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Squeak.

Luna, who had been resisting fiercely, eventually opened the door with her own hands. She kept shaking her hands, as if she found it disgustingly dirty, and glared at me resentfully. Tears were even welling up in her eyes.

“Eek… How dare… How dare you make me touch such filth?!”

I never thought I’d actually do this, but I’m not generous enough to indulge her tantrums forever. Not that I’m heartless, though.

“Wipe it with this.”

I handed Luna a handkerchief. Sometimes I wondered why I even bothered with someone like her, and at times it felt like I was just bullying her using my position.

The fact that she’s the Emperor made me forget, but in this country, Tristan is the only one who can treat her like this. Everyone else must have been fawning over her until now, so she probably didn’t know how to react since I didn’t.

That’s why she tried to act all dignified and authoritative, trying to suppress me with her authority.

Truly, there’s no one as clumsy in human relationships as her. While I do push her around, offering a hand of reconciliation from time to time is something only a mature adult would do.

I don’t know how she took my goodwill, but after hesitating for a moment, Luna spoke as if she was utterly baffled.

“…Hmph. You give me a disease and then offer medicine. You’re something else, you know that?”

“If you don’t need it, give it back.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t need it.”

Snatching the handkerchief, Luna wiped between her fingers. Was touching the door really that filthy?

As she wiped her hands, Luna suddenly shot me a look.

“…Just so you know, I have no intention of returning this.”

“Huh?”

“If I give it back, it’s obvious you’ll just satisfy your perverse collecting habits.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. That’s just a gift I received.”

“You sly pervert… Thinking about it, you’re always—”

But the next moment, Luna froze in place as if struck by lightning. A loud shout suddenly came from the room she had opened.

“How dare you ignore my command?!”

Beyond the door, an otherworldly scene came into view. The room, with its high ceiling and walls entirely made of marble, was incredibly luxurious, the kind of place only someone of noble status would use.

‘The Imperial Palace…?’

If I wasn’t mistaken, it was the audience chamber of the Imperial Palace.

On the marble steps, a seat was prepared for the highest person in the country. And when Luna saw the face of the man sitting on the throne, she muttered in a dazed voice.

“Father…?”

Maxime Meikhael.

The former Emperor and father of Lucy and Luna, he looked down at us with a dignified presence. No, more accurately, he was looking at the man kneeling behind us.

“Answer me, Kyle. What do you take my command for?”

“Your Majesty… How could I ever do such a thing?”

Kyle was bowing his head respectfully, paying his respects to Emperor Maxime.

“I would love to carry out Your Majesty’s orders, but the situation in the North this year isn’t favorable. The harsh cold has left little crops, and the people’s lives are unstable. We’re not yet prepared to follow Your Majesty’s command…”

“Enough! I don’t want to hear it! How many years have you been preparing for this?!”

Maxime slammed his fist on the throne, not even trying to hide his anger as he shouted at Kyle.

“Be honest, Kyle. Are you testing my patience?”

“Not at all…”

“I’ve given you enough time. Yet you keep making excuses. What’s the reason?”

“…I apologize.”

“Frustrating! I didn’t call you here to hear apologies! Tell me the reason!”

I didn’t know what was going on, but Maxime was pouring his anger on Kyle. He was so furious that even Luna couldn’t speak.

“Hiii…”

Wendy was trembling, clearly scared. Like a cornered little animal. From a child’s perspective, a grown man shouting must have been terrifying.

‘How foolish…’

After all, everything happening before our eyes is just a remnant of the past. With a little thought, one would realize there’s no need to fear such things.

I tried to ignore it. But once it caught my attention, it kept bothering me.

“Tsk…”

Annoying, but what can you do…

I subtly stepped in front of Wendy, blocking her view.

“Count…?”

“You’re blocking my view.”

“Huh? B-but I’m shorter than you…”

“Don’t talk back and stay quietly behind me.”

“Ah… um… okay…”

Wendy hesitated but hid behind me. While she was at it, she seemed to be giving me an overly admiring look, which I ignored as I stared straight ahead.

“I thought you came to the capital to bring good news, but did you come to insult me instead?”

“…I apologize. It’s been a long time since I last saw Your Majesty, so I thought it was my duty as a subject to pay my respects.”

“Duty?”

Maxime frowned at Kyle’s words.

“Do you, who ignore my commands and waste my time, dare to speak of duty now?”

“Please don’t be too harsh on Sir Kyle, Your Majesty.”

A sudden voice interrupted, drawing everyone’s attention. A handsome, well-mannered gentleman stood there.

“Count Ruelberta…”

“Sir Kyle has been doing his best to carry out Your Majesty’s orders.”

Aidan Ruelberta, who had been there all along, naturally stepped between Kyle and Maxime.

“However, as Sir Kyle said, the North isn’t ready for battle. The consecutive cold spells have ruined the crops, and food is scarce. If Your Majesty could show some leniency, Sir Kyle would be grateful.”

“…Ahem.”

Emperor Maxime reluctantly calmed down at Aidan’s words. Even back then, the Ruelberta family’s influence was immense, so even the Emperor couldn’t easily raise his voice at him.

Still, Aidan was completely different from what I had expected.

Mediating between the Emperor and Kyle, he seemed like a friendly and polite gentleman.

If he were the head of the Ruelberta family, I thought he’d be evil and at odds with the Emperor, but seeing him now, Aidan, Tristan’s grandfather, seemed more like a loyal subject giving the Emperor sound advice.

Moreover, Aidan was giving Kyle a look, as if telling him to leave everything to him. Clearly, he was trying to repay a debt to his son’s benefactor.

How on earth did someone like Milliam or Tristan come from such a gentlemanly grandfather? It makes you seriously wonder.

‘No. More importantly…’

There was something strange in what Aidan had said. And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

“…Battle? When did Your Majesty give such an order?”

Ariel immediately questioned the fact.

From the situation, it seemed the Emperor had ordered Kyle to prepare for ‘some battle,’ but judging by the reactions, even his wife Ariel didn’t know about it. Luna also looked completely unaware.

That meant this was a conversation that had been secretly exchanged between Maxime, Kyle, and Aidan.

“That’s why I didn’t refuse the tribute.”

“Yes. But even considering that, the situation in the North this year isn’t good.”

“Hmm…”

“Don’t worry too much. Sir Kyle is the one who turned the wasteland of Northern Garden into what it is today. Even if this year is tough, next year might bring good news.”

“I understand, Aidan. But what I don’t get is why we shouldn’t drive out the demons as soon as possible to stabilize the people’s lives?”

Maxime looked down at Kyle, who was still bowing his head.

“Sir Kyle. I’m confident you’re one of the most skilled and capable men in this country. If you put your mind to it, wiping out the demons in the Demon Forest would be a trivial task.”

“Your Majesty…”

“But why aren’t you doing anything? I can’t stand it. Just thinking that those parasites are still nesting in my country is unbearable.”

Maxime’s tone revealed a deep-seated hatred.

I just realized this, but the former Emperor, Maxime, seemed to be an extreme demon hater.

The average perception of demons in the Empire is closer to fear. They’re far stronger than humans and can easily harm them, making them dangerous beings.

But some humans harbor extreme hostility towards demons. They refuse to acknowledge that there are beings superior to humans and want to wipe all demons from this world. The so-called demon haters.

In the original story, they’re seen as troublemakers causing various problems. But to think Maxime was one of them…

Of course, Maxime’s argument isn’t entirely wrong. From the Empire’s perspective, the demons in the North are a potential threat. But it inevitably clashes with Kyle’s more moderate views.

As a result, watching the conflict between the two, Luna and Ariel seemed quite conflicted.

Maxime tried to persuade Kyle, the Northern Lord, while Kyle expressed reluctance due to the North’s difficult circumstances.

Eventually…

“I have my pride too!”

“Your Majesty, please calm down.”

Unable to hold back any longer, Maxime exploded. Despite Aidan’s attempts to stop him, he shouted at Kyle.

“I’m even offering to support the North with food, so what’s the problem now?!”

“I apologize, but… our Northern army isn’t ready to fight the demons. We barely have enough soldiers to defend the castle. If we send troops outside, there’s a risk of losing the castle. Also, we haven’t even grasped the number of demons, so if you could just give us a little more time…”

“Enough! I’ve given you so much time, and now you’re stalling again! How can I trust you to defend the border when you’re so unreliable?!”

“Your Majesty, please calm down…”

“Stay out of this, Aidan! I’m talking to Kyle!”

“Your Majesty.”

“!”

That’s when it happened.

The temperature around us seemed to drop in an instant, sending a chilling shiver through everyone. I looked at Aidan, who had started emitting an unusual aura.

‘That face again…’

Aidan, without changing his expression, spoke to Maxime in an extremely polite tone.

“Didn’t I just ask you to calm down?”

“Ugh…”

But the difference was the ‘pressure’ hidden beneath that face. A chilling sensation that seemed to grip the heart of anyone who saw it—a feeling all too familiar to me.

“I don’t like repeating myself. Wouldn’t it seem like I’m nagging Your Majesty?”

“R-right. I was a bit rash…”

Crushed by that pressure, Maxime immediately backed down. Seeing that, I was certain. I knew exactly what that emotion emanating from Aidan was.

“Wrath…”

Aidan had it too.

That most vicious trait, ‘Wrath,’ which is powerful but inevitably leads its user to ruin.

That man is dangerous indeed.

Forgetting that this was just a remnant of the past, I glared at Aidan, the inscrutable gentleman.

Because of that, I didn’t notice Wendy behind me, looking at me with an extremely anxious expression.

 

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