Unfortunately, I couldn’t collapse here.

I straightened my back and maintained the most sacred expression and tone possible.

“I’ll decline the princess’s hospitality. Although I appreciate the effort, I prefer my meals to be modest and simple.”

“Indeed, Saintess…! I underestimated the humble thoughts of this lowly one.”

The steward bowed apologetically, bending his waist.

I raised one arm like a holy religious leader.
“Go and happily deliver the news. The Saintess is very satisfied with the dish.”

“Hail to the Saintess!”

The steward retreated, taking backward steps.

Only then did I hastily rinse my mouth with water.

“Isn’t being a Saintess quite a role?”

Nikolai, chewing the cheese mechanically, taunted.

My cheeks flushed.

“I’m doing my best.”

“I will become great as a Saintess. Please also bestow grace upon me.”

“Don’t mock me. It was an unavoidable situation.”

I protruded my lips.

Nikolai shrugged his shoulders.

Surprisingly, more than half of his cheese had disappeared.

“How did you eat this horrible thing?”

“I’m just taking in nutrients.”

“They say spiciness is sensed by taste buds…”

“I told you. The aroma and taste I can perceive are only yours.”

Nikolai lowered his head toward me, his sharp gaze piercing through me.

Startled, I turned the conversation.

“Is Franz doing well?”

I was worried about him since leaving the palace.

He had become sturdier, but he was still a young child in need of a guardian’s touch.

“You can check for yourself.”

Nikolai still hadn’t given up on me.

“I think it would be faster if Your Majesty conveyed the message.”

“Pinch is safe. Shade is guarding him.”

“Shade… the secret guardian knight.”

The neat face of Shade, like a young boy, flashed before my eyes.

Droplets of blood were scattered where he had passed.

“He’s remarkably skilled. Exceptional in stealth. But he kills people too easily.”

“That’s his specialty.”

“Franz was greatly shocked seeing that.”

“He will witness things far worse than that once he becomes Emperor.”

“Are you planning to give him early education?”

“If it’s inevitable, he has to get used to it.”

Nikolai coldly replied, even though he seemed negligent in his duties as an educational supervisor.

“Franz really likes Your Majesty. If Your Majesty wishes, he’s a child who would study even killing. Please don’t make unreasonable demands of such a child.”

“Unreasonable demands…”

“Eat well, play well, and grow well. That’s the important age, isn’t it?”

“Sorry, but I’ve already made unreasonable demands.”

Nikolai said with an expression that showed no remorse.

A shiver ran down my spine as a sense of ominousness passed by.

“What on earth did you do?”

“I gave him the Elixir.”

“The Elixir…?”

For a moment, my mind felt empty.

On the other hand, Nikolai remained nonchalant.

“It’s mainly used when making decisions on national matters. It’s an item symbolizing the Emperor’s authority.”

“Your Majesty!”

“If it weren’t for you, Pinch wouldn’t have accepted it so willingly. In various ways, thank you, Elizabeth.”

“Why did you give that to Franz?!”

Without realizing it, my voice became louder.

Nikolai tilted his head, as if asking why such an obvious question was being raised.

“As the one representing the Emperor, isn’t it natural for him to take charge of the Elixir?”

Douglas and Franz visited Owen’s atelier together.

In the place arranged by Elizabeth, Owen was drawing replicas of his works.

Owen, standing in front of a well-lit easel, had an awkward expression.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince. To come all the way to such a humble place…”

Though Douglas tried to give a jest, Owen had harbored resentment and dislike towards the Ebrei royal family for a long time.

His feelings were complex in many ways.

Since it was a casual visit, Franz was dressed in simple clothes, not the attire of a Crown Prince.

He hid his dazzling blond hair under an old hunting cap.

At first glance, he looked like an ordinary boy, but he couldn’t conceal the dignity that only noble people possess.

“Thank you for meeting me, Owen.”

“I heard from Miss Elizabeth that you are the educational supervisor for His Highness.”

“She is the only one I consider as my mentor.”

Franz asserted firmly.

His appearance subtly moved Douglas.

‘I thought she was just playing around with Elizabeth and the neighborhood kids… but she sincerely follows her.’

Elizabeth was the only one who didn’t care about Franz’s elevated status.

She treated Franz like an annoying little boy.

In front of her, Franz could shed the burden of being a Crown Prince and behave like an innocent boy.

It was probably the first sense of liberation Franz had ever felt.

‘Except for Nicolai, the only person who believes that His Highness will become the next Emperor is Elizabeth.’

Elizabeth had no intention of prying anything out of Franz.

She had no desire to pull Franz down and replace him with a new Crown Prince.

Except for Nicolai, Elizabeth, a commoner, was Franz’s biggest ally.

If it weren’t for Elizabeth’s instigation, Franz would never have received the Elixir.

“So why has Your Highness, the future Emperor, visited a humble rebel like me?”

Owen asked.

“I heard that you also owe Miss Elizabeth. If it weren’t for her, you would have died at the hands of the kidnappers.”

“If the opportunity arises to repay that debt, what will you do?”

“Are you trying to persuade me under the guise of Miss Elizabeth?”