I don’t know when, but elder sister Katharine once said something like that.

That the position of queen is as precarious as that of a permanent outsider who can be expelled from the royal family at any time.

That it’s like performing a circus act, trying not to fall off a dangerously stacked pile of books in a row.

When I first heard those words, I scoffed and ignored them, but now I think I understand a little of what they meant.

“Do you know where that person Aster is right now?”

When the very person she needed to meet most was nowhere to be seen, Rose anxiously asked the guard.

The guards couldn’t hide their momentary sour expressions before shaking their heads, saying they didn’t know.

In their eyes, the respectful look of wanting to offer loyalty as before could no longer be found.

It was because after Katharine left for Renel, Rose had given an absurd explanation at the meeting held to resolve the incident.

“I was afraid to confess that I had stumbled and almost endangered the child in my womb by accident. While I hesitated, my close associates began to decisively push my elder sister as the culprit. I was in shock from the fall and my judgment was clouded, so I could only mistakenly think that my elder sister had pushed me.”

“Then what about giving money to the soldier?”

“Th-that’s a misunderstanding. I only meant to ask him not to tell His Majesty Charlen that I had come to the tower. Of course, it was wrong behavior, and I regret it, but I really had no other intentions.”

Saying that, Rose smoothly glossed over the matter, saying she deeply regretted what happened and would not make the same mistake again, promising to spare no effort as queen from now on.

Of course, some royal officials knew her explanation made no sense.

Claiming to have been mentally unsound was a typical flimsy excuse put forth by that type of person.

Above all, some soldiers knew well that it would be difficult to “accidentally” slip and fall from that tower railing.

So it was only natural that they could no longer look at Rose with kind eyes.

The same went for the nobles and even the servants.

They began to pity Katharine, lamenting why someone who had done nothing wrong had to leave for a foreign country.

‘You have no conscience.’

Rose thought.

When did they all treat elder sister like a witch, throwing stones and saying she should be burned alive in a one-sided outpouring of anger? And now this?

It wasn’t even funny.

“Are you all lacking in awareness, or are you pretending to lack awareness?”

“Pardon?”

“When the queen, me, is looking for someone, isn’t it obvious courtesy to quickly scatter and bring that person before my eyes?”

Rose scolded them, picturing Katharine in her mind.

She imagined that if it were her elder sister, she would never bow her head in this situation, but hold it up high, and imitated that.

Anyway, aren’t these people of such low status that they wouldn’t dare make a peep to her?

At times like this, she had to strictly discipline them so they would clearly know who was above and below, and not dare to make sour expressions in front of her.

“Who are you looking for?”

At that moment, the voice of the man Rose had been waiting for came from the other end of the corridor.

With both hands casually in his pockets, he was approaching with steps so light it would make onlookers’ irritation surge.

“Aster, you!”

“Judging by your expression, it seems you were looking for me. What’s the matter?”

“What’s the matter? Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

“It seems you’ve managed to sweet-talk His Majesty Charlen well enough to get through this dangerous crisis for now. You’re quite impressive in many ways.”

“You son of a—!”

Rose screamed, raising her hand high toward his face.

But Rose’s wrist was caught all too easily by him.

“No matter what, it’s not right for the noble queen to use such rough language and resort to violence. If you keep doing this, I’ll be scared.”

“You said you’d give your heart to me. You swore several times that you’d obey me unconditionally until the day you died, that you’d respect and serve only me. How can you do this to me?”

“Do you know why Katharine left quietly for the Renel Empire without taking revenge on Your Majesty?”

Aster continued with a rare serious expression.

“It was to give you one last chance. A final chance to repent on your own. But I’m different. Unlike Katharine, I’m rotten to the core and don’t keep loyalty. Chance? I won’t give you anything like that.”

“What are you? What exactly do you want from me?”

Because she trusted him too much, she had shown him far too many of her weaknesses.

If Aster decided to turn malicious, her life would be completely ruined.

She had to find some way to take back her lifeline that was in his hands.

“Aster. Please.”

For now, she had no choice but to humble herself.

Firmly resolving to throw this man into the gutter once she regained power and influence someday, Rose desperately clutched at his clothes.

“I’m begging you like this. Please, don’t reveal Nelson’s existence or that I’m not of noble blood to His Majesty Charlen!”

“If you insist that much, shall we make a deal?”

“A deal?”

“Yes.”

Aster ruthlessly plucked a lush rose from the overgrown shrubbery as he continued.

“After all, in the adult world, when earnestly asking for something, it’s not enough to just use words.”

“I thought I smelled something foul, and it turns out a stray dog is prowling in my palace. Get rid of it immediately.”

That was the first thing Aster heard from beyond the door when he came to have a private audience with Charlen.

Perhaps Charlen’s reaction was only natural.

In his eyes, Aster was someone who had known all along that Rose had staged the incident yet remained silent, and stood by doing nothing while the falsely accused Katharine rotted in prison, pretending not to know anything.

Moreover, after keeping quiet all along, he suddenly took the lead in exposing the queen’s crimes in front of everyone.

So it’s no wonder he would be confused and displeased, not knowing what this man’s intentions were.

Standing in front of the firmly closed door that showed no sign of opening, Aster smiled as if troubled.

“I came to speak urgently about Katharine, but if you’re truly busy, I’ll come back another time.”

Aster bowed politely to the door.

Before he could raise his head again, the door that had seemed like it would remain closed forever suddenly opened wide as if it had never been closed.

Aster unknowingly put strength into the corners of his mouth that were rising up.

That Katharine is such a sinful woman.

She turns brilliant men who want for nothing in the world into fools in an instant, making them cling to her blindly.

‘…Though I’m not one to talk.’

Aster straightened his rumpled shirt and sleeves as he entered the inner reception room.

Charlen Riche had become so thin and gaunt compared to the last time he’d seen him that they were incomparable.

It was clear he had skipped meals and only drank wine for some time after Katharine left.

Evidence of this was the wine bottles carelessly strewn about the messy room.

“I am deeply honored that you have granted an audience to this humble servant in your busy schedule.”

“Why didn’t you tell me first?”

He asked abruptly without even acknowledging the greeting.

“You mean about Her Majesty the Queen staging the incident?”

“Yes. You deceived me, the king. You knew everything but pretended not to know, keeping your mouth shut tight and just rolling your eyes to see how the situation would unfold. Then you stabbed me in the back only when it came time for the execution. I don’t even know what punishment I should give you.”

Aster waited silently for Charlen to offer him a seat, but when no such words came, he decided to keep standing.

He spoke in a calm tone.

“Let’s suppose I had run to Your Majesty and told you everything truthfully. Would you have believed the words of a mere servant like me? I would surely have lost a body part for insulting the royal family.”

“What?”

“And didn’t Katharine clearly say from the beginning? That she did not lay a hand on the queen. You scoffed and dismissed even the words of that beloved Katharine, so how would you have treated my words?”

Charlen looked at Aster with an incredulous expression as he spoke calmly and precisely before the king without being intimidated at all.

At any other time, he would have thrown out the queen’s servant or whatever he was, but strangely, he didn’t want to do that.

Was it because that arrogant and confident expression, devoid of anything to fear, somehow reminded him of Katharine?

“The first reason I kept my mouth shut until I persuaded witnesses to testify was because I wanted to preserve my precious life. And the second was to protect Your Majesty the King from Katharine.”

“To protect me? What nonsense is that?”

“If, although it wouldn’t have happened, but just supposing Your Majesty believed my words and the truth of the queen’s staged incident was revealed. Then Your Majesty would have defended Katharine, and Katharine might have taken that opportunity to plot something else.”

“……”

“She’s a woman who dominated high society at a young age and almost became queen for a brief moment. Is there anything she can’t do? The reason I couldn’t tell you in advance and had to come forward on the day of the execution was because she threatened me using the emperor, asking if I knew of witnesses who could prove her innocence. She’s a frightening woman who wields the kingdom as she pleases. I think it’s better for the Khan Kingdom to quietly give her the results she wants and have her cleanly leave for the Renel Empire, turning her back on us.”

Charlen seemed a bit surprised at Aster’s words that Katharine had threatened Aster with a scheme.

Soon, as if he thought it was something she could do, he let out a light chuckle and carefully examined Aster’s face once more.

He called a servant and ordered a cup of tea, then offered Aster the sofa opposite him, who was still standing.

Aster sat down with a faint smile.

“You’re incredibly impertinent… but I’ll admit that what you’re saying isn’t entirely wrong.”

“I am honored that you would listen to my worthless advice.”

“Katharine wasn’t always that kind of woman. I still remember clearly. The way she looked when I first met her at the debutante ball. Her eyes shone with innocence and a lovely pink smile played on her lips. But at some point, I could no longer find such things in her.”

“Once she tasted power, she was consumed by greed. To be so easily swayed by a single promise to make her empress, betraying her homeland and family. Even if they really did marry, I don’t think it would last long.”

Charlen nodded.

“That’s certainly true. Emperor Farnese is not a good man who would devote himself to one person. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

“Compared to him, I heard that Your Majesty forgave and embraced the queen. How can you be so merciful? I truly admire you.”

“It’s not so much forgiveness as taking responsibility. She carries the child who will one day succeed me and lead this country, so I’m only placing my hopes in our child.”

One thing made me curious.

If you were to lose even that child, what expression would you make?

You might collapse in shock, or deny reality saying it must all be a dream and try to jump.

Whatever reaction you show, it would surely be a quite pleasant and amusing situation.

‘I think I’ll withdraw for today.’

When anything goes too far, it tends to backfire.

I’ve succeeded enough in imprinting my existence on him, so from now on I can slowly gain his trust.

“Oh my. It seems I’ve taken up too much of your precious time. I should take my leave now.”

As Aster set down his emptied teacup and stood up, Charlen said,

“I’ll be watching you for the time being. This doesn’t mean I’m forgiving you, so you should be careful about your behavior from now on.”

“I am overwhelmed by your generous understanding.”

“Enough with the ill-fitting humility. Rather, I have a simple task to entrust to you.”

Aster sat back down in the chair.

“Please command me to do anything.”

“Keep a close eye on Rose.”

“By ‘keep an eye on’ you mean…?”

“I don’t take a puppy that has bitten my arm back into my embrace a second time. But she carries the seed that will enrich my house, so I can’t just let her loose like this either. Do you understand well? I believe someone as perceptive as you will have grasped my meaning.”

So even a king is still a king, though dull-witted, foolish and stupid.

Aster nodded, saying he understood well.

Charlen Riche will likely come to deeply regret this moment for a long time to come.

Willard Aster.

It is my very existence that will be the first signal flare heralding the downfall of the Khan Kingdom.