“It’s the palace used by the empress whom my grandmother cherished. My father was quite fond of it and took care of it one by one. Grandmother always disliked it for the empress who could not even give birth, calling it too much, and eventually left it neglected after the empress fell ill and left the world early.”

“Ah.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the view in front of me brightened. As if signaling the end of the forest path, the air that had been filled with the smell of trees was now full of flower fragrance.

“I really liked this place. Because the beautiful flowers bloomed lavishly all year round. Grandmother really hated my children meeting the empress, but I was a prince at the time, so I was relatively free. And I always came here.”

As beautiful as his words, the appearance of the imperial palace in front of me was beautiful. A twostory building that was smaller than the earl’s house, or even the imperial palace we were just in. But the white bricks were beautifully decorated with ivy, and the surroundings were full of flowers.

“But there’s a basic structure, so with a little fixing, it became quite usable. So I decided on this place. It’s next to the main palace but surrounded by trees, so unless someone intentionally visits, there will be no meeting with anyone. It won’t be uncomfortable to live.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for.”

I wish you’d arranged for me to live further away from the main palace. Now that I’ve entered the imperial palace, my business is all over, and I don’t particularly want to see the emperor often.

“You seem quite satisfied, looking at your silence?”

“Huh?”

“Well. It’s understandable. I personally……”

“Personally?”

“You seem to have bad ears. Seeing that you heard something I didn’t do.”

Excuse me? You clearly said “I personally” just now.

This man, look at him. The good impression has gone bad again.

“I placed only the minimum number of people. I’ve arranged for useful ones, so try to get along.”

“Yes.”

Even Shasha, who had been silently observing the situation all the while, seemed to get a little better after coming here, as she looked at me wideeyed. As we slowly entered the garden, Shasha and I locked eyes.

“Do you want to get down?”

“Yes! I’m not teasing you at all! Sister, in case you’re tired……”

“You can play. This will be our home from now on.”

At those words, Shasha got down from my arms and began to look around. With sparkling eyes, with an excited face. Her appearance was so cute that I just smiled quietly.

“She seems to adapt well.”

“Children adapt to the environment better than adults.”

“Yes. And as for Leandro Soleven…… let’s just greet him at first and live on. His heart is still tightly closed.”

“Is it because he came here losing his memory? What’s his condition?”

Shut up. The shock of that single word is still not fading. The way he glared at me like a wild beast. And his hostile attitude towards Shasha.
Her original name was Rdelo, and she was raised in an orphanage, unable to bear it any longer and came out. Then her memory returned, and her mother had told her that she was the child of the emperor. So she was secretly waiting. Or so she said.

Secretly, you say…

Shasha, looking at flowers as if for the first time, bustled about, examining this flower and that. The emperor stood next to me, looking at Shasha without emotion.

I regularly go out. It’s a place where hardly anyone knows. Rdelo was hiding there, timing it just right, for several days.

You’re saying that a child who lost her memory would go that far? Where is that place?

But this time, there was no answer. His gaze was fixed solely on Shasha.

He must not want to answer about where it is.

But it’s a little strange.

What are you talking about?

For a child without memory… it’s strange that only significant memories remain. Usually, even if memories are lost and then recovered, it’s not easy to recall only the things you want.

The child says so, so I have nothing to say.

The emperor was clearly hiding something as well.

I’ll ask another question.

Another question?

Who knows that Your Majesty the Emperor goes there?

I felt his pupils shake more severely than before, as if he didn’t want to say anything at all.

Of course, I know that my question may offend Your Majesty’s feelings. But… this is for Rdelo, not for you.

…For Rdelo. You seem to have come up with a pretty good excuse.

I’ve been caught. Of course, I’m absolutely not saying this to find out about the emperor. What good would it do to learn about him?

You seem to be very interested in me.

No.

…Is there a reason to look so stern?

Yes. I think there is. I don’t want to receive unnecessary suspicion. After all, we agreed not to love each other.

That’s right. We did agree to that.

I rather turned my head away from him.

I don’t want to cause unnecessary discomfort to someone who dislikes women as a whole. I also have to stick around here until Shasha grows up to some extent.

I explained in earnest, as I felt I had spoken too harshly.

However, the emperor only looked displeased.