[Goodness, Shahadna…!]
That was the first thing the Empress uttered upon seeing my mother.
She looked at her with disbelief, her eyes wide open. After a long pause, the empress gave me a small smile.
[I’m glad, really glad. Rest first, and slowly tell me what happened.]
It was a simple remark, but her eyes held many emotions.
And so, I was able to easily care for my mother in my palace.
I don’t know when she will wake up. It was a wait without certainty, but it wasn’t a desperate situation.
Despite being faint, she still had autonomous breathing, and her blood tests came back normal.
“Welcome, Your Highnesses.”
As we entered Garnet Palace, the guard at the entrance bowed his head.
Then he added,
“Her Majesty the Empress is here.”
“She’s usually there, isn’t she?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I headed towards the familiar room where my mother was resting.
It was right next to my bedroom, with a door directly connecting the two, making it convenient to move back and forth in emergencies.
As I entered, to my surprise, the Empress was sitting on the sofa next to my mother, sipping tea.
“Your Majesty, the Empress.”
“Yes, come in.”
“If anyone sees this place, they’ll think it’s Tishrit Palace.”
Julion glanced around with a faint smile. Various sets of pastries were neatly arranged on the table.
As if sensing my gaze, the Empress lowered her teacup and smiled.
“I received some fragrant tea as a gift and wanted to enjoy it with Shahadna.”
There was warmth in the Empress’s gaze when our eyes met.
She occasionally, or rather, quite often, visited this place to see my mother. She believed that feeling the warmth of people around would help my mother wake up faster.
I was truly grateful for her care and attention.
“Would the Crown Princess join us? The fragrance is delightful, and the taste is exquisite.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. But first, I’ll check on Mother’s condition.”
“Oh, then I’ll assist you.”
As I headed towards my mother, Julion followed behind me.
I chuckled and gently pushed him aside before responding,
“It’s alright. Just sit and rest.”
“But you look awfully tired…”
“It’s nothing; it’ll be over soon.”
“Yes, Julion. Sometimes, being still can be more helpful. Come here and sit down.”
Chirp. The sound of tea being poured echoed softly.
Eventually, Julion gave in and sat across from the Empress. Meanwhile, I took out some supplements from the medicine cabinet.
To keep my mother alive while she slept without consuming anything, I had to regularly give her nutrients like this.
“By the way, Julion, I heard the date for the coronation has been set.”
“News travels fast.”
“To be honest, I was with Dian at that time.”
By “that time,” they seemed to refer to when the Emperor was drafting documents to set the date for the coronation.
While listening to their conversation, I checked my mother’s body for any abnormalities, her sensory responses, and so on.
After completing all the examinations and even drawing blood, I finally sat down on the sofa.
“The Crown Princess will also need new clothes tailored. If you have a preferred designer, feel free to let us know.”
“A new dress… you say?”
“Yes, for the coronation. Julion’s coronation is also your crowning as Empress.”
The Empress’s words left me momentarily speechless.
I had been so busy and preoccupied that I had forgotten.
‘That I am to become the Empress.’
Although I had agreed to remain in Sertizan, there was still a lingering feeling that this position wasn’t truly mine.
But now, the realization that I would soon wear the Empress’s crown made me keenly aware of the importance of the role.
“Crown Princess?”
As I remained silent, the Empress called out to me again. Julion, holding a teacup, was also staring at me intently.
Two pairs of golden eyes locked on mine.
It was so warm, I smiled faintly.
“Yes, Your Majesty. But I don’t know any designers, so I’ll go with whoever you recommend.”
“Hmph. I see. Then, expect to be dressed as the most beautiful and radiant Empress under my guidance.”
“Haha…… thank you.”
I tried to vehemently decline but quickly gave up. The Empress’s eyes were sparkling so brightly that it was almost intimidatingly serious.
With such enthusiasm, it seemed best to just let her do as she pleased.
‘She seems to expect even more from me than Julion.’
I glanced at Julion, who was glaring fiercely at his teacup.
I had expected him to agree with the Empress’s words, but he seemed deeply lost in thought, with furrows creasing his brow.
“Julion? Is the tea not to your liking?”
“No, it’s… it’s fine.”
There was a hint of depth in Julion’s face as he slightly raised his head in response to my question.
It seemed becoming the Emperor weighed heavily on his mind.
Up until then, I had been completely unaware of just how unsettled Julion’s gaze was.
The Training Exam
While Julion and I were busy with preparations for the inauguration, Hemion was also going through troubled days.
Her training exams were just around the corner.
During the day, she attended lectures and practical sessions at the medical academy, and at night, she studied alone in the library.
She had been dedicating herself to studying, even cutting back on sleep.
“Ugh… I feel like I’m going to die.”
Hemion stretched, closing her thick medical textbook.
Tomorrow would be the day when everything would be decided. Would she see the fruits of her labor, or would she have to study for another year?
Starting late, Hemion worked even harder.
All that remained was to give her best in the exams.
With that, she stood up from her seat.
“Why don’t you go to bed early tonight?”
“Eek!”
Startled by the sudden appearance of a shadowy figure, Hemion screamed in terror.
The chair tipped over with a loud thud, and she was about to fall backwards.
“Oops, be careful!”
The shadow, reaching out, caught Hemion, stabilizing his body. Recognizing the voice in her panic, Hemion slowly opened her tightly shut eyes.
Crimson eyes staring back at him, and golden hair tied high up.
“Oh, really, Ares! You scared me!”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Sigh… If I fail the exam tomorrow, it’s all because of you!”
“What? How does that even make sense?”
“I don’t know; I was so startled that I feel like I’ve forgotten everything I’ve studied.”
“What, ugh, seriously!”
Ares, bewildered, pounded his chest, feeling unjustly accused.
“I was worried about you staying up late studying for tomorrow’s exam!”
“Yeah, I was just about to go in now.”
Hemion collected her things as Ares hovered about, occasionally making annoyed sounds.
Eventually, after a few more protests, Ares took out a small box from his pocket and tossed it to Hemion.
“What’s this?”
“Well… If you get hungry before the exam, eat it. It’ll help you think better.”
As he said this, Ares seemed a bit awkward, or perhaps annoyed, at Hemion. He quickly turned around and hurried out of the library.
Hemion, alternating between watching Ares’s retreating figure and the box, slowly opened it.
“Wow, specialty chocolate candies?”
Chocolate candies with nuts, coated in syrup for an extra layer of sweetness.
There were ten of them, neatly packaged.
Hemion refrained from eating one and closed the lid.
“I’ll have them tomorrow.”
Even though he came to bring this, he didn’t even wait for a thank you before leaving.
Ares, who didn’t seem the type, was surprisingly shy.
Hemion chuckled softly and carefully tucked the box into her bag.
Somehow, she felt like she might perform better on the exam tomorrow.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
“Zenid, is it today?”
Rohiriel was in the midst of testing a newly developed medicine. The red liquid turned white as it sloshed into the test tube.
Zenid quickly handed Rohiriel a vial of blue powder that he had prepared earlier.
“Yes. They said they’d announce it around lunchtime, so…… should be out soon.”
The two were awaiting the results of the training exam.
Truth be told, Rohiriel wanted to be more involved in the training exam.
She wanted to submit questions and participate in other practical exercises, but Hemion was adamantly against it.
[I don’t want to be accused of receiving special treatment from you!]
Of course, Rohiriel had no intention of giving special treatment to Hemion.
But since everyone in the palace knew that Hemion was being favored, if Rohiriel even slightly intervened in the exam, rumors would undoubtedly spread.
[In fact, being able to stay in the palace as an apprentice without following the formal process was already a significant privilege for me… so I want to achieve more on my own.]
As such, Rohiriel kept her interactions with Hemion to a minimum.
Even just before the exam, all she could offer was a brief word of encouragement.
A week passed since the exam ended, and they were waiting for the results to be announced. Rohiriel’s hands were occupied with making medicines, but his mind was consumed by thoughts of the exam results.
That seemed to be the case for Zenid too, as she kept glancing at the door.
“…Did she pass?”
“…She must have.”
“But why does Hemion seem so gloomy?”
They had imagined Hemion would be excitedly running around after the exam, but she seemed dejected.
So, out of fear, they couldn’t bring themselves to inquire further.
Perhaps Zenid had similar thoughts, as she cautiously said,
“Did she… do poorly on the exam?”
“Then does that mean she failed?”
“What should we say to comfort her…”
As they discussed what words of comfort to offer Hemion, they heard heavy footsteps echoing in the corridor.
The footsteps grew louder and louder until they stopped in front of the pharmacy room door.
It sounded like the person was about to burst through the door, but for some reason they remained at the door.
Finally, Rohiriel opened the door.
“Hemion?”
Standing outside, Hemion was biting her lip anxiously.
“Your Highness…!”
Tears welled up in her olive-green eyes.
Hemion and Ares are so cute!!!!