“Yes… Your Majesty. I will keep that in mind.”

Moving people was such an easy thing. The Emperor smiled generously.

“Oh, and the incident in Valerie last week was good. I hope the usefulness of the diamond mine I bestowed upon you continues to turn into such border unrest.”

It wasn’t without issues, but it wasn’t bad to throw a carrot once in a while to use somewhat useful words. Gabe bowed his head once more.

After he bowed and retreated, the Emperor lightly pressed his temple. Perhaps because he had vented his anger fully, his head was ringing.

He’s a greedy bastard, so this time he’ll do it properly.

The Emperor gazed beyond the glass window. The carriage of the Esteban Count’s family could be seen running between the well-maintained gardens.

Though he was an unsavory fellow, the Emperor trusted Gabe.

More precisely, he trusted Gabe’s excessive greed that would abandon his wife and child for power.

That greed was the very driving force that put the Emperor on the luxurious throne.

For a moment, a chilling sneer flashed across the Emperor’s lips. He slowly raised his head.

The arched stained glass above the window. On the glass where sunlight brilliantly shone through was depicted a scene of a man with splendid blonde hair and blue eyes crowning himself.

Blonde hair and blue eyes signifying the bloodline of the Castarty imperial family. The Emperor slowly ran his fingers through his own hair.

The hair falling between his fingers was dark brown.

The Emperor burst into hearty laughter.

To think that he could now fully reveal his pure hair color, which he once had to hide with dye! This was truly a testament to the majestic imperial authority.

It was a little over seventy years after the Hundred Years’ War began. He, who had only been at the end of the genealogy after all legitimate heirs had died, became Emperor.

“Philip Kazef Castarty. Majestic Emperor of Castarty!”

It was a day in an unusually cold winter. That day, which came to mind vividly even with eyes closed. To gain power, he decided on a new marriage with a powerful noble lady.

“To fully side with the Emperor is concerning because of the son from the previous wife. Even if the Empress produces a prince, won’t power potentially be divided?”

Who wouldn’t make the same choice as himself if they could abandon their wife and son to sit on the throne? So the Emperor first went to the island and married a noble lady. To his former wife who asked how he could do such a thing, he ended the conversation with a notification.

“Don’t you want to raise your son more preciously? How long will you let him grow up as just a countryside noble?”

The honeyed lie from back then came to mind, but the Emperor shook his head.

It had been a long time since the intermittent nightmares about his former wife had subsided, but the anxiety that felt like his chest was caving in whenever he thought about it still remained.

“…If only I had found and destroyed that pledge then, I wouldn’t have been anxious.”

Though knowing it was impossible from the start, the Emperor couldn’t help but feel regret in his exhaled words.

The Emperor was always busy, after all. The process of standing alone supremely, not as a puppet emperor, was arduous.

And thirteen years ago.

“Now I’m Count Esteban myself.”

Seeing the greedy Gabe Esteban refer to himself as count, the Emperor vaguely thought that time had come.

And that premonition was right. When news that the Emperor was looking into the Esteban Count family spread just a little, the acting Count Esteban brought an interesting proposal.

It was to ‘end the Hundred Years’ War with Gauwe.’

“Respected Emperor, Your Majesty. Nerea Esteban is my daughter and at the same time the daughter of Lillian Esteban, who was the previous count. Though her knight training is still insufficient, I wish to obtain an opportunity to widely proclaim that Castarty’s shield is entirely Your Majesty’s shield. Please allow Nerea Esteban to participate in the war!”

Gabe’s move was shallow, but the Emperor was quite satisfied. Whether Nerea Esteban, who was said to have insufficient knight training, lived or died didn’t matter.

What was important to the Emperor was showing that he had made efforts for victory and the people’s livelihood through the justification and donations Gabe offered.

Gabe Esteban’s greedy intentions were transparent. His ambition to devour the family in this opportunity flashed, but the Emperor didn’t mind. He needed a dog too, after all.

But an unexpected variable occurred. After Nerea Esteban’s participation, the hundred-year-long war rapidly gained the upper hand.

As the Hundred Years’ War came to an end, it was Nerea Esteban, not the Emperor, who gained popularity. Even then, the Emperor waited and watched. The more useful cards, the better.

In fact, if she hadn’t attracted so much attention from people, he would have brought her in as the crown princess instead of Brianna.

The Emperor, clicking his tongue, then recalled the victory parade ten years ago.

The red-haired knight standing at the very front, wearing black armor with her back straight.

A pretty face and flowing red hair with quite a tall height, though unkempt from only roaming battlefields. At the same time, that languid and nonchalant attitude and dazed water-colored eyes that made people yearn.

Nerea Esteban, whose strange combinations attracted the gaze of the people.

The Emperor shook his head. And curled up the corners of his lips.

Popularity surpassing imperial authority was unnecessary.

That was the reason Nerea Esteban had to disappear.

Imperial authority had strengthened, and the crown prince born between the Empress, who was from the noble faction, could unite the imperial faction and noble faction. Then legitimacy would be reborn.

It didn’t matter who, for what reason, was trying to reveal Nerea Esteban to the world again.

If it interfered with his era of glory, he just had to get rid of it. The Emperor slowly nodded. His face, which had drawn a satisfied smile, suddenly turned cold.

For that, he needed ‘that bastard’. More precisely, the enormous wealth he possessed and the information network of the trade guild that could find the ‘pledge’.

When he pulled the bell rope, the waiting head servant entered.

“Deliver the order to enter the palace to that insolent one.”

At those words ‘insolent one’, the head servant bowed his head and answered.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will immediately deliver the order to enter the palace to Count Alejandro Rosa.”

“How great your sorrow must have been, Madam. You must have suffered much heartache alone.”

The warm consolation soothed her grief. As the tension melted away like snow, Baroness Noverry finally covered her face with the handkerchief she was holding.

But instead of being flustered or saying hasty words, the other person just remained silent. Indeed, it was as the other noble ladies had said.

“Not only receiving ‘that’, but those comforting words are really quite nice, you know?”
“That’s right. It must be because of such skills that she’s survived among the nobles.”

Half praise, half mockery, but to Baroness Noverry now, she was no different from a benefactor who had said the words she most wanted to hear.

“My grandmother loved me very much. But as her condition worsened and she struggled more, it was so sorry that I could only watch…”

It was an act that violated the virtue of not showing weakness in social circles. But Baroness Noverry looked at the person before her with desperation in her eyes.

“So I shamelessly ran to you, Madam. Because you even came to visit my grandmother when she was sick.”

That day was vivid in Baroness Noverry’s eyes. The image of the other person coming to visit her sick grandmother, helping administer medicine with a much more skilled demeanor than a professional caregiver, and checking the environment.

Even her grandmother’s tired face seemed a little brighter that day.

So Baroness Noverry grabbed the other person’s hand imploringly.

“Countess Esteban. I’ve heard that you help so many others with your noble character. Though it’s shameless, please help me just once too. That special medicine, please sell it to me too.”

Helen, Countess Esteban. Those who always called her ‘Acting Count’s Wife’ were now respectfully calling her ‘Countess’.

An exhilarating thrill ran down her spine. Helen remained silent for a moment as if troubled. Baroness Noverry waited for her decision with an impatient face.

No matter how high and mighty a noble, they were prone to weakness before the illness of a close relative. To such people, Helen was no different from a god.

When Helen nodded, one of the waiting maids approached. Although Baroness Noverry turned her head as if embarrassed by her tear-stained face, her eyes lit up at the sight of the medicine bottle the maid brought.

“Is, is that the medicine?”

A transparent liquid sloshing like water. As Baroness Noverry reached out as if bewitched, Helen spoke to her.

“But Madam.”

“Yes…!”

“I feel a bit hurt.”

“What? What do you mean…?”

The medicine bottle was instantly hidden in Helen’s grasp. Seeing Baroness Noverry’s face fall as if the sky had collapsed, Helen smiled gently.

“I believed our friendship was firm, but as soon as an unsavory rumor was attached to our Count, you cut off contact…”

“That, that’s…”

Baroness Noverry’s eyes wavered at the face tinged with disappointment.

With rumors rampant that the Emperor’s wrath was directed at the Acting Count Esteban due to Lesoar’s painting, who would have visited the Esteban Count’s family?

But now Baroness Noverry was in a situation where she had to beg.

Helen didn’t miss the opportune moment. As she twirled the medicine bottle on her palm, Baroness Noverry leaned more and more towards Helen.

“Nevertheless, I believe our friendship will become solid again. I’ve even prepared this medicine in advance, waiting for the day you would come.”

Helen whispered softly in her ear while holding her hand.

“My sincerity will return as your friendship again, won’t it?”

“Of, course.”

Only after receiving confirmation did Helen hand over the bottle with a soft smile. Then she recited the precautions.

“As you know, only the patient must take this medicine. It’s a medicine tailored only for your grandmother based on her condition that day. If someone else,”

Suddenly there was a commotion outside.

“…the Count has arrived… very angry…”

Along with sounds as if there was a disturbance inside the mansion, the maid who was outside entered after asking permission.

“I’m so sorry. There seems to be a small issue at the mansion. I don’t think I’ll be able to see you off.”

After hearing the maid’s words, Helen spoke to Baroness Noverry while trying to compose her hardening expression. The Baroness thanked her and paid her respects to Helen.

So Helen, unlike usual, couldn’t finish telling the other person the precautions for the prescribed medicine.

She couldn’t even tell her to be careful multiple times, that otherwise she would experience terrible side effects.

So perhaps it was natural that Helen’s precautions would evaporate from Baroness Noverry’s mind.

But it was not a natural, but rather a somewhat special and very unfortunate incident that when she returned to the mansion, the usually healthy young Noverry was slightly injured, and that the overprotective Baroness Noverry made him drink a lot of that transparent medicine.

“You’ve arrived, Count.”

“Johan! Where is Johan Jenax?”

As soon as the entrance opened, the Acting Count shouted sharply. The butler and maids who were startled and approaching Gabe stopped in their tracks.

He spotted Johan Jenax walking over. Gabe ran towards Johan with an ominous air and swung his arm widely.

Thwack—

At the dull impact sound, a maid unconsciously covered her mouth.

Johan bowed his head with an impassive face. His black hair swayed along his facial lines. In a calm voice that would have been unbelievable that he had been slapped if not for his reddened cheek, he spoke.

“Welcome back, Count.”