“He’s a kind person. Maybe it’s because he’s a diplomat.”

“Really?”

“Trade is important to Nirva, so networking is crucial. Why else would he be kind to me?”

Loo shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, he might naturally be polite and energetic.”

“Possibly.”

Hayden still maintained a picture-perfect smile and nodded his head.

“You like kind and energetic people. I’ll remember that.”

“Who doesn’t like such people, Your Majesty?”

“That’s true.”

What is this? Did he summon me just to make a joke? Anyway, he’s an unpredictable person. Summoning me randomly, appearing out of the blue, and even dragging me here and there at his whim—this man only kindly smiled.

“Why did you summon me? Is there something you’d like me to do? You must be busy today.”

Why did he summon me? Hayden had seen it all from afar. He saw how many wolves were lined up behind Nirva embassy Felix Keika.

Most of them were idiots who crudely interjected into a conversation with Felix Keika, asking, ‘Hello, Sir Keika, who is this beautiful lady?’

Some were also fools who pretended not to notice, then made fun of those idiots, thinking their approach was sophisticated, but was actually very cliché.

And finally, wealthy Eastern nobles from Kaleta, who, despite their contempt for Loo, couldn’t take their eyes off her—the situation unfolded exactly as Hayden had predicted.

Of course, he didn’t think he was any different from them. To Loo, they were all the same sort of men. Hayden simply had the advantage of power and a connection with Loo.

‘That connection, well, it might be one-sided.’

The woman who had forgotten both her glorious past and her powerless present was strong. Had it been her, she would have been lost in the glorious past.

Hayden had no such brilliant era. No, on reflection, his younger days were bright, but he had forgotten them. Or perhaps the memories were too old.

“Your Majesty?”

Rustica Gennes maintained her professional, loyal knightly demeanor. Her actions and gaze were flawless.

This woman would undoubtedly be loyal to him. Yes, loyalty. Though he didn’t ask for it, to Loo it was a given. She had only been taught loyalty in her approach to an emperor.

“……It suits you.”

However, her reaction was different with other men. With just one word, she understood what he meant and slightly smiled.

“Thank you.”

Though only earrings and a brooch, the simple black dress that accentuated her body lines was well complimented by the pearls.

Would Rustica Gennes understand what it means for a man to gift a woman jewelry? Or to her, was he still not a man but a noble and sacred existence called the emperor?

That said, he had no plans to give earrings and a brooch under the pretext of ‘protective magic’ and ‘payment for switching sides from Kaleta,’ and to make up for her lost assets.

But there was no other way to gift her something without making such excuses. In short, she was an incredibly perfect knight, blocked on all sides.

Therefore, Hayden had no choice but to scrape together all sorts of petty, narrow-minded means.

He couldn’t help it. Even amidst all this, he, Hayden, was still trying to see her face one more time by pulling her away from those shameless men masquerading as gentlemen of society.

“I was able to walk around comfortably thanks to you. I’m always concerned about safety.”
Especially now that she had become a target in Kaletta, Lu knew all too well that she couldn’t protect herself. So, she had no choice but to accept the amulet said to be enchanted with protective magic.

“Was it uncomfortable or difficult?”

He moved a little closer and scrutinized Lu’s complexion. As a woman skilled and accustomed to responding that everything was fine and making situations comfortable, he had to pay extra attention.

“Nothing of the sort.”

“Alright, then there’s no problem on Ha’s end. Good.”

For the special day, Hayden looked especially neat, clean, and sharp, shining humbly right before Lu’s eyes.

Up to this point, she had maintained her composure, never taking a step back and never blinking. It was an attitude that conveyed, “You don’t pique my interest, so what are you going to do about it?”

But for the first time, Lu wanted to take a step back. A couple of steps back would be just right.

“I always say, but you’re pretty.”

A faint woody scent mixed with a refreshing aroma wafted from him. The man with very dimensional and beautiful features softly spoke those words.

Pretty? Had any other man come this close and said she was pretty? Yes, a guy reeking of alcohol had done so, chuckling creepily.

What had she done back then? Ah, yes. She warned him to back off and when he didn’t listen, she gave him a good kick.

“Thank you.”

But it was one thing to dare kick the Emperor, pushing away a face with such blatant intentions was something most women couldn’t do. No, even men would find it difficult.

Moreover, the scent filling her nose was the same aroma she had smelled all night long after downing cheap liquor at “Uncle Ben’s Bar.” What was she thinking, contemplating burying her face in that scent-filled neck?