Spinning around, Eshika lay on her back and chuckled while looking at the ceiling. Laughter kept bubbling up.

The strange satisfaction and exhilaration that came from deceiving everyone were overwhelming.

‘If only I had handled Reneve better.’

If that were the case, there would have been no need to leave Basuker, and she would have been the one occupying the seat next to Icarus…

Though there was lingering regret and reluctance, she also felt somewhat indifferent.

No longer did she need to fear being exposed as a fake princess. There was no need to succumb to the king’s coercive threats.

Eshika decided to enjoy this freedom for a while. After all, she had enough gold coins to live a leisurely life.

She stretched her legs and looked down at her new shoes.

“I really made a good purchase.”

It seemed like an appropriate item to commemorate her new start in Paradia.

‘Yes. Starting anew in Paradia.’

If she acquired a noble status from someone like Viscount Chavanne, she could properly play the role of a noble…

With these thoughts, Eshika suddenly sat up.

“Wait, if I handle this well, can I see Lucius too?”

Soon, Eshika’s mouth curled up into a mischievous smile.

“Perhaps…”

Was this not the beginning of the original work?

The thought suddenly seemed quite plausible. Her heart began to beat rapidly.

In the original, Eshika, a lower-class noble in Paradia, debuted at the royal ball and met Lucius for the first time.

That day marked their first meeting at the Imperial Palace.

On the Emperor’s birthday, Icarus intentionally released the criminals who attacked Reneve. He staged it as if the prison supervisor was negligent.

It was to escape from the palace and follow their actions.

Icarus’s secret guards immediately followed them, and the identity of the client was revealed.

“Your Majesty, it seems that the mercenaries we released have made contact with Viscount Zalt.”

Upon Dahan’s report, Icarus diverted his gaze from the documents.

“It seems like a well-set trap.”

“They were released not long ago, so I thought they wouldn’t move for a while, but it seems they were caught sooner than expected.”

“They must have been important customers for the mercenaries.”

Dahan immediately agreed.

“That seems to be the case. It was luckier than I thought. But Your Majesty, what should we do about Viscount Zalt?”

“Capture him.”

With an expression befitting the appropriate decision, Dahan nodded.

There were various reasons to apprehend Viscount Zalt, a figure Icarus had been watching for a long time.

The biggest one was his involvement in the operation of illegal gambling dens, which was one of the criminal activities violating imperial law.

Furthermore, these funds were used as bribes by tax evasion.

As a result, Viscount Zalt contributed to creating a massive underground fund.

Icarus knew about this even before ascending to the throne but let it be.

Then he began gathering irrefutable evidence. He intertwined those associated with Viscount Zalt in order to expose them all at once.

By the time enough evidence had been collected, it coincidentally turned out that Viscount Zalt had hired mercenaries to break Reneve.

“Your Majesty, if we are going to capture Viscount Zalt, shall I take the lead?”

Bain, who had been quietly listening to Icarus and Dahan’s conversation, intervened.

Bain had been assigned the mission to infiltrate Viscount Zalt’s illegal gambling den.

He must have seen smartly through how Viscount Zalt lured innocent people into the gambling den and ruthlessly exploited them.

“Don’t do anything unnecessary.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. Don’t worry!”

Although he replied that way, Bain’s face already seemed full of thoughts of unnecessary actions.

Icarus frowned as he watched Bain leave the office with high spirits. Likewise, Dahan asked with a worried expression.

“Your Majesty, is it okay to leave it to Bain?”

“Since he was eagerly preparing for this day, we can’t help but let him strike a few times.”
Icarus absentmindedly spoke and lowered his gaze from the documents he had been looking at until a moment ago.

Bain immediately launched an assault on Viscount Zalt with the Imperial Knights.

With dozens of knights and Bain’s momentum, Viscount Zalt was ruthlessly escorted to the underground prison of the palace.

“I will surely testify in court that I was subdued by force!”

Viscount Zalt shouted towards Bain’s back as he tried to leave.

Turning towards Viscount Zalt with a smirk, Bain chuckled.

“Please speak like that to His Majesty as well.”

With an expression that seemed self-assured, Viscount Zalt gritted his teeth and glared at Bain.

The fact that Bain was the closest aide to the Emperor was widely known. So, if Bain moved, it meant it was the will of the Emperor.

However, even after ascending to the throne, the Emperor had mostly turned a blind eye to internal affairs of the empire.

Viscount Zalt had observed the Emperor’s every move right after the coronation.