🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter : 04
While they were having an ordinary tea time, an unwelcome guest arrived.
“Your Majesty the Empress. Her Highness the Imperial Consort has come to see you.”
“The consort? For what possible reason would she come to see me? Without even sending word—how rude.”
Lysianthus spoke with clear displeasure.
“I am currently having tea with the Grand Duchess. Tell her to send word and come another time.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The maid went outside and relayed the message to Empress Consort Perisian.
“Her Majesty the Empress is currently having tea with Her Highness the Grand Duchess. She says you should send word and visit at another time.”
“So she’s telling me to go back?”
Though the palace was well soundproofed, the raised voice carried all the way into the Empress’s palace.
“My maids are the only ones suffering.”
“Does this happen often?”
“Yes. From time to time she comes like this and asks me to persuade Khalid.”
“Persuade him? What on earth needs persuading…?”
“It’s obvious. Khalid always refuses to consummate the marriage with the consort for one strange reason or another, so she asks me to persuade him.”
“So you send her away like this every time?”
“Yes. And if this doesn’t work, I simply ignore her altogether.”
The raised voice continued for a while, but eventually faded away.
“Looks like she’s gone.”
“No matter what, standing in front of the Empress’s palace for too long isn’t a good look.”
“That’s true… You’re right, Sister.”
“More importantly, you know there’s a banquet at the House of Duke Celedina in two weeks, right?”
“A banquet??”
“Don’t tell me you completely forgot?”
“Well… I’ve been busy lately…”
“You have to come with the Grand Duke that day. Father and Mother are worried.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely bring him.”
Lysianthus and I chatted with smiles on our faces.
“It’s already gotten this late. Wait a little and have dinner before you go.”
“What about Luciano…?”
“The Grand Duke will eat with Khalid or by himself, so don’t worry. He won’t starve.”
“Alright. I’ll go for a walk.”
“Okay. Be sure to come back to my palace at dinner time.”
“Don’t worry.”
After asking a maid to guide me to the rose garden—said to be the largest and most beautiful in the imperial palace—I headed there.
“This is a place Her Majesty the Empress also loves.”
“My sister too?”
“Yes. All of these flowers are ones Her Majesty favors, planted by His Majesty the Emperor.”
‘Does he like her that much?’
I looked at the peonies planted among the many roses.
“What a truly beautiful flower.”
“The peony, you mean?”
“Yes. Even among roses, it shines, doesn’t it?”
Like a female protagonist who shines even when surrounded by others.
Lost deep in thought, I eventually came back to myself and finished my walk.
“My lady. It’s evening now, and the weather is getting chilly.”
“Let’s go inside. It’s time for dinner anyway.”
“Yes, my lady.”
When I entered the Empress’s dining hall, Lysianthus was already seated at the head.
“Sister.”
“You arrived right on time. Come, sit.”
Dishes that were beautifully colored and fragrant were brought out.
“I prepared only the things you’ve always liked. Go ahead and eat.”
“You should eat too, Sister.”
This was the first time since possessing this body that I ate in such a warm atmosphere.
After the possession, I had eaten alone every day and felt lonely.
No matter how delicious the food was, it tasted bland—but not now.
“His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Grand Duke have arrived.”
Just as we were enjoying ourselves, unexpected guests appeared.
“How rude, Khalid.”
Lysianthus sharply said as she set down her cutlery.
Khalid looked flustered, his expression stiffening.
‘The Emperor is handsome too.’
With black hair contrasting Lysianthus’s red and blue eyes that suited it perfectly, the Emperor was strikingly handsome.
“I greet the sole sun of the Empire, His Majesty the Emperor.”
After receiving my brief greeting, Khalid looked at Lysianthus.
“Lysianthus…”
“I have nothing to say to you. Please leave.”
“I’m sorry…”
I was shocked.
The Emperor—the sun of the Empire and ruler of the vast continent—was apologizing.
A man who bowed to no one.
Like me, Lysianthus also seemed taken aback and couldn’t speak.
“I didn’t realize it would hurt you. I postponed the consummation because I was afraid your recently recovered health might worsen.”
“I really am healthy! Khalid!! Do you know how sorry I feel watching you get pressured to sleep with the consort because of me?”
Lysianthus raised her voice again.
“I told you when I proposed. That I would love only you for the rest of my life. I was incompetent and had to take a consort, but I will never consummate the marriage with her. I won’t let you worry about succession issues either.”
Even I, an outsider, could feel his sincerity.
“How—how can you be sure?”
“Of course. You’re my only wife.”
Khalid smiled brightly, and only then did the worry clouding Lysianthus’s face fade away.
“Ahem! Your Majesty.”
Just as a sweet atmosphere was forming between the two, Luciano cleared his throat.
“Oh, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were here.”
I found their display of affection extremely unpleasant—and it seemed Luciano felt the same.
“Your Majesty. There is still much work left. Please return.”
“Isn’t it work the Grand Duke can handle?”
Khalid curtly pushed his work onto Luciano.
“I am a Grand Duke, not the Emperor. And I also have a wife.”
Luciano glanced at me as he spoke.
‘He’s using me to escape this situation, isn’t he?’
I nearly laughed but held it in and walked up to Luciano.
“Your Majesty. It’s been over ten days since I last saw my husband. Please let him go.”
When I looked at Luciano while speaking, Khalid looked between us with an ambiguous gaze.
“You two must be getting along better…”
“Pardon? I didn’t quite hear that.”
“Ahem! Since the Grand Duchess says so, I have no choice. You may leave the palace.”
With the Emperor’s permission, Luciano took my hand and left the Empress’s palace.
‘Warm.’
Luciano was always cold, but his hand was warm.
“Let’s go home.”
Luciano and I got into the carriage together. The moment we sat down, he roughly let go of my hand.
“Ha…”
His sigh revealed just how irritated he was.
For Luciano, even holding Estelline’s hand—someone he disliked—seemed stressful.
“It’s been a while, Luciano.”
“Yes. It has been a while, my lady.”
I was angry with him. And he likely felt the same.
“Is your health well?”
“You ask quickly. It’s already been over ten days since I regained consciousness.”
I said sarcastically.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come to you. I was busy.”
‘A lie to the very end.’
I sighed.
“I already heard from my sister. The work you were in charge of had ended long ago, hadn’t it?”
He seemed flustered and said nothing.
“I know you don’t want to see me, but at least come home. It’s better than staying in the palace.”
“I understand. I’ll return home even if it’s late.”
After that, we didn’t exchange another word until we arrived.
When we got out of the carriage, the butler was waiting.
“Your Highness. Shall I prepare your bath?”
“Yes.”
Luciano went to his room with the butler.
“My lady. Welcome back.”
“Yes.”
“You look very tired. Please get some rest.”
“Prepare it.”
After instructing the maids, I went out to the rear garden.
“The weather is quite chilly. Please go inside.”
“I’m fine. Let’s walk a little longer.”
I walked through the garden until preparations were complete.
* * *
Luciano was watching Estelline from afar.
“Your Highness. What are you looking at?”
“How has my wife been behaving lately?”
“She has changed greatly since the riding accident.”
Luciano looked shocked, as if he’d heard something he shouldn’t have.
“Has she gone mad? Or is it some aftereffect of the accident…?”
“She’s reduced her extravagance, and recently she even spared a maid who stepped on her dress.”
Luciano doubted his ears.
More than ten servants used to leave the estate every month because of Estelline’s harassment.
That was how badly she treated them.
Yet she spared a maid who stepped on her dress?
“Did she spare her on the condition that she cut off a hand or foot?”
It was a plausible question.
“No, Your Highness. She simply spared her. She even gave the maid her own handkerchief.”
“Summon a physician. I suspect my wife’s mental health.”
Luciano looked back out the window at Estelline.
Seeing her smile so comfortably—so unlike before—made him feel even more uneasy.
“Isn’t this a good thing? The servants who couldn’t endure the Grand Duchess’s tyranny can finally breathe.”
“I can’t trust her. I can’t understand the evil things she’s done.”
“But she is the Grand Duchess from the House of Celedina.”
“I know. That’s exactly why it’s driving me mad.”
If he disliked her, he could have fabricated a reason and requested a divorce—but as long as she was of the Celedina bloodline, that was nearly impossible.
‘And now we’re even doing business with the House of Celedina. A divorce would only hurt me.’
Luciano looked at the framed portrait of the former Grand Duke and Duchess on his bedside table.
‘Father. Mother.’
If they hadn’t died in a carriage accident, Luciano and Estelline’s future would have been different.
Perhaps they wouldn’t even be married now.
‘Why did you have to leave like that?’
Until their deaths, his parents had always been figures of respect to him.
But after they died and he married Estelline, he found himself resenting them for the first time.
Luciano turned away and headed into the bathroom.
