Quite some time had passed since that day.

During that time, Ines’s belly had grown larger than before, and her once gaunt body had gained some weight.

Perhaps because her mind was more at ease, Ines’s complexion had also brightened considerably. Everything was just a continuation of peaceful days.

If there was anything to worry about lately, it was the health of the child growing in her womb.

“There’s no need for major concern.”

The doctor examining Ines straightened her back. She was a new female doctor who had come in after the sudden dismissal of the previous palace physician.

She continued speaking while organizing her examination tools.

“Both the baby and Your Majesty are in perfect health. The baby is growing very well, so please don’t worry.”

However, as if unable to feel reassured by the doctor’s words, Ines stroked her swollen belly. For being over half a year pregnant, her belly seemed somewhat less pronounced.

Ines asked the doctor in a worried voice.

“But my belly seems smaller than other mothers at the same stage… Are you sure the baby is really healthy?”

“Yes. Every mother’s belly size differs. Some mothers didn’t even know they were pregnant until their final month because their bellies barely showed.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, so please don’t worry too much. I’ll take my leave now. If you experience any discomfort, please don’t hesitate to call for me.”

Just as Ines’s expression seemed to relax a bit at the doctor’s words.

As the doctor left the room, a maid entered and approached Ines.

“Your Majesty. Many gifts have arrived today as well, shall I bring them to your room?”

Ines turned her head at the maid’s words. One corner of the room was already full of various gift boxes.

After her pregnancy was officially announced, gifts congratulating the queen’s pregnancy poured into the Lily Palace almost daily. Though they were probably just formal gestures.

Ines, who hadn’t bothered to open the gifts until now, ordered the maid.

“Would you check the gifts for me? Place the items in appropriate places according to their use. Give me the letters.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The maid, seemingly excited at the thought of opening gifts, picked up a gift box. As she opened the boxes one by one, various rare and expensive items were revealed in the room.

Unlike the maid who kept expressing amazement, Ines began opening the letters with an indifferent expression. Though they were formal gifts, it was courteous to send thank-you replies.

Since ladies-in-waiting usually handled responses except for important letters, Ines sorted out just a few letters she would answer herself.

While sorting through the letters, a name written on a white envelope caught her eye. It was a familiar name.

“…Baron Delmonsi?”

He was a bat-like man who had betrayed her father and become Descartes’s man. He was also a devil who knew her secret and had blackmailed her.

‘Why did he send a letter?’

She had heard bits of news about Marquis Descartes through Raella’s mouth.

Rumors that the trading company, which could be considered the family’s core business, had recently hit obstacles.

Since the trading company was practically the marquis family’s lifeline, she thought they must be busy. She had thought that with Carlos’s pressure on top of that, they wouldn’t have time to spare for her in the palace.

The letter from the baron, who was practically the marquis’s puppet, gave her an ominous feeling.

After hesitating for a moment, Ines carefully opened the letter.

But contrary to her worries, the letter contained ordinary greetings asking after her well-being.

It was just a very general message wishing for her safe delivery of the child.

Just as Ines was breathing a sigh of relief at the unexpectedly mundane content.

A familiar word written at the end of the letter caught her eye.

「I pray for the well-being of those in Calleren as well.」

Ines repeated the last sentence in her mouth.

“Calleren…”

That was the farm where Llewellyn worked.

Ines’s hands holding the letter began to tremble. Suddenly a terrible thought flashed through her mind.

‘They might harm mother.’

The reason Baron Delmonsi, not Descartes, sent her such a letter was probably because Carlos had blocked anything related to the marquis from entering the palace.

Had it been just her imagination that they had no time to pay attention to her? After biting her lip anxiously for a moment, Ines suddenly stood up.

‘I need to bring Llewellyn here.’

Ines’s heart was urgent with the decision she had made.

She planned to go straight to Carlos and ask him to bring Llewellyn to the palace. Anyway, now that she had confessed to being an illegitimate child, there was no need to hide Llewellyn’s existence.

No, she didn’t even need to reveal Llewellyn’s identity. Since he had previously agreed to let Llewellyn come to the palace, she could simply request to make her a maid again.

Having made up her mind, Ines quickly got up. The maid who had been opening gift boxes tilted her head.

“Do you need something, Your Majesty?”

“No, I just need to see His Majesty for a moment. You can stop checking the gifts there and return now.”

The maid replied with disappointment in her voice.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

* * *

As soon as the maid left the room, Ines headed straight for the Sun Palace. When she finally reached the office with her limping leg, her brows furrowed as she looked at the empty corridor.

Though it was still daylight, there was no one guarding outside the king’s office. Usually, this happened when Carlos was having private conversations with his close associates.

Wondering if she should go back, Ines approached the office. She wanted to at least make an appointment to meet later. Just as her hand was about to knock on the door, a familiar voice came through from beyond.

“About the lady-in-waiting Your Majesty ordered me to look into. I could barely find any trace of her before she was registered into the count’s family. It’s as if someone deliberately hid it.”

It was Herman’s voice. Ines slowly processed what he had said.

‘If it’s about a lady-in-waiting, is he talking about Margaret?’

She had thought it strange since Margaret was suddenly dismissed from the palace. It seemed Carlos had become suspicious of Margaret for some reason.

‘What should I do.’

Just as she was wondering whether to leave, given there was clearly no room to interrupt their conversation.

“But there’s something more important than the current lady-in-waiting. About when you asked about Duke Claudia’s mistress. After looking into it separately, it seems the duke did have a commoner mistress.”

When Herman mentioned Llewellyn, Ines suddenly raised her head.

Soon after, Carlos’s sensitive voice came across the threshold.

“So Duke Claudia really did have a mistress?”

“…Yes. It seems very few people in the mansion knew about this fact. I learned this from the family of the butler whose whereabouts had been unknown.”

Then Carlos carefully asked Herman.

“What if…”

Strangely, Carlos’s voice was trembling.

“What if Ines is the duke’s illegitimate child?”

Herman answered firmly to Carlos’s question.

“What? That’s impossible. Everyone in the kingdom knows how dearly the duke loved Your Majesty the Queen. I saw it clearly with my own eyes while staying in the same mansion.”

“But you were so confident there was no mistress, yet in the end there was one.”

“That’s…”

After a brief silence, Herman spoke with difficulty.

“If Her Majesty the Queen is an illegitimate child, that secret must be hidden by any means necessary.”

“…”

“There are already those who bring up Your Majesty’s legitimacy issues. Now that Her Majesty is pregnant, if it’s revealed that she’s an illegitimate child, it could shake the royal authority.”

Ines, who had been listening to their conversation, gripped her skirt.

Herman’s answer was one of the things she had worried about. The fact that she was an illegitimate child would not have a good influence on either Carlos or their child. But more than that…

‘He really doesn’t believe my words.’

Ines wore a bitter smile seeing Carlos believing only what came from Herman’s mouth rather than her own words.

‘Let’s go back.’

It was torturous to listen to their conversation any longer. Ines turned to return to the Lily Palace. But then.

“Royal authority? That’s not what I’m talking about, Herman.”

“Then what…”

“You know too. What I did to Ines while climbing to this position.”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know that I was the one who spread the necklace incident that made everyone point fingers at her, and those filthy, vulgar rumors about Ines.”

At his words, Ines drew in a breath.