Reynard returned to the imperial throne after finishing his conversation with Duke Emmett. With a thud, he sat down, and Evelyn glanced at him quietly.

“You don’t look well. Did something happen?”

There was a significant difference in Reynard’s expression between when he walked out through the crowd and when he returned. Noticing the change, Evelyn couldn’t hide her curiosity and asked him.

Reynard responded with a faint smile.

“No, nothing happened.”

“I see…….”

Reynard denied Evelyn’s observation. Since the person involved had said it wasn’t true, she couldn’t press further and was about to look away with resignation.

“Soon, a delegate from Hesta will come to see you.”

“What? So suddenly?”

“They want to confirm whether you’re safe.”

As Reynard finished speaking, Evelyn’s vision trembled irregularly. Reynard, knowing what Hesta meant to Evelyn, wasn’t surprised by her reaction.

“You don’t need to worry. I won’t leave you alone with them.”

Only then did Evelyn let out a small sigh of relief. Even if they were a delegate from Hesta, they wouldn’t dare commit the atrocity of killing Bait’s empress in front of others.

Even if it was a decision made solely by them, no one could predict how that flame might spread.

“And there’s one more thing.”

“One more thing?”

Evelyn asked again, unable to hide her unease, and Reynard nodded in affirmation.

“Duke Emmett recommended Lady Greta Emmett as your companion.”

“…….”

Evelyn’s mouth fell open. Reynard had stepped away briefly and returned with two consecutive pieces of bad news. And both were exactly the kind of news she least wanted to hear.

“Did you accept it?”

“Well, what do you think?”

Reynard asked back with a playful smile. Not knowing what decision he had made, Evelyn opened and closed her lips several times. Watching her with interest, Reynard chuckled softly.

“For now, I said I’d talk to you about it first. It’s not something I can decide on my own.”

Only then did Evelyn let out a sigh of relief.

“But it won’t be easy to refuse. We don’t have a strong justification.”

“Is there really no way?”

If possible, she wanted to avoid meeting Greta often. To Evelyn, Greta was a difficult and unpredictable person.

And for someone like Evelyn, who harbored secrets that must never be exposed, spending long hours with such a person was as perilous and precarious as walking barefoot through a thicket of thorns.

What if Greta Emmett discovered her true identity? There would be no limit to the punishments for deceiving the nobility and insulting the royal family.

Of course, that was separate from what Reynard already knew about Evelyn’s identity.

Reynard and Duke Emmett stood on opposite ends politically.

Though Evelyn couldn’t guess the full extent of Duke Emmett’s influence, she had heard he was the late emperor’s closest confidant and once betrothed to the deceased crown prince’s family—proof enough that he held extraordinary power.

Martin had explained that Reynard needed Evelyn to avoid accepting a betrothal from the Emmett family.

It was a matter of dealing with someone from such a powerful household. No matter that Evelyn had grown up in Hesta’s royal castle and was now learning imperial etiquette from Baroness Hermann—continuously hiding her identity wouldn’t be easy.

“Do you dislike it?”

“Yes.”

For once, Evelyn answered without hesitation, instead of her usual indecision. Reynard found it quite amusing but, understanding her difficulty, fell into brief thought.

“Isn’t there a way?”

“Not sure.”

But even Reynard couldn’t come up with a clever solution this time. If it were Duke Emmett, even if Reynard refused, he was the type to proceed by rallying the nobles’ support.

If it were solely Duke Emmett’s proposal, he could be ignored—but if the nobles collectively supported it, it would be troublesome.

“No matter how I think about it, refusing seems difficult.”

That was the conclusion Reynard reached after much deliberation.

“What if I get found out?”

“I think we can at least reduce the time you meet with her.”

“Really?”

Evelyn, who had been gloomy, immediately brightened. Seeing her change expressions so quickly, Reynard couldn’t suppress the smile forming at his lips.

“I’ll try to minimize it as much as possible.”

“Thank you.”

Evelyn gave him a soft smile and expressed her gratitude. Reynard simply shrugged as if it was nothing.

As she watched him, Evelyn hesitated for a moment before cautiously opening her mouth.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you always. And I’m always grateful for the compassion you’ve shown me.”

Evelyn’s voice was small and low, but it was enough for Reynard to hear.

“……”

Reynard, who had expected a simple reply like “It’s nothing,” remained silent for a moment, staring at her before meeting her gaze directly.

“May I ask you something?”

Reynard suddenly asked Evelyn a question.

Puzzled by his cautious tone, Evelyn glanced at him briefly and answered a beat later.

“Yes, of course. I’ll tell you anything I can.”

“Good.”

Hearing her permission, Reynard nodded in apparent satisfaction. But he didn’t pose his question right away.

Between them, the nocturne flowed with a slow melody. Evelyn remained silent, quietly savoring the song until he spoke.

It wasn’t until the song was nearly over that Reynard finally opened his mouth.

“I heard you met someone before. Is that true?”

“Someone I met?”

“Yes. Didn’t you say that to me at the last ball?”

With no immediate idea of whom he was referring to, she fell into thought for a moment. Then, realizing belatedly who he meant, she let out an awkward laugh.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“Yes. When I said I met him, I meant we ran into each other.”

Only after Evelyn clarified did Reynard understand what she had meant.

“I see. Then, would you tell me a bit about that person? May I hear it?”

Reynard asked her with a voice that sounded slightly deflated. After a brief hesitation, Evelyn nodded. It wasn’t such a difficult thing to talk about.

“It happened when I was a child.”

Evelyn’s voice, recalling the past, was softer and more relaxed than usual.

“Just as Hesta’s envoy is here now in Bait, there was a time Bait sent an envoy to Hesta. There was a young page who accompanied the delegation then.”

“A page?”

Reynard tilted his head, puzzled.

“Yes. I suppose the master he served was one of the envoys.”

“…I see.”

“That day, for some reason, he was just sitting curled up in one corner of the castle. I needed to clean that area, so I asked him to move.”

Reynard nodded, signaling that he was listening. Reassured, Evelyn continued speaking.

“But then he glared at me. We fought a few times, and then somehow, we became friends. Coming back to Bait reminded me of him.”

“Fought and became friends? That’s quite an abrupt development.”

Reynard pointed out the suddenness of the story. Evelyn awkwardly touched her cheek, looking embarrassed.

“I’m sorry. It was when I was very young. I remember the fights, but trying to explain how we became friends right now makes me sound a bit incoherent.”

If she had remembered it clearly, she would have explained it long ago. But since the details were fuzzy, she couldn’t elaborate further.

However, Reynard didn’t dig into that part unnecessarily. It was, after all, a childhood memory, so it seemed he didn’t take it too seriously either.

“Less interesting than I thought.”

“Still, that friend is the only reason I have to think of Bait. It was a dull story, wasn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

Reynard agreed without resistance.

Evelyn, feeling embarrassed, gently bit her tongue.