How dare you use violence in front of me. Fearlessly.
I called her quietly in a rather solemn voice.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize for surprising you. However, I must inform those who do not know their subject in the first place.”
Looking at Catherine's eyes, it seemed like she was telling me to listen.
“Tsk, tsk tsk... How could you slap someone’s cheek with those paper-thin hands?”
Catherine's eyes widened as I clicked my tongue rhythmically.
“What are you looking at?”
"Yes?!"
“You don’t even know the topic.”
I said to Catherine with a smile. Catherine's puzzled eyes moved wildly and then she asked me.
“Your Majesty the Empress? What are you talking about...!”
“Can you make the eyes a little smaller?”
“...Eyes?”
“Yeah. I’m not the type of person you’d want to stare at like that, am I?”
“Your Majesty the Empress, what the heck...!”
“Oh, and try reducing the size of your mouth.”
I said this to Catherine, who was gaping in bewilderment. Then I turned back to my serious expression and recalled what Catherine had done to Rosie earlier, and did the same thing to her.
“If someone doesn’t know the difference between up and down, it is the virtue of a superior to teach them even by hitting them. A subordinate has to learn even by getting hit.”
“?”
“Do you agree?”
“Yes, that’s right.. Ouch!”
Thud-!
“!”
Catherine looked up at me with terrified eyes.
“Thank me for hitting your dumb head instead of your pretty face.”
“...Oh, Your Majesty the Empress! You can’t do this to me!”
“No? Why?”
Catherine just chewed her lower lip in response to my question. I spoke with the utmost affection.
“Your sin was great.”
“What on earth have I done wrong?”
“The sin of daring to raise your voice in front of me, who is already physically and mentally weak.”
“Huh? What, what did you say?”
“For the crime of touching His Majesty’s lady, and for startling the greenhouse plants.”
"... Yes?"
“The charges are very diverse, but let’s just lightly discuss them here for today.”
I straightened my back, which had been slightly bent toward Catherine, and patted her back with my hand.
“Your Majesty the Empress is weak in body and mind?!”
Catherine shouted at me with a look that said, "What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
“Look, my hands are shaking so much.”
I raised my left hand, which had hit Catherine on the side of her head, and it was shaking violently. In fact, I was holding back from hitting her a few more times, so my hand was shaking because it was so trembling, but it was true that my hand was shaking.
"Ha?"
Catherine burst into laughter with a face full of laughter.
“Huh? Hah... Ahh?”
I stopped shaking my hands, clenched my fists, and looked down at Catherine with impassive eyes. Catherine shrugged her shoulders and clung tightly to her attendant's arm.
“Should I open your mouth wide and make you apologize for always saying harsh words with my own hands?”
“How could you say such a vulgar... no, such a cruel thing?”
“Vulgar? Cruel?”
“To say it was vulgar... I, I misspoke.”
“It feels very strange to hear such words from someone who is both vulgar and cruel.”
“What do you mean I have both of those things?”
Catherine flared up as if she had been splattered with excrement. I yelled at her in a heated voice.
“Cruelty! Didn’t the First Concubine just demonstrate this with her eyes and actions?”
“... !”
Catherine glanced up at Rosie, who was standing behind me, and opened her mouth as if she was speechless.
“Don’t you know that you can tear, scratch, and trample on others with just your words, your eyes, your facial expressions, and your movements? Then it’s also true that you are vulgar.”
“I, I don’t know what Your Majesty the Empress is talking about.”
“Oh, I hit your head so hard that it stopped functioning even though I didn’t hit it that hard.”
“Are you trying to humiliate me in front of those below me?”
Catherine snapped venomously.
"No."
“No? Isn’t Your Majesty the Empress clearly insulting me right now?”
I raised my hand again to stop Catherine. Excuse me,
“I should get this straight. I was already swearing openly earlier. I wasn’t trying to swear at you.”
“...Your Majesty the Empress, I will never forget today’s humiliation!”
Catherine said, trembling all over. Anyone who saw her would think she was a loyal subject who had lost her country.
“Just try to forget it!”
I immediately responded to her words and raised my voice in the same way.
“At that time, my hand will fly straight to your face, not the side of your head or your cheek.”
“Huh!”
Catherine's eyes and mouth grew wide in shock. She had something important to say. Isn't it difficult to react so breathlessly? I couldn't help but watch Catherine's nostrils widen for a moment before continuing.
“Just as you sank to the ground, your high nose will also collapse when my fist flies straight into your face!”
I spoke to Catherine reverently as if conveying words from an oracle.
“And never again will that high nose rise!”
Catherine quickly covered her nose with both hands.
“...Oh, how can you say such harsh words!”
Did I speak too prophetically? Catherine seemed to have an unnecessarily excessive belief in what I said as if it were going to happen at any moment.
“I don’t want that to happen either. So, Catherine, what should we do now?”
I gave her one last chance.
“I, I raised my voice in front of Her Majesty the Empress today. I will be careful in the future...”
Catherine said, bowing her head slightly. It was obvious that she was trying to apologize, but she eventually accepted the apology. Catherine was holding onto the hem of her dress tightly and swallowing her anger.
“I’ll keep an eye on you from now on. I’m starting to like your high-pitched nose, Catherine, so I hope you take good care of it.”
I added, in a friendly voice, "You've got a very high nose bridge to make you squat down," which was a compliment in its own way. I gave Catherine a warning look, then turned my head to look at Rosie with a relaxed expression.
“Rosie, we’ll meet again later. We were talking about books earlier, right? I hope we can talk for a long time next time.”
“Oh, it is an honor, Your Majesty the Empress! I am so sorry for causing you any trouble today...”
Rosie gave me a grateful look. I gave her a brief smile and turned around to speak to my attendants.
“Let’s go back to the Empress’s Palace.”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress!”
The servants followed me, singing in a louder voice than usual. I continued to pass Catherine, who was still sitting on the floor. After a while, Catherine's voice wrapped around me like a snake behind me, making me shiver.
“Last night! You were too much!”
I turned back at Catherine's voice, full of resentment. I finally sent Linel to her bedroom, and now what? Am I being too much?
“Catherine, what do you mean? I don’t remember doing anything to deserve such resentment from you.”
I asked in a flat voice. Catherine pursed her lips for a moment, then seemed to hesitate whether to speak to me or not. She seemed to be conscious of Rosie in front of her. Catherine finally broke the silence and opened her mouth.
“Yesterday... was it my first night?”
"However?"
“But... what do you mean? Your Majesty the Empress will have more days to serve His Majesty than the concubines, so you shouldn’t have stopped me on the first night!”
Catherine's once proud face collapsed into a pitiful state. What on earth could this mean?
“His Majesty did not go to your palace last night, is that what you are saying?”
Catherine burst into laughter at my question as if she thought I was deliberately pretending not to know.
“Yes! No, he's here.”
Catherine barely managed to suppress her anger and replied.
“...I’m sorry. I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about that.”
Catherine tilted her head and strained her eyes, a look of disbelief.
“And, wherever His Majesty goes, it is His Majesty’s will. Even though I am the Empress, you must know that it is not something I can do as I please, right?”
“Then where on earth was His Majesty yesterday...”
Catherine lowered her head and muttered softly. Yeah. I wonder, too.
“Catherine, the floor is cold, so get up.”
I thought she looked a little salty but with the benevolent look of an Empress. Perhaps because my tone was a little forced, Catherine hesitated and resisted for a while before starting to move her body.
“Uh uh... Huh?”
Catherine sat up with the help of her servant but then fell back down on the floor.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
My shoes were stepping on Catherine's dress skirt. Catherine seemed to want to ask me if I was stepping on her dress on purpose, but she didn't ask. If I had asked, she would have been willing to tell me honestly.
“Yes, catch it.”
I felt a little sorry and reached out to Catherine. It was a thoughtful gesture.
“Ahh!”
But then Catherine screamed as if she was going to have a fight,
“...Did you faint?”
She fell to the floor with a thud.
“Madame, Madame? Madame Catherine!”
Catherine's attendant took her in his arms and shook her roughly.
“Tsk tsk, she must be very tired from waiting for His Majesty last night. Let her get some sleep and don’t wake her up.”
“Yes? Oh, yes...Your Majesty the Empress...”
“If she wakes up after a good night’s sleep in a greenhouse with good air, her fatigue will go away. She’ll also come to her senses.”
Catherine's attendant also looked up at me with a pale face as if she were about to faint.
“Rosie, you should go back to the palace and put some ice on your face. You don’t need to stay here.”
I ordered Rosie, who was standing there fidgeting due to Catherine's fainting.
“Yes, I will do so, Your Majesty the Empress.”
"Yes."
I nodded to Rosie and turned to leave, then looked down at Catherine, who had passed out again.
“How dare you wave your hand at someone so carelessly. You’ve never once extended a warm hand to anyone in your entire life.”
Catherine’s closed eyes flinched at my words. Her fainting was an act. I just turned around, chuckling at her poor acting skills. I wasn’t afraid of the aftermath of what happened in the greenhouse today. I was just afraid that the aftermath would come to me in the wrong direction. I didn’t want Linel to get in trouble because of me.
I stared at Catherine. She knew I was watching her, but she continued to slap Rosie. Ironically, Catherine, who had slapped Rosie, looked more angry than Rosie, who had slapped.
“I told you, didn’t I? I’m the first concubine now. The second concubines won’t be able to speak informally to me anymore!”
“Oh, we’ve been talking since we were little, so I forgot and forgot... I’ll be careful next time...”
Rosie looked dumbfounded at Catherine's sudden slap. Rosie apologized, holding the cheek that Catherine had hit with both hands.
“Where’s next? Next!”
Catherine glared and screamed.
“I hope you understand what I’m saying...”
Catherine's hand slowly rose, then mercilessly brought it down on Rosie's cheek again.
“Speak now!”
Slap!
“Ugh, you know!”
Slap, slap!
“I told you, didn’t I? I’m the first concubine now. The second concubines won’t be able to speak informally to me anymore!”
“Oh, we’ve been talking since we were little, so I forgot and forgot... I’ll be careful next time...”
Rosie looked dumbfounded at Catherine's sudden slap. Rosie apologized, holding the cheek that Catherine had hit with both hands.
“Where’s next? Next!”
Catherine glared and screamed.
“I hope you understand what I’m saying...”
Catherine's hand slowly rose, then mercilessly brought it down on Rosie's cheek again.
“Speak now!”
Slap!
“Ugh, you know!”
Slap, slap!
Catherine slapped Rosie's cheeks alternately in her last words.
“Huh, you understand?”
Catherine's violent tendencies were not surprising. However, it was hard to watch her act like a tyrant, treating someone she had known in high society her entire life as worse than a servant, just because she was the first concubine. Even though Rosie was a concubine of lower rank than her, Rosie was still the Emperor's official concubine, and Catherine couldn't treat Rosie so carelessly unless she was crazy. Furthermore, Catherine was intentionally ignoring my existence as the Empress.
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
Catherine, who was still displeased with Rosie's hesitating attitude, raised her hand again and spoke threateningly.
“I’m sorry, Madame Catherine...”
Finally, Rosie lowered her head and spoke to Catherine. Rosie's tears fell on the greenhouse floor. Could it be that she was crying because she got hit in the face a few times? It was just a lot of noise, but it didn't seem to hurt much?
Catherine's violent tendencies were not surprising. However, it was hard to watch her act like a tyrant, treating someone she had known in high society her entire life as worse than a servant, just because she was the first concubine. Even though Rosie was a concubine of lower rank than her, Rosie was still the Emperor's official concubine, and Catherine couldn't treat Rosie so carelessly unless she was crazy. Furthermore, Catherine was intentionally ignoring my existence as the Empress.
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
Catherine, who was still displeased with Rosie's hesitating attitude, raised her hand again and spoke threateningly.
“I’m sorry, Madame Catherine...”
Finally, Rosie lowered her head and spoke to Catherine. Rosie's tears fell on the greenhouse floor. Could it be that she was crying because she got hit in the face a few times? It was just a lot of noise, but it didn't seem to hurt much?
I looked at Rosie, who was shedding tears sadly, and changed my mind. It was something I shouldn't have thought about. Yes, it's difficult to compare me to the toughness of ordinary noblewomen.
“That’s right, Rosie. If only you had done that earlier, you wouldn’t have had to show yourself so pitifully in front of Her Majesty the Empress.”
Catherine said now with a pleased expression.
“Catherine.”
“That’s right, Rosie. If only you had done that earlier, you wouldn’t have had to show yourself so pitifully in front of Her Majesty the Empress.”
Catherine said now with a pleased expression.
“Catherine.”
I called her quietly in a rather solemn voice.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize for surprising you. However, I must inform those who do not know their subject in the first place.”
Looking at Catherine's eyes, it seemed like she was telling me to listen.
“Tsk, tsk tsk... How could you slap someone’s cheek with those paper-thin hands?”
Catherine's eyes widened as I clicked my tongue rhythmically.
“What are you looking at?”
"Yes?!"
“You don’t even know the topic.”
I said to Catherine with a smile. Catherine's puzzled eyes moved wildly and then she asked me.
“Your Majesty the Empress? What are you talking about...!”
“Can you make the eyes a little smaller?”
“...Eyes?”
“Yeah. I’m not the type of person you’d want to stare at like that, am I?”
“Your Majesty the Empress, what the heck...!”
“Oh, and try reducing the size of your mouth.”
I said this to Catherine, who was gaping in bewilderment. Then I turned back to my serious expression and recalled what Catherine had done to Rosie earlier, and did the same thing to her.
“If someone doesn’t know the difference between up and down, it is the virtue of a superior to teach them even by hitting them. A subordinate has to learn even by getting hit.”
“?”
“Do you agree?”
“Yes, that’s right.. Ouch!”
Thud-!
In good conscience, I hit the side of Catherine’s head instead of her cheek. As expected, the sound of hitting the side of her head was much duller than hitting her cheek. It didn’t feel like hitting. However, if I had hit Catherine’s cheek, it would have swelled up in an instant as if she had been hit with a fist. So, I gently applied force to the side of her head, which was swollen and bruised but showed no sign of it on the outside. And with my left hand at that.
Haa, I’m so weak-hearted. I clearly didn’t put all my strength into my palm, but Catherine, who had been standing in front of me, fell all the way to where her servant was. Where did she swing her hand so recklessly, flying like a leaf in the wind?
“Your Highness, my goodness! Are you okay?!”
Catherine's attendant flew in front of me and caught her as she fell. I watched her quietly, wondering if Catherine was acting weak. She seemed to be out of her mind from the pain she had never felt before. Well, when had a noble lady ever felt such shock and pain? She had only slapped her attendants and slaves.
“Your Highness, my goodness! Are you okay?!”
Catherine's attendant flew in front of me and caught her as she fell. I watched her quietly, wondering if Catherine was acting weak. She seemed to be out of her mind from the pain she had never felt before. Well, when had a noble lady ever felt such shock and pain? She had only slapped her attendants and slaves.
Rosie's face was frozen, more shocked than when she had been slapped by Catherine. I was a little worried that Rosie might be afraid of me because of this, but even if she was, there was nothing I could do.
Looking at Catherine, who was motionless, I wondered if she had opened her eyes and fainted, so I approached her. Then Catherine, sitting down, moved her buttocks back as if she were running away, trying to increase the distance between us.
“Catherine. Thank me.”
“Catherine. Thank me.”
“!”
Catherine looked up at me with terrified eyes.
“Thank me for hitting your dumb head instead of your pretty face.”
“...Oh, Your Majesty the Empress! You can’t do this to me!”
“No? Why?”
Catherine just chewed her lower lip in response to my question. I spoke with the utmost affection.
“Your sin was great.”
“What on earth have I done wrong?”
“The sin of daring to raise your voice in front of me, who is already physically and mentally weak.”
“Huh? What, what did you say?”
“For the crime of touching His Majesty’s lady, and for startling the greenhouse plants.”
"... Yes?"
“The charges are very diverse, but let’s just lightly discuss them here for today.”
I straightened my back, which had been slightly bent toward Catherine, and patted her back with my hand.
“Your Majesty the Empress is weak in body and mind?!”
Catherine shouted at me with a look that said, "What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
“Look, my hands are shaking so much.”
I raised my left hand, which had hit Catherine on the side of her head, and it was shaking violently. In fact, I was holding back from hitting her a few more times, so my hand was shaking because it was so trembling, but it was true that my hand was shaking.
"Ha?"
Catherine burst into laughter with a face full of laughter.
“Huh? Hah... Ahh?”
I stopped shaking my hands, clenched my fists, and looked down at Catherine with impassive eyes. Catherine shrugged her shoulders and clung tightly to her attendant's arm.
“Should I open your mouth wide and make you apologize for always saying harsh words with my own hands?”
“How could you say such a vulgar... no, such a cruel thing?”
“Vulgar? Cruel?”
“To say it was vulgar... I, I misspoke.”
“It feels very strange to hear such words from someone who is both vulgar and cruel.”
“What do you mean I have both of those things?”
Catherine flared up as if she had been splattered with excrement. I yelled at her in a heated voice.
“Cruelty! Didn’t the First Concubine just demonstrate this with her eyes and actions?”
“... !”
Catherine glanced up at Rosie, who was standing behind me, and opened her mouth as if she was speechless.
“Don’t you know that you can tear, scratch, and trample on others with just your words, your eyes, your facial expressions, and your movements? Then it’s also true that you are vulgar.”
“I, I don’t know what Your Majesty the Empress is talking about.”
“Oh, I hit your head so hard that it stopped functioning even though I didn’t hit it that hard.”
“Are you trying to humiliate me in front of those below me?”
Catherine snapped venomously.
"No."
“No? Isn’t Your Majesty the Empress clearly insulting me right now?”
I raised my hand again to stop Catherine. Excuse me,
“I should get this straight. I was already swearing openly earlier. I wasn’t trying to swear at you.”
“...Your Majesty the Empress, I will never forget today’s humiliation!”
Catherine said, trembling all over. Anyone who saw her would think she was a loyal subject who had lost her country.
“Just try to forget it!”
I immediately responded to her words and raised my voice in the same way.
“At that time, my hand will fly straight to your face, not the side of your head or your cheek.”
“Huh!”
Catherine's eyes and mouth grew wide in shock. She had something important to say. Isn't it difficult to react so breathlessly? I couldn't help but watch Catherine's nostrils widen for a moment before continuing.
“Just as you sank to the ground, your high nose will also collapse when my fist flies straight into your face!”
I spoke to Catherine reverently as if conveying words from an oracle.
“And never again will that high nose rise!”
Catherine quickly covered her nose with both hands.
“...Oh, how can you say such harsh words!”
Did I speak too prophetically? Catherine seemed to have an unnecessarily excessive belief in what I said as if it were going to happen at any moment.
“I don’t want that to happen either. So, Catherine, what should we do now?”
I gave her one last chance.
“I, I raised my voice in front of Her Majesty the Empress today. I will be careful in the future...”
Catherine said, bowing her head slightly. It was obvious that she was trying to apologize, but she eventually accepted the apology. Catherine was holding onto the hem of her dress tightly and swallowing her anger.
“I’ll keep an eye on you from now on. I’m starting to like your high-pitched nose, Catherine, so I hope you take good care of it.”
I added, in a friendly voice, "You've got a very high nose bridge to make you squat down," which was a compliment in its own way. I gave Catherine a warning look, then turned my head to look at Rosie with a relaxed expression.
“Rosie, we’ll meet again later. We were talking about books earlier, right? I hope we can talk for a long time next time.”
“Oh, it is an honor, Your Majesty the Empress! I am so sorry for causing you any trouble today...”
Rosie gave me a grateful look. I gave her a brief smile and turned around to speak to my attendants.
“Let’s go back to the Empress’s Palace.”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress!”
The servants followed me, singing in a louder voice than usual. I continued to pass Catherine, who was still sitting on the floor. After a while, Catherine's voice wrapped around me like a snake behind me, making me shiver.
“Last night! You were too much!”
I turned back at Catherine's voice, full of resentment. I finally sent Linel to her bedroom, and now what? Am I being too much?
“Catherine, what do you mean? I don’t remember doing anything to deserve such resentment from you.”
I asked in a flat voice. Catherine pursed her lips for a moment, then seemed to hesitate whether to speak to me or not. She seemed to be conscious of Rosie in front of her. Catherine finally broke the silence and opened her mouth.
“Yesterday... was it my first night?”
"However?"
“But... what do you mean? Your Majesty the Empress will have more days to serve His Majesty than the concubines, so you shouldn’t have stopped me on the first night!”
Catherine's once proud face collapsed into a pitiful state. What on earth could this mean?
“His Majesty did not go to your palace last night, is that what you are saying?”
Catherine burst into laughter at my question as if she thought I was deliberately pretending not to know.
“Yes! No, he's here.”
Catherine barely managed to suppress her anger and replied.
“...I’m sorry. I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about that.”
Catherine tilted her head and strained her eyes, a look of disbelief.
“And, wherever His Majesty goes, it is His Majesty’s will. Even though I am the Empress, you must know that it is not something I can do as I please, right?”
“Then where on earth was His Majesty yesterday...”
Catherine lowered her head and muttered softly. Yeah. I wonder, too.
“Catherine, the floor is cold, so get up.”
I thought she looked a little salty but with the benevolent look of an Empress. Perhaps because my tone was a little forced, Catherine hesitated and resisted for a while before starting to move her body.
“Uh uh... Huh?”
Catherine sat up with the help of her servant but then fell back down on the floor.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
My shoes were stepping on Catherine's dress skirt. Catherine seemed to want to ask me if I was stepping on her dress on purpose, but she didn't ask. If I had asked, she would have been willing to tell me honestly.
“Yes, catch it.”
I felt a little sorry and reached out to Catherine. It was a thoughtful gesture.
“Ahh!”
But then Catherine screamed as if she was going to have a fight,
“...Did you faint?”
She fell to the floor with a thud.
“Madame, Madame? Madame Catherine!”
Catherine's attendant took her in his arms and shook her roughly.
“Tsk tsk, she must be very tired from waiting for His Majesty last night. Let her get some sleep and don’t wake her up.”
“Yes? Oh, yes...Your Majesty the Empress...”
“If she wakes up after a good night’s sleep in a greenhouse with good air, her fatigue will go away. She’ll also come to her senses.”
Catherine's attendant also looked up at me with a pale face as if she were about to faint.
“Rosie, you should go back to the palace and put some ice on your face. You don’t need to stay here.”
I ordered Rosie, who was standing there fidgeting due to Catherine's fainting.
“Yes, I will do so, Your Majesty the Empress.”
"Yes."
I nodded to Rosie and turned to leave, then looked down at Catherine, who had passed out again.
“How dare you wave your hand at someone so carelessly. You’ve never once extended a warm hand to anyone in your entire life.”
Catherine’s closed eyes flinched at my words. Her fainting was an act. I just turned around, chuckling at her poor acting skills. I wasn’t afraid of the aftermath of what happened in the greenhouse today. I was just afraid that the aftermath would come to me in the wrong direction. I didn’t want Linel to get in trouble because of me.
I left the greenhouse and absentmindedly looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were creeping into the once-clear sky.
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