I looked straight at Prince Tesler and spoke to Linel in a polite tone.

“Your Majesty, if you permit, I would like to have Bonis as my maid from now on and live together in the palace.”

“There should be no problem. If the Empress is fine with it, gladly.”

Nodding, he readily agreed.

Only then did it feel like my constricted breath was pierced like a needle.

I released the tightly clenched fist and wiped the palm of my hand, sweaty from the stress, on the dress hem.

However, at that moment, Prince Tesler chuckled and shook his head mockingly.

“I’m sorry, Empress, but I don’t think that’s possible.”

What?

There was no reason to object.
And even if that’s the case, would a prince of the Shatoni Kingdom oppose and stand against what the Emperor of the Laphion Empire has allowed?

Something was off.

Linel, of course, as well as Logi and Prince Norton, who were sitting together, looked at Prince Tesler with puzzled expressions.

“Can’t be done? Prince, what are you talking about?”

I finally raised my voice, revealing the anger I had been holding back.

As Prince Tesler deliberately smiled faintly, my anger intensified.

“Give me a reason.”

When Linel ordered, Prince Tesler, trying to create a serious atmosphere, slowly opened his mouth.

“Because Bonis has become… my government now.”

“What, what did you say?!”

What nonsense is this!

Who said Bonis became someone’s government?

Unconsciously, I raised the hand clutching the teacup tightly.

Seeing my hand holding the teacup, Prince Tesler, momentarily surprised, continued speaking with his characteristic sneering tone.

“So… unfortunately, I can no longer send Bonis as a maid to Your Majesty the Empress.”

Prince Tesler furrowed his eyebrows apologetically, but there was already a sense of triumph in his gaze.

Seeing that despicable sight, it felt like I was chewing on a handful of sand.

Bonis wouldn’t do that.

It’s absurd, it’s a lie!

I screamed silently in my mind.

“From Bonis’s perspective, wouldn’t living with love by my side be a much happier life than serving as a maid to the Empress?”

Prince Tesler muttered affectionately, placing one hand on his heart as if he had deep affection for Bonis.

I couldn’t hold back my anger and stood up from the chair.

“I need to see Bonis right away!”

Although I barely restrained the profanity about to burst out of my mouth, the suppressed anger was evident in my voice.

Everyone except Prince Tesler looked at me with astonished eyes.

Among them, the most surprised was Linel.

“Empress.”

Regaining my composure at the weighty voice of Linel, I released the tightly clenched fist.

I released the fist, but the strength that entered my hand did not dissipate.

To release it, I would have to crush some part of Prince Tesler’s body.

“Your Majesty the Empress, are you alright?”

Logi whispered with a worried expression.

Sitting next to her, Prince Norton also had a darkened expression in the unusual atmosphere.

I couldn’t answer that it was okay.

Instead, I tried to calm down the anger extending towards Prince Tesler by slowly exhaling hot breath.

Just as I was about to sit back in the chair, Linel rose from his seat.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

He stood up, seeking permission from the three people.

Linel led me to the lounge inside the office.

A white kitten running through the Laphion Royal Garden and a baby wyvern transformed into mosquitoes, sitting on the kitten’s fur.
Ao successfully reached the front of the main palace building without attracting the attention of the palace residents by cleverly choosing to move only between the grassy areas and wildflowers.

“Miyaaong? (Now what? How do we know how many floors the office is?)”

“It’s on the second floor. I can hear our master’s voice.”

Wiiiiing [dash].

Transformed into a mosquito, Moyaya fluttered with joy.

“Can you climb up like this? Cat?”

“Miyaaong…? (I’ve never climbed to a high place since I was born…?)”

“Even if you fall, give it a try. I’ll save you if you do, so don’t be too scared!”

Moyaya, who flew up to the second floor first, clung to the long arched windowsill, encouraging Ao who was climbing diligently.

Ao, panting, jumped between the sculptures scattered around the main palace building.

“Oh, cats are surprisingly resilient, aren’t they?”

“Heh, miyaong! (I did it, out of breath!)”

“Survived again this time. Let’s go, the office is over there. Huh? Humans are coming. Hide behind the statues!”

Moyaya and Ao, instead of heading towards the office on the second floor, quickly hid behind the sculptures at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Let’s leave these two books in the library. Just bring the rest to the secretary.”

“Yes, understood.”

While the two courtiers exchanged words, they opened the library door located in front of the statues and entered.

“Ao, let’s also go in there.”

Moyaya gestured towards the library door.

“Miyaaong? (Why?)”

“There’s something fascinating in there… I feel it.”

To Ao’s question of how she knew that,

“I can feel it in my body. Huh? The door is closing. Ao, now, jump!”

As Moyaya entered the library first, Ao also deftly slipped through the closing gap between the library doors.

After the courtiers placed the books in the library and left again, Moyaya, who had been hiding in a corner, flew somewhere and asked Ao.

“Do you feel it?”

“Miyaaong? (Feel what?)”

“There’s an extremely cold aura.”

Moyaya continued to fly towards the direction where she felt the chill while surveying the library.

“It’s definitely around here.”

“Miyaaong? (There’s only books here, how can it be cold?)”

Ao ran towards the bookshelf where Moyaya was fluttering around, asking while looking around.

“It’s definitely gathering cold energy around here. Strange…”

“Miyaaong. (It must be an illusion.)”

“This great wyvern doesn’t have illusions! Only stupid cats do.”

Moyaya exclaimed in frustration.

“Miyaaong? Kyak! (Who are you calling stupid? Ao, if only I had wings!)”

An irritated Ao swung her front paws repeatedly at Moyaya.

Startled, Moyaya soared into the air as Ao jumped in response.

“What’s the point of jumping without wings?”

“Kyak!”
Amid Moyaya’s ongoing teasing, Ao snarled and leaped onto a shelf at a moderate height where Moyaya had settled, swiftly ascending to the top. As a result, the neatly arranged books on the shelf were thrown into disarray.

“Ao, because of you, all the books are messed up! Really, you have no caution. Oh, what?!”

As Moyaya finished speaking, the bookshelf, along with the wall, moved to the side with a swoosh [dash].

“Mi, miyaong? (Is this hell?)”

Ao quickly descended from the bookshelf, gaping at the suddenly revealed dark space.

From within that dark space, a cold wind, akin to midwinter, blew out of the library.

“Heck, wasn’t I right? There’s a cold place in there!”

Moyaya shouted, feeling the instant chill that had engulfed the library.

“Miyamong. (Stop, let’s get out. It’s scary.)”

With a frightened expression, Ao took a step back.

“I need to check it out, right, Moyaya~.”

Unlike the tense Ao, Moyaya, feeling adventurous, flew into the dark space.

“Miyamong! (Hey, wait for me!)”

Unable to resist, Ao reluctantly followed Moyaya into that unknown place.