Ines’s body gradually recovered, and now she was able to go outside for slow walks. Today, Carlos accompanied her as she strolled through the rear garden for the first time in a while.

The snow that had been falling as if the sky would collapse had melted away as if it had never been, and the ground was showing hints of green.

Carlos supported Ines as she carefully walked and began to speak.

“Do you remember? How we used to take walks in Saint Park.”

“…Of course.”

Saint Park was a small park on the outskirts of the capital. Being in a secluded location with few people around, it had been a place where they enjoyed secret meetings during their courtship.

Carlos looked at Ines and briefly recalled the past.

Those times when he, despised by everyone, shared whispers of love with Ines, who was called the flower of Tezever. Although where they were walking now wasn’t that park from back then, it felt like returning to the past.

“Back then, we’d go all the way to that park on the outskirts to avoid people’s eyes. We’d deliberately schedule our meetings for the evening. Do you remember that too?”

“…Yes.”

Carlos smiled at her response. Although her answers were brief, his heart fluttered at sharing memories together. Carlos looked at Ines standing beside him.

Though her complexion wasn’t great yet, she was much better than he had worried. Hadn’t the doctor said she had almost fully recovered her health? It was all possible because Ines had the will to recover her health.

Carlos felt relieved at this fact. It even seemed silly how anxious and worried he had been until recently.

‘What was I so anxious about?’

The smile she had shown when told of their child’s death had made him so uneasy that he couldn’t sleep properly for days. He had only felt at ease after receiving reports about Ines’s every move and hearing that she was doing well.

But Carlos didn’t do that anymore. No, there was no need to do that anymore.

Seeing Ines reminisce about their memories together, seeing her give faint but occasional smiles, he finally felt completely at ease.

As the two had been walking for quite some time, Carlos stopped as if discovering something.

A welcoming smile spread across his face.

“There’s a cluster of clovers over there.”

He approached where the cluster was gathered. It seemed they had appeared as the snow melted a bit.

“They’re hard to find in winter.”

Although they were perennials, they were relatively difficult to find in winter. Carlos knelt down and examined the cluster for a while as if looking for something.

“Usually you can find four-leaf ones in clusters like this, but I guess because it’s winter, I can’t see any.”

But unable to find what he wanted, he soon stood up with a disappointed expression.

“When the weather warms up faster, I’ll find one for you.”

Ines answered with a faint smile again this time. Pleased by this, Carlos continued speaking. Whenever Ines smiled even a little like this, he would become excited like a child.

“Or how about having dinner at Moldis in town tonight? You used to like their food.”

“Did I?”

“Especially the lemon cake they served for dessert. If going that far would be too tiring, we could invite the restaurant’s chef to the palace and order the foods we used to enjoy. But it might be too much for today, so if you’re okay with it, we could go out…”

Just as Carlos was excitedly suggesting various things.

“Carlos.”

Ines interrupted his words and replied.

“I’m very tired after breathing the outside air for the first time in a while. I’m sorry, but I don’t think we can have dinner together. I want to go in and rest.”

“Ah.”

Only then realizing he had gotten too excited by himself, he let out a short sigh.

“I was thoughtless. Of course you’d be tired, it’s your first time breathing outside air today. Then let’s go in for today.”

“Thank you.”

With those words, the two made their way back to the palace. Having reached the Lily Palace, Carlos bid her farewell.

“Would you like to have lunch together tomorrow? Since going out is difficult, I was thinking of arranging a formal dinner in the greenhouse.”

“…Sure.”

Her expression softened again, as if his suggestion wasn’t bad. Carlos responded with an even brighter smile.

“Then rest well.”

Carlos briefly kissed the back of Ines’s hand. She soon moved and entered her room.

Carlos stood there for a while until she disappeared from sight, then turned around.

Just as he was about to head to his office, his steps faltered. The servant following behind him asked.

“Did you forget something…?”

Carlos, who had been staring at the garden as if contemplating something, retraced his steps. The surprised servant hurriedly followed behind him.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

What Carlos did upon reaching the garden was to look for the four-leaf clover he couldn’t find earlier. He wanted to fulfill his promise to find and give Ines a clover as soon as possible.

However, unlike his initial enthusiasm, perhaps because it was winter, the four-leaf clover was still hard to find. Just as disappointment was beginning to rise, a memory from the past flashed by.

The image of Ines searching for clovers with a knight outside his office window.

“It might be there.”

As the thought occurred to him, Carlos’s steps became hurried as he headed there. He wanted to give her the clover as a gift before lunch tomorrow at the latest.

Having reached the garden behind his office, Carlos poked around near the tree where Ines used to look around in the past. Sure enough, there was a cluster of clovers here too.

After rummaging through the cluster for a while, despite the worried servants trying to dissuade him from behind, his face suddenly brightened.

“Found it.”

He had finally found a four-leaf clover. Carlos smiled brightly upon discovering it.

It felt like returning to his childhood.

Carlos, who had been fondling it happily for a while, looked up at the sky.

The sky was turning orange as if the sun was just setting. Considering how short the days were in winter, it wasn’t even dinner time yet.

Although she had said she was tired, it was still too early to be asleep.

Carlos, who had been rolling the four-leaf clover in his hand, hesitated for a moment before seemingly making up his mind and lifting his head.

Then he turned his steps toward where Ines was. Strangely, today Carlos’s heart was especially excited.

Was it because he had found a rare four-leaf clover while reminiscing about the past?

Somehow, it felt like something good was about to happen.

* * *

Having reached the palace in one breath, he tidied his appearance in front of Ines’s chamber.

He realized his appearance was quite disheveled from rummaging through the grass in his rush here.

After neatly arranging his appearance, Carlos carefully knocked on the door. However, contrary to his expectation, there was no response.

She couldn’t have fallen asleep already. Was she that tired? He considered leaving for a moment, but thought if she was asleep, leaving this by her bedside might make her happy.

His face lit up with excitement as he imagined her smiling at him again.

‘It might be good to leave it quietly.’

With that thought, Carlos carefully entered the room.

However, contrary to his expectation that she would be lying in bed, she was nowhere to be seen.

“Ines?”

There was no answer when he called her name.

‘Where could she have gone?’

As he was looking around the room, he faintly heard the sound of water. Turning his head, he saw a dim light coming from the bathroom.

‘She must be bathing.’

In that case, it might be good to leave quietly. Just as he thought this and turned to leave.

Splash, water pooled at his feet splashed.

“Why is there water…”

His head slowly turned. When Carlos’s gaze finally indicated where the water had started leaking from, his face froze.

Water from the bathroom was soaking the entire room.

Perhaps it was from then. When the ominous feeling began creeping up his ankles, as if waking from a pleasant dream.

Carlos hurriedly moved toward the bathroom. He called Ines’s name several times as he went, but there was no response.

His heart grew urgent with the ominous premonition. His steps toward the bathroom quickened even more.

Finally reaching the door, he flung open the bathroom door. There, he saw Ines’s figure he had been waiting for.

Wearing black mourning clothes, Ines was lying in the bathroom with her eyes closed. And the water in the bathtub…

“Ines…?”

As if it were a lie, it was all dyed red.

Thud.

The four-leaf clover held in his hand fell limply to the floor. The red bloodwater slowly soaked the four-leaf clover on the bathroom floor.