The Empress’s request was unexpected.

“May I dispose of the Bailman Mine and use it for the establishment of a healing center?”

Casius’s brow furrowed slightly.

Not using it for personal expenses but for establishing a healing center? What is this about?

“For establishing a healing center, you say?”

Establishing a healing center required a considerable amount of money.

However, it’s not like healing centers were a highly profitable model either.

In other words, there was nothing in it for her to gain.

Ah, it’s not that there was absolutely nothing to gain.

Snowfel had been operating several high-end treatment centers over the past period.

If the Empress’s plan was properly realized, it would likely deal a pretty significant blow to Snowfel’s medical business.

Is that what she was aiming for?

Her hatred towards Diarob seemed to transcend his expectations.

The Empress stared at him, her eyes sparkling.

“Currently, the Empire’s healing centers are not only too small in scale but their facilities and environments are also poor. Countless imperial citizens are dying without even receiving treatment……”

Vivian’s voice continued for quite a long time after that.

The content was all about the Empire’s poor treatment system.

She talked about introducing the Berhen system, and now she’s determined to establish the Empire’s healing centers.

The blueprint was quite specific, as if she had been planning it for a long time.

‘Since when has she been planning this?’

It was too skewed towards benefiting the imperial citizens to simply be a plan to destroy Diarob.

Moreover, her words were filled with information that required long-term research.

Over the Empress’s voice, Rachel’s words from long ago spread like tinnitus.

Rachel, who had been discussing the Empire’s healing center system, had shone like a freshly bloomed rose.

Casius’s hazy vision became clear again only after Vivian’s voice had stopped.

“Your Majesty.”

The eyes gazing at him felt different from before.

Casius blankly stared at her and nodded slightly.

“Do… it.”

“Thank you.”

Ridiculously, the Empress’s face looked genuinely happy.

With a face full of smiles, she turned and walked slowly.

Casius’s gaze, watching her, wavered.

His head quickly became heated.

If she had done this with the intention of attracting his attention, it was a rather successful strategy.

It was so annoying, like a thorn stuck in his nail, that he felt like he was going crazy.

In an instant, the Empress’s body, which had been moving away, slowly turned back towards him.

Although she had become small due to the distance, the smile on her face was clear.

Towards Casius, who frowned, she approached again with big strides.

There was no smile on the face that had come close before he knew it.

“You said you were sorry for driving me to death today, right?”

One of Casius’s eyebrows noticeably curved.

Vivian opened her mouth, looking at him carefully.

“You don’t have to be sorry, but you should be sorry for what you have to be sorry about.”

“So. What do you want to say?”

Casius’s voice was low and quiet like the deep sea.

“I want to go on vacation with just the two of us this time. And please grant me one request there.”

“The Empress never misses an opportunity.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Casius turned his head away as if possessed, looking at Vivian who was smiling brightly.

Saying she would take it as a compliment was something Rachel, who had been his aide a long time ago, used to say often.

Casius, who had turned his head, let out a sigh.

His side profile was like a predator swallowing anger. Nevertheless, Vivian remained calm.

Casius quickly asked, feeling a headache coming on.

“What’s the request?”

“I’ll let you know when we go on vacation.”

Vivian smiled brightly and moved away from him again.

*

Only after walking all the way to the Empress Palace did her staggering body finally find stability.

Leaning against the window, Casius could be seen in the distance.

He was blankly staring into the void.

His gaze was filled with an absurd atmosphere.

Well, it’s understandable since I asked him to grant another request.

But it’s fortunate.

Because he’ll be able to forget about my past self, even for a moment, while thinking about me.

His bitter eyes as he recalled Rachel made my heart feel damp just by thinking about it.

I’m not unaware of the wetness in his voice as he uttered that he missed her to death.

I’m not unaware of the trembling in his voice as he uttered that he loved her to death.

On top of that, I recall him sitting broken amidst the shattered objects.

How many times have you repeated those words alone in that state?

I hope that your days can be peaceful, even if you come up with a crazy revenge.

It took a long time to turn my body and move, just quietly looking at him like that.

His receding back looked more bitter than usual.

Finally, I gently stroked the empty space on the window where even his shadow had disappeared.

Raindrops pattered on it.

I gently put my finger on the blurry window, blurred with moisture, and tried writing.

Casius, those words that will not reach you.

*

An afternoon when rain is wetting the earth.

Diarob Snowfel came to see me.

Perhaps he was quite pleased to see Viscount Bashvir and Iblina crumbling miserably, as he couldn’t hide his smile.

“You did a great job for once, Vivian.”

Even though his daughter suffered such humiliation and underwent an Ilachino investigation at the center of the conference hall, he didn’t mention it at all.

After that, Diarob ranted about Bashvir for quite a while.

“You really put those Winterdell bastards in their place properly.”

“……”

“It was also excellent that you got the Bailman Mine. How did you come up with such an idea?”

Seeing him sitting there laughing, revealing all his white teeth, made me want to return the mine to Winterdell out of disgust.

As always, the gaze coming my way was also unpleasant, like a bug touching me.

Of course, on the outside, I curled up the corners of my mouth as usual and went along with him.

“Iblina, when I think of that thing being arrogant, it made my teeth chatter, but I won’t have to see that sight anymore.”

“Of course. The power of those Winterdell bastards will noticeably diminish.”

In fact, there was a strong reason to ask for the mine in order to lower Winterdell’s power.

To get rid of Iblina, who always interferes between Casius and me and looks for opportunities, it would be more efficient to hit Bashvir first.

Now that they have lost a lot, they will have no choice but to be cautious.

Of course, those driven into a corner tend to struggle at the end, so that part was concerning… but it wasn’t time to worry about that problem yet.

There were already too many other problems to discuss that issue.

There was an issue that I had to confirm with Diarob whenever I met him.

He hadn’t said a word about it since he took the keepsake last time.

“Rachel, that bitch is dead, you said?”

Even though I already knew the conclusion, I swallowed hard.

He stretched his smile wider around his mouth.

Unique greed flickered over his gaze.

“Rachel, that bitch is definitely dead. The world is helping us, Georgie.”

Diarob didn’t seem to suspect my mother’s keepsake at all.

‘With this much, he won’t be going around looking for Rachel anymore.’

I let out a long sigh of relief.

Even after that, he talked about Rachel’s death for quite a while.

Only at the end of that did Diarob change the subject and ranted about holding a celebration party in the name of Snowfel.

No doubt many nobles would attend the party, and no one from the Bashvir faction would receive an invitation.

The purpose of showing off that power would be abundantly contained in the party.

I clenched my fists, staring into the void with bloodshot eyes.

“Bashvir, now that I’ve dealt with that bastard too, I only have to do the last thing.”

“The last thing, you say?”

“You’re really stupid. Don’t you have to hurry up and embrace the Crown Prince?”

“…!”

*

Iblina paced the Emperor’s Palace with an ashen face.

It had already been several days since that meeting ended.

However, since that day, she couldn’t even properly enter the Emperor’s Palace.

The Emperor only received reports through General Tikan, as if he was trying to take revenge.

Iblina clenched her fists so hard that they bled and trembled.

Whenever she recalled urging the investigation that day, having been deceived by the Empress, that bitch, she got a fever even in her sleep.

The Empress had thoroughly hidden while knowing all the truth and steadily obtained what she wanted.

It was an astounding thing.

According to what she heard yesterday, the bat-like figures of the social world had already left Winterdell’s territory.

Iblina swallowed her pride like that today as well and headed to the Emperor’s Palace with documents in hand.

Opening the huge door of the Emperor’s Palace, Iblina headed to the room where the Emperor was.

Tikan blocked her way as she tried to forcefully open the door.

“I apologize, but His Majesty is currently unavailable.”

“I’m only asking to see him once.”

Tikan used a polite tone, but his attitude was firm.

“Please hand over the documents to me and go back now.”

“I’m begging you to let me speak to him just once.”

Iblina maintained her smile on the outside but cursed inwardly.

The nerve of him, coming up from a viscount and guarding the Emperor’s side while carrying his dead sister on his back.

The tense confrontation continued, but today, Iblina didn’t back down easily.

No, to be exact, Iblina couldn’t back down.

Bashvir’s face looking at her had become extremely cold, and the Emperor had never sought her out.

Now, she even felt like everyone looking at her was ridiculing her.

It was all because of that damn Empress bitch.

She had to clear up all these misunderstandings and definitely turn the Emperor’s favor back to her side.

If only she could do that……

At that moment, Casius’s voice came from inside.

“Let her in.”