“How’s the work?”

For some reason, Raul asked kindly.

“I wouldn’t call it work, you still have her on standby.”

Dagger answered for her.

Nicole found it sweet. It wasn’t the first time she’d been confused by the sight of Raul, but the events of last night made it even harder today.

‘Why did you try to set me free? What did you think of me then? What kind of person are you?’

So many questions screamed in her head. But if she asked him now, she’d be lucky if she didn’t get labeled a mental patient and kicked out.

“Why? She seems to be good at her job?”

“Miss Karen?”

“Word has reached my ears that her cookies are delicious. She seems to be giving them away to everyone, so I was curious.”

“I don’t think my food would be your cup of tea. I put a lot of sugar in them, so they might taste childish.”

Nicole said in a low voice. As far as Nicole knew, Raul hated sweets.

“I see.”

Raul muttered boredly as he looked at the cookies on Dagger’s plate.

Nicole’s heart suddenly ached. The indifferent expression, the cold face…….

‘It was the same in my last life. Why do I feel this way?’

As if something had been taken from her.

Nicole furrowed her brow, trying to control her unknown emotions.

“These are mine?”

Raul took a bite of Dagger’s cookie at will.

“Everything in this building is mine.”

“You must like the childish flavor.”

Raul dusted off the cookie without comment.

“So, first question. Guess who the ‘Son of a Bitch’ is?”

He asked as if to tease Nicole.

Nicole’s brow furrowed slightly. There weren’t many people Raul cared about. At least those of the imperial family, and the seven surviving families.

‘And of those who now hold power in the capital, the one who was at enmity with Raul was…….’

“Gaston Sarathevee. The young patriarch of House Sarathevee, and the head of the capital’s security knights. Are you referring to him?”

Dagger looked inwardly surprised.

“How did you know that? Did you do any research?”

“I heard a rumor …… that the two Lords don’t get along, that’s all.”

The Sarathevees were a family of seven generations that maintained power like Valentine. They were also pro-Emperor.

They were practically enemies of Grand Duke Valentine. Nicole had been trained to be careful what she said when she was Grand Duchess, as he hated the mention of House Sarathevee.

“Dagger, I need you to give me a real weakness for House Sarathevee.”

“Is smuggling, false accounting, or bribery not enough?”

“Not enough to disgrace the family.”

He spoke as casually as if they were discussing the breakfast menu.

“If there is a reason for a family to be disgraced, it must be involvement in treason, or some crime so heinous and horrific that it shakes the country.”

“Right. I’m going to need something, and I’m going to need you to send out a dispatch to his neighborhood.”

Raul said.

“Okay. Maybe you have a lead on the case you were talking about last time.”

Nicole was lost in thought. She looked at Raul.

“I…… want to be a part of this.”

Nicole had to tense up, not because she was afraid of Raul, but because she didn’t want him to see her emotions fluctuating. She looked like someone who was barely speaking because she was scared.

“Why?”

Raul asked.

“I want to make a name for myself. Gathering information here is easy and safe, but it’s the only way I’m going to be able to establish myself as an agent of the Sith. It’s a very important job, seeing as how the Grand Duke himself has come to give instructions.”

“You want me to send you, who knows nothing, to such an important job?”

“……Yes.”

“…….”

“You know that the Marquis of Sarathevee is a ‘Son of a Bitch’ that deserves a prize, right?”

“Seeing as how you’re thinking of all that, it’s worth coming all the way up here to see if you can do the job yourself.”

“…….”

“Dagger, dispatch her to the facility I told you about. If your identity is revealed, there will be no saving you. Remember that, Karen.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nicole nodded.

“I’ll prepare you with a fake identity, and a suitable role.”

Dagger said.

“Just use the name Karen. You don’t need an alias.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to change her name?”

“Karen isn’t your real name anyway, isn’t it?”

Nicole’s legs nearly gave out from under her for a moment. She gripped the desk tightly.

‘Has he figured out I’m not really Karen already?’

A million thoughts raced through her mind. Nicole finally smiled.

“I’m Karen unless you give me the name of a flower.”

“I know. I was just thinking.”

Nicole was relieved. He was still an asshole. Raul nonchalantly ordered Dagger to get her ready right away.

***

“The Marquis of Sarathevee is enemies with Grand Duke Valentine, and as scary as our Grand Duke is, he’s an asshole.”

Dagger said as Raul walked out.

“So why are the two houses at odds in the first place?”

“Well, there are many reasons, but the biggest one is…….”

Dagger took a sip of his tea.

“Because the Imperial family wants it.”

“…….”

“The imperial family is most afraid of the seven great families getting along and joining hands.”

The seven great families of the empire. The Seven Famous Families.

The defunct YvesChapel Family was one of them.

“It sounds glamorous at first glance, seven families where special people are born, but it’s not good for a large empire like ours. The less privileged the better.”

Dagger said. Nicole nodded quietly in understanding.

“Because they shouldn’t be more special than the Imperial Family?”

“Yes. The Seven Houses of the Empire originated in the holy land of Fadebel, which is now part of the Lord’s Domain, and the Imperial Family was tasked with leading them……. Later on, they merged the smaller states to form the empire we have now.”

So the seven great families of the empire were meritorious families. How to dispose of hunting dogs when the original hunt is over? If there were too many hounds, the owner would have trouble finding meat.

This is because the meritorious family would eventually grow to be a threat to the imperial family.

‘In the process, YvesChapel disappeared…….’

Nicole knew most of the story, but it was fascinating nonetheless. Dagger continued.

“Anyway, if this empire is a cake, the imperial family is the biggest, prettiest icing on top, and that icing has to be pretty all by itself. The picture the imperial family wants is to reign as the only family with divine powers, which is special because it’s a family of powers, but in other words…….”

“The seven great families can replace them, right?”

“That’s how several families have disappeared or fallen from grace, and aside from Perval, the Holy Family, only the Sarathevee and Valentine families are still standing.”

So the Imperial family split the two for a long time. But Nicole suspected that even if the House hadn’t been divided, Raul and Gaston would have been at odds. The young patriarchs were too different in temperament.

Gaston had hated and been jealous of Raul all his life. Gaston’s abilities pale in comparison to Raul’s.

Whereas Raul was nearly omnipotent, Gaston was a mere mortal, possessing the powers of an ordinary man.

To Raul, Gaston was a bug. The only problem was that the Imperial family kept using him to get in his face.

“I heard the Marquis of Sarathevee had a bad reputation.”

Dagger nodded at Nicole’s words.

“He’s been involved in several incidents of assault and injury to commoners since he was a young man, once picking up a woman in a tavern and strangling her to death.”

“Why is a man like that trusted by the imperial family?”

“Because that’s what he is, a man of poor ability, brilliant but irrational. He’s a good hand, and they can always use a mad dog on their side.”

“From the sounds of it, he wouldn’t get along with the Grand Duke.”

“More accurately, he despises him.”

If Raul was arrogant, Gaston was insolent; if Raul was clever, Gaston was cunning; if Raul was cruel, Gaston was unruly.

It was a small difference, yet a big difference at the same time.

In fact, Nicole hated Gaston, too. In her past life, Nicole had two bad experiences with Gaston.

‘He used Isabel to breed able-bodied offspring. He used me to kill Raul.’

He was just as much an enemy to Nicole as Isabel, if not more so.

In her last life, Gaston had fallen before Nicole’s third year of marriage. His many sins were exposed by Raul, and his family was torn apart. At the last minute, his family was saved by the Emperor, keeping the family name alive.

But the disgusting man returned and set a trap for Raul.

‘I will not allow such a man to harm Raul in this life.’

That’s what he did to himself by colluding with Isabel…….

Last night, Nicole learned one of Raul’s truths.

He died for her. And he tried to redeem her.

‘That’s it. In this life, I will be loyal and sacrifice myself for him.’

At the end of her last life, she gave Raul her life and committed suicide. But it was an imperfect and small sacrifice.

In this life, she hoped she could offer a more complete sacrifice.