Since birth, she had lived under her father’s strict gaze, and now she was under the watchful eyes of the Emperor’s knights. Being controlled had always been a natural part of her life.

Even though she walked this path every day, she felt like a dog that had broken free of its leash. Instead of continuing along the familiar path, she felt she should bite her own leash and return to her master, who would lead her once more.

Hesitantly, she took a few steps, but she didn’t get very far. Before she got halfway up the hill, fear overcame her. Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer and hurried back to the castle.

Maybe it was the perfect opportunity to escape. But then what? Rosalyn was not as bold as her older brother.

But as if her answer wasn’t entirely convincing, Johannes tilted his head slightly.

“Then let me change the question. Why did you go out?”

Rosalyn pressed her lips together again. When no answer came, Johannes stopped walking as well. For a brief moment their eyes met at an angle.

It was Rosalyn who looked away first.

“Because I wanted to see the lake.”

“The lake?”

he asked with a confused expression, still holding her in his arms. The warmth of their bodies pressed together was unmistakable, and Rosalyn could feel the heat gradually rising to her face. 

Only then did Johannes finally set her down, though it seemed a little late.

Rosalyn moved quickly away from him and finished her sentence.

“Then I thought I could sleep.”

“If it’s insomnia, I can get you some sleeping pills.”

“It’s not just that… As you’ve seen, I have a bit of a problem…”

Rosalyn lowered her eyes slightly and trailed off.

“I suppose so.”

However, since Johannes didn’t quite understand what she was referring to, he subtly furrowed his brow as if struggling to understand.

“You saw me have an attack.”

It was never easy for Rosalyn to express her own weaknesses, but she tried hard to keep her expression calm, as if it didn’t bother her at all.

“On days when I had breathing attacks… always…”

“My father didn’t like to see me like that.”

But in truth, it wasn’t just that he didn’t like it – he despised his daughter’s condition. It was the greatest disgrace to the Delmart family.

What the Duke wanted from his daughter was not the pitiful sight of someone gasping for breath, clutching her throat in despair. He wanted a queen – someone who could command high society with ease and rule it with brilliance and authority.

When the Duke was in a good mood, he would show Rosalyn affection in a gentle way. But whenever she had a seizure, he would become harsh and cruel, often yelling at her mercilessly.

Rosalyn had always longed for her father’s love and worked tirelessly to earn his approval. But no matter how hard she tried, an illusion could never become reality. Instead, it was as if her own body mocked her efforts, leaving only a strange, inescapable suffering.

In the end, it was a never-ending cycle of pain and suffering.

Rosalyn’s eyes darkened. Her father had died over six months ago, but she still couldn’t forget the hands that had once pushed her into a closet.

The suffocating darkness, the oppressive feeling of being trapped within the narrow walls – and even the sound of the door closing, accompanied by her brother’s soft laughter from outside – remained vivid in her memory as if it had happened only yesterday.

No matter how desperately she tried, why was it that every trace of being loved had vanished without a trace, leaving only painful memories?

“Lady Rosalyn.”

A low voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up to find a pair of eyes locked on her.

Holding that gaze in silence, Rosalyn found herself absent-minded.

Even in the days when she stood at the pinnacle of high society, and even after he had seen her in the midst of a wretched fit, his gaze remained just as steady, unchanged.

Did this mean that he was simply indifferent to her?

A strange unease stirred in her chest and Rosalyn bit her lip.

“Did the Duke treat you that way as well?”

At the sound of the question, Rosalyn’s eyes trembled slightly. Though their gaze remained locked, there was no immediate response from her lips.

It wasn’t difficult to understand what he meant by ” that way”.

After all, it had only been a few days since she had suffered Vincent’s cruelty in front of him.

There was no way her father could be compared to Vincent.

But then… what was the difference?

One question after another swirled through her mind, but she found no answers.

Her father had been incredibly strict with her, but as long as she behaved in a way that pleased him, he would treat her with leniency.

Vincent, too, could easily become violent at the slightest misstep, but if she was obedient, their relationship remained relatively stable. At least he wouldn’t raise his hand against her.

Several seconds passed in silence, and she still couldn’t bring herself to react properly. But it seemed she didn’t need to – the long silence had already given him the answer.

“It’s not like that.”

She replied belatedly, but the raw shame on her face was already impossible to hide.

Watching her in silence, Johannes spoke suddenly, driven by an impulsive surge of emotion.

“If it’s just for a little while, it should be all right.”

Rosalyn didn’t immediately grasp his meaning and just blinked her big eyes in response.

“The lake isn’t that far.”

He added the words as if speaking to himself.

Several seconds passed before her lips slowly parted. Even as she wavered between disbelief and uncertainty, a glimmer of joy gradually appeared in her pale violet eyes.

‘Really? So… he says I can actually leave the castle?’

“A-Are you serious?”

In her urgency, her tongue twisted over her words. Johannes nodded slightly.

“Once a week some of the soldiers leave the castle to get supplies. They can’t go out every day, but that should be enough, right?”

Rosalyn’s expression changed from pure joy to overwhelming emotion. She covered her mouth with both hands as if she couldn’t believe it, but her eyes still held traces of doubt as she looked at him.

Can she really trust his kindness?

After all, this was a man who might one day kill her.

Her restless heart wavered, caught between excitement and hesitation.

She would never again place her trust in someone she should not be able to rely on. Nor would she allow herself to harbour feelings that would never be returned.

Hadn’t she realised the day her father died how foolish her feelings for him had been?

So she must not allow herself to make the same mistake again…

She knew that in situations like this she should be even more wary of inexplicable kindness. And yet, despite this knowledge, she couldn’t stop her body from shaking.

It wasn’t fear.

It was overflowing joy that rose to the back of her throat.

***

No matter how many times she reminded herself to be careful, it all felt meaningless – as the morning wore on, instead of doubting her decision, she grew more and more afraid that he might take his words back.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t find a reason why he would show her such kindness. There was simply no logical explanation.

But as the sun set and night fell, just as he had promised, Johannes arrived at her door and knocked softly.

Without bothering to ask who it was, Rosalyn opened the door immediately.

Their eyes met through the narrow gap as it slowly swung open. His head was covered by a cloak, and in the flickering torchlight he made an unfamiliar impression.

She was used to seeing him in a knight’s uniform all the time, so seeing him like this was strangely different.

There was little talk between them. Rosalyn took the robe that Johannes handed her and put it on with some hesitation.

Johannes bent slightly to smooth out the creases in the robe. This made Rosalyn’s cheeks flush.

After adjusting their clothes, the two went downstairs immediately.

It seemed they had deliberately avoided patrol time, for there wasn’t a human or ant in sight as they walked through the courtyard and out of the building.

Although Rosalyn couldn’t shake her caution and kept looking around, she followed Johannes steadily.

Perhaps because of his long legs, or perhaps because of his professional nature, Johannes didn’t seem to be in a hurry, but his pace was incredibly fast. Not wanting to be left behind, Rosalyn almost had to run to keep up.

Then, when Johannes noticed her and suddenly slowed down, Rosalyn, unable to adjust her pace in time, almost ran into his back.

When she managed to stop herself, she suddenly heard a soft laugh above her head.

She looked up with a puzzled expression, but by the time she did, he had already turned his head away. After a moment’s thought, Rosalyn quickly dismissed the idea.

‘I must have misheard.’

How long had they been walking? As soon as the soldiers guarding the door appeared in her line of sight, Rosalyn quickly lowered her head. The entrance they were heading for wasn’t the main gate, but a small one near the hill where the lake was, so there weren’t many soldiers stationed there.

Still, her heart raced with fear, and she could feel her heart pounding wildly.