“Charles, do you know what time it is?”

Then Eve, irritated by the approaching drowsiness, sat up abruptly. Blinking to clear her vision, she was about to scream, but was silenced by a hand over her mouth.

“Mmm! Ugh!”

“Please, shh. Quiet, Eve.”

It wasn’t Charles standing in front of her, it was the Emperor himself. Eve struggled against the hand over her mouth, almost screaming, but was silenced.

“Emph! Why are you… How did…?”

“Eve, calm down and listen. I’m not the Emperor right now, I’m your husband.”

“What?!”

Eve stood up abruptly at this revelation, clutching the candlestick tightly. Her hands trembled slightly.

“My husband? You’re Arsen?”

“No, Eve. I mean your present husband! Can’t you lower your voice?”

With both hands raised in front of Eve, the Emperor, or rather Charles, spoke in a low tone. Charles found Eve generally charming, but there were moments when he didn’t know how to deal with this determined lady, like now.

“Who is the current husband? Mine is nowhere to be found!”

As Eve raised the candlestick menacingly, Charles finally lost his composure and shouted, “Eve, I’m Charles!”

“What?”

Eve finally stopped at his declaration. But her gaze was still suspicious.

“Show me some proof.”

“My chest still hurts from your blows.”

“Many have witnessed this.”

Sighing helplessly at Eve’s answer, Charles said,

“If you’re the emperor, then I must be the emperor’s mother.”

“…”

“You said that yourself.”

At Charles’ words, Eve’s eyes widened, then she slowly understood the situation. So, this man had the face of the Emperor, but was the Emperor’s…

Realizing the situation, she immediately knelt down.

“I-I’m sorry, Emperor! Th-that wasn’t sincere…”

Charles burst out laughing and took her hand.

“Don’t kneel, Eve. You usually make me happy, so I don’t mind.”

Eve hesitantly stood up, led by Charles. Charles looked at her with a cheerful smile.

“This man… is the false Arsen?”

Although she kneeled down without thinking, Eve was still confused. Could it really be true that their bodies had been switched? And why Emperor of all people?

“It can’t be… How did this happen? And why the Emperor?”

Still in a daze, Eve listened to Charles’ calm explanation.

“I don’t know why, but my body suddenly switched back. I woke up and looked like this. As soon as I realized, I came to you.”

“Then… Arsen…”

“Must have returned to the Duke’s body.”

Eve blinked, trying to take it all in. Returned to normal? Why? Was it some kind of magic? Had the effects worn off? If so… then what?

After a few moments, Eve spoke.

“Congratulations. No need to start a rebellion.”

“……Well, for now.”

Then Eve smiled broadly. Charles was momentarily confused by the smile. It was a dazzling smile he had never seen before.

“So, can I divorce Arsen now?”

“What?”

“If this man is really Arsen, then we can get a clean divorce, right?”

“……I suppose so.”

Charles responded somewhat lukewarmly but soon spoke with conviction.

“No, I want to welcome you with open arms. Congratulations, Eve.”

“Thank you!”

Eve replied happily. It felt like everything was finally falling into place!

What if Emperor and Arsen had swapped bodies? It was possible. If she had traveled back in time herself, anything was possible.

What if the returned Arsen wasn’t the real Arsen? That wasn’t the case. She was confident that she would recognize Arsen returning to his own body better than anyone else.

And logically, if this man was Emperor, then there was a good chance of a soul exchange with Arsen. It was unlikely that a third party was involved.

Most importantly, the emperor in front of her proved to be the ‘real’ emperor.

Just standing there he radiated majesty, and every word he spoke carried immense weight. He was on a different level than the fake emperor she had seen at the banquet.

“……And the emperor I saw seemed closer to this one.”

Though not as gentle, if she had to compare, this side seemed more like the Emperor.

Finally coming to a conclusion, Eve said, “Then we must part here.”

Charles nodded with a slightly startled expression.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I deeply apologize for my rudeness. Given the circumstances, I hope you’ll understand.”

As Eve bowed her head slightly, Charles smiled graciously.

“Of course. You’ve never done anything wrong to me.”

“Really?”

Still, so many wrongs came to mind. The eel incident…

Well, Emperor was forgiving. Eve felt quite satisfied, thinking that all her problems were solved.

Charles then sincerely expressed his feelings to her.

“I am sorry to lose a good lord like you. But I hope you will find your own happiness.”

“Your praise is too kind. I will do my best to support the Emperor’s reign from afar.”

“Good. That’s what I hope.”

Saying this, Charles smiled at Eve. His smile in the moonlight was so beautiful that even Eve was enchanted.

After giving her such a beautiful smile, Charles turned away.

Then, as if he wanted to say something, he turned back.

“Is there… anything else I can do for you?”

Looking at Eve, who didn’t understand English, he hesitated for a moment, then said,

“I hope you’ll accept the dowry of 9,999 gold coins.”

Eve let out a small laugh. Charles gazed at her intently, as if trying to imprint the image on his mind.

Still smiling, Eve bowed slightly to Charles.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. May the peace of the night be with you, Your Majesty.”

“And with you.”

With those parting words, the two went their separate ways. Eve watched Charles for a moment before slowly lying down.

She felt a strange sensation. As if she had just dreamed.

“Eve.”

“…. Eve, I’m here.”

“Thank you for filling in for me.”

As his words echoed in her mind, Eve felt a strange sensation that grew stronger with each passing moment.

And soon she recognized the name of that feeling. It was ‘regret.’

“Perhaps there was some affection after all.”

She had thought of him only as a nuisance, but upon reflection, he had helped her repeatedly. She realized that she hadn’t thanked him properly. They had just argued again today.

But Eve knew. Even this fleeting regret would fade in time.

Now she was free.

‘I’ll build a house starting at 9.99 million gold.’

Smiling at the thought of building a grand mansion in the suburbs, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

The next day, unfortunately, her sweet dream was shattered once again…

* * *

It was an incredibly crisp morning. Eve woke up early and stretched as she got out of bed.

Today she planned to return home and face Arsen to finalize their divorce. If Arsen didn’t agree, there would be no choice but to go through a formal trial.

Known for his wild reputation in the palace, her husband would have to submit to any judge. Though the trial wouldn’t be easy, Eve was already pleased that Arsen had been removed from the emperor’s throne.

Moreover, with her substantial dowry of 9.99 million gold and her status as a substantial landowner wiped out, the Fontaine family’s downfall was only a matter of time. Even if Cecilia became a duchess, she wouldn’t gain the power or wealth she desired.

‘Why did I even hesitate over such a simple problem?’

Putting herself first opened up avenues for revenge. Satisfied, Eve threw off the blankets and stood up. Her mind was already filled with thoughts of dressing quickly and returning home.

Until “that man” intervened.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a person burst into the room.

“What…!”

Startled, Eve grabbed a candlestick and a water pitcher, then paused for a moment after confirming her intruder.

“Arsen…?”

“Um, Eve. Good morning.”

“Good morning? Good morning?!”

Thanks to him, my good morning became the worst morning.

Ugh, does he think he can stick around now that I’m back? Eve interjected sharply.

Splash! The water from the pitcher splashed refreshingly into Arsen’s face.

“Pull yourself together, Arsen de Fontaine. Do you still think of me as your wife?”

Arsen jumped when the water hit him, then wiped his face with his sleeve.

“Eve, wait. There seems to be some misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding? What kind of mis… Eve? Did you say Eve?”

Only then did Eve realize that she’d forgotten the name she’d been too excited to remember when she’d seen Arsen’s face.

Surely Arsen would call her by her name if he recognized her… right?

“Your Majesty?!”

The candlestick and water jug slipped from Eve’s shocked hands and clattered to the floor. But Eve remained hesitant.

No, it hadn’t been hours since he greeted me warmly and left! Why is this happening again?