And the two guarding the corridor of the room she entered.

Meremem finally realized the desire to die.

But if he revealed this boiling emotion, she would promptly reject him.

She would put on a slightly apologetic face, raise her eyebrows slightly, and make the expression he hated the most. The expression of trying to push him away.

‘I can’t give her a reason to reject me.’

So, today, he would swallow his feelings.

Because it wasn’t the right time yet.

But Meremem was gradually losing patience.

“Is the empress sleeping?”

“Yes.”

As they closed the door and came out, the knights who were standing in the corridor approached.
Meremem, who briefly imagined himself standing in their place and asking the same question, wrinkled his nose.

She didn’t know how he fought demons.

Because she had never seen it.

She didn’t know how he transformed when wielding a sword through the ranks of demons.

Even though she considered that he, as a foreigner from Quan, could lead the knights from Nix, she wasn’t curious about the reason.

Due to her results-oriented personality, she thought it might be possible, but looking back now, maybe Leonarda simply didn’t want to know.

As she learned more about him, whether it was a burden, a sense of responsibility, or gratitude, emotions would accumulate and grow.

‘She knows how to draw the line.’

Leonarda taught him the beauty of music.

When she taught him how to play an instrument, she was captivated by the sound it produced, but Meremem had no real interest in it.

If he was fascinated by something, it was her holding the instrument.

Leonarda also taught him painting and sculpture.

She cultivated the eye to appreciate good artwork and instilled in him the culture befitting his status that no one else had taught.

In the end, all the beauty in his world was something she had shown him.

For Meremem, beauty was synonymous with Leonarda.

It was another word with the same meaning, and now, whenever he saw something exceptionally beautiful, he thought of Leonarda.

Like a warhorse knowing it must run when the drum sounds. Like a puppy realizing it gets food when the bell rings.

Her name was the drum and bell, and it was his habit.

‘To act as if she can control and manipulate all the good things in the world.’

Now someone else was being brought in to teach him, and then they demanded to watch that scene.

‘It’s cruel too.’

A bitter smile formed on his lips.

Unable to overcome the stifling feeling, Meremem headed to the garden.

A faint light seeped out from the Empress’s bedroom, where he had lit a single candle.

Did I not do that? That is a demon.

The Spirit King, Eldaim, whispered in his ear.

To crawl to the demon, worry about the contracted person is a foolish act.

He clenched his fist lightly and replied firmly.

“It doesn’t matter.”

If Leonarda is a demon, it’s just another word with a meaning, representing beauty.

As the words associated with her increased, beauty alone would eventually accumulate inside his empty self.

Meremem heard Eldaim mumbling complaints with one ear, and ignoring it, he stood alone in the garden.

Guarding her night was what he most wanted to do.

“Go away! I don’t want to see you!”

A sealed space where not a single ray of sunlight penetrated.
The window, covered with thick curtains, was as luscious as one could imagine, as if it had been ages since Baekhap Palace, once lively with people, had been veiled with sin.

“I don’t want to see it anymore!”

The Baekhap Palace, which had sparkled brilliantly, became like this, largely influenced by its owner.

In fact, the budget allocated to Baekhap Palace had not decreased a penny compared to a few years ago.

They could change expensive furniture or carpets with iron, buy dresses according to their mood, and there was no one to complain even if they threw everything away.

People who still remembered receiving help from the saint continued to send precious herbs, and even the nobles of the Imperial Faction established the prestige of Baekhap Palace by occasionally sending gifts.

So perhaps Helene could be happy.

After all, she did not love the emperor.