding me that I should not forget her share of the current business deal. ¡°By the way, what is Lady Jena doing these days?¡± ¡°Well, her activities have decreased after her muslin business failed, but she is still very energetic. I hear she continues to attend social meetings and sometimes she attends the cab meeting, citing she is the candidate for the empress. She also keeps visiting the temple. Oh, she started a big project recently¡­ Have you heard about it?¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°I hear that she is leading relief efforts for the poor by joining hands with the temple these days. I don¡¯t know the details because I didn¡¯t look into it. Do you want me to find out?¡± I was going to ask, but shook my head. I had already asked Baron Caron to investigate the matter the other day, so he¡¯s going to brief me about it a littleter anyway. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, Entea. Sooner orter, all the merchant groups under Duke Jena¡¯s influence will be disbanded. Just focus on increasing your market share in the capital. Let me take care of my own affairs.¡± When Entea left the office after bowing deeply, Baron Carot stepped in shortly. I greeted this middle-aged man who seemed rather depressed. Did he bring bad news? ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting, Baron.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, mydy.¡± ¡°But you look pale. Anything wrong with you?¡± ¡°Nothing special, but¡­¡¯ He was unusually hesitant today. I felt things didn¡¯t work out well for him, so I began to talk about what I was curious about these days instead of asking him about my instructions first. ¡°Baron, have you ever heard of the man named blessed criminal?¡± ¡°Blessed criminal? How do you know him?¡± Chapter 217 Chapter 217: Chapter 217 I narrowed my eyes when he hesitated. Given that he usually had few changes in his expression, he must know something about the blessed criminal. ¡°I came to hear about him from others by chance. All of them showed some strange reaction like you.¡± After hesitating a bit, I mentioned an assumption that had been lingering in my mind all along. ¡°Does he have anything to do with my family?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Baron?¡± When I asked, tilting my head, he kept silent for a moment, then said, ¡°Well, yes, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Sorry, mydy. That¡¯s all I can tell you for now. It¡¯s because your father gave me a gag order.¡± ¡°My daddy?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± As he nodded heavily, I didn¡¯t ask further and got to the point. If my father wouldn¡¯t tell me about it even when I was curious, there must be some reason for it. And I understood him. ¡°Okay, did you find out anything new this time?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± ¡°Hummm¡­Did something go wrong?¡± When I asked with a puzzled look, he hesitated for a moment, then picked up the documents and handed them over to me, asking me to review them first. They were the documents that he obtained from Viscount Apinu that he had seeded in bringing into my fold recently. Organized in chronological order, the documents recorded various intelligence tips such as the noble faction¡¯s need to cajole the foreign princesses by using all kinds of ends and means, actively supporting the princess of the Eet kingdom that decided to cooperate with the empire in return for its economic aid such as lower tariffs and increasing the export of iron ores by citing the inw rtionship between the two countries as soon as Princess Eet became the crown prince¡¯s concubine. If the documents were written in someone¡¯s handwriting, I could double check it against somebody else¡¯s and find out whoposed the documents, but I couldn¡¯t. Given the curvy handwriting, it was obvious that these were secret documents that somebody ordered an illiterate man to copy from the original documents to cover up his handwriting. When I put aside the documents with a sigh, I suddenly noticed a seal on the edge. A shield and a sword and the phrase engraved under the rose were none other than Volente Castina. What the heck is this? I opened my eyes wide at that. Why is this seal here? ¡°What the heck is this?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m kind of in a difficult situation because of that. Unless I have any specific evidence including the handwriting, I can¡¯t prove Volente Castina¡¯s connection to the Jena family, right? Besides, as you know, Volente Castina is¡­¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s actually Sir Lars¡¯s seal. That gives me a headache.¡± I sighed long. Of course, I didn¡¯t know if Earl Lanier kept documents hidden to save himter, but in this situation it was useless to obtain the secret documents of Earl Lanier. Unless I could prove that the seal was the same as that of the Jena family, the heat would be on the Duke Lars family. While pressing my stinging temper, I turned over other documents. It was a report about things like no big progress in finding additional information about Earl Lanier despite continued monitoring, no progress in the investigation of the poisoning incident since thest report, no one noticed anything, and the temple¡¯s n to hold a massive event to make Jiun the true child of God¡¯s prophecy, as she was rtively unknown to the people. ¡°Oh, is this all?¡± When I was about to close thest page of the document, Baron Carot nodded with a very regrettable expression. He seemed to be bothered by the fact that his findings contained nothing valuable. ¡°Thanks for your hard work. I think it was very difficult for you to obtain the information as much as this, but I¡¯m sorry to keep adding your assignment.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, mydy. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t bring you some good news. ¡± ¡°Oh never mind. Well, they would not havemitted this crime if we could catch them easily. Let me tell my butler about this, so please handsomelypensate your informants working hard right now. Also don¡¯t forget to push them a little more.¡± When I spoke with a bright smile, the baron expressed gratitude by bowing, feeling more or less relieved. ¡°Thank you, mydy.¡± ¡°By the way, do you have any further information on Countess Dias¡¯s volunteer work?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been paying special attention to that matter, but I put it on hold because I was not sure yet. Let me report to you as soon as I get more specific information.¡± ¡°Got it. Good. Shall we wrap it up now? I think I should go out to practice. ¡± ¡°Oh, I was told that they put up an official announcement about the knight selection. Cheer up! ¡± ¡°Thank you, Baron.¡± After letting him out, I immediately headed to the training field with a sword. I had only one month to go before the test. I was determined to do my best to improve my fencing skills until that day because this was one of the few precious opportunities I had. The next day I headed straight to the training center of the 2nd Knights Division as soon as I was done with my morning assignment. When I was about to go back home after hard training, I saw a woman in a dress pacing up and down at the entrance of my house. The woman with blonde hair, who I saw somewhere a lot, was Grace, the daughter of the Whir family. She greeted me dly, ¡°Hello, Lady Monique, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a long time, Lady Whir.¡± When I nodded slightly, she paused a moment before saying, with an embarrassed look, ¡°I¡¯m here to tell you something. Could you please spare me some time? ¡± ¡°Sure. Can you wait for a minute in the break room? ¡± ¡°Will do.¡± After politely bowing to Grace, I headed to the building of the 2nd Knights Division. ¡®I wish she visited my house if she had something to say. Why is she here?¡¯ I giggled when I thought about it. I didn¡¯t think she came to the Imperial Pce just to see me. As the candidate for the empress¡¯s concubine, she might have visited me after returning from the pce to see the emperor. When I entered the break room after taking a shower, Grace, who was waiting for me there, hurriedly stood up. I said, looking around the lounge which was empty because of the uing reorganization of the knights division. ¡°As you can see, this ce is a knight building, so I don¡¯t have any refreshments to treat you. Do you want tea?¡± ¡°Oh, no thanks. I¡¯m fine.¡¯ ¡°Okay, then.¡± When I sat down, slightly nodding at her, Grace sat down, tidying up the hem of her dress. ¡°I visited you to apologize because I didn¡¯t say hello to you at youring-of-age ceremony. Please ept myte congrattions on youring of age.¡± ¡°Thank you. In fact, I received your letter that you wouldn¡¯t be able to attend it because you were in bad shape. Are you okay now? ¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m alright now thanks to your concern. ¡± ¡°What a relief!¡± Was she really sick? It was definitely her best and most usible excuse, but she looked too good for a person who was in bed. In fact, it was rumored that the Whir family was openly challenging the Monique family because Grace didn¡¯t attend mying-of-age ceremony. Some of my family vassals were very upset, asking how a mere earl¡¯s family couldpare to my family, even though I withdrew my name as the candidate for the empress. At first, the banquet was intended to filter out those who were friendly to my family, but I didn¡¯t feel good when I actually went through it. It was me who initially promoted her for that position. Did she appreciate my efforts? She hesitantly presented me with a little box, with an awkward smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ve brought it to you to express my apologies. Please ept it as a small sign of my appreciation.¡± ¡°Oh thank you¡­ I appreciate it.¡± After exchanging formal greetings, silence fell again. I sat down with her for a while in awkward silence and let out a sigh, feeling pitable about myself. Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t have to feel bad. As the saying goes, as one sows, so one reaps. ¡°Oh, it was a long time ago, but I don¡¯t think I appreciated your help atst year¡¯s National Founding Day festival. You helped me a lot at that time. Thank you for your help back then, Lady Whir.¡± Chapter 218 Chapter 218: Chapter 218 ¡°Oh, you¡¯re wee. Thanks to you, I learned lots of things back then. So, I would like to thank you, too.¡± ¡°Well, I was clumsy in many ways. Thanks for saying so.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Lady Monique. Um¡­I¡¯m not sure you can believe me, but I really like and respect you.¡± I was a little embarrassed when she kept looking at me, with her eyes sparkling. When I adjusted my uniform to shake off my awkwardness, she asked me, staring at me nkly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it hard for you?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, you are now doing two things, right? Taking care of the housework and training to be the full-fledged knight. Although there are female knights, there are not many of them. I think as a female knight, you might have many setbacks¡­¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s my family business anyway.¡± ¡°But Lady Monique¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. Anyway, I hear that they are reorganizing the knights divisions, right? That¡¯s the biggest news in social circles these days.¡± During thete emperor¡¯s days there were five knights divisions, but they were reduced to three because of the emperor¡¯s dramatic purge, which caused lots of problems. As they recruited mainly those knights skilled in fencing only, there was a big deficiency in the administrative work. Even if there were an excellent pool of apprentice knights, the government could not hire them because there were no avable slots for them. ordingly, there was much discussion of the need to reorganize the existing knights divisions, but the friction of the rival factions made it impossible until now. Only now did the current emperor ept the reorganization n, which excited lots of young men from the noble families who had been waiting for such a golden chance. ¡°I can understand their moods. You know they have been waiting for this chance for a long time.¡± ¡°Really? In fact, I don¡¯t know much about this field.¡± ¡°Well, youngdies are not interested in this field, of course. Anyway, two marquises are supposed to settle in the capital once they create the two additional divisions. I expect lots of changes will take ce in social circles.¡± ¡°What do you mean by the two marquises?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about Marquis Enesil and Marquis Mirwa. I hear they will be in charge of the new divisions respectively.¡± ¡°Marquis Enesil, too?¡± Although I said it inadvertently, she reacted with delight. I narrowed my eyes and looked at her. ¡®Why is she happy about it?¡¯ Come to think of it, she blushed, too. ¡°I think he is great, given he¡¯s bing the captain at such a young age. I met him recently. I was quite impressed with his dignity. When he talks about something with a small voice, with his eyes sparkling, lots of youngdies find themselves carried away with his story.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Oh yes. Besides, when his bright white-blonde hair is reflected in the light, it really sparkles like melted gold ¡­¡± I sighed deep down, watching her praising Marquis Enesil. What kind of position is she in now? Did she forget she is a candidate for the emperor¡¯s concubine? Besides, she is supposed to exercise her power as the empress, not his concubine, to keep Jiun in check? How could she set her mind on some other man than the emperor? ¡°Lady Whir.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I hope you won¡¯t mention him at other ces.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± ¡°As the emperor is very much interested in you enough to call you on a regr basis, it is certain that the noble faction will try to put you down. In such a situation, you don¡¯t want them to find any fault with you, right?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. You¡¯re right¡­¡± She closed her mouth slowly, nodding at me. I swallowed a sigh again in an awkward silence. I supported her because she seemed to be ambitious, but she was too naive. I wondered if she could deal with the noble faction¡¯s attack. I felt a bit sorry because it was me who pushed her in a situation like this. I had no problem causing trouble for Jiun, but I wondered if I could do something bad to Grace. Perhaps I am sacrificing the wrong person again to avoid repeating my destiny. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Lady Whir.¡± ¡°Pardon? Oh, no. You don¡¯t have to. I would like to thank you because¡­ ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. By the way, why don¡¯t you visit social circles in the capital again? I know you sometimes visited social circles in the past. But you haven¡¯t appeared at social events at all these days.¡± ¡°Well, I was too busy recently. As you know, I had theing-of-age ceremony and other stuff. I didn¡¯t attend social events with the intention to avoid them. By the way, it¡¯s strange. I clearly told Frincia in advance why I couldn¡¯t go to social circles¡­¡± When I exined to her with a puzzled expression, she nodded as if she could understand my situation and said, ¡°Oh, that makes sense. In fact, Mrs. Lars didn¡¯te to social circles for a long time.¡± ¡°Really? What do you mean? Why hasn¡¯t shee to social events?¡± ¡°Pardon? Isn¡¯t it because she is pregnant? I hear her time is near now¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute. Is she pregnant?¡± When I asked, cutting her off quickly, she bowed her head with an embarrassed expression. When I saw her, something suddenly shed through my mind. ¡®Now, I know.¡¯ In fact, Frincia and I have been exchanging letters at least once every 15 days since she got married to Sir Lars. But it was very unusual that I didn¡¯t know that she was pregnant in such a situation. This meant that she omitted writing it down in her letter on purpose. I sighed somehow. ¡®Maybe she did it, taking my situation into ount.¡± As she was kind and considerate, it was obvious that she would be reluctant to tell me about her pregnancy because I was told that I could not be pregnant for the rest of my life. Because of that, she might have missed the chance to talk to me. Although I felt heavy, I smiled brightly at Grace on purpose. I didn¡¯t want Frincia to feel guilty because of me. Why should she try to check my expression when she didn¡¯t do anything wrong to me? Rather she should be blessed by everybody, including me. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s very good news. Good for her! I think I didn¡¯t hear about her much as I was too absent-minded these days.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Did she notice my expression changing? Although I talked to Grace with the brightest tone, she checked my expression anxiously, ¡°When I see Frincia next time, I think I must apologize to her a lot. As a friend of hers, how can I not know she is pregnant? I don¡¯t know how bad she feels towards me. Do you know any good way to appease her?¡± Although I spoke to her calmly, I knew my heart felt somewhat lonely and empty. Why am I acting like this? Even though I lost a baby in the past, I was disappointed at the fact that I lost the connection with him, but I wasn¡¯t sad because I lost a baby. As if she noticed my mixed feelings, she opened her mouth after hesitating for some time. ¡°Well, Mrs. Lars is not the kind of woman who would feel sorry for this kind of thing. So, you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± ¡°Really? Still, I¡¯m afraid I was indifferent to her for too long. Thank you, Lady Whir. Without you, I think I would havemitted a bigger sin against Frincia.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°Oops, you asked me to call your name, right? I forgot. I was too absent-minded. Sorry, Grace.¡± When I spoke gently, Grace shook her hand, with a very bright expression, saying I didn¡¯t have to feel sorry. Given that she looked brighter than a moment ago, she seemed to be nervous that I was calling herst name on purpose to express my displeasure with her. After Grace left after chatting with me about various things, I took the documents I had brought from the pce in the morning when I went there and headed for the government building. When I entered the office, the man with green hair, who was examining the papers with an exhausted look, said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Lady Monique. I have to take care of something urgently. Can you wait for a moment?¡± ¡°Yes, I got it. Duke Verita.¡± I nodded lightly and sat down on the sofa in the middle of the office. After a while, the duke came to me after signing the papers he was reading and stamped the seal on them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting. So, what business has brought you here in person?¡± ¡°I came to see you because there was a question.¡± ¡°Question?¡± Chapter 219 Chapter 219: Chapter 219 It would be better to show him than exin. When I handed over a bunch of papers to Duke Verita, who looked at me curiously, he nced over them silently. While turning over them quickly, he seemed surprised. ¡°Huh, this is something unexpected. Why didn¡¯t I know about this?¡± ¡°Usually, you look into what you did wrong, not right. Anyway, isn¡¯t it a bit strange?¡± ¡°Sure thing. How can the Marquis Mirwa family be so clean without corruption, given that he is the deputy leader of the noble faction after Duk Jena? I smell a rat.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± ¡°Of course, we might think he is a clean man, but I doubt it. Thanks for letting me know. Let me go and investigate it thoroughly.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s only a small oue that I¡¯ve obtained in the process of investigation. ¡± He looked through the papers again sharply and asked, raising his sses, ¡°Okay, then. Is there anything else I can help?¡± ¡°I need some information about the merchant groups controlled by Duke Jenna.¡± ¡°Why? Are you going to make them go bankrupt? ¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to go as far as that, but I am thinking about getting rid of the manure growing roses.¡± Upon hearing my answer, he said with a smile, ¡°As for that, we have already enough data about them. So, let me take care of them here instead of bothering you. Enough?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s enough. By the way, you have to guarantee our merchant group¡¯s certain share of the market in the capital.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. You are really smart in dealing with this, Lady Monique. So, you mean I can take the rest of the market share, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Good. I think everyone will like it. ¡± Duke Verita nodded with a satisfied expression. Looking at him, I also smiled. I thought that something was working out little by little, though slowly, as I expected, so I felt slightly better, though I felt gloomy after meeting Grace. ¡®Okay, now the dock has opened!¡¯ I mumbled to myself, stepping out of the office. I was very excited about the day when I could counterattack the noble faction. A few dayster, when I entered the dining room after morning practice, I saw my father reading something, raising his eyebrows. What is it that makes him so ufortable? When I approached him, tilting my head, he put down the paper he was holding and said, ¡°Oh,e on in.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy. What is that? ¡± ¡°Oh, Marquis Mirwa passed away. The funeral will be held quietly in his territory, but his sessor says he is going to stay here for the title session ceremony. This is the invitation to his title session. ¡± ¡°Pardon? What the heck¡­?¡± ¡°As the creation of the 4th Knights Division is around the corner, he seems to be afraid that the position of its captain will be lost to someone else. It looks like he really wants it.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± I really can¡¯t understand his actions in a situation where his father passed away. He was too cold-hearted. Although I was a little puzzled, I shook off my thoughts about him and checked the letters addressed to me. At the top of the pile of letters, there was an envelope marked urgent reading. When I opened it in a hurry, there was only one line in it. I uttered exmations unconsciously. ¡®Then, was it really true?¡¯ As I couldn¡¯t hide my excitement and joy, I was all smiles. This was a great discovery that could make up for the sluggish progress until now. I ced a hand over my trembling heart and scanned the short sentence again. NEC5-R referred to the red-roofed house on the fifth block of themoners¡¯ district in the northeast. It would be perfect if he could only find the contact time between the two. ¡®I wonder when they meet secretly.¡¯ While I was pondering over some stuff, I nodded when something suddenly shed through my mind. Although I was not sure, I thought it was worth giving it a try. ¡°Daddy?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Can I attend the Mirwa familly¡¯s title session ceremony?¡± ¡°Um? Why? You can send an agent there. ¡± ¡°Well, I need to find out something.¡± ¡°Hmm, okay. Go ahead. But can you make a promise to me?¡± ¡°Promise? What is that? ¡± When I asked, tilting my head, he said with a faint smile, ¡°It is regrettable that I can¡¯t spend time with you as you are too busy. I understand right now you must be very busy preparing for the knight¡¯s test, but I hope you can spend some time with me after you¡¯re done with your business.¡± ¡°Ah¡­Of course. I promise, Daddy.¡± When I answered with a warm smile, he said with a light smile, ¡°And go there with Sir League, just in case.¡± ¡°Pardon? But Sir League is¡­¡± ¡°I wish I could apany you, but I don¡¯t have to enhance the status of the Mirwa family against my will.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Let me go with Sir League, Daddy.¡± I nodded gently at him after thinking about it for a moment. He was definitely right. I needed to be very careful because I was now going to the enemy¡¯s territory. Moreover, if what I anticipated was right, I might have to mobilize forces in the process of negotiation. I smiled broadly, picking up the fork. Now, I was looking forward to the session ceremony in a few days. A few dayster, I went to the Mirwa family¡¯s house with Sir League. The house, which I visited for the first time in my life, was located not far from our house. As I got out of the wagon, a well-decorated mansion caught my eye. It was a little surprising. I was told that the seven marquises, except for our family, didn¡¯t pay attention to what was going on in the capital because they were based in the far-off border areas, but that was not the case with the Mirwa family. The mansion was simr in its size and decorations to those of the noble families that were quite powerful in central politics. Looking at that, I felt it¡¯s not because the Mirwa family settled in the capital for a long time, but because its sessor was a very talented guy. When I entered the mansion, the man with honey-colored hair greeted me at the entrance, looking sad. ¡°Wee, Lady Monique. I was very surprised when I received your letter that you would attend. Thank you for your precious time. ¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. I would like to express condolences for yourte father.¡± ¡°¡­Thanks for yourforting words.¡± I was very puzzled. If he feels so sad, why is he staying here in the capital instead of attending his father¡¯s funeral? Granted this was a crucial period. Who could take the position of the captain of the new knights division from his family, the second most powerful of the noble faction members? Is there unseen friction within them? People around already began to cast suspicious looks at me, but I looked around, ignoring their hostile gaze from everywhere. Among the nobles chatting in small groups of two and three I saw Countess Dias dressed up brightly. Good. My n is half won. As I turned my gaze naturally and looked elsewhere, I saw some young guys from the pro-emperor faction forming a group here and there among the noble faction members. It seemed that they could not ignore the invitation because the Mirwa family was ranked 6th in the empire. When I was thinking about who I should talk to first, I suddenly heard someone calling me sharply from behind my back, ¡°Who is this? You must be Lady Monique, right?¡± As I slowly turned, I saw Jiun staring at me, raising her eyebrows. ¡°Hello, Lady Jena.¡± ¡°Hi, do you think I am okay?¡± I noticed a very threatening smile on her face as if she was going to hit me in a fit of anger. Although her angry look was annoying, I just smiled quietly because I knew why she was so upset about me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir League, but would you mind excusing us? I have something to talk with Lady Jena about.¡± ¡°¡­ Sure, mydy.¡± Sir League, who replied reluctantly, moved back a few steps. After confirming that he was at a distance where he could not overhear their conversation, Jiun said, frowning very hard, ¡°What the heck did you do to me these days?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean, Lady Jena.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act dumb with me! It¡¯s you who disturbed it even after knowing I was buying muslin, and it was also you who reported to the government about the merchant groups controlled by my family.¡± Chapter 220 Chapter 220: Chapter 220 ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Were you buying muslin? Reported to the government? Were the merchant groups controlled by Duke Jena involved in corruption?¡± ¡°You told me not to act dumb with me!¡± She was burning with anger. While staring at her, who was extremely upset with me, I just giggled pitifully. Then I said, pulling my mouth up slightly, so people around could not notice it, ¡°When you ran around wildly like that, you should be ready for the consequences.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You were the one who disturbed me who wanted to live quietly. And you¡¯re the only one who knows what my life was like in my previous life. Why are you surprised?¡± ¡°You are really¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you must be mistaken a lot. It¡¯s me who should be angry at you! It¡¯s me, not you, who was deprived of everything, and it¡¯s me who was poisoned! ¡± ¡°Shut up! What are you talking about? ¡± Although she was huffing and puffing in anger, I responded sarcastically because I didn¡¯t care about how she reacted, ¡°I hear you are doing relief work for the poor these days in cooperation with the temple.¡± ¡°So what? A privileged noble like you doesn¡¯t know there are poor people in the capital, the best ce to live in the empire. Are you going to me me who is giving a meal for free to those who have trouble making ends meet day after day? Do you know what you did to me? You tried to cut off the funds for the relief work to satisfy your own greed!¡± ¡°Personal greed? What nonsense are you talking about when you don¡¯t manage your own affairs?¡± ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± I said, clicking my tongue toward Jiun who looked at me as if she couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°How can you dare get angry with me when you started a big project that you couldn¡¯t even manage? You were fattening the wallet of the temple even if you never lost any money.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Do I need to spoon-feed you when I have already given you a fork to eat? I don¡¯t want to be generous enough to you. If you are curious, just find it out by yourself.¡± I retorted coldly to her, who seemed very confused. A recent report from Baron Carot gave details of Jiun¡¯s relief work. Although she asked the temple for some help by donating a huge amount of money, the temple not only embezzled the money, but began to sell the food for money instead of providing food for free, and as a result, her efforts benefited not the poor but themoners who tried to enjoy the cheaper meals. I was dumbfounded by her sloppy job. She initiated the relief work, but the end result was messed up, which she couldn¡¯t solve at all. To be honest, I thought about her a bit differently because of that. I thought she was just in stupid, so I was surprised to know that she thought about relief work. But what she did to me and her relief work were different. I didn¡¯t have any intention to be kind enough to exin to her the situation and how to solve it. At that moment, I saw a protocol officer who visited on behalf of the emperor walking up to the tform. Under the imperialw all the noble titles were given by the emperor. It was customary for the emperor to give back the title to the recipient who inherited it, and the son of the Mirwa family was no exception. The protocol officer opened a piece of paper and read a simple congrattory sentence to the son of the Mirwa family who bowed on one knee, then picked up a brooch. Although I could not see clearly, the brooch was probably engraved with the crest of his family. The title session ceremony ended when the protocol officer pinned it on his cor. When I looked at the guestsing to him to congratte, who was now reborn as a marquis, I saw a blonde woman in a bright dress exiting the banquet hall. As I was so bored during the ceremony, I felt my body was refreshed the moment I saw her leaving. I hurriedly put down the cup I was holding and approached Sir League. ¡°Sir League, let¡¯s leave now. I think I stayed long enough.¡± ¡°Really? Aren¡¯t you here for some purpose?¡± ¡°Well, yes. Half my goal was achieved. So, let me take care of the rest.¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean? ¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exin the details as I go. So, let¡¯s get out of here first. ¡± As if he noticed I was in a hurry, Sir League no longer asked and followed me silently. When I said goodbye to Marquis Mirwa, he nodded with a very regrettable expression. But he didn¡¯t hold me persistently like before because he had other people around him. When I climbed into the wagon with Sir League and arrived at the neighborhood of my house, I told the horseman where to head. Sir League, who remained silent until the wagon changed its direction, asked carefully after getting out in themoners district in the northeastern capital. ¡°Mydy, what are you going to do here in themoners district?¡± ¡°Well, actually, I have been shadowing Countess Dias. I¡¯ve heard an interesting rumor about her recently. ¡± I had to tip him off on the story, just in case. Looking cautiously around, I began to exin quietly. ¡°This is a rumor circting among the lower nobles. It is rumored that the sessor of the Dias family was born through her extramarital affair. It looks like such a rumor is getting around because her son doesn¡¯t look like the earl. Besides, the earl was old.¡± ¡°Hmm. So what? ¡± ¡°You know, Earl Dias and his wife are known as a very happy couple. So, I dug into them a bit, and found out something suspicious about her. The ce I¡¯m now going to is her secret meeting ce, but I don¡¯t know if I can spot her there.¡± ¡°I see. By the way, why do you care? I don¡¯t think you are doing it just because you are curious¡­¡± ¡°Shush! Wait a minute.¡± As I saw the red roof of a house at a distance, I put my index finger on my lips and monitored the surroundings of the house. I couldn¡¯t see clearly due to the streets, but it was certain that there was somebody there, given the light leaking out of the window. ording to Baron Carot, it was usually an empty house. Was half of my goal achieved already? I quickly exined with a satisfied smile, ¡°You asked me why I was shadowing her. It¡¯s because her son¡¯s father was presumed to be the ck rose bud. ¡± ¡°¡­ Really? Are you sure?¡± He asked back urgently, with his eyes wide open. After giving him precautions, I continued, ¡°We might have to use force. So, please pay attention. Got it?¡± Sir League nodded heavily. After exchanging eye signals with him for a moment, I headed for the red roof house with him. As if Countess Dias wanted to keep her secret to as few as possible, there were only a few keeping the house. I and Sir League knocked out a couple of them who seemed to be a servant and a maid, then headed for the ce where the lights came out. Touching his ear to the door quietly, he whispered, ¡°Mydy, please stay here. Let me go in first.¡± ¡°Pardon? But¡­¡± ¡°¡­ It is not a scene you want to see. So, pleasee in after a while. ¡± ¡°Ah yes.¡± I blushed and stepped back, covering my face with hands. Smiling at me gently, he moved one step closer to the door. Bang! ¡°Oh my God!¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± I heard the sound of the door crashing, followed by a woman¡¯s screaming and an astonished man¡¯s voice. ¡°You bastard! How dare youe into this ce¡­!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Why don¡¯t put on your clothes first? It¡¯s disgusting to see you naked like this.¡± When Sir League retorted sarcastically, the man shouted with an angry voice, ¡°Do you think you can survive after storming this ce? Get lost right away!¡± ¡°Tut, tut. You are the sessor of the duke family. You¡¯re so slow in assessing the situation. You can¡¯t afford to punish me now. Anyway, put on your clothes first. Someone is outside to see you.¡± ¡°Dang it¡­¡¯ I heard him making a suppressed moan and putting on his clothes slowly. After I waited until the rustling sound stopped, I slowly entered the room. I saw a man and a woman, roughly dressed up, staring at Sir League. The man, who finally noticed me under the light, opened his eyes wide in surprise. ¡°You must be¡­!¡± Chapter 221 Chapter 221: Chapter 221 ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Duke Jena Jr.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!¡± ¡°Then, what should I call someone who doesn¡¯t even have a title?¡± When I pulled my mouth up sharply, he stared at me with an angry expression. But he didn¡¯t try to attack me, sensing that he was in an unfavorable situation. After gnashing his teeth for some time, he said in a subdued voice, ¡°¡­What do you want? ¡± ¡°Hmm, I like that you got my point quickly. You don¡¯t want to make it known to the outside that the sessor of the Dias family is actually an illegitimate child of the Jena family, do you?¡± ¡°I beg your pardon? Illegitimate child?¡± When the countess, who was preupied with covering her face, shouted sharply, the man looked back at her and said, ¡°Let her leave. It¡¯s me you are targeting now, right?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care, but would you feelfortable if I let her go? What if she alone gets away with it, with the me on you?¡± ¡°She is not such a woman. Do not judge her by your standards. ¡± ¡°Well, good. You can leave, Countess Dias. Don¡¯t tell anybody what you saw here. I think you already know the reason why.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± The woman, who just stared at me silently, passed by Sir League coldly out of the room. After the rustling sound of the hem of her dresspletely disappeared, Duke Jena Jr. said in an icy tone, with his arms folded, ¡°So, tell me what you want.¡± ¡°I need your cooperation.¡± ¡°Cooperation?¡± I smiled at him who was teasing me as if he thought I was ridiculous. ¡°It would not be too bad for you, either. So, just listen first.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Why do you think you are called Duke Jena Jr.? Isn¡¯t it because you haven¡¯t inherited the title yet? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unfair? Even the son of the Mirwa family is now called Marquis Mirwa, as you know.¡± I thought what I just said could provoke him, given his recent breakfast meeting with the emperor. Didn¡¯t he fly off the handle at his father¡¯s slightest provocation? Not surprisingly, the man said nothing special while knitting his brows. ¡°If you help me, I will help you to take the title.¡± ¡°¡­ How?¡± ¡°To be honest with you, I know it is none other than Duke Jena who told his subordinate to poison me, and I have the hard evidence. You know what would happen if I disclosed it, right? Not only the noble faction but also the emperor won¡¯t overlook it. In that case, your family will be dealt a heavy blow, no matter how strong your family is in the empire.¡± I said that to sound him out, but as the sessor of the Jena family he was not so easily taken in. I said to the man who kept silent, smacking his lips furtively, ¡°If you join hands with me, I can pass over this poisoning incident, on condition that your father step down, admitting his responsibility. Then, you will inherit his title naturally.¡± ¡°Well, my father was not responsible for that incident. Even if he was involved, he will not crumble because of that. Like you said, he would step down in the worst case. If that¡¯s the case, why should I help you? Even if I sit idle, I¡¯m supposed to inherit the title anyway.¡± I said, with my mouth turned up slightly, ¡°Did you say you would inherit his title naturally? Do you think that¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about? Who else could he bequeath the title to?¡± When I saw his reaction as if he was very displeased, I broke intoughter. Given his sensitive reaction, he was highly likely to be persuaded this time. ¡°These days Lady Jena¡¯s actions are very unusual. Even though she was adopted as your father¡¯s foster daughter only a few months ago, she already won over the hearts of the ranking members of the noble faction and she is revered as a sacred woman at the temple.¡± ¡°¡­ What are you talking about? Do you mean that vulgar woman could take my title?¡± ¡°Oh, of course it would be impossible under the normal circumstances. Isn¡¯t it too absurd to think your father would give his title to a woman without any family background?¡± ¡°Then, why are you bringing up the story?¡± ¡°What if this incident is disclosed to the outside today? Do you think the vassals of your family will support you as the sessor of your family at the risk of turning against the Dias family?¡± ¡°¡­ Are you threatening me now?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m telling you what kind of situation you are in now. In that situation, I would support a talented rtive of your family as the sessor. If I could have him marry Lady Jena, called a sacred woman, that would be a much better option. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± The man who had been staring at me for a long time, said with a dumbfounded expression, ¡°¡­ Good. Tell me what you want. What do you want from me? ¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just give me that thing.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You know already. I mean that thing.¡± I smiled sweetly, looking at his astonished eyes. I felt so good for the first time in my life. ¡®I will certainly get even with those who gave me pain. And this is just the beginning.¡¯ A week before the official knight selection test, the butler came to me and handed mail to my father and me in the morning, as usual. I picked up a light green envelope from the pile of letters. The name written under the crest of the two crossed keys was Duke Veritas. When I opened the letter, his antique handwriting style caught my eye. Finally, I¡¯ve got it! I uttered exmations with joy unconsciously. Has the timee finally for me to draw the sword of revenge? Looking at me not hiding my excitement and joy, my father asked, ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± ¡°Oh, it was sent by Duke Verita, but I think you had better read it. Here you go.¡± ¡°Let me see.¡± ncing over it, he was also all smiles. ¡°You do think the time has finallye, right?¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°Good. Based on the data you collected until now, I think you can remove more than one third of the noble faction. Great job, Tia.¡± ¡°Well, it would have been impossible without the active support of the pro-emperor faction including the two dukes.¡± ¡°I guess so. It would have been impossible if you had not decided to join hands with our faction. Anyway you can¡¯t live alone without the help of our faction. I know it was not an easy decision, but you did great,¡± he said with a smile, putting down the letter. Given his vibrant fingering, he had been waiting for this moment, too. ¡°One weekter¡­ It seems everybody is trying their best to keep it confidential. ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°As you know, the knights selection test takes ce one week from now. So, they are going to carry out the mission at the moment when everybody is focused on the test.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right, Daddy. I really wanted to attend the meeting by all means this time¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, at least two captains of the knights have to supervise the exams on that day. If possible, let me try to attend the meeting, but even if I can¡¯t, don¡¯t worry too much. Duke Verita will take care of it well.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± I felt regrettable about it, but I had to follow it because they made that decision for confidentiality. As the agenda was to drastically reduce the noble faction¡¯s power, it was essential to keep it secret. If the information was leaked out, it would certainly bring about their counterattack in one way or another, so I had to be as careful as possible. ¡°You just focus on the test. I think as you arepetent, you can pass it easily.¡± ¡°Thank you, Daddy. I would like to reassure you that I will pass it.¡± ¡°Good. By the way, as I¡¯m free today, won¡¯t you check your fencing skills with me?¡± ¡°Really? Then I¡¯ll get ready right away. ¡± I stood up with a big smile. In order to improve my skills as much as possible during the short period of time, I had to make the most of every avable moment. Chapter 222 Chapter 222: Chapter 222 A weekter, I headed to the Imperial Pce nervously. The training center was full of apprentice knights who had been waiting for today. When I was trying to calm down my anxiety, I saw Earl Burt, Deputy Commander of the 2nd Knights Division, climbing onto the tform. ¡°Everybody, attention! From now on, I will start the official knight selection test. ¡± My heart was beating hard. I could hardly calm my thrill at the thought that the time hade for my dream toe true. Since I was so nervous, I held my trembling hands and listened to his exnation. All the applicants were divided into four groups, and after each group took the test, they were supposed to move to the next location. I was assigned to the 2nd group, whose first test was spear skills on horseback. ¡®Hope you can take care of the meeting well, Duke Verita.¡¯ Whispering towards the Central Pce at a distance, I moved to the training center of the 3rd Knights Division to take the test. I did my best to demonstrate the best of my spear skills, clenching my teeth. After I was done with the test smoothly, I also took the test on military tactics and strategy as well as administrative skills and scored almost. Somehow, I felt good about my tests. I felt if I could do well in fencing, I could pass the test without any problem. Before taking the final test, I grabbed a bite with Sir Spia in the same group during the short break. I tried to refrain myself from turning my eyes toward the Central Pce and moved to the training field of the 1st Knights Division. The training field of the 1st Knights Division was not much different from thest time I had been there when I worked as its captain¡¯s aide. Was it because of that? It seemed that I heard Carsein scolding me while training. At that time I spent lots of time with him, but since I was transferred to the 2nd Knights, I was sorry I couldn¡¯t see him often. In particr, I could hardly see him after I was poisoned. ¡°Next, it¡¯s your turn, Sir Meyer, Sir Monique. ¡± When I was standing somewhat in a depressed mood, I heard somebody calling me. I stood up, holding the sword I put down for a moment. When I saw the crude sheath, suddenly old memories came to my mind. The sword I was holding now was given to me by my father when I became an apprentice knight, asking me to be a fine knight. Although the sword didn¡¯t fit me as well as before because I was taller with stronger arms than before, I brought it for this test. Standing face to face with Sir Meyer, I furtively nced at the silver tassel my father had attached to the sword. When I recalled his faint smile, my anxiety disappeared. ¡°Okay, start sparring!¡± Clink! The sound of the swords clinking against each other rang out. I felt a sharp pain in my sword hand, but I gripped it tightly, gnashing my teeth. Even though this was not a match of life and death, I had to score enough points to pass the test. I couldn¡¯t show any impression that I backed down easily. ¡®Hey, stay calm, Aristia. Just do it as you¡¯ve been practicing. The freedom you¡¯ve been dreaming of since you returned is within your reach right now.¡¯ The more I struck out, the more the palm of my hand hurt, but I put up with it, biting my lip hard. Although I was overpowered by Sir Meyer, I held my own in the match because he was not aspetent in fencing as Carsein or my father. The moment I clinked my sword against his again, I noticed his weakness. When I rushed to attack his side, which was open to my attack, he swung his sword sideways, stunned. When I lifted my right arm to block his sword, I saw something sparkling flying at me with a squeaking noise. Moaning, I wrapped my right arm. Blood was flowing between my fingers. ¡°Stop it!¡± ¡°Sir Monique, are you okay?¡± ¡°Take her to the infirmary!¡± Somebody shouted urgently, and the 2nd Knights Division came running. I slowly took my eyes from them and looked down at my right hand. The sword I received from my father was cut in half. ¡®Why did it break?¡¯ Some ominous foreboding came to my mind. I shuddered when I saw the silver tassel stained with blood. The moment I lowered my head, looking down at the red blood dripping down, I saw a servant nervously standing among the knights who were making a big fuss over my treatment. Moistening my mouth, I asked in a calm voice, ¡°Hey, do you have anything to say to me?¡± ¡°Yes, but you need treatment first¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Is it for me?¡± ¡°Pardon? Ah yes. It was sent by the prime minister.¡± The servant hesitantly handed the note to me. I opened the note with my left hand and read it quickly, controlling my anxiety. As soon as I read thest sentence, my heart sank. The crumpled note fell to the floor. Those knights around me murmured something with a worried look, I couldn¡¯t hear anything. My head was messed up. How can this happen? Everybody was so careful and prudent. Why and how was it leaked? When I was about to head to the Central Pce in a hurry, someone held my shoulders tight. As I turned my head annoyingly, I saw Carsein with his face hardened. He said with a subdued voice, ¡°Where are you going, now?¡± ¡°Let me go. I have to go to the Central Pce. ¡± ¡°Have your hand treated first.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time for that. I need to check what happened right now. ¡± ¡°But you have to get the treatment first.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have time now.¡± I tried to twist my body out of his grip, but he said coldly, holding me more tightly, ¡°You know what. I could have carried you on my back to the infirmary, but I didn¡¯t. So, go and get treatment first.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°If you leave here like this, they¡¯re going to find fault with you, and you know that. So, stop being so bullheaded.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± He pulled a white handkerchief out of his pocket and carefully wrapped the wound with it. Looking at the handkerchief being stained with blood, I nodded with a sigh. ¡°Okay. I will.¡± ¡°Good job. Let¡¯s go. As I gave you first aid, it won¡¯t take long for them to treat you. ¡± ¡°Thanks. By the way, what about your stained handkerchief? ¡°If you really feel sorry, give me another one.¡± I walked with him who said what it mattered now was not the handkerchief. The cut was deeper than I thought, because the handkerchief around my wounded hand was stained red all over while I was walking to the infirmary. After my hand was treated under his monitoring, I headed to the Central Pce, crinkling up my eyes because of the burning sensation under the bandage. ¡°What is going on, Tia?¡± ¡°Well, Duke Verita sent me a message. It¡¯s about the meeting held today. ¡± ¡°So, what happened?¡± ¡°On the surface, they convened a meeting to discuss the reorganization of the knights divisions, but in fact they had a separate agenda today. However, before the meeting started, the noble faction brought up a different agenda, and that was¡­¡± ¡°That was¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an agenda to decide the empress, which had been dyed. It was unanimously proposed by all the noble faction members.¡± I and Carsein entered the inner pce quickly amid the attention of people walking out in small groups of two and three. When I entered the Central Pce and walked for a long time, I saw four people standing across the long corridor. When I walked up to him hurriedly, my father said with a deep sigh, ¡°Oh, you are here, Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy. As soon as I received the news, I came running here. What happened?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move to another ce because there are many around us here.¡± Duke Lars said, nodding to him, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. But Sein, what are you doing here? ¡± ¡°Uh, well, she was hurt a bit. I followed her to the infirmary and ended up being here as she came here.¡± At that moment, my father¡¯s straight silver eyebrows trembled. He looked at me sharply and said, ¡°You were hurt?¡± Chapter 223 Chapter 223: Chapter 223 ¡°Well, I was hurt a bit while testing for fencing skills¡­¡± When I hesitated, Carsein stepped forward and said, ¡°As the de of her sword was broken during the match and her right arm was cut. Though she bled a lot, they stopped the bleeding at the infirmary. She is fine now.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh I see. Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Sir Carsein. ¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, sir. I just did what I was supposed to do. Then, let me leave as I have some other things to do.¡± He turned after bowing to my father politely. I told my father not to worry too much and walked into an empty room with him. When everyone walked in, Duke Verita, who sat down in a soft chair, said in a weary voice, ¡°Whew! I ¡®m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault. ¡± ¡°What the heck¡­¡± ¡°I think it was leaked out given the way things worked out like this. We all did our best to keep it secret, but I don¡¯t know what the problem was. We¡¯re in a difficult situation,¡± said Marquis Enesil, who took off his sses and stared at the duke, who was pressing his temple. ¡°It is true that we are in a difficult position, but how can we me you? Don¡¯t worry too much. Shouldn¡¯t we solve the immediate task immediately? ¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, but¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean by the immediate task?¡± When I asked, tilting my head, Marquis Enesil said with a perplexed smile, ¡°Well.. .let me tell you about the matter in detail. At the meeting today, I tried to deal with various issues, including that of Earl Lanier, after discussing the reorganization of the knights division briefly. But the noble faction first brought up the empress issue, as I wrote it down in my note to Lady Monique. They cited the end of the grace period given by thete emperor as the reason. As you know, solving the empress issue was dyed until Lady Monique came of age.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°Like Duke Verita said, it seems that our n was leaked out to them. If their corruption scandal broke out, it would deal a heavy blow to their position. I felt they were trying their best to shut our mouths by all means. That¡¯s why they offered such a big bait. It seems there is a big confusion within their faction. Even those supporting the Whir family are wavering in their position now.¡± The blonde young man who lightly moistened his lips continued, ¡°The agenda was dyed because the emperor asked to discuss it again after he was done with reorganizing the knights divisions. Anyway, we gained more time until then. In some respects they might have intended it from the beginning. By the way, let me ask you once again as things worked out like this. Do you have any intention to be the empress?¡± ¡°¡­No. Why are you asking me that? Was it because I said that recently?¡± ¡°Oh, it seems you have not heard the details yet. It seems you have some misunderstanding. ¡± ¡°Pardon? Misunderstanding? ¡± When I asked, tilting my head, my father said, gently holding my hands on behalf of Marquis Enesil who was hesitating with an embarrassed expression. ¡°Listen to me, Tia. They didn¡¯t support you as the empress¡¯s concubine.¡± ¡°Pardon? Then ¡­ ¡± ¡°Tia, actually the noble faction unanimously¡­ ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Tia, all of them asked the emperor to ept you as the empress.¡± I felt goosebumps at that. I wondered, but why would they support me as the empress, not his concubine. Was I taken in by them? I broke into a hollow smile. I thought I could knock them downpletely because I discovered their biggest weakness such as tax evasions, but they outwitted me. I didn¡¯t know who in the noble faction first came up with that idea. If they had not been our rival faction, I would certainly have praised his perfect counterattack like this. ¡°Supporting me as the empress¡­ Well, in that case, I assume there is an internal division going on inside our faction.¡± Duke Verita nodded with a bitter smile and said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Those supporting the Whir family are opposed to it, but others like it. As most of them don¡¯t know the exact situation, it¡¯s understandable they like it. For confidentiality reasons, I didn¡¯t tell anyone except for key figures of our faction.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Who could be so hostile to the Monique family? Who is the man who persistently tries to disconnect the family lineage of my mother, me and my father? The purpose of the noble faction was too obvious. Perhaps they wanted to have several results at the same time. They might have calcted to split the pro-emperor faction into the supporters of the Whir family and those supporting the Monique family. They might have also let me, who they called an infertile woman, take the position of the empress while promoting Jiun as the emperor¡¯s concubine, so she could give birth to the emperor¡¯s baby. Besides, they must be trying to take back my father¡¯s title. As for other noble families, they could adopt a son to seed their family, but my family was different. ording to the established rules of the Monique family, only those who can swear on the covenant with the imperial family, namely, an oath of blood, can seed the family. Under the first covenant 1,000 years ago, the sign showing the qualifications of the sessor was his silvery hair. That¡¯s why all the heads of the Monique family had silver hair. Currently, the only people who have silver hair in the empire are my father and I. Since my father dedicated his love to my mother only, there was no chance that he would remarry. Unless I give birth to a baby, it¡¯s certain that the lineage of my family will end. If I became the empress instead of the sessor of my family, it was clear that my father¡¯s title would be taken back upon his death. ¡°So, everyone supported the noble faction¡¯s proposal?¡± ¡°¡­ Unfortunately, yes. Lady Monique, except for the two dukes, your father and several nobles supporting the Whir family, all others supported it.¡± I could not help but break intoughter. I guessed so. Anyway, nobody would care even if the Monique family would disappear, so it would be the best option for our faction to secure the position of the empress by supporting me and try to keep Jiun at bay. Was it because I was shocked by the sudden news or was it because I bled a lot? When I touched my forehead because of dizziness, my father, who was patting my left hand, raised me and said, ¡°Let¡¯s stop here. As we still have time, let¡¯s talk about itter.¡± ¡°Oh, you said that she was hurt. Sorry, Kairan. Let¡¯s discuss the matter againter.¡± ¡°Well, let me leave first. Let¡¯s go, Tia. ¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy. See you all next time. ¡± I politely said goodbye to them and headed home with my father. As soon as he arrived home, my father, who looked at me with a worried expression, called a doctor. The doctor, who rushed to my house, reassured my father that although the cut was deep, I would have no problem using my right arm. Nevertheless, my father gave me a stern warning that I should not even think about wielding a sword for the time being. I went up to my room, feeling woozy. I approached Luna to y with her for a long time, but the silver cat ran away after smelling the medicine on me. After trying to find her for a long time, I eventually gave up ying with Luna andy down on the bed. All kinds of thoughts passed through my mind. The noble faction supported me as the empress? Does Jiun know about this? Did she also agree with them or was she unaware of it? I broke into a bitter smile. What a nasty fate? In the past, I became the emperor¡¯s concubine at the pressure of the pro-emperor faction, but this time Jiun has to go through the same fate as mine? My fate was revolving along this thread over and over again. When can I cut this tangled knot? I closed my eyes, feeling bitter. I fell asleep in no time as the medicine worked. When I was drinking tea leisurely in my house office, I heard a knock on the door. In no time the butler came in. As usual, he had an expressionless face, but he looked greatly annoyed. So, I asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, butler? What¡¯s going on? ¡± Chapter 224 Chapter 224: Chapter 224 ¡°A visitor is here to see you, mydy.¡± ¡°Guest? Who?¡± ¡°She is Lady Jena.¡± I frowned to hear that. Why is Jiun here? Is it because of what happened at the meeting yesterday? Granted that, why did shee here without any notice? After she returned, I initially felt she was more cultured than before, but she was not. Given her behavior at the recent title session ceremony at the Mirwa family¡¯s house and her abrupt visit today, she was rude. As I was about to stand up in a bit of an annoying mood, I sat down again, smiling at him. ¡°Well, butler, it would be polite for me toe straight down there as I have the guest here, but I¡¯m so busy right now. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t see her right now.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. You seem to be very busy in my eyes. You¡¯ve got too much work on your te.¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± When I replied with a big smile, a smile came on the blunt butler¡¯s face. He and Iughed happily, looking at my clean desk without any paperwork to handle at the moment. He was quick-witted enough to grasp my intention. ¡°Tell a maid to convey her a message that I¡¯ll being down soon. In the meantime, butler, why don¡¯t you y chess with me? Strangely enough, I would like to y chess, starting yesterday. ¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good idea, mydy.¡± Isn¡¯t it polite to respond to someone¡¯s rudeness with the same rudeness? I stood up from my seat only after winning three times in a row. I giggled in spite of myself. By now, she must be very much annoyed. Afterying down the queen next to the white king standing alone, I touched the crown-shaped tiara on the queen¡¯s head and headed to the parlor. ¡°I see you often these days, Lady Jena. Didn¡¯t I see you only ten days ago? ¡± ¡°¡­ You must have been very busy, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Yes. As you know, I have a lot of work to do all the time.¡± After instructing the knights nervously pacing up and down the parlor to stay away, I looked at her again after confirming that the parlor door was closed. Jiun stopped smiling at me out of courtesy and said, raising her eyebrows, ¡°You kept me waiting on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m so free and leisurely? It¡¯s a bad habit to apply your own standard to others arbitrarily. ¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°You had better be more careful. You seem to be mistaken. You¡¯re now in my house. I knew you were very clumsy in showing due manners, but your words and deeds these days really make me feel displeased.¡± ¡°I am not here to argue with you over trifling things. And I don¡¯t want to talk with you for a long time. Let me get to the point. What did you do to me?¡± ¡°What did I do to you? Dang it, you really don¡¯t understand what I said to you. I¡¯m very annoyed by the way you speak to me. Got it?¡± Given that she, who was so hostile to me, came to visit me in person, it was evident that she came here on urgent business. I wondered why she came, but the more I dragged my feet, the more impatient she would be. So, it would be definitely better for me to stall time as much as possible. Looking at me smiling at her in a leisurely manner, she clenched her teeth and said, ¡°Don¡¯t beat around the bush. I¡¯m talking about what happened at the meeting yesterday. ¡± ¡°I hear they dealt with a lot of agendas at the meeting yesterday. Which agenda are you talking about?¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? I¡¯m talking about the agenda of the empress! You wouldn¡¯t say you didn¡¯t hear it, right?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard about that. So what?¡± ¡°What did you do to make our faction members support you as the empress, not me?¡± ¡°I have no idea. That¡¯s what I want to ask. ¡± I see. Obviously, the noble faction raised the empress issue without Jiun¡¯s agreement in advance. In fact, there was no possibility for her to give up the position of the empress because she said she came back to beat me. The Jena family who valued the family pedigree more than anything else or their sessor would not have epted her from the bottom of their hearts, and they would not have told her that the pro-emperor faction was trying to make the best use of her weakness. ¡°Why are you asking me about the matter of your faction? Are you not trusted enough to grasp what¡¯s going on in your faction?¡±¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it the same to you? Every time you¡¯re being yed into the hands of your faction for their interests or the interests of your family, right?¡± ¡°Hey, stop it if you want to distract me with that kind of cheap trick. At the very least, I¡¯ve got a full grasp of what¡¯s going on in our faction. Don¡¯t treat me like you.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I never thought you¡¯d talk about it anyway, but let me get this straight.¡± ¡°Go ahead!¡± ¡°Who do you think you are? You said you¡¯d withdraw your name from the candidate for the empress, right? Why did you retract your promise? Why didn¡¯t you refuse it out of hand? Are you still attached to that position?¡± I let out a deep sigh. How good would it be if everything was as simple as she said? Staring at me fiercely when I kept silent, Jiun said, as if she was dumbfounded, ¡°Are you crazy? Are you still attached to that position when you suffered so much? Did you forget what he had done to you in the past just because he looked a bit different these days?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°He forcibly had sex with you, killed your father, ruined your family, and aborted your baby. He is the man who killed you. Nheless, do you still like him? Are you out of your mind?¡± ¡°¡­ Well, don¡¯t you know you were also partly responsible for that? Why are you talking to me like that at this point?¡± ¡°Sure, let me admit I¡¯m also responsible, but at least I know his true personality.¡± Confessing bitterly, she leaned her back on the sofa with her arms crossed. Crossing her legs, she opened her mouth, while pretending to stay calm, ¡°Whenever I see you, I feel you are as stupid as you were in the past. You may feel that you have changed, but to me, you haven¡¯t changed at all,pared to the old you. Well, how can I express it? Oh, you don¡¯t have any discerning eye for a man. To be honest with you, you like to see only what you want to when ites to your lover.¡± ¡°So, what do you want to say to me?¡± ¡°Are you curious about the true colors of that man that you love so much? Don¡¯t you want to know what happened after you died? ¡± she asked, sweeping up her ck hair. Red lips curled into a smile on her face. Trying to calm down my nausea, I asked casually, ¡°His true colors?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember you told me this the other day? You asked me if I was not still satisfied when I took away your love, honor, position and everything else, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I clearly told you so. So what?¡± It was obvious, but what was she talking about? ¡°Love? Are you kidding? Do you think the love he is whispering to your ears willst forever? Itsted only four years for me. He¡¯s made such a big fuss about it for that short period of time.¡± As if she was very upset at the mere thought of his love in the past, she swept up her hair hysterically and said, ¡°He turned his back to me after four years when he said he loved me so much. Although I tried my best to love him, he alwayspared me with you. Ha, isn¡¯t it funny? Although he hated you so much, did all kinds of bad things to you and even killed you with his own hands, he missed you so much. ¡± ¡°¡­ What the heck are you talking about? ¡± ¡°You know how much he hated you back then, right? He looked very happy for some time after you died because not only you, a pain in the neck, and the two dukes who bothered him too much disappeared, but he seemed to miss you after killing you. He began to miss you at some point.¡± She began to raise her voice higher and higher. Chapter 225 Chapter 225: Chapter 225 ¡°Don¡¯t you still realize it? In the end you and I were used by him. You served him while you were alive, and I was a tool to hurt you which I hated so much. Besides, what he realized btedly was not that he loved you, but that he wanted apetent woman like you and the support of your family.¡± ¡°Hmm. So what? ¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t get it? In other words, he said he loved me so much, then he changed his mind after four years. He was a very selfish man, who became almost crazy after pursuing the traces of a woman who was gone.¡± I sighed. ¡®Was he really that type of person?¡¯ Even if I didn¡¯t hear more, I seemed to know how he and Jiun in the past had ended. He couldn¡¯t give or receive love properly, while Jiun received love and couldn¡¯t give it back. The two were so selfish. I smiled bitterly when she spat out abusive words about the old him when she didn¡¯t even realize how she was back then. I felt so much better, but at the same time I felt bitter when she said that he pursued the traces of my love, so much so that he became almost crazy. Did he want me so much when I was gone when he didn¡¯t care a bit about me when I wanted his love so much? I was surprised. When she asked me if I was curious, I was agitated and nervous, but after hearing from her about his past, I felt calm, to my surprise. I wasn¡¯t angry, vexed or resentful. I wasn¡¯t happy or sad when I realized that he, who I loved so much, wanted me btedly. I only felt bitter about it. ¡°¡­ knew that he was a selfish person. I know he wasn¡¯t good, but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°You are as selfish as him, aren¡¯t you? You were no different from him, and even now you¡¯re the same.¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about?¡± ¡°I understand that he was such a mean person in the past. But now he is different. Don¡¯t you get it? The ce you live in now is not the ce in the past anymore.¡± ¡°No, it ¡®s the same. And he is the same person. ¡± I had mixed feelings. If I hadn¡¯t run to my father, blindfolded by passion, after I came back, if I had acted carefully like I did before, if I had pursued something without appreciating the preciousness of people around me like I did in the past, I would certainly have been like Jiun as she was now. ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s the same? Do you think the present you have experienced for the past one year after returning is really the same as the past? Maybe you don¡¯t want to admit it, but you know that they are different. ¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s the same to me! Same! ¡± ¡°Good. Let¡¯s assume you are living in the same ce as before. If so, won¡¯t you be unhappy again in the end even if you became the empress? Why are you so obsessed? What would you do if your current life ends unfortunately like it did in the past? Will youe back again? ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You now look like a whining child who wants to be rewarded by somebody. But remember that you are barking up the wrong tree.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± As if she was at a loss for a moment, she said, gnashing her teeth, ¡°You¡¯re just rationalizing by saying that it¡¯s different because you just want to love him again.¡± ¡°Rationalizing?¡± ¡°Yes. He raped you, aborted your baby, killed your father and your family dependents, ruined your family, and finally killed you. Isn¡¯t it normal for you to hate him so much and get even with him? Are you crazy?¡± She was right. I, too, thought about what he had done to me in the past. At first, I didn¡¯t want to lose my father¡¯s love that I realized only after returning, so I couldn¡¯t even dream of getting even with him. When I realized that he was different from the old him, I tried to clear my mind as much as possible. I was so upset about him, who couldn¡¯t remember anything, but I decided not to repeat the pain of the past, caught up in that memory. When Jiun asked like that as if she couldn¡¯t understand me at all, I replied after some angst, ¡°¡­ At the time, I didn¡¯t value anybody including my father and family dependents. Even my father was not important to me at that time. The crown prince was the only person that was precious to me.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Even when he raped me, I wasn¡¯t scared. I felt sad at the fact that he had sex with me though he never loved me. I wanted him to be more friendly, but I felt heartbroken when he turned heartless after he was done. Even when I realized that I lost a baby, or when I realized that I could not be pregnant again, I just felt sad at the fact that I could never get his attention again, but I never hated him before I realized my father¡¯s love, who I thought was never precious to me.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ You are really crazy. ¡± ¡°Maybe. But now it¡¯s all different. I¡¯m different, and he is different, too.¡± I took a deep breath. Then, I continued to speak slowly to her, who looked at me as if I was absurd. ¡°After returning, I realized for the first time how precious my father, family dependents and so many people around me were.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t chop logic! If that¡¯s the case, isn¡¯t it more logical not to love him again? You should have avenged him for your precious people, right?¡± ¡°Why should I do that? Why should we take revenge on him for my father and friends because of uncertain things that haven¡¯t happened yet and for the people in the past that didn¡¯t matter to me? Moreover, he knows nothing about the past. Based on your logic, do I have to punish him for something he hasn¡¯t done to me at all for the reason that he might do so?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? The two are the same person!¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re wrong. Just as I am not the old me, the people around me are different from the past. So is he. ¡± Releasing her folded arms, she said with augh. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Human nature does not change so easily. You just want to look at the positive side of him. He may be kind to you, but will he be the same after he doesn¡¯t love you anymore? How can you be reassured that he won¡¯t reveal his true colors then?¡± ¡°I believe he won¡¯t repeat what he has done to me in the past.¡± ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± Looking at her sparkling ck eyes, I said with confidence, ¡°Because I have changed.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You said it many times that I was pushed around, and that you were disappointed because I was different from the old me, right? If the nature of a person doesn¡¯t change as you say, shouldn¡¯t I still look like the old me? If I don¡¯t, human nature also changes, right? Well, is it possible for human nature to exist from the beginning?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t beat your gums! It¡¯s sophistry. And don¡¯t act as if you realized everything. Although you im that the past and the present are different, the truth is that you don¡¯t believe it yourself. That¡¯s why you are rejecting him so much. ¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Am I wrong? I won¡¯t change my mind whatever you say. So, stay away from him, Tia. Don¡¯t swagger when you are scared about repeating your past life.¡± She turned her mouth up slightly and left the parlor. I pressed my stinging forehead tightly. Her final words kept lingering in her head. Really, why did I do that? Obviously, I thought that my present was different from my past. Then, why did I try to avoid my past unconditionally, thinking I shouldn¡¯t walk the same path as the past? I was confused. I¡¯ve thought that preventing the repetition of my past life was the way to work out my fate, but was it right? Has my fate already been worked out? Obviously, my past and the present already changed a lot, but wasn¡¯t I caught up in the obsession that I should change more? So, wasn¡¯t I obsessed with making things different from the past because of that? Like I said one day, I might have tried to hide under a shade to shake off the shadows of my past in spite of myself? The shadow is only invisible for a moment, and it doesn¡¯t disappear by hiding there. If so, don¡¯t I have to avoid him blindly just because I don¡¯t want to repeat the past? I suddenly shook my head at the thought that crossed my mind, when I turned my head in surprise as someone touched my shoulder. Chapter 226 Chapter 226: Chapter 226 ¡°Here you are, Tia.¡± ¡°Wee home, Daddy¡± I tilted my head when he held my hand silently, which was unusual. Did something bad happen again at the Imperial Pce? ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Did anything happen at the Imperial Pce? ¡± ¡°Nothing. I heard that Lady Jena was here before I arrived.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°I was told that you had quite a long conversation with her. What did you talk about? ¡± ¡°Are you worried? I¡¯m fine, Daddy. We didn¡¯t say much. ¡± Even though I smiled calmly, he was obviously worried. Silently held in my arms, I rubbed my face on his wide chest. When I felt his warmth in his hands wrapping my shoulder and his gentle touch of in my hair, my confused heart was subdued a lot. ¡°I¡¯m free now, Daddy.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Well, I promised to spend time with you when my test was over, right? How about tomorrow? ¡± ¡°Why not? If you want to spend some quality time with me, I think I have to make myself avable even if I¡¯m busy, honey.¡± He spoke warmly with a broad smile. I smiled brightly with all my anxieties and worries down. < Notification of test results. Aristia La Monique (Affiliated with the 2nd Knights) Fencing: 48, Spear skills on horseback: 79, Tactics and Strategy: 88, Administrative skills: 92 Other: 10 (additional points for groupbat) Total: 317/400 Result: Pass> I read the white paper with only a few lines on the test results again and again. Pinch me, I¡¯m dreaming! My whole body trembled as I was so thrilled at the results. I almost gave up because I was wounded while taking the fencing test, but fortunately I passed by the skin of my teeth. ¡°¡­ Mydy?¡± Carried away with the thought that my hard efforts for the past six years weren¡¯t in vain, I came to my senses at a woman¡¯s familiar voice. Lina was calling me with an eerie look. ¡°Yeah, did you call me? But why do you look like that? ¡± ¡°Oh, you have a visitor, mydy, but he¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Why? Who is he? ¡± ¡°His Eminence High Priest is here.¡± ¡°What? Why is he here? Did my father invite him here?¡± ¡°No. He said he came to see you in person.¡± ¡°He came to see me himself?¡± Only then did I understand her expression. With only six in the whole continent, the High Priest was someone that even the emperor could not touch recklessly. As such, even thete emperor, who had bad rtions with the temple, showed due manners when he met the High Priest. How could hee to visit me in person? It was natural that Lina was so surprised to see him at the door. When I hurriedly headed to the reception room, I saw the young handsome man, dress in a pure white robe, sitting in an elegant manner. ¡°May the blessings of life be with you. I¡¯m sorry to visit you suddenly, Lady Monique. By the way, your employees here seemed very surprised by my visit.¡± ¡°Oh, it looks like theymitted a breach of etiquette. I would like to apologize on their behalf.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean that. By the way, how is your condition?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t feel bloated or heavy, but¡­ ¡± ¡°I see. But you look rather pale. Gosh, you¡¯re hurt. Why didn¡¯t youe to see me?¡± Hardening his face, he approached me, then he rolled up my sleeve to untie the bandage on my right hand and recited a prayer, ¡°May the scent of flowers that bloom in thend of Vita, our Lord of life, embrace you, and may your pain be passed on to the Father of Life and the love of life to you!¡± Although I heard this prayer for the second time, I could not easily understand it. ¡®Oh my, what the heck is this prayer about?¡¯ When the white light passed, the almost healed wound on my right arm disappeared without a trace. When I bowed to express gratitude, he said with a ghost of a smile on his face, ¡°Pleasee to me right away instead of leaving your wound neglected like this.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°What if you have scars? Of course, one small scar can¡¯t hide your stunning beauty, but I think my heart will ache if it does.¡± There was a smile in his transparent yellow-green eyes when he looked at me with a sigh. His pleasant and clear voice rang in the air, ¡°Usually, I¡¯m easily adapted to people or the situation, but you seem to be so shy. How can you date a man when you¡¯re so timid and shy like that? Well, that could be your attraction, of course.¡± ¡°Your Eminence.¡± ¡°Oh, it breaks my heart to think about it. Now that you havee of age, those who have been waiting for the chance will raise their heads ande forward actively. It¡¯s a pity that I have to leave the ce for a while at this time. ¡± While I pretended I didn¡¯t hear him, I suddenly raised my head because I wanted to ask something. What the heck is he saying? Leaving? ¡°Are you going somewhere?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I came here, although I know you would be surprised. I¡¯m not leaving right away, but I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have time to give blessings to you if I¡¯m busy preparing for the trip.¡± ¡°But you said you would have to take care of the sixth root¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I have to take a trip there. The guy who became the fourth root is speaking nonsense.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± When I asked, tilting my head, the High Priest said, gnashing his teeth slightly, ¡°Recently, there was a vacancy for the High Priest, so we are short-handed. Sextus is still a baby, so I¡¯m taking care of him now, so there are only four High Priests doing activities now. However, how can he pray for wishes in this situation?¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean by ¡®wishes¡¯?¡± ¡°Oh, my goodness!¡± While sighing with a strikingly exaggerated manner , he said in embarrassment, ¡°Well, I wanted to tell you anyway, I think I had better tell you about it this time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°Well, you remember what happened when you got a new name and greeted me again, right? I told you that although there was a generational change, it didn¡¯t mean another High Priest went to the shrine of our Lord.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± It was true. As my life was saved by the High Priest when I was hovering between life and death due to poisoning, I clearly had a dialogue on that with the High Priest. He said he would not tell me about it right now because it was top secret, but said he would tell meter. ¡°As a High Priest, I have got only one secret. In other words, I can grant one wish I want toe true in my lifetime. You might wonder why it is a secret? The reason is that the price of that wish is divine power. In other words, I can achieve what I want by using the divine power. It is my essence. Well, it is something simr to the oath by the Monique family. ¡°Exchanging divine power for your wish?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Any High Priest who achieves his wish loses all his divine power and goes back to being an ordinary person. Since the eyes and hair color, which are symbols of the High Priest, also change, no one can recognize him. Besides, he can¡¯t carry out his duty as the High Priest because he doesn¡¯t have any divine power. In that respect, it¡¯s safe to say that such a High Priest is alive but dead. ¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°This is a secret that only the High Priest keeps to himself. Even the top priest at the temple doesn¡¯t know it. So, you have to keep it secret by all means.¡± I nodded because I thought I could understand why it was a secret that only the HIgh Priests shared with each other. If this were known, it would obviously cause enormous repercussions. Any wishes that could be exchanged with divine power, called the blessings of Vita, our God, would be very big. Those in power would almost certainly want to use it for their own benefits without any exception. But why is he telling me this astonishing secret? As I felt somewhat scared, I asked him with a trembling voice, ¡°¡­ Why are you revealing this huge fact to me?¡± ¡°Well, just think of it as a sign of my respect for your stunning beauty.¡± ¡°Your Eminence!¡± ¡°By the way, I hear that you will be appointed as a full-fledged knight. You have finally achieved the results of your hard efforts. Congrattions!¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m sorry I might miss it. I wish I could take time out to attend the new knights¡¯ inauguration ceremony. I think that I could see another attraction of yours.¡± ¡°¡­. ¡± Smiling at me mysteriously when I was speechless, he stood up, ¡°Oh, I think I have overstayed here. I have to leave now. Hope you can stay healthy until I see you again.¡± Then he leaned forward to grab my right hand. His white hair flowing down my hands tickled the back of my hand, and his soft lips touched it. I turned around without hesitation and stared nkly at the young, pure white man who disappeared, making a rustling noise. For some reason, I felt ufortable. Chapter 227 Chapter 227: Chapter 227 It was the first day of the ninth month of 964 by the imperial calendar. Finally, the official ceremony for the new knights, which I had been longing for so much, took ce. Those due to be appointed as the full-fledged knights were ranked within the 200th of those who scored more than 280 out of 400 points on the test. Although there were fewer people selected than everybody thought, those who took the test seemed to understand the situation after hearing that the government could not select those who didn¡¯t meet the minimum standards. Nheless, those selected numbered a lot morepared to the past when a dozen people were chosen at most. When I soaked in warm water, I felt rxed after a long time. Before attending the ceremony, the prospective knights were supposed to wash themselves to reflect on their lives. They were not allowed to be helped by anybody while washing, so I had no choice but to wash my body alone. When I washed my hair clumsily and wrapped it with a towel, there was a steady drip of water from my hair. Oops, is this not the right way to do it? Although I rubbed my hair with a towel for a long time, water drops kept falling from my hair that was full of moisture. As I didn¡¯t know what to do, I put on clothes and came out of the bathroom. Inside a small room was a young man dressed in a uniform. His red hair, which was always a little dishevelled, was neat and tidy today. His uniform, which always seemed sloppy, was in wless condition. When I hesitated for a moment because I was kind of awkward, he looked back at me and said with a smile. ¡°Hi, Tia.¡± ¡°¡­Hi, Sein. It¡¯s been a while. Are you my guide today?¡± I asked hesitantly. Why has he been selected as my guide? He is not in the same knights division as mine. A guide was traditionally assigned to anyone to be appointed as a full-fledged knight. It was customary for an immediate supervisor or someone who was close to the new knight to be his or her guide, so he could help him or her prepare for the inauguration ceremony and attend it together. So, I thought someone from the 2nd Knights Division would be my guide because my father couldn¡¯te because he was busy. Carsein smiled at me when I looked at him with a puzzled expression and said, ¡°Your father has asked to be your guide.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes, Tia.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Come to think of it, my father and Carsein were on good terms. I forgot it because Carsein rarely came to my home recently. When I nodded lightly, he said, turning his mouth up slightly, ¡°Congrattions, Tia. Now you are a full-fledged knight.¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks.¡± ¡°Hmm, even though you are now a full-fledged knight, don¡¯t forget I¡¯m your senior, okay? Whew! It was a close call, man. I almost lost my record as the youngest knight to you.¡± In fact, I was worried about him since I argued with him over his father¡¯s betrayal, but I felt relieved to know he was cracking jokes about me as usual. I felt heavy when I thought I hurt my precious friend, although I acted like that because I didn¡¯t want him to be a scapegoat. ¡°Hey, you seemed to be indifferent to me, but you actually cared for me, right?¡± When I said that mischievously, Carsein clenched his fist and pretended to hit my head. ¡°Little girl, are you kidding me? Are you going to challenge me already because you¡¯ve be a full-fledged knight?¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. Come here and sit down. You have to hurry up.¡± He pulled me and sat me in front of the mirror. He took a dry towel and covered my head. Then he said, pressing my shoulder lightly, ¡°Oh my¡­ It¡¯s all wet here. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t leave you alone.¡± With the towel wrapped around my head, he began to gently brush my wet hair. When I was trying to stop him because I was embarrassed, I suddenly saw him in the mirror. His subdued eyes and tightly closed lips. It seemed to be my first time seeing him so seriously focused on something except when he held a sword. I felt like I shouldn¡¯t be disturbing him for some reason, so I quietly put down my hand when I was about to stop him. How much time passed? He grabbed my dried hair and tied it into a knot. He said, dusting off my jacket, ¡°You know how the ceremony is being held, right?¡± ¡°Huh. I heard something about it from my father. ¡± ¡°Okay, then. Do you know that the higher your position is, theter you pledge? Your turn is thest. So, if you don¡¯t remember anything you can ask the person right in front of you. ¡± ¡°Got it. Thanks.¡± ¡°Now, let¡¯s go. ¡± When I arrived at the inauguration site, I saw some knights standing in line. Given that they already gathered there even though there was some time left for the ceremony, it was evident that all of them were filled with high expectations. But the emperor did not appear, no matter how long we waited. Duke Lars and my father, and even Marquis Mirwa whose title session should be duly recognized by the emperor didn¡¯t appear. What happened? Did something urgent happen? People who noticed something strange began to whisper. When the deputy captain of the knightsmand turned to check the situation in detail, I saw Marquis Mirwa walking from a distance. In no time, my father and Duke Lars appeared, and the protocol officer announced the arrival of the emperor. I couldn¡¯t figure out what it was, but I felt relieved. When the emperor was seated on the tform, the royal knights dressed in white uniforms surrounded him. I bowed slightly to Marquis Mirwa who already approached me to say hello. He seemed to know why he waste, but I couldn¡¯t ask because the ceremony started immediately. Everyone knelt down before the tform, starting with the first one to step forward for a pledge. Unlike they did at the inauguration ceremony for Carsein and his fellowsst time, this time the guides, not the attendant maids, approached their assigned knights. Carsein, who carefully attached the shoulder straps on my shoulders, wrapped me with a cloak embroidered with a golden lion. The emperor rose from his seat, confirming that the guides stepped back after they were done. The knight kneeling down in front of him who descended from the tform said, pulling out the sword and erecting it before him, ¡°It is our Lord Vita who gave us life, but it is His Excellency the Emperor who we have to devote our lives to. We give you the blood that flows through our body and the flesh that makes up our body, so take us as you wish. Loyalty to the Lion!¡± ¡°Glory to the empire, and honor to you!¡± The emperor who was holding a ceremonial sword made of rubies, symbolizing the blood to be given to the empire, patted the knight¡¯s shoulders three times. When the knight who finished the pledge lifted his hem and kissed it lightly, then moved back three steps, the second knight came forward. And next, then next. After they were done pledging one by one, it was my turn finally. When I saw him standing a few steps in front of me, I suddenly became nervous. I felt my heart beating fast and my fingers and toes became cold. After taking a big breath, I approached him by moving my stiff legs. Then, I knelt slowly and bowed to him. He seemed to frown his straight eyebrows slightly, but I wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°Loyalty to the Lion! It is our Lord Vita who gave us life, but it is His Excellency the Emperor who we have to devote our lives to. We give you the blood that flows through our body and the flesh that makes up our body, so take us as you wish.¡± I saw the tip of my sword slightly shaking. I couldn¡¯t look around because I lowered my head, but I could feel people around me were turning their eyes at me and the emperor. Definitely they must have felt it very strange that the emperor¡¯s ex-fiancee pledged allegiance as his vassal. ¡°¡­ Glory to the empire and honor to you!¡± Replying with a calm voice, he slowly lifted the ceremonial sword and tapped my shoulder. I was supposed to do a kiss of the pledge next, but he pulled me up, lifting the hem of his robe instead of allowing me to kiss it. I put my hand on my heart beating fast and opened my mouth with the calmest expression possible, ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Chapter 228 Chapter 228: Chapter 228 ¡°Well, as the 54th head of the Monique family in the future, I, Aristia Pioneer Monique¡­¡± ¡°Are you really¡­¡± ¡°I would like to fulfill my long-standing covenant with the imperial family.¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t do that. I won¡¯t listen. ¡± I saw his face harden, his navy blue eyes tremble and his hands holding the ceremonial sword turning white. His voice, which was always calm, was trembling. I knelt slowly, turning away from him who called me in a hurry. Lifting the hem of his blue cloak and kissing it lightly, I moved my frozen tongue and finished the oath of blood, a firm covenant between the imperial family and the Monique family for generations. ¡°The blood flowing in my body¡­¡± ¡°You¡­¡± When I uttered the first word of the covenant, I heard people groaning here and there. I hid my expression by bowing deeply to him. I suddenly recalled his face that I looked up at for thest time before my return. I remembered how sad I felt at his cold eyes. I also remembered my final desperate vow that I would never love him if I was born again. ¡°With my heart beating in my body¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Stop it. I won¡¯t listen. ¡± I also recalled my firm determination after my return. I found the solution after a few days of agonizing about the middle name that I received through God¡¯s prophecy. It was the oath of blood of the Monique family. Instead of making a wish for the breakup of my engagement with him, I promised to devote my whole life. I thought that the session of the throne would not be a problem because I would not be able to reject my bondage with the royal family in that case. So, I practiced fencing very hard, gnashing my teeth to be qualified to swear. And now I finally earned the qualifications that I wanted so much. ¡°Swearing on my life and heart¡­¡± ¡°Aristia.¡± I couldn¡¯t condemn him, who knew nothing. I just thought of avoiding him because I couldn¡¯t risk the lives of those precious to me. However, he was knocking on the door of my heart that had been closed to him a long time ago. But thetch that I thought I¡¯d never open was getting loose at some point. ¡°I give you my whole life¡­¡± ¡°Stop it, please!¡± Suddenly, my frozen heart was melting little by little. His lonely figure that I saw asionally, his navy blue eyes that longed for me desperately, the opening of his closed mindedness little by little and his repeated reaching out as well as his kind considerations began to sway my mind. Suddenly I often found myself assuming my future with him unconsciously, then stopped thinking, stunned. ¡°Please grant my wish.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± I didn¡¯t want to know how he felt. I never wanted to know how much difort I felt when I saw him with Jiun, and why my heart was beating hard when I rode the horse with him after receiving the Orgel. For I could not love him, and I vowed that I would not love anybody else. ¡°My lord¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Now I had to pull myself together again. Haven¡¯t I got what I have been looking for for six long years? So, for him and for me, this was the best way. Now there was no reason for me to y into the hands of the noble faction or agonize while imagining my dark future. I didn¡¯t have to feel offended for the emotional rewards that I wouldn¡¯t get back, or feel pressured by both factions. I slowly raised my head and looked at him. While dissuading me from making the oath of blood, forgetting about the gaze of the stunned people around him, he looked down at me with a cold look. I could see a burning anger in his cold eyes. ¡°¡­ So, what is your wish? ¡± After keeping silent for a while, he finally spat it out. His voice was not as cold as usual, and it didn¡¯t sink as low as when he felt out of sort. With his arms folded as if he wanted to hear me, he pressed, looking down at me with chilly eyes. ¡°Tell me what your cherished wish is.¡± ¡°My wish¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°My wish is to be recorded as a woman who lived and died as the fifty-fourth head of the Monique family in history. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± As if he was dumbfounded, he sighed deeply, shaking his head roughly. When he appeared confused and irrational, people around him whispered more and more. Obviously, they were surprised by his unusual reaction, who was always calm in official events. I felt he seemed already agitated when I began the oath of blood. ¡°That¡¯s a simple and in wish.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°All I can do is to reassure you that you won¡¯t be entangled with me, right? Wow, what a lucrative business it is that I can win the absolute loyalty of the Monique family during your generation! Besides, the issue of session to the throne will be solved clearly. Any wise emperor would ept this oath. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Your Majesty. ¡± His weary voice, which sounded more boring because of his loose attitude, was sinking low. He coldly dered when I barely answered, ¡°I won¡¯t ept your oath.¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Although there is not a single precedent in which the imperial family has never epted it, the oath of blood requires mutual agreement. So, I will not ept your oath. ¡± At that moment, I could not believe my ears. What did he just say? Since the Monique royal family pledged under the power of magic to the first emperor to preserve the royal family and the country, no emperor has ever refused the pledge of the Monique family in the imperial history of nearly a thousand years, for they could gain our family¡¯s absolute loyalty when they fulfilled just one wish of our family. But he recklessly threw away the oath through which he could have total control of our family. ¡°The oath of blood? What a joke! I won¡¯t ept that kind oath. I will never agree to it. I will reject it under my name. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Then he turned quickly and walked out of the ce with big strides. The royal knights, who were nervously looking at him, hurriedly followed him. As he was so upset, nobody dared toe out and stop him. In a mysterious silence beyond expression, I stared nkly at him disappearing. My head was messed up because of his unexpected actions. What should I do now? I was preupied with that thought. The winter hasn¡¯te yet, but I felt as if my hands got frozen in the bitter breeze. ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°¡­Daddy.¡± How much time passed? I came to my senses when somebody shook my shoulder violently. As I slowly blinked, I saw a silver-haired knight dressed in a dark blue uniform. Although he pretended to look casual, there wereplex feelings such as embarrassment, anxiety, and relief in his dark blue eyes. Only then could I notice what¡¯s going on around me. They gathered in small groups of two and three, watching us carefully while whispering among themselves. Conscious of them, my father whispered, ¡°I need to cope with the situation here. So, go to the captain¡¯s office first. I need to talk to you.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Why won¡¯t you answer?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°Hmm. Let me give you a precaution. Don¡¯t ever think of seeing the emperor again. I¡¯ll talk to you a littleter. ¡± After getting my reassurances, he headed to the ce where the captains of the knights divisions gathered. Shortly afterwards, there was an order for everybody to go back to their assigned knights. When I thought the ceremony was ruined because of me, I felt so sorry. So I hurried out of the training ce where the ceremony was held. While walking toward the building of the 2nd Knights Division in confusion, I suddenly stopped. Am I going back to square one if I can¡¯t solve the problem? After hesitating for a moment, I turned back to the Central Pce. Although my father strongly told me not to see him, it would be more difficult if I didn¡¯t persuade the emperor. As soon as I entered the Central Pce, I asked the passing servant about the emperor¡¯s whereabouts, but he said he didn¡¯t know. I felt strange, but I headed for his office. I saw the chambein, who served him since he was the crown prince, standing in front of the luxurious door. ¡°It ¡®s been a long time. Is His Majesty in?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Lady Monique. His Excellency didn¡¯te back after he went to the knights inauguration ceremony¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Thanks.¡± I sighed. Where did he go if he didn¡¯te here? Chapter 229 Chapter 229: Chapter 229 I just walked all the way through the long corridor, but I couldn¡¯t see a single royal knight, let alone him. I became more and more nervous. By now, my father might have stopped by the captain¡¯s office. If I didn¡¯t solve this matter quickly, my father would clearly try to stop me from making the oath of blood. When I was walking heavily around the corner, somebody suddenly grabbed me. I barely swallowed moaning and tried to identify who he was, standing before me. He was none other than the emperor who stood up like a wall in front of me. Although I was looking for him anxiously, I got cold feet when I ran into him. When I faced his cold look, my heart was beating fast. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Where are you going so urgently, Sir Monique? Let¡¯s talk for a moment. ¡± When I stepped back, overwhelmed by his scary posture, I suddenly felt something cold touching my back. I looked up at him, trembling in spite of myself. I was bing more and more timid, but I opened my mouth, vowing to stay calm, ¡°¡­ Actually, I was going to see you at the pce.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Please think twice about it and ept my oath¡­¡± ¡°I already said no. I don¡¯t want you to mention it again.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty¡­¡± His big shadow was cast all over me. He approached me in no time and looked down at me, holding a pole with both hands. I stiffened so much that I couldn¡¯t say a word, so I slowly shut my mouth. I could do nothing but look up at him with trembling eyes. ¡°Aristia.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I love so much that I can¡¯t even bother about what others think about me. No matter how hard I try to hold back my longing for you, I can¡¯t.¡± Although he said he loved me, I could see his navy blue eyes still burning with fury. I freaked out when my eyes met his. My brain ordered me to run away, but my frozen hands and feet refused to carry out the order. I felt as if I was thrown in front of a crouching lion. He slowly pulled his shoulders and bowed his head slowly. He was getting closer to me. If I could have my way, I could push him out, but somehow my body wouldn¡¯t move. I swallowed when I felt his warm breathing on my face. My heart started beating faster. His blue eyes disappeared under the eyelids, giving way to the shadow of his blue eyshes. Soon something soft touched my lips. I blushed when I felt his warm breathing when he kissed me. Suddenly, he untied the hair tie in my hair with his hand and touched my hair as it tumbled down around my shoulders. I closed my surprised eyes slowly. At the moment I grabbed his clothes to support my copsing legs, he kissed my lips firmly. Because of his hot breathing and licking my mouth gently, I was spaced out. When he caressed my face carefully, I opened my mouth unconsciously. Something soft was pushed into my mouth. My tightly closed eyshes trembled at the strange sensation. My frozen body began to melt when he kissed me deeply. When I grabbed his neck unconsciously, carried away by his deep kiss, he hugged me tight while caressing my back. I felt his heart beating fast, too. I moaned because of his intense deep kiss, and I was short of breath because of his more aggressive move. My head was in the clouds. Though I knew I was rude, I twisted my whole body and pushed him away. His lips broke apart from mine. He pulled me when I was gasping for breath, and patted my back gently. I blushed when I saw his strong chest that was moving up and down because of his short breath. ¡®Oh my God, what did I do now?¡¯ He said nothing, even though I disengaged my body quickly, which could be seen as very rude. He was just looking at me with an indescribable expression. He also seemed very confused with anger in his blue eyes gone now. I came to my senses when I noticed his look. Ooop! I didn¡¯t want to do it! ¡°Aristia.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°That¡­¡± As if he had no idea what to say, he opened his mouth after hesitating for a while, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I promised you that I would not force you to do what you didn¡¯t want, but I was out of my mind for a moment. ¡± ¡°¡­ No, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°But¡­ ¡± He swallowed trying to say what he wanted to say, and after a while he opened his mouth again. ¡°But Aristia, I¡¯m serious about what I told you a moment ago. I want to have you stay by my side as a dear woman I love, not as a loyal vassal.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you be my wife? Can you marry me and live with me instead of being the head of the Monique family?¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± I was at a loss about what to do when he asked seriously. My head was spinning like a top. No way! This is not what I want! How did this happen? I really didn¡¯t know he would refuse my oath. Wasn¡¯t he regarded as better than thete emperor in making a rational judgment? How could I have expected that he, blinded by passion, would kick out the strong supporter who would absolutely protect him throughout his reign? I was very confused. I had no idea what to do or how to act. He said with a sigh, watching me at a loss about what to do. ¡°You always make me impatient.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I thought that I was better at controlling my emotions than anybody else, but I can¡¯t do it about you. If I take a step back, you run away two steps, so I find myselfing closer to you for fear of losing you. I know that you are not ready yet, but I havee to act foolishly like this.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°This time I just tried to watch you from behind, but you are trying to get away from me in an extreme way again. Why are you rejecting me?¡± His serious voice and earnest look. As someone who used to hide what he felt, he was now beginning to confide in me, which made me speechless. ¡°Aristia.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s premature, and I also know that you are shunning me. I will no longer ask you toe and stand by me. I won¡¯t ask you toe to me¡­So, please don¡¯t run away from me. ¡± I avoided his nce furtively. I had mixed feelings at the fact that he wanted me so desperately that he was so submissive instead of being so proud and arrogant. Fear, joy, bitterness, and excitement. As I was afraid of the joy arising from my empty heart, I looked up at him with trembling eyes, trying to calm down, and said, ¡°Why are you acting like this, Your Majesty? Please think twice and make a wise judgment. How can you give up the absolute loyalty of the Monique family because of your fleeting affection for me? It¡¯s not like you at all, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Fleeting affection in exchange for absolute loyalty? Well, you seem to be convinced that I¡¯ll change my mind quite soon. ¡± He sighed as if he was frustrated and said, cing his hand on my shoulder and looking at me, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you think so, Aristia. Well, I would have epted the suggestion of thete emperor and the noble faction if I had treated you lightly. If I had epted Lady Jena, I would have easily taken you as my concubine. Why do you think I¡¯m sticking it out for you even when I¡¯m being pressed so much?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I wanted to win your heart. If I had been so reckless to change my mind so easily, I would have taken you as my wife a long time ago without having to ask your opinion. Besides¡­¡± He stopped while trying to say something when a royal knight approached him. Then he turned and stopped in front of me and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, the Captain of the 2nd Knights Division ising this way. What shall I do? ¡± Chapter 230 Chapter 230: Chapter 230 ¡°Marquis Monique? Got it. Give him a pass.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± I suddenly stiffened. In fact, I was wondering why I didn¡¯t hear anybody moving around in this wide hallway. The royal knights were blocking anybody froming into this area. ¡®I hope he has not seen us.¡¯ But it wasn¡¯t that important. Daddy ising this way? I¡¯m in trouble. He would certainly scold me if he saw me with the emperor here. He giggled, looking at me embarrassed, and said, ¡°Stay here. He won¡¯t be able to see you behind this pir.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°So, don¡¯t ever think about swearing before me, got it? Your father wouldn¡¯t want it, either. ¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°If you swear one more time, I will kiss you like I did a little while ago.¡± What? I suddenly blushed. After smiling at me who was too embarrassed to respond, He turned around. Staring nkly at the hem of his fluttering blue cloak, I touched my lips unconsciously. I was stunned at the voice of my fathering from behind the pir where I was hiding. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see the Sun of the Empire.¡± ¡°Marquis, it¡¯s nice to see you here because I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what happened today. I think I pressured your daughter.¡± ¡°¡­No, you didn¡¯t, Your Majesty. I¡¯m rather grateful for you stopping her from acting impatiently.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not pretend we don¡¯t know it. As you have other means, you might have tried to stop her from swearing it anyway. ¡± As if somebody might overhear their conversation, they were whispering. But I could clearly hear them because I was right behind the pir where they were talking. tilted my head. Other means? Is there any way for my father to ovee this situation other than the oath of blood? I couldn¡¯t believe it. My middle name given by God¡¯s prophecy, and my right to the throne of the empress were not something to give up easily. That¡¯s why I wanted to learn swordsmanship and swords so much. By swearing absolute allegiance I wanted to escape the fate of being bound to the imperial family through the chain of session. ¡°Can I just ask you a favor, marquis?¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead, please.¡± ¡°Based on my interaction with you for a long time, I know your daughter¡¯s happiness is your top priority. So, you might have wondered if this was the best option, but you concluded that you had to see me because you were surprised that she was determined enough to make the oath of blood. Am I right?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I think the repercussions will be enormous because of the failed agendast time and her actions today, but I will do my best to protect her. So please give some time until this matter is solved.¡± My father kept silent for a moment and said, ¡°As many of them witnessed what happened today, I expect they will convene a meeting within a few days. What are you going to do? ¡± ¡°To be honest with you¡­¡± I tried to strain my ears, but I could hardly hear because he lowered his voice suddenly. What is he going to try to say? How can he ovee the current difficulty when everything is back to square one? ¡°¡­ Well, I¡¯m going to follow my daughter¡¯s intentions.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Thank you. ¡± Huh? What did the emperor say when my father reacted like that? I was very curious, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. I heard the emperor walking away after he was done talking to my father. As if the royal knights were following him, I heard their footsteps fading away. At the same time, I heard him sighing. I hesitated for a moment. What should I do? Obviously, he would be looking for me here and there. I felt awkward toe out and see him now, but I couldn¡¯t keep hiding. ¡°Come out, Tia.¡± I freaked out at that. How did he know? I walked up to him in embarrassment. As I suddenly came to the bright out of the dark area, I went nk momentarily, then could see again. I saw my father picking up my hair tie with mixed feelings. I blushed because I recalled the emperor¡¯s hugging and kissing me right before my father arrived here. ¡°Let¡¯s go back home.¡± ¡°¡­ Sure, Daddy.¡± I¡¯d rather befortable if he scolded me, but he just looked at me for some time and asked me to go back, handing me the hair tie. When I returned home in heavy silence, the butler quickly called the house employees. I had dinner with my father in a breathless silence. I felt like I would have an upset stomach because I swallowed food reluctantly. The moment I had the nerve to open my mouth, the butler came in carefully and said, ¡°Sir, you have a guest.¡± ¡°Guest? At this time? Who is it?¡± ¡°Duke Verita and Duke Lars.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Let mee down now.¡± Although I didn¡¯t feel like it, I felt I would still want to say hello to him, so I stood up with my father. As I entered the reception room, the man with green hair, who seemed a bit tired, waved his hand at my father. ¡°I see you again, Kairan.¡± ¡°Ruth, what business has brought you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that, man. How can you be mean to me as I haven¡¯t seen you for some time?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry if you felt hurt.¡± ¡°Not at all. Actually I¡¯d like to have a heart-to-heart talk with you after a long time. Although I¡¯m sorry I came herete at night, I hope you can understand as you are an adult, right?¡± ¡°Oh, sure, Duke Verita. Then, excuse me.¡± After instructing the butler to serve them with snacks and drinks, I returned to my room and opened the book I read a few days ago. Somehow I was distracted while reading it, so I tried to read it line by line, but I still couldn¡¯t concentrate. When I closed the book with a sigh, I heard somebody talking outside the door. ¡®Are they already leaving?¡± As I went out hurriedly, I saw Duke Verita going out, escorted by the butler. He smiled at me when I bowed to say goodbye, and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Lady Monique. Congrattions on being a full-fledged knight!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you, Your Grace. ¡± It was the first time I heard somebody offering congrattions since the ceremony. Because I was so confused by the unprecedented event involving my oath of blood, nobody dared to congratte me at the time. Even I forgot that I was fully appointed as a full-fledged knight today. ¡°Thanks to you, I watched a very unusual scene. Who knew the emperor, who used to be cold-hearted, was out of his mind? Well, I came here because I was worried about you. Don¡¯t worry too much because I¡¯m going to appease the emperor.¡± ¡± Thank you, Your Grace. ¡± ¡°It must have been very difficult for you in many ways, so take a break. I think it will take some time for me to talk with your father.¡± ¡°Will do, Duke Verita.¡± After bowing slightly to express gratitude, I headed to my father¡¯s study instead of going back to my room. But no matter how much I tried to focus, I couldn¡¯t read the book. I just kept sighing with mixed feelings. How much time passed? When I was nkly looking at the book, the butler came to me carefully and said, ¡°Mydy.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, butler. What¡¯s going on? Anything to say to me?¡± ¡°I would like to report to you that I took out lots of wine bottles from the wine cer.¡± ¡°Really? Wow, much did they drink?¡± After being briefed by the butler, I closed the book and stood up. I was bothered by the fact that they drank quite a lot of wine. Although Duke Lars also told me that he would appease the emperor, I felt I would rx if I double checked their condition. When I knocked carefully and opened the door, I saw three men wining and dining under the soft light. Duke Verita was murmuring to himself, Duke Lars was leaning against his chair, with his legs crossed, and my father lowering his head as if he was lost in something, with his sped hands on his knees. I felt I could not interfere in such an atmosphere, so I stopped suddenly. Chapter 231 Chapter 231: Chapter 231 I felt like a child who peeked into the world of adults. I was surprised at the untidy appearances of the three who were always so disciplined. It was as if an invisible wall pushed me out. ¡°Alexis¡­ Allendis ¡­ I wish I had handed it over to Allendis from the beginning. I was stupid enough to leave it to the sickly Alexis, and I don¡¯t know about Allendis¡¯s whereabouts¡­I¡¯vemitted too great a sin against my two sons. ¡± ¡°How can you say that¡¯s your fault? You never know what will happen to you tomorrow. So, don¡¯t me yourself too much, Ruth. Stop drinking now. I think it¡¯s the first time I have seen you drinking so much. Same to you, Kairan.¡± ¡°Leave me alone. I want to get drunk today. ¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you expect it when you taught her fencing? Why are you upset at this point?¡± When I heard the voice sinking, I felt guilty. I listened attentively to my father¡¯s words. ¡°Of course I knew it, but I am upset, and at the same time I am sorry¡­ I¡¯ve got mixed feelings about her. When I had her, I felt like I had the whole world. Was it a blessing to Tia? If she hadn¡¯t been born as my daughter, she wouldn¡¯t have had to tell the emperor something like devoting her life. I think I gave her too much of a burden she didn¡¯t want. I was upset she tried to swear without consulting me, but at the same time, I felt sorry for her because I thought she didn¡¯t trust me. Besides, the emperor¡­¡± ¡°Kairan.¡± I couldn¡¯t hear more, so I came out quietly. As I couldn¡¯t fall asleep or sit still, I was pacing up and down the hallway for a long time when I heard the sound of the door opening and somebody walking toward me. When I looked back in a hurry, I saw Duke Lars walking with a sober look and Duke Verita barely moving with his shoulders drooping, helped by the servants. ¡°Ugh? What are you doing here? ¡± ¡°Oh, Duke Lars. Are you leaving now? ¡± Duke Lars looked at me nkly and said, nodding slowly, ¡°Yes. Let me take Ruth back home, so don¡¯t worry. As your father is asleep now, you don¡¯t have to bother.¡± ¡°Ah¡­thank you. ¡± ¡°¡­ Always be careful because you never know how the noble faction will react. I am sorry I think we have given you too much burden as soon as you came of age.¡± ¡°I will be careful. Thank you for your consideration, Duke Lars.¡± After seeing him off, who said I didn¡¯t need to, I headed for my father¡¯s room after hesitating for a moment. The moonlighting in through the half-open curtains was shining beautifully on his silver hair disheveled on the pillow. I squatted by the side of the bed and carefully grabbed his hands resting on the sheet. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Daddy.¡± Was it because I unexpectedly listened to what he confided in? I felt really heavy. It would have been better if he had been upset with me. My heart ached when he said he was sorry because I was born as his daughter. ¡°Daddy, you told me I should be happy¡­ you told me to enjoy as much happiness as possible. But I don¡¯t know what I can do to be happy.¡± I put it all down and tried to find new happiness, but now I couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. The more I thought about it, the more I felt frustrated without finding the solution. I couldn¡¯t tell my father about it because he would be more worried than now, even though he could share it with me. ¡°What should I do now? I don¡¯t know what to do. I thought this was the best policy, but I am more confused ¡­What should I do? ¡± I knocked on my chest out of frustration. Why am I having such a difficult life? In the past, it was too simple, but it was tooplicated now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m not a good girl to you, Daddy. I am so sorry to have worried you so much.¡± With a deep sigh, I stood up. I pulled the nket over him and left the room carefully. I closed the door gently. I folded an umbre with dew on it. Water droplets rolled off. When I dusted off the hem with tiny water drops, transparent droplets that could not be absorbed scattered on the floor. The young man, who frowned a bit while watching it, said, putting arge towel over my shoulder. ¡°Wee back, mydy.¡± ¡°Hi, butler. Good morning.¡± ¡°You might catch a cold if you go around like this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you are overprotecting me? I¡¯m a knight as you know.¡± I replied with a smile, but he was adamant. The maids came to me quickly when he sent eye signals and began to quickly wipe off the water on my clothes with a towel. I asked, leaving them doing their job, ¡°What about my father?¡± ¡°He woke up a little while ago.¡± ¡°Really? He got up a lotter than usual. Is it because he drank too much yesterday? Have you prepared honey water? ¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± ¡°Will you bring it then? Let me take it to him in person.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Actually, I just got back home after walking because I couldn¡¯t sleep well. Was it because I took a walk in the rainy garden, smelling earthy scent? I felt much lighter after taking a walk. I headed to my father¡¯s room, with a maid holding a tray. When I knocked and stepped in, my father, who just buttoned the sleeves on his shirt, turned around. Maybe it was because of a hangover that he frowned his straight silver eyebrows a bit. ¡°Did you have a good sleep, Daddy?¡± ¡°¡­ Oh yes, Tia. Did you sleep well? ¡± ¡°Yes. I woke up early this morning, so I took a walk.¡± ¡°Great.¡± ¡°Please drink this, Daddy. You¡¯ll feel much better.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Giving him the golden mug, I sat carefully next to him. His subdued blue eyes were fixed on the mug as if he was lost in something. When I saw his gloomy look, I found myself being timid again, just moving my mouth up and down without uttering a word. When I finally opened my mouth to say something after hesitation, I heard a small sound from somewhere. When I pricked my ears, tilting my head, I heard the sound of something scratching outside the door. ¡®Oh, she is Luna.¡¯ As I felt it¡¯s a good chance to break the awkward silence, I stood up and opened the door dly. ¡°Luna,e on.¡± When I reached out, the small silver cat passed by me quickly. When I looked back in embarrassment, I saw her suddenly approaching my father. Meowing a bit, she jumped up and snuggled into his arms. Then, she closed her eyes as if she was satisfied, and kept meowing. After looking down at Luna for some time, he reached out and stroked her silver fur. As he now seemed rxed enough, I plucked up the courage to speak to him again. ¡°By the way, Daddy.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I should have consulted with you first, but didn¡¯t. I was too impatient.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s fine. I thought the day like this mighte someday from the moment when you asked me to teach you fencing. What¡¯s the point of me ming you now?¡± I felt guilty again at his subdued voice, but all I could say was I was sorry because I would never give up my oath unless there was no other way. He let out a deep sigh, looking at me silently. ¡°As you know, parents have a soft spot for their children, and I¡¯m no exception.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You won¡¯t listen to me no matter how much I persuade you not to. Whew¡­even if I¡¯m the best knight in the empire, I can¡¯t persuade a determined you out of it.¡± I suddenly raised my head while I was gloomy because of his heavy voice. I unwittingly smiled when I saw him feeling a bit embarrassed. It looked as if he cracked a joke to make me feel morefortable. ¡°I¡¯m not going to try to stop you, so promise me just one thing. When youe to swear next time, promise that you will tell me about it in advance.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy, I will do that. ¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m relieved to hear that.¡± Suddenly, the silver cat opened her eyes and rubbed them. Yawning and looking around, she jumped out of his arms. As I looked at Luna walking slowly through the room, with her head up, I turned my head at his call. Chapter 232 Chapter 232: Chapter 232 ¡°Tia. ¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± ¡°You have probably wondered why I didn¡¯t do anything even when I said I would help you. Well, I might have looked indecisive to you. ¡± I was silent because I had definitely thought so. Even after thete emperor dered that he would make me the next empress after Jiun appeared, and when my father heard the news that the noble faction asked the emperor to have me as the empress, I felt angry about my father because he didn¡¯t seem to do anything. Perhaps it was because I was resentful about my father that I wanted to swear without consulting him first. As if he read my resentment, he said, patting my hands gently, ¡°But it is not the oath alone that has been handed down to our family. ¡± ¡°Pardon? What are you talking about? ¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you the details yet, but that¡¯s all I can tell you now. I¡¯m telling you this because you¡¯re so obsessed with the oath of blood.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°So, can you trust me? If you really have to swear before the emperor, let me know in advance. Let me show you how to handle it.¡± Now I felt my lingering doubt was dispelled. And I could understand why my father looked rxed, unlike me who was so desperate. At the time I thought that my father took such an attitude because he had no other choice. Looking back now, however, he already knew how to ovee the difficult situation. I felt more convinced when I recalled his conversation with the emperor, which I overheard behind the pir. I felt as if the chain all over my body loosened a little. As I felt much lighter, I jumped into my father¡¯s arms and whispered, ¡°¡­ Thank you. And I¡¯m so sorry. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Smiling at him who was gently touching my hair, I fell asleep, held in his strong arms that protected me from the ups and downs of life. The next day when I was talking with my father about family affairs after dinner, I heard a knock. The butler came in and bowed deeply, ¡°You have a messenger from the Imperial Pce.¡± ¡°Got it. Let mee down now.¡± Messenger? At this time? I was a little puzzled, but I followed my father. When I entered the reception room, a man sitting in a polite position raised his body and bowed. What made the Lord Chambein of the Central Pcee here in person? ¡°Hello, Marquis, Lady Monique. How are you doing?¡± ¡°Oh, I never thought you would bring a message in person. Why did you bring the emperor¡¯s order in person?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got two official reasons and one thing I have to convey secretly. Here you are.¡± What the Lord Chambein presented was a document with the imperial stamp and a small box. Given the imperial stamp, it was not a document. What is the secret thing? Letter or the box? The Lord Chambein exined to me, while I was looking at them on the table. ¡°This document was delivered to the Captain of the 2nd Knights and Sir Monique, this letter was sent to the head of the Monique family, and the box was for Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Then it was clearly the letter that he had to convey to me secretly. At first nce, it all seemed the same, but there was a subtle difference in his words. Since the documents were for the Captain of the 2nd Knights and Sir Monique, they must have been an official order rted to the knights. Given that the emperor gave the box to me, I didn¡¯t have to dispose of it. After seeing him off, I stood up and headed to my father¡¯s study with my father. Then, after watching my father checking the documents, I opened the box that the emperor sent me. ¡®What is this?¡¯ I blinked nkly at the unexpected thing. Inside the small silver box were seven envelopes with gold pearls scattered on a blue background. Letters? Not one, but seven. When I picked up a blue envelope curiously, my father called me, folding the documents, ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°Do you know that administrative work has increased dramatically due to the formation of the new knights divisions?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I guess so.¡± ¡°So, the emperor says he needs an assistant who can assist him with the work while processing the relevant documents. So, he wants you to take the job because you scored most in the administrative area among all the applicants.¡± ¡°Pardon? Oh my¡­¡± When I looked at him in embarrassment, he said with a sigh, picking up the letter, ¡°For the next 15 days, work in the knights¡¯ division in the morning and assist the emperor in the Central Pce in the afternoon. If you have anything to discuss, just visit the captain of each knight division.¡± ¡°¡­ Got it, Daddy.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± After reading the letters, he approached the firece and burned them. Watching the thin paper turning into ashes in a burning me, he said, ¡°Well, it looks like some royal knights will be dispatched to escort you for the time being.¡± ¡°Royal knights? We have family knights here. Why¡­¡± ¡°The emperor seems to be very concerned about you. Royal knights are more specialized in escorting than the family knights. Besides, you went through lots of happenings these days, so try to put up with them for your safety even if you feel ufortable.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy. I will do so.¡± Although I didn¡¯t think he sent me a secret letter to say that, I didn¡¯t want to ask. By nature, the secret is better kept when fewer people know it. I nodded silently, picked up the box, and returned to my room. After hesitating for a moment, I picked up one in the middle of the seven envelopes. This¡­? My jaw dropped open in surprise. Was this the letter he wrote to me when I copsed with poisoning, losing my consciousness? My hands holding the letter began to tremble little by little. I began to read the next sentences. What the hell is this¡­ I picked up another letter with my trembling hand and opened it. As soon as I read the next one, I picked up another one, and next, next¡­ As I read each of the thick letters one by one, my heart began to beat faster. It was hard for me to read properly because my hands trembled, but I picked up thest letter, with my eyes opened wide, and read it all the way to the end of the letter quickly. ¡°Whew¡­¡± Only then did I let out a long breath. I put my hand on my heart beating like crazy. Were all these letters written by him in person? Chapter 233 Chapter 233: Chapter 233 As I couldn¡¯t believe my ears, I nced over the letters piled up. But it was clear that the handwriting on the golden blue letters was definitely his, no matter how often I checked it. His handwriting was a gorgeous curvy one used by the imperial family, and yet it gave out a feeling of neatness and coldness, as if to show his character. Only then did I realize that the person who wrote these letters was the emperor and that the recipient was me. I suddenly blushed. Not only my face, but also my whole body felt hot. It was something I had never dreamed of, or could even think of. But I was seeing it unfolding in front of my eyes. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off the letters while covering my cheeks with hands and breathing in and out deeply several times. It seemed that I could feel his sincerity in each word written fully in the letters. He was desperate, kind, sad, and warm¡­ Suddenly, I recalled my dialogue with him some time ago. During the conversation he asked me why I thought he would change his mind so easily. He said he would never have kept an eye on me if he had taken me lightly. Why did he think so? Honestly, I could not figure out why. I just thought it was only natural that he would think so. I thought that as the emperor, he wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with only one woman and that since he was a cold-hearted person, he would take me lightly. Even though I knew that he was different from the old him, I thought I never knew when he would change his mind, recalling his love of Jiun. Was it just my prejudice? Can I really trust him? He even confessed his love to me sincerely. While looking nkly at the letters, I shook my head vigorously. No matter how much I thought about it, I thought this was not the right way to deal with him. I vowed that I would never hurt anybody because of love. Besides, my partner was none other than the emperor. ¡®Come to your senses, Aristia.¡¯ I murmured to myself. When I shook my head once again, I suddenly heard Lina asking me with mixed feelings of doubt and concern, ¡°Are you okay, mydy?¡± I looked around, calming my pounding heart. Lina was looking at me, leaning her head to the side. ¡°Oh my goodness! What¡¯s up, Lina? ¡± ¡°I called you several times, but you didn¡¯t reply. What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. Did you call me several times? Anything to say to me?¡± ¡°Ah. It looks like several people came from your estate to congratte you on being the official sessor of the family¡­¡± ¡°Really? I got it.¡± Nodding lightly, I gathered the letters piled up on the desk. My heart ached again when I saw the thick letters. Originally, he was not the type of person who wrote a long letter. His messages were always short and concise. ¡®What the heck are you thinking? Wake up!¡¯ Biting my lips tightly, I put the letters back in the envelopes. Folding each letter, I cleared my confused thoughts. Looking into the mirror, I erased any lingering emotions from my mind. There was a figure reflected in the mirror, who was obviously familiar to me, but who I had not seen for a long time. ¡®You¡¯re fine, Aristia.¡¯ But what is fine with me? Leaving that question behind, I moved to the drawing-room where my family vassals were waiting. The next day I headed for the Central Pce after finishing morning work. I was supposed to carry out the emperor¡¯s order to help him handle the increased workload rted to the new knights¡¯ divisions. While walking through the long corridor, I tilted my head because every knight I ran into avoided my eyes. I double-checked my uniform just in case it was not unkempt or untidy, but I didn¡¯t see any problem with my uniform. What the hell are they doing now? ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Sun of the Empire.¡± ¡°Come on in!¡± Although I vowed to act calmly and casually, I blushed as soon as I saw him. As his deep kiss, his desperate confession and his letters came to my mind, I couldn¡¯t make eye contact with him. Since I couldn¡¯t figure out what to say, I fidgeted with the bunch of documents I was holding. After he was done signing the documents he reviewed, he reached out suddenly. He said, looking nkly at me when I flinched, ¡°What is your assignment today?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m supposed to relocate the knights concentrated in the existing three knights divisions. ¡± ¡°Well? Should I receive a briefing about it?¡± ¡°Yes, because it requires the even distribution of the knights among the three divisions¡­¡± ¡°Good. Then, will you give me the documents you brought to me first? Let me read this, so please give me an overview.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± He reacted as usual as he did in the past, except that his face looked a little pale. Although I was relieved by his calm voice and casual expression, somehow I felt a bit sorry. I felt like I was drained at the moment. Did he take his physical wellbeingst night lightly? I had some mixed feelings because of that, but I could calmly brief him about the number of people to be relocated and the factions they belonged to. When I was exining to him for a while, I suddenly heard a knock outside. Soon, the Lord Chambein who carefully opened the door and stepped in, said with a deep bow, ¡°Your Majesty, Lady Jena has formally asked to meet you. What shall I do? ¡± ¡°Lady Jena? Ah, was that today? ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Right. Let her in. ¡± I shook his head when he spoke with a tone as if he forgot it for a long time. I felt strange because he was not the type of person who forgot this kind of stuff. Even if he forgot, didn¡¯t his aide give him a reminder about his schedule of the day every morning? But it wasn¡¯t that important now, so I stood up with a puzzled look. When I was about to leave after bowing to him, he suddenly grabbed my wrist and said, ¡°Just stay here.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty. Lady Jena ising now¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not going to see her for long anyway.¡± Is this really okay? She is not in my faction, and I don¡¯t know why she came to see the emperor. Although I felt ufortable, I just sat back reluctantly. Only then did he let go of my wrist and closed the documents, so they were not visible. I also gathered documents piled up high and put them on one corner of the table that was hard to notice. Stepping into the office with a smile, she suddenly stopped. She stared at me with a sharp nce, as if to ask why I was here, then quickly smiled at him, showing due manners. I broke into a smile, looking at the swollen purple satin dress. ¡°I, Graspe de Jena, am honored to see you, the Sun of the Empire.¡± ¡°Sit down. Hmm, Lady Jena.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what business brought you here, but given that you didn¡¯t request a solo meeting with me, I don¡¯t think your agenda today is secret. So, would you mind if I had Lady Monique stay here?¡± ¡°¡­ Not at all, Your Majesty. ¡± Responding a bit btedly, she sat down on his left, adjusting the hem of her dress. As I sat on his right, I was sitting face to face with her. ¡°Aristia, let¡¯s take care of the rest of the work after the meeting is over. Just assume you¡¯re taking a break.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± I replied, flinching at his remarks. Why is he saying that? I looked up at him curiously, but he looked very calm, though his face looked a bit pale. ¡°Okay. Then let me listen to what you have to say, Lady Jena. So, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing special¡­¡± Casting a sharp nce at me, she put down a small box on the table. Smiling shyly, she untied the golden ribbon, opened the lid, and gave it to him. ¡°I had a chance to obtain the best rosehips from the Sono kingdom. So I¡¯ve brought it to Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Really? Thank you. ¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Your Majesty. And I¡¯ve brought this one, too, as it¡¯s good with the rosehip tea. Although I¡¯m not good at it, I¡¯ve made it by myself, longing for you so much. So, please ept it as a small sign of my kindness.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lady Jena.¡± ¡®Did you make it by yourself?¡¯ Chapter 234 Chapter 234: Chapter 234 I silently watched her speaking to him softly with cuteness and him epting her gift without any hesitation. When I was breathing out as I felt jammed up inside, I breathed loudly. He looked at me quickly and pulled the string to call a servant. Then, he told the servant who came immediately, ¡°Keep it well because Lady Jena gave it to me.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± She bit her lips, watching the servant taking the gift. I broke into a smile as she seemed embarrassed and upset, but I felt gratified somehow. When I giggled, she looked angrily at me. Disgusted at her attitude, whopletely forgot that she was being so coy, I gave her an eye signal, pointing at him. Only then did she seem to have realized her mistake. Changing her facial expression, she said, ¡°I heard that you became a full-fledged knight, Lady Monique. Congrattions!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°So, are you now going to be the official sessor of your family? You¡¯re really great. I watched my brother handling matters as the sessor of my family, but I wouldn¡¯t do it. That¡¯s why I havee to respect you more. I think it would be better for me to help my future husband quietly.¡± I giggled once again. Didn¡¯t she find out his true colors when she was so obsessed with him? Clicking my tongue furtively, I turned my eyes to him. Not surprisingly, his navy blue eyes were coldly subdued. He hated the way of speaking used by the noble women attending social events, which I discovered only a few years ago. So much so that he called those youngdies chattering and ndering each other, a flock of snakes. After looking at her coldly, he said, ¡°Thank you for the gift, Lady Jena. Do you have anything more to say?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Good. Let me wrap up your meeting here. I¡¯d like to talk to you for a little more, but I¡¯ve got a lot of work to do now. ¡± ¡°¡­ Oh I see. Then I¡¯m going to leave now, Your Majesty.¡± Biting her lip, she rose and bowed to him. Her ck eyes looking at me sparkled sharply. I heard the sound of her skirt rustling before the door closed. After looking at the door, he pressed his temple and picked up the documents he had pushed to the side, so she could not see them. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start again. Will you please give me an overview again?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Well, let me briefly exin as you seem tired. In fact, the reason I bring up the trivial issue of the redeployment of the knights for your attention is because I need your approval of which option you want to take.¡± ¡°Two ways. Please continue. ¡± ¡°That is¡­¡± How much time passed? While I was exining it to him, turning over the thick documents, I suddenly found he was too quiet. As usual, he might ask questions or nod his head, but he wasn¡¯t responding, with one hand on his forehead. I couldn¡¯t even see what kind of expression he was making because of the shade of his hand on his forehead. ¡°¡­ Your Majesty?¡± I called him hesitantly, but he had no answer. Was he asleep because he was so tired? ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Even though I called him a little louder than before, he still had no answer. He should have felt my intense gaze at him, but he didn¡¯t show any reaction. Given his sensitive personality, he was unusually quiet. Now I became more and more anxious, so I reluctantly approached him and called him loudly after clearing my throat. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± The moment I touched him carefully, I felt his body was hot. Stunned, I shook his shoulder. His hand ced on his forehead dropped. Only then did I see his face fully. My heart sank. His face, which I thought was just a little pale, turned white. ¡°Your Majesty¡­?¡± My heart started to beat at a very high rate. I felt dizzy at that pounding sound. ¡°Howe he was¡­¡± I lifted my trembling hand and took it to the tip of his nose. I felt his rough breathing at the tip of my finger. The buzzing sound rang in my ears endlessly. ¡®Come to your senses, Aristia!¡¯ Biting my lips, I stood up, straining my faltering legs. Though I was extremely confused and absent-minded, I walked to the door staggeringly, gnashing my teeth. Then I pulled the doorknob that didn¡¯t work as hard as I could and opened the door. ¡°Lord Chambein!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here, Lady Monique.¡± My lips often trembled, but I tried to keep a calm look and gave him an order quickly. ¡°Since the emperor wants to talk to the High Priest secretly, send someone to the temple right away to bring him over here.¡± ¡°Yes, but why didn¡¯t he call me directly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because he is reviewing important documents at the moment. That¡¯s why he called me to assist him, as you know.¡± ¡°Got it. I will send someone to the temple right now. ¡± ¡°Good. And¡­¡± Suddenly I remembered my dialogue with the High Priest a few days ago. He said he was leaving the empire sooner orter to stop the Fourth Root of Vita from making his wish. What if he already left the empire? Suddenly, I was choked up with emotions. I felt like I would cry at any time, so I calmed my pounding heart, biting my lips, and said as calmly as possible, ¡°If he is not at the temple, ask them when he left. Send somebody to the gate of the capital castle, too. Oh, I think you had better send the men to the temple and the gate at the same time. Anyway, please bring the High Priest here as soon as possible. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Monique.¡± I turned, pretending to be calm and rxed. The moment I carefully closed the door, my legs were like jelly. I helplessly sat down at the door and closed my mouth with trembling hands. My breathing roughly came out through my closed lips. My hand was in the clouds, but I took out my hands and bit my lips. When I tasted the scent of blood on my lips, I seemed toe to my senses. Tasting the salty taste in my mouth, I raised my body. I was terrified to see his terrifyingly pale face, but I put his drooping arms on my shoulder, clenching my teeth. After raising his body with all my might, I walked a few steps and ced him on a spacious sofa. Iid him on the sofa. I unbuttoned his jacket and shirt as well as his scarf. While looking around quickly, I dipped a handkerchief in the water of a vase and put it on his forehead. What else should I do now? I tried to think hard in my mind, but I couldn¡¯t think of anything else. What happened to him? His condition was too serious to say that he fell because of fatigue or overwork. Did something bad happen to him? At the moment, my heart jolted because something came to mind. How much time passed? I suddenly came to my senses when I heard the sound of someone knocking on the door. I wiped my face wet with sweat and adjusted my dress. Then, I asked the Lord Chambein who stiffened when he stepped in, ¡°Have you brought the High Priest here?¡± ¡°Lady Monique¡­ What happened to His Excellency?¡± ¡°Come to your senses! I¡¯m asking you now. Have you brought the High Priest here?¡± ¡°Oh, ah, yes, he is here.¡± ¡°Whew! ¡± I felt like a limp noodle, feeling relieved to hear that. Barely pulling myself together, I said with a lighter feeling than before, ¡°Okay, please bring him here. Don¡¯t tell it to anybody until I call youter.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, Lady Monique.¡± He hurriedly replied and opened the door after taking a deep breath. After stepping in with a puzzled look, the High Priest paused for a moment. Then he came hurriedly to the emperor and checked his condition. ¡°¡­May the light of life embrace him!¡± After examining him for a long time, he recited a prayer with a sigh. The moment I felt relieved to see a ray of lighting from his stretched hands, he was back in colors, then he coughed violently. ¡°Cough! Cough! Cough!¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± I rushed to him. When I embraced him with trembling hands, light came out again from the High Priest¡¯s hands. ¡°In the name of Vita, the Lord of Life, go away filthiness!¡± When the white light enveloped the young man, his violent coughing gradually decreased. His harsh breathing also faded, and his fever began to break little by little. Chapter 235 Chapter 235: Chapter 235 I sighed with relief, gentlyying down the drooping young man. I was relieved when I saw him peaceful. ¡°Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Your Eminence?¡± ¡°¡­ Ah yes. Did you call me? ¡± He replied, while thinking something over with a frown. For some reason he looked somewhat embarrassed, which was unusual. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did anything bad¡­¡± ¡°Oh, nothing¡­ I¡¯m going to tell him when he woke up. I think it would be better. ¡± ¡°¡­Really? I got it.¡± I was nervous. Given that he was catching his breath and made an embarrassed expression, I thought something bad happened to the emperor. How much time passed? When I was just staring nkly at the young man who was sitting across the couch, I suddenly heard him making a low moan. ¡°Um¡­ ¡± ¡°Your Majesty, are youing to your senses?¡± When I asked, hurriedly approaching him, his blurred eyes began to sparkle gradually. He said, blinking slowly, ¡°Aristia¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­ Why are you crying? ¡± He touched my eyes with his hand carefully. I stiffened at his cold yet soft touch. Even though he might have noticed my flinching, he got up after wiping away tears in my eyes. Then he flinched, while trying to say something. ¡°¡­ Oh, you must be the High Priest. It looks like I caused trouble to both of you. What happened? ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact situation. It seems that Lady Monique gave you first aide¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± Looking up at his navy blue eyes, I said, ¡°As you suddenly lost consciousness, I decided to invite the High Priest here by giving the emperor¡¯s order on your behalf. Please forgive me.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. Thanks a lot for your fine job. You must have been surprised. ¡± ¡°I am, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Thanks, Your Eminence. I think I have bothered you.¡± The High Priest said, looking at him who expressed his gratitude silently, ¡°It seems that you overworked yourself because of your coronation ceremony and other things. You showed symptoms of severe fatigue and dehydration. No matter how busy you are, take some rest.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°By the way¡­I want to say something to you. I am supposed to tell this in my one-on-one meeting with you, but can I just tell you? I don¡¯t think Lady Monique is a third party¡­¡± ¡°Um. Yes, go ahead.¡± When he nodded, the High Priest said with a sigh, ¡°I would like to ask you one thing. Your Majesty, have you ever felt something strange about your condition these days? For example, did you suddenly be upset or irritated or were you on an emotional roller coaster?¡± At that moment, I felt goosebumps. Is he going to say the same thing that I¡¯m concerned about? Looking at me who flinched, the emperor said, ¡°¡­ Why are you asking me that? ¡± ¡°Annoyance, anxiety, anger, and extreme emotional highs and lows. All of these are the symptoms that one shows when affected by a particr poison. It is the same poison that almost killed Lady Monique. Can¡¯t you figure out anything?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± He didn¡¯t say anything, but his frowning showed that he was agitated. I hurriedly closed my mouth with my hand. Poisoning? Who dared poison the emperor? This was clearly different from the issue of my poisoning. If anybody tried to harm the only ruler of the empire, wasn¡¯t it treason? If this were known, everybody in the empire would be shocked. ¡°¡­ Are you sure? ¡± ¡°I¡¯ve checked it again and again, but I¡¯m pretty sure. Whew, I¡¯m so d I found it before I left. ¡± ¡°¡­I see. Can you please keep it secret until I tell you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Thank you. You did a great job today. I¡¯ll repay your effortster.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± Even though he was in the process of being poisoned, he was very calm. I asked, on behalf of him who knocked on the handle of a chair with a pensive expression, ¡°Your Eminence, the poison used on him has been neutralized?¡± ¡°Yes, but unless we find out how he was poisoned, he would be likely poisoned again. I felt it very strange that some strange things kept happening to dy my departure, and I think Vita has stopped me.¡± ¡°I see. So, the thing is¡­¡± ¡°Oh, this poison has no special effect on a man. However, if poisoned over a long period of time, it will make it difficult for him to lead a normal life because of his growing emotional highs and lows. I guess somebodymitted this crime to sully his reputation because he has just been inaugurated as the emperor.¡± I now understand. The emperor is considered to be superior to anyone in terms of rationality. If he suddenly bursts in anger, for example, it will certainly sully his reputation. If they have been plotting treason, it would be easy for them to promote a cause for treason, arguing he is a tyrant. Wait a minute. Anger? At that moment, something crossed my mind suddenly, but I quickly shook my head out of it. No, it can¡¯t be. It¡¯s too much spection at this point. When I held onto my cold fingertips, the High Priest looked at the window and said, ¡°Your Majesty, can I leave today? Looking at the situation, I think I have to postpone my journey, and I think I have to take care of something¡­¡± ¡°Oh, yes please. Let¡¯s talk in detail next time. ¡± ¡°Thank you. Bye for now, Your Majesty.¡± Bowing his head to express gratitude, the High Priest stood up. I also tried to stand up like him, but I couldn¡¯t because the emperor asked me to stay a little longer. When he left, with his long hair dragging on the floor, the emperor sighed, holding his temple with one hand. I hesitantly opened my mouth, looking at him agonized deeply. ¡°¡­ Are you okay? ¡± ¡°To be honest, I am not. My head is throbbing. Are you okay? It seemed you were surprised.¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m concerned about you more. I just don¡¯t understand how somebody couldmit such an unpardonable crime against you? I think you must search for the suspect and bring him to justice by all means.¡± When I opined cautiously, he said, nodding lightly, ¡°Of course¡­ May I ask you a favor?¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead, please.¡± ¡°Everyone knows that the Monique family has the right to investigate your poisoning, so use the right to investigate the people at the pce affairs office.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Was it because of the documents I saw the other day, or what I just thought of? One name came to my mind quickly. He was the guy who was responsible for serving wine for the emperor, Ian Belot. He was also the secret lover of the maid who poisoned me, and he probably had connections with the noble faction. If Ian Belot was the same person in my memory, namely the same guy who was the maid¡¯s secret lover, he must have poisoned the emperor, too. As the emperor drinks wine in a ss, Ian could easily put poison in the wine ss without being caught. I vowed to look into the pce affairs office sooner orter, and asked carefully, ¡°I will investigate and report back to you as soon as possible. Do you have any other order?¡± ¡°No. I think that will be enough for now. ¡± ¡°Got it. Your Majesty, may I leave now? As you are exhausted because of this, I hope you can take a rest today.¡± ¡°¡­I see. I will. ¡± ¡°Have a good rest, Your Majesty.¡± I rose from my seat and bowed my head to show due manners. Turning slowly, I suddenly heard his distinctively cold voice from behind my back. ¡°Aristia.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Thanks for your efforts today.¡± I felt his voice was warm this time. When I saw his face suddenly glowing again, I felt rxed. A smile came to my lips. ¡°You¡¯re wee, Your Majesty. I just did what I had to do.¡± When I replied humbly, a smile touched the corners of his mouth. With my hand on my calm heart, I turned after bowing out to him. Upon returning home, I immediately wrote a letter to the head of the pce affairs office. I asked him for cooperation with respect to the investigation of the Earl Lanier case. I didn¡¯t forget to mention that the emperor approved my investigation, asking him to turn over all the information about the personal details on all the staff of the pce affairs office as soon as possible. Chapter 236 Chapter 236: Chapter 236 No matter how much I thought about it, this was the only way for me to investigate Ian Belot without inviting his suspicion. This was also necessary to find out those who dared to poison the emperor if he was not the real criminal. When I was done sorting out the immediate thing to do, the butler came in, saying that a couple of royal knights were here. Come to think of it, I remembered that they would escort me for the time being, starting today. I nodded slightly and headed to the drawing room to meet them. When I stepped in, the two knights sitting on the sofa got up and greeted me. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Sir Monique.¡± ¡°Sir Seymour, Sir Lank, hello. Are you escorting me? ¡± When I asked with a light smile, Sir Seymour shook his head lightly and said, ¡°No. You will be escorted by six royal knights on three shifts. Even if you are a little ufortable, I hope you can understand. ¡± ¡°Six? Then, who is going to escort the emperor?¡± ¡°I was told that this time about 15 would be chosen to escort the emperor. So there will be no problem. ¡± ¡°I see. By the way, Sir Seymour, have you changed your partner? I remember that you used to work with Sir June.¡± ¡°He¡¯s off duty now. He will probablye back to me next time. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Thanks to the emperor¡¯s order, everyone has more break time, ¡± said Sir Lank who didn¡¯t look like a noble at all, with his dark blue eyes sparkling. He looked very happy. When I saw him, Sir June came to my mind, who was quite a cheerful knight with reddish-brown hair and the opposite of the reticent Seymour. ¡°Emperor¡¯s order?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Three days ago, he seemed to be very pleased three days ago and gave us off-duty orders for the first time after he was inaugurated. Thanks to his order, we all had a good break. That¡¯s why Sir June is now off duty. ¡± ¡°Stop it, Sir Lank.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Sir Monique. All thanks to you.¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­? ¡± Thanks to me? What is he talking about? When I asked with my eyes wide open, Sir Seymour cleared his throat and said, holding onto Sir Lank¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Hey, stop it, please.¡± ¡°Why not? I have something to say to her.¡± ¡°Really? Just go ahead.¡± ¡°Please take good care of His Majesty¡­ ¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you stop it?¡± Sir Seymour, who hurriedly stopped him who was about to speak passionately, said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing special, Lady Monique. Never mind.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Just ignore it. It really is nothing special.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me, Sir Seymour?¡± ¡°Sir Lank, can¡¯t you shut your mouth?¡± I looked puzzled about Sir Seymour who made a sinister expression, which was something unusual because he was always calm. What happened? He told me not to mind, but I was bothered by Sir Lank¡¯s attitude. Did he mention three days ago? On that day, the ceremony for the new knights was held. Major figures came back a bitte, I was stopped while trying to swear the oath of blood to the emperor, so I went back to the Central Pce to persuade him on that day. Suddenly, something came to my mind. He hugged and kissed me passionately. No way! Did the emperor look quite pleased because of that on that day? When Sir Lank noticed I was trying to say something, he just smiled at me. Oh My God! Did they already know that? I blushed more and more. How can I face them from now on? Of course, it¡¯s hard to think that as they always followed the emperor, the royal knights might have smelled a rat, but I really didn¡¯t expect they saw him kissing me. When I was at a loss about how to react, Lina came and said dinner was ready. I sprang to my feet dly at that, and came to the dining room downstairs, but stopped suddenly. I asked her to bring the food to my room. If I went downstairs now, I would have to eat with the two knights. How could I sit face to face with them? When Sir Lank, who looked at me with sparkling eyes, disappeared, saying that he would go and eat first, Sir Seymour left the room after asking me to call whenever he was needed. I let out a sigh of relief unconsciously. I thought I could breathe freely now. What should I do now? I have to go to the Central Pce tomorrow. Oh my God! Rumors about me and the emperor must have already spread. When I was biting my lips, my face blushing, Lina came up with tes and put them on the table. When I saw steaming up from the dishes, one thing suddenly crossed my mind. After hesitating for a moment, I asked her in pasing, when she was about to leave. ¡°Well, Lina.¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± ¡°Is this hard to make? ¡°Pardon? What?¡± ¡°Well, I mean this food.¡± ¡°Pardon? Cooking? Why are you suddenly asking that?¡± I sighed, looking at her who opened her eyes wide open. What the heck am I talking to her about now? Somehow, I felt so pathetic about myself, so I told her not to care about it and let her leave. Why am I being silly like this today? I made a series of mistakes and even lost myposure. After taking a deep breath, I picked a silver fork. I took the food to my mouth silently, but put the fork down because I found myself thinking of something. Is it because I heard what the royal knights said a little while ago? I kept recalling what happened that night the other day. He hugged me so tightly, he caressed my hair softly, and he kissed me passionately. Suddenly, my breathing was fast, and my heart beat quickly. ¡®Come to your senses, Aristia. Why are you so silly today?¡± I tried to shake off my idle thoughts, but couldn¡¯t because what he did was embedded in my mind already. Rather I was reminded of other things because of that. I clenched my teeth to shake off such memories, but flinched because I recalled what happened today. I was crying beside the emperor who fell, with his face turning pale. Whenever I saw him with Jiun, I was angry and anxious, but I managed to put up with it. But the fear I experienced when he fell into my arms and breathed roughly was far more than when I saw him with Jiun. So much so that I called God again, whose name I was erasing from my mind unconsciously. Why did I do so? Why did I fear so much as to tremble like that? Come to think of it, I had no worries about theplex political situation or other situation at that time. I was just worried and scared that I would never see him again. When I put down the fork with a sigh, I suddenly noticed the Orgel, the music box, on the bedside table. Decorated with tinum and sapphires, it was shining in a soft silver-blue color under the light. When I winded the spring and opened the lid of the music box, the doll in her light blue dress spun. The sapphire tiara, reflected the flickering candle and shined blue in her silver hair like his eyes. I put my hand on my pounding heart. The more I thought of his kiss, the more I recalled him smiling at me, I was thrilled. I knew I shouldn¡¯t do this, but I was a little afraid I might lose him. I was afraid he would leave me forever. Looking down at the doll dancing with a smile, I slowlyy on my bed. I winded the doll once again, and pulled the nket while listening to the music echoing softly. It seemed that I wouldn¡¯t sleep today anyway. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Cough, cough, cough!¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± When I rushed to support the emperor, I smelled something stinking of blood. Stunned, I raised his neck. I saw blood dripping from his mouth. My heart sank. ¡°Your Majesty¡­ ? ¡± When I called him with a trembling voice, his tightly closed eyelids slowly opened and his blurred eyes turned towards me. ¡°¡­ Ari¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute, Your Majesty! I¡¯ll call someone immediately ¡­! ¡± ¡°Cough! ¡± Blood was flowing down again. Chapter 237 Chapter 237: Chapter 237 Present VI My whole body was trembling from the strong scent of blood, but I quickly searched his pocket with one hand, while supporting him with the other. I pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, when I heard his faint voice that seemed to fade away right away. ¡°¡­ Tia ¡­¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Your Majesty! I¡¯m here! Please tell me ¡­!¡± While calling him with a trembling voice, I suddenly stopped because I couldn¡¯t feel his body temperature as I had a moment ago. I quickly reached out and touched his forehead. I knew I was very polite, but I couldn¡¯t help it. I was scared as his temperature, which was so hot, went down suddenly, but I called him once again, clearing my trembling throat. ¡°¡­Your Majesty!¡± ¡°¡­ You are¡­¡± His head, feebly leaning on me, fell to one side. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Shaking off the chilling horror that came over, I put my trembling hand to the tip of his nose. ¡­I didn¡¯t feel him breathing.. ¡°Your Majesty! Come to your senses, Your Majesty! ¡± His head was bent to one side when I shook it violently. When I saw him, I was almost spaced out. His body was getting cold gradually. ¡°No, he can¡¯t be¡­¡± When I shook my head, I noticed his red lips covered with blood in contrast to his face that turned white. Yes, something bad must have happened to him. Who is he? Isn¡¯t he the emperor who rules the 20 million people of the empire and the ruler of the only empire of the continent? It¡¯s impossible for him to pass away like this. No, he can¡¯t, given his vibrant lips. I carefully put my ear to his chest. He might pretend to close his eyes, but I didn¡¯t know when he would wake up suddenly and get mad at me for my rudeness. ¡°¡­ ¡± I tilted my head. Why can¡¯t I hear my heartbeat? Why isn¡¯t his chest moving up and down? He really looks like he is dead. ¡°Your Majesty, that¡¯s very naughty of you. It¡¯s not funny at all. Your Majesty, please open your eyes now!¡± But he didn¡¯t reply. Even his closed eyelids did not open. With my heart beating nervously, I shook him again. ¡°Stop it now, please!¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Please stop it.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± Suddenly, I was choked up with emotions. Then, my tears fell in big drops even before I could control my emotions. Straining my blurred eyes, I shook him as he grew cold. No matter how much I shook him, he didn¡¯t respond. I just felt coldness on my fingertips that touched his body. Suddenly, I felt some hot liquid flowing from my lips. That warm blood falling on the back of my hands was so different from the coldness in my fingertips. ¡°s¡­¡± I moaned at the warm drops of blood soaking my cold hand. My heart ached so much, along with the burning tears. ¡°Open your eyes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Please¡­ ¡± Oh God! If you care about me at all and have pity on me, save this man, please. Although I said I wouldn¡¯t believe in you anymore, I would do anything for you if you could save his life. Even if you tell me to ept my fate without resistance, and even if you take back my second life, I would dly ept it¡­ ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Ah, Tia? ¡± ¡°Save him, please¡­¡± ¡°Tia,e to your senses!¡± I opened my eyes. Something silvery came into my blurred vision. How did this happen? I was clearly at the Imperial Pce ¡­ ¡°Is the emperor okay?¡± ¡°¡­Daddy?¡± A familiar figure came into my vision that was getting gradually clearer. I hurriedly asked, holding my father who was looking at me anxiously. ¡°Is the emperor safe?¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Tia?¡± ¡°Obviously, he fell, vomiting blood¡­¡± He cut me off right away when I was babbling on, and said firmly, ¡°He is fine. You had a dream.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I just came back after seeing the emperor a little while ago. You don¡¯t have to worry so much. ¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± At that moment, my tense body rxed and I felt like a limp noodle, almost copsing. He hugged me cautiously and gently patted my back. ¡°You must have had a nightmare. Perhaps you were bothered by what happened in the afternoon. ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I heard from the emperor that you really did a good job to save him.¡± My head, which had been in the clouds because I cried too much, began to clear little by little, when he spoke to me kindly. I slowly raised my head and looked at my father. As if it was true that he met the emperor a little while ago, he held me in his arms, wearing the dark blue uniform. When I sighed deeply, he paused for a moment while patting my back, then resumed patting. He whispered into my ears, ¡°Well, I just wanted to step back and watch you, but it looks like I can¡¯t sit idle. What can I do for you, honey?¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°I mean what happened today. Only you and the High Priest know that. You don¡¯t have to worry about the Lord Chambein as you made some usible excuses to him.¡± ¡°Ah yes. In fact, I was thinking of asking you for help, Daddy. This is a matter I couldn¡¯t solve on my own¡­¡± ¡°I see. Tell me anything right away instead of agonizing about it on your own.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s talk again tomorrow. Take a rest first. Let me stay here with you until you fall asleep. So, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°You are not going out to the pce today?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m going to be with you here. I think I have neglected you because I had some work to do at night. Sorry, Tia. ¡± Heid me on the bed gently and pulled the nket over me. Feeling him patting me steadily, my eyelids slowly closed. I fell into the world of sleep again under my father¡¯s strong protection. The hem of my navy blue uniform was wet with the raindrops bouncing over the gravel. The silver epaulets on my shoulders were wet with water, and my whole body was wet from the cool rain. Looking up at the gray sky, I walked toward the pce slowly. I seemed toe to my senses because of the cold raindrops falling on my face. ¡®I was toocent. How did I feel rxed so easily?¡¯ My nightmarest night was so terrible that I didn¡¯t even want to think about it anymore, but I, whose mind and body were rxed, became alert again easily because of it. Even though the High Priest neutralized the emperor¡¯s poisoning, I should not have beencent just because he was safe. Come to think of it, the fact never changed that his life was threatened. The emperor could experience the same thing as long as I didn¡¯t know who the enemy¡¯s spy was, who was behind him, and how big his force was. The enemy¡¯s attackter might be bigger than now. If the enemy found out that the emperor¡¯s poisoning was neutralized, they woulde up with another attack. ¡®There is not much time. I have to solve it as soon as possible and secretly. ¡® Gazing at the white roof that appeared right before me, I vowed that I would find the mastermind of the treason as soon as possible. ¡°Wee back, Lady Monique.¡± When I arrived at the Central Pce, the servants who bowed politely pulled the heavy door to both sides. I stepped inside the gate, lightly brushing my hair that was soaked on my way here. When I frowned at the dripping water a bit, a familiar man approached and bowed his head. ¡°It has been a while, Lady Monique. How are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Viscount Pei. I heard that you were appointed as the chief of the pce affairs department. Congrattions!¡± ¡°Thank you, Lady Monique. You were soaked in the rain. What are you doing? Come on, bring her a dry towel.¡± The middle-aged man, who was the Lord Chambein of the Central Pce during thete emperor¡¯s reign, was old now, but he seemed to have total control of his staff like before. As soon as he shouted, a servant hurriedly came to me and handed me a dry towel. Soon the maids began to wipe my wet body. Chapter 238 Chapter 238: Chapter 238 ¡°Thank you. By the way, I would like to remind you of the emperor¡¯s instruction¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I have already prepared it for you. Do you have any other instruction?¡± After keeping silent for a moment, I stared at the man in front of me. ¡®Can I believe him?¡¯ As he was reticent and serious, thete emperor trusted him, but given the gravity of the matter, I could not trust himpletely. So I just shook my head lightly, refraining from saying something hovering at the tip of my tongue. ¡°No. It must have been very burdensome. Thank you for your help.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Take a look first and if you need more, please feel free to tell me. ¡± ¡°Yes, then I will send someone to pick it up in the afternoon.¡± I gently bowed to him smiling at me kindly and slowly moved toward the office. After looking back at the chambein who looked better than yesterday, I walked into the office when the young man with blue hair looked at me while talking with his advisor. Perhaps it was because of his slightly pale face that his neatly brushed hair looked unusually blue today. Was it because of my nightmarest night? It seemed that blood wasing from his mouth. I hurriedly shook my head to get rid of the hallucination in my mind and slowly bowed towards him. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m honored to see the Sun of the Empire.¡± ¡°Come on in. Um, can you wait a minute? ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Okay, take care of that in that manner, Wrankle. As you have been working a lot for me these days, you can have a day off tomorrow.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. Then I am leaving now.¡± The aide gathered the pile of documents before leaving the office. When I was about to sit down, looking at him for a moment, the emperor suddenly got up, and frowned, grabbing my wrist. ¡°Why did youe here like this? You are all wet.¡± Thanks to his tight grip on my wrist and his warmth in his hand, my anxious feelings that I had felt since I had a nightmarest night melted away. Clearing my dry throat, I slowly bowed my head to express apology. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. Because of the rain¡­¡± ¡°What if you got a cold when you are so weak?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Your Majesty. Any knight can¡­¡± ¡°As I told you clearly the other day, I can¡¯t believe it when you say you are okay.¡± When he touched the hem of my uniform, which was still wet even after the maid wiped it with a dry towel, he clicked his tongue as if he was not satisfied. I said I didn¡¯t need it when he told a maid to prepare bath water for me by pulling the string, but he shook his head silently, rejecting my request. In the end I came out of his office, escorted by the maid. ¡°Excuse me for a moment, Lady Monique.¡± When I came into the bathroom, a couple of maids approached me carefully and bowed politely. I soaked myself in warm water, helped by the maids. I closed my eyes while they were washing my body gently, but the dream that bothered mest night came back to me. His pale face and blood on his mouth. When I shivered with the chills momentarily, the maids serving me got stunned and double checked the temperature of the water again. I waved at them slightly, suggesting I was fine, and closed my eyes again, recalling what happened to him in the dream. ¡°¡­ Aris¡­ ¡± ¡°Wait a minute, Your Majesty! I¡¯ll call someone immediately ¡­! ¡± ¡°¡­ Tia ¡­ ¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Your Majesty! I¡¯m here! Please tell me ¡­! ¡± ¡°¡­ You¡­¡± Even though I knew it was just a nightmare, my heart beat nervously again at his feeble voice hovering around my ears. ¡®Calm down, Aristia. He¡¯s safe.¡¯ I took a deep breath and put my hand on my chest, feeling my heart beating fast. I did need to catch the suspect as soon as possible, but I didn¡¯t have to be so anxious because of that dream. Besides, I confirmed that he was safe with my own eyes a little while ago. ¡°You¡¯re done, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Oh, thanks. Good job.¡± I slowly raised my body and shook off my idle thoughts. After I wiped my body dry and changed into the prepared clothes, I went back to his office. The emperor nced at me and said, ¡°You look much better.¡± ¡°Thank you so much, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Why are you so stubborn? You would not have been wet in the rain if you had worn a formal dress instead of a uniform,¡± he said, with a sign as if he was frustrated. ¡°A knight¡¯s life is ufortable in many ways. Most knights don¡¯t like a day like this, I would think.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°How about you? Do you hate rainy days too? ¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s surprising. I thought you didn¡¯t like a rainy day because you had to get rained instead of avoiding it.¡± I tilted my head. Obviously, I didn¡¯t hate rainy days in the past, but I didn¡¯t like it that much. When did I start to like rainy days? ¡®Well, it¡¯s not that important now.¡¯ I sat down, shaking off my thoughts. I could not afford to wonder if I liked rain or not. ¡°How is your condition, Your Majesty? Are you still in bad condition?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay now. Thanks for your concern.¡± He asked, looking at the documents he had just brought, ¡°Do you have to review them today?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. It¡¯s about the matters of the knights division. I am still investigating the case that you ordered me to look into yesterday. I was supposed to receive the relevant material from the chief of the pce affairs department, but I thought I might bring their suspicion if I brought the documents here to see you ¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, are you really going to keep this confidential? I¡¯m afraid you might be harmed again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will pay special attention to this matter. Besides, I think I have to be ready if I want to solve this problem as soon as possible.¡± I was still suffering from the nightmare that wouldn¡¯t go away, but he was calm as he didn¡¯t know the circumstances. Although I felt like something got stuck in my throat, I slowly opened my mouth, ¡°¡­Got it, Your Majesty. By the way, I heard that my father met you yesterday. So, I was supposed to get his help with respect to what happened yesterday.¡± ¡°Sure, of course. You don¡¯t have to avoid him as he is your father. You don¡¯t have to worry about the High Priest because I already gave him a reminder.¡± ¡°I understand, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s talk about it as there is more progress¡­ Let me take a look at this first today.¡± With a little sigh, he picked up a bunch of papers. I felt sorry for him when he turned over the documents, pressing his temple with one hand. Although he worked hard as usual, he looks a little tired. In fact, the High Priest also said he was overworking himself. Given that he went through some terrible things recently, it was natural that he was exhausted. Did he feel my gaze? He took his eyes off the papers and leaned forward to ask, ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± ¡°Really? Hmm. Aristia, can I ask you to bring me a cup of warm tea?¡± ¡°Ah yes. Of course, Your Majesty. ¡± After nodding lightly, I pulled the string and told the maid to prepare tea. How much time passed? Suddenly somebody knocked on the door while he was turning over the documents. In no time, a maid ced a tea box and a kettle filled with hot water on the table. ¡®What will I brew for him?¡¯ After pondering for a moment, I picked out some out of over a dozen kinds of tea leaves that had an excellent effect on fatigue and brewed it. ¡°Here you are, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± When he was handed a silver mug, he smiled at me. My heart began to beat fast at his smile, so I hurriedly stretched out my hand and picked up a mug. ¡®Whew¡­ ¡® Even forgetting etiquette, I gulped down a cup of hot tea and put it down when my eyes met his. I tightened my grip on the mug, trying to calm down. ¡®What the heck? Why is he staring at me like that?¡¯ ¡°Your Majesty!¡± I called him carefully, but he didn¡¯t reply, only making only a mysterious expression. Chapter 239 Chapter 239: Chapter 239 When I followed his gaze curiously, I noticed the mug in my hand, with its corner embellished with a gold leaf and the crest of a roaring golden lion engraved on the handle and body. ¡®Why is he looking at my cup? Was there something wrong with the tea?¡¯ I looked at the table with a puzzled expression, then flinched. Why is there only one teacup? Obviously, after I handed him a cup, then I had my own¡­ When I looked back in a hurry, he giggled at me, who was looking at me nkly until then. At that moment, I blushed. ¡®Oh my, did I drink his tea, not mine?¡¯ ¡°It looks like you were very thirsty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to me you, but¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°¡­ Hmm, nothing. ¡± After shaking his head slightly, he pulled the kettle and poured the tea into an empty mug. ¡®That¡¯s my cup!¡¯ ¡°Excuse me, Your Majesty. That cup¡­¡± Although I hastily tried to stop him, he already put the cup brimming with tea to his mouth. When I watched him drinking the tea casually, I felt as if blood was rushing on my blushed face. I covered my cheeks with my hands. ¡°Ugh? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Oh, that cup.. Never mind, Your Majesty.¡± When I iled because I didn¡¯t have the nerve to exin, heughed low. When I bowed, at a loss what to do, somebody knocked on the door and immediately came in. ¡°Your Majesty, a messenger dispatched by Duke Verita wants to see you urgently. What shall I do? ¡± ¡°Messenger from the Verita family? Let him in.¡± ¡®Verita family?¡¯ I felt somewhat uneasy to hear that. Message from Duke Verita? What is it? If he dispatched the messenger in this rain, it must be something very urgent. ¡°Loyalty to the Lion! I, Tran Butler of the Verita family, am honored to see you, the Sun of the Empire.¡± ¡°Glory to the Empire! So, why do you want to see me urgently? ¡± ¡°This morning Duke Verita¡¯s eldest son, Alexis de Verita, was held in Vita¡¯s arms, so I wanted to report to you about it.¡± ¡°What the heck? Isn¡¯t Alexis the sessor of the Verita family? Did he die? ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Got it. Wait outside until I give you an order.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Held in Vita¡¯s arms? Alexis? I heard that he was in critical condition for some time. I saw Duke Verita very distressed because of him. But I didn¡¯t know he died so vainly like this. At the moment, the nightmarest night crossed my mind, but I shook it off and recalled his face. He looked like his brother Allendis a lot, but unlike his handsome brother, he looked weak all the time. I naturally recalled Allendis¡¯s face, too, who was my most precious friend I had forgotten for a long time. I put my hand on my throbbing heart. Alendis, where are you? Are you safe? I¡¯m scared of this unfortunate news about your brother. Whenever I think of you who I lost track of, I just keep getting anxious. I closed my trembling lips. ¡®Don¡¯t even think about it, Aristia. Allendis is a rare genius. Would he not know the gravity of this situation? If he doesn¡¯t appear soon, it¡¯s obvious what will happen next. His rtives will rise up to take back Duke Verita¡¯s title because it¡¯s a golden opportunity they can never miss.¡¯ Besides, there will be lots of opinion within the pro-emperor faction as to which one of the Verita family they will have to cultivate rtionships with. Although he was away for a while, Allendis was also a member of the great noble family. He couldn¡¯t sit idle when he knew about this. ¡°¡­ Aristia?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°You seem to be very surprised, given that you spaced out. I think you¡¯re very worried because he is your friend.¡± ¡°Ah¡­Sorry, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s wrap up here today. Just like you, I¡¯ve got a lot on my mind at the moment. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t focus anymore.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± As I gathered the papers and pushed them to the corner of the table, he lifted the mug and leaned over the table. Although the tea was cold, he tilted the mug without any expression and knocked on the table with one hand. How much time passed? After thinking about something for a long time, he suddenly looked up at me and asked, ¡°Are you going to Duke Verita¡¯s house?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I think I¡¯ll stop by as soon as I leave the pce. Of course, I have to see my father first to discuss what to do.¡± ¡°I see. Hmm¡­ Then let¡¯s go with me. Let me tell your fatherter.¡± ¡°Pardon? You are going there in person?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s Duke Verita¡¯s house. As he lost his son, I think I should visit there at least once. ¡± He was right. Alexis belonged to the pro-emperor faction, his main support base, and the sessor of the Verita family, ranked No. 2 in the empire. But I felt his n to visit the Verita family was not good. It was only one day after the plot to poison him was revealed. It was dangerous for him to leave the imperial pce in a situation where it was not known who the criminal was, and what kind of intention he had. Moreover, because of Alexis¡¯s death, all of the duke¡¯s family members must be absent-minded and confused at the moment. If the emperor visits them, it would only add chaos. As if he noticed my hesitation, he put down the empty mug and exined it. ¡°I know what you are worried about. So I thought about whether I would be better off attending his funeral or going now. But I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t take time out at the time when the funeral is held. ¡± ¡°But Your Majesty, isn¡¯t it dangerous for you to leave the pce at this time?¡± ¡°Let me pay special attention. I can¡¯t turn a blind eye to the Verita family¡¯s matter.¡± ¡°Well¡­Whew, I got it.¡± When I replied with a sigh, he stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go right away. I don¡¯t think I need any special preparations.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. What about my father?¡± ¡°Let me send him a messenger. Is it okay if I tell him toe to Duke Verita¡¯s house as soon as he is done for the day?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for your deep consideration. ¡± I slightly bowed to him, then went to Duke Verita¡¯s house. Duke Verita¡¯s mansion, which I visited for the first time after a long time, was shrouded in a sad atmosphere in a break with its usual refreshing one. ¡°Your Majesty, it is an honor to my family as youe to this ce despite bad weather. I¡¯ll escort you inside.¡± Duke Verita, who rushed to greet the emperor, was a little disheveled, unlike his usually neat appearance. He didn¡¯t wear sses that made him look intellectual, and his voice broke. The duchess in ck dress also looked different from her usual look. She seemed very pale when she greeted the emperor nkly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how tofort you, duke. I know I can¡¯tfort you with any words. ¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Your son was a great talent. His death is a great loss for the Empire. What a pity. ¡± While the two were talking, I looked at Ilya standing behind the duke. Her face was swollen, and her dark-green eyes turned red because of her crying. Although she held a handkerchief, she couldn¡¯t wipe away the tears that flowed unceasingly as she was so feeble. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Sun of the Empire¡­¡± ¡°Lady Verita!¡± ¡°Littledy!¡± The maids rushed to Ilya, as she staggered. ¡°Go ahead and take her to another room.¡± When the duke issued an order, I said, looking back at the emperor, ¡°I would like to follow them. Please forgive me for leaving first. ¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± After seeking his understanding, I left the drawing room. Ilya, who lowered her head feebly as if she would pass out any moment, said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Thank you, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°You look too pale. Ilya, I think you had better go back to your room for rest. Where is her room? Escort me.¡± ¡°This way, please.¡± Ilya barely entered the room, helped by the maids and cried more. Then she fell after weeping bitterly, not caring about my condolences. ¡°Ilya!¡± I shook her urgently, but her closed eyes didn¡¯t open. Iid her, who passed out, on the bed, then I was about to leave. But I suddenly stopped and looked back slowly. Her swollen eyes and her face wet with tears. Suddenly, my face in my dreamst night ovepped with hers. ¡°¡­ ¡± Chapter 240 Chapter 240: Chapter 240 I felt heartbroken, so I left the room quietly, ignoring her. At that moment, I saw a man with green hair walking toward me in the hallway stopping. He was Duke Verita. ¡°I don¡¯t know how tofort you, Duke Verita.¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks foring. Oh, I forgot to greet you a little while ago, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, I shoulde, of course. By the way, why are you here? Where is the emperor?¡± ¡°As my wife passed out, he told me to go and check her condition.¡± ¡°¡­ I see. I am sorry to have disturbed you by asking a useless question.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s fine.¡± The duke, who hesitated for a moment, said with a deep sigh, ¡°I promised him that I would keep it secret, but I think I should tell you. Allendis came here a few days ago. ¡± ¡°Really? Allendis came here?¡± ¡°Yes. He seemed to have heard the rumor that his elder brother was in critical condition. He abruptly came back a few days ago and had hispetence as the family sessor verified.¡± ¡°Then¡­ where is he now?¡± Watching me hurriedly looking around, he said with a faint smile, ¡°He said he woulde back someday, so he asked me to stick around a little longer. What a stupid son!¡± ¡°You mean he left again?¡± ¡°Yes. As soon as he heard that the emperor would visit here, he left, carrying his luggage. I¡¯m telling you this because I know that you have been looking for his whereabouts. Don¡¯t worry as he seems to be keeping well. ¡± ¡°¡­ I see. Thank you.¡± ¡°Oh, Ruth, you are here. Tia, you are here, too.¡± When I barely nodded, I suddenly heard a familiar voice at the far end of the hallway. As if he rushed here as soon as he finished work, his silver hair that was always neat was hanging down, wet with rain. ¡°Daddy!¡± ¡°Oh, Kairan!¡± ¡°Um.¡± My father approached and hugged Duke Verita tightly. Then, after patting his shoulder, who expressed gratitude, my father looked back at me and said, ¡°I think I have to stay here longer, so go home first. You can use my carriage.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to, Marquis. Let me take her home.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty!¡± ¡°I, Kairan Monique, am honored to see you, the Sun of the Empire!¡± I didn¡¯t know when he appeared, but the emperor came to us and interrupted. Nodding at my father showing due manners, he said to Duke Verita, ¡°Duke, you must be absent-minded at the moment. Let me leave now. Stay home and pull yourself together for the time being as I will have them take care of your work at the government.¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Then, see you next time. Let¡¯s go, Aristia. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± After saying goodbye to the two, I climbed into the wagon with him, looking out the dark window and thinking. ¡®¡­ You¡¯re safe, Allen. What a relief! As I haven¡¯t heard from you since you left, I was worried that something bad happened to you. I always felt frustrated even though I believed you woulde back. As I hurt you so much, I was worried that you might have made a bad decision. Can I feel relieved now because you said you woulde back someday? I felt a bit sorry to hear that, but it¡¯s okay because I can meet you again someday.¡¯ I felt greatly relieved now. When I smiled a little with a lighter feeling, I raised my head because he seemed to be gazing at me. His navy blue eyes were staring at me. ¡°What were you pondering over? You couldn¡¯t hear me when I called you. ¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. Actually¡­¡± ¡°Oh I think I know even if I don¡¯t hear it.¡± I got cold feet at his cold voice. When I was hesitant, he paused for a moment and said with a deep sigh, ¡°That¡¯s too bad. I knew he was weak, but I didn¡¯t know he would pass away so suddenly like this. I hear it¡¯s been only a year since he got married.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°By the way, how about Mrs. Verita¡¯s condition?¡± ¡°Ah, I saw her asleep when I came out.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Slowly nodding, he said after staring silently at the rain falling on the night street, ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t say this, but I still envy them.¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°They can mourn the death of their rtives purely without being conscious of losing their face or caring about what others think of them.¡± He was referring to the close rtionship of my father and Duke Verita. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever mourned the death of my rtives. I had no affection for thete empress, and I should not even pretend to know the death of my biological mother. And thete empress was¡­¡± ¡°¡­It is the same with me. Well, I can¡¯t even remember not only my mother, but all my childhood memories. ¡± Although I knew I was rude, I cut him off because I felt sorry for his bitter loneliness. He might have resolved his resentment towards thete emperor after hearing some episodes from me, but his cold rtionship with thete emperor left a scar in his mind. The same may be true of his biological mother whose existence he had to deny, or thete empress from whom he never received love. After looking at me silently, he smiled faintly. He seemed to notice that I was trying to change the topic. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. Then, don¡¯t you have any childhood memories? ¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What a pity! At that time you followed me a lot.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Come to think of it, you were a very lovely child. You were bright and cheerful. You liked everyone around you, so you were loved by them.¡± As if lost in memory, he stared into the air. ¡°At that time, I was up against a wall¡­So I didn¡¯t treat you well. Perhaps that¡¯s why I¡¯m still being punished right now. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°In that respect, I understand why you can¡¯t love me easily. How can you feel affectionate for me when I have treated you coldly? Like they say, I reap the harvest of my own sowing.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Remember what happened at your estate? The moment I saw you standing aghast, I recalled thest glimpse of your mother. Even while I was inspecting the border, I kept recalling it.¡± His subdued eyes turned towards me. When I was fidgeting with the hem of my dress because I had nothing to say, the wagon stopped and a light knock was heard from the outside. I breathed a sigh of relief deep down and slowly bowed to him. ¡°Goodbye, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­Goodbye. Thanks a lot today.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. ¡± Watching his wagon disappearing in the rain while standing under the shade of the umbre unfurled by a maid, I slowly walked into my house. Back to my room, I changed into clothes and headed straight to the office. Because I already reported to him, all I had to do was to review the documents sent by the head of the pce affairs department and consult with my father about it. When I saw a pile of paper piled up like a mountain, I let out a sigh unconsciously. But I pulled myself together and picked up the thick documents. How much time passed? When I saw the name I was looking for in the pile of documents, a smile came to my lips. It took me a lot of time to search through all the names of the pce affairs department. ¡°Let me see¡­¡± A man of good conduct and sincerity? After pulling myself together, I opened my mouth slowly. There was no way other than trusting him now, as long as there was no antidote, or someone else I could trust. Even if the temple was involved in this, the High Priest would not protect the rebellious people. So, no matter how much I think about it, it was best to offer him a deal. Chapter 241 Chapter 241: Chapter 241 When I vowed to get rid of the noble faction in earnest, I suddenly recalled one of the documents I received from Duke Verita. It was more detailed than the one I received from Baron Carot, where it detailed the rtionship between the maid who poisoned me and Ian Belot. Since all of the maid¡¯s family disappeared, I tried my best to find out the trails of their escape and in the process I discovered his name. The document pointed out that as he was the maid¡¯s lover, the real mastermind could be detected by shadowing him. It also pointed out that unlike the maid whose contact with Earl Lanier was found several times, Ian Belot had no such contact, so it was not clear whether he was really rted to the noble faction. At that time, I thought it was trifling, but I smelled a rat when I examined his actions the other day and the chief of the pce affairs department¡¯s evaluation of his personality. I couldn¡¯t morally me him for his extramarital rtionship with the maid because his wife already passed away. But I was bothered by the fact that as someone who had a close rtionship with Viscount Belot and who was reputed to be a man of good conduct, he was having an affair with the maid, the noble faction¡¯s mole.That¡¯s why Duke Verita, the prime minister of the empire, had his men keep an eye on him. Besides, I know the fact that Duke Verita doesn¡¯t even know. I know who poisoned the emperor, Ian Belot. As the man in charge of serving wine for the emperor, Ian could easily put poison into the wine ss without being caught. Besides, he had an additional advantage of being connected with the man through whom he could obtain the poison. However, all this assumption was based on my doubt, so I didn¡¯t have enough evidence to single him out as the main culprit. Wasn¡¯t this incident rted to the safety of the emperor? So, I couldn¡¯t handle this matter based on guesswork. When I was about to close the documents with a sigh, I noticed one line among so many details. ¡®Oh, that¡¯s it!¡¯ As some clue suddenly crossed my mind, I hurriedly pulled a pile of papers and checked them quickly. It was an incrediblyrge amount of documents, but after reading and reading the pile of documents, I could find out what I wanted to know. < April Solmia. Born in 933 by the imperial calendar. She was born to the rtives of the Baron Solmia family. She is a niece of the baron. In 950, she was selected as a courtdy (high-level maid),ter promoted as one of the maids in charge of tasting the food at the Central Pce, but was fired in the second month of 964. Reasons for dismissal: arrogant attitude to her supervisor and frictions with her colleagues.> ¡®Oh I see.¡¯ The documents I found after a long search clearly showed that my guess was not wrong. The reason for their dismissal, who were kicked out at an interval of a few months, was the same. Disrespectful to their supervisors or violent behavior, and frictions with their colleagues. These are all signs of the poisoning that the emperor and I suffered from. The fact that these men who were in charge of tasting food showed this kind of behavior clearly showed that there was a problem in the food served for the emperor. I knocked on the desk lightly. If I could, I wanted to see and discuss it with my father right away, but he hadn¡¯t yet returned home from Duke Verita¡¯s house. ¡®I wonder if I can see him tomorrow morning.¡¯ With a sigh, I was sorting out the documents when I suddenly noticed a letter. The luxurious white envelope was stamped with the shape of a tree tangled by several branches. This is the crest of the temple! How was it included here? I slowly reached out and picked up the envelope. When I opened the letter, I found the handwriting familiar, which I had seen somewhere. Now it¡¯s been a long time since dawn. It was already long past the time that the High Priest asked me to visit. ¡®Well, I can¡¯t help it. Let me visit when the day breaks. ¡® The next day when I entered the white and green space, escorted by an apprentice priest, the High Priest, who was reading the Lord¡¯s scriptures and seated in front of a cradle, stood up with a faint smile. Smiling at him, feeling sorry, I nced at the little child sleeping in the cradle. ¡®I see. He is the sixth High Priest.¡¯ ¡°May the blessings of life be with you. Wee, Lady Monique. In fact, I have been waiting for you.¡± ¡°Sorry, Your Eminence. I camete because I checked your letter btedly¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. In fact, I was a little busy adjusting my schedule. Now, sit down here. ¡± I sat down carefully on the chair offered by the High Priest, and bowed to express my gratitude. ¡°Thank you. Are you nning to leave as scheduled?¡± ¡°Well, I sent a message to him that if he wants to pray for my quick return, he would do so because I can¡¯t leave for the time being. Maybe he is going to visit the empire sooner orter. ¡± ¡°Pardon? Then¡­¡± I was surprised. Another High Priest visiting the empire? If that¡¯s true, half the High Priests in the whole continent would be in the empire, including the baby in the cradle. Watching me slurring, he said with a smile, ¡°It is obviously unusual, but there is no other way than this. The top priests here might beining about me, but I decided to ignore them.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± As I couldn¡¯t respond anymore, I just looked down at the sleeping child. When I looked at his white hair, the exclusive symbol of the High Priests, I suddenly recalled my dialogue with my father this morning. ¡°What are we going to do now? Are you going to check it by yourself? ¡± ¡°Yes. I think I should ask the High Priest for help.¡± ¡°High Priest? Well, that makes sense because you can¡¯t trust the royal doctorspletely.¡± ¡°Yes. In case this top secret is leaked out¡­¡± ¡°I know. But you never know even what the High Priest thinks deep down. So, take special care.¡± In fact, it was easy to find out the main culprit by investigating Ian Belot and the wines he handled until now. As long as they didn¡¯t know Ian was caught, the suspects would try to poison the emperor again. But it was impossible to order the investigators to check for poison. If there was a mole among the investigators, all the things kept confidential would be useless. As a result, it was safest to ask the High Priest for help. Not only did he already know about it, but also he was the least likely suspect except for me and my father. If he had been involved in the poisoning of the emperor, there would have been no reason for him to reveal that the emperor was poisoned. ¡®I will be fine. I prepared a contingency n just in case. Let me trust him anyway.¡¯ Chapter 242 Chapter 242: Chapter 242 ¡°In fact, I have something to tell you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°Really? Just go ahead. Let me listen to you carefully.¡± I opened my mouth slowly, fixing my eyes on his hair shining like white snow. ¡°Do you know that my family has the authority to investigate the case involving Earl Lanier¡¯s poisoning of my tea?¡± ¡°Yes, I heard it. But why are you bringing it up suddenly? ¡± Looking at his unexpected surprise, I caught my breath, trying to think of what I had to say. Once I decided to make a deal, I was supposed not to show any weakness on my end. ¡°Well, while I was investigating the route of acquiring poison, I discovered something strange. They can¡¯t obtain it through the normal route, but it was not smuggling no matter how much I looked into it. Then, how did it cross the border? I mean, that poison that cannot be made in the empire. ¡± ¡°Do you want to say the temple is responsible?¡± ¡°I do not know. What do you think?¡± When I turned my mouth up slightly, he said, touching his lips as if he was put on the spot, ¡°Oh my, you and your father are so simr in many respects. Not long ago, I was very embarrassed to hear the same question as yours.¡± I was a little embarrassed, but I kept trying to keep an expressionless face. As if he noticed my intention, he said with a faint smile, ¡°I got it anyway. If the temple was involved, why did you tell me? Even if I am a wandering priest, I¡¯m also a priest like them. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I am telling you. I wouldn¡¯t care if this was only rted to me, but it is also rted to the emperor. As things stand now, the emperor might be involved in controlling the temple and its divine power. You don¡¯t want to stay indifferent, do you?¡± ¡°Well, are you now offering me a deal? What do you want? ¡± he said, holding his chin with one hand. Although I was bothered by his attitude, showing as if he knew it already, I bit my lips slightly and opened my mouth again, ¡°I want the other High Priest who is expecting to visit the empire soon. Specifically, I want his divine power and testimony. ¡± ¡°Um, are you talking about Quartus? ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I smiled at him who looked a little embarrassed. Although I was worried that I might be taken in by the High Priest who looked so rxed and leisurely, I didn¡¯t have to, fortunately. In fact, the deal I presented to him was not what I originally thought of. I suddenly hit upon it after hearing from the High Priest a moment ago. ¡°¡­ It looks like you can¡¯t trust mepletely. I¡¯m a little sorry for that, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, that ¡®s okay, but what if I or Quartus doesn¡¯t ept it?¡± ¡°Well, what would the people think if they tried to harm the emperor, the Sun of the people, who rules them on behalf of our Lord? Can they me the Sun or me them who coveted the Sun?¡± ¡°Got it. If youe up with that logic, I have nothing more to say. Good. I ept the deal. ¡± Clicking his tongue gently, he said after nodding, ¡°You have to do one thing in return.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°As you know, I don¡¯t have much say at the temple. As you have the investigating right and intelligence power of your family, can you find out who is involved in this incident on my behalf? I will take care of the rest.¡± ¡°Well¡­I would ept it if you could get me the poison in question and its antidote within a month, in addition to the above conditions.¡± ¡°Oh, you give me another trouble. Good. Let me do so.¡± He nodded while stroking his lips with an expression of embarrassment. Then he said after looking at me quietly, ¡°You have not only brilliant beauty but also sharp intelligence. The more I know about you, the more I can¡¯t help but admire you.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Is he at it again? When I looked at him as if I was sick and tired of his banal praise of me, he smiled faintly and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it time for you to get used to it by now? Well, this is your charm in a way.¡± ¡°Your Eminence.¡± ¡°If you show me such a cynical look, I feel like I want to praise you more. Even though you have already held a ceremony celebrating youring-of-age, you are still really cute. ¡± ¡°¡­¡± He pleasantly looked at me swallowing a sigh and recited a prayer with a unique mystical voice. ¡°Praise the beauty given by the Father of Life. I give you the blessings of our lord Vita. ¡± The soft floral scent was wafting around, and the pink petals were fluttering. A feeling of refreshment that I was already ustomed to wrapped around my body. ¡°¡­ Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Shall we stand up now? I think I have to start working right away to meet the deadline. ¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Praying that this deal woulde through, I followed the young man walking away, dragging his long hair on the floor. ¡°Lady Whir is here, mydy.¡± A few dayster when I was working at home after I was done with my morning assignment, the butler knocked on the door and told me that Grace hade to visit me. Taking my eyes off the documents, I asked him to let her in. As she didn¡¯t say why she wanted to see me when she made the request yesterday, I was also curious about the purpose of her visit. Shortly afterwards, Grace with her glowing hair finely twisted up appeared and bowed. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique. How have you been? ¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been getting by. How are you? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing fine, thanks to your concern.¡± I smiled slightly at Grace who expressed gratitude and lifted the teacup brought by the maid. Grace, who lifted the mug and savored the subtle lemon scent, said, ¡°You must have been puzzled by my sudden request for a visit. Thank you for epting it with pleasure.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Aren¡¯t you and I close enough to ept such a request, right?¡± ¡°It is an honor if you say that, Lady Monique.¡± Grace, bowing to express gratitude again, presented me with a small envelope. ¡°In fact, my sister has been engaged to the second son of the Genoa family. So, we decided to hold a banquet to celebrate their engagement ten dayster. This is the invitation. ¡± ¡°I see. Please convey my congrattions to your sister. I will send an official congrattory message soon.¡± I smiled as I epted the invitation. But my head was a mess, although I smiled at her. ¡®Combination of the Genoa and Whir families?¡¯ In fact, my family had a conflict with them over the issue of my breakup of engagement with the emperor recently. Of course, I had no intention ofpeting with the Whir family with respect to our rtionship with the imperial family, but I couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to the two families¡¯ political marriage because they were against my family. However, in the present situation where the conspiracy of those who dared to kill the emperor was revealed, I couldn¡¯t promote the division within the pro-emperor faction which the Whir family belonged to. It¡¯s time to unite, not to split. So, I felt I had better wait and see for the time being. While I sorted outplicated thoughts and drank tea, Grace said, ¡°By the way, are you busy a lottely? I am sorry to say this, but there is a lot of bad gossip about you because you are not appearing in social circles these days. I think it would be good for you to attend one one of these days.¡± ¡°Got it. Let me keep that in mind. Um, have you heard anything new?¡± ¡°There is nothing special about it, but there are lots of rumors that Lady Jena is working on something. ording to the rumors, she was knocking her brain out to do something in cooperation with the temple, but I don¡¯t know the details. ¡± I already heard about it from Entea the other day. As I didn¡¯t have to worry about what I was already prepared for, I felt I didn¡¯t have to worry about Jiun. Then Grace, who watched me nodding, said suddenly with a smile. ¡°Bute to think of it, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. The emperor still cherishes your love. How can she rival you, no matter how hard she tries?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Chapter 243 Chapter 243: Chapter 243 ¡°Why are you surprised? Doesn¡¯t everyone know that the emperor loves you a lot?¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Of course. Well, I would like to tell you that¡¯s why I¡¯ve given up daring to be the empress. Even if I had wanted, the emperor would have rejected me.¡± ¡°What do you mean you have given up?¡± When I tilted my head to the side, Grace said, ncing down, ¡°One day, when I began to be seriously mentioned as the candidate for his concubine, I went to see the emperor for the first time. I was very nervous. As you were selected as his fiancee since your birth, I was so thrilled to think I could be his concubine, whose position was almost equal to that of the empress.¡± Stretching her hand to touch the crest of the lion engraved on the silver mug, she continued, ¡°However, the emperor was nonchnt. Although he greeted me politely, he just treated me as one of the nobledies. Since I saw him with you recently, I realized quickly that you were the only one who won his heart.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± When I was silent because I had nothing to say, she looked at me and said, ¡°On the day you regained consciousness after you had been poisoned, he called me and said something like this, ¡®As things worked out like this, the noble faction will quickly move to try to install Lady Jena as my wife, so let me have you as a protective shield. In return, I¡¯ll give you the title of countess when he solves the matter. I¡¯ll make sure you will lead a happy life no matter who you get married to.¡¯ That¡¯s what he told me then.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°When I asked him why he made such a proposal, he said only one thing. He said all he wanted was one woman. So, I¡¯ve been constantly visiting him, unlike Lake Jena who was never called, so I can draw the attention of the noble faction.¡± I felt like I was hit by something. Now I realized that¡¯s why Grace had been in and out of the Imperial Pce steadily. Did she intentionally look irresponsible as one of the concubine candidates or pretend to adore Marquis Enesil for that reason? At that time, I felt bitter after discovering that she was seeing the emperor steadily unlike Jiun, but I often tried tofort myself, thinking that Grace¡¯s steady visit was fortunate for the interests of the pro-emperor faction. The more Grace said, the more agitated I was. Regardless of how I felt, however, she looked at me with a worried expression and said, ¡°By the way, can you keep secret what I have just said to you? I was not ordered to keep it secret, but I would like to because I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m meddling in your rtionship with the emperor.¡± ¡°¡­ Sure, no problem.¡± When I nodded, she smiled as if she was relieved, and stood up, saying she would leave now. After seeing her off, I sat nkly on the sofa and stared into the air. What she said a moment ago kept hovering in my ears. In particr, her testimony that the emperor loved me a lot, and that he needed only one woman was ringing in my ears. My heart was warmed up and beating hard. I put my hand on my pounding heart and bit my lip. ¡®Why are you reacting like this, Aristia? The way you are acting like this these days it isn¡¯t like you at all!¡¯ However, no matter how hard I bit my lip, I could hardly calm down my pounding heart. The more I tried to calm down, the more I kept thinking about him. How much time passed? When I barely calmed down, I heard a knock on the door that broke the silence. Shortly afterwards, Baron Carot entered the room and said with a surprised expression, ¡°Mydy, your face looks unusually red. Did you have something bad? ¡± ¡°¡­ Nothing. I¡¯m fine. What¡¯s the matter? Any new problem?¡± ¡°Yes. I already reported it to your father, so I would like to let you know, too.¡± ¡°I see. Please sit down first. ¡± When I nodded and asked him to take a seat, the baron, who sat on the other side with a worried expression, hesitated for a moment before reaching out for the documents he brought. ¡°¡­This is about the matter that you recently asked me to find out urgently.¡± ¡°Really? Did you find it out already?¡± He said, smiling at me who looked at him in surprise, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got some information about the guy named Ian Belot that I had been keeping an eye on for some time. As you instructed me to report to you as soon as I found something unusual about him, I wanted to brief you about him first.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Nodding at him, I picked up the document he gave me. It wasn¡¯t very thick, but it contained a very surprising fact. ¡°¡­ Is this true? This guy¡¯s daughter got married, but her marriage was far from normal? Does it mean that she has been detained on the pretext of her marriage¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve reached that conclusion after watching him for almost a year, so I think I¡¯m right. Since this is a very risky plot, it seemed that someone took her hostage for his safety,¡± he said with a heavy voice. ¡°I asked your father if I should rescue her, but he told me to hold it and take action after consulting with you. What shall I do? ¡± ¡°¡­ Just hold it for the time being. Let¡¯s watch a little more. ¡± If the baron¡¯s information was true, it was dangerous to rescue Ian Belot¡¯s daughter right away. If she, an important hostage, disappeared, the criminal would certainly notice that somebody detected his plot. In that case, it would be easy to reveal the identity of the culprit, but it would be reckless to expand the investigation without careful nning. This was even more so if the culprit was the very man that I suspected. Since he was not a man to be treated recklessly, it would be very difficult to pinpoint him as the mastermind without securing hard evidence. ¡°Got it. By the way, I¡¯m sorry to say this, but Lady Jena sent you a secret letter.¡± ¡°A secret letter from Jena? What do you mean you are sorry?¡± ¡°Well, it was delivered by our informant nted in the Jena family¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Only then did I realize why the baron was so sorry and embarrassed. The fact that a secret letter was delivered by our mole nted in the Jena family meant that the identity of the mole was already detected by Duke Jena. It seemed that the duke pretended not to have noticed the mole, but used him this time to counterattack my family. Perhaps his identity was revealed because of thex security following the drastic increase of informants after the poisoning incident took ce recently. Anyway, it seemed that the baron was very embarrassed by the fact that as the head of my family¡¯s intelligence unit, he could not protect the identity of the mole properly. As I thought he would feel more embarrassed, I opened the letter sent by the Jena family. It seemed that the letter was written by someone who was illiterate, whose handwriting was so curvy that it was hard to understand. In the end it took me some time for me to understand the first line. < Why didn''t you appear on the promised date? I wonder if you are not going to strike a deal with me.> ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± Only then did I recall one thing. While offering him the terms of the dealst time, I set the date for the next negotiation. But as it happened, the emperor copsed on the very day of the negotiation, so it slipped my mind until now. The baron nervously looked at me moaning and asked carefully, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Isn¡¯t it good for the Monique family?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Um, baron. What happened to our informant?¡± ¡°Well, I suspended his activities for the time being and keep a low profile. Can I tell him toe back?¡± ¡°Hmm, well.¡± I read the secret letter out and said prudently, ¡°I think it¡¯s better to keep him staying there until we are done with this matter, as his identity was revealed. However, if you feel his life is threatened anytime, tell him to withdraw immediately. ¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°And tell the man who delivered this letter that what I wanted then and now was just one thing. He will understand what I meant.¡± ¡°Sure, let me tell him so.¡± Chapter 244 Chapter 244: Chapter 244 What the sessor of the Duke Jena family wanted me to do was three things. First, he wanted me to get him the right to seed his father¡¯s title. Secondly, he wanted me to make sure that his father would step down after giving up all power including his knighthood. Lastly, he wanted me to make sure that he would inherit more than 70% of the duke family¡¯s assets and status. What I wanted in return was for him to hand ¡°it¡± over to me. But it was quite difficult for him to hand ¡°it¡± over to me. So, I was thinking of bargaining with him up to a certain point. However, I could not go ahead with the deal recklessly because the emperor was poisoned and the Jena family was suspected of having masterminded the plot against him. So, I needed to check first whether he was involved in this plot or not. It is noteworthy that although he wanted me to guarantee that he should inherit more than 90% of his family¡¯s assets at first, he backed downter. I told the baron waiting for my next instruction to leave, then I buried myself deep in the sofa, picking up the documents he left behind. I needed to make a little more efforts to get rid of the enemy who tried to kill me and the emperor. Was it because I slept fitfully due toplicated thoughts? I felt heavy in the morning. After taking the fork to my mouth a couple of times, I put it down and grabbed the letters that the butler brought to me. When I took out the letters and other small banquet invitations that the noble faction sent me out of courtesy, there was only one invitation left, which asked me whether I could attend the banquet to celebrate the engagement of the Whir family¡¯s daughter and the Genoa family¡¯s son. Oops! I forgot to reply when Grace came to see me the other day. I thought of asking my father about it, but it slipped my mind. ¡°Daddy?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°As for the banquet to celebrate the two families¡¯ engagement, what should I do? I feel ufortable going there, given the bad rtionship between our family and theirs, but at the same time I feel uneasy about not going there because it might create division within the pro-emperor faction.¡± ¡°Hmm. You don¡¯t have to take it so seriously, Tia. If you want to go there for a chance, you can attend. If you don¡¯t feel up to it, you don¡¯t have to. Although our family¡¯s rtionship with them is bad recently, we were all in the same boat for a long time. So, our rtionship won¡¯t go sour even if you don¡¯t attend just once.¡± ¡°Ah¡­I see. I¡¯ll do so. Thank you, Daddy.¡± I felt much more light-hearted. When I sorted out the invitations, he put down a letter he was holding, and said, ¡°Tia, don¡¯t you want to attend the political meeting?¡± ¡°Cab meeting? But I ¡­Ah..¡± Come to think of it, he was right. Unlike the big conference where any noble can attend, most of the political meetings were open only to those nobles with the rank of earl and above and their official sessors, as well as those with the rank of viscount and above who had also separate government positions. Therefore, I, who recently became the official sessor of my family, could attend the political meeting. I nodded after agonizing for a moment. As I had nothing special to do today, I thought it might not be a bad idea to attend today¡¯s political meeting. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll attend.¡± ¡°¡­Good. Come with me in the afternoon. ¡± Although he paused for a moment as if he had something more to say, he just stood up silently. After giving a quick look at the tes that I hardly touched, I left the dining room with him. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Hello, Marquis of Enesil. It¡¯s been a while.¡± The blonde young man dressed in a dark gray uniform smiled up at me. The three ck strings on his shoulders shone under the chandelier. Come to think of it, it was the first time that I saw him since he became the captain of the new knights division. I recently went through lots of things, so I felt I met him after a long time even though he was inaugurated as the captain only recently. When I was chatting with several nobles, including Marquis Enesil, the protocol officer announced the arrival of the emperor. When everyone was seated again after showing due manners to him, Duke Lars rose from his seat on behalf of Duke Verita, who was absent because of his son¡¯ death. ¡°Today¡¯s agenda is about this year¡¯s tax revenues and the foreign delegations who will visit this year¡¯s National Founding Day festival.¡± ¡°Tax revenues? I heard that the recovery work in the areas affected by the heat wave, droughts, and floodsst year is almost done. Did something unusual happen?¡± I was also puzzled, but my doubts quickly disappeared when Duke Lars exined it. The revenues were almost the same asst year, but the increase in the knights and the inflow of the disced people due to the natural disaster led to deficits in the budget, he exined. When the emperor tapped on the table with a pensive expression, Earl Hamel said, ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m sorry to say this, but how about freeing up the imperial wealth a little? I heard that the imperial revenues increased a lot this year because there was little damage in the areas controlled by the imperial family.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Earl Hamel?¡± ¡°How dare you try to touch the wealth of the imperial family?¡± Several nobles refuted his proposal, but Earl Hamel was adamant about his position. The emperor, who was looking at the earl while knocking on the desk, giggled at him. Rather than being unpleasant or angry, he showed an expression weing his suggestion. Why is he reacting like that? He must know that the earl¡¯s suggestion was intended to weaken the imperial power. ¡°Good idea, Earl Hamel. Let¡¯s do that. I am willing to give away part of the imperial wealth.¡± ¡°Thanks for your wise decision, Your Majesty. The people will be deeply moved by your decision.¡± A smile came to the earl¡¯s lips. At that moment, the emperor interrupted, ¡°But there is one condition. I was going to raise the sry of the royal knights because of their hard work. If I make up for the deficits in the budget, I can¡¯t increase the sry. So, let me do this. Let me select those who made a contribution and award them titles in return for donating the imperial ie. What do you think?¡± Suddenly, everybody became silent. I looked at him when I btedly realized the emperor¡¯s intention. ¡®Is this what he aimed for?¡¯ I thought that he decided to expand the knights at this time despite the weakening of his military authority because he wanted to increase the absolute number of the troops avable, though it might expose him to some risk. He didn¡¯t give much thought to the fact that the royal knights didn¡¯t increase despite the recruiting of almost 200 knights. Did he really think of this terrific idea in advance when he pretended not to care about the status quo of the royal knights? Unlike the government or other knights divisions that paid the knights¡¯ sries with the state funds, the imperial family paid all costs for the royal knights. As they escorted the emperor at close range from the moment he woke up until he went to sleep, he had to ensure they were the faithful servants of the imperial family. That¡¯s why he chose the nobles without any right to seed the knighthood of their families as royal knights. So, they were extremely loyal to the emperor to gain any title by making contributions. Therefore, most of the royal knights belonged to the pro-emperor faction. And he made the remarks, with them in mind. What was the reason the pro-emperor faction had topete with the noble faction? It was because the former was numerically inferior to thetter, so it was impossible to gain any military superiority. Even though the number of nobles fell sharply during thete emperor¡¯s reign, the number of nobles didn¡¯t increase a lot because the noble faction was desperately opposed as they were worried about the increase in the pro-emperor faction. If the emperor could implement his n, it could see the creation of at least dozens of new nobles favorable to the pro-emperor faction. Once the dock is opened, it¡¯s impossible to block the water. Even if the emperor¡¯s action doesn¡¯t have any big impact right now, it will clearly create a big disadvantage for the noble faction in the long run. I saw the facts of the noble faction members turning gloomy. ¡°Your Majesty, your proposal is¡­¡± Chapter 245 Chapter 245: Chapter 245 ¡°Um, what¡¯s the matter with you? I doubt it, but I don¡¯t believe you are going to retract what you have proposed. Unless you intend to make a mockery of me and the imperial family, you can¡¯t retract, right?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Your Majesty, may I present my opinion?¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead, Duke Jena.¡± Asking to speak on behalf of Earl Hamel who was at a loss about what to do, Duke Jena said, ¡°We are deeply moved by your willingness to donate the imperial wealth, but how can we sit still when you are donating the imperial wealth? So, I think we can adjust the national budget to make up for the deficits. ¡± ¡°Where can you cut the budget? The current budget n has been drawn after the prime minister and other high-ranking officials worked on it.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible that even a small increase in the tax rates can make up for the deficits?¡± ¡°You must know that raising tax rates is not possible. Get to the point, Duke Jena!¡± Unlike the emperor who asked with a rxed expression, Duke Jena said with a gloomy expression after pausing for a moment, ¡°¡­As your loyal vassals, we¡¯re going to dole out our own wealth to make up for the deficits.¡± ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know that your loyalty to me was so deep. Are you all of the same mind?¡± ¡°How can I say that it is my own wish? Everyone here will be of the same mind, I think. ¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, that sounds good. Let me ept your proposal then.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°However, as the ruler of the empire, I can¡¯t immediately retract what I said. So, let me make up for half the budget deficits. Instead, I will cut down the number of the titles to be awarded to the nobles. As for the titles, let me create lifetime-only titles instead of hereditary titles. If you disagree, express your opinion now.¡± Moaning was heard here and there among the noble faction members. I looked at the young man on the tform in surprise. ¡®Oh, this is the n he originally had in mind.¡¯ If the emperor bestows lifetime-only noble titles, he doesn¡¯t need to give them any estate. He can earn their loyalty by giving them noble titles, gain the people¡¯s support by freezing tax rates and reduce the burden of the imperial family by having the nobles donate their wealth. Did he try to gain all these benefits by expanding the knights divisions? When Duke Lars dered the passage of the agenda, Duke Jenna, who was staring at Earl Hamel fiercely, said, ¡°By the way, what are you going to do with the National Founding Day festival? With only one month to go before the festival, you have not selected who is going to organize the event?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty. Even if we n and prepare for it from now on, it seems like time is running out. Moreover, aren¡¯t the delegations from many countries attending this festival?¡± ¡°I made the request to you the other day, so please make the conclusion today. Isn¡¯t it a big shame to the empire if our preparations are not up to the standards?¡± ¡®The National Founding Day festival?¡¯ I tilted my head. I thought it was Duke Lars who would be responsible for organizing the festival. Is he not this time? The emperor, who had been staring at the nobles including Duke Jena, said, ¡°As for the festival, I already told you I would think about it because I still had some time.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, how about this method?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I heard that the Fourth Root of Vita, our Lord, visited Sanktus Vita a few days ago. If you think about the just born High Priest baby and High Priest Secundus who was left behind to take care of the baby, there are three High Priests in the empire now. It is very unusual that three of the six High Priests in the whole continent are gathered in one ce in the empire. I don¡¯t think you should use this great opportunity. ¡± Looking around as if to seek consent, Duke Jena, said, ¡°Your Majesty, how about hosting the festival in cooperation with the temple? By doing so, we can show the people that the Lord protects the empire. In other words, if we can hold arge festival by promoting the three High Priests and some top priests, not only the people but also the foreign delegations will be greatly moved.¡± ¡°I agree. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event as well as the first festival after your coronation. I think it¡¯s a good opportunity for you to show the dignity of the imperial family. ¡± Marquis Mirwa agreed with the duke¡¯s opinion after sweeping up his hair. ¡°I think you can catch the two goals of gaining public support and foreign policy by holding the festival. Besides, you can also solve the pending issue this time. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re putting off the decision, but if you join hands with the temple¡­¡± The emperor cut him off by raising his right hand and said, rubbing his temple with one hand, ¡°I¡¯m a little tired. Let¡¯s take a break before continuing the meeting.¡± Looking at him for a moment, Duke Lars responded noddingly, ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will resume the meeting in half an hour. ¡± ¡°Okay.¡± When the emperor left the meeting hall, my father immediately left, saying he had something to talk with Duke Lars. Perhaps he was trying toe up with a response to Duke Jena¡¯s proposal. Left alone for a moment, I asked Marquis Enesil after agonizing a bit, ¡°Well, may I ask for your exnation? I don¡¯t understand their im that the person in charge of the festival has not been decided.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know it yet? There have been discussions about it for the past few weeks, but the emperor stopped the discussion. So, the agenda is still pending.¡± ¡°Why did they bring up this issue? Duchess Lars can do the job.¡± ¡°Well, she rejected the proposal, citing that she was not feeling well. Her daughter-inw, Princess Lua, is receiving postnatal care right now, and the Verita family is not in a position to take on that role, as you know.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± If so, is the situation going to be the same asst year? If the wives of Duke Lars and Duke Veritas could not host the festival, it was our family¡¯s turn. In other words, our family would have to take on this job ording to the custom. Only then did I realize why my father hesitated in the morning and why the emperor never mentioned it to me. My father and the emperor knew how I would react if I heard about this. That¡¯s why they did not have the heart to mention it to me. Normally, I would have epted it, thinking it was inevitable, but this time the situation was different. It was the first festival since the emperor¡¯s coronation ceremony. Besides, the foreign dignitaries would be attending it. If I hosted the festival, they would certainly regard me as the next empress. In other words, I would move one step closer to the fate of the empress that I wanted to avoid so much. However, if I refused, things would work out as Duke Jenna wished. His im that we should hold the festival in cooperation with the temple seemed reasonable at first, but the emperor could not ept his proposal recklessly because it was impossible to find out his intention. Besides, even if the emperor rejected his proposal, it was certain that Jiun would take on this job. What should I do? When I was agonizing about it, suddenly I recalled somebody whispering among themselves, which I missed while chatting with Marquis Enesil. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know why the emperor is so hesitant.¡± ¡°You bet. Besides, the noble faction has asked the emperor to have Lady Monique as the empress, right?¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t it rather burdensome to the emperor? No matter how much he loves her so much, she is¡­¡± I bit my lips at hisst words, which made me surge with anger. ¡°¡­ Are you okay? ¡± ¡°Let me get out for some fresh air.¡± I stood up, ignoring the blonde young man¡¯s gaze, who looked at me sadly. I didn¡¯t want to speak with anybody right now. I walked here and there outside the Central Pce. One thing that I had forgotten for a while because I was so absent-minded came to my mind, breaking my heart. Chapter 246.1 Chapter 246: Chapter 246 That was true. Why did I worry about it? Didn¡¯t I realize that I had no option whatsoever from the moment I was poisoned? Didn¡¯t I give up whatever chance I had by admitting that I was infertile? Although it¡¯s not the first time I heard it, I felt as if a cold wind was blowing in my heart. My body grew cold because of the chilliness carried by the wind. How long did I walk away nkly? While I was plodding along, somebody suddenly called me from behind. When I looked back slowly, I saw a young man with blue hair dressed in a white robe. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m honored to see you, the Sun of the Empire.¡± ¡°Are you also taking a walk for fresh air?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He nodded, reaching out to me. After hesitating for a moment, I put my right hand lightly in his hand. Did he feel I was in a gloomy mood? Or did he enjoy taking a walk by himself? He walked silently for a while, then looked back at me and said, ¡°Aristia, I have something to say to you.¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bringing this up, but the National Founding Day festival¡­¡± ¡°¡­ If you are bothered by me, you don¡¯t have to. All you have to do is just tell the woman you have in mind to fulfill her job.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked, slightly narrowing his eyebrows. ¡°I feel strange about the way you speak. What the heck are you talking about now? ¡± ¡°Well, I was told that both Duke Lars and Duke Veritas could not take on this job because of the circumstances they were in now. In terms of rank, it is our family¡¯s turn to host the event, but it seems you are hesitating to assign the job to me¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I felt strange. It looked like I asked him why he didn¡¯t assign me to that job. Before I overheard them whispering about the festival, I was obviously worried that I might be taking on this job because it would inevitably entangle me with the imperial family again. ¡°Well, I know you were not in a good mood because ofst year¡¯s event, but I¡¯ve never doubted yourpetence. Nheless, hearing what you have said, I feel like you don¡¯t trust me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Or are you interested in¡­¡± His eyes were sparkling when he was looking at me with a puzzled expression. His question, tension, and expectation were reflected in his deeply subdued eyes looking at me. I suddenly came to my senses as if I was thrown over with cold water. What did I talk about with him a moment ago? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. It was a slip of tongue.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I seem to have made a slip of my tongue because I have been overworked for the past several days. Please forgive me. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± He looked at me for a long time and said with a sigh, ¡°If so, you don¡¯t want to host the festival, right?¡± ¡°¡­No, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Okay. If you don¡¯t want it, you don¡¯t have to. ¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Because of the bad thingsst year, I didn¡¯t feel good about giving this job to you. I know you suffered a lot because of the unfortunate things at the festivalst year. So, let me take care of it.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Everyone will be waiting for us. ¡± Although he spoke to me calmly, he looked hurt. My heart ached when I saw him turning around with a bitter smile. Was it because of that? Or was it because I had been rebelling against myself? I grabbed his white robe in spite of myself. ¡°¡­Aristia? ¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± I opened my mouth as he stared at me in surprise. ¡°¡­I will. ¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I will do it, Your Majesty. ¡± When I plucked up the courage to say it, he suddenly raised his head, while looking down at my hand holding his robe. I moved my stiff lips once more towards him, who was looking at me with a puzzled expression, ¡°I will do it, Your Majesty. So, please leave it to me. ¡± Looking straight into his eyes, who was obviously surprised, I clearly spoke my mind again. Although my reason was shouting ¡®No,¡¯ I couldn¡¯t stop my mouth that already said yes. ¡°A little while ago I think there was a misunderstanding. So, please forget what you just said. I will do it, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Are you serious¡­¡± His navy blue eyes, looking at me quietly, began to tremble slightly. In no time, he hugged me. ¡°Lady Monique?¡± When I looked back in surprise, my father pointed to Duke Lars with an eye signal. ¡®Oh my god, I think I was distracted by other things.¡¯ When I looked around hastily, I noticed people staring at me with various expressions. The pro-emperor faction was staring at me anxiously, while the noble faction was frowning at me, and the emperor was looking at me, within his chin resting on hand. When I looked into his eyes with mixed feelings, I remembered what happened a little while ago. Fortunately, his aide appeared at the right moment. Otherwise he would have kissed me in the public ce like he didst time¡­ ¡®What are you thinking? Come on, Aristia. ¡® Ignoring my burning blushes on my face, I hurriedly bowed to Duke Lars and apologized. ¡°Sorry, Duke Lars. Would you please tell me once again? ¡± ¡°I asked you whether you were willing to host the festival.¡± ¡°Well, as far as the festival is concerned¡­¡± When I inadvertently looked around, my eyes met the emperor¡¯s again. I suddenly felt I was trying to raise my hand to my mouth, but I quickly pulled it down and said, ¡°Although I amcking in many ways, please trust and leave it to me. I¡¯ll do my best to make the festival sessful.¡± At that moment, the pro-emperor faction showed satisfied expressions while the noble faction was very embarrassed because they never expected I would willingly take on the job. I smiled at my father who looked at me anxiously and shook off my idle thoughts. Once I made the decision, I decided that I would do my best to make the festival sessful. Marquis Mirwa, who remained calm alone among the whispering nobles, said, ¡°I am relieved that Lady Monique has agreed to take on such an important responsibility. Isn¡¯t her outstanding ability already recognized by everybody here, so much so that she was rmended as the empress candidate? Well, I think we should deal with the empress agenda. Duke Lars, can you please take up this agenda at the next political meeting? I¡¯m formally putting forward my proposal in the name of the nobles¡¯ council.¡± ¡°¡­Got it.¡± ¡°Thank you. Hmm, I think I distracted the point for a moment. Anyway, I recognize her ability, but we are running out of time now. Why don¡¯t we share her role, so she can work in a more organized way?¡± He paused for a moment, then continued, ¡°So, how about letting Lady Jena, who is currently being mentioned as a candidate for the empress, help her with the job? Lady Jena has not only hosted this event several times, but also she is respected as the child of God¡¯s prophecy. So, I think she could help Lady Monique a lot because this festival will be held in cooperation with the temple.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense. What you said is you really don¡¯t trust Lady Monique, even though you said you recognize her ability.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean, Earl Burt. I just rmended Lady Jena as the woman who could help Lady Monique with the job. Anyway, aren¡¯t they currently referred to as the empress and the emperor¡¯s concubine? I think we can regard their joint work as something like their rehearsal for their future jobs.¡± Beginning with that, both factions began fiercely arguing over the matter. Suddenly, I stared at Marquis Mirwa, who was watching the situation, staying aloof from their argument. The young marquis who suddenly reminded me of the matter of the empress and concubine smiled at me when his eyes met mine. I suddenly broke into a forced smile. Unlike me, who didn¡¯t even remember how I came back to the meeting hall, the emperor came back casually and epted Duke Jena¡¯s proposal without any objection. I didn¡¯t understand why he decided to ept it, but I guessed that he made the decision to smooth out his rtionship with the High Priest. It was not a bad thing in that he could avoid the suspicious eyes of the noble faction. Of course, Jiun coulde in to im her role thanks to that arrangement. ¡®Well, I¡¯ve got an idea.¡¯ Smiling at Marquis Mirwa, I asked for a say. As I already threw myself into it, I needed to make my point clear to everybody. ¡°Your point makes sense. As Lady Jena hosted the festival with mest year, I think she could help me a lot. I would like to ept his proposal.¡± Chapter 247 Chapter 247: Chapter 247 ¡°What are you talking about, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t ept it!¡± Although the pro-emperor faction strongly resisted, I just smiled silently. While looking at me with a smile, Marquis Mirwa opened his mouth, ¡°Good decision. I think Lady Jena will help you a lot.¡± ¡°Thank you. But I would like to point out one thing. A little while ago, you mentioned that Lady Jena and I were referred to as the empress and concubine, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Well, if that¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it unfair to ept only Lady Jena¡¯s help? There is anotherdy mentioned as the candidate for the concubine. So, I would like to make a proposal. Please make the choice between the two options. The first option is to have Lady Jena and Lady Whir help me with the job. The second option is to have me take on the job by myself if you reject the first option. I won¡¯t care about which option you take.¡± When the marquis turned to the noble faction, as if he was asking for their proper response, Duke Jena, who was constantly making a frown, replied, ¡°Okay, I think it¡¯s good for my daughter and Lady Whir to help her.¡± ¡°Good. I have no problem with that.¡± When I nodded, the emperor, who was watching me and Marquis Mirwa arguing over the matter, raised his hand lightly. Then, he looked back at me once and said, turning his mouth up a bit, ¡°Then, I think this problem has been solved. Let me leave the task to Lady Monique. Duke Lars, is there any other agenda items for today?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Good. Then, let me leave now. Good job, everybody.¡± He got up and left the conference hall. Duke Jenna, who was staring at me sharply, also turned away, and Marquis Mirwa also left, bowing to me with a smile. Members of the pro-emperor faction came to express thanks to me, with smiles on their faces. I felt bitter at their expected response, but I pretended to smile at them, then headed home with my father. The next day I went upstairs with my father, holding a teapot and mugs after breakfast. In fact, I wanted to spend time together with my father after a long time as I promised to, but it was the piles of letters that greeted me when I arrived at the home office. I felt I needed to sort out the letters first. As soon as I brewed tea, I helped my father sort out the letters. However, even after organizing them for a long time, I could not dispose of them as much as I wanted. ¡°This one is from the estate.¡± ¡°Put it over here.¡± ¡°Well, this is an invitation from the Hamel family. Can I throw it away?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± While I was cing those reports that required review or invitations that I had to respond to in the left file folder, while putting those I could reject or ignore in the right folder, I suddenly noticed a red envelope in the pile of letters. Sealed with dark red wax, it was stamped with a sword and a rose. As if he confirmed it was from the Lars family, my father subtly hardened his face after opening the letter. Why did he make such an expression? ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Daddy? Any bad news? ¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s nothing. Never mind.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pay any attention to it!¡± I was more puzzled when he cut me off firmly. Isn¡¯t it a letter from the Lars family? It was evident that there was something bad, given that my father, who hardly revealed his feelings, hardened his face. Did he notice that I was puzzled? After he was lost in thought for a while after sorting out the letters, he finally opened his mouth, ¡°Well, I can¡¯t hide it anyway¡­¡± ¡°Pardon? What are you talking about? ¡± ¡°Okay, take it.¡± His eyes were full of worries when he handed the letter to me with a sigh. Tilting my head a bit, I opened the red letter. ording to the luxurious piece of paper, his family held a ceremony to name the eldest grandson of the family, born one month ago, under the imperial customs, and there would be a banquet to celebrate his naming five dayster. ¡®I see. That¡¯s why Daddy¡­¡¯ I made a bitter smile. Only then did I understand why my father hesitated to tell me. He probably didn¡¯t want to distress me by telling me about the baby one day after I was called an infertile woman by the noble faction. ¡°¡­Tia. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Daddy.¡± I hurriedly changed my expression and folded the letter. Although I felt empty, I couldn¡¯t make him hurt because of this. When I was told that I might be infertile, he was hurt more than me. If the baby was the eldest grandson, he was Frincia¡¯s baby and Carsein¡¯s nephew. ordingly, this was an asion I should congratte her, not make a gloomy expression like this. When I tried to say something, trying to brighten my face, I heard a knock on the door. The butler stepped in quickly and bowed politely. I said with a sigh of relief, ¡°What¡¯s going on, butler?¡± ¡°Lady Jena wants to see you. What shall I do? ¡± ¡°What? At this time?¡± I made a frown unconsciously. How could she storm into my house without any notice in the morning when we were about to have breakfast? She visited me abruptlyst time. She was really rude, to say the least. While agonizing about ignoring or keeping her waiting for a minute, I reluctantly nodded. As she was supposed to help me with preparing for the festival, I had no choice but to meet her often for the time being. I didn¡¯t have to make any friction with her from the beginning. ¡°Okay. Let me go to the reception room now.¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± ¡°I will be back soon, Daddy.¡± ¡°¡­ Go ahead.¡± Didn¡¯t he like my meek attitude when I agreed to meet her without any objection? He looked at me with a frown before slowly nodding at me. I instructed the butler to prepare the gifts for Frincia and her baby and inform the temple about my visit, then headed to the drawing room. I suddenly had a headache when I thought I would have to see this in the morning. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Hi, Lady Jena. What business has brought you here early in the morning?¡± Although I asked her sarcastically, she smiled silently as if she was conscious of the butler next to her. Then, she opened her mouth only after he put tea cups and cookies on the table and left. ¡°How shameless you are!¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about?¡± ¡°I heard you asked for the help of the two candidates for the emperor¡¯s concubine because you can¡¯t prepare for the festival alone. Is that right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who told you that, but he must be very good at distorting the facts. It was your father and Marquis Mirwa who said I needed helpers. Besides, I only mentioned Lady Whir, and I never mentioned you as the emperor¡¯s concubine candidate.¡± When I casually answered, picking up a cookie, she said sardonically, ¡°It looks like you were more eloquent after you said you would be the sessor of your family. But you don¡¯t deny you volunteered to host the festival. Is it true then?¡± ¡°Well, if I have no other choice but to, I think it would be better for me to volunteer.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ don¡¯t make any excuses. I hear that you are meeting the emperor often these days on the pretext of discussing the affairs of the knights¡¯ divisions. So, are you on close terms with him now? Even if you do, you won¡¯t have the heart to love him anyway.¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business! Tell me why you are here.¡± When I sharply retorted, managing my expression, she, who had been staring at me for a long time, tossed a bunch of paper to me. Instead of picking it up, I looked up at her and asked, ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Take a look first.¡± Although I felt she tried to lead me on, I stretched out my hand and picked them up. The first page of the paper, which was not that thick, had a few letters on it. Festival n? Did shee here to give it to me? I was a little puzzled, but I quickly read the n. She seemed to have prepared it for a long time, given that it had some detailed action ns on the festival. After reading thest page, I opened the middle of the papers again. Looking at me with a sullen expression, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Why is it vacant here?¡± ¡°Why do you want to know about it?¡± Chapter 248 Chapter 248: Chapter 248 ¡°Well, I can understand this part because we have to agree with the temple first. But why is this nk here? Don¡¯t you know the meaning of the boy attendant?¡± ¡°You are going to control the preparations anyway, right?¡± I stared at her who retorted to me with an annoying voice. I can¡¯t trust her. Why did she leave that area nk? To be the g attendant who announces the start of the festival is the symbol of honor to the young noble boys. ¡°Really? How about the fourth son of the Ryan family? I think the younger son of the Freia family is also a good candidate for his age. If not, how about the eldest grandson of the Seymour family?¡± ¡°Just choose anyone you want, will you?¡± Even though I tried to sound out her feelings by citing the names of the young boys of the pro-emperor faction, she agreed without any objection. So, I was more puzzled. I expected she would strongly balk at my choice, arguing for the political interests of the noble faction, but she didn¡¯t. ¡®Has her rtionship with the noble faction gone sour?¡¯ While trying to erase any wild spection about her intention, I looked at the n again. Although I didn¡¯t expect it at all, her draft n was much better than I thought. I even thought she looked like a different woman. Come to think of it, however, she was very good at decorating the banquet hall atst year¡¯s festival, although she didn¡¯t make it to the emperor¡¯s taste. Since I copsed right after the start of the banquet, I couldn¡¯t see how she hosted the banquet, but I heard that she managed to handle it well despite such a big fuss. ¡®Well, I still have to verify your intention.¡¯ Turning up my mouth a bit, I picked up a pen on the corner of the table. Then, I dipped the pen in the red ink and underlined the part for correction. I even marked an X on the part that needed little correction. ¡°What the heck is this red ink? What is this mark X here?¡± ¡°As you can see, this is the part that you have to correct.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? I put this because of the budget cut, and put this here in consideration of the bnce of power among the countries. Dang it! The problem is that I am working under you in the first ce. You don¡¯t even know what is important and what is not¡­¡± ¡°I think you are mistaken, but the organizer of this banquet is me, not you. I know you handled things on your own in the past, but you should not forget that you are an assistant who has to help me.¡± ¡°What the heck? Are you really¡­¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ve got enough time until tomorrow. Fix the underlined parts before then.¡± When I spoke, rxedly lifting the mug, she grabbed the papers from me, sharply staring at me while gnashing her teeth. Watching her standing up with a fierce look, I slowly opened my mouth, ¡°Are you already leaving?¡± ¡°Do you want me to stay here a little longer?¡± ¡°Okay. I sent a message to the temple, saying that I would like to visit with you to coordinate how to proceed with the festival, but let me go there alone, if you have to leave now.¡± When I politely bowed, pretending to be courteous, she replied in a grumpy voice, grabbing the hem of her dress, ¡°¡­Stand!¡± ¡°Ugh? What did you say? ¡± ¡°Stand before me and go in first! I can¡¯t let you go there alone because I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re going to do with them.¡± ¡°Sure. Wait a minute because I need to get ready.¡± I left the drawing room, smiling at her who was gnashing her teeth in a fit of anger. After deliberately preparing to leave slowly, I went back to her. ¡°¡­ ¡± As if she was very angry, she stared at me silently for a long time, with her mouth turned up high, then turned around. Although I giggled at her icy attitude, I quietly headed to the temple without provoking her anymore. I felt really gratified as if my jammed heart was opened. Is it because the sun is zing? It was very hot even though summer was almost gone. After tidying up the hem of my dress that got stuck on my body, I got out of the wagon. One of the senior priests and an apprentice priest, who were waiting for us in advance, bowed to wee us. ¡°May the blessings of life be with you. Wee to Sanktus Vita, Lady Monique and Lady Jena!¡± ¡°Hello, Priest Omar. You don¡¯t have toe to greet me every time. I am very sorry. ¡± ¡°Oh no, Graspe. It is our duty to serve the child of God¡¯s prophecy.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m always so ttered as you wee me every time.¡± As if the rumors about her frequent visit to the temple were true, she was chatting with the priest in an amicable atmosphere. When I witnessed that, I became alert in spite of myself. Come to think of it, it was Duke Jena who proposed to hold the festival in cooperation with the temple. Although he came up with a usible cause, it was clear that he had another purpose in mind when he proposed that idea. Why did he make such a proposal? Did he want to block me from solidifying my position as the empress? Or to show Jiun¡¯s influence with the temple? Or did he n to harm the emperor? When I stepped into the corridor, pressing my stinging temple, I suddenly saw a bunch of roses that bloomed in the doorway withering. At that moment, I frowned. How can¡¯t they take care of things like that in the temple where they are serving the Father of life? When I was walking away, clicking my tongue deep down, I saw a white-haired man walking toward me in the corridor. Next to him was a strange young man. ¡°May the blessings of life be with you. Wee, Pioneer and Graspe. ¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long while, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to see you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°Priest Omar, let me escort the twodies. So, you can go back and take care of your job.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Eminence. Graspe, please stop by me after you¡¯re done. The top priests want to see you.¡± ¡°Sure, thanks.¡± When the old priest left after bowing deeply to her, who was nodding to him, the High Priest looked back at me and said, ¡°In fact, I have been waiting for you after I got the message. Pleasee in, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Eminence. By the way, who is this man?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you about him before. He is the Fourth Foot of the Lord, Qartus. ¡± ¡°Really? But he is¡­¡± I looked at the young man introduced as High Priest curiously because he had golden hair, unlike the white hair of the typical High Priest. He seemed to be the same age as Allendis or Carsein. Of course, his eyes were light green, something peculiar to the High Priest. ¡°Actually, he has dyed his hair, saying his gray hair is making him look like an old man. Quartus, say hi to Pioneer and Graspe. ¡± ¡°May the blessings of life be with you. It is an honor to meet you, children of God¡¯s prophecy!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°I am honored to meet you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°As we are done greeting each other, shall we move?¡± When High Priest Secundus said that, the blond young man turned quickly after casting a rebellious look at him. Looking at him for a moment, I walked away with the two. ¡°Let¡¯s wrap up our meeting here today. Thanks for your efforts.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Our meeting with the two High Priests and the senior priests in charge of preparing for the festival ended only in the evening when the sun was setting. After confirming that Jiun, who had stood up prudishly, left with the senior priests, I leaned on the chair with a long sigh. Although I knew my posture was against etiquette, I was very tired after wrestling with them about the preparations all day long. The gray-haired young man who collected the scattered papers and handed them to me, said with his eyes nted upwards slightly, ¡°I think you¡¯re extremely tired. Well, I know you have had a hard day, shing with them over small and big things.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I¡¯m all in. Thanks for caring about me, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°So, what are you going to do? I think you had better take a rest today.¡± ¡°No. As I¡¯vee down here, I would like to wrap up our matter. Have you taken care of my request I made the other day?¡± Chapter 249 Chapter 249: Chapter 249 When I asked with a weary voice, the High Priest made a distinctive smile and slowly recited a prayer. Soon a familiar scent began to spread, surrounding me with an aura of refreshment. ¡°Oh, thank you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°Your strange way of blessing has never changed. As you are old enough, why don¡¯t you stop it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know we have agreed to respect each other¡¯s tastes? Quartus, did I ever tell you to do this or that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t want to talk. By the way¡­¡± The blonde High Priest, who shook his head from side to side, looked up at me and said, ¡°I heard from Secundus that you need my help. Is that right?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Did you say you need my divine power and testimony? Well, I have no problem using my divine power, let alone my testimony, but there is one condition. ¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I am different from Secundus. I don¡¯t care about the honor of the temple or how they look at me. What I want is only one thing. That is¡­¡± Why is he beating around the bush instead of getting to the point? When I tilted my head, he said with rather an emotional voice, ¡°It is money.¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon? Money? ¡± My eyes were wide open. Money? Did I hear wrong? It can¡¯t be that the High Priest is asking for money. However, it was clear that I heard him right. The blonde High Priest continued with an excited expression, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s money. Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think like others that money is a trifling thing that onlymoners care about?¡± ¡°Oh, no. That¡¯s not what I mean¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. Money! What a great value it is! To be honest with you, does your faith feed you? What¡¯s the use of loyalty, honor, dignity, or something like that? The most important thing in the world is money! It is money! Because they have money, people can eat something delicious, wear warm clothes, and have a good night¡¯s sleep. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Well? Think about it. It takes money to build an estate, run the country, and build a grand temple like this and praise God. What moves the world is money ¡­ Ah, what did you do to me, Secundus? ¡± Hitting him on the head, who kept babbling on, the gray-haired High Priest said, ¡°I warned you to watch yournguage. She might misunderstand you.¡± ¡°What did I do¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry he showed shameful behavior to you, but don¡¯t get him wrong. Actually, there is one thing that Qartus has been doing for a long time. He has been supporting orphans. This time it seems that he was in financial difficulties because of an increase in orphans as a result of the wars among the kingdoms.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± I felt relieved to hear that, nodding at him. Although I still felt a bit embarrassed, I could calm down after hearing his detailed exnation. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any problem with that. If you let me know the amount you need, I¡¯ll send you the money immediately. Oh, by the way¡­¡± Suddenly, something came to my mind, so I added with a bright smile. ¡°If you want it, I can set aside a ce in my family¡¯s estate to support the orphans. Of course, I will financially support you each year. ¡± ¡°Are you serious? If you can do it, there¡¯s nothing more I can ask for. Good.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Eminence. Would you please visit the Imperial Pce in the near future? Let me brief the emperor about it.¡± I broke into a smile at the High Priest who nodded immediately. Although I needed to donate a certain amount of money, I had no problem building an orphanage in my family¡¯s estate. Besies, it¡¯s a special project that the High Priest pays special attention to. If I can make connections with him through this project, he would be certainly helpful to me in one way or another. Besides, it¡¯s going to be a great opportunity for my family to be widely known to the people. In other words, I would have nothing to lose. Clicking his tongue while looking at the blonde High Priest, the gray-haired High Priest said, ¡°Tut, tut. How innocent you are! Well, he¡¯s doing good things anyway. Don¡¯t you think so, Lady Monique?¡± I was a little embarrassed when I saw his mischievous smile, but I said casually, ¡°I think so, Your Eminence. By the way, did you take care of my request the other day?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten the item you requested yet, but I think I can obtain it sooner orter as they are searching for the man who can make it.¡± ¡°I see. I hope I can get some good news in a short period of time. Oh, this is the first result of my investigation of what you requested of me.¡± I presented a document to him. I wish I could obtain an antidote on the asion of my visit here, but I was satisfied with the fact that he would obtain it, even if he has not yet obtained it. Besides, I made a new deal with the new High Priest. As if he had been expecting it, the High Priest began to read immediately after epting the document. After reading through thest chapter, he spoke with a cold smile, ¡°Thank you, Lady Monique. I find it¡¯s very helpful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still investigating, so I think I can give you more details in the near future. Shall we meet again then? ¡± ¡°That would be great. Oh, don¡¯t worry about the festival. I¡¯ll make sure there won¡¯t happen anything you worry about.¡± ¡°Thank you. Then let me leave now.¡± After lightly bowing my head, I rose from my seat, leaving the two High Priests behind. As I stepped into the hallway, pirs in green and white and geometric patterns carved into the walls caught my eye, let alone the symbols of Vita, made of gold. The scene revealed under the bright light, too luxurious for a temple, was so different from the Santuarium, the sacred ce that consisted only of things in pure white, just like the top priests in luxurious outfits were different from the High Priest in a white robe. ¡®Who is going to be the final winner?¡¯ I shook off the idle thoughts that suddenly crossed my mind, walking toward the front door at a distance. The shade around the door decorated with gold was very dark, but as the priests, who recognized me easily, opened the door immediately, I could easily get out of the temple. I was going to get into the wagon after apologizing to the family knights who had been waiting for a long time, when I suddenly noticed roses blooming near the door. Although they were withering in the morning when I arrived, they were now blooming, full of vitality. What happened? Since there are three High Priests here, did they use divine power? But one is a baby and the other two were with me inside all the time, When did they take time off to do so? When I looked at the roses closely, the knight escorting me asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, mydy?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. Let ¡®s go. ¡± Feeling a bit strange, I headed back home with the knights. ¡°Can you take a look at this?¡± As soon as I was done working morning shifts the next day, I went straight to the Central Pce to handle all sorts of misceneous stuff. Then the emperor, who was writing something with a quill for some time, said, handing me an envelope as if he just thought of it, ¡°This is a report submitted by the prime minister. It¡¯s about the case of Earl Lanier that the Monique family has been investigating.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, I see.¡± ¡°Well, it seems like there is a dy in the investigation for some reason, but I would like to tell you that I keep it in mind.¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s fine, Your Majesty. Your safety should be the priority now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I will certainly find the true culprit and bring him to justice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so grateful for your deep consideration.¡± He cleared his throat, slightly avoiding me who deeply bowed to him, then said, handing me another, ¡°It contained something I investigated secretly by myself. Just read it for your reference as I think you might want to see it when there is another discussion of this matter.¡± ¡°If you did it secretly, it must be very important. Why are you showing it to me?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I promise to you the other day? I told you I would provide you with as many documents as you want with respect to this case. So, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. ¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you so much, Your Majesty. ¡± After nodding lightly, I took the thin envelope and carefully opened it. ¡®Ugh? What is this?¡¯ Chapter 250 Chapter 250: Chapter 250 There was another envelope inside it. There was also another envelope in the second one. When I opened it with a quick sigh, I finally saw something other than an envelope. A sheet of paper folded in half. ¡® Why did he seal it like this?¡¯ I opened it with a puzzled expression and read the first line. What the heck? Marquis Mirwa? When I recalled the man with honey-colored hair, who used to speak to me with a smile on his face, I tightened my hand holding the envelope. I let out a sigh, ttening the edge of the crumpled paper. Who else is Duke Jena going to shift his responsibility on this time? Last time his victim was Earl Lanier. This time is Earl Mirwa? But I could not understand why Duke Jena was trying to cut off Marquis Mirwa, ranked No. 2 in the noble faction. It is said that the marquis¡¯s power has grown recently. Does Duke Jena want to keep him at bay? Or is the marquis really involved in this incident? I felt I knew why the emperor handed this document to me one year after the incident. ¡®He must have been confused, too.¡¯ He must have been very embarrassed when an unexpected man was involved while focusing the investigation on Duke Jena, and he must have been confused when there was no direct evidence about Marquis Miwa¡¯s involvement. He would have felt ufortable about punishing the marquis, but at the same time he must have found it difficult to attack Duke Jena as there was no clear evidence. But now the situation has changed. I wasn¡¯t the only one who had been poisoned. I discovered some very usible evidence about Ian Belot, who had an affair with the maid, but whose connection with the noble faction or the poison in question I didn¡¯t yet find out properly. I could have a clearer picture of the true culprit if I obtained the test results of the poison sooner orter¡­ Wait a minute. Then, why did the emperor give it to me? It could be very useful in the past. Now it was not, and he must have also noticed it. Did he give it to me, so I could use it to find the true culprit? Or did he want to show me that he didn¡¯t forget my case? When I looked at him with a doubtful expression, he turned his navy blue eyes toward me. The moment I was avoiding his intense and tenacious gaze, which I felt ufortable, I heard a knock on the door. A servant came in and said, ¡°Your Majesty, former princess of the Lua kingdom, Frincia de Lars, wants to see you. What shall I do? ¡± ¡°Madam Lars? ¡­Please let her in.¡± ¡®Why has shee here?¡¯ When I was tilting my head, he turned around and said, ¡°Can you excuse us for a minute?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± I was a little puzzled, but I stood up silently, with my head down. But when I stepped into the small room in his office, I suddenly thought of the document he handed me a moment ago. ¡®Oh my God. How can I leave that confidential document behind?¡¯ When I turned around, clicking my tongue, I saw the blonde womaning into the office, holding her baby in her arms. I stopped unconsciously. I turned my eyes at the baby wiggling her lips with her eyes closed, Frincia greeting him politely and the emperor asking her to have a seat with a smile. ¡°¡­ ¡± Putting my hand on my chest lonely, I looked at the two chatting. Why do I feel so heartbroken? Why do I feel so bitter? I was biting my lips because I couldn¡¯t understand it, but something crossed my mind suddenly. Oh, I see. I could not make him smile at me warmly because I might be infertile. That¡¯s why I was so heartbroken. Yes, that¡¯s the reason. In the past, I wanted him to smile at me warmly. When I learned that I was pregnant, I prayed earnestly that he coulde back to me. I just thought of my baby as a means to get back his love. So, even when I lost my baby, I felt heartbroken about the fact that I could not get back his love. My heart ached so much when I saw Frincia looking down at her baby with a satisfied smile as if she had everything in the world. If I had delivered a baby safely and held in my arms, how would I have felt? Would I smile happily like her? I lifted my arms and hugged the air as if I hugged a baby. I didn¡¯t even cry even though my baby vanished like that. Ah, yes, I was such a cruel woman. Even when I knew that I might be an infertile woman, I was ashamed rather than sad, which I realized only after I saw her and the emperor chatting friendly. Suddenly, my eyes began to blur with tears. My heart ached because of sorrow, regret and guilt. torn. I recalled my lost baby and abandoned love, the High Priest¡¯s words that I might not get pregnant in my second life, and the emperor¡¯s reassurances that he would protect me in return for my staying with him. If I had been in good condition¡­ What would I have felt if I really had epted his heart? I conjured up a beautiful scene in my tearful eyes, with him looking at me warmly and me smiling at him brightly, and my baby held in my arms. I was imagining such a warm, happy and beautiful scene like that. A tear rolled down from my blurred eyes. In no time a stream of tears flowed down my cheek. I covered my mouth with both hands to stop my weeping froming out. Without thinking of wiping my tears, I wept silently like that. How much time passed? I suddenly came to my senses when Frincia told him she was leaving. When I was about to turn after wiping my tears, my eyes met his. Rising from his seat quickly, he came to me in a hurry. ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What happened to you? I asked you to excuse us for a minute¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, Your Majesty. I think I showed you my ugly ¡­.¡± I hastily lowered my head, swallowing my uncontroble sobbing. He already saw my eyes wet with tears, but I didn¡¯t want to show him. ¡°Please raise your head.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Aristia.¡± He gently lifted my face after calling me with a sigh. Tears came out again when he looked at me with a worried expression, so I covered my mouth with both hands to stop the sobbing. Watching the tears rolling down my hands, he said, looking angry, ¡°Take off your hands.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­Just cry as you wish. Don¡¯t care about manners.¡± When I sobbed, shrugging my shoulder, he looked at me and pulled me close with a deep sigh. Then he whispered into my ears, holding me tightly in his arms, ¡°I won¡¯t hear anything if I do like this. So, just cry out instead of holding back your tears.¡± Did his words do it? My sobbing now turned into something like a scream. Sorrowful tears fell from my eyes when I felt his warmth in his close physical contact with me. I felt heartbroken when he was so different from the old him because he was now so kind and so warm. I couldn¡¯t escape from the illusion lingering in front of my eyes. The heartbreaking images of me, him and our baby smiling happily between us kept hovering in my mind. How good it would have been if he had been like this back then! If he had, I would not have suffered or endlessly refused to hurt him because of this kind of image that asionally came to my mind. If he had been like this, I could have loved him freely and showed affection for my lost baby. Then, everyone could have been happy. I was sad because I could not ept the fact that I could not ept his concern and attention to me now, which I would have been so happy and grateful for. My sorrowful tears kepting out because I felt so warm in his arms as he pat me gently and hugging me tightly Chapter 251 Chapter 251: Chapter 251 How much time passed? Tears that flowed down my cheek and my uncontroble sobbing gradually disappeared. My head that was in the clouds became gradually clear. Only then did I realize that I was holding him tightly. My body suddenly got heated up due to his warmth I felt through his thin fabric. When I disengaged from his body hurriedly, I saw his white robe a bit wet with my tears as well as his subdued navy blue eyes looking at me . After silently wiping my wet face with a handkerchief, he asked, ¡°Do you want a baby?¡± I looked nkly up his eyes. When I just blinked as I couldn¡¯t understand what he meant, he said, wiping the teardrops around my eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t like children very much, but I want to have a baby with you too. I think the baby would be beautiful and intelligent like you. But Aristia¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter even if you can¡¯t have a baby. I can do without a baby if I can be with you. So¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry, Your Majesty. Let me leave now.¡± As I couldn¡¯t hear any more, I hurriedly went out of the office. Then, as soon as he turned around the corner, I sat down, hiding in the shade of arge pir. Hot tears, which I had dried, began to trickle down again. The moment I heard him saying he would like to have a child with me, I was choked with the illusion that coulde true. I kept thinking I would like to lean on him once and forever. Which woman would not feel moved when her lover said he wanted her so much? Can¡¯t I hold him? Can¡¯t I catch his hand that he reached out to me, pretending I didn¡¯t know his past? Can¡¯t I just ept him in the cozy imagination, hiding my ears and eyes? I stretched my arms toward the shimmering illusion in front of me. At that moment, the beautiful scene was shattered. ¡°Ha¡­ ¡± Suddenly, I felt the chills on my body. I felt like a cold wind was blowing in my heart. Frozen in the cold, I sat down in the shade for a long time. I stepped back, gasping for breath. After correcting my bad posture, I wiped off my hands wet with sweat. After grabbing the sword anew, I charged back toward the rxed, silver-haired knight. ng! The sound of the swords hitting against each other rang pleasantly. I got a numbing sensation in my arm. I tried to attack again, but focused on defending when he hit me first with great force. When I effectively blocked his attack, his blue eyes glowed satisfactorily. ¡°Your skills have increased a lot.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. It seems that your steady practice has paid off. Good job, Tia. ¡± ¡°Thank you, Daddy.¡± A smile came to my lips when I heard his praise that I could hardly hear. I felt like myplicated thoughts were cleared. When I was reviewing the reports I picked up at the office today and the letters that arrived in the afternoon after my evening practice, I heard a knock on the door. The butler hurriedly came in, embarrassed. I asked, putting down the blue letter that I was just about to open, ¡°What¡¯s going on, butler?¡± ¡°Oh, you have a guest.¡± ¡°Guest? At this time? I didn¡¯t get any outsider¡¯s request for a visit. Who is it? ¡± ¡°His Majesty, the emperor is here.¡± ¡°Really?¡± My eyes popped out. Why did hee here even without any notice? Is it because I left hurriedly yesterday? Or does he have something to say? At that moment, I looked down at the letter. The blue letter shining with golden pearls. I thought I might find the answer in the letter, but I headed to the drawing room because I couldn¡¯t keep him waiting. A young man in formal attire was standing as usual. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see the Sun of the Empire.¡± ¡°You went home safely yesterday?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. But why did youe here at this time? I don¡¯t think the situation is good enough for you to go outside. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. As I came out under tight security, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. ¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Can I ask you a favor? I want you to go with me somewhere.¡± ¡°Pardon? Where?¡± ¡°Let me talk about it slowly. So, get ready first. I have little time.¡± Where does he want to go with me at this time? I was very puzzled, but since he said he had no time and pressed me hard, I couldn¡¯t ask any more and walked to my room. When I changed into clothes and went back to the drawing room, still embarrassed, he rose after sitting in a rxed position. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting a long time, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay.¡± He approached me and looked at me silently without listening to my apologies. What¡¯s wrong? Do I look strange? When I looked up with puzzled eyes, he approached one step closer and gestured with hands lightly. A waiting maid held a box on the table and opened the lid. Inside was an borately crafted diamond ne shimmering with a brilliant glow. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Stay there like that for a moment.¡± He leaned towards me and put the ne around my neck. It wasn¡¯t as easy as he thought, so his fingers touched my neck while fidgeting with the hook of the ne. I felt eerie at his warm breathing into my ears while putting on it. My neck felt like tickling and somewhere creepy, so my body trembled at this strange feeling. While I was slowly breathing out, he finally seeded in locking the hook and raised my body a bit. When I felt I was close enough to feel his breathing, I suddenly blushed. ¡°Now you¡¯re perfect. Beautiful. ¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± Although I tried to act casually, I found myself expressing thanks to him. When I put my hand on my pounding heart and stepped back, a faint smile came to his lips as he was looking at me. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Nothing. let¡¯s go.¡± Looking at me quietly, he reached out. After breathing out furtively, I headed out with him. ¡°Then we¡¯re departing now, Your Majesty.¡± When the wagon departed, escorted by the royal knights, he, who was sitting across me, asked, ¡°Are you surprised?¡± ¡°¡­No, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for taking you out like this. But if I didn¡¯t do it to you like this, you would definitely wouldn¡¯t like it. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Um, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Yesterday¡­Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Just forget it. ¡± When I looked at him being evasive, I suddenly recalled what Lina told me, who said he seemed to have visited me yesterday to cheer me up. I ignored her, saying that¡¯s nonsense, bute to think of it, I think she was right. ¡°By the way, have you thought about it?¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the letter I sent you in the morning.¡± I was put on the spot. I wish I had read it a bitter. Watching me sighing silently, he said, looking at me, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. As I was impatient, I think I pushed you too much.¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty. Actually, I¡¯m still ¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to answer so quickly. When you make up your mind, tell me then. ¡± ¡°What I mean is¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Just tell meter. ¡± I was going to tell him I hadn¡¯t read it yet, but he cut me off hastily, as if he got me wrong. As I felt he would not listen to me anyway, I just looked out the window, refraining from saying anything further. The ce where the wagon arrived after a long ride was somewhat unfamiliar to me. I¡¯ve never been to this ce before. I got out of the carriage and looked around, with my eyes wide open. I uttered exmations at the surrounding scene. There was ake shining blue under the bright moon. All kinds of flowers shining brightly under the moonlight, quiet surroundings and lovers walking a hand in hand. The scenery, which was very beautiful, but very different from what I used to see, was so serene. Was it because I felt sofortable at the peaceful scene? Or was it because I was thrilled by the strange ce? As I felt like I was walking on air, I turned around and asked, looking up at him, ¡°Where are we, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Shush! They will overhear us.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± Chapter 252 Chapter 252: Chapter 252 He smiled at me when I hurriedly covered my mouth and raised his hand. Then the royal knights stepped back silently. Was it because of that? Lovers walking around theke were surprised to see him and me dressed up, but fortunately they didn¡¯t seem to have noticed who we were. I smelled the scent of silver flowers blown by the breeze. The petals of the flowers dancing in the wind fluttered down on his hair. When I reached out to take them out of his hair, he slowly looked back at me and asked, ¡°How about this ce? Do you like it? ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡­ Well, the scenery is beautiful. ¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯m d to hear that. I think my argument with Sir Penril all day long paid off.¡± I looked at him who was turning up his mouth a bit. The more I thought about it, the more strange I felt. I was curious about why he slipped out of the pce toe here at thiste hour, why he let the royal knights move back. Normally, he would not have acted like this. As for the scenic ce, there were a lot of ces like it inside the pce. Then, why did he act like this? As if he noticed that I was curious about his motivations, he titled his head and looked at me. ¡°Are you wondering why I came here when I could go to beautiful ces in the pce?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, Wherever youe to the pce, it makes you think of me as only the emperor. So, I wanted to get out of that restriction. I wanted you to look at me as I am without it.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± I looked up at him with my trembling eyes. His navy blue eyes looking at me were also trembling. The moment I thought I felt something shimmering like the sea in his eyes, it disappeared. Even before I felt sorry about it, something soft touched my lips. What is it? What did he do¡­? When I blinked nkly without even responding, I btedly realized that he stole a kiss from me. When I was about to pull myself from him in surprise, our eyes met. I stiffened. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off his eyes, which turned dark blue. I felt like I was bewitched by something or sucked into something. Suddenly, the scenery around me caught my eye. Shining sunlight and blueke, and the scenery with a strange but free atmosphere. I wanted to be freed from the bondage of my past and the restrictions set by the pro-emperor faction. ¡®It¡¯s all because of that scenery over there. It¡¯s because I got carried away with the beautiful moonlight.¡¯ So I wrapped my arms around his neck, telling myself I should be honest with my feelings. I closed my eyes. ¡°Then I¡¯lle in now.¡± I let out a sigh of relief naturally. I felt good when I was in the open space, but I felt so embarrassed and awkward when I was left alone with him in a closed space. Perhaps it was because he did not let go of my hand while in the wagon. I was about to raise my body after carefully pulling the hand he was holding away, but he said, stopping me gently, ¡°You.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡± My heart gradually warmed when I saw him looking at me with a worried expression. When I nodded by smiling gently, a smile came to his lips. ¡°I¡¯m d you got better.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. I¡¯m deeply touched by your warm consideration.¡± ¡°Have a good night!¡± ¡°You, too, Your Majesty.¡± As soon as I tried to pull my hand, bowing to him, he raised his right hand and kissed the hand of mine he was holding. My heart began to pound gradually when I felt attracted to his tempting posture. I felt goosebumps when I felt his warm breathing on the back of my hand. ¡°Have good dreams, Aristia.¡± When he whispered in my ears, I hurried out of the wagon without even responding. I went back to my room absent-mindedly. My dreamy mood continued until I washed myself, changed my clothes, prepared to sleep, and was finally left alone in bed because what happened in the wagon and in theke kept hovering in my mind. Is it because of the magic attraction of the blue moon? I recalled his desperate kiss. His eyes I saw when I opened my eyes, as well as the mixed feelings in his navy blue eyes, kept lingering in my eyes. I couldn¡¯t forget his warmth when he held my hand, his gentle touch when he swept my hair, and his soft kiss that touched the back of my hand. My heart was pounding so I couldn¡¯t sleep. I tossed and turned in bed, then removed the bedsheet. As I couldn¡¯t sleep anyway, I thought I had better work. When I opened the side door and approached the desk, I noticed a gorgeous envelope with gold pearls scattered on a blue background. At that moment, I recalled him cutting me off with a firm voice. ¡®I wondered what he said in the letter.¡¯ I picked up the envelope nervously. Then, after taking a quick look at his name in white ink, I took a deep breath and opened the letter. I helplessly sat down on the floor. Oh my God! How can the emperor give up on having a sessor that shares his blood? Does this make any sense? ¡®No way!¡¯ I bit my lip. It was an offer that I could not and should not ept. This should not happen under any circumstances. But my heart kept pounding. I shouldn¡¯t do this, but I couldn¡¯t calm down my excitement. Although I knew his offer was far from feasible, with enormous repercussions, I was very happy. I was moved to tears after discovering how much he cared for me when he, known for his rational thinking and behavior, could make such a dangerous offer. I felt like I would like to hide behind him, ignoring the stern reality facing me. My heart was full of a strange feeling beyond my description. How can I express this feeling? Pleasure? Satisfaction? Happiness? Gratification? No, what I¡¯m feeling now was not the kind of one that can¡¯t be expressed in simple words. Only then did I realize that I was really loved by him. Although I knew it for a long time, it was the first time that his love touched my heart like this. Even though I knew that the more I swayed, the more he and I would be hurt, I couldn¡¯t really think about anything because of the myriad of feelings that filled my heart. ¡®No¡­¡¯ I let out a big breath. I took a deep breath, so I could empty my excitement. The next time I see him, I have to say I can¡¯t ept it. I¡¯m going to tell him that his offer is simply impossible. But shouldn¡¯t I be happy only tonight? Can¡¯t I be just happy that I am loved by him? Suddenly, tears trickled down on my cheek unconsciously. ¡®When these tears dry, let me go back to normal life tomorrow. I promise, Aristia. ¡® I raised my blurry eyes and looked out the window. The blue moonlight filling the ck night sky was reflected in my blurred vision. Chapter 253 Chapter 253: Chapter 253 Present VII The fresh breeze was blowing through the window, and the morning sun shining through the curtains was shining brilliantly. The voices of the maids chatting happily and the chirping of the birds in the morning was heard through the half-open window. Is it because I slept fitfullyst night? Although everybody felt great in the morning, I could not share their happy mood. My head was throbbing, and I felt heavy all over my body like I was wearing a wet dress. ¡°Do you think you are really okay, mydy?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± Leaving Lina behind, who was worried about me all morning, I raised my tired body and changed into a riding suit. When my body felt heavy, it was better for me to move my body properly than to stay still. ¡°Hi, Sylvia. Good morning.¡± When I whispered, burying my face in her mane, Sylvia blew from her mouth strongly as if she replied to me. That made me remember mying-of-age ceremony. That day I fell from Sylvia because of a roaring bear, and I was in a difficult situation because Sylvia was limping due to her sprained ankle. I also rode the emperor¡¯s horse because of that. ¡®Don¡¯t think about it, Aristia. You decided to forget all about it, right?¡¯ When I climbed Sylvia with a bitter smile, a knight in white uniform climbed his horse and asked me, ¡°Where are you going, mydy?¡± ¡°Um, well¡­¡± I hesitated for a moment. If I could have my way, I wanted to ride far, but I didn¡¯t want to put a burden on the two royal knights who were dispatched to escort me. ¡°Why don¡¯t you make a round of the noble¡¯s district? I think you will be fine as we are escorting you from behind.¡± ¡°May I?¡± ¡°Of course. Do as you please. ¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After greeting the knights guarding my house at the gate lightly, I headed to the boulevard of the noble district with the two royal knights. As it was early in the morning, the street was empty without a single wagon. I raised my head and looked up at the sky. There was no cloud or bright moonlight in the sky. Suddenly, I felt some hot feelings surging from my heart. ¡°Giddyup!¡± As I spurred her, pulling the reins, Sylvia shook her silver mane and galloped quickly. The fresh breeze drifting by my chest seemed to blow away my hard and sad feelings. Let me forget it. The tears of happiness and the old mest night. Let¡¯s forget it all as if they didn¡¯t exist from the beginning. ¡°Giddyup!¡± Heehaw! As Sylvia picked up speed, blowing roughly from her mouth, my lingering memories of what happenedst night disappeared. The magic attraction of the blue moonlight was also blown away. ¡°Oh, wee back, mydy. Are you feeling better? ¡± ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. You looked so bad a little while ago.¡± I smiled at Lina who beamed at me, and I headed to the home office to take care of some paperwork before going to work. While I was organizing letters and documents for a while, which I didn¡¯t finish reviewingst night, I noticed a familiar sign. An urgent sign was stamped on the tightly sealed envelope. The moment I opened the envelope and checked its contents, a smile touched my mouth. Isn¡¯t Amarantine the crest of the Lanier family? I was very pleased to hear that Baron Carot finally obtained the secret document I had been looking for. Moreover, since he confirmed the existence of ¡°it,¡± all I had to do was to identify the connection between ¡°it¡± and Duke Jena. If so, I could at least punish the duke for poisoning me. ¡®By the way¡­¡¯ I tapped the desk gently. . All the others were good news, but I was bothered by the fact that Ian Belot¡¯s daughter was going to change her dwelling. She has stayed put in her location until now, but why is she suddenly moving? Did they notice our surveince? ¡®Should I rescue her right now?¡¯ But I could not. She may just change her dwelling routinely. Besides, the moment that we rescued her, it is certain that they would find out who we were. So, we had to rescue her only after we prepared everything. While I was pondering over some things, I suddenly noticed the first line of the report. At that moment, something crossed my mind quickly. Okay, as it happens, Duke Jena Jr. wants to see me. Let me meet him and make a deal. Then I can find out if they have already noticed our n or not. It may be a bit risky, but I felt it seemed worth a try. I hid the letter in a secret drawer, and got up in a hurry. It was time for me to head to the knights¡¯ division for work. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Duke Jena Jr.¡± ¡°I told you not to call me that way.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t you remember I asked you how I should call you without any formal title?¡± When I turned my mouth up a bit, he said, looking at me with an annoying expression. ¡°Don¡¯t y on words, will you? I¡¯m not here to crack jokes with you.¡± ¡°Sounds good. Then, let me get to the point. Given that you called me here, it seems you have epted my offer. Is that right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, but I really can¡¯t ept your terms. Give me different terms.¡± ¡°Hmm? I clearly told you that I only wanted one thing. I think I¡¯ve got the wrong person as you called me here to engage in this kind of talk. Okay, let¡¯s assume our deal is void.¡± The moment I stood up after speaking coldly, I felt an eerie touch on my neck. The middle-aged man suddenly pulled a self-defense dagger and pointed it at my neck with his purple eyes sparkling. ¡°Tell me about a different condition.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°It is myst warning. Tell me something else. ¡± Although he pointed the sharp de right up my neck, as if he would cut it, I shrugged and replied casually, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear I already said no?¡± If he was desperate enough to point the sword at me, it was obvious that he didn¡¯t want to miss the deal. If then, I didn¡¯t have to make concessions to him. As I originally tried to negotiate with him, I could get what I wanted if I yed my cards right. ¡°Unless you give me ¡®it¡¯, I won¡¯t strike a deal with you. Now, what are you going to do? Are you going to stab me?¡± ¡°You¡­ ! ¡± ¡°And there is one fact that you are overlooking. That¡¯s ¡­¡± I was raising my right arm right up to his chest secretly. When he flinched at my cold voice, I quickly reached out and twisted his wrist roughly. ng! The dagger that fell down hit the floor, making a squeaking noise. After kicking the dagger into a corner, I chuckled at the man who was looking at me as if he was dumbfounded. ¡°You are overlooking the fact that I¡¯m a full-fledged knight. I¡¯m very familiar with coping with a situation like this.¡± ¡°You wretched slut!¡± ¡°So, why don¡¯t you stop your useless threat and try to negotiate with me? Don¡¯t you want a deal?¡± When I asked, tilting my head to the side, the man stared at me for a long time, gnashing his teeth. Then, only after a long time, he said with a slightly softened voice,¡±¡­ I can¡¯t tell you anything about it except for its storage ce.¡± ¡°A storage ce¡­Hmm. Though I don¡¯t like it, let me listen. Please tell me. ¡± ¡°Did you say what you wanted was a shield, a sword, and a seal engraved with a rose? I searched for them in my house, but I didn¡¯t find anything like that. Why the hell are you searching for them in my house?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I have any obligation to answer that.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, good. If the seal really exists in my home, there is only one ce for it. It¡¯s the secret vault. ¡± ¡°Secret vault?¡± ¡°Yes. The secret vault that only the head of the family can enter. ¡± Great! The seal must be kept there. Chapter 254 Chapter 254: Chapter 254 ¡°If the head of the family can enter it, you might know its password, right? Where is it now?¡± ¡°Before I talk about it¡­¡± he said, cutting me off, with his purple eyes sparkling, ¡°I think we have to make clear about the terms of our deal. If I let you know the location of the secret vault, do you ept my condition?¡± ¡°Let me repeat the three conditions you put forward. Namely, I¡¯ll make sure that the current duke should give up all his power, including his title, and step down, I¡¯ll help you seed the title safely, and I guarantee you im more than 70% of Duke Jena¡¯s wealth and position. Correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m losing money, but let me take it.¡± I had no problem with promising him what I just said. Of course, finding out the secret vault meant half the sess to me, but it would be much better for me to find out the location of the secret vault. If I knew its location, I could try something to go and get it. The man skeptically watched me nodding dly, then said, ¡°I don¡¯t think the head of the Monique family is saying this as a bluff, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious, of course.¡± ¡°Okay, then. The secret vault is in my father¡¯s library. You can find it by pulling out the pink book on the second bookshelf from the left.¡± ¡°Great. Thanks.¡± ¡°Let me warn you about just one thing. Don¡¯t ever think about breaking into it recklessly because you know its location. You¡¯ll pay the price for undermining the power of my family if you do so.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see how it goes.¡± When I pulled my mouth up slightly, the sessor of Duke Jena quickly turned around after looking at me with an annoyed expression. Watching him walk away, I said in a rxed tone, ¡°By the way, Duke Jena Jr, I discovered something very interesting recently. One of your rtives got married to amoner a few years ago, right? Her name was probably Delia? ¡± At that moment, the man suddenly stopped at my voice, then shouted, as if he felt what I said was outrageous, ¡°¡­ Are you digging into that kind of stuff, too? I don¡¯t care about what my rtives are doing.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s surprising. Doesn¡¯t your family highly value its family pedigree? I don¡¯t think Duke Jena didn¡¯t know your rtive¡¯s marriage to thatmoner woman because he was bringing amoner into your family. Oh my¡­I think in your family the sessor¡¯s power seems to be very limited. Do you think you can really control your family? Can I help you a little more?¡± When I spoke sarcastically, he clenched his fists as if to hold his temper and breathed out roughly. Then, he closed the door with a bang. I smiled, watching the tightly closed door. ¡®I think I know why you got angry.¡¯ Given his angry attitude a moment ago, it seemed that he probably did not know about her existence. That¡¯s why he kept silent to find out why I mentioned it to him. If that¡¯s the case, I could assume that Delia was safe. But my time was running out. Given that he was not aware of the identity of the hostage or the genuine use of the seal of his family, Duke Jena Jr. was obviously not involved in the treason initiated by his father. But if he ever revealed to his father about his deal with me, or if he was caught by his father, things would be veryplicated. After disposing of the dagger dropped in the corner, I went out hurriedly. Time was everything to me from now on. The rain began slowly and quickly began to pour down. I had the chills when the cold air touched my wet body. When I entered the Central Pce, shivering from the cold, the maids who came to me in a hurry wrapped several towels around my body. When I was about to enter the emperor¡¯s executive office after wiping off, what he told me recently crossed my mind. He scolded me for getting wet, asking me why I was too inflexible. He said he could not believe it anymore when I said I was okay. I was bothered by his scolding somehow, so I went to the office only after I dried my wet hair and body. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see the emperor, the Sun of the Empire.¡± ¡°Come on in.¡± He, who I saw three days ago, greeted me casually, as usual. Two familiar men were sitting across him on both sides. ¡°Oh I¡¯m d to see you, High Priests. How are you, Your Eminences?¡± ¡°May the blessings of life be with you. It¡¯s nice to see you, Lady Monique. We¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± I let out a sigh of relief when I saw the two High Priests blowing slightly to me. In fact, I was nervous about seeing the emperor again after that day. Fortunately I didn¡¯t have to see him alone here. After looking at me quickly when I sat down, the gray-haired High Priest said, ¡°Then, Your Majesty, let me continue. When are you going to handle this? Although I keep reciting prayers for neutralizing your poisoning, it is dangerous for you to get exposed to poison for a long time. ¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do it now. I have to wait until the festival ends, so please wait a little longer. ¡± ¡°Okay. But you have to be extremely careful. Given your symptoms, it is clear that they must have given you a much higher dosage this time.¡± ¡°Well, it shows that they began to suspect. I will keep in mind. ¡± Watching the blonde High Priest nodding heavily, the gray-haired High Priest asked, ¡°By the way, what am I supposed to do exactly? As for the prayer for neutralizing your poisoning, someone else can do it.¡± ¡°Hmm. Aristia, can you exin? ¡± ¡°Oh, yes, Your Majesty.¡± I exined, looking at the blonde High Priest, ¡°As I saidst time, what you are supposed to do is to testify.¡± ¡°Testify?¡± ¡°As you have witnessed the emperor¡¯s condition today, you must have realized that he is currently threatened with poisoning. I investigated how they injected poison into the emperor and found out that those guys at the pce affairs office who are in charge of tasting the food for the emperor had symptoms of poisoning. ¡± ¡°Oh, I understood. In short, you want me to testify in an official setting that they were also poisoned, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. No testimony is as effective as when you do it, swearing on divine power. ¡± ¡°Hmm, swearing on divine power? Well, good. It doesn¡¯t matter because I¡¯m testifying a lie. But you have to repay my efforts, okay?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± After hesitating for a moment, the blonde High Priest readily agreed with my suggestion. When I broke into a smile at his consistent emphasis on mypensation, the emperor said, ¡°Thank you very much. I think I owe both of you a lot this time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Your Majesty. We¡¯re not doing this for free anyway. We are going to leave now. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good for us to stay here long because we need to give the impression that we are also busy preparing for the festival,¡± said the gray-haired High Priest. As soon as he said that with a faint smile, he stood up with the blonde High Priest and left. When the two left, awkward silence fell as he and I were left alone in the office now. A breathless atmosphere filled the office. I silently fidgeted with the documents, with my head down. Since I decided that I could not ept him, I knew it was best to act as if nothing had happened. But when I faced him like this, I couldn¡¯t think of anything. I got cold feet, with my heart beating fast. As if he noticed my anxiety, he said with a sigh after a while, ¡°Aristia.¡± ¡°Pardon? Ah, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°I think you are very busy preparing for the festival. So, you may stop working in this office.¡± ¡°Ah¡­Thank you.¡± Then, is this thest afternoon I will work with him? Even a little while ago I was nervous abouting to his office, but I felt a bit sorry when he told me I didn¡¯t need toe anymore. When I slightly bit my lips to hide my feelings, he said coldly, ¡°However, pleasee and report to me about the update once a week.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± When I asked, raising my head unconsciously, he said, somewhat embarrassed, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t trust you, but¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean, Your Majesty?¡± Chapter 255 Chapter 255: Chapter 255 ¡°¡­ Well, it¡¯s nothing. As I have something to talk with you about the temple, I would like to let you know about it.¡± ¡°Oh yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡®Well, I don¡¯t think I need to report to him directly.¡¯ I felt a bit strange about his intentions, but what he said made sense. It was natural that he was very much concerned about the festival because it was the first big event after his coronation, and that he needed to contact me directly to solve the poison case. For whatever reason, I felt much more rxed as our conversation continued, so I presented the documents to him with a light heart. While he was reviewing them, I sorted out what I needed to brief him about with respect to my deal with Duke Jena Jr. yesterday and my conversation with my father this morning. After finding out the location of the secret vault, I asked my father for help after giving him a full briefing about my deal with Duke Jena Jr. I asked him whether I could use the blessed criminal for my n. At first my father hardened his face, asking me why I was looking for him, but he soon nodded his head, agreeing to my n after hearing the details. He also promised that he would try his best to help me obtain the seal. The seal, featuring a shield, a sword, a rose, with the inscription of the phrase ¡®Volente Castina.¡¯ If I could obtain it, I would be able to prove the crime of Duke Jenna in conjunction with the documents about Earl Lanier, which I had acquired recently, and the documents I received from Earl Apinu the other day. I could finally wrap up the investigation into my poisoning case that took me almost a year. Besides, I could have him punished for poisoning the emperor, which was not yet proven at this point. Of course, it would not be easy because he should be charged with treason, not just injury. But it would not be impossible if I back it up with the testimony of the two High Priests who already agreed to testify, the testimony of Ian Belot and other men at the pce affairs office, and some other hard evidence that I¡¯m still trying to find. Besides¡­ ¡°¡­ Aristia? ¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty? ¡± ¡°Why were you thinking so hard? You didn¡¯t respond even after I called you several times. ¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I was just organizing some things in my mind to brief you on.¡± Trying to shake off some doubt that kepting to my mind, I answered calmly. Apparently everything seemed to be working out well, but I felt somewhat strange. The more I dug into this incident, the more I felt some strange shadow was lurking around me. ¡°Really? Hmm. Is there any progress in your investigation?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Actually¡­¡± I thought I had better keep my deal with Duke Jena Jr secret, so I briefed him about the findings of my investigation up to now except for the deal, ranging from the unearthing of Earl Lanier¡¯s hidden documents, the involvement of the temple in the acquisition of poison to the discovery of the winemaker¡¯s daughter and even her exposure to possible danger. When I was done giving him a long briefing, he, who kept silent all along, said with a pensive expression, ¡°I see. Then, the thing is time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I think you had better wrap it up as early as possible, given the High Priest¡¯s remarks. Let¡¯s rescue the woman in question as soon as the festival is over, and let¡¯s start working on it right away. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± When I answered politely, he said with a sign after moving his lips for a moment as if to say something, ¡°You are really¡­ ¡­ . ¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, nothing. Never mind.¡± Leaning against the back of his chair, he sighed again deeply, looking silently out of the window. Following his gaze, I also looked out the window. The world seen through the window was all colored gray with rain. When I saw the pouring rain, I recalled the rainy autumn day when I spent with him. At that time I was scared of him, rather than sharing each other¡¯s warmth. But we were sharing silence back then like now. How much time passed? When I was looking out the window nkly, lost in memories, I heard him calling me, breaking the sheer silence. ¡°Aristia.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You told me the other day that you don¡¯t hate rainy days, right? Then how about walking in the rain? Do you like it? ¡± ¡°Yes, I do like it.¡± When I readily nodded, he took his eyes off the window and looked at me. ¡°Then, will you walk with me for a minute?¡± ¡°Pardon? Why are you suddenly¡­?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got a headache with all sorts of things on my mind. If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to get out for some fresh air with you.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty, the High Priest has advised you not to¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out just briefly. I promise. ¡± ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± He stood up as soon as I replied and reached out to me. It seemed that he felt frustrated a lot. When he opened the door, the royal knights on standby hurriedly bowed. Returning their greetings, he walked silently, then suddenly stopped to say, ¡°You stay here.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, what do you mean¡­ ¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°It¡¯s raining a lot. Are you guys going to get caught in the rain?¡± Surprised, I looked up at him. Did he really say that? How could such a cold-hearted man like him make kind and considerate remarks to them? It was not only me who was surprised by his warm response. The royal knights who looked at him nkly for a moment came to their senses one by one and said, ¡°We are fine, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Are you sure? You guys are really stubborn. Are the knights all like that?¡± Then, he turned with a sigh. I also quickly turned. At that moment, I caught a glimpse of them who seemed to be touched by his unexpected response. Some of them were smiling at me with a meaningful smile. Why are they looking at me like that? Perhaps because of that? I blushed when I recalled what happened three days ago. Come to think of it, they must have watched him kissing me. In particr, given my conversation with Sir Lank the other day, it was highly likely that the rumors about me that night already spread. Suddenly, my hand he was holding felt hot as if burning, so I pulled it gently, pretending that I was receiving an umbre from a servant. When he looked down at me with a puzzled expression, I just walked away, trying to avoid his eyes. ¡°Please give it to me.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°It is very difficult for you to lift the umbre high enough to cover me.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°If you insist, let¡¯s do this. Give it to me. It¡¯s my order.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± When I handed the umbre to him, pouting, he held and opened the white umbre, turning his mouth a bit. After looking up at the gray clouds, I stepped under the white shade of the umbre in the rain. I heard the sound of my heels and his shoes stepping on the wet pebbles, with raindrops pattering on the umbre. The green leaves that hadn¡¯t turned red yet fell off, unable to bear the weight of the water droplets on them. The falling sound was like a melody peculiar to a rainy day, which was echoing in the world blurred gray with the rain. Carried away with the raindrops, I closed my eyes and deeply breathed in the wet air. The pleasant earthy scent tickled the tip of my nose. ¡°It seems you really like rain.¡± I opened my eyes at his voice. Suddenly, he stopped and looked down at me under the shade of the umbre. My heart started beating fast. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡­Ouch! It¡¯s cold.¡± When I hurriedly turned my head and walked away, I shivered with the falling cold raindrops that wet my body. He came fast toward me and put an umbre over my head, clicking his tongue. ¡°What can I do if you quickly walk away like that? You¡¯re all wet now!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let you walk like that. Juste closer to me.¡± ¡°Oh, ah, yes¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still far from me. Come closer. Like this.¡± I came closer to him hesitantly when he suddenly pulled me hard to his side. I opened my eyes wide, surprised, but he wrapped me with his arms softly, which made me stiffen. What is he doing now? Chapter 256 Chapter 256: Chapter 256 When I looked up with my trembling eyes, he said, pulling me hard with a smile, ¡°Much closer now.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up. Otherwise, we won¡¯t finish taking a walk today.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°How about walking to the Ver Pce? You wondered about the silver flowers therest time, right? ¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± Surrounded by cool, damp air, I didn¡¯t feel cold. I felt rather hot because of the warmth from his body that was close to me and his arms wrapped around my shoulder. When I turned my head hesitantly, I saw my silver hair hanging over his arms wrapped around my shoulder. That put me in mind of what happened that night when he cautiously swept my hair and kissed me passionately. ¡®Come to your senses, Aristia! I told you to forget it! ¡® As I shook his head vigorously, he asked me curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Hmm.¡± I breathed a sigh of relief because he didn¡¯t ask me any more. I now saw a glimpse of the silver flower tree at a distance. The closer I went to it , the more my heart pounded. This time I was very curious to see if the flowers bloomed. How long did I walk? Suddenly, he approached the tree and stopped there. I also stopped and raised my head. As he was holding the umbre from behind, I had no problem looking up. While ncing at the buds slowly, I screamed exmations unconsciously. The silver buds on the tree were all about blooming half apart. My heart was full. Are they finally showing flowers to me? Are they really getting ready to bloom fully after oveing the intense mes, the hot summer sun, and even the harsh weather? ¡®Are you going to show me flowers this winter?¡¯ I really hope so. When I look at you in full bloom, I feel like I can get out of my harrowing past fully. When I was looking up at the silver buds, murmuring to myself, I heard him saying with a subdued voice, ¡°That flower¡­¡± ¡°Pardon? Your Majesty?¡± ¡°That flower resembles you.¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± When I looked back at his unexpected remarks, he said, gazing at me after he withdrew his arms around my shoulder, ¡°I didn¡¯t know it at first, but the more I look at it, the more I think it looks like you. Like you, it¡¯s in a precarious condition, but it has prevailed at the end of the day. Like you, it is stubbornly refusing to show something. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°I wonder if you can open your heart to me when those buds fully bloom.¡± My heart ached at that. When I looked at his trembling eyes, he also looked down at me silently. The sound of raindrops falling on the ground, a world that turned gray in the rain and the serene silence between the two of us. His navy deep blue eyes were looking at me silently under the white shade of the umbre. ¡°Lady Monique?¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Grace. What did you say? ¡± When I hurriedly apologized, Grace looked aside, smiling awkwardly. Next to her was Jiun, who was staring at me as if she was dumbfounded. ¡°How can you be absent-minded at this important time. I really can¡¯t understand you.¡± ¡°¡­Sorry, Lady Jena.¡± Anyway, it was true that I made a mistake, so I apologized readily instead of getting choked up. Then I tried to refrain from turning my eyes to the window and picked up the paper in front of me. I sighed, looking at the paper written in full. What mattered was the contents. I had already been arguing with Jiun for several hours. ¡°¡­ I told you already I can¡¯t ept this.¡± ¡°Why? I think it¡¯s a reasonable offer.¡± I replied with a sigh, pressing my stinging temple. My head was throbbing because Jiun differed with me about every item on the paper. ¡°Lady Jena, you are now overstepping your authority. That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you you shouldn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Why? As you are given the full authority to host the festival, don¡¯t you have to decide on the matter of the escort and security of the VIPs?¡± ¡°Even if I have the authority, it has been delegated by the pce affairs office. So, the escort and security business is to be taken care of by the knights divisions. It¡¯s not a matter for me to meddle in.¡± When I made my position clear very firmly, Jiun was silent for a moment. I narrowed my eyes because she was still grumbling. Had she overstepped the authority of the knights division in the past in the name of her candidacy for the empress? ¡°¡­Good. Let¡¯s forget about it. Then, what about the servants? I want them to work in four shifts because they must be pretty tired from lots of work during the festival. Why are you opposed to my idea?¡± ¡°Well, if they work a four shift, it will only add confusion to their work. Above all, it will take time for them to get on top of their assignments. Do you want to show the foreign dignitaries how messed up they are? For efficient work, I prefer them working in two shifts.¡± ¡°If you move in shifts, you are very likely to be too cluttered. The job grasp will also be dyed.¡± ¡°Are you ignoring thepetence of the men with the pce affairs office? If they work on two shifts, they will have to overwork themselves.¡± I was really frustrated because of her trying to pick a quarrel with me in every way. What she said made sense, but the problem was that she would not listen to me at all. Was it because she was overwhelmed by the war of nerves between me and Jiun? Watching me nervously as if she was sick and tired of our argument, Grace said cautiously, ¡°Well, how about taking a break before resuming? I don¡¯t think we can finish the job, as things stand now.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ how can we have a break again when we already did a little while ago?¡± Jiun balked. But I epted Grace¡¯s opinion. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s take a break.¡± When I tried to cut her off firmly, Jiun stared at me, raising her eyes fiercely. I looked out the window again, avoiding her gaze. The sound of rain falling down in silence was heard, along with that of somebody sshing water while walking in the rain andughing cheerfully. Suddenly, his voice calling me faintly seemed to hover in my ears, who said he loved me deeply, asking me to open my closed mind to him. But I didn¡¯t reply to him yesterday. Even though I tried so hard to empty my heart, I couldn¡¯t reply. Even though I vowed that I would only shed tears of happiness only one day, I couldn¡¯t reply, either. It was only an excuse that I could not refuse him coldly in such a situation. It was also a poor excuse that I could not utter anything because I was too choked up. The moment I heard his serious confession to me in the rain, I had to admit that my closed mind was already open to him, and my frozen heart began to melt little by little.. Again¡­ I came to love him. When did I begin to change my mind? At first, I was so scared of him. I was always anxious and vignt against him at the thought that he could change anytime and take away my second life, although I began to realize little by little that he was different from the old him. I vowed again and again that I would never love him even at the moment I breathed myst breath. Then, why did I open my heart to him again, when I was clearly aware that he and I could not make a couple, and would only end up hurting each other? Despite all my strong vows, I was opening my heart to him. Although I felt heartbroken so much, it was time for me to return to the bitter reality. Looking at Jiun and Grace, I said calmly, trying to swallow my sorrow, ¡°Shall we start again?¡± ¡°Lady Jena, you don¡¯t want to change your idea on these items, do you?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Whew! Okay, let¡¯s do this. Since the prime minister is absent, I must attend a political meeting to get our budget approved. Let me table all the major agendas including the ad hoc work shifts of servants at that meeting. For a fair judgment, let me keep our opinion secret. I¡¯ll ask the participants which idea they like better, Lady Jena¡¯s and mine. How about that?¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ve no objection.¡± Jiun, who looked sullen all along, answered with a satisfied smile. Watching her feeling triumphant, I broke into a bitter smile. I felt ufortable about bringing their attention to our festival agenda, but given her attitude, I had no other choice. Chapter 257 Chapter 257: Chapter 257 ¡°I think we are done with preparations on our end. How about the temple? I haven¡¯t heard any progress on their side since ourst meeting.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s an easy job if you break her stubbornness. Why are you so stubborn over trifling things?¡± ¡°Stubborn? I think I¡¯ve already made enough concessions. I already revised the contents of the y as you wished, and I also told them to proceed with the events at the za ording to your schedule.¡± ¡°Concession? Oh my¡­ Do you really think so? Well, you might because it looks gorgeous on the surface,¡± Jiun said sarcastically, while looking at me as if she thought my remarks were outrageous. I turned my mouth up a bit at that. ¡®I thought she was just stupid, but it seems she have noticed my intentions to some degree.¡¯ Although thete emperor was very reluctant to be entangled with the temple, the current emperor was very generous toward the temple. At least, he seemed so, which was evidenced in his decision to allow the festival to jointly host the festival. However, the current emperor had a different intention. He dered that although he allowed the imperial family and the temple to jointly host the festival, this would be thest such event. In other words, he made it clear that he wouldn¡¯t allow the temple to be involved in central politics. He also ordered me to arrange the festival events in a way that demonstrated to the people that the imperial family was superior to the temple. So, I was trying to take care of some important events by myself while trying to make concessions to Jiun at an appropriate level. Obviously, Jiun smelled a rat. ¡®Well, it¡¯s toote even if you resist.¡¯ When I met the high priest some time ago, I checked the terms of the deal with him once again, and handed him a detailed document about the corruption of the top priests. Given the serious expression of the High Priest, their corruption scandal would break in the near future. In that case, they would be hard pressed to seek their own survival so much that they would not be able to meddle in imperial events. And the noble faction reliant on them would not be able to use much influence. When I imagined the chaotic situation of the temple and the noble faction, I could not help but smile in satisfaction, but I hurriedly stopped smiling and said to Jiun, ¡°I understand anyway. Let¡¯s resolve the issue at the temple when we visit Sanktus Vita. Let¡¯s wrap up our meeting today. Thanks for your hard work today.¡± ¡°Sounds good, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°What a good excuse! Anyway, let¡¯s stop here as you said. I hope we can have more satisfying results next time. ¡± When Jiun left, holding the documents, Grace also said goodbye to me with a very tired face. I realized that the rain had stopped. As if the rain for thest two days stopped finally, it was bright outside the window. Somehow, I became depressed. While it was raining, it seemed that I was lost in memories of him, but when I looked at the bright sunlight outside the window, I thought that I should really erase those memories. ¡®Stop it, Aristia. What the hell are you thinking about?¡¯ I stood up with a sigh. As it was clear after raining, I felt like I would like to practice to shake off my frustration. Despite the heavy rain for the past two days, the training field was not muddy, it was just a little wet. I think it was because my family made it with special care as a martial arts family. Thinking I was fortunate, I was looking for an empty space when I saw a young man with red hair sparring with someone with the sword. I also saw several knights surrounding them. Carsein? What is going on? The two were staring at each other sharply as if to kill. As the atmosphere was so tense, I hurried to the field and asked one of the knights. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing, Lady Monique. They are just sparring.¡± ¡°Sparring?¡± How can it be called ¡°sparring¡± when the two are locked in a life-or-death duel like that? When I asked again with a frown, the young knight replied with an embarrassed smile, ¡°Well, Carsein said as it was clear after raining, he would like to wield the sword freely, and that he would want to spar with several knights at the same time. If they could do so, he said he would buy them dinner. So, that¡¯s what happened. I was surprised that everybody was fighting like hell as if they had grudges against each other.¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± I nkly watched Carsein beating his partner and challenging another one. Even though he was drenched with sweat so much that his body was steaming, he was looking for his opponent¡¯s weakness with fiercely sparkling eyes. ng! I heard the sound of their swords nging repeatedly. One of the two men facing each other stepped back staggeringly. However, Carsein charged toward him who was catching his breath. ¡°Stop!¡± I hurriedly ran to dissuade them. While wielding the sword roughly, Carsein suddenly stopped and looked at me. ¡°¡­ Tia? ¡± ¡°Ugh? Hi, Sein. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°¡­ I guess so. It¡¯s been a long time, ¡± he said, putting down the sword. I asked him, handing him a towel ced in the corner of the field, ¡°Why are you sparring suddenly? And that sparring with several people? ¡± ¡°Well, I just wanted to shake off my frustration by sparring with them.¡± ¡°Really? Are you going to spar with me then? In fact, I came out for the same reason.¡± ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯ve done enough. By the way, why are you frustrated? Don¡¯t you feel good?¡± ¡°No, not necessarily. I just feel in a mellow mood. ¡± Carsein, who looked down at me smiling awkwardly, reached out and dishevelled my hair. ¡°It looks like you are bing mature as you have something to worry about.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Hey, it isn¡¯t like you at all. You¡¯re just a dumb little girl who has no tact.¡± ¡°What the heck¡­?¡± ¡°So, don¡¯t change your style, okay. If you do, I will be heartbroken.¡± Before I even responded, he put a wet towel over my face. When I took it off, shuddering with that sticky and ufortable feeling, he said with a smile, ¡°Hey, it seems that you are not paying any attention to me at all just because you are busy. You are stuck in the office all day long without even saying hi, and you never write a letter to me these days. Besides, you don¡¯t appear at the knights division office.¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry.¡± ¡°Hey, even if you¡¯re hectic busy, can you take time out to say hi to me? If you don¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll be hurt a lot.¡± ¡°Got it, Sein. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re sorry, pay more attention to me, okay? You can¡¯t find another great man like me.¡± He said, smiling yfully after lightly hitting my forehead, ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you go out since it¡¯s been such a long time?¡± ¡°Going out?¡± ¡°Yeah. I know you have been stuck in the office, snowed under with work these days. How about going out to the street for a break? What do you think?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± It was a very attractive suggestion, but I shook my head, pulling myself together. I had too much work to do to go out for a brief pleasure. ¡°Sorry. I have a lot of work. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t today.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t take time out even briefly?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry, Sein. ¡± ¡°Oh my¡­Okay, I understand. I can¡¯t help it if you say you¡¯re so busy,¡± he said with a sigh, ¡°Then, can you spare two days for me after the festival is over?¡± ¡°Two days?¡± ¡°Yes, two days. This is in exchange for the promise we madest time, so you must keep it, okay? ¡± ¡°Ugh? Promise? What promise? ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? You said you would do me a favor because you didn¡¯te to the banquet to celebrate my knighthood. ¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. I made the promise.¡± At that moment, one thing came to my mind. I made the promise one day two years ago, when I was looking at him, full of envy. My father told me not to attend Carsein¡¯s banquet because of the rumors about him and me at that time. Bothered by the fact that I couldn¡¯t attend his banquet, who was one of my closest friends, I put off RSVP day after day. In the end, when Carsein asked me again whether I could attend his banquet, I said I could not with apologies. When I was at a loss about what to do because I was so sorry, he asked me to do him a favor. ¡°Okay. I will keep the promise. ¡± Chapter 258 Chapter 258: Chapter 258 I wondered why he needed two days to spend time with me, but I nodded instead of asking why. Regardless of the reason, I had to keep the promise because I made it. ¡°Then, you are going with me after the festival, okay?¡± ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± ¡°Good. Then as you¡¯re busy, let me go back. Bye for now, Tia. Keep up the good work!¡± Carsein smiled, stroked my hair, and turned around. I was looking at him disappearing in the distance, touching my hair that still kept his warm touch. It was already getting dark. A few dayster I headed to the Central Pce to attend the political meeting after I was done with my morning work. When I stepped into the conference hall, I saw the pro-emperor faction members looking at me with a bright smile. It seemed that they were getting nervous because of the absence of their faction¡¯s political heavyweights today. Duke Verita was absent during the mourning period, and my father and Marquis Enesil couldn¡¯t attend the meeting as they were on duty. I chatted briefly with my acquaintances, then sorted out the documents I was supposed to report to the meeting. At that moment I felt somebody was staring at me intensely. I didn¡¯t know when she came in, but Jiun, wearing a colorful dress, was looking at me. After greeting her with a nod, who was smiling at me confidently, I said hi to Duke Lars who happened to be entering the conference hall. Shortly afterwards, the protocol officer announced the arrival of the emperor. When everyone was seated after showing due manners, Duke Lars rose from his seat on behalf of Duke Verita. ¡°Today¡¯s agenda is about dispatching knights to the border area and implementing the budget for the National Founding Day festival. Which one do you want to deal with, Your Majesty? ¡± ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s deal with the easy one first. How about dealing with the festival budget first?¡± When the emperor knocked on the desk, Duke Lars slightly bowed his head and immediately tabled the agenda. As they had nothing to do with the conflicting interests of the rival factions, the budgets of the knights divisions and the government were processed quickly without any problem. And this time the budget of the pce affairs office was tabled for approval. ¡®Is this the start of their bickering finally?¡¯ I rose from my seat and looked around once before saying, ¡°I¡¯d like to get your advice on a few issues before I brief you about the budget. First of all, please refer to the materials I handed out to each of you. ¡± Most of them nodded as if they had already read it, but several began to nce over the handout only then. I waited until everyone was familiar with the contents, then slowly opened my mouth, ¡°We had some differences about which of the three options for the three items we had to choose. So, I would like to ask for your opinion.¡± ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to take a long time to decide. Why don¡¯t we deal with it by raising our hands?¡± Duke Lars, who nced over the handout, said, looking around, ¡°As for the matter of the work shifts for the servants and maids, please raise your hand if you prefer the first option.¡± There was silence for a moment. I had a heated argument with Jiun over this issue the other day. I proposed the first option that supported a dual shift for reasons of the efficiency of their work, while Jiun supported the second option that preferred a four shift for reasons of guaranteeing sufficient break for them. Grace proposed the third option that supported a three shift as apromise between the first and second options. As they could not know which was whose idea, they could note up with a unified action within their own factions. Starting with Duke Jena, they began to raise their hands one by one, regardless of the noble or pro-emperor faction. I could see Jiun¡¯s face being gradually drained of color. Looking around, Duke Lars dered, ¡°I dere that the first option was unanimously adopted. Then let¡¯s move on to the next agenda. ¡± The next agenda was about the guesthouses for the foreign delegations. This was a very sensitive issue because the closer they were to the Central Pce, and the bigger the house was, the higher the status of the country was. As an ally of the empire, the Lua kingdom, Frincia¡¯s mothend, was treated as the most important, about which nobody disagreed. But the problem was which was the next important one. Namely, how to treat the Lisa kingdom emerged as a hot political potato. I proposed the first option which supported the Lisa kingdom as the next important after the Lua kingdom for two reasons. First, although its national power was weakened recently, it was still a powerful kingdom. Second, we needed to appease the people of the Lisa kingdom because the kingdom was supposed to cede part of its territory to the empire because of its disgraced princess, Beatrice. But Jiun proposed the second option, arguing that we had to disgrace the kingdom further on this asion. As the members of the noble faction, they could definitely sympathize with the first option, but they could differ, based on their own judgement, of course. As expected, more than 60% of the participants supported the first option, while the rest of them supported Jiun¡¯s idea. I stared at Jiun silently while they were raising their hands. She seemed to be a little angry, but she was more rxed than before. ¡°Well, let me dere that the first option was adopted for this agenda, too. Then I will move on to thest item. ¡± In fact, thest item was the most controversial one over which she and I argued most. Given her usual actions, I never expected she would raise such an objection, so I was very embarrassed. With respect to the food distribution on the festival day, I proposed that we provide free meals to the poor, but Jiun, who I thought would agree without any objection, argued that we should get paid for the meals. She even argued that as we would need lots of makeshift buildings during the festival, we needed to mobilize the poor to build them in return for the food. I felt that when generosity was needed, we should be as generous as possible. Who would like to work against their will during the festival? Besides, I thought it was a bad idea to mobilize unskilled people to build temporary buildings for reasons of safety. If something went wrong, it would bring about casualties and put in jeopardy the livelihood of those who made a living in the building industry. Despite my persistent exnation, Jiun opposed my idea, arguing that we needed to make the poor more self-reliant. Due to sharp differences, I had to take this agenda to the political meeting, but when it was put up for voting, the participants supported the first option unanimously. Although she and I shed over it the most, Jiun felt very bitter when her proposal was rejected quickly. ¡®That¡¯s why I told you that you had better follow my idea.¡¯ I gave a hollow smile at her, whose face turned white. Although her opinion was generally good, there were some that were not in favor of the nobles. Of course, her options would have enjoyed their absolute support in the past, but they were hardly eptable now. This was especially true for the first agenda. What noble would be willing to sacrifice their conveniences for the sake of the servants and maids? Even if they worked in two shifts, veteran servants and maids at the pce affairs office could do their job without any problem. Didn¡¯t she have anyone within the noble faction to share her ideas with? If she had talked with them, she would have easily discovered that her agenda was not eptable to any faction. I stared at her quietly, who was biting her lips with her face turned white. I felt she deserved it, but felt a bit sorry just like I did when I saw her crying while telling me about her family. ¡°Okay, let me conclude the budget issue of the pce affairs office. I¡¯ll take up the next agenda.¡± ¡°I would like to take issue with one thing before you move on. How about the emperor¡¯s partner during the festival? Like we didst year, do Lady Jena and Lady Monique have to take turns being his partner?¡± asked Earl Hamel. As Earl Hamel asked suddenly, Earl Genoa shrugged and said, ¡°What do you mean, Earl Hamel? Of course, Lady Monique should be his partner for the three days.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Chapter 259 Chapter 259: Chapter 259 ¡°As you know, not only the noble faction but also the pro-emperor faction supported Lady Monique as the next empress unanimously at the recent political meeting. How can wepare her with a mere candidate for the emperor¡¯s concubine?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I think Lady Monique should stand by the emperor as the next empress,¡± said Earl Burt, nodding gently, ¡°Besides, many foreign dignitaries will attend the festival this time. As the official record on the breakoff of the emperor and Lady Monique¡¯s engagement is not published, we should not forget that she is officially the emperor¡¯s fiancee.¡± What the heck? My eyes were open wide at that. Didn¡¯t they yet process my request for the breakoff yet? I turned my head and looked up at the head table where the emperor was seated. When my eyes met his, he flinched and avoided my eyes. I made a hollow smile. Oh my God! What the heck is this? Of course, it was my mistake that I wascent because I thought that it was a done deal when I requested the breakoff and the emperor agreed with that, but I should have paid more attention to it. I should have made sure the emperor¡¯s agreement with the breakoff should be documented. I was very angry. To be honest, it was true that I was swayed by his confession. That¡¯s why I vowed again and again that I would not be entangled with him romantically, though it broke my heart. I thought many times how fortunate it was that I broke off my engagement with him. But it turned out that I was still officially engaged to the emperor. This meant that the moment he decided to exercise his right as my fianc¨¦ at any time, I would have no other choice to follow his actions and wishes. His promise that he would honor my opinion was now tantamount to a white lie. How could he hide such an important issue from me for several months? Of course, it was my mistake that I did not double check it. Nheless, this was an evident deception on his end. But I bit my lips when I was suddenly surprised to find that I still had some lingering affection for him in one corner of my heart. ¡®Nonsense! Am I happy for that?¡± I felt goosebumps at the moment. Even though I felt so frustrated and upset with the fact that I gave up escaping from him, which I had been longing for so much, I felt somehow gratified to know that I was being loved by him so much until now. What a contradictory feeling! What a creepy idea! How ridiculous it is! ¡°¡­ Lady Monique?¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± ¡°Earl Hamel is calling you. He suggests that you share the role of the empress with other candidates for the emperor¡¯s concubine because this is a very big event that the imperial family is hosting in cooperation with the temple. What do you think?¡± I barely shook off my idle thought when he said that. Although I was reeling from the shocking fact, I needed to beat the noble faction who was bent on undermining me by all means. ¡°I listened to your opinion, Earl Hamel. Thank you for your consideration, but I¡¯ll just ept your hearts.¡± ¡°But Lady Monique, although I don¡¯t doubt your ability, this festival is different from any¡­¡± Trying to pull myself together, I listened to Earl Hamel. I also tried to be attentive to others¡¯ opinions because I felt I would be consumed by some other contradictory feelings that kepting to tear me up. How much time passed? Their never-ending argument over several agendas ranging from the issue of the festival to the knights to be dispatched to the border area ended only when the emperor dered that they would adjourn. When I was about to stand up after sorting out myplicated thoughts, suddenly someone blocked my vision and said sharply, ¡°Hey you!¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± When I slowly raised her head, I saw Jiun hardening her face and staring at me. There was no bright smile in her eyes, which were full of hostility. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look like that. How annoying!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You think you have beaten me, right? Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I don¡¯t think I lost to you. ¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over yet. Now is the start. You watch! In the end, he whoughs best whoughsst.¡± After blurting things out coldly, she turned angrily. When I was watching her disappear, fluttering the hem of her colorful dress, a servant approached me cautiously and said, bowing deeply, ¡°Lady Monique, the emperor wants to see you for a moment.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay. Where is he now?¡± ¡°He said he wanted to see you at the garden of the Ver Pce.¡± ¡°Got it. Let me head there, so you can go back.¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Monique.¡± When I got out of the Central Pce, escorted by the servant, I noticed the sky was so clear today. I sighed suddenly when I saw it because I just felt so frustrated. When I was plodding along with a heavy heart, pounding on my chest as if something got stuck in my stomach, I suddenly noticed the emperor standing in front of me. I slowly approached him and bowed politely. ¡°I, Aristia Monique, am honored to see you, the Sun of the Empire! Why did you call me, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°¡­ Well, I would like to talk with you for a moment. ¡± ¡°Sure, please go ahead.¡± ¡°¡­¡± When I replied shortly, I heard him letting out a sigh, but I looked down, pretending not to have noticed it. Although I knew I was rude, I didn¡¯t feel like talking to him now. ¡°¡­ Given the atmosphere of the meeting today, it seems like you have had lots of conflicts with Lady Jena about the festival agenda. Thanks a lot for your hard work.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t work too hard. I know you¡¯ve got a lot on your mind because you have to host the festival in cooperation with the temple.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Well, the festival is around the corner. So, I hope you can hang in there a little longer. Sorry this is all I can say now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright. Please don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°¡­¡± After looking down at me, who was walking silently, with my lips tightly closed, he turned his step quietly. I followed him silently. How much time passed? In awkward silence I walked silently, hearing the sound of him stepping on pebbles along the path. He suddenly stopped and said, looking back at me, ¡°I think it¡¯s the first time I have seen you so cold. Oh, it¡¯s the second time as I saw it when you asked me to break your engagement with me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I was not trying to deceive you. ¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Aristia.¡± When I slowly raised my head, I saw him looking at me with a desperate expression. At that moment, I was choked up with surging anger. You weren¡¯t trying to deceive me? Then, why did you hide it from me for several months? Watching me quietly, who was biting my lips because I didn¡¯t have the heart to speak out, he said with a deep sigh, ¡°¡­I was going to let you go. I tried to give up my longing for you several times a day because I knew you would be hurt more if I forced you to be with me, but I ¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°When I was about to order them to officially record the breakoff of my engagement with you, I really couldn¡¯t. I was afraid my rtionship with you would bepletely cut off ¡­So, I couldn¡¯t issue an order. I thought I would do it tomorrow, the day after tomorrow¡­I kept dying it day by day, and I ended uping to this point.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± When I saw his pleading look and desperate voice, my hard feelings began to melt away. I took a step back and took a big breath, thinking to myself, ¡®No, I shouldn¡¯t do this. Remember your resolution under the blue moonlight, remember your tearful decision! Did I forget I wanted to be honest with my feelings and be happy for only one day? I know there was nothing like a happy future for him and me, right?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. I am¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°As you know, Your Majesty, I¡¯m a woman who does not deserve to stand by you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Please don¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°Please face the reality and give up your lingering affection for me. I don¡¯t want to see the dignity of the imperial family crumble because of me.¡± ¡°Aristia!¡± Chapter 260 Chapter 260: Chapter 260 ¡°As you know, I dered before the nobles that I would request the breakoff of my engagement with you, and you agreed with that. But as of now you have not finished the due process of recording it officially. I¡¯m afraid that there are people who might look down on the imperial family because of this. Please take this into ount, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Whew! ¡± After sighing, he grabbed his cor and shook it. Although his neat outfit was dishevelled in a moment, he didn¡¯t care and asked, staring at me, ¡°Do you still hate me so much? Don¡¯t you want to see me at all? ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please answer me, Aristia. Are you avoiding me because you hate me, or are you refusing me because of people around you? ¡± ¡°¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter. Our rtionship is already irreversible. ¡± ¡°No, it does matter to me.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± When I asked with a sigh, he came closer to me and said, ¡°Because I want to be a man to you, not the emperor.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± I bit my quivering lips tightly. Although I thought I shouldn¡¯t do this, I felt I was bing weak at his serious expression. ¡°Please answer me, Aristia. Regardless of the political situation, your position, and other concerns, think of me as if you are just a woman. What do you think of me as a man? ¡± ¡°¡­ Well all of these factors you just mentioned always affect you and me. How can I think of you without considering the political situation or my position?¡± I was choked up with emotions, but I refused his earnest request. If I became weak and epted him, it was certain that he would never break off my engagement with him. I¡¯vee to this point to live up to my resolve, and I could not let my resolve crumble any further. ¡°Please, Your Majesty. You have to walk toward the future, not the past. Please let go of me, a mere woman of the past.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Instead of shedding tears, I felt like my heart ached again, which I felt the moment I faced him. I clenched my quivering lips with all my might and grabbed my hem tightly. I couldn¡¯t cry here no matter how much I was hurt, no matter how much I tasted blood on my lips, and no matter how many tears welled up in my eyes. How much time passed? I heard him saying in a subdued voice, breaking the silence that seemed evesting to me. ¡°Later.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk again next time. So, give it a thought once more.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty¡­¡± Then, he walked away, with his white robe fluttering. The royal knights escorting him also disappeared with him. Only then did the tears I had been holding backe out. Transparent tears dropped on the crumpled hem where the crest of my family was embroidered in silver thread. I felt heartbroken as if my heart was going to burst right now. Although I said no, I loved him deep down. I wanted to tell him that the dignity of the imperial family was meaningless before love, I also loved him, and I wanted to live with him in the future instead of being forgotten as his abandoned ex-fiancee. Indeed, I wanted to be loved by him and love him as much as I wanted, unlike in the past when I felt bitter and frustrated all the time. However, I could never be with him in my second life. I was now consumed by another anxiety, in addition to my harrowing past that sometimes came to me. Isn¡¯t he the emperor who can have several women as the ruler of the empire? If I really couldn¡¯t be pregnant, it is obvious that he would have no other choice but to sleep with another woman to have his sessor. Even if he doesn¡¯t want it, he can¡¯t resist the temptation because the nobles around him will have him have him make a sessor by all means. Besides, what if he loves another woman even after I be his lover? My whole body trembled. I felt terrible at the mere thought of it. Having been miserably abandoned by him was quite enough. I never wanted to go through that again, even though I would feel heartbroken because I can¡¯t be with him. Comforting myself with all my might, I walked on. *** Several days passed after the political meeting. I didn¡¯t see him in the meantime. It¡¯s partly because I avoided him on purpose. I didn¡¯t even bump into him as if he wanted to avoid me, too. I should have seen him as soon as possible to resolve the matter of the breakoff of my engagement with him. Why is he acting like this? Why does he still have lingering affection for me? Suddenly, I was so frustrated that I went out to the garden alone after making the maids go away. Dew hung loosely on green leaves and rolled down, and the fresh white petals raised their heads, smiling at me bashfully. It was early morning when everything in the garden was asleep, shrouded in the mist. A calm tranquility just before their dynamic lives starts, and a peaceful silence without even the chirping of birds. In that cozy atmosphere I closed my eyes, basking in the generous mist. While I was carried away in that tranquility, I felt as if all theplicated thoughts that consumed my mind began to disappear one by one. A smile came to my lips before I knew it. How much time passed? While I was feeling rxed in peace, I heard a little noise breaking through the mist in the distance. Sighing at the noise, I opened my eyes. Looking around, I saw a faint shadow shimmering in the garden at a distance. In no time, the shadow emerged more clearly before me. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m honored to see Your Majesty, the Sun of the Empire.¡± It looked like he discovered me only then. He stopped for a moment, then walked away after nodding at me. I breathed a sigh of relief, watching him fade away. I felt relieved as I felt awkward because of his unexpected appearance. But why am I feeling so jammed up inside? Obviously, I thought I cleared away all theplicated thoughts while basking in the mist, but I felt as if my empty heart was filled with heavy rocks. ¡°Whew¡­¡± The moment I turned after taking a deep breath, suddenly someone pulled me from behind. Though I twisted my body, stunned, his arms were tightly wrapped around my waist and did not let me go. The more I struggled, the more he tightened his grip. ¡°What more can I do to win your heart?¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty?¡± I felt goosebumps because of the refreshing scent from his body and his warm breathing in my ears. My back, which got stuck to his chest, felt so hot. ¡°What more should I do?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, what do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so cruel. You are truly ¡­ a cruel woman. ¡± ¡°¡­¡± When I slowly closed my mouth, he pulled me tight and said in a very painful voice, ¡°You say you don¡¯t want me, but your eyes lie. So, when I approach you, curious about the meaning of your look, you again push me out. Even though I ask you so many times why you hate me, you never tell me.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you trust me? I begged you to be with me because I love you and I don¡¯t need anything else. But why are you so persistently rejecting me? Why are you so cruel to me?¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Can you trust me if I risk my life? Can you trust my seriousness if I do it?¡± I could feel that he was trembling, speaking in a painful voice. Suddenly, I almost teared up, but I fought back tears, though my heart ached. Can I confide everything to him? Can I tell him about the various reasons why I can¡¯t love and ept him, including the trauma of my past that I can¡¯t erase from my mind? Can I just put down everything that binds me and feelfortable now? After grasping the hem of my skirt that finely hung down, I opened my trembling lips and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I¡­¡± Countless memories crossed my mind at the moment, such as the moment I first met him in the past who he was burning with hostility toward me, which I could never understand, the moment when I was captivated by his superficial smile, who was always cold to me, the moment when I was sticking around him to draw his attention, the days when I felt heartbroken, watching him warming up to Jiun, the days when I cried secretly because of his growing insult and hostility toward me, the day I lost my life, falsely charged with treason, the moment when I opened my eyes again as a child, the moment I trembled with anger at the thought that I was abandoned by even God, and the countless days when I was so scared about being entangled with him again and tried my best to escape from my predetermined destiny. ¡°I really don¡¯t¡­¡± Chapter 261 Chapter 261: Chapter 261 I was getting short of breath more and more. I didn¡¯t know what to say or how to say it. I felt like the nightmare of my past tied up my tongue. The more I thought I had to say something, the more my head was messed up. What should I do? What should I say first? When I was struggling to say something, I suddenly felt he tightened his grip on me. Only then did Ie to my senses. ¡®Stay calm, Aristia.¡¯ I took a deep breath, catching my short breath up to my chin. After calming down first, I carefully sorted out my messed-up memories. I first rearranged my past memories in chronological order, then differentiated between what I could tell him and what I could not. ¡®But can I really tell him?¡¯ Suddenly, I was in doubt. If I told him the truth, could he believe me? Wouldn¡¯t he think I was only talking nonsense because I didn¡¯t want to tell the truth? What if he would be angry with me, ming me for insulting him and the imperial family? In retrospect, even Allendis, who valued me so much, could not believe what I said. Besides, it would be a problem even if he believed me. Do I need to bring out the memories that I need to keep to myself? Even now he is in distress because of me. He is not the old him that I used to know, though I clearly remember what he had done to me. Can I hurt him when he doesn¡¯t know anything about himself in the past? Even if I tell him, I can¡¯t ept him anyway. I bit my lip hard. No matter how much I thought about, I thought it was better for me to keep silent for the sake of him and myself. ¡°¡­ I have nothing to say. ¡± ¡°¡­ Aristia. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. I have nothing else to say. ¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± As I said that after a long silence, he pressed me to be honest with him as if he was frustrated. ¡°Please, Aristia. You must be hiding something in your heart. ¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Won¡¯t you tell me anything? Why are you so cruel to me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t tell me just because of the friction between the rival factions or what happened to you the other day, let me protect you. I will make sure you are not hurt under any circumstances.¡± ¡°¡­Sorry, Your Majesty. ¡± Tears welled up in my eyes at his repeated pleading, but I held back them by biting my lip. Even though my rejection might torment him for now, I couldn¡¯t allow him to suffer like me for the rest of his life Was it because he took my attitude differently? After keeping silent for a moment, he said in a subdued voice, ¡°Then why did you act like that until now? I thought you were interested in me. Was it just my illusion? ¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Or do you have so much to hide from me that you can¡¯t open your heart to me? If you are not, did I not build your trust in me even as I begged you? ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say sorry anymore. I¡¯ve heard it enough.¡± When I closed my lips at his apparently angry voice, he caught his breath for a long time as if he wanted to calm down his emotions. While struggling to straighten up because I felt like curling up, I kept fidgeting with the hem of my skirt. Maybe I did it because I could not see his expression as he hugged me from my behind. ¡°¡­ What do you want? Do you want me to officially break up my engagement with you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I think you want it because you are not denying.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I just dropped my head because I had nothing to say. At that moment, he pulled away his arms wrapped around me. I could not feel his warmth any more. Instead I felt some sort of chill, which made my body tremble unconsciously. Why should I feel chilly now? Is it because he disengaged from my body? Or is it because I turned myself away from him to the end? ¡°Aristia, I will ask you onest thing.¡± ¡°¡­ Please go ahead.¡± ¡°Can you see me living with another woman? Are you sure you won¡¯t care at all? Can you watch me calling her the empress and living with her for the rest of my life?¡± My heart ached because I vividly recalled him treating Jiun friendly one day in the past. When I saw them right before my eyes, I could hardly stop moaning. I could feel a swift surge of anger. The hem of my skirt I grasped tightly was crumpled in an instant. ¡®Come to your senses, Aristia! You were already prepared for this. Why are you showing such a knee-jerk reaction?¡¯ My breathing was getting more and more rough, but I slowly opened my mouth, trying to calm down. ¡°¡­ It is said that there is nothing that won¡¯t be healed over time.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. After all, that¡¯s how you feel.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Okay, Aristia. I will do as you please. I¡¯m sorry I forced you to be with me. You can rest assured from now on. I will never bother you again. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been here too long. See youter at the theater.¡± He turned coldly and walked away quickly. I stood there, nkly looking at him fading away. Only when I could see him no more did tears roll down my cheek. One drop, two drops. Tears kept dropping down on the ground. ¡®Good job, it¡¯s all over now.¡¯ Although I felt chilly out in the cold, I slowly lifted my arm and wiped tears on my face. I straightened up and began to walk amid the hazy mist. *** The October sky was high and blue. Red and yellow-colored leaves were falling on the streets where the cool autumn breeze was blowing, and the crowds got carried away with the festival, enjoying all kinds of delicious food and pleasant music. In a slowly rolling wagon I silently watched the very exciting scene outside. Although I was blocked by only one wall between the wagon and outside, the world outside the window was so different from mine inside the wagon. When I was looking outside the window with envy, my father, who kept silent all along, said, ¡°You don¡¯t look good now. Are you sick?¡± ¡°¡­Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I just enjoy watching them outside.¡± When I answered, shaking my head, he said with a sigh, ¡°I see. Tia, do you want to go out with me for a change?¡± ¡°Pardon? But now ¡­¡± ¡°Well, you seem too frustrated. When the official event is over,e out to the street with me. As the festivalsts for a week anyway, I think we can go out and enjoy it for about a day. ¡± ¡°Really? Isn¡¯t it too much a burden on you because of me? You¡¯ve been busy all these days ¡­¡± ¡°I can adjust my work schedule. My daughter is more precious to me. ¡± ¡°Thank you, Daddy.¡± When I smiled bashfully, he said with a faint smile, sweeping up my hair gently. ¡°By the way, Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m always behind you. I¡¯m always on your side. ¡± ¡°Pardon? Why did you suddenly¡­¡± ¡°No matter what anyone says about you, you are my proud daughter. So, always act proudly. Don¡¯t be so depressed like you were a little while ago.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I felt something warm spreading in my heart. I tried hard not to express it, but he seemed to have already noticed that I felt depressed all along after I met the emperor in the fog. When I nodded gently, a faint smile came to his mouth, who was anxiously looking at me. I felt much better thanks to his encouragement. I felt very secure. ¡°We¡¯re here at the theater, Marquis and Lady Monique,¡± said the horseman. ¡°Good job.¡± I got out of the carriage with my father and stepped into the theater. It was a y that most aristocrats watched, but there were not many nobles inside, contrary to my expectation. Perhaps it was because we arrivedst ording to the protocol on the nobles¡¯ entrance. The theater I had not visited for a long time was luxurious. All of the seats arranged in a semi-circle around the stage were made of high-quality leather, and the chandeliers hanging from all over the ce were radiating beautiful lights everywhere. The sound of nobles dragging their robes were heard on the staircases covered with red carpets, and in each booth blocked by ck curtains, those who got earlier were chatting andughing. Among them were foreign dignitaries speaking their ownnguage. ¡°Ladies and gentleman, the Sun of the Empire, His Majesty is entering now!¡¯ Chapter 262 Chapter 262: Chapter 262 When I arrived at the booths dedicated to the imperial family with my father, I heard the protocol officer announcing the arrival of the emperor. Shortly afterwards, the young man with blue hair appeared, escorted by the royal knights. ¡°Loyalty to the Lion. We¡¯re honored to see Your Majesty, the Sun of the Empire!¡± ¡°Glory to the Empire! Please sit down. ¡± After telling the nobles to sit down, who were bowing to him all at once, he headed to the booth. I made eye contact with my father, then walked after the emperor. A familiar woman stood inside the blue curtain embroidered with the crest of the imperial family. After greeting the emperor with a smile, she turned to me coldly and said with a sullen expression, ¡°Oh, hi, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Hi, Lady Jena.¡± At the political meeting a few days ago, the noble faction formally raised an issue with the situation where the emperor didn¡¯t solve the matter of choosing the empress. Theyined that the emperor didn¡¯t formally announce me as the empress despite thete emperor¡¯s promise while he was alive, the decision by the noble council and all the participants¡¯ unanimous support of me as the empress at the political meeting. The emperor remained silent despite their pressure to officially record the breakup of his engagement with me and choose a new empress or make me his concubine. Instead, he decided to ept the opinions presented by the noble council chaired by Duke Jena. In other words, he dyed the decision, but he agreed to decide on the empress within this year. As a result, they decided that I and Jiun would serve the emperor on an equal footing at this year¡¯s National Founding Day festival, unlike the original n. That¡¯s why Jiun and I were in the imperial booth today. As soon as she finished greeting me, Jiun spoke to the emperor immediately. After greeting her with a nod, I slowly walked to my seat. Then, after carefully holding the hem of my skirt, I sat down on his left, the seat assigned to me. It was the same seat I sat in when I watched a y with thete emperor one day. After a while, the curtain went up and actors began to appear on stage one by one. While I was watching the y celebrating the emperor¡¯s achievements since his crown prince days and after he seeded the throne, I suddenly heard a delightfulugh from the side. Jiun, who suddenly got close to him, wasughing noisily. ¡°So, what happened after that, Your Majesty? Didn¡¯t you punish them?¡± ¡°Hmm, what would you do in that situation?¡± ¡°Of course, you have to catch and punish everybody. They dared to challenge the dignity of the empire, right? ¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± What? I raised my eyebrows at her attitude that showed no mercy. As I nced around, he slowly nodded and stared silently at the front, as if he was no longer interested, but her ck eyes were glowing with tion. Somehow, I felt displeased, so I turned my head, ignoring her, who was smiling at him. Although I tried to fix my eyes on the actors on the stage, it was not easy for me to focus on the y no matter how hard I tried. I was bothered by her repeated speaking to him and his asional response. I twisted the hem of my skirt that I was holding tightly as if to tear it right away. I felt anger surging from my heart and my breathing began to be rough little by little unconsciously. ¡®I really can¡¯t see her flirting with him anymore.¡± When I looked at my side, biting my quivering lips, I suddenly heard people uttering exmations here and there. Despite that, I felt as if I was thrown with cold water on me. What did I try to do a moment ago? When I quickly looked at the stage, I saw two actresses in silver and ck wigs on the stage. ¡®Come to your senses! I should be really focused if I don¡¯t want to be med.¡¯ I quickly rxed my hardened look and looked at the actors. Originally, I was described as the emperor¡¯s precious wife offered by God as the child of His prophecy, but the contents of the y was changed in this year¡¯s performance to have Jiun also appear as the child of God¡¯s prophecy because of the noble faction¡¯s appeal. ¡°God has offered the emperor his spouse because he values the only Sun of the empire so much, may the child of God¡¯s prophecy be blessed!¡± It was the same dialogue with different content. Another ¡®child of God¡¯s prophecy¡¯ who suddenly appeared and the agony of the Sun. When I turned my head as I felt ufortable, he looked very displeased, watching the stage with his hands folded. His unique expression, which he showed when he was displeased with something, was the same as the smile he made when he was watching the court y with me one day. I suddenly became curious. At that time, he was displeased because I appeared as his wife. If so, why did he feel displeased now? Was he displeased because Jiun appeared as the child of god¡¯s prophecy under the pressure of the noble faction? Or was he displeased with the fact that I again appeared as his wife despite my merciless rejection of him? I took a deep breath because I felt bad somehow at that moment. When I turned my eyes again at the stage, calming my troubled heart, the chandelier illuminating the ceiling turned off all at once, and the surroundings turned dark. ¡°Your Majesty, what happened?¡± ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t know. Let me see what they will do.¡± His distinctively cold voice sounded very calm, in contrast to Jiun¡¯s trembling voice. People began to whisper at the unexpected situation, and the royal knights came running to the booth, just in case of the contingencies. I blinked my eyes to get used to the darkness and slowly reflected on the situation. Given that there was no sharp dropping sound, it seemed that the chandelier had not fallen like it did when I came here with thete emperor. Was it an ident? Or did they want to create a dramatic effect? ¡°The world was surrounded by darkness since the moon didn¡¯t rise when it had to.¡± At that moment, there was a solemn voice in the air, then the actors appeared on both sides of the stage one by one, with candles in their hands. When the stage brightened again at the procession of candles, a man who held something shining on the cushion appeared. ¡°Please forgive us, Your Majesty, and distinguished guests.¡± The man with a smile on his face was familiar to me. The man showed his due manners, then knelt on one knee and said to the audience watching the stage silently, ¡°Master of the glorious empire and the only Sun of the empire, may I ask you a favor?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°There is one sun and one noble moon in the sky. I would like to show my small sincerity to your only wife and precious moon. Please grant my request!¡± The spectators turned their attention to the cushion the man was holding. It was a tiara made of tinum and diamonds ced on the cushion. It was clear from the height and size of the tiara that only the empress could use it. ¡°¡­¡± When the young man who confirmed the identity of his ¡°small sincerity¡± was silent, the audience now took their eyes away from the tiara shining brightly to the royal booth gradually. ¡®Does the actor want the emperor to make the choice now?¡¯ Was this also made up by the noble faction in advance? Or was it plotted by the pro-emperor faction to check the noble faction that was pressing the emperor hard? I got cold feet as the emperor next to me was still cold and indifferent. But I tried hard to stay calm by hiding my trembling hands under the hem. I didn¡¯t have to show to everyone that I was extremely nervous and ufortable. ¡°¡­ I grant your request.¡± ¡°Who will I give this tiara to, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Give it to me. Let me give it to her on the day when the moon rises next to the sun fully.¡± The man who paused momentarily bowed politely to him. ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m going to take it as the greatest honor of my family for generations. May the eternal glory be with you, the great emperor, and your precious moon of the future!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± When the young man, who pulled his lips up a bit and raised his right hand, the suspended y resumed. I looked at the emperor who was back as the same man without expression. Although he tried to look calm, his subdued eyes were glowing coldly. I could feel he was upset at the moment. Who was he angry at? The noble faction or the pro-emperor faction? Or me? I suddenly felt scared. Chapter 263 Chapter 263: Chapter 263 ¡°May glory to the empirest forever!¡± ¡°Hoorah!¡± ¡°Long live the emperor!¡± ¡°Glory to the empire!¡± Loud shouting broke out among the crowds who packed the za in front of the temple, resonating through the huge space. When the emperor waved his hand after delivering a congrattory message, the priests waiting on the lower stage climbed onto the pre-installed tform. The two High Priests, the top priests, as well as the baby High Priest wrapped in a nket headed to the tform. Wow! The crowds once again shouted at the appearance of the High Priests and the top priests who they could see only once in a lifetime. I heard many people reciting the prayers, calling Vita here and there. ¡°May the blessings of life be bestowed on you! May our Lord Vita¡¯s grace be bestowed on everyone gathered here!¡± said High Priest Quartus, raising his right hand lightly. As he had to appear at an official event, he removed his hair coloring so his hair was its original gray. ¡°May Vita¡¯s blessings be bestowed on the glorious Castina Empire! ¡± When Quartus stepped back after delivering a short congrattory message, High Priest Secundus stepped forward, dragging his long white hair and announced, ¡°Father of life, my lord Vitasi, may your blessings be bestowed on your people on this happy and blessed day¡­¡± While he was reciting the prayer with his mystical voice, I silently watched the back of the emperor who stood two steps behind the High Priest. As usual, dressed in a bright white robe and a blue cloak embroidered with the royal crest, he was standing upright, staring into the square. Although I was not sure if he was still upset about what happened at the theater, I found his motionless posture very stiff. I suddenly recalled him telling me so the other day. At that time, I was watching him fading away coldly, though he was standing within my reach. When I remembered the time when I cried, disheartened by his cold-heartedness, I felt heartbroken. The moment I slowly lifted my hand and ced it on my throbbing heart, I saw Jiun approaching him and whispering into his ears. He turned to her with a smile and nodding at her, while looking forward silently. After smiling brightly at him, she turned, then slipped from the balcony with a sarcastic smile at me. ¡®Where is she going?¡¯ I was a little puzzled, but I thought it would not be a big deal, so I turned my eyes toward the square again. But while the senior priests including the top priests were piously chanting and delivering congrattory messages after their prayers were over, Jiun didn¡¯te back. She didn¡¯t appear again even after all the people other than the High Priests left the tform after all the events of the ceremony were over. Thinking to myself, ¡®Where did you go?¡¯, I unwittingly looked down the tform and found the flowers decorating the tform withering. With a frown, I looked at the withering flowers, which Jiun was supposed to take care of but apparently neglected. Wait a minute. I had an ominous feeling that something was going wrong. I saw this kind of scene somewhere in the past. Where did I see it? When I was struggling to recall it, I heard somebody shouting, which pulled me to reality. While trying to manage my frowning expression, I looked down the tform, where the two high priests were conducting a ceremony of massive blessings to the people, the highlight of today¡¯s event. ¡°Praise the beauty offered by the Father of life. May our lord Vita bless all of you gathered here.¡± ¡°Praise the grace of Vita, the Lord of life. Let the blessings of the Father be bestowed on all the people gathered here. ¡± A mysterious voice echoed through the square, white light emanated from the bodies of the two high priests. People shouted in amazement everywhere. The remarkable scenes created by their massive divine power, marked by the pink petals scattered and spreading their fragrance. Because of that, I didn¡¯t know when Jiun came back, who opened her mouth, holding her hands piously, ¡°Let us praise the grace of Vita, the Father of life. I, Graspe de Jena, the child of God¡¯s prophecy with the blessings of Vita, would like to convey God¡¯s love to all who are here.¡± As soon as she said that, a bright white light radiated around her, and the flowers on the tform, which were withering a little while ago, began to bloom freshly as if they came back to life. Silence fell on the square. ¡®Is this what you had in mind?¡¯ A bitter smile came to my lips. When I visited the temple one day, I saw roses withering in the morning, then blooming in the evening. Even though I felt strange about it, I just gave it a pass, thinking a certain High Priest had done it. ¡®I knew you would y a hidden card against me, but I didn¡¯t know you would turn to this kind of mean thing, Jiun.¡¯ ¡°Wow, she is a scared woman!¡± ¡°Yes, a scared woman has appeared!¡± People began to whisper here and there, while the woman with dark hair was standing before them. The emperor was watching her silently. ¡°Wow! Long live the emperor! Long live the sacred woman!¡± ¡°Glory to the Empire!¡± I waspletely taken in by Jiun¡¯s trick today. Thanks to her trick, Jiun would certainly be remembered as the sacred woman of the empire in the minds of the people. Can the pro-emperor faction keep her at bay properly when she has the support of the people, in addition to her image as the child of God¡¯s prophecy? Besides, it was unclear whether Grace, regarded as the best shot, could be the emperor¡¯s concubine. Suddenly, I recalled one day in the past when he walked along the road with flowers with Jiun instead of me, cing the empress¡¯s crown on Jiun¡¯s head with a warm smile . ¡°Ah¡­¡± Why am I so confused? I threw away that position because I hated it. It was me who said confidently that everything would be forgotten as time went by. I was heart-stricken, though. I moaned silently, trying to put up with so much heartache that I never expected before. ¡°That¡¯s great. Very good job, director of the pce affairs office!¡±¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Please keep up with the good work like you have done so far. I appreciate your work all the time.¡± I smiled gently at the director of the pce affairs office and looked around. I danced with the emperor first, exchanged greetings with the foreign dignitaries. Now, I was supposed to carry out my role as the emperor¡¯s fiancee faithfully. When I checked every corner of the banquet hall, I saw a ck-haired woman standing alone in the corner. Knitting my brows, I walked over to her. I didn¡¯t want her to be left out with the presence of foreigh dignitaries at the banquet hall. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Beatrice. How have you been?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Hello, Aristia. ¡± I clicked my tongue at her hesitant reply. I knew nobody would dare approach her at the risk of being out of favor with Duchess Lars when Duchess Veritas and Ilya were absent, but I felt they were so mean to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t contact you often. I tried to go to see your baby, but I couldn¡¯t take time out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, mydy. You¡¯re wee to my ce anytime, but you don¡¯t have to feel pressured. I know you are always busy with lots of things.¡± ¡°How kind of you. In fact, I thought a lot about you while preparing for this banquet. I was reminded of what Frincia, Grace, you and I used to hang out in the past. If I need your help, can I ask for your help?¡± ¡°Sure. I also enjoyed myself very much back then. ¡± While I was smiling at Beatrice, I tilted my head because she looked pale. Is she sick? Or does she feel ufortable about being around the foreign dignitaries? ¡°By the way, Beatrice, you look very pale. Are you sick?¡± ¡°Oh, no. I feel a little dizzy, but I¡¯m alright.¡± ¡°Well, I think you had better take a break¨C¡± When I told her cautiously, somebody called me suddenly, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique.¡± Duchess Lars in a cream-colored dress was staring at me with cold, sunken eyes. Chapter 264 Chapter 264: Chapter 264 ¡°Hello, Duchess Lars. Have you been in peace? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m hanging in there, thank you. By the way, if you¡¯re not busy, I hope you can take time out for me.¡± I didn¡¯t feel good as she abruptly interrupted and asked me to take time out for her, but she was Carsein¡¯s mother anyway. So I asked why, smiling at her politely. ¡°I¡¯m not so busy, but can I ask you how you want to see me?¡± ¡°Well, it looks like you are hanging out with youngdies. Of course, I don¡¯t want to me you for that, but isn¡¯t it time you made friends with married women, too? As it happened, most of the women from rival factions are here at the banquet, so why don¡¯t you use this asion to get acquainted with them? They keeping to me, asking me to introduce them to you. ¡± Although I was curious why she suddenly warmed up to me when she was cold to me usually, I now knew the reason. I nodded at her meekly because chatting with thedies was also part of my duty as the hostess of today¡¯s banquet, ¡°Okay, let me follow your advice. Hey, can you escort Baroness Feden to the break room? ¡± I told a maid passing by to escort Beatrice to the lounge, then followed the duchess. Then, after chatting with several women for a long time, I left the ce. When I looked around, I saw young men and women dancing and people chatting together in small groups of two and three. I also noticed the emperor talking with some of the foreign dignitaries and his aide next to him, as well as government officials. When I looked at the emperor, I felt jammed up on the inside. I sighed and tried to turn his gaze from him when I noticed that the special envoy from the Lisa kingdom was not there. Where is he now? No matter how bad the Lisa kingdom¡¯s rtionship with other kingdoms was, it was not wise for the special envoy to be away from the diplomatic ce like this. When I looked around again with a heavy heart, somebody suddenly shouted from my behind. Turning back, stunned, I noticed an old nobleman talking down to a servant bowing deeply to him. ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± ¡°Sorry, sir. I¡¯ll bring it right away ¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! Howe a mere servant like you are talking back to me?¡± ¡°Sir, would you lower your voice? Why are you raising your voice in the presence of foreign dignitaries and distinguished guests? Please don¡¯t make a scene in front of them.¡± When I stopped him with a frown, Duke Jena turned around and said in a stern voice, ¡°What did you say? Did I make a scene before them?¡± ¡°Please calm down. Why are you so upset?¡± ¡°How can you denounce me when you don¡¯t know how to manage the servants serving drinks? I don¡¯t like anything about you. Well, who can help you with vulgar blood?¡± ¡®What? Vulgar blood? ¡® The moment I heard it, I felt a surge of angering up, but I barely calmed down. I wanted to refute him right away, but I would attract many of the banquet guests¡¯ attention, which was thest thing I wanted. ¡°As there are many people around us, why don¡¯t we move? We can talk calmly in a quiet ce.¡± ¡°Are you now going to give me a lecture¡­¡± When I frowned at his annoying voice, someone suddenly interrupted, calling him, ¡°Duke Jena! I¡¯ve been looking for you for long.¡± The man who elbowed his way through the guests and came to the duke. ¡°Oy, you¡¯re with him, Lady Monique. How have you been? ¡± ¡°¡­ Hi, Marquis Mirwa.¡± He already must have noticed a bad atmosphere surrounding me and the duke, but he smiled casually as if nothing had happened. When I saw him, my raging anger suddenly disappeared. I felt empty somehow. ¡°It seems like you were so excited to see your distant rtive after a long time. Please understand him generously, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°What did you say, Marquis Mirwa? Who is the distant rtive of that vulgar woman ¡­?¡± ¡°By the way, I¡¯m sorry to bother the amicable meeting between you and your distant rtive, but the emperor seems to want to see you.¡± Was it because I was dumbfounded? I couldn¡¯t be upset with the duke even when I saw him mentioning ¡®vulgar blood.¡¯ Distant rtive? Who is his rtive? Of course, as he is my grandmother¡¯s brother, it¡¯s true that he is my distant rtive. But I didn¡¯t want to be entangled with the duke by kinship at all. It was terrible for me to imagine it. I was so embarrassed that I forgot what Marquis Mirwa just told me. What did he say to me a moment ago? Is the emperor looking for me? ¡°¡­ Did you say the emperor was looking for me now?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. So, please hurry up. You should not keep him waiting for you too long.¡± Really? He had no reason to look for me. He stayed cold to me after I parted with him in an awkward situation the other day. When I tilted my head, Marquis Mirwa winked at me with a smile. What the heck is this? Did he lie to me? I made a hollow smile. How could he dare to use the emperor to diffuse the tense atmosphere surrounding me and the duke? I didn¡¯t feel so good because I thought I yed into his hand, but as I thought I didn¡¯t need to get any more attention, I slipped out of the ce, with my head down. ¡®But why is Duke Jena acting like that all of a sudden?¡¯ As I passed among the people who looked at me, I suddenly suspected him. Was he careless enough to show his domestic quarrel to outsiders? I didn¡¯t think he was. Of course, he and I had a quarrel at the conference meetings a couple of times, but when the foreign princesses were invited, he refrained from getting angry with me or arguing with me. ¡°By the way, don¡¯t you think Duke Jena is acting strangely these days? He looks impatient and even nervous.¡± ¡°You bet. He seems to be upset more often¡­¡± Really? Why was he often angry and nervous these days? Was it because of that? A few days ago, my father brought me ¡°it¡± which I asked for the other day, namely the duke¡¯s seal engraved with a sword, a shield, and a rose. My father made an awkward expression when I praised the amazing skills of the blessed criminal who stole the seal from the duke¡¯s house. My father didn¡¯t say anything after handing over the seal to me silently. Had the blessed criminal been caught? Or did Duke Jena notice that we took it? No matter how hard I thought, I couldn¡¯t find any other reason than that when the duke was so nervous. In fact, he seeded in pushing me out, a good riddance, through the decision of the nobles¡¯ council. Besides, he got popr support thanks to Jiun¡¯s disy as the sacred woman in the afternoon. In this situation, he had no reason to be impatient and nervous. Nheless, he was on pins and needles for some reason. I clicked my tongue. I was not sure if he smelled a rat, but I felt I had to hurry up. ¡®Well, let me take care of itter. Now, let me focus on the banquet first.¡¯ Shaking my head out of theplicated thoughts in my mind, I headed to the lounge. When I tried to step inside, I heard a man removing a curtain quickly and disappearing somewhere without even apologizing to me. Actually he was the prince of a foreign kingdom who came to the banquet, whose whereabouts I was curious about. Given his status as a foreign prince, he was very rude. ¡®Oh, what the heck? Why are they all rude like this?¡¯ The moment I removed the curtain in annoyance, I smelled something wet, smelly and fishy. ¡°What kind of smell is this¡­¡± I was astonished by the scene before me. A woman fell down, holding her belly in distress. She was none other than Beatrice moaning there, with her dress stained with blood. ¡°Oh my God! Is anybody there? Help!¡± I heard somebody screaming from behind. My head was muddled as if I was hit by something, but I instinctively turned and lowered the curtain. When I looked around, hiding my trembling hands under my skirt, I saw the blonde man standing among people. ¡°Marquis Enesil!¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Monique. How can I help you?¡± ¡°Please let them walk off to another ce, first.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Chapter 265 Chapter 265: Chapter 265 After bowing to me, he began to persuade people to walk away from me. They kept leering at the back of the curtain, but began to disperse in no time. Watching them going away for a moment, I called the servants at the scene who were at a loss about what to do. ¡°Because I don¡¯t have time to dy, let me give you instructions right now. Hey, you, go and bring a royal doctor here. Also, tell the director of the pce affairs office and Sir Feden of the 2nd Knights Division toe here as soon as possible. Baroness Feden is in critical condition.¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Monique,¡± they replied. ¡°Hey, you, go and report to the emperor immediately about this situation, and tell him I¡¯m waiting for his instruction. If he is talking with a foreign delegation, just say like this, ¡®Lady Monique wants to see you immediately with respect to what happened in the garden of the crown prince¡¯s pce around this timest year.¡¯ Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, mydy.¡± ¡°And you, go and exin to Mrs. Lars about the current situation briefly with the message that I want to ask her to host the banquet while I¡¯m coping with the situation. Got it?¡± ¡°Okay, mydy.¡± ¡°Good. Then get your ass in gear right away!¡± As soon as I gave them instructions, they turned away immediately and disappeared into the people. I asked Marquis Enesil, who already dispersed people around me, to stop outsiders from entering, then went back into the curtain. ¡°Beatrice? Can you hear me? ¡± Although I felt dizzy because of the strong scent of her blood, I helped her raise her body with all my might, as she moaned. My ears buzzed when I saw her white face and the hem of her dress stained with blood. The memories of my past kept hovering in my head. Although I made a silent scream, I whispered into her ears, biting my lips tightly, ¡°Hang in there a little more. A royal doctor will be here right away.¡± ¡°Baby, my baby¡­¡± ¡°Your baby will be okay. So, just hang in there a little more, okay? ¡± However, I was getting more and more anxious because of the strong smell of blood. Why is the royal doctor taking so long? What about Sir Feden and the director of the pce affairs office? Did the servants convey them my message properly? ¡°O, it¡¯s you, the princess of Lisa. What happened?¡± How much time passed? I heard someone raising the curtain and speaking coldly. My stiff body was rxed only when I heard his unique voice that could not be colder. ¡®Whew! He is here. What a relief!¡¯ Was it because a sense of tension surrounding my whole body disappeared? I suddenly felt dizzy. I felt listless for some reason. It looked like somebody chatting among themselves, but I could not hear or see properly. I just felt a bit woozy. While I was sitting down nkly for a long time, I came to my senses when I smelled somebody¡¯s refreshing body odor. When I looked up, I saw the emperor turning around. I blinked nkly, watching him fading away. Where is he going? Where is Beatrice? ¡°Lady Monique, I was told to escort you to a guest room by the emperor. You can¡¯t seem to stand up alone. If you excuse me, can I help you stand up?¡± ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m fine.¡± Although the royal knight who spoke to me looked at me anxiously, I raised my body by straining my wobbly legs. Deep down, I wanted him to help me, but I didn¡¯t want any rumors about it. Was it because I struggled to move every step? It took me some time to arrive at the guest room even though it was not far from where I had been. When I walked in carefully, I suddenly felt I saw something simr to this before. Beatrice passed out, with her dress stained with blood, the emperor was looking at her, and I was standing at the door. shing back to the past, I was bleeding, he was looking at me with an embarrassed expression, and the ck-haired woman was standing at the door. I suddenly felt chills on my back. My wobbly legs stopped on the spot as if frozen. Looking at me stiffen, the emperor said, ¡°¡­ Oh, you are here. ¡± I got cold feet when I noticed his subdued cold eyes, I showed my due manners to him, trying to stay calm as much as possible. Since I had to bump into him again and again from now on, I could not afford to be timid every time I saw him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. Actually¡­¡± ¡°You can talk about the detailster. Let¡¯s settle the most urgent. She received first aid, but the doctor who got here said he was not well versed in this area, so I told them to bring another royal doctor.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± In fact, I was wondering why the royal doctor was checking Beatrice¡¯s condition instead of treating her. She was losing a lot of blood, so I was looking at her anxiously. But the ck-haired woman, not the royal doctor, came in. ¡°I heard you called me, Your Majesty¡­¡± Did she see something strange? Smile on her bright face disappeared little by little. Her coquettish voice also gradually faded away. Jiun was now looking at the emperor. Her eyes fixed on him were burning with something mysterious, as always. The moment I hated her cold look, I heard him calling her from my behind, ¡°Lady Jena, I need to borrow your divine power for a moment.¡± ¡°¡­ Ah, yes, Your Majesty. ¡± Jiun, who replied btedly with a nk expression like a woman who just woke up from her dream, looked at me and frowned. What? Did she recall her past just like I did? When I looked back with a puzzled expression, she already stood beside Beatrice. I tilted my head, watching her muttering something, with her hands folded. ¡®Is her divine power supposed to be used for this kind of purpose?¡± Her actions at the moment were different from what I had seen before,pared with what the high priests usually did. But no matter how suspicious I was about her actions, there was nothing I could do. What if I disturbed her by speaking to her? How much time passed? The royal doctor who arrived veryte greeted the emperor hastily and immediately checked Beatrice¡¯s condition. The emperor looked out the window by turning his head when the doctor removed her dress urgently. I turned my eyes to Beatrice, trying to turn away from him who was as cold-hearted as ever. When I moved a few steps from the doctor so as not to disturb him, I saw Jiun frowning hysterically while muttering something until then. I thought her actions strange from the beginning. It was certain that something didn¡¯t work out right to her expectations. ¡®Then, what is it that she did this afternoon?¡¯ Suddenly a question urred to me. I¡¯ve heard from the High Priest that her divine power was iplete. Was she struggling now because of that? Was she supposed to use her divine power only a few times per day or was the sess rate of her divine power very low? I was still puzzled about her divine power, but I took my eyes off her and looked at the doctors. Unlike Jiun with an annoyed face, they were talking to each other very seriously. While looking at the doctors, I suddenly felt one of them was familiar to me. ¡®Oh, that man is¡­ ¡® The sweaty doctor in histe 30s, who gave her first aid because he said he was not well versed in this area, was the very man who, as one of the royal doctors, notified me that I was infertile in the past. He was also on call in case of the medical emergency situation. ¡°Whew! What a relief! I was worried because she lost so much blood.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°But why did you call me? I know you are a specialist in this field.¡± Was it because I was close to them? Even though they spoke in a very low voice, I could hear them well enough to understand what they were talking about. I frowned unconsciously at that. Come to think of it, it was not true that he didn¡¯t know about gynecology. As ayman in this field, he wouldn¡¯t have been appointed as one of my doctors in the past. Then why did he lie? Was there any reason for him to refuse to treat Beatrice? ¡°Well, I¡¯m only a beginner,pared to your excellent skills, Dr. Hares. Besides, her condition looked very serious.¡± ¡°Well, two are better than one anyway. I think we¡¯re almost done. Let me report then.¡± The middle-aged woman who wiped her hands with a clean towel approached the window and bowed deeply to the emperor. ¡°I, Hares Lant, am honored to greet the Sun of the Empire. Please forgive me for not properly greeting you as I was so absent-minded.¡± ¡°No problem. What about the baroness¡¯s condition?¡± Chapter 266 Chapter 266: Chapter 266 ¡°Well, I thought that she had a miscarriage because of her all of the blood she lost. Fortunately, her baby is fine. However, since both the baby and the mother were exhausted, she needs special care until she gives birth.¡± ¡°I see. Good job.¡± I breathed a sigh of relief at the doctor¡¯s reassurances. I knew it was selfish thinking, but I felt much lighter when I thought that the scenes of the past, which had been repeated in front of my eyes, would not turn out the same way. Of course, I felt rxed to know that Beatrice, who already had lots of painful memories, would not be hurt again. ¡°By the way, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°You look very pale. If you don¡¯t mind, can I check your condition?¡± I felt embarrassed, but I shook my head slowly to the female doctor who approached me and waited for an answer. I couldn¡¯t tell her that I didn¡¯t look good because of my past memories, so what¡¯s the point of her examining my condition? ¡°No, thanks. I was surprised for a moment, so, I don¡¯t want to bother you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Just let her examine you on this asion. You seem to be very surprised. I think you had better have a brief medical checkup.¡± When I looked back in surprise, I saw him leaning against the window and looking at me with his arms folded. I opened my eyes wide at his warm words because he kept a distance from me all through the morning, but he soon went back to his old self and his face lost all expression. ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. I will. ¡± When I slowly nodded, the woman politely asked for my understanding and began to examine me. I thought she would be done quickly, but she checked my body here and there, slightly frowning her eyes. Why was it taking so long? Is there something wrong with me? When I licked my dry lips nervously, the woman asked me after examining my body all over, ¡°Excuse me, do you have a period, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°¡­ Not really. ¡± ¡°Have you ever had a period before?¡± ¡°Yes, I did before I had an unfortunate incident. But why do you keep asking me? ¡± I blushed because she kept asking me about it in the presence of the emperor and others. Although I asked her, squinting at him at the window, she said calmly as if she didn¡¯t want to reply, ¡°Lady Monique, I¡¯m sorry to say this, but can I have some bloodwork done on you?¡± ¡°¡­ Sure.¡± ¡°Thank you. Then, excuse me for a moment. ¡± After bowing to me slightly, she took out a small silver needle from the bag. She pierced the tip of my finger and dropped an unknown reagent on it, then looked at it for a while. ¡°Um¡­¡± As the doctor agonized about the test results, I got more and more nervous, but I tried to stay calm and silently watched what she was doing. I couldn¡¯t show my anxiety in the presence of the emperor and Jiun. How much time passed? Suddenly, the woman who stood up shouted with an excited voice. ¡°Oh my God! Rejoice, Your Majesty! Lady Monique can¡­!¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± The emperor raised his right hand to stop the woman, then looked back at Jiun. ¡°Lady Jena, you may go out now.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Thanks for your good job. I¡¯ll reward you for your efforts today.¡± Her eyes trembled when he ordered her to leave. She looked at him silently for a moment, then she slowly left the room after showing due manners. Even after she disappeared, he remained silent for a moment before asking the middle-aged woman, ¡°Go ahead. So, what were you going to say about Lady Monique?¡± ¡°In fact, I had a question about her for long. I heard that she was attacked by two types of poison, namely the poison that dries up her womb slowly and the poison that greatly amplifies the poison itself. So, I was wondering why she didn¡¯t lose her life despite such severe poisoning.¡± ¡®Isn¡¯t that because of the High Priest¡¯s blessings?¡¯ I was a little puzzled, but I listened silently to the woman¡¯s exnation. ¡°Well, I think her period at the time of the incident was not normal. It was probably that the blood that flowed from her womb was because of the poison that continued to build up inside it. And she probably survived because some of the poison was discharged with the blood.¡± ¡°Hmm, so what?¡± ¡°When I examined her blood sample, it seems that her womb was notpletely dried up. If my diagnosis is correct, she will probably start to have a period again within a couple of months. In other words, she can have a baby. Congrattions, Your Majesty! Isn¡¯t this the great blessings of the empire?¡± What? My head was messed up. I was out of my mind with her bombshell announcement. ¡®So, I¡­ I may not be infertile?¡¯ I can have a baby? Then, all the wild imagination about me as an infertile woman up to now was nothing but a horrible dream? ¡°Oh my¡­¡± My heart was pounding like crazy, and I was consumed by some intense feelings beyond description. I felt like I would cry at any moment. However, his trembling eyes made my excitement subdued in a moment. I noticed him turning around and looking out the window. My pounding heart suddenly became cold. I raised my cold hand and put it on my chest as my heart ached. I felt very empty somehow. ¡®You are really funny, Aristia.¡¯ I bit my lips. I pushed him out even though he begged you to stay with me. How could I feel upset towards him because he was standing, with his back to me? I said confidently I could suffer more hardship than this, but how could I be upset with his cold attitude? After taking my eyes off his back, I forced a smile that I had practiced for a long time. If I was hesitant here, it was clear that the royal doctor would think of me wierd. ¡°Thanks¡­ ¡± The moment I tried to say something, I heard him speaking to the royal doctor with a calm voice, ¡°Both of you doctors, keep this secret for the time being. It¡¯s my order as the emperor.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Got it, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Then, you can go out for a minute. Let me call you back a littleter. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± In fact, there would be nothing good if this were leaked. It was obvious that the pro-emperor faction would install me as the empress again, while the noble faction would put up the utmost resistance as they couldn¡¯t sit on their hands. ¡°¡­¡± I thought he would also give me directions, but even after the two doctors went out, he was still looking out the window silently. It looked as if he was setting up a barrier against me. As I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, I opened my mouth, clearing my subdued throat, ¡°Your Majesty, please allow me to leave. I¡¯ve been away for a long time, so I think I should go back now. ¡± ¡°¡­ Sure, go ahead.¡± Looking back at him who was still cold to me, I slowly closed the door. Standing with back to the tightly closed door, I put my hand on my chest as if I felt jammed up inside. Although I knew I had to go back, I could not move despite the royal knights¡¯ intense gaze on me. ¡®Come to your senses, Aristia.¡¯ In the end, I took my eyes off the door, looked back, then went back to the banquet hall slowly. Somehow, my legs felt very heavy. ¡°Good job, see you tomorrow. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± It was already after the banquet was over when I came to my senses, taking care of all the big and small stuff at the banquet. He turned after thanking me out of courtesy. After showing due manners to him, I headed for the pce with heavy strides where I would be staying during the festival days. Was it because of the tight corset? I put my hand on my heart because I felt jammed up on the inside very much today. When I was taking a big breath, I saw a familiar and wee maning toward me. With his silver hair shimmering faintly under the moonlight covered by clouds, he was my father. ¡°Tia, you¡¯re back now.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy. But you still haven¡¯t called it a day? I thought you would be working until evening today¡­¡± ¡°How can I sleepfortably as my only daughter is workingte at night?¡± ¡°But you must be very tired¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go home now. Go home and take a rest. ¡± ¡°Pardon? Going home?¡± Chapter 267 Chapter 267: Chapter 267 I was puzzled. It was clear that I was supposed to stay at the Imperial Pce to prepare the three-day banquet more smoothly. My father, who smiled faintly looking at me, said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it because the emperor already approved it. He told me I could take you home today because it must have been pretty difficult for you today.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. What¡¯s wrong with you? Did you have anything bad today?¡± ¡°Not really. In fact, I heard very good news today, Daddy¡­¡± When I told him what I heard from the royal doctor, he repeatedly asked me with a subdued voice if it was true. Then, he hugged me silently and brushed my hair for a long time. I smiled bitterly, burying my face in his tight embrace. How strange it is! Why am I not happy? Normally, I should be happy because my pent-up wish to have a baby came true. But why do I feel so jammed up inside? Why do I feel like crying instead? I don¡¯t remember how I got home. Only when I returned to the room and flung myself onto the bed did Ie to my senses. As I came back home for the first time in two days, I should feelfortable, but I could not go to sleep at all. I tossed and turned inside the nket for a long time before getting up. I felt I couldn¡¯t go to sleep. When I looked around my room nkly, I suddenly noticed a blue box glowing under the dim moonlight. I slowly stretched out my arm, picked it up, opened the lid and looked at the doll in it for a while. Precisely speaking, it was a jeweled tiara on the head of the silver-haired doll. I wound up the spring. I heard him whispering ¡®I love you¡¯ through the melodies echoing into my room. I recalled him earnestly asking me to look at him as a man, not as the emperor. I wound up the spring again. With the blue moonlight beaming through my room, I recalled theke where I walked with him one day, the garden where I walked with him sharing the umbre with him, and the silvery flower tree under which we fell asleep under the stars. I wound up the spring again. I recalled the warmth of his chest through the texture of the cold metal, his cold touch when he caressed my cheek when I was poisoned, and his deep kiss. Tears dropped on the white nket. My heart ached so much, and my tearful eyes trembled. I kept winding up the spring again and again until the blue moonlight faded and the bright sunlight was filling the room the next day. The sun was pushing out the darkness little by little. In the early dawn when the darkness just faded, I headed to the Imperial Pce to stand on duty. As I couldn¡¯t sleep well for a few days, I felt heavy, but I had to take care of all the work backed up during the three days of banquet. ¡°Good morning, Sir Monique.¡± ¡°Are you kidding? The sun has not even risen yet. Don¡¯t you see that?¡± ¡°Yeah, good morning at dawn sounds funny.¡± I broke into a smile when the two knights had a light quarrel in the morning. I heard that the two were bosom friends who knew each other since childhood. ¡°Hello, Sir Lian and Sir Dilon. It¡¯s been a long time! I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t give you a good reply.¡± ¡°Pardon? Did something bad happen to you? ¡± ¡°Oh my goodness, are you pretending to not know?¡± said Sir Dilon who put his hand over his chest in a rather exaggerated motion. ¡°Well, as you were transferred to the 2nd Knights Division, I was reassigned as the captain¡¯s aide. Thanks to that, I was really having a hard time these days. I¡¯m losing my hair. How are you going to take responsibility for this, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Huh, how could you dare put me on her now? I know you have had thin hair from the beginning.¡± ¡°How ridiculous of you! I lost lots of hair because I had a hard time under the captain, man. I didn¡¯t have thinning hair before.¡± At that moment, I unwittingly turned my eyes at Sir Dilon. Although he was young and handsome, he had really thinning hair. Compared with Sir Ryan¡¯s hair, he looked old for his age. I hurriedly closed my mouth with both hands, but it¡¯s toote. He already heard myughinging out my palms. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Sir Dilon¡­¡± ¡°I was very hurt a moment ago. I didn¡¯t expect you would hurt me like this.¡± When I saw him pounding his chest, I broke intoughter again. I felt like I was seeing aedy in the theater. Watching me giggling next to him, the man said with a smile, ¡°Now you look a little better.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why so many people around me are having a hard time these days. But I don¡¯t care about the guys. I would like to cheer you up only, Sir Monique. So, cheer up! Don¡¯t you know that smiling brings you good luck?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, thank you. ¡± ¡°As I¡¯m done and you are taking over my post, let me leave now. Oh, forgive his rudeness. I don¡¯t think he is too absent-minded to greet you properly now.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± I asked again what he talked about, but Sir Dilon didn¡¯t say anything and took Sir Ryan out, who was standing behind him nkly. Was that what he meant by ¡°rude¡±? As I turned around, tilting my head, I saw a shadow, which was ck with the rising sun behind his back, approaching me quickly. I was so surprised at his sudden appearance that my heart was beating hard. But calming down my surprise, I tried to greet him calmly. ¡°Oh, hi, Sir Spia, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Was it because he slept fitfullyst night? I was a bit offended by his slight bowing, but I came up with a different topic instead of taking issue with his attitude. I felt he might have been tense since he failed the recent promotion test. ¡°I heard you were transferred to the 4th Knights Division. I guess it must be difficult for you to adjust to the new environment there.¡± ¡°Well, so far so good. By the way, it seems you are loved everywhere.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Well, aside from Sir Ryan, Sir Dilon is notoriously strict to apprentice knights by nature. Oops, sorry I have made a mistake. Come to think of it, you have officially be a full-fledged knight. ¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Well, I think you will have good results next year. So, don¡¯t worry too much¡­¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± His voice was tough, though. Obviously, he was hurt a lot because he failed the promotion test. And I could understand his feelings because among those who passed the test were his colleagues and even his juniors. It was natural that he felt very ufortable because he was not in a position to follow their direction overnight. In the empire, the full-fledged knights were selected through very strict standards, so the difference between apprentice and full-fledged knights made a great deal of difference in their treatment. No matter how early they joined the knights division, apprentice knights had to treat the official knights as their superiors. Besides, apprentice knights had to serve under theirmand, receiving only 30% of their sry. In the past, only a handful of people passed the test, but this time there was a massive hiring of full-fledged knights because of the creation of additional knights divisions. In fact, I would not have be a full-fledged knight without the benefits of massive hiring this time. How much time passed? We finished the day in an awkward atmosphere. Then I went straight to the conference hall. It was very unusual for the political meeting to take ce one day after the festival was over. I didn¡¯t want to go because I was too tired, but I had to because of the emperor¡¯s order that all the nobles with the rank of earl and above should attend the meeting by all means. I thought I already knew today¡¯s agenda. ¡°The Sun of the Empire His Majesty is entering the conference room.¡± When everyone was seated after showing their due courtesy, Duke Verita slowly stood up. I heard that he held the funeral of his eldest son only recently, but he also had to attend the meeting because of the emperor¡¯s order. ¡°Today¡¯s agenda is¡­¡± ¡°Please wait, Duke Verita. I clearly issued an order that everybody should attend the meeting. But why don¡¯t I see Marquis Mirwa?¡± Chapter 268 Chapter 268: Chapter 268 ¡°Well, I know where he is, Your Majesty,¡± said Earl Lestlin, bowing to him slightly, ¡°In fact, while I was enjoying the banquet with Marquis Mirwa, he received an urgent report from his estate. ording to him, there broke out a fire there, destroying about 30% of the farnd. So, I understand he urgently went down to his estate to cope with the situation.¡± ¡°I see. But why didn¡¯t he report it to me? As the Captain of the knights division in the capital, wasn¡¯t he supposed to get my approval before leaving the capital?¡± They were silent at his sharp question. He looked around as if he was upset, then said, knocking at the desk, ¡°Well, good. Let me discipline himter. Duke Verita, continue. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Today¡¯s agenda is the matter of how to deal with the Lisa kingdom. I think most of you may have heard the rumors, but for those of you who don¡¯t know, I¡¯ll exin the situation first. Do you all remember Baroness Feden? She was a princess from the Lisa kingdom who was naturalized into the empire two years ago. ¡± ording to his exnation, three days ago Beatrice was faced with the three princes of the Lisa kingdom who had been chasing her. She passed out while quarrelling with them over Sir Feden. Fortunately, both her and her baby were safe, but the empire could never overlook the incident in which the prince of the Lisa kingdom injured her, a naturalized citizen of the empire. That¡¯s why the emperor called the meeting urgently. As soon as the duke exined the situation as fairly as possible and stepped back, Earl Hamel asked for a say and opened his mouth, ¡°Your Majesty, I think you should have them pay the price for their actions. Not content with insulting the empire by sending a princess who already got pregnant as the candidate for the empress, they insulted the empire again by trying to harm the princess who already became a naturalized citizen of the empire. We can¡¯t allow them to act arrogantly any further.¡± ¡°I agree. As we tolerated them once, they are now making a mockery of us. We have to punish the king of the Lisa kingdom this time to set the example for other kingdoms.¡± It was unexpectedly Earl League who chimed in. Actually, he was a member of the pro-emperor faction. As head of the military family famed for its unique fencing style, it seemed that he was anxious to get even with the Lisa kingdom. ¡°Punish them? How? Are you going to start a war with them?¡± ¡°Even if we are not starting a full-out war, I think we have to make them feel the pain enough.¡± ¡°I agree. Besides, hasn¡¯t the Lisa kingdom been subversive to the empire since Kryans III¡¯s crowning?¡± Earl Hoten, who assumed the deputy captain of the 3rd Knights Division, said. A smile came to my lips when I saw all of them supporting the idea of punishing the Lisa kingdom. Who would have imagined that the members of the rival factions woulde to a consensus instead of arguing? As if he was of the same thinking as me, the emperor chuckled after listening to their opinion and said, ¡°I feel so great. I¡¯ve never seen you agreeing like this rather than quarrelling all the time.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, let me keep in mind your opinion. Any other opinion?¡± ¡°May I present my opinion, Your Majesty?¡± Earl Whir, affiliated with the Foreign Ministry said, ¡°I don¡¯t think this is such a simple matter. As you know, the kingdom of Lisa is currently engaged in small local battles with other kingdoms. If we dere a war with the Lisa kingdom, it means we will also be involved in their conflicts.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty. The empire has long served as the mediator of the continent. The reason that we made an alliance with the Lua kingdom was because we wanted to maintain peace, but the case of the Lisa kingdom is different. So, you should give it careful consideration,¡± seconded Earl Genoa, supporting Earl Whir¡¯s prudent position. Most of the noble faction members nodded at his argument. They were mostly affiliated with the government. In conclusion, almost all of those who supported a war with the Lisa kingdom were from the military families, while those in the government were opposed to the war. In fact, the civil service officials had not much to gain from the war. No matter how well they supported those fighting at the frontline with military supplies, the credit for their efforts usually went to thetter than the former. While the great noble families, whose statement carried a corresponding responsibility, were silent, only those from the earl families were engaged in a fierce argument, regardless of their factions. How much time passed? For the first time someone ended the controversy by presenting his own opinion. He was Duke Verita who attended the political meeting after a long time. ¡°Your Majesty, I have no objection to the idea of punishing the kingdom of Lisa that dared to harm a noble woman of this empire, but I think we have to take into ount their achievements.¡± ¡°Their achievements? I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Well, the kingdom of Lisa has already ceded part of its territory to the empire for sending an empress candidate who had defects. This time they are trying to let us make profits again by trying to harm the princess. I think we should be grateful for their silly actions.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Laughters burst out here and there. I also closed my mouth with one hand. ¡®Oh that makes sense.¡¯ In fact, the Lisa kingdom gave the empire a good cause to take advantage of their silly actions twice. Duke Verita, who smiled happily at thoseughing here and there, looked around and said, ¡°So, how about forgiving the Lisa kingdom one more time, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°As they are ironically so loyal to the empire, why don¡¯t we select some of the Lisa delegation here and give them an opportunity to observe the empire¡¯s development in various fields?¡± In other words, what the duke argued was to bring them over here and take them as hostages. I nodded unconsciously. As the Lisa kingdom was a big headache to the empire because of its peculiar belligerent tendency, it seemed a good idea to make the leadership of the Lisa kingdom more favorable to the empire. As if they agreed, the noble faction also seemed to see eye to eye with the duke. ¡°It seems like a good idea, Your Majesty. We can also sound out their thinking by proposing it. If they reject it, we can punish them,¡± said Duke Lars. ¡°Okay. Send back the rest of the Lisa delegation except for the three princes. As for the fate of the princes, let¡¯s talk about itter after checking how the Lisa kingdom responds,¡± said the emperor who was lost in thought for a moment at the duke¡¯s idea. When everybody bowed deeply to him as if they agreed, he looked around and said, ¡°Oh, the meeting was longer than I thought. Let¡¯s adjourn today¡¯s meeting here. Thanks, everybody!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, I have prepared something special for you in recognition of your great service. So, everybody, please stay seated a little longer.¡± I guessed it when the emperor ordered all those with the rank of earl and above to attend the meeting, but it seemed that he was going to start ¡°it¡± today. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure. Do you know what the emperor has in mind?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know.¡± The majority of the nobles who were about to leave began to whisper here and there, making a perplexed expression, but the emperor said casually, ¡°Well, I¡¯m d that the festival was sessfully over in cooperation with the temple, so I¡¯ve invited the two High Priests to celebrate it. Protocol officer!¡± When the protocol officer bowed and opened the door, the two High Priests in white robes stepped inside. The gray-haired High Priest approached the tform, dragging his long hair. ¡°I¡¯m so grateful for your warm hospitality, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t done much, but thank you for your hospitality, Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, we could end the festival sessfully thanks to your help. I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Okay, sit down. I¡¯m afraid the food will get cold in no time.¡± As the emperor gestured lightly, the door opened, and the servants and maids came in with silver trays andid tablecloths on the tables. Silver forks and knives engraved with the crest of the imperial family and various cups and silver tes began to be ced on the tables one by one. When they were done cing all the tableware, the emperor said, proposing aperitif, ¡°Let¡¯s toast for the sessful hosting of the first National Founding Day festival since my inauguration! For the glory of the empire!¡± Chapter 269 Chapter 269: Chapter 269 Despite the presence of lots of guests with the rank of earl and above, nobody clinked their sses. They just relished food without chattering. At first, they were cautious because they were not sure of the emperor¡¯s intentions, but in no time they began to feel rxed one by one. Some of them still squinted at the two High Priests, but most of them were enjoying food in a rxed mood. Suddenly, I heard them chatting here and there, and the servants and maids were busy moving around to fill their wine sses. How much time passed? The luncheon, which started with a light appetizer, was finished after some time. The emperor, who just finished having dessert, said, folding the napkin, ¡°I hope everyone had a good time.¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. We¡¯re so grateful for your warm considerations.¡± ¡°Thank you for saying so. Hmm¡­¡± He slurred for a moment, then said abruptly, tapping the table with his index finger, ¡°I can¡¯t dy it anyway. Are you outside? Let theme in.¡± The nobles who were puzzled by his unexpected announcement were even more dumbfounded to see a couple of men when the door opened. Of course, some hardened their faces. ¡°I, Ally Corona, am honored to greet the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°I, Herod Stra, am honored to greet the Sun of the empire.¡± The man and woman in white clothes, who bowed to the emperor politely, were holding something in their hands. The nobles began to whisper after finding out what they were holding. ¡°Aren¡¯t they medical testers? Do you know why they appeared here?¡± ¡°I have no idea. Are they holding silver pointers now?¡± ¡°Silver pointers? If that¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°Everyone, be quiet,¡± the emperor said coldly when they were whispering. Looking around them coldly, he leaned against his back, with his hands folded, then said in a drowsy voice, ¡°Some time ago, I suddenly passed out. At the time, I took it lightly because I thought I fell because of overwork. The more I thought about it, the more strange I felt. Basically I was physically strong. How could I copse because of that? He continued, making some mysterious smile which usually came to his lips when he was very displeased. ¡°So I pondered over it for the past several days. Strangely enough, my condition was like I was poisoned. ¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Poisoned? How is that possible?¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense! Who could dare poison the ruler of the empire?¡± There were whispers, swallowing and screaming here and there among the nobles. Their mixed reactions were natural because when confirmed, there would be a bloody crackdown on the suspects and their factions. ¡°You are denying the possibility that I was poisoned¡­So, I¡¯m going to do a simple test in front of you today. This shouldn¡¯t bring about any doubt or suspicion. I think it is most fair to do the poison detection test in front of everyone. ¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Medical testers, start the test immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The man and woman, who bowed politely, took the dishes, then began to check closely. I looked up at the head table, while watching them scrape the tes with the silver pointers after dropping some powder and taking out reagent to check its chemical reaction. Unlike the nervous expression of the nobles watching them nervously, he looked indifferent as if he was uninterested. Well, it was natural that he showed such a nonchnt reaction because he was aware of the results. Three days ago, I received a letter from the High Priest, which said that he seeded in obtaining the poison and its antidote that I had asked him to recently in return for investigating the corruption of the top priests at the temple. As I received the good news when I was pretty busy, I asked him to convey the poison and its antidote to the emperor, and he granted my request immediately. The emperor was now testing it. Regardless of whether he could find the criminal who tried to harm the emperor, it was certain that the medical testers would detect poison on the tes. That¡¯s why I asked the High Priest to obtain the antidote, too, in addition to the poison in question. ¡®Duke Jenna, what are you going to do now?¡¯ Unfortunately, I could not find any direct evidence that the duke was responsible for instigating this poisoning even though I obtained his family seal. I tried my best to find the rted documents supporting his involvement, but it was in vain. Given that he was taking the daughter of the man in charge of imperial wines as hostage and that he had been in close contact with the senior priests who smuggled the poison, the duke was the true culprit, and he could be punished for that. When I turned and looked, I saw the stubborn old man watching the testers nonchntly, and the purple-haired middle-aged man was staring at me. ¡°I¡¯ve got the test results, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Report to me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to report, but what you guessed is right. I¡¯ve detected poison.¡± ¡°Poison!¡± At that moment, there was a sharp silence. Who could say anything when poison was detected in the food served for the emperor? ncing over them who were shocked with fear and at a loss what to do, he said, ¡°Poison was detected in my food. Is anybody among you here who has dared to harm me?¡± ¡°Well, I think you might misunderstand, Your Majesty. Who could dare do this¡­?¡± ¡°Misunderstanding? Can you say that when you see this clear evidence?¡± Earl Hamel shut up when he saw the reagents whose color changed. Looking at him who was silent, he said, with his mouth turned up a bit, ¡°Well, I might be mistaken. Okay, let me ask them. As we have the High Priests here, let me ask them if they could check if my food had poison or now. Let me have them check if I was poisoned, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°High Priest, can I ask both of you a favor?¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty.¡± The two High Priests stepped forward after bowing to him. While the white-haired High Priest checked the emperor¡¯s condition, the blonde high priest recited a prayer in a small voice and put his hand into the reagent bottle. At that moment, the liquid that had turned red in the brilliant white light recovered its original color. ¡°That is¡­! ¡± ¡°It¡¯s poison!¡± Moaning came out from the nobles here and there. Then the High Priest announced in a mysterious voice, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s certainly poison, Your Majesty. As the Fourth Root of Vita, I, Quartus, can conclude it¡¯s poison, swearing on my divine power.¡± ¡°I agree. Besides, I, Secondus, can say, swearing on my divine power, that you have been poisoned now.¡± When the two High Priests said that definitely, silence mixed with fear fell on the conference room. Looking around with cold eyes, the emperor said, ¡°The two High Priests testified, swearing on their divine power, that it is poison. Do you still want to argue that I was mistaken?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°As of now, I order all the nobles to stay home. I will convene a big meeting at this time tomorrow. So, every noble in the capital should attend. This is my order as the emperor. If you vite it, you will be regarded as participating in treason, and you will be executed immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I would like to trust you, so don¡¯t behave rashly.¡± Then, he stood up coldly. Leaving them still trembling with shock behind, he left. The door was closed with a bang. ¡®So, is this the start of the crackdown that I have been waiting for so long?¡¯ A satisfied smile came to my lips. The next day the big meeting was held as expected. The big conference hall, which I had not visited after a long time, was huge. Typically, there were vacant seats here and there, but today all the seats were fully packed with the nobles who took the emperor¡¯s warning very seriously yesterday. ¡°The Sun of the empire is entering!¡± When the protocol officer announced, everybody stood up and bowed to him who sat at the head table. They were unusually polite today. ¡°Loyalty to the Lion, we¡¯re honored to see the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Glory to the empire! Please sit down. ¡± As soon as he said that coldly, the spacious conference hall was filled with the sound of them taking seats for a moment. After confirming that they were seated, the protocol officer opened a long piece of paper. ¡°Glory to the great Castina Empire! May the bright sunshine¡­¡± ¡°Stop there. Let¡¯s skip the introduction and get to the point.¡± Chapter 270 Chapter 270: Chapter 270 Since the big meeting was held once or twice a year and all the nobles of the empire gathered, it was customary for the protocol officer to have a long opening before the start of the meeting. The long introduction featured the praise of the empire and the imperial family as well as the fairness of the imperial policy, but the emperor skipped it by gesturing to the protocol officer. ¡°Duke Verita, please exin.¡± Standing up, Duke Verita was silent for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth when everyone¡¯s attention was focused on him. ¡°I¡¯m so embarrassed to say this, but the reason I convened today¡¯s big meeting was because there was an incident that somebody attempted to poison the emperor. Based on the test results, it was concluded that the poison was the same as the poison used against Lady Monique. ¡± ¡°Lady Monique? If so, ¡­ ? ¡± ¡°Yes. Today, we will handle the matter of the case of Lady Monique first to find the masterminds of the treason. After confirming some basic facts, we are going to hold a trial. So, take a look at the handout and read it carefully before the trial starts.¡± When the duke said that, the servants moved around quickly to hand out the relevant material to them. The document was neither very thin nor thick and outlined the gist of the poison case. ording to the document, one of the royal doctors who examined my condition when I passed out raised the possibility of poisoning, and upon further examination, poisoning was confirmed, which led to further investigation of suspects in and around the pce. The maid who served me at the 1st Knights Division was found to have poisoned the water for my tea, but when the investigators went to arrest her, she had already been killed. So, somebody was sent to the High Priest to find an antidote. What was noteworthy was the fact that although the case seemed to havee to a halt because the maid was killed, the mastermind was found due to a different clue. It was about the servant who handed me a poisoned drink. ording to the investigation, it was Baron Viya who gave him such an instruction, and the real mastermind of the incident was Earl Lanier. And those who were directly or indirectly involved in this incident are currently in jail. ¡°If you haven¡¯t yet understood the case or if you have any question, please raise your hand.¡± I raised my head when somebody broke the silence, but nobody raised his hand. Duke Verita, who looked at Duke Jena with an expressionless face and Earl Hamel, who seemed extremely nervous, said again, ¡°Nobody? Then, I¡¯m going to start the trial. ording to the imperialw, anyone can participate in the questioning, and when the due process is over, the suspects will be found guilty or not by the votes of those who raise their hands. But today¡¯s trial is held primarily to find the identity of those whomitted treason. So, we will judge the conviction of the suspects after all the relevant cases are closed. Any question?¡± The conference was so quiet that they could even hear the sound of a hair falling. When the emperor nodded, Duke Vertia said, pulling up his sses, ¡°Bring Baron Viya here, protocol officer!¡± A haggard man came in through the silent door. Escorted by the wary knights, he stood in front of the seat facing the head table as the defendant. ¡°Denis lo Viya. Born in 924 by the imperial calendar. He is the lord of the Viya estate and has the baron title. You are an official with the grade of 7 in the Internal Ministry, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°You ordered the man to poison the drink for Lady Monique, posturing yourself as the emperor¡¯s agent, who was the crown prince at that time, atst year¡¯s National Founding Day festival. Do you admit it?¡± The man who hesitated briefly at his questioning, then looked at me. I suddenly became puzzled when I saw his eyes rolling nervously. What? I don¡¯t think he is asking for my help. Then, he wants to strike a deal with me? It¡¯s probably toote to propose a deal. ¡°Let me ask you again. Do you admit you gave a poisoned cup to Lady Monique, masquerading under the emperor¡¯s name?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Baron Viya, your keeping silent is not allowed in this court. Answer me. Do you admit it?¡± The baron stiffened, so nervous at his stern questioning. Then, he lowered his head and replied with a subdued voice, ¡°¡­ I admit it. ¡± At that moment, the reaction of the noble and pro-emperor factions was in sharp contrast. The noble faction broke into moaning while the pro-emperor faction shouted for joy. Unlike the pro-emperor faction who watched the trial with a rxed attitude, the noble faction stared at him with a tense expression because the duke¡¯s real questioning had yet to be. ¡°If so, did you do it by yourself? Or was there an aplice or a mastermind? ¡± ¡°I did it with my conspirators at the direction of one person.¡± ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°They are Baron Enen, Baron Soi, and Viscount Kett. All of them were ordered by Earl Lanier.¡± Was it because they expected the answer? The noble faction remained silent, with little agitation, even though some members of their faction had been identified. I even saw some feeling rxed on their faces. ¡°As for Earl Lanier, is there anything else he instructed you to do for this crime?¡± ¡°He instructed me to bribe a couple of servants just in case. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Servants? Name the servants and which pce they belong to.¡± ¡°They were all killed after Lady Monique copsed. There are none left in the pce.¡± ¡°You killed them all? Is that true? ¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡°Hmm, good. However, when it¡¯s revealedter that you hid something or lied, I won¡¯t take into ount your voluntary confession when I punish you. Do you understand? ¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Smiling in satisfaction at the baron who replied without any objection, Duke Verita said, ¡°If so, I don¡¯t have any reason to take your confession into ount at all because you just lied.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ what are you talking about? I just told you the truth¡­¡± ¡°Well, it is clear that the servant you bought off is still alive. That¡¯s why the servant dared to poison the cup for the emperor, right?¡± ¡°Poisoning the emperor? No way! I really don¡¯t know! I confirmed with my own eyes that the servants I bought off had been killed.¡± Shouting, with his face turned white, he was very desperate because his attempt to kill me was totally different from poisoning the emperor. Watching him with cold eyes, who was looking around for help, the emperor said, ¡°Are you sure you told the truth a moment ago, Baron Viya?¡± ¡°Baron, is what you just said true?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty! It is true that I didn¡¯t lie at all. Please trust me!¡± ¡°Good. Let me trust you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty! I¡¯m so grateful¡­¡± ¡°But you have to be responsible for what you just said. If it was found you lied, I would punish you and all your families by beheading for treason. Answer me. Is what you just said true? ¡± The man who swallowed at his relentless questioning finally nodded. When the emperor who looked at him coldly gestured, Duke Verita stepped forward, clearing his throat, and said, ¡°Hmmmm, then I will call in the next criminal. Protocol officer, bring Baron Enen here. ¡± Although the duke tried to act casually, his attempt to change the cold atmosphere was in vain because many of the nobles who vividly remembered thete emperor¡¯s bloody crackdown on those whomitted treason were terrified by the emperor¡¯s stern warning that he would exterminate Baron Viya¡¯s family. Eventually, the cold atmosphere eased a bit when Baron Enen came in. Clearing his throat once again, Duke Verita said, pulling his sses, ¡°Ferma lo Enen. Born in 918 by the imperial calendar. He is the lord of the Enen estate and has the baron title. Currently a Foreign Ministry official with grade of 6. Is that right? ¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You used the merchant groups under your family to smuggle poison from the kingdom of Lisa and handed it over to Baron Viya. Do you admit to this? ¡± ¡°No. I can¡¯t admit it. ¡± Baron Enen was staring at the duke with an arrogant attitude. How could he be so confident as the criminal, with his rank only a baron? ¡°You can¡¯t admit it. Then, are you iming you are innocent? ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I never did any of that. ¡° Chapter 271 Chapter 271: Chapter 271 Faced with his strong denial, the duke smiled, adjusting his sses. ¡°Baron Enen, you work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where you are in charge of the trading and customs with the Lisa kingdom. Right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Then you must know well how to avoid inspection or tariffs when trading with the kingdom of Lisa, right?¡± ¡°No, I do not know.¡± ¡°You have been in charge of that section for over five years. You don¡¯t know how?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m embarrassed to say.¡± Duke Verita, who smiled again at Baron Enen who consistently denied, said, ¡°Really? It¡¯s very strange. I heard that the merchant group of the Enen family has grown significantly for the past five years. I hear your merchant group has been mainly dealing with items, especially duty-free items from the kingdom of Lisa.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Our family doesn¡¯t have a merchantpany.¡± Duke Verita, once again smiled and refuted his remarks, said, browsing through the pile of documents on the desk, ¡°Yes, your family doesn¡¯t run any merchantpany, but one of your rtives is a priest. That priest, the third son of your great-grandfather, in other words, your uncle, runs a merchantpany.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? How can a priest run apany? That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Ah, he certainly didn¡¯t make the merchantpany under his name, but aren¡¯t you the real owner because you are behind thepany, enjoying great benefits from him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s natural for a priest to do something good. Don¡¯t you think there is a leap in your logic when you argue that I¡¯m running a merchantpany on behalf of him just because I benefited from him?¡± The baron defended himself passionately as if he was insulted and disputed Duke Verita confidently. Was he encouraged by the baron¡¯s counterattack? Earl Wrestling, who was silent until now, opened his mouth. It seemed that he was speaking on behalf of Duke Jena or Earl Hamel who were watching the situation. ¡°I think the baron is right. I don¡¯t think you can¡¯t make such a conclusion just because he benefited from the priest.¡± ¡°Of course, I would not have said that without any hard evidence. Now, this is a list of donations to the priest from the merchantpany. As you can see, the donation was not made to the temple, but to this particr priest.¡± ¡°The owner of the merchantpany gave great favor to the priest? Well, why do you think that¡¯s strange?¡± ¡°Well, he donates exactly 80% of the merchantpany¡¯s profits to the priest every time. What do you think?¡± ¡°I have heard that there are certain types of donations that are made with a fixed rate. Although the amount of the donation is ratherrge, I think it totally depends on the individual how much he donates.¡± When the two were engaged in the heated argument, the emperor raised his right hand. When they stopped immediately, he said coldly, ¡°Well, it seems your argument will go on and on. Duke Verita, please exin first why the merchantpany of the Enen family is rted to the current case. If there is no connection between the two, it doesn¡¯t matter whether the Enen family made a lot of money by importing tariff-free goods. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. This is surprisingly simple. As you know, it is customary not to check import items entering the temple even if they cross the border. Baron Enen exploited this and brought poison into the empire through the merchantpany of his family. In other words, he imported poison by disguising it as the items going to the priest.¡± ¡°Hmm, how would you prove it? ¡°I have summoned the chief of the merchantpany and the priest here. So, you will be persuaded if you listen to them.¡± ¡°Okay. Bring them here.¡± Shortly afterwards, the two men stepped in. The elderly man in a pale yellow-green robe had a somewhat rxed expression, while the other man, in his mid 30s, was nervous and pale. ¡°May the blessings of life be with you. I, Priest Sorel, am honored to greet Your Majesty, the Sun of the empire!¡± ¡°I, Barba Roan, am honored to greet you, the Sun of the Empire.¡± I looked down at the middle-aged man, trembling and stuttering before the duke. Given that he has no middle name, he looked like a life-time only nobleman, but he seemed to be treated as amoner, not a family vassal. ¡°Roan. How are you rted to the Baron Roan family that was exterminated fifteen years ago?¡± ¡°Exterminated family? I don¡¯t know much about it. I¡¯m serious. All I know is my great great grandfather was the second son of a baron¡¯s family. Please trust me, sir.¡± The duke smiled faintly at the man who was desperately appealing to him with a terrified expression. ¡°Okay, let me believe you. Instead, answer honestly my questions. Do you understand? ¡± ¡°Yes, of course! I will answer honestly. Thank you so much, sir.¡± ¡°Barba Roan, you are the head of the Barba merchantpany that specializes in importing items from the Lisa kingdom and selling them in the empire, right?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Are there any import items you send to the temple?¡± ¡°Of course. I often buy the necessary items for the priests and donate them. Tea and leather goods are very popr, sir. ¡± I nced at the man who kept babbling on, with his head down. ¡®Is that person really a noble of the empire? His tone and way speaking are strange. Is hisnguage the so-calledmoners¡¯ dialect? I heard that his way of speaking was prettymon among themoners.¡¯ Duke Verita continued to question him. ¡°Have you provided a special item to Priest Sorel on a regr basis for the past couple of years? For example, some small things but very expensive or some rare medicine that¡¯s hard to obtain.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. Priest Sorel is a very frugal person, and he despises expensive items.¡± ¡°Then, do you have any item you should deliver to him by all means or something you were told to keep well?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Probably not. ¡± ¡°Barba Roan, are you going to continue denying even though I have hard evidence here? Have you never brought in poison for the purpose of harming Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Did you say poison, sir?¡± The man¡¯s face was white with fear when he saw the paper that the duke was shaking. Baron Enen hurriedly stepped forward and said, looking up at the head table, ¡°Your Majesty, this is an obvious ckmail! Can you continue to let this trial go ahead¡­?¡± ¡°If I had known it was prison, I would never have given it to the priest! I¡¯m serious!¡± ¡°Hmm. Baron Enen, I know what you mean, but I think I should listen to him. Barba Roan, continue. What did you convey the priest?¡± The baron staggered back at the emperor¡¯s cold response. As if he noticed the emperor¡¯s harsh attitude, Barba Roan stuttered in a strangely awkward tone, ¡°Well, the priest told me two years ago that he needed precious medicines to be delivered to the priests in the capital. So, I obtained them for him sometimes. He told me to keep it secret because he would be in trouble if other priests came to discover it. But I really didn¡¯t know the item was poison. I¡¯m serious!¡± ¡°Can you swear?¡± ¡°Yes! I swear to God. Lady Monique is such a precious woman as to be the next empress. How could I smuggle poison to harm the First Lady of the empire? I¡¯m also a citizen of the empire. I really couldn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡®Did he just mention the empress ¡­?¡¯ I felt strange to hear that. I thought it was a title that didn¡¯t have anything to do with me, but there were still people who regarded me as the next empress. Perhaps it was natural for ordinary people who didn¡¯t know the political situation of the central government to think so. Until recently I was widely introduced as the child of God¡¯s prophecy and the emperor¡¯s wife offered by Vita, our God. ¡°Maybe Priest Sorel might have not noticed it was poison. Please trust me! He is not the type of person who would try to harm the next empress. Besides, she is the child of God¡¯s prophecy, right? How could he try to harm the future First Lady of the empire decided by our God? I don¡¯t think our good priest could try to harm such a precious woman.¡± ¡°Hmm, you im that Priest Sorel is innocent, right?¡± ¡°Yes, our priest cannot do that! Oh, I think it¡¯s clear that he was deceived like me! Yes! I¡¯m confident that Baron Enen must have deceived him because he often took money from our priest!¡± Chapter 272 Chapter 272: Chapter 272 When the emperor, who was listening to the man¡¯s desperate defense, gestured, Duke Verita, who was staying in the back, stepped forward and said, ¡°Priest Sorel, is he telling the truth? I am asking you if you were deceived by the baron. ¡± When he was asked suddenly, Sorel stiffened, rolling his eyes with aplicated expression. Squinting at the baron quickly, he said, swallowing, ¡°Yes, I just acted as I was asked, and I never knew the baron¡¯s intentions.¡± ¡°Can you prove that?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°If you are making the argument without any hard evidence, I can¡¯t help but regard you as an aplice, too. ¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got it! I¡¯ve got a letter from him, asking me to obtain a rare medicine only avable in the Lisa kingdom and import it in the name of the temple because he would be in trouble if the item was caught at the customs office. As he described the item as medicine, I just believed it. I¡¯m serious. If you can give me some time, I can show you the letter!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? You son of a bitch, how dare you!¡± The baron who was calm all the time shouted at the priest. Due to the baron¡¯s sudden change of attitude, not only the pro-emperor faction, who was watching the trial in a rxed mood, straightened up and paid attention to the trial. Duke Verita, looking at the angry baron, pulled out a piece of paper from a pile of documents on the desk and asked, ¡°Are you referring to this letter?¡± ¡°Yes, how did you get it?¡± The duke said with a smile to the priest who squatted on the floor, ¡°I think you underestimated the intelligence power of the empire. I¡¯ve got some other information about you, but let me take into ount the fact that you told the truth.¡¯ I knitted my brows at the duke who looked very happy. Somehow, I felt that the way he questioned them from the beginning was not like him, and now I understood he chose this kind of questioning method, as if he wanted to create this kind of situation from the beginning. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Secretary, check the handwriting of the letter against the baron¡¯s.¡± Everyone shut up at his cold order. When even the baron who kept shouting at the priest was overpowered by the security knights, there was a tense atmosphere amid the silence in the conference hall. How much time passed? The secretaries who were doneparing the handwriting styles of the two raised their heads all at once. When they said the two handwriting styles were the same, the emperor chuckled and said, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have to ask anymore. Arrest them and put them in jail. As for Priest Sorel, put him on house arrest at Sanktus Vita, given the position of the temple.¡± After Baron Enen and the chief of the merchantpany were led out, the trial continued. When everybody was growing tired because of the continuing interrogation, I heard something that stunned me all of a sudden. It was time for the duke to question Earl Lanier, the main culprit who constantly took issue with and disgraced me at every opportunity. When I hurriedly raised my head, I saw a man with sandy hair walking into the conference hall. When I saw him, I was freed from my drowsiness. Like me, the pro-emperor faction also became alert, straightening up and looking straight at the haggard man. ¡°Yorne S. Lanier. Born in 927 by the imperial calendar. Lord of the Lanier estate with the title of earl. An Interior Ministry official with the third grade. Is that right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°As the mastermind of the poison n against Lady Monique, you used Baron Enen and the temple to import the poison from the Lisa kingdom and carried it to the capital. Then you orchestrated the whole n to poison Lady Monique by instructing the servant to serve the poisoned drink for her, masquerading in the emperor¡¯s name. Do you admit this? ¡± The man looked around for a moment when the duke announced several charges against him. He briefly looked at Duke Jena, but the duke didn¡¯t do anything, simply turning over a page of the document in front of him nonchntly. Earl Lanier said, looking at Duke Jena with his fists clenched, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Oh, you admit it?¡± ¡°You already found out all this through your investigation. I don¡¯t want to make any poor excuses anymore.¡± I was puzzled when he answered in a calm tone. Why did he admit it so easily? Did he agree with Duke Verita on something in advance, given his cooperative attitude? ¡°Good. Then, let me ask you one more thing. As everyone knows, there were two kinds of poisons that affected Lady Monique at the time. One was poisoning through regr use, and the one was amplifying the poison umted in her body. You have admitted to using the amplification method. Then, who bought off the maid with the 1st Knights Division to poison her on a regr basis? Were you also responsible for that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me who imported the two types of poison, and it¡¯s also me who directed her poisoning, but it¡¯s not me who bought off the maid and had her poison Lady Monique on a regr basis. There are others involved in this plot and the one who orchestrated the whole n.¡± ¡°Who are they?¡± At that moment, there was a tense atmosphere in the hall. While everyone waited for Laniers¡¯ next confession, he looked around the noble faction including Duke Jena and others sarcastically, and said, ¡°Earl Holten.¡± ¡°Hmm, he was dispatched to the border areast month. And who else?¡± ¡°Earl Wrestling.¡± ¡°Hey, Earl Lanier, what the heck are you talking about? When did I get involved in this case?¡± ¡°Earl Hame.¡± ¡°You damned bastard, Lanier! Are you crazy due to long imprisonment? Your Majesty, he is ndering me!¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Ignoring the two earls shouting at him angrily, he said, raising his voice a little, ¡°¡­ Marquis Mirwa.¡± A cold silence fell in the hall. Marquis Mirwa? Was he really involved in the poisoning incident? My head was in the clouds for a moment, but I immediately shook my head to shake off my wild imagination. I was embarrassed by his sudden mention of Marquis Mirwa, but given the various circumstances, I felt what Lanier said was in line with the contents of the materials that the emperor gave me the other day. As if he felt the same way as I did, Duke Verita, who moistened his throat for a moment, said, putting down the ss, while staring at the early coldly, ¡°Marquis Mirwa? Can you prove he was involved?¡± ¡°As he is such a meticulous person, I don¡¯t have any clear evidence, but it¡¯s a fact that he alsomitted treason.¡± At that moment, I saw my father flinching momentarily to hear that. I also saw Duke Lars leaning forward, folding his hands, who remained silent until now. A smile came to Duke Verita¡¯s lips, who pulled up his sses, and Duke Jena stopped in the middle of lifting his cup to his lips. What¡¯s wrong? Wait a moment. Did he mention treason? The moment I looked back at the earl in a hurry, the emperor said with an interesting expression in a break with his bored attitude, ¡°Earl Lanier, how do you know that?¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Have you forgotten what you just said? I am asking you how you can reveal the fact that we all here have never heard before when you have been arrested and jailed until now after the incident took ce.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡± ¡°Tut, tut. you still don¡¯t know? You mentioned ¡®treason¡¯ a moment ago.¡± His face, who replied with a rxed attitude, hardened at that. As if they realized the gravity of the situation, Earl Hamel and Earl Wrestling, who were looking for a chance to strike back, got cold feet. Looking at the embarrassed earl, the emperor said, turning up his mouth a bit, ¡°How could you know in advance without plotting treason even when I realized it only recently? Besides, you were strictly prohibited from contacting outsiders.¡± ¡°Oh no, Your Majesty! How can I plot treason? I don¡¯t know anything about it. It¡¯s true that I tried to harm Lady Monique, but I have never tried to kill you, Your Majesty! ¡°You don¡¯t know it? Then, who could have delivered the news to youst night, defying my order to stay home?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I really didn¡¯t know it, but I came to know it because I heard some newsst night. Please believe me!¡± Then, the prince coldly asked the earl, who shouted with his face turned white. ¡°Somebody sent you a message? Defying my order and breaking through the tight security of the imperial pce? Okay, who sent you the message?¡± Chapter 273 Chapter 273: Chapter 273 ¡°Well, he was Marquis Mirwa. He said this was thest message he sent as the mastermind of this whole plot, adding that I should not leak it under any circumstances¡­¡± ¡°Marquis Mirwa?¡± The emperor said sternly, folding his hands, ¡°Earl Lanier, how long are you going to insult me? Even if he was the mastermind of this plot, like you said, he could not deliver that message to you because he left the capital two days ago.¡± ¡°Well, that was¡­¡± ¡°Let me warn you, Earl Lanier. You had better shut up before I get furious with you. How can you keep lying, not content with insulting me? Are you not scared at all about dying soon? ¡± As if he was very upset, the emperor scolded him with a stern voice. Earl Lanier slowly shut up, while trying to excuse himself. A tense atmosphere surrounded the nobles. In particr, the noble faction, who were really discouraged while watching the continuing trial, were on pins and needles, not knowing what to do. Even those with the rank of earl and above, who seemed rxed until a moment ago, were now restless. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± When some time passed in a devastating silence, Duke Verita, who was in the back for a while, stepped forward and said, ¡°It seems that we have identified those who took the initiative of poisoning Lady Monique and those who plotted treason by trying to kill the emperor. By the way, Your Majesty, I can¡¯t continue to hold the trial as the head of the treason, Marquis Mirwa is absent at the moment¡­ What are you going to do? Can you adjourn at this point?¡± ¡°Hmm, good. It¡¯s already toote, so let¡¯s stop it today. ¡± ¡°Whew¡­¡± There was moaning here and there among the nobles. Not only the nervous noble faction but also the pro-emperor faction who were weary of the trial seemed to be of the same mind. ¡°Then, when do you want to hold the next trial, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Hmm. As it turned out that the mastermind of the two incidents has been identified, you need to focus the investigation on him. So, let¡¯s do it this way. Duke, I will give you one week. I think you can finish the investigation within one week, given yourpetence. ¡± ¡°I will do my best.¡± Nodding at the duke, he turned to the left and said, ¡°Earl Hamel, Earl Wrestling, you know that in principle you should be investigated as he has singled you out in this case. Given your contributions to the empire, I won¡¯t detain you, but I will confine you to your houses. I won¡¯t allow you to leave your houses. If you think you are really innocent, be fully cooperative in the investigation and prove your innocence.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°This also applies to Marquis Mirwa and Earl Holten who are absent at the moment. Duke Lars, dispatch the knights to them, so they can return to the capital immediately. If they resist, I will assume they are involved, so you can arrest them.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°In addition, I prohibit all nobles present at this meeting from leaving the capital until the trial ispletely over. If you disobey my order or don¡¯t attend the meeting one week from now, you will be also regarded as someone who has been involved in this treason. Keep it in mind. Let me adjourn the meeting today.¡± When he rose from his seat and left, there broke out a deep sigh from the other side. Some of them squatted down and some felt relieved while others gulped down water. Obviously, the noble faction looked empty, though they got freed from the tense atmosphere. On the other hand, the pro-emperor faction members looked very lively, except that some of them were somewhat exhausted. Some had a perplexed expression, but most were very pleased. I also stood up, looking around those who were messed up, when one of the servants with the Central Pce approached carefully and bowed, ¡°Lady Monique, the emperor wants to see you.¡± ¡°Really? Got it.¡± Though my father looked somewhat puzzled, he nodded without a word. Duke Verita, who was collecting the documents next to him, said as if he felt it was good that I would see the emperor. ¡°Let¡¯s go together. I think I have to see the emperor for a minute.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go, Tia. ¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± Leaving the whispering nobles behind, I headed to the meeting room of the Central Pce with the two. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Oh,e on, Marquis. Duke Verita, you are here too. Thanks foring. I was about to call you anyway.¡± Although the emperor was usually without any expression on his face, he was unusually indifferent today, which made me nervous. ¡°I heard you wanted to see me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Actually, I called you to give you this. I should have solved it early on, but it took too long. ¡± He nodded lightly and gave me a sheet of paper. My father received it and checked its contents. He slightly closed his lips, then said, ¡°Are you serious? ¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay, Your Majesty. I, Keiran Monique, follow your order. And I really appreciate you very much on behalf of the Monique family.¡± I got puzzled. ¡®Why is he doing it? What¡¯s in the paper?¡¯ My father took the brooch from the cor and stamped the paper. At that moment, something strange came into my eyes. On the edge of the paper he eximed with him was not only the crest of my family but also the royal crest engraved with a roaring golden lion. Whanga and Monique. Two families crests printed side by side. The imperial family and the Monique family. I stiffened at that moment. ¡®That is¡­¡± A paper engraved with a roaring golden lion and one engraved with a spear and shield. As if it showed it¡¯s an official document, it was written in block letters. It was none other than the paper officially recognizing the breakoff of my engagement with the emperor. ¡°¡­¡± I tried to take my eyes off it, but my eyes were fixed on the letter ¡®breakoff.¡¯ Was it because my blood got cold? I tried to wrap my body with both arms not to feel cold, but I still had chills. ¡°Okay. Duke Verita, take this document with you and keep it as an official record.¡± ¡°Do you want me to handle it right away?¡± ¡°I would like to get things done as quickly as possible, but as things stand now, you can¡¯t. Let¡¯s do it this way. Just keep it, then process it as soon as the current trial is over. Is it okay?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will. ¡± ¡°Okay, then. Briefly exin to me about what you will discuss at the next meeting.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not much different from what I briefed youst time. But in the case of Duke Jena ..¡± I stared at the young man who was listening to him, with his eyes fixed on the paperwork. I felt heartbroken when he didn¡¯t cast even a single nce at me. Although the two continued to talk, I could not focus. I was caught up in some sort ofplicated feelings. I didn¡¯t remember what he said or how I got out of the ce. When I came to my senses, I saw the gray-haired High Priest standing in front of me. ¡°Marquis Monique, can I have a word with your daughter for a moment? I have something to tell her.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, please.¡± ¡°Thank you, then.¡± The High Priest reached out to me with a faint smile. I briefly looked at my father, then walked away with the High Priest. After walking in the garden for a long time, the High Priest stood under the straight shade of a tree and said, ¡°My deal with you will be over when the big conference is over. Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Your Eminence. I would like to thank you very much for your hard work. ¡± ¡°No, I also benefited from you a lot. By the way, your expression doesn¡¯t look good. I heard you have good news.¡± ¡°Pardon? Good news? ¡± ¡°In fact, I visited the emperor in the morning. Well, I didn¡¯t believe it, but I think I know. You have clearly gotten better by a lot.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± He mentioned lots of things that I could not properly understand, then smiled at me faintly. Then he looked at me silently for a long time and said in a mysterious voice, ¡°Man cannot understand God¡¯s will. I think it¡¯s Vita¡¯s will for me to have had a deal with the emperor and have an association with you. Congrattions, Lady Monique. You¡¯ve found the possibility that you almost lost.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± Chapter 274 Chapter 274: Chapter 274 I was confused for a moment about what he meant by ¡°the possibility,¡± but I thanked him because I immediately realized it. He seemed to try to reassure me that I might not be infertile. By the way, why did he mention ¡®deal¡± with the emperor? ¡°Your Eminence, what kind of deal did you make with the emperor¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t know it as I expected. That¡¯s why you had such turbulent feelings deep down. Well, it¡¯s fun to keep looking at you, but I feel I can¡¯t just leave as I am constantly reminded of my old memories¡­¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°In fact, before you offered a deal to me, I met a person who offered the same deal. He was none other than the emperor.¡± Then, did he also have it in mind? When I reported to the emperor about the intervention by the temple, I felt very sorry for him because he rejected my idea out of hand, saying he could not interfere with the authority of the temple recklessly. ¡°Even though I am confronting the top priests, I am also a priest who serves Vita. I felt scared when I thought about the possibility of our temple¡¯s authority crumbling, so I tried every way to seek his help¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, the emperor first offered a deal to me. He asked me to do him a favor in return for giving me the full authority over the priests involved in this incident.¡± What was that? What did he try to gain at the risk of losing the golden opportunity to cut off his rtions with the temple that tried to interfere with the central politics, which thete emperor was so wary about? As he was not aware that he was being poisoned, he probably didn¡¯t have anything to strike a deal with the High Priest. No matter how hard I tried to figure it out, I could not recall anything. Watching me pressing my temple firmly, he said with a faint smile, ¡°It looks like you don¡¯t remember it. Well, it was the same with me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What the emperor wanted me in return for covering up all the dirty things of the temple was my blessings.¡± ¡°Pardon? Blessings?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not my one-time blessings, but my periodic blessings.¡± Periodic blessings? I tilted my head. Why did he ask for that? Did he think my blessings were important enough to cover up the temple¡¯s wrongdoing? Given that the emperor received periodic blessings for himself, the blessings were apparently not for himself. Blessings. Periodic blessings¡­Wait a minute. Periodic blessings? ¡°No way¡­¡± My eyes opened wide. There was one who received the High Priest¡¯s blessings periodically, and that twice a month when ordinary people could hardly receive even one from for the rest of their lives. I was the one who received such blessings. ¡°Yes. He wanted my blessings for you. Blessings are originally intended to prevent one¡¯s bad energy. He said he would like to pin his hope on it, even if the possibility was low.¡± ¡°But why didn¡¯t he tell me¡­?¡± ¡°He asked me to keep it secret, saying he didn¡¯t want to hurt you with false hope. Of course, I owe a debt of gratitude to yourte mother, but I didn¡¯t give you blessings just because of that.¡± That¡¯s why I brought Sextus here. I needed some usible cause to continue to stay in the empire.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± I sighed out. Well, I felt something strange when the emperor talked about my mother too much. Then, was it because of his secret deal with the emperor that the High Priest gave me blessings whenever I entered the sacred ce or he came as far as my house to give me blessings? When I was publicly insulted as an infertile woman in front of others at the political meeting, I raged with anger because of my offended pride. Despite his reassurances that he would protect me, I burned all my dresses, vowing to give up my life as a woman. He begged me not to make a quick conclusion, promising to solve the problem when I asked him to break off my engagement with him. He even said that, telling me he would willingly take the risk of his supporting base shaken by the noble faction. Biting my lips with mixed feelings, I hurriedly pulled back my body because the High Priest already came close to me. Watching me calm down my troubled heart, he said in aforting voice, ¡°Sorry, Lady Monique. I think I said something that I should not have because of old memories.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so heartbroken. As I made a beautifuldy feel depressed, I must raise a prayer for repentance for my sin right now. ¡± ¡°¡­ Your Eminence.¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you. Whatever the reason, it is you who gave me blessings repeatedly.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. It would be better if you gave me your heart, but let me receive your thanks anyway. ¡± He smiled, nting his eyes upward, and turned. When I was carried away with the fluttering of his white robe for a moment, I felt something falling on my head, and soon a soft floral scent surrounded me. I saw a white light staying on his hands between the pink petals falling down one by one. ¡°Thank you, Your Eminence.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Oh, it¡¯s toote. Let¡¯s go, Lady Monique. I will escort you to your father¡¯s ce.¡± With a faint smile, he reached out to me. Escorted by him. I slowly walked with him. Was it because of what the High Priest told me? Or was it because I saw the paper on the breakoff of my engagement with him? I felt depressed all along until I arrived home. Watching me get out of the wagon with a frown, my father said, ¡°Follow me for a moment.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± Returning the greetings of the house employees, I stepped into the house and went upstairs with my father. Wondering what¡¯s the matter, I entered the room with a puzzled expression, when he suddenly pulled me into his arms. ¡°Daddy?¡± ¡°Just cry, Tia,¡± he said, stopping me from raising my head. ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Just cry it out instead of smiling feebly like that.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t have anything to cry¡­¡± ¡°It was an engagement that you made with him as soon as you were born. Even though you have refused it all along, it must have been very meaningful to you. You might have taken it for granted just like your breathing.¡± I felt like I cried at his gentle push, but I strongly balked. ¡°No. I never thought so, Daddy. ¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Of course. Do you know why I learned fencing? I told you several times that I would be the sessor of my family. Everything came true as I wished. As long as I can seed in punishing those at the next political meeting, who tried to harm me, I don¡¯t have anything more to ask for. So I ¡­¡± When I said repeatedly I was okay, tears suddenly dropped from my eyes. I saw the hem of his shirt getting wet little by little. I hurriedly tried to disengage from him in embarrassment, but he stopped me by holding me tightly, and patted my back. In the end, I was choked up with tears and began to cry when heforted me warmly. All kinds of emotions poured out from my closed mind. My heart ached. I knew he was so kind and considerate of me, and that I was loved by him so much. I hated myself for not having the courage toe closer to him. I knew he was different from the old him, and I believed that I would not have a miserable future ase I did in the past. But I was still scared and I was so frustrated about it. I cried out, grabbing the hem of his stiff shirt. What a fool I am as I can¡¯t reach out to him, nor let go of him for good! In the past, I was very decisive in deciding something, but I am always indecisive now. Even though I feel so heartbroken, I can¡¯t be confident enough to approach and ept his heart. Tears kept flowing endlessly while I was ming myself for my indecisiveness. How much time passed? My tears gradually stopped and my rough breathing came back to normal slowly. As I tried to support my drooping body, my father held my shoulders gently and helped me sit down. I blinked my eyes slowly, when I suddenly heard him whispering into my ears, ¡°I¡¯m surprised you resemble your mother even here.¡± ¡°Mom?¡± ¡°Yes, and I know why the emperor is so desperate to win over your heart. Like father, like son, as they say.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Although I wondered what he meant by that, he seemed to have no intention of answering my question. While stroking my hair silently, he said, ¡°Tia?¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°After we are done with all this, let¡¯s take a break for a month or two.¡± ¡°Pardon? Really?¡± ¡°Yes. I think we had better tour some famed resorts. How about the Dean estate, famous for itsrgeke, or the Seymour estate famous for its lush forest? Hummm, I think the Herr estate is also good¡­¡± I felt sleepy at the warmth of my father who embraced my shoulders and regrly swept my hair. Blinking my heavy eyelids due to drowsiness, I leaned my head on his shoulders. I heard him whispering something, but I already fell asleep in his arms. Chapter 275 Chapter 275: Chapter 275 Under the deep blue skies, the leaves stained with autumn colors were burning theirst vestiges of life. As if he was saddened by its lost intensity, the autumn sun shining on the dusty ground shone brightly. I picked up a towel and bucket from the corner of the training field while trying not to disturb the knights training there. Then, I sat in the shade and let my sweaty hair hang down. The breeze was very cool and refreshing. After wiping off the sweat with a dry towel, I gathered the wet hair together, tied it up again, and drank water. Was it because of my intense training? The water I gulped down tasted very sweet today. As I felt good at that moment, I leaned my back on the trunk of a thick tree with a smile. ¡°Good morning, Sir Monique.¡± When I basked in the beauty of the clear and blue sky, a man said hi, wiping the flowing sweat on his forehead anding to me in the shade. He was Sir Feden. His brown hair looked darker than usual because it was wet. ¡°Good morning, Sir Feden. It seems to be a littlete to say good morning, but the weather is really good. ¡± Agreeing with me, he sat a little far from me. ¡°Thanks for what you did for mest time. I was so absent-minded at that time that I couldn¡¯t greet you properly. I heard that both my wife and baby are safe because of your prompt action.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. As the host of the banquet, I just did what I had to do. How is Beatrice¡¯s condition? ¡°She was somewhat shocked, but now she is very stable. ording to the doctor, she will be okay if she recuperates well for a couple of months. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m really d to hear that. I¡¯m going to tell my butler to send her some nutritional food for pregnant women, so don¡¯t refuse it. It¡¯s just a small sign of my friendship with her. ¡± ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t refuse it as you say so. Thank you, Sir Monique. I receive something from you every time. ¡± Sir Feden politely expressed gratitude to me, then remained silent for a while. As he seemed to have nothing to say any more, I looked at him for a moment before looking up at the sky. I felt drowsy in the breeze. When I was slowly blinking my eyes, trying to shake off my drowsiness, he said in a subdued voice, ¡°I heard that the Lisa kingdom decided to ept the empire¡¯s demands to take some of its delegation members hostage.¡± ¡°Ah¡­Yes, that¡¯s true. ¡± Adjusting myx posture, I looked at Sir Feden for fear that he might feel guilty, but his brown eyes were simply staring at me. As if he noticed I was doubtful about him, he said with a faint smile, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. My wife and I are both satisfied with our life in the empire. ¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Of course. I didn¡¯t mention it because I was concerned about the Lisa kingdom. In fact, my wife has asked me to tell you that you don¡¯t need to be worried about her and you should just feel relieved.¡± ¡°Feel relieved?¡± When I tilted my head, Sir Feden exined kindly, ¡°Given the temper of King Kriyans of the Lisa Kingdom, he will try to have a princess be included in the hostage list. I also think so. Probably he will try to install her as the emperor¡¯s concubine.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But don¡¯t worry. As far as I know, the emperor is not a pushover. The same is true for the leaders of the pro-emperor faction. Although I haven¡¯t known them for a long time, I am confident of that.¡± ¡°¡­ I see. Thanks for your considerate words.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. I have to go back now, Sir Monique. Goodbye.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. See you next time. ¡± After politely bowing to me, he immediately left the training field. After looking at him for a moment, I also raised my body slowly. ¡®Concubine?¡¯ Suddenly, I remembered meeting the emperor a few days ago. I also remembered seeing the crests of the imperial family and the Monique family as well as the official paper that recorded the breakoff of my engagement with him in block characters. ¡®Concubine¡­¡¯ Even though I was walking in the bright sunlight, I felt as if I had the same chills that I felt the moment I saw the characters of the breakoff of my engagement. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m d to see you, Lady Monique? Good morning.¡± I felt a bit better when somebody suddenly called me pleasantly. He was Viscount Faye, the director of the pce affairs office. When I looked at the side slowly, I saw a man who carried his frame upright smiling at me. ¡°Good morning, Viscount Faye. Didn¡¯t I see you a week ago?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s right because I am seeing you again for the first time since the banquet. But what business has brought you to the pce affairs office?¡± Actually, I came here where my feet took me, so I had no particr business, but something urred to me suddenly when I saw Viscount Faye¡¯s face. ¡®What were their names at that time?¡¯ I opened my mouth, retracing my memories slowly. At first, I thought of sending Beatrice some herbal medicine through my butler, but I wanted to use the royal doctor who examined her condition because it would be better for both her and me if I picked up and sent her correct herbs, given the choice. . ¡°Well, I¡¯vee here to ask you a favor. I¡¯m sorry to bother you every time. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, Lady Monique. It¡¯s my job anyway. So, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°Do you remember the royal doctors who examined Baroness Feden at the recent banquet? I heard that one of them was a 40-something woman, a specialist in gynecology, and the other was a man in histe thirties. The man was very skinny, with a medium height. ¡± ¡°Ah, you are referring to Royal Doctor Lant and Royal Doctor Senar. Let me bring them here right away.¡± After nodding at me slightly, he gave a servant nearby some instruction. The servant quickly headed somewhere. When I was chatting with Viscount Faye, waiting for the doctors, I saw a man was entering the office. He, who checked Beatrice¡¯s condition, was the very man who notified me that I was infertile. ¡°Howe the director of the pce affairs office called me¡­? Oh my¡­Lady Monique?¡± The man who greeted me strangely stuttered as soon as he saw me. I was puzzled because he seemed very embarrassed, but I asked calmly, ¡°Why did youe alone? Is the other doctor off duty? ¡± ¡°Who are you referring to?¡± ¡°I mean that woman doctor who examined Baroness Feden.¡± ¡°Oh, you are referring to Dr. Lant. Yes, she is off today¡­ What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡®I smell a rat.¡¯ I knitted my brows. I felt suspicious about him because he was startled to see me, let alone his stuttering. ¡®Can I check out his reaction?¡¯ But that was impossible. Since I had no idea of what¡¯s going on at the moment, I could not even specte about this guy¡¯s motivations. So, hiding my curiosity, I just asked casually, ¡°I¡¯d like to send some herbal medicine to Baroness Feden, but I don¡¯t know what would be best for her. Can you let me know?¡± ¡°Oh, you mean medicinal herbs? Of course. Let me write it down for you.¡± I stared at the man writing some medicines and quantities on paper. As soon as I heard the matter, the appearance of remarkable relief was suspicious. ¡°Here it is.¡± ¡°Thank you. Let me do my own case. ¡± I saw him writing down several medicinal herbs on the paper. He seemed very much relieved to hear my question, which also made me suspicious about him. ¡°Here you are.¡± ¡°Thanks. Let me pay for your effortster.¡± Thinking I needed to look into his background, I received the memo from him and went out of the pce affairs office. While plodding along the road, I suddenly recalled my conversation with Sir Feden again. Five days passed since the emperor gave Duke Verita one week to wrap up the investigation. When the big conference is over two dayster, my association with the imperial family will also bepletely over because they are going to record the official breakoff of my engagement with the emperor. What would happen after that was obvious. Certainly there would be a fiercepetition for empress candidates to grab his attention. If Duke Jenna is found to be the culprit, Jiun won¡¯t be able to be the empress even if she has the legitimate cause as the child of God¡¯s prophecy. If so, the woman who wins his heart would be most likely to be the empress. I could already easily imagine youngdies turning to all kinds of means and methods to win over his heart. Chapter 276 Chapter 276: Chapter 276 < Do you remember what I requested of you in the past? Even if your wish to be freed from himes true¡­> Suddenly, I recalled what thete emperor told me before he passed away, gasping for breath I felt depressed somehow. Thete emperor treated me kindly. Even though he sometimes bluffed and appeased me, he honored my intentions at the end of his life. That¡¯s why he said that to me in hisst moments. Looking up at the blue sky, I whispered to myself, ¡°¡®Yes, Your Majesty. I remember what you told me. You asked me to stand by the crown prince even as a friend even if I ended my rtionship with the imperial family by bing the sessor of my family. I know I will be heartbroken, and it will be very difficult for me to do so, but I will. Just like my father did so, I¡¯ll try to be someone that he can share trust with.¡± I let out a deep sigh. While walking along the road nkly, I heard someone sighing out like me. Startled, I looked around and found myself walking in the garden of the Central Pce, where I sometimes had tea time with thete emperor. Who let out a sigh here a moment ago? This is a ce where no one can enter without approval. I looked around, but no one was visible. When I stepped further inside, tilting my head, I saw a woman standing in the shade of a tree with its leaves turned red. At that moment, I suddenly stopped walking toward her because of her hair color. ¡®What the heck? Why is Jiun here now when the nobles in the capital are prohibited from leaving their houses by the emperor¡¯s order?¡¯ As I felt a bit suspicious, I decided to observe her for a moment instead of approaching her. She might be here for some reason. As they can¡¯t move around freely because of their treason charges, the Jena family or the noble faction might have sent her here because she is the child of God¡¯s prophecy. Pacing up and down under the tree for a while, she stood in front of a bunch of white flowers. When she muttered something and reached out, white light repeatedly came out. The withering flowers were back to life thanks to the continuing light. I unwittingly frowned at that. I saw her using her divine powerst time, but I didn¡¯t know she could use it continuously without any failure. Then, what was wrong with her when Beatrice passed out? Did she just pretend she couldn¡¯t use her divine power? I thought she often failed because her divine power was iplete, or perhaps things didn¡¯t work out well as she wished. At that moment, I recalled a scene in my memories, with me dropping tears on the day when I saw Frincia¡¯s baby, and Beatrice moaning and desperately begging me to save her baby. I felt something hoting up from my heart. ¡®How can you do that, Jiun? Like me, you know the pain of losing a child, right? How can you pretend not to know her suffering? What the heck do you want?¡¯ The moment I stepped forward with my fists clenched, Jiun, looking back at the rustling sound, said with a very happy expression, ¡°Uh, were you here? Good. I was just looking for you¡­¡± ¡°Lady Jena, what are you doing now? Did you use divine power a moment ago?¡± She replied through her quivering lips without showing any feelings, ¡°Ugh? Yes, so what?¡± ¡°Oh, you knew how to use it, and that three times without any failure.¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about? You already saw me using divine power before, right? I¡¯ve got some more important things to tell you.¡± As she kept trying to change the topic, I made a sarcastic expression. I was not sure when I started to show it, but I found myself speaking to her in a tone as if I didn¡¯t recognize her, even though I bowed to her. ¡°But why couldn¡¯t I see your divine power when Baroness Feden passed out?¡± ¡°Hey, that ¡®s because¡­ ! ¡± ¡°I thought you failed repeatedly because of your iplete divine power, but now it seems that you didn¡¯t use it on purpose.¡± ¡°Not, that¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°You are awesome. You said you want to beat me? Yes, you¡¯vee a long way. How can you y with the lives of the two? I don¡¯t know why you did so, but at least your aloofness seems to be one cut above me, given that you were so cruel when you experienced the same pain as me. I was literally spaced out when Baroness Feden passed out like that.¡± ¡°¡­ Hey.¡± As I kept rebuking her, she gradually contorted her face, staring at me sharply, clenching her teeth. Then, she moved up and down her lips as if she wanted to say something. I waited for a while, wondering how she would make excuses, but she just hesitated without saying anything. When I giggled at her sarcastically, raising my eyes, she yelled at me suddenly, ¡°You¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t use my divine power on purpose. Are you satisfied now?¡± ¡°¡­So, you didn¡¯t use it.¡± ¡°Think whatever you want! You won¡¯t believe what I say anyway.¡± ¡°Tell me honestly. Didn¡¯t you use it on purpose or couldn¡¯t you use it?¡± ¡°I told you to think whatever you wanted. Why does it matter to you whether I use divine power or now?¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± I let out a big sigh because I was dumbfounded. I was trying to catch my breath, while calming down my troubled heart, when I suddenly heard a bell ringing somewhere. What the heck is it? Call-up order again? Why at this time ¡­? ¡°Why? You are suddenly speechless¡­¡± ¡°Can you be quiet?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I told you to shut up for a moment.¡± I listened to the repetitive sound of the bell ringing, ignoring her who was trying to say something. ng! ng! ng! Uh, that¡¯s the total call-up order. But the meeting ce is¡­the training field of the 2nd Knights? What the heck is this? What is going on? When I hurriedly turned, Jiun grabbed the hem of my skirt, and said, ¡°Where are you going again? I¡¯ve got something to tell you.¡± ¡°I have nothing to say. Let go of me now!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Leaving her behind despite her sharp calling, I ran to the 2nd Knights. Given the circumstances, it was highly likely to be a call-up order for training, but I had to run because the call-up order this time was very unusual. Arge number of knights were already gathered at the 2nd Knights¡¯ training field. Everybody was puzzled at the unusual call-up order invoked in a long time. Call-up of each knights division wasmon as it was often invoked for training purposes, but the gathering of all the knights divisions at one ce was very unusual. ¡°Why did they invoke the call-up order for all the knights?¡± ¡°Well, it might be for reasons of training.¡± ¡°That might be true, but given the timing and the ce, it¡¯s strange this time.¡± When everyone began to gossip about it, my father stepped forward and said, ¡°Everybody, pay attention! We have a special mission for all the knights except for the royal knights.¡± ¡°Special mission?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a training situation?¡± ¡°No. From now on, all the knights except for the minimum manpower to guard the Imperial Pce will be organized into one unit of five full-fledged knights and ten apprentice knights. You will work on three shifts until the situation is over. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Good. Then let me give you the mission. Each unit will be dispatched to the roads leading to the capital and will carry out the mission of searching for a specific figure. The man you have to search for is ¡­¡± I swallowed, listening for him. Who the hell is this man that prompted the emperor to issue a general call-up order? ¡°The wanted man is Marquis Mirwa. He is a felon who has defied the summons order and fled. So, you have to catch him by all means.¡± Who? Marquis Mirwa? My eyes popped up when I heard his name. So, was he really the main culprit? The investigation results that the emperor gave me the other day were also true? Oh my God! I always felt suspicious about his behavior, but I thought he might have been trapped by somebody because of his increasing power. ¡°If you understand my point fully, go back and confirm which unit you belong to, then disperse to your ce immediately. Those appointed as the unit leaders should go to the captain of their knights division for their search area, then let your unit members know about it. The unit leaders of the 4th Knights Division,e and see me.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± The knights replied strongly and dispersed. Chapter 277 Chapter 277: Chapter 277 I turned around to check out my unit when I saw a young man with red hair approaching from a distance. A smile came to my lips when I saw his sunlit hair fluttering like mes. ¡°Hi, Tia. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Hi, Sein, how have you been?¡± ¡°Well, my life is just so-so. By the way, what a headache! I think we¡¯re going to have a hard time for the time being,¡± he said, shaking his head, ¡°I felt suspicious about him from the beginning¡­ Damn it! How can this bastard make so much trouble?¡± ¡°You bet. What the heck was he thinking?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Anyway, it¡¯s so annoying. When I checked on my way here, it seems that messengers have already been dispatched everywhere to convey the emperor¡¯s order. I think the Mirwa estate and the border guards near his estate have heard about this special mission.¡± ¡°I see. By the way, if he tries to mobilize his private troops, it¡¯s going to be a big trouble.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. But I don¡¯t know if we can catch him. It seems that he already escaped before the emperor issued the summons for him.¡± I was puzzled. What the heck is he talking about? Marquis Mirwa escaped even before the summons order was issued? When I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Carsein said, clicking his tongue slightly, ¡°Well, I heard it from my father this morning. The messenger who carried the summons for him tried to catch up with him, but the marquis was not at his estate. The marquis allegedly said he wanted to get into the wagon because he felt unwell, but there was another man looking like him inside the wagon.¡± I felt goosebumps. If what Carsein said was true, Marquis Mirwas was the real culprit. If not, how could he have someone looking like him ready for this asion? As he was a cunning guy, he may have noticed he would be in danger this time when most of the nobles were gathered in the capital for the first National Founding Day festival after the emperor¡¯s coronation. So, he must have nned escaping in advance. I clicked my tongue, then tilted my head when I thought about this whole fuss over his search. What¡¯s the point of this search? If he escaped in advance to stop the chase, it was likely that he escaped to his estate with his private troops. In that case, was this call-up order a message to the knights to prepare for the worst while staying alert? If that¡¯s the case, it was certain that the current mission would mean a very tough challenge for all the knights. Our job would be much easier if the border troops took over the estate of the Mirwa family earlier than Marquis Mirwa. But no matter how fast the messenger delivered the emperor¡¯s order, it would be difficult to catch up with the marquis who had escaped in advance. It seemed that we would have to prepare for a long fight with him. Besides, the Mirwa estate is located in the borders with the Lisa kingdom, so if he were to unite with the kingdom of Lisa, we might have to have a really long fight. ¡°Hey, what are you thinking?¡± ¡°¡­ Just useless thoughts on my mind.¡± ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re thinking about, but don¡¯t worry too much. As long as we have the troops in the border areas , the marquis won¡¯t easily be able to rebel against us easily. By the way, did you check your unit?¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot.¡± I clicked my tongue. I was ordered to go and check my unit, but dyed while talking with Carsein. What if I¡¯mte? Carsein stopped me when I hurriedly turned to go back. ¡°I already confirmed your unit. The leader is Sir Freia, and your mission starts tomorrow. So, you don¡¯t have to hurry.¡± ¡°Really? Thanks, Sein. You saved me!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re grateful to me, treat me some nice foodter. Then, shall we go now? You don¡¯t need to check your unit, so all you have to do is go and see your unit leader immediately. ¡± ¡°Sure. Okay.¡± I came out of the training field with him side by side, when something suddenly urred to me. Come to think of it, Carsein, asked me to reserve two days for him at the end of the festival. ¡°By the way, Sein.¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± ¡°I mean the promise I made to you the other day. You asked me to take time out for you when the festival was over. As things stand now, it looks like I can¡¯t for the time being¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that thing. Well, I agree because you and I are tied up with this special mission anyway. Let¡¯s put it off until Marquis Mirwa is arrested.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it. Let me keep it in mind.¡± When I nodded slightly, Carsein smiled and headed for the inner pce, saying it¡¯s time for his shift change. While looking at him disappearing for a moment, I headed to the 2nd Knights Division building to meet the members of my unit. ¡°Hi, Sir Monique.¡± As I entered the hallway, I saw several knights including Sir Freia, standing by. As they seemed to be the members of my unit, I hurriedly approached them and apologized to him. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m a littlete. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I just came here, too. Some of our members haven¡¯te yet, but I¡¯m going to convey you the order. Our mission is to search the inside of the capital and our search area is themoners district in the northeast area, and the duty hours are from tomorrow morning till evening. Well, I really don¡¯t know if I have to like it or not.¡± He was right. As we didn¡¯t have to go outside the capital, our search mission was good because it would be far from easy to search therge area thoroughly. Besides, there was a possibility that the marquis might have snuck into the capital area to catch us off guard. So, we had to be on maximum alert while searching for him in the assigned areas. ¡°Because the area we have to search is prettyrge, it will be difficult for all of us to move together. So, how about making a three-member team with one full-fledged knight and two apprentice knights? In other words, three members would form a one sub-unit. If you catch the criminal, blow the whistle, so other units cane and help you. As other units are also deployed for this search quickly, it won¡¯t be difficult for them to hear the whistle.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Good. So, let¡¯s see you all at the entrance of the training field one hour early. See you all tomorrow.¡± Lightly nodding, everyone dispersed for the special mission. *** ¡°You have to be very careful, mydy. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I do. Do you know that it¡¯s the tenth time you have made that point?¡± Lina, who said she had a bad dreamst night, kept nagging me to be careful while I was getting ready for the special mission. When I opened the door with a sigh of relief, I saw two men in white uniforms standing. ¡°Good morning, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Good morning, Sir Seymour, and Sir June. I would like to thank you for your good work. ¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Are you on your way to the Imperial Pce? ¡± ¡°Yes. I will stop by the Imperial Pce before heading to my assigned area. As I¡¯m going out to carry out my mission, I don¡¯t think I need an escort. ¡± ¡°Okay. Please be careful.¡± ¡°See youter. ¡± It¡¯s been two months since the two royal knights started to escort me at the emperor¡¯s order. At first, I felt a little ufortable because they shadowed me wherever I went, but I felt better now. At least, they didn¡¯te to escort me as far as I carried out my duty as a knight. They also agreed with me on this because their apaniment during my working hours would cause inconveniences to my colleagues. After arriving at the pce, I moved to the area assigned to me. I knew the members of my unit except for Sir Freia, Sir Ryan and Sir Spear, an apprentice knight temporarily assigned to the 4th Knights Division for the mission, but I felt good because all the members were from the 2nd Knights Division that I belonged to. Themoners district, located in the northeastern part of the capital, was rtively clean because it was a residential area for the wealthy among themoners. Of course, it is notparable to the noble district in every way, but there were lots of well-decorated and charming houses, let alone well-paved roads. There was a statue of the first emperor in the square. Chapter 278 Chapter 278: Chapter 278 ¡°Sir Monique, you know who your partners are, right? When you notice a suspicious man, blow the whistle right away. See you in the evening.¡± ¡°Okay. See youter, Sir Freia.¡± After introducing myself to the members of my unit, I started the mission with two apprentice knight partners, Sir Lake and Sir Spia. How much time passed? I started to check anybody who seemed to have a simr build to Marquis Mirwa¡¯s, or those who seemed suspicious. As I was so focused on the search, I became tired rapidly. As it happened, it was almost lunch time, so I looked around my partners, I saw a man suddenly flinching while walking toward us. ¡°Hey, there, can youe here for a second?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We are the knights of the 2nd Knights Division. I need to check something, so I hope you can cooperate.¡± But as soon as the man heard it, he immediately turned around and started running away. Startled by his running, I began to chase him, while instructing them urgently, ¡°Sir Lake, let me and Sir Spia chase him, so if you feel it¡¯s hard, blow the whistle right away. Got it?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go, Sir Spia. ¡± Thanks to my strenuous efforts to develop my stamina, I could drastically shorten the distance between him and me when I ran fast. ¡®Okay, I think I can catch up with him if I turn around that corner.¡± But when I reached there, there were already several men standing, drawing their swords to attack him. ¡°Sir Lake!¡± The moment I urgently shouted, an arrow was flying through the air and hit the young man¡¯s chest who was trying to take out a whistle. I smelled the strong scent of blood gushing from his chest. The whistle fell from Sir Lake¡¯s hand and rolled on the stone ground. The silver whistle being dyed red through the blood that permeated into the ground. At that moment, I quickly hid myself behind a streetmp, instinctively lowering my body, when I heard an arrow flying toward me. It passed by me by a hair¡¯s breadth. After pulling out a dagger, I stuck out my head to locate the archer. He was a bit closer to me now. I sent hand signs to Sir Spia standing on the other side of the streetmp. With his face turned white, he drew a dagger. When I confirmed it and stuck out my body to the outside a bit, the archer immediately shot an arrow toward me. I quickly hid myself, then threw the dagger at him. ¡°Ugh!¡± Did I hit him? When I heard the man¡¯s little but clear moaning, I quickly pulled out the sword and looked at Sir Spia, who was at a loss about what to do. As soon as he put his body back after taking a deep breath, another arrow was shot at him. Terrified, he got close to the wall. When I looked back, I noticed the whistle submerged in a pool of blood. I hurriedly measured the distance to it with my eyes. It was about five steps. I bit my lip. Why didn¡¯t I have such luck here? My job would have been simpler even if I had killed the archer. I moved back while taking a deep breath, then stepped back again. I waited for a moment, but there was no iing arrow. ¡®He will shoot it the moment I pick up the whistle.¡¯ I gnashed my teeth at his cunning actions, but I had no choice. At a nce, there were more than 20 enemies out there, so I had to pick the whistle and blow it to deal with them, which was the only way now. I took a deep breath, then ran to the area where the whistle fell. At that moment, multiple arrows were shot at me. I bit my lip. ¡®Hope the arrow won¡¯t hit my vital spots.¡¯ When I reached out for the whistle, lowering my body as much as possible, somebody blocked my vision and pushed me to the wall. Though I felt a sharp pain in the back, I strongly resisted, enduring the pain. ¡°I¡¯m Seymour, Lady Monique. Rest assured. ¡± I felt relieved at the familiar voice. I saw some familiar people behind the blonde knight who reassured me. I also noticed Sir June, Sir Lank, and Sir Spia whose face had turned white. ¡°Just listen as I don¡¯t have time to exin. We are now under siege by the enemies. Fortunately, one of our colleagues managed to get out of here, so all we have to do is to hang in there until our reinforcement units arrive to help us out. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, I got it.¡± ¡°Good. We killed the archer in the back, so be careful about the arrows shot by the archer in the front. Now, let me count one, two, three. When you hear three, just run. One, two, three!¡± I followed Sir June who ran fast, then I wielded my sword to the right in sync with Sir Lank who wielded his sword to the left and right. But I felt something got stuck. The moment some hot liquid soaked the sleeves of my uniform, I heard the screaming of a familiar man from behind. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± Sir Spear? I felt enraged at the moment, but I wielded my sword more violently instead of looking back. At that moment, somebody fell down from behind. Sir June got hit by an arrow. He had blood on his shoulder, but quickly wielded his sword, narrowing the distance between him and the enemy. The enemy archer fell, with his strained eyes open wide. Sir June kicked away the body of the killed archer, then turned. ¡°Step back slowly in escort formations!¡± The two knights running from the side and behind quickly turned. I felt heartbroken when I didn¡¯t see one of my colleagues, but I silently turned and slowly stepped back with the knights surrounding me in a triangr shape. One step, two steps. When my back hit the wall finally, Sir Seymour, who took a deep breath, wiped off the blood from the sword and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the apprentice, but don¡¯t worry. I will protect you by all means.¡± ¡°If we have to hang in until our reinforcement unit arrives, I can chip in¡­¡± ¡°No, please stay here, so we can fight without worrying about you.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± When I answered in a low voice, Sir Seymour nodded and lifted his sword. Then, he charged toward the masked men. ng! The sound of the swords hitting against each other rang out endlessly. My heart beat fast like crazy. Who made this plot? Is Marquis Mirwa also responsible for this? If so, why is he bent on doing this, even giving up his escape to his estate? Assassination? Or disturbing the situation? If his goal is assassination, am I his target? But how? It was only yesterday that the emperor issued a special mission. Besides, only the members of my unit knew I woulde here. If so¡­ ¡°Be careful!¡± Startled by the hot liquid sshing on my face, I raised my head. Blood was gushing from Sir Lank¡¯s left arm. It looked like a deep cut, but he grabbed his sword again after giving it a quick nce. The sound of swords hitting against each other, somebody cutting someone, moaning and screaming were all mixed in the fierce fighting. While I was protected by the three friendly knights battling against the enemies, I only heard all kinds of noises, which left my nerves on edge more and more. When is the reinforcement uniting? Why is it taking so long for them toe? ¡°Tia!¡± By the time the uniforms of the three knights were stained with blood, I heard someone calling me from the distance. My ears perked up at that calling because the voice that came through all kinds of noise was very familiar to me. Carsein? I saw a young man jumping off the horse with his red hair fluttering, and a woman with dark hair who was shuddering with fear, holding the reins. The masked men were confused by the unexpected situation. The three knights quickly caught their breath, staring at them. ¡°Damn it! We have to kill that slut first! Getting rid of our target is the next.¡± What? I couldn¡¯t afford to think about it. While I was catching my breath and blocking the enemy wielding the sword, I noticed a strange scene amid the fighting. Jiun was holding the horse¡¯s neck, dozens of masked men jumped at her, and Carsein was stopping them. Why aren¡¯t othersing? Chapter 279 Chapter 279: Chapter 279 At that moment, Sir Lank, who stopped the enemy¡¯s sword, moved back a step, staggering. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous! Move back!¡± Even before I replied, I stopped the two masked men who charged toward me all of a sudden. Sir Lank grabbed his sword again and cut the enemy¡¯s side. I could see the horse falling, Jiun falling from the horse and somebody wielding a sword. ¡°Lady Monique,e on!¡± I pulled out the sword from the stabbed masked man. Blood was gushing from his chest. I also saw blood flowing from Carsein¡¯s back as he embraced Jiun from behind. No! ¡°I have to help!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible!¡± I saw Carsein rolling his body quickly and lifting his sword. Blood was dripping from his back, who barely stopped the attack. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to leave him untreated like that. Come on, we have to help him¡­!¡± ¡°Your safetyes first!¡± ¡°Sir Seymour!¡± Although I shouted desperately, the three knights wouldn¡¯t listen, battling the enemies. I was getting nervous. ¡®I can¡¯t leave him like that.¡¯ Biting my lip, I cut the masked man¡¯s chest blocking me. ¡°Lady Monique!¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous¡­¡± The masked man was falling when somebody cut him from behind. The moment I strained my eyes, someone pulled me quickly. Sir Seymour was moaning in pain. Blood was pouring out of him who held me in his arms after throwing his sword. ¡°Are you alright, Lady Monique?¡± Sir Seymour asked, staggering back, while Sir June blocked the enemies in front of him. When I saw his face turning white and his pale lips, I was so heartbroken. ¡°Sir Seymour¡­¡± ¡°As you can see, it is dangerous. So, please ¡­¡± My arms trembled. Three wounded knights and Carsein. I was in despair because I could not choose between the two. I just felt helpless, with my hand holding the sword falling nerveless. At that moment, I heard several horses galloping toward me. I could hear it clearly amid all kinds of noises. ¡®Are they reinforcement forces?¡¯ I saw a ray of hope in them. Please,e quickly ¡­! I cut the masked man trying to attack me desperately and strained my eyes. It felt like eternity passed. The moment the person at the forefront finally came into my view, I made a hollow smile, startled by his long hair fluttering in the wind. He had honey-colored hair. ¡°Oh my God! Marquis Mirwa!¡± I saw Sir June grabbing the sword tightly, ring. Sir Seymour also stepped forward, clenching his teeth to tackle the marquis. Was he the culprit who nned this treason? I sorted out my thoughts, watching him approaching me slowly. ¡®Can they hold out to the end?¡¯ No, they could hardly hold out now. Not only the wounded royal knights but also Carsein who had to defend Jiun and was separated from them. Should I give up? As the marquis¡¯s target seemed to be me, the battle would end if he killed me. ¡®No!¡¯ Shaking my head violently, I grabbed the sword tightly. I couldn¡¯t not be his scapegoat. I didn¡¯t practice fencing to give up so easily. The reason I practiced so hard despite my ipetence was because I wanted to live a life different from my past. Besides, there was no possibility that a bastard like the marquis could spare the eyewitness¡¯s life. Then, there is only one way left. I have no choice but to fight until I lose my life. Is it because I was prepared to fight to death? The faces of precious people came to my mind. Lina, who was nagging me while I was preparing, the knights of my family who always made meugh, and my colleagues at the 2nd Knights Division, Allendis who asked me to stay in good health when he left and Carsein who was fighting, soaked in blood. And my father who was always my strong defender. And the young man with blue hair who disappeared into the fog. My eyes welled with tears. At this moment, when I could be facing myst moments, I missed them so much. My father will be very sad when he sees my cold body after I am killed here. How would the emperor react? Would he feel very sad, too? Or would he turn away from me because I have nothing to do with him any more? I suddenly found my eyes blurred with tears. I stepped forward, wiping my eyes with my left arm. The moment I charged toward the masked men after taking a deep breath, they suddenly turned and ran away all of a sudden. I didn¡¯t know why, but I made eye contact with the three knights and quickly chased them. It was a golden opportunity for me to save Carsein. At the same time, I had to get rid of them as much as possible before they joined Marquis Mirwa. One step, two steps. As the distance between me and them got closer, I could see Carsein more clearly. When I saw him soaked in blood, I felt scared suddenly. But clenching my teeth, I wielded my sword against the masked man that I almost caught up with. Then I pulled out the sword stabbed deeply in his back after twisting it. ¡®Hang in there a little more, Sein. Please.¡¯ At that moment, Marquis Mirwa arrived ahead of me and pulled out the sword, then got off the horse to cut Carsein. ¡°No! Sein!¡± At the moment, I screamed, somebody cut the masked man with a sword. Starting with that, those who seemed to be the marquis¡¯s men began to block the masked men one by one. What the heck is this? What happened? While I was confused by the unexpected situation, the marquis cut the masked man trying to attack Jiun, then turned to me. ¡°Marquis Mirwa!¡± I couldn¡¯t figure out what it was, but he was my enemy because he was a wanted man. When I grabbed the sword tightly, staring at him coldly, he came one step closer to me, wiping off the blood from the sword. My body was trembling a bit, but I lifted the sword, clenching my teeth. At that moment, I heard something incredible, which was the noise of several horses galloping toward me. ¡°Please!¡¯ When I turned my head earnestly, my eyes were wide open. It was something that I was longing for so much. Dozens of horses galloping at full speed, someone in a white uniform fluttering in the wind, and the young man with blue hair. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Seeing them, I felt my legs felt like jelly, bending forward before I knew it. I nkly watched the masked men disappearing, leaning on Sir June who hurriedly supported me. The young blue-haired man who jumped off the horse came to me while the royal knights got into shipshape at the direction of Sir Penrill. His rough breathing, sweaty hair, and disheveled clothing showed how fast he came running here. All kinds of emotions went through my mind. Joy, sadness, dness, and feeling sorry ¡­ With all the emotions buried in my heart, however, I politely greeted in a calm tone. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m honored to see the Sun of the empire.¡± He was silent. He was just staring at me silently. However, unlike his calm appearance, his navy blue eyes were trembling tremendously. He looked at me silently for a while, then slowly opened his mouth, ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I am fine. I would like to apologize for worrying you.¡± When I replied, hiding my mixed feelings at the moment, he looked at me with a hardened expression. I listened quietly because he tried to say something, but he only took off his cloak and wrapped it around me, then left. He approached the three knights soaked in blood and said, ¡°I¡¯ll hear more from youter, so get first aid. I will never forget what you have done today.¡± ¡°Thank you so much, Your Majesty.¡± When the three knights turned after bowing to him, Earl Penrill, the Captain of the Royal Knights, approached me and said, ¡°I am done coping with the situation, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Nice job. Report to me now. ¡± ¡°First of all, I dispatched several groups of royal knights to arrest the suspects and disarmed those including Marquis Mirwa and his men and tied them up. I also ordered them to give first aid to the injured knights, but their wounds are so deep that it¡¯s difficult to cure them right away.¡± Injured knights? Carsein, too? When I looked around quickly, I noticed a young man with red hair closing his eyes in a blood-stained shirt. His closed eyes and pale skin came into my view clearly. My heart sank. Chapter 280 Chapter 280: Chapter 280 ¡°Sein!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Come to your senses, Sein!¡± ¡°¡­ Tia? ¡± When I called his name over and over again, his tightly closed eyes opened. I was reflected in his blurry blue eyes. ¡°Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°Hey, it isn¡¯t time to worry about me. Why were you so reckless to fight alone? Are you crazy?¡± ¡°My little girl, you are really okay to scold me like this. I¡¯m d to see you are okay.¡± A faint smile came to his lips. I felt heartbroken to see that. When he was injuredst summer, he came near to ruining his shoulder if something went wrong, but he was really resilient and full of energy. But he was now so weak. He said with a forced smile when I looked at him with trembling eyes, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not such a weak guy¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just awfully tired. That¡¯s all¡­¡± ¡°Sein? Sein!¡± No matter how many times I called him, his closed eyelids did not open again. I put my trembling hand to the tip of his nose. I was scared after confirming his breathing was weak. No! I can¡¯t lose you like this! Looking around desperately, I saw the woman with dark hair shivering with her face turned white at a distance. Pushing hard the knights who tried to stop me, I stood in front of her. When I watched her looking up at me nkly, I felt like I would hurl abuses at her, but I barely put up with my anger. For now, I needed her help desperately. ¡°¡­Lady Jena.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please, please save Sir Carsein. ¡± Jiun had no answer. Biting my lips, I politely asked her for help, but she shook her head, closing her lips tightly. I began to feel my anger was raging again at her clear rejection of my request. ¡°Are you going to pretend to be indifferent to him in this situation? You can use divine power, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please save him. ¡± ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t?¡± At that moment, I lost my temper. I said, firmly grasping her shoulder, who was lowering her head, ¡°It¡¯s myst warning. Treat him right now!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that he was heavily injured while trying to protect you by holding you in his hands?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. I really can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°I would like to use my divine power, but I really can¡¯t!¡± I gnashed my teeth to see her ck eyes welled with tears. How cruel she is! How long are you going to make poor execues by saying your divine power is iplete? ¡°If you¡¯re going to make excuses by saying your divine power is notplete, just shut up!¡± ¡°My divine power¡­ It doesn¡¯t work on people ¡­¡± ¡°I told you not to make any poor excuses!¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious¡­¡± Tears dropped from her ck eyes. I released my grip on her shoulder to hear that. Although I didn¡¯t want to believe it, my cold reason told me what she said was true. ¡°Nonsense¡­¡± How can I believe that? Can¡¯t you use it for the people? Then, what about Carsein? I clenched my teeth because an ominous feeling kepting back to my mind. ¡®Let me stay calm, Aristia. There must be some way. Oh, if I can invite the High Priest even now¡­¡± ¡°Tia, he¡¯s okay. So, calm down. ¡± Ugh? When I hurriedly turned my head, the silver-haired knight, who was making a worried expression, came into my view. ¡°Daddy?¡± ¡°Tia.¡± Coming to me with big strides, he said, patting my shoulder, ¡°I was a bitte because I brought a royal doctor here. ording to the doctor, he passed out because he bled too much. So, I sent a man to the temple. Though he was in serious condition, he can hang in there until the High Priest arrives here. So, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. ¡± ¡°Whew!¡­¡± Only then could I breathe freely and take a look at the surroundings around me. Royal doctors were busy treating the wounded, including Carsein. Earl Penrill and the emperor were questioning Marquis Mirwa, and the royal knights were taking care of the enemy bodies, trying to find some personal items to identify them. Suddenly, I blushed. Did Carsein really pass out in the presence of so many people here? ¡°Are you okay? Aren¡¯t you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine, Daddy.¡± ¡°What a relief! You can feel rxed because the doctors said everybody would be safe, except for one who was killed.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± When I responded, embarrassed, he took out a handkerchief with a more rxed look and wiped the blood stains on my face. Then, he stopped for a moment, while putting his hand on the cloak, then said, folding the handkerchief. ¡°Take a break here. Let me report to the emperor for a moment.¡± ¡°Sure, Daddy.¡± I was puzzled, watching him fading away, because I felt a bit ufortable. It¡¯s strange. Why do I feel like this? Obviously, he said Carsein could hang in there, and everyone would be fine except for one dead man¡­ Wait a minute. One dead person? Not two? When I looked around hurriedly, I saw a young knight moaning, holding his chest. ¡®Sir Spia, you¡¯re safe!¡¯ I smiled because I was d to see him safe, when my eyes met his. Given that he frowned a lot, I quickly walked toward him to tell him the High Priest would arrive soon. ¡°Sir Monique, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I am fine, but Sir¡­¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay. ¡± He moaned, holding his chest while slowly raising his body. I said, supporting him as he was staggering, ¡°Hang in there a little more. Soon the High Priest will be here.¡± ¡°Really? Then I have to solve it before he arrives. ¡± ¡°Pardon? Solving it? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°I mean this.¡± Suddenly I felt something hot in my belly. I blinked nkly at the situation where I could not understand. What the heck? ¡°How stupid! Can¡¯t you notice what happened to you?¡± The man whispered after pulling out a dagger by turning it by a half, which was stabbed deep enough up to its handle. I wanted to say something, but I was in so much pain that I couldn¡¯t even scream. In an instant, I felt dizzy and my body lost strength. I had sweat all of a sudden and the pain all over my body. ¡°Lady Monique!¡± While I was feeling dizzy, I saw several knights quickly approaching me, let alone my father running toward me and the emperor standing next to me nkly. As if I was so funny, Sir Spia wasughing heartily. My father pulled out the dagger and tried to hit him who was stillughing at me, but other knights hastily stopped him. The royal doctor raised his head with a frown. And the emperor held me in his arms with an awkward expression for the first time in his life. What the heck is he saying to me now? When I was puzzled at that moment, I suddenly began to hear all kinds of noises around me. I heard somebody walking away quickly, somebody getting after his men to do something, and someone hastily searching for something¡­ But what I could hear most clearly among all the noises was his urgent call. ¡°¡­Tia, Aristia! ¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Come to your senses. Don¡¯t lose consciousness! ¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± I suddenly felt like crying. ¡°Cough.¡± Some red liquid that I coughed up wetted his white robe. But he continued to speak to me without caring at all, ¡°The High Priest will be here soon, so you should hang in there until then. Okay?¡± ¡°Yes¡­.I got it¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer. Please don¡¯t lose consciousness. Never, ever, lose consciousness. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Please! I¡¯m not saying this to want to hear you saying you¡¯re sorry! Howe you ended up being like this¡­¡± He hardened his face, and his voice was very angry. When I saw his trembling eyes, as if he was hurt, I felt heartbroken because I realized that his expression was familiar to me. When did he start looking at me like that? Suddenly, I recalled an episode in the past. That was what he said to me, when I put up with the insults from the princesses of the five kingdoms when they stayed in the empire as candidates for his spouse while he was still the crown prince, as proposed by the noble faction. Looking back, he said that with bitter feelings, but I didn¡¯t realize it because of my prejudice towards him. I simply apologized to him that I caused trouble to the imperial family. Chapter 281 Chapter 281: Chapter 281 When I received the tiara as a gift, I was very confused. I was not sure if the person who gave me hope that my frozen heart might be able to revive was the old him or the current him. While I was on the horns of a dilemma, I thought I¡¯d just hold out until Jiun came. In the end, when I ran into him after avoiding him for almost six months, he said casually with a sigh, watching me not even being able to make eye contact with him, When I was ambushed the first time, I told him, who rushed to me to inquire about my safety, that I was sorry for borrowing the power of the temple although I knew he shunned the temple. At that time, I thought he would be angry at the fact that I, as his fiancee, relied on the power of the temple instead of being wary. So, I apologized to him rather than thanking him when I heard that it was he who dispatched the royal knights for my security. When I learned that Jiun also returned, I realized that all the ns I had made were useless. It was the crown prince alone who reached out to me when I spaced out, watching thete emperor who proposed making me the empress while taking Jiun as the crown prince¡¯s concubine, a notion that was also supported by the noble faction. He told me he was sorry because he could not help, then promised me trembling with fear that he would protect me, abandoning the support of the noble faction that he could get easily. But I didn¡¯t make allowances for his consideration back then. I doubted him, endlesslyparing him with the old him. When he prepared all kinds of food to sound out my preference, I even asked him why he didn¡¯t want to go to Jiun. He told me with a sigh that he already gave his heart to me, so he could not share it with her. Nheless, I didn¡¯t trust him. Rather I hated him,ining that if he had been so considerate and kind to me in the past, I would not have felt bitter like this. On the day when I went to see him, wearing the dress that Carsein gave me as a gift, he told me, hiding his wounded feelings, that he wanted me to give him a little more opportunity. He could have taken me as his wife if he issued an order, but he made the request instead. When I asked him why he took pains to win over my heart, he told me that he didn¡¯t want me to carry out my duty as his fiancee. He said he just wanted to win over my heart genuinely as a man who had his heart set on me, then he said he apologized to me. With much more gloomy expression than mine, he said he knew I was shunning him. ¡°Come to your senses! You should not fall unconscious!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Aristia!¡± I opened my heavy eyelids at his repeated calling. Something blue flickered in my blurred vision. I felt a sharp pain just a little while ago, but I didn¡¯t feel it any more as my body was so weak. I felt as if the world that had been spinning round in my head and suddenly sunk into the ground, just like the day when I lost his mind in his arms, dancing with him without knowing I was poisoned. He kept expressing his affection for me when my life hung by a thread because of the poison, when I barely got up and asked to meet him. He revealed secrets and his inner feelings to me, which he had never told anybody. He told me about his feelings of inferiority as a child without any hesitation, and he even revealed the secret of his pedigree to me, which could be his greatest weakness. He showed his great trust in me by revealing such secrets, which was quite meaningful for a man like him who should be on alert and wary of people around him all the time. Nevertheless, I doubted him. I never trusted him. It was because of my deep-rooted disbelief that I immediately asked for the breakoff of our engagement when I heard I was an infertile woman. It was only my poor excuses that I cited the political situation as the reason for my request. I was just so preupied withforting myself that I again hurt him so much. Even though I pushed him away so hard, he kept opening his heart to me. Despite the strong objection of the noble faction, he opened the royal hunting grounds for me to hold aing-of-age ceremony there. He expressed his love by sending me an Orgel box. He made sure the High Priest would give me blessings on a regr basis. He made a deal with Grace so I wouldn¡¯t be ignored in social circles. And he watched me silently without letting me know. But I tried to take an oath of blood just like my family used to, and he eventually exploded emotionally. He rejected the Monique family¡¯s oath for the first time in the imperial history of nearly a thousand years. His deep anger like an active volcano hidden in his cold and rational mind scared me, and his deep kiss that I experienced for the first time in my life blinded me to the reality for a moment. I was often swayed by his repeated show of kindness. I was distressed but happy when he told me he would not care even if I could not give birth to his sessor. Nheless, I couldn¡¯t take a step forward in that direction. Even though I knew that he was apletely different man from the past, even though I realized that the nightmare of my past would never repeat itself, even though I knew that he loved me so much. Even though I knew that as the emperor with more pride than anybody else, he loved me so much that he was willing to give up everything for my love, I didn¡¯t ept his love because I didn¡¯t want to be abandoned again by him. So, I kept saying sorry to him, even when he came running to save me a moment ago without caring about his broken pride. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Breathing out roughly, I barely spoke. I opened my eyes because I wanted to see his face, but I couldn¡¯t see anything in my blurred eyes. Even if I tried to lift my arm as much as I could to feel his warmth, I could not. I only heard his trembling voice. ¡°You can¡¯t see me?¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± ¡°Doctor! Bring the royal doctor here!¡± ¡°The Imperial Pce!¡± Even if I wanted to reply, I could not say anything other than breathe out roughly. I heard the sound of someone hastily sitting down at his urgent calling, and his desperate reply. ¡°¡­ Sorry, Your Majesty. Please punish me!¡± ¡°Shut up! How can you make such irresponsible remarks? Save her right now! Make here to her senses until the high priest arrives.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± ¡°When is the high priesting? Bring him here right now. Go and get him here right away! Any one of the three high priests will do. So, bring one of them here now!¡± Shouting at the royal doctor like crazy, he hugged me tight. I could feel his warmth and trembling feebly, even though my body was almost numb. Chapter 282 Chapter 282: Chapter 282 ¡°Please hang in there a little longer. The High Priest will be here shortly. Please¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty, please calm down!¡± ¡°If you get up safely, I will do whatever you want. I¡¯ll let you seed your family as you wish. I¡¯ll make sure you are not entangled with the imperial family. If you don¡¯t want to see me, I will never appear again before you! So please hang in there a little more¡­¡¯ His desperate voice was hoarse with tears now. I felt heartbroken so much as if my heart was exploding. He loved me so much. ¡°Don¡¯t give up so easily. You are not the one who gives up so easily. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty, please¡­¡± ¡°You are my breath. You are the blood flowing in my body as well as the only one left in this lonely and harsh world who is so precious to me. How can I live without you? Don¡¯t be so cruel to me.¡± His hot tears fell on my neck. I was also crying deep down. Why didn¡¯t I admit that I loved him here and now? The moment I realized that I loved him as he was now, I already knew the answer. Why didn¡¯t I trust him when I was so greatly and so desperately loved by him? I found it harder to breathe now. I was losing consciousness gradually. My heart ached because I felt the same thing sometime in the past. Was this the end of my life? Was this thest moment of my life when I didn¡¯t achieve anything? ¡°No! Aristia!¡± I heard someone¡¯s screaming, calling my name. I was a fool because I pretended not to know when I already knew the answer. I wanted to tell him and confide my love to him, which I had hidden from him until now, but my frozen tongue would not move. The shadow of death wasing closer to me. Leaving my cold body to him, I murmured something to him. ¡®Sorry. I always said sorry instead of thanking you who was always considerate of me. I know you hated my apologies, but I would like to ask for your forgiveness for thest time. I¡¯m sorry for hurting you, and I¡¯m sorry for not trusting you. Although I know I can¡¯t keep the promise, I still want to promise. If I were born again, I would certainly¡­¡¯ *** I opened my eyes to a strange scene. Where am I now? I tilted my head a bit when I noticed a white insignia embroidered with the roaring golden lion¡¯s crest. Why am I here in the Imperial Pce now, and that in a ce that looked like a bedroom? I slowly raised my body, then stopped because several things came to my mind suddenly. Sir Sia, whoughed at me like crazy, and my father who got angry at him, and the emperor who screamed desperately, holding me in his arms, and his promise to me with a sigh. Suddenly, I felt goosebumps. How am I alive now? The sensation I felt the moment I lost my consciousness was clearly the same as that when I faced death. ¡®No way¡­?¡± I trembled when something suddenly came to my mind. Probably not. Oh, no. God can¡¯t be so cruel to me. When I opened the curtain after taking a deep breath, my eyes met with my father¡¯s navy blue eyes. When I was startled, he walked to me fast and hugged me tightly. Then he said with a trembling voice, ¡°You¡¯re awake, Tia. Thank God, I¡¯m so d.¡± I felt like a noodle as all the tension was gone from my body. What a relief! The past six years was neither a dream nor an illusion to me. I was very relieved that my father, my friends and colleagues would be the same. Now that I got used to being loved, it was dreadful for me to even imagine them turning away from me. ¡°I was afraid I would lose you. I hated myself, watching your body getting cold when you didn¡¯t leave any word for me.¡± ¡°¡­ Daddy.¡± ¡°How ipetent I am! I couldn¡¯t do anything when your mother lost her life, so I felt you might lose your life without being able to help you out at all.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say that, Daddy¡­¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have ced you in the same group as him. I didn¡¯t catch his wicked intention in advance, and even let him stay with you. I was toocent to care about your safety at all. It¡¯s all my fault, Tia.¡± My heart ached when my father med himself so harshly. Although he held me in his arms so tightly that I could hardly breathe, I took my arm out cautiously and put it around his shoulder. Feeling guilty on my end, I whispered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I should have been more careful, but I was narrow-minded. I¡¯m so sorry, Daddy.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s because I was stupid. I didn¡¯t y my role as your father properly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself, Daddy. You have always been my strong supporter. If you hadn¡¯t supported me whenever I felt distressed and weary, I wouldn¡¯t have held out like now. So, don¡¯t say that. Got it?¡± In fact, that was what I wanted to tell him, but couldn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t have the heart to do so. Although I spoke out in a little voice, obviously my message got through to him because I felt his body getting stiff the moment I said that. ¡°¡­Tia.¡± ¡°So¡­please show me your face, Daddy. I really missed you a lot. ¡± ¡°¡­ Okay,¡± he said with a very subdued voice. I looked up at him, who was releasing me from his arms slowly. His eyebrows were trembling and his eyes were wet with tears. My heart ached when I saw him haggard, but I said with a smile, pretending not to have noticed it, ¡°Oh my god,dies in social circles won¡¯t like you as you look so haggard, Daddy. Let me ask the butler to prepare a special menu for you, so you have to eat it all, okay? If you don¡¯t, you might lose favor with them.¡± ¡°¡­ Sure, got it.¡± Even though he noticed that I was trying to change the topic, he nodded silently. I smiled when he kept stroking my hair. How much time passed? While I was leaning on my father¡¯s broad chest, feeling his warmth, I suddenly noticed the crest of the imperial family embroidered on the carpet. Why am I here? I would not have trembled with fear if not for it. ¡°By the way, Daddy¡­¡± ¡°Yes, honey.¡± ¡°Why am I in the Imperial Pce now?¡± ¡°Oh, the emperor took the measure to bring you here. He said he would protect you inside the pce until he unveils all the masterminds of this treason plot.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I suddenly recalled his desperate screaming the moment he held me in his arms when I passed out. I also remembered his earnest begging and hot tears falling on my body as I was growing cold. I put my hand on my heart because I was choked up with emotions. It was the first time that I saw him begging me so desperately in the presence of others. He stayed calm on the surface even when the emperor passed away. Suddenly, I came near crying. I blinked my tearful eyes little by little when my eyes met my father¡¯s navy blue eyes. Watching me stiffen instantly, he said with a long sigh, with a determined expression, ¡°Tia, are you still intending to seed the family?¡± ¡°Pardon? Why are you suddenly bringing it up¡­?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s rude to say this, but I didn¡¯t like the emperor. I recognize hispetence as the ruler, but I didn¡¯t like him as your spouse. As you know, he is a cold-hearted man, right?¡± ¡°Daddy?¡± My eyes were wide with his remarks. I wondered if the man standing before me was my real father. How could my father who was so loyal to the imperial family say so? ¡°When he refused to ept your oath, I knew he deeply loved you, but that¡¯s all. I hated him deep down because he pushed you to the point that you made such a decision. And he made your mind greatly troubled.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you, but I was curious all the time about what made you feel so nervous about him. At first, I thought it was just because you hated your destiny, then the nightmare that tormented you so much.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°On the festival day, I looked for you because I was bothered by the fact that you were not happy even with such good news¡­ I saw you crying, winding up the spring of that Orgel all night. So, I went to see the emperor the next day.¡± After catching his breath for a moment, he continued. Chapter 283 Chapter 283: Chapter 283 ¡°I asked him to let go of you because your promised deadline was over. After remaining for a while, he asked me if it was because of the nightmare that you rejected him. I remained silent because I felt it awkward to reply, so he said with a bitter smile that as expected, the woman was Lady Jena.¡± ¡°Oh, how did he¡­¡± ¡°In fact, I asked him, too, because I was curious, but he didn¡¯t answer. He told me to leave as he got the message. Then, I received an official letter from him about the breakoff of his engagement with you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I suddenly recalled my father who looked down at the breakoff paper for a long time, then thanked him. That¡¯s why he said he would like to express gratitude to the emperor on behalf of his family because he wanted to show that the breakoff affected not only him as the head of the family but also me, his sessor. ¡°At that time, I thought it was the best option. But, Tia, I would like to ask you now. Did you really want to break off?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, I saw your eyes trembling whenever you met the emperor. You¡¯ve felt like that for a long time, but I know you were bothered by several things when you made such a decision. But Tia, it seems that it looks like you are regretting your decision in my eyes.¡± ¡°¡­ Daddy.¡± ¡°I will support whatever decision you make. So, do whatever you want. Don¡¯t worry about your family or the pro-emperor faction. I can no longer watch my daughter suffer in her life.¡± When I looked up at him with trembling eyes, a faint smile came to his lips. Suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes. How did he know that I was hesitant because I felt sorry for the people of my family and my father? He reached out to me when I was blinking silently. He patted my shoulder as if he understood me. I sprang to my feet, looking up at him, then said, clearing my throat, ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go and see him.¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± I smiled at him, then hurriedly left the room. I breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar shape of the hallway. Yes, this is the Central Pce I used to know. Where is he now? Maybe in his executive office? I quickened my pace. The servants and maids were surprised at my walking fast. Although the royal customs embedded in my mind and my twenty years of life tried to stop me from walking past, my anxiety to meet and share my genuine affection with him made me walk faster. I decided to forget about all theplicated thoughts in my mind. When I turned around thest corner of the hallway, breathing hard, I saw the royal knights on duty. While stopping them trying to say something to me, I looked at the chief attendant. With a gentle smile, he knocked on the door, ¡°Your Majesty, Lady Monique wants to see you. What shall I do?¡± ¡°¡­ Let her in¡± My heart was pounding. When I entered with a trembling heart, I saw the young man with blue hair turning over the documents, with his legs crossed on afortable sofa. ¡°Whew¡­¡± After taking a deep breath, I cautiously approached him and greeted him. Lightly gesturing to me, he said, lifting the quill and writing something on the paper, ¡°Sit down. So, are you feeling okay? ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Good. The culprit is under investigation now. As they arrested two of the attackers, it will not be difficult to uncover the mastermind soon. Except for one apprentice knight who was shot in the chest, all other knights are safe. So, you don¡¯t have to worry. And¡­¡± I looked silently at the young man who continued to talk. His neatlybed hair, his straight brows, and his navy blue eyes fixed on the documents. I felt a bit upset about him because he didn¡¯t look at me. I missed his face so much. ¡°¡­ Finally, you don¡¯t have to worry about the breakoff document anymore. As I told Duke Verita about it, he will take care of it today. ¡± I suddenly came to my senses when he mentioned the breakoff document. ¡®Oops, the breakoff document!¡¯ When I was trying to say something, I saw his hands with the documents trembling. I felt heartbroken because I felt he was now hiding his genuine feelings. ¡°So, I think I can punish the mastermind, too¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°And your ties with the imperial family will be over soon¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it¡­¡± My heart ached. I felt so heartbroken when I saw him saying things what he didn¡¯t mean without casting a nce at me. How cruel I have been to him! I hurt him so much for the sin that he had notmitted against me. I didn¡¯t know how troubled his mind was while I was preupied with protecting myself. I sprang to my feet and walked toward him. I reached out to him, while looking up at him. Then, I pulled his shoulder and hugged him slowly. I felt him stiffening. He asked in a subdued voice without moving at all, ¡°What are you doing now¡­?¡± ¡°On that day when my body was growing cold in your arms¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I thought I was lucky because I could have thest moment of my life, held in your arms.¡± ¡°¡­What are you talking¡­?¡± ¡°I was sorry that I didn¡¯t appreciate your affection for me.¡± ¡°Are you serious¡­?¡± ¡°And I regretted that I didn¡¯t realize it earlier. ¡± He slowly disengaged his body from me and looked at me nkly. His navy blue eyes were trembling violently. The longer he looked at me, the more his eyes were trembling. Breaking the silence after some time, he asked with a trembling voice, ¡°Are you serious about what you said a moment ago¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are you serious? Did I hear you right? You said you also loved me? Is that true?¡± He looked at me with trembling eyes as if he couldn¡¯t believe his ears. When I smiled at him with a nod, his hardened face became rxed. The moment I thought his eyes were full of joy, he suddenly said in a refreshing voice, ¡°Oh God¡­¡± His voice was wet with tears. Although I was breathless because of his tight embrace, I grabbed his neck, pretending not to notice his trembling all over his body. ¡°How long have I been longing for this moment! I¡¯ve been yearning for this moment so much and so long¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I said I would be satisfied as long as I could live with you under the same sky, as long as I could see you even at a distance¡­ So, I prayed and prayed to God that He could save your life. Thank you, God! Thanks so much, God!¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± I remained silent as I had nothing to say. I felt somewhat sad at the moment. How much time passed? He looked at me after disengaging his body from me, with his robe getting wet with tears little by little. His navy blue eyes, glowing more deeply because of welled tears, looked at me. Slowly reaching out, he touched my cheek. When I trembled, he raised my hand, then leaned forward. He closed his deep blue eyes and put his soft lips on the back of my hand with warm breathing. He whispered after kissing my lips as lightly as a bird¡¯s feather, ¡°I love you, Aristia.¡± ¡°Me, too¡­ I love you, Your Majesty. ¡± I hesitantly replied at his whispering. Even though I took pains to avoid his eyes to hide my shyness, I could see him looking at me in surprise. The moment I bowed my head to hide my blush on my face, I suddenly heard his rough breathing. I looked at him, forgetting that I was going to hide my face, startled. His blue eyes were already up close to my nose. As if he was asking for my permission, he earnestly looked at me, which made me blush again. Is he waiting for my greenlight for fear I might be scared? As I was so much choked up with emotions, I closed my eyes, reaching out to him. I moaned in spite of myself when he hugged me so tightly, but it couldn¡¯te out of my mouth because his lips touched mine. Unlike his kissing the back of my hand softly a moment ago, he kissed me violently. I was getting short of breath because of his passionate kiss. My lips felt burned because of his hot breathing. Although I was absent-minded because he smothered me with kisses, I put my arms around his neck. Then, I opened my mouth when he kissed me passionately like roaring waves. Chapter 284 Chapter 284: Chapter 284 He put his tongue into my mouth and licked my pte. When he showered me with a deep kiss, I softly touched his hair that hung around my fingers. As if he didn¡¯t want to lose me, he pulled me toward him and wrapped his arms around my waist tightly. As he got close to my body, my heart was pounding hard, and I felt his warmth all over my body. I moaned and breathed roughly when he kissed me passionately. ¡°Hah¡­ ¡± When I breathed out roughly, he licked the inside of my mouth with his tongue, then slowly released his tight grip around my waist. My body trembled with a pleasant thrill when he touched my back slowly. He pulled me toward him lightly when I came near and I flopped down because my legs felt weak. ¡°Please tell me again.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I think I have heard you wrong. I think I should double check if I heard you right.¡± ¡°I also¡­¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°I also love¡­¡± With all smiles on his face, he kept looking at me as if he urged me to go on. As I blushed, I put my hands on my burning cheeks. When I tried to turn my head away from his eyes, I suddenly felt something wrong. Why am I seeing his eyes at the same level? Because I hugged him, I am supposed to look up. Ugh? The moment I breathed in and raised my body quickly, I lost my bnce and found myself bent back. When I was closing my eyes, anticipating a sharp pain in the back, he already reached out and held my waist tightly. ¡°Whew¡­¡± When I was breathing a sigh of relief, I heard somebody knocking on the door. ¡°¡­ Your Majesty, here is the paperwork that you need to approve.¡± After clearing his throat, his aide put a bundle of paper on the desk. I stared nkly at the man who quickly turned away without even making eye contact with me. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to hide somewhere right away. Oh my God! What would he think of me? Dang it! It¡¯s all because of the emperor! I wish I were not in that posture when he came in¡­ I blushed after recalling the situation right before he came in. I didn¡¯t know when I got there, but I was hugging his neck, seated on hisp. ¡®Gosh, let me just forget it!¡¯ I shook my head to forget about it. I cautiously pulled my body from him and adjusted my dress, taking pains to turn away from him who was looking at me with a sullen expression. ¡°Why don¡¯t you approve the paperwork first.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s waiting outside.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Oh, what if it needs your urgent approval¡­¡± When I murmured with my eyes fixed on the floor, he sat on the sofa with a light sigh. Then he stopped reviewing the paperwork and suddenly stiffened. ¡®Oh my¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The document on the breakoff of my engagement with you. I forgot to retrieve it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Is there anybody outside now? Come on in! ¡± Startled by his sudden calling, the chief attendant came in quickly. His eyes were open wide when he saw the emperor very nervous. ¡°Run to the government building right now¡­Oh, no. Bring the prime minister here immediately. No, let me go there directly.¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± The chief attendant was so embarrassed by his different attitude that he looked back at me. Obviously, his glowing eyes suggested that he wanted my help. Somehow, I wanted to calm him down by speaking to him, but a man with green hair stepped in. Even though he might have noticed a confused atmosphere, Duke Verita politely greeted the emperor who was so happy to see him. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Duke, I¡¯m d you are here. I¡¯ve got something to tell you with respect to the official paper on my breakoff. Have you already processed it?¡± ¡°Well, I wasing back because of that¡­¡± ¡°Oh no, have you already processed it?¡± ¡°No. When I heard that Lady Monique regained consciousness, I put it on hold for a while, but I guess I don¡¯t have to process it anymore.¡± The duke took out a piece of paper and presented it to him with a smile. Opening the paper urgently and confirming its contents, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief. I hurriedly closed my mouth to hold back the urge to burst intoughter, but I couldn¡¯t help it when I saw the chief attendant looking at the emperor nkly. In fact, it was natural that the chief attendant reacted like that because he had never seen the emperor so nervous because of a piece of paper. Iughed heartily for a while, then raised my head, sharply conscious of their intense gaze at me. The emperor was looking somewhere nkly, the duke was staring at him silently, and the chief attendant was standing, totally confused about what was going on. Touching his sses, the duke said with a smile, ¡°Hmm, I think you have to hurry up with the wedding ceremony, Your Majesty. Let me draw the budget for that. ¡± ¡°¡­ Duke.¡± ¡°You look much better now, Your Majesty. You have been stuck in your office for a while¡­Hummm, I think I can go homefortably from now on.¡± ¡°Are you going to keep teasing me like this?¡± ¡°Oh, let me stop here, Your Majesty, Let me leave now.¡± The duke smiled at the emperor who threw a tantrum at him, then said goodbye. He suddenly looked back right before he was getting out of the office, and said, ¡°Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Yes, Duke Verita.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s leave together. If you keep staying here, you¡¯re disturbing his work a lot.¡± ¡°Ah yes. I will. ¡± Come to think of it, I think I overstayed in his office. As he was always on a tight schedule, he was snowed under with work most of the time. When I bowed to him politely, he nodded with a dissatisfied expression, then he said he woulde to me in no time. He looked annoyed like a child who had his toys taken away. As he looked cute at that moment, I left the office, trying to hide my bursting smile. While walking along silently as if he was lost in thought, the duke looked back at me a littleter and said, ¡°So, how about your condition?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks for your concern.¡± ¡°What a relief! Whew¡­ I think I can breathe freely now.¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Well, we had a big trouble while you were sick in bed. Not only the emperor but also your father worked like hell. Everybody was restless because of it.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, I see. I¡¯m so sorry for causing you trouble.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Thanks to that, we all solved lots of dyed work. Good riddance to the backlog of work!¡± he said with a smile. While walking with him in a cheerful mood, I slowly opened my mouth when I suddenly recalled something, ¡°Duke Verita, may I ask you a few questions?¡± ¡°Sure. What are you curious about? ¡± ¡°Well, I think I heard you identified the mastermind of this plot. Who was it?¡± ¡°Oh, you seem to be more interested in the mastermind than how you survived. I think thete emperor might have been happy to hear you if he had been alive.¡± Laughing heartily, he looked around and said with a low voice, ¡°The mastermind is the one we have been suspicious about from the beginning.¡± ¡°You mean the ck rose?¡± ¡°Yes. This time it will be impossible for him to deny it. We have secured a surefire witness.¡± ¡°Are you referring to Marquis Mirwa? But¡­¡± ¡°Are you saying it could be deception? I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ve obtained the relevant document to prove he was the main culprit.¡± ¡°Pardon? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m still trying to figure out whether it¡¯s authentic, but it¡¯s probably true. Even if it isn¡¯t, we have secured his seal. So, we can make a relevant document. The thing is who is going to testify for us.¡± ¡°That ¡®s right¡­¡± I nodded slowly. Anyway, politics is the fight for cause. The reason why the pro-emperor faction was holding out for a long time despite the noble faction¡¯s numerous attacks was not because the former didn¡¯t know the truth, but because the former didn¡¯t have any good cause to crack down on thetter. In that respect, it was encouraging that Marquis Mirwa was back on our side. ¡°And even if he betrays us, we have no problem because we have another witness.¡± ¡°Another witness? Who is it?¡± Chapter 285 Chapter 285: Chapter 285 ¡°Well, Lady Jena. She told me about the ins and outs of Duke Jena¡¯s ambush n. In fact, she saved your life.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I opened my eyes wide. I was shocked about what he revealed to me. As if he understood me when I was confused, he briefed me kindly about what happened. On the day I was ambushed by the masked men, Jiun visited the Imperial Pce again as she did the previous day. Although she went there to confirm her request to see the emperor, she was told that the emperor rejected her request for an emergency meeting. As ast resort she wanted to see the two dukes or my father, but they could not because of the case of Marquis Mirwa. At that time the noble faction was devising a n to overturn the decision at the big conference. As it happened, Duke Jena set up a n to kill me and shift the me to Marquis Mirwa on the asion of his disappearance. After she heard it by mistake, she went to the pce again after agonizing about what to do. She was on the horns of a dilemma for fear that something bad might happen when she told somebody who she could not trust. ¡®Oh, I remember she told me she had something to say to me at that time¡­¡¯ Looking at me when I was biting my lip after btedly realizing it, he continued to exin. ording to him, Carsein discovered her who was wandering around in confusion, so asked her why. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, he gave a royal knight convey his message to Duke Lars, then hurriedly headed for the ambush area with Jiun. After learning from the knight about the situation, the emperor and my father hurriedly ran to my location. ¡®Oh, I see. That¡¯s why Carsein came to me faster than the reinforcement unit, and that with Jiun. Right. That¡¯s why the masked men charged toward her to kill her desperately, confirming that she betrayed them.¡¯ His exnation quenched some of my curiosity, but I had another question. Why did Jiun try to save me? Didn¡¯t she confront me everytime to be the empress? Was it because she discovered Duke Jenna¡¯s rebellion and knew that she could not survive if she was involved in it? Was she trying to strike a deal with me for her life? When I kept tilting my head, the duke continued to exin the situation. When I was attacked by Sir Spia, everyone said I was going to die. My organs were badly damaged and I bled so much that even the royal doctor shook his head, confirming that my pulse stopped. Then, how did I survive? The fact that my pulse stopped was tantamount to saying that I died. ¡°Are you surprised? Well, I was, too, when I heard it. Even now I¡¯m still surprised.¡± He then paused a bit, then caught his breath slowly. ¡°As I wasn¡¯t there, I couldn¡¯t see it myself, but fortunately the High Priest arrived btedly¡­Um?¡± The duke stopped talking at that moment and stared out somewhere fiercely. There was a government official walking around as if to look for somebody. The duke walked toward him, raising his sses. I also followed him after hesitating for a moment. ¡°Investigator Inves, why are you here instead of investigating the suspects?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, Duke Verita. In fact, I¡¯ve been looking for you because I have to report something to you urgently.¡± ¡°Really? What is that? ¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Squinting at me, the female investigator drifted off as if it was difficult for her to talk to him in my presence. So, I said goodbye to him and left the ce first. I was agonized while walking in the long corridor. Why did Jiun try to save me? Was she really trying to make a deal with me for her survival? No matter how hard I thought about her motivations, I could not figure out the exact reason until I came back home and sat down on a sofa. Why did the duke stop speaking at that moment? Who could tell me about it? I felt it awkward to ask my father or the emperor about it. Did I need to go and ask Jiun directly? While I was pressing on my stinging head, a maid cautiously came in and informed me about the High Priest¡¯s visit. ¡®That¡¯s good. Anyway I was going to see him and thank him tomorrow. ¡® When I stood up dly, I saw the young man in a white robeing in. ¡°May the blessings of life be with you! You¡¯re awake, Lady Monique. What a relief!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Your Eminence. I¡¯m sorry to have you worried about me.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say that. I¡¯m very happy to see you safe. I was a bit afraid that as you¡¯re so beautiful, you might be taken away by our lord Vita.¡± ¡®You¡¯re at it again!¡¯ When I let out a sigh slightly, he made a faint smile at me and closed his eyes, wrapping my hands in his. In no time, I heard him praying, then I saw a white lighting out of his hands. ¡°You are in good shape except that you have be weak. I think I can give you blessings only this time.¡± ¡°Really? Thank you for your consideration.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Praise the beauty given by the Father of life. I give you the blessings of our lord Vita. ¡± Now, the familiar flower scent wrapped me up. I slowly bowed my head and thanked him, then opened my mouth after he sat down. ¡°I owe it to you that I have survived this time, too, Your Eminence. I don¡¯t know how I can express gratitude to you.¡± ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t me who saved you. Graspe treated you.¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°It is exactly as I said. It is Graspe, not me, who treated you.¡± I opened my eyes wide. What the heck is he talking about? Then, does it mean she used her divine power, leaked Duke Jena¡¯s ambush n, and saved me? It¡¯s strange. Duke Verita clearly told me the High Priest treated me. ¡°How is that possible? I understand that Lady Jena¡¯s divine power doesn¡¯t work for people. ¡± ¡°Really? Well, it¡¯s true that her divine power has that problem.¡± ¡°Then, I really don¡¯t understand it. How did she save me when she had no ability to treat a human?¡± When I looked at him with a perplexed expression, he said with a pensive expression, ¡°On that day, I headed to the scene, stunned to hear you had copsed. Although I arrived there as fast as I could, you were beyond hope when I got there. You were exhausted, and I couldn¡¯t feel your pulse.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It was really a harrowing scene. The criminal wasughing insanely while bleeding, and your father was staring at you, grabbing the bloody sword¡­ And the emperor was screaming, holding you in his arms. The royal doctors and royal knights were at a loss about what to do, and the wounded were moaning here and there. Graspe, with her face turning white, was squatting on the ground¡­ But nobody paid attention to you. Even I was helpless.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± When I replied, refraining from moaning, he said, nodding lightly, ¡°Although I knew it was useless, I used my divine power. At that moment someone suddenly approached me. It was Graspe. She was nkly muttering something I couldn¡¯t understand. At that moment, a dazzling white color surrounded you. It was a very strong divine power that I have only seen once in my life. ¡± What is that? That means she could use divine power from the beginning! When I frowned a bit because of his contradictory remarks, he smiled at me faintly, then stood up. He bowed his head slowly and said, ¡°You seem frustrated. Good. Let me give you a clue. Graspe can no longer disy her divine power to anyone. She lost it for good.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s time I took care of Sextus. Then, Lady Monique, see you next time. ¡± Although I asked quickly, he left the room, saying something beyond my understanding. Dang it! What did he mean by that? I just can¡¯t understand what he is talking about. Is it so important to take care of the baby High Priest? ¡­Ugh? Baby High Priest? At that moment, the conversation I had with him around this timest year came to my mind, let alone my recent conversation with the blonde High Priest. They told me that although the High Priests had to realize the will of Vita from their birth to their death, they had just one opportunity in their whole lives to realize their own wish rather than Vita¡¯s. And when they realized their ¡®wish,¡¯ they would lose all their divine power for good. Then, did Jiun make her wish? I shook my head when I suddenly thought about something. How could she do that when she didn¡¯t know anything about what the High Priest meant by the ¡®wish¡¯? I was perplexed, but I leaned my head against the sofa, shaking off myplicated thoughts. I was going to take a nap until my father came back. Chapter 286 Chapter 286: Chapter 286 I drew my brows together at the sound of somebody touching my dress. Somebody patted my shoulder and swept back my hair that hung down on my shoulders. I smiled at his gentle touch. When I snuggled into his arms, rubbing my face like a child, he whispered, ¡°¡­Tia, wake up.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Why are you sleeping in a ce like this? What if you get sick again?¡± His voice was familiar to me. I lifted my heavy eyelids and blinked at him slowly. His navy blue uniform came into my view clearly. I also noticed his shiny silver badge. ¡°Ah, Daddy.¡± When I pulled myself from his strong arms and smiled awkwardly, he examined me, then nodded, softening his face. When I slowly lifted my body, I met the eyes of a man watching my father a few steps away from me. His navy blue eyes were full of envy of my close ties with my father. I was startled to see him and greeted him politely, ¡°I¡¯m honored to see Your Majesty, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°You look very tired. Well, I think you have gotten very weak recently.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. I took a nap¡­ By the way, why are both of you here at the same time?¡± ¡°Well, I gave him a notice that I would like to discuss with you over dinner to discuss some matters about the breakoff of our engagement and other things.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± I hurriedly adjusted my dress and walked after them silently. The ce I arrived after catching up with them quickly was a simple restaurant reserved for the emperor and his close aides. When I sat before a round dining table, the servants and maids who came in briefly put down some tes and went out. When I saw the food on the tes, I was puzzled. ¡®No way, is this all?¡¯ I know the emperor loves a simple menu, but howe there are only five tes, and that all the tes are soup? When I knitted my brows slightly, the chief maid quickly came to me and exined in a small voice. She said she prepared the simple menu because they came here for a meal for the first time in about a week. Really? Both of them skipped meals for a whole week? ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s have food.¡± When I looked at him nonchntly, he picked up the spoon, avoiding my eyes. My father also avoided my eyes. I sighed a bit, looking at the two who pretended not to have noticed me. I was told that they skipped meals for a week, but little did I think they actually did. Are they trying to change the topic? They immediately started talking about my dwelling ce. ording to the imperial etiquette, I couldn¡¯t stay in the Central Pce once I regained consciousness because I was a daughter of a mere nobleman. The emperor insisted that he would let me stay at the ce because it¡¯s safer than my house. But my father insisted that he would take me home because he didn¡¯t want me to be talked about in social circles. I took the spoon to my mouth, listening to their argument. I broke into a smile while watching them talking about me seriously. Now I took great delight in spending time with these two men that I loved. I thought I would feel awkward, but I didn¡¯t. ¡°Your Majesty, you have a report from the government.¡± ¡°What is the matter? I clearly told you not to disturb me unless it¡¯s really urgent.¡± His aide flinched at his cold voice and answered quickly, ¡°The apprentice knight Spia is said to have died. So they are waiting for your order.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s too bad. Marquis? Do you want me to give the Monique family the right to dispose of it?¡± ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s fine because my daughter had regained consciousness. Please do as you wish.¡± ¡°Got it. Aide Rankle, let me take care of that at a trial, so focus on investigating the other guys.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Oh, I was forgetting about the case of Sir Spia. I recalled the manughing like crazy while his shoulder was bleeding. Considering the situation at the time, he must have colluded with Duke to lure me out from the beginning. Why did he do that? Although the Spia family was only a small baron in the border area, they were closer to the pro-emperor faction than the noble faction. ¡°By the way, why did he do that? Did he have a grudge against me?¡± When I asked cautiously, the emperor said, putting down the spoon after hesitating for a moment, ¡°He said he wanted to get even with you. It seemed that he had his heart set on the daughter of the merchant group controlled by the Jena family, which went bankrupt because of your measure. I hear the woman got married to another man after that happened.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, I see.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pay attention to it. Other than that, he had been targeting your life all along.¡± ¡°Really? What do you mean?¡± When I tilted my head, he exined to me what he had found out. It was Sir Spia who cut the reins and saddles of my beloved horse Silvia on mying-of-age ceremony day. Given the situation at that time, his shooting an arrow at the bear was most likely intentional, not a mistake. If it was his n to carry out another plot against me, I survived only because I met the emperor there not long after I was separated from mypany. Of course, I could not tell whether my guesswork was true or false because the man who could tell the truth was dead. I still couldn¡¯t figure how long he had been shadowing and targeting me. ¡°Anyway, Tia, don¡¯t worry. We lost only one of the many means we could use, but it won¡¯t overturn the tide. Perhaps the day after tomorrow we will be able to solve the matter.¡± ¡°The day after tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes. We are having a trial for the third time the day after tomorrow. All the others were convicted with treason, and we have to try Marquis Mirwa and Duke Jena.¡± I see. It seems like the trials for all others were over. I slowly nodded, then focused on having dinner because all my questions would be solved when I attended the trial two dayster. *** Two dayster I headed to the Imperial Pce, escorted by the family knights. At the end of the day, my father prevailed in arguing with him over my dwelling ce, so I headed home on that day. Although the emperor seemed very dissatisfied, he had to nod at my father¡¯s argument that he didn¡¯t want to have them gossip about me behind my back. But he presented several conditions on my return home. Namely, I should be escorted by more than two royal knights under any circumstances, I should be apanied by the family knights when I had to move, and I shoulde and see him everyday. That¡¯s why I¡¯m now heading to the pce. When I entered the conference hall, the members of the noble factionpetitively greeted me with a smile. I sat down, properly responding to them who were unusually warm to me today. When I looked around slowly, I noticed one empty seat among the noble faction¡¯s section. I could not help but chuckle at that, but I tried to stay indifferent as much as I could. I was so overjoyed deep down, but I knew I should not express it now. ¡°Okay, today is the final trial. Start right away without dy. Protocol office, bring Marquis Mirwa here.¡± The young man with blue hair at the head table ordered the start of the trial as soon as he received their greetings. Shortly afterwards, the man with honey-colored hair came in. He looked very gloomy. ¡°Du Mirwa. Born in 941 by the imperial calendar. Lord of the Mirwa estate, with the title of marquis. He is a full-fledged knight with the regr knights group and the Captain of the 4th Knights Division. Is that right? ¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°You orchestrated the treason plot to kill the emperor and poison Lady Monique. As someone who organized a total of 15 families except for the Holten family found not guilty a few days ago, you have been charged with having been involved in importing, carrying, poisoning and buying off a pce affairs officer and destroying the evidence. Do you admit your charges?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t admit the charges.¡± ¡°If so, are you iming you are innocent?¡± ¡°Not really. I was only an aplice, but I¡¯m not the mastermind who initiated and led the treason plot.¡± There was a tense silence filling the courtroom. Chapter 287 Chapter 287: Chapter 287 ¡°Aplice? State your case in detail.¡± ¡°Before I borate, I would like to apologize to Your Majesty, Lady Monique and all the nobles here who had a hard time because of this incident. I feel very ashamed of what I have done since I failed to behave properly as a great noble.¡± After offering apologies, he bowed deeply toward the head table and me. I was surprised because I never expected that a marquis like him could bend over deeply. ¡°The real mastermind of all this incident and plot is Duke Jena. He has been targeting Lady Monique¡¯s life for a long time. ¡± ¡°Duke Jena. Do you have any supporting evidence?¡± ¡°Of course, I do, but I think I had better exin the outline of the incident. Can I?¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± Marquis Mirwa continued after bowing to express gratitude to Duke Verita. ¡°Any noble in the empire knows that the immediate members of the Marquis families in the empire can¡¯t enter the central political stage except for the Monique family. Why? Because they are carrying out the duty of defending the borders to honor the will of the first emperor. But I wanted to seed in the central political stage. So, I came up to the capital despite myte father¡¯s strong opposition. That was the problem. ¡± The marquis continued to talk about various things such as the fact that Duke Jena approached him who had no political base in the capital, his joining hands with him to broaden his support despite the dissent with his political position and his calling one day when the marquis felt he was establishing my position more strongly than before and telling him to poison me. ¡°I agreed with the position of the noble faction that more rights should be guaranteed for the nobles than themon people, and that currently the obligations of the nobles in the empire are excessively onerous. However, I did not want to use despicable means for the political interests of the noble faction, but I could not openly oppose Duke Jena¡¯s instruction. So, I decided to pretend to obey his instruction, thinking of persuading him gradually over time.¡± After moistening his lips, he continued talking about things such as the fact that he didn¡¯t have the heart to report Duke Jena¡¯s conspiracy to the emperor because he belonged to the noble faction, the fact that only when I was poisoned did I he realize that there was another man who had been assigned the task other than him, the fact that he tried to find the antidote but it was very hard to find, and the fact that the High Priest arrived in the middle of it. Only the marquis¡¯s voice resonated in the hall where it was so silent that people could even hear someone next to them breathing. He said although he resorted to all kinds of means to persuade Duke Jena away from his wicked plot, the duke revealed his ambition all the more strongly. The duke began to buy off pce affairs officers one by one and his eyes shone with a murderous intention when he heard that I could have a baby again. When he tried to dissuade the duke out of the dangerous plot, the duke told him that he already set up a n to assassinate the emperor. The duke even threatened to point out the marquis as the culprit if thetter didn¡¯t follow the former¡¯s instruction. ¡®I see. So, that document¡­¡¯ Come to think of it, that¡¯s why Earl Lanier seemed to have singled him out as the culprit. Didn¡¯t he make a secret deal with Duke Jena, calling him to guarantee the safety of his family members in return for him calling out Marquis Mirwa as the mastermind of his plot? ¡°I knew it was the best policy to report the duke¡¯s scheme to you, but I was afraid that I might be stigmatized as the mastermind as the duke threatened. So, I escaped from the capital with the false excuses of a fire at my estate, thinking that I would report everything to the emperor after obtaining the antidote first. And I came to know through my informants about the duke¡¯s n to ambush Lady Monique. Fortunately, I arrived at the scene before the worst could happen.¡± ¡°Hmm. It seems that there is no contradiction in your statement. Good. Give me the evidence that Duke Jena is the mastermind. Oh, before you do that¡­¡± After stopping for a moment, Duke Verita spoke to the emperor, ¡°Your Majesty, how about summoning Duke Jena? If the marquis¡¯s im is true, it means that the duke is found guilty, so you don¡¯t have to go through another trial of him. Why don¡¯t you end this trial with his?¡± ¡°Good idea. Let¡¯s do that.¡± When he approved, the protocol officer ran out and came back with an old man with gray hair. ¡°Victor de Jena. Born in 901 by the imperial calendar. Jena is the lord of the Jena estate, with the title of the duke. Although he has no specific title in the government, he currently serves as the chairman of the nobleman¡¯s council in which more than sixty of the nobles participate. Is that right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm. I understand that it¡¯s a great shame that you are sitting there as the defendant despite your status as the duke. As I have the same title as yours, I hope you can keep your manners when you answer.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, you are here today on charges of havingmitted the crimes of attempting to kill the emperor, poison Lady Monique and ambush her recently. Do you admit the charges?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Duke Verita looked at the old man silently, who turned up his mouth a bit sarcastically, and said, ¡°Well, good. Marquis Mirwa, just continue. ¡± ¡°I heard that a few days ago the maid¡¯s lover surrendered himself. Why don¡¯t you question him first?¡± ¡°Who surrendered? What nonsense are you talking about? Don¡¯t nder me like that! Stop that nonsense!¡± I was lost in thought while watching the two engaged in a war of nerves. Isn¡¯t the maid¡¯s lover Ina Belot? If he surrendered himself, did he learn that his daughter who had been taken hostage was freed? When I was pondering over several things, a haggard middle-aged man came into the courtroom. He, who got cold feet when he drew their intense attention, was obviously the very man who used to serve as the emperor¡¯s wine. Given the situation, he seemed to have been threatened by Duke Jena. If so, was Ian Belot also connected with Duke Jena in the past? ¡°Ian Belot, you are in charge of the emperor¡¯s wine as a pce affair officer, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°A few days ago, you came to me and used the duke of his crime, right? Repeat what you told me.¡± ¡°That man, namely Duke Jena, kidnapped my only daughter and threatened me. He threatened to kill her if I didn¡¯t put poison in the emperor¡¯s wine. He also had me tempt a maid to poison Lady Monique¡¯s tea. Then, he told me that if I got caught, I should say Marquis Mirwa was responsible! At first, I didn¡¯t want to do it as he ordered, but I had no other way to save my daughter. So I did¡­¡± Watching the man speak out, I turned up my mouth a bit. It¡¯s not easy to save his life because he was a direct participant in treason, but when I see him speaking out so aggressively, I think differently given that he actively defended himself. Duke Verita, who was very good at persuading people, might have offered him a deal to testify in his favor. For example, he might have persuaded the man that he would be saved or he would take care of the man¡¯s daughter for the rest of her life in return for his testimony against Duke Jena. Listening to him silently, with his eyes closed, Duke Jena said, ¡°So, do you have any evidence?¡± ¡°Well, yes, you clearly threatened me!¡± ¡°Duke Verita, do you have any evidence that I kidnapped his daughter or tempted the maid? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to persecute the Jena family with that guy¡¯s ridiculous im.¡± As expected, the duke was not a pushover. He was the leader of the noble faction. No matter how much he denied and resisted, however, all he could do was drag his feet on this case. The game was already over because we had all the evidence that he asked us to present. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s move on to the next witness. Let me verify the truth of this man¡¯s im a littleter. Let me bring the next witness,¡± said the duke, raising his sses. The next witness who came in immediately was very familiar to me like the man in charge of the emperor¡¯s wines. I let out a sigh, watching the man shivering a lot. I felt very suspicious about his behavior recently. ¡°Nove Senar, you came to me a few days ago and asked for leniency in return for your surrender. Tell me about your crime once more.¡± Chapter 288 Chapter 288: Chapter 288 ¡°I¡¯ve leaked Lady Monique¡¯s health condition despite the emperor¡¯s gag order.¡± ¡°Who did you talk to?¡± ¡°Duke Jena.¡± ¡°Tell me why you leaked and decided to surrender yourself.¡± The royal doctor said, swallowing, ¡°I had no choice but to follow his instruction because he knew my weakness.¡± ¡°Your weakness? What is that?¡± ¡°That is¡­¡± ¡°Answer me right away.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, when I became a royal doctor, I went out to treat an outpatient, but because of my misdiagnosis, the patient died. If anybody knew about it, I would be a dead man because the patient who died was the sessor of the family. ¡± ¡°I see.¡± It was indeed his weakness. How could a royal doctor allow the sessor of a family to die because of his misdiagnosis? Like he said, he would have not only lost his medical license as a royal doctor and be in big trouble if anybody discovered this, but also incur the wrath of the family who lost their sessor. Most likely he would have lost his life. Once he started to talk, he continued with a more rxed expression, ¡°So, I decided to be loyal to him in return for keeping my secret. I regrly reported to him about the condition of thete emperor and the current emperor, and I was instructed to report to him about anything rted to Lady Monique, however trifling it was.¡± The young man with blue hair leaned forward, holding his chin. Then he stared at Duke Jena coldly and said, ¡°Very interesting. Duke Jena, what do you think? ¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s nonsense that you don¡¯t have to listen to.¡± ¡°Really? Well, we heard the man in charge of my wines and the royal doctor¡¯s testimony. Next witness is an assistant royal cook, I hear. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too peculiar to be a coincidence? Hearing their testimony, anybody would think you had the intention to kill me by poisoning. In fact, you have actually poisoned me.¡± ¡°Do you really believe such nonsense?¡± When I watched the two staring at each other sharply, I recalled one question that I had for a long time. The pce office in charge of the emperor¡¯s wines, the royal doctor and the assistant cook. Although I was not sure of the cook, it was certain that the pce officer and the royal doctor were, and now Duke Jena¡¯s moles, given their long connection with the duke. ording to the High Priest, a man can be violent in temper, though not impotent, when he is poisoned. What if his n to kill the emperor by poisoning was not discovered? What if Jena became the empress and gave birth to the sessor to the throne? Of course, it¡¯s my assumption at this point. In that case, however, was it possible for Duke Jena to take control of the empire? He would remove the violent emperor from the throne, then exercise power as the grandfather of the young emperor. I felt goosebumps at the thought of that. Although it was just my absurd imagination, I already know a situation simr to this. What if all these assumptions actually became a reality in the past? Oh no! I shook my head hard. ¡®That can¡¯t have happened! It¡¯s just a delusion. No matter how simr the past and present are to each other, even if all the people around the emperor were Duke Jena¡¯s men, no matter how much the emperor, who was always cold to me, harrassed me with an unusual hostile attitude, and no matter how much the old me was suspicious of poisoning, this couldn¡¯t be true¡­¡¯ This time Marquis Mirwa said, ¡°This is direct evidence that can prove Duke Jena¡¯s crime. This is a confidential document the duke sent to me, which details his n about the assassination of the emperor. ¡± I was terribly confused by the fearful assumption that upied my mind, but I listened to his continuing testimony while shaking it off. Duke Jena, who was staring coldly at the document, said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the document is about. Do you have any evidence that I sent it? As things stand now, there isn¡¯t anything that you can rte to my family.¡± ¡°I think I can prove it myself.¡± Coming one step forward, Duke Verita said, pulling a couple of documents out of the pile, ¡°Go ahead!¡± Not caring at all about the duke¡¯s cold expression, Duke Verita smiled, then showed him the seal stamped at the lower space of the documents. ¡°You must have seen the seal stamped on all these documents. This seal is not engraved with the crest of the family, but it contains the symbols of the family. Sword and rose, and Volente Castina. Which family does it symbolize?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on the documents. Duke Verita said with his mouth turned up, as if he was satisfied, ¡°These documents were obtained from Viscount Apinu and Earl Lanier respectively. As you can see, one document contains his coded instruction about the poisoning of Lady Monique, while the other one shows how to decode it. And this document submitted by Marquis Mirwa seems to have a coded n about the assassination of the emperor by poisoning, given the words here such as the emperor, poison, buying off, wine, etc. By the way, it seems everybody is paying attention to one person now, namely Duke Lars. Then, is the culprit of this incident Duke Lars?¡± ¡°¡­ Hey, what kind of joke are you cracking? Duke Verita, I¡¯m afraid they might misunderstand me¡­¡± ¡°But the symbol as well as the family motto is used by the Lars family only¡­¡± ¡°I clearly warned you not to crack a joke.¡± While keeping silent all along, Duke Lars spoke sharply, raising his eyebrows. He knew Duke Verita was joking for a change, but he seemed very displeased with the fact that his family was mentioned in this sensitive case. Avoiding Duke Lars¡¯s glowing eyes, Duke Verita, said, clearing his throat, ¡°So, since I first got the document with this seal, I went through all sorts of data to check if there was anything rted to the phrase over the past year. As a result, I discovered one thing. There was a family that used this symbol well before the Lars family used it. It was the Duke Jena family.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. Our family once used it, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a leap in your logic that you pointed me out as the culprit, based on our family¡¯s record dating back several hundred years? Isn¡¯t it more reasonable to think of Duke Lars as the culprit?¡± I felt it very weird that the Jena family, who I thought had been associated with the noble faction, used that symbol a long time ago. And I felt bitter when I discovered it because I felt that¡¯s probably why he hated my family so much. Well, that¡¯s it. That¡¯s not so important to me anyway because what I had yet to hear from Duke Verita would be much more exciting. Like Duke Jena said, it would be hard to connect the phrase used by the Jena family several hundreds ago with the seal in question. But I already secured the most decisive evidence to prove it. ¡°Actually, I came to discover one fact some time ago. I hear that there is a secret space in your house that only you can enter. I was so anxious to know what¡¯s in there that I couldn¡¯t go to sleep.¡± ¡°Well, any prestigious old family has such a secret space in the house, as you know, and that¡¯s nothing new. Oh, it looks like you don¡¯t have one in your house, Duke Verita. Well, you were no more than a marquis family 30 years ago, stationed in the provincial area, so it¡¯s natural you don¡¯t have one,¡± said Duke Jena sarcastically, with his mouth turned up, ¡°If you were so curious, why didn¡¯t you ask me? I would have dly shown it to you. Even though my political position is different from yours, I can be generous enough to do so as the empire¡¯s most prestigious family.¡± ¡°No thanks, because I already saw it.¡± ¡°What the heck? What did you see?¡± There was embarrassment in his face, who remained calm until now. I unwittingly broke into a smile, so I smiled, watching them staring at the duke while listening to him quietly. ¡°Well, it took some time to open the lock because its unlocking system was coded, but in the end I made it. The decoding was very simple. Volente Castina. Isn¡¯t that a contradictory answer?¡± ¡°No way! How could you open it?¡± ¡°It seems you made it a long time ago because it was very old-fashioned. I was very impressed with the mural showing your family¡¯s activities in the early days of the empire. Frankly, I felt a bit sorry because such a prestigious family like yours would soon disappear into the dustbin of history.¡± ¡°What the heck did you say, you bastard?¡± Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Chapter 289 ¡°Oh, you asked me to present clear evidence rather than talking. Well, this is the seal I found there. By the way, this seal has already been found to be the same as that stamped that document. Can you still argue that the seal has nothing to do with your family?¡± After checking the seal, Duke Jena could not say anything, just moving his lips up and down. When I saw his face burning reddish with anger, a smile came to my lips in spite of myself. I finally caught him! He was the enemy of my family, who had been seeking to ruin my family for a long time. I was looking for a chance to get even with him for a long time, but I could not find direct evidence to pinpoint him as the culprit. He was a traitor who had even an impure intention to kill the emperor. I felt as if I got a heavy load off my chest. I saw my father smiling finally after watching them exchange barbed words. Not only my father but also all the members of the pro-emperor faction made a sarcastic smile at the duke. After watching in satisfaction the old duke trembling with anger, Duke Verita said, ¡°In the end you abandoned the opportunity thete emperor gave you ten years ago. Volente Castina. It¡¯s time you disappeared ording to the will of the empire.¡± ¡°Shut up! How can the third son of a mere marquis family dare talk to me like that?¡± ¡°As a traitor who will be executed soon, how can you shoot your mouth off like that, you bastard? ¡°What the heck did you say, bastard? You¡­¡± Duke Jena suddenly stopped talking while shouting at him at the top of his voice. Then he suddenly fell, moving his mouth up and down a bit, with his face turning reddish. ¡°Duke Jena!¡± ¡°Duke!¡± There was an urgent cry bursting out from the noble faction. When the emperor raised his hand lightly, a royal knight approached him cautiously and confirmed his condition. ¡°I think he seems to have passed out.¡± ¡°Move him to a guest room. Call the royal doctor to check his condition and report to me. Duke Verita? Please continue. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Then, I will have them vote on whether he is guilty or not. Please raise your hand if you have any objection.¡± Nobody in the conference hall showed any interest in Duke Jena. They were now only interested in how his family would be punished. Duke Verita resumed the trial while the duke who passed out was being carried to a guest room, and immediately called for the voting. ¡°No objection? Then, let me go ahead with your voting on Marquis Mirwa¡­¡± ¡°Duke Verita, may I present my opinion before you proceed with the voting?¡± Marquis Mirwa said, stepping forward with a determined expression. The emperor looked at him for a moment, then nodded lightly. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± The Marquis said, ¡°Your Majesty and nobles. As a nobleman of the glorious empire, I havemitted an indelible crime. Even if I was afraid of being falsely charged, I should have immediately reported his treason, but I didn¡¯t, and I know it¡¯s a felony. I also know that I can¡¯t make any excuses because I abandoned my pride and disgraced my honor¡­ but if I may, I would like to request you to give me a chance to make up for your mistake. I will devote myself to the empire for the rest of my life. ¡± After talking, he bowed his head, kneeling on one knee, as if he waited for the voting. ¡°Okay, let me start the voting process. If you think Marquis Mirwa is innocent, please raise your hand.¡± Everybody remained silent. They checked each other¡¯s expressions but dared not to raise their hands. Only a few raised their hands when the duke asked them if he was guilty. It seemed that they were hesitant, including those from the pro-emperor and noble factions. ¡°ording to the imperialw, it is the emperor who has to make the decision in a situation like this. Any objection?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯d like to hear your opinion on this before making a decision. I¡¯m not asking you to express your opinion on guilty or not guilty. So, feel free to talk,¡± said the emperor, tapping the table before for a moment. While everyone was trying to check each other¡¯s expressions, Earl League said, looking at them in dissatisfaction, ¡°I have no idea why you keep silent. This is a treason case. In other words, didn¡¯t he say he didn¡¯t report although he knew this was treason. This is a treason case. If something had gone wrong, the emperor might have been plunged into a very dangerous situation. I think you should duly punish him, Your Majesty.¡± I saw a man sitting on the opposite side raising his hand. He was Earl Hoten and was the only suspect who was found not guilty. ¡°I have no objection that he was an aplice in this incident, but he made efforts to obtain an antidote or save Lady Monique¡¯s life. Besides, without the document he presented, you would not have been able to uncover Duke Jena¡¯s crime clearly. So, please make allowances for this factor.¡± ¡°I agree. After all, we havee to find the duke guilty thanks to the marquis¡¯s usation, right? In that respect, we can¡¯t say he looked over the treason case, though he reported it btedly.¡± It was unexpectedly a young earl affiliated with the pro-emperor faction who agreed with Earl Holten. Encouraged by his support, all the members of the noble faction asked for the emperor¡¯s leniency. It seemed that Marquis Mirwa would be their only hope because it was certain that the Jena family would be ruined. I was still looking at the man kneeling on the cold floor. He clearly said he didn¡¯t like the mean tactics of the noble faction, though he agreed with their political position. Given that the number of nobles in the empire was reduced greatly, it was impossible to wipe out all the members of the noble faction. If the emperor could save the marquis, considered a moderate offender, could he y a more important role in national politics? Given my experience of dealing with him so far, I found he was reasonable enough to talk to. At that moment, a servant came in cautiously and whispered something, handing over a piece of paper to Duke Verita. After nodding for a moment, he folded the paper and put it into his pocket. After looking at the duke for a moment, the emperor said, ¡°Let me give a ruling on Marquis Mirwa. ording to imperialw, it is certain that his aiding and abetting treason is also a crime, so he is found guilty of treason. But let me reduce his punishment, given his efforts and contribution to unveiling the crime of Duke Jena.¡± He paused for a moment, then opened his mouth again only when everyone swallowed with a tense expression, ¡°Let me downgrade the rank of the Mirwa family by five grades to the lowest of the marquis rank. He will keep his title, but for the next ten years he will be deprived of all his rights and treated as an earl. I¡¯ll also confisticate 20% of his estate and three quarries and return them to the imperial family.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Stand up, Marquis Mirwa.¡± ¡°Thank you for your generous decision, Your Majesty. You have given me the opportunity to regain my honor, so I¡¯ll do my best for the service of the imperial family and the empire.¡± Only then did he stand up and deeply bow down to thank him. Though some expressed displeasure with the emperor¡¯s decision, all others agreed. ¡°Then I will move on to the next. If you think Duke Jena is guilty, please raise your hand.¡± They raised their hands one by one. When Duke Verita looked around and dered their unanimous conviction of the duke, the emperor smiled coldly. My heart was pounding. Is it finally time for him to give a ruling? ¡°As the duke, the highest of the nobles, he should set an example for the people, but he has done all sorts of wrongdoings instead of maintaining his decent demeanor.. Not only did he dare to nt moles around me and have them spy on me, but also he also tried to harm my fianc¨¦e several times andmitted countless crimes such as intimidation, kidnapping, and murder against the people. ordingly, let me sentence Victor de Jena to beheading on charges of treason, and return his title and his wealth including his estate to the imperial family.¡± Chapter 290 Chapter 290: Chapter 290 Cheers came out here and there. When I looked around, putting my hand on my chest with excitement, I saw my father who was clenching his fists tightly enough to the veins of the back of his hands stand out. Come to think of it, Duke Jena also tried to kill my mother. Tears suddenly welled up in my ears. How gratified my father was to have seen the duke pay the price for his crime! I reached out quietly and gently wrapped his clenched fists, which turned white. When I smiled at his trembling navy blue eyes, his contorted face softened. ¡°Now, what can you do about the members of Duke Jena¡¯s family?¡± ¡°Given that they didn¡¯t know anything about their master¡¯s treason plot, let me demote their noble status tomoners, except for his immediate family members. They will be forbidden froming to the capital for the next 50 years. I won¡¯t punish them other than that. But all the immediate members of the Jena family including his sessor Clode de Jena will be beheaded on charges of the same crime as the duke.¡± ¡°Aristia Monique! How can you betray me, you dirty slut?¡± The moment the emperor gave the ruling, a sharp scream rang throughout the conference hall. I sarcastically smiled at the man who was yelling at the top of his voice. I heard that it was his son who specifically nned the incident and tranted it into action, though it was Duke Jena who tried to kill me. Then, how can he shout at me like crazy, who was bent on killing me until recently? In fact, I tried to satisfy the terms of the deal with him, but he was the one who betrayed me first. ¡°Drag him out.¡± When the emperor waved his hand as if he was annoyed, a couple of royal knights quickly held him on both sides. After staring at the man being dragged out for a moment, I looked up at the head table because something quickly came to my mind. Duke Jena and his immediate family members will be beheaded, while the other members demoted tomoners and expelled. Then, what about Jiun? Is she also going to be beheaded? As if he had the same question as mine, Duke Verita looked up at him and asked, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, are you going to sentence Lady Jena to beheading? I think it¡¯s a bit problematic to behead her because she was already known as a sacred woman among the people¡­¡± After agonizing for a moment, he said, ¡°As for Lady Jena¡­¡± *** The sound of two persons¡¯ footsteps rang through the lonely stairways. The crest of the lion carved on the stone wall under the flickering torch weighed heavily on my mind today. Was it because of the cold air? My body trembled when I felt creepy with something chilly on my back. ¡°Are you okay?¡± The man who followed me from behind asked in a worried voice. I nodded slowly and quickened my step. When I climbed the spiral staircases, I could see several human shadows around. Startled by the sudden footsteps, they pointed the weapons toward me and said, ¡°Stop there. Identify yourself! ¡± When I looked back, the man following me stepped forward quickly and took out a small badge to show them. Checking it closely, they stepped aside. The man asked me carefully, when I took a few more steps and stopped at the door clouded by the dark, ¡°Do you have to go inside alone?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Okay. Shout if something happens. I will jump right in. You have a self-defense dagger, right? ¡± When I nodded, the man stepped back silently. I took a big breath and reached out to the doorknob. I flinched at the chill on my palm touching it, but I pulled it hard after taking another deep breath. Unlike the outside, which was pretty dark, the room was very bright thanks to the candles ced everywhere. I slowly looked around the luxuriously decorated interior. borately embroidered tapestry, all kinds of decorations boasting of their brilliant colors, and delicately carved furniture. The owner of this stuff had apletely different taste from mine, but the bright but not vulgar room was nice in its own way. ¡°Who is it? Visiting me at thiste hour? Did hee here to behead me immediately?¡± said a woman looking out the window with her back to me. When I remained silent, she stiffened when she turned around and shrugged. Looking at the fear in her ck eyes, I took off my hat that I wore down low over my eyes. Letting out a little sigh, she said after looking at my silvery hair, ¡°¡­ Oh my, you surprised me!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got something to tell you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you havee here secretlyte at night¡­ Well, good. Why don¡¯t you sit down? ¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m good now.¡± ¡°Okay, as you please.¡± Nodding quickly, Jiun sat down on the chair. I agonized for a moment, looking at the purple fabric hung over her head like a wedding veil. What should I say first? I thought about various things, but I felt frustrated since I couldn¡¯t figure out which one I had to ask first. Eventually, I gave up thinking and asked her the first question that came to my mind. ¡°¡­ Why did you save me? ¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I hear that you are the one who leaked his n on ambushing me. Why did you do that? If you had overlooked it, you could have achieved at least one of the things you wanted. Did you feel my life was too precious for that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, let me skip that question then. Why did you save me from dying? You already did enough to save my face by leaking his n, right?¡± She didn¡¯t reply. I waited for her to answer for some time, but she didn¡¯t. I sighed a little, looking at her who kept looking away from me. Well, I didn¡¯t think she would answer me easily anyway. At that moment, I suddenly recalled what happened at the conference hall several hours ago, let alone their conversation. The emperor asked them for their opinion before making the final ruling. Earl Genoa and some other members of the pro-emperor faction argued for her beheading. The noble faction balked a bit, butrgely agreed with the emperor¡¯s ruling. The noble faction, who were Duke Jena and her supporters until recently, didn¡¯t give any thought to the achievement Jiun made for them until now. They were busy protecting themselves with a shallow cause. Was it because I was reminded by their argument? I said things that came into my head at that moment, ¡°¡­I hated you. ¡± I saw Jiun, who was silent, flinching at my remarks. I was also surprised by what I said. It was the first time I directly expressed my feelings toward her. In the past, I had always hidden my feelings toward her for the sake of politeness. After my return, I hid my feelings, ignoring and disrespecting her. ¡°At that time, I didn¡¯t even know that I was hating you, but looking back, I think I did. Well, I actually did, although I acted casually, pretending not to have cared about you at all¡­ I really hated you because you took away everything from me after you suddenly appeared.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chapter 291 Chapter 291: Chapter 291 ¡°I¡­ I hated you because you smiled as if nothing had happened to me, and I was so upset with the fact that you won his love when you had nothing better than me. I couldn¡¯t admit that you took away everything I had taken care of all my life.¡± Since I already began to speak, I decided to tell her everything I wanted to say without any reservation. I felt bitter somehow because I told her my honest feelings toward her. That was true. I ignored her, pretending that I didn¡¯t care about her who was inferior to me, but I was jealous of her deep down because she stole his love. I took pains to deny her existence, thinking that the feelings of love existed only between equal partners, and that as someone with an unknown family background, she could not win his love. I couldn¡¯t understand the fact that he loved her who was not better than me in any way. I was troubled and exhausted because of her. It was so hard emotionally every day. At that time I didn¡¯t think it strange that I found it so hard to put up with my surging irritation, even though I learned how to hide my feelings for decades, and that he, who was always cold to me and rational in deeds and words, began to hate me irrationally. When I thought as far as that, I recalled a question that I had in my mind until now. I asked myself, looking at Jiun who was keeping silent. Does she know the truth of the past? Does she know my doubts? ¡°Let me ask you just one thing.¡± It may be a ridiculous question, but I felt I would continue to feel ufortable if I didn¡¯t confirm it now. I finally asked her, who was looking at me curiously, ¡°Did it happen to me in the past? Was I poisoned before?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Answer me. Was I?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I asked again and again, but she remained silent. After waiting for her reply for a while, I sighed. After all, can¡¯t I get her reply? When I was about to talk about something, almost giving it up as a bad job, she said, turning her eyes away from me, ¡°¡­ Headache, dizziness, insomnia, and extreme emotional changes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Yes, they were the symptoms he showed before he died.¡± ¡°I see¡­ What the heck? He died?¡± Despite my urgent questioning, she asked back with a weary voice a littleter, ¡°When do you think I came back?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Do you remember what you said before? You said it¡¯s only been four years.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I do.¡± ¡°It is literally as you said. It was four years since you died. I¡¯m twenty three by the imperial calendar here, and he was probably twenty six.¡± ¡°¡­ For four years¡­ What happened?¡± She smiled faintly at me when I asked, trembling, then said, ¡°You know, I don¡¯t know politics very well. I tried my best, but no matter how much I studied it, I couldn¡¯t work it out. So, I don¡¯t know exactly what happened.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I remember. He couldn¡¯t sleep well and often threw a tantrum since the two dukes left the capital. And he began to keep away from me and look out for others. One day he left the capital, saying he was going on an expedition¡­ then he never came back. ¡± I stiffened at that moment. Did the emperor leave the capital on the pretext of going on an expedition? In that case, more than half of the regr knights would have to follow him. How could he think of leaving the capital without the two dukes in the capital? Given the symptoms, he seemed to have been poisoned. Was his condition serious enough to cloud his judgement? Or did he have any reason to leave the capital? For example¡­ ¡°Did you find anything unusual about him when he left? For example, his symptoms got worse or his aide was changed¡­¡± ¡°Something unusual? Well, I don¡¯t know the details. I guess there were so many things like what you said. He really didn¡¯t tell me anything. I could feel he didn¡¯t love me gradually after you died. After that, he really hated you. He hated me so much that he left for the expedition even though I was pregnant at that time.¡± ¡°Wait a minute. You were pregnant?¡± ¡°Yes, I was.¡± I closed my eyes. Was she pregnant back then? I suspected she was. In the end, my worst assumption was right. Didn¡¯t he notice by that time that someone was targeting his life? As she got pregnant in such a situation, he might have had to escape the capital to save his life because the moment his sessor was born, he would be killed immediately. Suddenly, one question came to my mind. Why did he choose that path? To think of it rationally, it would have been better for him to get rid of Jiun than to flee from the capital. In that case, he could have a negotiating chip and overturn the political situation in his favor. I swallowed. I wondered if he, who recovered his reason, could not have the heart to kill Jiun who was having his baby. Was that the reason he left the capital with the troops, knowing his escape was a political gamble? Did he intend to save himself, Jiun and his sessor by mobilizing troops by all means? ¡°¡­ I couldn¡¯t figure out anything, but you already noticed something?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, I was desperate then. You had people who supported you, but I had none. In the end, I got pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl¡­ but I had to run away with a newborn baby without receiving any postpartum care, but eventually I was caught. ¡± She began to speak more, though she was reserved with bitterness at first. ¡°I hated him who deserted me alone after whispering love to me freely. I also hated God who didn¡¯t care about me after dropping me in a strange ce. At thest moment of my life, I cursed him, closing my eyes. If I could start again, I would surely get even with him who used me¡­ When I opened my eyes, however, he was there again, the very man who stabbed me in the chest.¡± I stared nkly at her who was venting out her resentment with him freely. ¡®Oh you really don¡¯t know why he left the capital and how much he cared about you. You really don¡¯t know anything about him.¡¯ ¡°You know that? Actually, I hated you, too. ¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You said I took everything from you, but in the end, you didn¡¯t lose anything. Even when you were pushed out of the empress position, you had the continued support of the nobles, and even those who supported me as the empresspared me with you. What I thought I had, such as God¡¯s love and his affection for me, were all yours at the end of the day.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± I made a hollow smile at that. Wasn¡¯t she trying to rationalize her actions now? I could buy her argument that I was supported by the nobles. But what did you say? God¡¯s love? His affection? I was dumbfounded to hear that. When was he my man? Did I ever have him at all? Even if I had his love, what¡¯s the point of having his love after I died? ¡°In a world where I could rely on nobody, I struggled alone to find my own share. But everything was yours, and I always hovered around you. No matter how hard I tried, I found myself crushed by your shadow rather than catching up with you. I was only your substitute, something inferior to you. No one looked at me as I was. And it was not my will toe to this ce.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You asked me why I followed you as far as here, right? You¡¯re not the only one who wanted to fix everything. The moment I closed my eyes, I realized that even if I wanted God to send me back to my original ce, I would be suffering with the painful memory of my past for the rest of my life. But I thought I would be a real loser if I asked God to erase my memories. So, instead of all those wishes, I asked God to see you again. ¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I really wanted to beat you at least once because I realized that only when my sense of inferiority to you disappeared could I feel free¡­ I was so happy when I saw people calling me a scared woman. I knew better than anyone that I didn¡¯t deserve it. But I felt like I was freed from something at that moment. It was my first feeling since I came here. By the way¡­¡± While she was trying to continue, she stopped and took a deep breath. Then, she continued in a subdued voice after remaining silent a bit. Chapter 292 Chapter 292: Chapter 292 ¡°Do you remember what I said before? When I opened my eyes after dying, there was a man next to me, who stabbed me in the chest. Do you know who that man is?¡± ¡°¡­ No way!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. He was Duke Jena. ¡± I opened my eyes wide. Was he really Duke Jena who killed her before her return? But why did she enter his house as a foster daughter? Wasn¡¯t he the enemy who killed her? ¡°At first, I was going to get revenge on the emperor. Although he said he loved me so much, he made me miserable at the end of the day. So, I passionately tempted him because I wanted to hurt him the same way he did. Well, you revenged him on my behalf.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Of course, I was also nning to take revenge on Duke Jena who stabbed me. I wanted topete with you on an equal footing, so I decided to go to the duke¡¯s house as his stepdaughter because I could find his weaknesses up close.¡± Really? But given the duke¡¯s personality, it was probably not easy for her to achieve her goal because there was no chance that he, who valued his family pedigree so much, treated her genuinely as her daughter. I noticed it when I found her not mingling well with the members of the noble faction. Who would have treated her properly when she was not treated properly within her own family? By nature, one¡¯s betrayal is based on one¡¯s trust in somebody to some extent. Did Jiun ever have a chance to get even with the duke when she had no trust in him from the beginning? Was that the reason she was so obsessed with the temple? Did she want to build power that he could not ignore because she could not earn his trust? ¡°When you were poisoned, I heard something strange about your symptoms. And when I heard that the pce investigators were trying to look for the traitor who tried to poison the emperor, I knew who was responsible for it. No matter how hard I thought, I could not think of any other man than Duke Jena. Of course, little did I think he would be so easily caught so easily like this.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You asked me why I saved you, right? Yes, like you said, I saved you for my own survival at first. It¡¯s too unfair for me to die like this because I didn¡¯t get even with the emperor, you and the duke. I didn¡¯t want to die so empty without having achieved my goal at all.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°The day you were ambushed¡­ the emperor that I saw wasn¡¯t the one I used to know. The emperor I used to know could never make such an expression. His way of speaking and acting was totally different from what it was in the past.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Remember what you told me before? You said that he was different from the old him. At that time, I thought you were ridiculous, talking such nonsense. I ridiculed you deep down, thinking you could be called a sacred woman in terms of generosity. Then, looking at his expression on that day, I got confused. I felt he was really different from what he was in the past. I reflected, thinking over what I had done until then¡­Then I got confused. I didn¡¯t know what I was doing here.¡± She continued with a bitter smile, ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough. Anyway, I achieved half sess.¡± When I saw her bitter smile, I suddenly had a lot of things on my mind. I turned around with a sigh and took out a box from my pocket. Then, I touched its corner, making sure she could not see it. What should I do now? ¡°¡­ The emperor gave a ruling on me, right?¡± Her voice was very feeble. She pretended to be casual, but she was very nervous, with her voice trembling a lot. When I nodded silently, she asked with a more trembling voice, ¡°What¡¯s the ruling? As I was dependent on the traitor, was I sentenced to the death penalty? ¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was an ufortable silence. After such a long silence, she said, breaking the silence, ¡°That¡¯s what I expected.¡± Biting my lip tightly, I opened the lid of the box, and lightly squeezed what was inside. The unique coldness of the ss bottle made me feel cold all over my body. I looked silently at the two ss bottles in the box. This bottle which is red like blood is a deadly drug that would immediately kill her, and this transparent one is¡­ <¡®What is it?> <¡­Yes, Your Majesty. > I was agonized, looking at the two bottles. Which one should I choose? When I thought about saving her life, I should leave a transparent bottle here. Without her, I would have missed the opportunity I was given again, but also he and I couldn¡¯t have confirmed each other¡¯s love. But¡­ When I carefully touched the red bottle, I suddenly heard her grinning voice behind my back. ¡°Life seems to be fun. right?¡± ¡°¡­ What are you talking about? ¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s because you are going to see me die this time.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So, when is the date of my execution? Tell me, so I can prepare myself. ¡± Was it because the bottle is red? I felt like I was smelling blood from the bottle that touched my fingertips. I was lost in thought, touching the red bottle. If you leave it here, I will no longer have to deal with her. Since I have decided to ept his heart, the only link that would connect me with my past was Jiun. Without her, I couldpletely cut off my memories of the past. Besides, she seemed to have chosen to die to some extent. My hands trembled. Which should I choose? Red? Or the transparent? The moment I turned around after long hesitation, I saw something white sparkling under a purple cloth that looked like a wedding veil. My eyes opened wide because her hair, which was ck like the night sky, turned white. Suddenly, I realized that she had really used her ¡®wish.¡¯ That¡¯s why her hair turned white. ording to the High Priest, when she lost her divine power, the color of her hair would change. ¡°¡­ Well, the emperor gave a ruling on the Jena family. All the immediate members of the Jena family including the duke were sentenced to beheading.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°In your case the emperor decided to give you a poisonous pill, taking into ount some factors about you. But if you are alive when the duke is beheaded, you will be beheaded too. ¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The duke will be beheaded ten days from now. And I¡¯ll tell you one thing. I don¡¯t want to see you die, looking up at him and me. In that case, I¡¯m afraid the nightmare of the past that I barely forgot wille back. Of course, it¡¯s up to you which way you want to choose. ¡± I turned, ignoring her empty eyes. Then I took one ss bottle out of the box, put it on the table, and crossed the room without hesitation. Bang! I closed the door. Chapter 293 Chapter 293: Chapter 293 The sound of several horseshoes rang under the faint moonlight. The noble district was very quiette at night when everybody was asleep and where the ubiquitousmon banquets were not held because of the trial that took several weeks. After riding a horse on the dark streets for a while, I saw a shimmering light in the distance. When I spurred the horse, she picked up speed, shaking her mane roughly, as if she knew my impatience to return home quickly. ¡°Wee back, mydy.¡± The knight guarding the entrance of my house bowed. I returned his greeting silently and expressed gratitude to the other knights guarding the housete at night before stepping inside. After returning to the room and taking a shower, I let Lina out. I sat by the window and looked up at the night sky, lost in thought about Jiun, myself, our past and present. I was now in a very subdued mood. I couldn¡¯t get what Jiun told me out of my mind. It was the sad ending that made me, Jiun and him all miserable. The more I reflected on it, the more mixed feelings I had. I sighed in spite of myself, torn between feeling vindicated and feeling bitter. He should have led a happy life because he abandoned me, but he didn¡¯t. If he had been happy, I would have resented him as much as I could, but I couldn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t. I suddenly recalled the first time when I heard God¡¯s voice after returning. At that time, God clearly said that the fate of many was twisted by the child of His blessing, so He had to turn back the time to correct it. If so, did the past when all of us were all miserable exist because of our twisted fate, or was it determined like that from the beginning? What the hell is fate? If the couple was woven into a thread of fate, then separated from each other in just a few years, if the blessed child loved by God ended her life after living miserably, was it because of their fate? Was it the fate of the empire boasting of one thousand of history to fall because of a mere duke¡¯s wild ambition? Was it his fate that despite his estrangement from Jiun, he wouldn¡¯t give her up to the end in a situation where his life was in jeopardy? I recalled the High Priest¡¯s voice that resonated through the pure white space. God said destiny was an inevitable decision given to humans. Then, who decides fate? And what does an inevitable decision mean? I have always denied the God who gave me this life, but now I had no choice but to ask Him what fate was and why He let all this happen. I asked, looking up at the darkness, where even the moon was hidden behind the clouds. Vita, Father of life, was this what you intended for me? What is the fate that Vita mentioned to me? What do you get by twisting the intentions of humans like this? You told me that many people¡¯s fate was twisted by Jiun. But what you said sounds strange somewhere. If there was a predetermined future like you said, wasn¡¯t it already twisted the moment you brought Jiun here? It was fate to have lost her by mistake, so was it a predetermined future that she would not exist in this world? Nevertheless, you brought Jiun to create the past where she, I and he were all unhappy. And this time, you epted her wish and turned back time again. No matter how much I thought about it, I cannot understand it. In order to correct the twisted fate, God should have sent her back to her world in the past. God, why did you send me and her to this time? Why should I spend a different time with her in this world rather than a predetermined future, and that twice? I rubbed my stinging head when I trembled at the thought of something that suddenly came to my mind. Was my present self also a predetermined destiny? Wasn¡¯t it me, instead of her, that God wanted to have me by turning back the clock? By doing so, didn¡¯t He try to bring up the future again for me, which was not twisted by Jiun, before her appearance? ¡®No.¡¯ I shook my head vigorously. My present self was different from the old me before Jiun appeared because I, Aristia, living at this moment, was definitely a woman created by my own choice. Didn¡¯t I make decisions without any hesitation that the old me would never have made before her appearance? Of course, because of that, I was no longer more praised as the perfect empress as I used to be. Vita, I would believe that I¡¯ve pioneered my destiny just like the middle name Pioneer you gave me. I refused it for a long time and sometimes resented it, but now I would like to thank you for giving me that name. If it weren¡¯t for that name, I would have been far away from the Imperial Pce a long ago. If so, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to share my love with him, nor dreamed of a future with him. Yes, the future with him and my new destiny. Suddenly, my frozen heart began to get warm. I suddenly missed him. I missed his always neat suit, navy blue eyes, and his voice that was cool but warm. If it weren¡¯t for this darkness, I would run to him right away, jump into his arms and tell him I came because I wanted to see him all of a sudden. ¡°Aristia.¡± I blinked my eyes slowly. What is it, a dream? Otherwise, how can I hear his voice in my room? ¡°Are you sleeping?¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± When I hurriedly turned around, I saw a human shadow under the moon that I missed so much. A neatly dressed ck robe, deep blue eyes with anxious light. Is it really him? ¡°You are¡­¡± When I jumped into his arms, he held me tightly and stiffened suddenly. While he was at a loss about what to do, he slowly wrapped my shoulders with his arms. I could feel his warmth when his body touched mine, and I was touched by the unique refreshing scent from his body. Yes, it was indeed him. He was there to love me indeed. And I was not in a dream or illusion anymore. If he hadn¡¯t loved me, if he hadn¡¯t cared about me endlessly, or if he had given me up halfway through, would I have changed my fate as it is now? Could I have ovee my past and believed in love again? ¡°¡­ Thank you.¡± ¡°Um?¡± ¡°Thank you for telling me that you love me, for not giving me up when I kept pushing you out and for changing my fate.¡± He was silent. Instead, he reached out and stroked my head as if he wanted tofort me. Suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes and dropped on his soft hands. I¡¯m not going to let this lonesome man end his life so lonely. I won¡¯t let him live alone, trembling with anxiety, without believing anybody like he did in the past because he has given me a new life. Sometimes waiting, sometimes approaching, endlessly caring for me, he has made it possible for me to create a new destiny. Surprised by my sudden tears, he whispered something, but I just tightened my hands holding him, with my mouth tightly closed. I shed tears, leaning on his chest. Tears mixed with regret, bitterness, gratitude, and relief flowed down my cheek. How much time passed? When I pulled my body from him, a bit embarrassed, he reached out and wiped off the residual tears around my eyes and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? What did you say¡­?¡± He suddenly stopped in the middle of asking carefully. Then he turned his head and said, staring into the air intensely. ¡°I¡¯ll be out for a moment.¡± ¡°Pardon? Where are you going to gote at night?¡± ¡°Well¡­ even if we are an engaged couple, I feel a bit awkward to stay with you, dressed like that¡­¡± ¡°Pardon? What¡¯s wrong with my clothes¡­¡± I took an urgent breath. After hugging me suddenly and leaving word, he left the room. Leaving alone, I stared nkly at the closed visit. Oh my God! What did I do a moment ago? Chapter 294 Chapter 294: Chapter 294 I barely lowered my head and looked at my outfit again. I was wearing a muslin chemise that has no d¨¦corrations except for a couple of folds. Did I jump into his arms wearing this? When I recalled his embarrassed expression, I blushed suddenly. While I was sitting aghast for some time, I put on other clothes with a sigh. Then, I put on a thin shawl and once again checked it before opening the door. Looking around, I saw him standing by the window at the end of a dark corridor and looking up at the sky. ¡°It¡¯s rather dark outside, but won¡¯t you walk with me for a while?¡± I nodded at him, who asked me carefully, then I walked toward the garden with him. Was it because the winter was around the corner? The night air that touched my skin was quite cold. I breathed in the moist air that wrapped around my body. The breath I was letting out faintly rolled up and scattered into the air. The moon lurking in the clouds poked out its face. In the deep night when even the worms were asleep, only the sound of his and my footsteps rang out in a space filled with a silvery halo. Listening to that small, regr sound from the grass, I looked to my side at his sudden calling. ¡°Aristia.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°As for the fate you said a little while ago¡­ are you referring to that dream?¡± I was suddenly speechless. What should I answer? Given that he asked the same question in the past, it seemed that he also knew something about my past. But do I need to tell him about it when he doesn¡¯t know the details? What if he would be hurt by what I have to say? ¡°¡­Let¡¯s sit down first. ¡± ¡°Oh, yes, Your Majesty.¡± When I nodded, he took out a handkerchief andid it on the bench. Then he had me sit down although I refused. ¡°I told you that you shouldn¡¯t sit on the cold floor as you are so weak.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you, Your Majesty. ¡± He nodded silently and sat next to me. He said, looking up silently at the branches of the de flower tree over my head, ¡°Please tell me what kind of man I was in your dream.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I want to know how I hurt you or what you wanted in your dreams.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ I want to make sure you never go through that again. ¡± When I was asked the same question in the mist in the past, I didn¡¯t answer to the end because I didn¡¯t trust him then. Of course, I didn¡¯t want to hurt him, but the bigger reason was that I didn¡¯t trust him. But now it was different because I trusted him. I knew he really loved me, so I had no reason not to tell him about my past, which I had already gotten off my chest. What I was worried about was that he might feel hurt after listening to my story. ¡°Well, I had a long dream. ¡± I began to tell him, looking up at the stars shining in the dark. I had so many stories to tell him, which started with my first meeting with him when I was ten, such as the fact that I made all-out efforts to be a woman who was suitable for him, but the more I did, the more I felt estranged from him, the fact that I was struggling to survive in the social circles, the fact that I always felt heartbroken, finding he was always cold to me, the fact I became his concubine after Jiun took the status of the empress from me, and the fact that I stood up all night, wrestling with Jiun¡¯s work, and¡­ I caught my breath slowly. I think I have to stop here and tell him no more. But even though I didn¡¯t mention the most sensitive part of my story, he already seemed to have guessed what woulde next. After remaining silent for some time with aplicated expression, he said with a deep sigh. ¡°¡­ I see. I think I know pretty much about it. It was not a happy ending, I guess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. I think I¡¯ve hurt you with useless things¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Maybe that was true. It could have happened like that. As a child, I was full of jealousy and envy towards you all the time.¡± He raised his head and looked up at the sky. As he fixed his deep blue eyes on the silvery halo in the sky, I turned my head and looked at the night sky that was gradually brightening. ¡°When I stopped by your house briefly while I was on the border inspection, I thought a lot, looking at you as you spaced out to see me. Um, let me be honest. I heard you were learning swordsmanship, and I know what happened during youring-of-age ceremony, but I didn¡¯t believe you were truly on it until then. I just thought you were doing it to draw my attention. I believed you were trying to make a protective shield just in case you might be destined to be my concubine because of your right to seed the throne.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But I knew I was mistaken when I saw you on that day. Then I suddenly became curious about why you were scared of me and why you went to the trouble of breaking off your engagement with me by all means. As I heard that you spaced out due to psychological shock, I told my staff to bring me everything that could give me some clue. And I came to see the letter from Duke Verita Jr.¡± He let out a sigh and said, ¡°I was embarrassed at first then angry. I could not understand how you could have such a dream, even if you hated me so much. So, I went to see you to give you a piece of my mind, but when I saw you sitting nkly, I suddenly thought that you looked so weak that you could crumble at any moment even at my merest touch. Only then did I recall one fact that I had forgotten for long. In other words, you were only thirteen then, and although you always acted as if you had no emotion, you were so tender that you even lost your memories because of the shock at the loss of your mother.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I suddenly felt sorry for you. Why? Because I hated you all along for what happened in your childhood, which you could not even remember. I felt even more sorry when I thought you had such a nightmare. I kept thinking you ended up being in this condition because of my childish behavior. I was even afraid you might live like that for the rest of your life.¡± I see. Come to think of it, he said things like this to me when I was between sleep and wake because of poisoning. He said he couldn¡¯t approach me for fear I would space out again, so he could not do anything for me. ¡°In fact, I felt close to Duke Jena until then. I found it difficult to deal with the two dukes and your father at that time, but Duke Jena always treated me kindly. I would not have distrusted him over the matter of the crown prince¡¯s concubine if I had not looked at you differently. I was terrified when I thought what would have happened if I had continued to hate you and trusted the duke¡­¡± His voice with a sigh echoed into the air. After remaining silent in a pensive mood for some time, he said suddenly, ¡°Aristia.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I think I was the worst in your dream¡­ How do I look now?¡± ¡°You are a great emperor.¡± When I replied in a low voice, he said with a deep sigh after quickly looking at me, ¡°Is that all? I see. I was just a good emperor to you.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Aha, that¡¯s why you cared so much about Carsein, not paying so much attention to me when I came running to save you on the day you were ambushed recently, right?¡± ¡°Oh, no, that¡¯s not true ¡­¡± He said in an exaggerated tone, stopping me when I was trying to make excuses hurriedly, ¡°Well, I think I forgot I have a bigger rival than him. Answer me, Aristia. Who is the man that has won over your heart? Me or the old me in your dream?¡± ¡°¡­ The man in my dream looked like you, but he was a totally different man from you. So, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Whew! Now I feel like the imaginary me, in addition to Carsein and Allendis, is my rival lover. Don¡¯t you think you are too popr? I feel like I¡¯m going to be consumed with anxiety about you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chapter 295 Chapter 295: Chapter 295 ¡°Well, I think I have to have a wedding ceremony quickly. I think I won¡¯t feel nervous anymore when I stop them from tempting you even in your dream.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Pardon?¡± My heart started pounding and my face blushed at his unexpected remarks. ¡®What did he say? What ceremony does he want to have quickly?¡¯ Of course, I knew as the emperor, he could not dy the wedding anymore, but I felt somewhat shy when I heard it from him directly. When I turned my head slightly, he pulled me afterughing heartily. ¡°Thank you, Aristia, for telling me honestly.¡± He spoke in a very serious voice this time. He raised his hand wrapped around my shoulder and swept my hair as if tofort me. ¡°And¡­ I¡¯m sorry to have made you dream such a painful dream. If I had been kind to you early on, you would not have had such a dream.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll be a good man to you, so you can¡¯t have such a nightmare again.¡± I was deeply touched by his voice reflecting his sincerity. My heart began to pound again, though I barely calmed down a moment ago. When I looked up at his navy blue eyes that were no longer cold and smiled, he kissed on my forehead softly, my hair that he held lightly and my lips. How much time passed? When I was looking up at the sky that turned gray, leaning on his strong arms, I heard somebody¡¯s footsteps approaching from a distance, breaking the silence of the dawn. The magical time that only the two of us shared disappeared in an instant. When I sighed with regret, he said to the messenger, gently patting my shoulder gently lightly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s time you returned to the pce. As it¡¯s time for you to wake up, there will be a big fuss if they find your room vacant.¡± ¡°Got it. Let me get ready to go, so stay away from me for a moment.¡± Ugh? Did hee here secretly? I see. That¡¯s why he had only a few bodyguards with him. As if he was pressed for time, the messenger who seemed to be a servant looked very nervous even after he was waiting for the emperor at a distance. I felt even more nervous, so I said, folding the handkerchief heid on my seat, ¡°I will wash it and return it to you.¡± ¡°Sure. Well, it¡¯s better if you return something else to me instead.¡± ¡°Pardon? Something different? ¡± While I was tilting my head, I opened my eyes wide when something suddenly came to my mind. Is he asking me for a handkerchief? A handkerchief meaning I want to be hisdy? When I uttered a little sigh, he adjusted his outfit with a smile, then reached out to put on the shawl around my shoulder and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been in the cold too long. Go inside quickly. I¡¯m afraid you might be sick again.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t call me by that official title.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Rube¡­ Won¡¯t you call me Rube from now on? ¡± My eyes were wide open. Did I hear wrong? What did he just say? Apparently he asked me to call him Rube, but that¡¯s his nickname. So, did he ask me to call him by his nickname? Really? Is he serious? My lips trembled. I have been longing to call him by that nickname so much, but I was never allowed. Only his family members or rtives, or his lover were allowed to call his nickname, so I always murmured it deep down, but never called it loudly. His full name was Rublise Kamalrudin Shana Castina. His nickname was Rube. He now asked me to call him Rube. ¡°Oh, maybe it¡¯s too early for me to ask you to call me that. It¡¯s cold, so you had better¡­¡± ¡°¡­Rube.¡± He turned back in surprise when he was about to walk away. It wasn¡¯t easy because I was choked up with emotions, but I ventured to pronounce his nickname by straining the tip of my tongue, looking up at his navy blue eyes. ¡°Good night¡­ Rube.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up! The servant is waiting for you¡­Your Majesty.¡± He walked up to me with strides and hugged me tight. When I looked up at him in surprise, he smiled and kissed on my forehead gently. ¡°Let me leave now. You don¡¯t have to see me off, so just go home and warm yourself.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°So see youter. Oh, and ¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Thank you, Tia.¡± Ugh? I stood nkly on the spot for a while, and opened my eyes when I realized something btedly. But he turned away without even giving me a chance to say something. He was fading away through the morning air. Feeling thrilled just to look at him, I put my hand on my pounding heart and smiled. *** ¡°Hi, Lady Monique. Looking at your uniform, it looks like you were on duty today.¡± I smiled slightly at the man who bowed to me politely. The middle-aged man, who was wearing the mark of the Lord Chambein, was one of those who had been serving the emperor since his crown prince days. ¡°Yes. Is His Excellency in now?¡± ¡°No, he is not.¡± ¡°Um¡­ Isn¡¯t it time he was in the office?¡± ¡°Well, he is taking a nap now. He worked all night long ¡­¡± ¡°Did he? I see. ¡± I was a little puzzled, but I nodded lightly and turned. Howe he is taking a nap at this time? As far as I know, he is not the type of person who takes a nap during business hours even if he worked all through the night. I got out of the Central Pce, feeling sorry I could not see him. When I was heading to the outer pce, greeting royal knights who bumped into me sometimes, I saw a familiar man walking toward me, with his red hair fluttering away in the wind. When I saw him, I suddenly recalled something I forgot. What an idiot! How could I forget it no matter how busy I was? ¡°Hi, Lady Monique! It looks like you¡¯re going back home after work.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m leaving now as I worked in the morning. ¡± ¡°I see. Good job. Oh, can you tell your father that I want to see him this evening for a moment?¡± ¡°Sure, Duke Lars. I¡¯m sorry to ask, but how is Carsein doing these days?¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s almost recovered, but he¡¯s stuck in the house, nevering out of his room.¡± Carsein shutting in at home? At that moment, I felt very sorry because I just naively believed him when he said he was okay. I was too indifferent to him when he was injured severely enough to lose his life. No matter how well he was treated, he could not be healing well. Besides, he was wounded while trying to save me. ¡°¡­I see. I¡¯m sorry because he was¡­¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to feel sorry. Well, it was his fate because he chose the path of fencing.¡± Duke Lars patted my shoulder, saying I didn¡¯t have to worry. He dly epted my request to see him and left. I turned, after looking at his red hair fluttering like mes for a minute. *** ¡°Hello, Lady Monique. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, butler. I¡¯vee here to see Sir Carsein. Can you ask him?¡± ¡°Sure, please wait a moment.¡± The butler of the Las family politely bowed, then returned shortly afterwards and escorted me into his room. I took a deep breath, looking at the wooden door with elegant decoration. Oh, this is not his parlour. I hear he has almost recovered. Is he still sick? ¡°Hey, long time, no see!¡± With his chin on hand, the young man with red hair was sitting on a round table in a spacious room surrounded by creamy wallpaper. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Carsein¡­I¡¯m sorry foringte. Are you feeling okay? Are you still sick?¡± I just asked hesitantly as I didn¡¯t have the heart to approach him out of guilty conscience. Was it because he didn¡¯t like my hesitant attitude? Tilting his head to the side, he gestured toward me. Then he hit me on my forehead gently when I approached him. ¡°Hey, howe you havee only now when your master is sick in bed like this? Ugh?¡± ¡°¡­Sorry.¡± ¡°Hmm. It seems like you know what you did wrong, given your hesitant look. Well, good. As you know, I¡¯m generous, so let me give you a pass. I think you must have been busy, too, as you were up and running only recently.¡± I felt some pain on my forehead, but I was more relieved to see him vibrant. What a relief! I was worried about the aftereffects of his wounds because I heard that he got stuck at home. Chapter 296 - Chapter 296 Chapter 296: Chapter 296 ¡°How about your wounds?¡± ¡°Well, almost healed. I feel some pain in my back, but it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sein. Because of me, you are¡­¡± ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t I tell you not to say anything like that to me? Why do you think I was wounded because of you? Those who targeted your life were to me. Are you really okay? That betrayer¡­ Sorry, you almost died because of him. ¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m alright.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m relieved to hear that.¡± He nodded once, then closed his mouth. In a moment, silence fell on us. As I felt awkward, I took a big breath and looked around. Come to think of it, it was the first time I came into his room. The spacious room had very little furniture, except for what was absolutely necessary, as if it showed the character of the owner, but it had a distinctive feature. There were all kinds of swords hanging on the wall. Given the crude and concise shapes of the swords, they all seemed to be swords for practical use, not for disy. One or two were also familiar to me. That sword over there is probably one he received when he was appointed as a full-fledged knight, the one on the top right was from my father when he learned the fencing style of my family from my father, and the sword hung near the door was one that he usually carried. The one in the middle looks like the one Allendis used to use. ¡°Why are you looking at the swords with such a curious expression?¡± ¡°Well, I just feel you¡¯ve got lots of them. Is collecting swords your hobby?¡± ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t call it my hobby. But they are all meaningful to me. I collected them one by one, so the number ended up increasing like that. ¡± ¡°Really? All of them?¡± ¡°Oh. Let me see. This is the first real good sword I¡¯ve ever held , this one made me feel helpless when I sparred with your father, that was the one you used on the day our squad was chosen as the best squad, and the top one was the one you were holding on the day you and I were ambushed. And that middle one ¡­¡± Carsein suddenly stopped while exining about the meaning of the swords, with his eyes glowing. His blue eyes quickly scanned all kinds of swords on the wall. ¡°Ha¡­¡± ¡°Ugh? What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, nothing. Oh my, I think I¡¯m addicted.¡± He giggled, sweeping his disheveled hair with his hands. I felt like I shouldn¡¯t be talking to him as he was making a serious expression, so I was a bit agonized about what to do. At that moment, I heard somebody knocking outside. In no time a maid came in and cautiously asked, ¡°Can I bring some tea, master?¡± ¡°Tea?¡± ¡°I know you haven¡¯t had teately, but your sister-inw told me to ask you if you wanted tea and snacks, saying it¡¯s not good manners not to treat a guest.¡± You don¡¯t drink tea? I tilted my head. I knew he didn¡¯t enjoy tea that much, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have tea at all. ¡°Sister-inw said that? Got it. Let me have tea. Oh no Tia, can you make tea for me since it¡¯s been such a long time? ¡± ¡°Ugh? Sure. Hibiscus? ¡± ¡°Did you hear it? Bring us some tea leaves and hot water. And snacks, too.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± Shortly afterwards the maid came back with tea leaves and teapot, then went out. After brewing some well-dried tea leaves, I put a sugar cube in the red hibiscus and handed it to him. ¡°Here you are. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll like it because I haven¡¯t brewed in such a long time. ¡± ¡°I know the tea you brew tastes the best. Thank you, Tia. ¡± Looking at the bright red tea, he said suddenly, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we have drunk tea face to face.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°Well, this reminds me of my old memories. On a rainy day like this, we used to sit by the window and drink tea. ¡± Nodding at him, I said, recalling the vivid memories of my childhood, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I liked a rainy day back then. Well, looking back, I think we didn¡¯t do the right thing. You know, when we all got soaked in the rain because we were a bitte.¡± ¡°Hey, Allendis was the best. To be honest, the fuss over your family was nothingpared to that guy. Hmm. Is he doing okay these days?¡± ¡°¡­No idea. It seems he stopped by his house a couple of times.¡± ¡°Really? It¡¯s good to know he was still alive. Hmm, live and learn. How did I know I would miss him like this?¡± said Carsein, putting his cup down with a giggle, ¡°I feel so good as we are talking about our childhood memories. I miss those days, and even want to go back.¡± ¡°To your childhood?¡± ¡°Yes. Then, I think I can do better than now without regret. ¡± When I heard that, I suddenly recalled my life after returning. I also realized something only recently. ¡°Won¡¯t you have regrets even if you go back? I think it¡¯s much more important to know how to take advantage of the given opportunity than how many opportunities you are given. ¡± ¡°¡­ I think so.¡± Carsein responded slowly in a pensive mood. Then he said after drinking tea for a while, ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°As for the promise you made to me back then¡­ I don¡¯t think you have to keep it.¡± ¡°Ugh? Why? Are you angry? ¡± I asked carefully. Although I couldn¡¯t keep the promise to spend a couple of days together with him after the festival was over, I couldn¡¯t because of some unavoidable situation. I felt sorry because I had to keep dying it. Looking out the window, he brought up a different topic. ¡°My mother told me she had someone she loved.¡± ¡°¡­¡± When I blinked nkly at that, he continued, still looking out the window, ¡°She got engaged to the man at the initiative of thete emperor, but it seemed that she fell in love with him at first nce. But one day he asked for the breakoff, saying he found another woman that he loved.¡± ¡°How was it possible? The duchess ¡­ ¡± ¡°Well, he vowed allegiance to the imperial family in return for breaking off his engagement with my mother and marrying another woman.¡± ¡°What ¡­¡± I moaned at the unexpected fact that he revealed. Did he vow lifelong allegiance to the imperial family in return for marrying a woman he loved? Then, is that man my father who was Duchess Lars¡¯s fiance? Was my father once her fiance? Suddenly, one question that I had forgotten for a long time came to my mind. I thought my father¡¯s oath of blood was too significant for the problem of my mother¡¯s family background. Like I did recently, did my father inevitably choose to swear to break off his engagement with the princess? That¡¯s why he was called the romanticist of the century because he not only dedicated himself to my mother but also chose her, giving up the position of the princess¡¯s husband that could guarantee all kinds of wealth and glory. ¡°I heard that my mother was very hurt by his breakoff. She once thought of giving up her status as a princess and going to the temple. Then, it was my father who reached out to her, I hear.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°My mother said though she didn¡¯t love my father, she decided to marry him because she felt happy andfortable to be around him. It seemed that she was not thrilled to see him, she felt she could rely on him and live together for the rest of her life. One day when she was having a good life with my father after marriage, she suddenly realized that although she couldn¡¯t feel anything like burning love, there was another kind of love that was gentle and still like the running water, and that she was in love with him, too, at some point.¡± I felt heavy somehow. I didn¡¯t know what to say. Why is Carsein suddenly telling me this? ¡°¡­ Well, I also wanted to live like that. I wanted to love a woman deeply like my father did, and I wanted to be loved gently like my mother was.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You know, Tia. Do you remember that field at that time? We walked together briefly on the way up from your estate. ¡± ¡°Ugh? Oh, yes. Sure.¡± I was a little embarrassed when he suddenly changed the topic, but I nodded readily instead of asking why. Somehow I felt I should not ask him anymore at this moment. Besides, the field he and I walked together on that day was still on my mind with vivid memories. Chapter 297 - Chapter 297 Chapter 297: Chapter 297 When I left my estate for the capital, I had an unforgettable time with Carsein at the ce where I had to stop because the wheels of my wagon got stuck in the mud. It was a golden-colored field under the sparkling autumn sunshine, and Carsein¡¯s hair scattered by the wind was burning like a me. How can I forget the scenery of that day that was so peaceful and beautiful? ¡°In fact, I was going to ask you to go there with me, and I had something to tell you there. But I don¡¯t have to do it. So, it¡¯s okay. Do not care about it.¡± I was bothered by his lonely voice when he said that. Why did he say he didn¡¯t need to go there now? What did he want to say? When I looked at him with anxious eyes, he quickly changed his facial expression and said with a smile, ¡°Isn¡¯t it time you should leave? It looks like you¡¯re on your way back home.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, I should. But Sein¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t think I can escort you far, but let me take you to the wagon. ¡± He got up and reached out. As if he no longer wanted to talk with me, I could read his determination on his face. The moment I raised my body, holding up the urge to ask more questions, something sparkling came into my eyes. It wasn¡¯t a rose-shaped ruby ??button he always wore, but a golden cufflink engraved with the crest of the Lars family. I was now in a more subdued mood, since I heard about my father and the duchess. I thought something was strange, but I couldn¡¯t have the heart to ask him because he was so different today.. I barely moved my heavy legs out of his house. It was getting dark already, and when I looked around, I saw a wagon waiting on one side. I said, walking towards it, ¡°Goodbye, Sein. Take good care.¡± ¡°Oh, goodbye!¡± When I was about to turn after smiling at him who was waving at me, he suddenly held me and said urgently, ¡°Hey, Tia.¡± ¡°Ugh? Why, Sein? ¡± ¡°You know, so¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­Oh, never mind.¡± Hesitating for a long time, he let go of me with a smile. I felt heartbroken, seeing him stroking my head gently, seeing how mellow he was now. What the heck? Sein, what¡¯s going on? I waited for him to talk because I felt something strange, but he just stared at me with his subdued eyes and spoke nothing. I hesitated, checking the expression of the knights waiting for me. I have to go now, but I couldn¡¯t leave because I was bothered by his so different attitude today. ¡°Hey, Sein.¡± ¡°Just go. Your father must be concerned about you as you will be getting backte.¡± ¡°Um¡­Got it. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± I looked back after walking ahead hesitantly. Can I really leave like this? I waited a little longer, just in case, but he was still silent. ¡®Well, I¡¯ve to go now.¡¯ The moment I walked again with a sigh, I heard his low voice behind my back. ¡°Goodbye, Tia.¡± His heavy voice struck an emotional chord in me. Only then did I realize something. Namely, he was now saying something like separation to me. I suddenly recalled his unusual actions today. I saw him often lost in thought in the middle of talking to me, he suddenly brought up the topic about our childhood memories, I saw the golden cuff button instead of the one he always put on, and he now said he didn¡¯t have to go to the ce of our memories. I see why he said that. He was wrapping up his heart to say goodbye to me as a romantic partner. Of course, I had suspicion that he had some romantic feeling toward me. Sometimes he acted like a close friend of mine, sometimes like a friendly brother, but sometimes he was too close to be a friend or brother. But I think I was mistaken because he never went beyond the red line. I thought he acted like that because he had nobody he could call a friend. I just thought he was rather excessive in showing friendship to me. At that moment I felt him gazing at me from my behind. I felt the strong urge to look back, but I held it back, biting my lip tightly. I knew it would not do anything good for him if I looked back at him now. All I could do now, or all I had to do was to ept his separation from me. I didn¡¯t have the option of looking back. I lifted my frozen legs and climbed into the wagon. As I sat down, I suddenly recalled the numerous things I experienced with him, such as our meeting for the first time when we didn¡¯t like each other, the moments of him teaching fencing to me with tears andughter, the day he and I battled the assassins, the pleasant time when I danced as led by him,st winter when he shared his warmth with me, giving me herbal medicine, when my body was getting cold, and the good happy times together in the golden field on way back to the capital were all vividly embedded in my memories. I waved at him, raising my trembling hand. The door of my wagon closed, and the wheels began rolling. My eyes were blurred with tears all of a sudden because I saw through the curtain a lonely man standing there, just like he had been three years ago. My heart ached. With my hand on my aching heart, I whispered to him who was disappearing into a red dot. ¡®Goodbye, Sein.¡¯ *** The next day I went to the Imperial Pce for two days in a row to make up for my missing days. My guard duty, which I began in the chilly air even before the sunrise, was done around lunch time. The young man, who turned over his diary work log to the knights who came for a shift, looked at me and said, ¡°Good job, Sir Monique.¡± ¡°Nice job, Sir Ryan and Sir Feden. It was a little easier today. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I wish my duty would be like this every day. Oh, are you done for today? ¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Um, if you have time, can you have lunch with us? We all haven¡¯t seen you since that day, so we feel it rather regrettable not to see you more often.¡± I gently smiled at Sir Ryan looking at me desperately. I thought it¡¯s a good opportunity because I wanted to express my gratitude to them for their dedicated efforts to protect me on the day I was ambushed. ¡°Great, no problem.¡± ¡°Well, are you serious? I didn¡¯t know you would really ept our request.¡± ¡°Lady Monique, you are here. I¡¯ve been looking for you for some time. ¡± Everybody looked at the man who suddenly appeared before me. As he recognized the middle-aged man, Sir Ryan, who was overjoyed a moment ago, hardened his face. ¡°You are the Lord Chambein of the Central Pce? Why are you here?¡± ¡°The emperor said he felt sorry you went away without seeing him yesterday, so he wants to see you as soon as you are done for the day.¡± ¡°Really? Got it.¡± When I looked back at them with an embarrassed expression, the knight with brown hair said, stopping Sir Ryan who was hesitant to say something to me, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t keep the emperor waiting. Please go ahead!¡± ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry. How about the dinner in the evening?¡± ¡°Really? Of course, sounds good.¡± ¡°Good. See you then.¡± ¡°Got it. Goodbye for now, Sir Monique. I¡¯ll tell my colleagues about the dinner.¡± After smiling lightly at the young knight who answered with a bright expression, I followed the Lord Chambein to the Central Pce. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Um? Are you still greeting me formally like that?¡± Looking at me greeting him quietly, he said in a stern voice, hardening his face, ¡°You don¡¯t have to greet me like that because I don¡¯t need that between you and me.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will keep it in mind.¡± I smiled at his friendly reminder, but he still seemed dissatisfied. ¡°And¡­Um, I¡¯m sorry I seem to beining as soon as I see you like this. Can you call me friendly when you are with me alone? I don¡¯t feel good when you say that because I feel you are trying to keep a distance from me.¡± ¡°Ah¡­sorry, Your Majesty. I¡¯ll try to correct it¡­¡± Chapter 298 Chapter 298: Chapter 298 It was difficult for me to change my way of speaking to him overnight because I got used to it for so long. He looked at me when I was stuttering without knowing what to do, thenughed. ¡°Oh my¡­ I was going to grumble about you a bit more, but I can¡¯t. You are so cute. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. I think you can change it gradually. It¡¯s going to be a great fun for me to watch you feeling awkward about it in the meantime. ¡± My face blushed at that. I fanned my face with my hand, turning my eyes away from him who seemed to enjoy teasing me, then I tilted my head a bit because I felt a bit ufortable. I felt strange about his look. He looked a bit pale, or maybe not. ¡°Your Majesty, are you sick? You don¡¯t look good now¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just a little tired. ¡± I knitted my brows. Obviously, he was a bit surprised when I asked, and his voice, which sounded dynamic as a rule, was not spirited at all today. ¡®I feel he isn¡¯t in good shape today.¡¯ He said with an embarrassed expression, watching me still looking at me suspiciously, ¡°I¡¯m serious. I think I worked too much because there was lots of work backed up.¡± ¡°¡­ You have to take a rest. Why are you still staying in the pce?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. I can manage it. Since the big conference just ended, there is so much work to do.¡± ¡°But you still need to rest. Nothing is more important than your health. So please put down the papers now. ¡± When I spoke firmly, he said with a smile while pondering over something, ¡°Let¡¯s do it this way. While I¡¯m taking a break, won¡¯t you handle these documents for me? ¡± ¡°¡­ What are you talking about? All these documents need your approval, right? ¡± ¡°Well, there is a precedent that when the emperor was away, the empress handled state affairs, so I think you arepetent enough to do it. I see no problem at all.¡± ¡°But that was hundreds of years ago¡­¡± I shut up while trying to balk at his suggestion when he chuckled at me. He asked me with an interesting expression, ¡°Well, can I take what you just said as meaning that you don¡¯t deny your role as the empress?¡± ¡°Well¡­.¡± I was embarrassed, but I felt it was unfair. When did he treat me so casually? Not only yesterday, but also today, he spoke to me without changing his facial expression at all. ¡°What date is good for you? The sooner, the better for me.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Call me, Rube.¡± ¡°Oh, Ru¡­¡± I suddenly stopped saying, while trying to call his nickname. Oh, no, I¡¯m not supposed to call him like that. My head was again in the clouds. After calming down my confused mind, I took a deep breath, then opened my mouth slightly. Despite my serious concern about his condition, he was just beating around the bush while teasing me. What if he bes sick? Besides, it¡¯s only recently that the trial of the poisoning incident was wrapped up. ¡°Why do you keep wasting your time when you overworked? Please stop here and take a break.¡± ¡°Um? I¡¯m going to feel sorry if you insist. The time I spend with you is the biggest break for me. Howe you are pushing me out of here? Do you feel so ufortable about being around me? ¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not what I mean. I just feel you need a good rest¡­¡± ¡°Well, you came here, then just went away without seeing me yesterday. You came here only when I sent someone to bring you here today. I feel sad because only I want to spend time with you.¡± He expressed regrets as if he was sour towards me. I broke into a smile with a sign when I saw himining. I was a bit frustrated about him who didn¡¯t appreciate my concern, but at the same time, I was thrilled to think that he really cared about me. Little did I think this kind of day would evere to me, but it was a pleasure to learn about his various aspects I had never known before. ¡°Why are youughing at me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t feel sad, Your Majesty. I think I have made a mistake.¡± ¡°Um?¡± ¡°I should have left a message, but I didn¡¯t. It was my fault. I never thought that you might feel sad. ¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean to take issue with it at all.¡± When I saw him clearing his throat as if he was embarrassed, I was about to chuckle again, but I held it back because he would be really mad if Iughed at him at the moment. So, I changed my facial expression quickly and gave him something I had kept since yesterday. He took the silver box curiously and unwrapped the blue string. He was surprised to confirm what¡¯s inside. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°Such as it is, please take it as a sign of my sincerity.¡± ¡°Have you made it by yourself? You must have been very busy, but when did you take time out to make this¡­?¡± ¡°Well¡­Actually, I didn¡¯t make it this time. I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. Next time, I¡¯ll make a new one for you¡­Your Majesty? ¡± He suddenly stood up and hugged me. I was a little surprised, but I left myself with him naturally as I was already used to. I was about to close my eyes, surrounded by his cool body odor, because I felt his breathing on my ears. Since I felt strange, I gently pulled my hand from his chest and moved it to his face instead of forehead. I felt fever on his face. Did he have a fever like this until now? When I looked up at him with an angry expression, he quickly let go of me with an embarrassed expression. ¡°I will call the royal doctor now.¡± ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t feel that bad¡­¡± ¡°Why are you saying you are okay with a fever like this? No way. You should be treated right away.¡± ¡°Well, I had a checkup already. The doctor said I got sick from fatigue.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for lying. I didn¡¯t want to worry you. I got better after a day¡¯s break¡­ ¡± Oh my¡­ he had a break yesterday because he was sick. When I opened my eyes narrowly and stared at him, he looked at me nervously. I sighed, looking at him. If I could have my way, I would have him take a rest right away, but I couldn¡¯t say because I was bothered by what he told me a little while ago. ¡°¡­Are these all the documents that you have to review and approve?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I have for approval today. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can handle it, but let me do my best, so please take a rest.¡± ¡°Thank you, Tia.¡± Brightening his face, he moved next to my seat, pretending to look into the box. I smiled at him because it was so cute for him to look at the handkerchief embroidered with the crest of a roaring lion without even holding it for fear he could crush it. ¡°By the way, is this the same one that I saw in the past?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± On the day when I started my period, or I thought I did, I made that handkerchief, thinking about him. It wasn¡¯t until I was done embroidering his initials after the crest of the imperial family that I came to my senses. I tried to cut it away and forget it, but couldn¡¯t. In fact, I made the white handkerchief with my blood and sweat in every stitch. When I was insulted as an infertile woman, I was enraged with anger due to wounded pride. I officially announced the breakoff of my engagement with him with the intent to get even with him as much as I suffered. Then I looked at this handkerchief with much mixed feelings when I got back home. When he came to see me, he noticed the handkerchief and asked me what it was, wondering whether I thought of him as my lover. I answered coldly that he was in the past, but not now. ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I am sorry for what happened at that time, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to me you for this¡­I was just wondering if you still considered me as your lover then,¡± he said hurriedly in embarrassment. I felt sorry for him when he was trying to check even a small change in my facial expression. I could understand that because I always pushed him out. . Chapter 299 Chapter 299: Chapter 299 I slowly reached out and put my hand on his back. Then I wrapped his hands that were hot with fever, and said with a smile, ¡°Of course. You have always been my one and only love.¡± ¡°¡­Tia. ¡± When I spoke word by word clearly, his navy blue eyes trembled. He looked at me silently for a long time, then slowly pulled me and held me in his arms. ¡°Thank you. Actually, I was worried that I forced you to do something against your will.¡± ¡°Oh no! How could I?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but I just wanted to find a token that you were mine. That way I wanted to dissipate the fear a bit that you might leave me¡­¡± I felt heartbroken to hear that. I was such a bad woman. I made him hurt so much because I could not send him a clear signal. How much did he hurt, looking at me who didn¡¯t clearly close my mind to him nor warm up to him? As he had been waiting for me like that, it was natural that he was afraid I might change my mind. On my part, I was also afraid I might be abandoned by him again, although I knew how he felt toward me. ¡°I will make a scarf for your formal dress tomorrow. Gloves the day after tomorrow and some other thing three dayster¡­¡± ¡°¡­Tia. ¡± ¡°So, don¡¯t worry. Okay?¡± ¡°Oh, how kind of you¡­¡± His navy blue eyes stared at me, which reflected another type of fever that¡¯s different from one caused by body aches. I nced down, trying to calm down my pounding heart, and put my arms around his neck. The moment he was about to kiss me, he suddenly stopped and rxed his arm. Then he said with a sigh, ¡°Oh, my God¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°¡­ You shouldn¡¯t be infected by me. I think I have to refrain from it today with regrets.¡± He grabbed my hand with a very regrettable expression and kissed the back of it. Although I was thrilled by his very affectionate attitude, I was more concerned about his condition because I could feel fever even on his lips. ¡°Please take a rest. What if your condition gets worse?¡± ¡°Got it. Let me take a rest. By the way, Tia?¡± ¡°Yes, please go ahead.¡± ¡°Do you remember what happened in the imperial garden on the day when thete emperor¡¯s state funeral was held?¡± ¡°Of course I do. Why did you suddenly mention¡­?¡± ¡°That day I fell asleep before I knew it. In fact, I had been suffering from insomnia at that time, but I think it¡¯s the first time I slept sofortably. So¡­¡± My heart was pounding because I thought I knew what he wanted from me. As I blushed without replying anything, he smiled and leaned on myp. I stiffened when I felt his warmth on my legs. ¡°Are you ufortable?¡± ¡°Oh, no¡­¡± His navy blue eyes, which I always looked up at, were now looking up at me. When I blushed because I felt a bit awkward and shy, he fell asleep with a smile. His disheveled hair kept catching my eyes, but I tried to take my eyes off from him and pulled a bunch of documents carefully. As if to show Duke Verita¡¯spetence, the documents prepared by him seemed to be a bundle of six folders, but two of them were unusually thick. ¡±Okay, let me take care of these first.¡¯ I put aside one of them because I could easily take care of it, given the emblem of the pce affairs office on its cover. So, I picked up the documents submitted by the government and handed over the pages carefully. The document was about the wandering people in the border areas. I heard the emperor sent Marquis of Enesil there a while ago. It looked like he was doing better than expected. Ugh? He mediated a dispute between the kingdom of Lisa and other kingdoms? By diplomatic means without mobilizing forces? I recalled that young marquise with golden hair, who always smiled with bright green eyes. I knew I had a political sense, but never did I know he was such a superb negotiator. A satisfied smile came to my lips. I felt good because there were lots of talented people during the current emperor¡¯s reign. By the way, I don¡¯t think I can¡¯t handle this matter. There were a lot of sensitive issues written on the thick rolls of paper, including the drafts of the treaties that Marquis Enesil concluded with other kingdoms, which could go into effect as soon as the emperor approved. I carefully put down the documents in question and picked up a bunch of thin papers. Originally, I tried to take care of the thick documents, but I thought I had better handle other documents because I could make short work of the pce affairs stuff. The official letter from the temple showed that most of the senior priests had been drastically cut, along with the request of the High Priest that the temple wanted to keep a good rtionship with the imperial family in the future. The diplomatic document sent by the kingdom of Lisa said that they would agree to have the princess taken as hostage by the empire. There were also documents on the traitors. I was shocked to see the results of their wealth returned to the imperial family. Did Duke Jenna make so much money despite my destruction of many of his merchant groups? Granted, they produced the first empress, but their umted wealth was simply too much, so much so that theirbined wealth was as much as that of a kingdom. I came to know it during the investigation, but probably that was why the Jena family hated our family. Even before they were called the foremost loyal family of the empire, the Jena family imed its stake in what the imperial family had been doing behind the scenes. It was because of their stake that they promoted the banner of Volente Castina, but as my family established an absolutely reliable rtionship with the imperial family through the oath of blood, the Jena family had to see its dominant role taken over by my family. As a result, they became more and more estranged from the imperial family and changed their position in line with that of the noble faction. ¡°Why are you looking so serious? Do you find anything bad in it? ¡± ¡°Oh, Your Majesty, you are awake. I wish you slept a little more.¡± When I responded to his sleepy voice, putting down the documents, he nodded slightly and looked up at me. He was already awake and looked at me. ¡°I slept for a couple of hours. I think I had a really good sleep after a long time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really worried as you can¡¯t sleep well all the time. Not a day or two, but almost always¡­¡± ¡°Well, I think I can solve the problem sooner orter.¡± ¡°Really? How?¡± ¡°I used to sleep well every time you were with me, so I can sleep well if you are with me all the time.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He smiled brightly at me, who was speechless at that moment. Much relieved by his better condition, I put my hand on his forehead. He still had slight fever, but fever seemed to have dropped a bit. ¡°By the way, what made you look so serious a little moment ago? I think there are no serious troubles these days.¡± ¡°It was nothing special. Well, it seems that you only need to respond to the official letter from the temple. It looks like the High Priest is bent on cleaning up the temple. ¡± ¡°I see. What else?¡± ¡°There are three matters raised by the government. One from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and two from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The former was about the returning of the traitors¡¯ wealth. I think the wealth of the imperial family increased a lot because of that. Did you do it on purpose?¡± ¡°Are you talking about the fact that I decided to return their wealth to the imperial family, not to the Treasury Ministry?¡± He did not answer my question, but he admitted by smiling at me. Well, I thought he would. What¡¯s the big deal anyway? If I had not been a daughter of the Monique family, I would have taken issue with it. But my family always put the interests of the imperial family before the pro-emperor¡¯s. I said, nced at him gently, ¡°I think you should review one of the documents sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They contained things like the agreements and treaty drafts with other kingdoms.¡± ¡°Really? Hmm. What did you think when you reviewed them?¡± Chapter 300 Chapter 300: Chapter 300 ¡°Well¡­I was not well versed in diplomatic affairs, but I noticed a couple of uses that could be interpreted ambiguously. If you feel the same way, I think you had better call the Foreign Ministry officials and double check them.¡± ¡°Good. Thanks for the advice. I will keep it in mind. ¡± When I saw him answering seriously, I suddenly felt immensely gratified. I couldn¡¯t realize that I was discussing with him, who was leaning on myp, about diplomatic affairs. I could not believe he was listening to me seriously after asking for my opinion. ¡°Um, why is that?¡± ¡°Oh, no, Your Majesty. Where did I leave off?¡± ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re distracted in my presence? Well, that hurts my pride.¡± ¡°Why are you teasing me again?¡± When I responded with a short sigh, he said with a smile, ¡°Well, you can tell me about the other document sent by the Foreign Ministry.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. It was an official letter from the kingdom of Lisa, saying they would send a princess to the empire as hostage.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ I clearly said I would not ept her¡­¡± He murmured, then stopped. He sprang to his feet after looking at me for a while. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, Tia. You¡¯re my one and only love. I will never take any woman as my concubine.¡± When I saw him embarrassed, I broke into a smile in spite of myself. Of course, I would lie if I didn¡¯t pay any attention to it, but I really didn¡¯t care about it at all. I momentarily thought of pretending to be angry with him for a moment, but I just nodded with a smile, ¡°Got it. I won¡¯t get you wrong.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± When I saw him breathing a sigh of relief, I could not help butugh. But I organized the documents one by one, trying to control my expression on my face. When I reached out to pick up some other documents after sorting out the essential ones, I felt some tingling sense on my head, which started from my legs and back. ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡± ¡°Oh dear, are you okay, Tia?¡± When I smiled awkwardly at him, he said, watching me moving my numb legs cautiously, ¡°What should I do? I wish I could massage your body, but¡­.¡± ¡°Massage me? Oh, no thanks. I¡¯ll be alright a littleter.¡± When I hurriedly waved my hands, he sat right next to me and said with a smile, ¡°Well, let me lend you myp, so lean here. You will feel much better if you spread your legs. ¡± ¡°Oh no, Your Majesty. I¡¯m fine ¡­ ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be shy,e on.¡± Although I shook my head to say no, he pulled me in the blink of an eye andy me on hisp. Then he said, pressing lightly against me when I was trying to get up, startled,¡±It¡¯s fair, isn¡¯t it. So, just lean on myp.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Well, this is the document you missed. As you have decided to help me, please. You can stay in the same posture, lying on myp.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, oh, Rube, please.¡± I swallowed a sigh. Once again I tried to get up, straining my body, but I could not because of tingling in my legs. In the end, I looked up at him desperately, but he just smiled casually as if he didn¡¯t notice it. My heart was pounding loudly enough for him to hear. I felt my face blushing. ¡°Are you hot?¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, no.¡± ¡°Then, why is your face so red?¡± ¡°¡­Are you going to keep teasing me?¡± When I replied in a sullen voice, he raised me up with a heartyugh. After sweeping my silvery hair hanging down to my waist, he said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t wait anymore. You¡¯re full of charm, and now you are so cute!¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, I originally wanted to wait until spring, but I think I should advance the date. How about the wedding ceremony during the New Year festival?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. We have two months left. Besides, all the nobles areing to the capital to give me New Year¡¯s greetings, so it won¡¯t be burdensome for them. All the traitors will be executed next week, so by the New Year the imperial power will have been stabilized. So, I think the timing of our wedding ceremony is good.¡± His point made sense. Given that it was the wedding ceremony of the emperor, the ruler of the empire, two months might not be enough for the preparations, but there would be no problem if they made the preparations in haste. Except for the winter factor, it seemed the wedding ceremony during the New Year holidays would be held without any big problem. Oh, wait a minute. Is it possible? The moment I thought about it again, it was toote. He already made up his mind, so I stood up quickly, squinting at his navy blue eyes full of joy. ¡°I think you¡¯re already up and running since you are teasing me now. I¡¯m relieved now. I think I can go back without worrying about you.¡± ¡°Um? Going back? Where?¡± ¡°I forgot it for a moment, but I have an appointment with the colleagues of my knights divisions. Have a good rest, Your Majesty. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± After bowing out politely, I quickly moved out of his office before he grabbed me again. But unfortunately he grabbed me faster than I got out. He urgently stopped me and said, ¡°I am sorry. I won¡¯t tease you anymore.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. You were so cute when you were embarrassed that I just¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t believe he would teased me whenever he met me. I didn¡¯t know when he started doing it. He was not the type of person who messed with me like this. Of course, I didn¡¯t hate it. ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Well, but I¡¯m serious about the wedding ceremony. So, can¡¯t you give it a serious thought?¡± ¡°¡­ Well, I think you had better consult with my father about it¡­¡± ¡°Does it mean that you won¡¯t care about holding the wedding ceremony at a early date?¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving then,¡± I answered in a low voice, then quickly got out of his office. I leaned against a white stone pir outside the office and wrapped my blushed face with both hands. Then I put my hand on my pounding heart and gasped for breath. Why did he suddenly bring up that topic? Of course, I don¡¯t hate it, but he mentioned it abruptly. How much time passed? I came to my senses at the coldness of the stone pir on my back. As I looked around slowly, I noticed the scenery outside the dark window. I didn¡¯t know time passed so quickly like this. I¡¯m going to bete for the appointment. I quickened my steps to the knights division building. When I hurriedly stepped inside, the knights gathered here came running to me and surrounded me. My eyes were open wide. What the heck? Why are there so many knights around me? ¡°Sir Monique, wee back!¡± ¡°Ah yes. But Sir Ryan, are these knights here¡­?¡± ¡°Sorry. There weren¡¯t many at first, but as the rumor spread that we¡¯re going to have dinner with you, they just came in droves to join us, so I selected these guys among them. So, please understand generously this time.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± When I answered readily, Sir Ryan smiled broadly as if he was relieved. I also smiled at him and headed for the dining hall. As I sat at the spacious dining table with them, each of them talked to me one by one with a smile. ¡°Sir Monique, please help yourself a lot.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that the day woulde when I would have dinner with you like this. I¡¯m deeply moved.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to know you are safe.¡± ¡°Thank you. Please help yourself.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Monique.¡± After replying loudly, they picked up forks and spoons. Suddenly, it was noisy everywhere. I saw some of them busy picking up food, some chatting with their friends, some discussing a certain topic while they were enjoying food. I wish I had this kind of get-together dinner early one if they liked it so much. While I was having food in a cheerful mood, Sir Freia, who put down a ss of water, made a serious expression and said, ¡°Sorry, Sir Monique. If I had not divided the units like that¡­¡± ¡°Oh, no. I also agreed to be assigned to that unit. I¡¯m rather afraid that other members of the unit would be disadvantaged because of me.¡± Chapter 301 - Chapter 56 Chapter 301: Chapter 56 My voice trembled as if I was surprised. I heard the knights, watching me duelling the man, running to me in a hurry. They pushed the man out and asked with a very worried look. ¡°Mydy, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Were you injured?¡± ¡°No, I was a little surprised, but I wasn¡¯t hurt. ¡± ¡°Did you say you were surprised? Hey, what are you doing? Bring some cold water!¡± Sir League shoute. The young knight, who duelled with me a moment ago, rushed to get water. I smiled awkwardly. I was not as surprised as he thought. To tell the truth, I was more surprised right now than a moment ago because they asked me a barrage of questions. ¡°Mydy, please drink some water.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Ecs.¡± The young knight who came back in no time quickly offered a water bottle. I took a sip of water after receiving the cold bottle. I smiled naturally at their warmth when they looked at me with concern. Sir League looked at me with a warm expression, ¡°Lady, you are very pretty. Smile more often. You used to be cute in the past. Time flies so fast!¡± ¡°Thank you for saying that, Sir League.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. I mean it. I¡¯m a bit worried about how your father is doing these days. If you get married¡­¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± While I was smiling awkwardly at his repeated praise, I heard a cold voice from behind. I grinned broadly, turning to the man who asked Sir League. ¡°Have you been doing well, Daddy?¡± ¡°Yes, Tia. Did you have a good day today? ¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°It looks like you practiced fencing after a long time.¡± ¡°Yes, I think I have to start over. You must be very tired. Come on in. ¡± After saying goodbye to the knights who felt sorry I had to leave, I went to the mansion with my father. He didn¡¯t have to go to the pce today, and he had just returned after weing back the crown prince who arrived in the capital. Yes, today was the day he returned to the capital. ¡°You came back early today, Daddy?¡± ¡°Well, If I hadn¡¯t met Arkint in the middle, I would havee much earlier. By the way, Tia? ¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± ¡°Arkint asked me how much you have learned with respect to your new work. He asked if you coulde to his office to take over his work. He said if you didn¡¯t mind, you coulde, starting the day after tomorrow. ¡± Time really passed so fast. It looked like yesterday when I decided to join the 1st Knights Division as an aide to Duke Lars when spring came, but it was already almost one year since I made that decision. Today is the 3rd day of thest month of the year. Next month would bring in a new year. ¡°Sure, I wille to his office the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Good. By the way, the crown prince has sent you a message¡± ¡°¡­His Majesty? ¡± ¡°Well, like he said the other day, he wanted to see you at the crown prince¡¯s pce in the afternoon the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡± I recalled a colorful letter paper sprinkled with gold pearls on a blue background that I received from the crown prince the other day. I remembered its contents, too. When I thought of facing him again, I felt gloomy suddenly. With a sigh, I nodded to my father, who looked at me nervously. As I can¡¯t disobey the crown prince¡¯s order, I had to go see him the day after tomorrow. Two dayster, I headed for the Imperial Pce after telling my father about my visit. As my father and Duke Lars went to work every other day, they rarely met at the pce unless they made an appointment. That meant I had little chance of bumping into my father. ¡®It looks like I have no asion to meet my father during the day.¡¯ I sighed, feeling regret about it. Although I couldn¡¯t rely on his protection forever, I still felt a bit sad when I thought about it. When I entered the crown prince¡¯s pce, a servant who appeared to belong to the Central Pce came to me and asked, ¡°Are you Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Yes. What is going on? ¡± ¡°His Majesty wants to see you.¡± ¡°Got it. Can you escort me to him?¡± I called the chief attendant of the crown prince¡¯s pce and told him that I would bete because I was on my way to see the emperor at his request. I walked after the chief attendant. There was another man in the meeting room of the Central Pce. When I stepped in, the emperor, who was drinking tea with Duke Lars, turned to me. I leaned slowly towards the emperor, who smiled at me nicely. ¡°I, Aristia La Monique, am honored to see Your Majesty, the sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Come on in. In fact, I heard from Duke Lars that you would serve as his deputy as of today.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Good. In the end, did you decide to seed the Monique family? ¡± The emperor asked bitterly. He continued, ¡°If you look at your father¡¯s character, he will never remarry. In that respect, your session is not that bad¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty,¡± Duke Lars seconded. ¡°Hey, Duke Lars, are you coveting her, too? Well, I hear your son has a close rtionship with her. Did you say he stayed with her at the estate of the Monique family for half a year? ¡± ¡°Well, I understand you already approved it. To be honest with you, I¡¯m interested in having her as my daughter-inw, too, but I don¡¯t think Duke Veria will sit on his hands.¡± ¡°That ¡®s right. If I had not picked her as Rube¡¯s fiancee, he would have dered that he would have her marry his son and stay with his daughter-inw for the rest of his life. I could bet my whole fortune on it,¡± the emperor said with a heartyugh. Duke Lars alsoughed. ¡°By the way, why did youe here in ceremonial dress, not uniform? Didn¡¯t you say you came here to take over his deputy¡¯s work?¡± ¡°Well, as I was pressed for time, my uniform has not yet been made. And I came at the crown prince¡¯s order¡­¡± ¡°Really? Did Rube call you?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°When did he call you? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard that. ¡± The emperor asked curiously, looking at me. ¡°Well, some time ago when he was returning from an inspection journey, he sent me a letter asking to see me at his pce.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Now, I understand what happened. ¡± His face was full of a warm smile. I swallowed a sigh deep down. In fact, the emperor used to arrange meetings for me and the crown prince to meet on purpose. In that respect, I could understand why the emperor was so happy to hear that the crown prince took the initiative to meet me. As expected, the emperor said with a very satisfied expression, ¡°Then I should let you go now. I was going to ask you whether you would be willing to think twice about the deputy position, but as the two dukes were vehemently opposed to my idea, let me give up. You can leave now.¡± ¡°Thanks for your consideration, Your Majesty. Then, I will leave now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you go today, but if you ever change your mind,e visit me any time.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°You can leave now. Have a good time. ¡± After saying goodbye to the emperor, I left the meeting room and headed for the crown prince¡¯s pce. It seemed a bit far from the Central Pce, so I walked back and soon arrived at the entrance. A chief chambein who oversaw the pce affairs bowed to me politely. Maybe he was waiting for me. ¡°Wee, Lady Monique. I will escort you.¡± While walking down the hall, escorted by the chief chambein, I looked around the inside of the pce again. I¡¯ve never been to this ce before because he always avoided me as the crown prince. Even when I entered the pce as the queen after he became the emperor, I only visited the Central Pce only a few times. But now, as someone who was back from the past, I was walking in the hallway of his pce at his order. If he had invited me in the past, I would have been very happy, but I didn¡¯t feel happy at all now. I was just nervous why he went to the trouble of sending me a letter asking to see him. Chapter 302 Chapter 302: Chapter 301 ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I heard that the surviving family of Sir Lake received a bigpensation.¡± ¡°I see. It¡¯s impossible topensate for his lost life because he was involved in something that had nothing to do with him¡­.I¡¯m so d to hear that anyway.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s too bad. But he passed away while on duty, so it was something he had to be ready for as a knight. You don¡¯t have to me yourself for it.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Several knights nodded, agreeing with Sir Freia who spoke firmly. I felt relieved to hear them now. While I was talking with him about what happened at the time and the traitors, suddenly a young knight said, as if something came to his mind. ¡°By the way, Sir Monique.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Is the rumor true that you will leave the knights divisions sooner orter? ¡± At that moment the atmosphere among them became subdued. I smiled rather embarrassedly, looking at the nervous knight. How should I respond? Given my current situation, I have to quit anyway. ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Why are you hesitating? Are you really¡­¡± ¡°Oh, no! Absolutely no! ¡± ¡°We¡¯re strongly opposed!¡± ¡°You are the only woman¡­ No, you should not quit!¡± While I was blinking, startled at the simultaneous shouting among the knights, suddenly the knights on the opposite side stood up and bowed deeply. ¡°Loyalty to the Lion! We¡¯re honored to see the Sun of the empire!¡± ¡°Glory to the empire! That¡¯s true. She has to start to prepare from now on for the wedding ceremony during the New Year festival.¡± Huh? What is he talking about? When I turned around in a hurry, I saw the emperor standing obliquely, with his head tilted to one side. ¡°Wedding ceremony?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I don¡¯t understand what you mean¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly as I said. So, keep that in mind, everyone!¡± he said, wrapping my shoulder with one hand after approaching me. Then he smiled at me when I looked up at him, startled. ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, let me retract it. You don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean¡­¡± ¡°Then, it¡¯s a done deal.¡± When I looked down, putting my hand on my pounding heart, he whispered into my ears, leaning forward, ¡°I¡¯m on my way after seeing your father. He also agreed to the wedding ceremony during the New Year festival.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Now it¡¯s only about two months left, you¡¯re going to be very busy preparing for the ceremony. Put in some more effort. Let me help you a lot.¡± I felt something soft touching on my forehead, then fell. At that moment, there were screams, exmations, groaning and sighing here and there. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°Oh my God!¡± ¡°Sir Monique ¡­ our goddess ¡­¡± ¡°What did you say? Goddess?¡± Suddenly, he turned and stared at the knights sternly. Knights flinched, faced with his sharp nce. Turning his mouth up slightly, he rebuked the coldly. ¡°What did you say about my fiance a moment ago?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡­ ¡± ¡°Are you Sir Ryan? Answer me.¡± ¡°Oh, what I mean is Lady Monique is our goddess ¡­our idol, in other words, she is the mascot of our knights divisions¡­¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡± When he roughly swept up his blue hair as if he was dumbfounded at his response, I pulled his cuffs, startled. As I looked up at him with anxious eyes, he said, patting my shoulder lightly, as if to reassure me, ¡°I knew she was popr among you, but I didn¡¯t know she was so much loved by you all. In fact, I was worried that she might have had a hard time as a knight, but I feel relieved now. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t you think you have to start moving now to prepare for the wedding ceremony?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± When I looked back hesitantly, I saw the knights looking at me with a gloomy expression. So, I wanted to refuse his offer to leave now, but their faces suddenly turned white. In the end, Sir Freia, who was standing in front of me, said in an urgent voice, ¡°You look very busy. Please leave, Sir Monique.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°We are fine. Don¡¯t feel pressured. ¡± ¡°Yes, we are good.¡± Why is everyone reacting like that? Did he do something to them?¡± I looked back at him, just in case he might have signalled something to them, but he was looking at them casually as if nothing happened. I was a bit confused, so I told them after briefly looking at him, ¡°¡­Goodbye for now. Sorry, everyone. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Goodbye, Sir Monique.¡± Leaving their sonorous shouts behind, I left the restaurant with him. For some reason I felt ufortable, but I felt so warm in his hand holding mine. *** Three dayster I headed to the Imperial Pce to submit my resignation letter. I could submit it to my father easily, but I think it would be better to follow the formal process of resignation because I¡¯ve been working at the knights division for several years. My father received the white envelope from me and stamped it with aplicated expression. I also had mixed feelings. I felt like I took off clothes that didn¡¯t fit me, but at the same time I felt rather regrettable and empty. ¡°You¡¯ve been working hard, Sir Monique.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you, Captain.¡± The title ¡®Sir¡¯ that I was called by my father for the first andst time, and the title ¡®Captain¡¯ that I called him for the first andst time. Thus I put down the shoulder strap on my uniform that I would never use again with mixed feelings. At that moment, I recalled the past six years during which I knocked myself out to earn that title. Suddenly, I found myself choked up with emotions. ¡°I always wanted you to quit this job¡­But I feel rather strange as you havee to resign like this,¡± said my father, while touching the shoulder strap for a long time. When I nodded, seeing eye to eye with him, his navy blue eyes turned to me. ¡°Now I begin to feel for real that you are going to get married in two months.¡± ¡°Sorry, Daddy. I wanted to live with you for a long time ¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it, Tia. If you are happy, that¡¯s enough for me. Besides, you are not going far away. We can meet anytime, right?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­ Oh, Daddy, you have just made the promise to me. You should never leave the capital, okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I promise. Where can I go, leaving my beautiful daughter behind?¡± I felt so warm in his embrace when he swept my hair with his hand. I was briefly carried away with that, when I suddenly recalled something and turned to him. ¡°Daddy, are you avable in the evening?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I have spent time together with you these days. How about a date with me since it¡¯s been such a long time? ¡± ¡°I want to wee it anytime. Then, see youter. ¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy. See you then.¡± I came out of his room after smiling at him brightly, when the knights pacing up and down near the entrance surrounded me all at once. After confirming the missing knight straps on my shoulder, they asked desperately, ¡°Well, are you really quitting?¡± ¡°Oh, no. You can¡¯t resign like this¡­¡± ¡°Please say it¡¯s not true.¡± I assumed the important duty of the captain¡¯s aide as a young girl who hadn¡¯t yet had aing-of-age ceremony. Since I was from the Monique family, I enjoyed some privileges directly and indirectly, and as luck would have it, I obtained the title of a full-fledged knight because of the change in the selection criteria. Despite that, my colleagues at the knights division weed me instead of hating me. Of course, some were jealous, but I could have afortable life as a knight thanks to the kindness of most knights. With gratitude for all that, I politely greeted the people around me. With sincere gratitude, I replied politely to those who surrounded me, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, and at the sametime, I am grateful to you. I¡¯ve always caused trouble to you, but you have treated me kindly. I¡¯m grateful to you from the bottom of my heart.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re wee!¡± ¡°It was an honor for all of us to be with you Sir Monique!¡± Smiling brightly at their sonorous reply, I bowed to them once again. ¡°Thank you. And I hope I¡¯m in great hands in the future, although I can¡¯t work with you as your colleague as before. ¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Thank you. Then see you again next time. ¡± I smiled again with gratitude. I looked back at the building of the 2nd Knights, which I would note to often, then walked away. Chapter 303 Chapter 303: Chapter 302 When I was almost out of the pce, I saw a man walking across from the other side with his neat honey-colored hair hanging down. The young man approached me with strides and bowed to me, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a long time, Marquis Mirwa. Thanks a lot for your testimony the other day.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. I¡¯vemitted a crime, as you know. I didn¡¯t prevent the unfortunate thing from happening to you, nor save you properly. I¡¯m so sorry, Lady Monique. I have nothing to say.¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to apologize¡­¡± I stopped him who tried to offer apologies repeatedly. In fact, he didn¡¯t have to because he was not responsible for plotting the poisoning. He also paid the price for his crime dearly. ¡°By the way, I hear that the date of your wedding ceremony has been set. Congrattions! I¡¯m sure you will be the great empress of the empire.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered. Thank you anyway. ¡± ¡°How about your wound? Are you okay? I should have inquired after you earlier, but I was too ashamed to ask.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. And you don¡¯t have to me yourself. Without your cooperation, the trial would have been very difficult.¡± ¡°Thank you for saying so. Well, I¡¯m really sorry to say this, but may I ask you a favor?¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°I know you may not feel good about the noble faction, but please don¡¯t hate them all because of some of its members. I know this is a difficult request, but if you look at the whole picture, they are also working for the empire.¡± That was true. The rival factions of the empire differed in their political goals, but they existed for the construction of a better empire. Some hardliners, who forgot their fundamental duty, were removed from their posts, but it was certain that the noble faction would be led by moderates including Marquis Mirwa Then, the political situation in the empire would be further stabilized. When I looked at the man with a soft smile, I suddenly noticed two shoulder straps on his shoulders. I wondered if he really returned all his titles, including the post of Captain of the 4th Knights Division. As there was no proper candidate to fill his vacancy, it was certain that he will be reappointed soon. ¡°Oh my, I think I have kept you too long. You must be very busy preparing for the wedding.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Anyway, I was going to express gratitude to you. See you next time, Marquis. Thank you again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Lady Monique. See you then.¡± Returning his greeting, who bowed to me politely, I headed back home. Since it was not lunchtime, there were only servants and maids busily moving around in the noble district, but there were no wagons. Only the front of my house was crowded with several wagons waiting to enter. Come to think of it, I heard that the family vassals would visit my house sooner orter. Was it today? When I tilted my head to the side, the horsemen who recognized my wagon hurriedly opened the way for me. When I entered the mansion after passing through the employees lining up, the butler greeted me, bowing deeply to me. ¡°Wee home, mydy.¡± ¡°By the way, butler, why are all those wagons here? Is it today when the family vassals are supposed to visit? ¡± ¡°They were supposed toe tomorrow, but they seemed to have arrived one day earlier.¡± ¡°Really? Well, you must be surprised by their unexpected visit. Hope you will take care of them well. By the way, did you inform my father of their arrival here?¡± ¡°Yes, I just sent the message to him.¡± ¡°Got it. Let me go upstairs for now. When they gather here, please let me know.¡± After smiling at him, I went to my room and grabbed the embroidery frame. I embroidered the crest of my family on a white cloth by putting a silver thread through the needle. It would be a pair of gloves for my father as I suddenly realized that I had never given any embroidered thing to him while making a token of my love for the emperor. How much time passed? When Lina told me it was time for me to go down to greet them, I put down the needle and went to the drawing room downstairs after quickly looking back at the silver shield I was done embroidering by half. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while, everyone. How have you been? ¡± The drawing room was very crowded. Most of the vassals hade, except for the minimum number of people who had to take care of the estate. When I took a seat next to the seat reserved for my father, those who greeted me also sat down one by one. Shortly afterwards, the maids ced tea and snacks on the table before them. ¡°It seems that Marquis Monique has not returned home yet.¡± ¡°Oh, he will be here soon because he¡¯s got the message. Let¡¯s talk about the main subjectter. Shall we talk for a while? Well, how about the atmosphere of the estate these days? ¡± ¡°There is nothing special. but¡­¡± We chatted about lots of things in a warm atmosphere for a while. ording to them, the sessor of a baron had a baby son, the priest at the local temple was reced, there would be a bountiful harvest this fall, which would increase the revenue, and the mine ceded from the Hamel family was a treasure. By the time everybody emptied their cups and had another cup of tea, my father, in a neat uniform, came in. ¡°Nice to see you, Marquis Monique.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, everybody. Sit down. ¡± When my father took a seat after lightly gesturing toward them, one of them on the left brought up the main subject with a serious expression. ¡°After we heard that Lady Monique would get married to the emperor, we havee here. Although it¡¯s something we have to congratte, we are embarrassed at the same time. Marquis, what¡¯s going on here? We understand she has clearly broken off her engagement with the emperor.¡± ¡°Well, she didn¡¯t yet start the formal process of breaking off the engagement. Besides, the emperor loves her so much, so he has made the decision. I¡¯m sorry that I notified youte because I made short work of it.¡± ¡°What is the status of her title? In a situation where there is no other sessor, what happens if she, the only sessor, bes a member of the imperial family?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve already talked with the emperor about it, but let me make the final decision after consulting with you. Won¡¯t you listen? ¡± The agreement he made with the emperor was quite unprecedented. ording to it, I could continue to act as the sessor of the Monique family even when I became the empress. Besides, even after my father died in Vita¡¯s arms, his title would not be returned to the imperial family, but bequeathed to me. In that case, the possessions of the Monique family would be mine, not the imperial family¡¯s, and my title will be handed over to one of the babies with silvery hair, except for the crown prince baby to be born. It seemed that my father inserted that use in the agreement just in case I broke up with him. Besides, even if a silver-haired child is born to a rtive of the Monique family, I have the priority and final say on handing over my title to him. In other words, as the empress and the marquise of the Monique family, I will have the independent authority to decide everything within the family regardless of the will of the imperial family. In that case, nobody will be able to treat me recklessly even if my rtionship with the emperor goes sour. In addition, there was a use in the agreement that would guarantee the Monique family¡¯s exclusive right to sell some of the products avable only in the territories owned by the imperial family. The jewelry offered by the emperor in the name of wedding gifts and other material benefits to my family would also be enormous. Of course, the expenditures in the form of dowry on my end will be great, but the family vassals seemed to be ready to ept it without any opposition. Some of them even expressed satisfaction, assuming that one of the princes would be the marquis of the Monique family in the next generation. Chapter 304 Chapter 304: Chapter 303 ¡°Congrattions!¡± ¡°Congrattions, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°You will certainly be a great First Lady.¡± ¡°Of course. Where can the emperor find another woman like Lady Monique? I think he has a discerning judgement of women.¡± ¡°Please stop there.¡± I was so embarrassed when they praised me endlessly. I tried to stop them but they kept thinking the world of me, saying the position of the empress fit me well, they already sized me up when thete emperor picked me as the crown prince¡¯s finance, and the emperor must have been head over heels for me, given his extraordinary treatment of me. The more I heard them, the more I blushed. As I could not bear it any more, I looked at my father earnestly. But he just looked at me with a warm smile, as if I was cute. As I felt I couldn¡¯t stay there any more, I stood up, making some usible excuses. I heard themughing merrily behind me. *** ¡°Death to the criminals!¡± ¡°Curse to the traitors!¡± On the fifth day of the eleventh month in 964 by the imperial calendar, the sky was unusually blue unlike the typical sky in the winter as if it knew what would happen today. Unlike the chilly atmosphere in the air, the atmosphere of thergest square in the capital¡¯s noble district was heated up by the shouting crowds packing it. The sound of their stomping feet and shouting after the person who led the chant resonated throughout the vast za. ¡°Death to the traitors!¡± ¡°Vita¡¯s curse to those who tried to harm the child of God¡¯s prophecy!¡± Rubbing my ears because of their deafening noise, I frowned at the bloody madness, and the smell of death that filled the za. Suddenly, I was in a subdued mood. I felt the same way on the day I was beheaded. The crowds¡¯ voices full of hatred, their curses hurled at me, calling me an unprecedented evil woman, all sorts of insults and stoning, and the emperor who looked at them indifferently. Suddenly, I recalled Jiun who turned her head at thest moment of my life as the emperor who hugged her. ¡±What happened to Jiun?¡¯ I swallowed a sigh. Since there was no news yet that shemitted suiside, she might be among the criminals who wereing to the execution ce. ¡°Tia?¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± ¡°Are you okay? I told you not toe here.¡± The emperor sitting next to me asked cautiously, wrapping my hands that turned white. I took a big breath, looking at his worried eyes. I felt much better than before. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The traitors are to be executed, as you know. Besides, as the date of our wedding ceremony has been announced, I shoulde to this ce.¡± ¡°But you look so pale now.¡± I smiled at him slightly, who looked at me with sympathy. As I wiggled my hand held by him tightly, his warmth melted my frozen heart. As I felt good, I smiled at him gently. Wow! Suddenly their shouting, which was now twice as loud as before, rang through the za. I immediately turned my head and looked down the tform. The noise wasing from one particr ce in the za. It seemed that the wagons carrying the criminals arrived. ¡°Death to the criminals!¡± ¡°Death to the traitors!¡± The criminals who had their arms bound as if to fold their arms behind their back showed up one by one. I put my hands on my thumping chest and quickly looked at each of their faces. However, I did not see Jiun¡¯s face until thest man got off the wagon and its door was closed. ¡°Whew¡­¡± When I let out a sigh, he asked, looking back as if he was puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see Lady Jena.¡± ¡°Oh, I heard about herst night.¡± ¡°Woooo~¡± His voice was buried by the shouting of the excited crowds. The capital defense guards were desperately trying to maintain the ranks, and the royal knights surrounding the tform were on alert. While the big fuss over the criminals was going on, they barely got through the shouting crowds and moved on to the execution stand. Dozens of stones thrown by the crowds barely missed the criminals. Their disturbing noise was silenced when they heard someone blowing a horn. They turned their eyes at the execution stand all at once. A protocol officer, who had been waiting for a long time, straightened up and stepped forward. After opening a long scroll, the officer in a long robe began to read it in a solemn voice. ¡°Glory to the great empire! As the empire is under the splendor of the Sun¡­¡± While the officer was reading, the emperor was holding my hand tightly. Was it because of that? Or was it because I didn¡¯t have to see Jiun dying in front of my eyes? I felt much morefortable than before. With a calm expression, I looked down at the criminals. Some were bowing their heads, some were endlessly murmuring something, and others were looking at the head table with hatred. After he met the purple eyes of Duke Jena burning with hatred, the emperor strained his grip on my hand before releasing it, then stood up. ¡°Glory to the empire! My beloved people of the empire, I cannot help but express sadness today. It was only six months after Emperor Mirkan lu Shana Castina died in Vita¡¯s arms. Even now, we all can feel the brilliance of thete emperor¡¯s presence, but this wicked gang of traitorsmitted the crime of rebelling against the empire and the imperial family even before the warmth of his body faded. Besides, they tried to harm my fiance, the child of God¡¯s prophecy that God has predetermined for me, as well as the First Lady of the empire, several times. ordingly, I want to show them the strictness and fairness of the imperialw.¡± ¡°Death to the criminals!¡± ¡°Curse to the traitors!¡± The ground reverberated with the sound of the crowds stomping their feet all at once. After looking around with a solemn face, the emperor raised his right hand. The red g announcing the start of the execution fluttered up and down. Executioners who checked the des of the axes against the sunlight stood behind them. The moment the sunlight reflecting the des of the swords was scattered when they raised the axes high in the air, Duke Jena¡¯s angry purple eyes turned towards him and me. Full of hatred, he shouted coldly, ¡°You wretched slut and bastard! Even in the hell I won¡¯t¡­!¡± At that moment, blood gushed from his head. I felt goosebumps, but instead of turning my head, I fixed my gaze on the execution stand where he was bleeding. Then, I breathed out, looking down at him falling on the stand. Now it¡¯s really over. That tough bondage of mine with the Jena family was finally at an end. Although I could understand why the Jena family was so hostile to my family for such a long time, he went too far. Not content with trying to kill the emperor, he tried to end the family lineage of the Monique family by poisoning me, a cousin who shared ancestral blood with him. Besides, he not only approached the emperor for his greed for the throne, but also used Jiun twice. He seeded in poisoning the emperor and removing me in the past. Maybe that¡¯s one of the reasons why God sent me back to save the lives of many innocent people who were sacrificed because of Duke Jena¡¯s greed. Of course, I had no way of knowing the true intention of God who was watching the different situation twice. After looking at the bodies of the criminals that were being carried away like baggage, I grabbed his hand, who asked me to go back. I climbed the wagon, hearing the crowds repeatedly shouting for the safety of the imperial family and the empire. As all my past was cleared away, it is time for me to prepare for the future. After that day, my daily routine was packed with a tight schedule. It was the same with manydies who helped me in leading the pce affairs. Day after day I had to take a nap from the fatigue for a couple of hours then resume work. I didn¡¯t know how fast time passed everyday because I was so busy with preparing for the wedding. I ended this kind of exhaustive work only one day before the wedding ceremony. Although everybody was still busy, I was having free time as a bride before her wedding. I was refreshed and vibrant after sleeping well. Chapter 305 Chapter 305: Chapter 304 ¡°The High Priest wants to see you, mydy,¡± said Lina. It has been three days since I moved to the temporary pce for my security. With all smiles on her face, Lina was already wearing a uniform of the pce affairs office. I slowly opened my mouth, looking at the badge embroidered on the hem of her dress showing her affiliation with the office, ¡°Okay. By the way, don¡¯t you want to change your mind to be a maid with the Imperial Pce?¡± ¡°Oh my goodness! No, I don¡¯t want to change my mind. You already asked me the same question ten times!¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t serve me forever. I can take the measure to free you even now, so how about thinking twice about it?¡± ¡°Well, I like it now. Don¡¯t you know how popr the job of an imperial maid is? Besides, I¡¯m your direct maid, so don¡¯t talk to me about it anymore. The High Priest is waiting for you now. Please hurry up!¡± ¡°Okay, got it. Wait a moment.¡± I gathered silvery letters scattered on the table, then put them in the firece. When I saw the papers turning ck in a red me, I felt as if the nightmares associated with them turned into a handful of ashes. Somehow my eyes blurred with tears, but I got up, leaving my sentimental feelings behind. When I opened the door, I saw him standing with his gray hair hanging down to the floor, as usual. ¡°May the blessings of life be with you! It¡¯s been a long time, Lady Monique.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Your Eminence. How have you been? ¡± ¡°I was a little busy, but I managed to get by. I am almost done cleaning up the corruption at the temple, but I¡¯ve still some work to do. By the way, congrattions! I think today is thest day I call you Lady Monique,¡± he said with a faint smile. When I nodded shyly, a bigger smile came to his lips. ¡°Okay. Let me pray blessings for you as a bride first. Praise the beauty given by the Father of life. I give you the blessings of our lord Vita. ¡± When his hand shining white swept over my head, a sweet floral scent spread around me. I smiled, relishing in the refreshment that surrounded my body. ¡°You look much better now.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. You always look tired and weary, but you look very good today. If your mother saw you now, she would be very happy.¡± His transparent light green eyes were sparkling with something mysterious. His mysterious voice echoed in the air, ¡°What a relief! Only now do I feel I have paid some of my debt to your mother.¡± I tilted my head. What the heck is his debt to her? He said the same thingst time. When I asked him carefully about it, he said readily, nodding his head, ¡°When I was a child, there was a woman who came to Sanktus Vita. She prayed to heal her mother, and she looked very weak at first nce. At that time, the senior priests who were taking care of me told me that I shouldn¡¯t use my divine power for anybody if they didn¡¯t donate. So, I turned a blind eye to her, though I felt heartbroken because of that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°A few dayster, the woman came back and spoke to me. She said her mother died because of me. As you may have always guessed, the woman was your mother. Her mother who died because she was not healed was your grandmother. ¡± I see. Come to think of it, what the High Priest just said was simr to what my father told me before. My grandmother, the younger sister of Duke Jena, fell in love with a certain knight and fled at night, but soon faced reality, and after her husband died, she got sick while doing various chores. My mother who visited Duke Jena¡¯s house in order to save her mother was kicked out rather than getting any help. As a result, my grandmother who didn¡¯t get proper treatment eventually died. It seemed that the High Priest was also involved in their ill-fated rtionship. ¡°Your mother hated me very much after that. That was part of the reason why I found her poisoned btedly. I was forgiventer, but I always felt guilty. I felt even more so after you were poisoned.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°I was so happy when I heard that you finally overcame the aftereffects of the poisoning incident. Well, I felt I repaid some of my debt to you and your mother.¡± When he finished speaking, he stared into the air with a pensive expression. Was that the reason why he, iming he was a sinner, gave me blessings and tried to do anything for me with a humble attitude? I thought he treated me kindly because of my middle name given by God¡¯s prophecy, but there was another reason behind it. If there had been any point of contact in the past like now, would the High Priest have continued to stay in the empire? If there had been an ambush by the noble faction or God¡¯s prophecy at that time, he would have stayed in the empire because of his debt to my mother. If so, Duke Jena could not have used poison, and he would have found the High Priest very ufortable because he could discover the existence of the poison. ¡°What are you thinking about so hard?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. Your Eminence, can I ask you one thing? ¡± When he nodded readily, I asked questions that I had been wondering about for a long time: namely, what is destiny, what is God¡¯s will, and what is the meaning of the names given to me and Jiun. I have already made a conclusion on my own, but I thought the High Priest with the divine power could give me a different answer. But he just smiled and said that I already seemed to have the answer, and that if I came up with the answer on my own, it would be the correct answer. ¡°Anyway, you havee up with your own answer to ease your concern, right?¡± Then he continued with a faint smile, ¡°But if you ask for my answer, I have nothing but to tell you that the process and results of your angst are the will of Vita.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I nodded with a little moan. It may be natural to the High Priest who regards everything as the will of Vita. Suddenly, I realized that it was only after God, from whom I wanted to escape from so desperately, gave the name of Pioneer that I made up my mind to set my first foot on the long and difficult road. Nevertheless, I don¡¯t want to rely on God, but does it matter at all now? Right now I¡¯vee back to that road to stand here and now, when I am as happy as anybody. When I smiled morefortably than before, the High Priest said with a faint smile, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got something for you.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Please ept it. It is my gift for you.¡± He took two small dolls out of his pocket and gave them to me. ¡°What is this?¡± I asked, looking at the dolls. They were made by attaching a piece of rugged cloth, which looked very clumsy and simple just like a child made. ¡°These are sent by Quartus. I hear that the children who got a new dwelling ce thanks to your help made the dolls to show their gratitude.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Only then did I look closely at the dolls. One was a male doll with blue hair, and the other was a female doll with a crown on her head and something like a tiara. I inadvertently reached out, but withdrew my hand. I¡¯m grateful for their sincerity, but what I did for the children was just part of a strict deal. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t think I deserve the gift.¡± ¡°No. You must ept it. ¡± My eyes were wide open at his firm voice. It was the first time I heard him raising his voice. But his hardened face softened in no time just like the bunch of flowers that appeared every time he prayed for me. ¡°Malice for malice and pure heart for pure heart. Just saying thank you to the children is enough for them. ¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± Then I epted the pair of dolls that were presented to me. I couldn¡¯t say they were beautiful because the children made the dolls with clumsy skills, but I held them in my arms with a bright smile. ¡°These are really pretty. Please convey them my gratitude.¡± I sincerely thanked the golden High Priest Quartus, who must be somewhere with the children, hoping my gratitude could get through to him. Chapter 306 Chapter 306: Chapter 305 There were no more visitors after the High Priest left. In fact, there weren¡¯t many who could visit the bride¡¯s house the day before the wedding. My father was also busy with checking the final preparations, so I thought I would probably see him right before the ceremony. Lina insisted I should go to sleep early, saying that I need a good sleep for the ceremony tomorrow, but I couldn¡¯t sleep at all because my mind was wandering with excitement. After all, I removed the nket and got up. Then I approached the window, and I was surprised while opening the curtains. The whole world was white with heavy snow. ¡°Wow¡­¡± I uttered exmations in spite of myself. I opened the window and stuck out my hands. Frozen water dropped on my open palms. The snow piled up under the moonlight was so beautiful as it was a shimmering silver white, mysterious yet dreamy. When I was carried away with that amazing scene for a long time, I heard someone knocking at the door, breaking the silence. Who is knocking at this hour? When I tilted my head and asked the stranger toe in, a woman who appeared to be a maid with the Central Pce stepped in. When I received a memo from her and opened it, I saw a few sentences written in the imposing handwriting style of the imperial family. A smile came to my lips naturally. After answering yes to the maid, I hurriedly changed my clothes. Was it because I was thrilled? After adjusting my clothes several times, I put on my coat and left the room. I was ready to wrestle with the royal knights, expecting them to stop me from going out at night, but they just followed me silently because they knew the imperial maid delivered the emperor¡¯s message to me. Under the bright moonlight, it was snow white everywhere. Snowkes were on the bare branches, and white breath came out of my chilled lips. There was no wind and a serene peace was all around me. I began to walk, breaking the cozy silence. I broke into a smile when the snow crunched beneath my feet with every step. There was nobody at the entrance to the Ver Pce. It seemed that he hadn¡¯t yet arrived. I smiled at the royal knights who stepped back silently, then stepped carefully into the garden. Unlike the promenade where there remained others¡¯ footsteps, there was a pure snow field without any human footsteps. Somehow, my heart was pounding. I made the first footsteps on the snow that scrunched underfoot. There was a trail of my footsteps from the entrance of the garden full of snowkes to the silvery flower tree in the middle of the garden. I arrived in front of the tree, tightened the cor of my coat with excitement and threw back my head. Did they bloom during my absence? The buds were half open when I saw themst time. I sighed, looking here and there, standing on tiptoes. I could not confirm whether they bloomed or not because of snow-capped branches. ¡°Tia!¡± While agonizing over how to dust off the snow on the tree, I was surprised when someone called me from behind. The young man with blue hair stood there with a smile. I smiled bashfully at him, calming my pounding heart. I said in a cheerful tone, ¡°You surprised me! Nice to see you, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Um? Why were you so surprised?¡± ¡°Because you came here without making any sound at all. Howe you came here so silently? I didn¡¯t hear your footsteps.¡± ¡°Ah. Since there were only your footprints on the white snow field, I walked up here, stepping on them. That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t hear my footsteps.¡± ¡®You just followed my footprints? Really?¡¯ When I stuck my head out and looked behind him, I could see only one trail out there behind him. When I smiled shyly in an excited mood, he took a step closer with a smile and asked, wrapping my shoulder with his arms, ¡°Were you asleep when I sent the messenger? I hesitated to send the maid because I might disturb your sleep.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t sleep well ¡­¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m d to hear that. In fact, I have something to tell you. ¡± ¡°Pardon? Something to tell me?¡± Although I asked curiously, he didn¡¯t reply. I just felt him touching my long hair. He seemed to be pondering over something, then he opened his mouth after a long silence, ¡°Finally, we will have a wedding ceremony tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, we do. Time flies so fast!¡± ¡°Well, a minute is like three years to me. I¡¯ve been waiting for this day everyday. Looking at the way you speak, it looks like you didn¡¯t wait as earnestly as me.¡± ¡°Why are you teasing me again? You know I didn¡¯t mean that, right?¡± When I squinted at him slightly, he said with a gentle smile, ¡°It¡¯s a joke. Actually, I felt strange when I realized that our wedding would happen tomorrow. I came to recall thete emperor and your mother¡­ I couldn¡¯t go to sleep.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So, I came out for a walk, but the snowkes reflected in the moonlight shone brightly like your hair. At that moment, I recalled that flower. And something I have yet to tell you. That¡¯s why I had the maid convey my message to you.¡± When he was done speaking, he took a deep breath. What was it that he didn¡¯t tell me about? When I looked at him curiously, suddenly the wind blew over him and me lightly. As a result, white snow fell from the branches of the snow-covered tree. His blue eyes suddenly turned upward. I was curious, so I looked back, tilting my head. ¡°Wow¡­¡± I was just amazed at the wonderful scenery before my eyes. Silver buds were finally shooting forth above the branch from where the snowke fell. I saw some petals about to bloom bashfully. Can I finally see the flowers? Those silvery flowers I had never seen before? ¡°¡­ Beautiful. ¡± ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± ¡°As I told you in the past, the flower really resembles you. Despite all kinds of difficulties, the tree has ovee and stood tall, just like you. Besides, just like you, the tree kept me on tenterhooks, making me wonder when the buds would bloom.¡± Suddenly, my heart was full because I recalled him telling me the tree was really like me, watching it withering without ever blooming flowers. If I really resembled that flower, can I expect only happy days with him in the future, just like the tree waiting for its buds to fully bloom? The moment I looked back at him, blinking in great thrill, I saw a fantastic scene unfolding before my eyes. My eyes popped open. I felt like I was frozen on the spot because I was so surprised. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± He smiled gently at me when I just looked up at him without even saying a word. Just like the knight in the old story told his woman, he raised my hand as if he was honoring me, and put his lips on the back of it. I came to my senses when his warm breathing melted my frozen heart. ¡°Your Majesty, what are you doing ¡­¡± ¡°Tia, I would like to tell you something.¡± ¡°Oh, please stand up. How can the ruler of the empire kneel before me? Please stand up.¡± However, he would not move. Besides, he stopped me when I tried to kneel like him, at a loss about what to do. Why is he doing this to me? What if somebody sees him? I instinctively turned my gaze to the entrance of the garden. When I saw the royal knights watching us as if they were shocked, I became more and more nervous. What should I do? It would be difficult to have each of them keep it secret. Right at that moment I heard him whispering, while I was agonizing over how to cope with the situation. ¡°Swearing on the blood flowing through my body¡­¡± I stiffened at that moment. What did he say a moment ago? When I slowly turned my head, my eyes met his navy blue eyes. He stared at me when I looked at him curiously, and opened his mouth. ¡°And my pounding heart¡­¡± I opened my eyes wide. Didn¡¯t I hear him wrong? In other words, he¡¯s now swearing it now? The oath of blood , the ancient covenant between the Monique family and the imperial royal family? ¡°With all my life and heart¡­¡± I put my hands on my pounding heart, breathing out roughly. My trembling eyes reflected his navy blue eyes full of his strong resolve. Suddenly, I was choked up with emotions. ¡°I want to devote my whole life to you.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± Chapter 307 Chapter 307: Chapter 306 My hands were frozen from the cold air. They got cold when he merely touched them in the past, but now they suddenly felt warm. The warmth began to spread to every corner of my body. ¡°Please grant my wish, my love.¡± My eyes were blurred with tears little by little. Clearing my tight throat, I asked with a trembling voice, ¡°May I ask what your wish is?¡± ¡°My wish is to be with you until I die. Sleeping together, waking up together, working together with you to take care of the empire, sharing joy and sadness with you, looking at each other only ¡­Living like that. That is my wish.¡± I believed that he would not change his mind easily this time, but I still had misgivings that he might. I reassured myself, thinking that even if he changed his mind, I would still be able to live with the fact that I was loved by him so much. Nevertheless, I was consumed by some fear that I could not shake off, the fear that I might lose him to another woman again. Perhaps that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t save her for fear that she might hover around him again, changing her mind. A streak of tears ran down my cheek. There was a thorn buried deep in my heart that I thought I forgot but still didn¡¯t forget. Thest piece of mental scar that I thought I had to hold onto with until I died, unless I erased it from my memories, melted into tears. Tears kepting down because of my overwhelming emotions and affection for him as well as joy and relief. I opened my trembling lips, looking at his sparkling blue eyes. ¡°There is no precedent in the history of the empire that the ruler has sworn an oath since its founding.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m the first to do so.¡± ¡°But you have to pay for its price all your life. Can you do it?¡± ¡°If you grant my wish, you are mine for the rest of my life, aren¡¯t you? I think it¡¯s a fair deal.¡± ¡°If you break your oath, you will lose your life. Can you do it?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I won¡¯t give up my affection for you until I die. So, Tia, my sweetheart! Please answer me now. Will you grant my wish? ¡± Tears flowed again from my blurred eyes when he softly pressed me with conviction. Putting my hand on my pounding heart, I said word by word clearly after clearing my throat choked with emotions, ¡°¡­ I grant your wish.¡± At that moment, I recalled a boy who looked at me, pretending to be indifferent while hiding an unknown hostility, one day when I first met him after returning. I recalled him looking at me with an annoyed expression,ining that I was arrogant. And I recalled his smile while watching a y extolling him and me. That same man now knelt before me and swore an oath of love, even betting on his life. ¡°Your blood and heart are mine.¡± When I said that with a trembling voice, he smiled. He gently pulled me and had me walk a couple of steps closer to him, then held my hand and put it on his chest. I felt his heart pounding like crazy, as if it said it was mine from the beginning. ¡°Anybody who breaks the oath will be cursed with blood.¡± Was it because of the close distance between him and me? His blue eyes, which looked muchrger, reflected all of me. The woman with tearful eyes reflected in his eyes had a face even unfamiliar to me. Her face was happy with no tears, blushing with a bright expression, just like a girl who received a boy¡¯s proposal for the first time in her life. ¡°This is the sacred covenant, an oath of blood engraved on the lion and the spear.¡± When I was done swearing it, I felt something deeply touch my heart. Only then did he raise his body and whispered, holding me tightly, ¡°I love you, Tia.¡± ¡°I love you, Rube.¡± He smiled brightly and slowly bowed to me. He kissed my temple, forehead, eyelids, and lips. Thest drop of my tears rolled between our lips that touched hot. The teardrops of joy and happiness tasted sweet like his kiss. When I got carried away with his sweet kiss, suddenly a fascinating scent tickled my nose. Only then did Ie to my senses, waking up from my feelings of walking on air. When I stretched my hand and pushed it gently, he pulled his lips and opened his eyes. His navy blue eyes that seemed a little darker stared at me. ¡°Tia?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, what is this scent? It¡¯s definitely my first time smelling it. It¡¯s like a flower scent ¡­!¡± My eyes popped up because I saw some silver buds on the branches of the tree blooming. Under the moonlight, the six petals that fully bloomed were shining brightly, and the snow-covered silver flowers were boasting of their beautiful figure even when I was eximing with amazement. They didn¡¯t look gorgeous like he said in the past, but the sight of the silver flowers shining beautifully under the moonlight was very mysterious and thrilling. ¡°The flower is beautiful. Just like you,¡± he whispered into my ears after looking at the flowers silently for a long time. The moment his warm breathing touched my ears, I felt electrified. When I trembled at that moment, he hurriedly released me and said, adjusting my coat tightly, ¡°It¡¯s cold. Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be in trouble if you catch a cold. Let¡¯s go back ande back tomorrow. Got it, Tia? ¡± I smiled when he spoke to me with a worried look. Of course, I didn¡¯t tremble because I was cold, but I agreed to listen to him. As I nodded gently, he breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to me. I grabbed his warm hand and walked back to the entrance. I saw the lonely trail of my footprints I left behind on the snow. I thought for a moment that the trail was simr to that of my life until now. I was always alone in the past, and even after returning, I¡¯ve been always agonizing over the problems alone. As the ruler, he has always been clumsy in expressing his feelings. So, we were always lonely. ¡®Yes, we are¡­¡± Suddenly, a smile came to my lips. Now, he and I are not alone, and can be bound together as ¡®we.¡¯ The more I reflected on this word ¡®we,¡¯ I felt my heart was full. My heart began to pound with a pleasant echo. I nced back slightly and found one lonely footprint of mine and a couple of small andrge footprints of his, side by side. Every step we moved, new footprints were left side by side on the white snow field as he and I were not alone anymore. Suddenly, I got choked up. I stopped and looked at the two footprints. He stopped in front of me, looking back curiously. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± ¡°¡­Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Ah, it¡¯s cold. Let¡¯s go back now.¡± As long as there is no future that I remember, I can¡¯t know what the future holds for him and me. But I believe that he and I will live together, with him being by my side all the time. We will always be together. Looking back at the footprints once again, I left my footprints right next to his, just like our future when we will walk together. ** ¡°Mydy¡­Oh no, Your Highness.¡± I turned my head to Lina¡¯s pleasant voice. When I smiled at her, who was standing cautiously, she pouted with a sullen face. She knew that she had to have the grace and decency as she was now the direct maid of the empress, I felt her behavior awkward a bit because I was ustomed to her making a fuss all the time. ¡°Don¡¯tugh at me, Your Highness. I feel embarrassed.¡± ¡°Okay. What is that? ¡± ¡°Oh, this one? I hear it¡¯s a gift sent from somebody.¡± She smiled in no time as if she wasn¡¯t sullen at all, then showed me a small box. I tilted my head at the familiar surface of the box. It had a silver box with a green ribbon. Obviously, I saw it before¡­ Uh, no way! ¡°Who sent this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who the sender is. But the shape of the package is also familiar to me, so I brought it to you. What should I do? Can I open it?¡± ¡°Sure, open it.¡± She unpacked the ribbon and examined what¡¯s inside the box, then confirmed that there was nothing wrong with it. At that moment, I was filled with some feelings beyond description, along with joy. It was a queen made of tinum, lying on a soft green velvet fabric. A silver queen with an emerald jewel tiara. It¡¯s you, Allen, who sent this gift to me! The man I used to y chess with, and the man who used to send me a gift tied with a green ribbon was also you. Chapter 308 Chapter 308: Chapter 307 Are you okay now? That¡¯s why you sent me a gift like this? I always heard about you through your father, so I felt a bit upset about you. While I was carefully stroking the tinum queen, I suddenly recalled a piece of advice that Allendis gave me one day. He pointed out that I seemed to be avoiding the queen unconsciously, then advised me to use it more actively. Allen, I opened the seal of unconsciousness like you advised on that day. So, I would like to thank you so much, and I feel sorry. I hope you¡¯re doing well until I meet you, and that you are happy, too. When I was touching the tinum queen in a gloomy mood, a shadow suddenly hung over my head. Even before I raised my head, he quickly pulled me toward him, so I was held in his arms. A smile came to my lips at his familiar body odor. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a gift from my friend. ¡± ¡°I see.¡± When I carefully put down the queen, he leaned forward to see me at eye level. My heart pounded when I saw the scarf for a formal dress with the initials embroidered with gold thread. That was my gift! I wish I had made it better. As I sighed with regret, he said, looking at me for a long time in a calming voice, ¡°What should I do¡­¡± ¡°Pardon? What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± ¡°Because you are too beautiful. Even now you are so popr, so I am afraid more and more people will like you if I let you go around. Should I just hide you in the pce, so nobody can see you?¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty ¡­¡± Fortunately, I was covering my face with a wedding veil. Otherwise, he would have noticed my blushing cheeks. When Iughed shyly, he held me tight again. My heart began to beat quickly as he touched my face lovingly. He carefully lifted my wedding veil slowly, with his blue eyes looking straight into my eyes. My heart started beating fast again. When I saw his passionate look, I felt a thrill. The moment I closed my eyes, a bit nervous as he was about to kiss me, someone broke the silence. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, but it¡¯s time you came down now.¡± My face blushed. ¡®Come to think of it, Lina was here all along!¡¯ I blushed, watching her at a loss about what to do. As if he felt the same way, he broke into a smile, too, looking at her nkly. He was shaking his head, giggling at me. ¡°Let¡¯s go now.¡± ¡°Pardon? Me, too?¡± ¡°Of course. Didn¡¯t I tell you I would be with you always? That¡¯s why I am here to pick you up. ¡± ¡°Well, but¡­¡± ¡°Shush! Forget about the existing practices. I don¡¯t want you toe a long way alone, bound to that kind of stuff. Now, let¡¯s go. We will bete. ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡®How eloquent he is to make my heart thrilled!¡± When I held his hand with a smile, the maids, who lined up on both sides, hurriedly held the wedding veil and the back of my dress. Watching them silently, I threw a bouquet. It was a different bouquet from the one originally nned. ¡°This¡­?¡± ¡°I ordered them to change it.¡± I nodded slowly, thinking to myself, ¡®I see why he did so.¡¯ Originally, I decided to use a white camellia flower that my mother liked, but the small bouquet that Lina showed was made of silver flowers that bloomed brightly. Suddenly I recalled what happenedst night, namely the white snow field and silver flowers in full bloom under the moonlight, and the young man with blue hair who pledged eternal love to me. I picked up the bouquet carefully with my heart pounding. Lastly, I checked my dress once more and put down the wedding veil to cover my face. Then, relying on his hand grabbing mine, I went down the stairs carefully. When I went down from the high spire after a long walk, the priests and lower nobles waiting for us there bowed their heads all at once. ¡°Long live the emperor!¡± ¡°Long live the empress!¡± ¡°Long live the empire!¡± ¡°Salute to the Sun and the Moon!¡± Returning their shouting slightly, I stepped on the blue carpet. When I arrived at the great hall of the temple after passing though the path only the bride could walk, the high priests greeted me and him. People surprised by my extraordinary actions opened their eyes wide. I sighed somehow. Now the wedding ceremony has just started. How can I bear the intense look of the priests for a long time? Although everyone was surprised, the priests in light green and green robes began to sing hymns with a serious expression. I walked slowly, keeping pace with him while being careful enough to make the long hem and wedding veil dragged on the floor smoothly. When I climbed six more stairs and stood in front of the High Priest, he slowly opened his mouth, with his long white hair hanging down the green cloak. ¡°May the blessings of life be with you. Father of Life, Lord Vita, the Sun of the glorious empire and the child of your prophecy, soon to be the noble Moon, are standing in front of you. May you bless their union ¡­¡± Even while he was reciting the prayer of blessings with a mystical voice, I felt their intense gaze behind my back, but instead of being irritated, the High Priest spoke with a solemn expression after finishing the short congrattory message. ¡°Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina, the Sun of the empire, do you take Aristia Pioneer Monique as your wife and swear to love,fort, respect and keep from this day forward, for better, for worse, in happiness and sadness until you are parted by death?¡± ¡°I swear.¡± ¡°Aristia Pioneer Monique, do you take His Majesty, Emperor Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina, the 34th Sun of the empire, as your husband, and love,fort, respect and keep from this day forward, for better, for worse, in happiness and sadness until you are parted by death?¡± ¡°I swear.¡± When he and I were done swearing the short but very heavy oath, a senior priest who approached us cautiously opened a gorgeous, cushioned box of jewelry. A diamond ring shining brightly over the blue velvet was revealed. The High Priest put his hand on the ring and briefly recited the prayer of blessing. ¡°Please give her the gift, Your Majesty!¡± Gently holding my left hand, he slowly put the ring on my finger. I felt a thrill at that moment. While the High Priest was reading a congrattory message after holding a white cloth and tying his hand and mine with it, he looked at me, holding my trembling hand tightly. Even though I could not see clearly his navy blue eyes because of the veil, they were pretty heated. I was thirsty suddenly. And my heart beat fast in nervousness and excitement. I didn¡¯t remember how the ceremony went. I was so absent-minded that all I remembered was that I barely signed the marriage oath with a trembling hand, the repeated chants and the voice of the High Priest who blessed us by dering that our union was legal in the name of Vita.Only when the High Priest disappeared after bowing to us and he turned me around did I realize that it was time to exit. ¡°Aristia Pioneer Monique, my vower, and my only partner, I hereby give you the title of the empress and the honorablest name of Castina, as you¡¯re the greatest woman, the noblest woman, the most shining woman and the most beloved woman of the empire. May the blessings of Vita and the Sun be with you!¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± I opened my eyes wide in surprise. He was as surprised as I was. People who were supposed to recite the congrattory message after him remained silent. They could understand he described me as his only partner as it was a customary title, but they could probably not understand what the heck ¡°my vower¡± meant. ¡°Why did you use that expression¡­¡± ¡°Shush! That¡¯s fine,¡± he said, stretching his hand to touch my lips. After looking at me for a long time, he kissed my face after removing the veil covering my face when they stopped whispering. I was relieved by his natural actions. When I looked up with a shy smile, he also had a smile. With the orchestra ying magnificently, the bell rang throughout the capital to announce our marriage. After confirming that the maids lifted the hem of my dress, I looked up at him receiving white gloves from the servant. Chapter 309 - Chapter 308 Supplementary story Chapter 309: Chapter 308 Supplementary story ¡®I made those gloves!¡¯ Somehow I had mixed feelings, feeling gratified on the one hand, but embarrassed on the other. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Well, the gloves and the scarf¡­¡± ¡°Oh, you mean this? These were made by my beloved wife, so I definitely should wear them on a day like this, right?¡± My beloved wife¡­ My heart was pounding. When I stepped forward with a gentle smile, suddenly he stopped. When I turned around to see what happened, I saw the silver-haired knight looking at us with a smile. Suddenly, I was choked up with tears. He was smiling at me calmly, but I saw his blue eyes wet with tears. ¡®Daddy¡­¡± When I was murmuring, he suddenly stepped forward and bowed to my father slightly. There was shock again among the participants. Startled, I also looked up at him. What did he do now? Even if he was my father, how could the ruler of the emperor bow to him? But he said calmly that he thanked my father for raising me as a beautiful daughter, and that he would make me happy by all means. At that moment, I came near crying. I had mixed feelings of gratitude for him andplicated thoughts about my father. I hurriedly bowed my head not to show any tears and showed due manners to my father. ¡®Thank you, Daddy. Without you, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to seize this new opportunity. I will live a really happy life. So, keep watching me, your daughter, leading a happy life.¡¯ When I stepped out of the entrance, I saw the knights saluting with swords, with various expressions on their faces. I wanted to say something to some of the familiar knights, but because he took his steps without any hesitation, I just smiled at them and got in the open wagon. I could see the white breath since it was midwinter, but I didn¡¯t feel cold because he put the coat on me and wrapped it around my shoulders. ¡°Start!¡± The wagon wheels began to roll slowly. When the wagon passed by the lower nobles bowing deeply to us, I saw the scenes outside the temple. People cheering us brightly, peddlers selling food in a happy mood, and children running around here and there caught my eye. With my full affection for them in this empire, I smiled as much as I could at them who seemed very happy in a festive mood. *** < Dear Your Highness Empress, It¡¯s the first letter I¡¯ve sent you since I saw you when I left the empire. How have you been? I hear that you already have typical warm spring weather there. I was worried that you, who are sensitive to the cold, might have a hard time because of the cold. It¡¯s still winter in the kingdom of Lisa, but it¡¯s not as cold as it sounds. Of course, some of the delegation members are suffering from colds, but, as you know, I¡¯m doing fine because I¡¯m strong, as you know. Oh, don¡¯t worry about us. It seems that Kryans III still hasn¡¯t given up the case of the concubine, but he doesn¡¯t have the courage to mention it to you. Well, there would be few who can dare to mention it to your father, in particr. Well, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think I can continue to write a letter in the way I do now. Although we were close friends when young, I tried to keep manners because you were now the empress, but I really can¡¯t. So, please understand me as a friend generously even if you feel hurt by the way I speak to you. Oh, I feel like I can breathe freely now. So, how about your pce life? Is the emperor kind to you? If he makes you upset, feel free to tell me any time. I can generously understand your hurt feelings, so don¡¯t hesitate to tell me. Oops, you shouldn¡¯t tell the emperor what I have just said. I¡¯m not saying this to save my life. In fact, men sometimes can be very upset at trifling things. As I¡¯m saying this for your own good, keep it in mind. Anyway, you won¡¯t have to worry about us here. I¡¯ve never seen your father so strict. Of course, Marquis Enesil has made some contributions, but I think if your father had been dispatched, he would have solved the matter very early on. Anyway, I am learning a lot here. So, whenever you need me, talk to me. Probably I will be more helpful to you than before, be it political or not. Oh, I thought of something while mentioning political stuff to you. Is there a woman with silver hair in your family? Actually, I saw something strange a while ago. While I was walking along the street to check out the popr sentiment, I saw a woman with long hair that looked like silver or gray passing by. Her hair was much closer to gray than yours and your father¡¯s, but anyway I saw her hair was partly silver. As you know, nobody can¡¯t have silver hair unless they are from the Monique family. So, I stopped her out of curiosity, but she really looked like Lady Jena. Isn¡¯t it really amazing? I hear there are several people who really look alike, and I could confirm it. Oops, that¡¯s not important. I¡¯m just telling you that for your reference. Given that your father didn¡¯t say anything, it looks like she is not from your family. Isn¡¯t it a big problem if it¡¯s known that someone from your family is in the Lisa kingdom not to mention her silver hair? Oh my, your father is calling me now. It¡¯s time to attend the meeting. See youter, Tia. Let me stop here. Your close friend, Carsein de Lars.> *** All that happened on a cold winter morning when Allendis suddenly visited my house, saying he was bored, and asked, ¡°Tia, let me ask you something.¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± ¡°What do you like?¡± ¡°What kind of question is that? It¡¯s too broad.¡± ¡°Well, you can name anything you like. What is your favorite?¡± ¡°Well, things I like?¡± I put down the mug I was holding and thought about it. Anything I like? Let me see. What was my favorite? Since he asked me suddenly, I thought about lots of things for a while, but couldn¡¯t figure out anything particr. What should I do? Can I say I¡¯ve got nothing that I like? When I hesitantly looked back, I suddenly noticed the scenery outside the window. It snowed a lot all night long. A smile came to my lips at that moment. Yes, this is it. ¡°Snow.¡± ¡°Snow?¡± ¡°Yes. I love white snow piled up high when I look out the window in the middle of the night. I like snow.¡± ¡°Why? Because it¡¯s beautiful? ¡± ¡°Well, it ¡®s beautiful, but it also looks warm. And it also looks sweet. ¡± ¡°What the heck?¡± Allendis looked at me with an embarrassed expression. I heard him muttering something like ¡®what is warm or sweet? I don¡¯t get it,¡¯ but I continued without caring about him, ¡°I wish there was only something white, warm and sweet like snow. I feel good when I imagine it. ¡± ¡°Really? Hmm ¡­¡± Then he kept nodding by repeating, ¡®You like something white, sweet and warm?¡¯ I was curious why he suddenly asked it, but he justughed, but didn¡¯t answer my question. ¡°Well, you asked me first, then you wouldn¡¯t answer my question?¡± When Iined about it, Allendis stroked my hair with a smile, and said, ¡°It¡¯s a little difficult to tell you now, but I¡¯ll tell youter.¡± ¡°Well, okay.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go. We have to practice in the morning.¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± While heading for the training field with Allendis, I just forgot about it until today. Then¡­ ¡°Mydy, Duke Verita Jr wants to see you now.¡± I tilted my head. Allendis and I are supposed to practice fencing in the training field, so he didn¡¯t need toe to my house to see me. Why did he want to see me separately? Does he have anything to tell me? I couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on, but I put down the sword and headed to the drawing room. When I hurriedly came in, I saw a boy with light green hair wearing a white vest, which was unusual. Why is he wearing a formal dress? Is he going somewhere now? Smiling at me when I looked at him curiously, he presented a small box to me. It was a small silver box tied with a beautiful green ribbon. ¡°What is this, Allen?¡± Chapter 310 Chapter 310: Chapter 308 ¡°Do you remember what I said a few months ago? Why, what do you like? ¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I remember. Why is that? ¡± ¡°Just open it.¡± I was curious why he was so anxious about it, but I untied the ribbon silently and opened the box. At that moment, my eyes popped up. The tiny silver box contained all sorts of choctes. Choctes in the shape of hearts, stars, circles, triangles, squares as well as swords and shields and even the crest of my family. ¡°Wow, pretty¡­¡± ¡°Do you like it?¡± asked Allendis with a smile, surprised by my spontaneous admiration. I nodded gently, with my eyes fixed on the box. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my first time seeing this. How did you make it? ¡± ¡°Well, you told me you liked something white, warm and sweet like snow. So I tried making choctes to your liking.. ¡± It was great for him to create choctes in such various shapes, but what really impressed me was not that. All the choctes in the small box were not brown, but all white, to my surprise. ¡°It¡¯s surprising that you made them all white.¡± ¡°Well, I thought it was good because it was sweet and warm when you ate it, but no matter how hard I tried to find it, there was no white. So, it took awhile for me to try to make it white. ¡± ¡°Wow¡­You¡¯re really great. Thanks so much, Allen. ¡± Little did I think he could make white choctes. As I looked at them, I was so amazed that I could hardly think of eating them, when suddenly a ck shadow hung over my head. With all smiles on his face, Allendis was looking down at me. ¡°You know what, Tia?¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± ¡°There is one more condition if you want to make white choctes. I¡¯ll tell you if you¡¯re not angry with me. ¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. What is that? I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± What the heck is he talking about? It¡¯s me? No matter how hard I think, it didn¡¯t understand, so I slowly asked back, tilting my head. ¡°¡­What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Look at me. I¡¯ve got fair skin, I¡¯m more than warm-hearted and I¡¯m a sweet guy. So, what do you think? Don¡¯t I meet that condition perfectly?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So, please take me, Ugh?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Don¡¯t talk about it anymore today.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to try these choctes?¡± ¡°Well, I want to save them. They¡¯re so cute¡­¡± When he watched me hesitating for a moment, his emerald eyes sparkled brightly as if he thought about something. When I looked at him curiously, he took the box from me and picked a small chocte. ¡°Oh, open your mouth, please.¡± ¡°Let me have it by myself.¡± ¡°Come on. My arm hurts. ¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Can you have it this time only, thinking about my hard work?¡± I closed my eyes, feeling that my face was blushing hot. How smart you are, Allendis! I can¡¯t refuse it if you beg me like that. When I opened my mouth hesitantly, he put that small chocte into my mouth. ¡°It¡¯s really sweet. Delicious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. My hard work has paid off!¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Allendis!¡± When I hugged his neck with a bright smile, he paused for a moment, then hugged me and stroked my hair gently. ¡°How about it? Was it white, warm and sweet? ¡± ¡°Yes, it was. I felt exactly as I wished.¡± His low voice close to whispering was somewhat sweet, and I felt very warm when I was held in his white formal suit. I naturally closed my eyes, hearing his soft voice echoing in my head that it was him who was white, warm and sweet like snow. I felt relieved from the tension surrounding my whole body. I didn¡¯t realize until this moment that there was somebody overhearing myst dialogue with Allendis, and that it became the beginning of all the events that took ce afterwards. ¡°What are these, everyone?¡± ¡°Gifts for you, mydy!¡± ¡°Gifts for me?¡± ¡°I heard that you wanted something white, warm and sweet. Is that right? We¡¯ve got them for you.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± There were gift boxes piled up in the corner of the training center, with the knights looking at me nervously. I alternately watched dozens of packages and the knights staring fiercely at each other. Are these all gifts? ¡°Please open them, mydy!¡± ¡°Really? Ah yes. Thank you, everyone. ¡± As if there were only something ¡±white, warm and sweet,¡¯ the types of gifts in the boxes were very diverse. A white fox fur shawl, women¡¯s gloves woven from whitece, white silk handkerchiefs that looked very soft, cakes with white fresh cream and all kinds of sugar cookies, and many more. After I opened them all, the knights surrounding me while I was unpacking the box opened their mouths one by one. ¡°Which one is your favorite?¡± ¡°Pardon? Well¡­¡± ¡°I think you like mine best. A scarf may be white and warm, but it¡¯s not sweet, right? ¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Isn¡¯t it a warm and sweet white handkerchief? You can eat a white cake, and that¡¯s it. But you can keep using it.¡± I got dumbfounded, watching them having a quarrel over their gifts. When I was standing quietly without responding, Allendis carefully grabbed my wrist and pulled me gently. Muffling our footsteps, he and I slipped out of the training field. When I finally entered the reception room nearby, my heart that was pounding fast finally came back to normal. It looked like they overheard my conversation with Allendis a little while ago, but I wonder how they could bring all those gifts in such a short time. When I thought they must have been running around to obtain the gifts all morning, a smile came to my lips naturally. Somehow I feltforted warmly, so I put a white chocte in my mouth, when I suddenly heard someone knocking on the door. ¡°This is Lina, mydy. May Ie in?¡± ¡°Yes, you cane in.¡± She was holding something big in her hand when she came into the drawing room. She looked at me with an expectant expression after handing it to me. ¡°What is this, Lina?¡± ¡°It¡¯s cotton candy, mydy.¡± ¡°Cotton candy?¡± ¡°Yes, I hear you said you liked something white, warm and sweet. This is the masterpiece of the butler, chief chef and the house staff!¡± ¡°What? Masterpiece? ¡± I was just speechless at that. Obviously, it was a little conversation between me and Allendis. How many were there who overheard it? As I reacted feebly, she said with a smile, ¡°They made it by pulling it like a white thread from melted sugar, then rolling it around a stick. Doesn¡¯t it look warm like a cotton ball? It¡¯s white, sweet and warm as you wish!¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Please try it once. Come on.¡± ¡°Sure¡­Oh, this one is also sweet. Thanks, Lina. Please tell everyone that I would like to thank them.¡± ¡°How about it, mydy? Isn¡¯t this what you wanted?¡± I hesitated for a moment. How should I reply? She said everyone in my house put all their efforts into making it. In that respect, I could not reply in the negative. Well, I could simply say she was right, but I felt like I would be in big trouble if I gave her a misleading reply. I knew I was put on the spot because of Allendis and the knights. So, I hesitated, not knowing what to do, when I saw somebody entering the reception room. I stood up, dly weing the appearance of the unexpected ally. ¡°Hi, Daddy! There was a little disturbance because of me this morning. Sorry.¡± ¡°How are you, Marquis Monique!¡± ¡°Nice to see you, Verita Jr. Oh, that¡¯s fine, Tia. I can understand that as your father. By the way¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I heard that you wanted something white, warm and sweet. Why didn¡¯t you tell me if you wanted something?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Returning Allendis¡¯ greetings half-heartedly, he showed some regrets to me immediately. I smiled awkwardly at my father who felt a bit upset. But I was so dejected as to respond now. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking a lot about what you wanted, but I could not figure it out. I hope this is what you wanted. ¡± It was tea leaves that he gave me. The long tea leaves in a small box were slightly silvery, unlike the typical ones. Wow, it¡¯s white tea, which tasted bitter first, then sweet. ¡°Thank you so much, Daddy.¡± When I carefully put aside the small box, I could feel everyone around me looking at me intensely. Not only my father but also Allendis, the butler, Lina and Sir League, who I didn¡¯t even know came into the drawing room, were staring at me. Chapter 311 Chapter 311: Chapter 310 ¡°Oh my, why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Well, what I want to ask is¡­¡± ¡°Which gift do you like best, Aristia?¡± Everyone looked at me curiously, with their eyes sparkling, when one of them asked me. I suddenly got goosebumps on my back. I felt it all along, but I felt like I would really be in big trouble if I didn¡¯t reply properly. Even my father, who was usually indifferent, was staring at my lips. ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say you like them all. Just pick your favorite one, okay?¡± said Allendis. How did you know? Quickly ncing at him, who smiled at me, I was lost in thought for a moment. However, no matter how hard I thought, my answer was still the same from the beginning. ¡°¡­Well, I like chocte best.¡± ¡°Yeah! I knew it from the beginning.¡± ¡°Well, why did you pick it, mydy?¡± ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s the masterpiece of our hard work¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Alendis hugged me with great joy, but Sir League and Lina made an upset expression. Although my father didn¡¯t express it, he seemed to feel sorry for my choice. As everybody seemed not to have readily epted my choice, I pulled Allendis apart from me and said, ¡°I like all of your gifts and I really appreciate it, but Allendis made this chocte after months of hard work. Besides, he asked me first what was my favorite gift¡­¡± ¡°Thanks, Aristia. After all, only you appreciate my hard work. Hey, have another chocte. I will make a lot more choctes for you in the future. ¡± ¡°¡­ You boasted you would beat all the knights, right? Considering that, how could you take time out to make chocte by yourself? Maybe I taught you too leniently. Verita Jr, I think I can increase the intensity of your training starting tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ Marquis Monique, that is too¡­¡± When my father turned after speaking to him in a subdued tone, other knights took turns to add their ownments. ¡°Hey, guys, let¡¯s give our master a hand. I¡¯m going to throw down the gauntlet to you next year, Verita Jr.¡± ¡°Vertia Jr, I¡¯ll certainly beat you next year!¡± Why are they mentioning next year? No way, they can¡¯t mean what I have in mind! Although the word ¡®next year¡¯ continued to hover in my mind, I tried to ignore it and picked up a star-shaped chocte. Later I received a message from the emperor asking me if there was something like white choctes. He told me he would have a teatime with me if I brought some. Anyway, after the little incident involving Allendis¡¯s chocte gift, I had to find myself letting out a sigh at a growing number of gifts in the following year. With respect to the so-called White Day, when the man gives back delicious choctes to his lover, there are many opinions about its origin, but the dominant opinion is that it began when Allendis, who was Duke Verita¡¯s second son, called the genius of the times, during the reign of the 33rd Emperor Mircan Lu Shana Castina presented a snow-white chocte to his longtime friend Lady Aristia of the Marquis Monique family, whoter became the empress of the 34th Emperor, Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina. ording to this theory, he made white choctes for her by himself. Unlike the existing ck choctes, the choctes he made were white, so the day he gave the white choctes to her was named White Day. *** As a child, it was the crest of my family that first caught my eye. You may think me strange, but that was true. My father was always busy, so I could hardly see him, and my mother wasn¡¯t the type of woman who was warm-hearted by nature. As my brother was busy learning various things as the sessor of my family, he could not take care of me kindly. So, I was all alone, except for the house staff who had to care about me out of duty. In some respects, it was natural that the crest of the family, which was inscribed everywhere in the house, caught my eye. During my childhood in my distant memories the crest of my family was marked by the sticking of arge sword in the ground. I don¡¯t know the reason exactly, but when I was five or six, it changed to a long silver sword and a red vine coiling around it. I was fascinated by the crest. Although I was attracted to the red rose whose color was as intense as my hair, what really caught my eye was the sword. I could not take my eyes off the sword shining brightly like silver. It was natural that I liked what catched my eye. In that respect, it wasn¡¯t a coincidence that I grabbed the sword. It was the turning point in my life that when I was seven, my father found me ying with a wooden sword. My father, who praised me for ying with the sword like the son of my family, called the ¡®Sword of the Empire,¡¯ was astonished while teaching me some fencing motions. It was from then that I was called a genius swordsman. I began to receive attention from lots of people. I wasn¡¯t alone anymore. Even if I pushed them out and ignored them first, they reached out to me first. But now I didn¡¯t need their attention. Everything was annoying to me because I was only interested in only one thing. It was a cold but warm, sharp and soft sword shining brightly. I fell in love with the sword. I found living with the sword much happier than spending time with people. All day long, I practiced fencing and talked with the sword. That was my daily routine until I met the girl. One early autumn, a few months before my fifteenth birthday, my father came home and said that the daughter of the Monique family would sometimes stop by to learn fencing. I was annoyed because the women I inevitably bumped into were mostly the same. They were just noisy and troublesome to me, who interfered with my life. When I felt that the daughter of the Monique family would also disturb me on the pretext of learning fencing, I became hostile to her even before I met her. When my mother called me to attend tea time, I immediately felt it in my bones that she finally visited my house. So, I went to the drawing room full of annoyance, thinking she was bothering me from the beginning. The moment I looked back at her, ignoring my mother¡¯s warning that I should not be rude to her, the girl, who was standing quietly, bowed slightly to greet me. When her silver hair hung down naturally, I saw something like the light of the sword de that reflected the moonlight. That light was so impressive and beautiful that I got carried away with it for some time. However, my favorable first impression disappeared the moment when my mother told me to practice fencing with her. I just felt frustrated with her instruction because I was already annoyed by the fact that she woulde to my house to learn fencing from my father. I was so frustrated that I could not even utter a single word. I thought to myself hysterically, ¡®Does it make any sense for me to teach a girl who seems too weak to wield a sword?¡¯ Maybe it was because of that thinking that I ridiculed and threw a tantrum at the girl who asked for my help. Although I was bothered by her, I didn¡¯t like the fact that she trifled with fencing which I loved. Just like other women that showed interest in me did, I thought she would go away if I acted rudely to her. However, the girl demonstrated her fencing skills instead of getting angry with me. In fact, I felt sorry for my rude remarks to her when I came to realize how much effort she made in improving her fencing skills, but I couldn¡¯t apologize to her because my pride would be hurt if I did so. So I barely gave her a few words of advice when she turned, but I didn¡¯t offer any apologies, after all. The girl didn¡¯te back to me after that. Was it because of that? I kept thinking of her despite my efforts to forget her. I regret I didn¡¯t apologize to her, and at the same time I got curious why she would note back to me for fencing practice, given that she would not give it up easily. Chapter 312 Chapter 312: Chapter 311 Losing my patience, I finally visited Monique¡¯s house, but I got angry again against my will. I could not help it. As someone who vowed to master fencing, how could she do such stupid things? So, I was mad at her again and came back, vowing that I would never see her, but I was still bothered by her, who copsed after passing out. Her pale face, her silver hair that lost its shine and her haggard figure, who got so skinny over the past few weeks, weighed heavily on my mind. It was the first time I could not concentrate while practicing fencing. In the end, I went to her house again only to be expelled. My pride was so much hurt that I vowed I would never see her again. But I found myself missing her again. Before I knew it, I was being drawn to her gradually. I was more and more happy when I spent time with her, and I was thrilled when she asionally smiled at me. It was around that time that I came to realize there was another guy who also liked her. One day when I was in the thick of practicing, I turned my head at a stranger¡¯s voice and found him hugging her. I was upset by her bright smile at him, which I had never experienced. I was annoyed to hear her calling his name while calling me with a title. I was frustrated to notice her treating him casually even when he cast a cold nce at her. I got more and more frustrated when the man was even allowed to call her nickname casually after begging her. He asked to talk with me, so we moved to a ce nearby where she could not overhear our dialogue. Even there he was still polite and cordial to me. As I was so embarrassed, I just sneered at him. When asked, he looked around, then showed his true colors. Befitting his image as the genius of the century, he had such a way with words. When I denounced him as a sissy boy, he resisted and ridiculed me. I felt disgusted at the way he pretended to be polite and kind to the girl. I was more upset because of her who didn¡¯t know his true colors. While I was trying to keep him at bay, I forgot what¡¯s really a very important fact, which was that she was the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. She looked markedly depressed after receiving a letter from the crown prince. In the end, she appeared as his partner at hising-of-age ceremony. Dressed up to match each other¡¯s hair color, they looked sofortable together. As if they were so happy together, the crown prince kept whispering into her ear while dancing. Moreover, even after he was done dancing, he was staring at her for a while instead of leaving. After he sat back at the head table with her, side by side, he talked with her. I felt heartbroken because the couple looked firmly united. I didn¡¯t have the heart to interfere with them. I was aware that they were engaged, but little did I think they would actually get married because I knew she was learning fencing to seed her family. I just thought their engagement was a mere formality. But when I saw them close to each other, my heart ached. One day while trying to calm my troubled heart, I was ordered by my father to teach her fencing because he struck some deal with the Monique family. At that time, I was trying to distance myself from her, thinking I should not get close to her because she would be the crown prince¡¯s wife. Although my heart froze after hising-of-age day, it began to thump again at the thought of reuniting with her through fencing. The voice of the silver-haired girl who resembled my beloved sword, her faint smile at me and her voice that called Carsein quietly came to my mind vividly. I felt like my broken heart seemed to have been healed. One day before I left for the estate of the Monique family in excitement, an unexpected guest came to see me. He was Allendis. Unlike me, who was a little tanned from practicing in the sun, his skin was always fair, which annoyed me all the more. He looked dejected when he visited me, asking me if I also saw the crown prince hobnobbing with her on hising-of-age day. He even suggested we stay united, though he didn¡¯t like it. When I epted his proposal after pondering over it for a while, he told me with a bitter expression that since he was disqualified, I should double my efforts to protect her on my behalf. I asked him what the heck he was talking about, but he refused to answer, and instead handed me a letter, asking me to deliver it to her. The time I spent with the girl at the Monique estate was the happiest time in my fifteen years of life. Our daily routine such as eating together, having fun, and practicing fencing together was so much fun. I got carried away with the joy of being with the two things I loved most, namely the sword and the girl. I was annoyed by the letters sent by Allendis to her more often than not. Except for that, I had a peaceful day, thinking ¡®How good would it be if I could live with her like this all my life?¡± As I got carried away with my own happiness, I didn¡¯t realize her misfortune. I felt she was weird when she received a letter from the crown prince, informing her of his uing visit. But as I saw the couple enjoying being together at the party, I thought it¡¯s perhaps because she was thrilled. I felt tempted to tease her, so I kept ying tricks on her and teasing her until the crown prince arrived. When I felt that it was me alone who felt happy about spending time with her, I got more upset, so I harassed her, which I regretted a lotter. When I saw the residents of the estate weing the procession of the crown prince, I really felt bitter. The Monique family was renowned for their oath and absolute loyalty to the imperial family. Like they say, the apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree. So, I wondered if she could not be freed from the crown prince because she was the immediate member of the Monique family. I knew that I had no right to interfere with the couple. Nevertheless, I felt heartbroken somehow. Contrary to the perception among the people that he was a very cold-hearted man, the crown prince was faintly smiling at her when he met her. During the dinner one day, when I also joined them, the crown prince took care of her, while he kept emphasizing that she was his ¡®fiancee¡¯, which made me feel bitter. I felt I was too miserable when I couldn¡¯t balk at the crown prince¡¯s message that he would like to spend time with her alone. I left the drawing room and leaned back on the door. I was conscious of the royal knights on standby, but I was so depressed that I could not even move. I was suddenly awakened by the subtle change in her emotions when she was with the crown prince. Obviously, she treated the crown prince differently from the way she treated me and Allendis, which was rather more cautious and considerate. I could not erase her subtle care about the crown prince from my mind. At that moment, I heard her sudden screaming and the crown prince urgently calling for the royal doctor. I jumped into the parlor with the royal knights. I didn¡¯t know what happened before I arrived there, but she, who passed out, was held in the crown prince¡¯s arms. Only then did I realize that her face was pale after she received the letter from the crown prince, she was getting skinny because she could hardly eat, and that she was restless and nervous in a break with her usual calmness andposure. I also recalled she passed out while practicing fencing excessively one year ago. I thought I was so stupid that although I knew she was not learning fencing as a hobby, I ignored it when she was nervous or unstable, thinking it was caused by her excitement. I should have realized that being the sessor of the Monique family could not rece the position of the empress or vice versa. It was clear that she wanted to be the sessor of her family, given her hard training, rather than being the crown prince¡¯s wife. But I ignored all these factors without paying attention to her concerns, blinded by jealousy. Chapter 313 Chapter 313: Chapter 312 When I saw she regained consciousness finally, my heart sank because I could not see the warmth in her golden eyes anymore. To make matters worse, she didn¡¯t say anything as if she forgot how to speak. No matter how hard I tried to help her pull herself together, she didn¡¯t listen to me at all as if she couldn¡¯t hear at all. I headed for the training field with a heavy heart, hoping that I could shake off myplicated thoughts by practicing hard. But I could not wield my sword as well as I wished, perhaps because I hadn¡¯t been practicing properly while I got carried away with spending time with her. The more I tried to concentrate, the more her haggard figure weighed on my mind. How long did I practice fencing? When I came to my senses all of a sudden, I ran into the crown prince who was looking at me coldly and sharply. When I hurriedly greeted him politely, he asked for a fencing sparring with me, saying he wanted topete with me, called a genius swordsman, one day. Although I didn¡¯t feel like it, I didn¡¯t have the right to refuse his request, so I grabbed the sword silently. When I was exploring how to beat him, I saw something fluttering in the air. When I instantly looked up, I noticed her standing by the window and staring nkly into the sky. While I was distracted by her shimmering silver hair, his sword barely touched my shoulder. Despite his warning that I should focus, I found myself distracted often. After all, he and I found ourselves pointing the swords at each other¡¯s neck. After he was done sparring with me, he gave me advice that if I had anything to keep, I should do my best without being distracted for a moment. I got upset. I felt I was really stupid when I thought that I didn¡¯t do my best in fencing of for her because of my preupation with my immediate selfposure. My growing sense of shame reached its peak with the appearance of her father. She woke up from hercency when she was given a sound rebuke by her father. When I saw her stuttering, shuddering with embarrassment, I suddenly felt ashamed of myself. Stupid! What did I do until now? I was really ashamed of myself after realizing that I was unaware of her nervousness even though I was with her all the time, and I, blinded by my own happiness, knew nothing about her while confessing to her that I liked her. When I visited her the next day, her father, who was standing with dust all over him, stopped me. When I looked at her through the crack in the door, she was busy writing as if she was bewitched by something. Since I felt I could not disturb her at the moment, I waited silently with her father there. Her door opened after half the day passed. She came out with faltering steps, then threw herself in her father¡¯s arms I felt heartbroken at her pale face. The crown prince¡¯s admonition that I should do my best to keep what I value came back to haunt me. Although I wanted to protect her and even promised that I would double my efforts to protect her on behalf of Allendis, I didn¡¯t keep it. Even though I had seen her practicing like crazy, I didn¡¯t know why she was so obsessed with mastering fencing. If I had known her situation in advance, I would never have left so she and the crown prince could be together. The fact that I wasn¡¯t reliable enough for her to ask for my help broke my heart. While going back to the capital, I looked out the window with a heavy heart. She could survive because of the Monique family¡¯s oath to the imperial family, but I made up my mind to do my best to protect her ording to the crown prince¡¯s advice. I didn¡¯t want to see her terrified and nervous when she was with the crown prince. When I walked through the golden field with her while they were pulling out the wheel stuck in the mud, I was relieved to see her babbling on. I was thrilled when I saw her face suddenly glowing. With my heart throbbing, I prayed that she would always be in a bright mood like that. When I called her waking ahead, I was speechless at the moment she turned. Her silver hair scattering in the golden fields shined mysteriously and brightly like a sword reflecting the moonlight. When I looked at her face and her golden eyes full of curiosity, I suddenly felt up to confessing to her that I liked her. But when I plucked up the courage to open my mouth, I heard someone calling me and her at the same time. At that moment, I came to my senses all of a sudden. Why am I trying to confess to her when I don¡¯t even protect her? You idiot! I felt I was not qualified to confess to her. When we arrived at the capital, I looked at the wagon after I got out. Only after the silver-haired girl faded awaypletely did I turn, clenching my teeth. I vowed that until we meet again, I would develop my skills as much as possible so as not to avoid feeling ashamed before her. ¡®I¡¯ll protect you. I will build up my strength in case you cannot escape on your own. I¡¯ll keep and protect you, so you won¡¯t feel so nervous and anxious again. I will protect you so that you can live confidently just like you showed it to me in the golden fields. So, hang in there a little longer. I will appear as a man who can stand confidently next to you. So, will you wait for me a little until then, my beloved girl, my silver sword, Aristia?¡¯ *** ¡°Let me send Beatrice Shah Lisa, the fifth princess, as the candidate for the concubine of the empire¡¯s crown prince. Beatrice, step forward and take my order.¡± Beatrice slowly lifted her head and looked at the middle-aged man sitting on a high tform far away, King Kryans III. He was the only ruler in the great kingdom of Lisa, who was the most ambitious of all the previous kings famous for their belligerent temper. He was Beatrice¡¯s father. His shiny green eyes did not contain anything like dishonesty. Beatrice felt a surge of anger when he was examining her thoroughly as if evaluating her worth. When she found herself cursing him deep down, she hastily shut her mouth. Her father was telling her that he would sell her to the empire for the political interests of the kingdom. ¡°What are you doing, princess? Come forward right away and take my order!¡± Beatrice was staring at Kryans III¡¯s fourth queen who yelled at her for a moment, then slowly lowered her eyes. ¡®How long can you maintain your position there?¡¯ She was hired as her mother¡¯s maid and eventually rose to the position of a queen. Although she was getting on her high horse now, she would clearly fall down the moment she lost favor with the king, just like Beatrice¡¯s mother who was dethroned when he didn¡¯t show any interest in her. And her children would clearly be sold to other kingdoms like Beatrice. ¡°I, Beatrice, the fifth princess, am honored to ept the order of the great king.¡± ¡°Hmm, as I give you this chance because I take special care of you, you should be the concubine of the empire¡¯s crown prince and do your best for the prosperity of the kingdom. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I will. ¡± ¡°It won¡¯t take long for me to take over the empire. So, do your best until our troops upy the empire.¡± Consumed by his wild ambitions, he didn¡¯t show any concern about his daughter. His green eyes, which exactly looked like Beatrice¡¯s, were burning with greed. Beatrice, who politely bowed, stepped back from him. While she came out of the king¡¯svish pce and headed for her residence, she was breathing hard. She could not help but make a hollow smile. What did he expect from me? Abandoned princess, Beatrice Shah Lisa. The child of a queen who has been dethroned after losing favor with the king. That was the name that followed Beatrice for the past sixteen years. Her father confined her to her cold pce and forgot about her until recently. So, she even felt like admiring his discovery of her use after a long time. ¡®What did he say? Special favor for me? No kidding! Although he said that, feigning generosity, basically he was nning to use me to buy time to invade the empire!¡¯ She let out a sigh when she saw her shabby pce in the distance. As she got closer there, she was concerned about something else, aside from her raging anger. ¡®I wish I didn¡¯t bump into you today.¡¯ Chapter 314 Chapter 314: Chapter 313 I quickly nced around like a sinner, but he was invisible. Calming her troubled heart, she grabbed the doorknob carefully. ¡°Wee back, mydy.¡± Was it because she was so surprised? Even without raising her voice, she turned her stiff neck back. A young knight with neatlybed brown hair was looking at her with a worried expression. She put her hand on her throbbing heart gently. Gillian su Feden. He was the head of the Earl Feden family, now defunct, who stood beside her for the past six years. And he was the man she loved. ¡°Sir Feden.¡± ¡°What happened? You really look pale now.¡± ¡°Oh, no. Nothing special.¡± ¡°Really? I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s the first time you formally met your father since you were born.¡± She agonized for a moment because of his incredible insight. ¡®Should I tell him or not?¡¯ But she didn¡¯t agonize for long. She broke into a giggle, after all. Sooner orter rumors will spread, but why should she hide it? She thought that telling him honestly would show her consideration of his tireless affection for her the past six years. ¡°In fact, I was ordered to go to the empire as a candidate for its crown prince¡¯s concubine.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°I hear that I¡¯ll have to leave for the empire as soon as the Lisa delegation is formed, so there are not many days for me to stay in the kingdom.¡± She made a pitiable expression, noticing lots of mixed feelings in his brown eyes. She knew that he loved her, and that¡¯s why he had stayed with her until now. She once dreamed of getting out of this terrible pce and spending time with him. Although she never mentioned it to anybody because of the ss difference between them, namely her status as a princess and his status as her bodyguard, she had dreamt of living with him happily as his wife. But all of that was just an illusion. Right now, 15 days before hering-of-age ceremony, she was ordered to go to the empire to be its crown prince¡¯s concubine, whose face she never knew. ¡°Well, this is better for you, Sir Feden. Stop escorting me on this asion and go back to the knights¡¯ division you belong to. You have a family to keep and protect.¡± ¡°I am your personal bodyguard, princess. I can¡¯t go back to the knights¡¯ division. ¡± She felt sorry for his firm voice, but she said, upset because he would never leave her if she didn¡¯t, ¡°Don¡¯t you know? If I leave for the empire, I won¡¯t need a bodyguard anymore.¡± ¡°Princess!¡± ¡°Leave me. It¡¯s my order.¡± ¡°¡­Okay. Please do me a favor, though. Please allow me to serve you until you leave.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please¡­ I beg you. ¡± Beatrice turned and nodded at his earnest request,forting herself by thinking that it would be better to stay away from him little by little rather than letting him go right away. *** All kinds of jewelry made by the finest craftsmen, all kinds of dresses trending with thetest fashion, and luxurious silverware and items. Beatrice broke intoughter at the increasing number of things she had never had before. As if to belie his longtime indifference to his daughter, King Kryans III hosted hering-of-age ceremony in a luxurious way and gave her various luxury items. ¡®Can the imperial family of the empire choose me because for that?¡¯ It seemed that he underestimated the intelligence power of the empire. She was dumbfounded to see an increase in her marriage articles in the name of wedding presents. She was just one of the candidates for the crown prince¡¯s concubine. ¡°Did you call me, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Is it tomorrow when you are leaving for the empire?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I called you because I have a special mission for you. I¡¯ll ask only one before that. Aren¡¯t you unhappy about your political marriage, right?¡± ¡°¡­No, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Good. That¡¯s the way of life of a princess. You should keep in mind that your position as the crown prince¡¯s concubine is an undeserved one for you.¡± She bowed more deeply at his cold voice, grasping the hem of her dress. As if he liked her attitude, he now said in a more rxed tone than before, ¡°This is the mission for you. Seduce the crown prince and make him fall in love with you. Okay?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I was told that he had a very cold personality and was not much interested in women. But such a man can¡¯t get out of a woman once he is into her. So, try to tempt him by any means. As you are pretty, it¡¯ll be a matter of time for you to captivate him if you seduce him well.¡± She twisted the crumpled hem of her dress roughly. ¡®What the heck are you talking about? Seducing him by any means?¡¯ She felt deeply insulted and clenched her teeth when he nodded as if he was satisfied, looking at her up and down. No matter what they called her, she was still a princess of the Lisa kingdom who shared his blood. How could he give such an instruction to his daughter, as if she was a prostitute? ¡°Don¡¯t feel shameful about what I said. It¡¯s all for the Lisa kingdom.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Once you seed in seducing him, try to pry out valuable intelligence from him little by little. You have to make sure you are not caught. If you can do it, let me give you a big reward after I conquer the empireter.¡± I thought to myself, ¡®Are you kidding? You probably want me to go there to die. ¡® Stepping back, she hysterically crumpled the hem of her dress. She was frustrated to hear him mentioning patriotism even though he didn¡¯t do anything for her until now. She felt upset and resentful at his remarks that she should sacrifice herself for the kingdom. ¡®I wish I had been born as an ordinary woman.¡¯ She regretted that as a princess she had to live such a miserable life like now. She couldn¡¯t figure it out. *** ¡°Now stop drinking, princess. You¡¯re drunk. ¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not drunk. I¡¯m sober.¡± ¡°¡­Oh my, you are drunk. Let me put this away.¡± Beatrice was smiling at Gillian, who took a bottle of wine from her. Then, she slowly got up and leaned against the table. When he let out hot breathing, he stopped while clearing away the bottle. Looking at the man she loved, she lifted the hem of her dress slowly. When her thigh was revealed slowly, he turned his head, breathing in quickly. With a drowsy smile, she said in a wet voice, ¡°Come here.¡± ¡°Your Highness?¡± ¡°¡­Am I not beautiful? Don¡¯t you want to have me?¡± ¡°You drank a lot. Please stop¡­¡± She smiled more deeply at him when he was hesitant, avoiding her eyes. She took her hands off the table and grabbed and tore her dress abruptly as if it was burdensome. The upper part of her dress became loose as the buttons fell off. Getting close to him, she touched his arms, with her breasts exposed. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to have me even now?¡± ¡°Your Highness, please¡­¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ you can¡¯t be seduced? I¡¯m in trouble if I can¡¯t seduce him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What should I do? I am supposed to seduce the crown prince to fulfill my duty as a princess for the kingdom.¡± ¡°¡­ Take a break. ¡± With his lips tight, he supported her who was staggering and escorted her to her bedroom. Afterying her on the bed, he was going to turn quickly, but he had to stop on the spot because she already got up from the bed and looked at him with tears in her eyes, holding his sleeves. ¡°Please don¡¯t go.¡± ¡°¡­Your Highness.¡± ¡°I know you love me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I know I will never see you again after today. Although my father told me he would give me a big reward, I know he was paying lip service. The moment my father starts a war with the empire, I¡¯ll be dead. ¡± She said to him in a tearful voice, who was standing with his back to her, ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Highness.¡± ¡°Even if I leave for the empire after tonight¡­please help me live with memories of you¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please hold me.¡± She pulled his sleeve with a trembling hand and put his hand on her cheek. He momentarily stiffened at her soft touch, then slowly turned around to look at her. While looking at her in distress when she was looking up at him in tears, he pulled her closer by the waist. He kissed her lips and put his tongue into her mouth roughly. She was gasping for breath when he tightened his arm around her waist and didn¡¯t stop kissing. But the more passionately he kissed her, the more firmly she hugged his neck. ¡°I love you, Beatrice.¡± He whispered, kissing her again when she was breathing hard. Her eyes were blurred with tears at his confession. There was the sound of them taking off their clothes. In the end, tears flowed from her eyes. While trying to feel deep inside her heart the body heat of the man she loved, she tightly hugged his neck with a trembling hand. Chapter 315 Chapter 315: Chapter 314 He whispered, kissing her again when she was breathing hard. Her eyes were blurred with tears at his confession. There was the sound of them taking off their clothes. In the end, tears flowed from her eyes. While trying to feel deep inside her heart the body heat of the man she loved, she tightly hugged his neck with a trembling hand. ¡°Why are you here? I clearly told you to go back to your original knights division.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Beatrice put her hand on her throbbing heart, looking silently at Gillian who remained silent at her harsh rebuking. ¡®How foolish you are!¡¯ As she couldn¡¯t stand seeing the turbulent emotions in his brown eyes, she turned coldly, ignoring him. Once she got inside her carriage she noticed a marigold subtly wrapped in a handkerchief. Feeling choked up with emotions, she touched its yellow petals silently. ¡®He gave me this as a sign of farewell, then why did he follow me?¡¯ The next day after she slept with him, she found a single marigold at her bedside. She didn¡¯t know how much she cried after seeing that flower meaning the sadness of separation. Actually, she left the pce feeling so sad at the thought that she would nevere back. She was so sad that she couldn¡¯t feel upset about her father¡¯s intentional failure to see her off. ¡°A stupid man¡­ ¡± If she was not chosen as the crown prince¡¯s wife, it was certain that her father would push her to be his concubine, given his wild temper. Either way, it was a fait apli that she would be the crown prince¡¯s woman, which made her heartbroken all the more. Of course, even if Sir Feden stayed in the kingdom, it would be difficult for him to revive his fallen family, but she felt it was not right for him to follow her. What¡¯s the point of following her when he would be more heartbroken if he did so? ¡®I should not lose my mind now.¡¯ She made a determined look, wiping her tears. Now that she decided to leave the kingdom with the goal of being the crown prince¡¯s wife, she would be in trouble if she got entangled with Sir Feden because she couldn¡¯t control her emotions. She had nothing like patriotism for the kingdom, but if something went wrong, she would endanger the life of the man she loved. ¡®It¡¯s not easy, but I should treat him as coldly as possible.¡¯ Gently touching the yellow petals of the marigold, she once again pulled herself together. ** ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Little Sun of the empire. This is Beatrice Shah, the fifth princess of the Lisa kingdom. ¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Princess Shah. I wish you afortable stay while you are here.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°The chief attendant will escort you to the assigned pce. See youter.¡± She slowly bowed to him, who was turning after greeting him coldy. She felt a bit upset since he clearly drew a line, but when she entered the assigned pce, she was amazed while looking around. Although it was one of the small pces for concubines, the ce assigned to her was as well decorated as Kryans III¡¯s pce. Sitting in a neatly arranged room, she recalled her meeting with the crown prince a little while ago. She could find no expression in his face and no feeling in his navy blue eyes. Although she had no intention of following her father¡¯s order, she felt that the crown prince was not easily seduced, given his very cold attitude. ¡®Good for me!¡¯ She didn¡¯t want to be his wife. Her goal was to be one of his concubines and live quietly. When the war broke out between the Lisa kingdom and the empire, she would lose her life anyway, so all she wanted was to live afortable life during her short period until the war broke. But her determination like that did notst long. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re pregnant.¡± ¡°What did you say? Say it again. What did you say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but you¡¯re clearly pregnant.¡± ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± Obviously, at some point, she couldn¡¯t swallow food because it tasted too salty or nd, too sweet or bitter. She felt disgusted about the foods she enjoyed as a rule, and even experienced dry heaving. She thought it was strange, but she thought it¡¯s simply because she was in a new environment. However, Sir Feden kept looking at her nervously, which made her call the royal doctor who was part of the Lisa delegation to check her condition. ¡°By the way, Your Highness, I just don¡¯t understand what happened to you. It seems you are two months pregnant, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the crown prince¡¯s baby¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! Keep it secret. If my pregnancy is leaked, you know that we are all dead, right? Besides, they might start a war between the two kingdoms.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯ll keep it secret.¡± ¡°Then get out. Again, be sure to watch your mouth.¡± After warning the doctor severely, who rolled his eyes nervously, she was lost in thought. She had no idea what to do. She paced up and down in her room for a while, then she made up her mind firmly. If they knew about her pregnancy, Sir Feden would not avoid being killed. She didn¡¯t care about the damage to the Lisa kingdom because of her pregnancy because she had no affection for it anyway. Gillian¡¯s case was different. She thought she must save his life. She had to take some measures before her pregnancy was leaked. *** ¡°Go back.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Let me forget what happened today. So, leave my room right now.¡± Her heart sank at the crown prince¡¯s cold look. While nkly looking at him turning coldly, she left the crown prince¡¯s pce, feeling dejected. She made a hollow smile in spite of herself. She trembled with shame when she recalled a little while ago when she tried to seduce him by all means. What¡¯s the difference between a prostitute who sold her body to make money and her who seduced the crown prince to protect the man she loved? ¡°Where have you been?¡± When she entered her room with a weary heart, Gillian stopped her, holding his lips tightly. She suddenly stepped back before she knew it, feeling him staring at her intensely unfamiliar. Avoiding him who walked toward her with strides, she kept moving back until she had her back against the cold wall. She said in a trembling voice, overwhelmed by his imposing posture. ¡°Oh, I went out for a walk¡­¡± ¡°You mean without me, your bodyguard? How could you do that here in a foreign country?¡± ¡°Well, I just felt jammed up inside¡­¡± ¡°Whew! I hear that you have been to the crown prince¡¯s pce. Why did you go there?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Gillian asked in a firm voice when she tried to avoid his eyes, ¡°What are you hiding from me?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got nothing¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you hiding something from me since the royal doctor came here to check your condition? I pretended I didn¡¯t notice it, but I insist I want to hear from you. What the heck is it that you are trying to hide from me desperately?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Your Highness!¡± Suddenly choked up with emotions when he called her gently, she began to tell him the truth, wiping her tears. Gillian¡¯s eyes, who listened to her story silently, were shocked, but only briefly. He then slowly reached out and pulled her into his arms, whispering in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have given you such a big burden¡­ I¡¯m so sorry, Your Highness.¡± ¡°What should I do now? If they find out about my pregnancy¡­¡± ¡°How many people know about your pregnancy? Only you, me and the royal doctor, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Please leave it to me and feelfortable. Let me take care of it.¡± She felt rxed by his reassuring voice and patting her on the shoulder. Feeling greatly relieved, she leaned into his arms with a brighter expression after a long time. She knew it would not be easy to resolve this matter, but she just thought everything would be fine. *** ¡°Choose. War or exile? ¡± One day when she was barely getting by as if walking on a tightrope, the crown prince suddenly visited her and spat out harshly, which broke her peace altogether. Watching her with a stoneface, who was shuddering with fear, he said, ¡°If you want war, let me do as you wish. If you don¡¯t, I would like to make one suggestion. ¡± ¡°Ugh? what is your suggestion?¡± ¡°Well, I think I have to tell you this first. I already know that your baby¡¯s father is your bodyguard. So, don¡¯t even try to make any excuses about it. ¡± ¡°Well, how did you know that¡­?¡± Chapter 316 Chapter 316: Chapter 315 ¡°Well, let me put it aside. Anyway, this is my suggestion. I have no ns to ept my wife yet. However, when I think about those kingdoms that dispatched their princesses here, I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t want you all. So, I want you to announce first that you don¡¯t want me.¡± ¡°I will, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°As you know, if your pregnancy is known to the outside world, there will be a war between the empire and your kingdom. So, to both of you, oh, actually three, I think saving your lives is more important than a war, right?¡± She flinched at his prating look. At that moment, Gillian twisted his body to block her vision from the crown prince and said, ¡°What do you want from us?¡± ¡°Hmm, I think you can understand my point better. I don¡¯t want a lot. I just need something to dissuade those preferring to go to a war with the Lisa kingdom.¡± ¡°If we give you what you want, what can you give us in return?¡± ¡°Well? You think it¡¯s not enough to have your lives saved, right?¡± ¡°Of course, it is, but in that case, what we can hand over to you will be a little different.¡± ¡°As a mere knight, are you now trying to negotiate with me?¡± Sir Feden¡¯s sparkling brown eyes shed with the crown prince¡¯s cold eyes. As the atmosphere between them became more tense, Beatrice closed her mouth in a nervous state. She felt as if the crown price would order his royal knights to drag him out. How much time passed? She was watching them tensely for a while, when the crown prince relented a bit and said, folding his fingers with a more rxed expression than before, ¡°I hear you are head of the famous Feden family. As such, you are exceeding my expectations.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, it¡¯s the thing of the past.¡± ¡°I see. I heard that your family was ruined when your mother and first queen lost favor with the king. That¡¯s too bad.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Originally I nned to wrap it up after obtaining some moderate concessions, but as you ask me, let me listen to what you want. Just go ahead.¡± ¡°What I want is¡­¡± Beatrice was stunned by what he said, but as she was excluded from their talk, she could not do anything to block him from trying to make a deal with the crown prince. In the end, she could barely see him face to face, who stood next to her after seeing the prince off with a satisfied expression. Stupid man. Didn¡¯t she really know what he sacrificed for her? ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°Are you asking because you really don¡¯t know what I sacrificed for you?¡± ¡°Well, I gave up almost everything. What¡¯s so important?¡± ¡°This is different from what we have to live quietly here as if we are dead. You¡¯ve be a turncoat! You earned dishonor that will follow you for the rest of your life!¡± ¡°I am fine. I don¡¯t care about such a dishonor. I would be willing to suffer the disgrace if I could make you and our baby lead afortable life.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Gillian pulled her with a jerk when she was trying to say something, and kissed her. Although she resisted a bit, she eventually closed her eyes and put her arms around his neck as he kissed her passionately. *** ¡°I give the title of baron to Gillian lo Feden, an earl from the Lisa kingdom. Are you willing to give up your title awarded by the kingdom of Lisa and remain loyal to the empire as its noble?¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°Are you, Gillian lo Feden, as a new baron of the empire, vowing to devote allegiance to the glorious Castina Empire?¡± ¡°I swear.¡± Even some of the participants at the title ceremony whispered among themselves that he was a turncoat, he stood up confidently, ignoring them looking daggers at his back. Then, he bowed to the crown prince and walked up to her. Every step he came closer to her, her heart began to pound. When he finally stopped in front of her, he smiled gently and said, ¡°Vera.¡± ¡°¡­Gillian. ¡± Gillian, looking at her silently for a long time, slowly knelt before her. Grabbing her hand and gently kissing it, he said, ¡°Now I can speak my mind. I, Gillian Lo Feden, want to tell you my wish that I have hidden in my mind for a long time. ¡± ¡°Gillian.¡± ¡°I want to walk with you. I want to live a happy life with you everyday until death separates us. I want to spend my life with you as your partner. Would you ept my request?¡± ¡°Gillian¡­¡± ¡°Please answer me, Beatrice. Will you marry me? ¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Of course. ¡± With her big eyes full of tears, she jumped into his arms with a bright smile. At this moment, she was the happiest woman in the world. *** ¡°Groom Gillian lo Feden, do you ept bride Beatrice de Lisa as wife and vow to love her in joy, sadness, distress and happiness?¡± ¡°I swear.¡± ¡°Bride Beatrice de Lisa, do you ept groom Gillian lo Feden as husband, and vow to love him in joy, sadness, distress and happiness?¡± ¡°I swear.¡± ¡°As of today, these two have got married and epted each other as husband and wife. If you have any objection to this marriage, speak now, or remain silent forever. Do you have any objection? ¡± said a senior priest wearing a white new robe, looking around. Beatrice looked down at the bouquet in her hand. Gillian asked her in a low voice, who was fidgeting with the bouquet of yellow marigolds. ¡°What are you doing now, Vera? Are you hesitant about this marriage? ¡± ¡°No, nothing like that, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°Marigold is a flower that means separation, right? Then, why¡­¡± When she was about to speak with a trembling voice, the priest solemnly dered, ¡°I dere in the name of Vita that these two have be a couple.¡± Gillian removed her white veil to have an oath of kiss and smiled at her, looking at her green eyes. Kissing the woman he loved, the brown-haired knight whispered, ¡°The hiddennguage of marigold is that happiness will certainlye.¡± *** ¡°Your Majesty, you must go back now.¡± ¡°Okay, Sir Monique. Let¡¯s go back.¡± Although I expected it, I didn¡¯t know it was so serious. It¡¯s been already three years since I was inaugurated as the emperor, it was really tough tobat corruption. I didn¡¯t think I could quickly drive out the evil practices and corruption that had been umting for the past several generations, but it was a huge challenge for me. As I was sick and tired of those whovished praise on anything I did, I got out of the Imperial Pce on purpose and went to themoners¡¯ district for inspection. Commoners could not spring at me because Sir Lars and Sir Monique were wearing uniforms and swords, but I couldn¡¯t forget their angry look, who clearly showed their displeasure and dissatisfaction with me. They were in shabby clothes and starving, feeling spiteful, and their eyes were glowing with malice. ¡°Help me! Is anybody there?¡± It was at that moment that I came to know the woman that I loved for the first andst time in my life. I heard her scream when I turned with a deep sigh. Normally I would never have done anything dangerous, like jumping first, but on that day I instinctively headed to the alley where her scream was heard. The masked men surrounding the woman with crimson hair turned when they heard someone approaching. The moment one of them, clicking his tongue, was about to cut the woman, Sir Monique charged toward him and struck down his sword. Because of Monique¡¯s timely intervention, his sword barely struck past her hair. My eyes turned to the cut crimson hair falling off the floor. The eyes of the woman looking at Sir Monique in surprise shone like a jewel¡­ I was fascinated by her. He chuckled at her when she asked in a trembling voice, then beckoned to Gillian, who was standing at a distance. Then, after taking his sword and handing it to the royal guard, he opened his mouth again, ¡°You seem to undermine the intelligence of the empire.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± Chapter 317 Chapter 317: Chapter 316 ¡°With the blood flowing in my body¡­¡± I looked down at Sir Monique who knelt, with his head down. I could not see the silver-haired young man¡¯s expression because of his hanging hair when he recited the oath of blood, which was the long and tight bond that had been formed since the first emperors¡¯ era. ¡°¡­Swearing on my life and heart¡­¡± In order to realize my ideal, I needed those who were absolutely loyal to me no matter what. So, he approached Sir Monique, the sessor of the Monique family to obtain his absolute loyalty, in other words, the ¡°oath of blood.¡¯ However, he was very weary about the existence of the oath. It was a great blessing for the imperial family, but it was a double-edged sword and a symbol of humiliation to the Monique family. Actually, the blood oath was no more than the shackles of the Monique family, a royal family during the first emperor¡¯s war of conquest, to protect the kingdom and the people. ¡°I dedicate my life¡­¡± I trusted his reassuring eyes when he said he would be loyal to the imperial family even without such an oath. At first, I didn¡¯t trust him, but I began to build trust in him gradually. Despite the difference in age and status, I¡¯ve trusted him so much that I began to regard him as my friend. My trust in him was so strong that I even thought of having him marry my only sister, the only survivor of the bloody throne session battle among my brothers who were all killed in the process. Despite my absolute trust, he was kneeling, with his head down, and reciting the oath of blood to have the woman I loved, saying he wanted her who might not be pregnant all her life instead of my sister who would add honor to his family. ¡®Sorry, Your Majesty. I really love that woman from the bottom of my heart.¡± I could still remember her desperate screaming hovering in my ear¡­ I closed my eyes, while looking down at Sir Monique who was done swearing. Dozens of times I was torn between my intense desire to take her away from him and my logical thinking that I should never lose this young man that I trusted most. ¡°Let me grant your wish¡­¡± When I began to utter the phrases of the promised covenant to ept the oath, I saw his navy blue eyes filled with joy. I also noticed the woman¡¯s golden eyes well with tears, and my sister Ernia shuddering with shame. ¡°¡­It¡¯s the oath of blood engraved on the lion and spear. ¡± So, I sent the only woman I loved to my most trusted friend. *** ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh, honey,e on, my little girl.¡± I hugged and lifted the little girl who toddled along to me and opened her hands. She, pulling my hair and bursting intoughter, was so lovely. I liked my figure reflected in her golden eyes that exactly looked like hers, so I humored her with a bright smile. She smiled gently, looking at me. Even after ten years passed since I saw her first, she still looked the same. I noticed the empress slowly raising her body with her head down and Rublis looking at me earnestly. I let out a sigh suddenly. Ariel lu Shana Castina. She was a woman born to the Duke Heidel, who was the powerful member of the noble faction, and got married to me to be the empress for political purposes. I felt sorry for her who barely maintained her status as the empress because her family was ruined. Since she was a very cold woman, I couldn¡¯t feel any affection for her even though I did my best. So, I just felt sorry for Rublis who regarded her as his real mother. Since he grew up without receiving a mother¡¯s love, he could not leave Jeremiah for a moment when she entered the pce. Although I knew that Rublis was looking at the little girl with envy, I took pains to ignore his nce and stroked the girl¡¯s cheeks held in my arms. A lion was supposed to raise its cub strong. Likewise, Rublis was the crown prince who would rule the empire in the future, so I had to be stern and tough to him rather than being generous and kind to him as my son. *** ¡°¡­ Your Majesty. You¡¯vee to life again.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, nice to see you, High Priest. It¡¯s been a while.¡± I woke up from a very long dream at his repeated calling. As I lifted my heavy eyelids, I saw a young man with long white hair. I also saw Rube looking at me with trembling eyes and Earl Penril frowning a bit. Suddenly I realized that I had not much time left. I also realized the fact that the High Priest forcibly awakened me by maximizing my remaining energy, so my son could receive my will ording to the imperial customs. ¡°Given your expressions¡­ it seems like there is not much time left for me.¡± ¡°Sorry, Your Majesty, yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I see¡­High Priest, and Earl Penril, listen to me well, so I can leave a will. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty, Daddy!¡± ¡°I taught you how to control your emotions. Why can¡¯t you control your emotions still? Tut, tut. You should not be so weak-minded as the next emperor of this country.¡± My heart ached, but I rebuked Rube coldly, who called me with a trembling voice. Then, ignoring my son who got hurt, I opened my mouth, turning to the High Priest. ¡°I, Mircan Lu Shana Castina, the 33rd emperor of the great Castina Empire, would like to leave a will before returning to the Lord¡¯s arms. It is the current crown prince, Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina, who will inherit the throne after me to be the 34th emperor of the empire. ¡± ¡°I confirm it in the name of Vita.¡± ¡°Also, make sure that there is no change in the status of the captain of each knight division and the prime minister over the next five years.¡± ¡°I confirm it in the name of Vita.¡± ¡°Finally¡­¡± I nced at Rube who fixed his eyes at me. I was worried about him when he was young because he looked overly arrogant, but fortunately, he grew up well without being rebellious, and I was proud of him for that. Then I got concerned about him these days because he seemed to be distressed a lot because of a woman like I was during my younger days. Although I felt so sorry for his angst and nervousness, I felt relieved that he had a discerning eye for women. If his partner were the silver-haired woman who was like my child, I could not ask for anymore¡­ Even if she was not his partner, I felt I could support his choice because he had my trust now. ¡°The woman who will be Rublis¡¯s wife¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Let me leave it to Rublis to choose the woman that he wants as his wife. It doesn¡¯t matter as long as he wants her even if she has disqualifying factors. This is myst will.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty, Daddy? ¡± ¡°High Priest, certify and confirm what I just said.¡± ¡°¡­I also confirm it in the name of Vita.¡± I believed in God, because there was vivid evidence to prove His existence. However, I could not express it because the temple was partly responsible for impoverishing the people. I was aware of the High Priest¡¯s petition, but I ignored it because I had to keep a distance from the temple to rebuild the crumbling imperial power and keep the noble faction at bay. And now I was using the name of God until thest minute. I had the High Priest who hated the noble faction certify my will, so he could turn his back against them further. Because the emperor had limited authority over the temple, I had to use him against the top priests as much as possible. The High Priest was smiling bitterly at me because he already noticed my intentions. ¡°Thank you, High Priest, and I¡¯m sorry. ¡± ¡°¡­ You don¡¯t have to be sorry, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Now it seems like there is really little time left for me¡­ Let me meet them for thest time.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± I saw the Lord Chambein, who spent a long time with me, heading to the waiting room, wiping tears. Soon I saw Duke Lars and his wife as well as my sister Ernia and his family. I smiled at Duke Lars, who quickly came straight to my bedside. Chapter 318 Chapter 318: Chapter 317 ¡°Oh, Duke. Your look doesn¡¯t fit you at all.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± ¡°It was like yesterday when I first visited you, but time passed like an arrow. At that time, you and I were very young. ¡± ¡°You bet, Your Majesty. Do you know I had a hard time because I was hoodwinked by your praise?¡± When I watched the duke who went along with me in an instant, smiling at me, I was reminded of the distant old memories. Born as the eldest son of the imperial family, I obtained the status of the crown prince without any problem, but I was powerless at that time. I had to get by day by day, keeping a low profile while trying not to confront the noble faction that strongly promoted my brothers as the next emperor. It was around that time that I stopped by the knights division and met Duke Lars for the first time after he joined aftering of age. He was a very talented man. As the sessor of his family called the Sword of the Empire, he not only excelled in fencing but also thrilled me with clever talk and excellent political sense. Then I decided that I would make him my man.I really had a hard time persuading him, a moderate, to get out of the noble faction. ¡°Well, I also had a hard time trying to persuade you.¡± ¡°I was almost expelled from my family.¡± ¡°So, you regret it?¡± ¡°Oh no! I¡¯ve helped my family to grow as the most prestigious one of the empire, so the senior members of my family who opposed me at that time will not me me anymore even if they saw me now. ¡± ¡°Good for you.¡± I approached him several times to bring him into my fold at the risk of my life. After having dozens of intense discussions with me, he finally decided to share my political vision. It was impossible to describe how happy I was to see him swearing loyalty to me. When I came back to the pce, I could hardly go to sleep as my heart was full because of his allegiance. As the first vassal whose heart I won over after trying hard, the duke never betrayed my expectations. His political sense was remarkable enough to put the pro-emperor faction, which was numerically inferior to the noble faction, on almost an equal footing with the noble faction. He didn¡¯t hesitate to remove his political foes for the sake of the empire. Besides, he decisively contributed to rebuilding the 2nd Knights Division which had a political propensity for the noble faction, and promoted the 1st Knights as the center of people loyal to the emperor. ¡°Duke Lars, can you confirm the same allegiance to my son that you showed to me?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, you know I am different from Keiran, the head of the Monique family. I cannot pledge unconditional loyalty. ¡± ¡°Of course, I know.¡± ¡°But I can swear one thing. As long as the crown prince rules the empire with the same dream as yours, the Lars family will do their best for the imperial family with absolute allegiance. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Thank you. ¡± I smiled at him in satisfaction, catching my short breath. But I had to hang in a little longer. ¡°Ernia.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Do you still me me, your brother?¡± ¡°No, so please get well again and stand up.¡± ¡°Although I was cruel to you, I have loved you as my sister. Of course, I can¡¯t deny that I made the decision from the perspective of the emperor at that time, but I did so for your happiness. So, please understand and forgive me now. Aren¡¯t you happy with him now?¡± I smiled faintly at Ernia, who was weeping, then saw the duke¡¯s eldest son who exactly looked like him, and his wife, passing along some request. I was lost in thought for a moment, looking at the duke¡¯s second son. Do I have to tell him to stop meeting Lady Monique or just pretend not to know his rtionship with her? I was very agonized, but shut my mouth. Didn¡¯t I already decide to leave the matter to Rube? Besides, I didn¡¯t want to hurt this promising young man who would be the pir of the empire. I looked at Duke Lars who showed his due manners by bowing deeply to me for thest time. ¡®Thank you so much. I dreamed the dream of realizing my ideal because you were there. I hope you can take good care of my son and the empire, so you can continue to carry on my vision, Arkint.¡¯ After the Lars family went out, I smiled faintly at the family members who came into my room in no time. The man with green hair who looked intelligent. Duke Lars and Marquis Monique supported me with their excellent military resources, but this man was peerless in schrship. He fascinated me with his shining mind and clever talk. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Duke Verita.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Without you, how could I build an empire like this? Thank you so much.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very wee. If I hadn¡¯t met you, I wouldn¡¯t have enjoyed the same life I have now. ¡± Unlike Duke Lars who had lived a guaranteed life as the sessor of his family since he was born, Duke Verita¡¯s life was full of ups and downs. At that time he was the third son of the then Marquis Verita family. He went to the capital to get the title on his own by making contributions to the empire, but he didn¡¯t get anywhere for some time. It was none other than Duke Lars who discovered his talent. He was very smart, well organized, rational and calm. The pro-emperor faction could strengthen their power thanks to him, and he could not only prevent the copse of his family but also elevate its status to the rank of a duke family. ¡°Duke, can you promise me that you will continue to realize the dream you and I have dreamed together?¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. As long as the crown prince carries on that dream, I will devote myself to that goal.¡± ¡°Thank you. By the way, did you find your second son? ¡± ¡°Not yet, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh, what a pity! I can understand your position, but how could such a smart person like you make such a mistake?¡± He clicked his tongue, looking at the duke¡¯s dark green eyes filled with remorse. Because of his own painful memories of the family session, the duke was stubborn in the matter of session. Of course, he was wary about it because of his eldest son¡¯s illness, but I felt so sorry for his second¡¯s son¡¯s disappearance because he was called the genius of the century. He, along with the second son of the Duke Lars family, could be the strong ally of Rube. ¡°I think you can find your son. If you find him again, don¡¯t make that mistake again. As you know, he has the potential to make an enormous contribution to the empire.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will keep it in mind. ¡± ¡°Good¡­I hope my son¡¯s in great hands without me. It was one of the few lucky things in my life that I met you.¡± He murmured something to Duke Verita, who showed due manners to him with a gloomy expression. ¡®Ruth, thank you. Thanks to your support, I could prevail in the fight against the noble faction with such power. Please help my son and empire stay safe in the battle that will be more difficult in the future. This is myst request to you.¡¯ When the Verita family members went out, the Lord Chambein called loudy, ¡°Pleasee in, Marquis Monique and Lady Monique, No. 3 family of the empire!¡± As soon as his voice faded away, I saw the marquis and his daughter with silver hairing in. Watching my trusted friend and his daughter who I thought was like my child, I smiled at them faintly, catching my short breath. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Marquis and Lady Monique. Nice to see both of you. I¡¯ve got something to tell you. I¡¯m d I can say goodbye to you, thanks to the High Priest.¡± ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t say that, Your Majesty.¡± I saw his eyes full of sorrow, who usually didn¡¯t reveal his feelings because of his blunt character. A smile came to my lips before I knew it. Well, when everyone thought of the emperor¡¯s death, I thought you would mourn the death of Mirkan, your friend, not the emperor. Although I was firmly connected with you through your oath of blood, you were my most reliable friend, aside from that. Even though I have never expressed it to you, I certainly thought you were my most trusted friend. ¡°I would like to request you to continue to work to realize the empire that you and I dreamed about. Please help my son.¡± Chapter 319 Chapter 319: Chapter 318 I saw his navy blue eyes getting wet with tears. Although he was the man I trusted more than anybody else, I wanted his reassurances because he had a soft spot for one person, who was none other than his daughter, Aristia, that lovely woman with silver hair resembling his, and her golden eyes resembling herte mother¡¯s. For some reason that I didn¡¯t know exactly, she was very reluctant to be Rube¡¯s spouse. If she was concerned about the end of the Monique family because of her marriage to him, it could be arranged for her baby with silver hair to be adopted as the Monique family¡¯s foster son to seed the family. Marquis Monique valued her so much as if she was his life. I could understand his feelings because she was the only child his wife, Jeremiah, left behind. So, I was anxious all the time because I could not figure out how he would react if I forcibly had her marry my son. As his family was connected with the imperial pce through the oath of blood, he could never do anything disloyal to the imperial family. But it would be a big loss to the empire if I lost him. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will help him. ¡± I felt relieved a bit when I saw him vowing with a heavy voice, for he kept his promise without any failure. I breathed a sigh of relief. I felt I could leave now without any worry about my son and the empire. As someone with absolute loyalty to the imperial family, he would be a great help to Rublis who would find it very difficult to deal with big and small national affairs. ¡°Lady Monique, I¡¯m so d to see you here.¡± I called her, who resembled herte mother who I loved. Except for the color of her hair, she exactly looked like her mother in terms of her golden eyes, smiling and slender figure. Wallowing in nostalgia, I looked into her eyes, who was looking at me with tearful eyes. How deeply I was touched after discovering that I found her eyes resembled her mother when she, wrapped in a baby nket, opened her eyes for the first time. I could vividly remember her toddling toward me, reaching out her little hands. Thinking that if herte mother could have my baby, the baby would do the same to me, I doted on her with deep love that I should have expressed to Rublis. At least, I loved her that much until she received her middle name through God¡¯s prophecy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. I¡¯m really sorry ¡­¡± I was sorry for her, whose eyes were welled with tears. Although she told me she would be the sessor of her family, she was too weak topete and survive in the turbulent world of politics. She would need to deal with the difficult situation with whatever she learned until now, but she would certainly get hurt in the process. She was ustomed to supporting behind the scenes rather than taking the initiative to do something. I could confirm it when she offeredfort instead of the specific measures when I mentioned the damages of drought. I thought that the role of the empress as Rube¡¯s wife would be more suitable for her than the sessor of her family. ¡°¡­ I wish I could survive until I resolve this matter, but I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t. I am so sorry.¡± I felt heartbroken, seeing her shedding tears, after all. She was trained as the best candidate for the empress because she was trained rigorously since she was young. She was so smart that she didn¡¯t need any further training after she turned ten. At first, I held her because all those years spent training her as the empress were too precious. I could not let go of her again because I was concerned about her right to seed the throne, andstly, I could not give her up because Rublise loved her so much. Nheless, I didn¡¯t feel good because I didn¡¯t offer her any promising future. I was happy and sorry when she whispered into my ears that she regarded me as someone like her father. I was about to tell her that she could go, but I stopped because I was so heartbroken about her confession that she took me like her father despite my refusal to free her, and about my son who became lovesick because of her. If they could get married and be happy, I could not ask for more, but if they couldn¡¯t, I wanted her to be Rublis¡¯s friend, so she couldfort him when needed. ¡°Finally, let me give you a small gift for you. I hope it can help protect you.¡± I said myst greetings to them who kept looking back at me. ¡®Sorry to give you such a big burden, Marquis. In return for sending the woman I loved to you, I¡¯ve taken you hostage for the imperial family all your life. But I didn¡¯t keep either of you well. I¡¯ve nothing to say to you, Marquis. It¡¯s me who asked you to hand over your daughter to me when I didn¡¯t do anything for you. Sorry, Lady Monique. Please forgive me for leaving words that might be another shackle on your life, while I can¡¯t give you myst gift with pure intention.¡± After I murmured to them, I told the Lord Chambein, ¡°Next, let in Duke Jena and his sessor only.¡± ¡°Pardon? But, that¡¯s against imperial customs¡­¡± ¡°Are you going to disobey myst order?¡± ¡°Oh, no, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Then, go and tell him. If he makes any fuss over this, tell him I won¡¯t meet him.¡± Barely breathing out, I uttered with difficulty. I felt the time allowed for my survival was gradually running out. When the duke heard my message, he would resent me once again and Lady Jena would fume. A woman with dark hair who suddenly appeared in the Imperial Pce one day. That woman, who the noble faction thought the world of and the temple supported as the child of God¡¯s prophecy, was inferior to Lady Monique, but fully qualified to be the empress. There was no evidence that she was educated systematically, but it could be easily corrected with proper education. She was good in terms of boldness, social interaction skills, and ability to judge the situation. However, Lady Jena should not be allowed to be Rublis¡¯ wife under any circumstances. On the day when she revealed her n for the first time at the big conference, I saw various turbulent emotions in her ck eyes. There was deep hatred and obsession in her eyes looking at him. I couldn¡¯t figure out why she, who had never met him before, had such feelings, but she was too dangerous for him. I couldn¡¯t even imagine what would happen to him if my son took her as his wife. I would not allow her to be his wife even if she was adopted as a pro-emperor member¡¯s foster daughter. As she was adopted as Duke Jena¡¯s daughter, the leader of the noble faction, I could not even think of her as his possible spouse. Fortunately, Rube had a crush on Monique, not caring about Lady Jena. He didn¡¯t sumb to her seduction despite her enormous efforts. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Duke Jena.¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m always grateful to you.¡± I breathed roughly as I was gasping for breath. When I saw his eyes full of greed, I felt bitter. The Jena family was a prestigious family that produced the first empress. At that time, they obviously shared the same political vision with the first emperor. I didn¡¯t know why they became estranged from the imperial family. Although I exterminated the families of the Kaisil, Heidel, and Laurel, I could not get rid of all the other duke families so I made an exception to the Duke family. I saved the Duke Jena family, given that Monique¡¯s mother was from that family. But the duke¡¯s behavior these days was going too far. I felt bitter because I was afraid that my son might inevitably have blood on his hands. ¡°I hope you will think again about what is the best for the empire and the people. Otherwise, not only your family, the apple of your eye, but also your power would be at stake. Besides, the empire might go through another political turmoil. So, I hope you can change your course even now, Duke Jena. When I think of the Earl Lanier case, it seems toote for you, but you still have the chance to stop it.¡± Chapter 320 Chapter 320: Chapter 319 After letting Duke Jena leave, I strained my blurring eyes and looked at the golden-haired young maning next to my bed. The brooch in the shape of the imperial crest hanging on his cor was unusually visible in my eyes. The golden hawk and the crown ne around its neck, which was the symbol of the crest of the Marquis Enesil family. It was a family built by the first emperor¡¯s younger brother. He was a faithful vassal of the emperor as his rtive, but his family had the title Grand Duke forfeited because of the 9th Grand Duke¡¯s attempt to revolt, they had been demoted to the rank of marquis since then. ¡°Marquise Ensil.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Is your family still resenting the imperial family?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty. Your Majesty has given us another chance. ¡± When Iunched a massive crackdown on the families of the noble faction ten years ago, the Enesil family swore allegiance to and actively supported me after the Lars family, the Verita family and the Monique family. In return, I changed the crest of their family. Instead of the past crest marked by a little lion kneeling to the crown, which was a symbol of humiliation, the new crest featured a hawk symbolizing patience and a crown ne indicating his family was a rtive of the imperial family. Nevertheless, they remained silent, contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations. And now, a decadeter, the golden hawk, which had been crouching and looking for opportunities, seemed to be on the verge of flying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t stay with a talent like you any longer.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, please don¡¯t say that. I hope you can get well again quickly.¡± ¡°Oh no. You can¡¯t put new wine in old bottles. So, fly high in the new world where the crown prince rules.¡± ¡°I will, Your Majesty. The Ensil family will always stay with the imperial family. ¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I felt satisfied when I thought that my son was blessed with so many talented people around him, including the sons of the Lars family and the Verita family as well as Marquis Enesil. During my days I had to try hard to make them my allies. Unlike me, my son seemed to be surrounded with many capable men. I felt he could build a better empire with them. ¡°Next, Marquis Mirwa, the No. 6 in the noble hierarchy¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Your Majesty, Daddy! Come to your senses!¡± ¡°What are you doing, High Priest? Use your divine power right now¡­¡± Suddenly, I was short of breath, and my eyes blurred. The voice of the Lord Chambein who called the next person was heard faintly, along with the voices of Rublis and Earl Penril. A bright light appeared and disappeared instantly in my vision that was bing dark gradually. Was this the remaining time allowed for me? I heard the sound of their calling me fading away gradually. I lifted my weak hand and pointed to the spot where Rublis stood. I heard some trembling when someone held my hand tightly, but I could not feel it in no time. With all my might I barely uttered word by word. ¡°Crown Prince.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to say anything, Your Majesty! High Priest, please use your divine power!¡± ¡°Hope the empire is in your great hands¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty, Daddy!¡± Breathing in for thest time, I held Rublis with all my might. Rublis, Rube, my son. I never mentioned it to you¡­ Though I knew you desperately wanted it, I never said it to you. But I would like to tell you at least once at thest moment of my life. Thank you, son. Although I never spoke it openly to the empire and the people, I¡¯m proud of you. I believe that you could lead the empire well. And¡­ At that moment, I seemed to see something like the color of the sea shining in my darkened vision. Feeling that I was being sucked into somewhere distantly, I breathed outst. Thest words I was going to say to Rublis hovered in my head¡­.then disappeared slowly. ¡­I love you, Rublis. My son. *** ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please stand up, Your Majesty. The sun is already well up in the sky.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Now you really have to get up. You said you would be very busy today. I don¡¯t understand why you are being sozy today.¡± Rublis knitted his brows at her calm voice waking him up. When he carefully lifted his heavy eyelids as she shook him awake, he saw something silvery shimmering in front of his eyes. ¡®What is this?¡¯ When he blinked slowly, he saw a woman looking at him with a worried expression. With her silvery hair hanging down, she was looking down. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Why is she here? Rublis raised his body slowly and looked around. But no matter how hard he looked around, he was obviously in his bed room. In other words, it was not a ce where she was supposed to be, given her sensitivity to manners and her reluctance to get entangled with him. Then, who the hell is the woman standing before me now? ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you sick?¡± The woman¡¯s eyes looking at him trembled slightly. She approached gently, sat down next to me and reached out carefully. Her gait, sitting posture, reaching her hand and the fluttering of her skirt showed that she was real. Smelling the scent of the woman sitting next to him, Rublis raised his eyebrows. Her calm voice which was not too high or low, her perfect movements that nobody could imitate, and her subtlevender fragrance all belonged to her. Believe it or not, it was certain that the woman in front of me was Lady Monique. ¡°Aristia¡­? ¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Why are you here¡­¡± ¡°Last night, you asked me to wake you up because you had a lot of work to do today. Did you forget?¡± Last night? If so, was she with me since then? When I was very frustrated, not knowing the situation, a couple of maids knocked on the door and came in with a wash basin containing hot water and new clothes. ¡°Your Highness, how can I serve you?¡± ¡°You may go out. Let me take care of him.¡± ¡°Okay, Your Highness.¡± He knitted his brows at their conversation that he could not understand. What did they just say? Your Highness? Who is the empress? No way! Aristia? ¡°Empress¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Did you call me?¡± The woman who let thedies out looked back with a smile. My heart was throbbing when I saw her elegant pink lips. Is this a dream? As he had been longing for this moment so much, is this a dream that God has shown him finally? The dream God showed him because he was so desperate? She hurried to him when he murmured something to himself, and ced her hand on his forehead with an anxious look. He stiffened at her soft touch. His heart beat quickly at the gentle fragrance ofvender. He was now burning with lust that he had been holding back for a long time. ¡°Rube?¡± ¡°¡­Tia. ¡± Rublis stretched his arms and hugged her tightly. His heart was full when he called her nickname for the first time. In fact, when he heard her exchanging her nickname with her friends, he vowed, clenching his teeth, that he would never call her nickname unless she allowed him to. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? I think you are a bit strange today. Your Majesty, are you not feeling well?¡± ¡°¡­ No, no. Just leave me alone for a moment.¡± Even if I¡¯m dreaming now, it doesn¡¯t matter. Here¡¯s the woman I have been longing for for a long time. Rublis wrapped his arms around her soft waist and pulled her softly. He felt satisfied when she remained in his arms without any refusal or reluctance. Inhaling her uniquevender scent, Rublis buried his face in her finelybed silver hair. She was so lovely when she put her arms around his back carefully that he wanted to hug her right away. ¡°You¡¯re toote today. You said you had an important meeting today ¡­¡± He put his finger on her little lips, who whispered to him. In fact, his heart was throbbing when he saw her big golden eyes looking at him. When he slowly bowed his head, she closed her eyes and hugged his neck. Rublis kissed her soft lips without hesitation. Her pinkish lips that he coveted for a long time always emitted a subtle scent of tea, which he could always smell from her. ¡®How lovely you are!¡¯ He felt as if his heart, which always felt empty, was full now. He felt so good and so happy. Chapter 321 Chapter 321: Chapter 320 ¡°That¡¯s not the way you deal with that problem, Earl. If you refuse to ept the refugees because the situation is rather disturbing, how would other kingdoms view our empire? I think that we have to show the generosity of our empire as the big power in a situation like this.¡± ¡°But Your Highness, some kingdoms, including the kingdom of Lisa, are protesting more strongly. What if they rebel against us¡­¡± ¡°Do you underestimate the power of our empire? Don¡¯t you know that¡¯s why the emperor has kept them at bay since his days as the crown prince?¡± Rublis watched her waging a fierce debate with the earl without yielding an inch. He once felt jealous of her sharp intelligence that shone like a jewel. He felt envious of her when thete emperor and his masters, who never appreciated his hard efforts, unusually praised her performance so much. So, he was jealous of her without realizing that they intended to train me and her further. But he didn¡¯t feel jealous or envious of her now because he knew how much sweat and toil she put into developing her brilliant intelligence, graceful posture and perfect manners. Now he knew that she was not an emotionless doll, nor a puppet made by the nobles. Although he could not deny that she was made for the emperor, he also admitted the fact that she loved him as a man now. When he saw her hair decorated with the jewelry tiara, a smile came to his lips in spite of himself. He could not understand the situation well, but he was very pleased with his current situation. *** ¡°Well, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°What I mean is¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on, Empress? Do you have any bad news? ¡± Rublis raised his eyebrows as she hesitated to say something. What the hell was going on? The longer she hesitated, the more he was worried. In the end, he let the servants and maids out of the room and asked softly, ¡°Tia, what¡¯s the matter with you? You¡¯re very nervous now. Tell me what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°Well, do you remember what you told me the other day?¡± ¡°Um?¡± ¡°Whew! You told me that when I make food, I should serve you first¡­Do you still remember it?¡± ¡°Of course I do. But why are you suddenly bringing it up? Ah¡­¡± Suddenly something came to my mind. Only then did I feel rxed and smiled at her. With her face blushing as she was at a loss about what to do, she looked so lovely. Touching her cheeks softly, he said with a smile, ¡°No way! Have you made¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Where is the dish? I¡¯m very curious about it.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, I¡¯ve brought it here, but I¡¯m nervous¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just show it to me. ¡± Rublis looked at the small cake she presented hesitantly. White cream and various sliced fruit on it, he instantly gave it a passing grade. Putting it into his mouth with her expectant gaze, he hardened his face subtly. But he made a forced smile when his eyes met her trembling golden eyes. ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡± ¡°Are you sure, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s very sweet and it melts softly in my mouth¡­I really like it. ¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m d to hear that. What a relief!¡± As if pressured by her bright smile, he quickly emptied the cake te and lifted her in no time. He embraced her small body, then walked into the bedroom, holding her who was screaming with her arms around his neck. Then hey her on the bed and showered her with kisses. She opened her eyes wide, surprised by his sudden kiss, but closed them in no time. Although he put his tongue into her mouth roughly, she readily opened her lips without any resistance. She was so lovely. Feeling his heart was full, he looked down at her. Her silver eyshes trembled at his lovely touch. Opening her golden eyes again, she said, ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Um?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°The cake you had was too sweet, right? You probably didn¡¯t like it, but you ate it all¡­¡± ¡°How did you know that?¡± At that moment, her cheeks blushed. As she murmured something, he put his ears close to her mouth. Her voice, whispering something hardly inaudible, was a little excited, unlike her usual, always calm voice. ¡°Because it tasted too sweet when you kissed my lips¡­¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Aristia, Tia, you ¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°How lovely you are¡­ You are really turning me on.¡± His burning heart made him impatient. He now began to touch her quickly. Her satin dress that showed off its gorgeous and elegant curves was removed, and the corset that made her plump waist look sharper fell off. Looking down as if she was shy, she hugged his neck tightly. She moved her attractive pink lips quietly, ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°¡­ Tia. ¡± ¡°I really love you, Rube.¡± ¡°I love you, too, Tia. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please get up now, Your Majesty.¡± She spoke to her in a quiet and calm voice. He knitted his brows at her familiar voice. She is here standing in front of me. But why am I hearing another voice? As he slowly closed his eyes then opened, she, blushing lovingly, was gone! Instead, another woman was standing in front of him, looking at him anxiously, with her wavy hair neatly tied. She was not wearing a thin chemise, but an ultra-blue uniform. ¡°You must have been very tired.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Slowly straightening up, he looked around carefully. A three-story tall ss window and a huge bookcase adorning the walls on three sides caught his eye. He also saw a pile of documents piled up on the table. ¡®Oh my¡­¡¯ He uttered exmations in spite of himself. He thought he didn¡¯t care, but he still wished he was in the real world a little while ago. Was it just a sweet dream? ¡°Well, are you not feeling well?¡± She was asking him with the same expression she made in his dream. Just like he did in the dream, he reached out to her. He smiled bitterly when she flinched at his touch. Unlike her in his dream who was held in his arms without any resistance, she stiffened whenever she felt his physical touch. This was the real world he was in now. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m fine. It looks like I didn¡¯t wake up fully.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So, what did you do until now? Please exin. ¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve pondered over the matter of dispatching knights to the border area while you were handling other matters. Here you are.¡± Rublis sighed, watching her focusing on her work again as if she wasn¡¯t worried about him at all. As he kept thinking of her in his dream, he couldn¡¯t concentrate. When he saw her pink lips whispering something, he felt the strong temptation to kiss her. He wanted to feel her sweet and soft lips again that he kissed in his dream. It seemed that he could not control my feelings if she stayed a little longer. So, he said, putting down the documents hard on purpose, ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s stop here today.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°I am a little tired. I can¡¯t focus at all.¡± ¡°I see.¡± When he saw her golden eyes, who looked at him with a puzzled expression, he felt a growing lust in his heart, but he barely put up with it because she in front of him now was different from the version of her in his dream. Unlike her in a dream who neither refused nor avoided him, the woman in front of him would certainly run away if he reached out to her. Besides, she would nevere back again. ¡°By the way, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Um?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± He raised his eyebrows when he felt theing recurrence of the situation he experienced in his dreams. Her hesitant attitude resembled hers in his dream. ¡®Hummm¡­ I guess she was not going to make food as she did in my dream.¡¯ Although he didn¡¯t think she would do so, he just asked her casually, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you bring any food for me?¡± ¡°Oh my God! How did you know that¡­?¡± While she was restless and nervous, she suddenly stopped moving. Then her small face blushed. After putting down a small box on the table hurriedly, she showed due manners quickly, then left his study as if she were running away. He was as embarrassed at the unexpected situation as her. He came to his senses a littleter and opened the box. ¡°Is this also a dream?¡± White cream and various sliced fruits. It was the same fresh cream cake that he saw in his dream. ¡®I wonder if it tastes the same.¡¯ Chapter 322 Chapter 322: Chapter 321 Recalling the cake he enjoyed in his dream, which was too sweet, he stared at it for a long time before picking up the silver fork resolutely. A smile touched the corners of his mouth when he plucked up the courage to put a piece of the cake into his mouth. The snow-white cake didn¡¯t feel sweet or fatty. The cake she said she made for the first time surprisingly fit his taste. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Oh, you guys are done trading ces. Thanks for your service. ¡± It wasn¡¯t a big cake, but he wanted to save some of it. So, he came out of the office, holding the cake, when he noticed the royal knights on security duty holding pouches of various colors in their hands. ¡°What do you have in your hand?¡± ¡°Oh, this one is¡­¡± ¡°I asked you what that is.¡± ¡°Sir Monique gave it to us. She said she made it by herself¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Give it to me then.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°I told you to give it to me.¡± ¡®Oh my¡­! I asked her to bring her first dish to me only. But she also passed along the cake pouch to the royal knights escorting me.¡¯ He took the pouches from them with a sullen expression. Then he quickly turned, vowing he would dispose of the pouches before they touched them. *** ¡°Come on, stab me now.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask you to do this to me. I appreciate your great service until now. I won¡¯t forget it even if I die. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Behind the knights swallowing tears, those who made up the situation seemed tough at me. At that moment I felt a surge of anger at them. I wanted to kill that old man with sparkling purple eyes. How could he hide such a mean scheme while pretending to be friendly to me all along? How stunned I was when their conspiracy thatsted for more than a decade was revealed! When I realized what I had done for a long time, it was toote. After struggling with despair, I turned to my reason that I finally regained and tried to find a way to turn the tide. I was looking for a magical method to correct my mistake, but it seemed that it was toote. ¡°There is no time. Hurry up.¡± Hiding my bitter heart, I pretended to beposed. Although I understood their position, even now the enemies were approaching me every moment. ¡°Your Majesty, please think twice about it¡­¡± ¡°Stop. Are you going to have me suffer the disgrace of being captured by them? Even though I will be remembered as a bad emperor, I want to keep my honor. So, stab me right now. Hurry up!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. Forgive me for not having served you faithfully to the end. ¡± Drawing a dagger, Earl Penril, the Captain of the Royal Knights, charged toward me with a scream. The moment he hit me, I felt a burning shock in my chest. Blood flowed down the cold sword. ¡°Earl Penril¡­This is myst request¡­¡± ¡°Please go ahead, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Please bury my body in a ce they can¡¯t find¡­ Please¡­¡± ¡°I will, Your Majesty. I will swear to Vita that I won¡¯t let them touch your body at all.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­ ¡± All the energy was drained out of my body in an instant. The faces of the knights who shed tears faded away from my vision. It became gradually difficult for me to breathe. Several people¡¯s faces appeared in my blurred vision. My father, the emperor, who clicked his tongue and the empress looking at me indifferently. The purple-eyed old man whoughed tenderly and the empress who shouted out loudly that it would not be easy to kick her out. The two dukes and marquis who always gave me bitter advice and my concubine who looked up at me, full of tears. ¡°Your Majesty, Daddy¡­¡± A streak of tears came down the face. This was not what I really wanted. Although I was always overshadowed by the shadow of my father, called the sacred emperor, which made me resentful all the time, it didn¡¯t mean that I wanted to end up like this. The path of blood that had been spilt was so clear that I never excused myself by saying it was not my intention. What already happened was the thing of the past that I couldn¡¯t do anything about, but I thought about at thest moment of my life . Obviously, I didn¡¯t mean it. It was not my intention. Coughing up blood, I looked up at the sky, which gradually faded away like my receding anger and resentment. All sorts of memories shed through my mind, spanning my twenty-six years of life, which could be short but long. Jeremiah Monique, my dear mother. When I was always lonely, hungry for love, it was like rain in a drought that I met her. So much so that I thought God gave her to me, thinking me pitiable. No, maybe she was a curse. If I had lived without knowing the feelings of affection, I wouldn¡¯t have had to worry about the bted feeling of deprivation. Unlike the emperor and empress who treated me coldly, I liked her golden eyes looking at me warmly, and taking care of me in every way. Though it didn¡¯t taste good, she brewed tea for me. She stroked my head without fear and sometimes scolded me. Watching her treat me without reservation, I thought that¡¯s the way a mother was supposed to treat her child. Although she didn¡¯t give birth to me, I thought she was truly my mother. Several days before my fifth birthday, I came to discover the shocking fact that the empress was not my biological mother. That¡¯s what she said to me coldly, whose words cut me to the bone. I could not forget the fact that the empress, whose love and attention I had been craving for so much, actually had nothing to do with me, and that I got half the blood flowing through my body from amon woman. Squatting under the tree, I shed tears alone. I thought I would never be loved by anybody, but feltforted when I discovered I had ady like the marquise. I hated that little girl opening her hands to the empress with a smile. I got mad about the little girl when my father, the emperor, who was always strict to me, held her in his arms and humored her. It tore my heart out to see the marquise fixing her warm eyes on that little girl. Why aren¡¯t they treating me like her? Why are they doting on her alone? Is it because I have blood from amoner woman? I trembled when things like that came to my mind. Perhaps my father, the emperor, hated me because of that and that¡¯s why he doted on her, who was born in a prestigious noble family. I was filled with burning resentment towards my biological mother. Why wasn¡¯t my biological mother born to a noble family? Why did my father love amoner woman and have her give birth to me? Sad tears fell down my cheeks. I hated the baby girl who was so engrossed in their love and attention that I could not have despite my hard efforts. I bit my lips tight. Wiping big drops of tears, I nodded at her. Then, a smile came on her grimacing face. Her hands holding me tightly trembled a couple of times as if she patted me. After calling the name of the marquis faintly, all the energy from her hands was lost. In no time she cocked her slender neck to the side. I screamed at her toe to her senses, but her gentle voice was no longer heard. There was no more sparkling in her golden eyes that were always warm to me. I flopped down on the floor as my legs felt weak suddenly. I could hardly breathe because I was devastated. I didn¡¯t feel like this when the empress died, but it seemed that the world was empty with the death of my dear mother. Chapter 323 Chapter 323: Chapter 322 Eventually, I was barely able to pull myself together after a long time. I felt bad about her who didn¡¯t leave anyforting words for me, but Iforted myself by thinking that she didn¡¯t say anything to me because she trusted me. I reached out my trembling hand and closed her eyelids, which she could not close because of her concern about her husband and daughter, then strained my wobbly legs after letting out the royal guards trying to support me. When I came out into the hallway, reflecting on herst request, I heard a child¡¯sughter somewhere. When I slowly turned, I saw the girl smiling happily, holding a doll her size. Oh my, you are driving me nuts¡­! I pushed the baby girl running toward me with a thrill. I took it out on this little girl. My dear marquise, were you so worried because of this little girl, who wasughing happily without even knowing her mother¡¯s death? Why did you not leave anyforting word for me who regarded you as my mother? Which part of her made you think she was more valuable and greater than me? All the resentment of her that I had umted since childhood exploded at once. I turned, staring at the child coldly, who was starting to cry after falling on her buttocks. I hated everything about her, including her golden eyes that linked her to her mother by blood. I stared at Duke Veritas who was turning after closing the book. I was sick and tired of people around me extolling Lady Monique everywhere. What did he say? She is perfect to be the spouse of the great emperor? What the heck are you talking about? No matter how hard I try, I can¡¯t be a great emperor like my father. Why don¡¯t you install her as the emperor instead of me? It would be much more efficient than you guys struggling to teach me. Gnashing my teeth, I took off my jacket and threw it away recklessly. The more I reflected on it, the more annoyed I was. At a banquet where I left after dancing to the first tune, I went to see Lady Monique, thinking I was too mean to her, but was shocked to hear her saying that. What did you say? Nothing inconvenient or ufortable even when you had no mother? I was so dumbfounded that I could hardly say anything. Well, you might not know how much your mother loved you, and how worried she was about you enough, so much so that she could not close her eyes at thest moment of her life. You never know because you lost any memories of her. You don¡¯t know you actually denied your mother¡¯s love as well as even me who craved for it so much. I was even more enraged when I heard that from Duke Jena. After all, you and I havemoner¡¯s blood, right? Howe you behaved like an arrogant noblewoman when you were in the same position as me? I keptughing in spite of myself. The more I thought about her, the more outrageous I felt. Then why did you take everything from me when you were not better than me at all? I twisted my mouth hard. The reason I felt jealous about her but couldn¡¯t hate her was because I thought she deserved everything because she was born as a daughter of a prestigious noble family, unlike me, who had amoner¡¯s blood. What did he say? Commoner¡¯s blood in you? If so, what qualifications did you have to take everything from me? Who do you think you are? I breathed hard in a fit of anger, then paused to think for a moment. Then, was the marquise amoner? There was no possibility that Marquis Monique himself was amoner, given the family¡¯s long history and tradition in the empire¡¯s history. I was shocked by the unexpected fact, but I felt a deep sense of guilt first. What did I say now? Did I dare that amoner¡¯s blood was flowing in the marquise who I regarded as my mother? My heart was heavy. I despised her so much because she denied her mother. Now, I was doing the same thing as her. I was confused. I would insult the marquise if I got mad at you, saying you, too, had amoner¡¯s blood. At the same time I felt upset because you seemed to have taken everything from me, if I pretended not to know it and forget it for good. With a growing sense of guilt, I got more and more angry. My anger grew strong, then turned into a greater sense of guilt before finally changing to hatred. It¡¯s all because of you. Without you, I had no reason to tremble in guilt, and I didn¡¯t have to feel sad because I was not loved. I didn¡¯t need to feel shame, reflecting on my weakness. So it¡¯s all because of you. Because of you! ¡°There is the emperor there!¡± ¡°There will be big rewards for those who catch the emperor! You must catch him alive! ¡± Suddenly, I heard someone¡¯s shouting, which awakened my faint consciousness. In no time, I heard the sound of the horseshoes. I felt the earl holding me, flinching at that noise. The moment I heard the sound of metal rattling, this time I saw something silvery shining in my blurred vision. ¡°We will stop them here. So, please leave now! ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Shouldn¡¯t we carry out hisst order?¡± ¡°¡­Good. Let me leave the rest up to you. See you guys again in the next world.¡± Someone hurriedly carried me on his back. A hot liquid spilled from my chest that was hit hard against the iron armor. Blood from my throat flowed out of my lips. Breathing in the dense smell of blood that tickled my nose, I felt my body shaking when he moved. My eyes closed at the feeling of my body waving up and down like me riding a horse. I heard a woman¡¯s whining in my ears. Suddenly, a green forest appeared in my darkened vision. My favorite horse Knicks was walking slowly, waving its snow white mane. The white horse seemed rxed at first nce, but in fact, it was on edge because of the woman who kept shaking her body on it. Was she good at anything at all? I slightly frowned, feeling irked by her all of a sudden. Horse riding was part of the basic course that any noble should learn, but why did shein that she could not learn it? I let out a sigh, looking at the woman whose face turned white as if she was going to pass out at any moment. Why did I think I loved this woman, who was clumsy in everything? The way she treated me without reserve was unfamiliar to me. When everybody, ustomed to honoring me, felt ufortable with me, given my status, she didn¡¯t care and readily approached me without any fear. Sandwiched between the emperor, already called the sacred emperor, and her daughter who was called an excellent spouse of the next emperor, I was always pressured to do better. In that respect, I felt prettyfortable with this woman named Jiun. I didn¡¯t need to bepared to anyone in front of her. I could exist alone as myself when I was with her. She missed her parents very much, which I felt very strange. While I was listening to her talking about her parents, I used to find myselfparing them with the emperor, the marquise and myself. I felt happiness for a brief moment when I got carried away with the illusion that I was loved, then despaired, getting more angry about the cold reality facing me. The more I met Jiun, the more I was sick and tired of them who treated me only as their political sessor or as their political partner. Chapter 324 Chapter 324: Chapter 323 So, I was embarrassed when Duke Jena furtively asked me about her. I had never thought of any other woman than Lady Monique because her status as my fiance was decided when she was born. I took it for granted, no matter how much I hated her. In other words, any other woman than Lady Monique was not an option I could take. Was it because of that? Given how much I hated her, it would be natural that I kick her out of the pce right away, I couldn¡¯t do so because I was concerned about the forces that supported her, but also I felt a strong rejection of my toying with the idea of epting another woman. So, I could not imagine myself attending an official event with a woman other than her, let alone another man standing next to her. So, when Duke Jena asked me that question, I cut him off, saying that I would give it a thought. I nkly looked at Jiun, who came running to me recklessly,ining about her learning. Her behavior was so ridiculous, but I decided to put up with it, thinking to myself that she acted like that because she feltfortable with me. I had a lot of work to do at the moment, but as she kept begging me to get out, on the one hand, and I was troubled because of my father¡¯s critical condition, I put down the pen silently. While letting her endless stories in one ear and out the other, I walked through the garden with her. When I breathed in the fresh air, I felt like I got some of my heavy load off my chest a bit. When I was walking along with a lighter heart, I suddenly saw something silvery moving among the trees. I stopped walking on the spot. As if she also heard Jiun babbling on, Lady Monique turned to me while walking near the tree. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you, the little sun of the empire.¡± While staring at me politely, she showed due manners to me. I made a hollow smile when I found her not swayed at all even if she saw me taking a walk with someone who was not my fiancee. Confirming her indifferent attitude, I felt like my lingering affection for her was gone for good. What did I expect from such a woman? To her, I might be only a political partner that she wanted to use me for the political interests of her faction. She remained indifferent to me when I prohibited her from meeting the emperor, when I notified her that I would attend a party with another woman, when I announced the breakoff of my engagement with her, and when I got married to another woman and decided to take her as my concubine, not empress. Her face with no expression, her empty eyes and her t voice. I almost got goosebumps, watching her treating even her father coldly. She was no longer a human. She was only a doll working for the political interests of her faction. However, Jiun was different. Sheughed, cried, got angry and threw tantrums. She was like a real person who showed a clear change in mood. I was annoyed when she made outrageous or childish remarks, but I couldugh it away without any difficulty. I thought I loved her. I believed it was certainly love, even if I could not know it exactly because I had never been loved. Unlike the doll-like woman made only for the emperor, I thought Jiun only looked at me, so it was natural that she loved me. I don¡¯t know when it started, but strangely enough, I often got annoyed and angry. I couldn¡¯t figure out why, but I got more irritated when I saw my concubine, Lady Monique. I really hated her indifferent look as well as herckluster eyes. Perhaps I was more annoyed because I felt she looked at me like thete marquise who she resembled so much. As I was already on edge, I often acted recklessly even before I organized my jumbled thoughts. I even cut a servant who rubbed me the wrong way. Despite that, I felt satisfied and even joyful rather than thinking my punishment was excessive. Stopping by the Royal Knights Division building, I stopped for a moment when I heard several royal knights talking to each other. Stopping Earl Penril who came out to greet me, I listened to them silently. I was speechless when they said that although Lady Monique¡¯s status was concubine, she was like the queen, and that she had a strong backing unlike the current empress who had no support base at all once she lost favor with the crown prince. How cunning she is! I told her to help Jiun, who wascking as the empress in many ways, but she had been acting like the real empress until now? I made a feigned smile at a young knight¡¯s confident remarks and other knights¡¯ nodding at him. Oh yes, the next emperor should be produced by the Monique family because the concubine from the Monique family is clearly different from me who had amoner¡¯s blood and Jiun whose family background was questionable. It looked like even Monique thought of herself like that. And that¡¯s why she was ignoring Jiun, who was superior to her in rank. Duke Lars found fault with me, while pretending to act politely. I was dumbfounded to hear that. How cunning and persistent she is! Not content with controlling the women¡¯s pce and making a fool of the empress, she even pressed the duke to have me sleep with her? I gnashed my teeth in spite of myself. Is the pro-emperor faction treating me like a stallion? Well, they wouldn¡¯t care about my intentions at all because they are only concerned about producing the next emperor from their faction. To them, I am only a nominal ruler as well as a stallion to seed the imperial family, nothing more or less. I made a feigned smile. What did I expect from them? Anyway, the only ruler they trusted was thete emperor. If I had not been the only sessor, they would never have served a dumb man like me. Even if there was another sessor than me, they probably would not care at all. The same was true of the concubine. She was a woman made only for the emperor, so she would have embraced anybody if some other man than me had seeded to the throne. When I went to the empress¡¯s pce with a troubled heart, I saw Jiun crying. She said it was all her fault and that she was sorry for interfering with me and Lady Monique. Then she asked me to go to Lady Monique. Curious why she said that, I called a maid serving her to exin what¡¯s going on. She revealed that she had been to Concubine Monique¡¯s pce today. The moment I heard it, I blew my top. I clearly warned her not to approach Jiun. Did she now go as far as disobeying my order? I went to see Lady Monique to give her thest warning. Despite my threatening attitude, she was unusuallyposed and calm. Despite my dishevelled outfit, she arrogantly asked me to respect her opinion, with her perfect posture. The way she looked down at me and spoke to me as if to remind me that she was different from me who had amoner¡¯s blood was testing my patience and reason. Oh, you were a woman like that from the beginning. Unlike me, who was always ignored because I was clumsy, you were always praised for your excellence. You received everyone¡¯s love when I was craving for their attention. Nevertheless, you just focused on what you were doing, while belittling everything I could not have despite my hard efforts. Chapter 325 Chapter 325: Chapter 324 Yes, you were a woman like this, a doll-like woman made only for the emperor. All right, as you treated me like a stallion, let me sow a seed for you. Iughed coldly, hugging her cold body. I sneered at her, who stiffened at the moment. Why are you trembling when I want to have sex with you as you wish? Don¡¯t you want it? Do you feel it¡¯s terrible to have sex with a man with amoner¡¯s blood? Well, what can I do? This is my reality. You are made for the emperor, anyway. You can sleep with anybody as long as he wears the crown of the emperor, right? Though she got frozen and bit her lips tightly in pain, she didn¡¯t resist when I forced her to make love. Watching tearsing from her closed eyes, I twisted my mouth. Damn it. Do you really want to give birth to a baby boy who could be the crown prince? Do you want the baby so much that you had sex with a man you didn¡¯t love and you despised so much? Even when I was confused with this kind of thought, my body soaked in sexual pleasure was faithful to its mission. Only after I ejacted did I get disillusioned with her. What did I do now? Howe I had sex with another woman when I had a beloved woman? When I thought that the noble faction might take issue with this, my head began to throb. I was giddy with the thought of Jiun crying when she discovered this. And¡­ I hurriedly raised my body and put on my clothes. I didn¡¯t have the heart to look back. But I flinched when I saw her through the gap of the closed door. Are you crying now? Wasn¡¯t this what you wanted? Didn¡¯t you use the pro-emperor faction to put pressure on me to sleep with you, so you could give birth to the next emperor? Then, why are you crying? Why are you so sad? Oh, I see. You were upset because you had sex with a man with amoner¡¯s blood, right? Did it offend your noble pride so much? Was that the reason? Gnashing my teeth, I turned around, but after a few days, I visited her pce again because I felt ill at ease. And I was angry at myself because I felt guilty even for a moment. As usual, she took off her clothes with indifference. I gave a hollow smile at her. I felt bitter when she didn¡¯t even moan when I hugged her cold body roughly. Oh, I see. I was foolish enough to think she had emotions when she would only fulfil her duty when needed. I nced at Jiun who confessed, blushing. I felt something strange. If I¡¯ve got a woman that I love, isn¡¯t it normal that I should be happy as if I owned the whole world? But, strangely enough, I wasn¡¯t as happy as I thought. I felt gratified, but I wasn¡¯t as happy as if I had the whole world. I found there was somethingcking even though I had what I wanted. Did I not love her then? Suddenly such a question came to my mind, but I hurriedly shook my head. No way, that¡¯s impossible! Who else could I love without this woman who cared about me only? Watching her ck eyes trembling anxiously, I made a forced smile at her. Ignoring my growing doubt about my love for her, I whispered into her ears that I loved her. Then I ordered them to hold a grand banquet to prove my affection for her. There was joy in Duke Lars¡¯s eyes, who came to see me to congratte Lady Monique¡¯s pregnancy. I nodded calmly because I knew she would get pregnant one day. So, are you happy because you now have what you want, Duke? I guess so. How can¡¯t you be happy when I faithfully carried out my role as a stallion? Lady Monique stayed calm and indifferent despite congrattory greetings from many people. She was such a contrast with Jiun who screamed the moment she heard that she got pregnant. Raising Jiun who squatted down, I swallowed a sigh. Although I hated it so much, I felt like I wanted to raise Lady Monique¡¯s hand this time. Doesn¡¯t this woman think of her pride or dignity as the empress? Why is she so stupid? Right now, there are not many who really feel happy about her pregnancy. Although I got irritated, I looked back at her with a feigned smile because she was a woman who loved me, and who I loved anyway. I should put up with her and protect her, I thought. That would be the true love I was hoping for. I spaced out when I watched her dress getting stained with red. I didn¡¯t want to do this to her. Although I reacted calmly for fear she might harm herself, I thought of promoting Lady Monique¡¯s baby as the crown prince deep down. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t clearly answer Duke Jena¡¯s question. There were many problems with installing Jiun¡¯s baby as the crown prince just because I loved her. Aside from a political sense, she didn¡¯t have any basic education expected of the empress. It was evident that the empire would be handed over to the noble faction if something bad happened to me after her baby was designated the crown prince. On the other hand, Lady Monique had both a strong support base and a political sense, so it was certain that if she could mellow her character, she would bring more desirable results for the empire. In that respect, I needed to keep her faction at bay because she was getting on her high horse simply because she was favored by the emperor. For this reason, I told her that her baby could not be the crown prince, though I didn¡¯t mean it. Since I couldn¡¯t keep looking at her face that had turned white, I hurried away from the ce of sin. My heart ached when I heard from the royal doctor that she had a miscarriage and that she could not get pregnant again. But my growing sense of guilt disappeared when I was briefed about her recent activities. I could not believe my ears. She is back to the pce affairs office to do her job? Indeed, she was a very strong woman. How could she get back to work even after she lost her baby? Was she determined to hold her position there because she could not get pregnant again? Suddenly, I recalled her obedient attitude when I had sex with her. How would she react if I visited her now? Would she react without any resistance like before or refuse? As she could not get pregnant anymore, she had no reason to avoid having sex with me who had amoner¡¯s blood. I shook my head vigorously. What am I thinking right now? These days I was thinking of all kinds of things as my head often throbbed. Anyway, I had a woman who had my love, Jiun who I loved, and who whispered she loved me. ¡°Shoot the arrow!¡± Suddenly, I heard some shouting far away. My body that moved regrly swayed from a strong impact. Blood came out again from my mouth, which I thought stopped flowing. Someone urgently carried me on his back and began running again. I could feel his unstable movement all over my body. ¡°Oh no¡­hang in a little longer¡­¡± There was some murmuring heard and something came in my blurred vision, which was silver darkened with crimson like what I saw on the day¡­ Was it really true? How could the Monique family, who swore absolute loyalty to the imperial family do that? If they did, the marquis would be executed right away. It was impossible for them to do it without going crazy. I dismissed the Monique family¡¯s alleged involvement out of hand and headed to Jiun¡¯s pce. I was almost exhausted from appeasing her who refused all food and drink. After all, I could get out of her after reassuring her repeatedly that I still loved her, regardless of her miscarriage, and that I would catch the culprit and punish him ordingly. However, no matter how hard I pondered over the matter, I could not figure out who the real culprit was. So, I gave up agonizing any more and ordered the servant to bring me wine, touching my stinging head. These days I could hardly go to sleep without drinking alcohol because of insomnia, which had be more severe. Chapter 326 Chapter 326: Chapter 325 Even if I drank one or two sses of wine, I could not sleep because of some heaviness on my heart. In the end, I reluctantly called the royal doctor. I was going to sleep even after having some sleeping pills. While the doctor was prescribing the dosage of the pill, a servant asked the doctor cautiously. As I was puzzled by his question, I asked him to tell me about the details. Shuddering with fear, the servant said something surprising. He said he heard the rumor that the concubineughed heartily when she heard about Jiun¡¯s miscarriage, and that the maids whispered among themselves that they had never heard herughing so loudly before. I blew my top at that. What did she do? How cruel she is! If so, was she responsible for Jiun¡¯s miscarriage? Did she do it to keep her position as the royal concubine even at the risk of sacrificing her father? When I thought as far as that, I could not stand my anger any more. I wanted to behead her immediately. ng! I threw the ss and the silver tray. The wine bottle was immediately smashed to pieces. The wine that poured from the broken bottle stained the marble floor and silver tray. Nevertheless, I looked around to grab anything to smash, controlling my raging anger. What a cruel woman! Even if she were caught, it was obvious that she would make excuses that her family was falsely charged. For nobody would think the Monique family would betray the imperial family. < Your Majesty, I¡¯m sorry to tell you this, but your anger is rather excessive. I wonder if you are sick¡­> I stared at the female royal doctor intensely as if to kill her when she spoke cautiously. What did you say? I¡¯m over the top? Do you want me to stay calm in this situation? At the moment, Monique¡¯s indifferent look ovepped with her face. I got upset again at her condescending look. How dare you despise me? I took the sword from the royal knight who came into the room, then struck her down. Blood was gushing from the woman who feebly copsed on the spot. As I felt some big load off my chest at that moment, I threw the blood-stained sword, then turned around. When I finally calmed down, I felt something strange. I didn¡¯t realize it when I cut a couple of servants, but this time I felt I went too far after cutting the royal doctor a little while ago. I thought I might be suffering from illness, but called the marquis, holding my stinging head because I wanted to solve the most troublesome matter first. Called into my room, Marquis Monique stopped while trying to respond to the rumors that Lady Monique was the culprit. Then he opened his mouth after keeping silent for a while. His point was that he could disappear from me, saying he couldn¡¯t allow his family to be disgraced on false charges. He asked me to disguise Lady Monique as dead because of the aftereffect of her miscarriage, saying that he and his daughter would nevere back to the capital. I thought his request was ridiculous. The two dukes, his close friends, would not sit on their hands when he asked to retire from politics. Besides, there was no chance that Lady Monique, hungry for power, would follow him without any resistance. Did he notice my intentions? He said that he would take care of the two dukes¡¯ possible opposition, and added that he already discussed the matter with his daughter. I was confused by what he just said. In no time, I was raging with anger again. What did he say? Lady Monique leaving the pce? With whose permission? What the heck is she thinking of right now? She spent her whole life preparing to join the imperial family, then she would leave the pce without anyint? Does this make sense? I huffed and puffed for some time, then twisted my mouth when something suddenly came to my mind. Oh, don¡¯t you want to sleep with me anymore because you can¡¯t get pregnant? In other words, you don¡¯t want to be humiliated by allowing your noble body to be touched by me who has amoner¡¯s blood? Is that what you mean? I suddenly recalled her indifferent look, her calm eyes and high-handed attitude that implied that I was nothing,pared to her. I once again felt a surge of anger rising deep down. Calming down my surging anger, I told the marquis to go home and keep a low profile. I didn¡¯t want to see the same silver hair as the concubine, his daughter. I felt bad, watching her begging me, with her head down. Didn¡¯t you always act as if you were superior to me? Didn¡¯t you look down on even me, the ruler of the empire? Then, howe you are so servile to me? Where is your high-handed pride and arrogance? I twisted my mouth, feeling more and more disgusted with her submissive attitude. When I saw her kneeling and touching her forehead on the ground, I felt so crappy. Hey, are you such a cheap woman? How could you be so arrogant and rub me the wrong way? I felt like I was floating in the air. Am I now living in the real world now? How could she, with the blood of the noble family and praised all the time as the perfect candidate for the empress, lie with her face down, begging for her father¡¯s life? Iughed like crazy for a long time. I just thought this unrealistic situation was so funny. She was still lying face down on the cold ground without moving a bit. I was going to tell her to raise her body, but stopped. I twisted my mouth at the sight of her jewelry hairpin with silver hair. What the heck are you doing now? Didn¡¯t you always wear the tiara as if to show your status? Are you wearing that hairpin to get out of the imperial family like your father said? That¡¯s why you are dressed like that?¡± At that moment, I lost my temper. How can you dare reject me? Do you hate touching me because I have amoner¡¯s blood? I breathed hard. Don¡¯t be ridiculous! No matter how much you pretend to be noble and pure, you are the emperor¡¯s woman. As long as I wear the emperor¡¯s crown, you should sleep with me without anyint even if amoner¡¯s blood runs through my body. I was satisfied with her getting embarrassed when I told her to please me during sex. Of course, you would say you couldn¡¯t do it because as the concubine, you could not act like a vulgar woman, asking me to honor your opinion. But the woman who was trembling before me undressed herself without any resistance. Then she smiled faintly at me, who was watching her, dumbfounded. I hurriedly turned my head for fear I might feel depressed somehow. But I could not get her smile out of my mind. Unlike thest time she stiffened at my sexual move, she was more active this time, which I felt rather unfamiliar. Her quivering eyshes, her tightly closed eyes, and her half-open lips due to her rough breathing, were so different from her defensive posturest time. When she caressed my body with her soft hands, she seemed to be a real girl, not a doll without any emotions. I instantly thought of getting angry with her by asking where her pride was, but left my body to her instead. This time I hugged her who was rather warm this time,pared to her stiff bodyst time. In no time my pent-up anger in my heart began to melt away. At that moment I opened my eyes wide at her voice, suddenly waking from a sexual pleasure. She already changed into new clothes and looked at me with an indifferent expression. I made a hollow smile at herckluster eyes and t voice, as usual. What did I expect from her? She just faithfully carried out my order to get what she wanted. Just like she put pressure on me to sleep with her with the goal of giving birth to a baby boy, the future crown prince, she allowed me to have sex with her to leave the Imperial Pce. Chapter 327 Chapter 327: Chapter 326 What an awful bitch! My anger, which I calmed down a moment ago, was boiling again. If so, you¡¯ve got nothing to tell you apart from amoner woman. What is the difference between a prostitute who sells her body to make money and a woman like you who has sex to get what you want? I was burning with anger. I felt I was stupid enough to have been swayed by her feigned smile. I spat out whatever came to my mind because I didn¡¯t like her indifferent look. When I said her father died, she stared at me with her face turned white. Iughed to find intense anger in her golden eyes. Oh, you are now revealing your true colors? Since I, who had amoner¡¯s blood, dared to disgrace you, a noblewoman, you must have hated me a lot. When you suffered an intolerable humiliation because of me, you must have blown your top when you heard there was no father to take you home. Grabbing my blood-stained chest, I now saw the concubine. While she was dragged out roughly, she reached out for the hairpin I was holding. I turned my mouth up slightly, looking at her troubled golden eyes. I was very satisfied with the breakup of her sturdy mask. He didn¡¯t take any action even after learning that his daughter was in prison. He continued to remain silent even when the nobles strongly argued that she should be executed. Besides, the close aides to the emperor, who had to save her life, were silent. I couldn¡¯t understand why he remained silent all along when he could use ¡°it¡± to save her. If he did so, even I could do nothing but to follow his demands. Then, why didn¡¯t he take any action? I kept wondering why, and finally, I got the answer when he opened his tight-lipped mouth on the day that he was summoned after my continuing interrogation. I was dumbfounded to hear that. How could he say that as her father? Honor more important than her life? So, you want to see her death because she would live in disgrace? Is that the reason why you kept silent until now? And that¡¯s why you stopped your faction members from trying to save her? Like you, she would certainly think so. Nheless, you guys are really tough cookies! I looked at the tight-lipped marquise with a smile, then let him out. I didn¡¯t want to talk to him anymore. Rather than getting better, my insomnia was getting worse, apanied by a headache. Grabbing my stinging head, Iy on the bed, but I couldn¡¯t sleep. Suddenly, her face came to my mind when I closed my eyes, who was smiling at me faintly on that day. I tried to shake off her image from my mind, but it didn¡¯t go away easily. I could not forget her mouth that breathed hard and her soft touch. I raised my body, holding my aching heart. When I poured a ss of wine at my bedside, I heard someone opening the door with a bang. I sighed, seeing Jiun crying, but I swallowed it silently and asked why. She asked me if I was okay, saying she heard I was wounded and that she was worried a lot because I didn¡¯t visit her for the past few days. I silently patted her in my arms. I didn¡¯t see her after the incident involving Lady Monique, but I seemed to feel much better when I saw her face to face. Yes, I have this woman Jiun anyway, who was worried about me so much as to shed tears, and who loved me so much. I looked down at Concubine Monique who knelt with her head down. I couldn¡¯t see her face because of her long, silver hair covering it. What kind of expression are you making now? Is it still indifferent as usual? Or is it burning with hatred likest time? Or is it happy because you are finally out of my control? Suddenly, I broke intoughter. I was sick and tired of you. Yes, that¡¯s the perfect expression I¡¯ve been looking for. Just like I did, you would have been sick and tired of me whenever you saw me. How about now? Are you satisfied? Looking back, you and I have had a long and persistent rtionship. Are you happy that our bad rtionship that has been continuing since your birth is finally at an end? As soon as the executioner lifted the ax high, she raised her head, after all, and stared at me. My heart sank at her totally unexpected look. She was neither indifferent, nor burning with hatred of me, nor happy. Her golden eyes, which exactly resembled her mother¡¯s, were wet with tears, just like I saw her tearful eyes, leaving her room, on the day I held her first. Why are you crying? I murmured with a sigh, putting my hand on my cold chest. Why are you crying? You had what you wanted. You said you didn¡¯t want a dishonorable life, right? Didn¡¯t you say you would like to leave this world rather than living with me with amoner¡¯s blood, right? But I hesitated, looking at the ax that was about to hit her. Is it really okay for me to have her executed like this? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to stop her execution even now? The moment I was about to lift my arm to stop it, Jiun closed my mouth with one hand and hung on to me. I flinched when she touched my shoulders. Isn¡¯t she a woman who despised and hated me anyway? What would be different even if I stopped the execution? I clenched and opened my fists, watching her staring at me straight. Ignoring her wet eyes, I hugged Jiun. At that moment, the executioner wielded the ax. I nodded silently because I guessed he would do so when I saw himst. When I directed them to hold his funeral as the marquis of the empire by recording the date of his death a little earlier, Duke Verita, who remained silent all along, said he wanted to step down from his premier position. Following his resignation, Duke Lars removed the shoulder straps from his uniform and resigned, saying he would retire from politics. When I discovered a reproachful look in their eyes, I got upset suddenly. What did I do wrong? I just executed the traitor who dared to try to kill the emperor. As I was irritated by their unpleasant attitude, I nodded without dissuading them. Yes, go away. Anyway, you were all close aids to my father, the emperor, not mine. I opened the documents as if nothing happened, but could not concentrate. Why am I so empty when I got rid of not only Lady Monique but also her strong supporters? When I felt jammed up inside, Jiun suddenly came in with all kinds of food, saying that she made the dishes for me. Although the dishes looked terrible and very salty, I picked the food with a fork silently. I smiled lightly at her when she asked me if I liked the food. Yes, Jiun is the woman I should care about, not Lady Monique who pursued her own interests to the end. So, I didn¡¯t have any reason to feel ill at ease. Finally, I was in possession of the empire that I could start with a clean state on my own, where there was no vestige of thete emperor¡¯s legacy, but full of vassals loyal to me and the woman who loved me only. I screamed, pushing aside the documents piled up before me. What did you say? Did you tell me toe to my senses? Thete emperor would not have handled the problem like that? I was sick and tired of the earl preaching to me about thete emperor¡¯s exemry standards for work. In the end, I pointed the sword at the earl who was trying to persuade me. When I warned him that I would cut him if he mentioned thete emperor once more, the old earl closed his mouth. But I didn¡¯t feel satisfied for that long. When I calmed down, I felt somewhat ufortable. The royal doctor who examined my condition said I was fine. Is it because of my excessive stress? Chapter 328 Chapter 328: Chapter 327 Maybe. These days there was nothing that I liked. I didn¡¯t like the nobles who found fault with everything I did, and I didn¡¯t like Jiun who still didn¡¯t know the ropes when she had been the empress for several years. days. I was just sick and tired of everybody around me. Would it have been different if there had been Lady Monique and her supporters around me? Suddenly, something shed through my mind. No way. What would have been different with that woman and thete emperor¡¯s close aides? Even their remnant forces are rubbing me the wrong way all the time. If they had been with me until now, they would have harassed me much more. I shook my head violently to dispel such thought. I felt I was overly stressed out these days, given that I found myself recalling them after a long time. What the heck? Stunned by his unexpected remarks, I stared quietly at the man with honey-colored hair. The young marquis, who came up to the capital and expanded his activities gradually, spoke with a very serious expression. My head was throbbing. I let him in because he asked to see me, so little did I think he mentioned something shocking to me, the ruler of the empire. Obviously, he was not cracking a joke about such a grave matter. He decided to mention it to me because he had some hard evidence about my poisoning. When I asked him to tell me in detail, Marquis Mirwa began to exin the situation in detail. ording to him, the Lisa kingdom produced the type of poison that would make anyone feel jammed up inside, feel dizzy, and nauseated. Besides, he said the Lisa kingdom produced one of such poisons. Once poisoned, a person would often feel irritated and angry even at trifling things. Was it because I was poisoned that I often felt a surge of angering up deep down for the past several years, but could not control my feelings? The young marquis emphasized it repeatedly. He revealed that Duke Jenna was behind all this, and that the duke had been slowly carrying out the plot. Then he handed a small bottle, saying it was an antidote that he obtained very hard, along with a thick ledger. I turned over the pages of the ledger all night, where there were all the details including Duke Jena¡¯s close rtions with the Lisa kingdom and how he obtained the poison by using all kinds of means. After reading through thest page, I closed the ledger and got lost in thought. ording to the ledger, it was certain that Duke Jenna was the mastermind, but I could not conclude, based on the marquis¡¯s testimony alone. Who knows if he, not the duke, was the culprit? So, I thought it would be better to order someone I could trust to investigate the incident covertly. Then, who should I assign this task to? I recalled the nobles who were active in politics one by one, but could not find one. Besides, even those I felt I could trust had connections with Duke Jena in one way or another. Suddenly, my heart sank. I could not believe that I didn¡¯t find any single man among them that I could trust. It¡¯s already been four years since thete emperor passed away. What did I do until now? I thought I ran my own empire, but it looked like it was run by Duke Jena. I could hardly have a sip of water. One day when I was spending sleepless nights in endless vignce and suspicion, a document that the chief attendant gave me irritated me all the more. Customarily the internal affairs of the pce department were rted to women, so I could immediately find out that there was a problem with the way Jiun handled the matter. Stupid woman. How could she not properly handle a matter like this when she became the empress four years ago? Then, how did she manage her job until now? I clicked my tongue when I suddenly recalled something. I see. It was Lady Monique, not Jiun, who was in control of the internal affairs of the pce department. Suddenly, I made a hollow smile. I have forgotten her until now, but these days something came up, which often made me recall her. As expected, the pce department didn¡¯t discard the documents rted to her. I ordered the director of the pce department to give up Jiun¡¯s policy and reintroduce what Lady Monique had practiced. At that moment, I suddenly recalled Lady Monique¡¯s golden eyes wet with tears. Before I knew it, I ordered the director to bring me all the documents rted to her. While walking down the hallway of the empress¡¯s pce, I kept thinking to myself that there was nothing special to my order, I just did it to find the mastermind, and that I could find out something meaningful because Lady Monique was in charge of the internal affairs. Was it because I kept thinking of her? I had a big quarrel with Jiun when I casually mentioned Lady Monique¡¯s name, frustrated with theck of progress Jiun made in handling the pce affairs. Nheless, I felt I should put up with her because I loved her, but my spontaneous anger at the moment made me tell her what I honestly thought about her, which I had hidden from her until now. When she spat out what came to her mind recklessly, I pped her in the face. Back to the Central Pce, I picked up the documents sent by the pce department. Then I put my hand on my forehead while reading something that Lady Monique seemed to have written down in her round handwriting style. What is it all about? I thought she was trying to act as the real owner of the inner pce by pushing Jiun out, but she didn¡¯t. On the contrary, she prepared documents on the operation of the internal pce for Jiun. I thought she didn¡¯t care about me at all, but she knew even my trifling taste. I suddenly remembered what Jiun told me in the past. She said Lady Monique must have been clumsy like her at first. Really? Just like me who knocked myself out to catch up with my father, the emperor, Lady Monique also had to go through all kinds of trials and hardship to be the empress. Just like me who got used to hiding my feelings, she also lived, keeping all her thoughts and feelings to herself. Why didn¡¯t I ever try to ask her why she was so indifferent, and what she thought about me? I always guessed about her on my own. I never tried to find out what she was thinking about me or how she felt toward me. I just took it for granted that she was like a doll with no feelings, a touch cookie only serving the interests of her faction. Why did I think so? Why did I always look at her with prejudice? After agonizing for a long time, I finally wrote a letter to Duke Lars. I spent lots of time finding the right person to contact the duke without inviting suspicion from the nobles. A few weekster, Marquis Enesil, who just inherited the title, came up to the capital to see me with a reply from Duke Lars. The duke said if I could not find anyone I could trust, I could rely on the marquis carrying his letter. He also said he would think about how to help me. As for the investigation of my poisoning, Marquis Enesil reported that Duke Jena was the mastermind, and that the antidote Marquis Mirwa was correct. Thanks to that, I neutralized my poisoning with the antidote. Now I was looking for a way to solve this with a fresh mind. In the meantime, the news that Jiun got pregnant made the situation worse for me. If her baby was a boy, I would be a dead man as soon as the baby was born. The nobles knew it would be much easier to install the just born crown prince as the next emperor and control national politics. Besides, they could make use of Jiun easily who would be queen mother. At that moment, I came to think of a very bad thing. How about getting rid of the child? If I could do so, I could overturn the situation in my favor. Chapter 329 Chapter 329: Chapter 328 But I didn¡¯t have the heart to trante that method into action because I thought of Lady Monique¡¯s baby that I killed and I felt sorry for Jiun who already had a miscarriage. Although I didn¡¯t like her that much, she was the woman I once loved, so I could not make her go through the hardship again. Then there was only one way left. When I was looking for a cause to escape the capital to the two dukes, I heard that the kingdom of Lisa plundered several viges on the border. And at the urgent political meeting, I dered that I would punish the Lisa kingdom in person, pretending to blow my top just like I did before my poisoning was neutralized. Duke Jena surprisingly epted my idea without any resistance. I was suspicious about his motivation, but as I had no other way, I escaped the capital with the utmost care. As soon as I was safely out of the capital, I nned to join the two dukes, but¡­ ¡°Cough! Cough! ¡± ¡°There he is! Catch him! ¡± ¡°Now it¡¯s myst!¡± My heavy body was thrown on the ground. I saw a blonde knight blocking me with a sword in my vision that became suddenly bright. His blood-stained silver armor was radiating bizarre light, reflected in the moonlight. A smile came to my lips that became gradually hardened. Is this the very symptom of one¡¯s very brief return to normal before one dies? A streak of tears flowed down. What did I do wrong first? Why did I do wrong so many times? Although I¡¯ve always been jealous and rebellious, I wanted to be the same great emperor as thete emperor. I wanted to be the emperor that everybody loved and respected. ¡°Hey, you must be the Captain of the Royal Knights Division. What an unexpected bonanza! You can¡¯t escape anymore because there¡¯s a cliff behind you. How about giving up and giving us the emperor¡¯s body?¡± ¡°Shut up! I don¡¯t negotiate with the enemy.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve no other choice but to kill you then. Kill him! We¡¯ve got to recover his body by all means!¡± Suddenly, in the dark sky, there was a silver moon half covered in dark clouds. The moon, which looked so noble, seemed so lonely today. I smiled suddenly. Even though it was covered by clouds, the moon was shining brightly like that. Why didn¡¯t I see the moon hidden in the clouds? I remembered that little child I had seen for the first time a long, long ago. That little girl who reached out her cute, chubby hands andughed merrily, that little girl who followed me, calling my name. I used to push her away because I was foolish then, but she looked very lovely then. Why did I forget her for such a long time? The figure of Earl Penril became blurred in my vision. My body was getting colder, and it was more and more difficult for me to breathe. Atst, just before my senses disappeared, I felt someone carrying me on his back in a hurry. In no time, I felt I floated in the air. Something silvery shimmered on the ck river in my darkened vision. Oh, did youe to wee me? No matter how much I ignored and shouted at you, you were always there when I turned. You always used to look at me from a distance. Just like you did all the time, are you waiting for me there today? What kind of expression do you have now? Is it nk like before, or are you still burning with hatred because I killed you? Or are you happy there without pain or sorrow as I heard in my childhood? Are youfortable there? Or did you not reach there yet because you were waiting for me? Come with me there now. It¡¯s toote, but there I can¡­ With the feeling that I was immersed in something cold, my senses disappearedpletely. I stretched my stiff arms and embraced the shimmering silvery light in my arms. Along with the consciousness of falling into the abyss, thest words I couldn¡¯t say disappeared. ¡­ I want to talk with you about something I didn¡¯t share fully. *** Ugh? Who is it? Don¡¯t touch my hair. Leave me alone! Don¡¯t disturb my sleep¡­Don¡¯t! Why are you trying to wake me? Stop it! What? You are sorry? If you know you are sorry, why are you waking up a sleeping cat? You want me to sleep more? Are you kidding me now? Howe you want me to sleep again when you already woke me up? You woke me up because you found my sleeping so cute? Well, that¡¯s true. I¡¯m so cute. Thanks for your discerning eye. Good. Let me be generous and forgive you this time. Remember you are very lucky this time. I¡¯m Luna, who is in firm control of this area. What? You can¡¯t believe it? I¡¯ll p you! Did you say sorry? Well, you should have done so early on. Anyway, there are people like you who don¡¯t get it without punishment. Ugh? There are people like that in this house, except for my butler. By the way, where is the butler? Did he leave again in the morning? Anyway, he is so diligent all the time. Sleep is the best way to keep my beauty, but my butler doesn¡¯t sleep much. That¡¯s not good for your body. I don¡¯t want an ugly butler. What? Is my butler ugly? Oh, no. Although she is far inferior to me, she seems to resemble me at first nce. Do you get it? What I mean is if the butler resembles me, she can be called pretty by people. Don¡¯t ever think I¡¯m using an ugly butler. ¡°Luna, where are you?¡± Ah, damn it. Hey, hide quickly. What? You¡¯re invisible because you are the wind? Oh, yes, that¡¯s right. By the way, you¡¯vee here from far away, right? How did I know? That¡¯s easy. If you live near here, it¡¯s impossible you don¡¯t know me and my butler because my butler is in a high position. So, be kind to me, okay? Ugh? Why? Are you dumb? It¡¯s because my butler is pretty high in her position, and I¡¯m her master. In other words, there is nobody in this house that I have to fear. Of course, there is one person, who is in a special position. ¡°Here you are, Luna. I¡¯ve been looking for you for a while. ¡± Oh, shucks! I¡¯m doomed. Damn it. It¡¯s all because of you. Don¡¯t you know how noisy she is? Don¡¯t stroke me! Don¡¯t hug me! Only my butler can touch me! Go away! Damn it! If you are not a woman serving my butler, I can¡­ Wow, it¡¯s my food¡­ Oh, I¡¯m an arrogant cat who sacrifices my pride before it¡­ But it tastes good anyway. Why are youughing at me? I¡¯m not in this woman¡¯s arms because of my food. I¡¯m just being served by this woman! She is only a servant of my butler. So, she has the obligation to serve me because I¡¯m the master of my butler. So, don¡¯t misunderstand. Got it? Then, why am I avoiding her like that? Well, I can ept the actions of my butler¡¯s maid most of the time, but the problem is she is too noisy. Look at her now. All I want is for her tob my hair quietly, but she is talking all the time. Well, she is good atbing my hair. Look at this. My hair is so shiny, right? Of course, you can¡¯t deny I¡¯m so cute. ¡°Lina, please help me get ready to go to the Imperial Pce.¡¯ Wow, she is my butler! Did you see her? She is my butler. She isn¡¯t as pretty as me, but she is very pretty, right? What? She is so elegant? Oh, yes, she is. As you know, I don¡¯t have just any woman as my butler. Her fragrance is good, her bosom is so cozy and her arms are so soft. Hey, butler. Please stroke my hair a little longer. Yes, right there. I¡¯ve put up with that noisy woman¡¯s babbling. I feel sleepy. Ugh? Oh yes, she loves me so much. Look, she can¡¯t take me out of her arms even now¡­ Ugh? ¡°I¡¯m going out, Luna.¡± Chapter 330 Chapter 330: Chapter 329 Hey, butler. Please stroke my hair a little longer. Yes, right there. I¡¯ve put up with that noisy woman¡¯s babbling. I feel sleepy. Ugh? Oh yes, she loves me so much. Look, she can¡¯t take me out of her arms even now¡­ Ugh? ¡°I¡¯m going out, Luna.¡± Man, you¡¯re bad, butler. I wanted to y with you since it¡¯s been so long. If you are in a high position, you just rx and deserve to be served like me. Why are you so busy? Besides, you don¡¯t y with me much these days. You are not serving me, either. I¡¯m mad at you now. I¡¯m serious. I won¡¯t give you a pass this time. Ugh? Are you asking me to follow you? Well, I can be generous enough to go along with you, but no thank you. I¡¯m not going. Why? Well, in fact, I secretly followed you to the pce to surprise you. But I felt so dizzy whenrge houses passed by me so quickly¡­ What? Nope! It¡¯s not because I was scared at all. Nope! You wanna smack in the face? That¡¯s enough. Do you think I¡¯ve got nobody to y with other than you? I¡¯m Luna. I can get by without you, my butler! Let me see who is here I can y with. Oh, yes,e on, maid. Let me take time out to y with you¡­Where are you going? You arrogant servant! How can you sigh at me when you are the butler of my butler? Damn it, I¡¯ve got no other choice then. I¡¯ve got to go and see something that smells sweaty. Hey, you, look at how I¡¯m doing. Okay, let me move to that tree and jump. Ugh? You can¡¯t do it by simply moving your body? Hey, I¡¯m a cat, not the wind! This is something that ordinary cats can¡¯t do! Sorry because you didn¡¯t know that? It was cool? Of course. Only now do you appreciate my dexterity! Wait a minute. Where am I now? Oh, yes, I¡¯m so smart! Hey there, you sweaty man. Come on and serve me. Put down that glowing lump of iron. Why are you avoiding me again? Be grateful to me when I take time out to y with you? Are you running away from me? Damn it, I¡¯m really angry. I¡¯m serious. I¡¯m going to be very unruly starting today. You won¡¯t get away with this. Let me get even with my butler first who betrayed me. What¡¯s the best punishment? It seems she values the music box very much these days. Can I smash it? Or can I leave my paw marks on her favorite hair tie? Hey, you, give me your opinion instead of sitting there nkly. ¡°Did you escape the mansion again? What if you get lost?¡± Oops! Why did you find me now? My hair was also dishevelled. What should I do? I must look ugly. Oh, no. Let me wash my face first¡­Oh, shucks! I love my butler¡¯s arms, but this is the best. Warm, secure and broad¡­ I really like it. His touch is warm and his arms are really strong. Meowing, I¡¯m so excited! I¡¯m happy. Ugh? Who is this man I¡¯m talking about? Didn¡¯t I tell you before? I don¡¯t fear anybody except for one person. This is she. I hear she has a very high position. Besides, she is so good-hearted and kind. I feel jealous when I look at the way she treats the butler. How about it? It¡¯s only natural I feel envious of her, right? Besides, her hair color is silvery like mine. Yes, this is what they call a perfect match! By the way, why are they looking at me like that? Is this the first time you guys have seen a cat? Howe you guys who look busy all the time are gathered here? Oh no, it¡¯s important I should be with my butler now. I¡¯ll see about youter. Meowing! I like it so much here. Wow, she really looks nice. I can¡¯t take my eyes off her. Yes, I mean it¡­By the way, I feel so sleepy. I should not go to sleep yet. I want to keep looking at them¡­ ¡°Shush¡­¡± Where am I now? Ugh? I didn¡¯t go to sleep. Yes, I¡¯m serious. By the way, where is my butler? Hey, wind, do you know where she is? What? She left a while ago? Hey, you should have woken me up ¡­ Oh, wait a minute. I didn¡¯t sleep. Then why didn¡¯t I see her leaving? Well, that could happen. Oh, maybe I dozed off briefly. So what? Is it a crime for a cat to doze off? Why are you trying to pick a fight with me? Wait a minute. Why are they avoiding me again? Do you think I can¡¯t catch up with you? Look, I¡¯ve got four legs when you guys have only two. I can quickly catch up with you if I make up my mind¡­By the way, what is that? That red and round thing. Ugh? Guess what? Well, let me see. What the heck is this? Strange. I didn¡¯t hit it hard, but why is it running away? Hey, you red one, stop there! You¡¯re running again! Can¡¯t you stop there? I won¡¯t hit you. I got you! There is no point in you running. By the way, what the heck is this? I feel good because it¡¯s fluffy, but it¡¯s not as soft as my hair. Ugh? You¡¯re running again? Stop there! Hey, help me! Bad butler. Why don¡¯t you appear when I¡¯m in difficulties like this? You don¡¯t have the qualifications to be my butler. You¡¯re not qualified! Well, I can¡¯t stand it anymore. Let me have it out with you today. I¡¯ve been telling you all along. I¡¯m really mad at you. I¡¯m not going to y with you anymore. And I won¡¯t call you my butler anymore. You know, once I make up my mind, I really mean it. ¡°Luna, you are here. How are you today? ¡± Oh, she is my butler. Umm¡­Smells good. Oh no, I¡¯m really mad at you! Don¡¯t pretend to be friendly to me. Don¡¯t touch me! God away! ¡­ Ugh? Are you really going? Oh my¡­ How can you go away like that? You are so mean. A cat can get mad like you. Wait a minute, are you crying, butler? Are you sad because I didn¡¯t y with you? Hey, my butler, please don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m going to forgive you because I¡¯m a good cat. But don¡¯t do it again next time. Got it? I won¡¯t scold you even if you leave me alone. So, please don¡¯t cry. Now, look at this. This is what I caught. It¡¯s be smaller, but I caught it. Why don¡¯t we y with this? Look, if I hit it like this, it moves away like that. I can hit it like this, then I can snatch it by quickly grabbing it like this. I¡¯m cool, right? ¡°Oh, Luna, you were ying with the wool. Won¡¯t you y with me?¡± Oh, you stopped crying, butler? You won¡¯t cry anymore, right? See, you need me beside you. Even though you are not satisfied with me, what can you do? I¡¯m generous enough to understand you. Oh, butler, you are good at throwing it. Wait a minute. Let me catch that red thing for you. This is easy¡­ Hey, don¡¯t throw it again. It¡¯s hard for me. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep, Luna?¡± Oh, yes. You looked a bit poor today, so I¡¯ll protect you today. Trust me, Luna. I feel so warm, and smell good too. You¡¯re my best. Sure, you are my one and only butler. Oh right. I¡¯ll bring you something delicious tomorrow. Let me give it to cheer you up. So, take it with gratitude, okay? Ha-am. I really want to go to sleep today. Good night, butler. Today, I¡¯ll allow you to dream. Ugh? Who are you? I thought you left already, but you didn¡¯t? I didn¡¯t know it because I was busy ying with my butler. What? Are you upset? Who cares? Hey, go away quickly. Otherwise, you will wake up my butler. Don¡¯t hang around ady¡¯s room. Good. Goodbye. Let me allow you to have a dream, too. What? Do you want toe here to y with me sometimes? Of course. You know I¡¯m so busy, but I can y with you once in a while. Take it as an honor. I, Luna, don¡¯t y with just anybody. Okay. Good bye. Chapter 331 Chapter 331: Chapter 330 ¡°Sein, can I talk with you for a moment?¡± One day when I was in the thick of practice, clenching my teeth, my elder brother called me. Although I was pushed for time, I had no choice but to put the sword down and follow him. I could not refuse my brother¡¯s unusual request. ¡°I know you¡¯re practicing all the time on the training field, but it seems that you are more enthusiastic these days. What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Nothing particr. It¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°Just what?¡± ¡°Well, I want to protect somebody.¡± ¡°You want to protect somebody?¡± When I saw him asking curiously, that lovely woman¡¯s face suddenly shed through my mind. The girl with silver hair shining like a sword and a warm smile like sunlight, who always spoke quietly in a calm voice ¡­ My lovely girl, Aristia. I missed her. I really missed her who picked up the sword again withoutining even when I rebuked her numerous times. I missed that subtle scent of tea that always came from that girl. I was often sentimental about her, thinking about her whenever I had free time. But I could not afford to stay sentimental. As I was not the sessor of my family and there was nothing else but fencing I was good at, I had no other choice but to hone my skills to protect her. ¡°Is it Lady Monique that you want to protect?¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± I shook my head slowly because I could not mention her name recklessly unless she broke off her engagement. She was still the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. Watching me tight-lipped, he said with a sigh, ¡°Okay, I understand what you mean. But don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. Mom is very concerned about you.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Although I replied in the positive, I didn¡¯t stop practicing day and night after talking with him. My hands were callused from tireless practicing, and whenever I felt I practiced enough, I practiced once more. Even though I practiced so hard as to feel dizzy, I was afraid I could not protect her well. My hard efforts paid off soon. Before the two months I promised to her expired, I could prove to her that I was fully prepared as an official knight by passing the knight¡¯s test. There was a big fuss over the birth of the youngest knight who didn¡¯t yet have aing-of-age ceremony, but I didn¡¯t care. I only got the minimum qualification to stand by her, but I didn¡¯t yet protect her. ¡°Oh, Dad, well¡­Ugh?¡± One day when I went to work as an apprentice knight until the officialmission ceremony was held, I ran into her when I went to see my father. I saw her for the first time in two months, who was still small and slender. When I saw her golden eyes and wavy silver hair, I felt like all the fatigue from my tireless training was gone. When she replied coyly, I broke intoughter for the first time since I parted with her. I missed you, Aristia. I really missed you. She was so cute when she stared at me, pouting and rubbing her forehead. As I didn¡¯t tidy it up neatly after training, my hair was dishevelled when I saw her, but I decided to grow my hair long when she said with a smile that my long hair fit me well. When I saw her golden eyes glowing warmly, I found myself excited, so I decided once again while walking with her that I would surely protect her.. I prayed to God for the first time that I could keep watching from beside her. I prayed to God for her happiness, vowing that I would do anything for her. *** Unfortunately, she was not very good at fencing. She had more than ordinary talent, but she didn¡¯t make good progress despite her hard efforts because of her slender build and inborn weakness. Nevertheless, she practiced like crazy because this was the only way she could escape from the imperial family. If the crown prince ordered the breakoff of his engagement with her, she could be easily freed from her bond with the imperial family. But there was no possibility that he could desert the Monique family, hisrgest supporter, by breaking it off. If so, there was only one way I help her, which was to help her to obtain the status of a full-fledged knight as soon as possible, so she could have a rxed life. So, I helped her even by revising and tailoring the fencing style of my family to her needs. But my good intention to help her improve her fencing skills was used as a means to disgrace her. Fortunately, the imperial family and the noble faction didn¡¯t care much about my help, treating it as something like a gossip. But I was a bit worried they might have noticed my affection for her. And I became more concerned when I went to see the emperor for New Year¡¯s greetings. ¡°Come to think of it, I heard a very interesting rumor about you these days. Is it true that you are dating Lady Monique?¡± The emperor was my mother¡¯s brother before she got married, so I sometimes saw him. But I¡¯ve never seen him so scary this time. Apparently, he was smiling at me, but his eyes were cold when he asked me about the rumor. I got goosebumps. Given her usual attitude, there was little possibility that she loved the crown prince, and if her exit n was sessful, the most likely candidate to be her lover would be me. But even that could be mentioned only after her official breakoff. It was very dangerous for somebody to notice my affection for her at the moment when she was still the crown prince¡¯s fiancee. Clenching my teeth, I vowed that I would never reveal my affection for her until I won her heart. I vowed that I would not torment her with my problem when she was already troubled by her rtions with the crown prince. *** ¡°It¡¯s a meaningful day to you, but I¡¯m so sorry I didn¡¯t celebrate you in person.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± When she said she was sorry, I smiled at her casually. Of course, I would lie if I didn¡¯t feel sorry she didn¡¯t celebrate me at mying-of-age banquet. But her safety was my priority. That¡¯s why I was so disappointed like Allendis when she appeared at the banquet with the crown prince. I felt a sense of crisis when I saw her with him, but even if I felt helpless, I had to make sure I did not cross the redline of ¡°friend¡± that he defined as my rtion with her in order not to repeat the nightmarish day and avoid inviting his suspicion. But I found it more difficult to keep the borderline of ¡®friend¡¯ than I thought. I had to calm down my rage even when I watched her struggling to survive in social circles. I could go out with her only after I presented myself as her escort. I had to constantly rationalize myself by thinking that this much help was okay. One day something I had feared happened. Allendis, who was desperately trying to win her heart like me, confessed his love to her, but in vain. As I was worried about him, I went to see him, though I didn¡¯t like him. I still could not forget his bitter smile. Watching him leaving the empire in a hurry, I kept vowing to myself that I still had a chance, but I had to be patient. I thought that although it was important to win her heart, I should protect her first. I hated to admit it, but despite my hard efforts, Allendis was closer to her. If it was true that he was rejected by her, my decision not to reveal my feelings to her was never wrong. So, I vowed again and again that I should not be impatient. *** ¡°Be careful, Tia!¡± I hurriedly shouted, but it was alreadyte. Fortunately, she avoided the first blow, but she soon fell off the horse, surprised by the unexpected attack. When I saw her rolling to avoid the flying dagger, my heart sank. When I saw something shing thrown at her, I jumped off of the horse and embraced her even before I was able to pull the sword. I felt the cold de of the dagger cutting through my shoulder, but I felt more relief than pain that I saved her. Chapter 332 Chapter 332: Chapter 331 An ordinary woman would have cried or reacted hysterically, but as a trained knight she looked at me with a worried expression, then drew her sword. Just like a woman resembling the sword, she was very cold and determined. ncing at her silver hair shining like a sword, I pointed my sword at the masked men who appeared one by one. Given that I could not move my shoulder, I felt its condition was serious, but I was determined to protect her even if I would lose my arm forever. Don¡¯t worry, Tia. I will protect you as much as I can. Even if I will never wield a sword again, even if I lose my life, I¡¯m going to protect you by all means. I¡¯ve already vowed for a long time that I would never lose you again, and make you always bright and happy. Faced with the masked swordsmen, I had to calm down to fight them. I wielded my sword naturally thanks to my countless hours of practicing. I vigorously wielded the sword, diverting their attention to me while stopping them from attacking her until the royal knights appeared to save us. I was so happy to have saved her life, but the moment I saw her white uniform stained with blood, I was consumed by an unknowable anxiety. And I got more worried because of what I heard when I went back to her house with her. I expected that she might have a secret bodyguard, but little did I think that the emperor, who seemed to have no interest in her since the National Founding Day festival, dispatched bodyguards to her. What should I make of this situation? I felt a bit relieved to see her expressing gratitude but showing uneasiness, but I was on edge because of an ominous feeling that kept rising deep down. Despite everything, it was fortunate that her father seemed to like me. I didn¡¯t feel good, though. My instinct, which helped them call me a genius swordsman, kept giving me a warning signal that I was in jeopardy. I felt I had to prepare some measures. Even if I couldn¡¯t approach her for realistic reasons, I had to find some way not to repeat Allendis¡¯s failure. Allendis failed to win her heart because he burdened her by crossing the borderline of ¡°friendship¡± with her. On the other hand, by making use of his status as her fiance fully, the crown prince was growing closer to her. Then, what could I do because I was not as close to her as Allendis,nor could I officially date her like the crown prince?¡¯ While pondering over the right way to approach her, I flinched suddenly because I found myself wrestling with the question of making her my woman. What the heck am I doing now? ¡®It¡¯s enough for now.¡¯ I thought it was enough that I was with her now, so I vowed again that I would focus on helping her, keeping my promise to her. *** ¡°Sein, I¡¯ve watched you for a while, but I think I have to draw a line. Is it true that you love Lady Monique?¡± Looking at my father¡¯s hardened face for a moment, I shut my mouth without responding. I guess why he asked me that, but I could not figure out what motivated him to ask such a question. As if he noticed what I was thinking about, he said with a sigh, ¡°I am not saying this to me you, so just give me your honest answer. Do you really love her?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Sein.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I do, Daddy.¡± ¡°Then you must know why I¡¯m asking it now.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, moistening my dry lips. Although I didn¡¯t want to admit it, I thought my guesswork was right. It was evident that he called me because of the big meeting tomorrow. Lady Monique was very busy after a mysterious girl called the child of God¡¯s prophecy appeared. When I heard that the big meeting was convened to determine which of the two was the child of God¡¯s prophecy, I was so nervous. I didn¡¯t want to imagine what would happen to Lady Monique at the meeting that I wasn¡¯t even eligible to attend. Because of that, I felt like I was walking on a tightrope everyday. ¡°Whew¡­why do you love her among other women? You know how difficult it is to win her heart.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Why did you choose that girl? If it¡¯s because of her title, I would rather ¡­¡± ¡°Daddy!¡± He shut up and watched me silently when I shouted. Then he said with a sigh, ¡°You do love her. I see.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Are you going to help me?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, but I have to talk with her father Kairan, but let me try. I can¡¯t guarantee you, of course. I¡¯m your father, but at the same time leader of the pro-emperor faction. I can¡¯t move ording to my private interests. Do you understand? ¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, Daddy.¡± ¡°It¡¯ste at night. Go back to your room.¡± When he spoke, holding his forehead with his hand as if he was tired, I got out of his room after bowing silently. Only when I came out into the dark corridor, my throbbing heart subsided a little, but I was still feeling nervous and worried. What if the results of the big meeting tomorrow were bad? What if the emperor would issue an order to designate Lady Monique as the crown prince¡¯s wife? Although I swore to protect the girl, am I not a knight who pledged to devote my life to the imperial family? I shook my head, grabbing my heart in agony. Didn¡¯t my father say he would support me? Besides, her father would not sit on his hands if the emperor issued such an order. I didn¡¯t need to worry about the results of the meeting in advance. I nervously waited day after day until the big meeting happened. And finally, on the fourth day after I saw my father, I heard from him about the results of the meeting. Lucky or not, she allegedly got one year¡¯s grace period until her final status would be decided. One year meant that she would note of age until then. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a perfectly satisfactory conclusion, but I thought it was good because I bought time until then, and I thought she would feel the same way. Contrary to my expectation, however, she seemed to have a lot on her mind when I met her after the meeting. Although she spent time with me, as usual, her mind was wandering somewhere. I had a bad feeling again that I had felt sometime ago. Although Iforted myself with the thought that it was good enough for me to stay near her, I felt I needed to do something else. If I stood idly like this, I would just see her leaving me forever. Yes, let me get a little closer to her, so she won¡¯t be surprised. However, getting closer to her, with whom I kept a distance for a long time, required much more than expected. If I made a mistake at all, I would be rejected like Allendis, which made me much more nervous. One day while I was trying to calm down my impatience, she passed out while dancing with the crown prince. The royal doctor, who was hastily called for, said she had been poisoned and that she was in critical condition now. I felt like the ground I was standing on copsed. If I had discovered this earlier, I would have taken her to a doctor instead of bullying her into calling a doctor. I should not have believed her when she said she would be alright with a good break because she was tired. I got angry with myself because I didn¡¯t do anything for her except for saving her life in the raid. I got upset with myself because I could do nothing when she was dying. Even though I tried so hard, I was deeply bitter about the fact that I didn¡¯t do much for her. I hate myself so much because I was helpless. Chapter 333 Chapter 333: Chapter 332 We seemed to talk in an amicable atmosphere, but actually we didn¡¯t. In the end, our conversation ended when the marquis pped both hands to his head with a sigh. I cautiouslyforted him, who seemed very distressed, by saying, ¡°Tia will be fine. Don¡¯t worry too much. ¡± ¡°Where is the High Priest? If I could have my way, I would rather dispatch the forces to bring him here.¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t he said he woulde back soon? So, you will have good news sooner orter. So, don¡¯t worry and finish eating. Tia will be very sad when she finds out that you were haggard like this.¡± ¡°Thank you, but I really don¡¯t feel up to food. How can I have food when she is sick in bed like that?¡± ¡°You should hang in there in a situation like this. You will be able to get even with those who poisoned her when you are strong.¡± ¡°¡­ That makes sense. I¡¯ll do so.¡± The marquis, who seemed to stop for a moment at the word ¡°get even,¡± nodded, with his eyes sparkling fiercely. Then he asked in a somewhatbative manner, ¡°By the way, did you call her Tia?¡± ¡°¡­Oh, I¡¯m sorry if you were offended. ¡± ¡°Not really. Well, I knew early on that you set your heart on my daughter.¡± ¡°¡­¡± When I was silent, at a loss about how to respond, he unexpectedly smiled faintly and said, ¡°I never thought about telling you this, but let me tell you something in return for you saving her life in the recent attack. Why do you think I¡¯m teaching you fencing in person? ¡°Isn¡¯t it because of the deal between my family and yours?¡± ¡°Well, do you know that? Tia may not know it, but the fencing skills that I¡¯m teaching you are only passed to the immediate members of the family.¡± ¡°Really? If so¡­¡± At that moment, my eyes were opened wide because something came to my mind. Did he have that n in mind? Given the marquis¡¯s attitude, I knew he didn¡¯t want to send her daughter to the imperial family. And I knew he had a more favorable view of me after I saved her life, but little did I think he would give me such a big chance. ¡°Then¡­am I guessing right? Are you giving me a chance to date her?¡± ¡°Yes. Of course, but you need to win her heart first.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir! Thank you very much!¡± It was the first time that I was so thrilled since she passed out. I felt a bit strange when the marquis asked to teach me fencing in person, but I didn¡¯t know that only the immediate members of the family could learn the fencing skills he taught me. In other words, what he said was that he gave me the duty of passing on his skills to the next generation on behalf of the sessor who could not inherit his skills. There was no chance that he would leave it to an outsider, so his point was that he would tacitly acknowledge me as her potential spouse. My depression until now seemed to change into hope. But it instantly went away when I recalled her who hadn¡¯t yet regained consciousness. Looking up at the room upstairs where she was sick in bed, I clenched my teeth. ¡®Please, hang in a little longer, Tia. I know it¡¯s very hard and painful, but just hang in there until the high priest arrives. Will you do that for me, Tia? Can we see each other again?¡¯ *** ¡°Sein, did you decide who you would like to dance with at youring-of-age party?¡± ¡°¡­No. I haven¡¯t decided yet. ¡± ¡°Really? Then, can I rmend some candidates?¡± It¡¯s already been two months since Tia passed out. And mying-of-age ceremony was just around the corner. I smiled bitterly at my mother, who looked at me expectantly. In fact, I once thought of asking Tia to dance with me at the ceremony because although she was the crown prince¡¯s fiancee, I had the liberty of choosing my dancing partner as the hero on that day. Just a few months ago, I was agonizing hard about how to confess to her and whether she would ept my request. But she was sick in bed with poisoning for the past two months. I was so frustrated. When my lover was dying, how could I toy with the idea of selecting my dancing partner? What¡¯s the big deal even if I did not dance? Granted that dancing was an important practice at theing-of-age ceremony, wasn¡¯t it a one-time dance? When I thought of her as my dancing partner, I ced a lot more weight on the dance, but as she was sick now, I didn¡¯t care that much about it. ¡°Why don¡¯t you answer? Do you have a woman in mind?¡± ¡°¡­ Well, can you choose any good girl for me? I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Oh my, it is youring-of-age party. Why should I select a girl for you? Can you think of one, please? It seems that the eldest daughter of the Whir family likes you. How about her? Oh, that girl from the Burt family looks pretty and good. The League family¡¯s daughter is also cute and charming¡­¡± While letting the girls¡¯ names in one ear and out the other, I once again recalled her face. I missed her mysterious smile so much today. ¡°Lady Jena, can I ask you to dance with me?¡± As if she was dumbfounded, she contorted her face gradually. People around me began to whisper here and there. They would never have imagined that I, the son of the leader of the pro-emperor faction, would have asked Lady Jena to dance, the foster daughter of Duke Jena, the leader of its archrival noble faction. In fact, I didn¡¯t think of this idea from the beginning. I was worried that if I danced with a girl that my mother chose for me, I would be entangled with herter. As it turned out, I instantly decided to take Lady Jena as my dancing partner, who must have attended my party out of courtesy. Every noble knew that my family was in an irreconcble feud with the Jena family, so there would be some who would take issue with my choice, but it was much better for me because I had no chance of getting entangled with a daughter of a pro-emperor faction member. ¡°It¡¯s my honor, Sir Carsein.¡± As if she was conscious of people looking at her, she quickly changed her facial expression and smiled at me, but her eyes were burning with fiery anger. Giggling at her, I reached out politely, something I was not ustomed to. It was a perfect example of showing manners to ady as described in the etiquette book, so much so that even Tia could praise me if she saw me now. Suddenly, I missed her. I miss you, Tia. How good it would have been for you to be here! If so, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being tied up with a girl I am not interested in, nor dance with Lady Jena and her nasty character, who is staring at me fiercely now. When I stepped to the tune, Lady Jena withdrew her smile and questioned fiercely, ¡°Sir, why did you choose me as your dancing partner?¡± ¡°Oh, no particr reason. As you are one of the candidates for the crown prince¡¯s wife, I just asked you to dance out of courtesy.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ Out of courtesy? When did you pay attention to manners?¡± ¡°Hmm? I didn¡¯t know you were so interested in me. Gee, maybe you were not interested in me, right? If so, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not interested in you at all.¡± When I answered in a sarcastic manner, I felt she was raising her heel, clenching her teeth. I chuckled at her, avoiding her heel aimed for my foot. Having her step on my foot once was enough for me. When I was done dancing with her in abative style, she turned quickly after nodding with a cold look. I approached her and whispered into her ears, ¡°Let me tell you this, just in case. If you are one of those who poisoned Tia, you had better prepare for it. Let me swear on my sword, you¡¯re gonna pay for this.¡± I showed due manners to her who flinched at the moment, then passed her and headed for the group of young men affiliated with the pro-emperor faction. I missed that woman who resembled the sword. Chapter 334 Chapter 334: Chapter 333 A few weeks after I had aing-of-age ceremony, the High Priest, who I was waiting for earnestly, finally arrived at Marquis Monique¡¯s mansion. And Tia, who might have lost her life, barely regained consciousness in three months. When I saw her golden eyes whose light came back, I could also go back to my normal life. Hugging her warm body after a long time, I was deeply moved. I felt as if I got some heavy stuff off my chest finally. I wished she could take some more rest, but she was very busy after perking up again. She was busy even before she was poisoned, but after she got well again, she was much more busy. When I stopped by her house on the pretext of coaching her fencing skills every day, I often didn¡¯t see her there. Then one day, I heard a shocking story from my elder brother who just returned from the Imperial Pce. He said all the members of the pro-emperor faction deserted her. I was really upset and frustrated to know that even my father gave her up. As I was worried about her who must have been hurt a lot, I went to see her after deep thinking. My heart was crushed by the words that even my believing father did, but I was worried. No matter how much she wanted to cut off her ties with the imperial family, she must have been offended when she heard such insulting words as a woman. But her response was much harsher than I expected. She said calmly that the Monique family would take a different political line from my family¡¯s. Hertone was very icy. My heart sank all of a sudden. My little girl, who resembled a sword, had a tender heart, but at the same time she had a cool, sharp look like a sword. Tia was the type of woman who could reject anything right away if she felt it was not in her interests, no matter how painful it was. So, it¡¯s no wonder that she didn¡¯t treat me asfortably as she used to because I was a member of the Lars family. I returned home, feeling like I was going insane, and met my father. When I thought about how he would react if I mentioned it, I felt sad a bit, but I took a deep breath and dered, ¡°I will move out.¡± ¡°¡­What? Did you say you¡¯re going to move out?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What is the reason? Is it because of that girl?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°How stupid!¡± Once again I took a deep breath and knelt before him who was upset. Although I thought that I had tried my best, I had no power except that I became a full-fledged knight. I was powerless in a situation where I had to wage aplex political struggle. ¡°Please allow me to move out.¡± ¡°Get up! What are you doing to me because of that girl?¡± ¡°I am not behaving like this because of my affection for her. She won¡¯t definitely hold out if nobody defends her.¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about?¡± ¡°I swore at the Monique family¡¯s estate that I would never let her space out. I promised her that I would protect her, so she could smile all the time. I can¡¯t sit on my hands like this when I know clearly that she will copse while struggling alone.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And, and¡­Oh, yes! And, if she copses like that, Marquis Monique won¡¯t look on idly. You know what kind of personality he is, right? Are you going to turn against him?¡± When I appealed to him desperately, he said after being silent for a moment with a pensive expression, ¡°¡­ Got it. So, stand up now.¡± ¡°Then, are you allowing me to move out?¡± ¡°I told you I got it, but I didn¡¯t say I approved it. Your moving out is a separate matter.¡± ¡°Daddy!¡± ¡°I am saying this because I care about you. Let¡¯s say that I approved your decision. Even so, what could you do for her? Do you think you can exercise enough influence to help her on your own? ¡± I was speechless at that moment. He was right. If I dered I moved out and joined the political world, I could not influence anything rted to Tia. She was already stigmatized as an infertile woman by the nobles, which even the emperor could not do anything about. How can a mere knight like me overturn the situation? My father, who slightly clicked his tongue at me when I lowered my head, said after remaining silent for a moment, ¡°¡­If you really want to help her, let me show you one way. ¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Whew! You know that the tyranny of the Lisa kingdom is getting worse. This is a top secret. The emperor is thinking of waging a war with the kingdom in the worst case. We had several dialogues with the kingdom to defuse the crisis, but given their inflexible attitude, it¡¯s my judgement that the emperor will dispatch knights within the next six months if they can¡¯t solve the problem.¡± ¡°If so¡­?¡± ¡°The fastest way to get a promotion as an army officer is to make a major achievement in a war. So, if the war breaks out, let me make sure you stand at the front of the knights. If you distinguish yourself in the war and move out after obtaining the title, you can proudly stand before Marquis Monique and his daughter, right? Besides, you can have the influence you want.¡± He was right. I would not be a big help to her even ifI I vowed to move out now. But if I made war-time achievements like my father said, they would certainly treat me differently. As the Monique family requested the breakoff of her engagement with the crown prince, I would not have to worry about it. Although I was bothered by the fact that I would be estranged from her while her family would take a different political line from ours, my father¡¯s proposal was certainly attractive to me. So, I nodded slowly after agonizing for a moment. ¡°Okay. Are you allowing me to move out then?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, but¡­¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°Whew¡­Do you really have to? As you are asking for it so desperately, I¡¯ve approved it, but I really wish you wouldn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I have already made up my mind.¡± ¡°¡­Got it. You can go out now.¡± ¡°Yes, Dad.¡± I politely bowed and left the room. After looking at the rose-shaped cufflinks she gave me, I headed for the training field, clenching my fists tightly. The next six months will be crucial for me. Although the emperor¡¯s war n was quite up in the air, I made up my mind to do my best to improve my skills. It would be the biggest opportunity for me to make her my woman because she formally requested to break up with the crown prince. *** ¡°Hi, Tia.¡± ¡°¡­ Hi, Sein, I¡¯m surprised you are my guide.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true. Your father has asked me to be your guide.¡± I smiled at her, who asked me hesitantly. My heart began to pound when I saw her wet silver hair, but I cracked a joke casually, chuckling at her. I felt good today because I felt a bit more rxed than before. In the next few hours, namely inte afternoon, she would be freed from the imperial family after passing the knight test. After confirming it, I was nning to confess my love to her. At first I thought that I would not confess unless I distinguished myself in a war first, but I could not dy it forever. Moreover, the rtionship between the two families was restored, and she would be able to end her rtionship with the imperial family, so I felt I would feel much morefortable even if I confessed to her now. Drying her wet hair, I was reciting in my heart what I would confess. I thought hard how best I could confess, but at the same time, I agonized over what I should do if she rejected me. Thinking to myself how good it would be if she epted my confession with a smile, I waited for the knights inauguration ceremony toe to an end. Yes, I really looked forward to it. But¡­ ¡°An oath of blood? It¡¯s funny. I won¡¯t ept that kind of oath. I will never agree to it. I will reject it on my name. ¡± I spaced out to hear that. Watching the emperor walking away with a cold expression and the royal knights following him, nothing came to mind. It was after she disappeared from the training field where the ceremony was held that I realized a strange silence in the field and that I was so frustrated with my bted discovery of what really happened. Chapter 335 Chapter 335: Chapter 334 How can this happen? I knew that the crown prince cared about her more than I thought, but little did I think he, who was always considered a cold monarch, would act like this. The reality I wanted to turn a blind eye to turned into a sharp sword, breaking my heart. So, what should I do from now on? The reason I could overlook his interest in her was because he never expressed it openly, though he harbored it furtively. Now that he officially expressed his affection for her, I had no way of approaching her as a knight who pledged allegiance to the imperial family. Otherwise, I could be regarded as rebellious. Was it because I was nervous until now? Was I worried because I knew unconsciously that things would work out this way? Her beautiful silver hair gradually began to fade away in my blurred vision. The shadow of despair swallowed me. *** When I returned home several dayster, I felt really warm and cozy. After soothing Lina in tearful eyes who said she was so happy to see me safe, adding she had a bad dream about me, I sat down at the desk and opened a book. However, no matter how long I fixed my eyes on the book, or even if I calmed down while drinking fragrant tea, I could not focus. My first confession to him, his passionate kiss and my delicious meal with the two men I loved kept hovering in my mind. As I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, I closed the book with a sigh. Although I felt sorry for the security detainees who were supposed to escort me, I felt like I wanted to get out for some fresh air. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, mydy?¡± ¡°Well, I want to take a walk for a moment. It feels so stuffy inside.¡± ¡°Are you talking about a walk?¡± ¡°Yes, it won¡¯t take long, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Well¡­I got it. Please go ahead.¡± The young knight, Sir Ex, who paused for a moment, nodded as if he understood. As he was served a stern warning by my father about checking my whereabouts, he seemed very ufortable about me going out for a walk at thiste hour. I was sorry for him, but I passed by him silently and headed for the garden. The garden under the moon was submerged in the dark. Perhaps because of the blurry moonlight, the white flowers that always shined in silver were a dark gray. I stopped under the shade of the night that looked unusually dark tonight. The night air that touched my body was chilly. The atmosphere around me was a bit spooky, but even before I felt it, I hurriedly looked back to see something like red light at a distance. I thought it might be a fire, but Sir Ex, who followed me, lookedposed. What the heck? What happened? ¡°What¡¯s the matter, mydy?¡± ¡°Sir Ex, what is that? Was there a fire in the training field?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Probably they have something to burn.¡± ¡°Something to burn? Why are they burning it at this time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something big that you should care about.¡± Although he answered calmly, it seemed that he didn¡¯t want to meet my eyes, as if he was hiding something from me. After looking at him for a moment, I walked toward the ce where the red light was rising. As one of the family knights, he would not lie to me. But I wondered why he reacted sensitively if it was nothing to worry about. ¡°Oh, there is so much stuff to burn.¡± ¡°You bet. Come on, let¡¯s finish it quickly. ¡± When I entered the training field, I saw several knights pacing up and down around the bonfire. They were in a cheerful mood as if they felt so good about throwing something into the fire. What are you burning? Considering their look, it seems they are not in a bad mood. Tilting my head, I approached Sir League, who seemed rtively free. His eyes were opened wide as he involuntarily discovered me approaching him. ¡°Oh, Lady Monique?¡± ¡°Hello, Sir League. What are you all burning? ¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing special!¡± I knitted my brows when I saw him waving his hand, embarrassed. What the heck are Sir Ex and Sir League up to now? Finding my way through the knights who stopped me, I approached the bonfire. When I came closer to the fire where the knights were busy throwing something, I could identify what it was. The moment I confirmed it, my eyes popped up. In the burning mes were various clothes scattered along with a charcoal lump that turned ck. All kinds of clothes embroidered with family crests. ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± ¡°Hmm, well, they are¡­¡± ¡°Why are you burning these formal clothes? Besides, these crests are obviously¡­¡± Amethyst tiara and the ck roses surrounding it, white lilies, t-faced ck otters, and red quills and scrolls of parchment. They were the family crests of the noble faction including Duke Jenna. But why are these clothes embroidered with such crests burning in the training field of my house? Besides, they belonged to the heads or sessors of the families, given the shapes of the crests. No matter how hard I thought, I couldn¡¯t understand it. When I was tilting my head, I heard a familiar voice from the side. ¡°I ordered them to burn them.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± When I looked at the side, I saw my father staring at the bonfire, with his arms folded. ¡°Really? Did you order them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The father, who nodded silently, was unusually dressed in ck. When I looked at him curiously, he smiled lightly and said, ¡°While you were sick in bed, the emperor gave a ruling on all those suspects except for Marquis Mirwa and Duke Jena. Most of them, except those whose criminal evidence was so obvious, were given generous treatment forck of evidence.¡± ¡°I see. Then, what does it have anything to do with them?¡± ¡°Well, I know it¡¯s an inevitable decision, given the situation. But the more I think about it, the more upset I am. Hmm, I think they are going to have a hard time trying to order clothes in two days. No, they¡¯ve got one day now.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± I still couldn¡¯t understand what he was talking about. It was a littleter that I came to know the situation. I see. I suddenly broke intoughter. At the grand trial on those charged with treason, there would be no criminal suspects who would appear without wearing formal clothes. How embarrassed they would be when they found all their formal clothes were gone! With their formal suits gone, they could not put on casual dresses for the trial. They must be in great confusion over what to wear. Just imagining their embarrassed expressions had me in stitches. ¡°Oh, mydy?¡± While looking at the embarrassed knights, I could not stopughing. The more I imagined, the more gratified I felt. The knights, who were watching meughing heartily, even short of breath, said nervously, ¡°Marquis, please calm her down.¡± ¡°Well, doesn¡¯t she look good? I¡¯ve never seen herughing so brightly before.¡± ¡°You bet, but I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s going to evoke a gasp if she keepsughing like that.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s fair. Hey, Tia? Now, calm down.¡± With a smile on his lips, my father lightly patted my back. Thanks to his regr patting, I could finally calm down and wipe the tears around my eyelids. My father would not have confiscated their clothes normally, so he must have sent family knights to steal their clothes. Little did I think my father, not others, would do it. ¡°Somehow I felt strange because when I came home, I found there were almost no knights around. I didn¡¯t know you were so good at climbing the walls.¡± When I cracked a joke, smiling at them, the knights said, smiling faintly, ¡°Well, these days we don¡¯t do it, but climbing walls is our specialty.¡± ¡°To be honest, Marquis Monique is the most skillful climber, right?¡± ¡°You bet. When he was an ordinary knight like us, he was really good at climbing walls.¡± What are they talking about? His specialty? When he was an ordinary knight? The moment I looked back at my father curiously, something suddenly came to my mind. His silver hair shining even in the dark. Blessed thief? ¡°No way¡­Is my father the infamous righteous thief then?¡± I overlooked it whileughing so much, bute to think of it, it couldn¡¯t have been easier to steal those clothes. Then, is it true that despite tight security, they broke into the rebellious noble families¡¯ mansions and stole all those clothes? Chapter 336 Chapter 336: Chapter 335 Obviously, only someone with previous experience in the field would have done it skillfully, except for those with a high position in the intelligence organization. If so, it¡¯s logical to think that they have been doing it for a long time. Why? Normally, the knights¡¯ divisions are created for abat mission, not this kind of job. Of course, as they are assigned various assignments, they would be proficient at it. To be so skillful now, they must have been doing this for a long time. Then, is my guesswork correct? When I asked him curiously, my father nodded slowly with a light smile. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the Robin Hood-like thief.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s why you ¡­¡± Now I know why my father had an embarrassed expression when I asked him if I could use the Robin Hood-lie thief to steal Duke Jean¡¯s family seal. He made a strange expression when I was so happy after receiving the stolen seal from him, praising the Robin Hood-like thief¡¯s exceptional skills. Now that I uncovered the identity of the thief, I began to solve the questions about all the events that I could not understand until now. For example, I came to understand why the sessor of the Jena family stared at my father when he mentioned the thief at the banquet. I now know why the two dukes and the current emperor who had known the thief¡¯s identity didn¡¯t mention him to me. As expected, if the culprit of the arson incidents in the capital was really my father, I now understand why thete emperor just overlooked it when he heard the news. But why did my father do it? Suddenly, I looked up at him and asked, ¡°By the way, why did you set fire during the drought?¡± ¡°At that time, I heard that the noble faction was nning to kill you. So, I sent them a warning that the righteous thief was watching them.¡± ¡°I see. Then, why did you do it after the current emperor took office?¡± ¡°Well, I wanted to take revenge on those who tried to harm you and to gather the evidence. ¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± My father, who smiled at me watching him bashfully, gently stroked my hair and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t tell you in advance. However, if I revealed my identity, you would know all the things that I have been doing. I didn¡¯t want to let you know because it¡¯s all I could do behind the scenes.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± When I nodded in a rather subdued mood, the torch mes got big and shook heavily. ¡°Be careful, mydy!¡± Sir League hurriedly held the sparking hem of my skirt and put the embers out with his jacket. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that anybody who goes to sleep after ying with fire urinates in their sleep? So, please go back and take rest.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. We¡¯ll take care of it here. So, please go home and rx.¡± ¡°Please go back. It is still autumn, but the night air is quite cold.¡± Although I couldn¡¯t see my father¡¯s expression because I stood with my back to him, I could clearly see the knights in the darkness, who were pounding on their chests, asking me to trust them. I smiled at myself, touched by their loyalty to my family, and said, ¡°Okay, then. Let me leave now. Let¡¯s go, Daddy.¡± ¡°Good night, mydy.¡± ¡°Have a good dream!¡± mes red up against the darkness. After looking at the formal dresses burnt ck, I headed to my house with my father, returning their greetings. I felt secure and warm while going home. *** I had a dream, which was very long. The dream was so vivid that I was scared about it, but I missed it so much. I wanted to go back to the old me who knew nothing because I was innocent. I regretted it. I vowed that if I had one more chance, I would never make that mistake again. However, when I finally woke up from my dream, all that remained of me was deep regret, longing and the cold reality. *** ¡°Sis, don¡¯t you want to see this? It¡¯s a published book.¡± I had a distant old memory of my peaceful times with my younger sister Jisu, whose face I can hardly recall now. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t want it. What is so funny about that? I¡¯d rather sleep than read it.¡± I quickly nced at the book that Jisu showed me, then turned my head. I wondered what kind of book fascinated her today. But she kept speaking to me while I was switching to other TV channels with a sullen expression. ¡°This book is really fun. Listen to me. An ordinary high school girl picked up a coin on the road one day, and at that moment, she picked it up, she suddenly flew somewhere. So, she fell into a gorgeous ce, where she saw people with colored hair speaking a foreignnguage. Then, all of them looked at her and began to say she was the messenger sent by God and worshipped her.¡± ¡°What the heck is that?¡± Well, I don¡¯t see any interesting TV programs today. Let me watch the weekend entertainment special that I missedst week again. If Mom finds me, she willin that I¡¯m watching TV instead of studying as the senior student, but I want to take a break sometimes. She keeps telling me about studying to prepare for the college exam. Well, there are thousands of colleges here, so all I want is to enter a four-year college, right? My mom still seems to think that I¡¯m a genius, but I can not score a better grade than I have so far. I was dumbfounded whenever she preached to me about a top school. If she looks at my grades, she will know I can¡¯t make it to a top school. I can¡¯t understand why she still insists that I should go to a top school. ¡°Well, that girl moved into another dimension! Anyway, there is a handsome guy who is really cold-hearted, but he is the emperor! The emperor falls in love with Yoju and makes her the empress, but she is harassed by a bad woman trying to kill the emperor, and she finally confirms his love. That¡¯s the end of the story. They lived happily ever after.¡± Oh, that program, the Yuhan Challenge, seems interesting. Let me watch that program. After squinting at Jisu holding the book with a hazy expression, I fixed my eyes on the TV screen. Without caring about me at all, she was already getting carried away with the story. ¡°Wow! I am envious. She doesn¡¯t have to struggle to go to a top college like you. She is rich, she has power, and her husband is handsome. Don¡¯t you agree, sis¡¯?¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t bother me. Okay?¡± ¡°Is it possible for us to move into another dimension?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Yeah, I agree. Dang it! I wish I moved into another dimension. Then¡­¡± I turned up the remote control volume silently. I could not hear her voice anymore as I was focused on the seven men¡¯sughter and noisy chatting in the entertainment program. So I passed over what Jisu said. Why did I do so? If I had known it would be thest time I saw her, I would never have wasted my time watching the TV program. If I had known what Jisu told really would happen to me, I would have listened to her more carefully. Then, I might not have been thrown into the cold reality as it is now¡­ *** ¡°What did you do to me?¡± It took only four years for our fake rtionship to fall apart. ¡°If I had been sober, I wouldn¡¯t have embraced you. Answer me. What did you do to me?¡± When I looked into his contemptuous eyes, a smile came to my lips. We only had four years of ¡®happily ever after.¡¯ When I first fell into this strange world, I thought maybe I could live like the protagonist in the story that Jisu told me about, but it wasn¡¯t that easy for me. In the novel, the supporting actress was only a bad woman. In reality, she was a perfect bride with all the qualifications. But Cindere, who thought she could live happily with the prince, hit a wall of reality and finally realized that she was a total wrack. Yes, the fiction was so different from reality. Four years can be short, but long. But during those four years I constantly reassured myself that I was happy, but in fact I was not happy at all. Cindere, who thought she would live happily with the prince for a long time, was unhappy down to her bones. ¡°Howe you fed me this medicine? Are you crazy? Let me forgive you this time, considering our rtionship. But if you do it one again, I won¡¯t overlook it anymore. Just behave yourself as the empress!¡± ¡°Yes, I will do so.¡± Chapter 337 Chapter 337: Chapter 336 I nodded, looking at his ssy stare. Yes, I am a terrible existence to him now. Even though I did it to him while I was on drugs, he felt so horrible about the fact that I hugged him. Although we didn¡¯t love each other deeply, we still believed that we were in love. Well, I didn¡¯t have to hate him. In fact, I did it to him for my ownfort rather than loving him. I did everything I could to avoid being dumped like her. I didn¡¯t jump into his arms because I liked it. I even sold my body to him like a prostitute. It¡¯s a wild gamble anyway that I bet all my life on the extreme distant chance of sess. For good or evil, my gamble was a sess. Two months after that, I was told by the royal doctor that I was pregnant. ¡°I am having your baby. Won¡¯t you congratte me? ¡± I smiled with my hand on my tummy although I didn¡¯t feel swollen at all. I felt very satisfied with the anger in his indifferent eyes. No matter how coldly you look at me, you can¡¯t do anything to me anymore because people already know I¡¯m pregnant with your baby. So, even if you are the emperor, you can¡¯t dump me just because you have fallen out of love with me, who is pregnant with your sessor. You watch! I¡¯ll never be another Tia who was killed by you in vain. Since she was such a noble woman, Tia may have tolerated it, but I will not let you use and dump me. You know that? It is easy to take one from the one who has ten, but it is extremely difficult to take one from the one who has only one. So, you had better not think about taking anything away from me anymore. Now you have fallen out of love with me, what remained of me is just my title as the empress. I thought like that¡­ I believed that was enough. Even if I lost his love, I believed that as I kept the title of the empress, that was enough for me. I was so stupid, though. While I was content with the fact that he couldn¡¯t harm me because I was pregnant with his baby, I was faced with a greater misfortune after he, who didn¡¯t see me at all when I was pregnant, left the capital under the pretext of leading an expedition by himself. ¡°Duke Jena, don¡¯t you know how much I trusted you? How could you do it¡­¡± Little did I think the duke would betray me. He was the only one who took care of me even when the nobles always cast a contemptuous nce at me. It was because of what he told me when I believed that Rube loved me, and that I should ept his love for my own safety. So, even when I finally realized that he was falling out of love with me, I even asked the duke for help¡­ ¡°How foolish you are! Did you really think that I would help a vulgar woman like you when I don¡¯t know even your family background?¡± On the day I wasboring to deliver a baby, clenching my teeth, and on the day, I finally gave birth to a baby girl, burning with the hatred and revenge for him who left me coldly, I had to suffer much more than all the hardship I went through until then. I was so weak after delivering a baby, but I had to run away on my wobbly legs. As soon as I escaped from the secret passage that never seemed to end forever, I had to face that old man who wasughing at me contemptibly. I had my baby taken away, then I was murdered by the very man that I trusted since I became estranged from Rube. When I opened my eyes again, I stood in a pure white space. For the first time I met God, and I heard from Him why I came to this ce. And I became even more upset after hearing his exnation, rather than understanding the situation. I cursed God. Why the heck am I called the child of God¡¯s blessing? If I had been truly the child of God¡¯s blessing, He should just have left me alone as an ordinary senior high school girl. If God had really cared for me, he shouldn¡¯t have thrown me away in a ce like hell then take me here for the reason that my fate was entangled. And if it had been inevitable for God to take me here, he should have given me the right talent, not divine power. He should have given me the type of power that could help me make up for what I had missed for the 19 years in this world and imitate Cindere, to say the least. When I thought of that, however, I ended up being faced with a second hell. *** I¡¯ve had a second chance in my regained life. I believed that if I had one more chance, I would never make that mistake again. I vowed that I would get even with all those who hurt me. Having prepared everything, I was confident that I could do better than her at least in this life. However, my second life that I barely received after I vented out violent curse and anger was still a failure. *** ¡®What a damned woman!¡± Jiun muttered, looking at the woman who already disappeared. Aristia just left with some words aftering to see me at night. She was really nasty until thest moment. Normally, she would be so happy about the fact that she survived. But she picked a fight with me, asking me why she saved my life, while calcting her gains and losses. ¡°How cold-hearted she is! Obviously, her blood must be cold.¡± I chuckled. Actually there was nothing new about her attitude because she was such a woman from the beginning. Even though her life was threatened several times, she remained silent for the interests of her faction instead of running around to take revenge on her opponents. Then, she crushed them as soon as she grabbed the chance. ¡°Oh, I like her firm attitude like that.¡± Although I could never like Aristia, I liked that firm attitude of hers. Although I¡¯ve been waiting for a good chance to go after her for the past two years, she never let her hair down until herst moment. Duke Jena, who tried to own the empire and might have achieved his dream, was by no means a pushover in my second life. I approached him with the purpose ofpeting with Aristia and ruining him after earning his trust, but he never let his guard down. Besides, he gradually isted me within the noble faction when he could not control the emperor and Rublis as he wished. If I had not been the child of God¡¯s prophecy, he would have abandoned me a long time ago. But Aristia destroyed the duke all of a sudden. I observed him up close and concluded that he was far from a pushover. But Aristia eventually overthrew him and his family. Although she and I were born with different talents, the reason we ended up having different oues despite our shared goal was because she was superior to me. Actually, I could not figure out why Rube left the capital, leaving me alone, Aristia seemed to quickly understand the reason after hearing about the situation a bit. Why did Ie back then? Iughed bitterly. In the end, I didn¡¯t win or get even with her in my confrontation with her. Although Duke Jena was executed, it was she, not me, who made it possible. Moreover, I hadn¡¯t yet ovee my past. ¡°I would rather have thought of it from the beginning¡­¡± I mumbled with a dejected expression. I often recalled her reminder that he was definitely different from the old him in the past. I didn¡¯t trust her. Even though I saw him treating her kindly and even though I felt he was sincere in treating me, I could not trust what she told me. I thought that as one¡¯s inborn character could not be changed, he was still the same as before, and as a result, he should be punished for his crime. But the moment I saw him wailing at her death, I stopped thinking that. The old him that I used to know would never have shown such a reaction. Chapter 338 Chapter 338: Chapter 337 Maybe that¡¯s why I earnestly prayed that God would save her. Although I was offered the miracle of divine power, I earnestly begged God to save her, who I had been hating so much. So, I wanted to ask her, who had the same experience as mine, how she overcame the sense of separation and empty feelings. But I didn¡¯t ask her, after all. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Whileughing like that for a long time, I suddenly noticed a ss bottle she left behind. I slowly raised my body and approached the table. Then I slowly reached out and held the ss bottle. Shining brightly under the moonlight, it was very cold to the touch, like her eyes looking at me. ¡°Did she say she didn¡¯t want to see me die¡­¡± Considering what she told me, it was highly likely that the bottle she left behind was poison. Maybe she wanted me tomit suicide by taking this instead of being humiliated in the presence of everybody. I thought she might have recalled her memories before her return. It was definitely not a pleasant memory. When I recalled how she was executed before my return, I made a bitter smile. She fixed her golden eyes on him without casting a nce at me at all. Although she looked haggard because of her imprisonment, she was confident and elegant until herst moment. If I didn¡¯t drink this bottle, it was clear that I would have the same fate she did before my return. Of course, I was not sure if I could be as confident as her. I still recalled how strongly her blood smelled, and how sharply she stared at him. I shuddered as if I smelled the blood around me. I wasn¡¯t confident enough to die like her. I didn¡¯t want to die miserably in the face of thoseughing scornfully at me as if I was a spectacle. I never wanted to end my life like that. What should I do? I tightened my grip on the bottle. I wanted to die, but at the same time, I did not want to die. Since I lost the purpose of my return, I no longer wanted to live while I was hated in this strange world. I was sick and tired of living the kind of life that was despised and neglected by others. But even so, I didn¡¯t want to give up my life. Given that I returned to this world after regaining my life the hard way, I didn¡¯t want to end my life miserably like this. Besides, I didn¡¯t achieve anything that I wanted. ¡°Whew¡­¡± When I was staring at the cold ss bottle hesitantly for a long time, I heard the tightly closed door opening. I quickly concealed the ss bottle into the sleeve and slowly raised my head. Thanks to the torch hanging in the hallway, I could see two bright shadows standing in the bright doorway. ¡°¡­¡± While examining the shadows to see if Aristia was back. I hardened my face a bit. I couldn¡¯t figure out who they were because they stood with their backs against the lights, but they were simply too big for her shadow. Then who the hell are they? Why did they visit me? While I caught my breath to calm down, one of the shadows beckoned to the other gently. After confirming the other shadow standing beside the door, I turned to the shadowing toward me.It was clear that it was this man who came here to see her for some reason. ¡°Lady Jena.¡± His voice was chilly. At the familiar voice echoing into my ear, I flinched while swallowing to calm down my anxiety and nervousness. Looking at her, he put the hood of his robe on the back of his head. Blue light was reflected over his robe, along with his navy blue eyes. Why did he appear here? My eyes trembled at his unexpected appearance. Even though I was surprised by Aristia¡¯s visit, little did I think Rublis woulde to see me. She had a reason to do so, but he didn¡¯t need to. Moreover, all the trials on those including Duke Jena and the core members of the noble faction members were over. Is it because I lost my attention for a moment? Something seemed to drop from my sleeve, then fell to the floor before I grabbed it. He looked at the ss bottle rolling on the fluffy carpet for a moment and said in a unique, cool voice, ¡°It¡¯s a transparent bottle. It¡¯s that one as I expected.¡± ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± ¡°I expected she would give this bottle to you, but¡­oh, my head hurts.¡± He was muttering something when I asked, then suddenly turned his head to look at me. While pretending to be calm, I looked at his cold eyes. I didn¡¯t know for sure, but I felt something bad would happen if I didn¡¯t act calmly. How much time passed? After looking at me for a long time as if he was agonized, he asked with a sigh slowly in a subdued voice, ¡°Lady Jena, do you know what that bottle is?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I remained silent. Somewhere, I felt sad and irritated at the moment. What the heck was he doing to me when I had tomit suisuide soon? I felt indignant not only at Aristia who left a poison bottle behind and him who knowingly asked me what it was. Did he read my mind? Unlike a moment ago when he seemed to treat me gently, he was now back to his cold attitude with an indifferent look. ¡°You don¡¯t have to look at me like that. It is poison, but it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, frowning my eyebrows. What is he talking about? Does it mean that the bottle is a legendary medicine that if one drinks just a drop, it bes a good medicine, but if one overuses it, it acts as poison? Or is it a medicine that can hold one¡¯s breath temporarily, just like the one Juliet drank? But Rublis remained silent with a pensive look, and said nothing. He was still silent when I asked again, just in case he didn¡¯t hear it. I felt irritated again, which I took pains to calm down until now, but I tried to speak to him as if it¡¯s not a big deal. Anyway, it was me who was disadvantageous now. ¡°Please tell me, Your Majesty. What do you mean when you say it¡¯s poison, but it¡¯s not?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Would you please tell me?¡± The moment he rejected my earnest request, I unwittingly lost my temper and stared at him fiercely. As I was to die anyway, I had nothing to fear. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°¡­ What did you just say? ¡± ¡°I asked if you were kidding me. Don¡¯t you think you are so mean and cruel¡­Oh shucks!¡± While screaming at him at the top of my voice in a fit of anger, I suddenly stopped when I felt something cold touching my neck. The man in a ck robe was pointing the sword at my neck. Rublis sharply looked at me when I was shuddering with fear. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just go back, Marquis. ¡± ¡°But Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Your Majesty.¡± When the man reluctantly bowed out, Rublis said in a casual voice, as if nothing happened, ¡°Go ahead. What did I do to you?¡± I touched my neck gently and stared at Rublis again. Although I was very surprised, I didn¡¯t want to back out. In that case, I would not have dared to speak out to him from the beginning. ¡°What I said was not entirely wrong, right? Are you and Aristia ying games with me? She left the bottle behind, telling me she didn¡¯t want to see me die in front of her, and you came here suddenly and said something beyond my understanding. Is it so fun to y the fool with me? A traitor like me doesn¡¯t deserve any human rights?¡± Although I spoke out without reserve in a fit of anger, I felt like crying because I was more and more upset while speaking to him. Controlling my tears, I stared at him with ring eyes fiercely. I could never let him see me crying. ¡°As for the treason charges against me, I can¡¯t ept it. Who first told you about the raid? It was me. Why should I die because of Duke Jena? I saved Aristia who was slowly dying, and this is how you repay me? You want to use me fully, then dump me? Don¡¯t you feel any guilt? Aren¡¯t you sorry for me?¡± ¡°Why should I feel sorry?¡± ¡°What the heck?¡± Chapter 339 Chapter 339: Chapter 338 As if he was so dumbfounded by Jiun¡¯s response, Rublis said, staring at her, ¡°Thete emperor gave you the opportunity to choose a family you wanted to join. He even said that he wanted to adopt you as a royal daughter. Despite such options, you chose the Jena family, right? Then, why is it that you don¡¯t want to share his destiny now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­¡± ¡°You imed I used you, but didn¡¯t you approach me to use me, too? I admit I treated you too coldly, but I did so because I realized that you were not as useful as I thought, and that you did your best to use me without any sincerity.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You approached me because you needed me, and I used you for my own needs. We met for each other¡¯s needs, to say the least. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s funny that you use me when you are also at fault?¡± Although he spoke to me coldly, he hit the nail on the head. Looking at her pale face for a moment, he said, ¡°Everyone demanded you be executed, and I agreed. The only one who asked to save your life was Aristia.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°She visited me even after the meeting and begged me to save your life. It wasn¡¯t an easy decision for me, but I had to ept her request, after all. I had no choice but to ept it because she said she wanted to repay her debt to you who had saved her before.¡± Jiun released her clenched fists unconsciously. Then she opened her trembling lips and asked, ¡°Oh my God¡­Then, what¡¯s that bottle?¡± Until now she gave up all hope because she was going to die anyway, but when he said that, she began to feel that she could survive. ¡°It¡¯s a drug that temporarily puts you in a state of suspended animation.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°It is a simple choice. In other words, do you want to die like a nobleman or survive as amoner? If you want to remain an imperial noblewoman,e to the execution ce ten days from now. If you want to live as amoner in a small country, drink that. It doesn¡¯t matter which one you choose. Whether you drink it or not, ten days from now you will be recorded as dead.¡± After he was done talking, he put his hood on. Then he turned coldly and said, ¡°I know it¡¯s useless to tell you this, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I really want to thank you for saving her life.¡± Then he walked toward the door without hesitation. The solid iron door opened, then closed silently. Finally, there was only darkness hanging over her room. How much time passed? After looking at the door for a long time, she slowly turned her gaze to the doorknob, the cold stone wall and finally the soft carpet, where there was a ss bottle colored ck because of the shade. ¡°¡­¡± She slowly bowed down and picked up the bottle. The small ss bottle that fit into her palm was cold as if it had ice in it. She felt as if the cold that started in the palm reached her ears, but she only bit her pale lip without rxing her clenched fists. ¡®It¡¯s a matter of choice ¡­¡¯ She unconsciously tightened her hand holding the bottle. She got angry. It was a question of whether to live or die until a moment ago. Now that she heard his exnation, she knew that she had a third choice, which was to survive at the same time while choosing death. If she chose this way, she would only live with a deep sense of defeat, which she knew. If Aristia were in her shoes, she would certainly choose death like a noblewoman. In fact, before returning, didn¡¯t she die without losing her dignity until the end? However, she was different. She was sick and tired of harboring hostility alone or being gripped by an inferiorityplex. But she didn¡¯t want to end her life, which she barely regained, in vain like this, even if she was despised by that noble couple. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± She made a hollowugh. What she had now until thest moment was only defeatism. She now had nothing left. Staring at the bottle in her hand for a long time, she opened it with a determined expression. Then, she drank it quickly. She felt drowsy. She felt a sense of extreme enervation. Closing her eyes that blurred gradually, she leaned on the fluffy carpet. A drop of tears rolled between the tightly closed eyelids. Goodby, Rube and¡­Aristia. *** I was sick and tired of everything. My first life was not my choice. My second life was my choice, but I always wished I wasn¡¯t the empress. At some point, I wished I was not the duke¡¯s daughter. So, every night I went to sleep, I prayed that I could be sent back to the old me one day in my 19th year of life when I didn¡¯t know anything, and that if that was impossible, I could be freed from the harsh reality and live freely. Looking at the bottle in my hand, I asked myself, ¡®Can you make me like that? Can you free me who has been exhausted and already ruined?¡¯ *** ¡°¡­Mydy,dy? ¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Lady?¡± Jiun woke up when she heard a strange voice, and got up. The moment she blinked her blurry eyes, hot tears rolled off her wet eyelids. She hurriedly bowed her head and wiped the tears. Even though a servant was serving her even after that day, she didn¡¯t want to show her weakness in front of the old man, who could be called Marquis Monique¡¯s right-hand. ¡°¡­Yes, please go ahead.¡± ¡°I heard that you seem to have a bad nightmare. So I came in, though I knew it was impolite¡­Are you alright? You look very pale. Can I call a doctor? ¡± ¡°No, thanks. You don¡¯t have to care about me.¡± Having said that firmly, she pretended to raise her body. The old man, who spent his whole life serving a great noble family, turned aside gently and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell them to prepare breakfast for you then.¡± The old man, who turned and walked away, was dressed up perfectly. While looking at him for a moment, she sighed deeply. She knew he was taking care of her, but she felt ufortable for some reason. Perhaps it was because his neat attire often reminded her of Aristia, or she heard the conversation that day. Was it because she had a nightmare, or was it because she saw face to face with the old man the first thing in the morning? She suddenly recalled what happened on that night half a year ago when she opened the transparent bottle and drank the drug in it. After Aristia and Rublis came to see her and went back at night on the day, she drank it. When she woke up in a drowsy state after sleeping, she was already in a strange ce, not in the prison where she had been jailed. The one she met there was Marquis Monique, Lady Monique¡¯s father. When she shuddered with fear, he told her that the emperor ordered him to expel her from the empire without being caught by anybody. ording to the order, she would not be allowed to return to the empire, but she would not need to worry about her livelihood because she would be offered a considerable sum of money in return for her saving Aristia. Then, she was ordered to leave for the border area immediately, escorted by somebody. She remembered the moment when she flinched at his very cold voice in the past. Even before her return, Marquis Monique was one of the persons that she found very difficult to deal with. She felt so partly because of his nk expression, but all the more so because of his cold gaze at her. When she came back home without saying anything, but went back to express gratitude for thest time, she got goosebumps when she overheard their conversation between him and the butler through the half-open door of his house. <¡­Of course, sir. > What made her feel more creepy was when she met his eyes when she was about to turn. She still couldn¡¯t forget his look, who looked at her indifferently, as if he knew it already. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Chapter 340 Chapter 340: Chapter 339 She let out a deep sigh. It has been six months since Jiun left the empire. Several months passed after she carefully crossed the border and settled in the Lisa kingdom, but everything was unfamiliar to her. An unfamiliar kingdom, strangers, and the watchers monitoring her every move. She was lonely, and at the same time, she was scared. Given Rublis¡¯s attitude or the marquis¡¯s, it seemed that they didn¡¯t want her to stay alive. She could hardly go to sleep because she was afraid that they might stop monitoring her at some point and kill me. The fact that I had nobody to confide in made her life harder all the more. The more she thought, the more she felt frustrated, so she went out of the house after hardly eating breakfast. The streets in the foreign country were strange to her, but she felt she would be better off out in the streets than being in the same space with the men that she knew were monitoring her. How nkly did she walk? While walking, a bit spaced out, she came to her senses when she heard a screeching noise. She raised her head, frowning her eyebrows. A man and a woman dressed up colorfully came into her hazy blurred vision. The woman who stared at her sharply said, as if she was dumbfounded, ¡°You wretched slut! How can amoner like you raise your head in front of a nobleman?¡± ¡°What did you say? Wretched slut? How dare you¡­Ah.¡± While refuting inadvertently, she shut up hurriedly, realizing she made a mistake, because she noticed a familiar man frowning behind the woman. ¡°Did you say how dare? Do you think you are a nobleman¡¯s daughter? Whose family are you from?¡± ¡°¡­Sorry, I made a mistake as I was half asleep. Please forgive me. ¡± Jiun hurriedly bowed to her with apologies. In fact, she was more bothered by the man associated with the Monique family, who was approaching her now. Her rebuttal came out unconsciously because she used to be respected as the highest woman in the empire for a long time, but if the man found out her identity, she could not guarantee her safety. Besides, she was on edge all the time because she was scared that she might be assassinated anytime. Despite her sincere apologies, the woman sneered at her and said coldly, ¡°Are you amoner?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Really? So, you dared to raise your head before a noble when you¡¯re amoner?¡± Then she lifted her gloved hand. Jiun closed her eyes quickly. As long as she had to live as amoner by hiding her identity, she could not cause further disturbance. It was right for her to cope with the situation as best she could. Snap! Her head was turned away with her intense snapping. As a result, her deep-pressed hat was taken off, dishevelling her hair. But she was now too out of her mind to notice it. She felt dizzy at the burning sensation on her face and salty blood from her mouth. When she flinched at her sharp voice once again, she felt somebody pulling her suddenly. In no time, the woman said with an embarrassed voice, ¡°What the heck is this? Why is the knight from the empire disturbing my¡­¡± ¡°Can you stop there? If you make a fuss over her in broad daylight like this, it won¡¯t do you any good.¡± She unwittingly stiffened, hearing that knight¡¯s voice that she apparently heard a lot. She opened her eyes, swallowing. Then she slowly cast her nce at his ck cloak, the two red straps on his shoulders, and his long and red hair. ¡®Carsein de Lars¡­!¡¯ She had cold sweat breaking out on her back. Her heart sank when the knight, watching the woman briefly, quickly intervened. This was a much worse situation than before because outsiders believed that she was officially dead. Marquis Marquis¡¯s warning buzzed in her ears that she should be careful enough not to let anybody notice her identity because of the emperor¡¯s order to expel her from the empire without being caught by anybody. Right now, as she might be caught and killed, her meeting with the emperor was very dangerous. Besides, she was being watched. ¡°I just disciplined a meremoner woman. As a knight from the empire, you should not meddle in this matter.¡± ¡°Really? I think I should.¡± Examining her with a pensive expression, a man stopped her when she was trying to say something, frowning at his refuttal, ¡°May I ask if you are Sir Lars? ¡± ¡°Well, they call my elder brother like that. I¡¯m Carsein de Lars, the second son of the Lars family.¡± ¡°Lars family?¡± Erasing her ferocious expression from her face, the woman said in a much softer voice, ¡°Well, if a man like you from the Lars family wants me to stop, I have no choice but to do so as you wish.¡± ¡°Thank you,dy.¡± ¡°Well, sir, I think this might be a karma thing here. Are you free for a moment? I¡¯m the third daughter of Viscount Bevon¡­Sir?¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± Jiun screamed while drawing back from the three talking among themselves when someone snatched her wrist from behind. Caresin quickly grabbed her wrist and turned her back. She could now see his blue eyes clearly. ¡°You¡­?¡± He opened his eyes wide, then squinted with a suspicious look. She got goosebumps at that, but she desperately pretended to be calm. She did not know what would happen if he found out her identity here. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± When she lowered her head hesitantly, Carsein opened his mouth after remaining silent as if he were thinking about something, ¡°¡­No way. She is already dead. ¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. By the way, are you rted to the Monique family?¡± ¡®How did he know this?¡¯ She was stunned, but replied as natively as possible, as if she knew nothing about the family. ¡°Monique family? You mean the noble family?¡± ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t you know? ¡± ¡°I¡¯m only a meremoner. I have nothing to do with the noble family.¡± ¡°Hmm, really?¡± My mouth dried up when he asked me suspiciously. She felt like his brief silence felt like eternity, so she bowed her head even more, hiding her face. ¡®Please give me a pass.¡± Did her earnest wish make true? Tilting his head a bit, Carsein waved his hand lightly and said, ¡°Got it. You can go now.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± She breathed a sigh of relief and bowed deeply to him. Then she stiffened her legs and quickened her steps to get out of his view. She was scared what would happen to her when he reported this incident to hismander, so she thought it was the best policy to leave the ce as soon as possible. She thought that she survived her encounter with Carsein without being caught, but the very next day she was ordered by Marquis Monique that she would be forbidden from going outside her dwelling. *** ¡°Can¡¯t I go out even today?¡± ¡°Sorry,dy. You had better not go out for the time being. ¡± Jiun sighed at the old man, as always. She put up with his rejection until now for fear of possible repercussions due to her open resistance, but her patience was slowly running out because she had been confined to her ce for almost a month. ¡®What did I do wrong? Of course, it was my fault that I encountered that noble woman that day, but little did I think I would bump into Casein de Lars there.¡¯ She bit her lip with an annoyed expression. When she was forced to choose between the two options by the emperor, she didn¡¯t want to give up her life even if she was despised by the emperor and Aristia. But because of her extreme stress for more than six months she even thought that she would have been better off being killed honorably than living like this. ¡®Yes, nothing is going to stop me now.¡¯ When she thought as far as that, she opened her eyes fiercely and stared at the old man. Normally she would listen to him, but today she didn¡¯t want to. If she had to die like this in extreme stress, she would rather speak out at the risk of her life. ¡°Please allow me to see the marquis.¡± ¡°Why are you suddenly saying that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you want, so please allow me to see the marquis. Anyway, you are reporting to him about me everyday, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t do it,dy.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­you¡¯re really driving me nuts. I¡¯m going to do whatever you want. Why are you harassing me like this?¡± The old man, who silently watched her yelling hysterically, nodded slowly a littleter. He might have been surprised at her hysterical reaction because she was quiet and obedient until now, but there was no change in his nk expression, as if he was used to her attitude like that. Chapter 341 Chapter 341: Chapter 340 Jiun shuddered, watching the old man replying casually that he would convey her request to the marquis. She felt not only the marquis but also the sessor and the butler of the Monique family were all heartless men without any emotions. Was it because she threw tantrums? That evening Jiun was visited by the marquis that she really wanted to see. She was a bit embarrassed because she thought it would take several days to hear from him. The marquis appeared with an expressionless look and asked coldly before she organized her thoughts, ¡°I heard you wanted to see me. Why?¡± Seeing him face to face, she got nervous, but she geared up for confronting him, thinking she had been under great stress these days. It was clear that if she failed to speak out, she would end up with nothing. ¡°I asked to see you because I wanted to ask one thing. What exactly do you want me to do? Do you want me tomit suicide?¡± ¡°Why do you think so?¡± I felt frustrated at his asking coldly, but she spoke out, controlling her anger. Given his attitude, she felt he would beat around the bush unless she gave it to him straight. ¡°You were generous to save my life, but I want to know why you are so mean and cruel enough to harass me like this. Not only the butler but also the servants and the knights have been monitoring me and now they don¡¯t allow me to go out of the house. Are you going to kill me by stressing me like this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know you were ordered not to go outside?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I admit that I ran into Sir Carsein. But I never intended to see him. And he didn¡¯t find out who I was. Wasn¡¯t it enough? Why are you so bent on stressing me?¡± ¡°Are you serious you don¡¯t know the reason?¡± When she noticed his straight silvery eyebrows wiggling as if he felt displeased, she got so mad. She thought it was her, not him, who had to show anger at this moment. ¡°You¡¯re really driving me nuts. If you want to kill me by stressing me out, kill me now! Why are you so mean to me? Why didn¡¯t you kill me from the beginning as you intended to treat me like this? Are you satisfied when you have to treat me like this? Don¡¯t you know I¡¯ve saved your daughter¡¯s life?¡± Breathing roughly, Jiun stared at him. She didn¡¯t like Aristia who left the bottle behind, saying she didn¡¯t want to see her dying right before her eyes, and her father who was ying the fool with her and stressing her by confining her to the house. However, even after seeing Jiun¡¯s anger exploding, he raised his eyebrows a bit, but showed no feelings at all. He might have been offended by her insults, but he looked at her indifferently and said a littleter, ¡°Hmm, it seems that I didn¡¯t exin to you enough.¡± ¡°¡­ ? ¡± ¡°Well, let me exin in detail from the first. First of all, what the emperor wants is Lady Jena¡¯s official death. Therefore, the fact that you are alive should be kept secret until the political situation in the empire ispletely stabilized. Do you understand? ¡± She felt a little ufortable because she thought she was taken for a sucker, but she nodded silently. She thought she should listen to him first. ¡°Good. Let me move on. I think I know how you¡¯re taking this situation right now, but if the emperor had intended to kill you, he would not have let you out of the border from the beginning. Don¡¯t ever think he let you out because of the empress. In that case, I would not have taken pains toe here to monitor you like this. I would have killed you instead and simply reported to the emperor that I had let you out. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It won¡¯t take long. Just hang in there for five years. By then, those who know you may not remember you anymore. Then, I¡¯ll set you free.¡± ¡°¡­Really? ¡± When Jiun asked, surprised by his unexpected words, he nodded with a nk expression. ¡°Yes. I promise that under my name. But there is one condition. Until then nobody should find out your identity. Actually, the emperor decided to save you on this condition from the beginning. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Keep it in mind. If you don¡¯t satisfy this condition, I have no choice but to take your life because you are not the only one who gets in trouble when they find out your identity.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± When she hurriedly replied as if she felt a prick in the heart, he asked coldly, ¡°Good. Do you have anything more to say?¡± ¡°¡­ No, nothing. ¡± ¡°Good. Hopefully I won¡¯t see you again.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Thank you. Please forgive my rudeness a little while ago. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you realized it.¡± The marquis paused for a moment, then walked away without saying anything. After she fixed my eyes on his silvery hair, which resembled Monique¡¯s, for a while, she slowly reflected on what he said after he disappearedpletely. ¡®Five years.¡¯ Five years could be short, but long. Anyway, she could bepletely free after five years. As the marquis made the promise under his name, obviously he would not eat his words. If she faithfully satisfied the condition he set out, she had no reason to suffer from sleepless nights, worrying about when she would be killed. Only then she began to feel his reassurances were such a load off her mind. Although she couldn¡¯t go back to her original world, and although she could not live a splendid life again as a woman of the top-tier ss, she thought that now she could take the break that she could never have during the past eight years. She was deeply surrounded by a deep sense of relief for the first time since she left the empire. She reached out and grabbed the air slowly. The kind of life that she could live as her own without beingpared to anybody else¡¯s was within her grasp now. The freedom that she craved for, praying every night before she went to sleep, was just around the corner. ¡®Yes, it¡¯s only five years. I can live freely if I can hold out for the next five years well.¡¯ After hearing his reassurances, she felt it took a lot of pressure from her chest. A smile came to her lips when she was turning around. *** ¡°Sir Carsein, Her Highness wants to see you for a moment.¡± I stopped moving the quill suddenly, which caused some ugly stains on my daily journal. But that was not important. When I looked around, hardly believing my ears, I noticed a well-dressed maid. Given the color of her clothes and the tiara embroidered on the cuffs, she was certainly the empress¡¯s maid. Moistening my dry mouth, I asked her, who was lowering her head, ¡°Her Highness wants to see me?¡± ¡°Yes, she said she would like to talk to you for a moment before you leave as part of the delegation, so she said you should stop by her pce as soon as you called it a day.¡± ¡°Okay, let mee with you then.¡± After handing over the daily journal to my colleague who was quick-witted enough to reach out, I followed her to the empress¡¯s pce. Although it was not far from my office to the pce, I could dly go there, but these days I had mixed feelings about her. It has already been four months since she got married to the emperor, and half a year since her oath of blood was rejected by the emperor. From the time I watched that scene that day, and from the time I saw the emperor crying and yelling while holding her who was dying, I keenly realized that I could no longer approach her. My heart ached. I felt heartbroken because I could not have the chance to confess my love to her even if I was rejected. If I had known this, I would have tried to confess to her. Of course, I tried in one way or another, but if I had known my chance to confess would be missed for good by a twist of fate, I would have confessed when an opportunity came along instead of waiting for the right time. I regretted it several times a day. It was heartbreaking that I lost her, but I felt more heartbroken that I could not show my affection for her. In the end, when she came to visit me when I was sick in bed, I agonized several times over whether to confess, but I parted with her instead of confessing. I knew I would be selfish if I did so, but I wanted to confess to her at least once, though indirectly, my affection for her that I had cherished for several years. For I felt only then I could have my aching heartforted a bit. Chapter 342 Chapter 342: Chapter 341 As expected, she seemed to understand what I meant. As a wise woman, she didn¡¯t mention anything about the matter, and she never visited me again for personal reasons after that day. Those who didn¡¯t know the situation med her for failing to see me at all, citing our long friendship since our childhood days, but I knew she didn¡¯t visit me again, considering my position. So, I wondered why she called me personally. Definitely this was not the way she acted towards me typically. Doubting her intentions with curiosity, I entered the meeting room of the empress¡¯s pce. A littleter she came in, wearing a formal dress embroidered with the royal family¡¯s crest as if she worked in the morning. I felt bitter when I saw the jeweled tiara in her silver hair, but I showed due manners by smiling at her as I was seeing her after a long time. Although I didn¡¯t feel good, once was enough of me having burdened her when I saw her thest time. ¡°I, Casein de Lars, am honored to see Your Highness, the Moon of the empire.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Carsein. How are you?¡± ¡°Well, nothing special. I guess you must have been busier than me. ¡± When I answered brightly on purpose, she paused for a moment and said with a slight smile, ¡°You bet. The next thing I knew, time passed so quickly. So, I asked me to see you because I wanted to apologize for our drifting apart until now, and I wanted to see you off as you would be on a long journey soon. Thanks foring, Carsein. ¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Of course, no matter what, I should dulye when you want to see me.¡± Although I smiled when she was talking to me, I was still curious. It seemed she clearly called me because she felt sorry if she didn¡¯t see me off, but I thought that¡¯s not the only reason she called me. As far as I knew, she was considerate of others¡¯ feelings all the time. Did something happen to her? I looked at her as if to observe her because I suddenly recalled something, but I could not find anything unusual about her. Besides, she looked in the best condition that I had ever seen her, except for her feeling awkward about seeing me after a long time. Even though I heard rumors that she got along with the emperor, I was worried deep down that she might have gotten married to him against her will or she was unhappy with him because she was always reluctant to meet him before their marriage. But my misgivings seemed to be groundless. When I tried to say something, thinking that I was overly sensitive, I heard a maid knocking on the door. She put down a teapot, teacups, and a tea box on the table. She remained silent until then. When the maid went out after bowing politely, she pulled the teabox to her. I just kept silent while she was brewing tea sincerely. I didn¡¯t want to disturb her while she was at it. When I saw her preparing tea carefully, I was reminded of my old memories one by one. Sometimes we were happy, and sometimes we were sad. Even those hard, angry, and painful memories we had together were good old memories now. While reminiscing with bitterness, I suddenly stopped. When I did so in the past, I was heartbroken all the time, but I didn¡¯t feel that much today. Why? The moment I slipped into a pensive mood, she gave me a silver teacup silently after brewing strong red hibiscus tea. I smiled brightly at her, holding the cup engraved with the crest of the roaring golden lion. ¡°Oh, I get to enjoy the tea you have brewed after such a long time. Thank you, Your Highness. It¡¯s my honor to get this tea.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. I¡¯m ttered by yourpliment.¡± ¡°Well, even though I had a friendship with you in the past, I don¡¯t think there are many who can drink the tea you make in person. I am just grateful to you for the simple fact that you have not forgotten our erstwhile friendship.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I felt her voice was trembling at the moment, but I nodded casually, pretending not to have noticed it. Watching me silently for a moment, she finally said in a subdued voice. ¡°¡­Thanks, Carsein. ¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. By the way, you must feel sorry that your father will be away from the capital for a long time.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to deny that. Even now I don¡¯t see him as often as before¡­ Being in the capital is one thing, staying away from it is another. Besides, I¡¯m bothered by the fact that he will be in the Lisa kingdom.¡± ¡°Well, I understand that, but he is going there to inspect the border areas and put the finishing touches on the details of the treaty. So, don¡¯t worry too much. I will serve him well while he is staying there.¡± When I spoke confidently, she paused for a moment, then lifted the mug quietly and drank the ruby-colored ??tea. Then, she put the cup down noisily, which was unusual. ¡°Yes, I hope he is in great hands, Carsein. And pleasee back safely¡­ by all means.¡± Ugh? I looked at her because I felt strange about what she just said. Why did she ask me toe back by all means? I thought she was worried too much as he and I were visiting there as part of the delegation because the Lisa kingdom was hostile to the empire. In that respect, I felt like she spoke to me as if I was going to a ce where I would die. She was going to see me again anywayter, but why was she so worried? Ah¡­ I unwittingly groaned because something shed my mind suddenly. Was it because of that guy? Was she worried that I might note back like Allendis who disappeared after leaving for the Lua kingdom? Only then did I realize why she called me. I felt strange the moment she called me unusually, and now I understand why she did. Although she called me because she was worried about me, she could not say what she wanted to because she asked to see me without caring about my feelings. When I remembered myst conversation with Allendis, a bitter smile came to my lips, but I hurriedly smiled at her and said calmly, ¡°Your Highness.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If you are bothered by what happened in the past, you don¡¯t have to care about it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Her hand, which was holding the cup, trembled. Pretending that I didn¡¯t notice it, I turned my head and looked at her golden eyes. Then, with my utmost sincerity, I emphasized what I pledged all along, ¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t tell you that I¡¯m okay yet¡­But I feel better than before, and I think I¡¯ll be a lot better in the future. Please don¡¯t worry about it anymore.¡± Who said one¡¯s words had a hypnotic effect? I only spoke out the pledge that I had made deep down, but I felt it was a load off my mind now. I didn¡¯t say things I didn¡¯t mean to set her at ease, but I felt I could really get a weight off my mind. So I spoke with a smile, feeling much morefortable than before, ¡°When Ie back, I wille to think of you only in terms of friendship. So don¡¯t worry, please wait a little longer. ¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I will, Carsein. Thank you very much.¡± A smile came to her face when she looked at me with tearful eyes. Watching her feeling so relieved as if she took the heavy load off her mind, I suddenly came to realize one thing btedly. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s because of her attitude like that.¡¯ The reason that I felt less heartbroken while thinking about her was because she felt relieved towards me. In fact, She felt oppressed by the weight of life all the time, so she looked weary and down all the time. But she looked much morefortable and rxed as if a heavy load was off her mind. She now looked as bright and happy as she was in the golden field from a long time ago. And I felt less heartbroken, too. Smiling back at her, I thought to myself that I was so relieved to see her happy now. I thought there woulde a day when I would restore our genuine friendship, and I vowed to make it happen by all means. Lifting the mug silently, I signaled to her with my eyes to wait for me a little longer until then. Chapter 343 Chapter 343: Chapter 342 ¡°Hmm, really? Got it. You may go now.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± The woman bowed to me and hurriedly walked away. Watching her fading away in the distance, I squinted at her. At first, I stopped her because her hair looked silvery, but the problem was she really looked like Lady Jena. I would have given it a pass if she just looked like her. Except for her hair color, she almost exactly resembled Lady Jena in terms of her height, figure, and voice. However, it would be problematic for me to conclude that she was Lady Jena. I heard that Lady Jenamitted suicide. Of course, I could assume that they disguised her as dead and let her escape, but who would have dared to do so? Could the noble faction bent on protecting their own interests do so? Or the pro-emperor faction who regarded her as a pain in the ass? Or the emperor who got rid of the core members of the noble faction all at once? After touring the capital with mixed feelings, I changed my n to go back to my lodging and headed to see Marquis Monique. Anyway, she had a hair color close to silver, so I thought it would be better to inform the marquis about her, just in case she might be a rtive of the Monique family. ¡°How are you, Sir Carsein? I heard you headed out to the capital for some business. Howe you came to see me as soon as you came back? Did you notice anything unusual during your outing here?¡± He looked at me curiously as I asked to see him immediately. It seemed that he was worried about the possible diplomatic friction while I was moving around in the capital of the Lisa kingdom. Slightly ncing at his shining silvery hair, I said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not something you need to be concerned about, but I discovered a woman with silvery hair while I went out to the capital. Her hair was not that deeply silvery like yours or the empress¡¯s, but I just wonder if you had any rtives in the Lisa kingdom.¡± ¡°Rtives? I don¡¯t officially, but I¡¯ve one woman that I keep an eye on. I think you have met her.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± When I smiled awkwardly because I felt I was meddling with his affairs, he said with a smile after watching me silently, ¡°So, did youe here to let me know about her? Thanks for going to the trouble of caring about my family.¡± ¡°Oh you¡¯re wee, marquis.¡± ¡°Can I ask you a favor? I¡¯d like you to keep mum about the woman that looks like my rtive until I find out her identity. As you know, there are lots of enemies targeting my family.¡± ¡°Ah yes. I will keep it in mind. ¡± I felt a bit strange because he didn¡¯t mention the woman¡¯s appearance, but I nodded dly. Anyway, it was rude for me to get deeply involved in another family¡¯s matter. Besides, I would not have cared at all if Lady Monique¡¯s grandmother had not been from the Jena family. So, Ipletely forgot about the woman until I left the Lisa kingdom after carrying out my mission in the Lisa kingdom as part of the delegation. ¡°Then, I wish you a safe return, everyone. May God protect you until you return to the empire.¡± ¡°We had a very good time here. May God bless your kingdom.¡± After exchanging pleasantries with them, the marquis turned the horses¡¯ head homewards. Although he pretended to be calm, he was obviously satisfied because he achieved his diplomatic goal. After rtively long hours of negotiations, the delegation led by Marquis Monique achieved quite a bit. We solved the problem of hostages that King Kryans III had been dragging his feet on and agreed to solve other pending issues to mutual satisfaction. If we came back next year to resolve the details of the agreements, it seemed that we would not have to worry about the matter of the Lisa kingdom for the next ten years. After bowing to the top official of the Lisa kingdom who came out to see us off, the members of our delegation turned the heads of their horses one by one. I also pulled the reins after bowing to him slightly. The sunlight that hit the high wall was beaming in gold and silver. When I saw the sparkling light, I suddenly recalled the woman with silver hair that I met here, who closely resembled Lady Jena with silver hair and ck eyes. What happened to the woman? I shrugged while briefly thinking about her. Why should I care about another family¡¯s matter or what happened to her? The real problem was another silver-haired woman that I was supposed to meet after returning to the capital. I clearly asked her to wait for me a little more, telling her I woulde back as a mere friend of hers without any romantic feelings. I slowly closed my eyes. My memories of her, who I missed and thought about every day in the past, shed through my mind. Memories like me stroking her wavy silver hair, her soft touch on that day, so many days when she and I cried andughed, standing back to back during a battle, and the delicate fragrance of tea surrounding her. When I closed my eyes, I could vividly remember such memories. Leaving the capital, I vowed that I would erase such memories gradually. At some point, my recollection of her began to change into a distant memory. And now my memories of her that came to my mind were definitely different from mine in the past. Can I treat her like a friend from now on? Like I told her and vowed to her when I left the capital, can I make an impish smile at her when I see him again? Can Ie back to her with a genuine sense of friendship instead of a cheesy grin on my face? I thought again and again in agony. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know yet. I think I could do it, on the one hand, but I felt I could not, on the other. Nevertheless, there was one thing I knew certainly. Namely, as time went by, the day woulde when I could smile at herfortably and reminisce about the bitterness of the broken heart as part of my good old memories. That was enough for me because I still had a lot of time, and I actually discovered that my intense memories of her were turning into a distant memory. Looking back once again, I put my spurs to the horse with the members of our delegation. The bright sunlight was shattering amid the ttering of hoofs. *** ¡°I, Alendis de Verita, am honored to greet Your Majesty, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Wee back, Verita Jr. It looks like I am seeing you after a very long time. Has it been already 13 years since I saw youst?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± While hiding his feelings deep down, Allendis replied, bowing to the man in front of him. Strictly speaking, it had been eleven years since hest saw an emperor, but Rublis had been absent and the crown prince at the time, so it had been 13 years that he¡¯d seen Rublis. ¡°Well, I heard about you. Your father said he decided to bequeath his title to you. As he said he didn¡¯t need any ceremony, I gave him oral approval. Did you also agree?¡± ¡°Yes, I decided to skip the ceremony because it might hurt my sister-inw.¡± ¡°I see. Then, let me give you the final approval as you also agreed. Then, when are you going to take over the position of the premier that your father currently has? I hear you have almost taken over his job. Is one week enough for you to prepare?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s good enough, Your Majesty. Thank you for your consideration. ¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll see you at the political meeting a week from now. I look forward to your great debut.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Then let me leave now.¡± Allendis slowly bowed to the emperor who already began to review the documents again. As he was not a pushover, Allendis did his best not to let him notice how he felt toward the empress, and he seemed to have made it this time. However, when he was about to step back with a sigh, he suddenly heard the emperor calling him coldly, ¡°By the way, Verita Jr!¡± As he stopped to look back, the emperor, who still fixed his eyes on the documents, said, writing something down, ¡°Since you have returned to the capital, the empress seems to be waiting for you. Why don¡¯t you go and see her?¡± He yelled for delight deep down, ¡®Yes, yes, yes! That¡¯s what I have been waiting for,¡¯ Allendis broke into a smile at his casual remarks, but he changed his expression and looked at the emperor. Chapter 344 Chapter 344: Chapter 343 Even if he told the emperor what he thought about the empress, the emperor would not be able to do anything about him, who would be the head of the Duke Verita family. But he didn¡¯t want to fall out with the emperor from the beginning. In fact, he decided to inherit the title of duke because he was confident of restraining himself to some extent. ¡®Well, I think I had better show him a bit of my feelings toward her. I¡¯m a bit annoyed by his casual look.¡¯ So, on the spur of the moment Allendis asked provocatively, ¡°Can I really see her?¡± ¡°Um?¡± Only then did the emperor take his eyes off the documents and raise his head. His emerald eyes looking at him challengingly met the emperor¡¯s indifferent gaze. After looking at him silently for a moment, the emperor smiled gently, then said casually as if he didn¡¯t care at all, ¡°You are asking an obvious question. Aren¡¯t you an old friend of the empress¡¯s?¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you for your deep consideration. ¡± With his heart throbbing, Allendis hurriedly bowed to hide his feelings. He stealthily clenched his fists tightly, recalling what the emperor had told him in the past. He suddenly recalled it. The emperor¡¯s voice, who definitely characterized his rtionship with the empress as a friend, was the same that he had heard a long time ago. Allendis smiled bitterly, feeling that his words were wrenching at his heart. Watching the emperor dancing with her after openly dering that she was his woman, Allendis cursed his position because he was only the second son of a duke¡¯s family. Ten years after then, she was still his woman, even though he rose to the head of his family with a duke title that was uparable to his position back then. And he found himself at a loss about what to do with his burning jealousy. ¡®I wish I had not challenged him like this.¡¯ Btedly regretting his actions, Allendis took pains to look calm and bowed out. He smiled bitterly in spite of himself because it was a case of sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind. He felt he had a lot of egg on his face because he didn¡¯t restrain himself as he vowed to, carried away by an impulse. ¡®Can I really go and see her as things happened this way?¡¯ After passing through the long corridor and leaving the main pce, Allendis hesitated for a long time, then turned to the empress¡¯s pce, atst. As he would see her anyway in the future, he felt he had better see her now when he had the heart to do so. While walking to the pce, not that far from his location, he kept thinking of going back. Finally, he arrived at the entrance of the pce, soothing his mind.. As if she was waiting for him, a maid escorted him into the meeting room, then went out, saying she would escort the empress here. He sat silently on a cream-colored sofa and looked around slowly. The cozy atmosphere and stylish interior decoration reminded him of her parlour that he saw at the Monique residence as a child. A bitter smile came to his lips when he recalled his childhood days when he didn¡¯t need to walk on eggshells. When he sighed a little as he recalled her, he heard some noise outside, then the door opened suddenly. When he turned around to see if she came, he stiffened at the scene he could not believe at all. A small, silver-haired girl stood there with a woman who appeared to be her exclusive maid. Just like the girl that he first met 17 years ago, she looked much smaller than those her age. She was looking at him in surprise. Although the maid was telling her something, he didn¡¯t pay attention to her at all. Her wavy silver hair, blue dress that belied her childish look and her shiny golden eyes. ¡°Tia¡­?¡± On the spurt of the moment he uttered her nickname in spite of himself. He could not believe his ears. How could the same girl back then stand in front of him now? It¡¯s been more than a decade since he first met her. He stood up and approached the girl. When he saw her golden eyes looking up at him silently, he seemed to be spaced out. But he restrained himself from reaching out to her, clenching his fists. Only then did hee to his senses, awakened by the pain on his palms. When he was about to say something to her, another woman stepped inside through the open door. The woman, with her curly silver hair, looked remarkably simr to the girl standing in front of him. ¡®Oh, is she the real Tia?¡¯ He calmed down at his bted awakening. The familiar fragrance from the woman made his heart ache again, but he showed due manners while hiding his expressions. ¡°I, Allendis de Verita, am honored to greet Your Highness, the Moon of the empire. Your Highness, how have you been?¡± ¡°¡­Allen. ¡± Her voice which he had not heard in thirteen years, that he missed so much, was wet with tears. With big teardrops, she held onto his hands and said, ¡°You are not leaving me, right? You havee backpletely. Right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you were so mean to me? Howe you haven¡¯t contacted me for the past 13 years?¡± ¡°¡­I apologize for having troubled you so much, Your Highness.¡± Although he flinched at her familiar warmth, he clenched his teeth and gently pulled his hand from her grip. Only then did she hurriedly change her expression and said, as if she seemed to have realized her actions, ¡°Oh, I ¡®m sorry, Verita Jr. I think I was rude to you as I met you for the first time after such a long time. So, please understand me as I did so because I was so happy to see you. ¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s fine, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°I heard that you have inherited the duke title. I know it¡¯s rude to call you informally when you are soon going to be the premier of this government, but can you allow me to call your nickname? As I have known you for a long time, I don¡¯t want to call you by your formal title.¡± When he heard her abrupt change in the way she spoke to her, his heart ached again. But he replied with a smile, as if it was not a big deal, ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. It¡¯s an honor for me. ¡± ¡°Thank you, Allendis. Then shall we sit now? I think I have kept you standing too long. ¡± He sighed with relief, watching her carefully. In fact, he was worried that she might notice his hidden affection for her, which he could not yet shake off his mind. As if his numerous rehearsals of managing his expression for an asion like this paid off, she didn¡¯t seem to notice his unnatural expression. At that moment, the girl who looked at him and the empress with a sullen expression, said, ¡°Mom, who is this man?¡± ¡°Oh, Dia, I forgot to tell you about him. He is mommy¡¯s old friend, Allendis de Verita, who will soon be Duke Veritas. Alendis, she is my¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Diana Repulgentia Shana Castina, the first princess of the empire. Nice to meet you, Uncle Allen¡¯. I have heard a lot about you from Mom.¡± ¡®Uncle Allendis?¡¯ When she called her like that unexpectedly, he was so embarrassed that he just watched her silently, even forgetting to return her greetings. The little silver-haired girl was very bold, contrary to his expectation that she was as calm as her mother. The emperor, the empress and the princess. It crossed his mind that her pce life in the future would not be necessarilyfortable. *** ¡°Oh, he¡¯s the uncle! Uncle Allen!¡± While visiting the Central Pce with documents to be signed, Allendis unwittingly frowned at the voiceing from far away. On the day he first met her, she was rebuked by her mother for not correcting the way she called him. Nheless, this bold girl often visited him without any notice and caused trouble. He deeply sighed, watching her running toward him after pushing aside the maid who tried to stop her. She called my nickname from the beginning and disturbed me on and off by visiting my office all of a sudden. Normally, he would have been upset with her, even though she was a princess. But he could not whenever he saw her face that resembled her mother, which drove him nuts all the more. Chapter 345 Chapter 345: Chapter 344 ¡°Good morning, Uncle Allen! I think we¡¯re seeing each other for the first time in three days. Didn¡¯t you miss me?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m d to see you. By the way, I¡¯m still working, and I think I saw you two days ago¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you give it a pass? You are so meticulous, Uncle Allen. By the way, where are you going? Can¡¯t you give me tea?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to see the emperor now. Let me serve you tea next time. I¡¯ve got lots of documents he has to sign. I¡¯m too busy today.¡± ¡°I see. Got it. I¡¯ll wait for you until then. You shoulde back to me quickly, okay?¡± ¡°Oh, I really can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°See you a littleter, Uncle Allen!¡± Then she quickly disappeared. Allendis once again sighed and rubbed his stinging temple. He didn¡¯t lead a good life all the time, nor did he lead a bad life. He couldn¡¯t figure out why God gave him trial after trial like this. After arriving at the Central Pce with a heavy heart, he turned to the garden instead of heading to the office because he heard from a royal knight on shift that the emperor was having tea in the garden. When he entered the emperor¡¯s private garden, escorted by the knight, he noticed the emperor and Tia, the empress, in the verdant ce. They were sitting in front of a snow-white table in an amiable mood. As the table was a small round table, they could sit across it, but they sat side by side, chatting. The silver-haired woman was telling something to the emperor with a gentle smile, who was listening to her with a gentle nod. His heart ached all of a sudden, so he clutched his chest with the hand that wasn¡¯t holding the documents. He thought he would be fine by now, but whenever he saw her hitting it off with the emperor, he felt heartbroken like before. Was he caught clutching his chest? One of the royal guards, who were standing a few steps away from him, approached him and asked with a worried voice, ¡°Duke, what¡¯s the matter with you? Are you sick? ¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine. I did so because I had something to think about for a moment, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Ah yes. Well, are you here to see the emperor? Do you want me to convey your message?¡± ¡°No. It looks like he¡¯s taking a break, so I don¡¯t want to invite his hatred by disturbing him. If you don¡¯t mind, can you send me a servant when the emperor is done? I think I had bettere backter.¡± ¡°Okay, I will.¡± ¡°Thank you. Then, see youter.¡± After greeting the guard, who slightly bowed to him, Allendis turned, taking pains to turn his eyes away from her. When he was about to walk away from the garden, trying to erase the images of the emperor¡¯s couple from his mind, somebody charged toward him from behind and wrapped his shoulders suddenly. Frowning at him, Allendis disengaged from his arms around his shoulders. Given the color of his scattered hair, he knew who the man was. Even if he didn¡¯t do this, there was only one man in the world who could do it to him. ¡°Hey, Allendis, why are you keeping a poke face today?¡± As expected, the man didn¡¯t show any displeasure even if Allendis hysterically shook away his arms. Allendis replied, pressing down on his stinging temple. ¡°Why are you so childish as to do this, Sir Carsein?¡± ¡°Well, why are you using honorifguage all of a sudden? What happened to you? Oh, I see you look haggard all the time.¡± ¡°¡­Dang it! That¡¯s enough. What brought you here anyway?¡± ¡°Do I need something to want to see you? That sucks, man, given our longtime ties.¡± ¡°Our ties? Do you think you and I have been on close terms?¡± he retorted coldly, feeling a surge of anger at Carsein¡¯s remarks. Given that most people were scared when he used honorifguage like that, Carsein was obviously either a man of strong nerves or a stupid guy who he could do nothing about. Allendis wanted to believe Carsein was a stupid guy, but unfortunately he was not. Carsein knew how to control himself while rubbing Allendis the wrong way. As if he showed he was smart enough, Carsein quickly gave up and said, ¡°Okay, okay. Let me stop here today. In fact, I was on my way to the Central Pce when I saw youing out of it. So I just wanted to say hi. Enough?¡± Allendis felt a bit upset about his sudden turnaround, but he said, swallowing, ¡°¡­ If you¡¯re here to see the emperor, you had bettere backter. ¡± ¡°Really? Why?¡± ¡°Oh, he is having tea time with the empress.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. I think I know the atmosphere. Well, I had bettere backter like you say.¡± Carsein clicked his tongue, looking toward the garden, and turned without any hesitation. When Allendis also began to walk away, thinking he had bad luck today, Carsein quickly approached him and said, ¡°Well, they are having tea time? s, I envy the emperor. Don¡¯t you feel the same way? I sometimes miss the tea Tia made for me. She used to make lemon balm for you, and hibiscus for me. She made tea to our taste, didn¡¯t she?¡± When Caresin spoke to him casually, Allendis quickly looked around and warned, ¡°Hey, watch yournguage. She is now the empress.¡± ¡°Come on, man. Don¡¯t be so sensitive. I¡¯m talking about her between us.¡± ¡°As you know, they can overhear us everywhere in the pce. So, you should be extremely careful about what you say.¡± ¡°Man, you¡¯re really fastidious. That¡¯s why you are still single¡­¡± ¡°Can you shut your mouth?¡± As Allendis retorted sharply with ring eyes, Carsein hastily waved his hand and said, ¡°Oh, okay, okay. I will be careful in the future, so calm down. You might hit me if I don¡¯t stop you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, I just wanted to say that I sometimes missed the tea she made for me. As you know, there are not many people who are as knowledgeable about tea as her. It¡¯s sad that I can¡¯t drink such tea as often as I did before. Besides, this is my secret. In fact, my wife is really bad at making tea.¡± Allendis became briefly sentimental about Tia¡¯s tea when he mentioned it, but he was so dumbfounded when Carseinpared his wife¡¯s skills in brewing tea with Tia¡¯s that he just remained silent, watching Carsein nkly. As if he noticed Allendis¡¯s suspicion, Carsein quickly disappeared, waving at him. Allendis turned away with a heavy heart, then suddenly touched his forehead when something crossed his mind quickly. Come to think of it, he had one more problem he had to solve, which kept tormenting him all along As he had not the heart to go back to his office, he wandered for a while. After some time passed, he headed to his office in the government building. But he was shocked to find the little girl with silver hair sleeping soundly on the sofa, lying on her side. As if she dishevelled it, her curly silver hair was reflecting the moonlight over the sofa. Given that she was smiling, it seemed that she was dreaming a pleasant dream. Suddenly, he felt heartbroken. Even though Tia was married to the emperor, she was once a slender and little girl like her on the sofa. Whenever she dozed off after hard fencing training, he used to have her lean on his shoulder for a nap. While watching the little girl with bitterness for a moment, he slowly took off his coat and covered the girl. Turning around her body, she hugged the white jacket tightly and whispered with a smile, ¡°Um¡­It¡¯s so warm.¡± He stopped putting my hand on her shoulder while trying to pull my coat over her because what she just said was exactly what Tia had told him a long time ago. He vividly remembered that she said the same thing when he secretly kissed her as she was asleep on the day when Carsein had a banquet to celebrate his official inauguration as a full-fledged knight. His heart, which seemed to be empty all the time, was full, and he felt so warm at that moment. Suddenly, he was choked up with emotions, so he took his eyes off from her. Whenever he saw the little girl, his heart ached because of his recurring past memories associated with Tia. ¡°Ha¡­¡± When he stood up as he couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, he heard somebody knocking on the door, and a woman came in. Chapter 346 Chapter 346: Chapter 345 The moment he saw the empress, his love me, his heart ached again, but he took pains to ignore it and showed due manners politely, ¡°I, Alendis de Verita, am honored to see the empress, the Moon of the empire. What business has brought you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to havee here suddenly, Allendis. I heard Dia¡¯s here. Her nanny told me no matter how hard she tried to have her go home, she would not listen.¡± Exining to him with an apologetic expression, she looked at him anxiously. ¡°Alendis, you look pale. Did Dia cause you a lot of trouble? Then I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯m going to give her a piece of my mind, so please understand me. I would like to apologize on her behalf. ¡± ¡°Apologize to me? Oh, you don¡¯t have to. I think I should be grateful to you because you have not med me for not serving her properly.¡± ¡°Thank you for saying so, Allendis. You know that I always appreciate you, right? ¡± He was reflected in her warm golden eyes. He sighed a bit furtively, watching him call a royal knight after smiling at him. When the knight came and carefully lifted the princess, she said, giving back his jacket to him, ¡°Then let me leave now. I don¡¯t want to disturb you anymore. See you next time, Allendis.¡± ¡°Sure, Your Highness. Goodbye.¡± ¡°Can you stop by the empress¡¯s pce one of these days? I would like to serve you tea. Bye!¡± After saying goodbye gently, she turned, then stopped for a moment. She seemed to cast a nce somewhere, but she walked away, looking straight. There was the sound of her skirt rustling over the carpet. Feeling her warmth left in the jacket, he was soaked in the gentle fragrance that she left behind. After she disappeared, he recalled a question he had forgotten for a moment. ¡®Why did you stop for a moment?¡¯ Recalling where she stood a moment ago, he looked at the spots one by one she might have cast a nce. Thick books and file folders in the bookshelf, various ornaments on the shelf, and all sorts of misceneous items on the desk. While quickly scrutinizing here and there, he stopped his gaze at one spot, where there was a small item hidden in an inconspicuous corner of the shelf with lots of ornaments. ¡®Was that it?¡¯ He slowly approached the shelf and took out the object in question. It was a tinum bishop of the chess set that he had made to give her as a gift. He threw away other chess pieces, except for the queen he sent her as a gift on her wedding day. He let out a deep sigh, looking at the bishop. Tears formed in his eyes when he looked at the bishop made of emerald. *** ¡°Now it¡¯s time to go to sleep, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Really? Okay.¡± A couple of wine sses on a table with a lightly lit candle, and his favorite Belott red wine produced in 900 by the imperial calendar. When I saw the two pillows ced side by side on the bed, I blushed all of a sudden. When I turned around, covering my blushed face with hands, Lina, who took off the towel wrapped around my hair, examined my look and said with a satisfied smile, ¡°This is enough. As the emperor likes a gentle fragrance, you don¡¯t have to perfume your hair with fragrant oils.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I don¡¯t need fragrant oils¡­¡± Smiling at me when I shook my hands, she said, ¡°Please sit down. I will dry your hair. ¡± ¡°Good.¡± When I sat in front of the silver mirror, where the crest of the imperial family was ornately crafted, I saw a thrilled woman reflected in the mirror. I slowly closed my eyes while looking at her awkward expression for a while. I felt good when she was touching my hair with the soft fabric to shake off the droplets on it. ¡°I am reminded of your pre-marriage days, Your Highness. At that time, I never thought that you would be the empress.¡± ¡°Ugh? When?¡± ¡°I mean at the time when you came back from the estate of the Monique family. I think it was a winter cleaning day when I asked you what type of man you like while adjusting your hair like this.¡± ¡°Oh yeah. I remember. ¡± It was on a winter day when the sunlight was unusually bright. Lina was very excited that day as if she felt really good. She hummed pleasantly, lightly prodded me to pay attention to makeup, and even teased me by asking which type of man I liked when I asked if she was dating somebody. ¡°By the way, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Ugh?¡¯ ¡°I am curious about it. What was your reply then? You didn¡¯t answer my question to the end.¡± ¡°Oh, that question? Well¡­¡± At that time, Lina persistently asked for my reply, but I didn¡¯t even think of any ideal type because I didn¡¯t have any intention to love anybody again. I thought that as long as I was tied to the imperial family, I didn¡¯t have to think hard about my future spouse, and that I just wanted anybody except for the crown prince, namely the current emperor. Come to think of it, I clearly thought about someone at that time, but I could not remember clearly. While Lina was gentlybing my hair, I was lost in thought. Although I could remember other things very clearly, I could not figure out this particr thing, though it¡¯s right on the tip of my tongue. ¡°Strange. Who was my ideal type? I definitely had someone in mind.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It seemed that she suddenly stoppedbing for a moment, but I tried hard to recall the person that I had in mind at that time. At the time, Lina listed a few examples of types of men such as a reliable man or a warm-hearted man, but I was not attracted to any type she mentioned because I could not ovee the trauma of having been abandoned by the crown prince. Nheless, if I had to choose one, I thought it would be good if I could find the type of man who would make me avoid the pain of being abandoned. And¡­ ¡°Oh, now I remember that. I think he was¡­ Your Majesty?¡± I flinched immediately while turning around, sping my hands, because I noticed an unexpected figure standing there. There was a young man with blue hair in the spot where Lina stood a little while ago. ¡°Oh, when did youe?¡± When I hurriedly stood up, he stopped me and said, ¡°Just stay there. Let me do the rest of thebing.¡± ¡°Pardon? But howe you can do this¡­?¡± ¡°I hear the rumors that lots of people are saying you and I are a lovely couple. So, I want to show them how I really care about you.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Somehow, I blushed, so I hurriedly covered my face with both hands with my head down. Chuckling at me, he gently rolled up my hair. I was on edge whenever I heard the sound of himbing my hair. The way hebed my hair was no different from Lina¡¯s, but strangely enough, I felt goosebumps when his hands touched my hair. I never thought that my hair would be so sensitive to his touch. Besides, his breathing that touched my face made my hair stand up. I was getting short of breath due to his continualbing, but I just trembled without shaking off his hand. Given his calm expression and earnestbing reflected in the mirror, I didn¡¯t dare to disturb his job. Only then did he put down theb and said, ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Did you call me now?¡± I was just trying to reply in a casual tone, but my voice was much higher than usual. He asked with a puzzled expression when I screamed in spite of myself. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I make a mistake? ¡± Chapter 347 Chapter 347: Chapter 346 ¡°Oh no, Your Majesty. I was just distracted by something else¡­¡± ¡°Really? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re so mean? Howe you are distracted when I¡¯mbing your hair? I feel like I¡¯m getting offended.¡± ¡°Oh, well, I don¡¯t mean it¡­.¡± I just felt frustrated as I could not move my tongue as I wished. I could not understand why I couldn¡¯t tell him anything like a fool despite my intense nervousness. He might have thought I was weird by now, but he quietly watched me babbling on, then said casually, ¡°Hmm. Would you like a drink?¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about wine. Don¡¯t you think the maids who brought the wine bottles here will feel sorry if we don¡¯t drink?¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± When I barely nodded, he silently lifted a wine bottle and poured wine into two sses. Then he perched on the bed and lifted a cup to me and said, ¡°Come here and have a seat. Come to think of it, I think it¡¯s the first time I am having a drink with you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­that¡¯s right.¡± My heart beat like crazy when I thought I would sit with him side by side on the bed, but I caught my breath, pretending to be casual, and sat down next to him. When I received the ss cautiously while hiding my trembling, he said with a smile, ¡°Well, I think I have to say ¡®Cheers!¡¯ even if we drink just a little bit. How about this? Cheers to your eyes!¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± I felt I heard it somewhere, so I nked a couple of times until I btedly remembered its origin. Oh my god! Little did I think he would quote that famous phrase! Cheers to your eyes! It was one of the well known lines of a conversation in a romance novel that has been very popr among the people these days. I also read it a while ago because Lina goaded me on, saying that it was a must-read. The line in question was from the male protagonist who proposed a toast to his lover. I thought the emperor was funny for doing that. Even though the novel was famous, it was a mere novel, so little did I think he would quote the line from the romance novel usually read by women. The more I thought about it, the more funny it seemed. So, I forgot I was nervous until a moment ago, and broke into a heartyugh. How could he utter that like with such a serious look? Indeed, it didn¡¯t fit his image. ¡°Oh my goodness¡­Your Majesty, I¡¯m so surprised that you know that line. Have you also read that novel?¡± ¡°Um, no. In fact, Earl Penril has advised me to say it to ease my tension¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to say it.¡± I smiled again at his embarrassed voice, but I suddenly realized something, as he watched meughing loudly. I realized that he cracked a joke like that on purpose to make me feel rxed because I felt so tense that I could hardly move my tongue. Come to think of it, I found myself rxed much more than before. Thanks to my heartyugh, I could feel nervous no longer even though I was close enough to him to feel his body temperature. When I smiled brightly, deeply touched by his consideration, he cleared his throat and emptied the ss at once. ¡°Tia, I have one question.¡± ¡°Pardon. What is that? ¡± ¡°I wonder if you can pick up where you stopped talking with Lina a little while ago. I want to know who was your ideal type.¡± ¡°Oh, that person was¡­¡± ¡°Who was he?¡± As breathing touched my earlobes, I could feel his heat against me. My shoulders where he touched were heating up as if burned by fire. I barely whispered, with my lips trembling again. ¡°In fact¡­ he was you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Me? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes, because I thought my ideal type would be the man who would kneel in front of me and swear he would never abandon me¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± He said something in a low voice, then touched his lips to my forehead gently. When I trembled at the thrilling sense of his kiss, he put down the empty ss and said, pulling me gently into his arms, ¡°Thank you for telling me that. And¡­ I¡¯m sorry to have made you think like that.¡± ¡°Oh, no, Your Majesty. I didn¡¯t mean it that way ¡­¡± ¡°As long as I¡¯m alive, I¡¯ll never abandon you because you¡¯re already the owner of my blood and heart. ¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± He looked down at me with serene eyes. He slowly raised his hands to touch my face gently, then kissed my lips. When I flinched a bit at his soft kiss, he pulled my waist closer, biting my lower lip lightly. Something hot came into my mouth between my slightly open lips. ¡°Haa¡­¡± I moaned, feeling his hot body temperature when he stuck his tongue into my mouth. I felt a quiver of excitement running through me when he touched my body. While I was carried away with his caressing of my body, I felt the soft fabric of his clothes touching my back. When I opened my eyes in surprise, his navy blue eyes were up close. Unlike his usual calmness, his face was full of excitement. I was reminded of my past nightmare when he put his body on mine, but his deep blue eyes were gazing at me with lots of mixed feelings in a break with his coldness in the past such as awe, praise, affection, and strong desire. When I looked at him with his trembling eyes, he asked, slowly reaching out to tie up my disheveled hair. ¡°Are you still afraid of me?¡± ¡°Yes, a little¡­¡± ¡°Actually, Tia. I¡¯m afraid I am going to hurt you too. I don¡¯t want to see you get hurt anymore even because of me. ¡± His low voice was also trembling. The moment I heard his very kind words, and I felt he was trembling like me, I let go of my tight grip on the bed. ¡°I love you, Tia.¡± After carefully holding my hand and lifting it carefully, he kissed it slightly. His breathing, which was soothingly slow and soft like a feather, began to be rough. As if he enjoyed a delicious dishe, he kissed every part of my body passionately. I moaned in spite of myself. The moment I moaned, biting my lip tightly, his breathing began to be more and more rough from his strong desire. Was he waiting for this moment? Just like the day we confirmed each other¡¯s love, was he waiting for me to make love to him? He had been suppressing his desire with reason, though he wanted to have me so much. At that moment, my lingering fear of him was shattered, along with my nightmare from the past. Feeling reassured and satisfied, I slowly reached out and hugged his neck. Then I pulled him, who was looking at me as if he was asking me something, and kissed him gently. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Although I wanted to say more, I could hardly move my tongue as if I didn¡¯t have the guts anymore. Apparently, I heard a lot of useful tips from Lina that I could make use of in a situation like this, but I could not figure out anything because I was so absent-minded. So, I closed his eyes and hugged his neck with my arms tightly. The moment my trembling lips touched his again, he pushed the tip of his tongue into my mouth. Unlike his rough and passionate kiss, he unbuttoned my clothes gently, and I began to let my body rx slowly. I recalled the moment when he and I walked together under the same umbre. Rebuking me kindly, citing his authority as the emperor, he took it from me, then wrapped my shoulders with his strong arms, asking me if I was wet. I still remembered his serious look when he asked me when I would be willing to open my heart to him. I also remembered the moment I breathed in his arms. I remembered his swearing before me, kneeling on the cold snowfield that he would love me all his life, and the snow-covered garden where we left footprints side by side. ¡°I love you.¡± He looked at me with the same affection that he had shown me at that time. My figure reflected in his eyes was fully naked. However, I had no reason to feel fear or shame because I decided to give all of me to him. The rain of love was downpouring in my heart. Just like many a little makes a mickle, I began to melt into him gradually. And finally he made love to me passionately. Chapter 348 Chapter 348: Chapter 347 I woke up when I felt tickled and floated in the air. Someone was slowly sweeping my disheveled hair. I unwittingly smiled because he was stroking my hair carefully as if he was touching a valuable artwork. I felt really good because I felt he treated me so preciously. While I was tossing and turning in a dreamlike condition, I opened my eyes, surprised by the feel of his strong muscles that I felt through his thin pajamas. Where am I now? Who the hell dares to lie on my side¡­ Ah. ¡°Did you have a good sleep, Tia? Good morning. ¡± Since it was early in the morning, his voice was somewhat subdued and soft. My face blushed suddenly when I saw his warm blue eyes up close. I hurriedly looked down and hid my face under the nket. As I was very embarrassed, I couldn¡¯t meet his eyes face to face. I felt a bit relieved under the nket when he pulled me into his arms strongly, removing the nket and revealing my face again. Looking at me mischievously, he said, kissing my temple gently, ¡°Honey, you¡¯re so cute!¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to call me Rube when you¡¯re alone with me? You called me Rube wellst night. Did you forget it already?¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Although I screamed not to think aboutst night, I already found myself recalling what happenedst night. I felt heated up, recalling that he teased me several times when I hesitated to call him Rube. Even though I called his nickname repeatedly, he kept pressing me to repeat it, as if he didn¡¯t hear me. So, I called his name several times, moaning in unbearable sexual pleasure. On such asions, he hugged me more tightly and licked my wet eyes. ¡®Oops! Hey, wake up, Aristia. What are you thinking about in the morning?¡¯ Barely pulling myself together, I raised my aching body, he stopped for a moment while reaching out to me with a smile. I noticed him making a little frown, so I quickly got close to him, stunned, forgetting to avoid his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you sick?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I think I¡¯ve got a cramp.¡± ¡°Pardon? Howe you had a cramp all of a sudden? Ah¡­¡± Only then did I realize that I had been lying on his arm until then. If that¡¯s the case, I could understand the situation. Even if he was diligent in physical training as a rule, it was possible that he would have a cramp in his arm because he pillowed my head on his arm all through the night. Suddenly, I felt very sorry, so apologized to him hesitantly. ¡°Sorry, Your Majesty. You had a cramp because of me ¡­¡± ¡°Shush! As I told you recently, don¡¯t say anything like ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± to me.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. My heart sinks whenever I hear you say that.¡± I could not say anything further at his disapproving look. Come to think of it, he might have been sick and tired of the way I habitually said that to him. Even when I had to express thanks. I told him I was sorry. ¡°Okay, Your Majesty. I will never say that again. ¡± When I replied with a smile, he nodded as if he was satisfied. Then he lightly sped and unsped his hands, and wrapped my neck with his hands. Then heid me down again and kissed me softly, saying, ¡°By the way, where are you going now?¡± ¡°Well, the sun is already in the middle of the sky¡­¡± ¡°High sun? What are you talking about? It¡¯s still midnight in my eyes. ¡± I was speechless at his innocent ying. Howe he could say it¡¯s still midnight when it¡¯s so bright outside the window? But he pretended not to have noticed my puzzled look, and swept his disheveled hair. I was thrilled when his breathing touched my ears, but I took pains to push him gently and pulled the string hanging at the bedside. I really had to get up. ¡°I pulled the string, so please get up. In no time, the maids wille in.¡± Although I tried to say more, I couldn¡¯t because he again showered me with kisses. I gently closed my eyes when something fluffy tickled my mouth softly. I naturally stretched my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. When I let out a hot breath, stroking his soft hair with my fingers, I vaguely heard a maid saying something at the entrance of the door, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. Let me get out of here right away!¡± I came to my senses immediately. What have I been doing until now? When I hurriedly pushed him aside and turned back, I saw several maids running out of the room, blushing. Among them was Lina. I was overwhelmed by unbearable embarrassment. ¡®How can I see them face to face? What should I do? It¡¯s all because of the emperor. I clearly told him that the maids woulde in anytime, but he turned me on like this!¡¯ I pulled off the nket and went down the bed, pouting at him. When I was about to turn after looking at him with a sullen face, he quickly grabbed my wrist and said urgently, ¡°Are you angry?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Although I didn¡¯t see him face to face, I could feel he was very embarrassed by my firm reply. Although I giggled as my anger faded away at his embarrassed look, I turned my eyes away from him, pretending I was still upset with him. I was now being mischievous for fun. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. I did not intend to embarrass you. ¡± ¡°Huh! What should I do?¡± ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll head out first, Your Majesty.¡± Speaking more firmly, I gently pulled my hand from his, controlling my unbearable smile at the moment. Although I heard him calling me urgently from behind, I headed for the dressing room, pretending not to have heard him. It was the start of a refreshing morning. *** The sun of July was shining brightly. After looking out the window, which was very bright even in the early morning, I walked, taking care not to drag the hem of my skirt. In the middle of my room was a bed with a white curtain draped over it. The crest of a roaring golden lion came into my view as I approached it. Watching the familiar crest for a moment, I carefully removed the curtain and looked inside the curtain. His thick eyshes were forming a shade under his dark blue hair. As if he dreamt a good dream, his face, which always looked expressionless, looked rxed andfortable. A smile came to my lips because I felt happy by just looking at him. Carefully sitting on the bed, I reached out to him. Although I felt sorry to wake him up because he was fast asleep, I had no other choice but to wake him up because I heard there was an important political meeting today. It was time to wake him up, so he could attend the meeting on time. When I was about to call him, caressing his strong arms, I suddenly recalled what he told me in passing. He kissed me softly when I strained my eyes, asking me to kiss him first just one time. What should I do? Shall I try? When I saw his slightly open lips, my heart beat fast. But I took pains to cautiously grab his hair together in a way that I didn¡¯t touch him. Then I tried to put my lips to his cautiously, closing my eyes. The closer my lips got to his, the more my heart beat like crazy. When I felt his warm breathing between his slightly open lips, blood was flowing through my whole body as if it were sprinting. A little closer and I could kiss his lips, but I still felt like his lips were still far, so I bowed my back further, calming my throbbing heart. Chapter 349 Chapter 349: Chapter 348 The moment I raised my body after barely kissing his lips, he wrapped my waist with his hand suddenly and pulled me. In a moment of confusion, he put his tongue into my mouth. I suddenly came to my senses when he was at it again. What the heck? Was he awake until now? Although I was struggling in embarrassment, he pulled me closer to keep me from getting away. As he gave me a deep kiss, grabbing my waist with one hand and supporting the back of my head with the other, my stiffened body began to rx slowly. I naturally closed my eyes that I opened in surprise. How much time passed? I willingly epted his deep kiss without any resistance, but when he unbuttoned my jacket and touched my breasts gently, I came to my senses. I was not supposed to do it at this time when the sun already rose in the sky. I hurriedly raised my body and squinted at him. Normally, he would have adjusted my dishevelled clothes, but this time he didn¡¯t show any reaction. Instead, he looked at me quietly, then hugged me tightly all of a sudden before I said something to him. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± When I called him in a low voice, curious about his actions, he kissed my temple lightly and said, ¡°Are you going to kill me?¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°You gave me a morning kiss, right? Do you know how much I was surprised? My heart might have exploded when you kissed me!¡± ¡°¡­¡± I knew I was taken in again. When I was silent with a sullen expression, he giggled at me and tugged me closer to him. He said, burying his head in a lock of my long hair hanging loose. ¡°Whew¡­I really don¡¯t want to get up. It¡¯s because you are so pretty. ¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°By the way, why did you get up so early? Besides, you¡¯re already done dressing.¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t get up that early. The sun is already up in the sky. Besides, you don¡¯t sleep a lot, I¡¯m not a sleepy head, either.¡± When I answered in a sullen voice, heughed loudly again. Then he gently put his lips on my forehead and got up with a sigh. ¡°I think I have to get up now. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to ruin my schedule including the meeting today.¡± Giggling at his annoyed tone, I pulled the string. Even though it¡¯s already been six months since I got married to him, I always felt refreshed whenever he showed such actions. I felt warm in my heart. ¡°Excuse me, Your Highness. What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Let me prepare the official robes for the emperor, so you can help him with washing. Lina, can youe here for a minute?¡± While he was being served by the maids who just came in, Lina came to me and tied up my dress. While adjusting my dress andbing my hair again, Lina seemed to have a lot to say to me. But I received his clothes from the maids, trying to ignore Lina¡¯s nce, who was all smiles on her face. When I was examining any wrinkles or blemishes on his clothes that were as white as snow, he already finished washing his face and waved at me lightly. I let the maids out and approached him. It¡¯s almost one month that I have been in charge of preparing clothes for him since I initiated this job one month ago. As if he was familiar with my serving, he dly let me take care of his clothes with a satisfied expression, though I was still clumsy at it. When I adjusted his shirt and trousers, a waistcoat and a jacket, and finally the blue cravat, he lightly kissed my forehead and whispered low, ¡°Thank you, Tia.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Your Majesty. Are youfortable now?¡± ¡°Very good.¡± ¡°Really? If you feel any inconvenience, please let me know right away instead of hiding it like you didst time. Do you know how embarrassed I was when someone tipped me off?¡± When I gently squinted at him, he smiled and reassured me that it was not too bad. Then he reached out to me politely, ¡°Will you give me the honor of eating with you?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± When I put my hand on his, replying prudishly, he giggled and led me. I smiled, as I was walking, escorted by him in a happy mood. *** ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not without precedent anyway. What¡¯s more, it¡¯s not the first time you¡¯ve been there. Who is going to take issue with your attendance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, but¡­¡± Regardless of the purpose of his persuading me, he had a point. When I was a bit hesitant, he immediately got back to persuading me, ¡°Anyway, you are the empress as well as the sessor of the Monique family. No one willin about your attendance at the political meeting because Marquis Monique is away.¡± ¡°Um, yes, I understand. Then let¡¯s go together, Rube. ¡± He smiled at me when I epted his offer to attend the meeting, then rose from his seat. I put down the sorbet I was holding without saying something then followed him. The atmosphere of the conference hall I entered after a long time was still vibrant. The noble faction members who saw me entering with him were a bit embarrassed, but the tense mood of the rival factions melted away when their leaders weed me with a smile. After greeting Marquis Mirwa with a nod, I hesitated for a moment before sitting next to the emperor. Even though I was the sessor of the Monique family, it seemed to be right for me to sit at the head table as I was the empress. ¡°Hmm¡­I will start the political meeting. Today¡¯s agenda is ¡­¡± While listening to the agenda of the meeting announced by Duke Verita, I looked around the conference hall again. As I was not sitting in the seat I sat as the designated sessor of the Monique family half a year ago, I felt a bit awkward about the atmosphere of the political meeting where rival faction members used to exchange barbed words. It was perhaps because the new members of the noble faction reced Duke Jena and his clique who were always in confrontation with the pro-emperor faction. When I cast a nce at the vacant seat of my father who was dispatched as the head of the delegation to the Lisa kingdom, I felt somebody grabbing my right hand gently. When I looked aside, stunned, he was smiling at me furtively. A smile came to my lips when he smiled at me as if he shared some secret, but I looked straight, managing my expression, for fear they might think my actions strange. But the more I tried to concentrate on the meeting, the more I became distracted because he became more and more aggressive in caressing my fingers under the table. I tried to pull out my hand gently, but he casually stopped me and intertwined his fingers with mine one by one. Hisrge palm gently covered the back of my hand, and his fingers tightly pressing on mine tickled my palm slowly. Just likest night, I could feel his warmth in his palm, which began to soften after the calluses disappeared. I was sensually heated up because of his erotic movement that reminded me of the passionate sex we hadst night. I was getting out of breath more and more, so I silently stared at him while trying to catch my breath. What the heck is he doing to me in the public ce? What if he is caught doing this? However, he didn¡¯t show any reaction even though I sent him a clear alert. Now he slowly caressed my hand. As I was a bit annoyed, I pinched the hack of his hand with my left hand. Only then did he release my hand tightly intertwined with his fingers. Although he managed to keep a nk expression because he had been used to it for a long time, it seemed that he did a double take when he looked around. ¡®Yeah, I wish you had released my hand when I signalled to you.¡¯ I was about to turn my head with a sullen expression, when my eyes met Marquis Mirwa¡¯s who was looking at me and the emperor. There was nothing particr in his light green eyes, but I felt a bit embarrassed. So, I took my eyes off of him naturally and looked around the conference hall casually. ¡°¡­ In that case, I think we¡¯ll be done overhauling it by this fall.¡± ¡°Good. Please go ahead as nned.¡± Chapter 350 Chapter 350: Chapter 349 I took my eyes off of him and looked around the conference hall casually. ¡°¡­ In that case, I think we¡¯ll be done overhauling it by this fall.¡± ¡°Good. Please go ahead as nned.¡± ¡°But I think the duke¡¯s too optimistic, Your Majesty. If ¡­.¡± argued a member of the noble faction. While I was listening to their argument, I noticed the emperor picking up a piece of paper on one corner of the table and writing something down quickly. The participants engaged in the argument stopped for a moment, but he waved at them to continue, then kept writing a memo. Quickly looking around at them, I turned my head to the emperor next to me. I was curious what he was writing down because I had never seen him do it until now. Did he already notice what I was thinking? A littleter he put down the quill pen and showed me the note, which was as follows. ¡°Oh my God¡­¡± I moaned a bit in spite of myself. What the heck is he doing now? Was he writing down this kind of memo when everybody in the meeting was focusing on him? When I was dumbfounded at his ridiculous behavior, Duke Verita raised his hand to stop the meeting. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Your Highness? Did the emperor say anything to you?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± I stuttered. ¡°Well, I asked for her opinion about my idea. We seem to have a different opinion on the matter you just mentioned, I think I have toe up with apromise.¡± ¡°Oh, really? If so, what is the conclusion that both of you havee to?¡± I made a hollow smile at the duke who was duped by the emperor so readily. The participants seemed to think we were talking about today¡¯s agenda, but what the emperor said had nothing to do with that. In fact, he was subtly demanding for me to reply to his note. ¡°I think I should know the empress¡¯s opinion first. Please answer me. What do you think about my idea?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re absolutely right, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Are you serious? It seemed like you didn¡¯t agree until a minute ago. ¡± ¡°No, I think I was narrow-minded. You¡¯re right, Your Majesty.¡± Though I was a bit upset about him who had created this kind of situation, I had only one answer to his question because that¡¯s what happened. I couldn¡¯t show them that he and I were in confrontation. Besides, I could not disclose his note. ¡°I see. Well, I think the empress agrees with me. Duke Verita, can you continue the meeting? I¡¯m sorry to interrupt the meeting.¡± ¡°Thanks, Your Majesty. Earl Wrestling, please go ahead.¡± ¡°Okay. What I just said ¡­¡± With my eyes fixed on the participants, as if nothing happened, I pouted at him. ¡®You¡¯re being so cheap! You¡¯ll have to pay for this. I¡¯ll give it a pass for now because they are watching us. But I won¡¯t overlook it when the meeting is over.¡¯ I pped his hand when he was trying to put it again on my hand, and squinted at him. He watched me quietly with a smile, which made me a bit upset. Murmuring to myself that I would make him pay for this, I folded his note roughly. Even though I usually overlooked his embarrassing approach like this, I could not tolerate it today. How much time passed? When Duke Verita, looking happy, announced the end of the meeting, the emperor immediately got up and reached out to me. I thought about just going back to my pce for a moment, but I silently followed him out of the hall. The royal knights on standby greeted us when we wereing out side by side. While I walked through the noisy hallway with the participantsing out of the meeting, I squinted at him slightly. I heard the rustling of the folded note I sped in my left hand. ¡°You went too far a little while ago, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Um? What do you mean? ¡± ¡°Are you pretending you don¡¯t know? I¡¯m talking about your note. Once you¡¯ve attended the meeting, you have to focus on the agenda. How can you tell me to focus on you?¡± When I spoke in a sullen voice, he replied with a shrug, which was really annoying, ¡°Well, I think we were past this. You said you agreed with my opinion, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you created a situation that made me answer like that. Do you know how nervous I was for fear somebody noticed our strange interaction?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care even if we¡¯re caught. We¡¯re a couple, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Oh my goodness! Please stop it.¡± When I stared at him coldly, he smiled at me, then opened the door of his office. When I inadvertently stepped in, he said, hugging me, ¡°Okay. You want me to focus on the agenda at the meeting in the future, right?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, yes¡­that¡¯s what I want.¡± Is it because I got close to him now? When he looked down at me, with one hand on the wall, I stuttered and nodded in spite of myself, overwhelmed by his imposing attitude. My heart began to beat fast as I felt electrified at the moment. ¡°Right. Then, Tia. ¡± ¡°Pardon¡­Your Majesty.¡± ¡°As the meeting is over, can I continue what I stopped doing?¡± He whispered, putting his lips close to my ears. His warm breathing made the short hair near my ears stand. Feeling a thrill, I stuck out my dry tongue and moistened my lips in spite of myself as he kept whispering right into my ears. I was getting short of breath because of the tingling that I felt in my legs. ¡°Um? Why are you not answering me?¡± ¡°Because¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Even the meeting you like so much is over now.¡± My whole body trembled at his voice that reminded me of that erotic night and his hand caressing my face. As I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, I said in a small voice with my face down, ¡°Oh, then please make love in bed, not here¡­¡± ¡°Good. You clearly said yes.¡± ¡°Yes¡­Your Majesty.¡± The moment I replied, blushing, I suddenly felt like I floated in the air, and my vision was upside down quickly. Startled, I held his neck. I now clearly knew what he wanted from me. ¡°Please let me down, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m holding back the urge to do it right now. If you ask me to get you down once more, I¡¯m going to have you here. What would you do? Do you still want me to let you down?¡± When I noticed his sizzling sexual desire in his deep blue eyes, I suddenly became speechless, so I shook my head, closing my mouth. Only then did he smile with satisfaction and open the door to the hallway. People in the hallway looked at him in awe and surprise when he walked away briskly, holding me in his arms. He didn¡¯t care about their gaze at all, but I buried my face into his arms as I couldn¡¯t dare look at them. Was it because I was out of their view? I could still hear them urgently breathing in and sighing in awe here and there in the hallway. But I was now a bit less shy than before perhaps because I felt cozy and warm at the familiar scent of his body and regr shaking when he was walking, with me in his arms. ¡®Yes, what¡¯s the big deal? It doesn¡¯t matter as long as he embraces me warmly like this and wants me so much.¡¯ Suddenly, I felt my heart was full, so I smiled at him, tightening my grip on his arms. It was a happy day. Chapter 351 Chapter 351: Chapter 351 When I bit my lips to stop tears from falling down, he suddenly came over and stopped while trying to hug me. He raised my face with his hand urgently and asked in a very embarrassing voice, ¡°Are you crying? What¡¯s the matter? Did I hurt you? ¡± ¡°Oh, no, Your Majesty. I suddenly ¡­¡± He hugged me in a hurry and asked, wiping away my tears, ¡°Suddenly what? You must have reason for shedding tears. Don¡¯t cry, Tia. What is going on?¡± When I looked at his deep blue eyes full of worry about me, I realized my concern was groundless, and that I didn¡¯t have to feel nervous at all. However, tears flowed down again, even though I felt relieved that I misunderstood him. He got more and more nervous when my tears kepting. He was at a loss about what to do for a moment, then he pulled me into his arms and said, gently patting my back, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What the hell is going on here? Why are you crying like this?¡­ ¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know, Your Majesty. I don¡¯t have anything to cry about, but I just can¡¯t control my tears¡­¡± ¡°Um? Nothing to cry about?¡±He paused for a moment and asked curiously, ¡°Um¡­is it because of the letter you were reading?¡± ¡°I think I misunderstood you rather than the letter¡­¡± ¡°Misunderstood me? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Oh, I misunderstood that you were angry¡­¡± ¡°Oh, really? Are you sure?¡± I now felt he was no more nervous or tense because of my crying. He gently pulled me out of his arms and said, leaning forward at my eye level, ¡°How can I be angry with you for such a trifling thing, Tia?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You know because you already saw the letters, but I wrote them, but didn¡¯t send them to you. That¡¯s why I reacted like that because I was rather embarrassed when I found out you saw them.¡± After exining to me kindly, he reached out and wiped out the teardrops in my eyes. I could find anything other than friendliness in his attitude, but I could not meet his eyes because I felt ashamed somehow. I was very embarrassed at the fact that I cried over such a trifling thing as an adult, not a child. When I slightly lowered my head to hide my blushing, somebody knocked on the door. The Lord Chambein came in and said, ¡°Your Majesty, they¡¯re all ready as you directed. Can I ask them to wait a little longer?¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot! Um, do you have any more to say?¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°Good. Let me go out right now. Tell them to get ready.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± When the chambein went out after bowing politely, he reached out to me after adjusting my dishevelled dress. Then, he offered to escort me somewhere. I thought about it for a moment. Where does he want to take me? What was it that he prepared? ¡°Um? What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°Well, Your Majesty, where are you going now?¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you because I¡¯m absent-minded. I¡¯m going to the restaurant. It¡¯s dinner time now. ¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I told the chief chef to specially prepare your favorite food. It seems you don¡¯t have any appetite these days.¡± Oh, that was why he said that to me. I nodded gently, thinking about what happened in the morning. I often skipped meals these days because my stomach was a little upset. Initially he overlooked it because it¡¯s not a big deal. But when I kept skipping meals, he seemed to have decided that he could take some measures. In the end, he rebuked me when I emptied a te of sd for breakfast. Then he said he would check whether I was eating properly from now on. Given the way he spoke to me, it was obvious that he told the chief chef to prepare some delicious food for me. Although I didn¡¯t feel like I wanted to eat anything particr, I silently put my hand on his hand. I didn¡¯t want to worry him with this, when I already had him concerned about me because of my crying over nothing special. When I arrived at the small restaurant that I often visited these days. A littleter the servants and maids started bringing food. All the dishes made from raw vegetables, grilled mushrooms with asparagus, and d fruit dishes that I liked because of its spicy taste were all my favorite, like he said. As if to examine his assignment, he asked after looking at the dishes, ¡°Do you like the food?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± I nodded with a gentle smile. I felt happy because I knew immediately he prepared the food with deep affection for me. It was partly because the food was my favorite, but I was deeply touched by the fact that he directly instructed the chef to prepare the food for me who didn¡¯t have a good appetite these days. ¡°Please have a lot. I¡¯m going to see you empty all the dishes today. ¡± ¡°Sure, Your Majesty. You, too, enjoy the food, will you?¡± I lifted the fork in a happy mood, but I could hardly eat because I felt nauseated. What¡¯s wrong with me? Suddenly, I bit my lips gently. Even though he prepared the dishes that I liked very much, I didn¡¯t feel like I wanted to eat them. As a gourmet, he didn¡¯tment about the food, which meant the food was good enough. But I felt even the lightly baked mushroom dish was greasy. In the end, I felt nauseated at the smell of the mushrooms. I put down the fork slightly and drank water. But as soon as I had cold water, my stomach began to be upset again. I decided that I would have to see the royal doctor, so I told a servant to put away the empty dishes. Until now, I didn¡¯t call the doctor for fear he might be worried about me, but I felt ufortable these days because my stomach had been upset for the past several days. I didn¡¯t think some food was stuck in my stomach because it had been there too long. When I drank a cup of water for the second time because my stomach turned, he asked with an anxious voice, checking my expression while eating, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you like the food?¡¯ ¡°No, Your Majesty. It¡¯s because¡­¡± ¡°Because?¡± ¡°Oh, actually, my stomach has been upset a lot. It looks like I¡¯ve got an upset stomach.¡± ¡°Then, is that the reason why you could hardly eat anything these days?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s right¡­¡¯ I tried to choose words carefully for fear he might worry, but he seemed angry, as if he checked out the situation from A to Z. He reprimanded me sharply after telling the servant to call the royal doctor immediately. ¡°How stupid you are! If you felt such symptoms, you should have called the doctor immediately. Why were you putting up with that without saying anything to me?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Well, why are you so sick alone every single time without letting me know¡­Whew, oh, I think I¡¯m talking too harshly.¡± He stopped talking further while trying to say something, then pressed his temple with his finger. Then, a littleter, he said with a sigh, ¡°I understand how you feel, but never do it again in the future. I¡¯m afraid you can get really sick.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll keep it in mind, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­If you can¡¯t talk, I wouldn¡¯t be this annoyed.¡± Instead of rebuking me like before, he softened his attitude and pulled my hand off my knees. When I looked at him curiously, he said, pressing my palm firmly with his thumb, ¡°Don¡¯t you think you have me in your pocket? You make me nervous several times a day.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was suddenly angry with you. But Tia, if you have a problem like this, tell me first. Don¡¯t even think I will be worried because of you. You can¡¯t keep hiding it forever even if you don¡¯t talk to me, right?¡± ¡°Yes I will do so. I think I was narrow-minded. I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. ¡± When I nodded gently, he rxed his hardened expression atst. At that moment, the servant who was standing at a distance, was seen approaching me carefully. The middle-aged woman who walked behind him was the woman doctor that I had met because of her treatment of Beatrice. ¡°I, Heres Lant, am honored to greet you, the Sun of the empire and the Moon of the empire. I¡¯vee here at your order, Your Majesty. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Chapter 352 Chapter 352: Chapter 352 ¡°The empress is sick. Can you check her condition?¡± ¡°Really? Then I¡¯ll ask you for a minute. Your Highness. What is ailing you? ¡± ¡°In fact, my stomach has been upset for the past few days. Just looking at food makes me feel nauseated, so I can hardly eat anything.¡± ¡°Then, may I check your body for a moment?¡± ¡°Sure, just go ahead.¡± When I slowly nodded, the woman immediately checked my body here and there. Then, she asked me with an expectant expression, ¡°Your Highness, have you ever felt you don¡¯t like the food you used to enjoy anymore or felt nauseated at the smell of food?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, are you sleeping a little longer than you did?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Come to think of it, I think that¡¯s true. Sometimes I fall asleep while working.¡± ¡°Does your mood swing often? For example, have you felt suddenly depressed or shed tears?¡± ¡°Yes, I experienced that.¡± When I answered, thinking about what had happened before I came to the restaurant, the woman asked with a happy expression, ¡°Finally, I will ask one more thing, Your Highness. When was yourst period?¡± ¡°Period? Why are you asking that suddenly? Am I then¡­?¡± I opened my eyes wide at the sudden awakening that I might be pregnant. The woman who nodded at me, said with a loud voice, when I hesitated to continue, ¡°Congrattions, Your Highness! You¡¯re pregnant.¡± ¡°Really? Did you say I am pregnant?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I think the pce office didn¡¯t check out your situation correctly because your period was irregr. Given your symptoms and pulse, it¡¯s certain that you are pregnant. Congrattions, Your Highness! Congrattions, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Congrattions, Your Highness! Congrattions, Your Majesty!¡± The woman doctor, servants and maids offered congrattions all at once, but I could not say anything. Faced with the unexpected good news that I had been longing for, I just spaced out as if someone hit my head. Only my pounding heart was heard in my ears. So, I¡¯m pregnant now? Only a year ago wasn¡¯t I stigmatized as an infertile woman by the noble faction? Tears pricked my eyes suddenly. I couldn¡¯t believe it. Although I heard from the imperial doctor that I could have a baby, I thought it would be very difficult to get pregnant. Above all, I had been poisoned for a long time. Besides, my mother, who had been poisoned like me, got pregnant only seven years after marriage. Despite this adverse situation, am I pregnant now? ¡°Oh my God¡­¡± My heart was getting full. Feeling an indescribable joy, I put my trembling hands on my stomach and quickly blinked my tearful eyes. ¡®Thank you, my baby. Thank you so much foring to me like this.¡¯ I felt something like warm energy in my palm as if it conveyed my baby¡¯s body temperature. Although the doctor was saying something to me with a broad smile, I couldn¡¯t hear anything. For me now, it was even very difficult to calm down my thrilled heart. The moment I took a deep breath to calm down my pounding heart, he suddenly came up and said in a warm voice, ¡°Thank you, Tia.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Look, what did I tell you? Remember I told you that you could still have a baby, so you should not give up? Great! I thought you could make it. Wonderful!¡± ¡°¡­¡± When I saw him pouring out words like a waterfall, a smile came to my lips in spite of myself. I was very happy that as someone who was always rational, he liked my pregnancy so much. Perhaps the reason why I was so happy was not only because he was happy, but also because I was freed from the fear that I might not give birth to a baby who could seed him. In some respects, he might be the one who was most nervous and worried about my infertility. He might have been distressed a lot because he could not reveal his feelings to me for fear I might be hurt. When I thought of him who must have been distressed alone, I suddenly got choked up emotionally. So, I said with a wet voice, ¡°What a relief! I¡¯m so happy to live up to your expectations. Actually, I was very worried that I might not have a baby. You were, too, right?¡± ¡°¡­Tia. ¡± ¡°Thank you. You might have had a hard time because of that, but you have held out silently and gotten hold of me to the end without giving up. And¡­I thank you for being happy now.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Who can¡¯t be happy on a great asion like this? It¡¯s me who really has to say thank you. I wouldn¡¯t have tasted happiness without you. ¡± Tears sprang to my ears at his gentle whispering. Now, I had all my wounded feelings of the past healed. I felt so warm and cozy at his kind words. Wait a minute! Come to think of it¡­ I was thrilled even more when I suddenly recalled something that I had forgotten for a long time. On the eighteenth day of the eighth month in the summer of 965 by the imperial calendar, which was exactly today, I was killed at the execution stand, with so much regret and resentment buried in my heart. But on the same day today when I just turned 17, I found myself so happy, held in his arms. I was no more the old me who was not loved or weed at all. I earned his love and his baby now, smiling more happily than anyone else. ¡°Ha¡­¡± When I felt my eyes were full of tears, I tightened my grip on his arms and hid my falling tears. The day of the nightmare when I lost my life suddenly turned into the day of life full of joy, which I had been dreaming of all the time. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. You shouldn¡¯t cry on a happy day like this.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t cry, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­just stop crying now. Your beautiful face is a mess with tears. As you will have a baby, you look like a baby now. Well, I still like you for that, but as the First Lady of the empire, please don¡¯t give the people the impression that you¡¯re a crybaby¡­Um?¡± While he was trying to soothe me kindly, he suddenly stopped. I was wondering why he did so for a moment, then suddenly I came to realize that I was not in the restaurant, where there were also other people from the pce. I was embarrassed. Right now in this ce there were many others than us two. I was really dumbfounded when I imagined how they would think about us when we were overjoyed, expressing honest feelings to each other. What should I do when I bump into them in the future? However, contrary to my concerns, there was not a single person except for us in the restaurant. It seemed that all of them left the ce after quickly discovering that we were so happy because of my pregnancy. Suddenly, I felt a great relief, so I sighed, smoothing down my throbbing heart. I didn¡¯t know how long they saw us, but I was d anyway. He seemed to have felt the same way. He let out a sigh and said with a smile, ¡°Indeed, every day is new to me if I¡¯m with you. I keep discovering something about myself that I didn¡¯t know. ¡± ¡°Same to me, Your Majesty. By the way, what should we do? It seems very awkward if we stay here. I¡¯m embarrassed if I have to go out like this¡­¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s go out if you don¡¯t have anything to eat. No, I think you should eat a little more. You have a baby now.¡± ¡°Um, but I can hardly swallow the food. Sorry, Your Majesty. I really appreciate your warm consideration.¡± ¡°Well, I understand. Don¡¯t you want to eat anything? Just let me know. Let me tell the chef to prepare it even tomorrow if you give me the name of the food.¡± I nodded slightly, then stopped with a smile. Suddenly, I wanted to y a joke on him when I recalled something, which I was also curious about. ¡°I don¡¯t have an appetite for any food at the moment, but I¡¯ve got one thing that I want to have. Can you give it to me?¡± ¡°Anything you want. Tell me, Tia. What do you want to have? ¡± ¡°Well, that bunch of letters I was holding a little while ago.¡± ¡°Um? That bunch of letters? ¡± While he asked back curiously, he suddenly blushed. Looking at me in embarrassment, who was smiling brightly at him, he said in a hesitant voice, ¡°Um, do you really want them?¡± ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t want to give them to me?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m a bit reluctant¡­ Can I give you something else, Tia? ¡± ¡°But I am curious about what¡¯s in the letters¡­ ¡± Chapter 353 Chapter 353: Chapter 353 When I murmured in a sullen tone, he looked at me with a restless expression. Holding back my bursting smile, I turned my head elsewhere. I was amused at this unusual reversal of what had been going on normally. Has he been teasing me to enjoy this delight every day? When I saw him getting embarrassed, I wanted to tease him a little more, but I looked at him, trying to subdue my smile. If I went a little further, I felt he would be really put on the spot. ¡°Then, can you give me a letter other than that, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Um? Another letter? Which one? ¡± ¡°Just any letter. In fact, I was a bit sad that you stopped writing me letters. You often sent me letters before we got married, right?¡± ¡°Oh, I see. I will write you a letter every day from now on.¡± He answered, making an impish smile at me when I pouted as if I was disappointed with him. Then he lightly grabbed my hand and gently kissed its back, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m sure everyone here is at a loss, watching us.¡± ¡°Sure, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°By the way, can you walk around like this? I hear you have to be very careful in the early stage of pregnancy.¡± ¡°Pardon? You¡¯re worried too much. If that¡¯s true, there would be so few babies born safely in this world.¡± ¡°Who knows? So, just fall in my arms. Let me hold you in my arms and take you safely to the pce.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want it. I was already so embarrassedst time, so that¡¯s enough for me.¡± Squinting at him slightly, I hurriedly got out of the restaurant before he picked me up. I heard him calling me urgently from behind, while the officials of the pce affairs department bowed to me hurriedly. A smile came to my lips in spite of myself. < There are a few more episodes that show how much the emperor loved the empress. The most outstanding one among them was one involving my sister, Diana. Wherever they went, the emperor couple produced lots of tidbits to disy their deep affection for each other. In fact, I always thought that it was the emperor who was a devoted husband, but the empress also loved him deeply. Of course, it was right that the emperor usually made a fuss over trifling things first. For example, it would be far from dangerous for her to walk from the Central Pce to her pce. Nheless, he allegedly walked after her desperately for fear she might fall on her way to the pce, but she tried to run away from him for fear she might be embarrassed again. To be honest, it¡¯s six of one and half a dozen of the other. How could she say she was not embarrassed by him chasing her while she felt embarrassed when he held her in his arms and took her to their bedroom even in the broad daylight? Well, they might call me a bad son if I said this, but I think they are too shameless. Normally they don¡¯t pretend to, but they are surely, given such episodes. ¡­Oh my God, perhaps that¡¯s why my sister Diana shows the same character as the empress. -From Adrian¡¯s Diary> *** The room was shrouded in deep darkness. On a deep night when everyone was resting, held in the arms of the Goddess of Sleep, a man woke up and leaned against the bed with one hand pressing his forehead. As if he was in trouble, he frowned his straight brows deeply. How much time passed? The man, who had been sitting in that position for a long time, slowly raised his head and looked at the empty seat next to him. His navy blue eyes were shining in the dark ce where there was no window. ¡°Tia.¡± His spouse, the empress, was not with him now. He sighed after calling her name, who he missed so dearly. It¡¯s been a month since she left. His sleepless nights that had been going on for a while finally seemed to have reached its peak today. He felt his eyes, which were dried out from mounting fatigue, painful, but he could not go to sleep. ¡®When can I get out of this sleepless night?¡¯ Rublis sighed once again and rubbed his stinging temple firmly. After receiving her letter that asked for a little more time for her to decide, he replied a few days ago that she could do so, pretending he was alright. He regretted, however, that he had granted her request. He wished he had not let her go there from the beginning. When he thought about what happened a month ago, he frowned unconsciously. Was it the problem that he epted Marquis Monique¡¯s request readily at the thought of winning Tia¡¯s heart by all means? ording to his promise made before the marriage, his lovely wife Tia was the empress and at the same time the sessor of the Monique family, so he had no excuse to turn down her earnest request to visit the estate with her father. Moreover, she was visiting there for the first time in almost ten years. ¡®Well, if Tia enjoys her visit, I¡¯m good.¡¯ He muttered like a sigh, then pulled the string. Shortly afterwards, a servant on standby outside came in and asked politely, ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m ready to ept your order.¡± ¡°Bring some candles here, and¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Rublis thought about going to the office for a moment, but he gave up and shook his hand at the servant. He already brought lots of work homest night, and if he moved at this time, he would cause unnecessary burden to people around him, he thought. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Just bring the light.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± After bowing deeply, the servant lit the candles in the emperor¡¯s spacious room. He smiled bitterly at the scarlet lights that began to fill the room. Before he got married to Tia, he had been ustomed to living alone in the empty room. But with Tia away for such a long time, he found it very hard to go to sleep because he got used to thefort and rxation that came with Tia. After a long sigh, he got back to work, but closed the documents after reading them with blurred eyes for some time. Because he couldn¡¯t sleep properly, his eyes were so dried out that he couldn¡¯t read anything. He even had a headache. As he could not stand it anymore, he removed the papers, theny back in bed and closed his eyes. Without her, the bed, which he didn¡¯t know was so big, looked so spacious and empty today. ¡®What is she doing now?¡¯ Is she sleepless like me because she misses me so much? Or is she sleeping peacefully as usual?¡¯ When he recalled Tia¡¯s sleeping face, he seemed to feel rxed a bit after being on edge all day long. He loved all of her, but what he loved most was her sleeping in his arms. Whenever she slept peacefully as if she forgot all her bitter memories of the past, he often got a lump in his throat. Because he felt so good about looking at Tia sleeping, he woke up a little earlier than he and looked at her for a while. Then he couldn¡¯t control his desire, so he kissed her pink lips. How beautiful her golden eyes were when they were revealed byher fluttering eyshes! When he thought of her soft body and her sweet lips, he suddenly felt he was having an erection all of a sudden. He broke into a smile at his erection that came along even when he was exhausted from work. It¡¯s been eight years since he married her. In the meantime they had a baby girl who was a carbon copy of Tia, but whenever he recalled her, he had an erection in spite of himself. After several years of marriage most men lived with their spouses through thick and thin, high and low, not in love, but he was obviously not in their league. Given his behavior patterns until now, it was evident that he could not stop loving her. ¡®I think it was right that I made such an oath back then.¡¯ Without his oath that day, it was evident that it would be very difficult for him to ovee the situation, let alone her who was always suspicious and scared of him. To be honest, it was a miracle that he could get by without going crazy with jealousy at that time. Chapter 354 Chapter 354: Chapter 354 When he thought about those days when he was nervous and restless because of others trying to win her heart, he smiled in satisfaction. Only now could he reminisce with a smile, but he had to calm down his violent temper several times a day whenever he thought about her back then. Anyway, people around her valued her so much that he knew if he hurt her once more, she would not really look back at him again. ¡®That¡¯s why I can¡¯t live without her as a devoted husband!¡¯ But he genuinely thought that wasn¡¯t too bad. As the emperor, he already had everything in the world, but whenever he saw Tia smiling, he felt like he really had the whole world. Even though he listened to her most of the time, he knew when he had bedside talk with her, he could have her agree with him nine out of ten times. Of course, he had to be ready for her nagging the next day. When he recalled her narrowing her eyes sharply, he found himself turned on again, though he barely calmed down his strong sexual desire a moment ago. He almost went crazy. ¡®I¡¯m afraid I have to change my job to a priest.¡¯ Suddenly he became cynical, thinking like that, and hysterically pulled the nket over his head. He decided that when she came back, he would confine her to the bed and make love for at least three days. *** ¡°¡­ Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Daddy, Your Majesty! It¡¯s morning already.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Oh my¡­please wake up! Why can¡¯t you get up today? You don¡¯t sleep normally. ¡± Rublis frowned deeply at the high tone of a child, which resonated through the room. Since he barely went to sleep veryte at night, he found it so hard to wake up even in the morning. When he barely lifted his eyelids at the child¡¯s violent shaking, he saw something silvery fluttering in the beaming sunlight. The little child smiled brightly at him who was frowning again because of a sense of deja vu when he saw her. ¡°Good morning, Daddy, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, Dia, what¡¯s the matter with you in the morning?¡± When he asked slowly, raising his body, she chose words for a moment, rolling her big golden eyes. He broke into a smile, forgetting that he felt displeased a moment ago because Dia¡¯s actions reminded him of Tia when she tried to check his expression. ¡°Your Majesty, may I go outside the pce today?¡± ¡°Um? Where do you want to go?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to y with Gradis. Can I go? Please, please!¡± He raised his eyebrows a bit, looking at her who kept egging on him with a charming voice. ¡®So, you have been teasing me like this because you want to y with that boy?¡¯ When he recalled the boy with the red hair who resembled his father, he felt annoyed all the more, but he could not disappoint Dia who was begging him with an expectant look. So, he replied, hiding his unpleasant feelings, ¡°¡­ Yes, you can y with him.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°But you should not y without the royal knights like you didst time. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy. Thanks!¡± Dia, who looked at him nervously, smiled brightly as soon as he approved. Then she kissed his cheek quickly and got out of the room. Watching her for a while, he got up with a hollow smile. He was in terrible shape because he slept less than two hoursst night, but he had no other choice. He could not go back to sleep now as he knew he couldn¡¯t even if he wanted to. He grabbed his heavy hair and changed clothes, then he pulled himself together and headed to the office, realizing her absence once again. He briefly toyed with the idea of stopping by the royal knights division, but it seemed that he could not do a morning workout as he was extremely tired due tock of sleep. As if they noticed he was in a bad mood, his assistants hurriedly handled their assigned work. He smiled, watching them working hard, who had been on alert for more than a month. If the empress were with him now, he would cheer them up withforting words, but he didn¡¯t feel up to it now. In fact, it was her way of appeasing them, not his. ¡±If you feel bad, bring the empress back here.¡¯ Suddenly, he felt out of sorts, so he snatched the document from one of his aides and opened the first page. Howe they are so slow-witted! They could have scratched his itch if he was hesitant for the sake of his honor. ¡®Well, he¡¯s the only guy who is quick-witted to know what I want.¡¯ When he recalled the guy¡¯s broad and sly smile, he felt frustrated, hysterically turning over the document. That knight with blue eyes, Carsein. He was one of the few friends of Tia¡¯s who once used to stick around her to win her heart. Although he knew that Carsein maintained his rtionship with her only as a friend, and that Carsein also had a happy family, Rublis was still bothered by his close ties with her. Granted, he also had more than ten years of friendship with Carsein, he didn¡¯t like Carsein¡¯s continued friendship with her. ¡°¡­ Oh, is it?¡± ¡°Pardon, Your Majesty?¡± Stunned by his murmuring suddenly, his advisors checked his expression furtively. Frowning a bit, he waved at them and said, ¡°It is nothing. So, go ahead.¡± ¡°Oh, ah, yes, Your Majesty. Then I will continue. In this case ¡­¡± Caring little about what his advisors reported, he picked up a quill pen. It happened already a month ago, but he felt bad when he reflected on the matter, no matter how much he tried to leave it behind. Howe Carsein was included as a member of the empress¡¯s delegation visiting her family¡¯s estate? Why was he among other knights selected? Moreover, when he thought about his daughter who kept begging him to let her out to y with Gradis, Carsein¡¯s son, in the morning, he felt awful. He murmured, tightening his grip on the pen, ¡®Damn it. I don¡¯t like anything about Carsein and his son.¡¯ When he was lost in thought about them for a moment, one of his aides shouted with a trembling voice, ¡°Oh my God! Your Majesty?¡± ¡°¡­What the heck?¡± ¡°Your quill pen¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡­ Whew.¡± He sighed anxiously, looking down at his hand stained with ink. His palm was stained with ink here and there because of the broken quill. Watching him hysterically putting down the quill, his aides said, ¡°Your Majesty, you had better put it off until tomorrow. Why don¡¯t you take a break? You look very pale.¡± ¡°I agree, Your Majesty. We¡¯ll give you a briefing again tomorrow after fleshing it out with more details. So, please have a rest today. You really don¡¯t look good.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to get sick. So, please resume your work tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­Okay. You may leave, too.¡± He thought he could not concentrate any more, so he just nodded at their suggestion. When he saw them hurrying out of the office as if they were being chased, he felt worse than before. He pulled the string silently and told the servant to bring some water to wash his hands. He didn¡¯t want to use the handkerchief Tia made for him on an asion like this. So, he wiped his hands clean with the hot water that the servant brought and reopened the letter from her with a sigh a few days ago. At the bottom of the letter was the empress¡¯s own crest engraved with a spear, shield, and lion and a tiara. It was the special crest he gave her, who was not only the empress but also the sessor of the Monique family. After touching the letter that seemed to contain her warmth, he read it again. He had almost memorized by now. Thanks to his repeated reading, he was already gazing at the end of the letter written in her own handwriting style, even though it was rather long. Chapter 355 - Chapter 355 Chapter 355: Chapter 355 When he looked at her words in the letter, cautiously asking for my approval of her request to stay a little longer, he felt bitter, but my bitterness melted away the moment he read her next sentence. Although it has been almost ten years since he got married, it was very hard for him to hear from her that she still loved me. After smacking his mouth a bit, Rublis put the silver stationery back into the folder and took out a new quill pen and blue stationery from the drawer. He already sent a reply to hertest letter, but he had nothing else to do today because he put off his official schedule until tomorrow. Besides, he had to keep the promise that he had made on the day he discovered that she was pregnant with Diana. He quickly skimmed over what he wrote, then crumpled it without any reservation. ¡®This is not the way I can convey my feelings to her.¡¯ He again dipped the quill pen into the ink. He again crumpled the letter after writing it, then put down the quill pen with a sigh. He really couldn¡¯tplete the letter because what he wrote reflected his honest feelings about her fully. Of course, as he gave her a bunch of letters reflecting his affection for her, he had nothing to hide at this point. But he felt ufortable about expressing his jealousy of Carsein and Allendis in the letter. He leaned against the chair, squeezing his dry eyes with his fingers. When he was with her, time flew like an arrow, but he was so bored for the past month, which seemed to pass so slowly. ¡®Can I just go there and bring her back to the pce?¡¯ Suddenly he even thought as far as that. His reason was shouting at him that he should not leave the capital and leave Dia behind who was still very young, but hisplicated thoughts strongly tempted him to leave for her estate right away. When he was troubled by this growing confusion in his mind, the Lord Chambein knocked on the door and came in, ¡°Your Majesty, Marquis Penril, is asking to see you. What shall I do? ¡± ¡°Let him in.¡± Swallowing sigh, he replied. A littleter, a man in a white uniform came in and bowed deeply, ¡°I, Isteron Penril, am honored to see you, the Sun of the empire.¡± ¡°Come on in, Marquis Penril. What business brought you here?¡± When he asked in an embarrassed tone because of his confused thoughts a little while ago, he hesitated for a moment and said with a hardened expression, ¡°Your Majesty, I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. In fact, I could not tell you early on because the empress issued a gag order, but I want to let you know that she already left the estate two days ago¡­¡± ¡°What did you just say? Did the empress leave the estate?¡± ¡°I heard she left two days ago, so I think she might have arrived in the capital by now¡­Your Majesty?¡± What the heck? He sprang to his feet, then ran out of the room, ignoring Marquis Penril¡¯s urgent calling. ¡®Gag order? How could she y such a trick without letting me know?¡¯ In fact, he even thought of running to her estate to escort her back because he could not stand waiting for her anymore. Watching him darting out of the pce, the pce affairs people hastily showed due manners, but he picked up his pace, totally ignoring them, and got out of the Central Pce. He didn¡¯t care when they hastily followed him for his security. Only Marquis Penril¡¯s words that she had probably arrived in the capital by now were hovering into his head. By the time he picked up his pace and began to run, he saw a strong wall that separated the outer pce and inner one at a distance. Since it was still in the afternoon, the gate was still open, so he was trying to rush through it when he suddenly stopped him. Somebody was emerging from the shadow of the wall. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°How did you know? I was going to surprise you. By the way, why does your face look so pale? Are you sick?¡± When he saw her rushing to him and examining his condition carefully, he realized that his wife that he missed so dearly was back. He immediately pulled her and held her in his arms. His nervousness and anxiety went away when he basked in the gentlevender scent of her body. Only then did he feel fully rx. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Howe¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ? ¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that you¡¯re my breath? Never leave me alone again, please.¡± She remained silent for a moment while he was rambling, then patted his back gently as if tofort him. He tightened his arms holding her, for fear he might lose her, then whispered, ¡°I missed you more and more as time passed by, and I thought I was going to die like this. If you hade back even one dayter, I would have stomped out of the pce to your ce.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I missed you, Tia. I am afraid that one month without you was too long for me, so I was afraid I would never see another tomorrow. Don¡¯t leave me so lonely again, please. ¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯m so sorry, Your Majesty. I should have sent you a message in advance. I was narrow-minded.¡± While she found it rather ufortable because of his tight hugging, she gave him apologies instead of trying to get out of his arms. ¡°In fact, as soon as I got your reply, I packed my luggage, but I had more things to pack than I thought. I¡¯m sorry, Rube. I wish I hade a bit earlier¡­¡± Was it because he calmed down a bit? When he saw her offering sincere apologies nervously, he began to conjure up all kinds of feelings that he had felt for the past one month. He gently rxed his grip on her arms and looked down at her, who kept babbling. Her warm golden eyes, straight silver eyebrows, and pink lips that looked very attractive. Looking at her lovely figure after a long time, he recalled his vowst night that he would confine her to the bedroom for several days and make love to her, which again made him have an erection. Strongly holding back the sexual urge, he whispered into her ears, ¡°Are you really sorry?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t you think you should apologize properly instead of paying lip service to me?¡± ¡°Apologize properly?¡± When he looked at her who was asking him curiously, the fatigue that he had umted seemed to disappear all at once. He smiled at the dramatic change in his mood, but he hid his sexual drive by disguising his uncontrobleughter with a gentle smile. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it slowly. Shall we go in first? You must have been exhausted from a long journey.¡± ¡°Pardon? Ah, yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Thank you guys for escorting her here safely. I¡¯m going to reward you for your excellent job tomorrow. So, go back and take a rest,¡± he told the royal knights in charge of her security. Then he moved toward the empress¡¯s pce with his arms around his lovely wife¡¯s shoulders. He felt like he could have a sound sleep tonight¡­In various aspects. Chapter 356 Chapter 356: Chapter 356 In the meantime, I guessed that there was some secret that she could not tell anybody because she got pregnant with me only eight years after she gave birth to Diana. As I heard from her exclusive maid secretly, my mother seemed to have been severely stressed out because she could not have another baby after delivering a tomboy like Diana. Anyway, my mother almost gave up having another baby and eventually visited her estate to solve the problem of her sessor. Strangely, she got good news when she took her mind off of her worries. Right after she returned from the estate, she allegedly got pregnant with me and Elina. In fact, I could not help but be amazed at the fact that my father, the emperor, allowed her to live apart from him for a month. Besides, he could not have allowed her to visit the estate for that reason. When I asked her maidter, my father didn¡¯t know why she decided to visit the estate, so he just granted her request to simply tour the estate. Anyway, I could understand why my mother¡¯s exclusive maid blushed so much while telling me about what happened on the day she returned. In fact, everybody in the empire was aware that the emperor couple loved each other deeply, but what he did to her on the day she returned from the estate was the most unthinkable and unspeakable thing that I could think of. Aside from his affectionate and sweet talk, which gave me goose flesh, I was just amazed that his sexual drive was so strong that he made love to her in her bedroom for three days and nights¡­I¡¯m ashamed to write more about this¡­ Anyway, do I have to thank him because I and my sister, Elina, were born thanks to his passionate love? -From Adrian¡¯s Diary> *** ¡°How do you want to deal with this case, Your Majesty?¡± Looking out the window slightly to check time, Rublis frowned at his aide as he kept asking for his review. He thought his aide was slow-witted, but today he was rather impatient, so he got more annoyed by his dumb question. But he could not answer just because he felt bad, so he quickly skimmed over the document his aide handed and said, ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know why this is an issue. Apparently, something simr happenedst year. Who is in charge? ¡± ¡°Earl Wrestling, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Send him a summons immediately. If he can¡¯t find a solution by this time tomorrow, he is going to be held ountable. What else?¡± Only when he asked in an annoyed tone, his aide shook his head hurriedly as if he got his boss¡¯s message clearly. As someone who served the ruler of the empire, he was so slow in acting tactfully. ¡®I would have fired him a long time ago if he had not beenpetent enough.¡¯ After staring at the aide who was trying to check his expression, Rublis rose from the seat abruptly. He could not understand how the aide got his current position when he did not even have a quick judgement. But what mattered to Rublis now was not whether he was quick-witted or not. Looking out the window and checking time once again, he stepped out of the Central Pce quickly. He was getting impatient because he would arrive at the ce muchter than the appointed time. After walking for a long time past the arched door made of rattan, he saw the royal knights standing at the end of the trail. He also noticed the silver flower tree in the middle of the small garden behind it. ¡°We¡¯re honored to see you, the Sun of the empire¡­¡± ¡°Shush! You can skip the standard greetings.¡± After quickly ordering them trying to show due manners, he stood at the entrance of the garden for a moment and silently looked at therge and small shadows gathered in the shade of the silver flowering tree. The woman smiling at him, with her silver hair turned up, the little girl with silver hair who resembled her mother exactly, a boy with blue hair listening to the silver-haired woman and his sister, and a silver-haired little girl looking at her brother and sisters. When he saw the four who captivated him, his irritation and fatigue that tormented him all morning disappeared in an instant. He felt so happy about just looking at their lovely posture that he walked toward them cautiously, holding his breath unconsciously. ¡°¡­ You know what? I¡¯m so frustrated.¡± ¡°But I think you made a mistake, sis.¡± When he was getting close to them, he heard their clear and high-pitched voices. Rublis smiled, watching the two children talking with a serious expression. Diana was pleading to her younger brother, eight years younger than her, for innocence, and Adrian was listening to her with an expression that looked much more mature. He thought both of them were so cute.. ¡°No, that¡¯s not true! It¡¯s because you haven¡¯t seen the situation! By the way, don¡¯t you think you think you should take side with me? How can you support Gradis?¡± ¡°Well, no matter how much I think about it, I think you are wrong, sis. When ites to judging who is right or wrong, how should I take side with anybody?¡± ¡°Dang it, are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Hey, sis and brother, don¡¯t fight.¡± As if she was scared about their rising voices, the little girl holding the hem of her mother¡¯s skirt, spoke in a tearful voice. When they saw her bursting into tears, the two stopped talking immediately and shook their heads. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Elina. We didn¡¯t fight. Did you see us fighting?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. So, don¡¯t cry. Mom said if you cried, you were a bad girl, right?¡± When I stopped walking and listened to their conversation quietly, I came to see Dia who was trying tofort her younger sister with an embarrassed expression. Letting out a sigh of relief, Dia poked her in the ribs and said, ¡°Elina, Daddy, the emperor is here. Go and say hi!¡± ¡°Uh, really? Wow, Daddy, Your Majesty!¡± The little girl jumped off the chair cheerfully as if nothing happened. Rublis smiled at her, lifting her jumping into his arms. ¡°Why are you sote, Daddy, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I tried toe quickly, but I had to take care of some other stuff. Did you wait for me a lot? ¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been waiting a lot. Mom told us that we should not eat the cake until you came.¡± Obviously they were more focused on the cake than on him. When he walked into the shade of the tree, holding Elina in his arms, Aristia greeted him with a smile. ¡°Come on in, Rube. It looks like you were quite busy.¡± ¡°Well, not necessarily. My aide, Lanckle, kept holding me without any sense. I found it hard to hold back my anger.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be upset. He is working hard for the emperor anyway, right? And he is very diligent.¡± After calming him down with a soothing voice, she said, looking around her children, ¡°Diana, Adrian, say hi to your father.¡± ¡°Wee, Daddy, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Hi Daddy.¡± Diana was smiling charmingly at him, Adrian just bowed to him and Elina buried her face in his arms. He and Tia had three children, but their character was different from each other. Among them, only Adrian seemed to resemble him, so he looked cold. But Rublis felt he was still so cute. When he was stroking his son¡¯s hair like now, Adrian frowned his eyebrows but liked it. Sometimes, Adrian acted like an adult, but Rublis still regarded his actions as cute. Of course, other people didn¡¯t necessarily think so. After stroking Adrian¡¯s hair once again, Rublis sat in an empty seat, holding Elina in his arm. As he had Elina sit on hispfortably, she said, picking up a small fork immediately, ¡°Your Majesty, can I have a cake now?¡± ¡°You have to say to Daddy, ¡®Please try it first, Your Majesty.¡¯ Say it, Elina.¡± ¡°Yes, Mom. Please have a cake, Your Majesty. ¡± ¡°Sure, baby. Enjoy the cake a lot.¡± When she pretended to lift the fork after nodding, Adrian quickly grabbed a cake te as if he was waiting for this moment. Rublis watched him in satisfaction for a moment and looked aside, turning down the fork off. ¡°By the way, Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, please go ahead, Rube.¡± ¡°As for what you told mest night, I think I¡¯ve figured out what to do. Would you want to go with me? ¡°Ah yes. Sounds good.¡± ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s go after tea time. ¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Her warm, glowing golden eyes smiled at him. He winked at her gentle smile. Chapter 357 Chapter 357: Chapter 357 It¡¯s been 14 years since he seeded the throne. Fourteen years could be short, but long, during which he went through ups and downs. But he could keep the empire safe and peaceful thanks to her presence. She was the only one that he could share his concern with. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re at it again.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting goose pimples, looking at them. Of course, loving each other like that is good for us, but¡­¡± ¡°Well, what can we do? We have to understand them as we¡¯re their children.. ¡± ¡°You bet. Let¡¯s eat cake. Elina is going to eat it all. ¡± Rublis, who was trying to hold her soft hand gently, stopped when he heard their conversation. As if she also heard Diana and Adrian whispering to each other, she quickly pulled her hand from him with an embarrassed expression and said, giving him a teacup, ¡°Come on, honey. It¡¯s going to get cold. Please have tea.¡± ¡°Okay. Why don¡¯t you have tea, too?¡± He lifted Elina and put her back on herp, feeling awkward, and slowly reached out to grab the teacup. The tea she made was getting more and more mellow and full over time. As a result, he could not have any other tea than what she brewed. When he was enjoying the vor of the tea for a while, something cold suddenly touched his mouth. He opened his eyes wide in surprise. Elina smiled at him brightly and gave him something she was holding. ¡°Please have some cake, Daddy.¡± ¡°Oh yeah. Thank you, Elina. ¡± He felt her putting white cream on his face, but he had it happily, not caring at all. He could not let her down because of the cream on his face. ¡°Ahaha, Daddy, what¡¯s that cream on your face?¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± ¡°Elina. Be careful. ¡± Watching Dianaughing merrily and Adrian holding backughter, Tia hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief. It seemed that cream was all over his face. Without caring at all, however, Elina cut a piece of cake and gave it to Tia this time,¡±Please have this, Mom.¡± ¡°Oh, are you giving it to me, too?¡± ¡°Yeah, this really tastes good.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you, baby.¡± Rublis smiled at his wife who was eating cake with some cream on her face. It was rather funny and even strange to see her face messed up with cake cream. As if she read his mind, she slightly squinted at him, giving him a handkerchief, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, please. I know your face is a mess, too.¡± ¡°I know, but it¡¯s funny, hahaha.¡± ¡°Oh my goodness, please don¡¯tugh like that.¡± Her sullen face was so cute that she didn¡¯t look like a woman who gave birth to three children, so he received the handkerchief from her, full of smiles on his face. Instead of wiping his face, he reached out and wiped her mouth with the handkerchief. ¡°Don¡¯t be so angry. I didn¡¯t see it when you were a child, so I thought your messy face looked so cute and funny.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t forget we¡¯re here, too¡­Ahhhhh!¡± Diana pinched Adrian grumbling at the moment and sprang to her feet, saying, ¡°Hey, Adrian, Elina, we ate the cake. Why don¡¯t we move over there and y? I saw flowers in full bloom on my way here.¡± As Elina nodded right away and jumped off the chair, Adrian frowned at his sister and got up, too. Rublis smiled at Diana, watching her quickly making herself scarce with her brother and sister tactfully. As she experienced lots of stuff like this for a long time, she was indeed quick-witted. Of course, he was very grateful for her consideration. Aristia said with a smile, looking at them walking away for a moment, ¡°Aren¡¯t they so pretty?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m already beginning to worry how to marry them offter. ¡± ¡°You bet. When I was young, I never thought that this day woulde ¡­ I¡¯m happy. ¡± ¡°Me,too, Tia. I never knew that a day woulde when I could sit next to you and smile like this. I couldn¡¯t even think we would have children like this.¡± When he whispered, she gently leaned her head against his shoulder with a light smile. Rublis carefully lifted his arm and wrapped her slender shoulders, smelling hervender fragrance and said, ¡°But just like our children, Tia, you are the most precious to me. You¡¯ve always been something I¡¯ve been craving, and you¡¯ve been the only sanctuary of my heart, and you have been like my breath. Of course, you will continue to be so.¡± ¡°¡­ Rube.¡± ¡°How about you? Do you feel the same way?¡± ¡°Of course. Just like I have always.¡± Her whispering voice was very warm, so was theughter of the childrening from far away. His heart was full of something very warm, which he could never exchange for anything in the world. With his loved ones in eyes, Rublis smiled, stroking her soft silvery hair. It was a warm spring afternoon. *** ¡°I, Allen Decker, the butler of the Monique family, am honored to greet Your Majesty, the Sun of the empire, and Your Highness, the Moon of the empire.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, butler.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, so how have you been?¡± I smiled faintly at the old man who bowed politely. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t speak to him friendly, but because he has been with our family since I was a child, I could not change the way I spoke to him and Lina easily. Although 20 years have passed since I became the empress, I could not change my way of speaking to them. I felt sad when I noticed his thick gray hair. He was in his early 30s when he inherited the butler¡¯s job from his father. When I thought time flew like an arrow and he became old like that, I felt blue. In fact, my father, who I thought would stay healthy, passed away. It¡¯s natural that the butler became old, with his hair turning gray. When I recalled my father who was always kind to me, hot tears welled in my eyesI once again, so I blinked my wet eyes quickly and looked up into the air. If I had known he passed away so early like this, I would have spent more time with him. I wish I had visited him more often and spent more time talking with him. I wish I had done better for him. When my eyes were blurred with tears, I felt him tightening his grip on my hand. Patting the back of my hand as if tofort me, he stepped forward to block me from others¡¯ view. I thanked him deep down and hurriedly wiped my tears furtively. Even after I held the funeral for my father and said goodbye to the funeral procession heading for the estate, I was still stricken by the sadness of my father¡¯s death. As time went by, I missed him more. When I came out from behind, clearing my throat, he, who was talking with the butler for a moment, turned to me. I said with a smile at him who looked at me anxiously, ¡°Would you want to go with me? Or do you want to wait for me here?¡± ¡°Of course I want to go with you. Is it okay with you?¡± As I came to the estate as the head of the Monique family, not as the married daughter of my father, it was legitimate that he asked me if it was okay to apany me. Even if he was the emperor, it was rude for him to meddle in the affairs of my family despite the fact that I was his wife. The reason for his going to the trouble of saying that was because he was worried about me, who got depressed whenever I mentioned my father. I was so grateful for his consideration,so I also nodded, tightening my hold on his hand lightly. ¡°Of course, you can go with me, Your majesty. Um, butler, where shall I go? To the office or my room?¡± ¡°You can go to the office, Your Highness. I¡¯ll escort you there.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. As I¡¯vee here after a long time, let me look around first before going there. Come on, Rube.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± When I went upstairs and opened the door of myte father¡¯s office, I felt so familiar with everything there. This was the space where I spent most of my time with my father before and after I got married. I felt like I could find him still sitting there and waving at me dly with a faint smile just like he always did. But no matter how often I closed and opened my eyes, I found he was not there anymore, with his empty desk left behind. I could feel his lingering nostalgic presence in this space. Chapter 358 Chapter 358: Chapter 358 I felt the tears that I barely held back welling again, but I swept the desk, fighting back my tears. On the desk, which was cleaned for the new head of the family, there were only several things and a silver-colored envelope that my father left behind. A hairpin that seemed to be a woman¡¯s, the seal brooch my father always wore, and a couple of silver shoulder straps I presented to him on a winter day when I was sixteen. While looking at them with trembling eyes for a while, I slowly reached out and picked up the silver envelope. Then, I opened it carefully to avoid damaging the content. I could not read clearly thest sentence because my eyes were blurred with tears, but I wiped tears, clenching my teeth. I couldn¡¯t cry because I knew my father¡¯s request that I should not be sad. ¡®Yes, I won¡¯t cry, Daddy.¡¯ The moment I was about to fold the letter, murmuring to myself, I noticed the words in thest sentence, which I didn¡¯t read properly a moment ago: a secret ce, the pride of the spear. When I looked at the words, I suddenly remembered the memories of the past that I had forgotten, so I stood up and pointed to a spot behind the tapestry. At that moment, I heard the sound of something interlocking, and dozens of character patterns, along with several concave grooves, appeared in my mind. Embarrassed by the secret location of the Monique family, he asked in a surprised voice, ¡°Tia? What is this?¡± ¡°I have something to check. Would you like to go with me, Rube?¡± ¡°¡­ Would that be okay? ¡± ¡°Yes. As I told you a long time ago, the Monique family shares a fate with the imperial family.¡± ¡°If so, let¡¯s go together.¡± After he nodded lightly and turned his head, I deciphered the puzzles that I heard from my father on the day I became the sessor of the Monique family. ng. The door was opened. ¡°What is all this?¡± Rube, who remained silent since entering the secret ce, asked. I looked back at him whilebing through precious stuff and ledgers piled up. At the spot he pointed to was a simple and elegant treasure box engraved with four spears, namely the earliest crest of my family. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s what I have been looking for, Rube. Thanks.¡± I took the box from him and examined its joints closely. Just like I saw it first when I was shown here by my father for the first time, the box had a series of gears with several letters on the joints instead of a padlock. When I looked at the box which could be opened with the correct deciphering only, I felt it was pretty important. This was the only box that I didn¡¯t know here, and when I asked my father what it contained, he didn¡¯t answer, telling me that I would be able to know when the right time came. While looking at the box that wasn¡¯t too big, I carefully turned the gears to get the words correct. The moment I got thest word right, the lid was opened with a clicking sound. I tilted my head, looking at the object sitting on the navy blue velvet. ¡°What is this?¡± Inside the box was a small rod made of ruby. As big as my hand, there were lots of small letters engraved on it. With a blue tassel tied on one end, it was beautiful. When I slowly reached out and lifted the rod, a piece of parchment, which seemed to be very old, fell to the floor. But instead of picking it up, I looked to my side because he suddenly moaned while standing beside me silently. ¡°Rube, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡± When I asked him with a puzzled look, he said with mixed feelings, looking at what I had in my hand, ¡°¡­ Was it what you were looking for? ¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± ¡°Why? What do you need for this ¡­¡± ¡°Ugh? Do you know what it is?¡± When I asked him what made him make such an embarrassed expression, he looked at me carefully and said in a more rxed mood, ¡°Oh, it seems that you don¡¯t know yet. That¡¯s why you asked me what it was a little while ago.¡± ¡°No. What is this? ¡°Well, I can exin it, but I think it¡¯s better for you to read it yourself. Now, read it. ¡± He bent over and picked up a piece of parchment and handed it over to me. After expressing thanks to him in surprise I opened the parchment. My hand holding the parchment trembled. My eyes, which were opened as much as possible, were fixed on the only one expression in the parchment. The right to one-time immunity from any crime. ¡°Ha¡­¡± I moaned in spite of myself. Immunity? Our family can exercise this immunity right even in the case of treason? Is it true that our family has kept this right for the past eight hundred years? Only then did I realize the true meaning of my father¡¯s will, and why the emperor who discovered this felt so ufortable. My father said this would open the way to me when I got stuck in a bog that I could hardly escape. If so, did my father give me this immunity right, in addition to the seal brooch that my ancestors kept secretly for a long time? Did he do it just in case that I shoulde back to the family as its sessor? Chapter 359 Chapter 359: Chapter 359 The moment I bit my lip, choked up with emotions, I suddenly recalled what he had told me a long time ago. When I was still avoiding the then crown prince, my father told me about it when I was depressed after my oath of blood was rejected. He said what our family had been handed down for generations was the oath of blood only, and that he would take care of my problem in the worst situation if I tipped him off in advance. I didn¡¯t remember well what I replied to him on that day, but I was rxed a lot by his reassurances. Perhaps this was what my father referred to on that day. ¡®Oh I see. That¡¯s why my father seemed rxed even when I was struggling hard to get over my difficult situation. That¡¯s why thete emperor could not force me to marry his son, even though he wanted it so much. Thete emperor was well aware that unlike other nobles who could not willingly use that precious right for the safety of their daughters, my father could use it without any reservation, given that he risked his life to win my mother¡¯s heart. And if thete emperor forced me to marry the crown prince, he knew his ties with my father would go sour even without achieving his purpose. Wait a minute. Did I just mention my father would risk his life?¡¯ I swayed suddenly when I guessed something shocking in my head. He hurriedly grabbed me and asked with a worried voice, ¡°Are you okay, Tia?¡± ¡°¡­ Ah yes.¡± Although I barely answered, I was still reeling from the shock from my sudden spection. I felt dizzy as if I was hit by something. My father, who wouldn¡¯t hear or say anything bad about the imperial family, once asked the emperor unexpectedly as follows. After hearing that Jiun was pregnant, my father told me with a sigh when I almost lost my mind. My father spoke with a determined expression! ¡°Ha¡­¡± I was filled with indescribable emotions deep down. My conversation with my father and his reaction on that day that I thought I had forgotten, and his determined look came to my mind vividly as if I saw him yesterday. At that time I could not figure out his exact intentions, or how he could take me, the emperor¡¯s concubine, out of the pce. His confident voice back then hovered into my ears. ¡®That¡¯s why you did so, Daddy? Is what I¡¯m guessing right? Did you also try to use the right to immunity to save me at that time? Was that the reason why you didn¡¯t use the right for yourself and save it for me even when you were falsely charged back then? Or did you make a deal with the emperor to release me at the risk of your life? Right?¡¯ ¡°Aaah¡­¡± I burst into moaning mixed with tears. Although I could not figure out whether all kinds of thoughts about my father¡¯s actions were true or just spective, my father¡¯s affection for me at that time was as deep as his affection for me until recently, even though I was half in doubt about it at the moment I faced death. After I read the letter, I firmly vowed that I would never cry, but when I realized the truth of my past after a long time, the bank of tears in my eyes copsed, after all. I cried loudly, pounding on my throbbing heart, feeling so sad at my bted awakening to the truth and the absence of my father who I wanted to express gratitude. How much time passed? A stream of tears gradually stopped flowing from my eyes, and my trembling body also began to subside. Only then did I realize that I was crying, held in his arms. As I wiped away tears, catching my breath, he said, who was patting my back when I was crying, ¡°¡­Are you okay now? ¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I thought you had already known it for a long time¡­I just can¡¯t understand why your father didn¡¯t tell you about it. Even though I know he kept the principle, you went through so many things, but he didn¡¯t tell you about it to the end.¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean by the principle?¡± ¡°Well, only two people, namely the head of the Monique family and the emperor are supposed to know about the immunity right. So, I also came to know about it only after I rose to the throne,¡± he replied, gently patting my back, ¡°Do you remember that I told you about the episode about yourte mother when I was the crown prince? I mean I was given a good scolding by her as a child.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± Although he asked me about it after a long time, I vividly remembered his conversation with her. One day shortly after Jiun appeared in the empire, and when I felt really depressed because I might be forced to be the crown prince¡¯s concubine and the family background of my mother was revealed, he told me about an episode about my mother instead of ming me. He said my mother was excellent, bright and warm, but determined enough to scold even him, the crown prince, if he did wrong. Really? Suddenly I raised my head and looked up at him because something shed across my mind. ¡°Then, was this the thing you told me you took out secretly?¡± ¡°Yes, that was it. At the time, it was ced like a mere ornament, so I never thought it was a thing of such great importance. You will never know how surprised I was when I found out the truth. Come to think of it, your father was indeed a great figure. How could he keep such an important thing carelessly?¡± ¡°Well, I hear that the more precious things are, the more carelessly people should treat them. Maybe that¡¯s why he maintained it without much caution. I think he was stunned when he heard that you almost took it. So, I think that¡¯s why he kept it here after that.¡± When I spoke with a gentle smile, he nodded lightly and said with mixed feelings, ¡°By the way, Tia, are you going to keep this?¡± ¡°Well, I think I had better leave it here because it belongs to the Monique family, and given my father¡¯s will, I think I have to keep it personally¡­¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to leave it here for its security? It seems like this is a secret space that only the head of the family and its sessor can get ess to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Then let me leave it here.¡± I agreed with him and put the ruby ??rod and parchment back into the box and closed the lid. After messing up the gears like before, I put the box back in its original position. Then he reached out to me as if on a cue. I was a bit puzzled by his unnatural actions, but I silently left the ce, holding his hand. When I closed the door disguised as a wall and pulled down the tapestry, the office was restored to its original interior. After neatly putting my father¡¯s keepsakes on the desk in order, I looked around the room for thest time before I went outside. As I walked through the quiet hallway, I suddenly came to recall a special memory about my father. When I opened that door, my father used to wee me, emitting the peculiar smell of books in his study. While he was reading a book, I used to brew tea for him with a throbbing heart. When he said with a smile that my tea tasted good, I smiled at him, too, with a sigh of relief. All those memories came back to my aching heart while I walked along the hallway. When I could not sleep at night, he came into my room and gently patted my chest until I went to sleep, and gave me a goodnight kiss. He stroked my hair gently and spoke to me kindly all the time. His navy blue eyes looked sometimes icy, and sometimes kind to me¡­and I could lean on his broad chest forfort. All those days when I shared joy and sorrow with him now became a distant memory. As I walked through the spacious hallway, I buried all those dear memories of my father in my heart. Although a lot of time had passed since his funeral took ce, I felt I could now let him rest in peace only now. Chapter 360 Chapter 360: Chapter 360 ¡®Are you happy there, Daddy? Are you having a good time with Mom, who you missed all the time? Then, I won¡¯t be sad anymore. Although I can¡¯t let you go in a happy mood as you wished, although I miss you so much, I won¡¯t cry. So, please don¡¯t worry about me and stay happy with Mom there. Until the day we meet again, I will live happily ever after.¡¯ I was walking with a heavy heart when I suddenly noticed a red light shining across the hallway. A red glow was pouring into the mansion through the open balcony with the approach of sunset. ¡°Is your mind working?¡± He walked silently the whole time and stopped in front of the balcony. Did he feel the same way? While walking silently all along, he stood on the balcony. Standing at the balcony side by side with him, I watched the evening sun slowly setting with the red sky getting dark with the sunset¡¯s glow, the shadow of the mansion looked ck against the sunset, and the gloomy and subdued air peculiar to the sunset. When I was silent with a subdued mood, he suddenly interlocked his fingers with mine gently. I looked up at him, turning my head, feeling the warmth of his palm. I could see his lips moving gently, which turned red in the sunset. ¡°Tia.¡± ¡°Yes, Rube.¡± ¡°To be honest with you, when I saw the box in the secret ce a little while ago, I felt a bit embarrassed.¡± ¡°Really? Why? ¡± ¡°From the day I discovered the identity of the box, I was always afraid that I would see it again.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Oh, that¡¯s why he was making such an ufortable expression. Was he afraid that I might use the immunity right to leave the imperial family? ¡°But when I see that again after a long time, it reminds me of old memories. I had a lot of thoughts on my mind during that short moment.¡± ¡°Really? What kind of thought?¡± ¡°When I first found the box, we were on good terms, as you know. But a lot of things have happened since then. We hated and feared each other, we were on a parallel line for a long time, we were hurt numerous times because of our uncontroble emotions, and I couldn¡¯t sleep at night, trying to soothe my wounded heart¡­Although I can tell you like this because it¡¯s now a thing of the past, it was really a hard time for both of us at that time, right?¡± ¡°Yes, it was.¡± ¡°Thank you, Tia, for living with me like this after oveing so many difficulties and so much fear. Without you, I wouldn¡¯t have lived a life as a man, even though I was the emperor. Thank you so much for giving me the gift of a decent life as a human.¡± As the wind suddenly blew over, his blue hair fluttered gently. I whispered to myself as I looked at it, which turned dark by the spreading twilight, ¡®Same to me. If you had not been considerate enough to ept and care for me who was trying to avoid you because of my painful memories, I would have remained the abandoned concubine Aristia instead of bing the beloved empress Aristia.¡¯ I seemed to conjure up the images of the two children standing together in the dark garden. The silver-haired girl with a bright smile and the boy with blue hair who would have looked at her smile with mixed feelings. I don¡¯t remember exactly what happened at that time, but I would have certainly felt bitter about it a long time ago, but it was now a good old memory. Come to think of it, I once saw him standing right on this spot in the garden. Suddenly, I remembered my conversation with Sir League a long time ago, but I shrugged it off with a light smile. What¡¯s the point of getting the answer now? He and I went through ups and downs through many years and finally stood here on the same spot. We got out of the painful past that tormented us so much and looked at the same ce, holding hands together like this. When I looked up at him, tightening my grip on his hand, he stopped looking straight and slowly turned to me. His blue eyes shining brightly in the darkness reflected me. ¡°Tia, you¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Can you stay with me forever?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, Rube, I will.¡± ¡°Always?¡± ¡°Always, forever.¡± When I answered with a tearful voice, he gently pulled my hand and held me in my arms. Held in his arms, serving as a strong fence for me, I smiled brightly at the man I loved. Only the setting sun was shining on us brightly. Supplementary: Did they live happily ever after? Rublis was in a very bad mood now. It was almost three years after he exterminated the Monique family, one of the founding families of the empire, on charges of treason, and beheaded the concubine from that family. When the concubine was alive, he hated her so much that he didn¡¯t even want to see her. But now that he keenly felt her absence, he missed her so much that he could not do anything, rather than hating her. ¡°Rube, what are you doing?¡± Embarrassed to see the documents presented by the head of the pce affairs office, he frowned at her sudden call. Jiun, the woman sent by God, his one and only spouse and the child of God¡¯s prophecy. She was now standing before him, who was the very woman who made him very ufortable right now. ¡°I have something to ask you, empress.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just read a document submitted to me today. Is what they say about you here true?¡± ¡°Let me take a look.¡± While looking at the contents of the document, she tilted her head. When she asked him to exin several expressions that she could not understand, he raised his eyebrows. Although he was annoyed all of a sudden, he took pains to exin the meaning of the phrases one by one, holding back the urge to scold her. He could understand and give it a pass if he could treat her like he used to, but today he was very annoyed to find that she could not even read and understand a document. ¡°Well, this is correct. What¡¯s the issue here?¡± ¡°¡­ How did you handle this like this?¡± he said, putting down the document roughly. The document was about a petition submitted by the director of the pce affairs office, full of people¡¯sints about the welfare policy she introduced recently. Rublis hysterically knocked on the desk.The more he thought it the more he was dumbfounded. Nowadays he felt the officials of the pce affairs office were full of discontent, and he now knew that she was the target of theirint by taking such a ridiculous measure. ¡°Don¡¯t you really know what¡¯s the problem here?¡± ¡°What? Do you think it¡¯s strange? I¡¯ve taken the measure after several days of hard thinking.¡± When she made an expression as if she didn¡¯t understand at all, he felt he didn¡¯t even feel the urge to get upset. He realized suddenly that no matter how well he exined and taught her, she would never be able to assimte to the empire. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m a bit busy, so please get out. ¡± ¡°Um, are you very busy? I don¡¯t hardly see you these days. You don¡¯t evene to my pce.¡± ¡°Let me stop by your pce today, so go and take a rest.¡± ¡°But¡­Okay. You shoulde and see meter, okay?¡± As if she noticed he was annoyed at the moment, she stopped saying anymore. As soon as she got out of the office, he sprang to his feet and paced up and down, stroking his hair roughly. ¡®Who the hell is that woman!¡¯ Isn¡¯t it time for her to adapt to her pce life? He brought the best teachers to teach her for a long time, but she was still struggling. Of course, he was aware that she was much better than when she got here first, and that she was trying hard on her own. Nevertheless, he was not satisfied with her at all. He was going crazy because he tended to find fault with her shorings. He even felt the strong urge to gouge out his eyes because he thought he was stupid enough not to notice her shorings from the beginning. He kept sweeping back his hair roughly. When the concubine was alive, he didn¡¯t have to worry about the matters of the pce affairs office because she handled any matter perfectly. Probably he didn¡¯t realize Jiun didn¡¯t fit the empress position because of that. Chapter 361 Chapter 361: Chapter 361 While calming down his anger for a while, he headed for the pce affairs office, sighing deeply. Stunned by his sudden arrival, people there hurriedly came to him to show due manners. Waving at them to go back to work, he headed to the office, escorted by the director of the pce affairs office. ¡°Your Majesty, we¡¯re surprised about your sudden visit. Why didn¡¯t you call us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to say anymore, director. Bring the documents about thete concubine¡¯s policy on thepensation of the pce employees right now.¡± ¡°Well, you mean thete concubine¡­ There is no document about her.¡± ¡°I understand. You are not supposed to keep it about the woman because she was executed for treason, but I know you could not discard her documents. I won¡¯t punish you. So, bring me her documents right now.¡± ¡°¡­Sorry, Your Majesty. I will go and get them.¡± As he thought, the pce affairs office did not discard all the documents about her. In principle, it was a felony to keep any document about a traitor. In addition, anybody in possession of such documents could invite suspicion that they might plot treason, too. But the director didn¡¯t discard her documents, fully aware of such danger. Rather, he could not do so, thinking everything would be messed up if he let Jiun do whatever she wanted to do like now. As if he hid the documents somewhere deep inside the pce warehouse, it took some time for him to bring them to Rublis with trembling hands. After reviewing the thick documents for some time, Rublis let out a deep sigh, feeling his guess was right. The gist of Jiun¡¯s n was that when the senior attendants, upper, middle or lower servants, and maids as well as their families got sick, they would have the right to get treatment by the royal doctors. On the contrary, thete concubine¡¯s policy was that when they got sick, they would get treatment by the royal doctors, but as those servants and maids with lower positions would be required to pay the necessary medical expenses. The expenses would be deducted from their sries every month. Rublis let out a sigh again. At first nce, Jiun¡¯s policy looked more efficient than the concubine¡¯s, but it was not. Their workce was the Imperial Pce. Jiun¡¯s policy could work for those employed by the lower-rank nobles, but in the case of the pce where the pce people were divided into four distinct sses, her policy was not supposed to work. Employees with the Imperial Pce werergely ssified into four sses. In particr, the distinction was more prominent between the senior attendants and others like servants and maids in lower positions. In the case of the former, they were mostly from the lower-rank noble families, while those with lower positions were almost from themoners. In fact, the lower servants and maids were primarily serving the senior attendants in the pce. Jiun¡¯s policy hit the snag right here. The royal doctor¡¯s pride was so high, and most of them were from noble families, so they would not treatmoners except under extraordinary circumstances. But Jiun made sure they treated even the lower servants and maids as well as their family members, inviting their strongints and offending even the senior attendants because they were treated equally as the servants and maids. In addition, those who got their treatment for free were confined to the members of the imperial family. So, they didn¡¯t offer free treatment to those employed by the imperial family or those working at the pce. ordingly, those who get the royal doctors¡¯ treatment were supposed to pay their share, which was pretty expensive. So, the senior attendants who got higher sries didn¡¯t feel any financial burden even though they got the royal doctors¡¯ treatment, and actually regarded their treatment as something like an honor, but it was more advantageous for the servants and maids to go to civilian doctors after being reimbursed for their medical expenses by the imperial pce. Under the current policy, even they could get the royal doctors¡¯ treatment when they were diagnosed with severe illness with the approval of the emperor or the empress. But they were supposed to pay their share of the medical expenses from their sriester. ordingly, it was natural that the servants and maidsined about Jiun¡¯s policy because it was obligatory for them to receive the royal doctors¡¯ treatment even if they were not diagnosed with serious illness. ¡°Now you know why I told you to bring thete concubine¡¯s documents, right? Besides, they submitted the petition to me, right? I¡¯ll make sure the empress should take care of this matter in a proper manner tomorrow.¡± ¡°Thank you so much for your quick action, Your Majesty.¡± Rublis stood up with a sigh. He thought it would be nice to have the empress correct her policy rather than dealing with it by himself. Of course, he could take the necessary measure right away, but he wanted to save her face this time. ¡°Rube, I¡¯m d to see you here earlier than I thought.¡± ¡°As for the welfare policy, discard the current one and adopt the previous one tomorrow.¡± ¡°Why, why? My policy is more efficient. ¡± ¡°Do you really think so?¡± he shouted at her, as he could not put up with the surge of annoyance at the moment. ¡°Which nobles would stand idle when they are treated likemoners? Whichmoner would pay for the expensive cost to treat their sickness? Howe you are trying to implement such a ridiculous policy? Are you sure your policy makes any sense?¡± ¡°Do they have to pay for the medical expenses?¡± ¡°Absolutely! Do you think the royal doctor would offer free treatment to those who are not the members of the imperial family? Empress, just think about it, please!¡± ¡°Rube, I didn¡¯t know that. Why are you so angry with me? You know I¡¯m trying hard, too. ¡± After seeing her ck eyes welling with tears, he shouted more loudly rather than calming down, ¡°You¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re making every effort, but I don¡¯t see you going anywhere at all. Where are you putting your efforts into? I could understand your position when you just became the empress, but it¡¯s been already four years since you became the empress. Isn¡¯t it time you knew the ropes of your work? You don¡¯t do anything right, but you just cry whenever I me you for it. What do you think is the position of the empire¡¯s empress? I just feel you don¡¯t deserve it at all! Are you sure you are my spouse designated by God? I wish you could do your job at least half as much as thete concubine.¡± ¡°How could you, Rube¡­?¡± Jiun, who dropped tears silently, retorted harshly, wiping tears roughly at hisst words, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? It was you who promoted me to the position of the empress that I didn¡¯t know anything about. It was you who said you loved me and abandoned your fianc¨¦e, who was chosen as your spouse since she was born, right? Do you miss her now? You hated her so much, then beheaded her on charges of treason. Now, you miss her so much? Are you serious?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Although he was so upset because of her humiliating rebuke, he barely suppressed his anger and warned her. But she shouted at the top of her voice without caring about it at all, ¡°Did I say anything that rubbed you the wrong way? I told the truth! I think I know why you are missing her now. Because you are feeling the pang of conscience? Because you realized btedly that you loved her? No, that¡¯s not true. You are angry with me because you are not satisfied with the way I do my job, right? You miss her wonderful skills, right? Did you say I didn¡¯t make any efforts? Do you think I live idle? I¡¯ve really had a hardship for thest three years to learn all kinds of stuff I am supposed to master as the empress. Did you ever help me? I really worked hard on my own even when you didn¡¯t care about me. I studied more than twelve hours per day!¡± ¡°I told you to shut up!¡± He shouted, biting his lip, but she didn¡¯t stop. ¡°So how much the concubine must have suffered because of you! Do you know what I have repeatedly heard about her since she died? Although they didn¡¯t talk about anything about her in my presence, they alwayspared me with her behind my back, saying she was the perfect candidate for the empress. Well, do you think she handled her job perfectly from the beginning? I think she must have worked her ass off to master her job. Nheless, you have ignored, harassed, and killed her miserably, right? How can you tell me to be half as good as her?¡± ¡°Stop it!¡± It was almost the same time that Rublis, who blew his top, pped her in the face and she fell down, cupping her burning cheeks. He ignored her who stared at him in shock, with her ck eyes filled with tears, and turned coldly. Chapter 362 Chapter 362: Chapter 362 Jiun, who was squatting down, devastated, for a long time, suddenly stood up and ran out. The startled maids hurriedly followed her. ¡®You guys must have heard it all.¡¯ Enraged by the thought that they must have sneered at her from behind, she sharply told them not to follow her, then turned abruptly and left the pce alone. After taking a long walk, she arrived at the corner of the Imperial Pce garden, sat down, and looked up at the sky. Watching the stars twinkling in the dark sky, she realized once again that this was not the ce where she used to live. Suddenly, tears came down her cheek. ¡°Mom, Dad, Jisu.¡± I, Jiun, never wanted to be the empress. On my way back to the house, I stumbled upon a shining coin and picked it up. Then, suddenly I felt dizzy and fell after losing my mind. When I woke up, I was in apletely different world. Foreigners in strange costumes spoke to me, saying this was the Imperial Pce and the empire in anguage that I could not understand at all. I told them not to talk nonsense, asking them to send me back home, but no one listened. I suspected I was dreaming, so I tried to sleep, but I was in the same world after several days passed. When I was getting more and more nervous, a man who seemed to be in a high position at first nce came to me. He was wearing a luxurious dress without any spots and putting out a sense of pressure from his cold attitude, with his deep blue hair that does not exist on earth. Introducing himself as the crown prince, he said I had better stay here because they said I was the child of God¡¯s prophecy. A few dayster, when I realized that this was not a dream, but a reality, I was in a cepletely different from the earth in which I lived and that it was a world simr to the modern Europe that I learned in ss, the emperor died and the crown prince seeded the throne. When I was agonizing over how to go home, thinking what¡¯s happening around me had nothing to do with me, suddenly a man who called himself a duke came to me and told her that I was the child of God¡¯s prophecy and that I was the crown prince¡¯s spouse designated by God. Then he said I would be married to the crown prince, and have a coronation ceremony. I thought it was ridiculous. I became intimate with him a bit, but how could I get married to this cold-blooded man? He didn¡¯t even shed a single tear even when his father passed away. But the duke repeatedly persuaded me to marry him, saying that the crown prince was warm-hearted, once I got to know him, and that he cared for me very much. The duke even lied to me, saying that the world outside the Imperial Pce was rough and that it would be very difficult for a woman to live alone. I suddenly got scared when I heard that. In this strange world where they didn¡¯t understand even the concept of human rights, I couldn¡¯t live alone. So, I agreed to marry the crown prince on the condition that he would postpone sleeping with me on the night of the wedding. I then rationalized it by myself, thinking that maybe the crown prince might love me, as the duke said. Given that he softened his cold attitude toward me, maybe he was alright. As they said, a woman would be better off getting married to a man who loved her rather than a man that she loved. After bing the empress, I spent every dayy, reading books all day long. Although I could get to speak to them, I had no background knowledge about this empire and could not read their writing. However, no matter how much I studied, I could not get any tangible progress in understanding the writings of this empire. The so-called imperial etiquette taught by a strict noblewoman stressed me out all the more. The only person who helped me hold out in this hellish world, listening to myints, was Rublis. Then I came to see ¡®that woman¡¯ one day. One day when I ran out of my pce, sick and tired of repeated lessons, I saw her while I was hiding in the bush to avoid the maids searching for me. The girl, who seemed to be my sister Jisu¡¯s age, was very small and slender, holding a light cream-colored parasol in one hand, with her long silver hair shining brightly in the sun. Even though she was wearing a dress long enough to touch the ground, she quietly walked with dignity. I immediately realized that her walking style was what my teacher described as elegant walking and that she was a noblewoman. I was very curious about what kind of person she was, so I asked the maids about her identity, but they all didn¡¯t reply as if they were embarrassed. The only clue I could get was when a young maid muttered ¡®concubine,¡¯ and Rublis, frowning at me, said I didn¡¯t have to care about her. So, I guessed the girl was probably a princess. Based on what the maid said, and given her age, the girl must be a princess. Besides, those who could live in the pce were the members of the imperial family anyway. I observed her for a few days to get intimate with her and found out that at a certain time she took a walk in the small garden in the corner of the inner pce. I approached her, pretending to bump into her there. I really liked her, when she gracefully greeted me, with her mysterious golden eyes slightly lowered. I could feel her voice, not loud or small, had some charisma that I could not find in Rublis. I admired her, feeling deep inside that a royal member like her was different, and I even wanted to be like her and made her an object of admiration. But she always kept a distance from me. So, I was determined to befriend her, though I was a bit frustrated. I decided that I would learn how to act gracefully and be the majestic empress. So, when I realized that she was the emperor¡¯s second wife, namely concubine, I was shocked a lot. Never did I think Rublis would have another woman, and that woman was the same girl that I admired. I was confused by that shocking fact that I discovered when I was opening my heart to him little by little, and I felt very sorry for her because she had her fiance taken away by me, even though she was designated as his official fiance since she was born. When I thought how miserably she might have felt, watching me tell her about Rublis, I couldn¡¯t stand idle any more, so I went to see her to apologize. I would have felt much morefortable if she had med and shouted at me, but she was calm to my surprise. She said calmly that she didn¡¯t deserve the post of the empress from the beginning. I couldn¡¯t understand why she said that. If I were in her shoes, I would certainly hate my fiance who betrayed me and the woman who took my lover from me, but she didn¡¯t show any such reaction. Angered by her casual attitude, I blurted out whatever came to my mind. After blurring out like that for a while, I suddenly felt I said something so harshly, so I tried to apologize hesitantly. But when I raised my head, I could not say a word at her strange coldness. I stiffened in spite of myself when she scolded me coldly with her calm golden eyes full of hostility. I felt a prick in the heart when she asked me why I wanted to be the empress without any particr reason, telling me that I should be responsible for my decision. In fact, I became the empress to be guaranteedfortable amodations because I was thrown into a strange world against my will, and I had never thought about being the empress or what kind of role the empress was supposed to y. I found myself dwarfed by her majestic stance when she expressed intense anger at me because she had been striving for that position all her life. So, I told Rublis that he should take good care of her instead of me. Although I felt heartbroken when I asked him to do so, I thought it was the right thing to do. So, I turned a deaf ear to his repeated dissuasion. But when he left to see her, I became anxious. When I imagined them talking face to face, my heart sank. Chapter 363 Chapter 363: Chapter 363 Rublis had personal charisma, though he was cold-blooded, while she had her own grace and dignity and that one could find in the ruler. Both of them could be a nice couple, and no matter how much I thought about it, it was more appropriate for her to be with him than me. Nheless, I felt bad when I imagined both of them spending time together. I was worried if he would fall in love with her, and I even feared that he could kick me out, saying he was mistaken when he thought he loved me. I hovered around her pce. Trying to read his mind when he came back from his visit to her with a hardened look, I acted cute on purpose. I told him that he didn¡¯t have to see her if he didn¡¯t feel up to it, and I smiled at him when he agreed readily. I rationalized it by myself that as they didn¡¯t get along well from the beginning, I didn¡¯t intervene with them, I didn¡¯t do anything wrong because I didn¡¯t tempt him or take him from her, and I had him only while she had lots of other stuff than him, so I would not have to feel guilty about her. But when I knew that she got pregnant with his baby, I trembled with betrayal. I now hated her because she didn¡¯t say anything when I visited her only a few days ago. I was jealous of her, watching him make a faint smile, and I bit my lip when he praised her. Even though it was she who stood beside him, I felt a sense of defeatism for some reason. He made no excuses. He said that he would not visit her again in the future and that he would love and cherish me alone. It was really hard for me to ept her baby, but I decided I would love her baby as much as possible. I vowed that even though I would not love her baby, I would not hate her child. However, her baby did not see the light of the world, after all. Though I felt sorry for her, I thought myself cruel when I found myself rejoicing at the fact that I didn¡¯t need to see her baby. I would have taken a different attitude if I had known why she had a miscarriage, but I really didn¡¯t know why she lost her baby back then. As I was despised in the social circles because of my clumsy etiquette, there were no maids who could convey me the rumors about her circting in the social circles. When I learned that I was going to have his baby, I was happy, but at the same time, I was confused because I recalled her who must have felt miserable about my pregnancy just like I did when I heard about hers. So, I egged on him to allow me to go outside the pce, escorted by a couple of royal knights. Amazed by the scenery outside the pce that I saw for the first time since I got here, I moved around the town, forgetting about the time. When I said no at the urging of the knights who asked me to go back, I was ambushed by masked men. While I stiffened, stunned by their murderous intent, I was stabbed in the stomach even before I could think of escaping from the scene. When I opened my eyes and found out that I lost my baby, I wanted to visit her and share the sadness of losing a baby with her. Since she and I lost a baby, I thought I could ovee my distress if I shared my sorrow with her. However, I heard the news from Duke Jena that I could not believe my eyes. The criminal who was responsible for killing my baby was a knight of the Monique family, and that Marquis Monique and she were in the same boat. I thought that¡¯s not true. She had no reason to hate me now because she didn¡¯t get upset with me who took her fiance from her. But my trust in her integrity began to crumble because of Duke Jena¡¯s disinformation. Exining to me about her miscarriage, he told me that she had been cherishing resentment of me as she thought she lost her baby because of me. My confusion, mixed with my trust and doubt about her, dissipated clearly when Rublis was almost murdered when he visited her pce. It was evident that she was responsible for the raid and she stabbed him because she wanted to take revenge for the loss of her child. If she had not been the mastermind of the murder n, she would not have received death sentence so quickly. And those noble families close to them would not have sat on their hands when the Monique family, one of the most powerful in the empire, was destined to be exterminated. I thought she got paid for her crime. So, I attended the ce where she was beheaded. Even though she was shabby and haggard, dragged out of the prison, she looked elegant and confident until thest minute. I got mixed feelings when I discovered that she didn¡¯t ask for forgiveness, nor offer any apologies. I hated her, who tried to kill me and him, and eventually killed my baby. But at the same time, I admired her because she showed dignity and pride until thest moment, which I could never have. I felt betrayed because she broke my trust in her. I was sad because she knew I had never been kind to her. Since she made me miserable and ignored me to the end, I turned my head away from her because I couldn¡¯t look at her. Yes, I did. ¡°Tia, I hate you. I hate you! I hate you because you made me feel defeated to the end. I hate you because you made me feel a sense of guilt and despair!¡± Yes, I hate you. I hate you because you never opened your heart to me even though I followed you out of admiration and approached you to get along well like a sister. Although I discovered btedly that you were not responsible for the stabbing of the emperor and killing my baby, you never told me about it. So, I hate you because I could not say I was sorry, no matter how much I suffered from a sense of guilt about you. And now that I lost favor with him who once loved me more than you, I hate you. I really hate you for giving me a deep sense of despair because I could not catch up with you no matter how much I tried. I hate you because you made him keepparing me with you, although I could never surpass you. Without you, or if I had tried harder, he and I could have been happy. That¡¯s why I really hate you so much. ¡°Yes, I hate you, I hate you¡­¡± My tears came down. I was angry. I could not understand why I had to have hardship, thrown into a strange world without any reason. I missed my family. I wanted to see their faces who came to my mind when I closed my eyes. I wanted to cry out, burying my face into my mother¡¯s arms. ording to what people said, I was the child of God¡¯s prophecy, blessed by God, but I could not understand why God harassed me like this. ¡°What good is my divine power? What the heck is this?¡± When I broke a flower and put it on my hand, a white light came out of it, and the broken branch was reattached. Obviously, I had extraordinary power, but I didn¡¯t appreciate it at all. If God had to give me any power, I wish He gave me the same power as her. What¡¯s the big deal about my healing power? Before I came to this world, I was surrounded by the best medical staff and lived in a clean environment, so I had no reason to get sick. I trembled, looking at the empress¡¯ pce in the dark. Now, I had nowhere to go. That¡¯s the only ce she had to go, but I didn¡¯t have the heart to move there. I could clearly feel that I was falling out of love with him gradually, but I was frustrated because I didn¡¯t know how to revive his affection for me. I spaced out at the fact that I might have to live like an orphan in this strangend where I had nobody to rely on. I hated God who sent me here. I had to win his heart back by all means. So, I decided that I had to make him never abandon me if he could not love me again. Otherwise, I was destined to repeat the fate of the abandoned concubine. My eyes sparkled intensely when I was moving my steps toward the empress¡¯ pce. Chapter 364 Chapter 364: Chapter 364 Rublis, who didn¡¯t visit Jiun¡¯s pce for a few days, headed for the pce after receiving a careful message from her. Although he didn¡¯t like her these days, he decided that he would do his bit as her husband because he epted her after abandoning the concubine. ¡°Wee, Rube.¡± Even when he saw her dressed up, with her face on heavy makeup, he responded impassively, ¡°What did you want to see me?¡± ¡°As husband and wife, do we have to see each other only when we have something special? I would like to have dinner with you since it¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°Oh, sure.¡± I was a little puzzled by his quick approval, which was somewhat different from his usual response, but he headed for the dining room without saying anything. While responding to her talking half-heartedly, he frowned, looking at the dishes brought by the maids. ¡°What the heck is all this?¡± ¡°These are the foods I used to enjoy in the world I lived in. Didn¡¯t I make you some before?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°Although I was not good at making food, I made it for you. I hope you like it. ¡± ¡°Really? Thanks.¡± ¡°By the way, I had them implement the previous welfare policy as you instructed.¡± ¡°Good.¡± He briefly answered and lifted the fork. Although he took pains to spend time with her in a good mood, he found it was not fun at all to be with her. He even got annoyed by her endless talking, so he took the meat from a te and put it into his mouth. Then he immediately frowned. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s called bulgogi or barbecued beef. How about it? You like it?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s a little salty. ¡± It tasted good, but he didn¡¯t like it. All the food she made was a little salty. When he put down the fork silently, he suddenly recalled the event a few years ago. When he was frustrated on the day when the two dukes dered retirement, she gave him some food, saying she made it for him. At that time, the food was not good and much saltier, but he enjoyed it, moved by her cooking efforts. But her food now was the same as that back then, but he was not moved anymore. Rather he was annoyed by the salty food. ¡°Oh, really? Didn¡¯t you enjoy itst time? It¡¯s strange. I¡¯ve made the food less salty than before.¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t like salty food from the beginning. Didn¡¯t you know that?¡± ¡°Oh, really? I thought you had the same taste as mine. All the dishes here tasted good, so I thought you would like them, too.¡± ¡°¡­ You don¡¯t cook all the food here at the same time, right? Don¡¯t you know that?¡± ¡°Really? Well, I cook food with the same recipe in the same way. No?¡± As she showed reaction as if she didn¡¯t know it at all, he stood up, with a deep sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to eat more?¡± ¡°I¡¯m done. Let me leave first. So, enjoy your food.¡± He felt he lost his appetite because of her food, and ordered the chef to prepare dinner again when he went back to the Central Pce. He kept drinking water because of the salty taste in his mouth, so he frowned after getting a bite. Most people didn¡¯t know that he was quite a gourmet. Therefore, there were not many foods that could satisfy his taste. Still, a few years ago they served some food that could satisfy his taste, but at some point, he began to lose appetite. Although he was not satisfied with the served food, he didn¡¯t express his opinion because he could still have them. But now he came back after having some of Jiun¡¯s salty food, he missed the food that satisfied his taste in the past. So, he told the Lord Chambein to bring the chief chef to him. ¡°Your Majesty, did you call me?¡± ¡°Yes, I have something to ask. How long have you been promoted to the chief chef?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s been three years, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Three years.¡± He slightly tilted his head. Come to think of it, it was around that time that he began to lose his appetite. ¡°Then what happened to your predecessor?¡± ¡°That man¡­¡± ¡°Answer me.¡± ¡°He was executed as he was involved in the treason of the Monique family three years ago.¡± ¡°Was the chief chef involved in the treason? Why? ¡± ¡°Originally, he worked at the concubine¡¯s pce, but he was transferred here at her order. So, he was rumored to be connected to the Monique family, and executed because of that.¡± Rublisughed at that. These days he heard rumors and episodes about her everywhere he went. ¡°If so, do you have any documents rted to her?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have anything like that. I¡¯m serious, Your Majesty! ¡± Recalling his order to the director of the pce affairs office the other day, he knitted his brows at the chief chef who was shuddering with fear, denying he had nothing about her. But he took the chef¡¯s knee-jerk reaction very strangely, even though his predecessor was involved in the treason case. ¡°Bring it to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have it, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t repeat. Bring it to me. ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any documents directly rted to thete concubine. I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°Nothing directly rted to her? Then what is it? Is it about the previous chef? ¡± ¡°Well, that one is¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to bring it here after you are beheaded?¡± The middle-aged man trembled violently while repeatedly denying it, then he jumped into the kitchen at his sharp nce. Shortly afterwards, he came back with a small notebook. ¡°Here you go, Your Majesty.¡± Receiving it from the chef, he opened it quietly. Chapter 365 Chapter 365: Chapter 365 After reading through the notebook, Rublis looked down at the chief cook, whoy on his face under his feet and trembled violently. The reason he couldn¡¯t get rid of it was obvious. The notebook recorded the recipes on the crown prince¡¯s favorite foods. Nheless, it was uneptable that he kept the notebook that contained his predecessor¡¯s cursing of the emperor. Rublis was upset with him. ¡°So, I¡¯m so sorry, Your Majesty. Please have mercy on me! ¡± ¡°Mercy on you?¡± ¡°Please take me as a foolish man, and have mercy on me¡­¡± ¡°Drag him!¡± ¡°Your Majesty, please!¡± ¡°Okay, then. Let me have mercy on you and save your life. Expel the chief chef from the Imperial Pce, relieve him of his position, and confiscate half of his property. If Ie back to the capital in the future, you will be killed. ¡± He ordered them to drag out the middle-aged chef, who kept expressing thanks to him, with his head down. Then, he walked into his bedroom with strides. All of the pce people passing by him hurriedly made themselves scarce, showing due manners. When he opened the door with a murderous look, he threw away the notebook. However, he couldn¡¯t calm down in frustrated rage. While looking around, he noticed numerous documents piled on the small table. A few days ago, he remembered that he had asked the director of the pce affairs office to bring all the documents rted to the former concubine. After grabbing some documents roughly, hey down on the bed. He turned over the documents one by one quickly, then stopped when he read something. He carefully put down the documents and pressed his forehead with one hand. Most of the documents were rted to the guidelines about the operation of the pce, while the rest of them were rted to Rublis himself. Perhaps she thought she couldn¡¯t continue to be in charge of the pce affairs, so it seemed that she wrote down the pce operation manual by herself for the future empress. Given that the manual was written in detail without any flowerynguage and hackneyed phrases, and that in the round and clear handwriting style peculiar to hers, it was obvious that shepiled the manual herself. He could understand why the pce director kept it at the risk of his life because it would be a big help for anybody who would be in charge of the pce work in the future. However, it was the documents rted to himself thatplicated Rubles¡¯ mind. Some of them werepiled by the concubine, which were not that thick. Since any information about the emperor was not to be leaked out, almost all of the contents were rted to his trifling things, but there was lots of stuff about him that only someone who was really interested in him could record. For example, the design and texture of the fabric that he liked, his favorite color, the type and temperature of his favorite tea, and its brewing time. Although she had not much time to see face to face with him, she knew a lot of details about him. At the end of the document, she asked them to take good care of him, based on his preference or taste, no matter how trifling it was. Aristia Monique. Even though they spent time together for a long time, he had never called her by that when she was alive, because he always called her ¡®you¡¯ or ¡®concubine.¡¯ He could recall that name only after tracing his distant memories of her for some time, which he had almost forgotten until now. After quarrelling with Jiun a few days ago, he realized that his life wasfortable and very satisfying only when she was there with him. Once he realized that, he vividly recalled all about her that he had forgotten for the past three years. Her silver hair that hung all the way down to the waist, her golden eyes that people praised, and her disciplined actions and calm voice. She was a woman who was always like a quietke. Because she was always calm, I thought she had no feelings. I thought she was a doll-like woman with no emotions, and I hated her, thinking she was a nasty woman only bent on taking care of her own faction¡¯s interests. He thought she was made for the ¡¯emperor¡¯, not Rublis himself. Watching Jiun smiling at me all the time, I thought she really loved me. Watching her treating me without any reservation and revealing her feelings without any hesitation, he thought she was made for Rublis himself, not for the ¡¯emperor.¡¯ But right now he questioned if his judgment was right. The concubine, who he thought was made for the emperor, knew even his taste, which he had never revealed to anybody. Although I had dinner with her only twice, before and after she entered the pce, she carefully observed his foods to understand his taste. On the other hand, Jiun, who he thought was made for himself, not the emperor, said she loved him, but she didn¡¯t know what kind of food he liked while they were living together for over four years. Although she dined with him all the time, she thought his taste was the same as hers rather than observing his taste. Aristia was a woman who prepared a chef for several years even before she entered the pce, so he could develop the food that he might like, while Jiun made food herself and brought it to him. In the past, he took it granted that it was Jiun, not Aristia, who really cared about him. But could he still think the same way even now? He felt that the tower of his fixed perception of the two women began to copse little by little. ¡®Aristia Monique.¡¯ What kind of woman were you? I executed you with my hand. Why are you swaying me like this? What is your truth? What was your feeling that you never showed to me or told me? With you gone now, I am just curious about what kind of woman you were. With you gone now, I would like to hear your story that I have not listened to. With you gone now, I call your name I have never called before. I call you Aristia, Tia. *** Addendum: Aristia Monique¡¯s Observation Diary