“I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

Etienne extended her hand, and soon Fernando’s large hand met hers. Their fingertips touched, and his big hand enveloped her small and fair hand.

Holding each other’s hands, the two smiled without any need for words.

They couldn’t become lovers due to conflicting emotions. Initially, Etienne had a crush on Fernando, and now it was an ironic reversal with Fernando having unrequited feelings for Etienne.

“But can I ask you one thing?”

Etienne let go of his hand and, with her question, Fernando, who had been looking at their joined hands, raised his head.

“Well… What about the idea of seeing Duke Supraheo’s memories?”

It was a question about whether there was any progress or trigger. Despite the seemingly straightforward question, Fernando rolled his eyes and looked ahead. Even though it should have been an easy question to answer, he couldn’t immediately speak.

“If it’s difficult to say, you don’t have to.”

Thinking she might have made Fernando uncomfortable, Etienne changed the subject and stood up.

“It’s gotten quite late. I’ll be heading back now. You can follow when you’re ready.”

Etienne shook hands and turned away.

Only after leaving Fernando and standing up did the other realities, which she had temporarily set aside, slowly come back. Starting with Prince Ludvig’s situation and now Emperor Leharth.

During the conversation with Fernando, she had worried about how Leharth had been handling things.

‘I hope everything is resolved properly…’

“Lord Leharth.”
At the sound of Fernando’s voice from behind, Etienne turned around with a puzzled expression. She had been thinking about Leharth even before that.

“He was the one who mentioned Father’s abilities.”

“Ah…”

She understood why Fernando hadn’t readily provided an answer.

“His Majesty Leharth… No, did His Highness mention it?”

Initially, she had suspected it might be related to Leharth, but since she hadn’t heard it from him, she quickly doubted it. However, the fact that Leharth was involved was surprising.

“Yeah. You can go ask. Or should I go with you?”

“No, it’s okay.”

Etienne shook her head. Discussing the matter with three people, including Fernando, might make the conversation awkward. Moreover, for some reason, her heart kept pounding, creating an uneasy feeling.

There seemed to be something Leharth hadn’t told her yet, and that might be the cause.

“I’ll really go back now.”

Before Fernando could respond, Etienne hurriedly walked away.

Instead of immediately hearing what he had to say, she wanted to find out the cause of her current racing heart. What if Leharth had apologized for this incident?

“You have to go and hear it for yourself. That’s the most certain way.”

Etienne repeatedly took deep breaths, trying to calm her heartache and uneasy chest.

After the succession ceremony concluded with the declaration, the ball awaited. Once the splendid and grand ball ended around dawn, the next event would be the Empire’s festival.
If the entire empire sank into silence during the funeral, now, with the enthronement of the new emperor, people were dreaming of a hopeful tomorrow.

While everyone was in high spirits, the newly crowned emperor, Leharht, was not happy. Sitting in his chair, staring out into the distance, he was approached by Alex.

“You should change into your formal attire.”

“Yeah.”

“Will you please stand up? Everyone is waiting for Your Majesty.”

“Yeah.”

Continuing with the same responses, there was no sign of him moving. He wasn’t really paying attention to what Alex was saying.

“Your Majesty, what’s the matter?”

Eventually, realizing that he wouldn’t get up, Alex changed his approach. At that moment, Leharht’s gaze, which had been focused outside the window, turned to Alex.

“What do you think it is?”

“Is it because of Miss Etienne Claire?”

“That’s right. You guessed it right away. Indeed, Assistant Alex’s insight is truly sharp.”

“Thank you.”

In response to Leharht’s praise, Alex replied in a dry tone. Even if it was an exaggeration to say that Etienne occupied all of Leharht’s concerns, there was no need to scrutinize the situation sharply.

“What Etienne said earlier.”

To restore the atmosphere that had been confused due to Rudvich, Leharht was talking about what Etienne had said. He was recounting the events from when they discussed the scene witnessed at the Mithril tree.

“Is that true?”

“She didn’t seem to be lying.”
“If that’s true, it’s even more incomprehensible to me.”

Leharht revisited the recent events with a face devoid of all emotions.

“Nobles are all born with abilities. I only gave up my ability because I saw my own death. How could it be connected like that?”

“Well, as a great person, perhaps you could perceive such things?”

“In that case, it would be correct to predict that an emperor with no abilities would emerge in the future, right?”

“You have made a sufficient prediction.”

The saying that the one who lets go of everything gains the most was itself nothing short of a prophecy.

“Is that so? But why don’t I hear it that way?”