The officer was slightly puzzled. Wasn’t this the Empress who was always calm and composed? Her uncharacteristic hesitation and struggle to speak was strikingly unfamiliar.

“No, there was nothing unusual.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Even though the Empress had many things to worry about, to be concerned even about contract mercenaries – those guys sure are lucky. The officer grumbled inwardly but still bowed politely to Ilarid before leaving the room.

Ilarid looked over the list of casualties and wounded brought by the Imperial Guard again.

Neither the casualty list nor the wounded list showed any names from the Rikas Mercenary Company. There was also nothing major reported in the newspapers. Were they all really safe?

Even after checking the newspapers again, there was no mention of them or Lebel’s name. A sigh of relief escaped Ilarid’s lips.

‘Thank goodness.’

For a moment, Ilarid flinched, startled by her own feelings. Contrary to expectations, pure concern came first. She had only thought of using them, only considering victory and necessity. Hadn’t she vowed to erase any emotions?

‘What am I thinking…’

Her face reddened in embarrassment. Ilarid tried to discreetly hide her face behind the newspaper, but Lynette soon noticed.

“Your Majesty. Your face is flushed… Do you perhaps feel chills or feverish?”

“No. I’m just tired thinking about future matters.”

Ilarid cut her off sharply. Cledius would request a victory banquet as soon as he arrived. It was better to prepare in advance. And few methods could clear the mind as quickly as labor.

She sighed faintly and looked at Lynette standing beside her.

“Lynette. We need to prepare a victory celebration banquet. It’s going to be busy in many ways.”

**

Cledius would arrive in 3 days. The palace staff were busy preparing for the victory banquet under the direct command of the Empress.

Ilarid headed to the garden herself. There was a wildflower colony in the garden, so she planned to make some natural flower arrangements.

“Oh my, Your Majesty!”

Selina, who seemed to have been taking a walk near the garden, brightened up and hurried over, holding her dress skirts. Perhaps due to hearing the news of Cledius’s victory, Selina, who had been cooped up in the Imperial Consort’s Palace for a while, was now cheerful as if nothing had happened.

“Good afternoon. Have you also heard the news, Your Majesty? His Majesty the Emperor has achieved victory!”

As if the news of victory was her own joy, Selina smiled broadly and even jumped up and down.

Ilarid, holding a basket on one arm, did not try to stop the exuberant Imperial Consort. In contrast to the excited Selina, Ilarid’s voice came out calm and composed.

“I heard. It’s a joyous occasion for the Empire. I’m on my way to prepare flowers for the victory banquet. Would you like to join me?”

“Yes!”

How nice it would be if she was always like this. The maids standing behind Selina exchanged glances. Just a few days ago, hadn’t she been so depressed that she took out all her bad temper on her subordinates?

The maids were relatively better off. The servant girls who handled menial tasks truly suffered, literally becoming Selina’s emotional trash cans.

‘She’ll get herself in trouble one of these days.’

The maids closed their discontented lips tightly and quietly followed behind the Empress and Imperial Consort. The sky was clear without a single cloud. It was perfect weather for choosing flowers to put in vases.

“Imperial Consort. Please choose flowers suitable for the Imperial Palace.”

Ilarid handed over the garden shears from the basket. Selina blankly stared at the handle of the shears placed before her.

“Me, personally?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Selina’s expression was that of someone who possessed the whole world. One who had unrivaled, supreme happiness. The two headed into the garden, baskets on one arm and shears in hand.

Watching Selina excitedly run towards the rose cluster in the garden, Ilarid was engulfed in thought.

‘Should I tell her the truth.’

Clearly, Cledius was using Selina. He hoped Ilarid would crumble in jealousy and anger seeing him with Selina.

In truth, until now, Ilarid’s desire to tell her had been shattered by Selina’s arrogance. But there was a world of difference between being used knowingly and unknowingly.

She should at least give a warning. A light comment not to trust Cledius too much would suffice.

That the man the Imperial Consort loved so dearly was the type to discard love for the sake of power.

Of course, whether to heed the advice or not would be Selina’s choice.

Ilarid walked over to where Selina was sitting. Unaware of the Empress’s approach, Selina was crouched down, focused on gathering roses. Her basket was already full of red rose bunches.

“It seems I’ve given the Imperial Consort too bothersome a task. Be careful not to hurt your hands.”

“This is to celebrate His Majesty’s victory, of course I should help.”

Was this really the same Selina who had caused such a fuss last time? Now the Imperial Consort seemed almost mature. If this too was the power of love, it wasn’t so bad, Ilarid thought for a moment.

“By the way, Your Majesty.”

Selina stood up briefly to look around, then pressed close to Ilarid as if about to share a secret.

“I heard the consummation is coming up soon… Wouldn’t it be good to think of ways to please His Majesty in advance?”

Ilarid retracted all the thoughts that had just passed through her mind.

And corrected herself again. Rather than finding strength in love, it would be much faster to find a beating heart among corpses.

Did the Imperial Consort normally mention consummation to the Empress first? With no maids around, it was excessive meddling spoken without reserve.

The corners of Ilarid’s eyebrows trembled slightly. Though claimed to be pure concern, it was closer to thickly painted malice. Such deception could be quite painful when struck by it.

Perhaps noticing the subtle change in the Empress, Selina added another comment as if to show off.

“His Majesty was visibly worried last time, so I spoke out of an old woman’s concern. I hope I didn’t offend you?”

It was quite a cute trap. If Ilarid got angry or grabbed Selina’s hair here, she would become a very narrow-minded person. At least, she had no intention of dancing to Selina’s three-inch tongue.

“Thank you. For the Imperial Consort to even worry. Thanks to you, there should be good news this time.”

If you endure well once, there’s always a next time. Hiding daggers for the future was something very familiar to her.

Selina was not at all satisfied with Ilarid’s lukewarm reaction. At least by now, her face should have changed color. But the Empress before her was like a marble statue, without a single scratch.

“Imperial Consort. I have one thing to ask of you.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Do not give your heart too much to His Majesty.”

A life where love becomes everything crumbles more easily than one might think. Just because the heart is invisible doesn’t mean it’s eternally unchanging. Even trust between people can collapse in an instant.

Hearing Ilarid’s words, Selina put down the shears in her basket and lightly covered her mouth with her hand. Was it her imagination, or did the corners of Selina’s lips turn up slightly?

“Oh my, Your Majesty. Could it be… you’re jealous?”

A coy shadow fell beneath Selina’s eyelashes. As expected, it was needless worry. Ilarid let out an empty laugh.

“Jealousy. I wish I had even that emotion left.”

Ilarid reached for a fully bloomed rose. The thorns on the vine scratched her tender skin, leaving red marks.

The shears in her hand cut the rose stem without hesitation. The snipping sound was chillingly cold.

If only human hearts could be cut away like this. Then she would immediately hand the shears to Cledius and shout.

To cut away those maddened emotions right now. No, could they be cut? Could that even be called emotion?

Ilarid turned the fully bloomed rose this way and that, then placed it in Selina’s basket. The vivid scent of roses swirled around the two of them.

“Unfortunately, hearts are not eternal. They can be cut away in an instant, so be careful.”

At the end of the brief greeting, only the pungent smell of cut rose stems remained. Selina, left standing alone in the middle of the garden, bit her lip and muttered.

“How unpleasant.”

Ilarid was exactly like the noble lady from the capital that Selina had admired in the past. Not just her beautiful appearance, but what made her exterior shine even more was her elegance and dignity.

Those were two things Selina could never obtain no matter how hard she tried. Her innate aura made Ilarid appear even more mysterious.

Why does inadequacy always follow envy? Selina tried to shake off the inferiority complex clutching at her skirts. She knew well enough that unnecessary inferiority breeds jealousy, and that makes people ugly.

But in the end, what consumed her was a shabby, stretched-out envy. If you can’t catch up no matter how hard you try, then you’ll tear the other person down even if you have to bite and cling on. That was the first lesson Selina learned in the social circles of the capital.

Ilarid’s basket wasn’t as full as expected. She hadn’t had the leisure to pick flowers while thinking of someone, and her energy seemed to have drained while conversing with Selina.

Pulling someone out of love’s shadow into the sunlight wasn’t as simple as expected. She wanted to suggest a way for Selina to escape Cledius’s grasp, but Selina was rejecting it on her own.

She was a little envious. Does having the emotion of love give you the recklessness to burn everything? Enough to willingly give everything for the one you love?

But Cledius wasn’t even worth that much. Ilarid shook her head and hurried her steps towards the Empress’s Palace.

**

Cledius returned to the Imperial Palace. But nowhere was there any sign of Lebel or the mercenary company.

Could their contract have ended with Rosen being the last? Faced with this unexpected situation, Ilarid barely managed to calm her rapidly beating heart. The mercenary company not coming to the palace might be because they headed straight to their original base.

The war with Rosen hadn’t lasted as long as expected. And it was different from Cledius’s usual style of seeking perfect subjugation by turning occupied territories into wastelands. Had there been a change of heart?

But there were other priorities now. Dressed in black mourning clothes, Ilarid headed to the hospital where the bodies of the fallen were laid. She also had to console their families.

One side of the palace was noisy. It seemed Selina and Cledius had met each other. Ilarid’s head started to ache at the sound of Selina calling out to Cledius and wailing with joy.

“Your Majesty, I’m so, so happy that you’re safe…”

“Yes… It’s been a while since I held you.”

Cledius murmured quietly while embracing the crying Selina. He looked towards where Ilarid was standing. Selina, with her face buried in his chest as she sobbed, didn’t seem to notice where his gaze was directed.