But as the imperial physician, now sitting, cautiously started to speak while bringing his hand close to Ranamun’s face, it was unlike his usual blunt manner of speaking. Ranamun responded calmly to the hesitance.

“You’ve helped me twice, you may ask as many questions as you like.”

“Do you love Her Majesty, Lord Ranamun?”

However, the personal question that the imperial physician asked was more personal than Ranamun had anticipated. When Ranamun halfopened his previously closed eyes, he could see that the physician’s face was slightly more flushed than usual.

“What do you mean?”

“I was just curious.”

“Ask a different question.”

“So, you do not love Her?”

“A different question.”

“You said I could ask as many as I wanted…”

Although the imperial physician mumbled in a drained voice, Ranamun remained silent. Eventually, after the physician had completed the treatment and lowered his hand, he changed his question.

“I’m not really sure whether or not I love Her Majesty. I have never loved someone special.”

“The imperial physician?”

“I’ve been told to love everyone from when I was young. However, when I see Her Majesty, I feel somewhat different.”

When Carldon brought him a hand mirror, Ranamun took it and examined his own face while asking,

“How is it different?”

“When I am by Her Majesty’s side, I just feel happy. I want to spend more time with Her, share more with Her, even want to kiss Her. I’m curious about what Her Majesty usually does, and I think it would be nice if she smiled because of me…”

Having confirmed that his skin had returned to normal, Ranamun handed the hand mirror back to Carldon and looked at the imperial physician.

The imperial physician, a large figure, was fiddling with his toes as if he had said something extremely embarrassing.

“I’m not sure if I am intensely in love with Her Majesty. But these feelings seem to be somewhat close to love.”

“…”

“Could this possibly be the beginning of love?”

The imperial physician looked at Ranamun with shining eyes. He looked ready to believe anything Ranamun said.

Carldon, who had been covering his mouth with the hand mirror, rolled his eyes and alternated between looking at Ranamun and the imperial physician.

However, the words that came out of Ranamun’s mouth were simple and cold.

“Such pure feelings are not love.”

“Not love? But I’ve never felt this way about anyone else.”

“Perhaps it’s the beginning of curiosity.”

“Curiosity?”

As the imperial physician walked out with a ‘is that so?’ look on his face, Carldon, who had been watching the situation by his side, mumbled with a somewhat pained face.

“It seemed to me that the imperial physician is romantically attracted to Her Majesty. Was it okay to bluntly tell him it’s not love?”

The imperial physician was an ally and also an imperial physician, but above all, he was someone who had helped Ranamun twice. So, he felt a slight prick of guilt for lying to him.

However, Ranamun answered as cold as ice, without batting an eye.

“I like the imperial physician, but I have no intention of sharing Her Majesty’s affection.”

Carldon looked at Ranamun with his mouth wide open at the cold reply. He remembered that when the imperial physician asked Ranamun ‘Do you love Her Majesty,’ Ranamun didn’t answer.

Even so, Cardoon just nodded and agreed with Ranamun’s contradicting parts, saying ‘Yes, yes’ because he was always ready to call beans red beans whenever Ranamun said so.

Even though he managed his expressions quite well, Ranamun noticed Cardoon’s mood and added coldly.

“This has nothing to do with whether I love His Majesty or not.”

“Yes. Of course. Of course.”

“……”

“Ah, but My Lord, another ‘that letter’ has arrived.”

“Again?”

“Yes.”

“Discard it.”

Ranamun, who spoke firmly, got up from the bed and went to the dressing table, confirmed her clean skin once again in the large mirror, opened the drawer, and took out a handful of the largest and most dazzling jewels.

“And pack these well, and have the different sizes newly crafted to suit the chancellor, and send them as gifts.”

“Yes, I, but, My Lord, that letter.”

“I told you to discard it.”

“The contents have changed a little. The Lord will soon wake up and there is not much time… If you start training quickly, you can deal with the Lord, it was written like that.”

As Ranamun looked at him and frowned, Cardoon trailed off, noticing her mood.

“I, no, because these days, really, there are things like food zombies appearing. It’s also a little uncomfortable……”

That night. After receiving the report that the chancellor had treated Ranamun, Latil also instructed to send a separate gift to the chancellor and went to the bathroom.

Adjusting the reservoir to have cold water come out from the shower, she stood underneath it and felt a chilling sensation from the tip of her head to the tip of her toes.

Latil closed her eyes and took the cold water with her whole body, grateful for the excellent water facilities of the Tarium Empire. How did they live when they had to scoop and use water one by one in the old days?

But just as she was about to finish washing her face and turn off the shower faucet.

“!”

Surprised, Latil, who had opened her eyes, looked at the mirror attached inside the shower booth.

‘A hallucination……?’

Latil looked at the blurred mirror due to the moisture, then reached out and stroked the mirror. As the cloudy energy of the mirror disappeared and the part where Latil’s hand touched changed clear, the face of Latil with a hardened expression appeared in it.

As Latil frowned and went out of the shower booth, the waiting maids quickly brought a large bath towel, covered Latil’s body, and wiped off the moisture.

With her arms spread out, Latil stood thinking about the strange woman she had seen in the mirror earlier.

In the meantime, the maids helped Latil to put on her fluffy pajamas, and Latil moved her hands here and there familiarly to thread her sleeves and adjust the shoulder line so that the clothes fell comfortably on her body.

But it was just when she had put on her pajamas and came out. A strong smell of blood flowed into her nose.

Standing still in front of the bathroom, Latil stared at the door, then walked slowly and went out to the reception room.

“Your Majesty, do you need anything?”

As soon as Latil came out, the maids, who were playing chess and chatting, quickly got up and asked.

Latil looked at the few remaining pieces on the chessboard and asked.

“Did anyone get hurt? I smell blood.”

“Blood?”

The maids looked at each other with puzzled faces. It was a face that didn’t know at all.

“No.”

“Why is that? Where is the smell of blood coming from?”

“Where does it come from?”

As Latil watched the maids sniffing around the room, she asked the maids who had helped her bathe.

“Don’t you smell blood?”