Evelyn began making her way back to the camp they had come from, supported by Reynard.

She wanted to walk on her own, but her legs had lost all strength. She simply couldn’t stand or take a step.

Even the lightly treated wounds contributed to making her movements extremely difficult and uncomfortable.

Evelyn glanced sideways at Reynard.

Even though he knew she was a fake Princess Ophelia, Reynard had overlooked it.

And as if that wasn’t enough, he told her to remain by his side as the princess.

Evelyn couldn’t begin to grasp Reynard’s true intentions.

“Why on earth…”

After much deliberation, Evelyn finally managed to speak.

Reynard, who had been staring straight ahead, rolled his eyes toward her at the sound of her voice.

The moment their eyes met, Evelyn quickly looked away.

“You made that offer to me, didn’t you?”

If he had rescued her from the Hesta soldiers thinking she was Princess Ophelia, that would have made sense. But everything that followed—the proposal of revenge—was beyond her comprehension.

Reynard returned his gaze to the front with an indifferent expression. It was as if he didn’t care one bit about Evelyn’s resolve or inner turmoil.

“You find even that dissatisfying.”

His voice was drowned out by the sound of insects crying in the night.

Evelyn, who had been focusing on him, quickly raised her head.

“It’s not dissatisfaction so much as…”

Her words trailed off, the ambiguity in her phrasing apparent.

The word “dissatisfaction” that Reynard had used didn’t feel right.

It was more a kind of doubt.

Evelyn had tried to deceive Bait.

Even if it wasn’t something she had wanted, the fact remained.

And yet Reynard—the Emperor of Bait—was letting it go? And on top of that, telling her to remain as Princess Ophelia?

“I just… don’t understand.”

Reynard had said he had no reason to kill Evelyn.

But as far as she was concerned, he had more than enough reason.

She had dared to deceive and lie to the emperor. What greater reason could there be?

“Is it so strange that I’d keep you by my side as Princess Ophelia to gain justification?”

“You’d have plenty of justification even if you killed me. Hesta deceived Bait and sent a fake princess. That’s blatant, undeniable deception, isn’t it?”

The moment her words ended, Reynard came to a sudden halt.

Evelyn also stopped, following his lead. He furrowed his brows and stared hard at her, as if deep in thought.

She held her breath in silence until Reynard abruptly let out a small, incredulous laugh. Then he took a step back from her.

“Seems I was mistaken. I didn’t realize you wanted to die so badly.”

“No…!”

Before Evelyn could voice her denial, Reynard drew the sword at his waist and aimed it at her.

From the moment the blade left its sheath to the instant it pointed at Evelyn’s throat, not even a blink had passed.

Though the blade didn’t touch her skin, Evelyn’s entire body became hypersensitive.

Just the act of swallowing made it feel like her throat would be sliced, and Evelyn froze with her chin lifted.

“If you’d said so from the start, I would’ve helped. Why twist your words like that?”

Reynard brought the edge of the blade right up to her chin.

In her line of sight, Evelyn could see the moonlight shimmering off the silver blade.

Only then did Evelyn realize what she had just said.

Reynard had decided to spare her.

Whatever his motives, whatever it was he wanted—none of it mattered from Evelyn’s position of weakness.

The decision over her fate belonged solely to Reynard.

And so, his words that he would let her live, that she should remain as Princess Ophelia, became law she had no choice but to follow.

“Th-that’s not it.”

Evelyn barely squeezed the words out of her throat. Even so, Reynard simply kept watching her, as if expecting more.

“I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant.”

“What if it sounded that way to me?”

At Reynard’s dry voice, Evelyn gave a slight shake of her head. Fortunately, the blade hadn’t touched her neck.

Unable to bear the sight of the cold, sharp edge glinting before her eyes, Evelyn shut them tightly.

A moment later, just as she began to feel the menacing pressure lift, she heard the sound of a blade slicing through the air.

Evelyn flinched, drawing in her neck and clenching her fists tightly. It was truly a miserable night.

But even as time passed, the sharp sword did not strike her throat.

Tensed to her limit, Evelyn cautiously opened her eyes to assess the situation. The first thing she saw was Reynard’s back.

Still at a loss, Evelyn simply stared at it.

In the meantime, Reynard swung his sword once, flinging the blood off the blade.

Only then did the half-severed, gasping carcass of a wild dog come into Evelyn’s view. Its innards, soaked in blood, spilled out from the cleanly cut surface. The grotesque sight made Evelyn gag.

“This isn’t good. The smell of blood will spread.”

Reynard sheathed his sword and looked back.

“Let’s go. A pack of wild dogs will be here soon. Maybe other beasts too.”

“Wait, over there—”

Reynard’s demeanor shifted, as if he had never just held a sword to Evelyn’s throat.

Evelyn couldn’t hide her bewilderment at his mood swings, which she simply couldn’t adjust to.

“What now?”

Reynard asked as though nothing had happened.

Evelyn hesitated, lips parting slightly before she clamped them shut and shook her head. She didn’t want to stir up more trouble for no reason.

The awkward silence that followed only deepened the discomfort.

She couldn’t run away as things stood, and if they returned to the camp, she would have to live in fear of Reynard’s whims.

Evelyn felt like she finally understood how a cow being led to slaughter must feel.

“It was a joke. Maybe not for the one on the receiving end.”

Reynard, who had been walking in silence toward the camp, suddenly spoke.

Evelyn blinked as she listened to his words.

“I don’t really intend to kill you.”

Despite the fact that the situation just moments ago had been dangerously threatening, Reynard spoke in a serious tone, as if to dispel her fear.

“In any case, you were used and discarded by Hesta, and I’m merely offering to take you in. Like you said, there’s no real need for you to be Princess Ophelia. That story alone gives me more than enough justification. But if you want to stay here, being Princess Ophelia will give you an advantage when it comes to your safety.”

By the time Reynard finished speaking, the two of them had reached the camp.

The camp was quiet.

It was as if no one had even noticed Evelyn and Reynard had been gone. A stillness hung in the air.

“As I said earlier, I’ll soon conquer Hesta.”

Though it was only a plan for now, Reynard spoke as if his victory was certain.

His clear, resolute eyes reflected a confidence that could never be trampled.

“Then you’ll be free from Hesta’s threat.”

Reynard was right. Running away wouldn’t solve Evelyn’s problems.

Hesta’s army, disguised as bandits, had failed to kill the fake Princess Ophelia. That news would soon reach Hesta’s leadership.

They’d likely send more soldiers to cover up the crime.

For Evelyn, a citizen of Hesta, seeking asylum in the Bait Empire wouldn’t be easy—and returning to Hesta was out of the question.

“One year. Until then, do as I say. After that, you’re free to do whatever you want. If you’d like, I’ll even provide a place to live and some spending money.”

It was an extraordinary offer.

Regardless of his motives for turning Evelyn into Princess Ophelia to further his conquest of Hesta, offering to secure her future was something Evelyn had never imagined.

“Can I trust you?”

Sensing Reynard’s mood had softened from earlier, Evelyn asked cautiously.

“Even if you don’t, what else can you do right now? You can’t run. You can’t seek asylum.”

“That’s true.”

“Just think of it as a gesture of goodwill. I take responsibility for what I start.”

There was no real choice. In the end, Reynard’s offer was the only one Evelyn could accept.

Even if Reynard were to change his mind and kill her later, it would only delay the inevitable.

“May I ask why you’re showing me such kindness?”

It was the question that had burned inside Evelyn, even if it meant risking her neck to ask.

After a brief pause, Reynard let out a small laugh.

“Well, not knowing can be its own kind of answer, too.”