* * *

“Are you saying this isn’t your responsibility?”

The Duchess raised her sharply arched eyebrows slightly, a hint of a twitch in her expression.

“I mean to say it was the Grand Duke’s decision.”

“So, it has nothing to do with you?”

If that was how the question was framed, I couldn’t simply deny it outright.

I couldn’t be sure just how much this elder knew or why I had been summoned here, but hiding everything was out of the question.

“That’s not entirely true.”

As I reached for my teacup, trying to buy a moment to think, the Duchess Velesa spoke in a low voice, almost to herself.

“I thought I had come to know you fairly well over the years…”

I decided to cut to the chase.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Understanding her intentions was crucial for me to figure out how to respond.

Was Duchess Velesa an ally? Certainly not.

But she was undeniably someone who could be of help to me, depending on the situation.

Conversely, if my attitude or answers displeased her, she could just as easily turn into an enemy.

“I’m merely offering advice as an elder, that severing ties with the Grand Duke might be in your best interest.”

When I didn’t reply immediately and hesitated, she set down her teacup again and added, “Ultimately, the choice is yours.”

Was this a veiled threat to let me know that defying her wishes could impact my endeavors at the resort?

If so, I needed to tread carefully.

Hernan was indeed someone irreplaceable to me, but that didn’t mean I was prepared to blindly sacrifice everything for him, even to the extent of betraying my family’s legacy.

“Are you speaking as an old friend of His Majesty, or as a concerned elder close to me?”

When I asked her directly again, she chuckled softly.

“Let’s say the latter. I’ve never kept such foolish friends.”

Her laugh left me speechless.

“…Thank you.”

As the brief conversation concluded and I left her office, I felt completely drained.

The Duchess Velesa and the Emperor were practically adversaries.

The Elder Council, which the Duchess led, existed primarily to keep the imperial power in check.

And the Emperor believed she was constantly interfering with his affairs.

To some extent, that was true.

Yet, considering the actions she had opposed—such as wanting to change the law to bring a woman already ordained as a priestess into his harem, or giving a foreign captive princess access to a library holding state secrets—it was clear that her objections were the right thing to do for anyone with a modicum of sense.

Duchess Velesa, widowed at a young age and fiercely determined to maintain her family’s standing, treated the Emperor like a useless parasite.

Everyone in the palace knew this.

‘Her ability to laugh and act as if they were the best of friends is unsettling in its own way.’

Still, her advice today wasn’t rooted in malice or a desire for revenge against me for not acting according to her wishes.

That much was clear.

‘But why did she say that?’

Her parting words lingered in my mind as I left her office.

“I thought you and I were kindred spirits.”

I couldn’t fathom what she meant, so I glanced back at her.

She smiled warmly, a rare expression I had never seen from her before.

“You’re quite the romantic at heart. Such a pity. If only my granddaughter’s age wasn’t a concern for you, you two would’ve been a perfect match.”

All I had said was that I couldn’t simply cut Hernan off at this point.

True, maintaining distance would certainly be safer given Hernan’s poor standing with the Emperor.

And if I had to weigh Hernan against Nirvan, I would have to choose the latter.

‘But right now, Hernan has no one to trust but me.’

The ancient dragon was useless—more like a can of gasoline ready to burst into flames.

With its disdain for being under imperial control, it might as well suggest burning everything to the ground just to be done with it.

My head spun.

I couldn’t openly oppose the Emperor, but neither could I offer Hernan much protection if I stayed by his side.

And it wasn’t as though I could revive the marriage proposal I had already rejected.

‘This is giving me a headache.’

I needed to talk to Hernan.

He must have expected the Emperor’s retaliation, but I wanted to hear directly what had transpired and what threats the Emperor had made.

It was odd that Hernan hadn’t inquired about my recent activities through the communication channel.

It was as if he’d calculated that if he asked, I’d reciprocate by questioning him in detail about his day-to-day affairs.

“……”

As the immediate situation settled, anger bubbled up inside me.

I was frustrated that he hadn’t informed me about the assassination attempt on his life.

Disappointed that he had kept something so critical from me.

I had stepped forward, willing to watch his back, but had he thought I didn’t need to know?

Or was it that he simply didn’t want to share it with me?

Romance?

All I wanted was a little peace in my life, but problems just kept flooding in from every direction.

Hernan wouldn’t tell me everything, and I needed to find out quickly what kind of retaliation the Emperor was planning.

“…….”

As soon as I returned to the Everdeen residence, a steward approached, handing me a letter as if he had been waiting for me.

Another letter! From whom this time?

I counted to ten silently to rein in my temper and accepted the envelope.

The sender’s name was unfamiliar, written in a careful script.

[Faithful maid Celoa Dewin]

The accompanying seal, however, revealed the true source.

It was the kind of letter meant to conceal the sender’s identity, using a subordinate’s name as a proxy while their own seal authenticated it.

This way, the recipient could discern the actual sender, but anyone unqualified to open it would remain in the dark.

[Tomorrow at three in the afternoon, I will come to visit.]

[Evelyn]

As expected, the signature below the brief message bore a familiar name.

Why was she coming to see me?

Did she think I’d persuade Hernan on her behalf?

That wasn’t going to happen.

Besides, I’d already caused greater trouble than her simple displays of jealousy.

Still, there was no need to turn her away outright.

If she was involved, she might know something about the Emperor’s plans.

‘But why choose three in the afternoon?’

The check-in time at Hotel Paradise was the same as the modern standard, starting at 3 PM.

With checkout at 11 AM, the staff would busily clean the rooms, organize the conditions by around 2 PM, and then begin accommodating new guests.

He could only hope that whoever chose this timing didn’t intentionally aim for the busiest hours.

He had no desire to deal with someone so thoughtless and inconsiderate.

In the midst of his unease, at the time he usually communicated with Hernan, the person who contacted him was, unfortunately, not Hernan.

• He says he won’t be able to make it today because of training, so he asked you to go ahead and sleep first.

It was Anton.

Despite telling him it was fine to call even late, and asking him to reach out as soon as he was done, no communication came until the County hours of the morning.

‘At this rate, I might have no choice but to visit him myself to see if something’s wrong.’

It was no different from when they had to hide an intruder.

If there was an issue, he should have been informed so they could discuss and address it.

But instead, Hernan seemed more preoccupied with appearing cool than with seeking help, unnecessarily concealing dangers and leaving him restless.

‘When I see him, I’ll definitely have words with him.’

No, it wouldn’t end with just words.

Grinding his teeth, he waited for 3 PM.

As arranged, two women cloaked in robes arrived at the back door.

“Ah, h-hello…!”

The trembling voice, tinged with fear, belonged to someone he had seen before.

“This is Princess Evelyn,” the sturdy knight escorting her introduced.

“Please, come inside. We don’t want any unwanted eyes on us.”

The servants of the Everdeen household were loyal and diligent, but when it came to matters involving the imperial family, extra caution was always warranted—especially given the current circumstances.

Leading the robed princess into his study, he ensured no one else was present before she let out a long sigh of relief and pulled back her hood.

“What brings you here?”

Skipping any pleasantries, he asked directly, causing the princess to flinch and dart her eyes nervously.

“Well, you see…”

“……”

When he continued to silently wait, the princess squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.

“Please stop Father!”

As if.

This was easily among the top three most absurd requests he’d heard all year.

* * *