By Zephyria 
After squeezing out every last drop of miserable expectation, my barely recovered reason gripped me.
There was only one variable I hadn’t been able to control. The Fragment of the Ninth God.
Gano Paquin had explained that in order for Mikael to complete his mission safely, the power of the Ninth God needed to be weakened, and simultaneously, Mikael needed to become stronger. Since Mikael possessed the Purification ability, it sounded like a reasonable plan for him to claim the torn fragments of the Ninth God.
And only now do I regret that.
I recalled the moment Mikael swallowed the soul fragment he had brought from his previous life. The way his eyes deepened with tenderness, his lips slightly dry. It was a very small change, but the shift in his heart was reflected in his appearance. If the absorption of a soul influenced one’s personality and sensibility, then Mikael’s cold reaction was understandable.
Yes, it was understand… able.
Every breath I exhaled felt so hot it seemed to burn my throat. With cold fingertips, I scratched at my neck, struggling to clear my suffocating breath. I looked away from the heavy pain sinking into a corner of my chest. And I plotted.
I didn’t know a way to extract a fragment of god that had already been absorbed.
However, I could keep Mikael by my side.
Tomorrow, a tea party will be held at Clemang. The House of Marquess Clemang was a marquessate that belonged to the Duchy of Grimsvein, a family that had acted as if they were the dukes while the Grimsvein dukedom was vacant. After Grimsvein was half-destroyed, Clemang fled to the capital and maintained their authority by relying on Richard’s power and funds.
Until now, Clemang had steadily gathered former Grimsvein nobles to strengthen their sense of belonging and increase their numbers, but they had reached a clear limit. Having lost all their military forces, they had to wait for the Imperial Knights to reclaim the Grimsvein territory; and even if they did, now that Lady Vivian Grimsbane’s survival was certain, it wasn’t easy to claim a position as glorious as before.
Then, I shall take that land.
Originally, I intended to settle Mikael in the Imperial Palace. I did so because I believed Mikael would never escape from before my eyes, out of my hands, forever. Just as I was happy simply by looking at Mikael, I wanted Mikael to live in pure happiness just by looking at my face.
But now it is time to consider an alternative.
I now knew that I alone could not exert coercive force over Mikael. In his previous life, Mikael wandered the continent playing the hero. For me, who must remain fixed in one place, it would be difficult to hold onto Mikael if he wandered as he did then.
The Earldom Ernhardt was a bit too small for Mikael, a Grand Sword Master, to rule, and there were alternatives like Michael or Asdel. The current Mikael could leave at any time, for anywhere.
Therefore, I must grant Mikael the dukedom.
With Mikael’s martial prowess, monsters of the Yuil Mountains were no problem. Thus, I could plant Mikael in the Grimsvein territory and reduce military support.
If the number of knights was low, Mikael would have to take the field himself to slay the monsters, and he would not leave behind millions of subjects who would die in his absence.
I will take that opportunity to barge into his bedroom.
Of course, if Mikael refuses, I cannot force him with physical strength.
He is immune to all poisons, so I cannot use drugs.
But what if I take the drug?
I planned to pretend to have an accident, ingest an aphrodisiac, and cling to Mikael in tears, begging him to fuck me right now, otherwise I would die.
No matter how much he hates me or claims he’s won, he surely hasn’t forgotten the memory of being my lover. Mikael is soft-hearted, so he wouldn’t leave me to someone else in such a situation.
First, I’ll make him do the deed and then cling to him, demanding he take responsibility. After holding a wedding, I will slowly draw him into the Imperial Palace.
I had no time to indulge in useless sentimentality for long. Using the healing artifact and Clean Artifact I carried for emergencies, I erased the traces of tears and checked the time.
11 PM.
I immediately summoned a servant and sent a letter to Hestia Yeldidus. Since Hestia, Richard’s former fiancée, had deep ties with Clemang, she would be able to participate in the tea party in a way that was acceptable even with a one-day notice.
Yes, it’s fine. I won’t break down over this.
* * *
It was a south-facing garden adjacent to an old glass greenhouse. The sunlight was warm, but the breeze was filled with a chilly energy. On a long white linen tablecloth, saffron tarts with pumpkin and figs, and chestnut cookies topped with caramel were prettily arranged.
No one touched the refreshments until the tablecloth turned red with the sunset.
The Empire’s social circle was a stage for women. The higher the title, the more wealth one possessed, the more etiquette one had to observe. Based on hundreds and thousands of tedious rules, it was common for most tea parties and charity events to be led by the ladies.
Because of this, most of the men present were either escorting their wives or gathering among themselves to converse in low voices.
Once I become Emperor, I’ll change this first. Mika finds these things difficult…
Mika. A corner of my chest throbbed again. Due to the lack of proper sleep last night, accumulated fatigue weighed heavily on my shoulders. I deliberately took a long breath in and a long breath out to regulate my breathing.
Meanwhile, Yeldidus acted on my behalf.
Yeldidus subtly hinted at dozens of ways to check the management share disputes or newly started businesses that each person gathered there was currently pursuing.
Without land, they were no different from fallen nobles if their funding was cut off. The bright smiles and pointed words she scattered put the gathered nobles on edge.
Their gazes lingered on my cheek, and on Yeldidus’s fingertips resting quietly on my elbow.
This much is enough.
As I slightly lowered my right arm that was supporting Yeldidus’s arm, she immediately read my intention and smiled brightly, fluttering her fan to signal the end.
“I truly enjoyed myself today, Marchioness Clemang. May I expect you to invite ‘our Highness’ to the next tea party?”
“Of course, it would be a great honor for me to have His Highness join us. If you notify me a bit earlier next time, I will prepare everything to your utmost satisfaction.”
“Then, you must certainly invite him.”
“…Yes. I shall. From now on, I will make sure to prepare invitations for both of you.”
“Lovely. Then, have a wonderful time.”
“You worked hard today, Marchioness Clemang. I’ll see you again.”
Yes, I decided to forbid the nobles from Grimsvein from gathering. Clemang resisted slightly at our sudden decision, but with Richard gone, there was nothing they could do. I responded with a slight nod to those bowing politely and turned away.
As soon as I climbed into the carriage, I roughly loosened my cravat. There was no need to manage my expression even in front of Hestia Yeldidus. Since I found out her ridiculous desires were directed toward Poplar Kiadris, I had been using her more easily.
Yeldidus, sitting opposite me, smiled beamingly while fanning her right cheek. Even if she pointed out my rudeness now, I didn’t care, knowing she did it because she knew it would be accepted.
“You seem very tired?”
“A little.”
“And scaring people.”
“Scaring who?”
“Really. Your Highness had quite a wonderful expression today. How should I put it, like that day you met Sir Rose…?”
“Ha.”
I felt a surge of irritation at her innocent, beaming attitude.
I chose not to react further, crossed my arms in front of me, and closed my eyes. Then Yeldidus also shut her mouth. The sound of the fan waving calmly and the quiet rolling of the carriage wheels mixed in an off-beat rhythm.
Why bring up Shayden Rose now.
It had already been two years.
When I first returned to the capital, only five people in this Sierran Empire knew that Mikael remembered his previous life. Me, Hugh Benson, Elvin Brooks, Marianne Philodendore, and Benjamin Claudian. Since Hugh Benson, Elvin Brooks, and Benjamin Claudian had left with Mikael, there was only one person to be careful of.
I had urged Marianne Philodendore several times. For the sake of Mikael’s new life, let us not mention this fact to anyone. She had readily agreed, and this remained a secret between us, and between me and Mikael.
However, the fact that Mikael left for the Magic territory was not something that could be hidden.
As soon as I returned to the capital, I first informed Valentia and Ernhardt that Mikael had headed for the Magic territory.
Mikael’s family naturally didn’t believe my words at first. However, Mikael had departed for the north on a wyvern with a god, in front of dozens of knights and merchant laborers. After summoning those involved, including Mikael’s friends, and going through several fact-checking procedures, they eventually accepted it.
It was then that Shayden Rose requested an audience with me.
If it were a request from a mere young master of a count’s house, I could have easily rejected it, but as a graduate of the Academy, he was not someone I could refuse without reason, no matter who I was.
Having received him reluctantly, he said something quite absurd.
‘I came wondering if Your Highness had planted a new flower in the Jade Palace.’
It was nonsense, suggesting that I had hidden Mikael away to deceive people.
If I could, I would have loved to. Who does he think he is to glare at me like that, as if he’s something to Mika. I was so baffled that I sneered instead of answering.
‘I wonder.’
‘…’
‘Did Young Lady Philodendore say so?’
‘…Is it true that Mika went to the Magic territory?’
Mika.
A hollow laugh escaped me. Was there anyone other than me who called Mika by his nickname in front of me?
At that time, I was full from eating Mikael’s love to my heart’s content and had become more arrogant than anyone. Enough to be able to curl the corners of my lips even while looking at Shayden Rose’s insolent appearance.
‘Yes. I didn’t know you would trust me more than the Young Lady’s words.’
‘…’
In front of the silent Shayden Rose, I tapped the armrest twice with my fingertips. Even under the silent pressure asking how much more of my time he intended to steal, he did not flinch. Instead, he quietly lowered his eyes and said one more pathetic thing.
‘Our Rose family will assist the Grimsvein front.’
‘…What?’
‘For Your Highness’s safety and glory, I wish to take the field personally.’
The Grimsvein front was not an area knights preferred. It was the front line defending against monsters that could pour out at any moment, and because it was far from the city, one had to live a life that was practically camping. Thus, I should have been glad for Rose’s cooperation, yet it grated on my nerves.
Anyone could predict that Mikael would return through Grimsvein.
The path from the Yuil Mountains directly to the capital in the Widdrow Duchy is blocked by Dunmel Canyon. The path following the ridge of the Eldos Mountain Range is hindered by dense forests, causing unnecessary inconvenience. Unless he returned on a wyvern, passing through Grimsvein was the standard route.
He wants to see Mika first while I’m stuck in the capital? Why bother? Naturally, sharp words came out.
‘Why you?’
‘Well, currently the number of knights volunteering for the Grimsvein front is insufficient…’
‘Do I sound like I’m asking that?’
‘Is it strange that I worry about Mika?’
‘I’m saying it’s excessive.’
‘Ever since Mika took his first steps in this world—’
‘Only? I was there even before that—’
‘…’
‘…’
A terrible silence pooled in the drawing room.
Shayden still didn’t lift his gaze, and I tugged slightly at my collar. Fuck. I couldn’t believe I had let a gap open to the one person I least wanted to inform.
After counting exactly seven seconds, Shayden Rose affirmed in a calm voice.
‘…We were friends, Your Highness. Of course, I do not know Young Master Ernhardt as well as Your Highness does.’
…He was saying that he also knew the fact that Mikael remembered his previous life.
This fucking bastard.