“As if that wasn’t enough, I’m sorry for entrusting the throne to you. But you are Carson. No one else has been deemed capable. The eighth prince, with an utterly powerless mother, becomes the emperor.”

In the end, Carson closed his eyes. At this moment, he couldn’t define what overflowing emotions were.

“This father hopes that you will be tied to that woman. Don’t become an emperor as lonely as I am.”

He embraced Carson so quickly that one might wonder when he had ever held him. Then, from the precious box he held, he took out a beautiful hair ornament adorned with small red jewels.

“Give it to the woman who will be your wife. The day your mother put this on, it was truly dazzling. A moment you’ll never forget. I hope that woman gives you such a moment.”

With trembling hands, Carson accepted the memento from his father.

In his memory, the mother who wore this hair ornament was dazzlingly beautiful. At the same time, he imagined scenes of Ines putting it on her head and smiling warmly at him without ever experiencing it. His heart quickened at the thought.

Unable to properly compose himself and with indescribable emotions, Carson left the imperial palace without the proper courtesies.

As expected by Ines, Count Grandel attacked Rendhill.

He hired savage mercenaries to target the sea route, while his infantry sought to attack Rendhill through land.

However, as Ines had informed her father, Count Grandel couldn’t drop anchor in the sea.

Ines, who had obtained information about their arrival time, sent her fleet to block them at sea, and those coming by land were cut down before crossing Rendhill’s castle gate.

Perhaps preparing for a possible attack for a long time paid off.

Ines had expected Count Grandel, who was originally from a maritime background, to take command of the war at the forefront. However, he didn’t reveal himself on either the sea or the land.

Ines immediately put a huge bounty on his head. It was an obvious result to easily catch him hiding in an inn near the port.

After capturing Count Grandel and sending him to the capital, her father sent a letter to Damian, suggesting a discussion about the union of the two families. At the same time, Ines fled from Rendhill.

If Susan hadn’t married, she would have accompanied her, but she had been away from home for a long time, so there was no trustworthy maid to accompany her.

Money was abundant, so there was no need to worry about accommodation or living. After securing a place in a luxury hotel, various rumors naturally attached to them.
Two nights after arriving in the capital, Ines could see Carson at Jacohena Square after a very long time.

Eventually, he ascended to the emperor’s throne without stepping on the blood of the crowd.

On that night, in the vacant space where everyone had left, Ines stayed for a very long time, gazing at the desk where Carson had stood. Until the fervent heat of the people and even the noisy sound of summer night crickets announcing the end disappeared, she commemorated the moment when her deity rose highest.

And soon, she moved busily. The work for him was not yet finished. From the next day, Ines harvested the grains stored near the island and gathered the still-uncultivated Sanbate.

She immediately began searching for a way to be by his side.

There was no way to contact Carson directly. Of course, she could send a letter stamped with the family crest, which might reach Noah, but naturally, she didn’t have the stamp.

Of course, she could somehow manage to send a letter. But what meaning would that have?

Ines did not come to the capital to meet Carson for a short while.

She wanted a position where she could always see him up close.

She pledged to become a person who could be by his side without any strangeness and promised to go to him with her own strength.

For her, there was no room for choice.

The conditions to become a maid of the Keynes Empire were as difficult and meticulous as the empire’s long history.

The palace staff, including maids, manservants, and pages, amounted to around 800 people, among whom about 200 were called maids, manservants, and pages.

Maids, manservants, and pages could only be those of noble status.

Maids and manservants had to have no criminals among their ancestors, no deaths from illness at a young age within the second generation of direct relatives, and illegitimate children were naturally impossible. Moreover, it was impossible for maids and manservants to be appointed if their household had any political ties.

In addition, maids had to have their virginity confirmed before entering the palace. It was a procedure to emphasize the palace’s severity and purity.

Maids and manservants, usually from families with well-known names, emphasized etiquette most and took a long time to train.

Knights also had pages, and pages selected as a knight’s squire entered noble households to build connections and study, eventually becoming the secretary of the one they served.