“You know that’s impossible.”

One corner of Diarob’s mouth curled up.

He was blatantly sneering at me.

Apart from that, his sharp gaze was keen as if it would dissect my insides.

It wasn’t terribly frightening. Just disgusting.

“The affection between a man and a woman is originally a fleeting moment.”

Not even trusting his own daughter.

‘Well, it’s greedy to expect a daughter to remain for the family’s sake until the end while behaving this way.’

The answer he had in mind was already set.

Without showing any change in expression on the outside, I quickly turned my mind inwardly.

At that moment, Diarob said with a sharp sneer.

“Moreover, a stupid child like you would have already forgotten your place.”

The smile on his lips and Diarob’s attitude felt dangerous.

‘Of course, since I am the empress, he can’t really do anything to me.’

Diarob is a person who values face the most. He won’t do anything crazy that would be visibly noticeable.

Above all, I thought there was no way he would do anything to his own daughter.

But recalling the scene from a little while ago, with Viodel……

I couldn’t be sure. Of what he might do.

Checking for pregnancy as soon as I arrived was also distasteful now that I think about it.

It was vividly felt that to Diarob, Vivian was nothing more than a mere tool.

Just a tool to carry the imperial heir, nothing more, nothing less.

Diarob took off the gloves on his hands and took out a necklace-shaped magical tool from his bosom.

The large blue gem embedded in the center emitted its unique light.

The tiaras densely embedded around it had a beautiful yet grotesque shape.

As his hand touched it, light was reflected and flowed around it.

On top of that, a strange engraving of a serpent pattern was carved.

‘Could it be……’

A chilling memory flashed through my mind.

Long ago, I had seen such a pattern. That engraving was the symbol of black magic that uses ancient sorcery to curse or kill people.

In an instant, a low and sharp voice ominously filled the space.

“They say if you let a household dog loose, it won’t know gratitude. I let you off too much.”

There was not a hint of affection in the way he looked at Vivian.

A sense of uneasiness overwhelmed me.

‘Is he trying to kill me here?’

Diarob is someone who can do anything for his own purposes and interests.

Even the betrayal of a tool. There’s no way he would forgive that.

‘Moreover, there’s even less reason to keep a chess piece alive that refuses to move according to his will.’

It wouldn’t be strange even if he tried to get rid of me on the spot.

During Rachel’s time as Diarob’s nemesis, I knew how cruel a person the duke was.

Diarob killed his useless subordinates more cruelly than anyone else and perfectly concealed the evidence.

‘Even if I die here, who would even suspect it?’

No one would even think that a father killed his daughter. What a perfect environment for concealment.

At that moment, Diarob said while turning the bead-shaped gem.

“You’ve already forgotten, so I’ll have to remind you.”

‘Forgotten? What does he mean? Is he saying that this sorcery has been performed in the past as well?’

Before the question could linger, my breathing was constricted.

At first, I thought it was due to his pressure… It felt like someone was strangling my neck.

“Ugh!”

My legs, twisted in pain, spasmed uncontrollably and miserably fell from the chair to the ground.

Thud-

A dull sound vibrated through the space, but Diarob didn’t even pay attention and continued to turn the bead.

‘It’s a seal. He had implanted a seal in my body!’

The moment a seal is engraved, a master-servant relationship is established.

The master has a tool like this to strangle the breath, and accordingly, the servant must obey in order not to die.

Naturally, engraving such seals was strictly prohibited in the empire. Of course, that didn’t mean there were no dark forces at all.

Sealing slaves or assassins of families who wanted perfect obedience was rampant under the table.

But even that wasn’t done recklessly.

It was because only a few survived the process of engraving the seal.

So this… was something I never even expected.

‘What kind of crazy bastard would implant a seal in his daughter’s body?’

Thoughts could no longer deepen.

Every time he stroked the bead on the necklace, the pain grew indescribably intense.

My breath gradually roughened, and soon my breathing became labored as if someone was squeezing my lungs.

The pain gradually intensified, causing my whole body to tremble.

I wanted to scream at him to just kill me.

No tears came out. There were no tears to shed in front of such a guy.

‘Is this how I die? In vain……’

Diarob’s eyes met mine, urging me to show him something with his gaze.

His mocking eyes were telling me to submit.

I tried to tell him to just kill me, but my mouth wouldn’t move.

It wasn’t because of the sorcery, nor because of the pressure choking my neck.

It was just… countless things flashed through my mind.

Tikan, my cold yet lovely younger brother who couldn’t forget me and treated me coldly after I became Vivian. My father who still can’t leave the Secretariat building until dawn, searching for me……

And Casius, whom I must save.

That is the reason I must live.

At last, a humiliating and cowardly mumble leaked out of my mouth.

“Spa, spare me.”

In an instant, his movement stopped, and my energy drained as my body went limp.

Through my fading consciousness, his voice seeped in.

“Don’t forget this pain.”

“……”

“If you forget again, even greater pain will await you.”

*

When I opened my eyes, Marianne with a tearful expression was the first to come into view.

Behind her, moonlight flickered by the window.

‘It’s already this late.’

The moment I tried to get up, Marianne stopped me.

With a very worried face, she hugged me tightly.

“Why did you do that?”

So Marianne knew everything after all.

She comforted me while sobbing.

“I was so scared that something bad would happen to you. So promise me that you will never go near the Secretariat building again.”

Near the Secretariat building? Ah……

It seemed Marianne was firmly misunderstanding that it was because of that.

That’s why she didn’t report it to the duke.

“Marianne, you knew.”

“…Pardon?”

“No. It’s nothing.”

Now everything was understood.

Her pitying gaze that occasionally touched me, her sympathy, her compassion.

Marianne had known since long ago.

That if I don’t become Snowfell’s dog, I would suffer such a miserable fate.

And it would be no different for Marianne. Then, would she also have such a terrible seal engraved on her?

Well, there would be no need to go that far.

Rather than investing the enormous cost of implanting a seal, it would be better for the duke to hold her younger sibling’s leash.

Marianne’s eyes trembled as she looked at me.

“It must be hard for you too.”

“…Pardon?”

Marianne stared at me intently as if trying to understand the meaning of my words.

“There are no schedules tomorrow, so have Marianne take a day off too.”

She had not left my side except for one time.

“No, Your Majesty. Where would I go, leaving the Empress behind?”

“Your younger sibling is sick.”

Not just sick, but with a terminal illness.

Seeing how Marianne even tried to steal, they must have a desperate relationship.

Would that child also resemble Marianne?

While having such thoughts, Marianne’s eyes widened.

“How, how does Your Majesty know that…?”

She didn’t seem to have guessed at all that I would know such a fact.

Well, it’s rare for young ladies from noble families to care about the family matters of their attendants.

I was also like that until recently.

“I’ll tell Sir Hilter, so at least take that medicine.”

That medicine would at best reduce the pain, not save the child.

Nevertheless, Marianne’s eyes grew moist.

After that, Marianne bowed her body several times to express her gratitude.

It was an embarrassing gesture to the point of making me feel sorry for my past hesitation.

“I will definitely return before the Emperor’s luncheon.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“Still.”

“Don’t make me an incompetent superior who can’t even take care of my people and go already.”

Marianne could no longer find words to say and only had teary eyes as she bid farewell.

Only then, watching her recede, I became lost in thought.

I had once thought that way.

That if I could save Marianne’s younger sibling, I could properly use Diarob’s subordinate by gaining them.

Now, I sincerely wish for peace in her future.

*

The Empress Palace, left alone, boasted a bitter and tranquil charm.

Watching the light emitted by the crescent moon that flowed in, Diarob’s disgusting face came to mind, and my head turned cold.

‘He didn’t stop even in a situation where I could have died.’

I came to understand another piece of Vivian, the owner of this body.

I thought that perhaps much of her viciousness was also due to Diarob.

A young lady who grew up being told she was useless to the family and thoroughly neglected.

‘So that’s why she tried so hard to beat me and caused a commotion, saying she would take Casius.’

Was it all her own will?

To think of a person who even engraves a seal to use his daughter like a subordinate.

The more I learned about Diarob, the more disgusted and infuriated I became.

‘If I can’t remove the seal, I’ll have to live as Snowfell’s dog forever.’

That would be more miserable than dying.

There was only one way to remove the seal.

Regaining my mana. An ordinary magician would find it impossible to remove this seal engraved with a special spell.

But my mana, which had reached the level of an archmage, would surely surpass the black magic in that measly spell.

Another reason to regain my mana had emerged.

The restoration of my mana, which seemed to be coming back but still felt distant, was resentful.

While stroking the strengthening stone and training my mind and body, questions arose.

‘Viodel, does he also have such a seal engraved on him?’

Somehow, it didn’t seem like it.

‘Is it simple favoritism? Or is there another reason?’

There were many questionable aspects, but there was no way to find out now.

The training that continued even after that only ended late at night.

Looking at the tilted moon, I tried to fall asleep, but sleep did not come easily.

Even when I occasionally fell asleep, waking up from nightmares became frequent.

In my nightmares, Casius… always died.

The ending where I ultimately fail to seduce him, and you end up like that.

Not wanting to see that, I would hold onto my consciousness like this, and dawn would quickly arrive.

‘It will be luncheon time soon.’

I couldn’t ruin the luncheon with Casius that I had obtained with such difficulty.

Resolving my heart with determination, I opened a book.

As I turned the worn-out cover of the book that I had seen so much, countless texts and example illustrations dizzied my head.

The time for careful selection continued until dawn.

And so, what I chose was somewhat embarrassing but seemed the safest.