I warned him that I wouldn’t leave him alone if he didn’t explain properly, so Relis, with a foolish expression, shrugged his shoulders, saying I told him so.

“Caught, Your Majesty. I’m surprised by your insight.”

How annoying his wily demeanor was. I turned my head abruptly, looked at the textbook, and said,

“Stop playing the fool. Instead of that, tell me why you did that at that time.”

“Alright.”

Always composed, Relis spoke as follows.

“There wasn’t a particular reason, and there was no ill intent, I’ll let you know that first.”
At that time, Relis explained that he didn’t want to talk about such matters, considering it inappropriate to ramble alone and not suitable for the situation.

“And the seeds are as I mentioned before. They were parting gifts received when parting with friends during the journey, just as I told Your Majesty. However, I deliberately twisted the timing of when I mentioned it. It wasn’t something I received from friends when I decided to follow Her Majesty the Empress.”

It would have been better and less complicated if he had explained everything properly at that time. I also complained inwardly, leaning back against the chair and muttering, “You’re quite strange.”

“That’s right~.”

What’s there to laugh about? Relis, smiling softly, seemed peaceful, handling every situation gracefully like a person with unique adaptability.

“By the way, it’s strange that someone who was hired as a chef is now a consort.”

Handling a sword or being a chef involves handling a blade, but the essence is different. Relis, who has lived as long as I have and ascended to the surface earlier than me, might have honed his swordsmanship as a survival skill during his wandering life.

However, despite saying that, it seems like he spent a long time working at the restaurant and consistently didn’t handle a sword. When exactly did he catch the eye of the Empire’s top figure?

“I’m versatile.”

Well, saying that doesn’t mean Hecate’s judgment was wrong. It’s not undermining Relis’s skill or abilities. I just hadn’t witnessed the process of him becoming a consort with my own eyes, so it was intriguing.

“Well, you’ve been exceptional from the beginning, so it doesn’t seem like bragging.”

Anyway, let’s move on. I have no reason to delve deeply into the snake, nor do I want to.

“By the way, do you remember that incident?”

At the same time, I shifted the topic, bringing up the incident that had long been buried in my memories.

The incident where Jeff and Hecate were genuinely furious, a group scheming against me, centered around causing harm, and discontented factions within the Empire conspiring with external forces to eliminate me in various ways.

“The espionage incident seven years ago.”

Surprisingly, as I brought up this story, detached and sneaked a glance at Relis, the cheerful eyes turned serious.

It was quite natural. After all, that incident involved him, lurking in Bovellian Castle, anticipating the movements and actions of the spy maid, then arresting her and handing her over to the knights.

Perhaps it wasn’t a pleasant memory. In any case, Relis, though willing to bicker with me, was a sincere follower of Hecate, so recalling the event attempting to overthrow the Empire’s security must have been unpleasant for him.

“At that time, there were rumors spreading throughout the entire Empire about the ominous incident.”

“That’s right.”

I looked at Relis, who nodded calmly and solemnly, with his chin resting on his hand.
“Back then, the spy disguised as a maid confessed to consuming the potion, right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Now it’s time to reveal the true purpose of calling Relis.

In fact, everything I’ve done so far has been for this moment. Because I believed that the various incidents in front of me seemed unrelated, yet there was a connection, I didn’t want to rely solely on information from Miranda and Hailey, questioning within the Hwangseong.

Sitting comfortably, I understood the limitations of relying only on information provided by subordinates, much like a mother bird bringing food. I needed to directly go out to the capital and inspect the external situation.

However, whether I was 3 years old or 10 years old, I couldn’t freely leave the Hwangseong. Therefore, to go out secretly without being noticed by Jeff and Hecate, I needed to confirm if Relis could cooperate, similar to when he went to the temple before, pretending to look at the World Tree.

In reality, I had called him here under the pretext of being a self-study supervisor to discuss that matter.

“Moreover, Hecate went to a village on the western coast this time and got injured by a villain who transcends human strength.”

Above all, letting Hecate, whom I raised to be the strongest in the empire, get hurt is like a challenge to me, so I can’t just stand by. There is a difference in what can be achieved by staying still.

“So, the thing is, you need to help me a bit.”

And so, I decided to take one step further.