“Your Majesty…! Ugh.”

The sharp blade was pointed at the thick neck of the shocked and shouting Duke Grande.

Rolling his eyes towards the owner of the sword, the duke’s gaze fell upon the pale lower face of a man wearing a deep black hood, like lime plaster. It was clearly the Emperor’s Shadow that he had only heard about.

“Leave us,” the Emperor commanded his Shadow to clear the room.

“He is a great noble of the North and the father-in-law of the Grand Duke, Your Majesty.”

“Yes. He is the father of the Grand Duchess. Herny, do not disrespect the Duke any further.”

Sereno took a deep breath and stepped out of the carriage.

His Majesty had mentioned Commander Solas. It meant he would not listen even if the Goddess Yustera herself descended and tried to stop him.

Duke Grande, who had been sighing in relief as the murderous energy emanating from the Emperor’s Shadow disappeared, suddenly stiffened his body.

The Emperor’s fingertips brushing against his blood-stained neck felt like a cold snake crawling, causing the hairs all over his body to stand on end.

Justin clicked his tongue upon seeing the blood droplets on his own hand.

“My foolish subordinate has injured your noble body. Allow me to apologize on his behalf.”

“Pardon? Ah, no. It’s alright. But… how are you addressing me, Your Majesty?”

Justin rested his chin at an angle and gave the Duke a soft smile.

“People call the Grand Duke Ielheim the protector of the North, but isn’t the true protector actually you, Duke? I heard that when the iron wall of the North arrives, the barbarian tribes tremble in fear, throw down their weapons, and flee.”

“That is a tale from a distant past, like a previous life.”

“Isn’t life a cycle? Today you may be overshadowed by Ielheim, but tomorrow you could once again become the iron wall of the North, no, the lord of the North.”

“I know my place and am not a foolish person who covets more than I deserve, only to lose what I already have.”

Justin let out a light chuckle at the predictable, boring answer.

“I am not testing you, Duke. I am offering you an opportunity. For instance, a chance to clue me in on who the Grand Duke is pushing as the future sun.”

The Emperor did not miss the Duke’s eyes wavering for a moment.

“The future sun? What do you−”

“My brother Frost has no ambition. But he is a man who absolutely will not bend. So there can only be one answer, right? He must have tried to hold a card that could defeat me.”

Justin narrowed his eyes and read Duke Grande’s expression.

“Your Majesty, you are the one and only sun of the empire, and you do not yet have an heir, so how could such a preposterous−”

The Emperor raised his hand to stop Grande’s words.

“Enough. I did not expect an answer anyway. If the Grand Duke disclosed it to that person, he would have cast a spell of golden words.”

The Duke’s mouth fell open in repeated astonishment.

Was it just a clever suspicion? Or was he trying to catch a tail and blackmail him with something?

“Let’s cut the chatter and get to the point.”

Justin sat up straight. But his lips only tightened, and his delicately sculpted lips did not easily open.

Each time he lifted his golden lashes, his beautiful blue eyes, as if cut from the finest sapphire, sparkled like stars filled with life. His two smooth, ivory cheeks even blushed faintly as if shy.

What could the Emperor be hesitating to say?

For the first time, the Emperor’s sculpture-like face, which seemed otherworldly enough to be directly modeled for the angel statue of the Grand Temple, looked human.

The Duke suddenly had an inkling of what the Emperor was about to say.

The bizarre rumors he had heard from the North.

The vulgar gossip passed from mouth to mouth among the libertines of the Capital about the Emperor’s obsessive fixation on his daughter.

He had assumed it was either an unfounded rumor made up by those jealous of the Grand Duke, or that the Emperor intended to insult the Grand Duke by tarnishing his daughter.

But facing the Emperor, who bore the face of a boy unmistakably in the throes of first love, Duke Grande had to clench his teeth to keep from bursting into laughter.

My goodness. Love, indeed.

‘Are you saying that the psychopathic, coldblooded lunatic who even branded his right-hand man Commander Solas as a traitor and executed him is truly out of his mind, smitten with my daughter?’

Thinking he had been handed an unexpected queen in a game he thought was completely over, the Duke’s eyes shone with renewed interest.

“Duke. I will take Yuriella as my Empress.”

Just as he thought.

“The son she bears, your grandson, will become the rightful heir to the empire.”

It was not a request or a proposal. It was a notification.

The Duke, now more accustomed to abacus beads than a mace, began his calculations in his head.

‘Well. Frost Ielheim doesn’t necessarily have to be the one to die early.’

If Yuriella bore the Emperor’s child and simply placed that child in his arms.

‘Yes. It would be better if my grandson’s father is the legitimate heir to the imperial family.’

Not only that. Killing and eliminating the Emperor is what the entire population of the empire wishes for.

If he kills him, he will be praised for generations not as the iron wall of the North, but as the iron wall of the empire.

If things go well, at the right time he could remove the bastard’s bloodline and ascend to the throne himself, becoming the founder of the Grande imperial dynasty.

Gaining both practical benefits and justification, it was like using one siege weapon to capture two castles.

Inwardly cheering, the Duke knelt with his knees feeling infinitely light.

“Grande will stake his life to become the iron wall that protects Your Majesty.”

Justin slowly closed his eyes and nodded.

He could clearly see the old fox’s gray eyes flashing dully with greed without having to look. Even knowing, he had no choice but to turn a blind eye, pretending not to notice so the newly eyed prey would let down its guard and willingly offer up its neck.

Instead of looking at the hound that easily changes masters like changing hats and only looks for opportunities to bite its owner, the Emperor retrieved from his memories the beautiful face that made his heart ache with longing even in this moment.

[Your Majesty. Why do you keep chewing on other people’s hair?]

Solas used to frown and grumble at him as he absent-mindedly chewed on the ends of her hair while leaning on her shoulder.

[Your hair looks as tempting as a bright red apple in the evening glow.] [Gross. Covet something worth coveting.]

He had to swallow the words that it was actually her that he couldn’t help but covet when she snatched her hair away from him with disgust. Because he knew the moment he spat out his true feelings, he would lose even the chance to keep her by his side.

[Solas. Stay by my side for a long, long time.] [No thanks. Wouldn’t a world that doesn’t need my sword be a good world? It would mean there are no more barbarian tribes or demons to threaten the empire. No more traitors to trouble you, Your Majesty. I want to leave your side as soon as possible.]

The brightly smiling green eyes that were oblivious to his feelings painfully pierced Justin’s heart, etched into his retinas.

As he extended his hand to Duke Grande to have him kiss the Emperor’s signet ring, Justin recalled the ecstatic smile that had shone in Yuriella’s fiery eyes instead of the painful memories.

That smile was now directed at the Grand Duke, but he would change that.

If he couldn’t change it, he would keep her by his side even if he had to break her limbs.

He would never again be left alone to go mad with longing.

They would live together like that and die together on the same day and time. Whatever the reason, whatever the circumstances. This time, without fail.

Duke Grande glanced up at the Emperor’s strangely shining eyes and quietly lowered his gaze to the carriage floor.

He could well imagine what sinister thoughts the Emperor, who had gone mad over his daughter, was having. But even knowing, he had no choice but to lower his eyes, pretending not to notice so his newly acquired prey would relax and nicely offer up its neck.

*

“Airy, I love you.”

Yuriella drew a big heart above her head towards the small communication shard of wind left by Airy.

[I love you too, Yuriella.]

The ripple of wind showed Nikon, who had become a beggar while wandering the remote mountains of the East, and Airy bouncing up and down above his head.

“I love you.”

[I miss you, Yuriella. Wahhh.]

“I love you.”

[Uwaaah. When can I go home. Ahuhuhu.]

− Meow~.

Nero leaped and gently landed in Yuriella’s arms, licking her hand with a purr.

A storm brewed in Airy’s teary, tiny eyes.

[Nero! Get away from Yuriella right now!]

− Meow.

Nero glanced at Airy wriggling in the wind and rubbed his head firmly against Yuriella as if to tease her.

[Nero! Neroooo!]

Popo, sitting alone on the closed terrace railing of the Grand Duchess’s palace, listened to her friend’s screams coming from inside and let out a long sigh.

Yuriella had told Popo that Airy had gone on a short vacation. But Popo already knew through the energy of the land there that the wind spirit had headed east.

Ricarion seemed to have guessed as well, but he did not let on to Popo.

Popo hoped Airy would find her true body and return. It was frustrating that she couldn’t openly help with the secret task her friend was undertaking.

As Popo waited for Yuriella and Airy’s secret communication to end, she heard a noisy sound coming from the garden.

Popo’s tiny eyes widened as she poked her head out from her shell and looked down.

Lady Dabano was grabbing and shaking Shavell’s hair!

[Oh my.]

Popo politely knocked on the terrace window with her small front paw.

[Lady Dabano is pulling out all of Shavell’s hair.]

At the sound of Popo’s voice from outside the window, Yuriella flung open the terrace door and came out to look down.

Lady Dabano’s small, slender hands were mercilessly grasping and yanking Shavell’s bright golden hair.

“Lady Dabano! No! You mustn’t do that!”

But Lady Dabano did not let go of Shavell’s hair and cried out with fierce spirit.

“Your Highness. This Dabano will do what you cannot bring yourself to do in your stead! I will accept any punishment!”

Emboldened by the thought that Yuriella was watching, Lady Dabano grabbed and shook Shavell’s hair even more violently.

“Shavell Allery! Confess your sins!”

Shavell couldn’t even retaliate against the small and cute lady, helplessly having his hair grabbed and shaken.

The head butler, who ran to the garden at the commotion, turned pale and grabbed Lady Dabano.

“Oh, oh no. Why are you doing this? You mustn’t do this!”

But the head maid, who had followed, quickly removed the head butler’s hand from the lady’s.

“Let her be. Ten years’ worth of pent-up frustration is being released.”

The head maid relished the sight of Shavell, who was at a loss with his hair grabbed by Lady Dabano.

“Ah. She shouldn’t do that.”

“Why shouldn’t she?”

The head butler, unable to say why she shouldn’t, just beat his chest over and over until he saw the Grand Duke’s carriage approach and brightened.

Frost got out of the carriage and, upon seeing Shavell with his hair grabbed by Lady Dabano, ran over quickly.

“My lady. That’s enough.”

When Frost tried to remove Lady Dabano’s hand, the lady kicked Shavell. When he quickly blocked her foot, she swiftly grabbed Shavell’s hair again. If that was blocked too, she head-butted him!

Admiring the lady’s combat instincts befitting a northern lady, Frost shouted at Lady Dabano.

“Lady Dabano. I order you to stop at once!”

But even his sharp voice had no effect on the young lady burning with loyalty to the Grand Duchess.

“Grand Duke, you stop it too! Why do you keep that immoral seductress by your side?”

Frost could only gape, unable to find the words to answer the indignant young lady.

“Drive that woman out of the North immediately! No, completely expel her from the empire and set right the foundation of your family and nation!”

He couldn’t tell her that person was destined to become the future sun of the empire, and that the lady’s father had also sworn a life-or-death oath of loyalty to him.

The one who rescued the Grand Duke from his predicament was his wife, who excelled in crises.

Yuriella lightly approached Lady Dabano from behind, struck the back of the lady’s neck with the edge of her hand to knock her out, and quickly caught her.

After gazing at his breathtakingly beautiful savior, Frost passed by the exhausted Sir Lewis and went straight to his wife.

After handing the unconscious lady over to the head maid and maids like a sack, Frost lifted Yuriella up in his arms.

“The Duchess needs to rest after being so startled, so stop making a fuss.”

No one dared utter that the one who truly needed rest was someone else to the back of the Grand Duke’s head as he walked away so imposingly with Her Highness in his arms.

At times like this, one must simply pretend not to know even if one knows and follow along, so the long-awaited little prince or princess will come soon.

At that moment, a magical array like an aura of light rippled in one corner of the garden.

Yuriella, in the Grand Duke’s arms, tried to turn her head, but Frost pulled her head deep into his chest and entered the mansion’s front door.

“Huh. I think I just saw some light. Wasn’t that the Tower Master?”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“But I felt an energy?”

“You’re mistaken.”

Popo, watching from the terrace railing, let out a deep sigh.

“Grand Duke, you’re really too much! You don’t even see Shavell, do you!”

As Lewis rolled on the ground clutching his lion’s mane-like disheveled hair, the head maid glared fiercely and bumped into Lewis as if by mistake, knocking him back down onto the ground.

‘Oh dear.’

The head butler once again beat his poor chest with great force.