Normally he would have laughed and chatted along with them, so why was he acting like this? Was he perhaps joking right now?

However, when one particularly clueless blond Marquis was dragged out while clowning around, they realized the Emperor wasn’t joking.

The nobles, who had only been blinking, now began competing to bow their heads and retract their earlier words.

“Yes, yes. I understand that you all made verbal slips due to your various worries about my injury.”

Raul, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth while narrowing his eyes.

“So about the b*stard who planted a bomb in my carriage.”

At the meaningful voice, the nobles tensed up and pricked up their ears.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking since before coming here today. Does it make sense that over two weeks after the Emperor was attacked, you haven’t properly produced even one suspect, let alone the culprit? Good grief. I’m deeply suspicious of my subjects’ work abilities.”

Duke Debussy’s face, who had been in charge of the investigation, crumpled slightly. However, the Emperor continued speaking regardless.

“But you know what, I understand now after seeing today. The ones who should be digging into the truth of the case have no interest in the case itself and are desperate to pin it on the Empress somehow. How could there be a proper investigation?”

“Your Majesty. It’s not that we were negligent in the investigation, but rather that those culprits were so thorough they left no traces whatsoever!”

“What a long way to say you’re incompetent. Duke.”

Duke Debussy’s lips trembled as he jumped up, unable to restrain himself.

However, since it was true that the investigation team he commanded had submitted a terrible report, he could only open and close his mouth before sitting back down to swallow his anger. Raul smiled faintly.

“Fortunately, there’s someone to cover for your incompetence.”

What was the Emperor saying now? The nobles shrank back and waited for the next words to fall. Raul turned his head to the side.

A question mark appeared on Kareina’s face, who had likewise been waiting for the Emperor’s next words. Looking straight at her, Raul continued.

“From today, I will entrust all investigation regarding the bombing incident in Niyev to the Empress.”

“!”

That’s absurd! Several reacted reflexively, then hurriedly covered their mouths in shock at Raul’s piercing gaze. However, though they covered their mouths, they couldn’t hide their surprise. What on earth was His Majesty thinking? Entrusting the investigation of those who targeted his life to the Empress?

Had going through a brush with death really changed his thoughts about Her Majesty the Empress, or did he have some incredible plan?

Kareina was equally shocked. Gone was the aloof expression she had maintained until now. The Empress had a properly shocked expression like someone who had been hit hard on the back of the head.

“Does anyone have an opposing opinion?”

Raul, the only one at ease in this room, asked in a voice that had become even softer.

However, since he simultaneously looked around with eyes more piercing than usual, the nobles could tell.

Whatever the Emperor’s intentions, stepping forward here would leave them unable to even pick up their bones.

Raul nodded with satisfaction toward the subjects who had stiffened awkwardly.

The meeting progressed quickly.

After regional issues including the drought in the Niyev region were quickly handled according to Raul’s intentions, the meeting concluded with the New Year festival agenda.

The Empress rose from her seat frighteningly fast as soon as the meeting ended.

In contrast, the Emperor was surrounded by nobles asking after his well-being and had to repeat expressions that he was fine now about ten times.

Growing impatient, he finally mixed obvious irritation into his answers before the nobles let him go.

Raul, who left the meeting hall, quickly swept left and right. Kareina was already moving away toward the far end.

“Kareina!”

When he called out, the figure turning the corner at the end of the corridor stopped abruptly, then slowly turned around. The ladies-in-waiting following behind also stopped in succession.

The expression that turned back was far from bright.

Raul regretted bringing Kareina to the noble council. In fact, needing someone to help him was just an excuse.

—If you can’t remember names, just call them Sir or Lord. No, you can even just gesture from the start.

According to the chief chamberlain’s advice, Raul clearly hadn’t been a very kind monarch.

—And if things go wrong, feel free to get a bit angry. They’ll just think…… Your Majesty is in a bad mood today.

So he never needed an assistant to tell him names in the first place.

So that was just a pretext Raul attached. A petty trick driven by wanting to be with Kareina, who wouldn’t easily give him the place by her side, even a little longer.

But if he had known she would only hear such insulting words and mockery, he absolutely wouldn’t have let her into the meeting hall.

Though he had intimidated those who dared spout filthy words, it probably wasn’t enough.

Raul strode forward, forgetting the gazes around him, and firmly grasped Kareina’s hand. Kareina’s eyes widened slightly.

“I’m sorry for making you hear such filthy words. If it were up to me, I’d want to break all their necks and tear their mouths apart,”

Kareina, whose hand had flinched, answered with a short breath.

“I’m fine. Your Majesty.”

“You can’t be fine.”

Raul barely suppressed the anger surging up.

Judging from the nobles’ uninhibited behavior earlier and Kareina’s reaction now, such incidents must have happened countless times.

And also, his past self must not have cared whether the nobles made Kareina a laughingstock right before his eyes.

Otherwise, how could those bastards insult the Empress so casually in front of the Emperor?

Raul bit down hard at the pathetic image of his past self rising to the surface again.

Then Kareina, who had been meeting his eyes, slowly opened her mouth.

“Thank you for earlier.”

“?”

When he frowned at the unexpected words, Kareina, who had been staring up at him, elaborated.

“You protected and trusted me in front of the nobles.”

“Isn’t that natural?”

Raul closed his mouth, realizing he had spoken without thinking. It hadn’t felt natural until now. Stupid b*stard. He clicked his tongue at his own foolishness and corrected himself.

“There won’t be anything like today again.”

Of course, he had no intention of letting the nobles insult and torment the Empress in front of him going forward. Same for behind his back.

In the midst of this, Kareina’s white face without a single word of objection made him even angrier. Her downcast eyes and pale cheeks momentarily overlapped with the quiet image of her lying in bed.

That face that had made him put his finger under her nose several times despite the imperial physician’s words that there was no danger to her life.

Then and now. The ladies-in-waiting who should have protected the Empress weren’t by her side, and the husband who should have protected his wife only made her hear insults to her face. Pathetically.

Raul, who had been fiddling with her fingers that looked as pale as her face, finally opened his mouth again.

“Are you alright now?”

“Yes. Thanks to you.”

“The new ladies-in-waiting.”

“……That’s also thanks to you.”

Silence came after the short answer. Raul smiled bitterly. Unlike him, who was desperate to continue even this conversation, the other person seemed desperate to run away.

He was holding onto her squirming hand while pretending not to notice when Kareina suddenly opened her mouth again.

“My thanks was sincere, Your Majesty.”

“?”

“You approved all the drought-related bills for the Niyev region today. And regarding the carriage accident too…… you gave me your support.”

Kareina, who spoke each word clearly, raised her head to meet his eyes. Unlike the pale appearance from earlier, his heart felt tingly at the gaze that held faint vitality.

“Perhaps…… I think we might be able to get along well. Your Majesty is a good person, but maybe I only tried to see you badly because of my narrow-minded heart.”

A gentle smile hung on her lips, which now looked comfortable.

“Ah. Is that…… so.”

“Yes. So I look forward to working with you going forward.”

Raul blinked several times following the curve of Kareina’s eyes. Clearly his mood had been rock bottom just moments ago.

With one smile, the gloom from earlier disappeared without a trace.

He wanted to give some answer but his head was tangled and words wouldn’t come out well. Whether she knew his feelings or not, Kareina soon bowed her head and disappeared in a flash.

The ladies-in-waiting who had stepped back a few paces followed after her in a rush.

“Morantz.”

Raul only came to his senses after the Empress’s dress hem disappeared around the corner. The chief chamberlain, who had been rolling his eyes from a distance, hurried over.

“You called, Your Majesty?”

“Make Marquis Zook’s punishment exile from the country.”

“……What?”

The chief chamberlain’s eyes widened.

Marquis Zook was a capital noble who had been dragged out during the earlier meeting for insulting the Empress. Marquis Zook’s wife, Idella Zook, was also cousins with Duke Debussy.

Since he was a Marquis who always fawned over Duke Debussy, it was true that the level of criticism toward the Empress was excessive. Today was the same. But even so, wasn’t exile too much?

Cold sweat beaded on the flustered chief chamberlain’s forehead.

“B-but isn’t exile too harsh a punishment? Though Marquis Zook has rough edges, he has always been loyal to the imperial family.”

“That’s why it ends with exile. The price for daring to insult the Empress—even death wouldn’t be satisfying enough.”

“But the Marquis is also related by marriage to Duke Debussy. If you give the Marquis a heavy punishment, the Duke will also be in a difficult position……”

“Ha. Do I need to worry about such things?”

Unfortunately, the chief chamberlain’s dissuasion only seemed to have the opposite effect. Sensing the atmosphere that the punishment might change from exile to execution at this rate, the chief chamberlain closed his mouth.

However, the spark had already jumped elsewhere. Raul, his brow deeply furrowed, now spoke in a stiff voice.

“And since we’re on the topic.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I need to check the mistress contract. What’s the procedure for termination?”

“……What? Are you saying you’ll send Lady Evelyn away?”

“Good that you understand in one go.”

The chief chamberlain felt like he might faint and gasped for breath. And he muttered while following after the Emperor who had already stridden far away after the bombshell statement.

“Good heavens. Those who aligned themselves with the Debussy ducal family will shed tears of blood.”