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Iana was summoned to Mule's lab immediately after her encounter with Riel in the stable.
"Do you even think?" Mule roared, utterly enraged. "I was wrong. But when Riel threw Ru, I couldn't help but get angry..." Iana couldn't continue and lowered her head. Even so, her attention was entirely focused on Karen, the Ducal Palace healer, who was examining Ru. Karen was also the healer who had agreed to say she had cured Iana's illness. "Archmage, if you keep shouting, the Petal Rabbit will get scared." At Karen's rebuke, Mule immediately lowered his voice. "If your magical power had exploded and something had happened to that mistress, you would have become a murderer." "I'm sorry. But I can't promise I won't do it again if the same thing happens." Iana glanced up and answered in a barely audible voice. "What!" Just as Mule was about to get angry, Karen, who had finished examining Ru, stood up and said, "Nothing's broken or seriously injured." Iana looked at Ru, who was huddled on the desk, and asked, "Then why isn't he moving at all?" "He's just very startled. Petal Rabbits with magical power are quite sensitive." Karen picked up Ru, handed him to Iana, and said, "Stroking him will help him calm down." Iana took the huddled Ru and stroked him with a distressed expression. Mule looked at the dejected Ru and said shortly, "Just the wrist." "Pardon?" Iana looked blankly at Mule, not understanding what he meant. "If that nasty mistress harasses this little one again, just break her wrist. I'll turn a blind eye to that much." "..." "No, if you do that, your magical power might explode, so I'll do it." Mule clenched his teeth and spoke resolutely, and Karen chuckled. "Archmage, you're teaching such good things." "What kind of personality does someone have to have to throw such a small, cute thing to the ground! Well, she must be shameless to have chased after you all the way here, even as a mistress." Karen glanced at Iana and changed the subject. "Archmage, didn't you say you were going to tour the village with the mages from the capital?" Mule walked up to Iana and said firmly, "Iana, from now on, don't get pushed around." "..." "That nasty mistress knows how much you cherish that little one." "Yes..." Mule stroked Ru's head once and left with Karen. "Ru, let's go too." Iana left the lab and walked down the dark Spire corridor. Only her footsteps echoed in the deserted corridor. Ru was now her only family. Ru had been with her at the moment she had broken off with her brother and divorced her husband. The sense of loss from losing her family. She wondered if she had endured that loss by sharing warmth and magical power with Ru. But then Riel had touched her only family. Creak-. She opened the door and placed Ru on his favorite sofa. Ru had already fallen into a light sleep. 'Riel will harass Ru again, won't she? To stimulate my emotions and shake me.' Iana sat on the floor with her knees together and thought. 'Then before Riel shakes me, I'll shake Riel first.' Whistle-. Ru flinched at the sound of the wind blowing outside the window. It was heartbreaking to see him reacting sensitively to even small sounds, after how startled he had been earlier. Iana gently stroked him, and Ru fell back asleep. 'People get emotional when you attack what's precious to them. So, what's most precious to Riel?' Iana went through her memories from her past life one by one. 'Riel only cherished herself.' She easily came to a conclusion through the events so far. The sense of superiority Riel had as a woman. It wasn't just from her young and beautiful appearance. It was a sense of superiority that came from her clever mind, capable of scheming, and her pride in being able to control men. In the end, wasn't that the power that had allowed her to rise to the position of Empress? But Iana knew exactly. Just as Iana endured life by looking at Ru, whom she cherished, Riel was enduring a life enslaved by her own sense of superiority. 'I just need to touch her sense of superiority.' Iana stood up and opened the closet. She chose a simple cream-colored dress from the modest closet. She looked at the dress and muttered with a meaningful expression. "Riel, what you do, I can do too." ✦ ✦ ✦ At that moment, Riel was watching Carrion and the investigation team examine the knights in the training ground. Under the scorching sun, they had been holding the knights of The First Order of Knights for hours, checking everything from their armor and swords to the number of arrows. It was a surprise investigation conducted while the Grand Duke was briefly down in the village. The knights of The First Order of Knights strongly protested. "Ervin is a place where monsters could attack at any moment! We need to patrol in preparation for emergencies, but what are we supposed to do if you forcibly hold us like this?" "If monsters attack while we're doing this, it's not just us who will get hurt! The investigation team too..." Thwack! The Imperial Army commander mercilessly struck the knight's face with the scabbard. "Behead anyone who obstructs the investigation!" The Imperial Army and The First Order of Knights stood in tense opposition. However, the knights of The First Order of Knights could not strongly resist because there was justification to check the operating expenses of The First Order of Knights, which were supported by the Imperial Family. Riel watched the scene from afar and said to Carrion, "The ledgers and military supplies will match. They must have accurately matched the operating expenses and records after hearing that the investigation team was coming." "That's right. If there's anything different, they'll be caught on something." Thwack-! The Imperial Army commander struck the resisting knight of The First Order of Knights again. Over that image, Iana's face, hitting her head, overlapped. "What you do, I do too." How dare you. The vanished illness and the fearless actions of attacking her were completely different from the Iana she knew. Then Carrion frowned, annoyed by the intense sunlight. "Why is the northern region so hot? Riel, let's go back up." The two headed to the detached palace where their lodgings were. Riel walked along, lost in thought. "A cursed land!" Most of all, what bothered her the most was that the clueless and simple Iana had read her intentions and quickly responded. She had been planning to show the people of Ervin how vicious Iana could be with her innocent face. Throwing a rabbit was nothing; she could just deny it. But Iana had turned it around. For a reason that the people of Ervin couldn't help but be angry about. As soon as they entered the room, Carrion sat on the sofa and asked, "By the way, what happened in the stable?" "It's as the Count reported." Riel sat next to Carrion and answered calmly. But Carrion asked a question that deviated from her expectations. "So, Iana really cleaned the stable?" "It's a disguise. To show that 'I'm not a woman the Grand Duke cherishes so much that I have to do such chores.'" "I guess so..." Riel twisted her lips at Carrion's thoughtful expression. "Why, are you bothered that Iana cleaned the stable?" "Who's bothering me? Iana hit you, didn't she?" Carrion stroked Riel's hair with a gentle touch. "Count, is it okay if I return what Iana did to me?" "What are you going to do?" "..." Riel stared coldly at Carrion, who didn't immediately agree. Her eyes asked if he still had feelings for Iana. The quick-witted Carrion quickly changed his expression. "Do as you please. But don't fight ugly in front of people. I hate it when women act ignorantly." Riel kissed Carrion's lips briefly and whispered, "I'll fight beautifully. Very beautifully and cunningly..." Just as the two were about to deepen their kiss. Knock knock. The sound of knocking on the door was heard. "Who is it?" Carrion asked, but there was no answer from beyond the door. Knock knock. The sound of knocking on the door was heard again. "I'll go see." As Riel tried to get up, Carrion stopped her. "It's okay." He walked over with an angry face and roughly opened the door. "I asked who it was, so answer..." Carrion trailed off, not knowing what to say. Riel got up and approached him, asking, "Who is it?" Riel turned her gaze to the door and saw Iana standing there. Her hair neatly tied back and wearing a cream-colored everyday dress. "Ha..." Riel let out a hollow laugh. She immediately understood what situation this was. 'Iana is imitating the day I first went to the Dietrian family.' Iana's childish and immature attack, unaware of the world. It seemed she had become arrogant with the Grand Duke's affection. But even though she knew the inside story, she felt more anger than when they had bumped into each other in the stable. A woman who was unsightly from illness. A woman who was useless. She couldn't stand the sight of Iana trying to stand on equal footing with her. "Iana, what brings you here?" Carrion asked in a cold voice. But his eyes were filled with curiosity. "Carrion, I came because I have something to talk about with you." Iana was confident. "What do you want to talk about?" Iana kept her gaze on Riel and said, "I'd like to talk to you alone. Carrion, just you."
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