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I was momentarily at a loss for words, blinking at the blatant hostility. 

I knew the Empress didn’t favor me much, likely due to a plausible misunderstanding.  

“Kirke said he cleared up the misunderstanding…”  

But I couldn’t fully trust his words. Moreover, considering how Reshia Elpinard had ruined the carefully prepared party the Empress had organized for a safe childbirth, it would be hard for her to feel kindly toward me, even without the misunderstanding.  

Still, wasn’t I the Saintess of the Central Order and a noblewoman of the Elpinard family?  

No matter how much she disliked me, it was unthinkable for the Empress to openly scorn me like this.  

In truth, I wasn’t the type to care much about my honor, so I could usually laugh off any sort of treatment.  

However, considering the dignity of Bael, who acknowledged me as a saintess, and the Duke, who had adopted me as the daughter of the Elpinard family, I had to stand up for myself.  

I lifted my chin slightly, mimicking the refined and aristocratic demeanor of Axel as best as I could. While this attitude might seem arrogant before the Empress, she had started this quarrel, and I had plenty to say in return.  

“A lowly orphan, you say? Have you forgotten that you are in the House of Elpinard?”  

Even as I invoked the name of Elpinard, which had officially accepted me as one of their own, the Empress maintained her rigid posture. Instead, her face took on an expression as if she were appalled by my boldness.  

“Changing your name doesn’t erase your filthy blood. The stench of it gives me a headache,” she said, gracefully pressing her hand to her forehead as though she genuinely felt unwell.  

“With this wicked wench running amok so brazenly, I suppose I’ll have to deal with you myself, since no one else seems to notice.”

“A wicked wench?”

“Yes. Everything has gone awry since you appeared. Things were going smoothly before… If you truly were a noble Saintess, such things wouldn’t be happening.”

Her argument was absurd.  

Yet, judging by the Empress’s darkened gaze, fixed intently on me, she seemed to genuinely believe it.  

‘But…’  

A chill ran down my spine. Not because I was frightened by her gaze.  

‘I’ve seen this look before.’  

As I quickly retraced my memories, it didn’t take long to recall where this feeling of déjà vu came from.  

‘The former Emperor in the future!’  

When Hazen whispered nonsensical things in my ear, the former Emperor’s eyes had looked just like this.  

‘Could it be!’  

As I furrowed my brow, Axel’s words about the Empress resurfaced in my mind.  

Originally, the Empress had been a simple, kind lady from a rural area. Even after marrying Kirke, she hadn’t lost that charm and was well-loved by the people. However, at some point, she began to change, perhaps due to the pressure from the nobility. Axel had wondered aloud how a person could change so suddenly.  

But if, just like Hazen had bewitched the former Emperor, someone had a firm hold over the Empress?  

‘If she’s been brainwashed, of course someone could change in an instant!’  

As soon as I thought that, everything started to make sense.

“Aigoo, Kirke! You married the wrong woman!” That thought, which had once plagued my mind, could now be discarded. Fortunately, it seemed Kirke hadn’t made such a terrible choice after all. A sense of relief washed over me, and a smile naturally crept onto my lips.

But, not knowing what I was thinking, the Empress furrowed her brow sharply, likely believing she was being mocked, and sprang to her feet.  

“You wicked wench! Do you think you can keep smiling like that forever? Your foolish tricks end today. I’ve received a secret method to vanquish a witch like you!”

The Empress shouted with confidence as she pulled something from within her robe. It was a small, opaque brown glass bottle. I could see some unknown liquid sloshing inside. The Empress seemed ready to open it and splash it on me at any moment. My instincts screamed.  

‘If that touches me, it’ll be disastrous!’  

Could it be poison? Though the Empress claimed it was a method to defeat a witch, a witch was still just a person. If she threw poison at me and I died, she could easily claim, “See, she was a witch after all.” It was the same logic as performing a rain dance until it rained—eventually, you’d claim success with a 100% certainty.

“Um… Your Majesty?”  

I decided to try persuading her first, carefully calling out to the Empress. As soon as I spoke, the bottle’s cap came off with an oddly cheerful pop, contrasting with the situation.  

“If… If I pour this on you…”  

The Empress’s hand trembled as she swallowed nervously. Despite her bold declaration that she would defeat a witch, it seemed her delicate noblewoman’s heart was revealing itself at the critical moment.

“Please, calm down first and talk with me. Haven’t you been finding it difficult to control your emotions recently? I think something strange has attached itself to you, Your Majesty.”  

I spoke gently, as if soothing a cat ready to claw, while cautiously taking a step closer to the Empress.  

“Yes… It has been hard to control my emotions…”  

The Empress furrowed her brow in confusion, her voice shaky.  

Brainwashing, after all, merely seizes control of a person’s mind; it can’t change their core essence. If you trigger the right memories, they can snap out of it. It was similar to breaking a spell of illusion.  

By now, I was close enough that if I reached out, I could almost touch the Empress.  

‘First, I need to get rid of that dangerous bottle!’  

“Think about it, Your Majesty. When did this start?”  

I kept talking to her, keeping her distracted while I slowly moved my hand.  

“When did it start…?”  

The Empress was completely absorbed in my words.  

‘Now’s my chance!’ I thought, and swiftly reached out, snatching the bottle from her hand. The glass slipped from her fingers into mine.  

‘I did it!’  

But just as I thought I had succeeded, the Empress screamed.  

“No!”

Just when I thought the Empress was fully lost in thought, her eyes suddenly shot open, and she swung her arm fiercely in resistance. I quickly stepped back, avoiding her unintentional attack, but I couldn’t stop her hand from striking the bottle.  

It all happened in a flash. The bottle tilted as the Empress knocked it, and the liquid inside spilled—directly toward my face.  

“Ah!”  

A burning sensation, as if my face was melting, overwhelmed me, and a scream escaped my lips. I instinctively covered my face with both hands and collapsed to the floor.  

“What’s going on!?”  

The sound of the door slamming open accompanied Axel’s frantic shout. It seemed Lily had successfully called for him.  

“Are you alright?”  

I felt Axel rush to my side, his arms wrapping around my shoulders in a panic. Still seated on the floor, I explained the situation with my head lowered.  

“The Empress brought some strange liquid… She threw it on my face… It burns so much.”  

“What?”  

Axel’s voice was full of disbelief as he reached toward my face.  

“Let me see your face! I need to check the damage!”  

“Ah, right…”  

Following his instruction, I slowly lowered my hands from my face and cautiously lifted my head. The burning sensation had lessened a little, but my face still felt like it was on fire, leaving me half out of my mind.  

Even in that state, I could clearly see Axel’s horrified expression.  

“You…”  

He quickly took off his coat and placed it over my head, plunging me into darkness. Startled, I grabbed at his arm in confusion.  

“Why are you covering my face? Did it really melt off?” I asked desperately, my voice trembling.  

Axel answered in a low voice, conveying an unbelievable revelation.  

“It’s Greslin.”  

“What do you mean?”  

“Your face… It looks like Greslin’s.”  

“What…?”  

“Shh!”  

Before I could fully grasp the situation, Axel hushed me.  

“There are too many eyes on us right now. Greslin is still a wanted criminal, falsely accused of murder. If your face is exposed, it’ll cause even more trouble. Stay still for now.”  

“…Okay.”  

As soon as I agreed, I heard Axel sigh softly. Then, suddenly, my body was lifted off the ground.  

‘Eek!’  

I screamed internally.  

Axel had picked me up.