While everyone was surprised, Suharto calmly washed the blood from his hands. After a servant reverently took away the bloody water, Suharto walked toward his palace.

The interrogation room was located not far from the Crown Prince’s palace. Only a select few, including Viscount Tozille, knew of its existence.

“Right. He said it was the Grand Duke’s world.”

He already knew that Rudfelix harbored more than ordinary feelings for Elena.

“What a waste.”

More than the Grand Duke’s feelings, Elena herself was the waste.

The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became about that time when he supported Baron Vulti instead of Count Jellisto.

The thought that she could have come to him but went to the Grand Duke because of his wrong choice in that moment left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Suharto looked back toward the direction of the interrogation room with murderous intent in his eyes.

“I should have played with him longer before killing him.”

He had sliced thin pieces of flesh little by little, but the man died from fear and shock.

He hadn’t even pulled out his fingernails and toenails, and his hair was still intact. I should have gouged out his eyes to make them hollow! He regretted that the corpse had died in such an intact state.

“Your Highness, please let go of the matter with Baron Vulti.”

Viscount Tozille, concerned about the Crown Prince who was behaving more maliciously than usual, offered sincere advice.

He hoped he would return to his previously relaxed self. It was rare for him to participate directly in torture, but recently the frequency of his visits to the interrogation room had increased.

“Anyway, the Grand Duke will be severely impacted when that incident occurs. You can look forward to that time.”

“That’s why I feel even more regretful. Regretful, I say.”

Suharto brushed back his bangs. The look in his eyes as he rolled Elena’s name in his mouth was sincere.

“There’s no woman who meets the conditions as well as Elena.”

Viscount Tozille nodded, apparently sharing the same thought.

“I’ll try to find a woman with a similar image.”

Suharto’s mood seemed to soften a bit at this placation.

“You’re proceeding discreetly, right?”

“Yes.”

“You need to find a suitable person. Preferably a gentle, rabbit-like woman who stimulates protective instincts.”

“Understood.”

After Viscount Tozille bowed and disappeared, Suharto, standing in the corridor, exhaled a long sigh.

“I’ve become much more sensitive lately.”

His composure was breaking to the extent that the time spent in political circles felt wasted. The smile that used to mask his mood didn’t come easily anymore.

The emperor’s increasingly frail health fueled his impatience. He didn’t know how long that aged body, which couldn’t be helped even with medicine, would hold out, but he needed to solidify his political position within that time.

After briefly looking at the sky and regulating his breathing, Suharto lowered his head.

“Um…… Your Highness.”

Clumsy footsteps that couldn’t even hide their presence. After hesitating, a figure with large, sparkling eyes approached.

“Do you remember me?”

Since I’m not really a noticeable person, even though we’ve met before.

The woman did approach rather than pass by, but she fidgeted restlessly and played with her pink hair.

“So, as I was passing by…… since Your Highness was here…… I wanted to greet you……”

Suharto tried to recall the name of the woman who couldn’t finish her sentences due to shyness, but it wasn’t easy.

“Did you see where I came from?”

“What? No. I was just passing by here, but is this somewhere I shouldn’t be?”

Acknowledging that his mind had been elsewhere for a while, Suharto accepted her greeting. Even if he had come from the interrogation room, she wouldn’t know what kind of place it was.

“No. How could that be? Besides, when I ask if you remember, we even had a meal together, so how could I not remember?”

The woman who was with Elena.

“That’s right. At that time, Your Highness also found my precious item for me.”

No. I picked it up thinking it was Elena’s. Otherwise, why would I have picked up an old antique?

“Since that day, I’ve wanted to thank Your Highness, but I didn’t have the opportunity.”

She never had the qualification to meet him in the first place.

This shadow-like woman whom he couldn’t even remember……

Suharto fell silent for a moment at the woman’s petite body and pure face. Her appearance was exactly his ideal type. As soon as he realized this, he hid his hands behind his back. And while concealing the blood that hadn’t been completely washed off, he smiled kindly.

“It’s nice to see you again. Were you on your way somewhere?”

“Ah, I was just taking a walk.”

If she was walking between palaces, she must have had a strong intention to meet someone.

“Then would you like to walk with me? There’s a newly made garden over there that’s quite beautiful.”

Suharto, who was walking ahead, sent a servant on an errand with a whispered word before turning to look at Roina.

“Aren’t you busy?”

Roina asked, thinking that while she might not be, Suharto was the Crown Prince and might be busy.

“It’s fine. No matter how busy I am, I’m not stupid enough to let go of a woman who’s my ideal type.”

At Suharto’s words, Roina’s eyes became dreamily unfocused.

* * *

“Oh no.”

Elena jumped up in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

Miche, who had come in with chocolate milk, set it down beside Elena and approached.

“Nothing.”

Elena answered awkwardly and took the chocolate milk to drink.

“Then I’ll start with the makeup.”

As Miche spoke solemnly while holding a brush, Elena smiled and closed her eyes. Feeling the soft touch of cotton on her face, she recalled the incident she had forgotten.

‘Roina. And the Crown Prince. I completely forgot.’

Many hardships awaited the powerless baron’s daughter on her path to becoming the empress of the Empire.

Her kind nature and love for the Crown Prince alone were not enough to gain the support of nobles who valued legitimacy. There was an incident that led to Roina being recognized as the Crown Prince’s lover.

It wasn’t because she found a great sponsor, but because of an event that made everyone aware of her existence and depend on her.

‘Natural disasters.’

It was natural disasters occurring throughout the entire continent.

From earthquakes of unknown cause to droughts, natural disasters occurred sporadically.

The next morning, a hole large enough to swallow an entire village appeared, while elsewhere part of a city was swept away when a dam suddenly collapsed from overflowing water.

People were anxious about disasters that could strike them at any moment, and Roina appeared to become their savior.

‘She couldn’t do anything, yet somehow disasters miraculously avoided wherever Roina was.’

Boulders rolling down cliffs would avoid only Roina, and during earthquakes that split the ground and swallowed houses, no changes occurred in the spot where Roina stood.

Roina did many things, from saving people beside her to personally entering disaster areas to rescue children.

People came to believe that her very existence protected them.

‘What if Roina is the Crown Prince’s lover?’

They cheered at the thought that if she became the empress of the Empire, they wouldn’t lose her to another country.

The Crown Prince’s political position, which had been overshadowed by the Grand Duke, was instantly reversed because of her.

‘That event will happen soon.’

“Miss.”

When Elena unconsciously rested her chin on her hand while lost in thought, Miche was horrified. Elena looked at her apologetically and sat up straight again.

Miche could focus on the makeup again thanks to Elena’s consideration in correcting herself without needing to be told.

“I’ll do my best to make you look more beautiful than anyone else today.”

Today was the continuation of yesterday’s banquet, and Elena planned to walk the hall with Rudfelix.

Looking at Miche’s face, which seemed even more nervous than her own, Elena suddenly wondered.

“How did you feel when you found out I was dating His Highness?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Miche froze with the brush in her hand. As she rolled her eyes frantically, Ginny, who was fixing Elena’s hair, interjected.

“Any man chosen by you is fortunate, Miss.”

Ginny, who had come with Count Jellisto and was staying at the Grand Duke’s residence, praised Elena.

Unlike the flustered Miche, Ginny naturally accepted her mistress’s question and didn’t hesitate to express her thoughts.

“I think anyone would be unworthy of you. Even His Highness falls far short compared to you.”

Miche, a maid of the Grand Duke’s household, bristled at this, but that was as far as it went.

“I accept him because he’s the one you chose, Miss.”

“Accept……”

Who am I to accept the Grand Duke! Miche was both flustered and envious. Maids who got along well with their mistresses were very rare.

“I also… I also… like it.”

Miche shyly revealed her opinion.

“You like that I’m dating the Grand Duke?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

When Elena tightly held her hand and thanked her, Miche’s face turned red.

After hearing Ginny speak, she had gathered courage to express her opinion and received thanks for it.

Who was she to deserve this?

But at this moment, she felt like she was something.

Miche, burning with even greater enthusiasm than before, wedged brushes between her fingers.

Her fingers became brush-fingers as she charged at Elena’s face.

“Make me pretty.”

Elena added a word, afraid Miche might go overboard. The maid’s heightened excitement was frightening.

“Don’t worry and close your eyes. Miche and I will do well.”

Ginny, who had noticed Miche’s emotional change, said as she ran her fingers through Elena’s hair.

“I wish you would stay here forever, Miss.”

Miche muttered as she finished the makeup by applying a transparent yet sparkling gloss to Elena’s lips.

“I hope you marry His Highness, have babies who look like both of you, and live together for a very long time.”

“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?”

Elena smiled and opened her eyes slightly before closing them again. She closed her eyes pretending not to see because Miche’s expression was so sincere.

“You’re the first person like you I’ve ever met. And I don’t think there will be anyone else like you.”

“There’s only one Elena Jellisto.”

“Yes. That’s right. You’re lovely enough for His Highness to love you. You’re kind to me and everyone else.”

Ginny nodded. Though she hadn’t been here long, Elena had been the same at the Count’s house.

That’s why neither the Count’s employees nor regular customers of the trading company found Elena intimidating.

“If you marry the Grand Duke, you’ll live here forever. The grand duchy will become your new home.”

Once she started talking, Miche said so much that even Ginny was surprised. And she transparently revealed her inner feelings.

She didn’t stop her praise to the point where even Elena, the subject of it, felt embarrassed.

“You listen to my stories well and are kind to everyone. I want to serve you for the rest of my life.”

“The rest of your life? Miche, you should marry someone you love……”

As Elena was about to say “too,” she recalled her earlier concern and had a thought.

‘That incident… should I step in?’