After arriving in the Galonde Empire, the two entered a nearby alley and removed their disguises.

Elise’s dark coffee-colored hair disappeared, and Natasha Charliee’s fine golden strands finally appeared. The alluring red eyes that had been hidden behind glasses were revealed next.

“Shall we go now?”

As they headed to the next alley, a coachman who had been waiting greeted the two. It was a luxurious mode of transportation that didn’t fit the dark, narrow alley.

They couldn’t go to the imperial palace looking shabby, so they had rented an expensive carriage even if it was a bit excessive.

Of course, it was nowhere near as extravagant as the luxurious carriages meticulously crafted by noble families, but it was sufficient to match their appearance.

As the distance from the port to the Galonde Imperial Palace was not far, the two arrived at their destination quickly.

“May I have your name, please?”

“Natasha Asthart. I should have an audience scheduled with His Majesty the Emperor of Galonde today.”

“Ah, I’ve confirmed it.”

Since they had already sent a letter to confirm the audience, entry was not difficult.

After checking the register, the guard finally opened the gates.

The two alighted from the carriage and followed the guidance of the imperial servant.

In front of the audience chamber door, Sir Dante was separated. Seemingly quite worried about Natasha entering the audience chamber alone, he stated that he wanted to enter even if he had to cover his ears and eyes.

To the guards standing with troubled faces and whispering, Natasha replied that it was fine and she would enter alone. Towards the man who let out an anxious sigh, she drew a gentle smile to indicate that everything was alright.

Soon after entering, Natasha knelt on one knee before the imperial throne.

“I am honored to be in the presence of the great and wondrous Sun of Galonde.”

“I meet the second moon of the Asthart ducal family. You may raise your head.”

As per the Galonde Emperor’s words, she raised her head and stood up.

Natasha scanned the several concubines attached to the Emperor’s side. Glamorous-looking women were looking at her with interested gazes.

“I am deeply grateful for allowing this audience. If I may be so bold as to request, I hope only Your Majesty and I remain here. Although I have borrowed the Asthart name for this audience with Your Majesty, today I have actually come as Natasha Charliee.”

Perceiving the hidden meaning in the woman’s words, the Galonde Emperor readily dismissed the concubines. Subsequently, the women descended the stairs one by one, crossing the same path Natasha had walked.

With the sound of the door closing, a momentary silence enveloped the audience chamber. Realizing that the proper audience was finally beginning, Natasha suddenly felt nervous.

“You said you visited today in the capacity of a princess of Charliee.”

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

“As a princess of a fallen kingdom, what conversation do you wish to have with me?”

The Galonde Emperor’s attitude seemed to have become arrogant. His thick, rough eyebrows rose along with the lifting of his final tone.

It was a familiar contempt. She continued speaking firmly without being intimidated.

“I intend to attempt the reconstruction of the Charliee Kingdom. For this, I seek the support of the Galonde Empire’s knighthood.”

When sending a letter to the Emperor requesting an audience, Natasha had dropped a few clues in the ancient language of the Galonde Empire.

「Kingdom, Revival, Knight, Help, Compensation」

Thanks to their ancient language coincidentally having similar pronunciations to current words, she could easily send the clues. Conversely, if interpreted, the Galonde Emperor would have easily understood the hidden meaning in the letter.

So, the Emperor agreeing to the audience meant he was willing to hear what Natasha had to propose.

It was the same now.

The Galonde Emperor did not act surprised as if hearing this proposal for the first time. Nor did he react seriously as if she was speaking impertinently to the Emperor.

He merely maintained a calm demeanor, keeping his seated posture.

“Support for rebellion, if discovered, it could become quite troublesome.”

After a while, the Emperor gradually revealed the elements he was concerned about. If his concerns were resolved, the answer would transform into an affirmative. Natasha quickly offered the answer she had prepared better than anyone else.

“I am aware of the existence of the shadows. Please lend them to me. Then, even if discovered later, there will be no problem. We can simply claim that they were actually hidden shadows of Charliee.”

Natasha, once a member of the kingdom, knew of the existence of each country’s shadows.

If it were the shadows that move secretly and carry out underworld tasks, even if the rebellion were discovered or failed later, there would be no chance of revealing that the Galonde Empire was behind it.

“Of course, I will design it so that even if discovered, there will be no damage to the Empire, but I propose this as a precaution. I hope you won’t worry too much.”

“Shadows, huh. Certainly better than sending knights as support troops, but that’s from Charliee’s perspective. From Galonde’s standpoint, it’s nothing but troublesome. There’s no reason to help with rebellion while exposing the identity of our shadows to you. Rather than helping with rebellion, starting a war would yield more benefits.”

“With strong opposition from other great powers, war, you say? You must be aware of the method the current Emperor Letius used to take the Charliee Kingdom.”

Although it seemed like a negative response at first glance, Natasha well understood the real purpose hidden in the Emperor’s thorny words.

The woman opened her eyes after closing them and faced the Emperor directly. She clenched her fist slightly hidden under the skirt of her dress, steeling her resolve. Finally, she released the voice she had firmly set into the world.

“If you help us, our Charliee Kingdom will not forget the grace shown by the Galonde Empire and intends to pay a fair price.”

“A price, you say?”

The Galonde Emperor finally took interest in the conversation. It seemed they had finally entered the path he desired.

“We will give you the Orland Mine of Charliee.”

“The Orland Mine, you say!”

“Yes, it’s one of the great resources of Charliee. Currently, it’s under the jurisdiction of the duchy, so even the Letius Empire doesn’t dare to covet it.”

The Orland Mine was a factor that allowed the Charliee Kingdom to be recognized as a relatively powerful nation despite being a comparatively small country.

The reason everyone coveted Charliee’s territory, a great resource. And the Orland Mine was one of the kingdom’s great resources.

Not only rare diamonds but also noble divine stones are not uncommonly found there, truly a goose that lays golden eggs!

Discovering that the other’s eyes were sparkling with anticipation, Natasha finally drove the nail home.

“There will be no chance of exposing identities. The royal knights, ducal knights, and the knights of the Asthart ducal family will all participate in the rebellion. When the kingdom pays the price after the successful rebellion, we can simply add other reasons. And most importantly―”

“……”

“This matter will also be contracted with the Letius Imperial Family. Since a contract will be established between empires, you need not fear their retaliation in the future.”

Another plan Natasha had to establish while conceptualizing the rebellion was the involvement of the next emperor.

The moment Kyle Letius dies, the fall of the imperial family is predicted, which could lead to war between the empire and the duchy.

Therefore, a successor emperor was needed to prevent this, to fill Kyle Letius’s vacant position. Claiming that they had decided to execute and replace the current emperor for a justifiable reason.

It would be an absurd claim, but with the emperor gone, the empire’s last hope would be a puppet-like successor emperor.

As long as there was even a little of Letius’s blood mixed in, becoming the next emperor was a natural course, so while there might be some noise, there would be no hitches.

The Emperor now revealed a somewhat relaxed face. Although it didn’t seem like he would immediately accept the proposal, it could be confirmed that he was at least considering it positively.

It was at that moment. The tightly closed door opened, and a woman with a small frame entered. She quietly poured tea on the table next to the imperial throne.

“I understand the princess’s words well. Our Galonde Empire―”

In the middle of the Emperor’s speech, Natasha carefully raised her hand. Instead of opening her mouth, she quietly gestured, pointing to the woman standing next to the Emperor. The woman was wearing a robe, so even her face wasn’t properly visible.

“Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine. There’s no need to mind this woman.”

“Ah…”

“She’s a commoner with nowhere to relay words. She probably can’t even properly understand our conversation.”

On the woman’s slightly exposed ankle was an anklet with the Galonde imperial emblem. It was proof that the woman before them was the Emperor’s concubine.

Yet, to disparage her so nonchalantly like this.

Natasha pretended not to notice and scrutinized the woman thoroughly. Despite being someone with nothing visible, she kept glancing at her, feeling somehow familiar.

When their eyes met, Natasha pretended to look away and opened her mouth towards the Emperor.

“No, I think our conversation is done for today. Shall we have a different conversation? This time, I’d like to converse with the great Emperor as Natasha Asthart.”

“Haha, you’re an interesting person.”

The conversation concluded in a friendly atmosphere.

Perhaps as a result, within a few days, a letter arrived from the Galonde Imperial Palace.

「Acceptance, Reunion, Full Moon」

The Emperor had sent a reply using the same method Natasha had used.

So, according to this meaning, it seems he wants to meet again and talk on the day of the full moon.