Even if it means attracting attention in that way, he would rather do so.

‘I can never become a good emperor.’

If caring for the hearts of the people is what a saint does, then he is fundamentally wrong.

Because no one is precious except Leonarda.

Merem didn’t even cherish himself.

In his dark and gloomy world, there is nothing else but Leonarda. Moreover, in his dictionary, there are no letters written other than her name.

If this feeling is love, it is love; if it is obsession, it is obsession.

It doesn’t matter what it’s called.

He simply does Leonarda…

It wasn’t a sentence that made sense. Doing Leonarda.

Perhaps he completely messed up the grammar.

But he sincerely thought so.

This couldn’t be expressed with words like love or obsession. Even clinging and longing were just a list of small words compared to the emotions he felt.

Leonarda was his world.

He would act as she wished, and he would become the man she desired.

In the exact way she needed.

So Leonarda could never be satisfied with anyone else.

She, too, would unknowingly fall in love with him without even realizing that she was in love.

As Merem sent his gaze back to Leonarda in silence, sinking again into his thoughts, he noticed a familiar figure.

‘Is that… Charlotte?’

Seeing the silhouette, it was unmistakable. Charlotte was running towards Leonarda from the right.

At the same time, Suckrell revealed herself from the left.

Likewise, Suckrell seemed to be in a hurry.

‘Was the assassin Suckrell? Or perhaps, did Charlotte succumb to persuasion?’

For a moment, various thoughts crossed his mind in an unexpected situation.

As the sky was cloudy, even the moonlight couldn’t reveal their expressions. They didn’t seem to be holding a knife in their hands, but an assassin’s weapon could be a whip, a net, or even a small coin.

“Eldime. Protect Leo so that not even a strand of her hair is harmed.”

Hmph. That demon is strong enough. She’ll survive even on the battlefield. How much has the magic core you’ve saved rescued her so far?

“Please.”

Eldime grumbled, but she would still protect her.

All that remains is to see who is extending the conspiracy.

The two disappeared briefly among the bushes.

And right at that moment.

“Aaah!!!”

Cutting through the silent atmosphere, someone’s scream sharply echoed.

Fortunately, it wasn’t Leonarda, but unfortunately, it was a familiar voice.

It was Charlotte’s scream.

The night air was crisp, but the magic that Shailo had cast still worked.

I stood among the bushes, looking up at the sky, not feeling too cold.
It was a perfect day to be under the moon, pretending to sleep, for a potential assassination threat.

“It’s about time, whoever it is.”

I was never alone. It was extremely, extremely rare for the empress to be truly alone, even without her maids. So, the assassin, even if they sensed it was a trap, had no choice but to rush in.

“Should I wait a bit more…”

Rustle, rustle. The sound of leaves brushing sounded like a sob. A long and eerie owl cry from an unknown tree, and the chirping of crickets, ceased just before.

Right around that time, footsteps resounded.

I immediately pretended to wipe my eyes.

“Your Majesty, your lover, Sucral, has arrived. Please look at me.”

The person who appeared from the left was Sucral.

With her lilac-colored hair flowing, she approached me with her arms spread, boldly speaking as if she were my real lover.

“You wanted to see me?”

“……You?”

As I casually asked back, I realized something.

The peach-flavored alcohol Sucral had handed me earlier.

The cup was still in my hand.

I’m not foolish enough to lose such evidence.

‘Is she here to retrieve this? Or… does she have another intention?’

While trying to grasp Sucral’s intentions, my ears were still open to the right, where someone was approaching with quick steps.

“Think about it carefully. It’s your favorite name, isn’t it? My name.”

Why is she doing this even though she’s not Bellifor’s bear, huh?

I narrowed my eyes at her tone, which seemed to demand love and attention.

It’s okay to yearn for my love, but demanding it is difficult. If she acts like that, I had no choice but to send Sucral out of the empress’s palace.

‘It seems like putting it in the alcohol is a love potion.’

Unfortunately, the love potions available on the market were all fake. Unless my sister who ruled the harem made it, calling it a love potion was no more than a weak poison mixed with frog hind legs or a slightly stinging drug at the tip of the tongue.

In any case, whether Sucral obtained it and put it in there or… had some other intention, it was a bit absurd.

“If you haven’t come to kill me, then in the current situation, you’re an intruder.”

In the end, I sighed heavily and said it sincerely.

At that moment, Sucral’s face contorted.

“Your Majesty! Get away from him. Quickly!”

An exclamation that seemed to run out of breath grabbed my back.

A very familiar voice that was precious to me… Strangely, I was gripped by fear.