Chapter 6.3

A few peaceful days passed after the banquet. As I was playing with Leo in the annex garden, news came that an unwelcome guest had suddenly arrived.

“What should we do, milady?”

“Show her in.”

Sally relayed my words to the butler, then picked up Leo and disappeared from the garden. And soon, I stood face to face with the dazzlingly beautiful Celine in the office of the detached palace.

The reason I didn’t invite her into the drawing room was to implicitly tell her that I wasn’t receiving her as a guest and that she should say what she had to say quickly and leave.

I purposely went to the office a little late. I, too, have lived as a noblewoman in Quinze-Nouais for many years. There was no surer way to establish a hierarchy among women than by making them wait.

But I soon regretted my decision a little.

When I entered the office, Celine was loitering around my desk.

I tried to think if I had left anything important there, but since there was nothing confidential for me to work on, I quickly dismissed the thought.

“What brings you here today?”

I no longer felt the need to be polite to a woman who was no longer my sister.

Celine had left the banquet that day without seeing it to the end. And the expression on her face that day was very unsettling.

The look in her eyes, shining like a beast hidden within her beautiful face, seemed as if she wouldn’t feel any guilt even if she did something terrible right now.

“What do you mean, Claire? Does a sister need a reason to visit her younger sister?”

Her sudden change of attitude sent shivers down my spine. I wanted to grab her by both arms and shake her, shouting, ‘What’s wrong with you? You should be grateful it was me who ended up as your sister instead of someone else.’

“Don’t look at me like that. I just came.”

“Then just go.”

“Look at how you talk. You did something so cute at the banquet.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Oh, by the way, where is your son? His aunt wants to see his face.”

“Don’t even dream of it, Celine.”

I couldn’t help but get sensitive when she mentioned Leo.

“Alright, if that’s the case, please tell my nephew that his aunt came to visit.”

“Why did you even come here?”

Celine left the office without answering. She came and went as abruptly as she had arrived for no reason. And it was that evening that I realized my diary was missing.

I had my suspicions but no proof, so it was difficult to go look for it right away. I mean, what kind of juvenile delinquent steals other people’s things?

It was just filled with scribbles anyway, and since it was written in Korean, it wasn’t particularly important, so I decided to just let it go, but the uneasy feeling just wouldn’t disappear.

***

Adrian still came to my palace every night. Because he had been away from the empire for so long, he was busy all day, but he made sure to spend an hour or two with Leo every day.

The child was still very young, and Adrian was a little awkward playing with him, but the sight of them with their identical silver-gray hair, playing with wooden swords or chasing the dog, was so lovely it was a shame to see it alone.

He used to stand outside the door and leave, but these days he would come inside the room and hug me from behind. And he would bury his face in my neck for a long time and not be able to leave.

“Only ten days left. You know, right?”

“Already…”

“Does Celine Ianster still come to bother you these days?”

“No, she hasn’t been back since she came that day.”

“That’s a relief.”

“But, Adrian.”

I peeled his arms off my waist and turned to face him.

“Your Majesty.”

“What’s wrong? You’re making me nervous.”

“Did you give your former fiancée some kind of leeway?”

“Claire! What are you talking about? Of course not.”

I glared at Adrian slightly.

“Then why on earth can’t Celine forget you?”

“That’s not it. I was in a war the whole time and barely met her a few times. And every time I saw her, all I talked about was breaking off the engagement.”

“Hmph, I bet you did.”

“I really did. Huh?”

“I didn’t say you were lying.”

“Claire, but are you…?”

Adrian looked into my eyes and smiled slyly.

“Are you jealous?”

“No!”

“Really?”

I thought, why would I lie in this situation, and opened my mouth while glaring at him.

“Yes. Fine. Jealousy is a necessary and sufficient condition for love. I’m sure you know that.”

“Yes. I know it all… too well. I hate that furry Adrian just for looking at you for a long time.”

“What? That’s… that’s too far-fetched.”

“So don’t say things like that. I would never give any other woman leeway.”

Of course, I knew. His eyes, just as they were described in the book, or maybe even clearer, were constantly looking only at me.

“Adrian, I was thinking of taking Leo out of the palace tomorrow.”

“Why?”

Adrian’s arms tensed a little.

“Leo’s getting a little bored just staying in the palace, and I’m also curious about how the capital of Quinze-Nouais has changed… There are a lot of places I want to show Leo.”

“How about the day after tomorrow instead of tomorrow? I can make some time the day after tomorrow.”

“No, you’re busy. I’ll just go by myself. Sally will come with me, and if you’re really worried, I’ll take a lot of knights with me.”

“Sigh… Claire.”

“What?”

“I… no.”

“What is it?”

“The truth is, I think I want to lock you up.”

“What?”

“No, I would never do that, but I hate it when you’re even a little bit away from me. I feel anxious and nervous.”

“Adrian…”

“Am I terrible like this?”

“No, I didn’t know myself, but I think my taste… has changed a little.”

“Huh?”

“It’s just one of those things. But don’t you dare even dream of acting on it. I’m a free human being.”

Adrian sighed heavily again and buried his nose in my neck, rubbing against it.

“…Okay. Then be sure to take Owen and Cedric with you.”

“Don’t you know that the First Commander and Deputy Commander of the Imperial Knights’ job these days is just to follow me around? I wonder if Owen and Cedric aren’t complaining about being assigned such a boring mission.”

“Protecting the Empress and the Crown Prince is a more important mission than war.”

“Why are you being so serious… Understood, Your Majesty.”

At my words, Adrian buried his face again and laughed, his shoulders shaking. Adrian had been smiling all the time lately, making me wonder if he was always this cheerful.

A warm breeze constantly flowed through the Imperial Palace, which used to be as cold as ice.

Autumn in the capital was short, and the mountains and fields outside the palace would be in full bloom. More than anything else, I missed that. The autumn of Quinze-Nouais.

Tomorrow, I will be sure to show Leo Lake Iani, the most beautiful place in Quinze-Nouais.

***

These days, Sally, tired from studying, would come to my room whenever she had free time and talk about how much easier it was when she was a maid.

But she didn’t forget to thank me, saying she never knew learning could be so enjoyable.

I had Sally come to my palace in the afternoon to prepare for a picnic to Lake Iani.

“Your Majesty, you have saved my life today.”

“Studying is tough, isn’t it?”

“Yes… so much.”

“Sally and studying, what an odd combination.”

“Lady!”

I was teasing a pouting Sally and laughing for a while when news came that Caitlyn Fraser, the wife of Baron Fraser who had helped me at the banquet a few days ago, had requested a meeting with me.

The word ‘audience’ still felt a bit awkward, but I was trying to get used to it.

And after the banquet, there were many more noblewomen who wanted to see me privately. They seemed to want to build a friendship with me quickly, as the procedures for meeting me would become much more complicated once I became Empress.

The lady of the Fraser family was a woman I had met through Glenn’s introduction.

She was a virtuous, beautiful, and very wise woman. Although I didn’t know her intentions yet, she was someone I felt favorably toward.

“I heard you’ve been quite busy since the banquet, Your Majesty.”

“Yes. So today, I’m planning to take some time to look around the empire now that autumn has arrived.”

“Of course. The autumn of Quinze-Nouais is as beautiful as it is short.”

At that moment, news came that Cedric had come to my office. He had come to ask if there was anything he needed to know about my upcoming outing.

As he entered, I couldn’t help but look at Sally.

But it seemed that her training had not been in vain, as our Sally greeted him without any change in her expression.

However, it was not Sally who was flustered, but Cedric.

And the real problem started after he left.

“That knight, sir.”

As Cedric left, Lady Fraser whispered quietly to me.

“Ah, you mean Lord Duncan?”

“A while ago, my family sent a marriage proposal to that knight.”

“What?!”

Forgetting my dignity as an Empress, I whipped my head around to look at Sally. Her face, which had been perfectly composed until now, had noticeably hardened.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“No, no. I just didn’t know the Fraser family had a daughter old enough to marry Lord Duncan.”

“Well, I have two daughters, and my second daughter saw Lord Duncan at His Majesty the Emperor’s departure ceremony, she said. She pestered me so much even though her older sister isn’t married yet. She’s seventeen now, so she’s old enough to get married, but…”

“Ah, hahahaha. She’s not in such a hurry.”

“Exactly. But when I heard that there are many ladies in the capital who admire Lord Duncan… you know what they say, a parent can’t win against their child.”

“Has… has a reply come to that proposal?”

Even though it wasn’t a proposal I had sent, I nervously swallowed my saliva.

“It’s only been three days since we sent the letter, so it’s still too early for a reply. By the way, that knight seems to serve Your Majesty at close quarters, so I was curious about what kind of person he is.”

It turned out that the purpose of Lady Fraser’s visit today was to get an evaluation of Cedric.

“He’s a good… a good man. And he’s… very good at finding people.”

I said only this much and ended the meeting.

“Lady Fraser, the time I promised to my child has come, so if you have time again, would you request another meeting?”

“Yes, I understand. And by then, you will probably be the Empress, won’t you? I will look forward to that day.”

As Lady Fraser left, Sally approached me with a smile.

“Why is a person who is about to become Empress so mindful of her maid?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“I’m alright. My feelings started without any ambition from the beginning. And it would be stranger for such a wonderful person not to receive a marriage proposal.”

“Still, Sally. You’re not a maid anymore. And you’re not a commoner either. I don’t think you should end things without even expressing your feelings.”

“That’s not something for a person who lived as a fugitive for five years because she couldn’t properly express her feelings to say.”

“Hmph, you impertinent Sally.”

Sally laughed heartily at my words and left. Her speaking to me so casually would soon disappear. The position of Empress was like that. I felt a little bitter about it.

***

Even though she said that, a corner of Sally’s heart felt a pang. She knew that the reason Cedric was so indifferent to her wasn’t just because of her social status.

Sally stroked her face.

Her height was average, and her face was neither as pale nor as stunningly beautiful as that of other noblewomen. She didn’t have glorious golden hair, and for heaven’s sake, what was a name like Sally?

But she wasn’t disappointed. The only thing she remembered from her earliest childhood was living in a filthy orphanage without parents, but now, she was a respectable lady-in-waiting at the Imperial Palace, wasn’t she?

As she left the palace, Sally straightened her back. Her life from now on wouldn’t be the same.

But then, her eyes fell upon that man again. Contrary to the bold promise she had just made to herself, she unconsciously lowered her head again.

She quickened her pace to avoid making eye contact with him. But a man’s shoes suddenly appeared in front of her feet.

“Sally.”

“Ah… greetings, Lord Cedric Duncan.”

“Have you been… well?”

He trailed off, somehow thrown off by her subtly changed demeanor.

“Yes, I have. I’ll be going now.”

“Wait!”

Cedric quickly followed her, moving a step to the side to block her path. She was startled by his action and her eyes widened as she looked up at him.

“Uh, Sally…”

“I apologize, Lord Duncan, but you should not so casually call the name of someone who is about to become an Empress’s lady-in-waiting.”

“Ah, my bad. Should I call you Lady now?”

“…If you have something to say, please say it.”

“Did you… hear something inside?”

Cedric’s heart inexplicably thumped because of Sally, who was looking at him with wide eyes.

Whenever he came to the palace where Lady Claire was staying, he thought he might run into her by chance, but he could never find her.

He wanted to congratulate her on becoming a lady-in-waiting and also apologize for refusing her handkerchief and cookies back then.

Sally’s image of treating him as if he didn’t exist during the entire trip from Turk to Quinze-Nouais kept lingering in his mind.

But today, he saw her again for the first time in a while. That was good, but wasn’t the lady of the house who had recently sent him a marriage proposal also inside?

He left the door and lingered in the garden for a long time.

Even though he hadn’t done anything wrong, his heart kept aching.

“So, that…”

Sally counted to three in her mind, waiting for his next words. And then she gave a textbook answer as she had been taught.

“I’m sorry, but if you have nothing more to say, I’ll be leaving now.”

Cedric could no longer hold on to the cold-speaking Sally. He almost grabbed the arm of the maid who was bustling away from him.

“Damn it!”

Only after Sally was gone did a curse, blaming himself for being a fool, burst from Cedric’s mouth.

“Was it that hard to say congratulations on becoming a lady-in-waiting, you idiot.”

***

Swans, not mallards, were frolicking in the lake of this world.

As I had expected, the autumn of Quinze-Nouais was beautiful.

I never thought the day would come when I would see Leonardo playing at Lake Iani. The streets of the capital were exactly as I remembered them.

“Lady, it’s so beautiful. I thought I hadn’t left anything behind here, but I guess I missed this place quite a bit.”

“I guess so, too.”

Leo and Cedric were playing tag near the lakeshore. And Sally was just gazing at him.

“Lord Duncan would be a very affectionate father if he got married and had children later on.”

“I guess so. He’s quite good at playing with kids.”