Chapter 29

Edelis, caught off guard, instinctively turned to look at Lehan.  

“So, you were planning to go alone?”  

“O-Of course. How could His Majesty the Emperor and I both be away at the same time?”  

She was planning to escape from Lehan, so the idea of traveling with him was absurd.  

“Do you think I’d let you go without me?”  

“But…”  

The journey to Serniere would take about two months by carriage. There was the option of using a warp gate, but it was reserved for emergency situations akin to wartime urgency. Factoring in the time it would take to get to and from the gate, it was practically impossible for the Emperor to go without creating a gap in governance.  

“Whether His Majesty accompanies you or not, or even if only Her Majesty the Empress comes alone, I will personally take charge of guiding you through Serniere!”  

Marquis Kante declared, thumping his chest with heroic flair. He was well aware of the difficulty of the Emperor’s travel, since even the delegation had come by carriage. Edelis smiled brightly at his words.  

“I’ll be looking forward to it, Marquis.”  

With that, Edelis secured a potential place of refuge in the future, should she ever flee the Empire. She didn’t know when she might run or whether the Marquis would still help her when the time came. But even so, a promise was better than none. She gave a relieved, gentle smile.  

“Oh, and Sir Mirhi.”  

“Yes?”  

“I hear you’re quite skilled with a sword?”  

“I only know a bit.”  

But according to Sir Pasis, that “bit” was an understatement. The information Edelis had gathered described Mirhi as a master of swordsmanship.  

“If it’s alright with you, would you be willing to visit our knight order before you return?”  

“……”  

“Our knights are quite curious about your skills.”  

Mirhi glanced briefly at Marquis Kante, and when the marquis nodded, he finally gave his answer.  

“Very well.”  

“Thank you. I’m sure the knights will be delighted.”  

The Marquis, claiming to be Mirhi’s instructor, seemed proud. Edelis thought it was a good move to win him over first.  

‘Honestly, this is more for Sir Pasis’s sake than anyone else.’  

Even if she ended up being prosecuted, if she could show she made efforts like this, maybe he would still protect her in the end.  

‘And maybe, just maybe, if I become acquainted with Sir Mirhi, he might protect me when I’m in Serniere.’  

She shook her head at the slim possibility, but even a faint chance was better than none. Edelis began thinking about who else she should befriend to gain support in a worst-case scenario.  

“Edelis.”  

Suddenly, Lehan’s voice whispered in her ear, and her heart leapt in surprise. It felt like her escape plan had been discovered.  

“W-What is it?”  

He had only called her name, but her startled reaction made Lehan look at her curiously.  

“I told you there was no need to work so hard.”  

“I was simply speaking with the guests in their own language.”  

“You did excellently.”  

She hadn’t intended to try too hard, yet she had achieved more than expected. Edelis gave an awkward smile. But before they could continue, people began flocking around her.  

“Congratulations on your marriage, Your Majesty the Empress.”  

“Will you be visiting our country sometime?”  

“If you do, I’d be honored to be your guide.”  

Representatives from various nations, eager to maintain good relations with the Cronad Empire, spoke up one after another. Edelis greeted them all, though only a few were places she could realistically flee to. Accepting a deposed empress wouldn’t exactly align with “good relations” with the Empire.  

“Thank you for the congratulations.”  

“If the opportunity arises, I’d love to visit.”  

Edelis did her best to answer sincerely. For anything she couldn’t understand, she relied on Lehan or foreign affairs officials to help.  

‘With this many connections, I should be able to flee somewhere!’  

It was possible some nations might hesitate to take in a fugitive empress chased by the emperor. Still, with enough relationships built, she could at least survive on the run. Proud of herself, she greeted them even more diligently.  

But then, just as the conversations were dying down, many eyes that had once been on the saint now turned to Edelis.  

‘…Wait? This isn’t what I was going for.’  

She had only meant to lay the groundwork for her future, but now she was attracting more attention than the saint. Not just the foreign envoys, but also domestic officials were watching her favorably. Still, Edelis figured those good impressions couldn’t hurt her.  

“We’re truly fortunate to have you as Empress.”  

“Indeed.”  

But “most” didn’t mean “all.”  

“I never imagined this when she was removed from the list of imperial consorts.”  

“Nor did I think she’d return from her province like this.”  

“And now she’s risen so far…”  

Voices laced with malice reached Edelis’s ears.  

“She truly is fortunate.”  

“Though I do wonder how exactly she got here.”  

They sounded like they were concerned, but were clearly veiled criticisms. Since it wasn’t overt, Edelis couldn’t call them out directly. Still, she thought it would soon die down for lack of substance.  

“What do you mean, she was a consort candidate?”  

Unfortunately, the saint had taken an interest and asked the question—pouring oil on a fire.  

“This isn’t something the Saintess needs to concern herself with.”  

“Oh, but I don’t see any harm in her knowing.”  

“It’s a matter of the past.”  

“And the past doesn’t simply cease to exist, does it?”  

Some didn’t want to bring up old matters, while others were thrilled at the chance to cause a stir. They had no hope of becoming empress themselves—but they still couldn’t bear to see her happy.  

“Her Majesty was once a consort candidate for the previous emperor.”  

“Really?”  

“She was merely a candidate. That in itself does not disqualify her from becoming empress.”  

It seemed the noblewomen had split into pro- and anti-empress factions. The Saintess simply listened and responded mildly, but tensions were rising.  

‘Is this really the time to bring this up? At my wedding banquet?’  

Even those in favor of Edelis were clearly annoyed, but the opposition wouldn’t let go.  

‘This is humiliating… in front of the foreign envoys, no less.’  

Edelis tried to step in before things got worse, but Lehan grabbed her wrist, stopping her.  

“Shh.”  

He urged her to wait and observe.  

‘He already knows I was a consort candidate, but still…’  

It still made her uncomfortable. He knew how much she had hated that back then. Yet now, hearing others talk about her as someone who “almost became another man’s wife,” especially in front of her current husband, made her skin crawl.  

“Being a former candidate is one thing.”  

“Should we not discuss why she was removed from the list, Madam Fonde?”  

“Isn’t that the more important question?”  

That line made Edelis’s allies flinch. The reason for her removal had once been the subject of scandal throughout high society. Everyone in the empire knew—except the Saintess.  

“Wasn’t it simply because another woman was chosen?”  

“No, Saintess. It’s the opposite.”  

“Because she was removed, another woman became consort.”  

Those hostile to Edelis now wore smug expressions. They couldn’t replace her as empress, but they could certainly tarnish her image. Especially now—young, beautiful, and married to the Emperor? It was too much.  

“Aren’t you curious why she was removed, Saintess?”  

“I suppose. Why was she?”  

With a sly, nearly wicked smile hidden behind her fan, Countess Fonde delivered the line.  

“They say she seduced a servant—a child, no less.”  

“…Excuse me?”  

“There were rumors she brought a minor into her bedchamber.”  

Even those unfamiliar with the gossip began whispering.  

‘I expected this rumor might come up someday… but now of all times?’  

Some foreign envoys who understood the imperial tongue gave Edelis startled glances. She was enraged at the injustice.  

“It’s true that Edelis once brought a young servant into her room.”  

“Lehan!”  

His voice rang loud and clear through the crowd. Edelis panicked. What was he trying to say?  

“Did Your Majesty know about this?”  

“She’s my wife. Of course I know.”  

Countess Fonde had assumed the Emperor was unaware—but now that he was, it threw her off. Still, she pressed on, hoping to weaken Edelis’s position and open the door for a concubine—perhaps even her daughter.  

“Yet, you still made her your Empress…?”  

“Because an Empress is someone who takes responsibility for her actions.”  

Edelis was terrified.  

‘He’s not going to… surely not… he wouldn’t say that, would he?’  

Lehan smiled and gently cut her off.  

“There’s one misunderstanding here, Countess. Edelis didn’t bring the servant in—the servant came to her room on his own.”  

“Even so, the fact remains: she spent the night with a child.”  

“Unfortunately for you, nothing happened between them.”  

“And how would Your Majesty know that?”  

It was strange for the Emperor, not the Empress, to be defending this. The Countess figured Edelis would deny it as a matter of course, but Lehan…?  

“She even tried to take responsibility for him—by marrying him.”  

“…What?”  

Most in the room blinked, confused.  

“The boy she brought into her room… is the one she’s spending tonight with.”  

His meaning was clear. The servant she had supposedly seduced, the one she was accused of sleeping with—was him. The Emperor.  

“You’re saying the one she brought into her room was… Your Majesty?”  

Lehan smiled broadly, saying nothing. That was his answer.  

“So I thought… tonight, I might bring her into my bedchamber instead.”  

“That’s absurd…”  

He raised her hand and kissed it. Countess Fonde could only shake her head in disbelief.  

“Shall we go, my Lady?”  

The Empress’s supporters, the opposition, even the foreign dignitaries stood frozen, mouths agape in shock.