Ruslan's lips were pressed into a firm line.

The young woman before him was frighteningly composed.

An ordinary eighteen-year-old maid wouldn't possess such an expression. It held the air of someone who had personally navigated a battlefield.

Though he had never encountered such a gaze before, Ruslan understood its essence.

It was a look that measured whether he was a lord worthy of trust, weighing him in the palm of her hand.

"From the beginning, I asked if you desired the restoration of our homeland or the imperial throne. The Count answered that he wished to avenge his benefactor," she said coolly.

JuJu spoke with chilling composure.

"Through my observations, I've seen that his loyalty is genuine. He's more capable than I anticipated... and there's no way such a man wouldn't have considered what comes after the Emperor's death."

"You think I'm plotting to usurp the throne?"

"You're in a position to do so. It's not like Semyon is the only survivor of Ipenia. If you want to become Emperor, I can help. If I've done it once, what's stopping me from doing it twice? But..."

Currently, the Ipenia region was almost entirely deserted. The late Emperor, fearing future rebellions, forcibly relocated its inhabitants to various parts of the empire, calculating that scattering them and allowing time to pass would lead to their assimilation and natural attrition within the empire.

However, the situation would change if the royal lineage still survived. Through a central figure, those of Ipenian descent could quickly unite.

Ipenia seizing the Empire's throne was acceptable. The problem lies in the minor states that had vanished nearly a century ago. Even their vague identities could be stimulated and awakened, potentially leading to the division of the continent.

"If the Count's aim is more chaos than revenge, I'll strike you down based on my own judgment."

The current Ruslan was not a deficient lord.

Nevertheless, she couldn't entirely trust him.

Albert had been kind before becoming Emperor. She distinctly remembered his sudden change.

She didn't want to pave the way for someone else only to be betrayed again. Painful memories sent a warning to JuJu. Only because of the favor of receiving a new life did she speak up beforehand.

Ruslan retorted, "You can't trust a man who covets the throne?"

"Or should I go back into the iron prison?"

A hint of wariness flashed across her face. Her question was icy.

The aura surrounding her seemed to compress the air, making the atmosphere ominous. Even the tips of the blades of grass curled inward.

If she simply lowered her hand, this man would die.

Ruslan seemed to know this, yet he showed no sign of fear. Instead, he approached JuJu slowly, as if taking a stroll.

"Trust is hard-won, so there will come a time for rough edges," Ruslan began, looking directly at JuJu. "First of all, you misunderstand my intentions. No, you overestimate me. I've never considered myself to be royal material."

JuJu was momentarily speechless, instinctively thinking it was absurd and asked, "You're a descendant of Ipenia. Born from the blood of the royal family..."

"I merely happened to be born that way. As you know, I'm a man who plots assassination to avenge his benefactor. Don't you think I'm too emotional to take charge of a country?"

His tone was so dispassionate that JuJu was even more at a loss for words.

All the royals she had seen were desperate to become Emperor. But it wasn't as if they were more exceptional than Ruslan.

"And my father ultimately failed to protect his office or his people. All he managed to do was get his wife to escape. It would be shameless for me to flaunt my heritage now, after having survived as a result."

Ruslan spoke calmly.

"More than anything, I grew up only in the North and am just now heading to the capital. My only talent is reading people, which is why I dared to act, but it seems I may end up relying on your help instead."

"Even so, you must have had some kind of plan," JuJu asked, with a sense of certainty.

After a moment of silence, Ruslan readily confirmed, "The Licht family branched off from the current imperial family from the same root, and Dorothea, if you trace her lineage, is a cousin of the current Emperor."

JuJu realized his scheme.

"So, everything, from seizing control of the North to handing it over to the Grand Duchess before hurrying to the capital..."

"I told you," Ruslan said, lowering his eyes and smiling, "I started to avenge my benefactor."

It was said as if in passing.

But JuJu sensed the unwavering conviction within those words.

The full scope of Ruslan's vision finally dawned on her.

Charlotte had purged all the direct members of the imperial family, leaving no one behind. She had ruthlessly thinned the ranks in order to elevate the youngest prince, who had the weakest legitimacy.

If Albert were to die without an heir, a new Emperor would be sought from the collateral lines. Among them, Licht was so powerful that Albert had intentionally tried to eliminate him.

If a suitable heir isn't born, how will Albert judge Dorothea?

It would become a matter of life, not just title. That's why Ruslan intentionally played the villain, pushing Dorothea into the background.

But what face would Albert make if he was executed, and the daughter of the person he considered a rival and assassinated, were to succeed him?

"My sister is a remarkable person who negotiated to protect the Grand Duchy with her own body. She's also capable of accepting the refugee children you rescued," Ruslan continued without hesitation.

"There were two options. Striking the Emperor swiftly and taking advantage of the chaos, or taking the long view and restructuring the court. And you chose the long game."

"As long as those four are by the Emperor's side, it won't be quick. Their teamwork goes back to Moden."

"Then, we must begin by dividing them."

Ruslan smiled faintly, as if looking down at a fascinating chessboard.

"Either way, it won't be easy. If the Emperor were to have an heir, the board could shift at any time. But I was prepared to wade through that kind of muck when I started."

He showed no sign of unease. Rather, his tone was refreshing.

"Because I have you."

JuJu looked up at the young man with the enamel-like eyes for a moment.

Once, when she was Charlotte, she had stood somewhere in Moden. At that time, there was a man beside her.

Albert had once passionately confessed that he would have her by his side in the future.

At that time, she naively believed that they would be together forever. Even if they weren't a couple, she believed they would remain as one-time lovers and loyal subjects.

She didn't realize that vows about an uncertain future could become empty promises that wouldn't be fulfilled.

That's why the young man's words lingered in her heart.

Ruslan didn't rashly speak of the future. But he was certain about the present.

She found it difficult to look at him for long and lowered her eyes.

"It seems the effort of pretending to be lovers has paid off. Your way with women has improved."

"Did my words sound frivolous?"

"I'm just relieved that there's a resolution. It's getting cold, so let's go to the inn. If we stay here too long, someone might get suspicious."

The sun was setting in the west. JuJu retraced her steps, tucking the long blonde hair that was blowing in the hometown wind behind her ear.

"We should hurry to the capital. Charlotte's body should be arriving at the imperial palace soon. It would be good to arrive at the same speed."

"And you'll deal with the human trafficker you mentioned first, I presume."

JuJu nodded.

It wouldn't be difficult to find Hilarion. If he had the Emperor as his patron, he would surely be a big shot in the underworld.

An ordinary person wouldn't dare to touch him out of fear, but JuJu was no ordinary person.

"The Count said he would take care of the cleanup, so I'll leave it to you."

"Call me Ruslan," the young man said suddenly.

JuJu paused for a moment.

Come to think of it, he had said that at the hotel too. At the time, she thought it was just something he made up to pretend to be lovers.

She blinked. Suddenly, it felt awkward to say his name. But there was no particular reason not to call him that.

Especially if they were going to continue pretending to be lovers.

"Alright, Ruslan."

"Then I'll call you JuJu from now on, without any discomfort."

"It doesn't matter how you call my name..."

She stopped speaking. It wasn't originally her name, she had forgotten.

She had become accustomed to the name. Now that the memories and emotions of the original owner of the body were mixed in, the boundaries of who she was were blurred. She couldn't tell whether JuJu had become Charlotte, or Charlotte had become JuJu.

'That might be alright too.'

Because it was a body that had been reborn by this man.

JuJu moved towards the carriage. The traces of her old home faded into the distance. She had cried enough, so she didn't look back.

Instead, she brought up the story at hand.

"Then come up with a plan. A way to completely destroy the human trafficking ring without any future repercussions."

"First, I thought we should visit as guests. We'll offer to acquire the organization with money. If they accept, we'll deal with them from behind, and if they refuse, we'll make it look like a conflict due to failed negotiations."

"Money? Surely you're not going to visit a human trafficker as a Count on business?"

"It would be different if there was a woman I wanted to obtain even if I had to give ten thousand gold."

JuJu, who was getting into the carriage, belatedly realized what he meant. She looked down at the man under the footstool and smiled.

As expected, he was worthy of being an accomplice to a villainess.

"Alright. But if you want to buy me, you'll have to pay 100,000 gold."

"Gladly."

Ruslan lightly kissed the back of her hand he was escorting and smiled back at her.

Emperor Albert had been silent for some time.

He wanted to be alone. The break room, from which all attendants and guards had been dismissed, was quiet. Sitting on a long chair, his gaze was fixed only on the shabby coffin before him.

A woman was lying inside.

The corpse had been soaked in preservatives to prevent decay. The pungent odor of chemicals was masked by a profusion of perfume. She was dressed in a clean shroud and wore light makeup on her face.

Therefore, she looked more like someone asleep than someone dead.

Albert slowly reached out to her. The cheek his fingertips touched was cold.

"Lotte."

He spoke a nickname he had long forgotten, but the corpse showed no sign of opening her eyes.

His fingers trembled with regret. He slowly stroked her hair. It was shorter than he remembered and slipped through his fingers easily.

Long ago, Charlotte had been ashamed of her hair, saying it was like straw. Albert often praised it, saying it was thick and beautiful.

Now, it was jagged and sparse.

Albert recalled the guard who had been summoned to the imperial palace a while ago. He was the only survivor of the ice prison.

"T-that is, the warden usually harassed her a lot, and while I felt sorry for her..."

She was a woman who didn't know much about auras. Moreover, she had been away on the day, procuring food supplies, and had returned with a vague understanding of the situation. Based on the testimony of the prisoner's usual behavior, she could only speculate that he was trying to restore her bloodline.

Was this the result of barely escaping?

The woman in the coffin was shockingly thin. As Albert stared down at her, Dietrich entered.

"Minister of the Imperial Household. I have not granted you an audience."

"Even if you don't grant it, this matter requires immediate reporting, so I have entered."

Albert glared for a moment before finally relaxing his expression.

"Speak."

"News has arrived that Hilarion is dead."

Albert froze. His eyes snapped up.

"It seems there was a fight during an auction, and the organization has been destroyed, so the details are unclear. He was involved in procuring new types of poisons, so we should have eliminated him soon, but unexpectedly dying has left us missing the opportunity to clean up the situation ourselves."

"Are you now reproaching me for being indecisive and missing the right time, Minister?"

"It is an admonition that even if you are charmed by a woman, what can you do if you are charmed by a dead person? "Please consider the Empress's feelings. Especially if you remember what day it is today."

A sharp silence passed between them.

Dietrich peered over his glasses and looked down at the corpse.

"Mourning the death of a friend is virtuous, but please think of the Empress's face. Especially if you remember what day it is today."

Albert knew.

Today was the day of the conjugal union.

The Empress's physical condition and the date revealed by the Great Temple were combined and decided on the first day of each month.

This was a custom for maintaining the relationship and producing an heir. If they had an even better relationship, no one would stop them, but Albert was not interested in his relationship with Bathild.

It had been like this for the past five years, and he was especially unwilling on days like this.

But the night had grown deep. It was time to fulfill his duties as Emperor.

Albert eventually stood up slowly and closed the coffin. A wave of regret washed over him as he left her alone.

To collect his emotions, he brought up another topic.

"I heard that Count Kytel of the North has arrived in the capital?"

"That is correct. He has sent all the attendants who followed him from the North, as well as the existing managers of the Grand Duke's residence, back to the territory."

"The adopted son who is acting as an agent?"

"He is renovating the mansion and hiring new servants, so it seems he is indeed the de facto ruler of the North."

Albert narrowed his eyes and counted the days until the audience.

"He came up here with the intention of succeeding like his father. In any case, it would be welcome for us if he put the Grand Duchess in the back room. I will go to the Empress."

As Albert was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and instructed.

"...Take Lotte to my bedroom. Keep her from getting cold."

Dietrich frowned for a moment, but quickly erased his expression.