The nobles of the empire were roughly divided into two factions: the Emperor’s faction and the noble faction. The Gronevelt Dukedom, which had initially been neutral, had joined the Emperor’s faction, while the Rittmann Dukedom led the noble faction.

But both factions preferred to maneuver behind the scenes rather than openly clash.

The only overt incident was the assassination of the previous Emperor, which occurred when the Gronevelt Dukedom joined the Emperor’s faction. Though the culprit was revealed, everyone knew he was merely a pawn, and the true mastermind remained unknown.

After the current Emperor ascended the throne, the conflict between the two factions reached a stalemate. They probably expected to control the new Emperor easily, but Verheigen was not an easy target.

Upon ascending, he skillfully managed the nobles and adeptly governed, as if he had experienced such things before.

Anyway, the marriage between Dietrich and Lysith was a sort of contract formed when the Gronevelt Dukedom joined the Emperor’s faction. Though they were now divorced… Fortunately, there seemed to be no fallout from the divorce.

As Lysith finished her thoughts and looked up, the Emperor, who had been looking down from above, briefly made eye contact with her. It was so fleeting that even she wasn’t sure.

However, the system notification sound confirmed it.

[The male protagonist list has been updated!]
[Male Protagonist List]
– Dietrich Clonair
– Verheigen Waldheim Faeous
– Penchev Heinz
– Ashites Dinev

With just a little less than a month since she had been transported into the game, the male protagonist list was finally complete.

They were all similar in some ways, but the most challenging ones seemed to be her ex-husband Dietrich and the Emperor Verheigen. Those in high positions had given her a hard mode challenge.

Cursing inwardly, Lysith quietly left the ballroom after the Emperor’s speech concluded.

‘The Master of the Magic Tower… Has he already left?’

That couldn’t be. She didn’t want to be remembered as a strange woman. Biting her lip, she looked around.

Not knowing his whereabouts and only having his description, she decided to search everywhere except places she wasn’t allowed to enter.

If she couldn’t find him, she would have to wait for another chance…

The nobles were enjoying the ball in the grand ballroom. The empty hallway left Lysith alone, so she took off her high heels, held them in her left hand, and activated her passive skill, ‘Melancholy Aura,’ with a determined look.

She circled the hallway around the grand ballroom but couldn’t find him. The Imperial Palace was annoyingly complex and vast, and she had walked for at least 30 minutes.

Thinking he might have gone somewhere far, she peeked into another hallway and spotted his golden hair. It was the same golden hair she had seen at the ball, tied back in a long ponytail. It was definitely the Master of the Magic Tower. Panicking as he walked away quickly, Lysith opened her mouth to call him.

“Master of the…”

“Stop looking for me.”

“Ah!”

But before she could finish, Ashites turned his head and spoke faster. While she was startled, Ashites, who had approached quickly, frowned.

Despite not having teleportation abilities, his long strides brought him close in an instant.

“Oh, my ears hurt.”

Complaining about his ears, Ashites covered them with his hands, clearly annoyed. Lysith suppressed her irritation and spoke.

“Well…”

“Whatever you’re trying to say, I don’t want to hear it.”

‘This crazy…’

His annoyingly blunt and excessively honest words made Lysith swallow her frustration again.

“Are you leaving soon?”

“Yeah.”

If he left, it would be at least a year before he returned. There was no way this man would come back to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday. So, she had to somehow hold onto him here and now and do something…

“I have a request.”

“Not listening. I’m leaving.”

“Please, with me… with me…”

Ashites turned his back on her without even pretending to listen and walked briskly down the corridor. She had to say something to stop him, but it took a lot of courage for her to say what she had in mind.

“…Please sleep with me!”

“…What?”

It must have been an unexpected statement because Ashites, who had been walking away without hesitation, suddenly stopped. He turned back to look at Lysith as if she were insane and approached her with a serious and cautious demeanor.

“Lady, could it be that you’ve lost your mind…?”

“No, I haven’t!”

In a moment of frustration, she had blurted out the words. It was something that could stop his steps, and it aligned with her ultimate goal. But it ended up making her seem like a strange woman demanding sudden intimacy. It was the worst possible scenario.

Realizing her mistake, Lysith bit her lip and hung her head. If it came to this… escaping the game seemed like an impossible task.

“Well, to answer your request.”

“……”

“No. Why would I?”

Of course, she thought so too. Her social reputation was that of a woman who had been in unrequited love with her ex-husband, the former Grand Duchess who had been divorced. She was someone who would likely receive pity from some and ridicule from others.

“As expected, right…”

“……”

Seeing Lysith sink into self-loathing and depression, her passive ability added to the effect, creating a heart-wrenching expression and atmosphere. Ashites, who was facing this scene up close, felt a slight twinge of conscience despite himself.

Come to think of it, a shop employee had once said something similar. That she exuded an aura that made you want to comfort and embrace her. She certainly had a unique atmosphere. While it didn’t evoke strong emotions in him, it was there.

This woman had been divorced… from the Grand Duke. He heard she loved her ex-husband, but from what he saw, she didn’t love him. If she truly loved him, she would have wanted to see him and be with him even for a second. But at the ball earlier, she showed no desire to see the Grand Duke. She just hid behind him to avoid gossip and attention.

Looking back at Lysith, who now had tears welling up in her eyes, Ashites sighed.

“Well, sometimes things happen.”

“……?”

‘What on earth is he thinking and accepting…?’

As she looked up and made eye contact with Ashites, she was surprised to find tears she hadn’t intended to shed. Trying to remain composed, she continued.

“Please don’t cry. I don’t like seeing it.”

“……”

I swear, I’ll hit this guy later… Lysith gritted her teeth and quickly wiped away her tears with both hands. For now, she was in a position of absolute weakness. Once she had wiped away her tears, Ashites crossed his arms and nodded as if he had come to a conclusion.

“Well, you didn’t even have a wedding night.”

“Right.”

“It’s unpleasant, but…”

“If it’s too much, we don’t have to go all the way.”

She didn’t care what he thought about her reasons. She just needed to keep him here.

After a moment of contemplation, Ashites nodded again.

“Fine. But there’s one condition.”

“What is it?”

She couldn’t believe this was actually working. Whatever he was thinking, she resolved to agree to any condition he had.

“These days, the Magic Tower is looking for volunteers for magical artifact experiments, but we’re having trouble finding them. I’d like you to help with that.”

“Why can’t you find volunteers?”

“There’s a reason.”

“Is it a safety issue? Is it life-threatening?”

“It’s not that, so don’t worry. It’s just that some people might find it humiliating.”

She felt she had already endured enough humiliation. If it wasn’t life-threatening or a major safety concern, she had no reason to refuse.

Nodding slightly, she followed him as he gestured. Due to his much longer strides, she had to hurry to keep up, eventually arriving at a private room prepared for him in the Imperial Palace.

The room, which included a reception area, bedroom, and living room, was one of the most luxurious and exclusive rooms the palace could offer, reserved for VIPs.

Though she had known of its existence, it was her first time seeing it in person. As she looked around and walked further inside, she found the bedroom as expected.

‘Even though I was prepared…’

It was impossible not to feel nervous. Undressing in front of a man made her actions slow and awkward.

“If you prefer to keep your clothes on, I can accommodate that.”

“No…”

‘Damn it…’

Finally gathering her resolve, she began to remove her dress. The dress, which the maids had painstakingly put on her over a long period, slid off her body, leaving her in a thin chemise and simple undergarments.

Ashites, who had been sitting on the sofa watching her struggle, finally got up and headed to the bed with a bored expression.

From his demeanor, it seemed like he had done this many times before. Lysith thought she could never tolerate a promiscuous man and followed him to the bed.

Seeing his gesture to get on the bed, she climbed on quietly. The sound of the bed sheets and her chemise rustling filled the room. As she sat awkwardly on the bed, he reached out and touched the back of her neck.

The cold hand on her warm skin made her shiver involuntarily. He chuckled lightly and leaned in to kiss her.