“If the Empress does this for me, I am grateful.”

We held hands like that and walked into the garden path leading to the main palace.

“When we arrive at the main palace, let’s have a cup of coffee before parting.”

“No, after safely escorting Your Majesty to the main palace, I plan to visit the greenhouse.”

Dealing with Prince Tesla and Princess Lesilia simultaneously seemed to have taken a toll on me, and my head was pounding.

I needed time to organize my thoughts while strolling through the refreshing greenhouse.

“All right then. Have you ever been to the greenhouse?”

“Yes, my attendants told me there’s a place where the head clears up. It seems very refreshing.”

“Is that so? Sometimes, when I have a headache, I take a leisurely walk around the greenhouse. Let’s go together whenever you have time.”

“Okay.”

Walking along the garden path with Rinel, red rose flowers were in full bloom on both sides.
Upon seeing the rose flowers, the image of Prince Tesla pouring a magic potion into a vase in the bedroom this morning came to mind, and my face frowned.

As a gentle breeze blew, the scent of roses became more intense.

“How far are you going to take me?”

He asked, holding my hand tightly against his side.

While on the garden path, he initially asked me to escort him to the venue in the main palace for the competition, but as we approached the entrance of the main palace, he bid farewell.

“I’ll let you go here.”

Rinel released my hand and said, as if he had decided after much consideration.

“Send me off when you’re leaving.”

“Why? We agreed that I would escort you to the venue.”

“If we go together until there, I might want to accompany you into the meeting room for some reason.”

“…Ah.”

“Why, is there something on your mind? You can sit beside me.”

He asked, placing his hand on my shoulder.

“Sitting next to Your Majesty like a doll to attract the warm gazes of the attendants?”

“Should I tell everyone to bow their heads or turn in the opposite direction when you sit next to me?”

“Your Majesty, please speak while observing Secretary Raphael’s expression.”

I said to him, gesturing towards Raphael, who wiped off cold sweat whenever he made absurd remarks.

“I feel embarrassed when I blabber nonsense. What’s the big deal?”

Rinel responded nonchalantly.

“Thank you for understanding, Your Majesty…”

Behind him, Raphael interjected timidly with a somewhat chubby expression.

When Rinel turned around, Raphael’s face, which had been grimacing, spread wide at an astonishing speed. It was an incredibly fast change of expression.

“Have a good day today as well. We look forward to the next meeting.”

Rinel bid farewell as if leaving for a long journey.

It was fine until then, but when I saw him grabbing the hem of my dress as if pinching it, my steps did not falter.

“Please go inside quickly.”

“Do I look clingy?”

Ah, this man looks so lovely that it hurts my heart.

“Well, it’s a feeling. I’ll escort you to the central staircase.”

I held his hand again and walked into the lobby of the main palace.

“Will that be all right…?”

When Raphael congratulated Rinel with a smile that seemed sincere or mocking, Rinel responded proudly, “Yes, it’s worth hanging on.”

In the end, I walked with him to the front of the central staircase.

“I’m only going this far. Now, please go up.”

“Thank you for bringing me here, Zelda.”

Even common words sound refreshing when spoken through the mouth of the Empress of the Laphion Empire.

Seeing his expression, it felt as if I had done something great.

“I hope you are pleased, Your Majesty…?”

When Raphael, with a sly smile, delivered ambiguous words of congratulations to Rinel,

“Yes, it’s worth hanging on.”

He responded with a very proud voice.

Finally, I walked up the stairs first.
Rinel let go of my hand and spoke firmly.

“Really?”

“Is it really true?”

Both Raphael and I asked simultaneously.

“Yeah. I happened to overhear the ladies talking at the party a while ago, you know? They said my back view is quite handsome.”

“…Excuse me?”

I tilted my head, wondering what he was talking about.

“There’s a rumor going around that people lose their jaws looking at my back view, and the Empress would be lucky since she can freely enjoy the view.”

“It’s an honor.”

I bowed slightly, trying to suppress a laugh.

Rinel had more to say, and with one foot on the stairs, he gestured for me to come closer.

When I approached, he whispered in my ear.

“Especially the buttocks. They say it’s fantastic. Check if it’s true at night and report back.”

“…I will receive the order.”

He patted my shoulder and ascended the stairs with Raphael.

To fulfill the command, I couldn’t take my eyes off his backside and began to assess the truth of the claim that the attendants gossiped about him at the party.

The anticipation of when he would turn around invoked the weight of his back of the head.

The harmony of his stiffly raised shoulders, wide back, straight waistline, and the taut hip line below.

Everyone’s judgment was accurate…