They were people fully willing to threaten my position at any moment if even the slightest opportunity arose for their daughters to become the Crown Princess. In other words, it meant that there were few people here who would support me with all their might.
As I observed the nobles scheming for their own benefit, I fixed my gaze back on the Emperor. He was looking at me with an unreadable expression.
"Am I in the position of a sinner?"
"No."
The Emperor's face furrowed slightly. Regardless of the hidden intentions, ostensibly, this meeting was convened to inquire about my qualifications as the Crown Princess. In other words, it meant that even though my qualifications might be doubted, I had not been dragged here as a criminal. I spoke confidently to the Emperor.
"But why must I stand here like a sinner?"
It was a position intentionally arranged to crush my spirit from the very beginning. I was not so weak-willed as to be intimidated by something like seating arrangements, but I had no intention of being dragged around according to the First Consort's intentions from the start.
At my blunt question, the Emperor's gaze turned to the Empress. Although it was said that the First Consort had orchestrated the situation from behind the scenes, it was the Empress, not the First Consort, who had ostensibly arranged this meeting. As the Emperor's gaze turned toward her, the Empress recoiled and avoided his eyes.
"What happened, Empress?"
"Um, uh, that..."
"This is a gathering of those holding titles of Marquis or higher. As Lady Elliot does not yet possess any title, it is naturally considered that she is not qualified to sit here."
As the Empress, intimidated by the Emperor's commanding presence, trembled uncontrollably and could not even answer properly, the First Consort, who was sitting right beside her, stepped forward to support her. At the First Consort's response, the Emperor contorted his face in blatant displeasure.
"I asked the Empress."
At the Emperor's cold rebuke, the First Consort's mouth shut, and the Empress's face turned pale.
"I ask again. Empress, what happened?"
"It is just as the Empress said, Your Majesty."
A smile of amusement rose on the Emperor's lips at the Empress's words, which she barely managed to answer in a trembling voice.
"As far as I know, this meeting was held to question Lady Eliant's qualifications as the Crown Princess. Am I mistaken?"
“I’ll take it back.”
"You are saying that Lady Elliot, the very reason for holding this meeting, is not qualified to be here? Is that what you are saying?"
The Empress said that I was not worthy to sit. However, the Emperor changed his words to say that I was worthy to be there. It was a difference of only one word, but the meaning altered by that change was significant.
"Right to sit" literally meant that I was not entitled to sit in a seat while the meeting was in progress. However, as the Emperor said, the fact that I was not entitled to be at a meeting held with my issue as the subject matter rendered the very meaning of holding this meeting meaningless. In other words, it was tantamount to saying there was no need to hold the meeting.
Most of the nobles attending the meeting, including the Empress, realized the Emperor's intentions, but the Empress, who was intimidated by the Emperor's commanding presence and deeply frightened, failed to grasp the meaning behind his words. She nodded toward the Emperor.
"Y-yes, that is so."
At the Empress's answer, the corners of the Emperor's mouth turned upward. He looked around the assembly with a satisfied expression.
"Since the host, the Empress, has said so, I suppose we should conclude today's meeting now."
"That..."
"Your Majesty!"
Unlike the Empress, who remained seated with a bewildered expression, unable to grasp the situation, the First Consort glared at the Emperor and sprang to her feet. The Emperor watched the First Consort and slowly leaned back in his chair.
Although I had never been particularly conscious of it because Sis’s appearance resembled the deceased former Empress, seeing the Emperor now, I could clearly tell who Sis’s personality took after.
"Does the First Consort have something to say?"
"Are you really going to call off the meeting?"
"Didn't the Empress, the host, say so herself?"
The First Consort's face crumpled mercilessly at the Emperor’s nonchalant reply. She had expected the Emperor to steer the direction of the meeting in her favor one way or another, but she likely never imagined he would take sides so blatantly.
Although the Emperor was pushing Sis to become the next Emperor, this was merely to empower his successor, the Crown Prince. Regardless of his true feelings, he was an Emperor who had to maintain a neutral stance, at least in public.
For some reason, the Emperor, who had always been like that, openly stepped forward to take my side. The Emperor had never before taken sides in an official setting like this. The First Consort also looked visibly flustered, as if she had never anticipated such a reaction from the Emperor.
The First Consort glared at the Empress, who still failed to grasp the situation. However, the Empress had already lost her qualification as the host of the meeting by answering the Emperor's question.
There were two options to choose from in the current situation. One was to pretend it never happened and return to save it for the future, or for someone else to hold another meeting on the same topic right now. However, neither option was to the First Consort's liking.
If the first method was chosen, time was needed to hold another meeting. Not only was there no guarantee that Sis would not wake up within that time, but the likelihood of variables arising increased proportionally to the time consumed.
If the second method was chosen, it would have been possible to resume the meeting immediately. However, since the Empress could not be the host, she had to either put forward someone else to take her place or step forward herself.
From my perspective, I hoped the First Consort would choose the second option. If she chose the first, I, too, would have to consider the variables that might arise until the meeting resumed and prepare solutions accordingly. Just the thought of it gave me a headache. Hoping that the First Consort would choose the second option, I quietly waited for her answer.
The First Consort's gaze turned to the empty seat beside the Emperor. It was Sis's, who was known to be unable to rise from his sickbed. Naturally, Sis was not in this seat.
The First Consort's distorted face smoothed out. Her red lips slowly parted.
"Libyanca Serne Moyton Princeton, I respectfully request Your Majesty to convene a meeting."
“What is the topic?”
"This is Lady Elliot's qualification as the Crown Princess."
"Very well. It seems all the observers are here, so let's start the meeting right away."
The Emperor answered immediately, as if he had been waiting for the moment when the host of the meeting would become the First Consort.
Becoming the organizer of the meeting was no different from assuming full responsibility for the outcome. Although it was not intentional, the First Consort had cast aside the Empress shield and stood naked alongside me in the middle of the battlefield.
Regardless of the outcome, it was bound that the First Consort or I would survive at the end of the meeting.
"I would like to state in advance that Lady Elliot is not qualified to sit here before the meeting."
At the First Consort's words, the Emperor's gaze turned toward me. Now that I was finally about to face the First Consort head-on, standing for the duration of the meeting was no problem at all. Moreover, now was the time to take a step back to advance two or three steps. At my affirmative signal, the Emperor opened his mouth.
"Permission is granted. Begin the meeting."
With the sound signaling the start, the murmuring instantly vanished. Everyone's eyes turned toward the First Consort, the main organizer of the meeting.
With a sorrowful expression, she looked back at the assembly whose eyes were fixed on her. Her gaze finally turned toward me. Whether intentional or not, I was standing right in front of the First Consort. She twisted her red-painted lips upward so that only I could see them.
"The reason I convened this meeting is that, as an elder of the Imperial Family, I can no longer overlook Lady Elliot's conduct.”
"What do you mean by conduct?"
One of the First Prince's faction asked a question as if chiming in to the First Consort's words. The First Consort answered the nobleman's remark as if she had been waiting for it.
"I assume that everyone here has heard the rumors surrounding Lady Elliot. I ask for your understanding that I cannot elaborate on them, as they are so hideous that I cannot bring myself to speak of them."
At the mention of rumors, murmuring began here and there. There couldn't be a single person here who hadn't heard the rumors about me. It had spread so widely, even reaching people from the Pison merchant guild, so if there were anyone who didn't know, I would actually have been disappointed.
"But isn't it literally just a rumor? It is preposterous to discuss the qualifications of the Crown Princess based solely on rumors."
Someone shouted, revealing their displeasure. It was a noble belonging to the Crown Prince's faction. Unlike the others who were cautiously watching the situation, he cast a sharp gaze toward the First Consort.
"Isn't the very fact that such a rumor spread a problem with one's qualifications?"
"Hmph, if you look at it that way, who here is without a problem with their qualifications?"
"You are being too harsh."
The exchange of blows between the Crown Prince faction and the First Prince faction continued one after another. The First Consort watched their confrontation with a relaxed attitude. Unlike the First Prince faction, who were all speaking with one voice to criticize me, only a few members of the Crown Prince faction were raising their voices in anger and refuting the First Prince faction's claims.
Regardless of who I was, the background I possessed was currently the greatest strength for Sis. No one here was unaware of that fact.
If I were to collapse here, the foundation supporting Sis would suffer a major blow and be shaken. And that instability would provide a good opportunity for the First Prince, who is constantly eyeing the position of Crown Prince. That is precisely why the First Consort is desperately trying to separate me from Sis.
Unless they switched to the First Prince faction, if Sis fell, those belonging to the Crown Prince faction would inevitably collapse with him. Even if they managed to hold out without collapsing, it would be difficult to survive alone in a political arena swarming with the First Prince faction. Therefore, those in the Crown Prince faction had to protect me for the time being, whether they liked it or not. Even those who were trying to seize the opportunity to push their daughters to Sis's side were well aware of these facts.
Nevertheless, they were waiting for a chance and a stroke of luck. The luck that Crown Prince Sis would remain unharmed while only I, his fiancée, would be left behind. It was a truly foolish expectation.
"What would you do if the rumors were true?"
At the First Consort's shout, the conference room, which had been as noisy as a marketplace, fell silent in an instant, as if cold water had been poured over it.
A satisfied smile appeared on my lips.
"Can the First Consort take responsibility for those words?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
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