“Prince of Lupeon. I fully understand how you feel. Therefore, I have been enduring this, taking care of the Empress in your place, as my duty, until now. It would be best to stop there.”

“Would you kill me if I don’t endure? Well. It’s enough to go down in history as the worst tyrant of the Empire.”

“I could if I wanted to, but I think the Empress would be sad, so I will forgive you once.”

“Don’t call my sister Empress with that mouth, Emperor. I can’t bring down the Empire, but tearing the Emperor’s neck now would be nothing.”

“If you’re confident, try it.”

An impassable aura flowed between the two men. They glared at each other as if they were going to kill each other, as if no one else were visible to them.

‘Sigh.’

I sighed deeply to myself and slowly raised my hand.

Karayan, who has been overly protective of me since childhood when I was alienated and bullied in the palace, is back. I knew something like this would happen when he returned.

‘Of course, I didn’t expect him to come all the way to the imperial palace and fight, without considering the situation at the border.’

I put strength into my raised hand and hit Karayan’s back sharply.

Thump!

The crisp sound rang out sharply in the silent entrance of the palace due to the tense clash between the two.

“…Ugh. Te…ri…”

Karayan, who was suddenly hit hard on the back, leaned forward and cried out in pain. I came out from behind Karayan and gestured to the bewildered senior spirits to go back.

“You guys too. Intervene with discretion. Don’t do everything that my brother tells you to.”

“That’s the contract…”

“Shush. Quickly.”

The spirits were kind to me, perhaps because they saw me, who had been with Karayan since childhood. No, they showed loyalty and favor to me as much as they did to Karayan.

I had asked them why when I was little. The spirits said it was because I was a living, breathing life. …It was too obvious. All life breathes.

‘It must be because they share Karayan’s will and emotions.’

The senior spirits, in the form of wolves, watched Karayan’s face. When Karayan gestured with his chin to do as I wanted, they quickly hid themselves.

“Your Majesty.”

“…Look out for my back, will you?”

Levanfell, called by me, came up with a mischievous smile. Levanfell moved close and gestured for the knights who had suddenly surrounded me to step back.

The knights quickly changed their attack formation.

“Karayan is my brother. My family.”

“…I know.”

“He’s a bit unusual… but please understand my brother’s worry.”

“I understand it perfectly. That’s why I’m sparing him, even though he crossed the border at will, knocked out the guards, wandered around the palace at will, and tried to snatch the Empress from me.”

Levanfell put strength into every word. And soon after, he brushed my hair with a bitter face.

“I know that’s a normal family response.”

“…What?”

“Other family members of the Empress refused to accept our marriage and abandoned you, insisting on marrying another princess instead. …If someone truly cares for the Empress as family, it is right to be angry and angry with me.”

“…”

“I will be recorded as the worst tyrant in the history of the Empire.”

“…You’re harsh on yourself.”

“I’m an objective person.”

Levanfell patted my shoulder in encouragement and walked past me to Karayan.

“So don’t worry, Empress.”

“…”

“I’m not going to kill the family you love, and who loves you.”

Levanfell stood facing Karayan, who had closed his mouth tightly and was rubbing the spot where I had hit him. Karayan looked at Levanfell with a stiff, guarded face.

“First.”

Levanfell slowly opened his lips.

“Do you have a favorite tea, Prince of Lupeon? How about we slowly start our relationship from there?”

Levanfell suggested tea time to Karayan on a moonless night.

“…Teri doesn’t really like tea. Requesting cake, Your Majesty.”

And the effect was excellent.

Certainly! Here is the translation:

The three of us looked around and then had tea time together.

It was the first time I had tea and cake at such a late hour. I honestly wanted to go to sleep early due to a sudden wave of fatigue, but I couldn’t leave the two of them alone, fearing a fight would break out.

“Yaaawn.”

I wasn’t tempted by the fragrant tea and sweet cake. Instead, yawns kept coming.

“If you’re sleepy, go to bed first.”

“Terry. Sleepy? I must have come too late.”

The two men responded to my yawn with glee. I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes and shook my head.

“If I go to sleep, will you two fight again? Please finish your conversation quickly.”

“You may already know… My younger sibling was deceived without knowing anything.”

“The word ‘deception’ sounds a bit harsh.”

“We can annul the marriage.”

Kara looked sharply at Levanfell.

“Already, the whole continent knows my Empress. The prince might not know since he didn’t attend the wedding, but it’s not like we invited just a few guests and did it carelessly. We invited all the famous people from the continent, and everyone who should know that we are a couple knows. Now, talking about annulling the marriage. Does it look easy?”

“Those are your circumstances. Does my sibling’s future seem easy, ready to be ruined just for that?”

“Do you not know that the most difficult person in my life is the Empress?”

“I promised Terry’s mother. If any danger or hardship comes to Terry, I will definitely be there for her. It looks like this is exactly that situation. Terry’s mother entrusted me with much.”

The argument was getting heated again. Seeing my chance, I opened my mouth wide with a drawnout yawn.

As expected, the two men’s gaze turned at the same time.

“What if we do this? Since it’s late, Your Majesty should go to your bedroom, and you, brother, should go to the Damask palace to sleep, and we all meet again tomorrow to talk. We’ll have this tea and cake tomorrow as well.”

Huh? Shall we do that? Huh?

I attacked with my eyes, and the two men finally got up from their seats.

It was my victory.