Lionel said decisively, turning his gaze to the secretary.

“Raphael, what are your thoughts?”

“I clapped a little at the Empress’s words earlier.”

“Oh, you…!”

Lionel glared fiercely at Raphael.

Despite avoiding his eyes and quickly bowing his head, Raphael steadfastly expressed his thoughts like a loyal subject.

“Just because it’s a hunting competition doesn’t mean you have to catch animals, right? If the Empress is participating with the aim of fostering friendship with the Northern Continent empresses, I don’t think there will be any significant danger.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Before the hunting competition starts, Your Majesty, you could simply teach me how to shoot a bow, right? I won’t actually shoot, and even if I do, I won’t hit anything… Oh, ho-ho.”

I changed tactics and spoke with a voice mixed with aegyo to melt his heart.

Instantly, the consorts’ expressions turned extremely displeased.

Their gaze seemed to say, ‘Aegyo is truly pitiful.’

I glanced at Lionel with a desperate feeling.

However, contrary to the consorts who seemed unexpectedly turned off, the recipient of my aegyo didn’t look so bad.

“Truly reckless.”

Certainly, a moment ago, Lionel’s expression seemed approving, but suddenly, he sprang up from the sofa and raised his voice.

Strange? Why is he doing that?

“Your Majesty…?”

“Empress, wait a moment. It’s quite annoying to raise your voice in front of the consorts.”
Lionel gestured with his chin to another door inside the office.

It was a lounge where he occasionally took breaks while working.

Without thinking, I stood up from the sofa and followed him.

Lionel briskly opened the door to the lounge and entered.

With a loud bang, he closed the door forcefully, indicating that he was quite angry.

Raphael and the four consorts all looked at me simultaneously.

Some sent worried glances, while others sent accusing looks.

I entered the lounge, tensely following Lionel’s abrupt actions.

As I entered the lounge, his broad back, turned toward me, caught my eye first.

“Your Majesty, why are you so angr… ugh?!”

Lionel abruptly kissed me harshly.

“Sigh… In various ways, he drives people crazy.”

“W-What are you talking about?”
“First, a kiss. Huh? If not, your lips won’t move properly, and you won’t be able to speak well…”

He pushed me against the wall.

His large hand was already wrapped around the back of my head, so my head didn’t hit the wall.

“B-But there are people outside, and we agreed not to do this when there are people around!”

“So, I’m doing it according to the Empress’s wishes.”

“What?”

“Don’t show any signs in front of others. So, I do this from behind. Why.”

Lionel, pressing his lips against my shoulder, gradually intensified his embrace.

“Could it be… Were you deliberately angry earlier to bring me to the lounge?”

“That’s right. I’ve felt it for a while now, but I’m quite clever, aren’t I?”

He chuckled and tickled my collarbone.

I burst into a bewildered laughter.

“So, you permit me to participate in the hunting competition?”

“If you allow me to.”

“What?”

“Shh, just a moment.”

“?”
After pressing my lips with his index finger, he turned around and walked towards the door.

Suddenly,

“Empress, are you in your right mind? If any word slips out, what a disgrace it would be!”

He shouted loudly toward the door.

“…Why are you doing this?”

I asked, lowering my voice significantly.

Approaching me again, he whispered.

“Once I shout like this, there won’t be any suspicions.”

“What suspicions?”

“Suspicions that we’ll be doing something like this here.”

Lionel quickly took off his formal jacket and replied.

“Empress! What are you doing right now?”

“Negotiating.”

“!”

“To permit you to participate in the hunting competition, I’ll get what I want as well.”

Goodness.

I swiftly ran towards the lounge door, attempting to escape.

“Where are you going? It won’t take long.”

“Oops!”

As I reached for the doorknob, Lionel swiftly lifted me up in his arms.

My feet dangled in the air, making meaningless kicks.
“Please let me down. Why do you have to do this now? Negotiations can… You can do them at night!”

“No.”

Suddenly, I found myself sitting on the mahogany table.

Lionel looked down at me and spoke with a steady, calm tone.

“Negotiations, they’re all about timing.”

I couldn’t push him away.

There was no particular reason to do so.

It was a very favorable negotiation where each of us could get what we wanted.

In many ways, I had the upper hand.

After the meeting, the concubines each returned to their respective quarters.

However, Roji lingered until the end, and our eyes met.

She cautiously expressed her desire to invite me to her residence.

I readily agreed.

The excited Roji chattered incessantly about her favorite books throughout our journey to her quarters.

I, too, found her stories interesting and enjoyable.
“I… Empress, you seem quite tired. I hope I’m not bothering you for no reason…”

Roji asked cautiously as we reached her residence.

“Tired? Do I look that way?”

“Yes, when you left the lounge earlier, your expression seemed a bit weary. And your face was flushed.”

“Hahaha. Did it?”

I awkwardly chuckled, touching my cheek.

The vivid memory of the negotiation with Lionel in the lounge came to mind.

“Did you have a disagreement with the Empress? In the lounge, I mean.”

“Oh, no. There were some differences of opinion with the Empress, but we negotiated well, so it’s okay.”

Despite my reassuring smile, she remained unconvinced.

Not knowing what happened in the lounge, Roji pitied me.

“Did the Empress get very angry?”

“Angry?”
“Yes, when you called for the Empress in the lounge, she seemed extremely angry. We could hear the Empress’s voice from the lounge, and it seemed like she was quite upset.”

“Yeah, she was in quite a furious state… that’s true.”

I replied, fanning my face with both hands.

“Really? From what I saw, it seemed like the Empress was quite agitated!”

“Roji, you really have a keen eye, huh?”

I bit my lower lip, suppressing a laugh.

“Yes! I think so.”

Roji responded with a bright smile.

As we laughed and chatted, we unknowingly arrived at the door of her bedroom.

“It’s an honor to have you step into this humble place, Empress.”

“Thanks for inviting me.”

As she gestured to her chamberlain, the door to the bedroom opened.

Entering the bedroom, I looked around in surprise.

“Hehe, rather than bothering to tidy up every day and ending up in the same state, I just started leaving it like this.”
Roji grinned as if she expected me to react that way.

“No, it’s like this, though…”

The bedroom floor was scattered with hundreds of books.

“It’s fine for me as a guest, but isn’t it inconvenient for you to live like this?”

I asked while looking around at the numerous books scattered on the floor.

“Isn’t this comfortable for me? It might look messy, but I’ve organized it in my own way.”

Roji replied confidently.

“At this level? No, in this state?”

“Yes, Empress!”

I was speechless at her confident attitude.

At that moment, something rolled out from under the bed and stopped under my foot.

“Roji, what is this…?”

At first, I thought it was a ball, but upon closer inspection, I recognized it.

I narrowed my eyes, slowly lowered my body to the marble floor, and looked up at her.

Roji had her eyes wide open, staring at the egg.
It seemed as if she were glaring at me with her eyes.

“Is this an ostrich egg?”

I asked, holding the egg.

“Uh, well, that’s…”

She stammered, looking embarrassed.

Why is she acting like this?

“Roji, is this perhaps our snack?”

I turned the large egg with both hands and laughed.

At that moment, her pupils shook intensely.