Charlotte mumbled as she dressed me. Outside, among the actors, there were those who wore dresses with such vivid colors that even I would be disgusted. Some actors even asked me to attach jewels to every fold of the dress when this is over. However, what I was going to wear was not particularly eye-catching. Moreover, when I put on the common-colored wig, my appearance looked quite ordinary. Although my eyes had a haughty tilt, there were many actors with such features among them.

“Nothing will happen.”

“Once Lady Shion hears that Your Majesty has dressed like this, she will try to kill me….”

Charlotte teared up. Lady Shion Bertholdt, the wife of Lord Shion, had to manage the entire Empress’s palace in my absence. It was fortunate for me that she couldn’t come with me.

“Well, she looked extremely worried from the time of the farewell.”

“I also want to board the ship. What if someone dares to behave rudely after seeing Your Majesty dressed like this?!”

Charlotte protested, seemingly horrified at the mere imagination. I comforted her by patting her shoulder.

“That’s why I’m leaving you behind. You won’t leave my side, right?”

“Hng… But still.”

“It’s a good thing you learned self-defense from the knights. If anything happens, you can also protect yourself.”
“I want to board the ship too. What if someone dares to behave rudely after seeing Your Majesty’s attire?!”

Charlotte shuddered as if the thought alone was dreadful. I comforted her by patting her shoulder.

“So, that’s why I’m leaving you behind. You won’t leave my side, right?”

“Hng… But still.”

“You did well to learn martial arts from the knights. If anything happens, you can also protect yourself.”

That’s right. I had been making tearful efforts for the past few years to somehow turn this beggar-like body into a normal one. Thanks to Merem providing the magical core from the middle, it became much easier, as the synergy effect of lifespan and magic power came into play.

In addition to regular exercise to improve my physical strength, now I could withstand the sea breeze without any problems.

“Call Fyvel. It’s time to move.”

Having calmed down Charlotte, I concealed my bland robe and tightly pressed hood, ensuring that no one could see what I was wearing.

This Fyvel was the one who brought clothes for me and would accompany us to the ship. Only a few knew about it, and it was a top-secret matter.

“After all, most of the concubine candidates are either commoners or local nobles. Why would they want to become a concubine when they are high-ranking nobles or the children of those in power? The ones aiming for government positions are those with low status. I was confident that they wouldn’t recognize me.”

“It’s not bad to learn self-defense from the knights. If anything happens, you can also protect yourself.”

Thus, I was confident that they wouldn’t recognize me.

“Probably, they’ll try to find me, but it’ll be difficult!”

With Merem’s interference, it would be impossible to find a worthy love interest.

One of the reasons for hiring actors was for such freedom, at least within the ship.

I wondered whether a new love would come like a lightning bolt.

“But, Master, is it okay to just let them go?”

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, all 365 men boarded the cruise.

Some showed nervous gestures, some shivered, and on the contrary, some laughed leisurely, waving their hands.

Observing the scene from a distance with a carriage parked on the shore, I tilted my head at Fyvel’s question.

“Who? The authors?”

“Hehe, pretending not to know again.”

Fyvel teased with his tongue clucking. I wanted to give him a good smack for his very cheeky behavior, but I would be the only one getting hurt.

Fyvel sat down with a spineless posture, teasing me with his mouth.

“Honestly, lately, there were eyes begging to be caught or maybe eyes wanting to catch you.”

“…….”

“That damn desert guy.”

Ignoring me to the end, Fyvel twisted my hair around his finger as if he were frustrated.
“Above all, wouldn’t Master also dislike that guy? You could have just passionately loved him and received his heart in return as the price of love. If you asked for his heart as a contract condition, he would probably have given it.”

“…That’s why I refuse. I don’t want dedication. Besides, he’s too young.”

“He is young. Full of energy, but he’s grown up.”

Unable to win against Fyvel with words, I kept my mouth shut.

It wasn’t an incorrect statement. From a logical perspective, that was correct.

Saying that I didn’t want to kill was just an excuse.

Instead of going through this troublesome ordeal, it would be faster to follow what my sisters instructed and sprinkle Merem’s blood on the dagger.

“At first, I thought Master didn’t like that guy much. But after a while… It seems like Master is not avoiding him because he dislikes him. In my eyes, it seems like Master is making an effort to keep a distance on purpose.”

“…….”

“I did suggest that you organize the concubine selection, but maybe it wasn’t necessary to do it….”

All the candidates boarded the ship.

Soon, the ship would leave the pier and move onto the blue sea.

I had to start moving too.

“Well, this time, someone suitable might appear.”

“Well, I’ll do as Master wishes… but would it bother you to kill someone young who loves you?”

Love.

Honestly, at my age, it would be foolish not to notice if someone fell deeply for me.

Especially an astute devil like me, who can read others’ desires.

The flames quietly burning within Merem.

And I knew well why Fyvel brought up such words.

“What if, even after this, you can’t find a substitute?”

The straightforward question was quite serious.

I knew what I had to say to my faithful subordinate, who had sacrificed half of my magic core.

I hesitated to answer, then slowly opened my mouth.

“First, after experiencing love… then, I’ll have to kill.”