Oz quickly summoned someone to call for Millean Hartmann.

Meanwhile, he insisted on accompanying me despite my saying I could go alone.

“I’m fine.”

He seems permissive yet subtly stubborn.

Then again, that level of persistence and fortitude must be necessary to maintain the position of chief aide.

I glanced at Oz once before starting to walk slowly.

“My lady.”

Usually in situations like this, I would be the one to call out to Oz first.

Him addressing me first seemed like a first-time occurrence.

“Yes, Mr. Aide.”

Though I hid my puzzlement and answered calmly, Oz didn’t readily speak.

‘What is it?’

Being the cautious person he was, he seemed to be organizing his thoughts.

He must have already made up his mind when he called out to me.

He walked a bit further without saying anything, then finally opened his mouth after a long pause.

“I’m not sure how this question will sound to you.”

“Yes?”

“I’m concerned that asking such a question as an aide might be disrespectful.”

Could you please just say it?

“Mr. Aide, aren’t we practically a team now?”

“…A team?”

“While attending to His Majesty, I felt like we’ve become a team. Well, perhaps I’m the only one who thinks that way.”

I deliberately spoke in a light tone to make him feel more comfortable.

In response, Oz spoke to me with a face that seemed to have made some decision.

“Then believing it won’t be disrespectful, I’ll ask.”

He really is an excessively cautious man.

“My lady, may I ask the reason for your decision?”

“Decision?”

Oz lowered his voice slightly, as if uncomfortable mentioning someone’s name.

“About calling Miss Viper to the imperial palace.”

So that’s what this is about.

Come to think of it, from Oz’s perspective, my summoning Soniel to the imperial court might seem strange.

Of course, he would know about my close relationship with her, as it had spread throughout social circles.

But hadn’t Foil and I shown our fangs to each other whenever we met?

The one who had watched this most closely was none other than Oz.

And now I was calling in his daughter.

And for what? To assist in attending to the Emperor from the closest position!

‘He must know why Foil adopted Soniel.’

Foil’s scheme was obvious.

Yet it was none other than I, the one most favored by Ainberg at present, who had suggested staying by Ainberg’s side.

From Oz’s perspective, this must have been perplexing.

“She’s young but bold, and we get along quite well.”

I hadn’t yet decided whether to be completely honest with Oz.

He might be an ally on the surface, but human affairs are unpredictable.

“Setting everything else aside, I wanted to make a choice that would benefit His Majesty.”

This was clearly true.

Of course, this was secondary, and my main goal was to get Soniel out of that mansion.

“…My lady.”

Oz looked at me with quite moved eyes.

Please don’t look at me like that.

It makes me feel guilty.

“Are you saying that whose daughter Miss Viper is had no influence on your choice?”

“Yes.”

Actually, it’s precisely because she’s Foil Viper’s daughter.

That’s why I called her.

Well, the direction of our conversation was a bit different, but it wasn’t a complete lie.

“I see. I didn’t realize you had thought about this so deeply.”

Please stop.

I really feel guilty now.

“…Anyway, we get along well. We need to attend to His Majesty together, and I couldn’t just call anyone, could I? It would be better if we got along well.”

“Your words are correct, my lady.”

As I faced Oz’s gentle smile, something suddenly occurred to me.

‘By the way, why did Ainberg call for Millean?’

Ainberg, who had opened his eyes again earlier, had unexpectedly asked for Millean.

We weren’t even sure if his memory was intact yet.

He had just regained consciousness after a long time.

What important matter, what urgent issue could have made him call for Millean?

‘…I don’t particularly like that person.’

Millean was a difficult person to understand.

He seemed hostile toward me, yet at crucial moments, he showed kindness.

‘Why would a lady from a noble family act this way?’

‘Why would a high priest serving the great god tell lies?’

‘Shouldn’t one avoid crossing the line?’

‘Who crossed it first?’

He growled at me as if he would devour me one moment, then resolved the issue with Miamo too easily the next.

‘Now that Ainberg has awakened, will he send me a letter?’

A letter he said he could only send after the Emperor’s return.

I couldn’t even begin to guess what Millean wanted to tell me.

As my steps grew heavier with these thoughts, Oz turned to me and spoke.

“My lady, are you alright?”

“Ah, yes.”

I pulled the corners of my mouth into a smile and continued walking.

“You seem very tired.”

“Now that His Majesty has awakened, I’m fine.”

Though I said it without much thought, Oz looked down at me with moved eyes once again.

Please don’t look at me like that since it’s not completely sincere.

This time I really feel like I might bleed from guilt.

“But why did His Majesty call for High Priest Millean?”

When I abruptly asked Oz, he looked considerably taken aback.

“Do you have any idea why?”

“I’m not sure, my lady.”

“Actually, I met High Priest Millean recently.”

“The High Priest?”

Just as I dropped a hint about Millean while watching Oz’s reaction, Oz’s neatly closed lips slowly parted.

‘Oh ho.’

He looked down at me and asked again.

“You met High Priest Millean?”

“Yes.”

I had actually met him because of Miamo, but I had no intention of explaining this in detail to Oz.

It would be better to give him time to let his imagination run wild.

“Why would you meet the High Priest, my lady?”

Oz asked in a low voice, but I was determined not to tell him.

I kept being mysterious because somehow I felt that if I continued, I might find what I wanted from Oz’s mouth.

“Because of… that matter. Could that be why His Majesty is urgently looking for him too?”

As I lowered my voice, Oz’s expression darkened further.

“If you mean that matter.”

I might not know everything else, or even what matter we were talking about.

But one thing was clear: this rigid man knew something.

I nodded slowly again, avoiding Oz’s gaze.

“My lady.”

“It wasn’t easy to get the High Priest to open up.”

Well, this wasn’t a complete lie either.

“My lady.”

Oz’s eyes were shaking intensely.

He still maintained his silence, but I could clearly feel that his inner thoughts were very noisy.

“Mr. Aide, you don’t need to tell me anything. I completely understand your circumstances.”

I carefully spoke, rather soothing Oz’s anxiety.

But Oz seemed quite moved by those words and bit his lip.

“So you found out everything.”

“……”

“That’s why to His Majesty, you were so….”

So… to His Majesty?

I expected him to continue, but Oz, like me, seemed intent on holding back his words and closed his mouth after that.

By then, we had already arrived at the door.

“I’ll go in now.”

Having reached the door, I politely bowed to Oz and went inside.

Though I hadn’t physically exerted myself or done any strenuous work.

I was completely exhausted and trudged along.

“Miss, are you alright?”

Sabine immediately called the maids to help me out of my dress and prepare a warm bath.

Usually, she would have been chattering away, but whether she read my expression or simply saw how tired I was.

She didn’t say a word while preparing me for bed.

“Miss, please rest now.”

“Thank you.”

Sabine placed a pouch of fragrant herbs by my pillow and quietly left.

“……”

As I lay quietly in bed, Miamo, who had been on the sofa, jumped over and approached me.

“Miamo.”

A faint peace came to my heart as I stroked her soft fur.

“I wonder what Mr. Aide was going to say.”

His voice suggesting he understood all my actions.

And those gloomy yet melancholic eyes.

‘I don’t know, what was Oz thinking?’

“…Miamo, I’m glad you’re here at least.”

I thought I would fall asleep as soon as I lay down.

I thought everything would be resolved once Ainberg opened his eyes.

How did things become even more complicated?

“I don’t understand what’s going on.”

Let’s just sleep for now.

I’ll think about it after I sleep.

I turned to my side and tried to sleep.

And early the next morning, Soniel came to visit.