Burkhardt stepped outside, only to find the child was already gone.

In the child’s place, a slender man was gripping Elizabeth’s wrist, the two locked in a heated struggle.

The moment Burkhardt saw it, he nearly lost his mind.

She was far too precious—a person he had kept hidden away from all eyes, tucked safely out of reach.

She seemed so delicate that a mere gesture might break her.

Burkhardt seized the stranger’s wrist, tightening his grip to free Elizabeth.

“Dare you lay a hand on her!”

The man’s face drained of color the instant he recognized the intruder.

“Y‑Your Majesty…”

“What right do you have to enter this garden? Are you a servant working here? A war orphan? Or perhaps royalty yourself?”

Crushed beneath Burkhardt’s forceful presence, the man could only tremble.

“If you have a mouth, then speak.”

Had Elizabeth not been watching, had this not been the imperial palace, the man would already have met his end.

For the first time, Burkhardt regretted that this was not a battlefield.

“My goodness, Your Majesty. Weren’t you in your office?”

Seeing Geraldine arrive to intervene, Burkhardt guessed the man was likely connected to a high‑ranking noble.

Yet Burkhardt had no memory of him—someone who acted as though he were already a noble himself, relying solely on his father’s power.

This was the kind of man Burkhardt despised most.

And since this place was one that could only be entered with Burkhardt’s permission, no one would dare raise an objection if the man suffered for it.

Once his thoughts were settled, Burkhardt reached for his sword—only for Geraldine to hastily intervene.

“Your Majesty, this man is the heir apparent of the Blake family.”

“The Blake family?”

Perhaps because Elizabeth was nearby, Geraldine lowered his voice so only Burkhardt could hear.

“The family that clung to Your Majesty and barely survived when you purged the noble faction.”

“Such a scoundrel in that family?”

“…It seems they raised him with great care, being the heir.”

Burkhardt began to understand why Geraldine was trying to restrain him.

The Blake family’s influence had been growing lately, and Geraldine had advised him more than once to suppress their power.

This incident could serve as the perfect pretext.

Burkhardt wished to remove the hand that had taken hold of Elizabeth.

“Your Majesty. Please restrain yourself.”

“Hah. I assumed an emperor had no limits, but clearly there are many things even he cannot do.

While Burkhardt grumbled to Geraldine, the Duke of Blake came rushing toward them in haste.

“Your Majesty!”

“So, the Blake family finds this place easy to enter, does it? Even when the noble faction was at its height, this was never a place just anyone could walk into.”

“My apologies. My son has spent all his time in the territory, so he is unfamiliar with the palace’s customs.”

“Father! I’m not the only one who set foot here! That woman was here too…!”

“Henry! Be silent! How dare you behave so rashly before His Majesty!”

The Duke of Blake dropped to his knees, bowing low to beg Burkhardt’s forgiveness.

“Your Majesty, I will see to it that my son is properly disciplined.”

“I’ll be reviewing the proposal you submitted again. It may well affect how your contributions after the war are recognized.”

The Duke of Blake was a man whose greed outweighed paternal affection, always prioritizing what he could gain from Burkhardt over anything else.

Burkhardt displayed no sign of sympathy, prompting the duke to look toward Elizabeth.

There was no way Burkhardt would fail to notice.

Keeping Elizabeth shielded behind his back, he introduced her only in words.

“Well now, I haven’t introduced my empress. You may greet her—my empress, Elizabeth.”

“Your Majesty… was your talk of taking an empress not a jest?”

“When have I ever jested?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Then, keep your son in check, and we’ll meet again another time.”

Once the Blake family had been sent away, Burkhardt turned his attention to Elizabeth’s condition.

She was breathing in short, shallow bursts, still shaken from the encounter.

Feeling a pang of concern, he was about to offer words of comfort—when her lips parted first.

“Burke, I’m sorry.”

“Hah, and why would you say that? You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“It’s just… because of being involved with me, even Duke Giovanni is put in such an awkward position. If it weren’t for me, there’d be no reason to clash with the major houses…”

The fault clearly lay with the Blake heir, yet Elizabeth was the one to step forward and apologize first.

The sight unsettled Burkhardt.

“It doesn’t matter which family he belongs to. What troubles me is simply this situation.”

“Burke.”

“I don’t want to lose you ever again. I don’t want to be apart from you again. So… can’t you stay only where I can see you?”

Only in front of Elizabeth did Burkhardt collapse so utterly.

He had clawed his way to the top, crushing all who stood in his path, yet deep within him lingered the fear of losing the woman who was his entire world.

Even after all he had said, Elizabeth’s expression remained unreadable.

In that instant, suspicion took root in Burkhardt’s heart—

the thought that, in his absence, she might have met another man.

Not just one… he imagined every man in the palace as a potential partner in her betrayal.

It was as if the chess piece in his hand had suddenly gained a will of its own and was trying to escape.

“Beth. Return to your room at once. Go.”

Summoning his patience to keep from raising his voice at her, he sent Elizabeth back to her chambers.

Had it been a mistake to ignore the physician’s advice not to confront his trauma?

Burkhardt stood rooted to the spot until Elizabeth’s retreating figure disappeared from view.

***

After sending Elizabeth away, Burkhardt returned to his office, lost in thought.

He was so grave that even Geraldine seemed reluctant to speak, holding his tongue.

Tok, tok, tok—Burkhardt’s gaze was fixed on the desk, his fingertips beginning to tap against its surface.

It was an unconscious habit whenever he sank deep into thought.

And at the end of that habit, he always arrived at a ruthless conclusion.

“The Blake family… truly an irksome house.”

Though it was a quiet mutter, Geraldine cautiously added,

“But there’s no other high noble family as easy to bend to your will.”

“A dog that covets its master’s jewel is of no use to me.”

“Do you intend to drive away everyone who crosses paths with Her Majesty? At this rate, there will be no one left to follow you.”

“It’s about time to tighten the leash again.”

“Didn’t you already use Her Majesty as a pretext to reclaim the territory the Blake family was meant to receive after the war?”

“They’re the kind of family that tried to snatch credit with nothing but a silver tongue—they won’t feel wronged.”

Burkhardt sifted through the thick stack of documents on his desk, pulling out a few sheets.

They recorded the achievements of comrades who had known nothing beyond their own country.

Now, all that prowled around Burkhardt were packs of jackals, eager to claim the price of those men’s lives.

“The ones who distinguished themselves in the war have already scattered to the winds.”

“They were men who did not share Your Majesty’s vision and returned to their hometowns. To fill their absence, you’ll need to draw in nobles who can at least wield a silver tongue.”

“You think I don’t know their schemes? They’re the sort who would try to push their daughters into the position of empress.”

“If Her Majesty were to firmly secure her place, who would dare covet the seat beside you?”

At Geraldine’s words, Burkhardt’s expression brightened, as though struck by an idea.

“Yes! It’s time people learned exactly what kind of person Beth is.”

“Your Majesty?”

Burkhardt spoke with the satisfaction of a man who had already completed his calculations.

“This is the perfect occasion to have a portrait made. If they don’t know the empress’s face, perhaps that’s why they’ve behaved so rudely.”

“…Pardon?”

“Summon a painter. The location will be…”

Burkhardt’s eyes swept the room, and a slow smile curved his lips.

“It would be better to have it painted in the pergola, wouldn’t it?”

“The pergola, Your Majesty?”

“The sunlight there is just right, and Elizabeth will likely want to step out of that stifling room.”

“Understood.”

“Prepare ornate jewelry and a navy dress—something that will make her white skin stand out.”

“I’ll see to it.”

Burkhardt rose from his seat and paced toward the window, his gaze settling on the garden.

His expression hardened.

There, he spotted the child who had monopolized Elizabeth’s smile the other day.

Seeing her instantly spoiled Burkhardt’s mood.

The way her red hair fluttered in the breeze stirred a faint sense of familiarity—

a memory he had tried to erase, recalling the Orthe territory.

But if Elizabeth liked her, could Burkhardt simply push her away?

The thought of his own hesitation felt absurd.

He now stood in a position where he could have anything he desired—

yet winning her heart completely was proving far more difficult.

“Your Majesty, do you have any further orders?”

Geraldine’s voice broke the heavy silence, echoing through the office.

Only then did Burkhardt realize he was still in the middle of giving instructions.

After rubbing his face briskly to clear his mind, he pointed toward a figure moving busily in the garden.

“Can you find out who that girl is?”

“…Ah! She’s one of the children brought from the monastery near the Sirentium border.”

“So she’s one of those we brought back then. To wander in and out of the emperor’s garden—her courage is almost admirable.”

“Wasn’t it because Your Majesty said you disliked red hair that she was assigned to the garden? Before Her Majesty arrived, you never set foot there yourself.”

At Geraldine’s words, Burkhardt let out a sigh that was almost a groan.

In the end, it was his own fault that he had encountered the girl.

“She still doesn’t know who Beth is, does she?”

“I’d say that’s likely.”

Perhaps because he had never seen the girl and Beth together, Geraldine accepted Burkhardt’s words without question.

Burkhardt, deep in thought for some time, suddenly smiled as if struck by a pleasant idea.

“It would be nice if the atmosphere in the garden changed by the time we have the portrait painted.”

“In what way would you like it changed? Shall I have flowers replanted? They won’t even appear in the background—there’s no real need to plant them.”

Even though it was difficult to keep up with Burkhardt’s train of thought, Geraldine picked up his pen again.

Pleased with Geraldine’s suggestion, Burkhardt nodded.

“That’s good. Beth will be coming outside for the first time in a while—it would be nice if the sense of the season were vivid.”

Burkhardt paused for a moment.

Geraldine instinctively realized that whatever came next would be what Burkhardt truly wanted to say.

Burkhardt’s lips parted slowly.

“Have the red‑haired girl do the replanting. No need to waste manpower unnecessarily.”