But eighteen-year-old Kareina only vaguely knew that fact.

Instead, she often drew happy futures. That was the privilege of being eighteen. Even if it was a future that wouldn’t come true, even if just imagining it made her feel guilty, as long as she didn’t speak it aloud, no one would curse her.

But not now. Kareina, twenty-two years old, no longer drew happy futures. Instead, she worked diligently to hate Raul.

Fortunately, pretending to hate someone who hated her was easy. As she pretended to hate, pretended to dislike, at some point even her heart began to act along.

From a certain point, Kareina’s heart no longer beat for Raul. Instead, it sank deep and dark. That was a good thing.

“I heard there’s a custom in Tirantus of gifting necklaces to lovers. They say the jewel positioned over the heart eternally protects the lover’s feelings.”

“Your Majesty believes such absurd superstitions.”

Kareina turned her gaze toward the window with a sneer.

“Such a childish story that only young girls would believe.”

It was an old-fashioned, childish story that the aged chief chamberlain had surely told him. Kareina no longer believed such foolish fairy tales.

Likewise, she was no longer fooled by Raul’s deep, somewhat mournful gray-green eyes. Raul often looked at her with such cold eyes, but there was no meaning in it.

If she had to find meaning, it would be closer to hatred or disgust. Usually, Raul’s feelings toward her were one of the two.

Then, becoming curious, Kareina suddenly threw out a question.

“Your Majesty. What are you thinking right now?”

“Hmm…… thinking that you’d be prettier wearing this necklace?”

“……”

What was she trying to extract from a patient? No matter how much of an enemy he was, it was cowardly behavior.

Reflecting inwardly, Kareina decided she should chase him out now.

Watching Raul do and say things he would absolutely never do normally made her own head feel strange instead.

Besides, Raul was also a busy person who should get up. She could tell by watching the chief chamberlain keep looking at the wall clock anxiously.

With the New Year festival right around the corner, the irresponsible Emperor who had been collapsed for a week wouldn’t have time to leave his office.

“Thank you for the flowers and necklace, Your Majesty. By the way…… shouldn’t you be going soon? You must be busy enough with state affairs.”

When Kareina issued an elegant order to leave, the chief chamberlain quickly picked it up.

“You’re not just busy. Just the documents that need immediate handling are a mountain. Even if you leave now, you’ll have to pull an all-nighter.”

“Then I certainly can’t keep you here. I’m fine, so please go ahead, Your Majesty.”

Pretending to care for the other person while securing clear justification even brought a satisfied feeling. Kareina even had the leisure to raise her hand and flutter it toward Raul.

However, Raul was one step ahead.

“If there’s that much work, it can’t be helped.”

A neat smile hung on the corners of his mouth as he made a deliberately somber voice. Then he leaned his upper body forward and firmly grasped the fluttering hand.

And spoke to the wide-eyed Kareina in the most shameless voice in the world.

“It seems my wife will have to help me.”

“Actually, perhaps because I injured my head, handling work has become very difficult.”

Raul, putting a shameless lie on his lips, firmly bound Kareina’s two fidgeting hands. Then his already pretty wife’s face crumpled even more adorably.

How could his wife be so pretty and lovely? Even her exotic silver hair made her look like a fairy.

The expressions that appeared moment by moment on her small face were the same.

Kareina was mostly expressionless before him, but for the brief moment she smelled the mariposa, she showed a sweet smile.

Though it was a faint smile that seemed about to disappear, Raul had to suppress the impulse to lift her up and head to the bedroom.

He couldn’t act like a beast toward a wife who already hated him. What disappeared from one corner of his head was memory, not reason.

“If your head hurts, you should see the imperial physician.”

So even now, Raul decided to try persuading the only curt Kareina.

“The imperial physician can’t handle state affairs in my place, can he?”

“When you asked for help, you meant help with work?”

“Right now, even looking at a single word, I can’t tell if it’s a family name or a country name. And why are there so many of those similar-looking crests?”

Since he had memorized all the basic information about the continent’s families and nations in an hour, this was also a lie. At the Emperor’s shamelessness, the chief chamberlain’s jaw dropped silently, but Raul even made a pitiful expression and performed passionately.

“What if I make a big mistake like this? You need to help me from the side.”

Of course, Kareina made an expression similar to when she had ignored the necklace earlier and flatly refused.

“The chief chamberlain is also here, so I don’t know why you’re asking me for help. Besides, I don’t know much about Tirantus affairs.”

Her tone, which had become even colder, seemed to say let go of my hand and get lost.

Though it wasn’t a very pleasant refusal, Raul had no intention of giving up at this point. Fortunately, he had an enticement the Empress couldn’t refuse.

“Even if it’s related to Niyev?”

“……What?”

Her eyes, which had been getting sharper, lifted upward for the first time. As expected. Raul, showing a kind face, recalled one of the evaluations of the Empress the chief chamberlain had chattered about.

Though she was abandoned by her homeland, she threw herself into Niyev matters as if she owed a great debt. In a way, it was admirable, the chief chamberlain had evaluated. Though he also added that he personally couldn’t understand that patriotism.

“Since it’s a region that hasn’t been organized yet, there’s a mountain of problems to solve. Post-war recovery is also insufficient, and now a drought has overlapped. An expert’s perspective who knows the regional situation well seems necessary.”

Pausing one beat, Raul released her hands and leaned his upper body back.

“Of course, if you can’t do it, it can’t be helped.”

“That’s—”

“Come to think of it, I should have looked for someone else. You’ve been away from Niyev for a long time, so I made an unreasonable request.”

“N-no!”

Kareina’s face turned pale as she shook her head urgently.

“It’s a matter for the country, so of course I as Empress should help.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. If you’ll just entrust me with anything.”

Was the chief chamberlain’s evaluation accurate? The words that followed urgently trembled.

“If I can be of help to the imperial family, it would be an honor. Don’t worry, Your Majesty.”

The tone that had been cold until just moments ago was also soft and gentle like a spring breeze.

Raul, who had only been thinking of moving Kareina to his office, was at a loss for words. As she who had been acting stiff bowed her head and came in, his heart felt strange instead.

When he remained quiet for a while, Kareina hesitated, then fiddled with the necklace she hadn’t even pretended to notice until now.

“And thank you for the gift, Your Majesty.”

Everyone in the room would have known the reason for her thanks wasn’t that necklace. Only then feeling faint guilt, Raul’s brow wrinkled weakly.

After their terrible wedding ceremony, Kareina had never once touched matters related to Niyev. Because the Emperor didn’t allow it.

Requests to be assigned Niyev-related work were always easily dismissed. Though it had been a marriage for successful integration of the two countries, Kareina couldn’t do anything for integration.

Instead, the value of the Niyev-born Empress was simply existing.

Just having a Niyev person in the noble position of Empress became sufficient empty words, and conflicts were suppressed.

So it didn’t matter at all if the Empress withered away inside the imperial palace as long as she was still breathing.

And within the walls of that lofty imperial palace, Kareina longed for Niyev.

“These are the imperial council minutes and materials organizing the post-war recovery situation. Please review them, and if you need anything more, just let me know.”

“Thank you.”

Answering briefly, Kareina hastily tore open the envelope she received. Materials that could reveal the current state of the Niyev region, including post-war recovery status, were bundled together.

Names of familiar old small cities and names of administrative districts with some changed spellings poured out neatly along with dozens of numbers. Toward the Empress scanning down the papers with trembling hands, the attendant spoke again.

“And this is a gift His Majesty sent.”

What he held out was a large flower basket and a card stuck crookedly in the center. After slight hesitation, Kareina opened the white card. On the surface surrounded by a neat border, one phrase was written in strong cursive.

I hope you like it.

The flowers? Or the document envelope?

If the latter, it was of course she more than liked it. The current Raul would never know how much Kareina had wanted these few sheets of paper.

Until now, Kareina had been thoroughly cut off from Niyev, and two years had passed without even dreaming of visiting. To her, who had nothing but the title of Her Majesty the Empress, there was also no one to kindly deliver news of her homeland.

Yet to hand over imperial materials so easily and share work. How could she have known that the Emperor losing his memory would work in a good direction?

After thinking briefly, Kareina set down the documents she was holding.

At the weight of the papers settling on the table, the colorful petals rippled once. A subtle fragrance rose like waves.

“……Either way, it’s not bad.”

Taking a deep breath, Kareina muttered. Though Tirantus flowers surviving winter were a bit different from Niyev’s splendid flowers, the subtle scent was fragrant enough.

Even while carefully examining the materials after the attendant left, the subtle scent flowed to her nose whenever she was about to forget it. Holding the bundle of materials, she looked up at the flowers on the table whenever her eyes grew heavy.

The next morning, Kareina headed to the Emperor’s office as soon as she opened her eyes. Raul, dressed in the morning, greeted her.

“I gratefully received the gifts. Both of them.”

“I’m glad.”

Raul, raising the corners of his mouth, left a brief kiss on the back of her hand. The air that rushed in carried the scent of cool wind.

Kareina, hastily withdrawing her hand at the unfamiliar sensation, spoke before the atmosphere could become awkward.

“Less rain fell than average years. It probably won’t rain for a while. Niyev originally had severe droughts repeating periodically.”

“I received the report. That rainfall is less than half the average.”

“Yes. Of course, the ongoing recovery work is also important, but…… for now, responding to the drought seems the right order.”

That’s right. Raul, readily nodding, extended his arm before Kareina.

“Before that, how about sitting down? I won’t stop you if you want to keep working standing, though.”

“Ah……”

Come to think of it, the two were still standing with the office door behind them.

“This is our first time working together, so let’s take it slow.”

Smiling gently, he pulled back the chair for Kareina to sit.

“……I was too hasty. I apologize, Your Majesty.”

Contrary to her words, a golden pen holder was soon placed in the hands of Kareina, who sat down hurriedly.