Cautiously scouting his surroundings, he carefully opened the door and entered.

Creak [dash].

The dimly lit, silent, and spacious bedroom.

“Huh?”

Unable to control his curiosity, he walked towards the veiled shape on the bed, only to gasp when he saw someone lying there.

‘Was this ominous energy coming from this person?’

The girl with fine platinum blonde hair stretching way down her waist appeared to be around his age.

She was sleeping like a princess in a fairy tale, but the hands folded neatly over her chest didn’t give the impression of life.

Ah, this child is a descendant of the second generation of humans that has rooted in the surface, unlike me who has lived for hundreds of years, isn’t she?

‘Looks like she’s just sleeping.’

Yet, instead of admiring her beauty, the weight of death felt oddly chilling. Hence, he drew nearer to examine when…

Creak [dash].

“…Your Highness?”

The door opened, and a sudden chill rolled in from behind him.

“What is Your Highness doing here?”

Damn it, why did Sasha appear?

“I got lost wandering around the spacious mansion of the Duke.”

Though flustered, he acted shamelessly.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, that’s a bit strange. If it’s as you say, then our servants would have roughly directed you and sent you on your way.”

None of your business! Just believe it if I say so!

His heart pounded anxiously.

“Anyway, there are two restrooms nearby. One is at the end of the corridor opposite this room.”

Surprisingly, Sasha didn’t press further but smiled softly.

“This room belongs to my sister.”

“This one is your sister?”

“Yes, she’s bedridden and has never been outside.”

The existence inside that pretty shell was Sasha’s sister! He turned around. No matter how you looked, she had a distant face, quite unlike Sasha’s masked gloominess.

“My sister needs stability due to her frailty. Would you mind leaving?”

“Hm? Why?”

“Oh, my sister is extremely shy. She gets anxious if a stranger is near. Plus, it’s almost time for her to wake up and take her medicine.”

Sasha was resolute, as he added an apology, hoping for leniency.
“Fine, got it. By the way, where is another restroom besides the one across here?”

I wanted to avoid staying near that stubborn and unpleasant person, so I quickly decided to leave.

‘The aura emanating from that girl seems to have intensified.’

Perfect timing. My stomach gave me a good excuse by starting to feel queasy.

“Go out the door, turn left, and go straight ahead.”

“Thanks, I’ll be going.”

I hastily moved, feeling as though my whole body was getting twisted with unease.

‘Sasha introduced her as his sister, but his gaze seemed like he was looking at a lover.’

Upon turning around briefly before exiting through the door, I found Sasha gently rubbing his sister’s hand against his cheek, making a distressed face. I thought I’d seen it all.

‘Even though I’ve left the duke’s residence, I still don’t feel well.’

Hours later.

“My daughter, are you very tired?”

Hecate, who had arrived at Vladimir’s mansion just in time for our departure, said it was okay since she couldn’t accompany me in the morning due to work.

“Let’s visit the second family and then take a rest.”

“Yes.”

Suppressing my queasy feeling, I suddenly wanted to dig up information about the Duchess and asked,

“Ah, right! I saw the Duchess at the Duke’s residence. She looked surprisingly like a maid who turned out to be a spy seven years ago.”

“Oh, you met the Duchess?”

Could it be that Hecate also knew about the Duchess’ condition? She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, looking grave.

“Perhaps you feel that way because the Duchess is from the coast.”

Sensing my gaze, Hecate quickly relaxed her expression and filled me in.

“The coast, situated at the end of the continent, was led by small tribes before it merged into the empire. The natives there all have blonde hair and blue eyes.”

“Ah, so it was just a regional feature.”

I thought there was some big secret.

Feeling less excited, I leaned back, letting my body relax.

“Ah, Dazzling! Here, take this chocolate. It’s a gift for our little emperor who had a hard day!”

“Thank you.”

Hecate suddenly handed me a piece of chocolate. Was she interpreting my tired expression as exhaustion?

‘Replenishing sugar after hard work is essential.’

Chocolate is the best for that!

I couldn’t hide my happiness. After all, chocolate was a snack I enjoyed even in my previous life.

“If I knew you’d like it this much, I’d have brought more. Can you guess our next stop?”

“Isn’t it Fleur? Father said it’s customary to visit the royal families first.”

“Indeed, our princess is smart. As Dazzling said, the next place we’ll visit is the Fleur family.”

I chewed the chocolate, savoring its sweet and bitter taste as I quickly responded.

‘Phew, there hasn’t been any contact since I was three, but I guess I have to follow the tradition.’

Pobby, who was lying on my thigh, also wanted a taste of the chocolate, but I ignored him.

“!”

Damn it. I felt something stuck in my throat and coughed until my face turned red.

“Da, Dazzling! Let Mom pat your back, stay still!”

Hecate, whose face turned pale, immediately came beside me and patted my back. I clutched Pobby tightly and thought,

‘Choking on chocolate? Even worse, I can’t breathe!’