Chap 13

"One day comes after the other, but yesterday and today have been quiet, haven't they?"

At Loony's question, Ermedillin gave an awkward smile.

"Is that so?"

It was ambiguous who was coming day after day.

"Last time, with an innocent face, you scratched the Empress's inside and left. You boasted about the precious flower you planted in your palace, inviting the Emperor to look at it, pretending to be kind, and bragging about the precious root the Emperor had procured for you."

'Ah, she's talking about Valliere.'

"Was there any other meaning? You must have called him to look at something good together."

Busy analyzing the diary, Ermedillin responded to Loony's words dryly.

"...."

An awkward silence filled the room.

Lifting her head in surprise, she saw Loony staring at Ermedillin with an unbelieving, frozen look.

"The Empress is… ah, indeed, her heart is wide."

Loony hurriedly changed the subject and rushed out of the bedroom with a dry cloth she had been holding.

'Ah, to react like this is too frustrating. Who would believe that the person inside here is not Ermedillin but someone from another world? Should I just act according to the character's personality? Pretend to reflect on my actions a bit.'

Hyeyoung had lived stubbornly, so she couldn't live purely kind, but she had lived within her boundaries.

She considered it important to always think and act within the realm of common sense without harming others.

'Yes. I'll have to leave the palace someday and start a new life, so managing my image from now on might be good. Everyone will get used to it if I keep doing this.'

"Your Majesty, it's time for the royal audience."

As she was trying to change her behavior, the Emperor's servant came to escort Ermedillin.

Originally, the royal audience was conducted together by the Emperor and Empress, but Anri had visited the audience chamber with Valliere for a while.

Of course, this act undermined the Empress's authority, not only among the nobles but also in front of the people. But as there were so many people who disliked the Empress, Ermedillin did not feel any attachment to that time.

"A royal audience?"

Startled, Ermedillin asked, and the servant silently nodded.

"Yes. The Emperor has ordered it himself."

"Me?"

"Yes."

Suddenly, Ermedillin's head ached.

Not knowing the exact situation here was a headache enough, and the nobles openly despised her.

So it was obvious how chilly the reaction of the people would be.

'Why all of a sudden? Ah, I don't want to go.'

Though her feet didn't want to move, she could not openly defy the Emperor's command.

As she reluctantly rose to head to the audience chamber, Loony jumped up and blocked Ermedillin.

"You're not going in that dress, are you?"

Being an Empress but penniless like a pauper, Ermedillin only had a few heavy dresses left.

Ermedillin didn't want to wear them either, and looked through the wardrobe, but the previous owner of this body seemed to have quite a taste for pine trees.

'No wonder people call you a witch if you only wear such heavy clothes.'

Of course, she was indeed a witch.

"Shall we go with this?"

Three maids pondered and chose a dress of black velvet with bright silver embroidery.

It was a dress that she had not touched, as it seemed too flashy for everyday wear.

"Won't the people see it as too luxurious?"

With an epidemic spreading in the capital, the lives of the people must certainly be wretched.

Though Ermedillin's balance was zero, it couldn't compare to their lives.

In fact, for a brief moment while riding in a carriage to meet Pellio, despite being near the most prosperous imperial palace, she witnessed numerous people suffering from illness.

Therefore, Ermedillin had no doubts about her suspicions.

However, the maids' reaction was strange.

"Luxury? Her Majesty the Empress is the existence of Trivian Empire's dignity. Who dares to think such a thing?"

From the words of Loony, seeing Mago and Helen nod their heads, it seemed everyone was sincere.

Though she had resolved to act sensibly a little while ago, the common sense of the world Ermedillin was in and this place seemed slightly misaligned.

"I see. Let's go with this dress."

She reluctantly entered the waiting room, wearing the dress chosen by the maids.

There stood Henry, dressed in formal attire with a white background and ornate gold embroidery.

His lush curly blonde hair, paired with it, symbolized the brilliance of the noonday sun.

And ironically, Henry's attire contrasted precisely with Ermedillin's black dress with silver embroidery, creating a strange harmony.

As if the sun god and the moon goddess had descended at the same time.

The maids, and even the servants attending to Henry, were sending envious glances at the couple, who looked like a picture.

Glancing briefly at the mirror installed next to the entrance, they were indeed a wellmatched couple.

Though it was a marriage of convenience, under different circumstances, they might have been able to live as a wellmatched pair.