“Susan. Have you been well?”

“Yes. Have you been healthy, Unni?”

“As you can see.”

“Thank you for coming back safely, Unni! I was afraid something bad might happen, even just once… Sob.”

Susan burst into tears, holding back all this time.

It seemed she had been worried more than I thought.

Gratitude and apologies surged within me for those who believed in me and waited.

Franz, handing a handkerchief to Susan, behaved rather decently.

When did he move so rigidly, like a toy soldier?

Glancing at Susan’s back, Franz, comforting her, looked at her with a thin eye.

“Did you two become very close in my absence?”

“Susan helped me a lot.”

“Did she teach you multiplication? Even the math professor couldn’t do it.”

“Susan went back and forth to Boris’s farm and updated me on the progress. She also checked my health.”

Franz praised Susan, taking the opportunity.

Blushing, Susan waved her hands.

“On the contrary, Your Highness took care of me.”

“If Susan didn’t come by every day, I couldn’t have endured the loneliness. The palace is unnecessarily vast.”

“Now you won’t be lonely. Your Highness and Elizabeth Unni have returned.”

Susan comforted Franz.

Franz looked at Susan with a lonely expression that revealed a hint of sympathy.

“Still, you’ll keep being my playmate, right? It might be tiresome to hang out with a kid like me……”

“No way! Your Highness knows much more than I do, right? It’s more of an honor for me to hang out with you.”

“Thank you so much. Susan is truly a good person.”

“Your Highness…”

Franz tightly held Susan’s hand.

I couldn’t help but look away with shyness, but Susan didn’t seem to dislike it.

‘He perfectly understands how to approach Susan. Is blood really that revealing? I hoped he would resemble the romantic grandfather rather than the playboy father.’

Regardless of the wish for a good relationship, I had to protect Susan.

As the education supervisor, I also had to observe Franz’s growth.

Unlike Susan, six years older and having a crush on Franz, Susan seemed to see Franz as a kind and reliable prince.

I still didn’t know if she wanted a son like Franz.

“Now the vacation is over. Let’s all get tense again!”

“What mischief are you up to now, Elizabeth?”

Franz asked with half anticipation and half concern.

Nicolas’s green eyes, resembling his father, were shining brightly.

‘If I accept the proposal, I will become Franz’s mother. I wonder what expression Franz will make. Will he accept it?’

Even when he occupied the canary room and when he said he would become the education supervisor, Franz strongly opposed it.
In Franz’s heart, his deceased mother held a significant place from an early age.

As someone abandoned by parents, I could understand the boy’s longing.

‘Can I be a good mother to Franz? I don’t even know what a good parent is or what parental love is.’

I wasn’t blinded by love and didn’t turn away from reality.

I had no intention of pursuing the position of Empress for my own goals.

‘If I marry Nicolai, I have to accept his responsibilities and fate. I want to be someone Franz and the imperial people can be proud of. If I can become Empress…’

The decision was made.

I wanted to become Nicolai’s wife no matter what challenges arose.

I wanted to be his, to possess him.

If one problem could be solved.

“Now it’s time for us to counterattack. We can’t forget revenge.”

I laughed like a dark forest leader.

“Those are welcoming words I’ve been waiting to hear.”

Franz also smiled, concealing his intentions like a little villain.

Susan and Nisa welcomed us with applause.

As if something occurred to him, Franz spoke up.

“But before that, I have something to confess… I’ve become a saint.”

“What did you say?!”

“It happened somehow, so don’t be too surprised.”

He said it as casually as announcing ordering a box of sweet potatoes or signing up for insurance.

As expected, Franz, Susan, and Nisa were engulfed in shock.

He asked with a charming smile, “Anyone in pain? Feel free to take advantage of the saint’s acquaintance chance.”

Even though the sun had set, Cares was in his office instead of the internal affairs office.

His room was piled with various books and documents like a tower about to collapse.

Ink-splattered papers, dried-up teacups with tea stains, multiple pens, and a half-eaten oatmeal cookie were scattered on the desk.

The floor was covered with long-settled dust like a cushion, and a dead flower was desolately stuck in the vase.

‘I thought the surroundings would be neat as much as the handling of tasks. Surprisingly messy. Maybe even the cleaners can’t enter.’

Surprised by the unexpected sight, I faced Cares.

A loyal subject who might have betrayed my Nicolai.