You look like an empress
It has been a few days since the news of the engagement between Herhan, the Emperor of the Elshweig Empire, and Riella Blinite was made known to the world.
As the world buzzed with excitement, Riella’s life naturally changed.
Of course, the beginning was full of mistakes.
* * *
“There are suddenly too many people around.”
Since being announced as the Emperor’s fiancée, Riella’s number of maids and escorts has multiplied several times over.
Riella complained to her new aide, Count Delcur.
“I can take a bath by myself, and one maid, Lou, is more than enough.”
The day after those words were said, the number of maids serving Riella was reduced by half.
Riella thought things were going well, but that evening she met a maid crying in the eastern rear garden of the palace.
She was a maid who was demoted by the order of Riella.
“Count, what’s going on? Demoted? I just said it because I felt bad having so many people working for me…”
“For the maids in this palace, the greatest honor is to serve Lady Blinite, the future empress. They went through several rounds of selection just to be chosen as your maids, and being dismissed after only three days is devastating for them.”
“I–I didn’t know that. I’ll take it back right now. I’ll cancel it right away. Forget what I said yesterday. I’ll use them all as my maids, so please reinstate them all!”
Something similar happened again.
Thinking it was wasteful to wear new dresses and shoes every day, she ordered to reuse the previous day’s outfit.
When the Minister of Protocol found out, he came running out of breath.
“Lady Blinite! Is something wrong with your outfit?”
“No, that’s not it. I just thought it was too extravagant.”
“All of these clothes and accessories, including those you have been wearing so far, were presented to the future empress by high-ranking nobles of the imperial palace.”
“….What?”
“In particular, the dress I am giving you today was made with specially selected fabric by the Southern Craftsmen’s Association. Considering their heartfelt dedication and the dignity of the imperial family, even if you don’t particularly like it, we kindly ask that you wear it at least once….”
“I-I’ll wear it! Right now, I’ll wear it. I’ll wear them all, just give them to me!”
It was the same when dealing with guests.
Riella had tea time with the noble ladies who came to hear her heroic tale.
Contrary to her nervousness, the atmosphere was cheerful and she thought they had a pretty good time.
But when the meeting was over and the ladies were getting up from their seats, Riella realized that no one had touched the refreshments that had been prepared.
“Everyone, was the food not to your liking?”
“Oh, no! Lady Blinite. That’s not it.…”
The embarrassed young ladies finally managed to explain the reason after a while.
“It’s because Lady Blinite didn’t eat it.”
“What? …Oh!”
For some unexpected reason, Riella shut her mouth.
It wasn’t that she’d forgotten the table manners—that the highest-ranking person should pick up their teacup first before others could begin eating.
It’s just that she has now forgotten that she is the ‘highest ranking person’.
“Oh, what should I do? I’m really sorry. I guess I was just too nervous.”
“Oh, no! Lady Blinite, please don’t apologize. We are the ones who should apologize.”
It was another mistake.
By apologizing to the noble ladies, she ended up making them feel uncomfortable instead.
* * *
“Playing the role of a ‘high-ranking person’… I just can’t get used to it.”
That night, Riella confided her frustrations to Herhan.
“Don’t stress about it, Riella. You’ll get used to it soon enough. Remember how well you handled it when you became Riota’s ambassador.”
“It’s nothing compared to that time.”
Normally, she would’ve just nodded and let it go, but tonight, there was a hint of frustration in her voice.
Seeing that, Herhan’s usual amused expression faded, and he sat up in bed with a more serious look.
The moonlight highlighted the well-defined muscles of his upper body beneath the fallen blanket.
His brows furrowed slightly in concern for Riella.
“Did someone tell you something bad? Who was it?”
“What would you do if you knew who it was?”
“I definitely wouldn’t let it slide.”
Riella sighed deeply at his firm answer.
No one did anything. Everyone’s been kind. They’re patient with me, too. But it’s just…”
“…..”
“I’m just greedy.”
Herhan put on the robe hanging next to him and got up from the bed.
As he moved closer, the sight of Riella’s small, slumped shoulders—defeated and curled inward—struck him as both adorable and heartbreaking.
“I want to do well. I want to be recognized as a person worthy of Your Majesty by being good at everything.”
Herhan gently stroked the back of Riellaa’s head.
Riella’s gaze was fixed downward, staring at a thick document filled with the names and portraits of the imperial officials, along with their family backgrounds and histories.
“So, you plan to go through all of that tonight?”
“Yes. I’m not just going to look at it, I’m going to memorize it all.”
Somehow, no matter how much Herhan tried to tempt her, she wouldn’t budge.
“If that’s the plan, you won’t be sleeping for days, not just tonight.”
“I don’t care. I couldn’t even properly greet a minister today because I didn’t know his name. I don’t want to make the same mistake tomorrow.”
He could’ve told Riella it wasn’t necessary.
Riella could just ask if she didn’t know someone’s name, and of course, they’d understand.
But this wasn’t about necessity—it was about Riella’s desire.
She wanted to be the kind of empress who knew her people by name and greeted them first—a thoughtful, admirable, and loving Empress.
Herhan had no right to ignore Riella’s desire.
“Okay. Then.”
Instead of closing the document and dragging her to bed, Herhan pulled out a chair and sat beside her.
And Herhan pointed to a part of the page that Riella had been looking at with a headache for a while.
“The Grossman family has served as Ministers of Justice for generations. The current Minister’s eldest son is now working as a deputy under him, training in the same department. If you look at this list, there are many members of the Grossman family, right?”
“Uh…yes…That’s right.”
“And here. Dreymon and Roman have different last names, but the heads of their families are cousins. So, they’re practically the same household. They always side together on any issue, so keeping that in mind will help.”
“……”
Instead of answering, Riella stared at Herhan.
His face was just like a painting as he sat down, shaking off his fatigue and looking seriously at the documents.
Underneath the thick eyelashes, the blue eyes slowly scanned the lines and soon rose upward reflecting her gaze like a mirror.
“I’ll stay up all night with you.”
That calm and soft voice made Riella’s heart flutter.
It was a simple word, but it wrapped around her childish complaints and frustrations, melting them away.
“Your Majesty is busier than I am. You should rest…”
“How could I possibly sleep alone while my empress is working so hard?”
Still, she felt guilty.
If it meant keeping Herhan awake, maybe she should just give up studying altogether.
As she reached out to close the document, Herhan gently wrapped his hand around hers.
“Just holding your hand like this is enough. Staying up all night’s no big deal then.”
Riella stared down at their intertwined fingers, then let out a soft laugh.
That’s really all you need?”
“And maybe a kiss every ten pages?”
“Huh?”
“…Twenty pages?”
“Alright. Twenty pages. Deal.”
Riella nodded lightly and Herhan chuckled.
The deal was done, and Herhan leaned in, brushing his lips gently against her smiling lips before pulling away.
“It’s prepaid.”
Grinning in satisfaction, Herhan turned the page of the document.
* * *
A few days passed like that.
The busier the days were, the faster time passed.
One crisp autumn morning, Riell stepped out of her bedroom, feeling the cool air brush against her skin.
“Good morning, Lady Blinite.”
“We’ll escort you this way.”
Outside the bedroom, four or five maids waited for Riella to wake up, greeting her in the morning all at once.
Riella skillfully accepted the greeting and moved as the maids led her.
After washing up neatly and moving to the dressing room, she saw three dresses that had been prepared in advance hanging on hangers.
“Which one would you prefer today, Lady Blinite?”
“I’ll go with the one on the left. There’s the Imperial Guard’s inauguration ceremony this afternoon, so it’s best to match the color.”
The maid’s polite question no longer made Riella feel awkward.
She no longer says stupid things like wearing the same thing she wore yesterday.
Now that the situation has completely changed, Riella realized that what she once thought of as considerate behavior might not be seen that way anymore.
But she also understood there were new ways to show kindness.
“Millie, you did a great job. I really love this hairstyle. Thank you.”
“It is an honor, Lady Blinite!”
The maid who answered cheerfully was the same maid who had been crying in the garden just a little while ago.
When Riella told her she wanted her to do her hair again tomorrow, the maid’s face lit up like a flower kissed by morning dew.
Once she was fully dressed, Riella made her way to the living room, where Jess was waiting.
Riella led him into her study, inside her bedroom.
* * *
“Just because you are going to be the empress, there is no need to check every single one of His Majesty’s meeting records.”
“I just want to. I would like to know what His Majesty did yesterday.”
Riella spoke softly and handed over the meeting notes Jess had brought.
At that moment, a servant brought tea and fruit into the study.
Riella offered the servant a warm smile and a nod, then turned to Jess with a gentle glance.
“Go ahead, Sir Jess.”
Jess looked at Riella without saying anything.
Normally, this would’ve been the perfect time to chuckle and tease her with a playful remark—but for some reason, he didn’t feel like it.
There was an air of elegance in Riella’s movements as she sat with an upright posture and lifted her teacup without any sign of dishevelment.
That appearance now really, truly, looked like an ’empress’, so much so that it was a little disconcerting.
‘When did she become like this?’
Had Riell grown up this much without him noticing?
Or had she always been that way, and he just failed to see it until now?
“Have you found any more clues regarding the Federation?”
At that moment, Jess shook off his thoughts and coughed in vain at Riella’s serious question.
“Ahem. By His Majesty’s order, I have already reinstated El Weiss to the Riota Embassy. I have him intentionally commute outside the palace to keep an eye on him, but it seems no one has approached him yet.”
“I see. After what happened with Duke Zion, they probably won’t make any reckless moves for a while.”
“Probably not.”
Riell reached up to rub her stiff shoulders, and Jess, pretending to refocus on the documents, asked in his usual gruff tone,
“Does your shoulder hurt?”
“Yeah. My neck too, just a little.”
It was at that moment that Herhan entered Riella’s office.
“Where does it hurt?”
“Ah, Your Majesty!”
Riella jumped up from her seat, smiling brightly as if she had never been tired.
“You’re back early. Is the meeting over already?”
“Yes. I’m going to change my clothes before the inauguration ceremony. Riella, you’re already.…”
Instead of answering, Riella stood before Herhan, lifting the hem of her skirt and slightly bending her knees to show herself.
“Looks like you’re ready.”
Herhan’s words came only after his heart had already been stolen by the perfect, stunning sight of her.
Riella smiled, clearly pleased with his reaction.
“I’ll go to let them know to prepare Your Majesty’s change of clothes.”
Riella’s steps were calm as she gave up her seat to Herhan and walked out of the study.
Her steps were light and soundless, yet steady and composed, her balance unwavering—an elegant, dignified walk.
“Well… she’s quite something now.”
Jess muttered, surprisingly generous with his praise.
Herhan chuckled softly, crossing his arms
‘She’s more than just “quite something.” She’s far too captivating to simply watch from afar.’
But even with that pride swelling in his chest, something tugged at him.
He couldn’t shake the image of Riella rubbing her sore neck, her face strained with exhaustion.
“Jess. Let’s adjust the schedule for the inauguration ceremony later.”
* * *
