Neither Hans nor I could find the words to speak first.

As we both remained silent, Jamon let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Putting aside the fact that your former fiancé is wearing a royal guard’s uniform… How did he even get in here in the first place?”

It seemed he wasn’t aware that we had been staying together in the room. Well, if he had eyes inside the room, that would be stalking.

No matter how I explained it, it would be an obvious lie, and telling the truth would be outright madness.

While I hesitated, Jamon spoke first.

“Whatever the situation, I cannot tolerate the two of you together. You understand what I’m saying, right?”

He was clearly telling us to leave immediately.

What could be done in such a situation? We could only nod obediently.

* * *

Hans decided to return to the Celestial Realm for a while.

“It was bound to be discovered sooner or later.”

He seemed to have expected this would happen at some point.

I pouted and said,

“I thought you’d say something to Jamon back then.”

“What’s the point when we were the ones in the wrong.”

Sometimes Hans’s excessive rationality was irritating.

After a brief hug, I saw Hans off. Even though we would meet again, parting still filled me with a sense of loss.

Then, I headed straight to Irmin’s reception room.

As soon as I opened the door, I said with a drained expression,

“We got caught.”

“Congratulations.”

Irmin greeted me with a bright smile, annoyingly.

“Caught by Jamon?”

“Yes. We got busted during our date last night.”

“That was reckless.”

“I didn’t expect he’d have someone watching me.”

“That’s how the palace works.”

Irmin spoke as if he was accustomed to life in the palace.

I flopped down on a chair, annoyed.

“And so, Hans had to go back.”

“Did Jamon send him away?”

“Yes, he kicked him out.”

“That’s a good sign.”

“You think it’s good that my boyfriend and I are forced to sleep separately?”

“Not that, I mean Jamon’s reaction.”

Irmin was smiling broadly, seemingly pleased.

“The Jamon I know wouldn’t care if you got caught by someone else’s eyes. He’d just ignore it.”

Then why did he care about me?

I remembered Jamon’s expression from yesterday.

It seemed angry, or maybe betrayed.

Could he possibly…

“Does he like me or something?”

“Hmm, I don’t think so.”

Irmin was quite definitive. It was a response so certain it was almost embarrassing.

“Maybe it’s more like he’s throwing a tantrum. ‘You’re mine, why are you playing with him!’ kind of thing.”

I wondered how old Jamon appeared in Irmin’s eyes. Was he still seen as a five-year-old child, perhaps?

“Anyway, it’s a good thing. It means Jamon sees you as close enough to feel possessive. Let’s look on the bright side.”

“Good or not, I’m incredibly down about being separated from my ex…”

I rested my chin in my hands and forced a smile, though I was feeling gloomy. I already missed Hans.

“Now that this has happened, how about we visit Kabir for a change of scenery? It could be a nice distraction!”

Seeing a friend could indeed be refreshing. I had been too preoccupied with Jamon lately, so spending time with a friend didn’t sound like a bad idea.

‘Maybe chatting with Kabir will lift my spirits. And it’s a good opportunity to catch up with Eric as well. I should start a broadcast.’

* * *

“Are you sure it’s okay to just show up unannounced?”

“I do it all the time.”

“…”

Expecting common sense from Irmin was my mistake.

Today, Irmin was disguised as a regular servant, and so was I. To escape Jamon’s surveillance, I had reverted to my original appearance instead of Anais.

‘It’s nice having someone skilled in magic. Saves money on scrolls.’

From disguises to teleportation, Irmin handled it all, saving us the cost of scrolls.

I had plenty of points for scrolls, but it was still good to save.

I casually checked my points.

[Current Points: 843,200 Points]

Regular broadcasting had paid off, accumulating quite a sum.

The viewers usually donated a thousand points as a base, and if they were in a good mood, tens of thousands of points would flow in effortlessly. It made sense that such an amount had accumulated in just a few weeks, especially since I hadn’t needed to buy a Resurrection Ticket for a while.

‘But reaching ten million still seems so far away.’

Did Ian and Hans really have that many points?

“What are you thinking about?”

Lost in thought, Irmin’s question brought me back. I shook my head.

“I’ve started the broadcast. Do you want to say hello?”

“Why not? Hello everyone!”

Irmin greeted the viewers with a cheerful smile. This person was definitely made for broadcasting.

[PleaseShakeACarrot has donated 1,000 points!]

– Hello hello!

[OnlyFinley has donated 5,000 points!]

– Show us Kabir

The viewers’ reactions were consistent.

“We’re just going straight to Kabir’s office?”

“Yep!”

“What if the guards stop us?”

“I’ve snuck in more times than I can count. Just trust me.”

It wasn’t exactly something to brag about, but Irmin was brimming with confidence.

When we reached Kabir’s office, a familiar face was standing guard at the door.

“Oh, it’s Eric.”

“Do you know him?”

“Yeah, very well.”

Although I wasn’t in Anais’s form, seeing Eric’s face after a long time made me feel a sense of familiarity.

“Then, Anais, you handle this!”

“Huh?”

“Surely if you know him well, you’d know how to handle this.”

Although I had already ‘conquered’ Eric, that was when I was Anais.

But it was a task given by the crown prince, so I had to follow through without question.

Irmin hid in the background to watch, and I walked confidently up to Eric.

“Hello.”

“……?”

Eric looked at me, puzzled by the unexpected greeting. Standing in front of Eric in my current form made me realize the stark height difference.

Eric scanned me from head to toe. Not wearing a maid’s uniform or having a familiar face, he must have grown suspicious.

“Who are you? Do you work here?”

“Um… that’s not exactly it.”

“Not a servant then…….”

Suspicion deepened in Eric’s eyes.

Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve seen that look. That was the expression Eric had when we first met.

A wave of nostalgia made me smile spontaneously. Eric gave me a strange look as I started laughing out of the blue.

“The outside seems noisy…….”

Just then, Kabir came out through the door.

Spotting me, Kabir’s eyes widened.

“…Anais?”

“Yes?”

“Hello, Kabir.”

Hearing the name Anais from Kabir’s mouth, Eric looked utterly baffled. I casually greeted back.

“Is it really you, Lady? You look so different right now….”

“I’m in disguise.”

I wanted to see Eric’s reaction a bit longer, but Kabir had come out too soon.

“Disguise? But even your height is different….”

“It’s all thanks to my magic!”

Irmin, who had been spectating the situation, joined in. Kabir’s expression turned icy the moment he saw Irmin.

Having worked here for a long time, Eric must have known that Irmin, disguised as a commoner, frequented the mansion.

Seeing Irmin too, Eric’s face turned pale. He hastily apologized.

“I’m so sorry, Lady, Your Highness! I didn’t recognize you….”

“Of course you didn’t.”

“Right, right!”

It would have been strange if he had recognized us. Kabir did, but that was to be expected.

“Why did you come out in such a guise? You could have just come as you are….”

“It’s complicated. Had to sneak out without my fiancé knowing.”

“…Ah.”

Eric must have already heard the rumors about my engagement to the prince. The news had spread far and wide by now.

I sighed and shook my head.

“His possessiveness is too much. Anyway….”

“This isn’t the place for this, come inside and we can talk.”

Kabir stepped aside from the door.

“Alright. Eric, let’s go.”

“…Me too?”

“Yep.”

As I assertively replied, Eric glanced at Kabir for approval. Kabir seemed indifferent, having already entered the room.

Eric awkwardly lingered before finally following us inside.

Irmin casually set up some security magic. He could be quite meticulous when it came to certain things.

The three of us, excluding Eric, settled down. It seemed almost cruel to ask Eric to join in, so we refrained.

As soon as I sat down and took a sip of tea, Kabir asked,

“What’s the reason for your disguise?”

“I had to sneak out without my fiancé knowing.”

“…And why did you come here?”

“Frustrated with my fiancé.”

“You seem to be in quite a bad relationship.”

“It seems so.”

Currently, I was nothing but annoyed with Jamon. I didn’t even want to see his face.

“But try to get along― Jamon seems to really like you, so he’s acting out.”

“It’s also partly your fault for playing both sides.”

“Doesn’t anyone take my side?”

If only Selena were here, she might have taken my side. Or maybe not. Even she seemed unhappy with the situation.

But I was in a tough spot. I didn’t want to break up with Hans, yet I needed to protect my family. It felt like trying to catch two rabbits and losing both.

“I just want to see my partner.”

“Where is he?”

“He got kicked out of the palace, now he’s headed back home.”

Home, so to speak. I spun the story quite well.

“But you and your partner seem to be in a great relationship… unexpectedly.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s really unexpected.”

“Indeed.”

Eric’s words made both Irmin and Kabir nod in agreement. It seemed none of them were on my side. I felt like I shouldn’t have come.

I slammed the table and stood up.

“I’ve made up my mind!”

“You almost spilled the water.”

“That’s it, let’s do this properly, come what may!”

A surge of determination filled me.

Ending things with Jamon as soon as possible was the only way to see Hans sooner.

I was someone who achieved my goals. And I had just set a new one.

Conquering Jamon.