About a week had passed since I left the imperial palace.

I was working in an office in the capital, living on a different floor of the same building.

Honestly, when I first became alone, I worried that Benjamin might come to kidnap me again. I even lost sleep over it.

But whether Benjamin wasn’t completely insane, or whether he had learned something from the previous kidnapping incident, things were quieter than I expected.

He only sent gifts with unclear meanings occasionally.

For instance, food for small birds or accessories for small birds.

Perhaps he remembered how much I cherished small birds during the time we spent together.

Of course, there were also superficial reasons why Benjamin couldn’t misbehave.

First of all, Prince Demian was firmly standing behind me.

Moreover, Demian always had guards around me, ensuring my safety even when he wasn’t present.

What a reliable lover.

And unexpectedly, Olivia was thoroughly monitoring Benjamin.

Olivia often visited my office even after I left the palace and told me about things happening at the center. For example…

“Baron and Lambert have become laughingstocks. Everyone secretly giggles when they see those two. The impact of that banner was too great.”

She would tell me about what happened to Baron and Lambert afterward.

After being thoroughly humiliated, they stopped sending me any notable gifts.

They were clearly deeply hurt. Since that was what I wanted, I had no intention of forgiving them.

“Then those two men don’t bother Lady Olivia either?”

“Unfortunately, they still seem to want to see me as Lady Diana. Of course, I’m handling the rejections well on my own.”

I wondered what would become of Olivia’s fate.

From what I saw at the palace, there seemed to be a possibility of things working out with Benjamin.

I rather hoped things would work out between Olivia and Benjamin. If that happened, the factor that made me most anxious would disappear.

“How are things with Benjamin?”

“I’m still interested, but Benjamin seems to somewhat despise me because of the series of events. But what’s funny is that he’s occasionally kind to me, perhaps because he overlaps Lady Diana’s image with me.”

Hearing that, it seemed highly likely that things would turn out as in the original work.

Anyway, coming back to the point, there was a bigger reason why Benjamin couldn’t touch me.

I looked out at the city through the large window in my office.

“My face is quite pretty.”

Banners with the promotional phrase “Jinjijo Transportation! We’ll transport everything for you” were hung throughout the city.

My face was prominently displayed on those banners.

In other words, there was no one in the capital who didn’t know me now.

I deliberately made myself famous so that the three troublemakers couldn’t mess with me easily.

What’s the big deal about selling my face?

That was much easier to endure than being suddenly kidnapped and threatened.

And perhaps thanks to my beautiful appearance, people became interested in me and started requesting our business services.

Sales went up, reputation went up. It wasn’t a bad decision business-wise.

But there was a separate issue.

“I miss Demian…”

Since this building was right next to the headquarters of the Hot Potato Guild, I thought I would see him often even after leaving the palace.

But Demian was much busier than I had anticipated.

He said that thanks to me and Cain, Empress Patricia’s momentum had been curbed, but until Cain ascended to the throne, he would be busy keeping an eye on the Empress.

So I rarely saw Demian’s face. Even when I did, it was only very briefly.

I even felt like I saw Evans, who had become the new center director, more often than Demian.

“Can’t Cain become Emperor quickly?”

But if the sickly Cain suddenly collapsed…

I shook my head.

Let’s not think such ominous thoughts.

Cain looked healthy enough not to show signs of illness at the palace.

I sighed deeply and suddenly looked up at the sky. Just then, I saw a VVIP bird carriage that seemed to be carrying passengers.

The birds, who had learned how to increase their body size, were driving the carriage quite impressively.

‘Those guys are doing a good job.’

The birds were working for our business under the leadership of Bless, the leader of the flock.

In return, I provided the birds with a large, spacious nest and food.

That nest was the abandoned building where I had once watched fireworks with Demian.

Of course, I had reorganized the inside of the building so that the birds could live there.

The birds really liked that spacious place. They might even increase their numbers there.

I watched the carriage cutting through the sky until it disappeared from view. Why did it make me feel so pleased?

I must have been too absorbed in some inexplicable emotion. I belatedly noticed someone approaching from behind.

As I turned around, a thick coat was placed on my shoulders.

“Demian?”

“What were you looking at so intently? Didn’t you want to see me?”

He kissed my forehead in greeting.

“Of course, I wanted to see you. I was thinking about you.”

“Do you want to come back to the palace? Your room is still there as it was.”

“What about my business?”

“To continue it from the palace… there would be problems with distance and communication, right?”

“But someday I want to be right by your side.”

“I feel the same way, that’s why I’m working harder.”

“What exactly are you doing?”

“It’s a secret for now.”

I looked at him, completely dumbfounded.

“A secret? Now that we’re physically apart, you’re going to keep secrets too?”

But Demian pretended not to understand my bewilderment.

“How are we physically apart?”

“….”

“When we’re this close.”

He instead gave a sly smile and took one step closer.

Soon, we were intimately close.

Demian looked at me with those beautiful eyes, ready to devour me.

Even though it wasn’t our first time being close, I became conscious of my breathing.

Despite my bewilderment just moments ago, my breath had become heated.

I gently pushed against Demian’s chest.

“You’re, you’re too close.”

“Do you dislike it? If you dislike it, I’ll step back right now.”

“It’s not that I dislike it… So you’re not going to tell me the secret?”

“Please wait a little. Soon you’ll hear very interesting news.”

Interesting news? What could it be?

Demian pressed his lips against mine, silently telling me not to ask anymore. It was a sweet kiss.

I forgot about pressing Demian for answers and pulled him closer to me.

Well, since he said I’d know soon, I might as well enjoy the kiss for now.

I could feel Demian’s hands familiarly caressing my back. I completely surrendered my body to him.

***

A few days later, I attended a banquet hosted by the imperial palace.

‘Could that interesting news be related to this banquet?’

The secret was out.

Since my illusions about banquets had been shattered, I no longer looked forward to them much.

I found it much more enjoyable to explore the various shops in the marketplace than to attend banquets and engage in power struggles with unknown nobles.

Eating fish skewers reminiscent of Philia Islands was even better.

I was planning to ask Demian why he had invited me to this banquet.

And there he was, waiting to escort me.

As soon as the door of the carriage that arrived in front of the palace banquet hall opened, Demian, dressed splendidly, said.

“Lady, was your journey comfortable?”

It was quite amusing to see him acting like a gentleman, which was unlike him.

I pushed out my lips in a pout as I took his outstretched hand.

“What if it wasn’t?”

“Oh my. Who made you uncomfortable? I’ll scold them right away.”

“Tsk, all talk.”

I snorted as I got out of the carriage.

“Will I find out at this banquet why you’ve been so busy lately?”

“Of course.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Soon, we entered the banquet hall. It was already filled with nobles.

It felt like there were more people than at the previous banquet I had attended.

At that moment, the gentle music playing in the hall stopped.

The man who then appeared at the head table was someone I knew well.

‘…Cain?’

The Crown Prince, whose real name was Kenneth.

He stepped onto the platform and opened his lips.

“First, I would like to thank all of you for attending this banquet that I have hosted.”

So this banquet was hosted by Cain.

As usual, he completely hid any signs of illness, appearing as the older brother whom Demian trusted and followed.

“For those of you who are curious, I will get straight to the point.”

What was he going to say?

Glancing up at Demian’s face, I saw he was smiling.

It was a face that seemed to already know what Cain was going to say.

“I deliver to you the words of His Majesty the Emperor, who has protected the Eldora Empire for many years.”

As soon as the words “His Majesty the Emperor” were mentioned, the hall began to stir.

“His Majesty has designated me as the next Emperor. All official duties have also been delegated to me accordingly.”

Shocked exclamations erupted from around us at this stunning announcement.

Among them, the one who reacted most violently was Empress Patricia.