[Therefore, we officially request the Imperial Consort Dowager Patricia to acknowledge that she acted solely for the benefit of House Gerturk and to compensate for the trouble she caused to the Imperial Family and the citizens of the empire.]
“Quite a complicated way to put it.”
Patricia’s mocking voice was low with anger.
In the end, there may be only one reason why lawyers supporting Lexion filed a lawsuit.
“In the end, it means proving that I am a member of the Imperial Family. Right, Count?”
Concealing the existence of the magicite mine was a simple mistake, not a move made solely for the benefit of House Gerturk. To say so, she had to prove that she was a member of the Imperial Family, acting on behalf of the empire.
For someone like Patricia, who had given birth to the previous emperor’s child and joined the Imperial Family, there was only one thing she could do.
“They will go on a rampage to bring Claude to court again and determine whether he is a member of the Imperial Family through a blood test. What could that poor kid have possibly done…”
Count Gerturk countered, as if it was unfair.
“If our family were a little stronger, this humiliation would never have happened again. It seems like those Lexions must have caught onto any lawsuit without knowing their places.”
In the first place, filing a lawsuit against the Imperial Family was meaningless. This was because prison sentences were not given to members of the Imperial Family.
Patricia, who was furious, suddenly stopped. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard Lexion complain about the same thing, but there was something tricky about the timing that bothered her.
『 Are they aiming for something else?』
Feeling a bit uneasy, Patricia tried to control her anger. In situations like this, she had to maintain her composure.
“If we’ve already done a paternity test through blood, why not see if we can’t use the results from back then?”
“Yes, I will do that.”
“Gilbert… if only that stupid bastard hadn’t made such a stupid mistake…”
“It’s my fault for not controlling Gilbert well.”
“I know, so go back. Inform me immediately when you find Rosaline.”
Count Gerturk bowed his head deeply and quickly retreated. He knew it would do him no good to be in the company of Patricia, whose nerves were on edge.
Elizabeth, who had taken a few steps back while the two were talking, spoke up with a gentle smile.
“Your Highness, would you like me to bring you a cup of cold lemon tea to cheer you up?”
Cold lemon tea with honey was Patricia’s favorite drink. Just hearing her suggestion seemed to ease her anger a little, and she nodded.
“I’ll take a cup. It’s the best thing for my frustration. And then next…”
Patricia turned her head and looked in the direction where the Health Bureau was.
“I should ask Lexion’s Lady directly why they’re so desperate to catch me and eat me.”
──────────✿◦•
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Health Bureau was cheerful today as well.
“If you stack the gauze like this, it’s easier to pick up each piece. It looks tidy too.”
Zion really liked the gauze organizing method that Edith had come up with.
He also liked the fact that it didn’t require any special skills, just a little bit of stacking of square-folded gauze with the ears slightly out of alignment.
In fact, it was not Edith’s intention to organize the gauze in a new way. At the clinic where she worked, it was considered standard to stack them slightly askew in the corner.
『 I just did it the way I’m used to.』
It seems that in the Health Bureau that serves the Imperial Family, the gauze was neatly stacked and organized to maximize the feeling of neatness.
However, in cases where the Emperor’s summons are frequent, a more practical organization method would be useful.
“Even though it’s not a big deal, I appreciate your positive view.”
Edith casually laughed it off and began placing medicinal herbs one by one into the pot, as usual.
It was fun to have a brief conversation with the doctors, but Edith knew there was no point in angering Patricia by being late.
The doctors smiled happily as they watched her move efficiently, seemingly measuring every step.
And Patricia was watching the bizarre scene outside the window.
『 There’s something strangely favorable in their gazes.』
The imperial doctors Patricia knew always had frowns on their faces, constantly complaining of headaches. Since they had to check on the Emperor’s health dozens of times a day, it was natural for them to become more sensitive and anxious.
That’s why Patricia had sent Edith there to cause inconvenience.
Not only did Edith blend in naturally, like someone who had worked there for about ten years, but she also received compliments from the imperial doctors.
『 What on earth…』
Patricia, who was already seething inside because of the lawsuit filed by members of the aristocratic faction, felt her patience running out.
“Edith, I’m sorry it looks like you’re having a great time socializing, but could you please hurry? The headache is so bad I can’t bear it anymore.”
Edith glanced at the clock on the wall. It was still a while before Patricia asked for her tea.
『 I’m sure she’s just here to find fault.』
Fortunately or unfortunately, Edith’s decoction was soon completed.
“I’ll pour it for you right away.”
“… Is it already done?”
“Well, since you have a headache, I thought it would be best to hurry up and get it ready.”
This way, she had no reason to vent her anger. The anger that had subsided while drinking Elizabeth’s lemon tea boiled up again.
“Anyway, I can’t believe it’s done so quickly. Aren’t you being too careless in making the decoction?”
Patricia scowled, shooting a piercing gaze. However, Edith had the mental strength to not blink at the most difficult clients.
To complain about a headache and then make a fuss about the proper preparation of the headache medicine was quite something.
『 Instead of taking a few days off, should I just quit altogether?』
It was after talking with the doctors that she got a rough idea of what kind of relationship Mrs. Leah and the men of the Imperial Family had formed.
In any case, the only way to get more detailed information was to meet with the Emperor.
『 His Majesty needs to get better soon so we can find a clue to solving Walter’s magic problem.』
Above all, Edith had no intention of silently enduring Patricia’s evil deeds. If she did, it was clear that Walter would cause some trouble and directly harm Patricia.
Considering Walter was not someone to lose and come back empty-handed, the scale of his revenge would be big, and if things were rushed due to her, it could lead to serious consequences.
“I made the headache medicine as usual. Since you wanted medicine instead of tea today, the composition is the same as what the doctors use.”
“…”
As Edith answered without showing any sign of flinching, the veins on Patricia’s forehead bulged. It was just at that moment when she was about to launch another verbal attack when suddenly…
“I was wondering what all the fuss was about at the Health Bureau.”
“…!”
A look of despair appeared on Patricia’s face as she identified the owner of the voice. The one who appeared while observing the situation was none other than the Emperor.
“Greetings, The Sun of the Empire.”
“You’re still making greetings you don’t mean. You’re just waiting for the sun to set.”
“…”
Embarrassed by his blunt manner of speaking, Patricia missed the time to retort.
The fact that he, who was gasping and spewing blood as if he could die at any moment last week, was walking around perfectly fine made her nervous.
“Why would you say such a thing… I was having a brief conversation with my lady-in-waiting because I needed some medicine for my headache.”
The Emperor’s gaze turned to Edith, who was bowing her head politely.
『 So it was true that Little Duke’s wife came to be Patricia’s lady-in-waiting.』
Although he had heard reports about it, he didn’t really pay much attention to the unimaginable combination. However, seeing it with his own eyes made it even more unbelievable.
In particular, the Emperor was quite curious about Edith’s intentions in accepting the position of lady-in-waiting.
When she had visited the Imperial Palace as a Fortrion, recommending Jasmine to him, she seemed quite intelligent. However, now she is working as the enemy’s lady-in-waiting…
Suddenly, a conversation he had shared with his secretary flashed through the Emperor’s mind.
⋙“Now that I think about it, the Little Duke of Lexion’s wife seemed curious about the sword you sent before. She asked who sent the sword to the Duchy and who wrote the card.”⋘
Was she deliberately stepping into the Imperial Palace to find out something? He glanced at Edith for a moment before speaking again.
“Did you bring in a lady-in-waiting because your health wasn’t good?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I heard that the Little Duke of Lexion’s wife is very skilled in medicine.”
“Then let me borrow her for a moment.”
“… What?”
Not only Patricia but also the secretary who followed the Emperor looked quite surprised. It was truly a rare sight for Emperor Agnas XIV to suggest spending time with a lady.
“Is there a patient in the Imperial Palace more seriously ill than me? Isn’t that right, Lady Patricia?”
Seeing him making threats disguised as jokes and insisting on her stepping back obediently, it seemed like he had no intention of listening to her opinion.
“Let’s take a walk.”
The Emperor patted his secretary on the back and turned to Edith. Even Patricia was unable to refute the outspoken demands of the Master of the Imperial Palace.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Edith began to walk after the Emperor. She had suspicions as to why he had called her separately.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
