“Don’t forget, my true feelings have never changed, not even once.”

The dreamy words echoed like a distant sound.

“My lady, my lady.”

I opened my eyes to someone calling me.

The familiar ceiling of the bedroom came into view.

“……?”

When I quickly turned my head, Oz was looking down at me with a somewhat awkward expression.

“My lady, you seem very tired. Would it be better for you to go upstairs and rest?”

Oz’s words brought my foggy mind back to reality.

Shaking my head vaguely, I glanced at the bed where Ainberg lay with a haggard face.

I rubbed my eyes and became aware of reality.

“…It was a dream.”

All those conversations I had with him were just a dream.

I couldn’t believe it, and I didn’t want to believe it.

“His Majesty…”

We were definitely talking just moments ago.

There’s no way I could have dreamed something so vivid.

As I stood there dazed with a pale face, Oz carefully approached me, seemingly worried.

“…Perhaps you should return for today.”

“No, I’m fine. I feel like I need to stay here.”

Should I be relieved that it was all a dream?

But for some reason, my feet wouldn’t move due to the heaviness in my heart.

Oz seemed to give up and let out a faint sigh.

“Then I’ll be going first.”

I managed to send Oz away and could remain by Ainberg’s side again.

But the miracle I had hoped for didn’t happen.

All that awaited me was a cruelly long and tedious wait.

❀❀❀

“Miss, wouldn’t it be better to rest upstairs today?”

“I’m fine.”

Sabine handed me warm water, full of concern.

“I’m worried you’ll fall ill. The master is very concerned too.”

“It’s not like I have anything else to do.”

All I could do was sit by Ainberg’s side and wait endlessly.

“Even so. There are many people attending to His Majesty, so please take care of yourself today.”

A sigh escaped me involuntarily.

Several days had passed since Ainberg lost consciousness.

Contrary to the doctor’s assurance that he would wake up soon, he was still spending precarious days in an unconscious state.

“Sabine.”

“Yes, Miss.”

I stopped abruptly while walking toward the door and spoke.

“When do you think His Majesty will wake up?”

Sabine answered with a long sigh.

“He’ll wake up soon. He’s a strong person.”

“I suppose so. He’ll wake up.”

“Of course. With you taking such devoted care…”

Sabine trailed off without finishing her sentence. She seemed to have decided it was better not to say anything hasty.

‘I don’t know anymore.’

At this point, even I wasn’t clear about my true feelings.

Whether I hated Ainberg or was worried about him.

Whether I was deluding myself into thinking I was in real love with him through Leonora’s body, or whether I wanted to believe Ainberg truly liked me during my time as Empress.

But one thing was certain.

“…Why won’t His Majesty wake up?”

The longer his unconscious state continued, the deeper my anxiety grew.

“You must stay strong. His Majesty will surely…”

“I wonder if he’s running away.”

“What are you saying, Miss?”

“I bombarded an unconscious person with questions. Demanding he wake up and answer me right away.”

“……”

“Could that be why he’s like this? Is it because His Majesty is in a situation where he can’t give me any answers?”

“Miss.”

“I’m afraid that might really be the case.”

Sabine slowly walked over and gently embraced my dejected form.

I buried my head in her shoulder and closed my hot eyes.

“Don’t worry, Miss. All truths eventually come to light.”

“……”

“So don’t be too anxious or hasty in your thoughts.”

“Sabine.”

“We’ll all know someday.”

The fact that Ainberg had fallen into an unconscious state was kept strictly confidential, revealed only to a select few.

Officially, the secretariat announced that due to accumulated fatigue from his extended visit to Sutton, he would not be appearing at official functions for the time being.

If it became known that the Emperor was also in a coma following the Empress, the Empire would certainly fall into uncontrollable chaos, especially with no clear successor.

While I thought the quick response was fortunate, I couldn’t feel completely at ease when I thought about Foil Viper.

‘I don’t know what he might do. So for now… I need to stay and protect Ainberg until he wakes up.’

I believed that no one except Oz could be trusted.

I could only hope time would pass slowly for all of us except Ainberg while holding onto this explosive fact.

“…Alright, I’ll go see His Majesty then.”

“Miss, really? You might collapse at this rate.”

“I’m sorry, Sabine.”

I don’t understand why I’m being so stubborn.

It’s not like someone who won’t wake up will suddenly wake up just because I go there.

I don’t have any medical knowledge that could help either.

But I simply couldn’t stay still.

Tak.

When I opened the firmly closed bedroom door, the medical staff was just checking on Ainberg’s condition.

The fact that they continued their work even when the door opened suggested they had grown accustomed to my constant presence in Ainberg’s bedroom.

“…How is he doing?”

“His breathing is stable, but still…”

The doctor’s answer was similar to yesterday’s.

Since I hadn’t expected any special response anyway, I just nodded vaguely and flopped down at his bedside.

“……”

After all the medical staff and maids left, only the candle that looked like it might go out at any moment, myself, and Ainberg remained in the spacious bedroom.

“You must be tired of me, but I’m here again today.”

I skillfully picked up a book and waved it once.

“Thanks to you, I might become a bookworm. Not sure if that’s good or bad.”

There was nothing better than books for getting through the long nights. When I was deeply immersed, I lost track of time and could escape from my situation.

Occasionally, when I came across something interesting in the book, I would close it and casually bombard the sleeping man with questions.

“Does it make sense to risk your life to save someone you love? Why go so far as to risk your life? It’s all pointless if you die.”

Even though I knew Ainberg wouldn’t give any answer.

“Don’t you think? Am I the only one with such dry emotions?”

“No, in the end they’ll regret it at the last moment. Books just try to make it look cool.”

“You think so too, don’t you, Your Majesty?”

After muttering for a while, an indescribable emptiness would wash over me.

“How can you look so peaceful while making someone feel so frustrated?”

I quietly reached out my hand.

Carefully brushing back his loose hair with my fingers, his clear, transparent forehead was revealed.

“……”

Without realizing it, I touched the bridge of my nose once, and then my fingertips were about to touch his soft cheek.

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the bedroom door, startling me so much that I jumped to my feet.

“Mr. Aide.”

I inwardly sighed and gave an awkward smile.

“My lady.”

With Ainberg unable to wake up, the busiest person was none other than Oz.

He looked twice as thin and unwell as the day Ainberg was injured.

“…I’m concerned about your health, my lady.”

“You look like you’re about to collapse before I do.”

He smiled sheepishly and glanced down at Ainberg once.

“If His Majesty would wake up in exchange for me collapsing hundreds of times, I would gladly do so.”

“Please don’t say such things, even as a joke.”

“I’m serious, my lady.”

“I’m serious about being here too. So please go now.”

At that moment, both Oz and I noticed a change in Ainberg’s slow and regular breathing.

“Your Majesty!”

Oz quickly rushed to the bed, but for some reason, my body froze and I couldn’t move an inch.

“Your Majesty, are you conscious?”

Between Oz’s urgent voice came Ainberg’s breath mixed with groans.

“I’ll call the doctor right away.”

Oz immediately ran outside.

Bang.

As he rushed out, once again only Ainberg and I remained in the bedroom.

When the tomb-like silence returned, I could finally move slowly toward the bed where he lay.

“Your Majesty.”

A crack seemed to form in his smooth brow, and then his pitch-black, thick eyelashes began to move.

“……”

All this time I had been waiting for Ainberg to wake up.

But now that he was waking up, all the doubts and questions I had wanted to pour out to him became meaningless.

“Mr. Aide went to call the doctor. So just a little—”

Just as I was about to stand up again, Ainberg painfully parted his lips.

“Stay here.”