But even while thinking this, he strangely wanted to hear it. The gentle voice she had used with her maids.

“Princess.”

After contemplating something by Yerena’s side, Frederick spoke up after another maid had left with Yerena’s necklace and a pouch of gold coins. Yerena turned her head slightly toward Frederick’s call, looking bothered.

“Shouldn’t you take at least one item from the kingdom with you? Perhaps a keepsake from your mother or something like that……”

When the imperial knight Frederick mentioned her dead mother, Yerena momentarily pulled back her chin and bit her lips tightly. But soon relaxing at his suggestion, she murmured in a much lower voice,

“Then just one thing……”

“……”

“There’s a pair of engagement rings my father and mother had made in their youth, in my mother’s room. In the bottom drawer of a small white dresser…… There’s a secret compartment that appears when you press the bottom slightly. I’d like to take that.”

“I’ll bring it after getting permission.”

Frederick was confident he could retrieve the item since his lord, Roshan, had been showing interest in the princess and granting most of her requests. And as he expected, Roshan readily gave his permission. However, Roshan’s eyes were somewhat cold when giving permission, which made Frederick quite tense.

“Is this it? It looks like one thick ring.”

“Yes. It’s designed so two rings can become one. Mother always kept them joined when storing them.”

Yerena handled the pair of rings for a long time before requesting a cord suitable for a necklace. Frederick brought her a thin gold necklace chain at her request. Yerena threaded the ring onto the chain and wore it around her neck. Then, holding it tightly, she said in a small voice,

“……Thank you.”

It was merely gratitude for a small kindness. But Frederick felt his face grow hot at that single phrase.

“It’s nothing…… It seems the next person has arrived, so I’ll bring them in.”

He glanced outside the room and disappeared with quick steps. Soon after, a middle-aged woman entered the room with a worried face and immediately rushed to Yerena.

“Princess!”

“Nanny!”

Yerena was different from when she met her maids. Not hiding the tears in her voice, she abandoned her dignity and embraced the middle-aged woman like a child. The middle-aged woman patted Yerena’s heaving back.

“Princess. My princess…… How could this happen…… sob.”

The middle-aged woman’s voice was filled mostly with genuine concern for Yerena. But there was also secrecy and anger in it.

“Nanny. Are, are you unharmed? Thank goodness.”

“Before worrying about me, take care of yourself first. Why have you become so thin?”

Frederick’s expression hardened slightly, knowing the secret the middle-aged woman held. But Yerena, oblivious about him, simply welcomed her nanny, the middle-aged woman, with happiness and joy.

“Princess. I’ve been contemplating, but for the sake of your late parents, there’s something I must tell you.”

And so, just before parting with her nanny, the princess heard the hidden truth through her lips. And after learning the truth, she wished: May the Sedas Kingdom remain safe, but may the new king and his mother die and collapse.

* * *

Brick walked almost at a run. The attendants assigned to assist him by Bianca’s order followed him, calling out with worried voices,

“Your Highness! You’ll fall.”

Your Highness. Still awkward with the title, Brick momentarily flinched. But soon, ignoring it, he walked even faster. As a result, the attendants running with him were roughly panting by the end.

Brick’s pace slowed only when he approached his destination. Arriving at the place called the Lily Palace for its profusion of lilies, he hunched his shoulders, seemingly frightened by the imperial soldiers guarding the entrance and the knights patrolling inside. However, though slowed, his steps didn’t stop.

“Follow me this way.”

As Brick entered the Lily Palace with his eyes cast down, a knight guided him. Cold voice with contempt coating those emerald eyes. Brick remembered him.

That day, the day he became the king of Sedas and a count of the Empire, he was one of the knights who had mocked him from the platform. He was also particularly memorable for his strikingly gorgeous appearance despite being a man. Brick inwardly muttered about his identity.

‘Roshan Vistius. One of his three close aides…… Frederick was his name, I believe. Unlike that delicate, feminine face, they say he’s a cruel man.’

As Brick recalled the information about Frederick that his mother had provided, he walked hesitantly. By then, Frederick and Brick’s party had arrived at their destination—a guest room.

“Everyone except Your Highness is to wait outside.”

Frederick firmly stated while placing his hand on the doorknob. The attendants behind Brick immediately stepped back at his words.

‘What if he harms their master? Why do they retreat so easily? Well, their master himself is…… tsk.’

Frederick twisted his lips at the sight and opened the door. And soon after, the woman Brick had so longed to meet showed her back to the two men.

“Sister!”

Brick called out happily to Yerena, who was sitting in a chair. His cowed appearance completely disappeared, and a smile spread across his face. Frederick followed Brick, who was walking toward Yerena, with a frown.

“I’ve missed you!”

Brick almost shouted as he sat across from Yerena. But Yerena did not respond. Her appearance—head bowed, hands clasped tightly together—was somber.

Brick finally remembered that Yerena had gone blind. He had forgotten in his excitement, but how must she feel? He examined her with pity.

Now that he was aware of her blindness, her blue eyes looked distinctly different from before. Their unfocused gaze made her seem almost like a dead person.

‘Still, my sister is beautiful. No, she seems even more beautiful now. She looks like she’ll do whatever I want.’

Brick’s heart strangely raced at the sight of Yerena. He even felt elation. He felt superior, as if she had become flawed and inferior to him, considering she was someone previously unattainable. At the same time, he found it utterly lamentable that she had to go to the Empire, meaning he couldn’t keep her by his side.

“Sister? Are you alright?”

Unable to show such feelings, he asked with concern while observing her reaction. Yerena didn’t respond this time either. Feeling anxious, Brick stood up and reached out toward her.

“If it’s about your eyes, it’s fine. You’ll live with attendants for the rest of your life anyway, so don’t worry……”

Slap. Yerena forcefully struck away Brick’s hand. Surprised, Brick grabbed his hand and stared at her. This had never happened before. His half-sister had never treated him this way.

‘Brick. Come here. Would you like some cookies?’

Brick really liked Yerena. She was dazzlingly beautiful, kind, and gentle. Unlike her brothers—his half-brothers—she smiled at him without frowning.

The dead Yerena’s mother, Queen Adora, was the same, but Brick preferred Yerena much more. Was it because they were similar in age? He didn’t know the exact reason. But one thing was certain: he felt happy just looking at her.

‘Huh?’

Therefore, seeing Yerena’s face glaring at him with undisguised hatred was a great shock to Brick.

“Si-Sister. Why…… why are you treating me like this?”

Brick began to stammer, his hands trembling—a habit that appeared when he was flustered or frightened.

“Why? You’re asking me that?”

When his aggrieved voice pierced her ears, Yerena couldn’t contain her anger and raised her voice. The news her nanny had shared before Brick’s arrival was horrific and disgusting.

‘That woman and her illegitimate son leaked information from the country to the imperial army. The battle where the Second Prince died, and how the imperial army was able to enter the palace so quickly……’

At first, she wanted to believe it wasn’t true. Although they were her father’s mistress and illegitimate son, they were still family members and, more importantly, citizens of the kingdom, so she thought they wouldn’t do such a thing.

But the imperial knight, Frederick, who was beside her, confirmed it. It was true. Yerena tried not to believe the invader’s words, but as her nanny continued, she couldn’t hide her devastation. The circumstances fit together perfectly; she could no longer deny that it was true.

“I heard everything! What you and your mother did! How dare you betray the country and help the enemy? You’re worse than vermin!”

“N-No! Sister. I-I didn’t!”

Brick’s face turned pale at Yerena’s words. He shook his head, shouting that it wasn’t him. Yerena momentarily closed her mouth at his vehement denial. Yes, it couldn’t be. While she couldn’t say the same for Bianca, who had always hated her family, but Brick…

“Really? You did nothing?”

Yerena asked, barely managing to calm her excitement. Brick nodded his head vigorously, trying to answer that he knew nothing. But at that moment, his eyes met Frederick’s.

Frederick, as a high-ranking knight in the army, knew who had passed information to the imperial forces from the Sedas Kingdom. Among the reasons he despised Brick was his act of harming his country for personal gain.

Under Frederick’s gaze, Brick couldn’t completely deny it. It wasn’t true that he had done nothing. But Brick felt wronged. He had only done what his mother told him to do. The thought that Yerena might hate him for such trivial things made him want to cry.

“It’s a misunderstanding…… I just…… f-followed my m-mother’s requests. I j-just delivered a few letters o-outside the palace. Besides, I d-didn’t even know the contents of those letters.”

Brick whined like an angry child. Hearing his words, Yerena looked stunned, as if she’d been hit on the back of the head. Though she couldn’t see, she felt the world spinning.

“……So it’s true. Every time you came to the palace, you leaked information.”

“Si-Sister, that’s not it……”

“You used my mother who showed you kindness…… How dare you use my mother?”

The reason Brick, who was disliked by the king, could occasionally enter the palace was due to Queen Adora’s compassion. She took pity on Brick, who was both her nephew and her husband’s illegitimate son, and sometimes invited him to the palace. Despite having to be cautious around the king and princes, Brick often wrote letters to the queen asking permission to visit the palace because he wanted to see Yerena.