For some time now, I’ve been making various excuses to send Rosetin to the Imperial Palace other than handkerchief errands. As time went by, the time Rosetin spent in the imperial palace grew increased.
Because of that, rumors started circulating about me, the spiteful empress, trying introduced a beautiful woman to the emperor to win his favor.
Meanwhile, Lethenia’s emotional state became increasingly volatile and uncertain as the days went by. As the rational Kim Se-jin, I tried to calm it, striving to maintain composure, but I couldn’t stop it from losing control.
Today, for similar reasons, I sent Rosetin to the imperial palace again. The day was gradually fading away, almost time to light the candles. But this time, she didn’t return even after a long while.
Stella, too, waited for Rosetin with a darkened expression.
“Rosetin is very late.”
Her meeting with Ian was taking longer. It wasn’t unexpected, but my mind and heart weren’t cooperating. It was stuffy and uncomfortable as if I was pressed by a large rock.
It was not until a couple of hours later that the emperor’s entourage entered the empress’ palace. He delivered Rosetin’s news in a businesslike tone.
“The Emperor has asked me to inform you that Lady Bedos will not be able to attend to Her Majesty tonight.”
I paused for a moment at the words of the entourage, but I put on an impassive face and replied politely.
“All right, you can go now.”
Rosetin seemed to be spending a special night with him today. Something the real Lethenia would never have As the attendant left the room, I felt a blast of heat somewhere, and when I looked around, Stella’s face was red.
“Empress, why are you staying still? What did I just hear?”
“Calm down, Stella.”
Stella clenched her fist with an angry face.
“Now Her Majesty has opened her heart! Rosetin is so brazen. If she went on an errand, she should’ve come back quickly!”
“It must be his will.”
“But if it were me, I would have refused it on the spot and returned right away. Besides, it’s very unusual for a lady to be with the husband of the woman she serves so late at night! Her Majesty personally welcomed her with an expensive dress…….”
“That’s…”
“But the most cruel one would be the Emperor. Whatever the circumstances, this is cruel. It’s not like he doesn’t know Her Majesty’s heart.”
Stella growled, hardly calming down her excitement. I was grateful that Stella considered my affairs her own and got angry on my behalf, but this was a predetermined event.
Ian was going to be connected to Rosetin anyway, and if I were to interfere, I might have to pay the price with my life. I let out a small sigh and subtly signaled to her.
“Stella, I intend to treat Rosetin well if she becomes his mistress.”
Stella’s face turned extremely surprised, as she hadn’t expected me to say such words. She couldn’t close her mouth.
“What?! That’s absurd!”
I didn’t want to say this to the startled Stella, but it was my responsibility to quell any false hope she might have.
I spoke in a nonchalant tone, as if I didn’t care at all.
“Well, I’m thinking of having a lover anyway. It’s really not a big deal.”
“Really… Are you keeping the young Marquis in your heart? I just wanted Her Majesty to soothe her upset heart…”
“Theo is my precious friend. If I keep him by my side, he’ll be someone who can help me a lot in the future.”
“But he’s not the one you love.”
Stella spoke with a slightly softened but resolute expression. Her face was full of frustration and disappointment, which made me feel bad, too.
She seemed to think I loved Ian with all my heart. Of course, in a way, that was true, but…
“Ian and I are nothing but politically connected unfortunate relationships. And just because we’re married doesn’t mean we have to love each other.”
Stella’s eyes gradually filled with sorrow and empathy at those words. She hesitated for a moment, as if struggling to find the right words, and then spoke in a weak voice, almost whispering.
“I thought you two wouldn’t have that kind of relationship.”
“Now Ian and I can’t go back to how things used to be. It took a long time for me to admit that.”
“…….”
“That person wasn’t meant to be my destiny.”
At this point, it seemed like she couldn’t find any words to retort to my words of resignation. That night, Rosetin stayed at the imperial palace, and I fought against overwhelming feelings of despair throughout the night.
***
Since that day, Rosetin has been called to the imperial palace every day. Ian never failed to send someone to bring her, and as the frequency increased, the time she spent there became noticeably longer.
I didn’t show any particular reaction to it and treated Rosetin the same way as usual.
Not only the palace servants but even the nobles began to look at Rosetin differently, and rumors mixed with contempt and ridicule about the Empress started circulating in the palace. Today, in particular, Rosetin’s stay at the imperial palace was becoming longer.
She hadn’t returned by sunset. I wondered if she was spending the night at the imperial palace once again. A feeling of inexplicable unease rose in my heart, but I wanted to pretend not to know.
“Did you handle it discreetly so as not to get caught?”
“If I give the signal now, the carriage will be ready in a moment. Of course, it was difficult to cover the expenses with the money given by the Empress, so I had to dip into my own savings when buying some of the palace servants.”
“I’ll pay you back later, with hefty interest.”
I had been given instructions to prepare an exit route in case we ever had to leave the palace. I had saved every penny of the maintenance expenses allocated to the Empress’s palace, but it seemed far from enough.
As the cost of living in Asha rose by the day, so did the size of the bribe.
“Stella, take off your clothes.”
We exchanged clothes and looked at ourselves in a full-length mirror. I had anticipated it, but really… I didn’t look even remotely like Stella. It’s just Lethenia wearing Stella’s clothes.
Lethenia was a gorgeous woman, with a striking appearance no matter what she wore. Moreover, her elusive silver hair that was rarely seen on ordinary people easily drew attention.
“This is not what I expected…….”
“Your Majesty, where exactly are you planning to go… Also anyone can tell that you’re the Empress wearing my clothes.”
I wasn’t particularly pleased with my disguise, but since it was already evening. I could cover myself with a cloak so it should be fine. Soon, I gave Stella a very important mission.
“I’ll take care of that, so Stella, please play the role of the Empress.”
“A few days ago, you asked me to secretly make plans for going out, so I prepared in advance, but… What’s the reason, exactly?”
I replied with a sigh as I adjusted my attire in front of the full-length mirror.
“I need to meet some of my lover candidates and then return.”
“What?”
Stella was taken aback and covered her mouth with both hands.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“You’re really going to meet them?”
“Only because I need to find out something.”
This outing wasn’t just about going out for fun. I absolutely needed the love potion. With it, I could extinguish the fiery emotions I felt towards Ian.
“But, the Empress going out at such a critical time, meeting an outsider, and not just anyone, but someone who was considered a candidate for a lover…It’s a bit… You told me to spread rumors naturally at that time, so I did. But you should be more careful in acting on your own.”
“That’s why we switched clothes.”
“It’s not a convincing disguise at all. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to make an appointment with that person and call them separately?”
“I’m not a bird that lives only in the palace.”
“Still…”
Stella’s face was filled with concern. I grabbed her shoulders with both hands and spoke in a slightly persuasive tone.
“There’s no need for me to reveal to them that I’m the Empress. It could just give away unnecessary weaknesses. Don’t worry too much because nothing will happen.”
“If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have provided such information to you, Your Majesty.”
“I didn’t tell you in advance because I was afraid of what you might say.”
Upon hearing my words, Stella tilted her head and let out a heavy, drawn-out sigh.
“What if His Majesty the Emperor finds out?”
“He’ll be too busy enjoying his time with Rosetin.”
“You’re not angry because of that, are you…?”
“No, of course not.”
Stella had a habit of unnecessarily linking all my actions to Ian. Unlike me, who was relatively easygoing, her pupils were shaking uneasily.
“But what if we get caught? Won’t my head be on the line?”
“Stella, you’re the daughter of a Count. They won’t kill you over something like this.”
“Sometimes, it’s a bit disheartening to hear you talk about it like it’s someone else’s business.”
Stella grumbled that she hadn’t been able to stop worrying since she became my maid, but she gave me a list of things to be careful about when leaving the Imperial Palace. As I made my way to the entrance of the palace, I intentionally feigned illness, as if I would deliberately collapse if I happened to make eye contact with someone.
I covered my face with a handkerchief, pretending to cough excessively. It seemed that a severe epidemic was spreading in Asha lately, as all the palace attendants hurriedly avoided me.
“Cough, cough, cough.”
I coughed so much that I felt dizzy before even reaching the door. I heard there was a magical potion that could change the color of one’s hair and eyes. Next time, I think I should find a more plausible way to disguise myself.
Fortunately, it seemed that no one recognized me. Well, even if they did, they probably pretended they didn’t notice after receiving a bribe from Stella.
At the entrance of the palace, I showed the pass that Stella had given me and quietly slipped out of the palace. It was her first unauthorized outing since becoming an empress.
