The atmosphere in the Imperial Palace itself was generally dark due to the Chernosser incident, but the Empress's Palace was even darker.
It felt like a gloomy and gloomy atmosphere surrounded the Empress's Palace like fog.
“Welcome, Young Lady Leopold.”
The Empress's complexion was also very dark.
Perhaps because she didn't get enough sleep, there were dark circles under her eyes that couldn't be hidden even with heavy makeup.
Unlike usual, she did not wear a flashy dress or accessories, making her look even more gloomy.
Well, the son she gave birth to after suffering for ten months died, and he was killed by the knight who was protecting him, so there's no way she'd be okay.
I heard that when the Crown Prince fell from his horse in my last life and eventually died, the Empress was so sad that she stopped crying and locked herself in her room.
As I sat across from the Empress, a maid brought a tea tray and set the table.
Even after the table setting was finished, the Empress did not say anything and just fiddled with her teacup.
I wanted to finish my business quickly and leave the palace, but I felt frustrated because she was just wasting time without asking any questions.
I was also concerned that Perdes was waiting for me to return.
“Why did you call me?”
I didn't know when the Empress would open her mouth, but I couldn't just wait until then, so I asked.
Only then did the Empress put down the teacup she had been fiddling with aimlessly and look at me.
Her eyes were slightly wet as if she was thinking sad thoughts.
“I heard that Young Lady had breakfast with His Majesty... Could you tell me what you talked about during the meal?”
I expected to be asked about Chernosser but I was a little taken aback by the completely unexpected question.
They say that married couples resemble each other, and both the Emperor and Empress had an extraordinary talent for flustering people with unexpected questions.
As I remained silent, the Empress asked in a voice that seemed even more anxious.
“Did he by any chance talk about Young Lady and the 4th Prince’s marriage?”
What should I do? Should I tell the truth or not?
“Yes. His Majesty the Emperor has said that he would like to hold the wedding between me and His Highness the Fourth Prince in early February.”
After quickly calculating in my head, I figured it would be better for me to tell the truth, so I told it.
Then the corners of the Empress's lips trembled.
"Yes."
She answered with an even more trembling voice and clenched her fists.
It appears that the Emperor has pushed ahead with the marriage between me and Perdes without the Empress's consent.
It was an expected result.
No matter how much the Empress disliked Chernosser, there was no way she would have pushed for an imperial wedding before the end of the mourning period for her own son.
That is, the current Empress has negative feelings toward the Emperor.
“So... you said you were getting married?”
“No way.”
This part would be a great help to me.
There is also an old saying that says to subdue a small enemy with another.
“If His Highness the Second Prince suffered such an unpleasant fate, how could I hold the wedding?”
I put my hand on my heart, pretending to be very sad and regretful on the outside while smiling brightly on the inside.
“I would like to wait until His Highness the Second Prince’s affairs are completely settled, but... His Majesty is very worried about my family and my territory, so I declined, asking that I wait at least until His Highness the Second Prince’s mourning period is over.”
“Leopold Young Lady...”
The Empress, perhaps moved by my words, jumped up from her seat and called me in a moist voice.
“Thank you, Young Lady Leopold. I really appreciate it.”
And she held my hand tightly and kept saying thank you.
“No. I just did what was expected of me, so you don’t need to thank me, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Feeling burdened by the Empress's actions, I gently pulled my hand away from me and tried to stop her.
Then, for some reason, the Empress looked even more moved and looked at me with tears in her eyes.
This is really... I feel good because things are going so smoothly.
I had to bite my tongue several times to keep the corners of my lips from rising without me realizing it because I was so happy.
The Empress wiped her wet eyes with a handkerchief, drank some tea, and calmed down her excitement before asking me again.
“I heard that the person who killed Chernosser attempted to kill the Fourth Prince and was executed on the spot. Is that true?”
“Yes. I executed him myself.”
“Young Lady herself?”
Oh, you don't know this?
She knew the first part, but it was strange that she didn't know this part.
There is no way Sir Dominic would have reported anything to the Emperor other than this part.
So there were two cases.
When the Emperor spoke to the Empress, he omitted this part.
Or maybe the Empress didn't hear the story formally from the Emperor but found out on her own.
“I would like you to tell me in detail what happened after Chernosser disappeared, from beginning to end.”
I was curious which one it would be, but the Empress' subsequent request led me to learn that it was the latter.
It seems the Emperor is hiding something from the Empress.
What is that?
Is the Emperor trying to hide the fact that he is the real culprit of this incident?
“Then the story might get long, is that okay?”
“It’s okay. I’m ready to listen, even if it takes a few hours, so just tell me.”
You might be okay, but I'm not okay at all.
“Please, Young Lady.”
I sighed, but nodded, thinking that it seemed right to say something to make the Empress fight the Emperor.
“Fucking twins.”
Perdes muttered a curse under his breath and brushed the leaves off his clothes.
He was trying to shake off the twins who were chasing him relentlessly, so he had to go through bushes and other places instead of following the normal path, and his whole body was covered in leaves.
The reason Perdes avoids the twins and avoids them is not because he is afraid of them, but because he finds them annoying and bothersome to deal with.
He was also worried that if he bumped into something for no reason, it would cause harm to Adele.
So Perdes continued to run away from the twins.
He had been wandering around the palace to avoid the eyes of his step-brothers who had been harassing him with burning eyes, so he knew all the hidden paths that other people didn't know about.
The only problem was that he was bigger than before, so he was more visible to people even when he walked along hidden paths.
In the past, Perdes could escape like a loach through a hole hidden in the bushes, but now even that was impossible.
That's why it was harder to escape from the eyes of twins or other people.
He tried to avoid it as much as possible by using the available paths and ended up quite far away from the Palace of Spring.
Where is this?
Perdes looked around, picking away at the leaves.
Not far away, a palace appeared, shining silver as if moonlight had been melted into it.
It was the Empress's palace.
He was running around like crazy and before he knew it, he ended up here.
The Empress's Palace was the second most heavily guarded place after the Emperor's Palace.
But if he got caught wandering around for no reason, and especially sneaking around in a way that wasn't normal, it could end up being more tiring than dealing with the twins.
So at that moment, he turned around, thinking that he shouldn't get any closer.
“...The effect will be certain, right?”
An unlucky voice could be heard through the wind blowing eerily through the leaves.
It was the Crown Prince's voice.
Perdes soon discovered the Crown Prince conversing with someone not far away.
When the Crown Prince asked, the other person looked around and nodded.
“Yes. If you take this medicine, you will start to feel dizzy and your senses will become dull within a few minutes.”
Medicine?
Besides, when Perdes listened to what the other person was saying, it didn't seem like ordinary medicine.
It seems to be a paralytic or some kind of poison with a similar effect...
'It looks like you're up to some strange plan again.'
As the saying goes, you can't teach others what they have learned, and the Crown Prince didn't change even as he got older.
Perdes clicked his tongue, feeling truly sorry that such a person would be the next Emperor to lead the empire.
He doesn't know what the Crown Prince is up to, but it's none of his business.
“...”
Yes. He thought it was nothing to worry about and was about to go back, but he couldn't do that when he saw the Crown Prince heading to the Empress's palace.
Adele was currently in the Empress's Palace.
'You're not going to use that medicine on Adele, are you?'
A feeling of foreboding ran up his spine and gave him goosebumps.
Perdes really hoped that wasn't the case, but no matter how much he thought about it, there was no one else but Adele.
Unless he was crazy, the Crown Prince would never have poisoned his biological mother, the Empress.
"Shit...!"
Perdes, whose thoughts had reached that point, roughly shook his head and headed toward the Empress's palace.
"....It's."
The story ended up being longer than I initially expected, but I tried to finish it as quickly as possible, so it ended faster than I expected.
As she listened to my story, the Empress's expression gradually fell, and when the story was over, she finally shed heavy tears.
“Don’t cry, Your Majesty.”
I can leave only if you don't cry.
The Empress quickly stopped crying, either because she noticed my feelings or because she was embarrassed to cry in front of me.
Just as I was about to brush that fact aside and let it go, another problem arose.
“Leopold Young Lady was there too.”
The Crown Prince had just appeared.
I tried to step aside, saying I didn't want to interrupt their cozy time together.
“I brought you some delicious tea and cake for Her Majesty, so why don’t you have some too, Young Lady?”
The damn Crown Prince caught me.
The Empress also agreed with the Crown Prince's words and held me back to eat, so I had no choice but to put my half-pushed butt back together.
Anyway, I guess Chernosser and the Crown Prince are like real brothers, so it's the same in that it's no help.
I looked down at the piece of cake he had been handed, clicking my tongue inwardly.
The cake, with its rich chocolate aroma, looked sweet just by looking at it.
I didn't have even the slightest desire to eat it, but I had no choice but to eat it because I thought they wouldn't let me go until I did.
“...No, Your Majesty!”
“Your Highness!”
Suddenly there was a commotion outside, and the door flew open without a knock.
It felt like a gloomy and gloomy atmosphere surrounded the Empress's Palace like fog.
“Welcome, Young Lady Leopold.”
The Empress's complexion was also very dark.
Perhaps because she didn't get enough sleep, there were dark circles under her eyes that couldn't be hidden even with heavy makeup.
Unlike usual, she did not wear a flashy dress or accessories, making her look even more gloomy.
Well, the son she gave birth to after suffering for ten months died, and he was killed by the knight who was protecting him, so there's no way she'd be okay.
I heard that when the Crown Prince fell from his horse in my last life and eventually died, the Empress was so sad that she stopped crying and locked herself in her room.
As I sat across from the Empress, a maid brought a tea tray and set the table.
Even after the table setting was finished, the Empress did not say anything and just fiddled with her teacup.
I wanted to finish my business quickly and leave the palace, but I felt frustrated because she was just wasting time without asking any questions.
I was also concerned that Perdes was waiting for me to return.
“Why did you call me?”
I didn't know when the Empress would open her mouth, but I couldn't just wait until then, so I asked.
Only then did the Empress put down the teacup she had been fiddling with aimlessly and look at me.
Her eyes were slightly wet as if she was thinking sad thoughts.
“I heard that Young Lady had breakfast with His Majesty... Could you tell me what you talked about during the meal?”
I expected to be asked about Chernosser but I was a little taken aback by the completely unexpected question.
They say that married couples resemble each other, and both the Emperor and Empress had an extraordinary talent for flustering people with unexpected questions.
As I remained silent, the Empress asked in a voice that seemed even more anxious.
“Did he by any chance talk about Young Lady and the 4th Prince’s marriage?”
What should I do? Should I tell the truth or not?
“Yes. His Majesty the Emperor has said that he would like to hold the wedding between me and His Highness the Fourth Prince in early February.”
After quickly calculating in my head, I figured it would be better for me to tell the truth, so I told it.
Then the corners of the Empress's lips trembled.
"Yes."
She answered with an even more trembling voice and clenched her fists.
It appears that the Emperor has pushed ahead with the marriage between me and Perdes without the Empress's consent.
It was an expected result.
No matter how much the Empress disliked Chernosser, there was no way she would have pushed for an imperial wedding before the end of the mourning period for her own son.
That is, the current Empress has negative feelings toward the Emperor.
“So... you said you were getting married?”
“No way.”
This part would be a great help to me.
There is also an old saying that says to subdue a small enemy with another.
“If His Highness the Second Prince suffered such an unpleasant fate, how could I hold the wedding?”
I put my hand on my heart, pretending to be very sad and regretful on the outside while smiling brightly on the inside.
“I would like to wait until His Highness the Second Prince’s affairs are completely settled, but... His Majesty is very worried about my family and my territory, so I declined, asking that I wait at least until His Highness the Second Prince’s mourning period is over.”
“Leopold Young Lady...”
The Empress, perhaps moved by my words, jumped up from her seat and called me in a moist voice.
“Thank you, Young Lady Leopold. I really appreciate it.”
And she held my hand tightly and kept saying thank you.
“No. I just did what was expected of me, so you don’t need to thank me, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Feeling burdened by the Empress's actions, I gently pulled my hand away from me and tried to stop her.
Then, for some reason, the Empress looked even more moved and looked at me with tears in her eyes.
This is really... I feel good because things are going so smoothly.
I had to bite my tongue several times to keep the corners of my lips from rising without me realizing it because I was so happy.
The Empress wiped her wet eyes with a handkerchief, drank some tea, and calmed down her excitement before asking me again.
“I heard that the person who killed Chernosser attempted to kill the Fourth Prince and was executed on the spot. Is that true?”
“Yes. I executed him myself.”
“Young Lady herself?”
Oh, you don't know this?
She knew the first part, but it was strange that she didn't know this part.
There is no way Sir Dominic would have reported anything to the Emperor other than this part.
So there were two cases.
When the Emperor spoke to the Empress, he omitted this part.
Or maybe the Empress didn't hear the story formally from the Emperor but found out on her own.
“I would like you to tell me in detail what happened after Chernosser disappeared, from beginning to end.”
I was curious which one it would be, but the Empress' subsequent request led me to learn that it was the latter.
It seems the Emperor is hiding something from the Empress.
What is that?
Is the Emperor trying to hide the fact that he is the real culprit of this incident?
“Then the story might get long, is that okay?”
“It’s okay. I’m ready to listen, even if it takes a few hours, so just tell me.”
You might be okay, but I'm not okay at all.
“Please, Young Lady.”
I sighed, but nodded, thinking that it seemed right to say something to make the Empress fight the Emperor.
***
“Fucking twins.”
Perdes muttered a curse under his breath and brushed the leaves off his clothes.
He was trying to shake off the twins who were chasing him relentlessly, so he had to go through bushes and other places instead of following the normal path, and his whole body was covered in leaves.
The reason Perdes avoids the twins and avoids them is not because he is afraid of them, but because he finds them annoying and bothersome to deal with.
He was also worried that if he bumped into something for no reason, it would cause harm to Adele.
So Perdes continued to run away from the twins.
He had been wandering around the palace to avoid the eyes of his step-brothers who had been harassing him with burning eyes, so he knew all the hidden paths that other people didn't know about.
The only problem was that he was bigger than before, so he was more visible to people even when he walked along hidden paths.
In the past, Perdes could escape like a loach through a hole hidden in the bushes, but now even that was impossible.
That's why it was harder to escape from the eyes of twins or other people.
He tried to avoid it as much as possible by using the available paths and ended up quite far away from the Palace of Spring.
Where is this?
Perdes looked around, picking away at the leaves.
Not far away, a palace appeared, shining silver as if moonlight had been melted into it.
It was the Empress's palace.
He was running around like crazy and before he knew it, he ended up here.
The Empress's Palace was the second most heavily guarded place after the Emperor's Palace.
But if he got caught wandering around for no reason, and especially sneaking around in a way that wasn't normal, it could end up being more tiring than dealing with the twins.
So at that moment, he turned around, thinking that he shouldn't get any closer.
“...The effect will be certain, right?”
An unlucky voice could be heard through the wind blowing eerily through the leaves.
It was the Crown Prince's voice.
Perdes soon discovered the Crown Prince conversing with someone not far away.
When the Crown Prince asked, the other person looked around and nodded.
“Yes. If you take this medicine, you will start to feel dizzy and your senses will become dull within a few minutes.”
Medicine?
Besides, when Perdes listened to what the other person was saying, it didn't seem like ordinary medicine.
It seems to be a paralytic or some kind of poison with a similar effect...
'It looks like you're up to some strange plan again.'
As the saying goes, you can't teach others what they have learned, and the Crown Prince didn't change even as he got older.
Perdes clicked his tongue, feeling truly sorry that such a person would be the next Emperor to lead the empire.
He doesn't know what the Crown Prince is up to, but it's none of his business.
“...”
Yes. He thought it was nothing to worry about and was about to go back, but he couldn't do that when he saw the Crown Prince heading to the Empress's palace.
Adele was currently in the Empress's Palace.
'You're not going to use that medicine on Adele, are you?'
A feeling of foreboding ran up his spine and gave him goosebumps.
Perdes really hoped that wasn't the case, but no matter how much he thought about it, there was no one else but Adele.
Unless he was crazy, the Crown Prince would never have poisoned his biological mother, the Empress.
"Shit...!"
Perdes, whose thoughts had reached that point, roughly shook his head and headed toward the Empress's palace.
***
"....It's."
The story ended up being longer than I initially expected, but I tried to finish it as quickly as possible, so it ended faster than I expected.
As she listened to my story, the Empress's expression gradually fell, and when the story was over, she finally shed heavy tears.
“Don’t cry, Your Majesty.”
I can leave only if you don't cry.
The Empress quickly stopped crying, either because she noticed my feelings or because she was embarrassed to cry in front of me.
Just as I was about to brush that fact aside and let it go, another problem arose.
“Leopold Young Lady was there too.”
The Crown Prince had just appeared.
I tried to step aside, saying I didn't want to interrupt their cozy time together.
“I brought you some delicious tea and cake for Her Majesty, so why don’t you have some too, Young Lady?”
The damn Crown Prince caught me.
The Empress also agreed with the Crown Prince's words and held me back to eat, so I had no choice but to put my half-pushed butt back together.
Anyway, I guess Chernosser and the Crown Prince are like real brothers, so it's the same in that it's no help.
I looked down at the piece of cake he had been handed, clicking my tongue inwardly.
The cake, with its rich chocolate aroma, looked sweet just by looking at it.
I didn't have even the slightest desire to eat it, but I had no choice but to eat it because I thought they wouldn't let me go until I did.
“...No, Your Majesty!”
“Your Highness!”
Suddenly there was a commotion outside, and the door flew open without a knock.
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