“Those who condemned me to this place, nothing will change.”

The chilly and resolute voice suddenly transported the Emperor back to that day over a decade ago.

Next to the Grand Duke, the princess, who was always full of bright laughter, now looked at him with an expressionless gaze, just like she did back then.

“Well, I have a different opinion from the princess.”

“I am the Grand Duchess Vicandre.”

Interrupting the Emperor’s leisurely shoulder shrug, the princess’s eyes were still sharp.

The Emperor blinked for a moment. Even though it was just a painting, the cool dignity that overwhelmed the viewer was exactly the same as the princess the Emperor had desired.

…It didn’t matter now; she was a dead person, and that formidable spirit was useless in front of the Emperor’s power.

This was the Imperial Palace, and he was the eternal ruler of this empire.

Recalling past and present alternately, the Emperor smiled generously. So, he said that back then, the Emperor discreetly detached his luck, as if offering a favor.

“If you want to deny your origin so much, I can give you a different status, Princess.”

The Emperor could give everything if only the princess said so. His heart pounded with anticipation. If only those slightly twisted lips of the leaning princess uttered a favorable word…

“…If you want to evoke the old glory of Lowell so much, I also have one thing to say.”

The chilly voice resonated like a clear melody.

“Lowell has many interesting legends. Among them, the most mysterious is the story of a person who sang with a noble voice filled with sincerity. Aren’t you curious? If you sing with sincerity, what might happen?”

Knock[Hyphen]. At the sound of a knocking beyond the bedroom door, the Emperor, awakened from his memories, frowned. Even if she rejected him, it was a memory of the woman he had longed for.

The Emperor, who used to be angry that someone would not leave him alone, sighed.

Come to think of it, there weren’t many who would knock on the Emperor’s bedroom door this night.

The Emperor roughly pulled the curtain over the portrait. He gazed regretfully at the place where the princess had hidden herself before approaching the door.

And when he opened the door.

“…Empress. What brings you here this night?”

The Emperor’s blunt voice was tinged with irritation. But the Empress, with a pathetic expression, looked into the bedroom and said.

“Your Majesty, I, who couldn’t wait for a long night as a mother who hasn’t seen her daughter for a few days, came disgracefully. I heard that the princess has arrived.”

“You’re a step late, Empress. Reyna has already returned to my palace a long time ago.”

The Emperor said bluntly. It was likely that the Empress would turn back at this point. However, the Empress, smiling like a young girl, entered the Emperor’s bedroom.

With an audacity that was unimaginable, she invaded his space without permission. Seeing the Empress, the Emperor raised his eyebrows sharply.

“It’s dark on the way at night. Surely, you won’t send me back like this?”
With an enchanting voice, the Emperor’s eyebrows relaxed. In response to his slightly softened demeanor, the Empress covered her mouth and smiled discreetly.

“A magician capable of casting preservation spells has entered Your Majesty’s bedroom.”

In the deep night, the Empress, recalling the words of the chamberlain, slowly opened her eyes. After confirming the regular, faint sound of breathing from the side, the Empress sat up.

There it was. The Empress, who scanned one side of the bedroom with keen eyes, asked with a chilly laugh.

There, in the deepest part of the bedroom, the Empress knew exactly what was there.

“Never again… Never again enter this place.”

The Emperor’s angry voice still echoed in her mind. When she had just become the Empress and casually entered that place, it was saturated with the Emperor’s obsession.

A blonde woman whose face was not visible due to the draped curtain.

Later, news of the death of Grand Duke Vicandre had spread throughout the empire. It wasn’t until the Grand Duchess, his wife, came to the palace to take responsibility that the Empress realized the woman in the painting was the Grand Duchess.

Heh.

The Empress looked down at the Emperor with a cold gaze. Thankfully, the prince and princess had inherited her blood. At least she wouldn’t foolishly cling to the past like this.

The Empress thought of her two children.

Olivia, the immature one who had blossomed into the flower of high society, and the virtuous prince who even placed heaven by his side for the prosperity of the empire.

She smiled again, satisfied, and lay back on the bed.

She had to meet the princess tomorrow. Her proud lineage would surely bring interesting stories, making her enjoyable.

In the dim night, moonlight, piercing through the darkness, illuminated the Empress’s face. And soon, clouds covered the moon.

As if trying to prevent even a single point of light from reaching the Empress.

“Have you arrived, Your Highness.”