Reynard ordered the waiting maids to serve Evelyn well. The maids bowed to Evelyn with the utmost courtesy.

Evelyn received their greetings awkwardly, trying not to show her discomfort. To someone like Evelyn, who had never been treated with such respect, even being greeted by maids felt unfamiliar.

Until now, she had never had the confidence to face someone with her head held high. But now that she was standing as Princess Ophelia, she had no choice but to become accustomed to holding her head high and staying composed in the face of others’ greetings.

She couldn’t afford to reveal her true identity over such a trivial matter.

“It would be best to wash and treat your wounds first.”

“We will prepare everything right away.”

No sooner had Reynard finished speaking than the servants left to heat water. Once he confirmed that the servants were moving with uninterested expressions, Reynard turned his gaze to Evelyn.

“You seem badly injured.”

“I’m fine.”

The pain was such that she wanted to scream right then and there, but she couldn’t show it. Right now, she wasn’t a maid’s daughter but Princess Ophelia. Contrary to what Evelyn had heard, the emperor of Bait and his soldiers were no different from anyone else. They had even saved her in a moment of danger.

Still, the fact remained that Bait was Hesta’s enemy. If it were discovered that she was a fake Princess Ophelia, it would be disastrous.

“Your voice tells a different story.”

“……”

“There’s a female physician available. Don’t be uncomfortable—receive treatment and get plenty of rest afterward.”

“I will gratefully accept your kindness.”

Evelyn thought it would be rude to keep refusing, so she expressed her gratitude. The emperor of Bait was paying more attention to Evelyn than she had expected.
Most likely because he believed she was Ophelia, princess of Hesta. Reynard nodded slightly in response to her thanks, then quickly shifted his gaze to the busy soldiers moving around.

With nothing else to say, Evelyn simply kept her mouth shut and looked around. There wasn’t any particular topic she could bring up, but the lingering silence felt unbearably awkward.

Evelyn parted her lips, thinking she should say something. Her mind was filled with thoughts of how to behave and what to do to avoid being exposed if she truly were Princess Ophelia.

“Preparations for the bath are complete.”

A maid approached and informed Reynard and Evelyn just in time. Evelyn, who had been sweating bullets trying to think, stood up with relief. One of the maids approached and supported the staggering Evelyn.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go ahead.”

Evelyn bowed to Reynard and limped away. Reynard, watching her retreat, turned around.

“I’ll need a horse.” 

“It’s already been prepared.”

His aide, Martin, followed behind Reynard, who walked off in long strides. After mounting his horse and selecting several men, Reynard began retracing his path. The men following Reynard said nothing.

Starting from the place where they had first helped Evelyn, Reynard rode back until he finally arrived at the scene of the massacre.

The first thing Reynard saw upon arrival was a mountain of corpses. Among them were people wearing armor he recognized—likely the escorts of Princess Ophelia.

“It appears there were no survivors.”

“So it seems.”

“Were those the only ones Your Majesty killed earlier?”

Reynard shrugged. It was impossible to know. After all, the only people Reynard and his group had seen were the eight pursuers chasing Evelyn and the mountain of corpses now before them.

“There is one thing we can be sure of.”

Dismounting, Reynard nudged one of the corpses with his foot, flipping it over, and stomped on the sword it was clutching.

The swords held by the supposed bandits were identical to those used by Hesta’s soldiers. Of course, it was possible the bandits had stolen the soldiers’ swords. But it was odd that not just one or two, but all of them carried the same weapons.

“That Hesta deliberately tried to kill Princess Ophelia.”

Yes, it made more sense to say that the bandits were actually Hesta’s soldiers. Reynard let out a low scoff. It was clear that they had made the offer first but didn’t want to give up their own daughter.

He hadn’t truly wanted her in the first place, so it didn’t matter—but the insult was hard to ignore.

Just then, Martin suddenly stopped in his tracks. He wore a look of dissatisfaction.

“What is it?” 

“Your Majesty, if I may….”

Martin hesitated to speak. Reynard gave him ample time to gather his thoughts.

After searching through his memory for a moment, Martin cautiously spoke.

“What if the person at the outpost isn’t Princess Ophelia?”

After a long pause, Martin had finally voiced the suspicion that she might be a fake. The circumstances before them pointed to two possibilities:

One, that the king had truly sacrificed Princess Ophelia. The other, that the one they rescued was an impostor.

Reynard and his men had seen it all with their own eyes.

For example, the Hesta soldiers disguised as bandits had massacred the other attendants and attempted to kill Princess Ophelia. There were more than a few unanswered questions.

That was what Martin wanted to say.

“It’s not an ‘if.’”

Reynard’s voice was firm and resolute, full of certainty.

“She is not Princess Ophelia.”

“…May I ask how you’re so certain?”

Martin had suspected it, but he hadn’t been sure. Seeing how certain Reynard was, Martin realized that Reynard must know something beyond what he himself was aware of.

“I’ve seen Princess Ophelia before. Although our circumstances were quite different at the time.”

Reynard scoffed. He had once visited Hesta as a diplomatic envoy from Bait.

No one in Hesta had known that a crown prince was among the delegation, but nonetheless, he had seen Princess Ophelia there.

And he had also seen an unfortunate maid who shared the same hair color and eye color as the princess.

“She was rather admirable for a maid.”

The image of Evelyn—flustered and unable to deny she wasn’t Princess Ophelia—came vividly to Reynard’s mind.

He couldn’t forget the look in her eyes as she stared up at him, filled with fear.

The so-called Princess Ophelia he had rescued undeniably matched the appearance of that maid in his memory.

“What do you intend to do?”

Hesta had deliberately sent a decoy in place of Princess Ophelia and attempted to stage the incident as a bandit attack.

It was clearly an act of deception and disrespect toward Bait.

“Who knows.”

Martin had expected Reynard to say they would retaliate against Hesta for mocking Bait with such a scheme, but Reynard gave only a vague response.

“You intend to let this go? Hesta was the one who first offered Princess Ophelia as a sign of reconciliation. And yet they’ve deceived Bait—deceived Your Majesty—and dared to commit such an act. If we let this slide, they will only become more brazen. Just like during Your Majesty’s coronation.”

Martin still burned with anger toward Hesta.

And not only him—most of the people of Bait held a cold and fierce resentment toward Hesta.

It was only natural. Hesta, a supposed ally, had launched an unexpected attack.

“Let’s watch a bit longer.”

“Watch? Could you tell me why, Your Majesty?”

They had sufficient military strength, and the timing was right.

Hesta was already intimidated by the Bait army, and Bait’s troops were filled with morale.

If they marched forward now, reaching the capital wouldn’t take long.

Yet Reynard hesitated, and Martin, unable to understand why, voiced his dissatisfaction.

It was a decision completely beyond his comprehension.

After a moment’s pause, Reynard looked Martin straight in the eye and spoke.

“Well, for now, let’s just say… it’s out of pity.”