A week had already passed since the wedding had ended. The rumor that Ines had collapsed that day had spread so widely that there was no one in the capital who hadn’t heard it.

In response, the nobles had rushed to Carlos, complaining about whether the queen was ill. They questioned whether it was appropriate for a woman, who was supposed to produce an heir, to be so frail.

“A woman who can’t even use one leg properly won’t be able to give birth to a healthy heir, they say…”

Carlos, skimming through the nobles’ petitions, covered the parchment with an annoyed gesture. His lips twisted into a smirk.

“According to them, I wouldn’t be able to produce a healthy heir either, would I? Just a year ago, I was limping too.”

Although he no longer limped, Carlos had once limped like Ines. And it was even the same left leg as hers.

As Carlos briefly gazed at his leg hidden behind the desk, Herman, who stood in front of him, quickly countered.

“You and she are fundamentally different, Your Majesty. You have been blessed by the gods.”

Blessed by the gods, indeed.

Carlos let out a dry laugh at the absurdity of the statement.

‘It’s not entirely wrong.’

He casually moved his left leg, which he could now use freely.

The events of that day had been truly bizarre. His leg had healed overnight, while Ines had become crippled overnight. Since that day, their fates had seemed to swap, and the world had turned upside down.

At first, he had wondered if someone had employed some wicked trickery. Perhaps a witch from fairy tales had appeared and cursed Ines in his place.

‘Pointless thoughts.’

What use was there in pondering the causes of past events now? He had a mountain of tasks he needed to address immediately.

He set aside his reflections for a moment and asked the attendant standing nearby.

“What is Ines doing now? Is she still shut in her room?”

“Yes. She hasn’t stepped outside even once since that day.”

Carlos let out a low sigh at the attendant’s response. While everyone was debating the queen’s qualifications, all she did was seclude herself.

His head throbbed. Moreover, they still hadn’t discovered Joseph’s whereabouts after he fled. It was only natural for Carlos to feel on edge. Pressing his fingers against his temples, Carlos asked Herman.

“So, how far have we tracked Joseph?”

“We found his last traces in the Kerban area.”

Kerban was a port town in the southern part of Tezever. Discovering his last traces there likely meant Joseph had boarded a ship and crossed to another country.

Carlos clicked his tongue briefly at the unwelcome news. Noticing Carlos’s mood, Herman added more information.

“I suspect he might have gone to Brillant. It’s the homeland of his late mother, the former queen. Currently, the king of Brillant is Joseph’s cousin. So even if he seeks asylum, it would be easy for him to settle there.”

“That’s the problem.”

If he just settled there quietly, it wouldn’t be an issue. But if he planned to use Brillant’s power to reclaim the throne?

That would mean war, not just a civil conflict.

And that was one of the things Carlos dreaded the most.

‘War must not happen.’

No matter what, war should never break out again. Carlos’s eyes darkened as he recalled his shadowed past. But he quickly shook his head.

Carlos seemed to want to set aside this troublesome issue for a moment and promptly changed the subject.

“How did the investigation I ordered go? About the maids who were at the Claudia estate before.”

“Ah.”

Herman handed over the bundle of papers as if he had just remembered Carlos’s question.

“We’ve secured the list of personal details for the maids and servants who worked at Duke Claudia’s estate. We asked them about those who worked in the annex, but since it’s so far from the main building, not many people knew.”

“So?”

“It seems we need more specific personal information. The scope is too wide to investigate everyone who was at the estate. Most have scattered, and finding each one to ask if they worked in the annex would take too long.”

Given that the Claudia family estate was as large as the castle of a small duchy, Carlos understood why Herman was complaining. Carlos nodded.

“Understood, you may go now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As Herman left the room, Carlos also stood up. If Ines continued to stay holed up in her room for days, he would have to drag her out himself. He headed towards Ines’s room.

* * *

When Carlos arrived at the Lily Palace, a meal was being prepared for Ines. She sat at the table, but with no appetite, she was just pushing the food around with her cutlery.

Carlos watched Ines, who seemed to have no intention of eating the food in front of her.

Though she wasn’t lying in bed, she looked no different from a patient confined to one.

Carlos let out a low sigh and spoke to Ines.

“We need to know the exact details of the maid working in the annex. That way, we can find her more quickly.”

At Carlos’s words, Ines lifted her head sharply. She looked at him with wide, surprised eyes.

“…You’ve been looking for her?”

With no news for a week, she thought Carlos had forgotten his promise. She had given up internally, lacking the courage to confront him about breaking it.

“I promised, didn’t I?”

Ines’s face lit up with his answer.

“Her name is Llewellyn. She has reddish-brown hair. She must be around forty-five by now.”

Carlos, who thought she was a maid of similar age to Ines, tilted his head.

“You must have a special connection with this maid?”

“That maid…”

Ines hesitated for a moment. She felt she should now reveal the reason she was so desperate to find the maid. However, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

If she did, she would have to expose a secret she never wanted anyone to discover. After a brief pause, Ines continued.

“…She was my nanny.”

“Nanny?”

“Yes. She raised me from when I was young.”

Carlos nodded, finally understanding why Ines was eager to find the maid. The excuse of a nanny seemed quite plausible.

“If you find her, you can bring her to the palace and keep her by your side.”

“What? Really?”

Ines’s eyes widened even more than before, looking slightly excited at the unexpected response.

“I heard you’ve been refusing to be served by the current maids. And you’re not particularly looking to hire others. So you can bring that maid, Llewellyn, to stay with you. But…”

Carlos handed her a spoon, as if he had a condition.

“First, you should eat. If you meet your nanny looking like this, she will be very pleased.”

“Oh…”

Ines quietly reached for the spoon he offered and lightly stirred the soup he had personally brought to her.

The soup, steaming gently, had the sweet scent of pumpkin.

Ines continued to stir it until she reluctantly took a spoonful at Carlos’s urging.

The warm, smooth soup filled her empty stomach. The atmosphere between them eased considerably.

As he watched Ines eat for a moment, Carlos continued, as if there was more to his conditions.

“And from tomorrow, you must resume your duties as queen.”

Ines, slowly swallowing the soup, looked up.

“But I’m not ready to manage internal affairs yet…”

“I’m not asking you to do that.”

“Then what are you asking?”

“I’m telling you to regain your dignity as queen.”

In other words, he was telling her not to be looked down upon by others. At his words, Ines put down her spoon, feeling suddenly downcast.

“Is it because I collapsed at the wedding?”

Carlos responded with silence. Ines already knew that the nobles, who had been quiet, were now visiting the palace every day, trying to bring her down again because of that incident. It must have been annoying for him.

Ines replied in a resigned voice.

“Alright. Then, as I mentioned at the wedding, I’ll go volunteer at the charity house.”

“That’s a good idea. Then, as we discussed before, you can go with Miss Colsen. She has a good reputation…”

“No, I won’t go with Miss Colsen. I don’t want to accompany someone who dislikes me.”

At Ines’s firm refusal, Carlos casually remarked in an indifferent tone.

“Since nobody likes you anyway, does it really matter?”