“Why did you ask to see me secretly, Allendis?”

After agonizing for a few days and nights, I asked for a secret audience with the emperor. I asked my father to arrange a meeting for the first time in my life. Keeping my meeting with the emperor secret was essential to stop the noble factions from smelling a rat.

Looking at his sharp blue eyes, I told him what I had done for the noble factions until recently, ranging from the types of intelligence that I took from the pro-emperor factions, the behind-the-scene negotiations with four kingdoms except for the Lua kingdom to the detailed plan to assassinate Tia amid the turmoil of the princesses, which he came to know only a few days ago.

Even though I tried so hard, I still had no power to protect my young lady. It didn’t matter if I were punished for daring to betray the pro-emperor factions and stealing information about them because it was much more important to me to protect my beloved lady.

Having heard me without much agitation, the emperor offered me a deal. In return for the emperor stopping the noble factions’ plotting and protecting my lady, I would steal quality information from the noble factions and give it to the government department doing the background investigation of the princesses who came as the crown prince’s bride candidate.

I knew it was an unfair deal because the emperor had no other choice to protect my young lady even without striking a deal with me. However, the fairness of the deal was not important because it was more important to me to protect Tia from the noble factions’ plot and from myself who didn’t know when I might be sucked into the dark.

“Even if you reveal this information to me, I won’t forgive you. Why did you confide in me? I don’t think you are doing this to lessen your punishment. Is it because of Lady Monique?”

“… ”

“I think my guesswork is right. Tut, tut. As she is so precious, there are more and more guys trying to win her heart. What should I do about you? Your crime is very severe.”

“I will accept it even if you execute me.”

“Oh my, I’m not a foolish man. How can I execute you, the genius of the century? Let me punish you like this.”

I came out of the meeting room only after I got “punished” by the emperor.

Suddenly, I missed my lady very much. For the next couple of months, or less than that, I wanted to see her.

But I could not. I was dangerous now from my point of view. In order to protect Tia from me, who didn’t know when I would go crazy, I had to minimize my contact with her. While I looked at the building of the 1st Knights Division, where my lady was on duty, I turned, biting my lip and holding back my frustration.

“I’m surprised to know there is a safe house in a place like this.”

I thought the noble factions were nothing, but they were more powerful than I thought.

That’s why even the current emperor with absolute power couldn’t get rid of them completely.

A shabby house in the residential area of commoners. At the noble factions’ meeting, I was struggling to steal the information about the princesses and the details of the plan to assassinate Tia. Recently, the nobles who were loyal to Duke Jena were losing ground to Tia, who designed a very popular hairpin, and Viscount Sharia who marketed it successfully.

Because of this, I had to be more cautious to deceive Duke Jenna who was plotting to do harm to my lady, vowing to get even with her.

There was nothing more important than money in a power struggle. Tia already secured a large line of funding, namely, the Sharia family who ran merchant vessel groups, Viscounts Nuen and Naira who owned gemstone mines and Viscount Senk, famed for jewelry craftsmanship. She made a powerful group by pulling together the noble families who usually weren’t noticed. She did it without help from anyone.

Instead of getting stuck in the dark, she suddenly grew up and exuded light little by little, stepping forward.

I walked along the street sadly, while I was satisfied with her achievement.

‘I miss you more today, Tia. Are you doing well, my lady? ‘

I missed her wavy silver hair and her shiny warm golden eyes. What would Tia say if I hugged her and said that it’s too hard for me now? My gentle lady would certainly comfort me, feeling sad as if she felt the same.

But she would comfort me as my friend, not lover.

When I was walking, with my heart bleeding for her, I suddenly noticed something sparkling.

A bundle of silver hair trembling in the corner of a shop. As its silver fur shimmered like the moonlight, it reminded me of my young lady as a child, I couldn’t pass by her casually. I walked toward the shop in spite of myself. Ignoring the shop owner welcoming me, I embraced the small creature. When I saw the kitten crouching without even trying to struggle, I thought of my lovely lady. So, I kept stroking her fur carefully for a while. It wasn’t long before I became fascinated by the golden eyes of the cat slowly raising her head.

“… Tia. ”

After paying a price I don’t remember, I brought the baby cat home. I couldn’t leave this small creature that resembled my lady there.

I named her ‘Tia’ after the girl I loved. Looking at the kitten that blindly followed me as if I was her mother, I kept thinking of the little girl the way she was when I first met her.

For a while, I spent time doting on the little cat that looked like Tia I loved so much.

“Hi, Allendis.”

A week after meeting the emperor, I bumped into my lady who was walking with that red-haired guy Carsein in the outer palace.

My heart ached when I saw them walking side by side, but I was delighted to meet Tia, who I missed so much. My little girl, Tia, was happy to see me with her eyes sparkling brightly.

I was happy for a moment when I saw the green hair tie I had given her tying her curled silver hair together.

‘Do you know that the inside of the colored hair band is embroidered with dela flowers for lovers?’

My joy of meeting her was fleeting. I thought I had to leave this place soon. At a time when the noble factions were plotting to kill her, I didn’t know what would happen if they watched me with Tia. It didn’t matter if they suspected me, but I didn’t want them to revise their assassination plan without letting me know.

I barely said goodbye to my beloved lady and turned. Although it was so difficult for me to walk away, I had to for her safety.

‘No, don’t look back at her. Never forget your decision to protect Tia. ‘

“It’s been a long time, Aristia.”

As the festival to celebrate the National Founding Day started, I had one month to go before D-Day. Although I really wanted to see my lady who must have been beautifully dressed up, I could not attend the banquet because I would feel so heartbroken when I saw her with the crown prince. However, the more I thought about the banquet, the more I missed her.

‘I miss you, my lady. I really want to see you, Tia. Can I go see you only once? I know I shouldn’t approach you to protect you. I know it’s dangerous, but can I go see you only once, really just once?’

After hesitating, I finally attended the banquet on the third day. As soon as I entered the banquet hall, my heart was beating fast when I found the young lady with silvery hair. I didn’t know when she made friends with so many people, but I found her surrounded by a group of young ladies. Carsein and a couple of unfamiliar knights were standing with her. When I saw Tia smiling and chatting with people around her, my heart began to ache agai. I was used to it now.

‘You are shining more and more brightly, Tia. You are leaping into a different world, my lady. ‘

“Will you dance with me?”