* * *

“Wow, Madam, you look lovely today as well!”

“Uh… right.”

Serena walked down the corridor to go for a meal.

“Ah, you picked it up for me. Thanks to your kindness, Madam, I’ll have another happy day today! Thank you!”

She had merely pointed out indifferently that they had dropped their laundry. She hadn’t particularly picked it up.

“You ate a lot again today. Thanks to you enjoying your meals lately, Madam, I feel motivated to work. Thank you.”

She had just eaten as usual.

Serena finally rolled her eyes at all sorts of comments coming from every direction.

“Magnus, I’ve been thinking, don’t the servants seem a bit strange for the past two weeks?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, they seem overly cheerful… they keep approaching me familiarly and praising me…”

Magnus shrugged at Serena’s words, as if he knew nothing about it.

“Well, perhaps you’ve done something good and they want to praise you.”

“No, the problem is that I haven’t done anything particularly good.”

“What might not seem good to you might be joyful and good for others.”

“…Hmm.”

Serena scratched her cheek, recalling the trivial things that seemed too insignificant for that.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And you’re beautiful today too, Serena.”

“…You too?”

Magnus burst into laughter at Serena’s incredulous voice.

“I heard you’re going somewhere today.”

“Ah, the Imperial Palace. Today I have to check on His Majesty’s condition. But his condition has improved a lot, so it seems it will be resolved soon.”

Serena thought of the work that was finally being wrapped up one by one.

With Magnus’s insistence, as she got used to not doing any work, even looking at documents became bothersome now.

‘Strangely, I haven’t been seeing Nyx lately.’

Not seeing it made her more anxious.

Of course, even if she saw it, she wasn’t confident she could talk to it properly without trembling.

‘…I’m also curious about who wrote in Nyx’s notebook.’

The problem with this was that she couldn’t meet it at all.

“And after I come back, I need to teach Colin Martora about magical engineering…”

“I thought I told you to rest, but you still seem busy.”

Magnus said somewhat discontentedly. Serena shrugged her shoulders.

“But I can’t abandon His Majesty the Emperor’s work midway.”

Even if it wasn’t for the Emperor, she couldn’t go back on her word to save someone just because she didn’t want to work.

And Magnus agreed with this, so he couldn’t say anything.

No matter how much Magnus wanted to keep Serena in his arms, he couldn’t mix personal feelings with the Emperor’s business.

Especially since it was a request made by the Crown Prince himself, even bowing his head.

‘It’s annoying that it has to be the Imperial Palace.’

Because there were more things he couldn’t control there than things he could.

“And Colin… he’s helping with work too, so I can’t break my promise.”

Serena recalled Colin Martora, who was never late even by a second for class time.

“Professor! If you say there’s a class at 7 PM on Wednesday, I won’t be able to sleep a wink from 10 PM on Monday due to excitement!”

“…That’s right after Monday’s class ends.”

“That’s how much I’m looking forward to it!”

“Ah… I see.”

Serena couldn’t bring herself to break her promise saying she was tired, to Colin Martora who claimed he couldn’t sleep from the moment one class ended until the next, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

‘He might kill me.’

She wasn’t afraid of anything else, but just thinking about Colin Martora chasing after her with crazed eyes made her heart flutter.

“But except for that, I’m resting well like you said.”

“Drukan will accompany you, so I won’t worry too much, but still, be careful.”

“What’s there for me to be careful about?”

It’s just going back and forth between the Imperial Palace and the ducal mansion once or twice.

“You worry me.”

“Hmm, I worry about you too.”

“…Why?”

“…I just copied what you always say.”

In fact, there was nothing to worry about at all.

She stood up after finishing her meal.

“Anyway, I’ll be going.”

“Alright, I’d prefer if you stick to well-lit areas as much as possible.”

Serena nodded silently at Magnus’s subtle concern.

“I’ll do that.”

“I’ll try to find out as much as I can, so you…”

Magnus said, gripping his wine glass until his knuckles turned white.

“…Don’t give up.”

Serena’s eyes widened slightly at those words. She smiled faintly.

“I’ll do my best.”

Although she wasn’t very confident, still… thinking that someone was concerned about her… made her feel she had to try.

Serena had always lived like that.

To live up to someone’s expectations.

So, this time too, Serena wanted to do her best for Magnus.

Because she knew well that he was saying these words out of concern for her.

She soon left the mansion.

* * *

“……”

“……”

It seems there really are people in life who are extremely unlucky.

Serena’s face slightly contorted at the face she encountered on her way to greet the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

The other party also stopped in their tracks, frowning as if displeased.

‘It’s annoying to keep running into each other.’

Serena thought this as she tried to brush past him.

“…Hey.”

Just as she was about to pass by his side, Nocturne Lavernia called out to Serena.

“……”

Serena didn’t answer.

This was partly due to Magnus’s concerned words to not give up and stick to well-lit areas, and partly because Serena herself wasn’t particularly pleased with being constantly berated.

“Serena!”

“……”

Serena lightly ignored him.

Then Drukan also ignored him, following Serena’s lead.

To begin with, power wasn’t that important to Drukan.

After all, he was a person who continued the will of the World Tree to protect the peace of this world.

Now that he’s close to immortal, the petty power games of mere mortals weren’t that important.

‘Hmm, I wonder what lesson I should give Colin today.’

And regardless of what Drukan did, Serena thought peacefully, trying to soothe her worsening mood.

“Hey, Serena Lavernia!”

Nocturne Lavernia shouted, his pupils trembling finely as if in disbelief.

“Drukan, can we stop by the Imperial Merchants Association on our way back? I think Bartolin asked me to come once.”

“Yes, whatever is comfortable for you, Lady Serena…”

“Hey!”

Perhaps angered by Serena’s continued ignoring, Nocturne Lavernia strode over with a reddened face and finally blocked Serena’s path.

Serena’s lips twitched slightly. Drukan also slightly blocked her front.

He had already heard the situation from Magnus.

“…What are you doing now?”

“I’m performing my escort duty.”

“I have something to say, so move aside.”

Nocturne Lavernia said, his face hardening.

His flushed face already looked thoroughly angry, but that’s why Drukan refused to move even more.

‘It would be troublesome if he goes on a rampage when the Duke isn’t here.’

Drukan absolutely didn’t want to turn that monster into an enemy.

Even if by some stroke of luck he won if things came to the worst and they clashed, it wouldn’t be a victory without sacrifice.

And Drukan absolutely wanted to avoid his precious ones being part of that ‘sacrifice’.

“It’s not possible unless Lady Serena allows it.”

“…You dare defy my words, mere escort?”

“My employer is Lady Serena.”

Drukan said calmly.

To him, Nocturne Lavernia was nothing more than someone who needed to be kept as far away from Serena as possible.

“Sister, are you really going to be like this?”

Nocturne Lavernia asked, upset by her attitude.

“I don’t see why I should talk to you.”

“I said I have something to say.”

Serena’s expression slightly sank at that voice that seemed to be suppressing irritation.

Serena looked at Drukan for a moment.

Drukan gave her a small nod, as if to say do as you please.

After a brief consideration, Serena opened her mouth.

“What is it?”

“Well…”

Nocturne Lavernia’s lips quivered.

The reason he came here today was to apologize to Serena.

No, to be precise, he didn’t come to apologize to Serena, but he had been thinking that if he met her again, he would definitely apologize this time.

That at least that day, those words weren’t sincere.

That he was angry, but he didn’t mean to say… things like she should die.

That’s what he wanted to convey.

“I, I’m sorry about last time! I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

Nocturne Lavernia said, almost shouting, with his fists clenched tightly.