On the night the trial ended, Ermedillin slept through the night without dreaming for the first time in a long time.

So much so that Rooni, worried about Ermedillin’s deathlike sleep, leaned in multiple times to check her breathing.

Each time, Rooni felt relief at the sound of Ermedillin’s peaceful breath and dozed off beside her.

Had Ermedillin seen Rooni, she would have immediately returned to her quarters in a fit of rage.

Because she had no idea how many nightmares she had or felt suffocated during her sleep.

Throughout the night, Ermedillin called out unknown names while cursing, wept calling out Ferdant’s name, and sweated coldly while moaning as if suffocated.

Rooni, who had seen Ermedillin’s condition a few times, was frightened and thereafter alternated with Helen to keep watch over her.

“Today is calm.”

Though dawn was breaking, Ermedillin was still asleep, motionless.

It was just an ordinary sight of her sleeping comfortably, but Rooni somehow felt a lump in his throat.

Yesterday was a special day for her, too.

A comrade who recognized the true nature of the Empress had increased.

Thus, Ermedillin had a peaceful night for the first time in a long while, and Pellio had another night of ongoing agony.

Though he had spent the night wide awake, his mind still felt disoriented, as if a storm had just passed.

The trial had just ended yesterday, but Pellio had to meet Ermedillin today.

Because construction on the orphanage was starting today.

“That’s right. I need to thoroughly understand the progress so it will be easier to leave evidence in case of discrepancies later.”

Pellio moved, reassuring himself that he was not going to see Ermedillin because he wanted to.

Startled, Pellio involuntarily furrowed his brow and stepped back.

Ermedillin’s carriage had arrived, and his excitement was shortlived, as he saw her being escorted by Angri from the carriage.

Even though they were escorting, their hands barely touched; they appeared strictly professional.

But the moment Ermedillin’s hand touched the tip of Angri’s hand, Pellio knew.

That jealousy had a face so vividly green.

Pellio, not wanting to admit his own feelings, forcibly suppressed his rising emotions and politely greeted the Emperor and Empress.

“Have you arrived? I didn’t know His Majesty was coming as well.”

Responding with a light nod to Pellio’s greeting, Angri passed by him, his cloak today particularly vivid in its shade of green.

“Isn’t it obvious? When my wife is doing such a good thing, how could I, her husband, not come to see?”

Pellio felt the boiling within him cool at the words “wife” and “husband” and scanned the inside of the carriage.

Wanting to check whether Balliere, who always accompanied Angri on all matters, official or unofficial, had come too.

But she was nowhere to be seen.

“Why isn’t she here today?”

Feeling a foreboding, Pellio wondered why Balliere had not accompanied them and turned his head at a soft touch.

When he turned, there was Ermedillin, looking up at him with a radiant smile.

She usually looked a bit cold due to her glamorous beauty, but it felt like he was facing an innocent girl untouched by the world when she wore this newly frequent smile.

“Aren’t you excited? The construction finally starts today!”

Seeing her so cheerful that she even showed her teeth while laughing made an involuntary smile also rise on Pellio’s face.

I don’t know how glad I am to see this smile, which she only shows me, not to Angri, even though he’s her husband.

“Yes, I am also looking forward to it. Many orphans in the capital will find new opportunities here.”
Pleased with Pellio’s spirited answer, Ermedillin nodded her head, a smile so proud that her cheeks puffed up.

A new opportunity.

It was not just about feeding and clothing them.

Ermedillin may not have received unconditional love in her previous life, but at least she was never short of food and clothes at the orphanage.

Sure, there were occasional fights over the same items, but wasn’t that the same in any normal home with brothers and sisters?

So, what Ermedillin valued most in running the orphanage was the education of the children.

Even if she couldn’t provide specialized education, she wanted them to at least receive basic education sufficient to discover their own talents.

Furthermore, she wanted to provide tuitionfree higher education for children who showed exceptional talents or aptitude.

You can’t live on rice cakes alone.

Never having gone hungry or naked, Ermedillin never felt that she was fully enjoying her opportunities.

‘Yes. Opportunity. I’ll give the children a full opportunity.’

However, Ermedillin’s buoyant mood, uplifted by making up for her own deficiencies in this way, was sharply deflated by the following words from Anri.

“We’ve received quite a few donations since then; we can expand the bedrooms and dining room. We can also create a field on the extra land for the children to farm.”

Anri’s comment was not harsh per se.