March arrived.

While the northernmost regions of the continent were still gripped by bitter cold, spring had well and truly arrived in the Tere Empire. Flowers bloomed in abundance, and people moved about the streets in noticeably lighter clothing.

Empress Ailie returned to her daily routine, passing her days in a rare and gentle calm.

Each morning, Sirion came to see her to tend to her state of mind — essentially counselling. Perhaps because of this consistent care, her insomnia had almost disappeared and color had returned to her face.

Nevertheless, she was not yet ready to share her past memories with him.

“And someday, when Your Majesty can truly trust me with your heart…
…Please show me your wounds then as well.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Sirion.

It was just—

‘There’s something that keeps bothering me.’

That something was Benate’s utterly impenetrable attitude.

Since that dinner, he had invited Ailie to dine with him whenever his schedule permitted — seemingly to demonstrate that his words about making time for her were not empty promises. She declined some invitations and accepted others. Yet whenever she did accept, Benate behaved as though the invitation had been extended purely to share a meal. He brought up nothing of consequence.

On the rare occasions he did speak—

“The weather’s grown much warmer.”
“Yes. It’s spring.”
“The gardens have become quite colorful.”
“Well… it is spring.”

It was nothing but meaningless small talk.

When Ailie responded briefly in an attempt to ascertain his true intentions, the conversation limped along through a few more awkward exchanges before fading out completely. Ultimately, she was left wondering what he had really wanted to say.

In any case, thanks to Sirion’s meticulous care, Breni had made a full recovery. Watching her stuff desserts into her newly plump cheeks was enough to make Ailie forget everything that had happened in the tower.

As for Ricciardo, he was so busy that she rarely caught even a glimpse of him. About five days earlier, she had run into Liton and asked about him, only to be told that he was training the new recruits.

“At this time of year, he’ll be so busy he won’t even have time to groom himself properly. Anyone else might make the effort, but he wouldn’t want to see Your Majesty.”

“That sounds rough. How long does the training period last?”

“It will end soon. When that time comes, the Knights will arrange a meeting, so you’ll be able to speak with Lord Alvaro at ease.”

He hadn’t specified when it would end.

In any case, she couldn’t interfere with the training, so Ailie decided to be patient.

Come to think of it, Donata’s reply still hadn’t arrived.

Breni had asked around, wondering if the letter might have been lost, but there had been no results. Recently, not a single letter had arrived from the Seidler household. Not one.

‘Surely she doesn’t intend to ignore the Empress’s recommendation outright…’

It was unsettling, but not something she needed to worry about right then. The Emperor was busy, and besides, Donata hadn’t been coming to the Imperial Palace lately.

At that time, the imperial family were preparing for an important event.

“Is everything ready?”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Of course! I’ve packed this, and this, and this—and this too…”

Ailie let out a small snort of laughter at the sight of Breni pulling item after item out and laying them out. It was closer to a dry chuckle.

Jewelry and dresses appearing endlessly was one thing, but did she really need to bring a scrapbook, a diary, and even a pack of playing cards? She’d even thoughtfully packed dried fruit, as though planning to snack on them.

“Breni, we’re not going on holiday.”

“But when we stayed in Erdei, there was so much free time. I just wanted something to do.”

“Still. This time, we won’t be staying that long.”

Only then did Breni pause, gazing wistfully at the luggage for a moment before pulling out the scrapbook and setting it on the table.

Was she really not planning to take anything else?

In any case, March in the Tere Empire signified more than just the arrival of spring: it also marked the nation’s anniversary of its foundation.

This year held special significance. It was the year of the pilgrimage to the temple, which occurred once every five years. The imperial couple — the mother and father of the empire — would travel to the magnificent temple at the heart of the continent to pray for the empire’s peace and prosperity in a solemn ceremony.

This was the spring of their second year of marriage, a significant event also featured in the original novel. An incident occurred that drew the two of them closer and became a turning point.

But—

‘I didn’t experience this before the regression.’

She did not know the exact reason.

Before the regression, Benate had refused to accompany Ailie to the temple. It would have been their first visit since the coronation. Was he really willing to break with imperial tradition? The high-ranking nobles protested fiercely, but Benate remained silent throughout.

Ultimately, he went so far as to cancel the temple visit ceremony altogether, provoking outrage across the empire.

Although Emperor Benate was cold and emotionally distant, he was not usually the kind of tyrant to cast aside affairs of state.

Yet this time, things were different.

At the end of February, during one of their dinners, he personally informed Ailie of the upcoming temple visit, presenting her with a letter from the High Priest.

‘Of course, it’s only natural…’

And yet the feeling was strange. It was strange that she was only experiencing something so natural after having regressed once.

While Ailie was lost in thought, Breni began folding and unfolding her fingers as though counting, and then suddenly started chattering away.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t heard about the attendants yet. Your Majesty, His Majesty the Emperor, me, and the Knight Commander… are we really setting out with just the four of us?”

“No matter how quietly we leave, they’ll probably have a physician along, just in case. And one or two additional knights as escort.”

“Do you think it’ll be Sirion and Lord Alvaro?”

“I don’t know.”

It was Benate’s prerogative to choose the attendants, and it was unlikely that Sirion and Ricciardo would accompany them. Even though the earlier incident had been resolved, their presence would have made things awkward.

Aside from the people Breni had mentioned, the group in the original novel was accompanied by an unnamed knight and an unnamed physician. However, neither Ricciardo’s entry into the Imperial Knights nor Sirion’s continued residence in the palace had ever featured in that story. There was no guarantee that events would unfold in the same way this time.

For all she knew, an enormous procession of carriages could be waiting for them when the day finally arrived.

‘Still, Benate doesn’t seem like the type.’

Not in the original novel—and not the Benate who was likely sitting in his office even now.

***

The day of departure for the temple had arrived.

Three carriages bearing the imperial crest were waiting at the city gates. When Ailie arrived with Breni and saw them, she was taken aback — her eyes widened at the unexpected sight.

This was because Benate had done something she hadn’t anticipated.

“Why is this happening, Your Majesty?”

Bright red hair and sharp, intelligent black eyes—

“Lord Alvaro…?”

“I formally greet you. Ricciardo Alvaro, of the Imperial Knights.”

Ricciardo was immaculately dressed in his knightly uniform and lifted the corner of his mouth in a playful smile.

Next came Sirion, who greeted her with a warm, beaming smile. Then Liton emerged from the carriage behind them.

Everyone she had never expected to see here were gathered in one place.

Was he really planning to go to the temple with them?

‘Was this Benate’s decision?’

The suspicion rose unbidden.

But the next moment, Liton stepped forward before Ailie’s flustered rose-tinted gaze and spoke.

“These are the attendants His Majesty personally selected. He also said that if Her Majesty finds them unsatisfactory in any way, he would change them at once—”

“No, no. That won’t be necessary.”

Afraid he might retract it at any moment, Ailie waved her hands hastily.

Whatever the reason, there was no need to refuse when he was allowing her to bring those who stood firmly on her side.

‘Could this be… an apology for what happened before?’

That was absurd.

Benate was not the kind of man to dwell on past mistakes. If he had been more considerate, he would never have left Ailie alone before the regression.

Lost in these thoughts, she saw Benate appear in the distance, accompanied by the Knight Commander.

“Did I keep you waiting?”

Ailie met the pale blue eyes approaching her and shook her head.

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Is everything ready to depart?”

“Yes. It’s time. Rather than that, we should set off.”

She ended the brief conversation abruptly and took Breni’s hand, gently pulling her along.

Things were better than before, but Benate was still someone she found difficult to talk to, or to feel comfortable talking to. This was especially the case when he wore that polished, affable mask in front of others. It stirred old memories and left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Naturally, that flawless performance only shone brighter before an audience.

Ailie cast a brief, sideways glance at those unreadable blue eyes, then led Breni towards the second carriage.

That was when—

“Empress.”

“Was there something else you wished to say?”

“No. Just this—this time, you’ll need to ride separately from your maid.”

“…Pardon?”

As she asked the question in confusion, a hazy fragment from the original novel surfaced in Ailie’s mind.

[The temple visit held every five years was also a ritual in which the imperial couple proved the empire’s peace by showing the gods the depth of their love.]

The depth of their… love?

“Tradition dictates that the imperial couple must remain together from the beginning of the ritual to the end. The late Emperor said that even departing from the palace marks the start of the ceremony.”

“…From the moment of departure?”

“Yes. I’d like you to follow that tradition.”

Ailie blinked slowly, her expression blank.

Only then did she understand.

She understood why the Benate had refused to accompany her before the regression. Despite fierce opposition from the nobility, he had even gone so far as to cancel the ritual itself.

He hadn’t wanted it.

He hadn’t wanted to spend the entire ritual by her side.

‘Then why now? Why this time?’

What possible reason could he have for readily accepting the ritual?

Was it simply his duty as emperor?

No — she had seen it with her own eyes. Before the regression, Benate had broken imperial tradition for one reason only: he did not want to be with Ailie.

Had something strange been mixed into the food at that dinner? He had been acting strangely ever since the regression, but lately he had become even more difficult to understand.

She could not understand him.

She could not fathom what lay behind his calm demeanor or the intricacy and scope of the plan that could produce such unexpected moves one after another.

“Even if it doesn’t please you, I ask that you comply. This, too, is part of the ritual.”

Benate spoke slowly, his gaze dropping as though he were hesitating.

And then, in the next moment—

“Come. I’ll escort you.”

He extended a white-gloved hand toward her with formal courtesy.