Evelina flinched momentarily when she faced Casius.

“You sought me out several times, I hear.”

The emperor’s face was as usual, yet subtly cold somehow.

His characteristic blue pupils lacked their usual light, even appearing somewhat bored.

In an atmosphere that seemed it would be better if he just got angry, Evelina habitually chewed her lip.

‘Is His Majesty also angry, thinking I tried to slander the empress? Surely their relationship hasn’t improved that much?’

No, that’s not it. He took my side in his own way that day.

Didn’t he agree with the suggestion of having the empress take the test?

To be precise, he took the side of her father, the Winterdell family, but it amounted to the same thing.

Evelina spread an enchanting smile across her lips.

“At the recent council, my father made a big mistake towards Her Majesty the Empress. I wanted to convey that he is reflecting on his actions…”

Evelina bowed her head deeply and dabbed at her tears.

At first, she merely pretended to lower her head to create an atmosphere of reflection, but real tears leaked from her eyes.

Recalling the humiliation of the past few days, she couldn’t stop the tears.

Deep within them pooled intense hatred towards the empress, Vivian.

Thinking about it, she even wondered if she had deliberately let slip the story of the Sirmi herb to catch her lady-in-waiting’s eye.

“But it truly wasn’t intentional.”

The emperor needed to know how cunning a fox the empress was.

“When I heard Her Majesty would receive Sirmi herb from Prince Dilan, I acted out of concern it might harm Your Majesty.”

Lost in thought, Casius lowered his gaze without showing any movement.

That appearance felt as if he was intently listening to her words.

Evelina continued speaking quickly, not losing hope.

“Both my father and I, in our zeal for Your Majesty’s affairs, made a mistake by not considering the consequences.”

“…”

“We will ensure such incidents do not occur again.”

Casius remained silent even after that.

As a result, a suffocating silence settled over the space.

After a moment, Casius raised his head and nodded silently.

However, what sprang from his mouth was unbelievably a dismissal.

“I have understood your intentions well, so you may leave now.”

His expression, dry to the point of seeming bored, was at a level that made one doubt whether he had properly heard her words just now.

Those eyes, devoid of anger or any other emotion, how could they be so mechanical?

Evelina could not hide her bewilderment.

“I…”

“What is it?”

“May I submit reports directly to Your Majesty from now on?”

Despite her previous behavior, the emperor readily granted her request.

“Do so.”

However, contrary to his answer, his indifferent gaze and attitude aroused anxiety in Evelina.

About to step outside, Evelina turned her head again to observe the emperor.

He seemed as if his mind was elsewhere.

The vacation is coming soon anyway, so if I just wait until then, the opportunity will come to me again.

Evelina smiled and subtly brought up that topic.

“For this vacation, how about heading to Kesutain Palace?”

Casius’s expression gradually returned.

“Kesutain Palace?”

“Yes. The water and mountains there are lovely, so I thought it might help refresh Your Majesty’s mind and body.”

In truth, there were many palaces with beautiful nature.

Nevertheless, Evelina specifically chose Kesutain Palace because its great distance from the capital made it good for creating a different atmosphere.

The emperor occasionally went there alone for hiking or hunting.

Recalling him putting the empress on the Ilacino testing platform at the council, she thought he would want to spend this vacation alone as well.

Not taking the empress along was actually common among previous emperors.

Some heartless former emperors even frequently took only their consorts on vacations.

And surely he would definitely bring along his aide, herself, on this vacation.

This vacation destination was Evelina’s decision after concluding her thoughts to that point.

“We’ll go there.”

After the topic of vacation came up, the emperor’s eyes suddenly changed.

A strange light settled over his previously blank gaze.

The words that then came from his mouth were completely unexpected to Evelina.

“I will go with the empress, so make preparations accordingly. This time we will move with just the two of us and a few guards, so be aware of that.”

“Pardon? Then I…”

Casius’s gaze calmly fixed on Evelina. As if asking why she was inquiring about something so obvious.

“The aide will remain at the imperial palace to handle remaining work. By then, it will be a busy time preparing for the festival.”

So he meant that just the two of them would vacation together in that beautiful place while she stayed here buried in work.

Evelina turned deathly pale.

“Your Majesty, but how can you go alone without even taking your aide…”

Evelina looked up at the emperor with eyes full of desperation.

However, he did not bend his will at all.

“There’s no particular need for you to accompany us on a vacation.”

At Casius’s firm words, Evelina stood dumbly in place.

What was poured towards her in that state was a dismissal.

“You may leave now.”

*

Unlike when she entered, Evelina’s face burned a dark ashen color as she exited.

‘He’s going on vacation alone with the empress?’

Evelina felt her mind go blank.

For two people with not even a speck of love between them, why.

It would have been better if he had just gotten angry at her.

Feeling the gazes around her as she passed through the corridor, Evelina hunched her body.

The people who were surely sitting and snickering even now would undoubtedly mock her even more blatantly once the empress and emperor went there together.

Not only that, Winterdell, whose influence had already weakened considerably, would not be able to avoid ridicule, and the unsightly power of the Snowfell ducal family…

Evelina’s brow furrowed noticeably.

For an instant, Tikan standing against the corridor wall entered her field of vision.

It felt as if even that fellow was now looking down on her.

Passing by without even making eye contact with Tikan, she quickly moved her anger-filled steps.

Returning to the aide’s office, Evelina racked her brain.

There was no hope like this. Like this…

She immediately pulled the bell rope to summon a servant and handed over a letter.

And shortly after, Marianne appeared before her.

Evelina’s gaze as she looked at Marianne shone brightly.

*

Tikan, who had been watching Evelina’s rapidly retreating back, soon returned to his place.

Recalling the aide who had seemed full of anger, Tikan asked a question to his lord, who stood in contrast with a bored expression.

“What should we do if the aide comes looking again?”

“Let her in.”

Tikan pondered his lord’s intentions before returning to his post.

In fact, there was no particular reason for Casius to give work back to Evelina.

He had simply done so because enough time had passed.

To maintain the external balance with Snowfell, Winterdell needed to exist, so that much formal appearance had to be kept up.

Honestly, he held no particular resentment towards the aide over this incident.

After all, he too had suspected the empress might be an Ilacino, so it would be ridiculous to take out his anger on that.

However, he was still puzzled.

Bashubir would not have escalated the situation thoughtlessly, and he too had certainly received reports that the empress would get Sirmi herb from Prince Dilan.

If the empress was not an Ilacino, for what purpose did she receive it?

“Tikan.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Find out what the empress is using the Sirmi herb for.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Casius sank into thought as he watched Tikan withdraw.

The empress naturally intruded into his mind again.

She was an irritating woman in many ways.

As if she was researching how to grate on his nerves.

He swallowed at once the medicine he had received for pain relief as a throbbing headache arose.

Through the window, he could see the empress walking in the distance as if taking a stroll.

A few attendants moved about the empress.

Seeing her laughing merrily made him feel nauseated again.

Like a pervert who wished for others’ misfortune. Well, he was a pervert after all.

Since Rachel disappeared, he had constantly moved wishing for others’ misfortune and downfall.

It was even more infuriating to see that woman moving about unaware of such things, her circumstances seeming rather pure.

Going on vacation together, just the two of them.

It was constantly irritating how she acted as if she had feelings.

Despite drawing the line as allies, did she not understand, or was she pretending not to?

Recalling how intelligently she had acted in the council chamber, it was probably the latter.

In any case, this vacation would have to be spent together with the empress in accordance with her request.

He recalled the empress asking him to grant her request on top of that.

With an unchanging expression, the empress had spouted those words so unlike when she had taken the Ilacino test, an innocent smile blooming on her lips.

Damn it.

Why was he recalling such things?

What request would she make a fuss about this time?

Feeling a headache coming on just from the thought, Casius furrowed his brow.