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Had it been an hour's ride? Riel's carriage arrived at the main gate of Duke Havel's townhouse.
However, the Duke's guards did not open the gate.
A moment later, a senior knight in a red cloak approached the carriage in the rain.
A sturdy build, long, drawn eyes, and silver hair.
Riel gazed at him and murmured.
"Silver hair like the Emperor's..."
Riel opened the carriage window as the senior knight approached.
The senior knight bowed sharply and said, "My Lady, His Grace, Duke Havel has ordered you to return to the Imperial Palace."
Then, Riel reached out of the carriage window and caressed the senior knight's cheek.
"You've been out in the rain too long."
"...!"
The senior knight stepped back, looking flustered.
"If I return to the Imperial Palace like this, the Duke's life will be in danger."
"But..."
The senior knight couldn't continue, looking troubled.
Riel's languid smile turned cold.
"If you don't want that, open the gate right now. Unless you want us all to die together..."
After a moment of hesitation at Riel's command, the senior knight shouted to the guards.
"Open the main gate."
✦ ✦ ✦
Soon after, Riel's carriage stopped in front of the building entrance.
As she stepped out of the carriage, taking the hand of the senior knight who was holding an umbrella for her, Duke Havel walked out of the building entrance, a whip in one hand and a face full of anger.
Behind him, a butler hurried to follow, holding an umbrella over Duke Havel.
Duke Havel approached Riel and spat out the question, "What do you think you're doing?"
"What else? I left the Imperial Palace and came to Duke Havel's townhouse."
After speaking, Riel gestured to the butler and said, "Take my luggage to the room I used to use."
"Yes?"
The butler didn't answer, glancing at Duke Havel.
Duke Havel, unable to contain his anger any longer, roughly grabbed Riel's wrist and dragged her into the building.
No one dared to stop Duke Havel's frightening momentum.
Then, a rather old, sturdy man walked towards them from down the hallway.
Tanned skin and a thick beard.
The man, who looked like a hunter, was unafraid to confront Duke Havel.
"Why is our Duke so angry?"
"Move. Mer."
Duke Havel said firmly, but he wasn't as angry as he was with others.
As if he were talking to an old friend.
The man released Duke Havel's hand from Riel's wrist and said soothingly, "Your Grace, there are many eyes watching."
After speaking, the man glanced at Riel and walked leisurely down the hallway.
Bang-.
Duke Havel roughly opened the drawing-room door and pushed Riel inside.
"How dare you walk in here so brazenly?"
Riel rubbed her wrist as if it hurt from being grabbed.
"His Grace, Duke Havel, please be careful. Am I not pregnant?"
"What?"
"And everyone knows that you are my backer now, don't they?"
"Even so, you?"
Duke Havel raised the hand holding the whip.
Riel said with a cold look.
"Well, does the Emperor have any other choice but to be obsessed with me now?"
"..."
"If not, wouldn't you only be able to wage a public opinion war centered on the nobles?"
As Riel pressed him sharply, Duke Havel lowered the hand holding the whip.
"Go back to the Imperial Palace. Who knows what the Empress and Grand Duke Ervin will do in your absence."
"The Emperor needs to actually feel that another man could take me away to make an effort not to lose me."
"Then what about the pregnancy? You need to be by the Emperor's side to have a child."
Duke Havel sighed deeply and sat down at the table.
"I can have a child from now on."
Riel sat across from Duke Havel and answered lightly.
"How can you have a child without the Emperor, unless..."
Duke Havel realized the meaning of those words and couldn't continue, his face aghast.
Riel turned her gaze to the window. She stared at the silver-haired senior knight in the distance and said.
"I don't care whose child it is."
"..."
"Either way, that child will be mine."
✦ ✦ ✦
The Emperor did not come out of his bedroom, using a headache as an excuse, after seeing off the troops to be sent to the north.
Iana forbade others from mentioning that Riel had left the Imperial Palace.
'To prepare for the rebellion, it's better for the sharp-witted Riel not to be in the Imperial Palace.'
She informed the Emperor of the news when he came to his office in the late afternoon.
The Emperor's reaction was as expected, violent.
Bang!
The Emperor clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the desk, shouting.
"What? Are you saying Riel dared to leave the Imperial Palace without my permission?"
As expected, the blame fell on Iana.
The Emperor asked Iana with a fierce look.
"Iana Archmage, why didn't you stop Riel from running away, even though you knew?"
"..."
Iana listened silently.
The Emperor approached Iana, urging her to answer.
"Speak. According to your claims, Riel is a wicked woman who poisoned the Empress's food, killed people, and claimed a false pregnancy."
Iana listened quietly before calmly speaking.
"Shall I bring her back now then? I have an idea where Lady Riel might be."
"What? How can you say that now?"
The Emperor was furious.
But Iana knew well.
The Emperor couldn't treat her, the Archmage, carelessly because of the fear of monsters that could attack at any moment.
Iana saw through his heart and confronted the Emperor.
"I'm saying that Riel will be within Your Majesty's reach whenever you reach out. If you just give the order, I will bring her back at any time."
"..."
"Lady Riel needs to know that she is in Your Majesty's palm no matter how much she runs away, so she won't do such presumptuous things."
Iana realized through her memories of her past life.
The Emperor was also a man with a strong possessive desire, like Carrion.
Riel led the relationship by making herself seem like she was within the men's grasp but not quite.
So, she planned to give him control of the relationship so that the Emperor wouldn't be anxious.
The Emperor hesitated for a moment before asking with a suspicious look.
"That's strange. You should want Riel to be away from me, so why are you saying you'll bring her back whenever I want?"
"May I be honest?"
"Speak."
"What I really want is to see a man who can control Riel."
"..."
"To be precise, I want to see Riel desperately clinging to Your Majesty and being cruelly abandoned. To do that, Riel has to return to the Imperial Palace, right?"
"What?"
The Emperor frowned at Iana's overly honest words.
But Iana continued without paying attention.
"No man has ever made Riel cling to them. But I think only Your Majesty can do it, so I'm looking forward to it."
Iana subtly stimulated the Emperor's pride by pretending to be honest.
"So, you'll bring Riel back so I can abandon her? And cruelly at that."
"Shouldn't I be allowed to have such a wish, even if no one else does?"
Iana answered boldly and resolutely.
The Emperor, who was looking at her, let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded.
Iana asked the Emperor as if trying to get a confirmation.
"Your Majesty, what shall we do? Shall I bring Lady Riel back right now?"
It was then that the Emperor was hesitating.
A secretary's voice was heard from outside the door along with a presence.
"Your Majesty, Grand Duke Ervin is here."
"Let him in."
Creak-.
At the Emperor's words, the office door opened.
Standing in front of it were Charles, soaked in the rain, and a knight holding a blue flag, signifying a messenger.
Then, Iana and Charles' eyes met.
Charles' face was dark.
'Something big must have happened.'
Iana could tell instinctively from Charles' expression.
The Emperor also sensed the strange atmosphere and opened his mouth in a heavy voice.
"What's going on?"
Charles looked at the messenger as if telling him to report.
The messenger spoke sharply.
"Your Majesty, a horde of mutant monsters is rapidly heading towards the capital."
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