Knock, knock.

At the sound of knocking, Evelyn lifted her head and looked toward the door. Soon, a familiar voice came from the other side.

“Your Majesty the Empress, this is Joy Everett. May I come in?”

“Come in.”

When Evelyn gave her permission, Joy carefully opened the door and stepped inside. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly approached Evelyn. Puzzled by her uncharacteristic demeanor, Evelyn looked at her.

“What is it?”

“Actually, I…”

But even at Evelyn’s question, Joy couldn’t bring herself to speak easily. Though puzzled by her behavior, Evelyn waited patiently, giving Joy the space to speak comfortably.

“I heard an outrageous rumor outside. May I ask if what I heard is true?”

After much hesitation, Joy finally mustered the courage to ask Evelyn. Evelyn instinctively realized that the news Joy had heard must be related to her true identity. 

She paused briefly, then slowly nodded. It was something she would have had to face eventually anyway.

Reynard had already given his approval, and since he had promised to let her go, she expected that nothing worse would happen than what she had already imagined.

“I heard someone say that Your Majesty the Empress is actually… a fake. I was told it’s a ridiculous story, but I couldn’t help wondering, so I must ask. Are you truly not Princess Ophelia of Hesta?”

What she had feared turned out to be true. Joy’s question was indeed about Evelyn’s identity.

Even so, having already spoken with Reynard and Martin about the truth soon being revealed, she didn’t feel as shaken as she thought she might.

The real concern was how to explain this to Joy— who had always treated her respectfully as Princess Ophelia and as Empress.

“You’re not… right?”

At Joy’s anxious voice, Evelyn parted her lips. But instead, she let out a soft sigh and then began to speak.

“That’s right.”

Admitting it wasn’t as hard as she had imagined. What was much harder was waiting for the reaction that would follow.

‘She’ll be angry, won’t she?’ 

Joy had believed her to be Princess Ophelia all this time— so the disappointment and betrayal upon learning the truth would surely be immense.

While Evelyn was bracing herself for Joy’s anger, Joy merely opened and closed her mouth, trying to process the situation.

“I’m sorry. I must’ve startled you.”

Evelyn cautiously asked Joy. But Joy couldn’t immediately respond.

After a long moment of thought and inner struggle, Joy finally spoke with difficulty.

“I don’t know if this is a presumptuous question, but… could you explain what happened?”

“…Yes.”

Evelyn slowly explained everything— how she had originally been a maid like Joy, and how she had unwillingly become a false Princess Ophelia, which eventually led her to the position she was now in.

At first, Joy seemed bewildered, but as Evelyn’s story continued, she became increasingly absorbed in her words.

By the time Evelyn finished by saying that she was now Empress of Bait, tears welled up in Joy’s large eyes.

“So that’s what happened…”

Joy’s voice trembled faintly.

When Evelyn nodded with a bittersweet smile, Joy reached out and gently took her hand.

“You must have gone through so much.”

Evelyn had expected anger, so to see Joy instead sympathize with her left her both flustered and deeply moved.

“You… understand?”

Her throat tightened. She had believed no one could possibly understand—but Joy’s empathy brought on an unfamiliar rush of emotion.

“Yes, of course. It wasn’t something you could help. It must’ve been so hard for you.”

At Joy’s gentle voice, Evelyn’s eyes filled with tears, and before long, they began to fall in thick drops.

“Thank you… for understanding.”

“Oh, how scared you must have been all this time.”

Evelyn could no longer hold it in and burst into tears. Joy carefully embraced her and gently patted her back in comfort.

Only after a long time of crying did Evelyn finally regain her composure. She wiped her tears and stepped back from Joy.

“Are you all right?”

Joy asked with a faint smile.

“Yes.”

Feeling awkward, Evelyn gave a sheepish smile and nodded in agreement.

“But this is serious. If you’ve found out, then the rumor must have already spread elsewhere.”

At Joy’s concern, Evelyn gave a faint smile.

“That’ll be all right.”

“Really?”

“Yes. His Majesty the Emperor said it would be fine.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

Joy spoke with a visibly lighter expression.

Just then, knock knock, the sound of someone knocking came again.

Evelyn and Joy both turned to look at the door as Laura’s voice followed.

“Your Majesty the Empress, Lady Greta Emmett is here to see you.”

At the news of Greta’s visit, Evelyn and Joy exchanged glances.

Then Joy, coming to her senses first, stepped away from Evelyn.

After all, Evelyn was still Empress in name, and she realized that their current posture wasn’t quite appropriate.

Evelyn also wiped the traces of tears from her face with a handkerchief and lifted her head.

“Let her in.”

At Evelyn’s permission, the door opened and Greta stepped inside.

Her steps were, as always, graceful beyond comparison.

It was an elegance that Evelyn could never imitate, no matter how much she practiced.

As she entered, Greta first offered a formal greeting toward Evelyn.

Evelyn accepted the gesture with a nod, at which point Greta raised her gaze to look Evelyn squarely in the eye.

“Your Majesty the Empress, I’ve heard some unpleasant rumors.”

She then proceeded to say something quite similar to what Joy had just said.

Evelyn quickly understood what she was trying to ask.

Greta was different from Joy.

Joy was a member of the imperial household and, at the same time, someone loyal to Reynard.

That was why Evelyn had willingly revealed her true identity to her.

But Greta was not the same.

She was the only daughter of Duke Emmett, who stood in direct opposition to Reynard.

Evelyn had already anticipated that word of her true identity would spread to others soon enough, but she hadn’t yet been told how much she could or should disclose to someone like Greta.

“There’s a rumor that Your Majesty the Empress was originally a maid from Hesta. Is it true?”

As expected, the question wasn’t much different from Joy’s.

If there was any difference, it was that unlike Joy—who hadn’t known the exact details—Greta already knew Evelyn was originally a maid from Hesta.

Evelyn hesitated, moistening her dry lips with her tongue.

“Lady Emmett, I…”

“Please, be honest with me.”

Greta took a step closer to Evelyn as she spoke.

Greta had always been a difficult and intimidating presence for Evelyn, but never had she felt so burdensome as she did today.

‘Should I tell her the truth?’

Since Greta already knew about Evelyn’s background, hiding the truth would likely serve no purpose.

Even if Evelyn didn’t confess everything now, Greta would surely find out the full story sooner or later.

Sensing Evelyn’s hesitation, Greta remained silent.

She was giving Evelyn the space to speak comfortably.

But that silence only made Evelyn feel more pressured.

Evelyn looked to Joy for help, but there was really nothing Joy could do in this situation.

In the end, unable to withstand the pressure, Evelyn gave a small nod.

“Yes, it’s true. I’m not Princess Ophelia of Hesta. I was…”

“My goodness, so it is true?”

Before Evelyn could finish, Greta inhaled sharply and asked.

Evelyn shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the flood of criticism that was sure to come.

Greta was someone so noble that Evelyn wouldn’t dare look her in the eye.

And yet, Evelyn had been posing as Empress before her— so she feared just how severe Greta’s reaction might be.

“How did you end up becoming a princess? Tell me everything.”

But contrary to Evelyn’s fears, Greta’s eyes sparkled with interest as she urged her to explain.