Roberto said to Amarince with his sweetest voice, “You get it, right? You are my accomplice. If this gets discovered, you will be punished alongside me, so you better keep your mouth shut.”

Amarince couldn’t deny the logic. All she could do at the time was to return home in the intricate outfit.

Roberto became suspicious.

“You want to keep the costume?”

Amarince replied calmly, “If you take this… Then how can I trust you not to use this against me? I can’t trust you, so please let me at least be the one who destroys it. I will burn everything right away. I don’t want to be executed for treason. My alibi will be that I returned home immediately after my performance. I didn’t see or hear anything.”

Roberto smiled in satisfaction. He kissed her forehead and dropped her off at her home.

“What should… What should I do… What can I do to make this right…?”

Amarince remembered the first time she saw the empress.

The first time Amarince performed at the castle, the empress looked like a little girl because she was so excited. Empress Sa Bina looked at her like she was her hero. The empress applauded for her.

However, she didn’t deserve it. Amarince was useless and weak, and she was the culprit who was causing the empress so much grief.

Those pure and kind black eyes.

How could she call herself an operetta prima donna if she treated her biggest fan in this horrible way?

“…”

She started to calm down after long contemplation. Her body finally stopped trembling as the sun started to set.

Amarince took the black wig and stood up. Her eyes looked determined.

***

Roberto was satisfied with how everything was going. On the last day of the celebration, his cousin Yulia will be dancing the first dance with the emperor.

If an unmarried woman appeared by the emperor’s side at an official event, the emperor had no choice but to marry her. Yulia would become, at the very least, his concubine.

“As you hoped, you will finally get your own puppet in the royal family, mother.”

Yulia was still resisting the idea, but once she was placed in the ballroom, she would have no choice but to do whatever was asked of her. His mother had already told her that this was what the emperor and the empress wanted.

Yulia had to do it if the emperor asked, unless she wanted to ruin the whole event.

Now, the only problem left for Norma and Roberto was one person.

“Empress Sa Bina.”

Duchess Lonensia’s spies had given her the news about the empress. Apparently, her carriage arrived at Maram. The spies saw a black-haired woman and a black-haired child walk into the Maram castle.

Roberto sighed in relief. If the empress came back before the last day, this entire plan would be ruined.

Not even he predicted that the empress would leave the castle like this. He hadn’t realized this would work so well.

He thought the empress would feel hurt from the emperor’s misunderstanding, but nothing more. From what Roberto saw, he expected Empress Sa Bina to be the type of woman who became angry and tried to fight for her innocence rather than become upset and run away.

He guessed that it didn’t really matter. Perhaps he misjudged her. It was actually better that she felt hurt. It would benefit him with his plan.

He poured himself a glass of wine to celebrate. The white wine smelled sweet.

“Hmm. Not bad.”

Roberto loved women who had emotional scars. Those women in pain were desperate. They were like fragile flowers with the deepest fragrance. He loved the feeling of them in his hand as he crushed them slowly.

This time, he was aiming for the most precious flower in the kingdom.

He remembered Empress Sa Bina. Her rare black hair looked like a piece of the night sky. Her smart black eyes reminded him of ripe grapes. Her unique skin looked smooth and soft.

He had only seen her a few times, but he found her very interesting. He had never seen a woman who was so lively and confident. He felt attracted to her.

Most women he met were obedient and dutiful. They grew up to be a good daughter, a submissive wife, and a selfless mother. Their lives were centered around their fathers, husbands, then their children. When these figures were taken away from them, they felt deep sadness and looked for another person they could depend on.

Roberto was curious because Empress Sa Bina seemed different. Even if she lost her husband and her child, she seemed like she would survive the loss and continue to live her own life.

He had never met such an independent woman, and he wondered how she would react when she lost her loved ones.

Soon, he would find out.

After Emperor Lucretius dances the first dance with Yulia and take her as his wife, it would be too late for the empress to do anything. How would she react when she finds out another woman took her husband in her absence? How would she feel?

He felt so curious that he wanted to run to Maram and ask her. When she returned to the castle, he would do whatever it took to meet her in person.

He knew what he would do. He had successfully seduced many women who were in emotional distress. When he failed to seduce them, he managed to take them by force. The noble ladies couldn’t afford to be tainted by scandals, so they always didn’t do anything about it no matter what he did to them.

Only those women who didn’t have anything to lose made a big deal. Whenever he seduced low-born women, they would become angry the next day at his casual attitude. Thankfully, his mother took care of them. He was the son of Duke Lonensia after all.

“I wonder what kind of face her highness has when she is in bed.”

He smirked and emptied his glass. He imagined she would look lovely with her long black hair spread on the bed.

***

The castle was filled with uncomfortable tension.

The empress who suddenly left and the emperor who didn’t follow after her.

The celebration continued according to plan, but everyone could feel the emperor’s anger. They stayed low to avoid his wrath.

People realized what kind of influence the empress had been having on the emperor and the castle. Those who have known Lucretius since he was young knew how cruel and cold he could be.

After Bina became his wife, Lucretius, the ice cold emperor, started to melt. By the time the princess was born, the emperor was still cold but with a very warm side to him.

Now, with the empress gone, the winter was back.

Finally, today was the last day of the celebration.

Many things would be decided tonight.