Jieselgrante quickly covered her mouth and nose with the sleeve of her dress.

Then she went back the way she had just come.

Only when she reached a dead end did she take a deep breath.

Then she waited for the guards to fall asleep.

Thud. There was a sound of something huge falling, followed by another thud.

Certain that the guards had fallen asleep, she immediately turned back towards the Emperor’s bedroom.

‘That must hurt.’

Casting a somewhat pitying glance at the guards sprawled on the floor, she opened the door and went inside.

As it was the day commemorating the founding of the empire, the Emperor gave a speech before the nobles.

It was a throne obtained through patricide.

Given his nature of not hesitating to use any means necessary to achieve his goals, the Emperor’s gaze and atmosphere exuded an unapproachable charisma in every aspect.

This effect was enhanced not only by the atmosphere he exuded but also by the staging.

Imperial knights in crisp white uniforms with knife-edge creases entered the hall in formation.

The imperial knights, similar in height, build, and age, looked young, handsome, and strong.

Before the Emperor’s address began, they simultaneously drew their swords at their waists and performed a kind of demonstration.

Then, from the moment the Emperor entered the hall, they stood rigidly still, facing the nobles in front.

This was to subtly show off the powerful military force.

It was also a kind of hint that if anyone coveted the throne, they would have to face these well-trained imperial knights.

And that’s not all.

Even before the Emperor’s appearance, the orchestra’s music had been softly playing, which played an important role in creating a solemn and majestic atmosphere.

In short, the orchestra’s performance echoing through the vast hall was more like a sound effect than music.

As if rehearsed, it intensified and calmed according to the speed and heightened volume of the Emperor’s voice during the speech, greatly contributing to the Emperor’s domination of the nobles in the hall.

Clap clap! Clap clap clap clap……

As the Emperor’s congratulatory speech commemorating the founding day ended, the nobles in the banquet hall, overwhelmed by the staged atmosphere, began applauding one after another.

The Emperor slightly raised the corners of his mouth in a smile as he received the applause.

His posture was upright and imposing, and his slightly raised chin even appeared lofty at a glance.

Cabelased turned his head away from the Emperor’s face, which looked so proud of himself that he didn’t know what to do with himself.

As it was a gathering of many people, glances were cast at him from here and there, but among them, a prying gaze bothered him.

“……!”

When their eyes met, the young lord of Baron Flarino hastily swallowed his breath.

Then he quickly turned his head in the opposite direction.

After that, he moved slightly to hide behind Baron Flarino.

Seemingly puzzled by his sudden action, Baron Flarino looked around.

When his eyes met Cabelased’s, he grinned and gave a slight bow.

Cabelased turned his head without showing any particular reaction.

He didn’t want to deal with Baron Flarino much.

From what he had observed, Baron Flarino was one to grovel before those in power and be merciless to those weaker than himself.

This could be considered common and wise behavior in noble society. At least in terms of groveling before those in power.

And his son, the young lord of Flarino, showed the same tendencies.

Recently, Cabelased had attended a social gathering.

And there he saw the young lord of Baron Flarino severely rebuking an employee.

At first, he thought the employee had been rude to the young lord of Baron Flarino.

‘Here he goes again. I really don’t know why he does this…’

‘Let’s move away before we get involved.’

From the whispers of other nobles, he learned that the young lord of Baron Flarino was the type to habitually enjoy bullying others.

And that he was vicious enough to only pick on those in weaker positions than himself.

As it happened, Cabelased had some business with him and immediately approached the young lord of Baron Flarino.

And as he approached, he poured wine on the clothes of the young lord of Baron Flarino, who was about to greet him with puzzlement.

‘A mistake, my hand slipped.’

Then he took out a handkerchief and wiped his own hands.

For a moment, the young lord of Baron Flarino just blinked in bewilderment, but he seemed to realize soon after.

The fact that Cabelased was trying to bully him.

Having been humiliated for no reason in front of everyone, it was a situation where he should rightfully protest.

Even if he was the great Duke of Cardia.

But the young lord of Baron Flarino didn’t do that.

‘I, I see.’

Despite his clenched fists trembling, he didn’t utter a single complaint in front of Cabelased and simply accepted his actions.

Cabelased completely lost his will to fight at his servile attitude.

In fact, the reason Cabelased had attended that social gathering was to take revenge on behalf of Jieselgrante, whose heart had been disturbed by the young lord of Baron Flarino, in addition to socializing with the nobles.

After that day, he thought about why he had volunteered to attract attention with actions he would never have done normally.

As someone who didn’t particularly cling to relationships with people, his interest in Jieselgrante was a very unfamiliar feeling.

But what’s clear is that Cabelased Cardia feels attraction towards Jieselgrante Amaterasu. Unlike before.

Whether it’s attraction as a romantic interest or respect for someone smart enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, he’ll have to figure out gradually…

As soon as his thoughts about her were organized, this question arose.

Whether it would be possible for a father and son who don’t live in the same environment to mimic each other’s behavior.

Baron Flarino and his son had very similar aspects. As if he had directly inherited his father’s temperament.

If he was mimicking his father’s behavior even without living together and learning by observation, then Cabelased would also be like the Emperor.

He would be looking down on people with his chin raised arrogantly as if he had the world at his feet.

Like the Emperor in front of him right now.

“……”

Cabelased soon found the answer to the question he had harbored.

It was because he was plotting the same plan as his birth father, the Emperor, who had killed his brother and usurped the throne.

‘Blood will tell, is that it?’

Cabelased’s gaze, after a brief sneer, wandered around the banquet hall as if looking for someone.

Then his gaze stopped where Mikhail and Duke Amaterasu were.

‘Come to think of it, she hasn’t been visible for a while now.’

Cabelased’s gaze quickly scanned around the two of them.

Having safely entered the imperial archive, Jieselgrante looked around the interior.

This place, where the history of the Fasis Empire flowed, was a place that no one except the Emperor and the heir apparent even knew existed.

Even seeing it again, it was a mysterious place that was dazzlingly splendid yet sacred, even evoking a sense of reverence.

The high domed ceiling was adorned with intricate murals that depicted the constellations in the sky as human figures.

Below that were shelves full of books.

The documents densely packed on the shelves included various diplomatic documents and legal documents.

Not only letters exchanged between imperial family members, but also ancient artifacts and priceless works of art were stored here.

The main purpose of the secret archive was the secret that was only passed down to the imperial family member who would become the next emperor.

This played a key role in protecting the power of the imperial family.

Typically, the daily lives of the imperial family were recorded, but the storage locations for records during their lifetime and after death were different.

The records of the late Empress and Princess Trinity should be here.

She began searching for the records of the late Empress.

As she rummaged through the records of the late Empress’s birth and life, looking for records from Lugal during her pregnancy with Trinity, she unconsciously turned her gaze and froze at what caught her eye.

‘……Duke Cardia?’

At first, she wondered why he was here, but looking again, she could see that it wasn’t Cabelased himself, but a portrait in a frame.

The man in the painting, whom she had momentarily mistaken for Cabelased, was the first Emperor of the Fasis Empire.

Calming her startled heart, she stared intently at the portrait in the painting.

And she analyzed the first Emperor’s temperament in her own way.

‘He might have had a free-spirited personality, unlike what’s known.

That could be the case.

In the painting, he was wearing black pants and a white shirt, with the collar area of the shirt carelessly unbuttoned.

And there was a small mark on his chest area.

Her gaze lingered on the mark for a moment before sweeping over the entire painting.

The portrait in the painting was so detailed and lifelike that it felt like she was facing a living, breathing person.

“……!”

At that moment, she recalled why she had disliked Cabelased.

When she came to the secret archive as a child, she had seen this portrait too.

The first Emperor of Fasis with night-sky black hair and red eyes.

Not long after that, she encountered Cabelased who had come to the imperial palace.

At first, she was intrigued by the fact that there was a child wandering around the palace and spoke to him.

If he was lost, she would help him find his parents, she said.

It was her best attempt at kindness.

But the boy only glared at her with an unrefined gaze.

Though his sharp gaze towards her remained, she couldn’t hide her delight as she pointed at the boy.

‘It’s the same.’

‘What do you mean, the same……?’

‘You look exactly like the first Emperor of Fasis. With black hair……’

‘Put that hand down.’

The boy swatted her arm away with an expression of displeasure.

‘How dare you!’

Her voice came out reflexively due to extreme surprise, and what she got in return from the boy was a cold sneer.

‘This is ridiculous. Who are you to……’

The black-haired boy clicked his tongue at her as if dealing with an ill-mannered child and turned away.

And he muttered as if talking to himself.