Daphne shook her head.

“No. I’m just curious what you’re trying to achieve by doing such things to your niece.”

There was a hint of reproach in her voice.

“Now, now……”

He patted her shoulder as if telling her to calm down.

“Didn’t the Emperor tell you?”

“I haven’t had a chance for an audience.”

Kartun then asked in a rather serious tone.

“Do you remember the man Werner planted to guard the Emperor’s bedroom?”

Daphne nodded. She recalled the incident with the man who had criticized her for following the Emperor into her bedroom located in the emergency passage on the day she had bathed the Emperor.

“He tried to kill the Emperor in the middle of the night.”

Daphne asked Kartun.

“Was he also enchanted by a magic stone?”

He nodded and continued his explanation.

“Around that time, the number of times the magic stone reacted to food and water also increased. Someone is targeting the Emperor’s life. It’s always been that way, but this is the first time they’ve been so aggressive. So I’m protecting the Emperor with stronger magical power. Even if there are enchanted people, it would be difficult for them to harm the Emperor who is surrounded by something more powerful.”

“Difficult means……”

“It’s not perfect. That’s why the Emperor is favorable to me, the owner of the magic stone. I can’t help that.”

Outwardly, Daphne nodded, but inwardly, she decided to verify this information before believing it. She was about to ask if Werner knew about this but stopped herself.

It was clear that the Emperor’s safety had now passed into Kartun’s hands. She felt relieved, as if a burden—the possibility that she might need to protect the Emperor—had been lifted from her shoulders.

They approached a bench facing the fountain. As usual, Kartun laid down a handkerchief before seating her, then sat down beside her.

For a while, they silently enjoyed the clear sounds from the fountain and the rich fragrance of roses. It was too peaceful.

“This is so comfortable and leisurely. Since returning to the past, this is my first time experiencing such a moment.”

Daphne wanted to savor this perfect moment longer, but she couldn’t delay any further. She wanted to have an honest conversation with him. She felt that now, not only Kartun but she herself could be honest as well.

After a moment, Daphne said seriously.

“Since you told me to feel at ease, I’ll trust only Your Highness and allow myself to misunderstand.”

When Kartun nodded with all humor gone from his face, Daphne asked.

“Did you like me?”

In that instant, his pupils darkened intensely. His golden-brown eyes turned almost black, like darkness that swallows everything.

“Yes.”

He admitted it with such simplicity.

“Didn’t you know? In our previous life, you were the one who shook me to my core.”

“…I sensed it occasionally. And like now, I dismissed it as a misunderstanding and tried to forget it.”

“Why?”

“When even my parents don’t love me, how could someone like me? Besides, Your Highness is a descendant of the hero who saved the continent. That made it even harder to believe.”

Daphne smiled bitterly. Then Kartun asked.

“Is it still the same now?”

She slowly nodded.

“Intellectually, I understand. Others admire my smile, and my status and background are among the finest in the Empire. Anyone with normal desires would naturally like me. But that’s just knowledge—I can’t truly comprehend it.”

Daphne’s voice dropped slightly at the end.

“When I look in the mirror, I don’t see the praised smile, just my ordinary features.”

“You’re far from ordinary.”

“But I’m not an outstanding beauty either.”

“That’s because you’re looking for evidence based on the premise that you’re not.”

“You’re right. It’s not just about appearance. Others think I’m the precious only daughter of a marquis family. I’ve never boasted about it myself, but they just assume. But if they knew I’m still a worthless being who gets beaten by my brothers, who would continue to love me?”

She tried to insist that Fabian would, but her self-protective side retorted that what would a snot-nosed little brother know?

It scolded her, saying that when he grows up, he’ll be no different from Zenos or Ludwig, and she should come to her senses.

“That’s why even when Your Highness looked at me intensely, I thought it was just the feeling one has for a comrade.”

“A comrade? I’ve never looked at any of my knights that way. If I had, they would have drawn their swords first.”

“When I’m near monsters, I make them docile. That reduces casualties in battle, so I thought you appreciated that……”

Daphne eventually trailed off under his intense gaze.

Kartun spoke in a somewhat subdued voice.

“You were the only one for whom I personally prepared a place to lie down every time we camped. How did you interpret that?”

“Because I was the weakest in the knight order?”

“Your judgment is too skewed. Have you ever considered that there might be a problem with your judgment?”

Daphne deepened her voice to mimic him.

“I’m taking care of you because your grumbling is annoying. Next time, do it yourself!”

“Did I really say that?”

“Yes, though your face turned slightly red……”

As if just remembering, Kartun rubbed his face with his hand.

“When someone’s gestures and words contradict, it’s easier to believe the negative interpretation. That way, I won’t be disappointed.”

“Losing you in my previous life was my own doing, then.”

“Yes, it was.”

The conversation paused briefly.

Daphne felt somewhat mollified by his ready admission.

“The Emperor is right. The more I listen, the more irritating it is.”

In contrast, Kartun seemed annoyed with himself and pointlessly picked a quarrel with the fountain. Daphne looked at him with a subtle smile.

Would he know that when she first met him, she was stunned by how handsome he was?

He was surprisingly oblivious and probably didn’t realize it. He thought women were flustered around him because they were afraid.

‘You probably don’t know that I liked you too?’

Abandoned by Leonhardt and with her family ruined, she had ultimately been sold as a bride. With her self-esteem at rock bottom due to these circumstances, she couldn’t dare reveal her admiration for him.

She feared he would find it unpleasant if he knew.

‘So I kept it deeply hidden……”

In her previous life, if she had spoken this honestly, perhaps she wouldn’t have fallen to her death from that cliff.

The joy of knowing her love hadn’t been one-sided outweighed any regret.

So she decided to ease his remorse a little.

“Even if Your Highness had confessed to me, I wouldn’t have accepted.”

“Did you hate me?”

Daphne pursed her lips and fidgeted, as if hesitating over which words to choose. Kartun, watching this, looked like a defendant awaiting the judge’s verdict, though Daphne didn’t realize it.

“Romance requires some leisure to pursue.”

“Hey, we were married then.”

“It was an alliance formed to defeat the monsters. It was just disguised as marriage so the Empire wouldn’t be suspicious.”

At that time, the grand duchy had hit rock bottom after years of fighting monsters. Therefore, they had no choice but to be mindful of the noble faction that had the Emperor in their grasp.

They were almost obsessively wary of Kartun, fearing he might use the monsters to target the Empire.

So they chose a contract marriage. The Empire seemed secretly pleased that a daughter from a ruined family had become the Grand Duchess. Yet they still harbored suspicions and looked for ways to cause trouble.

Thus, the two finished the battle against monsters under the name of husband and wife, and then divorced as originally promised. Daphne believed her departure would also help rebuild the grand duchy.

Recalling that time, Daphne spoke.

“Back then, I couldn’t enjoy happiness just for myself.”

“Because of your mother and younger brother?”

She nodded.

“There were many reasons why I decided to leave the grand duchy. But leaving Your Highness’s side……”

Daphne even took a slight deep breath. It seemed that was the only way she could reveal a truth she herself had long denied. Kartun, waiting, swallowed visibly.

“…it really hurt.”

After speaking honestly, her heart, which had been pounding as if about to burst, gradually calmed. Even confessing past emotions had been so frightening. But it felt refreshing.

“Your Highness was consistent. You never looked down on me for being from a ruined family……”

“Don’t tell me you liked me just for that?”

“I faced a lot of discrimination back then. Do you know how many people derive a base pleasure from mistreating someone who once held high status?”

“Make a list. Don’t leave out a single one.”

“Will you scold them?”

“Your husband is rich and strong. And he loves his wife.”

The word “love” made her heart sting. But Daphne didn’t show it.

“What an excessive blessing. Ah, that’s reassuring.”

Kartun laughed heartily.