She overslept.

Opening her eyes blankly, Medea vaguely registered her surroundings and thought,

'An unfamiliar bed and an unfamiliar room.... It hasn't even been a month since I possessed this body...'

She seemed to have adapted fast, even regarding the Empress's Palace as familiar in the span of a few days.

Medea surveyed the room as she got up. She couldn't find Lyle, who she had anticipated. Whenever he slept with her, he was late for political meetings—but it seemed he was attending to his duties on time.

"I'm hungry ..."

She wasn't familiar with this room, so she couldn't guess how much time had passed.

In her previous room, the light's brightness would have allowed her to guess whether it was morning or lunchtime.

Medea looked around and found the rope to summon servants. The bed was so vast it was faster to roll a couple of times to get to it. As she pulled it, she heard a bell ringing somewhere.

"Your Majesty, you are up?"

A familiar voice came to the door of the bedroom. It was the main palace and Lyle's bedroom, so she expected a stranger, but it was her lady-in-waiting from the Empress's Palace.

"Oye. Come in."

Medea pulled up the blanket to cover her body, the door opened, and the maids came in.

The maids quickly took in the sight of the room with such subtlety so Medea would barely notice.

"Would you like to take a bath first? Or a meal?"

"I'll take a bath first."

Medea came to the edge of the bed with a tired face. The maids dressed her in a gown. She yawned and was led by their hands to the bathroom.

While bathing her and washing her hair, they told Medea that Lyle had gone to a political meeting but refused to eat a meal with nobility because he had 'an appointment.' The light in their upturned eyes inferred that the appointment was with Medea.

Medea frowned at the thought,

'Now we're eating together.'

She had to admit it was fun to sleep with Lyle but eating... It seemed an uncomfortable prospect.

How funny, she found it more uncomfortable to eat together then to share a bed with him.

"...... Didn't the messenger come back yesterday? Why isn't there any news?"

Realizing that it was the messenger sent to the Dukedom of Ceiard, the maids quickly avoided her gaze.

'Hmm? What is it? Feeling a hint of disquiet.' Medea gazed at the maids.

"What? Why are you avoiding my eyes?"

"Well......."

"Your Majesty... The Emperor ordered that correspondence is not allowed without His Majesty's permission..."

"What?"

Yesterday, when Medea was hiding, a reply arrived from Luke. But Lyle was already there, and when he heard the news while searching for Medea, he took Luke's letter away.

"No! Why? Isn't it mine?"

"W-well......."

"Did your Majesty not give it to you yesterday?" [t1v: he gave it to her—but not the letter ^_*]

There was no mention of it! Medea hurried out of her bath, grumbling with an embarrassed and resentful heart. When Medea came out, the maids quickly approached her with a dress and underwear. Medea put on the clothes the maids gave her.

"Where is his majesty?"

"He should be in the office right now."

"I see."

She put on her clothes and even dressed up. Medea, who had finished, streaked out of the bedroom, and the maids panicked following the reckless Empress.

"Empress, your majesty."

"—Empress, your majesty."

'What's wrong with all of you?'

She couldn't understand, so she just glanced at them, left the bedroom, and crossed the living room. Just as Medea was about to leave through the Emperor's residence entrance, the knights blocked her path.

'What?'

For the first time since she possessed Medea, she felt her temper flare up, enraged.

The knights expressed their politeness to Medea with embarrassed faces.

"Greetings, nice to meet you, Empress."

"Oh... But you can't get out of my way?"

"It's his majesty's command. Please forgive me," said two knights as they urgently knelt before her.

Medea's mouth was left agape, stunned.

'You dare?!—This cheap, stingy bastard emperor!'