Harchen sharply glared at the soft jawline and eyes with upturned corners.

The familiar facial features and deep blue eyes resembled someone. Harchen’s keen eye and insight were superior. A figure came to mind, and several events connected like beads on a string.

However, he didn’t dwell on it further and glanced at Bark’s face. He found it unpleasant to look at.

“You said your name was Bark? No matter how much of a lifesaver you are to the Empress, your recent statement amounts to lèse-majesté. You’ll have to provide a suitable explanation tomorrow.”

Harchen stepped past Bark, then stopped and spoke with a cold expression.

“And remove that white bird before you come tomorrow.”

“Is that an order?”

“It’s an order.”

“I shall obey.”

Harchen firmly secured his arms and climbed the steep path as slowly and steadily as possible.

Patricia, unsure where to look, squinted her eyes. With her eyes closed, she heard a thumping sound, unsure if it came from herself or Harchen’s chest.

With such thoughts, she absently opened her eyes and looked at his chest.

Whoosh.

Patricia was so startled to meet Harchen’s intense green eyes staring down at her as they walked that she closed her eyes again.

A chuckle was heard. There was laughter, but no words followed. When the Emperor kept his mouth tightly shut, his steep jawline and sharp nose bridge gave him an arrogant and cold impression.

He seemed angry too. He had reason to be angry.

Why did Bark suddenly say such things? What did he gain by saying that?

Patricia felt sorry that she couldn’t remember a single thing about Bark. It was rude of him to say such things knowing she had amnesia.

Not knowing he was that kind of person, she had been touched and grateful when he gave her the cherry basket.

“At that time, you were completely undressed.”

Aack, even after thinking about it ten or thirty times, it was clearly a hostile attitude.

Patricia clenched her fists as tightly as possible. She fingered the ring on her left ring finger with her right hand. As if under a spell, her mind became calm.

Then, at the thought of meeting Bark again tomorrow, unable to even predict what he might say, she furrowed her brows and bit her lower lip.

“Stop tormenting it.”

“Pardon?”

Patricia opened her eyes. Her eyes were twice as large as usual.

“Stop tormenting your lip, it’s torturous for me to watch.”

Patricia felt the heat from Harchen’s body touching hers. Realizing how uncomfortable it was to be held like this, Patricia tried to relax her body as much as possible, but she felt herself tensing up even more.

“Harchen, please put me down. I’ll walk slowly.”

“Why? Are you afraid of me?”

“No, why would I be afraid of you?”

“Afraid I’ll eat you up?”

Even as he said this, he openly gazed at Patricia’s lips, neck, bent torso, and the disheveled hem of her dress with captivating eyes. Then, he raised the corner of his mouth and tilted his head slightly.

Patricia looked up at him as if entranced, despite her will. The slightly tilted angle made him look decadent.

It was strange. No, Patricia realized.

A glass of water placed neatly on a table wasn’t unsettling. But if the glass was tilted at the edge of the table, it felt precarious and dangerous.

Harchen’s decadent gaze was unsettling like a tilted glass of water with its contents swirling.

Patricia felt as if her own desires might spill out from the heat emanating from him. Gazing at him as if bewitched, she felt like she might be sucked in.

“Please put me down.”

“We’re almost there.”

As they turned a steep corner where the roots of a massive tree were exposed, a relatively flat area with a waiting carriage came into view.

Harchen boarded the carriage while carrying Patricia. Claudine came into the carriage and examined Patricia’s back wound.

“It’s fine. Your Majesty, if you feel the wound tearing or opening, you must stop immediately and call for me.”

“I will.”

Annie, who was standing in front of the carriage ahead, handed over a damp handkerchief and a water bottle. Harchen used the damp cloth to wipe Patricia’s cheeks, neck, and hands.

“Your Majesty, shall I ride in this carriage as well to assist?”

When Harchen gave her a cold glare, Annie, terrified by just his gaze, pursed her lips like a squirrel and shook her head.

“You go to the other carriage too.”

At Harchen’s blatant dismissal, Claudine changed carriages with a rather relieved expression.

Inside the carriage, it was cool in the shade. By then, the heat radiating from Harchen’s body had cooled, and as she settled more comfortably in his arms, drowsiness slowly crept in.

Patricia had many things she wanted to say to him and many questions.

What was Harchen’s purpose in going to Tane, and what happened with Patrick’s plans in Tane? She had met Pamila through Julia to find the necklace and…

“Sleepy?”

Patricia hadn’t been able to sleep comfortably for a while.

It was a closed Heun hunter village, and she had lost her memories after being hit by a Heun hunter’s poisoned arrow. The Heun dealt with highly addictive poisonous herbs and fed meat laced with sleep-inducing components to eagles.

Above all, Chief Bark frequently entered and exited the room where Patricia was staying. The flock of white birds flying around his head was also suspicious.

Nights of light sleep continued, and even when she slept, she didn’t feel refreshed.

“Yes, I want to sleep. You must be tired too, Harchen.”

Harchen pondered for a moment.

Should I eat her up? I should try to seduce her.

“It’s thrilling to have you in my arms.”

He softened his gaze and looked down at her intently.

“I have so much I want to hear…”

Patricia spoke with her eyes closed, seemingly with no intention of looking at him.

This is unbelievable. How… can she be sleepy when she’s alone with me in an enclosed space?

“I went to the West Tower. There were many flowers in the garden. I imagined what you looked like as a child.”

Ah, why did I have to forget all my memories? What kind of place is the West Tower?

As Harchen’s soft voice reached her ears, Patricia quickly fell asleep as if dreaming of the fantastical space called the West Tower.

Sigh, siiigh.

Harchen looked down at her sleeping peacefully with regular breaths, then smiled dejectedly and lowered his face.

“I understand why you’ve grown into such an attractive woman.”

After pressing his lips to her soft, pink cheek, he chuckled and lightly touched her lips as well.

“It was a small, narrow, but beautiful West Tower.”

When he discovered the rolled-up string hidden inside the red brick at the end of the garden railing, he involuntarily exclaimed “Ah!” at the sight of the adorable little girl climbing down the wall with her feet against it.

Harchen wanted to thank the maid Eva for taking good care of her and raising her brightly in the West Tower.

He recalled her words about seemingly having eaten a picnic by a lakeside like this before, as they rode horses through the Tetra oak forest and leaned against an ash tree by the lake.

Eden Patterson, that platinum-blond brat.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, that guy must have cherished and taken good care of her.

Given his personality, he probably didn’t even touch a fingertip out of preciousness. But he lost her on the battlefield and I took her away.

He must want to kill me… He could have let Kazan stab me with his sword, and it wouldn’t have mattered. He stabbed Kazan with a dagger.

If it had been a long-standing grudge against Kazan, he would have acted after Kazan used his sword. He didn’t allow even a moment’s time.

That guy saved me.

Eden was arrested on the spot by the guard knights as the Emperor’s assassin. Regardless of Emperor Kazan’s life or death, it was a serious crime and he couldn’t avoid the maximum sentence.

Though his insolent gaze was quite irritating, I had to find a way to save him.

*

Julia was satisfied as she looked at her appearance in the mirror, adorned by her maid. Especially the purple color suited autumn and was her favorite.

The purple dress was paired with a cream-colored layered lace neckwarmer, and the raised hem of the dress was also adorned with flowing cream-colored layered lace, adding to its splendor.

She lightly touched the fans laid out on the console table with her index finger, then picked up a fan with scattered sapphire jewels.

She tilted her head, holding the fan and recalling someone.

Julia snapped shut the fan decorated with black lace on blue silk. The sapphire jewels clustered together. She raised the fan and struck it hard against the corner of the console table.

Click, click, click.

After three or four strikes, a blue sapphire jewel fell from the fan onto the floor.

Oh my, that blue thing looks just like someone’s eyes.

Julia lifted the hem of her dress. On her foot, freed from the splint, she wore a mule with a pink ribbon attached.

She stepped on the sapphire rolling on the floor with the pointed heel of her mule. She lifted the mule again and stomped down hard.

The sapphire didn’t shatter as much as she wanted, but it crumbled, leaving white powder.

It wasn’t as satisfactory as she would have liked, but it was good enough.

Julia descended the stairs of the ducal residence, accompanied by one maid. At the bottom of the stairs, in front of the Leak family’s carriage with its purple body lavishly decorated with gold trim, knight Henry opened the carriage door.

Julia had instructed Henry to wear the Leak family’s guard knight uniform as well. Henry was dressed in the formal spring-autumn uniform complete with a real sword and purple cloak.

“Sir, please lead the way.”

Knight Henry rode in front, followed by the Leak family’s carriage. The carriage passed through Ephi Street and stopped in front of the restaurant building in the gold mining area operated by the Kaoshan Mathis Trading Company.

Julia, accompanied by her guard knight and maid, entered the restaurant operated by the Mathis Trading Company. Everyone standing inside and outside the restaurant building turned to look at the magnificent purple entourage.

As a lady of unmistakably noble birth appeared, the restaurant manager rushed out.

“It is an honor to meet such an esteemed lady.”

“I am Julia, the young lady of the Leak ducal family.”

The restaurant manager immediately bowed deeply and fawned.

“Oh my, the Leak ducal family. What brings the young lady here?”

“I’m looking for Lena Bizer and the sisters of the Bizer family.”

“Pardon? There are no young ladies from noble families in our restaurant.”

Julia lowered her eyes and smiled.

“How embarrassing, they must have lied about their status, those liars.”

Just then, Lena, who had entered through the back door of the restaurant carrying a large basket, spotted Julia and stopped abruptly.

“There, she’s here.”

Julia snapped her fan open, then closed it. Tapping the end of the fan against her cream-colored gloved palm, she slowly walked towards Lena, who was trembling and had dropped her basket.

Julia used the tip of her fan to lift Lena’s sun-tanned brown chin.