A change of heart is betrayal.

“Hyperion, I trust you.”

Although the Emperor spoke very seriously, momentarily losing his mind because of the Empress, Peon did not believe those words at all. He had learned through experience that such words, which he heard so often, were all blatant lies.

The Emperor who claimed to trust him had several legendary magic tools called mirrors that could see anywhere. He constantly checked on Lüsenford with those mirrors and even planted spies densely.

Therefore, Peon doubted everything just like the Emperor did. Kaela was naturally included in those doubts as well. No matter how hard she tried for Lüsenford, his blinded eyes did not see properly and only doubted from beginning to end.

If it was a person from Lüsenford, even if they were secretly working as a spy for the Emperor, he would give them one more chance and show mercy, but he never gave her a chance even once.

Dying miserably pierced by sharp spears and arrows flooding into the narrow tower where Kaela died was too good an end for the Grand Duke. To die by her side when he didn’t even deserve to be near Kaela. It was truly too much.

“They say Prince Elkanan is being sent from Keruzhan. He’s no ordinary person.”

Elkanan of the Kingdom of Keruzhan. Second-in-command of the kingdom after his brother, the king.

Unlike Peon, Elkanan was outwardly friendly and smiled easily, so he had quite a lot of conversations with Kaela. It must have been a great comfort to her who had suddenly lost her father, but in the end, it was Peon, not Prince Elkanan, who was chosen as her husband.

“Of course, since Prince Elkanan is outstanding, King Whigel must be sending him with confidence.”

Peon answered indifferently. In his previous life, the Emperor’s decision for him to marry Kaela was to put another leash on him and give him an endless sense of defeat. It was to teach Peon that he could never get what he wanted.

The Emperor was cunning. He laid out bait, or rather brainwashing that should have been natural, in front of the young Peon. He would live with his mother someday, and he would eventually marry Beatrice Laval, his childhood friend and first love.

Because the memories of his childhood days with his mother and peers were the happiest, Peon naturally could only pursue that time instinctively.

The faint memories with his mother and the first love of a seven-year-old eventually disappeared, buried under the absolute duty of “it must be so.”

“So you and Adeo need to deal with him.”

Even Duke Ostein frowned. Peon spoke calmly.

“It’s an honor, but please appoint the Crown Prince, Your Majesty. It’s not a position for a mere Grand Duke to take.”

He used to try hard to prove his own worth in situations like this before. But all he did was struggle within the life designed by the Emperor, not even knowing what he wanted himself, just doing as he was told. It was all in vain.

“That’s right, Your Majesty. It’s more appropriate for Your Majesty’s successor to take on this task rather than this incompetent brother.”

Peon let Adeo’s words go in one ear and out the other. Having properly died once and lived again, he had finally found some composure.

The leisure to be angry, to wait and endure, to let things slide and say flattering words appropriately, and most importantly, the leisure to quietly observe where his heart was heading.

All the nerves in his body flowed towards the small Duchess of Ostein standing still with her mouth tightly shut. He was incredibly conscious of this calm, dignified, and intelligent lady to the point of being absurd to himself.

Is it because he feels sorry? No, if he was sorry, he wouldn’t have first paid attention to how healthy Kaela was and how pleasantly her cheeks had filled out before the marriage.

“He’s still too young.”

The Emperor cut him off mercilessly. He probably thinks Peon will be more grateful if he does this. It was like roughly throwing a bone without even a scrap of meat to a dog tied up on a leash.

“He needs to be taught basic manners all over again.”

If the Crown Prince had just waited at Altein Palace when the Empress collapsed, he wouldn’t have heard such words. The Emperor’s voice was full of displeasure.

“Still, he is Your Majesty’s bloodline.”

I’m not. Peon drew the line just as the Emperor always did. His way of drawing the line was just a bit more polite.

“He must have aspects that resemble Your Majesty.”

Kaela, who could only listen quietly, looked at Peon strangely.

‘Didn’t this person not speak so smoothly before?’

More precisely, Peon was taciturn. He did express his opinions clearly, but he couldn’t win against the Emperor’s pushing. Every time, he couldn’t help but think of his mother and Beatrice in the Emperor’s hands.

It was the same after marriage, when facing the Emperor’s envoys or letters in Lüsenford. Whatever the Emperor demanded, he refused with reasonable reasons, but the Emperor was relentless, and Peon eventually had no choice but to bear even greater sacrifices himself.

‘Is it because Her Majesty the Empress collapsed?’

It could be. There’s a possibility that he judged that the most important person to Peon could no longer serve as a hostage.

Compared to such a precious mother, Beatrice might carry less weight, so he might be drawing the line with Beatrice as well. That would make Peon comfortable. Kaela lowered her eyes as she thought.

For a long time, no one had been on her side. So the incoming information was limited, and she always had to analyze and think for a long time while being cautious.

That habit from back then still remains. It’s natural. In her memory, it hasn’t even been a week since she died drinking poison in the cold northern tower of Lüsenford.

“Learning comes first, whatever it is.”

The Emperor, who had been thinking for a while, shook his head as if he still couldn’t accept it no matter how much he thought about it.

“You need to set an example first so Gregory can learn a lot.”

What did Peon ever learn? The etiquette and necessary education were somehow arduously learned from the Empress whom he met only once a year, but it wasn’t enough.

The rest of the social skills and politics were barely learned through struggling under the fierce gazes of the Emperor and nobles, and by experiencing it firsthand.

Even so, it was clumsy, and the obsession and sense of duty planted in him prevented him from acting more skillfully. He couldn’t even realize that he had put himself under a self-imposed ban, so he had no choice but to die in the end.

“I’m also very inexperienced and not in a position to set an example.”

“Ah, enough. Stop being modest and just do it. You’re the right person for this. Let Kaela take care of the banquet. If there’s anything you don’t know, ask Adeo, not me.”

The Emperor waved his hand as if he didn’t want to hear anymore. He looked several years older these days since the Empress collapsed.

“The three of you do it together. The only people I can trust right now are the three people here.”

After saying that much, it’s impossible to refuse further.

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Peon and Kaela bowed their heads along with the Duke of Ostein’s words.

*

Suddenly having to discuss the matter of the delegation’s visit, Kaela, who had returned to Altein Palace instead of going home, bit her lip tightly as she looked at the table.

No matter how urgent the times are, the Crania Empire is extremely wealthy. With vast lands, the food culture has developed diversely, and there’s no way the table set in the Imperial Palace could be modest and frugal. The Emperor, famous for being picky, was also a gourmet.

Kaela, who had put off her appetite for the past few days due to the constant shock and tension, felt the hunger lurking deep in her heart, no, in her stomach, stirring.

Today’s menu consists of a thick onion soup simmered for a long time, potage with plenty of vegetables including potatoes, crispy grilled flatfish served with roasted vegetables, thick beef with asparagus, apricot torte with plenty of cream, and three different drinks.

She could eat whatever food she wanted to her heart’s content. Kaela closed her eyes tightly, feeling the urge to devour the entire table.

‘I need to pull myself together. I can’t lose my dignity in the Imperial Palace.’

Starving is too painful. When she was trapped in the tower, she tried to endure the hunger by drinking only melted snow water, but later she wanted to put everything in her mouth, whether it was rotten wood, stones, or dirt.

By that time, it was rather fortunate that she didn’t have the strength left to pick up anything. She lay on the cold stone floor, painfully curling up her body, coughing as if squeezing herself, waiting for death to come.

And all the while, she kept thinking and thinking about these warm, soft, and flavorful foods.

“Come, let’s eat first. The head works better when the stomach is full.”

Peon looked at Kaela, who was looking at the soup with an uncomfortable expression. With her hair tied with a ribbon and sitting quietly, she seemed to be controlling her diet like other ladies.

“Eat a lot, Kaela.”

“Ah, yes… okay.”

He just hoped that Kaela, who belatedly mumbled something close to informal speech, would eat deliciously and a lot. Although he had only seen her corpse for a moment, that moment was preserved in Peon’s memory forever.

Her glossy platinum blonde hair had become dry and fallen out in places, and the exposed skin was a mess of malnutrition and frostbite. He wished the Kaela who died with vacant eyes in an emaciated face with only bones left would eat well.

But he seems to have no right to say so. Kaela avoided Peon’s gaze as if dealing with a difficult person, then picked up her utensils.

“Your return to Lüsenford will be delayed.”

“Yes, Your Grace. At times like this, I should stay in Crain even more.”

Kaela started eating with this strange man in this strange world. The thick potage that enveloped her tongue was too soft and delicious.

Before she could do the undignified act of scraping the bowl clean, she looked at Peon once or twice. Looking at the man who had left her to starve to death somewhat brought her back to her senses.

“How is the evil dragon these days?”

“It’s quiet.”

Peon answered confidently.

“It will be quiet for several more months. The north is peaceful.”

“Is that so? That’s welcome news indeed.”

While others would look at Peon with white eyes, wondering if he was neglecting his duty as the Northern Guardian if they heard he was idle, only Adeo was genuinely happy.

“That’s really fortunate. If the north is quiet, everyone must be at peace. Very fortunate indeed. Did you prepare in advance?”

“We always have to be prepared. I’m telling you this because no unusual movements of monsters or spirits have been detected.”

“His Majesty must have been pleased.”

“His Majesty doesn’t know.”

Unlike Kaela, who had already cleaned her potage bowl, the gentlemen’s meal was very slow.

“He doesn’t know?”

The Emperor was very sensitive to the movements of the evil dragon Gusalante, which suddenly started causing trouble in the north.

The evil dragon was a massive being that could annihilate the empire at any time. The only fortunate thing was that due to the covenant between the evil dragon and Crania established a thousand years ago, the dragon’s magic did not work on the empire.

However, the massive flames caused by the evil dragon and the monsters and spirits that obey it are another story. That’s why the Grand Duke of Lüsenford had no choice but to confront the evil dragon directly.

If the north falls, the empire is in danger. Because of this, the Emperor, who is putting his heart and soul into protecting the north, doesn’t know this fact?

“It didn’t seem like the right situation to report now, so I held my tongue. If it’s safe, it’s not something he needs to worry about, is it?”

“That’s true, but.”

Adeo nodded. His half-brother’s abnormal obsession with his wife was famous. It had been that way from the start, to the point where he even turned a blind eye to illegitimate children, so how could the Emperor be in his right mind now?

“We need to handle many things that His Majesty cannot pay attention to on his behalf.”

Kaela, who was eagerly eating her second onion soup, hurriedly covered her mouth. She was startled and about to cough. Isn’t that an extremely dangerous statement? It sounded as if they were going to handle matters within the Emperor’s authority on their own.

And for the Grand Duke of Lüsenford, who would never say such a thing, to say that. Kaela, who had unknowingly eaten like a possessed person and was about to suffer the consequences, tried to cough as quietly as possible.

“His Majesty’s health is also an issue right now. He absolutely must not overwork himself.”

While calmly handing a napkin to Kaela, who was making strange noises and suffering, and also skillfully pushing a glass of water towards her, Peon gave a valid reason for his words that sounded like treason.

Kaela took the napkin without even being able to say thank you politely, covered her mouth, and left her seat.

Only after leaving the dining room did she cough loudly. Catching her breath, she looked towards the dining room.

‘Is he crazy?’

To make such a bold statement in a place where there are servants serving the meal.

Kaela thought about how the Emperor would react if he heard that statement. When she was the Grand Duchess, it would have been a statement that would have caused the Emperor to immediately become furious and summon the Grand Duke of Lüsenford to make a fuss.

There was no way the Emperor, whose hobby was to monitor his every move and pick fights and find fault, would stay quiet. Peon always had to lie flat in front of the Emperor, and if he didn’t, support for the desolate Lüsenford was cut off.

But what? Because we’re worried about the Emperor’s health, we should handle the things the Emperor can’t pay attention to on our own?

Who is that man who casually says such dangerous words that no one in this empire would dare to utter? She looked down at the napkin she was clutching tightly in her hand.

‘Why did he give me this?’

Does he pity his known sister? As a sense of victimization suddenly arose, Kaela quickly composed herself and re-entered the dining room.

‘Pity? That’s going too far. I need to pull myself together.’

The man with purple eyes, the color of the Emperor, was staring at her intently.

“Are you alright?”

Kaela quickly nodded at the kind fatherly question and sat down.

As she unconsciously reached for her water glass, she noticed that it was placed very close, not where it should have been originally. Judging by the direction, Peon had pushed it towards her.

Sitting in the sunlit dining room, Kaela recalled the dinner she had shared alone with him in the drafty and dim Lüsenford.

You use your mouth more for talking than for eating.

It was a statement that sealed shut her mouth, which had been chattering about how her day was and how his day was while eating.

In the dining room of the Duke of Ostein, the most important part of daily life was the father and daughter chatting and dining together, but in the desolate north, silence filled the table between the married couple.

Kaela looked down at her soup bowl. Despite having starved to death, the memory held her more intensely than the maddening hunger.

Her appetite diminished. Should she consider it fortunate?