Outside the window, darkness had already blanketed the sky, and the slowly rising moon cast a faint glow. The soft sound of Rosana’s steady breathing filled the room, breaking the silence.  

Jade glanced over and confirmed that she had fallen into a deep sleep. A gentle smile crossed his lips as he carefully wrapped his arms around her. Having held her close for so long, lifting her felt effortless. He laid her gently on the bed and pulled the covers over her.  

“Sweet dreams,” he whispered, placing a tender goodnight kiss on her forehead before quietly leaving the room.  

As he stepped outside, he found Baron kneeling on the floor like a guilty man awaiting judgment. The moment Baron saw Jade, he opened his mouth to call out, “Your Majesty!” but quickly closed it when Jade raised a finger to his lips.  

“Quiet. Rosana’s sleeping,” Jade said, lowering his voice deliberately.  

Baron bowed his head. “I apologize for failing to prevent this beforehand.”  

“It was Rosana’s choice,” Jade replied. “She wanted to face it alone and with dignity.”  

It would have been a lie to say he wasn’t angry at Baron, but this was the outcome Rosana had chosen for herself.  

“In the end, it worked out well,” Jade continued, his tone calm.  

She had faced the person who embodied her deepest fears and the source of her pain. He recalled her pale, trembling hands clutching his collar, silently pleading with him to stay.  

“Malek insisted I shouldn’t intervene, so I tried to let it go… but I can’t anymore.”  

Jade’s expression darkened. He had wanted to station knights in the palace to monitor their every move, ensuring Rosana’s safety. That would have been the most secure option. 

However, Malek had strongly opposed the idea, arguing it would be too obvious. In the end, Jade had settled for reinforcing Rosana’s personal security instead.  

But even that precaution had failed. He couldn’t restrict Rosana’s actions, but this incident had made it clear that treating certain individuals as mere guests was no longer an option.  

“After what happened today, they’re not to approach Rosana again,” Jade said, his voice flat but laced with a quiet intensity. The murderous aura emanating from him betrayed the fury simmering just beneath the surface.  

“And they won’t leave the palace either. They’ll remain here until the day of the wedding ceremony, and only then will they be allowed to attend.”  

Baron lowered his head further. “I understand, Your Majesty.”  

Jade’s voice turned cold. 

“Anyone who disrespects my wife has no right to my protection.”  

* * *

Amy’s thoughts were in turmoil. Everything felt strange—her sister, her mother, everything.  

“She’s changed so much,” Amy murmured.  

“Who are you talking about?” her maid asked.  

“My sister.”  

“She was exactly the same! Didn’t you see the venom in her eyes?”  

“But she was never like that with Mother…”  

Rosana had always obeyed their mother’s every word. That’s why yesterday had been so shocking. Amy’s heart still raced just thinking about it. She glanced down at her bandaged hand, her thoughts drifting back to Rosana, who had suddenly collapsed.  

“I wonder if my sister is okay…”  

“Miss, you don’t need to worry about her. You’re the one who got hurt. Are you sure you don’t need to call the palace physician?”  

Amy shook her head. “No, I showed you yesterday. It’s just a small cut. It won’t leave a scar, and it doesn’t even hurt anymore.”  

“Thank goodness. But still, I don’t understand why Lady Rosana caused such a mess by not handling the dagger properly.”  

“Sister apologized, didn’t she?”  

“She also rejected the gift. Lady Rosana is so cold.”  

Even as the maid huffed in frustration, unable to hide her anger, Amy remained quiet. 

The maid muttered that they should never have gotten involved with Rosana and that she wished they could return to Astrot as soon as possible.  

“The Emperor of Diovaha is terrifying, but he seems kind to my sister,” Amy said quietly.  

The maid’s expression darkened, her mind clearly recalling the way Jade had glared at them. 

Even though they had apologized and resolved the misunderstanding, his piercing gaze still haunted her. Yet, she also remembered seeing him carry Rosana out in his arms, cradling her like a princess.  

The maid nodded reluctantly, forcing herself to agree despite her reluctance.  

After a moment of contemplation, Amy abruptly stood and left the room.  

“Ah, Miss?” the maid called after her.

“I should go see my sister. Mother hasn’t come out of her room for some reason…”

Amy glanced at the tightly closed room next door. The adjacent room was where the Duchess stayed, and after that commotion, she hadn’t allowed anyone to approach.

Then Amy spotted knights patrolling the corridor in full armor. They were knights she’d never seen before. Moreover, she felt like they were glaring at her sharply as she passed through the corridor. Amy pointed at those knights and asked her escort knight.

“They look unfamiliar… Who are they?”

They weren’t knights from the ducal family, nor were they knights assigned by the Crown Prince. They wore the uniforms of the Diovaha Imperial Knights who had come to meet them at the border. 

The escort couldn’t answer her question. He hesitated like his lips had been sewn shut with thread.

Eventually, the maid quietly whispered in Amy’s ear.

“They’re the Diovaha Imperial Knights. It seems they’re monitoring us because of the commotion.”

“Monitoring? Isn’t that a misunderstanding?”

“Don’t you see those looks? They must have seized on that incident as an excuse.”

Indeed, the pursuing gazes made her feel like a deer being hunted. And the maid’s suspicion soon turned to certainty. The moment Amy showed signs of wanting to leave the palace, a knight appeared from who knows where and blocked her path.

“You cannot leave.”

Cart stood with perfect posture, blocking Amy’s path precisely. Amy thought she’d misheard for a moment.

“Pardon?”

“I said you cannot leave.”

“Why not? I’m going to see my sister…”

Cart’s eyebrows furrowed noticeably. Amy flinched.

“I said you cannot go.”

Immediately, the maid confronted the knight blocking Amy’s path.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Cart watched calmly before introducing himself brazenly.

“My apologies for the late introduction. I’m Cart from the First Imperial Knights. My original duty was to guard Lady Rosana’s palace, but I was urgently dispatched due to an incident.”

“…I’m not asking who you are! I’m asking why you’re blocking the young lady’s path! Is this how you treat guests here?!”

The maid retorted sharply. Cart simply looked down at Amy quietly. Amy felt intimidated by his gaze. This is strange.

Then Louis, who poked his head out from behind Cart’s shoulder, added.

“Lady Arcadi, it’s dangerous outside, so you can’t leave.”

Amy forced a smile and said.

“It’s fine. I have the escort His Highness assigned to me. And isn’t this inside the imperial palace? What danger could there be?”

“Ah. You mean that pathetically weak knight?”

“Pardon?”

Amy was shocked by the blatant disrespect. The escort was sweating profusely. He looked anxious. His complexion was dark.

Naturally, when the Diovaha Imperial Knights said they would guard the palace for monitoring purposes, the Astrot knights had all objected in unison. 

They said it was for protection, but they couldn’t fail to notice that monitoring was included. However, the Duchess hadn’t emerged from her room since the incident, seeking peace of mind.

It was awkward to tell Amy. She had such a pure heart that she seemed likely to innocently allow the Diovaha Imperial Knights’ malicious attitude without noticing it.

What exactly did Lady Amy and the Duchess do wrong?

They had shouted at the Imperial Knights who said they’d guard the palace that it wasn’t necessary, and someone suggested proving it through skill. And they were utterly defeated.

“The message doesn’t seem to have gotten through properly. You’re dangerous, so we’re guarding you.”

“…Pardon? Why are we dangerous?”

“Oh my, your head is full of flowers.”

Louis dramatically slapped his forehead with a “smack.”

“Don’t insult the young lady!”

When the maid bristled, Louis raised both hands high in an exaggerated manner, saying “Oh, how scary.” Then he kindly explained.

“How do we know what kind of trouble you’ll cause? Did you perhaps forget about yesterday’s incident, Lady? Is that why you’re saying something so absurd about going to see Lady Rosana after just one day?”

He sneered with a cold expression. Then Cart, who was beside him, nudged Louis with his elbow. It meant to choose his words carefully.

“Tch. Fine.”

Louis grumbled and stepped back. Then Cart spoke to Amy persuasively.

“Monsters appear in the Diovaha Empire. And even inside the imperial palace, they occasionally appear, though very rarely.”

Of course, such things didn’t happen. It was just a pretext.

“Our knight…”

“I don’t think knights with no experience fighting monsters can protect you, Lady.”

Cart cut her off sharply.

“After actually crossing swords and having a conversation, I realized their skills are pathetic.”

Amy’s mouth closed. The escort knight still stood there unable to retort. Amy smiled awkwardly, saying “I see?” Then she smiled brightly at him and extended her hand.

“Then, would you accompany me, Sir Knight?”

If it had been anyone else, they would have bowed immediately and responded that it would be an honor. She was someone who could be called the most beloved woman in all of Astrot without exaggeration.

Amy judged that if a strong knight protected her, there would be no reason she couldn’t go out. 

She sparkled innocently with anticipation. Though they were the same eyes as Rosana’s, they felt unpleasant. Cart took a step back. Then he fell silent.

Amy’s head tilted. Um… Sir Knight? 

Her voice merely scattered powerlessly into the air. This situation felt awkward to the point of being unfamiliar to her. Everyone had been kind to her. Most people granted her requests.

However, the knights before her weren’t looking at her with fondness, but rather with different emotions in their eyes. For Amy, this was a novel emotion she’d never experienced. She didn’t know how to handle it.

Since they weren’t on the same page, Amy’s extended hand became pitiful and gradually dropped lower. And the words that finally came back weren’t kind, in contrast to the polite bow.

“I apologize. My duty is precisely to protect everyone in this palace without leaving this place. Not to protect you personally, Lady. I apologize if there was a misunderstanding.”

“That’s right. We’re not your knights, Lady. We’re Lady Rosana’s knights.”

Amy looked back and forth between Louis and Cart at their firm words. Cart pushed Amy’s back with his final words.

“Please go inside.”

At the look that said they wouldn’t allow her even one step out, Amy found herself turning around without realizing it.

Forced back into the palace semi-forcibly, Amy stood there blankly for a long while. When she looked back, Cart and Louis stood guard like they wouldn’t allow her to cross the line they’d drawn.

The surrounding scenery wavered faintly. Is this right? This treatment toward me? She felt confused by the emotions and situation she was experiencing for the first time.

“What just happened?! How dare they treat you like this, Miss…!”

The maids, trembling with anger, stomped their feet indignantly. Thanks to the maids showing such intense reactions, she came to her senses. And instead, Amy was the one who calmed them down.

“H-hey, everyone, stop it. It’s true that monsters appear in Diovaha. They’re the ones with experience saying it, so it must be right… N-now that I think about it, sister will be busy preparing for the wedding. I can talk to her then…”

Amy calmed the maids with her words, but their intentions had touched her skin blatantly. They were saying the dangerous one wasn’t the monsters, but her. Amy’s smile faded.