“I will bring the dress for you to change into while waiting for Miss Bonis, Empress.”

Sharon said as she entered the bedroom.

“Sure. Oh, and Sharon, a glass of cold water.”

“Yes, Empress.”

The thought of meeting Bonis soon made my mouth extremely dry.

Standing in front of the mirror, I examined the tea stains on the dress.

At first, I didn’t realize that he intentionally spilled tea on my dress.

Moreover, he used his own hypothermic curse to wrap both hands around the teacup to cool the tea, preventing me from getting scalded.

Touched by Linel’s consideration, tears welled up in my eyes.

Suddenly, I felt grateful to Prince Tesler.

I wanted to hold both of his hands and sincerely thank him for choosing me as a substitute Empress, for sending me to this man.

But the desire to kill Prince Tesler over the Bonis matter remained separate.

Bonis observed Captain Markrom, who sat across from her as they boarded the carriage.

She learned that Markrom had lost his sight due to a curse from a Wyvern during the Death Gorge battle, a place where Wyverns resided.

“Ah…”

Bonis sighed softly.

Markrom, with a peculiar tone, continued his explanation.

“I lost my sight due to a curse from a sorcerer. It happened during the Death Gorge battle, the Wyverns’ habitat.”

“Oh, I see…”

Bonis sighed lightly.

Markrom scratched his head and continued, “I lost my sight, but my sense of direction and ability to perceive people’s presence have become even more sensitive. There’s hardly any inconvenience in daily life.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“Still, it’s regrettable that I can’t see the faces of new people I meet.”

Markrom said, scratching his head.

Bonis smiled faintly.

At a glance, Markrom’s expression seemed surprisingly innocent compared to his sturdy appearance.

She turned her head to look out of the carriage window.

The carriage was now approaching the main palace building.

After a brief silence, Markrom spoke first.

“It seems like you have a close friendship with the Empress, Your Majesty.”

“We were like sisters. I always used to follow her around.”

Markrom nodded at Bonis’s affectionate tone.

“I’ve always been with Empress, following her even in the Raphaeon Palace.”

“Really?”

“Until recently, I served Emperor, but now, I am the escort knight for Empress.”

“Oh, I see.”

Bonis felt more at ease learning that Markrom was Empress Zelda’s escort knight.

Therefore, she thought that before arriving at the main palace, she should confess to Markrom that she was not a member of Prince Tesler’s government.

There might not be another opportunity to confront Zelda.
So, if I tell Zelda’s escort knight, he might be able to relay this information to Zelda in advance, Bonis thought with hope.

Looking at the approaching main palace building, she finally spoke.

“Uh… Captain Markrom.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“I-I was just a bath maid in the Shato Neil royal family. But why did the prince suddenly…!”

Bonis started pouring out her circumstances to Captain Markrom but hesitated.

She thought she might cause harm to Zelda if she revealed everything.

After all, she wasn’t originally a person of the Emperor’s consort, so she might not be completely on Zelda’s side.

“So, you were suddenly appointed to the government. By Prince Tesler.”

However, Captain Markrom, with a friendly tone, brought up what Bonis intended to say.

After a brief pause, Bonis answered in a hesitant and subdued voice.

“Yes…”

Prince Tesler had said that all this trouble was because of Zelda.

‘Trusting, believing, sending me as a substitute empress to the Raphaeon Empire without knowing anything, trying to act like a real empress?’

These were the words he spat out nervously before striking Bonis’s finger with his sword.

Bonis fainted the moment the sharp sword hit her finger, unable to even make a sound.

When she regained consciousness, her left pinky was already gone.

Prince Tesler placed Bonis’s missing finger, adorned with a pink diamond ring made of a cold-warm magic stone, into a jewel box.

‘Zelda gave this ring as a gift before leaving for Raphaeon? But now, this ring will be a warning to our Empress.’

With a manic expression, Prince Tesler closed the jewelry box and said.

Bonis knew how much Zelda would suffer from seeing her missing finger. So, she was more worried about Zelda than the sadness of losing her own finger.

She was terrified that she might accept Prince Tesler’s unjust demands, be used, and eventually become the Empress.

Even though she wanted to convey that she was truly okay, there was no way.

The reason she obediently followed Prince Tesler’s announcement of organizing the continent hunting competition was because she wanted to meet Zelda.

It wouldn’t be easy, but if she looked hard enough, there might be a way.

Fortunately, her wish was granted sooner than expected.

She never dreamed that she would become Prince Tesler’s government and meet Zelda.

“Could you, by any chance, convey this message to my sister, or rather, to Empress?”