“I didn’t want to hear that the council is rotten. It’s not just anything else; we elected the council leader by a fair vote, and this rotten person suggests we vote again.”

He blinked slowly. What was this man saying? He had simply overpowered them.

For a moment, she looked at him with an expression of incomprehension. Sehelus broke into a bright smile again.

She was barely visible.

“That expression is cuter than I thought.”

“……Yes……?”

“I didn’t expect that expression. Usually, people are surprised or startled, but Empress Mama’s expression is like… ‘what kind of crazy person is this?'”

That’s right, that’s the expression. How did he read my emotions so clearly?

That was exactly how I felt. The next council leader should also be elected by vote, but this man simply ignored that and overpowered everyone.

“No, it’s not.”

“Well, you can think that way. Even I don’t think I’m sane.”

It seems you’ve messed up a perfectly good story. Of course, it won’t have a significant impact on the progression of the story…

‘Well, I ran away from the family with Shasha, met Rodelo early on and caused some changes… What is this man…?’

“What do you think?”

“About what? No… I support the new council leader being chosen, but… From what I’ve seen, you’re a good person, but I’m not sure if it won’t cause a problem later…”

“No? No.”

“What? It’s not?”

“Yes. You were worried…about me.”

I gaped at the man who was showing me an endless affection. It felt like I was babbling nonsense.

“Well, I am worried. About the council…”

Even if he tries to overpower them, the people there have their own power. And the senior councilor must also have his own forces…

‘Is this man really okay? He doesn’t seem to have any significant support.’

He smiled again, still seeming amused and cheerful.

“You seem like a kind person, Empress Mama.”

“No… So, that’s…”

“What I wanted to ask Empress Mama is, if there was someone who caused great harm despite the opportunity given, what would you do?”

“Oh. People should be given opportunities, right?”

His expression turned serious at my words.

“Hmm… Is that so? Maybe I should have given an opportunity.”

“But if that person was the previous council leader, the story changes. Well, a person can be greedy and pocket some money. It’s understandable to an extent. But using children is unforgivable. Such a person doesn’t deserve forgiveness.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried I might have done something wrong.”

“I’m not the one to evaluate or choose, but… If it were me… that’s what I would have done.”

“Do you like children?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, I nodded unconsciously.

“I see.”

He kept asking questions as if he had much to say and ask. I wasn’t annoyed, but it was a bit burdensome.

Why is this man so friendly toward me?

“It might be my misconception.”

“Yes.”

“No, it’s not.”

It’s just a misconception. Is it my imagination that this man is unusually kind to me? I quickly shut my mouth, fearing I might be indulging in illusions.

A brief moment passed. The tea Melodia had left had already grown cold. Even if magic exists, is there no insulation feature? The tea cools down too quickly.

Meanwhile, Sehelus spoke again.

“What I didn’t mention earlier is that I personally chose Teslo as the previous council leader.”
“Ah, so you chose that old pig… huh?”

“Though I think it’s rude to even ask, your surprised expression is quite adorable.”

His appearance was cold as ice, yet why was his laughter so warm?

Earlier, I thought he found it difficult to smile, but that wasn’t the case. Sincerely smiling wasn’t difficult for him; it was just hard for him to fake a smile in public settings.

If it were the Emperor making that expression, I’d think he was mocking me. But he gave off no such impression.

“Um…”

“You laugh like a child when you’re surprised. It’s cute.”

“Ah, um… well…”

Once again, hearing the word ‘cute’ from his mouth, I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.

‘Cute’ was a word that didn’t suit me, nor did it suit Isabella.

In reality, I was a brutally pragmatic person. I had no choice but to be; in the orphanage, adults had to leave, and even after Noah left, there were children who needed care.

After becoming an adult and leaving the orphanage, I was too busy surviving to be considered cute. There was no one to say or even think that about me.

The same went for Isabella. Though she at least had parents and grew up without lacking much thanks to Sasha, she never received love.

So she said whatever she needed to say to avoid just taking abuse. A child who wasn’t loved by their parents didn’t know how to give love, so there was no way she could be cute.

That’s why the word ‘cute’ felt even more awkward than words like ‘pretty’ or ‘beautiful.’

“So, what did you mean by what you said earlier?”

I quickly changed the subject. Thankfully, he was someone who responded well to my words.

Leaning slightly towards the tea table, he tilted his head. The illusion that his flowing black hair was sparkling crossed my mind.