"Yes, I am fine now." I smiled softly and wiped away the tears from my eyes.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you this. The trial will be held the day after tomorrow, and you'll have to attend as a witness. Raven will give you the details tomorrow, so you won't have to feel pressured, but if you find anything confusing, please let me know."

I had almost forgotten about my reinstatement. It didn't seem real to me, that a trial would be held where everything in my life could be put back in its proper place, simply by reinvestigating a case from such a long time ago. It was unreal that I would be going back to the ranks of nobility.

I nodded my head. "Yes, I understand."

"Count Russen will be taken care of," the emperor said, sternly.

I was startled by his sudden remark. "Is that family also involved with the treason?"

The emperor nodded at my question with complete satisfaction. "Oh, it's going to be grand. I've already collected enough evidence of high treason, and I am ready to strike. Before this summer is over, the Russen family will be destroyed. None of his descendants will escape my retribution."

In the eyes of the emperor, there was a flash of dark anger. It was very different from the calm face he kept at the ball. The fury soon passed, and he smiled softly, stroking my cheek. Fearing for a moment that I would tense up at the sensation of his rough fingers, he grabbed my hand and pressed his lips briefly to the back of my wrist. He was smiling naturally now, looking relaxed and with no sign of the rage that had flashed through him a moment ago.

"Don't let your anger overtake what you need to do," I told him.

"I will try. But you are a noble now. You need to know that if someone looks down on you, trample them with the shoes you wore yesterday. Don't worry, I'll support your actions one hundred percent."

"Well, your foot I trampled on, at the ball last night, certainly hurt, right?"

"Oh, I think that is definitely a good self-defence move. Unfortunately, you to make a few more moves like that in the future."

I laughed softly at his remark. The rest of the evening was spent in idle chatter. We talked about the sandwiches and cakes we enjoyed at the masquerade, the gardens we had not been to yet, and many gifts that we did not have space for. All the time we spoke, I could tell that the emperor wanted me to use his name, but there was something inside of me that just wouldn't allow the word 'Ridrian' to come out.

***

"How do you feel?" Ravis visited in the morning, with his hands full of yellow roses and delicious-looking snacks.

I was literally locked in this room because the emperor has ensured that it was strictly for my safety. Two knights always stood guard in front of my door, and they regularly checked on me to make sure everything was all right. It was an uncomfortable situation but, still, it was better than being subjected to an assassination attempt.

From what I heard, the entire region was in chaos after it was revealed that there would be a reinvestigation of the Marquis Shamalon case. When it became officially known that the blood of the extinct Lesprey family was staying in the palace, the old aristocrats and the current commoners who wanted to meet me were lined up outside of the palace. I assumed that it was people who had suffered damage in connection with this incident. But no one was being given permission to enter.

Seeing that Ravis could come to me like this, the emperor's nervousness seemed to have diminished a little. In the banquet hall, he stared at everyone like they were assassins. Lina and Ella were able to come back and forth to convey details of the situation outside the castle.

Ever since I had come back to the palace, even my maids were acting strange towards me. It wasn't often that a person gained the title of Viscount overnight. When Lina heard the details, she held my hand and cried, and Ella bowed her head, asking for forgiveness for her rudeness. The responses were different, but both sincerely congratulated me on my reinstatement.

"Come and sit, Mr. Ravis." I led Ravis to the sofa and asked Lina to serve the tea. I handed the roses and snacks to Ella. She left the room, saying she would put the flowers in a vase.

Turning to Ravis, I could see that he looked paler than usual. I wondered if he was suffering from stress due to his work. But it was simply from worrying about me. "How are you feeling?" he asked again.

"Thanks to your divine power, I'm fine enough to dance now. Thank you." As I said that, I deliberately tried to move my legs energetically. At the sight, Ravis' face brightened a little.

"Please call me whenever you need me," he said.

"Really, I think people will be mad at me if I keep using you as a substitute for holy water."

"Please, use my abilities to your heart's content. I allow it."

I smiled slightly at the declaration that came from Ravis. Honestly, I was a little relieved, even if he was only joking. The thought that he was there was like a safety blanket in this turbulent palace.

Lina came in and set up a table for tea. The sweet scent of the tea softened the atmosphere in the room. As I watched Ravis drinking tea, I suddenly remembered Piett, who had confronted me at the masquerade. I was going to tell Ravis about him, but I forgot as so many things that had happened since then. I remembered that Ravis had said to talk with him in secret. I called Lina over.

"Lina, I'm sorry, but Mr Ravis looks very hot. Could you bring us some ice water?"

Lina bowed and left the room, giving me the opportunity to speak with Ravis. Ravis looked at me strangely, wondering why I had asked for ice water.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"I need to tell you about what happened at the ball yesterday."

Ravis thought I was speaking about him and promptly apologized. "I am really sorry about yesterday. You suffered these bad things because I left you alone without thinking."

I waved my hands in embarrassment. This was not what I wanted from him. "No! What are you talking about? Hedin was the bad guy. You did nothing wrong, Ravis!"

"Your safety is more important than anything else, and I let my guard down. I'm so sorry."

"Ravis." I was trying to explain, but he wouldn't stop apologizing.

"I'm so glad you're all right," he continued in embarrassment.