“The Emperor visited again today.”
Stella announced Ian’s visit with worry in her eyes. I shook my head, indicating that I didn’t want to see anyone today.
She left the bedroom with heavy steps. After that day, I had severe body aches and had to lie down for a while.
I didn’t want to meet anyone. I didn’t let anyone come near me except for the palace physician and Stella.
Ian came to visit me many times, but I had turned him away firmly at the closed door. Once, Ian sent a basket of favia flowers to the Empress’s palace.
There was no letter inquiring about my well-being. For some reason, seeing it made me think of Bonneflower, which resembled Favia, and my heart ached.
I found Ian’s behavior odd, but I couldn’t afford to dwell on it. My head was already full of gloomy, dark thoughts.
Theo had also visited the Empress’s palace several times, but I had avoided meeting him, claiming to be unwell. To be honest, I didn’t have the courage to face him the way I used to.
That day in Bonneflower Forest, I realized exactly how I felt about him. They were not Lethenia’s, but my own.
I also understood his intentions. Just because he was my person did not mean his heart was mine.
His compassion for Lethenia could not lead to love between a man and a woman. Even though I knew I couldn’t help it, I felt a stirring in my heart.
The anguish I saw in his eyes for a moment made my breath catch in my throat. Maybe he wanted to remain good friends with me forever.
I remembered that in the original, Theo had never told Lethenia that he loved her. He cared for her then, with the real Lethenia, and now with me.
But it’s not love.
The idea that wanting more might turn out to be a tight noose for him left me feeling empty.
Yes, I just need a little time. I’m just overwhelmed by the kindness and sincerity, something I have never received before. I spent time comforting myself like that.
The spirit called me every day, as if he knew I was sick. The spirit was innocent, but I didn’t want to open the notebook he gave me either.
I thought it was a good thing I was sick. I wanted to cut myself off from the world, drop everything and rest, even if it was just for a few days, and then I’d be fine both in body and mind.
* * * * *
“I think Casey’s feeling a little under the weather.”
Stella delivered the news from Vanessa’s palace with a worried look on her face. After being sick for a few days, I couldn’t visit Vanessa Palace.
My heart sank when I heard that Casey, who was healthy, suddenly fell ill. Stella protested, but finally dragged my heavy body to the palace.
When I arrived, Casey, who usually bounced and wagged her tail whenever she saw me, lay lifeless on the floor. The wolf caretaker gave me a grim update on Casey’s condition.
“It’s a slow process, but as she grows, her deformed shoulder blades seem to be getting worse.”
With that, I stroked Casey’s back. I felt a bump near her shoulder. It wasn’t there just a few days ago…… The wolf caretaker seemed perplexed, not knowing exactly what was wrong with Casey.
For now, he said, the only thing they could do was to ease the pain with some pain killing herbs.
There was no such thing as a veterinary hospital in this world, so surgery to repair the deformed bone was out of the question.
The wolf caretaker consoled me by saying that the pain would go away once the bones settled naturally. Stella saw the despair on my face and spoke up.
“There’s a tribe on the Popus Peninsula that holds wolves sacred. I’ll send someone to see if there’s anything we can do.”
The Popus Peninsula was quite far from here, and it would take at least three or four months to travel there. Hopefully, nothing major would happen until then.
I nodded weakly to Stella, then felt a wave of dizziness wash over me, and she rushed to my aid, frightened.
She urged me to hurry back to the Empress’ palace. I told the wolf caretaker to keep an eye on Casey, and we headed out the front door of Vanessa’s palace.
I made my way to the Empress’s palace, dragging my heavy body as if someone had grabbed my ankles pulling me down. Before turning around the corner, I heard people talking somewhere, so I stopped walking without realizing it.
The silence was so profound that not even the rustling of leaves could be heard due to the absence of wind. Their voices were muffled, but I could hear them clearly thanks to this.
“The incident. It is said that the Empress secretly trained Casey to run wild whenever she saw Miss Bedos.”
“No matter how much she hates the mistress, I can’t believe she’d use an animal for such a nefarious purpose. I’d rather spend that time looking good for the Emperor.”
“I heard witches are supposed to be good with wolves, but is she a real witch? I feel like she could freeze a real person with just a glance.”
It sounded like imperial maids gossiping. It seemed like they were talking about the last time Rosetin had fainted at the sight of Casey.
Stella stirred and tried to chase after the maid, but I shook my head, forcing her to stay still.
“I’d rather Miss Bedos become empress right now. Last time, Countess Bedos handed out precious gifts to maids like us and even asked His Majesty to improve their treatment of us.”
Obviously, the Empress was me and the mistress was Rosetin, but as if the roles had been reversed, people found fault with Empress Lethenia and cheered for Rosetin.
Ian, too, was swayed by such rumors. A dark thought swirled through my mind, wondering if he was trying to kill me after all.
* * * * *
“It’s all right, Mother.”
Rosetin answered mechanically, staring numbly at the apricot-colored dress in front of her.
Mrs. Bedos could not hide her disappointment at Rosetin’s refusal today. It was a one-of-a-kind gown, made at great expense by one of Asha’s finest dressmakers, that would have made Rosetin the most beautiful woman in Asha.
It was priceless, made by a peasant woman who claimed to be the Empress’s personal designer. But Rosetin didn’t seem to care about any of that. No, nothing in particular seemed to interest her.
When she brought her rare jewelry, art from the East, teacups fashionable among young noblewomen, or anything else that might appeal to a woman of her age, her response was always the same: “It’s okay, Mother.”
She kept trying to get close to her daughter, who had miraculously returned. However, it was not easy to fill the long-lost gap.
Mrs. Bedos was proud of Rosetin’s bright and cute appearance as a lady, but on the other hand, she was heartbroken.
‘If it weren’t for Bledel…….’
And it soon led to anger. If it weren’t for Duke Bledel, whom she wouldn’t mind burning to death, she wouldn’t be awkward with her lovely daughter.
Mrs. Bedos fully agreed with her husband’s idea. It was all because of that man. Duke Bedos that she had wandered around for a long time.
That was why she could not forgive the current Empress. A scandalous wench who usurped her daughter’s place.
Even at Rosetin’s celebration, the sight of her sitting at the Emperor’s side, soaring with dignity, had made her furious.
Mrs. Bedos had no choice but to put the dress aside and join Rosetin for tea. She had just gotten her daughter back but she had to send her to the palace immediately.
She hadn’t had time to get to know her before they were forced to live separately. Overwhelmed by her husband’s insistence, she had quickly pushed Rosetin into the Emperor’s palace.
She felt sick to her stomach that her precious daughter had to be treated like a mistress. Even if only for a short time.
“Is His Majesty still good to you?”
“Of course.”
“You should have stayed at the Count’s mansion a little longer. I worry that you, who still know little of the world, might be taken advantage of by bad people.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Rosetin replied briefly, with a faint smile. Mrs. Bedos looked at her daughter with a hint of regret in her eyes.
As the blood of Bedos runs into her, she is naturally graceful and elegant, befitting her exalted position as Empress. However, that was not enough.
Rosetin was a pitiful child, separated from her parents when she could barely speak, and the palace was a battlefield where the slightest misstep could mean death by sword.
She had to pretend to know nothing, while calculating the political intricacies and handling the hidden struggles among the nobles with composure.
This required a lot of experience and learning. It still weighed on Mrs. Bedos that she had sent her daughter into the palace without teaching her what she should have taught her as a mother.
Much to her chagrin, she was granted permission by the Emperor to visit Kaelin Palace as often as she wished and to spend more time with Rosetin. Mrs. Bedos visited Rosetin whenever she had time, but she knew intuitively that her daughter was not opening her heart to her.
Time will solve it, she thought to herself, pushing aside her bitterness and telling Rosetin the story she had in mind.
“Oh, you should pay extra attention to the courtiers. As a hostess, you must not be careless in dealing with lower-ranked people. Especially in a palace where there are eyes and ears all around. You still seem inexperienced, so I took care of it in advance. Just keep that in mind.”
