Seraphina blinked and unconsciously brought a hand to her abdomen.

The moment she said the word ‘pregnancy’, she realized how absurd the idea was.

“Look at me.”

She frowned slightly. The circumstances surrounding her becoming Crown Princess were so shocking that they had led her to have an unreasonable thought.

“If I’d gotten pregnant back then, I would’ve given birth long ago.”

She laughed dryly at herself. If she had conceived during the cycle that accompanied her manifestation, she would have had a child by now.

But Seraphina was still alone.

Moreover, the Empress had only recently raised the subject of an heir. If Seraphina had been pregnant or had given birth, such a conversation would not have been necessary.

“I was thinking nonsense.”

An awkward silence fell over the room when she muttered something. Brandt and Rosalynde exchanged a meaningful glance. After a moment, Rosalynde offered a faint smile.

“That’s true.”

“Anyway,” Brandt continued, “that’s why the imperial family had no choice but to bring you in as Crown Princess. You went through a cycle with His Highness.”

Seraphina nodded in agreement with Brandt’s explanation.

Now everything fell into place: how she had ended up as Crown Princess, and why the daughter of a poor viscount had been accepted into such a position.

If the Crown Prince had gone through his cycle with a mere maid, rumors would have swept through the palace in an instant. For the sake of his honor, the imperial family would have had no choice but to accept her.

With this realization, she could also understand — at least in part — why the Empress had spoken so bluntly about her womb. She did not sympathize, but she grasped the reasoning.

A crown princess taken in out of necessity. Of course they would expect her to produce an heir. That was all the imperial family could hope for from her.

“…Did they treat me badly because I couldn’t get pregnant?”

Seraphina furrowed her brows and muttered under her breath. Given the circumstances — a loveless marriage to the Crown Prince, coupled with pressure from the Empress to produce an heir — anyone would have considered divorce. Leaving the imperial family altogether would have seemed like a better option than continuing to live like that.

“I don’t know about all that, but Your Highness did want a divorce.”

“You couldn’t go through with it because the Crown Prince opposed it.”

Brandt spoke through clenched teeth. Perhaps because he had been subjected to the Crown Prince’s pheromones, he clearly felt hostile towards him.

“I get the gist of it. But how did I end up in a coma? Did I fall down the stairs again?”

“That is… Your Highness…”

Rosalynde trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. She lowered her gaze and bit her lip once more.

Seraphina sat quietly, waiting for her to speak again. But even after a long while, Rosalynde could not bring herself to speak.

“Rosie, I’m fine. Just tell me.”

At Seraphina’s urging, Rosalynde slowly lifted her head. She stepped closer and took Seraphina’s hand.

When Seraphina tried to return the grip, she felt how cold and trembling Rosalynde’s hand was. Startled, she looked at her friend. Rosalynde was shaking, as though gripped by fear. Her chin quivered as she forced herself to continue.

“Your Highness tried to take your own life…”

Seraphina’s hand jerked in shock. She stared at her friend, her eyes widening.

Tears welled in Rosalynde’s eyes. Looking at Seraphina with anguish in her eyes, Rosalynde spoke through a sob.

“If it was that hard, you should have said something. Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you make that decision all by yourself?”

“Rosie.”

Panicking, Seraphina pulled Rosalynde into an embrace. Rosalynde broke down and started crying loudly in her arms.

Serepina patted her on the back, looking dazed and confused. Her thoughts felt as though they had been stirred up with a ladle — utter chaos.

‘I tried to kill myself? Me?’

She could hardly believe it.

Seraphina had endured countless hardships in her life, yet she had never once considered taking her own life.

Not when Marianne made her wash clothes in icy water in the middle of winter and starved her.

Not even when Leoban kicked her.

Not even when he took every coin she earned.

She had always thought, ‘That’s just how it is.’

It was hard, but she would let out a long sigh and carry on. And yet, because of a marriage, she had done something like that?

Just how unbearable must life in the Imperial Palace have been to drive her to this?

‘Is that why His Highness kept begging for forgiveness?’

She was confused. To Seraphina, he seemed to care for her—at the very least, he clearly desired her.

“Rosie… I need to meet His Highness the Crown Prince.”

As she gently set Rosalynde upright, Seraphina asked softly. Having steadied her emotions somewhat, Rosalynde nodded.

“Yes. You should talk to him. And please—if anything ever becomes too hard, you must tell me.”

“I will.”

Seraphina replied with an upturned smile. The fragile, forced smile she managed trembled faintly.

***

“You sent for me?”

Shortly after Rosalynde and Brandt had left, the bedroom door opened. Unaware of Seraphina’s concerns, the Crown Prince entered with a radiant, fresh smile.

“This is the first time since you woke up that you’ve asked for me.”

He sat down on the edge of the bed and spoke with unmistakable delight. Seraphina watched him calmly, her expression blank.

His face was bright and still slightly flushed, as though he had rushed there. The desperation with which he had clung to her earlier, begging her not to leave, had disappeared, replaced by pure happiness.

And yet, somehow, it repulsed her.

Until recently, she had seen him as nothing more than a dazzlingly handsome man. Now, however, resentment simmered within her, bordering on hatred.

It was startling how quickly her impression of him had changed.

But there was nothing she could do about it.

He had deceived her.

Fixing her gaze on him, Seraphina asked,

“Why didn’t you agree to the divorce?”

His smile froze at her calm question. His blue eyes widened.

Seeing him struggle to control his expression, Seraphina pressed on.

“If you had agreed when I asked, none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t have ended up like that.”

“Sephi, I—”

“I heard enough. About how I became Crown Princess… and how I lost my memories.”

She turned her head as she spoke, her voice flat and devoid of emotion. The Crown Prince watched her profile quietly. Ignoring his intense gaze, Seraphina continued.

“So was that why you kept saying you were sorry? Without ever explaining properly?”

“That’s not it, Sephi. I— I love—”

“Please divorce me. Even now.”

Seraphina turned back to face him. At her command, he took a sharp breath in. Her eyes widened as she saw his jaw tighten and heard him grind his teeth.

“I can’t do that.”

“I thought you’d say that.”

Seraphina gave a faint smile. At the sight of it, the muscles around his eyes twitched. She shrugged lightly, knowing he wouldn’t hurt her.

She had grown up being beaten by Leoban. She knew the look in the eyes of someone who was truly capable of violence all too well.

Someone with an expression like the Crown Prince’s — someone weighed down by guilt — was incapable of harming another.

“I want you to think about what I’ve been through because of your attachment and selfishness.”

“……”

“Either way, we went through the cycle together because of pheromones. That’s why the marriage happened.”

“…No.”

The Crown Prince managed to force out the word in a hoarse, strained voice. Seraphina looked at him with pity as he stubbornly refused to accept it.

“Even before I lost my memories, what I wanted was to leave you. Do you truly not understand what that means?”

At her question, the Crown Prince shook his head violently, as though trying to cast the thought away.

The next moment, pheromones surged from his body, rippling outwards in a powerful wave.