Recently, Jeremiah became aware of his feelings.

It started right after Karina was nearly killed in a hostage situation and barely woke up.

Even after becoming aware, it wasn’t easy to acknowledge those feelings.

But the moment he found Karina at the mine.

In a place where he wasn’t, outside of his protection.

Realizing that Karina could be in danger again at any time, an unbearable anxiety washed over him.

When Revals told Karina that she was a Grand Duchess in name only without the protection of the Grand Duchy, unlike Karina who remained calm, he was engulfed in explosive anger.

And seeing Karina crying in his arms, he could no longer deny his feelings.

However, that didn’t mean all the underlying suspicions and sense of betrayal towards Karina had disappeared.

But still, he didn’t want to divorce Karina.

He never really thought about divorce.

Whatever happens, he wanted to keep Karina close by his side, check on her every day, and confine her within his sight.

Even if he conceded a hundred or a thousand times and got a divorce, this was absolutely not the way.

‘Absolutely not!’

Jeremiah’s hardened expression wouldn’t soften.

“Whew.”

Jeremiah exhaled the breath he had been holding in, suppressing the emotions that were surging as if they would explode.

Taking deep breaths to sort out his emotions, he returned to where the carriage was.

On the way back, he spotted Karina in the distance talking to Mikhail.

“……!”

His gaze was fixed on Karina’s face, smiling brightly at Mikhail.

Jeremiah’s fists clenched tightly without him realizing it.

Despite having calmed his emotions with difficulty, once again his inner turmoil surged.

‘She has never smiled so brightly in front of me.’

Jeremiah’s eyes shone fiercely as jealousy boiled up.

By sleeping rough and finding a newly created path to cut through, they were able to arrive at the capital faster than planned.

They stayed at the Colsberg’s privately owned mansion in the capital.

This was a residence that the previous head of the Colsberg family had deliberately prepared within the capital to stay in when there was business in the capital.

“I thought it would normally take about 5 days, but arriving in 3 days. If the road is trimmed, we might be able to go back and forth between the North and the capital even faster.”

Jen said with a pleased expression.

“Well. Is that really a good thing?”

Karina muttered in a questioning tone.

Rather, it was difficult for the emperor’s pressure to affect the North because the road between the capital and the North was long and rugged.

But now it’s different, so the influence the imperial family intends to exert on the North will probably change as well.

Of course, this was not good news for the North at all.

“Pardon?”

Jen, who heard Karina’s muttering, tilted his head.

“It’s nothing. Rather, please take care of the luggage.”

“Yes, I’ll do it perfectly, so don’t worry and go ahead.”

Jen answered vigorously.

Karina had to enter the Imperial Palace immediately without a moment to catch her breath.

Because she had to have an audience with the emperor.

Of course, together with Jeremiah.

Before going to Jeremiah, Karina stopped by Mikhail.

“What about Selena and Heistine?”

Before coming here, Karina had separately told Selena and Heistine to come to the capital as well.

Because if they came to the capital, there would be an opportunity to try to contact the Dark Merchant based in the capital.

Of course, she had also thoroughly made Selena promise not to act independently with any other thoughts.

“I just received a message that they arrived.”

They had said they would depart a day after Karina’s group.

They needed a separately forged identity because they were fugitives in the capital.

It took about a day to prepare that.

‘If they ride horses instead of carriages, it would take two days.’

Since they arrived similarly to them, the impact of the mine collapse was greater than Karina expected.

“For now, tell them to find out about the Dark Merchant operating in the capital. Also tell them to find out how to place a request.”

“When you say Dark Merchant, do you mean the one we went to find before but came back empty-handed?”

Mikhail remembered it too.

For Karina, it wasn’t a complete waste because she met Selena and Heistine.

“That’s right.”

“Is there a particular reason you’re looking for that Dark Merchant separately?”

“There’s a request I want to entrust.”

To be precise, it was to find out information about the Wish Potion.

“Is there a need to entrust it to that Dark Merchant? I think someone of your caliber, Miss Karina, would be able to do what is necessary without going through such a place.”

If it was a general request, Mikhail would have been right.

However, in the past, Karina obtained the Wish Potion through a person named ‘Perso’, the owner of that Dark Merchant.

She had to meet that person.

“It’s a request that can only be done there.”

“When you say it like that, I’m really curious about what kind of request it is. Can’t you tell me too?”

When Mikhail implicitly pleaded, Karina smiled and answered.

“You’ll find out later when the time comes. Anyway, please convey the message.”

When Karina didn’t give in despite his pleading, Mikhail gave up cleanly and answered.

“I understand.”

After parting with Mikhail like that, Karina set out to find Jeremiah.

No, she was about to set out to find him.

But Jeremiah was standing right outside the door.

‘Oh my gosh. How long has he been here?’

Karina asked in surprise.

“When did you come?”

“Just now.”

Jeremiah answered briefly.

‘He couldn’t have heard what I just said inside, right?’

Karina carefully went over the words she had said inside.

She hadn’t said anything particularly important, but it bothered her.

However, she hesitated to ask if he had heard.

He might not have heard, so there was no need to deliberately create a sore spot.

Karina closed her mouth as if she didn’t know.

“If you’re ready, let’s go right away.”

“Sure.”

As Karina took the lead, Jeremiah followed behind her.

Karina and Jeremiah entered the Imperial Palace to have an audience with the emperor.

The place the emperor summoned them to was the audience hall in the Central Palace.

On the way to the audience hall while being guided.

Along the corridor of the Imperial Palace, paintings that were priceless, beautifully sculpted statues, antiques, etc. were displayed in rows at regular intervals.

Even the pedestals supporting them were made of expensive high-quality marble.

‘It was okay until before coming.’

Now that the reality of directly facing the emperor was sinking in, she felt nervous.

Karina glanced at Jeremiah with an anxious face.

But Jeremiah had an expressionless face as if he had no emotions.

‘Well. He’s not the type to get nervous over this.’

Karina made up her mind to do well herself.

Then suddenly a question came to mind.

‘But why the audience hall of the Central Palace of all places?’

The audience hall of the Central Palace was usually used to receive royal families or important envoys from other countries.

‘Is it to treat the head of the Colsberg family to that extent?’

Soon, thinking it was none of her business, she lost interest.

Swallowing her questions, she quietly followed the chamberlain in charge of guiding them.

Arriving at the audience hall and entering inside, the interior was so vast and spacious that it felt majestic.

Far away on the high stairs, on the platform, the emperor sitting on the golden throne could be seen.

Sitting with his chin resting on his hand, looking down at them with a relaxed face, he looked arrogant and haughty as if a god was looking down on the earth from above.

Around him, the Imperial Palace knights guarding the emperor were standing at attention in their uniforms.

If the person here was not Jeremiah but someone else, it would have been quite an intimidating atmosphere that would have made them scared and shrink back.

Karina and Jeremiah walked to the front of the platform, crossing the center of the audience hall, and paid their respects.

“You’ve come.”

A low and heavy voice greeted them.

“I am here to see His Majesty the Emperor, the supreme ruler of the Habelion Empire.”

Jeremiah bowed his head with a formal greeting.

“I am here to see His Majesty the Emperor, the supreme ruler of the Habelion Empire.”

Karina also bowed her head, following Jeremiah’s greeting.

Then the emperor turned his eyes and looked at Karina.

Karina frowned at the unpleasant gaze scanning her.

Fortunately, since she had her head bowed, Karina’s expression was not visible to the emperor.

After a long time, the emperor’s mouth opened again.

“Raise your heads.”

As the emperor’s words fell, Karina and Jeremiah raised their heads.

This was not the first time Karina faced the emperor.

Even before marrying Jeremiah in the past, she had met the emperor together with her father, Marquis Millainer.

Even then, the emperor had a somewhat unpleasant and uncomfortable aura.

At that time, there was no room to properly pay attention to it due to the tension of meeting His Majesty the Emperor for the first time in a personal setting, and the subject of the meeting was related to her marriage to Jeremiah.

Looking back now, it was even more unpleasant and awkward than then.

Karina wished for this audience to end as soon as possible.

At that moment, someone walked out from beside the platform.

“……!”

Karina was startled after confirming that person’s face.

‘Father?’

The one who came out was Marquis Millainer.

When Karina looked at him with an expression asking why he was here, the marquis spoke.

“I heard that the Grand Duke and Duchess of Colsberg were coming for an audience, so I asked His Majesty to allow me to join as well. I also wanted to see my married daughter after a long time. I hope my presence doesn’t make you uncomfortable?”

Marquis Millainer asked Jeremiah, not Karina.

There was not a single word of greeting to Karina.

“……”

Jeremiah didn’t answer anything, but the emperor didn’t wait for his answer.

“I sent a letter telling you to come up early because this year’s New Year’s Festival is special, did you not receive it?”

The displeasure was evident in the emperor’s voice as he asked.

“I apologize.”

Jeremiah only replied like that without any explanation or justification.

Next to him, the marquis, who had a stern expression, added.

“Come to think of it, I heard that the escaped prisoners who ran away from prison took our Karina hostage?”

‘Our Karina……’

Karina scoffed inwardly upon hearing the marquis’ words.

Despite being her biological father, the marquis only thought of Karina as a tool for a political marriage that would raise the status of the family and bring benefits.

Nevertheless, on the outside, he pretended to love and cherish his daughter very much.

Since he had been like that since she was young, the marquis’ current pretense of worrying about her as if he was being hypocritical was not surprising.

It was just disgusting anew.

“Is it because the head of the Colsberg family, who is responsible for the North, couldn’t catch the escaped prisoners that this incident happened?”

To the emperor’s question, Jeremiah bowed his head again.

“I have no excuse.”

“……”

Karina glanced at Jeremiah with a displeased expression.

Putting aside the emperor and the marquis who were openly blaming him despite knowing the truth, Jeremiah’s appearance of just listening to such words was very unfamiliar.

“These days, I heard that even the monsters are going crazy in the North. Is that also because you can’t handle it properly?”

The sneer on the marquis’ lips deepened as he rattled on like that.

“That’s what the Grand Ducal family should be doing in the North. If you can’t even do that one thing properly, what’s the reason for the Colsberg family’s existence?”

“……”

Karina thought Jeremiah wouldn’t just take it lying down this time at the words that went too far, involving the family.

However.

“It is my negligence. I apologize for causing concern.”

Jeremiah answered as if he was used to it, with an expression of not minding at all.

‘What, what is this situation now?’

Karina’s eyes widened in bewilderment.

And soon a realization flashed through her mind.

The reason the emperor summoned them to the audience hall of the Central Palace was not to treat the Grand Ducal couple better.

It was to suppress Jeremiah by putting forth the authority and prestige of the imperial family and the emperor.