“I don’t know your reason, but it won’t be easy. His Majesty’s trust in the Irvant family is unshakable. If you try to drive a wedge clumsily, you might be the one bleeding.”

It was advice he offered more out of concern that his family might catch fire than worry for her. The bulky Marquis’s petty concern only seemed ridiculous to Estelle.

Well, do you think I don’t know that? I never leave evidence no matter what scheme I concoct.

“Don’t worry. Do you think I’d openly tell His Majesty to cut his guard? The plan is already prepared, so I just need to find a person to replace him. So we can get to work immediately when things happen.”

Estelle shot back sharply, in contrast to her cunning eye-smile. She had already made up her mind to drive Zephyros away from the Emperor’s side.

Zephyros, who kept tagging along like a leech whenever she met with Khalid. She had actually tried to seduce him several times subtly. To make him admire her and use him as a spy.

For instance, having him arrange secret meetings with the Emperor, or eavesdrop on conversations with his fiancée, or report the Emperor’s schedule to her.

‘If only it had worked, everything would have been okay!’

However, perhaps because he was well-versed in women, Zephyros refused to be trapped in Estelle’s fishing grounds. His mysterious violet-blue eyes searched sharply for her true intentions every time they met.

And perhaps because of that, Khalid, who had drawn the line at being a conversation partner from the beginning, grew more distant from her with each passing day.

She had boasted to Aristie that the Emperor was head over heels for her, but in reality, the only physical contact they’d shared was him patting her shoulder for encouragement or dancing together at banquets.

Light skinship anyone could have. Nothing to build expectations on.

‘Such a situation alone makes me furious enough to die, and now he’s becoming even more distant because of the imperial wedding preparations. Look at the last time too. We finally met after a while, and he barely even greeted me.’

All the plans Estelle had made were progressing smoothly, but one thing alone, the Emperor’s heart, remained elusive.

Normally, with this much effort, he should have been completely infatuated with her and unable to come to his senses.

But somehow, attacking Khalid felt like pouring water into a wasteland. Even when she thought she had poured enough water to soak it, it remained parched and dry.

Is it because I’m not the real female lead? Is imitating not enough? Her anxious mind made her search for the cause. That was why Zephyros had been selected.

Of course, the upcoming marriage was a factor, but Estelle believed Zephyros’s lack of cooperation also contributed to Khalid’s indifference toward her. If only that guy had tactfully slipped away when they met, she could have surely cooked the Emperor to perfection.

“I understand. I’ll look for a skilled person who will cooperate with us.”

Marquis Vascus accepted Estelle’s request with a face mixed half with expectation and half with skepticism.

He was about to end the conversation but couldn’t resist his curiosity.

“If I’m to find someone, I need certainty. So tell me. How on earth do you plan to remove His Majesty’s loyal servant?”

“Hehe, do you know the easiest way to bury someone in society?”

Estelle raised the topic in a coquettish voice.

“It’s crime and scandal. For someone in a position like Zephyros, where integrity is essential, those are poison.”

This was wisdom she learned through her past life experience. In the past, Estelle had two rival actresses, both of whom she defeated using such methods.

Estelle recalled the memories from that time.

One was buried after hitting someone while driving drunk, and the other was caught enjoying an affair with a married celebrity she had loved in the past. Of course, it was all her doing—getting them drunk and putting them in cars, or encouraging affairs with married men.

She intended to play similar tricks on Zephyros. Fortunately, he had just the right pretext. Estelle’s lips curved coldly as she thought of the method.

“Since he’s experienced with many women, he should experience a gold digger at least once, shouldn’t he? Hehehe.”

* * *

“My s-sister was curious about y-you, Princess.”

“Oh, really? The lady?”

“Yes. My s-sister found out that I h-have someone I’m seeing.”

Aiden had visited Systea’s quarters and was talking with her. Systea had invited him as a thank-you for showing her around various parts of the capital recently.

Systea nodded her head saying, “I see……” then asked Aiden.

“Would it be troublesome for you if people saw you with me?”

“N-no, not at all. It’s just that th-this is my f-first time.”

“What’s the first time?”

“Meeting a w-woman privately.”

“Really?”

Systea smiled brightly, pleased by Aiden’s words.

“Then let’s make a toast.”

Aiden asked with a shy face.

“For w-what?”

“A toast to the lord meeting a woman privately. It’s worth celebrating, isn’t it?”

“Is it?”

“Of course! Besides, that woman is this pretty and lively. Wow, Duke Aiden really has good luck.”

Systea told Aiden to wait a moment and disappeared somewhere. Then she reappeared carrying a tray herself.

Having deliberately dismissed both the guards and maids, she was the only one available to carry the tray.

“Now, shall we toast?”

On the tray were an exotic-looking water pitcher, two cups, and an ivory-colored drink he had never seen before.

Systea placed the pitcher and cups on the prepared refreshment table, then diluted the drink to an appropriate ratio by mixing it with water in the empty cups.

“Is this a-alcohol?”

“No.”

Systea shook her head with a smiling face.

“It’s ‘Moonlight Nectar,’ a specialty of the Kingdom of Shatra. A special health juice. It’s such a precious drink that the royal family directly supervises everything from its production to distribution.”

She confessed that it was one of the gifts brought by the delegation that she had squirreled away. Moonlight Nectar was a mixture of honey and nephrisia flowers that only grew in Shatra, named so because it needed to be exposed to moonlight for a hundred days to be complete.

The taste was sweet enough to melt in your mouth, but the concentration was very high, so it must be diluted with water before drinking, according to Systea’s explanation.

Drinking it undiluted could make one extremely intoxicated from the honey and fragrance.

“How does it taste?”

When Systea asked with sparkling eyes after clinking glasses, Aiden tasted it and replied with surprise.

“It’s s-surprisingly m-mildly sweet?”

“Right? It’s good for your health too. It’s a drink we always serve when distinguished guests visit the royal family.”

Systea praised Moonlight Nectar in a voice filled with pride. Judging by how Aiden kept sipping, he seemed to like the drink too.

While enjoying the refreshments and continuing their light conversation, Systea took advantage of the atmosphere to casually ask.

“So have you been getting angry lately?”

“G-getting angry?”

Aiden blinked in confusion at Systea’s odd question.

“I d-don’t understand w-what you mean.”

“We experienced it in the park last time. How your stutter disappears when you’re extremely angry.”

“Ah……”

Aiden finally understood and gave a bitter smile. At that time, Systea had discovered a very unique stuttering treatment method while watching him deal with the thugs.

It was to explode with anger and cut off the consciousness related to speech.

It was certainly an effective method. But unfortunately, it had little use in daily life.

Because anger didn’t arise.

No matter how much his father mistreated him, he only felt intimidated, and since he didn’t socialize, he had no occasion to talk with others. His secretary and other servants were always respectful to him, and his sister was such a powerful tranquilizer that she could calm even his rising anger.

Sometimes when he heard mockery from others, he felt uncomfortable rather than angry. It was more beneficial to avoid the situation than to get angry and draw attention.

Spending every day like that, there could be no change.

“That’s n-not a g-good method, I th-think.”

Aiden drained his cup in frustration.

Indeed, how could one live getting angry all the time?

Systea, feeling sympathetic, brought up a different topic as Aiden refilled his cup himself.

“But how did you acquire such skills? I was really surprised when I saw you knock down those thugs. None of the knights under my command are as fast and strong as you.”

“It’s n-not that impressive.”

“No, it is impressive!”

“N-no, it’s not.”

“I tell you, it is!”

“Ha……”

Aiden let out a small laugh, amused by their bickering over something so trivial. If we’re talking about impressive, isn’t Princess Systea more impressive?

A woman who can knock a man’s jaw off with one kick must be quite rare. And while wearing a cumbersome dress at that.

He also wanted to ask Systea how she acquired such skills, but he held back, thinking it might be a rude question. Instead, he emptied his cup and poured another drink while saying,

“I l-learned martial arts from my m-master. Sir V-Volter, the commander of the Y-Yentrice Knight Order, is my m-master.”

“Is he that impressive?”

“Yes.”

Aiden answered with trust and pride.