❖ ❖ ❖

“What kind of person is the former empress?”

At Freya’s question, Sienna’s hand, which had been applying ointment to Estel, suddenly froze. It was an ointment specially prescribed for Estelle by the royal physician.

“Her Majesty the former Empress is…”

“She is a frightening person!”

It was Alicia who began to speak, but it was Sienna who answered.

Her shy green eyes were still filled with tears. Not long ago, when the Emperor and the former Empress had left the room, Sienna had burst into tears and cried for quite a while.

“Hngh… because of me…”

She seemed to feel terribly guilty that Estel had stepped forward and taken the slap in her place.

“It had to be someone. It was the Emperor’s order, after all.”

At Alicia’s uncomfortable attempt at consolation, Estel added in a flat tone.

“Even if it hadn’t been His Majesty’s order, Lady Freya had to be examined by the royal physician.”

Despite this, Sienna continued to sob for quite some time, only managing to stop when even Freya, unable to watch any longer, stepped in to comfort her.

“Her Majesty the former Empress is… a pitiful person.”

It was Estel, who had been silent until then, who quietly spoke up.

“What did you say?”

Alicia and Sienna cried out almost simultaneously, their expressions filled with disbelief.

Estel’s cheek was still badly swollen and bore a clear handprint. Her split lip looked equally bad.

“I heard that she was the only member of the Voltmon royal family to survive and was brought here as a prisoner. Even after arriving here, she suffered many hardships. I suppose she became the way she is now in order to survive, no matter what it took.”

Though her expression remained completely rigid, the words themselves were unexpectedly sympathetic.

“You hold no grudge against the former Empress?”

Estel’s deep navy blue eyes trembled slightly at Freya’s question.

“It would be a lie to say that I feel no resentment at all. But more than anything, I just find him a pitiful man.”

Even earlier, when she had intervened and been slapped in Sienna’s place, Freya had sensed it – Estel was a deeply thoughtful maid. Outwardly she seemed cold to the point of being unapproachable, but in truth she possessed an infinitely warm nature.

Now that she thought about it, all the maids she had been assigned to had been to her liking:

The cheerful Alicia, the shy but kind-hearted Sienna.

As Freya silently surveyed the maids standing before her, Estel’s calm voice reached her ears.

“Lady Freya, forgive me, but may I speak?”

Alicia and Sienna looked at Estel with concern.

“You may. Speak freely, whatever it may be.”

“I… I humbly request that you show a little more respect to His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Lady Bloua!”

Alicia and Sienna shouted almost simultaneously, turning towards Estel.

They too had been surprised by Freya’s attitude towards the Emperor earlier.

But to actually say something like that, when the Emperor himself had brushed her aside without a second thought, would normally have been unthinkable.

“Show… respect?”

Freya echoed Estel’s words quietly.

“I apologise. Lady Bloua only meant…”

Sienna hurried to apologise on Estel’s behalf.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you.”

At Freya’s unexpected response, everyone stared at her in stunned silence. Estel was no exception.

Although she had summoned the courage to speak, she had been fully prepared for the consequences.

“Lady Freya…”

Estel blinked in surprise at the warmth she felt from the hand that had taken hers.

“I may be the future Empress, but as you all know, I am the Queen of a defeated nation. Until yesterday, I was nothing more than a prisoner awaiting execution.”

At these words, everyone held their breath.

“For someone like me to receive such advice… it must mean that you have at least some regard for me. Isn’t that right?”

Estel, who had quietly bowed her head, flushed.

The blush on her left cheek was from the slap she had received from the former Empress, but her right cheek was – so far – completely unmarked.

“I have already received instructions from His Majesty the Emperor on proper etiquette. However, as I am still unfamiliar with it, I have made a mistake. Do not worry, it will not happen again.”

In truth, it would not have been surprising if Freya had taken offence and scolded her for insolence under the pretext of defending the Imperial dignity.

But instead she held Estel’s hand and thanked her.

Estel could hardly believe what had happened.

‘I’ve found someone I really want to serve.’

There was a quiet determination in her cold, dark blue eyes.

❖ ❖ ❖

The first thing Freya saw upon waking was Sienna’s beaming face.

“You’re awake?”

“What time is it? It still looks like daytime…”

The scenery beyond the window was still bright.

“The sun will be setting soon. It stays light longer in the summer.”

It seemed she had taken quite a long nap.

As Freya slowly sat up, she suddenly sucked in a breath at the fleeting image brushing through her mind—a scene from her dream.

The memory grew clearer, gradually filling her mind with vivid details. A woman’s figure, long hair cascading down, surrounded by dazzling light. A scent so rich it was almost suffocating.

Trevi… flowers?

Unlike the usual mild scent she was familiar with, it had been so intense that she hadn’t recognized it at first. But now, even lingering faintly at the tip of her nose, she was certain—it had been the scent of Trevi flowers.

And then—

“If you do not fulfil your purpose before your natural life ends… you will disappear for eternity.”

A beautiful voice, unmistakably not human, and filled with unwavering resolve.

‘In that case…’

That must have been a message from the goddess Remior.

As she pondered the meaning, Freya recalled the agonizing pain of her endless cycle of deaths and returns.

‘Your natural life’—could that mean the lifespan originally given to me, not a life ended by someone else’s hand?’

And the “purpose” she must fulfill… was likely to reclaim the Kingdom of Havern. Nothing else came to mind.

‘If I fail to achieve it, I’ll vanish… forever?’

Those who served the gods were all firm believers in reincarnation – the belief that after death a person’s soul would be clothed in a new body and begin another life under the mercy of the divine.

So annihilation must mean something far more terrible: the complete disappearance of the soul, making reincarnation impossible.

“…Lady Freya?”

Sienna’s cautious voice snapped Freya out of her thoughts.

“What are you going to do about your food? Shall I tell them to prepare it in the dining room from now on?”

Thanks to the royal physician’s prescription, her body did indeed feel much lighter.

Even after the chaos of that morning, the doctor had somehow diagnosed Freya’s condition with uncanny precision.

After applying the ointment he had given her, replacing her meal with nutritious porridge, and drinking every last drop of the herbal tea that was supposed to restore her strength, Freya had slept for hours as if dead to the world.

But perhaps because of the dream she had just had, Freya’s head began to throb.

“I’ll eat here. If possible, prepare something light and easy to digest like what I had for lunch.”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

Just as Sienna was about to leave the room, she suddenly spoke as if something had come to mind.

“While you were asleep… His Majesty the Emperor came by.”

Since he had already visited that morning, Freya was simply puzzled.

“What did he come for?”

“Um… I’m not sure. He dismissed all of us. And then… he stayed for quite a while before leaving.”

“For quite a while?”

“Yes. And…”

Sienna hesitated, as if there was something more she wanted to say.

“Go on. Speak.”

“His Majesty gave an order… that if Her Majesty the former empress comes here again, we are to inform him immediately.”

“…What?”

Freya blinked slowly, unable to hide the confusion in her eyes.
What could the emperor be thinking?

❖ ❖ ❖

“Lady Freya fell asleep just a short while ago.”

“Did she eat well?”

“Yes. She’s still not ready for regular meals, so we prepared foods that are easy to digest and help restore energy. She also drank the medicinal tea prescribed by the royal physician.”

“Leave us.”

He had been disappointed to hear that she was asleep – but only for a moment.

To be able to look freely at the face he had longed to see for so long… was enough.

Even asleep, she was beautiful.

The graceful line from her forehead to her nose looked like a painting – he couldn’t take his eyes off her for long.

‘Perhaps it’s not so bad to come like this, while she’s asleep.’

“…Princess.”

He called her softly by the name he had used in the past.

As if in response, Freya’s closed lashes fluttered slightly.

His trembling fingertips brushed gently across her cheek.

Whether it was a dream or she somehow felt his touch even in her sleep, her beautiful brow furrowed slightly.

Just to look at her – how could it bring such happiness?

‘Kider would have a field day teasing me if he saw me now.’

If anyone saw him, they’d think the emperor had lost his mind—his expression made it far too easy to start rumors.

“But why are you giving me something so precious?”
Freya’s wide-eyed question still lingered vividly in his mind.

How happy he’d been when the ring-his mother’s ring-had fit her slender finger so perfectly, his hands shaking as he’d slipped it on.

But the parting had come so suddenly.

It was the day he heard the news of the death of the Empire’s only young crown prince.

“…Therefore, His Majesty the Emperor commands that Lord Rabion, First Heir to the Throne, return to the empire immediately.”

Coming or going – none of it had ever been his choice.

That had always been the life he knew: everything determined by others.

“Just a moment. Please, just give me a moment.”

He couldn’t leave like that. He had to say goodbye.

But how could he say a long, heartfelt goodbye to the princess who didn’t even know his true identity – who only knew him as a nobleman from the realm of Karl?

He hadn’t even confessed his feelings to her.

So instead of a long goodbye, he left her with his mother’s keepsake.

He swore he’d come back to see her one day – and that when he did, he’d tell her everything.

Little did he know that it would be so long before they saw each other again.

So he said goodbye in silence, alone.

‘That day… I should’ve held her at least once.’
He hadn’t known their parting would stretch on for so long.

“Since I left… have you ever missed me, even once?”
He asked the sleeping Freya, who knew nothing.

“No… it doesn’t matter. We’ve met again. That’s enough.”
He listened to her soft, steady breathing and murmured quietly.

“Thank you… for not asking me to kill you. Thank you… for saying you wanted to be an Empress.

Truly… thank you.”

He whispered it to her again and again, and as if in a dream, Freya’s fingertips trembled slightly in her sleep.

‘I’ll never leave you again. I promise.’

Holding her hand tightly, Rabion’s blue eyes shimmered with tears.