Aesha awkwardly smiled and said, “I’m not sure if that’s a revelation, but as a butterfly, it gave me answers on how I should proceed in the future.”

Diatra, after a brief contemplation, spoke, “I see… The gods spoke to me as well… they said an empire ruled by an unenlightened emperor is unstable, leading to the emergence of demons. They specifically mentioned that the intensity is greater because Her Majesty is the Black Rose.”

At these words, Aesha’s face darkened. There had been tales since ancient times that the flower empire of Etzheim would gradually deteriorate if the emperor did not rule properly, like flowers withering if not properly cared for. Even the previous emperor, Ricardo, who failed to govern properly, faced an unprecedented cold snap, and the birth of the Black Rose was attributed to those events.

As if Karaf’s enlightenment had gone wrong, ominous events continued to unfold in the empire.

Karaf was alone in his office, suffering from a headache. Numerous bundles of documents were piled on his desk. All were reports of demons appearing throughout the empire.

Karaf hastily dispatched palace knights to quickly suppress the demons as a temporary measure, but the situation had spread to the point where even the elite Cactus Knights had to intervene due to a shortage of manpower. The empire was engulfed in great unrest.

Distrust toward Karaf was also unintentionally growing among the imperial citizens. Rumors spread that the cursed Black Rose was causing unfortunate events in the empire due to the failed Enlightenment Ritual.

Karaf nervously crumpled the papers and wrapped his head with his hands. At that moment, news came.

“…Your Majesty, Baroness Aesha has arrived.”

Upon hearing that Aesha had come, he raised his head abruptly.

“Let her in.”

When Aesha entered, he glanced at her with a troubled expression, buried in piles of papers.

Seeing her, Karaf’s face brightened as if to say, “When did this happen?”

Aesha, noticing his face buried in documents, closed her mouth, concerned.

Karaf, looking at her face, suddenly became embarrassed and hastily tried to clear the papers cluttering the desk.

At that moment, Aesha stealthily picked up one of the fallen paper bundles and unfolded it.

Karaf’s face slightly darkened in dismay.

Aesha realized why he had tried to prevent her from seeing these documents.

With various demons appearing in the empire and Karaf’s reputation declining, her expression became serious.

Karaf, unable to lift his face in embarrassment, kept his gaze fixed on the floor.

His lowered eyelashes over red eyes looked incredibly uneasy.

“…Your Majesty.”

“It’s okay. The Empress doesn’t need to worry about this.”

“Your Majesty.”

Calling his name again, Aesha approached him closely.
“What Her Majesty doesn’t need to worry about is also true for me. Both of us already know that all the circulating rumors are baseless, don’t we?”

“…….,”

Aesha said those words to comfort him, but Karaf couldn’t be sure if they were truly groundless rumors.

Could he conclusively say that the events weren’t happening because of him? The sudden surge of demons was an unprecedented event.

No, in the past, he simply didn’t know about such events because they hadn’t occurred quickly, or perhaps, everything was already foretold.

He was a cursed being…

While Karaf was brooding with a heavy expression, Aesha, who was reviewing documents, suddenly declared with a serious face.

“Your Majesty, I will also participate in demon subjugation.”

“…What?”

Karaf, as if awakened from a dream, asked in surprise.

Aesha looked into his red eyes and said seriously, “By subjugating demons as both the Empress and a Bannet, it will raise the honor of the imperial family, and the people will feel a sense of trust and protection from the imperial family. It is only right that flowers and butterflies, symbols of the empire, share responsibility for everything that happens in the empire.”

“No, that still can’t be done. I can’t just leave the Empress in danger. If something happens to the Empress again, I won’t be able to live with a clear conscience. If you truly care about the peace of the empire, don’t bring up such things.”

Aesha remained silent.

As expected, he firmly refused.

However, while scrutinizing the documents, Aesha suddenly had a good idea.

“Your Majesty, the ‘Month of Flower Arrangement’ will soon be celebrated, and there will be official events at the palace. I suggest we gather nobles to assist in the upcoming events.”

“Ah, that’s right…”

Karaf, who thought the events weren’t important, was reminded of the upcoming festival when Aesha handed him documents she had picked up from afar.

Given the current state of confusion in his mind, he was annoyed by the multitude of events listed on the documents.

“There are too many damn events in this empire. How about getting rid of them all now…”

“Your Majesty!”

The chief steward standing by the door shouted in astonishment.

However, Karaf was sincere this time.