Even if he told the emperor what he thought about the empress, the emperor would not be able to do anything about him, who would be the head of the Duke Verita family. But he didn’t want to fall out with the emperor from the beginning. In fact, he decided to inherit the title of duke because he was confident of restraining himself to some extent.

‘Well, I think I had better show him a bit of my feelings toward her. I’m a bit annoyed by his casual look.’

So, on the spur of the moment Allendis asked provocatively, “Can I really see her?”

“Um?”

Only then did the emperor take his eyes off the documents and raise his head. His emerald eyes looking at him challengingly met the emperor’s indifferent gaze.

After looking at him silently for a moment, the emperor smiled gently, then said casually as if he didn’t care at all, “You are asking an obvious question. Aren’t you an old friend of the empress’s?”

“… Thank you for your deep consideration. ”

With his heart throbbing, Allendis hurriedly bowed to hide his feelings. He stealthily clenched his fists tightly, recalling what the emperor had told him in the past.

He suddenly recalled it.

The emperor’s voice, who definitely characterized his relationship with the empress as a friend, was the same that he had heard a long time ago.

Allendis smiled bitterly, feeling that his words were wrenching at his heart.

Watching the emperor dancing with her after openly declaring that she was his woman, Allendis cursed his position because he was only the second son of a duke’s family. Ten years after then, she was still his woman, even though he rose to the head of his family with a duke title that was uncomparable to his position back then. And he found himself at a loss about what to do with his burning jealousy.

‘I wish I had not challenged him like this.’

Belatedly regretting his actions, Allendis took pains to look calm and bowed out.

He smiled bitterly in spite of himself because it was a case of sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind. He felt he had a lot of egg on his face because he didn’t restrain himself as he vowed to, carried away by an impulse.

‘Can I really go and see her as things happened this way?’

After passing through the long corridor and leaving the main palace, Allendis hesitated for a long time, then turned to the empress’s palace, at last. As he would see her anyway in the future, he felt he had better see her now when he had the heart to do so.

While walking to the palace, not that far from his location, he kept thinking of going back. Finally, he arrived at the entrance of the palace, soothing his mind..

As if she was waiting for him, a maid escorted him into the meeting room, then went out, saying she would escort the empress here. He sat silently on a cream-colored sofa and looked around slowly. The cozy atmosphere and stylish interior decoration reminded him of her parlour that he saw at the Monique residence as a child. A bitter smile came to his lips when he recalled his childhood days when he didn’t need to walk on eggshells.

When he sighed a little as he recalled her, he heard some noise outside, then the door opened suddenly. When he turned around to see if she came, he stiffened at the scene he could not believe at all.

A small, silver-haired girl stood there with a woman who appeared to be her exclusive maid.

Just like the girl that he first met 17 years ago, she looked much smaller than those her age. She was looking at him in surprise.

Although the maid was telling her something, he didn’t pay attention to her at all.

Her wavy silver hair, blue dress that belied her childish look and her shiny golden eyes.

“Tia…?”

On the spurt of the moment he uttered her nickname in spite of himself. He could not believe his ears. How could the same girl back then stand in front of him now? It’s been more than a decade since he first met her.

He stood up and approached the girl. When he saw her golden eyes looking up at him silently, he seemed to be spaced out. But he restrained himself from reaching out to her, clenching his fists. Only then did he come to his senses, awakened by the pain on his palms.

When he was about to say something to her, another woman stepped inside through the open door. The woman, with her curly silver hair, looked remarkably similar to the girl standing in front of him.

‘Oh, is she the real Tia?’

He calmed down at his belated awakening. The familiar fragrance from the woman made his heart ache again, but he showed due manners while hiding his expressions.

“I, Allendis de Verita, am honored to greet Your Highness, the Moon of the empire. Your Highness, how have you been?”

“…Allen. ”

Her voice which he had not heard in thirteen years, that he missed so much, was wet with tears.

With big teardrops, she held onto his hands and said, “You are not leaving me, right? You have come back completely. Right?”

“Yes…”

“Don’t you think you were so mean to me? How come you haven’t contacted me for the past 13 years?”

“…I apologize for having troubled you so much, Your Highness.”

Although he flinched at her familiar warmth, he clenched his teeth and gently pulled his hand from her grip. Only then did she hurriedly change her expression and said, as if she seemed to have realized her actions, “Oh, I ‘m sorry, Verita Jr. I think I was rude to you as I met you for the first time after such a long time. So, please understand me as I did so because I was so happy to see you. ”

“…That’s fine, Your Majesty. ”

“I heard that you have inherited the duke title. I know it’s rude to call you informally when you are soon going to be the premier of this government, but can you allow me to call your nickname? As I have known you for a long time, I don’t want to call you by your formal title.”

When he heard her abrupt change in the way she spoke to her, his heart ached again. But he replied with a smile, as if it was not a big deal, “Of course, Your Majesty. It’s an honor for me. ”

“Thank you, Allendis. Then shall we sit now? I think I have kept you standing too long. ”

He sighed with relief, watching her carefully. In fact, he was worried that she might notice his hidden affection for her, which he could not yet shake off his mind. As if his numerous rehearsals of managing his expression for an occasion like this paid off, she didn’t seem to notice his unnatural expression.

At that moment, the girl who looked at him and the empress with a sullen expression, said, “Mom, who is this man?”

“Oh, Dia, I forgot to tell you about him. He is mommy’s old friend, Allendis de Verita, who will soon become Duke Veritas. Alendis, she is my…”

“I’m Diana Repulgentia Shana Castina, the first princess of the empire. Nice to meet you, Uncle Allen’. I have heard a lot about you from Mom.”

‘Uncle Allendis?’

When she called her like that unexpectedly, he was so embarrassed that he just watched her silently, even forgetting to return her greetings. The little silver-haired girl was very bold, contrary to his expectation that she was as calm as her mother.

The emperor, the empress and the princess.

It crossed his mind that her palace life in the future would not be necessarily comfortable.

***

“Oh, he’s the uncle! Uncle Allen!”

While visiting the Central Palace with documents to be signed, Allendis unwittingly frowned at the voice coming from far away. On the day he first met her, she was rebuked by her mother for not correcting the way she called him. Nonetheless, this bold girl often visited him without any notice and caused trouble.

He deeply sighed, watching her running toward him after pushing aside the maid who tried to stop her. She called my nickname from the beginning and disturbed me on and off by visiting my office all of a sudden. Normally, he would have been upset with her, even though she was a princess. But he could not whenever he saw her face that resembled her mother, which drove him nuts all the more.