‘I think she’s noticed that I’m watching her. But she won’t be able to get past the guard.’

He could tell she was stressed. But she was the one who told him to keep her safe. He was only trying to protect her with all his heart. No one among the nobles in this place would be friendly to her. They will try to harm her as soon as she appears.

‘I wish she was just a bird. Or a rabbit.’

He thought rabbits were only prey, but now that he sees them, he can see why they are beloved animals. He honestly wanted to pat her round back.

‘I was rejected but—’

Serwin sighed deeply once more. The meeting room’s atmosphere was even colder.

“Your Majesty. The meeting is—”

Serwin was asked by Baron Avery, who couldn’t see. Serwin said quietly, “Keep going,” and then returned to his thoughts. The nobles couldn’t focus on the meeting and instead focused on Serwin’s eyes. As a result, the meeting ended as a mess.

*******

Even after Serwin had left the room, the nobles were unable to leave for a while. They gathered in groups, discussing Serwin.

“I’ve never seen His Majesty in such a state before.”

“I wasn’t the only one who thought so! What in the world is going on?”

“Well, if His Majesty has to sigh—it must be a serious matter.”

Although he was overshadowed by his reputation as a tyrant, Serwin was passionate about managing state affairs. He was never shaken by any difficulties. Therefore, his sighing and contemplation confused the aristocracy. The aristocrats didn’t know what the emperor was worried about, leading to a discussion that they should prepare in advance before something big happened.

“What the hell is going on… Count Manverse, what do you know?”

Count Manverse answered a close nobleman’s question in silence. He was no longer able to participate in the frivolous conversation of the nobles.

‘His Majesty has changed. It’s strange.’

Count Manverse’s long-held ambition was to make his daughter, Renia, to the position of Empress. A commoner would say, “How dare he pass the Empress throne to the Count family?”

But the Emperor’s name was Serwin. Many aristocrats were terrified of him and his terror politics. Furthermore, the Duke and Marquis held a grudge against him for killing the regent king, and the Young Lady of the Duke and Marquis despised even being mentioned as a candidate for the empress.

Renia, the Count’s daughter, had a great personality and was quick-witted, so she was also worthy of aiming for the position of Empress.

Count Manverse was more interested in Serwin and the royal family for his own ambitions than anything else. Because of this, he was able to discover Serwin’s change faster than anyone else.

‘The Emperor stated that he was at the palace before the meeting. I’m sure it was because he was there that he was distracted throughout the meeting. What the hell was going on—’

This information was obtained by holding a large number of gold coins in front of the Imperial servants.

‘It means that something important is hidden in that palace….’

Serwin was keeping the information from leaking out completely, even if he wanted to know what it was.

‘What is it that can hold the Emperor in such a way—?’

A familiar voice cut through the gaps in his thoughts at that precise moment.

“Everyone appears to be excited because they are interested in His Majesty’s prey. Is the Count so interested in that?”

Marquis Lewin stood there with a shameless smile on his face.

‘How come this man is talking to me?’

This man was never supposed to approach him first. Count Manverse gave him a pleasant smile. But in his mind, he was trying to figure out what Marquis Lewin was trying to tell him.

“Without a doubt. You might know if you’re a Marquis! Aren’t you the royal family, who inherited the blood of the imperial family, unlike ordinary nobles like me?”

“So, what are your thoughts?”

Marquis Lewin had an odd smile on his face. Count Manverse realized he knew something at that moment. And now that he’s said it, he’s going to tell him that.

******

Count Manverse was having a good time. It was about his guess that the reason Serwin had to risk his long absence to go hunting was the same as what Serwin was hiding. Count Manverse was interested in the ‘prey’ mentioned by Marquis Lewin.

“You are, indeed, the Marquis. I can’t hear this Manverse anywhere, but he’s no match for the Marquis. So, what do you say? What about the prey?”

“That’s too much. I’m not the only one who knows. However—”

Marquis Lewin dragged a little. Count Manverse, with sweat on his hands, waited for him to speak.

“It sounds like the prey has long hair. Isn’t the color unusual?”

“What are you saying— a woman—!”

“No way. I told you. It’s called hunting. People can’t be prey.”

“….What?”

Count Manverse could not understand a single word of Marquis Lewin. Hair refers to human hair. It’s probably not that Marquis Lewin used the wrong word. But if it’s not a person, then he must be playing with words.

‘Long hair would mean a woman.’

Count Manverse was heartbroken. A woman. Serwin’s woman!

There hasn’t been a female shadow around Serwin so far. Because he has harmed the women who come to him for power. Rumors circulated that he was gay, but he wasn’t even close to being a man. Humans, in his opinion, were just prey that could be killed at any time, regardless of gender.

‘A woman, it could be a woman. How come I didn’t think of that!’

Serwin was a young man in his prime as well. Even a murderer who treats people like bugs can care about bugs.

‘At that point, it’s a big deal. I need to figure out what kind of woman she is at the moment. A woman who can push my daughter to the throne and become Empress! Mrs. Enard, I’m going to take advantage of her. Damn it, it’s going to cost a lot of money.’

Count Manverse had contacted Mrs Enard several times. She, on the other hand, kept her mouth shut and said nothing. It’s going to cost a lot of money to get her to speak. He’ll have to pay her more money than Serwin does.

The issue was that Count Manverse was no longer in as good financial shape. Serwin returned from his trip and began robbing even unrelated nobles under the guise of an accident that the nobles had caused. In this situation, moving large sums of money means ‘catch me.’ And it was as if he was poking his head in. Even if he squeezed it like that, he had no idea if the amount would be acceptable to Mrs Enard.

‘I have to find a way, a way— She’s a mother who will go to any length for her child. She can’t even cure her child because she has no idea what the disease is.’

Then, Count Manverse came up with a brilliant idea.

‘I will pretend to heal the child and get information. I don’t really need to make it better. She just has to look like she’s getting better for a while. After all, once information comes out of your mouth, you can’t get it back.’

Mrs Enard, of course, will never be used again if this method is used. It was a waste of her hand, but she couldn’t help herself. That’s how important finding Serwin’s woman was.

‘Renia, my daughter, must be the Empress. Whatever it takes to get it done—’

Marquis Lewin laughed and smirked. It was a smile that revealed exactly what he was thinking. The Count’s eyes were clearly tense, but he couldn’t say anything. He left on his own after Lewin, just as he did when he came to talk to him. Count Manverse stared at his back.

‘Right, as long as my daughter becomes Empress—.’

Everyone bowed to Count Manverse as he imagined his daughter Lenia becoming Empress and her son becoming Emperor. There was also the Marquis of Lewin, who looked down at him. Count Manverse burst out laughing. He has no idea that Baron Avery was watching his shady appearance from afar.

*******

Amelie, on the other hand, decided to create a ‘flying potion.’ It was easy to make and didn’t take long to complete. It is the best to practice in private.

The tools required in making a potion differed depending on the recipe. Braziers, pots, flasks, ladles, fairy-winged fans, and so on. Amelie, thankfully, had brought all of her tools from her forest house. Although she lacked a few herbs, they were common enough to be obtained through Milena.

‘I have to make it less expensive so I don’t get caught by anyone else. I’ll have to do the order perfectly, right? Is it a good idea to do some illusion magic just in case? So anyone who comes in unexpectedly doesn’t recognize the pot?’

Amelie was walking around the garden, thinking about something or other. Throughout the evening, she was busy figuring out how to make magic pills without being discovered.

‘If I have a broom, I can walk around! No matter how high the walls of the palace are, they can’t block the sky.’

Amelie was so focused on her work that she didn’t notice Serwin enter the garden.

Even though she was wary of her surroundings, it was difficult to recognize him approaching with determination. The maids were surprised to see him, but when he put his index finger around his mouth, they were speechless and tightened their jaws.

He took a deep breath and approached Amelie, his golden eyes flashing.

Milena frowned, saying, ‘Yes’. Serwin’s figure was like a beast seeking prey. Amelie was like a rabbit eating grass without knowing that a beast was approaching her. Even though it wasn’t her job, Milena was difficult to breathe with tension

Serwin approached her carefully. He couldn’t get her round back out of his mind all day, so it was a disaster. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but when he remembered her sagging back, he felt strangely bad.

That could be the reason. He felt better when he saw Amelie, who had not looked like a human being in a long time. Until that day, he had hoped she would be a bird.

He took slower steps. A distance where he can take her life if he so desires, with no chance of escape. Amelie was still deep in thought.

‘What are you thinking about?’

Serwin locked his gaze on her.

Her pink hair was ruffled by the wind and tickled her cheeks, she had no idea. Whatever she was looking at, her eyes were wandering in the air. Serwin’s heart sank as he focused on her green eyes.