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~Chapter 11~
“To say love is a crime!”
“Rena.”
Conrad, who had descended from the imperial throne, reached out his hand to her as if he had been waiting.
The nobles were shocked to see Conrad, who had always avoided contact with noble ladies at banquets, now escorting her so politely.
It was so different from how he’d always avoided even brushing against any noble lady in the palace ballroom.
“Oh my! I’ve never seen this young lady at an imperial banquet. So, she must have climbed onto His Majesty’s bed, without a shred of noble dignity.”
The moment Regina took Conrad’s hand, Chloe’s sharp words spilled out.
Chloe instantly pulled out her fan and hid her face, dragging Regina down as a wanton woman.
The fan hid Chloe’s subtle sneer, but the ridicule in her eyes could not be hidden.
And Regina understood all her intentions.
“I greet Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager.”
Regina gave a perfect, picturesque bow.
The etiquette of the Permang Empire and Fredericks Empire was not different, so Regina performed it as easily as breathing.
There was barely a paper-thin difference between the etiquette of the imperial family and the nobility, and Regina’s manners were flawless.
At her noble bearing, the eyes of the nobles widened.
This was not a ballroom, but the audience chamber. The most distinguished nobles were all watching Regina.
Any ordinary lady would have been so nervous she could hardly move.
But her flowing, natural movements fascinated the nobles, making it impossible to look away. Even after hearing the Empress Dowager’s harsh words, her dignified expression did not change, which impressed them even more.
Of course, Chloe noticed the change in atmosphere.
Her words, meant to suppress Regina’s spirit, were a bit too much, even for the Empress Dowager.
Realizing this, Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment, Regina straightened her back.
“I was unfortunate, having lost my parents early and growing up alone.”
Regina, who had killed the living emperor of Permang in an instant, remained calm.
Her so-called father was already dead to her in her heart. And she never even properly saw her living mother’s face, so she might as well have lost her, too.
“What did you say?”
“So I couldn’t acquire noble dignity. I hope Her Majesty the Empress Dowager will show me some mercy.”
Chloe’s hand gripped the fan tightly. Regina saw the trembling fan and smiled softly.
Chloe bit her lip, thinking that Regina’s smile was just like Conrad’s.
“Surely, Her Majesty, with a heart as vast as the sea, would not blame a girl who has lost her parents?”
Regina’s shoulders shook slightly as she lowered her head. The nobles watching thought Regina was swallowing back tears.
‘If you criticize me more, you’re not even human.’
Regina had learned how to survive since childhood by dealing with bullying from the legitimate imperial heirs.
She’d also perfected the art of pretending—having taken on dangerous missions behind enemy lines, she learned to shape her character as needed.
So now, acting like a lovesick, pitiful girl was easier than dipping bread in soup.
She squeezed her thigh under her dress, bringing real tears to her eyes.
Having gotten the reaction she wanted, she lifted her head and looked at the nobles.
Regina pressed a finger to the corner of her eye and spoke gently.
“His Majesty, who saved me from danger, is my one and only knight.”
She looked around, delivering a line that any lady in love might say.
“I fell in love at first sight when I saw His Majesty wielding his sword. I was so swept up in love, I lost all sense. I’ve committed a mortal sin by longing for someone I could never have, Your Majesty. Perhaps I desired too much for someone with no parents like me.”
Regina knelt before Chloe. It was a shocking gesture for a noble lady.
Even Chloe was flustered and didn’t know what to do, when Conrad stepped in.
“What crime have you committed, Rena? If there’s any fault, it’s only that you accepted me.”
His words were firm and clear. The astonished nobles stared at the two.
Conrad looked as if he might step down from the throne and embrace Regina at any moment, further startling the nobles.
“Conrad!”
“It’s all my fault. I promised to make you the most precious woman in the world, and yet, what kind of emperor can’t even protect his own woman from such words?”
“No, Your Majesty, how can any of this be your fault? It’s all because I am lacking. Because I, who have no parents, dared to cherish Your Majesty in my heart.”
For the third time, Regina emphasized that she had no parents.
Conrad clenched his eyes shut, as if blaming himself for making his precious person say such things.
“To say loving me is a crime!”
With a sigh, Conrad spoke, and Regina, still kneeling, leaned on him.
She looked so pitiful that the softer-hearted nobles turned away.
With age comes sensitivity; some whispered that Regina was pitiable, while others blamed her tragic fate.
Especially those nobles who had rebuilt their own families from nothing felt empathy for Regina.
“Falling in love isn’t a crime, is it? Don’t you agree?”
The small murmur rippled through the silent audience chamber. It was also a remark showing how close Regina had become to the Emperor.
If Regina were to be crowned empress, Chloe would have to step down as regent.
Whether Conrad’s feelings were genuine or not, his open support for Regina meant he was empowering her.
Sensing the shift in power, the nobles quickly added their voices.
Chloe’s supporters held still, but those who’d been on the fence now leaned toward Regina.
“So, which family is Lady Rena from…?”
Marquis Ludvika made a last attempt.
“She is the eldest daughter of the Baron Madarin family.”
“…Where did you say?”
“Baron Madarin family,” she repeated firmly, turning her sorrowful face away.
“So humble a family that you didn’t even recognize it.”
Few knew the Madarin family, as they never appeared in society.
But this was the audience chamber, where the well-informed gathered.
“Isn’t that the baron family that runs the merchant group?”
“And the one always in the red, I’ve heard… cough!”
“I heard they had a sickly daughter. So it’s true.”
The nobles, each glancing at Chloe, chimed in.
As Regina’s identity was about to be confirmed, Chloe snapped her fan shut with a loud ‘tak.’
The murmurs died instantly. Chloe’s authority in the Fredericks Empire was unmistakable.
“So, you’re saying this young lady is Rena Madarin?”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager.”
“If that’s true, bring someone who can verify her identity.”
With a sly smile, Chloe insisted everything must be certain for someone who might serve the imperial family.
At her gesture, someone ran out of the audience chamber. Regina’s face remained calm, but her fingers trembled slightly.
‘Has the Empress Dowager realized something? Did she find out I came from the monster zone? No way… could it be this fast?’
Just then, Conrad’s hand gripped her shoulder firmly. Regina inhaled.
Her trembling quickly subsided.
Soon, a man entered with the attendant Chloe had sent.
The moment she saw the man’s face, Regina’s eyes changed.
The man, standing so far from the throne, didn’t notice Regina at all.
“How fortunate, someone suitable has just arrived.”
Chloe had already completed her investigation into Regina.
She thought Regina, as a mere baron’s daughter, would back down easily under light threats or be persuaded to join her side.
But Regina’s tough attitude made Chloe change her mind.
