“Grand Duke, I don’t understand well. Why did the Prince plant another spy?”

“Isn’t it simple? He either distrusts me, or has started to suspect me.”

“I wonder what triggered it?”

“Well… The conclusion is, Prince Tessler was a smarter cat than I thought.”

Grand Duke Martins frowned severely as he recalled Prince Tessler’s characteristic vicious smile.

“Who could be the spy reporting news from here to the Shatronil royal family?”

“It’s not important who that person is, but rather what the Prince intends to have them do.”

“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”

“It means the Prince might order that spy to poison someone depending on the situation, or give permission to call in an assassin if necessary.”

“Who is he trying to harm? Su-surely not Her Majesty the Empress?”

Lord Rolf stepped closer to Grand Duke Martins with a surprised expression.

“Originally, disobedient hunting dogs are killed even before the hunt ends.”

“No, what crime has Her Majesty the Empress committed? She only became the regent Empress by Prince Tessler’s order, didn’t she?”

Lord Rolf poured out complaints about Prince Tessler as if he were Zelda’s knight protector.

“Crime? There is one.”

“What crime?”

“The crime of catching Emperor Rinel’s eye.”

Grand Duke Martins said bitterly, recalling Zelda’s bright pink eyes.

“Th-that may be true, but… Haa, then what do you plan to do now, Grand Duke? Will you just stand by and watch?”

“I’ll have to rearrange the board.”

The Grand Duke patted Lord Rolf’s shoulder as he continued.

“Since Prince Tessler seems to distrust me, I intend to live up to his expectations.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well? I’ll have to think about the methods gradually.”

“Yes, whatever decision you make, Grand Duke, I will follow your will.”

Lord Rolf pledged his loyalty by thumping his right fist against his heart.

“Thank you. Don’t you think the dream of taking over one country is a bit more realistic than the Prince’s dream of conquering the entire northern continent?”

“Th-that means…!”

When the Grand Duke asked in a serious voice, Lord Rolf, realizing his intention, drew in a sharp breath.

Grand Duke Martins is Prince Tessler’s cousin.

If Prince Tessler were to be deposed or die without an heir, Grand Duke Martins, as a member of the royal family, would also be eligible to inherit the throne.

“I have one more thing to take.”

The image of Zelda and the panorama of Shatronil Palace simultaneously appeared in the Grand Duke’s mind.

[This is the timeline separator]

Before returning to the Empress’s Palace, I took a shower in the bathroom attached to the bedroom in the main palace.

In the meantime, Sharon had entered the bedroom, holding a three-tiered tray in her hands.

“What’s that?”

“The head chamberlain brought it himself.”

“Stian?”

“Yes, by His Majesty’s order… He also left a message.”

“What did he say?”

I asked while examining the food arranged on the three-tiered tray Sharon was holding.

It was too much for one person to eat alone.

“He said that if you don’t eat breakfast, he won’t let you return to the Empress’s Palace.”

Sharon imitated Rinel’s voice as she placed the tray on the table.

“His threats are getting more intense.”

It was a lovely threat.

Sharon grinned and seemed delighted at my words.

I’m not feeling very hungry this morning, what should I do?

But to return to the Empress’s Palace, I had to empty the plates he had sent.

“Sharon, is the head chamberlain still outside?”

“Yes, he’s waiting with his feet firmly planted on the floor. It seems he intends to check the tray himself before leaving, probably to make sure Your Majesty the Empress finishes breakfast.”

“It must be His Majesty’s order.”

“Hehe, that’s what I think too.”

“Are Solie and Teresa also outside?”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Ask them to come in.”

Sharon looked slightly puzzled at my order but immediately went outside the bedroom and brought Solie and Teresa.

“You called for us, Your Majesty the Empress?”

“Do you have any orders for us?”

Solie and Teresa asked with slightly tense expressions.

“Yes, all of you come over here.”

I called the three maids to the table where breakfast was set.

They exchanged glances, looking unsure of what was happening, and slowly approached me.

“Did we do something wrong…?”

Sharon cautiously asked on behalf of the others.

“No, what wrong could you possibly do to me? I called you because I need your help.”

“What is it? Just tell us anything.”

“Yes, we’d even jump into fire if you asked!”

“I’d go with them too!”

They spoke enthusiastically, like knights about to set out on a mission.

“That’s all well and good… but you shouldn’t carelessly jump into fire. You all speak so easily because you haven’t experienced the pain of your body burning up.”

You obviously don’t know how terrible that feeling is.

It’s a sensation that only someone who has experienced it, like me, can understand.

But after a moment’s hesitation, they all chorused, ‘We’d still jump in!’

I smiled pleasantly at their fiery loyalty and got to the point.

“It’s nothing much, I just wanted you to help me carry out His Majesty’s order.”

I said seriously, scanning the multiple plates placed in front of me with my eyes.

They followed my gaze to look down at the plates, blinking.

At first, they all seemed not to understand my words, but soon all three of them opened their mouths wide simultaneously.

“How could we dare to eat Your Majesty the Empress’s meal!”

“That’s unthinkable!”

“If other palace staff found out, it would be a big problem!”

It’s not like I’m trying to steal their food, I’m just asking them to share food that would go to waste anyway, so why are they acting like this?

They were flailing about as if they had been implicated in high treason.

“I don’t have much of an appetite. And even if my appetite returned, it’s hard to eat this much in the morning.”

“Th-then just leave it, Your Majesty the Empress.”

Teresa stared at the fruit pudding on the plate and swallowed hard.

“I’d like to, but if I leave it, I think His Majesty really won’t let me go back to the Empress’s Palace.”

I said as I picked up the plate of fruit pudding Teresa was staring at and handed it to her.

“He’s more than capable of doing that. So please help me, here.”

“Y-Your Majesty the Empress…”

Teresa received the plate I handed her in a daze, not knowing what to do.

“Besides, Stian is standing guard outside the bedroom until he collects the tray. I’m asking for your help, here.”

This time, I smiled as I handed the pomegranate juice to Solie, who had been continuously moistening her lips as if her throat was dry.

“Don’t just stand there, all of you sit down. It’s an order.”

“Your Majesty the Empress, but if someone sees this, it would be a big… problem!”

Sharon whispered, glancing nervously at the bedroom door.

“The big problem for you would be disobeying my order, wouldn’t it?”

I replied in an intentionally solemn tone as I pushed all the plates towards them.

“This will please not only me but His Majesty as well, so it’s fine. Now sit down, will you?”

The three maids looked at each other hesitantly, fidgeting, but eventually sat down reluctantly.

“It’s just us, so don’t be nervous.”

I burst out laughing seeing them still fidgeting even after sitting down.

The meal only started after I reassured them several more times that it was okay.

The three maids shared the extra forks and spoons, their hands trembling every time they put their forks to the food.

“Thank you! Your Majesty the Empress. It’s so delicious. I’m about to cry.”

As Sharon wiped away her tears, Solie and Teresa also became teary-eyed.

“I’m so moved! Your Majesty the Empress. I feel like I’ll never forget today for the rest of my life.”

“I love you! Your Majesty the Empress. My heart is pounding, wondering if this is really okay.”

Their forks, which had been moving slowly, gradually picked up speed as time passed.

Seeing that made me feel warm inside, and just watching them eat made me feel full.

I just savored the rich coffee aroma and took a bite of the sweet pie.

It was the very pie that Rinel liked best.

Today too, he had given me that pie which he said he liked so much he didn’t want to share with others.

[This is the timeline separator]

Head Chamberlain Stian checked the nearly empty plates on the tray and withdrew with a very satisfied look.

We could have cleared all the plates, but to avoid suspicion, we left a little food on each dish.

I thought it didn’t matter, but the three maids strongly objected.

The reason was that the Zelda known to Rinel was a delicate and frail empress, so emptying all the plates wouldn’t match my image.

They willingly ate one bite less each for the sake of my image, even while regretfully looking at the leftover food. That sight was slightly touching.

Thanks to that, I was able to safely return to the Empress’s Palace.

I returned to the bedroom and sat on the sofa.

I started reading the guidebook about the Lapion Imperial Family that Secretary Raphael had brought earlier.

I wanted to quickly grasp the internal facilities of the palace and the locations of buildings as guided in the book, but,

Ah, I’m sleepy…

The more pages I turned, the more yawns came.

When I yawned for the third time, my eyes met Sharon’s.

“…I’m not sleeping yet.”

“You can rest well during the morning hours.”

Sharon smiled and opened the terrace door wide as I spoke, enunciating each word clearly to stay alert.

“What’s the afternoon schedule like?”

“Lunch with the concubine ladies is scheduled in the Empress’s Palace dining room.”

“Do I really have to have a meal with the concubines?”

“It’s a tradition of the Lapion Imperial Family.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, traditionally, the concubines welcomed by His Majesty have lunch together with Your Majesty the Empress after entering the palace.”

“Every time a new concubine is brought in?”

“That’s right, but this time is exceptional as the concubine ladies all held their ceremonies at once, so you can all gather in one place for the meal.”

“That’s fortunate.”

The faces of the four concubines came to mind one by one.

Catherine, who surely had her humanity cut off along with her umbilical cord, and Melanie, who was highly likely to have been a horse in her previous life.

There are two exceptionally difficult individuals to deal with.

My head was already starting to ache.

Ah yes, and then there’s Concubine Pecilini, an unknown figure I haven’t even properly conversed with yet.

Although having Rosie there might make things a bit easier, it certainly wouldn’t be a comfortable gathering.

I wanted to avoid it if possible, but there was no choice.

“Your Majesty the Empress, if you’re not up for it, we can postpone the meal. It doesn’t have to be today.”

Sharon said, seeing my displeased expression.

“No, it’s fine. Since we have to have a meal together at some point anyway, it’s better to meet as scheduled today.”

“Yes, then I’ll inform the concubine ladies to prepare as originally planned. Until then, please rest comfortably.”

“Okay, I will.”

As soon as Sharon left the bedroom, I went out through the open terrace door and looked down at the Empress’s Palace garden.

“I wonder where it is…”

My eyes were instinctively searching for the training grounds said to be close to the Empress’s Palace.

[This is the timeline separator]

“We greet Her Majesty the Empress!”

As I entered the dining room, the four concubines seated in pairs at the long table all stood up from their chairs and paid their respects.

I looked at each person’s face as I sat down at the head of the table.

“Everyone, please be seated.”

To my right sat Catherine and Pecilini, and to my left were Melanie and Rosie.

“Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress.”

The emotions in the concubines’ voices all sounded different.

An angry voice, a confident voice, a welcoming voice, and…

My gaze went to Pecilini, sitting at the far right end.

Her voice sounded somehow unstable.

Is she nervous?

I stared at Pecilini for a moment, but then averted my gaze as she seemed uncomfortable.

Instead, my gaze naturally shifted to Catherine sitting next to her.

Catherine’s eyes were filled with the same hostility towards me as when I saw her in the greenhouse.

Ignoring Catherine, I spoke to Melanie sitting across from her.

“Melanie, is your leg alright…?”

As I spoke, Melanie lowered the shawl draped over her shoulders.

Oh my.

At that moment, my lips paused mid-sentence.

One shoulder of the dress Melanie was wearing was empty.

The dress wasn’t a tube top style, and on the left side there was a sleeve with plenty of shoulder volume attached, but?

Ah, did she deliberately cut it because of Rinel’s words?

What did he say yesterday when he saw my one-shouldered dress in Melanie’s quarters…

‘Why, it looks unique and beautiful to my eyes. Didn’t you say it was a fashionable style in the Empress’s country?’

Don’t tell me she believed his ridiculous words and turned a perfectly fine dress into that state?

The dress looks quite expensive too…

“Melanie, what on earth is that look?”

Catherine voiced my inner thoughts exactly.

“What look?”

Melanie bristled as expected.

“…What? Your speech is a bit short.”

Catherine, the First Concubine, sharpened her already sharp voice when Melanie, the Second Concubine, didn’t use honorifics with her.

“It’s a new style… isn’t it? As you can see, it’s a dress, right?”

Melanie cursed with her eyes while forcibly attaching a polite ending.

“I’m asking because you suddenly appeared in such a bizarre style.”

“I wish the First Concubine would be a bit more careful in her word choice… okay?”

Melanie snorted at Catherine as she retorted.

“Even one’s attire reflects on His Majesty’s dignity. Tsk tsk.”

Catherine shook her head and glanced at me as she picked up her juice glass.

It was a look asking if I didn’t agree with her opinion.

Perhaps because of our encounter in the greenhouse, she only glanced at me but didn’t speak directly.

She just occasionally touched the side of her head where my hand had touched, glancing at me each time she did so.

“Hmph, you don’t know what you’re talking about. This is all according to His Majesty’s taste… isn’t it?”

Melanie retorted to Catherine while turning her head towards me.

“Isn’t that right, Your Majesty the Empress?”

I just smiled at her question.

Melanie rolled her eyes back and forth, trying to gauge the meaning of my smile, and suddenly said this.

“It’s fashionable, I’m absolutely not copying anyone.”

What fashion.

It was ridiculous.

However, I decided to support her, who had firmly believed and acted on Rinel’s joking words.

“Yes, Melanie. It’s a style His Majesty will really like.”

“Heeng, what’s the use of that? His Majesty needs to see it in person.”

When I brought up Rinel, Melanie’s face darkened rapidly.

Just as I was about to offer her words of comfort again, the dining room door opened and an unexpected figure appeared.

“We greet Her Majesty the Empress!”

It was Head Chamberlain Stian.

“What brings you here?”

When I asked with a puzzled expression, the Head Chamberlain seemed hesitant to speak.

“Yes, well, that is…”

“Stian, has something happened to His Majesty?”

My voice rose in concern.

“Your Majesty the Empress, I humbly report…”

The Head Chamberlain paused mid-sentence, quickly turned his head towards the dining room door, and then spoke.

“His Majesty is now…”