“I’ll be direct, Eve. I need Laurentia’s power. In return, I promise to free you from the fate of a neglected duchess. You’ll be elevated to the noblest lady in the country.”

At the same time, Eve interjected.

“I’m proposing a divorce, and the alimony settlement is 9.99 million gold. It’s a fair calculation for my contributions to the Fontaine family and compensation for the emotional damage caused by my husband’s affair. We don’t need to go to court; I know I have the upper hand.”

A brief silence fell between them.

“……?”

“……?”

Both wore identical puzzled expressions, but Charles was the first to break the silence.

“……Divorce, you say?”

Now composed, Eve nodded.

“Yes, divorce. Alimony, 9.99 million. Exactly three days from now.”

“……9.99 million……?”

Charles wore an unusually perplexed expression. Divorce with an alimony of 9.99 million gold…? And that, too, within three days?

“Ha, hahaha.”

Indeed, Eve was no longer the demure duchess she might have been a while ago. Her enjoyment of the situation had diminished.

“Eve.”

Charles began to speak in an attempt to persuade, but Eve’s assertive voice interrupted.

“More importantly, the power of Laurentia? Are you seriously planning to rebel against it?”

“Of course…”

“Are you out of your mind? Do you really think becoming the Duke of Fontaine allows you to do anything? Especially with Laurentia involved?”

“Yes. I can do it sufficiently.”

“Rude!”

In response to Charles’ nonchalant reply, Eve abruptly stood up. Perhaps she thought this man might willingly agree to the divorce. It was a very grand delusion.

After all, this man was merely looking to exploit her family, much like Arsen.

“Laurentia doesn’t exist for rebellion! Do you know how upright our parents are? Moreover, His Majesty the current Emperor praised them as excellent! There is no way I’ll assist your rebellion….”

“Is that so? Well, that’s even better. Since the damn Emperor is right here, ask him to help me quickly reclaim the throne. It’s the duty of a loyal subject.”

As Charles spoke, he cast a disdainful glance at Eve.

“The Bonnes were arrogant when the current Emperor ascended to the throne, wagging their fingers in amusement. But maintaining that arrogance now is only possible because the Emperor allowed it. If not, we would have suffered the same fate as other families, or even worse.”

Eve’s stern hand swiftly struck Charles on his cheek. As Charles turned his head, he chuckled while gently touching his reddened face.

“You dare to speak such nonsense about safety when your plot is so reckless…!”

At that moment, Charles’ gaze turned exceptionally cold.

“You’ve gone too far, Yvonne. Laying hands on the Emperor’s body is a capital offense.”

“Are you insane? Without any evidence!”

“……”

“Originally, how can someone without power reclaim the throne as Emperor? You, who I know, are not only weak but powerless!”

“Your praise today doesn’t taste sweet at all, Yvonne. You’ll realize how well I know you when you get to know me.”

Brushing his hair back, Charles stood up.

“Still, divorce is not an option. Absolutely not. Even for the sake of your family.”

“……Are you threatening me?”

Upon hearing that question, Charles seized Eve’s wrist, bending it slightly, and whispered under his breath.

“Consider it a threat if you must. There’s nothing I won’t do, Yvonne de Laurent. Destroying your family is not a difficult task either. It’s better for you to be well aware of that.”

“How can you say such things!”

Eve clutched her chest, unable to believe what she had just heard.

In the meantime, the door swung open, and Noah hastened toward Eve.

“Milady! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine…”

Eve attempted to halt Noah, but his sharp gaze remained fixed on Charles.

“How dare you go against the Laurent family?”

Suddenly, Tiago rushed in and positioned himself in front of Charles as if shielding him.

“This time, I won’t allow it to happen again. Do not lay a hand on my master.”

Noah reacted with indignation.

“How dare a mere servant…!”

The tension in the room escalated. Tiago and Noah were on the brink of a direct confrontation.

“Enough!”

At Charles’ command, everyone froze. Eve, as well as Noah, was bewildered. The confrontation just now did not resemble anything Arsen would do.

Looking at the frightened Eve, Charles sighed and spoke casually.

“Formidable.”

“….”

“Both of you.”

In response, Tiago promptly stepped back, and Noah withdrew, his expression seething with resentment. Soon, Tiago bowed apologetically to Noah.

“I apologize. Please forgive us.”

Charles, with a hint of annoyance, interjected.

“…I hope the same goes for you, Margrave. The author is everything to me.”

Noah’s anger was evident, his lips tightly clenched.

“I won’t overlook it next time. How will you treat Milady when I’m not around?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Even though I’ve seen it with my own eyes?”

“That…”

It was only then that Charles’ gaze traced Noah’s gesture to Eve’s wrist. The marks of his grip were still visible. Frowning, Charles addressed her.

“…Sorry, Eve. I went too far.”

“No.”

Eve replied coldly, pulling her wrist away.

“Just accept what I said.”

“Divorce is…”

“There’s nothing more to say. Just leave.”

Tiago glanced at Charles, urging him to say no more. Trying to say something further, Charles closed his eyes and turned away.

“We’ll talk later.”

“What we need to discuss…”

“We’ll talk later.”

Charles decisively cut off Eve and exited the room. Tiago followed him after giving Eve an apologetic look.

Once they vanished from sight, Noah hastily examined Eve’s wrist, frustration etched across his face.

“Is he completely insane? How dare he lay hands on Milady…!”

“Noah, it was I who struck him first.”

“He deserved it!”

Eve remained silent. The comments about her family were unforgivable. The notion of accepting someone attempting to exploit her family was equally intolerable.

But…

‘Just in case, if he truly is the Emperor.’

The way he effortlessly stopped the conflict between the two men with a single word was undoubtedly the behavior of someone with authority.

If he truly was confined within Arsen’s body as the Emperor, then Noah and Eve had committed a grave offense.

…It couldn’t be true. The notion of the majestic and noble Emperor residing in this tanned, rough-looking madeleine was utterly inconceivable. At least the Emperor she knew was rational and decisive, surpassing anyone else she had known.

It must not be true. It had to be that way.

Yet, for some reason, a foreboding feeling clung to Eve, as though something ominous was on the verge of happening.

* * *

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

Upon returning to the room, Tiago sensed a shift in Charles’ mood. Charles, who usually didn’t show his emotions, revealed more than Tiago expected.

Charles slumped into a chair, grumbling under his breath.

“My cheek hurts. Eve looks like she would collapse if you just flick her. Must be the granddaughter of Viscount Bernard. All from that family seem to have weak constitutions.”

“….”

Tiago inwardly sighed with relief at Charles’ usual reaction. He couldn’t predict what would happen if Charles’ mood soured, be it the throne or Laurentia.

No, if it were someone else, he would have realized sooner. Only now did Tiago understand. This time, the opponent was the Duchess of Fontaine, which made all the difference.

“Your Majesty, did you truly… I mean, do you need the power of Laurentia? Is that the reason?”

Moreover, this seemed to be the most significant crisis since the attempt to seize the throne. It was only natural for Charles to be cautious.

Certainly, he should have been even more cautious.

“Why did you do that? Threatening to destroy her family. Anyone would be furious.”

“She brought up the topic of divorce.”

“So you chose to threaten her by dismantling her family? If Napoleon knew, he’d cringe so hard he might collapse. Even if it’s going well now, it’s far from enough….”

At Tiago’s lecture, Charles’ face showed a baffled expression.

“Then, why did you oppose Margrave?”

“Well… he seemed too audacious, trying to strike Milady. I couldn’t just let it go.”

It felt akin to measuring the height of a soybean sprout. Recognizing their shared impulsiveness, both sighed deeply.

Especially the less impulsive Tiago advised Charles.

“You should still try to persuade her. Our situation becomes extremely difficult without Laurentia.”

“I know. But Eve is a stubborn woman. I’m not sure if I can convince her.”

“You have to try. As always.”

Charles let out another sigh.

“As always.”

Until now, he had conquered every seemingly impossible challenge. The mere thought of retracting from a divorce, after all the effort and sacrifice, felt overwhelming.

“There’s no other choice.”

Success was imperative once again.

With his thoughts organized, Charles issued instructions to Tiago.

“Tiago, find out about Eve. Everything you can. Especially her recent activities. Also, gather information about Arsen de Fontaine. Everything, whether it’s relationships or anything else.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Yvonne de Laurent. Prepare yourself.”

Confidence emanated from Charles as he glared, his eyes gleaming.

* * *

Cancel. It’s a complete reversal.

Eve immediately retracted the thought that the fake Arsen might be the Emperor.

“Eve?”

The person who blinked and smiled was someone else entirely. Not Arsen, not the Emperor… She couldn’t tell. But whoever it was, she felt a sense of nausea.

Charles’ abrupt intrusion during the otherwise enjoyable tea time left Eve in unbearable discomfort. And it had to happen while Noah was briefly out!