Shuher nodded without any apparent disturbance. He had somewhat anticipated that Harlan would approach her. Especially since he had been keeping an eye on Evenel since her appearance.

“What kind of person is he? To me, he seemed somewhat dangerous.”

“A dangerous person…”

“Isn’t he?”

“Why did you feel that way?”

She carefully recalled Harlan’s demeanor today. Behind his outward appearance, he was clearly hiding a dark aura. Was it because her senses had become keen while dealing with demons?

“I just didn’t want to get too close to him. He didn’t speak the truth even for a moment.”

“The words of Duke Harlan are not without merit. Families endowed with power will not want to lose more favor in the Ferthi territory. They would rather preemptively push into the demon lair.”

“That could certainly be the case.”

Even after saying this much, the response she received was nonchalant, as if discussing someone else’s affairs. Shuher’s hand, which was holding a cup, tightened for a moment.

“Don’t you still get it? Duke Harlan’s proposal has a lot of persuasive power.”

Evenel propped her chin with one hand and displayed a rather confident expression in response to his defense of Harlan.

“Seems like you forgot the most important fact? I’m already committed.”

“Committed?”

“To His Majesty. I’m committed to His Majesty.”

Suddenly feeling thirsty, Shuher took a sip of water and coughed violently. Evenel was so startled she tried to rise from her seat, but he signaled with his hand that it was okay.

“Are you alright?”

In truth, he was far from alright. He had almost spit out the water he was drinking right in front of her.

How could she say something like that with such a nonchalant face?

“Do you call that an answer?”

“No, it’s not wrong. I made a promise with His Majesty, so that should take priority.”

To her, that fact alone was overwhelming, leaving her no room to worry about Harlan.

“I’m busy enough trying to keep myself safe, I don’t need to get involved in pointless relationships. Besides, I saw his objective. He intends to use me for his own purposes.”

The reason Evenel was so certain was because of a single sentence Harlan had uttered.
“People often say that the empowered families are lucky. Just hearing that phrase makes it clear how much they’re disapproved of. Perhaps their inferiority complex is deeper than I had initially thought.”

Shuher was inwardly a bit surprised by her keen insight. Despite their first meeting today, she had seen through so much.

“That man is Duke Harlan Jeizen. He’s currently leading many nobles.”

“Leading?”

“To check families like the Count of Perti who have been empowered.”

“Ahh…”

Understanding the background, she now clearly understood why Harlan had actively approached her.

“He’s wary of giving you power, no doubt. He must be quite anxious.”

“It’s not a relationship that can be so simply defined.”

Shuher was also constantly observing. The fact that the empowered families, away from the capital, were moving covertly around Harlan.

Revisiting the events of today, Evenel blurted out a thought that had passed through her mind without filter.

“Have we become too accustomed to this peace that we’ve forgotten something important?”

At the murmur, whether it was a question or a monologue, Shuher, who had been about to raise his cup, paused. Then his gaze shifted toward her, now colder than before.

“What do you mean by that?”

Unaware of the shift, Evenel openly spoke her thoughts, contrasting the youngsters who spoke lightly of knights’ deaths and Harlan who was busy guarding against those with greater power.

“In the past, Karies went through hard times. There must have been innocent sacrifices. But now that some stability has been regained, even minor sacrifices seem to be taken lightly. Gratitude for those empowered who protect the empire from monsters seems to have faded as well.”

Though they could be dismissed as trivial matters, they didn’t appear that way in her eyes.

“Of course, I know we’ve come this far due to the efforts of countless people, but piling up such things might someday—”

Thud!

Startled by the sound of Shuher slamming his cup on the table, Evenel stopped talking. She soon realized that the atmosphere had suddenly turned heavy around him.

She then caught herself and quickly closed her mouth.

‘What am I saying in front of this person.’
It was natural for him to feel uncomfortable, given that he was the emperor and she herself had brought up such a worrisome subject. On top of that, she had almost mentioned Aodin.

“I think I’ve overstepped. Just forget about it. I’ll go up first.”

Evenel Istella glanced at Shuher’s expression before hastily leaving the spot.

‘My mistake. I shouldn’t have said that much, regardless.’

Blaming herself for her actions, she reached the door when a hand firmly turned her shoulder. Shuher stood in front of her, having followed her at some point.

“Your Majesty?”

Despite her call, there was no response.

Due to the sparsely illuminated red lights in the dark corridor, shadows fell on Shuher’s face, making it difficult to see his expression. That made her more anxious.

‘Did he get angry because of what I said earlier?’

Standing there unsure of what to do, Shuher simply looked down at Evenel Istella.