When the knight commander knelt, Laila and the other commanding officers followed him, dropping to their knees and bowing their heads.

“To think you have brought me the victory I desired so swiftly. I am greatly pleased and proud.”

“We are deeply honored, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“All of you, rise and lift your heads.”

At the emperor’s command, Laila raised her head and found herself meeting his gaze. His face was satisfied, but his eyes gleamed with greed. For some reason, she had a bad feeling.

“I will hold a banquet in your honor two days from now.”

Laila did not listen to the emperor’s continuing speech. She was too busy searching among the assembled nobles.

‘Carlo must be here somewhere.’

Laila found him quickly. But before she could smile with joy, her expression froze.

Roselina was clinging ostentatiously to Carlo’s arm, as though he were her property.

Her gaze was fixed directly on Laila.

Seeing Roselina standing there with a triumphant smile, daring her to look, Laila’s mind began to cloud over.

‘Why…?!’

Laila urgently looked at Carlo, but he merely turned away.

‘Did he just avoid my eyes?’

Suddenly, all the strength drained from her body, her thoughts became muddled, and she felt as though she had been left alone on the battlefield once more. His refusal to look at her made her feel as though she had been abandoned on the battlefield once again.

As Laila reeled in confusion, Princess Lenoa watched her.

Sorrow, concern, and urgency mingled in her eyes.

‘I cannot even begin to imagine what she must be feeling.’

The letter from Theodor, Crown Prince of the Adelina Empire, had arrived the previous day. And its contents had been almost too shocking to believe.

‘Dame Laila is Princess Lailea, who was believed to be dead.’

Theodor’s half sister and Carlo’s escort knight.

Seeing Laila’s deathly pale face, Lenoa could tell exactly what emotions she was experiencing.

Betrayal, shock, and denial.

It was hardly a secret that Laila loved Carlo. Anyone could tell merely by seeing the way her eyes always followed him.

‘She even went to war for the man she loves, only to return to this.’

Watching Laila, Lenoa bit down lightly on her lip in unease. Laila looked so unsteady that she might collapse at any moment.

And her distress intensified further at the emperor’s next words.

“Duke Crussian, thanks to you, we have gained an exceptional knight in Dame Laila Grant.”

“Hahaha. This is all owing to Your Imperial Majesty’s benevolence.”

The duke’s surprise at being addressed lasted only a moment before the emperor dropped a devastating blow.

“The marriage of Lord Carlo Siren and Lady Roselina Crussian is a joyous occasion not only for the ducal house, but for the entire empire.”

This had to be a joke.

It felt utterly unreal, as if all the light had been sucked out of her, leaving only darkness.

Laila could barely turn her head towards Carlo. Silently, she pleaded with him to tell her it was not true, to say it was a misunderstanding or an excuse — anything at all.

But, as always, Carlo never looked at Laila. Seeing him smile at Roselina was more merciless and brutal than the war itself.

“Your Imperial Majesty, if you will permit it, there is something I would like to ask the lady.”

Still holding Roselina’s hand, Carlo addressed the emperor. As though there were some unspoken agreement between them, the emperor regarded him with satisfaction.

“Of course. You have my permission.”

“Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Carlo turned towards Roselina and lowered himself to one knee.

The room was filled with gasps of admiration and people clutched their hearts.

Laila alone did not belong in this impossibly beautiful fairy tale.

‘Don’t. What are you doing?’

Laila wanted to stop Carlo, but no words came out, as though she had lost her voice. The pounding of her heart battered her ears, while her legs remained rooted to the floor, unable to move.

“Lady Roselina, it is an honor to be granted a place beside someone as precious as you. I will love you for the rest of my life and make you the happiest woman in the world.”

“Carlo….”

Roselina’s face flushed, tears welling in her eyes.

They were the perfect couple. Overcome by a crushing sense of defeat, Laila bit down hard on her lip.

She had always dreamed of being proposed to in this way. She had wanted Carlo to kneel before her, profess his love and ask her to marry him.

She had been sure that her dream would soon come true, but now he had turned his back on her completely.

“Will you marry me?”

It was a merciless welcome home.

Had she known it would be like this, she would have died on the battlefield.

Despite knowing that Laila was watching, Carlo proposed to another woman and looked happier than she had ever seen him.

In fact, he looked so happy that she could almost believe that the woman he truly loved was Lady Roselina, not her.

‘Ah…. In the end, you really are abandoning me.’

Laila heard something snap inside her. She did not know if it was the end of her hope or the love she had clung to for so long. One thing was certain: she had been betrayed.

The nobles erupted in cheers as the couple kissed in full view of everyone. This would probably be remembered for years to come as the most romantic proposal imaginable.

While everyone else congratulated the couple, Laila slipped away from the crowd. After that, her memories vanished into a blur.

She only remembered wandering aimlessly through the Imperial Palace until someone approached her. She stood there, as empty and lifeless as a corpse.

“Dame Laila!”

“….”

Someone gripped Laila’s arms and shook her, but she did not respond. Her eyes were vacant and her face devoid of expression. Tears streamed from her eyes, yet she did not even notice them.

‘That’s right. This is a nightmare. I’m still on the battlefield, and I’m dreaming. Carlo would never do this to me, would he?’

She wanted to deny everything. No matter how consumed by revenge he was, he should never have gone to such lengths. Regardless of how much resentment he harbored, how could he make such a mockery of her love?

Laila blinked several times, trying to wake up from this horrific dream, but the despair did not disappear.

Then Laila collapsed.

‘Where am I?’

Coming to her senses, Laila slowly looked around. Then she met a pair of beautiful eyes.

“…Princess Lenoa?”

“Dame Laila, are you all right?”

She must still be dreaming. There was no other explanation. How could she have possibly woken up in the chambers of Princess Lenoa, with whom she had no personal connection, after finding out about Carlo’s marriage?

‘What a cruel dream.’

Letting out a hollow laugh before closing her eyes again. But as the unbearable weight of reality closed around her heart, tears began streaming down her face once more.

“Please, pull yourself together. You aren’t hurt anywhere, are you?”

Laila’s heart crumbled at the concern in Lenoa’s voice. She knew she should get up immediately and apologize for daring to lie in the princess’s bed, but her body refused to obey.

“Whew… Cry as much as you need to. Now is the time to let it all out. If you keep holding it in, you’ll only make yourself ill.”

At the gentle touch of Lenoa’s hand on her shoulder, Laila burst into tears like a child.

Her sobs sounded like anguished screams filled with bitterness and resentment, but above all, they were heartbreakingly sorrowful.

Only one thought remained in her mind: Why had he betrayed her? Why had he chosen to marry someone else?

“Laila, I love you.”

The man who had whispered that he loved her had taken Roselina’s hand and promised to marry her.

‘You bastard…. You bastard!’

She had believed him when he told her that he loved her. She was certain that their suffering was finally over.

Despite knowing how much pain she was in, Carlo did not come looking for her. This made her feel even more furious and wretched.

Had she known that love would be like this, she would never have fallen in love in the first place. Drowning in regret, Laila lay on the bed and sobbed.

She wept with all her might, as though writhing against the sorrow. If she did not release it somehow, she felt as though her heart would burst. As though she might truly die.

“How could you…? How could you do this to me? How?!”

She wanted to erase everything. If she could, she wanted to wipe away every memory of him and every trace of her love.

“……. Why am I in the detached palace?”

She did not know how long she had cried. Still lying on the bed, Laila finally questioned Lenoa.

“The shock must have been too much for you. You suddenly collapsed in the garden, so I had you brought to my chambers.”

“….”

Lenoa was worried about Laila. An overwhelming future still awaited her, yet she had already crumbled.

The way she lay there, her eyes seemingly devoid of all will to live, filled Lenoa with concern.

If Crown Prince Theodor had seen her like this, he might have drawn his sword against Carlo immediately.

“Thank you for looking after me, Your Highness.”

“Dame Laila.”

“I should take my leave now.”

Laila staggered out of bed and bowed respectfully. Looking as though she might collapse at any moment, she still observed every courtesy before attempting to leave the room.

“Stay and rest a little longer, Dame Laila.”

“I cannot impose upon Your Highness any further.”

“Impose? You have done nothing of the sort. Please stay here tonight and leave tomorrow.”

As though she lacked the strength to answer, Laila merely nodded and turned away. She didn’t want to reveal any more of her suffering to a princess she didn’t know.

Laila felt as though she were dying, yet she forced her heavy feet towards the door.

“Please. Stay and rest, even if only for today.”

Lenoa persisted in trying to stop Laila, almost to the point of desperation. It made Laila wonder why she was going so far.

But Laila merely shook her head without turning around. Then—

“There is something you need to know. It concerns your past.”

“…Pardon?”