Awkward. The taste of bitterness lingered in the mouth.

There was no face to meet Khalid.

“Belia, lift your head. Why are you like this?”

Belia didn’t respond.

But Khalid embraced her exactly as she sat. Then, with gentle pecks on her deeply lowered head, he whispered.

“It’s not your fault. You showed kindness, and that woman betrayed it.”

“…It wasn’t kindness from the beginning.”

“So what? That’s a fact only you and I know.”

With a sly smile, Khalid held Belia’s face with both hands, lifting it.

“We joined hands from the start for your revenge. Even if worse things come to mind, don’t get hurt at this level, Belia.”

“But you are also harmed…”

“You are facing the emperor’s disapproval that you wouldn’t have faced if not for me. Moreover, everyone looks at you with suspicious eyes marrying the disgraced prince. Do you expect me to feel sorry for you because of that?”

“…No.”

Tears fell from Belia’s eyes, which met Khalid’s gaze.

Khalid’s eyebrows furrowed at the sight.

“…I’m just thinking that I can’t elegantly send that woman away from here right now. And your revenge should include that woman, right?”

What is he trying to do?

With a worried look, when Belia looked at Khalid, he smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of it. I’ll send her away intact, so you don’t have to worry.”

Saying that, it made her even more worried.

But already, this incident had slipped out of her hands. She had seen Erzé enter Khalid’s room, and even the knights and attendants had witnessed it. It had gone beyond what she could handle.

And frankly, she didn’t want to hear any more stories about Erzé. She didn’t even want to face her small traces. She wanted to completely erase the person called ‘Erzé Kinetra’ from her life.

Belia leaned her face into Khalid’s hands, closing her eyes.

“…I’m sorry. Please.”

“Yeah. So just relax.”

With her face nestled in his arms, Khalid said. When she couldn’t see him, Khalid’s face turned cruel.

As the day brightened, Erzé returned home in the same simple attire as when she came to the palace.

Looking out the window at the carriage gradually moving away from the palace, Belia sighed deeply.

In the morning, Khalid went to see Erzé, and the two had a brief conversation. After that, news came that loud sobbing was heard from Erzé’s room.

She quietly packed her belongings and came to Belia, saying she would leave now. She apologized with words of regret.

‘What kind of conversation did they have?’

She wondered but decided not to ask.

Belia pulled the curtain and turned away.

Now, she would never meet Erzé again.

Their long tragic fate would be severed.

‘Rather than that, rumors…’

However, even though she had distanced herself from Erzé, she couldn’t help but be concerned about the rumors she had mentioned yesterday.

‘Am I leaving room for Raul…?’

It seemed necessary to investigate the rumors in detail.

She already knew that there were various rumors about Khalid, Raul, and herself. But she thought that most of them had subsided after seeing the good relationship between her and Khalid.

“Hah…”

Covering her eyes with her arm, Belia let out a deep sigh.

There was never an easy day since her return. She always felt like she was walking on a precarious edge, barely managing to stay upright.
After wiping her face with her hands, Belia sat at her desk. Khalid told Belia not to do anything and to rest, but she couldn’t completely let go.

Instead, she didn’t force herself to work as she did before.

“Princess, good morning.”

“Rachel, come in.”

Right on time, Rachel came into Belia’s study with a bright smile.

A few days ago, when Belia asked Rachel if she could help, she willingly agreed. With Khalid’s recommendation and Belia’s trust in Rachel more than anyone else, she was delighted when Rachel accepted her proposal.

Of course, due to the confidential nature of the work, Rachel couldn’t be involved in everything. So, for now, Rachel was helping Belia only with charity-related matters.

“Today, the palace seems a bit noisy. What happened?”

“It’s probably because Viscountess Kinetra is returning home.”

Rachel, who was arranging documents on her own desk in the study, nodded as if she just realized.

“Oh, today is the last day.”

Rachel had taken a few days off while Erze was here. So, her visit to the palace was long overdue.

“Did Viscountess Kinetra have a good time?”

“Well, there were some ups and downs.”

At Belia’s meaningful reply, Rachel moved her head as if she had realized something. Then, after placing the documents she had been sorting out on the desk, she approached Belia’s desk.

“Come to think of it, you look a bit pale… Are you okay?”

“Haha. As expected, I can’t deceive Rachel. Actually, I wasn’t feeling well for a few days, but now I’m really fine.”

Belia, who spoke brightly, received a teasing from Rachel, who squeezed her forehead.

“I’ve been telling you that you’re pushing yourself too hard! I told you to take a break, but you didn’t listen at all!”