But I couldn’t bring myself to say that I had become a high-profile figure while watching the gossip magazines every week.

Whenever I hesitated, unsure of how to tell the story, Kyrian waited silently without saying a word.

But as time went on, the blood-red eyes seemed to intensify and sharpen, making me a little uneasy.

I finished the story with a brief plea.

“So, you can’t just storm into the Viscountess’s mansion recklessly. Hys and the people from Madeleine Pa could be seriously harmed.”
Instead of answering, Kyrian gave a vague smile. The edge of his eyes was still sharply raised. Suddenly, I felt scared.

“We need to make a promise.”

I forcibly lifted Kyrian’s hand and wrapped my pinky finger around his. Although Kyrian’s pinky finger didn’t fully wrap around mine, I pressed the seal with determination. Only then did Kyrian slowly part his lips.

“Is it really that important to Nuna… those people?”

Kyrian still had an ambiguous smile. Even that smile looked graceful.

“Uh, it’s extremely important! I won’t be able to forgive myself if something goes wrong.”

I pretended to be sad, desperately putting on a crying face. I didn’t know where the confidence came from, but if I pretended to be sad, Kyrian seemed less likely to play around.

“Hmm.”

Kyrian held my hand and wrapped his pinky finger around mine. My finger disappeared in his large hand.

“Okay. I’ll make the promise for now.”

Though I wanted to protest against the word ‘for now,’ Kyrian bent down, and as our eyes met, he subtly lowered his eyelids, making my face heat up again.

In the end, I nodded vaguely.

“Hey, you promised, right?”

Even when I asked, my voice lacked confidence.

“Yeah.”

Kyrian closed his eyes even more charmingly.

“But Nuna…, you keep getting feverish.”

The next moment, when I came to my senses, the ground was far away, and I was trapped in Kyrian’s embrace.

“We should quickly go back to the mansion.”

I remained frozen.

Although Kyrian had hugged me several times before, considering it just another means of transportation, what used to be convenient had become uncomfortably inconvenient.

Hot, firm, close, and suffocating.

Kyrian either knew or didn’t know about my discomfort but kept smiling slyly.

At the same time, Marianne Viscountess’s office was covered in fragments of shattered magic stones.

While the servants were clearing away the pieces of magic stones, the Viscountess scolded Hys in a fit of anger.

“Immediately, send a scorpion to choke the necks of those Madeleine Pa, Macaron Pa!”

However, despite the Viscountess’s orders, Hys remained stiff in place.

Crack. With a terrible cracking sound, Hys’s head turned. From the long fingernail marks on his cheek, a streak of blood dripped down.

“Can’t you hear me?!”

Even after being slapped, Hys only stood stiffly in place.

“Mother.”

At that moment, Esmeralda, who had entered the office, intervened.

“I told him not to.”

Esmeralda briefly stared at the reddened mark on Hys’s cheek, then turned her gaze to Marianne Viscountess.

“You?”

Still with a face tainted with anger, Marianne Viscountess spat out as if chewing on her words.

“Yes.”

Esmeralda shrugged her shoulders as if it were nothing important.

“Mother, you know too. The King of Kshia is trying to quietly release Madeleine Pa.”

But logical reasoning didn’t work on Marianne Viscountess, who was furious from head to toe.
“It’s an established criminal organization. Do you think the king would bother with those insignificant things disappearing? Once you kill them and claim it was a mistake, who would dig into it more?”

“No.”

Esmeralda let out a slight sigh.

“The king told Hys something similar not long ago. Under pressure from the Estira Duchy, he needs to take responsibility for Madeleine Pa and release her.”

While outwardly continuing the conversation calmly, Esmeralda’s fingertips trembled slightly.

Hidden under her long sleeves so as not to be noticed by her mother. Despite her inner feelings, Esmeralda maintained a carefree expression.

“Mother, if you forcibly execute Madeleine Pa out of revenge, Hys’s position as the crown prince could be jeopardized. The king will undoubtedly be angry if you act unilaterally without considering the friendly relationship with the Estira Duchy, which is rightfully the empire’s owner.”

The day had finally come for her to express her opinion to her mother. It was something she had longed to experience.

She had always been the one who followed orders, shouted as her mother pleased, and bent down with her body lowered.

However, ever since Esmeralda obtained Hys through her mother’s magic, she had gained courage little by little. The most important piece on this chessboard was in her hands. At least in this aspect, her mother couldn’t do anything.

Esmeralda, crossing her cheek, looked down at the streak of blood starting to fall to the ground.

Ignoring the uncomfortable squeezing of her heart, this board belonged to her.

Esmeralda clenched her fist under her sleeve. Until a bit of blood oozed out from the nail ends, she kept squeezing.

“Wouldn’t it be better to reconsider?”

Marianne Viscountess’s gaze on Esmeralda lasted for a few seconds. However, Esmeralda only held a serene smile.

“You’ve become audacious.”

Marianne Viscountess twisted her lips into her characteristic sly smile.

Esmeralda had to hold her breath to avoid flinching.

Fortunately, Marianne Viscountess eventually nodded.

“Fine, let’s say execution is difficult.”

The Viscountess’s violet eyes flickered.

“That may not be the only way to harm those worthless few.”

“…What?”

When Esmeralda didn’t immediately understand, Marianne Viscountess looked at her with disdain, as if she found her daughter’s existence regrettable.

“Haven’t you gotten cheeky.”

With a thin, sly smile, Marianne Viscountess twisted her lips.