At the thin and gentle voice, Ludvi looked at the person standing in front of him with a puzzled expression. Hae-na, who hadn’t come until I called her, came first. She had eyes that looked quite injured.

“I came to assist you, Your Highness.”

A voice full of tension flowed from Hae-na, who had her hands clasped together.

“So please help me too, Your Highness.”

In the end, her voice didn’t tremble, indicating that she had gathered her courage. The venom that pushed away the spotted wounds in her eyes took hold.

Recognizing it, Ludvi chuckled. It seemed that something had happened to Hae-na without him knowing.

“What do you wish for?”
He opened his mouth to find out why Hae-na’s feelings had changed. If she was deceiving him, he thought of breaking her slender neck right here…

“Fernando.”

“Ah…”

Ludvi was not particularly surprised, knowing that Hae-na liked Fernando. So, did Hae-na come here to prevent me from dealing with the three? To protect her beloved Fernando?

“Take away Fernando’s eyes.”

“…What?”

With a surprised voice, Ludvi met Hae-na’s eyes.

“So that he can’t look at Etienne… Please take away his eyes.”

“What are you going to do with Fernando, who became the emperor?”

“I will have them. I will make him rely on me, the only one reaching out in the darkness where nothing is visible.”

Hae-na’s voice contained hatred towards Etienne and the joy of caring for the transformed Fernando. Ludvi silently contemplated her words.

Where did that delicate woman from before disappear to?

There was a madness in Hae-na’s affection for Fernando, and Ludvi smiled as if amused. It seems like this is not for deceiving himself.

“All right. But…”

Ludvi smirked and slowly approached Hae-na. Considering how anxious she had been so far, she was a commendable woman who had done quite well as he instructed.
Standing in front of Hae-na, Ludvi looked at her face and slowly lowered his gaze, scanning her neck. Impulsively, Ludvi raised his hand toward her seemingly soft skin.

“Hmm?”

As he grasped her slender neck, Hae-na gasped in surprise. Hae-na, terrified, tried to pull Ludvi’s hand away, but she couldn’t overcome his strength.

“I should fix that scrawny neck.”

“Your Highness…”

“Do you dare to help me?”

Without even knowing the main topic, they were talking about helping each other… Ludvi scoffed, as if finding it ridiculous.

“Is it amusing that I’m trapped here?”

“It’s not like that…”

“You’ve moved according to my orders so far. It will be the same in the future.”

With a gaze that seemed to ask if she understood, Ludvi stared at Hae-na. Faced with Ludvi’s warning look, Hae-na vigorously nodded her head. If someone like Hae-na had been useless from the beginning, Ludvi wouldn’t have let her be.

In response to Ludvi’s warning, Hae-na nodded her head with all her might.

During the meal, Etienne seemed to have regained her energy, returning to her usual lively self.

Having a meal with her returned father, the conversation never ceased. It was a peaceful time with occasional laughter.

Returning to her room after the meal, Etienne was greeted by the housekeeper.
“It’s a tea that aids digestion.”

Knowing that Etienne had forced herself to eat, the housekeeper had prepared an herbal tea in advance. Etienne stood in place and drank the tea in silence.

After silently finishing the hot tea in a few sips, Etienne exhaled a long breath, feeling the warmth heating up her stomach.

“I…,”

Etienne, who was caressing the empty teacup, raised her head to look at the housekeeper.

“I have many secrets.”

“Is that so?”

The housekeeper responded casually and took away the empty cup.

“So, I want to share everything, but I can’t.”

“Oh, Miss, you must be frustrated.”

Etienne nodded. Although she shared a lot with the housekeeper, there were some secrets that she truly couldn’t reveal.

“But Fernand also had a secret. I thought it would never be revealed in his lifetime, and it was a secret that I didn’t want to talk about.”

Etienne’s expression darkened.

“He found out about that secret. So, I feel really embarrassed.”

It was something she had wanted to hide her whole life, so it hurt even more.

“Now, what should I do? It seems like I can’t face Fernand anymore.”

In response to Etienne’s question, the housekeeper thought for a moment before answering.

“Just don’t look at him.”

“Don’t look?”

“Maybe spend some time staying only in the mansion until your heart settles.”

“Would that work?”

Wondering if avoiding Fernand’s face would really solve the problem, Etienne asked, and the housekeeper answered with a serene expression.

“Time will take care of it.”

Whatever it may be.