“Your Majesty the Empress! His Majesty the Emperor has sent a letter!”

Loren Logia, excited, rushed into the breakfast room holding a small note.

Kasallin, just about to rise, stood with a bewildered expression and asked her.

“A letter? If it’s urgent business, he could have sent a servant or aide to deliver it.”

“No, it’s not like that!”

Loren, who had been giggling with excitement, noticed Mrs. Dawson’s glance and, as if realizing her mistake, composed herself and politely handed over the letter.

“Here it is, Your Majesty. Please take it.”

Until that moment, Kasallin vaguely thought it might be a letter concerning state affairs or seeking her private opinion.

Taking the envelope, Kasallin carefully peeled off the wax seal stamped with Parnes’s insignia.

Opening the letter with curiosity, she found a short note written in an admirably elegant hand.

Have you greeted another fine morning?

I worry that you might feel lonely because of this inconsiderate husband who cannot even show his face daily.

I’ve managed to clear my schedule briefly today.

As soon as urgent matters are done, I’ll come to you, so please don’t skip meals and take care not to overexert yourself.

I heard narcissus flowers are blooming beautifully by the lake at the Emperor’s Palace, so I’ve enclosed one.

I hope it pleases you. ]

No wonder there was a faint fragrance; a single narcissus, still dewy, was enclosed.

Kasallin toyed with the narcissus, rereading the letter several times and smiling softly.

Her faint smile grew broader, and her face, once tinged with lonely conflict, bloomed with a rosy flush as if it had never been otherwise.

With just his flower and letter, her body warmed, and her mood floated like cotton candy.

To put it more clearly, she was happy.

Seeing Kasallin rejoice as openly as a young girl, those in the room exchanged glances of wonder.

Kasallin folded the letter neatly, tucked it into her bosom, cooled her flushed face with the back of her hand, and turned briskly toward Nigel.

“We must prepare for the reception. Let’s move quickly.”

Meeting with the Royal Affairs Minister to discuss the festival schedule and dining with the chief scribe for a two-hour discussion.

By the time that was done, there was about an hour until the tea party.

Returning to the office to review reports seemed awkward with the time, but resting and doing nothing felt like a waste.

After some thought, Kasallin decided to take a short walk by the nearby pond.

The pond at the Empress’s Palace was one of Kasallin’s favorite places.

Watching the koi swim gracefully among the fresh water plants often calmed her mind, tangled from life in a foreign land.

While wondering when His Majesty would come.

“You’ve always loved watching the fish, haven’t you?”

Startled, Kasallin turned around, unaware of the approaching footsteps as she fed the splashing koi.

Parnes was walking from under the shade of a tree.

All her thoughts about what to say or how to look at him without awkwardness vanished, her mind going blank.

At the end of it, a pure and simple emotion—call it joy or delight—shone alone.

“Are you resting?”

“Yes, I had a bit of time before the next engagement.”

Perhaps because it was their first meeting since their wedding night, she found it hard to look at his face directly.

Parnes today carried a different air from that day.

His hair, once disheveled with sweat, was neatly combed, and his shirt, once loose, was buttoned to the collar as if to show everything openly.

Back then, he called her name, Kasallin, in a low, growling tone like an angry beast; now, he used the respectful “My Lady” with surprising courtesy.

The gap between those two demeanors was dizzyingly vast.

“By the way, I received the letter you sent. It was a bit surprising.”

As she mentioned the letter, she felt Parnes’s gaze, which had been wandering unnaturally over the pond and plants, fix precisely on her.

“I hope it wasn’t a bother.”

“Not at all. The narcissus was beautiful, and the fragrance was lovely. It made me look forward to seeing you.”

“…Look forward to?”

A small spark, like a tiny star, flickered momentarily in Parnes’s eyes.

Kasallin, missing it, pondered how to respond, thinking she might not get another chance to talk with him, and continued as honestly as she could.

“During my breaks, I looked at the narcissus and wondered when Your Majesty would come. If I’d known you’d appear so suddenly, I might have tried to act more dignified, like an empress.”

Hearing her half-joking words, Parnes was momentarily at a loss for words and awkwardly covered his mouth with one hand.

His eyes, calm until just moments ago, now wavered as if lost.

And his neck—how red it was.

Perhaps it was from walking to the Empress’s Palace under the hot spring sun.

“Your Majesty, is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing. Just that the air feels quite warm.”

“It does, doesn’t it? At this rate, summer will come quickly.”

“…”

Kasallin and Parnes gazed at the pond awkwardly, sparing their words.

Even the leisurely swimming koi seemed to look at them as if wondering why they were being so reserved.

In front of nobles or society, words flowed so easily, yet with Parnes, she found herself stammering for no reason.

“If you have time, shall we take a short walk?”

“Oh, yes. That sounds nice.”

At Parnes’s suggestion, they strolled slowly along the water’s edge.

Occasionally, she felt his steady gaze touch her cheek.

“Are you done with today’s tasks?”

“No, I need to review the inspection tour schedule and send it to the Treasury by today.”

“By inspection tour, do you mean the traditional imperial tour?”

“Exactly.”

The Rnel Empire had a tradition of inspection tours since its founding.

Every three years, the emperor personally visited specific regions to inspect local conditions, and the lords of those regions considered hosting the emperor a lifelong honor.

As the Rnel Empire was vast, a single tour took at least three weeks to a month.

In short, it meant she wouldn’t see Parnes for a month.

“This year, I’ll take a galleon to the western Sothernland Islands, focusing on remote island villages.”

“That will take even longer. It sounds like a lot of work ahead.”

As she replied, Kasallin felt an indescribable sense of regret settle coldly in her chest.

Parnes, lowering his gaze, stared at her face quietly, then suddenly stopped walking.

Kasallin, who had been walking ahead, turned to look at him.

“Your Majesty?”

“Come with me.”

“Pardon?”

“I know a sea journey might be taxing on your delicate frame…”

Parnes paused, searching for words, then spoke in a cool, detached tone, devoid of personal emotion.

“Wouldn’t participating in an inspection tour be a valuable experience for you as empress?”

Until now, the Rnel Empire’s social circles had revolved entirely around Duchess Rudo.

It was such that society members were divided into those invited to her salon and those who weren’t.

But for the first time in a long while, cracks began to form in that rigid system.

The grand engagement banquet, the wedding, and Kasallin’s presence had sparked a subtle revolution in society.

The biggest reason was the failure to appoint Duchess Rudo as an imperial aide.

Many had expected her to secure a significant position in the imperial court.

But when news spread that Emperor Parnes had dismissed her, the same doubt arose in everyone’s minds.

Could it be that His Majesty was checking the power of the Rudo ducal house?

At this point, some quick-witted individuals began preparing to “pack their bags” early.

They were readying to align themselves with Empress Kasallin before it was too late.

“I can’t express how fortunate I feel to attend today’s tea party.”

“I feel the same. To personally greet Her Majesty the Empress—everyone in the capital Granzere must be jealous of us.”

The noblewomen, arriving early for the three o’clock tea party, were chatting among themselves before Kasallin’s arrival.

Half of them were fervent members of Duchess Rudo’s salon, firmly believing Kasallin’s influence was temporary.

The other half were those subtly ostracized from society due to lower status or less-than-pure lineage.

The faction of Duchess Rudo, built on longstanding loyalty and friendship.

And the new force supporting Empress Kasallin.

This tea party, where representatives of both groups gathered for the first time, was hardly just about sipping tea peacefully.

“You all saw it at the engagement banquet, didn’t you? How devotedly His Majesty treated Her Majesty. Seeing it filled my heart with joy.”

Baroness Hezen, who had clapped most enthusiastically at the wedding, spoke proudly.

No sooner had she finished than Marchioness Clemens interjected.

“Isn’t it customary for His Majesty and Her Majesty to appear affectionate at official events?”

Marchioness Clemens had long served as a lady-in-waiting to Duchess Rudo.

She had bragged for years about a brief conversation with Parnes during a palace visit.

She considered herself practically family to Duchess Rudo and had desperately wished for her beloved niece, Isabella, to become empress.

“It was genuine affection. He didn’t leave Her Majesty’s side all evening.”

“His Majesty is a virtuous and kind man. He’s always gracious to everyone.”

Though she surely knew Parnes was far from gentle, she stubbornly refused to acknowledge it.

As Baroness Hezen searched for a retort, a voice spoke up.

“It’s really fine…”

“No need to worry, it’s on my way.”

Hearing two voices from afar, the noblewomen at the tea table turned their heads in unison.

Parnes and Kasallin were walking side by side.

Seeing the couple, whose awkward yet peculiar chemistry differed from the engagement banquet, Marchioness Clemens was at a loss for words.

“The guests are waiting over there. I should go now. Your Majesty must return to the Emperor’s Palace.”

“Very well.”

Parnes and Kasallin lingered, hesitant to part.

He gazed at Kasallin with softened eyes, then reverently kissed the back of her hand.

As he did, his sharp sidelong glance surveyed each noblewoman before slowly releasing her hand.