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~Chapter 22~
Look at This?
Sitting in her chair, Regina looked straight at the Grand Empress’s attendant as he walked in through the open door.
Her blue eyes slowly lost their warmth at his arrogant attitude.
“Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress,”
the attendant said with just a small nod.
“Again.”
“Pardon?”
“I said, do it again.”
Regina’s cold voice made the attendant’s mustache twitch. But she just looked at him calmly.
He might have been taller than her, but he felt like a sword was pressed against his throat.
Without meaning to, he bent at the waist.
“G-greetings to Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Your hands are in the wrong position. Again.”
Her icy voice filled the whole room. Everyone, including the attendant, froze in place.
No one had expected Regina—who came from such a humble family—to know court etiquette so well, so the attendant fumbled.
“Is the Grand Empress’s attendant unable to do something so simple?”
“N-no, Your Majesty.”
Humbled, he finally bowed properly.
Regina still didn’t look satisfied and sighed.
“I still don’t like it, but since you were sent by the Grand Empress, I suppose I have no choice.”
The attendant bit his lip, frustrated. Regina smiled as she spoke.
“Next time, try sending someone who actually knows etiquette.”
She said it like she was talking to herself, but everyone in the room heard her clearly.
The attendant’s face flushed with shame, scolded for not even knowing basic manners.
He tried to cover up his embarrassment with a neutral expression.
‘Oh?’
Look at this?
Regina thought to herself—he’s good at hiding his true feelings. She was now sure something was up.
The attendant cleared his throat and bowed again.
“A message from Her Majesty the Grand Empress. She will send people to the Empress’s palace to help Your Majesty settle in.”
“To my palace?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
He looked Regina in the eye, showing off his confidence.
“Since you don’t have enough staff, she’ll send her own people until you can hire new ones.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“The maids and attendants are already on their way, so there’s no need to worry.”
He bowed deeply, with a sly smile on his face, then left the emperor’s chambers.
Even after he left, Regina didn’t move for a while.
“This is more annoying than I thought,”
she said quietly.
The maids pretended not to hear. In the palace, you could die for passing along a superior’s careless words, so they were experts at acting like they heard nothing.
Regina knew this, but said it out loud on purpose.
With all the nobles crowding Conrad, and how quickly Chloe was reacting, Regina realized something important:
The news about the marriage and wedding night had spread on the very same day.
‘There’s a spy around.’
She didn’t know if the spy was from the emperor’s palace or the temple. So, Regina decided to set a trap.
“Attendant.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The emperor’s attendant stepped forward.
“Prepare for me to move to my own palace.”
“Right away.”
The attendant signaled the maids, who immediately began to help Regina get ready. Only after seeing Regina being served so skillfully did the attendant leave the emperor’s chambers.
He needed to report everything he had just seen and heard to Conrad, who was probably in the meeting room.
“This is outrageous!”
“Of course! How could there be an empress without approval from the council?”
The nobles from the Grand Empress’s side were furious, but Conrad watched them with an expressionless face.
Slowly, a smile appeared on his lips.
The nobles were too busy complaining about Regina to notice Conrad’s mood darkening.
“Maybe she acts that way because she’s from such a low family. She probably doesn’t even know proper manners.”
“Exactly! Otherwise, how could she—!”
Some even questioned if someone without the right background could really spend the emperor’s first night with him.
Since they couldn’t criticize Conrad directly, they targeted Regina’s status and attitude.
Conrad already knew how selfish and petty most nobles were.
‘No matter what, they only care about themselves.’
Very few nobles were truly loyal to Conrad or the Fredericks Empire.
‘And none of those are here today.’
The ones who truly supported the empire wouldn’t come to complain about the secret wedding—they might show up at the palace later, but not with the loud crowd.
Leaning back on the throne, Conrad hid his feelings as he spoke.
“Choosing an empress is the emperor’s right, isn’t it?”
His voice sounded calm, but there was an edge to it that no one could miss.
The nobles fell silent at once.
“Since when did the council get to pick who sits next to me?”
Every young noblewoman who had tried to sit beside him before had met a bad end.
They never made it to empress; those chosen as fiancées were all taken down by Chloe.
There were always plenty of candidates for empress, but most were Chloe’s people.
Conrad had delayed choosing an empress because he knew what would happen if he picked one of them.
“But honestly, I really don’t get it,”
he added, face calm but voice full of force.
The nobles froze. They could only glance at each other, unable to move or speak up.
“You were all just complaining a moment ago. Why so quiet now?”
Conrad’s pressure was overwhelming. Some nobles swayed in their seats or turned pale.
“Well, does anyone have anything else to say?”
“W-well…”
No one could put together a proper sentence.
Conrad was finally satisfied and smiled.
“The temple approved it, and we spent our first night together. Lena Madeline is now Lena Fredericks. I’ve given her the empress’s crown, so make sure you all know it.”
It was a one-sided announcement, but the nobles couldn’t do anything about it.
Just then—
“Your Majesty, Duke Messer requests an audience.”
“An audience? In the meeting room?”
Conrad immediately guessed the duke only wanted to come to oppose him.
He raised his hand.
“Let him in.”
The doors opened and Duke Messer strode confidently into the room.
He was the one who had helped put the Grand Empress next to the former emperor, and was now the leader of the nobles.
“I greet the empire’s greatest sword.”
“Get up,”
Conrad answered casually, watching him closely.
“I heard Your Majesty got married overnight.”
“You have sharp ears, Duke. You found out about what happened last night very quickly.”
Conrad hinted that it must have been the duke who spread the news to the nobles, but the duke’s face didn’t change.
He calmly replied,
“The emperor’s partner is a very important role for the empire, so it’s only natural the news spreads.”
“If you say so.”
Conrad knew the duke would never openly admit to having spies in the palace.
But seeing the duke so calm only made Conrad want to punch him.
