When meeting the Emperor, everyone must undergo a search and empty their pockets. If bearing gifts, they must entrust them to the chief chamberlain, who would open them on their behalf.

This was essential for ensuring the Emperor’s safety.

Even for the Grand Duke, carrying something in his coat was unacceptable, regardless of what it was.

The imperial guards were the same. While everyone was intimidated by Kartun’s presence, only Daphne had actually protected the Emperor.

The Emperor’s security was truly abysmal. Kartun had exposed this with a single gesture.

The Emperor suppressed her anger for now and nodded toward the box Kartun was holding. In response, Kartun handed the box to Daphne rather than the chief chamberlain.

She carefully opened it after the Emperor nodded permission.

Inside was a brilliantly glowing blue gem. At first glance, it resembled a large sapphire, but Daphne knew exactly what it was.

‘He’s offering something this precious to the Emperor?’

Daphne unconsciously licked her dry lips.

When Kartun slightly frowned as if to ask what she was doing, she held it closer for the Emperor to see.

Kartun explained.

“It’s a magic stone that detects poison.”

The Emperor craned her neck to examine the stone and asked.

“How do I use it?”

“Simply place it in food or water. For poisons absorbed through breathing, just keeping it nearby will change its color. It turns various colors depending on the poison type, so it’s also visually pleasing.”

“How do I know this isn’t poisonous itself?”

Kartun reached into his coat again and pulled out an identical magic stone with his bare hand.

“I use one myself. They’re extremely rare—I’ve only found two. So from now on, please eat and bathe with peace of mind.”

The Emperor glanced at Daphne as if seeking her opinion.

It was true that he only had two. Daphne knew this well because in her previous life, Kartun had given her the other stone he possessed, saying the exact same thing.

Daphne nodded deeply, signaling that the Emperor should accept it.

The Emperor then scanned the chief chamberlain and imperial guards standing in the corner.

Their faces revealed a mixture of disgust and fear. They couldn’t hide their contempt at the Emperor possessing something so ominous that all imperial citizens avoided—yet they had failed to protect the Emperor’s life moments ago.

She called to Kartun in a calm voice.

“Grand Duke.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Your advice and gift today are as precious as your loyalty.”

“I’m pleased that you’re satisfied.”

Then they spoke simultaneously.

“Thanks to you, I now know clearly who needs to be replaced.”

“This has made it even clearer who should be removed, Your Majesty.”

⁕⁕⁕

The Emperor dragged out the imperial guards and chief chamberlain. After arranging another meeting with Kartun, she headed to the bathroom with Daphne.

The bathtub, unused since her coronation, was filled with hot water. The maids made a fuss, but the Emperor dismissed them all and had Daphne attend to her.

The two nervously swallowed as they placed the magic stone in the tub.

With a plop, the stone sank to the bottom, still glowing blue. Daphne reassuringly dipped her arm into the water and stirred it.

“Look, Your Majesty. It’s perfectly fine.”

“Let’s get in together.”

The Emperor commanded with sparkling eyes.

Daphne soaked the Emperor in water for over an hour, using two bars of soap to wash her thoroughly. After finishing the bath, she carefully inspected all the food laid out on the large table before placing items on the Emperor’s plate.

“I don’t like putting it in bath water and food alternately.”

“Still, it’s better than dying, isn’t it?”

“True. Daphne is so smart.”

Fortunately, the magic stone didn’t change color throughout dinner. The Emperor enjoyed her meal heartily.

It was her first time since her first poisoning attempt at age five.

As she rose from the table, she grumbled about whether the stone really worked, but headed to her chambers with a full stomach.

After changing into her nightclothes, the Emperor whispered to Daphne.

“I want to show you something.”

With her crown removed, the girl’s face had lost all its playfulness. Daphne responded with a serious expression.

“Your Majesty, I hope it’s not too big a secret.”

“Afraid you can’t handle it?”

When Daphne nodded, the Emperor took her hand and led her.

“Werner knows about it too, so don’t worry too much.”

She approached the headboard of the large bed and pulled back the hanging canopy. A small entrance, requiring one to bend down to enter, was revealed.

“This is where I sleep.”

A bed was placed in a narrow, musty emergency escape passage. Daphne regretted learning such a significant secret, but it was too late.

Sensing her inner thoughts, the Emperor squeezed her hand and murmured.

“I’m sorry for sharing such a big secret with you. But Werner isn’t cruel enough to kill or imprison his daughter for knowing this.”

“I know that. But wouldn’t he be selective about who he treats that way?”

The Emperor was slightly cowed by Daphne’s cool response.

“I’m sorry. I was just too scared. I wanted to confide in someone somewhat normal about being a coward. It makes my heart lighter.”

Normal.

Before her regression, Daphne would have been perfect.

Compared to those surrounding the Emperor—Werner, Kartun, Gustav, and others eyeing power—she had been not just ordinary but insignificant.

Perhaps that’s why the Emperor clung to her and sought her affection, not realizing her attachment was misplaced….

Hiding her complicated feelings, Daphne helped the Emperor lie down on the bed.

“Daphne?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Can I become as strong as the Grand Duke?”

A ruler whom no one dared challenge and who reigned over everyone without hesitation.

But this girl had not become that.

⁕⁕⁕

In her previous life, the Emperor grieved deeply after Werner’s death.

Not because he was a loyal subject, but because she genuinely mourned someone who had truly cared for her.

She offered valuable imperial treasures to Gustav, the noble faction leader, requesting naval deployment.

Her aim wasn’t to sweep away pirates and restore the Empire’s diminished authority. She simply wanted to recover Werner’s body.

But Gustav flatly refused. Instead, he sent the navy to pursue the pirates relentlessly. He also organized a search party at his own expense to thoroughly comb the surrounding waters.

In the end, no trace was found, but both the Emperor and Gustav had shown their sincerity.

After returning to the past, Daphne had contemplated extensively about who to save and who to push into ruin. She had postponed decisions about two people who died early.

There was no guarantee they would help her if they survived. She wanted to minimize variables.

But she couldn’t ignore this girl trembling with fear, hiding in such a passage to sleep.

The Emperor, in high spirits, chattered incessantly.

“When I fall asleep here, someone Werner assigned places a blonde doll in the bed where I’m supposed to sleep. It’s crude but effective.”

“If the Grand Duke heard this, he’d probably say, ‘Find a girl resembling the Emperor to lie there instead.'”

Daphne lowered her voice and imitated Kartun convincingly, making the Emperor laugh heartily before becoming serious again.

“Your father said the same thing. But what if an assassin really comes? If someone dies in my place, I’d never sleep peacefully again. That’s why I refused.”

Hearing this, Daphne struggled to suppress a sigh.

It was somewhat similar to her own struggle to survive. No, perhaps the Emperor had it worse. Daphne had never hidden to sleep for fear of assassination as a child.

Daphne firmly resolved to save the Emperor in this life.

“The Grand Duke wouldn’t sleep hiding cowardly, would he?”

“Every animal has its own den. It’s not cowardly at all.”

“But it’s wrong for an Emperor to be weak.”

Hearing those words, Daphne recalled the past.

It was exactly what she had said when trapped in the carriage, deceived by Anaïs.

The girl before her overlapped with her past self.

‘It wasn’t something to blame myself for.’

It was natural for someone neglected by parents and deprived of a happy childhood to be weak. No, surviving until now was a miracle and proof of strength.

Daphne looked directly into the Emperor’s eyes and said:

“It’s not Your Majesty’s fault. And you are absolutely not weak.”

The perceptive Emperor recognized this wasn’t mere consolation. She felt the sincerity in Daphne’s purple eyes.

A single sentence containing a person’s whole heart was more powerful than a hundred words.

The Emperor gazed back at her with clear eyes and nodded.

Daphne patted the Emperor’s back and stayed by her side until she fell asleep.

“Your Majesty will become an Emperor who commands strong individuals like Kartun at will.”

The Emperor thought it strange how familiarly Daphne used the Grand Duke’s name, but couldn’t resist the overwhelming drowsiness and fell asleep.