Dalia's long eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes.
Why did her body feel so heavy today?
“Lia!”
“Miss Lia!”
At the sound of Annie and Cole's tear-trembling voices, Dalia turned her head toward them.
Annie's eyes were brimmed with tears, while Cole had his head bowed low.
Behind them, Hart craned her neck inquisitively, peering in with an eager face.
“Annie, Cole… What’s with those looks on your faces?”
Her voice came out raspy, as if she had not spoken in ages.
“Drink some water first.”
Annie gently supported her upper body and brought a cup of water to her lips.
As she sipped it slowly, the fog clouding her mind began to lift piece by piece.
The blue surface of the water.
A little girl tumbling in.
A tree branch.
Her heart plummeted in an instant.
Dalia looked up at Annie with anxious eyes.
“…And the child?”
The question trembled from her lips on its own.
Annie nodded, as though she had been expecting that very question.
“She was saved.”
Dalia's violet eyes widened in disbelief.
“Truly? The girl is really all right? Alive?”
“Yes.”
“Ah… What a relief. What a true relief…”
Tears welled in Dalia’s wide eyes.
Even after arriving in the empire, she had remained unsure whether she could truly change the future.
Yet the future had changed.
The child was alive.
Just the sight of that small ray of hope made her heart overflow with joy.
“How could you throw yourself into a place like that when you cannot even swim, Lia?”
Though Annie’s hand gently dabbed away her tears with a handkerchief, her tone was stern.
“I can swim! I swam all the time when I was little with Cole, didn’t I?”
To dodge Annie's scolding, Dalia turned quickly toward Cole.
Cole nodded glumly, his voice laced with sorrow as he spoke.
“I should have been by your side. You are frightened of the water, aren’t you?”
Dalia's eyes wavered slightly.
What a stubborn pair they were…
Annie with her barrage of reprimands, and Cole with that guilt-laden gaze that stirred up an urge to apologize.
“No, that isn't it. I thought I was afraid, but when I saw that child in danger… I managed to swim. I don’t think I’m afraid of water anymore!”
She spoke in a bright, reassuring tone, glancing back and forth between them to put them at ease.
She had trembled from head to toe at the mere thought of rivers or lakes… and yet, she had saved a child!
She had saved a life, and she had overcome her trauma too.
Yes, she could do this!
A proud smile spread across her face, but it quickly withered under a sharp stare, the corners of her mouth twitching nervously.
Annie was glaring at her with a stern expression.
“Do not ever do that again.”
“Mmm… I feel thirsty again.”
“I know you are changing the subject.”
Even while grumbling, Annie lifted the glass and helped her take another sip.
“Still, what happened after that? I don't remember anything past the middle of it all.”
Dalia asked with a puzzled look after drinking the water like a little chick.
She remembered only that the child had caught the branch… and after that, nothing.
“They say it was the Emperor's retinue who rescued you.”
“Huh?”
Dalia's eyes widened in surprise, and then a bright smile bloomed across her face.
‘Lemon must have managed to bring them. Clever Lemon!’
“And who among them pulled me out? The captain of the guard? The secretary? It couldn't possibly be… His Majesty the Emperor himself, could it?”
“We don’t know who specifically saved you. But His Majesty assigned you this room for the time being.”
Only then did Dalia take a look around.
The chamber was five times larger than her previous quarters, furnished with pieces lavishly adorned in gold leaf. Even the bed was spacious enough for several people to lie across it.
“Hmm… I must find out who saved me so I can thank them properly. But why would he assign me this room in the first place?”
“I have no idea.”
Annie shrugged, looking just as baffled.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
Hart, who had slipped out unnoticed, reentered and swung the door wide to make way for the person behind her.
“Hohoho… Good day to you, Miss Herdlan.”
A bent-backed old gentleman with white hair stepped inside, leaning on a black cane.
As everyone looked at him in surprise, Hart, lingering near the door, hurriedly introduced him.
“This is the Head Butler, Mr. Rosen Cookdan. He instructed us to notify him the moment you woke, My Lady.”
Tap. Tap.
Rosen made his way into the room with measured taps of his cane, then came to an abrupt halt and turned around.
“Who dares lag behind an old man like me?”
“Yes, yes, right behind you.”
Orion stepped into view, pushing a cart with a tray.
“Mr. Secretary?”
Dalia's eyes widened as she recognized the familiar face.
“Greetings… er, a-a… The weather… It is quite lovely today, Miss. Are you feeling well?”
Dalia, Annie, and Cole exchanged fleeting glances.
What was with that bizarre greeting?
Dalia stared at Orion with an eyebrow raised in suspicion, yet he merely returned a serene smile as though nothing were out of the ordinary.
“I am quite well.”
“His Majesty the Emperor was deeply concerned for you.”
“His Majesty?”
“Yes. His brow was furrowed so ti—”
“You insolent fool! How dare you speak of His Majesty the Emperor with such flippancy?!”
Head Butler Rosen’s cane cracked soundly against Orion’s backside.
Orion leapt in place with a sharp yelp.
“Ouch! Grandfather!”
The cane raised again.
“You brat! Did I not tell you never to call me that within the Imperial Palace?!”
“Pardon me, Mr. Head Butler, what brings you here?”
Dalia hastily intervened before the cane could swing a second time.
“Hohoho… My Lady, have you taken any nourishment yet?”
The Head Butler offered a warm, genial smile, as though his fit of temper a heartbeat earlier had never happened.
“No, not yet.”
“This meal was sent by His Majesty the Emperor himself.”
With those words, Orion lifted the gleaming silver cloche.
Delectable dishes rested upon an elegant platter on the tray.
Chicken simmered in rich red wine in the coq au vin style,
roast chicken generously basted with fragrant herbs and olive oil,
and oven-baked pollo alla diavola.
“And this… is it a declaration of war?”
Annie remarked sharply, glaring at the fare with narrowed eyes.
The lavish delicacies had indeed been arranged across a broad platter, but each piece was neatly sliced into bite-sized morsels, like finger food.
“Hah.”
Orion stifled a laugh, still clutching the silver dome.
“As you have gone without food for some time, diving straight into such heavy fare would be unwise. It is advised that you begin with the soup, and once you feel your stomach has settled, you may partake of these dishes.”
The Head Butler produced a bowl of warm, steaming soup from the lower tier of the cart.
Hart stepped forward to receive it, but Annie intercepted and took it first.
“Thank you. Had the soup not been here, I would have questioned His Majesty’s intentions.”
At her sharp tone, Dalia gently touched her arm.
“No, Annie. It seems His Majesty remembered the foods I like.”
A faint smile touched Dalia's lips as she looked down at the bite-sized delicacies.
The Emperor had remembered her palate with exact precision—tastes she had only mentioned in passing before while trying to sound out his preferences.
How astonishing…
Was he truly someone so remarkably attentive?
It felt as though she had caught a glimpse of an entirely new side of him.
“True… They are all favorites of yours, Lia.”
Annie nodded with genuine admiration.
“Miss Herdlan.”
The Head Butler's warm gaze rested upon her, and Dalia lifted her eyes from the food to meet his.
“Yes?”
“Thank you for saving Her Imperial Highness the Princess.”
Setting his cane slightly aside, the Head Butler lowered himself into a deep, disciplined bow.
“You have our deepest gratitude.”
Orion bowed in turn.
“The Princess…?”
Dalia asked, open astonishment written across her face.
Even Annie, listening beside her, widened her eyes in sheer shock.
