Sirion’s pale lavender eyes rested on the teacup placed before him. The maid had brewed the tea and stepped outside to wait while Breni left for the archives at Ailie’s request.

Ultimately, only Ailie and Sirion remained. The two of them were alone in this vast, opulent room, where even the faintest rustle sounded loud due to the awkwardness.

Had she known it would be like this, she wouldn’t have sent Breni to fetch a book. Leaning back against the couch, Ailie regretted her decision from a few minutes earlier.

“It’s been a while since I last saw you, after the previous examination.”

“Yes, it has. Have you been well in the meantime, Your Majesty?”

As soon as Ailie started talking, Sirion lifted his head as if he had been waiting for her to speak. His eyes brightened.

Had he been rehearsing while waiting in the corridor?

His greeting sounded like memorized lines from a script — stiff and overly formal. Ailie couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

“I suppose I’ve been more or less fine. I hadn’t needed to call for you, after all.”

“That’s a relief, Your Majesty.”

“So then… what brings you here today?”

She kept smiling as she asked her question.

Although she had been startled for a moment by being alone with him, speaking with Sirion was neither difficult nor uncomfortable.

During his last examination, she had even been deeply moved.

It was Sirion who was tense. His slender, youthful face was frozen in awkward stiffness as he tried to decide where to stand.

He was a relatively inexperienced physician, having only just reached adulthood, and he was two years younger than Ailie.

Above all, he was standing before the empress.

Feeling overwhelmed and nervous was only natural.

‘But still…’

In his lavender eyes, alongside the anxiety, she sensed a kind of earnest determination. As though he had been waiting eagerly for this very day.

“As before, His Majesty the Emperor has entrusted me with Your Majesty’s examination.”

“So it was as I thought.”

A dry response slipped out before she could temper it. She had fully expected Benate to be the one who sent Sirion, but hearing it confirmed did nothing to improve her mood. So he had even told the dowager that the empress seemed unwell.

‘Is he trying to play the devoted husband—pretending to worry about my health on a regular basis?’

Ailie scoffed inwardly.

He might fool others in the palace with such a performance, but he would never fool her. He would realize soon enough how pointless it was—that foolish Benate.

“I told His Majesty during the last examination that there were no abnormalities, but he still seemed unable to let go of his concern.”

“…”

“So I kept wondering if I had overlooked something… if I failed to notice anything due to my inexperience…”

As he spoke, Sirion lifted one of the bags he had brought, almost proudly. It was large and heavy-looking at a glance—stuffed full of who knows what.

“So I decided to give Your Majesty a full examination.”

As the imperial physician, he said he wanted to allay Their Majesties’ concerns.

Before she realized it, Ailie pressed her fingers to her temple.

Benate’s so-called concern was nothing more than an act, and her recent bouts of ill health were entirely his doing.

Since she had not been forced to see him for some time, her condition had improved markedly.

And yet, he wanted a full examination.

‘His intentions are admirable, but…’

It would take a long time, surely.

Ailie almost protested, but the earnest, innocent look in his eyes stopped her. Her words simply got stuck in her throat.

***

As expected, the comprehensive examination took a great deal of time.

Even after Breni returned with three entire books, and long afterwards, it was only when the sun began to set that it finally ended.

Ailie was completely drained and had nearly melted into the sofa. Breni, who had been waiting at the desk, had fallen asleep a long time ago, her head drooping forward, utterly still.

Only Sirion showed no sign of fatigue.

He methodically reviewed the hastily scribbled notes in his notebook, shifting his gaze between the pages and the many magical medical instruments spread across the table. His delicate brows drew together slightly in concentration.

Ailie found herself watching him for longer than intended, her gaze slowly drifting upwards to follow the soft flutter of his long eyelashes.

Each time they lowered and lifted, his pale lavender eyes appeared and vanished again, like a gentle pulse of light.

Her jewel box was filled with ornaments crafted by imperial artisans, every gem of the finest quality.

And yet, Ailie knew with certainty that she had never seen a purple glow so clear and quietly beautiful.

‘Why did I never see those eyes once before my return?’

The thought brushed past.

Before her return, Ailie had longed only for Benate’s blue eyes, which had never once turned towards her. She adored them, waited for them, and lived for the chance that they might look at her.

Deep down, a small thought had always lingered.

Why must she wait for only his eyes?

What if she had been able to divorce him in time? What if the palace hadn’t closed in on her, branding her from all sides?

‘If only I could have met Sirion instead of that physician before my return…’

Would the ending have changed?

“…Your Majesty.”

At last, Sirion closed his notebook and spoke. His calm lavender eyes fixed clearly on Ailie. The gaze was steady—but his expression was not bright.

Was something wrong with the results?

Ailie stared anxiously between his eyes and his notes, her rose-colored eyes trembling.

Then Sirion spoke gently.

“Your Majesty is not ill in any way.”

She blinked, not grasping the words immediately and only after a moment did she exhale a long, relieved breath.

It was a relief. Truly, that nothing was wrong.

‘Yes… if I’m determined to outlive Benate, I need to stay healthy.’

Ailie nodded, her expression finally easing.

But Sirion continued to flip through his notebook with a grave look on his face.

Strange. Was there still something left?

“But there is one more thing…”

“…”

“…I believe I need to tend to Your Majesty’s heart.”

Her… heart?

Ailie’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Your Majesty, if a wound is covered up instead of being treated, it will eventually become infected and burst open.”

“You just told me I’m not hurt anywhere. I’ve never even been injured.”

But the moment the words left her mouth, a memory surged to the forefront of her mind.

The final moments before her return: a long, agonizing death; a body torn apart and broken beyond recognition; her vision blurring beneath the weight of unbearable pain.

But that was all in the past now.

‘No, it had become something that never happened.’

The Dowager’s sudden coldness, the humiliation she had endured at the New Year’s festival, the way she had been left alone in that vast palace without a single ally —

All of it erased, cleanly and completely.

“Your Majesty.”

“…”

“Emotional wounds will fester as well if left alone.”

No, not everything has vanished.

Ailie pressed her hand against her forehead and let out a long sigh.

The memories clinging to her mind and the resentment etched into her heart kept her awake at night.

Headaches came and went without warning, and sometimes she longed to break down and cry.

Even on peaceful days, fear lurked deep inside her.

She felt as though Donata might barge in again and destroy her life.

As though everyone might believe Benate’s lies and abandon her once more.

She flinched whenever someone knocked on her door, terrified it might be him.

When she went outside, she kept her gaze lowered, afraid of bumping into him by chance.

Even after learning that the emperor was far too busy to appear in person these days, the anxiety refused to leave.

No matter how well things were going, she remained afraid.

Sometimes she wondered if all this happiness was just a long nightmare, and that the reality was her body still lying dead at the bottom of that cliff.

That was all.

Compared to her suffering before her return, however, she was far healthier now.

‘But if I leave it alone, it really might fester.’

She wasn’t physically ill but she knew full well that living like this would eventually shorten her life.

Her heart was slowly rotting.

“Please open up, Your Majesty.”

His quiet voice was soft as a whisper, gentle without any force or pressure.

Ailie silently gazed into those beautiful lavender eyes. When she looked into them, it felt as though her worries might melt just a little.

“It doesn’t have to be me. But show your wounds to someone you can trust.”

“…”

“And when the day comes that Your Majesty can trust me from the depths of your heart…”

Sirion paused, letting a brief silence pass.

Then a gloved hand extended toward her.

Only then did Ailie realize her own hand was trembling again.

When she placed her hand atop his, the trembling slowly faded.

“…When that day comes, please show your wounds to me as well.”

Ailie looked at her reflection in his pale lavender eyes. The face staring back looked more worn and tired than she had expected—

“But I promise I will heal you, Your Majesty.”

His gentle, steady voice gradually brought color back to her world. Ailie quickly averted her gaze from the blurring in her vision and took out a handkerchief. When she pressed it to her eyes, the dry fabric darkened instantly with moisture.

A faint, embarrassed laugh escaped her. Seeing this, Sirion offered a quiet smile.

“Sirion, you really…”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“…are terribly rude. How many times do you intend to make the empress cry?”

The sound that escaped her was strange, caught somewhere between laughter and tears.

Then, covering her face with one hand, Ailie burst out laughing.

She really laughed.

It was the first time she could remember in years.

Her sudden, bright laughter rang out so loudly that Breni, who had been sleeping so deeply that she could have been carried away without waking, fell backwards with a thud.

Blinking in confusion, she looked from Ailie to Sirion.

“Y-Your Majesty… Y-you’re not laughing because of me, right? I mean—what time is it? Oh? Is the full examination over? Or… or is it just beginning?”

Breni babbled, looking completely lost and dazed.

This made Ailie’s laughter, which had already begun to die down, bubble up again.

She continued to chuckle quietly for quite some time, even while Sirion apologized for the late hour and began packing his bags.

By the time he was ready to leave, Ailie thought her expression had noticeably lightened.

At least she would be able to sleep soundly tonight.