The Empress’s gaze fell upon me.

Her eyes, sunken as if shattered foam, wavered aimlessly.

Hastily spreading her hands, she called out to herself repeatedly with a pale expression.

In that moment, a peculiar light began to slowly spread around her long, white fingers.

‘I wondered if… Was the Empress truly the owner of that tremendous magical power?’

Through Casius’s mind flashed the things the Empress had demanded, like a fleeting scene.

Birlof’s heart, the lake said to be good for energy, using treatment as an excuse to sit…

Come to think of it, doesn’t everything fit together?

Casius remained still, watching her move as expected.

If the Empress had powerful magic, she would surely use a stopping spell.

Most magicians can use stopping spells.

But that only applies to light objects or sounds.

There were few magicians on the continent who could stop a chandelier of such enormous weight.

And there were no such magicians in the empire.

In short, if someone used a stopping spell to halt the chandelier, the one who undid the note would be this woman standing before me.

‘If the Empress has tremendous magical power, she will certainly save me.’

After all, she’s a woman who would stop at nothing for her own sake.

*

My heart raced rapidly.

‘Why isn’t she avoiding it? Wasn’t she testing me? Should I use magic even now?’

Numerous thoughts clouded my mind.

Meanwhile, the chandelier was falling quickly above Casius’s head.

Without realizing it, I raised a light in my hand.

In a split second, as Casius narrowly avoided the chandelier, a tremendous crash echoed throughout the space.

Shattered fragments of the chandelier scattered around Casius.

Amidst the messy debris, Casius was visible.

As I rushed towards Casius, he leisurely rose to his feet.

His appearance was as composed as if nothing had happened.

My heart beat rapidly, and my insides boiled.

If something had gone wrong, Casius could have died.

Yet he went to such dangerous lengths to test me until the end.

Although a surge of emotion welled up, it was quickly overshadowed by worry.

As I ran to him, his blue gaze slowly lifted.

But.

His eyes were not just cold, they were icy.

There was something strange about his demeanor, but that wasn’t important to me right now.

Blood was spreading on Casius’s leg.

“Your Majesty!”

After ordering to call the royal physician, I quickly tore the hem of my dress.

As I brought it to Casius’s leg, a large hand swiftly knocked mine away.

Looking up at him in surprise, I saw his profile set in determination.

“Your Majesty, there’s still a lot of blood…”

In an instant, his face slowly turned towards me.

As our eyes met, a chilling voice settled in my ear.

“Stop making a fuss.”

His gaze, too frigid for words, pierced through me.

The starkly different, alien demeanor from moments ago made my heart sink.

‘Was all that kindness just an act to test me?’

Seeing him become cold again, as if looking at a stranger, I couldn’t help but feel bitter.

As if having finished his purpose, Casius immediately stood up and walked away.

I tried to support him, but Casius avoided my touch.

At his gesture, Tikan approached with hurried steps, his face pale as he looked back and forth between Casius and Vivian.

He soon supported Casius and walked away.

Before they completely disappeared, Tikan turned back hesitantly, his face faintly etched with apology towards me.

The hem of the dress wrapped around my hand fell to the floor with a soft thud.

It was as tattered as my heart.

*

As Casius left the greenhouse, a sardonic smile played on his lips.

‘Of course. There’s no way the Empress could be the owner of such powerful magic.’

Even if she was, why would the Empress do anything to benefit Rosemary?

Of course, dismissing it outright didn’t explain the strange behaviors that had been flashing through his mind.

But Casius came to a simple conclusion.

‘Those eccentricities must also be part of her attempts to gain my attention.’

Casius entered the Imperial Palace with self-deprecation.

Returning to his office, he slumped into an armchair and gazed out the window.

The lonely scene of scattered fallen leaves was overlaid with the scene from the greenhouse moments ago.

Upon discovering him, the Empress immediately raised a light in her left hand.

In retrospect, it was undeniably strange.

Usually, when magicians use magic circles, they raise their main hand to draw the pattern and use the opposite hand to minimize recoil.

But the Empress raised her left hand.

Like Rachel’s old habit, her left foot moved simultaneously.

It was quite an odd posture, unique to Rachel, and yet.

Of course, one couldn’t attribute uniqueness to a posture, but…

Casius furrowed his brow with his eyes closed.

Anyway, since the Empress didn’t stop the chandelier, there was only one conclusion.

The Empress doesn’t have such powerful magic, nor could she be Rachel.

‘You fool. How could you, even for a moment, equate Rachel with Vivian Snowfell?’

Casius remained in his seat for a long time, his brow still furrowed.

In the distance, he saw the Empress’s figure once again.

He closed the curtains so that her figure was no longer visible.

Where his gaze turned, a pair of carved figurines made by Rachel’s own hands were neatly placed on the table.

Casius, after downing some whiskey, sat there for a long time, staring at the pair of carved figurines.

*

At a time when the sound of pouring rain soaked the ears.

Lunchtime arrived without fail.

The only thing different from yesterday’s luncheon was Casius’s absence.

The empty air was chillingly cold, amplifying the loneliness.

Only the quiet clattering of cutlery echoed through the space.

How could the absence of just one person make such a difference?

After barely eating, I got up and went for a walk.

It was called a walk, but in reality, the purpose was clearly to observe the Imperial Palace.

‘To think that even seeing Casius’s shadow would be this difficult.’

My bitter steps once again led me, as if by habit, to the Imperial Palace where Casius resided.

Tikan seemed surprised to see me, as if he hadn’t expected me to come at all.

“Please relay this. Tell him I have something to say to His Majesty.”

Tikan bowed his head and then went inside, disappearing from view.

After a short while, Tikan came out of the office with a troubled expression.

“His Majesty says he does not wish to see the Empress at this time.”

For several days after that, the routine of visiting the Imperial Palace and being rejected was repeated.

Today too, not even catching a glimpse of Casius’s shadow, a sense of helplessness washed over me.

I know why he’s rejecting me.

‘Should I bring him the magic mirror?’

But if I bring him the magic mirror, the last remaining hope will disappear.

‘What would happen if Casius knew that Rachel was alive like this?’

I would surely be abandoned immediately.

Turning my gaze to the window out of frustration, my eyes fell on the calendar placed on the table.

The red X marks increasing one by one on the pages tightened my chest.

‘If I keep sitting idle like this, both Casius and I will end up dead.’

I can no longer just wait for Casius’s heart to soften.

The deliberation continued for several more days after that.

‘Is this really the only way?’

Although worries stirred my mind, now there was no choice but to take a risk.

If it doesn’t work, make it work.

With that, I got up and immediately went to the Imperial Palace.

*

Today too, Tikan looked at me with a troubled face.

It should have been time to give up, yet I kept coming like this, he must be wondering.

If it were someone else, they might have shown a tired face and immediately turned me away, saying ‘You came again?’…

But blood ties still maintained some formalities, at least.

Well, if one is human, they shouldn’t despise someone who even restored and revived a note.

Of course, he knows nothing about that.

Tikan, as usual, turned to report to Casius.

I spoke to him as he was turning.

“Today, I must see His Majesty without fail.”

Tikan stopped and turned back to me.

His face was once again tinged with perplexity.

“But His Majesty…”

I looked around once and continued speaking.

“I’ve come today with something extremely important to say.”

With a face that showed not a trace of wounded pride, she had clear eyes.

“If it’s something important…”

Tikan’s face hardened as he observed the Empress’s unusual demeanor.

What words would she say this time?

The words that came out of her mouth next were truly unexpected.

“Please tell him I have an urgent matter to discuss regarding the magic mirror.”

Magic mirror? Tikan quickly furrowed his brow.

In the past, both his lord and father had made countless efforts to find it.

They mobilized the Wolfdor army, conducted numerous investigations, and when they finally learned that the magic mirror was in Snowfell, it was devastating.

And now the Empress, a lady of Snowfell, says she has something to say about the magic mirror?

‘Perhaps she intends to negotiate about it?’

Seeing Vivian’s grave expression, Tikan quickly went inside.

At the mention of the magic mirror, Casius immediately hardened his face and ordered.

“Let her in.”