The face hidden beneath the hat tilted back was none other than that of a young woman, visibly terrified at first glance.

Her face, smudged with grime as if she hadn’t washed in days, looked to be around Kasallin’s age or perhaps a year or two younger.

Her trembling eyes were strikingly narrow, her rounded nose bridge was covered with freckles, and her body was so thin it lacked any flesh.

Her dark auburn hair was disheveled, caked with unidentified dust.

“State your identity.”

It was the stern voice of Parnes, heard after a long time.

The mysterious woman only shivered, unable to respond.

From the side, Ludwig raised his voice.

“You, how dare you hesitate to answer when you know who this is! The sovereign of this nation is questioning you!”

The terrified woman let out a scream and began to shed tears drop by drop.

Her sobs were loud enough to drown out the sound of crashing waves, leading Kasallin to sense she must have a difficult story.

Parnes, on the other hand, stood with an impassive expression, like someone waiting for hot coffee to cool, and as her crying began to subside, he asked again as if he’d been waiting.

“I’ll ask one last time. Reveal your identity.”

“I-I just wanted to live like a human being. That’s all, truly.”

“I asked for your identity, not your circumstances.”

“I-I have no name. I don’t know who my parents are. I’ve worked as a maid in the Freta household since I was a child. The late Lady Freta took me in.”

“Why did you sneak onto the imperial escort ship?”

The woman glanced at Parnes’s face unintentionally, then quickly bowed her head again.

To her, Parnes’s very presence felt like an unreal terror.

“The young masters of the Freta household tormented me for years. They hurled all kinds of verbal abuse and violence. I thought I’d die if I stayed, so I tried to escape on this ship. I’m truly sorry. So sorry.”

“She doesn’t seem to be lying, Your Majesty.”

Ludwig spoke.

Kasallin felt natural sympathy for the woman’s tragic story.

But Parnes seemed to feel no need to show compassion for a mere woman’s plight.

To him, the fact that an unidentified intruder had been on the ship with Kasallin for days was simply infuriating.

“The misdeeds of the Freta household will be investigated by our imperial court, and appropriate measures will be taken.”

“R-Really?”

“However, that does not erase the crime of sneaking onto the imperial escort ship.”

Disappointment and despair spread across the woman’s face.

She hadn’t imagined the emperor would show no trace of sympathy, let alone comfort, despite her tragic tale.

“By my usual practice, I would have you detained and sent to the imperial judiciary…”

Parnes paused and looked at Kasallin.

“I wish to hear my lady’s opinion. What should be done with this person?”

The woman’s gaze belatedly fell on Kasallin, standing behind the emperor.

She couldn’t dare look directly at the empress’s face and quickly lowered her eyes, but she could tell the woman exuded considerable grace.

What was most astonishing was that the emperor, who had seemed as cold as frost, softened his expression the moment he turned to the empress.

It was as if the highest authority in the land was not the emperor, but the empress.

“Your Majesty is right. Sneaking onto the imperial escort ship is a crime deserving punishment.”

The woman’s lips tightened with sorrow.

But upon hearing the next words, she couldn’t help but lift her head in shock.

“In that sense, please allow this woman to be managed by our empress’s palace.”

“The empress’s palace?”

“Yes. After thoroughly verifying her identity and keeping her under strict surveillance, I’d like to have her work as a maid in the empress’s palace once she has paid for her crimes. However, this is merely my personal opinion, and if Your Majesty disapproves, I will quietly withdraw it.”

A maid in the empress’s palace.

The woman’s mouth moved silently at the incredible stroke of luck before her.

She knew well that working in the imperial palace, even as a maid, could completely transform her life.

She wanted to shout that she’d do anything if they’d just give her a place to sleep, even in the basement of the empress’s palace.

But knowing the emperor was unlikely to allow such a thing, she was half-resigned when—

“Very well. If the empress wishes it, I will gladly comply.”

“Thank you for understanding, Your Majesty.”

Incredibly, permission was granted.

The emperor, who moments ago seemed ready to draw a knight’s sword and strike her down, had shown mercy without a hint of hesitation.

Kasallin stepped closer to the woman.

The hem of her soft, cloud-like dress gently settled, and a fragrant handkerchief, imbued with a scent the woman had never smelled before, wiped her face.

Kasallin silently cleaned the grime from the woman’s face.

“I thought all so-called nobles were selfish, snobbish trash who treated those of lower status like livestock.”

But that wasn’t true.

There existed such a kind and merciful empress in this world.

“Y-Your Majesty, I am deeply honored. This kindness…”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not excusing your wrongdoing. When we reach the palace, you will follow the proper procedures.”

“Y-Yes, of course. But I will repay this kindness. Thank you. Truly, thank you, Your Majesty.”

Having completed the long tour, Kasallin returned to the palace and intended to dive into her next tasks.

In just two weeks, the Spring Festival, the grandest annual event in the Western Continent, would begin, and with many expected to visit the Renel Empire, preparations had to be thorough.

But upon seeing the plush armchair in the empress’s private chambers, Kasallin set aside her plan to head straight to her office and sank into the cushions.

No, her body moved on its own, regardless of her will.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

Nigel Ludwig approached with a concerned look.

Loren Logia and Lady Dawson were the same.

Kasallin hadn’t realized her stamina was so depleted.

She was stunned that a mere few weeks of travel could make her legs feel like stones and her body ache as if beaten.

Normally, Kasallin could mingle at balls until late, sleep for a couple of hours, rise at dawn to study, and still appear perfectly fine.

“Your Majesty, you should rest at least for today.”

“No, I’m fine. There’s an imperial meeting tomorrow. As my first meeting as empress, I don’t have time to idle.”

“But if you speak to His Majesty, he’d surely understand.”

“Of course he would. But understanding? If I complain of exhaustion to His Majesty, it means being confined to bed for at least a month. So, please, no one mention this to His Majesty.”

Nigel and Loren exchanged glances and nodded reluctantly.

Kasallin forced herself awake with a glass of cold tea, then dragged her heavy body to her office.

Reviewing meeting preparations and the Spring Festival draft plan, night soon fell.

Holding documents in one hand and propping her forehead with the other, Kasallin blinked slowly, unaware, and began to feel nauseous.

“What’s wrong with me?”

Could there have been something wrong with the egg soufflé or cold tea she had earlier?

With an ominous feeling, Kasallin threw down her pen and hurried to the bathroom attached to the room.

The sensation was similar to when she ate spoiled ham at seven due to a maid’s mistake, and as she instinctively leaned over the toilet, violent vomiting began.

It didn’t last long, but it was utterly bewildering.

It wasn’t as if seasickness, which she’d adjusted to, was suddenly hitting her now, and she was confused about what could be wrong.

“Wait, now that I think about it…”

Kasallin stared at her pale, bloodless face in the mirror, slowly counting on her fingers.

No. That couldn’t be.

Hadn’t she been told long ago that she’d likely never bear a child again?

This was impossible.

“But what if the doctor made a mistake and misdiagnosed me?”

Or perhaps some positive change in her body had opened new possibilities?

“Why would you need a child? I have you.”

“Even if you could have a child, I wouldn’t want it.”

Parnes’s cold, icy words flashed through her mind.

His stern face, dismissing a child as an obstacle to her potential, came to her, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around her lower abdomen.

“Madam, are you in there?”

Parnes’s voice came from beyond the wall as he entered the office.

Her first thought was that she couldn’t let him see her sitting on the cold bathroom floor, looking as if her soul had been stolen.

Kasallin grabbed the sink to stand quickly, but unfortunately, he opened the bathroom door faster.

“Kasallin!”

Vague fear and confusion.

Terror of the unknown, and anxiety.

Discovering his wife curled up with a face full of complex emotions, Parnes’s eyes widened in shock, and he immediately knelt, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

He rubbed her icy cheeks and hands to warm them, meeting her eyes closely.

“Kasallin. It’s alright. Breathe slowly.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes. I’m here. Your Parnes is always by your side.”

“Your Majesty, I…”

Kasallin gripped his sleeve tightly and said,

“I think I might be pregnant.”