I let out a deep sigh and walked up to him. As if he’d been waiting, Xion suddenly reached out and started to fiddle with my earlobe.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”
“What are you gonna do with those tiny wings? Just stay with me and laze around.”
“L-Laze around… Haah. That’s exactly the kind of thing that causes problems.”
“What? You’re so light and soft, even if I put you on top of me, you wouldn’t weigh a thing.”
“Ugh! Your mouth! That mouth!”
I couldn’t hold it in anymore—I smacked Xion right on the lips.
And seriously, why on earth would I be on top of you?!
“Anyway, you have to stay by my side. I’m being deployed again in a few weeks.”
Xion gave me a lazy look, took that one hit without complaint, and then effortlessly picked me up and sat me on the vanity table. He muttered while gazing at me with those murky eyes.
“It’s annoying to leave behind something this fun. Can’t even take you to the battlefield.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
I replied absentmindedly as he seemed to be thinking things over.
Xion would return to normal over time anyway, so the real issue right now was Eloise.
‘I’ll definitely find out who Snuggy really is.’
Earlier, Eloise had spoken with determination and tightly held my hand.
‘Your Majesty must reassert your authority. You have to be scary—go hard, no hesitation.’
Pfft.
I tapped the vanity surface slowly with my fingertip, letting out a quiet laugh.
I’d had to rush off earlier to catch Xion, but Eloise’s true intentions weren’t hard to figure out.
‘She’s using the excuse of outing the woman involved with the emperor to drag down my reputation.’
Scary and hard, huh? So she wants me to act like “Who’s been seeing my husband?! I’ll tear them apart!” and start sniffing around like a hound.
The result would be obvious. People accused without evidence would feel unfairly treated and offended, and no matter how much I tried to keep things under control, the rumors would spread like wildfire.
And naturally, the other nobles would start seeing me in a bad light.
‘I’d be the scandalous, hated Empress all over again.’
But why was Eloise going so far? It’s not like we had any deep grudge.
‘Is it because I got close to the Duchess of Shire—the one she had her eyes on?’
No… That might explain the laxative thing, but trying to wreck my reputation? That’s overboard. This isn’t simple jealousy. There’s definitely another reason.
‘I’m going to figure out what she’s really up to.’
I clenched my fist with resolve.
After everything I’ve been through, there’s no way I’m going back to being the scandalous Empress, hated and plotted against. I’m not dying from poison again! No way!
‘So first, I need to make Eloise lower her guard.’
My mind started spinning quickly.
She still didn’t know I suspected her. She thought the laxative incident was just a mix-up on her part, so for now…
A great idea suddenly popped into my head. I couldn’t help but smile with pride.
“Did you just smile?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah—why?”
“That expression… it looks just like mine. That’s so weird.”
Xion stared at me intently.
Ugh! Lindo said the exact same thing once!
I made a pouty face and quickly pressed my lips down to hide my smile.
To be fair, Xion was really handsome, but he had a cold impression. Even when he smiled, it looked dark and eerie—like a villain or a secret mastermind.
So I can’t afford to resemble him. My face already has a sharp, aloof look. If I start looking like Xion too, people will call me the crazy, scheming witch Empress just from a glance.
I just want to live a good, peaceful life, but for some reason, people keep saying I’m becoming more like Xion. And now even he’s saying it!
‘No way. While we’re living together, I need to help him fix his facial expressions, too.’
I quickly played dumb.
“You heard wrong. I wasn’t smiling.”
“You were. That’s the exact face I make when I’m thinking about crushing people who don’t know their place. Who are you thinking of crushing?”
Cough! “N-No one! I told you, I’m a pacifist. An Empress of peace! Or, uh, a peaceful little bird!”
****
Just as I expected, Eloise eagerly offered me advice.
“You should keep an eye on the women visiting the outer palace without a clear reason.”
But lots of them just come to hang out?
“Make sure to monitor the women wearing flashy clothes and jewelry, too.”
Isn’t it weirder to show up looking plain in the imperial capital?
“Anyone who’s overly friendly toward Your Majesty is automatically suspicious. It’s likely they feel guilty.”
Most people are friendly—am I supposed to suspect them all?
“If someone seems even a little suspicious, don’t ask or explain. Just summon them and punish them. Once the rumors spread, Snuggy will get scared.”
So… she wants me to start arresting innocent people?
Eloise made it sound convincing, egging me on with logical-sounding reasons.
If I were really the old Leah—paranoid about Xion’s affair and struggling with anger issues—I might’ve flown off the handle right then and there.
“You’re so smart!”
And like a rampaging empress, I nodded right away. I acted like I was so impressed by all that shady advice.
“Your Majesty, I come to—”
I’d barged into the outer palace unannounced and was scanning the visitor log I’d brought.
“You three. You’ve visited the palace more than fifteen times this month, haven’t you?”
“Yes, we started a new book club and it’s just so fun, we didn’t even notice.”
“Suspicious. I need to have a word. Take them.”
I narrowed my eyes and gave a sharp nod. My ladies-in-waiting rushed out.
“Kyaa!”
Drag, drag. Two women clutching books were hauled off, clueless.
Next target: the garden.
I stopped in front of a tree glowing with colorful autumn leaves.
The women having snacks and tea looked up and greeted me in unison. I squinted and scanned their outfits.
“Those silk lace details and satin ribbons. That’s a dress from the newly opened Florin boutique, right?”
“As expected of Your Majesty! Your fashion sense is amazing! I was lucky enough to get it at the launch—”
“A dress that fancy when it’s not even a ball? You! And you! What’s with that big diamond ring?”
“Oh, my husband gave it to me for our anniversary…”
“Then why is your dress plain? Suspicious. Take them both!”
“Eek!”
Crash. The women decked out in sparkling dresses and accessories were dragged away.
Everyone looked horrified as I kept picking fights without rhyme or reason.
Fear, shock, and a clear “I knew it” look spread across their faces. They must’ve thought my old terrible temper had made a comeback.
‘Good, it’s going well.’
Turns out Leah’s scandalous past was finally coming in handy. If you do something thoroughly enough, it always has its uses.
I went even more wild.
“You there. Why are you walking to my left?”
“Pardon? The sun was just a bit strong over there, so I was trying to make shade for you—”
“Why are you being so nice? Suspicious. Take her!”
“Y-Your Majesty! I swear I’m innocent!”
The nobles started to stir as I kept making more and more ridiculous accusations. But I grinned and stormed through the palace without hesitation.
“She has the same look as His Majesty!”
“It’s chilling. Someone stop her!”
“What if we get taken away? They say no one even dares to speak about what happens inside the Empress’s palace!”
Sure, the whispers were a little weird, but still a good sign. Sometimes you got to sacrifice a few sheep for the sake of the herd.
In the meantime, Eloise had clearly made her move too. Rumors started spreading fast among the capital’s nobles.
Whisper whisper.
“The reason Her Majesty’s been running around like a wild colt lately…”
“She’s looking for the emperor’s lover? A nickname—Snuggy?”
The nobles were all desperate to know who this woman could be. They were saying the empress, once seemingly sane, was only this riled up because the woman must be that well-hidden.
“Besides, His Majesty recently took time off. They say he’s been unusually quiet, even with Her Majesty like this?”
“Then it’s true—he’s keeping his head down to avoid being caught. That woman’s done for if they find her!”
Good. Whisper more. Gossip all you want!
I kept at it, making even more ridiculous accusations.
Saying that someone in black clothes on a sunny day must be trying to ruin my mood, or claiming someone sitting in the same chair as a previously arrested woman looked suspicious too.
“But I’m a man! Why me?!”
“Your beard length is annoying!”
Two weeks of absolute chaos later…
A line of nobles arrested for the most absurd reasons stretched out across the front lawn of the Empress’s palace. Some had even been arrested and released three times and now acted like they owned the place.
“Line up properly!”
“This is the dress code violation line. Suspicious kindness is the far end!”
“Stop cutting in line!”
Slurp. I sipped my tea on the terrace and looked down at the bustling scene.
‘Mess with a tiny peace-loving bird, and you’ll regret it.’
Everything was going smoothly. I grinned as I reviewed the plan in my head.
The rumor that the unstable empress was wildly hunting down the emperor’s mistress—Snuggy—had now spread far and wide.
And Eloise had been coming by daily to praise me, encouraging me, whispering that this person looked suspicious, and so did that one.
‘But lately… she’s been showing up less and less.’
She was definitely up to something now.
I opened the reservation log for the outer palace. As expected, a few days from now was the day of the regular social gathering Eloise attended.
An elite event for the pure-blooded high-ranking nobles of Bermut—the true powers of the capital.
‘A completely different class than the poor folks I’ve been dragging into the Empress’s palace.’
Eloise, pretending to support me, had subtly pointed fingers at a few nobles she said might be Snuggy.
I played dumb, pretending I was blinded by jealousy and swallowed the bait.
I threw a fit, dragged them off, locked the doors to the palace, grilled them for hours, then let them go—only to do it again later.
‘But not once did she point to a truly powerful noble.’
Cleverly, Eloise had only named minor nobles with little influence.
What does that tell you? She’s happy to stir up clouds of victims and gossip, but she’s careful not to touch anyone who could cause real trouble.
‘Those people haven’t had any run-ins with me—so whatever Eloise says, they’ll believe her.’
She’s part of their social club and my cousin, after all.
And they’ve all heard the wild rumors about me by now. So anything “Eloise says” will sound like the truth.
And that is exactly what I wanted to uncover.
‘Eloise’s true goal.’
At first, I wondered if she was trying to trick me into accusing a high noble of being Snuggy, so she could destroy me when I messed up.
‘But no, that wasn’t it.’
The fact that she avoided naming powerful nobles made it clear—she had another scheme in mind.
‘I can’t wait to hear what she says and see what she does next.’
I shrugged, downed the rest of my tea in one gulp, and quickly headed to the front lawn.
“So many ugly shadows today—what is with you all?!”
I shouted sassily, snapping a bright red fan.
Oh, I love this. Just now, even I looked like the perfect villainous empress.
