Medea sat down in front of the dressing table.
In the mirror, she was dressed in an elegantly lustrous dress.
Medea reached for the jewelry box and picked up the necklace studded with pearls, and placed it around her neck.
She hadn't decided on her jewelry yet, so in front of the dresser, there were various necklaces arranged neatly by Saya.
"Is it today? Is it a tea party for the Eastern Empress?"
Medea reflexively raised her head at the sound of a voice ringing in her ears.
Cesare, leaning lazily against the doorpost, raised the corners of his mouth.
The clear morning air blowing through the open window gently fluttered through his fine hair.
"I thought you were already out."
He was so busy that he left early in the morning and didn't return until late at night.
Medea was also busy with reports from her subordinates and her responsibilities as the Princess, so the two of them would not see each other face to face until the end of the day.
"My wife is going into the cave here. I'm worried about it, so I have to go away."
With a lazy voice mixed with a hint of mischief, he strode inside.
His warm lips fell to her temple.
She paused.
Ever since the day she first kissed him on the cheek in the imperial garden, his kisses had become more and more frequent, perhaps as if he had taken that moment as a sign of permission.
However, the contact was always fleeting, and the tip of his lips touched and fell neatly, so Medea had no reason to stop him.
Cesare didn't even come close to his lips, as if he knew that permission was only for her cheeks.
"It's not that I've never been like this."
The moments when Jared's lips touched when he killed Jared or when he took over the oracle flashed through her mind like shards.
"This is good."
Then Cesare picked up a diamond necklace from the jewelry box and hung it around Medea's neck.
The heat of his fingertips intertwined with the cold metal, and a strange sensation penetrated deep into her skin.
Behind Medea's shoulders, she could feel the stiff constriction of the man's clothes and the presence of the firm muscles beneath the thick fabric.
Medea, unaware that she was getting used to his touch, stared at herself in the mirror.
The chain was as thin as silver thread, and diamonds and green sapphires were intertwined like petals.
The dazzling brilliance and breathtaking workmanship were awe-inspiring, and it was a masterpiece that you didn't know where to look first.
She can't deny that it suits her hair and eye color...
"This necklace... Isn't that too much?"
"If you can't avoid attention anyway, it's better to poke those eyes properly, right?"
He replied calmly.
It was as if he knew that today was her test stage.
"Dea, can I take you there?"
"Are you going to make me a thorn in their side?"
Medea was dumbfounded.
The fact that her husband would personally take her to a petty tea party would make even the culprit laugh, but what about the cruel 1st Prince?
The Emperor wanted to confirm that it was true that his son was cursing his daughter-in-law's skirt.
"It's your first time in the Winter Palace."
His voice was soft, slowing down.
"If you get lost in the vast imperial palace and am late for the tea party, won't my wife be in trouble?"
His hands tickled straight fingers against Medea's delicate palms.
It was a subtle touch and voice, like a whisper of a demon.
Medea gave him one glance and pushed him away coldly. Cesare let out a faint smile as if he had expected it.
"Then just go on a rampage, and you can get rid of some of them as you like."
He whispered, gently curling a few strands of silvery hair that had fallen down the nape of his wife's neck, on his index finger.
"Your husband is the best at taking care of that kind of aftermath."
She was on a rampage. Medea let out a small laugh.
Their methods were really different.
If Medea quietly created a gap between people and slowly destroyed the relationship, he was the one who trampled on the other person with his overwhelming power.
This is because he was supported by the power to take care of himself.
"I don't like that raucous way."
Medea spoke calmly, and Cesare smiled.
"That's right. Are you... You like more intimate things."
Only those involved in the scheme go crazy.
However, the world does not even fathom their decaying intentions, and it is slowly suffocating.
Claudio was like that, and Jason was like that. They didn't even know that the noose was hanging on their leash, but they were suffocated in an instant.
"Have fun, Dea."
Cesare kissed his wife's white cheek again and whispered.
***
The residence of the Eastern Empress, Katzen East Palace.
The semi-circular concert hall behind it was a space prepared by the Empress to enjoy performances with the Emperor.
As the palace was owned by the Emperor's general secretary, the performance hall was not large, but it was carefully decorated.
The red curtain with refined gold ornaments and elaborate rulers and jewels enhanced the majesty of the stage.
"Alas, thou who flows with the blood of gold, thou art the glory, the light, and the life of the world..."
Gahee's pure voice resounded throughout the stage.
As the best people in the capital, their clothes were as refined and gorgeous as those of the aristocracy.
The dancer moved her body like a butterfly to the song of Gahee and the melody of the musician.
However, the great performance failed to hold the audience's attention.
Their attention was endlessly focused on the 1st Princess, who sat quietly under the stage throughout the performance.
"The First Princess is wearing it... Is that Madame Devoire's dress?"
The lady whispered low under the outstretched fan.
Her eyes were nailed to the embroidery of the dress that the First Princess was wearing.
"Such delicate lace embroidery is Madame Devoir's exclusive patent, isn't it? There is no doubt about it."
"How did you get it? She didn't even take a commission unless she wanted to."
"That's all. The wedding, reception, and coronation dress worn by the 1st Princess were all the work of Madame Devoir."
"Oh my God, how much money did you spend..."
The wives who had been counting their fingers hurriedly hid their open mouths behind the fan.
"Since when was Valdina so rich? It must have been in vain that it quickly emerged as a new empire..."
"It may be a gift from His Highness the First Prince. That snotty Madame Devoir was someone who could be called with just money."
Aside from her spectacular appearance at the coronation, not much is known about the First Princess.
Currently, the big names in the Katzen social circle are rejecting her.
The 1st Princess did not knock on the door, but rather built the wall higher and did not come out of the palace.
To find out the truth of the ever-increasing imagination and rumors, they must delve into the terrifying 1st Princess's womb.
However, it was impossible, so people's curiosity deepened.
Then, someone snapped annoyedly.
"I say something that makes sense. Is the Brilliant First Prince so extravagant?"
The young lady, who was frowning with her mouth out, was Princess Strauss, the daughter of the Northern King'.
"You are so excited and pretend that you are eating away at the proud dignity of His Highness the First Prince."
"... Well, I don't think so, oh, no. Princess Strauss is right."
The noble lady, who was about to refute the Princess's words, immediately remembered her father, the Northern King, and quietly kept her mouth shut.
"Right now, the Eastern Empress' father is sick, and the Western Empress' father is distracted by the monster wave. In the end, the Northern King will take power."
The North, which recently changed ownership, successfully suppressed successive waves of monsters, shedding its past poverty and becoming stronger inside and out.
Naturally, the Northern King's position in the northern part of the empire was also rising rapidly.
"That's why the Eastern Empress has called this sissy, who is not on the same sice, to be here today."
If there is a high possibility that the Northern King will take power, he cannot miss the strings either.
Princess Strauss, who had no way of knowing the calculations of the wives, took the silence as sympathy and muttered triumphantly.
"Look, the Eastern Empress will not let the imperial dignity crumble."
There was not a single member of the First Princess here today.
It was obvious that it was a stage to bite the 1st Princess.
Princess Strauss's eyes had a strange tinge. There was a cruel anticipation in her almond-colored eyes.
On the other hand, as expected by the Princess, the beautiful eyes of the Eastern Empress, who sat at the top of the seat, were also sharply compared to the First Princess's eyes.
Especially on the slender neck of the 1st Princess.
'I asked where it was sold.'
The necklace that she had once tried to get her hands on from Perdiccas II was hanging around her neck.
She doesn't know if they bought it or if it was a gift from the 1st Prince, but either way, it's one thing that makes her look ugly.
'Unlike our Angelique, you are enjoying a very luxurious year.'
There was a chill in her eyes.
Meanwhile, the performance ended.
After the beautiful dancing and singing, sweat dripped down the faces of the women.
Unlike everyone busy thinking about other things, the small banquet hall was filled with the sound of applause.
"Now, since the show is over, let's go inside."
A full-fledged tea party with refreshments was scheduled to be held in the glass greenhouse of the East Palace.
The moment she stepped into the greenhouse, Medea stopped.
"Your Highness, I will take you here."
"..."
"Your Highness, the First Princess?"
Medea stared at the maid of the Eastern Empress's entourage without moving.
All the seats in the greenhouse were reserved.
And Medea's seat, which was ushered in by the maid of the Eastern Empress, was next to the seats of the dancers who had just finished their performance.
She was even a few steps below the seat, which made the dancers think that she was the one who sat at the top of the seat.
"...Why, why our seats..."
Even the dancers had a look of embarrassment on their faces, perhaps unexpectedly.
It was because they realized the reason why the Eastern Empress had called them today.
"The high-ranking people are the only ones who are going to explode in the fight."
Saya, who was next to Medea, also had a fire in her eyes.
'These crazy people! I asked her what kind of tea party she made so troublesome, and she wanted to insult me like this!'
There was a momentary embarrassment among the participants.
No matter how much she is an Empress, it would be too insulting to have the 1st Princess sit next to the dancer.
Indeed, she has a strong shield called the Emperor's favor, so even the First Princess is not afraid of her.
It was something they couldn't have imagined, but it was an extremely pleasant sight for the bystanders.
How will the 1st Princess react?
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