Killian, having finished his shower, returned to the bedroom still wearing his bathrobe. Sitting on the bed, he immediately opened the drawer of the nightstand and took out a glass bottle.

Inside was a red rose that had not wilted even after several years. It was the glass bottle he had shared with Veronia.

Killian shook the glass bottle. The mana stones the size of pebbles inside the bottle rolled around, making a rattling sound.

And then Veronia’s voice was heard.

‘I hope Lord Killian likes this gift. I’ve always been grateful. I won’t forget.’

It was a cheerful, light voice. Sitting like this every night and listening to her voice was Killian’s daily routine that he never missed.

“I miss you. I long for you. Veronia… Your Highness.”

Speaking her name aloud after a long time seemed to ease his stifled heart a little.

But it was strange. At that moment, oddly enough, Jediel’s smiling face came to mind as well.

‘Come to think of it… Jediel’s smile seems to resemble Her Highness Veronia’s…’

Realizing this thought, Killian let out a small chuckle. Even he found himself a bit ridiculous.

‘First impression resembling elder brother Aaron, and now resembling Her Highness Veronia… A child resembling all the people I miss… Really now.’

There must be something wrong with his head. Perhaps he should seek counsel from a physician.

It seemed he was the one who needed to take medicine to sleep, not his mother.

Shaking his head vigorously to clear his scattered thoughts, Killian immediately extinguished the candle and lay down.

‘Wherever you are, I hope you sleep well, Your Highness.’

It was a nightly greeting to Veronia, whom he believed was surely alive somewhere.

Veronia’s insides boiled as she boarded the carriage. Despite being told she couldn’t participate in on-site work, she was on her way to the site as if being dragged.

‘Sorry, sorry. But shouldn’t we do a site inspection before starting the foundation work? Don’t worry, I deliberately scheduled the work time for late when no one will be around. The Imperial Palace also prefers night work. They say it’s to avoid inconveniencing passersby or something.’

The director’s nonchalant voice seemed to still echo in her ears.

‘I should quit this job as soon as possible.’

Veronia clenched her molars, steeling her resolve. But that was only for a moment.

‘Ah, no! Then Jediel’s education… Oh…!’

Leaving the Magic Tower Research Institute would make it impossible to send the child to kindergarten or school. Moreover, Veronia herself wasn’t confident in teaching Jediel.

Whew, a heavy sigh escaped.

She was angry at having to take such risks because of unwanted work, but there was nothing she could do. It was something that professionals inevitably experienced.

‘My goodness… To think such a day would come. To think I’d come here like this.’

The feeling of walking back into the place she had secretly left was utterly depressing.

She couldn’t help but lament at the truly absurd situation.

‘It’ll be fine. The administrative officials will have all left the palace by now. At most, there will only be guards. Besides, it’s not the same face. No one will recognize my real face.’

Veronia tried to reassure herself as she pulled her robe down low. It was time to muster courage.

The carriage had geometric patterns symbolizing the Magic Tower engraved on it, so they could easily pass through the main gate of the Imperial Palace.

Thump thump, Veronia’s heart began to beat, asserting its presence.

‘Why don’t I just get it over with quickly.’

As she was steeling herself, the carriage stopped in front of the annex. It was finally time to enter the palace alone.

“Huu… Phew…!”

After taking a deep breath, Veronia took tense steps out of the carriage.

Fortunately, there weren’t many people passing by. Demolition work on the existing stairs was in full swing at the central entrance of the annex.

As Veronia entered, a woman with long, glossy black hair tied tightly approached. It was Flora, the site manager.

They were already familiar faces, having met several times within the Magic Tower Research Institute.

“Nia, welcome.”

“You’re working hard. How far along is the demolition work?”

Flora answered Veronia’s question diligently. She inspected various parts of the site thoroughly, as if she had completely forgotten her initial reluctance to come.

Creating two lines of stairs, one going down and one going up, in place of the originally wide single staircase didn’t seem to be a simple foundation work.

However, Veronia and Flora communicated well, which made the work progress faster.

After completing the site inspection in 30 minutes, Veronia hurried to prepare for her return.

“Thank you for making the difficult trip, Nia.”

“It’s nothing. I was reluctant at first, but I’m glad I came to see for myself.”

“Come and check occasionally like today. We’ll continue with night work, so you won’t run into any noble gentlemen.”

“…Yes. I will.”

It seemed the director had relayed Veronia’s words directly to Flora.

‘In any case, our director isn’t known for keeping his mouth shut.’

Although it was a fact she already knew, confirming it again in this way wasn’t particularly pleasant. As she was shaking her head and about to leave, it happened.

From afar, a tall man with a good build walked towards them. Even with just a glance at his silhouette, she could immediately tell who the man was.

‘Killian!’

Veronia’s heart sank.

She needed to turn her head and body. She tried to move her feet to walk away. She had to quickly get to the carriage storage before encountering him.

But she couldn’t move her body at all.

The moment she caught sight of Killian, all her nerves seemed to focus on him, unable to perform any other function.

‘Ah…!’

Just as she managed to muster strength and take a step forward with her body turned, it happened. The large entrance door that had been left open closed with a bang, creating a strong current of air.

Whoosh, the wind blew off the robe Veronia had been wearing on her head.

‘Of all times…!’

What she had been hiding under her robe since entering the Imperial Palace was now exposed to Killian in an instant.

Her long silver hair fluttered gently in the wind, becoming disheveled.

Their eyes met.

But the distance was too far to confirm what expression Killian was making.

Veronia quickly pulled up her robe, grinding her molars.

‘My hair color and eye color are all different. Plus, I have scars and tattoos now. There’s no way he’ll recognize me. Absolutely not.’

As Veronia was comforting herself with reassuring words, Flora’s clear voice was heard.

“Lord Prime Minister, you’ve arrived? You’re leaving late today.”

“…It turned out that way. Ah, are you still… working?”

“Yes. The planning manager came for a site inspection today, so the work has been running a bit long. Nia, Nia! Wait, over here!”

Just as Veronia had completely turned her body and was about to step away, Flora called her with a loud voice.

‘Ah… Oh no!’

Please don’t tell me you just called me in front of Killian! Veronia felt a chill in her chest from the predicament.

‘What would happen if I just ran away now?’

A strong impulse arose. But she had to endure.

‘I’d be caught immediately as a suspicious person. Even if I said I was an employee of the Magic Tower Research Institute, it wouldn’t help. They wouldn’t let someone who runs away at the sight of the Prime Minister go free.’

After that, an investigation would begin, and the face hidden by magic tools would be exposed immediately. Realizing this, Veronia immediately turned around.

‘It’s okay. Maintain your composure! My face is already different, right? If I just pay attention to my expression and voice, it’ll be fine. Nothing will happen.’

And she moved her reluctant feet, walking steadily towards Flora and Killian.

“Nia, this gentleman here is the Lord Prime Minister. He’s the highest-ranking person in this building. He’s also the one who ordered our work.”

“Ah, hello. It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Prime Minister. I’m Nia from the Magic Tower Research Institute.”

Fortunately, her voice came out normally without trembling, and Veronia felt relieved.

“Are… are you a magician too?”

“No. I’m an ordinary person without mana. They say people like me are needed in the planning department too.”

Veronia calmly answered Killian’s question. Quite naturally, Killian didn’t seem to recognize her.

‘Well… He already thinks I died long ago. There’s no way he’d recognize me.’

It was needless worry. Princess Veronia was already dead and gone.

Only the commoner Nia existed now.

‘Remember well. My name now is Nia. I’m a commoner and an employee of the Magic Tower.’

As Veronia was organizing the situation in her head, a worker called for Flora, causing her to leave her spot briefly.

Left alone with Killian, Veronia tensed up again. As she glanced towards the entrance, considering how to escape, Killian’s questions continued.

“Does the job suit you well?”

It was a somewhat strange question.

Do people usually ask if a job suits someone they’ve just met? Veronia found it odd. It seemed he was asking because it was uncommon for ordinary people to work at the Magic Tower Research Institute.

Moreover, it sounded strange for the Prime Minister to use formal speech to a commoner.

“Yes. Even if it doesn’t suit me well, I’d have to make it work to make a living, but it suits me reasonably well.”

“…That’s fortunate.”

A moment of silence fell. Sensing an opportunity, Veronia spoke up.

“Then may I take my leave now, Your Excellency? My work hours have run late. My child is waiting for me at home.”

“Ah…”

She deliberately let slip such trivial information to firmly establish herself as an ordinary commoner.

But the answer didn’t come immediately.

‘Why is that? Did I make a mistake? Did he notice something? That can’t be…’

Veronia’s heart pounded.

“This works out well. I was on my way to the carriage storage anyway. Let’s go together. I have more to ask.”

“Ah… Yes.”

Killian strode forward first. Watching him lead the way, Veronia despaired once again.

She feared she might make some absurd mistake due to the overwhelming tension.