One brief question shattered Chloe.

That single expression of concern—asking whether something was wrong—swept away all her distracting thoughts.

“Something is wrong with me…….”

Although no one was there to hear her, Chloe clutched the letter and murmured those words repeatedly.

“And I am not all right at all…….”

Her love always ended in failure.

Chloe had lost everyone she had ever loved—her husband, her family, and her friend.

[To my dear friend.]

The only person she had left was this man who knew her, yet whom she did not truly know at all.

[Yes. Something is wrong.]

Chloe still had no idea who the man really was.

He could be a wanted criminal, a wealthy foreign noble, or just an ordinary traveler.

She didn’t even know if Kuhn was his real name. She also had no idea of her friend’s exact age or address.

She also had no idea how he sent his letters or how hers reached him.

Yet Chloe dared to rely on a man of unknown origins.

Even if Kuhn wanted to help her, there was nothing he could do.

The only person who could give her what she wanted was the Emperor.

Was it because her friend shared the same name as the Emperor?

For once, Chloe allowed herself to make a childish plea.

[Then will you please help me? Please.]

Chloe revealed her most vulnerable and broken self to this man.

She begged him for help, something she had never done before, not even with her own family.

Though dawn was approaching, the sky remained pitch black.

A woman opened the door cautiously, surveyed the room, and slipped inside.

The quiet chamber was filled with the soft, steady breathing of its sleeping occupant.

Silencing her footsteps, the woman approached the bedside and reached for her target.

After being absent for several days, a letter had finally appeared on the bedside table. At last, it found its way into the woman’s hands.

The sender had left the envelope unsealed.

Though reluctant, the woman decided to seal it with wax herself.

After all, if another day passed without a letter, a certain someone would certainly clutch the back of his neck and collapse.

She happened to glimpse the contents entirely by accident.

It certainly wasn’t because she was curious about what the two of them had been writing to each other about.

“His Majesty will turn the entire Empire upside down when he reads this.”

The moment she returned to the kingdom with the letter, trouble would erupt.

Anticipating the chaos to come, the woman could already feel a headache forming.

***

The ducal estate had been bustling since early morning.

Today was the day that the Duke and Duchess of Arhen were due to depart for the Empire.

Several days earlier, the Emperor of the Frihid Empire had summoned the couple to the imperial palace.

Kallis had played a part in forging the alliance between the Empire and the kingdom, so he occasionally received invitations to the palace. Thus, the invitation itself was nothing unusual.

What was unusual was the haste with which the visit had been arranged.

Invitations from the Empire usually allowed ample time for preparation, yet this one had arrived only a few days before their scheduled departure.

Consequently, the entire household was thrown into a frenzy of activity.

They also went to great lengths to procure a fitting tribute for the Emperor.

On the morning of their departure, the maids responsible for menial tasks scurried around, drenched in sweat, while the ladies’ maids flitted between the mirrors, their arms laden with jewelry.

“Do you like this one?”

“Hmm…….”

Helena had been invited to join the party travelling to the Empire.

She studied her reflection in the mirror.

None of the necklaces seemed suitable for adorning her bare neck.

At her irritated hum, the maid hastily brought another necklace.

That one failed to satisfy her, too.

“That one.”

She pointed her outstretched finger at the Duchess sitting next to her.

Usually, Chloe would have had to prepare alone.

However, as they had an important engagement to attend, she had been granted special permission to receive assistance from the maids in the powder room.

“I want that one.”

When Helena spoke, all eyes immediately turned to the necklace around Chloe’s neck.

Only Chloe remained composed, calmly studying her reflection in the mirror.

The maids began exchanging uneasy glances.

No matter how poorly she was treated within the ducal household, she was still a princess.

They could hardly steal from a member of the royal family.

“That one looks beautiful. Hurry and bring it to me.”

Oblivious to their hesitation, Helena urged them on.

“If you desire it that badly, I shall gladly surrender it.”

Clatter.

Just as the maids began moving awkwardly toward her, Chloe tore the necklace from her neck and threw it onto the floor.

“Ha!”

Helena released an incredulous breath.

At that moment, Helena’s personal maid approached the discarded necklace and knelt before it.

“Are you truly planning to place that piece of rubbish around my neck?”

“Pardon? N-No…… I-I am sorry!”

“Then hurry back here and prepare another necklace. You are so frustrating that I can hardly stand it.”

With her mood ruined, Helena took out her anger on the innocent maid.

Glancing sideways and pretending not to care, she saw that Chloe had already started choosing another necklace.

Helena wanted nothing more than to grab that woman by the hair there and then.

‘I shall endure it just for today.’

However, since they had been summoned to the Imperial Palace, Helena decided to let the matter pass this time.

Although it was infuriating, the woman in question would be visiting the palace in her official capacity as Duchess.

According to Kallis, he intended to ask the Emperor for permission to marry Helena during this visit.

Usually, a second wedding would be impossible, as this would violate the sacred vows he had made before God.

A married man could not formally marry his mistress. Yet Kallis claimed that even such an immutable law could be overturned by the Emperor.

If the Emperor granted his permission, the temple would have no choice but to comply.

Once Kallis had secured the Emperor’s approval, Helena would officially become a member of the ducal household.

Her imagination was filled with scenes of unimaginable splendor.

In her fantasy, she rode through cheering crowds in an extravagant wedding carriage.

Every newspaper would compete to tell her story, and those who had once scorned her would now look upon her with envy and admiration.

‘I feel happy merely imagining it!’

***

Chloe and Kallis stopped in front of the doors to the Emperor’s audience chamber.

As soon as the guards withdrew, Kallis whispered.

“You had better conduct yourself properly today, Chloe. We are standing before the Emperor himself, and I doubt you would dare do anything foolish.”

He said this as he recalled the previous banquet.

He had warned her not to ignore him or let it slip that their relationship had deteriorated.

What a fool.

Unlike him, Chloe was not foolish enough to confuse personal feelings with official matters.

She had behaved as she pleased at the Mollian banquet only because she had many allies there.

She would never have dared to behave disrespectfully in front of the emperor.

“You should be the one to refrain from doing anything foolish, Duke.”

After observing Kallis’s unease, Chloe scoffed.

Worry about yourself.

She did not say those exact words, but that was precisely what her statement meant.

Having his own warning turned against him, Kallis could not even lose his temper; he could only clench his teeth.

‘I am the one who must accomplish something here.’

This was her last chance to divorce him.

The perfect moment had arrived for her to meet the one person she needed most.

Chloe believed that this was God’s final lifeline to her.

They would be staying at the imperial palace for no more than a week.

Securing the Emperor’s approval for her divorce in such a short time would be impossible. At the very least, she had to persuade him to support her.

Above all, she could not allow the Emperor to be influenced by Kallis, as the High Priest had been.

Steeling herself, Chloe knocked on the door.

Her elegant knock sounded like the measured beat of a percussion instrument, and the door immediately swung open.

A long red carpet strewn thickly with rose petals stretched out before her.

Keeping her back perfectly straight, she proceeded down the carpet.

She took care to keep her footsteps as quiet as possible, ensuring her strides were neither too long nor too short.

With the tension inside her growing with every step, she finally reached the end.

There, she and Kallis knelt at the edge of the carpet.

“We greet the Sun of the Empire.”

“Yes. Thank you for answering my sudden summons.”

The Emperor, commander of the Empire and ruler of the world, returned their greeting.

“You are aware that the anniversary of the war’s end between our two nations will occur in several months.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“I intend to hold a festival commemorating the occasion. I believe I shall require both of you then.”

She would have another opportunity to see the Emperor several months from now.

If she used the festival wisely, she might even be able to travel to the Empire several more times before then.

“It is an honor that Your Majesty requires our services.”

“The honor is mine to hear you say so. Now, raise your heads and look upon me.”

The two of them lifted their heads and faced the Emperor, who was seated on the imperial throne.

He gazed down at them, propping his chin on one hand. His posture was noticeably crooked.

He was said to wear a mask to conceal his identity, and today was no exception.

Rumor had it that the face hidden beneath it was exceptionally handsome. Even with the mask obscuring half of his face, he exuded an extraordinary presence.

“Yes, neither of you appears to have changed. I am relieved to see you both looking well. I have planned for the preparations to last approximately ten days. Tell me your thoughts.”

“If Your Majesty requires us, we shall gladly assist you, no matter how many days it takes.”

“Even if they are merely words, I appreciate hearing them. I have prepared rooms for both of you, so rest well today.”

Two imperial officials soon approached the couple.

All that remained was to exchange brief farewells and retire to the rooms the Emperor had assigned them.

“Ah, that reminds me.”

It happened then.

Kuhn, Emperor of the Frihid Empire, spoke again as though he had suddenly remembered something.

“I would like to speak privately with the Duchess, so I ask that she remain behind for a moment.”

At the Emperor’s request, Chloe raised her head.

Kuhn, who had kept his eyes closed as though everything bored him, opened them fully for the first time.

Her gaze met the abyss beyond his mask.

‘……Kuhn?’

The moment Chloe saw those blood-red eyes, another man suddenly came to mind.