Given her anxiety, she had already trembled for what she had done, and unconsciously felt that if she kept the events in her heart, she would not be able to maintain her sanity.

Although there was no sense of guilt from the beginning, she completely ignored the shock that came from killing a person with her own hands.

The servants working in the palace felt both disdain and fear for Valiere’s inhuman reaction.

While making an effort not to disturb her mind in front, they criticized and ridiculed Valiere’s humanity for behaving too casually outside.

Even some of the mistresses who had come to flatter her and tremble in front of her, even if they did not care about the dead woman, eventually stopped coming to see Valiere because they felt that the public sentiment of the people was becoming increasingly ominous.

To her, even if Henri called it a noble’s ball, it was impossible for Valiere to have full control over the event.

Only Valiere, who lived in her own world, didn’t know how things were going.

“If a successor is born, everything can be redeemed, right? Just bow down to the Emperor’s wishes for a while, and you can get what you want once the relationship with Her Majesty is restored.”

“Hmm. But what if this child is a girl… What if it’s a girl?”

“What does that matter? Even though my first child was a daughter, the disappointment was only momentary. Do you know how lovely it is to see that little one grow up? Regardless of gender, a child becomes a strong bond that ties parents together. Once the relationship with Her Majesty is restored, you can have as many pregnancies as you want.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! For now, prove your abilities by successfully hosting this ball! If the plan is excellent, even the ladies won’t be able to refuse the approval.”

Valiere thought that this might be the last chance to prove her abilities.

So, she devoured all the books that could be helpful for the ball.

She interviewed people who would decorate the garden, provide food and music, and meticulously oversaw all the preparations.

She was originally meticulous. As a student who studied even by taking medicine in her past life, Valiere was thorough.

Valiere supervised everything very carefully.

The Countess of Halstein, who had tried to find fault, had nothing to say anymore.

“Spread such rumors? Looks like Henri is anxious.”

Leopold, hearing the rumors about the next Empress that Henri had let slip, responded casually as he pulled the pendant hanging from his necklace with his finger.
“If we really get divorced, won’t things become easier? You can go and serve the lonely Empress…”

“Tsk. Do you think the Emperor will let her go easily? It’s probably a rumor to restrain me. And haven’t you heard? Henri’s plan is to dethrone Ermeldine and subject her to the ‘huahyeong.'”

Some of the nobles who had lost favor due to the curse magic of the Francois family were weighing their options between Leopold and Henri.

Meanwhile, a rumor reached Leopold’s ears.

The rumor was that Henri, to prevent the secrets from leaking when Ermeldine becomes useless after being dethroned, plans to subject her to the ‘huahyeong.’

“Using and discarding people like that is unforgivable. Did you not witness Ermeldine being humiliated? Daring to use and ignore Ermeldine, then planning to cruelly abandon her after ignoring her throughout the marriage period—I don’t want to kill, but I might not be able to endure it if Henri and his government don’t pay the proper price!”

“I didn’t suggest starting a rebellion. Since you must have made plans, you should put them into action. I just wanted to say that it might be easier to secure the identities of both Ermerdine and Ferdand within the marriage period, considering that the Emperor still thinks Ferdand’s father is the deceased maid… That’s all I wanted to say.”

“Right. But until the safety of Ermeldine and Ferdand is ensured, no one should find out about our relationship. It shouldn’t… It shouldn’t! What the hell is that brooch! Have you investigated about a gentleman named Pelio?”

Recalling the subtle glances between Ermeldine and Pelio seen at the ritual site, Leopold expressed annoyance.

“Yes. He’s the son of Batisian Duke, a member of the Emperor faction. He’s currently assisting the Empress.”

“The Emperor faction?”

“Yes. He’s undoubtedly a noble of the Emperor faction, and personally, it’s unlikely that there’s any resentment towards the Empress. People might be thinking of such a relationship.”

“How do you know about affairs between men and women? Those two, the exchanged glances were strange! Moreover, didn’t he say that he threw himself to protect Ermeldine during the recent attack? Suspicious! It’s suspicious!”

Although jealous to the point of dying at the fact that he was sticking to Ermeldine, it was ambiguous to hate him outright for saving her in a dangerous situation.

“I! I should have protected her! Even if a few holes were pierced in the ship for Ermeldine’s sake, it wouldn’t matter!”

Seeing the owner’s figure, who rolled her feet while holding two clenched fists without mourning, as if she couldn’t bear to see it, Langen sighed and avoided her gaze.

“Do you know who sent the assassin?”

“I haven’t found out that much. Everyone is curious about exactly what happened at the Francois Castle, but other than the parties involved, no one seems to know.”

“Treat it as confidential, huh… In that case, the culprit is almost certain, right?”

“Probably Prince Eumond.”

“Yeah, that half. He must have used poison. We can’t just leave it alone. Isn’t there any way to investigate on that side?”

“We continue to send spies in case of variables, but we haven’t found anything special. However…”

Langen made a serious expression and blurred the end of his words.

“However?”

“A considerable number of Bernian soldiers who crossed over to Friannton have gone missing. They completely disappeared without a trace even within Friannton.”

“What on earth is Henri doing? Aren’t soldiers coming to find us, or defecting to the enemy? Competent, they say. A competent emperor? But looking closely, nothing is going well at all.”

In agreement with Leopold’s words, Langen nodded his head.
“The position of the Emperor cannot be maintained merely through diligence and sincerity. Isn’t the Emperor who ascended to the throne through illegitimate means and by staining his hands with the blood of his brothers, not to mention being born as a bastard? It was planned from the beginning.”

“I won’t do it that way. When I become the Emperor, everyone will kneel before me and praise me. I will receive the submission oaths of all the nobles and formally succeed to the throne. I won’t use such dirty methods.”

Leopold’s confident smile, as he looks towards the imperial palace, embodies the ambitious conqueror.

Langen briefly looked at his master’s appearance with satisfaction and then bowed deeply.

“Yes, you should be able to do that.”

“After everything is done, I will have the grandest wedding with Ermeldine in the world! We’ll wear matching attire! The wedding ring must be the most precious and splendid in the world, right? We’ll shower the venue with so much flower petals that you won’t be able to see the front! And we’ll make Ferdand the ring bearer! How adorable will that be?”

However, Leopold’s seriousness vanished like an illusion in just a few seconds.

Suddenly, he transformed into the figure of a boy in love, imagining the wedding with Ermeldine and lighting up his eyes.

Langen thought that his master’s appearance wasn’t all that bad.

A capable person who could turn ambition into reality if determined, yet his motives were always pure and childlike, like that of a young child.