A six-horse carriage bearing the coat of arms of the Grand Duke’s house pulled up in front of the Imperial Palace.

The carriage door opened, and a blond youth who seemed to have sprinkled golden stardust stepped out of the carriage.

His appearance drew attention not only because of his outstanding looks that overshadowed the Emperor, who was praised as the most handsome man in the empire.

The knights of the Grand Duke’s house were guarding him tightly from the front of the carriage, and the knights of Duke Greco’s house from the back.

The Chief Chamberlain, Dario, ran up with quick steps and bowed deeply to Lewis.

“Welcome, Your Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince.”

“That title is still premature. Tell His Majesty that the Marquis of Vandelli has come at his summons.”

“Yes, Lord Marquis.”

Following Dario into the Imperial Palace, Lewis looked around the interior of the palace with sentimental eyes.

For Lewis, whose playground had been on the knees of the late Emperor, it was a more familiar space than his mother Gelsomina’s Empress Palace.

Perhaps because His Majesty the Emperor had little interest in the reconstruction of the Imperial Palace, it had not changed much from when he played there as a child.

Aaron Pioni, the commander of the Imperial Knights, and his men were lined up in the lobby with displeased faces, but they did not stop the knights guarding Lewis and Ricarion.

Originally, it was the rule that no one could carry even a dagger when entering the Imperial Palace. However, the Emperor allowed Lewis’s guards to carry weapons.

The Emperor also allowed the knights in charge of close protection to enter his office, so not only Commander Leo but also the Mage Tower Master, who had taken the form of a guard knight through illusion magic, could follow Lewis inside.

Although the treatment of the coma patients had not yet been completed, and the Mage Tower had not yet recovered from the shock of the subsequent self-destructive magic, Ricarion readily accepted the Grand Duke’s request to protect Lewis.

As the attendants opened the office door wide, Lewis entered and bowed his head in greeting to the Emperor.

“Lewis Vandelli greets the Sun of the Empire.”

Lewis’s eyes widened as he raised his head.

Ricarion and Commander Leo, who followed behind, also exchanged surprised glances.

It was not because the Emperor was wearing a comfortable shirt and pants that commoners might wear.

Nor was it because of the judges filling the office and the papers piled high on the conference table.

It was because the black cat purring on the Emperor’s lap was clearly Nero, whom they had been looking for.

The cat, wearing a red ribbon and a ruby pendant around its neck, also seemed to recognize the three of them, as its large eyes that looked like they had emeralds embedded in them wavered slightly.

“Strike while the iron is hot. I summoned the judges and administrative officials to return all the lands, castles, and villas that should go to Lewis della Ponti. What else was there?”

The Emperor, who seemed uninterested in the judge’s lengthy explanation, was only engrossed in neatly tying the cat’s ribbon.

“Your Majesty. Please sign here.”

The judges handed Lewis a pen and various documents.

“The Empire’s top judges and financial experts have scrutinized them meticulously, but take your time to review them slowly. It will be more of a headache later when you inherit my possessions. Consider it a rehearsal.”

A boyish smile spread on Justin’s lips as he tore the thinly dried meat into small pieces and put them into the cat’s mouth.

A look of dismay flashed in Commander Leo’s eyes as they quickly scanned the office.

The Emperor’s office was filled with various cat supplies, and the black cat nestled in the Emperor’s arms was clearly Nero, the thieving cat that His Highness Bi had picked up at Coliseo Rosa.

Lewis, who glanced at his half-brother while signing the documents, looked at the Mage Tower Master with an expression of ‘What’s going on?’

Mage Tower Master Ricarion was even more perplexed.

He had heard through Airy that Nero had run away from Yuriella at the Imperial Palace. But he had never imagined seeing him nestled in the Emperor’s arms.

Popo, who was hiding in the pocket of the Mage Tower Master’s cloak, also fluttered his small back, not knowing what to do, anxious about what had happened to Nero.

“I don’t know how to express my gratitude for your consideration, Your Majesty.”

Lewis, who had finished signing all the documents, bowed his head as he sat in the seat Justin offered.

“Enough with the pleasantries. Everything is just returning to its rightful place.”

The Emperor, who was gently stroking the cat curled up on his lap, raised a hand to cover his mouth and yawned tiredly.

“This little one got hurt while playing yesterday, and I couldn’t even get a wink of sleep. They said there was a crack in the tailbone, but fortunately, it wasn’t broken. My heart sank when I thought the injury required amputation.”

“I had no idea Your Majesty was a cat lover.”

“It’s not my cat. The Chief Chamberlain picked it up not long ago, and it’s quite friendly. It follows me around like I’m its owner and keeps looking for me, so I can’t help but dote on it.”

His beautiful eyes, as if filled with the deep sky, curved like a painting.

“I heard that the Grand Duchess also likes cats? Coincidentally, they say it has a similar appearance to this one.”

Lewis wondered if he knew something about Nero or if he was just probing.

“The stray cat’s habits haven’t changed, so it’s been away from home for several days. Come to think of it, the appearance is not just similar, but exactly the same. Since it’s a stray cat without an owner, how about giving it to the Grand Duchess as a gift? She will be very happy.”

Lewis stood up and approached the Emperor, holding out both hands. A light purple gaze sparkled between the gently folding eye smiles.

It was an utterly polite attitude, but it was a clear provocation.

Commander Leo flinched and looked at the Mage Tower Master as if asking what to do.

Ricarion simply shrugged.

He thought he was just a playful young man. But to provoke the Emperor and try to probe him at the solemn occasion of restoring his identity took quite a bit of guts.

Judging from the tense atmosphere that lingered in the office for a moment, it was clear what Lewis had just done.

The judges who were organizing the stacks of documents Lewis had signed were trembling like aspen leaves.

They were not foolish enough to forget what kind of person the Emperor was just because he was stroking a cat benevolently.

Nor had enough time passed for them to forget the stench of blood scattered throughout the palace just because Lewis had touched the Emperor’s temper.

“Haha. Lewis. Lewis. You’re so flimsy and naive. You think I would do something to this cat to give it to the Grand Duchess as a gift?”

Lewis’s expression hardened as the Emperor burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking.

“I once gave the Grand Duchess the cherished horse of Commander Solas as a gift. I heard that a group of mages and priests from the North were brought in to check if there was some kind of uncanny spell cast on it. I’ve had enough of being treated poorly once.”

Lewis recalled the snow-white steed that was treated like a useless trinket at the Grand Duke’s residence.

On the day the Emperor abruptly gifted that white horse to his sister-in-law, the household was in an uproar.

Lord Frost turned pale and went out to find the Duchess, who had gone for a walk in the woods with the Emperor.

After the Grand Duchess returned safely, there was another commotion to confirm whether there was any dangerous sorcery placed on Blanca.

Even after it was concluded that there was no problem with Blanca, only the Grand Duchess remained composed.

The Grand Duke and the servants still treated the horse like a walking, exploding magic stone and were reluctant to approach it.

“…My thoughts were short-sighted, it seems.”

“Don’t rashly intervene in matters you don’t know well. Your trivial good intentions can become someone’s exposed weakness that should not be caught and turn into an irreversible disaster.”

With those words, the Emperor left the office with the cat in his arms.

Before leaving, he glanced at the Mage Tower Master once, which was the last attention he showed to Lewis’s group.

However, the Emperor’s unexpected move did not end there.

The voice of Duke Samuel Figuera, who was blocked by the Imperial Knights and the Royal Guard at the entrance, rang out loudly throughout the Imperial Palace.

“Your Majesty! You can’t do this! Imprisoning Her Majesty the Empress Dowager in the Swan Palace! It’s absurd that you want to abdicate, but confining your mother is unfilial! It’s unthinkable, Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

If they hadn’t heard it directly, they wouldn’t have been able to believe it.

What kind of person was the Empress Dowager to the Emperor that he would imprison her…!

Even if he had given up the Imperial Crown, there was no reason for him to turn against the Empress Dowager.

For his future safety, the patronage of the Empress Dowager and Duke Figuera, the center of the pro-Emperor faction, was essential.

When Lewis’s group returned to the Grand Duke’s residence, news flew in that the High Priest Grato Comboni and the Holy Maiden candidate Carina Pioni were locked in the closed prayer room of the Grand Temple.

It was called a prayer room, but it was a prison where priests who had committed wrongdoings were locked up. The pretext was that they had damaged the honor and dignity of the priesthood.

Seeing that the ones guarding the closed prayer room were Imperial Knights, this was also clearly by the Emperor’s order.

“Has the Emperor really gone mad?”

Duke Jovel, who had hurried to the Grand Duke’s residence upon hearing the news, shook his head.

Duke Greco, who had arrived before him, remained silent for a long time.

“It’s a futile effort to try to understand a madman. But this is so far beyond expectations that it’s terrifying. Why is the Emperor doing this?”

Duke Greco fiddled with his monocle and tapped his foot to the beat. It was a habit that emerged when he was deeply lost in thought.

“If we forget that he is the Emperor, forget all the evil he has done so far, and think of him as just an ordinary young man in love at that age, it’s not incomprehensible. Isn’t love also a form of madness?”

“Hah. Love?”

Duke Jovel snorted and then gritted his teeth with a look of disbelief.

The Emperor’s persistent gaze toward the Grand Duchess had been bothering him, and now he was finally reaching out his hand?

“All of this is because of Her Grace the Grand Duchess. The other party is a married woman! And not just anyone, but the spouse of my own cousin!”

“There have been two precedents among past Emperors who married their sisters-in-law.”

“That was when the elder brother died in battle without leaving an heir! One was a princess from an allied country with whom a marriage alliance was made. The other had the political foundation that the newly enthroned Emperor desperately needed.”

Duke Jovel, whose face had turned beet red, slammed his fist, as big as a pot lid, on the table. The wooden table broke with a crunch and sank to the floor.

“I’m hearing all sorts of nonsense! So you’re saying there’s no problem offering Her Grace the Grand Duchess to the Emperor because she’s bound to become a widow?”

“That’s quite a leap. I was merely discussing possibilities.”

Duke Greco spoke in a voice so calm that it felt cold.

Jovel turned to Lewis with a sharp look.

“Your Highness, you don’t share the same thoughts, do you?”

“I have decided to follow Lord Frost’s will. He told me to willingly accept the Imperial Crown. As soon as possible.”

“Your Highness!”

“And my sister-in-law will not leave my brother’s side. I will protect my brother and his wife, and I intend to make full use of the gift my half-brother has given me.”

“Pardon…?”

“The true gift the Emperor has given me is not the golden crown, but their internal strife. The imprisonment of the Empress Dowager and the Holy Maiden candidate ties the hands of the East and the Grand Temple. However, the gift’s validity period will not be long, so we must hurry.”

Lewis smiled at Duke Jovel, who was staring at him with a blank face.

“Duke Jovel.”

At the smile that exuded a firm resolve harder than gold ore, despite its gentleness, Jovel straightened his posture involuntarily.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Duke Greco.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Please devote all your efforts to uniting the nobles of the regions, excluding the East. Now that the Emperor has expressed his intention to abdicate, it will not be difficult to gather strength.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Duke Jovel answered loudly.

However, Duke Greco frowned. His reluctance was evident.

“The East is also one of the four pillars of the Empire. If we abandon the East, there will be serious problems in the supply of agricultural products and domestic and foreign trade−.”

“We can throw it away and reclaim it later.”

“Pardon?”

“Isolating them is like cutting out rotten flesh. We need to starve the abscess parasitizing the East to death.”

“But−.”

“There are those with righteous intentions, even among the lower-ranking nobles. And there are people who dream of a new world. They will be the new flesh and new blood that will revive the East. I will help them, and when the time comes, the four pillars will firmly support an empire reunited. That is the balance I envision and the future of the Empire.”

The eyes of the Crown Prince, speaking of the new world he would create, shone brightly.