Sahir Empress’s expression noticeably changed. Her ashen face, as if the darkness of the night sky had descended, lifted to meet her counterpart.

“…So, do you wish to claim that I am the Duke’s mother-in-law?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, the great Empress.”

“Your brilliant mind, Emperor Friedrich’s, is always worthy of admiration, but perhaps not at this moment. You precisely stumbled on the nonsense.”

“Is that so?”

With a subtle lift of his eyes, he responded and put his hands in his jacket. Pulling out an item, he approached the Empress and whispered.

“Well, my father seems to have left a false testament for his son.”

“…!”

The Empress’s gaze dropped.

Emperor’s seal from the late Emperor was imprinted on the ribbon surrounding the paper Kun had taken out.

“This is…”

“A final letter left by the late Empress to his son. There are words about my only brother, Cedric Friedrich.”

“…”

“If you are curious about the content, feel free to open it.”

The long, slender hand hovered in the air, struggling to grasp anything. After gathering her composure, she opened the letter much later.

As the neatly tied knot loosened, the folded paper revealed itself. The Empress’s gaze moved gradually from left to right, from top to bottom.

When her eyes finally reached the edge of the paper, she put it down with a helpless expression.

“Has the story been told, dear Empress?”
In response to Kun’s question, the Empress bit her lower lip tightly. She, who had maintained silence as if submerged in deep water, finally spoke. A pure voice resonated through her red lips.

“…My answer remains the same.”

Just as Kun expected, the response.

“Alright. Since the Empress states it so definitively, I have nothing more to say.”

“Although it may be impertinent, if you intend to threaten me with this letter…”

“No, it’s still a negotiation.”

Cutting off the hesitant Empress, he spoke sharply.

“Three days.”

Gradually, he folded three fingers.

“The time I will stay in the palace. You just need to let me know your decision within three days.”

“Thank you for your consideration, but my decision will not change.”

The opponent, feigning a gentle voice as if caring for her, was so repulsive that the Empress spoke abruptly.

Ignoring the opponent’s attitude full of guardedness, Kun responded with a confident smile.

“We’ll see that in three days as well.”

After the meeting with Emperor Friedrich, the Empress’s mind and thoughts were entangled in complexity.

Like carving out his handsome face, his words were also carefully crafted, concealing a sinister warning behind the word “negotiation.” As mentioned earlier, it was a threat.

‘How… those with his bloodline are not easily intimidated by threats…!’
Every time the image of the man who nonchalantly tried to corner me with a brazen face crossed my mind, it sent a chilling sensation through my veins.

A child born abruptly from a prank of the past.

Because of that wretched mistake, my ankles have been caught several times.

‘Emperor Friedrich won’t have much choice either. He wouldn’t want to spread his father’s mistake worldwide. As long as I don’t get involved, the waves will soon settle… Let’s endure a little longer.’

The ultimatum to confess everything to the public if the demands were not met was a double-edged sword even for Emperor Friedrich.

If their illicit affair were exposed to the public, the one to be sacrificed wouldn’t only be Empress Sahira.

Surely, she wouldn’t want to insult the deceased father just for Cedric’s expulsion.

Looking at the warm sunlight beyond the window, the Empress reassured herself.

Yes, it was just a simple bluff.

However, expectations were just expectations, and the impact of her desires reaching reality was overwhelming.

The next day, while she was spending time in her personal study after finishing breakfast, a maid approached and suddenly handed her a letter.

“Empress, a letter has arrived.”

“A letter?”

“Yes, it seems to be from the newspaper. The sender’s side mentioned it’s urgent, so they requested a quick confirmation.”

“Alright, thank you. Check it for me.”
Checking the sealing wax on the envelope, it was indeed a letter from the renowned newspaper, Raidman Newspaper, the number one newspaper officially recognized in the empire.

Having dismissed the maid, the Empress promptly confirmed the letter as per their request.

“Dear Empress,

I apologize if our sudden greeting startled you. We contacted you urgently because we have information that needs immediate verification.

This morning, we received an anonymous tip at Raidman Newspaper. It concerns Duke Theodor’s story, specifically, the path he took to obtain his position. Although we haven’t heard the detailed story yet, it seems to be related to the imperial family, so we are sending this letter for your consideration.

If you wish to discard the content, please feel free to let us know.”

There was no need to rack her brain over who provided them with information.

The content Raidman Newspaper conveyed was identical to Emperor Friedrich’s threat from the previous day.