“Ahem—hm!”

Leoban cleared his throat awkwardly. Seraphina stared at him, her expression completely blank. Embarrassed by her reaction, he hurriedly urged Marianne on.

“Let’s go now, Mother.”

“Ah—y-yes, shall we?”

Marianne rose hastily and forced an awkward smile as she left the room.

Seraphina remained seated, watching them leave the drawing room. She had no wish to observe the formality of seeing them off.

“Rosie.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As soon as the two of them had left, Seraphina beckoned Rosalynde over. Rosalynde bowed politely, and Seraphina began speaking immediately.

“From now on, forbid anyone from the Lindenrosen household from entering the Crown Prince’s Palace. If they come asking to see me, tell them I’m ill.”

“Pardon—? Y-yes, understood.”

Rosalynde’s eyes widened at Seraphina’s words; then she quickly lowered her gaze. As Seraphina’s close friend, Rosalynde was all too aware of the torment her friend had endured at the hands of her family.

Even without this knowledge, anyone who had witnessed the conversation would have found Seraphina’s decision perfectly reasonable.

“Why didn’t I ban them earlier? That’s strange.”

Seraphina muttered to herself in puzzlement. Rosalynde answered quietly.

“They never came to visit before.”

“Really? That’s strange in its own way.”

Seraphina tilted her head. If it were the Lindenrosen viscount’s family, they would have flooded the palace the moment she became Crown Princess Consort.

‘Is it odd that I’m even wondering why they didn’t harass me?’

With a shrug, Seraphina brushed the thought aside. If they had left her alone all this time, that was something to be grateful for—not something worth suspecting.

‘They must have been busy spending money on the betrothal gifts.’

As this thought occurred to her, Serapina remembered how Marianne and Leoban had been dressed. They had both been dressed as lavishly as royalty. The clothes alone told her everything — she could scarcely imagine how recklessly they must have spent. They might even have been preoccupied with buying and refurbishing a new estate.

‘That isn’t what matters right now.’

Seraphina frowned and gave a slight nod. Setting Marianne and Leoban aside, she had more pressing matters than she could count.

“Rosie, I want to see Brandt. Do you know where he is?”

“If you mean Count Steinbel, he should be at the office of the Imperial Knights by now.”

At Rosalynde’s answer, Seraphina rose to her feet. Searching her memory, she set off toward the Imperial Knights’ offices.

***

The Imperial Palace covered a vast expanse of land, seemingly constructed to demonstrate the might of the Eisenbart Imperial House to the world. Broadly speaking, it was divided into three sections: the main palace; the individual palaces in which members of the imperial family lived; and a separate complex devoted to administrative affairs. The distance from the Crown Prince’s Palace to the building housing the Imperial Knights was almost inconceivably far.

‘My legs hurt…’

Seraphina tightened her grip on her parasol and stared at the distant annexe. She felt as though she had been walking for hours, but the building was still nowhere near.

‘So this is why the imperial family always summons people to their own palaces.’

Whenever they had business to conduct, the imperial family would summon knights or officials. When she worked as a maid, she thought it was laziness on their part.

It wasn’t.

The distance was far too great to walk.

Of course, there were carriages and horses, but rather than inconveniencing themselves just to meet one knight, it was simpler to summon them.

‘Should I have taken a carriage?’

Seraphina bitterly regretted her recklessness. Her body had not yet recovered, yet she had pushed herself far beyond her limits.

After spending a whole year confined to bed, every joint in her body ached. On top of that, the aftereffects of her encounter with the Crown Prince left her with severe muscle pain. Even days later, her arms and legs still throbbed relentlessly.

This was perhaps why what would have been a simple stroll for anyone else felt utterly draining to her. She was still getting used to her new title, so instead of ordering attendants around, she had chosen to walk on her own.

She shouldn’t have.

“Rosie, let’s rest for a bit.”

Spotting a bench in the garden, Seraphina staggered towards it. Rosalynde, who had been walking just behind her, smoothly stepped forward with the parasol and stood beside the bench, as she always did.

Once seated, Seraphina lifted a hand towards her friend, and Rosalynde held the parasol over her, shielding her gently from the sun.

“Don’t just stand there—sit down too, Rosie. Your legs must hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

“There’s no one else here. I’m fine too, so hurry and sit.”

At Seraphina’s insistence, Rosalynde offered an awkward smile. Looking at Seraphina with warm eyes, she gently shook her head.

“This is my duty. Please don’t worry about me, Your Highness.”

“…Mm.”

Seraphina responded with a hint of regret at her friend’s distant reply. If she pursued the matter any further, Rosalynde would only feel more uncomfortable. As difficult as it was, she would have to get used to it.

“I really can’t get used to being the Crown Princess. What was I like before—back when I still had my memories? Did I work you to the bone, Rosie?”

“You were a good mistress.”

Rosalynde replied with a gentle smile. She gazed at Seraphina with warm eyes for a moment, seemingly lost in old memories, before speaking again.

“Why are you hoping to meet Count Steinbel… Brandt, that is?”

“Since you won’t tell me anything, I thought I’d at least ask Brandt.”

Seraphina answered with a sulky expression. At her petulance, Rosalynde spoke apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“Oh, no—really, it’s fine. Actually, there’s something else I wanted to ask Brandt anyway.”

Seraphina smiled lightly as she said it, but her gaze suddenly shifted. She gasped and pointed in the direction she had been looking.

“Brandt?”

In the distance, a young man who had been walking briskly stopped abruptly when she called out to him. He was neatly groomed, with short black hair combed back and eyes the color of ripe walnuts in autumn.

“Your Highness?”

The tall, strikingly handsome man immediately turned and hurried towards her. Seeing her childhood friend approach, Seraphina broke into a bright smile. But the moment he dropped to one knee before her, her expression crumpled.

“Brandt Steinbel greets Her Highness the Crown Princess. May the radiant light of Eisenbart ever be with you.”

“……”

“I was on my way to see you myself, Your Highness—ah… Your Highness?”

Brandt trailed off when he noticed the severity of Serapina’s expression. He looked at her, confused, as a faint crease formed between her brows.

“What is it that troubles you…?”

“So you treat me like this now too, Brandt.”

“Ah.”

At her dejected words, realization dawned on Brandt’s face. He brought a hand to his mouth and cleared his throat.

“I heard you lost your memories. But this is the Imperial Palace, after all.”

“Even when it’s just us?”

Unable to hide her disappointment, Seraphina spoke softly. Brandt looked troubled and glanced at Rosalynde. Rosalynde nodded in understanding, taking a step back until their voices could no longer reach her.

Only then did Brandt speak again.

“I’m sorry, Sephi. You know how important imperial etiquette is.”

“I do. That’s why I’m trying to understand why Rosie only treats me as the Crown Princess now.”

“Rosie has always had an exceptional sense of duty.”

Brandt murmured the words with an easy, refreshing smile. Seeing this, Seraphina felt the weight in her chest ease.

Brandt had been her friend since childhood. Despite the significant difference in social standing between their families — the Houses of Steinbel and Lindenrosen — their territories shared a border. Because of that, the two children had grown up together, running side by side through mountains and open fields.

Brandt had always looked after Seraphina like an older brother. Whenever Leoban beat her and she cried, it was Brandt who came to comfort her.

That bond never changed over time.

It remained the same even after Brandt inherited the title of Count Steinbel and joined the Imperial Knights, and after Seraphina became a palace maid.

“That’s why you’re the only one I can ask.”

Seraphina said quietly but urgently, meeting Brandt’s gaze directly. Under her unwavering gaze, his Adam’s apple bobbed once as he swallowed.