It was a fairly plausible suggestion, but Burkhardt remained unconvinced.

Just as her heart had once turned from him to the count, even now, though she looked at him, if there were someone whose stature rivaled that of the emperor, might her heart not turn that way instead?

Had the count truly won her heart completely?

When he had finally ended the war and gone to find Elizabeth, she had already been ready to follow the count into death.

She had lived taking only what was freely given, so with the count’s sudden death, her future must have seemed pitch-black.

She would have had to return to life as a commoner — or perhaps to something even worse than that, in a convent.

In such a situation, meeting him as the emperor must have been a welcome turn of fate.

Elizabeth was that kind of woman.

The loss of trust in the one you love is a painful thing.

No matter what is said, you can no longer believe it to be true — and so, all that remains is the lament that there is no way back to how things once were.

“Your Majesty.”

Perhaps concerned by Burkhardt’s brooding, Geraldine called to him softly.

But Burkhardt was so mired in thoughts that chased one another endlessly that he could not even register Geraldine’s voice.

“Your Majesty!”

Geraldine’s voice finally reached him.

Burkhardt felt a pang of self-reproach at realizing he had been thinking of Elizabeth in the middle of a conversation.

Then, he noticed Geraldine, shifting from foot to foot.

“I’ve distracted you, haven’t I. So — what were we talking about?”

urkhardt tried to resume the interrupted conversation with practiced ease.

Geraldine’s face was filled with concern, but he did not voice it. He focused only on the question at hand.

“The portrait archive…”

“I’d rather not show that place. Geraldine, since ascending the throne, I haven’t been happy for a single moment. I feel nothing but disillusionment toward my biological parents and toward this empire.”

“Your Majesty.”

“If Beth had wanted only me, I wouldn’t feel this anxious. No… perhaps I should be grateful that I at least have wealth and power. So long as I sit on the emperor’s throne, she won’t turn her back on me.”

Burkhardt muttered in a self-mocking tone, his voice drained of strength.

His heart was unsettled.

Even after all the long years he had spent trying to win Elizabeth, he still felt small before her.

“No matter what anyone says, Your Majesty is the Emperor of the Clemens Empire.”

“I need to show that I am more suited to this position than anyone else. Then Beth will truly like me. I no longer want to see fear or pity in her eyes — I want to see a happy smile filled with love. Who would have thought that, after years of resentment, this is all I would end up wanting.”

“Then allow me to give you a hint about the prophecy passed down in the Clemens Empire. If Her Majesty learns that Your Majesty’s significance in this empire goes beyond that of an ordinary ‘emperor,’ perhaps it will resolve the matter you’re so concerned about.”

Geraldine spoke with confident persuasion, but Burkhardt still felt no certainty

‘Ha… I must be pathetic, unable to be sure. Like this, can I even say I’ve truly won her?’

The deeper Burkhardt sank into his emotions, the more Geraldine, at his side, grew restless, watching him anxiously.

“If Your Majesty does not wish it…”

Geraldine’s face twisted as if on the verge of tears.

He was the one who had supported Burkhardt all this time, relying solely on the prophecy. Whenever Geraldine’s expression darkened, Burkhardt’s heart felt as though a stone had been set upon it.

Wishing to ease Geraldine’s mood, Burkhardt spoke gently.

“I’ve said it before, but I’m always grateful. If not for you, I would never have ascended to the throne. You believed purely in the prophecy and waited for the forgotten prince. I shouldn’t have said such things to someone who loved the empire that much.”

“Am I as pure as Your Majesty? You still haven’t moved on from your first love. In any case, consider showing Her Majesty the portrait archive.”

“…I’ll think about it.”

It was an answer that was, for all intents and purposes, permission. Geraldine smiled brightly in response.

“No going back on your word! I have somewhere else to stop by, so please go on ahead to your office.”

“All right.”

“It seems Her Majesty is already here. Then, I’ll see you in a little while.”

Just as Geraldine said, it appeared Elizabeth had already arrived — Marianne was just coming out of the office.

Burkhardt exchanged a brief nod with Marianne, then took a deep breath and opened the office door.

The time had come to face Elizabeth again.

***

Elizabeth had been gravely ill for several days.

It had not been easy to adapt to the unfamiliar environment, and by the time she had resolved to die, her body was already greatly weakened.

Today, feeling a little better, she set out for the office with Marianne.

The physician had advised her to rest longer, but Elizabeth could not bring herself to rest completely.

She feared that if she did not explain what had happened that day as soon as possible, she and Burkhardt might grow even further apart.

On the way to the office, Elizabeth unconsciously revealed her unease.

“What if Burke refuses to see me?”

She grew anxious.

Had she not broken her promise and left her place? This might be used as a pretext to strip away even the small measure of freedom she had now.

Perhaps the relationship with Burke, which had improved even slightly, would plunge back into hostility.

“When I sent word to His Majesty, there was nothing in particular he wished to say.”

Marianne’s blunt voice sharpened Elizabeth’s sense of caution.

She must truly have been ill — to have spoken weakly to Marianne, who never showed even a speck of compassion.

Perhaps, in the meantime, she had begun to long for human warmth.

A hollow laugh escaped her.

She couldn’t allow herself to grow so soft. She hadn’t even fully grasped the pain Burkhardt was enduring — she couldn’t crumble so easily.

Hiding her feelings, Elizabeth spoke with haughty composure.

“Time has been wasted. Let’s hurry.”

They arrived at the office, which had always felt so far away.

Marianne exchanged a few words with Colin, who usually stood guard outside the office, then returned wearing a troubled expression.

“It seems His Majesty has not yet arrived.”

“Then I’ll wait outside.”

he couldn’t bring herself to enter an empty office.

If Burkhardt were to arrive and misunderstand, it might push her even further out of his favor — and if that happened, it would be difficult to return to their current state.

Better to endure a bit of leg pain and wait.

“Your Majesty, the physician did advise you to rest. Please, go inside the office.”

“But is it all right to go in when Burke isn’t there?”

Perhaps it was because she had let her unease show on the way to the office.

Marianne seemed to hesitate for a moment, then looked at Elizabeth and spoke carefully.

“His Majesty has already been informed of your condition. If he sees you waiting outside like this, I’ll be the one punished.”

Elizabeth didn’t believe Burke cared for her enough to punish his closest aide on her account.

Even so, she was certain Marianne’s words weren’t empty — Burkhardt was not the sort of man to leave a sick person standing outside.

“All right. I’ll go in and wait, then.”

Elizabeth followed Marianne and stepped slowly into the office.

It looked the same as always, but there was a lavish table and a pink chair that didn’t belong there at all.

An unpleasant thought pierced through her mind.

Elizabeth followed Marianne and stepped slowly into the office.

It looked the same as always, but there was a lavish table and a pink chair that did not suit the place at all.

An unpleasant thought pierced through her mind.

A sharp edge rose in her heart.

“Has anyone besides me been coming to the office?”

The position of empress was still vacant, so even if Burkhardt had brought someone in, it would not have been a matter of impropriety.

When he went so far as to resent her, how could she voice her dissatisfaction?

Even so, she could not help but feel hurt.

“Not to my knowledge.”

Ordinarily, she would have believed Marianne’s words, but now she could not be certain.

After all, Marianne was one of Burkhardt’s people. Perhaps she was lying to avoid stirring trouble and inviting inconvenience.

If the physician had gone so far as to issue a warning, then those around Burkhardt likely did not think well of Elizabeth.

“Please wait here a moment. I’ll bring some tea.”

Marianne bowed politely, then hurried away.

Left alone in the office, Elizabeth’s expression hardened

With Marianne gone, the composure Elizabeth had barely managed to maintain collapsed in an instant.

Her gaze fell on the ornate tea table, and the unpleasant vision replayed itself.

Burkhardt sat at his desk, working through a backlog of documents, while a woman sat across from him at the tea table — just as Elizabeth once had.

From time to time, Burkhardt would lift his head and give her a gentle smile, and the woman would chatter sweetly in return.

His aides, seeing them together, would whisper that they made a fine pair before quietly withdrawing.

Then Burkhardt would approach the woman, wearing the smile he no longer showed — the one he had once reserved only for Elizabeth.

In this imagined scene, there was no place for Elizabeth.

She had always known she could be replaced, but seeing what felt like proof of another’s presence made the instability of her position hit home.

Discomfort churned in her chest, and her legs felt weak.

Forcing herself to regain her composure, Elizabeth sat in her usual spot at the corner of the sofa.

Before long, lively voices drifted in from outside.

What could be so amusing?

A sense of isolation crept in, though at the same time she felt a flicker of relief — if the mood was good, perhaps she could slip in an uncomfortable question about his illness.

But Elizabeth quickly had to correct herself.

For the moment Burkhardt entered and saw her, his face twisted in visible displeasure.