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“You must feel oh so terrible, hm?”
Hearing the voice from the mirror, Saruvia Cross looked up.
A woman who looked the same as her raised one corner of her lips, heavy sarcasm lacing her tone.
It was an unsettling image, but Saruvia herself smirked as if it was not worth answering back.
She combed her hair calmly, but the reflection was unamused. It spoke once more.
“Helios says he doesn’t want to marry you. But then he’s bringing that woman to the Imperial Villa. You can see where this is going, yes?”
And again, the reflection repeated what an attendant had divulged to Saruvia.
It was not so unusual for the imperial tutor to be invited to the imperial villa, but what fueled Saruvia’s rage was the fact that the tutor in question was Sera Popo.
Because, during the banquet, it was that Sera Popo who Helios’s eyes kept following.
The reflection in the mirror, who had the same face, seemed to be expecting Saruvia’s expression to distort, but she remained unphased.
She tied her hair with an expressionless face, but the reflection moved its mouth again.
“It’s none other than the ‘Imperial Villa’. It’s a trip. Almost. Helios already caught feelings for that woman
 Aren’t you quite excited to know what’s going to happen during their trip?”
Perhaps the reflection’s provocation worked this time. Saruvia’s red eyes looked up.
She stared at the woman with the same face as hers with an unshakable gaze.
“What is it that you want to say?”
Her ice-cold voice echoed within the empty room.
“No, well. As a humble parasite residing in your body, I just thought I should offer you some advice.”
“Advice?”
Saruvia scoffed at the nonsense she’s hearing.
But the soon smirk on her lips disappeared as she closed them in a thin line. Those two eyes turned even colder.
“Be honest. You want to ask me for advice, too. What are you hesitating about?”
It was receiving a frightful look, and yet the being in the mirror did not back down. It sneered at Saruvia and whispered.
But Saruvia was no longer a child that would be enticed by such words.
With a calm gaze, Saruvia soon continued doing her work silently.
“It’s not like I’m asking for anything in exchange for this contract, not like before. I’m just trying to help you.”
“Help, you say
”
Who would be so naĂŻve as to fall for such a thing? Saruvia smiled blithely.
And as the condescending smile on her lips formed, one brow was raised.
“Try me then. Let me hear it.”
Saruvia was entirely casual as she answered, as if she believed not a single word that the woman in the mirror was saying.
“Kill.”
“What?” Saruvia asked.
“Take her life!”
Hearing this, Saruvia leaned back her head and cackled loudly.
Soon after, she calmed down and looked at the mirror again. She tilted her head to the side.
Her bright red eyes were devoid of any mirth.
“And how will the aftermath be dealt with?”
“It’s possible with your power.”
“For the imperial tutor to die so suddenly? Besides that, His Majesty and Their Highnesses’ favorite
 It’s going to be a very high profile case. They’re not going to let it slide.”
Saruvia shook her head at the nonsensical suggestion.
She was not so foolish that she’d be deluded by the words spilling through that mouth.
“I’m with you, you know.”
Saruvia was walking away from the mirror, but it tried to pull her back.
“Whatever. Let’s pretend this conversation never took place. You’ve given nothing but useless ‘advice’.”
She waved one hand and dismissed any more of its attempts to give her advice.
The Saruvia in the mirror sighed, then muttered as though grumbling.
“Fine then, kehehe.”
* * *
“Your Highness RosĂ©! Your Highness Ferre!”
At dawn, as the air was still cold, Sera waved her hands in front of the train. She called the twins in a bright voice.
There was a skip in their steps as Rosé and Ferre rushed to her, leaving behind the knights and the handmaids who were carrying mountains upon mountains of their luggage.
“Seeeraaa! I missed you!”
“But you saw me yesterday, Your Highness RosĂ©.”
“Still! I’m so excited to go on a trip with you, Sera.”
“Seeeeeeraaa! I can’t wait to see the ocean! The ocean!”
“It’s making you that happy, Your Highnesses?”
The twins smiled from ear to ear as they buried their faces in the width of her skirt.
“Uh-huh. Because Sera’s coming with us.”
“Uh-huh! Because Hyung and Sera’s with us!”
“We’re high up—!”
“—in the clouds and—!”
“—really reeeeeeeally happy!”
Rosé and Ferre both raised their arms up high and expressed their lovely feelings.
Excited and regretful. The trip brought on a complicated, bittersweet mood, but the twins were much much more excited during this first day of the trip.
“Oh, your outfits are much cuter today as well.”
“Outfit?”
Rosé and Ferre tilted their heads to the side, belatedly realizing what Sera was talking about. They gave a twirl for her.
“We’re going to the ocean, so we’re wearing this. Heli Oppa said the Empire’s navy also wears something like this.”
“Yeah, yeah. Hyung said that this outfit goes well with the ocean. What do you think, Sera? Don’t we look cool?”
The twins were dressed in matching blue-lined sailor outfits. They’re just so so so cute that Sera didn’t know what to do.
Instead of answering, Sera patted the children’s soft, plump cheeks and tightened the blue ribbons on their chests beautifully.
“Sera, you’re also wearing something new?”
“Something new?”
“Your hat!”
Ferre looked closely at the large hat with a wide brim and reached out.
Since Sera was crouching down to their eye level, Ferre could easily reach it.
“Oh!”
However, surprised by him suddenly reaching for her, Sera leaned back.
Ferre missed the hat, which he had nearly been able to grab. However, the rattan hat only fell to the ground.
“Sorry, Sera.”
“It’s alright. You didn’t mean to.”
Sera shook her head and consoled Ferre, whose eyes were slowly welling up with tears.
After stroking his lustrous sand-colored hair, she reached out to the hat that fell to the floor.
But there was already someone else who picked it up before her.
“Thank you.”
Sera slowly stood up and raised her head to see who it was.
“Your Majesty?”