It had been a long time since she had had a bath.

The maids cleaned Freya’s body thoroughly with soap and fragrant oils. Their hands were soft and gentle.

Soon, as she immersed herself in the warm water, perfumed with the subtle scent of Trevi flowers, Freya unconsciously closed her eyes.

Despite the throbbing in her wounded areas, the warmth slowly lessened her fatigue and made her feel pleasantly drowsy.

But it only lasted a moment – soon a deep pain settled in her chest.

‘Why has the Goddess left the realm?’

Relying solely on the power of Remior, the Havern Kingdom had virtually no military defences to speak of.

Before his death, the late king had hastily reorganised the military for reasons unknown, but even that was completely dismantled under Christy’s claims that it was blasphemy against the goddess.

‘Because of this false saint who serves an evil god…?’

Cristy’s shrill voice still rang in her ears.

“Freya, remember that my will is the will of the Goddess Remior. A saint is not just a cleric who serves the divine. She is the unmistakable representative of the goddess.”

Freya could still vividly recall the necklace that was constantly emitting an eerie glow from Cristy’s neck.

The Tear of the Evil God.

When Christy served as Princess Freya’s handmaiden, the necklace was a gift from Duke Osiris – a ruby necklace once mistaken for the sacred relic known as the Goddess’ Tear.

In the end, it was this very object that led to the rise of a false saint.

Freya had disliked the necklace from the start, knowing full well the dark intentions of Duke Osiris, who sought to make his son the future High Priest.

Christy, who had shown an unusual obsession with the necklace from the moment she first saw it, eventually managed to take it from Freya.

“Cursed objects like this will find their rightful owners on their own.”

Viscount Todre, the one who had revealed the true nature of the necklace, had said.

He had continued to help Freya in various ways after that, and like the rumours linking him to the Red Beard Merchant’s Guild, he was no ordinary man.

‘I wonder… is Christy still alive?’

There were reports that the Imperial Army had attacked the temple first. They had probably targeted the Saintess and the High Priest before anyone else. Judging by the way the Imperial soldiers who had tied her up were demanding to know the whereabouts of the Saintess, it seemed that Christy had managed to escape somewhere and was still alive.

If Christy was still alive… The train of thought that had continued one after the other was abruptly cut off, fading into nothingness.

Her body, long exhausted, could no longer withstand the wear and tear. In an instant, her consciousness sank beneath the surface of sleep, granting her a sweet rest that had felt forever out of reach.

❖ ❖ ❖

The soft, fluffy bedding was a sensation she hadn’t felt in a long time. But there was no time to enjoy it. An overwhelming ache swept through her body, followed by a pain she could not bear.

Then came the intense thirst.

“W… water…”

As the pain of her parched throat burned through her, she let out an involuntary moan.

“Here you are.”

A calm voice answered, followed by something damp pressing gently against Freya’s lips. Moisture from a thoroughly soaked cloth slowly and tantalisingly moistened her mouth.

‘Water… I want more.’

If only she could drink as much cool water as she wanted – she would have no other desire.

Increasingly desperate, Freya forced her eyes open. The sunlight streaming through the window was blinding, making her squint as the calm voice from earlier spoke again.

“Can you sit up?”

She nodded slightly and soon the maids were gently helping her out of bed.

“I’ll bring the water now.”

The cool touch of the mug against her lips came next, and without a second thought, Freya parted her lips. The lukewarm water trickled slowly into her mouth.

“You must drink slowly.”

In truth, she longed for cold water, but now was not the time to be picky about whether it was hot or cold. She drank all the water they offered, barely keeping her eyes open.

When she regained her senses, a vague memory emerged – it was the room she had returned to after her bath yesterday. She had come in half-conscious and collapsed on the bed. She must have fallen asleep just like that.

Freya looked around slowly.

It was a large room, filled with unfamiliar furniture, decorated with elaborate chandeliers and beautiful murals. Perhaps because of the sunlight streaming in through the open window, everything inside seemed to sparkle.

“I am Estel, assigned to serve you, Lady Freya.”

A maid came into view and bowed politely to her.

Come to think of it, she was one of the maids who had helped with her bath yesterday. Estel’s deep brown hair was neatly pinned up, not a strand out of place. Her cold, bluish eyes and firm lips gave her a rather austere appearance.

Another maid, who had been standing behind, quickly stepped forward and gave Freya a bright smile before offering a polite greeting.

“My name is Alicia. It is an honour to serve you, Lady Freya.”

She had a fresh, youthful look with kind, gentle eyes. Estel seemed to be about Freya’s age, but the girl called Alicia looked a few years younger.

With pale blue eyes and wavy light brown hair that reached down to her waist, she was quite pretty. Her constant smile gave her a warm, friendly air that contrasted sharply with Estel’s icy demeanour.

As Freya watched them quietly, the haggard faces of her own maids from yesterday came to mind.

‘Where are they now?’

The thought of them still miserably trapped in prison overwhelmed her with unbearable guilt.

“Where… are my maids?”

Alicia’s eyes widened in surprise at Freya’s subdued voice.

“Maids? Are there others besides us?”

Estel, who had been watching, stepped in calmly.

“By order of His Majesty the Emperor, we have been instructed to take care of you, Lady Freya. As well as the two of us, there is a maid called Sienna, but she’s gone to summon the royal physician. His Majesty gave strict orders yesterday that a physician must be summoned immediately upon your awakening so that you can be examined immediately.

Just then –

“The royal physician has arrived. May we come in?”

A clear, youthful female voice accompanied the sound of a knock. It seemed to be the maid, Sienna.

As Freya nodded slowly, Estel moved quickly to open the door.

Behind the blonde maid stood a middle-aged man.

“It is an honour to meet you, Lady Freya. I am Carter Ravison, the royal physician, sent by order of His Majesty the Emperor to examine you.”

The doctor immediately took his medical tools from his bag and began to examine Freya closely.

“How do you feel?”

In truth, her entire body ached. Life in the underground prison had been anything but easy.

But Freya just shook her head without saying much. In a situation where she had lost her country, even being examined like this felt like an undeserved luxury.

“You have some injuries.”

The doctor said, checking Freya’s condition thoroughly – from the chafed wounds on her wrists and ankles to the sunburns on her skin.

Just as the examination was almost over, a loud noise outside caught everyone’s attention, and all eyes naturally turned to the door.

“I said open this door immediately! Do you take my words lightly?”

“Please, we must ask you to leave. You cannot behave like this!”

The agitated voices of attendants trying to restrain someone followed.

“What’s going on?”

At Freya’s question, the maids exchanged worried glances instead of answering, as if they had agreed beforehand to keep quiet.

Meanwhile, the commotion outside grew louder, and the doorknob rattled as if it might burst open at any moment.

“I said, what’s going on?”

“Th-That’s…”

As Sienna shivered, unable to answer, Estel stepped forward to answer in her place.

“…It seems that Her Majesty the Dowager Empress has arrived.”

Freya blinked slowly.

“Has she? Then why all the fuss?”

“The truth is… His Majesty the Emperor has given strict orders that no one be allowed inside for the time being, to ensure your rest and recovery, Lady Freya.”

Caught off guard by these unexpected words, Freya tilted her head slightly.

“Go ahead and show her in.”

“Are you sure… it’s all right?”

“It’s fine. We can’t leave Her Majesty the Dowager Empress standing outside.”

Estel let out a small breath before walking over to the door.

“We greet Your Majesty the Dowager Empress.”

“Took you long enough to open the door.”

Surprisingly, Tana – who looked ready to punch someone in the face – walked right past Estel without saying a word. Her footsteps took her directly to the royal physician, Carter, without so much as a glance at Freya, who was now sitting up in bed.

“Doctor, what are you doing here?”

At her question, Carter’s hands, which had been busy packing his medical equipment, began to tremble slightly.

“Th-That’s…”

Tana’s sharp eyes scanned the maids one by one.

“Which one of you brought the doctor here?”

A short silence followed.

Just as the trembling Sienna seemed about to step forward – as if she had given up – Estel quickly held her back and stepped forward herself.

“It was I, Your Majesty, the Dowager Empress.”

Smack!

Tana’s hand struck Estel’s cheek with such speed and force that it all happened in the blink of an eye.

“Impertinent girl. Do you understand what you’ve done wrong?”

Tana’s voice was as sharp as a blade as she spoke to the maid who was now lying on the floor.

With the help of the other two maids, Estel struggled to her feet, her head bowed once more. Even at a glance, the cheek on which she had been struck was horribly swollen, her appearance pitiful and painful to behold.

“How could I possibly presume to understand Your Majesty’s deeper intentions? If you would enlighten me…”

Smack!

Tana’s hand struck Estel’s cheek again, just as hard as before. The blow was hard enough to shake her slender frame, but this time she didn’t fall – thanks to Alicia and Sienna, who quickly caught her before she collapsed.