“If you have nothing to say, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave. Empress.”

Dade, who had been glaring at the silent Nian, spoke coldly. Nian closed her eyes briefly and opened them, then spoke with a slightly trembling voice.

“Would you like to have a drink with me, Your Majesty?”

“?”

Dade frowned slightly at the unexpected question.

“You can think of it as repayment for the herbal tea I’ve served you every night.”

“I’ll pass on uncomfortable drinking companions.”

Despite his refusal, Nian called for an attendant.

“Could you bring a bottle of wine and some simple snacks?”

The attendant looked at Dade, checking his reaction. At her unusual persistence, he finally nodded slightly. Having received Dade’s permission, the attendant quickly left the room.

After the attendant left, Dade looked at her coldly as she stubbornly maintained her silence. Unable to bear it any longer, Dade picked up the wine bottle, skillfully removed the cork, poured a glass, and spoke.

“I look forward to hearing what business requires liquid courage.”

“The night is not long for someone who can’t sleep anyway.”

Dade smiled bitterly.

“It seems only my nights are long, not yours.”

Nian picked up her glass. He poured the whiskey he always kept next to his study instead of wine. After hesitating for a moment while fidgeting with the wine glass, she slowly drank the wine, and he tossed back his whiskey. Only after a couple more glasses did Nian speak.

“Are you still, even now… the same?”

“I’d appreciate if you included the subject.”

“It doesn’t matter which, does it?”

Whether she was asking if he “still loved that woman” or if he “still hated her,” it was ultimately the same question. If he still loved that woman, then he would still hate Nian.

“Yes.”

Dade bit his lip before answering, unusually taking his time.

Was it from the alcohol? Nian responded with a slightly sad expression.

“If you had met me before that woman, would you have loved me, Your Majesty?”

“……”

“Or if I had just been Ilena?”

“Stop.”

As she verbalized what he had been pondering all along, he frowned and cut her off.

“You’re being overly emotional. In any case, I met her before you, and you are the Empress, not Ilena, so these are pointless thoughts.”

“We can’t go on like this forever.”

“That’s not for you to decide, is it?”

“……”

“Ha, I don’t know why I’m having this conversation with you. So what’s your conclusion? Are you asking for forgiveness now?”

“……”

“I regretted telling you about her existence that day for many nights. Thinking that she died alone just because she spent barely half a year with me made me grind my teeth.”

His voice rose slightly. Nian said nothing and looked at him. The emotion that had once broken through demolished his composure, and he now stared at Nian with renewed hatred.

After staring at her for a long time, Dade finished the whiskey in his hand and spoke in a slightly subdued voice.

“So, it’s all pointless now. That’s it.”

He smiled bitterly.

Yes, what was the point of worrying? Even if he had developed different feelings for Nian, it couldn’t happen. For the sake of the poor deceased woman, he and Nian had to remain in hell.

“Go back. That’s an order. I won’t forgive any more presumptuous behavior beyond this.”

He stood up and turned away from her. Nian’s body trembled slightly at his deep hatred. When she had faced him after a long time, she felt both sad and happy at his uncharacteristically rough appearance.

Bringing up the topic of that woman was extremely uncomfortable, but she wanted to ask even if she had to rely on alcohol. She had intended to provoke him just to get clues, but it seemed some hopeful feelings had mixed in. Seeing his disappointing reaction.

Thankfully, he remained the same—resolute.

“What do you want, Your Majesty?”

“Well.”

At her words, he turned back to her with a sneer and took a step closer.

“If I tell you what I want, can you give it to me?”

Dade’s deepened blue eyes looked at Nian painfully.

“If you wish for a divorce, I will do so……”

“What?”

“A divorce……”

His eyes suddenly sharpened.

“Shut your mouth.”

“……”

“So you want to divorce and be free, do you? By whose decision? I knew you were shameless, but you’re worse than I thought. You.”

He approached until he was at Nian’s feet, lifted her black hair, and kissed her neck lightly while whispering coldly.

“You’d better wake up from that dream. Even if you wither away, you’ll die in that empress position you so desperately wanted.”

He lightly kissed her earlobe. Nian felt a chill down her spine at his cruel words.

Yes. He wouldn’t let her go so easily.

It felt like being in hell. She would wither away in this suffocating place, just as he said. Barely suppressing the urge to embrace her as she trembled faintly, he spoke coldly.

“If you’re going to stay, we’ll continue this in the bedroom.”

“I’ll leave. Rest well.”

Nian finally regained her dazed mind and turned away.

***

“It must be a noble. If it were a commoner, he wouldn’t have asked me to break off our engagement. In any case, he intended to make her empress, so she must have been a noble, but not of high rank. Considering he met her secretly.”

“……”

Cain nodded silently at Nian’s measured words.

“Seven years ago. He said they met briefly for half a year, so it must have been seven years ago. Everything from the meeting to the mysterious death happened in the same year. Please look for a young noblewoman of low rank who died seven years ago. If you find someone who frequently visited the palace around that time, you should be able to find her quickly.”

“……”

Cain closed his eyes tightly and sighed. Nian spoke calmly, but her eyes were so sad that she looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.

“That’s enough. You’ve done well, Your Majesty.”

“It will be troublesome, but I ask this of you, Brother.”

“What do you intend to do when everything is revealed, Your Majesty?”

“I plan to punish those responsible appropriately. And……”

Nian trailed off and then lowered her head.

Divorce. As long as he continued to hate her, he wouldn’t let her go. If the false accusation were cleared and his hatred lifted, she and he could become clean strangers with no emotions left between them. Then, she could escape this hell.

“Anyway, please do this as quickly as possible, Brother.”

“Yes.”

Cain left.

Nian kept her head bowed. She almost burst into tears, but fortunately, being accustomed to holding them back, she managed to contain them this time as well.

With the scope narrowed down this much, they should be able to find the answer quickly. Nian’s shoulders trembled faintly.

***

“You, look for any noble young women between 18 and 35 who died seven years ago. Focus on families of viscount, baron, baronet, or knight rank rather than high-ranking nobles. Exclude those who died from confirmed long-term illnesses, and find all cases of accidental deaths or sudden illnesses. If you need more people, use them. Make sure they’re discreet.”

“And you, locate the guards who managed the palace entry records 7-8 years ago. It would be even better if you could secure the entry logs as well.”

“Finally, you, find out what happened to the Emperor, who was then the Crown Prince, seven years ago. Even small details are fine, like changes in his surroundings or behavior.”

After giving orders to three men, Cain sighed when they left. He was thinking of Nian.

As a child, Nian, or rather Ilena, was quite a lively child. Thanks to their small age difference of just two years, they often played together. Of course, due to strict home education, she wasn’t disorderly or mischievous, but she often chatted and followed him around, a healthy child who laughed and cried well. And also, very beautiful.

Around adolescence, he began to see her as a woman as she grew up suddenly, but he quietly put aside his feelings to maintain the precious relationship they had built over a long time.

When Ilena was selected as Empress, he sincerely congratulated her, but his heart ached. That’s why he left the country under the pretext of studying abroad after she entered the palace.

If he had known that the woman he would meet after a long time would be such an expressionless, hollow, unhappy empress……

‘I wouldn’t have let her go so easily.’

Cain hated the Emperor.

After hearing the circumstances, he could understand to some extent, but the fact that the target of his hatred was Nian didn’t sit well with him. If it had been him, he wouldn’t have made Nian like that.

‘Poor thing.’

Cain thought for a moment and then called someone again.

“Find an attendant of the Emperor who is discreet but moderately loyal, and spread a rumor.”

“Pardon?”

“That a certain count frequently meets with the empress at night.”

“!”

***

“What?”

“Well, I was hesitant to mention it, but I thought I should tell you……”

The attendant added more words, but Dade could no longer hear anything. The mere fact that the Empress was meeting another man at night was already enough. He felt as if all his blood was rushing to his head.

Bang. Unable to contain his anger, he slammed his fist on the table.

‘Quite a cute little act you’re pulling, Ilena.’

“Did you find out who it is?”

“Well…… Yes. It’s Count Cain Payon. I heard he went abroad to study and recently returned to inherit his family after his father passed away from a long illness.”

“Bring him here. Right now. If he doesn’t respond to the summons, break his ankles if you have to, but bring him immediately.”

“What? Yes……!”

The attendant quickly left his position. He feared that the sparks from that burning anger might land on him.

Cain entered the Main Palace with an interesting smile. He had chosen discreet people to avoid the rumor spreading to anyone other than the Emperor, fearing it might harm Ilena.

He predicted that those tight-lipped individuals would agonize for days between loyalty and discretion, but ultimately reported to the Emperor.