Pretending not to hear, I turned my head and saw the former Empress and another woman approaching.

The former Empress still hadn’t given up on finding an Empress. The woman with her seemed to be a new candidate.

“Well, I’ll be off then.”

Knowing I wouldn’t hear anything good if we met, I quickly walked away.

But I soon stopped. Suddenly, an unbearable foul smell wafted through the air.

I instinctively covered my nose and looked around for the source of the smell.

‘Could it be the former Empress?’

As I thought that, I noticed the woman following the former Empress. Her face looked familiar.

When I tried to recall where I had seen her, a sudden shock hit me like a hammer.

She was the woman who had asked for my help at the banquet a while ago.

And…

‘She’s supposed to be dead.’

With one foot in the Underworld, I could instinctively tell.

The woman, sensing my gaze, glanced at me. Her green eyes were unfocused like those of a dead fish.

She looked at me with a chillingly emotionless gaze for a moment before losing interest and turning away. It was as if she was seeing me for the first time. It was hard to believe she was the same woman from the banquet.

So who was the one who had asked for help?

The only thing certain was that the woman in front of me was the demon I had been searching for.

Even from a distance, the sulfur smell was overpowering whenever she moved. And it seemed I was the only one who noticed it, as neither the Emperor nor the former Empress reacted.

The former Empress casually spoke to Pinion.

“Pinion, I was just on my way to see you. I thought you’d be in your office, but you were taking a walk?”

“Yes, Mother.”

Pinion blatantly ignored the woman. Despite his cold demeanor, the woman didn’t seem offended.

“Oh dear, I forgot I had an urgent appointment. I’ll be off, so you two can talk.”

The former Empress made an obviously false excuse and left Pinion and the woman alone.

I stood there, staring at the woman, not even glancing at the former Empress.

‘What should I do?’

Before I could come up with an answer, my body moved on its own. I strode forward and stood between the two of them.

“Hey, who are you? Why are you sticking close to His Majesty?”

A deep sense of skepticism washed over me. But it seemed like the only way to draw the woman’s attention.

“I am Princess Kirene of Philae. Who are you?”

Every time she opened her mouth, a foul stench hit my nose. I forced myself to hold back the gagging and kept my head high.

“Oh, I am Lou Dronay, the only ducal lady of the Empire.”

“I’ve heard that the Duke of Dronay is a prestigious family, but seeing you, I realize that reputation is in vain. I am a princess of a kingdom. Show some respect.”

The princess replied in an agitated voice.

I glanced at Pinion. When our eyes met, he raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed to mean, ‘What are you doing?’

But he didn’t stop me. It was a silent permission to overlook my rudeness to the princess.

I raised my chin towards the princess again.

“Hmph, even if you’re a princess of a kingdom, my reputation is higher. I am a unique figure across the entire continent. I’ll tell you something special this time, so don’t be surprised. I am the successor of Enril and have inherited all his legacy.”

“Enril…?”

The princess’s green eyes, which had looked like those of a stuffed animal, suddenly flashed.

“Yes. So if you have any sense, stay away from my His Majesty.”

Although I didn’t show it, I could see that Pinion was secretly delighted.

‘Damn it…’

The princess, who had calmed down, retorted without losing.

“Nonsense. The former Empress herself has acknowledged that I am the one truly qualified to be the Empress of the Empire.”

“But I am the one who has captured His Majesty’s heart. If you are a true woman, let’s compete fairly. The loser will withdraw cleanly.”

“Do you think I’ll be scared by that? I accept. What’s the contest?”

“How about a duel?”

“Fine.”

“Wait, this is ridiculous. Aren’t you going to ask for my opinion?”

Ignoring Pinion’s interruption, I issued a formal challenge.

“Let’s meet under the Roche Bridge at 10 tonight.”

Then I turned my back without hesitation.

Pinion quickly caught up with me.

“What kind of nonsense are you doing?”

“Don’t interfere in matters between women.”

Having found the demon, I had no intention of borrowing the Emperor’s hand any further. I didn’t even want to imagine how much he would brag if I received more help.

After coldly brushing off Pinion, I went straight to inform Gined.

“You said Princess Kirene of Philae?”

“Why? Do you know something?”

“I encountered the delegation from the Kingdom of Philae on my way here. They said the princess died in an accident while coming to Arcadia to arrange a marriage.”

“Then, could it be…?”

“Yes. It seems the demon is using her corpse to pose as the princess. As expected, it was hiding in the imperial palace. Thank you, Lou.”

“No need to thank me between us.”

“Since we’ve called her to meet under the Roche Bridge at night, let’s deal with her then.”

“Sounds good.”

Unlike when I was with Pinion, the atmosphere was warm.

After diligently planning our strategy, we left the house as the appointed time approached.

We were on our way to the Roche Bridge in a carriage.

Suddenly, Gined stood up and drew his sword. Before I could react to his sudden action, the carriage stopped, and the door swung open.

“Hello?”

Hagenti, wearing the princess’s skin, stood there.

“What, what, what is this?”

She, or rather he, smiled. It was the first time I saw a genuine emotion from him. Of course, it wasn’t pleasant at all.

“I’m impatient.”

I tried not to show my surprise as I replied.

“Oh, perfect timing. I’m not exactly patient myself.”

“But who is that man…?”

“Who else? He’s the gentleman who will duel in my place.”

“You said it would be a fair fight between women, but you deceived me? I came alone, you know.”

“You’re not a woman either, you cross-dressing pervert.”

“What? Cross-dressing pervert? What are you talking about…!”

His denial was utterly despicable. Thinking of his true form as a muscular demon made me feel nauseous.

“Anyway, since you’re here, let’s have a fight, fair or not.”

“So, what are the rules?”

“What’s the point of setting rules? Human rules mean nothing to you anyway, Hagenti.”

As soon as I called his name, his glassy eyes instantly changed.

“Impressive.”

No longer bothering to hide his identity, Hagenti let out a sinister laugh and revealed his true form.

The princess’s body grotesquely stretched and quickly transformed into a large man with black skin. The sulfur smell grew even stronger.

Hagenti, fully transformed into a demon, was exactly as I had imagined: a burly man with black skin and intimidating muscles. His silver eyes glanced at the Emperor before turning back to me.

[Well, fine. I always thought it was strange. They said the lair belonged to the Emperor, but he never seemed like the owner. Now I see the real one is here.]

“Yes, I am the owner of the lair.”

[But how did an ordinary human get hold of Enril’s lair?]

Hagenti approached me with a puzzled look, tilting his head.

[You…]

His flat nose flared continuously.

[I smell the scent of the Underworld on you. What is this?]

“Well, I am…”

The Queen of the Underworld.

Before I could finish speaking, Hagenti’s head was suddenly chopped off. His massive body fell to the ground with a thud.

“What’s with this stinky guy?”

Behind Hagenti stood a handsome young man who once ruled Pontos as the Northern Grand Duke and was now the chief gardener of our family, holding a large garden scythe in one hand.

I stared at Iscallion’s handsome face in a daze and asked, bewildered.

“How, how did you know to come here?”

“The stench was too strong, so I came to check. It’s winter, so I have less gardening work and was bored. 

Why are you hanging out with someone like this, Lou? What if the smell sticks to you? Ugh, it’s really terrible.”

Iscallion turned away from the body on the ground and covered his nose. It seemed his intuition had developed from his time in the Underworld. Black foam bubbled up from the severed neck of the fallen princess.