“As long as there are no issues in my territory, I plan to stay in the capital for the time being. It seems that things have been a bit unruly while we were gone.”

For a brief moment, the chill in his eyes thawed; Feldin changed his expression and wore a gentle smile as he asked,

“Will you allow it?”

“Do as you wish.”

As Shuher turned his attention back to his paperwork, Feldin, not wanting to disturb him further, left his office.

“You were summoned by His Majesty?”

“Yes.”

Davian, who was about to start his morning as usual, jumped up from his seat, startled by the news Bris brought.

“What should I do?”

This would be the first time she would meet Shuher since arriving at the palace, and she felt nervous. Bris calmed her down.

“We will quickly prepare.”

Bris took the lead and called the maids; Davian hurriedly got ready with their help. At first, receiving this sort of attention was awkward, but now she had gotten somewhat used to it.

Feeling elated by the unprecedented treatment, every day was new, and wearing expensive items made her truly appreciate her capabilities.

Quickly finishing her preparations, Davian headed to Shuher’s office with Bris. As she passed, the servants respectfully bowed their heads.

This was one of the biggest changes since coming to the palace. She was now looked upon with awe rather than disdain or contempt.

She was no longer afraid to take steps forward. Moreover, she was now on her way to meet none other than the Emperor of this empire.

‘I wonder why His Majesty summoned me.’

Just then, she saw Shuher from a distance. She wanted to approach him happily, but seeing another person behind him, she had to stop.

Normally, Evenel would have gone to the training ground, but today she was going to his office with Shuher.

“But why did you summon me?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

Knowing that he wouldn’t answer even if she asked, she didn’t pry further. Shuher glanced at her briefly before mentioning what he’d heard about Feldin the day before.

“I heard you met Feldin yesterday.”
“Ah, you’ve heard from the Duke? Then I won’t speak of what happened. I don’t want to sully my mouth mentioning it.”

Evenel’s words showed traces of frustration over yesterday’s events. It seemed quite unfair that she had been sent away so easily.

“Still, there was no bloodshed. I held back with my extraordinary strength.”

“You didn’t look like someone who would hold back.”

Shuher found it strange that she let such insulting words slide. She seemed like someone who would upend the palace if it came to it.

“I have some tact, you know. No matter the situation, the fact remains that the opponent is a Duke.”

From Evenel’s perspective, she couldn’t outright ignore the status of a Duke. But she wasn’t planning to let things slide any longer. If they continued to be rude, she would fight back using everything at her disposal.

“Anyway, I can’t afford to cause trouble from my first day of being here. Moreover, Duke Feldin helped as well. He seemed like a good person.”

Hearing her mention Feldin made Shuher’s brows furrow slightly. What basis did she have for saying Feldin was a good person when she met him for the first time yesterday?

“I think it’s too early to make such a judgment.”

“You can just tell. He’s kind, caring, and unlike others, he doesn’t ignore people even when meeting for the first time.”

Looking at Feldin’s smile seemed to naturally warm her heart.

Too focused on talking about him, Evenel failed to notice that Shuher’s expression was growing increasingly stern.

“People like that are the ones you should be careful of. That’s what you call naïve.”

“No, that’s how I felt about him. And isn’t he close to Your Majesty as well? So, you would know better. Emil told me so.”

She had asked Emil last night and learned more about the relationship between Shuher and Feldin. She had been surprised that they were that close.

“It’s a tiresome karmic bond.”

“You’re close, aren’t you? Oh, what about this?”

Evenel pointed to her training outfit and asked. Shuher didn’t understand the purpose of her question. It was a typical outfit, no different from usual.

“What exactly are you asking?”

“No, this is the new training outfit that Emil prepared, as directed by Your Majesty. Just like the one he prepared before, this one’s really comfortable too.”

The moment she wore it, she felt that Emil had paid extra attention.
The outfit had no issues with mobility and was made of breathable material. Despite being a training uniform, it had an upscale feel, making her hesitant to wear it. Today was the first day she’d put it on.

“Still, it feels good to wear new clothes.”

Among the items prepared for her, many were expensive. Yet, she set all of them aside to appreciate the training uniform; it was very like her to do so.

To Shuher’s eyes, the outfit Emil had prepared seemed to suit Evenel Istella far better than what she’d previously worn. Of course, he didn’t say it out loud.

By now, the uniform felt so familiar that wearing regular clothes or a dress would feel awkward.

“I plan to practice with this gun for the first time today. So, I’m kind of excited.”

Proudly strapped to Evenel’s waist was Shuher’s gun. Always in his possession until now, it gave Shuher an odd feeling to see it on someone else.

“Your Majesty.”

At the call, Evenel noticed Davian standing some distance away. She slowly approached and silently glanced back and forth between the two people with her.