Roxiana was taken aback by the sudden topic that came up.

‘Why are they suddenly like this?’

-We’ll give blessings to the wolf and the otter.

-Yes, that’s right. So the wolf and otter can move around comfortably. They won’t be noticed by humans.

-We’ll protect them.

Roxiana didn’t understand why the spirits were suddenly talking about Lion and Niss’s freedom, but she thought there must be a reason for this.

‘Lion is handsome and gallant, and his fur is excessively soft, so he’ll look like good prey to people. Niss is small, but her fur is as white as snow and she’s pretty and cute, so people will surely target her. Can you protect them well?’

-Of course, of course. Certainly.

-We’ll keep watching over them.

The spirits chattered excitedly.

What on earth were they planning?

She was curious, but they probably wouldn’t give a proper answer anyway. She had never gotten an accurate answer from spirits once they started avoiding the subject.

‘Alright then. I’ll tell them to release the two of them.’

-Yes, thank you!

Was this even something to be thankful for?

With a puzzled feeling, Roxiana called Petria and told her to release Lion and Niss, then focused again on writing the invitations.

+++

Lucas’s face contorted as he checked the party invitation. Count Kronte Jennier, watching Lucas’s expression, carefully said,

“Will you go?”

“What about you? Are you going?”

“No. I have no reason to go, do I? I really dislike rude and impolite people.”

“Yes, Floyd is rude and impolite. And extravagant too.”

Lucas had also heard rumors that Floyd had been taking Roxiana around and buying up everything in the high-end shopping district. Recently, the nobles had been constantly talking about it.

It wasn’t just the nobles.

The palace employees would also whisper about it and stop talking when Lucas passed by. Lucas crumpled the invitation and muttered,

“I pampered him, and now he’s acting like it’s his own country.”

“That’s right. We even canceled the social season this year as a sign of self-restraint, but he… And that woman seems crazy too, doesn’t she? We’re having a quiet social season because of her family, but she’s the one throwing a party.”

“…”

“I don’t know how she can be so excited when her family members died not long ago. She’s a terrible woman.”

Lucas glared at Kronte.

“She’s my former fiancée.”

“What? Ah, of course… Ah, that’s right. Of course, she had the dignity and grace befitting a princess of a country, and she was very beautiful, but…”

“Is she beautiful?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked if she’s beautiful. It’s fine, just answer honestly.”

“Well, she is beautiful. Maybe it’s because of that mysterious aura unique to royalty, but her every action was elegant and graceful.”

“Yes, elegant. Graceful.”

Things Elise didn’t have.

Thinking that even others had the same thoughts about Roxiana made him regret abandoning her even more. Lucas uncrumpled the invitation and checked its contents again.

“Four days from now. Alright, I’ll have to go and see for myself how grand a party she’s throwing.”

+++

Elise had also heard the rumors in the market streets. She couldn’t help but hear them with everyone talking about it everywhere.

Moreover, once the employees learned that Elise might be cast aside by Lucas, they didn’t even lower their voices when she passed by. Sometimes they would snort at her orders, and openly whisper and stare.

So Elise locked herself in her room and couldn’t think of coming out.

It felt like everyone was mocking her, slandering her, and pointing fingers at her, and in reality, they were. Days passed that felt like living in hell.

But when she received the invitation from Roxiana, she couldn’t stand it. Elise crumpled the invitation and threw it, and it hit the head of the maid who brought it before falling to the floor.

The maid glared at Elise before turning around and leaving without even cleaning up the invitation.

“Roxiana…”

Elise clenched her fists and glared at the invitation on the floor.

“Roxiana!”

With rumors spreading in the streets, Roxiana must have heard about Elise as well. That means she sent this party invitation knowing full well what kind of situation Elise was in.

That made her so angry she couldn’t stand it.

“You dare to mock me? You?”

Roxiana must have sent this invitation thinking Elise would never come to the party.

“Then I must go. I have to go.”

No matter how expensive a dress and jewelry Roxiana wore, Elise was confident she would outshine her. Because it had always been that way. Because she had lived hearing that she was the most beautiful in the Kingdom of Kanta.

The problem was getting permission from Lucas.

Although she had moved to the Crown Prince’s Palace, she hadn’t encountered Lucas. Lucas never came to see Elise, and Elise didn’t go to see him either. Though they were in the same place, they spent different times, so despite being her husband, he felt like the most unfamiliar and distant person.

‘It’s okay. I’m not locked up because I’m a criminal. Lucas is just a little anxious. So I just need to act confident. If I act like a criminal, it’ll look more suspicious.’

Elise took a deep breath and called a maid, ordering her to let her know when Lucas returned. But even as the sun set and it was time for dinner, she didn’t receive word that Lucas had returned, so she called the maid again.

“What about His Highness the Crown Prince? Has he still not returned?”

“No, he hasn’t come back yet.”

“Do you know where he went?”

“How would I know?”

Disliking the maid’s tone, Elise stared at her intently before asking,

“Which family did you say you were from?”

The maid stared blankly at Elise as if she didn’t want to answer, then smirked and said,

“The Baron Elven family.”

Elise didn’t know, but the Baron Elven family was a prestigious family that had long produced maids and servants for the royal family. Having always served only royalty and those of comparable status, the maid couldn’t help but look down on Elise, who became Crown Princess just because she was pregnant, and now even that child’s paternity was in doubt.

Elise smiled sweetly at the maid who was looking at her straight in the eye with an arrogant gaze.

“Alright, you may go. Be sure to let me know when His Highness the Crown Prince returns.”

After the maid left, Elise called for Ranian. As Ranian appeared quietly, Elise approached him closely and whispered softly.

“Kill Baron Elven and his wife. If that girl loses her parents too, she might understand my feelings a little.”

After Ranian obediently answered and disappeared, Elise sat on the sofa and glared at the tapestry hanging on the wall.

There was a creaking sound as if something was broken. Knowing that the sound was coming from somewhere inside her body, Elise continued to glare at the tapestry without looking around for the source of the sound.

‘Roxiana.’

Everything had been perfect. Until Roxiana announced her survival and her family’s horrible death in colonized Kanta. Until the public sympathy that was originally directed at Elise turned towards Roxiana.

Lucas had loved Elise, and Elise was steadily preparing to lay a solid foundation for her future. Even people who had initially dismissed Elise were one by one recognizing her abilities.

But with Roxiana’s appearance, everything changed.

The gears that had been moving smoothly broke down and made a loud creaking noise. She wanted to fix it, but didn’t know where to start.

The image in the tapestry seemed to move.

She had a vision of the knight who had stabbed a spear into the neck of a huge lion to protect the woman being clawed down by the lion’s front paws, and the lion running past the knight to trample and tear apart the fleeing woman.

The woman crushed under the lion’s front paws screamed.

“Aaaaah!”

She belatedly realized that scream was coming from her own mouth.

It must have been heard outside, but no one came to see what was wrong. When the scream stopped, a lonely silence weighed down on Elise.

It was late at night when Lucas returned to the Crown Prince’s Palace. The maid didn’t inform Elise of Lucas’s return, but she could tell he was back from the noise in the corridor.

Elise jumped up and headed towards Lucas’s room.

The smell of alcohol was overwhelming from the moment she opened the door. The maids were helping Lucas change his clothes. Lucas, with a flushed face, was giggling with the maids when he noticed Elise and grinned.

“Oh, Elise. My virtuous wife.”

At the sarcastic words, a sneer flickered across the maids’ lips.

“What brings you here at this hour? Was the bed too wide for you to sleep alone? It would be just the right size with one more big man in it, wouldn’t it? Don’t you think?”

As Lucas turned to the maids and laughed, the maids laughed along with him. Elise gripped her skirt tightly and held back tears.

“Your Highness, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it? Have you finally decided to reveal who the child’s father is?”

“This child is yours, Your Highness. It’s not anyone else’s child but yours. You will regret being fooled by the lies of those who slander me.”

“Ah, really? I really hope I’ll regret it someday.”

“Please send the maids away for a moment.”

“No. Just say it.”

“Your Highness, please.”

As Elise lowered her eyebrows and pleaded, Lucas’s eyes wavered. Lucas let out a deep sigh mixed with the smell of alcohol and nodded to the maids. After everyone in the bedroom had left, Elise quietly approached Lucas.

“Your Highness.”

Elise reached out to stroke Lucas’s arm as she always had. But as Lucas slightly pulled his arm back, her hand, having lost its way, floundered in the air before falling down emptily.

“What do you want to say?”