Alicia, who woke up from a nightmare that ended with drinking poison and dying, was unable to leave her bed for a while.

The aftereffects of the nightmare brought on severe body aches that sapped all her strength.

While people trapped inside Rasa Castle grew worried due to the repeated snowfall and accumulation, Alicia, who couldn’t even get out of bed due to illness, was rather welcoming of this situation.

‘Fortunately, I don’t have to see Killian.’

If she hadn’t fallen ill, she would have had to face Killian in some way as the owner of this castle.

Her body may have been struggling, but if she said her mind was a little at peace, Amy, whose complexion had turned deathly pale in the past few days from nursing her, would surely lament while clutching her chest.

“You’ve improved a lot. From today, you can enjoy light walks.”

Alicia, who was half-lying with her back against the headboard, nodded slightly towards the young physician who gently said she was better.

The youngest disciple of Dalton, the royal chief physician, and also an excellent herb cultivator, she left the bedroom with a final word that Alicia should still continue taking medicinal decoctions and be careful for the time being.

“Your Highness, are you alright now? Our princess’s face has become half its size. Oh, what should we do!”

Mina, who had been waiting outside the bedroom, entered as if taking over from the physician and made a fuss.

“I thought I taught you to stay calm no matter what happens…”

“This isn’t just any ordinary matter, Mrs. Campbell!”

“How noisy. Go out and fetch the medicinal decoction! If you spill it again like last time, I’ll deduct it from your wages.”

“That’s too harsh…”

Alicia let out a small laugh as she watched Mina’s retreating figure, leaving the bedroom with slumped shoulders after being inside for just a few minutes.

“Amy seems too strict with Mina.”

“You call this strict? I haven’t even started being truly strict yet.”

Alicia, who lay back down comfortably on the bed with Amy’s help, slowly closed her eyes at the gentle touch arranging her hair.

It seemed her body had indeed improved, as breathing felt more comfortable.

“Is it still snowing?”

“Yes, winter is throwing its last tantrum. It should stop soon.”

“Is that so?”

When winter’s last snow ends, spring will soon arrive.

The snow will melt in an instant, and then Killian will leave for the capital.

“Haa…”

“Your Highness? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

“No, just feeling a bit stuffy.”

“The physician said light walks are okay, but you should still stay in bed for now. Besides, there’s nowhere to enjoy a walk since the greenhouse is ruined anyway.”

“Ah…”

The greenhouse, destroyed by the demonic beast, was left abandoned without proper cleanup due to the incessant snow.

Alicia let out a long sigh of regret as she recalled that all the flowers and trees she cherished had frozen to death because of this.

She had heard that the caretaker tried his best, but apparently couldn’t overcome winter’s last snow.

“Brother will be disappointed, won’t he?”

“If you mean His Highness the Crown Prince… he’ll probably use this opportunity to say he’ll expand the greenhouse.”

“…Do you think Sienna can stop him?”

“It’s not just any matter, but Your Highness’s affairs. How could Her Highness the Crown Princess stop him?”

“…She could at least try.”

Amy, who had finished carefully tucking the blanket up to Alicia’s neck, straightened her bent back with a slight smile.

“There are some things where you can see the answer without even trying, Your Highness.”

Amy’s words were usually right.

Moreover, if this matter became known, the Emperor might step in to gift a new greenhouse before the Crown Prince and his wife could act.

‘I should give up quickly on things that need to be given up.’

Just as Alicia nodded and buried herself in the cozy blanket, it happened.

– Knock knock

Someone carefully knocked on the bedroom door.

For a moment, she thought it might be Mina returning after briefly going to fetch the medicinal decoction, but it was truly just a fleeting thought.

The Mina that Alicia knew would have flung the door open, belatedly realized her mistake, and then looked nervously at Amy.

Amy, who had just sat down in the chair beside the bed and picked up a book, seemed to have the same thought as Alicia, tilting her head as she rose from her seat.

“Who is it?”

“I’ve been sent by Duke Diaz.”

“…Pardon?”

Startled by the unexpected response, Alicia bolted upright in bed without realizing it, gripping the blanket tightly as she looked at Amy.

Amy quickly composed her surprised expression, swiftly assessed Alicia’s appearance, then addressed the person outside the door.

“Is it a matter that requires seeing Her Highness in person?”

“No, it isn’t. I was just told to deliver something.”

A light and cheerful voice.

It was definitely a voice she had heard somewhere before.

“Your Highness, I’ll be back shortly.”

“…Alright.”

When Amy, who had disappeared outside, returned to the bedroom, she was holding a bouquet in her arms.

Flowers in this winter?

It might have been understandable if there was a greenhouse, but that had been ruined by the demonic beast.

No, even if the greenhouse were intact, its owner was Alicia, so others couldn’t have entered freely to pick flowers.

Then where did these flowers come from?

Alicia furrowed her brow in confusion and looked at Amy, seeking an answer.

“Um… Lord Burns came by.”

“Ah!”

The moment she heard the name, the face of a man with crimson hair came to mind.

Derek Burns.

The captain of Duke Diaz’s knightly order.

An endlessly lighthearted and cheerful… yet cruel wolf.

One of the subordinates Killian had saved from the battlefield, he was known for his excellent swordsmanship and, like the other wolves, showed tremendous loyalty to his master.

Alicia involuntarily shuddered as she recalled the image of him smiling brightly like a child while butchering enemies.

“Why did he…?”

“He said he came to deliver this… to Your Highness.”

“The flowers?”

“He said it’s a gift sent by Duke Diaz. There’s a letter with it too… Your Highness? Are you alright?”

Noticing Alicia’s worsening complexion, Amy hurriedly approached her side.

Thanks to this, Alicia was able to see the bouquet Amy was holding up close and realized that it was made of paper flowers, not real ones.

“I’m fine. He sent… flowers and a letter?”

“Yes… but… I heard something rather unbelievable.”

“What is it?”

As Alicia received the paper flower bouquet, which was as vibrant as real flowers, and examined it with her eyes, she could feel her body stiffen at Amy’s next words.

“They say Duke Diaz made it himself…”

“…What?”

“That he made the paper flowers himself…”

He showed a smiling face recently, and now what? This, that is, these paper flowers were made by Killian himself? What on earth am I hearing?

It wasn’t just Alicia who was surprised.

Even Amy, who had received the bouquet directly from Derek, was still unable to process what she had heard.

[Our captain, no, the Duke personally folded each one with care to make these paper flowers.] […Who did what?] [Surprised, aren’t you? I was surprised too. A man who used to behead demonic beasts… with those big hands of his… I’m still wondering if there’s anything he can’t do.] [Um, I’m sorry, but… Lord Burns? Could you say that again?] [The Duke made this flower bouquet himself, wishing for Her Highness’s quick recovery. He was thinking of coming in person, but figured people might have heart attacks from shock if they saw that, so I came instead.] […That was indeed for the best.] [Here’s the letter too. Good heavens, that man writing a letter! I was shocked by this as well.] […] [Well, I’ve delivered it, so I’ll be going now. Please make sure to pass it on to Her Highness.]

And with that, Derek left with light steps.

Amy shook her head to clear the image of that frivolous figure from her mind and looked at Alicia, who couldn’t hide her confusion.

“Your Highness, what should we do?”

“…There’s… a letter?”

“Yes, here.”

To be honest, Amy wanted to throw away that lush, vibrant bouquet and the letter.

It was a gift from the man who had hurt her mistress’s heart for the past few years.

He never replied to hundreds of letters, and now he does this!

‘She had just resolved to finally move on.’

Amy, who had been glaring at the bouquet Alicia was preciously holding, swallowed a sigh.

Though she didn’t like it, the flowers belonged to Alicia.

“What would you like to do with the flowers?”

“…Put them in a vase and arrange them.”

“And the letter…”

“I’ll take care of it myself.”

“I understand.”

After receiving the bouquet, Amy withdrew to arrange it, leaving Alicia alone in the bedroom staring at the letter in her hand.

Though she had only corrected one mistake by making a different choice from before, things kept happening that were different from the past.

It was beyond surprising; it was strange.

These were issues she hadn’t thought deeply about, having deliberately avoided anything that reminded her of Killian after traveling back in time.

‘It’s strange that Killian moved before winter ended, but that demonic beast too…’

Just recalling the image of the demonic beast calling her name made her body tremble with fear rising from the deepest part of her consciousness.

It was just a name, but she had never heard of a demonic beast that could speak human language.

‘Maybe I just didn’t know about it.’

Stories about demonic beasts weren’t secret, but detailed information was classified as confidential, so Alicia, who was merely a princess, couldn’t access it.

Even after becoming Empress, Killian had handled all matters related to demonic beasts, so all she knew was about budget execution for disposing of demonic beast corpses.

Alicia didn’t know why they had to control information and keep some matters confidential.

She could only guess that there must be a reason.

‘I can ask Father about the demonic beasts when I return to the capital. The problem is… Killian.’

Sending her a gift, and a handmade one at that, not to mention a letter.

This really doesn’t make sense.

It’s not just nonsensical; it’s impossible.

After fidgeting with the high-quality envelope for a long while, Alicia seemed to make up her mind and carefully opened it.

Killian’s first letter, in both her previous life and this one.

What on earth could it contain?

Alicia’s pale fingertips trembled slightly as she unfolded the letter.