‘Even if they say it’s from families who’ve sworn loyalty to the empire, we must check everything as there might be something strange among them.’

The spy incident from 7 years ago.

At that time, the Vladimir family took the lead in clearing out forces that threatened the imperial family and the empire, but human affairs are unpredictable.

This is because in this life, I realized that there were many people, both inside and outside the empire, who had an unexpectedly strong desire for revenge against the previous emperor.

At first, I thought it was just a complex entanglement of vested interests, but when I learned the inside story through a later investigation… I couldn’t understand it right away.

Everything I did when I was the previous emperor was decades ago, but it was strange that the descendants of the victims of the war I waged then still harbored their ancestors’ hatred and tried to defame me by joining hands with rebel groups.

Emotions were supposed to wear down like stones gradually eroded by water as time passed, and whether good or bad, it had inevitably been that way, so I didn’t know it could be this severe.

Anyway, feeling a sense of crisis from the spy incident, Jeff and Hecate dispatched more informants and maintained tight security like a finely woven fabric, finding and eliminating those in hiding like picking out lice.

It was a demonstration of their firm resolve that not even the remnants of remnants should remain in this land.

‘Darjeeling, Mom will never put you in danger again.’

‘Dad feels the same way.’

They always smile at me and act overly affectionate, giving me goosebumps with their kisses, but when they showed the face of ruthless monarchs, I felt they had been raised well.

Although they usually seem foolishly relaxed, I could feel that my judgment wasn’t wrong as they fully demonstrated their abilities when it was time to be serious. Rather than feeling touched by their consideration for me, I could feel proud of my excellent discernment.

Ah, come to think of it, I had asked about how the informant system was working before the imperial succession ceremony.

Even with the cooperation of the Vladimir family, it would have been impossible to capture those involved in the spy incident who had fled to foreign countries without the power of the ‘Information Officer’, a secret imperial agency I had created in my previous life.

‘It was difficult to select personnel as we had to keep it hidden from the nobles.’

The reason I established such an organization right after succeeding Ulrika in my previous life was out of a desire to do something my friend Ulrika couldn’t do, now that I had become king.

Since it was a force that moved solely for the emperor, only those with strong loyalty were selected. In my previous life, Jeff and Hecate were also part of the ‘Information Officer’, but being in the position of grand generals, they couldn’t engage in proper activities.

“Alright, let’s begin!”

“Yay!”

Meanwhile, I sent the riffraff, Carlyle, and Sasha to one side and came alone to the direction with fewer boxes.

I picked up any box, untied the ribbon, and tore off the wrapping paper while thinking.

Perhaps everything is intertwined in causality and connected as one, I thought.

According to a more complex theory, there’s something called the ‘law of causality’, which was babbled about by a scholar I met in my 12th life that made me certain I was repeating reincarnations.

From very trivial actions to bold ones, they become causes that affect the distant future. I remember running away when he tried to explain it from various academic perspectives.

Anyway, without something like the aforementioned ‘law of causality’, it’s hard to logically package the motives of those who tried to defame me.

But if you think about it that way, isn’t it that I’m suffering like this because I committed sins or made big mistakes in the past? It’s unpleasant.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’

The hardships were things that happened just by being born into a noble family, so I’ll cancel the thoughts I’ve been having until now.

Even if not an imperial family, just reincarnating as someone from a wealthy family often led to being poisoned or killed due to someone’s envy and jealousy.

Moreover, when I lived as a noble lady, I nearly ruined my life over fiancé issues.

‘Your mouth says no, but your body is honest?’

Ironically, it’s only now that I recall that fiancé from those days. Was his name Bandiore? He was the guy I briefly remembered when I was 1 year old.

A knight who looked fine enough to fall within my picky taste range.

‘How arrogant. You think you’re something just because you’re a man?’

A mentally unstable knight who said he liked it even when I slapped his cheeks several times.

Bandiore, who acted like a jerk for his own reasons, was head over heels for me and tried to get close in various ways.

However, even in the life of a noble lady, I was too busy pretending to be interested in archaeology using the family’s wealth and power to find God’s answer, so I didn’t pay attention to my fiancé.

Bandiore said that was rather charming and was a faithful dog who would grumble but do everything when I sent him on errands.

‘Of all things, the gift in the box I just opened…’

It’s a brooch with jewels resembling Bandiore’s chocolate-colored hair and golden eyes.

‘Ah, recalling that cheesy guy gives me goosebumps.’

I quickly put the gift back in the box and pushed it aside. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant memory, so I hurriedly pulled another box over and opened the lid.

“Sis, want to bet who can open more boxes faster?”

I was just examining a curiously shaped wooden doll, turning it this way and that. When I slightly turned my head, I saw Ronowe and Berith sticking close together, opening boxes.

‘They fight when they fight, but they stick together really well when they’re getting along.’

I’ve succeeded in piquing their interest, and since these children focus when they have something to concentrate on, I should stop my idle thoughts and focus on the task at hand. Afterwards, as I turned my gaze, I briefly saw Carlyle carefully opening boxes and arranging items so they wouldn’t be damaged.

‘Hmm, his cravat is slightly twisted?’

I don’t know why that slightly disheveled appearance of his caught my eye at that moment.

‘What are you doing?’

I must be crazy. I quickly turned my head, afraid of making awkward eye contact with Carlyle, only to suddenly see a person’s face and step back with a big jolt of my shoulders.

“You startled me, when did you come to the side again?”

I almost kicked him.

“Just now, Your Highness. I moved as quietly as possible so as not to disturb you.”

Ghost-like bastard. I sighed in relief, stroking my startled chest.

“No, you idiot! You could damage the gifts!”

Taking advantage of the momentary silence that followed, the once harmonious Fleur siblings’ atmosphere suddenly changed. They were already bickering and quarreling.

“If the gift gets damaged, the Princess might cry. Do you want to see the Princess cry?”

“Ah, no.”

Ronowe, looking at Berith as if he were pathetic, promptly gave him a flick on the forehead and shook his head with his hands on his hips. Berith soon added, looking down at the floor with a gloomy face, that he didn’t want me to cry.

“Cry?”

“It’s not like that. I’m just sad thinking about the Princess’s crying face.”

The atmosphere is really good. I smiled awkwardly and pressed my left hand to my forehead. I feel dizzy.

‘This is bad.’

I was about to cover my ears, expecting a disaster to occur soon, but Berith, who had changed strangely after visiting the temple, showed an unusual behavior. With his original personality, he should have gotten angry at his sister’s scolding and talked back with a temper, but he didn’t.

Even at 10 years old, his nasty temper and loud voice remained the same, but it was unlike him to immediately agree with the other’s opinion and appear deflated.

When we visited the Fleur territory, he had cried and called me a traitor just for taking a walk alone with Carlyle, but now he cleanly admitted that he had thought wrongly and backed down, making me feel like I was watching the sun move from north to south.

‘Where did Poppy go now?’

Oh no, this is bad. I had deliberately asked a maid to place a large plate full of snacks in the corner so it wouldn’t bother us while opening gifts, but it seems she’s already eaten them all. With only crumbs left on the plate and no trace of her, I looked around.

Since Berith wasn’t causing trouble, I had an ominous feeling that Poppy might be up to something.

“Your Highness, what’s wrong?”

“Poppy has disappeared.”

Sasha, who happened to be right next to me, showed interest and looked around the pile of gift boxes behind us on my behalf.

“Did you find her? Is she not passed out somewhere?”

“I can’t see her.”

Is it because we’re not opening gift boxes? Carlyle also got up from his seat and asked what was going on.

“What?”

“Poppy disappeared? This is bad!”

Those ears are too good! I plopped down on the sofa as Ronowe and Berith started rummaging around the room to find the missing Poppy, thinking I wouldn’t need to get involved.

“Quack!”

“Poppy, where are you?”

After a while, Poppy’s voice rang out from far behind, drawing everyone’s attention. Poppy suddenly jumped up in place, her eyes sparkling, and then dashed into a large golden box.

Crack−!

“Qua… quack, quaaaack…!”

Following the sound of teeth cracking and Poppy’s desperate screams filling the air, I stood dumbfounded in place with the children for a few seconds.

‘Such a tiny body, and yet it acts up even more after being fed well.’

Feeling an inexplicable sense of defeat, I got down from the sofa, and soon Poppy tumbled out of the box, rolling across the marble floor with a large object.

“Poppy, what’s wrong?”

Carlyle, who ran out first with quick steps, swiftly picked up the disoriented and staggering Poppy, patting her back to calm her down.

“Quack…”

Thanks to that, Poppy quickly calmed down, but she was still teary-eyed, perhaps due to the lingering pain.

“Are you okay, Poppy?”

Ronowe, who arrived second, wiped the tears from Poppy’s eyes and then picked up a head-sized object nearby.

It was a strange gift with a large inverted triangular shape, a shell-like surface wrapped with luxurious gold lines.

“I think Poppy tried to swallow this!”

Soon after, Ronowe examined the object this way and that, then shouted and turned around to look at me.