The castle was in a state of emergency.

Freddy rushed down the stairs with quick steps.

He had heard that Maxim and the army wouldn’t arrive until the following evening, but they had arrived far earlier than expected.

The late-night news of the king’s return sent the entire castle into a frenzy.

“Hurry, hurry!”

The kitchen fires were lit in a rush, and servants darted back and forth, flinging open the stables in a frenzy.

Maids were scurrying to prepare bathwater and carry in fresh clothes.

“Be careful there! Don’t spill water on the floor!”

Even as he ran to greet Maxim, Freddy barked orders and directed the staff precisely.

Nothing should be overlooked. Everything seemed to be coming together, but something still felt off.

‘What is it? What am I missing?’

His eyes darted around anxiously before widening in shock.

No matter how hard he looked, there was no sign of the queen. She should have been there by now.

“Where is Her Majesty the Queen? Didn’t anyone tell her that King Maxim had returned? Where is the head maid?”

Freddy grabbed a passing maid and urgently questioned her.

“Well, the head maid rushed to the kitchen and told me to inform her, but…”

“And?”

“Lady Katriona said it wasn’t necessary.”

“What?”

Freddy raised his voice at the maid, demanding an explanation.

“There’s no point. She won’t be there even if you go.”

Lady Katriona appeared suddenly, her tone self-assured, her lips curled in a mocking smile.

“What do you mean by that?” Freddy asked her.

“It seems Her Majesty slipped out of the castle in King Maxim’s absence. One of the servants claims to have seen her leaving.”

“That’s impossible!”

Soldiers heavily guarded the castle gates, so there was no way she could have left without him knowing.

“I couldn’t believe it either, so I checked on her several times during the day. Her nanny said she was too sick to meet anyone.”

“She must be unwell.”

Freddy looked up at Rosé’s window with concern.

Booooooom!

A longhorn sounded through the darkness.

From the distant drawbridge, a black army could be seen marching in.

As usual, the troops split into two lines, and only the vanguard rode into the castle.

Freddy wanted to believe the queen was merely ill, but strange thoughts kept creeping into his mind.

Could it be that she was too unwell to come out to meet her husband returning from the battlefield?

He would have received word much earlier if she had been that sick.

‘No way. What if Lady Katriona is right? If so, where could the queen have gone?’

Freddy wanted to run and check for himself, but there was no time to spare.

He anxiously shifted between glancing at the queen’s office window and watching Maxim’s approach.

Maxim’s black stallion reared up, kicking dust into the air before coming to a halt.

The knights following behind him also stopped their horses, and attendants rushed to them, creating a brief commotion.

Maxim leaped off his horse and tossed his weapon to a nearby soldier before turning to Freddy.

“There hasn’t been any trouble, right?”

He scanned the crowd as if searching for someone’s face.

“N-no, Your Majesty. It’s just…”

Before Freddy could finish, Katriona’s voice cut in.

“You’ve come at just the right time, Your Majesty.”

Katriona stepped forward confidently.

Maxim cast her a cold glance before turning to Freddy with a sharp, questioning gaze.

“What’s going on?”

“W-well, Your Majesty…”

Freddy began to sweat profusely.

One of Maxim’s eyebrows arched sharply.

“I hate to say it, but the queen has left the castle. Perhaps she couldn’t handle it and fled. Tsk, tsk.”

Katriona answered in Freddy’s stead, shaking her head as if she had expected this all along.

Tullio and Richard, who had just dismounted, were stunned by Katriona’s words.

Now that they thought about it, there was no sign of her anywhere.

“A runaway bride, right after the wedding! I knew this would happen!” Tullio whispered smugly into Richard’s ear.

“We rode all night without rest, which is how we’re repaid.”

As Tullio grumbled into Richard’s ear, spraying spit with every word, Richard shook his head irritably as if swatting away a pesky fly.

“Ugh! Just get lost already!”

When Richard shouted angrily, Tullio pouted and muttered, “Yeah, yeah. You’re so smart.”

Despite his words, Tullio was genuinely worried about whether she had disappeared.

He had thought they finally had a proper mistress for the castle.

“Freddy!”

At Maxim’s call, Freddy quickly ran forward.

“There must be some misunderstanding, Your Majesty. The castle gates are strictly guarded, so I would have known if the queen had left.”

Freddy’s statement was met with a derisive snort from Katriona.

“She must have snuck out through the back door, the one used by common servants.”

Maxim’s golden eyes flashed dangerously as he glared at Katriona, his anger barely contained.

Katriona bent her knees slightly and spoke with exaggerated politeness.

“Why don’t you check for yourself, Your Majesty? The queen may truly be too ill to greet you.”

She raised her eyebrows in mock concern, her words dripping with a subtle insinuation.

Maxim strode past her and entered the main castle without a word.

His black cloak billowed ominously behind him as if exuding a frigid aura.

‘Dare to mock me, will you.’

His jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles bulged from the effort.

After days of battle, he had pushed his exhausted body to return earlier than expected.

The thought of leaving her alone in this vast castle on their wedding day had weighed heavily on him.

She reminded him of his mother in some ways, though entirely different in others. He had felt uneasy but wanted to believe in her just a little.

Indeed, she wouldn’t have acted as weak and irresponsible as his mother had.

Though their marriage hadn’t been born of passionate love, they had made vows.

A dull ache and a deep sense of betrayal struck him like a blow to the back of the head.

What had all that desperation been for?

Was it all just an act?

‘While I was gone, did you just use the excuse of marriage to buy time so you could run away? Was that it?’

‘When you said you’d never return to Stern, was that all a blatant lie?’

The words his uncle had said in the past echoed in Maxim’s ears.

“She’s acting! You can’t trust her!”

“Women from Stern are cursed. They’ll bring tragedy to this castle again!”

Maxim stood silently before Rosé’s room, staring at the door.

Freddy, who had followed him in a rush, stood behind him nervously, and Katriona watched him from a distance, wearing a smug expression.

The followers and attendants, holding their breath, observed the scene with faces that seemed to say, ‘What kind of chaos is this?’

Maxim raised his hand to knock on the door.

Click.

Natalie opened the door and took a startled step back, shocked to find Maxim Lankert standing there with a menacing aura.

“Your Majesty!”

From behind Natalie came a soft but distinct voice.

“What’s going on?”

At the sound, Maxim’s eyes narrowed. He pushed Natalie aside and strode into the room.

Rosé, who had been tidying her hair to leave, froze, looking surprised. She, too was startled by Maxim’s sudden appearance.

“I was just about to head out. You were supposed to arrive tomorrow, so I wasn’t ready. I’m sorry.”

Rosé looked genuinely apologetic as if flustered by his early arrival.

“Ha!”

Seeing her, Maxim couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at himself.

‘What’s the big deal if a woman from Stern runs off? Why am I feeling so foul?’ he thought, but the moment he saw her bright face again, a sense of relief washed over him.

“Was everything resolved?” Rosé asked as she naturally approached him.

“For now, yes.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried after you left so suddenly that day.”

Rosé smiled with visible relief.

“My apologies, Your Majesty. I should have checked on Her Majesty first,” Freddy said, bowing deeply with a remorseful expression, his heart only now settling after dropping to the ground moments ago.

“What do you mean, check on me?” Rosé asked, looking at Freddy with curious eyes.

Katriona, still unwilling to believe what she was seeing, pushed past the others to inspect the room herself.

‘This can’t be!’

Yet there Rosé stood, calm and graceful as ever, her lengthy hair draped elegantly over one shoulder. Their eyes met.

“So, you were here,” Katriona muttered.

Rosé gave a light laugh as if Katriona’s words were absurd.

“You look disappointed. Were you hoping I wouldn’t be here?”

Rosé’s gaze pierced through Katriona as if seeing right through her intentions.

“I visited several times today to offer tea.”

“I wasn’t feeling well all day. Sorry.”

“No, no. I’m just glad you’re alright.” Katriona answered stiffly, lowering her gaze.

Although she reluctantly stepped back, the situation still made no sense.

‘How is that woman still in her room? Did the plan fail?’

Since Jansen, the administrator she’d left with earlier, hadn’t shown up, she’d assumed something must have happened outside.

If Rosé was here, then where would Jansen be? Why hadn’t he returned with her?

Katriona’s heart pounded in fear. ‘Did my plan get exposed?’

“Since you’re unwell, you should rest,” Maxim said, leaving.

He felt drained, having ridden for days without rest, and this sudden confrontation only made him more exhausted. He felt awkward for storming into her room so recklessly. Knowing he was covered in dust and sweat, he worried his presence might be unpleasant to her.

“…!”

Just as he was about to leave, Rosé gently touched his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

“What do you mean? I’ve been waiting for you to return,” Rosé said softly.

Leaning her head on his shoulder as if it were the most natural thing, she gently ran her hand over his broad chest.

Maxim froze in place, shocked by the unexpected gesture.

It wasn’t just Maxim Lankert, who was frozen in place like ice.

Even Freddy, who had worked in this castle his entire life, along with the attendants, servants, and even the maids, stared at Maxim and Rosé in shock.

They had never witnessed such a tender scene between the couple before.

Even Katriona, pressing her lips together tightly, found her mouth slowly falling open.

‘My goodness.’

“Freddy?” Rosé called out to him.

“Yes? Yes!”

“Everything’s ready for His Majesty to rest, right?”

“Yes, I’ve prepared a bath in the bedchamber.”

“Bring something simple to eat to the bedroom. Enough for me too.”

Rosé looked up at Maxim with eyes full of affection.

“I want to spend the night with you.”