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Chapter 22
When I smiled and turned to Vincent, he met my eyes with a gentle gaze.
“I’m glad you’ve recovered.
I was truly worried.”
After keeping quiet all this time, it seemed he finally felt like joining this little play.
I, too, acted the part of his partner, gazing back with a touched expression.
“It was thanks to Your Highness’s care.
To me, no jewel could ever be more precious than your heart.”
“And I feel the same.
Do you happen to have a favourite gem?”
“Well… what would suit me, do you think?”
Vincent regarded me with a serious, thoughtful look.
“Something like a ruby or red diamond, as beautiful and red as your eyes.”
“Is that so?”
Vincent nodded calmly.
Blushing, I covered my cheeks with both hands and smiled shyly.
To anyone watching, it sounded as though the Crown Prince might soon present me with jewels.
Whether he ever would or not, this performance for the Empress Consort seemed sufficient.
“My, the two of you seem… very close.”
The Empress Consort bit her lip as she stared at us in bewilderment.
Perhaps it seemed to her that nothing could possibly drive us apart in this moment.
In truth, there was no room to grow further apart than we already were.
In my previous life, Amelia killed Vincent, and in this one, Vincent tried to kill me.
Could there be a greater distance between two people?
And yet, here I was, smiling as though nothing were wrong.
I hadn’t been here long, but I was already mentally exhausted.
I want to run away.
Just as such thoughts filled my mind, Vincent began to lead the conversation at the table.
He spoke continuously with the Emperor about matters of state.
The Empress Consort kept searching for moments to interject, but with the serious turn the conversation had taken, she never found the chance to open her mouth.
The same was true for me, but since I had no desire to speak, I was rather grateful. Unless…
Was he being considerate of me?
Glancing sideways, I caught Vincent’s gaze as he, too, looked my way.
Leaning in closer, he whispered in a low voice.
“Are you tired?”
His voice was so sweet I almost swooned on the spot.
Clutching onto my senses, I shook my head quickly.
“I’m fine.”
“That’s good.
Just endure a little longer.”
Someone was staring at us quietly.
It was Prince Noel, who was usually as inconspicuous as Eric of House Wentworth.
This time, however, he opened his mouth.
“Then Brother and Lady Wentworth are to be married, right?”
He pointed straight at Vincent and me with his finger.
“Yes.”
Vincent answered lightly.
At that, Noel turned to the Empress Consort.
“Mother, how old must one be to get engaged?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, the Empress Consort faltered.
“Hm?
Noel, why would you suddenly ask that?”
“Hohoho, Noel.
Already speaking of engagements?
You only just had your debutante ball.
Have you already found a young lady you fancy?”
The Emperor laughed as he asked, but Noel shook his head.
“Not exactly.”
He gave me a quick glance, then abruptly turned his head away.
What’s with him?
Is he just jealous that only his brother has a fiancée?
“Anyway, Your Majesty, the founding anniversary is coming soon, isn’t it?
Two months from now?”
The Empress Consort seized the moment to change the subject.
“Mm, has it already come so quickly?”
As the Emperor nodded, she carefully pressed on.
“So, I was thinking… what if I were to oversee this year’s founding anniversary ball?”
“You?
You mean to say you?”
Traditionally, the founding anniversary was always hosted by the Empress.
Nervously, I watched the Emperor, the Empress Consort, and Vincent in turn.
Vincent’s face betrayed nothing, the Emperor seemed reluctant, while the Empress Consort’s eyes sparkled with hope.
“No, there’s no need for you to trouble yourself with such a burdensome task.”
“But isn’t it too much strain on the Empress, given her illness?
Wouldn’t her condition only worsen if she were forced to take on such responsibilities?”
“Hmm.”
The Empress Consort’s words were obvious yet convincing, making the Emperor hesitate for a moment. Still, he shook his head.
“No, unless the Empress herself says she cannot do it, you need not concern yourself with it.”
Surprisingly, the Emperor did not yield to her.
Though he kept Empress Isabel close and favoured her company, in his mind, the true mistress of the Empire was still the Empress.
That was why he sometimes sought her counsel on important matters and at times, even seemed to fear her.
Like an ordinary husband cowed by his steadfast wife.
And that was precisely why Vincent’s position as Crown Prince, being the Empress’s son, remained secure.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Though she looked disappointed, the Empress Consort did not press further.
Seizing on the moment, the Emperor turned to me.
“Since you’re here, you should pay a visit to the Empress to offer your regards.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.
Thank you for saying so.
I was intending to, in any case.”
Was he saying that to spite the Empress Consort, or was he truly just oblivious?
From the text, I had always assumed the latter, but facing him directly now, I wasn’t so sure.
The Empress Consort’s mood may have soured, but the meal concluded peacefully enough.
The Emperor’s palace and the Empress’s palace were within walking distance.
“Your Highness, could you wait a moment?”
“Hm?
Very well, what is it?”
“I asked Vivian to bring me something.
She should be here any moment.”
Vincent agreed easily enough.
I could feel his eyes on me from time to time.
To ease the awkwardness of waiting, I spoke up.
“Is Her Majesty the Empress unwell?”
“She has been unable to eat due to stomach troubles, and her cough has kept her from sleeping for months.
Other ailments have followed as a result.”
“I see… how difficult that must be.”
I already knew as much, but still, I was glad I asked.
“My lady!
My lady!”
“Ah, here you are, Vivian.”
Before long, Vivian arrived.
I took the rattan basket from her hands and lifted the lid to check its contents.
Everything I had asked for was inside.
“Now we can go.”
Vincent nodded and offered his arm.
“This way.
But what is that?”
“Mm, something I thought might help Her Majesty the Empress.
Though… perhaps it was unnecessary.
For now, it’s a secret.”
I brushed it off with a smile.
Vincent looked curious but didn’t press.
As we walked, I reviewed the situation, comparing it with the original story.
For one, I’ve distanced myself from the Empress Consort.
In the original, Amelia had been swayed by the Empress Consort’s words, which only caused Vincent to think less of her.
The same had been true even before the regression.
Had Amelia not realised that Vincent disliked the Empress Consort?
At that moment, Vincent’s quiet voice reached me from beside me.
“Amelia.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“This will be your first proper meeting with my mother, won’t it?”
“Ah… yes, that’s true.”
I had seen the Empress from afar once or twice, and at Amelia’s debutante ball, she had offered a brief greeting alongside other young ladies.
That such an engagement had been arranged afterwards was remarkable.
Surely it was thanks to the influence of Duke Wentworth.
But aside from that, Amelia had no meaningful interactions with the Empress, and thus no useful knowledge of her.
“What kind of person is Her Majesty?”
I knew something from the novel, of course but the perspective of a son toward his mother might be different.
“Hmm.”
Vincent studied me quietly, as though weighing how much to reveal, considering the Amelia he had once known versus the Amelia standing beside him now.
Feigning ignorance, I simply smiled brightly.
“It’s difficult for me to describe my own mother.
You’ll see for yourself soon enough.”
In the end, he gave me a vague answer.
Hmph, if his feelings toward her were truly harsh, like in the original story, what then?
Ah, but in the original, Amelia never went to meet the Empress at all.
Not even before the regression.
Perhaps that was why Vincent seemed curious about how I would interact w
ith her.
Passing through the Imperial Palace gardens, we entered those of the Empress’s palace.
Compared to the Emperor’s, the Empress’s gardens were filled with a greater variety of flowers.
The colours were beautiful, yet the uneven sizes made the overall scene feel somewhat disorderly.
