Well, I decided not to think about Sieghart’s intentions or anything else from the moment I arrived on this trip. Natasha began to enjoy the trip as it was, without considering the unfortunate relationship between the two and Sieghart’s crimes.

“Wow…”

The hometown she set foot in after a long time had changed a lot from the past.

Skendilland, which was counted as one of the tourist attractions in the Kingdom of Charliee, had lost its uniqueness after taking on the color of the Empire. Now it could be seen as perfectly Imperial territory.

However, her heart swelled at the traces of the past that were still evident here and there.

In fact, the last time she visited Skendilland was when she was a child, when her family came to the resort for a rare vacation.

Skendilland was very different from the royal palace and the capital. Even the appearance of the buildings was so unique that it could be believed to be from a foreign country. Young Natasha, who had never been abroad due to severe motion sickness, excitedly babbled about whether this was the very foreign land she had only seen in books.

The sparkling eyes as she looked at the open sea all around, and the small hands preciously clutching cotton candy as if it were a treasure.

The short legs moving busily to follow her siblings striding with long legs, and the family lovingly watching such a cute Natasha…

And here you are with your enemy!

You traitor! You’ve brought an eradicator to our territory!

Even your being alive is a betrayal!

As she stood dazed by the impressive scenery, the eerie voices soon approached, bringing her back to reality.

It was the first time the voices had sounded so openly outside, especially with someone else next to her. Surprised, Natasha unconsciously turned her head towards the man.

Reading her gaze, Sieghart acted as if there was some problem.

“Didn’t… didn’t you hear something?”

“A sound?”

“…No, I must have heard things.”

Fortunately, it seemed that others couldn’t hear it.

Natasha walked down the street, saying she would go sightseeing alone.

Get out!

Leave!

The sudden appearance of the voices put Natasha in a difficult situation. After a long absence, they drove Natasha with increasingly fierce voices.

As if chastising Natasha for naively coming on a trip with her enemy.

“What could I do, I had no choice…”

Then Natasha shouted into the air as if making excuses.

Am I not allowed to be happy, not allowed to enjoy forgetting the past for a moment? In fact, she felt a little unfair.

But even so, after realizing that the man standing next to her was the enemy of her family, she fell back into being a sinner again.

“This wasn’t what I wanted. Being here so happily is just because I’m so glad to visit my hometown after so long…!”

Talking to herself like a crazy person, she felt people’s gazes on her. However, even the finger-pointing of others, which had always been frightening, became indifferent in the face of her family’s reproach.

Shut up!

Traitor!

Unfilial child!

Traitor to the country!

With each step, the voices grew louder and louder.

The same was true for her heartbeat.

Then let’s cover the voices with the sound of her heartbeat. They are sounds too, so they will surely be buried.

Unable to think properly, Natasha started running aimlessly.

Until her mouth tasted sweet and her legs trembled.

“Huff…”

The result wasn’t bad. Really, only when she ran, their voices couldn’t be heard. When she reached the point where she had no choice but to walk due to exhaustion, it was another problem.

Traitor!

Unfilial child!

Traitor to the country!

Three voices overlapped. With no strength left to run, she leaned against the wall and let the voices flow.

Their identity was unknown. Only the god in heaven would know whether they were the real resentment of her family or hallucinations created by Natasha’s sorrow. One thing for sure was that they cruelly wouldn’t disappear until Natasha collapsed.

Yes, it would be fine without Sieghart. Here, it didn’t matter if she was terrified and collapsed. It didn’t matter if others saw her as a crazy person…

Traitor!

Unfilial child!

Traitor to the coun…

“Natasha.”

It was then, as she caught her breath against the wall.

A familiar voice called from afar. He, who had covered the distance Natasha had run in just a few steps, stopped in front of the woman.

“Are you alright?”

“Why are you here, Your Excellency…”

“You were out of sight for a long time, so I looked for you briefly.”

“…”

“I was worried.”

Worried?

Natasha stared at him blankly as if she didn’t understand. Sieghart didn’t add anything more, just held out his hand in front of the woman.

Realizing his intention, Natasha unconsciously removed her hand from the wall. At that moment, the voices invaded her ears again. They contained vicious threats, as if they would curse her immediately if she took the man’s hand.

‘Don’t take it.’

She didn’t want to take it.

She should have rejected it and come back only after the voices disappeared. She was afraid of what would happen if the man noticed her strangeness, the voices tormenting her.

It wasn’t that she felt ashamed or embarrassed.

If Sieghart discovered the existence of the voices, what if he again…

‘Apologize.’

‘…’

‘I’m sorry, Natasha.’

She hated him offering stupid apologies. She just found the crocodile tears the man showed quite detestable and didn’t want to face them again.

Yes. That must be all it is.

However, while her head thought so, her hand with quicker action was already moving. Natasha’s hand, which had already reached in front of him, firmly grasped the salvation he offered.

Traitor…!

The voice that had been ringing in her head all along faded.

It wasn’t a momentary coincidence or illusion. The voices that had dominated her mind disappeared in an instant.

“It’s okay.”

Natasha couldn’t understand at all.

Why did the voices that wouldn’t leave no matter how much she struggled, coincidentally disappear the moment she touched the man? Natasha didn’t consider it a mere coincidence.

And also why…

“It’s okay, Natasha.”

Why did she regain peace at this gentle touch caressing her?

One word from the man had more impact than a hundred of her own words of comfort. It was too much to simply attribute it to Sieghart’s remarkable ability.

Could it be that Natasha was really feeling reassured by his words…

She couldn’t dare to swear it wasn’t so. She didn’t even have the courage to step foot in denial.

She decided not to think about it.

For now, she decided to savor the moment when the voices disappeared and love the freedom that came to her.

And forgive the annoying man who acted as if he knew everything, just this once.

Afterwards, the two visited the most famous cafe in town. In the town that was full of Imperial atmosphere, only this cafe uniquely preserved the Kingdom’s ambiance. Perhaps because of this, most of the cafe’s customers looked like immigrants who couldn’t forget their homeland.

The act of spending time in the same space with them became frightening beyond joyful. Though it would be a rare occurrence, they might identify the last seed of Charliee.

Natasha shrank like a criminal every time she made eye contact with other customers. Anxious that people might recognize her, she felt uneasy as if sitting on pins and needles.

Knock knock.

Someone signaled on the table where the two were sitting. An index finger with a large ring tapped repeatedly on the wooden floor.

“Oh my!”

When Natasha looked up, the woman who confirmed her identity was startled. At the same time, Natasha also gasped in surprise.

The dreaded situation had occurred.

“You’re the princess, aren’t you?”

A familiar face greeted her as if pleased. It was the baroness’s daughter with whom she had often interacted in the Kingdom of Charliee.

If she had denied it, saying it was a case of mistaken identity, the situation might have passed naturally, but the flustered Natasha stupidly couldn’t open her mouth.

The woman, having gained certainty, arbitrarily concluded Natasha’s identity. Now it was ambiguous to deny it, so Natasha ended up affirming it.

“May I join you for a moment?”

“Ah…”

It was a request for her time.

Her head tilted slightly to the side to face the man. Soon after, he pressed down deeply on the fedora he was wearing, as if unconcerned.

The baroness’s daughter, whose name she could barely remember, wasn’t a particularly welcome guest.

“…I suppose it’s alright for a short while.”

“Yay! Great!”

She could just have a brief conversation and then make an excuse to leave.

Finally, Natasha accepted the baroness’s daughter.

“Princess, no, since you’re married now, I should call you Madam! What brings you here, Madam?”

“I’m here on a trip.”

“I see!”

The baroness’s daughter, who originally resided in the Principality, said she had immigrated to Skendilland this year.

She too had fond memories of traveling here as a child, but when she actually immigrated, she expressed belated regret that it had changed a lot from what she had expected.

But Natasha could hardly focus on the conversation.

‘Could the young lady also think of me as a traitor…’

Perhaps due to the aftermath of the voices from earlier, unnecessary worries arose. Moreover, her unfortunate life before the regression, which had no relevance to her current life, came to mind.

A life condemned by both Imperial and Principality citizens.

Some who claimed that the princess’s marriage marked the end point announcing the royal family’s defeat were busy mocking the duchess who was oppressed within the duke’s family. Others called her a traitor and criticized her.

No matter how hopefully Natasha’s direction had changed, she couldn’t know their hearts.

It wasn’t entirely wrong. As a seed of the royal family who had enjoyed benefits, she should rightfully receive criticism as a root of the royal family.

“Um, Madam.”

The baroness’s daughter suddenly called Natasha with a serious voice and tone. At the stiff title, Natasha finally sensed the end had come.

Natasha, frightened in advance, gripped her skirt tightly. She didn’t mind even if the tender flesh of her thigh was caught under her nails as she gripped fiercely.

Like a condemned prisoner awaiting the gallows rope to break, Natasha endlessly waited for the young lady’s next words.

“Thank you.”

“…Pardon?”

Surprisingly, the emotion expressed by the baroness’s daughter was gratitude.