When Ailie left to change into outdoor clothes, Sirion Fedroti covered his face with his hands and sighed heavily.

He wanted to hide. If only he could. He wanted to hide the heat that had been rising in his face non-stop since yesterday, whether it was visible or not.

‘How ridiculous must I look to Her Majesty…’

If it had only been the heat flooding his face, that would have been one thing. But what made it unbearable were the constant mistakes. While the Empress had accepted them all with a gracious smile, Sirion could not forgive himself for the series of disasters he had caused in the last two days.

He had run straight into her while turning a corner. He knocked over a stack of books, forcing her to bend down and help him gather them up. He had leaned far too close under the pretense of examining her injuries. Then, because she had looked tense the entire time, he recklessly suggested they take a walk.

Honestly! Who did he think he was?

Sirion screamed inwardly, his face still buried in his hands. This couldn’t go on. He was losing control and acting with careless, overzealous abandon.

‘You know better. Wanting to protect Her Majesty doesn’t mean you get to put her in uncomfortable situations.’

After the Empress departed for her retreat in Erdei, Sirion spent every night in the Imperial Library. He devoured one book after another, barely noticing his fatigue.

He was determined to repay the trust that Ailie had placed in him. He was determined to keep the promise he had made to heal her. Each night, he steadied himself by remembering her rose-colored eyes.

He had been abandoned by his mother once before. Once by his relatives. And once — though never intentionally — by his mentor, Karwin.

For someone like Sirion, who had been cast aside so many times, trust was more precious than anything else.

The belief that he was not worthless. The belief that he had the right to remain in the imperial palace.

The first person to give him that belief was Empress Ailie.

And so, with quiet desperation, he wanted to be worthy of her.

“Haah…”

—but perhaps that very eagerness had caused him to fail.

Almost a month had passed since the Empress left the palace. The Emperor summoned Sirion and informed him that the Empress had injured her neck, instructing him to exercise the utmost care in treating the injury. Under normal circumstances, Sirion would have simply prepared the necessary medical equipment and waited quietly outside the Empress’s bedroom.

But this time—

— he went straight to his own room.

He gathered stacks of books — sometimes as many as ten — and carried them to the doors of the Empress’s quarters. At last, the opportunity had come.

‘This time, I’ll do it right.’

Clinging to that thought, he paced endlessly between his room and the Empress’s chambers, unable to stay in one place; his heart fluttered with restless anticipation.

And then, amid all that nervous bustle, came the moment he finally saw the Empress’s face again after such a long time.

‘…That’s when I realized how much I had missed Her Majesty.’

He hadn’t realized it himself, but Sirion had missed Ailie. He was certain of it now.

Otherwise, his face wouldn’t have grown hot without warning. His surroundings wouldn’t have faded to white. And her face wouldn’t have been the only thing filling his vision.

‘“I wanted to see you… very much.”’

Those words had slipped out of his mouth.

They were the unadorned truth. Perhaps the real reason he had spent every night in the Imperial Library was not only to repay her trust, but also because he longed to see Ailie again.

He believed that he wanted nothing from Ailie other than to fulfil his duty. He needed neither greater power nor wealth. He had never dared to hope for the Empress’s heart, and that would never change.

But, in truth, there was one more thing he wished for.

‘I want to see Her Majesty… for a long, long time.’

That was all.

***

Ailie left the dressing room and went into the garden with Sirion.

She wore a bright yellow dress with simple adornments, and a white cotton shawl was draped over her shoulders. It suited the mild weather perfectly — light, fresh and gentle against the lingering chill.

Aside from the greenhouse at the back, the garden itself was modest and unassuming. Though there were moments when the air hinted at spring, winter still had the upper hand. Nevertheless, new shoots had begun to emerge throughout the flowerbeds — quiet proof that the season was changing.

As they walked further in, she came upon an unexpected patch of flowers in full bloom — perhaps a small gesture of kindness from the gardener towards those who still visited in winter.

The flowers were yellow, and their fragrance was so fresh that she could smell them without leaning close. Their petals curved backwards, and at the center of each bloom rested a small, vivid yellow cup, as if delicately set in place.

“Daffodils.”

Sirion murmured, almost to himself.

So these were daffodils. Ailie crouched near the flowers.

“You know your flowers well.”

“I’m no gardener, but herbs are part of my work. I learned under my mentor, and I’ve read quite a few books on the subject.”

“I suppose that makes sense. Then, Sirion—can this flower be used as medicine too?”

“No. Daffodils are poisonous.”

At his calm response, Ailie flinched and instinctively leaned back. Seeing her reaction, Sirion smiled softly.

“They’re fine to look at. As long as they’re not ingested.”

“…I almost called for the gardener to demand an explanation. Asking what they meant by planting such a dangerous flower.”

As she smiled awkwardly and sat back down beside the flowers, Sirion lowered himself and stood close as well.

Ailie gazed up at those pale lavender eyes as they lingered on the blossoms, then suddenly spoke.

“Sirion, when does lavender bloom?”

Whenever she looked into his eyes, a flower naturally came to mind. She’d never had a favourite flower before, but perhaps because she met his gaze so often, she found herself wanting to see lavender blooming in the garden just once.

When she asked him the unexpected question, his eyes, the colour of lavender, widened slightly in surprise before he answered smoothly.

“In summer. Towards the end of spring, it should start to bloom.”

“That’s still a long way off…”

“Would you like to see it, Your Majesty?”

“Could you show me?”

“What? Wasn’t it something you could only see in summer?”

Sirion nodded readily. Intrigued to hear what he would say next, Ailie stared at his youthful face. Once again, she noticed the tips of his ears redden.

“Th-there’s a small greenhouse behind the residence. I grow medicinal herbs there.”

“Herbs?”

“Yes. Lavender has excellent medicinal properties.”

So it was both beautiful and useful. Ailie nodded repeatedly, her face lighting up with interest.

“I’ll bring a pot of lavender tomorrow and show it to you.”

“Thank you. I feel bad for troubling you over something so small.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty.”

Sirion shook his head firmly, as if the very idea were absurd.

“I have never once thought of helping you as a burden. It is a task His Majesty the Emperor entrusted to me, and—”

“…….”

“More than anything, because Your Majesty trusted me.”

At those words, what Sirion had said the first time they met came back to her.

‘I wanted to earn your trust, no matter what.’

‘Was I… worthy of that trust?’

And the answer Ailie had given then.

“After doing this much for me, you still ask something so obvious.”

Of course she trusted him — it was that single affirmation that had carried Sirion all the way to this moment.

While she was away in Erdei, he had spent every night studying how to heal the heart as well as the body, and that must be the reason why. It was why he had insisted on tending to her wounds every day. It was also why he had brought her into the garden now, simply to lift her spirits.

This was no longer something she could dismiss as mere diligence. It was touching — something that stirred gratitude, even pride.

She had gathered many people around her with the intention of using them for her revenge. Yet of all of them, Sirion was different. Like Ricciardo, who had continued to believe in her even after learning of the Emperor’s infidelity, Sirion felt wholly and unquestionably hers.

Ailie rose to her feet, a bright smile blooming on her lips.

“That goes without saying. There’s no reason for me not to trust you.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty……”

Lavender-colored eyes trembled slightly, then settled into a clear, boyish smile. Sirion stood as well, following her lead.

Then perhaps they could continue their conversation in the greenhouse. She was a little curious about the mentor he had mentioned earlier…

‘It’s hard to believe someone like that produced such a diligent disciple.’

It was the same old physician who had tormented her in her previous life.

Of course, the imperial court employed several physicians, so there was no way of knowing if it was the same man. Nevertheless, Sirion had worked as a palace assistant for years. If anyone would know, it would be him.

Benate was no longer the same as before. Breni was different, too.

Breni’s change was understandable — this was before she exposed the Emperor’s affair. But Benate… the incident that morning alone revealed how fickle and unsettled he had become.

Still, there was no denying it. Something was different from her previous life.

To uncover that difference, she needed to learn more about the people who had wounded her so deeply in the past. Digging into scars that had only just begun to heal would be painful and exhausting.

But if she wanted to avoid repeating the same tragedy—

“Sirion, if you have time, shall we continue our talk in the greenhouse?”

“I don’t mind at—”

That was when it happened.

Sirion’s smiling face froze in an instant.

What is it?

Ailie followed his gaze at once. Even before she fully registered the figure standing there, a sharp sense of foreboding washed over her.

“……Your Majesty.”

Standing there was Emperor Benate.

His cold blue eyes were fixed clearly on Ailie.

She had planned to set an appointment for tomorrow anyway—yet today, of all days, her luck seemed particularly poor. To run into Benate twice in one day.

“Sirion Fedroti.”

Benate shifted his gaze from Ailie to Sirion. No—glared was the more accurate word.

Under that ice-cold stare, Sirion flinched and bowed deeply, at a loss.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

His voice trembled faintly at the end.

Benate’s lips curved slowly upwards.

Just as on the morning he failed Ricciardo’s entrance trial, he looked like someone who was suppressing deep displeasure.

“Allowing a greenhorn to handle the Empress’s treatment was never my intention. I suppose I should apologize for that misjudgment.”

His voice was calm. His eyes were not.

“I was foolish.”

“It seems it was never an appropriate task for someone of your station.”

Could it be? Was he trying to revoke the order he had given to Sirion?

The ominous feeling that had taken root in her mind grew stronger. She wished she hadn’t stopped to admire the daffodils; she should have gone straight into the greenhouse.

“Taking an injured Empress out into the garden in the middle of winter—don’t you think that was improper, even by your own judgment?”

“I–I’m sorry, Your Majesty……”

‘Injured Empress.’

The shallow cut on her neck had already begun to heal after just one day. Benate’s words were nothing more than fault-finding.

Why was he picking such unreasonable fights from the moment morning came?

“Please—just once. If you would grant me one more chance—”

“A chance? Benate cut in sharply. When Karwin proposed taking you in as a disciple, do you recall how the physicians whispered among themselves? They said it violated imperial protocol.”

“That was—”

“And have you forgotten that His late Majesty chose to turn a blind eye to it? That was the one chance you were given.”

“…….”

“That is enough. Another physician will attend to the Empress from now on.”

That was when—

“Your Majesty!”

Ailie stepped between them and raised her voice.

Benate’s pale blue eyes wavered; she was clearly shaken.

She couldn’t endure it any longer. She had planned to speak to him tomorrow, but she couldn’t wait that long. Not now.

She would not allow Benate to continue trampling over her people.

“Do my feelings mean nothing to you?”

Her voice rang out sharply.

“Is that it?”