The steps toward the banquet hall alone were infinitely heavy.

Unlike when with Casius, countless gazes followed, but they hardly entered my view.

All attention was focused on the entrance where Casius would appear.

Soon the massive doors emblazoned with the imperial seal opened and the band stopped playing.

Over the quiet that settled in the space, the doorkeeper shouted loudly.

“His Majesty the Emperor enters.”

It was only a moment before Casius walked into the banquet hall.

He passed by me as if ignoring me and took his place.

His demeanor treating me like an invisible person was icy cold.

It was obvious to anyone that Casius was avoiding me as much as possible.

The nobles around noticed our change and their eyes darted wildly.

Until just recently we had seemed affectionate, but suddenly changed, so it couldn’t be helped.

As it was already expected, it wasn’t particularly surprising.

Turning my head indifferently, Casius’s figure came into clearer view.

The splendid suit befitting Granpure and the wolf pattern embroidered in gold glistened under the dazzling lights, fully displaying the emperor’s dignity.

The shadowed jawline sharpened its edge and the high-bridged nose boasted an extremely sensitive impression.

The past few days, as if he hadn’t slept properly, not even a trace of a smile remained on his face, only roughness persisted.

As the casual observation continued, Casius gave a slight nod.

Following his command, the band’s performance resumed, floating gently through the space.

Casius’s figure, taking his seat without saying a word, was breathtaking in itself.

With him not giving even a glance, I felt like an invisible person.

Casius’s intentions, coming here alone without visiting the luncheon or keeping promises for the past few days, came through all too clearly.

He will not try to make contact with me except in official settings.

No, he might even try to exclude me from official settings altogether.

Thinking this was the only chance, my heart grew anxious.

“Your Majesty, did you receive my message?”

Only then did Casius’s head slowly turn.

The gaze fixed on his turned face was full of its characteristic coldness.

“My aide should have delivered my answer to the Empress’s lady-in-waiting.”

“If we don’t appear together, rumors of discord between Your Majesty and I will circulate again.”

“It’s not a rumor, but a fact, is it not?”

The glaring gaze was sharper than ever.

The corner of his mouth curled up mockingly, dizzying just to look at.

I’ve been trying to deny it for the past few days, but now I think I know for sure.

All the efforts so far have turned to bubbles.

Casius is obsessed with finding me, yet doesn’t actually look at me.

Because of one magic mirror.

No, in reality that’s not the fundamental issue.

From the start, Casius’s momentarily gentle gaze, his kind tone, were all manipulated to find it.

In this ruinous relationship where I don’t know where to start or how to fix it, Casius torturing me with false hope is actually worse than anyone.

The problem was that such a terribly bad Casius, the more wicked and despicable he became, was terribly good to me.

And so I cannot escape from you.

Because I love such a bad guy, such a son of a bitch.

“Do you still think I’m telling lies?”

“Since everything the Empress says is a lie, I have no choice.”

“That’s not…”

“I thought this. Even the love the Empress recited like a song every day was all a lie.”

“Why would I tell such lies?”

“Who knows. Perhaps your goal was to conceive an imperial heir.”

“Your Majesty!”

The cold voice, devoid of even a hint of sarcasm, felt alien to the space and evoked fear.

The beautiful string melody rang in my ears like tinnitus, spreading noisily.

Even amidst that, Casius’s voice was clearly engraved.

“The Empress said so. That you can do anything if you’re in love.”

The words I said came back as a knife to stab me.

“I agree as well. How can lip service be love?”

“…”

“Your father confessed. That there is a magic mirror in Snowfel. So bring it to me, Empress.”

I heard that Diarob and Casius met.

Did they really have such a conversation?

Looking at Casius’s eyes, it doesn’t seem like he’s lying.

It truly felt dizzying.

Until now, I could at least firmly deny that there was no such thing as a magic mirror in Snowfel, but now I can’t even do that.

Casius’s words were laid on top of my dazed mind once again.

“Then I’ll believe in that great love too.”

Casius’s eyes were looking at me, but in reality they were recalling Rachel.

It was enough to drive one mad.

At the same time, it made me newly recall whether Casius could be such a cruel person.

“If you go to such lengths to obtain the magic mirror, what do you intend to use it for?”

Hoping to provoke even a sense of guilt, I raised my eyes filled with vain hope to look at him.

But Casius maintained his attitude without changing in the slightest.

“I think I told you. Because there’s something I need to find.”

The words “Isn’t that something Rachel?” rose to my throat, but couldn’t quite leak out.

If I did that, Casius might refuse to even talk to me.

Right now, Casius truly had eyes that could do anything to find me.

In the end, what I could say was predetermined.

“I see. …I’ll look for it again.”

Only then did Casius’s gaze turn to the front with a satisfied light.

For a moment, the murmuring around quieted.

‘What’s going on?’

The puzzlement lasted only briefly before Evilina entered.

She was wearing a rather plain dress. That appearance made her stand out even more.

It’s extremely rare for someone to come to Granpure in a dress that’s not extravagant.

The nobles who had been whispering and looking around received her greeting with bewilderment.

Even amidst the soft music and dancing crowd, Evilina’s voice rang out clearly.

“His Majesty specially arranged for me to take a break from my duties as an aide and participate in the festival today, since it’s Granpure.”

The surprised nobles all looked around nervously.

Among them, one count asked Evilina.

“Then Duke Bashubiru…”

Evilina replied with a thoroughly gloomy expression.

“Father is deeply remorseful about the trouble he caused Her Majesty the Empress that day, so he’s practicing self-restraint.”

The nobles who heard Evilina’s words nodded.

Among them, several who grasped the situation actively joined in her words.

“Wasn’t it all out of loyalty to His Majesty?”

“That’s right. Wasn’t it done with good intentions?”

“Though the result turned out that way, I’m sure our merciful Empress will forgive everything.”

Those chiming in increased one by one.

It’s me who went through that ordeal and experienced the Ilachino test due to slander, yet others are doing the forgiving.

It’s an absurd situation, but not surprising.

I’m well aware that nobles move like grass swaying in the wind.

Only Evilina’s gaze was quite provocative.

She seemed to meet my eyes and curled up the corners of her mouth into a smirk.

Evilina, who finally approached me, spouted more nonsense.

“Please forgive us, Your Majesty the Empress.”

Though displeased, dawdling here would only make me the bad guy in the end.

There was no need to give any room to Evilina, who was nothing anyway.

My enemy now is my past self, not the likes of Evilina.

When I nodded slightly, Evilina this time stood before Casius.

“Thank you for forgiving our past transgressions, Your Majesty.”

Evilina’s actions were full of intention.

The fact that the Emperor personally allowed her attendance would surely carry quite a lot of meaning.

Bashubiru, who had lost his voice for a while, would be able to spread his wings to some extent, and the same would be true for Evilina.

Casius responded with a kind smile, matching Evilina’s rhythm.

“It wasn’t even the aide’s mistake, so there’s no need for such self-reproach.”

“Father is also reflecting a lot.”

Casius glanced towards Vivian.

Her expressionless face as always somehow irritated him.

Shouldn’t she normally show at least a scratched expression in this situation?

Allowing Evilina to come to this place today was also part of an effort to scratch the Empress.

But she just sat quietly as if nothing was wrong.

All of that grated on Casius’s nerves.

At this rate, he could never move the Empress to obtain the magic mirror.

The more so, he draped an even kinder mask over his face than usual.

“Earl Bashubiru’s mistake was also just born out of loyalty. There’s no need to worry about it.”

After Evilina withdrew, Casius observed Vivian as if watching.

Unlike before, minute cracks had spread across the Empress’s face.

Casius felt elation seeing that sight.