The footsteps of the attendants in charge of the emperor’s audience chamber became hurried. It was because of the sudden arrival of an esteemed guest.

“Did you enjoy your journey?”

Pascal looked at the two people sitting in front of him with a polite smile.

Next to the elegant middle-aged gentleman dressed in a high-end suit sat a beautiful lady with her gorgeous blonde hair elegantly styled up.

Thanks to her carefully maintained skin, she looked so young that it was hard to believe she was in her forties unless one looked closely.

It was the former emperor who had just returned from a cruise trip and Countess Katrina, his beloved mistress.

Since handing over the throne to Pascal, the former emperor had completely withdrawn from state affairs and was thoroughly enjoying his remaining years with his mistress.

This time too, they had just returned from a luxury cruise trip around the continent to celebrate Katrina’s fortieth birthday.

“Well, the trip was enjoyable, but…”

The middle-aged man with blonde hair and blue eyes frowned with a displeased look on his tense face.

“I hear the Grand Duke got married in the meantime? With just a letter sent to inform us.”

“If it had gone as planned, the wedding schedule would have matched your return from the cruise trip. It’s regrettable that you were unable to attend suddenly.”

The former emperor ended up not attending the Grand Duke’s wedding as his cruise trip schedule was unexpectedly delayed.

Pascal apologized on behalf of the absent Caeron and tried to soothe the indignant former emperor.

“Hmph!”

Still not appeased, the former emperor crossed his arms and displayed his displeasure openly.

Katrina, who had been watching carefully from the side, spoke with a pitiful expression, lowering the corners of her eyes.

“It’s all because of my lack of virtue. If only I hadn’t fallen ill in the middle…”

At Katrina’s tearful words, the former emperor shook his head and gently stroked her back as if to comfort her.

“Don’t say such things. How could you board a ship while ill? Just focus on recovering your health.”

With white powder applied, Katrina’s face looked especially pale. As Pascal watched the former emperor’s face overflow with affection and concern for the Countess, he secretly clenched his fist under the table.

‘Still showing such excessive favoritism.’

A memory from childhood that contrasted with this scene came to mind. The former emperor had been infinitely cold to his other woman. He never cared whether her body was sick to the point of death…

For a moment, a chilling glint flashed in Pascal’s blue eyes. But he immediately put on a calm expression again when he saw the former emperor looking at him.

“I heard that the Grand Duke couple went on their honeymoon. Is it true that the location is ‘Meriel Island’?”

At the mention of ‘Meriel Island’, Katrina’s shoulders trembled greatly. Her slow heartbeat began to quicken little by little.

“That’s correct. They went to ‘Meriel Island’.”

“Huh!”

The former emperor narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his nose. He shook his head and muttered as if he couldn’t understand.

“What good energy could there be on an island where the sick died…”

It was a mutter in such a small and low voice that it was barely audible, but Pascal’s ears heard it clearly.

Pascal’s now completely cold eyes turned to the former emperor who was clicking his tongue. He clenched his lower jaw and barely suppressed his emotions.

‘Be patient…’

It wasn’t as if the former emperor’s words and actions were new. But seeing how he was making such a fuss over a minor illness and taking care of the Countess today made it even harder to endure.

Katrina, who had keenly grasped the heavy atmosphere, tried to change the mood with a deliberately bright voice.

“My! The Grand Duke went to ‘Meriel Island’! To choose that place for their honeymoon… His ‘filial piety’ is truly profound.”

Her face as she exclaimed showed no malice on the surface. Her expression and voice seemed to genuinely praise the Grand Duke.

“Indeed. It is truly the utmost ‘filial piety’.”

Stimulated by her words, the veins on the former emperor’s neck bulged prominently. As he realized once again that the object of Caeron’s filial piety was not directed at himself, the father emperor, a sneer appeared on his face.

“As expected of the Ellios Grand Duke who inherited the blood of ‘Roman’.”

The Roman ducal family… Although it had now disappeared with the Ellios Grand Duke inheriting the title and territory, it was a family the former emperor could never forget.

He recalled the woman who was born as the only daughter of the Roman ducal family and once stood by his side.

‘Meriel Roman de Jupiter…’

The most noble woman in the empire who bore the surname of the Roman ducal family in her middle name before being granted the surname of Jupiter upon becoming empress…

As he recalled the black-haired woman with unwavering blue eyes that looked at him in any situation, the former emperor furrowed his brow and clenched his molars.

Katrina, who was reading all of the former emperor’s turbulent emotions, lifted the corners of her mouth almost imperceptibly. She lowered her eyes and rubbed her left hand with her right index finger.

“Isn’t it the island where the former Empress passed away while recuperating? The island’s name was also taken from her name to commemorate her. Having found his lifelong companion, the Grand Duke probably wanted to ‘first’ pay his respects.”

Katrina’s eyes sparkled and she smiled deeply as if the Grand Duke’s decision was truly romantic.

However, the ‘first’ that she emphasized had the intended effect of crumpling the former emperor’s face once again.

“Yes. The former Empress was always ‘first’ for the Grand Duke.”

He was the first son who, from birth, resembled the former Empress much more than himself in both appearance and personality.

At first, when the former Empress, whom the former emperor had married intentionally for political reasons, gave birth to a child with black hair and blue eyes like her, he was inwardly relieved.

And as he watched Caeron, the eldest son, grow up as the most outstanding royal blood of the imperial family, he felt both joy and displeasure.

At the base of this complex emotion…

The former emperor’s gaze turned to Pascal, who resembled himself with blonde hair and blue eyes. He fell into deep thought as he looked at his second son.

Pascal knew well what the emotion in the former emperor’s eyes meant as they turned to him.

But he was different from the former emperor. As if wanting to prove that, Pascal smiled with a relaxed expression.

“When my elder brother returns, we’ll hold an imperial banquet after a long time. Let’s all meet together with the Grand Duchess then.”

“…Let’s do that. I’m curious about the Grand Duchess after hearing about her.”

The topic naturally shifted to the new Ellios Grand Duchess who had entered the imperial family.

‘The Fluor Count family…’

The former emperor stroked his chin as he recalled the Grand Duchess from the Fluor Count family.

As an emperor, understanding all the noble families in the empire was the most basic education. And the Fluor Count family, with their large territory in the south, was a long-established family that had continued since the early days of the Jupiter Empire.

‘But it’s strange.’

When he heard the sudden news of the Grand Duke’s marriage and that his partner was the eldest daughter of the Fluor Count family, the former emperor felt an inexplicable uneasiness.

He felt frustrated as he seemed to remember something about the Fluor family, but couldn’t quite recall it.

‘There was definitely something…’

Just as the former emperor’s contemplation deepened, Katrina’s curious voice broke his train of thought.

“I’m also very curious about Her Grace the Grand Duchess. I heard she’s entering the Imperial University this time? I was so surprised when I heard that news.”

“That’s right. She entered as the top student in the Department of Administration.”

Pascal replied in a blunt voice to Katrina’s question.

“My goodness! Top student! Isn’t that difficult even for men? Moreover, it’s the first time a noble woman has entered the Imperial University.”

Katrina covered her mouth and opened her eyes wide, then continued in a worried tone carefully.

“But… the Grand Duchess’s steps are somewhat concerning. I’m also worried about the views of the conservative nobles in the empire.”

Her expression was full of concern, but Katrina’s eyes shone cunningly.

Her gaze shifted slightly to the representative conservative noble sitting beside her. Her mood was elevated as she watched the former emperor’s face gradually harden. It was time for the final blow.

“Still, seeing the learned and intelligent Grand Duchess reminds me of ‘Her Majesty the former Empress’. Isn’t she a woman more outstanding than most men?”

At those words, the former emperor’s face completely hardened. A faint hostility towards the Grand Duchess he had never met yet appeared on his face. Katrina’s eyes were filled with satisfaction at the sight.

Katrina knew all too well. How to handle a man who harbored an inferiority complex towards capable women deep in his heart.

Isn’t that why she had been enjoying such wealth and prosperity until now?

‘No matter how noble and excellent…’

The end of a woman unloved by a man was miserable beyond compare, as was the case with the former Empress. In the end, the final victor was the woman who captured the man’s heart. Just like herself.

‘Ellios Grand Duchess…’

Katrina too had only heard rumors and had never met the Grand Duchess in person.

However, the more she heard news that the Grand Duchess was intelligent enough to enter the Imperial University and virtuous enough to be praised by the imperial people…

Somehow, she who reminded her of the former Empress made Katrina uncomfortable. Moreover, she was the woman chosen by the Ellios Grand Duke.

Katrina shuddered involuntarily as she thought of Caeron. As she recalled the emotion she felt when that cold gaze was directed at her, Katrina stroked her nape.

Now, according to her plan, Pascal, not Caeron, was on the throne, but… the Grand Duke was still as robust as the emperor’s power and remained intimidating.

‘I need to scatter the Grand Duke’s forces.’

Even if it was difficult to completely destroy him, she had to shake his surroundings and gradually weaken his power.

Katrina instinctively knew. That was how she could survive.

It was time to play her final card that she had prepared for today.

“Now Your Majesty the Emperor should also take an excellent woman like the Grand Duchess as your companion. Wouldn’t that stabilize imperial authority and make our Jupiter Empire even more prosperous?”

At Katrina’s words, one of Pascal’s eyebrows raised.

He knew that Katrina had been putting quite some effort into elevating a daughter from a noble family close to her to the position of empress.

‘Who is she going to talk about this time.’

Pascal had been going along moderately with the stage Katrina had set. He leaned back comfortably in his chair.

As Pascal looked at her as if telling her to continue talking, Katrina smiled meaningfully and looked back at him.

“I heard from the palace people that Your Majesty recently spent time alone with a certain lady in the imperial salon. They say you looked quite affectionate as you conversed while viewing the exhibited works.”

Pascal was slightly surprised by Katrina’s words and raised his body that had been leaning against the backrest.

‘Could it be…’

“It seems the flowers of Fluor are truly beautiful. Seeing how they have captivated not only His Grace the Grand Duke but also His Majesty the Emperor.”

Katrina smiled broadly with curved eyes and slightly gestured to a palace servant. Then the servant loudly announced the prepared words.

“Lady Roselyn of the Fluor family requests an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.”