“Relia, your face seems quite bruised since we last met. You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”

Yustia lowered her eyebrows diagonally, looking at Relia with warm eyes. It was a practiced gesture. Moreover, with Duke Garnet present, she had to be even more cautious in her words and actions.

“I’m deeply sorry to meet you in this condition.”

“No, Relia. I know how much you’ve suffered during this time, so don’t worry about that.”

“Still, thanks to Her Majesty’s concerns, I’ve been getting better day by day. Although my strength hasn’t fully returned yet, I’ll make an effort to greet you in good health soon.”

Relia mechanically delivered formal responses, appearing somewhat stiff. It was because of Dwayne, who was sitting beside the Empress.

Despite thinking that the scorpion had come to inform about the Empress, considering Dwayne’s presence, she began to wonder if he had come to find her.

Just that made Relia tense without explanation. The image of Dwayne she saw in prison was still vivid in her mind.

[I heard that you spoke words related to the throne. Is that true?] [I told you not to speak those words. How dare you think of uttering them recklessly.] [You’ve begged foolishly enough; you should stop now, Relia. There’s nothing good for you to be more disappointing to me here. It will take a few days. Until then, it would be good to accurately grasp your mistakes and reflect on them.]

Relia couldn’t forget a single word Dwayne told her that day, nor the fear and despair she felt at that moment.

She had clung desperately, and at the moment when she heard that it would take a few days for her to reflect on her mistakes, the chilling sensation she felt that day was still vivid.

Dwayne’s eyes, which seemed to be frozen as if lost in conscience, could devour her at any moment. Then he would likely verify with that chilling voice what she had reflected on.

If she had known this would happen, she would have waited for the next one, making an excuse about her condition.

Relia regretted her choice deeply, but the decision was irreversible. Unable to do anything else, she looked at Yustia with a blindly devoted gaze, wanting to turn away from Dwayne as much as possible.

“You’ve been greatly concerned, Your Majesty. I should have thought more deeply and acted more cautiously. I was too reckless.”

Relia suddenly showed signs of remorse, lowering her head. Yustia, unable to respond immediately, observed Dwayne’s reaction.

Normally, she would have advised her to be more careful in the future, but it didn’t seem like a good answer considering Dwayne’s temperament.
Moreover, for some unknown reason, Dwayne had been deep in thought with an expression that had been inscrutable and somewhat fearful since arriving at the Empress’s residence.

It was him who had arranged for Relia to sit with him a few days ago. So, considering that he had gone through the trouble of creating the opportunity, it didn’t seem to be a matter of trivial importance if he was absent-minded even when facing Relia.

Yustia took a deep breath. Since she couldn’t know what was on Dwayne’s mind, unnecessary anxiety surged.

“Your Majesty must have been disappointed by the decision of Rio. Thank you for speaking first.”

“No, it’s nothing. I realized that Your Majesty gave me advice, but I foolishly behaved forgetting about it.”

“My advice?”

“Yes. I’ll try not to emotionally react to matters that Your Majesty chooses and decides, as you advised.”

Relia responded by bowing her head modestly. Her attitude was overly polite.

Despite feeling uncomfortable, Yustia was quite pleased with Relia’s attitude. For a while, she seemed to have acted recklessly without understanding the topic, but now she seemed to have regained her original intentions.

Yustia responded with a gracious smile. As the conversation stalled, silence quickly filled the reception room. The only sound filling the room was the clinking of teacups against saucers. However, Dwayne did not seem to blink.

The seat, which was courteously arranged after Relia’s release, was a formality. This should help to resolve any lingering resentment Net had. So, for Dwayne, who was concerned about his relationship with Net, this occasion was somewhat important.

However, to Dwayne, who was now filled with ambition after meeting the Prince, this occasion was no longer important at all.

To Dwayne, Relia’s value shone perfectly when the Prince behaved foolishly, if not like garbage. However, now the Prince, full of ambition, was not only envisioning his future but also meticulously calculating for a perfect picture, even without being instructed.

Moreover, he seemed to no longer regard Relia’s presence as something pleasant, unlike before.

“I will make an effort to get along well with the Princess Consort in the future, even if it’s for the sake of the goals I have promised to achieve.”

“I will place everyone under my feet without leaving anyone behind. I will make sure that no one dares to think of opposing me at any moment, even in their dreams.”