“Your Majesty the Empress! Something terrible has happened!”

Just as Pellio was about to leave Ermedillin’s reception room, Loony, who had briefly stepped out, burst in with eyes wide open.

His soft brown irises seemed as if they would pop out of their sockets at any moment.

However, despite declaring it a crisis, Loony’s expression did not appear all that serious.

Depending on one’s perspective, he even seemed slightly pleased.

“What happened?”

Upon hearing Ermedillin’s question, Pellio also paused and waited for Loony’s response.

“Well, you see,”

Loony lowered his voice and looked around before closing the door to the reception room.

“I just heard from Mago that, well, Valiere tried to commit suicide!”

“What?”

Ermedillin’s prior assumption that it wasn’t a serious matter based on Loony’s expression was completely shattered.

“He’s not dead, is he?”

“No. A clergy came and healed him immediately.”

Although a hint of disappointment laced Loony’s voice, Ermedillin was genuinely relieved to hear Valiere was alive.

“I’m truly relieved to hear his life is not in danger. But why would he suddenly…”

“Mago couldn’t get the full story. Louise, the clergy, suddenly ran down the hall and tripped, causing a commotion. When Mago snuck a look, Valiere was covered in blood.”

“Why… would he…”

Ermedillin was suddenly reminded of a time she stood by a river.

She remembered her feelings back then, when she felt there was nothing to lose if everything ended at that moment.

Valiere was still in his late teens, not yet twenty.

Ermedillin felt somewhat guilty for harboring unpleasant feelings toward her for all this time.

“Valiere, being so resolute to attempt suicide in front of Your Majesty…”

“Don’t say such things.”

Ermedillin interrupted Loony with a stern tone.

“How desperate must she have been to go that far? I must visit her myself once she stabilizes.”

“You’re going to go there?”

“Yes, I must, given the circumstances…”

“Your Majesty the Empress,”

Loony began in a heavy voice, staring at Ermedillin with a face full of dissatisfaction.

“I understand your concern, but how would Valiere take it? I’m worried you’ll get an earful despite your good intentions.”

“Do you think my visit would upset her more?”

Loony had a point.

As Ermedillin hesitated, Pellio, who had been silently listening, stepped in.

“I’ll go check on her.”

“Really? Would you?”

A bright smile crossed Ermedillin’s worried face.

“Yes. I’ll take a quick look and come back.”

Valiere’s condition was better than expected.

Both of her wrists were unscathed, and her complexion was good considering she had lost a lot of blood.

“Thank you for coming.”

Valiere weakly rose, greeting Pellio in a soft voice.

“There’s no need to stand. Also, you have nothing to thank me for. I am here because Her Majesty the Empress was concerned about your condition.”

“Her Majesty the Empress?”

Upon hearing Pellio’s words, Valiere’s once sullen face instantly turned icy.

“Yes. She is deeply concerned about you.”

“Why? Because I didn’t die?”

For a moment, Pellio doubted his ears.

The Valiere he knew, though often reserved, would have sincerely been outraged if something had happened to Ermedillin.

Valiere genuinely wanted to dethrone Ermedillin, but her ultimate goal was to expose Ermedillin’s evil deeds for legal judgment.

But this sarcastic comment was unexpected. He had felt that Valiere had changed lately, but this was an extreme shift.
“Why would you say such a thing? The Empress is genuinely worried about you.”

“Huh? Now you’re running errands for Her Majesty the Empress? You’ve become quite the confidant. What, have you developed some newfound affection in your time together? Well, it’s not surprising. You’ve always had the best talent for winning men over in the empire. So, even the stoic Prince Pellio has fallen?”

Pellio clenched his fist unknowingly.

If Velia were not a woman, he would have immediately challenged her to a duel.

He was more angered by the fact that Ermedillin was being disregarded by such a vulgar woman than he was by his own humiliation.

“You’ve fallen.”

“What?”

“You used to be a person of pure and clean character, irrespective of your social status. Clearly, the air in the palace isn’t good. Seeing how far you’ve fallen.”

“What?”

How dare she say such a thing, knowing who she was speaking to?

For a moment, Velia lost her composure and hurled a water bottle at Pellio.

Crash!!

Pellio easily dodged the flying bottle, which shattered against the opposite wall.

“Ahh! Prince!”

The maids who were nearby screamed in shock.

Even if Velia was the Emperor’s wife, Pellio was the child of one of the most influential noble families in the empire.

If he were to be injured, it would be clear that the fallout would affect not just Velia but also those around her.

After the situation ended, the startled maids hurriedly began to clean up the broken bottle.

But Velia was still furious. This time, she reached for a vase, but a maid barely managed to grab her hand.

“Stop it! This will really turn into a big issue!”