Anyway, it was a good thing. I had something I wanted to ask Empress Frédérique.

“Please let me escort you there, your highness.”

An attendant supporting Chief of Staff Laura bowed as she said that.

I was right in thinking that I was not the only one to be invited by the Empress.

The lineup was Christelle, the Imperial Crown Prince, Vice Captain Élisabeth, me and Eva following behind me.

The last thing I saw before leaving the audience room was Marquis François Duhem and Duke Simon de Sarnez.

The two of them were chatting with extremely serious looks on their faces.

“How shameless.”

Christelle mumbled in a low voice. I looked around, wondering what she meant by that.

She was looking back and forth at her father and the attendant in front of them.

“That person, she is the woman who was with my father.”

She whispered. I flinched and looked at the attendant.

I did not remember it right away because there were a lot of staff in the Empress Palace. Now that I took a closer look, she did look familiar.

On the day of Christelle and Crown prince Cédric’s Holy Knight appointment, Duke Sarnez and a woman were caught by us while secretly meeting in Laura’s office.

That woman was the one who was leading us at the Chief of Staff’s orders.

“Apparently, she is part of the accounting staff in the Empress Palace. She is twenty-nine years old. She’s the daughter of a Viscount with a bad reputation. She supposedly has not married yet because she has no desire to do so, but I wonder if she has such thoughts these days.”

Christelle whispered while grinding her teeth. I became anxious and opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything.

The crown prince looked as if he heard everything she said, but his pupils didn’t even move.

“That…”

“Yes, your highness. I looked into all of it. I was too disgusted and angry to look past it. I couldn’t even sleep that night. Where else would I use my status as a noble young lady?”

Christelle truly liked Lady Isabelle de Sarnez and cherished her like an older sister.

I could understand where she was coming from.

Our conversation was stopped for a bit after that as we got into a carriage.

We were in one carriage while Benjamin, David, and the attendants were in another one.

Click. As soon as the coachman closed the door…

“It is annoying, your highness. I know I run into her because of work, but I still don’t want to see her face. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my father, but he makes me angry as well.”

Christelle grumbled. Eva, who had no idea what it was about, tilted her head in confusion.

Vice Captain Élisabeth seemed to know the situation.

The young Countess must have thought that it was not a good topic for the little young Duchess, as she gently changed topics.

“It is my first time going to the Rear Tulip Garden. I don’t know if we will be allowed inside, but I’m so excited.”

“Ah, yeah. I think it will be so pretty!”

Eva quickly flailed her sleeves and answered.

Christelle also did not seem to want to discuss her father’s affair any longer as she smiled and nodded her head.

Her heart seemed to be suffering a lot about it, but it was extremely personal as a family issue so I had no way to help.

– Clack, clack.

The carriage slowly moved forward. The five of our heads shook in the same direction.

I contemplated things before releasing some ether for Christelle.

She looked at me and her blue-gray eyes gently curled.

‘Thank you.’ Her lips moved as well.

I could feel the crown prince, who was seated by the window, immediately glaring at me.

“…”

‘Oh come on, are you jealous?’ I had no choice but to release some ether toward him as well.

The punk, as expected of a male lead, could not even watch two friends chat with each other.

The orange eyes looking at me instantly calmed down. ‘Yes, this is an all you can eat so eat as much as you want.’

“Where exactly is the Rear Tulip Garden?”

I held back a sigh and asked. The Imperial Palace was the home of the Imperial family.

There was obviously no map for outsiders, and as a diplomatic hostage, my movements were even more restricted.

The young Countess smiled and answered.

“It is the only place on the entire continent that has received the blessing of the Almighty God and grows purple tulips. They are not regular tulips so they bloom even in late winter. I’m sure the gardeners will be very happy to hear that you are getting to see them, your highness.”

My eyes opened wide.

I thought it was possible because she asked us to come to the rear garden in such weather, but it really was the location of that flower.

Everybody knew the story of the purple tulip and the Empire.

Every history book I’ve read here mentioned the story without an exception.

So basically… It happened one thousand years ago.

A long long time ago, the Riester Empire and the Venetiaan Holy Kingdom were one nation.

The nation was named Unio.

Unio was split into two due to religious warfare, leading to present day Empire and the Holy Kingdom.

There were lots of ethnic minorities and feudal lords in the Empire at that time causing chaos, leading to almost fifty years before things became stable again.

On the other hand, Venetiaan managed to band as one right after the split.

The Holy Kingdom’s royal family mentioned things about how Holy Knights never came from the Riester land and how despite the difference in population, the Empire had fewer priests than the Holy Kingdom to proclaim the legitimacy of their nation.

They believed they were chosen by the Almighty God and proclaimed that the Empire would eventually perish.

While that was going on, a hero appeared in the Empire. It was the great unifying monarch, Arian Riester.

According to the books, she, with a Cardinal named… I forgot his name.

Anyway, she worked with someone and used his religious foundation and her leadership skills to unify the Empire.

Once the nation reached a time of peace, the late Empress suggested that the Cardinal become her ‘second soulmate.’

She recognized the influence that religion had on the nation and determined that it would be difficult to protect what she had with just her husband from a political marriage.

However, the Cardinal could not easily accept her suggestion.

Rather than become something like a concubine as seen in the feudal states, he wanted to remain as someone who had no relations with Arian at all.

It was because he loved her.

This was the part that made it clear that QNW was a romance fantasy.

“As a result, his Eminence, Cardinal Philip, offered the late Empress a tulip bulb.”

Vice Captain Élisabeth’s explanation continued.

‘Oh right, the name of the man who loved Arian was Philip.’

“He then said the following. Your Majesty, I am already your ally. However, if you desperately want me…”

‘And if the Almighty God blesses our union, a purple tulip will grow from this bulb.’

One of the meanings of the ancient nation of Unio meant bulb.

Purple was the color of the Church of the Almighty God and the tulip was a flower with an important religious meaning.

However, purple tulips had only been seen in people’s imaginations at that time.

Such flowers had never grown anywhere.

Arian received the bulb, returned to the Imperial Palace, and personally buried it in the field.

However, she had no expectations at all that it would bloom into a purple tulip.

She just considered it her friend’s way of rejecting her in a roundabout way.

But that spring, a purple tulip bloomed.

Everybody called it a miracle of god.

“In the end, his Eminence, Cardinal Philip, accepted the will of the Almighty God and became her Majesty’s partner. The late Empress respected his Eminence and coined the term Religious Partner for such connection of souls.”

I nodded my head. Eva’s cheeks flushed and she whispered about how it was so romantic.

Just like that, Philip only loved Arian for the rest of his life.

The purple tulip formed a colony by the time the two of them became old and became a symbol of how the Empire received the Almighty God’s affection.

The late Empress, who did not know anything about Philip’s feelings, wanted him to form a family and be happy.

However, he remained single in the Imperial Palace until his last breath.

‘You could call him this neighborhood’s OG second male lead……’

“Woah, woah.”

I heard the coachman stop the carriage at that time. I quickly leaned my neck toward the window.

The crown prince happened to be leaning back. I thought I saw some purple, but that was it.

The rear garden was not very visible because of the trees.

The vines and trunks were long and thick despite the leaves sleeping for the winter.

“Get off to take a look.”

“I guess I should.”

The crown prince sneered. I subconsciously answered and quickly alighted from the carriage.

My heart was beating wildly because it was my first time coming to this part of the Imperial Palace.

I was also nervous to know why the Empress called us here.

Her sword, Sir Johann, was waiting for us at the arched entrance to the rear garden.

“Welcome, your highness. You were so cool in the audience room.”

“…Thank you very much. “

His drooping eyes curled up as he spoke and I barely smiled as I answered.

My ‘talk a lot when I get upset’ personality just had to be unable to hold back my anger and burst out at that moment.

I didn’t regret my actions, but I felt as if I caught too much attention.

“Will the attendants please wait in the carriage? I have received an Imperial Decree to only allow his Royal Highness and his companions inside.”

Sir Johann explained.

Ganael seemed a bit disappointed, but he said it was an honor to even come this far.

I told him to stay warm before we followed the white-haired Holy Knight.

My jaws dropped once we passed the gate.

“Wow, everything really is purple…”

“My goodness. It’s so pretty. This is so crazy.”

Christelle sounded extremely astonished.

The thousand year old rear garden which was surrounded by a white birch forest was completely purple.

The miraculous tulips waved at us as they grew on the sides of the pure white tiled pathway.

There was a large and elegant pond toward the horizon with a palace I didn’t know beyond it.

The orange sunset that surrounded us like curtains created a beautiful picture.

Unlike Eva, who was looking around extremely amazed, the crown prince showed no joy at all.

“Have you been here before, your Royal Highness?”

I asked, and the punk flicked his chin as if that was obvious. ‘I guess it makes sense. This is his house.’

“Her Majesty and her Eminence are waiting. Shall we go?”

Sir Johann motioned with his hand. It was only then that we noticed the pergola and the table at the center of the rear garden.

The Empress and Cardinal were seated across from each other, enjoying their coffee.

Chief of Staff Laura was busy attending to them.

The Chief of Staff quickly walked in front of the group.

It was absurd to make adults wait for us in this cold weather.

“I greet the sun that has descended to the ground and your noble Eminence.”

“Your majesty. Your Eminence.”

We bowed in one voice and the crown prince added that short comment.

The Empress put her glass down and chuckled.

*

“Sir Geens, hurry. The rabbit over there!”

“Young Duchess Blanquer. Won’t we be punished for catching a rabbit in the Imperial Palace?”

“I’m not catching it, you dummy. I just want to hug it.”

“I’m sorry I did not understand your deep thoughts.”

Sir Johann and Eva were having fun by the pond.

I chuckled while drinking some warm lemon verbena tea under the pergola.

I thought it would be cold but it was so warm here that I could take my gloves off.

“There is temperature regulating magic on the pergola. Thanks to that, it is warm even in the middle of winter.” My teacher warmly explained it to me.

“…”

Everybody quietly picked up our cups and watched the Almighty God’s flower field as the sun set.

I slowly peeked toward the Empress.

‘She’s showing no signs of saying something. Is it okay for me to ask something first?’

“Do you think it was foolish?”

Flinch. I became shocked at the Empress’s sudden question and my body shook.

She slowly turned her head to look at us.

Her cherry-colored eyes were sparkling tiredly.

“I knew about it.”

“…”

“My grandfather knew about it as well. We knew about the rumor that the House of Andresy throws away children.”

She explained. I got the chills for a moment. I held back a gasp and tightly held onto the teacup.

“However, the Count’s family was very active throughout the war in protecting the central region. In the end, my grandfather closed his eyes to their sins.”

“My goodness.”

Christelle whispered. The Empress continued to speak.

“The same rumors flowed into the Imperial Palace during my mother’s generation. However, the problem this time was that the Warring Era had ended.”

“Why…”

“My mother was busy looking after and reconstructing the injured Empire. She decided that capturing a Count who was called a hero and punishing him for his sins would shake the hearts of the people. She also didn’t have any proof.”

Basically, the two former rulers knew of the rumors but did not look into the situation for the greater good.

The young Countess lowered her gaze. She had a complicated expression on her face.

“I do not think that the two of them were correct. This may be arrogant of me, but I believe that I would have come to a different decision had I been on the throne at the time.”

The Empress’s husky voice was full of scorn.

My teacher looked at her soulmate with a pitying gaze. The two women made eye contact.

“However, what can I do despite it being stained with blood? This is the position I have carried on.”

“…”

“Fixing the mistakes of my predecessors and making sure not to do anything my son will have to fix in the future. That is my duty.”

The Empress calmly commented. The winter sun was already down and gone.

The purple color of the tulips slowly spread into the sky.

Laura, who had quietly been standing there, lit up some lights throughout the pergola.

The Empress’s red eyes stared at the crown prince for a long time.

The mother’s eyes were full of affection that could not be put to words.

“That is why I left the task to all of you. I wanted to experience the fetters of an extremely long sin.”

She then looked at me. I could not avoid her gaze, almost as if I was captured by them.

“Since you are the punks who will carry on the future of the Empire.”

My jaw dropped down.

‘The future? …Me too?’

—
Translator’s Comments

Yes, you too, you numbnut.

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