Bubble, bubble, hearing the sound of boiling water and smelling the familiar scent of herbs she had encountered before, Eva slowly opened her eyes. It was late afternoon, with the sun casting long shadows as it descended.

“Miss Eva, are you feeling better?”

Tap, tap, tap, Mia, who had been grinding herbs in a small bowl at the bedroom table, noticed that Eva had regained consciousness and rose to approach her.

“How are you feeling, Miss Eva? You’ve been unconscious for an entire day. Please wait a moment. It’s almost ready. After drinking this tea, you’ll feel a little better.”

Eva stared blankly at the ceiling even after opening her eyes. Having finished speaking, Mia moved busily to prepare tea for her. She poured water from a brass kettle that had been placed over a small fire in the fireplace, then added several ground herbs to the teapot. The herbal scent spread more intensely throughout the bedroom.

“Why are you here? Where is Hannah?”

With that bustling activity, Eva painfully raised herself and sat up, leaning against a pile of pillows.

“Hannah collapsed crying after seeing you fall, and she’s still lying in her quarters. I was asked by Lord Divlik to check your eyes and find suitable herbs, so I came to see you, and since there was no one watching over you, I’ve been keeping watch instead.”

Eva sighed without saying anything else. She must have had tears left to shed, because even though she didn’t intend to, tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Miss Eva……”

Surprised by Eva’s tears, Mia practically threw down the teapot and approached her. Eva wiped away her tears with her own hands before Mia could touch her.

“I’m fine, Mia.”

Eva took a deep breath at once and removed the blanket covering her body. This was no time to be lost in shock over the devastating news.

“Where is Lord Divlik now?”

As Eva stepped down to the floor hastily without preparation, she staggered from dizziness, and Mia skillfully supported her.

“Be careful, Miss Eva. After such a night, it’s normal for your legs to feel weak.”

Mia was also interpreting Eva’s condition that way. Looking down at her lower body with concern, a faint sound like a laugh escaped from Mia’s lips.

Mia’s expression clearly showed concern for Eva, but strangely, Eva thought Mia seemed pleased. Though her tone was worried, there was a subtle sense of relief that felt disturbing, but Eva didn’t care about Mia’s inexplicable mood.

“Please find out where Lord Divlik is, Mia.”

“He should be in his office. I just greeted him and came from there.”

“I need to go to the office.”

She had something urgent to ask and something to say. Eva tried to walk toward the door, but Mia held her arm and wouldn’t let her go.

“What’s wrong with your eyes, Miss Eva? I heard you took some wrong herbs.”

“To the office……”

“I wonder what herbs they were. By the way, I didn’t even notice that your eyes weren’t seeing properly after meeting you several times. But how did Lord Divlik know immediately and send me? Lord Divlik is not only a good person but also so attentive—a perfect man.”

Mia said only what she wanted to say, with no intention of listening to whatever Eva might say.

“Mia, let go of me. I need to go to the office.”

“No.”

Eva called Mia by name, thinking she might not have heard properly, but Mia not only failed to listen but even cut Eva off.

“Didn’t I tell you that Lord Divlik asked me to check your eye condition and find suitable herbs? I must follow Lord Divlik’s orders.”

She was saying she wouldn’t listen to anything Eva had to say. There was no trace of the Mia who had once tried to be respectful in front of her.

“Mia……?”

Eva looked at Mia with surprised eyes. Mia tightened her grip on her arm and continued speaking, bringing her face close to hers.

“You may not understand because you’re the kind of person who can do whatever you want, even lying here after just serving in bed for one night. But women like me don’t know what might happen if something displeases him.”

“Get…… away. Mia.”

“How is it that you can’t see? I heard it’s not that you can’t see at all. And what herbs did you take? Quickly try to remember what herbs you took.”

“Move aside……”

If Eva had been in a normal state, she would have calmly dismissed Mia and gone to find Divlik, regardless of how much Mia’s behavior mirrored Emperor Fabian’s—both liking and hating Eva at once, hating and liking her.

But currently, Eva had no composure left to face those twisted eyes that she had encountered so often in recent years without developing any immunity.

“Move aside…… Move. Move! Move!! Get out of my way! I said move!!!!”

Eva screamed, almost in a frenzy.

“Miss Eva. How are you feeling……”

When Hannah, who had just regained consciousness, entered Eva’s bedroom, the surroundings were in complete disarray.

“I’m going,” “You can’t”—as Eva and Mia struggled, the table had overturned, scattering herbs, kettles, teacups, and other items across the floor. Moreover, steam was rising from Eva’s hand, which had been scalded by hot water.

“Miss Eva!!”

Hannah screamed first after seeing Eva’s reddened hand. She rushed out to fetch cold water, but by the time Hannah returned, Eva had already left the bedroom.

“Where did Miss Eva go?”

“She left saying she wanted to meet Lord Divlik. I told her she could go slowly. It seems Miss Eva is quite something after all.”

Only Mia remained alone in the bedroom, cleaning up the herb residue and broken teacups.

* * *

The emperor’s office was busy with Finn and the remaining soldiers in the castle organizing old documents and books. Dust particles sparkled here and there in the setting sunlight that stretched through the wide-open window.

“We might as well organize things on this occasion. Soon Lord Divlik will sit here in the name of emperor. We should erase all past traces, throw everything out, and keep only what Lord Divlik needs.”

Initially, they had planned to organize only the books and documents that had been scattered while trying to understand the empire’s current state. If only Finn, who excelled at creating work, hadn’t stepped in. Looking around after hearing those words, they found that Fabian had accumulated so many unnecessary books and documents.

Thinking that organizing wouldn’t be enough for a fresh start, Divlik accepted Finn’s suggestion.

“The former emperor seems not to have known how to throw things away.”

As Finn said, Fabian apparently didn’t know how to discard or organize things; even the desk drawers were full of memo notes and documents that might have been briefly needed at some point, crumpled and stuffed everywhere.

“What’s that?”

Among those piles of trash, Divlik discovered a bundle of letters in Eva’s handwriting.

“Letters.”

“Letters? He collected those too?”

He did collect them. As Finn put it, Fabian had ignored the recipient addresses written on the envelopes and kept Eva’s letters in a corner of his desk. While Finn and the soldiers were moving about busily, Divlik took out several already-opened letter sheets and checked their contents.

The letters, which all began with ‘To my dear parents whom I miss,’ were consistent in content.

They were filled with Eva’s yearning for her homeland—wondering what Florin looked like now, if everyone was healthy, wanting to visit Florin when an opportunity arose, missing her parents and hometown.

Divlik furrowed his brow slightly at the desperation he felt in every line of Eva’s writing.

—A ruin…… What…… what do you mean, Lord Divlik?

Not just yesterday’s reaction but these letters too. Did Eva truly not know what had happened to Florin the day she left?

“Ah! You startled me!”

When Divlik looked up at Finn’s surprised cry, he saw Eva walking in like a ghost through the office door, which had been opened wide without knocking. Finn had been startled after belatedly noticing Eva approaching without making any sound.

Divlik pretended not to notice and hid the letter among other documents, while Eva stood in front of Divlik, staggering weakly, indifferent to people’s gazes.

“What is it, Eva?”

There was another reason why the gazes of Finn and the soldiers were fixed on Eva. Eva was not only barefoot but not even properly dressed.

Her flowing golden hair fell carelessly over her thin one-piece nightgown, barely covering the silhouette of her chest that might have been exposed through the clothing.

“I wish to ask Lord Divlik for permission.”

“Permission?”

A face completely pale and stiff without any hint of blood, devoid of any vitality; white feet standing on the cold wooden floor without even indoor shoes. In the pouring sunset light, Eva seemed so transparent in her very existence. Not just because of Finn’s illusion—she really did look like a ghost.

“I beg you to send me to Florin.”

Divlik smiled, raising one corner of his mouth.

“Are you now openly trying to escape?”

“I will definitely return.”

“Why should I grant your request?”

Eva raised her unfocused eyes to look at Divlik.

“I sent a young maid there without knowing Florin’s condition. I need to find that child.”

“That doesn’t give me a reason to let you go.”

“I’ll do anything.”

As soon as Divlik’s answer fell, tears streamed down Eva’s face. Even Finn and the soldiers who had been busily working stopped and stared at Eva, whose tears contained endless despair.

“I’ll do whatever you want, Lord Divlik. If you tell me to die, I’ll die; if you tell me to live, I’ll live. If you tell me to bark like a dog, I’ll bark. If you tell me to satisfy you every night like a street woman, I’ll do so.”

Eva didn’t even seem to think of wiping away her tears. Divlik looked at Eva’s tears and spoke in an indifferent voice.

“Didn’t I tell you? That place has become ruins.”