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Chapter 3
I grabbed the back of my neck and let out a long sigh as if the ground had collapsed beneath me. My blood pressure spiked so sharply that I felt dizzy. I steadied my swaying body by sinking into a chair.
“L-Lady!”
“I’m fine. Continue your report.”
“Yes…”
After taking a deep breath to calm myself, I continued listening to the report from the branch director of the Kebo Ilbo (newspaper bureau).
According to him, two hours after I left the palace, the daughter of Viscount Pio requested an audience with the Emperor.
And the Emperor accepted. The two had lunch together.
Lady Reina Pio left the palace at 2 p.m.
Considering the Emperor’s mealtime usually lasted only about an hour, the timing between lunch and her departure was tight.
But whether it was true or not didn’t matter to the nobles. The two of them had already danced the first dance together at the previous ball.
The aristocracy would seize this opportunity like a pack of wolves and tear into me.
“Lady…”
“There should be no article about this matter.”
“But…”
“If I hear even a whisper of it… well. I cannot guarantee the safety of House Coora.”
I smiled gently while sending him a cold gaze. The branch director lowered his eyes and nodded.
How laughable—pretending to be afraid. The Count of Coora wore his predator mask well.
Now he acted obediently, as if he had fallen into my hands, but given any chance, he would try to publish a sensational article.
In the original story as well, he repeatedly caused trouble for the heroine.
Articles filled with exaggeration… no, outright fabrication and lies.
I stared at the back of his head with narrowed eyes.
If I hadn’t regained my past-life memories and known his weakness, the entire capital would have been in chaos tomorrow with rumors of yet another imperial scandal.
I had to prevent that. I refused to deal with more scandals.
“Just remember—I hold your gambling debts. You may leave now.”
I reminded him once more where his Achilles’ heel was and dismissed him.
“…Yes. I will never forget the Lady’s grace.”
After watching the Count of Coora bow and leave carefully, I let out the sigh I had been holding back.
This is getting troublesome. Another thing I have to deal with.
The Emperor’s reaction today… it was worse than expected. If he avoided me like this at every meal, my plan would be meaningless.
Should I approach him more gently? Perhaps I should stop using the word “love” altogether.
Maybe I should focus first on simply making my presence familiar to him. I tapped the desk with my finger, deep in thought.
“Lady. The young master requests to see you.”
“My brother?”
It wasn’t late, but my brother—the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard First Division and a young duke—was usually extremely busy at this hour.
We normally only met briefly before he left for the palace in the morning. So a sudden summons meant…
He must have heard the rumors.
I pressed my brow and sighed again. He was definitely going to bring up the engagement or something similar.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I threw on a simple robe and headed to my brother’s study. As expected, he was still working.
For a brief moment, a faint smile appeared on Kilian Delorvant’s face.
I carefully hid my unease and walked toward him.
“Sit comfortably.”
To anyone else, that smile might seem harmless. But I knew better.
There were only two times my brother, who rarely showed emotion, wore such a gentle smile.
When he was genuinely in a good mood—or when he was extremely displeased about something.
And this was clearly the latter.
“Did you have dinner?”
“No. I didn’t have much of an appetite today…”
“Dieting is fine, but you must not skip meals.”
“I’ll be more careful next time.”
He dragged out the conversation, circling around the real topic. I quietly lifted my teacup, hiding the tension in my expression.
Though I doubted it would fool him.
“I heard you went to the palace today and had breakfast with His Majesty.”
“…Yes.”
“And… as you already know, you also had lunch with Lady Pio of House Viscount Pio.”
“…”
I remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
“Are you alright?”
At his question, I answered honestly without hesitation.
“What is there not to be alright about? He’s always done this.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“Brother, I really am fine.”
I cut him off and met his gaze.
It was rude, but my brother simply lifted his teacup, as if telling me to continue.
“I will become the Empress.”
“Isanna.”
He called my name seriously.
And I told him my plan.
“And then I will divorce him.”
“Cough! What did you just say…?”
He looked completely shocked.
So I calmly explained everything in detail.
Of course, I carefully avoided mentioning my past life or the original novel.
“So… you’re saying you plan to marry him… just for inheritance rights and alimony?”
“Yes.”
“Think again. You must understand that to do that, you need to stay married to the Emperor—”
“You know he won’t let me go until I die.”
A heavy silence fell over the study.
Even I wasn’t entirely free of doubt about this plan. But it was the worst option… and the only option.
Click—
As I calmly lifted my teacup, my brother let out a long sigh.
“…Yes. He would do that. But are you sure he will agree to a divorce? Imperial divorces are not simple.”
“I know it won’t be easy. But I don’t have any other choice.”
And once the heroine appears, his interest in me will fade quickly anyway.
I swallowed the rest of the words and took a sip of tea. If his heart returned to where it truly belonged, divorce would be easy.
“Isanna… I’m sorry. I should have strongly opposed that engagement back then.”
I shook my head at his apology.
The engagement was not something forced upon me—it was something I had chosen.
In fact, Delorvant gained more disadvantages than benefits from being tied to the Emperor’s family, despite the status of being the imperial in-laws.
Right after I was rejected by the Grand Duke… I went and accepted his proposal.
I really wasn’t thinking straight back then.
Honestly, part of the reason I accepted the Emperor’s engagement was to get revenge on the Grand Duke.
In noble marriages—even more so between the imperial family and ducal houses—there was always calculation involved.
“Ha… your stubbornness is something I cannot win against.”
Realizing I would not back down, my brother finally gave up.
“If you need anything, tell me. I will help as much as I can.”
“Thank you, Brother.”
“Go rest now, Isanna.”
With a tired expression, he rubbed his brow.
I smiled softly at him and left the study.
I instructed Lima to bring parchment and a pen, then went to my bedroom first.
House Pio…
Though far from the capital, they controlled fertile lands and were quite wealthy for a viscount family.
But that was all in the past.
Overcultivation had damaged their farmlands, and tax revenue had steadily declined.
A house that relied only on land without diversifying would inevitably struggle.
But recently, rumors said House Pio was doing well again—better than before.
As I thought about them, a fragment of memory surfaced.
“Ah… so that’s why it felt familiar.”
Reina Pio. She was destined to become the heroine’s close friend.
Why hadn’t I remembered sooner?
House Pio’s sudden fortune came from the Orhacon mine, which later made them wealthy enough to become the heroine’s patron.
Because I had hated this novel so much, I couldn’t recall the details clearly.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
After my warning, Lima never forgot to knock.
“Lady, I brought what you asked for.”
“Good work. By the way… you haven’t taken a vacation in years.”
“…After my parents passed away, I had nowhere to go.”
That was the first time I heard that.
Lima had been my closest maid since I came of age.
And yet I hadn’t even known something like that.
I had been too indifferent to the people around me.
Well… I hadn’t exactly been in a position to care about others.
“Take next week off.”
“Pardon? But—”
“Paid leave. You should rest.”
I decided to give Lima a short break before things became even busier.
She looked confused but nodded and left the room.
Focus. This comes first.
I began writing a letter in the overly elegant noble style.
On the surface, it was a simple greeting letter to Count Hameron, an old acquaintance.
But the real message was this:
Ian, have you heard that an Orhacon vein has been discovered in the Pio territory? It is truly a blessing for the Empire. However, I must inform you of a concern. I have heard rumors that the Pio mining area may border the Marquis of Beyrne’s lands. Although unconfirmed, I worry it may cause issues for your brother if he one day inherits the Beyrne estate.
“Hm. That should do it.”
I waited for the ink to dry, folded the letter neatly, and stamped it with the Delorvant seal.
Once sent, House Pio would lose their mining fortune to House Beyrne.
It feels a bit harsh, but an example must be made.
In any case, the mine would eventually fall to Ian of Beyrne as in the original story.
And illegally encroaching on another noble’s territory was a serious crime. I felt no guilt.
“Let’s sleep.”
I called Lima again, instructed her to send the letter at dawn, and immediately threw myself onto the bed.
