I entered the training ground with an excited heart.

As Sharon had said, the training ground was empty at this time.

There were devices to turn on lamps installed on walls everywhere, but if I turned on the lights, the light would leak out and risk exposing my presence.

It was safer for my eyes to get used to the darkness.

Looking around the training ground, I found a place where weapons were displayed in one corner.

Training wooden swords and real swords were lined up side by side.

I went straight there and drew a real sword without hesitation.

As I gripped the sword handle for the first time in a long time, a thrill ran through my palm.

If Prince Tessler was in front of me right now, I wanted to do exactly what he did to Bonisse.

I gripped the sword tightly, imagining cutting off not just that madman’s pinky finger, but his entire hand.

As time passed, the darkness inside the training ground was deepening.

I took a deep breath holding the sword.

I started swinging the sword, imagining Prince Tessler standing in front of me, to my sides, and behind me, in all directions.

This miserable reality of only being able to swing a sword in the air was also another enemy of mine.

As I moved my body frantically, sweat poured down like rain.

After crying with my whole body while holding a sword for the first time in a long time, regardless of my mood, the heat in my body quickly subsided.

I kept slashing at the darkness with my lips tightly closed.

If my lips parted even a little, it felt like curses would burst out uncontrollably.

I had to hide my anger and wait for the right time.

Because revenge comes with waiting.

I moved around the training ground, continuing all the movements of swordsmanship.

My breath became rapid.

Finally, I exhaled between my tightly closed lips as if spewing out my breath.

“Haa, haa, damn it!”

I threw down the sword I was holding and knelt on the floor.

Sweat and tears mixed and fell to the floor with a plop.

“If only I could confirm that Bonisse is safe……”

I bit my lower lip as I wiped away tears with the back of my hand.

I can’t become weak already.

I needed to think about what to do next.

But right now, I couldn’t think of anything.

And then there’s Rinel…….

What if that person is also put in danger because of me?

As Duke Martins said, finding the spy Prince Tessler had planted in the imperial court was the priority.

I sat on the floor for a moment, imagining how he would react if I confessed to him that I was the proxy empress.

I couldn’t grasp how heavy the sense of betrayal he would feel towards me would be.

“I have to solve this one by one.”

My mind was a mess, but I tried to pull myself together.

That’s when I heard someone’s voice at the entrance of the training ground.

“As I thought…… My intuition was right.”

I quickly picked up the sword I had thrown on the floor and stood up.

“Who is it? You don’t seem to be a knight under me.”

The man asked calmly as he walked towards me holding the sword.

Stay calm.

He won’t be able to see my face.

The training ground was already completely dark, so unless the lamps were turned on, he wouldn’t be able to know of my presence.

But if he sees me up close, won’t he recognize me?

‘Don’t worry. That man can’t see.’

The incarnation inside me said.

‘But don’t let your guard down. He’s a Sword Master with incredible inner power.’

What? That man is a Sword Master?

Judging by how he was walking straight towards me, he didn’t seem like someone who couldn’t see.

“Who are you?”

I asked in a voice that revealed my wariness.

“Hmm, seeing that you don’t know me, I guess you’re not someone from the imperial palace after all?”

The man seemed to be coming towards me, but then changed direction and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

“A female knight, alone in the imperial training ground, swinging a sword without even turning on the lamps……”

The man muttered in an interested tone while stroking his chin.

At first I thought he might be a knight managing this training ground, but judging by his tone and attire, he seemed to be quite high-ranking.

Moreover, the aura emanating from the man was clearly different from ordinary knights.

As the incarnation said, he certainly seemed to be someone excellent in swordsmanship.

The man’s hand moved up to the scabbard on his right side.

It seemed he had also read my aura.

I quickly raised my sword.

If he pointed his sword at me, I would have no choice but to fight in the darkness.

That was better than revealing the fact that I was the empress.

“It’s clear you’re not a knight who was here. It’s an unfamiliar aura I’ve never felt before. Who on earth are you?”

“……”

“If you’ve come to assassinate our Emperor, I think you’ve taken quite the wrong path?”

The man casually mentioned assassinating the Emperor of the Raphion Empire.

Could he be a knight harboring resentment towards Rinel?

Looking at his smiling expression, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Wait, now that I look closely……”

The man tilted his head and then trailed off as if he had realized my identity.

My heart started racing.

“I heard they were recruiting female knights for the Empress’s guards, seems they’ve already recruited one.”

What? Recruiting my guards? What is he talking about?

“Our Emperor is always quick to act.”

“?”

“Know that you being recruited as the Empress’s guard is all thanks to me.”

“Why? What do you mean by that…… sir?”

I pretended to be a real female knight and asked him back.

“His Majesty was so worried that the Empress was fragile, so I advised him to recruit even female knights to strengthen her guard.”

What?

“But I didn’t expect him to recruit someone right away in just one day.”

The man had already concluded that I was a female knight recruited to guard the Empress.

I lowered the tip of my sword to the floor and relaxed my tense shoulders.

An unexpected situation was unfolding.

But thanks to that, it seemed I wouldn’t have to see blood, fortunately.

“……Thank you.”

“Anyway, it’s nice to meet you. I am Makrom, the Honorary Captain of the Knights, who was… no, as long as there are no unexpected changes, will continue to be known as the greatest master of the Raphion Empire.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Captain Makrom. But did you say Honorary… Captain of the Knights?”

“Yes. I stepped down from the position of the 1st Knight Captain who serves His Majesty closely, but everyone still calls me Captain. Well, as you know, I left that position due to a small defect.”

Captain Makrom pointed to his eyes with his finger as he spoke.

‘See, I told you he can’t see.’

The incarnation inside me suddenly said.

“Ah, I see.”

I carefully took a step closer and looked closely at Captain Makrom’s eyes.

Up close, the focus of his pupils seemed slightly blurry.

“……What? That reaction as if you didn’t know? Didn’t you already know from hearing about me?”

“Ah, I……”

“You, aren’t you a knight from the Imperial Academy?”

“No, I came from another city.”

“Which city?”

“A very rural area. Even if I tell you, you probably won’t know……”

“Well, if that’s the case, you might not have known much about me.”

Fortunately, Captain Makrom didn’t question me in detail and soon nodded in understanding.

“But Captain. What happened to your eyesight……”

“Let’s just say it’s a glorious wound I received in the last battlefield I shared with His Majesty. You really don’t know anything about me, do you?”

“I’m sorry. But I’ve thoroughly familiarized myself with serving Her Majesty the Empress.”

I quickly made up an excuse.

“Hahaha. Well, that’s what matters.”

Captain Makrom laughed heartily.

“Seems like someone else has come.”

He stopped laughing and turned his head towards the entrance of the training ground.

Although Captain Makrom had lost his sight, he seemed to be a person with excellent senses in all other aspects.

I also moved my gaze following where he was looking.

Theresa?

Theresa ran into the training ground, panting heavily.

I quickly lit one lamp.

“You need to return to the Empress’s Palace right away…!”

Theresa, who was speaking while frantically waving her arms, suddenly closed her mouth upon discovering Captain Makrom in front of me.

I raised my hand to signal her to wait.

Theresa nodded and stood in place.

“Captain, I must be going now. It seems Her Majesty the Empress is urgently looking for me.”

“Then you should go. Wait. What’s your name?”

I was momentarily at a loss for words.

I didn’t expect him to ask for my name.

No suitable name came to mind.

Judging by Theresa’s expression, it seemed something urgent had happened at the Empress’s Palace.

I couldn’t waste any more time, so I finally said the name I had thought of most today.

“It’s… Bonisse.”

“I see. It was nice to meet you, Bonisse. How about having a duel with me next time?”

“……Sure. It would be an honor.”

I hesitated for a moment before answering, but if I encountered him in the training ground again, I could just pretend to be the Empress’s female knight.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

“Alright.”

I left Captain Makrom behind and quickly ran to Theresa.

“Theresa, why did you come all the way here?”

I asked her as we were almost running out of the training ground building and just entering the forest path.

“It’s a big problem. His Majesty is coming to the Empress’s Palace!”

“What?!”

“Sharon sent a message to the head chamberlain that Her Majesty the Empress was not feeling well and would retire early today, but upon hearing this, His Majesty said he would finish the meeting in 30 minutes and come to the Empress’s Palace!”

“Sharon would have had some time to come to the Empress’s Palace, so now there’s less than 30 minutes left, right?”

Even if we allowed for the time it would take Rinel to finish the meeting and come to the Empress’s Palace, time was tight.

“If we subtract the time it took me to run here, there’s not even 10 minutes left. What should we do now?”

“What else? We run. Did you leave the back door of the laundry room open?”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“Good. Then from now on, we need to run hard. Theresa, I’m going ahead!”

“I’ll follow as fast as I can. Solliette is waiting with clothes for you to change into in front of the dressing room door!”

“Alright, see you later!”

I started running, leaving Theresa behind.

I needed to be lying in bed before Rinel arrived at the Empress’s Palace and opened the bedroom door.

So… I had no choice but to run for my life.

I felt like my heart was hitting my Adam’s apple.

Even if my heart jumped out of my mouth, there wouldn’t be time to put it back in.

[This is the timeline separator]　

I ran like crazy across the field leading from the cypress forest path to the Empress’s Palace.

As the Empress’s Palace came into view, my legs gave out as if slightly relieved, and I fell hard in the middle of the field.

“Ugh.”

It felt like I had scraped my knee on a rock when I fell, but I jumped up again without time to feel the pain.

After getting up from the fall, I saw Solliette in the distance, stamping her feet anxiously at the back door connecting to the laundry room.

“Your Majesty! Hurry!”

Solliette’s expression looked extremely anxious as she waved her hand at me.

Wait, didn’t Theresa say Solliette was waiting in front of the dressing room door?

Why is she suddenly out at the back door of the laundry room?

“Hurry! I just saw His Majesty entering the main gate of the Empress’s Palace, hurry!”

Oh, goodness.

My heart raced at Solliette’s words.

Without time to catch my breath, I climbed the spiral staircase connected to the dressing room with Solliette, taking two or three steps at a time.

Click—

As soon as I opened the dressing room door and entered, I collapsed onto the floor.

“Your Majesty, we need to take off your riding clothes quickly!”

Sharon, who had just entered the dressing room, slid to her knees in front of me and quickly started removing the riding clothes I was wearing.

“Huff, huff, Sharon, I think I need at least a quick shower…?”

I was in a state of having sweated profusely.

“There’s no time for that! His Majesty is on his way up to the bedroom right now!”

Sharon and Solliette supported my arms to help me up.

Seeing Sharon’s urgent expression made me realize the seriousness of the situation once again.

The breath that had risen to my chin started to calm down little by little.

I took off all my riding clothes and threw them aside, becoming naked.

“I’ve put the slip on the bed. Let’s get into the bedroom quickly!”

Sharon said as she draped a thin slip gown over my shoulders.

We almost ran out of the dressing room.

Knock knock knock—

Just as we reached the bed, there was a knock and the bedroom door opened.

In that split second, Sharon and I looked at each other with wide eyes.

Unlike me who froze in place, Sharon quickly pulled back the blanket and pushed me inside.

In the process, the slip gown draped over my shoulders fell to the floor.

Unable to even touch the slip placed on the bed, I had no choice but to lie down naked with only the blanket covering me.

I squeezed my eyes shut and pretended to be asleep.

“Y-Your Majesty the Emperor!”

Sharon’s trembling voice was heard.

“Is the Empress already asleep?”

Rinel asked her in a lowered voice.

Amusingly, even in this precarious situation, I was glad to hear him.

“Ah, yes, Your Majesty! She had a slight fever and… sweated a lot.”

“Sweated? Even now?”

“N-Now she’s better……”

“Hmm, I’ll take care of the Empress, so you may leave now.”

There was worry in Rinel’s voice as he walked briskly towards the bed.

“Yes… Your Majesty.”

With Sharon’s response, soon the bedroom door closed.

I kept pretending to be asleep with my eyes tightly shut.

At the thought of him looking down at me, even my breathing became awkward and uneven.

“Your hair is damp with sweat. You seem to have a fever too?”

Rinel’s cold hand touched my forehead and nape, which were burning hot.

Ah, it felt so cool.

“Seeing the slip fallen on the floor, are you… sleeping without clothes? Because of the fever?”

Rinel said as he slightly lifted the blanket covering me.

Excuse me… Please cover me with the blanket, please!

I wanted to snatch the blanket from his hand right away, but I held back.

If I keep pretending to be asleep until the end, he’ll go back to the main palace, right?

Yes, this too shall pass…….

“Hmm, you really must not be feeling well.”

Rinel’s sigh quietly spread through the air.

After a moment, there was a rustling sound.

I felt the urge to open my eyes slightly to see what he was doing now.

But there was a high possibility that his gaze was fixed on me.

“Then there’s no choice.”

Fortunately, it seemed like he was just going to return to the main palace.

“I’ll have to lower your fever with my body.”

“!”

Rinel whispered in my ear.

What?!

As I felt a heavy weight on top of me, the hot blood flowing through my body suddenly cooled.

Could it be that he had also taken off all his clothes?

I wanted to open my eyes, but I couldn’t do it now.

“Empress…… no, Zelda, you didn’t intend for this, did you?”

His breath had somehow gotten closer to my face.