My stomach felt sour.

The first thing I felt upon regaining consciousness was a nausea-inducing ache in my gut.

‘What’s going on….’

When did I pass out?

Looking around, I realized I was in my bedroom inside Ascan’s mansion.

I propped myself up in bed, clutching my throbbing head. As I tried to recall yesterday’s events, a single scene flashed through my mind.

─You have pretty lips.

Those were the words I’d spoken as I traced Ascan’s lips with my thumb.

Suddenly, my foggy mind snapped into sharp clarity. What exactly had I done last night?

The problem was, that wasn’t the end of it.

I’d forced the carriage to stop because my stomach felt unsettled, then vomited around a street corner. The memory of a large, warm hand patting my back made my face flush crimson.

‘W, wait a minute!’

What kind of memories are these?

And it didn’t stop there. Ascan had grabbed me while I was running around like a lunatic and forced me to take medicine as I whined about my stomach hurting.

─Open your mouth.

I recalled Ascan’s gaze as he stared at me, medicine cupped in his hand.

“Aaaah!”

I screamed involuntarily and clutched my head.

This can’t be real.

Did this actually happen?

I flopped back onto the bed. I could only pray that if I slept again, every memory now swirling in my head would turn out to be a dream.

But sleep was impossible. Conversations I’d had with Ascan last night kept floating through my mind.

─If you like me, why did you leave room for doubt?

Who said I left room for doubt?

I’d only wanted to tease him a little because his attitude at dinner had been too cold.

I had zero intention of marrying Helsion, who already had an empress.

─……But you smiled. You smiled at the emperor.

I really needed to break him of his habit of occasionally speaking informally.

His voice dropping suddenly made my heart feel like it might explode.

─Why do you smile at just anyone? I thought you liked me?

Helsion was, literally, the emperor. No matter what I thought inside, I couldn’t frown at him—I had to keep smiling.

It was infuriating that he’d deliberately answered coldly in front of Helsion, yet criticized me for smiling.

I sprang up from my seat and slammed down the fluffy pillow.

‘You’re the one who seduced me!’

Whenever Ascan, with his memory lost, stared at me with that indifferent gaze, I sometimes felt the urge to beat him senseless.

Just then—

Creeeak. The door opened, and Jerin peeked her head in.

She must have heard the commotion and realized I’d woken up.

“Oh! Miss, you’re awake?”

I stopped slamming the pillow and nodded awkwardly.

“How did I get back here yesterday?”

“Oh, please don’t even ask. Where on earth did you drink that much alcohol?”

As if she’d been waiting for me to wake, Jerin immediately brought me a tea known to cure hangovers.

Sipping the sweetish tea Jerin handed me, I asked again.

“Why? What happened?”

“Don’t you remember? You nearly blew up the entire mansion with a magic-engineered weapon!”

“Pfft—.”

Caught off guard, I spilled the tea I’d been holding in my mouth.

“Oh my!”

Startled, Jerin hurriedly wiped the tea off my pajamas and bedding with tissues. But that wasn’t the important thing right now.

“What are you talking about?”

“Look out the window. Last night, drunk as you were, you pulled out a magic-engineered weapon and nearly caused disaster. Thankfully, Ascan—or rather, Count Atreus—was there.”

I quickly got out of bed and rushed to the window.

Though the mansion’s plain exterior lacked a proper garden, the few flowers and trees that had been there were now gone, replaced by charred black marks.

I turned to Jerin with a disbelieving expression and shouted.

“You’re saying I did that?”

“Yes, I am!”

“That’s impossible. Even drunk, I’ve never pulled out a magic-engineered weapon.”

Clearly, something had happened. But I couldn’t remember any of it.

“Jerin, do you know why I pulled out the magic-engineered weapon?”

“I’m not sure. By the time I came out, everything had already happened….”

Then, Ascan was the only one who knew the truth.

I pressed my forehead as a headache threatened to overwhelm me.

Ah, I’m going crazy.

“……This won’t do. I need to quit drinking.”

“How much did you even drink to get that drunk?”

“I guess I wasn’t feeling well. My stomach was empty, and my mood was terrible….”

“Did something happen at the imperial palace?”

I nodded. Something had indeed happened.

“The Emperor of Calua proposed to me. Said he wanted to welcome me as his imperial consort?”

“What? Whaaat?”

This time, Jerin’s eyes widened incredulously.

I stumbled backward in surprise, but Jerin darted forward and pressed me for details.

“Doesn’t Calua already have an empress? How shameless, to covet you like that?”

“Well… true, but from what I heard, the terms weren’t bad. Of course, I have no intention of accepting.”

“Of course not. You shouldn’t choose anyone who doesn’t genuinely cherish you.”

Hearing that, I felt Jerin’s care for me and chuckled softly.

Then, pressing my throbbing temples, I told Jerin,

“Call Zen for me, would you? I need to talk to him about what happened yesterday.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Jerin hurried out of the room. Not long after, she returned with Zen.

Zen must have been standing guard nearby.

I pointed to the round table in the room and said,

“Both of you, sit down for a moment.”

I sat first, then Zen and Jerin followed suit.

Looking at both of them, I spoke in a serious tone.

“I already told Jerin—yesterday, the Emperor of Calua proposed the position of imperial consort to me. He apparently already sent a formal proposal to Father. Do you know anything about that?”

Zen looked slightly surprised. Soon, he shook his head and replied.

“No. I haven’t heard anything. I regularly report your affairs to you, but I don’t know what Lord Orland is doing.”

“First, let him know I received this proposal directly, and keep monitoring how things develop on Father’s side.”

“Miss, you mean….”

“As I said before, I’m worried about Father’s safety. If anything suspicious happens, I intend to rush to his aid somehow.”

“Understood.”

Zen readily agreed. I looked at him and carefully added one more request.

“Father might not appreciate me worrying like this. Can you keep your surveillance and reports to me a secret?”

Zen hesitated briefly but soon nodded decisively.

“For Lord Orland’s sake, I will do so.”

“Good. That’s all I needed to say.”

Zen stood up and bowed deeply to me.

“Then I shall inform Lord Orland first that you were offered the position of imperial consort.”

“Right. Oh, and—did anything happen yesterday?”

Zen wore an uncharacteristically complicated expression. Finding it odd, I waited as he answered in a low voice.

“There was an incident—some people targeting you appeared, but the imperial guard handled them all.”

“Oh, I see.”

Since Helsion had ordered the imperial guard to protect me, I didn’t think much of it.

“I have a guess who’s behind it. Probably the empress and the Manoko family—they must be targeting me because the Calua Emperor proposed the consort position.”

At my words, a murderous glint flashed in Zen’s eyes. He spoke in an even deeper tone.

“I’ll be more vigilant.”

“Good. You may go.”

Zen bowed respectfully and left the room.

Having read the original story, I didn’t doubt Zen’s loyalty. But Zen wasn’t truly on my side—he belonged to Orland.

If Zen found out I was currently chasing Caines, a former mercenary linked to my mother Charles’s death, he might report it to Orland.

Since I had no intention of revealing uncertain matters, I’d kept this secret from Zen.

I turned to Jerin, who remained, and spoke again.

“Has any message arrived from the informants?”

“As a matter of fact, one arrived last night—I was planning to show it to you.”

Jerin pulled out a paper she’d been hiding. I quickly read it.

[Caines retired from mercenary work over twenty years ago and lived extravagantly. Later, he fell into gambling and faced financial hardship. Recently, he was reportedly spotted near the capital….]

“Over twenty years ago” matched roughly the time Charles had died. Something definitely smelled fishy.

‘If things go well, I might even catch the person who broke into the mansion on the day Mother died.’

Whether heaven was aiding me or not, the report said Caines had been spotted near the capital.

If this was true, he wasn’t far from where I was. I might even meet him soon.

I lit a match from nearby, set the paper on fire, and burned it. Better to destroy anything I’d confirmed, in case someone else saw it.

“Jerin, tell the informants to keep tracking the location of Caines, the former mercenary. Once we pinpoint his residence, I’ll go meet him myself.”

“Understood, Miss.”

Jerin nodded resolutely.

Having long served as the intermediary between me and Calua’s imperial informants, Jerin understood my activities better than anyone.

As I spoke with Jerin, a knock sounded from outside.

Jerin stood first and asked,

“Who is it?”

“Steward Bishop.”

Jerin looked at me, silently asking what to do. I nodded.

“Let him in.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Jerin opened the door herself, and Bishop entered.

“I heard you were quite drunk yesterday. Is your stomach feeling better?”

Bishop’s question was exceedingly kind, but remembering my misdeeds from yesterday made my face inexplicably burn.

“Oh, I’m fine. But what brings you….”

“I’ve prepared food good for hangovers. I came to escort you to the dining room since you’re awake.”

“No!”

Ever since coming to the mansion, I’d eaten in the dining room just to see Ascan even once more—but not today.

“Bring the meal to my room.”

Bishop looked at me with surprise at my unusual attitude.

“To your room?”

“Yes. For a while… I’ll eat in my room.”

“If that’s your wish, very well.”

“And… I seem to have caused quite a commotion yesterday. I’m unintentionally sorry for that. I’ll compensate for the damage to the mansion.”

“You should discuss such matters directly with the master.”

Bishop suggested speaking with Ascan, but right now, he was the last person I wanted to face.

I smiled awkwardly and said,

“I’ll talk to Count Ascan too, but we can’t just leave it like this—let’s start repairs first.”

“If you say so… very well. I’ll call in experts who can handle the repairs.”

“Thank you.”

At my words, Bishop smiled gently and left the room.

Without realizing it, I glanced at the pillow on the bed—the same pillow I’d been slamming while thinking of Ascan.

I had no idea how to face him now.

“Sigh.”

This headache was killing me.

Several days passed.

Ever since reuniting with Ascan, I’d made daily efforts to see him—but after visiting the Calua Imperial Palace, everything changed.

I practically hid inside the mansion, terrified of accidentally running into Ascan.

I ate every meal in my room, secretly met with the repair experts I’d summoned, and avoided going outside whenever possible.

I couldn’t avoid him forever, but I wanted to hide until I was mentally prepared.

“Miss, the repairs are finished. Would you like to see them yourself?”

But Bishop said something unexpected.

I absentmindedly looked out the window at the mansion below.

Ascan’s mansion didn’t really have a garden, but feeling guilty for destroying the few flowers and trees, I’d planted all sorts of plants in their place.

I’d invested quite a bit of money, and I was confident Ascan’s mansion now looked the most beautiful among all nearby buildings.

I still hesitated to leave my room, afraid of running into Ascan—but I wanted to check up close whether the repairs had been done properly.

‘It’ll just be a quick look—surely I won’t run into him?’

Before, I’d had to make every possible effort just to catch a glimpse of him.

No matter how I thought about it, the chances of seeing Ascan now, while I was actively avoiding him, were practically zero.

Making up my mind, I nodded to Bishop.

“Then I’ll go down briefly to take a look.”

“Yes. Please do.”

Worried I’d attract attention if accompanied by too many people, I quietly headed alone toward the repaired area.

Even from a distance through the window, the landscaping had looked beautiful—but up close, I liked it even more.

The plant-filled space carried a uniquely fresh scent. I unconsciously took a deep breath and smiled faintly—when—

Thud. Thud. Footsteps suddenly sounded behind me.

Half-expecting the worst, I glanced back—

And there, impossibly, Ascan—who I’d struggled so hard to find before—was walking straight toward me.

Whip—I quickly turned my head forward and pretended I hadn’t noticed anything, taking a step as if to walk away.

I intended to avoid Ascan completely. But the footsteps following me didn’t stop. If anything, they grew faster.

“Ugh!”

In an instant, Ascan overtook me and blocked my path. Then, for some reason, he looked down at me with a terrifying gaze and said,

“You’re not thinking of running away, are you?”

“M, me? When did I—?”

Ascan’s eyes narrowed. Clearly, he didn’t believe me.

Soon, he smiled eerily and murmured softly,

“Make me want to hold you.”