“What?”Celestina spoke firmly.”I, too, have no intention of having anything to do with Prince Antonio!””Claire…? Does that mean that Claire gave Antonio the drug?””I think it was my mistake. It was a deliberate approach, so there was no way to stop it!””….”Maleah bit her lip hard to draw blood.The saint glanced at Maleah, fearing she would run into her again.”I will stay in my room for the time being until the antidote arrives. So please escort Prince Antonio too.”Maleah stared at the saint for a long time with terrifying eyes, then thumped out of the room.”Claire, I will kill you!”Empress Maleah returned to her bedroom and overturned the pitiful table.’It’s not enough to ignore me in every case. …!’Lately, there hasn’t been one or two things that bothered me.Antonio continues not to listen to him, and the Viscount tries to dig into Antonio’s cracks whenever he has a chance and intercept them.Besides, Claire Eston, now Crown Prince, has been ignoring her the whole time.Invite only the nobles close to him to the tea party, and give preference to other nobles only.He ostracized himself in a very childish and frivolous way.Even at the reception, he didn’t come to greet me first, and even though they made eye contact, he looked like an invisible person.When Rafine came out like that, the maids and close nobles looked down on them.It wasn’t just that.The aristocrats who sided with Viscount Tedler also pinched it and began to treat her as obsolete.”Isn’t it ambiguous to call them the royal family now?””Prince Antonio is your majesty’s bloodline, so even so, Empress Maleah is no longer visited by your majesty, right? It’s like no one else.>”Besides, Prince Antonio… I heard that you are addicted to alcohol recently.>”That…. If Empress Maleah becomes strange when she returns from the monastery, shouldn’t she be expelled from the capital again?At today’s banquet, Viscount Tedler’s staff were talking about it.As the memory came to mind, Maleah moved nervously.Wow!Then he swept away the things on the desk as well.’Damn it, damn it!’Maleah, who haphazardly made a mess around her, stared into the air with a vigor.’First of all, Claire, I have to scold that cheeky girl once.’It was time to set an example as an imperial adult.* * *After all the banquets were over, Claire went out by soaking herself in a bathtub of warm water.The maids carefully massaged Clair’s arm with water floating on roses.All the fatigue seemed to have gone away. Claire, who had changed into a sleeping chemise dress, paused.”Have a good night, My Majesty the Crown Prince.””I wish you a wonderful dream.”The maids laughed and pushed Clair’s back away.Claire entered the bedroom and went upstairs to the mirror next to the bedroom.My eyes were dizzy when I took off the gown over the chemise dress.I thought something was strange today…. The pajamas the maids wore today were particularly light.’How much fabric did you save?’The intention was obvious. We’ve been together every night since we got engaged. Still, it’s the first night after the wedding, so it’s probably meant to be a little special.’It’s a fake marriage anyway.’Claire opened her clothes, vowing never to take off her gown. And he tied the string attached to the gown.Then the bedroom door opened and footsteps were heard.Claire gulped in tension.I saw Oscar through the mirror.Oscar also wore a robe of the same color as Claire… He wore a tunic shirt that revealed his chest underneath.’driving me crazy.’Claire closed her eyes tightly, pretending not to see her, and went up to the bed.”Ugh…. Oh, I’m so tired today. I will sleep first.””….”Claire, lying on the edge of the bed, turned her back and pulled the blanket up to her neck.After closing my eyes for a moment, I heard a rustling sound behind my back.Oscar also seemed to have climbed onto the bed.’Miss, I need to sleep soon.’My body was exhausted, but my mind was strangely clear.Closing my eyes, I drew the kiss I had at the wedding today. The touch, the scent, the ecstatic feeling that the body floats….”Claire.”A low voice was heard behind his back.Claire felt like her heart was dropping under her feet, as if she had been sentenced to death.So I pretended to be asleep without realizing it, and made a squeaky noise.”Are you sleeping?”Oscar asked softly. Once I started, I couldn’t stop pretending to sleep.Claire deliberately turned her body to face the ceiling and lay down. To appear as if asleep.Then Oscar also became quiet. It seemed unheard of.So much time passed.Claire, who had been pretending to sleep, was also slowly getting tired, and it was time to lose consciousness.’…!’Suddenly, a warm touch touched his lips and fell.It felt like Oscar’s finger. But my heart was pounding as if my lips were touching.He almost opened his eyes and looked at Oscar.Claire showed her quickness and lay back to Oscar as if tossing and turning in her sleep. My heart was pounding like crazy.’What the hell did you do? Why are you touching my lips?’In the end, Claire stayed up all night with open eyes.* * *When Claire woke up at dawn, the bed was empty.As usual, Oscar seemed to leave early in the morning.Claire yawned and stretched, then washed and changed clothes.”Did you have a good dream yesterday?””Did you have a comfortable bed?”Olivia and Christine asked in voices of subdued anticipation.”Yeah, what….”Claire nodded roughly and started eating the meal brought by her attendants.Olivia, who was waiting for the meal, whispered something to Christine. Christine shrugged her shoulders with an odd expression.”You two, what are you doing?”When Claire asked, the two smiled as if they had ever done that.Claire let out a small laugh.The intentions of the two were clearly visible.As if nothing had happened last night, he seemed worried about Claire.’Nothing happened.’Question marks were floating around in my mind.’Why the hell did Oscar touch my lips?’Did you touch it with your finger? Could it be that his lips were rubbed?But he couldn’t feel his breath, so his hand was clear. Then why did you touch your lips with your hands?Claire stared blankly into the air and chewed the salad. There was no taste.Olivia and Christine looked at Clair with pitying eyes.When you drink tea after a meal.Olivia thought about diverting Claire’s nerves, thinking of something and clapping her hands.”Oh! A servant came and gave this to me earlier.””yes?”What Olivia brought was a stiff paper bag. Just like an invitation.Turning to the back page, the name of the person who sent the letter was written on it.’What is it, Empress Maleah?’Is this a tea party invitation?Empress Maleah had invited Claire once again. I didn’t go on the excuse that I was busy.Claire took out the letter from the envelope and read it.As expected, it was an invitation. However, the content was that he wanted to invite Clair to a meal, not a tea party.’It seems he thought it would be difficult to refuse if he invited me.’If you look at the fact that you were invited like this without having to hold a party.Well, actually… Empress Maleah’s prediction was correct.’If you dare invite me.’If you refuse to invite Clair outright like this, it will not be good for Claire’s reputation.It was clear that the nobility on the empress’s side would spread many bad rumors about Rafine.Claire wrote a reply with curiosity.I’ll see you right away tonight.* * *Rafine entered the Sepia Palace under the guidance of the courtiers.It was my first time coming here.It was a glorious building because it was newly renovated when the emperor’s favor was supreme.I’ve been wanting some light now.Claire looked around with curious eyes. The courtier glanced at Claire as if anxious.The courtiers and maids they encountered while walking looked very frightened. I could see how demanding and vicious the people they served were.Rafine entered the luxuriously decorated dining room under the guidance of the courtiers.Tableware and drinks were neatly laid out on a large table.”Sit this way.”Just as they were about to sit down, the door opened and Empress Maleah entered.”Thank you for coming.””Thank you for inviting me.”Claire smiled inwardly as she looked at the empress who treated her naturally.According to the Imperial Court’s decree, Claire and Maleah were able to use each other’s titles.However, the Empress was very natural and treated Claire as if she were a subordinate.’Isn’t this because no one sees it anyway.’