However, as soon as she saw Guesta’s complexion, Latil regretted asking the question. Guesta looked as if he could be blown away by the wind at any moment and be found in the neighboring country.

“It’s not that I doubted you.”

Latil quickly added, laughing as if it was nothing.

“It’s strange. It’s a strange question, but I thought you might have something to say to me about this.”

Latil casually leaned back on the sofa and looked at the back of Guesta’s head. She waited for him to turn his head and look at her with round eyes, and tell her anything about this matter.

A plausible excuse. An explanation to defend himself. Things like that.

“……”

But Guesta just stared back at Latil. With a sad expression.

But what Latil wanted was not an expression, but an exact explanation.

Thinking that he might be scared and acting like that, Latil kept a wide smile on her face.

But Guesta still didn’t say anything. He just looked down and tightly clenched his own hand.

“If you stay silent like that, the rumor seems to be true.”

Even when Latil made a bonechilling joke, it was the same.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

Even when Guesta remained silent, Latil eventually muttered, “Alright.” and got up. She still didn’t think that Guesta was a spy or that he sold her out to his mother.

But just by keeping his mouth shut like that, she remembered the rumors people were whispering and felt uncomfortable.

“I have other things to do, so I’ll come back later.”

Unable to be angry with Guesta, Latil ended up going out into the hallway like that.

When the emperor left, Tri approached Guesta and asked him tearfully.

“You should have told the truth, Sir! You were the first to realize the impostor, and the Duke of Atraxi ordered you to get along with the impostor!”

“He wouldn’t believe me.”

“Even if he didn’t believe you, you should have said it! Are you going to be wronged like this?”

Even as Tri’s heart pounded, Guesta just smiled sadly.

“It’s okay. He’ll know everything later.”

And the more he gets angry now, the more sorry he will feel. Guesta kept the rest of his thoughts to himself.

He was not the type to blabber about the secret things he was doing.

So until Latil stepped on the trap of regret that he had set, even if he felt wronged, stifled, and angry, he planned to just stay like this. That’s why he held back a lot even though he had a lot to say.

But Tri, who didn’t know this, was just frustrated with this situation.

“Aren’t you angry, Sir?”

“I’m more… upset that His Majesty forgot my promise.”

“!”

At Guesta’s weak mumbling, Tri finally stopped pounding. This was something he had forgotten too.

Tri remembered the birthday promise that Guesta had made with Latil. The promise to go out and play together. The promise that could not be kept because the emperor was mistaken for an impostor and left the palace.

Tree stuttered, speaking aimlessly to soothe Guesta who seemed dispirited.

“At the time of your birthday, you were in too critical a condition. Besides, right now, dealing with the aftermath of the deeds committed by Prince Leanne and the retired Empress, and handling the black magician related issues as well…”

“That so?”

But seeing Guesta’s expression not lighten, Tree directed a forced smile toward Latil, refraining from any more protests.

“Of course! Overcoming the crisis of being driven out unfairly, it’s only natural to have temporarily forgotten about other matters. You’ll be remembered and taken care of once it comes to mind, my Lord.”

It’s just a baseless rumor that’s going around, people are talking nonsense, it’s just idle gossip, couldn’t you just dismiss it as such? Why can’t you do that? Is it that hard to say?

Returning to the room, Latil wasn’t in the best of moods either. She was suspicious whether Guesta actually preferred the fake more.

‘What if Guesta prefers Mother’s character? What should I do?’

Latil furrowed her brows. Should she send Guesta to Mother?

But that would be too… strange.

‘That sounds very odd.’

Latil sat at her desk, pressing down hard on her temples. Seeing Guesta had made her feel even more choked up. At times like this, she needed to jest with Sonnaught. But Sonnaught still hadn’t returned.

If he had heard that Latil had regained power, he should be back quickly.

‘Nothing bad could’ve happened, right?’

Feeling anxious, Latil bit her lip, clearing one side of her desk of paperwork and laying her arm on the empty space.

Sonnaught was strong, but she was worried because his enemies weren’t just Leanne. Moreover, Leanne’s other enemies were terrifying monsters.

Could Sonnaught really overwhelm them with his might?

Among the knights here, Sonnaught was exceptionally strong, but when Leanne brought many knights and outnumbered him, he was eventually driven out. What if the monsters attacked in numbers?

‘Terrible.’

And that wasn’t all.

Latil remembered the sight of noble zombies, created by Prince Heum, entering the banquet hall with axes in hand. What if such an event happened here?

Tlala may not be as aggressive in his attacks as Heum, but there was also a chance that Heum might join hands with Tlala and send zombies here.

No, even without Heum’s involvement, Tlala himself had said he would save his mother. Whether he had said it in a dream or not, she wasn’t sure.

Anyway, if Tlala unleashed zombies to save the harem…

‘Ah! That’s right!’

At that moment. Sonnaught, with his heart pierced, was sinking into the swamp.