Night had fallen.

Margaret was nursing Ines, who lay in bed.

In the end, Descartes did not grant Ines’s request. He insisted on calling her under the pretext of a tea party with the Marchioness, making her heal his friend’s daughter’s finger.

As a result, another wound was added to Ines’s body.

“Your arm seems to have healed completely now. The finger bandages can come off next week too. It’s fortunate that you heal faster than ordinary people.”

Margaret continued as she examined her wounds.

“Since the Marquis will be away from the capital for a while, you won’t need to use your ability. So rest easy. Everyone needs rest sometimes.”

Ines turned her head at Margaret’s seemingly generous words.

Descartes had announced they were going on a family trip – something they hadn’t been able to do before due to his son’s illness. Because of this, Ines had to spend half a day bedridden after transferring Alfredo’s pain in advance. Exhaustion was evident on Ines’s face as she lay in bed.

Gently stroking Ines’s cheek, Margaret continued.

“I’ll also be away from the palace today and tomorrow.”

“…Away from the palace?”

Ines raised her head at these unexpected words.

“Yes. You’ll have to endure being lonely for a little while, okay?”

“…”

As if she hadn’t expected a response from Ines in the first place, Margaret smiled one last time before getting up.

As soon as the footsteps faded and the door closed.

The expression on Ines’s face, which had appeared completely exhausted just moments ago, changed.

‘This is my chance.’

Rising from bed with a determined expression, Ines went straight to the wardrobe. She pulled out something she had hidden deep inside. It was an old maid’s uniform.

“This is my only chance.”

After learning Descartes’s true intentions, Ines immediately made plans to escape. While pretending to take a solitary walk, she had stolen a maid’s uniform from the laundry area and learned the guard shift schedules.

Waiting for a chance to escape. And that day was today.

Descartes had left the capital, and Margaret was also away from the palace. Moreover, there was a big festival in the square today. The annual festival was so popular that even palace workers would sneak out to see it.

Such opportunities were rare. Furthermore…

“The guard on duty today was the soldier with the big mole on his face.”

There had been changes to the guards watching the Queen’s palace since Carlos left.

While the security had been too tight before to even think about going outside, now there was a small gap.

Among them, the soldier with the big mole was particularly lax in his duties. He had even been on duty while drunk one day.

Everything was truly perfect.

Ines turned to look at the clock. It was 9 PM now.

The next shift change was at 3 AM. And she needed to escape from the palace before that time came. Ines took out the alcohol hidden in the maid’s uniform.

“I just need to make the soldier drink this.”

He seemed like the type who enjoyed drinking. He probably wouldn’t refuse if she offered him a drink using the festival as an excuse. She planned to escape while the soldier was unconscious after drinking this.

“Then head straight to the old palace.”

Her destination was the old palace, which had an exit passage. Before her marriage, Ines had learned from a drunk Joseph that there was a secret passage out of the old palace.

‘Behind the old palace, there’s a messy bunch of vines. If you search through them carefully, there’s a hole leading outside. I used to sneak out to play through there when I was young.’

After briefly recalling Joseph’s words, Ines got up.

She went to her vanity and began putting her jewelry into a small cloth pouch.

These were her jewels that Carlos had retrieved from the priest and returned to her before leaving.

She planned to convert them to cash as soon as she left the capital.

‘First, I’ll go to the farm where mother is.’

She didn’t know what they might do to Llewellyn if they discovered she had escaped. So she absolutely had to leave the capital with Llewellyn.

Afterwards, she planned to flee to another country if the opportunity arose. Though Brillant was the closest country, Joseph’s presence there made it uncomfortable.

Vernar also didn’t appeal to her because of recent events.

So she thought of going somewhere else entirely, even if it was further away. It might be good to hide in a quiet countryside village until she could make more concrete plans.

If she was with Llewellyn rather than alone, she felt she could endure any hardship.

As Ines was hastily gathering her jewelry, the necklace Carlos had prepared caught her eye. She hesitated for a moment, quietly running her finger over the pendant that matched her eye color.

Finally, she fastened the necklace around her neck. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she murmured.

“I suppose it’s alright to keep this much.”

Just this one thing she could keep close, and occasionally think of Carlos. She clutched the pendant gleaming against her white neck.

Though she felt guilty about leaving without a word to Carlos, she had no choice.

This was the best she could do now to protect her child.

“If only the baby can be born safely…”

When the time came that she could honestly tell Carlos her secret, then…

Having finished her thoughts, Ines closed the drawer.

* * *

1 AM.

Ines opened the door slightly and smiled when she saw the sleeping guard. This was the moment she had been waiting for in silence. Just earlier, she had secretly given the guard alcohol laced with drugs.

‘It must be hard working while everyone else enjoys the festival. Have a drink since today will pass peacefully like any other day.’

The guard didn’t suspect Ines’s words. Rather, he gladly accepted and drank the alcohol she offered. As a result, Ines was able to slip out of the palace. Her steps were hurried as she crossed the corridor.

She deliberately left her cane behind as it would be too noticeable. Though walking was uncomfortable and slower, she had no choice.

A limping maid with a cane would catch anyone’s eye. It was a choice made because it would be difficult to explain if caught by others.

As Ines was struggling across the palace.

“Hey, you there.”

A heavy voice stopped her. It was a knight on guard duty. Her entire body instantly froze. Though her heart was pounding as if it would burst, Ines turned around pretending to be calm.

“…What is it?”

Fearing he might recognize her face, Ines slightly bowed her head. But contrary to her efforts, the knight gradually approached closer. With each of his footsteps, Ines’s heart pounded harder.

‘Could I have been caught? So futilely? What happens if word of my escape reaches the Marquis’s ears? What if Margaret finds out?’

As these unsettling thoughts began to swirl in her mind. The knight finally stood before her. And then.

“You dropped this.”

The knight handed her a handkerchief in an indifferent voice. His only purpose seemed to be returning a handkerchief he’d found on the ground, as he didn’t even properly look at her face.

“…Thank you.”

The knight turned away without responding to her thanks. Only after he had gone did Ines release the breath she’d been holding.

‘I thought I’d been caught.’

Having been startled, she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart as she stuffed the handkerchief into her pocket.

Fortunately, she didn’t encounter anyone else after that. It was probably because it was late and many people had left the palace for the festival in the square.

Thanks to this, Ines reached the old palace faster than expected. As soon as she arrived, she began searching for the passage Joseph had mentioned.

‘There’s a peculiarly bent tree there. I think they said it got that way after a queen hanged herself on it. There’s a hole leading out right behind that tree.’

And she recognized the vines Joseph had mentioned at a glance. To think there would be a day when Joseph would be helpful to her. Ines smiled bitterly and immediately examined behind the tree.

Though the noise of rustling through the bushes was quite loud, fortunately no one came to investigate as it was a deserted area. After searching through the vines for a while, she soon spotted a small hole.

“Found it.”

It was the passage Joseph had mentioned. Miraculously, everything had gone smoothly. She had safely reached the old palace and found the exit passage before it was too late. Ines smiled with joy and immediately crawled into the hole.

Though her clothes got caught on branches and became dirty, she didn’t mind at all. And finally.

“…I made it.”

She had really escaped from the palace. Even while escaping alone, she had doubted whether she could succeed. A smile involuntarily spread across her face. Her heart beat wildly as she looked back at the majestic palace rising behind her.

“…Goodbye now.”

It was truly time to bid farewell to this place. She probably wouldn’t be able to return to the royal palace for a while. Perhaps she might never return. After silently saying goodbye in her heart, Ines began walking.

Due to the festival’s aftermath, there were still many people on the streets. Fortunately, there were still carriages for hire roaming the streets to transport people.

Ines approached a coachman and waved her hand. Now it was time to go to Llewellyn.