A heavy silence fell on the banquet hall.
I noticed that everyone in the hall was watching my reaction, and I had a smile on my lips.
"Then what are you doing without bringing the guests over?"
When I scolded the butler in a calm tone, the man standing at the door pursed his lips with a nervous expression.
"That... It seems that Your Highness will have to greet the guests in person."
I raised the corners of my eyes.
I now held the highest status in the East. There was no such thing as a guest that I had to run out to greet myself.
Just as I was about to do so, the man's trembling voice pierced my eardrums.
"She came as a representative of the envoy... The Empress of the Empire."
I opened her mouth slightly. Suddenly, my mind seemed to be empty. Then, when I heard the rumbling sound, I came to my senses.
I hurriedly left the banquet hall. At that moment, I had no time to fear that attention would be drawn to my unnatural gait.
I, who flew my skirt across the wide hall, ran out of the building.
In the courtyard of the castle, hundreds of envoys wearing imperial flags were lined up. The woman at the front waved her hand with a bright smile.
"Thalia!"
A woman shining as brilliantly as the sun crossed the garden as if she were walking on the clouds. She looked so fresh that it was hard to believe that she had a nineteen-year-old daughter.
"How have you been all this time?"
In an instant, the woman came right in front of me and hugged me with her creamy, soft arms. The sweet smell of flesh distracted me.
I looked up at her with eyes that were a mixture of confusion and anxiety, as well as fear and longing.
"Uh, why is Mom here..."
"That's why I'm here to see you."
Senevere kissed me on the cheek and whispered affectionately.
"I was curious about how you were doing, so I begged Berus to send me as an envoy. And, as always, he couldn't break my stubbornness."
Then, she wrapped her fine fingers in the scent of roses and squeezed her daughter's cheeks and looked into my face.
"Your complexion looks better than when you were in the imperial palace. It seems that your husband treats you well."
For unknown reasons, I felt a chill down my spine. I hurriedly pulled myself away from her like a man on fire.
"Really... Why did you come here? What the hell are you trying to do this time...!"
"Your Majesty."
At that moment, a voice like a stiff foot interrupted my back.
I turned my head towards the sound I had heard. Wearing a long black coat and a cloak with gray fur, Barcas was coming across the garden.
Apparently, he heard the news during the cathedral meeting and rushed over. Barcas, who had been driving the strong smell of frankincense, cleverly stood between Senevere and me, and leaned down.
"Thank you for coming this way."
"I express my condolences, Grand Duke Sheerkhan."
The swampy-deep blue eyes glanced at the young man's figure, which seemed to have been precisely carved out of marble. A mischievous smile spread over her lips.
"He could see his son grow up so well before he died, so your father would not have had any time to spare."
A faint sarcasm crossed Barcas's lips in a tone that seemed to be dealing with a young boy.
He replied in his characteristic low-pitched voice.
"I don't know what to do with your undeserved words."
"You are still humble. Many people in the imperial palace miss you."
Senevere, who smiled wickedly, gave me a meaningful look and added.
"In particular, the Crown Prince and the First Princess seem to feel your vacancy greatly. That's right. The three of you were very close."
I gritted my teeth to avoid reacting.
Senevere, who had been watching me closely, smiled cheerfully at Barcas again.
"Come to think of it, there was something that the two of them asked me to convey. Can you make a place for me for a while?"
A sharp aura spread in Barcas' eyes.
Everyone in the world knew that the two of them could not ask Senevere for anything.
What are you trying to talk about with him while telling a clear lie?
I had nothing but an ominous premonition.
I grabbed the hem of Senevere's clothes with my twitching hands.
"You said you came to see me? Tell me the story."
A hint of annoyance crossed Senevere's face as I poured out my words in a hurry.
I felt helpless, as if I had returned to being a nine-year-old child in an instant. Just like in those days when I was frustrated by her coldness. I was so frightened that I couldn't move around, but a big hand fell on my shoulder.
"Your Highness, please rest in your room."
Barcas, who had taken me away from Senevere, gave instructions to the maids who were waiting at the door.
"Hurry up and bring the Grand Duchess."
As soon as his instructions were about to fall, the maids rushed over.
I reluctantly turned around. At that moment, a gentle voice echoed behind me.
"Let's put off the old story between mother and daughter until later."
I, who was glaring over my shoulder, immediately took a step.
After staying in Barcas's office for a long time, Senevere came to visit me only at sunset.
I, who was pacing around the room, immediately ran to the door. However, the nanny was one step faster.
Th nanny who ran out grabbed the hem of Senevere's skirt and burst into tears like chicken dung.
"Your Majesty! I can't believe I'll see you again so closely... The dwarf has no time to die!"
"Oh, why are you dying?"
Senevere, who naturally removed my nanny, sparked a girlish smile.
"You have to live a long time. If I don't have a nanny by Talia's side, how can I let gо?"
The nanny looked up to Senevere with an emotional face.
I, who was glaring at her with abomination, pulled my mother's arm with my dry hand.
"Now you can give me time too, right?"
At the sarcastic question, Senevir's eyes curled.
"Of course. But I came here with the intention of talking to you."
Then she smiled at the knights of the Sheerkan family who followed her like a watchman.
"I want to talk quietly with my daughter. Can you step aside for a while?"
"Pardon, Your Majesty. I can't obey that order, even for your safety."
Tyrone El Drakan bowed his head and politely expressed his refusal.
The Empress, who looked at the knight who was disobedient to her with Interest, shrugged lightly.
"It seems wrong to be alone. Shall we take a short walk?"
With a wary expression, I picked up my coat and left the room.
Countless eyes followed us all the way through the hallway to the garden.
The news that a person in political conflict with the Grand Duke family had come to the East on her own feet seemed to put everyone in the castle on alert.
However, even with her stinging eyes, Senevere didn't care. Senevere, who had come down the stairs with a majestic appearance, flowed across the hall like water. I limped and chased after her.
As I kept pace with Senevere, my spine was soaked with sweat in an Instant. However, the Empress seemed to have no intention of caring for her daughter, who was unwell.
Senevere, who strode into the garden under the sunset, looked back at the knights with an Innocent expression.
"It's okay to keep a little distance, right?"
When the knights hesitated to answer, she put pressure on them with a smile.
"Or were you ordered to eavesdrop on our conversation?"
"...No. I'll wait here."
Tyrone retorted with a reluctant expression.
Without delay, Senevere took steps along the leafy trail. I, who stumbled to keep pace with her, spoke impatiently when I realized that the knights had moved far enough.
"What the hell are you here for? Don't lie that you came to see me. I know it's not."
"I'm really here to see you. I wanted to see how you were doing."
I snorted.
On the day I left for the East, she was a woman who didn't even stick out her nose. What kind of nonsense are you now?
Just as I was about to shoot at her, Senevere whispered in my ear as if she were telling a secret story.
"And I wanted to see if there was a chance that your husband would turn to our side."
At the unexpected words, my eyes widened.
Senevere, who was looking down at the rippling water, continued calmly.
"It seems that Grand Duke Sheerkan's marriage to you has made Gareth suspicious of the loyalty of the Sheerkan family. That's why we're reaching out to the north to find a replacement."
"What do you mean... Does that mean you're pushing for Ayla's new marriage?"
"Yes. Apparently, Gareth expects the Duke of the North to fill your husband's vacancy."
A slight smile appeared on Senevere's lips.
"But I don't know if the marriage will really take place. Your husband is actively interfering."
I squeezed the hem of my skirt so hard that my fingertips turned white.
Senevere added cruelly.
"Thanks to this, there is a story of unfulfilled love between the First Princess and the young Grand Duke of Sheerkhan in the imperial palace."
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