“The problem that occurred this time is because you were trying to designate Rosemary as a tourist autonomous region.”

Casius’s eyebrows noticeably curved.

The straight lips beneath them soon burst into a hollow laugh.

“So. Are you saying I did something wrong now?”

“Of course not. What I want to say is……”

Looking into Casius’s eyes, which were so beautiful even when frowning, I continued my words resolutely.

“I’ll help ensure that Rosemary definitely gets that project.”

For the first time, a different color appeared over Casius’s blue eyes, which had been consumed by ash gray.

I didn’t miss the opportunity and immediately pressed on.

After hearing all the plans I explained, Casius silently looked at me for a moment.

Then he soon frowned and asked.

“How did you know such information?”

I smiled an innocent, harmless smile and made up a plausible excuse.

“I told you, didn’t I? There’s more information floating around the Diarob duchy than you might think.”

In reality, this information was something I had discovered recently while searching for information about magic mirrors in the Benedict ancient texts.

So strictly speaking, saying it was information from the Diarob duchy was a lie.

The reason for the lie was simple.

If I said I had translated the ancient language of the Benedict texts, he might suspect my identity.

Of course, it might be an excessive worry that he would figure out I was Rachel just from that one thing, but I was the only one in the empire capable of interpreting ancient languages.

Anyway, if I could just get through this properly, my innocence would be proven.

At the same time, I could prove that the trust with the Diarob duchy, which I tried to protect even with such lies this time, was worth it.

Casius stared at me blankly for a while with an expression that seemed lost in thought.

After that, he disappeared outside without saying anything else.

His anger could be felt from the door that slammed shut.

What an attitude towards someone who had passed on such tremendous information.

As I watched Casius’s retreating back, my emotions became tangled like a ball of thread.

Still, I try to pull myself together.

‘You’ll soon realize that my words are true.’

Then another chance will come to me.

It had to be so.

*

Returning to his room, Casius went over the strategy Vivian had suggested.

‘Annihilate the monsters of Mount Evella?’

At first, he thought it was a stupid idea from someone who didn’t even have basic knowledge about monsters. Once monsters multiply, their numbers can’t be controlled.

But the words that followed made Casius intrigued.

‘If you catch the leader of the monsters, all monsters of that species will die? And that the leader of those monsters, Birloff, is in disguise.’

That was tremendous information that had never been revealed in the empire even once.

If all this information was true, Casius could get what he wanted without taking a roundabout path.

But the moment he faced Vivian, he hated himself for being even momentarily intrigued by such a thing.

Vivian Snowfel was a woman who stuck to her father and broke promises as often as she ate.

‘Even today, didn’t she deceive me in the meeting room?’

She was someone who had instantly made him, who until recently believed she was different from Duke Diarob Snowfel, look like a pathetic person.

This strategy was also likely to be a trap.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized Vivian Snowfel had nothing to gain from such lies.

Moreover, he still hadn’t found the reason why Vivian had told him about the previous Benedict trade route issue.

Although it might be a waste of time, Casius also felt a glimmer of hope.

Of course, Casius had his own strategy.

To silence them by releasing monsters in the Winterdel and Snowfel duchies.

However, his strategy had the possibility of causing bloodshed not only to the imperial power but also to the imperial citizens he was supposed to protect.

When his thoughts reached that point, Casius had no reason to hesitate.

If Vivian’s strategy was true, this would be not only bloodless but also risk-free.

Casius wanted to give Rosemary the most brilliant hand in the safest way possible.

“Tikan.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Despite being called, Casius remained silent afterward.

His furrowed brow, seemingly lost in thought, only returned to normal after a long while.

“What feelings does a person who wants to become a chess piece have?”

This was the same words Tikan had spoken long ago when making his knight’s vow.

But Tikan couldn’t guess the intentions of his lord who suddenly asked this.

He simply expressed the feelings he had when he uttered those words.

“Isn’t it just a ceremonial phrase during the knighting ceremony?”

Tikan wasn’t extremely loyal to Casius from the beginning either.

At first, he was even more wary of him because he was said to be the man who loved his sister, and he also viewed his lord unfavorably due to the bad rumors surrounding him.

It took many hours spent with Casius for him to fully understand the meaning of lord and vassal.

“Yes. That’s usually the case.”

“Why do you suddenly ask that?”

“It’s nothing.”

Casius, who ended the conversation insipidly, threw another incomprehensible question after a short while.

“What can be done with Birloff’s heart?”

The reason Casius asked this question was none other than Vivian’s words.

“What does she want from me to go that far?”

Honestly, Casius thought Vivian would make an absurd request this time.

Like asking him to take her in, or to postpone appointing Evelina Winterdel as an aide.

If it had been something like that, he would have coldly rejected Vivian’s proposal in an instant.

But what she wanted, even to the point of cutting down her own family, was none other than the monster, ‘Birloff’s heart’.

He was pulled from his reverie by Tikan’s voice.

“Birloff’s heart?”

Tikan, who had been pondering for a moment to compile the information, soon recalled something and stared at Casius with a strange expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Well……”

“What is it. Speak quickly.”

“They say it’s very good for men.”

Tikan’s gaze fell on his lord’s precious area.

Casius rubbed his forehead, regretting that he had asked Tikan.

Tikan misunderstood this as his noble lord being unable to directly ask how to increase his virility, and quickly added.

“From what I’ve heard, if you boil and eat that heart, you can easily go ten rounds.”

As Tikan continued speaking, he realized from his lord’s silence that he had misspoken.

Come to think of it, there were no women by his lord’s side.

He had said that only one woman existed in his life.

As his thoughts reached even his sister, Tikan became solemn and chose his words again.

It was just that ‘virility’ remained vivid in his memory because it applied to him, but now other secondary things slowly began to make their presence known in his mind.

“I’ve heard that when women boil and eat it, they become pregnant quickly.”

This time, Casius showed a different reaction from before.

“That makes sense.”

Encouraged by getting a response, albeit an incomprehensible one, Tikan continued.

“Among magicians, there’s also talk that boiling and eating it is effective for mana recovery. But these are all unconfirmed rumors.”

“Of course, since we’ve never heard of or seen humans eating monster hearts.”

At Casius’s words, Tikan swallowed the additional comments he was about to make.

But his lord quickly noticed his behavior.

When Casius pressed him, Tikan had no choice but to open his mouth.

“Well… My sister also said a long time ago that she wanted to have a monster’s heart.”

Seeing Casius darken rapidly at the mention of his sister, Tikan trailed off.

Yet, from the unusually broken syllables in Casius’s speech, Tikan felt a strange intuition.

Tikan, being much more proficient in using his body than his head, had developed a unique intuition. Enough to keenly notice things like the angle of the wind or the tilt of moonlight.

This intuition was unfailingly demonstrated in understanding human psychology as well.

‘Did you hear something in the Vice-Duchess’s room?’

If so, the words his lord had just spoken were questionable.

After all, saying one would become a chess piece was something to say to one’s lord, not suitable for use with a beloved partner.

Tikan recalled the Vice-Duchess who had stolen the love guide recently.

Surely, such words weren’t written in the love guide, were they? Had another victim of the love guide been born?

Tikan’s thoughts were interrupted by Casius’s order.

“Tikan, right now, go tell Cardinal Le Barsalin to give you holy water and take it to sprinkle all over the peak of Mount Evella.”

“Yes. …What? Holy water?”

It was natural for Tikan to be surprised.

Since holy water was precious, the act of sprinkling it on the ground could be considered blasphemous to God.

But Casius had never worshipped God even once since Rachel disappeared. He cursed if anything.

Casius, who nodded his head heavily, continued his orders.

“The leader, Birloff, might appear there, so take the Wolfdor Knights with you and have them lie in ambush.”

Tikan, who understood his lord’s intentions, couldn’t hide his surprise.

‘Did the Vice-Duchess say that Birloff is disguised at the peak of Evella?’

Tikan became certain of his thoughts as he looked at his troubled-looking lord.

It was a strange thing. Tikan, who was also present in that meeting room, thought it impossible that the Vice-Duchess would help Rosemary.

But why……