“It’s truly fortunate that you weren’t seriously injured, Your Majesty the Empress. We will contact Duke Whyman separately from our side.”

Count Euros’s household was extremely attentive to Yun-ah because they were vassals of the Whyman family.

“I’ll escort you to your room.”

Yun-ah, with a bandage wrapped around her head, followed the countess.

“This is your room. Please rest comfortably, and if you need anything, call for us anytime.”

“Thank you. I won’t forget your kindness.”

“Oh my, please don’t say that. It’s what we should naturally do as nobles of the empire and vassals of the Whyman family. Now, please get some rest.”

The count’s butler opened the door for her, and she entered without thinking.

She was so tired that she just wanted to lie down quickly.

But Yun-ah stopped in her tracks, surprised to find an unexpected person sitting in the room.

There was Charte, with his hair still damp from a recent shower, wearing a bathrobe, sitting on the bed reading documents!

Thinking she had entered the wrong room, Yun-ah turned to leave!

“Are you alright, Empress?”

“Yes, they say it’s not a serious wound. Thank you for your concern. Um…… Your Majesty, I think I entered the wrong room. I’m sorry for disturbing you.”

As Yun-ah tried to open the door again, Charte’s voice stopped her.

“You came to the right place. We are a married couple after all. We’ll need to share a room in the Kingdom of Harua too, so consider this practice.”

“What? But…… that’s a bit……”

As she twisted her body awkwardly in embarrassment, not knowing what to do, he said with a composed face.

“Why are you twisting your body like that? It’s unpleasant.”

When Yun-ah still stood like a statue at the door, he spoke again.

“You’re not expecting something, are you?”

Hearing that, Yun-ah felt strangely guilty and snapped back.

“Expecting what! I’m worried! I don’t expect anything, Your Majesty! Absolutely! Nothing! At all!”

She stomped toward the sofa, making loud footsteps in her annoyance.

But her head throbbed, causing her to involuntarily grimace, which he saw.

“Even though it hurts, I’ll sleep here. Your Majesty is the boss, so of course you should sleep on the bed. As the subordinate, I’m grateful for even a sofa, just thankful it’s not the floor.”

“Since the boss makes the decisions, I don’t think the empress needs to pretend to be generous.”

‘He was so nice earlier, but how has he changed so much in such a short time?’

Though she hadn’t expected anything, Yun-ah felt strangely disappointed at how different he was from the person who had comforted her with careful touches and warmth earlier.

Come to think of it, he was a person more awkward with kindness.

Feeling like something given had been taken back, she lay down on the sofa in the most pitiful posture possible and grumbled in a small voice, annoyed with him.

“Yes, yes. I’m fine even though I’m hurt. What’s the big deal about a little blood from my head! Our precious boss! Your Majesty should sleep comfortably in a nice place.”

“Are you saying that for me to hear, Empress?”

“No! I’m talking to myself! To myself! Consider me invisible. Don’t mind me and sleep well under a warm, thick blanket on that wide, soft bed.”

“Thank you! I’ll definitely use the blanket so the hurt empress doesn’t have to worry about me. My legs would stick out if I lay there, but it seems just right for the empress.”

Yun-ah turned her body sharply toward the backrest to show her anger.

She felt foolish for having felt goodwill toward him in the carriage earlier.

For that brief moment, she relied on him completely and felt she could lean on him.

Some inexplicable emotion, like camaraderie or humanity, had even bubbled up within her.

But in just a few hours, his extremely selfish boss side had emerged again, and they had returned to their original state.

‘Anyway, I’m the crazy one. To think I tried to get along with someone like him. A person who erases 100 points immediately after earning 1 point! I’m the fool for being moved even for a moment. What good is a face fit for melodrama! When his personality is a horror thriller!’

But why did she feel so disappointed? Had she become emotionally vulnerable because she was hurt?

Tears rolled down Yun-ah’s cheeks without her realizing it.

After sniffling, she gritted her teeth and pulled herself together, afraid he might notice.

‘That person, at best, is nothing more than a grim reaper to me. Get a grip. I just feel this way because I’m lonely in a strange place.’

After tossing and turning for a while, Yun-ah seemed to fall asleep, her breathing becoming even.

About an hour later—

The sleeping woman kept making groaning sounds as if on purpose.

Charte, who had been focusing on his documents, looked at her.

He tried to ignore her and return to his documents, but unable to concentrate, he finally got up and went to her.

He saw Yun-ah groaning with a furrowed brow, sweating coldly.

“Should I call a doctor?”

After watching her for a while, Charte carefully placed his hand on her forehead and found no fever.

“Is it because she’s shocked?”

Just then, he heard Yun-ah saying negative words like “no” and “I hate it” in her sleep.

“Is she having a bad dream?”

Charte reached out his finger and smoothed the wrinkle between Yun-ah’s eyebrows.

When he removed his finger, the wrinkle reappeared.

He smoothed it out again, but it immediately returned to its original state when he took his finger away.

Unlike his usual expressionless face, he repeated this several more times with an amused look, but eventually gave up.

“So stubborn.”

Charte reached out to her, picked her up, and gently laid her on the bed.

After covering her well with the blanket, he put his finger on her brow once more.

Surprisingly, this time the wrinkle didn’t reappear.

He then returned to the sofa with a slightly disappointed face.

As he tried to read the documents, a reasonable suspicion occurred to him.

“The wrinkle smoothed out when she lay on the bed. Could she be faking it? Empress, are you actually awake?”

But the room remained quiet.

Still suspicious, Charte observed Yun-ah with hawk-like eyes, but she was just sleeping soundly, lying neatly as before.

Dismissing his suspicion and returning to his documents, Charte heard her breathing softly as if right next to his ear.

Listening to the rhythmic sound, he fell asleep.

* * *

When Yun-ah opened her eyes to the sunlight, something felt strange.

She clearly remembered falling asleep facing the ceiling, but now she saw a white canopy, and the surface beneath her was soft.

Carefully checking, she found herself lying on the bed and sat up in surprise.

Looking around, Charte asleep sitting on the sofa.

‘What, what is this? What’s going on? What’s happening right now.’

It was a situation hard to believe even though she was experiencing it.

She worried that perhaps she had pulled him off the bed in her sleep and taken his place.

“Uh, uh! Huh?”

While she stammered, unable to form words, he opened his eyes and went to the bathroom to wash up as if nothing had happened.

But once in the bathroom, Charte’s face showed as much surprise as Yun-ah’s had.

“Did I really fall asleep?”

For the past three years, he had suffered from severe insomnia, spending most nights wide awake.

No matter how much he exhausted his body, took medication, or even tried magical assistance, nothing worked.

He typically managed only 30 minutes to an hour of light sleep before dawn.

But yesterday, he had fallen asleep while sitting with documents in hand……

Such deep sleep was truly rare for him.

“How did that happen?”

Still puzzled, he came out with a troubled expression, which slightly frightened Yun-ah, but she looked at him with the most grateful and touched face she could manage.

“Even in wartime, the wounded are treated without discrimination, so there’s no need to look at me with such a burdened expression.”

Yun-ah felt as if she’d been splashed with cold water.

‘Again, a person who loses 1000 points after earning just 1 point! Why does he have to act so detestable?’

Shortly after, Viscount Catano entered to report on the schedule, and Yun-ah followed Peggy out to prepare for departure.

Viscount Catano, who spent the most time with Charte, quickly noticed the subtle change in him.

“Your Majesty, you look in good condition today.”

“Do I? Perhaps because I slept a bit yesterday.”

“Did you really sleep? How?”

“I’m not sure. When I opened my eyes, it was morning.”

Catano looked at Charte with an emotional face.

‘Thank goodness. But how did he manage to sleep? I need to know so we can replicate it when we return.’

At the same time, preparations for departure began in Countess Euros’s room.

Peggy asked with a worried face.

“Your Majesty the Empress, are you feeling alright?”

“Yes. I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt much.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Just then, Mary joined the conversation, holding a necklace studded with countless diamonds.

“How about this necklace for today?”

Peggy spoke to Mary with a stern face.

“That’s for the party attire. Bring the sapphire set for today.”

“Madam Peggy, everyone will be focused on our Empress because of Yas…… I mean, that person, so shouldn’t we dress her gorgeously? First impressions are important.”

There it was again.

That tiresome name Yasrin, that irritating name that followed them everywhere.

She had been feeling good about her first state visit.

When Peggy gave Mary a stern look that said “enough,” Mary reluctantly put the necklace away.

After preparations finished in an awkward atmosphere, Peggy said.

“Your Majesty the Empress, would it be alright if Mary attends to your morning needs? Sonnet has other things to organize, and I need to do final checks. Would that be acceptable?”

“Of course. That’s fine. Everyone take care of what you need to.”

“Your Majesty the Empress, I’ll escort you to the dining room.”

While following Mary, Yun-ah asked as naturally as possible what she had been rehearsing hundreds of times in her head.

“Mary, why does Yasrin’s name keep coming up here?”

“I apologize, Your Majesty the Empress, I didn’t mean to…… Were you upset?”

“No. I’m just curious why her name comes up in the Kingdom of Harua.”

Mary unconsciously made a puzzled face before quickly hiding it and answering.

“Well, it’s because His Majesty the Emperor and that person first met at the King of Harua’s wedding.”