When she woke up after a night of torment, the space beside her was empty.

“…Your Grace?”

For a moment, an inexplicable sense of emptiness washed over her.

The warmth of the embrace that had held her until dawn, the hands that had roamed over her body keeping her awake, the unrelenting desire – it all felt like a distant dream.

‘Surely…’

Hadn’t he fallen asleep behind her at the end, holding her close? She still remembered the solid, muscular arm draped over her utterly exhausted body. The sense of security she had felt at that moment was now gone, leaving her feeling hollow.

Elliope unconsciously reached for the empty space beside her as someone approached the bed.

“You’re awake, Your Highness. Oh, no… my lady.”

“Emma?”

Elliope was slightly startled to see an unexpected figure. Instinctively covering her mouth as her voice became hoarse, Emma handed her a cup of cool water.

“I’ve been transferred here too.”

“You too?”

“Yes. After what happened yesterday… The other maids are still at the Grand Duke’s estate.”

As she slowly sat up, Elliope noticed a basin of bathwater being prepared in the corner of the room. As her body, still bearing the unmistakable marks of the previous night, came into view, Emma blushed but spoke softly.

“…His Grace was summoned to the Grand Duke’s estate early this morning.”

Only then did Elliope understand why Kallian wasn’t at her side. Her memories began to fit together.

‘…Well, considering what happened yesterday.’

It was probably an unprecedented event, not only in the history of Ilmos, but in the history of the Empire. A bride who sent for a political marriage, publicly declared that she had lost her purity, and then married the knight who was supposed to be her husband’s servant instead?

There was no need to imagine the chaos that must have engulfed the Grand Duchy. That Kallian would now be blamed for this unprecedented incident was inevitable.

And yet the words he had spoken to her last night echoed in her mind:

“Do as you wish.”

“Whether you bring down the Grand Duke, break him, or spare him.”
“Make me your loyal dog, not Ilmos’s, my lady.”

Even after hearing such words, Elliope found it impossible to decipher Kallian’s true intentions.

‘That man…’

Kallian wasn’t just a man who had saved Ilmos in times of crisis, he had also saved the Grand Duke of Ilmos himself countless times.

Stories of how he had tasted the Grand Duke’s food in his place and consumed poison on several occasions were famous even in their former lives. After tensions between the Imperial Family and the Grand Duke began to escalate, it was Kallian who mercilessly cut down the assassins who often infiltrated the estate.

And that wasn’t all.

He had entered battlefields where the Grand Duke of Ilmos himself should have gone, and faced death countless times. It was Kallian who turned the Grand Duchy – once a prosperous land that had dwindled for decades into a barren northern territory – into a powerful domain that even the Imperial Family could no longer ignore.

Kallian was Ilmos’ loyal dog in every sense of the word, and one of the Grand Duke’s most important knights. It was almost strange that the Grand Duke hadn’t given him a title yet.

Yet here he was, telling her that if she wanted to bring down the Grand Duke of Ilmos, she should use him. Instead, he declared himself her loyal dog and pressed his face into her palm.

The surrealness of it all made her head spin, but Emma worked diligently, bathing and dressing Elliope with gentle hands.

Before she realised it, Elliope was supported by Emma as they left the room.

“Emma?”

“Yes?”

“There’s no need to help me like this…”

“But, my lady, if I don’t…”

Emma trailed off awkwardly, leaving her words unfinished. It wasn’t until Elliope steadied herself and stood on her own that she understood what Emma had meant.

“…”

Her face flushed with embarrassment. The feeling only intensified as she descended the stairs and encountered others.

“Um…”

“Good morning, my lady.”

An older man, obviously well aged, stood with an air of serenity, his posture impeccable as he looked at her. As Elliope hesitated in surprise, the man bowed slightly at the waist.

“I am Dylan, Lord Kallian’s steward.”

“Oh.”

“We met briefly yesterday… though I doubt you would remember.”

Only then did a faint memory stir in her mind. She vaguely recalled being bundled into a warm embrace, wrapped in a cloak, after falling asleep in a hired carriage. The hazy memory made her cheeks even warmer.

Looking out of the window, Elliope saw the same hired carriage as the day before, parked not far from the house. That must be how she had been brought here, and the steward must have seen Kallian carry her inside.

Her ears flushed at the thought, as she imagined the old steward’s bewilderment.

‘I shouldn’t have fallen asleep like that yesterday.’

And then, after coming inside… she and Kallian…

Her thoughts tangled like an unravelled thread, leaving her momentarily paralysed as to how to face the steward. Struggling to find her words, Elliope stammered awkwardly.

“Hello, Dylan…”

“Please, feel free to speak.”

The steward replied with gentle formality.

Elliope instinctively jumped at his words.

Having spent so much of her life as a maid, she was accustomed to being deferential, even to those technically above her. This habit often led her to use honourifics when addressing those to whom she should have spoken more casually – a trait that the Chief Steward of the Grand Duke of Ilmos’s estate, Baron Taleon, had despised.

‘Not that I cared much for his contempt,’ she thought, suppressing a small grimace at the memory.

Those who knew she was an illegitimate child and a former maid had always looked down on her when she spoke like that. The memory resurfaced and Elliope grew visibly pale.

‘This man too.’

As Kallian’s long-serving steward, he must despise her. After all, she had tarnished Kallian’s reputation and had been the cause of his early morning summons to the Grand Duke’s estate.

But Dylan’s gaze remained warm and calm, showing no sign of contempt or resentment.

“Please, speak as if you were commanding a servant. This old body is honoured to serve you, my lady.”

There was a subtle, meaningful gleam in his eyes that made Elliope pause, filling her with a fleeting sense of curiosity.

“Let me show you to the dining room.”

“The dining room?”

“Yes. Since it looks like the residence will be moving soon, the dining area here is only temporary.”

It seemed that they were currently in Kallian’s knightly residence. But moving the residence?

“Surely not…”

Could it be that Kallian was being cast out? The thought made her face freeze for a moment.

“You will soon receive a new estate.”

“An estate?”

“It is only natural, as he is about to receive a title.”

“…”

“After all, he is no less than the husband of Her Highness the Princess. It was deemed inappropriate for him to remain without a title. The matter was discussed at an emergency meeting of the northern vassals yesterday.”

The more Elliope listened, the more astonished she became.

She had thought that, given what they had done, it wouldn’t have been surprising if they had been sentenced to corporal punishment.

“There were even suggestions of helping you two escape altogether, but…”

“But…?”

“In that case, the Ilmos forces would have been left with too great a military void.”

Dylan continued to speak as he led Elliope into the dining room. The room itself was neither too grand nor too modest, exuding a simple and warm atmosphere.

As she hesitantly took her seat at the prepared table, dishes were immediately brought out. Maids carried the food to the table with friendly, almost knowing smiles. Elliope flinched slightly at their expressions, her unease rising again.

“Please enjoy your meal.”

One of the maids said warmly, her tone sincere but leaving Elliope feeling strangely unsettled.

Among the maids, one who looked to be about Emma’s age smiled at Elliope with an expression that bordered on a smirk. Her eyes, full of unconcealed joy, made Elliope jump again.

“…”

The meal in front of her was a mixture of steaming soup, steak and even a salad – something rare in the harsh northern territory of Ilmos. As she finished her meal with a feeling of unease, a selection of sweet, intricately prepared desserts appeared – delicacies she had rarely encountered, even in the Imperial Palace.

Throughout the meal, Dylan stood close by, occasionally nodding and making notes when she seemed to be struggling with a dish or leaving it unfinished. He did the same when she seemed to enjoy certain foods, noting it with equal care.

“Dylan, why are you…?”

She finally asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“There has been an order to ensure that my lady’s meals are well prepared and satisfying.”

His reply only added to Elliope’s confusion.

‘These people wouldn’t be blamed for hating me, and yet…’

 She thought, unable to understand their kindness.

If they were Kallian’s people, Elliope couldn’t blame them for despising her.

In fact, during her time as Grand Duchess at the Ilmos Grand Duke’s estate, most people had disliked her. Many saw her very existence as an insult to the Grand Duke, and felt that sending her there as Grand Duchess was a blatant act of disrespect to the people of Ilmos.

At the forefront of this contempt was Theodor, the Grand Duke himself, who had repeatedly expressed these sentiments to her.

Even when she had simply been sent as a political pawn, she had endured such treatment. Now, as someone who had been married to another man and then made his wife, it was only natural for Kallian’s people to see her as an enemy. After all, her actions had tarnished his reputation.

And yet…

They didn’t. They treated her with a warmth and respect that left her completely bewildered.

Her chest continued to pound. She couldn’t help but wonder if she deserved such treatment. But the sincerity of the maid’s behaviour earlier and Dylan’s quiet respect made it difficult to dismiss their kindness.

‘What on earth is happening?’

But the words that unsettled her most came from Dylan.

“My lady.”

The meal was almost over and Emma and the other servants had temporarily left the room. For a brief moment, she and Dylan were alone in the dining room. He suddenly fixed her with a gaze that seemed deeper than before.

“I hope you’ll forgive me for what I’m about to say.”

“…What is it?”

“Last night I happened to look in your chambers and overheard something.”

Overheard what? She was about to ask, but her face flushed as realisation set in. Dylan quickly waved his hand in a reassuring gesture.

“Please, don’t worry. I am not here to discuss what happened during your shared… moments. I would never be so disrespectful.”

“Then what is it…?”

“I refer to the conversation you had last night with Lord Kallian.”

A conversation with Kallian?

Only one thing occurred to her.

“Make me your loyal dog, not Ilmos’s, my lady.”

Elliope swallowed hard, her pulse quickening.

Had this man overheard their bold exchange about overthrowing or even killing the Grand Duke of Ilmos? No matter how loyal he was to Kallian, Dylan was fundamentally a servant of the Grand Duchy of Ilmos. If this old steward decided to tell Theodor what he’d heard, the consequences would be devastating.

But Dylan’s expression remained calm and steady, his aged eyes betraying no hostility. He just looked at her, his voice so low that only she could hear him as he asked:

“Is that truly what you intend to do?”

“Do you truly intend to bring down Theodor von Ilmos?”