“Thanks to this, I’ll be returning to my territory after a long time.”

After the wedding, the man in the carriage stretched his stiff body and leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed.

Melissa, who had changed into a dress and wore a large feathered hat, quietly observed Reizen.

Feeling her gaze, the man turned his head. Melissa quickly lowered her chin to avoid his eyes.

“The territory I received three years ago is a rural village that Countess Miellin used to manage. She lived long after her husband died early. Though she had no talent for managing territory and made quite a mess of it.”

Reizen rested his chin on his hand with an indifferent expression, looking at Melissa who sat with her hands tightly clasped, still appearing tense.

His deeply double-lidded eyes stared at her.

“You should understand by now. My castle is unremarkable and quite far. We’ll be riding in the same carriage for a long time, so try to relax a bit.”

Was he deliberately making conversation to help her relax?

‘Why is he being so nice to me?’

She was a murderer who killed his friend. No, even if he didn’t believe the investigation results, there was no need to be this nice to her. It was excessive kindness.

“…”

Excessive kindness usually comes with a price. What does this man want? Melissa nervously swallowed hard.

Regardless, Reizen crossed his thick arms, but seeming uncomfortable as they kept coming undone, he propped his head against the window with one arm and fell asleep.

‘Isn’t he afraid I might harm him? The marriage vow doesn’t completely prevent harm.’

How could he sleep in such a defenseless position?

Melissa pressed her lips together tightly and sat stiffly, trying not to move. She was worried any suspicious movement might make him doubt her.

But no matter how hard she tried, it meant nothing once the carriage entered the bumpy forest path.

Thump!

As the carriage wheel hit a rock, Melissa’s light body bounced up into the air.

Though it was just for an instant, Reizen’s eyes snapped open. He quickly grabbed Melissa’s shoulders as she was about to fall forward.

Thanks to him, she didn’t hit her head and break her nose, but she had a seizure from the shock.

“Ah!”

Startled severely, she pushed away his hands and moved her hips backward.

Seeing her turn pale white like she’d encountered a molester, unable to even scream properly, Reizen’s blue eyes grew cold.

“Ah…”

Had she perhaps offended the prince?

Melissa clutched her fragile shoulders, trembling and gasping for breath as she tried to read his mood.

“This is why I can’t trust you.”

Reizen threw out the curt comment. The carriage stopped and the coachman and knights came running.

“Your Highness! Are you alright?”

“Just fine.”

He answered carelessly while glancing sideways at Melissa from his position leaning against the window.

“But it seems our new bride is having difficulties.”

Hilton, whose head was shaved like a chestnut, scratched his crown awkwardly.

“This is troublesome. We still have two hours until we arrive at the reserved lodging.”

They had been moving carefully, trying to avoid attention by hiding among other nobles’ carriages.

People in the streets near the capital already knew their faces from the newspapers.

It would be wiser to rest somewhere safe further away rather than stopping now.

Despite breaking into a cold sweat, Melissa straightened her back and spoke calmly.

“I’m fine, so we should continue to the reserved lodging for Your Highness’s safety.”

At that, the gazes of Reizen and Sir Hilton standing outside the carriage immediately focused on her.

Especially Sir Hilton, who blinked with eyes as round as if he’d seen a ghost.

Reizen spoke sarcastically, saying what Hilton wanted to say.

“You can… speak? And quite properly at that.”

As he raised one eyebrow and looked at her intimidatingly, it was unbearable for Melissa.

Biting her small lips and turning her head, she quietly retorted.

“I believe I greeted you in front of the temple as well.”

Though she received no response.

He was the man who had openly ignored her greeting in front of many nobles.

She thought he couldn’t possibly like her, and kept her mouth shut since there was no need for conversation.

She lowered her chin as she recalled the bitter memory from that morning.

The pitiful sight of her made the coachman and Hilton unable to look away.

“Then why didn’t you answer my earlier comment?”

What she thought would pass became prolonged. She was a bit flustered by Reizen’s persistent questioning.

“I’m not sure… what you’re referring to.”

“About Countess Miellin.”

“Countess Miellin…”

She couldn’t continue speaking.

The Countess had been her dance teacher. Having lost her husband early, she lived in the capital teaching dance during social seasons to care for her poor territory.

The aging teacher with a strict impression and pointed chin gradually became hard of hearing, causing her fan beats to be half a beat late when keeping time.

It was understandable that Reizen, who received his title and officially entered the imperial palace 3 years ago, wouldn’t know this.

“Silent again. Hey. Do you know what story the new bride tells best in the world?”

Reizen asked the coachman who was still watching Melissa from outside.

When the coachman shook his head, he said jokingly.

“The story of killing my friend. That’s the only thing she repeats well.”

The atmosphere instantly turned cold. It was a joke no one could laugh at.

The new bride turned pale white again and trembled, seeing this, Sir Hilton shook his head and shouted.

“His Highness says we should depart quickly! Come on, let’s move!”

***

In the Sys Empire, princes were toxic existences.

Once the Crown Prince was appointed, the remaining princes would often disappear or be purged without a trace, and cases like Reizen being called in and granted a title three years ago were extremely rare.

It was the same year Melissa’s life had turned upside down.

Like any other peaceful afternoon, while drinking tea and walking in the garden, imperial soldiers burst in.

Melissa and the maids, standing in the garden with blue umbrellas decorated with lace and embroidery, were arrested on the spot.

“It’s Duke Grey’s young lady! Watch her especially carefully!”

She could tell something had gone wrong, but what about grandfather? Rael? What happened to all the servants?

Such a solid family crumbling overnight was rare even in imperial history.

At first, she thought it was a dream, and after realizing it was reality, she became consumed with thoughts of survival.

Her grandfather was found dead by the river. They couldn’t even tell who had killed him.

“Is this Duke Grey?”

When the investigator asked, she couldn’t make a sound. The corpse smelled as foul as rotten meat.

How much hatred must they have had to butcher someone like this? It didn’t seem like the work of just one or two people.

“My lady! My lady…”

Countess Miellin held Melissa as she fainted.

At that time, all the factions that protected or pitied Melissa met similar fates.

Even Countess Miellin, who had lived long, had her territory confiscated and died under torture then. It was still a past deeply connected to her.

“Haa.”

Just thinking about it made it hard to breathe.

When they arrived at Miellin’s territory, the cold air sharply pierced her nostrils.

It was early morning. The castle they reached after two days of carriage travel was brightly lit from dawn as the sun hadn’t risen yet.

Between the tall cypress trees, scattered streetlamps shone dimly like stars.

A few yellow bulbs flickering steadily like singing seemed to be at the end of their life.

If she were to say that made the castle’s dreamlike atmosphere more beautiful, would this man believe her?

“We’ve arrived.”

When the servant opened the door, Reizen got out first and extended his hand. Though it was a gentlemanly gesture, she hesitated to take it.

‘Should I take his hand?’

When Melissa hesitated, Reizen sighed and smiled slightly before lowering his hand.

“You probably didn’t want an escort. Forget what just happened.”

How could she forget what she had seen?