The emperor wanted to meet someone at every opportunity, and the empress often left first, unable to watch the emperor’s behavior.

Even if one became the lover of the emperor, there were many cases where the future was blocked to the extent of being disgraced in the empress’s eyes.

‘I don’t care. I have no more face to lose.’

I would be killed by the empress as it is, shouldn’t I do something?

Soon the party reached its climax, and the empress left her seat, unable to watch the emperor’s sycophancy.

Now’s the time.

Diana put all the remaining potion in the glass and headed towards the emperor.

She held her head high, hoping that her voice wouldn’t tremble, and bowed according to etiquette.

“I see the sun of the empire.”

“Oh, Lady Diana.”

The emperor was slightly surprised by Diana’s radical transformation.

But soon he savored her beauty.

“So, are you enjoying the party?”

“Thanks to Your Majesty.”

Diana said so and subtly offered the glass to the emperor.

Worried that she might be ignored like Nathaniel, she was relieved to see the emperor accept it willingly.

“For Your Majesty, who has given the Platinum Hall.”

After lightly lifting the glass, Diana slowly drank the champagne.

The emperor took a few sips and put the glass down.

“Is it because a beauty brought it? It tastes very good.”

“A beauty, you say.”

Diana felt ecstasy at the emperor, even if he was just saying those words.

It felt like all the insults she had suffered all day were washed away.

She became the emperor’s conversation partner and waited for the scene mentioned in the book, chatting about this and that.

‘He said it would take about twenty minutes?’

Already, about an hour had passed since they had conversed with boring stories.

She began to worry whether the medicine hadn’t entered halfway and there was no effect.

Diana decided to see an opportunity first.

“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to share intimacy with Your Majesty, even this late.”

“Hehe, I’m also very pleased to talk with you like this. I hope we can have many conversations in the future.”

The emperor gave a subtle smile and tapped Diana’s shoulder lightly.

Diana turned her eyes slightly and muttered softly.

“That might be difficult. I think I have to go down to my hometown soon. I’m worried about my older brother’s health, and I guess marriage will be a bit difficult.”

At Diana’s words, the emperor’s eyes widened.

“Come to think of it, the Groban Earl received a big punishment. Hehe, Nathaniel is so obsessive about such things.”

Even if he was the emperor, overturning or changing the crown prince’s judgment was impossible.

Considering Nathaniel’s weak position, it was even more so.

“But thinking about going down to your hometown is a bit disappointing.”

“From the beginning, Empress Your Majesty determined the period I can spend in the palace. In fact, that’s why I came to see if Your Majesty could help me a little.”

Diana said so and subtly held the emperor’s hand.

The emperor was silent for a moment.
‘Failed?’

Diana’s vision went dark.

The fear that her neck might be cut off not by the Empress, but the Emperor, loomed over her.

“So. Then should I prepare a place for me to stay?”

The Emperor mumbled with a slightly dull tone.

Diana almost cheered.

“Yes. And please place someone around me to protect me. I’m too scared of Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Ah, Milia’s one temperament. Alright, I’ll do that.”

Somehow, the Emperor, Philips, seemed slightly elated.

He told Diana that he would find her a townhouse to stay in immediately from tonight and called for his chief steward.

“Give that lady the townhouse.”

“That… the townhouse you’re talking about?”

The steward scanned Diana, whose cheeks were flushed, up and down.

The townhouse he mentioned was where Milia, the Empress, had started her fugitive life, escaping from the previous Empress.

‘That woman will also soon meet a terrible fate.’

Even after Milia became the Empress, the Emperor had consistently used that townhouse.

Numerous ministers who entered there couldn’t avoid the Empress’s sharp blade.

When the Emperor grew tired of a minister, he even subtly let the fact slip to the Empress.

In that way, he didn’t dirty his hands, and attributed the tragedy to the Empress’s jealousy.

The steward left, leaving behind a delighted Diana.

(This is a time marker.)

The tumultuous harvest festival had ended.

Nathaniel and I had to sort out everything that had kept us frantically busy and plan for the winter.

Nathaniel murmured with a frown after receiving a letter.

“Some trouble has arisen.”

“What trouble?”

I asked, knitting a sweater for Nathaniel’s dragonling form.

He turned his head, looking displeased at the red sweater.

“Someone reported that a monster lives in the forest managed by the royal family.”

“A monster? Nathaniel caught them all before, didn’t he?”

At my words, Nathaniel shut his mouth tightly. His face seemed to show that it was difficult to speak; his brow was furrowed.

I didn’t press him and waited for him to tell me, trusting that he would unless it was highly confidential.

Having watched the effect of one person’s sacrifice on a relationship from up close, we tried to talk as much as possible.

Although Nathaniel was gruff at first, he now quite actively led the conversation.

After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth.

“I saw other monsters there too, but I let them go.”

“You let them go? How come?”

It was unbelievable that a skilled person like Nathaniel would let them slip away so easily.

Was there some enormous monster hiding there?

“No. I let it go.”

I blinked, unable to understand his words.

He let a monster go?

It wasn’t a wild animal; it was a monster that harmed people.

“The monster family was living there, in that forest. There were young and a wife too.”

Nathaniel sighed deeply, murmuring.

Thinking about what to do with them already gave him a headache.