Whyman thought this contract was real.

At the time of the marriage, the empress was not Leila but Jo Yun-ah.

If so, it was entirely possible.

Leila wouldn’t have done such a big thing, but it was possible for Jo Yun-ah who knew nothing about the empire.

“Let me meet Elisha just once. That child won’t plan anything for the future. Please, I’m begging you. Whether you like it or not, we’ve been rubbing shoulders for over 40 years. Nathan.”

Whyman let out a deep sigh without realizing it.

“Why did you do such a foolish thing in a country you’ve lived in for over 40 years? If you had just received punishment for your previous crimes, your family would have been safe.”

“At that time, it seemed like the only way to survive. Looking back, it feels like I was possessed by something. You only have Leila, so can’t you understand my feelings?”

Whyman felt like sparing Elisha’s life because he understood Neiyard’s feelings.

But he couldn’t make such an important decision based on compassion.

“With whom did you plan such a nonsensical thing?”

“I didn’t plan it; Yasrin revealed the truth. That wicked one told me the location of the secret safe, so I stole it, and she intercepted it in between. I think this is worth negotiating.”

Prime Minister Whyman fell into thought again.

Feeling that if he continued sitting here, he might be led by Neiyard’s wishes, he stood up.

“Please, I beg you. Save Elisha. Don’t you pity that young child?”

“Elisha is already an adult.”

And Whyman left without looking back and went straight to the empress’s palace.

* * *

“Father, no, Prime Minister Whyman, why have you come at this hour?”

Whyman placed the document on the table with a devastated face.

“What is this? Is it true?”

She reached out to take the document and began reading.

It was their marriage contract.

“How do you have this?”

“Is this true?”

Instead of speaking, she carefully nodded.

“At that time, I had no choice to survive.”

“Was everything an act, as in this contract?”

“At first, yes. But now, absolutely not. Now I truly love His Majesty. His Majesty feels the same way. It started as a contract, but now it’s sincere.”

Whyman closed his eyes with a deep sigh.

“It’s just the past.”

“How could you have such an impertinent thought?”

“As I said earlier, I did it because I wanted to live. I didn’t want to die unjustly in a strange place. I had no intention of causing trouble for His Majesty with this. Who had this contract?”

“Neiyard gave me the contract.”

“How did he know the location of the secret safe?”

“Because he was an accomplice with Yasrin.”

“Why did he bring this up now?”

“He’s asking to spare Elisha’s life.”

“What do you think? Could she be a future threat? I don’t want to do anything that might endanger Charte, even remotely. This is the only evidence.”

“To be honest, as a father with a daughter, I was momentarily swayed. I understood his desire to save Elisha.”

“Leila will be returning soon. What choice will you make?”

“There’s no need to distinguish between Leila and Your Majesty the Empress. I consider both of you my daughters. Haven’t you always treated me like a father? You even called me Dad because you liked it.”

Warmth spread through one corner of her heart.

“I knew Leila didn’t want this marriage, but I pushed it forward pretending not to know.”

“So you knew.”

“She told me she would divorce even if I opposed when she returned.”

She hesitated, not knowing whether to comfort her father or support Leila, unable to take sides or know what to say.

“After Leila’s mother passed away, I was only sorry that I couldn’t raise her affectionately because I was busy with state affairs. I even felt guilty when I forced her into marriage. It felt like I was ruining my daughter’s life as I pleased. But I was able to endure because Your Majesty lightened my burden.”

“Thank you for accepting it so well.”

“You might curse me as a selfish father to the end, but when you called me Dad on the wedding day, I felt forgiven, and seeing you living happily, I could comfort myself that my choice wasn’t bad. Thank you.”

“No. I’ve always been grateful that you’ve been affectionate to me and I could rely on you. I’ve always been thankful, so take care of your health. I’ll always pray for you, even from afar.”

“I hope you’ll be happier in the place you return to. Yun-ah, my other daughter.”

Feeling touched, she placed her hand over her father’s.

Then his hand came up again on top of hers, patting her hand.

Despite trying hard to hold back, she ended up shedding tears.

Thanks to Neiyard, she was able to reminisce about the father-daughter affection she never expected.

After her flowing tears subsided, she returned to the topic she had paused to digress from.

“I know Elisha has a pure character, but I’m also worried she might become a problem in the future. Please make a wise choice that will help Charte.”

After Prime Minister Whyman, no, her father left, she began writing a letter.

She had been writing it in case things suddenly changed, to avoid getting caught, but fortunately, there had been no changes afterward.

Still, it was true that she was spending each day in anxiety.

Now, this letter was being written less as preparation and more as a thank you to Leila for allowing her to live a life she couldn’t have imagined.

She wanted to let Leila know that the life she had rejected was an irreplaceable happiness for her, and to thank her for such a gift.

Happiness was relative.

If she hadn’t switched with Leila and had lived her original life, she would have surely worked, met someone at an appropriate time, married, worked together with her spouse, and lived an ordinary life aiming to buy a house.

But thanks to the switch, she was able to meet someone she loved enough to exchange her life for and live a passionate life.

Although she experienced several life-threatening crises in this place that was more barbaric than the world she used to live in, it was a satisfying and happy life that surpassed all these things.

She was deeply grateful to her.

After Charte’s condition improved, all those who participated in the rebellion, including Yasrin and Neiyard, were beheaded.

She didn’t attend the execution ceremony held in the square as it seemed difficult to watch.

And Elisha was secretly exiled to a foreign country.

Charte had decided to spare Elisha’s life and gave her a new path.

When news came that Ivester would visit with Gardio, she felt like a death row inmate.

It felt chilling, as if the day of execution was approaching.

“How have you been, Your Majesty the Empress?”

After Ivester and Gardio knelt and greeted her, they sat in the chairs opposite.

“Today, I’d like to serve tea myself.”

She poured hot water over the tea leaves and steeped them for a while.

Then she discarded the first water and poured the second water for Ivester and Gardio.

“Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress.”

In truth, she wanted to delay the words that would come from Gardio if there was any excuse.

But contrary to this wish, after drinking the tea, Gardio immediately got to the point.

“All preparations are complete. The person Prime Minister Whyman found for us is so skilled that we were able to synchronize quickly.”

To hide her trembling heart, she drank tea to calm herself and forcibly continued the conversation.

“I see. That’s good.”

“We need to perform the magic on the upcoming full moon. If we miss the date, both of you could be in danger. Soon, Your Majesty the Empress will be able to return to your original world.”

She spoke calmly while looking at Gardio.

“You’ve worked hard. Please take care until the end.”

After Gardio greeted her and left first, she faced Ivester.

“Ivester, thank you so much for everything. Without you, I might have already died.”

Ivester smiled slightly and said lightly,

“I’m grateful too.”

“Huh? I’ve only received help and haven’t given you any, so thank you for saying that.”

“No. Thanks to you, I was able to forget Leila.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Actually, Leila was my first love, and I confessed but was rejected. Still, I couldn’t forget her.”

“Really? Truly? Since when did you like her? Tell me more details.”

“I liked her since we were very young and thought we would naturally marry when we grew up. I thought my life was blessed to love the best match among the political marriages I could make. So after her debutante, I confessed, but I was immediately rejected. She said if I wanted to see her even as a friend, never to say such things again.”

Suddenly, she remembered asking Ivester about her debutante.

Now she understood why he had changed the subject then.

“But I’m starting to feel a bit offended.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Was I that bad? Hearing that everything was cleared up because of me makes it sound like my personality was extremely strange. Since our faces are identical, if there’s a difference, it would be personality. Or could it be my hair?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what?”

“Seeing you happily married, I felt it would be a sin to desire and hold onto feelings while ignoring the other person’s emotions. You looked so happy that I wanted to protect that. And for the first time, I thought I wanted to meet someone I could face like you do.”

Ivester seemed to have more to say but didn’t bring it up further.

She didn’t probe further, thinking that if it was something Ivester didn’t want to say, it probably wasn’t good content.

“Still, I’m really glad I was of some help. I felt very sorry for only receiving help one-sidedly. It makes me feel good that your heart has lightened because of me. I probably won’t find a friend like you again.”

“The same goes for me. It was fun thanks to Yun-ah.”

“It couldn’t have been easy to risk your life helping in a world like this. Even after I’m gone, remember me occasionally. I’ll also never forget you and will always think of you with good feelings.”

“I won’t forget a good friend like Yun-ah. I wanted to show you me getting married and living happily like you, but that’s a shame.”

“If people find out you’ve decided to get married, it will cause quite a stir in high society.”

She approached Ivester, who was smiling quietly.

Ivester was surprised by her sudden approach but quickly stood up.

She gave him a light hug and patted his back.

“Thank you so much. I may not be able to see it, but I bless and will always support the life that awaits you.”

Then she pulled away and looked into his eyes as she spoke.

“I hear you’re the most likely candidate for the next Prime Minister? Please take good care of my Charte. Make sure he’s not lonely and doesn’t go down the wrong path. Always stay by his side and watch over him. And find him a good empress who can stay by his side forever this time.”

Ivester smiled slightly and answered seriously.

“I will. Don’t worry. I’ll protect your Charte, who is also my emperor.”