All of a sudden, I was summoned to the imperial palace. It was a bit troubling since I intended to stay by Lyra's side for tonight, and it wasn't like I could just bring her along, anyway.

...Or could I?

''She should stay here for now.''

''Oh...''

At that flat statement from Rachael, both my little sister and I withered down slightly. Perhaps noticing that, the princess quickly added, ''Don't worry. She'll return after having dinner at the palace.''

''Really...?''

My voice came out sounding a bit skeptical, which surprised me, too, but I really couldn't trust any woman who said something like that while being so ferocious in bed.

In response, Rachael let out a deep sigh. Caressing my cheeks with her hands, she spoke, ''Listen. I want to keep you there, too, but the situation is complicated. There's virtually no time to spare.''

''Oh, is that so... then, I'll help as much as I can.''

''No. You only need to be there for tonight. I'll take care of everything afterward.''

''...''

Reliable. That was what I got out of this conversation with Rachael.

You know, I used to envy people's competence sometimes. I would feel bitter about my own inadequacy and long for a better version of myself. Still, as I grew and became more shameless, I realized I could rely on competent people instead.

Why, I loved them, too, really.

Nonetheless, since Rachael was so considerate toward me, I saw no reason to hinder her any further.

''Lyra. Be good and go to sleep early, okay?'' I softly said, smiling at my little sister. ''Sister might return late.''

''I'll wait.'' She meekly replied.

''...I'll text you if it takes too long. Promise me you'll go to sleep by then, okay?''

''Mhm.''

After some more sisterly hugs, I waved goodbye to Lyra and rode to the imperial palace with my princess. Even in these urgent moments, Rachael did not express any annoyance toward me or my sister, which definitely made me appreciate her even more. She, being the courteous woman that she always was, gently took my hand and guided me inside the car.

As soon as the wheels started to spin, however, that graceful image unceremoniously crumbled. Almost as though a child, Rachael pulled herself into my embrace, taking my chest as her pillow.

''Hah...''

Not minding the driver—her maid's gaze, the princess exhaled deeply, likely from exhaustion. Seeing this, I couldn't help but chuckle.

''...You have worked hard until now, Rachael,'' I whispered, hugging my lover even tighter. ''It's okay, so take a rest if you want to. I'll wake you up when we arrive.''

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''...''

''Close your eyes and... mhm...?! W-Wait, not here...!''

Perhaps it was inevitable, but the lustful princess wasn't all that free of lust after separating from her mate for a few days. Besides, having to work constantly must have made her pent-up desires even more frustrating.

...But that doesn't mean that she could start nibbling on my chest like this!

Even if most of her bites were non-committal, she still chose to unbutton my dress to put her marks on my bare skin, so it was all the more ticklish. Most vividly, I could sense her fangs grazing my skin, threatening to pierce the defenseless flesh at any given moment.

Thankfully, it seemed she wasn't indecent enough to pursue it to the end. If anyone could do it in front of their maid, it would be Penelope.

So, the trip ultimately ended in peace(?), and we soon stopped inside the imperial palace's parking lot. By this point, the sky had mostly turned dark, but Rachael didn't look as though she was in a hurry at all.

According to what the princess said earlier, the emperor would have a sincere 'conversation' with both her and Blaire during dinner before deciding on the latter's punishment. I played the game for hundreds of hours, so I knew that the fated dinner was already happening since the emperor liked to have her meal at a fixed time.

When asked, Rachael merely tilted her head and shrugged, ''It's fine. Her Majesty is a kind-hearted person.''

''No, what does that even mean...?''

Still, I decided to trust my love.

She wouldn't betray me... until she did. For whatever reason, when we got to the dining room, the small and intimate meal I had imagined was nowhere to be seen. Rather, this looked more similar to a trial but with food. Just how long and big was this table...?

Okay, no, more than that, why was Penelope even here?!

Oh, the business trip. Did they go on it together?

'''' ... ''''

When the two of us entered the room, I could feel every ounce of attention showering on us. Most seemed wary, some intrigued, and a few rid with malice.

The emperor herself was neutral.

Yet, ignoring all of that, Rachael, proudly as the last one to arrive, still had the manners to take my hand and guide me to an empty seat, pulling the chair and all. In this case, I'd rather her being rude than drawing attention like this.

Was that the intention, though? I could see Blaire and her family opposite us, and they seemed so mad. Now that I really looked at it, family members were indeed grouped together in terms of their seats, which meant...

''Ah, it's an honor to meet you again, Your Majesty.''

''Good evening, Lady Orleans.''

I immediately turned to the side to check, and voila, she was there—Eleanor de La Fayette—Rachael's biological female mother, also known as the second empress. She was beautiful and carried an air of loftiness, just like Rachael herself.

I was worried for a moment that she might not like me, but Eleanor surprisingly didn't show an ounce of disdain toward this commoner girl. Perhaps Rachael had managed something.

Nonetheless, right when I was wondering if the dinner would start at all—

''Now then, let us enjoy the meal.''

All of a sudden, the emperor—Beatrice de La Fayette—declared. With this many people, it started to look a lot like a banquet right at the first minute. I wasn't too sure if this was a time-saving method Beatrice had invented, but she really ate quite well. Though, it was nerve-wracking whenever she glanced at me, causing the others to do the same thing.

Aside from that, I also noticed that everybody was so quiet. Did they not want to intrude on the emperor's meal?

Well, thanks to that, it was prime awkwardness in here. The emperor did seem like she wanted to say something from earlier, but if I wasn't wrong, she got seduced by the food in front of her, so now, it was just eating.

''Try this.''

''Oh, you don't need to...''

''Open your mouth.''

''Okay...''

To make matters worse, Rachael unreservedly behaved like her usual self, occasionally feeding me small, carefully portioned pieces of food. She even wiped my mouth afterward with her handkerchief.

...Which attracted a lot of attention!

For one, Penelope was already glaring at the princess while Blaire's spiteful gaze was piercing through my head, and most others reacted with utter awe. Perhaps the only person who seemed happy for me was Marina des Baux—the friend I made at Blaire's tea party.

Her crescent eyes and the smile behind her hand told me everything. She was amused.

No, but now that I really looked at it, just how important of a business trip this was for so many powerful families to gather? And Blaire tried to drug Rachael during such an occasion...?

''Ahem.''

Ah, the emperor finally finished her food.

With a dignified countenance unlike before, Beatrice weaved her hands on the table and declared, ''Let's have a talk, everybody.''