Caught in Winter’s gentle persuasion, she showed a momentary sign of contemplation.

In any case, it made sense. It wouldn’t hurt to familiarize herself with the knights who would protect her as the Empress. Moreover, as Winter suggested, making them allies could be advantageous. It seemed better to have them on her side than remaining as the Emperor’s wife.

“Alright, then let’s visit them together when Your Majesty returns.”

“Well, if Your Majesty is okay right now, how about going there immediately?”

“Now?”
“Yes, it happens to be the time when the knights have finished lunch and are taking a break. Since there is plenty of time until training, I would like to take advantage of this interval to introduce them to Your Majesty.”

In response to an unexpected and sudden schedule, Cloé blinked her eyes. Although she unintentionally urged her, Winter nodded steadfastly.

When Cloé and Kun visit the knights together after his return, it will be tiring in various ways. There is no reason for her to be pleased with Kun interacting with the foreign man and mingling with the troops. Preventing such contacts is crucial for Winter’s plans to proceed smoothly.

Moreover, the presence of the Emperor also influences friendships. If he is present, it would be challenging for the knights to behave harshly towards the Empress.

Of course, the Empress cannot afford to act too comfortably towards those in higher positions or from the beginning. However, with her characteristic kindness, the situation will quickly be overcome.

In other words, the grand plan will end successfully as long as the Emperor is absent.

But for some reason, Cloé hesitated in the face of his perfect design.

“Perhaps it’s uncomfortable for you? If you don’t like it…”

“No, no. It’s not that. I’m just worried that they might feel uncomfortable with me. I don’t want to be a bothersome person disrupting their rare break.”

There was a hint of concern that her appearance might cause discomfort to them.

Compared to an Empress, it was a genuinely trivial and cute worry.

“No, it won’t be like that,” Winter chuckled softly.
“He will like it. Just as I served Empress Cloé, they too will come to sincerely respect and love Empress Cloé.”

Around lunchtime, as the sun intensified, the knights who couldn’t endure the heat began to take off their outer garments one by one. It felt somewhat cooler with the wind touching their bare skin.

Everett, who was resting in the shade of a tree, shook the water bottle after wetting the back of his neck as if it was turning. Despite shaking his hands several times, not a single drop of water came out. It was quickly emptied.

No water in this heat! Irritated, Everett, his nerves on edge, picked up the empty water bottle and threw it away.

The water bottle, which was rolling along nicely, stopped when it reached the foot of his colleague, Horace.

Horace, who found his friend oddly irritable over such a trivial matter, clicked his tongue. No wonder he looks so scrawny; there’s probably no woman interested in him.

Having thrown the water bottle, it landed at his feet, and Horace, who secured it, asked Everett.

“By the way, where did the Captain go?”

Winter, who had run off somewhere, skipping lunch, was a complete mystery.

“Isn’t he going to meet some woman or something?”

Everett teased, waggling his index finger. If Winter is caught, the next day he’ll be whining with a broken finger, or maybe he’s just fearless.

“It’s a perfect time for a rendezvous. The weather is good, there are plenty of people around. Don’t you think so?”
Herace, who had just slapped his forehead, taunted Everett to snap out of it. Soon, Everett pouted as if he felt unjustly treated.

“Huh, Captain, you’re so fussy just because you’re a captain! It’s weird not to have a woman…….?”

“Huh?”

Martin, who had been quietly eavesdropping between the two, raised his voice. He opened his bright yellow eyes, shining like the sun in the sky, and pointed somewhere with his finger.

“Captain, aren’t you with a woman?”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

Then the two heads turned in unison to follow the pointing finger.

Indeed, Winter was with a woman.

Everett, who was scrutinizing the woman’s appearance with a furrowed brow, muttered a suggestive comment a moment later. It was more of an exclamation from him.

Herace, trying not to be left out, stared at the woman with honest eyes, seemingly enchanted.

At that moment, Winter, who spotted the three, hurriedly approached. He pointed out their semi-naked state with urgency.

“What are you guys doing half-naked out here? Put your clothes on right now.”

“Yes, yes? Captain, you’re not wearing clothes either. You told us to take them off right away because you said it stinks of sweat. Why all of a sudden…?”

“That’s when we’re alone, and now we need to keep our manners. Put them on right away.”

At Winter’s outburst, the three began to hastily put on the clothes hung on a tree branch.

Everett grumbled, not understanding what was so dissatisfying, even though he readily followed the orders.
“Yes, yes. Of course, the captain’s lover must maintain proper manners. Would it be appropriate to show the body of an outsider man?”

Upon hearing this, Winter added with a sense of absurdity, “My lover? If you don’t want your tongue cut off, it might be better to immediately seek forgiveness from the gods.”

“What?”

“She is Her Majesty the Empress.”

At Winter’s words, the three people exclaimed simultaneously.

Is that truly the illustrious person, the Empress? The one with the bad temper, the fearsome Emperor?