The Emperor’s added words drove home the understanding. Even without a detailed explanation from the other party, the past events were understood.

“Haha.”

A sneer burst from the mouth of the woman who had been posing as sad.

As her elegant laughter filled the silence that had eaten into the room, she opened her mouth to Kun.

“She really is an impressive child.”

It seemed she had intended to turn Chloe against the Emperor. To give a bad impression and then turn her to her side before turning her against him?

A woman with a pretty and lovely face, yet cunning in her actions.

“As you may know, Your Majesty, Helena is not receiving our sponsorship. The two are not patron and beneficiary, but lovers.”

It seemed that Kun also knew about the relationship between the two.

Chloe decided to reveal the truth rather than shamefully deny it.

“You must have heard. Called the Cinderella of the kingdom… his first love. On our first wedding anniversary, upon returning from our honeymoon, His Grace brought her with him.”

She did not need to go into such detail, yet her mouth was spilling the past unrestrained.

Was it because of the alcohol?

Or because she felt no need to act high and mighty with the man at the top of the world?

Or did she want to win over another Kun, even with the same name, to her side?

The prideful Chloe, who had always protected her pride in front of others, began to expose her scorn casually.

From being the ugly duckling of the ducal house to becoming a complete outcast after Helena’s arrival.

The sad fact that even her sole companion and protector, Jane, had left.

“……Such things happened.”

Chloe reached for her glass after the long conversation. However, the wine had quickly run out, leaving the glass empty.

Kun silently poured the wine.

Had he thought she wanted a lot of alcohol? The glass was filled to the brim with wine.

As she was about to reassure him that it was fine, the glass overflowed. The spilled wine soaked Chloe’s hand and sweetly scented it.

Only then did Kun put down the bottle. Even that slipped and fell to the floor.

Clink. The remaining wine and glass fragments scattered everywhere.

Chloe’s gaze finally settled on the man, alternating between the floor and Kun.

“Ah…….”

A contemplative look on the man’s face. Because of his masked appearance, Chloe could not delve into Kun’s emotions, but she realized that he was disturbed.

“I…….”

It was quite some time before Kun spoke.

His voice was cracking, all composure gone. The always confident Kun was uncharacteristically downcast.

“I……. apologize.”

Apologize?

An apology might have been suitable if he had expressed regret for a sad story, but it was not an appropriate response.

The one who should apologize to her was not Kun.

Perhaps Callis and Helena, who shared a room, who fattened their happiness at the expense of someone else’s and continued to inflate their own.

“Your Majesty has nothing to apologize for. Why would you say such a thing to me?”

Chloe was puzzled, and Kun raised his voice again, sounding miserable.

“……My choice has brought you unhappiness.”
Was it the marriage of Callis and Chloe that marked the beginning of misfortune?

The reason for their marriage was Callis’s reconstruction that announced the end of the war between the nations.

Chloe, who finally understood his intentions, clapped her hands urgently. If she had unintentionally blamed him, she had to apologize sincerely.

After all, today’s incident could have led to discord between the two nations.

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s correct choice, we have all become peaceful. Blaming Your Majesty….”

“Even if I hadn’t been a duke, I would have ended this war.”

Chloe, who had been ardently defending Kain, shut her mouth.

The Emperor’s words, spat out as if in pain, were too abrupt and radical.

It was enough to shatter the fact that she, and the entire kingdom, had believed for years,

“……That.”

“…….”

“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

Both of them were drunk, so the chances were high that the conversation was not taking place clearly.

Chloe repeatedly questioned the Emperor, striving to calm down.

“I wanted to end the war from the beginning.”

But what came back was not a correction, but an explanation that seemed like an excuse.

“What I needed was not persuasion, but a knight to convey my intentions.”