After a long journey of fifteen days, they finally arrived at the imperial capital.

Evelyn swallowed dryly, overwhelmed by the sight of the Bait Imperial Palace she was seeing for the first time.

She had grown up in the royal palace of Hesta, but it was barely half the size of Bait’s palace in comparison.

From the moment the carriage passed the gates of the palace, her whole body tensed, and she could hardly bear it.

There was truly no turning back now.

Still, just one year.

If she waited the one year Reynard had mentioned, freedom would come to her. All she had to do was endure a little longer.

“Princess, we will be arriving at the palace shortly.”

While lost in thought, she heard the voice of the coachman.

Feeling the carriage significantly slow down, Evelyn took a quiet, deep breath. Soon, the carriage came to a complete stop.

“I will open the door.”

“Go ahead.”

At Evelyn’s permission, the door of the carriage opened.

As she rose from her seat to disembark, a large hand suddenly reached toward her.

When she looked up, she saw that Reynard was offering his hand.

Having experienced this several times already, Evelyn took his hand without hesitation and stepped down slowly from the carriage.

Thanks to his support, she was able to descend steadily.

“What do you think of Bait Palace?”

Once Evelyn had stepped onto the ground, Reynard asked her.

“It’s amazing. It’s much bigger than Hesta.”

Reynard smiled faintly, apparently pleased with her response.

At the main gate of the palace, servants and maids stood lined up in greeting.

As Reynard and Evelyn approached, they all bowed in unison to welcome them.

The synchronized movement of so many people created a breathtaking scene.

Evelyn, who had always been in the position of bowing to others, drew a startled breath at the unfamiliar sight.

Then, realizing that her reaction wasn’t fitting for Princess Ophelia, she gave a small, casual cough to cover it up.

Reynard, observing her, gave a quiet chuckle.

“Laura.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

He called one of the maids who had bowed her head.

“This is Princess Ophelia of the Kingdom of Hesta. I sent a letter in advance regarding this matter—you’ve seen it, yes?”

“Yes, I received the letter stating that His Imperial Majesty will be marrying the princess of Hesta. So it was true.”

“Yes. Then please show her to her quarters.”

“Understood.”

Laura replied with a deep bow.

She then approached Evelyn with quiet steps.

“Princess Ophelia, allow me to escort you to your quarters.”

“Thank you.”

By now, Evelyn had grown fairly used to speaking informally to others.

When she nodded her assent, Laura began to guide her at a steady pace.

They passed through the lobby, climbed the stairs, walked down a wide, long corridor, and finally arrived at the bedroom she would be staying in.

“Bathwater is being prepared, so please rest for a moment.”

“All right. Um, I’d like to be alone while the bath is getting ready. Would you mind giving me some space?”

Evelyn recalled the way Princess Ophelia might have spoken and tried to mimic it.

Of course, the real Princess Ophelia wouldn’t have asked so cautiously, but at least it gave her a reference point for how to phrase things.

“Yes, then please call if you need anything.”

“Mm.”

Once she confirmed that the maids and servants had all withdrawn, Evelyn stepped into the bedroom alone.

Before her eyes unfolded a luxurious bedroom she had never dared to dream of.

It seemed even more spacious and opulent than the king’s bedroom she had once seen while cleaning in Hesta.

From the ornate decorations to the intricate painting on the ceiling—everything was stunning.

Evelyn slowly took it all in as she approached the bed.

Then she let herself fall onto it.

The bed supported her body so softly it felt like lying on a cloud.

It was so comfortable that all the fatigue she had accumulated seemed to melt away.

She felt that if she closed her eyes now, she might just fall asleep and never wake up.

However, she couldn’t fall asleep so soon after arriving.

Instead of sleeping, Evelyn slowly reflected on her current situation. From the moment she became the fake Princess Ophelia to where she was now.

And then, she recalled a hypothesis she hadn’t wanted to consider.

‘Did Mother really try to kill me?’

It was an issue she had continuously avoided. The person who had recommended Evelyn to become the fake Princess Ophelia was none other than her mother, Glenna.

And it was out of fear that Evelyn’s identity might be exposed that the King of Hesta had ordered her execution.

Could Glenna have truly been unaware that things would turn out this way?

No, the possibility was slim.

Glenna, as Princess Ophelia’s nanny, had the king’s trust. That was why she had been able to advise the king, who was troubled by issues with Bait.

There was no way she didn’t know about what would happen afterward.

If that was the case, then Glenna had knowingly sent her daughter Evelyn into a death trap.

An unbearable storm of emotion surged in Evelyn’s chest.

‘She didn’t know. His Majesty must have kept it from her. Just like the soldiers who guarded me died without knowing anything.’

Unable to accept the horrific truth, she vehemently denied reality. There were soldiers who had died without knowing the full story, so she convinced herself that Glenna must also have been unaware.

Glenna was her mother, after all.

Surely she had only hoped her daughter would live a good life, even if it meant wearing the mask of a fake Princess Ophelia.

That’s how Evelyn brainwashed herself.

Knock knock.

Then, the sound of someone knocking at the door echoed. Snapping out of her thoughts, Evelyn lifted her upper body.

“Princess, your bath is ready.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Only then did Evelyn rise from her seat and follow Laura to the bathroom. The bath in Bait’s palace was also larger and more luxurious than anything Evelyn had ever seen.

Still, she feigned calm as she immersed herself in the tub. The bathwater, scattered with flower petals, gave off a sweet fragrance.

The maids tended to Evelyn’s bath with great care. But the atmosphere wasn’t exactly welcoming. 

That was understandable. From their perspective, Princess Ophelia was a princess of an invading country.

Even though the invasion had failed, the fact remained that Hesta had attacked Bait.

For Evelyn, it was actually a relief. If they had tried to be overly friendly, she wouldn’t have known how to respond.

After finally bathing and washing up, Evelyn received a massage and changed into a pre-prepared dress.

“His Majesty the Emperor is waiting for you.”

“Please lead the way.”

She then moved to meet Reynard. Laura immediately guided Evelyn to Reynard’s office.

Just as Laura was about to knock on the office door, a voice could be heard from within, as if people were arguing. Evelyn raised her hand to pause her.

The soundproofing was fairly good, so it was hard to discern the exact conversation, but she could tell that things had gotten heated.

Not wanting to walk in and cause trouble, Evelyn decided to wait until the voices died down.

Fortunately, the conversation ended in less than five minutes. Soon, Reynard’s aide, Martin, stepped out of the office with a conflicted expression.

He hesitated upon seeing Evelyn at the door, then gave her a stiff nod of greeting before walking past her.

“You’ve arrived?”

As she turned to glance at Martin’s retreating back, Reynard’s voice brought her back to herself.

“Yes.”

Evelyn sat on the sofa prepared in one corner of the office, and a maid brought her tea. Reynard, who had been sitting at the table reviewing documents, gathered them up and came to sit across from her.

“Were you waiting outside?”

“Yes. I heard voices from inside.”

“Did you hear anything?”

“I couldn’t tell what the conversation was about.”

“I see.”

Reynard gave a slight nod, then signaled for the people waiting in the room to leave. They all bowed and quietly exited the office.

Click.

The soft sound of the door closing left only Reynard and Evelyn in the room.

“Next time, you don’t need to wait.”

“But you might’ve been having an important conversation.”

“You need to become more aware of your position.”

“Pardon?”

“In two days, you’ll be the Empress of this Empire. It’s not good to keep acting so timidly even after becoming Empress.”