Jace Gould let out a wicked snicker. Madness flickered across his distorted, handsome face.

“Y-Your Grace the Duke…?”

His piercing gaze locked onto Dalia’s wide, horrified eyes.

Seeing her fear, Jace’s voice rose, charged with delight.

“Yes, that young master took the princess from me. I let my guard down for a moment, but the boy was stronger than his age would suggest. And he was so fast. He grabbed the baby and ran so fast that I couldn’t catch him.”

“…”

“But where could a child possibly go? Escaping the rocky mountain was impossible from the start.”

“A-and then?”

“I chased after him, and what do you think? He left the princess behind in the mountains and ran to save himself. My wife picked her up afterward.”

Dalia swallowed and asked again, haltingly.

“So… you’re saying the Duke of Strilland rescued the young princess, but while fleeing, abandoned her?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

Jace Gould nodded and burst out laughing again.

Dalia’s mind spun wildly.

Earlier, the guard had mentioned that Jace Gould would soon be transferred to Prisada.

‘What if… what if he tells the Queen of Prisada about this? If she learns that I abandoned the princess and ran…’

Would she end up hanging beside him?

Noticing her stunned expression, Jace quickly lost interest and took a step back.

After all, he was a simple creature.

“Next time, bring a knife. Understood? Hmm?”

“…Yes. Of course.”

Dalia nodded vaguely and hurried out of the prison.

On her way back to her chambers, she desperately tried to think of a way to survive.

She had to find a way.

‘Stay calm… Think. There must be a way.’

And soon enough, as always, a gleaming solution presented itself.

“The duke ran away and abandoned that child too, didn’t he? It wasn’t only my fault. Even if the truth comes out, he won’t dare blame me—he’ll have to shield me instead. In that case…”

In that case, would it be better to tell the duke rather than the queen?

That the daughter he cherished was in truth the Princess of Prisada.

‘He won’t be able to harm me. I’m her mother.’

Dalia dug her index fingernail harshly into her thumb.

Only when she drew blood from the scabbed skin did she mutter.

“Yes. I’ll strike first. I’ll tell the duke the truth.”

***

The light touch of a hand brushing across her forehead woke Sveta up.

She lifted her eyelids.

At the center of her widening vision, a blurred shape gradually came into focus.

The owner of those perfectly sculpted features was looking down at her.

“…Your Grace.”

Propping his head on one arm, he stroked her cheek with his large fingers.

“Will you keep sleeping?”

“…No.”

The light filtering through the window was bright now; the rain must have stopped.

Sveta blinked slowly.

“Why did you take a sleeping draught?”

Ah! She must have fallen asleep after taking it.

Last year, when she was seriously ill, she took sleeping draughts as well, but they were mixed with painkillers, so the effects were unpredictable.

This time, she wanted to test it more carefully. She needed certainty. She wanted to be precise in her actions until the very end.

Aiden had been busier recently and was arriving at her bedside later each time.

The timing was perfect.

“I couldn’t sleep. You’ve been coming late as well, Your Grace…”

The corner of Aiden’s mouth lifted faintly.

“So you couldn’t sleep because I wasn’t here?”

He had been smiling more often these days.

‘There’s no need to ruin his mood.’

Sveta gave a small nod.

‘But I think I woke in the middle…’

“Did I wake at some point?”

“You did.”

“My memory is hazy…”

“You tickled me.”

Sveta’s lips parted in disbelief.

“That can’t be.”

Yet Aiden’s expression was flawless—so composed that it did not seem he was lying.

“…I truly did? I did?”

“You did.”

They said that frequent use of sleeping draughts could lead to resistance. Might there be some strange side effects?

Glancing at her watch, Sveta decided that she would need to give Aiden a larger dose next time.

“Are you going to keep lying there like that?”

“I am.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to spend the entire day resting with you before we depart for Levizan tomorrow.”

So, at last, they were leaving.

Sveta’s pulse began to quicken.

“Come here.”

Sveta glanced at the hand extended toward her, then gave a small shake of her head.

“I need to see Madam Nora.”

“Why.”

“If we spend the winter in Levizan, I won’t be able to see her until next spring.”

Keeping her eyes fixed on the faint crease between his brows, Sveta asked.

“…Are you displeased that I would choose to see a maid instead of staying with you, Your Grace?”

“What do you think?”

“I think you won’t mind at all.”

“Why.”

“Because I’ll return to your arms soon enough.”

His red lips curved gently and a soft laugh escaped them.

Taking this as permission, Sveta pulled the bell cord.

The maid, Amy, entered at once, carrying a basin filled with fresh water.

Sveta washed her face with rose-scented water and changed into a cream-colored cotton dress.

She then quietly entrusted herself to Amy’s care.

Amy gathered Sveta’s thick black hair, brushed it upwards, and fastened it with a pearl-set, butterfly-shaped pin.

Reclining on his side across the bed, Aiden watched the entire scene in silence.

“It’s done, my lady.”

“Thank you, Amy.”

“Oh, it was nothing! I’ll take my leave now.”

As soon as the maid had left the bedroom, Sveta went over to Aiden.

After hesitating for a moment, she gently kissed his forehead. Aiden closed his eyes.

Reaching out carefully, Sveta slipped the coins from the bedside table into her palm.

***

Sveta left the main building and headed straight for the stables.

Hurrying through the garden, she passed the spot where the artificial lake used to be. Work on removing it had been halted due to the rainy season.

Taking care not to slip on the churned-up mud, she slowed her pace. With each measured stride, her thoughts rose and tangled.

“They say His Grace is draining the lake because the mistress he keeps fears water.”

Aiden had left her in the water, despite knowing how afraid she was.

Aiden, who had confined her and watched her, yet displayed her so cruelly.

The thought that their time together was coming to an end consumed her.

Excitement. Fear. Perhaps even lingering attachment.

Accepting these emotions, she quickened her pace.

As she stepped into the stables, the stablehand carrying bundles of hay bowed deeply.

“Wait.”

Sveta stopped him as he was about to leave.

“Do you need something, my lady?”

“Thank you for looking after Dongle all this time.”

“…Pardon?”

“I imagine you must have felt uneasy because of me. Pablo and the other servants were dismissed, after all…”

His lips moved awkwardly beneath his thick beard, searching for words.

Sveta placed two gold coins into his hand.

“You won’t have to worry about that anymore.”

The stable hand accepted the money, his fingers trembling.

Sveta looked at the gold coins briefly.

It was money she had earned while being treated like a courtesan. A large sum.

In future, earning that much would mean hardship, but she still wanted to leave it all behind.

She would no longer be a mistress. Nor a courtesan.

“Thank you, my lady.”

He was about to say more when the heavy wooden door creaked open.

Recognizing the visitor, Sveta turned to the stable hand.

“I’d like to speak with Madam Nora. Could you step outside for a moment?”

“Yes, of course.”

Still looking somewhat dazed, clutching the coins, he hurried away.

“It’s been a while, Madam Nora.”

“My lady. It’s fortunate I came earlier than we agreed. Have you been waiting long?”

“No. I just arrived.”

Since returning from Czernok, Sveta had deliberately kept her distance from Madam Nora.

She did not want the woman to know the details of her plan. If she fled, Madam Nora might get caught up in it.

Stroking Dongle’s neck as the horse snorted softly, Sveta asked.

“How have you been lately, Madam?”

“I have been living a life that does not involve attending to Lady Luce.”

Madam Nora smiled gently and her cheeks reddened.

A life free from serving Lady Luce!

Those few words explained everything.

An unspoken bond passed between them in the brief silence that followed.

Sveta let out a quiet laugh.

“I want to give you a different life.”

“You already have.”

“I mean a freer one.”

***

The next morning.

After breakfast, the duke and his mistress prepared to leave for Levizan, his estate in the north-east of the country.

As they passed through the ranks of waiting servants, Sveta climbed into the carriage with Aiden’s help.

He acknowledged the butler and head maid before stepping up to follow her inside.

“Your Grace!”

A desperate voice rang out from the hall connected to the main entrance.

All eyes turned.

The source of the interruption was Sveta’s foster mother, Dalia.

“Your Grace, I have something to report. An important matter…!”

Sveta tilted her head slightly and looked at her.

Her expression was anything but ordinary.

“Please, just a moment. Please hear me out!”

Dalia raised her eyebrows in an exaggerated display of pleading, looking at Sveta with feigned pity. But there was nothing soft about her gaze.

Her eyes burned as they swept over Sveta’s face, as though they were going to scorch her.

‘I know that look.’

Sveta recognized it instantly.

It was the same expression Dalia wore whenever she leaned in to whisper to Baron Luce.

At a single word from Dalia, maids had been dismissed and servants whipped.

Whatever she was about to say, it would not be kind.

A cold shiver of foreboding slid down Sveta’s spine.

She tightened her grip on Aiden’s arm.

“Your Grace, please get in.”

Dalia rushed forward, seizing Aiden’s arm and clinging to it.

“Your Grace! It is something you must know.”