A large hand, tanned just right by the sun, swept over the square paper.

As it passed over the densely written black letters, an image of Cornelia smiling like a flower came to mind.

“As much as the guilt I feel toward you… No, at least half that amount, I want to help you.”

That was what she had meant when she spoke those words in the Neumann territory that day.

“Your Majesty. This will more than significantly aid the plan we’re working on.”

Louis spoke rather emotionally.

If they utilized the materials Cornelia had sent, it could push their work forward.

As he glanced over the documents, a look of delight flashed across his face—but then came a quiet voice.

“Leave it be.”

“…Pardon?”

Louis’s eyes widened.

“These documents. Act as if we never received them.”

“But Your Majesty! These are pieces of evidence that expose the Council’s corruption! They detail embezzlement of the budget, and it’s quite a substantial amount—”

Carlisle raised a hand and cut off the hasty words.

He didn’t need to hear the rest to understand.

Louis’s mouth opened and closed.

“Your Majesty…”

It was a hard opportunity to let go.

Even without the evidence Cornelia had sent, they had enough power on their own.

But if they could uproot the Council swiftly and precisely, that was obviously preferable.

As Louis stepped forward, impatience in his stride, he belatedly registered Carlisle’s expression and stepped back.

It was clearly dark.

The Emperor had spoken—Cornelia’s gift could not be used. In that case, all Louis could do was focus on what could be done now.

He was worried about the continued tension between the two factions following the shocking announcement that had shaken the Roman Empire.

But one fortunate thing was that Cornelia had directly placed the most important key to ending this situation in Carlisle’s hands.

Now that she had clearly taken the Emperor’s side, whenever the time came, there would surely be victory at the end of this path.

Adrian Olsen, the young marquis with a sister complex.

The one who surpassed that reputation was the Marquis of Olsen himself.

‘Ahem—!’

Louis cleared his throat. Then, carefully, he spoke again to his silent liege.

“Your Majesty. The interests previously held by the former Count Citran now appear to be in the hands of the Council and Duke Asman.”

Carlisle turned his head slightly.

“The greedy old man has become a fish in water. Wasn’t this expected?”

Louis’s report brought the Council to mind.

And with it came the familiar displeasure.

“The preparations?”

Carlisle asked.

Louis responded as if he’d been waiting for the question.

“Proceeding according to plan.”

Carlisle swept a hand through his hair.

“Good. The conclusion of this matter will coincide nicely with the upcoming New Year’s festival.”

“Pardon? The New Year’s…?”

There was less than a month left.

They were investigating the Council under the Emperor’s command, collecting evidence—but wrapping everything up within a month would be difficult even with sleepless nights.

Realizing this, Louis’s face turned ashen.

“If we want a peaceful year, we need to root out all the bad things at the start.”

Carlisle remarked coldly and rose from his seat.

His mind was filled with thoughts of Cornelia.

He couldn’t calm himself when he thought of what she must have felt before handing over those documents.

He stopped in front of the office door and turned around.

Louis looked puzzled.

“Your Majesty?”

“Shh.”

‘What does that mean?’

Carlisle brought a finger to his lips, and Louis stared blankly with a question mark on his face.

Carlisle smiled as he looked at him—one corner of his mouth lifted to reveal a dimple.

The work that had consumed him for the past week—work that kept him from seeing Cornelia—was finally coming to an end.

Maybe that’s why.

The cold, expressionless face that had been shrouded in heaviness began to ease slightly.

“Three days off won’t hurt. It’s not like I didn’t do it in the past. Have you forgotten about the incident in Neumann?”

Louis’s face turned pale.

“No way… Your Majesty—!”

Thud.

He shot up from his seat belatedly as he grasped the situation—but Carlisle had already vanished.

Carlisle left the office and moved quickly.

He had no time to acknowledge those who greeted him as he passed.

To others, a reward might mean money or jewels. But to Carlisle, it meant something entirely different.

Cornelia Olsen.

Right now, he longed to see her deeply.

***

“Carlisle?”

Cornelia smiled as she saw the familiar face appear through the open door.

It had been a week since the imperial banquet ended.

“Am I late?”

He was still dazzling, even after such a long time apart.

“No, I just arrived too.”

Seeing him still in his formal uniform, she figured he had just come from a meeting.

Carlisle strode over with long steps and kissed her forehead.

“Have you had lunch?”

“Not yet.”

Cornelia unconsciously held her breath at his touch.

It wasn’t the first time.

But the intensity of her heartbeat during this reunion after a week was overwhelming.

‘My lover. My love. My future.’

The moment she claimed those simple words as her own, emotions surged in like crashing waves.

Cornelia slowly closed her eyes, and Carlisle lowered himself to look at her.

Concern and worry could be seen in his eyes.

“It’s late, isn’t it?”

“I wanted to eat with you.”

His lips curved upward, seemingly pleased with her answer.

Seeing his softly curved smile, Cornelia smiled back.

“If you’ve already eaten, then just stay by my side. I’ll eat as quickly as I can.”

“Hm. Then I should tell them to bring the food out as slowly as possible.”

Cornelia stared at Carlisle. Her gaze said she didn’t understand.

With a faint smile, he gently cupped her chin.

“Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to look at you slowly? I can’t miss a golden moment like this.”

Many women must have fallen for Carlisle’s smooth words.

A sharp thought briefly crossed her mind, but she didn’t dislike what he said.

Cornelia’s lips stretched into a long smile.

Her heart fluttered, as if a warm breeze had brushed past.

“Honestly, I really can’t win against your words.”

Carlisle offered sweet honey in the most unexpected moments.

Before she realized it, she was thoroughly soaked in his slow, sticky seduction.

Suddenly, a wrinkle appeared between his handsome brows.

“Oh no, I’ve been completely oblivious.”

Cornelia widened her eyes and shook her head.

“Don’t misunderstand. I meant that in a good way.”

She quickly reached out to stop his words and finished what she had meant to say.

“It just felt awkward, and I couldn’t think of the right words.”

Fortunately, her excuse worked on him. The deep furrow between his brows smoothed out, and his striking features returned to normal.

Seeing that made her laugh again.

Carlisle turned his gaze to her.

“What is it? Is it just ‘because’ again?”

He looked puzzled, and she replied with a gentle smile.

“It just really feels like I’m truly in a relationship.”

‘In a relationship.’ 

That one phrase softened the atmosphere between them.

“I want to say something, anything, but all I feel are these strange emotions I can’t put into words. What am I supposed to do at times like this?”

As Cornelia asked with a clear face, Carlisle pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Nothing.”

“Hmm? What did you say?”

Perhaps because it wasn’t the answer she expected, her big eyes grew even wider.

Carlisle buried his face in the nape of her neck and inhaled deeply.

He liked the way her slender body flinched.

“Carlisle?”

“Nothing. You don’t need to say anything at all. Just staying by my side is more than enough.”

From their bodies, perfectly pressed together, came a scent that blended coolness and weight in just the right way.

The fragrance she had mixed for the Day of the Blue Moon.

The perfume she hadn’t been able to give out of hesitation had returned to its rightful owner the day after she returned from Neumann territory.

Now, it seemed she was already addicted, the scent lingering at the tip of her nose even when he wasn’t there.

Cornelia took a deep breath.

Then, after a moment of hesitation, she asked him,

“Carlisle. Are you okay?”

A questioning gaze followed.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s the day you were supposed to meet with the Council.”

In truth, she had wanted to ask the moment he walked through the door.

Though it had been a week since she’d last seen him, despite his dazzling appearance, he carried an undeniable weariness.

She was focused on him so much that she couldn’t help but notice.

“Ah, the Council. The conversation went well. There’s nothing to worry about.”

His slow reply sounded just like usual.

Cornelia stared at him intently.

“…Did you hold back?”

“I did.”

“Because of what I said?”

“I can’t say it wasn’t.”

When she stepped back and asked again, he nodded and readily admitted it.

No further explanation was needed.

Both Cornelia, who had asked, and Carlisle, who had answered, knew exactly what the conversation was really about.

Even as he answered calmly, Carlisle reached out to tuck her disheveled golden hair behind her ear.

It was a clumsy, but tender gesture.

“We need to stay calm and composed. More people oppose our union than support it.”

“I shouldn’t have said that…”

Because of what she had said, he had stepped back from someone he didn’t need to concede to.

“You’re someone who can handle things well on your own, but I gave you needless advice.”

Perhaps the regret in her voice came through—his hand paused as it brushed her hair.

Cornelia bit her lip.

It was a subconscious action, driven by the frustration she felt.

If only she had said nothing, it would’ve been better to have a headache than to feel this upset…

Cornelia lowered her head.

A shadow fell over her.