“Does that mean your memories of Lady Zelda have completely returned?”
Bellos confirmed once more.
“I’m not sure if they’re all back or if there are still some that haven’t returned, but it seems most of my memories from before the monastery have returned.”
He also said that Zelda’s memories had only returned twice.
So, did his memories from the Continental Hunting Tournament still remain?
Bellos observed Linel’s expression closely.
He seemed unaware that he had lost his memories due to the magic potion Roxana had given him.
However, Bellos knew Linel to be a very cunning person, so he couldn’t believe everything he said.
“Then, why did you lose your memories...”
“That’s right. I think she invited the concubines to dinner just to show off her status as Empress. Of course, we’ll have a meal together after the concubine ceremony anyway.”
Rosie, sitting across from Melanie, shared her thoughts.
Rosie’s gaze landed on my stomach after she finished speaking.
“I... are you feeling okay? You’re not pushing yourself too hard today, are you?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“What? Are you sick?”
Melanie looked back and forth between Rosie and me, then observed my complexion before asking,
“No, it’s not that... I’ve just been feeling a bit tired lately.”
I was pregnant.
I wanted to tell Melanie about the pregnancy, but I needed to be careful for now.
She wouldn’t go around bragging about it, but Melanie has a tendency to blurt things out without meaning to.
So, I thought it would be best to keep it a secret for the time being.
The carriage arrived in front of the Empress’s Palace.
The other concubines’ carriages were already parked at the entrance.
“It looks like we’re the last ones to arrive.”
Bellos confirmed once more.
“I’m not sure if they’re all back or if there are still some that haven’t returned, but it seems most of my memories from before the monastery have returned.”
He also said that Zelda’s memories had only returned twice.
So, did his memories from the Continental Hunting Tournament still remain?
Bellos observed Linel’s expression closely.
He seemed unaware that he had lost his memories due to the magic potion Roxana had given him.
However, Bellos knew Linel to be a very cunning person, so he couldn’t believe everything he said.
“Then, why did you lose your memories...”
Bellos asked cautiously, but Linel raised a hand and cut him off.
“I don’t know about that. But if my memories return a third time, then maybe we’ll find out.”
“Ah...”
Bellos felt relieved.
“How on earth did your memories come back?”
“How on earth did your memories come back?”
"Could it be that it reacted to her blood?"
The most important ingredient in making a magical potion that causes someone to lose their memories is their blood. Occasionally, if the blood of someone with amnesia came into contact with the potion, memories would return as a side effect.
"But that's a very special and rare situation, isn't it?"
It was known that such a side effect would occur if you deeply loved someone who had lost their memories.
"Is Emperor Linel's love for Zelda that heartbreaking?"
Bellos barely suppressed a hollow laugh. He had already given up on Zelda, but he couldn't help feeling a pang of bitterness.
"Did you experience anything in common the first time your memories returned and the second time?"
Bellos asked, wondering if perhaps his memories had returned through a different route than the one he knew.
"Blood. I didn't know the cause the first time my memories returned, but I found out the second time. Both times, Zelda's blood touched my hands."
It was just as Bellos had predicted.
“Oh, something like that happened... so that’s what happened.”
Bellos nodded, remaining silent.
“So, I’ve been thinking about it...”
He pushed his back from the sofa and leaned in close to Bellos, speaking in a secretive voice.
“I’m starting to think that Jim losing his memory wasn’t a coincidence.”
“!”
Bellos tried not to react to his words. Somehow, he felt as if Linel’s cold, sharp blue eyes were piercing through him.
“Your Majesty, if it wasn’t a coincidence...”
“I wonder if someone deliberately erased only Jim’s memories of Zelda... What do you think, Lord of the Tower?”
Bellos sensed the hidden anger in Linel’s cautious voice.
***
I giggled all the way to my quarters in the carriage because his slurred voice, mimicking mine, kept lingering in my ears.
“Huh? I think Your Highness Rosie and Your Highness Melanie are here.”
Sharon looked out the carriage window and spotted two people loitering in front of the building entrance.
“What’s going on?”
Rosie approached me as I got out of the carriage.
“I thought you came straight back from the West Palace to your quarters, but did you stop somewhere else along the way?”
“Oh, I had some business at the Main Palace... What’s going on?”
“You can just come with us. It’s almost time, but thankfully, we won’t be late. Well, what’s the big deal if we’re a little late?”
Melanie muttered, looking me up and down, then linked arms with me and led me toward the carriage we’d come from. Rosie quickly joined me.
“Where on earth do you want us to go?”
“The very noble new Empress has notified the concubines that we’re having dinner together.”
Melanie retorted sarcastically, and Rosie added with a pout,
“I thought it would be indigestion if we ate together, so I took some digestive medicine beforehand.”
"Nothing special? Just wanting to have dinner with us?"
"Yes, I guess she's lonely eating alone? Well, she's supposed to be the Empress, but no one treats her like one except the concubines from the Principality of Aklatto."
Melanie replied as she climbed into the carriage and sat down. Then she suddenly burst into laughter and continued.
"It must be boring with only those concubines frequenting the Empress's palace. Besides, meeting His Majesty is as difficult as meeting a god."
“That’s right. I think she invited the concubines to dinner just to show off her status as Empress. Of course, we’ll have a meal together after the concubine ceremony anyway.”
Rosie, sitting across from Melanie, shared her thoughts.
Rosie’s gaze landed on my stomach after she finished speaking.
“I... are you feeling okay? You’re not pushing yourself too hard today, are you?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“What? Are you sick?”
Melanie looked back and forth between Rosie and me, then observed my complexion before asking,
“No, it’s not that... I’ve just been feeling a bit tired lately.”
I was pregnant.
I wanted to tell Melanie about the pregnancy, but I needed to be careful for now.
She wouldn’t go around bragging about it, but Melanie has a tendency to blurt things out without meaning to.
So, I thought it would be best to keep it a secret for the time being.
The carriage arrived in front of the Empress’s Palace.
The other concubines’ carriages were already parked at the entrance.
“It looks like we’re the last ones to arrive.”
As Rosie tried to hurry, Melanie grabbed her arm.
“Why are you in such a hurry? The main character is usually the last to arrive.”
I wasn’t sure who the main character was, but Rosie and I burst out laughing and followed Melanie’s lead, walking leisurely towards the banquet hall.
As we entered the banquet hall, my eyes first met with Roxana, who was sitting at the head of the table.
She looked exactly like an Empress.
However, Roxana was wearing a hat with a veil today as well.
The three of us were the last to be seated.
“You’re late,”
Roxana asked me.
I don’t know who arranged the seats, but unfortunately, I was sitting diagonally next to Roxana, who was at the head of the table.
Was it some kind of consideration for the former Empress?
Or was it just so I could eat and relax?
I tried to compose myself and respond to Roxana, but Melanie spoke first.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m late.”
Roxana’s bright, cheerful, and selfless voice clearly caught her off guard.
Melanie's true intention was closer to, "It's late, so what?"
"...?"
Roxana, who still hadn't fully grasped Melanie, seemed at a loss as to how to respond.
"Should Her Majesty the Empress wait for the concubines? You should leave early."
Yulina, a concubine from the Principality of Aklatto who had clashed with Melanie several times in the past, looked around at the three of us and muttered bitterly.
"Yes, of course. Your Highness Yulina, please work harder and become a loyal concubine."
Melanie smiled brightly again and gave Yulina and her twin concubines a hard time. I, too, saw this as an opportunity and smiled and said to them,
"We were tight on preparations, weren't we? Imperial custom on the Continent is to schedule dinner appointments at least half a day in advance, not two hours beforehand."
...In fact, there is no such custom in the imperial court.
But did my words, as a former Empress, seem credible?
Not only the concubines from the Duchy of Aklatto, but even Roxana seemed to believe me.
Rosie and Melanie both glanced at me sideways.
“Isn’t that right?”
When I asked for their agreement, the two, as if prepared in advance, teased the concubines of Aklatto.
“Yes, isn’t that the first thing you learn when learning imperial etiquette? Oh, you don’t know.”
“What’s wrong, Your Highness Melanie? It’s only natural you wouldn’t know, in a country without an imperial family...”
The seemingly innocent voice, coupled with the brazenness of the lie, prevented anyone from reacting.
Catherine and Pecilini also seemed to initially recall, wondering if such rules existed in the Continental imperial court.
Then, Catherine slightly lowered her head, a furtive smile creeping up her lips.
As if trying to change the mood, Roxana ordered the servants to bring in the food.
Why did they keep bringing it out like this?
She seemed to be trying to flaunt her status with the food.
The table was lined with an enormous amount of food, enough to last a week.
The other concubines, including me, were wide-eyed, gazing intently at the endless stream of food.
I hadn't been hungry until just a moment ago, but the sight of such a sumptuous meal strangely made me feel hungry again.
"Everyone, please make yourself at home."
Roxana elegantly raised a hand, offering the concubines a meal.
“Why are you in such a hurry? The main character is usually the last to arrive.”
I wasn’t sure who the main character was, but Rosie and I burst out laughing and followed Melanie’s lead, walking leisurely towards the banquet hall.
***
As we entered the banquet hall, my eyes first met with Roxana, who was sitting at the head of the table.
She looked exactly like an Empress.
However, Roxana was wearing a hat with a veil today as well.
The three of us were the last to be seated.
“You’re late,”
Roxana asked me.
I don’t know who arranged the seats, but unfortunately, I was sitting diagonally next to Roxana, who was at the head of the table.
Was it some kind of consideration for the former Empress?
Or was it just so I could eat and relax?
I tried to compose myself and respond to Roxana, but Melanie spoke first.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m late.”
Roxana’s bright, cheerful, and selfless voice clearly caught her off guard.
Melanie's true intention was closer to, "It's late, so what?"
"...?"
Roxana, who still hadn't fully grasped Melanie, seemed at a loss as to how to respond.
"Should Her Majesty the Empress wait for the concubines? You should leave early."
Yulina, a concubine from the Principality of Aklatto who had clashed with Melanie several times in the past, looked around at the three of us and muttered bitterly.
"Yes, of course. Your Highness Yulina, please work harder and become a loyal concubine."
Melanie smiled brightly again and gave Yulina and her twin concubines a hard time. I, too, saw this as an opportunity and smiled and said to them,
"We were tight on preparations, weren't we? Imperial custom on the Continent is to schedule dinner appointments at least half a day in advance, not two hours beforehand."
...In fact, there is no such custom in the imperial court.
But did my words, as a former Empress, seem credible?
Not only the concubines from the Duchy of Aklatto, but even Roxana seemed to believe me.
Rosie and Melanie both glanced at me sideways.
“Isn’t that right?”
When I asked for their agreement, the two, as if prepared in advance, teased the concubines of Aklatto.
“Yes, isn’t that the first thing you learn when learning imperial etiquette? Oh, you don’t know.”
“What’s wrong, Your Highness Melanie? It’s only natural you wouldn’t know, in a country without an imperial family...”
The seemingly innocent voice, coupled with the brazenness of the lie, prevented anyone from reacting.
Catherine and Pecilini also seemed to initially recall, wondering if such rules existed in the Continental imperial court.
Then, Catherine slightly lowered her head, a furtive smile creeping up her lips.
As if trying to change the mood, Roxana ordered the servants to bring in the food.
Why did they keep bringing it out like this?
She seemed to be trying to flaunt her status with the food.
The table was lined with an enormous amount of food, enough to last a week.
The other concubines, including me, were wide-eyed, gazing intently at the endless stream of food.
I hadn't been hungry until just a moment ago, but the sight of such a sumptuous meal strangely made me feel hungry again.
"Everyone, please make yourself at home."
Roxana elegantly raised a hand, offering the concubines a meal.
"Let's see. What should we start with?"
I asked the baby in my stomach, carefully examining the food.
The first thing that caught my eye was the lobster, butter-grilled, its meat well-seasoned.
My mouth watered, and I quickly reached out for my plate.
Pecilini, sitting right in front of me, grabbed the same plate at the same time.
“Oh, eat,”
Pecilini said, pulling his hand away from his plate first and offering it to me.
“Let’s share.”
I scooped half of the lobster butter-grilled onto my plate first, then handed it to Pecilini.
She thanked me and took the entire plate, devouring it with gusto.
Almost all the conversation during the dinner took place between the concubines of the Principality of Aklatto and Melanie.
Half of the conversation revolved around luxury goods, and the other half compared the party cultures of the continent and the Principality.
I could feel Roxana, sitting nearby, constantly watching my dazzling fork-handling, but it wasn’t enough to deter my voracious appetite, so I didn’t pay much attention.
Whenever I put down my fork and knife, wondering if I was eating too much alone, I found solace in looking at Pecilini, who was sitting in front of me.
She ate endlessly, practically inhaling the food.
The funny thing was, Pecilini and I kept reaching for the same food.
The dishes, the fruit, even the drinks, overlapped quite a bit.
Every time, we couldn't help but share our plates, sharing a smile as we passed around the food.
"You two have similar eating habits, huh?"
Celine, one of the twin concubines, asked curiously.
Melanie burst out laughing and joked,
"Oh, really? You eat so well, just like pregnant people."
The problem was that the joke sounded real in my case.
"Kee, kee...!"
I was popping a large green grape into my mouth, squeezing the juice out, when I heard Melanie's words. I choked.
What was strange was Pecilini's reaction.
She, too, forked over a large piece of steak and dropped it onto her plate.
Roxana frowned and glanced at Pecilini and me.
It wasn't so much that she sensed something was off as that she was annoyed by the chaotic atmosphere.
"I apologize for interrupting your meal, Your Majesty."
I addressed Roxana as "Your Majesty," and her expression softened.
"Do you get pregnant alone? I heard His Majesty visited Your Highness Zelda's residence, but has Your Highness Pecilini ever served His Majesty?"
Yulina asked Pecilini.
"No. Not yet..."
"Then there's absolutely no chance of Her Highness Pecilini being pregnant. Hahaha."
Yulina snorted, and her twin sisters continued, teasingly,
"Oh my? Do you know anything else? There might be circumstances we don't know about, right?"
"That's right. We don't know."
Pecilini's cheeks began to flush at the twin sisters' thoughtless joke.
Suddenly, I remembered Prince Tesla's escape to the West Palace, where he had been caught by Commander Macrom behind the harem building.
I don't know why Prince Tesla suddenly came to mind.
Pecilini's expression hardened.
I could have just laughed it off, but it was a somewhat baffling behavior.
"Pecilini, what's with your expression? You look like you're really pregnant."
Roxana's words suddenly made the atmosphere feel awkward.
"...Yes? Oh, I'm sorry. I, I was just distracted for a moment... I'm absolutely not pregnant with His Majesty's child!"
Pecilini's strangely tangled answer caused Roxana's suspicious eyes to narrow.
"Pecilini, are you...?"
Pecilini took a deep breath at the murderous intent in Roxana's voice.
I, too, was about to put down my fork, my nerves growing.
The banquet hall door opened, and the voice of Chief Chamberlain Stiane rang out.
"His Majesty the Emperor is entering!"
What?! Who is entering?
Why is Linel here?
"...Your Majesty!"
Roxana leaped to her feet, a look of emotion flashing in her eyes.
I asked the baby in my stomach, carefully examining the food.
The first thing that caught my eye was the lobster, butter-grilled, its meat well-seasoned.
My mouth watered, and I quickly reached out for my plate.
Pecilini, sitting right in front of me, grabbed the same plate at the same time.
“Oh, eat,”
Pecilini said, pulling his hand away from his plate first and offering it to me.
“Let’s share.”
I scooped half of the lobster butter-grilled onto my plate first, then handed it to Pecilini.
She thanked me and took the entire plate, devouring it with gusto.
Almost all the conversation during the dinner took place between the concubines of the Principality of Aklatto and Melanie.
Half of the conversation revolved around luxury goods, and the other half compared the party cultures of the continent and the Principality.
I could feel Roxana, sitting nearby, constantly watching my dazzling fork-handling, but it wasn’t enough to deter my voracious appetite, so I didn’t pay much attention.
Whenever I put down my fork and knife, wondering if I was eating too much alone, I found solace in looking at Pecilini, who was sitting in front of me.
She ate endlessly, practically inhaling the food.
The funny thing was, Pecilini and I kept reaching for the same food.
The dishes, the fruit, even the drinks, overlapped quite a bit.
Every time, we couldn't help but share our plates, sharing a smile as we passed around the food.
"You two have similar eating habits, huh?"
Celine, one of the twin concubines, asked curiously.
Melanie burst out laughing and joked,
"Oh, really? You eat so well, just like pregnant people."
The problem was that the joke sounded real in my case.
"Kee, kee...!"
I was popping a large green grape into my mouth, squeezing the juice out, when I heard Melanie's words. I choked.
What was strange was Pecilini's reaction.
She, too, forked over a large piece of steak and dropped it onto her plate.
Roxana frowned and glanced at Pecilini and me.
It wasn't so much that she sensed something was off as that she was annoyed by the chaotic atmosphere.
"I apologize for interrupting your meal, Your Majesty."
I addressed Roxana as "Your Majesty," and her expression softened.
"Do you get pregnant alone? I heard His Majesty visited Your Highness Zelda's residence, but has Your Highness Pecilini ever served His Majesty?"
Yulina asked Pecilini.
"No. Not yet..."
"Then there's absolutely no chance of Her Highness Pecilini being pregnant. Hahaha."
Yulina snorted, and her twin sisters continued, teasingly,
"Oh my? Do you know anything else? There might be circumstances we don't know about, right?"
"That's right. We don't know."
Pecilini's cheeks began to flush at the twin sisters' thoughtless joke.
Suddenly, I remembered Prince Tesla's escape to the West Palace, where he had been caught by Commander Macrom behind the harem building.
I don't know why Prince Tesla suddenly came to mind.
Pecilini's expression hardened.
I could have just laughed it off, but it was a somewhat baffling behavior.
"Pecilini, what's with your expression? You look like you're really pregnant."
Roxana's words suddenly made the atmosphere feel awkward.
"...Yes? Oh, I'm sorry. I, I was just distracted for a moment... I'm absolutely not pregnant with His Majesty's child!"
Pecilini's strangely tangled answer caused Roxana's suspicious eyes to narrow.
"Pecilini, are you...?"
Pecilini took a deep breath at the murderous intent in Roxana's voice.
I, too, was about to put down my fork, my nerves growing.
The banquet hall door opened, and the voice of Chief Chamberlain Stiane rang out.
"His Majesty the Emperor is entering!"
What?! Who is entering?
Why is Linel here?
"...Your Majesty!"
Roxana leaped to her feet, a look of emotion flashing in her eyes.
Comments
Post a Comment