Seeing that Tedor was in good spirits, Ronan felt quietly relieved.

Although his master claimed to desire harmony between Carlos and Annely, it was also what troubled him most. Whenever such reports arrived, his mood would darken, leaving Ronan, who constantly served at his side, in an uncomfortable position. Nevertheless, Ronan did not wish to see the man he had served since childhood suffer.

Carefully choosing words that might ease his heart, Ronan spoke again.

“When His Grace the Grand Duke and Lord Fedric come to the capital, they always stay in the imperial palace. It is possible that the young lady may remain there as well.”

“Is that so?”

Tedor’s face lit up at once.

Every few years, the Grand Duke and Fedric travelled south in winter and spent a few days in the capital. The last time they had visited was four years ago, when Annely had formally requested her marriage to Carlos. However, after that, as the barbarians’ movements had become increasingly suspicious, the Grand Duke had kept Fedric in the north and refused to send him to the capital.

This winter, however, they appeared to be coming to deliver a far more detailed report, as signs of war were finally beginning to emerge.

In any case, whenever they visited the capital, they did not stay in their own townhouse, but in the imperial palace. This was not because they lacked a residence in the city, but rather to put the late emperor’s mind at ease.

In the north, the Emperor’s authority did not outweigh the Grand Duke’s command. With such immense power, there was always a risk that disloyal individuals might try to get close to him. Fully aware of the late emperor’s concerns, the grand duke had always chosen to stay in the imperial palace, and this time would be no different.

“That’s right. And since Annely seems to have taken an interest in her family, the chances are even higher.”

The more he murmured, the deeper Tedor’s smile grew.

“That’s true. And Lord Fedric would surely hold on to the young lady. Do you remember? When Lord Fedric carried her on his back and fled into the maze garden.”

At the mention of that long-ago memory, Tedor laughed and nodded.

“I remember.”

Annely was only eight years old at the time, and it was Fedric’s first visit to the capital since her arrival. Determined not to be separated from his sister again after a year apart, Fedric slipped past the attendants, lifted Annely onto his back, and fled into the maze garden, where they ended up spending the night.

When Tedor heard the news, he was so shocked that he fainted, throwing the palace into utter chaos.

Looking back now, Tedor realized that he had even felt jealous of Fedric, Annely’s own blood relative.

As these childhood memories resurfaced, the heavy weight that had been pressing on his chest for so long finally lifted.

Having succeeded in lifting Tedor’s spirits, Ronan quietly stepped back, relief washing over him.

Several years earlier, just after Annely and Carlos were married, Tedor had suffered relentless insomnia and one illness after another. At the time, Ronan had not known how to comfort him, but now he understood better than anyone.

In truth, he knew that this kind of consolation offered only temporary relief and was far from a true solution. But his master was no ordinary man — he was the Emperor, a figure of overwhelming authority. There was no one who could tell him the unvarnished truth.

Despite knowing this approach was flawed, Ronan remained silent whenever he saw the perpetually weary and irritable Tedor smile so brightly.

All he could do was hope that the relief would last, even if only for a little while longer.

***

When Annely opened her eyes that morning, she got up and left the bedroom without calling for Amber. The sofa was completely empty. She reached out to touch it, but there was no trace of lingering warmth.

Only then did she call for Amber and go to the bathroom.

“Oh my… Perhaps you were bitten by a bug, even in this cold weather.”

Amber tilted her head as she examined the red mark on Annely’s neck. She was used to seeing marks like this the morning after Carlos had visited, but this was the first time that one had appeared in only one place. Because of that, Amber mistook it for an insect bite.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Annely frowned faintly and rubbed her neck.

“…Bring the ointment.”

“Yes, my lady.”

After her bath, Amber applied the ointment to her neck. As she did so, Annely was suddenly reminded of the rough fingertips that had previously rubbed medicine into her skin.

Annely abruptly shook her head and let out a sigh. Amber assumed she was in a bad mood, so she applied the ointment even more carefully.

“Oh, right, my lady. I brought you some good news!”

“What is it?”

Still tired from a restless night caused by Carlos’s sudden appearance and incomprehensible behavior, Annely asked in a weary voice.

“Look at this!”

Amber held out something she had received while stepping out to fetch the ointment.

The moment Annely recognized the familiar handwriting, her eyes lit up. What Amber was holding were letters—from the Grand Duke and Fedric.

Annely’s expression brightened instantly as she took them.

“Father and my brother sent letters?”

“Yes! The head butler gave them to me. They arrived early this morning. Hurry and read them!”

Urged on by Amber, Annely quickly opened the letters.

As usual, the Grand Duke’s letter was brief and to the point, whereas Fedric’s was lengthy and detailed. In truth, both letters conveyed the same important message.

Without looking at the letters themselves, Amber studied Annely’s expression and tried to guess their contents. When the corners of Annely’s lips slowly lifted, Amber asked at once.

“My lady, what is it? Is something good happening?”

“Yes.”

Annely nodded.

“Father and my brother are coming to the capital soon.”

“Really?!”

Amber’s eyes widened with delight.

The late Emperor had occasionally summoned the Grand Duke and Fedric to the capital every two to five years, in a display of his generosity. Aside from these rare visits, Annely had no opportunity to see her family.

After ascending the throne, Tedor attempted to summon them to the capital every winter, when the north was at its calmest. In the year that Tedor became Emperor, they came, and it was then that Annely, having fallen in love with Carlos, asked the Grand Duke for permission to marry him.

Three winters had passed since then, yet they had declined Tedor’s summons every time, always citing unrest in the north.

The same had been true in her previous life, right up until her death. In other words, it would be five years since she last saw her family.

Annely leapt to her feet and began pacing the room, unable to contain her anxious excitement.

“What should I do? Amber, is there anything I should prepare? Should I at least pick out some clothes in advance?”

Amber burst into laughter.

Even when the Grand Duke and Fedric had come to the capital in the past, Annely had never paid them much attention. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been looking forward to it; it was just that this was the first time she had reacted like this. Seeing Annely grow closer to her family was a positive development, and Amber found herself becoming increasingly excited alongside her lady.

“Even if they set out right now, it’ll take several days to get here. Are you already that excited?”

At those words, Annely calmed herself and sat back down.

“That’s true. There’s still plenty of time.”

She reread the letters more carefully. Having skimmed straight to the main point earlier, details she’d missed now caught her eye.

“By the time I receive this letter, they’ll already have departed. They’ll arrive in four days and plan to stay for at least two.”

It took about a week to travel from the Grand Duke’s territory to the capital. Annely asked Amber to bring a map so that she could try to estimate their current location.

In a good mood, Annely ate more than usual. When she reached for dessert, something she rarely ate, Amber smiled and looked at her slender wrist as she asked her.

“My lady, are you really that happy that His Grace and the young lord are coming?”

“That’s part of it, but… I’m worried they’ll be concerned if I’m too thin.”

Since starting her new life, Annely had lost a lot of weight.

In fact, her body was returning to its state before her death.

Neglected by Carlos, she had gradually withered away. Her health deteriorated to the point where even a surge of emotion or a short run could make her faint. Having grown used to eating very little, she had continued to lose weight over the past few months, to the point where her wrists now looked painfully thin.

If her family were to see her like this, they would surely be heartbroken. Annely resolved to put on as much weight as she could, even if only temporarily.

“I was already worried because you’d lost so much weight. This is such a relief.”

Amber said pushing another dessert towards her with an unmistakable sense of comfort.

After finishing her meal in good spirits, Annely suddenly fell into deep thought.

In her previous life, the Grand Duke and Fedric had also come to the capital that year. At the time, she had been unable to accept Carlos’ sudden change in attitude.

She had gone to the banquet to see him, but in the end, she returned to the ducal residence alone midway through the event, without even seeing her family.

‘Something must have happened…’

Yet she could not remember what.

Annely closed her eyes and pressed her fingers firmly against her throbbing temples. Only when the pain had eased did she open her eyes again and look out of the window.

Consumed by anticipation at seeing her family again, she had spent the whole day in a daze. Before she knew it, the sun was already sinking towards the horizon.

The moment she remembered that Carlos had appeared at this very hour the previous day, the door opened without warning.

There was only one person who would enter Annely’s room like that.