Ines’s appearance was quite a sight to behold.

She was precariously wearing only a shawl over her chemise. One of her slippers was missing, and her left foot was covered in dust. Though her foot had scratches from walking without shoes, Ines seemed completely unaware of it.

She looked like someone being chased.

“What were you thinking…!”

Carlos was about to scold her with an irritated voice but quickly bit his lip.

Ines’s body shrank at the man’s sharp tone.

Only then did she examine her appearance. Embarrassed by her disheveled state, she hurriedly tried to fix her clothes.

“When I heard you were leaving, I was so shocked that I…”

Carlos let out a low sigh at her excuse and closed the door. Then he stared at Ines once again. He pressed his forehead as if he had a headache.

“Even if you were in a hurry, how could a queen be wandering around the palace looking like that?”

It was natural for Carlos to be angry since this was related to the queen’s dignity.

If people had seen her, they would have pointed fingers saying she had lost her mind.

No matter how she thought about it, she was in the wrong, so Ines apologized.

“…I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”

His voice became calmer than before, as if her apology had somewhat softened his mood.

“And why is your arm injured again?”

“Ah.”

Only then did Ines realize she was wearing a splint. At first, she twisted her body to hide it, but then changed her mind.

‘Maybe this is my chance to talk about what’s been happening.’

If she explained why her arm was injured, she could confess about everything that had happened…

‘Wait.’

Where should she begin? As Ines was organizing her thoughts, she hesitated as if realizing something important.

‘To explain why my arm is injured, I’ll have to talk about my ability.’

Then she would also have to explain why she was being threatened by the Marquis and his people. Even if she tried to lie about it, the truth about her being an illegitimate child would come out eventually.

Caught in this impossible situation, Ines bit her lip.

She had been so anxious about Carlos leaving that she hadn’t considered this aspect.

‘What should I do?’

The moment Llewellyn’s identity was revealed, all secrets would be exposed.

And this truth would soon be known to the world.

The words Count Delmonsi had said recently flashed through her mind.

‘Birds of a feather flock together, as they say. In the end, it’s just two bastards sticking together.’

It was a mocking comment about her and Carlos’s situation.

Probably everyone who learned this truth would think the same as the Count.

They would gossip that the Emperor chose her as queen because he was drawn to someone of the same background. They would belittle Carlos with such talk.

As her thoughts reached this point, she anxiously gripped her skirt. She had come intending to confess everything to Carlos, but faced with the reality before her, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

‘What should I do? What am I supposed to…’

While Ines was endlessly wrestling with her thoughts, Carlos, who had been waiting for her answer, sighed and called out to her.

“Hah, Ines.”

Finally coming to her senses, Ines looked up and met Carlos’s gaze. He appeared to have reached the limit of his patience.

“I asked why your arm is injured.”

At his pressing tone, Ines stammered.

“Th-this is…”

Her blue eyes wavered, unable to find their bearing. Her hands gripping her skirt tightened. Finally, as if having made a decision, Ines let out what sounded like a sigh.

“…I slipped on the stairs and fell.”

Carlos’s face crumpled at those words.

“Don’t tell me you got hurt doing that charity work or whatever again? What exactly are you doing there that you come back injured every time?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Apologizing, Ines turned her body. She tried to hide her splinted arm to avoid his criticism. But Carlos’s voice was sharp, already irritated by the fact that Ines was injured.

“Are you even aware that you’re pregnant?”

“…”

“What if something happens to the child because of this…!”

Carlos ran his hand through his hair, barely suppressing his rising emotions.

“Don’t go to the poorhouse for a while. This is an order. I’ll tell Jeff not to provide you with a carriage if you try to go for charity work.”

At those words, Ines felt a momentary hope.

‘Does this mean I won’t have to have my ability exploited under the pretense of charity work anymore?’

But that brief hope quickly faded as she realized it was a naive thought.

Even without charity work, they could create any number of excuses.

With Carlos away, the Marquis would be the most powerful person in Tezever. He would use any means necessary to use her ability.

He would either bribe palace servants for his sick child or create fake social gatherings if he had to.

As these thoughts settled in, Ines’s face darkened considerably.

‘It’s too dangerous for me to stay alone in the palace without Carlos.’

With even Margaret gone, whom she had believed to be on her side, there was no one left in the palace she could rely on. Once Carlos, who had acted as her shield, left, the future situation was crystal clear.

“You should go back now. I’m leaving at dawn tomorrow. It will probably take more than a month…”

Just as Carlos, unaware of Ines’s thoughts, was turning around, he stopped at the urgent grip on his sleeve.

“Can’t I go with you?”

“What?”

“I want to go with you. Please take me with you.”

Ines looked at Carlos with the most desperate eyes she had ever shown.

This was the best solution she could think of right now.

She had to leave the palace with Carlos somehow. If she did, they wouldn’t be able to do anything to her anymore. They couldn’t bring their sick son along, so she could escape their clutches for at least a month.

She planned to think about what to do next after getting away from their sight. Perhaps she could find a way out of this crisis without revealing her birth. That’s why she had to follow him somehow. It was the only way to protect herself and her unborn child right now. However.

Carlos shook off Ines’s hand that was holding his sleeve.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“…Pardon?”

Carlos looked at Ines with contemptuous eyes.

“You seem to think I’m going on some kind of trip…”

“I know! I know it’s not a trip. You’re going to inspect the provincial cities because you’re now king. It’s important state business. I know how significant this is. So don’t worry. I’ll just stay quietly by your side. I promise I won’t be a burden.”

Ines’s voice was urgent. She sounded like a child begging a mother who was trying to abandon them.

“You don’t have to rest or slow down because of me. I’m confident I won’t get sick. I know about long carriage rides from when I was young, and I’ve never gotten ill from them. So I can definitely endure a journey of that length…”

“Stop being unreasonable, Ines.”

However, Carlos cut off her desperate pleading at once. He looked at Ines with disdainful eyes.

“You seem to keep forgetting, but you’re pregnant right now. How do you expect to accompany me on such a journey in that condition? I’ll say it again, I’m not going on a pleasure trip.”

“I know. I know that very well. But I just…”

There was a painful look in her eyes.

“It’s too hard for me.”

“…”

“Being in the palace is so suffocating, and frightening… That’s why.”

As she said this, Ines grabbed Carlos’s sleeve again.

Her voice became more desperate than before.

“So please…”

The hand holding his sleeve trembled slightly.

“Please take me with you, Carlos.”

Carlos’s eyes widened slightly, as if momentarily swayed by her pitiful behavior. But after letting out a short sigh, he answered.

“I don’t understand why you’re suddenly acting like this, but what’s impossible is impossible. This isn’t a journey that a pregnant person can casually undertake.”

“I’ll be fine. You don’t need to show me any consideration at all. I really promise to be as quiet as a mouse. So please reconsider…”

But Carlos’s voice grew more irritated at Ines’s persistent pleading.

“Setting aside the pregnancy.”

He glanced at Ines’s left leg.

“How do you expect to follow anyone with that leg of yours?”