“It seems to be a dish made with potatoes. It goes down easily.”

Clodine set down her fork over the plate she had finished cleanly. Even before she spoke, Merian Bennett had already been quietly observing which dishes the Empress managed to eat well.

“I’ll instruct the kitchen to prepare it again for your next meal, Your Majesty.”

Clodine gave her a faint smile, perhaps finding Merian perceptive, someone who understood the heart of a matter and her own role within it.

“I’m glad you’re eating well, Your Majesty.”

Though she said so, worry still lingered in Merian’s expression. She knew Clodine had not slept a single moment the previous night, only wept until dawn.

‘Still… he hasn’t shown himself at all.’

Merian’s gaze drifted toward the tightly shut door. She could not forget the sight of the Emperor standing outside this very room deep into the night, listening helplessly to the Empress’s sobs before finally turning away.

She had expected him to return at daybreak.

Yet there had been no sign of him.

“Merian, I have something to ask of you.”

Startled out of her thoughts, Merian straightened at once.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please command me.”

Clodine wiped the corner of her lips with a pristine white cloth, though there was nothing there, and looked at Merian steadily.

“I need a complete list of the knights who died in the Imperial war. As thorough as possible.”

The request felt unexpected, but Merian did not show her surprise.

“There should already be such a record prepared. I will retrieve it immediately, Your Majesty.”

“And the rumor I asked you to look into, the one concerning the Duchess of Brighton?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I was just about to report on that. I will bring the information along with the list of fallen knights.”

Clodine forced a smile despite her still-swollen face.

“Thank you. And the Emperor…”

Merian’s posture sharpened instantly at the mention of him. For a fleeting moment, she felt oddly relieved.

“…Find out where he is now.”

‘Perhaps she intends to see him.’

A hint of brightness returned to Merian’s worried face.

Then, just as quickly, she checked herself. Why did she feel like someone rooting for a man suffering from unrequited love?

No. That would not do.

‘I am the Empress’s person. I belong to the Empress.’

Repeating it silently to steady herself, Merian bowed.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will return shortly.”

Yet as she stepped out of the chamber, an unconscious smile lingered on her face.

***

Clodine stood at the entrance of the riding grounds, enclosed by a tall wooden fence, watching Ahazan von Lernando.

He rode a sleek white horse, Seth, across the green field, cutting through the grass with powerful strides. The rhythmic pounding of hooves echoed against the earth.

To Clodine, the massive animal was terror itself. Entering the enclosure was out of the question.

‘I can’t even call out to him…’

As she hesitated, Ahazan noticed her presence first. He gradually slowed Seth, guiding the horse to the far end before dismounting. Knowing well that she feared horses, he left Seth behind and jogged lightly across the meadow toward her.

“Hello, Clodine.”

A fresh smile curved his lips. There was something clean and invigorating about him, as though he carried the scent of crushed grass and sunlight. The vitality in him seemed to brush against the darkness that had consumed her the night before.

“Hello.”

Her reply was flat, but the fact that she answered at all pleased him.

“What brings you here? You came to see me, at a place like this.”

There was no mockery in his tone this time. It was indeed rare.

Clodine drew a quiet breath, taking in the wide expanse of the field before meeting his gaze.

“You know why I came.”

The calm steadiness in her voice said everything.

Ahazan lifted a brow and glanced briefly at the sky.

“When you put it that way, it makes me want to pretend I don’t know.”

He leaned slightly forward, lowering himself to her eye level. His expression remained playful.

“Why not say you came because you missed me?”

“What?”

Her brows knit faintly.

“Say you came because you missed me.”

“I didn’t come here to play games with you.”

“I know. You came to ask for something.”

The corners of his lips tilted subtly, just enough to drain the warmth from his face.

“If you’re asking a favor, shouldn’t you try to look appealing to the person you’re asking?”

Disappointment flickered across her face at his teasing cruelty.

He gave a short laugh.

“Though you look lovely no matter what.”

“Ahazan…!”

Her cheeks flushed despite herself. She rarely raised her voice, and hearing her say his name so sharply amused him further.

Then his laughter faded.

“The prisoners were all released this morning.”

Straightening, he reached for Seth, who had wandered close, and stroked the horse’s neck.

Clodine blinked in surprise.

“Really?”

Her voice trembled, not with fear this time, but fragile relief.

Ahazan gave a small nod and added.

“Yes. All but one.”

One?

Clodine barely needed a moment to guess who it might be.

“…Is it Valoran?”

Ahazan, who had been looking at Seth, shifted only his eyes toward her. The moment their gazes met, a chill ran down her spine.

“If you guess that quickly, it makes it seem like you’ve been thinking about him this whole time.”

“Is it true? Is Valoran the only one still imprisoned?”

If there was anyone she least wanted to remain behind bars, it was Valoran Lord. He had done nothing wrong, only tried to shield his queen.

Forgetting even the horse at her side, Clodine stepped closer to Ahazan.

“Release him. Immediately.”

“And if I refuse?”

His tone carried not a trace of regret.

Frustration tightened in her chest. She clenched her skirt in her fist. Demanding outright would not move him, that much she knew.

‘Why is he doing this to Valoran?’

It had begun even before the funeral. Ahazan had mentioned Valoran repeatedly, not out of idle curiosity but with clear intent, as though testing her.

If they had been lovers, she might have thought it jealousy.

But that made no sense.

‘Other than swimming and archery, what else did you learn?’
‘From your knight commander.’

She remembered the moment he had first brought up Valoran Lord. Something about that question had felt sharp unsettling.

Had his pride been wounded that day by the lake? Because she had promised to learn from him, yet learned to swim from Valoran instead?

Ahazan had always been someone who valued promises.

‘Though he disregarded his promise to marry me.’

The thought sent a flicker of resentment across her eyes.

She studied him carefully.

Surely not. It couldn’t be something so childish.

“Other than swimming, I learned nothing from Lord Valoran. Not archery either.”

She spoke lightly, as if testing him.

To her surprise, Ahazan reacted.

“So you did learn swimming from him.”

He frowned faintly, brushing Seth’s mane with a rougher hand than before.

‘What? It’s true?’

Was he truly sulking over that single broken promise?

Clodine was inwardly aghast.

When he does it, it’s love. When someone else does, it’s betrayal.

Did he not even remember the promise of marriage he had shattered?

Anger flared, but she swallowed it. She could not afford to provoke him. Only Ahazan held the power to free Valoran.

And she intended, one day, to reinstate Valoran as her knight commander. This could not spiral further.

She searched for a solution.

Watching Ahazan stroke the restless horse, one possibility had been circling her mind, but it terrified her.

‘I hate it. I’m afraid of it…’

To suggest it would require a courage she barely possessed. Of all the things she feared in this world, only one rivaled her fear of water.

Even the thought made her palms damp.

She tightened her grip on her skirt, thinking of Valoran still confined.

There was no time to hesitate.

Forcing her trembling lips apart, she said,

“Then… instead of swimming, you can t-teach me to ride.”