After meeting Luden, I returned to the capital and reopened the consultation office. Not long after I hung up the “Open” sign, the bell rang. I, who had been organizing things in the room, quickly opened the door.

“Welcome.”

The person who comes at this time must be Sallen.

As I expected, Sallen was looking at me wearing elegant clothes and a hat. A faint smile hung on her lips.

“I came to talk about something happy.”

Sallen’s words were pleasant to hear. I entered the consultation room with her. Sallen talked about enjoyable things that had happened for a while.

I listened to Sallen’s story and served her the magic-infused tea. Sallen whispered to me while crying happily.

Kajian made an expression showing he couldn’t understand.

“You have no greed at all. Really strange.”

“I have greed for other things.”

“At most, it’s probably modest.”

That’s true though.

Even I think I don’t have much greed. I just feel at peace, so I’m satisfied with reality and don’t feel like anything is lacking. And I’ve already won Luden’s love, so why would I need…?

At my expression, Kajian looked at me with curious eyes. That’s curiosity.

“Really interesting. A type I don’t have around me.”

“Luden is a similar type though.”

“The Charlot Marquis family has been like that for generations.”

Wait, does that mean Luden is an exception?

Kajian suddenly held out an invitation.

“It’s an invitation to an imperial banquet.”

“Is it debutante season soon?”

“That’s right. Come to the party and brighten up the venue.”

I stared at the invitation for a long time.

“My partner is currently in knight training though.”

“Can’t you just make a new one?”

“If it’s not Luden, I don’t want to go with anyone.”

Should I go with Andre?

“Should I arrange someone for you?”

“Who would that be?”

“My son.”

I cut him off immediately.

“I refuse.”

Kajian was flustered.

“I was asking you to look after my son favorably.”

“You mean to keep him as a lover. No, you’re telling me to become the prince’s mistress.”

“Come into the imperial family and use your abilities extensively.”

“I have no such intention. And I plan to be faithful only to Luden.”

At my firm attitude, Kajian muttered regretfully. Luden had said before that although he’s the emperor, he doesn’t *buse his power.

Then it should be fine to refuse confidently, right?

“The couple is faithful to each other. That’s something like a Charlot family tradition though.”

He muttered regretfully and stood up.

After drinking the tea I gave him and shedding a few tears, he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief and said to me.

“It seems Lorina did something. Did you know?”

“Yes, she did something a bit bad.”

“I heard Luden is waiting for his chance. Reytan told me to take Lorina away before Luden explodes.”

“That’s not as easy as it sounds, is it?”

Kajian nodded.

“Considering Lorina’s personality, that’s true.”

He chuckled and asked me.

“What do you think of Reytan? Just tell me something simple. I’m curious about your thoughts on Reytan.”

Is he really just curious about my thoughts?

“Reytan is close with Luden. And I’m friendly with him too.”

“I see.”

He sighed.

“I took in the Empress and concubines to gain power. I also took in Reytan’s mother, whom I truly loved. She came from a humble family compared to the concubines, so if I protected her, it would have made things more dangerous for her. So I had no choice but to leave her alone.”

Reytan was opening up about his inner feelings. I quietly listened to the story. When the tea ran out, I didn’t forget to serve him more tea.

“So if Reytan has the qualifications…”

“He has the qualifications.”

I spoke to him with certainty.

“Just wait a little. His character will shine during knight training.”

Kajian smiled gently.

“I think so too.”

“Um, but is there a need to tell me such things?”

“You’re the wife of Marquis Charlot. It’s not bad to know these things in advance.”

That’s true though.

“I’m worried because you seem to be telling me too much.”

“Because you have no greed.”

Kajian stood up from his seat.

“Even though you have this kind of power, you don’t particularly like showing it off and you’re pure. That’s why I’m teaching you.”

I don’t know if that’s a good or bad intention. I just smiled ambiguously.

“Please come again next time.”

I only said that.

I feel like I understand a bit what resentment he holds in his heart as emperor. Perhaps he also gave up a lot when he took the emperor’s seat? Thinking that, I stood up to see Kajian off and bowed my head.

“I’ll come again.”

Kajian left looking satisfied. Looking at him, I guessed that Reytan’s fate would flow as it originally should.

“But Lorina changes.”

Her destiny is to be active on the battlefield.

I thought about that problem until I felt like my head would burst.

“Politics don’t suit me.”

Thinking that, I took the used teacup to the sink to wash it. I turned the teacup upside down to drain the water and waited for the next customer.

Soon a customer entered.

It was Sharonia. She came in with her hair disheveled and sat in front of me. She looked tired somehow.

“Is something wrong?”

Sharonia nodded.

“My mother only loves my younger sibling.”

Sharonia looked at me with sad eyes.

This seems genuine though?

She’s suspicious, but I held her hand tightly.

“Would you like some tea?”

I first gave her tea without magic. Sharonia drank the tea and stared at me with tearful eyes.

Right, at this level, she can cry without the help of magic.

My ability is only needed for people who want to cry but can’t.

I nodded and waited for Sharonia to say her next words.

“I work hard too! Why don’t my parents look at me? Is it because I’m inadequate?”

I don’t know her purpose for coming to the consultation office. But her last words sounded very sad.

“It’s because you’re inadequate.”

Sharonia’s eyes wavered.

“It doesn’t feel good when someone says this to you, does it?”

Sharonia nodded. She looked like she would burst into tears at any moment.

“But if you say such things to yourself, how much does your own self hurt?”

Anyone can say this, but no one probably said it to Sharonia.

“So don’t do that to yourself.”

There are often cases where parents don’t give love to their children. And even when they do give love, there are cases where they favor only one child.

All of those become wounds to the children. I saw that in Sharonia.

“Comfort yourself and live.”

I whispered this to the young her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to fill her lack of affection anywhere.

The only one who can fully fill one’s own deficiency is oneself.

Sharonia bit her lip.

“I…”

“You came here because there’s no one to listen to your story, right? Talk about the parts where you feel hurt by your parents here, comfort yourself, and go.”

Sharonia nodded.

Then she cried, unable to handle the rising emotions.

I looked at her like that and stroked her head.

* * *

Sharonia came to the consultation office solely to spy. She needed to thoroughly find out what Annelia was doing to receive money from Alsellon.

But this woman was strange. She kept saying strange things to her.

“Huu.”

But she keeps listening.

It was like her inner self wanted to hear more of this woman’s story.

Why am I thinking this way?

“You found out nothing again today?”

At Alsellon’s words, Sharonia nodded.

“Incompetent.”

Alsellon said that coldly, gave her money, and left. Sharonia, left alone, bit her lip.

Would Annelia have said such things? She wouldn’t have. She understands the hearts of wounded people and says warm words.

“I’m not incompetent.”

She tells me I’m not a worthless existence. She tells me not to treat myself that way.

In a way, these are obvious words. But no one had said such things to her.

Sharonia looked at the money. The money Alsellon left looked shabby. No, she felt too ashamed of herself for receiving this money.

“His Majesty the Emperor goes there because Annelia is special.”

Sharonia came to that conclusion. Alsellon seemed not to know what she herself knew.

I don’t want to do this anymore.

Sharonia planned to tell Alsellon she wouldn’t spy anymore.

She wanted to go to the consultation office with a pure heart.

* * *

Today too, I opened the consultation office door and waited for customers to come. Several people who visited last time bought packages.

They didn’t particularly have tearful stories. But they wanted to talk about light, small things without burden.

One of them was Sielun.

He was a man with long purple hair, well-groomed, and had tremendous pride in his hair.

“I put a pack on my hair, how does it look?”

He just came because he wanted to show off.

Looking at his flowing hair, I pondered and nodded.

“It really looks good.”

It was good before, but now it’s even better. Sielun swept back his hair and smiled with satisfaction.

“I like this place.”

“Really?”

“I can talk without thinking about anything and show off too.”

After showing off to his heart’s content, Sielun stood up and walked toward the entrance with light steps.

There were more people than I thought who wanted to talk about various things but couldn’t suppress that desire.

They liked my consultation office, and after some time passed, I introduced them to the tear-inducing tea. Of course, very occasionally.

And… they seemed to realize then.

Why the emperor can’t quit coming here.

I smiled thinking of them.

But it would be impossible to completely stop the rumors.

The rumor that you can cry well if you come to my consultation office spread one year after I opened the consultation office. The rumors gradually spread, and through introductions and more introductions, people gathered to the point where it became difficult to visit without a reservation.

Time passed like that, and another year went by.

The shadow of war fell over the empire.