‘Didn’t inherit the blood of Croatia…?’

Lea’s pupils, looking at Akiya, shook restlessly with bewilderment.

“Duke. What does that mean…?”

“Lea.”

But Akiya, as if he had no intention of saying more, lowered his head and then gently held her hand.

“I’m going to the capital.”

“What?”

‘So suddenly?’

There was still a mountain of things to do in Bialytskall. The hot spring construction was not finished, and the establishment of the medical facility had not even started.

“Do you have urgent matters in the capital? How long do you plan to stay?”

“…”

“Even if you leave the hot spring construction to Saturn, I need to oversee the establishment of the medical facility. I can’t leave my post for too long…”

Akiya, who had been silently listening, interrupted Lea.

“I’ll go to the capital alone.”

“…Alone, Duke?”

Lea’s eyes, like a malfunctioning receiver, slowly opened and closed. Then, as if realizing something, she took a breath.

‘Is it because of my injury?’

Lea, who had been stiff for a moment, looked at her own wound. Although it had improved a lot, it was still a bit too much for a long carriage trip.

Even if there were urgent matters in the capital, bringing a patient wouldn’t do anything but delay time. Understanding the Duke’s decision, Lea nodded her head apologetically.

“I’m sorry. I forgot that I’m a patient. So, will you handle the urgent matters and come back right away?”

Akiya’s lips, silent until now, slowly parted in response to Lea’s question.

“Lea.”

Then, with a face he had never shown before, he replied.

“I won’t come back.”

Somehow, his expression seemed to be suppressing pain.

In the eastern continent, from the rare easterners to tapestries meticulously woven by craftsmen, the room was so dazzlingly adorned that it would make anyone feel overwhelmed. The air was filled with the sweet scent of jasmine.

“So, what happened to the apothecary?”

Count Leolord, who was sitting on a chair, casually asked the man next to him.

“I apologize. I should have died within a few days since I was stabbed with a poisoned knife. However, a passing doctor happened to perform emergency treatment quite well.”

The man bowed his head as if he had no dignity.

“You’re saying he’s alive?”

“Yes.”

Stabbed with a poisoned knife, yet still alive.

‘Tsk.’

Count Leolord chuckled at the fact that the apothecary didn’t die.

It would have been fine even if he didn’t die, as it was originally a warning. Count couldn’t erase the discomfort that had settled in a corner of his heart.

“I hope it was handled without any problems.”

“Yes. Since it happened in a crowded square and was done discreetly, no one knows about our involvement.”

At that moment,

“If they are my people, there wouldn’t be any mistakes in the work.”

A high-toned voice came from across Count Leolord.

The woman standing directly in front of the Count gently placed the tea cup she had been holding down.

“Isn’t that right, Count?”

She was the Empress of the Empire. An overwhelming presence that emanated from her entire being. Despite her slightly graying hair and wrinkles that couldn’t be hidden, her dignity was evident.

“Is it not so, Count?”

She was the Empress of the Empire. An overwhelming presence that emanated from her entire being. Despite her slightly graying hair and wrinkles that couldn’t be hidden, her dignity was evident.

“I’m not suspicious of Lady’s people. I am simply… out of concern.”

Count Leolord, perhaps having touched the Empress’s nerves, assumed a humble posture. The woman who had made Count Leolord stand in front of the imperial family was none other than the Empress.

Known as the Iron Lady, she couldn’t hide her stern and uncompromising nature. And now, right in front of Count Leolord, was the Empress herself.

“Rix.”

The Empress spoke with a cold and thick voice. Kneeling down from a distance, a man who had been guarding quietly bowed his knees.

“It’s your last chance. I won’t tolerate two mistakes.”

“Yes! Your Majesty.”

In response to that statement, the man bowed to salute and then silently disappeared. In the face of the Empress’s overwhelming presence, Count Leolord felt like he had to swallow dry saliva.
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Regardless of how many times you see it, it was an unfamiliar scene. People who blindly follow an elderly man claiming to be the owner.

Rix, who had been guarding until a while ago, was one of the members of the mercenary group following the Empress.

‘Mercenary group.’

The ones like the limbs of the Empress who played a crucial role in making Ilay ascend to the throne, now an outstanding supporter of the current Illei.

Having received the imperial throne from the former Emperor Philip III, Ilay always remained an unsettling factor. Especially, now that he had returned with restored health, even more so.

The Count nodded in understanding of what the Empress meant with her words.

“Of course, Mama. The sun of the empire is only Ilay. I will take care of it, so please don’t worry.”