“Days seem to be passing slowly, but yesterday and today have been rather quiet, haven’t they?”

Ermedeline responded to Rooney’s question with an awkward smile.

“Is that so?”

She was uncertain about who the person coming and going so frequently was.

“Last time, she went to the empress’s chambers with an innocent look on her face, poking around as if she were admiring the precious flowers you planted in your own garden. She even boasted that the emperor had saved her some precious bulbs.”

“Ah, She’s talking about Valliere.’

“Could there have been any other meaning? She must have wanted to show off the good things and have them enjoyed together.”

Ermedeline, who was preoccupied with analyzing her diary, responded indifferently to Rooney’s words.

….

An awkward silence filled the room for a moment.

Ermedeline lifted her head, feeling a sudden realization. Rooney stared at her with eyes that expressed disbelief, frozen like ice.

“Empress, it seems that you… ah, big-hearted as expected.”

Rooney quickly changed the topic and, holding the dry cloth she had in her hand, hastily left the bedroom.

‘Oh, it’s frustrating to get this kind of reaction even when I speak logically. It’s too suffocating. Who would believe that there’s someone from another world inside here? Should I just stick to the character’s personality? I should reflect on my actions so far a bit.’

Hyeyoung had lived her life with a tenacity that had left her no choice but to be good to some extent. She considered it important to always think and act sensibly without causing harm to others, staying within the bounds of common sense.

‘That’s right. After all, someday I’ll have to leave this palace and start a new life. It’s better to start managing my image step by step from now on. If I keep doing this, everyone will get used to it.’

“Empress, it’s time for the morning audience.”

Just as she was trying to change her behavior, the emperor’s chamberlain came to escort Ermedeline.

Originally, the audience with the commoners was a joint activity of both the emperor and the empress, but Henry had been visiting the audience chamber with Valliere for a while now.

Naturally, it was an occasion where nobles, and even commoners, saw the empress’s authority being diminished, but since there were so many people who harbored resentment against the empress, Ermedeline didn’t have much attachment to that time.

“Morning audience?”

To Ermedeline’s surprise, the chamberlain nodded silently in response to her question.

“Yes, the emperor himself gave the order.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Ermedeline suddenly felt a headache coming on. Not only did she not fully understand the situation here, but the nobles openly expressed their contempt for her.

So, it was evident that the commoners’ reactions wouldn’t be any better.

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

Although her steps felt heavy, she couldn’t openly defy the emperor’s command. She reluctantly stood up and headed towards the audience chamber.

As she tried to leave, Rooney jumped up and blocked Ermedeline’s way.

“Surely you’re not planning to go in that attire?”

As the empress with a zero balance in her treasury, Ermedeline had only a few plain dresses left. She had searched her wardrobe, and it seemed like the previous owner of her body had rather simplistic tastes.

‘Wearing only these plain clothes, people might mistake me for a witch.’

Of course, in reality, she was indeed a witch.

“Shall we go with this?”

Three maids wrapped her hair and chose a dress for Ermedeline. The selected dress was made of black velvet with intricate silver embroidery, giving it a splendid appearance not suitable for everyday wear.

“Wouldn’t it seem too extravagant in the eyes of the commoners?”

With a deadly epidemic sweeping through the capital, the lives of the common people were undoubtedly in dire straits. Regardless of Ermedeline’s treasury balance being at zero, there was no way to compare her life to theirs.

In fact, during the brief ride to meet Félio in a carriage, Ermedeline witnesses the suffering of countless people due to the disease, even though the surroundings of the most prosperous palace in the empire.

Therefore, Ermedeline didn’t harbor any doubts about her own question.

However, the maids’ reactions were peculiar.

“Extravagance, you say? Empress Ermedeline is the reigning presence of the Trivian Empire. Who would dare think such a thing?”

Seeing Margo and Helen nod their heads in agreement with Rooney’s words, it seemed that they all sincerely believed in what they were saying.

Despite her resolution to act sensibly just a while ago, Ermedeline couldn’t help but feel that the common sense of her previous world and the common sense here were slightly at odds.

“I see. Then, let’s go with this dress.”

Ermedeline reluctantly entered the waiting room wearing the dress chosen by the maids.

Inside, Henry stood in a magnificent gold and white outfit, representing the brightness of the midday sun with his lush, curly golden hair.

Ironically, Henry’s attire, a black dress with silver embroidery on a black background, contrasted perfectly with Ermedeline’s outfit, creating a subtle harmony.

It was as if the god of the sun and the goddess of the moon had descended together. The maids, and even the chamberlains who attended to Henry, all gazed at the picturesque imperial couple with eyes full of admiration.

Ermedeline briefly glanced at the mirror set next to the door just before entering, and it was clear that they made quite a well-matched couple. Despite their strategic marriage, under different circumstances, they might have been a couple that could have gotten along well enough.

Of course, Henry had his first love and lover, and Ermedeline, being an unlovable villainess, had never been a possibility to love in the first place.

From the moment Ermedeline entered, Henry didn’t even spare her a single glance.

When it came to entering such an occasion, Henry kindly extended his hand for her to take, offering to escort her. With curious onlookers around, Ermedeline responded politely, placing her hand on top of his.

Trying to conceal her trembling heart, Ermedeline’s movements stiffened unintentionally. The audience chamber was already filled with nobles and commoners, and seeing the rows of people made Ermedeline start to feel suffocated.

‘Ugh. I really hate being in the spotlight like this. Is this for real?’

To keep herself from losing composure, she bit her lip hard and took a step forward. However, in doing so, she ended up twisting her ankle.

She nearly let out a scream but managed to hold it in, barely.

At the moment when her body wavered, Ermedeline noticed Valliere’s faint smile near the throne.

Though her ankle had twisted slightly, it was only a minor stumble, and Ermedeline quickly regained her balance and took the next step.

However, her body, already tense, was further affected by the unexpected mistake, causing her to stumble properly this time.

Her whole body wobbled.

‘Oh no!’

Facing the disaster of falling in front of everyone, Ermedeline tightly closed her eyes. Strangely, her body, which had lost its balance, didn’t crash to the ground.

“Are you all right? It seems you’re quite nervous for some reason,” a voice asked.

Ermedeline slowly opened her eyes to find herself being supported by someone.

“??”

As she opened her eyes, she was met with the face of Henry, a man whose stunning beauty truly lived up to his reputation as the empire’s most handsome man.

His blue eyes, which seemed to hold both concern and mischief, could easily pass for the endearing gaze of a caring husband.

“Oh, it’s just because I was a bit nervous,” Ermedeline replied as she managed to regain her composure and took a seat in the high chair prepared for the emperor and empress.

While everyone else in the room stood with bowed heads, except for the emperor and empress, Ermedeline finally understood the meaning of the phrase “to sit up straight.”

At the emperor’s signal, the people in the audience chamber gradually lifted their heads.

Everyone in the room admired the contrasting harmony of the sun and the moon.

‘It’s strange how well this turned out,’ Ermedeline thought to herself as she observed the expressions of the people.

Her gaze met Valliere’s, who was standing nearby. Despite her kind smile, there was an unmistakable shade of deep blue jealousy lurking in her hazel eyes.

If it was a false smile, Ermedeline was no stranger to it. She had become accustomed to dealing with difficult customers politely at the convenience store and serving patrons in the bar with a smile that didn’t reveal her true feelings.

‘Seeing me here again. Yes, you must feel terrible. Your first love is unable to marry you due to class differences. And the woman, the wife of your first love, is the worst person in the world. But even so, in the novel, you eventually triumph, so bear with it a little longer. I have no lingering attachment to this position,’ Ermedeline thought to herself.

Whispering sincerely to herself, Ermedeline knew that her voiceless sincerity would never reach the other person.

Soon, the morning audience began.

Perhaps because the epidemic was still rampant, the emperor and empress found themselves at a considerable distance from the officials, making it necessary for them to strain to hear.

Initially, it was the turn of the nobles who had come from the provinces.

Listening to their stories, it became clear that not only the capital but also the nobles from the provinces were suffering due to the epidemic in the capital and the conflicts in the border regions.

In the novel, the focus was primarily on the affairs of the imperial palace, so the events happening in the border regions were not described in detail. They had only been mentioned a few times, almost in passing.

‘It seems there are quite serious problems in reality,’ Ermedeline thought to herself. There were signs of military provocations from enemy nations and even the presence of bandit groups near the border.

“They acted like a trained army! They are not just ordinary thieves! People think they are soldiers who have deserted from the capital!”

The officials, one by one, directed their concerns and explanations towards Emperor Henry. Not a single one of them glanced at the empress.

‘Well, in the novel, there was a prevailing atmosphere of avoiding eye contact with me as if they’d be cursed just by looking at me,’ Ermedeline thought to herself. Initially, she found it somewhat unfair, but as she grew accustomed to it, she found it oddly comforting.

With no real knowledge of court etiquette, she realized that she didn’t need to react to every comment in the unfamiliar court. Instead, she could simply focus on listening.

‘At first, I was worried, but the morning audience is turning out to be quite helpful. It’s not often you get the chance to hear such diverse opinions,’ she mused.

“Deserted soldiers from the capital?”

In response to Henry’s question, one official, who had previously claimed to be from a province, began to sweat profusely while avoiding Ermedeline’s gaze.

“Uh, it’s because of the epidemic… desertions have been on the rise…”

His words caused a momentary silence in the audience chamber. While everyone was turning their heads, Ermedeline could sense where the blame was being directed in the silence.

‘Again, it’s me. I searched through both the diary and the spellbook! There are plenty of ways to spread the epidemic, but nowhere did I find a way to cure it. I’m frustrated too!’

Breaking the oppressive silence that had enveloped the audience chamber, Henry asked in a casual tone. His posture, deeply seated on the throne, and the subtle glint in his eyes clearly portrayed an attitude of looking down upon the person in question.

“The people’s opinions are like this. How does the Empress feel about it?”

Ermedeline was at a loss for words in response to Henry’s question.

It was true that the initial outbreak of the epidemic was connected to her cursing the well. However, when it came to subsequent infections, particularly the second and third waves, she had no knowledge of their causes.

But here, she couldn’t accuse herself of crimes she didn’t commit.

“It’s truly unfortunate that the epidemic has spread in the capital. Despite purifying the contaminated well, it’s deeply concerning that the infection continues,” Ermedeline finally responded cautiously.

“So, Empress, what do you think should be done about this situation?” Henry inquired further.

Henry asked provocatively, his eyes challenging her openly as if saying, It’s something you started, so you must know the answer, right?

‘I wish I knew a way to end it for real. I can’t exactly ask them to develop a vaccine!’ Ermedeline thought to herself.

“For now, since we don’t know whether it spreads through bodily fluids or through the air, it would be wise for people to exercise caution in densely populated spaces like this. Maintaining cleanliness and avoiding unnecessary contact with others would significantly reduce the infection rate,” Ermedeline began to explain.

“Did you just mention bodily fluids?”