“That’s right, I have a very private and important conversation to have with this person.”

With a happy mood at the thought of 3 million gold, I smiled brightly and agreed.

“W-What? Wait a moment, Lady!”

Yupheon tried to grab me with a bewildered face, but my mind was already filled with thoughts of 3 million gold.

“Then be careful of assassins and let’s not meet again. Goodbye.”

I waved my hand gently towards Yupheon and turned to follow Niel.

***

After Jella disappeared towards the main palace building following Niel.

“What’s this situation?”

Yupheon frowned, crossing his arms.

He had come all the way here upon hearing the news that Niel Alpenhayer was welcoming an Empress.

To kill that man who dared to try to be happy alone, despite contributing to her death.

But the woman who was with him just now…

“…”

Yupheon bit his lower lip hard and thought.

Why is ‘she’ here?

“Oh my, Your Holiness! Your Holiness! Were you here?”

Demian, the priest who serves Yupheon most closely, finally found him.

“I’ve been looking for you for a while… Gasp!”

Demian, who had been running, stopped in surprise when he saw Yupheon’s face.

Yupheon’s eyes, glaring at the spot where Jella and Niel had disappeared, were fierce as if ready to kill someone right away.

“Niel Alpenhayer was hiding her. As expected… I should have killed him earlier.”

He muttered in a low voice.

Yupheon Arne had always wanted to kill Niel Alpenhayer.

Immediately after Jella’s death five years ago, Yupheon had stormed into the Alpenhayer Imperial Palace.

He intended to kill all those involved in her death.

However, the reason he didn’t carry it out five years ago was because the interests of the three men he wanted to kill – including himself – aligned.

“…I’m sure we all promised to inform each other if anyone found her. It seems Niel Alpenhayer was trying to keep her for himself.”

Yupheon muttered, twisting his lips.

“Not even telling us that he had found her.”

Then he narrowed his eyes and smiled with a face that anyone would see as harboring evil thoughts.

“How can I just stand by and watch that?”

Of course, he too had no intention of telling anything to the other man who wasn’t here, Cail Aleret.

***

“3 million gold.”

When we reached a place where Yupheon was no longer in sight, I held out my hand towards Niel.

“Let’s continue our conversation in a warmer place.”

“No. I just want to get the money quickly and go back now.”

“Ahaha…”

At my sharp refusal, Niel laughed briefly and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket.

It was a 3 million gold promissory note.

“An imperial promissory note?”

It was a note issued in the name of the Alpenhayer Imperial Family, no less.

Wondering if he had no intention of hiding his identity, I looked at him, and he casually explained.

“I told you, didn’t I? That I’m handling the affairs of a high-ranking person in the palace. This request was also entrusted by that person, and I’m just handling it on their behalf.”

“Explanation aside, you need to give me 200,000 gold more.”

I didn’t forget to demand the additional 200,000 gold I had planned to extract from him.

“You’re quite accurate with your calculations.”

“I tend to be, generally.”

Fortunately, he hadn’t forgotten either.

Niel immediately pulled out another promissory note for 200,000 gold from his pocket and handed it to me.

After happily pocketing the 3.2 million gold, I glanced at him and spoke in a subtle voice.

“And I just saved your life earlier, didn’t I?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

“So I think I should receive more for the value of your life…”

As I dragged out the end of my sentence like an evil loan shark, Niel innocently asked back.

“How much?”

“Hmm.”

Come to think of it, he was the Emperor of this empire.

So, I had just saved the life of the Emperor, no less!

He might be hiding his identity with a magic stone bracelet, but that doesn’t diminish my merit in preventing an assassination attempt on the Emperor.

“I’d just like you to pay what you think is a fair price.”

“El.”

“…?”

I asked for a fair price, and he came out with something unexpected. Unable to understand his meaning, I tilted my head, and he took a step closer to me.

“I told you, my name is El.”

Then he leaned his head towards me and whispered as if telling a very secret story.

“But you’ve been calling me ‘you’ instead of my name since earlier.”

Thud.

His forehead touched mine.

“It makes me a bit upset.”

His low voice, pleasant to the point of being annoying, tickled my face with his breath.

Ugh? What’s wrong with him?

Feeling somehow flushed and chilled, I pushed his chest with both hands, shoving him forward.

His large body moved back obediently as I pushed.

My heart was pounding at this sudden eccentric behavior, but the man who had acted so strangely was looking down at me with a clean expression and an elegant smile.

Feeling somewhat annoyed, I snapped sharply.

“Do we really need to use names when we’re never going to meet again anyway?”

“I’m hurt. We know each other’s names and workplaces, after all.”

Niel put on a sulky expression.

That handsome face looking dejected made me feel a bit sorry, but I ignored it completely and asked about my business.

“So, how are you going to pay for your life?”

“It seems difficult to give it to you right now, but I’ll come to find you again soon.”

Does this mean I have to meet this guy again? I’m not thrilled, but…

‘How much is he planning to pay for his life that he can’t give it now and has to come find me again? Is he going to hand over a national treasure or something?’

Thinking about the life payment I could extract from him, I felt excited and my nostrils flared.

“Alright. By the time you come back, I’ll have completely left the underworld, so contact me through a guy named Felitz.”

I carefully tucked the two promissory notes I received from Niel into my bosom and waved my hand gently.

“Just a moment.”

He grabbed my wrist as I was about to turn and leave.

“Are you just leaving like this?”

“Yes, I’ve completed the request, so I don’t think there’s any need to stay longer.”

“The night road is dangerous. I’ll help you get home.”

“It’s fine. You should hurry back to the ballroom.”

“Why should I go back?”

Huh? Well, because you’re… the Emperor?

…I wanted to say, but I couldn’t pretend to know his identity, so I just blinked my eyes.

“I told you. I’m just an errand boy for the palace. No one will care if someone like me isn’t seen for a day.”

Niel whispered in a gentle voice.

While thinking ‘That’s not true…’, my body was naturally being led by Niel towards an empty carriage.

When I came, I rode in the Clarence ducal family’s carriage with Emily.

‘I thought I might have to walk back, but it’s nice to ride in a carriage.’

Unlike its plain exterior without any emblems, the interior of the carriage was as luxurious and elegant as the one I used when I was the Emperor in the past.

‘If I leave the ballroom like this, Emily will be upset.’

Knowing how much Emily had been looking forward to her first dance with Niel today, I was a bit worried.

‘By the way, did he dance the first dance before coming out?’

Various thoughts crossed my mind, but I soon decided to ignore them and enjoy the comfort of the carriage. I’m the one who saved his life, so this much hospitality is fine.

‘Emily, I’m sorry. Conscience, look away.’

It was when I started to feel a bit tired.

“You can close your eyes if you’re sleepy.”

“It’s oka…”

As I was about to say it was okay, Niel sat next to me and made me rest my head on his shoulder.

“No, really, I’m fine…”

I said that while slowly closing my eyelids.

While dozing off, I thought I heard his voice faintly.

“Jella. I…”

Huh? What did you say?

“You… kill…”

I’m too sleepy to hear well. But why are you speaking informally to me…

Thud.

Something hot and moist touched my forehead.

Thinking that the soft sensation was somehow familiar, I drifted off into a deep sleep.

***

In the northern border region, a bit away from the capital.

Under the dark night sky, white snow was falling.

A man with icy silver-white hair stood there, facing the cold snow.

Suddenly, a look of longing appeared in the man’s blue eyes.

It had snowed on that day five years ago too.

Jella Shunaibel.

The woman that the man resented most in the world. The day she died.

It was the day of the first snow that year.

The afterimage of red blood falling on the white snow made the man dizzy.

“Jella…”

It was also her birthday that day.

[It was both her birthday and funeral day.]

Suddenly, a mocking voice was heard.