The interpretation is…… don’t go. To Casius.

‘Is that really the case?’

I decided to trust the angel’s answer and wait a little longer.

*

Over the next few days, Casius spent more time sitting blankly and staring into space.

This time, the empress offended him in a different way.

Her absence, as if she were protesting by not showing up as she always did, raised questions.

What was her ulterior motive this time?

Honestly, it didn’t matter either way.

Turning his gaze to the documents, Casius lingered on the same page for quite a while.

The image of the empress he saw at the hideout overlapped like an afterimage.

Yes. The question had been lingering since that day.

There was something like tears in the empress’s eyes that day.

The more he thought about it, the more incomprehensible she became.

Just as his thoughts were about to continue, Tikan’s footsteps resonated through the space, announcing his presence.

In front of Casius, who had lifted his head, Tikan politely bowed and placed a beautifully colored bottle on the table.

“Your Majesty, this is the heart of Bilrof that you ordered to be prepared earlier.”

The heart had lost its form and became a beautiful pink liquid that swayed.

Despite being a liquid created by brutally butchering the heart, its color was quite a romantic pink.

As Casius quietly gazed at it, the image of the empress briefly flashed through his mind.

She had asked if he could give her a little bit of the heart when he obtained Bilrof.

Unlike his usual self, Casius immediately rose from his seat and slowly walked.

Tikan, who was following behind him, only asked a question when he saw that the destination was the empress palace.

“Are you going to the empress palace?”

Casius lightly nodded his head.

“I thought I should give some reward to the one who helped me obtain this.”

Reward. Yes, that was the right word to use.

Either way, the empress had played the biggest role in this Bilrof hunt.

It would be much better to give her a suitable reward and shed any emotional debts.

Above all, if he planned to use the empress in the future, it would be better to make a gesture of reconciliation.

Having finished his calculations, his pace quickened.

The weighted steps soon stopped in front of the empress palace.

*

As the mistress of the empress palace, I had many things to do.

Spending the day writing ledgers, reviewing financial plans and reports was quite fortunate.

It didn’t give me time to dwell on other worries.

Of course, Casius might not be pleased that I was doing this work…

But I had no intention of handing over my duties as empress to someone else.

Especially if I didn’t do this and the work was passed on to someone else, that person would be ‘Evelina Winterdell’.

Perfect reports that Casius could never find fault with, even if he tried, were written like that.

At that moment, a servant approached and reported to me.

“What should we do about lunch?”

They were clearly trying to gauge the situation.

They seemed to be assessing whether they should prepare Casius’s meal or not.

Their confusion was natural. For the past few days, Casius had not visited this place.

Each time, his plates went out the same way they came in.

Recalling the angry face I last saw, the answer came easily.

He would not visit the empress palace today either.

“Now there’s no need to prepare His Majesty’s……”

Just then, the voice of a servant boy was heard from outside.

“His Majesty has arrived!”

‘Casius…… is here?’

It was a little earlier than the scheduled luncheon.

‘I didn’t expect him to come first…….’

It seemed that what the angel said in the card was really true.

‘Did he come to his senses and realize he had been too harsh on me?’

“Let him in.”

The servants moved busily to find their places, and soon Casius entered.

As always, his pale face, yet perfectly crafted features like a flawless creature, lifted his head towards me.

Just the touch of his gaze took my breath away.

I had no idea what Casius would say.

His icy blue eyes held a light that was incomprehensible for now.

It didn’t look pleased, nor did it look angry, which raised questions.

“I will tell them to prepare lunch.”

“Do so.”

His willingness to do so was even more strange.

Silence naturally flowed over the table, I avoided his gaze, and he observed me.

As our gazes met and parted repeatedly, an awkward atmosphere formed in the room.

In the meantime, plates of appetizingly cooked food were placed on the table, and a delicious aroma filled the space.

Casius picked up a knife with an indifferent expression, as if he had little appetite.

Then, as if out of habit, he repeatedly cut the scrambled eggs and put them in his mouth.

The cheese stretched and melted deliciously in the soft eggs, which was absolutely perfect, but he showed no change in expression.

If the chef who had diligently prepared the lunch saw this, it would bring tears to their eyes.

Feeling like I would suffocate if I stayed like this, I spoke first.

“I apologize for carelessly entering Your Majesty’s space the other day.”

It was a bit unfair, but I said it because I felt I couldn’t make any progress without apologizing.

But then.

“I apologize for that day.”

“Pardon?”

“I was too sensitive. I misunderstood that the empress intentionally entered that space.”

The content seemed so unreal that I stared at him blankly for a moment.

I wondered if I had heard it correctly just now.

‘Casius apologizing to me first?’

Due to the sudden event, the flow of my thoughts seemed to be cut off and not functioning properly.

Casius maintained a casual and soft tone, regardless.

“The grand council was perfect despite the sudden summons. Greeting the foreign guests at the coronation ceremony was the same. Did you prepare separately?”

“I think my usual enjoyment of studying the history and politics of the continent helped. It’s a pity that I could have prepared more perfectly if I had received the list in advance.”

Only after hearing the empress’s low voice did Casius realize.

He had not told the empress the truth about that day.

“That day’s event was not my will. It was a mistake made by the chief of staff.”

Of course, it wasn’t a mistake by the chief of staff at all.

If he had dismissed it like that, he wouldn’t have taken action to exclude Evelina from actual government affairs.

However, Casius did not want to reveal the truth of that day, dismiss Evelina, and weaken Winterdell.

It would be quite dangerous if Snowfell became more assertive here.

Clang– The empress’s fork made a loud scraping sound as it rolled on the table.

“The chief of staff’s…… mistake?”

“The chief of staff misunderstood my intentions and conveyed them to the empress.”

Misunderstood? Does Casius really think it was a mistake?

“That’s not a problem that can be dismissed as a mere mistake. In such an important position, you and I failed to present a united front. Of course, I only followed the orders given by Your Majesty……”

A rather long conversation followed.

Throughout, Casius had his gaze lowered.

Moreover, movements that seemed soft but were actually stiff.

In my eyes, having watched him by my side countless times, everything was visible.

Casius is now…… lying.

Yes. There’s no way Casius wouldn’t know that.

But.

“Then let’s say it was my mistake. Not the chief of staff’s.”

Vivian blinked, holding a spoon.

Her gaze, as if lost in thought, lingered on Casius for a moment.

In fact, what the empress was saying was absolutely right, and Casius knew it well too.

However, there was no need to deliberately hand over Evelina’s weakness to her now.

Although he intended to form an alliance with the empress, this was a separate issue.

The coexistence of powers was usually helpful in most situations.

Casius, who thought that Evelina’s persuasion would continue this time as well, silently picked up a spoon.

But then.

“I see.”

After that, Vivian showed no particular reaction.

Casius quietly observed her.

In the meantime, Vivian leisurely scooped up a spoonful and organized her thoughts.

She seemed to understand why Casius was acting this way.

He doesn’t want to give me too much power.

I’m just a potential ally, but the line is still clear for now.

A momentary sense of frustration arose, but on the other hand, it was fortunate.

If Casius were emotional in everything, that would be a big problem in itself.

I only thought he had lost his reason after I disappeared…..

He’s still meticulous and cautious when planning his revenge.

The image of him swallowing without saying a word even after capturing Bilrof was vivid.

The thought that he wouldn’t easily dismiss Evelina chilled my mind.

However, even Casius would have no choice but to dismiss Evelina at some point.

Not long ago, Evelina’s servant was investigating me, which flashed through my mind.

What was Evelina curious about that she attached someone to me?

The answer came easily.

That child would have to convey it properly.

If this goes well, the moment Casius dismisses Evelina would not be far off.

Even if that’s not the case, I can make it happen again.

Lost in thought, the meal came to an end.

The servants approached and cleared the tableware, and Casius rose from his seat.

But instead of going out as I expected, he strode over, narrowing the distance.