“Certainly, it’s a bit difficult to say his response was welcoming.”

“……”

Yet there was a reason for her to come and recommend this to Lysith.

Lysith finally realized. Although it was Diana Pirandello who came here, the words she was conveying now were the opinion of most of the Imperial faction.

Though she couldn’t understand why they specifically put Diana Pirandello forward.

“As you know, usually women from families of Count rank or higher are recommended for the position of Empress, and in the Imperial faction, only the two of us fit that criteria.”

“Yes.”

“The position of Empress… it shouldn’t be filled by someone from the Noble faction. Right now, they’re trying to find His Majesty’s weaknesses. So that’s probably what His Majesty is most wary of. To prevent that, the Imperial faction has no choice but to make the first move.”

“Hmm… So, you’ve come to me because the Noble faction shouldn’t take the Empress position, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

But… why come to her specifically?

Without looking far, the woman sipping tea right in front of her was just as good a candidate. Thinking this, Lysith couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked.

“Even so, to come and ask me like this…”

“You mean because you’re divorced? As if that’s some big flaw. The people who think it’s a flaw are the strange ones.”

“……”

That wasn’t exactly what she meant, but Diana’s words echoed Lysith’s thoughts. She was quite open-minded for someone from this world. Lysith wondered if this was the common opinion of the Imperial faction, and as Dietrich’s face naturally came to mind, she shook her head slightly as if to shake it off.

Was this the right way for the Emperor’s conquest to progress?

But somehow, this method didn’t feel right.

It was obvious that the woman who becomes the Empress through a political marriage wouldn’t gain much affection, and above all, Lysith hadn’t even finished the main quest yet. While she had been given another option besides meeting at the birthday celebration to conquer the Emperor, Lysith somehow felt uneasy about this path.

Moreover, thinking normally apart from the conquest, it really was ‘unnecessary’.

After all, rumors were rampant that Lysith was currently maintaining a good relationship with the Tower Master. She knew this because all the maids who had picked up gossip from the last tea party had reported that no one dared to spread strange and malicious rumors anymore.

Yet, they insisted on putting Lysith, not Diana, in that position… Why did Diana come to her instead of taking the Empress position herself? While Lysith did need to conquer the Emperor, if it weren’t for that situation, she would have asked what kind of nonsense this was.

Sensing Lysith’s doubts, Diana spoke again.

“Of course, originally I should step up. But unfortunately, I’m in a situation where I can’t do that.”

“What… Are you getting married or something?”

“…Yes.”

“What?”

It was a casually thrown joke, but how could it be so accurate? Seeing Lysith’s eyes waver in surprise, Diana spoke hesitantly, unlike her usual character.

“…It’s not such a grand match.”

It seemed so, given that rumors hadn’t spread yet. Feeling dizzy from the overwhelming amount of information she had gained today, Lysith let out a small sigh.

“No, even if everything else is fine, how can I step up when His Majesty doesn’t like it?”

“That’s… probably not the case. According to my father, he didn’t dislike it that much. He said that when they mentioned it to His Majesty about two years ago, he didn’t even pretend to listen.”

How could saying ‘What nonsense is this?’ be considered not disliking it…?

It was utterly absurd. But there was something she could understand from those words. Lysith was certain the moment she heard it. That among the four men, the Emperor would be the most difficult, the most challenging, and have the highest walls.

To the bewildered Lysith, Diana added that the Emperor had the same reaction when her name was brought up.

“…If you have any thoughts about it, it would be fine if you just step up a little. That alone would be enough to block the Noble faction.”

Diana added, seeming to understand Lysith’s bewilderment.

But to be a bit more cold-hearted, Lysith also thought, ‘Is this really my problem?’ After all, this was a world she would eventually leave behind. However, most of the people in Lysith’s memories were those who shared her views, that is… people of the Imperial faction.

Eve’s family was also part of the Imperial faction, and of course, so were the other maids.

Staring at the cold tea left in her cup, Lysith finally dismissed Diana. She didn’t particularly see her off, and Diana didn’t express any disappointment at Lysith’s behavior. With a face that seemed to understand Lysith’s reaction, Diana bowed her head and apologized.

“I’m sorry, Lady. From barging in unannounced to making a request that might seem rude… despite knowing it might upset you.”

“……”

“If the Tower Master is displeased by this matter, our family will do whatever it takes to make amends.”

Ash*tes. Right, there was Ashites.

It was thanks to his presence that they couldn’t openly ask Lysith to become the Empress. But it seemed they were hoping that if Lysith showed interest, they could pretend it wasn’t really related.

After Diana left, Lysith sprawled out on the reception room sofa, lost in thought.

The current Emperor was 27 years old. It was indeed a late age. Compared to the usual practice of marrying in the late teens or early twenties, it was seriously late.

Thinking about it that way, from the Imperial faction’s perspective, they couldn’t afford to be picky about a divorcee or anything else. Well, it wasn’t extremely urgent, but was there any need to give the Noble faction a chance?

‘I wonder… about Dietrich.’

Judging from their recent meeting, it seemed he might have opposed the Imperial faction’s opinion. But didn’t the Grand Duke attend that meeting…? It was quite strange that there was no mention of Dietrich in Diana’s story.

“Haah…”

She had received a request, but the reason why she should necessarily comply with it…

‘No, if we consider it from a noble perspective, I should naturally agree…’

If she didn’t agree, it wouldn’t just be troublesome for her, but for her entire family. But in her opinion, this method wouldn’t help at all in getting closer to the Emperor.

Of course, they didn’t know about Lysith’s situation of needing to conquer the Emperor.

Not to mention, she didn’t know the affection levels of the other male protagonists, and she hadn’t even established a relationship with Dietrich. How could she step up in this situation?

A deep sigh welled up from her core.

Would it have been easier if it were truly like a game where she could just click a mouse or touch a phone screen? The quest and the political situation were clashing in a bizarre way.

And on the other hand, there was one more person whose intentions were unclear.

Sylvian Gronevelt.

It was clear that her brother had ordered another noble to mention her name at the meeting.

In fact, looking at the situation, no matter how you thought about it, Sylvian wasn’t a caring brother. That was mostly true in her memories as well.

‘Well, I hope my real brother isn’t a villain.’

Even after pondering over it again and again, her conclusion remained the same. She would conquer the Emperor and escape this world.

But the newly presented path wasn’t a very attractive option. A normal noble lady might have accepted it, but she was currently in the middle of completing a quest.

Lysith decided to postpone her answer for now and stick to her original plan of aiming for a meeting at the Emperor’s birthday celebration.

Well, who knew. If things went well then, she might be able to silence either side.

After sitting up from her sprawled position, she immediately flopped back down on the sofa. With her face pressed against the soft fabric, she moved her fingertips.

“Ashites… complete, Penchev… complete. Affection… still unknown… Sub-quest…”

No sooner had she spoken than a window appeared in mid-air.

[Sub Quest Prepared For You]
‘LV.5 – Have a Conversation in a Guilty Place!’
TIP! You know this conversation is a bodily one, right?

“Damn it.”

Where is that supposed to be?

At least it meant it couldn’t be in a bed or room. Assuming she didn’t go outside, the mansion was originally hers, so there was nothing to feel guilty about.

“…It can’t be the garden, right?”

The garden might be a candidate, but she deliberately ignored it. There’s a limit to losing human rights. If she thought about it, there should be other places. There had to be.

Currently, the only viable target was Penchev.

If not him, she’d have to wait until the Emperor’s birthday or seduce Dietrich, but that didn’t seem necessary.

That route seemed to be going well as the regretful man path she had hoped for. Well, even if it wasn’t, Lysith wasn’t very keen on it. The recent dream had been so vivid that it felt like she herself, not the Lysith before transmigration, had experienced it.

Rubbing her slightly reddened cheek from being pressed against the sofa for so long, she slowly got up. She had originally come here from doing embroidery, so she thought about going back to the study.