About two days after the banquet had ended, word came that Daniel Bradley, the envoy leader from Hesta, had requested an audience.

“I have instructed that Count Daniel Bradley be shown to the west drawing room first.”

“Thank you, Laura.”

Evelyn answered with a faint smile to her report.

At last, the moment Reynard had foretold—the moment she would face him—had arrived.

Evelyn took a deep breath and rose from her seat.

Joy, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward to straighten Evelyn’s wrinkled dress.

She hadn’t wanted to meet him, but he was someone she would have had to face eventually.

That was likely why Reynard had not refused Daniel’s request for an audience.

‘What does he want from me?’

On her way to the west drawing room, Evelyn racked her brain trying to figure out his intentions.

Daniel Bradley likely knew that Evelyn was a fake Princess Ophelia.

It hadn’t been such a tightly guarded secret within Hesta, so there was no way he was unaware.

That meant there was only one reason for him to seek her out.

When Evelyn arrived at the door of the west drawing room, a maid lightly knocked on it.

Knock knock, a clear knocking sound echoed softly.

“Her Majesty the Empress has arrived.”

With those words, the maid opened the door wide to let Evelyn in.

Inside the drawing room were Daniel, a few maids, and Martin waiting.

Evelyn’s and Martin’s gazes met momentarily in midair.

As Martin gave a subtle nod to indicate everything was fine, Evelyn began to slowly step into the room.

When she entered, Daniel, who had been waiting, stood from his seat and bowed respectfully toward her.

“I greet Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Rise.”

At her words, Daniel straightened his back and faced her.

The gaze directed at her was so aggressive that it was hard to believe it came from someone welcoming a former princess of his homeland, now Empress of an empire.

“Please, have a seat.”

She wanted nothing more than to run away, but she couldn’t turn back now.

So Evelyn sat down as if nothing were wrong.

“Your Majesty, I bring a message from His Majesty the King. If it is not too bold of me, may I ask that the others be excused?”

She had suspected it, but Daniel clearly wanted to speak with her alone.

A message from the King of Hesta?

He was the one who had sent an envoy assuming Evelyn was dead.

There was no way such a man had left behind any sincere words for Evelyn.

Even if he had, there was no chance they were anything pleasant for the fake Evelyn.

Evelyn parted her lips slightly, then slowly shook her head.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

She declined his request with an apologetic tone.

Daniel, not having expected her to refuse, looked flustered as he spoke.

“Won’t be possible?”

“Just as I said. With others watching, a private conversation would be difficult.”

As Evelyn responded calmly, Daniel subtly glanced around.

He tried to find an external reason for why she wouldn’t speak with him alone.

Then his eyes landed on Martin, who stood near the wall.

He had been one of the figures standing behind the Emperor during Daniel’s previous audience.

“…I see.”

Daniel concluded that Martin was the reason Evelyn could not dismiss the others.

“Very well.”

He finally gave in with a reluctant nod.

“Then, may I hear what message His Majesty the King left?”

Even as she asked, Evelyn did not let down her guard.

“Before that… I heard you encountered bandits on your way to the Bait imperial castle. Is that true?”

At the mention of “bandits,” Evelyn’s brow twitched slightly.

They had dressed like bandits, but they were clearly soldiers from Bait.

There was no way Daniel didn’t know this, yet he played innocent.

But it wasn’t as though she could confront him with the truth or reprimand him here.

What Evelyn desired was a long and quiet life.

Holding out here would only last a year, so there was no need to provoke Daniel unnecessarily.

“…Yes.”

“Were you hurt at all?”

“I’m fine. Fortunately, His Majesty the Emperor came to my rescue.”

“I’m very glad to hear that. When we heard there were no survivors in the bandit attack, His Majesty the King was greatly distressed. We are all relieved that you are safe.”

Daniel looked at Evelyn as though he were genuinely concerned for the real Princess Ophelia.

“I shall be sure to relay to His Majesty the King that Your Majesty is safe and well.”

Evelyn forced the corners of her lips to lift into a faint smile.

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“How have you been since then?”

“As I said earlier, I was lucky. His Majesty the Emperor rescued me when I was in danger, and afterward, I came to Bait with him. Then, well, we safely completed the marriage. That’s all.”

Evelyn’s performance was just as good as Daniel’s. It was thanks to the intensive training she had received from Baroness Hermann.

Daniel had not expected that Evelyn, who had once been merely a maid, would be able to perform the role of Princess Ophelia this convincingly, and he was secretly surprised.

What concerned him was how long the people of Bait, especially Reynard, would continue to be deceived by Evelyn’s lies.

Ideally, she would never be exposed, but that was unrealistic. Evelyn had never been born to be a princess, and it was hard to believe she could continue playing the role of Princess Ophelia flawlessly.

That was why a countermeasure was necessary. If her identity were to be exposed now, war would be inevitable, and she would have to be eliminated before that happened.

For now, it was fortunate that Evelyn was playing the princess well. At least it meant the time when her identity would be revealed to Bait was being delayed.

“It must be heaven’s will. I’m truly relieved that you are safe.”

‘She should have died back then.’

Daniel smiled as though he were a kind man, even though his thoughts were the complete opposite. Evelyn found his deceitful demeanor so revolting she almost felt sick.

“Is that all you came to say? I heard earlier that you had a message from His Majesty the King.”

Not feeling the need to continue the conversation, Evelyn spoke quickly to end it.

“That message is of a private nature from His Majesty the King, so I find it difficult to share it in the presence of others. If the opportunity arises, I will tell you later.”

“But didn’t you say it was a message from His Majesty? If you leave like this, I won’t hear what my father wished to say.”

“You need not worry. No matter what happens, I will make sure to deliver His Majesty’s words to Your Majesty before I leave.”

In essence, he meant he would not leave Bait Palace until a private meeting was arranged.

“I see. A time will come eventually, so I’ll wait for that.”

Of course, Evelyn had absolutely no intention of ever being alone with Daniel. There was no telling whether he might try to kill her despite the risks.

“Laura, the Count of Bradley is leaving.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will guide him back to his quarters.”

As Evelyn finished speaking, Laura stepped forward and bowed her head.

Daniel, who had been unable to engage in a proper conversation to the end, hesitated before rising from his seat.

Since he had claimed there were things he couldn’t say here, he couldn’t now insist on continuing the conversation. Even if he stayed, there wasn’t anything to discuss in front of others.

Eventually, Daniel rose obediently and gave a respectful bow to Evelyn. Evelyn, still performing the role of a gracious empress, gave him a slight nod in return.

Soon, Daniel exited the drawing room.