Ilarid was all black.

A deep darkness that seemed to reject even a single ray of light. If not for her eyes and tied-up hair, one might believe she had emerged from the darkness itself.

Though she usually favored dark colors, black suited her particularly well. A mysterious light containing all the colors of the world flowed down Ilarid’s body.

Judging by her mourning attire, she was likely on her way to comfort the families of the fallen. She quietly bowed her head and greeted Cledius.

That was all. A cold face devoid of tears or joy could be sensed beyond the dense black veil. Ilarid immediately turned her head and moved away from his sight.

The black figure slowly receded. Even exchanging a few words had become a great luxury now. And even that conversation wasn’t proper.

He had hoped she would look back, just once. He didn’t mind even if it was a painful gaze directed at a pathetic human. If even conversation was a luxury, surely this much of a wish would be allowed, he thought, but it was merely Cledius’s desire.

He stroked Selina’s hair while gazing at Ilarid. What if the one in his arms was the Empress?

It had been quite a while since he had held her hair between his fingertips. Even the faint memory of Ilarid’s scent had faded. What kind of scent was it? Was it close to the moist freshness of walking through a garden of wildflowers after rain?

But the scent he tried hard to recall quickly disappeared, replaced by the perfume Selina had put on.

Back when he was still the Crown Prince, there were times when he would take Ilarid’s hand first. Her startled flinch was quite adorable.

‘How was it when I embraced her?’

Was she slightly smaller than Selina whom he was holding now? He always regretted not being able to see her face when she fit snugly in his arms.

Perhaps that’s why the frequency of embracing Ilarid decreased.

Cledius wanted to face every moment of Ilarid. The subtle changes in her lips and eyes. The trembling of her eyebrows. He wanted to see every detail of her fair, delicate cheeks flushing red and then returning to normal.

Perhaps he could love every emotion Ilarid created.

Bright joy would be ideal, but even anger and hatred filled with pain would do. He wanted to devour every expression blooming on her clear face and possess it forever.

Cledius never allowed others to be close to his partner. He simply pulled them towards himself as if it were the natural order of things. He didn’t care about injuries or breaking that occurred in the process of grabbing.

So he needed power to keep his beloved Empress by his side. Even if it meant involving Ilarid’s family in tragedy.

As the Melpiram grew, the shadow cast over Cledius gradually widened.

They were close to being outcasts in aristocratic society.

The only family that could influence all of Astrid. They were oddballs who argued that the power held by royalty and nobility should be shared with commoners.

Especially notable was the activity of the Melpiram Countess, known by the name “Keira Rowen Melpiram”.

After gaining access to the assembly on her husband the Melpiram Count’s recommendation, Keira’s actions accelerated.

‘Please allow commoners access to the assembly as well. They too should be able to voice their opinions!’

The people were stirred, and everyone focused on the Melpiram family’s opinions. Their views began to grow, gaining the strength of ordinary citizens. Eventually, although a minority, commoner representative members were able to enter the assembly.

And there was the problematic figure known as “Limless Rowen Melpiram”.

Due to rumors of treating everyone equally regardless of status, even those volunteering to be soldiers for the Melpiram Count’s household were increasing. From Cledius’s perspective, it was certainly not a good trend.

At this time, movement was detected of the underground republican faction trying to draw in Limless. Cledius did not miss this moment, and timely raised his hand to frame him as a traitor.

The Melpiram disappeared completely. “Ilarid Rowen Melpiram” had long since become “Ilarid K. de Astrid”. At last, the original power came fully into Cledius’s hands.

Someday, he would subdue even the factions calling for the Empress’s deposition. If he could sew their mouths shut as well, it would finally be perfect.

‘Mine alone. My one and only Empress.’

But Ilarid never once looked back towards Cledius. A woman who always slipped through his grasp. A strong person who never meekly bowed her head.

As the person he could not possess by any means moved away, a groan he couldn’t quite suppress escaped his lips.

Cledius tightened his arms around Selina to contain his overflowing desire. Selina let out a shallow scream at the constricting pressure.

“Ouch, Your Majesty! What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… It’s nothing. We’re going to the Empress’s Palace. We must relieve the pent-up longing.”

“Did you miss me that much?”

“…Of course.”

The abominable lie flowed out smoothly. Even if they went to the Empress’s Palace, there was no way the desire piled up at the base of his sternum would be relieved.

The only one who could stir Cledius’s heart was Ilarid alone.

**

In the moving carriage, Ilarid leaned her head against the wall and endured the oncoming fatigue.

The mental toll was great, having to empathize and share the sorrow of many people. It would be a big mistake to think that the magnitude of grief was small just because the number of fallen was few.

The procession of carriages was modest. The protocol was minimized since it was a journey for mourning, and they chose inconspicuous carriages. People didn’t pay much attention to the passing carriages.

As she endured the jolting of the bumpy carriage, a familiar person caught Ilarid’s eye. She stood up instinctively out of gladness.

“Your Majesty the Empress, it’s dangerous.”

Lynette, sitting across from her, grabbed Ilarid’s arm. At the same time, she turned her head towards where Ilarid was looking.

But as if they had already hidden themselves, only a vague crowd was visible at the end of Ilarid’s gaze.

“Did I see wrong…?”

Ilarid murmured quietly to herself. The continuing uneasy feeling was unavoidable.

She had been too complacent. Why hadn’t she anticipated that the contract renewal would fall through? Perhaps the mercenary group had offended Cledius’s mood.

Judging by his attitude towards Selina, Lebel was certainly not the type to meekly bow his head and grovel.

How could the soft overcome the strong? To break someone like Cledius, one had to confront him with steel.

The carriage had entered the inner palace grounds. Ilarid, checking outside the window, ordered weakly.

“Tell them to stop the carriage. I want to walk a little.”

Lynette tapped the carriage ceiling a few times, and soon the jolting movement stopped.

Opening the door and stepping outside, the vast view of the palace unfolded. A place that looked grand and splendid at first glance. But to Ilarid, it was no different from a prison.

She slowly walked on. The world seen through the veil draped in front appeared fragmented like a mosaic. It was stifling, but she didn’t particularly want to remove it from her face.

She always had to be mindful of her faint, ever-changing expressions. It felt like she could relax her face only at times like this.

Before she knew it, Ilarid had moved away from the Empress’s Palace and was heading towards the back of the imperial palace. She just walked aimlessly. There was no destination, and she didn’t think to stop. She just wanted to relieve the stifling feeling that was welling up, even if only a little.

There are several so-called “back doors” in the imperial palace.

The back doors were mainly used by “lowly people” like menial workers. It was an implicit order to enter through inconspicuous places since it would be quite uncomfortable for the higher-ups to see them.

Lebel silently headed for the back door. Fatigue was weighing heavily on his body, screaming for attention.

It may have been an easily concluded battle from the empire’s perspective, but not for the mercenary group. They had infiltrated even before the imperial army and had been on edge trying to minimize casualties.

He intended to encourage the members to rest and relax, at least for today. He planned to step aside and let them have a rowdy time for once. Of course, Lailo and the other members wouldn’t leave Lebel alone.

“Lebel?”

A warm voice caressed his ankles. The voice he had always longed for. Just hearing it made taking a breath feel arduous.

Lebel slowly turned his head towards the direction of the voice.

There stood a woman draped in black clothes, black shadows, and black sorrow.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

The moment they confirmed each other’s safety, sighs of relief burst out simultaneously.

Ilarid barely managed to put strength into her legs that were about to collapse. More than any other fact, she was overwhelmed that Lebel had returned safely.

“I’m glad. You’re safe.”

Was he uninjured? What was the reason not a single word was printed in the newspapers? What achievements had he brought back?

She had countless questions, but the sentence that came out of Ilarid’s mouth was concern for him.

Ilarid approached him first with quick steps. Lebel glanced at Lynette standing behind, then bowed deeply before the approaching Empress.

“I have successfully completed the mission Your Majesty the Empress entrusted to me.”

“I don’t recall giving any mission…”

“You ordered me to be victorious without fail.”

And an achievement worthy of that was needed too. Seeing the cool smile on Lebel’s face, Ilarid felt more worry than relief.

“There was nothing for Your Majesty the Empress to be concerned about.”

“What happened…?”

“I merely carried out the given mission to the letter.”

He had captured Grand Duke Le Rosen and seated him at the negotiation table. Perhaps it was the method the Emperor wanted most. Whether he liked it or not, Cledius didn’t add any comments after seeing Lebel’s way of carrying out orders.

The negotiation, which was more like a threat in front of the captured Grand Duke, proceeded smoothly.

Additional troops would be stationed in Rosen, and taxes would be doubled for two years. Most of the clauses were fatal blows to Rosen, and Cledius took the ordinary people of Rosen as hostages.

‘The surrounding area is all surrounded by imperial troops. The moment the order is given, all living people in Rosen, including you, will be slaughtered. Grand Duke, I think you won’t make such a foolish judgment as last time.’

As he left, Cledius firmly gripped Lebel’s shoulder.

‘Not bad.’

He exuded leisure like a predator satisfied after a meal. As if he had laid out all possible scenarios and was looking down to see which way Lebel would move.

Ilarid quietly listened to Lebel’s continuing story.

“May I know what kind of order His Majesty gave, by any chance?”

“He ordered the neutralization of the leadership.”

“So you didn’t behead them right there.”

“Neutralization means taking away power. Removing the weapons they can resist with is enough.”

If Lebel had immediately cut off the Grand Duke’s head, it would have briefly boosted the morale of the imperial army. With Rosen’s leader gone, the imperial troops would have plundered the city at will.

‘And all attention would be focused on the mercenary group.’

Absolutely not what Cledius wanted. Thanks to the mercenary group operating quietly in the background, all of the empire’s attention naturally focused on the Emperor. If the situation had been reversed, they would not have been able to return to the palace and would have had their contract terminated.

‘To the letter… He wants someone who listens well.’

It was Cledius’s belief that one proper loyal dog was better than a hundred soldiers.

“You’ve had a hard time in many ways.”

A life of constantly being tested by the Emperor, not just the Empress. Ilarid lifted the black veil draped in front.

At least for this moment, she wanted to face Lebel directly.

“Welcome back, Lebel.”

Like someone who had returned to where they belonged. She didn’t notice, but a natural smile hung on her lips.

Ilarid’s bare face shimmered amidst the pale sunlight. A clear, pure light. A gentleness that seemed it would feel warm if touched. Lebel’s eyes, gazing at her, also began to shine at some point.

“…I have returned, Your Majesty the Empress.”

His slate-gray eyes, which had seemed only dark, looked exceptionally clear. It was a gaze as if longing for something.

‘Does he want to be praised for doing well…?’

While Ilarid was hesitating on what to do, Lynette, who had been watching the two from behind, stepped forward.

As she observed, it seemed this mercenary fellow was about to pull some strange move. No matter how friendly an attitude he showed towards the Empress, an inexplicable fierceness hidden within his affection could be felt.

Just as she was about to add a word, the back door area became noisy again.