As soon as Erina entered the imperial palace, leaving Romdrik and Kasil behind, she was greeted by the head maid of the palace.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Ulysses Forton.”

The head maid of the palace seemed somehow familiar.

The strictness of her beige hair pulled back without a single strand out of place, her strangely warm light green eyes, her straight back, and her neat face without a hint of a smile – it felt like she had seen them somewhere before.

Perhaps Erina’s face showed her confusion, as Ulysses smiled and said:

“I’m the twin of the head butler who moved as a messenger this morning.”

“Ah!”

Erina couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise at the face that looked exactly like Dellas, the head butler of the palace.

Like Dellas, who had come early in the morning to warmly deliver the message, Ulysses also gladly welcomed Erina.

“I will escort you to the First Reception Room in the main palace.”

Ulysses led the way, guiding Erina to the main palace.

There were several palaces within the imperial palace complex.

The main palace, located in the very center, was where all the affairs of the imperial family were handled.

As it housed reception rooms and administrative departments, many people bustled about actively.

Following Ulysses, Erina encountered more people than expected.

Despite the early hour, people were moving about quite busily.

It was due to the many tasks that had suddenly arisen because of the newly discovered mana stone mine.

At the entrance of the reception room, which they reached after passing through well-paved paths and entering the main palace, stood a knight with a large build.

As Ulysses approached him, the knight stared intently at Erina.

His towering height, which required looking up to meet his gaze, and shoulders so broad they seemed to block half the doorway, were quite imposing.

However, in contrast, his fluffy dark green curly hair and candy-pink eyes reminiscent of sweet confections, while seemingly mismatched, suited him well.

He blinked his round eyes, then smiled at Erina with gentle eyes and greeted her.

“Lady Medelia, it’s an honor to meet you! I am Baroon Emkil, humbly serving as the captain of the 5th Knight Division!”

When he opened his mouth, the sword clanking at his waist made him seem like an oversized puppy, ill-fitting for a warrior.

“Sir Emkil, thank you for welcoming me.”

The Emkil duchy was a family that had produced outstanding knights for generations.

Baroon Emkil, the second son of Herigel Emkil, was recognized for his excellent skills and held the position of captain of the 5th Knight Division.

Erina, having received much information from Sandes early in the morning, knew that he would be in charge of her escort.

Baroon, who had greeted her warmly, opened the door to the reception room and guided Erina inside.

The First Reception Room was where the emperor handled important official matters or dealt with private affairs during work.

As it was mainly used by the emperor, it was quite a spacious place.

Various artworks decorated the room, and a long table that could comfortably seat ten people was placed on one side of the reception room.

Ulysses guided Erina to the left of a golden chair that was slightly higher than the others.

As soon as Erina sat down, someone hurriedly entered the reception room.

Though the door was open and didn’t make much noise, the boisterous entry made Erina turn to look at the person who had come in.

The person who had rushed into the reception room, almost running and breathing heavily, was none other than Feiron.

Feiron, looking more haggard than yesterday, tried to approach Erina.

“Eri…”

“Lord Feiron Iolls, this way please.”

Ulysses blocked Feiron from approaching Erina and guided him to the seat opposite Erina, to the right of the golden chair.

Feiron’s lips moved as if he wanted to speak to Erina, but unable to resist Ulysses’s pressure, he sat down opposite her.

Feiron was in too pitiful a state to act freely here.

Ulysses was the head maid, and Feiron was in a position no different from a criminal branded by all nobles yesterday.

He could not dare to treat Erina, who had received a middle name, carelessly like yesterday.

Then Baroon, who had been standing quietly at the entrance, approached with shining eyes and stood behind Erina.

“Sir Emkil?”

“Oh my, isn’t this Lord Feiron Iolls, who was dismissed from the position of 2nd Knight Division Captain today!”

When Feiron asked, curious about Baroon’s approach, Baroon instead brightly smiled and mocked Feiron.

Feiron bristled at his sarcasm, which he would have normally ignored.

“Sir Emkil!”

After Erina left the mansion, Feiron had been so overwhelmed with various thoughts that he found it impossible to close his eyes.

Many things had changed in Iolls since Erina’s departure.

He couldn’t tell if everything had changed because she had changed and things had turned out this way, or if it was since Rose had come to the mansion.

Without a wink of sleep, his mind was as murky as if thick fog had settled in.

Amidst all this, he had only one thought.

He had to talk to Erina again.

Even as he rushed to the imperial palace to arrive at the time specified by the emperor’s messenger, he was thinking about how to have a conversation with her.

To put everything back in its place, he had to persuade Erina again and make her return to Iolls.

But why did everything seem to make it impossible for him to have his way? He felt like he was going mad.

“So you’re becoming an 8th Knight Division member now? Oh my, oh my.”

Everyone in the reception room could tell that Baroon was deliberately trying to provoke Feiron.

Baroon had been urgently summoned by His Majesty the Emperor last evening, heard the whole story, and received new orders.

He was to be in charge of escorting the precious person who had been granted a middle name and was the owner of the mana stone mine that would elevate the empire’s status.

When Baroon heard the order, his first thought was one of question.

The 1st Knight Division captain and members, as the representative knights of the palace who only serve the imperial family, do not take on other duties.

Among the other palace knight divisions that could take on this task, the 2nd and 5th Knight Divisions were currently not assigned to any missions.

According to the principle, for someone of such noble status as to receive a middle name, it would be appropriate for the 2nd Knight Division to take on this task.

However, Feiron, the 2nd Knight Division captain who should have taken on this important duty, was at the center of the incident.

The vice-captain could have replaced Feiron and taken on the task, but the emperor didn’t do that.

The emperor chose the 5th Knight Division, to which Baroon belonged, because he needed people who could view and move objectively to protect the subject.

Baroon was disgusted by Feiron, who looked at him with bloodshot eyes.

He was a remarkable man who had abandoned the pride a knight should have, abandoned the wife he should have protected first, and brazenly brought a mistress into his home.

He had done things that one wouldn’t do unless they were insane, without hesitation.

Baroon thought Feiron had no right to refute even if curses came out of his mouth.

Baroon opened his mouth without hesitation.

“Oh, Lady Medelia. Do you know? They say that children who have just become knights are joining the 8th Knight Division. Hahaha!”

“Oh my.”

Sensing that Baroon had deliberately brought this up, Erina covered her mouth with both hands, exclaiming with a regretful expression.

Erina was quite pleased with Feiron’s face, which was becoming increasingly distorted as he failed to regain his composure.

Feiron, who had been so proud of being a knight, had fallen into the abyss in an instant.

It might have been better if he had been completely dismissed and disappeared from the knight division.

Then he wouldn’t have had to endure contemptuous glances and whispers among people much younger and less skilled than himself.

“Sir Emkil, you’re going too far!”

“Pardon? What do you mean? I was merely providing information to the lady.”

Baroon, who kept dealing blows to Feiron while smiling gently, looked harmless as if he didn’t have an ounce of aggression.

“But sir…!”

“His Majesty the Emperor enters!”

Feiron couldn’t finish his sentence due to Enzo’s entrance at such a frustrating timing.

Erina and Feiron stood up from their seats and looked at Enzo entering the reception room.

As Enzo quickly walked in and sat down in the golden chair at the head of the table, Dellas, the head butler who had followed, closed the door of the reception room and entered.

“We greet His Majesty the Emperor.”

As Enzo sat down, everyone in the reception room bowed their heads to pay respects to the emperor.

“Be seated.”

As Erina and Feiron sat down and Dellas took his place behind Enzo, Ulysses set up the teacups she had prepared.

As nothing trivial ever happened in the First Reception Room, Ulysses, as the head maid, took care of everything.

After pouring steaming hot tea for everyone and stepping back, Enzo opened his mouth.

“As discussed, we will proceed with the divorce process immediately. If anyone has any objections, speak now.”

Divorce between nobles was simple yet not so simple.

The procedure ended with obtaining divorce approval from the emperor who had approved the marriage vow and processing the paperwork.

However, to receive divorce approval from the emperor, all the interests involved in the two people’s marriage had to be neatly settled.

After settling everything, if both sides submitted a definite report to the emperor and the emperor acknowledged it, it would be approved.

If Feiron and Erina were to proceed with the formal divorce process, they would have to return everything that had been exchanged in their political marriage and also conclude all business between them.

But Enzo declared that he would proceed ‘simply’, ignoring all those procedures.

“Your Majesty.”

“Count Feiron Iolls.”

As Feiron, who had great objections to this divorce, opened his mouth, Enzo called out to him without hiding his displeasure.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I trusted and relied on you so much. Do you know that?”

Feiron knew it too well to answer.

He couldn’t open his mouth carelessly because he knew what Enzo was trying to say with that one sentence.

“Until now, I have trusted my instincts and moved to bring the imperial authority, which was on the verge of collapse due to my late father, to this point. But Count.”

Enzo’s sky-blue eyes, as cold and sharp as frost, glared at Feiron as if to pierce him.

“Because of you, for the first time, I regretted my instincts.”

Feiron couldn’t help but avert his eyes.

He couldn’t give any answer because it was Enzo who had trusted him and pushed him forward, eliminating numerous backbiting remarks, until he reached this position.

“If there are no objections, let’s proceed.”

“But Your Majesty, the divorce…”

“Feiron Iolls!”

Feiron, who had opened his mouth again at the words to proceed, was startled by Enzo’s angry voice and shut his mouth tightly.

“Don’t cut off the last thread of my trust. Do you understand?”

Feiron couldn’t answer Enzo’s angry voice and clenched his fists on his knees.

Enzo, trying to find his reason that was about to be disturbed by anger, gestured to Dellas.

Dellas quickly placed a single document and a quill pen in front of Erina and Feiron each, then stepped back.

At the top of the document was written [Divorce Agreement] in large letters.

“Lady Medelia, if you have anything to add to the agreement, you may say so.”

The divorce agreement between families is determined by the emperor after confirming the status of both families and examining the rights and wrongs of both parties.

Enzo asking her if she had anything to add meant that he would ignore all of that and take Erina’s side on anything.

Erina looked at Feiron, who couldn’t look ahead and was just staring at the divorce agreement.

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.