Episode 11

Episode 11: Wouldn’t It Be Better to Just Apologize?

The next night, quite late into the evening, Jerome arrived at the Empress’s quarters with his knights, just as in the original story.

“Obviously I don’t expect anything to be found here, but this is the only place left that we haven’t searched.”

He spoke as if it were only natural to search the Empress’s chambers.

In the original, Helena had exploded in fury, shouting “How dare you!” repeatedly. She demanded to know if they truly distrusted the Empress, insisting that she would never stoop so low.

But I wasn’t her.

“Go ahead and look,” I stepped aside willingly. They were welcome to search all they liked.

And then, at last—

“I found it!”

A knight rummaging through my room pulled a ring from beneath my bed. It was the one the imperial concubine Fay had lost—the pearl ring the Emperor had given her.

“The ring! I found the ring!” The knight proudly handed it to Jerome, who stood just outside the door.

“There’s no doubt. It’s the one,” Jerome’s eyes narrowed sharply as he examined the ring. “How did this end up here?” His cold gaze demanded an answer.

I had expected this. Tilting my chin slightly, I replied, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“The ring was found under your bed, and you claim ignorance?”

“Ah, you mean that ring. Well, that’s…”

“Why?” Jerome interrupted. “Why would you do something like this?”

So now he was going to interrogate me? At least let me finish a sentence!

Then Fay entered the room, clearly here to assess the situation. She gasped in shock, both hands covering her mouth.

“Your Majesty… This must be a misunderstanding. The Empress would never do such a thing. I must have made a mistake,” she tried to defend me. “I visited here some time ago. I must’ve dropped it then. Please don’t misunderstand the Empress.”

I exhaled slowly at her performance.

Incredible. She really deserves an award for this.

Her efforts only fanned Jerome’s anger.

“That visit was over a month ago. The ring went missing two days ago. How would it end up here?”

“Still, there must be some mistake—”

“Enough. This matter is out of your hands. Step back,” Jerome replied and ordered his knights to escort Fay away, then he turned back to me.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“I don’t understand your implication. You don’t actually think I stole the ring, do you?”

His brow furrowed even more.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just apologize?”

“So you do believe I took it. Again, I didn’t.”

“Even with such clear evidence?”

“Ask me a hundred times, and I’ll tell you the same thing.”

“Do you truly—” Just as his temper hit its maximum level, he was interrupted.

“This is a misunderstanding, Your Majesty,” a calm but firm voice cut in.

A man entered my chambers, parting the knights through the center.

“Sir Leonard,” Jerome said with a scowl. “This is no place for you. The Empress and I are in the middle of a serious matter.”

“That’s exactly why I’m here.”

“What?”

“Please, take a look at this,” Leonard extended his hand.

Resting in his palm was a small ring—identical to the one they’d just found.

“What is this…?” Jerome’s eyes flickered in surprise.

“There’s a crow’s nest near the imperial concubine’s palace. I thought to check it, and this was inside,” Leonard spoke plainly.

“A crow? Why would you search an animal’s nest?”

“Crows are known to collect shiny things. When I heard a ring had gone missing, I thought it might be worth checking.”

“Are you claiming that’s the lost ring?” Jerome scoffed. “It’s a convenient excuse, but pointless now—we’ve already recovered the real one from under the empress’s bed.”

Still, Leonard stood his ground, positioning himself protectively between Jerome and me.

“Would you examine it once more?”

Jerome hesitated but then took the ring and turned it over in his fingers.

His eyes widened.

“Your Majesty?” Fay stepped forward.

Jerome handed the ring to her and pointed to a faint scratch.

“Do you remember this mark?”

Fay blinked, then gasped. “Ah… that…”

It was a tiny diagonal scratch, barely visible. But in the original story, it held weight:

“Oh no, I’ve scratched it.”
“It’s alright. I like it more this way.”
“But it’s damaged.”
“Because the scratch came from Your Majesty, it feels so much more special.”

Yes, that scene—Fay’s innocent, devoted response—was still vivid in my memory.

“This is definitely the one His Majesty gave me,” Fay said hesitantly.

I finally stepped forward.

“It seems the misunderstanding has been resolved.”

Looking between Jerome and Fay, I asked, “Now, how will you compensate me fafter putting me through all this trouble?”

Fay looked flustered. Jerome’s face remained rigid. Watching them, I smiled inside.

Yes, those are the expressions I wanted to see.

“W-why would the Empress have a ring identical to mine…?” Fay asked.

“That ring was a gift from Sir Leonard,” I said simply.

“Sir Leonard?” Jerome frowned.

“I borrowed some books from Her Majesty and offered her a small gift in return,” Leonard explained. “I had no idea it resembled the imperial concubine’s ring.”

Jerome turned his eyes to me again. I met his gaze and added, “The maids witnessed me receiving the gift, if you’d like proof.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, I saw it,” one maid confirmed. “Sir Leonard handed her a small box tied with a white ribbon.”

“I saw it too, Your Majesty.”

Several maids corroborated the story.

Of course, what Leonard had given me that morning wasn’t a ring. But that wasn’t the point.

“It must be a common design,” I said, even covering my mouth in mock surprise. “I had no idea it looked so similar.”

Jerome wasn’t fully convinced.

“Then why was the ring under your bed?”

“I dropped it while opening the box and didn’t notice it had rolled under,” I glanced at Fay as I spoke. Her expression had frozen completely. I had to fight to keep my mouth from curling into a grin.

In the heavy silence, Jerome finally spoke:

“Everyone, leave the room.”

The knights and maids withdrew, leaving only Jerome, Leonard, Fay, and I. Jerome looked at Leonard pointedly, clearly asking why he hadn’t left too.

“He’s involved in this, so he’s not exactly an outsider, is he?” I interjected. “Besides, Your Majesty—”

“I know,” Jerome said abruptly.

“Know what, exactly?” I asked calmly.

“It seems I misunderstood you, Empress,” Jerome spoke as if drawing a line in the sand that I should not try to cross. I moved forward as though I did not recognize the challenge.

“I’m relieved the misunderstanding is cleared up. Now, what will you do about my insulted dignity?”

“Your dignity?”

“You accused me of theft in front of an audience.”

“Well, the ring was found in your room—”

“And I told you, repeatedly, that I didn’t steal it.”

Jerome paused as though trying to master himself, then finally admitted, “You were right.”

“Thank you. I hope you don’t forget this.”

I gave Leonard a discreet glance. He narrowed his eyes in acknowledgment.

Yesterday, while wondering what to do with the ring I’d found under my bed, I noticed Leonard’s earlier gift and had an idea.

“Actually… I have a bit of a problem,” I showed him the ring.

Leonard’s eyes widened.

Would he misunderstand?

“Did someone hide the imperial concubine’s ring in your room?”

He knew immediately.

“How did you figure that out?”

“You wouldn’t show me that ring otherwise.”

“Exactly. I found it under my bed and now I don’t know what to do.”

“How can I help?”

I placed the ring on the table.

“I heard your family deals in trade and jewelry. Could you make a copy of this ring?”

“An identical one?”

“Not one with the exact same scratch. Just similar. Is it possible?”

It wasn’t because of his noble house—I trusted him.

Leonard studied the ring carefully.

“When do you need it?”

“As soon as possible. Today, if you can.”

“That’s a tight deadline.”

“Is it too much?”

“The design is simple, but the pearl is rare and hard to find.”

My heart sank. If Leonard couldn’t do it, no one could.

“Is it impossible?”

“I said it’s difficult, not impossible. But…”

“But?”

He smiled.

“What will you give me if I succeed?”

“…Excuse me?” I hadn’t expected that and took a breath before answering. “What kind of reward are you looking for?”

“Nothing unreasonable. Just grant me one small favor.”

“Now you’ve made it sound ominous. What kind of favor?”

“That’s a secret,” he said playfully. “It’s no fun if I tell you in advance.”

Could I trust him? I had little choice—I needed his help.

“Alright.”

And thanks to him, I’d resolved the “ring incident” without a hitch.

“Honestly, I didn’t think you’d replicate it that perfectly.”

“Luckily, I found a pearl of similar size.”

“You’re more capable than you look.”

“It’s thanks to my family’s support. But more surprising was the crow,” Leonard looked at me appraisingly. “I knew they liked shiny things, but using that as an excuse… I was worried the Emperor wouldn’t believe it.”

“Whether he believed it or not didn’t matter.”

“Then what did?”

“What mattered was that the ring from my room was fake, and the one from the crow’s nest was real.”

“…!” He stood straighter, surprised.

“No matter how it happened, the truth is this: my ring was a fake, and the one you presented was the real one. That’s all that mattered.”

I smiled.

“That was the key.”