"Don't get ahead of yourself,"
he said calmly.
Speaking like that, isn't that a death sentence?
"You're saying that because there's a group of people outside who want to end my life ahead of me!"
"Hmm, we really have to go now."
Nelly patted my shoulder as if to soothe my excitement and urged me once more.
"Remember what I said, okay?"
...What did you say?
My mind was spinning.
I couldn't quite remember what he'd said.
Still, I nodded vaguely and kept my eyes on him.
Only then did he leave the waiting room with a relieved expression.
"..."
I was alone again.
After Nelly left, I tried to recall what he said.
But the word "death sentence" was etched in my mind, and all other thoughts faded.
Still, I felt relieved.
I saw his face for the last time...
Oh, my God.
Less than a minute after he left, I was already contemplating death.
If I had known this would happen, I should have eliminated Roxana in the underground chamber, taken the Incarnation Sword, and fled...
Regret washed over me.
No, then what about Sharon?
“Please come out now.”
A few minutes later, a priest opened the door and came in. It was the same priest who had guided me to this waiting room earlier.
It felt as if someone was constantly beating my heart like a drum.
Dum, dum—the sound of my heart reverberated throughout my body.
But I calmly left the waiting room and asked the priest,
“Are there a lot of people gathered?”
“Yes?”
“In the Great Hall.”
“Oh, right. The matter is incredibly important.”
The priest glanced at me with a cold gaze and replied,
“Now, please go in.”
The priest opened the door to the Great Hall himself.
I consciously straightened my back and walked.
The quiet, yet unsettling gazes sat on either side of me.
The Emperor’s chair, the highest seat, was empty.
Just below the steps sat the High Priest, with long tables stretched out on either side.
These tables were occupied by the principal ministers.
My seat was squarely in the center.
In the center stood a small wooden fence, large enough for one or two people.
Clearly, this was where the criminals stood.
As I approached, a knight standing behind the fence motioned for me to step inside.
The atmosphere was very much like a courtroom.
I scanned the ministers' faces from side to side.
They were already killing me with their gazes.
Looking around again, I spotted a group of people sitting in a row on separate seats near the Emperor's throne.
It looked like a witness stand for a judge.
Magic Tower Lord's expression was calm, Captain Macrom's eyes were intense, and Empress Elan, who met my gaze, made a gesture of stretching her own shoulders, urging me to straighten them.
All three of them were encouraging me with their gazes.
I straightened my hunched posture as I looked at the group.
Grand Duke Martins was also sitting next to them.
Perhaps he had remained in the Lapion Empire in place of Prince Tesla.
Perhaps Grand Duke Martins had been summoned here, as he had accompanied me to the Lapion Empire as the Minister of Foreign Affairs when I arrived there as the "Acting Empress."
Grand Duke Martins looked at me with an overly pitiful gaze.
A moment later, the doors to the Great Hall burst open.
As the doors opened, everyone except me turned their attention to one place.
All the ministers rose from their chairs.
It seemed my ex-husband, the Emperor, had appeared.
I heard the Emperor's heavy footsteps behind me.
Next to them, the clatter of shoes.
"You brought Roxana with you,"
I said, my lips curling involuntarily.
As the Emperor's footsteps drew nearer, I raised my eyes, searching for Nelly.
"Why can't I see him?"
I'd been searching for him all along, but he wasn't in the Great Hall.
My heart began to race.
Instead of Nelly, I spotted Prince Norton, sitting in the middle seat on the left.
As Rosie said, he really didn't return to the Pasha Empire, but remained here.
Emperor Adrian is like that because of Empress Elan, but why is Prince Norton still in the Lapion Empire... Ah, there was Rams.
Of course, moving the still-young Rams to the Southern Continent was difficult for the child in many ways.
I exchanged greetings with Prince Norton, even if only visually.
His gaze, like that of Grand Duke Martins, was filled with worry.
Meanwhile, the Emperor ascended to his throne.
Roxana took her seat next to the High Priest, one step below.
Moiya said the Emperor and I had a pretty good relationship...
What kind of person was he?
I raised my downcast gaze and looked at the Emperor.
'...Nelly?!'
I blinked several times.
I wasn't mistaken.
'Why is Nelly sitting in the Emperor's throne?'
I quickly looked at the knights surrounding him.
Since they weren't dragging him down, that must mean he's the Emperor...?
What the hell is going on?
My head was pounding, like it was going to split open. It was a real headache.
I almost screamed.
But fortunately, I was so shocked and flustered that no sound came out.
Only a weak, raspy sound of wind escaped my throat, but inside, I was already screaming.
'You... What the hell are you? What is it?!'
I asked him, even if only with my eyes.
He just stared at me with a confused expression.
My legs were wobbly, so I held on to the wooden bar in front of me with both hands for support.
I lowered my gaze to Roxana, who was glaring at me from beneath him.
Roxana met my eyes, furrowing her brow slightly and letting out a mocking sneer.
It was as if she was saying, 'You're dead now.'
Not a single person in the Great Hall gave me a hopeful look.
At the same time, the concubines who couldn't attend the meeting in the Great Hall gathered in Catherine's palace.
"What? Wasn't it supposed to be just the concubines?"
Melanie, entering the reception room, grumbled at the sight of the prospective concubines of the Principality of Aclatto who had already arrived.
“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have come. What’s wrong, Your Highness Catherine?”
She was already worried about Her Majesty the Empress, and now she's even more uneasy...
Rosie, who had come with Melanie, also frowned.
“Come here and have a seat. These people will soon be His Majesty’s concubines, so it’s not good for you to be so hostile toward each other.”
Catherine spoke politely, blowing on her hot black tea.
Rosie and Melanie looked at Catherine with amused expressions before exchanging glances with the three prospective concubines and sitting across from them.
“It’s been a while, Your Highness Pecilini?”
Rosie feigned acknowledgment to Pecilini, who was sitting next to Catherine.
Pecilini nodded and said softly, “I see.”
“Oh my, Your Highness Pecilini! I think you’ve gained a lot of weight since we last saw each other. You should be more careful.”
Melanie tilted her head to the side, reached out, and gently grabbed Pecilini’s arm, which had gained significantly more weight than before.
Pecilini blushed and covered her stomach with both hands.
“Oh my, your belly looks a bit bigger too, doesn’t it?”
“Ugh, Melanie.”
Catherine called Melanie by name, as if to tell her to be polite in front of the prospective concubines.
“There’s a meeting being held in the Grand Hall right now, right?”
The prospective concubines exchanged glances before Yulina asked them first.
Then, as if she had been waiting, Elle, the older of the twin sisters, added,
“You said we’re gathered to dethrone Her Majesty the Empress?”
“Who said that? Dethrone?”
Melanie asked with a glare.
“That’s right. Don’t talk nonsense. Nothing’s been decided yet!”
Rosie gritted her teeth and snapped at her prospective concubines.
“I see. Isn’t it time for His Majesty and the ministers to gather to make a decision? I heard she tried to embezzle imperial funds while she was Empress?”
When Celine, the younger of the twins, asked sarcastically, Rosie replied,
“That’s nonsense. Her Majesty would never do that.”
and she clenched her fists under the table.
“Yes, Rosie is right.”
Catherine unexpectedly took Rosie’s side.
She, too, didn’t think Zelda would embezzle money.
She didn’t like Empress Zelda, but she wasn’t an Empress blinded by greed.
The prospective concubines fell silent at Catherine’s words.
“Please, she needs to be safe...”
Rosie took a sip of her tea with a complicated mind, but her anxiety didn't go away.
"This won't postpone the rewedding again, right?"
Yulina spoke with a pout.
"Huh, is the rewedding the problem right now?"
Rosie asked in a bewildered tone, and the concubines-to-be answered in unison.
"Then we can get married quickly!"
"Do you really think life as a concubine is easy? It's such a cold and lonely position."
Melanie muttered, clicking her tongue.
"Your Majesty! The Kingdom of Shattonil and Empress Zelda have deceived us, the Lapion Empire. This is by no means a matter to be taken lightly!"
"It wasn't something that could be resolved with just a tariff reduction in the first place."
"Your Majesty, hold them accountable, even now!"
"We must show the Shattonil royal family what happens if they deceive us, the Lapion Empire!"
The ministers looked back and forth between me and the Emperor, speaking in a rush.
They all ended up begging for me, the "acting Empress," to be executed.
Damn it.
They all seemed to have a personal grudge against me.
While the ministers' blood boiled, Roxana's previously stiff expression gradually relaxed.
Roxana looked like she would burst into laughter if I were sentenced to death. Every time I saw her slightly raise the corners of her lips, my back, where she had whipped me, ached.
Before coming here, I had deliberately changed into a low-cut dress and robe.
This was possible because my dress was still in the dressing room in the main palace bedroom.
From the front, it covered my neck, but the back plunged down to my waist.
If Roxana were lying about what had happened in the secret underground chamber, I would take off my robe and show my back to everyone to refute her.
I didn't know how much of a repercussion the scars of Roxana's whip would have, but I had to do everything I could.
Nelly—or rather, the Emperor—just listened quietly to the ministers' arguments. He had an expression that said, "If you have anything to say, say it today."
But as the person directly involved, my mouth went dry every time they spoke.
I was simply amazed at how they all seemed to be of one mind and heart.
And I was also astonished by the new revelations I'd just made.
What? I was trying to embezzle imperial funds?
I threatened to expose Prince Tesla as the "acting Empress" and extort money from him?
It was absurd.
But these outrageous lies had already become truth to them.
No matter how many times I denied it, they wouldn't believe me.
In this oppressive atmosphere, it seemed like they'd admit to even non-crimes.
Anyone with a mouth would blurt out the word "death penalty" at least once.
"How easy it is for them to say it's not their own life."
"If you add the crime of threatening the Princess, this is beyond discussion!"
A man who appeared to be a noble from the Duchy of Aklatto brought up what had happened in the Empress's Palace that day.
I clutched the robe I was wearing tightly in my hand.
I threatened the Princess?
Should I expose myself now?
I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to take off my robe or not, but decided to wait for a more appropriate moment.
The noble from Aklatto explained in detail to the ministers what had happened in the secret underground chamber of the Empress's Palace.
The High Priest, who had heard the entire story, publicly asked Roxana,
"Did Empress Zelda really threaten the Princess?"
"Yes. I was reprimanding a servant who refused to admit her mistake, when she snatched the whip I had and threatened me."
Roxana's sobs caused the Emperor to look down at her. The noise in the Great Hall grew louder.
The Emperor raised a hand.
It seemed as if he was deliberately trying to silence Roxana.
In any case, a single gesture silenced the commotion.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the Emperor's decision.
What was he thinking?
What choice would he make?
Would he send me to prison for five years?
Or perhaps, out of lenience, send me to a small imperial villa in a provincial town, where I could live out my life?
"This is my decision."
I raised my lowered head and stared at him with wide eyes.
At that moment.
“Your Majesty! This is absurd!!”
Roxana abruptly rose from her seat, glaring up at him in protest.
Then, as if they had made a pact, the seated ministers all rose from their chairs.
“Please reconsider, Your Majesty!”
“It would be more appropriate to exile her to a distant land!”
“That’s right, reinstating a deposed Empress as a concubine is something that has never been done in the history of the Lapion Empire!”
The excited ministers’ voices rushed towards him.
“There will be no change in my decision!”
He raised his voice for the first time.
The Emperor’s gaze, having made his decision, was fierce enough to freeze the hall.
He looked straight at me and ordered once more.
“I dethrone Empress Zelda and demote her to Second Concubine.”
he said calmly.
Speaking like that, isn't that a death sentence?
"You're saying that because there's a group of people outside who want to end my life ahead of me!"
"Hmm, we really have to go now."
Nelly patted my shoulder as if to soothe my excitement and urged me once more.
"Remember what I said, okay?"
...What did you say?
My mind was spinning.
I couldn't quite remember what he'd said.
Still, I nodded vaguely and kept my eyes on him.
Only then did he leave the waiting room with a relieved expression.
"..."
I was alone again.
After Nelly left, I tried to recall what he said.
But the word "death sentence" was etched in my mind, and all other thoughts faded.
Still, I felt relieved.
I saw his face for the last time...
Oh, my God.
Less than a minute after he left, I was already contemplating death.
If I had known this would happen, I should have eliminated Roxana in the underground chamber, taken the Incarnation Sword, and fled...
Regret washed over me.
No, then what about Sharon?
“Please come out now.”
A few minutes later, a priest opened the door and came in. It was the same priest who had guided me to this waiting room earlier.
It felt as if someone was constantly beating my heart like a drum.
Dum, dum—the sound of my heart reverberated throughout my body.
But I calmly left the waiting room and asked the priest,
“Are there a lot of people gathered?”
“Yes?”
“In the Great Hall.”
“Oh, right. The matter is incredibly important.”
The priest glanced at me with a cold gaze and replied,
“Now, please go in.”
The priest opened the door to the Great Hall himself.
I consciously straightened my back and walked.
The quiet, yet unsettling gazes sat on either side of me.
The Emperor’s chair, the highest seat, was empty.
Just below the steps sat the High Priest, with long tables stretched out on either side.
These tables were occupied by the principal ministers.
My seat was squarely in the center.
In the center stood a small wooden fence, large enough for one or two people.
Clearly, this was where the criminals stood.
As I approached, a knight standing behind the fence motioned for me to step inside.
The atmosphere was very much like a courtroom.
I scanned the ministers' faces from side to side.
They were already killing me with their gazes.
Looking around again, I spotted a group of people sitting in a row on separate seats near the Emperor's throne.
It looked like a witness stand for a judge.
Magic Tower Lord's expression was calm, Captain Macrom's eyes were intense, and Empress Elan, who met my gaze, made a gesture of stretching her own shoulders, urging me to straighten them.
All three of them were encouraging me with their gazes.
I straightened my hunched posture as I looked at the group.
Grand Duke Martins was also sitting next to them.
Perhaps he had remained in the Lapion Empire in place of Prince Tesla.
Perhaps Grand Duke Martins had been summoned here, as he had accompanied me to the Lapion Empire as the Minister of Foreign Affairs when I arrived there as the "Acting Empress."
Grand Duke Martins looked at me with an overly pitiful gaze.
A moment later, the doors to the Great Hall burst open.
As the doors opened, everyone except me turned their attention to one place.
All the ministers rose from their chairs.
It seemed my ex-husband, the Emperor, had appeared.
I heard the Emperor's heavy footsteps behind me.
Next to them, the clatter of shoes.
"You brought Roxana with you,"
I said, my lips curling involuntarily.
As the Emperor's footsteps drew nearer, I raised my eyes, searching for Nelly.
"Why can't I see him?"
I'd been searching for him all along, but he wasn't in the Great Hall.
My heart began to race.
Instead of Nelly, I spotted Prince Norton, sitting in the middle seat on the left.
As Rosie said, he really didn't return to the Pasha Empire, but remained here.
Emperor Adrian is like that because of Empress Elan, but why is Prince Norton still in the Lapion Empire... Ah, there was Rams.
Of course, moving the still-young Rams to the Southern Continent was difficult for the child in many ways.
I exchanged greetings with Prince Norton, even if only visually.
His gaze, like that of Grand Duke Martins, was filled with worry.
Meanwhile, the Emperor ascended to his throne.
Roxana took her seat next to the High Priest, one step below.
Moiya said the Emperor and I had a pretty good relationship...
What kind of person was he?
I raised my downcast gaze and looked at the Emperor.
'...Nelly?!'
I blinked several times.
I wasn't mistaken.
'Why is Nelly sitting in the Emperor's throne?'
I quickly looked at the knights surrounding him.
Since they weren't dragging him down, that must mean he's the Emperor...?
What the hell is going on?
My head was pounding, like it was going to split open. It was a real headache.
I almost screamed.
But fortunately, I was so shocked and flustered that no sound came out.
Only a weak, raspy sound of wind escaped my throat, but inside, I was already screaming.
'You... What the hell are you? What is it?!'
I asked him, even if only with my eyes.
He just stared at me with a confused expression.
My legs were wobbly, so I held on to the wooden bar in front of me with both hands for support.
I lowered my gaze to Roxana, who was glaring at me from beneath him.
Roxana met my eyes, furrowing her brow slightly and letting out a mocking sneer.
It was as if she was saying, 'You're dead now.'
Not a single person in the Great Hall gave me a hopeful look.
***
At the same time, the concubines who couldn't attend the meeting in the Great Hall gathered in Catherine's palace.
"What? Wasn't it supposed to be just the concubines?"
Melanie, entering the reception room, grumbled at the sight of the prospective concubines of the Principality of Aclatto who had already arrived.
“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have come. What’s wrong, Your Highness Catherine?”
She was already worried about Her Majesty the Empress, and now she's even more uneasy...
Rosie, who had come with Melanie, also frowned.
“Come here and have a seat. These people will soon be His Majesty’s concubines, so it’s not good for you to be so hostile toward each other.”
Catherine spoke politely, blowing on her hot black tea.
Rosie and Melanie looked at Catherine with amused expressions before exchanging glances with the three prospective concubines and sitting across from them.
“It’s been a while, Your Highness Pecilini?”
Rosie feigned acknowledgment to Pecilini, who was sitting next to Catherine.
Pecilini nodded and said softly, “I see.”
“Oh my, Your Highness Pecilini! I think you’ve gained a lot of weight since we last saw each other. You should be more careful.”
Melanie tilted her head to the side, reached out, and gently grabbed Pecilini’s arm, which had gained significantly more weight than before.
Pecilini blushed and covered her stomach with both hands.
“Oh my, your belly looks a bit bigger too, doesn’t it?”
“Ugh, Melanie.”
Catherine called Melanie by name, as if to tell her to be polite in front of the prospective concubines.
“There’s a meeting being held in the Grand Hall right now, right?”
The prospective concubines exchanged glances before Yulina asked them first.
Then, as if she had been waiting, Elle, the older of the twin sisters, added,
“You said we’re gathered to dethrone Her Majesty the Empress?”
“Who said that? Dethrone?”
Melanie asked with a glare.
“That’s right. Don’t talk nonsense. Nothing’s been decided yet!”
Rosie gritted her teeth and snapped at her prospective concubines.
“I see. Isn’t it time for His Majesty and the ministers to gather to make a decision? I heard she tried to embezzle imperial funds while she was Empress?”
When Celine, the younger of the twins, asked sarcastically, Rosie replied,
“That’s nonsense. Her Majesty would never do that.”
and she clenched her fists under the table.
“Yes, Rosie is right.”
Catherine unexpectedly took Rosie’s side.
She, too, didn’t think Zelda would embezzle money.
She didn’t like Empress Zelda, but she wasn’t an Empress blinded by greed.
The prospective concubines fell silent at Catherine’s words.
“Please, she needs to be safe...”
Rosie took a sip of her tea with a complicated mind, but her anxiety didn't go away.
"This won't postpone the rewedding again, right?"
Yulina spoke with a pout.
"Huh, is the rewedding the problem right now?"
Rosie asked in a bewildered tone, and the concubines-to-be answered in unison.
"Then we can get married quickly!"
"Do you really think life as a concubine is easy? It's such a cold and lonely position."
Melanie muttered, clicking her tongue.
***
"Your Majesty! The Kingdom of Shattonil and Empress Zelda have deceived us, the Lapion Empire. This is by no means a matter to be taken lightly!"
"It wasn't something that could be resolved with just a tariff reduction in the first place."
"Your Majesty, hold them accountable, even now!"
"We must show the Shattonil royal family what happens if they deceive us, the Lapion Empire!"
The ministers looked back and forth between me and the Emperor, speaking in a rush.
They all ended up begging for me, the "acting Empress," to be executed.
Damn it.
They all seemed to have a personal grudge against me.
While the ministers' blood boiled, Roxana's previously stiff expression gradually relaxed.
Roxana looked like she would burst into laughter if I were sentenced to death. Every time I saw her slightly raise the corners of her lips, my back, where she had whipped me, ached.
Before coming here, I had deliberately changed into a low-cut dress and robe.
This was possible because my dress was still in the dressing room in the main palace bedroom.
From the front, it covered my neck, but the back plunged down to my waist.
If Roxana were lying about what had happened in the secret underground chamber, I would take off my robe and show my back to everyone to refute her.
I didn't know how much of a repercussion the scars of Roxana's whip would have, but I had to do everything I could.
Nelly—or rather, the Emperor—just listened quietly to the ministers' arguments. He had an expression that said, "If you have anything to say, say it today."
But as the person directly involved, my mouth went dry every time they spoke.
I was simply amazed at how they all seemed to be of one mind and heart.
And I was also astonished by the new revelations I'd just made.
What? I was trying to embezzle imperial funds?
I threatened to expose Prince Tesla as the "acting Empress" and extort money from him?
It was absurd.
But these outrageous lies had already become truth to them.
No matter how many times I denied it, they wouldn't believe me.
In this oppressive atmosphere, it seemed like they'd admit to even non-crimes.
Anyone with a mouth would blurt out the word "death penalty" at least once.
"How easy it is for them to say it's not their own life."
"If you add the crime of threatening the Princess, this is beyond discussion!"
A man who appeared to be a noble from the Duchy of Aklatto brought up what had happened in the Empress's Palace that day.
I clutched the robe I was wearing tightly in my hand.
I threatened the Princess?
Should I expose myself now?
I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to take off my robe or not, but decided to wait for a more appropriate moment.
The noble from Aklatto explained in detail to the ministers what had happened in the secret underground chamber of the Empress's Palace.
The High Priest, who had heard the entire story, publicly asked Roxana,
"Did Empress Zelda really threaten the Princess?"
"Yes. I was reprimanding a servant who refused to admit her mistake, when she snatched the whip I had and threatened me."
Roxana's sobs caused the Emperor to look down at her. The noise in the Great Hall grew louder.
The Emperor raised a hand.
It seemed as if he was deliberately trying to silence Roxana.
In any case, a single gesture silenced the commotion.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the Emperor's decision.
What was he thinking?
What choice would he make?
Would he send me to prison for five years?
Or perhaps, out of lenience, send me to a small imperial villa in a provincial town, where I could live out my life?
"This is my decision."
Everyone stared intently at the Emperor. Suddenly, the words he had spoken in the waiting room flashed through my mind.
"There is a way to live."
"No matter what happens, never argue."
He finally said.
'Even if I sentence you to death?'
'No matter what.'
He had clearly told me that...
His unwavering voice echoed throughout the Great Hall.
"Empress Zelda is deposed!"
Applause erupted here and there.
Ah... I had expected it, but it felt strange.
My heart clenched.
Had his mind changed?
He couldn't remember me as Empress, so he could easily misunderstand me.
His memory of me only lasted a few days.
My heart sank as I thought he might have changed his mind after hearing the ministers' opinions.
He slowly opened his mouth again.
It was finally the moment my fate was sealed.
"And the deposed Empress..."
The Emperor's silence stretched on, and I closed my eyes.
Was it the death penalty?
He would...
In the end...
“Demoted to concubine.”
“?!”
What do you want me to... do?
He finally said.
'Even if I sentence you to death?'
'No matter what.'
He had clearly told me that...
His unwavering voice echoed throughout the Great Hall.
"Empress Zelda is deposed!"
Applause erupted here and there.
Ah... I had expected it, but it felt strange.
My heart clenched.
Had his mind changed?
He couldn't remember me as Empress, so he could easily misunderstand me.
His memory of me only lasted a few days.
My heart sank as I thought he might have changed his mind after hearing the ministers' opinions.
He slowly opened his mouth again.
It was finally the moment my fate was sealed.
"And the deposed Empress..."
The Emperor's silence stretched on, and I closed my eyes.
Was it the death penalty?
He would...
In the end...
“Demoted to concubine.”
“?!”
What do you want me to... do?
I raised my lowered head and stared at him with wide eyes.
At that moment.
“Your Majesty! This is absurd!!”
Roxana abruptly rose from her seat, glaring up at him in protest.
Then, as if they had made a pact, the seated ministers all rose from their chairs.
“Please reconsider, Your Majesty!”
“It would be more appropriate to exile her to a distant land!”
“That’s right, reinstating a deposed Empress as a concubine is something that has never been done in the history of the Lapion Empire!”
The excited ministers’ voices rushed towards him.
“There will be no change in my decision!”
He raised his voice for the first time.
The Emperor’s gaze, having made his decision, was fierce enough to freeze the hall.
He looked straight at me and ordered once more.
“I dethrone Empress Zelda and demote her to Second Concubine.”
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