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The carriage quickly made its way to the palace. I was led by an attendant deep into the palace. The entrance itself was different from when I had visited for the debutante. The atmosphere of the ancient building was overwhelming, and I found myself carefully observing my surroundings.

During the debutante, I was too nervous to take in my surroundings properly. By the time I was about to enter the grand ballroom, my feet were sore from my shoes, and all my attention was focused on that. Of course, I had visited the palace in my previous life as well.

‘After we defeated the dragon, the previous emperor hosted a victory celebration for us.’

Back then, he wasn’t the “previous” emperor but the current one sitting on the throne. At the time, all the members of the expedition were tense, fearing that Kirke might be assassinated by the emperor. We were so on edge that we didn’t have the time to appreciate the majestic atmosphere of the palace. So, this was the first time I was properly taking in the sight of the palace.

The palace in my past life was a place filled with schemes, a cold and tense space. But today, it looked incredibly beautiful and elegant.

‘This is Kirke’s home.’

When we were hunting the dragon, we used to sleep on the bare ground with just a blanket and the sky as our roof. I couldn’t understand how someone who lived in such a splendid place could endure that kind of life.

‘And yet, he never once complained.’

That’s why, when Kirke was to become the emperor, I had no doubt that he would do well. I didn’t usually trust people in power, but Kirke was an exception.

“This way, please.”

While I was busy looking around, we had apparently arrived at our destination. The attendant led me to a beautiful glass greenhouse filled with blooming flowers.

‘It seems they’re using magic to maintain the temperature.’

This kind of magic that manipulates nature usually doesn’t last very long.

‘Maybe three hours at most?’

Even the most skilled magicians could maintain it for six hours at best. I wondered how many magicians would have to cast spells frequently to keep this environment stable.

“Thank you for coming, Lady Elpinard.”

The empress, who was seated at a table in the center of the greenhouse, stood up with the help of her maid. Her smile was warm, and her belly was noticeably swollen. I quickly approached the table and returned her greeting.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. Thank you so much for the invitation.”

“It’s not me you should be thanking, but someone else.”

The empress smiled and gestured behind me. When I turned my head, I saw Kirke standing amidst the lush garden, picking a few flowers.

“Your Majesty.”

I respectfully greeted Kirke, keeping an eye on the empress’s reaction, and he chuckled as he approached me.

“Thank you for coming.”

Kirke’s grin seemed to say, ‘I won, didn’t I?’

‘Of course, you would.’

The long tug-of-war between us over the palace invitation had ended with Kirke’s victory.

“…If Your Majesty summons me, it is my duty as your subject to come whenever called.”

I swallowed my grumbling and gave the proper, formal response. Kirke just laughed heartily and… handed me flowers?

I blinked, looking back and forth between the flowers and Kirke’s face. I knew this wasn’t the proper etiquette for addressing the Emperor. And on top of that, the Empress and her ladies-in-waiting were watching the entire scene unfold!

I was too taken aback to react properly.

‘Why is he giving these to me?’

Shouldn’t he be giving them to his pregnant wife instead? I glanced over at the Empress, then glared at Kirke.

‘Are you out of your mind? Give the flowers to your wife, now!’

“Haha!”

Kirke, seemingly oblivious to the message in my fiery glare, just laughed again and pushed the flowers into my hands.

‘He must be crazy…’

He was always clueless in these matters, even in our past life. When girls we met on our journey to slay the dragon showed interest in him, he would miss all the signs, responding in such a way that they eventually gave up.

‘I thought he’d gotten better after getting married and having a child!’

Apparently not.

I found myself in the awkward position of holding flowers given to me by the Emperor, all while under the watchful eyes of the Empress. I didn’t even dare to turn my head toward her, feeling the sweat trickle down my back. Then, I heard a soft chuckle from the Empress’s direction.

“It’s all right, Lady Elpinard. I was the one who suggested it.”

“Pardon?”

Startled, I turned to see the Empress smiling gently as she gestured for me to take a seat.

“Since today is a day to meet a lovely young lady, I thought it would be fitting for him to give you a beautiful bouquet.”

“Ah, I see… Thank you.”

Still in a daze, I turned to look at Kirke, who gave me a look as if to say, ‘See, I told you!’ His confident attitude made my vision blur for a moment in frustration.

This fool…

‘Even if your wife suggested it, how could you really give flowers to another woman?’

I tried to put myself in the Empress’s shoes for a moment. Her husband, who had no previous connection to this young girl, suddenly decided to invite her to the palace after seeing her for the first time at the debutante. Then, when the Empress suggested he give her flowers to see what he would do, he eagerly picked some and gave them as a gift!

‘He must be out of his mind…’

It might have been a disrespectful thought to have about the Emperor, but it was the truth.

“I was just lending my name to the occasion, so I’ll excuse myself now. Please, have a pleasant conversation.”

Before I could even attempt to salvage the situation, the Empress politely excused herself and left the glasshouse. As she walked away, I noticed one of her ladies-in-waiting giving me a suspicious look, clearly having drawn some serious conclusions.

Given the age difference, she couldn’t possibly think we were lovers… could she?

‘Maybe they think I’m Kirke’s secret daughter?’  

That seemed like the most likely assumption.

As soon as we were alone, I rushed up to Kirke and smacked him on the back, just like I would have in our past lives.

“What are you doing?”

Kirke’s eyes widened in shock, clearly not expecting to be hit.

“Getting hit after giving a gift? I feel terribly wronged.”

“You’re getting hit because you gave that gift!”

I shuddered as I recalled the suspicious look from the Empress’s lady-in-waiting.

“Even if the Empress didn’t misunderstand, that lady-in-waiting definitely did, so make sure you clear things up.”

“What misunderstanding?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You called a girl you barely know to the palace and then enthusiastically gave her flowers! Of course, they’d think we have some special relationship.”

“But the Empress—”

“Oh, you clueless fool!”

I thumped my chest in frustration and waved the flowers in front of his face.

“You’re so good at strategic thinking, but you’re hopeless when it comes to understanding people’s feelings! You should be giving flowers to your wife, not me! And yes, thank you for the gift!”

I quickly added a word of thanks, not wanting to hurt his feelings. After all, he had gone out of his way to give me a present. Kirke was silent for a moment, then burst out laughing.

“My goodness, you really haven’t changed a bit.”

“People don’t change that easily. You’re the same as ever, too.”

“Am I?”

Kirke chuckled, gesturing for me to sit down. I didn’t hesitate to take a seat, and he sat across from me, speaking in a tone that was almost like talking to himself.

“For a moment there, it felt like we were back in the past. I remembered those days when we walked dusty roads…”

There was a clear sense of longing in his eyes as he reminisced. It puzzled me—why would someone enjoying the comforts and power of the palace miss those rough times? Concerned, I asked carefully.

“Is something bothering you? Are things not going well?”

“Problems? I have plenty.”

Kirke frowned slightly, letting out a deep sigh.

“Since I ascended the throne, I don’t think there’s been a single day without issues.”

“That bad…?”

Being the Emperor couldn’t be easy, of course, but from the outside, it seemed like he was managing well enough. I tilted my head in confusion, and Kirke leaned back in his chair, continuing.

“The former Emperor is still in such good health that his faction’s power hasn’t diminished at all.”

The former Emperor! Finally, the very person I had been curious about was mentioned by Kirke.