Aaron gently released the hand Elisia had been holding.
“Excuse me, Your Highness.
I can't tell you.”
He spoke sincerely, and her eyes narrowed slightly at his apology.
Elisia looked at the sword that had been filled with magic in Aaron's hand, then met his gaze.
“How well do you know?”
“I only know what I'm allowed to know.”
“That is, meaning you can only speak what you're permitted to say.”
Elisia sighed and turned her body.
Franz lay on the bed before her, as if dead, deep in sleep.
She looked at him for a moment, then scanned the room.
It was complete chaos.
Anyone entering might think it had been looted.
Pots, decorations, and chairs lay scattered across the floor—thrown aside during Franz's mana-induced agony.
While she inspected the scene, Aaron snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the scattered items flew back to their proper places.
“It is unfortunate that we meet under such circumstances.”
While the fallen flower returned to its vase and the vase was restored to the table, Aaron spoke.
Elisia watched the table resettle into its original position.
“It's not unfortunate that we met.
What's unfortunate is that we met.
We were never supposed to meet at all.”
Once the room returned to full order, Aaron exhaled a long sigh.
“…It is also unfortunate that I cannot tell you more of what I know.”
Elisia turned slowly to him.
Moments ago, he had shown no trace of humanity, but now his face filled with remorse.
“It hurts that I can’t help you more.”
“If you have an ounce of sympathy for me, give me some useful advice.”
She fixed her gaze on him and continued: “For the second prince’s useless wife, who can’t even calm down the mana, a pathetic wife about to be sent away to her in-laws’ house or to the subsidiary palace.”
“Your Highness, this is…”
Aaron looked confused.
Elisia shrugged lightly.
“I didn't intentionally eavesdrop.
I just… heard.
And when I realized it was about me, I couldn't stop listening.”
“My suggestion was made out of concern for you, Your Highness.
But… excuse me, do you not trust Prince Franz?”
Aaron paused and chose his words carefully.
“You don't trust Prince Franz.
This is understandable, because the marriage was political.”
"A nice excuse.
But a political marriage is not a sufficient reason.
You know that, don't you?
As for me—I don't trust Franz Eustace."
She crossed her arms and turned her eyes to Franz.
As she stared at him sleeping peacefully, bitter words escaped her lips: “No, it’s not that I don’t trust him.
It’s that I hate him.”
She spoke steadily, and drew a deep breath.
“I hate Franz Eustace.”
It was a clear statement.
Elisia turned her cold eyes to Aaron.
At that moment, all his emotions vanished from his face.
He stared at her warily, as if assessing whether she might pose a danger to Franz.
She smiled sarcastically.
"What's that look?
It's not surprising.
If you heard about me from Franz, you should already know."
“I thought so.
Seeing the second prince’s condition now has confirmed that.”
“Don’t misunderstand.
I didn’t mean to fail to calm the mana down.
It just didn’t work.”
Upon her clarification, Aaron lowered his gaze.
He stared at the ground for a moment, then raised his eyes again.
“…For you, the Imperial Palace must be like a prison.”
Elisia's eyes widened in surprise.
For a moment, she had nothing to say.
The prison.
There is no more accurate word than this.
Her life was a prison—a prison from which she could not escape.
And every time she tried to get out, she was dragged back inside.
He had found the right answer from a completely unexpected place.
Elisia was truly impressed with Aaron's intuition.
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
“If so, will you tell me how to escape from this prison?”
“...Excuse me, but—”
“It's enough.”
She waved her hand.
Aaron's loyalty to Franz exceeded her expectations.
The way he evaded her questions, and his sympathy without offering real help, all indicated this.
“Enough with the regret and apology.
If this is all you are going to do, you should have said from the beginning that you knew nothing.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Then at least do me one favor."
“Go ahead, say what you want.”
Elisia walked toward Franz.
She gazed at the Son of the Sun lying pale on the bed, her expression sharp.
Without taking her eyes off him, she spoke: “Don’t stand in my way.”
Her facial expression twisted.
Then she turned to Aaron with a desperate look.
“Let me do whatever I want.”
“You don't need to ask that.”
Aaron sighed deeply.
“This… is an order that was previously issued to me by the Second Prince himself.”
At that, Elisia turned back to stare at Franz.
He knew nothing of what was happening around him, and remained immersed in a deep sleep.
Aaron adjusted his cloak and continued: “Prince Franz has ordered me to ensure your safety and freedom, Your Highness.
I will do my best to carry out that order.”
“Why would Franz issue such an order?
I am a worthless, failed partner to him.”
“This is a question you should ask him, not me.”
Then, Aaron pulled his cloak over his face.
A shadow fell across his pale features.
Before her eyes, he muttered something in a low voice, and the shadow stretched beneath his feet.
Elisia stared in amazement as Aaron was sucked into the shadows.
She couldn't stop him in time—he disappeared into the darkness.
Then the shadow that had swallowed him quickly shrank into a point, and vanished without a trace.
“What did I just see?”
Elisia stared in amazement at the spot where Aaron had been standing.
She felt like she was dreaming.
But the sword in her hand—and the room around her—told her it was real.
She looked down slowly.
The sword in her hand sparkled silver, as if the stars of the night had been engraved upon it.
Don't make foolish mistakes.
Elisia bit her lip hard.
But mistakes aren't something you can avoid just because you don't want to make them.
Sometimes, a person repeats a mistake even though he knows it is wrong.
And Elisia...is only human.
“Oh, looks like I'm a little late.”
Immediately after Aaron left, a knock sounded on the door, and then it opened.
Elisia quickly hid the dagger behind her back.
“I should have come a little earlier.”
Crichton entered, saw Franz sleeping, and then addressed Elisia.
“His First Highness...”
She bowed to him respectfully, confused.
But he waved his hand with a familiar friendly smile.
“There is no need for formalities between us, as long as we are alone.”
He passed by her and stood next to Franz's bed.
Elisia swallowed anxiously, watching him examine Franz closely.
If he had arrived a minute earlier, disaster would have occurred.
As Aaron had said, the room just before looked like a tornado had swept through it.
Thanks to Aaron's arrangement, she could tell that Franz had gone to bed early.
Otherwise, Crichton would have discovered that Franz had suffered a mana attack.
He had previously seen Elisia purifying mana during dinner, so he would immediately understand that the timing was abnormal.
If that happened, she would not be sent to the Sub-Palace, but would be banished to the Cold Palace.
“What brings you here?”
Elisia forced a smile, trying to pretend calm despite the cold sweat dripping from her forehead.
“His Highness the Second Prince just fell asleep.
I think you should come back tomorrow.”
Crichton turned from Franz and looked at her.
He looked at her carefully, and watched her for a long moment.
Then he tilted his head slightly.
“Why do you call him the Second Prince?
As if he is not your husband, but a stranger to you?”
Her heart sank at his sudden words.
It completely confused her.
She forced herself to smile, hoping her nervousness wouldn't show on her features.
“Even in marriage, good manners must be maintained.
Lady Glenna also told me that I lack tact.”
“I understand.”
Crichton nodded, seeming to understand at the mention of Glenna.
While Elisia was trying to calm herself…