Late at night.

Unlike usual, the silence in the depths of the Crown Prince’s palace was broken by the footsteps of two people.

“……”

Elaina walked forward quietly with a limping gait, without saying a single word.

Schuler was looking at her with a very worried expression, but right now, she had no room to consider his feelings.

Hister’s words that constantly drove her kept echoing in her head.

Schuler had shown Elaina various places deep within the Crown Prince’s palace.

There was a large room where Sinclair’s ancestors had piled up rare items like treasures even before he was born, and there was also a gloomy narrow room with eerie rumors, as is common in old imperial palaces.

Moreover, there was a secret passage connecting to the palace of Chaiz, which Elaina had no idea about.

However……

Those places were not at all where Elaina was looking for.

There was only one reason Elaina could figure out where the room Hister mentioned was and where the hidden items were, despite not knowing.

It was because, unlike Hister’s words mocking her, Schuler had introduced those places to Elaina without any hesitation.

‘Judging from the reaction, it might be more helpful for me that Schuler came along…’

They seemed to have gone quite deep already, but how much further did they need to go? She hadn’t thought the Crown Prince’s palace would be this vast.

It was when Elaina, who was lost in thought alone, had arrived at the center of a corridor that diverged into two paths.

“…Lady Elaina.”

Schuler, who had been quietly keeping silent, slowly and very carefully moved his dry lips.

“Are you perhaps looking for something?”

Elaina gave no answer. She just silently looked at him with dark eyes that glimmered dimly in the candlelight.

“If you tell me now, wouldn’t it be easier to find? Of course, I don’t know all the places in the Crown Prince’s palace either, but I’m sure I know much more than you, Lady Elaina.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And we’ve already walked for quite a long time, so I’m afraid it might harm your health. Besides, Sinclair will be returning soon.”

“I’ve been having this thought lately, Schuler.”

But what returned to him was not an answer to the question.

“Strangely, it seems like Sinclair is filled with some kind of anxiety.”

“……”

“Don’t you think so too, Schuler?”

There was no way Schuler wouldn’t know that Sinclair was gradually changing. In fact, even Rex and Glen had already noticed, so it went without saying for Schuler, who was closest to Sinclair.

“…I think he seems to be getting very impatient.”

After contemplating for a moment, Schuler brought up the topic in the most roundabout way possible.

“But on the other hand, it’s quite understandable. I’m terribly sorry to bring up the past, but you know, Lady Elaina. The incident where Count Rockford mentioned the Duke’s daughter and faced tremendous anger.”

“……”

“If I may venture a guess… It seems Sinclair wants to become Emperor as soon as possible and solidify your position, Lady Elaina.”

Schuler continued.

“That way, no one would dare to covet the position of Empress like Count Rockford did. I think it’s proof of how sincere his feelings are for you, Lady Elaina.”

“I’m well aware of that much, Schuler.”

At Elaina’s answer, which somehow felt cold, Schuler hesitated for a moment.

“He may have become impatient because of the incident with Count Rockford, or he may want to secure my position. I know both.”

“Then…”

“But no matter how much I think about all the things that have happened so far, there are times when I feel Sinclair’s anxiety is a little different.”

“……”

“Just like right now.”

It was unfortunate. Schuler also didn’t know exactly what had happened between Elaina and Sinclair or what Sinclair was hiding. The only person who fully knew that secret was Glen.

Schuler was only guessing.

Perhaps the relationship between these two had lasted much longer than he had thought.

To be precise, it had been since he saw Elaina’s ring at that villa.

‘Could it be that Sinclair…’

Wants to hide something from Lady Elaina?

Despite loving Lady Elaina so sincerely.

And Lady Elaina had figured it all out.

……There was no way Schuler wouldn’t know about the existence of that room, which only Sinclair could enter. Of course, he had never been inside, so he didn’t know what was in there, but if it was something Sinclair wanted to hide from Elaina……

There was only one thing Schuler could and must do now.

Stop Elaina from wandering around the Crown Prince’s palace any further and escort her back to the bedroom.

“But it’s very late at night, Lady Elaina.”

“……”

“How about we call it a day and head back?”

When Sinclair returned, he was going to tell him everything. About what Elaina had just said and the fact that she seemed to be looking for something.

However……

“No, I’m not going back.”

Elaina shook her head with a smirk.

“I think I have a bit of an idea where what I’m looking for is now.”

“…Pardon?”

“No, definitely.”

Then Elaina slowly raised her right hand.

And pointing precisely at the room at the end of the left path ahead, she continued.

“It’s too obvious, Schuler.”

“……”

“Sorry to say, but I was waiting. Waiting for when you would get anxious and tell me to go back.”

…His thinking was short-sighted. Even though he knew Elaina Butler was not such a foolish person, no, quite the opposite. But no matter how much he regretted it, nothing changed.

Because Elaina started limping towards the narrow room before Schuler could stop her.

“Lady Elaina…!”

Schuler hurriedly tried to stop her, but there was no way. As a knight, he couldn’t possibly block or restrain the Crown Prince’s wife.

“If there’s a reason, you can come back with Sinclair…”

“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have come here when Sinclair was away, Schuler.”

Elaina, who had already reached the closed door, turned to look at Schuler and answered.

“I’ve been called a half-blood all my life, but I’m not as stupid as you think.”

“What I meant was… Lady Elaina…”

“But don’t worry too much. There’s no need for that. If Sinclair tries to punish you for not being able to stop my actions, I intend to prevent that somehow.”

For a moment, Schuler felt his vision go white.

Elaina was so firm and decisive.

It wasn’t because he was afraid of being punished by Sinclair, as she said.

It was the dizzying fear that Elaina would find out some truth Sinclair had desperately tried to hide, and their relationship would be strained because of it.

If that happened, Sinclair would collapse in an instant like a sand castle.

“……”

The door of the narrow room was reflected in Elaina’s black eyes.

Also, the very thick lock.

But she had to go in there.

Before Sinclair returned.

Elaina slowly turned to look at Schuler.

“Schuler.”

Had she changed her mind? Was she thinking of going back? Schuler looked at her with shaking eyes, and……

“Excuse me.”

Elaina reached out very quickly.

“I expected this, but there was no way for me to have this.”

Then she snatched the dagger that was on Schuler’s waist.

When Schuler looked at her back with a blank expression at what happened in an instant, Elaina bit her lips with all her might and raised the sword. Towards the chain and lock that twined around the door handle like vines.

“Lady Elaina, wait a moment…!”

Schuler’s voice, almost pleading, rang in her ears, but Elaina did not hesitate. She gripped the sword tightly with both hands and repeated the same action with all her might.

“Please, Lady Elaina!”

…The moment Schuler, unable to bear it, tried to grab Elaina’s wrist.

Clang.

The chain and lock that finally fell off hit the floor with a loud noise.

“From now on, this is something I’ve done arbitrarily.”

Elaina returned the dagger to Schuler without any hesitation and said.

“So, Schuler, please stay here for a moment.”

“……”

“I’ll take care of the rest.”

Elaina looked at the door again, then slowly took a deep breath.

Her hands that had used too much force were shaking, her heart was trembling with the anxiety of facing something, and her legs were shaking at the thought that maybe it would be better not to know.

But she did not run away.

Elaina reached out and opened the door of the narrow room, moving her steps with a determined expression.

And……

“……”

Inside the narrow room.

Standing in front of the wall with the passage of time deeply etched, Elaina had an expression that was difficult to describe.