Alexia had never experienced such a profound sense of loss.
The pain, as if she had been abandoned by the whole world, was unbearable.
She had once sat alone in the royal palace, loneliness following her like a shadow, thinking it was simply because she was alone.
However, when she walked the streets of the Capital, she realized that people didn’t dislike her just because she was alone—they simply harbored a dislike for her as a person.
The noise, revelry, and joy of the crowd sounded like harsh noise to her ears, making her mood even heavier.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to drive those chaotic sounds from her mind.
The smiles on people’s faces were both an acknowledgment of her past efforts and a mockery of all she had done, suggesting that everything she’d accomplished was ultimately futile.
No matter what, she was still human!
Setting aside her identity as the Empress, she was also a living, feeling person.
She longed to be part of genuine human connection, not just a cold and emotionless stone.
When Alexia opened her eyes again, there was no emotion left in them—only a dead and indifferent calm.
“Simon, take me back to the palace. The holiday ends tonight. I’m sorry it has to end this way.”
She turned, wanting to take Simon’s hand again, but her hand stopped mid-air before falling limply.
Forget it, there’s no need anymore.
The date was over.
She would return to being the detested Empress.
But no matter what happened, she would never abandon the Empire.
This was her birthplace, her home.
If she lost it, she would have nowhere to belong, and all the Empire’s people would be displaced, losing their own homes.
Even if the Empire was doomed to fall in the future, it would not happen under her rule—she would do everything she could to sustain it for another three hundred years!
However, as Alexia’s hand slowly fell, another hand gripped it firmly.
Simon stepped beside her, guiding her forward.
“I don’t think it’s over, Alexia. I know a good place to go, though I’m not sure you’ll like it.”
A glimmer of light returned to Alexia’s eyes.
She looked at Simon in surprise and hope.
“What is it?”
Simon smiled.
“Secret. You’ll see when we get there.”
He led her in another direction, their backs to the bustling, brightly-lit street, gradually disappearing into the dim lights at the edge of the street.
As they walked farther, the crowds around them thinned.
In the end, only the two of them remained.
Just as Alexia had gone from princess to Empress, her followers had grown fewer and fewer.
As she walked, it seemed only Simon remained by her side.
Simon brought Alexia to a desolate area on the outskirts of the Capital.
Before them stood an abandoned manor, overgrown with weeds—a clear sign of its neglect.
Alexia looked around, a strange sense of familiarity rising in her heart.
“Simon, is this the Duke Hilton’s Manor? The one that once belonged to the legendary Dragon-Slaying Hero. Are you his descendant?”
As she spoke, she suddenly realized Simon’s surname.
Simon answered firmly.
“Yes. Duke Hilton was my grandfather. He rose to fame for his loyalty to the late king, but fell from grace due to the king’s downfall.”
Alexia sighed helplessly.
“I really feel sorry for him. The wise decisions my father made in his youth and his foolishness in old age—no one could have predicted it. I fear I’ll follow the same path someday.”
Before she finished, Simon interjected.
“Our date isn’t over yet. Do we really have to talk about such heavy things?”
His words startled Alexia, but then she smiled.
“You’re right.”
Simon led Alexia toward a crumbling tower.
He cleared a space, and through the broken roof, the night sky was visible.
“This might not be the ideal place for a date, but it’s perfect for a secret rendezvous.”
Above, stars twinkled and moonlight poured down on them.
Alexia leaned her head on Simon’s shoulder, gazing up at the stars.
“If only it could always be like this…that would be nice.”
It was quiet and peaceful here, with an emptiness that made her soul feel truly at rest.
Simon also looked up at the night sky, speaking softly.
“One day it will be, Alexia. I’ll always stay by your side.”
He promised her!
—
Just like that, they spent the whole night without saying much or doing anything more.
When dawn broke, Alexia and Simon parted ways.
Simon waited until noon, then sought out the little girl from the dessert shop again.
He had some questions he wanted to ask.
“Why did you throw cake at that lady?”
The little girl scratched her head in embarrassment, turning away with a blush.
“I don’t know! I just felt like throwing something at her.”
Simon studied her reaction.
She seemed completely genuine, and his brow furrowed deeply.
“Do you know her?”
“I don’t know her or you, big brother, but I just think that lady is bad. Very, very bad!”
She had never met Alexia.
“But you don’t know anything about her!”
Simon pressed again.
His question seemed to stump the little girl.
She pouted and frowned.
“That’s right, I don’t know her, but I just feel like she’s bad. Bad for no reason, I just couldn’t help wanting to throw something at her.”
Listening to the girl, Simon keenly sensed that things were not as simple as they appeared.
Children—especially those as pure as this girl—often had the sharpest instincts, unclouded by knowledge, and their feelings were worth considering.
The people in the street clearly didn’t know Alexia.
Especially after she used magic to blur her appearance, there was no reason for them to treat her that way.
At the very least, they should have shown the usual courtesy to a stranger, not reluctance and uncooperativeness.
Not just them—even many ministers, Gerard, and even some Blood Knights held the same attitude toward Alexia.
This wasn’t just about dislike.
It was as if everyone except him wanted Alexia dead.
Or, more precisely, everyone looked at Alexia through hostile, prejudiced eyes.
But why?
Simon felt as if an invisible hand was strangling the Empire’s throat, with its target being Alexia herself.
They were trying to use the collective hostility of the Empire’s people to kill Alexia—without anyone realizing it—thereby causing the Empire to collapse from within.
Anyone with eyes could see who was supporting the Empire now.
Once Alexia, the pillar, fell, the already precarious structure called the “Empire” would soon come crashing down.