“Hey, Queen. Did you just laugh?”

Once, before her debut in high society, elder sister Katharine had said something like that.

That showing emotions outwardly in front of people is like taking off armor on the battlefield.

Rose covered her face with both hands.

She sobbed, dropping her head between her knees to appear momentarily insane from the great shock.

“It can’t be. My only elder sister!”

As Rose collapsed to the floor, Charlen, who had cleanly withdrawn his suspicious gaze, supported her.

The guards also hurriedly moved to escort Her Majesty the Queen to her chambers.

“Your Majesty. I need my elder sister. She’s my most precious family. Please tell me she’s alive!”

“Don’t worry. She’s surely alive somewhere waiting for rescue. I’ll order them to search again.”

Charlen took Rose to her chambers and ordered the soldiers to continue searching.

The search team leader made a troubled expression and said,

“Your Majesty. The place where Katharine disappeared is a border region. To continue the search safely, wouldn’t it be better to contact the Renel Empire for permission?”

“Permission?”

As if there was still some pride left to maintain even in this situation, Charlen raised his voice.

“Our Khan Kingdom and the Renel Empire are equal brother nations. Have you forgotten already? Asking for permission would be admitting we’re a vassal state!”

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

The Renel Empire and Khan Kingdom, sharing the same bloodline and origins, had long ago signed an agreement to remove border inspections.

People called that area the free border zone and considered it a symbol of friendship between the two countries.

However, everyone knew the reality was that the Renel Empire was unilaterally protecting the Khan Kingdom.

From the start, the two countries’ national power was as different as heaven and earth, so if Emperor Farnese had ill intentions, it wouldn’t be strange if the Khan Kingdom was incorporated into the Renel Empire at any time.

“Quickly find Katharine and bring her before me. There’s no way she died so futilely.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Charlen repeatedly rubbed his face with anxiously trembling hands, desperately clinging to hope.

Surely she must be alive.

There’s no way anything bad could have happened.

“You talk big but don’t even have the courage to really die!”

The words Charlen spat out just before Katharine was flung from the carriage left an indelible wound on her heart, which was usually unshaken by most things.

No matter what, he shouldn’t have said such things.

It’s not like I don’t get hurt.

.

.

.

Katharine lifted her heavy eyelids, feeling a splitting headache.

With her mind still not fully awake, she looked around hazily.

She was alone in a room where bright sunlight seeped through the curtains, and there was a faint smell of medicine.

Katharine slowly realized this was the Renel Imperial Palace and Farnese had saved her, feeling a strange sense of relief spread in her chest.

‘How long have I been lying here?’

Katharine threw off the blanket and stretched her stiff legs out of bed.

Without thinking, she tried to stand on the floor with both feet, but pain twisted from her pelvis to her knees and ankles in succession.

Startled by the chilling sensation as if her bodily functions were completely paralyzed, Katharine staggered to one side. At that moment.

“Oh no!”

Farnese, who was just entering the room, spotted her and immediately threw himself to catch her in an embrace.

Feeling as if she was being held against a large, solid rock, Katharine looked up in bewilderment.

“Your Majesty.”

“Why do you always choose to do such dangerous things!”

Katharine opened her eyes wide at the sudden scolding.

He narrowed his brows irritably, but strangely, there was no sign of blaming Katharine at all.

“You really are such a troublesome child.”

Did the person who called her troublesome find her in that late dawn, treat her, care for her, and protect her?

Katharine stared at him blankly with light green eyes shining with pure curiosity.

“Were you worried about me?”

“…”

The two were now close enough to smell each other’s scent.

In Farnese’s eyes, as he looked down at Katharine in his arms, contradictorily, anxiety and relief flickered together like small flames.

He slowly tightened his arms around her waist, pulling her close without any gaps, then stepped back coldly like an ascetic shaking off impure desires.

“Who’s worried about whom?”

He said, returning to his usual inscrutable expression.

But his voice was still heightened with excitement.

“If you left without a word, you should have just gone for good. How dare you appear before me after turning that already inadequate body of yours into a pulp.”

“I wasn’t trying to leave. I had my own complicated circumstances…”

“Whatever it is, don’t disturb my heart any further.”

Farnese spoke in a low but serious voice.

“Don’t set foot in dangerous places without my permission, and don’t think about wandering off to where my eyes can’t reach on your own.”

“…”

“If you go against my wishes one more time, I really won’t forgive you then.”

Katharine knew that those gruff words were Farnese’s way of expressing concern for the other person.

She nodded her head obediently.

Seeing her act so docile, Farnese raised one eyebrow crookedly as if finding it unexpected.

“How unusual for you not to talk back. Did your personality die completely after returning from death’s door?”

“Thank you for saving me. If it weren’t for Your Majesty, I would be…”

“Enough. Don’t say things that don’t suit you and just lie down and rest.”

Katharine tried to stand up to get onto the bed but sank back down as her strength gave out again.

The best she could do was to lean on the table and practically crawl.

It was disconcerting how her body refused to listen.

Farnese looked at her with complex eyes, then rang a bell to call the court physician.

The court physician who came running was pitifully as emaciated as Katharine.

This was a woman brought in by none other than the Emperor himself.

If he couldn’t save her, death would be the only end.

Ironically, while the court physician saved Katharine’s life, it could be said that Katharine also saved the court physician’s life in return.

“At the time of the accident, there were severe fractures and bleeding throughout the arms, legs, and ribs. Thanks to God’s care, fortunately there was no damage to the head, but there will be some difficulty in daily life for the time being.”

The court physician said, wiping cold sweat with a handkerchief.

“When will I be able to walk?”

“With crutches, one or two months. To walk without crutches, it will take more than four months. However, to be able to exercise freely like before the accident, we need to monitor the progress steadily for over half a year.”

In other words, she wouldn’t even be able to lift a spoon by herself for the time being.

Still, in the long run, complete recovery was possible, so should it be called fortunate in misfortune?

“Your Majesty. How many days did it take for me to open my eyes?”

“Two weeks.”

“Already that long… What about the Khan royal family? Didn’t they look for me?”

Katharine asked half in doubt.

Just as the thought that Charlen might even consider her well dead crossed her mind.

Farnese seemed to hesitate whether to answer her question, showing a slight glimmer of conflict, then resolutely shook his head.

“They didn’t look for you. If they had the heart to search, they would have contacted me.”

Farnese turned Katharine’s doubt into certainty.

It was the moment another scar was carved on a heart that had already been slashed countless times with no intact place left.

Katharine smiled bitterly.

“I see.”

“…”

“Anyway, I’ll never forget today’s kindness. I’ll leave the palace as soon as I can walk. Right now, my body is like this, so I’m afraid I’ll have to impose on you for a while. Is that alright?”

Katharine spoke politely, suppressing the rising sadness.

Farnese let out a heavy sigh and gave her a gentle tap on the forehead.

“Ouch.”

“When have you ever asked for my permission to impose on me? Act shamelessly as usual.”

“You’re saying I’m shameless?”

“You’re so clever at times, but at times like this, you’re hopelessly foolish. I’m not narrow-minded enough to rudely chase out a patient who can’t even take a step alone.”

“You mean…”

Farnese pulled over a thick winter blanket and wrapped Katharine’s entire body like a snowman.

“Go back to sleep. It’s best not to think about leaving this room until you can run around properly without staggering like a newborn fawn.”

“Forgive my impertinence, but perhaps you didn’t learn how to speak gently from the court tutor?”

“Seeing you talk back and climb up, it seems you’re feeling better.”

Farnese retorted gruffly and left the room without looking back.

Was it kindness or a threat?

Repeating his nagging, which wasn’t unpleasant at all, over and over in her mind, Katharine had to spend all day rolling around aimlessly on the bed.

“You finally look relieved.”

Duke Ludwig said, following behind Farnese, who was striding down the corridor with his long legs.

Farnese neatly ignored his words and skimmed through the backlogged reports handed to him.

‘Your Majesty really can’t be honest.’

Katharine herself probably had no idea that he had stayed by her side the whole time, unable to sleep or eat out of worry for her.

And His Majesty himself would likely refuse to admit it.

Making clumsy excuses like a teenage boy that he wasn’t worried, just trying to get rid of a bothersome task.

‘How can you both be so awkward with emotions? When will you date and how will you marry?’

Duke Ludwig smiled silently, imagining a pleasant future in his mind.

But his leisure was short-lived.

“But Your Majesty. Do you really intend not to inform the Khan Kingdom?”

Rustle.

Only the soft sound of turning pages was heard, with no answer.

“No matter what, Katharine’s home is the Khan Kingdom. Someday she must return…”

“She almost died.”

Farnese said, stopping abruptly.

“Because of that inadequate man, that fragile woman crossed the line between life and death several times.”

Could you send her back?

The papers crumpled mercilessly in Farnese’s grip.