Although Tula had never seen the Empress before, the striking description given by Blanche and the overwhelming aura of the woman in front of her made it clear that this was indeed the Empress. If she was wrong, the consequences would be severe, but if she was right, she couldn’t just stand there. Tula decided to take the risk.
“Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress.”
“Oh my, there’s no need to be so tense. There’s no one else around.”
Quickly kneeling and offering her respects, Tula saw the Empress of the Retail Empire, Riana Enzen Pendleton, smile warmly. For someone who seemed capable of easily tearing three people apart, it was an unexpectedly innocent smile.
“I heard Princess Blanche is feeling unwell so I came to see her. Would it be possible to see her face for a moment?”
Under normal circumstances, it would be absurd for the Empress to suddenly appear like this without prior notice. It was also impossible because of the Empress’s schedule and against etiquette.
However, if it weren’t for Riana’s superhuman abilities or the fact that Blanche had become Melchizedek’s playmate, this visit wouldn’t have happened.
But Blanche, as Melchizedek’s playmate, was now treated almost as royalty.
This meant the Empress visiting Blanche wasn’t considered an official schedule, and Riana was not just good at wielding a sword, but she was also a person with superhuman physical abilities.
Thus, upon hearing that Blanche was bedridden, Riana thought she might see her before heading to lunch with Count Sheygan, leaving her escorts behind.
In fact, by taking off her shoes and running barefoot through the palace, Riana managed to reach Emerald Palace, where Blanche was staying, from the Empress’s palace in just ten minutes.
“Yes, As you wish, Your Majesty.”
Remembering Blanche’s advice during the Emperor’s previous visit, Tula, instead of opposing the visit due to the Princess’s illness, obediently lowered her eyes.
It seemed following Blanche’s advice was the right decision, as Riana looked pleased.
“I wondered how Princess Blanche’s etiquette could be so refined. It must be thanks to her nanny’s good teaching.”
In truth, Blanche had taught Tula the etiquette, but Tula did not correct the Empress.
“Is that gift from the Archduke?”
TL/N: WOULD Y’ALL LIKE ME CONTINUE W “ARCHDUKE” OR “GRAND DUKE” AS HIS TITLE?
Riana asked, looking around with graceful movements that belied her bare feet under her dress. Tula, still bowing, replied.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Melchi is quite something…”
Her laughing voice was like jade beads rolling on a silver platter.
“Show the gift to Princess Blanche first, and after taking as much as possible, send the rest to the Imperial Palace. We’ll take care of it here.”
Indeed, this was the Empress of the Retail Empire. She understood that dealing with such a large number of flowers was more troublesome than receiving them. It would be difficult to simply discard such a generous gift from the Archduke.
Immediately recognizing this and offering to handle it at the imperial palace was an impressive move that even Blanche would admire.
“We are deeply grateful for your boundless grace.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. If she’s the Archduke’s playmate, she’s like a younger sister to me. Consider it as the Princess having gained an elder sister and feel at ease.”
After ruining the archduke’s playmate announcement that he had been planning to make slowly once Blanche recovered in just 3 seconds, Riana took a brisk step forward.
But that aside, initially, he was just fascinated by the presence of a child who could talk to him without being intimidated. The more he got to know Blanche, the more she amazed him.
The fact that he, Melchizedek, expressed such obvious favor towards her and that the servants under her knew proper etiquette was astonishing.
Maybe, just maybe, she might be more than just a cute child to be doted upon; she could be entrusted with more significant responsibilities. So…
“…Kreetings, you Mashesty dhe Empwess.(…Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress.)”
While contemplating Blanche’s situation, she opened the door and saw the child sitting upright in bed.
“Oh my, did I wake you? I only meant to have a quick look at you.”
Expecting her to be asleep, Riana was surprised to see the girl with wide, startled eyes, smiling despite her feverish face.
“No, I swept too mush and couldn’t sweep anymo. Tank you for fisting. (No, I slept too much and couldn’t sleep anymore. Thank you for visiting.)”
Could it be true? Indestructible and immune to all poisons, Riana, who had never been bedridden, easily believed Blanche’s words.
“Is Princess Blanche usually this frail? You seem to get sick often.”
Although she couldn’t fully understand the voice outside, Blanche quickly noticed that Riana’s tone had become much more relaxed.
Knowing that a ruler being at ease was a good sign, Blanche simply smiled with her feverish cheeks.
“No, not weally… (No, not really…)”
“Then maybe the long journey took a toll on you?”
Riana, easily accepting this explanation, reached out and felt Blanche’s forehead.
“I’ll send you something good for your health. Eat it, and you’ll feel better.”
“I appwishiate dhe sought. (I appreciate the thought.)”
“Oh dear, you shouldn’t be too modest.”
Misinterpreting Blanche’s reply as mere modesty, Riana playfully poked her cheek, but Blanche’s intention was different.
“N-No, its not like dat… White now, I shust…(N-No, it’s not like that… Right now, I just…)”
Seeing Blanche’s obvious attempt to avoid the topic, Riana quickly thought of a reason why the child would refuse restorative food. Was it the bitter taste? She didn’t seem to be picky about food.
Then it must be an environmental issue.
Riana recalled the number of palace attendants assigned to the Emerald Palace. Only those brought from the Kingdom of Lamore were stationed there, so the number was indeed small.
Such a small number could make extravagant gifts more burdensome. Earlier, the nanny had shown a troubled expression rather than joy upon seeing Melchizedek’s gift.
“By the way, did you see the flowers Melchizedek sent?”
However, openly admitting to refusing gifts due to a lack of manpower would be undignified. Riana, displaying her empress-like composure, changed the subject.
“Noo? (No?)”
“You’ll be amazed when you see them. He practically sent an entire garden! He must really like you.”
“I titnt to anysing… (I didn’t do anything…)”
Of course, she didn’t. How much could a three-year-old accomplish in just one meeting? It wasn’t even a whole day, just a single meal and a few hours together.
So this must be a natural affection, an attraction by fate, so to speak.
“The men in that family are like that. When Berken, or rather His Majesty first met me, he sent a gift of a whole wardrobe. I was surprised because I hadn’t even made my debut in society yet and didn’t need so many dresses.”
Riana’s intention was to convey that Blanche shouldn’t feel burdened by however many flowers Melchizedek had sent. It was natural for them to give extravagant gifts to those they were fond of.
However, Blanche also picked up on something else Riana hadn’t intended to convey.
‘Why on earth is she comparing her relationship with her husband to mine with the Grand Duke?’
Blanche straightened her posture a bit. She still felt sluggish and her head heavy, but the situation seemed too serious to not take it earnestly.
“Dats fery kind of dem. (That’s very kind of them.”
She said this to gauge Riana’s reaction. Unaware that a three-year-old could make such a calculated remark, Riana eagerly took the bait.
“Right? People misunderstand because of their looks, but they’re both very kind.”
Blanche really wanted to disagree. She could accept a five-year-old Grand Duke proposing a contractual friendship to a three-year-old, but calling an Emperor who scolded a sick child in the middle of the night kind?
Although Yi Baek-ryeon believed that ability could overshadow character flaws, she couldn’t genuinely think that what was wrong was right.
To Blanche, the Emperor was far from kind. What kind of misunderstanding was the Empress under?
“No dat I tink abot it…(Now that I think about it…)”
But she couldn’t badmouth someone’s husband to their face, so Blanche quickly adopted a more diplomatic tone.
“Dey to look worm. (They do look warm.)”
Of course, she wasn’t referring to his personality but rather their appearances.
Both the Emperor and the Grand Duke had fiery red hair and lake-blue eyes. It wasn’t a lie to say they looked warm.
This was Yi Baek-ryeon’s way of navigating social interactions without telling outright lies.
“Oh my, does Princess Blanche think so too?”
But the response to this offhand compliment was enthusiastic.
…Is this kind of reaction really for such a simple comment? Did no one else ever offer such lip service about the Emperor and the Grand Duke?
Blanche now started worrying about the Retail Empire for different reasons.
“Melchi would be delighted to hear that.”
She could swear on her left wrist that it was absolutely not true. For the record, Blanche was left-handed.
* * * *
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