From a certain day, it became Kasallin’s habit to reach for the spot beside her even before opening her eyes in the morning.

Awakened from a half-dream state by the noisy chirping of birds, she instinctively stretched out her arm. Feeling the cold sheet under her fingertips, her eyes widened.

The first thing she saw upon waking was an empty space beside her, so vacant it made her wonder if last night’s events were merely a dream. The room, filled with the morning’s dazzling light, was eerily quiet.

“Your Majesty?”

She called out in a soft voice, but no reply came.

Kasallin raised her head to check the clock. The hands pointed to a time two hours later than when she usually woke. It was a time when Parnes would surely have left the villa.

There were so many things she needed to discuss with him, so why hadn’t he woken her?

Suppressing the slight disappointment welling up inside, the tightly shut door suddenly opened. Parnes walked in calmly, holding a few documents in one hand, reading them as he entered.

Kasallin parted her lips slightly. When their eyes met, he placed the documents on the desk, approached with a faint smile, and said,

“Did you sleep well?”

He hadn’t left without a word after all.

Feeling embarrassed for her mistaken assumptions and lingering disappointment, Kasallin awkwardly nodded to avoid revealing her true feelings.

“I thought you had already gone out, since you weren’t here.”

“I have some time until noon. And more than anything, on a day like today, I didn’t want to leave you alone in bed.”

“I… see.”

“I see”? Was that the best she could say? Kasallin, who had navigated countless social events, felt resentful of herself for becoming foolishly nervous in his presence.

He gazed at the disheveled Kasallin, fresh from sleep, and reached for the bell on the console.

“Get ready and come downstairs. I’ll be waiting below.”

He gently pinched her cheek and left the room.

For a moment, she had hoped he might kiss her as he did last night, given the way he looked at her, but Kasallin walked to the window to cool her flushed face in the chilly breeze.

Hearing the bell, Loren Logia and the maids came up and asked what was wrong. Kasallin brushed it off as nothing and received their morning assistance.

Loren seemed to have vaguely noticed the changes in Kasallin from yesterday to today. But she didn’t bring it up to embarrass her, having grown adept at reading Kasallin’s moods after years as her maid.

Kasallin washed her face, tied her hair up neatly, changed into a warm turquoise dress, and went downstairs.

Parnes was seated at one end of the dining room, engaged in a serious conversation with a young aide.

Spotting Kasallin entering, he signaled the aide to step back for a moment.

“I hope I’m not interrupting?”

Parnes furrowed his brow, as if to say that could never be the case, and personally pulled out a chair for Kasallin to sit.

“The results of the first negotiations with the Kan Kingdom just arrived. It’s going to be a lengthy discussion, so let’s eat first.”

Kasallin sat across from him for breakfast after a long time and then moved to the drawing room.

He explained that the first negotiation with the Kan Kingdom had fallen through, and the second would likely take place in person at the Northwestern Great Plains.

Kasallin listened to his words with quiet surprise. He no longer tried to hide his thoughts from her.

Though his face showed the pain of having to discuss such matters, he seemed to make an effort not to treat her as an immature being who needed unconditional protection.

“And it’s likely that King Shallen Riche will come there in person. We should also prepare for the possibility of armed conflict.”

Parnes spoke, his eyes darkening as he gauged Kasallin’s reaction.

Kasallin’s fingertips twitched involuntarily, but she forced herself to remain composed, determined not to show further agitation.

In truth, she was frantic with worry for Parnes. Though she knew in her mind that he was a seasoned veteran of many battles, her heart still pounded with unease.

There was no guarantee that an unexpected mishap wouldn’t endanger him.

Even a small scratch from training pained her heart, so the thought of him heading into a real battlefield felt like her chest was tightening.

“But I shouldn’t be stubborn about this.”

Demanding to go along with him, as she had done before, was an act of knowing one thing but missing two.

This wasn’t a personal matter. She had to set aside private emotions and think calmly as the empress of a nation.

Kasallin chose to trust him. If it was Parnes, he would surely achieve the best outcome, no matter the difficulty.

“I plan to seek as much advice as possible from you before heading there. But I absolutely won’t take you with me. That’s non-negotiable.”

“I understand. I won’t insist on going with you anymore.”

Parnes raised an eyebrow, as if he hadn’t expected her to relent so easily. Kasallin continued calmly.

“While Your Majesty is there, I’ll look after the palace. I’ll also prepare to send support in case of an emergency.”

Parnes studied her with a complex expression, then nodded, saying he understood.

This was the right choice, wasn’t it? Kasallin repeated to herself, calming her erratically beating heart.

As long as Parnes remained the emperor of the Renel Empire, situations like this would arise countless times. She couldn’t afford to panic like a frightened child each time; she had to get used to it.

[This is the timeline separator]

Kasallin returned to the palace from Hisbury, where she had grown quite fond.

After a whirlwind of hectic days, the face-to-face negotiations between the Renel Empire and the Kan Kingdom were finalized.

The morning arrived when Parnes would lead the knights to the negotiation site in the Northwestern Great Plains.

Kasallin woke earlier than usual, stood in the cold breeze for about five minutes to steady her mind, and got ready as usual.

She left the Empress’s Palace early and headed to the central palace courtyard.

The knights, clad in silvery armor with an eerie aura, formed a grand formation. Parnes descended from the stairs.

When Kasallin approached, Parnes, spotting her, paused on the landing. Standing a step or two apart, they gazed at each other in silence for a while.

Having fully shared the depth and breadth of their feelings that dawn, lengthy farewells were unnecessary.

“Take care of yourself.”

“I hope you don’t overexert yourself either. If anything happens, rely on Nigel Ludwig. He’ll prove to be a capable aide.”

Kasallin nodded with a slight smile.

That was the entirety of their goodbye. They knew they’d soon meet again as if nothing had happened.

Parnes hesitated, as if conflicted, while descending the stairs. But in the end, he didn’t look back and took his place at the head of the formation.

Kasallin stood rooted to the spot, watching his figure disappear beyond the castle gates and down the hill.

[This is the timeline separator]

While Parnes was away, Kasallin carried out her duties as carefully as possible without overexerting herself.

Three days after Parnes left for the Northwestern Great Plains, a carrier pigeon suddenly arrived.

An officer managing communications in the Empress’s Palace came to her study.

A foreboding thought crept into her mind—could it be bad news from Parnes?

“What’s the matter?”

“A carrier pigeon just arrived. But there’s no mark or seal indicating the sender, so you should take a look.”

“No sender indicated?”

Kasallin took the letter from the officer. A quick glance confirmed it wasn’t from Parnes’s side, which briefly eased her mind.

But as she read the words on the paper, her eyes widened, and her hands began to tremble slightly.

“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”

Nigel and Vincent, standing nearby, cautiously approached and asked. Loren Logia also glanced at the paper with an anxious expression.

“Someone sent a secret letter.”

Kasallin’s voice trembled as she managed to speak.

“It says King Shallen Riche has secretly sent spies into our Renel Empire’s lands. They’re lying in ambush in a gorge between the Western Mountains and the Great Plains, planning to attack His Majesty’s procession. And…”

Kasallin trailed off, unable to continue as she read the final part of the letter.

[The King of Kan intends to kill the emperor this time. Even if he fails, he plans to at least inflict a critical wound.]

Her aides, hearing the letter’s contents, grew visibly serious and began murmuring. Nigel, in particular, shook his head, refusing to believe it.

“It’s likely someone’s prank. A letter like this, with no sender’s name, can’t be trusted easily.”

Loren nodded slightly in agreement with Nigel.

“Y-Yes, exactly. To know such detailed plans, they’d have to be someone very close to the king. Why would such a person betray their king and send a secret letter to Your Majesty? It must be someone trying to sow confusion.”

“…No. I know the owner of this handwriting.”

Kasallin, unable to tear her eyes from the letter’s distinctive script, murmured in disbelief.

“This was sent by Queen Rose Riche.”