Epilogue.1

“I knew you’d end up bedding him.”

“Could you watch your words, Rozie?”

“You’re too harsh to the savior of the Mage Tower, Your Highness.”

In the corridor leading to the Eastern Palace.

Because outsiders couldn’t come here, Rozie finally revealed herself, grinning mischievously.

“Savior of the Mage Tower, my foot. You complained about being bored as soon as you arrived.”

“I helped so perfectly that I got bored. Didn’t you see how polite the mages were to me?”

“Well, maybe their lives depended on it. I’ve never seen the Mage Tower Master so grateful.”

“If I’d been alone, it wouldn’t have taken a week… Maybe the Mage Tower Master hid me so I wouldn’t spy on everything you did? Maybe she’s just wise, being older.”

Rozie snickered, and Avgenia glared sharply at her.

“Don’t worry. I’m not into voyeurism. Why, yesterday I saw Young Master Lexie heading into the Western Palace storage with you, so I quietly disappeared.”

“…Rozie, savior of the Mage Tower.”

Avgenia blushed and glared again, but Rozie just laughed.

“I’m on my way to get scolded by First Princess, so I wanted to cheer you up with a joke.”

“Thanks. Please keep looking out for me?”

“It’d be even better if you could do your business in more normal places next time. At least somewhere with a sofa… Ow.”

Thud, Avgenia’s fist landed on Rozie’s side. It couldn’t have hurt, but Rozie moaned for her lady’s sake.

One month after Second Princess Avgenia and her chief aide, Young Master Ramantus, returned from their successful trip.

The atmosphere in the Imperial Palace was chaotic.

First, the rain magic experiment succeeded, ending the drought and bringing a small victory to the Imperial Family, so the palace was generally excited. The great nobles, led by Ramantus, had pressured the Imperial Family, claiming they were helping the poor with their wealth, but the Second Princess had overcome that with her skill.

Naturally, the Senate’s supporters of the Second Princess were delighted.

People had thought she only dragged men to her bed for lewd acts, but she’d overcome the worst crisis in years with wisdom.

She was, after all, the daughter of the former Empress from a noble family. She’d been clever since childhood, now showed talent as an administrator, and was clearly fit to be Emperor. The First Princess from a humble family and the seven-year-old First Prince who hadn’t even held a real sword couldn’t compare.

So, support for the Second Princess briefly surged, and strange rumors began.

That Young Master Ramantus and the Second Princess were involved.

With the head of the First Prince’s faction, Ramantus, linked to the Second Princess, the Senate was thrown into turmoil.

The First Prince’s faction boasted that no one would dare make the next Duchess of Ramantus Emperor. The Second Princess’s faction hoped for conflict between the two Ramantuses, thinking the Young Master was aiming for the chief aide’s seat.

Those not in either faction gossiped about the truth. No details were known, but the Second Princess had stopped accepting anyone into her bed, which only fueled the rumors.

“So, what are you going to do?”

In the chaos, Avgenia sought out her half-sister, the First Princess, to confess everything. It was their first meeting since the First Princess returned from a long trip inspecting the relief efforts for the drought.

“You’re so direct, seeing me for the first time in ages.”

“You think I don’t know you started those rumors?”

“…Is it obvious?”

“My aides notice even the subtlest hints.”

First Princess Milenya smiled slyly. Raised like sisters while their mother lived, and following Milenya after her death, Avgenia was always weak to her six-years-older half-sister.

“So. Are you really going to marry Alexei?”

“Well, if Ramantus sends the proposal, do you think Father could refuse?”

“True.”

Milenya laughed briefly. Their father had three children by three women and was now being pushed around by the nobles.

“But convincing the Duke will be tough for Alexei.”

“That’s why I’m working hard to spread rumors. I’m paying extra bonuses to the aide office, so my private funds are running low.”

“That was your aide office’s work? I thought you had Rozie do it.”

“It’s a Senate rumor, so I couldn’t use shady methods. And most importantly…”

A blush spread across Avgenia’s face as she fiddled with her teacup.

“Lexie said this part was my job.”

“Ah?”

Milenya glanced at her and laughed.

Unlike Avgenia, who could do as she pleased because she was ignored by the elders, Milenya, born of the Empress, was always pushed around. She was clever but had no ambition for the throne, so the expectations heaped on Avgenia were heavy. The atmosphere that tried to pit them against each other was painful for any sensitive child.

The only thing Avgenia ever wanted was Alexei, who had cried with her when she missed her late mother as a child. Milenya knew this well.

〈Avi. You cried again? You promised Lady Tatyana you wouldn’t. An imperial leader shouldn’t do that.〉

〈Ah, no! Princess Avi cried because I cried, so she was just being kind! She’ll be a compassionate ruler!〉

〈Alexei, you cried? Why?〉

〈Um…〉

Thinking of the children wandering the palace hand-in-hand, Milenya felt a rush of nostalgia. The boy who always sided with her little sister was now grown, trying to defy his father’s expectations for the woman he loved.

That simple dream was to live in harmony with her sister forever.

Avgenia had secretly vowed ten years ago to serve Milenya as her sovereign for that dream. Well, even if she became Empress, Ramantus’s power wouldn’t be diminished.

“If it would turn out like this, you shouldn’t have bothered with all that libertine nonsense. You struggled with so many men. And the Duke won’t like a daughter-in-law who’s the subject of gossip.”

“It won’t be easy. But after waiting more than ten years, I can handle it… If the only son insists on ending the line, what can they do?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I said Alexei would like you.”

“But you know how much Lexie used to snap at me.”

“That’s just how boys are.”

Not just Alexei. Milenya, six or seven years older, saw both kids as emotionally just as young as they’d been.

Maybe they were more honest as children.

Alexei used to follow her everywhere, and Avgenia would kiss his chubby cheeks just because he was cute.

Not knowing how entangled they’d become lately, Milenya just reminisced about those beautiful memories.

“…If you’re gone, the palace will feel pretty empty.”

“It won’t happen right away… Should I wish Nikolai would hurry and grow up?”

“No, Dear.”

Milenya smiled.

* * *

“Father.”

“Mm.”

“Have you thought about it?”

“Hmm…”

A month after returning from the Mage Tower trip for palace business. The only son of Ramantus struggled again to get an answer from his father.

“As I’ve said many times, this is best for Ramantus. You must have thought so too, since you sent me to the palace as a child.”

“Well, as I’ve said, that was almost twenty years ago. Things have changed a lot.”

Alexei’s father, Duke Ivanov of Ramantus, stroked his tawny beard, avoiding his son’s gaze.

Alexei didn’t give up, moving to stay in his father’s line of sight as he pressed his case.

“And you wanted to keep Avgenia in check. If this marriage happens, she’ll naturally be pushed out of the succession. As the Senate says, who would dare make Ramantus’s woman Empress?”

“Speaking of which, I’d prefer the woman of Ramantus to be someone who’s loved you sincerely.”

“Sincerely? I know you’ve lined up more than ten families for marriage candidates.”

The Duke had picked families of noble daughters who’d fallen for his son, but Alexei saw no trace of love in those matches.

“You can love sincerely even in a political marriage. Just look at your mother.”

“Isn’t it famous all over Gronlant that you fell for my mother at first sight and proposed to the Branca family seventeen times? Isn’t it enough if the man loves sincerely?”

“That’s not what I mean!”

The Duke, swept up by his grown son’s arguments, shouted. He’d always been calm and dignified, but after a month of daily shouting, Alexei didn’t even flinch.

And Alexei had his own points.