The moment the imperial purple eyes that she had only heard about in rumors looked at Elia, her heart beat wildly and her cheeks burned.

「Your name?」

The Rockfort of that time harbored no hatred. Rather, he looked at the nervous and stiff Elia as if she were cute and waited for her.

「Yes, my name is Elia.」

「Elia…… it’s a pretty name.」

His tone was blunt, but never cold.

「I am honored.」

Even in the dream, the Elia of that day was blushing pink on her cheeks.

That day, Rockfort’s eyes drew particularly deep and elegant lines, and the bridge of his nose, strong jawline, and robust physique of a man seen up close for the first time kept making Elia’s lips go dry.

「No need to be so nervous. I may be the Emperor, but from now on, privately, aren’t we family?」

Enchanted by his low voice, Elia looked up and met Rockfort’s eyes for the first time.

「I…… am honored.」

Her eighteen-year-old innocent heart pounded. It was certainly not love between a man and a woman. That day, in Elia’s eyes, Rockfort and Cecilia appeared as the most beautiful couple in the world.

The emotion that made Elia’s heart race was admiration. That day, Elia made a wish. Someday, she too would grow up to be as beautiful as her sister and surely pledge eternal love with such a splendid husband.

Yes. That was her only wish.

Silent tears were flowing down Elia’s cheeks, who had woken up from her sleep.

There was a faintly growing light in the distance, perhaps dawn was breaking. But even with morning coming, Elia had nothing to do. For no one in this imperial palace sought her out.

“If only I could go back to that day.”

Elia buried her face in her pillow and whispered. To the eighteen-year-old Elia, full of admiration, Rockfort’s existence seemed incredibly cool and caring.

After her sister’s wedding ended, Elia had a brief conversation with Rockfort at the reception.

—I must soon leave for the battlefield to suppress the rebellion. I’ve only held the wedding but haven’t been able to do anything as a husband, so I feel sorry for Cecilia.

Surely Rockfort too had a warm heart.

—So, your name is Elia, and your age?

—Eighteen, Your Majesty.

Even when he saw the extremely nervous Elia, Rockfort generously smiled.

Yes, before he came to despise Elia…… he was just a cool, handsome, and kind man.

—There are many sweet things in the palace. Though I dislike them.

—I’m not a child anymore.

When Elia innocently blushed and spoke, Rockfort laughed too.

—At eighteen…… right. Actually, there are many more things in the palace.

His low voice wasn’t as chilly as it is now.

—Flowers that bloom only in the inner palace greenhouse, the horizon you can see from the high tower is spectacular. The fireworks on anniversaries are also exquisite. If you get along well with your sister, when I return, I’ll show you even more wonderful things.

Were Rockfort’s words sincere at that time?

It’s something she’ll never know now.

—Yes. While waiting for Your Majesty, I’ll protect my sister!

But what her past self thought that day was still vivid. The eighteen-year-old Elia believed the whole world was beautiful. Looking back, it was arrogance born from being raised like a greenhouse flower due to her noble birth.

She thought fate would be kind to her because everyone in the world had been kind to her.

—And actually, sweet things…… I like them too!

She was so pure and bright back then. Did Rockfort smile at such an Elia? It was unimaginable now.

—Then, visit the Empress’s quarters often and be her companion. I command it. Fill the Empress’s quarters with sweet things.

Unbelievably, he smiled playfully while looking at her. Back then, Rockfort showed his emotions like any other man.

Elia was so proud, so very proud to be assigned as her sister’s companion, and nodded her head vigorously.

—This is a secret promise between you and me.

Ah. That pure and beautiful moment.

Elia remembered how clear the sky was that day, how beautiful Cecilia was, what conversation she had with Rockfort…… down to every last detail.

The warm promise and the admiration that tickled her heart, her flushed cheeks—everything about that dazzlingly beautiful day.

—If you keep your promise well, I’ll give you a reward. Certainly.

But the promise was not kept.

After Rockfort departed for war, days were peaceful for a while. Elia kept her promise to the Emperor by visiting the Empress’s quarters and bringing smiles to Cecilia’s face.

Back then, Elia was just an innocent girl. Could that have been a sin?

Did she deserve the punishment of withering away alive just because she couldn’t keep a promise?

Elia still couldn’t understand. It had already been 3 years since she made that promise.

In that time, everything had changed. The beginning of the tragedy was Cecilia’s sudden death.

Having become empress after marrying Rockfort, Cecilia reportedly had a sudden seizure in the Empress’s quarters and died before even completing her first year as empress.

—……My sister?

At first, Elia couldn’t accept Cecilia’s death.

—That can’t be! My sister…… was healthy just two days ago! Mother, my sister…… my sister was healthy. It wasn’t an illness!

It was none other than her mother who strongly pulled the tearful Elia into an empty room and sternly glared at her.

—Shh.

Looking back, her mother was far too calm. As if Cecilia’s death wasn’t sudden at all.

“I knew nothing. Despite all the suspicious signs…… I was just so happy that I foolishly didn’t see what was around me.”

Elia murmured with regret. In truth, she hadn’t gone a day without regret since becoming empress.

How could she have been so foolish and dull? Her mother had been wearing a black dress like mourning clothes since the morning of the day she announced Cecilia’s death.

—It’s all your sister’s fault. From the beginning…… Cecilia was wrong.

Elia didn’t know exactly when, but at some point she vaguely learned that Cecilia was an illegitimate child, and that she and Elia had different mothers.

Still, her mother, as the Duchess of Theon, willingly accepted the illegitimate child as her own daughter. Since the engagement condition specified the first daughter of the Theon duchy, it was possible for Cecilia to become Empress.

—Elia, come here. Now…… you’re my only daughter.

Even now, she regretted not rejecting her mother’s embrace at that moment.

In that embrace, Elia suddenly recalled the small medicine bottle her mother had given her whenever she visited the Empress’s quarters, and couldn’t think of anything else.

Her mother had insisted it was a very precious medicine, a medicine her sister desperately needed. It didn’t take long for that insistence to turn into fear.

“Yes. I deserve punishment.”

Why hadn’t she questioned it?

Why had she secretly delivered the medicine bottle to her sister, away from the palace attendants, when her mother said it was a precious medicine only for her sister?

If only she had thought more carefully, if only she had anticipated her mother’s ambition.

—It’s all Cecilia’s fault.

Looking back now, she should have demanded the truth then. If she had known she would be hated like this and would wither away for her sin of not doing so, she would have dug until she found out everything.

Rather, she should have confessed her mother’s crime then and refused to wear the empress’s crown!

“Mother, we were wrong. We…… did wrong.”

Elia mumbled with her face still buried in her pillow. It had been a long time since she had seen her mother’s real face.

Perhaps her mother was regretting it too. If she had known Elia would become such a useless empress, she might not have done such a foolish thing.

—The engagement between the Theon duchy and the Petrion imperial family remains valid. What the former Emperor promised to make an empress was not Cecilia specifically, but a daughter of our Theon duchy.

Her mother seemed possessed when she said those words. Was it an excuse that, in her childish heart, she was afraid of her sister’s death and couldn’t stop the situation?

After chewing over regrets every day, she no longer knew what was right.

“Where should I turn back from in my life? I don’t even know that anymore.”

Elia let out a bitter chuckle. Unfortunately, her mother’s words had indeed become reality.

Although Cecilia had already died, the bedridden former Emperor wanted the engagement to be honored above all. Since Elia was also a daughter of House Theon, the promise could still be kept.

“I should never have become Empress……”

Her blue eyes slowly closed. Tears flowed between them.

“Even if I died, I should never have become the second empress.”

Her too-deep regret clawed at Elia’s chest like a beast’s talons.

“The second empress.”

Those words were a curse. An indelible curse on Elia’s fate.