Emperor Maxwell’s mood was very good as he left the second reception room and headed to his office.

For the Emperor, who usually doesn’t have big mood swings, to be in a good mood means that the things he had planned were all progressing successfully or had been completed.

And rightly so, as Count Korad’s quest team had returned with all the imperial citizens who had been sold into slavery without missing a single one, and the Emperor’s operation to eradicate the Venom pirate group on the southern coast had achieved great success.

Not only did they crush the evil loan shark and human trafficking organizations that had spread from the Eastern Continent to the Empire, but they also thoroughly searched and found the nobles who were in cooperation with them, as if catching lice.

Of course, they stripped them of their titles and confiscated all the enormous wealth they had accumulated while evading the Empire’s eyes, moving it to the Empire’s treasury. The trade route dispute with the Western Continent was also concluded faster than expected, in a situation favorable to the Empire.

Moreover, Grace of the Le Sang family, who had tried to brand the eleventh candidate with a disgraceful stigma and drive her out of the palace, had her crimes exposed, and she and the two candidates who helped her were driven out of the palace.

The Emperor’s investigation team and the imperial enforcement department concluded the investigation and executed the sentence in just one day, as if they had been waiting for this.

The scandal of the empress candidate infighting that occurred in the separate palace shook not only the imperial family but the entire empire, and brought about another unexpected result. Two of the eight remaining candidates voluntarily withdrew, leaving six.

The families, upon hearing of the Emperor’s eccentric behavior of conducting an investigation naked in Arabel’s bedroom, became frightened and took their daughters away from the separate palace.

It was a decision made out of concern that if they made a mistake, not only would their daughter fail to become empress, but she might be driven out during the competition, unable to marry into a good family, and tarnish the family’s honor.

Now the Emperor seemed to be secretly hoping for the remaining candidates to engage in infighting. Thinking it would be efficient to deal with them all at once.

Honestly, the Emperor was brilliantly scheming to drive them all out at this opportunity, when,

‘If Lady Arabel knew… she would be disappointed.’

He stopped his runaway plotting after hearing Kyle and Jacob’s words. Imagining those large eyes looking at him with disappointment made his throat feel uncomfortable.

The fact that the Emperor’s steps towards his office were not filled with killing intent also made the expressions of his accompanying secretaries brighter.

That was until the Emperor, walking along the outdoor corridor, inadvertently cast his gaze towards the wide grassy garden overlooking the lake.

The Emperor stopped abruptly and spoke in a chilly voice through twisted teeth.

“Are those women I see over there… the empress candidates?”

Under the bright late autumn sky, young men and women were running around on the lawn, smiling brightly as if having fun. He couldn’t remember the faces of the other women, but one of the six women was clearly Arabel.

“Yes, Your Majesty. The empress candidates are receiving a one-day self-defense lesson in the lake garden today.”

When Secretary Rax, who manages events and schedules within the imperial palace, answered, one of the Emperor’s eyebrows raised.

His sharp chin lifted towards the lake, and a voice in an even lower tone was heard.

“Who are those with the ladies? Judging by their uniforms, they seem to be sons of noble families rather than soldiers.”

“Yes. For this self-defense lesson, we arranged for the heirs of selected families to teach the ladies.”

At Secretary Rax’s answer, the Emperor’s red eyes shone sharply and he spoke in an uncharacteristically agitated voice.

“Who dared to allow young nobles to teach the empress candidates?”

Secretary Rax, flinching his shoulders, looked at the Emperor’s expression and said,

“It was Your Majesty who ordered it to be done this way during the competition period.”

“I did?”

“Yes… Originally, Your Majesty was supposed to personally give the self-defense lessons to the empress candidates, but you said it was bothersome and assigned the lessons to the sons of upper-class noble families who had received knighthood.”

“…”

“Especially, you actively promoted it saying it was a good opportunity to match the ladies who won’t be selected as empress with the heirs. You said strategic marriages between kingdoms and families would be very beneficial to the empire… ignoring the opposition from the competition committee and elder nobles… ugh!”

Secretary Rax, who had been explaining to the Emperor who was still staring at the lake garden without saying a word, suddenly clutched his side and groaned.

Kyle, the assistant, and Antonio, the secretary, standing next to him had simultaneously struck his side with their elbows.

The clear sky visible overhead suddenly seemed to be covered with dark rain clouds, and the surrounding air became not just cold, but chilling.

Although the lake garden visible to the eye was only refreshing, where the Emperor stood was just before lightning and thunder struck.

The Emperor’s sharp gaze flinched slightly for a moment. In his red gaze, next to Arabel who was bursting into happy laughter… Timothy, Count Korad’s son, was smiling shyly.

“Is Lord Timothy of the Korad family included in the list?”

Secretary Rax nodded and answered.

“Yes, Your Majesty chose him first. You said you were giving the Korad Count’s family a good marriage partner as a gift. Looking at it now, it seems he’s already getting along very well with one of the ladies. As expected, Your Majesty has foresight… ugh…!”

Secretary Rax, who had poor eyesight, didn’t notice that the lady standing next to Timothy in the distant lake garden was Arabel. Kyle and Antonio simultaneously stepped on his feet with their shoe heels to prevent him from rambling on further.

The handsome face started walking again without showing any expression. As always, with a measured gait that didn’t lose formality.

However, his long legs passed by the outdoor corridor leading to the office, descended the stairs, and suddenly picked up speed, crossing the vast garden.

The Emperor’s two feet, which had been sprinting at a speed the secretaries couldn’t keep up with… after passing through the maze garden where ancient god statues were displayed in rows on both sides and arriving at the entrance of the lake garden, changed back to a restrained gait as if nothing had happened.

When the hurried breathing of the secretaries who had rushed to follow him was heard behind his back, the Emperor raised his hand low, signaling them not to follow.

Ho ho ho, ha ha ha.

The Emperor’s back as he approached the lakeside full of refreshing laughter flowers was like… the dark god rising from the underworld to separate the beautiful young men and women enjoying sweet time on earth.

“Hold it like this… Yes, like that. And use your wrist to turn it once.”

Beautiful eyes, clearer and bluer than the lake, sparkled as they captured Arabel earnestly practicing in front of him following his instructions.

His throat tickled as if flower pollen had burst, watching her struggle to rotate the long self-defense stick as tall as herself in her small hands.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her pink lips, cutely jutting out as she concentrated on the lesson, and her cheeks prettily flushed from exercise.

His heart fluttered at the wisps of hair fluttering in the wind, almost touching his fingers, and the sweet scent that tickled his nose with every brush. A smile of undisguisable excitement never left Timothy’s lips.

“Ha, ha. It’s alright. You’re doing well.”

“It looked easy when you showed us, but when I try it myself, it doesn’t go as I want.”

Arabel replied, trying to rotate her wrist to thrust the long stick forward, but failed.

“Hold it like this…”

Timothy went to Arabel’s side and placed his hand over Arabel’s hand holding the stick. No sooner had Timothy’s hand overlapped on the back of Arabel’s hand than the small hand in white gloves hastily slipped away.

It was an impulsive action. Timothy looked at Arabel with wide eyes, surprised by his own bold move.

“I, I’m sorry, Lady Arabel. I made a mistake while trying to teach you accurately.”

As he bowed his head to apologize to Arabel, who was standing a bit stiffly, a weighty baritone voice was heard from behind.

“It’s alright. Anyone can make mistakes.”

Timothy and Arabel turned their heads at the same time to see the Emperor standing there with a subtle smile.

His sharp red eyes caught the wavering blue eyes, rendering them immobile, while his red lips, still curved in a smile, spoke a little more softly.

“However, if one repeats the same mistake, people will call it a calculated plan.”

As if he had committed a great sin, Timothy’s face drained of color before quickly turning bright red. His innocent face was filled with embarrassment, to the point where anyone watching might misunderstand that he had done something lecherous to the Emperor’s woman.

He was staring blankly at the Emperor, unable to even greet him out of shame and guilt for harboring feelings for an empress candidate, when,

“Your Majesty!”

“Emperor, Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty, I pay my respects!”

“Your Majesty, Lionel of the Beldore family greets you.”

The noble sons and empress candidates who noticed the Emperor hurriedly gathered around him to pay their respects.

“Your Majesty, I pay my respects.”

Timothy, finally coming to his senses, greeted the Emperor with knightly etiquette, and the Emperor returned the greeting with a benevolent smile.

The person most delighted by the Emperor’s unexpected visit was Arabel. Like Timothy, her clear face that couldn’t tell lies shone with happiness the moment she saw the Emperor.

As the Emperor raised one corner of his mouth and extended his arm to Arabel, she approached him and placed her hand on his arm, leaving her place beside Timothy. Timothy’s lips trembled pitifully as he felt the empty space beside him.

“I was going to arrange a meeting since you two know each other, but you’ve already met like this.”

The Emperor said calmly, looking back and forth between Timothy and Arabel. Of course, he had no intention of arranging a separate meeting.

Arabel raised her head to meet the Emperor’s gaze and replied in a bright voice.

“I was so surprised too. I came out to the lake garden because there was a one-day self-defense lesson… and Lord Timothy was here! He’s been struggling because I’m learning slowly.”

The Emperor smiled as he looked at Arabel, whose round eyes sparkled as she chattered about the lessons she had received with Timothy’s help all afternoon.

It seemed Arabel had become much more comfortable with palace life, lovingly speaking to the Emperor while making eye contact even in front of others.

However… for a moment, the Emperor’s lips twisted imperceptibly, showing his discomfort, before curving into a smile again.

Had there ever been a time when Arabel, who used to appear nervous in front of unfamiliar people, spoke this comfortably?

When she first met me, she couldn’t even make proper eye contact for a while. Didn’t I even have to threaten her to make her not avoid my gaze?

But with Timothy, she makes eye contact well and speaks well as if they’ve known each other for years. From what I’ve heard, they only met briefly in Kander’s territory.

As he turned his head towards the lake to hide his furrowing brows, the reflection of the three of them in the lake came into view. It looked like a ferocious carnivore had wedged itself between two innocent herbivores.

The Emperor, not wanting to think about who was the herbivore and who was the carnivore, wrapped his arm around Arabel’s shoulder, pulling her closer to his side.