The Emperor’s esteemed daughter, whom he loved and cherished most.

Leopold was the son she had after setting out to see the world.

Though Leopold was the son of the only imperial princess, the Emperor had plenty of sons, and so he naturally fell out of the line of succession. Unattached to his homeland, he roamed the world engaging in trade.

Unable to attach his heart to any place, he led a nomadic life until eight years ago, when he suddenly felt a desire to see his father’s country and visited the Tribian Empire.

That was when he was 21.

Naturally, Leopold was not welcomed in a foreign land where his only connection was a name granted by the Emperor.

Especially as a foreign royal appearing during an ongoing war between illegitimate children.

Isolated amidst the neglect of Emperor Sun, he was saved by the Franshuar family, known as the most ominous household in Tribian.

‘What’s so good about such a witch? She may be pretty, but what’s appealing about such a cold and unfriendly person?’

Langen still felt chills down his neck whenever he thought of his first encounter with Ermedillin.

She had a beautiful but soulless face, leaning against the window as if she was about to throw herself off.

Leopold, fresh to the Duke’s house, fell in love with Ermedillin at first sight and pursued her relentlessly despite being rejected over and over.

Just when it seemed like their feelings were mutual, Ermedillin suddenly broke it off.

In a brutally cruel manner, saying she despised him so much she wanted to get rid of the child she was carrying.

After that, Langen’s master lived like a dead man.

As if he would not regret dying right now, he lived without any dreams or expectations.

If things had not been revealed about Ferdinand, just like in the original work, Leopold would have roamed the world aimlessly, never leaving more than a single line in any story.
However, as Ermedillin’s soul changed and Ferdinand’s existence was revealed to the world, the news that Ermedillin had a hidden son eventually reached Leopold’s ears.

According to people, the son was supposedly from a stableman, but the child’s age aligned too perfectly with when he had parted ways with Ermedillin.

Now, she may be caught in all sorts of scandals, but Ermedillin back then was so reserved that speaking to either men or women was difficult, making the idea of her having an affair unimaginable.

From the moment Leopold became certain that Ferdinand was his son, he regained his purpose in life.

He aimed for the throne of the Tribian Empire in order to find the family that should rightfully be his.

Of course, it was a dangerous gamble that could lead to death if caught for treason.

However, Langen thought it was better to take risks to have a purpose in life than to watch his master waste away the day with alcohol.

“My son exists in this world! My love has been protecting him all this while! Shouldn’t I fulfill my duty as a father!”

His strikingly handsome features, which captured everyone’s attention in an instant, resembled the reigning emperor of the Tribian Empire.

Especially his red hair.

His flaming, crimson hair was compelling evidence that couldn’t deny Leopold’s lineage.

And Leopold’s golden eyes, those noble eyes that only a few direct descendants in the Ballius imperial family were born with.

Those eyes, which had never shown interest in anything, began to emit a dangerous light.

A few days had passed since the founding festival.

Although a mysterious note occupied a corner of Ermedillin’s mind, she decided to focus on the matter at hand.

‘No contact has come after that anyway. It must have been a prank.’

She burned the note immediately after reading it and stored the seal in the basement just in case, but that was it; there were more immediate problems to solve for Ermedillin.

“As expected, it happened.”

Ermedillin, who had called Pellio to the palace to discuss improving the filthy sewer system, heard news that symptoms of an infectious disease had appeared among the people who attended the founding festival.

Fortunately, there had been no second outbreak in the capital, but a minor infection had occurred among the crowd gathered when Ballier marched through the city.

“Have the infected people returned to their villages?”

“Yes. Those showing symptoms were immediately quarantined, and their villages are also being isolated.”

“So, Pellio, you must be quite busy. Should you be here discussing this…”

“What could I be busy with? I’m just an ordinary lawyer who has conveyed the story to the administrative father.”

Pellio answered in a firm voice and immediately looked back at the documents.

At first, Ermedillin didn’t like his tone. His blunt, abrupt manner seemed cold and rude.

But strangely, she now found his firm tone not unpleasant.

No, in fact, she thought sometimes it was cute to know the real him behind that stoic mask.

Unconsciously, Ermedillin found herself staring quietly at the side profile of Pellio, who was engrossed in numbers with a neutral expression.

“Your Highness.”

The moment Pellio seemed to have something to say and lifted his head toward her, Ermedillin quickly diverted her eyes to the documents she was holding.