The veil of darkness lifted, and dawn arrived.

From early morning, the imperial palace bustled with activity in preparation for the rain ritual.

With Chardi’s help, Larinne quickly finished her preparations.

“I’ll make you shine brighter than any of the other young ladies today. Though, of course, Lady Larinne is already beautiful.”

Chardi fluttered around in a frenzy, performing tasks that should have been carried out by a personal maid.

Once she had finished ironing the garments Larinne would wear for the ritual, she had to polish the jewelry until it gleamed using a dry cloth. She also carefully applied fragrant oil to Larinne’s hair before brushing it smoothly.

“Chardi, slow down so you don’t hurt yourself.”

“Lady Larinne, you’re the one who mustn’t get hurt today. Understood?”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

Even after hearing her answer several times, Chardi still looked on the verge of tears.

Larinne understood why she reacted that way.

‘Every time the rain ritual was held, I ended up taking the blame in the Emperor’s place.’

One reason Emperor Seidon Varbel kept Larinne as his fiancée was that…

When a famine drags on for too long, people naturally begin to believe that the imperial family has incurred the wrath of the gods.

The Eastern Empire had recently suffered an unusually long famine.

The drought began shortly after Seidon Varbel came to power.

As he was a half-legitimate emperor who had seized the throne by k*lling his half-brother, he naturally became the target of the people’s curses. But what if the emperor’s fiancée was a slave from a defeated nation?

Then the story changed entirely.

Human beings are cunning creatures.

Rather than resenting the powerful figure holding the leash around their necks, they instinctively shift the blame onto someone weaker, someone closer to their own level.

Larinne became a very useful and convenient scapegoat.

“It’ll really be fine.”

“But every time after the rain ritual, you end up bedridden with fever. And today your complexion doesn’t look good either. Did you have another nightmare?”

“I just… couldn’t sleep very well.”

She could not possibly bring herself to mention what had happened the previous night.

How could she say that she had stayed awake worrying whether the envoy from the Kingdom of Lirmen might send a letter of thanks?

Chardi might ask, “Why would you send a letter to a foreign envoy?”

And then Larinne would have to confess, “Well, I sent him a gift yesterday. Through Horus.”

If that happened…

Chardi, with her tender young sensibilities, would probably scream and start jumping up and down.

Just imagining it made her head ache.

“There will be many guests visiting for the rain ritual.”

When Larinne offered that as a convenient excuse, Horus circled above her head and chirped brightly.

Chirp, chirp.

For some reason, it felt as though the hawk was teasing her.

Feeling oddly embarrassed, she rummaged through the jewelry box Chardi had brought.

“This one is too extravagant. Is there something a little more modest?”

“Of course. Most of these were chosen to suit your preference for simplicity anyway.”

Watching Chardi bring out another piece without the slightest suspicion, Larinne quietly let out a sigh of relief.

‘Honestly, what a foolish thing this is.’

She looked at her reflection in the mirror and ran her hand over her face.

Why did thoughts of that man keep appearing so suddenly?

She was afraid that someone might somehow peer into her mind.

‘This isn’t the time for that. What matters now is Pellet.’

While Chardi went to the dressing room to fetch her shoes, Larinne took out the letter she had prepared in advance from the small drawer.

“Horus.”

The clever bird immediately recognized her voice and flew to her shoulder.

“Could you deliver this to Joan at Pellet’s base once the sun sets today?”

Chirp.

As if the task were trivial, Horus puffed out his chest and spread his wings proudly.

Fortunately, his leg had healed sufficiently for him to deliver the message easily.

Nevertheless, she could not help worrying.

“Be careful not to get hurt. And if you see anyone suspicious, try to avoid them.”

Chirp, chirp.

“Horus, it’s not that I don’t trust you. I just have a bad feeling.”

Larinne gently stroked Horus’s head. The hawk whined and rubbed its cheek against her neck.

The escape she had been planning with Pellet was an extremely important operation.

However, the most important thing of all was that nobody got hurt.

“If things seem dangerous, don’t push yourself. Just come back.”

Emphasizing safety again, she carefully tied the letter meant for Pellet to Horus’s leg.

“Since you’ll have to stand all day today, it would be better to wear shoes without heels.”

Chardi, who had picked out a pair of comfortable shoes, suddenly lowered her voice as though something had just occurred to her.

“Oh! Come to think of it, that person will be here today.”

“Who?”

“Marchioness Lily—the terror.”

Chardi’s exaggeratedly playful expression made Larinne burst into a small laugh.

The maid’s attempt to ease her tension had worked.

“Where on earth did you learn such a strange nickname?”

“It’s already spread among the maids for no reason. Hardly any of the maids haven’t been scolded by her. You could probably count those who haven’t on one hand.”

Chardi chattered excitedly as she put on Larinne’s shoes.

“If even one thing is out of line with etiquette, she scolds people mercilessly.”

“She may be strict, but she isn’t a bad person.”

“Even so. When I sleep, I don’t even point my feet toward the direction of her bedroom.”

Larinne used to be like that, too.

Ten years ago, that is.

When she first arrived at the East Palace as a maid, she was so scared of the Crown Prince that she didn’t dare look in the direction of his residence.

Sometimes, when she looked at Chardi, she saw a reflection of her former self.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Chardi, who had been organizing the jewelry, flinched.

“Ah! Just like they say—speak of the jackal and it appears.”

“Stop joking and go see who it is.”

Larinne spoke calmly, but she was tense, too.

Just as Chardi had said, Marchioness Lily was not someone you could feel entirely comfortable around.

As you would expect of a family that has produced imperial etiquette instructors for generations, she had an unapproachable air about her.

‘Is she here to ask about the order of entrance for the rain ritual? Or about the conduct I must follow?’

Although she had been taught repeatedly over the past two months, Larinne ran through everything in her mind just in case.

She had to enter one step behind His Majesty.

Everything that occurred during the rain ritual was an offering to the gods, so she could not leave her designated position under any circumstances.

‘What else was there…?’

As a major ceremony approached, the Marchioness of Lily would always visit to test Larinne.

The results were reported directly to Seidon, so Larinne had to answer correctly every time.

Larinne was quietly reciting the rules to herself when Chardi hurried back into the room.

“The Marchioness?”

“L-Lady Larinne… it isn’t Marchioness Lily. It’s someone else.”

“Who is it?”

Could it be Duke Libehi Winterd?

Larinne stood up straight and turned towards the door.

What should she say first?

Should she ask if he had slept well last night?

Or should she tell him that the gift was simply something she thought he would like, and that he shouldn’t feel obliged?

No matter what she said, it felt like it would be awkward. She would have to get her expression under control first.

While she was doing so in the full-length mirror, the door suddenly burst open and a visitor strode inside.

Unfortunately, it was not the person she had been waiting for.

‘…Disappointed?’

Pushing aside the useless thought, she looked toward William as he entered the room.

“D*mn it. Do I look like I’m going to eat someone? Why are you making me stand outside like that?”

He stormed in noisily with crude language, causing Chardi to shrink back nervously.

“Chardi, it’s alright. You can go.”

Larinne gestured reassuringly towards the hesitant maid.

Chardi finally left, albeit reluctantly, leaving only Larinne and William behind.

Silence filled the room.

Instead of speaking, William looked around the room as though searching for something.

In the end, Larinne was the first to break the silence.

“I thought you left as if you never intended to see me again. What brings you here?”

“Have you gotten yourself a man lately?”

For a brief moment, a certain face flashed across her mind, making her pause but she quickly regained her composure.

“What kind of strange question is that all of a sudden?”

“No reason. I just heard people saying you’ve been going around with some man lately.”

…Someone had seen her with Duke Libehi Winterd?

Larinne naturally recalled that night when she had smuggled out the supplies.

The night in the white reed field when they had shared their first kiss until the morning sun rose.

‘Did someone happen to pass by and see us?’

However, Larinne was completely wrapped up in the shawl that Libehi Winterd had given her.

The same was true when she returned to the palace at dawn.

In fact, hadn’t that very incident led to the rumor that he ‘enjoyed men’?

‘Right. Calm down. He’s probably just testing my reaction.’

Larinne took a small breath and calmly sat down in the chair.

She could feel William’s gaze following her movement.

“Since when did you start believing ridiculous rumors like that?”

“You should be afraid of rumors. You’re going to become Empress soon.”

“William. Do you truly want me to become Empress?”

William’s brow twisted sharply, as if he had just heard something unbelievably foolish.

“Is that even a question? Do you have any idea what I’ve done all this time to make you Empress?”

“I never said I wanted to become Empress.”

“Larinne. Shut your mouth! You have to become Empress. Only then can we force those nobles who treated us like less than human to kneel. Do you understand?”

He sounded as though he intended to remain in the Eastern Empire.

‘Did he forget the promise we made to escape together?’

She desperately hoped her fears were unfounded.

“William. If I give up the position of Empress…”

“For heaven’s sake, instead of wasting time on nonsense like that, read another book. That Empress manual — or whatever it’s called. You can’t afford to appear ignorant. You must raise the profile of our Lemen people here in the Eastern Empire.”

In that moment, she realized something.

William had truly broken his promise.

Larinne clenched her trembling fingers and moved her lips slightly.

“…Did you forget the promise we made with Pellet?”

“Why do you care about those old people? They’ve lived long enough. I’ll deal with them myself, so you just focus on becoming the greatest Empress and raising the authority of our Lemen people.”

In William, she saw the shadow of her fiancé.

‘So you’re the same. You see me as nothing more than a tool.’

In the way William looked at Larinne, she could read his ambition.

He intended to use her to satisfy his hunger for power.

“So take good care of yourself. Your coming-of-age ceremony isn’t far away.”

William grabbed Larinne’s wrist.

“Don’t let pointless rumors spread and anger His Majesty, ruining everything.”

Perhaps because it was a hand accustomed to gripping a sword, his grip was strong.

“Let go.”

Even when Larinne tried to twist her arm free, he showed no sign of letting go.

In fact, he tightened his grip even further.

Just as she was about to scream, Chardi burst through the door and ran in.

“Lady Larinne! Duke Winterd has arrived!”

It sounded like the blast of a trumpet of salvation.