Chapter 51

51.

***

The bedroom scene was vast and empty, filled with a dim atmosphere.

Light seeping through the windows gradually drove away the darkness in the room.

Iris lightly shrugged off the allure of the soft bed and rose.

After washing her face with the cool water prepared in the corner of the room from the night before, she tidied her nightgown with a refreshed feeling and walked toward the wardrobe.

Inside the wardrobe, various ceremonial robes were kept in perfect condition.

Once she pulled out one of the ceremonial robes with practiced ease and finished putting it on, the figure of Iris transformed from a tired girl into the owner of the empire.

“Preparations complete.”

With a small sigh, Iris moved toward the entrance.

A quiet and familiar morning continued for the seventh year since her ascension at the age of twelve.

Now, after receiving adornments with jewelry and a simple makeup touch-up from the maids outside, her day as Empress would begin just like always in the Audience Chamber.

Tap.

Iris placed her hand on the doorknob but paused briefly before suddenly turning around.

The place she headed was in front of the large mirror placed next to the wardrobe.

Iris calmly confirmed her reflection in the mirror.

After a cursory check for flaws in the ceremonial robe, her focus shifted to her face and hair.

Her silver hair, shining translucently under the morning sunlight, and her flawless skin without a single blemish.

What completed her youthful yet beautiful appearance between a girl and a woman were her amethyst-like violet eyes.

After thoroughly checking for even minor imperfections, Iris nodded in satisfaction.

“…Alright.”

A small change in the morning routine that had continued for seven years.

After touring the nation with a man with black hair, Iris had developed a habit of checking herself in the mirror before leaving her bedroom.

It was a personal addition to her routine, aimed at showing her best appearance to the person she would be with for life.

Even though she used to never even look at a mirror after her ascension, checking her reflection now came naturally to her.

After finishing her appearance check, she calmly practiced her voice projection and pronunciation, followed by practicing a smiling expression by lifting the corners of her mouth with her fingertips.

Once this process was complete, the tranquil morning finally came to an end.

‘Real preparations complete.’

Iris left her bedroom with a calm and composed demeanor.

*

The changes in Iris were not limited to the morning.

Except for ceremonies and special business, the only regular visitors to the Empress’s Audience Chamber were Iris herself and Chamberlain Alberto.

Even Alberto, after delivering reports from the Foreign Palace or Inner Palace, frequently left the chamber to deal with other tasks.

The wide and open Audience Chamber was occupied by nothing but piles of documents reviewed by Iris, who passed her days beginning and ending within this room.

The only sounds in the chamber were the scratching of the quill pen and the heavy thud of applying the seal.

Though it was normal for numerous maids to attend the Empress, not a single maid entered the Audience Chamber.

Iris rejected the approach of others.

To be more precise, Iris deliberately avoided conversations and close interactions with the maids.

During the period when the central nobility completely took control of the Imperial Palace, those connected to Iris, even remotely, met unfortunate ends.

Merely exchanging light conversation could cause someone to vanish from the world, and this was no exception for maids.

Even maids, noblewomen, could not escape the ill intentions of the central nobility that had taken control. Many maids perished, many noble families were wiped out, and in proportion, new maids and noble families emerged.

In an effort to minimize harm, Iris, at a young age, devised the policy of blocking contact with those around her.

Due to the nature of the Audience Chamber, which handled confidential information, it eventually became a place where no one could approach.

It was inevitable for Iris to become isolated.

That’s how the Empress’s Audience Chamber turned into a cool, silent space, but…

“Hmm! Hm!”

Iris carefully observed a small girl darting around the Audience Chamber with an incomprehensible shout.

Scattered papers and books on the floor were promptly organized. As the girl moved about tidying up, her black maid’s uniform and light-brown bun bounced lively.

There was only one maid of such small stature among the maids.

‘Rani, that’s right.’

The maid Cain brought to the capital who, after the MacBilian family was raised to a grand ducal family, experienced an unusual rise in status as an exclusive maid and was also a young girl.

There were special things about this diminutive maid.

One was that, despite being the youngest maid of commoner origin, she was unexpectedly good at her work. The other was that she was the only maid allowed entry into the Empress’s Audience Chamber.

Rani was indeed proficient, earning a reputation among the palace maids.

She opened the windows to refresh the stale air and swiftly cleaned up the messy floor.

When the ink she was using was about to run out, she would quietly appear, replace it with a new one, and quickly retreat.

Occasionally stepping outside the Audience Chamber to monitor various tasks, she planned the next schedule with Alberto.

How did she know?

Just as thirst started to creep in, the scent of tea would delicately fill the audience chamber, and soon, she would present a well-brewed cup of tea.

The first time it may have been an accident, but the second time was bound to happen.

When long periods of hard work made Iris crave sweet snacks, she was astonished. Upon seeing Rani appear with snacks, Iris even suspected if a third magician had appeared in the empire.

An absence made her feel vacant, and her presence subtly helped.

Truly, she was an exemplary maid who followed like a shadow.

Rani was one of Cain’s people, and far from being bothersome, she was so comfortable and familiar.

Iris naturally accepted Rani to the point of amazement.

Now, they even shared simple tea and snacks.

‘But what’s the matter?’

Rani’s face, expressing some unknown shout, looked unusually pinched.

Iris recalled a picture she saw in an old book.

Rani’s face at the moment resembled that of a squirrel in a foul mood. Perhaps she had some unpleasant issue in mind.

‘Her weight has dropped a bit. Other than that…’

Surprisingly, Rani was popular among the maids.

Even other servants seemed more inclined to offer her snacks rather than envy her rise in status.

‘She isn’t being bullied.’

The possibility of an aristocrat or knight from the palace harming her was also minimal.

Cain had brought her from his hometown, and who would dare harm her while he was around with sharp eyes?

If not that, then what remained…

Iris shifted her gaze to another desk set up in the Audience Chamber.

“Sniff… What’s that sound again?”

The man frowning while holding documents.

Cain MacBilian was tall. So much so that Iris had to crane her neck slightly when standing near him.

Her husband, with his height, build, and unique aura, filled the vast audience chamber with his mere presence.

He usually had a slightly annoyed look, but after conducting trials in the East Grand Plaza, his expression became even fiercer.

Now, even people passing by jumped in surprise and kept their distance.

With her excellent intuition, Iris vaguely guessed the state Cain was in. He truly felt uncomfortable with something, causing his frown.

“Hmm…”

She let out a small sigh with an uneasy heart.

She’d already asked about his physical condition.

However, Cain simply smiled calmly and said there was nothing wrong. Clearly, any sane person could tell it wasn’t true.

Iris considered asking the Holy Maiden to check Cain’s condition but shook her head.

The assumption that he felt unwell was just that—an assumption.

Perhaps his statement that he was fine was actually true.

In reality, Cain often visited the Training Grounds citing knight training, throwing away various educational tasks and documents.

Cain returned to the Audience Chamber around the time the sunset glow grew intense after heading to the Training Grounds.

His somewhat refreshed expression upon returning suggested it could be that he just got frustrated with the palace duties.

Iris involuntarily smiled faintly at the sight of Cain sneaking away by avoiding Alberto or the trainers.

‘Ah.’

She quickly moved her now stalled hand.

Rustle. Rustle.

The sound of the quill pen bringing calmness once again reverberated throughout the chamber.

Reviewing reports dense with characters, shapes, and complex numbers, Iris glanced sideways at the black-haired man with a composed look.

Those in the position of leading the nation are skilled at observing nuances like eye contact, tone, and actions to judge the sincerity of others.

Iris’s sharp intuition, shaped by her past environment, made her even more perceptive.

Through her sharp gaze, Cain MacBilian was unique.

The first time they met in the Audience Chamber, he seemed average.

Tall, stern-faced. Nothing particularly remarkable aside from being one of the nobles.

The second time, however, he appeared fierce.

The final selection. The honor duel.

The man who cut down the superhuman sword battered the knight senselessly. Her watching his wild behavior, mouth agape, was unintentional.

The third time, he was resolute.

Cain boldly declared during the appointment ceremony that as the Empress’s messenger and guardian knight, he would protect everything.

After that…

Rustle.

The smooth movement of the quill pen writing through the report ceased.

Iris looked at Cain, who was now pinching Rani’s cheeks.

Why was Cain so dedicated to her?

She already knew the answer. He loved her.

She trusted her intuition and the attitude Cain had shown her so far.

Though he might think he concealed his feelings well, compared to other men, he was brimming with pure affection. There was nothing hidden, nothing deceptive.

He showed no desire for power or grand ambition and seemed to be genuinely put off by the overwhelming tasks piling up.

For reasons unknown, he had a strong aversion to work. Still, whenever it was necessary, he personally took action to resolve the issues.

Because of such reasons, even in a short time, she had granted him many rights.

Thus began the Guardian Knight’s efforts to address the various problems scattered throughout the empire—solely for the sake of one person.

Then, what did she feel about Cain?

“…”

To her own question, Iris reflected on her memories with Cain.

The most memorable one was their conversation in the carriage during their nationwide tour.

Looking at the golden fields and the crimson sky in the village of Ruben.

Finally, the moment in the darkened audience chamber when she firmly clutched the large, earnest hand of Cain looking at her deeply.

The silver-haired Empress and the black-haired knight.

It felt like the classic story of a young girl and her guardian knight.

At that thought, Iris paused.

Even though the chilly air of early spring remained in the audience chamber, she felt inexplicably warm.

A sound like a knock on the door seemed to echo from inside her. Closing her eyes tightly to calm herself, the image of a black-haired man naturally came to mind.

She hastily shook her head.

“My Empress, is something the matter?”

Surprised by her abrupt behavior, Cain, who was wrestling with documents, called out.

Iris averted her gaze.

It was hard to make eye contact now. The gentle sound of his voice made her body, which had started to calm down, restless again.

In order to naturally carry on a conversation, she invested all her mental energy into the reports she had been handling.

Thus, a suitable topic quickly came to mind, and she spoke with urgency.

“Du-, Duke… No, that’s not it. Cain.”

“Your Highness, Iris.”

Careful not to bite her tongue, Iris voiced the topic she had in mind.

“I vaguely remember you saying you would bring a gift before departing to the south…”

“…”

It could be considered a good topic for something hastily thought up.

With a small sigh, Iris turned her head again to face him. Then she was startled.

Cain was frozen, staring with wide eyes and an open mouth.