When Harchen descended the stairs of the main palace in his ceremonial attire, Patricia stood neatly dressed at the bottom of the stairs.

Hah, just an hour ago she was still sprawled asleep in bed.

She was especially fond of sleeping in the mornings. Her thick hair was braided and pinned up on her head, giving her a neat appearance.

Seeing her unexpectedly there to see him off, he felt the urge to grab her and hold her close to his side.

Beside Patricia stood the ever-strict lady-in-waiting Tane, along with Bern and two guard knights, all standing together like a team.

Harchen took Patricia’s hand and slowly pressed his lips to the back of it.

“I’ll be back.”

“Take care.”

The emperor mounted his black warhorse Khan and spurred it forward. Dozens of knights, including Calip and Lean, followed behind.

Harchen had decided not to look back. He disliked seeing her back when he turned around.

As he passed the lakeside, he turned back. She was still standing there. Patricia stood with her back straight and hands clasped in front, looking in his direction.

I’ll be back soon. Greet me like this when I return, my wife.

Patricia remained standing until the emperor’s entourage, kicking up dust as they rode, became mere specks in the distance. Soon after, the sound of horns announcing the emperor’s departure from the palace was heard.

Harchen, come back safely.

Ten days. At the end of a season, ten days was quite a long time. The time for the season to pass. He would return with autumn.

Patricia would wait, guarding the palace without the emperor and carrying out her duties as empress. It would be nice if her memories returned during that time, but she had given up the obsession that she must recover her memories.

She had practiced thinking through things multiple times when she needed to make choices and decisions. She gained confidence in making careful choices. She also became certain of her excellent intuition.

*

“I’ve had a carriage prepared,” said Eva.

Eva had called for a servant’s carriage, not the empress’s exclusive or imperial carriage. She had built a rapport with the coachman when they went to Oro Alley.

At that time, the coachman had entered the alley looking for Eva, who was late because she was searching for Old Chen. He found Eva walking dejectedly.

Eva was moved by the coachman’s words that he had come looking for her, fearing she might get lost in the unfamiliar alleys of a foreign country. When she met Old Chen, she gave the coachman one gold coin that she had exchanged to buy the antidote.

The coachman refused, saying he was a royal employee and received a salary. Though the coachman’s stubbornness was strong, there was no way to resist Eva’s calm persuasion.

“To me, this gold coin isn’t money. I’m grateful that you came to find me personally when I was wandering in a dark alley in a strange foreign country. It feels like the kindness of an elder brother from my hometown. If you refuse, it would be like searing my precious feelings with a branding iron.”

So today she gave the coachman one gold coin, and he gladly accepted it, understanding the deep sentiment.

Eva explained the empress’s plan clearly so the coachman would understand well. She also left a heavy bag containing gold coins equivalent to the necklace’s value under the seat.

Eva gave Patricia the dress she had altered last night. Patricia wore simple men’s trousers, omitting the pannier, petticoat, and under-dress.

Over that, she wore a dark gray dress with long pieces of fabric layered at the waistline. Something could be hidden between the long hanging fabrics.

Eva was very skilled with her hands. She had altered dresses for Patricia, who enjoyed horseback riding, by splitting the sides or adding fabric. As she added fabric to hide the sword, she fervently hoped there would be no need to use it.

Patricia was surprised when she heard from the emperor during dinner yesterday about the use of Julia’s fan.

A fan studded with diamonds that could even cut gold, used to slap someone’s cheek. With such a clear and beautiful face.

Patricia recalled her meeting with the duke’s daughter. They had discussed the history of the Leak ducal family, her time studying at the Tane Academy, and the weather and culture of Tane.

The duke’s daughter did most of the talking, while Patricia listened attentively. Then, the duke’s daughter happened to notice Patricia’s wedding band.

As they were discussing jewelry and precious stones, the duke’s daughter immediately connected it to a necklace worn by a foreign noblewoman she had met by chance at a party a few days ago.

The noblewoman had boasted to the duke’s daughter that it was a necklace she had obtained with great difficulty, traded in the black market. She had told a mere duke’s daughter about the secret purchase channel in the black market.

It wasn’t a coincidence; there was a hidden conspiracy.

The necklace must surely exist. Who was setting a trap using it as bait? The foreign noblewoman and Julia, the duke’s daughter. What was the ultimate goal?

The duke’s daughter said she had slapped the cheeks of Pana Castle maids with her fan. A duke’s daughter slapping the emperor’s maids? And why did she go to Pana Castle? Could it be…?

Julia, the duke’s daughter, as a cradle friend of Princess Carolina, would have been able to freely enter and leave the palace.

She went to study in Tane with Crown Prince Harchen. The emperor said he despised the duke’s daughter. It was a natural result after witnessing her assault with the fan.

Unable to escape from obsession, possessiveness, and twisted desires, what the duke’s daughter ultimately wanted was Patricia’s… death.

The Diarum poison soup incident, the Heun clan’s poison arrow.

Hah, does she think she can take the empress’s position if I die?

So Patricia had instructed Eva the day before to prepare a dress that could hide a sword.

She was certain that she wasn’t the type to cower and shrink back before knowing the exact situation.

She was clearly aware that there was a trap and danger lurking as she entered the tiger’s den. To skin the tiger.

After placing the sword between the flowing fabric pieces at the waist of the dress, she put on a robe. As she was putting on familiar leather gloves instead of lace ones, there was a knock and the head lady-in-waiting entered.

“Your Majesty, from the main palace… Y-Your Majesty?”

Anna raised her lowered head and was startled to see the empress wearing a black robe.

“Why are you dressed like that…?”

“I’m going out. I was trying to leave quietly.”

The head lady-in-waiting managed all of the empress’s schedules. There was no schedule today after seeing off the emperor’s departure.

Princess Isabella had sent a note through a maid suggesting that they have dinner together with the empress dowager, thinking she might be lonely.

“What preparations have you made to go out? You didn’t mention anything to me.”

“Do I need to report to you? Who did Anna report to when she left the palace yesterday?”

“Your Majesty, I apologize, but…”

Anna had dismissed all the maids who had gossiped about the empress while cleaning the glass windows in the corridor of White Palace, without giving them letters of recommendation.

The list of royal servants circulated throughout the capital. Unless there was a major transgression, it was customary for the head lady-in-waiting to write letters of recommendation.

The nobles in the capital would hire maids with palace experience at twice their previous salary after only checking their recommendation letters.

While a vow of secrecy was standard, information about individual royals’ likes and dislikes was important to nobles who showered the royal family with gifts.

“I’ll be watching. Postpone the dinner appointment.”

“Your Majesty, an escort of knights has arrived from the Kingdom of Lubelin to take Princess Isabella. The princess wishes to have a meeting with you before she leaves.”

“Let’s have dinner tomorrow. In the Diarum of the main palace.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will convey that. But what are you going out for now?”

“I’m going to buy feminine products.”

“Ah, I should accompany…”

“I’ll go with Eva. Don’t worry, I’ll take knights with me. I’ll be back before it’s late.”

As Patricia and Eva left the reception room, Bern and two guard knights soon followed. Patricia had already told Sir Bern that she was going out to buy feminine products.

The carriage left the palace and turned onto Epi Street. It stopped in front of a building lined with women’s goods stores.

Bern opened the carriage door and offered his hand. Patricia, stepping out of the carriage, looked around the three-story building and said to Bern:

“Sir. I’m going in here.”

Bern’s expression froze as he stared at the shop for several seconds, then turned away roughly, his face reddening.

The three-story building was as lavish as its name, Secret Lady, suggested.

Each floor had a different theme color, evident from the exterior walls. The first floor had white walls and sold curtains, lace items, sleepwear, large ribbons for decorating bed posts, canopies, and women’s underwear.

The second floor was black and pink, emphasizing purity and unique charm, while the third floor was purple and red, with purple-painted exterior walls labeled “Secret Zone.”

“Sir. Now you understand why I dressed like this and told you to stay far away?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Patricia saw Eva turn the corner of the building with the coachman carrying a bag, then smiled and said to Bern:

“So if you stand here, you’ll be torn apart by the ladies’ gazes. Wait with the knights over there, at the cafe terrace. That way I can comfortably look around up to the third floor.”

As Patricia tilted her head up mentioning the third floor, Bern only raised his eyebrows before quickly turning his head away again.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Bern walked straight towards the building opposite. His steps were stiff and upright. However, his shadow limped and wavered.

Patricia stood in front of the door, which was excessively decorated with white lace, ribbons, pearls, and cubic zirconia on the wooden frame and glass.

The footman standing at the entrance removed his hat, bowed politely, and opened the door. As she entered, she looked back.

Bern sat at the opposite cafe terrace, looking this way. One of the knights went inside the cafe.

The inside of the shop was much more lavish and larger than it appeared from outside. In the center of the spacious hall was a round decorative table. Several ladies sat in chairs, watching the hands of uniformed staff.

“Pull up the silk stockings all the way, so we can check the length.”

“No, the neck choker. Not that one, the one with white flowers here, hmm. For lingerie, a lace short one-piece…”

“It tightens under the chest, but leather might hurt a bit, try it with lace strings.”

On the table were dolls similar in size to the human body and elaborate lace accessories. The staff holding the dolls demonstrated wearing the lingerie and decorations suggested by the customers.

“You’ve come.”

Patricia turned towards the voice. Julia seemed to have already finished shopping, as her maid was holding several boxes tied with deep purple ribbon.

“This way.”

Julia smiled kindly and lightly linked her arm with Patricia’s. Fortunately, she took the left arm, not touching the sword.

She smelled strongly of roses. They crossed the central hall and passed through a narrow corridor. Julia opened a narrow wooden door.