“This is absurd!”

Adrian’s cry-like response broke the frozen atmosphere.

Shaking his head in disbelief at the emperor’s words, Adrian approached Killian and snatched the letter he was holding to examine its contents.

Not only was a new type of demon calling his beloved sister’s name, but it was also appearing in places other than the northern lands!

This was absolutely unacceptable.

“Not many have directly encountered the demons, so we can keep it secret for now, but if mutants continue to be discovered, the people will soon find out.”

It seemed that word was already spreading among the soldiers and knights who had faced the demons, but since they were deeply loyal to the empire and the imperial family, there had been no significant commotion yet.

However, if this fact were to reach the common people?

What would they think if they saw the ominous demons calling Alicia’s name?

Though not certain, it was clear this would be nothing good for Alicia.

“What on earth…! Father! Isn’t Alicia in danger? We must devise countermeasures immediately!”

The emperor lightly pressed down on Adrian’s shoulder to calm him as he rose from his seat with a pale face and raised his voice. Then he turned to look at Killian.

“How was Alicia when she encountered the demon?”

Killian had briefly mentioned it in the report, but the emperor would know specifically what happened in Rasa Castle from the letter Alicia sent.

No, the emperor would already know even the details not written in Alicia’s letter, so asking like this meant he wanted to hear the ‘official’ story.

Thanks to the emperor’s question, the marquis realized there were omitted parts in Killian’s report that he had examined, and he frowned his handsome brow.

He never liked the man to begin with, but his growing hatred was due to such cunning behavior.

“What exactly do you wish to know?”

“How did the mutant react when it met the princess?”

“React? Father, did the demon do something else besides calling Alicia’s name?”

“That’s precisely what I’m asking the duke to find out, so calm down, Adrian.”

“I apologize for continuing to show such an unseemly side. But this is about Alicia.”

Adrian still vividly remembered the sight of his sister fainting after wailing over the loss of her mother in childhood.

Perhaps because of that? Adrian always reacted sensitively when it came to her matters and protected his sister to an extent that might seem excessive to others.

It was the same now.

“Duke, speak up. What happened?”

Feeling the gazes of those in the audience chamber focused on him, along with Adrian raising his voice, Killian glanced briefly towards the door Alicia had exited earlier before speaking.

“It kept… trying to approach Her Highness Alicia.”

“What?”

“What do you mean?”

Killian recalled the appearance of the demon he encountered in the glass greenhouse of Rasa Castle.

The demon that looked at Alicia, not Killian, even while fending off his sword.

Killian gritted his teeth imperceptibly as he remembered its appearance, swinging its arms and screaming not to attack, but solely to walk towards her.

Come to think of it, something similar had happened in the demon’s land as well.

The feeling that the demon was moving towards someone farther away, not towards himself right in front of it.

If it had been Killian’s thought alone, he would have considered it a mere illusion.

However, if others who faced the demons had the same thought as Killian, then it wasn’t a simple illusion but a certainty.

Although he had pretended to be surprised at the emperor’s words earlier to avoid revealing that he had planted spies in another duke’s territory, Killian had already received reports that demons appearing in places other than the north showed the same behavior.

To think that demons, not even worthy of being called beasts, would move with intent.

And towards Alicia, not himself right before them.

Recalling the moment he faced the demon, Killian spoke with undisguisable anger in his voice.

“It seemed the mutant was moving towards Her Highness Alicia.”

Having returned to her room as if fleeing from Marquis Anderson and Reilly, Alicia was now soaking in the bathtub prepared in advance by Mina, trying to sort out her thoughts.

Usually, just immersing herself in water heated to a pleasantly warm temperature would have cleared her head to some extent, but today was different.

‘It won’t happen again. The nightmare won’t become reality.’

Her head felt heavy. She even felt a headache that wasn’t there before.

Alicia lightly stirred the surface of the water in the bathtub with her finger and let out a small sigh.

The unexpected journey with Killian and the unexpected encounter with Reilly had brought back the nightmare she had tried so hard to bury deep in her consciousness.

She hadn’t even sorted out her thoughts about Killian yet, and now with thoughts of Reilly added on top, it felt like a huge stone had settled on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.

“Your Highness, you’ve been in there for too long.”

How many times had warm water been added to the bathtub?

Alicia had a habit of soaking in the bathtub when she had worries or problems to think deeply about.

However, this time she seemed to have no intention of getting out, to an extent that seemed a bit excessive.

Watching this, Amy spoke with concern.

“It would be best if you got out now.”

“Amy.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“That person… I mean…”

“If you’re referring to Duke Diaz, he’s still in the audience chamber.”

“…There must be a problem, right?”

While Alicia needed to sort out her thoughts about Killian, the demon she encountered in the greenhouse of Rasa Castle was also complicating her mind.

‘How did the demon know my name? No, before that, how could it speak human language?’

She had written a detailed letter to the emperor about what happened that day, seeking answers, but she hadn’t received a response yet.

Separate from her love and trust for her father, Alicia wasn’t certain that the emperor would reveal that answer to her.

While pretending not to, the emperor was just as overprotective of Alicia as Adrian was.

Would the emperor, who had been trying to care for her heart even more since she declared she had given up her feelings for Killian, be willing to tell her something that could potentially weigh on her mind?

It was clear that he would try to hide and keep it secret unless there was something Alicia needed to do as a princess.

No, at this point, he would likely conceal it even if there was something she needed to do as a princess.

“It means I have to find out for myself…”

“Your Highness? What do you mean you have to find out yourself?”

“It’s nothing. More importantly, did you relay the message to inform me when Killian, I mean Duke Diaz, and Marquis Anderson leave the palace?”

“Mina took care of it personally. She will rush to report to you as soon as the two of them leave the audience chamber, so don’t worry.”

Alicia nodded, seeming reassured by Amy’s answer, and rose from the bathtub.

As Amy had said, she had been soaking for too long, and a momentary dizziness came over her, but thanks to Amy’s quick support, she was able to overcome it with just a slight stumble.

After drying herself with a soft towel and changing into nightwear despite the early hour, Alicia sat down at her dressing table.

Amy’s reflection appeared in the dressing table mirror as she began drying Alicia’s hair herself, having dismissed the maids who were trying to attend to her.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know what you’re worrying about, but… please don’t ponder so seriously by yourself.”

“…”

“I’m here by your side. There’s also Mina, though she might be a bit unreliable… and His Majesty and Lord Adrian too.”

“…Yes.”

“You’re not alone. And even if I can’t solve the problem for you, I can think about it together with you.”

While drying Alicia’s hair with a touch as careful as handling glasswork, Amy continued speaking.

“I’m ready to give my all for Your Highness at any time. Please remember that.”

Alicia, who had been looking at Amy’s reflection in the mirror, lowered her eyes and bit her lower lip as if trying to hide the tears welling up.

It seemed she was finally beginning to see what she had left behind in the past.

‘I should have thought about it together back then…’

In her haste to escape, she hadn’t considered the people she would leave behind at that time.

What thoughts must have gone through Amy’s mind when she saw Alicia dead from drinking poison?

If she had known about Alicia’s plan, Amy would have tried to stop it even at the cost of her own life.

She knew better than anyone in the world that Alicia couldn’t kill Killian, so she would have realized that Alicia intended to die in his place.

Knowing this about Amy, Alicia had deliberately sent her on an errand to a distant place.

And what had she done to Mina?

That day, it was Mina who had poured the poisoned wine into Alicia and Killian’s glasses.

Although Alicia had promised not to do anything foolish, would Mina have believed that promise?

‘She would have tried to believe.’

Imagining Mina filling the wine glasses while praying that her mistress wouldn’t make a foolish choice, Alicia could now realize the weight of the sin she had committed in the past.

She had committed an unforgivable sin against these people who cared for and loved her so much.

“Your Highness.”

Amy knelt before Alicia, who was silently shedding tears, and gently wiped her tear-stained cheeks.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t cry, Your Highness.”

“I’m sorry, Amy.”

“It seems our princess is becoming a baby again.”

Rising from her seat, Amy embraced the crying Alicia and gently stroked her back.

Just like long ago when she would comfort Alicia after waking from nightmares, Alicia wrapped her arms around Amy’s waist and sobbed silently, feeling the soothing touch meant to reassure her.