Chapter 4
The soft cheeks once dusted with baby fat had sharpened into a firm jawline, and the gentle voice she remembered had deepened into something heavy enough to sink into the air itself.
For a moment, memories of childhood surfaced in Evelyn’s mind, and she stared at him silently.
Meanwhile, Aiden—who had been quietly observing her the entire time—narrowed one eye.
“Your Highness, you must be careful.”
After confirming no one was nearby, he lowered his voice even further.
“I understand that seeing a familiar face from childhood must be comforting during difficult times, but for your sake and mine, meetings like this are unwise.”
His tone sounded as though he were scolding a younger sibling.
“Especially now, Your Highness must be more cautious with your actions.”
“Aiden.”
Evelyn’s voice pierced through the darkness.
Though soft at first glance, there was an odd pressure hidden beneath it.
Startled, Aiden stiffened. His wandering gaze fixed firmly on her.
“It’s true that I’m glad to see a familiar face after so long,” she said quietly. “But that isn’t why I called you here.”
“Then…”
“If things continue like this, we’ll die. Both of us.”
Once this banquet ended, Mary would assign various “duties” to the noble families that had once supported the Second Empress under the guise of testing their loyalty.
But it was all a trap designed to destroy them.
“Your Highness, I will be fine. And as for you…”
Aiden hesitated, as though carefully selecting each word before speaking.
“Didn’t Your Highness enter today alongside Count Edenbarker? You should be safe.”
“Because the Edenbarkers supported the First Empress?”
His thick brows rose sharply.
Amber eyes trembled faintly beneath them.
“You don’t truly believe the Emperor sent him to protect me, do you?”
“That…”
Speechless, Aiden’s expression twisted awkwardly.
His lips parted several times before he finally forced out the words.
“But… Your Highness is Her Majesty’s sister.”
“Hah.”
A dry laugh escaped Evelyn before she could stop it.
Was he serious?
Did he truly think Mary saw them as sisters?
By the time even her self-mocking smile faded, her sunken gaze settled on him once more.
Then again… that’s just the kind of person he is.
In every lifetime, Aiden had fallen victim to Mary’s schemes and been executed by hanging.
Yet in her second life, he had been imprisoned in the underground dungeons far longer than anyone else.
That had also been the first time she saw him again after becoming an adult.
The eyes that had seemed devoid of all warmth—as though he had abandoned every last hope—changed instantly the moment he heard news of his younger sister.
The desperation in him had been overwhelming.
“Please, I beg you! Spare my sister! Please persuade Her Majesty, Your Highness!”
And that was merely a half-sister born to a different mother.
A sigh escaped her lips.
Perhaps some people genuinely cherished their half-siblings.
But Mary was not that kind of person.
To her, the existence of her last remaining blood relative was nothing more than a substitute target for unfinished revenge.
“Duke. Listen carefully. We don’t have much time.”
A sharp light flashed within Evelyn’s green eyes.
“When the war with the Brang Empire breaks out, volunteer for it. No matter what happens, do not remain in the capital.”
“What are you—”
“Listen to me first.”
There was no time.
If possible, she would have explained everything in detail, but if she stayed away too long, Robert and Mary would undoubtedly grow suspicious.
Evelyn hurried on.
“Even if they ask you to investigate traitors or hunt down heretics, refuse. Deny everything and insist on joining the war instead. Otherwise, you’ll be framed before you even realize it.”
As she stepped closer in urgency, Aiden reflexively retreated.
“Half a year. The war will end in exactly half a year. During that time, every family that supported my mother will disappear from the capital. The only way to survive the bloodbath is to earn military merit on the battlefield.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“To survive. So that both you and I can survive. Every family that supported the Second Empress will be annihilated. And naturally, I—the daughter she left behind—won’t escape either.”
“…How can you be so certain?”
“Because I heard it directly.”
A lie, of course.
She hadn’t heard it before her regression.
She had seen it happen.
But what did that matter?
The future would remain the same regardless.
“So leave the capital. At the very least, your family will survive.”
“At the very least…?”
“Yes. It’s already too late for the others.”
Evelyn spoke as calmly as she could.
Rather than mourn those beyond saving, she wanted to focus on rescuing even one person who still could be saved.
Robert had likely already set plans in motion against the other families.
But a powerful ducal house was not something even he could move against carelessly.
She had to seize this chance while it still existed.
“If you don’t believe me, check tomorrow morning’s paper. The purge begins tomorrow.”
Gathering her skirts, Evelyn stepped up onto the corridor and added one final warning.
“And don’t even think about quietly returning to your territory to live in hiding. The moment you leave the imperial capital, they’ll kill you.”
Just like they had in the previous timelines.
Swallowing the rest of her words, Evelyn turned away without the slightest hesitation.
Left alone, Aiden merely stared blankly after her, as though he had just witnessed a ghost.
The moment Evelyn entered the banquet hall again, she came face-to-face with Robert.
Apparently, he had not been lying when he said he would wait for her.
He was leaning against the wall near the entrance with his arms crossed.
The moment their eyes met, his face brightened with a gentle smile.
“I was worried you might have foolishly tried to run away… Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“This is my home. Where exactly would I run to? I was merely delayed because I wasn’t feeling well.”
“Then I’ll summon a physician.”
“There’s no need. I simply need to return and rest.”
Robert’s brows twisted sharply.
“Return? To that imperial tower?”
“Yes.”
“Hah.”
The moment he realized he hadn’t misheard, ridicule spread across his face.
The crooked smile tugging at one corner of his lips looked unexpectedly cruel.
Ignoring him, Evelyn stopped a passing servant.
“Prepare the carriage. I’ll be leaving now.”
Can that miserable place even be called a room?
That was what Robert thought inwardly, though he kept it to himself.
Instead, he offered an alternative he assumed the sheltered princess would find tempting.
“If Your Highness is unwell, perhaps you should rest in one of the guest chambers instead of returning to that freezing prison.”
“You expect me to spend the night in a guest room?”
“Her Majesty ordered this banquet to continue until dawn, so that would not be improper. If Your Highness wishes, I can stand guard outside your room all night.”
As he spoke lazily, Robert’s eyes curved into crescents.
“Or… I could guard you from inside.”
“Whatever Your Highness desires.”
The smooth upward curve of his lips looked almost seductive.
And utterly disgusting.
Evelyn clenched her hands tightly together, afraid curses would spill out the moment she opened her mouth.
Robert burst into hearty laughter.
“I’m joking. How could I dare spend the night alone with Your Highness? That would be impossible. Still, allow me to make one promise.”
He leaned closer with a sly grin.
“I’ll get you out of that tower as quickly as possible… provided you become a little more affectionate toward me.”
Expectation gleamed in his blue eyes.
He was clearly waiting for the naïve princess to become flustered by his teasing.
But Evelyn had no intention of reacting the way he wanted.
“How dare you speak such disrespectful nonsense?”
If Robert intervened, escaping the tower would indeed become easier.
But she refused to rely on his filthy hands.
This time, she would free herself from the imperial tower with her own strength.
“My confinement there is by Her Majesty’s order. How exactly does a mere count intend to release me?”
“I am Her Majesty’s only family. When the time comes, she herself will release me. So I suggest you stop speaking beyond your station.”
At last, a cold sneer appeared on Evelyn’s lips.
“Unless you wish to be accused of treason… or disrespect toward the imperial family.”
The stiffness in Robert’s face melted into booming laughter.
Nearby nobles looked over in confusion, but he paid them no mind.
“Hahaha.”
“What an amusing joke, Your Highness.”
The smile on his lips flattened abruptly into a thin line.
Then he leaned close enough to whisper into her ear.
“Treason? Disrespect? Isn’t the princess’s position far too unstable to be carelessly uttering words like that?”
“It’s only because I happen to favor you that I’m letting this pass. Anyone else would have reported you to Her Majesty immediately.”
Evelyn narrowed her eyes.
So you’re finally showing your true nature.
In the past, she had only seen this side of him shortly before her execution by fire.
Yet now she was witnessing it so much earlier.
She must have irritated him more deeply than expected.
The realization amused her inwardly.
Not only she, but Robert too had lost his composure.
Pulling away, he once again wore a bright, pleasant smile.
“So from now on, it would be wise to watch your tongue, Your Highness.”
“Report it.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’m curious what Her Majesty would say if I informed her that you behaved improperly enough to force words like treason and disrespect from my lips.”
For the first time, a crack appeared in Robert’s carefully composed expression.
Evelyn didn’t miss it.
“It seems our values differ quite a bit. Perhaps I should request that Her Majesty assign someone else as my escort.”
“Even if you’ve fallen for me, what does that have to do with me?” she continued coolly. “Isn’t the important thing whether I have feelings for you?”
What the Emperor truly wants… is my ruin.
Simply killing Evelyn would never satisfy Mary.
No.
Mary wanted her to lose everything first.
To have cherished people stolen away.
To be deceived by the one she loved.
To lose even the faintest glimmer of hope she managed to find.
Only after utterly destroying her mind and spirit would Mary grant her death.
That was the revenge Mary desired.
Which meant that if Evelyn claimed she felt absolutely nothing for Robert, Mary might assign another man to her instead.
And that was something Robert absolutely did not want.
“What do you think?”
“…There’s no need to trouble Her Majesty with such a trivial matter.”
“Your carriage has arrived!”
Right on cue, a servant approached to announce the carriage’s arrival.
Evelyn gave a light nod and headed toward the entrance.
“You’ve worked hard today.”
She made sure to praise Robert strictly as one would praise a subordinate.
And when she saw his expression twist—
For the first time that day, a bright smile bloomed across Evelyn’s face.
