“…?”

Ivona’s head tilted in puzzlement. The maid beside her startled and asked affectionately.

“Are you uncomfortable somewhere, Ivona?”

“No? Not at all.”

Ivona reflexively smiled and answered. The shapeshifters working in the imperial palace all cared for Ivona with what seemed like excessive devotion. 

Thanks to them, her condition improved day by day. Because she ate and slept well, she’d regained the weight she’d lost from the pheromone rampage. So there was no way she could be uncomfortable, yet they made a fuss at the slightest unusual sign.

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate—please, please tell me!”

“Okay, I’ll definitely tell you.”

Her blue eyes looked straight at the maid and promised several times. Only then did the shoulders that had risen high with tension come down. 

The maid concentrated on combing her hair again, eyes sparkling with excitement. Finding this cute, Ivona swallowed a bitter smile inwardly.

The days after regaining consciousness were the most peaceful and satisfying of Ivona’s life. When she woke in the morning, various kinds of fruit she’d never seen in her life were laid out. 

Though she could basically eat everything, tasting delicious things prepared with her preferences in mind was quite enjoyable.

After meals came grooming time. The head butler and head maid, wearing solemn faces, burned with passion to beautifully adorn Ivona. 

They brought fabrics of various colors she didn’t know existed in the world and held them up, saying they needed to make new clothes.

“It must be because her skin is so fair! Every color suits her!”

“But still, I think solemn gold is best for the coronation.”

“What are you saying? She’s lovely, so gold should only be used as decoration, and this wind-like pink and apricot tulle should be the main dress.”

But if she had to pick her favorite time, it was study time. Though studying couldn’t be enjoyable, for Ivona who’d been practically abandoned in the tower all along, everything was fascinating.

Etiquette and the status system, the work of governing the country, Balboa’s history, and even training methods for using pheromones. 

Thanks to this, Ivona’s knowledge grew daily like blotting paper absorbing water.

“You’re truly a descendant of Balboa. You learn remarkably fast. At this rate, you’ll be able to meet the Electors soon.”

Whenever she accomplished something trivial, Linea showered her with praise. 

For Ivona, who’d always been scolded and crushed under fierce pheromones, this was an unfamiliar sensation. Unable to hide her cheeks slightly flushed with embarrassment, Ivona asked back.

“Th-the Electors?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The mention of Electors made her both expectant and fearful. The only Elector Ivona knew was her imprisoned father, Marquis Castillia.

‘What if the other Electors are as violent as Father?’

She knew rationally that couldn’t be. The Electors had waited most for Ivona’s existence for Alvidion’s stability. Linea had taught her so.

Nevertheless, deeply carved fear didn’t disappear easily with a few words. With her solar plexus trembling, Ivona unconsciously gripped her skirt tightly under the desk.

Noticing her tension, Linea added in a deliberately bright tone.

“Don’t worry. If anyone dares show you disrespect, this old one will not let them off, however slight my power.”

Besides, isn’t there the leopard who rescued you? She added with a wink, which eased the tension somewhat. However, Linea’s comfort pushed away the fear but pulled in a different worry she’d momentarily forgotten.

‘…Why hasn’t he come to see me even once?’

She didn’t doubt his feelings. Calix had personally led soldiers to rescue Ivona, after all. 

But she still couldn’t solve the mystery of why he didn’t come to see her. Because of that, no matter how enjoyable her activities were, a corner of her heart suddenly felt empty.

‘…Bad guy. What could possibly keep him so busy that he can’t even visit once?’

Ivona, who’d only stayed in her room, couldn’t think of many “reasons he couldn’t visit.” In the end, Ivona ended up using the worst word she knew. Of course, only in her mind since she was in front of Linea.

Once she thought of it, Calix really did seem like an utterly bad guy. Ivona was handling many things too, but it wasn’t like she had no break time at all.

She wanted to discuss her anxious feelings about meeting the unfamiliar Electors. If he were with her, she felt she could muster some courage. She wanted to hear what had happened. 

How Calix, whom she’d thought was a Castillia knight, had been able to come rescue her then. She had mountains of things to ask and hear. 

Yet he didn’t show his face at all, not knowing his master’s feelings!

‘Is it so hard to visit even for a brief moment?’

Her gloomy mood had transformed into anger before she knew it. With resentment, she somehow felt heat rising to her head.

“The Electors want to see you as soon as possible, Ivona.”

Linea’s voice penetrated Ivona’s ears as she was lost in thought. Startled out of her reverie, she raised her head to meet clear eyes that looked somehow intrigued.

“Tomorrow seems to work out timing-wise. What do you think?”

“Um, g-good!”

The vague fear of the Electors had been pushed away by anger toward Calix and disappeared.

‘Does he think I can’t do anything alone without him?’

The more she chewed on it, the more she felt aggrieved about the time she’d spent looking back whenever the door opened, wondering when he’d come. Even without Calix coming, Ivona had learned so much over the past few days. Linea would be by her side too.

‘I’ll do it perfectly by myself!’

Then she’d show Calix when he finally showed up late and hesitant. That she was no longer the powerless, foolish lady of the tower. With determination, both fists clenched involuntarily.

And Linea watched with a leisurely feeling as the clear face colored with various hues. 

Ivona didn’t seem to know, but her face showed very clearly what she was thinking. As a monarch, it was a flaw and weakness that needed correction, but Linea deliberately didn’t point it out.

‘She’ll fix it whether she likes it or not living in the imperial palace anyway.’

Her innocent blue eyes and clear face were all the more captivating for having no schemes. When curiosity filled her eyes, even the maids competed to tell her things. Linea wanted to show the beasts this pure side of Ivona.

The beasts would surely be captivated by their monarch seeing that appearance. Affection for her pure character would become a solid foundation protecting her throughout Ivona’s reign. 

Just like the Leopard of Lihillant had stopped at nothing for her.

However powerful pheromones were, they weren’t omnipotent. Ivona, who hadn’t grown up in the imperial palace from childhood, would be lacking in many ways. 

But a likable character couldn’t be created through education. Linea intended to fully utilize Ivona’s most powerful advantage.

The more the beasts competed for her favor, the stronger the imperial authority would become. The more they competed in loyalty, the safer Balboa would be. For Linea, who cared only about Ivona’s wellbeing, nothing could be better.

Thinking of the beasts who’d be even more anxious than a few days ago, the cheerful Linea hummed and withdrew from Ivona’s presence.

* * *

The Alvidion imperial palace was pleasantly bustling with the chaos of welcoming a new master. Though Lihillant had temporarily sat on the throne, he was temporary to the end. 

That’s why the audience chamber had remained firmly locked until the true master returned.

Though the space had already been cleared of thick dust and polished since the day they heard of the master’s news, the Electors didn’t seem satisfied. 

Where Caldeon—who squeezed subordinates more efficiently than anyone with elegant and refined attitude—had passed, the attendants’ wails scattered.

Nevertheless, everyone seemed to look forward to meeting the returned master. 

Orsenath, who’d dismissed the attendants already excitedly re-polishing the gleaming floor, suddenly turned around with a pale expression.

“You secured him properly, right?”

It was an ambiguous statement about who he meant. But Arabenya, who shook his head vigorously with a pale face as soon as the heavy voice fell, seemed to know well who it was.

“Even if he unravels the chains binding his whole body, he’d have to pass through five layers of iron doors. Plus we tripled the guarding forces, so even the Leopard of Lihillant would find it difficult this time.”

The subject the two Electors cautiously discussed was none other than Calix. The measures were truly strict and thorough, like they’d captured a monster. 

Nevertheless, the two Electors’ faces weren’t particularly bright. The ironclad security had already been breached several times.

Over the past three days, Calix had attempted to escape a total of five times. Two of those times, he’d rampaged so fiercely that Arabenya and Orsenath had to block him personally. 

In the end, the two Electors had to swallow their pride and even use sleeping incense. Only then could they barely lock Calix up.

It was true that it had started with a bit of mischief at first. But unexpectedly, the leopard was strong and his resistance utterly fierce. 

The possessiveness and desire for exclusivity that beasts had toward their mates was well known. Family heads of beast clans were used to dealing with fiercely rampaging guys.

But even to them, Calix was a difficult opponent.

It wasn’t like they were saying not to meet at all. Just about an hour—meet after the candidates from each family greeted her first. 

Yet that d*mn leopard rampaged saying he absolutely couldn’t concede. At this point, they even felt stubborn about seeing Ivona without him present.

‘If I’d been alone, I might have lost helplessly.’

Having that thought, Arabenya shook his head in alarm.

‘I can’t lose for Ivona’s sake either—what nonsense am I thinking!’

He’d heard she grew up locked in a remote tower of Castillia Castle. In other words, the only young, strong beast of her age she’d first seen was Calix.

‘If she sees other beauty, her thoughts will definitely change, of course!’

Each family had carefully selected and chosen the most excellent and beautiful candidates. 

And from Arabenya, the family head himself had come out. He pulled out a mirror from his back pocket and looked again at his face he’d already checked dozens of times. 

The silver-eyed man smiling affably in the mirror was handsome no matter how many times he looked. As Arabenya made an affectionate expression toward the mirror like there was a lover beyond it, Orsenath frowned like his stomach felt bad.

“Truly unwatchable.”

But the moment he shook his head and turned his gaze across, something caught his eye. Palmellano’s entire body, eyes demurely lowered, was gleaming.

“…Marquis.”

At the call, Palmellano raised his gaze, looked where Orsenath’s eyes touched, and let out a chuckle.

“Ah, our lord doesn’t know us well yet.”

“…”

“I just want her to remember how loyal our family is.”

The splendid ceremonial robe clearly looked newly tailored. 

The front panel tightly wrapping his broad chest like it would burst was like an exhibition of every decoration Palmellano’s family had received since the nation’s founding. 

And the expression on the face attached above it was indescribably slack and grinning.

Caldeon standing beside him at least maintained an expressionless face, but the sharp edge that always stood like a blade had vanished without a trace. 

Feeling Orsenath’s gaze and glancing back, horror slowly spread across his face.