Chapter 4

This morning, the entire Imperial Palace was unusually bustling.

Lutz, who had just stepped into the 1st Knight Order’s training grounds, was puzzled by the strangely excited demeanor of the knights.

‘Was there some event scheduled for today?’

No matter how hard he thought about it, nothing special came to mind.

It was just another ordinary day, packed with training sessions.

“Vice-Commander!”

The knights, spotting Lutz, rushed over with glowing eyes. The large men eagerly asked, their voices filled with excitement:

“Is it true that the Commander is dating the Chief of the Grievance Counseling Office?”

Lutz froze, his hand stopping mid-motion as he was unbuckling his belt. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Looking around at the knights with questioning eyes, he realized they all seemed to firmly believe in the Commander’s scandal.

It was an utterly absurd rumor.

“…Instead of wasting time spreading nonsense, why don’t you all run ten more laps around the training grounds?”

“But it’s true! Someone saw the Chief leaving Duke Astrea’s estate.”

“Another person claims to have witnessed the two of them being affectionate in the garden during the party!”

“They must have misunderstood.”

Knowing the relationship between the two, Lutz was certain there was no way such a thing could happen.

‘The Commander being affectionate?’

It was a rumor that didn’t suit him at all.

Who was Eched Astrea, after all?

A man indifferent not only to women but to people in general.

He was even jokingly called the sole monk of the Kentri Empire, someone more virtuous than the priests of the Holy Nation.

‘Who could have started such an absurd rumor?’

Until just a moment ago, he had been firmly convinced that it was nothing but baseless gossip.

‘But… could the rumor actually be true?’

After hearing the rumor, he could vividly imagine the reactions of the individuals involved.

As he opened the office door, as he always did, Lutz found himself taken aback.

“…It’s true that I came out of your room that day, Your Grace.”

The Commander and the Chief were together. And they seemed to be having a rather serious discussion about the rumor.

Cold sweat trickled down Lutz’s back as he unintentionally overheard their conversation.

Opening the door as usual had been his mistake.

The Commander must have noticed his presence from the moment he was in the hallway.

He never said whether to come in or not, even when Lutz knocked.

After years of this, Lutz had developed the habit of simply opening the door.

After today, he resolved to break that habit.

But what surprised him more was the word “room” uttered by the Chief.

Not only had the Commander allowed the Chief into the Duke’s estate, but it seemed he had also let her into his bedroom.

And to think they were so composed about it…

“What is it?”

Lutz, who had been staring blankly at Shaterian’s retreating figure, snapped back to attention at the Commander’s voice.

“Ah… A letter has arrived from the Blue Plains reconnaissance team. They report an increase in the number of monsters in the Haltonea Forest.”

“Have they requested reinforcements?”

“There was no request. With Taltos there, they should be fine unless it’s a particularly formidable monster.”

Eched nodded as he flipped through the papers.

“With Taltos, they’ll manage.”

Lutz considered it fortunate that Taltos wasn’t currently in the Imperial Palace.

Though reliable, Taltos had a talkative and mischievous nature.

Given his personality, he would undoubtedly take great interest in this scandal and stir up the entire palace like a migratory bird.

“And one more thing.”

Just as Lutz was about to leave the office, Eched called out to him.

“Yes?”

“I am not involved with the lady in any way. Don’t misunderstand.”

‘Then why did you let the Chief sleep at your estate? And not in a guest room, but in your bedroom? What about the affectionate behavior in the garden that people claimed to have witnessed?’

There were so many questions, but he couldn’t ask any of them. The curiosity was almost painful.

“Yes, understood.”

Lutz left the office, suppressing his curiosity as best as he could.

***

The next day.

While preparing to head to work, a royal attendant arrived.

“His Majesty has invited Lady Shaterian to join him for morning tea.”

The attendant, bowing his head, relayed the Emperor’s message, not forgetting to add that she was to be brought immediately.

As a result, she didn’t even get the chance to step into her office and headed straight to the main palace.

“What kind of nagging will it be this time?”

After the sudden death of her parents in an accident, she and her sister had been raised by the Emperor, her father’s elder brother.

Though they could be considered as close as actual parents and children, she still found the Emperor uncomfortable and didn’t particularly enjoy meeting him.

While walking down the corridor, she spotted Orgon standing behind a wall in the distance.

‘What’s he doing over there?’

As she rounded the L-shaped corridor and reached Orgon’s hiding spot, he suddenly jumped out.

“Shaterian!”

It seemed he had been hiding to startle her.

She gave him a cold, unimpressed look.

“Grow up.”

With a male lead like this, no wonder the original story flopped.

No matter how she thought about it, Eched was much more fitting as the male lead.

Even the narrative with the female protagonist supported this.

Eched had waited for Anella, who reincarnated repeatedly, for 500 years.

“That look hurts, you know.”

Orgon awkwardly followed behind her as she ignored him.

“How come you never get startled?”

“Are you a child?”

She scolded him, saying even a five-year-old wouldn’t be startled by such antics.

But then, she paused and glared at Orgon.

“Orgon. Did you seriously try to push me onto that guy?”

“‘That guy’? Watch your words. If someone hears, it’ll be trouble. Fix your tone.”

“Don’t change the subject.”

Orgon laughed, saying, ‘As expected, you never let anything slide.’

“You were sprawled out on the garden bench, stubbornly refusing to go home. What could I do?”

He made an absurd claim about being too weak to handle her.

What nonsense. No matter how she looked at it, her size was barely half of his.

“So you left me to Eched?”

“Well, I couldn’t just leave you with some random nobleman, could I? Where would you find someone safer than Eched, the Commander of the Knight Order? His status is solid, and it’s guaranteed he wouldn’t touch you.”

“It’s also guaranteed that he’s the kind of man who’d leave me on the street if I became a nuisance.”

At that, Orgon smiled slyly and shrugged.

“Well, what could I do?”

“What could you do? How is leaving me on the street any different from leaving me sprawled on a bench?”

“The difference… is in my feelings?”

She struggled to suppress the murderous intent that was slowly rising within her.

“But I didn’t expect such rumors to spread. Did anything progress?”

His subtle probing revealed his ulterior motives.

“Progress? There’s no such thing. The only thing between us is regression. Even if I took one step forward, it wouldn’t make a dent in the millions of steps we’re apart.”

Of course, she had no intention of closing the millions of steps between them anyway.

Leaving Orgon behind, she approached the maid standing in front of the Emperor’s garden.

The maid promptly announced her arrival inside.

While waiting for a response, she spoke to Orgon.

“Orgon. Don’t meddle unnecessarily from now on.”

“You never know how relationships might turn out.”

“There are relationships that will never turn out. That applies to me and Eched.”

As soon as permission to enter was granted, the garden door opened.

“Well… you never know.” 

Orgon muttered ominously behind her, but she dismissed it and stepped inside.

The Emperor’s garden was a magical space within the main palace.

It always maintained clear weather and a constant temperature, with flowers blooming year-round regardless of the season.

The Emperor stood by a stream, gazing at a moonflower with bright yellow petals in full bloom.

It was his favorite flower in the garden.

“I greet the sun of the Empire.”

“Take a seat.”

Nodding his head, the Emperor sat in a chair prepared by the tea table.

On the tea table were a two-tiered tray of unsweetened cookies and a teapot filled with hot water.

“The table is rather plain since you don’t like sweets.”

The Emperor himself didn’t like sweets either, despite his comment.

He picked up the teapot and poured water into a cup containing dried flowers. The flowers slowly unfurled, releasing a fragrant aroma.

“The floral tea brewed by you always has such a wonderful scent, Your Majesty.”

“You’ve become quite the flatterer.”

“It’s half sincere.”

Even such a simple compliment brought a pleased smile to the Emperor’s face.

“How is work these days?”

“More or less the same as usual.”

“I see. You’ve always been capable on your own, so there’s no need to worry. But Terry…”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“There’s a strange rumor circulating in the palace. Is it true? That you’re dating the Commander of the Knight Order?”

So that’s why he had summoned me so urgently this morning.

She let out a deep sigh.

“If that’s true… wouldn’t it be better to meet someone else?”

“If that’s true… Pardon? What did you just say?”

For a moment, she doubted her ears.

The Emperor wore a disapproving expression.

“You and Eched, the Commander of the Knight Order, don’t seem to match.”

“It’s a misunderstanding. There’s nothing between us.”

She quickly shook her head, her expression serious.

“You don’t have to lie just because I disapprove of the Commander.”

“It’s the truth. There really is nothing between me and… the Commander.”

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

She looked at him pleadingly, trying to convey her sincerity.

“Are you really not in a relationship?”

“Yes. It’s just a baseless rumor.”

“Then… is the rumor about you leaving Duke Astrea’s estate the morning after the party also false?”

She hesitated before finally speaking.

“That… That part isn’t false. B-but! Nothing else happened.”

She hurriedly added, fearing a misunderstanding.

But the Emperor, looking shocked, muttered blankly.

“Spending the night at Duke Astrea’s estate… That’s true…”

Something about his words felt off.

“Then what about the rumor that you and the Commander were… um, in the garden during the party?”

The Emperor seemed unable to bring himself to say the word “kiss.”

“Well… I was so drunk that I don’t remember much…”

Bang!

The Emperor suddenly slammed the table.

The plates rattled, and the dessert tray toppled over.

Startled, she called out, 

“Your Majesty?”

The Emperor clenched his fists, trembling with anger.

“How dare he… How dare he…”

“Your Majesty…”

“Abandon you.”

Wait, what?

The Emperor raised his head sharply to look at her. His golden eyes gleamed fiercely.

“Terry. I’ll introduce you to the young lords of other noble families. You don’t need to concern yourself with someone like him.”

“…”

“How about the second son of the Mon Pellinier Ducal family?”

The second son of that family was known for his exceptional skills, having recently won first place in a swordsmanship competition. He was also renowned for his chivalry.

But he would likely despise her—Shaterian.

She vividly recalled the time she had hurled sharp words at him during their academy days.

‘Didn’t I call him trash who could never surpass Eched in his lifetime?’

When she didn’t respond, the Emperor quickly suggested another name.

“Or perhaps the youngest son of the Arturito family?”

“No.”

That family’s youngest son was sociable but overly talkative. He, too, was someone she had insulted in the past.

“Then how about the third son of the Kulnensi family? Among the Earls, there’s… oh, yes, Bruf Robberalter.”

“No.”

How was it that every name he mentioned belonged to someone I had insulted?

It was a moment of realization that her past personality hadn’t been particularly kind.