"You're here? I’ve been waiting for you, Lord!"
"Sain, you haven’t eaten yet?"
"I couldn’t. You’ve been so busy lately that we haven’t shared a meal together. I wanted to eat with you today, so I waited."
"...Right."
Penelope hesitated before answering, guilt prickling at her conscience. How could she have been so neglectful of a twelve-year-old child? She even briefly considered leaving Sain under the care of the castle staff instead.
Sain looked up at her with clear, innocent eyes and asked, "Are you finished with all your busy work now?"
"Yes, everything’s settled. ...Sorry for not paying more attention to you."
"It’s okay. I’ve been playing with my older brothers this whole time."
"Older brothers? This house has older brothers?"
Penelope blinked in surprise. Sain nodded nonchalantly, then waved enthusiastically. Two figures, noticing Sain’s wave, raised their hands in response.
"Over there! My brothers!"
"Those people..."
They were Ahwin’s followers—reclusive, nocturnal mages who rarely interacted with others, especially Penelope. She barely ever encountered them since they typically stirred in the late afternoons or evenings.
‘Their names were... Kaseren and Rube, I think?’
The one with the shaggy gray hair was Kaseren, and the one with the brown hair was Rube—or so she recalled.
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Still, Penelope couldn’t help but be shocked at their disheveled appearances. They looked even more exhausted than she did, despite her having spent days running between the Halo Soap Shop and various other responsibilities.
Kaseren and Rube collapsed into chairs at the dining table and slowly tore pieces of bread to dip into their soup.
Penelope couldn’t help but ask, "What happened to you two? Why do you look so tired?"
"Are you truly curious, even though it was you who gave us the assignments?" Kaseren asked, his voice laced with dry humor.
"I gave you assignments?"
Penelope’s eyes widened in confusion.
Kaseren cooled his stew with the precision of a mage who valued efficiency above all else and answered, "You instructed us to analyze the cosmetics’ ingredients and develop a healing potion."
"You two handled that?"
Rube nodded with a resentful expression, making Penelope’s thoughts swirl with question marks.
‘Wasn’t that something I left to Ahwin?’
With a puzzled expression, Penelope asked, "Then what has Ahwin been doing?"
"I’ve been making the magical tool you requested," Ahwin said, stretching lazily as he entered the dining room. His hair was faintly damp, evidence that he’d just washed up.
Ever since creating the hair dryer, Ahwin seemed to enjoy using it more than magic to dry his hair—though, unsurprisingly, he never fully dried it.
"A magical tool?" Penelope murmured, then suddenly widened her eyes. "Wait, could it be... a curling iron?"
"A curling iron? Is that what it’s called? I thought you said it was a torture device for hair," Ahwin replied, his tone slightly sarcastic.
"It’s not torture—it’s for styling hair beautifully."
"Either way, it’s still burning hair with high heat," Ahwin muttered, frowning as he looked at the two mages. Immediately, Kaseren and Rube stood and vacated their seats as though by instinct.
Ahwin sat down beside Penelope without hesitation, as if it were his rightful place. Watching the scene unfold, Sain shook his head and pointed to a seat next to him, beckoning Kaseren and Rube to sit there.
‘He’s trying to take care of his brothers. How adorable.’
Distracted momentarily by Sain, Penelope turned back to Ahwin and asked, "So, did you actually finish it?"
"Mostly. There are still some adjustments to make, but by next week, it should be good enough to use."
"Really?"
Penelope’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
For a brief moment, Ahwin felt as though stardust was cascading around him. He had lost sleep and poured all his effort into creating the magical tool, and now, seeing her childlike enthusiasm made all the struggles worthwhile.
"You like it that much?"
"It’s not for me—it’s Giselle who’ll love it the most. She once burned herself heating an iron rod," Penelope replied, her tone cheerful.
"That was when I was a child!" Giselle interjected from where she stood nearby, serving tea. "That doesn’t happen anymore."
Kaseren and Rube exchanged surprised glances, startled by the maid’s casual interruption of her mistress’s conversation.
Ahwin furrowed his brow and asked, "So, are you saying you don’t like it?"
"When did I ever say that? Can I see it after dinner?"
"...If you want."
"Really?" Penelope beamed, her excitement reflected in her quickened pace as she ate.
‘She’s pretending she doesn’t care but is clearly thrilled,’ Ahwin thought, grumbling internally even as a small smile crept onto his face.
He had spent countless hours crafting something Penelope would appreciate, meticulously observing her preferences and sparing no effort to meet her high standards.
All of it, just to see her smile.
And at this moment, Ahwin silently resolved once again, I will escape being just a ‘cat’ in her eyes—no matter what.
***
Deep within the imperial palace, in the emperor’s private quarters, the attendants moved with meticulous precision from the early hours of dawn.
The emperor’s official schedule began in the morning and was packed with engagements—luncheons, meetings with secretaries, tea times, state councils, and discussions with the heads of the knight orders. The emperor met countless people each day, listening to their reports and making decisions.
Whenever there was a break in his schedule, the emperor would retreat to his chambers to read reports, weary of constant human interaction.
Thus, a heavy silence usually hung over the emperor’s quarters. The attendants moved with extreme caution, careful even with their breaths, lest they disturb the peace.
But today, a rare burst of laughter rang out from the emperor’s chambers. The source of the laughter was Empress Elizabeth.
"Ha ha ha! Simply brilliant!"
Her laugh was so bright and hearty that even the emperor, who was quietly reading a report across from her, glanced up.
"Is it that amusing?"
"It’s absolutely hilarious! Can you imagine how furious those stodgy nobles must be?"
"I saw the newspaper ad. It was clever and full of wit."
"Didn’t I tell you? Penelope surpasses even my wildest imagination—she’s a genius!"
Elizabeth beamed with joy as if Penelope’s achievement was her own. She spread the newspaper wide before her, her eyes gleaming with pride as she gazed at the Halo emblem in the advertisement.
‘How on earth did she come up with this? I really like it,’ Elizabeth thought, admiring the ingenuity.
Since her return to the past, Elizabeth had disliked encountering people who deviated from her expectations. Such individuals were difficult to control.
The future had always shifted unpredictably based on her every choice. Managing the ever-changing circumstances had often left her utterly drained.
But after exacting her revenge, Elizabeth had found herself grappling with a strange combination of overwhelming achievement and hollow emptiness. The human being who had once stirred her emotions—be it fury or exhilaration—was now dead, buried in cold earth with their head severed.
‘The dreadful past I once knew is now over.’
The future ahead was one she couldn’t foresee or anticipate. While she understood that this should have brought her joy, Elizabeth found herself unable to fully relish it.
Instead, she felt hollow.
Yet she couldn’t afford to wallow in that emptiness. The vast, sprawling empire awaited her rule and governance.
Naturally, ruling an empire was entirely different from exacting vengeance.
It was far more intricate and arduous.
She had to coax and placate obstinate individuals (since executing them wasn’t an option), continually push herself forward, and bear the weight of immense responsibility.
‘Being an empress is dull.’
That was her honest impression.
Then, along came Penelope.
Elizabeth had never, before or after her return, encountered someone as innovative and intelligent as Penelope.
‘If only all the lords of the empire were like her, the nation would flourish several times over. Perhaps I should bring her under my direct command.’
A whimsical thought crossed Elizabeth’s mind.
‘If Penelope worked in the imperial palace, how entertaining would that be?’
Even from the remote northern barony of Halo, Penelope had managed to stir the empire.
If she were given a chancellorship or even a minor administrative position, the imperial palace could become far more efficient.
Of course, Elizabeth knew she couldn’t express such thoughts aloud—not if she didn’t want the palace destroyed by the Tower Master’s wrath.
Still, she couldn’t deny how much Penelope had reinvigorated her sense of enjoyment in life.
‘I wonder what ingenious idea she’ll come up with next to surprise me?’
For the first time in a long while, Elizabeth genuinely looked forward to what was to come.