"Paying attention from now on is the only way to know which one it is."
"…"
"In any case, what I can do for you is to set up another stage where you can demonstrate your talents. It's up to you, Miss Mullaney, to push your opponent and shine. You have to do it yourself."
"Yes…"
"I understand that made you angry. But I hope you don't mess it up next time by being too focused on William."
After giving her another chance, Mullaney asked in a low voice,
"Aren't you disappointed in me?"
"Of course, I'm disappointed."
How could I not be disappointed? It would have been better if she had acted more rationally.
"But that doesn't break our alliance."
Duke Liberty was hostile to Heinley, and his son was not to be trusted. Naturally, I could only give Mullaney another chance.
"… Thank you. I wasn't much help to you, so I thought you wouldn't bother to continue with the alliance."
"It is not right to hold a person's hand when you need it and release it when it is no longer useful."
Heinley was very happy to hear the news of Koshar's victory and the retreat of the Eternal Thousand bandits.
The report also noted that Koshar had become quite the hero to the locals, and a series of village festivities were being held in his honor.
After reading the report, Heinley asked McKenna with a smile,
"When Koshar returns, I'd like to make him the first golden knight. What do you think?"
The golden knight was a new position created by Heinley after he ascended to the throne.
It was a sort of honorary position that could be awarded to knights other than the Imperial Guard, although it could only be awarded to two people a year by selecting those 'deeply loyal'.
Heinley wanted to use this position to raise the loyalty and competitive spirit of talented individuals.
But he had not yet decided who should be the first golden knight. In many ways, Koshar seemed to fit the position perfectly.
McKenna agreed with a smile,
"No one will be able to refute it."
"Would it be too blatant to also place Viscount Langdel as a golden knight?"
"Yes. Most people won't be in favor."
"You think so?"
"I think so."
Heinley felt sorry for that, but gave up quickly.
Instead, he went to the empress's room as soon as he finished his duties to give her this good news.
"I'm glad to hear that my brother managed to deal with the Eternal Thousand bandits."
I trusted him, but was relieved to hear from Heinley's mouth that everything had worked out well.
I smiled naturally once the tension in me dissipated. Heinley quickly continued, saying that wasn't the end of it.
When Heinley ascended to the throne he had created an honorary knight position, and he wanted to bestow that position on my brother.
"Don't you think there will be people who don't like it?"
Of course I agreed, but at the same time it worried me. However, Heinley remarked on how much other countries had suffered from the Eternal Thousand bandits, praising my brother for his enormous contribution in preventing the Western Empire from getting involved in such a conflict.
Although it was true, I felt embarrassed to hear it from him, so I nodded slightly.
After chattering for a long time, Heinley exclaimed, "Ah!" as if he had remembered something and went to his room after asking me to wait a moment.
Soon after, Heinley appeared with a large green liquor bottle.
"What's that?"
"It's a gift from Grand Duke Kapmen as an apology for what happened before."
Grand Duke Kapmen?
Heinley sat down in a chair at the table and showed me the bottle of liquor.
"It is a very precious liquor that the Royal Family of Rwibt drinks."
Just as he said, the label on the liquor bottle was written in the Rwibt language, and on it was also a symbol representing the royal family.
Helping to solve Christa's case, as well as the ghost case, and giving Heinley a separate gift…. Grand Duke Kapmen seemed to continually strive to make up for the mistake of that day.
"Let us drink together, My Queen."
"Right now?"
Heinley brought two glasses and placed them on the table, removed the cork and poured the liquor.
The bottle was green, but the liquid inside was golden and shiny.
"The liquid is pretty."
"Yes, it is."
When I raised the glass and took a sip, it tasted unexpectedly sweet. A taste so sweet and smooth that it didn't taste like liquor.
"It's delicious."
"Yes."
Heinley seemed to like it so much that he drank all the liquor in his glass quickly.
Without cheese or sandwiches, we drank successively.
As we became more at ease, the laughter became more frequent.
Heinley looked cuter than usual, and the light in my room seemed brighter. The floor and ceiling were spinning.
Laughing happily, I rested my head on Heinley's shoulder, who immediately grabbed me around the waist and pulled me to him.
I kissed him naturally, and I could smell the sweet scent in his mouth.
And…
"?"
When I regained consciousness, I was lying on the bed. I had a pillow in my hands, which was half torn.
What happened?
As I threw the pillow aside in bewilderment, the white feathers from inside the pillow flew out.
This is… the shared bedroom. I was on the manna stone bed.
It looks like I came straight to the shared bedroom, after being drunk, because I was still wearing the same dress.
By the way, Heinley? Where's Heinley?
Did he get up first and went to prepare breakfast?
As I yawned, recalling what he did every morning, I saw something golden between the sheets.
Queen?
It was Queen's rear.
Heinley became Queen because of the liquor?
How cute!
I smiled and quickly grabbed Queen with both hands.
After picking him up, I placed him on my lap…
"Heinley!"
In recent days, a terrible rumor had been circulating in the capital of the Eastern Empire.
It was about a maid who had been sentenced to death after hitting the empress with a chair.
People wondered if that maid was crazy.
""She dared to swing a chair at the empress! How could there be such a crazy person in this world?""
"No one would."
"She has no common sense."
"It is said that she is the daughter of a prisoner condemned to death, she couldn't find work because of her father, so the Empress hired her so she could survive. She is very ungrateful, right?"
When people heard the rumor, they began to whisper in disgust.
But then, a rather famous newspaper published an article totally contrary to people's opinion.
[None of Empress Rashta's maids have been by her side for long. None have resigned of their own free will. This has been the case from her days as a concubine to the present day, and the maids have been punished and expelled for all sorts of reasons, such as abortion pills, fraud, aggression, etc… with the former Empress Navier, who is now the Empress of the Western Empire, only two women resigned from their maid work, but the reasons were that one would marry and the other was pregnant. They were not expelled after being punished. Even the maid who resigned because of her pregnancy later returned. So why did such problems arise with Empress Rashta? Was she being attacked for having been a commoner? However, all maids are commoners. If she would be inconvenienced for having been a commoner, it would not be with the maids. At this point, I really wonder if this is a problem related to Empress Rashta's personality, which even her subordinates can't bear.].
Rashta enjoyed reading the commoners' newspaper, where articles praising her were often published.
Because of this, she was able to read this article immediately. Once Rashta read it, she was terrified and went to visit Sovieshu.
"Your Majesty, look at this."
Sovieshu accepted the newspaper from Rashta's hands.
He then quickly read the article and said with a sigh,
"It seems like that journalist is angry."
"What do you mean by that journalist?"
"Look at the journalist's name. Isn't he the brother of the maid you sent to prison?"
"Ah! It can't be, it's the journalist who appeared in the audience hall.."
"Yes, that's him."
Rashta shuddered as she remembered the commoners' journalist who had pleaded with her to find his sister.
"No way, is he doing this because he thinks his sister disappeared because of Rashta?"
Then she moved even closer to Sovieshu and begged him.
"Your Majesty. Please stop that man from writing articles like this. Rashta's image may be affected."
However, Sovieshu shook his head and said heavily,
"He seems to be very resentful. You never know how he might react if cornered, so it's preferable to leave him alone."
"Leave him alone? Are you serious?"
"It's a rumor that will disappear on its own if nothing happens to reinforce it in the future."
Sovieshu pointed at the article and explained,
"It's an exaggerated argument that just fits the situation, without concrete evidence in the first place. Such an argument is hardly sustainable. It's like a beehive. It's best to leave him alone for now."
"… It's okay."
To Rashta, Sovieshu's words sounded quite reasonable. However, she no longer fully trusted Sovieshu.
In the past, she would have believed him without hesitation, but now she found it difficult to do so.
Just as he had pushed Navier aside as soon as she appeared, Rashta thought that perhaps Evely's appearance had caused him to lose his interest in her.
Eventually, Rashta went to see Duke Elgy to ask him about this.
And about twenty minutes later.
Sovieshu burst into laughter when he heard that Rashta had gone to see Duke Elgy.
It was a dejected laugh.
"What are you going to do?"
When the knight asked, Sovieshu waved his hand.
"Nothing. Let's leave it at that."
It was the baby's health that mattered, not Rashta's reputation.
"She can have whatever hobby she wants if it makes her feel at ease."
In the meantime.
William, reunited with his family at Liberty Mansion after a long time.
William was talking excitedly about all sorts of things, and also mentioned 'the task given by the empress' a few days ago.
William said it lightly, but Duke Liberty's expression turned serious when he heard this,
"What is it, father?"
William asked with concern. Did I say something wrong? Or was he upset that I had done the task given to me by the empress?
However, the words Duke Liberty spoke next were completely different from what William expected.
"If you have another chance in the future, pay more attention and do it right."
"Huh?"
"If you meet the empress again, watch your actions and be sure to earn her trust."
"What?"
When William looked at him puzzled, his elder brother said in a tone of, 'Don't you get it?'
"Father wants you to become part of the Empress' faction."
William was surprised and asked, "Are you serious?"
He knew that his father and brother were not in favor of the empress. But suddenly, they wanted him to be of the empress' faction?
"I don't think the strange test the Empress put you both through was to help you. It was probably to help Mullaney."
"I heard that Mullaney had no contact with the Empress either."
"In any case, it's the result that matters."
Smiling broadly, Duke Liberty stroked William's hair.
"If you stand out above Mullaney you'll earn the Empress's trust. She is a pragmatic person."
"Ah…"
"Do whatever it takes to become part of the Empress' faction."
"Then I'll go the opposite way from my father and brother, right?"
When William spoke sadly, Duke Liberty burst into laughter.
"No. If we do this, our family won't be affected even if one of the two sides collapses."
The broad smile on his face disappeared once William left.
Duke Liberty turned to his eldest son with a serious look,
"Our ship has too many holes in it. I'll try to fix it, but at this rate we'll sink. So you must help your younger brother. He could be the last hope to save our family."
"Wouldn't it be better to side with the empress at once?"
"Even if we supported the empress now, she would never really trust us. If we can't get close, there's no need to wag our tail just yet."
Once Duke Liberty said his point of view, he pulled an envelope from his breast pocket and handed it to his eldest son.
"Look at this."
"What is it?"
"It's a letter Christa left before she left."
His eldest son opened the envelope in surprise.
The letter referred to what Christa had heard from Rashta.
[According to that woman, the decisive cause of Empress Navier's divorce was not herself, but the Empress' infertility. I kept my mouth shut because I lamented what might happen if this fact became known to the world, but now that things have come to this point, I wonder what good it did to keep my mouth shut.]
His eldest son looked at Duke Liberty with a stiff expression.
"Father, this is…"
"First we need to check if it's true. We need to treat this matter very carefully."
"Yes."
"Send someone to Empress Rashta to check it out."
282Queen's small body lay inert on the bed, more stretched out than usual, with his beak slightly open and his drooping head. He looked like a seaweed.
"Heinley. Heinley? Heinley!"
I tried to wake him up several times, but Queen didn't move a muscle. I moved out of bed on my knees with Queen in my arms. The palace doctor! The palace doctor!
No, not the palace doctor! Heinley was not Heinley right now! But that was a secret, I couldn't reveal that he was a bird.
So, should I bring in a veterinary doctor? Is Queen's body the same as that of an ordinary bird? What was normally done in this situation? Normally… McKenna!
McKenna could also turn into a bird. Therefore, he should know who normally treated Heinley when he was injured in his bird form.
I quickly left the shared bedroom after placing Heinley back between the pillows.
"Miss Rose, please call McKenna. Hurry up."
While Rose went to find McKenna, I quickly showered, changed my clothes that smelled of alcohol, and tied my hair up. Shortly after I started pacing around the room, McKenna appeared.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong? I was informed that it is an urgent matter."
After asking Rose to leave, I said to McKenna,
"Stay here for a moment."
"Huh?"
I quickly hurried into the shared bedroom, took Queen in my arms, and returned to my room.
Seeing Queen inert, McKenna was startled,
"Oh my, His Majesty is drunk!"
Huh?
Drunk?
I still hadn't explained anything that had happened.
When I looked at him in surprise, McKenna raised his eyebrows and covered his mouth with both hands.
"Oops, not drunk?"
When I told him the details, McKenna's eyebrows relaxed and he took his hands away from his mouth,
"So, he really is drunk. He tends to turn into a bird when he's drunk. Well, that's much better than people who turn into an angry dog."
"Still, how can he still be unconscious after a day has passed?"
"Sometimes this happens when he drinks in his bird form."
Drinking in his bird form? Was that possible?
"If you leave him like that, he'll wake up on his own."
McKenna laughed at me.
"You don't have to worry, Your Majesty."
Only then was I relieved.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it. It's my duty."
After McKenna left, I took Queen back to the shared bedroom, put him to bed, and returned again to my room to ask Countess Jubel to bring a clear soup.
The soup was quickly prepared. When I entered the shared bedroom with the soup, Queen was still lying inert on the bed.
I left the soup bowl on the bedside table, then sat down next to Queen and carefully touched his body.
Looking at him closely, I was glad. It was evident that he had fallen sound asleep due to the influence of alcohol.
Seeing how at ease he was, I naturally smiled.
No… no way.
I was in trouble. Anyone could tell that I was falling more in love with Heinley with each passing day.
If I had looked closely from the beginning, I would have noticed that it was because he was drunk. I didn't even notice that, so I urgently called McKenna.
"What should I do?"
Although I asked out loud, Heinley was asleep, so he wouldn't be able to answer.
I leaned down and rested my head lightly on his chest. When the warmth of his body reached my forehead, my eyes closed on their own.
"What should I do, Heinley? You have so many secrets. If I loved you, it would certainly be hard to bear."
This is all because you're sly, Heinley.
After checking that he was sound asleep, I pet his rear, and kissed his soft forehead.
Just as McKenna said, Heinley woke up three hours later.
It was very cute and lovely to see him flap his wings while asking with his eyes what had happened.
But from that day on, I was completely absorbed in work.
I was trying to keep my mind occupied so as not to fall completely in love with Heinley.
Even if I liked him, not loved him, or even if I loved him only to the point so as not to suffer, I wanted to hold that line.
Fortunately, there was much work to be done, so I didn't need to create it.
Trade with Rwibt also progressed rapidly, as the first three test teams were formed.
Now we had to wait for the results they would bring back, and based on those results determine the corrective actions to be taken.
Once I had expressed my good wishes to the three test teams before they set out on the trip to Rwibt, I returned to the office exhausted.
After working for several days on only three hours of sleep, fatigue was starting to get the better of me. I drank two cups of strong coffee, but my eyelids still felt very heavy anyway.
In the end, I seemed to have fallen asleep. When I opened my eyes, my body was tilted to one side.
Why hadn't I fallen? What was I leaning on now?
Looking up, I could see that I was leaning on Heinley's shoulder.
"Heinley?"
When did he get here? Once I called him puzzled, Heinley startled and inadvertently bumped my head with his.
"It's not too much."
"Huh?"
"Did it bother you to see me passed out like that because of the alcohol?"
"Why do you say that?"
"You've been avoiding me since the day I passed out from too much alcohol."
"I haven't avoided you. We always see each other at night."
"Only at night."
"…"
"Every time I visited you during the day you're busy."
"I was really busy."
It was true. I wasn't trying to avoid Heinley, I was just trying to finish as much work as possible.
"I understand."
Heinley stared at me with a frown and said,
"You're trying to avoid me by being busy, right? You work on things that could be left for later."
"…That's not true."
When I answered again, Heinley took my hand firmly and asked,
"So, did it bother you that I became Queen while so drunk?"
As he held my hand firmly, he stroked the back of it with his thumb, but he wore a very worried expression.
"Absolutely not."
I denied it again, Heinley closed his mouth and lowered his gaze.
I didn't want to hurt him. Really, I didn't. I just wanted to keep a line so I wouldn't get swept away by the current.
It broke my heart to see Heinley sad, I felt guilty.
Should I have expressed my feelings more clearly? But how? I think I love you, but I only want to love you in moderation, should I say that?
Unable to resist the impulse, I kissed him, put my hand on his soft blond hair and stroked it, tilted my head and rested my forehead against his.
"You're so handsome, Heinley."
I whispered, softly kissing his face.
"My Queen… Navier."
When I slipped my hand into his shirt and bit his earlobe, Heinley let out a low moan.
I put my feelings inside a box by force, but they finally came out, suddenly finding this man so lovely that it was hard to resist.
I slowly moved my hands down towards his pants as I caressed his entire body.
"Heinley. Spread your legs."
But before I could reach my treasure, Heinley tightened his legs and turned backwards.
As I wondered why he did this, he gave me a reproachful look.
"Heinley?"
As soon as I spoke his name, his mouth opened and closed a couple of times.
I don't know why, but he had a very complicated expression. After a while, Heinley covered his face and asked,
"My Queen. Are you only… interested in my body?"
283In a few hours there would be a tea party.
Rashta arranged the bangs that covered the scar and put on a light, comfortable dress that didn't strain her bulging belly.
Lately, she felt her body heavier, her legs numb and frequent tugging in her belly. She was going to the bathroom more often and her limbs were swelling even when she was still.
Despite Viscountess Verdi's efforts to alleviate her discomfort, it didn't work.
"My baby. It looks like you'll be born soon."
Rashta whispered to the baby as she caressed her belly.
Recently, she had also been worried about the baby's sex.
So far she hadn't cared whether it was a boy or a girl. It was fine with her if it was a boy because it would cement his position as successor at once, but even if it was a girl, she could have a boy later.
Rather, she thought it would be better to have a girl and then a boy.
However, now that she was further away from Sovieshu, she knew that the baby had to be a boy.
The Eastern Empire had never had a reigning empress.
For her child's sake as well as her own, the baby to be born had to be a boy.
At that moment, someone knocked at the door.
It was a maid.
"A knight asked me to deliver this envelope to you."
The maid extended the envelope to Rashta, then added hesitantly,
"He asked me to deliver this envelope to you and for Your Majesty to return a reply… he also gave me money for doing this."
"How much?"
"A lot."
What was the letter about? Rashta opened the envelope and took out the letter, while the maid waited to the side.
Her eyes ran over the letter quickly. After so many reprimands from Sovieshu, she could now read and write fluently.
After reading the letter, a smile of joy appeared on Rashta's face.
"Is it good news?"
"It's fun news."
Rashta went to her desk with the letter in her hand, took out a blank piece of paper and dipped the tip of the pen in ink.
[I do not know for sure if Navier is infertile. However, even though she was married for a long time to His Majesty Sovieshu, she was unable to have a child, that is why I believe it. What is certain is that the reason His Majesty divorced Navier was because of the infertility problem].
'If Sovieshu thought Navier was not infertile, he would not have divorced her to marry me.'
Rashta thought that Sovieshu's divorce with Navier was clear proof of her infertility.
Rashta found it fun to write this.
She was thoughtful for a moment and wrote a final sentence that sounded a little kinder.
[But it would be a shame if she lost her position just because of an uncertain assumption. Navier will be a good empress, so I hope she won't be backed into a corner by uncertainty].
After putting the letter in an envelope and affixing her seal, Rashta handed it to the maid.
Viscountess Verdi began to comb Rashta's hair again, while she hummed in a better mood.
However, that mood changed as soon as she attended the tea party.
The topic of the soon-to-be-born baby came to the forefront, but it was because of the words of a nobleman who said with concern,
"When the baby is born, hopefully it can grow strong…"
It was a voice of desire, but if one listened carefully, one could realize the malice in his words.
Even another nobleman added,
"The Troby Family has been loyal to the Imperial Family for generations. But it may not be loyal to the next emperor."
Are these nobles cursing my child's future?
Disgusted, Rashta stared at them with a frown. The nobleman who brought up the subject of the Troby Family waved his hand and said quickly,
"Well, it's a difficult relationship to handle."
Even after this excuse, Rashta was still in a bad mood. But inside, she knew he was right.
The Troby Family were displeased with her, so naturally they would not be loyal to her child.
Even when that child was raised as the crown prince, or even when he came of age and became the emperor, they might still be displeased and block his path.
Rashta felt chills just imagining it.
Although members of the Troby Family rarely worked as government officials, they had great influence in high society.
Also, Marquis Farang. What of him?
He had inherited the position of marquis as a young man, had a rebellious personality and held a deep grudge against Rashta for the banishment of his friend Koshar.
This man would not support her child either.
'I have to take care of this.'
Once she returned to her room after the tea party, Rashta knew what she had to do.
She had already done some bad things to survive in the imperial palace. She had no problem adding a couple more to the list.
'I'll protect my baby.'
She was going to eliminate anyone who might block her child's path. As soon as Rashta made up her mind, she called Viscount Roteschu's mercenary.
The mercenary appeared less than three hours later. Rashta threw a large jeweled necklace at the mercenary and ordered him,
"You said you also killed for money, right?"
"… Yes."
"You can kill nobles?"
The mercenary laughed as if he had heard a joke.
"There's no difference between killing nobles or commoners."
Those words were pleasant for Rashta to hear.
"Then kill the Duke and Duchess Troby."
"!"
"They went to the Western Empire for a while, but they'll be back soon. You don't have to rush to kill them. Just do it before Rashta's baby is born. So kill them however you want when you're ready."
The mercenary replied after a moment's thought.
"If you want me to kill the Duke and Duchess Troby, you'll have to pay more. It's more difficult and dangerous."
"Never mind the money."
"It's ten thousand krangs."
"Ten thousand krangs?"
Rashta was startled. The amount was higher than she expected.
"Are you saying that to kill one person you need ten thousand krangs?"
"It's not one, it's two. Besides, it's not like killing two passersby. There must be many guards around them, and to kill them I'll have to pass through all of them."
'Still, wasn't ten thousand krangs too much?'
Rashta bit her lower lip.
He was a mercenary that Viscount Roteschu had brought in, and unfortunately he was just as greedy as the Viscount,
"After I kill them I will also have to escape, and the Troby Family will send people to kill me. Their daughter, who is in the Western Empire, may try to kill me as well. If you have to risk your life and even think about your safety afterwards, ten thousand krangs really isn't much, right?"
She had nothing to refute.
Rashta finally sent the mercenary away saying that it was fine.
'Ten thousand krangs…'
But ten thousand krangs was still too much money.
When she asked Baron Lant for money, he would give it to her right away, but if she told him she needed ten thousand krangs, he would ask for the reason. He was an annoying man.
'What should I do?'
In the end, Rashta decided to ask Duke Elgy for help again. There was no one else who could give her such a large sum of money.
Fortunately, this time Duke Elgy took Rashta's hand with a smile,
"Of course I'll give it to you."
"I'm always sorry…"
"It's alright. You'll pay me back for everything, right?"
"Of course. Don't worry."
Whenever Duke Elgy lent her money he made sure to put it in writing on a document.
Rashta wrote her name on the document and stared at the Duke.
When their gazes met, Duke Elgy asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"
Rashta shook her head.
"I was just thinking that the Duke is really beautiful."
"You're beautiful too."
"No, actually… if the devil existed I think he would look like you."
"The devil?"
The corners of Duke Elgy's mouth lifted as if he found it amusing.
"No offense. It's just that I remembered what I'd heard somewhere. The devil is beautiful so that he can enchant people…"
284What's worse? That Heinley thought I was trying to avoid him, or that I was only interested in his body?
The first made me look like a cold-hearted woman. The second made me look like a floozy.
Thinking about this I couldn't stay calm, so I put down my pen and got up from my chair.
What did I do wrong? The mood flowed like that, didn't it? I just get carried away with the moment. So then why?
Was it because I touched him? He also touched me. So when he touched me, it was love, but when I touched him, I just wanted his body?
If I was only interested in his body, I wouldn't be concerning myself with anything else.
I wish it was like that, I would have enjoyed every day, working during the day and playing with his body at night!
It was painful because I was not only interested in his body, but even more…
If he often talked about taking a bath together, doing it in other places, in other positions, role-playing, and any number of things! How could I be the dirty one for putting my hands in his pants a little!?
"Your Majesty? You seem disturbed."
As I paced the drawing room with pursed lips, my ladies-in-waiting also looked anxious.
I shook my head at Countess Jubel's concern,
"Don't worry, it's just that a little problem came up."
Then Laura ran up like a squirrel and asked,
"What happened? Discuss it with us, Your Majesty! Then, we might be able to find a quick solution to your problem. It is said that several heads together can always find a way, right?"
Thank you, Laura. But I couldn't say that my husband considered me a nympho who only wanted his body.
I couldn't discuss this embarrassing matter with anyone. What's to discuss? If someone found out about this, I would die of embarrassment.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
"I'll go!"
Laura, who ran to the door excitedly, hurried back shortly after and shouted,
"Your Majesty, Grand Duke Kapmen is here to see you!"
Oh… Good heavens. It can't be!
Of all times… The Duke came right now!
"Can you tell him to come later?"
"He said it was an urgent matter…"
"An urgent matter?"
"It's about the first three test teams!"
I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists, but there was nothing that could be done.
"Let him in."
My God, I hope nothing that happened before with Heinley does not cross my mind in front of Grand Duke Kapmen.
Three young ladies of similar age were sitting side by side on a flight of stairs, and in front of them two large dogs were play biting each other's tails.
The dogs barked and jumped happily, but the young ladies had bored expressions.
With the departure of the Duchess Tuania, and even the Empress Navier, lately high society had become drastically dull.
Large and small parties were held in different parts, but there were no parties organized by very high status nobles, which was a little boring.
Only when high-status nobles hosted a party, a great diversity of personalities gathered. Duke and Duchess Troby had gone to the Western Empire, while Duke Tuania was depressed and stayed cooped up in his mansion after getting divorced.
Marquis Farang was the kind of man who preferred hunting competitions, fencing and training carrier pigeons to parties.
Marquis Karl rarely hosted parties, perhaps because he was the emperor's chief secretary, while the young ladies were reluctant to go to parties hosted by Grand Duke Lilteang because of his bad temperament.
And Empress Rashta met only with men, so the young ladies were bound to be bored.
Eventually Rivetti, who was sitting quietly, asked curiously,
"Have you ever had a romantic relationship?"
Alischute looked at Rivetti in surprise,
"Is there someone you like?"
Alischute had been Laura's best friend, but since Laura left for the Western Empire, she had been hanging out with Rivetti and Anne.
Rivetti thought, 'Why should I say if there is someone I like?" and answered resolutely,
"No."
"Then why are you suddenly talking about romantic relationships?"
Anne, who was listening quietly, said in a serious voice,
"Romantic relationships are for after marriage. It's not good for rumors to spread that you dated before marriage, Rivetti."
Rivetti pursed her lips. She was also well aware of the nobles' philosophy of 'separating love from marriage,' but those words annoyed her a bit due to the fact that it led to the divorce of Navier, the empress she liked the most.
"It's not a romantic relationship because I like anyone. It's because it's necessary."
"Why? To get married?"
"To a certain extent."
Alischute and Anne, who were bored, looked at Rivetti with a twinkle in their eyes.
"Who is it?"
"Who do you want to marry?"
"Is your father against it? If not, ask your father to raise the marriage with his family."
Rivetti's lips twisted. If she could, she would have already done it.
But she was aiming at the Emperor, not at an ordinary noble. Besides, she was doing it out of revenge, not love. She intended to seduce him and then toss him aside.
Her father and brother would not help her in this. Of course, even if they wanted to help her, her family did not have enough status to persuade the Emperor to take her as his concubine.
"That's not possible. I've tried to seduce him, but he doesn't seem to be interested in me."
"How old is he? Is he too old or too young? Maybe that's why he's not interested in you."
Anne had made another smart remark. Rivetti hesitated, thought about it, and replied,
"He's older. But there's not much of an age difference."
"You're radiant and energetic, isn't that your charm? You must expose it."
"How?"
"Why don't you show yourself strong? When there's a hunting competition, shoot an arrow splendidly in front of him."
"I don't know how to shoot an arrow."
"Then ride a horse splendidly!"
The young ladies gave their opinions, but it wasn't very helpful.
Eventually, Rivetti forgot about the seduction topic as she laughed and joked with her friends. She only lamented it, after parting from them.
'Ah! How did we get from the seduction issue to the topic of that palmistry?'
Rivetti patted herself lightly on the head, lamenting her stupidity.
Still, she enjoyed hanging out with her friends. Rivetti walked casually back home.
But halfway there, she felt someone following her.
Rivetti stopped and looked back.
'Huh?'
Although it was getting dark, there were quite a few people passing by here, so she could not determine if anyone was following her.
Despite feeling a little uneasy, Rivetti finally kept walking. There were many passersby, so she figured no one was blatantly following her.
"…"
But after a few steps, she was once again overcome by an unpleasant fear.
Although she walked busily for a while, the strange sensation did not disappear. Rivetti stopped again and looked back.
People were still coming and going normally. There was no sign of anyone following her.
'Is it my imagination?'
Rivetti, who half turned her gaze to the front, looked back again when she became aware of a startling fact.
It was the passersby!
It was the same passersby! She was sure they were the same people as when she looked back the first time.
At this point, Rivetti panicked and got goosebumps.
She turned her head to the front quickly and ran off.
Then, the passersby stopped and turned their gaze to her back at the same time.
A child squatting among wooden crates in the corner of an alley watched the scene, licking a piece of candy.
That was the last day Rivetti was seen.
285For fear of thinking about what happened to me with Heinley in front of Grand Duke Kapmen, I counted from 1 to 10 repeatedly from the moment he entered.
Grand Duke Kapmen paused to say through tears of laughter,
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. It's hard for me to understand you like this."
"Don't you understand me?"
"I hear your inner voice at the same time."
What should I do? I couldn't stop counting in my mind.
Grand Duke Kapmen smiled awkwardly. But soon his expression became really serious and he said,
"I don't know what thoughts you are trying to keep me from knowing, but after you hear this you won't be able to think of anything else. One of the first three teams that left for the test trade has been arrested in Whitemond."
He was right. Immediately, I couldn't think of anything else.
The Western Empire was rich in jewels and various natural resources, it was also the country with the largest number of mines, but it had no sea. The Western Empire was surrounded by mountains and other countries.
There was no water shortage in the Western Empire because there were many large rivers and lakes, but there was no naval force. In contrast, the Western Empire had an exceptional army due to its geographical conditions, so it did not need it either.
For this reason, the Western Empire had leased several ports, the closest being Whitemond.
The Western Empire had used the port of Whitemond for more than twenty years, and one of the teams from this mission was scheduled to pass through that port to go to Rwibt. Being the shortest distance, it was also the team that was expected to get the best results.
But was it arrested?
"Was there a problem?"
"I don't know the details. My subordinate, who was supposed to join the team and lead it, was delayed because he felt ill. Once he arrived in Whitemond the team had already been arrested."
I got up from the couch hurriedly.
"I'll have to talk to Heinley first."
Although I was in charge of this, it was not something I could solve on my own if it was a problem between countries.
Why was the team arrested? Hadn't Whitemond been an allied country since the West was a Kingdom? Why not now that the Western Kingdom became the Western Empire?
I hope the reason is not related to that. Otherwise, it couldn't be easily solved…
I met Heinley as soon as I got to the front of his office.
"My Queen. In fact, I was going to look for My Queen."
He was coming out of his office next to McKenna, who had a very serious expression.
Did Heinley have a smile?… Did I see wrong? Yes, I think I saw wrong. He also had a serious expression.
"My Queen, have you heard?"
"About what happened in Whitemond?"
"Yes. We received the information through a carrier pigeon, even the team members don't know why they were arrested."
Sovieshu, who came out dressed as a commoner, stopped in front of a store on his way to an undercover investigation.
The knight commander, who followed him, averted his eyes in the direction in which Sovieshu was looking.
It was a glass-fronted store, so you could see a painting inside in which a well-known person appeared.
The knight commander sighed inside. That person was the former empress. Empress Navier in a large painting.
Sovieshu stood still for a moment, lost in thought, before entering the store.
"Welcome!"
The store owner rushed over excitedly as the front door opened. However, the store owner's footsteps naturally slowed down upon seeing Sovieshu.
Although he was dressed in commoner's clothes and his face was half-covered, there was a pressure that naturally arose from Sovieshu.
The store owner, who had dealt with nobles on countless occasions, quickly realized that Sovieshu was a man of very high status and kept silent. Those of high status did not like to be asked questions first. It was better to let them watch freely.
Thanks to this, Sovieshu could fully appreciate the painting hanging on the wall without disturbance from anyone.
In the painting, Navier was sitting indifferently in a red dress. What was unusual was that Sovieshu himself appeared lying on her lap.
Sovieshu suddenly felt a pain in his chest. He felt short of breath.
"Young master?"
The knight commander hurried over to Sovieshu to assist him.
"Don't worry."
Sovieshu waved his hand to indicate that he was well, and tried to ease the pain by lightly tapping his aching heart.
He had kept himself as busy as possible to forget the suffering he experienced in the Western Empire.
Why did I have to see this painting here…
He felt shivers as he remembered the unbearable pain. Sovieshu turned around and left the store.
However, he didn't even manage to take three steps outside before he returned and said to the store owner,
"Sell me that painting."
Although it was a store selling paintings, the owner did not originally intend to sell that painting.
He wanted to leave this painting hanging in the store as a good luck charm.
However, the intense pressure Sovieshu emanated was too great to refuse.
The store owner said hesitantly,
"That painting is very expensive."
"That doesn't matter."
Determined, Sovieshu handed him a small money pouch. Then, he ordered the knight commander to cover the painting with a black cloth and take it to his bedroom.
Once the undercover investigation was over, Sovieshu quickly returned to the palace.
"And the painting?"
"It is in Your Majesty's bedroom. I was waiting for you to tell me where you want to hang it."
Sovieshu asked that the painting be hung where he could see it while lying in bed.
Once the knight commander left, Sovieshu sat on the bed and looked at the painting carefully.
It was a really vivid and beautiful painting.
Sovieshu spat a curse and clutched his head. His eyes began to burn.
He was fine now after suffering so much in the Western Empire. Why did this suddenly appear…
But despite the pain, he couldn't take his eyes off the painting.
One slightly hot day when there was hardly any wind blowing, he had gone on a picnic with Navier in the field inside the Imperial Palace. That day, while lying on Navier's lap, he pressed her chin and laughed at her. Navier, who was stroking Sovieshu's hair, tugged on it as if she had done it accidentally. Consequently, Sovieshu turned around and tickled her feet.
Sovieshu could still vividly hear Navier laughing at the tickling…
"Damn."
Once again, his eyes tightened and a deep pain came over him.
As he was breathing hard, tears began to fall down his cheeks.
'What does this mean? Why now?'
Even the painting looked blurry from tears.
As he wiped away tears with his hands, he found something in the painting he didn't like.
Navier's eyes. Instead of looking at him, her eyes were looking elsewhere.
"Where are you looking at?"
Sovieshu asked the Navier of the painting, as if she could answer. Navier had her gaze raised.
'Why wasn't she looking at me?'
This annoyed him, it seemed as if she was looking at someone else.
"Navier."
Sobbing uncontrollably, Sovieshu approached the painting and pressed his forehead against Navier's dress.
"Navier. Don't look away. Look at me."
There was no response.
Sovieshu fell to his knees and finally said between sobs,
"Navier, I miss you. Navier, I want to see you. Navier, I hope you come back."