Recently, she has made various efforts to close her estranged relationship with Antonio.

According to the investigation, Viscount Tedler and Antonio's relationship was not so good.

'Well then....'

When Empress Rebecca heard the story, she laughed out loud.

Viscount Tedler is said to have forced Antonio to do anything as if he were wielding his own children.

However, Antonio seems to have gained independence after returning from a war with the barbarians, and since then, he has refused to say anything trivial to the Viscount.

So, the Empress visited Antonio often, acting like a mother who was very kind and loving, unlike before.

According to what Antonio's attendants have heard, he recently said that Antonio seems to have a problem.

Empress Rebecca dug through the cracks and eventually found out about her son's troubles.

"My grandfather keeps forcing me to get married."

As soon as Empress Rebecca heard those words, she clenched her fists. At the end of the day, a sound of astonishment would have come out.

'Crazy old man.... You dare to decide my son's marriage at will?'

When asked in detail as calmly as possible, Antonio answered all truthfully.

All of Antonio's marriage partners, brought in by Viscount Tedler, were children of nobles close to the Viscount.

'dare....'

Rebecca's most precious possession was Antonio. My eyes were dizzy at the fact that I had almost married my son, who would become emperor, to such a family.

I could never have done that.

"I want to decide my marriage."

Antonio frowned and said. Rebecca asked with a labored smile.

"Then, of course it is. Your mother will unconditionally respect your choice.>

"Then, of course not.... Your grandfather forced me to do anything. Anyway, then... Have you ever had a woman you liked?"

Rebecca asked, stroking the back of her son's hand. He was very nervous, but he didn't show it.

If you had a woman you liked, the job was easy.

If you help her get along well, Antonio will soon open up to him.

However, if that woman is a commoner who is not a noble, or an insignificant fallen nobleman, things get in trouble.

'I can secretly get rid of it and disguise it as my father's work.'

Rebecca, who remembered the method for a moment, looked at Antonio with a more relaxed expression.

After hesitating for so long, the name that Antonio came out was unexpected.

"You mean that kid of the Duke of Aston?"

Rebecca's eyes narrowed.

He was a child I will never forget. It's as if she was kicked out of the monastery because of the events of that day involving that child.

'At the end of the day, why....'

But it wasn't bad to turn the bad relationship into a relationship.

I didn't like it, but it had a meaning.

The child still had a close relationship with the Empress, and was trusted and loved by the Emperor.

Besides, the perfect family.

'I hope I can hit the Empress in the back of the head....'

It's a habit, you can fix it all later.

Rebecca looked at her son with a secret smile.

"Only trust this mother, Antonio."

Rebecca said confidently. But Antonio did not trust her.

This is because Rebecca has already established herself as a trustworthy parent to Antonio.

Antonio thought that he felt more comfortable, so he thought about another way.

Without knowing Antonio's heart, Rebecca bit her lip, looking for Raphine, who had disappeared during the banquet.

'Isn't that back?'

If Raphine went home as is, things would go in vain.

There was no more sure way than the plan prepared at today's banquet.

Rebecca was thinking of giving Raphine a drugged sleeping pill.

After giving Antonio the same drug, we were going to lock him up until morning....

It was cowardly and vulgar, but it was the surest way.

Because Viscount Tedler made Rebecca the Empress this way.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason. Rebecca used a secret weapon, a magic potion.

"Raphine, who is that child? Did you find it?"

When the servants who had ordered to find Raffine returned, the Empress hurriedly asked.

"sorry."

"sorry. It seems that you have already returned to the mansion, Your Majesty's Majesty...!"

At that, the empress got nervous and kicked the servants' shins in the shins.

"Damn it...!"

The Empress groaned and recalled Raphine's mischievous face inwardly.

'You're already disappearing like a mouse....'

The swear words came out of nowhere.

Then the queen narrowed her eyes again and calmed her heart.

'More than this, I will have no choice but to use the medicine that Saint Celestina agreed to receive.'

Originally, he intended to change the emperor's heart with that golden potion, called the love potion....

Now Rebecca had no intention of winning the Emperor's heart. A man's love was useless to her anyway.

'I'd rather use it to win my son's heart.'

Empress Rebecca smiled meanly as if she was angry.

And to warn Viscount Tedler and make sure he gets things right. He was planning to ask the emperor directly to marry Antonio and Raffine.

* * *

After talking to Zerkan. Raphine did not return to the banquet hall, but returned to the house by carriage.

Raffine was in a dazed state throughout the ride on the carriage.

As soon as they arrived at the mansion, the maids were bewildered and greeted Raphine.

"Lady, why are you here already?"

"What time is it, are you coming now? Come play more!"

Everyone was sad as if they wanted Rafine to spend more time with the Crown Prince.

Raphine laughed hard, excused herself to be tired, and returned to her room.

After washing and lying on the bed, the tension in my body was relieved.

All sorts of thoughts rushed through my mind as if I had hit the play button again from a pause.

My head was throbbing at the thought of all at once.

'Going crazy.'

Antonio put it off for a while, and the words Zerkan had said over and over again in his head.

'It must have been more sad than I thought.'

It reminded me of Zerkan when I was young, and I didn't like it.

Seeing her fighting parents, Zerkan had a lonely expression on her face as if something was empty.

And what Zerkan looks like today.

The two images overlapped and stimulated Raphine's heart as if it were stabbed with a needle.

'I'm overdoing it.'

Moreover, after listening to Zerkan, it seemed that he had no intention of marrying him at all.

"I always said that since I was little. You have to meet the person you love.>

"The marriage partner.... Let's take a look at the list you gave me. Thank you for saving me the trouble.>

"So you don't have to avoid me anymore."

These words, especially at the end, kept stabbing my heart.

'Complex....'

Raphine pondered for a while and then buried her face in the pillow.

It looked like he couldn't sleep at all.

'Yeah, let's just think positively about the facts.'

Zerkan said that he was actively using the list suggested by Rafine, and that he had no intention of marrying Rafine.

Violet and Adrian get married.

Those two facts were enough. Didn't it all go as planned?

'But why are you feeling so uncomfortable? ....'

Even though everything went the way I wanted it to, I felt uneasy and anxious as if something was wrong.

Raphine couldn't sleep at night and was dazed the whole time, so she lay on the bed and stared at the moon.

* * *

"Girl, lady!"

Raphine, who barely fell asleep at dawn, frowned at Silane's voice.

"Cut a little longer...."

I'm not busy anyway, so there's no reason I can't take a nap.

But Silane did not give up and shook Raphine.

"Oh my gosh, miss! Wake up and see! A guest has arrived, guest!"

Raphine, who had stubbornly closed her eyes, gently lifted her eyelids. Silane with a nervous expression came into view.

for a moment. Guest?

"What time is it? A guest, who?"

"It's still morning, but.... Anyway."

Silane looked around and whispered in a whisper even though no one was there.

"that... His Majesty Prince Antonio has arrived."

"... what."

My anxious mind calmed down thinking it might be Zerkan.

Raphine scratched her chest and stood up.

Anthony... Antonio?

'Why did you come?' the moment I thought. I remembered the ambiguous actions that Antonio showed yesterday.

'That madman....'

Last night, thinking about Zerkan, I completely forgot what I had with Antonio.

I was so sorry that I never even thought of it.

Raphine bit her lip nervously, then decided to wash and change clothes first.

"By the way, why did Prince Antonio come to see you?"

Silane asked quietly.

Raphine could not open her mouth, and answered inwardly.

'I think he likes me....'

It was terrible.