“The one who splashed water and left…!”

Guesta’s servant tried to get up, his eyes tearful as if he was unjustly accused, but Sonnaught, who had been standing behind Latil, quickly stepped forward and held a sword to his throat, forcing him to lie back down.

Seeing this, Guesta let out a sigh and answered obediently.

“I will let it pass, Your Majesty.”

Klein gritted his teeth, but also conceded.

“I understand.”

But both of their expressions were not good. It was clear that they would clash again later. Latil shook her head dismissively and left them behind to go outside.

Did he have the same thought? As she walked out of the harem, Sonnaught asked her anxiously.

“Those two. It seems like they will keep fighting. Will that be okay?”

“Ah, well. It’s okay.”

“If you’re worried, I can assign a knight to each of them, Mr. Klein and Mr. Guesta. They will be your eyes.”

“That’s a good idea. But really, it’s okay.”

Sonnaught looked at Latil with a puzzled gaze. It was a look of confusion as to why she kept saying it was okay, despite having a way to keep peace.

‘It’s a headache, but there’s no need for peace.’

Their quarrels might be a headache for a few days, but once order is established among the consorts, isn’t it time for Latil to be grilled by the nobles about choosing a national letter?

Latil answered truthfully only to herself, maintaining a grim expression on the outside.

After returning straight to the main palace, Latil, who had not followed her to the harem while dealing with the assassin case, asked the head of her servants.

“Duke Sable. The criminal who confessed to be the assassin of the emperor, has he escaped safely?”

“Yes. He’s completely escaped from the prison and is on the run.”

“Seeing him run away as soon as the way was cleared, he didn’t get caught because he wanted to commit suicide. It wasn’t a real confession after all.”

“Ah! So that’s why you told me to release him?”

“That’s one reason. And there are others. Where is he now?”

“He’s not very fast, so he hasn’t gone far.”

“I see. Follow him closely, and when he is about to leave the capital, catch him again. No matter what time it is, tell me when he is put back in prison.”

As Latil gave her instructions and lifted the heavy edge of her cloak, the head of her servants looked at her admiringly and complimented her.

“Your Majesty, the previous emperor once said something about you. It seems to be true.”

“My father? About me? What did he say?”

“He said that the princess would not hesitate to use any means to get what she wants.”

“……Is that a compliment?”

“He said it with pride, so I guess it’s a compliment.”

But why didn’t it sound like a compliment? As Latil furrowed her brows with a grunt, Sonnaught let out a soft laugh at her side.

Suddenly, Latil sensed a very pleasant scent. She didn’t know what kind of perfume it was, but it was a very nice scent. It was soft yet sweet, and sweet yet seductive.

Latil slowly inhaled the fragrance.

‘It’s nice. The name of the perfume… I’m curious.’

As she was thinking that she wanted to smell it anytime, a cold hand brushed past her ear. It was ticklish and made her goosebumps rise, so Latil chuckled and twisted her body.

‘Which consort is it?’

Then Latil realized. She had gone to bed alone today. In her own bedroom. There was no one to do such a thing.

“!”

As soon as she came to a conclusion, Latil opened her eyes wide, got up, and drew the sword next to her.

‘Nothing?’

But there was no one in the room. Just in case, Latil looked at the window. It was open. But she was the one who had opened the window.

Latil walked to the window and looked down. Below was far away. The window was designed in such a way that no one could possibly enter through it.

Latil raised her hand and brushed her ear.

‘Then what was that? A dream?’

The touch that had brushed her ear was still vivid in her memory. Could that be a dream? As she pondered with confusion and went back to bed, she still felt strange.

Eventually, Latil, who had risen from her bed again, slowly approached the door with her sword in hand and opened it. The maids, who were waiting outside the door, jumped in surprise and let out a small shriek.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

“Your Majesty, your sword…!”

“Should we call the guards?”

One of the maids approached and asked.

“Your Majesty, is there something you are looking for?”

Latil, who quickly scanned the area outside her bedroom, lowered the tip of her sword slightly after confirming that there was no one else besides the maids and the guards.

“Did anyone enter?”

Confused by her question, the maid responded.

“Uh? Yes, it was just us.”

“…I see.”

Latil turned around with an uncomfortable feeling. Was it really just a dream?

Then, someone knocked on the parlor door. When Latil signaled that it was okay to open it, one of the maids quickly did so.

“Your Majesty.”

The one who knocked was the chief servant.

“We’ve recaptured the assassin and put him back in the prison.”