A faint smile appeared at the corners of Father’s eyes as he looked at the crude wooden carving.

“The renowned sculptor of Rosemary said…”

“……”

“If you place a carved figure with wishes at the entrance, the person you’re waiting for will return.”

Only then did I notice the carving on the statue that seemed to depict eyes, nose, and mouth.

The countless lines, which must have been repeated countless times, were clumsy but showed tremendous effort.

It must have been an earnest wish for my return.

‘Father will stand here waiting for me forever. I’ll definitely come back, Father.’

Though I had repeated those words thousands of times in my heart since becoming Vivian, they would never reach Father’s ears.

Unable to shake off the bitter feeling, I lowered my head as Father guided me again.

After leading me to the reception room, Father called for a healer first and gave various instructions to the head servant.

While Father was busy, I settled into the plush chair in the center and looked around.

The frames and portraits of me still hung on the walls, along with the magic sword I used to carry, and the blade Father spent nights making for me…

Even after 7 years, when one might expect things to be forgotten, every trace remembered me.

As my eyes reddened and I turned my head, I saw a pile of books in the corner.

On top was an unfolded paper that seemed to be a copy.

Taking advantage of the servants’ busyness, I quietly looked at it, and the drawing on the page seemed somehow familiar.

Realizing what the familiar drawing was, I covered my mouth.

‘Magic mirror? Why is this…’

Below it were ancient words translated into imperial language in Father’s clumsy sentences.

It didn’t take long to figure out what was going on.

‘Father still hasn’t given up looking for me.’

I could vividly imagine Father’s efforts to interpret the ancient language all day.

‘Should I tell Father about the magic mirror?’

Of course, I knew it was a terribly dangerous thing, but the magic mirror only reveals whether someone is alive or dead.

If Father knew just the fact that I was alive, he would live each day with hope.

After all, hope is like a lifeline that keeps people going.

But if that happened, Father would suspect my identity. I was the only one in the empire who could interpret ancient language.

Above all, the existence of the magic mirror would surely be conveyed to Casius as well.

What would happen if Casius, who still pushed me away even though he denied that I was dead, found out I was alive?

Everything would be thrown into disarray.

As my thoughts grew complicated, a familiar-looking healer approached.

The chief physician of Rosemary was someone I had been close with when I lived in the mansion, and I followed him like a grandfather.

Knowing all about the situation with Vivian, he looked startled when he saw my face.

But after that, he didn’t show any sign of recognition and focused only on healing.

His healing power, honed by years of experience, shone brilliantly this time as well.

“You should feel better now.”

Unlike how he used to treat me before, he finished his job and words roughly and quickly got up from his seat.

Given that the external rumors about me weren’t very good, and that I had taken Rachel’s place whom he used to serve, it seemed he couldn’t muster a friendly expression.

Come to think of it, there wasn’t a single person in this household who hadn’t been warm to me.

Considering how everyone treated me like that without me doing anything special, I felt anew that I was truly blessed with good relationships.

As I was lost in such idle thoughts, the healer went out and Father also bid farewell.

“Rest comfortably.”

As Father turned around, he saw the documents spread out on the table and hurriedly gathered them before disappearing outside.

Father’s shoulders were lowered as he walked away.

I kept watching his retreating figure until it disappeared.

A painful feeling settled in my chest.

I turned my gaze when a teacup was placed on the table.

After the servant disappeared, I sipped the teacup on the table out of habit, and a warm feeling seeped into my body.

The familiar scented tea was the jasmine tea I always used to drink.

My heart fluctuated complexly, filling my insides with an indescribable feeling.

The more warmth enveloped me and tears welled up, the stronger my will became, like a weed that had just taken root on the ground.

In this life, I must protect Father, family, and everyone else.

To do that, I need to become even stronger.

At the same time, the reason I came here dominated my mind.

‘First, I need to get the enhancement stone…’

The place where the enhancement stone was kept was my room in the center of the second floor.

To get there, I had to pass through the hall and go up the floor.

When I opened the middle door and looked around, I saw servants busily moving about.

It was impossible to enter my room avoiding their eyes.

‘Should I wait until evening?’

When evening comes, the servants will return to the annex, making it much easier to retrieve the enhancement stone.

As I basked in the warm sunlight, the tension eased and my eyes finally closed drowsily.

*

When I opened my eyes again, it was late afternoon.

Considering the recent insomnia I had been experiencing, the comfort of being home was undeniable.

Seeing that there was still no one around, it seemed the hunt was still in full swing.

Once again, the events from the hunting grounds flooded my mind.

‘Since Diarob spouted such nonsense, Casius must think of me even more terribly now. Moreover, after causing such a commotion and entering the Rosemary mansion…’

The last expression I saw on Casius’s face was furrowed as if looking at something disgusting.

‘Can I win Casius’s heart like this?’

Worries flooded in like a tidal wave.

‘What if I can’t fulfill the contract at this rate? Is there no way to turn Casius’s heart? What did the old Casius like about me?’

Suddenly, the words Tikan had said to me long ago flashed through my mind.

“To change so many lovers every day, my lady.”

At first glance, it sounded like I had lived a dissipated life, but I wished I had done even that much.

The lovers who lined up, captivated by my beauty, couldn’t last even a day before giving up.

“I sincerely support my sister’s life as the empire’s first single woman.”

It was a typical sly encouragement from a blood relative, but the guy was punished by getting hit on the back of the head by Father for saying that.

‘According to Tikan, it happened because I only talked stiffly about work.’

Even in the midst of all that, the reason I wasn’t pressured about marriage was thanks to the family atmosphere.

No one in the family ever urged me to get married.

I didn’t give much thought to that issue either.

Thinking about it now, it was something I should apologize to Father for.

A noble family’s child not getting married was often considered a disgrace in the empire.

Anyway, at the end of it all, Casius became my first lover.

It was the moment when even the impure figures in high society who had branded me as having a problem fell silent.

Public opinion reversed in an instant, flowing towards the idea that I was a person with extremely high standards.

And people finally began to wonder about me as a person.

The topic of conversation was what the cold-blooded crown prince saw in me to open his heart.

And that was something even I didn’t know.

It didn’t particularly matter to me why Casius fell for me, so I never asked him about it.

Only now did I regret that.

‘If only I had asked back then, it might be a little less difficult now.’

No matter how much I thought about it, no clear answer came to mind.

‘Did Casius fall for me because of my face too?’

If that was the case, it would be devastating.

It’s not like I could change my face now.

If there was even a slight resemblance, I might have thought about making some changes, but the gentle downward slant of my eyes then and the cat-like eyes now were completely different from the start.

‘And that’s not all.’

The nostrils, facial lines, hair, everything was different.

As for the body… I looked down and examined my body once, and was once again plunged into despair.

The more I thought about it, this body with its proper curves boasted a stature clearly different from Rachel’s.

But in a moment, my thoughts became organized.

‘If it was because of my outward appearance, Casius would have fallen for me at first sight.’

As far as I knew, Casius was brusque with me at first.

When I first entered as an aide, he was so sharp that he even had the notorious nickname “Blood Prince”.

It was the same for me.

Then at some point, it started to change, but there didn’t seem to be any special trigger.

If there was one thing, it was the “Love Strategy” that Tikan had left behind at the time.

The boy, probably worried that my pride would be hurt, left that book without anyone knowing.

That book was full of numerous love strategies as the title suggested, as well as moments that made one blush just by looking at it.

I practiced it whenever I had time and immediately put it into action.

Whether it was effective or not, Casius gradually showed interest in me.

After finding a solution, I felt a surge of confidence and the world seemed a little more beautiful.

As I turned my head, I saw the cozy garden warmly embraced by the gentle breeze.

‘Will Casius come here when the hunt is over?’

Though I thought he wouldn’t come if he was thinking of me, I wondered if he might come to see Father.

‘Surely he won’t say we should return to the palace as soon as we meet?’

Recalling his cold face telling me not to be overly dramatic, it seemed more than likely.

But considering Father, there was a high chance he would stay here for at least a day.

‘When will Casius finish the hunt? It would be good if he came down as late as possible.’

I felt that if Casius was here, it would be more complicated to enter the room.

Tikan, who was sensitive to presences, would be here too.

As these idle thoughts continued, I saw a knight entering the mansion.

Over the leather clothes symbolizing the Rosemary Knights, there was plenty of mud characteristic of the mountains, and purple leaves were stuck on his head.

He seemed to be the end-rank knight in charge of the hunting grounds.

Perhaps not having received instructions, he was about to cross the hall when he noticed me and looked surprised.

“Which way did His Highness go?”

If Casius had gone far away, the hunting festival would be prolonged even more.

After all, it was the authority of the superior to signal the end of the hunting festival.

The knight, after briefly paying his respects, immediately answered my question.

“He moved towards Evela, Your Highness.”

“I see…”

For a moment, my mind went blank.

‘Wait, Evela?’

The knight’s eyes widened as I suddenly stood up, but I didn’t notice.

Evela was to the north of Rosemary Mountain, where the Black Forest that people didn’t venture into was located.

And there… was the trap I had set up.

As I ran outside, cries of “Your Highness” rang out several times from behind, but I heard nothing.