Karina woke up feeling weight on her waist. The windowless bedroom was still dark, making it impossible to gauge the time. The lamp on the wall barely pushed back the darkness to one side.

Still drowsy, she blinked slowly before nearly screaming at finding Aidan’s face right in front of her nose. Only after quickly covering her mouth with one hand did she slowly catch her breath.

Even in the dim lamplight, Aidan’s sharp features were clearly visible. He lay sleeping with his arm around her waist, facing her.

Last night, after revealing everything she hadn’t been able to say, she felt like she truly faced him as he was for the first time.

‘It must have been hard, but you never showed it… I should reflect on myself.’

Aidan muttered while holding Karina. He too must have struggled to adapt in an unknown world with someone else’s appearance, but he hadn’t mentioned his circumstances. He tried to comfort Karina, who had returned to the worst place and time, and blamed himself for not noticing.

She liked him because he was like that. Because he was like that, she had trusted him until the end and came to this mansion to confirm her trust. And she felt relieved. That his meeting with Viscountess Highmond and sending her to House Hewitt all had reasons.

“I like you.”

Perhaps emotions overflow naturally when they’re too full. Looking at his sleeping face, the words came out naturally.

“I’d prefer to hear those words when I’m awake.”

Aidan answered with his eyes still closed. Startled that he had been awake, she tried to sit up, but the arm around her waist tightened.

“I won’t open my eyes, so let’s stay like this a little longer. I’m still tired.”

Only when he said he wouldn’t open his eyes did she realize her face was growing hot. Aidan had already anticipated and considered even this reaction of hers.

She lay there watching his face while calming her pounding heart. She could look at him comfortably since his eyes were closed. Dark circles showed under his eyes, suggesting his claim of being tired was true. Though it might have been shadows from the lamplight, he would naturally be tired if he had come straight here from the Italus border.

“Do it again later.”

Aidan spoke with his eyes still closed.

“The confession.”

Before she could ask what he wanted her to do again, he added one more word.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that one just now.”

Though his eyes remained closed, a smile played on his lips. His arm around her waist tightened, pulling her closer into his embrace.

Enveloped in his arms, Karina didn’t know what to say. Perhaps words weren’t necessary. When she carefully extended her arms to wrap around his waist, Aidan lowered his head to kiss the top of hers.

“This is torture.”

She heard him mutter quietly.

“Today is really the last time I’m holding back. When we return to the palace, I’m really going to embrace you.”

Karina smiled silently at his words. He had said the same thing last night. That since it was their first time, he wanted to embrace her properly in a nice place, in a comfortable atmosphere, taking their time. So he would hold back tonight. Yet he had tossed and turned all night, groaning. He must be even more tired from not sleeping well.

While thinking it would be fine here too, she also felt somehow fulfilled, as if her heart was completely full just like this. She wished time would stop like this…

Knock knock. The knocking sound interrupted her thoughts.

“Your Highness, I believe you need to prepare to leave now.”

The butler called for Aidan. This was because he had informed them last night that he needed to leave before noon today.

“Haah.”

Rising with a long sigh, Aidan brushed back his disheveled hair and turned to look at Karina.

“Good morning.”

He kissed her cheek with the brief greeting.

“It seems a bit late to call it morning.”

Though she couldn’t tell exactly without sunlight, it probably wasn’t early given that the butler had come specifically to wake them.

“Then let’s call it an afternoon greeting.”

He kissed Karina’s other cheek this time and smiled contentedly. Seeing his smiling face, a smile also spread across Karina’s lips.

Today, they would return to the imperial palace. With different feelings than before, returning there by her own choice this time. To where Aidan was.

*

The imperial knights and ministers welcomed Aidan’s return to the palace. Their attitude was much more respectful than when Aidan had left. This was because Aidan had successfully led negotiations with Italus, and the people of the Italus border region had very favorable opinions of him. Through the Italus border inspection, Aidan had succeeded in winning over both the ministers and the people.

Meanwhile, Lloyd’s position had become very precarious. While Lloyd had escaped being convicted in Aidan’s assassination attempt because the Empress confessed it was her order, his very identity was being shaken by the matter with Belmont. The Emperor had not said a word about Lloyd yet, and as the testimonies of the Empress and Belmont conflicted, the tribunal had not been able to reach a verdict.

Lloyd’s close associates suggested he should lay low for a while, but Lloyd acted even more boldly, asking what he had done wrong. But everyone’s gaze was unfavorable. Above all, the Emperor continued to refuse his audiences.

The crown prince position was practically decided as Aidan’s. Though no one said it aloud, everyone thought the same thing. Lloyd was finished. The doubt about his birth alone was enough reason for him not to become crown prince.

“I have returned.”

Aidan bowed to the Emperor.

“Sit.”

The Emperor gestured to the seat opposite him. Though he had rejected all of Lloyd’s audiences and confined the Empress to the northern palace, he looked surprisingly normal despite rumors he might have stopped eating and drinking.

“You worked hard. I plan to entrust all future diplomacy with Italus to you. That would be better, thinking of what’s to come.”

The Emperor praised Aidan’s efforts. Aidan showed no particular reaction even to the mention of future matters.

“It seems as if you knew everything would turn out this way.”

The Emperor spoke about how Aidan showed no excitement even though he must have heard all the rumors about the Empress and Lloyd.

“The feelings of betrayal and shock are not mine to feel.”

Aidan answered dryly. If he had been the real ‘Aidan,’ things might have been different. However, he had only seen the former Empress in portraits, and strictly speaking, it wasn’t him who was attacked. So he had no reason to be angry about the assassination attempt itself.

He simply needed to grasp power to live as Aidan and survive in this palace, and the Empress and Lloyd were obstacles to be removed. Things went smoothly because they targeted Aidan first; if they hadn’t, he might have schemed to deal with them first.

At this point, the Emperor naturally had the most reason to feel betrayed. He must feel empty after discovering that both his trusted wife and child were illusions. But even that was something he understood intellectually rather than emotionally. To Aidan, it was karma — the Emperor was simply reaping what he had sown.

“As a father, I am ashamed before you.”

The Emperor continued speaking while looking into the distance.

“When Grace, your mother, died… I should have settled things properly then…”

The Emperor took a deep breath. Even after that, he struggled to continue speaking for a while. The Emperor clearly also suspected Lilith McCoy was involved in the former Empress’s death.

“I couldn’t treat you warmly because it felt like seeing my own sin.”

Even at the Emperor’s confession, Aidan felt like he was hearing someone else’s story. It actually was someone else’s story. He had no way of knowing how the Emperor had treated ‘Aidan’ when he was young.

“I’m not interested in past matters. It’s not like things would change now anyway.”

When he made it clear he had no intention of creating discord by bringing up the former Empress’s death, the Emperor exhaled in relief. He had to suppress a laugh seeing how the Emperor seemed unwilling to reveal his shame until the end.

“I only hope you will bring this to an end that everyone can accept.”

Though he spoke indirectly, there was only one conclusion the Emperor could reach in the current situation. He knew this when he said it. He was the one who had driven things to this point.

“Soon we will hold the crown prince’s investiture ceremony.”

There was no need to ask who would become crown prince. Having Aidan sit before him while saying this was the answer.

“However, there is one thing that concerns me.”

The Emperor took a long breath.

“Do you really intend to divorce the crown princess?”

He mentioned what Aidan had said during the policy meeting before he departed for the Italus border region. Aidan let out a short “Ah” and spoke.

“Karina will return to the palace today. I have no intention of parting with her. If she wants a divorce, I plan to propose again until she accepts.”

The Emperor frowned at Aidan’s answer. He seemed not to understand why Aidan had said such things during the policy meeting then.

“I had no choice at that time. Because Her Majesty the Empress was targeting Karina.”

The Emperor’s face hardened at this response.

“Please confirm this.”

Aidan presented the evidence materials Karina had organized at the mansion.

“This is a report on the transaction records of herbs imported through the Hiruma merchant guild by Viscountess Highmond, who entered as Her Majesty the Empress’s lady-in-waiting, along with the components and effects of those herbs. Karina was poisoned by that medicine.”

The Emperor’s expression darkened as if he could roughly guess the situation just from that explanation.