The diligent birds had already left their nests in search of food at this hour.

In the luxurious bedroom where intense sunlight streamed in, Shallen woke up with his usual refreshed mood.

He loved these peaceful mornings wrapped in soft, cozy blankets.

He glanced at Rose, who was sleeping soundly beside him without a care in the world, then got up from bed.

A light glass of water.

Stretching, he thought about what today’s schedule might be.

‘Should I buy something for Kasallin?’

Yesterday, he had gotten so excited because of Rose that he had touched Kasallin’s nerves too much.

That proud woman who had lived without want her entire life wouldn’t bat an eye at just any expensive gift.

He should give her a treasure far more beautiful and precious than that dull lapis lazuli hair ornament, and gently appease her by saying that he seemed to have been a bit harsh yesterday.

She would surely glare at him with those pretty, sharp light green eyes, but eventually she would forgive him generously soon enough.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty. It seems Lady Kasallin has left something in your study.”

At that moment, a servant entered and spoke.

“What message does she have for me?”

“Well, please come and see for yourself.”

He rushed out wearing only a robe hastily thrown over his pajamas and hurried to his study.

A box was placed on the desk.

Shallen’s expression, which had been swelling with subtle expectation, hardened like cold water had been poured on him as soon as he opened the box.

He hadn’t even expected from the beginning that she would charmingly open her heart first.

After checking the contents of the box, Shallen let out a hollow laugh and stood supporting himself on the desk with both hands.

A sapphire ring, covered in dried dark red bloodstains that made it difficult to recognize its original form, lay there intact.

[ This doesn’t seem to be something I should have, so I’m returning it. ]

Who decided to determine the owner of the ring on their own authority right now?

This was a ring that he had specially commissioned from a craftsman he had known well for a long time, making it one of a kind in the world – no, now there were only two.

‘But what are these bloodstains?’

Did she want to express her rebellious spirit even through such childish tricks?

As he examined the ring closely with renewed interest, Shallen suddenly felt like he was forgetting something trivial but important.

But that didn’t matter anyway.

Shallen headed straight to Kasallin’s room.

If you’re going to reject me time and again, then I’ll put the ring on your finger time and again as well.

So that it can be proven to everyone that you belong to me, King Shallen, anytime and anywhere.

Thus, consumed by violent selfishness, Shallen flung open Kasallin’s door wide.

“Kasallin, come here right now…!”

Shallen’s shout, which had been determined to ensure the ring found its proper place even if it meant breaking her finger, remained unfinished.

Kasallin’s room was colder than ever before.

As if this palace had originally been left abandoned without an owner, even the traces of someone having stayed there had completely vanished.

Neatly folded bedsheets and tightly closed curtains.

Only various dresses and jewels that had clearly never been touched, remaining in their packaging, sparkled lonely.

“Kasallin. I know you’re hiding from my eyes. Stop this childish prank and come out here.”

Shallen’s suppressed voice filled the empty room.

Standing alone in this silent place without even a breeze, let alone an answer, somehow made him feel eerie.

He even began to doubt whether Kasallin had really returned to him.

Perhaps all of this had been his delusion.

Maybe she had already died falling from the cliff, and he had become increasingly insane, believing she was alive due to the shock?

“Ah, I understand, Kasallin. I was a bit harsh with my words yesterday. Rose got hurt and I got excited without realizing it. I’ll formally apologize, so stop playing around and come here.”

I already miss seeing your face.

Shallen added in a small voice.

Making his words of apology meaningless, only small dust particles floated aimlessly in the air before him.

When a ray of light seeping through the curtain gap fell on his face, only then did Shallen begin to realize the seriousness of the situation.

‘She’s gone.’

This isn’t a delusion or anything. It’s a terrible reality.

Without time to think about anything else, he immediately turned around and rushed out.

Just as he was about to shout “Is anyone there?”

That man called Aster or whatever, who had supposedly been appointed as Rose’s servant, was walking from the opposite corridor.

He had left a deep impression in a bad way because his expression was hard to read and his eyes had a sinister gleam.

“I greet His Majesty the King.”

“You’re the Queen’s servant. Was it Lord Aster?”

“That’s correct. It’s an incomparable honor that you remember this humble one’s name. But why are you going in such haste?”

“That’s not your concern.”

Shallen was about to hurry past him when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Then he stared at him intently with unfamiliar eyes.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Come to think of it, you’re so capable that the Queen trusts you with tasks every time, and your reputation among the servants has been quite remarkable lately.”

“No. I simply devote my sincerity to Her Majesty the Queen.”

“…I should check whether that reputation of yours is truly factual. How about it. Would you like to seize the glorious opportunity to work for me?”

[This is the timeline separator]

A few hours earlier, when the dawn’s characteristic bluish chill had not yet faded.

To send the exiled Marquis Kalman outside the capital to the Rnel Empire, beyond Shallen’s reach, Kasallin secretly set out on the road without anyone knowing.

She put the sapphire ring in a box, sealed it with a note, then quietly left it in Shallen’s study.

Then she headed straight to the servants’ quarters.

In that place where everyone was fast asleep except for a few who had gone on dawn duty, she quickly changed into spare servant clothes.

Now there was only one checkpoint left.

“Stop right there.”

As she approached the north gate with her hair hanging down as long as possible to cover her face and a prepared hat pulled down low, a guard called her to stop.

Usually, when a servant left the palace grounds, they wouldn’t be detained except in special cases, but the problem was that it was the dead of night.

“Where are you going at this hour?”

“I need to go home urgently. I have a pass here too.”

“It’s dangerous for a woman to travel alone at night. Unless it’s quite urgent, wouldn’t it be better to go after dawn?”

“Thank you for your concern, but this is personal business. If there’s nothing more to question, please step aside.”

“Hmm?”

The guard tilted his head to one side with a slightly puzzled expression.

Only then did Kasallin realize she had made a small mistake.

She should have used the speech patterns commonly used by commoners, as befitting a servant, but her usual habits had come out instead.

“That’s strange. That voice and way of speaking, I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before. Sorry, but could you lift your face for a moment?”

At this rate, she’d be caught.

Clutching her bag tightly with both hands, she was racking her brain to find a way to break through this situation when…

“Hey. I know that person well. I’ll take care of her, so you can go ahead and finish your shift.”

Another soldier who had been standing on the watchtower slid down the ladder and approached Kasallin’s side.

Naturally, he was a complete stranger.

But why was he helping her, she wondered quietly, caught in puzzlement.

The first guard easily dispelled his suspicious look after hearing his colleague’s words, then suddenly let out a mischievous laugh.

“What? This servant is your… thing? You should have said so earlier.”

“Be quiet. This person is from fallen nobility, so her speech is different – don’t misunderstand.”

“So you’ve shared such detailed personal circumstances with each other. Romance during duty is cause for discipline, but you’re off duty tomorrow anyway, so I’ll make a special exception. Come back before the day changes. Haha!”

The guard chuckled as he went inside the castle tower, and the soldier who had helped Kasallin gestured for her to follow.

Kasallin was momentarily dumbfounded and unconsciously started to move, then suspected this might also be a trap by Shallen or someone else.

Kasallin had to ask a question at that point.

“Who are you to help me?”

“……”

“I won’t follow until you tell me. I’m not reckless enough to readily accept help from someone I don’t even know.”

“I have no choice.”

The soldier sighed and took off his hat.

Though not a face she could immediately recognize, it wasn’t completely unfamiliar either.

He looked exactly like what Duke Ludwig might look like if he were young again.

His deep blue eyes held pride, and his bright golden hair was grown long to his nape.

His slightly upturned lips and the faint freckles remaining on his nose bridge gave a friendly impression – the kind who would have received high support from his peers at military academy and served as graduation representative.

“Are you perhaps……”

“I cannot reveal my identity carelessly as I’m on a mission, please forgive me. I’ve simply received His Imperial Majesty’s solemn command. Of course, we plan to protect Marquis Kalman separately on our side, so don’t worry.”

“His Majesty’s command?”

“I’ll tell you the details later. For now, please get in the carriage.”

[This is the timeline separator]

The carriage driven by the unnamed knight nimbly and quietly left the capital and soon entered a secluded suburban road.

During this time, the scenery changed several times.

The buildings and houses that had been sparsely passing by outside the window were no longer visible.

“We need to go a bit further. Get some rest.”

The man who claimed he couldn’t reveal his identity but was clearly presumed to be Duke Ludwig’s grandson spoke in a tone that couldn’t hide his characteristic altruistic and kind nature.

Kasallin answered that she was fine while taking out a birdcage she had hidden in her luggage bag.

A pigeon with round black eyes was tilting its head as if it didn’t know where it was or who it was.

It was something Parnes had given her when she left the Rnel Empire.

「Take it. I won’t stop you from going to the Kan Kingdom to sort things out yourself, but still keep in touch.」

When she couldn’t bring herself to ask out loud why he was letting her go to the Kan Kingdom so readily and just stared at him, Parnes had continued.

「It’s natural to respect the wishes of one’s future wife.」

She had promised to write letters, but because Shallen took her uncle hostage, the plan went awry and she ended up not sending a single message.

Even though she knew she should write something to send news, she couldn’t bring herself to move her pen because she could so clearly picture his expression upon receiving a letter with bad news.

The pigeon that had followed along for such an important mission was living plump and well in its cage, eating birdseed.

But Kasallin only realized the real reason Parnes had given her the carrier pigeon after meeting Duke Ludwig’s grandson.

“Even after several days, there was no sign the carrier pigeon would fly.”

Hearing the cooing sound, the man sitting in the driver’s seat spoke.

“This pigeon wasn’t for communication from the start, was it?”

“Yes. If that carrier pigeon didn’t leave Lady Kasallin’s room, I, who had infiltrated the Kan royal court, was supposed to act. His Imperial Majesty said that the carrier pigeon not flying meant something bad had happened to Lady Kasallin.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the carriage slowly stopped at the roadside, and Kasallin looked around.

In the middle of a cypress forest so devoid of human presence that it felt eerie, there stood a single old inn without even a sign.

He said.

“Please go inside. Someone should be waiting by now.”