Resist the urge and visit the Emperor.

Looking longingly into the ****’s eyes it became a task to free herself of the urge. The impatience of the emperor's servant, striking the door, broke the trance and her blood went cold. ‘I’m a fake. If I’m discovered, I will die. Even if I’m not, I will still die. This was no time to be distracted by a man with a pretty face.’

She turned from Jorg without a word and reached for the door handle. On the other side the servant, more giant than man, was already preparing to knock on the door once again before he was greeted by the princess’ serious expression. “I’m ready, lead me to my brother.”

“Yes? Yes! This way your highness.” The large man quickly became nervous the second he met the princess, unable to respond confidently he fell into his routine and bowed his head, one hand resting behind his back the other gesturing where to go.

Being the first time out of the princess bedroom, if not by choice she tried to keep her composure but couldn’t help but be left in awe at the inside of the imperial palace. Whitestone marble made up most of the interior, hallways were dedicated with a large collection of paintings, furniture and servants to bow their heads as she passed by.

As she passed through a foyer, the central hub which connected many areas of the palace, she had to resist shouting upwards at the massive cathedral-like ceiling to see if it would echo.

Once she passed from the princess’ section of the palace to the Emperor's she found both maids and butlers replaced by an armed guard at every end of each halfway which followed, all appearing like an empty suit of armour that could be found in a museum or an old mansion. She quickened her pace each time she needed to pass one.

This continued for a while without incident until one of the guards surprised her as he struck his breastplate with his hand and bashed the bottom of his polearm into the floor. The guard who appeared lifeless at first nodded his head and greeted her stoically. “Ma'am.”

The servant she had been following until now looked at the interaction and gave a warm smile. “You’ll have to forgive some of the lads’ enthusiasm, your highness. Most of them haven’t seen you in such a long time.”

“Of course!” She responded without thinking and returned to catch up with the servant.

The last few turns and each hallway started to appear the same. ‘Maybe I should think about creating a map if I ever need to walk around the palace again.’ She thought to her herself before she noticed the giant that was leading her stealing a few glances at her.

“Is there something you want to say?” She said bluntly which made the servant stumble slightly.

“Yes, princess! I mean Ma’am! I mean your highness…”

“This is your first time escorting me isn’t it?”

“Yes your highness, it’s an honour! … I just wanted to say…well you might not remember me but I was there at coral hill…the battle where you got shot… me and the boys from the 13th prayed for your recovery and we got the bastards who did it…” His common accent breaking through the one he had been speaking with. “I just want to say it’s an honour! Again.” The servant rubbed the back of his head after he embarrassed himself and continued to lumber forward.

The small reaction warmed the woman's heart and she found herself smiling at the fact that not everyone in this world hated Alexandra. She seemed to think it was alright to reward the servant for his honesty. “Thank you.”

Her words lifted the servant in more ways than one as he straightened himself and began to walk normally, once again the warm smile from before on his lips.

“Here we are.” The servant halted in front of a large oak door with numerous carvings. The servant opened the doors and bowed his head to a tall figure inside the room, before anything was spoken the servant coughed to regain his composed way of speaking from earlier with utmost certainty. “Your majesty, I have followed your request and delivered your sister, the imperial princess Alexandra.”

What followed was a scene straight from a movie. “Does the food suit your tastes?”

“Ah, yes.”

She was sitting at the end of a table that seemed to be at least three meters long. And at the end of those three meters was the emperor.

“What a relief! I called for you because it has been such a long time since we had a meal together like this.”

‘Could this really be put in the same category as having a meal ‘together’.’

“Is that so.”

“It is wonderful seeing your face after so long.”

The emperor had blond hair and a slither of grey, and because his face was so lean, his eye seemed to glitter. His long hair flowed over a black cape adorned with a gold insignia, and his eyes were clear blue like the princess’.

His deep-set eyes had a sharpness and strength in them that made her think he resembled the princess. She wondered if it was a common trait of powerful individuals with a long family history.

But the expression he was making now was so far apart from his overall first impression that it was bizarre. Whenever their eyes met, the emperor would grin like an idiot. He looked like a fool with a few screws loose.

But the princess was his only blood relative. If he realized that a completely different person had taken over her shell then he could completely flip.

“I specially ordered them to throw a feast! It was worth the effort.” Of course, there was zero indication so far that he would.

“……Thank you.”

“I was always worried that you were picky. But how wonderful is it to see you eating well?”

He looked more pleased than anything. It was only normal to be suspicious if someone was acting differently. But since they were siblings who barely saw each other despite living together, she supposed there was no way he could be sure.

“Of course! I shall send the head chef to your palace. If you like their cooking, I would be more than happy to give them to you.”

“No, it is fine even if you don’t-”

“From now on, I will have them be responsible for all of your meals.”

‘….Does he even hear me? I had begun to doubt a little while before. Could the table be any longer?’ She thought while she had a smile on her face.

Despite that, the emperor continued to be all smiles, quite obviously.

“Ah, yes, I heard that he is returning.”

Although he was speaking as casually as if he was bringing up the weather, she felt instantly that he had been waiting and waiting to get to this, his real reason for calling her here. she couldn’t help it and began to feel nervous.

“Since he is returning home after having done a great military service, I was thinking of opening the largest and most lavish victory celebration for him. What is your opinion on the matter?”

He was talking about that man. The first concubine. Richard Von Cobalt.

‘Did that mean he was an important enough figure for the emperor to pay close attention to?’ It seemed that the situation was different from the other concubines.

“Well, I suppose so. He should be adequately rewarded according to the extent of his contribution.”

“Exactly so!”

Once again, the emperor seemed to jump with joy as he slammed his hand down on the table, startling her.

“Because you did not bring it up, I thought that you had forgotten about him.”

“How could I forget?”

“Of course, since you were also the one to chase him out into war.”

“What?” The snippet of information caught her off guard.

“Indeed, if it had not been for the disagreement between you two, the aftermath of Vangandr wouldn’t have lasted as long as it did. Back when he first set off, no one anticipated his victory. It was too far and perilous a road.” He said all this while snacking on a chicken bone. “You partially sent him off to die.”

“…….”

Without her knowing, her mouth had dropped open in surprise before she quickly shut it closed. It wasn’t enough to obliterate a country in order to obtain a prince who’d rejected her, but she had started a whole war where she could send her concubine to his **** just because their relationship was bad?

And that concubine was returning home in glory bearing news of victory. ‘Hell, Alexandra were you just asking Richard to want you dead?!’

“And so I was thinking, my sunny little dragon….” His nickname for the princess dripped with affection.

“Don’t call me that.” Her response was automatic as he chuckled.

Alexandra was like this, but it looked like he still cherished her. Although she wondered what he had been doing, not helping her fix her habits until things got to this point.

It was possible that he was the culprit who had encouraged her bad habits by letting her do whatever she wanted just because she was his only blood relative.

Or perhaps it was that she wouldn’t change no matter how hard he tried.

No matter what the answer was, it was useless to think of it now.

“When he returns this time, do you think you will be able to greet him graciously?”

“……” The emperor was looking at her with serious eyes.

He was far away so she couldn’t be sure but anyways. The atmosphere had completely changed.

“I’m talking about the mercy you showed yesterday.”

Mercy. He heard about what happened to Mina last night. In other people’s eyes, it seemed that’s what it had looked like.

“I don’t expect much. However, when I heard what happened yesterday, I wondered if you had had a change in attitude.”

‘I suppose you could call it a change in attitude. Since it was a different soul in her body.’

“Show him some of that compassion. He is too talented to be wasted.”

Right then, she realized why the emperor was in such a good mood.

It was because the princess had changed.

And because it was something he had wished for so sincerely he didn’t want to think it was suspicious.

“I understand what you are trying to say.”

It was quite an ironic tragedy. The real princess was gone. But only now she was the person others wanted her to be.

She tried smiling at the emperor.

At the very least, she was going to live as the princess. ‘I’ll promise you that. It’s the best way I can think to express my condolences towards you who have lost your only sister.’

“But will he still want to stay my concubine?”

“What does that mean? As long as you do not personally dismiss him from the position, there is no way for him to do so.”

“……But he probably hates me.”

The emperor rubbed his chin with his thumb and tilted his head.

“You know him well too, do you not? What kind of person he is.”

‘I know him too well…I’m so dead.’

“On that note, you know that we entered into a treaty with the Rothschild Empire to the far east during this war. And that this temporary treaty is scheduled to expire at the end of this month.”

She idly let the emperor’s words go in one ear and out the other. She was sure this matter had nothing to do with her.

“As the defeated kingdom of Bourne has collapsed underneath the burden of massive war reparations, our two empires came to an internal decision to divide up the Bourne Kingdom between ourselves.”

“……..What is your point?”

“I am thinking of entrusting full authority over the matter to you.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear and after a long pause replied.

“…….I think I may have heard you wrong.”

“Do not worry too much, since Cobalt will be assisting you. This should also be a good opportunity to strengthen your relationship with him.”

‘Could you please not say that with such a contented smile on your face? Is he treating a negotiation between nations as an event to repair a couple’s relationship, or what?’

“I don’t want to. Why should I?”

If she accepted, there was a possibility she might be discovered.

“You don’t need to find it too bothersome. You just do what you want during the negotiations.”

“It’s not that I find it bothersome.”

“I remember you wanted to take a trip abroad to the east. You can take advantage of this opportunity and go. It is a good thing, no?”

She lost her words. It sounded like he was saying to take advantage of a territorial negotiation was akin to going on vacation.

‘How was the country not collapsing with him as the emperor?’

“It doesn’t seem like a great opportunity to me.”

“This will be a new and different breed of entertainment. The climate there is different from our country’s so it would be wise to prepare ahead of time.”

“…….”

She had begun to think that the pointlessly long table had been built expressly so that the emperor would only be able to hear what he wanted. Otherwise, how did it make sense for him to be so selective in his hearing? It was as if his ears were filled with cotton.

“I'm not getting through to you, am I? My my such a stubborn little sister I have. Alright if you do this, I’ll let you visit little Nero.”

Shaking her head she clearly had enough aside from the offer there wasn’t a character by that name in the novel to be interested in.

That was before the emperor continued.

“A mother should always be with her son.”

The emperor had her full attention. “W-who?”

“I know you haven’t seen him since the nurses took him but surely you’d remember that bastard you gave birth to before you left for war? I wasn’t happy with the news but…to be blunt it did tell us you can produce an heir.”

She was left utterly rendered in her seat as her mind raced with a hundred questions. ‘I couldn’t have missed something like that?! Was it a surprise for the second novel?! Alexandra had a kid?!”