Chap 3

"Go ahead and do as you please."

Henri responded nonchalantly, then headed straight to his office with his servant.

As Ermedillin was about to return to her quarters, Valiere caught her.

"Your Majesty the Empress."

A mysterious sparkle flickered in her ambercolored eyes.

"What's the matter?"

"You truly are magnificent, setting an example during these turbulent times in the country."

"So?"

Ermedillin also maintained an expressionless face, replying in a flat, monotonous voice, unwilling to reveal any intentions.

"You never know, perhaps by pleasing Your Majesty this way, you might grant me a favor someday."

Valiere beamed a shadowless, bright smile, as if truly wishing for that to happen.

But, if one was not naive, it would not be difficult to read the bitter intent hidden behind her sweet voice.

'Was the heroine always like this? Seemingly dumb, kind, and overflowing with a sense of justice?'

Seeing Valiere stab a metaphorical dagger into Ermedillin's heart with an innocent smile, one might doubt if they had confused the story with a momentary possession.

'No, that's impossible. In the first place, this is the only romance fantasy novel I've properly read.'

Ermedillin forcibly erased an unknown anxiety, opening her mouth in an elegant voice befitting the Empress.

"That's true. When that day comes, I might be the first to produce the successor that all the imperial citizens have been waiting for."

In her previous life, before even becoming an adult, she had to leave the orphanage to survive on her own, working desperately.

Being an orphan, enduring dirty and vile experiences, she gritted her teeth and overcame them, that was the tenacious Yoon Hyeyoung.

Valiere's insult of this level could not leave any mark on her soul.

Realizing that her provocation was not working, Valiere's eyes grew cold, even though her bright smile remained.

Ermedillin's reaction was unexpected, and although her confusion was plain to see, Valiere's expression did not falter.

'Hmm, it seems her character isn't as purely innocent as described in the novel?'

Ermedillin and Valiere stood, gazing intently at each other for a moment.

It was a very brief moment, but both scrutinized each other's expressions and breaths, evaluating one another.

Watching Valiere's retreating figure, leaving behind a meaningful look, Ermedillin wondered if the original description was accurate.

'That's right. There's something called a heroine's buff. Even if this was her real personality, only the heroinelike words and actions might have been described. Then, did Ermedillin not receive a villainess's buff? There might be some story not described in the original.'

It feels unpleasant.

Whatever happened, isn't she the Empress?

Even if she is carrying the Emperor's favor, to openly provoke like that.

And she, too, just replied to such an act, and that's all.

'Ermedillin! Live well!! Why didn't you live well!!!'

Looking at the individual account, the frustration that had been piling up completely exploded.

In the novel, wealth was displayed and extravagance was described to the extreme, so it was thought to be rich, but the personal balance was close to zero.

"No, you say there's no wealth accumulated after accepting all those bribes?"

Ermedillin let out a hollow laugh of disappointment.

Big talk about immediately remedying the epidemic, but there's no money.

I need to recover my reputation as soon as possible and divorce smoothly to avoid the barbecue life, but there's no money.

A fine line appeared on Ermedillin's delicate forehead as she was trapped in a deadend situation.

The maids couldn't even breathe loudly as they watched the stern look in Ermedillin's eyes.

"Jewelry, bring all my jewelry. I'm going to turn them all into money."

The maids bowed their heads, biting their lips, looking very troubled at Ermedillin's words.

"Can't you hear me? My jewels, my valuables, you must have them. Go fetch them."

Ermedillin tried to speak as softly as possible, but disappointment was evident in her voice.

A maid reluctantly went to Ermedillin's wardrobe and returned a moment later.

In her hand was a very small box.

In the box was a single necklace, two pairs of earrings, and one bracelet.

Ah, and two rings on her fingers.

The rings symbolizing the royal family and her parents' home were not sellable, so they were of no help.

"Is this all?"

The maids trembled and nodded their heads.

She was known to have embezzled even the national treasury with her pathological obsession with shining minerals, but she had neither cash nor precious metals.

"Why is this all?"

For a moment, the maids were suspicious, but that thought was quickly dismissed.

The trembling maids, like quaking aspen trees, didn't seem likely to touch Ermedillin's belongings.

'And you shouldn't doubt people arbitrarily. You know how unjust it is?'

In her previous life, she was the first to be suspected, even if her balance was only a few hundred won short while working parttime at a convenience store as an orphan.