Tick, dash.

In the quiet darkness of midnight, the bedroom door quietly opened and soon closed. Liz opened her eyes slightly.

She had pretended to be asleep until Hershis left the bed.

He was undoubtedly going to his study today as well. Since sleep wouldn’t come anyway, he must be thinking of doing some work.

It wasn’t the first or second day experiencing this, but she still felt uneasy.

When would he become distant enough that no one would notice even if someone else carried him?

Liz sighed and slowly got up.

Sitting on the floor, Liz looked around with a vigilant gaze for a moment, then moved to the small room connected to the bed. The room stored valuable jewelry, and only Rene and Rosa, aside from herself, had access.

Walking between the glass display cases where beautiful jewels slept, Liz finally stopped in front of the statue occupying the innermost part, right in the middle of the wall.

It was a statue with a splendid necklace hanging on it, sent as a congratulatory gift from the Nervan Kingdom half a season ago. It was not suitable for wearing due to its overly elaborate decoration, but it was an excellent necklace for ceremonial purposes.

Liz picked it up and gently placed it on the floor.

And when she removed the velvet cover on the shelf where the statue was placed, what was underneath was not a shelf but a chestnut drawer.

Opening the lid, even in the darkness, hundreds of gold bars flashed with the majesty of pure gold.

The smooth surface was so tempting that she wanted to touch it.

“Is this worth ten million gold?”

Liz murmured as she stroked one of the gold bars with her fingertips. The reality of having such a massive fortune in front of her made it somehow unbelievable. The fact that she now had control over the imperial treasury’s wealth was still hard to believe.

But anyway.

“With this, all the festival expenses are resolved.”

It was unnecessary to lower the status of the Empire’s largest celebration, the founding anniversary festival. Now, that was the only reality Liz could clearly perceive.

Liz closed the lid, covered it with the velvet, and placed the statue with the necklace back on top.

After restoring everything to its original state, she left the room. Closing the door and turning around, someone was in the bed that had been empty a moment ago.

“Ugh!”

She almost screamed, but managed to stop herself by biting her lip.

“Surprised, huh? Why are you inside without making any noise?”

Rene said, brushing off her chest as Liz sighed with relief.

“I knocked, you know?”

Then, looking over Liz’s shoulder to the small room, she added.

“You were too busy caressing the gold bars to hear it.”

“I was just looking.”

Liz walked slowly and sat on the bed, sweeping her chest. Then she asked.

“What happened?”

It was a question about everything that happened from the time they parted in the hall until now. Rene replied.

“What happened? Everyone got what they wanted. You got the gold bars, and he got… the secret.”

“…”
“His safe wasn’t filled with just money.”

Liz’s eyes briefly flashed blue, but it was only for a moment. The purple surface, which had calmed down like a tranquil sea, froze coldly without a ripple.

‘The events that are supposed to happen are already set in motion.’

Fate rapidly closed the distance.

⭐⭐⭐

In the near future from now, Rosenzia in the original work faces a crisis.

After suffering an unexpected blow during the war with the powerful Tarendis Kingdom, which was known for its undefeated record, they repeatedly retreated and finally faced defeat.

In just a few days, soldiers lost their lives, and they lost the largest granary. However, compared to losing the trust of the imperial citizens, that was nothing.

Uprisings of factions dissatisfied with the imperial family erupted everywhere. Even those who did not join the factions secretly hoped for a change in the ruler of the imperial family. The one who had led an era of peace and stability… Duke Montaner.

‘I didn’t know that all this trouble was due to the secrets he handed over to the enemy.’

Liz had scoffed at that thought half a season ago.

But now, she felt a bitter disappointment.

What he had tried to secure was not her private property but a secret. The fact that such an important secret was here and not in the Duke’s stronghold was still hard to believe.

If she had known a little earlier, she could have prevented the Duke’s treason more easily.

“Tsk. What a shame.”

Liz frowned, as if dissatisfied.

However, her expression, which could be appropriate for a serious situation, was somewhat relaxed. It was a leisure that was possible because there was a countermeasure.

“Rene Esmond.”

Liz said, looking at Rene, who was nonchalantly trimming her nails.

“Let’s see your skills.”

Rene looked up from her nails.

Staring intently at Liz in the darkness, she soon asked with a snort.

“Am I not miserable right now?”

When she tilted her head slightly, one earring swayed, sparkling.

“No, believe me.”

“…”

“But it would be more convincing if you show it in front of me.”