I gave her a small gift—a woman at a loss because all her abusers were dead.

It was tears. Time to cry for her past self. May this become a means for her to heal her wounds.

Laysia cried again.

“I’ll try that.”

“And have courage when dating. Write letters to Prince Reytan often too.”

Laysia looked surprised.

“How did you know? I haven’t been able to send replies often.”

“Dating makes your heart complicated.”

Mine was complicated too.

Laysia’s cheeks flushed.

“I’m worried whether I should get close to him.”

“That’s for Prince Reytan to decide.”

Laysia’s eyes widened. After thinking for a while, her expression lightened.

“You’re right.”

Laysia smiled gently. Her smile seemed to be getting lighter little by little compared to before.

I gave her paper. Laysia silently began writing a letter to herself.

Her past self. What feelings would she have writing a letter saying she grew up well, recalling that time when no one protected her, now that she’d become an adult?

A little later, Laysia put down her pen.

“My heart hurts.”

She pressed her chest firmly.

I pressed her shoulder.

This was the beginning.

Now all she could do, left alone, was comfort her wounded self.

I waited until she finished praising herself.

* * *

Reytan smiled broadly because letters came frequently from Laysia. He proudly held out the letter to Luden.

“She says she wants to try dating if I’m okay with it!”

Reytan was in a good mood. His feelings seemed to have reached the other person.

“I’m envious.”

“You and Annelia have a good relationship too, don’t you?”

“We just have a good relationship.”

Luden rarely showed a dark expression. Reytan looked at his face and tilted his head.

“Aren’t you two in love?”

“What is our relationship?”

At Luden’s words, Reytan stroked his chin with his finger and nodded.

“Even with your looks, you haven’t received a love confession from Annelia!”

“Looks and confessions aren’t related.”

That doesn’t seem right though. Reytan looked at Luden. Even he as a man could see those stunning looks—there’s no way they wouldn’t work!

“Maybe it’s the leisure of one who’s claimed.”

“Leisure?”

“Since she’s claimed Luden, she thinks of you as hers and doesn’t feel the need to say it.”

Reytan lightly patted Luden’s shoulder.

“So ask her. Ask what she thinks of you.”

Luden shook his head.

“No. If I say something strange and can’t even maintain our current relationship…”

“Think about that when it happens. And what relationship could get worse? You’re already married.”

He knew Annelia thought of him specially. But Luden wanted more than that. Annelia might find it burdensome. And… what she said about not loving him also bothered him.

Luden put his hand to his forehead. A throbbing headache came over him.

“Well then, let’s go train.”

A peaceful era without war. Knight training was thorough, but it wasn’t brutal. Even if mistakes were made, no one would die.

As winter passed like that, Luden thought of Annelia.

* * *

The winter wind was cold.

In a room with all windows closed, Kajiian was reading a report. Interest showed in his eyes.

“A counseling center?”

Luden was a man with considerable influence in the empire. And Annelia, who became his wife, also entered the Emperor’s surveillance targets.

Luden didn’t delegate full authority over the household to his wife. Andre, who grew up with him since childhood, oversaw household affairs. Annelia apparently just received reports.

What she did seemed to be nothing besides caring for Anan. But she opened a counseling center.

Sallen visited the place that seemed like it would have no customers. Then Laysia came and went.

Even after divorcing, Sallen didn’t stop visiting there. She apparently sometimes visited with her husband too.

“What does she do?”

“It just says she does counseling.”

At his words, Kajiian pondered. What kind of counseling did she do that those who went once didn’t stop visiting?

Kajiian thought of Laysia. She recently became Reytan’s lover.

“I should keep watch.”

Kajiian looked at the calendar. Tomorrow seemed like he’d have time.

* * *

I cut the steak. It had been a while since I ate at the dining room with Anan. I was busy thinking about what to do at the counseling center and coming up with ideas, so while I had tea time with her, I couldn’t eat meals well.

“The steak is delicious.”

Anan smiled. She too had been bedridden for a long time and gradually changed what she ate. 

At the doctor’s words that she could finally eat meat, today was the first time she ate meat with me.

“How is it, Anan?”

“It suits my taste.”

I nodded.

“After Luden first ate meat as a child, he only looked for beef.”

“Ah!”

Expensive things are delicious.

I smiled quietly, recalling him from childhood. What did he look like back then?

“You’ve never seen Luden’s childhood, have you?”

“No!”

“Wait a moment.”

A maid moved and handed over the necklace Anan was wearing. The necklace pendant had a portrait of young Luden inserted. He was truly a cute child.

“How old was he?”

“Three years old.”

It would have been nice if there were cameras in this world. Then I could see Luden’s childhood clearly in photos, right?

Why aren’t there cameras? The author probably didn’t include them because it was too bothersome to set up.

“Thank you.”

I smiled brightly and returned the pendant to Anan. Anan put on the necklace and asked.

“If Annelia has a child, they’ll resemble Luden.”

“Ah…”

My face flushed at that topic. But.

“Would Luden want to have a child with me?”

I recalled what Luden said to Andre. At my reaction, Anan looked flustered.

“What do you mean?”

“Actually…”

I told her what I’d heard before. Then Anan smiled quietly.

“Did you ask Luden directly?”

“No.”

I couldn’t ask because I thought he’d come to love another woman.

Now… that might not be the case.

“I should counsel Annelia’s worries.”

Right, I should counsel my own worries instead of others’ worries.

“Write a letter to Luden and ask. That child will tell you honestly.”

“Yes…”

I wasn’t confident, but I said that for now.

* * *

I took out letter paper and racked my brain, but writing about that wasn’t easy. I sighed and brought the letter paper to the counseling center.

I was fortunate Anan was counseling my story. Otherwise, I would have struggled alone.

I smiled and picked up the pen.

If Luden doesn’t love another woman, why did he say that? I was curious.

As I concentrated on writing the letter, I looked up at a jingling sound.

Sallen and Laysia aren’t coming today though?

Thinking it was a new customer, I put the letter in the desk drawer and waited. The door opened and a man entered.

‘Huh?’

Taking off his robe, he ordered the knights to stay outside and closed the door.

“I heard you do counseling.”

No, why are you appearing here! I was very flustered.

“Is it so surprising that I came here?”

I nodded.

“Isn’t it natural?”

The Emperor came to see me. No, what on earth happened for the Emperor to come?

Flustered, I had him sit in the chair across from my desk and brewed tea.

Was this the second time meeting the Emperor directly?

“I don’t know if the tea will suit your taste.”

I said that first. Then Kajiian nodded and drank the tea I made.

“It’s ordinary tea.”

He savored the tea for a while. Then he looked at the empty teacup with a puzzled expression.

“Hmm?”

He was flustered. He had to be. The tea here had my magic in it.

Kajiian shed a single tear.

“I’m crying?”

“Is there something troubling you?”

I asked him. The Emperor looked at me for a while.

“Not particularly.”

‘Then why did you come?’

I showed him the precautions during counseling.

“You don’t listen to secret stories?”

“Overly sensitive stories are burdensome, and such stories shouldn’t be told to just anyone.”

Kajiian burst into laughter.

“Do you think I would tell you such things?”

“There’s no harm in being cautious.”

I said firmly. I didn’t want to hear political secrets and get involved in useless matters. Hearing my words, Kajiian tapped his fingers on the table for a moment, then asked me.

“I was curious what you do here.”

“Nothing special. Counsel, drink tea, and that’s it.”

“Yet two counts and countesses come and go?”

“There are no other customers, so it’s running at a loss.”

The Emperor drank tea. A subtle tea fragrance lingered between us. After thinking for a while, he asked me.

“I have several children. I don’t feel affection for all of them.”

Hearing that made me a bit angry. If you won’t give affection, why have them? But since I couldn’t express that directly, I nodded.

“I need to choose a successor. Can I do as my heart desires?”

Well… I kept my mouth firmly shut for a moment.

Isn’t this something that could cause big trouble if handled wrong? I didn’t open a counseling center to hear this kind of talk! Why ask me about successor issues?

I quickly brought up the precautions.

“I think you should go somewhere else for this kind of talk.”

“Won’t you offer an opinion?”

“I don’t make useless comments.”

At my firm words, Kajiian nodded.

“Cautious.”

“It doesn’t seem like something to counsel about at the counseling center.”

This is a place for counseling worries. Not a place to give him political advice.

Kajiian fell into thought while drinking tea. Thinking, he cast a curious gaze at me.

“What’s your reason for doing this work?”

“It’s work no one else has done.”

I deflected appropriately. But Kajiian didn’t believe my words and asked again.

“What’s your scheme? Are you trying to bewitch nobles and build your power base?”

No, why does your thinking flow that far?

I was dumbfounded.

“That won’t happen.”

“Instead of that, how about becoming my counselor?”

No, what are you saying now?

I was very flustered.

* * *

Kajiian looked at the tea.

Something strange was definitely added here. Otherwise, there was no way he would cry.

Adding something suspicious to tea with a subtle energy, bewitching people with words.

Annelia seemed to have ulterior motives. She was definitely trying to build power. Using listening to worries as bait, gaining sympathy to become close, then perhaps trying to manipulate the powerful.

‘Quite something.’

So he thought Annelia would readily accept his proposal. However,

“I can refuse, right?”

But Annelia said it flatly. Kajiian was flustered. How could she refuse to become the Emperor’s close aide?

“Are you serious?”

“This isn’t work I started for that purpose. That kind of position doesn’t suit me.”

Annelia really wasn’t an ordinary person. She was raising her value while pretending not to be interested in position.

“Just speak honestly.”

“I spoke honestly.”

Annelia looked at Kajiian like she was frustrated.

“Don’t think everyone pursues power.”

Annelia picked up her teacup.

“I just created a space where people with heavy hearts can drink tea, shed tears, and talk. Well, this will improve the Charlot family’s image though.”

Annelia’s eyes sparkled.

“But what Your Majesty is thinking won’t happen.”

“Marquis Charlot’s wife.”

“Yes, I’m the Marquis Charlot’s wife. Even without pursuing power, people come on their own.”

Annelia said that and smiled brightly.

* * *

Even when I said I didn’t want to do that, he insisted.

I felt tired. Kajiian really couldn’t be reasoned with. He only believed what he was thinking was right.

He doubted my words and endlessly tried to dig in.

To stop that, I was firm with him.

“I think I know what Your Majesty is wary of. But such things won’t happen. And even if I have power, what would I do with it? I already have wealth and honor. And I’m someone who knows satisfaction.”

Kajiian’s complexion changed slightly.

“How can I believe that?”

“Keep watching me.”

“Hmm…”

“I refuse the counselor position.”

Go somewhere else if you want to find a professional counselor. The Emperor’s worries—just hearing about it was terrifying.

“Don’t you want to know my thoughts?”

“I’m not particularly interested in that area.”

I smiled brightly. Kajiian opened his lips.

“Interesting.”

I’m not interested! But since I couldn’t shout that, I just smiled.

“I understand.”

Kajiian stood up from his seat, seemingly satisfied.

“Next time, I’ll come when I really have worries.”

“Thank you.”

He glanced at the tea and left the counseling room.

I pressed my pounding chest firmly.

How did it come to the Emperor appearing? Is what I’m doing that dangerous? Why does everyone think people pursue power and covet honor? Well, is it because he’s the Emperor?

I smiled and waited for customers.

Many customers entered the shop today, but I didn’t do much counseling.

I can’t let this fail. I started worrying whether I should reduce the scale.