I lifted the teacup. The light green liquid sloshed around in the cup. I brought the tea to my lips. As I took a sip, the aroma of the tea filled my mouth. It had cooled slightly, but it was the perfect temperature to drink.
I slowly put down the teacup and spoke to the First Consort as if I had just remembered.
"Come to think of it, the First Princess Consort still hasn't heard any news about the Baby, has she?"
The First Consort's fan, which had been swaying gently, closed. I smiled at the First Consort with an innocent expression.
"I am concerned as we are about to become one family. I heard that it has already been well over ten years since your marriage. Is that not the case, Your Majesty?"
"Huh? Um, I mean..."
Cold sweat trickled down the Empress's face. She fidgeted nervously, glancing nervously at the First Consort. The First Prince had one consort and three concubines. Despite having taken a consort at a fairly young age, the First Prince, now in his mid-thirties, did not have a single child.
The fact that the First Prince had no children was a fatal weakness for both the First Prince and the First Consort. It meant that even if the First Prince were to become Emperor, there would be no heir to succeed him.
The First Consort's hand, gripping the fan, trembled slightly. It was a tremor so small that it was difficult to notice without looking closely. Compared to the hand, which showed even the slightest wavering, the First Consort's face remained completely unchanged. It was as if the internal energy honed over many years in the Imperial Palace was visible to the eye. The First Consort's fan fluttered again. She gave me a picture-perfect smile.
"Thank you for your concern. I never realized your heart was this kind."
Unlike her lips, which curved upward, the First Consort's eyes were as cold as frost. I looked at her and smiled brightly.
"You are too kind, Your Highness the First Consort."
A silence colder than ice settled between the First Consort and me. The Empress, caught between the two of us, turned from deep blue to pure white.
"I am truly puzzled as to why such strange rumors are circulating about such a kind-hearted young lady..."
Then as now, rumors have always followed me. I had lost interest in the rumors concerning me. After all, there was absolutely no benefit in looking into rumors that were not favorable anyway. Moreover, now that my nanny was not by my side, there was no one around me nosy enough to pass on the circulating rumors to me.
I could roughly guess what the rumors surrounding me were without even having to hear them. Just like back then, it was naturally about my birth, and the recent expulsion of the Pison family's blood relatives must have played a part as well. I waited patiently for the First Consort to speak.
"It was truly so bizarre that I was worried about the Young Lady along with the Empress. Isn't that so, Empress?"
"Huh? Yes. Th-that's right."
The Empress answered in surprise. She glanced at me as if trying to gauge my reaction. She was certainly not fit to be Empress. Not only had she married a man older than her own father at a young age, but she also had a long line of concubines who were even more formidable than her own mother-in-law. Moreover, she now had to be wary of me, her future daughter-in-law. Back then, I looked down on the Empress as a woman of humble origins. It seemed that her plight remained the same then as it is now.
"It was a truly bizarre and outrageous rumor."
The First Consort gently fanned her fan with a worried tone. It seemed she was waiting for me to ask what the rumor was. I obediently answered as the First Consort intended.
"I wonder what the rumor is about."
"Didn't they say the Young Lady was embracing a man on the main street? You are about to become the Crown Princess, so to think such a scandalous rumor is circulating. I am truly worried about what others will think of you."
It seemed like she was talking about the day I met Evan. Many people were watching us that day. Although I hadn't even brushed against a piece of clothing with Evan, rumors are bound to get exaggerated. Compared to that, this was actually on the milder side.
"I wondered what was going on this time."
"This is not a matter to be taken lightly. What do you intend to do if it were to reach the ears of the Crown Prince or His Majesty? Is that not the case, Empress?"
"Y-yes, that is correct. What would you do if His Majesty were to become angry over that? You should exercise self-restraint, Young Lady."
Unlike earlier when she had been stammering, the Empress answered quite smoothly, as if reading from a textbook. It seemed the two of them had coordinated a few things before I arrived.
Rumors originating from the First Consort's mouth became established facts as soon as they passed through the Empress's lips. It was absurd, but while using rumors allowed the speaker to gain power effortlessly, it could inflict a fatal wound on the victim. The First Consort knew how to use rumors effectively. At that time, I fell victim to her tactics time and time again. My reputation and the rumors surrounding me were at their worst, and I did not know where or how to clear them up.
It was the same now. If I gave the wrong answer here, I would be branded an immoral woman hugging a man on the street. In the worst-case scenario, my engagement to the Crown Prince could be broken off due to my immorality. It seemed the First Consort had summoned me here precisely to exploit that very situation.
'What is it...'
I hesitated for a moment. In any case, rumors meant nothing to me at this point. If I were branded an immoral woman and forced to break off the engagement, a normal marriage might be difficult to arrange later, but breaking off the engagement with the Crown Prince was quite tempting. I briefly pictured what it would be like to follow the First Consort's wishes.
It would probably be difficult to stay in the Elliot family any longer. As it is, there are already many obstacles to becoming a Marquis because I am an illegitimate child. There was absolutely nothing to gain from me remaining in the family after being dumped for immoral reasons.
Going to the Count Pison family was also out of the question. The right of succession had already been passed to Elle. Going there would only have burdened Elle.
What remained was a trading company. A global trading company. There was more than enough room for me to lay my head.
It was a truly mouth-watering and alluring temptation. However, the moment I saw the First Consort's smug face, that desire vanished completely. Just like then, I did not like the First Consort. There are always people you dislike for no reason. To me, that was the First Consort.
Although I wanted to break off the engagement with the Crown Prince, I did not want to go so far as to take the unreasonable risk of suffering losses. The Crown Prince had been acting tiresomely lately, but everything would be resolved anyway once she appeared. I simply needed to hand the Crown Prince over to her and secure some money. There was no need to go out of my way to endure a loss.
Moreover, if I were to be dragged along according to the First Consort's intentions like this, my suffering would become her gain entirely. I absolutely did not want to follow her plans.
"Come to think of it, the First Consort was also once embroiled in such a 'scandal,' wasn't she?"
The Empress's face contorted for the first time. I gave her a triumphant look.
"So, that is..."
I tapped my chin with my finger and deliberately dragged out my words, as if retracing a memory. The fan clutched in the First Consort's hand trembled. Not knowing what I was saying, the Empress simply opened her eyes wide.
"Was His Highness the First Prince thirty-five years old? That incident occurred around that time as well, didn't it? I heard it was quite a major scandal. Did His Majesty get angry at the First Consort back then, too?"
Just before the birth of the First Prince, a major scandal circulated surrounding the First Consort. She had a fiancé chosen by her family before entering the Emperor's harem. The First Consort rejected her fiancé and entered the Emperor's harem. She became pregnant shortly after receiving her title as a concubine.
Many rumors circulated surrounding the First Consort. Some of them were quite malicious. Eventually, rumors even spread that the child she was pregnant with was not the Emperor's, but the child of her former fiancé. Although the scandal subsided due to the First Prince's striking resemblance to the Emperor and the tacit approval of the Black Priests who protect the royal bloodline, suspicions were not completely cleared.
It was only natural that the Empress was unaware of the scandal. The First Consort seemed to have deeply wounded her pride with the rumor. As soon as she seized power, she stopped the matter from being talked about by hunting down and punishing those who had spread the rumors.
It had already been 35 years. Few people remembered what happened back then. Even if they did, they could not speak of it. After all, the First Consort was the most powerful person second only to the Emperor.
It was quite a coincidence that I came to know about this scandal. Not long after I became Empress, a grand party was held. My surroundings were swarming with people, like a colony of ants drawn to candy. They smiled and shivered through the morning, trying to curry favor with me.
Even back then, the relationship between the First Consort and me was not good. They tried to win my favor by speaking ill of the First Consort. One of them told me a fairly detailed story, claiming that her mother had told her. At that time, I was extremely excited about the fact that I had finally become the Empress. I enjoyed a party with the flatterers, badmouthing the First Consort.
The First Consort folded her fan with a snap. She glared at me with eyes that looked as if they were about to burn red. I blinked slowly, pretending to be innocent.
"Why are you acting like this? You aren't offended by what the girl said, are you?"
I smiled at her.
"It is merely a baseless rumor. It is not the truth. Is there something you are holding onto?"
“...You’re fearless.”
Ignoring the First Consort's gaze, I picked up the teacup. The warmth had already vanished. I gestured to call the standing maid. She quickly served warm tea in a new cup. Savoring the aroma of the tea, I smiled at the First Consort.
"Wouldn't this level of boldness be necessary to keep your subordinates in check as the head of the Inner Court in check someday? It seems there are quite a few within the Imperial Palace who are trying to climb the ladder without knowing their place."
The Empress's brow twitched. Veins bulged on the back of her hand as she held the fan. Unless she was a fool, there was no way she wouldn't understand what I was saying.
The title of Empress signifies the undisputed highest woman in the Empire. However, the current Empress has been sidelined by the First Consort and has not even been able to breathe properly. I mocked this, hinting that I would not let her get away with it if I became Empress. It was a clear provocation.
For better or worse, I am now in the same boat as the Crown Prince. It was practically the same as having already fallen out with the First Consort's faction.
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