Shortly after, the royal physician came to me again to ask questions about CPR for the incident investigation.

They still didn’t know the method I had performed, and the opposition attacked me, calling it a wicked technique.

I almost panicked when told that in the empire, in such cases, they either place the person on a saddle and shake them or give up.

I explained CPR to the royal physician.

After hearing my explanation, he became excited, saying it was an incredible method, and instead of investigating further, he learned how to perform CPR before leaving.

I was deeply troubled about the glove every day.

Mary came to see me with tears welling in her eyes.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Mary.”

“Are you alright? I’m sorry I couldn’t visit you for so long. I was busy being questioned, so please don’t feel hurt. How could His Majesty misunderstand like this……”

Mary began to shed small tears with an expression as if she were the one being wronged.

I was so grateful for Mary’s genuine concern that I hugged her tightly.

“I believe the truth will come to light. Don’t worry! Let’s hang in there.”

“I should be the one giving Your Majesty strength, but I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“No. How is Peggy?”

“She’s still being questioned. So, Your Majesty.”

She paused and looked at me.

“What is it? Tell me anything.”

“Since Madam Peggy isn’t here, the palace is quite disorganized. How about I take over her duties?”

It was something I hadn’t thought of because I was so preoccupied.

“Oh my. I should have thought of this earlier. Mary, you’ll be acting as Peggy’s substitute for the time being.”

After sending her away, I went alone to the back garden of the Empress’s Palace, feeling stifled.

I never thought I’d be under house arrest as an empress when I hadn’t even experienced it as a student.

I desperately wanted to talk to Charte.

It had been quite some time since I’d seen him, and the promised time had already passed.

At this rate, I might die not for attempted murder but for breaching the contract, and I became emotional from the unfairness of the entire situation.

“To frame the person who saved your life! How could you! If you can’t be grateful! You ungrateful, terrible man!”

“Is that ‘terrible man’ supposed to be me?”

I froze in place at the chilling voice, unable to even turn around.

Of all times! Now! Why! Why was his voice coming from here?

I denied reality, telling myself that he couldn’t possibly appear in the Empress’s Palace where I was under house arrest, that this was just an auditory hallucination, but as if mocking my wishes, the real Charte appeared before me.

“Your… Your… Your Majesty.”

I was relieved to see that he looked very healthy.

“Did the empress not hear my question? Or are you pretending not to hear?”

“Are you feeling well, Your Majesty?”

“Are you changing the subject now? Am I the ungrateful, terrible man who can’t even be grateful? I’m curious.”

“Ah, that, well, it wasn’t specifically directed at anyone, how should I put it? It was anger toward the world that I expressed because I felt so wronged? How could I dare speak harshly about Your Majesty? I think I know the terror of imperial defamation better than anyone in the empire, don’t you agree, Your Majesty?”

He gave a small laugh.

“I admit it. The empress’s quick wit is truly……”

After looking at him with an embarrassed face, I asked.

“But why did you come here? You shouldn’t be here. I was told I couldn’t meet anyone.”

“There’s no place in the empire I cannot go. And, empress.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think I’m just anyone?”

“What?”

Our gazes met.

Looking at his handsome face with deep eyes that seemed to pull me in, eyes that could enchant just by looking at them, I momentarily forgot my situation and sense of crisis.

I answered sincerely in a rather loud voice, surprising even myself.

“No. How could Your Majesty be just anyone! Absolutely not.”

After answering, I turned my gaze away in embarrassment, looking off into the distance when his quiet voice was heard.

“I heard you saved me, Empress?”

“What? Yes. I saved Your Majesty.”

He nodded.

The slow movement made it appear more confident.

“Do you believe me?”

He nodded once more.

With a thoughtful face showing his trust.

“I truly feel wronged. After how hard I performed CPR to save Your Majesty.”

“I heard. The royal medical staff said they want to share this amazing method with everyone. The empress always has unexpected talents that help her overcome crises.”

“So you believe me?”

He shook his head.

“When I regained consciousness, your face told me everything.”

“What? My face?”

Suddenly, I wondered if the emperor might have mind-reading abilities since magic exists in this world, and I felt a jolt of fear.

I remembered how I had cursed him terribly in my mind while smiling on the outside.

“Do you practice mind reading or something like that?”

He made an expression as if I were talking nonsense, then added an explanation.

“I think you have more to gain by staying as empress than by killing me. Such actions carry too much risk to throw something away rather than to gain something.”

I nodded vigorously, agreeing with his words.

Then both of us spoke simultaneously.

“And I’m curious.”

“So will my house arrest be lifted soon?”

Our words overlapped, making it difficult to hear properly. Just as I was about to ask again at that crucial moment, Commander Rad suddenly appeared, startling me.

“Your Majesty, we need to move.”

He hurriedly stepped away, whispering with Viscount Catano who had appeared behind him, then suddenly turned back to look at me.

“Prepare plenty.”

After saying just that, he turned and left quickly.

I watched him go, but the darkness swallowed him instantly, and he soon disappeared from view.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Though I hadn’t known him long, I knew he wasn’t someone who would speak idly.

His trust was firm, and I could tell our contract was still in progress.

I remembered the day I first met him.

It felt strange to think that the man who had contemplated whether to kill or spare me was now showing more definite trust than anyone else.

Left alone, my feelings were mixed—inexplicably excited and fluttery.

The fact that he believed in me made me feel this way.

His trust felt different from the trust my father and Ivester had in me.

I couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, but I wondered if this feeling might be like the camaraderie(?) formed between those who have faced life and death together.

Until recently, I thought I should have let him die with me, but now I felt rewarded for saving him, which made me think how fickle I was.

Prime Minister Whyman, Ivester, and now Charte—they’re all my stronger supports than anyone.

After a life filled with distrust of humans, hope finally shone through after a long time.

However, contrary to my hopes, the house arrest that I thought would be lifted soon lasted longer than expected.

During that time, as the imperial faction and noble faction fought, not only the kitchen staff of the Empress’s Palace but also those responsible for the ingredients were investigated and dragged to prison.

The problem was that despite all the torture, neither the culprit nor the mastermind was revealed, prolonging the fight.

As this endless, tedious battle continued, it was discovered that the noble faction had bribed some of those being tortured to frame me as the mastermind, and the case was concluded with those involved suffering a string of deaths.

I heard that the noble faction had tried to use me as a hostage to hold out, but they couldn’t withstand Charte’s fierce swordplay any longer.

The imperial faction, including my father, was concerned that the culprit and mastermind had not been identified, but they agreed to conclude the case for now to lift my house arrest.

Dalton and Peggy were punished for negligent management of the Empress’s Palace and fired, with Mary becoming the acting head lady-in-waiting.

The Empress’s Palace underwent significant personnel changes and was reorganized around Mary, and peaceful daily life resumed.

I met Ivester after a long time and exchanged stories about magic.

He told me that ordinary mages neither practice nor are capable of soul swapping or one-sided possession, so I decided to look for a mage with exceptional abilities.

Perhaps because I kept talking about such unimaginable things, I still sometimes felt like this place was a dream.

It lacked reality, which might be why I could endure even moments of life-and-death.

“……Ah, Yun-ah. Yun-ah!”

“Ah! Yes? What?”

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Just something.”

“I’ll be going now. Yun-ah.”

“It feels strange. To think my name would become unfamiliar.”

“Let’s think of it as adapting well enough for your name to feel unfamiliar.”

“I’ll think positively, like Ivester said.”

“Leila must be doing well too, like you?”

“If she went to my world, at least she wouldn’t be in such danger. It’s a country governed by law. Ah! I just…”

Unable to tell Charte, I discussed with Ivester what I had found in the kitchen and the strange aspects of it.

“Thank you. It must have been difficult, but you thought to act on your own. We haven’t finished either. My father the Prime Minister, and Marquis Russell are continuing the investigation, so don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you too.”

As I went out to see him off, Mary was at the door with a slightly flushed face.

I realized as I watched her greet Ivester with a subtly changed voice.

Mary clearly liked Ivester.

Finding such a bright current after a long time made me feel lighter, and I suggested a walk to Mary.

“How have you been lately? Is it hard with so much work?”

“Not at all. Perhaps because I’m doing it for Your Majesty the Empress, it’s not tiring at all, just enjoyable. And I feel like this is the first time in my life I’ve lived so meaningfully. I think I’d feel sad if another head lady-in-waiting were appointed and I had nothing to do.”

“I’m glad to see Mary so happy. It’s good to have you constantly by my side as head lady-in-waiting. I think you should continue as head lady-in-waiting.”

“If such an opportunity were given, it would be too great an honor. It’s something I can hardly imagine. My experience is too humble to aspire to such a position, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“What are you saying! As long as you do your job well. And since you’re my head lady-in-waiting, shouldn’t my opinion be considered!”

“If that really happens.”

Mary couldn’t finish her sentence and began to cry.

“I never thought such a happy day would come in my life.”

I patted Mary and hugged her.

“I’m the one who’s grateful that you’re so happy about it. I’ll use my power as empress.”

While having a pleasant conversation with Mary, a lady-in-waiting rushed in with news.

“Your Majesty the Empress. We’ve received word that His Majesty the Emperor will visit this evening.”

I hurried back to the palace and began preparations.

I hadn’t thought about it because I’d been so preoccupied, but it had been eight weeks since I owed him my life.

For someone as fiery as him, it was a time when he might kill me immediately if he got even slightly bored.

Eight weeks was.