Selvia collapsed onto the bed looking exhausted.

“I’m tired.”

Still, since everything was resolved at once, there probably wouldn’t be such events for a while.

As fatigue swept over her and she closed her eyes to rest for a moment, she heard a ‘tap tap’ sound at the window.

“……Hm?”

When she raised her body and looked toward the window, a bird was pecking at it with its beak.

“Did something happen?”

Selvia lightly touched her foot to move the shadow. When the shadow approached the window and opened the closed door, a small bird flew onto her hand.

She untied the message bound to the bird’s leg.

[It seems Leliana will soon become queen.]

Thanks to Ratius’s consideration, Selvia could hear about the situation in Delpheron using his shadows.

Though the shadows existed for the Emperor, fortunately they didn’t mind her orders.

Probably because of Ratius’s command.

Though it was a short message, it was enough.

Selvia sent the bird flying out the window and closed it.

“So she’s finally becoming queen.”

The timing was later than expected.

But that also meant her divorce would be approved.

Looking at the slightly darkened sky of the Karina Empire as usual, Selvia sighed.

Lately, she felt the darkness approaching more strongly.

After staring blankly at the sky for a while, Selvia shook her head.

There was still time until the day of prophecy, so she needed to find a way to live until then.

Though she wasn’t sure if she could find that way without Ratius knowing, at least the holy water Amon gave her seemed to be working.

Even today, she hadn’t coughed once.

It was fortunate since she had been troubled by frequent coughing since coming to the Karina Empire.

She would be able to hide her condition for a while.

Feeling more at ease, Selvia lay straight on the bed and smiled.

‘By the way, Father must know I’ve come to the Empire, but he’s being quiet.’

But even if he knew, she had made it so he couldn’t do anything, so there was nothing to worry about.

“Only the divorce remains.”

That too would end without trouble if Beatus didn’t try to be too clever.

Even with mutual agreement, royal divorces took some time to process the paperwork completely. They gave time to reconsider, called the divorce consideration period.

Somehow, she felt uneasy about things going so smoothly.

‘It’s okay. Nothing will happen.’

Selvia comforted herself.

The shadow rippled worriedly and moved closer to her.

“Are you trying to comfort me?”

The shadow was an entity that devoured her life. Though they were in a forced symbiotic relationship, she didn’t welcome the shadow’s existence.

In simple terms, it was a love-hate relationship.

The shadow could be called her only ally throughout her life, as it had always been by her side.

Seeing her arm consumed by darkness, Selvia closed her eyes.

The power that had grown stronger than before wanted more darkness.

The power Selvia possessed grows stronger as darkness deepens.

The power of darkness was also struggling not to disappear.

‘After getting irritated about using the holy water.’

Perhaps because the darkness in the Karina Empire was thick, building resistance wasn’t easy.

The shadow continued to swallow darkness and grow stronger, and as the day of prophecy approached, the darkness would grow even thicker.

When all the world becomes engulfed in darkness, she will disappear along with it.

That might be the reason she was born, but she wasn’t sure how long she could endure.

“I should get some sleep.”

Since she was told she could rest today, she planned to stay locked in her room.

It was obvious she would only draw others’ stares if she went out anyway.

Lying on the bed, Selvia curled up into a ball and closed her eyes.

* * *

Cough.

‘I was fine just before.’

She woke up feeling a burning thirst in her throat along with the taste of blood.

When she lifted her head, bright red blood was scattered across the blanket.

“Ah……”

Selvia let out a faint sigh. As soon as she realized what happened, her head started to ache.

She first got up and took out the holy water to drop one drop into some water.

After hurriedly swallowing that water, her mind cleared instantly.

“What should I do about that.”

Ratius currently didn’t know about her physical condition. She couldn’t think of a way to secretly dispose of the bedding soaked with blood.

She immediately pulled the cord.

Knock knock knock.

As if she had been waiting outside, Mellin appeared right away with the knock.

“Did you call?”

“Mellin, I’m sorry. I must have overdone it and got another nosebleed.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take this to the laundry room again. I’ll bring some tea on my way back.”

“Thank you.”

Selvia didn’t refuse her kindness. She had just arrived in Karina and didn’t know many people. So it was fortunate for her if Mellin would help.

Mellin quickly brought warm tea. The subtle herb fragrance made her body feel at ease.

When Mellin wasn’t looking, Selvia dropped one drop of holy water and took a sip.

“I think I’ll sleep well tonight thanks to you again.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

After checking that Selvia was drinking the tea, Mellin examined the bedding and then left.

As soon as the door closed with a thud, strength drained from Selvia’s body.

It felt strange to have someone who worried about her.

Because they worried about her purely, not because she was useful or needed.

“……The fragrance is nice.”

Whether it was from drinking the warm tea or not, she felt warmth spreading from her heart throughout her body.

“You’re saying I look happy?”

Selvia held the teacup with both hands while looking at the shadow rippling at her feet.

“Yes, I’m happy.”

She spoke her emotions out loud.

And that really made her feel even better. Who knew someone’s unconditional kindness could feel this good.

‘Being sick isn’t so bad.’

Even if she were to die, she didn’t feel bad knowing there was someone who would mourn her.

For the first time in her life, Selvia thought somewhat positively about the power she possessed.

It was because she felt it would be worth sacrificing herself for people like this.

* * *

The next morning, Selvia headed straight to the library.

Though she had Ratius’s permission, she needed to be careful. Nobles could enter the imperial palace at any time.

Selvia covered her black hair with a cloak.

She still needed preparation before entering social circles.

While she knew the nobles of Delpheron well, she lacked information about the nobles in the Karina Empire.

Though Belrocan had given her a summary of the noble almanac, it was disappointingly brief with only major nobles listed.

So she planned to go to the library to examine the noble registry and family trees more thoroughly.

There would surely be a big difference between knowing about all of them versus just knowing about a few major nobles.

‘I need to prepare thoroughly.’

She couldn’t allow even one mistake. It could become her weakness.

Upon arriving at the library, Selvia immediately picked out several books related to the noble registry.

She found a seat and slowly read through the books she brought.

Only about ten families were old or historically significant.

That was fortunate.

In particular, there were about three notable families in the Karina Empire.

One was House Liechtenstein, skilled in commerce and operating a large merchant organization.

Another was House Edinburgh, known for martial arts.

Lastly was the prestigious House Savoy that had produced many excellent ministers for the empire.

While Selvia would likely meet the heads of these families, their children would attend social gatherings.

Those were who Selvia needed to pay attention to. These three families’ evaluation of her would determine the overall atmosphere throughout social circles.

Selvia focused on memorizing information about them.

After memorizing enough information about the nobles, she next looked for books about Karina Empire culture.

She planned to thoroughly examine necessary knowledge starting from etiquette before leaving the library.

“I’ll need to request separate lessons.”

It was fortunate she hadn’t rushed into social circles. Reading the books showed there were several differences from the Kingdom of Delpheron.

Though Ratius had arranged for an etiquette teacher to give her intensive lessons, she borrowed books thinking it would be good to understand and learn the culture.

* * *

Mellin’s heart pounded as she hurried to Ratius’s summons.

“Lady Selvia’s dedicated maid whom His Majesty called has arrived.”

At the servant’s words, Ratius gave permission to enter.

Carefully entering the office, Mellin kept her head bowed while waiting for the Emperor to speak.

Without taking his eyes off the documents, Ratius asked.

“Nothing unusual happened with Selvia yesterday, right? I heard you were called to her room at night.”

Mellin bowed her head. As she had told Selvia earlier, she had no choice but to answer if the Emperor asked.

Because she was Ratius’s person.

Mellin felt her heart beating even faster than before.

When His Majesty hears about Lady Selvia’s nosebleed, he might ask why she didn’t report it immediately.

But Lady Selvia seemed to want to avoid causing trouble for the imperial family.

Hadn’t she said she wanted to give her what little help she could? Still, Mellin couldn’t lie. This was a separate matter.

“What happened at night? I heard you seemed quite busy.”

As expected, Ratius asked with eyes that seemed to know everything.

Finally, Mellin squeezed her eyes shut then opened them as she spoke.

“……She had a nosebleed.”