“Lucy. Make sure to apply the cream thoroughly there too.”

“Here?”

Lucy pointed to the area below her left jaw and asked. Seeing this, Luna on the other side of the mirror shook her head.

“Not there. A bit more to the left.”

“Hmm… Here?”

“No… Not there. Forget it. I’ll do it myself once we switch bodies later.”

Luna sighed and immediately went into nagging mode.

“Lucy. Haven’t I told you repeatedly? As an emperor, you must always pay attention to your appearance. If the person sitting at the highest position in the country shows any flaws, it undermines their dignity. Even the slightest disarray in the emperor’s appearance can easily unsettle the officials. So…”

“I know that already…”

“Then why don’t you follow it every day?”

“Because I don’t want to… I’m not as meticulous as you are…”

Lucy muttered in a hesitant voice. Luna didn’t miss the faint emotion in her tone.

“Do you want to quit?”

“Huh?”

“The position of emperor.”

At Luna’s question, Lucy gave a bitter smile.

“…Even if I wanted to quit, I can’t just step down.”

“Right… Lucy, you already know this. No matter how much you complain, it’s pointless. The position of emperor and the responsibilities that come with it… We have no choice but to accept them silently.”

“I know…”

“Are you still bothered by ‘those kids’?”

Lucy immediately realized who Luna was referring to.

The friends she met at school. The ones she used to hang out with as friends.

“…Maybe.”

Lucy reluctantly admitted.

The two shared at least some of each other’s emotions and memories.

There was no point in denying it to Luna.

After their last trip to the amusement park, Lucy hadn’t spoken to them at all.

The reason their once-close friendship had fallen apart was entirely because of that man.

Tristan Ruelberta.

A noble who even the emperor couldn’t control, the notorious head of the Ruelberta family.

Perhaps the man to be wary of second only to the Demon Lord, he had somehow managed to bring even the descendant of the hero under his control.

For the imperial family, who opposed Tristan, this was a serious problem.

Wendy, the descendant of the hero, was someone indispensable to face the impending Demon Lord. As the chosen apostle and representative of the gods, the hero enjoyed fervent support from the people.

In other words, the hero was an essential figure for the empire to lead the charge against the Demon Lord.

Knowing this well, Luna and Lucy had tried every means to take the hero away from Tristan.

Especially Lucy, who had one more reason to retrieve the hero.

Because the hero, Wendy, was her friend. She wanted to rescue her precious friend from the clutches of Tristan, a man everyone recognized as evil.

Wendy was a good kid.

Though she sometimes stuttered and seemed a bit clumsy, she was fundamentally kind and warm-hearted.

Although Lucy had entered school under a disguised identity to get close to the hero, she hadn’t expected to be charmed by Wendy’s good nature.

That’s why Wendy’s words had hurt her so deeply.

“I don’t want to save a world that labels the Count as evil…”

In essence, it was a declaration that she would act not for the imperial family or the country, but for Tristan alone. It was something the hero should never say, but it also showed Wendy’s resolve.

Her resolve to never betray Tristan.

‘Why on earth would she side with such a villain…’

Lucy sighed.

After this incident, she had increasingly dreaded going to school.

The school, always full of new things, had become dull compared to the monotonous imperial palace. The magic classes, a hundred times more interesting than the officials’ nagging, had all become boring.

Understanding Lucy’s feelings, Luna offered words of comfort.

“You’ll only attend school until the end of this semester, right? Just endure until then. After that, you won’t have to see them again.”

“Yeah. I’ve been trying to hold on, but… it’s tough.”

Being the emperor wasn’t all that special.

Like the students at Meikhael University, she was just an ordinary person. She enjoyed hanging out with friends, and when she fought with them, it lingered in her heart… Just an ordinary person.

Yet, she had to wear a mask and act for the sake of the emperor’s authority and the imperial family’s interests. Lucy was now feeling disillusioned with her own role.

In fact, she knew a way to end this suffering.

It was to stop opposing Tristan and reconcile with Wendy.

But that was impossible.

Lucy couldn’t forgive Tristan.

Tristan’s father, William, was the sworn enemy who had driven the previous emperor to his death.

The flames of hatred in her heart would never extinguish until the Ruelberta family was completely destroyed.

The sunset outside the window burned fiercely, much like her heart.

Soon, it would be time.

“Lucy. Didn’t you say it yourself? That we should cooperate with the Count.”

Once again, Luna saw through her thoughts.

“The Count is a man with deadly poison. But we have an even more dangerous and unpredictable enemy… Don’t forget about the Demon Lord.”

“Yeah…”

“For now, the Count has no choice but to cooperate with us. Sure, he’s insufferably arrogant, but his abilities are genuine. It’s easier to think of him as a reliable ally.”

“An ally…”

Lucy pondered the words for a moment, then suddenly remembered something.

“By the way, Luna, what game did you say you were playing with the Count today?”

“Do you want to know?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s one of the things I’m most confident in.”

“Hmm…”

There were too many to even guess.

“But isn’t it a game you’re supposed to lose? What if you win by choosing something you’re good at?”

“Lucy. This isn’t a game I’m supposed to ‘lose’ to the Count.”

Looking at Lucy, who had somehow crossed over to the other side of the mirror, Luna spoke meaningfully.

“It’s a game I’m supposed to ‘let him win.'”

*

After the emperor’s letter arrived, another letter came from Wylie, the leader of Aslan.

Reading through the letter, I understood why Rian had returned so quickly.

“Um, are you sure it’s okay for me to come along?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Seriously?”

“…Yes.”

“Someone as lowly as me, how could I possibly serve someone like the Count…”

“……”

To summarize Wylie’s letter:

Rian, who had entered the Aslan training camp, had adapted well and lived decently. With her superior physical abilities, she had achieved excellent results in the training camp.

However, some of her fellow trainees didn’t take kindly to Rian being a vampire. The perception that demons were enemies of humans was still deeply rooted.

Moreover, Aslan was a group that had long fought against non-human monsters and demons. Under Aslan’s anti-monster atmosphere, Rian had come to accept the discrimination and contempt she faced as natural.

Eventually, unable to bear it, Wylie had her graduate early and sent her back to me.

‘I should’ve paid more attention…’

This was clearly my mistake.

Just because Aslan was filled with people loyal to me didn’t mean they were friendly to others.

Especially since Rian was a demon, not a human, she must have faced even more discrimination.

In a way, she had become an attention-seeker and returned to my side.

Rian had become excessively humble.

No, not humble—her self-esteem had plummeted to below that of an insect.

“Rian.”

“Yes? Yes! What is it!”

“From now on, if you make any self-deprecating remarks, not only will I not take you to the imperial palace, but I also won’t make you a temporary bodyguard knight.”

“Whaaat?!”

I spoke with a bit of pressure.

I thought that much would make her listen to my command.

But I was mistaken.

“That’s… right. I’m just a vampire… a demon, so I don’t deserve such a position… How could someone like me even think of serving the Count… I deserve to die!”

Even Wendy, who had low self-esteem, wasn’t this bad…

Wendy would just cry, but Rian looked utterly dejected and gloomy.

Even I, who knew nothing about mental illness, could tell.

Rian was in a very serious state. In this condition, I couldn’t even take her outside the mansion, let alone to the imperial palace.

‘What should I do…’

I had to leave for the imperial palace soon…

For now, I’d have to bring the Annihilation Maids along.

As I pondered, I suddenly remembered the strange note Wylie had added at the end of his letter.

-However, be careful when giving Rian blood. She won’t go berserk, but it’s best to give her blood while she’s restrained.