The Emperor bowed his head toward Seraphina.

Seated upon the imperial throne, the ruler of the Empire was apologizing to her.

“Your Majesty…?”

Seraphina whispered in confusion. She was so shocked that the words barely came out.

She was not the only one taken aback.

At the Emperor’s sudden action, the room fell into a suffocating silence.

“I claimed the burden of ruling the Empire as an excuse, and in doing so, failed to look after my own family. That fault lies with me,” the Emperor said, lifting his head and speaking in a gentle tone. “Crown Princess, will you forgive me?”

Seraphina stared blankly at him.

The fact that the Emperor himself was apologizing to her was simply too overwhelming.

“I…”

Her lips parted, then stilled. Looking up at the Emperor, she took a long, steady breath.

Seraphina lowered her gaze to Damian.

He, too, looked just as stunned by the Emperor’s actions.

Quietly, Seraphina took Damian’s hand.

He flinched at her touch—then, snapping out of his daze, clasped her hand in return.

She met his eyes and smiled.

Just knowing he was by her side made her feel steady and secure.

Seraphina’s eyes shone as she looked back at the Emperor.

“Thank you for apologizing, Your Majesty.”

The Empress, and Mireille as well, had denied their own sins.
Of course, they had never apologized—not once.

Instead, they had pointed fingers at Seraphina, raising their voices.
They slandered her. They condemned her.

Yet the apology they refused to give was offered by the Emperor instead.

For Seraphina’s wounded, exhausted heart.

Realizing the depth of his intent, her eyes grew hot.
Thanks to him, the emptiness that might have lingered in her heart was gently filled with warmth.

“Truly… thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you for accepting my apology.”

Then his expression hardened. With cold, unyielding eyes, he turned to look at his wife.

“A single apology can’t possibly resolve everything.”

The Emperor raised his voice as he spoke.

“The actions of Empress Lorencia Eisenbart constitute a grave crime that has thrown the imperial order into chaos. Even so, she has refused to acknowledge her wrongdoing until the very end. This can no longer be tolerated. Accordingly, I pass the following judgment.”

At the Emperor’s proclamation, the Empress’s face drained of all color. Frozen in place, she listened to his decree.

“The Empress is to be immediately confined to the Empress’s Palace. Furthermore, her private funds shall be permanently reduced by half. Without the Emperor’s explicit permission, she is forbidden from making any form of contact with the Crown Prince’s Palace from the Empress’s Palace.”

The Empress doubted her ears.

She was a dominant omega—the Empress of the Empire, who had borne a dominant alpha Crown Prince.

As a senior member of the imperial family, she had merely ‘disciplined’ the Crown Princess—and for that, confinement?

Indefinite confinement, no less, locked away with no end in sight?

And the private funds—what did that even mean?

The Empress’s private treasury was the money she used to adorn herself and command others. To cut it in half was to cut her influence in half as well.

In other words, she was being told to live shut away in the Empress’s Palace, tightening her belt.

She could never live like that.
She would rather die.

“This is excessive, Your Majesty. Please—listen to me, Your Majesty!”

The Empress cried out in protest. As she tried to rush toward the Emperor, the guards stepped in and seized her. She struggled in panic, but she could not break free.

“Your Majesty, please reconsider! This isn’t right!”

The Emperor looked at his wife with disappointed eyes. He raised his hand in signal, and the guards dragged her away.

“Your Majesty—Your Majesty!”

The Empress’s pleas grew fainter and fainter as she was taken away.

Before her voice disappeared entirely, the Emperor continued.

“Mireille von Aurilien is to leave the Empire immediately. From this day forward, the young lady is forbidden from setting foot within imperial territory.”

“…What?”

Mireille, who had been sneering as she watched the Empress’s downfall, blinked in shock. Before she could even grasp the situation, guards surrounded her.

“In addition, responsibility will be taken for the young lady’s upbringing and conduct. As such, exchanges with the Gruber Duchy will be reduced. The specific measures will be determined through the Council of State.”

“Wait—please!”

Mireille shoved at the guards as she shouted, her face turning ashen.

“I’ll admit my guilt! I’ll apologize! So please—don’t inform the duchy!”

Her cries meant nothing to the Emperor.

Realizing her voice would never reach him, Mireille turned desperately to Seraphina.

“Your Highness, please help me. I helped you just now, didn’t I? I helped you when you accused the Empress. I did, didn’t I?”

“I was helped by you?”

Seraphina frowned, scrunching the bridge of her nose.

“Please think carefully about why you were brought here in the first place, my lady.”

After attempting to kidnap and kill her—and now, the perpetrator was asking the victim for help.

“A single apology can’t possibly resolve everything.”

The Emperor raised his voice as he spoke.

“The actions of Empress Lorencia Eisenbart constitute a grave crime that has thrown the imperial order into chaos. Even so, she has refused to acknowledge her wrongdoing until the very end. This can no longer be tolerated. Accordingly, I pass the following judgment.”

At the Emperor’s proclamation, the Empress’s face drained of all color. Frozen in place, she listened to his decree.

“The Empress is to be immediately confined to the Empress’s Palace. Furthermore, her private funds shall be permanently reduced by half. Without the Emperor’s explicit permission, she is forbidden from making any form of contact with the Crown Prince’s Palace from the Empress’s Palace.”

The Empress doubted her ears.

She was a dominant omega—the Empress of the Empire, who had borne a dominant alpha Crown Prince.

As a senior member of the imperial family, she had merely ‘disciplined’ the Crown Princess—and for that, confinement?

Indefinite confinement, no less, locked away with no end in sight?

And the private funds—what did that even mean?

The Empress’s private treasury was the money she used to adorn herself and command others.
To cut it in half was to cut her influence in half as well.

In other words, she was being told to live shut away in the Empress’s Palace, tightening her belt.

She could never live like that.
She would rather die.

“This is excessive, Your Majesty. Please—listen to me, Your Majesty!”

The Empress cried out in protest. As she tried to rush toward the Emperor, the guards stepped in and seized her. She struggled in panic, but she could not break free.

“Your Majesty, please reconsider! This isn’t right!”

The Emperor looked at his wife with disappointed eyes. He raised his hand in signal, and the guards dragged her away.

“Your Majesty—Your Majesty!”

The Empress’s pleas grew fainter and fainter as she was taken away.

Before her voice disappeared entirely, the Emperor continued.

“Mireille von Aurilien is to leave the Empire immediately. From this day forward, the young lady is forbidden from setting foot within imperial territory.”

“…What?”

Mireille, who had been sneering as she watched the Empress’s downfall, blinked in shock. Before she could even grasp the situation, guards surrounded her.

“In addition, responsibility will be taken for the young lady’s upbringing and conduct. As such, exchanges with the Gruber Duchy will be reduced. The specific measures will be determined through the Council of State.”

“Wait—please!”

Mireille shoved at the guards as she shouted, her face turning ashen.

“I’ll admit my guilt! I’ll apologize! So please—don’t inform the duchy!”

Her cries meant nothing to the Emperor.

Realizing her voice would never reach him, Mireille turned desperately to Seraphina.

“Your Highness, please help me. I helped you just now, didn’t I? I helped you when you accused the Empress. I did, didn’t I?”

“I was helped by you?”

Seraphina frowned, scrunching the bridge of her nose.

“Please think carefully about why you were brought here in the first place, my lady.”

After attempting to kidnap and kill her—and now, the perpetrator was asking the victim for help.

What kind of nonsense was this?

She appreciated the added testimony earlier—but that was all it was. Mireille had not done it for Seraphina’s sake, yet she now tried to take credit. It was laughable.

“I’m sorry, but all I remember is that you tried to kill me.”

“Fine. Yes, I was wrong. I admit it—so please, don’t let it spread to the duchy!”

Mireille clasped her hands together, bowing repeatedly as she begged. But Seraphina turned away from her desperate pleas without a shred of warmth.

“Safe travels, my lady.”

“No—no, please! I can’t—don’t!”

In the end, Lady Mireille was forcibly restrained and dragged away.

Once the situation was finally settled, the Emperor rubbed his chin with a weary expression. The price of neglecting the imperial palace for so long had been far from small.

But there was no helping it. They were seeds he himself had sown—so it was only right that he be the one to reap them.

The Emperor turned his gaze to Egon, who stood there leaning on a crutch.

“Egon Bergman is also to leave the Empire. However, in consideration of the fact that you have acknowledged your crimes and shown remorse, you will be permitted to depart only after you have fully recovered. Furthermore, in order to give you time to reflect properly on your wrongdoing, you are barred from reentering the Empire for the next three years.”

“Thank you for your leniency, Your Majesty.”

Egon bowed his head, expressing gratitude for the Emperor’s mercy. Supported by Brandt, he limped away.

Having concluded all judgments, the Emperor let out a long sigh. He looked at the Crown Prince and Crown Princess with gentle eyes.

“You must have endured much. From now on, I hope you will live only in happiness.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you.”

Seraphina and Damian held hands as they bowed to the Emperor.

As Seraphina lowered her head, she stole a glance at Damian. The thought that he was by her side—and would continue to be—made her heart swell.

***

When Seraphina returned to the Crown Prince’s Palace—

Damian stopped her as she was about to go see Lucas.
With a troubled expression, he asked her quietly,

“Is it really all right to end things like this?”

At his sudden question, Seraphina’s eyes widened.

She couldn’t tell what he meant. The Empress and Mireille had already been dealt with—was there still something unresolved?

As she turned the thought over in her mind, Seraphina parted her lips slightly. At last, one name surfaced.

“If you mean Fabiola—she was one of the Empress’s people. Even without direct punishment, she’ll naturally suffer the consequences.”

“Not her. There’s someone far more important still left.”

“Who?”

Seraphina tilted her head in confusion.

When she still didn’t seem to understand, Damian spoke in a low voice.

“The person who first inflicted pain on you. The one who tormented you for the longest time.”

“…!”

At his words, Seraphina drew in a sharp breath.

Realization dawned, and she blinked slowly.