The Empress’s shouting caused her vocal cords to tremble. The cry that had been spreading seemed to start cracking.

At that moment, a red bloodline continued to stretch over the white surface that held the blue characters. The ominous pupils gradually shifted as they met the man’s gaze.

It seemed as if the person had finally realized something.

Kun, who locked eyes with the Empress, smiled silently. It was a smile so familiar that it could be mistaken for a grin, but it felt entirely different to the Empress.

As if saying, “Did you just realize?” with a mocking tone.

“Have you checked the seal? It’s from Duke Theodore, a letter sent to the royal family.”

In response to Kun’s words, the Empress involuntarily recalled the details. All that was delivered to her was a white envelope; there was no sealing wax with an imprint.

“…No, there wasn’t.”

“Is that so? If it were my brother, he would have stamped the seal on the letter sent to the Empress for sure.”
Even revealing the truth as a cynical man was a challenging process.

The premise of “If the one who sent the letter was truly Cedric Theodore” implicitly suggested that the sender of the letter that day was not Cedric.

“I must show it to the envoy who will deliver my letter. So that the envoy himself can show that he sent a confidential letter to Empress.”

“…….”

“Only then will rumors spread that will protect me later, and my lies won’t be exposed. At that time, I will pretend not to know anything about Empress’s secret. I will claim that I obtained my title through a different path, not because of my parents, to avoid public outrage.”

The man, approaching silently without making a sound, once again instilled fear. Silently revealing his presence, he took out the envelope from the Empress’s fingertips.

It was the contract signed by the two.

Rotating the document envelope back and forth, he glanced at it quietly, then gracefully folded the corners of his eyes.

He then placed it right next to the couch where the Empress was sitting. It was a signal to safely keep and not lose it.

“And, in fact, he probably didn’t send the letter. It might be foolish to send it recklessly, considering that Her Majesty might be preparing countermeasures. While my brother may be foolish, he is good at taking care of his own life.”
However, indifferent to his consideration, the Empress gathered the document envelope into her grasp. The envelope, which had maintained a neat shape one after another, crumpled weakly.

“So, from the Freon newspaper to Duke Theodore’s letter…”

“Yes, it’s a lie. It’s absurd to create a dangerous situation by stealing all of them when we should protect the Empress’s secret. It’s unthinkable.”

“Negotiation! You said it was a negotiation, and now everything…!”

The Empress slammed the table. Judging by the dull sound, there must have been a considerable impact on her hand, but there was no sign of pain. It meant she was so furious that she couldn’t even feel the pain.

“Negotiation is correct.”

“…Huh, what did you just say?”

“I haven’t actually caused any substantial harm to Your Majesty. Ultimately, there are only four people in the world who know Your Majesty’s information. Raidman newspaper doesn’t know the details, so it’s excluded.”

Without a trace of shame, he casually extended his fingers. The four fingers, which were roughly raised, gradually decreased in number.

“Empress, Emperor, Duke, and me, among the four, three will naturally keep their mouths shut, and I guarantee that I will make the remaining one close their mouth… What exactly is so inconvenient?”

“…”

“Security, which you care so much about, is no longer a problem now. Isn’t everything solved if only I keep my mouth shut?”

The orphaned red eyes momentarily seemed to contain innocence. There was almost no difference between the appearance of the acting man. Eyes, nose, mouth. Voice, gestures, situation.
Everything shown in the past was a man’s act.

He was confidently revealing all his cards, luring me into the trap set earlier and arrogantly displaying all the achievements of fulfilling his desires.

A man who takes only what he wants without any risk.

“But still, I’m grateful. Thanks to the negotiation with the Empress being concluded within three days.”

Having become accustomed to Kun Pride’s acting for a woman lately, she had completely forgotten about the man from the past.

Yes, that man was the top man of Pride…

Exiting the meeting room, the Empress immediately rushed to her study.

She flipped over the trash can under the table and meticulously searched through the refuse.

Soon, she found the two letters Cedric had sent.

‘The handwriting…’

It was a bit more unskilled than usual, but it was still Kun’s handwriting.

The Empress shook her head in disbelief. Seated in her chair, she lethargically picked up the letter and a pen.

Perhaps due to the absurd content, the response arrived faster than expected.

“Dear Empress,

Thank you for inquiring about my well-being. I hope Your Majesty has been in good health.

Regrettably, I did not fully understand the details of the inquiry you made. Therefore, I apologize if I cannot provide the desired answer.
“We, the Freon Newspaper, do not transmit information under the suppression of the royal family. However, we promise to give advance notice regardless of what information is released to the public.

Currently, the Freon Newspaper has no plans to publish an article containing information about the royal family. Especially if it concerns Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Empress, what is this talk about? I absolutely cannot understand.

Whatever has happened, I am strictly maintaining security, so I hope the Empress is also keeping the secret.”

“Ha-ha!”

Reading the response, the Empress burst into laughter as if she had gone mad.

“Really, what a terrifying person……”

Her body was trembling lightly as if feeling a chill.

With her arms crossed, the Empress quietly contemplated.

Yes, in this situation where security is thorough, it might be better to be used.

The Empress, who made an effort to compose herself, rang the bell. Shortly after, a maid waiting in the back approached her.

“Summon the Treasurer here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The maid left, and not long after, the Treasurer entered the study.

“I heard Your Majesty called for me.”

“There is something I would like you to investigate in detail. It was related to the Duke Theodore’s family that I mentioned before. Continue to look into it and report back.”

“If it’s about Duke Theodore’s family, could it be… regarding tax evasion suspicions?”

Following that, the Empress nodded.
The Treasurer, who had been standing still as if contemplating something, cautiously asked afterward.

“I recall being told to dispose of all the information before, but should I recollect it and report it again?”

“I apologize for the inconvenience, but yes, I would appreciate that.”

“No problem, I’ll report it shortly.”

A silent mansion without a single candle lit. Inside, a man kneeling in despair.

His appearance reminded one of a deceased person whose name couldn’t even be recalled.

“That’s right.”

The newly appeared man approached with a sinister smile, getting close to the man sitting forlornly.

“That’s right. If you had easily risen to your position with just a birth, you should have been humble, my brother.”

He slapped the kneeling man’s knees with the toe of his expensive shoe.

“Didn’t expect it to end so easily like this.”