As Ejnar entangled his tongue forcefully with Elfreda’s, she found it nearly impossible to breathe properly.

As she struggled to catch her breath, she barely managed to clutch at his clothes.

A faint moan was followed by the sound of a belt buckle being undone, and soon he was close to Elfreda. The brief contact made it clear to Ejnar that no further foreplay was needed, and he smiled silently.

“Aht…!”

Ejnar firmly lifted and held Elfreda by her waist as he entered her.

The height difference and the wall behind her meant that she felt the full impact of his thrusts. With a strained expression, she received him, inadvertently wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning forward, though he seemed unconcerned.

“Hah… huhp!”

Elfreda reflexively made a sound as she clung to his neck, then quickly shut her mouth upon realizing their surroundings. The fear that someone might hear and come made her desperately try to cover her mouth.

However, Ejnar, seeming amused by her actions, quietly commanded her to her ear.

“Let go.”

“Uht, but…!”

“There’s a way.”

His voice sounded affectionately persuasive, and Elfreda hesitated before finally letting go of her hand.

“Ung… Uhp!”

At that moment, he kissed her.

While their lips met continuously, the sensations below and the moaning in her throat didn’t cease. However, everything was consumed through the Ejnar’s lips. Elfreda felt breathless from the intense pressure and accepted the impact that crushed her.

At some point, he wrapped her legs around his waist, seemingly annoyed by it. Elfreda looked at him with surprise, but he appeared indifferent. The contact between their entwined legs grew tighter.

Feeling embarrassed by the position, she eventually closed her eyes.

Nonetheless, it soon became clear that this was a simplistic thought. Once her vision was blocked, all her other senses heightened. The sticky contact seemed relentless, and the sensation of Ejnar’s forceful move in and out intensified.

The blatant sensations overwhelmed her, leaving no room for any other thoughts.

It felt as if she was being consumed by him.

Suddenly, Ejnar’s movements quickened. Elfreda sensed the impending end, wrapped in the irony of relief and regret. She was glad that everything would end without anyone coming in, but she feared that he might simply fix his clothes and leave her behind without a second thought.

Yet, if she had to choose, her regret was greater. Unwittingly, Elfreda whimpered, but he didn’t hesitate and surged forward.

“Hah…”

Overwhelmed by the climax, she collapsed weakly into Ejnar’s arms. In the sacred audience chamber, where just moments ago an envoy from Makaeri had been, the fact that they had mingled bodies was so shocking and scandalous that her mind went blank.

In contrast, Ejnar seemed remarkably composed and securely held Elfreda. She thought it wouldn’t be so bad to just lose consciousness rather than face the idea of him leaving her there.

It was difficult to say if it was fortunate or not, but he wasn’t cruel to her.

After finishing everything as if nothing had happened in that place and tidying up his clothes so perfectly, he looked as if he had been untouched by the events. Of course, it might only seem that way to her eyes, as her mind wasn’t clear enough to view the situation objectively.

Yet, amidst all this, one troubling thought continued to linger.

“…If Princess Serina refuses to apologize until the end.”

Elfreda asked quietly, still in Ejnar’s arms.

“What will you do?”

“Well.”

The insincere reply made her cautious question seem pointless. He hadn’t considered that far because he believed Makaeri would surely respond. The cunning ones aiming to take over without shedding blood wouldn’t mind a princess’s apology.

Still, it seemed strange to him that this woman thought differently. To him, it felt like a naive question from someone supposedly aligned with them, almost as if she was testing him, which irritated him.

His voice came out a bit sharp.

“Why do you think she won’t apologize?”

“She’s quite stubborn…”

Elfreda trailed off before finally asking what she was most curious about.

“…If that happens, will I be dethroned?”

“….”

This time, Ejnar didn’t answer. Her potential dethronement wasn’t something that could be answered based solely on this incident. There had naturally been times when Ejnar considered her dethronement, but depending on how the situation unfolded, it could happen sooner.

Thus, the issue remained ongoing until then.

From Ejnar’s silence, Elfreda vaguely sensed this. It was something she had always thought was quite natural, but facing it now left a bitter taste.

* * *

—Crash!

Just beside the envoy from Makaeri, a glass flew through the air and shattered against the wall.

Having just finished his audience with Ejnar and gone directly to the guest palace, he swallowed dryly as he looked over the remnants of the shattered glass. Soon, a sharp scream as piercing as the broken glass filled the room.

“Are you insane?!”

Serina was livid, her eyes blazed as she was unable to understand the situation at all.

“You want me to apologize to that b*tch Elfreda? What did I do wrong?”

“Of course, Your Highness, you’ve done nothing wrong…”

The envoy stammered, trying to calm Serina down.

The Empress had held her long-awaited first child so dearly, so this violent and self-centered temperament was perhaps expected. For now, it was better to appease the Princess and then gently coaxing her would be the next step.

“Though diplomatic issues aren’t always about who is right or wrong. His Majesty the Emperor hopes to avoid any damage to our relations with Machi.”

“Why is my father so desperate to please this insignificant country? Can’t we just conquer them outright?”

The envoy was momentarily speechless at such a naive statement about the weight of war, but soon, he responded with a calm smile.

“Of course, it’s not impossible for the great empire of Makaeri. However, Your Highness, the Emperor has his reasons for acting this way. So please, turn a blind eye and apologize…”

“No, I can’t! I just can’t do it!”

Serina screamed as if she couldn’t stand to hear anymore. Her fearlessly defiant response stunned the envoy.

“If I keep holding out here, Father will come to rescue me.”

‘Ack! This is why I didn’t want to come here!’

It was clear she didn’t understand anything. The envoy felt like dropping everything and running away, but regrettably, his rabbit-like wife and fox-like children were waiting for him back in Makaeri.

He took a deep breath and decided to switch tactics to pleading.

“Just one apology from Your Highness could save the lives of countless people who would otherwise be sacrificed in a war. What a noble sacrifice that would be. Please consider it your duty as someone born of noble blood…”

“I said no!”

“….”

Then stay here, Your Highness. I’m going home.

While the envoy wanted to retort sharply and storm out, doing so might have gotten him executed before he could even make it back to Makaeri.

What should I do now?!

His mind was spinning, unable to think of any solutions, when suddenly he remembered something.

‘Ah, right. Now that I think about it…!’

The Emperor had given the envoy a silk pouch for use in case the situation became difficult. Remembering this, the envoy quickly retrieved it. Inside the pouch was a single note.

‘What does it say…’

The note contained just two lines. As the envoy read it, his expression turned to one of shock. Noticing the change, Serina asked with curiosity.

“What’s that?”

“…It’s something His Majesty the Emperor gave me.”

The envoy replied with a noticeably more composed voice.

“It might be good for Your Highness to read it as well.”

“Let me see.”

Serina took the note without much thought. However, as soon as she read the contents, her expression hardened quickly.

__