Ines had lived through the future and knew the sorcery scheme would happen, but she had no way to prove it.

“Did you lie to me?”

“No. I swear on my heart.”

Ines shook her head quickly.

Killian gave a light smile.

“The imperial soldiers are already under surveillance regardless. Raising the level of vigilance is not particularly difficult. What I mean is that taking your word at face value costs me nothing.”

In other words, it was conditional trust.

Someone else might have felt stung by that, but not Ines.

“……Thank you for believing me, Grand Duke.”

For the first time since her return, Ines smiled with a genuinely easy heart.

The heavy weight of atonement on her shoulders, the fear, the loneliness. For this one moment, all of it felt as light as a feather.

A brief silence followed Ines’s thanks. It was Killian who moved first.

“Then please rest. Marisa will inform you of the schedule going forward.”

“Ah, wait……”

Reaching out to stop him as he turned to leave was pure instinct.

Meeting Killian’s gaze as he looked back at her, Ines parted her lips and barely managed to produce something that could be called a reason.

“……Would it be possible to assign one of the castle’s own staff as my personal maid?”

It was not something she had said just to keep him there.

She had already intended to ask Marisa the same thing.

“That is certainly possible if Your Highness wishes it…… but did you not bring maids from the imperial palace?”

“I did, but……”

Ines let her words trail off.

Those maids had all been placed there by the Emperor. And one of them, Lena Orso, who had spent the past two weeks relentlessly trying to win Ines’s favor, made her skin crawl just to look at.

The one who had stolen the Grand Duchess’s seal Ines used and stamped it on documents for distributing rebel supplies. The one who had leaked Killian’s schedule. The one who had informed the Emperor of Ines’s pregnancy.

All of it had been the work of the Emperor’s maid, Lena Orso.

Ines swallowed down the nausea rising in her throat again and tried to come up with a suitable excuse.

But she quickly found she did not need one.

“I’ll let Marisa know. The maids who came with you will be placed somewhere appropriate, so there is no need to worry.”

The added reassurance that she need not worry suggested that Killian had read between the lines of what Ines had not said. That she was uncomfortable with the maids she had brought from the imperial palace.

Ines considered saying it was not necessary, then stopped herself. It was obvious that the “somewhere appropriate” he meant was a place where Ines would not encounter them often, and that was exactly what she wanted.

“……Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it. It is not a difficult request.”

Even for the clumsy thanks she had fumbled out after hesitating, Killian left a kind reply.

Ines looked into his eyes, then with some effort pulled her gaze away.

“I’ll take my leave now. Please rest well.”

“……I hope you rest well too, Grand Duke.”

Killian gave a low laugh at her words, then left the room.

Click.

The sound of the door closing lingered in her ears for an unusually long time.

Ines stared at the closed door for a while, then slowly let out a breath. After a few deep breaths like that, the reality of it finally began to sink in properly.

‘……Killian.’

Until just a moment ago, she had been face to face with him, talking with him.

The warmth that had touched her hand. His voice curling around her ears. The sapphire of his eyes imprinted on her retinas.

It had truly been him.

The man she had loved…… and still loved, unchanged.

Killian Rupert.

“Ah……”

Ines pressed her hand over her mouth without thinking. Without it, she felt she would burst into sobs calling his name right then and there.

‘Killian……’

She staggered a few steps and crumpled to the floor, burying her face in her hands.

Tears fell without a sound, running down the backs of her hands.

Ines pounded at her chest again and again, forcing down the sobs clawing their way up her throat. Seeing Killian alive had brought back the image of him dying in her arms.

“Ugh……”

In the end, a very faint whimper slipped through her clenched teeth.

She wept without end, until a knock at the door finally came, and she never knew.

That it was only several minutes after her tears broke that the presence lingering on the second floor quietly disappeared.

Knock knock.

At the sudden knock, Ines’s shoulders gave a startled jolt.

“Your Highness, It is Marisa, the head maid.”

“Ah……”

It seemed Killian had already spoken to Marisa. Ines got to her feet immediately and used her sleeve to wipe her wet face.

“Just a…… ahem. Just a moment.”

She cleared her throat and checked her reflection in the mirror that happened to be sitting on the side table.

‘……Is it noticeable?’

It was not so obviously the face of someone who had been crying, but up close, the redness around her eyes and the flush on her cheeks were enough to raise suspicion.

There was no time to wash her face, and nothing to hide it with. In the end, Ines exhaled and opened the door.

Marisa looked mildly surprised that Ines had come to the door herself, then smoothly dropped her gaze.

“I apologize if I’ve disturbed your rest.”

“It’s fine.”

Marisa did not pad her words and got straight to the point.

“I was told you wished for a personal maid from the castle staff, so I’ve brought a suitable girl. Cecile, come here.”

Marisa gestured to the side, and someone appeared from around the corner where the wall had blocked the view.

For a moment, Ines’s eyes went wide.

Marisa, who had not noticed, introduced the girl standing beside her.

“This is Cecile. She has only just come of age, but she is sharp and capable, and will serve Your Highness without any shortcoming.”

Cecile clasped her hands politely and bowed.

“I greet Your Highness. My name is Cecile.”

Cecile. A commoner girl with no family name.

Just as she knew Ivan and Marisa, Ines knew this girl too.

‘Um, Your Grace. Would it be all right if I did your hair today?’

‘I thought you mentioned liking this before……’

A maid with auburn hair and freckles who had been unusually devoted to her.

In the past, starved for affection, Ines had been taken in by Lena Orso’s fawning manner and leaned on her more than any other maid. And like a fool, she had kept her distance from Cecile, whom Lena disliked, never knowing that the one she should have been wary of was Lena Orso, placed there by the Emperor.

Even so, Cecile had been unusually devoted to Ines, and like Ivan and Marisa, she had given her life to protect her in the final moments.

‘That Lena, that, cough, wretched woman…… ah, I’m sorry, my lady…… my mouth is a bit rough……’

‘Ce, Cecile, wait…… the blood, there’s too much blood……’

‘Ha ha, I’m fine. Heh…… you know, when I was young, I used to dream of being a knight……’

‘……Why did you do it. Why did you get hurt in my place, for someone like me……!’

‘Mm…… the truth is…… from the very first time I saw you, my lady, heh, I wanted to serve you. ……I’ve finally fulfilled that dream……’

Ines swallowed the heaviness rising in her throat as though pressing it back down, and opened her mouth slowly.

“I am Ines Delcarion. I look forward to working with you, Cecile.”

At the warmth in her voice, Cecile blinked a couple of times.

“……Yes!”

The girl answered with shy energy, and the smile that dimpled her cheeks was unusually round.

Marisa seemed relieved at the apparent approval.

“Then I will take my leave. Please do not hesitate to call if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Marisa.”

“……Think nothing of it.”

Marisa paused almost imperceptibly, then turned and left.

After she was gone, Ines invited Cecile inside.

“Come in.”

Cecile followed Ines in with quick, tidy movements that were brisk without being fussy, her eyes darting around curiously. Her lips were moving slightly, as though she had something she wanted to say but was finding it difficult to bring up.

Ines did not ask if she had something to say, not wanting to put pressure on her.

“Cecile.”

“Yes, yes!”

Cecile’s shoulders shot up with a startled jump.

“I’m sorry……”

Whether she was embarrassed by her own dramatic reaction or by the sudden loud noise she had made, Cecile’s cheeks flushed tomato red.

Ines smiled faintly at that.

“You don’t need to apologize for something like that.”

“……Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Good. Before changing, I’d like to have a bath. Would you mind preparing one?”

Cecile, who had been stiff with embarrassment and nerves, settled down the moment she had something to do.

“Of course! Would you wait just a moment? I’ll have it ready for you right away!”

The room assigned to Ines had a sitting room, bedroom, and bathroom all fully equipped.

While Cecile busied herself drawing the bath, Ines sat on the sofa and waited.

After a little while, Cecile poked her head out from the bathroom’s direction with her sleeves rolled up.

“Your Highness, Is there any particular scent you like or dislike?”

“A scent……”

For a moment, a rich, sweet fragrance seemed to tease at her senses. Ines kept her expression composed and smiled steadily.