Excitement slowly bubbled up inside Luana. She didn’t know what would happen later, but for now, all that mattered was that she’d escaped Liliana.

　　She had actually changed something.

　　Luana swallowed hard.

　　After checking to make sure no one was around, Luana carefully swung her feet out of bed.

　　Sitting neatly on the floor was a pair of pure white slippers, practically begging her to put them on.

　　Without thinking, she nudged one with her toe and shivered.

　　They were so soft!

　　The lining felt wonderfully gentle against her skin. They were worlds apart from her own rough, worn-out pair.

　　No, what am I doing?!

　　Luana was about to slip her feet inside when she caught herself and shook her head vigorously. Whoever owned them might be upset if she wore them without permission.

　　Luana carefully stepped away from the bed.

　　“Where on earth am I…?”

　　She searched her memory, but all she could clearly remember was meeting the Crown Prince.

　　At least Liliana didn’t seem to know, which was a relief.

　　If the Crown Prince had told Liliana, Luana would never be resting this comfortably. She would be locked back in her room and watched even more closely than before.

　　Luana approached the door with cautious steps. When she gave the knob a gentle turn, the unlocked door opened smoothly.

　　“Whoa…”

　　A small gasp escaped her. The hallway before her was decorated so grandly that her own palace corridor couldn’t compare. She could only look on in awe.

　　Unlike her own residence, which had nothing but frayed curtains hanging loosely, this place was luxurious yet immaculately kept.

　　The beautiful paintings and expensive-looking ornaments were enough to leave her wide-eyed.

　　Now that she thought about it…

　　Luana looked down at herself. She had definitely been wearing dirty, tattered clothes before, but her current outfit was clean and comfortable.

　　Once she noticed, she became acutely aware of the soft fabric against her skin.

　　“Oh my goodness! You’re awake!”

　　“Ah!”

　　A voice startled Luana as she stood absentmindedly fingering her clothes.

　　She stumbled backward in surprise, but sleep hadn’t restored any strength to her hunger-weakened body.

　　Her feet tangled, and her balance gave out.

　　She was going to fall!

　　Just as she began to tip backward, someone scooped her up.

　　“Huh?”

　　Her feet were suddenly off the floor. Luana could only blink in surprise.

　　“Maria. You shouldn’t startle her.”

　　“Oh dear… I am so sorry, Your Highness.”

　　“Wh-Who are you?”

　　Luana’s eyes darted back and forth. No matter how hard she searched her memories, there was no maid named Maria.

　　Her crisp maid’s uniform and poised demeanor made it obvious that she wasn’t one of Liliana’s maids.

　　Noticing the wariness filling Luana’s eyes, Maria quickly introduced herself.

　　“Hello, Your Highness. My name is Maria Duvin. I’m the personal maid to His Highness the Crown Prince. If it pleases you, I will be taking care of you for the time being.”

　　“Pardon?”

　　Luana couldn’t make sense of Maria’s words.

　　The Crown Prince’s personal maid? Taking care of her? Who? Why? The Crown Prince?

　　Only then did her mind register the person holding her.

　　It was the Crown Prince’s voice!

　　There was no mistaking it. It was the same voice she had heard right before passing out.

　　Startled by Luana’s reaction, Maria quickly intervened.

　　“Her Highness seems startled. I think it would be best to set her down, Your Highness.”

　　“She collapses every few steps. Isn’t it just because she has no strength?”

　　Ludeon turned Luana around so they were eye to eye. The moment her gaze met his, a shudder ran through her.

　　Her mind tried to tell her it was fine, to calm down, but her body remembered the terror from before she fainted all too well.

　　“Ah.”

　　Realizing what was happening, Ludeon bit his lip in dismay.

　　“Your Highness!”

　　Maria noticed Luana’s distress too and rushed over.

　　“No. Um. That is…”

　　Ludeon opened and closed his mouth, at a complete loss for words. He looked completely flustered. Even while trembling, Luana watched him.

　　“For now, Maria, take…”

　　Luana grabbed Ludeon’s sleeve. About to hand her over to Maria, Ludeon paused and looked at her.

　　Luana’s body remembered its fear of him, but it also remembered how gently he had carried her all the way to this palace.

　　And she could tell that, right now, Ludeon was genuinely sorry.

　　“Sorry.”

　　As Luana clung to his sleeve despite her shaking, Ludeon whispered softly.

　　The words were faint, but the single apology reached her ears clearly enough.

　　Taken completely by surprise, Luana stared at him, unaware that her shaking had stopped.

　　Perhaps because her tension had eased, Luana’s stomach growled loudly.

　　Luana covered her flushed face with both hands.

　　She was far too embarrassed to lift her head.

　　Watching her, Maria barely managed to hold back a chuckle.

　　Luana’s tiny hands weren’t big enough to cover her entire face, leaving her bright red ears completely exposed. Maria’s expression softened at the endearing sight.

　　“We need to feed her first.”

　　“I will let the dining hall staff know right away.”

　　After exchanging a few words about her, the two looked down at Luana, who was still hiding her face in her hands.

　　She had slept for a full day, so it was no wonder she was starving. Besides, it was obvious she hadn’t been eating properly even before then.

　　Ludeon gave Maria a nod.

　　With his approval, Maria hurried off toward the dining room, and Ludeon followed at a slow pace down the hallway.

　　“Where are we going?”

　　“Didn’t you say you were hungry?”

　　Luana blinked at his answer. Were they really going to get her food just because she was hungry?

　　Luana had never experienced anything like this. She didn’t know what to say.

　　“Is there anything you want to eat?”

　　“Anything I want to eat…?”

　　Luana repeated his words softly.

　　It was a question she had never considered before. To Luana, food was simply something eaten to survive, not something to enjoy.

　　Yet at Ludeon’s question, a faint memory surfaced—a taste she thought she remembered. She couldn’t remember when she’d eaten it, but the mere thought made her mouth water.

　　“It was sweet…”

　　Luana blurted out her thoughts without realizing it.

　　“Do you want dessert? What kind?”

　　“Dessert…?”

　　Luana’s eyes widened.

　　Was that dessert? When on earth had she eaten something like that?

　　A small groan escaped her in frustration.

　　Her memories of the future had faded even further overnight. Aside from the moment of her death, nothing came back clearly. All that remained were fragmented, hazy recollections.

　　It was no different now. She remembered the sweetness filling her mouth, but she couldn’t recall who had given it to her or when.

　　Only a blurry image hovered at the edge of her mind before vanishing.

　　In the middle of a noisy crowd, someone had given her…

　　Frustrated by the broken memory, she tried desperately to recall more, but nothing came to her.

　　“You want dessert that badly?”

　　Watching her struggle, Ludeon assumed she really wanted dessert and considered what he could give her. Since Medique had advised managing her diet carefully for now, he couldn’t simply give her whatever she wanted.

　　“Tell me your favorite, then. Once you’re better, I’ll make sure you get whatever you want.”

　　“My… favorite?”

　　Luana had no idea what to say.

　　She had never asked for anything before, so she didn’t know how to respond to such an offer.

　　When wariness crept back into her expression, Ludeon quickly changed tack.

　　“Tell me something you usually eat, then. I’ll have them bring that.”

　　“Bread and soup?”

　　If it was something she usually ate, she didn’t need to think about it. That was the only food she remembered.

　　“All right. Bread and soup it is.” Ludeon nodded.

　　Since she hadn’t specified a type of bread, she didn’t seem picky, and soup was already being prepared, which worked out well.

　　“Is there a particular soup you like? Or anything you can’t eat?”

　　“What?”

　　Luana blinked.

　　Soup was just soup. Was there more than one kind?

　　At her completely blank response, Ludeon furrowed his brow.

　　Was he angry?

　　Thinking he was cross because she hadn’t answered, Luana hurriedly spoke up.

　　“J-Just soup. Any soup is fine…”

　　Seeing her stiffen in anxiety, Ludeon’s eyebrow twitched. From her reaction, she didn’t even seem to know that different kinds of soup existed.

　　“This is driving me mad.”

　　Ludeon briefly regretted how he’d treated such a small child and decided not to press her any further. He was unlikely to get much of an answer anyway.

　　Since Maria understood Luana’s situation, she had probably given the head chef detailed instructions.

　　“I’ll give you dessert once you’re feeling better.”

　　Luana stayed quiet.

　　She wasn’t entirely sure what dessert was, but if it was what she had eaten before, she wanted to try it. Perhaps it would bring back her memories of that day. She truly wanted to meet the person who lingered only as a blurry image in her mind.

　　When Luana nodded, Ludeon felt relieved. He’d been worried, but it seemed he’d handled things well enough.

　　Unlike Ludeon, whose face had relaxed, Luana was beginning to feel increasingly uneasy.

　　“Um… please put me down.”

　　Her eyes darted around nervously. The corridor had been empty earlier, but now maids were starting to appear here and there.

　　The maids kept stealing curious glances at her. Ludeon didn’t seem bothered at all and showed no intention of setting her down.

　　After fidgeting uncomfortably, Luana gave up and held still. Even so, she couldn’t help flinching every time a maid looked her way.

　　Noticing her discomfort, Ludeon swept a frigid glare across the hall. A chorus of sharp breaths followed, and every curious glance vanished.

　　Huh?

　　The prickling sensation of being watched was gone. Luana finally relaxed a little.