“It’s fine.”

“But then I would feel too sorry.”

Charte gave Yun-ah an intense look filled with his strong desire for her to ask just once more.

As if receiving Charte’s telepathy, Yun-ah’s lips moved.

“Ah! Your Majesty must be busy, I shouldn’t have brought this up. I almost became a burden again. I really should be more considerate, I’m sorry.”

“……It’s not like I have anything urgent to attend to.”

Charte muttered in such a small voice that Yun-ah couldn’t hear him properly.

“Pardon?”

He stared at Yun-ah intently once more, giving her silent pressure.

Surprised by his gaze, Yun-ah thought for a moment and then grinned.

Had she finally understood Charte’s true feelings?

“Your Majesty, please return safely.”

Watching Yun-ah give a formal greeting while holding both sides of her dress, Charte turned away, consoling his disappointed heart.

In truth, he did somewhat want to share opinions while listening to ⟨The Seduction of the Marked Wife.⟩

But it was frustrating that Yun-ah was the only one who knew this story.

As he walked away reluctantly, his back looked somehow pitiful, making Yun-ah tilt her head in confusion.

‘Something seems odd…… why does he look so pitiful?’

After walking for a while and reaching the front of the Second Annex Palace, Charte suddenly stopped and looked at Viscount Catano.

“Do you have something to say?”

“I will attend the celebration party in the Kingdom of Harua.”

Viscount Catano’s face changed to worry at the thought of Yasrin.

“Pardon? You will go personally?”

“Yes. The empress will come with me, so inform her.”

Viscount Catano’s mouth hung open in surprise.

* * *

Time flew by, and the day to depart for the Kingdom of Harua arrived.

The lady attendants in the Empress’s Palace were putting all their efforts into dressing Yun-ah, filled with determination.

“We’re not even going to a party today, do we really need to do all this? We’ll be in a carriage for hours.”

“This is your first foreign visit since the marriage, so you should go looking as beautiful as possible.”

Though they answered like this, the lady attendants actually had a different concern.

They worried that the emperor’s heart might waver when he visited the place where he had memories with Yasrin.

And they admired their empress who was dealing with this situation with dignity, despite knowing full well about the connection between Charte and Yasrin that began in the Kingdom of Harua.

So they were putting their all into making the empress beautiful, to show that memories cannot defeat reality.

Of course, Yun-ah, who neither knew nor cared about Charte’s past, was simply excited like someone going on a picnic.

Though the castle was beautiful and nice, it was true that she had been bored being confined there every day.

Additionally, she felt very happy with the expectation of traveling to another country she had never visited before.

Yun-ah, prepared well enough to attend a party immediately if needed, went outside to board the carriage.

Peggy, Mary, and five other lady attendants followed to accompany her on this schedule.

When Yun-ah appeared, Commander Rad knelt on one knee to greet her and then gave his report.

“His Majesty the Emperor will be a bit late.”

Yun-ah responded with a benevolent smile, while inwardly adding a comment.

‘When has that man ever been on time?!’

“Your Majesty the Empress, you may board this carriage. If there’s anything uncomfortable, please let us know anytime.”

“I understand. I’ll wait for the emperor to arrive before boarding.”

Though a cold wind could be felt, the sky was painted with the most beautiful blue, and the day was dazzlingly clear.

Yun-ah closed her eyes and took deep breaths, surrendering herself to the wind.

‘Well, this is a perfect day for travel.’

After being immersed in the weather for quite some time, Charte arrived.

Yun-ah quickly snapped out of her reverie.

“You’ve arrived, Your Majesty? Even the weather seems to be blessing our first journey.”

“Not bad. But you look like you’re going to a party rather than as a diplomatic delegation, Empress.”

Though annoyed by Charte’s pointed comment about her excessive attire, Yun-ah just smiled, not wanting to spoil her good mood.

“I might have overdone it due to my excitement. But didn’t Your Majesty say so? That I am the face of the empire. I’m just fulfilling my duty.”

“I look forward to seeing you fulfill your duty in the Kingdom of Harua as well.”

Once he boarded the carriage, the congratulatory delegation departed.

Except for the ride to the castle on her wedding day, this was Yun-ah’s first carriage journey, so she had quite high expectations.

She opened the small window to enjoy the scenery for a while, then began reading a book about the Kingdom of Harua that she hadn’t finished.

After traveling for some time, the carriage entered a path with a lot of mud and gravel, causing it to shake severely, making her drop the book she was holding.

“Your Majesty the Empress, the road is rough. Please hold onto the handle.”

The Second Imperial Guard Commander spoke through the window from outside.

“I understand.”

Feeling the roughness of the road, Yun-ah closed her book and tensely grabbed the handle inside the carriage.

At that moment, the carriage wheel got caught on a large rock buried deep in the ground, causing the horses to be startled and bolt, resulting in a major accident where the carriage tipped over to the side.

“Kyaak!”

“Your Majesty the Empress!”

The Second Imperial Guard Commander, who was escorting the carriage from the side, shouted.

The emperor’s carriage, which had been traveling ahead, also stopped, as did the rest of the entourage behind them.

The Second Imperial Guard Commander jumped onto the carriage and opened the door, shouting.

“Are you all right, Your Majesty the Empress?”

Yun-ah, crumpled into the corner of the carriage, looked at him and answered.

“I think I’m okay.”

The imperial guard knights rushed to rescue her.

Commander Rad came to assess the situation and reported to Charte.

“Her Majesty the Empress is shocked but doesn’t seem to be seriously injured. Since Count Euros’s castle, where we can rest, is still some distance away, we’ll need to divide the party. The advance party will escort Your Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress there immediately, while the rear party will repair Her Majesty the Empress’s carriage before moving on.”

“Do so.”

“We need to bring Her Majesty the Empress here, is that acceptable?”

Though his face showed reluctance, Charte gave a nod of approval, silently granting permission.

At that time, Yun-ah was surrounded by Peggy, Mary, and Sonnet, fixing her appearance.

“It’s torn. I’m sorry they put you in such a pretty dress.”

“How can you say such a thing? I’m just glad you’re safe. I was shortsighted. I should have dressed you in comfortable clothes suitable for travel, I apologize.”

“No, Peggy. It’s not like I’m badly hurt, just some scratches and bruises.”

After hearing Commander Rad’s report about the upcoming schedule and receiving guidance, Yun-ah went to Charte’s carriage.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

He nodded and then shifted his gaze back to the documents he had been reading.

Yun-ah felt extremely awkward sitting beside him and could only stare out the window.

‘Well, this is a traffic accident of sorts, I hope I don’t get any aftereffects. But lately, every time I ride something, there’s an accident. It seems like I’m having a streak of bad luck with transportation. Anyway, how am I supposed to travel for hours alone with this guy? It’s uncomfortable. That king of bad luck.’

At that moment, the carriage shook violently again, causing Yun-ah and Charte’s gazes to naturally turn toward each other.

“Empress!”

Yun-ah was startled by his sudden shout.

“Yes?”

But even more suddenly, he cupped both sides of her head with his hands.

She stiffened in surprise at his action.

‘What’s with this gentle touch? Isn’t this the kind of pose that only lovers would do right before kissing?’

Charte was so close as they faced each other that Yun-ah’s heart tactlessly began to race.

“Why, why, why are you doing this?”

“Stop the carriage!”

When the carriage stopped, he removed his hands from Yun-ah’s head.

His hands were soaked with blood.

Shocked at the sight of blood, Yun-ah began to scream.

“Your Majesty! Are you hurt somewhere? You’re bleeding.”

“It’s not mine, but your blood.”

“What?”

Yun-ah carefully touched her head.

Feeling hot liquid flowing, she looked at her hand and saw it was covered in blood.

Commander Rad opened the carriage door and said.

“Your Majesty, what happened?”

“The empress injured her head. We need to treat it first.”

Commander Rad’s expression turned troubled.

“I’m sorry, but all the carriages with supplies are in the rear party. I’ll send some fast knights right away.”

After thinking for a moment, Charte said.

“How much further to the count’s castle?”

“We should arrive in about 20 minutes.”

“Then let’s hurry to the count’s castle. And we’ll stay there tonight. There will be no further travel, so inform the Kingdom of Harua accordingly.”

“Yes, I understand.”

‘B-blood on my head…… Am I going to die?’

Yun-ah, overwhelmed with emotion, began to sob loudly.

“Your Majesty…… hueeeeng my head…… hueeeeng…… if I die from losing too much blood…… sniff sniff…… what should I do?”

“You won’t die from that much.”

“Then sniff…… as a side effect. Waaah…… what if I become stupid…… hiccup hiccup…… or go crazy?”

“Those symptoms already seem to appear intermittently, so I don’t think there’s anything extra to worry about……”

“What? Hic.”

Feeling wronged, Yun-ah started crying even louder.

‘The medical standards here probably aren’t like our country…… What if blood pools in my head and I die? Why should I die like this here? This uncaring terrible person! If I die, I’ll become a ghost and follow only you around. I’ll make you have sleep paralysis every time.’

Then his hand approached Yun-ah.

He took out a handkerchief and carefully began wiping the blood-covered face and around her head.

But when the carriage shook, it kept touching her wound, making Yun-ah grimace, so he gently laid her head on his lap.

With her head secured like that, he began applying pressure with the handkerchief to stop the bleeding.

Was it because she could feel human warmth?

Yun-ah stopped crying and gradually found stability.

‘He’s clearly scary and mean, but strangely warm and gentle. What kind of person was he originally?’

Only after arriving at Count Euros’s castle did she finally begin to receive proper treatment.

By her side was not him but the countess, who watched with a worried face.

“Fortunately, it’s not a serious wound. However, you should rest for a while and avoid activities that strain your body.”

When the doctor stood up, a maid from the count’s household picked up the blood-stained handkerchief.

Seeing this, Yun-ah instinctively called out urgently and reached out her hand.

“Leave the handkerchief as it is.”

The maid quickly put down the handkerchief she had picked up and left with the doctor.

The countess, who had been watching, personally supported Yun-ah.