Chapter 12

“Well, well.”  

Years of holding the position of leader had naturally honed a certain skill.  

Intuition.  

To avoid being swayed by cunning schemers, one had to stay one step ahead of them at all times.  

After decades of navigating such challenging company, the Emperor’s instincts had become exceptionally sharp.  

And in this moment, those instincts whispered to him,  

‘There’s something going on here.’  

He couldn’t be sure about Sabrina’s feelings, as they had only just met today.  

However, the subtle changes in Chase’s expression and behavior, which he had observed for a lifetime, were all too apparent.  

The fact that Chase had bent his stubbornness and obediently followed someone’s lead was peculiar enough. After all, where did that stubbornness come from, if not his father?  

The Emperor narrowed his eyes as he watched Chase subtly push a glass toward Sabrina.  

‘Which family did she say she was from? Wintlet?’  

The Emperor pondered as he observed Sabrina’s awkward smile.  

‘If nothing immediately comes to mind, it must not be a particularly prominent family. In that case, this could be…’  

Just as he began weighing the realistic possibilities of the two forming a union, the Emperor shook his head to clear his thoughts.  

‘What’s the point of getting ahead of myself? They’re not even anything to each other yet.’  

For now, it seemed best to take a step back and silently watch over the budding interaction between the two young people.  

For the first time in a long while, the Emperor felt a deep sense of peace.  

It had been years since he’d had such an honest conversation with Chase or enjoyed a proper meal. That was what mattered most right now.  

In that sense, Sabrina Wintlet was nothing short of a benefactor to him.  

‘If Chase inherited even this trait from me, no one’s opinion will sway him anyway.’  

At that moment, the Emperor’s and Sabrina’s gazes met midair. Sabrina offered him an awkward smile.  

The Emperor chuckled softly and spoke.  

“Lady Sabrina.”  

“Yes, Your Majesty.”  

“Please take good care of my son.”  

Sabrina’s eyes widened slightly before curving into a soft smile. Straightening her back, she replied firmly,  

“You needn’t worry. I will do my utmost to assist His Highness.”  

“It’s reassuring to hear you say that.”  

The Emperor added with a faint smile,  

“If possible, I’d like to dine together again.”  

At this, Chase rubbed his forehead and muttered in exasperation,  

“Father, please…”  

“If you want me to stop, then you should at least show your face more often.”  

Chase removed his hand from his forehead. Their identical golden eyes reflected each other like mirrors.  

After a brief silence, the Emperor raised both hands.  

Casting off his usual stern demeanor, he shrugged lightly and said,  

“To be honest, I’m sick of eating alone.”  

The uncharacteristically vulnerable words deepened the lines on the Emperor’s forehead.  

“…”  

Chase stared silently at his father’s face, which looked older than usual, then turned toward Sabrina. She smiled at him as if to say, “What can you do?”  

After a moment, Chase spoke slowly.  

“…Sabrina, adjust the schedule when we return. Morning seems to work best.”  

Sabrina beamed and nodded.  

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll organize it as soon as we’re back. Would that be agreeable to you as well, Your Majesty?”  

Turning to the Emperor, Sabrina asked gently. The Emperor answered without hesitation.  

“Of course.”  

The Emperor nodded slowly at Sabrina. Without a sound, his lips moved.  

‘Thank you.’  

***

“Looks innocent, but not ordinary at all.”  

Crunching on a cookie, Henry’s remark was quickly picked up by Joel.  

“Indeed. I always thought it was strange how she insisted on following His Highness to the Sun Palace. Turns out there was a reason.”  

Avery, who had been silently listening, subtly stepped in to defend Sabrina.  

“That wasn’t really Sabrina’s choice. It was more like we…”  

“Avery, don’t you have any tact? She was invited to a banquet with His Highness and His Majesty. Alone! Do you know what that means?”  

“I’m not sure.”  

“It means she’s latched onto the right line. At this rate, we’ll all end up working under Sabrina. Can you imagine that?”  

Joel raised his voice as he berated Avery.  

“If it were Henry, I’d understand. He served His Highness for two years.”  

“Of course, that’s right.”  

“Or you, Avery. I’m well aware of the Brandt family’s connections to the Imperial Family. But her…”  

Joel’s stream of words suddenly stopped.  

“Sabrina.”  

It was because Sabrina had just entered the room.  

“Good morning, everyone.”  

Sabrina crossed the room, cutting through the awkward silence with steady steps.  

‘It’s obvious what they were talking about.’  

But her expression didn’t waver in the slightest. She had anticipated the gossip ever since she received the Emperor’s invitation.  

Henry, in a bright tone, asked,  

“Sabrina, we were just talking about you. How was the meal with His Majesty?”  

“Well… it was delicious.”  

“Come on, give us some details. We didn’t get to see it, so at least let us hear about it.”  

Under Henry’s insistence, Sabrina answered calmly,  

“All the prepared dishes were excellent. After the meal, we wrapped things up. Most of the conversation was between His Highness and His Majesty.”  

Though she had given a fairly detailed account, it didn’t seem to satisfy Henry or Joel.  

Joel, who had been sitting with his arms crossed and a dissatisfied expression, forced a grin as he made a suggestion.  

“There must be more to tell. How about we grab a drink after work and hear the rest?”  

Sabrina’s brow twitched.  

‘An after-work gathering, all of a sudden?’  

Already exhausted, the thought of seeing their faces even after work made her inwardly cringe.  

At the word “drink,” Henry clapped his hands loudly.  

“That’s a great idea. We’ve never hung out as just the four of us before.”  

“Well, yesterday really was all there was to it, so I don’t have much more to share. I mean…”  

As Sabrina was about to politely decline, Joel interrupted her with an exaggerated tone.  

“Oh, so now that you’re doing well, you don’t want to associate with us anymore?”  

“What are you talking about…”  

“If that’s not it, then there’s no reason to refuse. It’s about team bonding and camaraderie. What’s wrong with a little ‘togetherness’? Haha.”  

Though he laughed as if joking, his words carried a sharp edge. His piercing gaze and tense jaw betrayed his hostility toward her.  

‘Fine. Let’s go. Let’s see this through.’  

Since it’s come to this, I’ll make sure you won’t bother me again.

Having made up her mind, Sabrina clenched her fists and smiled brightly.  

“Alright, let’s do it.”  

***

“Exactly! That’s not the way it should be done. Everyone is working hard together…”  

“Absolutely right, Sir!”  

Sabrina quietly cracked open a peanut and tossed it into her mouth as she watched her colleagues, their faces flushed, repeating the same words over and over.  

‘I just want to go home.’  

Joel and Henry, brimming with competitiveness, tried to challenge her, but Sabrina had years of experience from a past life, mastering acting and various tricks. From slyly pretending to drink to outright spitting out alcohol in all sorts of creative ways, she had no shortage of methods.  

In the end, it wasn’t Sabrina but her colleagues who ended up completely drunk.  

“Wow…”  

Avery, seated beside her, let out a low murmur of admiration as he observed the entire process.  

“I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.”  

“Shh. Keep it to yourself.”  

“Of course.”  

Sabrina leaned closer to Avery, and the two began brainstorming ways to discreetly escape the gathering.  

“Hey, hey, what’s with the mood here?”  

Just then, Henry slammed his glass on the table, drawing everyone’s attention.  

“How about we play a card game, like last time? There are four of us, so it’s perfect.”  

Joel, seated nearby, quickly chimed in, 

“Sounds great!”  

“Let’s keep it classic, like the last time. Everyone knows how to play, right?”  

Sabrina raised her hand lightly and said, 

“No, I don’t know how to play.”  

“Oh, come on. You’ll learn as you go. You’re smart; you’ll pick it up in no time.”  

Hoping she might avoid the game, Sabrina was disappointed to see that they had no intention of letting her off the hook.  

Joel, seated across from her, added fuel to the fire.  

“Playing without stakes is boring. Let’s bet on something.”  

“Of course! Sabrina doesn’t know how to play, so let’s keep the stakes simple.”  

“What about next week’s duty shifts?”  

“Sounds good. Everyone agrees, right? Yes?”  

Ha. 

Sabrina chuckled. 

How could their intentions be so blatantly obvious?  

Even Avery, who had been quietly observing, furrowed his brows slightly.  

“This doesn’t seem…”  

“Avery.”  

Sabrina stretched out her arm to stop him. Then, turning to Henry, she met his gaze directly and said,  

“Alright. Let’s play.”  

Henry, taken aback by her confident response, blinked in surprise.  

“Really?”  

“Yes. I’ll learn while playing.”  

Sabrina shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. After all, card games weren’t unfamiliar to her.  

‘The cards look similar to a standard deck of playing cards.’  

Though the design seemed slightly foreign, since the original work, ‘The Rose of Evenheim’, was a Korean creation, she figured the rules wouldn’t stray too far from what she already knew.  

As the game began, the initial rounds went as expected—Sabrina lost repeatedly.  

Henry and Joel, their moods visibly lifted, chuckled as they teased her.  

“How are you going to keep losing like this, Sabrina? This is embarrassing.”  

“Betting only on duty shifts feels a bit dull. How about adding tonight’s dinner bill to the stakes?”  

They subtly escalated the stakes.  

Though their intentions were clear, Sabrina allowed herself to be swept along, letting the game’s stakes grow little by little.  

“Sure. If we’re going to bet, let’s make it exciting.”  

Why?  

‘Because I’ve got the hang of it now.’