After saying that, the king stared at her intently with his bright yellow eyes.

Goosebumps ran down her spine at the gaze with unfathomable meaning.

Suddenly she thought she might need to make excuses, but it would be useless.

If the king wanted to save her, he would do so without listening to a word; if he wanted to kill her, he would do so no matter what she said.

Even as Anika grappled with her complicated feelings, the man continued speaking.

“I’m not doubting you. They’re not careless enough to be poisoned by you.”

And he added. Don’t take this the wrong way. After all, there’s something to be said for experience.

As someone who learned through her father’s death that such experience meant little before a blade, his words didn’t quite resonate.

Of course, the king didn’t care how much she sympathized.

“But if things continue like this, you’ll end up taking all the blame. Being innocent doesn’t mean you don’t have enemies, you know.”

Anika understood what the king was saying.

The Rohos domain was fertile.

The king who executed her father had confiscated a significant portion of the dead man’s assets, but left the domain and authority over it.

The surrounding lords were eyeing it greedily.

Fortunately, no one had acted on that greed yet.

This was because many of the domains surrounding Rohos had also lost their lords and were inherited by direct descendants.

It was disconcerting to come to Edegrun at such a crucial time when defenses needed to be shored up… but this much should be considered the price for her life.

It was a bit unfair to suddenly worry about her life after living peacefully until last year, but that’s how the world works.

Nevertheless, as the human heart is fickle and she was about to feel skeptical of life’s fickleness, the king said.

“So try to clear your name yourself.”

Ophelia met Anika in the hallway of the castle.

Thinking the conversation must be over by now, Ophelia was on her way to find Idren when she spotted a woman walking from the opposite direction.

The woman with consistently wheat-colored curly hair looked quite troubled, as if she had just heard something.

Anika also noticed her and bowed her head.

“Hello.”

Ophelia approached the woman and extended her hand.

“It’s been a while, Lord of Rohos.”

Anika took the new queen’s outstretched hand and kissed it. It was one of the ways lords showed their loyalty to the royal family.

The woman, who looked like a sugar sculpture, received the kiss and smiled gracefully.

Her large, downturned eyes narrowed slightly and curved gently.

Her face was so docile it was hard to believe she was of the Mevasa royal family, considering the cruelty of Prince Mahanas, who shared her bloodline.

In fact, the queen’s personality was as gentle as her face.

Anika knew this because the woman had briefly stayed at Rohos Castle on her way to Edegrun for marriage.

At that time, still a princess, the woman seemed to want to get along well even with the passing lord of the castle, but Anika had deliberately avoided her.

It wasn’t out of antipathy, but to avoid creating any situation the king might use against her.

Moreover, wasn’t Penrel Sauer always by the queen’s side back then?

All of Aglante knew that the second son of the Sauer family was the king’s closest confidant. And that everything he saw and heard reached the king’s ears.

In such a situation, it was difficult to be friendly with the queen.

“Dahel talked about you a lot.”

The queen said as she withdrew her hand from Anika’s lips.

Surprised by words she hadn’t expected to hear from the other’s mouth, Anika’s eyes widened slightly.

“You’ve met Dahel?”

“Yes, the king brought him to the castle.”

That was true.

After executing her father, the king had singled out Dahel among the dead man’s pages.

“I’ll take that servant with me.”

In a situation where even her father was dead, Anika wanted to give freedom to the children who must have had a hard time, so she talked back despite knowing she could be punished.

“The pages know nothing.”

But the king was adamant.

“I’m not going to interrogate him.”

In other words, it meant to hand him over without further nonsense.

If he had intended to torture him, he would have stated his intentions without hesitation, so it didn’t seem like a lie, but she couldn’t just blindly believe it either.

Dahel was of low status and had no family. He was in a position where he could be swept away and killed if the king had a whim.

He must have known this fact, yet Dahel went to the king of his own accord.

“Young mistress, please don’t defy the king’s order because of me. I want to follow His Majesty.”

It was a departing figure that stuck in her mind all the more because she couldn’t bring herself to say he didn’t have to do that.

Since then, there had been no news of Dahel.

Anika had sent someone to find out if the boy was doing well, but all that came back was news that half the nobles of Edegrun had their heads cut off.

Hearing news of the boy after all that, she was glad but also curious.

“If it’s not too presumptuous, may I ask if Dahel is doing well?”

At that, the queen, who seemed so kind unlike the king, let out a small laugh.

“Of course. Oh, I won’t just tell you news, I’ll have you meet him. Is now a good time?”

“I have no further plans. Thank you for your consideration.”

“No need for thanks.”

And the woman smiled again.

Looking at that bright face, Anika thought that perhaps the king had changed because of that smile.

Certainly, it seemed like one couldn’t live as they pleased with such a gentle-looking wife by their side.

The queen took her to her reception room, then ordered a servant to call for Dahel.

When the familiar face entered not long after, Anika called the boy’s name without even thinking to control her expression.

“Dahel!”

“Young mistress!”

The boy who approached her with quick steps asked.

“Have you been well?”

“I’m always fine. Have you been alright?”

“I’ve been well thanks to Her Majesty the Queen’s grace.”

And Dahel bowed to the queen sitting across from them. Anika also bowed once more.

“Thank you for taking good care of Dahel.”

It was a sincere greeting, not just for show.

The queen was the woman sitting at the very top of the country.

For such a person to look after one of the many servants in the castle was pure goodwill.

The queen shook her head when she greeted.

“No, there’s nothing to thank me for. Wasn’t he a child the king brought forcibly in the first place?”

“No, the people of the country should naturally obey the king’s orders…”

“No need to make excuses. The king doesn’t get angry over such trivial words.”

He wouldn’t get angry, he’d just cut off heads…

Tucking the words she couldn’t dare say out loud under her tongue, Anika bowed her head once more.

She was grateful nonetheless.

“It’s good to see you two so happy to meet. Why don’t you take Dahel with you when you go back?”

“Pardon? But…”

It was none other than the king who had brought Dahel to Edegrun.

As if reading her thoughts, the queen said.

“I’ll speak to the king about it. I’m sure he’ll agree.”

And the queen smiled again as if to say just trust her.

But human affairs are unpredictable.

There were more than a few households where husbands tried to dominate their wives.

Anika didn’t want to burden the woman, who was surely innocent, with domestic turmoil.

“You don’t have to go to such trouble. Going against the king’s will…”

“Don’t worry. He won’t even feel it’s going against his will to that extent. I’ll take responsibility and add Dahel to your party.”

It would be rude to refuse further at this point. Anika finally bowed her head again.

“Thank you.”

The queen looked at her for a moment and asked.

“If you’re so grateful, how about granting me a favor in return?”

The world is incomprehensible.

Siana thought again as she sobbed, hiding in a secluded corner of the royal garden. The world is incomprehensible.

It might be because she hadn’t been able to study – her father had said women didn’t need to know such things – but it didn’t seem to be just because she was ignorant.

Anyone would feel that way seeing situations change so drastically.

Her father had died not long ago.

Up to that point, it was still okay.

She was very surprised but not sad, because when her father died, her tutor and nanny disappeared completely too.

In other words, it meant there would be no more scolding or beatings.

Of course, she had to leave the familiar castle to live in the royal palace, but the quality of life had actually improved, so that couldn’t be considered a problem.

Nevertheless, the reason Siana spent nights in tears was fear that someday knights might drag her away too.

But even that fear disappeared thanks to the white and beautiful queen who appeared one day.

The queen, who was said to have come from a country in the south, told her in a gentle voice that she wouldn’t be punished.

But this morning, she told Siana to stay in the south.

She added that Siana could choose what to do after that, but it didn’t really resonate.

Her father had also told her to choose many times, then beat her if she chose something he didn’t like.

Of course, she hadn’t been beaten once since entering the royal palace, but that didn’t erase the memories that were there.

In the end, Siana decided to do what she did best instead of making a choice she couldn’t make.

Hiding and crying.

She just came to a place where no one was around because crying in her room would be too obvious.

What should I do? Do I really have to go to the south? Siana thought, sniffling with her knees pulled up to her chin.

But I don’t know anyone in the south. What if there are people worse than father if I go?

It was then that she heard someone’s footsteps.

Startled, Siana looked up. A woman with golden hair was walking from far away.

Realizing this place wasn’t known only to her, Siana quickly composed her face and stood up. It was to run away.

It was then that the woman called her name.

“Miss Nebel?”

Surprised that a stranger knew her, Siana’s eyes widened.

“Wh-who are you?”

The woman then smiled warmly, took a handkerchief from her bosom and handed it to her.

A warm touch reached her fingertips. The woman smiled kindly and said.

“My name is Anika Rohos.”