“Every night, my sister cries because of the scar your brother left her with, and yet you…”

Herman had once been part of the Claudia family, the son of the gardener couple who worked for them. As he looked at Ines’s flawless skin, he grimaced.

“Still as flawless as ever.”

Seeing him seethe with quiet anger brought back memories of past horrors. His sister, five years younger than him, had been assaulted by her own brother.

“If you continue to live comfortably with the emperor’s support, my parents will cry from their graves.”

And it didn’t stop there; her father had killed Herman’s parents. They had pleaded for punishment for Ines’s brother, who had assaulted their daughter. But their crimes didn’t end there. Her parents used their daughter, who was engaged to the king, to fill their own coffers.

Even during a great famine caused by poor harvests, they never considered stopping their misdeeds.

When a starving child stole from the family’s farm, they cut off the child’s wrist.

They regarded the lives of their subjects as less significant than passing ants and indulged in luxury with the money they exploited from them.

They likely committed even worse deeds than what was known to the world. Her family was that kind of people. So she couldn’t dare to refute Herman’s accusations. All she could do was…

“I’m sorry.”

Apologize.

But instead, her apology seemed to irritate Herman even more, and his frown deepened.

“I don’t need an empty apology. It’s like you’re being forced to bow down. I suppose if the rebellion hadn’t happened, I would never have heard it.”

He didn’t believe Ines was sincerely apologizing. He thought she was just bowing her head temporarily because her status had fallen. The Claudia family was full of despicable people.

Having reached his own conclusion, Herman tilted his head disdainfully.

“I guess you need that level of shamelessness to have the guts to play around with your fiancé’s brother.”

The criticism directed at Ines grew harsher.

“Do you know what people are saying about you right now?”

Tired of the relentless reproach, she replied with a resigned expression.

“How could I not? People shout it every day in front of the castle gates.”

Unless she were deaf, she couldn’t help but know. The maids openly scorned her, and the protestors shouted for her death every day.

She knew they deliberately protested at the gate closest to the Lily Palace where she stayed. She also knew that Herman was the one who orchestrated it.

“And knowing that, do you still want to live?”

Herman’s contemptuous eyes bore into Ines. He seemed to resent her for still being alive. The clear hostility suffocated her.

The sins of her deceased father and brother weighed heavily on her shoulders.

“I…”

What more could she do? Just as she managed to part her lips that seemed glued shut.

“Herman.”

A familiar voice interrupted between them.

“…Your Majesty.”

It was Carlos. Herman hadn’t expected to encounter his lord here and looked away in surprise. Even though Ines was the target of everyone’s criticism, she was also the woman who would become Carlos’s wife.

“Go now.”

But Carlos simply ordered Herman to leave without further comment. There was no anger or mockery on Carlos’s face. After paying his respects to Carlos, Herman passed by Ines. Soon, only the two of them remained in the empty corridor. He approached Ines.

“I hope you can understand. As you know, Herman lost his family because of your father. And his only remaining sister has a terrible scar that will last a lifetime.”

He gently patted Ines on the shoulder.

Compared to what Herman had endured, what she was experiencing seemed trivial.

His calm voice almost whispered that everything happening to her was her own fault.

Yes, he was right.

Everything she was facing was her own karma. The tension in her shoulders eased as Ines stopped Carlos, who was about to walk past her.

“You’re right.”

“……”

“It’s all because of me.”

Even if the world criticized her, she could only endure it silently. Therefore, it wasn’t right for someone like her to be by the side of the newly crowned king.

“So marrying me doesn’t make sense. How can a hero who defeated evil marry the daughter of that evil?”

“……What are you trying to say?”

Ines began suggesting other women to Carlos with a firm voice.

“Choose another woman to be your queen instead of me. How about the daughter of Count Colsen, who supported the rebellion? I met her once. She’s graceful, perceptive, and very virtuous.”

“……”

“Or perhaps the princess from the Grand Duchy of Hessen would be a good choice. Marrying her could help build friendly relations with the West.”

“Ines.”

Carlos quietly called her name, as if to tell her to stop. But once Ines started her suggestions, she couldn’t stop.

“If she doesn’t satisfy you, how about the Princess of Natassen? I’ve heard she’s very beautiful. You’ve always liked elegance and grace, haven’t you? So if you see her, you’ll surely be pleased…”

“Enough.”

Carlos, who had approached Ines without her noticing, grabbed her arm.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Ines continued speaking without avoiding his intense gaze.

“I mean there are plenty of better choices than me. I don’t understand why you’d choose the worst option when there are good ones available.”

“Are you saying marrying me is the worst choice?”

“At least it isn’t the best choice.”

The gossipers said that the hero who saved Tezever from the devil’s grasp was getting involved with the devil’s daughter. That was the talk of the town every day.

By choosing her as his queen, he stood to lose more than he gained. So why on earth?

“The worst choice, huh…”

Carlos let out a bitter laugh at Ines’s words.

Feeling as if something snapped, Carlos, reaching his limit, pulled Ines closer. She couldn’t resist his strong grip and was helplessly drawn to him, causing the cane she was holding to roll on the floor.

“You made that choice first.”

There was deep resentment in Carlos’s eyes.

“Choosing my brother over me was probably the worst choice, wasn’t it?”

“……”

“Look at your situation now.”

Originally, there was no one in Tezever who didn’t love Ines.

Just as Carlos cherished and regarded her as noble, everything living and breathing in this world cherished her. But what about now?

“Every day, people come to me begging to have you executed. They say a wicked woman like you shouldn’t be kept alive.”

Everything living and breathing in this world had come to despise her. They all insisted, in unison, that Ines should be put to death. He lowered his gaze and focused on her left leg.

“They say the reason you limp is because you fell from a balcony while committing adultery with another man.”

“…….”

“They all claim you’ll be a stain on my reign.”

Ines, without averting her eyes, replied.

“Then just abandon me.”

He quietly observed Ines, who was pleading for him to finally let her go, and spoke again.

“I can’t do that.”

Carlos placed his hand on Ines’s cheek.

“Ines. You’re just……”

His fingers slowly caressed her soft, pale skin.

“You’ll remain here as a stain on my life forever.”

Ines couldn’t find the words to respond. She could only gaze at his face with trembling eyes.

Carlos, moving away from Ines, murmured one last thing.

“……The wedding will proceed as planned.”

With those words, Carlos walked past Ines indifferently.

In the empty hallway, the sound of his footsteps, heavy with emotion, echoed quietly. Strangely, her left leg throbbed.

Just like a year ago, when he first walked this hallway with his limping leg.

Step by step.

With each heavy step, visions of the past replayed in his mind. The miserable and wretched memories of not being able to call his father “Father,” or his brother “Brother.”

“I permit the marriage with Ines. But there’s one condition. You must go to war in place of my son.”

If it meant I could stand by your side, I was willing to do anything.

“I’ll wait for you, Carlos.”

I thought you felt the same way.

But then.

“Welcome, little brother. Come, say hello. You’ve met before, haven’t you? My fiancée, Ines.”

When I returned from the jaws of death, you had become my brother’s fiancée.