...A Quiet night, the wind blew softly....

“Stop.”

The Empress, Evelyn, looked beautiful under the dim moonlight. Her pale complexion like the white moon and her classic features were gorgeous but somewhat sad.

“You can’t go any further.”

When the maid dissuaded her, Evelyn smiled faintly and kept walking on. Evelyn was only 20 years old, but she had a tired smile.

“It’s all right. I’ve already decided.”

Evelyn used to be a girl full of dreams and love. Born to be the only daughter in the kingdom of Felice, Evelyn was a princess. She was an innocent girl long before she became an empress. But now, after only three years of marriage, that’s all that remained.

“It’s forbidden to enter the emperor’s Secret Garden.”

“I already know that.”

Evelyn looked around at the maid. Her vivid blue eyes, which seemed calm, were filled with resignation. But there’s also an unshakeable desire on it. Evelyn had decided to end her unhappy life today.

“Her Majesty, please …”

“From here I’ll go alone.”

The tree trembled in the night breeze. Without permission, Evelyn braved herself to step into the Emperor’s secret garden. Her escort was trying to stop her, but it was impossible to stop the Empress, who had prepared her heart for the end.

Now, a few steps away, she could meet the Emperor. He was her husband, but she didn’t know when the last time she met him alone. Soon after, Fabian was seen looking at the moon under a golden-wooden tree.

His back didn’t change a bit from the first time they met. The tall, imposing, charismatic young Emperor was still graceful.

“Who is it?”

Suddenly, there was a gloomy atmosphere. A low and cold-hearted voice could be heard.

“I see you, Your Majesty.”

Evelyn set an example. Thinking that this might be the last time, even the small movements were hard. Fabian leisurely turned around, looking at his wife with his cold black eye.

“This is my secret garden. No matter whether you are the Empress, you know you shouldn’t come recklessly.”

“Forgive me. Because there’s no other way to to meet His Majesty.”

Fabian’s black eyes and vivid features were heading towards Evelyn emotionlessly. Once upon a time, Fabian’s beautiful and noble figure was on her mind.

Maybe he loved her. Maybe. But there’s only sadness and loneliness in it.

It was a one-sided love.

“I have something to say to your majesty.”

Fabian frowned his dignified brows at Evelyn’s words. The thing he hated the most was breaking the law and something annoying. And Evelyn’s presence now was both.

“Well, Evelyn Felice will quit the empress …”

Fabian’s forehead, which had already frowned, slanted even more.

“That’s ridiculous.”

“No, I’ve decided to end my marriage with you, Your Majesty.”

Huh, Fabian spat out a cold laughter. How did dare Evelyn to say what he didn’t order to?

“Do you think that’s a place for such a people?”

Fabian was dismissive of her difficult decision as mere grudges. As expected, Evelyn’s guess was not wrong.

It was a sad but fortunate fact. Evelyn didn’t want to waste the rest of her life.

“This marriage will only make everyone unhappy.”

Evelyn’s blue eyes were filled with regret. She recalled the extraordinary things she had just been through all this time.

“Keep your tongue in your mouth.”

“I’m telling you the truth.”

A mysterious desire that came with no warning.

“There is no truth that I don’t know.”

“I have it.”

Evelyn lived her life as the Empress. Believing that one day she would be looked at. But at the end of the day, his husband reigned only as Emperor.

Meanwhile, Evelyn had his child twice, but none of them saw the light of the world. Then the Emperor did not seek Empress’s condition further. No word, not a word of comfort.

“I don’t want to be unhappy. No, I don’t want to.”

Evelyn, who was over 30 years old, realized that she was just a guardian doll of the Empress. But, it’s been too late to realize that. Evelyn couldn’t be special to Fabian until the end.

It was a meaningless life. The sinful woman who had cut off the royal family soon dried up her tears. Then she became sick like a flower withered and died after a long illness. And the Emperor didn’t come over to the Empress until the end.

“Now I don’t want that …”

It was a vain and lonely death. But whether the remorse too deep, Evelyn opened her eyes again. She had returned to the day just before the great misfortune came. According to the maid, Evelyn woke up after she lost consciousness because of a high fever.

She didn’t know if she had fantasies when she’s coma or really returned from the end of her life, but there was one thing for sure.

“I’m still alive.”

When she looked in the mirror, she still had a youthful and beautiful appearance. Twenty-year-old Evelyn, who hadn’t lost her child.

And it was before she withered in the imperial family. This was a chance for her to fix everything.

“I don’t know what the Empress is talking about.”

Evelyn smiled faintly at Fabian. He would continue to be. Even until she died, he didn’t know her heart.

“I am weak and cannot produce your heir.”

“Who decides that?”

There was anger in Fabian’s eyes, but Evelyn didn’t stop talking.

“I cannot be a sinner to the Empire, so I have asked for the Vatican’s mediation.”

“Wh·····What!!?”

Fabian’s face hardened by the word ‘Vatican.’ He hurriedly approached Evelyn.

“What did you do? How dare you ask the Vatican to mediate your plan?”

Fabian’s eyes stared at Evelyn, coldly.

He had fought an endless battle with the Vatican since his enthronement at the age of 16. It was unforgivable that Evelyn, who knew it well, had asked the Vatican for help.

“The Pope said this marriage could be terminated.”

“Are you out of your right mind?”

The Pope of the Empire granted divorce with a few exceptions. Besides, the royal family of Felice was initially close to the Vatican. So, The Pope naturally sided with Evelyn.

“Yes.”

Evelyn’s voice was clear.

“I feel calmer than ever.”

For the first time, Evelyn looked up at Fabian fearlessly.

“I want to divorce His Majesty and return to my home country.”

Evelyn was not from the Empire but a princess from the Kingdom of Felice. She felt bitter because she thought their political marriage might be wrong from the beginning.

“Are you serious?”

Fabian asked again.

“Yes.”

Evelyn had no hesitation.

“I sincerely want a divorce from Your Majesty.”

Fabian’s eyes hardened like ice.

“Really?”

A cold voice shot through the Evelyn’s ears. It wasn’t clear which of the two words between the divorce or the Vatican made Fabian angrier.

“You can’t hold on to me even if you want to.”

But now his voice could not reach Evelyn’s heart.

“Thank you for your kindness.”

Evelyn bent her knees to give an example. A graceful smile was engraved on her lips.

“Then, I will gladly step down from the position of empress.”

Evelyn bid farewell to her long misery. There was no feeling in Fabian’s dark eyes until the end. He was just keeping an eye on her as cold as ever.

Evelyn first turned her back in front of the Emperor.

It was such a smooth breakup.

...  ...

...Four days later, as soon as the day dawned, the edict had dropped....

It wasn’t surprising. Fabian’s order didn’t delay for a day as if he had waited for this moment.

He hated annoying things, and now that Evelyn was such a being. So he definitely wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.

“The Empress, Evelyn Felice, please listen to the edict.”

The palace aide himself came directly to the Empress’s residence and began to read the emperor’s edict.

“On this last day, I decide to divorce Evelyn, the royal princess of the Felice Kingdom, under the authority of the Vatican, because she has a very serious and fatal reason for no longer being able to maintain her marriage further.”

Indeed, there was a strong sense of anger at Fabian’s decree after Evelyn called for Vatican interference, which Fabian despised the most.

“At the same time as this decree, the Empress’s status and all privileges will be taken away, and Evelyn Felice is ordered to leave the imperial family and return to her home country.”

That was the substance of the edict. Evelyn nodded towards the aide. She had prepared everything, including Lily, a maid from her homeland, when she left.

Everything she received on her behalf as an Empress was left intact. It included the gifts she got when she married Fabian. Evelyn went out to empty-handed just like she came to the imperial family for the first time.

“Let’s go.”

Evelyn left her “old home” without looking back. There was no regret in this beautiful prison. At the entrance to the imperial palace, a carriage from the Kingdom of Felice was waiting for her.

“I’m here to pick up the princess.”

A woman with a boring voice was staring at Evelyn for a long time. Nora, her nanny, who had raised her since childhood, came here to meet her.

“Thank you.”

The wind was blowing; Evelyn climbed onto the carriage of her home country where she had missed. Lily, her maid, and Nora, her nanny, were in the carriage together, creating a heavy silence.

“What’s wrong with the atmosphere? I did this because I wanted to.”

Only Evelyn’s voice was bright.

“Really, are you all right?”

Nora asked anxiously, but Evelyn nodded more gallantly than ever. Lily seemed relieved to see it.

“I didn’t suit the imperial family from the start. I want to live freely now.”

Evelyn was smiling brightly. A smile that had never seen in the imperial family. It was Evelyn’s true self.

“If you are fine with this, Her Majesty….”

“Lily, I’m no longer Your Majesty.”

There were a lot of things that need to be fixed in the future. But, Evelyn, who had returned to her original position as a princess, was ready to accept everything.

“Nora, my father must be very angry, right?”

Nora sat in silence with a pained smile.

“But your father sent me to meet you.”

It was obvious how upset her father was about his divorced daughter. But it was much better to listen to her father’s scolding than to live and hold her breath beside the cold Fabian.

Her father, The King, was always blunt. But when Evelyn asked for a divorce, he asked the Vatican without saying anything.

“It’s all right. I’m used to being scolded now.”

Everyone in the imperial family watched Evelyn and tried to crack down on her. This and that were both against the law, and it was forbidden to show emotion on the face.

“The imperial family was too much for me.”

She was unable to do as she wished. One gesture, one view, and the imperial family was a beautiful cage. Fabian, who was born and raised there, might be fine. But it was too much for a woman from another country like Evelyn to adapt.

“I miss Queen mother’s voice.”

“Are you serious?”

Nora asked back unknowingly. The princess, who was innocent and bright, had suffered so much that she felt sick to say such a thing.

“Well, maybe not when it comes to it.”

Evelyn laughed more happily on purpose. Perhaps she knew her feeling. She couldn’t guarantee that her future would be bright. Few would welcome the princess back as a divorcee.

But that’s fine, though. If she’s sick, she could say she’s sick. And if she was sad, she could say she’s sad. It was enough for her if she no longer needed to conceal her feelings.

So Evelyn, aged 20, quit the Empress.

She had a longer youth to live on.

...Fortunately, Felice’s kingdom was not far from the imperial family. Evelyn’s carriage ran smoothly and finally arrived in her long-cherished homeland, full of nostalgia....

However, the atmosphere of the royal family was heavy as they welcomed their divorced daughter. Evelyn calmly accepted the not-so-welcome reality.

“King father, Queen mother. I’m back.”

The King and his wife welcomed their daughter, the princess, who had abandoned the Empress’s throne with sorrow and sighing. King Arthur continued to express deep sighs with a frown on his forehead, and the Queen could say nothing, holding only her daughter’s hand.

“Forgive me.”

Evelyn was unable to say anything else. King Arthur shook his hand because he could not see-through his daughter.

“You have eyes to see, so be careful for a while.”

“Yes······.”

Evelyn turned around with courtesy to her parents. Miriam, the Queen’s mother, had already groomed her residence for Evelyn. However, she didn’t ask for a conversation first, perhaps because she thought of her daughter, who would be upset.

And Evelyn wasn’t ready to talk, either.

“Princess, I’ve prepared your old rooms.”

“Yes, that’s good.”

Evelyn looked around at her place, which never changed before she got married. She finally felt like she was coming back home. There was a lot of room to look at, and Evelyn wanted to spend quiet time with her nanny, Nora, and Lily, on their side for the time being.

***

“Princess, this is your favorite milk tea.”

Evelyn nodded at Nora’s consideration. The sweet and savory taste of tea was still the same in her memory.

“My father didn’t yell at me.”

Evelyn said, a little lonely. The only thing that changed was herself.

“Because he was very lonely after the princess went to the imperial family. He was very worried about you.”

His majesty, the King, though stern, was not a bad father. Her parents were always concerned about their only daughter. Evelyn, who had been raised too naively, would not be able to cope with the imperial family’s strict formalities.

“When I was young, I always bothered by what he said. I was supposed to listen to him more.”

As a result, their fears had come true.

The relatively-free-kingdom of Felice and the Imperial Family had a completely different culture. Evelyn had to follow various palace laws since her first day of marriage, and she had not even seen her husband’s face.

“The queen wanted to meet the princess, but she’s still unable to come because of King’s order to be careful.”

Evelyn nodded at Nora’s words.

“I know. The Queen Mother is a wise person.”

Evelyn proceeded the divorce through Vatican mediation, and it gave herself a reason. In other words, Evelyn was now a sinner.

“It’s better to stay quiet for the time being.”

However, Evelyn’s fault was that she made herself a defendant to the imperial family. All her rights as the Empress had disappeared, making it difficult for Felice’s kingdom to raise their head to the Empire for the time being. Evelyn, who was involved in the case, naturally needed to show self-reflection by apologizing to the imperial family and the Vatican.

“At least I feel at ease.”

Evelyn laughed round her familiar place. When Lily saw Evelyn smiling after a long time, she decided not to talk about her choice anymore.

“This is what it is.”

Evelyn came back to life when she escaped from imperial slavery. From the beginning, the Imperial Family had been a heavy burden on her.

“You don’t regret a little bit?” asked Nora. She looked cautious as if she wanted to make sure for the last time.

“Nora, how do I look right now?”

Nora had been a nanny-maid since Evelyn was born. So she couldn’t fool Nora even though other people didn’t know about it.

“You look happy …”

Nora could dare to lie. Evelyn saw Nora’s helpless expression and held her hand. It was always warm.

“From the beginning, I wasn’t fit to be an Empress. And now, I’ve returned to my original place, so that’s enough.”

Evelyn had settled down. The memory of such a lonely life would no longer be repeated. At least Evelyn went back to her own country where her family was.

No husband made her suffocating by making eye contact, nor a ladies who had been prying at the Empress’s every move.

“Look at this.”

Evelyn pointed to the comfortable dress she had changed as soon as she arrived at the castle. It was impossible to dream of wearing a dress like this in the Empire. There, Evelyn was the Empress, so she had to wear a heavier, more colorful clothing than anyone else.

“I think I can breathe now.”

It was said to protect the dignity of the imperial family. Every day, Evelyn’s waist was tightened by a thick dress, and a heavy tube pressed her head. She ‘d rather be real on her own.

They could have done better with the plaster statue. Evelyn smiled bitterly, recalling the follies of the past.

“Well, the Imperial Family’s laws were really harsh.”

“Lily, you shouldn’t say that.”

“It’s all right, Nora. It’s only between us and that’s true. The Imperial Family wants a perfect Empress.”

Indeed, was there such a perfect person in the world?

Evelyn had always pursued perfection, but she had never been acknowledged.

In society, the noblewoman whispered that Evelyn, a native of another kingdom, wouldn’t be able to keep up with the imperial formality.

“Huh! do they think they’re perfect? Their private lives are more disgusting.”

Evelyn nodded unknowingly at Lily’s angry voice. The Empire’s society was a stage of pretense and hypocrisy that concealed their ugly nature. Evelyn couldn’t get used to it until the end, but it was common to laugh at each other and stab each other with a knife.

“Now that I don’t have to see such people, that alone is satisfied me.”

Evelyn remembered the ladies’ eye that blazed behind their elegant hand-fan. It was a pleasure for them to laugh loudly and play games while mocking the opponent with their eyes. The Empress was no exception to them.

They called it an aristocratic style, and Evelyn, who couldn’t get along, had always been ridiculed for her origin.

“People who live in the imperial household are locked up in the prison they created. They ‘re poor people who get so used to it that they think it’s a whole world.”

That was Evelyn’s conclusion. If they didn’t repeat the folly of gossiping each other and dividing factions, they would all have gone mad. There was no point in who the law was for and who the court was for.

“It’s not your fault. Who can live perfectly in such a desolate place?”

“There’s one person····.”

Evelyn recalled her husband, Fabian.

He showed no emotion even when he was crowned at the age of 16 and defeated the nobles. He ruled over the nobles of the imperial family.

In fact, Fabian’s image after marriage was perfect.

“So he deserves a perfect mate.”

Fabian, with his sturdy physique and handsome face, once made Evelyn’s heart beat fast. His black eyes and sharp jawline, which always kept a calm eye on the front, both trembled Evelyn’s heart.

When his big hand came into contact with Evelyn, the place he touched was burned like fire.

“Yes … there will be a place, somewhere. For a perfect person like him.”

Evelyn was able to release Fabian from her mind after she woke up from her death. Vaguely predicted the future and witnessed it personally were different. Evelyn ‘s heart had cooled like Fabian’s, and she could barely breathe.

Evelyn could only choose freedom over hope for her husband, who was so perfect.

“Princess.”

“I’m really fine. It’s my choice. I said I’d quit first.”

Fabian didn’t pursue Evelyn. That’s also what she expected. Now that Vatican’s interference had gotten severe, the dignity of the imperial family had fallen as the Empress requested mediation.

Fabian would have taken it as a betrayal. On the contrary, it was fortunate that he didn’t punish her.

“Yes, everything’s fine now.”

Nora stepped forward in a soft voice. Then she took out her handkerchief and wiped Evelyn’s cheek. Only then did Evelyn realize that she was crying.

Nora hugged Evelyn without saying anything.

“How difficult it had to be to decide, but it was the princess who chose this difficult path. I think that’s what she had to do, right?”

“Yes, ······. I couldn’t be happy as an Empress. No matter how hard I tried”

The tears she had endured burst sadly. Apart from that, Lily came to her side without a word and kept her body temperature close to Evelyn. It was Lily who watched her days in the imperial family from her side, so she knew her sorrow very well.

“His Majesty sees no one. He’s the perfect Emperor who shows no emotion.”

A perfect emperor, and the worst husband.

If only he had given her a warm consolation, if he gave it to her, at least, Evelyn wanted to keep her vow to live as his wife.

“But he never, not once, he never looked at me.”

Evelyn tried not to think of Fabian again after this last cry. After all, Fabian had no place for Evelyn. So Evelyn had to forget him, too. That was for Evelyn herself. It was herself that not given by anyone.

“······· I don’t regret it.”

“That’s enough. Our princess is still young and beautiful.”

“Yes, all you have to do is be happy.”

Evelyn swept away the remaining drops of tears after the warm embrace of her people. There were also lingering feelings about Fabian and memories of the Empress.