“Don’t think such useless thoughts.”

She felt a prickling sensation start at the edge of her heart and spread rapidly throughout her body.

It felt as though a long-buried neurosis had suddenly been awakened. Her thoughts scattered in all directions, sharp and chaotic like a bee’s sting.

Reaching blindly for the wall, Dalia staggered out of the corridor.

Yet, even as she moved, the thin thread of suspicion that had surfaced in her mind tightened and grew clearer with every step.

By the time she reached her bedroom, a face flashed vividly before her eyes.

The face of a woman who had once looked at her with bitter reproach.

A face that left this world twenty-three years ago.

A face she had not allowed herself to remember for over twenty years.

“How dare you…! My daughter—my precious Larisia…!”

On Bloody Saturday, the former Queen of Prisada confronted Dalia, the sole survivor, and unleashed her fury upon her. Her pale skin flushed a deep, burning red.

Her tears struck Dalia’s conscience again and again like crashing waves.

Suddenly, the Queen’s rounded eyes, high-bridged nose, and petal-soft lips overlapped with Sveta’s face.

The two merged into one.

“No… no. That can’t be…”

The former queen and Sveta had clearly different hair and eye colors. That was why Dalia had never thought to connect them.

‘But what if, by some chance, she was the queen’s child…?’

If that were true, everything changed.

Black hair and sky-blue irises—
those were the traits shared by those bearing the surname Vesvium.

“No. That alone isn’t enough to call her a princess… Prisada is full of dark-haired people. Bluish eyes are everywhere. Yes, she simply has the typical face of a Prisadan.”

She muttered incoherently, denying it once more with force.

‘So believing that child Sveta is the dead princess—that’s nothing but a ridiculous fantasy. Of course it is.’

Yet, like sediment left at the bottom of a wine glass, a murky unease remained, irritating her nerves.

Overwhelmed by confusion, she collapsed heavily onto the sofa.

As she closed her tired eyes, Sveta’s face filled her mind once more.

“But that mark. That mark…”

She had always despised the tiny speck in Sveta’s eye; it was so small that it resembled a speck of dust.

It reminded her of the Princess of Prisada.

This was why she had treated the girl so cruelly.

The idea that a mere beggar could resemble the living embodiment of her sin was unbearable.

Now, the scattered fragments of doubt had converged into a single, undeniable conclusion.

Drawing in a strained breath, Dalia whispered the princess’s name.

“Larisia Vesvium…”

The princess was a very fussy child.

She would cry and cry until her tiny face turned bright red.

Suddenly, the piercing wail of a baby rang in her ears once more.

‘Bloody Saturday.’

The acrid smoke of that dreadful day seemed to cloud her vision.

***

“There has been a fire in the temple. It is being contained, but for now, please move to the annex.”

Following the priest’s instructions, the nannies gathered in the small annexe, rocking the babies and whispering anxiously to each other.

“This won’t cancel the blessing ceremony for the infants, will it?”

“Surely not.”

“But there’s a bigger problem right now…”

The conversation had an ominous tone.

What caused the fire?

The strange sounds heard the night before in the nearby Rocky Mountains.

Dark rumors were spreading quietly.

Dalia hovered near the doorway, straining her ears to hear every word.

“Waaah…!”

Larisia started crying again.

The other nursemaids shot her sharp glances.

When the other babies began to cry, Dalia hurried down the corridor with the princess in her arms.

“What on earth is wrong with you?”

In a deserted corner, she secretly scolded the infant—

When suddenly, a shrill scream tore through the air.

“Aaaah!”

Hearing this, the babies all started crying at once.

The sound of something crashing and shattering mingled with the harsh scraping of metal.

Soon, the nursemaids’ screams faded away.

These were entirely replaced by the infants’ piercing cries.

“W-what is happening?”

Something was terribly wrong.

Dalia clamped her hand over Larisia’s mouth and started to back away.

Hurrying outside the building, she glanced around frantically. Suddenly, the princess began crying again.

“Be quiet. Quiet…!”

The child could not possibly understand her.

Still, Dalia pressed down hard on the baby’s small jaw and whispered harshly.

“Quiet! Stop crying!”

Suddenly, a dark shadow fell over her.

Dalia collapsed to the ground, holding the princess tightly against her chest.

A tall man approached with heavy steps.

Behind him, the violet dusk flickered grotesquely and vividly.

The curved blade in his hand caught the light and gleamed coldly.

“Ueeng, ueeng!”

His gaze shot straight to the crying child.

Up close, his vivid blue eyes shone with madness.

Just meeting his stare made her eyelids burn painfully.

Dalia asked in a choked voice.

“W-who are you?”

“Me? Jace Gould. If I say I’m the son of Count Gould, will that mean anything to you?”

Jace Gould answered with a strange excitement.

His buoyant tone, utterly unfitting for the moment, made him seem insane.

“I-I don’t know!”

He tilted his head slightly, as if puzzled.

“You don’t know Count Gould? Aren’t you Aetanean?”

“N-no!”

“Really?”

“P-please spare me! Please…!”

Dalia fell prostrate, clutching the princess in her arms.

“So this baby isn’t an Aetanean noble’s child, is that it?”

“No. This baby is the Princess of Prisada.”

Thick, black smoke billowed in the distance.

The faint cries of an infant could be heard in the wind.

The sharp smell of burning stung her nostrils.

“We’ve done nothing wrong! Please spare us!”

“Hmm…”

Jace Gould stroked his chin, pretending to deliberate.

Dalia’s mind raced.

‘He killed the nursemaids but left the babies alive. Is he planning to use them as hostages?’

Carefully gauging his reaction, she slowly began to rise.

The princess’s small body trembled as she forced out broken sobs. Dalia gently lowered the baby to the ground.

“Do you perhaps want the child? To use as a hostage?”

“A hostage? You think I’d take a baby hostage?”

He tilted his head again.

Seizing the moment while he seemed deep in thought, Dalia quickly added.

“Here, take her. Just spare me!”

One step. Two steps.

Gradually, she retreated toward the forest.

There was no time for guilt. Her heart pounded so violently it felt as though it might burst.

‘I’m about to die—what else matters right now!’

The moment she slipped from Jace Gould’s line of sight, Dalia fled without looking back.

***

Thunder rumbled.

The sound of something tearing open came from the ash-colored clouds that covered the sky.

Rain poured through the split clouds in thick, arrow-like sheets. Although it was midday, it was so dim that candles had to be lit.

Sveta frowned deeply as she studied the paper in her hand.

It was a map that Henrik had sketched for her.

“I only need to cross the border. Just the border.”

After committing the route to memory, she held the paper to the flame of a candle.

As the edge curled and blackened, she tossed it into the empty fireplace.

“Next… the jewels.”

Opening a leather pouch, Sveta began placing the gemstones inside one by one.

“There are this many?”

The pouch was filled with accessories that she had never worn before, yet there was still room for more. She forced several rings into the remaining space.

If they were mixed carelessly, they would likely scratch each other and lose value, but it seemed wiser to take as many as possible.

After stowing the last piece, she hid the heavy pouch beneath the bed.

Then she returned to the armchair and looked down at the table.

One piece of jewelry remained, left out on purpose.

‘I don’t want to take this.’

She picked up the bracelet.

Its layers of small pearls draped heavily across her palm.

At that moment, she sensed a presence at the door.

There was a soft knock, and the door opened almost immediately.

Aiden entered.

Sveta sprang to her feet.

“…Your Grace. Why have you come?”

“Am I not allowed to?”

In a few strides, he closed the distance and seated himself in the chair she had just vacated.

“That’s not what I meant.”

‘I heard the Marquis of Matwood had come.’

She had reviewed her escape plan precisely because she did not expect him to come tonight.

As her gaze flickered towards the space under the bed where the jewels were hidden, her vision tilted suddenly.

Aiden had caught her by the waist.

In one smooth motion, he turned her around and seated her on his left thigh.

“I only stopped by for a moment.”

His tone was flat.

He took the rose-shaped bracelet from her hand and secured it around her wrist.

Despite his large fingers, he fastened the clasp delicately and skillfully.

“…If you had something to say, you could have sent word through someone else.”

“…”

He did not answer.

Instead, the hand holding her waist moved down to her hip.

Like a mimosa that has been touched too suddenly, Sveta shrank back and said:

“It tickles, Aiden.”

The moment she said his name, he put his warm hand on her stomach.

She felt a strange discomfort stir within her.

She did not like the way he touched her stomach. But Aiden moved faster than she could react, moving his hand away before she could push him away.

He buried his face in her neck and exhaled quietly.

As always, he did not press his lips to the nape of her neck.

Unlike before, his hand did not glide down the curve of her back.

“I want to bottle your voice.”

“…What?”

“I mean I want to keep hearing it.”

“…”

Like a child seeking comfort, Aiden burrowed closer into her embrace and let out another heated breath.

It sounded like either a sigh of relief or a sorrowful lament.

It was strange.

A man of his size should not be leaning on her.

He had no reason to grieve.

“Has something happened?”

“No.”

He pressed the straight bridge of his nose against the front of her dress and slowly raised his gaze.

Sveta looked into his green eyes, which were like a calm sea.

Time seemed to stand still between them.

It did not feel real.

Sveta slowly opened and closed her eyes.

“I came to give you this.”

Aiden had already wiped the expression off his face.

Taking her hand, which was gripping the hem of her skirt, he lifted it gently.

He unfolded her slender fingers one by one and placed two gleaming gold coins in her palm.

“Your Grace… what is this?”