“…,” Samuel, who had been watching the entire scene with familiarity, made a grimace and casually remarked, “By this time, the princess must be having teatime with the Dowager Empress.”

At this, Cardin, who had buried his face in his hands, abruptly raised his head and corrected firmly, “No, she’s probably gone for a walk.”

“A walk?” Samuel asked.

“Yes. I told my mother I would visit the temple before leaving.”

The Dowager Empress, who had stayed up all night altering dresses, would have woken up late and received the note he left. She might be angry that he had exploded the bombshell about his paternity without her permission.

‘But she’ll eventually take care of things.’

It was certain she would visit the private garden, accessible only to the royal family, to reveal some of the empire’s secrets.

“I hope the princess enjoys her walk,” Cardin mused.

As Cardin had predicted, Annette was on her way to the private garden guided by Serena the day before. Initially, she hadn’t been at ease entering that place, but today was different.

‘I am now a rightful part of the Alkan royal family…,’ she thought, not just because she believed the engagement was official by now.

More fundamentally, the anxiety that had been shadowing her had vanished like magic after meeting Cardin. He had firmly stated his intention not to break off the engagement, and even more, he had revealed that he had always wanted Annette Heyworth, her, as his marriage partner.

‘Although I still don’t understand why he wants me…’

That was a mystery to be unraveled over time. Cardin had said he had a lot to tell her.

Unlike Annette, who felt more at ease, the Empress, Charlotte, was deep in thought, pondering why the Dowager Empress had suggested a walk at this particular time. Given the need to keep Annette’s existence a secret, the private garden, exclusive to the royal family, was the only option. A mere stroll could not have been the sole purpose.

They were heading to the ‘Garden of Secrets,’ a place where the entire area was protected by a barrier, with powerful restoration magic and soundproofing spells to keep the royal family’s secrets safe. These were not just any secrets but those related to the royal family’s innate powers or ‘blessings.’

To the public, these blessings were known as divine gifts, but every light casts a shadow. The untold history of the royal family was marked by cruel and violent obsessions with these powers, and this garden harbored those dark secrets.

Charlotte was perplexed that the Dowager Empress might already be revealing these secrets to Annette, who had just gotten engaged. She wasn’t opposed to it; she was just concerned that Annette, already dealing with her current situation, might become more troubled.

Even Charlotte, who had lived her entire life as an Alkan citizen, idolizing the royal family’s powers as the empire’s blessing, was shocked when she officially became the crown princess and heard these stories from the Dowager Empress. And then to learn that Cardin, whom Lucius detested, was not really his brother…

‘Ah.’

Charlotte suddenly realized that the secret the Dowager Empress intended to reveal might be about Cardin. It still seemed premature to discuss this with Annette, but…

“How was the residence issue decided?”
At that moment, the Dowager Empress nonchalantly asked Annette a question, which Charlotte easily understood the underlying meaning of.

Normally, after the engagement was confirmed, Annette should have stayed in the palace until the day of the royal marriage to receive education related to royal etiquette. However, given the current situation, it was impossible to set a date for the marriage or even to publicly receive etiquette training. Therefore, it was highly likely that Cardin would have Annette stay in the Duchy until her body reverted to its original state.

The Dowager Empress, who planned to pamper Annette with beautiful clothes and delicious food to make her chubby, might have been anxious that Cardin, who had rushed to the capital even at the expense of his health, would immediately take Annette away.

However, Annette was actually pondering how bothersome it would be to have the palace staff constantly on alert every time she moved. She had eased her mind about being a part of the royal family, but she didn’t think her existence was any less of a burden. So she said, “Since the marriage has to be postponed until my body returns to normal, we’ve decided to go to the Duchy to monitor my condition.”

She added that the royal magician Martin, who had taken her blood, was also planning to go with them, as Cardin had informed her.

“When exactly…?” the Dowager Empress asked.

“Since someone from the Duchy is coming to the capital, I suppose within a few days…”

“A few days?” The Dowager Empress’s eyebrows rose sharply.

Unsure why, Annette hastily added, “It could be sooner.”

Seeing the Dowager Empress genuinely bothered and her expression harden, Annette felt confused.