When Melissa stroked the child’s hair saying Clara could do anything, Clara’s cheeks turned pink as she snuggled into Melissa’s embrace.

The child must have found her embrace comforting, for she buried her face in Melissa’s chest and remained still for a while, smiling happily, which made Melissa feel fuzzy inside.

“Did you wait long?”

Arthur frowned, seemingly troubled by the complex crowd.

“We should get moving. Here, oh my, this smoke…”

Arthur wiped his cold sweat with a handkerchief and asked while helping Melissa up from where she sat.

“Are you really sure about leaving?”

Really, really?

He looked very worried.

“And not even bringing a single maid with you.”

Melissa nodded quietly with a smile.

“I lived well without maids. For the past 3 years.”

“But you’re not alone anymore…”

As Arthur’s nagging grew longer, Melissa stopped responding. After boarding the carriage parked at the outskirts of the train station and departing, they gradually moved away from the bustling noise.

Even in the carriage, Clara stuck to Melissa’s left arm like caramel and wouldn’t let go. Then suddenly noticing her slightly protruding belly, she teased.

“Melissa, potbelly!”

“Oh, Clara!”

A startled Arthur stood up to cover Clara’s mouth, but Melissa stopped him, saying it was fine. Melissa took the child’s hand to her belly and gently stroked it while saying.

“A baby is growing here.”

After hearing the explanation, Clara’s eyes sparkled and from then on she didn’t want to leave Melissa’s belly.

“Clara, protect. Baby and mama. No go. Market, like… no go.”

“Market?”

Melissa asked, but Clara didn’t answer. The child rested her head on Melissa’s thigh, closed her eyes, and fell into a light sleep. Arthur came over, covered her with a blanket, and said.

“When the child’s mother was pregnant with her second, something went wrong when she went to the market.”

“Ah…”

“I thought she wouldn’t remember since she was so young, but it seems she does remember.”

It was only a 20-minute distance from Glinford station to the port. Though it didn’t seem like much time had passed, already the blue sea was visible beyond the hills outside the window.

Arthur gazed at the distant sea sparkling like jewels in the sunlight as he reminisced.

“Come to think of it, my wife used to go to her parents’ home when she got angry too. That’s how couples are. There are times when you hate each other so much you never want to see them again.”

While stroking the peacefully sleeping Clara’s hair, Melissa quietly asked.

“Even though it wasn’t an arranged marriage?”

“Of course.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows and said, “Rather, the more people have shared emotions or the deeper their relationship, the easier it is to hurt each other. Just like how my wife and I, Clara and I often fight.”

Now the carriage had passed through the low forest path and drawn closer to the sea. A white seagull flew freely past the side of the carriage. Taking this in, Melissa asked with a self-deprecating smile.

“Why… are people like that?”

Arthur answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Because the greater the love, the greater the expectations.”

Expectations…

Melissa thinks she had expectations too.

She thought that being by Reizen’s side would help her find her true self, feel a sense of belonging like others, and gain companions. But actually being there, the walls only grew higher due to class differences.

No matter how hard she tried alone to break down those walls, it wouldn’t work unless the other person matched her pace. Moreover, right now revolution took priority over her for Reizen.

Who knows. Maybe when that man pours out all the revenge and anger in his heart and returns… maybe then he’ll prioritize Melissa more.

But she couldn’t endure the pain for a long time with no promise of when that would be. Moreover, Melissa was too exhausted and weak from just bearing the wounds she’d received in life.

Above all, a child was growing in her womb.

To raise the child well, she needed stability. She wanted to minimize draining emotions by freeing herself from the pain and anxiety stemming from the past.

What she wanted was still a stable life.

She thought it would be nice if she could create such stability herself, even without the Crown Prince’s or grandfather’s protection like when she was young, even if not by Reizen’s side.

Because it was too anxiety-inducing to entrust her life to others.

She needed to be the pilot of her own life.

She had been anxious the whole time, not knowing where the ship would drift when she handed over the helm to others about which direction to go.

In the past, she had lived her whole life dependent on her grandfather, so after he died, she didn’t know how to live. When she was pushed around by Aunt Marita without knowing anything about the world, she couldn’t get her bearings as the world spun like being trapped in a hamster wheel.

So when she was imprisoned in Sorbet under false murder charges, she gave up everything, and after three seasons of marriage to Reizen, she finally came to understand something.

From the start, Reizen couldn’t save her.

The one who needed to save her was herself.

“Well, you can get off now.”

Melissa’s group disembarked at the port and stood before a massive ship. The passenger ship was so large it was amazing that it could float on the sea, bigger than even the five-story mansion in the capital. Melissa recalled the passenger ship blueprints that Reizen had explained to her when she went to the capital before.

It was like a castle moving on the sea, something she couldn’t even imagine from the complex diagrams drawn on parchment.

Moreover, since it was built to carry passengers, its appearance was completely different from cargo ships. The exterior was white, and the interior featured red carpets and striking chandeliers. It looked so incredible that it would be worth exploring the ship if time and energy allowed.

Melissa felt her heart pounding in her chest. Seeing something for the first time in her life brought both excitement and a bit of fear. Noticing Melissa’s gaze, Arthur said proudly.

“Amazing, isn’t it? This passenger ship is why Glinford station is so busy.”

Melissa couldn’t continue speaking.

“Inside, there are balls and parties all night long. We’ve only hired orchestra members who worked for the royal family and top restaurant chefs, so it’s truly paradise.”

Clara pointed at the passenger ship and bragged.

「That’s my daddy’s. I’ll let you ride for free, sister.」

The little girl, chattering excitedly in familiar Tavanian, took Melissa’s hand and led her up the boarding ramp while guiding her.

Boarding the passenger ship with a dazed expression, Melissa looked down at the scene from the deck. She was amazed at how it felt like a different world, having heard not long ago about plans to build a train station and port in Glinford, yet they were already completed.

「I’ll show you my secret spot too!」

Clara tugged at Melissa’s waist while hopping in place. As Melissa turned around, soothing the child with “Okay, okay,” excited about touring the passenger ship…

Familiar faces appeared below the gangway.

They were Selheim’s knights.

* * *

Three days ago, Sys Imperial Year 49, October 30.

The noble alliance army led by Crown Prince Selheim proposed a negotiation, offering to spare the lives of 100 captured capital revolutionary army members if Vincent’s safety was returned.

It was just when Reizen had left the capital to organize revolutionary forces in the provinces.

The revolutionary army leadership remaining in the capital repeatedly agonized over being able to save 100 comrades’ lives in exchange for one Emperor’s life.

“We need to contact the Commander-in-Chief to decide.”

“The Crown Prince said he’d break off negotiations if we don’t decide immediately! They’re not really urgent about the Emperor’s safety right now. If it was truly urgent, they wouldn’t have abandoned him in the first place!”

“But when Reizen arrives…”

“He’s traveling by car, we can’t even contact him – how can we miss this opportunity waiting for who knows when he’ll arrive?”

“Your Lordship is right. Those prisoners could be us – shouldn’t we save our comrades first?”

After arguing heatedly around the round table for a while, the capital revolutionary army finally accepted the Crown Prince’s proposal. And at the place where they brought the Emperor to retrieve their 100 comrades, 198 were shot dead.

Receiving the report, Selheim looked tired but didn’t lose his smile. The man in white uniform nodded, saying well done.

“I told you. Without Reizen, they’re all just idiots with brains full of muscle.”

He drank champagne celebrating his victory.