Caught off guard by Ermedillin’s sudden embrace, Balliere quickly grasped her intention.

Fortunately, tears were already flowing.

Adding a touch of emotion, Balliere let the tears fall freely and expressed gratitude towards Ermedillin for her concern.

It was, in its own way, the performance of a lifetime.

Then, with eyes still wet, she looked up at Henri and spoke.

“Your Majesty, I apologize for failing to understand your feelings.”

Henri lifted his hand in response to Balliere’s sudden change in demeanor, a pained look creasing his forehead.

His hand, originally raised to wipe away her tears, fell back, making its way to his own lap.

“Wipe it.”

Instead of using his hand, he handed her a neatly folded handkerchief before abruptly exiting the office.

Left alone, Balliere stared blankly at the handkerchief before dabbing it against her cheeks.

‘Warm.’

The scene seemed strangely unfamiliar and eerie in Ermedillin’s eyes.

Leaving Balliere standing there, a euphoric expression on her face, Ermedillin quietly slipped out of Henri’s office.

Now, only Balliere remained in the Emperor’s office.

She stood for a while, feeling the lingering warmth of Henri on the handkerchief.

“Ma’am, you should probably leave now…”

“Huh?”

It was only when the maid spoke that Balliere realized what she was doing.

With a swoosh!

The handkerchief she had thrown fell limply to the floor.

“Aah, I, I didn’t mean to…”

The maid hesitantly picked up Henri’s handkerchief in Balliere’s stead.

“Give it here!”

Although she had thrown it impulsively, it displeased Balliere to see the maid touch Henri’s handkerchief.

Snatching it from the maid’s hand, Balliere quickly returned to her own quarters.

‘Why am I acting like this? Over a mere handkerchief?’

Confused by her own actions, Balliere thought of Henri’s slender, white fingers that had handed her the handkerchief.

Henri’s beauty was dazzling.

Not just dazzling, he carried the majesty befitting a ruler.

His golden hair resembled the dazzling sunlight, while his blue eyes invoked a sense of awe, as if facing a vast, deep ocean.

Additionally, his gaze carried a sacred allure that made one want to kneel and worship him.

Certainly, he had the looks befitting the male protagonist of a romance fantasy.

Balliere thought he was beautiful at first sight.

Though initially burdened by a stranger confessing feelings to her, she couldn’t deny his good looks.

Initially, her discomfort at being in a novel pushed her to distance herself from him, followed by taking advantage of his undying affection.

Ultimately, she found his unconditional love appealing, feeding her vanity.

But when she finally decided to give herself to him, he pushed her away.

She was stunned.

She had thought he would come running like a puppy at the slightest gesture, yet he had the audacity to push her away.

She knew losing his favor would put her in a difficult position, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to make the first move.

‘The protagonist of this novel is me. Me. Everyone should love me! Begging for love is not an option.’
Rather than preserving her objectivity, she would have been better off folding her pride and taking the most advantageous course for herself.

But this immature woman had become overly immersed in her new life, and the connections she’d made overnight.

‘Damn it! Why her! What’s so special about her! She’s ignoring me, her lover!’

A resentment she was unaware of continued to produce ungrounded anger toward innocent people.

‘If it weren’t for her, Henri wouldn’t treat me this way!’

Smash!

An expensive crystal cup shattered into pieces and scattered into the air.

‘There’s no time. I have to use every means necessary!’

Valier spent the entire night considering immediate ways to resolve the situation.

But killing Ermedillin was harder than expected, and finding evidence to ruin her all at once also proved unsuccessful.

‘I need to… take the child!’

Valier thought that was the only way to capture Henri’s heart.

‘Yes. I was too subtle last time. This is the body of the woman you love. You won’t resist, will you?’

Valier, having made up her mind, prepared a carriage as soon as day broke.

“Where are you going at this early hour?”

To the maid’s question, Valier answered with a meaningful smile.

“I have a place to go.”

Meanwhile, Ermedillin had been busy since the morning.

She had to receive an interim report from the mask craftsmen in the morning, and planned to discuss the aqueduct renovation in the afternoon.

“Your Grace! Thank you for visiting at such an early hour!”

Ermedillin, whose only comfort here was Rooni and Pellio, greeted him with a delighted smile.

“Isn’t today a busy day? We should hurry, of course.”

As Ermedillin and Pellio diligently checked the progress, craftsmen from the workshop arrived at the palace one by one with the finished masks.

A heap of masks lay in front of them, each more beautiful and breathable than the last, masterful works of craftsmanship.

Thanks to ample funding, the work had proceeded faster than expected.