One day before the reading event.

In Caroline’s room.

“I asked someone else to do that.”

A vein bulged prominently on Farnes’s forehead.

“I don’t understand why you’re suffering in their place.”

Farnes reached out to the desk and picked up the paper filled with Caroline’s handwriting.

As Farnes’s eyes quickly scanned the text, a look of genuine admiration flashed across them.

Although it was too densely written to analyze in detail, a quick glance revealed it to be a sharp interpretation that coherently linked theology and history.

He had heard rumors from his ministers that she was no ordinary maid in terms of intelligence, but he never expected her to possess this level of knowledge.

But if there was one problem, it was this.

Her writing was going to be credited to someone else entirely.

It was clear that the Queen, who would pretend to slip in a stream just to get attention, had passed the work onto her sister and maid, Caroline.

And this foolishly gentle girl must have been unable to refuse the Queen’s order.

“That woman who is your sister doesn’t understand your feelings and acts so recklessly. Why do you…”

Farnes’s hand aimlessly circled in the air before slowly coming to rest on Caroline’s head.

He hesitated for a long time, as if committing a taboo, and finally removed his hand without even managing to pat her once.

The reddening of his ear tips in the darkness was not solely due to the lamplight.

“Ugh…”

Caroline kept making pained noises.

Even though he had watched her like a statue for half a turn of the clock’s minute hand, she couldn’t sleep peacefully for even a moment.

She frowned deeply the entire time she slept, and occasionally even whimpered, calling out, “Mother.”

It was a weak side of her that could never be seen when the sun brightly illuminated midday.

‘I wish she would smile more.’

A line of unconscious thought swept through his mind.

Farnes was shocked for a while and gave himself a look of contempt.

What?

You wish she would smile?

You must have truly gone mad from working on state affairs for several nights.

‘What does this woman have to do with me.’

Farnes threw the paper he was holding onto the desk and turned his back.

As he walked across the room that was neither narrow nor wide, Farnes repeated to himself as if casting a spell.

She’s an irrelevant woman.

It’s none of my business.

Whatever circumstances she has, whatever story she’s hiding, it’s not my concern.

I shouldn’t care.

“…Damn it.”

With each step exuding irritation, he went to the wardrobe and grabbed a blanket.

And he carefully covered her so as not to wake her.

With an unpleasant expression that showed he himself couldn’t understand why he was doing such a thing for this woman.

“Hee.”

As if knowing her back was getting warm even in her half-asleep state, Caroline made a sound resembling laughter for the first time.

Seeing her looking much more comfortable, Farnes found himself smiling without realizing it.

“Don’t misunderstand.”

Farnes murmured softly to Caroline, who was chaotically traveling through her dreams.

“I simply cannot tolerate anyone deceiving me.”

“Your Majesty. I hate to ask, but did you really write that piece yourself?”

Rose felt as if her mind was turning blank as a sheet of paper.

She suddenly came up with the hypothesis that Caroline had deliberately written a poor piece and given it to her.

At the same time, she was struck by an ominous feeling that Emperor Farnes was also intentionally causing her trouble and embarrassment.

While she was quickly racking her brains, wondering if she should pretend to faint right there to avoid the crisis, Shalen, who couldn’t stand by any longer, spoke up.

“Actually, that piece was written by Caroline, the Queen’s maid.”

Rose’s eyes widened in surprise as she turned to Shalen.

But she soon realized that Shalen hadn’t betrayed her, but rather had come up with a second-best solution to save her from the crisis.

“As many of you know, Caroline is the Queen’s elder sister. Since childhood, Caroline has had a tendency to overprotect her younger sister, always stepping in to do things for her. This time too, she insisted on writing the piece instead. We couldn’t bring ourselves to stop her.”

At that moment, there was a mix of joy and sorrow.

While Rose’s face brightened with relief, Caroline looked at Shalen with deep betrayal.

A blatant lie.

To protect Rose’s authority, she was portraying her as such an inconsiderate elder sister. Wasn’t that going too far?

In that brief moment, Shalen seemed quite pleased with himself for saving his wife from a predicament, as he rolled his eyes leisurely and smiled at Caroline.

“So if anyone has any questions, please ask Caroline here. I’m sure she’ll provide excellent answers.”

Shalen was now exacting petty revenge on Caroline.

He was doing this as if to say ‘now it’s your turn to suffer’ to Caroline, who had pretended not to notice when Rose had been in distress and silently pleading for help with her eyes.

Caroline took a deep breath in and out as she looked at the guests who were now focused on her.

I won’t just take this lying down.

While explaining the reading and connecting it to the current situation in the empire might be a predicament for Rose and Shalen, it wasn’t a crisis for her who had written the piece.

“I apologize, but the damage to the large farms that His Majesty the Emperor inquired about is not at a level that can be easily resolved.”

As Caroline sharply began, Shalen’s eyes narrowed.

“Last year’s harvest in the second half was less than half compared to the year before. There are quite a few farmers who have been directly attacked by the strange birds, and several mills have also stopped operating. Especially oats and potatoes, which have suffered the most damage, are staple foods for the people, so it is expected that many will fall into poverty. We must handle this well to avoid repeating the history of 50 years ago.”

By the time she finished speaking, she felt as if the piercing gazes of Shalen and Rose were digging into her skin.

Farnes, who had been quietly listening to Caroline’s words, twisted one corner of his mouth upwards as if amused.

“You have quite a capable maid. She’s so excellent that she knows the state of the country better than ‘anyone’.”

Farnes subtly mocked while pretending to praise. Shalen’s teeth ground together, flushed with shame from head to toe, but he never lost his composure or got excited.

In a way, it could be called impressive.

But his composure was soon shattered by Farnes’s next words.

“She seems to have broader insight than most court officials and could be quite a good help in the exchange between our countries. What do you think? Could we bring her along to help when needed during the festival period?”

The first to react to the Emperor’s words of unclear intent was the assistant standing near him, Duke Ludwig.

His expression suggested he couldn’t believe such words had come from the Emperor’s mouth.

Shalen felt the composure and coolness that came from his position as a king slowly cracking, and he looked at Farnes, creaking like a broken wooden doll.

“Well… She is indeed capable, but whether she can actually be of help…”

“Then we can hear the opinions of others. What do you think, gentlemen?”

Farnes asked the nobles. Although they were puzzled by the strange conversation between the two men that was hard to follow, they had no particular reason to object.

As a wave of passive agreement flowed from the gathered people, Shalen’s lips tightened with anxiety.

“It seems our guests have no reason to refuse either.”

Farnes continued, turning towards Caroline.

“The most important thing would be the opinion of the person in question. Caroline, what are your thoughts?”

“I…”

“For the exchange and development of our Renel Empire and the Khan Kingdom, could you occasionally come to me and provide assistance?”

It was incomprehensible how the situation had come to this when she had merely written the piece on Rose’s behalf and appropriately dealt with Shalen’s attack.

Clearly, Farnes was making a proposal that wasn’t particularly strange, yet somehow his words sounded suspiciously enticing.

Farnes quietly waited for Caroline’s answer.

His eyes, though a soft amber color, seemed as if they would freeze one’s fingertips if touched, repeatedly disappearing and reappearing behind his eyelids.

Caroline carefully nodded towards him.

“If my inadequate insight can be of even a little help to the Khan royal family and the Renel imperial family, I have no reason to refuse, Your Majesty.”

In an instant, the expressions of joy and sorrow crossed between Farnes and Shalen.

It was clearly obvious that some other inappropriate intention was hidden behind this.

Using plausible excuses like the development of both countries and offering help, while it was clear to his eyes that they would meet for no particular reason and engage in pointless conversation.

Shalen glared at Caroline, who had accepted the proposal without any suspicion, as if wanting to demand, ‘How could you do this?’

However, with most of the guests creating a warm atmosphere saying it was a good thing, he couldn’t pour cold water on it by saying, “This is unacceptable!”

It was nearly midnight when Shalen came knocking on the door.

She had intended to study as usual, but the events of the reading were still lingering unpleasantly, leaving her to just gulp down bitter coffee aimlessly.

“Caroline. Open the door.”

That was what he said, suddenly knocking on the door without any sign of his presence.

Judging by how agitated Shalen’s voice sounded, it was obvious what he had come for without having to ask.

Caroline put down her coffee cup and walked to the door with reluctant steps to open it.

He barged in before the door was fully open and locked it with a click.

Caroline’s eyebrows slowly curved.

“Even for a king, barging into a lady’s room at such a late hour is not gentlemanly conduct, in my opinion.”

Shalen, disregarding Caroline’s calm and rational point, glared with both eyes.

“You should first behave like a lady before I can treat you like a gentleman, don’t you think?”

“Have I ever failed in my duty as a lady?”

“Well… You’ve become quite lowly.”

Shalen looked at Caroline with half-closed eyes as if pitying her and shook his head.

It was the same look he had given her when she had clung to him after he announced their engagement’s cancellation, and it felt as if blood was slowly seeping from a hole in her heart.

“I’ve become lowly?”

What right do you have to say such things to me?

How can you say that to me when you shamelessly forced your ex-fiancée into the palace and married her younger sister, engaging in indecent acts regardless of time and place?

Caroline felt dizzy from the strong scent of Rose’s perfume emanating from his neck.

“I’ll give you one last chance to explain. Try to make up a plausible excuse.”

“I don’t remember doing anything wrong, so what am I supposed to explain?”

“Don’t play dumb. You secretly persuaded Emperor Farnes to humiliate the Queen in front of everyone, didn’t you? Am I wrong?”