“Your Majesty. Where are you heading?”

Imperial Guard Captain Antonio asked as he followed, but there was no answer.

The fact that Farnes’s gait was more hurried than usual as he headed somewhere meant that his mood was twisted beyond recovery.

The place where his feet stopped was none other than the Imperial Knights Headquarters.

The apprentice knights, who were lazily tidying up after finishing their daily tasks, were shocked nearly to fainting at the appearance of someone completely unexpected.

“Y-Your Imperial Majesty! W-What brings you to such a humble place?”

“Bring me the four knights who escorted Casalin during the hunting tournament immediately.”

“Pardon? W-What do you…”

When the naive apprentice knights, whose main duties were menial tasks and thus rarely had one-on-one audiences with the Emperor, asked again out of confusion, Antonio standing behind them closed his eyes tightly.

Farnes hated it most when people couldn’t understand his words at once and hesitated.

Therefore, when in front of him, one had to keep their ears wide open, prepared to die if they missed even a single word.

But today, those knights were rather lucky.

Just a while ago, Casalin had regained consciousness in a considerably improved state, and he had just seen her laughing brightly.

If Casalin hadn’t opened her eyes until today, their heads would have flown off without question or inquiry at the moment they said “Pardon?”

“I’ll graciously say it once more, so engrave it well in those petty ear holes of yours. Bring the four knights who escorted Casalin at the hunting tournament immediately.”

“Ah, understood!”

The apprentice knights disappeared upstairs, stumbling and tripping, and not long after, four other knights came running breathlessly.

Unlike the apprentice knights, these men, who knew Farnes’s temperament all too well, immediately prostrated themselves at his feet to save their lives.

“We behold Your Imperial Majesty.”

“I’ll ask briefly about the matter at hand. Why didn’t you escort Casalin until the very end that day?”

“Th-That’s because Miss Casalin said we could go in first when we were almost at the lodge.”

“I’m certain I ordered you to escort her into the lodge. Does that mean it’s her own fault that Casalin went missing and nearly died that day?”

“How could that be!”

The knights, prostrated with their foreheads pressed to the floor, exchanged glances, and then one of them crept forward slightly.

“Well, Your Majesty. There is actually one thing that’s been bothering us.”

“Speak.”

“We saw Miss Casalin with the Queen of the Khan Kingdom before she disappeared.”

“…With whom?”

“W-We’re not certain, but she disappeared with the Queen, talking about something as they followed the path leading behind the lodge, and the atmosphere didn’t seem very good.”

As the sunlight that had been vividly illuminating the deep green foliage hid behind the clouds, a dark shadow fell over Farnes’s face.

“…I see. So that’s what happened.”

Muttering quietly, he calmly left the Knights Headquarters.

The knights secretly sighed in relief, greatly reassured that things had passed without incident unexpectedly.

At that moment, Farnes’s feet stopped at the doorway.

“Antonio.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please command.”

“Place those men under house arrest for a week, and keep them on standby to respond immediately when needed. I don’t need to explain what I mean, do I?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Antonio quietly bowed his head towards Farnes’s retreating back.

Upon arriving at his office, Farnes saw Duke Ludwick pacing restlessly around the room, quite unlike his usual self.

Noticing Farnes, Duke Ludwick said he had been waiting and crossed the large room with somewhat hurried steps.

Farnes sat down at his desk, sending a quizzical look towards him.

“What’s the matter?”

“Your Majesty. About the detailed investigation you ordered on Queen Rose Liche and King Shallen Liche last time.”

“Yes. Have you found out anything?”

“Yes. I couldn’t find anything particularly special about King Shallen Liche, but the problem is Queen Rose Liche. While investigating her, I accidentally discovered a surprising fact.”

Farnes’s attention shifted to Ludwick as he was examining reports that had come up from various regions that morning.

“What is it that you’re being so hesitant about?”

“Well… It turns out Queen Rose had a different birth father.”

Farnes’s eyes narrowed silently.

“Moreover, he was a lowborn mercenary with a criminal record.”

The air in the office sank into a chilly silence.

Farnes slowly revealed a puzzled expression between his narrowing eyes.

“According to my understanding, what you’re saying doesn’t make sense. Are you saying that Queen Rose Liche having a different birth father means she’s not blood-related to Casalin?”

“Yes. Surprisingly.”

A scoffing laugh burst from between Farnes’s slightly parted teeth.

He had thought it strange that despite being half-sisters, they didn’t resemble each other at all in appearance or personality.

“Perhaps it wasn’t intentional deception, and she might not know the truth herself.”

“Indeed. She might have lived firmly believing she was the daughter of a renowned and learned professor and marquis.”

“If this fact becomes known, it will cause tremendous repercussions within the Khan Kingdom. She will certainly be dethroned from her position as queen. King Shallen won’t stand idly by.”

“That’s right.”

Farnes muttered in a voice tinged with some sort of pleasant emotion, as he stood by the window holding a coffee cup.

His gaze fell on the separate palace standing alone beyond the vast garden.

As the day was dimly setting, the balcony of her room was still dark with the curtains closed.

“Ludwick. Tell me your thoughts. What do you think I should do with this information?”

Before Ludwick could finish pondering, Farnes continued.

“If we reveal the fact that Queen Rose Liche is of lowborn origin, the Roberpon family will suffer some damage for a while.”

“I see. If it’s the Marchioness Roberpon, she would have known and hidden the fact, and deceiving the royal family is a great crime.”

“Where is that so-called birth father now and what is he doing?”

“He’s working as a mercenary based in the Saint Field area. He spends all his daily earnings on alcohol, indulges in gambling, and has recently divorced. It seems he’s not providing any financial support to his ex-wife.”

“What a pathetic life.”

How shocked would Queen Rose be if she found out that a man living such a lowly life was her birth father?

She would probably feel like her life was crumbling.

And it would actually crumble.

“Ludwick.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please command.”

“Find that birth father secretly and bring him here.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Casalin achieved a record-breaking twelve hours of sleep for the first time since she was born.

Waking up feeling so light she could almost fly, Casalin looked around the dim room before dawn had broken.

The ticking of the clock hands had never sounded so loud.

“Your Majesty.”

She called out softly just in case, but as expected, there was no one in the room.

What am I even doing?

Casalin shook her head and diligently got out of bed to return to her duties as a lady-in-waiting.

At that moment, her eyes were caught by a small box and a note on the table.

“What’s this? I don’t think it was here before I fell asleep.”

Opening the luxurious velvet box, a butterfly-shaped hair ornament that looked quite valuable at a glance was shimmering brilliantly.

It was so intricate and delicate, especially the deep blue lapis lazuli carved wing parts that seemed like they might flutter at any moment.

“How pretty.”

Who could have left something so precious?

Casalin wondered as she picked up the note beside it.

[ You said you were curious about what punishment I would give you. If you want to know, wear this to the next ball. I have something urgent to tell you. ]

The ball to be held next week was to be the last event of this year’s grand festival season.

It was meant for a simple gathering and farewells, so some busy envoys from various countries were already returning to their homelands one by one.

Shallen and Rose seemed to be planning to stay until the last ball as they hadn’t said anything yet, but once that was over, they would really have to leave the Renel Empire and return to the Khan Kingdom.

Then she would no longer be able to meet Farnes.

This lapis lazuli hair ornament, preciously kept wrapped in soft velvet, must be Farnes’s own farewell gift for their parting.

He would probably say at the ball with his usual indifferent face:

‘It was a short time, but it was enjoyable. Farewell.’

He would say goodbye as if parting from a light relationship without any regrets, and as time passed, they would gradually forget each other without any significant exchange.

By the time they were living fiercely in their busy realities, occasional joyous news would be heard.

That he had welcomed an empress, held a grand royal wedding, and had a healthy prince or princess.

It didn’t seem so bad to hear from across the border about him becoming happy as a father of a family.

‘But somehow… I don’t want to go back.’

Even though it was the homeland she had lived in all her life and would continue to live in for the rest of her life, the thought of Farnes not being there somehow made her feel lonely.

“What are you thinking so deeply about that you don’t hear me calling?”

At this moment, what sharply raised Casalin’s consciousness from her sentimental state was Shallen’s voice.

He had entered at some point and was crossing the room towards her.

Casalin hurriedly closed the box, but it didn’t take long for his gaze to fall on the hair ornament.

“What’s this? I haven’t seen it before.”

“It’s a personal item. Please don’t mind it.”

“Wait a moment. Isn’t this lapis lazuli?”

Suddenly, Shallen’s eyes sharpened keenly.

As Shallen held the wing part with the whole lapis lazuli embedded in it up to the chandelier light, for some reason, he gritted his molars.

“Who did you receive this from?”

“It’s none of Your Majesty’s concern. I don’t think there’s any reason to tell you either.”

“Do you not know what lapis lazuli means in the Renel Empire?”