Yes, she returns the training sword.

The woman returned the battered training sword, resting next to the other and a sign of respect to Alexandra’s privacy she draped the sheet back over the painting of the younger version of herself. She understood that people don’t hide a painting like this for no good reason. Besides she was far more interested in any other hidden details she could find about the villainess.

She didn't have to search for long as hidden behind the painting she discovered a small chest which caught her curiosity imminently. She reached for the handle and dragged the chest close to her and brushed the thick layer of dust off with a swipe of her hand. On first appearances, it was a simple metal chest, plain-looking compared to the rest of the room’s content.

She felt her fingers along the chest to find a way to open it and found the lock with a half-broken key jammed into the keyhole and the lock itself bent out of shape as if someone was desperately trying to break their way inside.

The curiosity had her complete attention as she made herself comfortable and sat down while she worked her way to untangle the damaged lock from the latch. And with some patience, she managed to do just that.

Excited she wiggled her fingers as she reached towards the latch, her imagination quickly outpaced her as she pictured what she’d discover inside a chest hidden away in a princess’ wardrobe. ‘Gold? Jewellery?! Maybe it can’t be love letters?! … No, that doesn’t sound like Alexandra.’

“Oh…” Her response pittered out of her mouth as she was disappointed to not find anything she guessed. Instead, she found the interior of the chest lined with velvet, similar to that of a jewellery box, yet inside was a cracked smoking pipe.

A brow raised and she collected both pieces of the pipe and connected them together, now whole she discovered that the pipe wasn’t of simple craftsmanship someone had taken great care to design it from exquisite detail from the type of materials it was made from.

She would’ve put it down, yet the pattern of a giant serpent coiled around a pipe intrigued her, depending on how someone held it, the pattern could easily have been missed entirely. ‘Why would Alexandra hide something like this?’

As she questioned this she noticed the pipe bowl blackened and burned, revealing it had been used frequently before it had been broken, as she brought it closer to her face, the pungent smell **** her to gag, until she placed it back into the chest. “What the hell was that?!”

Her question was answered, she discovered tiny pieces of paper scattered inside the chest and went to pick one up in-between her fingers and saw it for an envelope. Opening it with her fingernail, its content escaping from the packet and onto the floor. She looked at the remains of what was left inside of the envelope and saw a white powder. ‘Oh Alexandra...’

From the pipe and the broken lock she then noticed the scrape markings on the floor a telling sign that this wasn’t the first time, the chest had been dragged out of hiding. The princess was a **** addict and from the little, she could see in the chest she didn’t have much left.

The women let out a sigh, she wasn’t that surprised from the ****, too the copious amounts of sex she expected **** to be on the long list of the villainess indulgences but to see it in person rather than reading it on some page only made her feel sorry for her favourite character.

Closing the chest she returned the chest back to its original place behind the painting and left the room.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Damnit Jorg where are you?” She mumbled as she worried about the return of her ****; she didn’t even realize how dark it had gotten. Unable to fight off the encroaching drowsiness, she fell into a deep sleep. Although she thought she heard people walking past her door, there comes a time even jumping at shadows becomes excusing.

“…..Your Highness?” She felt a touch on her shoulder.

The hand on her shoulder was thick, large, and warm. Subconsciously, she called out the only name that came to mind. “Jorg?”

When there was no reply she blinked slowly and opened her eyes.

But the face that greeted her was a stranger’s. He knelt next to the bed with the moonlight streaming in from behind him. Wordlessly, he increased the pressure on her shoulder.

Though it didn’t hurt, it was enough to chase the sleep away. She sat up.

“Who the hell are you?”

“….Have you already forgotten me?”

His breath reeked of ****. she instinctively put up her guard and slapped the man’s hand away from her shoulder.

“Get out, right now. Before I call someone in.”

“Do you really not recognize me?”

Unfortunately for him, she had none of the princess’ memories. There was no way that she’d recognize him even with her novel knowledge. It was hard to find someone like him that fit his description. ‘Who the hell is this guy again?’

He sounded like he was holding back tears. Feeling baffled, she let out a sigh. It hadn’t even been a day and this was already the third man to cry before her.

She had no idea why everyone decided to turn on the waterworks in front of her. She wasn’t used to dealing with situations like these. ‘I suppose this is karma for the times I got shit faced and spilled my baggage to my friends.’ Looking down at the drunk man. ‘Yeah, I’ve been there buddy.’

“First of all, I can’t see your face.”

At her words, the man quickly drew back. His face was partially uncovered under the moonlight.

On the surface, he appeared fragile, but a closer inspection revealed sharp and intelligent features. He looked like a fairy.

Yet the man was staring at her expectantly. He seemed convinced that she would show a different response now she’d gotten a look at his face.

“So…. Why did you come here?” She pretended to recognize him.

She briefly considered calling the servants, but they were likely the ones who had allowed him into her room in the first place. She didn’t want to overreact to something that was a regular occurrence.

“I heard that tonight, you hadn’t called for anyone.”

“…….”

She recalled Alexandra switched out partners nightly and had slept with all sorts of men. But she wasn’t planning on continuing the tradition just to make her act more believable.

“So?”

“You purposely didn’t seek me out all this time.”

She stared dumbstruck at the reply with only one question on her mind. ‘Seriously who the hell is this guy?!’

“Saying that there were plenty of men who could act as a substitute…. But it seems you’ve gotten tired of even that. Seeing as how you’re sleeping alone now. Yet I knew that Your Highness would never seek me out first, so what else could I do? I had **** but to come myself.”

Saying so, he stealthily grabbed her hand which had been lying on top of the covers. The thought suddenly crossed her mind that he might be one of Alexandra concubines but which one?

She thought carefully aside from figuring out who this man was she needed to know if he actually was one of the princess’ concubines and not just a pretender or worse, an assassin.

Going by the novel's story, Alexandra had four lovers given the title of Imperial princess’ concubine and played the primary role of male leads for the main heroine to seduce. Firstly this has the problem of the point of view of Mina which only gave the reader information whenever she was with them. Secondly, the novel ended on the cliffhanger of Alexandra’s **** due to squeal bait so information on any future development of any character is basically halted.

An example being that both Dimitra and Jorg were fairly new introduced to the story so information on the former mainly came from backstory and the latter she barely knew anything about, not even his name until she asked him.

Lastly, they’re now living breathing people and not characters on a page could make any knowledge she has of the novel null and void depending on how they respond.

Yet ruling both Dimitra and Jorg out she placed her knowledge aside; she just felt his hand. ‘It’s soft.’

His hand both gentle and soft to the touch this ruled the first concubine out Richard since he had the hands of a swordsman, rough to the touch from years of training to master the blade.

This left only. ‘Vizima Gelt the second concubine.’ The Imperial court teacher and physician who, like Richard, Alexandra brought along with her on the princess’ first campaigns but who was replaced by the vote from a group of nobles who wanted someone else to care for the imperial princess when she was wounded in battle.

“I know you prefer something more refined after playing around with that sex ****. I can serve you well.”

“No, I’m fi-…”

He tightened his grip on her hand and came up onto the bed. The mattress dipped from the added weight, then his shadow cast over her. When he had gotten close enough that she could feel his breath on her forehead she asked him. “What about Mina?”

He froze.

It seemed that her intuition had been right. His identity was…

“…. What is the meaning of your words?” He panicked.

“Look here.” She tapped his cheek with the tips of her fingers. “Are you like this because you’re worried I’ll hurt you?”

“……”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything.”

“I…..”

“Really, you thought to come straight to me after fucking that woman? A man should have some devotion.”

“……”

“Are you going to stay here all night? I’m tired. Go back to your room, let’s stop this.”

She was serious. The entire day she’d had people asking her for something she didn’t have. she was a little tired of this dull and emotionally draining exchange.

“…..Are you not jealous?”

“What?”

“I’m still… your concubine.”

“……”

He pulled his arms back from where they had been on either side of her head and straightened himself.

“Aren’t you angry?” It looked like he was the angry one instead. His words came out hard and fast. “Why, why do you always … why do you have to be so cruel, to me.”

'Cruel? Me? Right, I’m the Villainess. I almost forgot.’ she mused to herself before she disavowed him,

“But didn’t you sleep with someone else too?”

“I, I’m….. You -!”

“Choose one, me or her, and stick to it. Stop feeling sorry for yourself.”

As soon as she’d finished speaking, he bent over and was on top of her again. she instinctively tried to push him away but he grabbed her arm and **** it over her head. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m feeling sorry for myself? How could you of all people say that!”

“Do I still mean that much to you?”