I Won’t Accept Your Regrets

It was still before sunset, but the interior of the Phoenix branch was quiet.

This happened because all people were discharged from work on time.

After passing the quiet first floor, I stood in a magic circle and arrived in the office of the branch director on the top floor.

Lumont's office was a familiar sight.

"Have a seat, Your Majesty.”

Jed and Lumont sat down on either side.

Helen took the initiative to make us tea.

"How is His Highness doing?"

As soon as I put down the cup, Jed asked with a worried face.

Perhaps he had already learned from Lumont that Carlisle was now in good health and under seven locks.

But because of that, Jed didn’t stop worrying.

As I was, too, was worried until I saw Jed with my own eyes.

"He’s doing fine. I wanted to take him with me, but the etiquette teacher's class was longer than he thought, so he couldn't come with me."

"Etiquette classes? Is His Highness adjusting well?"

Jed laughed as he remembered the look of Carlisle, who liked to run around here and there.

"It worried me at first, but Carlisle is adjusting better than I thought."

"It's a relief that he's adjusting well when the banquet is just around the corner,” Jed smiled as if it took his worries away.

"There are not many days left when Carlisle would appear before the nobility."

My smile vanished at these words. And then I asked Jed:

" Did you find the evidence?"

"There are two good news and two bad news."

" I'll hear bad news first."

"I dug into the mercenaries' backs to somehow find evidence, but there was nothing to connect the young lady de Sios."

"Hm…"

"They worked with the hands of Duke Drua, and that slurred maid never left the mansion. That is, I want to say by this that there are no witnesses confirming that the gray-haired maid left the mansion. But… It will become difficult to punish Sios for the assassination attempt on the monarch's family," Jed said in a displeased voice.

No matter how much evidence was hidden, wouldn’d there be something left?

And even Jed, who knew this well, couldn’t do anything.

The result clearly told me that Lisa worked hard from the bottom of her heart when she coped with this matter.

But nonetheless. Even if Sios couldn’t be destroyed immediately, leaving them alone was impermissible.

Otherwise, they will outlive Carlisle from the light.

So, I told everyone to get ready in case we couldn't provide evidence.

"So the good news is that you've found other evidence?"

Since my return to the Empire, Marquis Sios suffered blows of fate, and Duke Croft was on horseback.

In recent days, Duke Croft has returned to the Foreign Office again, showing that he was able to rise from the ashes.

Besides, I became Her Majesty again, and Raymond openly gave Carlisle the Regulus Palace.

Thus, power escaped from the hands of Sios and headed for the Croft house.

And in this chaos, it was natural for the vassals of Marquis Sios to make mistakes.

In the past six years, the wealth of Marquis Sios has grown to incredible proportions thanks to the prime minister's salary.

And that was, not counting the black earning schemes.

"Many unexpected tests, as well as those who were exposed to corruption, came into my hands."

Jed's eyes now burned with enthusiasm.

"What's that?"

Jed glanced at Lumont, who handed me some papers.

When I received the papers, my eyes widened.

"This is indeed…!"

The data Lumont presented to me was nothing more than information about the deal with the caravans of the desert kingdom. The thing that drove my father into a corner.

Treaties on behalf of Sios, an investor in caravans, and letters that Marquis Sios secretly exchanged with the murdered Duke Drua.

And the location of the secret cache in the estate of Count Barten.

"How did you even find this?"

The only person who could possess such ins and outs is Freud Drua.

But he is still dead…

I raised my head, remembering a certain person.

"Duke Drua sent it, yes?"

"It has been two days since the Duke visited us and personally laid out all the evidence."

"Ah…"

But what the hell?

If you have found so much evidence, it would be right to send it personally to the Emperor.

Jeremy wasn’t my henchman like Lumont or Jed. What do you think is wrong with Raymond?

"Jeremy… why?"

How can I repay you for all your cooperation?

I looked at the evidence again.

They could confiscate all property, and also deprive Sios of his freedom.

It is a pity that he can’t be executed, but it was possible to make a living corpse out of him, leaving him without power and property.

"I will hand all of this directly to His Majesty."

* * *

And while Ellie was holding the evidence in her hands, Raymond headed to the Empress' palace.

After all, it was reported to him about the skirmish between the Empress and Lisa Sios.

However, on the street in front of the palace, Raymond stopped.

"Your Majesty?"

It was the first time he would see Elijah's face after being coldly rejected by her.

The next day, apologizing for not understanding her feelings, he sent that letter and a gift, but there was no answer.

Of course, she also didn’t come to him.

"If you try to impose your feelings on me at least once, I will leave the throne and float across the seas."

He hesitated to ask if he had gone too far.

No, he was simply afraid.

He was afraid that Ellie would break loose and leave him again.

Even not answering would mean she was angry with him.

"Should I go back?”

What he came to Ellie with today was about Carlisle’s escort.

This was news that could be passed on through the servants.

Nevertheless, he came in person to see Ellie and Carlisle.

"It would be better to just leave."

He desperately wanted to see them, but now he was thinking about her feelings, as Ellie had said.

Raymond turned around, and Carlisle's voice was heard nearby.

"Pailin, I want to play there!"

Turning his head, he saw Carlisle and the maid who had just left the palace.

Carlisle, rushing into the garden in front of the palace, stopped when he saw Raymond.

"Hail His Majesty the Emperor, the Sun of the Empire."

The maid bowed quickly.

Now Raymond can’t get away from the visit, accidentally meeting with Carlisle.

Carlisle bent down as Raymond approached.

"Hail His Majesty the Emperor, the Sun of the Empire."

During these few days, he worked out a gesture of greeting.

"Rise up now."

Raymond and Carlisle's eyes met.

Black eyes, similar to his own.

But for some reason, Carlisle was afraid of Raymond's gaze, unlike his mother.

He was afraid.

Raymond felt uncomfortable because Ellie wasn’t there.

But then his big hand reached out to Carlisle's head.

“You are very quick to learn etiquette. It was not difficult?"

Carlisle responded by looking at Raymond.

"No, it’s not."

Carlisle did’t avoid her touch, which was strange in itself, and the silky hair that touched his palm felt oddly pleasant.

Raymond, who had been stroking Carlisle for a long time, suddenly realized how it looked from the outside, and took his hand away.

"But Carlisle. Where did your mother go?"

"Oh, my mother left the palace on business. So today I’m having dinner alone."

"Left the palace?"

Raymond's eyebrows rose slightly.

He wasn’t informed that the Empress was going out.

Raymond asked the maid:

"Has the Empress gone to the Duke?"

"That is… She didn't say where she was going."

Raymond frowned further.

Indeed, if she was going to Jeremy, she wouldn’t have left Carlisle at home.

Where did you go?

Raymond felt uneasy.

At that time, their eyes met with Carlisle again.

Carlisle looked away, as if his fears were still here.

"So… did you come out to play alone?"

"Yes… I was bored."

It wasn’t interesting to sit without his mother and play puzzles.

Carlisle looked around the large flower garden. Maybe I should make a beautiful bouquet?

He thought about giving it to his mother, and then a deep voice sounded in Carlisle's ears:

"Then… do you want to play with me?"