“Oh, Edwin. I’m sorry.”

“Is your hand not numb? If it’s not numb, you might have an amazing talent.”

“A talent?”

“Don’t you remember? When Olivia lifted Iairuten with one hand.”

“I can’t forget. It was the first oath I received as a knight.”

Olivia raised the corner of her mouth. It was a well-matched joke to lighten the mood.

The cool evening breeze tickled Olivia’s cheek. Along with the wind, the fresh scent of flowers wafted in.

“Such a chaotic summer banquet.”

Especially with the grandiose fuss from the adjacent balcony. It was a balcony with thick curtains drawn, but it couldn’t block the voices emanating from the open space on the neighboring balcony.

“Even if Her Highness the Princess didn’t collapse…….”

“…Whatever happened, the timing was good.”
Behind the peculiar voice, various conversations continued. Olivia briefly glanced at the curtains.

It was as they said.

The timing was perfect.

For both the princess and the emperor.

The princess collapsed on the spot. Although Duke Elkin, who was standing next to her, hurriedly supported her, he couldn’t prevent the princess’s delicate hair from trailing on the ground.

If the princess, who always knew only the soles of her shoes touching the ground, realized it, it would indeed be a shocking sight.

“…Summon a physician to diagnose the princess’s condition. Duke of Madelaine, Marquis and Vicomte of Sogongjak, and the Deputy Commander and the Buddhist sister of the Duke, follow me.”

After hastily organizing the situation, the emperor left. The nobles, who had been watching the emperor’s movements with bewildered courtesy, rushed toward Edwin as the doors of the banquet hall closed terrifyingly.

“Great war hero, Your Grace the Grand Duke. What on earth is happening?”

“Did Her Highness the Princess really not go to Vicander? Truly, this is an unexpected turn of events.”

Avoiding the nobles rushing to engage in conversation, Olivia found herself here.

Even now, Howard and Winster were likely struggling against the nobles outside the curtain.

Smiling at the thought of the two sweating, Olivia briefly bit her lip.

“…If Edwin is okay, I want to go back to Vicander.”

A calm voice fell upon the night sky unexpectedly. It was an unexpected remark. Olivia wanted to see Edwin’s triumphant appearance a little longer.

Edwin glanced at Olivia for a moment and chuckled.

“Shall we go back right now?”

“Edwin still has negotiations with Hepherti, right?”

Even in this situation, it was a casual response. Edwin laughed a little and agreed.

“If that’s the case, it’s fine to see each other again, but anything else is fine. I’ll finish the negotiations quickly and join you.”

This time, Olivia smiled with a meaningfully relaxed expression. Edwin asked cautiously.

“But why do you suddenly want to go back early? Until a moment ago, you seemed quite satisfied.”

“It was satisfying. Undoubtedly, it was very good.”

The queen and the princess were struggling over the White Crystal Mine. I don’t know if it had an impact, but even the prince tried to catch me.

Every time, I felt a satisfying emotion. It felt good that those who should have bowed to me were lowering their heads towards me, and it was enough to make the corners of my mouth rise.

But now, as good as it was, my heart ached. Ever since I saw Jade, who put the princess in a difficult situation.

“…Whether or not, I will bear the consequences of the dishonorable deeds done as ‘Madelaine.'”

More precisely, ever since I saw Jade, who looked at me while speaking. As if Olivia could grasp the emotions in the sparkling amethyst eyes, she mumbled without realizing it.

“…If you want to apologize more to others, what should you do?”

Regret, perhaps an apology.
It was a gaze similar to what Olivia had seen from Esella.

However, Olivia shook her head. Maybe she saw it wrong.

Everything had already been severed. A relationship where there was no reason to distinguish between right and wrong, let alone offer apologies.

But despite that, for some reason, the emotions she thought she had discarded continued to well up.

If it were an apology or a plea, she should have heard it from the princess. Though insincere, the one who always looked sternly at her had bowed his head.

But that would have been allowed only up to the princess. Between the princess and her, there was the White Crystal Mine.

There was only Esella between Duke Madelaine and herself.

It was a conflicting emotion. The desire to demand an apology that she would never give suddenly surged.

Even if she apologized, it wouldn’t soothe my anger. Just like the princess did.

So Olivia hurriedly spoke.

“…It’s not worth it. There’s nothing more to see here.”

Now was good. A life filled with love in happy Vicander.

However, when Edwin lifted his head and looked at her, he seemed oddly distressed. It felt a bit pitiful, even though there was nothing to be pitiful about in this situation.

Olivia changed the subject.

“Why did you step forward instead, Edwin?”

“Me?”

Edwin laughed naturally. Olivia narrowed her eyes.

“Probably the one who laughed is from the envoy’s side.”

She knew that the laughter came from a slightly distant place, not right next to her.

Edwin playfully squinted his eyes.

“Well, it’s a bit of a gesture. It was also the right timing for me to laugh.”

At his additional words, Olivia lightly smiled. She thought he only liked being kind and giving to others.

“It’s surprising. I thought you weren’t good at calculations.”

“To get what you want, you have to be quick-witted. Thanks to that, I was able to bring a precious person like Olivia to my side.”

Contrary to his playful words, the look in his eyes as he put his lips on the back of her hand was sincere. The cool night air rushed in. It touched her lips as they fell away, seductively curving.

“…It’s a regrettable night to just go back like this. Shall we have a drink?”

“…Sure.”

“With alcohol?”

Pretending to think for a moment, Olivia shrugged her shoulders. Then she nodded.

Edwin’s red lips formed a thicker smile.

“We should hurry back.”

After Edwin left, Olivia’s shoulders jumped for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she looked into the distance.

The Tiaze Palace was shining proudly in a silvery light today. It was unfamiliar to look at it with such an unhesitating heart, so Olivia smiled a little. Then, while pondering the conversation with the queen earlier, she thought of the unnamed knight.

The reason for me to return to the regime. But Olivia shook her head. Now that the queen knew about him, she had abandoned the idea of meeting him.
Contacting him, who could be on the queen’s side, was an unnecessary risk.

There was regret, but it was something that couldn’t be helped.

…Cutting off such sentimental feelings was as easy as dealing with the unnamed knight.

A bitter sigh escaped from her slender lips. Complicated entangled emotions slowly spread across the night sky.

“If you keep scratching, won’t it be difficult for the young lady to obtain the ‘documents’ you mentioned?”

In a corner of the banquet hall where nobles no longer followed, Howard spoke cautiously.

There was no explicit subject, but Edwin was sure that the subtle words referred to the emperor. So, he shrugged his shoulders and looked back casually.

“I have to endure, but when I see that face, I can’t help but speak. Still, it seems I’m good at striking a balance. In Interfield competition.”

As the probing gaze got closer, Edwin turned around leisurely. It was as he expected.

“…Greetings, Duke Edwin. I am Kiwal, the representative of the Hepherti delegation.”

“You were waiting for me.”

“Not in the best of terms, but since you stepped forward in a potentially awkward situation.”

Duke Kiwal, wearing foreign glasses. And the one who mocked him at the banquet earlier.

Edwin laughed heartily.