‘How dare you…’
Her fists clenched involuntarily.
At that moment, the crown princess’ words flashed through her mind.
[When the time comes, you’ll find out. Think carefully and act. Will your parents hope you somehow survive, or do you want to die pathetically trying to protect your honor?]
Damn it.
Yeah, she understands very well why she said those words.
“Your expression doesn’t look good, Hemion. What’s wrong? Did you remember something by any chance?”
The woman inquired, her eyebrows raised in a friendly manner, looking like a concerned friend.
Hemion felt like swearing.
‘Manage your expression, manage your expression.’
Think about something else.
Hemion quickly reminded herself to think of this as a scene in a play.
After all, hadn’t she already prepared for all of this?
Although she didn’t like it, this situation was something the Crown Princess had foreseen and warned her about.
If she couldn’t handle something like this well, she wouldn’t be qualified to discuss revenge.
Suppressing her emotions, Hemion slowly opened her mouth.
“Um, just to clarify, are the nobles Claude and Celia part of the Martin family?”
In response to the hesitant and cautious tone of the question, Liliana snorted and narrowed her eyes.
“Do you remember them?”
“It’s not that… I heard that my name is Hemion Martin. I remember it because the Crown Princess told me my family name.”
Hemion blinked, looking like she really didn’t know anything.
“So, I was wondering if those… two nobles you mentioned were my parents.”
“Right. They’re your parents. But it seems the Crown Princess didn’t tell you about that.”
Lilliana admitted it calmly.
However, shamelessly, her attempts to provoke Hemion didn’t stop.
“Your parents were abusive and really wicked nobles.”
How long would this suffocating confrontation continue?
Hemion held onto her fading composure and opened her eyes wide.
Lilliana observed her piercingly, as if trying to see through her with a gaze like a hawk about to pounce.
“That… I didn’t hear the details about that, so… uhmm…”
At Hemion’s surprised reaction, Lilliana burst into light laughter.
“Well, how much do you know about yourself? Tell me in detail. I might be able to help you find your memories, you know?”
Hemion was at a loss for words.
It wasn’t because of emotions.
‘I don’t know how much I should reveal.’
She hadn’t gone into detail about these things.
If she said too much or made a mistake, it could lead to contradictions.
Already under suspicion, inconsistencies in her story would only deepen the doubts.
‘I’m not confident about this…!’
She regretted casually sharing information that led to this situation.
Should she have just shouted curses at her parents, as the other person wanted? Regret crept up on her.
“What are you waiting for, Hemion? We really had a close relationship. What’s there that you can’t say?”
The woman asked coyly, as if she’d decided to push into the best friend position now.
It was then.
There was commotion outside, and urgent footsteps approached the door.
The woman’s expression turned cold, and simultaneously, the door swung open.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
“Your Majesty, we have news from the palace infirmary!”
The Empress jumped to her feet in surprise as the knight rushed in.
“Alright, what happened?”
The knight bowed before the Empress and delivered the report.
“The fire is almost under control. Currently, they are dealing with the remaining embers, so you just need to wait a little longer!”
“I see, that’s good to hear. What about casualties?”
“We haven’t accurately assessed that yet. We’ll report as soon as we have the information.”
The Empress already had a headache.
It was good that the fire had been extinguished, but there was no telling how many lives had been lost.
The fact that it hadn’t been accurately assessed yet only heightened her unease.
“Understood. You may leave.”
Motioning for the knight to retreat, the Empress closed her eyes and pressed her temples together.
Though the headaches from her eye ailment had ceased for a while, the uncertainty about potential casualties brought about a different kind of worry.
“Your Majesty, the people are getting restless.”
As the knight stepped back, this time the head maid softly whispered.
Despite periodic efforts to calm the situation, the unrest seemed to be growing.
“Since the fire is almost under control, I suppose we can start easing the restrictions.”
It was truly a dismal feeling to witness such chaos at the supposedly joyous spring banquet, especially considering it was hosted by the imperial palace.
Even without looking, it was obvious how rumors would spread throughout the entire empire.
“The prestige of the imperial family will fall for a while.”
The authority of the imperial family was already waning due to the prolonged illness of the Emperor.
Julion had been working hard to unite the nobles in his capacity as crown prince, and she felt like she was adding more burden to him.
“For those who want to return home first…”
Just as the conversation reached that point, a bright light burst from outside.
The banquet hall fell into silence at the flash, as if lightning had struck the imperial palace.
Then came a loud explosion.
“Kaaaaaah!”
The nobles looked around in panic, their faces showing terror at the unknown situation.
Some of the more delicate ones even screamed and fell to the ground.
After a stormy commotion followed by a sudden calm, the Empress, who had covered her ears, hesitantly spoke.
“…We may need to endure a bit more.”
The head maid nodded vigorously in agreement.
“What on earth is going on?”
Rohiriel seemed to have disappeared. And although Julion said he would return, there’s no sign of him.
It seemed that the issue wasn’t just the fire in the palace infirmary.
“This is frustrating.”
As much as she wanted to go outside and assess the situation, the Empress knew that leaving wouldn’t change anything.
The things she could do and the things she needed to do were right here.
Gathering her thoughts, the Empress rose from her seat.
“Let’s go. We need to reassure the nobles.”
As she stepped forward after a brief pause on the throne, the nobles, who had momentarily stopped fussing, turned their attention to her.
“Your Majesty! What is happening?”
“Please let us leave, Your Majesty. Are you planning to exterminate the nobles?”
The nobles’ anger poured out at the empress.
However, some nobles stood in the back, silently observing the situation.
Among them were Zenid and Natya, primarily because Natya’s health was not well, more so than for other reasons.
“Natya, are you okay?”
“Headmaid…”
Zenid wrapped an arm around Natya’s shivering shoulders.
Natya’s whole body felt unnaturally cold.
“You’re not in good shape. Where does it hurt?”
“I can’t… I can’t breathe,,,well,”
Natya struggled to speak between gasps.
Zenid, initially thinking it might be due to running, now realized that something was indeed wrong, as the condition wasn’t improving with time.
“With the chaos in the palace infirmary, it’s not possible to call for a physician. This is a serious matter.”
Concerned, Zenid continued to comfort Natya by gently patting her back.
Natya forced a smile and nodded, saying,
“I’m f-fine. I’ll be better after a little rest.”
Her eyes, however, showed uneasiness despite the forced smile.
Zenid was trying to help Natya in some way when Yeffa, who had been watching from a distance, approached.
“Do you want me to help you?”
At the cheerful yet slightly sharp tone, Zenid discreetly hid Natya behind her.
“It’s okay, my lady. You don’t need to worry.”
“Oh, come on. It looks like you could use some help. Zenid, you know me. Can’t you trust me? I might not be as skilled as Sister Rotty, but I know a bit about medical checkups.”
Yeffa playfully winked and gestured towards herself with her thumb.
Her jade-colored eyes formed crescents, radiating brightness.
To an unfamiliar observer, her smile might seem innocent and adorable.
“I’m practically Sister Rotty’s assistant, so treating her is kind of my job, isn’t it?”
At Yeffa’s words, Zenid’s expression stiffened.
“It’s really okay.”
At her firm refusal, Yeffa finally dropped the mask.
“How boring.”
Yeffa, whose expression instantly turned cold, turned on her heels and walked towards the window.
“Lily, too, left me and went to do something fun on her own. Everyone always leaves me behind.”
Although it was a fleeting remark, Zenid couldn’t easily dismiss them.
Lady Liliana.
Upon reflection, she hadn’t caught sight of her all day.
Surely she was on the guest list for the banquet.
‘Where could she be?’
Zenid’s eyes, filled with anxiety, scanned every corner of the hall.
Yet nowhere could she find the distinct violet hue that belonged to Lilliana.
