Originally, the guards were a group that only protected the Emperor, so the guard commander could hold his head high without worry. However, it was the opposite for the leader of the Crusaders.

“The Astaloth Knights of the Empress have been selecting only small territories or small villages to visit. At first, it seemed like they were humbly giving up great honors to the Crusaders.”

Enrique slowly spoke with an emotionless tone.

“After a few years, public opinion changed drastically. Now, the Holy Knights are visiting wealthy territories and places with powerful lords. Negative opinions have emerged, calling them power-hungry dogs of authority, only going to well-off neighborhoods.”

“…It’s inexcusable.”

“We understand the hard work you’ve put in. However, people tend to believe only what they see.”

“We will take measures to visit even smaller territories in the future.”

Enrique looked at the bowing leader of the Crusaders and closed his mouth again.

He brought up this matter of public opinion simply to balance the power between the two knight orders.
Over the past three years, the Empress has explosively expanded her influence to the point where one might question if she is the same person she once knew. Anything touched by the Empress has improved, and considering that initially, there was widespread criticism, now the mouths that were once full of blame are only singing praises. This shows how skilled the Empress has become.

She manipulated public opinion like a fruit in the palm of her hand, crushing it at will. A positive perception of the Empress has spread within and outside the palace. As a result, some noble families, originally aligned with the Emperor’s faction, subtly shifted allegiance to the noble faction. While the Temple faction and the Emperor’s faction are holding hands, it’s currently an additional horizontal distribution of power. However, in a few more years, no one knows how things might unfold.

A ruler loved by the people cannot be defeated by any means. It has been a truth handed down for a long time. As evidence, look at this: even when the Empress is engaged in such outrageous activities, not a single person steps forward to criticize her.

“But, Your Majesty, are you really going to let this situation go?”

“If I don’t, what law will you use to prohibit it? Tell me.”

“That… ”

In truth, Enrique had little interest in the concubine selection event held on the cruise for a week. He didn’t care who the Empress met or what she did with them. It was never his concern from the beginning. He knew that ignorant people were talking about the sacred gun moving from the saint to the Empress, but that was not true. He never loved Helene or Leonarda in the first place. The concept of a sacred gun did not exist from the beginning.

“Boring.”

When he raised his cold eyes, the nobles avoided his gaze. It was pitiful.

“We’ll look for someone to infiltrate the cruise. Don’t you think we need to know what happened?”

At that moment, the commander of the guards expressed his opinion.

Raising an eyebrow, Enrique calmly responded.

“There’s no need for that. I’ll go myself.”

“Really?”

“I have my own sins, so I should make an effort to turn the Empress’s heart, shouldn’t I?”

He said that, but there was a separate reason.

Enrique was already not very interested in the position of the Emperor. The longed-for throne turned out to be nothing more than a trivial illusion, and the seemingly great power looked ordinary after living with it for a few years. In a colorless life, the only thing he wanted was to see ‘that person’ again. If the Empress was connected to ‘that person,’ turning the Empress’s heart was the only way to have another conversation with ‘that person.’

So, for a few years, Enrique let the Empress do as she pleased.

He didn’t touch or interfere with anything.

He even sensed the magic from the Empress but kept his mouth shut.

If that magic was a trace of ‘that person,’ he would willingly accept it.

‘I want to see ‘that person’ again and ask for forgiveness.’

If that couldn’t be done, he wanted to cling even for hatred.

He was fed up with those who talked incessantly.
If that couldn’t be done, he wanted to cling even for hatred. He had grown tired of those who talked incessantly.

Looking back, he realized that the only one who gave him love without asking for anything was ‘that person.’ As the days went by, Enrique became increasingly aware of his sins and repented.

“However, Your Majesty. I am well aware that Empress has been greatly hurt emotionally… Nevertheless, we cannot deviate from the duty of conjugal relations.”

The one who made such a statement was the First Aide, James.

In truth, although it was a very disrespectful thought, James doubted the Emperor’s reproductive ability. He never uttered such words publicly, but already many people harbored similar suspicions.

Hasn’t it been a long time since he had a relationship with the saint?

While it was James himself who strongly insisted that the Empress must produce the first child, the complete lack of news about the successor made him uneasy, given the countless nights they spent together.

There’s a possibility of contraception failure even for just one day among those numerous nights.