Throughout breakfast, Leah kept glancing at Akkia. The bizarre dream she had last night was real after all.

Realizing it was not just unfulfilled desire but reality, Leah’s face flushed red once more.

‘I can’t face him.’

She was staring intently at the innocent cutlery when it happened.

“Leah. Are you listening?”

“Yes. Yes?!”

Startled by Akkia’s voice calling her, Leah answered with a jolt.

“I said we need to go straight to the palace as soon as we finish eating.”

“Ah. Yes. Have a safe trip.”

Leah brightened at the mention of the Duke going to the palace.

‘Thank goodness.’

She had been worrying about how to go outside when being in the same house with him made her so nervous.

The Duke was going out on his own accord. However, once again, things did not go as Leah wished.

“What are you saying? You have to come with me.”

“…Me too?”

“Why? You don’t want to?”

The words ‘Yes. I don’t want to. I really don’t want to!’ rose to the tip of her throat, but she forced a smile with effort.

“No, of course I want to. Haha.”

What could she do? When the boss says to go, she has to go.

Having finished breakfast, the two headed straight to the palace. The carriage that had been running for a while slowed down as it reached its destination and soon came to a stop.

“We’ve arrived.”

Akkia gestured for Leah, who was sitting blankly in the carriage, to come out. She exited through the door opened by the coachman and walked into the palace.

Not long after, a person who seemed to be a palace attendant stood before them.

“You must be tired from the long journey. Duke.”

Akkia nodded to the attendant who bowed to the Duke.

“Please go to the audience chamber.”

Just as the two were about to follow the attendant, he blocked Leah’s path and spoke.

“From here, only those permitted by His Majesty may enter.”

Leah thought it was rather fortunate. She was planning to use this as an excuse to escape from being with the Duke.

“There’s nothing we can do. Duke, I’ll just go back from here…”

However, at her words about returning to the townhouse, the Duke scribbled something on a piece of paper.

[“I asked the attendant to let you tour the gardens, so have a look at the herb garden.”]

Leah had to sigh at the note that shattered her inflated expectations.

“Yes, I understand.”

With those words, Akkia moved into the palace. Only after the Duke disappeared from view did Leah start to look around.

The palace she entered for the first time was dazzlingly gorgeous and overflowing with a majestic aura.

“Let’s go to the garden first.”

Thinking there was no other place with as many rare medicinal ingredients as the palace herb garden, Leah took a step.

“Wow.”

Leah gasped as she looked at the large greenhouse made of transparent glass. They said all the rare herbs in the world were gathered here, and it seemed to be true.

Leah gaped at the sight of a tree visible right from the greenhouse entrance.

“Is this a reparatio tree!?”

A rare tree that couldn’t be seen in the empire was here. The tree’s sap was a precious ingredient and virtually a panacea.

“They said there’s only one in the empire, and it was in the palace after all.”

She was keenly feeling the might of the palace. After touring the greenhouse and coming out, Leah discovered a bronze statue placed outside the garden.

A wolf standing next to a woman who seemed to be the goddess Helena, a snake coiled around her staff. And even a hawk sitting beside her.

She was amazed, having never seen such a delicate and elaborate work of art in her life.

As Leah approached and was examining the statue, a man’s voice was heard from behind.

“It’s a statue modeled after the founding myth of the Croatier Empire. You could say it embodies the loyalty of the three royal families who were meritorious retainers at the founding.”

Startled by the sudden voice, Leah turned around. A familiar man entered her field of vision.

“You are…!”

The man she met in the alley when visiting the capital some time ago.

The knight who saved Leah that day when she almost got dragged off by human traffickers to be sold at the slave market.

Leah recognized the man at once and brightened. The man also smiled the same way as before, seeming to recognize Leah.

“Meeting again in a place like this. I guess we must be fated.”

Golden hair shining brilliantly under the dazzling sun.

It was clearly the same hair color as the Duke’s, but somehow it seemed to have a different sheen. Then she suddenly realized she had been staring at the man too intently.

“S-sorry! I was out of it for a moment.”

Leah belatedly bowed to the man in greeting.

“It’s such an honor to see you again. Sir Knight.”

Perhaps surprised by Leah’s greeting, or perhaps by the word ‘knight’, the man’s blue eyes slowly widened.

Soon, an easygoing laugh was heard.

“Ha, haha. Yes. The honor is mine as well. Lady.”

Even his smile was gentle and handsome, but Leah tilted her head. She didn’t know why he burst into laughter.

‘Was my greeting funny…? No. Then is he not a knight?’

But the man was dressed in a casual style outfit. Moreover, she could see the sword at his waist, as if he had just come from the training grounds.

“If you have time, I’d like to show you around the palace, but…”

Just as the man’s sweet voice continued, someone could be seen approaching urgently from afar.

He seemed to know this fact as well, as he gave an awkward smile.

“It seems they’ve already come looking for me.”

A man who appeared to be an attendant approached the man. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.

“You were here? You must go right away. A message has arrived that they have arrived…!”

“Enough.”

The man raised his hand towards the attendant as if to stop.

The attendant looked at Leah and him alternately with a perplexed gaze, as if trying to say something but stopping.

“We’ll meet again.”

The man lightly kissed the back of Leah’s hand and walked away with the attendant.

[This is the timeline separator]

Even as Akkia walked into the palace, Leah came to mind. Just when he thought she was getting better, she started subtly avoiding him again.

Like at breakfast, and in the carriage on the way to the palace. Whenever their eyes met, she would slyly cast her gaze out the window.

‘She must have remembered.’

A subtle smile spread across Akkia’s lips.

“Your Grace, please wait here.”

Akkia nodded at the attendant’s words and entered the audience chamber. Judging by the words to wait, it seemed the emperor had not yet arrived.

He scanned the utterly silent interior of the audience chamber. As memories of his childhood spent with the former emperor arose in the palace scenery he was seeing after 5 years,

“His Majesty the Emperor enters.”

The door opened with a voice announcing the emperor’s arrival.

“It’s been a long time, Akkia.”

The emperor embraced Akkia with a warm smile.

“You’ve been through a lot there. If there was such an unpleasant incident, you should have told me. If I had known earlier, I would have resolved it all for you.”

The friendship between Duke Heidren and the emperor is deep. The emperor holds Duke Heidren in special regard.

As if the widely circulating rumors were not false, Ilei’s eyes were full of affection.

The Duke, who had been quietly watching Ilei’s actions, took a step back. The Duke’s gesture of refusing the embrace was very natural. Only then did the emperor look Akkia over.

When the Duke left the palace, he was sickly and withdrawn, unable to even meet his eyes. But the Akkia he faced after 5 years had become a different person.

A boldness that couldn’t avoid the emperor’s gaze and a noble bearing that couldn’t be concealed even by a sickly appearance.

‘Hmm. He certainly seems different.’

The emperor’s narrowed eyes landed on Akkia. Akkia bent one knee.

The emperor’s gaze turned subtle at Akkia’s action of politely bowing in greeting.

[“How could I dare to become a burden to Your Majesty.”]

Reading the words the Duke wrote, Ilei clasped his hand with a regretful expression.

“A burden, that’s absurd. What brother in the world would consider his younger brother a burden? We don’t need such formalities between us, Akkia.”

“……”

“From now on, if you have even the slightest problem, tell me anytime.”

[“Yes, I understand.”]

Satisfied with Akkia’s answer, Ilei patted his shoulder a couple of times and gestured for him to sit.

“Let’s have tea together after so long.”

As soon as he finished speaking, maids entered pulling a trolley.

“You came to the capital in a hurry and couldn’t prepare anything? I ordered an inspection of the Heidren Ducal House’s townhouse, so you can stay there. I’d like to have you stay in the palace with me and take care of you personally, but the law doesn’t allow it, so it can’t be helped.”

[“Thank you for your consideration. But I have a separate place to stay in the capital.”]

Ilei made a surprised expression after reading what the Duke wrote.

“You have a separate place to stay? You mean besides the Heidren Ducal House’s townhouse?”

[“Yes, there is a townhouse where my mother stayed before entering the palace. I will stay there.”]

The former Empress’ townhouse…

“If that is your wish, so be it. Then let me know where it is and I’ll send someone right away…”

[“It’s alright. Your Majesty. I will just accept your thoughtfulness.”]

Ilei, who had been intently watching the Duke say that, soon nodded.

“I see. It seems I still see you as too young.”

[“Then I will take my leave. I am fatigued as I haven’t fully recovered.”]

Watching Akkia politely bow and leave without a hint of reluctance, Ilei’s expression changed strangely.

However, Ilei soon smiled kindly.

“Yes. You must be tired, so go and get some rest.”

-Click.

As the sound of the door closing rang out, Ilei’s face instantly hardened. A cold atmosphere 180 degrees different from when he was with Akkia emanated from him.

“Marquis.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

He called for Marquis Rodrigo, his secretary who had come to his side at some point.

“Akkia looks much better than I thought.”

The force Akkia exuded when faced directly was not that of a sickly patient. Blood-red eyes, golden shining hair, and even a bright complexion.

As he aged, Akkia’s face even began to resemble that of former Emperor Phillips III. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Ilei rubbed his chin.

“Did he come to the capital alone?”

“I heard he came with just an apothecary.”

“An apothecary? The one you mentioned before?”

“That’s right. I sent someone, so I will report to you about the apothecary soon.”

At the Marquis’ words, Ilei tapped the desk with his finger as if in thought. It was a habit of the emperor when something bothered him.

Then, as if finished pondering, Ilei’s finger stopped.

“Find out everything, down to the last detail.”

It bothers me. Akkia’s somehow changed gaze and everything else.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Marquis Rodrigo deeply bowed his head in response, his eyes shimmering profoundly.