Rafine knew how the world viewed her.

An unwise woman, an uneducated woman, a tactless woman, a fake Windsor who didn’t even try to be perceptive, a sister who couldn’t even reach the tip of Yuriscien’s toe…

But contrary to public opinion, Rafine was not that stupid. She might be foolish, but she was not naive.

And although she was tactless, it was not as if she lacked survival instincts. Paradoxically, the lower one’s intelligence, the more unique their survival methods are. It was all about finding that one solid lifeline.

‘How can Mom love someone other than me?’

For Rafine, that person was Kendalry.

“I wish you could join us for dinner today, Kendalry.”

“I’m glad for the invitation, but I still have research to do…”

“Do you prefer your research over me? Is research your priority over me? I want to appreciate your efforts.”

“Then… I’ll gladly attend.”

Gretta awkwardly held Kendalry’s hand that was lightly touching the table. Kendalry’s body visibly tensed, but soon relaxed with a gentle smile, meeting eyes with Gretta.

Seeing Kendalry look so comfortable as if he’d known Gretta for a very long time, Rafine was inwardly horrified.

‘How can Mom like someone else… and that too a woman?’

Mom is Mom.

In Rafine’s opinion, Mom should love her the most, and should be interested in men.

‘Even if Empress Dowager is the savior of her life, her lifelong benefactor!’

To Rafine, the relationship between Kendalry and Gretta seemed highly inappropriate. It was even more so due to Rafine’s perspective, who had not fully realized how diverse kinds of love can be, and how unclear human feelings are.

[Mom respects and admires Empress Dowager.]

Kendalry had once told Rafine this while sitting her down. It was love, but not the ordinary love Rafine knew, perhaps closer to friendship if one had to categorize.

[But the Empress Dowager isn’t like that, is she? Would the Empress Dowager consider it a romantic relationship with Mom?] [Good heavens! Rafine, what a bizarre idea! Absolutely not. Empress Dowager would think the same as your mom.]

Kendalry said so with certainty. But Rafine did not take Kendalry’s word at face value.

‘But who in the world, a woman nonetheless, feels happy about another woman’s words?’

Being praised, being happy about spending time together, being happy even just by eye contact… She attributed all these to romantic feelings.

She had never been acknowledged by anyone other than Kendalry, never been praised, never gained unconditional trust; it was a very human-like thought.

Or perhaps, it was a thought deeply rooted in someone who had no friends or was an enemy of women.

“I must go!”

Eventually, Rafine couldn’t stay any longer at that place. My mom’s love life. Especially a same-sex love. She absolutely couldn’t bear it sober.

“I’ll leave first!”

Rafine bowed slightly to Gretta and said. It showed not a trace of manners, but because it wasn’t entirely without courtesy, Gretta didn’t point it out.

“Rafine, Rafine!”

When Rafine ran out without listening to Gretta’s reply, Kendalry called after her with a strained face.

“It’s okay, Kendalry. Sit back down. Speaking of which, you must also be frustrated being in the palace all the time…”

As she rushed out, Rafine could vaguely hear Gretta’s voice enticing Kendalry, and it waned. Rafine knew what expression Kendalry was making without even having to look.

‘Ah, I hate it!’

Rafine walked aimlessly into the courtyard without looking back. Her head was still spinning. It was a bit creepy.

‘Mom is weird. She seems like she’s under that woman’s spell!’
Standing in front of Greta, Lapine seemed even more foolish than usual, an unsettling sight to behold. The sensation was stranger than when Kendali abruptly announced her marriage to Eugen, who was significantly better.

‘Handsome, wealthy, looking younger than Mom, and male.’

As Kendali ticked off these qualities on her fingers, an image of Eugen—somehow empty and hollow—flashed in her mind. Despite his affectionate demeanor when embracing her in public, something about it felt insincere.

Lapine was no fool; she knew this was part of some scheme of Kendali’s.

[We have no choice if we want to live happily.] [I understand. And it doesn’t bother me, as long as we’re together!]

Lapine couldn’t breathe without Kendali, not even for a second beyond her shadow. It was a bit stifling, but on the flip side, it meant Lapine was always safe within that shadow.

Lapine, obedient to her instincts, never even considered stepping out of that shadow. However, that shadow was fading because of the empress.

‘Mom can’t be annoyed with me.’

Lapine had known only Kendali since she was very young. Losing Kendali would severely diminish her chances of survival, like a housecat suddenly abandoned in the wild.

‘I have to make Mom normal. What should I do about the empress?’

Kendali’s research was unknown to her, but if the empress was fully supportive, it must be significant. Probably… for harmful purposes. Hence, Kendali didn’t confide in Lapine.

‘Can I use that to my advantage?’

Though Lapine had neither magical abilities nor mana, she might develop into an exceptional mage like her mother.

‘Huh? Could I live without Mom?’

No, impossible. How could she live without Kendali? It was wiser to quietly continue her current lifestyle.

With these thoughts, Lapine wandered aimlessly, a quiet shadow trailing behind her, unseen even under the bright afternoon sun.

At the same moment, Kendali let out a soft sigh.

The reason was the thought of Lapine, who had rushed away.

‘Did I read some weird fantasy novel with the empress…?’

Kendali mentally rolled her eyes.

She knew that Lapine had not a single true friend, apart from one created by appending ‘Windsor’ to Lapine’s name.

‘But I never dreamed her sociability would hit rock bottom.’

As a mother with such a daughter, Kendali had much to ponder.

“Hey, Kendali.”

Lost in thought, Kendali was called by Greta in a somewhat stern voice.

“Ah, I apologize, Your Highness. Lapine is just so poorly behaved…”

Embarrassed, Kendali trailed off.

“It’s alright. She’s just a child.”

“She’s not that young, and recently she’s been having delusions… Oh, never mind.”

Kendali accidentally revealed her true feelings. Not wanting to worry Greta unnecessarily, she hastily closed her mouth, but it was too late.

“Delusions, you say?”

Greta gently coaxed her, suggesting she wanted to share the burden, to help.

Eventually, Kendali exhaled softly and opened up.

“Blasphemously… she thought that Your Highness and I were… romantically involved.”

Kendali let out a laugh at this absurd story.

“It seems my loyalty to Your Highness has somehow appeared odd in her eyes. I’m ashamed of my poor parenting, but Lapine doesn’t have a single important friend.”

Feeling embarrassed by the story, Kendali quickly tried to change the subject. Regardless of being in front of her benefactor, exposing her child’s shortcomings was uncomfortable. But the reply she received was different.
“I understand Laphine’s story. Because you and I are both women.”

“……Yes?”

“The point is, why would you, a woman, help me, another woman, for no reason?”

“Ah, it’s not without reason. Her Highness the Empress has taught me magic. That alone obliges me to be utterly loyal to Her Highness.”

Greta’s face clouded over, as if she had never considered such a thing.

“So… just for that reason?”

“Yes? ‘Just’? She’s the benefactor who saved me from death twice, how could that be ‘no reason’?”

Kendall’s confused face turned cold in an instant. She then roughly pulled away her hand that was still grasped by Greta.

Laphine’s worries were true. If not Kendall, then certainly for Greta. Caught off guard, Kendall felt nauseous. But there was no time to soothe her confused feelings.

Leaning deeply into her chair, Greta spoke with an icily cold voice.

“Ah… you’re useless if you make things confusing, Kendall.”

Her voice was so frightening that it darkened the room.