“It seems the maids have changed.”

“Yes. The previous head maid stepped down due to poor health. You noticed right away?”

“Well, His Majesty the Emperor is personally overseeing the Empress’s Palace now, but I used to manage it before.”

“You’ve been relieved of your efforts, Your Majesty. From now on, you don’t need to worry about the Empress’s Palace.”

Ilarid’s hollow laughter was muffled by the sound of tea pouring from the teapot. Selina, sitting across from her, gently caressed the flowers in the vase with subtle movements. Seemingly pleading to be noticed, Ilarid reluctantly asked.

“Those are flowers I haven’t seen before.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. They’re flowers His Majesty the Emperor gifted to me. They’re precious things that are always with me.”

The fully bloomed petals swayed back and forth at Selina’s fingertips. A mysterious flower Ilarid had never seen even in botanical books. The fact that she was seeing it for the first time today meant it was being secretly managed in the imperial greenhouse.

Not wanting to deliberately upset Selina’s elevated mood, Ilarid chose to play along appropriately.

“It’s a flower that resembles the Empress.”

“Do you think so?”

Selina politely poured tea into the cup in front of Ilarid with her own hands.

“This is precious tea personally bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor. He originally said not to give it to anyone, but I wanted to share it with Your Majesty the Empress.”

Warm steam swirled over the ornate teacup, carried by the breeze. After the hot vapors subsided a bit, Ilarid picked up the cup.

“Thank you, Empress. I’ll be tasting something precious thanks to you.”

Just as Ilarid was about to bring the cup to her lips, footsteps were heard. Turning her head towards the sound, she saw Cledius approaching.

“Your Majesty the Emperor!”

Selina called out joyfully, but Cledius walked briskly towards the two with a coldly hardened expression.

“Did you drink that tea?”

Cledius’s voice was trembling. Seeing his unusually pale face, Ilarid put down the cup and stood up.

“What…”

“I asked if you drank it, Empress!”

Cledius’s shout echoed through the peaceful garden. Everyone in the garden looked nervously at the Emperor and Empress.

Except for one person, Empress Selina.

Ilarid quickly assessed the unfolding situation. The leisurely Selina. The flustered attendants and maids. And Cledius, clearly showing signs of distress.

“…It seems the Empress forgot to mention she had invited Your Majesty. If I had known earlier, I would have brought some refreshments.”

When the other party is flustered, it’s best to choose composure. Act as if you’re completely unaware of the situation.

Ilarid nonchalantly picked up the teacup again. Judging by Cledius’s current state of agitation, what he feared most was Ilarid drinking this tea.

‘In that case, I’ll have to show him.’

Dark green eyes stared directly at Cledius. And just as she was about to bring the cup to her lips in a demonstrative manner.

Cledius’s hand flew in front of Ilarid’s eyes.

He snatched away the teacup, still hot, and hurled it to the ground.

Crash! The sharp sound reverberated through the peaceful garden. Ilarid glanced at the teacup as it flew in an arc.

The red tea slowly soaked into the ground where it fell. After staring blankly at the scattered droplets, Ilarid spoke quietly.

“What a pity. The Empress emphasized how precious the tea was, so I was going to at least wet my lips.”

Cledius seemed to have forgotten that he had touched the hot tea. Tea dripped from his white hand.

“It seems Your Majesty regrets even letting me enjoy that luxury.”

Ilarid deliberately put a hint of melancholy in her otherwise calm tone.

The attendants and maids nearby inwardly sighed. To their eyes, the Empress’s face looked quite sad. It was even more so because she always calmly brushed off everything.

A gasp was heard from Cledius. He realized what he had done and tried to hide his flustered state. Ilarid’s rare change in expression was not important right now.

“You… didn’t drink it?”

“As you saw, I didn’t even take a sip.”

Since it was thrown away before anyone could drink it. Only the broken teacup was pitiable. Cledius grimaced as he endured the heat rising in his hand.

“This tea was specially prepared for the Empress.”

“How thoughtful of you.”

Even as Ilarid spoke, a light sigh escaped her lips.

He was truly a pathetic fellow. Even with the attendants, maids, and other palace people watching, he threw away the tea the Empress was drinking while keeping a straight face. Her eyes looking at Cledius had changed back to contempt.

Selina, at the center of the incident, eavesdropped on their conversation while boldly drinking her tea. The Empress’s nerve to sip hot tea even in this situation was remarkable.

“I apologize. Due to my ignorance, I put my lips to the precious gift bestowed only to the Empress.”

With that, have a good time. Ilarid left the garden. Because she left so quickly, she didn’t notice that Cledius’s expression wavered for a moment.

Cledius covered his face with one hand and lowered his head. Was this what he meant to say?

If he had spoken in his usual drawling manner, Ilarid might have just slightly furrowed her brow and left the place as it was.

There was clearly no need to get so angry. Moreover, attendants and maids were gathered around. Cledius’s action was no different from openly rebuking the Empress. He could have just given a warning not to drink it…

Selina quietly approached Cledius and gently grasped his arm.

“Your Majesty the Emperor, please don’t be so angry. I just wanted to share the tea I really like with Her Majesty the Empress.”

“…I’m sorry. The tea time has been ruined.”

“Didn’t I invite Your Majesty without notice? It’s all my fault.”

She bowed her head deeply forward and fidgeted with her fingers, looking as if she might cry at any moment. But her heart felt the opposite. Selina inwardly rejoiced as she glanced at the retreating Ilarid.

Selina’s plan was somewhat successful. The Empress putting her lips to the tea gifted to the beloved Empress. She had secretly hoped Cledius would rebuke her upon seeing that scene.

Though she was a bit surprised by Cledius’s intense reaction, seeing the Empress’s lonely back made her feel a little less frustrated.

Suddenly, her body was pulled towards Cledius. She could feel the breath of the person Selina loved most.

Cledius leaned in and whispered softly into Selina’s ear. So quiet and sweet that no one around could hear.

“That tea is only for the Empress. As Emperor, I do not allow it to be shared with anyone else in the palace.”

Selina was certain. Ah, he loves me. Filled with joy, she hugged Cledius back.

“Yes. I understand, Your Majesty.”

The garden regained its peace. There was no space for the Empress there. The traces of Ilarid’s thorough exclusion seeped into the ground as spilled tea.

It would be a lie to say it didn’t bother her.

She had already passed her destination, the Empress’s Palace, by quite a distance. How long had she been walking? An uncomfortable heat rose in Ilarid’s once cold chest.

Should she have retaliated in the same way? If she had at least opened the teapot and poured the remaining tea on Cledius, would it have eased her frustrated heart a little?

Of course not. Ilarid stopped walking and let out a self-deprecating sneer. If her heart could be eased by that much, she would have already killed Cledius and followed suit.

‘What on earth is in the tea the Empress drinks?’

It could literally be a special black tea made for the Empress. It could also be that Ilarid had unfortunately gotten caught in the Emperor and Empress’s love play.

But Cledius had used Selina to frustrate Ilarid and make her angry. Did he want her to show an intense reaction, perhaps even tears?

For such an obvious provocation, his reaction seemed quite sincere. Did he end up falling in love while trying to use Selina? This was much better. Nothing was as terrible as the fact that Cledius still loved Ilarid.

‘No, perhaps…’

Just as a thought crossed Ilarid’s mind.

“Would you mind making your presence known?”

The subtle movement felt from behind abruptly stopped. This was an artificial forest created in the middle of the imperial palace. With many trees and dense undergrowth, it was often used as a meeting place for secret rendezvous among palace people. It was also perfect for hiding.

The other person must have followed Ilarid, aiming for this point.

“My apologies.”

Lebel revealed his presence from within the tree shadows. Ilarid turned around without showing any sign of surprise, confirming her guess about who it was.

He approached through the shade created by the trees growing tall and lush. Even in the shadows, his eyes shone blue.

“You’re the first person to notice my presence in just a few encounters, Your Majesty.”

“I hope that’s meant as a compliment.”

Though said jokingly, perhaps due to being overly sensitive, the words that came out sounded somewhat crooked. But Lebel didn’t seem to mind. Rather, he showed a broad smile towards Ilarid.

“It is a compliment.”

So he was a smiling person. Ilarid suddenly thought that smiling suited him better than being expressionless.

It’s a bit odd to compare a person to this, but it felt like a large black dog approaching its owner.

‘What am I thinking…’

Ilarid quickly erased the strange thought. Lebel had already approached and knelt before her. This happened in the moment when his smile was still lingering.

“No, wait… There’s no need for such formality…”

As she bent down to grasp his shoulder, their eyes met.

Blue and blue gaze. The afternoon sunlight shining with the sky and trees. Time seemed to stop around the two of them. Everything became quiet, as if they were the only ones left in the world.

Lebel’s eyes appeared blue at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they were a deep gray-blue. The color of time rushing from night to the middle of dawn. Not murky, but clear energy could be felt.

They say you can somewhat understand a person by looking into their eyes. A warm energy emanating from dark but deep blue-gray. Could there be such a peaceful darkness? She wanted to close her eyes and dive into it right away.

Ilarid snapped back to her senses. If she had remained still any longer, she might have found herself tracing Lebel’s face with her hand.

She didn’t want to make such a mistake like last time. Back then, she had such a severe headache that she could say she had just woken up and done something embarrassing, but the situation was different now.

Did Lebel remember that situation from before? Unable to ask, there was no choice but to keep her mouth shut. Ilarid stood up and turned her embarrassed gaze elsewhere.

“From now on, a light greeting will suffice.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Having heard the Empress’s response, Lebel also stood up. Only then did Lebel’s overall appearance properly come into view.

In terms of height, he was similar to or perhaps even taller than Cledius. His body, honed by countless battles, was composed of thick and solid lines.

The black clothes seemed suitable for concealing his body in darkness. She had heard that he often moved in secret. Especially in the case of the Likas mercenary group, they mainly dealt with matters that didn’t leave records. Things that weren’t visible on the surface, like assassinations.

‘Though I had that in mind when I chose…’

Cutting off her thoughts, Lebel raised himself and met Ilarid’s eyes again. His dark gaze suddenly felt gentle.