Ines’s body trembled slightly at the words disparaging not only herself but Carlos as well. She should have shouted at such insolence, but her lips remained sealed shut.

Ines barely moved her lips, which had become stiff as if coated with wax.

“H-how did you find out about that…”

Her voice trembled against her will.

“You went to Madame Rosaline’s salon recently, didn’t you? I had someone follow you then. The Your Majesty I knew didn’t enjoy shopping. And going to a dressmaker alone without any maids? I thought there must be someone you wanted to meet in secret.”

Margaret explained how she discovered Llewellyn’s existence.

“Then I saw a shabby-looking woman enter the salon. It was strange, why would Your Majesty meet someone like that? So I looked into her. Her name is Llewellyn, a former maid who worked at House Claudia. And Your Majesty’s birth mother.”

“…”

“Many who worked at the duke’s house died in the rebellion, but not everyone died. There were survivors, like your mother.”

A secret she never wanted revealed had been exposed.

“If it becomes known that this maid was Duke Claudia’s mistress, do you think she’ll be safe?”

“What?”

“There are many people in this country who hold grudges against House Claudia.”

Margaret’s face turned cold for a moment.

“Including myself.”

At that moment, voices calling for Ines could be heard from outside. The guards had finally noticed her disappearance.

Delmonsi and the man beside him quickly hid through a door connected to the warehouse. Whether they were escaping the poorhouse or just hiding temporarily was unclear. Ines had no mental capacity left to think about such things.

Ines’s body swayed as she no longer had the strength to stand. At that moment, Margaret quickly moved to support her.

“Your Majesty!”

Margaret called out to Ines in an exaggerated voice and shouted.

“Someone please help!”

Soon the door burst open as people came rushing in.

The guards’ faces turned pale seeing the queen bleeding enough to soak the floor. They feared being reprimanded by the king for this incident.

“Wh-what happened…”

“She fell in the warehouse and this happened… We need to give Her Majesty first aid immediately. Is there a doctor? Hurry!”

Ines looked at Margaret with empty eyes.

To anyone watching, she appeared to be genuinely worried about her.

It was truly detestable.

* * *

After receiving first aid at the poorhouse, Ines returned straight to the palace and was treated by a doctor.

“Fortunately, the wound isn’t deep. If you take good care of it, it won’t even leave a scar.”

“Thank you.”

Margaret gave thanks on behalf of Ines, who had silently offered only her arm.

The doctor pushed up his glasses and asked.

“But what kind of volunteer work were you doing to get such an injury… As I’ve said before, you shouldn’t do strenuous activities. Since you’ve been injured like this, wouldn’t it be better to take a break from volunteering at the poorhouse for a while and rest?”

“I understand…”

As Ines was about to agree to follow the doctor’s advice, Margaret cut her off.

“No. We didn’t do any activities that would be too strenuous for a pregnant woman. And Your Majesty really enjoys volunteering at the poorhouse. Today she just happened to get injured in an accident. I should have taken better care of her, my negligence pains my heart.”

“Hmm… I suppose forcing someone to stop doing what they want isn’t good either, so I’ll accept that for now. As I’ve said many times, you must rest immediately if you feel it’s too much.”

“Yes. I will serve her better by her side.”

Though Margaret acted as if she was representing Ines’s opinions, Ines’s actual wishes weren’t reflected in their conversation at all. She was now sick of everything, including the poorhouse. She just wanted to lie in her room.

She no longer knew who to rely on or who to trust.

After the doctor finished his examination and left, Margaret began cleaning up after him. She appeared to be the same diligent maid as always.

After the doctor left, Margaret spoke to Ines in an unbothered voice.

“Keep going to volunteer at the poorhouse every week. It will be easier for the baron to approach you if you have some outside activities rather than staying only in the palace.”

It was the tone of a superior giving orders to a subordinate. As if Ines’s opinion didn’t matter from the start, Margaret continued speaking.

“Next week, Marquis Descartes will officially visit the poorhouse. After that, you can go to the marquis’s mansion under the pretense of having dinner together.”

Ines frowned at the mention of going to Marquis Descartes’s house.

“No.”

It was extremely rare for a queen to visit another noble’s mansion for personal matters. Usually, when dining together, it was proper to invite the noble to the palace. If she, as queen, were to dine at a subject’s mansion, it could cause gossip.

However, Margaret snorted at Ines’s refusal and replied.

“Your Majesty doesn’t have the right to choose right now. You just have to follow what we demand.”

Margaret approached Ines, who was leaning against the bed, and took her hand.

“You have to save your mother, don’t you?”

They were threatening her by holding Llewellyn’s life.

Ines, who had been quietly staring at Margaret, spoke.

“So that’s why. Why you were so kind to me when there was nothing to gain.”

Looking back, it had been strange from the start.

A nobly raised lady couldn’t help but be shocked at seeing the scars on her back. She should have noticed when Margaret acted so calmly as if it was nothing.

She had been so starved for affection.

So starved for human warmth that she fell for such simple kindness without any suspicion.

Ines bit her lip in frustration.

“That was a lie too, wasn’t it? The story about us meeting in the orchard. You made up that lie to gain my favor…”

“That wasn’t a lie.”

“What?”

Margaret’s face, which had been full of laughter, suddenly turned cold.

“Meeting Your Majesty in the orchard owned by House Claudia when we were young wasn’t a lie. We did meet that day.”

Margaret, who had been sifting through past memories for a moment, slowly began telling the old story.

“After my father, who held the title of baron, passed away, my mother soon followed. My younger brother and I moved between relatives’ homes, but everyone was struggling financially, so we barely had proper meals.”

The story began when Margaret was ten years old.

“One day when we were so hungry and there was nothing to eat even in the mountains, we happened to find an orchard full of ripe fruit. We knew who owned it. We also knew he was a terrifying person. There were rumors that if you ate even one fallen fruit from that orchard, you’d have to forfeit your life.”

Margaret let out a hollow laugh as if finding it amusing even now.

“But that day I really couldn’t stand it anymore. My brother and I had eaten only tree roots for four days. So we secretly went to the orchard… and there we met the young Your Majesty.”

“…”

“Unlike the rumors, the daughter of the orchard was incredibly kind and gentle. She even gave us fruit to eat, I was so grateful.”

Ines, who had been listening to Margaret’s words, furrowed her brow.

“Then why did you do this? You said you were grateful to me. Why…”

“And then when the duke found out we had eaten the fruit that day, he cut off both my younger brother’s hands.”

“…What?”

The voice that was about to reproach Margaret died down. Ines froze as if she had heard something impossible.

“The duke’s son saw my brother eating the fruit.”

“…”

“My brother, whose wrists were cut off that very day at the duke’s mansion, died without receiving any treatment.”

Her mouth was sealed shut, unable to give any response.

Her heart pounded wildly as her breathing quickened.

“Your Majesty.”

Margaret called to Ines in an empty voice.

“My younger brother was only… eight years old.”

Ines, who had been unable to speak as if something was stuck in her throat, finally opened her mouth.

“I… I didn’t do that… I just…”

“I know, that Your Majesty wasn’t at fault. You’re a kind and gentle person. That’s why you couldn’t ignore an injured child and took on their wounds, and why you made such a choice to save me. But Your Majesty.”

Margaret cupped Ines’s cheek with a gentle touch.

“Nevertheless, you are Duke Claudia’s daughter. So you must pay for your father’s sins.”

Tears welled up in Ines’s eyes. Once again, her father’s sins were casting stones at her.