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As if waiting for it, the familiar sensation washed over me. Instinctively, I squeezed my eyes shut, and I could feel the atmosphere around me change. I waited until the strange transformation subsided before cautiously opening my eyelids. 

Through the narrow gap of my barely opened eyes, an all-too-familiar scene greeted me.

‘Huh?’

It was my room. 

I opened my eyes fully and looked around, scanning the surroundings. No matter how much I looked, it was unmistakably my room—specifically, the Sapphire Room in the Elpinard estate. 

‘And I’m not a ghost this time?’

The last time I used the hourglass, my body had become semi-transparent. But now, I didn’t look any different from usual. Was the situation changing each time I used the hourglass? It was only my second time using it, so I wasn’t entirely sure. As I mulled over the situation, I heard a voice calling for me from outside.

“My lady, you asked not to be disturbed, but there is an important guest waiting for you.”

It was Lily’s voice. I had just told her to leave me alone because I wanted to rest right before I used the hourglass. 

I quickly turned my head to look at the table, and sure enough, the hourglass I had flipped was still there. The more I thought about it, the clearer the answer became.

‘It feels like I’m still in the real world…’

Had the hourglass, which I had paid good money for, already broken? I had only used it twice!  

‘Seriously, what are those Heaven Coins even good for?’

Selling defective goods like this—how shameless! Huffing, I examined the hourglass from every angle, but nothing seemed wrong with it on the surface. I wanted to summon Serlus right away to complain, but there was the matter of Lily waiting outside first.

If Lily was calling for me despite my clear instructions not to be disturbed, it meant the guest was no ordinary one. Sighing, I quickly set the hourglass on the side table and called out toward the door.

“Come in!”

As soon as I gave permission, Lily entered the room cautiously. Her face was slightly flushed, and she seemed nervous.

“What kind of guest could it be to make you this flustered?”  

“Well, the guest is waiting right outside the door.”  

“Outside my door?”

That caught me off guard, and my eyes widened. Normally, a guest would wait in the drawing room until the host came to greet them. Coming straight to my room like this was only something that close acquaintances would do. The only people who fit that description were my old expedition companions, Eugene, or Leonid. But if it were one of them, Lily wouldn’t be this nervous.

Seeing my reaction, Lily bowed her head apologetically.

“I’m sorry, my lady. The guest requested to visit discreetly and refused to wait in a noticeable place like the drawing room…”  

Even though Lily was a maid, she held a high position within the prestigious Elpinard family.

Lily held a position where she could confidently stand her ground in front of most nobles, relying on the name of the Elpinard family and her mistress. For her to give in to the demands of a guest meant that the visitor’s status was significantly higher.  

‘A family with more influence than the Elpinard Dukedom…’  

Only one name came to mind.  

‘The imperial family?’

Just as I reached that conclusion, Lily revealed the identity of the guest.  

“The Empress has come to see you. She brought no guards, only a single maid, so I thought it must be something of great importance. I couldn’t refuse her request forcefully. The Empress has summoned you to the palace before, so I wondered if perhaps there was something I didn’t know about.”

That time I went to the palace to meet Kirke, I had made it seem like I was going at the Empress’s invitation to avoid prying eyes. Lily, unaware of the full situation, probably believed that I had genuinely been invited by the Empress and had developed a rapport with her, which led her to bring the guest directly to my room. After all, it would be hard to imagine that the Empress, without any prior relationship, would insist so strongly on being let in.

“…Let’s bring her in.”  

After a brief hesitation, I decided to allow the Empress into my room. We weren’t close, but she was the Empress. Though her power wasn’t particularly frightening to me, the fact that she was Kirke’s wife gave me pause.  

‘And she’s pregnant, too.’  

If she was seeking my help discreetly, I felt obliged to assist, if only out of consideration for Kirke.  

“Yes, I will bring her in.”  

With my permission, Lily quickly stepped outside to invite the guest in. Two women entered, their faces hidden beneath deeply pulled hoods.

“Your Majesty, the Empress?”  

I cautiously addressed them, and the two slowly removed their hoods, revealing the faces I had seen not too long ago during the Pope’s final pilgrimage—the Empress and her close maid.

“I was surprised by your sudden visit without notice…”  

Despite the unexpected nature of the situation, I tried to greet the Empress with a welcoming smile. However, the maid at her side interrupted coldly, cutting off my words with a command.  

“Could you dismiss your maid?”

Even though she was the Empress’s close maid, I was the daughter of the Elpinard family and the Saintess of the central church. It was highly improper for her to speak to me in such a manner. Lily, clearly thinking the same, stood by my side with a frosty expression and firmly retorted.

“A maid is part of her mistress. It is up to my lady to decide if I should leave, not you, madam.”  

I silently cheered for Lily as I watched with satisfaction. The Empress’s maid, who had arrogantly issued commands, turned red with embarrassment, letting out a hollow laugh.  

‘She’s acting like she’s the Empress herself just because she’s the Empress’s maid.’  

Even the Empress had no right to give me an outright order to dismiss my maid.

I looked at the Empress for clarification, and she, looking much more gaunt than when we last met, spoke directly to me.  

“I have something very important to discuss. It is not a matter for a maid’s ears. If you are uncomfortable, I will have my own maid leave as well.”  

“Your Majesty!”

The final words weren’t something they had agreed upon, it seemed, as the maid, who had been looking at me triumphantly just moments ago, jumped up and grabbed the Empress’s arm.  

“I cannot leave your side. You’re struggling because of your pregnancy, and if something were to happen to you while I’m gone, it would be the young lady who would face trouble.”  

“It won’t take long. Besides, the young lady is the Saintess. What could possibly happen? If anything does, I’m sure she would help me.”  

The Empress looked at me with a weary smile. She certainly didn’t look well.  

‘What could be so important that she came all the way here in this condition?’  

As I grew more curious, the Empress’s maid sighed deeply and reluctantly stepped back.  

“If Her Majesty insists, then I have no choice. I’ll wait outside the door.”  

Now that the Empress had even sent away her own maid, there was no room for Lily to argue either. She hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip and leaned in to whisper to me.  

“I’ll inform Master Axel, just in case.”  

It seemed Lily had realized, after observing the situation, that the Empress and I weren’t close enough to be having a private meeting like this.

I glanced at the Empress and responded in a low voice to Lily.  

“Maybe you should be calling a doctor instead of Axel?”  

“My lady, don’t underestimate noblewomen. They often hide a lot more behind their frail appearance than you’d expect. Especially someone like the Empress—she probably has the cunning of ten snakes under that delicate exterior.”  

“Hm…”  

Though the Empress looked like she might collapse at any moment, I trusted Lily’s judgment more than my own when it came to noblewomen’s schemes. In the end, I nodded.  

“Alright, do as you think is best.”  

“Leave it to me.”  

Lily smiled and left the room with the Empress’s maid.

Finally, the Empress and I were alone. She moved gracefully to the sofa, sitting down as if she were the owner of the room.  

“Why are you standing there? Sit.”  

There was no trace of weakness in her commanding tone. The frail demeanor she had shown just moments ago had completely vanished.

‘Wow.’  

Lily was right!  

I marveled at the transformation as I sat across from her, recalling Lily’s words about the Empress being as cunning as ten snakes.

As soon as I sat down, the Empress relaxed into the sofa, stroking her swollen belly, and asked me,  

“Do you know why I’ve come to see you?”  

“I assumed you had something important to ask of me, perhaps seeking my help discreetly.”  

“Help?”  

The Empress repeated my words with a mocking laugh, but her smile quickly faded.  

“What could an Empress possibly need from a lowly orphan like you? You’ve been pampered and praised so much that you’ve forgotten your place.”