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~Chapter 21~
“To the esteemed Duke Killian Winters.
Congratulations on your great victory in the recent war. I shall host a party in its honor.
It will also be a fine occasion to present your fiancée, who has yet to appear in official society.
I look forward to your future achievements.
— Empress Dowager Roselia.”
“…Huh?”
What was this?
Empress Dowager Roselia?
Aisha didn’t understand.
In The Emperor Cannot Live Without His Prisoner, Roselia had almost no role. Actually, it was better to say she hardly appeared at all.
The original story began in warm spring. Now, winter was nearly over—at most a month or two remained.
The heroine, Hilda Everett, was a princess from the Aldrosia Empire, which had long been at odds with Draxion. She came almost as a hostage for a peace treaty. The one sent to escort her was none other than Killian. During that process, Killian began to show interest in Hilda.
In the imperial palace, Hilda would meet the male lead, Belmore Allington, and eventually fall in love with him.
And as Aisha remembered—
Roselia, the Empress Dowager…
…was already dead before Hilda ever arrived in Draxion.
The novel never even described her properly. Only a brief mention that Belmore had not been loved by his mother.
So why was Roselia now sending invitations?
And Killian’s attitude was…
“Even you, Aisha Ashton, may know this well. Since you’re capable enough to publish a magazine. The one holding real power in the Draxion Empire is not Emperor Belmore Allington, but Empress Dowager Roselia.”
Yes. Aisha had heard that before. Honestly, she always thought it was some mistake. But since she never expected to meet Roselia, she ignored it.
“And the one who most opposes me in Draxion… is Roselia herself.”
“….”
“And one more thing. This invitation was sent by her own hand. Refusing to attend is not allowed.”
“Th-Then what should I do?”
“What else?”
Killian’s cold eyes glinted.
“All I can tell you is this: from today on, your days will truly be terrible.”
Wait.
Wait a second!
Why me?! Why did I have to go through this?!
Aisha stared at Killian in despair, but he didn’t care.
Instead—
“Cien!”
“Yes, my lord.”
Cien entered, bowing.
“Call Madam Brien at once.”
“…Madam Brien, my lord?”
Why was his face stiff like that?
“Yes.”
“Understood. I’ll send for her immediately.”
In that short moment, Aisha saw it.
The satisfied little smile on Cien’s lips.
And she realized—
Something was about to go very, very wrong.
Aisha’s fears were exactly right.
“Lady Aisha! What noble lady walks like some thug collecting money on the streets? You’d fit right in with the gangsters on Lindel Street!”
So bad premonitions never fail…
Madam Brien had arrived. She was a woman in her mid-forties.
According to the maids, Madam Brien was famous for training noble ladies. Skilled, but strict to the extreme. Some families even threatened their daughters by saying: Keep this up, or we’ll bring Madam Brien!
“Your back! Straighten your back! And your neck—why is it sticking out so much? You look like a turtle!”
That’s an occupational disease…
“Do you want people saying the Duke’s fiancée is a turtle? Pull in your neck!”
“I-I already did…”
“Haa…”
With a deep sigh, Madam Brien suddenly marched right up to Aisha and, before she could avoid it—
Crack!
“U-Urk…!?”
Her strong hands pushed Aisha’s neck straight back without hesitation.
Wasn’t that the sound of her neck breaking? Aisha wondered if she should just escape to her father’s house now.
“Yes. Just like that.”
“…Oh?”
Luckily, her neck wasn’t broken. In fact, her usual headaches even felt a little better. Was this why people called her a true expert?
“Back straight! From your ankles to your hips to your neck—all in one line!”
“….”
“And your shoulders! Why are they so curled up? Folded like paper! What kind of life produces a body this warped, huh!”
Ughhhh…
She’d been cursed before for her articles, but never for her posture. Crooked shoulders, turtle neck, bent spine—that was normal for people like her…
“…This won’t do. In all my years teaching noble ladies, this is the worst case I’ve ever seen.”
So what. Did she want Aisha to die?
“I never thought it would come to this… but I can’t refuse the Duke’s request.”
“…What?”
“Here.”
With a determined face, Madam Brien pulled something out of her robes.
…A switch.
“From now on, we’ll begin real correction training.”
“….”
“Prepare yourself, Lady Aisha. I won’t hold back anymore.”
You never did!
Aisha stared at her in horror, but Madam Brien only shouted like a tiger again.
“Now walk! Like a noble lady. Graceful! With dignity!”
It was as if she had teamed up with Killian to destroy Aisha.
Three days.
That was all the time left until the party hosted by the Empress Dowager.
Three days.
That was how long Madam Brien stayed at the Winters mansion, drilling Aisha mercilessly.
This… this is insane.
She didn’t just teach walking, but also table manners, and even the dances that would be required at the party. No, it wasn’t teaching—it was more like force-feeding.
And Aisha made plenty of disasters along the way. Puffing her chest like a pigeon and stumbling until she grabbed Madam Brien’s hair… or during dance practice, stomping on her foot with all her strength.
The doctor said Madam Brien’s foot was fractured.
But instead of resting, Madam Brien wrapped her leg tightly in bandages and kept teaching, limping but relentless.
It was almost… moving.
At this point, death would be easier. Yes. Better to die.
Of course, that was only how the victim felt.
And so, on the very morning Aisha was about to decide on “noble suicide”—
At last, the long-awaited news arrived.
