Instead of the shocked Kareina, the imperial physician stepped forward with a question.

“Your Majesty. Exactly how much do you remember about Her Majesty the Empress?”

“Hmm……”

Raul frowned, as if his disorganized mind was making him dizzy.

“First, I remember my wife’s face, her name, and that we’re married.”

“Is that all?”

At the following question, Raul made an ambiguous expression and rubbed his innocent cheek.

“There is more. But it’s difficult to mention here.”

“Difficult, you say……”

Kareina, who had been standing blankly, raised her eyes. The imperial physician’s and the Emperor’s gazes were simultaneously directed at her.

Was this a sign for her to leave? She was about to turn around when Raul gestured for her to come closer.

Hesitating, Kareina approached the bedside. Then he made a soft expression and whispered close to her ear.

“Karen is crying so prettily. Probably on the bed…… Perhaps it’s better not to mention this?”

Cough, cough.

Good heavens. Where on earth did this mistaken memory come from? At the fragment of an unimaginable memory Raul had spat out, Kareina kept coughing dryly.

After that, Raul squeezed his head and pulled out a few more memories.

But they were all equally useless fragmentary images like ‘her appearance in bed’ or ‘looking at me and smiling (probably sneering)’.

In the midst of this, Raul kept making eye contact with Kareina while showing a languid smile, leaving her utterly dumbfounded.

Eventually, Kareina had to step backward with a soul-drained appearance and lean against the wall.

Watching her, Raul posed a quiet question to the imperial physician.

“I have something to ask.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please speak comfortably.”

“My wife seems to find me uncomfortable since earlier. Am I mistaken?”

“Ah. About that.”

What should be done about this? The imperial physician, who had to prioritize the Emperor’s stability above all, seemed to fall into contemplation.

Eavesdropping on their conversation from the corner, Kareina thought. It seemed she should be the one to give that answer.

For some reason, Raul seemed to have blown away all the past resentment along with his memories, but she had not. With a bit of vindictiveness, Kareina opened her mouth.

“You’re not mistaken. We were never as close as Your Majesty thinks.”

At Kareina’s sudden interruption, Raul furrowed his brow.

“We’re married. What do you mean we weren’t close?”

“If you ask Your Majesty’s subjects that, they’ll gladly answer.”

At the answer that showed no consideration for the patient, the imperial physician sighed. However, Kareina felt no guilt whatsoever.

From the looks of it, the Emperor seemed not in his right mind due to aftereffects of the accident. Even if she spoke a bit coldly, she doubted he would remember it later.

Besides, for a conversation between Raul and herself, this was quite kind.

Having finished what she had to say, Kareina tried to leave the room. But she couldn’t. Raul suddenly grabbed her hand and turned her back around.

“If we weren’t close, I must have one-sidedly held you in my heart.”

“What?”

It was an absurd statement. But Raul, staring intently at Kareina and blinking, continued to spout embarrassing words.

“Well. What does it matter how things were before? We can become close from now on.”

That languid smile bloomed once again on his face before her.

Since they had been on terms where they growled at each other whenever their eyes met, she was far more accustomed to scratching each other with sharply honed words than such sweet conversation.

But no matter how much the other person was a mortal enemy, when they showed such a lack of fighting spirit, one couldn’t help but feel at a loss for how to respond. That was exactly Kareina’s state of mind right now.

Facing him without a trace of malice, she felt like someone caught trying to strike a newborn puppy—as if she alone was the most wicked person in the world.

So when a delicate voice came from behind, Kareina actually thought it was fortunate.

“Your Majesty……?”

Evelyn’s orange eyes widened at seeing the Emperor sitting up perfectly fine. She froze as if unable to believe her own eyes, then slowly walked into the room.

“I…… I thought Your Majesty would never wake up,”

She even stammered, still seemingly in shock. Evelyn’s eyes, standing by the bedside, kept blinking.

“I’m so relieved you’re safe. You have no idea how scared I was when you wouldn’t wake up.”

Tears finally welled up in her eyes as she whispered softly.

In the midst of this, Evelyn hesitated, unable to directly touch his body despite seeming worried about her ailing lover. But that appearance only made her look more adorable and lovable, like a shy newlywed bride.

Pleased smiles bloomed one by one on the faces of the servants attending the imperial couple.

Yes, that’s how real spouses should be. Hearts naturally leaned more toward the lovely and gentle domestic mistress than the ice-cold foreign Empress.

They didn’t bother hiding their favorable glances toward Evelyn.

Only the Emperor looked at her with puzzlement, as if he knew nothing.

“……Your Majesty?”

Evelyn’s voice trembled as she sensed something strange. Her two eyes, pooled with transparent water, also rippled with bewilderment.

A strange emotion briefly crossed Kareina’s face as she gazed at the two. But only briefly.

“Then I wish you a speedy recovery.”

Kareina, lifting her dress hem slightly, offered a dry greeting.

Her attitude showed not even the slightest intention of disturbing the reunion of true lovers.

Rustle, rustle. At the sound of the Empress’s and maids’ dress hems brushing the floor, the corners of Evelyn’s eyes curved slightly.

Behind the hand she quickly raised to her face pretending to wipe tears, a satisfied smile slowly spread.

However, with Raul’s following movement, that smile vanished instantly.

“Ah…… That is.”

Raul, hastily reaching out to grab Kareina’s wrist, only moved his lips. Having grabbed her, he seemed unsure what to say.

“I don’t know what the situation is, but I…… would prefer if you didn’t go.”

At the words he barely uttered, Evelyn’s eyes widened.

Kareina seemed surprised as well. Encouraged by her lips parting blankly, Raul pulled her arm with force.

“Don’t we still have things to discuss? I can’t let you go like this.”

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Evelyn slowly lowered the hand she had placed on the pillow.

Her eyes went to Kareina’s arm caught by Raul, then slowly rose toward the owner of that arm.

Soon the mistress’s and the wife’s gazes collided in midair. The cozy bedroom was instantly engulfed in silence.

The taut tension chilled the air. The servants held their breath, not knowing what to do in the unfamiliar situation.

They wanted to swallow their saliva from the tension. It was such perfect silence that they worried the sound of swallowing might be heard.

The person who broke that silence first was Kareina.

A cold voice flowed out—familiar to the servants, but not to the current Raul.

“I have nothing more to say. If you’re looking for someone to talk to, look over there.”

Kareina, gesturing toward beside the Emperor with her head, twisted and shook off the caught arm. Then she rubbed her wrist with a heavily furrowed brow as if something dirty had touched it.

Raul’s brow crumpled deeply, shocked by that action.

“Who on earth is this person……”

Though he muttered quietly, only Evelyn, referred to as ‘this person’, was shocked.

Kareina turned around without caring and strode toward the door. Then, just before leaving, she stopped as if she’s doing him a favor and added quietly.

“Ah. And the one Your Majesty gave your love to was that mistress, so don’t confuse people. It’s disgusting.”

Evelyn soon regained her composure at the news that the Emperor had lost his memory.

Perhaps it was inadequate to simply express it as regaining composure. The imperial physician who had conveyed the news momentarily thought Evelyn was even filled with joy.

However, since she soon raised her head with very sad eyes, the imperial physician simply dismissed it as having seen wrong.

After all, who in the world would welcome a lover who had lost their memory?

Evelyn Debussy, the only daughter of Duke Debussy, was the Emperor’s sole mistress.

With milky white skin, orange curly hair like descended sunlight, and pure orange eyes, she was a lovely style of beauty.

“Your Majesty…… loved me very much.”

Evelyn, speaking as if recalling carefully, smiled brightly. The shyness had already disappeared from her confidently curved eyes.

“It’s disappointing that you’ve forgotten all our memories together, but……”

Pausing briefly, her orange eyes turned toward Raul’s face. Raul withdrew his gaze that had been directed at the door and looked at the woman who was supposedly his mistress.

“I kept you as my mistress.”

“Evelyn, Evelyn Debussy. Your Majesty.”

Evelyn, gently closing her eyes, whispered in a confident voice. It was a pleasant, sweet voice.

“Your Majesty said you fell for my large, transparent eyes. And,”

Evelyn, her face flushed, glanced around quickly then whispered rapidly.

“You found my body beautiful, Your Majesty……”

Hesitating, Evelyn leaned down and brought her lips close to the Emperor’s ear.

“You sought me every night. So……”

Evelyn’s orange eyes churned with unconcealed desire.

“If you were to take me, your memory might return.”

Shyly flushed cheeks, eyes blinking constantly as if embarrassed, and a bold proposal that didn’t match her innocent expression made the surrounding attendants turn their heads.

“Shall I dismiss the maids and servants, Your Majesty?”

Evelyn instantly heated the bedroom’s atmosphere. A truly genius talent, the attendants thought.

What did it matter that he’d lost his memory? At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before the Emperor fell for her again.

No, in fact, who could not fall for her?

Everyone who saw Evelyn thought it wouldn’t be surprising at all if the Emperor dismissed them right now. But from Raul’s mouth flowed words completely different from what the attendants filling the room expected.