I quickly dragged my exhausted body to bed. Today had been tough with guests arriving one after another. On top of that, they just looked around at the interior, laughed a bit, and left.

There wasn’t much to call a consultation. Well, I did turn it into a place for occasional venting.

Some people just came and went, while others made reservations to return next time.

For now, I figured most people would just come to look around, so I deliberately didn’t serve the magic-infused tea. Right now they were coming out of curiosity because the Emperor spread pointless rumors, but their interest would soon fade. I planned to only serve the tea to those who came at least twice.

“That was exhausting.”

I lay down on the bed. I was planning to ask Lella for a massage.

“My lady, are you back?”

Soon Lella opened the door and came in. The basket in her hands was piled with letters. Surely there weren’t many letters again today, right?

“Less than yesterday.”

“That’s a relief.”

“And a letter came from the Marquis too.”

What? Already? It’s only been a week since I sent mine!

I let out a sigh, realizing my hands were trembling with tension.

Now that I was about to open the letter, my heart wouldn’t calm down.

“My lady, why are you so nervous? What did you write in it?”

“I said I wanted to have a child…”

I spoke honestly to Lella. Then Lella clasped both hands together and her eyes sparkled.

“You asked him that? Well done!”

But I’m worried he might refuse and say no!

Back then, he told Andre he had no intention of having a child with me.

I placed the letter on the desk and bowed.

“Miss, what are you doing right now?”

Oh right, this gesture doesn’t exist in this world.

“I’m praying that good words are written inside.”

“Marquis Charlot surely wrote good words.”

“You think so?”

“The Marquis cares for you so much, my lady!”

If Lella says so, then it must be true, right?

I took a deep breath and opened the envelope. The stationery was plain.

“I want to send letters to Annelia on fine stationery, not this kind.”

Luden wrote calmly about his daily life.

He talked about winning at horseback riding this time and asking me for a victory handkerchief, among other things.

As I read the letter, I found the answer to the question I had feared.

“I want to finish knight training quickly and raise a child with Annelia in a house with a small garden. Thinking about the future where our laughter will be heard together makes the training not feel difficult.”

How romantic! Luden can write things like this?

I read the letter over and over. And when I saw the words written in the last line, my face heated up.

“It would be troublesome if you forgot about me because you’re busy.”

The last line gave me hope once again.

“Lella, Luden must like me very, very much.”

“I told you so.”

“Call Andre for me.”

Lella quickly moved. Before getting a massage, I needed to resolve my curiosity with Andre.

Now I felt I had the courage to ask.

First, I should drink some tea.

* * *

Andre heard from Lella that my lady was calling for him and headed to Annelia’s room. He wasn’t particularly curious about why my lady was calling. But the words that came from Annelia’s mouth were surprising.

“You heard that conversation?”

“By chance, accidentally.”

After hearing those words, even when people around her said Luden was in love, Annelia couldn’t readily believe it.

“So that happened.”

Andre sighed.

Hoping the misaligned couple would work out, he conveyed Luden’s words that she hadn’t heard.

“If I go to knight training, I won’t be able to see the child grow. I want to be by Annelia’s side and watch together as she’s pregnant and the child grows in her belly.”

“Hm?”

“Those were Luden’s words.”

Andre brought the teacup in front of him close to his lips. Then he observed Annelia’s expression.

Her expression was slowly crumbling. She, who had been suppressing her emotions, lowered her head. Then she covered her lips with her palm and cried.

“And I didn’t even know that… I should have just asked Luden directly.”

“People in love become cowards.”

Andre comforted Annelia. She, who had been sobbing, soon smiled brightly.

“Now I finally understand Luden’s heart.”

Actually, Luden had feelings for Annelia from long ago. He wanted to tell her the rest, but that was Luden’s responsibility.

Still, having paved the road this much, the relationship between the two would roll along well on its own. Even if Luden couldn’t say it, now Annelia would approach him with courage.

“This time too, my lady should go visit Luden.”

Knight order visits were possible four times a year. Andre hoped Annelia would use all those opportunities.

“Of course I should!”

Annelia spoke like it was obvious.

“I’m his wife, I should go.”

“Exactly.”

Annelia’s face overflowed with confidence. Finally, my lady seemed to understand the Marquis’s heart.

* * *

I sent Luden a letter saying I’d visit in the spring, and went to work at the consultation office with a joyful heart.

I, who had only thought about a future of parting with him, was now thinking differently. Realizing the changed fate, I imagined a future together with him.

For something like this to happen to me!

To welcome a rosy future, I first needed to know his heart.

At the very least, he shouldn’t end up liking Lorina.

The two of them gradually grow closer while fighting together on the battlefield.

“I need to prevent the two of them from getting close…”

I rolled my pen, pondering.

Ugh, this is difficult.

“…I need to treat him better.”

That way Luden will have more attachment to me, right!

Even if feelings of love for Lorina arise slightly, if I make him unable to divorce me because of his affection for me, that should work, right?

Thinking this way, I was drinking tea without magic infused when someone opened the consultation office door and entered.

The appointment time had already arrived.

Today’s guest was a noble with blue hair and purple eyes. Her name was Sharonia Jet, daughter of Marquis Jet. The way her hair swayed was incredibly beautiful. I asked her, who entered with energetic steps, why she visited the consultation office.

“What brings you here?”

At my question, Sharonia bowed her head in greeting.

“I just wanted to come see it once!”

Curiosity filled Sharonia’s eyes. She looked around here and there, which was quite adorable.

She’s in her early teens, right? I watched her look around quietly, then smiled gently.

“Why did you want to come? Because His Majesty came?”

Sharonia shook her head.

“I was curious about what exactly consultation is.”

Hm? She’s different from the other guests.

The guests had subtly asked what the Emperor did here, so I’d just say he had a cup of tea and left—though they didn’t seem to believe it. But Sharonia was curious about something else.

I looked at her and tilted my head to one side.

“It’s counseling for worries. You can just talk about things that were hard! But you shouldn’t talk about secrets that absolutely must be kept.”

I said the same thing I’d told the other guests. The guests had been curious about what I said. How about this girl? She’s the youngest guest to come so far.

“I hate studying.”

Sharonia sat in the chair in front of me. I decided to make her a cup of tea. The sound of tea being poured rang out. Of course, it wasn’t the tear-inducing tea. For the time being, I had no intention of serving that tea except to regular visitors.

Sharonia drank the tea and her eyes widened.

“It’s delicious!”

Well, I’m good at making tea.

“Drink that and cheer up. Whether late or early, studying is something you have to do anyway, so if it’s too hard, you can take breaks while doing it.”

To lead a noble family, you have to study. But I hadn’t liked studying either, so it was awkward to advise her to work hard.

“I’m angry because I’m worse at studying than my younger sibling.”

Sharonia showed sad eyes. At those words, I pondered for a moment. What words could comfort this child’s heart?

“But if you compare yourself to someone else, only you become miserable. How about comparing yourself to yesterday’s you?”

Sharonia’s eyes widened.

“Aren’t you supposed to do better than others?”

I smiled gently.

“Why? You weren’t born to be compared to others.”

At least that’s what I think.

Sharonia’s hands trembled. Her pupils also trembled as she brought the teacup to her lips.

“…It’s true, right?”

“Of course.”

“Even if I’m a little worse than my sibling, I’m not inadequate, right?”

“Why do you think that way?”

“Because everyone seems to say so.”

“Did someone say that to you, Sharonia?”

Sharonia shook her head vigorously.

“Sharonia, look at yourself, not at the person next to you.”

Everyone compares themselves to others. But if you become obsessed with it, you strangle yourself.

I hoped Sharonia would be okay.

* * *

After leaving the consultation office, Sharonia got into the carriage shedding tears. Even after crying for a while, she didn’t go straight back to Marquis Jet’s house but stopped somewhere else first.

Soon the carriage stopped and Sharonia entered a small tea house.

The place she was meeting him was the topmost room on the third floor of the tea house.

Walking down the wide corridor, Sharonia swallowed nervously. When she opened the door and entered, a man had his back to the sunlight.

Sharonia quickly bowed her head toward the man who turned around.

“I greet Alsellon Charlot.”

“Come in.”

When Sharonia raised her head, Alsellon asked.

“How was it?”

“She just listened to my story and gave me tea. That was all.”

Alsellon’s expression subtly hardened. He sharply raised his eyes toward Sharonia.

“There must be no lies in what you just said.”

“It was true.”

“The Emperor said such things about just that?”

“Really, all we did was drink a cup of tea and talk.”

Sharonia answered Alsellon’s words while recalling what she’d talked about with Annelia.

“What did you discuss?”

“I talked about things related to my younger sibling.”

Alsellon also knew that Sharonia’s younger sibling was outstanding.

“Then she just said various things.”

She didn’t want to report even the details of that conversation to Alsellon. She wanted to keep what Annelia had said to her close to her heart.

I need money.

At home, they only support her younger sibling. She wants support too. That’s why she needed money and took Alsellon’s hand.

Alsellon told Sharonia to spy on Annelia’s consultation office. What he wanted was to find out how Annelia attracted the Emperor’s interest at the consultation office.

“So, in the end, there was nothing?”

“Yes, that’s right. Really, we just had a consultation, there was nothing special.”

Really, there was nothing.

At Sharonia’s continued denials, Alsellon pressed his lips tightly together. Once again, he’d found out nothing.

Should I investigate more?

He needed to find out how Annelia caught the Emperor’s eye.

“Go again next time.”

At Alsellon’s words, Sharonia’s complexion paled.

“Again?”

“You’re a young child, so there’ll be less wariness. You must find out everything that happens there!”

Alsellon’s words were firm. At his sharp cry, Sharonia bit her lip and nodded. It seemed she’d have to meet Annelia again.

“I’ll give you more money.”

“…Yes.”

Sharonia recalled the money remaining in her pocket.

Next time, it seemed she’d have to buy a package with the money Alsellon gave her. It didn’t seem like Alsellon would easily let her quit.

Well, it’s not bad.

She was making a profit from this.

* * *

I dragged my heavy body home and lay down on the bed as soon as I arrived. If I just struggled through tomorrow, I would have met everyone who sent letters at least once.

But among those who visited, less than half said they’d come again.

As expected, without anything special, interest drops.

Still, I was surprised that more people than I thought said they’d come again. Of course, a few of them probably won’t come either.

I gasped for breath and rolled my body lying on the bed. But then.

“My lady, get up quickly. You have to remove your makeup!”

At Lella’s words, I raised my heavy body and Lella brought makeup remover and wiped my face. I stayed silent.

I didn’t want to do anything.

“Next week I can rest.”

“You have to go see the Marquis.”

“Of course I do.”

I’m looking forward to that day too.

First, I need to check if he’s still staying away from Lorina.

And I need to make the first move. So he can’t leave me, I’ll do various things in advance!

I recalled my ambitious plan and laughed wickedly.

“Oh, but was there anything unusual?”

Lella asked curiously.

“What?”

“You investigated all the guests.”

“Oh, that, well…”

Luden has many enemies. He said suspicious people might come to me.

I recalled one guest.

“Nothing unusual happened, but there was one person who bothered me.”

“What! Who is it!”

Lella’s voice rose. I waved my hand and laughed.

“Sharonia Jet.”

Marquis Jet’s house doesn’t have much money. Because of that, I’d also heard they only support the younger sibling. But she paid for the consultation fee as a package this time.

The monthly package isn’t cheap. It’s an amount difficult for a young child to handle. Yet she paid without hesitation.

“Whose doing could it be?”

“Miss.”

“It could be Luden’s cousin. Or it could be nobles trying to spy…”

Lella looked at me with worried eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

I have no intention of revealing my ability anyway. I’ll just sell tea.

Kajian drank the same tea as what Annelia gave him at the consultation room. But no matter how much he drank the tea, nothing like water came out. It just tasted good.

When he put down the teacup, a clinking sound rang out.

“Do you have some concern?”

At Cheron’s words, Kajian curved his lips.

“She’s a truly interesting woman.”

Cheron instinctively knew who the woman he mentioned was. Annelia Charlot, it was her.

“No, how can she refuse the opportunity I presented? If she captivated people, she could make huge money and gain strong power.”

It was an opportunity to open multiple branches. Shaking people’s hearts would be difficult for others, but it would have been easy for Annelia. Yet she didn’t do it.

The nobles who visited the consultation room laughed, saying the tea Annelia gave them tasted good. But strangely, none of them shed tears after drinking the tea. Kajian instinctively realized that Annelia had hidden everything related to tears from the people who visited after that.

“Call Kanarosa.”

If it was Kanarosa, who was close to Annelia, she might know about her.

* * *

Luden frowned. The high-ranking nobles at the knight training place were starting to subtly ask him about his wife’s visit schedule.

When is your wife coming?

I want to meet her!

His Majesty recognized her abilities?

The Emperor had caused an unnecessary commotion.

Luden eventually got up without finishing his food at the gazes pouring from all over the dining hall. Then Reytan got up too and followed Luden closely.

“Troublesome, isn’t it?”

At Reytan’s words, Luden furrowed his brow.

“…It’s troublesome.”

His wife became famous because of the Emperor.

“Because you’re getting annoyed?”

“No, because it seems like men will approach Annelia.”

Luden didn’t hide his jealousy.

Then Reytan parted his lips and laughed.

“Ah, certainly Annelia is beautiful, and if she becomes famous on top of that, many people might admire her.”

Luden clenched his fist tightly.

It was truly troublesome that his wife became famous.