No one answered me, but at the same time, no one refused. I took their silence as consent and opened my mouth.
"I love Ronheim."
The words hung in the air. I saw a few knights shift uncomfortably in their seats.
"The view of Ronheim from my room every morning is beautiful and never grows old. The people of Ronheim are friendly and genuinely warm. I think I understand now why Callius—and all of you—love this place so much. Why you would risk your lives to protect it."
The knights were silent, watching me with expressions I couldn't quite read.
"I'm so glad I was able to follow Callius here. I'm happy where I am now—happier than I've ever been."
The word happiness seemed to strike something in them. A few knights looked down at their plates. Others exchanged glances.
Although it hadn't been my intention, my words seemed to prick their consciences.
"If you—the guardians of Ronheim—and the people of this land accept me, I will be even happier than I am now. But I won't force that acceptance for my own sake."
I paused, meeting their eyes one by one.
"Time resolves all misunderstandings. Time makes strangers familiar. I believe in the magic of time."
Now the knights looked directly at me instead of avoiding my gaze.
I saw their expressions waver. Some looked confused. Others uncomfortable. A few still seemed displeased—but at least they were looking.
"I told you my story today. So next time we have another chance to sit together like this, I hope you'll tell me yours."
I rose slowly from my chair, careful to keep my movements graceful despite the exhaustion weighing on my limbs.
"I'm tired, so I'll take my leave now. Please, everyone—enjoy the rest of your evening."
I asked the chef to send the remaining refreshments to my room, then turned and left the dining hall.
As I stepped into the corridor, the door closed softly behind me, muffling the voices of the knights.
Alone in the hallway, I finally allowed myself to exhale.
I did it. I actually said what I wanted to say.
My hands were trembling slightly—from nerves or from the curse, I wasn't sure. Probably both.
Callius stood just outside the dining hall, hidden in the shadows of a stone column.
He had arrived halfway through Chloe's speech and heard her voice drifting through the closed door. Instead of entering, he'd stopped and listened.
Now, as her footsteps approached, he pressed himself further into the shadows and waited.
The door opened. Chloe stepped out, her back straight and elegant—but her shoulders sagged the moment she thought she was alone.
"Phew..."
She sighed quietly, just once, before continuing down the hall toward the stairs.
Callius watched her retreating figure. Even from behind, she looked small. Fragile. Lonely.
It must have been difficult.
Callius's jaw tightened. Just enduring the curse was hard enough for her frail body—yet she had dragged herself down here to face a room full of people who didn't want her there.
She knew they wouldn't welcome her. And she went anyway.
It broke something in his chest to see her walk back alone like this, having mustered the courage to reach out only to be met with cold silence.
Everyone in Ronheim was trying to escape Kavala's shadow.
Chloe. Callius. The knights. Every citizen who had suffered under the Empress's curse.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend—or so the saying goes.
But the reason they couldn't easily become allies was because Kavala's darkness was so thick, so pervasive, that it blinded them to who their true friends were.
Among Callius's knights, too many had lost their families in the war with Arrental. Not in honorable combat, but caught helplessly in Kavala's curse—meaningless deaths that left nothing but grief and resentment.
That was what had broken everyone's hearts.
And in such circumstances, the fact that Chloe had grown up in Kavala's shadow—raised by the empire's greatest enemy—was a fatal mark against her.
I hope Chloe isn't too hurt.
Callius wondered if there was any way to comfort her. Then a good idea struck him.
He straightened, stepped out of the shadows, and strode toward the dining hall. With deliberate force, he pushed the door open wide.
"My lord! My lord, you've returned!"
Even after Chloe had left, the dining hall remained filled with awkward tension. The knights rose hastily to greet Callius.
Callius looked around at them slowly.
As if they had committed some crime, not one of them met his eyes. They all looked away, suddenly finding the floor or the walls very interesting.
Chloe's honest words must have struck their consciences after all.
Good. They're not completely heartless, then.
At least they hated Chloe but still had enough conscience to feel guilty about it.
I don't need to say much, then.
If Callius had barged in right after Chloe left and started scolding them, it would look like he'd been listening the whole time. It would seem like he was plotting behind her back.
He kept his words brief.
"I heard everything from outside."
The knights stiffened.
"I'm sure everyone has heard her story and felt something from it. I don't need to add anything more."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"This banquet was arranged for you. So enjoy it."
With that, Callius gestured to the chef and Alex, whispered something brief to them, and left the dining hall.
The moment Callius was gone, the knights surrounded Alex.
"What did he say to you?"
"You don't need to know."
Alex turned his head away as if he didn't want to talk and picked up his coat.
"Where are you going all of a sudden?"
"What did the lord say? Tell us!"
"I said you don't need to know! Didn't you hear what Lord Callius said? Just drink and enjoy yourselves."
Alex shook off his colleagues' grasping hands and quickly followed Callius out of the hall. The chef also hurried back to the kitchen.
The remaining knights wrinkled their noses and poured themselves cold drinks in frustration.
"Our youngest has gotten shameless."
"It's because we raised him with such care, thinking he was our precious youngest. When I was his age..."
On one side of the table, someone launched into a story about the old days while casting glances at Alex's empty seat. On the other side, the conversation turned to Chloe.
"Did we... go too far?"
"What do you mean, 'too far'? We didn't do anything."
"That's the point. We just sat there like idiots because it was awkward. Is pretending everything's fine also part of our knightly duty?"
"But it's true that the Princess solved Ronheim's winter food shortage..."
"So what?! We swore an oath! What did we do wrong? We just sat quietly because it was uncomfortable. Come on, everyone—just drink."
One knight clutched his chest as if his conscience was still pricking him.
"Maybe the Princess is different from what we thought. She said she loves Ronheim. That she's happy here. I didn't know she felt that way..."
Andrew snorted.
"Who knows? Those words might all be lies. What can't words say?"
Another knight lowered his voice and whispered nervously.
"By the way... do you think the lord is angry? What was that about? I'm more afraid of this kind of thing. I'd rather be beaten with a club."
"I don't think he's that upset."
"Are you blind? Couldn't you tell just by looking at him when he left?"
One of the knights tore at his hair in frustration.
"Ugh, I don't know! I don't know anymore!"
"Let's just drink. Let's drink until we pass out. Cheers! Cheers!"
After returning from the dining hall, I settled into the rocking chair in the shared bedroom. A blanket was draped over my lap, and I held a book in my hands.
I tried to soothe my unsettled mind by reading, but the words didn't register well.
I said I believed time would heal everything, but... is that really true?
I shook my head.
"No. Don't think too deeply about it. If I just do my part well, everything will be fine."
What choice did I have? I had to put down roots here now.
I have nowhere else to return to.
In this situation, worrying and feeling anxious were futile.
I wasn't going to run back to the palace crying just because the knights rejected me.
Besides, since when had I ever lived a life where I was welcomed? Why should I be ruined by something like this now?
I'm used to it.
Still, compared to the past—when I had simply succumbed to rejection, hidden inside, and lived quietly like a ghost—wasn't this quite courageous?
I didn't conform. I didn't hide.
That alone was a huge change for me.
If I change, the situation will change too.
How many times had I proven that truth since my return?
I clenched my fist and silently praised myself.
Good job. You did great today.
Instead of crying and feeling depressed when I was alone, I had decided to comfort myself. Because I knew how empowering it was to let go of the inner whip—to stop punishing myself and instead offer kindness.
I was controlling my mood quite well when—
Knock, knock.
"Madam, this is Lamia. I'm sorry to disturb your rest, but may I come in for a moment?"
"Yes, of course. Come in, Lamia."
I wondered why Lamia—whom I had sent off work early—had come to see me again.
"Is something wrong?"
"Madam, that is... well..."
Lamia fidgeted nervously, her expression troubled.
Looking at her face, I instinctively knew something serious had happened.
"What's going on?"
"Something's wrong! You need to come out quickly!"
I jumped up from my chair, startled.
"Why? What happened?"
"I think you should see it for yourself! Hurry, hurry!"
Lamia pushed at my back urgently.
I was practically shoved out of the shared bedroom and into my own room.
The room was completely dark—not a single candle was lit.
In Ronheim, magical lights weren't used. Candles that could spread fire were never left unattended, and even if they were, they could easily be blown out by the wind.
"Lamia, could you bring me a candle from the bedroom? It's so dark I can't see anything."
"Yes, just a moment, madam."
Lamia answered cheerfully—but then she just stood there behind me without moving.
Why is she acting like this?
I was groping my way through the darkness when I heard a sound.
A faint rustling. Movement in a room that should have been empty.
My heart skipped a beat.
"Who's there—?!"
To be continued...
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