After Raniero left the room, a lady, who seemed to be a maidservant gazed at me and said,

"You'd better take a bath."

At those words, my face went hot because I knew the cause.

As I slowly glanced down at my body, I became even more embarrassed and pulled the blanket up to hide my body.

"Then, could you help... No, I can do it myself."

I endured the desire to hide through the mouse hole as I barely managed to speak in a solemn tone.

While the bathwater was warming up, the three maids stuck together and removed all the pins from my hair. Even though I've been feeling sick and stinging all the time, I couldn't even say I was in pain... I felt a little embarrassed.

The maids then called the other servants who managed chores, and they picked up bed linen and other clothes that had been taken off and thrown away before leaving to do the laundry.

Soaking in the flagrantly heated bathwater, it felt like all my tension was finally relieved.

'Yeah, this is it.'

I was relieved.

Raniero is a man who doesn't look at his wife except on the first night. So, there will never be a chance to meet just the two of us in the future. It meant that there was no longer any reason for me to have my heart pumping like this and operate my brain to its fullest anymore.

Perhaps, the official ceremony of the Imperial Family... I should be attending with Raniero.

At that time, I should be all right with the tension of the wedding, right?

Of course, I can't be nervous.

A disaster will happen the moment I lose my discipline because I get nervous.

Looking back, the first night was the biggest turning point. And, I've gotten over it pretty well. When Raniero left the palace, he looked at me and said, 'It's monotonous and boring,' so he wouldn't be visiting me again.

The immediate hurdle has been overcome. Now is the time to really think about the future.

I rubbed my arms in the warm water and turned towards the maid who was waiting for me.

​​

"What is the date today?"

The maid paused for a moment at the strange question. But, like a maid in the Palace of Actilus, she responded quickly and politely without being rude.

"It's May 19th, Your Majesty."

May 19th.

Hmm. Looking out through the bathroom window, I saw that the trees were still thickly covered with soft, pale green leaves.

If that is the case, then there are about seven months left until Raniero meets Seraphina.

The two met in winter when the cold seemed to freeze even their lungs. Even more, the white winter accentuated Seraphina's beauty, who has dark hair and blue eyes.

​​

'It was a very snowy day.'

The reason Raniero Actilus entered the temple was because it was snowing too much and it was difficult to advance.

Oh, the 'temple' referred to here is not a temple dedicated to Actilla, the God of war, who is the deity of Actilus. Actilla has no temples because faith in him is not a temple or prayer, but proof of the prosperity of more descendants and a larger territory.

Feasibly, looking back on the original story, there seems to be a ritual, but...

In the original story, the temple where Raniero first met Seraphina was the temple of Tunia, the God of mercy. The followers of Tunia were wary of the Actilus Empire, though they could not refuse guests who wanted to visit, worthy of the name of the God of Mercy.

Well, the explanation ends here.

My heart began to pound.

'Seven months... It's not even that far away.'

​​

Until last night, all I could remember about 'Angelica' was her name.

However, as time passed, the memories of my body were slowly being absorbed into my mind. Angelica is the second princess of the Unro Kingdom. Other than that, she has an older brother and a younger sister.

Remembering family relationships is a good sign. I assume it would probably come to mind slowly from knowledge close to me.

Angelica is also royalty, so she must have learned the basics of geography and history. Therefore, there must be quite a bit of useful information other than what appeared in the novel.

'...Like which country I should run to.'

The country that will be my destination should not be too far from the Imperial Palace, nor should it be hostile to the Empire or have strict security.

​​

Even if the country is rich or weak... it doesn't matter, anyway.

Even if the Empire is swallowed up right away, if Raniero crosses the line of Seraphina in a few months, he will die and the Empire that relied on the superior absolute monarch for all of its systems will immediately collapse.

Once I escape, the Empire will collapse before spring arrives.

Raniero, Seraphina, and Eden. It would be a lie to say that I don't care about the catastrophe of the three people at all, however...

If I care too much about it, Raniero brings me back with Seraphie as a trophy.

'For now, let's put my survival first.'

After relaxing my muscles in the warm water, I changed into a comfortable indoor coat and sat down in front of the table in the bedroom.

The food was of good quality, and the maids were blunt but professional.

Just in time, I glanced around the maids who were serving tea.

'It's more professional than what I've seen in movies or novels...'

A maid's job is close to an honorary job, and volunteering as the empress' maidservant must mean that they have the purpose of establishing connections. Nonetheless, it was a little awkward and strange because they only did what they had to do. There was no sign of the maids acting comfortably or being friendly.

Still, this distance might be just right.

I'm making an escape plan. So, if I just became friends with these people, trouble might arise, right?

What if they ask, "Empress, why are you studying this?"

I'm not very smart, so I might try to hide and let something slip away unintentionally.

If they do...

It would be a big deal.

'Until Raniero is distracted by Seraphina, they must not find out that I intend to escape.'

If he does, Raniero might think I was making fun of him and chop me on the neck!

'First of all, as naturally as possible, let's pretend to be a nice empress with no ulterior motives.'

With that thought, I smiled as benevolently and maturely as possible as I made eye contact with the maids one by one.

"Come to think of it, I haven't even heard your names. Could you let me know?"

Well, I guess I spoke in a mature tone like a fair empress.

Even though the memories of Angelica had not yet returned, things seemed to come naturally to me as she is a princess.

The maids began to introduce themselves one after another, starting with the highest rank, as though they were waiting for my words.

The esteemed Madam (probably referring to the Marquis' mother), countess, daughter of the duke...

They were women from strong families. As if they had prepared in advance, the scene where they introduced themselves to me while bowing without a single error was thrilling.

"Yes, I see..."

I nodded as they finished.

'But, something is strange...'

A strange feeling of incongruity brushed through my spine. It was a strange feeling that I couldn't catch it even if I tried my best to.

Thinking that, I tilted my head and peered at them alternately.

There doesn't seem to be any problem with their attitude or behavior.

'What is this weird feeling?'

As it doesn't seem like I was going to find a clue just by looking like this, I smiled, ignoring the chilly sensation that was chasing me down the back of the maze.

"You must have a lot of trouble waiting."

"It's just our duty."

​​

They all bowed their heads in unison.

Oh no. If they're like this, I don't know what to do. A cold sweat ran down my back. I only became an empress yesterday, so of course, I'm still not used to this kind of treatment!

I moved on to the next topic quickly.

"Well, then. What's the schedule after this? I haven't been to the Actilus Empire for a long time, so I'd like you to guide me until I get used to it."

"That's..."

The Marquis' mother, who seemed to be the head of the maids, glanced at the other maids lining up behind her.

Then, she bowed deeply to me and said.

"There's no official schedule today, so you can rest well."

Since I was told by Raniero that he can see everything on my face, I tried to keep a poker face as much as possible.

Still, the words of the Marquis' mother made my face turn red unknowingly. No matter how much I warmed up with a bath, the fatigue of the wedding ceremony, early night, and the travel from a distant place still made my body feel very heavy.

If I can take a day off, that's fine.

​​

I coughed.

"I see, then I'll take it easy."

​​

Well, there is no need to start working on escaping from today. In the end, it's still seven months away, isn't it?

And so, I decided to take a day off.

In the evening, until the end of the day, the maids stayed with me with that professional, expressionless expression. They didn't even try to start a conversation with me at all as well, so it was rather awkward and uncomfortable.

It bothered me at first. However, when I became one with the bed, emptied my brain, and rested, I felt happy and refreshed.

The next day everything was much better than the first day.

​​

It was because Raniero, who seems to have lost interest in me, did not visit, and I became accustomed to the service of the professional maids.

As soon as they woke me up, I washed my face and changed clothes before asking about my schedule, though they would say there was nothing special that day.

The next day, too.

And the day after that as well...

Then, it keeps on going that way.

There was no official schedule for the Empress.

​​

At that time, the name 'Cisen' came up in my mind as I became slightly more assimilated with Angelica's memory.

The old maiden daughter of a countess in Unro Kingdom—a maid from the Unro Kingdom, who came with me when I came to the Actilus Empire.

I wish she'd stick with me...

She didn't appear in my sight at all.

I have never seen Cisen since I came here...

That was the uncomfortable feeling I felt when I first saw the maids. It was because there was no maid brought from my home country. I didn't see a familiar face.

It wasn't just that.

'They... They are stalking me.'

​​

I suddenly realized.