“Who is your master? Lady Katriona or me? Answer me here and now.”

“Your Majesty, how can you even ask such an obvious thing?”

Rosé narrowed her eyes and pressed for an answer. Miriam’s lips trembled as she responded.

“Of course, it’s Your Majesty, the Queen.”

Miriam felt humiliated in front of the maids and struggled to control her anger.

“If this were the imperial palace, you would have already lost your head. For disturbing the queen and making me come out here. And for answering back so insolently.”

Rosé’s crimson eyes, now icy and severe, seemed to chill the very air around them.

Miriam had underestimated Rosé, treating her like a timid queen who preferred to stay in the background. But this sudden change in demeanor left Miriam stunned. The realization that Rosé had been hiding her true self sent a shiver down her spine.

“I have committed an unforgivable offense. I will make sure this never happens again, Your Majesty.”

Miriam clenched her lips tightly and bent deeply at the waist, begging forgiveness.

Rosé let her stay in that position for a long moment, ensuring the surrounding maids saw and understood what had happened.

A quiet murmuring spread through the group.

The sight of Miriam bowing so low was something none of the maids had ever witnessed in Lady Katriona’s presence. Yet here she was, humbling herself before the young foreign queen.

“You may lift your head now.”

Beads of sweat dripped from Miriam’s forehead as she raised her head.

“From now on, we’ll discuss any problems together and work to change things step by step.”

Rosé’s voice was calmer and softer than before.

“With His Majesty away and so much on my mind, I hadn’t gotten around to it yet. But this works well—I want to inspect the entire castle myself. You’ll be responsible for guiding me tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And if I hear this kind of uproar again, I won’t let it go so easily next time.”

“I understand, Your Majesty.”

Rosé handed the letter she was holding to Miriam.

“Deliver this to Freddy yourself. It’s an important letter, so there must be no mistakes.”

Miriam took it with both hands, bowing deeply in exaggerated politeness.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Everyone, disperse.”

Miriam bowed one more time, turned on her heel, and left. The maids, with expressions of fear and awe, quickly bowed to Rosé and hurried after Miriam.

Rosé bent down to pick up the fallen hair ribbon and handed it to the trembling maid.

The maid held out her small, injured hands to receive it.

“Are you alright? Your pretty hair ribbon is ruined now.”

“N-no… I… I didn’t know my place… It was just… My grandmother made it for me, and I got… carried away.”

At the mention of her grandmother, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Rosé’s lips. She was reminded of how her grandmother dressed her up from head to toe as if she were a doll.

“What’s your name?”

“H-Hannah.”

At first, Rosé thought Hannah was stammering because of nerves, but it seemed to be her natural manner of speech upon closer listening.

“I see. Hannah, go and get those hands treated.”

“It’s n-nothing. T-thank you, Your Majesty.”

Tears still glistened in Hannah’s eyes as she looked up at Rosé.

“Your Majesty! There you are!”

Both Rosé and Hannah turned at the sudden interruption. At the far end of the hallway, Jansen was striding briskly toward them, her usual cheerful voice carrying across the corridor.

“I-I’ll b-be going now!”

The sight of Jansen made Hannah hiccup. She bowed quickly to Rosé and dashed off in the opposite direction of where Jansen was coming from.

“Did something happen?” Jansen asked, stopping next to Rosé, who was still watching Hannah retreat.

“On my way here, I saw Miriam’s face twisted like she’d bitten into something sour.”

“It’s nothing. What about the favor I asked for?”

“It’s ready outside. But are you sure about this? His Majesty is arriving tomorrow.”

“Please take care of it.”

Jansen responded as if he had no other choice,

“Understood. But you must keep your promise.”

Rosé nodded reassuringly.

***

Two horses were prepared by the castle’s hidden back gate that led directly to the food storage area.

“Please put this on,” Jansen said, draping a gray robe over Rosé’s shoulders.

Rosé scanned their surroundings once before pulling the robe on and the hood down low over her face.

“The weather looks gloomy. It might rain so that we won’t go far.”

“Understood.”

With Jansen’s help, Rosé mounted her horse.

Someone watched from a distance as they quietly prepared to leave the castle.

From the bell tower, which overlooked the entire castle, Katriona watched with a cold smile.

‘How kind of you to walk right into this opportunity. Much appreciated.’

Her gaze, filled with hatred, locked onto Rosé’s red hair, which peeked out from beneath the hood. Katriona called for someone.

“Malik!”

A shadowy figure appeared instantly behind her.

“Don’t make a single mistake.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

***

Outside the castle, Rosé and Jansen surveyed the scenery together.

Villages, marketplaces, farms, and ranches stretched across endless hills and fields.

Rosé galloped freely, savoring the cold northern wind. It had been a long time since she felt this free. She could hardly believe that she, who had never given this land much thought before her return, was now its mistress.

And to top it all off, her husband was Maxim Lankert!

“Let’s rest here for a bit,” Jansen shouted as he rode alongside her.

They finally stopped at a cliff with a view of the entire capital. Seeing that Rosé had been deep in thought since they left the castle, Jansen broke the silence.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Just relieved that people live here like anywhere else,” Rosé said lightly.

Jansen gave a small laugh.

“Did you think monsters lived here?”

“At one point, yes.”

“Well, believe it or not, we pride ourselves on being the best regarding security.” Jansen’s face brimmed with pride.

Rosé’s mind drifted to the brutal scenes she had witnessed at the execution grounds.

“I’m sure you do,” she said dryly.

“Since ancient times, we’ve fought countless wars. Every man in Hellevant is born with the blood of warriors. When there’s no war, their wild tempers find other outlets. It’s been a headache, to say the least.”

Jansen shook his head as if just thinking about it made him shudder.

“And the border tribes? They raid our farms and steal everything. They’d attack women and children without a second thought.”

“So Maxim, our dear King, cared for them all?” Rosé jokes, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Jansen laughed along. “You could say that. Because of that environment, every man here—young or old—is a soldier. They can be mobilized at a moment’s notice.”

“That explains why Solstern doesn’t attack Hellevant lightly. Still, this state of peace won’t last forever.”

Rosé spoke to herself with a serious expression, but Jansen reassured her.

“Other than the occasional provocations from the border tribes, we’ve been at peace for a long time. There’s no need to worry.”

“Is that so?”

Rosé looked down at the capital, letting fragments of memories resurface.

Shortly after Kasiax ascended to the throne, the North attacked Solstern fiercely.

It was a surprise invasion with no warning, and Solstern’s territories fell one after another without time to mount a defense.

Despite their cries for reinforcements, none arrived on time. In his frustration, Kasiax’s cruel nature was fully revealed.

Driven into a hysterical frenzy, he directed all his rage and anxiety at Rosé, making her life unbearable.

It was also when tensions ran high between the royal family and the Etoile house over differing views on the war.

Later, her father, Count Jared, was falsely accused and executed by beheading.

Rosé, who had fallen into extreme despair, prayed daily that Maxim Lankert would invade Solstern and destroy Kasiax and the imperial family.

Her days were filled with such hopelessness that she would have preferred to die at the hands of Maxim Lankert, the enemy commander.

But something strange happened.

Maxim Lankert, who had been waging a war he had already won by more than seventy percent, suddenly withdrew his troops overnight.

Why? What could have prompted him to do that?

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

Jansen’s voice snapped Rosé out of her thoughts.

She shook her head and smiled as if it was nothing.

“By the way, what kind of person is Maxim?”

Jansen hesitated, unsure how to answer her sudden question.

Rosé figured that Jansen, who had served by Maxim Lankert’s side for many years, would know him best.

But Jansen sighed heavily and shook his head.

“I don’t know either. Sometimes I have no idea what he’s thinking.”

Jansen looked into the distance with affection and concern as he recalled his long service to Maxim. His expression showed the weariness of having endured many difficult moments.

“Maxim is already hard enough to predict, but now someone else is impossible to figure out. It’s exhausting.”

Rosé laughed, knowing he was talking about her.

Sniffing the air, she changed the subject.

“I smell the sea! Is there a sea nearby?”

“Yes. There’s a coast not too far from here.”

“That’s great news!”

“Excuse me?”

Jansen looked uneasy when Rosé suddenly became excited.

“It would be too much to head to the sea today, Your Majesty,” Jansen said.

“No, I was just curious. Let’s head back now.”

Rosé took the reins and suggested returning to the castle. She then glanced at Jansen with a meaningful look different from before.

[It’s time. Let’s find an opportunity and begin.]

Catching her silent signal, Jansen lowered his gaze and scanned the area.

“Very well.”

They exchanged subtle nods and wordlessly acknowledged each other.

A cold wind, heavy with moisture, swept past, making the leaves rustle and tremble like waves.