***

***

Tamon, who was waiting on the second floor, held Asha’s hand and kissed the back of her hand as she finished her preparations and came down.

His lips felt so hot even though she was wearing gloves.

“How could someone be so beautiful even when hidden from head to toe?” (Tamon)

Only Tamon would make such a compliment, but it didn’t make Asha feel bad.

But it didn’t mean the words were serious enough for Asha to reply.

She snorted and grabbed his hand.

“We have to hurry too, don’t we? We’re already near the gate.”

“Yes, we have to go.”

Tamon kissed the back of Asha’s gloved hand again as he led her in the carriage.

Today was the day for foreign delegations to officially enter the palace.

Whatever method she used, the amazing Amor king really did arrive in Tanatos in time for the July Festival.

Compliments to her competence, Tamon and Asha went to the city gates to greet her.

* * *

”I’m finally here.”

Theoransha kept her hand gripping the horse reins and glared at the pointed spire of the Imperial Palace of Tanatos.

She had finally set foot in the country of the terrible enemy, but her anger did not boil over as much as she had expected.

She gazed with calm eyes at the imperial citizens who welcomed the envoys from other countries.

They cheered with curious faces, as various foreigners appeared in strange clothes.

Most were commoners, and children made up more than half of the population.

“They can be replaced, but the sacrifice will be minimal.”

“I trust you will understand my feelings.”

The voice of Aranrosia, who had vowed the downfall of Gillotti Tanatos before her departure, came to the surface again.

Theo, who was looking at the crowd that had gathered still, chuckled.

“…… anyway, I have a weak heart.”

Helia, princess of Amos, approached Theo and whispered.

“What are you mumbling about?”

“Hm? Nothing. I was just deeply moved.”

Helia nodded as if she understood Theo’s words.

Amos was a country derived from Amor, as evidenced by the similarity of the names Amos and Amor.

It was sometimes called the land of sisters, so the Princesses of Amos often came to study in Amor when they were young.

It was through her study abroad that Helia came to know Theoransha.

Theo, who was active and spirited, and Helia, who was frail, were strangely compatible despite their opposite tendencies.

Where the childhood connection had always been there, Helia was abducted when she was 17 years old.

The pirates abducted Helia, and the problem was that they put this crime on Theo.

It was that “Theoransha” was jealous of Helia for some reason, killed her, and pretended not to know.

Theo was once suspected for a moment by the royal family of Amos, who had lost their reason.Of course, they could not pursue the matter frankly, but in any case, as an urgent matter, they could not overlook any possibility.

Theo dove directly into the abduction case to clear her name and discovered that it was the work of pirates in the Caliphate waters.

The pirates who abducted Helia were those who were known for their poor quality in the Caliphate waters.

Human trafficking was basic, and abduction, confinement, and assault were commonplace.

Fortunately, just before something bad happened to Helia, Theo was able to rescue her.

However, rescuing Helia was not enough satisfaction for Theo. She killed all the “black mist pirates”.

This caused the royal family of Amos to owe Theo a big debt.

At the time, Theo refused to accept compensation from the royal family of Amos.

She had already made up her mind at that time that she would be the king of Amor, so she was determined to collect this debt more appropriately next time.

And today, she has received a very appropriate payment.

Helia, the Princess of Amos and revered as a Saint, followed Theo directly to Tanatos with Amos’ holy relic.

Lumosha’s sacred relic was in Theo’s hands.

Oh, it really has been a tough month.

In the meantime, Theo spotted Tamon, who had said he would come to pick Theo up with a face that looked ten years older.

Since Tamon stood out even at a distance, they found him without difficulty.

Ronasso, who was following Theo, also found Tamon, but he was unable to come forward because of his duty to protect Theo.

“It’s good to see him again in good health.”

“…… don’t I look healthy now?”

“You’ve done this kind of schedule, and I think you’re in great shape.”

“Oh, that’s true.”

“I see that the Princess of Amos came with you. May the blessings of the sun be upon you at night.”

“May the blessings of the night shine upon you in the day.”

While they were exchanging greetings, Theo glanced at the carriage that Tamon was guarding.

The window of the carriage opened and Asha, wearing a veil, waved her head in greeting.

Theo also greeted her by bowing her head slightly.

Flying pollen, the cheers of the crowd, the music echoing through the air.

They felt it all as they entered the wide open door of Tanatos palace.

* * * *

The imperial banquet welcoming the delegations was magnificent.

Tanatos was dressed more glamorously than ever, perhaps to let people know that the country was alive and well.

Asha, after all this time, looked around the imperial palace, which was filled with jewelry, flowers, and fine ornaments.

‘Did the imperial family have this much finances left?’

Of course, it was not that Tanatos had no money.

It was because when she was here back then, they already had a three-year budget proposal, but at that time, the proposed budget for events in July was not as large as this one.

This meant that the proposed budget after three years was either brought forward and used, or the nobles’ taxes were raised.

At that moment, Asha remembered another reason why Tanatos finances had grown.

‘……Yes, they confiscated the Sunset family’s property.’

Asha’s eyes grew colder.

This horrifying glamour was the blood and flesh of the Sunset family.

How large was the confiscation of all the property of the ducal family, which was the pillar of this huge empire?

Asha stared coldly at Gillotti, who was greeting the delegations in turns.

Hilariously, Natasha stood beside him, dressed in the Empress’s gown.

As soon as Roselyn was removed, Natasha was given the title of “Count”.Of course, it was an aristocratic rank only in appearance, but by gaining the position, she would be qualified to ascend to the throne of the empress.

Somehow, however, Gillotti’s decision was slow.

There was a rumor that there would be an official announcement at this July festival.

‘…… Yes, I see that.’

Those two were very similar, especially in that there was no limit to their greed.

Roselyn had never forgotten Natasha’s voice whispering in her ears while Roselyn’s white skirt was stained with blood. (*the use of the name Roselyn here because at the scene back then it was Roselyn the empress. Asha didn’t exist then.)

“Good-bye.”

Natasha was crying and laughing while pushing Roselyn into hell.

The power was in Gillotti’s hands, but Natasha would not be easily detachable.

Asha intended to drag Natasha down in the same way that Natasha had sent her to her death.

Catching her off guard and pulling on her neck in the blink of an eye…….

Asha looked carefully at Natasha’s big belly.

It was only seven months ago that she announced that she had given birth to a stillborn baby while bleeding.

But now Natasha’s stomach was so huge that it was no exaggeration to say that she was ten month pregnant.

Of course, it was difficult for Asha, who had never given birth, to determine whether or not the belly looked right or not.

But thinking about Natasha, Asha felt something unpleasant.

Even though they were forced to marry, Gillotti and Roselyn fulfilled their marital duties.

In particular, having children was the most important task for the emperor and empress to pay attention to, especially since the imperial children were precious due to the different nature of death.

Inside the imperial palace, the couple calculated the best time to have a child, and Roselyn and Gillotti drank various medicines and teas that were good for pregnancy.

They spent four years that way and still had difficulty conceiving.

This meant that there was a possibility that either Roselyn or Gillotti was infertile.

Of course, she had her own possibility in mind.

Because before she became Empress, the Temple and the doctors checked the health of the Crown Princess, and there were exceptions to all of them.

The funny thing was that they didn’t check the royal family.

In Tanatos, it was traditional not to question the “authority or qualifications” of the royal family in any matter.

So if an imperial family member was infertile or potentially infertile, they could not make a fuss about it out loud.

At least ostensibly.

Well, in any case, as Natasha was pregnant now, it must be Roselyn who was infertile.

Asha rubbed her flat belly.

Not once did she think she could not have a baby.

Her body was very healthy and her menstrual cycle was regular.

‘Oh, come to think of it, this cycle has already passed.’

Of course, after she came back to life, her cycle changed a bit, but it was never cut off.

But, she was quite late this month.

While traveling here with a rush schedule, she forgot that she was half a month past her scheduled date.

‘….. is the cycle changing again?’

Perhaps it was a side effect of engraving with Tamon.

In any case, it was a different power that affected the body, and for similar reasons, the Tanatos imperial family had a hard time finding an heir.

But what was important now was not that her cycle had changed.

“King Theoransha Lantifu of Amor, Tamon Krasis, the Chief of Diplomacy, and the first Princess of Amos are here.”

Count Ranier introduced the important guests one by one.

At last, attention was paid to Amor’s guest of honor.

Tamon quietly held Asha’s hand.

Asha approached Gillotti, holding Tamon’s hand forcefully with cold fingertips.