Chapter: 643

Naen, who was holding a pen and writing hard, raised her head.

“Yes Your Majesty?”

“Do you want to go back to the mansion?”

“I beg your pardon?”

Naen blinked her big eyes in embarrassment.

“Wh-what do you mean……”

“I’m asking because I think you will miss your family in the mansion. In your mansion, there must now be Lady Florin and your father, the marquis.”

Naen hesitated for a while at Astelle’s direct question, and then managed to answer.

“I, I miss the mansion, but I like living here.”

“Is that so? Isn’t it difficult to work?”

“N-no.”

Astelle looked straight at Naen and spoke in a calm voice.

“Miss Naen. I brought Miss Naen here for a formal punishment at first.”

Naen looked at her with a startled look.

After the empress brought her here, she kept calling her to work, but this was the first time she had brought up the topic of punishment so directly.

“I’m sure you know, but even if it was a mistake, it was something that could not be overlooked.”

“Yes……”

“But since Miss Naen is not an adult yet, and I thought you sacrificed yourself out of concern for your family, I decided to end it here.”

Naen’s face grew pale when the words, ‘She sacrificed herself out of concern for her family’ came out.

It was like the empress was openly pinching her because she had been caught doing her sister’s orders and lying.

“I’m glad you like living here though. Miss Naen is very sincere and diligent, so I like you too. If it’s okay with you, I hope you will help me here in the future as well,” Astelle continued, reassuring her.

When Astelle finished her words, Naen’s innocent face turned paler than before.

Apparently, she had no idea the empress would say something like this.

Naen lowered her gaze and hesitated.

But Astelle did not miss the guilt that flashed through her eyes for a fleeting moment.