The Roach family's carriage headed towards the Imperial Palace.

The driver, who was usually indifferent towards Frondier, kept glancing at the back seat today.

It was because of Elysia sitting next to Frondier.

As expected of someone from the Roach family, even the driver had discerning eyes and recognized Elysia's face.

Of course, Frondier paid no attention.

Instead, he said to Elysia,

"You're my servant for today."

"Wh, what?"

"There's no other way. It's difficult for commoners to enter the Imperial Palace. But it's no problem if you claim to be part of my family."

Elysia, with a face full of suppressed dissatisfaction, kept her mouth shut. More than being called a servant, she was angry that he was treating her as a commoner, which she was.

"Or do you want to be a maid? It might be easier to deceive people."

"Forget it! You don't even have a maid outfit!"

"I do. A maid outfit."

"......You do? A maid outfit? Right now?"

"Yes. In the car trunk."

"......Why do you have something like that."

Because he actually had a maid by his side. Selena had several outfits that Frondier had bought for her, and some of them were stored in the trunk.

Frondier used the car to commute to Constel. Selena's original job was as a bodyguard, so it was a spare in case of emergency.

Then Frondier suddenly remembered something and said,

"Ah, but the size might not fit."

"Is the person who wears it tall?"

"Her height is similar."

"Then is it because I'm too skinny? I haven't been eating well lately."

"......She's probably similar in terms of being skinny too."

"Then why wouldn't the size fit?"

Frondier remained silent at that. Elysia blinked and her face flushed red.

"Hey, hey you! Don't tell me!"

"I don't know much about women's clothes, but wouldn't the size not fit in that case too?"

"It wouldn't fit! You don't even know that?! And don't talk about that! Don't even bring up that topic from the start!"

"......I was just answering your question."

Meanwhile, the diligently moving car arrived in front of the Imperial Palace.

Only then did Elysia become tense and look ahead.

"Uh, am I, am I getting out?"

"You have to. The car can't enter from here. You know that, right?"

"But, I'm still scared."

Elysia's face turned pale, showing that she wasn't just saying it.

Elysia was a criminal. If it wasn't Philly or Frondier, they wouldn't know the details, but at least everyone knew that Elysia had stepped down from the throne.

There were familiar faces in the Imperial Palace that Elysia often saw. She was afraid to see them again.

"Hmm. I see."

Frondier nodded as if he understood.

Then he said,

"Get out."

"......Huh?"

"Get out and come back to this door and open the door of the car I'm in. Don't look straight ahead."

When Elysia blinked in confusion, Frondier's eyes turned cold.

"Get out. Now."

"......"

Elysia nodded at his words and opened the car door. As Frondier instructed, she walked with her head down, looking only at the ground. When she opened the door to the back seat where Frondier was, he stepped out.

"Don't walk in front of me or next to me. Stay behind me at all times, and stop the moment I stop. Don't raise your head, shift your gaze, or look away while we're walking."

"......Okay."

"Use honorifics."

"Th, that doesn't matter, right?"

Elysia spoke as if protesting. Frondier smiled faintly.

"Right. Just kidding."

"Uh......?"

"Let's go."

Frondier walked ahead, and Elysia followed closely behind.

Frondier had changed Elysia's clothes. The clothes that were soaked in the rain were all ruined, and the clothes Elysia had brought in the trunk were of too poor quality.

He gave Elysia clothes from the mansion, so she was actually wearing the clothes of one of the mansion's servants.

Elysia whispered in a voice as small as an ant from behind.

"B, but you, even if you're from a prestigious family, is it okay to just come and go from the Imperial Palace as you please?"

"Come and go as I please? I have important business."

"That's not what I mean, I'm saying aren't you relying too much on your family's name? I'm not one to talk, but your image isn't that great either,"

When Frondier reached the main gate of the Imperial Palace,

Elysia's words naturally trailed off.

The Imperial Palace knights were lined up, and as if to welcome them, they raised their swords high.

It was similar to how the Roach Knights had welcomed Frondier when he returned after destroying the Helheim fragment.

Of course, Frondier hadn't seen it at all back then because he was sprawled out asleep on his horse.

"W, wow......"

Elysia let out a voice filled with admiration.

At the same time, she had this thought. Could it be that Dad or Mom are welcoming me back?

"Bow your head."

As if to completely dispel that thought, Frondier warned in a quiet voice.

"There are many people here who know you. It's you, not me, who will be in trouble if your face is seen."

"B, but with this kind of welcome, there's no need to worry about that,"

Elysia said in a voice still filled with hope, but

"Frondier~! You've come!"

This time, someone else interrupted her.

A voice Elysia could never forget. A voice she resented and longed for even in her dreams.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As Frondier greeted her respectfully, Elysia also bowed her head involuntarily.

"Come, come in. You must be tired from your journey."

Philly greeted Frondier with a bright smile on her face. She didn't say a word to Elysia. No, it was as if she couldn't even see Elysia.

'......Then all this welcome from the knights and Mom coming out to the main gate to wait, it's all because of Frondier......?'

Elysia was shocked by this realization. She couldn't understand why she wasn't included at all in the reason for this welcome.

As she slowly raised her head,

"......!"

She met Philly's icy gaze and quickly lowered her head again.

'Fr, Frondier! What on earth have you been doing all this time!'

Elysia gritted her teeth and was confused.

──However, there was actually a bit more to this welcome than that.

While welcoming Frondier, Philly was constantly thinking.

'If the Shadow Unit is Frondier's target, I need to create some room for conversation first.'

From Philly's perspective, the Shadow Unit was still useful. The people who attempted the Mana injection plan had all been killed by the devils, so there had been an unintentional reshuffling, and that much room for improvement remained.

Of course, if Frondier didn't care about any of that and came with the intention of killing all the Shadow Unit, it might be better for Philly to personally deliver the Shadow Unit to him. But she couldn't yet discern Frondier's true intentions.

Therefore, the welcome should be extravagant, as courteous as receiving a war hero, and as friendly to each other as they always had been.

Since Frondier's reputation in the Empire was skyrocketing anyway, there was no burden in preparing this much. They could have made it even more magnificent and grand.

But that would only arouse Frondier's suspicion. Philly and Frondier knew too much about each other.

"I'm humbled by your generous hospitality."

"Not at all, there's no need for that. You're the hero who saved the Empire."

Frondier and Philly smiled warmly at each other.

Elysia was shocked and confused by this sight.

However, in the meantime,

From the moment they first met until now,

The smiles of Frondier and Philly were always busy reading each other's thoughts.