Clea woke up from her sleep and looked at the window.

As the sun was setting, darkness was appearing in the sky.

‘Has he not returned yet?’

No one had come to wake her up until this time.

She guessed that Admund had gone out and not returned.

She looked at the bell pull for a moment and pondered.

‘I don’t want to make things troublesome.’

She couldn’t forget the chirping maids, chattering like sparrows.

At least sparrows don’t know what they’re saying.

Their constant chatter was truly exhausting to listen to.

Clea carefully got up right after waking and checked her condition in the mirror.

“Not bad.”

It was one of the things she liked most since her possession.

Of course, if this were the only thing she liked, it would be disheartening.

She smiled, satisfied with her appearance that looked beautiful even right after waking up, without any need for grooming.

‘Is this the smile that won him over?’

During the long time she stayed at the Odoi mansion, she had no reason to smile.

She was even mocked, asking if her emotions had died.

But since coming here, she started showing various expressions.

She used to feel nothing but irritation because of Grit and Lloyd.

But here, she felt joy, gratitude, regret, and sorrow.

It was so different from the people who only thought about how to use her.

“Meeting you that day must have been the happiest moment for me.”

Words spoken with true sincerity.

She could say them because no one was around, yet she wanted someone to hear them.

These feelings of hers.

Especially to the person who had become precious to her.

She turned her gaze to the mirror.

Suddenly, these words came out as she looked at the mirror.

“Mirror, mirror. Is the image of me you’re showing now truly my honest self?”

The her in the mirror was smiling.

But tears were flowing from her eyes.

She clutched her chest tightly, feeling a pain and a swelling emotion.

But no matter what she did, the expression beyond the mirror didn’t change.

Clea knew well why she was making such an expression.

And that made her even angrier.

“How wonderful it would be if I could stay with you for a long time.”

The clock drawn on the back of her hand.

There were moments when looking at the clock made her feel like she was going mad.

When she couldn’t breathe properly.

When she was so confused that her head spun and everything around her looked white.

It was the fear of dying slowly in pain.

Still, she had never felt sadness.

For her, there was no need to continue living here unless she could return to her original world.

Beloved family, friends, and others.

The years she had spent here, feeling as if everyone was gone and she was left alone, had worn her down.

It was completely meaningless, so she had no lingering attachments.

“I’ve become a little scared. That I can’t grow old with you.”

She tasted blood on her slightly bitten lip.

Tears were now continuously flowing from Clea’s eyes.

Would the mark disappear if she cut it off with something like a knife?

It was different from the days when she thought she wouldn’t mind dying by the curse.

Now, Clea wished to be freed from the curse.

But as if to say her wish wouldn’t be granted yet, the curse remained clearly visible.

She stepped outside, silently shedding tears.

When she went out, all the waiting staff could hardly hide their bewildered expressions.

However, they didn’t approach Clea to offer comfort.

They couldn’t approach, thinking she might be displeased if they offered inadequate consolation.

Of course, Clea was grateful, knowing that their intention was consideration, not disregard.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m just going to get some fresh air outside.”

“It’s dangerous now that the sun has set.”

They couldn’t help but block her way outside.

Currently, neither Admund nor Oberon were in the imperial palace.

In this situation, it seemed dangerous for her to go elsewhere.

But Clea wanted to sort out her feelings while getting some air.

So, uncharacteristically, she pleaded.

“It’ll only be for a moment, please.”

The maids hesitated.

They hadn’t expected her to plead like this, and they were worried about potential situations.

What if she happened to encounter another member of the imperial family, and that person raised objections to Clea’s presence?

However, not wanting to ignore Clea’s polite request, they soon decided.

“Just for a short while.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Ah, let’s go together!”

Clea started walking.

Her head warned that she should restrain herself as she might cause trouble for Admund.

But her stifled heart welcomed it, feeling like she could breathe again.

Clea tried to sort out her emotions while watching the beautiful full moon rise.

She followed the same path she had taken when evading Oberon.

It was a place she had arrived at without thinking.

As she headed there, Clea felt as if her time was stopping.

It was fine even if it was an illusion now.

She wanted to sort out this urgency she felt, even if it was just an illusion.

As she was walking like that, she encountered someone.

“You are.”

“Gr-Great…”

“Stop.”

She encountered Odin, with whom she had conversed in the garden before.

Odin had seen Clea’s figure from afar and had just appeared before her in disguise, as he had done before.

On the other hand, the maids were flustered when they recognized who it was.

Unlike Clea, they had occasionally seen Odin in disguise by Admund’s side.

So, the maids who recognized him tried to bow in greeting, but.

They were forcibly stopped midway by Odin’s gaze across from them.

While Clea felt somewhat at ease meeting someone she knew, the maids felt like they were dying.

How long had it been since she left the Crown Prince’s palace? She never dreamed she’d encounter Odin of all people.

“I didn’t expect to see you again.”

“What brings you here instead of guarding the garden?”

“Someone else is guarding it in my place now. And what brings you here?”

The maids were shocked at Clea’s response.

Asking why he wasn’t guarding the garden and what brought him here?

Who would dare speak like that in front of the Emperor?

However, Clea didn’t think of her companion as the Emperor.

From the start, her image of an emperor was someone always dressed in luxurious clothes.

In fact, people had always said so.

The Odin she had encountered so far looked utterly shabby.

As a noble, one might not even deign to interact with someone who looked like a mere servant.

But Clea didn’t particularly care about such things.

What distinguished people was their character, not their status.

‘Just like last time, it seems they don’t discriminate based on social status when dealing with people.’

Odin found Clea fascinating.

As a duke’s child, she must have only met rare and special people.

Usually, nobles would look down on those dressed in shabby clothes.

Not all were like that, but a considerable number of nobles were.

But Clea showed no sign of disdain upon seeing Odin’s appearance.

He was pleased that Clea treated him with such a casual attitude.

So he hoped she would continue to speak with him in this manner, without knowing his true identity.

“You’ve been crying.”

“I suppose it shows.”

“Could it be because of the Crown Prince?”

Clea noticed the maids looking perplexed at Odin’s words.

She interpreted the current situation like this:

“It’s alright. What harm could come from carelessly mentioning someone who isn’t here?”

As if worrying whether anyone might hear a mere servant-like person mentioning the Crown Prince so casually.

But the maids were concerned about something else.

They tried to correct her misunderstanding somehow, but.

“Ah, young lady, that’s not…”

“Yes, isn’t this young lady right? These days, people even badmouth the Emperor behind his back.”

The maids were shocked by Odin’s interruption and subsequent words.

On the other hand, Clea felt uneasy about the maids’ attitude, which had been so bothersome just hours ago.

It was hard to understand why they were reacting that way.

Clea met Odin’s gaze.

His gaze was so similar to Admund’s that it reminded her of him.

A sudden thought occurred to her that if she were to see the Emperor, he might look something like this.

As she met Odin’s eyes, she thought of someone and said with a slight smile:

“It’s true that I’m sad because of him, but he treats me well. So the reason I’m crying now is because of a problem I have.”

She felt embarrassed admitting that she cried out of frustration due to her own problem.

Still, she felt relieved after expressing it outwardly instead of keeping it bottled up inside.

Odin looked at her admiringly for bravely confessing to a stranger.

“Is that so.”

To lighten the potentially awkward atmosphere, he said:

“If the Crown Prince is indeed like that, let me know.”

“What would you do if I told you?”

“What would you like me to do? How about preventing him from inheriting the throne?”

“You have a pleasant way of joking. Still, I want to wish for his happiness.”

Although these words made the faces of the maids present turn pale.

“My, you’re too kind.”

“Still, I appreciate your words.”

Odin thought about the girl who would become his daughter-in-law.

He had been curious about what kind of person Clea Odoi was, given the rumors circulating that she was a villainess.

How wicked of a woman must she be for such rumors to persist?

But after meeting her in person, he sighed, thinking once again that rumors couldn’t be trusted.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never once joked.’