The path to the Emperor’s palace was even more luxurious than the path to the Crown Princess’s palace. Especially when entering the front of the palace, I even felt like I might be consumed by its enormous grandeur.

But such impressions were brief, and thinking that it was ultimately just a place where people lived, I was finally guided by a chamberlain to the audience chamber.

Then, as I opened the door to the audience chamber and entered, a middle-aged man sitting on a leather sofa gestured to me with a welcoming expression.

“Have you come?”

Having entered the room, I bowed my head to him, and not long after, he ordered me to raise my head and invited me to sit.

As soon as I sat down, he began,

“Levedi, no, I should call you Count Ophelia now.”

Was it because I had just read the book about my mother? The Emperor’s seemingly friendly attitude only irritated me.

But the other person was the Emperor. Since I couldn’t dare express my irritation, I vented by bringing up the main point in a stiff tone,

“What exactly did you want to show me?”

The Emperor’s lips curved.

Then a strange tone flowed from between his lips.

“Well.”

“……”

“What did you feel?”

Looking at the Emperor who was questioning me instead, I felt frustrated.

“I came here to ask for answers, not to be questioned.”

The Emperor chuckled.

“That sounds like you’re telling me to cut the nonsense and just answer.”

“……I apologize if it sounded that way.”

“You seem to have become much sharper since I last saw you. It’s understandable, with difficult events happening one after another. Even I didn’t expect four out of five to rebel.”

The Emperor mentioned “the four” and looked at me with a genuinely sympathetic expression.

I also had much to say about this, but since I came here for a different reason, I dismissed it with a single sentence.

“Do you want me to be cornered?”

Perhaps this was not only related to the story of the four, but also the reason why I came here.

And at my question, the Emperor’s expression became strange.

It was only after a while that the Emperor began to speak,

“Cornering you?”

“……”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

As he said this, the Emperor’s golden eyes looking at me sank coldly.

His gaze, as if he knew nothing, momentarily confused me.

Was the Emperor showing me that not as revenge for Assel’s matter?

“Then, what was your intention?”

The Emperor’s lips curved into a smile. After staring at me intently with that smiling face for a while, he soon opened his mouth as if he had remembered something,

“She gave birth to you exactly at your age.”

It was a strangely nostalgic tone. Why did I have a feeling that I knew what he was going to say next?

Lest that ominous premonition devour me, I quickly began,

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

The voice that flowed from between my lips was unusually emotional, unlike my usual self. I knew it too. That I was excited right now.

But despite knowing this fact, there wasn’t even a little strength left in my heart to block my rampaging self. My uncontrolled mouth pushed me without giving me time to think,

“Are you trying to say that I resemble my mother? No! I don’t resemble my mother. My mother’s life and mine are completely separate. I read all the records about my mother, and I don’t understand at all why Your Majesty would say such things.”

“Count.”

The Emperor called me in a low and stern voice, but I couldn’t hear that voice right now.

“……So Your Majesty was trying to mock me, saying that I’m ruining my life by my own actions, like my mother?”

I said this and looked at the Emperor, and his gaze looking at me was composed without any wavering.

For a while, he looked at me in that state without answering, and naturally, a heavy silence settled in the room.

It was after what felt like a long time to me that the Emperor spoke. Just as I realized, with unconscious horror, what I had said in my excitement, the Emperor’s steady gaze suddenly felt condemning, and his lips parted.

“You know well.”

And what flowed from between his lips was a calm affirmation. With that single word, it felt like my strength was drained away.

Despite having my prediction confirmed by the other party, I didn’t feel the slightest bit of pleasure.

Rather, I was blank and couldn’t understand my own emotions, but something partly hot and partly resentful was trying to rise from within.

The Emperor indifferently looked me over and continued,

“……In this place right now, I will treat you not as a Count but as the daughter of a friend. Is that alright?”

It was a strangely pointed tone. He was undoubtedly upset by what I had just said.

Was it because I had turned the Emperor of a country into an enemy? Somehow I felt troubled, but all of this was something I had brought upon myself. Realizing there was no other choice, I silently nodded.

A few seconds later, the Emperor, who seemed to be contemplating something, began,

“Actually, your words might be somewhat right. Other than moving between two men, the two of you don’t have many commonalities.”

“……”

“I should say the circumstances are different from the beginning. Remarriage after divorce and breaking off an engagement due to premarital pregnancy are clearly on different tracks. Isn’t that right?”

But why? The Emperor was accurately representing my feelings. To the point where I felt embarrassed about getting angry out of frustration just a moment ago.

But I was puzzled. If he understood my heart so well, why did he make me read that book along with the saying that a daughter follows her mother’s fate?

What he intended was unpredictable to me right now.

As I kept silent without answering, a cold sneer passed across the Emperor’s lips.

“And your pride. You resemble your mother exactly.”

“……Didn’t you just say there aren’t many commonalities?”

“Then my intention must have been misunderstood. I didn’t mean to include such trivial aspects.”

“Are you trying to play word games with me now?”

“It would be better to finish what I was going to say.”

The Emperor said this as if there was no other choice and cleared his throat.

After the sound of his throat clearing echoed in the room a couple of times, a benevolent yet dignified voice dug into my ears,

“Anyway, while the two of you can’t be said to match in all aspects, I see a fundamental resemblance.”

The Emperor’s eyes, as he spoke, took on an even deeper color than before.

“Actually, they are people who are more vulnerable to others’ words than anyone, yet their actions show they are recklessly bold.”

“……”

“Positively speaking, they are brave, and to put it plainly, they don’t think about the consequences.”

“……”

“In fact, if she had just told me about her relationship with your father before getting engaged to me, I would have been a bit bitter but would have moved on. But when she suddenly declared she was pregnant with my close friend’s child after the entire nation knew about our engagement and the ceremony was scheduled, can you imagine how I felt?”

But why? As I listened to the Emperor’s words, I began to understand a bit of what he meant when he said my mother’s life resembled mine.

“Her greatest mistake was that she missed the timing.”

The Emperor’s words felt like they were directed at me.

Around that time, his gaze softened a bit. The complete contrast from earlier gave me an ominous feeling.

“But I couldn’t just blame her. By missing that timing, she herself received quite a retribution.”

“……”

“Now, do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

It was a gentle tone, as if an adult was coaxing a child.

“I hope you don’t cause yourself and those around you to fall into hardship by being too greedy.”

But instinctively, I could tell. That what lay behind it was actually a severe warning.

He was now sternly warning me.

To let Assel go now.

If not, I and those around me would be in danger.

“……”

Why? The moment I heard those words, an indescribable emotion stirred from within me.

The Emperor was right.

The statement that I had missed the timing. I knew Assel’s true feelings early on but pretended not to know and forced the marriage. Without knowing what my own feelings were, I recklessly treated him as I was led, making him confused.

I was indeed at fault. But, I felt somewhat unjustly treated.

Back then… I didn’t know I loved him that much either.

It was then that an inexplicable rebellious spirit raised its head.

After a moment of contemplation, I opened my mouth,

“Then, I’ll give up the position of family head.”

The Emperor’s eyes widened. His gaze looking at me had an expression as if he had heard nonsense.

But that was brief. Soon his expression twisted harshly. It was a sign that he was displeased with me challenging his authority.

Sure enough,

“Are you now declaring that you will defy the imperial order?”

The voice that parted his lips was filled with anger.

Biting back a sneer,

“That’s not it. Originally, that position wasn’t an imperial order but a farewell gift left to me by my ex-husband, Assel Esteban, who was Your Majesty’s brother.”

“……”

The Emperor couldn’t refute and closed his mouth. But that was only momentary; soon he asked with a crooked smile,

“You’re being stubborn. But that doesn’t change the fact that I enforced your appointment as family head. I’m saying I put you in that position with my power, not the Duke’s.”

“Then are you thinking of imprisoning me in the imperial underground dungeon, as you did to your vassals?”

“……You’re not unaware.”

I curved the corner of my mouth,

“I wonder if things will go according to Your Majesty’s plan.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You and Father might have been friends, but I am not. Do you think the noble factions supporting House Ophelia will remain quiet the moment you imprison me? Even if I am a woman, they can grasp Your Majesty’s weakness through this. The fact that you imprisoned a friend’s daughter using the unreasonable excuse of old grudges.”

The Emperor’s eyes widened, and then he spoke through gritted teeth,

“Are you threatening me now?”

“It’s not a threat but persuasion.”

“……”

“Please tell me where he is.”

“I’ve already answered, and if you’re going to bother me further with this matter, let’s end this meeting now.”

Saying this, the Emperor made a gesture of rising from his seat. But at the same time, I also rose from my seat.

In that state, I moved step by step toward the Emperor, and the Emperor’s uneasy gaze turned toward me.

“What are you doing now?”

And when I finally reached his feet, I knelt down.

“……!”

Swallowing the hot feeling rising from within, I met the Emperor’s astonished eyes and opened my mouth,

“If the position of family head is not enough to appease Your Majesty’s anger, I will give up all the property I inherited from Father, except for my trading company.”

“……”

“So please, just tell me where he is.”

I knew that the Emperor’s heart wouldn’t change even if I approached him like this, but I felt like I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t hold on somehow.

“……So you, live your life. Emotional things aren’t good, but sometimes there’s a need to follow what your heart tells you.”

At least my heart was saying that.

That I needed to meet him again and hold onto him.

While I was waiting for the Emperor’s answer with my head lowered,

“How can you resemble your mother so much?”

A voice that seemed immersed in regret was heard, and suddenly a light chuckling sound came. It was a light laugh that didn’t match the serious atmosphere just before.

Surprised, I raised my head, and meeting my eyes, he still spoke with a gentle smile. But why did that smile somehow look sad?

“She also came to me that day and said the same thing. That I could kill her, but please don’t let the child in her womb know all these facts until they come of age.”

“……”

“And I granted that request. I let the world know that I was a scoundrel who forced the breakup of the engagement despite knowing about her pregnancy.”

“……”

“You might wonder why, but back then, I loved her enough to go along with it even knowing I was being deceived. Perhaps Assel’s feelings, giving up all his positions and giving you the position of family head, were the same.”

But what was the Emperor trying to say? He spoke as if he was neither someone who had made a deal with Assel nor someone who was hostile.

Also, unlike before, there was almost no resentment toward my mother in his words.

Just as my doubts were deepening, he continued,

“So I was worried, but it seems there was no need to.”

“……!”

And the moment I heard his words, I doubted my ears.

“You truly love Assel, don’t you? Isn’t that right?”

I couldn’t understand him speaking as if he was worried about his brother, when he already knew the truth.

As I stared with surprised eyes, the Emperor patted my shoulder and then gestured for me to stand up.

I was momentarily blank, but then I rose from my place and headed back to my original seat.

Around that time, the Emperor, who had settled back in his seat, opened his mouth,

“I can understand your feelings to some extent. That guy did to you exactly what I did wrong in the past.”

“Wrong…?”

I asked, not understanding, and the Emperor nodded.

“I truly loved your mother. So I sent a marriage proposal to her family, which was suffering from chronic debt problems. And by whose will, I don’t know, but eventually I was able to get engaged to her. But I clearly said: she could break off our engagement whenever she wanted.”

“……”

“You might think I was immature. Yes, I was immature, and at that time, I couldn’t measure what meaning that breakup would have for her. And yet I was frustrated with her for being neither here nor there.”

“……”

“I didn’t think at all about whether she was happy by my side or not. Then when she became pregnant with you, I was very resentful and angry. I asked how she could do that to me. Then your mother said,”

“……”

“That she was sorry to me. That it wasn’t that she disliked me, but she had never been happy during her time by my side. It felt like I had been hit on the head. But soon I turned around and thought: it’s just a narrow-minded excuse. Nevertheless, as I just said, I couldn’t refuse her request and took all the blame alone.”

I could only listen silently. Because the circumstances of adults that I had little interest in, especially my mother’s course of action that I couldn’t understand, became clear with just a few words from the Emperor.

“Of course, even with all I did, perhaps some disturbing voices hurt her heart. In the end, she made an extreme choice. And I was very angry about that choice.”

“……”

“Not at her, but at your father for not making her happy. I went to find your father with enough rage to kill him when I heard the news.”

“……”

“But your father already seemed to be living a life worse than death even without me killing him. He was paying for his sins himself. But do you know where the arrow of unresolved anger turned?”

“The arrow of anger…?”

When I asked dazedly, he curved the corner of his mouth and said,

“I heard from the Crown Princess recently. You successfully sold emotions in social circles through my past.”

“……”

I couldn’t make any response. Because I felt embarrassed, as if I had been stripped n*ked, not expecting that it would reach the Emperor’s ears.

“The Crown Princess liked you, saying you had an audacious taste, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“……”

“Anyway, to return to the main point, as you know, I grew up not as a child of the imperial family but no different from ordinary commoners in my childhood. I was in a situation where I had to eat bread that had fallen on the dirt floor after roughly dusting it off.”

“……”

“My mother, who was the daughter of the Empire’s most powerful figure, loved me but didn’t seem to love that life. Mother was always drunk, and the person I met as my father in the imperial palace after all that life was cleared away was indifferent to me. But Assel, that child was different. He was born as the legitimate heir and grew up receiving everyone’s love.”

A bitter smile settled on the Emperor’s lips as he said this.