“How dare… How dare that b*tch!!”

Harsh curses spilled from Empress Scarlet’s red lips. Unable to contain her fury, she bit down so violently that the delicate skin split.

“Y-Your Majesty!! Your lip is bleeding.”

Scarlet’s maid approached in alarm, but Scarlet merely raised one hand and exhaled coldly.

“A lowly dog dares to bite its master.”

Even though her words were not directed at them, the maids and servants around Scarlet trembled with fear.

They knew that, although she usually presented herself elegantly, she would not stop until she had seen matters through to the bitter end when enraged.

“Bring my father to me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The maid quickly left the room, while the other servants watched Scarlet with bated breath, seemingly wondering how they might escape this hell.

“Whew…. James.”

In response to her irritated call, a handsome man emerged from the adjoining room and approached Scarlet.

With his open shirt revealing his broad chest, he knelt at her feet and looked up at her as though she were a goddess.

Scarlet’s anger immediately subsided.

When she held out her hand, he pressed his cheek against it as though he had been waiting for her touch; he was like a dog she had raised herself.

“Seeing you brings me considerable comfort.”

Scarlet looked at James affectionately.

She adored his masculine physique and exquisite boyish beauty. But more than anything, it was the image of herself reflected in his innocent eyes that captivated her.

He was a young man who made her heart flutter and made her forget her own age. She could not help but cherish him.

“Tell me what I must do to make Your Majesty smile again….”

James looked as though Scarlet’s unhappiness did not merely pain him but left his heart aching unbearably.

“Hehe. As expected, you are the only one who worries about me. Would you accompany me on a walk?”

“Of course. I could walk with Your Majesty throughout the night.”

With his beautiful face and charming manner, he was impossible not to adore. Their brief conversation alone was enough to calm Scarlet’s anger.

James attentively escorted her through the gardens of the Empress’s Palace.

Scarlet usually treasured every moment she spent with him, but tonight she could hardly concentrate. Her thoughts remained fixed on the letter from Roselina that had arrived shortly before.

‘Had it not been for Lady Roselina, I might have found myself in serious trouble.’

Scarlet was not particularly close to Roselina, a noblewoman from another empire. She had accompanied Duke Crussian when he visited the Adelina Empire to help Scarlet, and Scarlet had only met her a few times.

This time, however, Roselina had rendered her an invaluable service.

‘Sophia dares to betray me?’

They say that keeping a stupid dog that doesn’t know its place will only bring hardship upon its master, and Scarlet now found herself in precisely that situation. Rage suddenly boiled up inside her again, and she tightened her grip on James’s arm.

“Are you all right?”

James asked as he examined her hand, worried that she might have hurt herself.

“Haah…. I am distressed because of a dog I once kept.”

“Tell me what has upset you. I will soothe your heart, Your Majesty.”

Perhaps it was James’s honeyed voice, or perhaps Scarlet simply wanted his comfort, but she readily revealed matters meant to remain secret.

“A lady from the Circlezian Empire sent me a letter.”

James did not respond and merely listened in silence.

“She told me that Sophia had revealed my secrets to her father and sent him the evidence.”

“Sophia…?”

“Yes, the very woman you are thinking of. That b*tch who was once Duke Siren’s mistress… After becoming a duchess thanks to me, she should have known her place and obeyed…!!”

In a pitiful attempt to secure the favor of the Duke of Crussian, Sophia made him an offer.

Terrified by the news that Carlo was to marry the duke’s daughter, she promised to hand over the evidence if he prevented the marriage.

However, after years of living in luxury on her magnificent estate, Sophia made an astonishingly foolish mistake.

She asked the Duke to abandon Carlo and sent him all the evidence she had before he had even accepted her proposal.

“Even stupidity should have its limits…. She handed over the information before he had agreed to anything. Well, thanks to her foolishness, the evidence will soon be back in my hands.”

Scarlet inwardly cursed Sophia and curled her lips into a vicious smile.

“Would it not be dangerous for the duke to possess such evidence?”

The tremor in James’s eyes, coupled with the nervous way he was moving his hands, stirred Scarlet’s protective instincts. Smiling at his beautiful face, she gently caressed his cheek.

“Hehehe. Do not worry. I am not someone who would allow such an insignificant wretch to defeat me. The young lady has promised to deliver both the letter and the evidence into my hands.”

Roselina had found Sophia’s letter and the evidence in her father’s office and then written to Scarlet, offering to hand them over on certain conditions.

In exchange, Scarlet had to expel Sophia and her son from the Siren estate and ensure that Carlo, Roselina’s future husband, inherited the dukedom.

Scarlet considered herself fortunate that Roselina was every bit as foolish as Sophia. The girl had boldly presented her demands without realizing that Scarlet already held the fate of House Crussian in her hands.

If she wished, Scarlet could expose the secret slave market and poison trade operated by House Crussian, bringing the entire family to ruin.

“Still, it is fortunate that Roselina possesses the evidence rather than the duke.”

She could manipulate Roselina just as easily as she had manipulated Sophia. She could use Roselina for as long as she was useful, then discard her when the time was right.

As Scarlet gathered her thoughts in silence, James, who had been watching her carefully, spoke up.

“It is fortunate indeed that the lady intends to provide Your Majesty with the evidence. I feel relieved.”

His innocent smile drew a delighted laugh from Scarlet.

His naivety was endearing. He had accepted Roselina’s promise to hand over the evidence without suspicion and was genuinely relieved.

Of course, viewed less generously, he was simply foolish. No one would surrender something so valuable without demanding something in return.

“James always sees only the good in people.”

Scarlet ordinarily despised fools, but James was different. He was merely a lover she kept for her amusement; it was enough that he was pleasantly foolish and filled her ears with sweet words.

He was the perfect companion to ease the pain of never having received the Emperor’s love. Initially, she had intended to enjoy his company for a while and then discard him. Yet at some point, she had started seeking him out again and again.

She had become captivated by his masculine vigor and found herself yearning for his tender words.

“James, will you hold me?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Wrapped in James’s broad embrace, Scarlet smiled and closed her eyes. His rich scent enveloped her and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat filled her ears.

The warmth building gradually between them made her heart flutter.

She trembled as his heated hand subtly slipped lower, yet she made no attempt to release him.

“That’s right. I’ll just enjoy this foolish boy for a while longer, then discard him.”

But Scarlet had yet to realize—the fool was not James, but Scarlet herself.

***

Half out of his mind, Duke Crussian frantically searched his office.

“Where is it…? Where the hell is it?!!!”

Moments later, the once-immaculate office descended into chaos. The startled servants stood by helplessly, barely daring to breathe.

Roselina had already become a ticking time bomb, making life unbearable for the servants. Now that even the duke was acting this way, they felt compelled to resign.

“It was right here. Where could it possibly have gone?”

Both Sophia’s letter and the evidence had disappeared. They had undoubtedly been in his office, but now they were gone.

The duke had been sure that he had obtained a valuable card that would bring Scarlet down. Now, he felt as though a prize that had already been within his grasp had slipped through his fingers.

“Your Grace, if you tell us what you are looking for….”

“Get out! All of you, get out!”

The duke roared and hurled a heavy object toward them. The servants hurriedly fled the office just as Carlo arrived to see him.

“Your Grace, what happened?”

With a grim expression, Carlo watched the duke frantically search the office while muttering to himself.

“My lord, I know I had the letter Sophia sent me! She even included evidence that Empress Scarlet had used poison in an attempt to kill the emperor of Adelina…!!!”

At the duke’s words, murderous intent ignited in Carlo’s previously lifeless eyes.

“Evidence that she attempted to murder His Imperial Majesty?”

“Seven years ago, a princess of the Adelina Empire was accused of trying to poison the emperor. You are from Adelina yourself, so surely you know about the incident.”

“Yes. I know it very well.”

Merely knew about it? He had lived under the same roof as that very princess for years. At the thought of Laila, Carlo’s heart began pounding violently.

“In truth, the princess was not the one who poisoned the emperor. Empress Scarlet administered the poison herself.”

“…!!”