Misconception

Beneath the flock of white seagulls hovering in the air, Dalia boarded a large ship. Leaving behind the bustling people moving cargo, Dalia settled in a corner, briefly looked around, and then took off her robe.

The cool sea breeze gently brushed against her face.

"Ah, I feel alive."

Wearing a heavy robe in the increasingly warm weather was naturally exhausting.

As she fanned herself with her hand to cool down, Lloyd, who had followed her in, adjusted her robe again.

"The ship to the Kingdom of Easter will be departing soon. We can't relax until it sets off, so please keep the robe on, even if it's uncomfortable."

"That's right, ma'am. Just hang in there a bit longer. If it's too hot, have some water."

"Alright..."

At their words, Dalia slumped her shoulders. She couldn't complain to those who had chosen to endure hardships for her sake.

Nodding to Samantha, who said she'd check when the ship would depart, Dalia turned her gaze. The shimmering light on the blue sea looked peaceful.

How long had it been since they escaped the mansion? The three had fled to a southern port city to evade the duke's pursuit. Soon, they planned to leave the empire on this ship.

'I didn't originally plan to leave the empire….'

She had only planned to wait in a small rural village until she gave birth and then return to the mansion. She thought all misunderstandings would be cleared once they saw a child who resembled her.

However, Clayton's relentless pursuit had forced her to decide to leave the empire temporarily. She couldn't risk being caught before giving birth.

'At least I'm lucky to have enough money.'

Dalia took out a small pouch she had kept hidden in her clothes. It contained jewelry given to her by the duchess before she fled.

'With this money, I should be able to get a small house in the countryside.'

Without the duchess's help, she might not have even made it this far.

Just as she resolved to repay the duchess someday, Lloyd asked her with a worried look.

"You must be very tired?"

"A little? But it's manageable."

Although her belly wasn't yet prominent, pregnancy had left Dalia increasingly fatigued, and the escape had already taken a toll on her. She had tried not to show her exhaustion, but it seemed she couldn't fool the two.

Lloyd, who had been looking at Dalia with concern, rummaged through his bag as if remembering something. He pulled out a small glass bottle and handed it to her. It was a remedy Rose had given him before they left.

Seeing the glass bottle presented to her, Dalia tilted her head.

"What's this?"

"It's a fatigue recovery tonic for pregnant women."

"Really?"

Dalia's face lit up as if she'd heard great news. She was already nearing her limit, so the timing was perfect.

"Thank you. I was feeling a bit tired."

Taking the glass bottle, Dalia drank it without hesitation. Expecting it to be sweet and tangy like vitamins, she winced at the unexpectedly bitter taste.

Dalia rinsed her mouth with the water Samantha had given her and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. Then, as if something came to mind, she looked at Lloyd.

"Oh, that reminds me—I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes, please go ahead."

"When I was in the tower, about the carrier pigeon you sent—why did you come to get me when I said I wasn't planning to leave?"

"…Excuse me? You said you weren't going?"

"Yeah, I told you I wasn't planning to run. Instead, I asked you to relay a message to the Duke."

Lloyd was utterly confused. What on earth was she talking about?

"Didn't you get my letter? Was there a problem with the pigeon…?"

"…No, I received the letter."

Technically, it was Rose who received it.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen the letter himself. For security reasons, Rose had burned Dalia's letter and only conveyed its contents verbally.

A vague sense of unease caused Lloyd to bite his lip.

'Could it be that Rose…?'

Did she lie to me? But why would she? Rose had no reason to do that.

Yet Lloyd's lingering unease deepened when his gaze landed on the empty glass bottle in Dalia's hand.

'This is a special fatigue recovery tonic I asked Joseph to make. A pregnant woman carrying a heavy body on the run would surely be exhausted.'

Come to think of it, Rose had also given him that tonic. The realization deepened his anxiety, but he quickly shook his head.

'No, Rose wouldn't do something like that.'

There must have been some misunderstanding along the way. There couldn't possibly be an issue with the tonic Rose gave. He believed he knew his sister better than anyone.

But Lloyd was mistaken.

* * *

A garden filled with blooming red Roses against the backdrop of a majestically gleaming ivory castle.

At the table in the center, two people sat.

The Empress, Viola, with her golden hair elegantly styled, sat opposite her son, Alexion.

As the Empress savored the Rose fragrance in her teacup, she murmured softly.

"I've been hearing strange rumors."

"What kind of rumors, may I ask?"

"That the Duchess of Seiyer has disappeared."

Alexion raised his head at the voice breaking the peaceful atmosphere. Without meeting her son's inscrutable gaze, she continued.

"Was it you?"

Her calm tone contrasted with the shadow on her face.

She wasn't unaware that her son had always been different from other children, that beneath his beautiful exterior, his mind was deeply twisted.

And that Alexion had been showing an irrational interest in the Duchess of Seiyer.

In fact, she had sensed it during the last birthday celebration when her son danced with the Duchess of Seiyer. Alexion wasn't someone who showed such interest in anyone.

So, when she heard that the Duchess of Seiyer had disappeared, the first thing that came to her mind was Alexion's involvement.

Sure enough, she had learned that Alexion had met with the Duke of Seiyer just before strange rumors about the couple began to circulate.

Her instincts told her that Alexion had something to do with the Duchess's disappearance. Viola suppressed her unease and waited for his response.

But.

"I'm not sure what you mean… Haven't you also heard the rumors that the Duke of Seiyer has confined his wife? If that's true, there must be a reason for her disappearance."

He was merely shifting all the blame onto the Duke. Listening quietly, the Empress eventually brought up a long-forgotten name.

"Is it because of Elena?"

"..."

"Because the Duchess of Seiyer resembles Elena?"

She herself had been shocked when she first saw Dalia's face. She almost believed that Elena had come back to life. Surely, Alexion must have thought the same.

At the mention of Elena, Alexion's hand holding the teacup paused briefly. But the moment was so fleeting that Viola didn't notice.

He slowly set down the teacup and replied.

"They can't help but look alike. Dalia is Elena's…"

He recalled the face of someone who no longer existed and pulled his lips into a faint smile.

"…only daughter."

"Yes, Dalia is Elena's daughter. And now, she's also the Duchess of Seiyer."

The face of the woman she missed so dearly flashed through Viola's mind. That must be why her son showed such interest in Dalia.

In the twisted and tangled situation, the Empress let out a quiet sigh. Then, controlling her expression, she spoke to Alexion.

"No matter how much you are the Crown Prince, you can't have everything you desire. Especially if it belongs to someone else."

Alexion understood the meaning behind her words. She was telling him not to covet Dalia, who was already the Duchess.

As if not expecting a response, the Empress Rose from her seat.

"I hope you understood what I said. Now, I'll take my leave."

With graceful movements, she left the garden. Alexion watched his mother walk away and murmured softly.

"You're mistaken about something, Mother."

It wasn't that he was taking Dalia away.

He was the one who had been taken.

Because, from the beginning, Dalia was…

"…mine from the start."

Elena had promised to give her to me.

His solitary words quietly echoed through the empty garden.