Chapter 20: A Farewell and a Fresh Start

“And I was curious if the rumors were true—that the illegitimate child of a declining count’s family possessed exceptional beauty, despite their status.”

“—Your Highness.”

Selonia’s face flushed with a hint of embarrassment at the playful remark. Seeing her cheeks so easily redden, Camilla couldn’t help but let out another soft laugh.

Indeed. Bringing Selonia into the Imperial Palace had been a purely impulsive decision.

No one would dare question her choice of lady-in-waiting, after all. Surviving for so long amidst the Imperial Palace’s blood-soaked intrigues sometimes offered a small, albeit fleeting, sense of reward.

The Imperial Palace was a place where love alone could not sustain one, especially for someone hailing from the North like Camilla.

While she had been welcomed into the capital’s high society as Lady Traville of the North, the nobles’ attitudes shifted dramatically once she became Princess Consort.

Perhaps they viewed the kind stranger as someone who forgot her place, attempting to reign over them. Though part of the same empire, centuries had failed to erase the animosity between the two regions.

Immediately after becoming Princess Consort, she was relegated to the status of the Imperial Palace’s outcast.

Adapting to a culture and etiquette so different from her homeland proved challenging, and then her husband, Prince Justina, the only one who stood by her side, succumbed to an unknown illness.

This tragedy struck mere two weeks before he was to be granted his ducal title.

She could have simply left the Imperial Palace and returned to the welcoming North. Her sister, Marcela, who served as Grand Duchess of the Grand Duchy, would have always embraced her.

Yet, Camilla did not return.

The suspicion that there was something unsettling about her husband’s death continued to plague her.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that the saying—that those born in the North could never abandon a chosen companion—would apply to her, yet she endured, day after day, with a self-mocking smile, within the Imperial Household, colder than any northern winter.

As time wore on, the situation slowly began to shift. By filling the void left by the absence of other imperial women, authority and power naturally followed.

Those who had once found her inconvenient and had shunned her now cast wary glances and bowed their heads.

Perhaps this was why she had unconsciously grown fond of Selonia. It hadn’t been long since she first learned of Selonia’s existence—a young lady who had neither made her debut nor participated in high society.

Camilla had heard whispers of a lady who, oblivious to her station, had applied for a lady-in-waiting position at the Imperial Palace, drawing universal condemnation.

Through the background checks conducted for selecting a lady-in-waiting, Camilla had learned the full story, and something about Selonia’s desperate courage in the face of scorn had piqued her interest.

Though she had spoken of it as a jest, it was also true that Camilla had been curious about the rumors of Selonia’s exquisite beauty, said to make one forget her humble origins.

They spoke of luscious, smooth pink hair and sky-blue eyes reminiscent of winter. Upon meeting her in person, Camilla found the rumors to be no exaggeration.

The Selonia she met in person seemed a far more commendable woman than Camilla had anticipated.

Though she lacked both confidence and self-esteem, a fierce determination to confront and overcome life’s challenges shimmered in her lake-like eyes.

Drawn by that earnestness, Camilla impulsively offered her the lady-in-waiting position, and her judgment appeared to be sound. Even Alix, the Emperor himself, had shown interest.

Had Alix, like Camilla, also heard the rumors about Selonia and taken an interest? What initially seemed like a fleeting fondness in his eyes appeared to deepen into intense desire with each passing day.

While it began as mere curiosity, Camilla couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of worry. If Selonia sought a place beside the Emperor, she would undoubtedly walk a path even more arduous than Camilla’s own.

Thus, seeing Selonia now, having come to announce her departure from the Imperial Palace, brought a mix of regret and sorrow, yet also a strange sense of relief.

Reflecting on it, Alix’s gaze, often filled with an almost desperate craving, had always met Selonia’s expressionless eyes.

Though Camilla had dismissed it as mere shyness, Selonia’s gaze toward Alix sometimes seemed to betray an indescribable emotion.

A deep, dark feeling, perhaps, one Camilla couldn’t quite fathom. Though it was more likely just a misconception.

Had she grown attached to her in such a short time? The sudden announcement of Selonia’s departure filled Camilla with such a pang of regret that she was somewhat surprised by her own feelings.

At the banquet, it had seemed Kylos also held an interest in the girl.

Kylos was still in the capital. Camilla mused, wondering if she should subtly hint to him that Selonia was leaving the Imperial Palace.

As she briefly envisioned Selonia standing beside Kylos, Selonia, who had been lost in thought as if organizing complex ideas, bowed her head.

“I will forever cherish the kindness you have shown me, Your Highness.”

Whatever Camilla’s reasons for taking her on as a lady-in-waiting, her choice had allowed Selonia to escape the shackles of House Brienne.

Becoming the Princess Consort’s lady-in-waiting had also provided her with the means to survive on her own outside the Imperial Palace, thanks to the accumulated wages.

As Selonia looked at her, filled with gratitude, Camilla’s eyes widened slightly in surprise before she offered a faint smile.

Selonia carefully opened the small box she had brought and offered it to Camilla. Inside, the necklace and earrings Camilla had lent her rested undisturbed.

“I believe I should return these as well. I no longer have the right to keep them.”

“Take these back.”

“What? But—”

“What would become of my dignity if I were to reclaim a gift I bestowed upon a lady-in-waiting?”

A peculiar warmth infused Camilla’s composed voice. Selonia’s mouth parted slightly in surprise as she alternated her gaze between the box and Camilla.

She had believed them merely borrowed, only now realizing they were a gift. Camilla, observing her confusion with a smile, then raised a hand and gestured.

“I will instruct Mariam to initiate your departure procedures, so you may leave now.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Contrary to her fears, the departure procedures were handled swiftly.

Though she knew it wasn’t true, the possibility of Alix having extended his influence even to the Princess Consort or her palace had made Selonia uneasy, so a sigh of relief escaped her involuntarily.

A subtle melancholy also settled over her.

While her current time in the Imperial Palace had spanned only a few months, combining it with her life before regression, she had spent a considerable amount of time within its walls.

As she hadn’t brought much when she entered the palace, her belongings were equally sparse upon her departure.

All she carried was the box returned by the Princess Consort, two sets of clothes, her accumulated wages, and the notebook that had made her realize her regression.

She had already gathered information from Dora in preparation for this moment.

When Selonia mentioned she had never been to the capital’s bustling district, Dora had offered a sympathetic look and shared all sorts of stories.

Although she hadn’t stayed long enough in the Imperial Palace to require Dora’s extensive cooperation as originally planned, Selonia was grateful for her help nonetheless.

Having been raised in the Count’s estate, treated little better than a maid, she had rarely ventured outside and thus knew little of the world.

Selonia carefully absorbed Dora’s tales, noting the location of the shopping district, precautions to take in the square, and how to ride a coach.

And so, today, she had deliberately chosen the quiet dawn hours to slip out of the Imperial Palace, avoiding the bustling crowds.

By the time day broke, she had passed through the castle gates and reached a wide boulevard.

Selonia walked diligently along the boulevard until she arrived at the main square. People, each bustling to greet the start of another day, would glance at her, standing alone with her travel bag, before resuming their hurried pace.

Alix was not in the Imperial Palace, and the surveillance reports on her had ceased after she became a lady-in-waiting, yet she couldn’t feel entirely at ease.

That was why she had tried to blend into the crowd. Although Selonia’s attire was modest for an imperial lady-in-waiting, she cast a dismayed look at her distinctly noticeable clothes, especially compared to the early morning square-goers.

“I should have just worn a maid’s uniform instead.”

Most nobles rose late, so her attire, unmistakably that of an aristocrat fresh from the palace, made her stand out all the more.

Changing her mind, she moved toward a less crowded area. As she navigated unnoticed between buildings, a quiet, broad road soon appeared. It seemed to be a district primarily composed of noble townhouses and estates.

Glancing left and right to confirm no one was present, she set her travel bag on a nearby bench and exhaled a deep sigh. What should she do now?

Where should she go immediately? Her entire focus had been on escaping the Imperial Palace while Alix was absent, leaving her utterly at a loss for what lay ahead.

First, she needed to change her attire, then take a hired carriage out of the capital and find a suitable place to stay. Having quickly made her decision, Selonia’s eyes began to scan every corner of the surrounding alleys.

Since this was a boulevard lined with townhouses, there had to be a tailor’s shop nearby.

While they would sell noble clothing, secluded spots often housed shops that catered to servants’ attire.

It was as she meticulously surveyed the alleyways with her keen eyes that an eerie, unfamiliar sensation prickled her spine. Someone was watching her from between the buildings.

She instinctively knew this was distinctly different from the curious glances she had received in the square.

The moment their eyes met, Selonia quickly turned her head away, pretending not to have seen them, as the color slowly drained from her face.