Only then did Evelyn understand why Reynard had gone so far to care for her. It wasn’t about her origins or her identity.

As long as she was Reynard’s wife, insulting her in Bait was no different than insulting Reynard himself.

Though she felt a bit disappointed for some reason, she didn’t show it outwardly.

“I’m sorry. I should have handled it better, but I think I only caused trouble for Your Majesty.”

Evelyn cautiously offered an apology.

Reynard let out a small sigh and replied,

“This isn’t your fault. So there’s no need for you to apologize to me.”

He was right. Even if it had been the real Princess Ophelia instead of Evelyn, she would likely have been targeted just the same.

Of course, if it had been the real Princess Ophelia, she probably wouldn’t have taken it lying down.

“May I ask… what kind of relationship you have with that person from earlier?”

Evelyn carefully asked Reynard.

“From what I heard, she was a candidate to become Empress.”

“That’s right. If things had gone as they should have, she would have become my Empress, not you. She’s the only daughter of Duke Emmett, treasured like gold and jade.”

As expected.

Evelyn sighed inwardly, recalling the image of Greta she had seen earlier. Indeed, as the daughter of a duke, she appeared exceptionally elegant and confident.

The complete opposite of someone like Evelyn, who had nothing. What’s more, she seemed to be followed by many supporters.

Whether Greta had directly ordered it or not, it was easy to guess from the fact that Adelheid had poured wine on Evelyn.

“So she lost the position of Empress because of Hesta.”

At Evelyn’s words, Reynard looked at her silently.

“You look like you’re feeling guilty.”

Evelyn couldn’t deny his words. It was obvious that if it weren’t for her, Greta would have become Empress.

She felt unpleasant, as if she had stolen someone else’s place.

“Come to think of it, I believe you asked me this before.”

“Pardon?”

“Why I went through the trouble of making you Princess Ophelia and marrying you. It was because of her.”

As soon as Reynard finished speaking, Evelyn lifted her head to look at him.

“You’ll understand in time. Why I went out of my way to make you Empress.”

“…Yes.”

Though she needed a more detailed explanation, she realized Reynard was intentionally avoiding it and chose not to press further.

It seemed best that Evelyn look into Duke Emmett’s household on her own. 

If Reynard had needed an excuse to push Greta out of the race for Empress, even if it meant marrying a daughter of an invading nation, then there must have been a significant problem between him and the Emmett family.

“But… will it be alright? I mean, what happened earlier.”

If Reynard already had a strained relationship with the Emmett family, then what had just happened between Evelyn and them would certainly be used against him. Evelyn felt uneasy, wondering if she had acted improperly from the beginning.

Reynard narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

“No. Actually, since the first wrongdoing was on their side, this incident might even work in our favor.”

At Reynard’s words, Evelyn closed her mouth tightly. If, in the end, things had turned in Reynard’s favor, then that was a relief.

Reynard glanced at her and spoke again with a small sigh.

“Unintentionally, you got caught up in all this. I apologize.”

“It’s alright. Just the fact that you saved me is more than enough. And besides, you said so yourself. That I only have to endure for a year. So I’ll be fine.”

At Evelyn’s words, Reynard gave a helpless smile.

“Right, I did say that.”

Being insulted was something she had frequently experienced back in Hesta. She hadn’t expected it to happen here as well, but it wasn’t an unfamiliar experience, so she could endure it.

The only troubling part was that her endurance might negatively affect Reynard. That was what truly weighed on her.

“But what should I do if something like this happens again in the future?”

Simply enduring was easy. All she had to do was turn a blind eye and pretend nothing had happened.

But the problem was that she was no longer just Evelyn the maid.

“Don’t endure it.”

“Pardon?”

At Reynard’s short response, Evelyn widened her eyes. She looked just like a startled rabbit.

Reynard smiled faintly and added an explanation.

“I don’t know how many times I have to say it. You are Princess Ophelia. And now, you are also the Empress of Bait. Even if your origin is from an invading nation, that doesn’t mean you have to keep enduring everything.”

Evelyn gave a somewhat awkward smile at Reynard’s words.

Because not enduring was actually harder for Evelyn.

However, it wasn’t as though there was no one she could use as a model. The real Princess Ophelia she had seen. 

The arrogant, self-righteous, and unyielding real Princess Ophelia wouldn’t simply endure in a situation like this. At last, Evelyn slowly nodded her head.

“Yes.”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes. But I’m not sure to what extent.”

“Do as you wish. I’ll take care of the aftermath. You’ll understand faster if you act as though you are me.”

“Yes.”

Having come this far, Evelyn made up her mind to act as the real Princess Ophelia. She didn’t know if she could pull it off, but it was the best she could do in this situation.

Seeing that Evelyn had understood, Reynard let out a dry chuckle.

“Now then, let’s head in.” 

“Yes.”

“If you’re tired, feel free to head in first.”

Evelyn hesitated for a moment at Reynard’s words, then nodded obediently and answered.

“Alright, I’ll go ahead then.”

“Do so.”

Not knowing anything about Bait’s situation, simply staying in the ballroom was a burden to her.

Even though she had decided to act as Princess Ophelia, she would still need time before she could truly behave that way.

Evelyn, who had entered the ballroom, followed Reynard’s lead and exited through a side passage.

“Go on ahead.”

“Yes.”

After replying, Evelyn began walking under the guidance of her maid Laura. She first washed thoroughly in the bath, then changed into a thin negligee dress and arrived at the bedroom.

Even upon seeing it again, the bedroom was large. Too large for one person to use alone.

Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly and moved toward the window. Beyond the glass, the lights of the ballroom twinkled.

It was then—

Knock knock, a sound came from the door.

Evelyn turned and stared at it.

“Your Majesty the Empress, Martin Klein is here.”

“Martin Klein?”

At the familiar name, Evelyn murmured it under her breath and quickly recalled that Reynard’s lieutenant went by the same name.

“Let him in.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

When Evelyn gave her permission, the door opened and Martin entered. He bowed politely to her.

“I am Martin Klein.”

“You’re His Majesty the Emperor’s lieutenant, if I remember correctly?”

When Evelyn cautiously asked, he nodded.

“That’s correct.”

“And what brings you here…?”

Evelyn trailed off, prompting Martin to speak after a moment of hesitation.

“I came because there’s something I must tell you.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“I apologize, but may I ask that the others be dismissed?”

At Martin’s words, Evelyn glanced at Laura and Joy, who were inside the room.

They had entered to attend to her needs and be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

“May I ask why?”

“Because what I have to say would be troublesome if overheard.”

Evelyn hesitated at Martin’s reply. If he had come with ill intentions, she shouldn’t send them away.

But he was Reynard’s trusted subordinate. It didn’t seem likely that someone like him would do anything to cause trouble for Reynard on the very first day Evelyn became empress.

“Alright. Please leave, both of you.”

At Evelyn’s command, Laura and Joy bowed once before exiting the room.

Click. The sound of the door closing echoed as Evelyn turned her gaze back to Martin.

“Can you tell me what this is about?”

Martin continued, his expression grim.

“I know that Your Majesty is not the real Princess Ophelia.”