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“I’ll give ample compensation to everyone who worked hard on this, Prince included. Rest for a while and recover your strength.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Everyone bowed at the decision about bonuses and let out quiet sighs of relief as they left the palace.

“You’ve worked hard. I’ll take special care of my Chancellor.”

Prince Raven smiled broadly. The atmosphere was unmistakably different from before. Having been through something like this myself, I was genuinely glad.

“Seeing the Prince conduct himself admirably—something money can’t buy—was enough for me.”

“…What?”

Raven’s face flushed and he went rigid. Nicola beside him gave his side a poke.

“Coco, you sounded like a pro.”

“Eek?”

I hastily corrected myself.

“That’s not what I meant. It seems you’ve come a long way. I don’t know the Prince’s old self, but I expected something like this now.”

The Prince cleared his throat and nodded as if to reassure himself.

“Surprised, are you? As you said, I feel lighter. Even after seeing my brother, I’m better than I expected.”

“Didn’t you do great things in the plague-stricken region?”

“Nicola told me. He said the Chancellor wouldn’t have asked for the impossible on purpose.”

“That’s right.”

“As you said, His Majesty didn’t ignore my request and granted it.”

“Because it was a reasonable request. Do you now have the will to trust yourself?”

Prince Raven’s eyes widened.

“Then all of this is because of the Chancellor…!”

I grinned and bowed.

“I’ll come to the palace after I’ve recovered from the travel fatigue. Prince, please rest well too.”

Leaving the stunned Prince in Nicola’s care, I hurried to the central ministry.

I wanted to go straight home and sleep, but I couldn’t relax until I checked whether that Lawrence had left the Chancellery in disarray.

“The Chancellor has arrived—.”

The overworked Chancellery staff were surprised to see me and stood up.

“When did you come? You look like you’ve lost a lot of weight.”

“I thought you’d rest and come in tomorrow. Aren’t you tired?”

I waved them off and headed to the Chancellor’s office.

“I have something to check. Don’t worry—I won’t keep you from the rest of your free time. Secretaries, come to my room.”

I wanted to get home and rest, so as soon as the door closed I got straight to the point.

“Was there anything unusual?”

Of the three who exchanged glances, Elysia spoke first.

“Actually, after the Chancellor left, there was a break-in at the Chancellery.”

“…!”

They had been plotting something.

“Fortunately, we made copies of the important documents, so the originals are safe. They didn’t find what they wanted; it happened several times.”

“Aldo.”

When I looked to him, he answered.

“My guess is they were targeting documents related to the Chancellor’s cases: the former Chancellor’s fall, the boulevard construction corruption, reports tied to the Hidden Department…”

Hmm….

I tapped the desk with my index finger. What did they want?

They broke in to steal documents that would be visible if an order were issued—things that were already finalized?

Only one conclusion fit.

“They wanted to burn the documents.”

They meant to destroy the originals and leave no trace. It was lucky we had copies; otherwise it would have been a disaster.

No—breaking in several times showed they were nervous about something.

“Were any documents missing?”

This time Lukan answered.

“The Supreme Justice helped. When he learned of the first break-in he was going to call the War Ministry, but he ordered silence and summoned men from the Duke’s residence to guard it.”

That couldn’t be. The head of the War Ministry answered to the Crown Prince.

“Except for about five days when he took leave for Duke-related matters, he stayed late every night guarding it. There were even rumors that the Supreme Justice was possessed by a workaholic ghost again. Thanks to him, all the originals were preserved.”

Elysia added.

They pretended nothing had happened and yet acted so foolishly…

The three secretaries looked exhausted; dark circles marked their eyes. They had gone this far to keep my word.

“All three of you leave early today and take tomorrow off. You’ve worked too hard.”

I stood up quickly. When I visited the Ministry of Justice earlier, the Supreme Justice hadn’t been at his post.

I wanted to see his face…

I planned to visit the Duke’s residence around the time he left and went to fetch a carriage. Just as I was about to set off, a familiar hand slid around my waist from behind.

In an instant I was pulled into an unfamiliar carriage.

“Ren?”

Opposite me sat a man whose beauty seemed more striking than usual.

“Did you have a good trip?”

He smiled in a melting way.

“Ren!”

“Ria.”

He squeezed my hand and grinned. Grinned? It felt odd to use that word for him, but facing the person in front of me—relaxed and beaming that brilliant smile—no other word came to mind.

“Have you been well?”

“No.”

Even as Ren shook his head, he kept fidgeting with my hand.

“This won’t do. Excuse me for a moment.”

Suddenly he lifted me into his lap and buried his face in my neck, inhaling like I’d become an oasis. I was startled.

“Ugh, get off! I haven’t been able to wash properly for days—I’m filthy! You smell!”

I pushed with everything I had, but he didn’t budge.

“Not long ago you wouldn’t even let me touch you because of the plague, and now this. Smell? You’re imagining things.”

Yes, it’s time to be blunt.

“…That’s because Ren is besotted with me. Finding this scruffy look cute is only temporary.”

As if resisting, he hugged my back even tighter.

“Ren!”

“Then you should get used to it in advance.”

“Are you crazy?”

I patted his shoulder; my cotton-fisted punch barely registered. He only chuckled. He’s the kind of person who could break a magic barrier with his bare hands.

I want to show my pretty side, but I keep producing embarrassing memories: hives, bare-faced moments, a bedraggled look. He, meanwhile, is always perfectly made up, which only makes the comparison worse. I leaned on his shoulder, tears welling.

“I heard there was a break-in at the Chancellery.”

“Since none of the originals were taken, there’s nothing to worry about.”

His voice, softly resonant, felt warm against my ear.

“I heard the Duke’s men guarded it. Actually, Ren stayed all night, didn’t you? Hard to trust, isn’t it?”

“…They were trying to obtain the documents even by sending you to the plague area. Their goal was likely to seize the originals and burn them.”

“Without me, there’s no one to pressure the Crown Prince, and it’s easier to set up preparatory manipulations.”

His body leaning against my shoulder gradually went limp.

“So… don’t scold me. Praise me instead.”

I hugged him tightly, equal parts grateful and pitying, and patted his back. The more I got to know him, the more he revealed himself as a big, affectionate puppy.

“Thank you. You’ve worked hard.”

“Ria, you’ve worked hard too.”

We smiled at each other.

After visiting the plague area, Prince Raven made a full return to the political scene.

He stopped locking himself away in the palace and his condition stabilized—probably because he confirmed that his actions in the plague area weren’t viewed with suspicion. The Emperor gradually delegated tasks to him, and I quietly praised him and assigned him increasingly important duties.

“Interesting.”

With the absurd impression that he found work enjoyable, he slowly regained his old self. He was currently involved in a financial planning project with the Minister of Finance.

“Teaching him is enjoyable.”

So said the Minister—apparently Raven was so eager to learn he absorbed everything like a sponge.

I hadn’t expected Prince Raven to be this capable; it was a pleasant surprise. In many ways his path differed from others’.

Satisfied, I finished the department heads’ meeting and returned to the Chancellery, but the mood there was tense.

Why were they like this?

I saw Selena pacing in front of the Chancellery door. She hurried over when she spotted me.

“The Crown Prince is here.”

“…!”

Prince Raven would have surprised me alone, but the Crown Prince—who came without sending for me—felt like a storm.

He must be in a particularly bad mood.

“Thank you.”

I admired Selena for coming out to meet me as if something might happen. Thanks to her, I braced myself before opening the door.

Sure enough, Lawrence was making a spectacle in the office. He was prodding my favorite cherry tree with his foot—definitely not his place.

“I greet the empire’s little sun.”

Lawrence waved at me as if pleased.

“Ah, Chancellor. I stopped by the Ministry of Justice and wanted to see you.”

He must have tasked Ren with something unpleasant again.

“If you’d told me in advance I would have come to see you.”

“You went to dangerous regions; something like this required a personal visit.”

If he were truly considerate, he wouldn’t have come at all…

I motioned toward the Chancellor’s office and led the way.

“Please come this way.”

Lawrence followed arrogantly behind me. When we sat on the sofa, Lukan kindly served tea.

“Thank you.”

Lawrence didn’t even glance at the cup. With a flick of his hand he dismissed the attendant who had accompanied him. I signaled Lukan to step out.

Thud.

Everyone left, leaving only the Crown Prince and me in the room.

“What brings the empire’s little sun all the way here?”

Please, stop spouting nonsense and go away.