***

The empress felt uneasy.

She was concerned about her son, who had left with a hurt expression after she refused the medicine he brought.

She knew that from some point on, her son had struggled hard on her behalf while she had given up on herself.

‘But Linus, you wouldn’t understand this mother’s heart……’

She slightly removed her thick gloves. Looking at the back of her hands with hives and oozing sores made her feel disgusted.

If she herself hated how she looked, how would others feel seeing her?

‘What’s a mere skin disease that you should live like a sinner, Mother? Be confident.’

Her son had said that, but as a mother before being an empress, and as a person before being an empress, it wasn’t an easy thing to do.

Exposing one’s shameful parts.

‘Perhaps it would be better for Linus’s future if I just stayed locked up in this palace forever……’

It was then that an unexpected visitor came to her as she was lost in sorrow.

“Your Majesty, Lady Shailyn Sharofe requests an audience.”

“……Lady Sharofe?”

The empress looked up in surprise at the maid’s announcement.

She quickly put her gloves back on.

“Shall I tell her to apply again formally next time?”

The maid asked carefully, observing the empress’s complexion. She said this knowing that the empress had been extremely limiting contact with outsiders since falling ill.

Normally, the empress would have told her to do so, but……

‘Diane’s daughter, she seemed like a decent child when I saw her before.’

Moreover, after hurting Linus so much earlier, she didn’t feel comfortable being cold to Shailyn, who seemed quite close to her son.

After deliberation, she allowed Shailyn’s audience. The maid showed a momentarily surprised expression before carrying out the order.

Shailyn entered quietly and bowed respectfully.

“Shailyn Sharofe greets Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Yes, what brings you to see me?”

Shailyn, sitting properly on the sofa, swallowed nervously and held out the medicine bottle.

“I came to deliver this.”

“……”

The medicine she had refused just dozens of minutes ago had returned. The empress’s hand trembled slightly.

Her reddish-brown eyes, glimpsed through the veil, wavered slightly.

“You…… seem to know about my illness.”

“I accidentally saw Your Majesty’s face before. I apologize.”

“No, you didn’t reveal it on purpose, so how could I blame you?”

Above all, if she had come this far, it meant Linus had confided in her to some extent.

The empress, understanding her son like a mother should, smiled bitterly.

Shailyn spoke to her in a serious voice.

“Though it may be presumptuous to say, I have witnessed from beside how much His Highness the Crown Prince has worked to cure Your Majesty’s illness.”

When she didn’t know, she thought the crown prince just read books and did paperwork all day.

But knowing the hidden truth and looking again, he had been trying to find a cure while managing his crown prince duties.

Even with bloodshot eyes from fatigue, he didn’t put down his books, and he personally deduced and organized related information.

What Shailyn had seen was probably just the tip of the iceberg.

“So even though I know I’m being presumptuous, I dare to ask Your Majesty to accept His Highness’s heart.”

Shailyn bowed respectfully. The empress, who had been staring at her intently at these sincere words, spoke quietly.

“……How could you understand my heart? I’m not unaware of Linus’s devotion and efforts.”

“Then may I ask why you refuse treatment?”

A deep sigh flowed from the empress’s lips. How disappointed must her son be for this young lady to come find her alone?

Unable to bear the feeling like thorns piercing her heart, she spoke.

“It’s not that I don’t want to cure my illness. But no matter what methods we’ve tried so far, they’ve all failed.”

The empress’s hand gripping her arm trembled faintly.

In the process of such failures, she had endlessly repeated feeling despair, frustration, and sadness.

She no longer had the strength to endure such emotional exhaustion.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to bear it if this fails too. Especially disappointing Linus……”

That was actually what she feared most.

Showing her son the sight of a mother failing once more.

‘Ah, Your Majesty was actually worried about His Highness the Crown Prince.’

Shailyn seemed to understand the empress’s heart, even if vaguely.

She must be worried that her continued failures might break the will or heart of someone close to her.

‘What would I have done if I were His Highness?’

As she tried to empathize, Linus from the past days flashed through her mind.

Recalling even the gloomy back she had last seen before coming here, she reached one conclusion.

“I think what His Highness fears most is Your Majesty becoming frustrated and giving up.”

If what the empress feared was her son’s disappointment, then conversely, what Linus feared would be his mother’s abandonment.

“Even if it’s difficult, please have hope for His Highness’s sake. Only then can His Highness not let go of hope either.”

“……!”

The empress couldn’t refute or deny those words.

Perhaps she too knew this but had been avoiding it because it was difficult.

Even though she wore a veil, her agitation was palpable, so Shailyn deliberately spoke in a bright voice.

“How about secretly applying the medicine while it’s just the two of us? If it fails, we’ll keep it secret from His Highness, and if it succeeds, we’ll tell him.”

She even winked playfully to ease the empress’s burden.

Shailyn extended both hands.

After long deliberation, the empress finally placed her hands on top of them.

Swoosh.

The gloves were gently removed, revealing hands that were a complete mess with hives and oozing sores.

Without showing any particular reaction, Shailyn first wiped the empress’s hands with a handkerchief, then opened the medicine bottle and scooped out some ointment.

The empress watched quietly as Shailyn applied the medicine gently with a deeply concentrated expression.

“You are very thoughtful.”

“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”

Shailyn smiled brightly as she finished applying medicine to both her hands and withdrew.

“Please observe the progress first, and if you see effects, try using it on other areas too.”

“Okay.”

The empress nodded readily.

Neither of them told Linus about what happened that day.

Three days passed like that.

⁕⁕⁕

Morning at the empress’s palace.

The empress, who woke up as usual, habitually reached for the veil to cover her face first.

Hearing her movement, someone knocked on the door from outside.

“Your Majesty, it’s Garnet.”

“Come in.”

The head maid who entered opened the curtains in the room only halfway.

This was for the empress, who hated exposing her damaged skin under the bright morning sunlight.

The empress, who had been sitting on the bed preparing to wash with the water another maid had brought, suddenly stopped.

“……?”

The empress’s eyes stared intently at her hands through the veil.

The maids were deliberately keeping their heads down while she washed out of consideration for her, so they didn’t notice this behavior.

Only Garnet, who had returned after opening the window for ventilation, expressed puzzlement at seeing the empress sitting in a daze.

“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”

“Garnet, come here, come here……”

The empress called the head maid with a trembling voice. After being cursed, she had dismissed everyone except those she could trust.

Therefore, the people in this room now were confidants who could see the empress’s damaged skin.

“Your Majesty, what’s the matter? Are you perhaps feeling unwell somewhere……”

To Garnet, who approached worriedly, the empress suddenly extended her bare hands.

Garnet’s eyes, which had remained calm even when first seeing the diseased hands, widened in shock.

“……! Your, Your Majesty! Your, your hands……!”

The empress’s hands, which until recently had been disgustingly swollen and filled with hives and oozing sores, were clean.

Of course, they weren’t completely spotless, and faint rashes still remained.

But the fact that the empress’s hands, which had only worsened day by day, had improved for the first time held great significance.

“Mirror, bring a mirror immediately!”

“Yes, yes!”

Garnet hurriedly brought the mirror that had been hidden in the dressing room.

The empress removed her veil with trembling hands. The maids watched this scene in bewilderment before gasping.

The hives that had hideously disfigured the empress’s face had clearly faded.

“Your Majesty’s face has returned!”

“Oh God, thank you!”

“Your Majesty the Empress, congratulations!”

The maids rejoiced with tears in their eyes. The empress still looked bewildered as she touched her face.

She had steadily applied the ointment Shailyn had given her to her hands and face every day.

Though afraid this might fail too, she tried to stay strong thinking of Shailyn’s words.

Thus, for the first time, the medicine’s effects were manifested.