The fragmented memories that had been sporadically surfacing became complete upon catching the scent of flowers.

It was sheer shock. In an instant, my face turned pitch black as I looked up at Ascan standing before me.

For no reason, Ascan’s words from just moments ago echoed in my mind.

─You don’t remember anything else?

─What more could there possibly be here?

─Never mind. If you’ve forgotten, then it’s fine.

Obviously, Ascan—who hadn’t even touched a drop of alcohol—could not possibly have forgotten what happened that day. That’s precisely why he asked me those questions.

Seeing me stiff as a statue, Ascan asked in a worried tone,

“Are you alright?”

As he reached out toward me, who stood there unable to utter a single word, I swiftly dodged his hand and fled.

“Uh, ughhh!”

Without even realizing it, I let out a shriek and bolted toward the mansion.

I faintly noticed Ascan left behind, standing there with a bewildered expression, but right now, none of that registered in my eyes.

‘I, drunk, actually threw myself at Ascan!’

Just thinking about how I drunkenly ranted, vomited, and ran around like a lunatic was mortifying enough to make me want to bury my face—

But now, it turned out I’d caused an even bigger disaster.

Without letting anyone stop me, I rushed into my room and collapsed onto the bed.

Even pulling the blanket over my head to my very chin failed to calm my racing heart.

‘Tanashia, you couldn’t resist your desires and laid hands on him after all.’

They say alcohol makes you honest about your emotions.

Back then, Ascan looked so incredibly handsome in my eyes. With that stunning face constantly shoved right in front of me, how could I possibly resist?

And of all things, his line was “Open your mouth”—no wonder my drunken self interpreted it differently.

I couldn’t clearly recall what expression Ascan made after the kiss. I only vaguely remembered him slightly furrowing his brow, as if enduring something.

He gripped my cheek with his large hand, opened my mouth, and pushed the medicine inside.

Since I was suddenly holding the pill in my mouth, I couldn’t say anything anymore—then Ascan abruptly lifted me into his arms and murmured softly,

─That one doesn’t count.

What on earth did that mean?

Was he implying that since I kissed him unilaterally, we could just pretend nothing ever happened?

Perhaps that’s why he told me it was fine to forget.

Ashamed, I clutched my head and burrowed even deeper into the bed.

‘Ah, I want to disappear.’

I felt even less capable of facing Ascan from now on.

The next day, while I sat there with bloodshot eyes from sleeplessness, Jerin suddenly appeared beside me and handed me an invitation.

“Young Lady, an invitation arrived from the Calua Imperial Palace… Oh my! Did something happen to you?”

“No, nothing at all…”

I replied in a feeble voice while looking at the invitation Jerin had brought.

It was for the party at the Imperial Palace Ascan had mentioned last night. A separate note was attached, stating they had prepared a special reception to welcome me and hoped I would definitely attend.

The envelope bore the seal of the Calua Empire, and the section regarding my welcome ceremony clearly displayed the Empress’s personal seal.

This alone confirmed the Empress herself had sent the invitation.

‘What’s her real motive?’

My head throbbed from lack of sleep as I gripped it and pondered.

Logically, they couldn’t kill me at an imperial-sponsored party. So what were the Empress and the Manoko family aiming for?

It couldn’t simply be to humiliate me.

Ordinary incidents wouldn’t be enough to stop me from becoming Empress Consort—not that I ever intended to become one anyway.

I wanted to declare outright that I’d refuse the position, but the likelihood of anyone believing me was extremely low.

Moreover, if someone reported my thoughts to Helsion, I’d be the one caught awkwardly in the middle.

‘The Manoko family…’

Right now, the original storyline of had changed drastically—especially regarding internal affairs of the Calua Empire.

Originally, the late Emperor should have retained the throne, but now the story had shifted, and Helsion had ascended as Emperor.

I’d realized through experience that events no longer unfolded according to the novel I’d read—but that didn’t mean the original plot was entirely useless.

I recalled reading descriptions of the Manoko family whenever the novel touched upon the Calua Empire.

‘Definitely a family skilled in hypnosis.’

If they could hypnotize and control their targets, they could devise schemes through countless methods.

In the original plot, the Manoko family were staunch allies of the late Emperor—but perhaps precisely because of that ability, they caught Helsion’s attention.

‘So… are they planning to hypnotize me?’

If they controlled me through hypnosis, they could easily make me refuse the position of Empress Consort.

Moreover, even if I did become Empress Consort, I’d clearly be useful to them in many ways.

‘The problem is—even if I refuse the position, the Empress and the Manoko family might not leave me alone.’

This was the worst-case scenario.

Helsion’s decision to make me Empress Consort despite never having seen my face clearly meant he coveted the magical engineering weapons I’d created.

That implied he wouldn’t easily give up even if I refused the position.

In other words, as long as I remained alive, Empress Seruna would never feel at ease—and might even decide to eliminate me entirely.

‘Sigh… Why did I get dragged into such a headache-inducing mess?’

The cleanest solution would be for me to marry another man—but finding a husband overnight was utterly impossible.

Suddenly, without my realizing it, Ascan’s face popped into my mind.

Along with it, the brief but intense kiss replayed vividly in my head—I shook my head violently. My face instantly flushed crimson.

‘I’m insane.’

Deciding to marry over something like this was ridiculous. Besides, maybe the past Ascan would’ve considered it—but the current Ascan would obviously detest the idea.

As I stared at the invitation, blushing and shaking my head, Jerin, watching from beside me, asked with a puzzled expression,

“Young Lady, why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“It’s nothing. About the invitation…”

I trailed off momentarily, lost in thought.

─Since the Empress will attend the party, be especially cautious. It’d be even better if you didn’t go at all.

I recalled Ascan’s earlier warning. Following his advice and simply not attending was also an option.

Of course, the Empress and the Manoko family wouldn’t back down easily—but buying time was the biggest advantage for now.

At that moment, Jerin spoke up as if something had just occurred to her.

“Oh, by the way, I heard we’ll get to see a sword called Calspelliver at this party. I’ve only heard rumors—I’m really curious what it actually looks like.”

Calspelliver?

A flash of novel content instantly surfaced in my mind.

Calspelliver was the signature magical sword representing the Calua Empire. Passed down since ancient times, no one knew who forged it or when it first came into existence—but it was a powerful weapon imbued with the essence of fire.

Ascan, who otherwise showed no interest in anything, had desperately wanted one thing to realize the end of the world—and that was Calspelliver.

In the original novel, after Ascan conquered the Arwen Empire, when the Emperor asked what reward he desired, he replied:

『There is only one thing I desire. Calspelliver, the sword embodying the glory of the Calua Empire—if you bestow it upon me, nothing in this world shall be able to stop me.』

In the novel, the Emperor happily granted Calspelliver to Ascan—after all, considering all the lands Ascan would conquer for him, it was only natural.

Thus, Calspelliver was practically Ascan’s alter ego.

But unlike in the original plot, since Ascan hadn’t yet earned the merit of invading the Arwen Empire, Calspelliver currently did not belong to him.

‘Even though the original plot has changed significantly, if Ascan has still gone down the dark path as in the novel, wouldn’t he still desire Calspelliver?’

Until now, Calspelliver had remained hidden under the Calua Empire’s ironclad security. But if it was going to be displayed at this party, I couldn’t help but feel curious.

Seeing me lost in deep thought and silent, Jerin spoke again.

“Young Lady?”

“Ah, about the invitation… I’ll accept it.”

I could have chosen not to attend the party—but I was far more curious about Ascan’s current psychological state.

‘Right now, figuring out what Ascan is thinking is the most urgent priority.’

Whether Ascan had turned dark or not was critically important.

I could avoid Empress Seruna’s schemes—but if he truly intended to destroy the world as in the original novel, I needed to prepare countermeasures immediately.

Calspelliver would certainly help me understand his thoughts.

‘Avoiding the party is only a temporary fix anyway.’

Skipping this party wouldn’t change anything. The likelihood of the Empress and the Manoko family backing down was extremely low.

If I had to confront them eventually, it might be better to face them sooner rather than later.

But I had to prepare thoroughly to avoid falling victim to the Manoko family’s specialty—hypnosis.

“Understood, Young Lady. Then, shall I inform Count Artreas that you’ll be attending the party? The steward mentioned earlier he wanted to know whether you’d attend.”

At Jerin’s words, the Bishop’s face—the last person I’d seen—flashed in my mind.

Since he’d secretly informed Ascan of my whereabouts, was he perhaps trying to push things along for my benefit?

I quickly shook my head. I didn’t know what the Bishop was thinking, but for now, even the shadow of Ascan made me want to run away.

“Since they’ll find out soon anyway, you can tell them I’m attending. But I don’t want to run into Ascan for a while, so please cooperate.”

“Huh? Why suddenly?”

Even Jerin widened her eyes in confusion, but I couldn’t bring myself to explain the reason—I just silently moved my lips.

‘I drunkenly threw myself at Ascan.’

It was far too embarrassing to say honestly, so I averted my gaze and muttered quietly,

“Just know that’s how it is.”

“Oh, alright, Young Lady.”

Jerin merely nodded, looking utterly bewildered.

The party hosted by the Calua Imperial Palace had been prepared long before my arrival.

Although I’d received the invitation only recently, the date had already been set—so the party day approached rapidly.

I dressed even more meticulously than when I’d met Helsion last time.

I’d be meeting Empress Seruna and members of the Manoko family at the party—no way was I letting them find fault with my appearance.

Every hair accessory I wore was made of precious gems; my necklace and earrings were so extravagantly ornate they felt heavy.

The dress revealed a slender waist—visually stunning, yet extremely restrictive to move in.

But they say a woman becomes as beautiful as she makes herself.

In return for enduring the discomfort, my reflection in the mirror was breathtakingly gorgeous.

I looked at Jerin, who was giving the final adjustments to my dress hem, and said,

“Jerin, I’ve thought it over—and you were right.”

“Huh?”

“When we left the Arwen Empire, I wondered if I’d ever need all these dresses and jewels. Now I realize—if I hadn’t brought them, what would I have done?”

At my words, Jerin grinned broadly and replied,

“See? I told you so!”

“Yeah. Jewels and dresses are indispensable for a woman. Next trip, even if I pack ten luggage bags, I won’t complain.”

“Ah! Really? You promise?”

When I nodded, Jerin beamed with delight.

Having finished preparations for the party, I cautiously opened the door and peered outside, wary of accidentally running into Ascan.

Zen, waiting right in front, looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked,

“Why are you acting like this?”

“Nothing. Let’s go.”

Fortunately, unlike when I went to meet Helsion, Ascan was nowhere to be seen. Back then, he’d been invited to the palace alongside me—but this time, since we hadn’t agreed to go together, he apparently hadn’t come.

I let out a sigh of relief and walked with Zen toward the mansion’s entrance.

Just as I climbed into the waiting carriage and was about to depart—

“Whoa, whoa!”

The carriage abruptly halted at the driver’s urgent shout.

The moment I looked outside with a puzzled expression, the carriage door swung open—and someone abruptly climbed inside.

I couldn’t help but hold my breath.

Ascan, impeccably dressed in his pristine white Imperial Guard uniform, sat across from me, his eyes blazing as he stared me down.

Somehow, he wore a crooked smile as he said to me,

“I told you, didn’t I? Don’t make it more complicated—just act like you normally would.”

“Me? What did I do?”

I feigned ignorance first. Though the kiss involuntarily flashed in my mind, making my face flush, I masked it with a calm expression.

Ascan still didn’t know I remembered that moment.

“You think I didn’t notice you avoiding me?”

“You didn’t want it either, did you?”

After all, it was Ascan who had once deliberately hidden himself and avoided me.

Hearing my words, he fixed me with sharp, piercing eyes and retorted,

“Maybe you could approach me however you pleased…”

Somehow, in that gaze, I glimpsed the Ascan of days past.

“But you can’t pull away without my permission.”