In truth, I never had much interest in the imperial throne.

Nevertheless, I ended up turning the imperial palace into a sea of blood alongside them and became Emperor.

Three years into my reign, Duke Elvierts, who had been rebuilding his position as head of the Senate, suddenly went back to his territory with the absurd excuse that he wanted to retire to farming life. Now this same man had returned to the capital.

“I come before Your Highness, the Princess.”

I stared with a somewhat awkward expression at Duke Elvierts, whose face showed unmistakable joy.

Despite barging into my garden and already committing all sorts of “rudeness,” Duke Elvierts was now showing me proper respect with a surprisingly normal attitude.

“I must apologize for my impropriety. Your Highness is simply so adorable, lovable, and cute that I couldn’t contain my excitement.”

“Ah.”

I gazed at Duke Elvierts with a slightly disgruntled expression.

After taking my hand, he showered me with excessive attention and affection, compensating for everything he couldn’t give me while being mindful of Father’s presence.

At first, his sudden change in attitude caught me off guard, but humans are creatures of adaptation, aren’t they?

Now I’ve become so accustomed to the Duke’s overwhelming “affection” that I can generally predict how he’ll behave.

Of course, it’s still burdensome.

“To think you would look exactly like His Majesty!”

“Please speak comfortably.”

“My goodness! Not only kind like your mother but also so friendly! How did I manage to have a daughter who gave birth to such a pretty child just like me?”

I made a face of disbelief as Duke Elvierts immediately dropped formalities after I spoke.

Even more unbelievable was his remarkable ability to consistently describe me using words that had absolutely nothing to do with me.

And what was even more surprising was that this was, in his own way, his genuine sentiment.

‘Kind, friendly… where on earth did he see such qualities in me? If it were anyone else, I’d assume they were flattering me, but Grandfather has no reason to do that.’

I grumbled inwardly while staring at my beaming maternal grandfather.

Though well over seventy, his eyes remained remarkably sharp, evidence of his years on battlefields in his youth. Unlike today’s young people, he was impeccably dressed in a coat despite the warm weather, perfectly embodying the dignity of Arsis’s old nobility.

However, in contrast to his appearance, Duke Elvierts wore an expression of such obvious delight that I felt embarrassed just looking at him.

I glanced briefly at Hasis and Sela standing in the distance beyond the Duke’s shoulder.

Unlike Sela, who stood there contentedly without understanding the situation, Hasis’s expression contained a subtle mockery.

Feeling ashamed, I turned my attention back to Duke Elvierts.

I needed to either send the Duke away or dismiss Hasis. Otherwise, I might not be able to face Hasis for a while due to embarrassment.

With this in mind, I carefully chose my words and asked Duke Elvierts:

“Um, did you come to see me?”

“Ah, no. I came to see His Majesty. But what do you know, I found you in the garden. I thought you were a fairy, but it turned out to be you.”

Damn it!

“As I approached from over there, the brightness was so dazzling that I thought the sky and earth had switched places.”

Oh, this doesn’t bode well.

“But when I came closer, I realized it wasn’t the sun but our Esht.”

…Save me.

How can someone make me cringe so much with just three sentences?

Throughout all this, Duke Elvierts’s face showed not a trace of embarrassment or shame.

Bearing all the discomfort he should have felt, I inwardly sighed deeply.

Soon, I couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke up.

“Can’t you stop talking like that? It’s too embarrassing.”

“But this old man is being sincere.”

“Yes, I know you’re sincere, and that makes it even more embarrassing.”

“This grandfather truly believes our Esht is the cutest thing in the world. Originally, His Majesty was the cutest, but now you are.”

Duke Elvierts chuckled as he said this.

I looked at the wrinkles around his eyes and smiled awkwardly.

In truth, I was someone who openly displayed disgust when hearing such ridiculous flattery from those around me.

But this was Duke Elvierts—the only person in this world connected to me by blood, and the only blood relative who had stood behind me until now.

While that fact might seem insignificant to others, it was quite important to me.

With this thought, my expression softened somewhat.

Then, the Duke spoke.

“So, you’ve been living in the Dragon Lord’s lair until now?”

“Yes. I lived in Father’s lair with my half-brothers.”

By now, I can tell such lies without the slightest hesitation.

Duke Elvierts smiled gently and nodded.

“As expected of Estria. You made an excellent choice.”

“Did I?”

“Yes, your mother always fought alone in this imperial palace. Bringing you directly to the palace might have exposed you to unknown dangers, so she must have made that choice.”

“…”

“I should have helped, but my health has deteriorated over the past few years.”

Duke Elvierts smiled awkwardly as he said this.

Health deterioration?

I slightly furrowed my brow.

This was the first I’d heard of it. There had been no messages or reports about the Duke’s illness. My expression grew concerned.

“Are you unwell?”

“My goodness, is our Esht worried about this old man?”

“No, of course…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I came to see our Esht in good health, didn’t I? It’s just an old man naturally aging. This is a secret from your mother.”

She already knows.

“If your mother finds out, she’ll worry. And it’s really nothing serious.”

My expression grew somewhat complicated.

It was true that I hadn’t been able to check on his health during the years after he returned to his territory.

Perhaps noticing my subtle concern, Duke Elvierts stood up and spoke.

“Ah, Estria must be waiting. Our Esht, can you keep this old man’s secret?”

“Ha. I understand.”

Given that Estria was me and I was Estria, his secret was already revealed, but I nodded with a slightly somber expression.

“Good, good, such a good child.”

Having finished speaking, Duke Elvierts prepared to leave.

However, suddenly, remembering something, he turned to me and asked:

“Come to think of it, my child, this is our first meeting, and this grandfather hasn’t prepared a gift.”

At the mention of a gift, whatever concern I had for him instantly vanished.

I quickly spoke up, anxious about what “strange thing” he might do next.

“It’s fine! I don’t need a gift!”

I emphasized each word with unusual intensity.

Some might wonder why I would reject an adult’s goodwill like this, but if they knew what gifts he had given to “Estria” in the past, my reaction wouldn’t seem strange at all.

‘I never want to receive another gold statue modeled after my face!’

I shuddered at the memory of that statue, which I had immediately reduced to dust with my magic.

Surprisingly, that gift, the first I received after my coronation, returned to earth in that manner.

‘Since I’m meeting him as his grandchild for the first time, who knows what he might do. A doll would be somewhat better. What if he makes another statue?’

I spoke with unprecedented firmness.

“Mother provides everything I need!”

“But a gift from this grandfather would be different, wouldn’t it?”

“No! I have everything! Even some very strange things! I really don’t need anything!”

“Our Esht, was that your worry? That this grandfather might bring a strange gift? I don’t know what your mother told you, but you don’t trust this grandfather enough. Would I really give such a gift?”

Yes, I think you would.

Duke Elvierts’s standards are so different from normal people’s!

“I still don’t want one! If by any chance, by any chance, you bring something strange…”

I seriously considered how to restrain Duke Elvierts.

After making a big decision, I spoke.

“I’ll never see my great-grandfather again, remember that!”

“Ugh, h-how could this be…!”

At that moment, Duke Elvierts clutched his heart and tightly closed his eyes.

His exaggerated reaction made me realize my attack had worked.

It seemed somewhat ridiculous that such a simple attack would be effective, but it had worked nonetheless.

Ultimately, with my threat to reveal his secret to Mother if he brought a gift, Duke Elvierts weakly waved his hand and disappeared from the garden.

“Wow. That was quite the performance—”

“Shut up, don’t say anything. Just keep your mouth shut. I’m embarrassed enough.”

“I didn’t say anything about being embarrassed. You said that yourself?”

As Duke Elvierts completely disappeared from the garden, Hasis approached me.

Sela returned to the kitchen, saying the milk she had prepared for me had gotten cold.

I gave Hasis, who came to my side, a look that said I would kill him immediately if he mentioned what had just happened.

Of course, Hasis didn’t look like he was going to listen to me at all.

“I didn’t expect you to have such a good relationship with your grandfather.”

“There’s no reason we wouldn’t.”

“Were you close since childhood?”

“Not particularly. I barely saw him when I was young. We joined hands when I was aiming for the throne, and that relationship has continued until now.”

“Joined hands, you say.”

“Despite everything, he’s the only blood relative I have left.”

Of course, I was the one who had created that “uniqueness.”