Chapter 3
Sister’s Mindset
Lick his shoes while groveling? Seduce him in a vulgar dress?
And after doing all that—after putting in every last effort—only to be rejected from the marriage bed? You will never understand the humiliation I felt, not even on your deathbed.
To be honest, I was lower than a prostitute in Tristian’s eyes.
A prostitute had at least the chance to share his bed and bear his child. But as the Empress, I was never even granted that opportunity.
“……”
Tristian’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at me in silence, his lips pressed tightly together. It was a face I had longed to see.
The satisfaction of seeing his reaction was immense, but this time, I didn’t smile. Delivering my words with unwavering resolve and then ending the situation with an unaffected expression—that was the perfect conclusion I had envisioned.
A muscle twitched near Tristian’s eye.
“…Your words are excessive. When have I ever called the Empress a prostitute?”
“Was it not Your Majesty who advised me to grovel or wear amusing dresses so I could always be ready to jump into Your Majesty’s arms?”
“Do you not understand metaphors, Empress? Surely, I wouldn’t have meant for you to behave like a prostitute.”
“Oh.”
A metaphor?
Was it because he had said it only to belittle and scorn me from the start? Even his excuse was pitifully flimsy.
I resisted the urge to sneer and instead smiled sweetly, as if I were completely ignorant.
“I see. Then I must have misunderstood.”
“……”
“Let’s eat. Your Majesty’s favorite herring dish will grow cold.”
Tristian’s lips twitched in frustration before he began shoveling food into his mouth. For the first time in my life, I felt a soaring sense of triumph—I had landed a blow against Tristian.
After finishing my meal at the main palace, I headed to Navis Palace, where Serenity resided, accompanied by my attendants.
Something felt off.
At first, I was simply pleased that I had finally said my piece to Tristian, but as I thought more about it, too many things seemed strange.
Tristian looked years younger than I remembered, and the body that had once ached so severely I could barely move now felt incredibly light.
Was this a dream? Or was it the final moments of my life flashing before my eyes?
I didn’t know the reason, but I had a strong feeling that seeing Serenity would reveal the truth behind the bizarre situation I was experiencing.
As I neared Navis Palace, my heart pounded, and my steps quickened.
Upon entering the palace, I saw maids anxiously pacing near the entrance hall. They spotted me and flinched before hastily bowing.
Though I had given up Navis Palace to Serenity due to her frail health and had been living in the main palace, Navis Palace was traditionally the Empress’s residence. Strictly speaking, it was still mine.
Yet, the maids acted as if an unexpected guest had arrived.
“Y-Your Majesty… What brings you to Navis Palace at this hour…?”
“Do I need a reason or an appropriate time to enter my own palace?”
“N-No, of course not, but…”
“I’ve come to see my sister. Where is she?”
“Well…”
Just then, a second-floor door opened, and a maid carrying a basin of water stepped outside.
“Huek… Urk… Ugh… Uuugh…!”
As the maid hurried to bow to me, a faint sob and the sound of retching escaped from the slightly open bedroom door.
My heart pounded violently as a memory surfaced—Serenity had suffered from severe morning sickness in the early stages of pregnancy.
Ah.
I grasped onto my fleeting sanity and climbed the stairs, knocking on the half-open bedroom door.
Knock, knock.
At the sound, Serenity, who had been pressing a handkerchief to her mouth, widened her eyes.
“I-Isoletti? What are you d—ugh…!”
Serenity hastily gestured for the doctor and maids tending to her to leave. I dismissed my own attendants as well.
It took a long while for Serenity’s nausea to subside, even after I had settled into the chair by her bed.
“Haa… I feel a little better now.”
“…Are you okay?”
My voice came out hoarse, as if squeezed from my throat. Serenity smiled gently.
Yes. She always smiled like that. As if she forgave everything and truly loved me.
“Thank you for worrying about me. The doctor said chewing certain herbs might help, and thankfully, I do feel a lot better.”
I hadn’t been worried. But my voice, thick with emotion, must have made her think otherwise.
Serenity’s pale hands fidgeted with her handkerchief. As the seconds stretched, my racing heart slowly calmed.
“Thank you for coming, Isoletti. I actually had something to tell you.”
I gave no response, but Serenity continued as if she had never needed one.
Her platinum hair gleamed under the soft bedroom lights, and her water-colored eyes shimmered like delicate jewels.
“I just heard from the doctor… I… I’m pregnant.”
Her voice trembled slightly, and her cheeks flushed. She looked as fragile and pure as a blooming flower. The corners of my lips twitched involuntarily.
“I’m scared, Isoletti. Can I really raise a child in this condition? Honestly, I have no confidence.”
Fear, uncertainty about her body, lack of confidence—
All words designed to provoke my guilt.
“I feel so ashamed. I’m merely a guest in Navis Palace thanks to you, yet now I’m pregnant… And I can’t even tell the truth about whose child it is. But still… still…”
Serenity clenched her frail hands around her handkerchief and smiled radiantly at me.
“You’ll congratulate me, won’t you? I hope, at the very least, you will.”
Pfft.
I could no longer hold back my laughter as I watched Serenity’s performance.
Her pale blue eyes quivered.
“I-Isoletti… D-Did you just… laugh?”
Once, I would have been startled by that expression and rushed to apologize.
But now, the more pitiful she looked, the sharper my mind became.
Congratulate you? In this situation?
‘I know it won’t be accepted by my family or society since I conceived a child out of wedlock. But… But I truly love him. Carrying his child feels like a dream.’
‘Sister.’
‘So please… just you… Can’t you be happy for me? Please?’
Disgusting Serenity.
In the palace I had given her, she had rolled in the sheets with my husband and now wanted my blessing for their child.
I suddenly realized my fingertips had gone cold.
This was too vivid to be a dream. Too continuous to be a fleeting vision before death.
I didn’t know exactly what had happened, but I knew one thing for certain—I had returned to my past.
And I also knew exactly what I needed to do now.
After all, I had made my vow the moment I died.
Breaking the silence, I looked up.
Serenity gazed at me, tension evident in her expression.
I smiled sweetly and clasped her bony hands in mine.
“Of course, I must congratulate you.”
“I-Isoletti…”
“Truly, congratulations, Sister.”
“You… You’re not going to ask anything?”
“Of course not.”
Because when I was dying, you confessed everything to me.
Unaware of my true feelings, Serenity choked up and pulled me into an embrace.
“Thank you, Isoletti. Thank you so much…”
What an astonishing performance. Even knowing the truth, I nearly fell for it.
But Serenity, I won’t be deceived anymore.
I patted her back affectionately and spoke softly.
“By the way, Sister… Does Mother know about your pregnancy?”
“No… I begged the doctor to keep it a secret.”
“Oh, I see? So you do have some sense left.”
“…Huh?”
Serenity blinked at me in confusion.
She was surprised?
It was too early for that.
Because I no longer had any reason to be kind or considerate toward her.
Still smiling, I spoke again.
“I’m relieved that you have at least that much awareness. Getting pregnant by an unidentified man in the Imperial Palace… For a moment, I wondered if you had completely lost your mind.”
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