The first social gathering Ines attended after becoming queen concluded without any major issues, contrary to her concerns.

There were a few instances where the ladies made dismissive remarks about Ines, but compared to the child who had thrown stones, those comments were relatively mild.

As people continued their conversations, Ines decided she had fulfilled her role and stood up.

“I’ll be leaving now. Please continue to enjoy yourselves.”

Even as she grabbed her cane to leave, the maids showed no intention of following her. Only Margaret, the adopted daughter of the Count of Desley, trailed behind her.

“I will accompany you.”

Margaret approached Ines to offer her support, but Ines declined her help.

“I’m fine. I can go alone. Margaret, you should stay and enjoy yourself a bit more. It’s been a while since everyone gathered.”

“But it’s dangerous to go alone without an escort.”

Ines looked at Margaret, who appeared genuinely concerned for her.

Unlike the other maids, Margaret stood out. Despite being of marriageable age, she always dressed plainly, unlike Uriel and Raella, who were conscious of their appearances.

At first, Ines had thought Margaret was another lady vying for a place beside Carlos. However, her actions seemed solely aimed at benefiting Ines.

Yet, Ines, who was cautious about trusting others easily, found Margaret’s kindness somewhat uncomfortable.

“This is the royal palace. To get to my quarters, I have to pass through the Sun Palace where His Majesty resides. It’s the most secure place; nothing could possibly happen. Besides, it’s not far to my quarters. I’d like to take a walk alone.”

The tea party was held in the inner palace, which was considered the safest part of the palace. The security there was as tight as in the area where the king stayed.

Eventually, faced with Ines’s firm stance, Margaret stepped back.

“Understood.”

Ines offered Margaret a faint smile as she walked away.

Though it would have been more comfortable to have Margaret’s support due to her leg, she wanted to feel the breeze on her own.

To be honest, she felt uneasy around the young ladies.

Unconsciously, she kept comparing her current self to the beautiful young women. Ines, who understood better than anyone how self-destructive such comparisons could be, wanted to distance herself from the crowd as soon as possible.

Once she could no longer hear the women’s laughter, a sense of peace settled in her heart.

The path to the main palace was slower than usual due to her awkward gait.

However, this allowed her to observe the things she had previously passed by without noticing.

A cool breeze tickled Ines’s hair. The white palace radiated an elegant glow, and the sunlight sparkling through the leaves brought a sense of tranquility to those who observed it.

It was hard to imagine that not long ago, many people had died here, given the peaceful atmosphere.

As Ines slowly wandered through the palace, she finally reached the Sun Palace, where the king resided.

She noticed small clusters of clover leaves gathered under a large ginkgo tree.

“This is…”

It was a clover.

Seeing the small green leaves blooming in the tree’s shadow made Ines smile. Fond memories resurfaced.

‘Ines, I heard from my mother that if you find a four-leaf clover, good luck will come your way.’

But most were three-leaved, making it difficult to find a four-leaf one. Luck wasn’t something easily obtained, after all.

A small, amused smile spread across Ines’s face again.

“Yes, luck doesn’t come easily.”

Likewise, resolving things with Carlos wouldn’t be straightforward. Accepting this made her feel more at ease.

Carlos often shared stories his gypsy mother had told him, and Ines always enjoyed the tales he passed on.

Though everyone looked down on and dismissed Carlos’s gypsy mother, Ines believed there was no one as kind and free-spirited as she was.

Even though she had only seen her at royal events, the stories Carlos shared made her feel close to his mother.

‘Should I try looking for one?’

Maybe luck would suddenly come her way. With this thought, Ines began searching around for a four-leaf clover.

Despite her desire, finding a four-leaf clover was no easy task.

As she continued to scour the ground for some time, a voice suddenly called out to her from behind.

“Your Majesty, the Queen.”

Startled by the unexpected presence, Ines quickly turned around to see a knight standing there.

“Who…?”

The knight, hearing Ines’s soft murmur, bowed respectfully before her.

“It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Dairen, and I will be serving as your escort starting today.”

“An escort knight?”

“Yes. I was just on my way to the garden to meet you after being newly assigned.”

Ines recalled hearing that they were recruiting new escorts. Contrary to Herman’s comment about the lack of applicants, it seemed a knight had been appointed sooner than expected.

Typically, serving as a royal escort was a significant honor for a knight and a promising step for their future. However, there were no particular benefits for a knight to gain by serving as her escort, given her lack of influence.

The knight standing before her was likely from a humble family or a commoner who had been granted a non-heritable title.

But Ines, considering such matters irrelevant to herself, extended her hand.

“I look forward to working with you.”

The knight naturally kissed the back of Ines’s hand in a gesture of respect.

“I will serve you diligently, Your Majesty.”

As Ines withdrew her hand and began to head back to the palace, Dairen stopped her.

“Um…”

“Do you have something to say to me?”

Ines looked curiously at Dairen, who had called her back.

“It seemed like you were searching for a clover.”

With those words, Dairen rummaged through his pocket and unfolded a handkerchief. Inside lay a four-leaf clover.

Seeing what she had been searching for appear before her eyes, Ines’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Where did you find this?”

“I found it right where you were standing, Your Majesty.”

It hadn’t been visible when she was searching.

“Isn’t it difficult to find?”

In response to Ines’s question, the knight replied confidently.

“It’s not as hard as it seems. You just need to carefully examine the cluster of three-leaf clovers. Then you’re likely to find one among a hundred. Perhaps you couldn’t find it because I had already picked the four-leaf clover from that spot. Next time, try looking in the garden. I noticed quite a few clusters there.”

“The garden…”

Just as she resolved to search there again next time, the knight continued.

“I’d like to give this to you as a gift, Your Majesty. I found it this morning in the spot you were looking at.”

As Ines looked at the offering, she hesitated, wondering if she was stealing someone else’s luck.

“Are you sure I can have it? I heard finding one brings good luck…”

“Yes. I can always find another.”

With his confident demeanor, Ines accepted the four-leaf clover.

“Thank you.”

Gazing at the vividly green four-leaf clover, Ines smiled brightly.

‘This will bring you luck.’

She remembered the clover Carlos had given her in the past. Carlos had been so kind then, and it felt like they would be together forever.

Ines handled the clover delicately, afraid the leaves might fall off.

For some reason, she felt that something good was about to happen.

And there was someone watching her from beyond the window.

“Your Majesty.”

It was Carlos.

From the moment he spotted Ines outside while taking a break, Carlos couldn’t take his eyes off her.

At first, it was mere curiosity. He wondered what Ines was doing, lingering under the tree for so long. But when the knight appeared and began conversing with her, it started to bother him.

Even though he knew the knight had been assigned that morning, he couldn’t understand why Ines was speaking so familiarly with him.

Then, seeing Ines smiling so brightly after receiving something from the knight left Carlos feeling as if he had been struck.

When was the last time he had seen Ines with that expression?

Before the rebellion? No, it seemed even longer ago than that.

Perhaps it was around the time he had just returned from the last war. He couldn’t quite remember.

What could they have been talking about to make Ines smile like that?

Why doesn’t she smile at me like that?

As an inexplicable fire burned within him, someone called out.

“Your Majesty.”

“……”

“Your Majesty?”

It took a few more calls before Carlos finally turned his head.