‘Is it over now?’

Evelyn, left alone in the bedroom, stared into the air as she thought.

Until now, she had lived in constant tension, afraid that the Hesta envoys would try to kill her. But now that they—and all those acting under their orders—had been captured, it was finally over.

Yet, for some reason, she couldn’t quite shake off the fear.

The aftermath of the hunting tournament still lingered vividly in her mind.

She could clearly remember Epha, who had always been so gentle and obedient, running wild with her on his back, and the dizzying height of the cliff she had faced only after Reynard managed to stop the horse.

Strangely, however, her body no longer trembled the way it had before.

Evelyn, deep in thought about why that might be, let her gaze fall to her left hand.

It was the hand Reynard had held as he knelt before her.

It felt as if his warmth still lingered there.

She pulled her left hand in close and wrapped it with her right, and thought about Reynard.

Just as he had promised to save her no matter what happened, he truly had saved her life.

She had honestly believed she would die.

She thought she would plunge off the cliff with Epha, with no rescue in sight.

Though she had heard Reynard calling her from far away, even he seemed to have no way to stop the frenzied horse.

But Reynard had done it.

He had jumped from one galloping horse to another and calmed the frenzied Epha, pulling her back from danger.

The wonder she had felt at that moment—Reynard probably had no idea.

Even now, when she thought back to that time, her heart pounded rapidly and fiercely.

And again, just this morning—how startled she had been when she awoke to see Reynard beside her.

Evelyn’s gaze softened.

How many times had she been indebted to Reynard already?

‘How will I ever repay all this kindness?’

She had only ever received from him—everything he gave was too generous for her.

At first, she had even wondered if he was doing it because he liked her, but she no longer allowed herself to entertain such presumptuous thoughts.

Especially after learning that Reynard had someone he loved.

As long as her presence could help Reynard protect the person he loved, Evelyn was willing to remain in this position.

Of course, that was assuming her life wasn’t in danger.

‘Who could it be—the person His Majesty loves?’

She couldn’t help but feel curious about the person receiving such deep affection from Reynard.

But she couldn’t possibly ask him directly.

Knock, knock.

Just then, a knock came from the door.

As Evelyn lifted her head, she heard Laura’s voice from beyond the door.

“Your Majesty the Empress, Sir Martin has come to see you.”

“Let him in.”

She was tired, but not so unwell that she couldn’t meet with someone. So Evelyn willingly accepted the visit.

She heard the doorknob turn, and the door opened soon after.

Martin stepped inside with quiet steps.

“Please, don’t get up.”

As Evelyn began to rise from her seat, Martin quickly stopped her.

“But—”

“It’s alright. You’ve only just woken up. Please remain comfortable.”

“…Alright.”

Evelyn, who had started to rise, sat back down on the edge of the bed.

Martin approached her and bowed his head in apology.

“I’m truly sorry.”

“What?”

Evelyn widened her eyes in surprise at Martin’s sudden apology.

“We did anticipate that the Hesta envoy might make a move, but I never imagined they would go as far as bribing a personal attendant. The fact that Her Majesty was nearly harmed because we failed to prevent this—it’s my responsibility, and I apologize.”

“No. No one could have predicted how the Hesta envoy would act. I think it was unavoidable. Besides, I’m safe now.”

Evelyn waved her hand as she spoke to Martin.

Only then did he raise his head, his eyes still filled with guilt.

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“I mean it. And thank you for your concern.”

When Evelyn gave a small smile, Martin returned it with a smile of his own.

“I’ll make sure this matter is dealt with properly, so please don’t worry about that.”

“But… will it be okay?”

“In what sense?”

Martin tilted his head, puzzled.

“This whole incident. If others find out the Hesta envoy tried to target me, wouldn’t that cause problems?”

“…”

Only then did Martin seem to understand Evelyn’s concern, nodding in agreement.

“Yes, it will. If Duke Emmett or any other nobles have picked up on something strange, they may already be investigating. And it won’t be long before they uncover it. Why Her Majesty became the target during this hunting tournament—and why the Hesta envoy was behind it.”

“Then what do we do? We can’t let them find out, can we?”

Unlike Evelyn, who wore an anxious expression, Martin looked surprisingly calm.

“They were bound to find out eventually. The timing has just moved up a little.”

“Is that really okay?”

“The Emperor himself said it, didn’t he? One year.”

“Well, yes… he did.”

As Evelyn answered hesitantly, Martin shrugged his shoulders lightly.

“This was something we would have had to face eventually. We couldn’t hide the fact that it was all fake forever. I thought it might happen a bit later, but it can’t be helped.”

His words, as though he had anticipated this outcome, eased Evelyn’s anxiety a little.

Even so, she couldn’t stop worrying entirely.

“There’s no need to worry. Everything is unfolding just as His Majesty intended.”

“Is that really true?”

When Evelyn asked again, Martin nodded.

“His Majesty now has a perfect justification to strike against Hesta.”

“…That’s true.”

“Now that we’ve returned to the capital and the military has been reorganized to some extent, it’s about time to resume the war with Hesta. When that happens, Your Majesty will be able to gain your freedom a bit sooner.”

“Freedom…”

“Yes. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

Just as he said, what Evelyn had desired was freedom between the two nations.

That was why she had agreed to stay by Reynard’s side for a year.

“…Yes, I did.”

Now, she had finally gotten the chance to escape—but strangely, she didn’t feel entirely happy about it.

“Once everything’s revealed, I’ll be leaving this place… right?”

Evelyn spoke as though stating the obvious, and Martin nodded in response.

“Unless something goes wrong, yes. This place was never meant for you.”

“…Right.”

Evelyn forced a smile and nodded.

“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Once again, I apologize for what happened at the hunting tournament.”

“It’s alright. Really. You can go now.”

Seeing Evelyn smile as she spoke, Martin seemed relieved and relaxed his expression.

“Very well, then. Please rest well.”

Martin bowed once more toward Evelyn.

Then, without any hesitation, he turned and left the bedroom.

Evelyn watched his retreating figure until the door closed, then slowly repeated his words in her mind.

‘This place was never meant for you.’

He was right—yet, strangely, those words pierced Evelyn’s heart.

It was something she had reminded herself of countless times.

This place didn’t suit her.

And yet, why did she feel such regret?

Was it simply a reaction to having lived such a luxurious life for a while? Or…

A sudden thought intruded and clouded her mind.

She told herself it was a thought she shouldn’t entertain—but controlling her heart wasn’t so easy.

Running both hands through her hair, Evelyn sank back into the bed.

She found herself genuinely curious about the person Reynard loved.

And she felt a twinge of envy for the one who would one day take her place.