The Emperor, true to his character, spoke of his curse plainly and concisely as if telling someone else’s story.

Without a trace of emotion in his voice.

Even Count Korad, who had lived for over half a century dealing with countless monsters and black magic on the continent, found it difficult to gauge the pain and weight of the spell the Emperor was enduring.

The Emperor, who didn’t even move an eyebrow when talking about his own curse…..

The Count’s sharp eyes didn’t miss the contraction of his jawline the moment he uttered the name ‘Arabel’.

The Emperor seemed tense as he spoke about the events that happened just last night, starting from when he first met Arabel.

Until now, the Emperor had never lost his arrogant composure even while putting those around him in suffocating tension.

It was the first time.

The unfamiliar appearance of the Emperor that entered Count Korad’s eyes.

The desperation to find an answer to protect someone precious, not himself, was conveyed through the Emperor’s slightly trembling fingertips.

It overlapped with the image of himself screaming in madness when he realized there was no way to save his wife, who had followed him into a deep mountain valley and was dying from monster venom.

The story that began as the sunset started ended as the white moon rose in the night sky eclipsed by the sun.

The white moonlight falling under the glass ceiling created shadows on the Emperor’s face, making his expression even cooler.

The Emperor returned to his cold and restrained true self, leaning back in his chair.

During the story, his red eyes seemed to read the Count’s thoughts beyond his blue eyes, never leaving them.

Count Korad also slowly opened his mouth without avoiding the sharply twinkling red eyes.

“First, there is a place you need to come with me. It requires Your Majesty’s permission.”

The Emperor smiled genuinely for the first time today, saying,

“As expected of the Count. Starting a special investigation right away without a hint of emotional fluctuation. That’s why I chose you.”

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t surprised.

However, the emotion swirling in his heart now is not just simple surprise.

Count Korad made fists with both hands on his knees, controlling his heart that had started beating roughly.

Perhaps…..

It might be an opportunity to solve the mystery that had been troubling him for over twenty years.

Even imagining it was a crime worse than treason, so he had to drive away the questions lingering in his mind.

“There’s no reason to waste time, so let’s go now. Somewhere that requires my permission to enter?”

As the Emperor stood up from his chair and asked, Count Korad raised his head and answered in a low voice.

“Please allow me to meet the prisoner in the stone tower.”

For a moment, the Emperor’s brows furrowed and his red eyes distorted.

[This is the timeline separator]

The door of the first guest room in the imperial palace opened, and Arabel’s trio of maids and Milly entered following the head maid of the imperial bedroom.

Arabel jumped up from the sofa in joy, about to run to them, when she noticed Vera’s gesture of slightly raising and lowering her hands placed at her waist, stopping her.

As Vera’s eyes urgently signaled her to stay seated, Arabel sat back down on the sofa, reattaching her bottom that had lifted.

The head maid of the bedroom and her two assisting maids bowed their heads and quietly exited through the door.

Vera, who had gone to the closed door, pressed her ear against it, her plump body incongruously crouched.

“What are you doing?”

As Dina asked, tilting her head, Vera quickly brought her index finger to her lips, hushing her.

For a moment, as Vera stood with her ear to the door, the other four women also held their breath, not moving and staring at her.

“Phew, they’re all gone now. Only the guards are in front.”

Vera said as she straightened her body, more solid than any guard, then smiled brightly and said.

“Young lady…!”

“Vera, Dina, Rosa, Milly…!”

Arabel ran with open arms to embrace the trio of maids and Milly standing by the door.

Of course, it was impossible to embrace four women with her small arms, but regardless, the five women hugged and started jumping in a circle.

Although they hadn’t seen each other for just two days, they jumped up and down for a while, not knowing what to do with their joy. Among the five women, Vera suddenly came to her senses and calmed the others down.

“Oh my, we were too happy and dared to…”

Vera shook her head as if reflecting, then gently separated Arabel from them.

“What’s wrong, Vera…?”

As Arabel’s round eyes shook in confusion, Vera almost hugged and cuddled her, finding it too cute.

Shaking her head vigorously again, Vera carefully sat Arabel on the sofa and said.

“From now on, you mustn’t act this intimately with us, young lady.”

Vera looked at Dina, Rosa, and Milly in turn, speaking in a slightly firm tone.

“The same goes for you all. From now until the wedding ceremony, we must be careful not to be caught by the imperial people. Until our young lady takes the empress’s seat, we all need to tread carefully as if walking on thin ice while serving her.”

The three maids nodded vigorously with solemn expressions, seeming to understand Vera’s words.

Receiving the Emperor’s favor and being recognized for her abilities in the competition was one thing, but her position within the imperial court was another matter.

The struggle for supreme power didn’t just happen outside.

Vera, who had been the head maid of a influential family known even in the capital despite being a local lord, knew well how fierce the power struggle among women could be.

For noble women who couldn’t freely engage in social activities due to their female status, despite being more brilliant and talented than their male siblings, their position in the family was almost equivalent to their value of existence.

Therefore, a new mistress who entered a family through marriage couldn’t avoid conflicts with other women who had long been protecting that place to become the true mistress of the house.

It was a fight between new forces trying to seize power and old forces trying not to lose it.

“But why were you listening at the door? The head maid of the bedroom will soon be under the young lady’s management, won’t she?”

To Rosa’s innocent question, Milly, who had worked as a maid in the imperial palace for years, quietly answered instead.

“We don’t know whose person she is. The position of head of the imperial household has been vacant for a long time.”

The trio of maids all looked at Milly at once, as if they didn’t expect such an answer from someone who didn’t talk much.

Soon, Vera nodded and added.

“Milly is right. Since His Majesty became emperor early and the empress’s seat has been vacant for a long time, the power within the imperial household would have been divided into several factions. They must all be keeping an eye on our young lady.”

Dina, Rosa, and Milly’s faces became quite serious, and they whispered in low voices as if someone might hear.

“From what I’ve seen so far, it seems the Empress Dowager and the Grand Duchess of Le Sang have been taking on many responsibilities within the imperial household. And we should find out if there are other figures? In times like these, there’s always another hidden force behind.”

“Then we should naturally figure out who among the high-ranking maids acts on behalf of those people.”

“It’s also important to make allies as soon as possible. There will be many inconveniences if the maids don’t move. When the young lady becomes empress, the court ladies will help her, but until then, let’s make sure we do our part.”

While the three maids and Milly exchanged glances and whispered, unfortunately, the woman who would soon take the position of head couldn’t easily join the conversation.

Her clear face was filled with confusion as she nibbled on her slightly swollen lips.

Honestly, it had been a series of bewildering moments since waking up after returning to the imperial palace from Lake Innis.

[This is the timeline separator]

That morning.

‘Do you remember breaking your promise to me?’

That was what the Emperor said this morning as he breathed hot air onto Arabel’s lips.

Her mind became hazy from the large hand gently caressing her waist over the thin chemise. Arabel could only nod slightly without being able to answer.

Red lips nibbled lightly on the plump earlobe, whispering seductively.

‘So I’m going to break one of my promises to you… do you allow it?’

Due to the increasingly bold touch under the blanket and the hot something that moistened and traced her ear and ear canal, Arabel didn’t even have the energy to ask what promise he was talking about.

She could only nod, her closed eyebrows trembling slightly at the Emperor’s coaxing.

A satisfied laugh flowed between the Emperor’s lips, which had captured her slightly swollen lips, warming her mouth.

Before leaving for his office, the Emperor took Arabel to the reception room adjoining the bedroom.

Shortly after, aide Kyle entered and reported a major matter to the Emperor and Arabel.

‘The imperial family and the council of elder nobles have unanimously agreed to the opinion of the competition committee. Their proposal to abolish the empress selection competition awaits Your Majesty’s signature.’

As startled eyes looked at the Emperor, he also made quite a shocked expression before speaking.

‘If it is truly the will of the imperial family and the council of elder nobles, then I should sign the abolition proposal.’

The Emperor was… so shameless. He was looking at Arabel with a surprised expression as if he hadn’t expected this at all. Kyle made a slightly dumbfounded expression before clearing his voice and speaking.

‘With the abolition of the competition, Lady Arabel, who has won the most victories so far, will automatically ascend to the position of empress. Even if that weren’t the case, since the competition has been abolished, the candidate chosen by His Majesty can become empress… Lady Arabel has become the empress-to-be.’

Arabel’s round eyes widened as much as they could. No words escaped between her finely trembling lips.

Her two cold hands were shaking uncontrollably when suddenly, a large hand overlapped hers, transmitting warm heat.

Red eyes meeting her clear gaze soothed and comforted her anxious heart.

The Emperor raised one eyebrow cunningly and said.

‘I was looking forward to your performance in the two remaining competitions, but what can we do? If that’s people’s opinion, as a wise emperor, I should accept it.’

The Emperor lowered his red eyes and discreetly signaled to aide Kyle. Clearing his voice, aide Kyle began to speak fluently as if he had memorized orders from someone.

He reported loudly how many people were clamoring that only Lady Arabel was qualified to be empress.

He didn’t forget to add that the committee claimed this competition, with no match for Lady Arabel, was a waste of time.

As candidates intimidated by Lady Arabel’s abilities voluntarily withdrew, the competition became meaningless, and so on…

He reported the words the Emperor had instructed without missing a single particle.

Arabel, listening to his words, couldn’t hide her bewildered and embarrassed expression as if she were hearing praise about another lady and not herself…

And the Emperor was busy nodding continuously as if it were natural, praising the insight of those who recognized Arabel’s talents.

It’s unclear whose insight he was praising when these were words he had written himself. Aide Kyle unnecessarily shook his arm inside his sleeve as if his forearm was itchy.

‘Once Your Majesty signs, it will be announced tomorrow morning. The secretarial staff who will assist the lady are scheduled to have an audience tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, lady-in-waiting candidates will pay their respects. After that, official wedding preparations will begin, and during that time, classes on imperial law and administration will start in earnest.’

Aide Kyle hurried out as soon as his ‘unofficial’ report ended.

[This is the timeline separator]

Currently in the imperial guest room.

“Can I do well?”

Arabel revealed her inner thoughts, fixing her gaze on the warmly glowing fireplace.

Honestly, it’s still hard to believe.

Becoming empress.

She had only done her best day by day because she wanted to be with His Majesty.

It doesn’t make sense to sit in the most noble position in the empire out of desire to be by His Majesty’s side, without even being qualified.

The position of empress is a weighty one, responsible for assisting the emperor and taking care of the imperial household.

Even if ignorant, she knows that much.

She hasn’t received lady’s education like the other candidates and doesn’t know much about imperial laws and etiquette…

She became frightened.

Afraid that her beloved and others might be harmed and hurt because of her rather than herself.

As Arabel lowered her head, clasping her cold hands together, a firm voice reached her ears.

“I believe that just as you gave us a miracle, you will become an empress who gives miracles to the people. That’s why I prayed every night for you to surely become Her Majesty the Empress.”

As she raised her head, she saw the face of Milly, her peer, looking at her with moisture in her eyes.

“It seems you don’t know how brightly and beautifully you shine while discovering and protecting the light in everyone, young lady.”

As Vera said with a smile, Rosa and Dina nodded their heads, too choked up to say anything.

The round eyes looking at the four women crinkled into half-moons as she nodded her head vigorously.

With her round nostrils firmly set.

“I… I’ll study hard. I want to become a true empress worthy of the wise and benevolent Your Majesty.”

The trio of maids and Milly nodded their heads continuously, wiping tears with the backs of their hands, proud of Arabel. However, they thought the words ‘wise and benevolent’ didn’t quite suit His Majesty, but they didn’t voice it out loud.

[This is the timeline separator]

A tall, slender stone tower situated halfway up the mountain behind the imperial palace.

It was once used for keeping watch or lighting signal fires, but now it was a prison housing the empire’s greatest criminal.

A prison confining only one prisoner.

By order of the previous emperor, Maxwell’s paternal grandfather, this criminal of criminals was to never leave the stone tower until death.

Until now, the Emperor had shown no interest in the prisoner of the stone tower, following the will of the previous emperor.

There was no reason to be interested in the incompetent and cowardly captain of the guard who failed to protect his father and mother from the black panther.

Daric Che Beoroer, one of the continent’s five great sword masters. He was the captain of Crown Prince Luca’s guard and also the Crown Prince’s martial arts instructor.

According to people, Crown Prince Luca was so close to Sir Daric that it was said he followed him more than his father, the Emperor.

Perhaps that’s why the arrows of disappointment and criticism were sharper towards Sir Daric, who hid himself without properly fighting when the black panther attacked Crown Prince Luca.

It was shocking that Sir Daric, who had protected Crown Prince Luca even at the cost of losing an arm on the battlefield, failed to fulfill his duty, paralyzed with fear at the sight of the black panther.

‘What was he doing again… Ah yes, when the black panther was tearing at my father’s flesh, he was trembling in fear, hiding behind a curtain. When my mother was abducted by the monster, he couldn’t even pick up the sword he had dropped, nor could he chase after the monster.’

A sneer curled the Emperor’s lips as he climbed the narrow, steep stairs of the stone tower.

As captain of the guard and as a friend, the man who thoroughly ignored his father, Emperor Luca, dying miserably.

Thinking of him made hot fire boil up in his chest, so he had lived without thinking about him at all.

But…

It was the moment he would see the criminal he had only heard about for the first time.

“Open it.”

The Emperor, who had arrived at the top of the stone tower with Count Korad, ordered briefly. The guard hurriedly unlocked the padlock and opened the iron door that looked too narrow for even one adult man to enter.

Creeeeak.

The rusted iron door that hadn’t been opened for 25 years slowly opened with an eerie sound.