Upon learning about the empress’s troubles, Ivester hurriedly prepared to enter the palace.

Things were calm for now, but not knowing when Emperor Charte might go berserk, he had bribed the servants and maids of the Empress’s Palace.

Anxious and worried, Ivester kept urging his coachman to hurry.

But when his carriage suddenly tilted and stopped in front of the palace, Ivester’s body lurched forward.

Ivester and his servant opened the door and went out.

“What’s happening?”

A woman he had never seen before was kneeling in front of Ivester’s carriage.

The coachman looked at Ivester with an awkward expression and said:

“I apologize. Someone suddenly jumped out……”

The coachman stopped speaking and turned his gaze toward the woman in front of the carriage.

Ivester’s servant approached the woman.

“What are you doing? You could have caused a serious accident.”

The woman stood up with the most urgent and sorrowful face in the world, then greeted Ivester with proper etiquette.

“I am Mary, the second daughter of Baron Anderson’s family.”

“What business do you have with me? Or rather, do you know me, Lady Anderson?”

Mary carefully approached him.

The servant and coachman, finding Mary suspicious, blocked Ivester’s path and remained vigilant.

“I apologize, Minister Pahorder. But I had nowhere else to turn for help, so I’ve committed this rudeness. It’s about Her Majesty the Empress.”

Ivester’s face immediately hardened upon hearing Mary’s words.

‘How does this woman know that something has happened to Leila?’

“Please get in the carriage, lady.”

Ivester took Mary into his carriage and went to a quiet place a little distance from the palace.

Only after dismissing the coachman and servant did he ask about the curiosity that had been building up.

“How do you know about this, lady?”

Suddenly, unexpected tears flowed from Mary’s eyes, startling Ivester, who handed her his handkerchief.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. My sister……”

“Please calm down first.”

After sobbing for a while, Mary seemed to have calmed down and began her story.

“It seems Her Majesty the Empress is in trouble because of my sister, and I apologize again for my impropriety, as I’m not of a status to enter the palace. My mind went blank, and I had no time to think. I’ll accept any punishment.”

“Not at all. What punishment? That’s nonsense. Would you tell me why you sought me out?”

Mary handed Ivester several crumpled pieces of paper.

“What is this?”

“It’s too shameful to even mention……”

As Mary began to cry again, Ivester silently unfolded the crumpled paper.

The names of the empress, emperor, Hyrelia, and Yasrin were scribbled on the paper.

And in one corner, there was a hastily written sentence:

[Her Majesty the Empress told us, the princess and me, the secret that His Majesty the Emperor killed former Empress Yasrin and covered it up.]

Another paper showed envy, jealousy, and resentment toward Leila, with the phrase ‘I will definitely take it away from her’ written on it.

Ivester’s hands began to tremble as he examined the several sheets of paper Mary had given him.

“What should we do? Is Her Majesty the Empress safe?”

“We must hurry. Could you possibly come with me?”

Mary looked at Ivester with trembling eyes and nodded with difficulty.

“……Yes. I had made up my mind from the moment I came looking for you, Minister. However……”

Mary looked at Ivester with tear-moistened eyes.

“However…… could I ask you to protect my parents? I will accept more punishment myself.”

Tears flowed from Mary’s eyes again, and Ivester nodded.

* * *

“Your Majesty the Empress, Minister Pahorder has arrived. What should we do?”

“I don’t want to see anyone right now. Send him away.”

Her head was already killing her, and she didn’t want to meet Leila’s best friend and deal with unnecessary stress.

Peggy told Ivester that now wasn’t a good time.

However, Ivester ignored Peggy and strode into the room.

She felt irritated, wondering why everyone so easily disregarded her words.

“Your Majesty the Empress, it’s Ivester Pahorder, the Minister of Economy.”

“Didn’t you hear that I don’t want to see anyone?”

She spoke sharply to Ivester, her irritation rising.

Peggy quickly followed him in and tried to intervene, but Ivester ignored her and said,

“Today I’ve come as Leila Whyman’s friend, Ivester. There’s a reason you must see me right now. Lady Anderson!”

She grew angrier when the completely unexpected Lady Anderson entered as well.

She didn’t want to see anyone, and now another person had entered—it felt like everyone was disrespecting her.

And she couldn’t even recognize who Mary was.

Of course, she heard the name Anderson, but she didn’t have the presence of mind to remember who that was.

With all cognitive functions paralyzed and her mental state collapsed, she spoke with a tired face.

“Please, everyone, just go back today. I said I don’t want to see anyone.”

At that moment, Mary knelt down and began to beg while crying.

“Your Majesty the Empress, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

While she was bewildered by this unexpected behavior, Ivester held out the crumpled paper.

When she saw the paper, her face hardened in surprise.

After a while, she finally calmed her trembling heart and opened her mouth.

“What…… what is this?”

Mary explained what had happened.

She took Mary’s hand.

“Thank you. Thank you, lady.”

Then belatedly, she recognized her face.

“Lady, you were at the party last time…… right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress. It’s an honor that you remember me.”

“I keep receiving help from you. I haven’t even thanked you for last time yet……”

“Thanks? Not at all. I only did what any imperial citizen should naturally do.”

“This time, I won’t forget your contribution.”

Mary Anderson felt like a special connection sent from heaven.

A connection sent to prevent her from dying here.

While she was inwardly thanking the universe for their connection, Mary suddenly knelt before her and bowed.

“Thank you. Thank you so much, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“I’ll contact you again soon. Please go back for today. Madam Peggy will guide you.”

After Mary and Peggy left, only she and Ivester remained in the empress’s room.

“Thank you, Minister Pahorder.”

“I came as a friend today, so couldn’t you call me like before?”

Now that she saw a way forward, her previously frozen mind began working rapidly.

‘Like before…… I hope they didn’t have some kind of pet name for each other. That would be awkward. But he saved my life, so I can’t refuse his request.’

“Thank you. Ives…… ter……?”

Ivester’s face momentarily stiffened before relaxing into a smile.

For a moment, she worried she’d done something wrong, but it seemed fine.

“I’ll definitely repay this favor someday. Really, thank you. Will you come with me?”

Ivester nodded with a bright smile.

She led the way with Ivester following behind.

They walked toward the Second Annex Palace where Emperor Charte was.

* * *

Viscount Catano kept looking at Charte without being able to speak.

Charte, who had been reviewing documents since dawn, could no longer endure and spoke first.

“Just say what you want to say. Viscount Catano, how long do you intend to get on my nerves?”

“Your Majesty…… what should we do today?”

“Do what about what?”

“What should we do about the empress’s case? Should we make it public and begin the interrogation……”

“How annoying.”

“Pardon?”

“You said if I just got married, you wouldn’t question anything and would only show loyalty…… If I hadn’t married, none of this would have happened. Viscount, it would be simple to just kill everyone involved…… Why are you so anxious about such things?”

Blood drained from Viscount Catano’s face, and his expression became weighed down with a million more worries.

‘Good heavens! I thought he had calmed down, but his old habits are showing again. I thought marriage had settled him down……’

“Your Majesty the Emperor, do you really think the empress said such things? Please keep in mind that the Whyman family has been loyal for generations.”

Charte fell silent, lost in thought.

He knew.

He knew she wouldn’t have done it.

Apart from coming from a loyal family, someone with such a strong attachment to life wouldn’t carelessly run her mouth.

True, there were times when she didn’t act like a proper lady from a loyal family, but……

The empress had risked her life to make a contract to survive and was faithfully fulfilling it to stay alive—even someone as unhinged as Charte could understand that such a person wouldn’t speak about that woman to someone with no connection.

She had nothing to gain from this incident.

She only had things to lose.

The only person who would benefit from this incident was Princess Hyrelia.

The main culprit was clearly Princess Hyrelia.

Considering the anger that had built up while living quietly after marriage, it wouldn’t be enough even to wage war immediately.

Perhaps because he had lived that way for three years, he missed the smell of blood.

For three years, he had forgotten his bone-deep loneliness with the smell of blood.

Moreover, he had a justification for war!

The crime of entrapping the empress and insulting the imperial family.

Charte just needed to make a decision.

Evidence wasn’t necessary.

He could resolve this incident by waging war and wiping out the Kingdom of Hazel, but the moment he proposed war, Nathan Whyman would be the one to stop it, even if it meant killing his own daughter.

Even with evidence, he would prevent a war that would cause innocent casualties, citing diplomatic reasons.

As Prime Minister, Nathan Whyman would.

Perhaps due to his hunger for blood that he had been suppressing,

Charte, feeling like he needed to work up a sweat, took Commander Rad with him.

Leaving behind Viscount Catano, who watched Commander Rad being dragged away with eyes full of sympathy……

‘Your sacrifice could save ten others……’

As if understanding Viscount Catano’s thoughts, Commander Rad closed his eyes deeply and reopened them.