Returning to the princess’s palace, Laurencia urgently searched for Ashar first.

But he was nowhere to be seen—wherever he’d gone.

Chewing her lips anxiously while pacing in place, she heard the door open shortly after.

Quickly turning her head and waiting briefly, Emily entered demurely and bowed her head.

“Your Highness, what would you like prepared for dessert—”

“Ashar? Have you seen Ashar?”

Laurencia cut off the maid’s unexpected question about dessert and hurried toward Emily.

Seemingly startled, she hunched her body and reported in a small voice.

“Ah, I did see him heading toward the forest earlier…”

“The forest?”

“Yes. The forest behind the palace.”

Laurencia narrowed her brow, stared into space for a moment, then hurriedly left the room.

Throwing dignity and everything else aside, she walked down the corridor almost at a run when she spotted Ashar just entering the palace.

When their eyes met, he hesitated.

His dark expression suggested something had happened.

When Laurencia completely stopped her hurried steps, his momentarily slowed pace quickened instead.

Soon the approaching man asked casually, like nothing was wrong.

“You’ve returned?”

“Where were you?”

“I went for a walk.”

“Ha! How carefree of you.”

At the clearly barbed tone, Ashar’s brow furrowed slightly.

Gazing at Laurencia quietly, seemingly gauging the reason, he suddenly extended his hand.

“Let’s go.”

Staring blankly at the man’s hand she’d held countless times these past few days, she suddenly turned around.

In front of the bedroom door stood two helmeted knights, staring straight ahead.

Turning her gaze back, Laurencia asked in a low voice.

“Are they your men too?”

Sensing something immediately off about her behavior, Ashar gazed at the knights and answered quietly.

“No. They’re that man’s knights.”

At those words, Laurencia’s eyebrows twitched.

They were His Majesty’s knights, not Jedrian’s knights.

Yet at him calling them that man’s knights so naturally, anger flared up.

“Did something happen?”

Ashar’s expression remained dark as he asked carefully. At the man’s atmosphere, clearly different from usual, she narrowed her eyes and twisted her lips as she asked back.

“Seems like something happened to you.”

“What could happen to me? Who would even care about the princess’s mere lover?”

At the clearly pointed words, her eyes narrowed further.

Not knowing why he was suddenly acting this way, Laurencia quietly tried to guess his thoughts when a sudden idea made her ask, just in case.

“Did you see?”

“See what?”

“Never mind if you don’t know.”

“Ah… You mean dancing wrapped in each other’s arms with the man who could have been your husband? Whispering in each other’s ears and laughing like you’d become lovers?”

At Ashar’s expression, beyond sarcastic and seemingly angry, a hollow laugh soon burst from her slightly parted lips.

“Ha! What’s this? Anyone watching would think you’re jealous.”

“Jealous? Are we in that kind of relationship?”

At the nerve-grating words, the smile immediately vanished from her face.

Only then feeling his words had been harsh, Ashar subtly averted his gaze.

But irritation he couldn’t hide still lingered on his face.

Because he found himself ridiculous for acting like a child.

Quietly glaring at that face, she suddenly placed her fingertips on Ashar’s hand floating in the air.

“I think I need a walk too.”

Ashar gazed at her again, then soon asked with a curious expression.

“Where shall I escort you?”

“I’ll guide us today. Though I’d prefer no one following.”

As he briefly gauged the meaning of Laurencia’s words, emotions he couldn’t hide instantly seeped into his eyes.

Quickly turning around, he firmly grasped the pale hand and headed toward the palace entrance.

When the knights inevitably tried to follow, Ashar, who’d quickly changed his expression, spoke with a quite amiable look.

“You don’t need to come. We’re just taking a brief walk nearby. Ah, I’ll have dinner prepared, so please guard our princess’s palace well in the meantime.”

At those words, the knights who’d been looking at each other soon nodded.

He seemed to have won them over quite well.

But Laurencia somehow disliked this uncharacteristic servile appearance.

Because that sight somehow resembled her own self being manipulated this way and that by Jedrian.

Soon turning around, Ashar changed his expression immediately and asked in a small voice.

“Tell me the direction.”

“Adel Palace.”

The moment the words fell, he set the direction.

Seeing the man who knew precisely the location of a palace long vacant, she felt anew that he was a spy.

The more she thought about this situation—holding such a man’s hand and leisurely going for a walk—the more absurd it seemed, making hollow laughs keep escaping.

Most of all, it was even more ridiculous that this wasn’t just a walk but a path to enjoy a secret tryst.

Nevertheless, the increasingly quickening steps showed no intention of stopping.

Right now, there was only one thought.

That she must have the man before her.

However, there were various reasons for this insane desire surging up.

Wanting to heal the wounds inflicted on her own body by the double-edged sword she’d prepared.

Wanting to deceive Ashar, who might have deceived her, in return.

Wanting to rebel even like this against Jedrian’s obsession that still tried to control her.

Among them, the most honest feeling was to avoid lingering attachment to this dangerous yet satisfying transgression that would soon end.

Laurencia quietly looked at the man she would soon discard.

Though she could guess Ashar’s true identity, she decided not to ask.

Because even if she pressed him about why he wasn’t revealing it himself, there was nothing she could do to help.

Far from helping, their alliance would soon break, and he would have to leave the imperial palace.

Instead, as compensation for somewhat rebuilding the self-esteem that had crumbled through him, she decided to save Ashar’s life.

Only then would there be no regrets or lingering attachments.

And only then could she see him purely as an enemy without wavering.

The fact that she had to be alone again left a bitter taste, but becoming alone was better than watching him die before her eyes.

If someone died because of her again this time, she felt she truly wouldn’t be able to endure it.

Especially if it was someone she knew.

As soon as they emerged from the forest path, her steps that had been hurrying all along stopped abruptly. Ashar, who stopped along with her, glanced at Laurencia then turned his head where her gaze was directed.

Quite deteriorated but seemingly once quite beautiful, an old castle revealed itself.

Outwardly, it looked gloomy, wrapped messily in ivy vines like ghosts might appear, but the elegant bearing emanating from its overall appearance suggested what kind of person the palace’s owner had been.

Lowering his gaze slightly, sadness and longing were cast over her eyes that always pretended to be haughty and cold.

Her pitiful eyes, seemingly longing for someone, looked somehow heartbreaking.

Watching that quietly, someone he’d tried hard to seal away suddenly came to mind.

The person who cried at the drop of a hat, threw tantrums annoyingly yet made it impossible to take his eyes off them for even a moment.

The person who made his chest ache at any time, thinking only of what he couldn’t do for them.

The person who, pushed by that regret, made him unconsciously show kindness even to the enemy’s daughter.

‘You still grip and shake this older brother.’

Exhaling with a sigh the terrible feeling squeezing his heart again, her now haughty eyes gazed at him.

“Seems we came to the wrong place.”

Just as Ashar was about to ask what she meant, Laurencia turned her gaze again and stated the reason in a cold voice.

“There won’t even be a place to lie down. If the outside looks like this, the inside must be covered entirely in dust.”

Understanding the meaning immediately, Ashar gazed at the old castle.

Then he suddenly pulled her hand.

“Let’s go. How long could it take to clean one room? If there’s no place to lie down, we can just do it standing.”

At the expression that was beyond expl*cit and downright raw, Laurencia’s eyes widened and her cheeks instantly flushed.

Her flustered eyes trembled finely, like she’d forgotten when she’d led him here with lewd thoughts.

Outwardly, it looked like she was being forcibly dragged by a man in heat.

But right now, her heart was pounding.

It was the first time.

That her heart raced looking at Ashar.

And it had been a long time.

Since her heart pounded this much looking at someone.

Laurencia dismissed it as excitement from visiting her mother’s palace after so long.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t take her eyes off the face of the man walking confidently.

Feeling her gaze, Ashar looked straight ahead, hurried his steps, and warned.

“It’s already hard enough to restrain myself, so stop seducing me.”

Worried for a moment that he’d seen through her, Laurencia quickly turned her gaze away and immediately retorted, pretending nonchalance.

“Seems my seduction is working.”

“I told you. There won’t be any bastards who won’t fall for your seduction.”

“Why, does my body tempt you?”

At that moment, he stopped abruptly.

Because of that, her body, which had been walking almost at a run, helplessly buried itself deeply into the man’s firm chest.