“Have you considered that he might hate Your Majesty even more than he hates black magic?”

“That possibility exists, of course. But Rigan, Sever is…”

I slowly raised my head.

I smiled bitterly without realizing it and continued.

“He’s not the type to use unjust means to deal with something, no matter how much he detests it.”

“……”

“That’s why I dislike him.”

Because I could never live that way.

Rigan fell silent at my words.

His amber eyes gazed at me with a peculiar look.

Having served as my aide for these past few years, always by my side, he knew how much I disliked Sever Kelliard.

No, in truth, it wasn’t simply dislike.

To be precise, the essence was jealousy, inferiority, and beyond that, envy.

A profound sense of defeat toward someone who could live their entire life nobly, maintaining their beliefs and principles.

And his inherent superiority that allowed him to extend a hand to the powerless youngest imperial princess, practically an outcast in the palace.

Soon, silence filled the room.

In the strangely subdued atmosphere, I took a deep breath after remaining silent.

And soon, I raised my gaze again.

“But disliking someone is one thing, and usefulness is another.”

“How do you plan to use him?”

“The Dragon Lord said that if black magic is responsible for my condition, it must be the work of someone around me, specifically someone I know. And with a high probability, it’s one of my political opponents.”

“It might not be.”

“But the possibility is high. No, actually, whether it’s a political opponent or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that Sever Kelliard has power comparable to mine, and thanks to his upright character, he enjoys even greater prestige than I do.”

“Your Majesty.”

“With someone like him, wouldn’t he bring better results than if I were to investigate in this state?”

“But what if the person who did this to you becomes more cautious because of the Duke?”

“They already know I’ve become a child. What I’m really afraid of is other enemies noticing something strange. You know how many enemies I have.”

“……”

“Besides, Sever and I don’t get along. No one will think he’s working for me.”

“But Your Majesty, you’re overlooking something. Would Duke Kelliard really investigate black magic for your sake?”

“That’s why we need a bit of trickery.”

I smiled slightly.

Rigan listened to me with his mouth open, then sighed deeply as soon as I finished speaking.

Without responding to that, I smiled again and continued.

“He said he would walk in of his own accord. After all these years of ignoring my summons as he pleased. I wonder what his sudden purpose is.”

“……”

“The imperial palace isn’t his playground. It’s not a place you can come and go as you please. He needs to pay a price.”

Truthfully, Sever’s refusal to respond to my summons had been quite welcome to me.

But since he’s coming anyway, it would be impolite not to make use of him.

“Of course, I can’t leave everything to him. I can’t let him discover that I’m in this state. We need to find some information about black magic separately.”

“I’ll look into it.”

At that moment.

As soon as I finished speaking, Rigan responded.

I was somewhat surprised by this, completely different from his usual reluctance when given troublesome tasks.

“How did you know I was going to ask you?”

“Is there anyone else in this palace that Your Majesty would torment besides me?”

“Want another beating?”

“No, I meant that I know how much you trust me.”

I clicked my tongue at Rigan’s slippery answer.

‘It’s annoying because it’s true.’

Anyway, there was no better option than entrusting this to Rigan.

Despite his appearance, he was the son of Duke Delmen, and moreover…

“Don’t stir things up too much.”

“Of course not.”

I shook my head at Rigan’s confident attitude.

He had a face that somehow inspired both trust and doubt.

Nevertheless, there was no one I trusted more than Rigan, so I sighed deeply and picked up the juice glass in front of me.

Just then, Rigan, who had been writing something, suddenly looked up with the expression of someone who’d just remembered something.

“Oh, by the way, Your Majesty. What about the crown? If black magic is the reason… you’ll likely have to remain in this form for a while. Of course, I’ve already spoken to Lord Lerrhagen, but wouldn’t it be better if we made the crown on our side?”

“That’s already been resolved. Don’t worry about it.”

Rigan’s eyes widened at my unexpected answer.

I shrugged and put down my cup.

“I’m surprised too, but it seems the result will be fairly good.”

Honestly, with those incredible gems, it seemed impossible for the result not to be good.

Even just placing one of those gems on my head would make a historically significant headdress, let alone as decorations for a crown.

However, Rigan, who hadn’t seen the gems himself, seemed uneasy, with an unconvinced expression.

Finding this ridiculous, I scolded him.

“Just do what you’re told. Don’t worry about such trivial matters. My goal is to return to adulthood as quickly as possible, not to adapt to being a child.”

Rigan nodded at my words.

Soon after finishing his greetings, he left the room.

The moment the door closed with a thud, I turned my head slightly.

Outside the window, a light drizzle was falling.

‘Come to think of it, it was weather like this when we first met.’

Suddenly remembering fragments of the past, I shook my head.

The past is just the past, and time gone by never returns.

And I had no moments I regretted enough to want to turn back time.

Even if what I’m experiencing is divine punishment.

* * *

Rumors of Sever Kelliard’s return to the imperial palace spread throughout the capital in the blink of an eye.

Though the knights might have been somewhat surprised by their commander’s sudden return, they diligently prepared everything with the precision of those who had been waiting for this moment.

Moreover, it seemed that not only the knights had been waiting for Sever’s return. Every time I passed through the corridors, I heard the maids mentioning Duke Kelliard’s name.

Some even blushed while talking about him.

I expressed serious concern to Lerrhagen and Hasis about the women’s taste in men, who not only blushed but also harbored admiration for Sever.

“Your Highness, have you heard the news? Duke Kelliard is returning!”

“Really, I’m just curious, is that guy really that great?”

“Gasp! ‘That guy’? Your Highness!”

Already irritated that the whole world seemed plastered with news of Sever Kelliard, I asked the question sarcastically when even Sela, who was helping with my appearance, mentioned Sever’s name.

Sela, who was brushing my hair, quickly tried to stop me.

But I ignored her and replied with a frown.

“I’m an imperial princess. I outrank him.”

Of course, even an imperial princess couldn’t casually refer to the head of a powerful ducal family as “that guy.”

When I was younger, my sisters showed respect to Sever, and I also knew this was the proper etiquette between the imperial family and high nobility.

But perhaps I was stressed these past few days.

As I maintained my defiant expression, Sela suddenly burst into laughter while looking at my reflection in the mirror.

Wondering why she was laughing, I raised an eyebrow.

Sela picked up the brush again and continued brushing my hair while murmuring.

“Still, a noble princess should observe proper etiquette at all times. That’s how you’ll become a ruler respected by everyone, like His Majesty.”

I frowned as soon as she finished speaking.

Who is this ruler respected by everyone?

Me?

‘What is she talking about?’

To be honest, while I took pride in seizing the throne with my own hands, I found it difficult to brazenly claim the modifier “respected by all.”

After all, the Senate elders looked at me with faces mixed with fear and disgust rather than respect, and others, well, I thought they had simply submitted to power rather than respected me.

But to be respected by everyone?

Had everyone died?

“I acknowledge that my… mother is impressive, but respect is going too far.”

“Oh my, that’s not true. His Majesty is such an excellent ruler.”

“Respect and fear are distinctly different. My mother creates fear.”

“Hmm, I don’t think so.”

Murmuring this, Sela put down the brush.

Soon, she picked up a ribbon placed nearby and continued speaking with a gentle smile.

“At the very least, since His Majesty ascended to the throne, Arsis has been peaceful. Though it might seem natural at a glance, nothing is more precious than peace.”

“That’s just because my mother dislikes war.”

“And being peaceful means that Arsis is that much more powerful.”

I couldn’t argue with this.

Realistically, only powerful nations can enjoy peace.

The stability and peace of an empire inevitably correlate with national strength.

In fact, during my father’s reign, there were frequent wars, both large and small.

Sometimes Arsis provoked other countries, and sometimes we were provoked.

The Senate always advocated for war, claiming it would raise the empire’s prestige, but that prestige never protected the people.

It was always the common people who suffered from wars tainted by the greed of those in power.