Glea Palace was considered one of the most beautiful even among the palaces of Chalea.

This palace served as a guest residence where dignitaries and royal relatives stayed, and on the sixth day of their visit, not only guests but also a very elegant Duke bird appeared.

Sleek black hair naturally flowed from the smooth forehead. A perfectly tied tie, a stiff shirt and vest, and naturally falling trousers, tightly and thickly wrapped the wild body with civility and manners.

A light coat brushed against the long legs as he walked. The man who walked with a purposeful stride was finishing the look with Secaman leather gloves covering his long and rugged hands.

“Your Majesty.”

The head of the household at Glea Palace had abandoned formal greetings. Over the last few days, the Emperor had clearly indicated through his actions that he had no intention of wasting time on lengthy greetings.

Indeed, the Fersecta Empire was officially in mourning, on the sixth day of a ten-day period of mourning before the funeral.

The Chalea Palace had been silent during this period of mourning.

Nobody dared to make a sound in the palace where the lost royals had returned, and all schedules were canceled. The Emperor, who firmly held the reins of power, had been making frequent appearances at Glea Palace as its only Duke bird.

“The garden again?”

Omitting formalities, the Emperor asked about the location. The guest staying at Glea Palace often wandered out to the garden to swing a sword.

“He has already been out and returned.”

“Ah.”

The Emperor nodded and naturally went inside.

Though brimming with innate nobility and dignity from head to toe, to the head of the household overseeing Glea Palace, he seemed just like a Duke bird preoccupied with courting.

Today it was a suit, yesterday he appeared in a shirt, trousers and boots and walked in the garden with the guest. The problem was that the shirt buttons were quite casually undone; there was no doubt this was intentional.

The day before, he had appeared in a neat riding attire and took the guest on a horse, offering the excuse that she would be terribly bored. And the day before that, he had shamelessly shown up in a loose shirt, trousers, and a long, thin gown.

The head of the household saw that the Emperor was definitely plotting something, but she kept her composure.

“Shall I announce it?”

The Emperor shook his head at the polite question from the head of the household, signaling everyone to leave.

He strode forward, leaving behind the withdrawing maids and servants. He walked through the familiar corridors into the reception room adorned with vases around the sofa, fireplace, and table. There, the guest staying at Glea Palace was present.

“Finding it amusing?”

Riga, engrossed in various piled-up newspapers, suddenly looked up. Hayden checked from her almost bruise-free neck and shifted his gaze.

People from the Caletta Empire, becoming more familiar with the Fersecta Empire’s language, were completely engrossed in magazines and newspapers filled with various gossip and all kinds of information.

“Your Majesty.”

“Newspaper sales have tripled recently, not very fitting for a mourning period.”

And the person responsible for making this mourning period unfitting for a mourning period grinned and sat across from the guest.

Blocking her from rising to greet him, he skimmed through the newspaper. Today’s headlines were particularly flashy, enough to feel noisy just by looking at them.

“So, what are your thoughts?”

Thoughts? Doubt filled her green eyes.

“Don’t you see? I’ve made such an effort to fill your lonely stay here with amusing activities.”
A quiet laugh broke out, her green eyes crinkling until the iris was nearly invisible.

“Ah, so this is Your Majesty’s consideration to keep me entertained.”

Daily, news about Rustica Gennes, a former official of Calesta, and her favor from Count Plache reached the public through none other than the royal spokesperson.

As a result, she became the talk of noisy rumors and a target in the Calesta Empire, unable to move an inch within Glea Palace.

“At least there’s plenty to read.”

The man who had benefited the most during this pause in governance shamelessly spoke.

All politics had come to a halt. Thus, no rumors could be started to diminish or cover the achievements the Emperor had made. All eyes were on the palace, and the Emperor tightly held all the reins by personally overseeing the governance.

In short, he was legally telling the nobles to shut up.

“Your Majesty is putting in so much effort; it’s a bit much to simply say there’s plenty to read. I didn’t expect you to care this much.”

She had been utterly surprised when she read the paper today. She never thought they would officially declare that finding the royal corpses was thanks to Rustica.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I was already worried about who I would become to my parents, but now that burden has lessened.”