Liz felt an infinite sense of powerlessness in her mother’s thought process, interpreting all situations as she pleased.

The pain she had experienced and the defensive actions she had taken because of it were nothing more than the clumsy actions of a worthless daughter in her mother’s eyes.

Liz took out the wedding invitation list from the drawer.

And to keep her emotions from distorting the task at hand, she slowly read and memorized the names starting from the first line.

When she reached the last line, she was considerably rational.

「Clair Marienne de Berium.」

Liz carefully examined and read the name as if it were the first time. And… she dipped the pen tip in ink.

“I am not a saint.”

Liz drew a line over her mother’s name.
“And there must be a reason why the conditions for the queen do not specify a saint.”

She drew another line…….

With a thud, a drop of fallen tears smeared the ink.

“Mother will not be invited.”

“……. ”

“Rather than staging fake family affection and deceiving everyone, I’d rather hear that I’m undutiful.”

Liz’s voice, announcing her decision, was firm and resolute.

There was no trace of tears that made the ink stains spread.

“I wanted to tell you in person. I thought a letter alone might not convey the meaning properly. Fortunately, Her Majesty left her post for a night hunt, so it was possible.”

‘I should have gone on a night hunt too. If I had, I wouldn’t have had to hear such a trivial decision.’

Ishar, clenching his tongue in his mind, lowered the list.

“All right. I understand now.”

He didn’t force it anymore. There was no need.

Blaming the Empress for not inviting Mrs. Berium instead of my lord would be more effective in reversing her decision. There was no need to coerce her.

“Just make it clear to the people. Not inviting the lady of the house is purely the will of Young Lady Berium.”

“……. ”

“The nature changes depending on who receives the blame, even if it’s the same blame.”

There was no emotion in the composed voice.

Liz sighed and nodded.

“That’s right.”

Ishar stood up.

“Now, please leave. It might really be troublesome if you’re late.”

To clear the way for him, Liz stepped aside, but her leg hit the edge lightly.

For a light bump, her expression distorted considerably, but Ishar, who had already passed her by, didn’t notice.

“By the way…”

Ishar, as if suddenly reminded of something, turned around.

“How did you escape from the Empress’s palace? The palace guards must know Young Lady’s face well.”

“I can’t tell you that. There might be something I need to write about next time.”

At Liz’s words, Ishar looked at her with eyes full of contempt.

“Is it because of that attire?”

“……. ”

“As long as Young Lady doesn’t harm others, I won’t stop you. If you want, I can tell you about the hiding places scattered around the palace.”

Liz looked at Ishar with a disgruntled face.

He opened the office door and showed the passage.

“I won’t go far. Please inspect it.”

Thud.

At the sound of the door closing behind her, Liz flinched.

It seemed like an admonition not to come back for useless things.

Staring at the tightly closed door like a collapsed cave entrance, Liz wrapped her arms around herself as if feeling a chill.

Even though she had only faced Ishar for about ten minutes, her body temperature seemed to have dropped by ten degrees.
“Is it true that Hershies likes such a cold-blooded friend?”

If there was no unwavering loyalty from him, could Hershies still trust and like Ishar Valdemion?

“I don’t think so.”

Liz shifted her steps.

Since Liz’s face was not known to the servants and guards of the main palace, she could raise her face without worry.

Stepping out of the entrance, Liz headed towards the familiar path but changed her mind and turned onto a wider road.

The path she had walked was narrow, dark, and uneven.

Walking that path twice was not ideal for Liz’s leg condition…

As she crossed over the wall at the corner of the Empress’s palace where there were no guards and was dragged through thorny bushes, her knees were in great pain. It only worsened as time passed.

“I should ask Rosa for some medicine.”

Lately, Rosa seemed to have opened up to me quite a bit. I could tell by her gaze and attitude. So, she would likely be concerned about my body’s injuries, whether it was for Hershies or Ishar.

Amidst all this, the night scene was beautiful.

The moonlight descended on the white foliage, the primroses on the roadside, and the fragrance of the newly blooming magnolia filled the night breeze, momentarily soothing Liz’s empty heart.

Liz enjoyed the charm of the moonlit night, strolling along the path.

Suddenly, someone’s figure appeared in the distance.

A tall and well-built man was crossing the small path, trying to turn onto the main road.

“Is he a guard?”

Liz was momentarily tense but soon felt relieved.

Unless he was in charge of guarding the Empress’s palace, it was impossible for him to recognize her face. Moreover, she was currently dressed as a servant…

“……!”

For a moment, Liz’s violet eyes widened in the moonlight.

The man turned the corner and faced straight ahead.

It wasn’t a guard!

“No… This can’t be.”

Liz felt her entire body freeze.

The man was Hershies. He was walking towards her.