The vacation proceeded at the same time as in previous years.

The location was Keschstein Palace, selected by Evelina.

Following Casius’s orders, the procession consisted of only a few Tikan and Wolfdor knights for escort.

The interior of the carriage moving monotonously was quiet as expected.

Casius recalled the Empress who had said with a solemn expression that they should go on vacation alone.

The Empress’s expression as she looked out the window seemed somewhat excited.

That appearance was just like an innocent child, completely contrasting with her image at the negotiation table seen not long ago.

The more he looked, the more amusing a woman she was.

Acting as if she was going to make a grand request, but it was merely going on vacation alone together.

Beneath her blue hair pinned up was a clear face, and below that a long, snow-white neckline.

Wisps of hair that escaped fluttered in the breeze coming through the window.

Perhaps due to the close distance, a sweet scent could be felt from the Empress each time.

It seemed she had given up the habit of imitating Rachel before, as that scent no longer came from her after that.

Well, by this point she must have abandoned any thoughts of seducing him.

Even after hearing such harsh words, going along with it until now was probably just part of her revenge against Diarob.

Unless she was insane, there’s no way she could still be in love with someone who spoke so coldly.

However, the Empress who had secretly proposed going on vacation alone together…

She was still an incomprehensible woman, but Casius quickly organized his complicated thoughts.

Whatever the Empress was thinking, what did it matter?

To him, this woman was just an ally, nothing more or less.

To put it more bluntly, she was just a card to be discarded once her usefulness was over.

It meant they would divorce and become strangers to each other after dealing with Diarob.

Honestly, remembering how the Empress had rejected Rachel in the past, even if it was on Diarob’s orders, it was awkward to face her.

As if oblivious to his feelings, the Empress spoke casually.

“Keschstein Palace, how wonderful. The scenery is so beautiful too.”

The Empress’s gaze was fixed outside.

The outside was too ashen to even jokingly call beautiful.

It couldn’t be helped since they were passing through a shabby alley at the moment.

“The weather is nice, the sky is clear, the distance is far…”

The Empress paused as if about to say something meaningful.

Her face that turned towards him now had her characteristic solemnity.

It was no different from when she sat at the negotiation table subduing her opponent.

With that expression, the Empress finally opened her mouth.

“And Your Majesty is right in front of me, isn’t that so?”

Her nostrils flared slightly as she smiled, looking quite pleased.

Dumbfounded, Casius lowered his head and saw the Empress’s clenched hands enter his view.

In contrast to her confident demeanor just moments ago, the Empress’s hands were tightly fisted.

So much that veins stood out on her slender wrists.

Looking closely, her eyelids trembled as well.

Does she realize how outlandish what she just said was?

She gazed intently at Casius as he frowned.

Truly, Casius could no longer understand the Empress. Even an alien from another world wouldn’t be this difficult an opponent.

“I thought I said you don’t need to try so hard anymore.”

“…Pardon?”

Trembling appeared in the Empress’s eyes as they met his.

Her round eyes like a rabbit’s held a surprised look.

“As I’ve said before, you don’t need to try to look good to me, Empress. We’re not lovers, just allies in a partnership, so I don’t expect such things.”

In truth, the more the Empress acted this way, the more uncomfortable Casius felt.

Well, setting aside his own feelings, it would be better for both of them to skip such awkwardness if they were to continue as allies in the future.

But for some reason, the Empress looked hurt.

Aimless trembling was etched in her purple eyes.

Was she clenching her fists because it was difficult to speak such nonsense in front of him?

“I’m not trying to look good for Your Majesty.”

The Empress sighed lightly as if reading his thoughts and continued.

“And I’m certainly not doing this out of anxiety that our alliance might end.”

“Then what is it?”

Casius’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Do you think I decided to spend the vacation with Your Majesty because we’re allies?”

“If not that, then what?”

In truth, he had considered other reasons.

But Casius wanted to believe it was like this.

That this vacation was just another battlefield for her alliance-based exchanges.

Or to create a good appearance for the public.

Countless gazes from inside and outside the imperial court would follow, and they were the type of people who liked to spread rumors, so the Empress couldn’t be entirely free from that.

Casius had naturally assumed and concluded as such.

But.

“You still don’t understand?”

Casius silently stared at her snow-white face.

That face which he now feared what it might say next.

Biting her lip as if suppressing something, the Empress finally opened her mouth.

“I want Your Majesty’s love.”

Casius’s face contorted instantly.

“Love? Are you suggesting we spend the night together?”

Of course. Though she talked about being allies, in reality she might want the position by his side as well.

If so, should he destroy the best card with his own hands? Casius’s mind heated up in an instant.

Vivian neatly sidestepped such thoughts of his.

“No.”

With a very serious face, she closed the distance and whispered in a low voice near his ear.

“Can’t you see me as a woman just once, not as the Empress or an ally?”

Towards Casius who stared blankly, Vivian continued with incomprehensible words.

“When I see something delicious, you come to mind. When I go somewhere beautiful, you’re the first I think of.”

“…”

“I want to be that kind of person to Your Majesty.”

For an instant, Casius’s blue pupils expanded in surprise.

Gazing directly into those eyes, Vivian earnestly wished.

That I would come to mind before Rachel.

And that you, Casius, would have more days of laughter than tears.

Today too, I make that wish again.

It was a while before Casius understood the Empress’s words.

Even after that, he stared at her blankly for a long time.

Didn’t the Empress want an imperial heir?

After dealing with her father, nurturing an heir to aim for the next regime would have been a more Empress-like ambition.

‘Ask to be seen as a woman.’

Casius frowned.

Is this all lies again? Or…

Whenever she spoke such nonsense, the Empress’s eyes were always clear.

So clear it made the listener feel crude.

*

The carriage arrived at Keschstein Palace when the sunset was falling.

In the meantime, Casius’s noisy mind had emptied somewhat. Or rather, he had tried his best to do so.

He avoided looking at the Empress, only staring out the window or closing his eyes.

As Evelina had put her heart into selecting it, Keschstein Palace’s scenery was truly beautiful and harmonious.

The stream formed by flowing along a great river becomes thinner and turns into a brook flowing far to Alphonse.

There, a low-born woman and a great noble are living out their love story.

His name was Casian or something.

For a moment, he envied that duke whose name was similar to his own.

In some column, it was said the entire newspaper company that gossiped about the duke living a life away from central positions in the capital was wiped out without a trace after getting caught by him.

That duke with an unusual personality became so famous that some writer even wrote a book about him.

Casius had seen those words somewhere before.

Once when Rachel was reading it, he was drawn in and read the whole book to the end as if enchanted.

Around the time he defined the duke with the unusual personality as a madman, the story ended happily.

Even such a madman lives happily, so why wasn’t Rachel allowed for him?

Will it ever be allowed?

It felt like everything was his fault.

He had been staring at the endlessly flowing brook for a long time when he finally looked away upon hearing they had arrived.

Only then did he feel the purple gaze breaking on his side.

That gaze held something like a hint of sympathy and regret.

It wasn’t even funny.

Who was she to look at me like that?

If she had truly seen what was tangled inside me, she wouldn’t be able to look with such an expression and gaze.

Could she still look with that expression and that kind of gaze even after seeing that which she intended to use?

Love? Yeah right.

Casius inwardly sneered as he flung the door open.

Stepping out of the carriage, he did not forget his polite attitude towards the Empress, but his expression wore the cold light of winter as usual.

*

Vivian had been observing Casius, who had rapidly cooled since a moment ago.

He had not forgotten his polite attitude, but was keeping a subtle distance.

Did he feel burdened from hearing the word love again?

No, it didn’t seem so.

Though his displeased expression clawed at her heart, he wasn’t the type to dwell on such things. He would ignore it if anything.

Moreover, Casius had clearly stiffened while looking at this brook.

What meaning did the brook hold?

That look in his eyes was certainly recalling Rachel, but it was unclear at what point he had thought of her again.

She had never walked along this brook with him.

No, they had never even come to Keschstein territory together in the first place, so of course.

Did he confuse it with another brook he had walked along with her?

That would be disappointing in its own way, but well, it had been 7 years after all. In 7 years, one might even forget people’s names.

The fact that Casius had only thought of her and remained faithful all this time was already amazing.

Anyway, having used a wish to come here, she couldn’t waste time like this.

How thoroughly she had prepared for today.

Today she had cast off anything stimulating or bold.

Today, as the embodiment of purity, she would gnaw at his soul to make him see her.

The task of pulling Rachel out of that soul and making him see her.

It was time to lay the foundation for that.

“Your Majesty?”

At my call, Casius, who had been walking ahead with a dazed look, slowly turned around.

When I smiled with crinkled eyes, his body flinched and took a step back.

Anyone watching would think I was going to eat him up.

But I wasn’t one to lose courage over this much.

No, this wasn’t even a matter of losing courage.

Because I now had a righteous justification.

“You remember agreeing to my request before, don’t you?”