Selina’s empress investiture ceremony was approaching the next day.

Although it was decided to keep it as simple as possible, the empress’s palace was filled with quiet bustle due to the many small preparations that needed to be made.

Lynette looked down at the box in front of her with a clearly displeased expression. Even at a glance, it was elaborately decorated like a box containing luxury items.

“Your Majesty the Empress. Do you really intend to give this fabric as a gift? I’m against it.”

“Still, we can’t welcome her empty-handed. After all, she’s becoming part of the imperial family.”

“If such a person becomes family, I’ll just leave home and live as a stranger for the rest of my life.”

“Lynette.”

At Ilarid’s quiet admonition, Lynette heaved a noticeable sigh. Inside the box was high-quality fabric owned by the empress’s palace.

It had been given to Ilarid as a gift at some point, but unable to find time, it remained unmade into clothing.

Too much time had passed to hold onto it with lingering attachment. Now it was just a relic of the past, not even knowing who had given it as a gift or when.

Ilarid opened the box one last time to send off the past. Inside, a white fabric that looked luxurious at first glance was showing off its soft appearance.

“I won’t have occasions to wear white clothes anymore.”

“You can save it and wear it later. You never know when you might need bright-colored clothes.”

Well. Ilarid smiled bitterly. If she were to wear white clothes in her remaining life, wouldn’t it be her funeral garments?

After stroking the closed box once, Ilarid prepared to go to Selina.

“Why are you going in person? You could just send the maid girls on an errand…”

“As the prospective empress, I should go in person.”

That way, she can clearly feel that she belongs under the empress’s palace.

Perhaps due to the rain from the previous day, puddles that had not yet dried were visible here and there.

Already, laborers had come out to fill the puddles with dry soil. Careful not to step on them and dirty the hem of her dress, Lynette paid attention to each of Ilarid’s steps.

In the distance, a pink figure with gaudy decorations all over could be seen. There was no need to go to where Selina was staying. She was enjoying a midday stroll, accompanied by her maids in her flamboyant attire.

“For a ‘shadow’, she never tries to hide. How brazen to come out for a walk in broad daylight…”

“Those who are loved shine day and night.”

“…That’s right. She’s shining so brightly white that she almost looks transparent.”

Selina, having spotted Ilarid, slowly approached. Lynette, suppressing a sigh, gripped the box in her hands tightly.

“I greet Your Majesty the Empress.”

Perhaps because of her new position as ‘prospective empress’, Selina did not greet casually. Ilarid displayed a benevolent smile and gave a slight nod.

“It’s nice to see you, Miss Selina. The weather is quite nice today as well.”

“It seems even more so after the rain has cleared. Would Your Majesty the Empress like to join me for a walk?”

“No, I was on my way to deliver a gift to you, Miss Selina. This is perfect timing.”

For just a brief moment, Selina’s eyes sparkled with expectation. Ilarid signaled to Lynette beside her. She pressed her lips tightly and approached Ilarid’s side.

One of the maids standing behind Selina scurried forward to receive the box.

It would have been good if she had simply given thanks and quietly left, but Selina tactlessly opened the box right there. Lynette’s eyes narrowed as she watched this scene unfold.

“Oh my.”

She pretended to be surprised as she lifted the neatly folded fabric. The white fabric fluttered and wrapped softly around her arms.

Even to Selina’s not-so-discerning eye, it was of the highest quality. If she had received it earlier, she would have had it made into a ceremonial robe for tomorrow’s investiture ceremony.

‘Look how she gave it late on purpose. The empress is no different after all.’

Selina misinterpreted Ilarid’s goodwill as jealousy and examined the fabric this way and that. It was quite rude behavior in front of the empress, but Ilarid didn’t make much of an issue of it and continued speaking.

“I’m not sure if it will be to your liking, Miss Selina, but it’s quite a fine fabric, so it should be sufficient to make one set of clothes you need.”

“Hmm… I wonder?”

For some reason, Selina took out all the fabric that was in the box. Her lips twisted, and then she let go of her hands. The white fabric tumbled to the ground, quickly absorbing the damp muddy water.

It was clearly intentional to anyone watching. Lynette, who had witnessed this situation in its entirety, berated Selina.

“Miss Selina, what are you doing!”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty the Empress. My hands slipped.”

The feigned embarrassment she forcibly created awkwardly lingered around Selina’s eyes. Ilarid gently bit the inside of her lip as she watched Selina’s unsightly act.

“It seemed like it would suit me quite well, how unfortunate. His Majesty the Emperor would surely have been satisfied… Who would have known the fabric would be so heavy?”

She had tried not to react, but staying still was allowing things to go too far. The corners of Ilarid’s lips curled up slightly. From her mouth came a calm voice no different from usual.

“This is troubling. The empress’s crown for the investiture ceremony will be quite heavy. I’ll call a doctor in advance, as it might be too much for Miss Selina’s delicate neck.”

The corners of Selina’s mouth trembled. The empress always let it pass quietly no matter what provocations Cledius or Selina made.

She had been enjoying it, thinking that the empress was pretending to be calm while inwardly seething, but unexpectedly, she was someone who knew how to strike back.

Selina, who had taken a direct hit, struggled to compose her twisted expression.

“I cannot accept this gift.”

“It’s not such a worthless fabric that its value would diminish just because it fell to the ground.”

“Looking at it now, it seems to suit the floor better. Wouldn’t it be fine to use it for cleaning the floors of the empress’s palace like this?”

“Miss Selina!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Lynette stepped forward. She felt she could gladly accept a pay cut order for confronting the emperor’s hidden mistress.

No matter how much affection she received from the emperor, this was in front of the empress. Where else would a noble young lady with no official position in the imperial palace act so arrogantly?

Just as she was about to snap at Selina, a dark shadow approached them.

“Lebel…?”

At the same time, Ilarid startled and took a step back. Everyone gathered there was taken aback by the unexpected appearance of this figure. When had he arrived, without even sensing his presence?

He looked down at the white fabric where muddy water was spreading, paying no attention to the surprised people.

“Kyaa!”

Startled by Lebel’s sudden appearance, Selina let out a short scream and plopped down. As a result, mud splattered onto the hem of Selina’s dress, making a mess.

“My dress…! It was a gift from His Majesty the Emperor!”

Regardless, Lebel silently picked up the fabric that had fallen to the ground. The once white and beautiful fabric was now stained brown.

Lebel’s hand holding the fabric tensed. The stained fabric helplessly crumpled in his palm, leaving only deep wrinkles. In that moment, Ilarid guessed what he was about to do.

Before she could stop him, Lebel threw the mud-soaked fabric onto the head of Selina, who was sitting on the ground floundering.

An exaggerated scream echoed through the imperial palace.

As passing servants and maids glanced at the commotion, Selina’s face turned bright red. After barely wiping off the stains on her face and hair with the help of her maids, she shouted vehemently.

“Wh-what is the meaning of this!”

“Judging by how it’s covered in mud, this fabric seems appropriate for you.”

Lebel looked down at Selina sitting on the ground with an expressionless face. Well-contained anger flowed from his upright posture.

“It seems to have found its rightful owner.”

Selina stood up abruptly without taking the hands offered by her maids. The veins in her neck stood out clearly as she trembled.

“How dare you, a mere mercenary! You insult a noble like this? Do you think you’ll survive after this?”

“I’ll have to try my best to survive.”

“You must have a spare life or something. Do you even know who I am?”

“…Who are you?”

Lebel showed an indifferent attitude, not curious about Selina at all. At his apathetic response, a laugh escaped as the tension suddenly drained away.

In fact, it was natural for a foreigner who had only entered the imperial palace a day ago to not know. Especially someone from the north who hadn’t even had a chance to hear the rumors circulating secretly in the capital. Selina floundered for a moment to organize her suddenly blank mind.

“I am…!”

She barely opened her mouth, but the next words were also a problem. How should she introduce herself to this arrogant mercenary who didn’t know how to kneel or bow his head in front of a noble?

Selina le Diobe, the second daughter of Viscount Diobe? Mentioning her family name unnecessarily might only invite ridicule.

Already, there were whispers among the nobles about her family being “those who sold out the country to save their lives.” If by chance this mercenary knew that fact, it would be a great embarrassment.

The emperor’s hidden lover? She knew that introducing herself like this would be even more pathetic. The likely response would be “So what?”

If Selina had been the empress, she might have at least saved face. It happened to be the day before the investiture ceremony. If she had officially become the empress, she could have at least slapped that bastard’s cheek!

In the end, Selina asserted the maximum authority she could muster as a noble.

“Y-you ignorant lowborn! A commoner should show respect to nobles…”

For all her attempted bravado, it was quite tattered. Selina’s outburst couldn’t even scratch Lebel. He continued to glare at her with cold gray eyes.

“Then would the young lady kindly enlighten this lowly person? What exactly is respect?”

Ilarid, who had been observing the sudden turn of events, detected the cold composure hanging on the edge of Lebel’s mockery.

It was the look of someone who had stood at the brink of life several times.

The tenacious struggle of barely grasping the rope of survival at the boundary between life and death. From him, even a subtle leisureliness of one who would face impending death without fear could be felt.

Selina realized she had nothing to assert. The only trump card she could play was Cledius alone.

“You insolent bastard… The one who paid you is none other than His Majesty the Emperor!”

“As a lowly person, I simply cannot comprehend what kind of relationship exists between His Majesty the Emperor and the young lady that would warrant such a serious tone. Would you care to explain it properly so that I can understand each detail?”

He seemed to know everything about the relationship between Selina and Cledius. Unable to find any more words, Selina glared at Lebel with tears welling up in her eyes, her lips tightly pressed together.

“Enough. Both of you, stop right there.”

Unable to stand by any longer, Ilarid stepped in to mediate. If left unchecked, who knows what rumors might spread in the imperial family. Before word could circulate that the mercenary captain had insulted the emperor’s ‘shadow’ just a day after arriving, this situation had to be ended.