‘Speaking of the Second Prince. I thought he was docile, but it turns out he’s not.’

The jailer revealed his few remaining blackened teeth and cackled.

‘Well, they say he’s doting on and escorting an incredible beauty? He always has her by his side, to the point where there’s no one in the capital who hasn’t seen her.’

Amy blinked slowly. The Second Prince she remembered was just a child, yet he already has a lover. It seems she’s been locked up here for a truly long time. She suddenly felt the mercilessness of time’s passage.

‘I don’t know what happened with the new Crown Prince, but at first they were in a power struggle, and now things have quieted down. I guess the Second Prince must have given up on the throne. Otherwise, the former Crown Prince wouldn’t torment others to death while leaving the Second Prince alone.’

‘……’

‘Oh right, we were talking about the Second Prince’s lover? I don’t know which family’s young lady she is, but they say her appearance is absolutely fantastic. What was it again? Snow-white hair with pitch-black eyes? On top of that, she’s always expressionless, so the Second Prince seems to be completely smitten.’

The jailer clicked his tongue.

‘All men are like that. They’re drawn to women who are indifferent to them. But you should do it in moderation; if you manipulate a man too much, you’ll end up like this.’

Amy didn’t even have the strength to snort, so she just remained still. The jailer didn’t seem to expect a response, as he returned to talking about the Second Prince.

‘It’s only been revealed recently, but they say the Second Prince has been touring the entire empire with his lover for a long time. They’ve traveled everywhere, thoroughly exploring every corner. The capital was the last place they came to.’

The jailer wagged his tongue.

‘Who would have imagined? That such a docile Second Prince, who was always cooped up in his palace, would travel all over the country because the person he likes wanted to. Love is truly a strange thing, isn’t it?’

Amy, who had been staring blankly into space, closed her eyes and thought to herself. Indeed, it truly is.

“Lady Chamberlain, please sit here.”

Dwayne created a flat spot next to the campfire and patted it. Amy silently approached and sat down.

As Dwayne was about to sit down next to her, suddenly Noah came over, squeezed between Dwayne and her, and plopped down.

“……”

Amy glanced at Noah from the corner of her eye and then turned her head away.

The squires and servants in charge of cooking cheerfully stirred the pot with ladles. They had come up the mountain planning to stay for a month, but were returning in less than two weeks, so they had reason to be excited. Perhaps because of this, the atmosphere was very lively.

Soon the food was ready. Following Noah, a bowl of stew was handed to Amy. Amy stared at the food for a moment before bringing a spoonful to her mouth. It was a mechanical action aimed at filling her stomach rather than savoring the stew.

As she diligently chewed and swallowed the food, Dwayne’s words from before leaving the clearing replayed in her mind.

‘His Grace the Grand Duke said that he’s trying to become a great person now, all for that person’s sake. Phew, it’s still moving just thinking about it. What could it be? Love changes the world?’

Her spooning gradually slowed and finally stopped. As Amy stared blankly ahead, suddenly Noah’s face popped up beside her.

“Amy?”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

She responded reluctantly, then startled. Amy’s voice had become frighteningly low. Flustered, she looked to the side and saw that Noah had also sensed something was off, furrowing his brow.

Suddenly her heart began to pound fiercely, and Amy unconsciously pressed her hand to her chest. Noah immediately asked:

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling ill?”

Abandoning even his food, he peered at her with concern, looking just like the usual Noah, leaving Amy momentarily speechless. As Amy remained silent, Noah became even more anxious.

“Does the food taste strange? Was it cooked improperly?”

Seeing the faces of the servants standing a short distance away turn dark, Amy quickly shook her head. Then she made up an excuse.

“It’s not that… Just, my stomach feels a bit upset…?”

“!”

Noah unhesitatingly grabbed Amy’s hand. Then he began to press firmly between her thumb and index finger.

“They say this helps settle your stomach.”

As he diligently massaged Amy’s hand, he muttered in a distressed tone.

“You didn’t even eat hurriedly, so why would it upset your stomach……”

“……”

Amy stared blankly at Noah. Noticing her gaze, Noah tilted his head shyly.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Amy lowered her eyes and thought. If he’s this caring even to a mere subordinate like the Lady Chamberlain, how much more so to the one he’s given his heart to.

“I think I’m feeling better now.”

As Amy forced a smile and pulled her hand away, Noah licked his lips regretfully and clenched his empty fist. Amy buried her nose in the food again and ate while thinking.

‘At least he doesn’t take after his father, the Emperor.’

To be so devoted to the person he likes, how fortunate. After convincing herself of this and eating diligently for a while, Amy’s spoon gradually slowed.

‘Maybe I should have let the servants get scolded.’

As her stomach filled somewhat, she put down the bowl without regret and grumbled inwardly.

‘It tastes bad….’

It was also the servants’ job to wash and clean up the finished bowls. Amy sat in a shaded area some distance away, vacantly watching them bustle about. That’s when she noticed a strange sight.

“Ah!”

Ethan was carefully moving with bowls stacked like a mountain against his chest when a squire approached and bumped his shoulder with a thud. Ethan’s slender body staggered, and wooden bowls fell to the ground with a clattering noise.

“Oh, sorry. But who told you to stand there?”

The squire, who looked twice as big as Ethan, sneered with a pout. Ethan looked at him for a moment, then silently knelt on one knee and began gathering the rolling bowls. The servants who had gathered by now looked down at him, giggling.

“What is this……”

Frowning, Amy looked around and saw that the knights and guards were either napping in the shade some distance away or standing at their guard posts, idly chatting.

“Hmm……”

Amy’s gaze sharpened. Meanwhile, Ethan had picked up all the dropped bowls and was walking towards a nearby stream again. Other squires pointed at him and mocked him.

“Should I just leave it be…?”

As Amy muttered to herself, someone plopped down beside her and said,

“Just leave it.”

“!”

Surprised, she turned to see it was Bradley. He was chewing on a grass stem he had picked from somewhere, wearing a disinterested expression.

“They’re jealous that Ethan serves the Grand Duke so closely.”

“Ah……”

“He’s not even a gentry, but a commoner. They think he’s getting special treatment even though he’s not a noble like them.”

Amy looked at Ethan crouched by the stream. He was the only one washing the mountain of bowls and pans. The other squires were all either playing around or glaring at him.

Amy frowned.

“Should we leave him be?”

“This is everyday life for that guy. He knew what he was getting into, and there’s no way around it. He just has to overcome it on his own.”

Bradley flopped down on his back. The grass stem sticking up towards the sky twitched as he chewed. Amy looked down at him blankly.

‘He was the second son of a lower noble, wasn’t he?’

It wasn’t easy for Bradley to get to this position either. Being a lower noble was already an obstacle, and he was the second son on top of that. In the empire where the firstborn inherited all titles and property, second sons had limited choices: becoming a knight, entering a temple to become a priest, or going to university to become a scholar.

‘Come to think of it, he was very fond of Ethan.’

Jack, Bradley, and Dwayne had adored Ethan, Vernon’s nephew, even before coming to the North. The fact that they were staying still while watching such a child suffer like that must mean it truly was the best course of action. Amy’s shoulders sagged.

‘Still, it bothers me.’

Seeing Ethan struggling reminded her of her own childhood, when she entered the imperial palace without any backing and faced hostility from senior maids and peers from prestigious families.

Back then, she lived with her nerves on edge like a hedgehog, fighting back when treated unfairly, only to be dragged to the Head Maid for punishment. It was a time she wanted to erase completely from her memory.

Amy unconsciously fingered the brooch hanging around her neck.

‘I received this back then…’

She couldn’t remember clearly who gave it to her. All she recalled was that it was a tall man.

‘I remember his voice was very gentle.’

Despite being an adult, he seemed even more timid than her, a child at the time, and she scolded him. He listened silently and then offered her a ring as a reward, which she naturally refused. His appearance didn’t look particularly well-off either.

So he separated the jewel from the ring, saying it would suit her well if she wore it as a brooch, and placed it in her palm. His tone was so soft and affectionate that she ended up accepting it as if enchanted.

‘I had it with me even before the regression.’

When she died as the prison collapsed, she had the jewel from Noah, the lucky silver coin, and the brooch attached to her clothes. It wasn’t unreasonable that she viewed them somewhat nostalgically after the regression.

‘Ah, right, there’s this too.’

As she raised her hand to touch her hair, she felt a thin hairpin. She had always worn it in her hair since Noah told her to keep it, except when sleeping.

Her gaze returned to Ethan. She felt a bit sorry for him. If only he had a memory to rely on like she did, it might help him endure this hellish time, even if just a little…

Thinking Amy’s silence meant she was upset, Bradley slightly raised his upper body and said in a soothing tone:

“You don’t need to worry too much. This is a kind of training too. Everyone goes through this during their squire days. I’m sure he’ll overcome it well.”

“…I hope so.”

Amy took one last look at Ethan and stood up. The break time was over, and it was time to head down the mountain.

At that moment, she noticed the servants gathered at a distance, meaningfully staring and whispering about Ethan, who was busy cleaning up around the area.

‘What are they up to now?’

As Amy narrowed her eyes, Ethan walked towards the upstream part of the brook, carrying an armful of water containers. The squire who had bumped his shoulder earlier followed behind, sauntering along.