Left alone in the Duchess’s bedroom, Dearlin slowly looked around the room while tracing through memories that had begun to blur with time.

“Haah…”

Nothing had changed at all.

Even the table on the terrace outside, where the former duchess used to enjoy afternoon tea, remained untouched.

Memories of a childhood she could neither forget nor wish to forget came flooding back.

When she was young, she would always have tea here with the Duchess while waiting for Rian to finish his lessons.

“Someday, this bedroom will belong to you too, Dearlin. I hope that day comes soon.”

Over the years, the former duchess had expressed that desire countless times, and Dearlin had always believed that it would one day come true.

She could never imagine marrying anyone other than Rian.

In every dream she held close to her heart, she walked down the aisle with her beloved father by her side, and Rian was always waiting for her at the end of it all.

But now, after all this time, not a single one of those cherished childhood dreams had come true.

“If the Duchess could see me like this now… she would’ve been terribly disappointed.”

The look of pure disgust on Rian’s face was etched painfully in her memory.

Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it might shatter at any moment.

She could barely breathe.

Everything before her blurred into a hazy white.

She still could not accept that the Rian standing before her now was not the same person she had once known.

The memory of the gentle, warm Rian she had loved so dearly remained vividly etched in her heart.

“Lady Dearlin, may I come in?”

Another familiar voice reached Dearlin’s ears as she drifted helplessly between the past and the present.

“Y-Yes, please come in.”

The person who entered after opening the door was Simon, the head butler of the ducal estate.

Dearlin’s body stiffened instantly.

If she let her guard down for even a moment, she could feel herself shrinking involuntarily.

“I’ll have dinner brought to your room.”

“Yes… thank you.”

She had worried about what she would do if their eyes met.

However, contrary to her fears, Simon barely looked at her at all.

His gaze swept briefly over her, and that was it.

Dearlin’s eyes naturally drifted towards his hair.

Compared to the last time she had seen him, there was noticeably more grey in it.

The wrinkles on his face had deepened, too, revealing just how much time had passed.

“Um…”

Even something as small as calling out to Simon felt difficult for Dearlin.

She merely fidgeted nervously with the hem of her dress in her hands before finally gathering the courage to speak just as Simon was about to leave the room.

“Did you wish to say something?”

He stopped walking and turned back toward her.

His expression seemed to urge her to speak quickly if she had something to ask.

“Rian…”

Out of habit, Dearlin almost called Rian by name.

But the moment she noticed the butler’s gaze fixed intently on her, she fell silent.

Those cold, sunken eyes seemed to whisper something to her.

‘If you still have even the slightest sense of shame left, then that is not a name someone like you has the right to speak.’

“Ah, no… I mean… could you tell me where the Duke has gone?”

So she corrected herself.

Calling Rian ‘the Duke’ felt unbearably awkward, making her mouth go dry and leaving her feeling uncomfortable. But this was how things should be now.

It would be better to get used to it.

From now on, that was how she would have to address him.

Dearlin swallowed the bitterness rising inside her.

“His Grace has stepped out for the time being.”

“……”

“I’ll inform you once he returns. Until then, Lady Dearlin may rest comfortably.”

Dearlin was lost for words in response to Simon’s calm and flawless answer.

In the end, she could only offer a faint nod.

Without sparing her another glance, Simon quietly left the room.

Dearlin stood rooted to the spot as the sound of the door closing echoed through the silence.

Soon afterwards, several maids entered, carrying dinner trays.

In the suffocating stillness, the only sounds were the soft clinks of dishes being carefully placed on the table.

Dearlin silently watched the maids, who focused on their work without making the slightest disturbance.

“I’d prefer to eat alone… so could you please wait outside?”

She spoke to the maids standing motionless beside the table.

She had never particularly liked eating alone, but it was still better than feeling as though she were being watched.

“You should eat more, Dearlin.”

Arthur suddenly came to mind, the way he used to visit her room during every meal just to check whether she was skipping food or eating properly, watching over her like a guard.

“We apologize, but His Grace ordered us not to leave your side.”

“Ah… I understand.”

The maids were firm.

As it was Rian’s command, there was nothing Dearlin could do.

She forced a slight smile and nodded quietly.

The table was laid with delicious-looking dishes, but she didn’t feel hungry at all.

‘I feel sick enough to choke on it…’

She could not taste the soup at all, even though it passed her lips.

The maids’ attitudes in this suffocating atmosphere made it increasingly difficult for her to breathe.

Their disregard was obvious — painfully so.

It was much like Simon’s attitude towards her.

They were just polite enough to avoid openly criticizing her, but her presence was clearly unwelcome.

The mere fact that the queen of a fallen kingdom was staying on the ducal estate was probably enough to earn their displeasure.

The fact that she had been placed in the duchess’s bedroom only served to intensify their resentment.

“I-I’m finished eating, so please clear the table away.”

Even then, so little food had disappeared that it hardly looked as though she had eaten anything.

She noticed the maids’ displeased gazes shifting between her and the barely touched plates, but simply dabbed her lips with a handkerchief to make her refusal clear.

She hadn’t had much of an appetite to begin with, and she felt that if she forced herself to eat any more, she might actually be sick.

“Haah…”

Once the maids had finally taken the remaining dishes away, Dearlin was alone again.

Only then could she breathe comfortably again.

Like a wandering soul with nowhere to belong, she drifted aimlessly around the spacious room.

There was nothing else for her to do here.

‘At this point, isn’t this no different from being trapped by Arthur?’

“Is Arthur still alive?”

She recalled the last time she had seen Arthur: his severed wrist and the knights dragging him away.

Even though the Kingdom of Orva had fallen, he was still a king.

They would surely not execute him so easily.

“How does it feel to become a widow, Dearlin?”

But at the same time, she could not imagine Rian sparing him either.

“If Arthur dies… what becomes of me?”

The High Priest had already declared the marriage official.

Regardless of what anyone said, Dearlin was the undisputed Queen of Orva.

Although Rian had promised to make her Duchess of Sinaster, she knew it wouldn’t be that simple.

All marriages were governed by the temple, and the High Priest had the final say.

Breaking a marriage vow was tantamount to denying the authority of the gods themselves — an act that would defy the High Priest directly.

“His Majesty the Emperor would never allow it either.”

The Emperor had no reason to welcome a conflict with the Temple.

This meant that Rian would never get what he wanted.

That should have been an obvious conclusion.

And yet, for some reason, the thought left a bitter ache in her chest.

It was late at night, nearing midnight.

Dearlin, who had fallen asleep early, slowly woke up after tossing and turning in bed.

Perhaps it was because she was sleeping in an unfamiliar place.

Or maybe sleep simply refused to return once she had woken up.

Even as she sat quietly against the headboard, hunger gradually overtook her.

However, she felt it would be too much of a bother to call for the maids at such a late hour just to ask for something light to eat.

“Maybe I should just get some fruit.”

If the estate was still the same as she remembered, there would be prepared fruit waiting for her in the dining room.

Draping a light shawl over her shoulders, she carefully opened the bedroom door.

Apparently, they had not intended to keep her under complete guard, as there were no knights stationed outside.

Keeping a careful watch on her surroundings, she quietly descended the stairs and made her way towards the dining room on the ground floor.

Most of the corridor lights had been extinguished, and there was no sign of a maid wandering through the halls.

Even as she checked her surroundings cautiously, her heartbeat grew louder and louder.

“The lights…”

A faint glow spilled from the servants’ lounge, which she had to pass on her way to the dining room.

Even from a distance, she could hear voices inside, indicating that people were still there.

Fortunately, the door had been left slightly ajar. If she moved quietly and quickly enough, she thought she could pass by unnoticed.

Taking a slow, steady breath, she carefully lifted her heels and silently made her way past the lounge.

Had she not overheard the maids’ conversation drifting through the narrow crack in the door, she would likely have continued straight to the dining room as planned.

But the moment she heard those words, she came to an abrupt halt.

“So that lady really was His Grace’s former fiancée?”