I didn’t remember sleeping for long. Maybe two to three days?

  No matter how long it was, at most, it should have been a week.

  However, when I opened my eyes, I was informed that 40 days had passed.

  I slept that long?

  When I first heard that, I couldn’t understand.

  A prank.

  A prank. It must be two weeks or a day.

  However, Dranste said the Imperial Palace was in a state of grieving since both of us wouldn’t open our eyes.

  Well, the palace really seemed to have stagnated.

  Once the news got passed over, it was natural for nobles to send their letters.

  “The palace must have been in a mess.”


  “Mess wouldn’t even begin to explain what happened.”


  Elene shook her hands while saying that.

  Ugh, tch.

  I ignored Elene and looked at Serira. She was mixing medicine into my food.

  Something had to be said.

  My face darkened immediately.

  Oh, I had to eat that terrible medicine again. I would have nightmares because of it.

  That medicine with black color and the deep smell was supposed to be a premium tonic that could save the dead! The palace doctor prescribed it for my rejuvenation. And I hated it.

  Shouldn’t medicine be in a taste that humans could relish!? Reality was so harsh!

  “Even if you put that expression, you need to eat it all.”


  “.…… let me off.”


  Serira laughed, looking at me.

  ‘Mom, I am in trouble. Are you enjoying that?’


  ‘Oh, right. Even if I cry, mom won’t blink until I finish eating everything.’


  I was under pressure in silence. I had already drowned myself in medicine for days.

  No!

  I couldn’t recover my health to its original state, but I was allowed to have a walk.

  “How is dad?”


  “Showing miraculous recovery. Even then, they told me that his injuries were grave, so there would be side effects of it.”


  Serira spoke with a worried face.

  Aftereffects. What a frightening word. There shouldn’t be any aftereffects. Suddenly, Elene raised her hand.

  ‘What is she doing?’


  “But since it’s Your Majesty, I’m sure he’ll be fine!”


  What a blind remark about my dad, but even I knew that things would be fine since it was dad. What else could I do?

  I fell asleep to bring back my dad.

  It was a faraway and distant story, but the moment I almost lost my dad was roughly a month away. It was something that could have shaken Agrigent.

  That reality seemed like a dream—a little comforting and fearful.

  It was because of so many people that the mess managed to stay under wraps. Of course, Ferdel was the best of all. Even after the princess permitted me, it was all because of Ferdel’s ability and understanding of politics that the situation stabilized.

  All Ferdel’s move.

  “Is Ferdel still busy?”


  “Uhm, I heard that he hadn’t been home for three weeks, and he is in talks with the finance office.”


  When it came to rumors, Elene was the sharpest. She wasn’t a maid anymore, but where did the word originate? I realized that it was her talent.

  Listening to Elene, Serira touched my cheek, seeing my anxious expression.

  I was worried. It was still in my mind that no one told me yet why Ferdel left his post.

  It couldn’t have been a huge deal. Dad must have done it in the heat of the moment.

  “Is Assisi still in Izarta?”


  “They are still fighting. Uh, why did Emperor Havel have to lead his army there? It might be difficult to return to the capital at the moment.”


  It was something even Elene seemed worried about. I looked at Serira, who seemed troubled.

  Even mom was waiting. She wasn’t comfortable knowing that Cito and Sanse were on the front lines. She didn’t say it, but she seemed worried about Cito.

  She lost her husband on the battlefield.

  All we could do was pray for their safe return.

  I didn’t think Assisi would lose, but Havel’s name weighed on my mind.

  Didn’t Agrigent deliver the peace he wanted? I thought we were close; was I just mistaken?

  Although we snapped at each other, I thought we were in a favorable relationship. Why did he do that?

  Actually, Ferdel was too calm about Pretzia’s betrayal……

  Not knowing something was frustrating.

  Ah, my head hurt, shit!

  “Come on, eat!”


  ‘Finally!’


  ‘Damn.’


  Due to the black liquid in front of me, I was lost in thought for ten seconds. It looked like cola but tasted like shit. When I swallowed the medicine, I didn’t want to put anything else for hours in my mouth.

  I had no appetite because of the drug. 100 percent sure!

  “Ugh.”


  “Eat everything without leaving anything behind. Until the last drop.”


  Why did my mom have to smile by handing me that cruel thing?

  Serira seemed modest, but she had iron blood; I mean, she fought with Caitel for years.

  Just drink it.

  First, cover your nose. Come one, medicine!

  “Ahhhh!!”


  Defeated again.

  The smell wasn’t something I could beat.

  Ha, death.

  I drank it all with my nose closed, but I could still smell it.

  If I let go of my nose, then I would faint right away. Huh, even rotten milk wouldn’t smell like that.

  “Kay, now eat this. Quick!”


  Elene put two pieces of sweet potato into my mouth. I couldn’t even say no.

  Oh, forget it. The fact that I had to drink it again in the evening scared the shit out of me.

  Oh, I just want to go.

  “You need to heal, Ria!”


  “Let me heal in my way!”


  “Oh my, aren’t you feeling better, though?”


  My broken body felt healed. I still needed medical care, but I did recover a lot; it was quick.

  The only thing I hated was the disgusting medicine I had to chug down my throat.

  Weren’t there any other medicines?

  Serira left the room after taking the medicine bottle.

  At other times, I would have asked for her to stay with me, but with Elene with me, it felt like she was trying to do other things.

  I was a little sad.

  Well, I knew that she trusted Elene.

  “Princess, did you know? These days, there are rumors that Your Majesty has changed.”


  “Huh? why?”


  “It seems like he changed a lot. Somehow, the aura around him changed a little or something like that. He had some peculiar sharpness in the past, which made people think that they would die if they were around him, but not much these days…… I think?”


  I couldn’t keep up with Elene’s words. Did she mean to say that he wasn’t as sharp as before?

  Wasn’t dad always like that?!

  Of course, when I was young, I saw his killer intent, but he did not have much of it when I grew up. Elene shook her head, trying to convince me.

  “It’s true. In the past, Your Majesty made it feel like the day stood still. But these days, his presence has diluted a lot. Changed a lot.”


  “Right. He must have felt comfortable.”


  Serira, who came back, caught up with our conversation.

  What changed?

  “I mean, even in the past, he seemed fine, but his deathly gaze seemed to have disappeared. It seems like after Your Majesty opened his eyes, he starts acting differently. Perhaps because of it, the maids seem to smile a lot. They think Your Majesty has been living life again.”


  Still, dad had the same personality as always.

  Anyway, the riots had happened before, so I didn’t care. No matter how much the maids liked my dad, the high wall around his heart wouldn’t fall so easily.

  ‘Right, that’s it.’


  What happened in the dream was faintly registered in my mind, but I could see how that affected my dad. However, I wasn’t sure what exactly changed in him. Once I opened my eyes, my memories of him ran through my mind, but as the days passed, such memories faded away.

  Come to think of it. I remember there being a powerful confession.

  What was that confession now?