“Wh- who changed my clothes?”

“Who else? The maids and I did.”

Sigh—Rosé breathed a sigh of relief.

But it didn’t last long. Her mind flashed back to bickering with Maxim in the bathroom, throwing soap at him, kissing, and then ending up in the bathtub together.

She felt embarrassed enough to curl up, ashamed at the thought of drinking alcohol she couldn’t even handle and making a fool of herself.

‘Why on earth did I act like that?’

She slowly pulled the blanket over her face, only to lower it again.

‘Now that I think about it, Maxim must have figured it out by now!’

She suddenly remembered she hadn’t told Maxim what had happened outside yesterday.

Since Jansen had promised to inform him directly and she didn’t want to burden Maxim with troublesome matters the moment he arrived late at night, she had deliberately kept silent.

Besides, she’d been too sick to explain in detail.

‘Jansen must have reported to him…’

Rosé stared at the patterned ceiling, piecing together recent events.

The unsettling feeling had started right after Maxim left the castle.

There was a creepy, chilling sensation as if someone was secretly following her.

A few days ago, she was walking by the lake with Natalie.

When Natalie stepped away briefly to fetch a blanket, Rosé saw a cautious shadow behind a chair.

Before she could turn around, the gardener suddenly emerged from the bushes below and greeted her, and the shadow disappeared without a trace.

On another day, a whistling sound triggered nearby wolves to lose control and charge at her like wild beasts.

Thankfully, soldiers arrived just in time to subdue them.

At first, she thought Maxim had stationed someone to monitor her.

But it didn’t feel like she was being protected—it felt ominous.

‘Could it be…!’

Rosé was well aware she wasn’t particularly welcomed in this castle.

On top of that, she was a woman from Stern, a people despised by the Hellevant population.

What if someone plotted to kill her while she was alone? They could fake her death to look like suicide.

The thought sent a chill down her spine.

If that happened, she could end up as a second Olivia—falling from this room’s window—or as unjustly killed as she had been in her past life at Kasiax’s hands.

Of course, the exact circumstances of Olivia Lankert’s death remained a mystery.

Rosé couldn’t just sit by and watch this danger draw closer.

With Maxim away, Rosé went straight to Jansen.

“Someone has been following me around the castle lately.”

“Excuse me? Could it be that you’re just feeling sensitive because it’s an unfamiliar place? No one in the castle would dare do such a thing to Her Majesty the Queen.”

At first, Jansen didn’t seem to believe her.

“No, it’s not just a feeling. I’m very familiar with that kind of sensation. Even if I’m being overly cautious, I thought it would be best to inform you in advance.”

“Understood. You did the right thing.”

“So, instead of just worrying, what if we set a trap to confirm whether someone really is targeting me?”

“A trap, you say?”

Rosé was certain that those after her would act more boldly when she was outside the castle.

What if an opportunity arose where she was alone?

To take advantage of that, she had Jansen accompany her on a secret tour of the castle grounds, creating an opportunity for the culprits to show themselves.

The plan was set in motion on the way back from their conversation on the hill.

“Your Majesty, please wait here for a moment. I’ll be back shortly. The horses are tired after running all day.”

Jansen loudly announced this and led the two horses down into the valley.

Rosé stayed behind, pretending to wait.

As expected, two masked figures emerged from behind a tree to attack her.

Rosé didn’t even scream.

She had already brought several seasoned soldiers with her when Jansen left the castle.

The soldiers had been following from a distance, guarding Jansen and Rosé. As soon as the suspicious masked figures appeared, they surrounded them.

One of the attackers died resisting, and the other was immediately captured and taken to the dungeon by Jansen.

After returning to the castle following the dangerous incident, news arrived that Maxim had returned.

Rosé quickly changed clothes and pretended she had spent the entire day resting in her room because she was feeling unwell.

When the castle staff gathered outside her door, Rosé noticed Lady Katriona’s expression—full of frustration.

“Could it be Lady Katriona…!”

It was also suspicious that Katriona had visited her room repeatedly the previous day.

Usually, even casual greetings between them were awkward and cold, so why had she come to offer tea?

Did Katriona know she wouldn’t be in the room?

While lost in such thoughts, Natalie rushed to her side.

“My lady!”

She hurried to the bed, looking as if she had urgent news.

“Jansen is here to see you.”

Noticing Rosé had been expecting him, Natalie draped a robe over her shoulders.

“Let him in.”

While Natalie turned to the door, Rosé tidied her hair and leaned back against the headboard.

Jansen entered, waving his hands urgently.

“Please stay lying down. You need complete rest.”

“I’m fine. What happened to the attacker?”

“Well… someone killed him while I was away for a short time.”

“Killed him?”

Rosé’s eyes widened with disbelief.

“In the dungeon?”

Jansen nodded grimly.

Though shaken, Rosé tried to remain composed.

“At least now we know that someone in the castle is after me.”

“Yes. King Maxim is also aware, so they’ll likely lie low for now. Still, you must remain vigilant until the culprit is caught.”

Rosé nodded in agreement.

Who could have done such a thing?

While Jansen and Rosé pondered the situation with serious expressions, Freddy suddenly appeared, looking distressed.

“Your Majesty.”

Jansen and Rosé turned to him, both concerned by the urgency in his tone.

“I know you’re unwell, but something important has come up.”

“What is it?”

“Something has arrived from Stern for Your Majesty.”

“Something from Stern? A letter from home, perhaps?”

Rosé asked, her face filled with curiosity.

It was strange because Freddy wasn’t the type to be so flustered over something like this.

“No, it’s not a letter… actually… several enormous carriages have arrived.”

“What? What do you mean carriages have arrived?”

Rosé couldn’t immediately grasp what Freddy was saying and asked again.

“Could it be!”

Natalie, quick to catch on, rushed to the window to take a look.

“Oh my! It seems the Count and the Countess sent them. Three carriages from the Etoile family are here!”

Even though she could barely stand, Rosé struggled to the window, supported by Natalie and Jansen.

“What on earth is that….”

The words slipped out of Rosé’s mouth.

The carriages, built to reflect her mother, Countess Audrey’s taste, were as dazzling as Solstern’s imperial carriages.

They hadn’t stood out when they were parked in front of the Etoile estate.

They blended perfectly with the white rose-covered mansion, evoking no sense of incongruity.

But now, in front of a centuries-old stone castle perched on a cliff, they looked as out of place as something from another world.

Servants murmured as they came down to see the spectacle, and soon, people started crowding around the carriages as if they had found something extraordinary.

****

Huge chests were unloaded from the three luxurious carriages.

The workers and servants who had come with the carriages moved with well-practiced precision.

Large, leather-bound chests with exquisite craftsmanship and carefully wrapped treasures.

Jewelry boxes glint in the sunlight.

Fabrics are more valuable than jewels and intricately woven carpets.

Exotic decorations with unknown origins.

The finest tea leaves were coveted even by royalty.

And books worn from Rosé’s frequent reading, filled with her memories.

These rare items were placed on the ground one by one, leaving onlookers bewildered. Brut Rosé was reminded of a scene from her memories.

It was just like that moment.

The day Rosé first went to the sea, holding hands with her parents and brothers.

At the port where the Etoile family’s trade ship docked, workers had similarly unloaded sparkling treasures before them.

Her mother held a specially requested item and kissed her father’s cheek.

Her brothers, holding ivory model swords, staged mock sword fights on the deck.

Rosé, sitting on her father, Count Jared’s, shoulders, gazed in wonder at the sunlit, glimmering sea.

The large ship floating gently on the water seemed like a treasure ship, endlessly unloading its wonders onto the shore.

That memory was so vivid that even as an adult, she would feel excitement and anticipation whenever a ship was due to arrive.

Perhaps Rosé had loved the sea ever since then.

She didn’t know why the sight before her now brought back that memory.

“… Huh? … Your Majesty!”

Rosé snapped back to her senses at Freddy’s call.

“Oh, yes.”

“What should we do with all of those?”

“Ah, move them to the sitting room next to my chamber.”

“Yes. I’ll go down right away.”

Freddy bustled off, looking like he had found something to keep him busy.

“Wow! They say that Her Majesty’s family is the top merchant family in the region, and their scale is truly different. I’m heading down to take a closer look too.”

Jansen clicked his tongue in amazement as he gazed out the window.

Rosé felt a little embarrassed at the sight of all the enormous chests sent from home as if an entire tiny house had been relocated.

“Oh! King Maxim asked me to tell you that he’ll stay in the bedchamber attached to the study for now.”

“The study?”

“Yes. So you don’t have to worry about anything else and can rest comfortably until fully recovered.”

“Oh… I understand. Thank you.”

Rosé gave a complicated reply, prompting Jansen to add something quickly.

“Well, King Maxim has always spent most of his time in the study, even before the wedding. He’s a workaholic, so you don’t have to read too much into it.”

Rosé nodded slightly, signaling her understanding.