The sun had set, and night had descended. Lying in bed, Ines slowly opened her eyes, immediately recognizing the familiar canopy above her.

How much time had passed? The room was dark, with not a single light on. It had certainly been late afternoon, but now the windows that once let in the sunlight were bathed in a soft moonlight.

‘What happened?’

As Ines tried to shake off her daze and sit up, a heavy pain in her lower abdomen made her frown instinctively.

“Ah…”

She groaned, curling up in response to the unfamiliar ache and the dampness below. It wasn’t just that; her chest and thighs were smeared with dried fluids.

Finally recalling what had happened, Ines quickly examined herself. As she touched her body here and there, she soon let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness…”

There were no signs that her clothes had been removed. She was still dressed as she had been last. Carlos had kept his promise not to touch her clothes.

‘I didn’t get caught.’

The realization brought a wave of relief. Carlos hadn’t discovered anything. That one fact put her mind at ease.

“Ha…”

As her tension eased, Ines turned to the side. The empty, cold bed beside her reminded her that she was alone.

She sighed again, wrapping her arms around herself. She hadn’t realized she was trembling.

Trying to soothe herself, Ines gently rubbed her arms. As her body relaxed, the pain she had momentarily forgotten began to resurface.

As she held her aching abdomen, memories of being with Carlos flashed through her mind. It had been a moment as primal as an animal’s mating.

Carlos was no longer the man who hesitated to even hold her hand. The way he moved between her legs was merciless, devoid of any consideration.

At the sudden recollection of those emotions, Ines’s body trembled again. Yet, amidst it all, the dominant feeling in her mind was relief.

Relief that Carlos hadn’t discovered her scars. Joy that she had kept her secrets hidden from him.

That was all that mattered to her.

But at the same time.

Drip, drop—

She felt miserable.

Tears began to fall onto her dress, one by one.

As the warm tears soaked into her gown, the rain that had paused started to patter against the window once more.

* * *

At the same time.

Carlos was drinking, with the persistent rain as his backdrop.

His eyes, unreadable, stared into space as the image of a tearful woman suddenly appeared in his mind.

“Please… don’t take off my clothes.”

Ines’s tearful plea, as if she were being assaulted by a thug, was still vivid before him. Her desperate voice was heart-wrenching.

Carlos, who had been silently drinking, let out a low curse.

“Damn it.”

It was humiliating.

Her attitude of treating him like filth crushed his pride.

No one treated him like a dirty bastard anymore. Everyone bowed and revered him. So why did she…?

Why did she still treat him like a worthless illegitimate child?

Why couldn’t she erase the memory of him being despised and wretched?

Why, when he had clawed his way up from the bottom, did she still remain so lofty?

Frustration boiled within him. Though he had become king, to Ines, he was nothing more than a bastard.

The fact that Ines was the one person who didn’t bend to his will made his head burn. His mind drifted back to past memories.

“I’m sorry.”

Those were the first words Ines spoke when she visited him, dragging her limping leg.

“I never loved you.”

A cruel confession that even her love was a lie. Carlos bit his lip and set down the glass he had been holding with irritation.

“Yeah, that’s right. It was like that…”

In his arrogance of having her in his grasp, he had momentarily forgotten his long-ago resolve. If he couldn’t rise to where she stood, he would drag her down to where he was.

So, he had ruthlessly pulled her down to the bottom. He hadn’t cared about the means or the sacrifices involved. He thought he had finally brought her to his side.

But she still stood above him.

Even today, look at her.

She never allowed him, her husband, to touch her easily.

She ensured he couldn’t even remove a piece of clothing, treating him like a stud horse, despite his status as king.

She continued to make him feel miserable.

The stigma of his lowly birth felt like it was branded on his face like a scarlet letter.

Clenching his teeth, he picked up his glass again, his gesture filled with pent-up emotions. The strong liquor burned hot down his throat.

Perhaps it was the influence of alcohol.

Suddenly, he began to wonder.

‘Am I being too swayed by Ines?’

Despite her betrayal, was he foolishly unable to let go of the past on his own?

Was he idolizing and valuing Ines, who had fallen so low, as if she were noble?

This woman, who betrayed him and got engaged to his brother. Was he being overly considerate out of guilt for having thrust her into the gutter because of his own greed?

Even though she wasn’t worth it.

All sorts of negative thoughts invaded his mind, creating chaos. Eventually, he reached one conclusion.

“There’s a need to make her realize her position a bit more.”

He muttered in a cold voice.

Ines needed to understand her situation more clearly.

“At least as much as I did.”

Yes, at the very least, Ines needed to feel the same betrayal he had experienced. Just as Carlos’s eyes, cutting through the air, flickered red, there was a knock, and Herman entered.

“Your Majesty.”

After paying his respects to Carlos, Herman began to report on the task he had been assigned.

“I have informed Colin at the orphanage about Her Majesty the Queen’s sponsorship. However, I think it would be good for Her Majesty to visit the orphanage once again by next week…”

Carlos interrupted Herman’s report.

“I’ll deliver it myself.”

“Yes, understood. Ah, and—”

Herman handed him a document, indicating there was more to report.

“What’s this?”

Carlos asked as he looked at the document Herman handed over. It was also the reason Herman had sought him out initially.

“…It’s the information about the maid you ordered to be found last time.”

They had located the woman who had been Ines’s nanny.

Carlos slowly scanned the document Herman handed him.

“She wasn’t too far away.”

The information indicated she was staying in a small village on the outskirts of the capital.

‘Now, what to do with this…’

He felt too vexed to even want to report that they had found the maid. However, it didn’t seem like a decision to be made on a whim, so he pondered. What should he do? As Carlos was deeply engrossed in the document, he tapped it with his finger. Then, reclining in his chair, he commanded Herman.

“Bring this woman to me as soon as the day breaks tomorrow.”

After all, she should at least pay for having spread her legs for a commoner.

As Carlos’s gaze turned cold, a servant entered the room through the open door. In his hand was a small velvet box.

The servant hesitated as he gauged Carlos’s mood, which didn’t seem pleasant.

“What is it?”

Carlos asked, glancing at the servant.

“The necklace you ordered a while back has been completed.”

“Necklace?”

“Yes, the necklace you ordered a long time ago.”

Finally recalling something, Carlos sighed. The servant, watching the king’s reaction, cautiously opened the box.

“They said it took a long time to find the highest quality gemstones. What should we do with it?”

There was no need to say who the intended recipient of this necklace was. The pendant, with its clear, radiant light, seemed to mirror the queen’s eyes.

It was the necklace he had ordered to formally propose to Ines after the war ended. He had erased it from memory after her betrayal.

Carlos stared at the necklace.

It was beautiful, having taken so long to complete. It would certainly suit Ines well.

For a moment, Carlos imagined Ines wearing the necklace, then closed the box. He pushed it away as if he couldn’t stand the sight of it. It was now a necklace that had nothing to do with him.

“Get rid of it.”

At the king’s firm command, the servant looked uncomfortable.

“Then, this…”

“Whether you throw it away or do whatever you want with it, it’s up to you.”

“…Yes, understood.”

Watching Carlos’s mood, the servant quietly withdrew with the box.