Of course, as Empress Patricia said, I hated Benjamin enough to want to kill him.

Even knowing that he, in his battered state, could no longer threaten me, facing him made my teeth chatter.

Even my hand holding Demian’s trembled slightly.

But would killing Benjamin make my heart feel at ease?

I couldn’t urge Demian to do something he didn’t want just to kill Benjamin.

That was precisely the difference between me and Empress Patricia.

“As you said, I do hate Benjamin. Still, I don’t want to force Prince Demian to do something he doesn’t want.”

“…What?”

Empress Patricia’s face quickly wrinkled upon receiving this unexpected answer.

“I don’t want to make someone I care about unhappy just to make someone else unhappy. Even if a situation comes where I have to face Benjamin again, I won’t force the imperial throne on Prince Demian.”

I conveyed my intention clearly.

Empress Patricia just stared at me intently with narrowed eyes.

In that gaze, irritation and even contempt were mixed.

She seemed annoyed that her ultimate weapon, Benjamin, hadn’t worked.

At that moment, Benjamin, who hadn’t said a word all along, laughed.

“Ha, haha.”

He laughed like a madman, then looked directly at me.

It was the heated gaze I had often encountered when he imprisoned me before.

I couldn’t help but flinch and shudder.

“Yerena, thank you for not making me unhappy.”

…Was he insane?

How could he interpret my words—that I wouldn’t promote Benjamin’s unhappiness because I didn’t want my person, namely Demian, to be unhappy—like that?

Soon after, Benjamin coughed up a little dark red blood.

“I don’t know what kind of gun it was or how it was made, but the places where I got shot hurt like hell, really.”

Benjamin now glanced at Demian.

“Since it’s a gun made to hurt like hell, it can’t be helped. I plan to distribute it to the espers and guides at the center soon.”

Demian also calmly replied while looking at Benjamin.

“Thank you for being a good test subject.”

“….”

Benjamin, unable to curse in front of Empress Patricia, just chewed his lower lip.

The one who broke the subtle tension between the two men was Empress Patricia.

“Get rid of him now.”

The Empress gestured, showing she had no further business with Benjamin.

The guards who had brought him dragged Benjamin out mercilessly.

Benjamin looked only at me until the door closed. With quite a pitiful gaze, completely forgetting his earlier staring contest with Demian.

No amount of that pitiful look would make me feel sympathy for him.

A while after Benjamin left, Empress Patricia looked at Demian and me questioningly.

“You two may leave now. That’s all I have to say today.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Demian pulled me along, clearly having waited for this moment.

Before leaving the room, he made a declaration to his mother.

“Mother. My thoughts haven’t changed. And Yerena will unconditionally follow my opinion.”

“…Demian.”

“And please stop forcing the throne on Abel, too. Now that I’ve returned to the palace, I must restore Abel’s happiness as well.”

“You…! Then how will you take responsibility for my happiness?”

“Mother, you already have many things. And among them are two sons who are priceless and proud.”

Demian, speaking smoothly, winked at Empress Patricia.

“You, you! Where did you learn that bewitching eye gesture!”

He completely ignored the Empress’s words and continued what he wanted to say.

“Brother will inherit the throne. Even if my brother becomes emperor, I will actively work to ensure that no harm comes to you, Mother.”

“….”

“So don’t worry. I’ll protect what you currently have so that others won’t take it away.”

“….”

“Then I’ll really be leaving now.”

Empress Patricia kept her lips tightly shut. Even until we completely left that drawing room.

Demian and I returned to the Second Prince’s Palace, holding each other’s hands tightly.

“My mother prepared something excessive. I’m sorry if it startled you.”

The “excessive” thing he referred to must be Benjamin.

“I was startled for a moment, but I’m fine. I was curious about what had happened to him anyway.”

“Benjamin is being questioned for the crime of imprisoning an innocent noble lady, especially someone close to a prince. Since the other party is a duke’s family, my mother’s help was needed a bit.”

“I see. What will happen to him later?”

“Considering today… He’ll safely return to the duke’s family soon.”

“If today I had accepted Empress Patricia’s opinion and said I would make Demian emperor because I wanted to kill Benjamin…”

Demian answered without hesitation.

“Benjamin would be dead.”

“….”

“Of course, since he’s from a prominent noble family and a strong esper, it wouldn’t be easy. But at least we could make him disabled.”

Wasn’t Empress Patricia truly a cruel and frightening person?

Demian quietly looked down at me walking beside him. His eyes seemed to gauge my thoughts.

“My mother wasn’t frightening from the beginning. She probably changed because she’s afraid of losing what she has now. Especially since she’s also connected to Empress Marie’s death…”

“I guess if the Crown Prince becomes emperor, she could be affected.”

This was because Empress Patricia was considered the main culprit in the poisoning of Empress Marie, the Crown Prince’s mother.

“That’s right. Moreover, my mother is someone who lived with nothing, then entered the palace and gained many things. People who had nothing from the beginning find it hard to let go of what they’ve gained.”

“Can you mediate well between the Empress and the Crown Prince?”

“My brother is a very good person, but he probably has some desire for revenge against my mother. So I need to negotiate well.”

“Negotiate?”

“Yes. Have you forgotten? I’m good at making deals.”

Right. This man was a guildmaster from the back alleys who was skilled in deals.

“Maybe because this place is so far from the back alleys, you sometimes feel unfamiliar to me. Like a different person.”

“Well. Should I wear a hood then?”

“Hoods are now forbidden. How frustrating it was not being able to see your face!”

“True. You liked my face. I know you stared at my face when I was Duncan. Don’t try to deny it.”

“T-that…”

I couldn’t think of an excuse. There was nothing wrong with what Demian said.

“I’m really fortunate that my face is to your taste.”

“….”

“I was really moved by what you said to my mother. Especially that you wouldn’t make me unhappy.”

“That was sincere. Regardless of how you look, it was my true feeling.”

Demian stood facing me as I stopped walking. His face was flushed red.

“Yerena.”

“…Yes?”

“If you keep taking my side like this, I won’t be able to like anyone but you anymore.”

This man, when did he become so skilled at confessing?

Demian had been confessing his feelings regardless of time and place.

And without fail, I felt excited by him. I could hear my heart beating rapidly in my ears.

“Though I haven’t been forgiven yet, may I hug you once?”

Instead of answering, I quietly nestled into his arms.

As I rested my face against Demian’s broad chest, I heard his heart beating just as fast as mine.

‘I’m happy.’

In this moment, I naturally felt happiness.

Perhaps my life had been so harsh all this time so that such great happiness could come to me. Some people call this paying off bad luck.

I wondered how much greater happiness would come to me in the future.

After a few minutes of lightly embracing each other like novice lovers experiencing romance for the first time, a crashing sound came from somewhere.

Startled, I immediately looked toward the source of the sound.

Not far away, three men and one woman had fallen over.

“I told you not to push!”

The one making painful sounds at the very bottom was Evans.

“I-I didn’t push.”

The one stammering in embarrassment was Bless.

“I didn’t push either!”

The one earnestly denying was Charles, the knight I had seen at the Duke’s residence.

“No! Sir Charles pushed us!”

The one confessing the truth was Mary, the maid of the Second Prince’s Palace, who occasionally helped me.

Demian also discovered them and spoke.

“How long have you all been watching us? Evans, answer as the representative.”

“Haha. Not long! We were hiding because we wanted to see the Prince get married soon and didn’t want to interfere… Anyway, you look good together.”

“Alright, disperse right now! Don’t interfere anymore.”

“Yes, Prince.”

Evans, Charles, and Mary, who had answered frivolously, quickly disappeared.

On the contrary, Bless walked briskly toward me and lightly grabbed my shoulder.

He pulled me toward himself and warned Demian.

“Are you confident you can protect the master? If not, don’t desire her.”