“I said I’m not allowing it?”

“While I need Your Highness’s permission to help with work, waiting is my freedom.”

Sion’s desk was about 2 meters away from Reizen’s desk. The left side of that desk was also a blind spot where it would be difficult to see faces if books and documents were piled up.

Here, she could be in the same space without interfering with his work. Melissa pulled out a book from nearby and sat elegantly at the desk.

As she tried to open and read a book in a foreign language, she kept feeling his gaze. She deliberately tried to focus only on the text without meeting his eyes.

“…”

But no matter how long she waited, his gaze didn’t leave. Melissa asked, worried that she might be disturbing his work.

“Am I bothering you?”

“No, not at all. Not one bit.”

That was a relief. As long as she wasn’t being a disturbance, waiting shouldn’t be a problem.

Melissa turned her attention back to the book. The library was packed with books from all eras and genres, from old to relatively new ones.

In prison, she had spent time just sitting blankly, but here she could even read books, so it seemed she could pleasantly pass time even for several years.

Meanwhile, more people than expected came and went from the office. Men who looked like knights also stopped by with Whilton and showed surprised expressions.

On their way out after reporting work, voices could be heard from outside the door.

“Why is that woman here? Oof!”

Whilton seemed to have quickly covered the man’s mouth.

“Ah, why! Why should I serve a woman who admitted with her own mouth that she killed David… Oomph!”

The sound echoing in the corridor soon disappeared. But Melissa took in their words completely. Because they were all true.

Rather, she thought it showed remarkable restraint that they didn’t grab her by the collar while knowing she was the culprit. Should she clear her murder charge to stay by Reizen’s side?

‘But the real culprit…’

She pressed her small lips together as Rael’s face came to mind.

If Melissa continued taking the blame like this, Rael would be safe. And consequently, she would be safe too.

But what would happen to that child if the verdict was overturned to say Rael was the real culprit? Melissa knew best how brutal each day in Sorbet could be.

“…”

Though it was vexing that Rael had framed her and kept quiet, she didn’t want to drive her to her death. That would only lead to unnecessary emotional drain.

Besides, to overturn the verdict, an appeal would have to be accepted first, and the process was extremely complicated.

Even if things went well and she stood trial again, there was a high chance she would look like ‘someone who benefited from her husband’ rather than an ‘innocent person.’ Since the disadvantages outweighed the advantages, it was better to leave things be for now.

‘I should do what I can do now.’

Reading books, that is.

Melissa turned her attention back to the book. But then.

“Don’t worry too much about those words.”

Reizen, who had finished signing with his quill pen with a scratching sound, raised his head. Their eyes met.

“I’ll give them a separate warning.”

It was their first conversation since morning, after having lunch at the desk with just sandwiches and working until nearly dinner time.

The fact that it was words spoken out of concern that she might have been hurt made her heart feel fuzzy inside. Her heart tightened. As if someone had wrapped rubber bands tightly around her heart.

Melissa pressed her lips together before releasing them.

“I’m fine. Because it’s all true.”

He asked while taking medicine out of his drawer.

“Don’t you regret it?”

“Regret what?”

“Taking the blame.”

Those words were a question under the clear premise that she wasn’t the culprit.

Melissa spoke while gently lowering her gaze.

“Now I do regret it.”

“But not before.”

“Back then, I just.”

Wanted to die.

Since she had given up on life, she didn’t care what happened. Because back then, her only wish before falling asleep each night was to never wake up again.

Her body hurt more than now, and her mind was hazy.

If she could have held even a small hope, she would have struggled, but when even her sister Rael ignored her, it felt like the whole world wanted Melissa’s death.

A life already thrown away like trash, she was just trying to die when this man was the only one who told her to ‘live.’

Reizen walked slowly toward Melissa who was lost in thought. Finally, the man leaned down with both hands on the assistant’s desk and asked.

“What’s different between then and now?”

“Now…”

She met his eyes and didn’t avoid his gaze. Then she could see her reflection completely in his blue eyes. It was a look of curiosity about her.

“I…”

Melissa answered with a faint smile.

“Being by Your Highness’s side is what’s different.”

Reizen pressed his lips together with a hardened expression. His eyes looking at her grew hazy as if gauging the truth. Then he turned around sharply with a slightly furrowed brow.

“Useless flattery. That won’t make me give you work.”

How disappointing, Melissa murmured as she followed behind him. As they walked through the corridor to go eat dinner, the sunset light came through the window.

Bright light diffused around the man. It was the kind of light that she could never reach no matter how much she had struggled and reached out her hand over the past years.

Following behind the prince, Melissa looked at the trees swaying outside the window. When the trees shook off the snow accumulated on their bodies, green leaves that had been hiding in between were revealed. The snow was melting and spring was coming.

Melissa loved this spring.

***

Reizen felt like he was going crazy.

After downing the entire bottle of medicine that Emerson had told him to take only three pills a day of, his stomach was churning and his mind was hazy. But without this, he couldn’t endure being in the same space with her.

Now what about the night?

Because he controlled himself well every night, Melissa Grey seemed to be mistaking him for some kind of god.

Perhaps moved by his different behavior from her ex-husbands, she approached first with a face like she was worshipping the world.

“Your Highness, is there anything I can help with?”

It came up to the tip of his tongue to say that staying out of sight would be helping, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Her calm but bright eyes were shining. She looked like she really thought of him as a wonderful husband and was getting her hopes up alone.

It seemed he shouldn’t say anything mean.

Though he clenched his fists while cursing a hundred times inside, the more he did so, the more Reizen felt like he was trash.

“Ha.”

Even when he went out briefly to smoke a cigar, he could see a black head peeking from far away.

The small round thing moving slightly between the curtains somehow seemed a bit cute.

She seemed curious about what he was doing alone outside.

When he deliberately spent a long time outside and came back in, not even one page of her book had been turned.

Rather, it seemed she could read better when he was nearby, as she appeared to read comfortably when he sat in one place for a long time.

What should he really do? With you. With me.

Reizen felt like he was going to lose it.

Would it be better to not share a room at all?

That damn Horrux was making a fuss trying to catch even one fault after getting slapped. If they were caught running away, not only would it be troublesome, but in the worst case, Reizen could lose his position and she could lose her life.

The stakes were too high just to try defying once.

Perhaps this was what the Emperor wanted?

For him to go crazy, that is.

Reizen finished showering with cold water and wrapped a towel around his waist. The Emperor’s servant waiting in front of the door knocked.

“Your Highness, it’s time to go in now.”

He laughed coldly while looking at empty space.

Isn’t it ridiculous? That multiple people were going crazy on schedule just to create the situation the Emperor wanted.

But even such ridiculous things take on different meaning when done by someone with absolute power. Just like how countless lives could be turned upside down depending on where and how much attention he paid.

Vincent was someone who had never been in a low position in his life, never cared about other lives, and only thought he had lived the most painfully.

Why, aren’t there people like that around?

Those who exaggerate small incidents that happen to themselves while indifferently laughing off big incidents that happen to others.

“So. Is she dead?”

Vincent asked while picking dirt from under his nails.

“Your mother, I mean. Is she dead?”

Even now, 15 years later, he couldn’t forget that face that showed not a shred of interest.

It was when his mother’s bones, having fallen to her death from the tower, hadn’t yet grown cold. In front of the twelve-year-old son holding the still-warm urn of ashes, he had muttered.

My nails are too long, I can’t stand it.

“Bring me nail clippers.”