Episode 77. Misunderstandings Leave Behind Misunderstandings
The first letter arrived the morning after the application for the artifact excavation survey had been submitted. Maxim entered the study and handed her an envelope. It bore the Empress's crest.
As Serena took the envelope, she thought to herself, "She's quick, as expected." She tore it open. It was a short letter. It asked how she had been doing lately. It asked her to come to her chambers this afternoon. It said she wanted to have a cup of tea with her.
As Serena set the letter down, she thought, "She's summoning me right after the application for the excavation survey was submitted. She's trying to test me. I can't meet her now. Nope."
Serena looked at Lucy.
"Lucy, could you write a reply? Saying that I'm not feeling well and it will be difficult today."
Lucy said, taking out a notebook.
"What exactly is wrong?"
"Don't say exactly where it hurts. Just say I'm not feeling well."
"What do you think the Empress will say?"
Serena said, holding her tea.
"She'll be worried. That's all that matters."
Lucy nodded, gripping the notebook. Then, she quietly took notes.
The second letter arrived the next day. This time, it was even shorter. It asked how she was doing compared to yesterday, and if she could come today. Ugh, you old lady, it hasn't even been a day.
Serena said as she read the letter.
"Lucy, please write a reply today."
"What excuse is it this time?"
"That I feel a bit better than yesterday, but it is still difficult to push myself."
Lucy said as she took notes.
"My Princess, isn't the Empress going to come in person at this rate?"
Serena thought for a moment and said.
"Let's just hold out one more time."
Lucy clutched her notebook tightly as she took notes.
The third letter arrived the day after that. This time, the content was different. Since the Princess was ill, they would send the Imperial Doctor, and she was told to get examined. She was asked to come to her chambers once her condition improved after the doctor's visit.
Serena froze as she read the letter. Even the Imperial Doctor. How ridiculous. The Imperial Doctor isn't there to do this.
"Princess, won't the Royal Doctor come and expose that you're not sick?"
Serena thought for a moment. The Royal Doctor couldn't come. Getting an examination of a perfectly healthy body would reveal the truth. Yet, refusing the doctor while claiming to be unwell didn't add up.
"Write a reply. Say thank you, but that I'm fine. Say there's no need to send the Royal Doctor. Say I think I'll get better if I just rest."
Lucy roughly jotted down what Serena said.
"It seems the Empress is really going to come in person now."
"Surely she wouldn't go so far as to come find me."
Lucy said as she put down her notebook.
"Princess, so you refused three times, knowing she would come in person."
"If she does show up, I guess I really have to pretend to be sick."
Words became reality.
"What I suspected was true."
It was exactly as she had feared. The next morning, Maxim entered the study.
"Princess, the Empress says she will be visiting in person this afternoon."
In the end, she is coming. Then I suppose I'll have to prepare to welcome her again.
Serena called out to Lucy urgently.
"How do I get ready?"
"First, press the powder onto my face, patting it in layers. Make it look like someone whose face is completely pale."
Lucy followed behind, saying.
"Your face?"
"And, you know that burnt firewood? Bring me some of the ashes. I want to blacken the area under my eyes."
"...Princess, I don't understand."
"Don't try to understand, just accept it."
Serena entered the bedroom and hurriedly changed into her indoor clothes. Standing in front of the mirror, she checked her face. She pressed the powder on a little more firmly than usual, to the point where she looked sick, even if she did. Then, she spread the burnt ashes Lucy had brought evenly under her eyes.
Looking in the mirror, she looked exactly like a patient. Lucy stared intently at Serena.
"You look like someone on their deathbed, Princess."
Serena said, leaning against the bed.
"Then I succeeded."
Lucy thought as she took out her notebook. She knew the Princess would be a good actor, but she didn't expect her to prepare so meticulously. Lucy prepared a wet towel and began sprinkling a little saltwater on Serena's bed to make it look like the bed of someone who had sweated a lot. Then, Serena looked in the mirror and smeared the saltwater all over her clothes to make it look as if sweat had soaked into them.
In the afternoon, news arrived that the Empress had arrived. As Serena tried to stand up from the bed, Lucy pushed her back down.
"My Princess, you shouldn't be standing when you are ill."
My Lucy, your sense has really improved. Serena leaned back against the bed. When the Empress entered the room, Serena pretended to sit up, but soon couldn't and feigned collapsing back onto the bed. In the end, Serena greeted the Empress while lying on the bed.
"Your Majesty."
As Serena tried to stand up, the Empress extended her hand and said.
"Stay lying down. A sick person shouldn't stand."
The Empress pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat down. Then, she sent Lucy and her ladies-in-waiting out. Serena, sensing the situation, signaled to Lucy to rest assured. Understanding Serena's signal, Lucy left the room with the Empress's ladies-in-waiting.
Once the people had left, the Empress's gaze turned into one of worry. Holding Serena's hand tightly and looking at her with pity, the Empress turned the towel placed on Serena's head over and placed it on the other side. Serena felt nothing but discomfort and burden in the Empress's sincere eyes.
"How long have you been sick like this?"
"It's been a few days. It's nothing serious, but it just isn't getting better."
The Empress placed her hand on Serena's forehead. Serena froze at the Empress's cold hand.
"You don't seem to have a fever."
"I think I have body aches."
"Still, I should have called the Royal Doctor."
"I wasn't refusing."
Serena said, forcing a smile.
"With Her Majesty the Empress coming in person like this, what need is there for a royal doctor?"
Watching Serena, the Empress's eyes welled up with tears, as if her heart ached. Then, she paused for a moment. Why is this woman acting so burdensomely? Serena squeezed her eyes shut at the Empress's unsettling gaze staring intently at her.
"Serena... I have a question. Why did you call off the marriage with the Crown Prince?"
It was a direct question. Right, this wasn't just a simple visit to see her in the hospital. The Empress had come in person specifically to ask Serena this question. To think that Serena, whom she had firmly believed was on her side, would refuse the marriage. Unable to contain her curiosity about the reason, she had been sending letters like that every day.
Serena looked at the Empress and chose her words carefully.
"My heart isn't ready. I know His Highness the Crown Prince is sincere. However, I am not yet in a state to decide on the marriage. I feel that forcing it when I don't know my own feelings yet would be even more disrespectful to Your Highness."
"And while I know Your Majesty the Empress cherishes me as much as my mother does, that position isn't solely the Crown Princess."
Yes, you answered well. From the Empress's perspective, she will likely think that I feel burdened by the prospect of becoming the Emperor's daughter-in-law.
Upon hearing Serena's response, the Empress pondered deeply for a moment before looking at Serena. There was something in her gaze that seemed to be trying to read. It was a look attempting to determine whether what Serena was saying was the whole truth. Serena maintained an expression of indifference while receiving the Empress's stare. Lying on the bed. With the face of someone in pain.
The Empress spoke.
"I see. To think you considered aspects I hadn't even considered. Serena is indeed a brilliant young lady. This is why I want to bring you here right away."
At those words, the Empress tightly grasped Serena's hands.
"You can take your time thinking. There is no need to rush. I will help you make a choice that is comfortable for you."
The Empress's words sounded warm. But that warmth was frightening. She knew the Empress genuinely cared for Serena, but she also knew that this care was ultimately for the sake of the Empress's own plans.
The conversation continued for a while. The Empress shared news from the palace. Then she brought up stories of high society. How Countess Hartmann had been doing lately. What gatherings Marchioness Deberg had attended. It was all sorts of stories.
Serena listened and answered, leaning back in her bed. Keeping her voice slightly low, as if she were ill. However, as the conversation dragged on, Serena felt herself growing tired without realizing it. She was tense, pretending to be sick when she wasn't. Moreover, dealing with the Empress while lying in bed was more energy-consuming than she had anticipated. The Empress was talking incessantly. Serena felt a yawn rising as she listened. No.
"Regarding the building purchase this time, an artifact survey team suddenly showed up, so the construction..."
Serena desperately suppressed the yawn. Closing her mouth and breathed through her nose. On her chin. Stiffened her eyes. Stiffened her gaze. She held back her yawn. Yet, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. She couldn't stop them. The Empress stopped speaking mid-sentence. Then she looked at Serena, whose eyes were brimming with tears.
"Serena."
Serena looked at the Empress. The Empress looked at Serena's eyes and said.
"Surely... because of worry for me."
Serena wiped her eyes with her hand and said.
"Ah, it is nothing, Your Majesty."
Serena, my person, who cries on my behalf at my worried words, even while she herself is ill. The Empress was deeply moved as she watched Serena with tears welling up. She felt ashamed of the doubts she had harbored until now. Her heart ached. To think she had doubted a child like this. She hated herself.
"Serena, I have realized once again that the Princess is such a warm person. And for a moment, I felt ashamed of myself. I was about to ask a difficult question regarding the building just in case, but seeing your tears now, I felt it. Your genuine concern for me."
What? What are you talking about? Did the tears I shed while trying to hold back a yawn get interpreted that way? Amidst the Empress's endless stream of touching remarks, Serena had no moment to interject. Fine if this, too, is fate...
Serena squeezed her eyes shut, opened them again, and delivered a decisive blow.
"I hope Your Majesty's worries disappear soon."
The Empress took Serena's hand again and said.
"You are leaving with nothing but good vibes from someone who is already having such a hard time. I will have someone send some nutritious food later, so please eat and get some good rest."
"No, Your Majesty. I was so glad you came."
The Empress rose from her seat. As Serena tried to stand up from the bed, the Empress gently touched her and laid her back down.
"Don't stand up. Lie down."
Serena saw the Empress off while leaning against the bed. The Empress turned back to look at Serena one last time at the door before leaving. Serena waved her hand at the Empress from her bed.
As she headed toward the carriage, the Empress thought once more. The artifact excavation wasn't Serena's doing. This child wouldn't do something like that. Then who on earth could it be?
Serena paused for a moment, watching the door the Empress had exited through. And then... she yawned. Loudly. Refreshingly. She opened her mouth wide enough to split open and yawned with a sense of relief. It felt as if all the yawns from enduring this arduous time of acting were coming out at once.
Lucy, holding a notebook beside her, let out a chuckle.
"Didn't Her Majesty suspect anything?"
"I'm quite the actor, you know. She actually seemed moved as she left. But she looked so anxious that I did express some genuine concern for her."
"You really are amazing, Princess. Where on earth do you get all that..."
"Everything works out in life."
Lucy thought as she took notes in her notebook. Half real. Half acting. How naturally the Princess crossed that boundary. And the fact that Her Majesty the Empress was moved by that.
Lucy thought as she closed her notebook. Our Princess is truly terrifying.
Inside the carriage returning to the palace, the Empress looked out the window and thought. Marchioness Deberg was talking nonsense. I'll have to give her a piece of my mind when I see her this time. Then who on earth is the culprit? The Empress closed her eyes. There was a sense of relief in her expression.
However, that relief was not complete. The Empress closed her eyes with the thought that something was strange, not yet completely erased.
[Lucy's Secret Shock Journal - Episode 77]
I refused Her Majesty the Empress's letter three times. Then she said she would come to visit me in person. Our Princess was transformed into the spitting image of a patient by some unheard-of makeup technique. I should try using that later when I don't want to come to work.
What if I get caught and get scolded by the Princess?
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