Her thoughts that were about to continue were cut off as the bath ended.

After thoroughly cleaning up with the maids’ help and putting on an indoor dress, Lysith was about to return to her room as usual, but she stopped her steps upon hearing there was someone looking for her.

“……Who?”

“The butler from the lady’s mansion has come. Shall we let him in?”

Lysith nodded first. While adding to let him into the room rather than the reception room.

‘Speak of the devil and he shall appear.’

However, if she had predicted what would happen shortly after, she would never have let him into the room.

But not knowing the future, Lysith greeted the butler she was meeting after a long time with a bright smile.

“Penchev.”

“Miss.”

Following the maid’s guidance into the room, Penchev had to use all his mental strength to keep himself from embracing her.

When he heard she had taken poison, he wanted to rush to the imperial palace immediately, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t a high-ranking noble, nor did he have acquaintances in the palace.

Fortunately, the her he met today looked so recovered it was hard to believe she had taken poison recently.

How long had it been since they’d met? Roughly estimating, it must have been about 3 weeks. During those 3 weeks, it felt like someone had grabbed time and stretched it out by hand, with each day feeling endlessly long.

The man had realized one thing while enduring in the mansion without her,

That he couldn’t do without her anymore.

That gaze that met his without any fear, those gentle touches, this loveliness that smiled brightly even upon seeing him like this…

Base feelings writhed inside him.

The feeling that the reins were gradually loosening on what had started as suppressing himself, thinking it would all be fine as long as he could stay by Miss’s side.

He wanted every strand of her hair to be his possession.

After being momentarily swept up in the storm of thoughts and desires, he deliberately calmed himself then closed and opened his eyes once.

Then he met the gaze looking at him from the sofa. Even her greetings asking after him while comfortably seated on the sofa felt sweet.

“Have you been well? Nothing unusual at the mansion?”

Lysith shivered slightly after speaking. Just now, his gaze seemed a bit strange? Wondering if she’d seen wrong, she met his eyes again but they were as usual.

‘Was it my imagination?’

Having no choice but to let it go, Lysith waited for his answer.

His answer came a bit more slowly than usual.

“Yes. Nothing unusual at the mansion.”

“Really? I miss……”

Her words that were going to continue with ‘Did the others say they missed me?’ were cut off by Penchev’s outburst that burst forth like a spring that had been compressed in a box.

“I missed you.”

“……”

The man who came closer while adding those words knelt on one knee before her. In that position, he looked up at her and conveyed his emotions unfiltered as if whispering in her ear.

“I wanted to meet eyes with Miss like this……”

Lysith blinked at the suddenly sweetened atmosphere. She didn’t have much immunity to such words. At the same time, her heartbeat thundered. After taking a deep breath to calm her chest, she decided to turn the conversation elsewhere.

Though her cheeks still felt a bit hot, it seemed better than maintaining the atmosphere without saying anything.

“A-ahem. So… why did you come?”

While gazing at Lysith’s flushed cheeks, his tone remained that of a proper butler.

“Ah, I came because I have letters to deliver to you. Eve could have come, but I said I would.”

She knew the reason without asking.

Lysith nodded her creaking neck and received the two letters he handed over. Though they should have properly come to the imperial palace where she was staying, for some reason they seemed to have been sent to the mansion.

It couldn’t be party-related things he brought. While thinking this, she first checked the sender of the top letter.

And at that moment—

Bang.

Her room’s door opened without warning.

“Who……”

Who would fling open the door to a lady’s room like this? While startled and furrowing her brow in displeasure first, Lysith’s eyes widened when she confirmed who had entered.

“……Your Majesty.”

Though obvious, His Most Exalted Majesty didn’t need to knock on any door. However, since he had never visited around the current time of 3 PM, Lysith hadn’t thought of it.

The Emperor stopped the startled Lysith from jumping up from the sofa with a gesture, then rolled his eyes to glance at the red-haired man in front of her.

“……”

Verheigen’s red eyes met Penchev’s gray eyes directly.

Seeing this scene, Lysith held her breath at the thought that struck her.

‘The eyes.’

Except for her, everyone who had seen Penchev’s eyes until now had felt discomfort or fear without exception. What if the Emperor felt such emotions here?

Lysith carefully peeked at Verheigen’s reaction while trying not to be obvious. But making her worries seem foolish, his face showed no reaction.

‘……What? Is he fine?’

Lysith carefully hid her bewildered expression. She couldn’t keep watching his reaction here first. Doesn’t this look exactly like getting caught having an affair……! Though the two weren’t lovers to begin with, but anyway, that’s how it felt.

“Why did you come at this hour……”

“Do I need a reason to come to you?”

“That’s… not it. I was just surprised since you don’t usually come at this time.”

“I finished work early. Because I missed my Lysith.”

Verheigen sat down naturally beside her while answering her question.

And Penchev, who had been quietly watching his movements, ground his teeth inwardly, forgetting the proper etiquette toward the Emperor.

The conversation flowing naturally like water clearly showed the relationship between the two. Though his Miss wasn’t someone who gave her heart to just anyone so that was one thing, but that side……

My Lysith?

……The Tower Master had told him there were three types of people who didn’t feel discomfort and fear when looking at his eyes.

The first was those with imperial blood, and the one sitting next to her now claiming her side was exactly that imperial bloodline.

Why were there only people who were fine seeing his eyes around Miss? He had never desperately wished his eyes, which he had resented his whole life, would have such influence. It would have been nice if they could make all the men hovering around her go away.

Meanwhile, Lysith was rolling her eyeballs around.

‘What is this situation? Is the imperial palace some meeting plaza? Is this a three-way meeting plaza now?’

She had to sort out this incredibly awkward situation first. After watching His Majesty the Emperor who seemed displeased for a moment, Lysith carefully opened her mouth.

“Thank you for delivering these. I’ll be back soon so don’t worry too much. Ah, and please give my regards to Eve and Serena… and the others.”

“……Yes.”

She couldn’t order the Emperor to leave in this situation. Setting aside power and such, Penchev had only come to deliver letters so there was no excuse to keep him longer.

If Verheigen hadn’t come, they might have talked more but……

Penchev silently complied with her words. He knew reality too well. Wasn’t that why he had said from the start he only wished to stay by her side?

But even so, he simply couldn’t hide his feelings. Even his dismissal was said in a gentle tone. He unconsciously reached out his hand.

Just before Penchev could grab Lysith’s hand, Verheigen who was sitting beside her grabbed her hand and pulled it to himself.

The room fell into silence for a moment. Lysith held her breath, unable to do anything. In the sudden turn of events, she had forgotten, but Penchev hadn’t even greeted the Emperor. If this became a problem, she would have to put a stop to it.

Sparks flew between the gazes of the two men for several seconds. Though to Lysith it felt like several minutes.

From Verheigen’s mouth, which seemed like it would get angry, came surprisingly mild words of dismissal.

“Get out.”

After Penchev left with a quiet farewell, having failed to achieve his intent, Lysith stared blankly at his retreating figure. She was quite worried. Should she take care of him when she returns to the mansion?

Watching Lysith’s profile that seemed regretful, Verheigen called her in a deeply sunken voice.

“Lysith.”

“Yes?”

“Who is that?”

Didn’t he already know? Though tilting her head in confusion, she answered obediently.

“He’s our mansion’s butler.”

“I never heard about such a guy coming…… Ah, that bastard Serul.”

Verheigen swept up his bangs once. Hearing him quietly curse at Serul beside her, Lysith succeeded in grasping the situation. It seemed the aide, who clearly had guts as big as a continent, had hidden it.

Anyway, thankfully it passed without any major incident. Breathing an inward sigh of relief, Lysith moved her gaze to the letters she had been curious about.

Meanwhile, after cursing at his aide who had hidden something that should have been reported, Verheigen stared at Lysith’s face beside him while briefly reviewing the earlier situation.

He was simply annoyed that there was a pup he’d never seen before kneeling beside her. There was no way someone he didn’t want could enter the imperial palace, and above all, this room she was using now was under strict guard and protection.

Whose quarters were these? Of course there shouldn’t be even a grain of danger.