“That is still……”

Rodgo bowed his head deeply.

It was truly astonishing who had undone the magic.

The emperor, who seemed lost in thought, was as difficult to approach as ever.

His sharply protruding jawline was more pronounced than usual, as if deep in thought, and his gaze, though fixed on empty space, was clearly focused.

Rodgo added words to show that he had made efforts in his own way.

“Even after searching through all the personnel records of the magic towers in the empire, there was no one with that level of magical power.”

Rodgo had gathered the department heads of the empire’s four major magic towers to solve this matter.

However, even with several talented department heads putting their heads together, they could only stick out their tongues in front of the closed magic circle of the note.

The scholarly types with their own pride stayed up for several nights, but only ended up with white hair and nothing changed.

‘To think such a powerful magician exists in the empire.’

This fact even evoked a sense of helplessness in them.

It was the first time Rodgo had felt this way since seeing Rachel long ago.

The emperor, who had been wearing an unreadable expression, opened his mouth briefly.

“Was there no mark on the note?”

A mark was a trace that usually appeared after a magician used magic, and it was possible to guess the size and shape of the magical power from it.

Since magic was used, it should naturally have remained.

If only that were present, it was clear that they could speed up the search.

But…… Rodgo showed a troubled expression this time as well.

“There was none. It seems concealment magic was used.”

Concealment magic was a type of magic that was impossible to use unless one was a magician of extraordinary level.

Rodgo had only seen Rachel use it once long ago.

He did not think such a magician would exist in the world again.

Casius nodded slightly at the unproductive answer and issued a dismissal order.

“You may leave now.”

After Rodgo left with a gloomy face, Tikan, who entered, adjusted his knight’s uniform and took his place behind Casius.

Since that wedding ceremony which he thought would be his last, every day felt like a new life to Tikan.

On the day he had gone to the threshold of the afterlife, his father had hugged him silently while wiping away tears.

At that moment, Tikan resolved.

That he would never again be foolishly caught by such an obvious trick.

After adapting to his newly granted life, he had been constantly wondering.

‘Who on earth helped me?’

At first, he thought it was his lord’s scheme, but he said he couldn’t uncover the note.

Lord Rodgo confided the details of the incident to him without holding anything back.

“If that note had been restored even a day later, it really would have been a disaster.”

“I don’t know how it happened either.”

As Rodgo said, the timely restoration of the note was truly as if God had helped.

Or perhaps his sister in heaven…

Of course, knowing such a thing was impossible, Tikan sincerely questioned and investigated the matter. Though no conclusions were reached.

Then today, upon hearing the conversation between Casius and Rodgo, Tikan finally guessed his lord’s thoughts.

“Do you think Her Majesty the Empress restored that note?”

Casius’s face finally turned slowly.

He shook his head slowly.

“I suspected the Empress was hiding many things…… But that can’t be.”

Tikan furrowed his brow as he looked at Casius and thought of Her Majesty the Empress.

In fact, Vivian was among the candidates Tikan had in mind. The reason was simple.

“Actually, I saw Her Majesty the Empress heading towards the investigator’s office at dawn that day.”

“What are you saying?”

Tikan recalled the memory of that chaotic dawn.

That day, he was so consumed with the thought of turning the venue into a sea of blood that he didn’t think deeply about such a strange sight, but looking back now, it was truly puzzling.

What reason could Her Majesty the Empress have had to be there at that time?

And without even a single attendant.

“The Empress went in and out of the investigator’s office that day? At dawn?”

“Yes, that’s correct. And……”

Casius urged Tikan, who was hesitating.

“What is it?”

“Her Majesty the Empress’s face was pale when she came out of the investigator’s office. Her face was covered in sweat and she was even limping.”

Casius’s fingers tapped on the table, following the habit that usually appeared when he was thinking.

His mind raced chaotically along with the irregular sounds.

The Empress, who could barely move, visited the investigator’s office at that hour?

All circumstances were suspiciously odd.

However, all those thoughts stopped at the same place as Tikan’s.

‘Doesn’t the Empress have no reason to secretly restore the note?’

Would the Empress do such a thing for Tikan?

Of course, Diarob Duke was behind this incident, so she might have done it with the intention of giving him his just deserts.

The Empress’s ill feelings towards Diarob always seemed to be above his imagination.

However, there was another problem.

If the Empress had revealed Tikan’s innocence, that woman should have rightfully demanded something from him.

As always, she should have been annoying him to eat together, or asking to go on a recuperation trip together like the previous request, or even to spend the night together.

The Empress, who always had her mouth full of foam, was certainly that kind of woman.

Countless unanswered questions cluttered Casius’s mind.

Even while thinking it was nonsense, memories of past times overlapped like afterimages.

It’s repeating again.

The Empress planting flowers, the Empress making him select tourist sites with rosemary, and that woman occasionally loitering around the secretary’s building…

Each time, the Empress had eyes that looked as if her heart was torn. To the point of being bothersome.

He pressed his temples and tried to shake off the continually rising idle thoughts, then rose from his seat.

It was because a way to clarify this problem had occurred to him.

*

“I greet the sun of the empire.”

Noisy sounds were heard from outside the Empress’s palace.

The sun? It had been quite a while since Casius last sought me out.

After that incident, everything flowed properly as if nothing had happened.

Except for one thing, the fact that Casius did not seek me out.

I was pondering how to attract Casius’s attention again this time…

It seemed I hadn’t heard wrong, as Casius soon entered through the opened door.

Marianne, who was setting the table as usual, moved a little more busily than usual.

Thanks to her perfection, lunch proceeded normally.

When the meal was fully served and the attendants withdrew, Casius opened his mouth.

“I heard you weren’t feeling well.”

His kind voice, as if he was worried, really made me doubt if the person in front of me was truly Casius.

‘Why is he suddenly acting like this? Did Diarob feed him something again?’

Seeing that his eyes were clear and he wasn’t looking for Rachel, that couldn’t be the case.

‘Or perhaps he changed his strategy?’

Maybe he’s trying to make me bring the magic mirror through persuasion instead of threats this time.

‘Now that the Tikan issue has been completely resolved, it’s about time for the magic mirror problem to come up.’

In any case, making someone’s heart flutter with just a kind voice and gaze asking after their well-being, he was clearly a guilty human.

“Thanks to you, I’m healthy, so you need not worry.”

“Thanks to me?”

“While you weren’t seeking me out, I’ve been diligently training my mind and body, lest I feel wronged if I’m not at least healthy.”

“It seems you resent me.”

“I did. But now that you’ve come to see me again, my heart has melted. As I’m a person without lingering resentment.”

Casius made a dumbfounded face, then soon seemed to recall something and composed his expression before suddenly suggesting we go for a walk.

Casius opened the door and led the way.

Seeing his back as he walked ahead silently, I felt even more confused.

‘Lunch followed by a walk? Did Diarob really do something?’

Then, thinking that all of this might be because of the magic mirror, I felt a sinking feeling.

Barely suppressing my contracting heart, I followed behind him.

As we circled around and headed towards the greenhouse, I saw the flowers he tended.

The flowers swaying under the splendid chandelier maintained the very appearance he had shown me, Rachel, long ago.

A cool breeze ruffled his hair as his blue eyes pierced through me.

In that state, he asked me a meaningful question.

“What does the Empress think about this recent incident?”

Suddenly, this recent incident?

“Are you referring to Sir Tikan’s matter?”

“Yes. About Tikan surviving. I was wondering what the Empress’s thoughts were.”

A flower snapped off at the tip of Casius’s finger.

Watching the flower stem twirl along his finger, my thoughts also rotated.

‘Why is he asking such a thing? Could he have noticed that I solved the note?’

Struggling to compose my expression, I raised my eyes to look at him with feigned calmness.

“I think everything has returned to justice. The truth should be properly revealed, and it’s fortunate that it was properly revealed.”

As I answered with a clear smile, Casius set down the flower with a faint smile.

“I have something to give to the Empress, so please wait here for a moment.”

With that, he moved away.

As his sculptured face gradually receded, the scent of flowers filled the space where his scent had lingered.

My heart rippled along with the beautiful fragrance.

Even though I suspected all of this was a formless lie, my heart surged like waves at his clear smile and words of giving me something.

He slowly stopped walking at a distance.

The light from the chandelier shone down on him like the sun.

For an instant, as the light scattered, the chandelier swayed in the wind.

A chilling premonition flashed through my mind and made my hair stand on end.

At that moment, the swaying chandelier fell.

Casius was standing directly beneath it.

If things continued like this, Casius might die.

“Your Majesty!”

I called out to Casius, but he showed no reaction as if he hadn’t heard.

Instinctively, my hand reached towards the chandelier.

But Casius’s gaze on me showed no wavering.

He clearly noticed the falling chandelier, yet did not move from that spot.

‘What is he doing?’

Unwavering blue eyes. A resolute face. A posture that didn’t budge even after detecting the threat…

For an instant, a strange assumption flashed ominously through my mind.

‘……!’

Right now, Casius is testing me.