“I’m back.”

“Oh, yes. You arrived sooner than I expected.”

Leoprick pulled back the curtain hanging in the passageway and entered the room.

Leoprick, who had entered through the secret passage leading directly to the Emperor’s office to keep others from knowing, met the Emperor who had been waiting after receiving advance notice.

If asked what Leoprick would look like 20 years later, one could point to the Emperor, that’s how much the gazes of the father and son who resembled each other met.

The moment their eyes met, the two smiled as if they had made a promise.

“It seems like you enjoyed your honeymoon.”

“Of course, it was our honeymoon after all.”

“I thought it wouldn’t be very enjoyable since it’s different from ours.”

“You sound like you were hoping it wouldn’t be enjoyable.”

“As if. I just thought it wouldn’t be easy, not only because of you but also because Lady Vermerian’s personality is no pushover either.”

The Emperor joked with his son, who had just returned from his honeymoon, in a silky tone. It was more of a tease disguised as comfort, saying that his wife’s personality was not easy so it must not have been easy for him either.

It was an excessively light tone for an emperor of a nation to use.

Leoprick looked at his father and chuckled.

“You’re one to talk, Father. Aren’t you living with someone even more formidable than my wife?”

“Oh my. Can your brave and valiant mother even compare to your wife who is known for being strict and cold?”

“Compare? I don’t think that’s something you should be saying to me, Father.”

Leoprick countered his father, who was pretending to scold his son with a stern face, in an equally silky tone.

The two soon burst into laughter behind their meeting gazes.

“Don’t you dare tell your mother, by any chance.”

“Do I have a choice, Your Majesty? Of course not.”

As if familiar with this kind of conversation, the two soon sat facing each other on a sofa arranged on one side of the office.

“So, what’s the reason for urgently summoning your busy son like this?”

Leoprick was the one who brought up the topic as soon as he sat down.

He looked at his father, who still had a playful smile on his face, with a serious expression.

Whatever it was, there must be a good reason for his father, who had told him to go and strengthen his relationship with Amelia, to urgently move up the schedule like this.

Judging by the fact that he did not give an exact story in the letter, there must be some serious international problem or an issue with the factions among the nobles…

“Hmm, I was wondering if you had any thoughts of taking a concubine other than Vermerian, so I called for you.”

“Pardon?”

…or so it should have been.

Leoprick could only make a dumbfounded expression.

Still with a playful look, what the Emperor said was completely different from what he had been thinking.

A concubine. To someone who hasn’t even been married for a month.

And to someone who knows what Amelia means to him.

Leoprick blankly stared at his father who was spouting nonsense without even realizing what kind of expression he was making.

“Yes. Seeing your face, it seems you haven’t thought about concubines at all.”

“Why would I? When you don’t have any either?”

He blurted out in an overly sharp tone, too taken aback.

If it were like usual, he would have been scolded for being disrespectful, but the Emperor just let out a hearty laugh without saying anything.

“Yes. Of course it’s natural for me not to have any. Why would I, when I have Verdi.”

“I’ll say the same to you. Why would I, when I have Amelia.”

Just for that, you urgently called me?

Leoprick added in an icy tone.

With a face that looked like he would immediately drop a command of displeasure if the person who had called him was not the Emperor.

But the other person was the Emperor, and his father, and as far as he knew, not someone who would interfere with his son who was dreaming sweetly for “just” that kind of reason.

So he was just silently catching his breath instead of uttering the next words.

Emperor Bernard smiled at his son.

“Of course, it’s a vastly insufficient reason to interfere with you, but the person who suggested it is quite something.”

Leoprick raised his eyebrows, nervously brushing back his hair.

Who on earth said such nonsense?

“I thought I needed to confirm it urgently, so I called you. I figured there’s no way my son, who was pondering how to get even one more word in with Lady Vermerian, would accept it.”

It was about time for him to come up anyway.

A smile spread on Bernard’s lips.

The playfulness from earlier was completely gone, replaced by a unique smile that conveyed a bit of composure and restraint at the same time.

Leoprick looked at his father and carefully organized his thoughts.

There had been talk of concubines since before he got married.

The nobles were very dissatisfied with the Emperor, who had no empress other than the queen and no heir other than Leoprick.

Even though there was no law that said the Emperor should be like them just because they had many concubines and illegitimate children.

Still, they always expressed their dissatisfaction to the Emperor.

At the same time, they always told the crown prince, his son, that he should take concubines.

So it wouldn’t be strange for one of them to press the Emperor while Leoprick was away.

But even if they were saying the same thing, for it to be someone the Emperor would be surprised enough to call him back…

“Don’t tell me, was it Count Vermerian who suggested it?”

He could easily deduce who it might be.

Someone who had enough influence that the Emperor could never ignore, and who could quickly summon the crown prince back to the capital while he was on his honeymoon.

The Emperor nodded to his son who had found the right answer.

“Yes. He came to see me not long after you two left.”

“I guess he had been thinking about it even before we got married.”

“He said that just as I have no empress other than the queen, it would be nice if Leoprick was the same, but it’s an unrealistic idea.”

Arthur Vermerian, who was also the prime minister of the empire, was a terribly realistic and honest person.

In other words, he was someone who would not hesitate to do anything that would benefit the empire and his family.

He pushed his daughter into the position of becoming the empire’s foremost woman without a moment’s hesitation.

Leoprick thought that Vermerian could make such a suggestion probably because he was someone who did not hide his affection for his daughter.

“I suppose he was worried that Amelia would have to fight alone in the palace.”

“Yes. He did bring it up saying the nobles’ words are not wrong at all, but isn’t it obvious? That guy’s motive is clear.”

Bernard lightly nodded his head and laughed.

He was not greatly shaken by the words of the nobles, which were not much different from 30 years ago before he got married or now.

No, there was no need to be shaken.

They’ll just say outdated things whenever they open their mouths anyway.

But it’s not just anyone, it’s Arthur Vermerian.

There’s no way such a guy would bring it up just to spout boring things about the nobles being right.

“For a doting parent like no other, I guess he racked his brain in his own way in case his daughter who takes after his wife might struggle.”

“It’s not just anyone, it’s ‘that’ Vermerian. He couldn’t let go of his loyalty to the imperial family and his concern for his daughter.”

“He’s a greedy one, so he must have used some trick to try to protect her somehow.”

“So, did you hear who it was?”

He was not unfamiliar with him.

Vermerian, who would have definitely tried to make things comfortable for his daughter somehow.

But for him to directly bring up the matter of concubines, that’s unexpected.

Leoprick asked, recalling something in his memory.

If his memory was correct, Count Vermerian would have told the Emperor his full intentions, and if not…

“He kept his words to himself until the end. I considered pressing him further, but I felt it wouldn’t be very meaningful so I let it go. He’ll talk when the time comes.”

Bernard added that he had deferred answering the count’s opinion, saying he would ask Leoprick when he returned.

“You can contact him first if necessary, or you can wait and see a bit longer if not.”

“What do you think is best?”

“For now, isn’t it better to wait and see? Count Vermerian is not someone who acts without thought.”

“To be fair, even if you gather a hundred nobles in a meeting, they’re no match for Count Vermerian.”

“Your words are harsh, my son.”

Bernard laughed softly, finding Leoprick’s blunt remark amusing.

Still, he did not end up nagging his son to watch his words, as one would usually do.

It meant that he inwardly agreed with his son’s words, even if he didn’t say it.

Seeing his father like that, Leoprick stood up from his seat with a smile.

“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll get going. I’m supposed to meet Amelia at the palace’s main gate in a little while.”

“I guess you decided to come and go while avoiding the eyes of the world.”

“The nobles may be mostly stupid, but don’t they occasionally act overly tiring?”

“Well, there were many who opposed the young lady’s merchant group work even before you two got married.”

“There’s no need to intentionally give them something to pick at.”

Leoprick shrugged his shoulders.

What’s the big deal about a woman working?

The idiots of the noble assembly had opposed their marriage, bringing up the fact that Amelia worked.

Even though everyone knew she was the flower of high society and a perfect etiquette textbook-like person even within the empire.

Recalling once again that Amelia’s judgment had been right, Leoprick gave Bernard a small bow.

“Then I’ll see you in a little while.”

“Yes. My son. It’s nice of you to say you’ll come to see me formally in a little while, but…”

But before that, Bernard smiled and pointed to his desk.

“I didn’t say that was all I had to say, did I?”

“…Ha.”

And at his fingertips, the desk was filled with documents of unknown contents.

As soon as we arrived at the merchant group, a sense of inexplicable silence seemed to fill the building.

Recalling the Jenit Merchant Group, which was always lively even if not noisy, this sight felt quite out of place.

Something must have happened.

Seeing the somewhat desolate appearance of the merchant group, I pulled the reins a bit more.

Getting off the horse and entering the building, that sense of discomfort intensified.

The building, shrouded in an unknown silence, had noticeably fewer people.

“…With this much, I’d believe it if you said the merchant group went bankrupt.”

“Well, you’re not wrong, but they say words become seeds, Betty.”

While giving Betty a brief warning, I inwardly agreed that it really did look that way.

The building that was always bustling with half employees and half retailers now felt so cold.

There were so few people that not a single receptionist, who would always pop out to greet visitors, could be seen.

What on earth…

What happened while I was away from the capital?

We quietly and diligently observed our surroundings as we headed to Hayley’s office.

People could be seen walking around from time to time, but they were all carrying lots of things and hurriedly moved about as if they didn’t see us.

It seems like something big happened, very big at that.

During the short distance from the building entrance to Hayley’s office, I once again recalled the events I experienced before the regression.

What happened around this time before the regression?

But no matter how much I tried to remember, there was nothing that would harm or strain the merchant group.

The merchant group had never struggled to the point of having so few people.

Then why?

“Young lady! When did you arrive?”

And at that moment, we ran into the person who would solve that question for us.