When I lifted my head and stared at him intently, he panicked and ended up knocking over his teacup.

‘Why is he so clumsy…?’

Like we hadn’t spent much time together. Like being together wasn’t familiar to us, like we were nothing more than strangers.

A sigh escaped me naturally.

According to the chattering maids, he and I had been madly in love even before marriage, and because of my frail health, he was always anxious—worried I might get caught in the rain or blown away by the wind.

‘Why do those pretty stories feel like someone else’s tale to me?’

For a moment, I felt a chill like I was alone in the dead of winter. I hunched my shoulders and wrapped both hands around my teacup.

‘Again.’

Since regaining consciousness, a certain emotion accompanied by cold would invade me without warning. I gulped down the warm tea, but it was useless. Today, without fail, as my body froze from the extremities inward with crackling sounds, I hugged myself tightly with both arms and shivered.

Deep inside my chest was a gaping emptiness. A deep, vast void that nothing in this world could fill. It existed there.

I desperately wanted to know.

What caused this bottomless abyss? In that time spent loving the Emperor, what exactly had I lost?

After a while, as the chill gradually faded, I could straighten my back again. Then I suddenly realized the teacup’s shadow had grown longer.

Just as I thought I should get up, I heard murmuring voices from below.

When I poked my head out over the railing, I saw two maids passing by in the distance. With baskets tucked under their arms, they hurried across the back garden toward the servants’ entrance.

“In the underground dungeon… wicked behavior…”

“She still thinks… the Crown Prince’s consort… honestly…”

“But… they completely emptied the West Palace…”

My ears perked up.

Consort. They definitely said that.

I quietly looked down at them. These were people who normally wouldn’t be allowed near my route.

But right now, I was on the balcony of a secluded annex, different from my known schedule. Plus, without Natalie here to control my every move, there would have been no time to suddenly restrict their access.

I watched them disappear inside the entrance and smirked. The chill had completely vanished by then.

‘Thanks to them, I’ve gained this information.’

I straightened my back and sipped the already cold tea.

I had no intention of demanding to know what happened to the love story they’d talked about until my ears were calloused—the one where I was supposedly the Emperor’s only one. The Emperor held a complicated political position, so he must have had his reasons.

Still, I felt slightly deflated realizing he hadn’t been honest after all.

Just then, I heard a familiar stern voice from behind.

“Your Majesty the Empress, it’s time to go inside.”

“…”

“His Majesty the Emperor learned of Your Majesty’s changed schedule and was greatly concerned. I hope Your Majesty will reflect more on your position.”

I looked up at Natalie, who gazed down at me with an expressionless face. She’d returned much earlier than usual. Dyed red by the sunset, she looked like a witch engulfed in flames. I smiled, noticing the anger in her eyes.

“Natalie.”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”

I stared at her, then tossed out the bait.

“What happened to the Crown Prince’s consort?”

“…!”

Instantly, Natalie’s shoulders jumped. Not only that—all color drained from her face.

Hmm. I narrowed my eyes. Seeing her reaction was bigger than expected, I felt the need to revise my thoughts. The consort who lived in the East Palace must have been quite a significant figure.

“Have your memories… returned?”

Natalie quickly regained her composure and asked. She’d only wavered for a moment. Feeling somewhat disappointed, I pouted.

“I just happened to overhear it.”

“Which mouth said such things…”

At her words, dripping with anger, I sneered.

“Are you going to seal every mouth in the Imperial Palace?”

“…”

Natalie bit her lip silently. I leisurely lifted my teacup and pressed her.

“So, what about the East Palace?”

She looked at me quietly before speaking.

“…She’s waiting for her execution day in the underground dungeon.”

“Did she commit a capital crime?”

I drank my tea without much emotion, and after a brief silence, Natalie replied.

“Her father and family plotted treason.”

“…”

I hid my shock behind my cup. It really was a capital crime? An incredibly serious one at that. My startled heart began racing wildly.

“Your face has gone pale. Please go inside now.”

Natalie changed the subject using my health as an excuse. Dazed, I obediently rose from my seat. Natalie approached and wrapped a thick shawl around my shoulders.

Led by her hand, I crossed through the elegant arched doorway and suddenly realized something.

‘Come to think of it… the West Palace?’

They said they’d completely cleared out the West Palace, so someone must have been there too…

But the West Palace wasn’t enough to hold my attention. There was a more interesting topic.

‘Was the Crown Prince’s consort the Grand Duchess?’

A family worthy of the word treason—one that could covet imperial power—there was only one such family in the Beldeton Empire. It was the family of the Grand Duke, uncle to the Late Emperor. Even though I’d lived confined to the inner chambers with little knowledge, I knew that much.

‘Well, the fact that the Grand Duke burns with ambition for the throne is something even street children know.’

Throughout the evening schedule, I pondered deeply about the Grand Ducal family, which had been a headache for the imperial family with their tremendous wealth and power.

And when it was time for bed, I voiced what had been on my mind.

“Did the East Palace fail to conceive?”

“…”

Natalie, who had been preparing my bed, didn’t answer immediately. I continued, lost in thought.

“Isn’t that right? How else could I, a mere marquis’s granddaughter, become Empress over the Grand Duke’s daughter, whose family wields tremendous power in the Empire? I wondered if perhaps she had some problem…”

If she didn’t have such a weakness, there was no reason for inadequate me to be in this position.

Moreover, the Beldeton Empire firmly practiced monogamy. Only the wife whose name was registered at the temple received legal recognition.

Yet there was a consort here—a concubine—and the Grand Duke’s daughter at that. Without extraordinary circumstances or affection, this couldn’t have happened.

Natalie spoke heavily.

“His Majesty the Emperor has only Your Majesty the Empress.”

“…That’s not an answer to my question.”

My mood sank at the formulaic response. Even more than when I’d learned about the consort’s existence. Even knowing I was displeased, Natalie stubbornly said:

“The East Palace—no, the traitor—could never conceive.”

“…”

I frowned at the strange feeling.

Never? From the nuance, it didn’t seem to mean the consort was infertile, but…

‘Can there be “never” between a man and woman?’

It was strange, but I let it pass silently. Or rather, I tried to let it pass, but Natalie didn’t stop.

“Please forget about the criminal and focus only on your health. His Majesty the Emperor, along with the civil and military officials and the Empire’s people, earnestly wish for Your Majesty’s recovery.”

The moment I heard those words, my lips twisted involuntarily.

“I wonder.”

Wasn’t the future obvious for an Empress with no audience requests and not a single person asking after her health?

I said with a sneer:

“It’s just that the consort from the East Palace doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem.”

Instantly, Natalie’s blue eyes widened.

“What… do you mean by that?”

“Of course I’m not talking about heinous crimes like treason. Just…”

“…”

I spoke with deliberate composure.

“Not having children—I’m the same, aren’t I?”

“…!”

“I also don’t know when I might have to vacate this place.”

At my mocking words, Natalie fell silent. But only briefly—she soon calmly began speaking.

“His Majesty the Emperor swore before God to take Your Majesty the Empress as his companion until death. That this wasn’t mere words was proven when he declared there would be no new Empress even if Your Majesty left the Imperial Palace. Of course, Your Majesty wouldn’t remember.”

“…”

“An heir means nothing to him. Unless it’s an heir born by Your Majesty, cherished by Your Majesty—otherwise, no bloodline can mean anything to him.”

“…”

“Your Majesty the Empress… is the one and only person His Majesty chose himself when he was Crown Prince. That… holds great significance.”

“…”

Natalie quietly watched me as I remained silent with downcast eyes. She seemed to be waiting for my reaction. But I showed no words or actions, merely glaring at my feet.

Eventually, Natalie sighed.

“I spoke unnecessarily.”

She attended to my bed as usual, trimmed the candle wicks, left her evening greeting, and exited the inner chamber. Only after the door closed and I was alone could I relax my rigid body.

Natalie’s impassioned voice replayed in my head.

‘It was proven when he declared there would be no new Empress even if Your Majesty left the Imperial Palace.’

I simply couldn’t show the reaction Natalie wanted.

“…”

I slowly opened my hands and rubbed my palms with my fingers. From clenching my fists with all my strength, the indented nail marks were clearly felt. Throughout her words, I’d been consumed by rage.

My memories hadn’t returned. I didn’t know anything specific.

But…

‘His Majesty the Emperor swore before God to take Your Majesty the Empress as his companion until death.’

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them.

Though I knew nothing, I could understand this much.

It was all a bald-faced lie.

* * *

Was going out for air a mistake? That entire night, I suffered from fever. But trapped in an obsession that I couldn’t trust anyone, I didn’t call for anyone.

If I’d thought about it a little, I would have known there was no need—no one had actually harmed me since I’d awakened. But having lost my reason after the conversation with Natalie, I foolishly just suffered alone.

Then at dawn, a maid who came in to replace the heated stones discovered me, and Natalie immediately rushed over.

I forced myself to swallow the bitter medicine that entered my mouth. The fireplace was lit and my sweat-soaked clothes were changed.

Between gasping breaths, a cold hand rested on my forehead. When that happened, I could breathe a little easier. Natalie stayed right beside me with a troubled expression.

How much time had passed? Suddenly the door opened and someone entered with urgent steps. Natalie quickly stood and bowed.

“What happened? Why did the Empress suddenly collapse?”

Toward him, who rushed over in one breath to check on me, Natalie answered in a regretful voice.

“There was a loose tongue in the palace, and she learned about the Crown Prince’s consort.”

“…”

He seemed shocked and remained silent for a while. Natalie added soothingly:

“Her memories haven’t returned—she simply seemed curious about the fact that Your Majesty had a concubine.”

“…”