A long time had passed since the conclusion, and a massive spinoff side story came out, but the content, quite absurdly, did not mainly deal with Esika and Lucius.

Literally, if.

It dealt with the story if Icar, who had been a disposable supporting character, had not died.

“So I stopped reading.”

At the unexpected development, her eyes had clouded over, and as if it had never happened, the moment she saw Icar coming from afar in the Bashuker Imperial Palace, her blue eyes sparkled.

“It’s Icar!”

He was not just tall and lanky, but he had a muscular body honed by swordsmanship.

Moreover, his arms and legs were slender, and the proportions were very good.

That was not all.

With his neat lips and a thick yet sharp nose, even without double eyelids, his large and refreshing eyes boasted a fantastic combination.

While appearing ascetic, a mysteriously sensual atmosphere coexisted. He was undoubtedly a divine sculpture perfected to perfection.

Just by looking at him, a thousand years of anger seemed to melt away in an instant.

“But I really don’t understand.”

She thought that if he was the male lead, black hair and red eyes were proper. The blonde walleyed look suited the supporting male.

But Lucius, the male protagonist of this book, followed the typical look of the supporting male.

Brilliant golden hair and iceblue wall eyes.

“Black hair and red eyes are a must for the male lead. If side story is the best.”

Having completely forgotten the past when she didn’t even read the side story, calling it a story about supporting characters, contentedly she narrowed her eyes in a smile, and hurried over to Icar like flying.

“Your Majesty the Emperor!”

(This is a time separator.)

Having returned to her bedroom, Reneb sat comfortably leaning against the back of the sofa, thinking about the chill she felt earlier.

“It didn’t seem like a recent wound.”

Contrasted against her white face, her thick protruding knuckles were closer to a maidservant’s hands than a princess’s.

“Lady, here’s the tea.”

Then Kieren placed the steaming flower tea on the table.

“Thank you, Kieren.”

“You’re welcome. It’s only right that I do this. I’m sorry I can’t assist the Lady as much as Amber.”

“Everyone has their role. And Kieren, you’ve been more than enough help to me.”

At Reneb’s praise, Kieren bashfully bit her lip and looked down.

Her hands fidgeting with each other in apparent embarrassment were rather cute.

For a moment, Reneb focused her gaze on them.

Kieren’s hands, though a little dry, were not rough.

“Kieren, what did you do in the Imperial Palace before?”

“I mainly did the laundry before serving the Lady.”

Come to think of it, Kieren had once swiftly and cleanly laundered Icar’s jacket.

“Ah….”

Reneb’s gaze lingered on Kieren’s hands as she let out a soft exclamation.

Feeling her gaze, Kieren’s face reddened as she fidgeted with her hands.

“My hands are rough and unsightly compared to the Lady’s. They were somewhat better during warm days, but I had to wash with cold water when it was cold.”

Reneb took out a highquality fragrance oil bottle from the drawer and handed it to Kieren.

“Apply it meticulously every day.”

“Lady, may I accept something so precious?”

“Of course. And I think anyone who works hard, no matter what they do, is impressive.”

Kieren seemed to feel embarrassed by her rough hands, but Reneb’s thoughts were different.

She was impressive because she worked diligently without concern for her body, even acquiring an occupational disease.

Impressive……!

Kieren spoke with a slightly moved expression.

“Th, thank you. Since serving the Lady, I’ve been using fragrance oil frequently, so my hands have really softened.”

Kieren was right.

Yet, apart from recent injuries, the traces of her hard past labor were still vividly present in her hands.

And they resembled Esika’s hands.

“I can’t figure it out.”

Everything from Esika’s changed appearance to her identity was full of questions.

Above all, a contingency plan was needed.
If things went as they did before Reneb’s regression, the only thing waiting for her was death.

In the past, Lucius stood between Esika and herself.

Esika was an obstacle to Reneb, even to protect Cael.

Similarly, Reneb must have been a hindrance to Esika, who also wanted to protect her child and not lose Lucius’s affection.

So Esika did her best to oust Reneb.

‘Later on, she did not even hesitate to plot seriously.’

Unlike Reneb, who had the backing of the huge family of the Seiren Viscountess, Esika had nothing but Lucius’s affection to rely on.

But now the situation was completely different.

There was no one to compete with between Esika and Reneb. Besides, this time Esika had even gained the high status of a princess.

Still, Esika’s highhanded attitude that she showed to me bothered me a bit.

Reneb pressed her temples hard, and the attendant came.

“His Majesty wants to see you.”

(This is a time separator.)

Reneb, who was following the attendant, tilted her head.