“I see. It must be because you couldn’t trust the Empress.”

*Giggle. Giggle.*

A small chuckle started coming from behind.

Valliere also turned her head with her cheeks twitching, as if finding this situation amusing.

‘Well, it seems I’m not the only one who can’t read the atmosphere here.’

Ermedeline, sitting closer than anyone else, couldn’t help but feel sorry for Valliere, who couldn’t grasp Henri’s icy demeanor.

“The Empress is my wife, and she’s the only woman in the Trivian Empire who stands on equal footing with me. Can’t trust the Empress? Well, truth be told, I also offered support to the orphanage for that very reason.”

The Emperor openly declared that he couldn’t trust the Empress in front of all the noble ladies gathered.

Valliere didn’t even bother to straighten the corner of her mouth that was now trying to defy gravity.

“But let me tell you. In this empire, no one besides me can hold a dissenting opinion against the Empress. The only one with the right to doubt and suspect the Empress is me, her husband, and the Emperor. Because to doubt the Empress is to insult the entire nobility, and ultimately, it’s an affront to the Emperor himself.”

Henry’s sharp words finally brought everyone in the garden to a realization.

“Oh, no! I would never dare to entertain such thoughts…”

A significant silence enveloped the area around Princess Viella, who still held her head high.

Henry surveyed the noble ladies, who lowered their heads as if their shoes were about to fall off, with a cold, penetrating gaze.

“You attended an event that acknowledged the Empress for her good deeds, but you didn’t realize it was a gathering to mock the Empress so openly?”

This time, Henry’s chilly gaze was directed at Valliere.

“I see. How could you possibly donate such a sum to the orphanage the Empress is building?”

Valliere seemed ready to snap back.

“But this list… It’s entirely identical to the one you received yesterday afternoon… Is it true that the young lady hasn’t been feeling well lately? And from the way the donation amount next to the name right here is not visible…”

The muted rumble of discontent among the onlookers instantly filled the garden in response to Henri’s mockery aimed at Valliere. The fact that Henri openly taunted Valliere in a public setting was shocking in itself.

Valliere, too, found herself rendered speechless, as she had never expected Henry, who harbored unending hatred for the Empress, to publicly mock the Empress and then turn to blame her.

‘Tsk, tsk. Could it be that she didn’t read the novel properly? Well, considering she called it trash, that might be the case.’

In the novel, Henry was by no means the one to undermine the authority of the royal family. Therefore, he secretly gathered evidence through his accomplices and had Ermedeline dethroned and executed first.

Of course, he didn’t personally intervene in the dethronement or execution in any way.

‘Do you even know what you did wrong?’ 

Valliere shot Henry a glare that seemed to be a mix of frustration and hatred, her expression completely unguarded.

‘Ah, please don’t be like this for real. I said I’m going to make you the Empress, so why are you causing trouble…’

Ermedeline was annoyed by the foolishness of someone in a similar position.

As the atmosphere grew frosty and the nobles who had gathered in the garden naturally began to disperse, sensing the tension, Henry leaned down to whisper to Valliere, who was trembling and clutching her fists tightly.

“I genuinely believe you didn’t know what you were getting into. My Valliere wouldn’t do something I didn’t want behind my back.”

***

“Aaaaaah!”

As soon as Valliere returned to her bedroom, she buried her face in a thick pillow and screamed. In her previous life, in a soundproofed room, whatever she did wouldn’t escape outside. However, in this old and decrepit building, even the slightest sound seemed to reverberate beyond its walls.

‘How dare he humiliate me in public? Am I not the protagonist? Aren’t I supposed to become the Empress?’

No matter how she thought about it, something was off. Even if she hadn’t finished reading the novel, Henry’s attitude was just too different.

‘Why? What went wrong? I’m supposed to be his first love! His marriage to that woman was just a reluctant political alliance!’

She pondered while gnashing her teeth, but there was only one answer.

‘It’s because of that woman. I’m supposed to end up as the Empress, but she interfered and made it like this! What? She is not interested in the Empress’s position? She’s already managing her image, what’s wrong with her?’

As the protagonist, but also a self-made commoner, there wasn’t much Valliere could do. However, that woman now held not only the Empress’s position but also vast wealth.

The only advantage Valliere had was Henry’s favor.

Valliere clenched her fist as if ready to punch a hole in her palm and wore a cold expression.

‘Right. I should make the most of what I have.’

***

Late one evening, Henry quietly summoned Ermedeline.

“What’s the matter?” Ermedeline inquired.

“I’ve uncovered the mastermind.”

Henry didn’t elaborate further, but Ermedeline immediately understood that he was referring to her impending trial.

“Have you found the evidence?”

There were too many suspects with motives, but to convict the culprit, irrefutable evidence was essential.

“We have a confession. It seems the servant from the Ilyenian Dukedom delivered the dagger to the boy.”

“I see.”

It wasn’t particularly surprising. After all, without the assistance of the organizers, how could an ordinary boy have made his way into the funeral hall of the Dukedom?

“It seems likely that Princess Viella acted alone…”

“Is the confessing servant currently in custody?”

“Yes, she is. If there’s going to be a trial, she’ll have to testify, so naturally, we’ve kept her alive and detained.”

“What do you intend to do about it?”

“Well, it’s not just any assassination attempt, is it? There have been secret attempts before, even poisonings, but nothing so openly executed in public. That’s not the behavior of the Ilyenian Dukedom.”

“Then, are you planning to hold a formal trial?”

“I’d like to, but…”

Henry suddenly trailed off, glancing subtly at Ermedeline.

Lowering his chin and giving a sly glance, his eyes filled with ecstasy. Ermedeline almost lost her composure for a moment, completely taken by his expression.

“Please, continue,” she urged.

“They said the poison on the dagger was purchased from you.”

Ermedeline recalled the name Ilyenian when she had gone through the ledger in her attempt to find the name of the Ilyenian Dukedom.

“It’s an incredibly potent poison, they say. If you didn’t have immunity to curses, you would have died on the spot.”

What could she possibly say? Ermedeline remained silent, waiting for Henry to finish speaking.

“It’s a cursed, extremely potent poison that’s both manufactured and sold within the Empire.”

Henry paused for a moment, trying to discern Ermedeline’s expression.

“Of course, I would prefer to handle this matter strictly according to the law. However, if we proceed that way, your name is sure to be mentioned in court. Wouldn’t that potentially disrupt your secret business?”

Henry presented the choice to Ermedeline as if offering it up for her consideration.

Ermedeline was torn for a moment.

An assassination attempt in a public place.

If her memory served her right, she had faced threats of murder right up to the moment before her trial by fire.

While she had a strong desire to demonstrate a thorough punishment, she couldn’t act rashly.

Ermedeline decided to inquire further about Henry’s opinion for now.

“What would you recommend we do, Your Majesty?”

“Hmm.”

In response to Ermedeline’s question, Henry displayed a grandfatherly, amused smile, as if he were enjoying the wit of a grandchild.

“I should have dealt with your father more quickly if I had known it would come to this. If only I had known in advance that you were such a wise woman, it would have been better,” he remarked.

‘What’s this? Maybe it’s better to be blunt.’

Suddenly changing her attitude to feign kindness wouldn’t create any goodwill.

While Ermedeline wouldn’t mind getting closer to Henry to infuriate Valliere, given the circumstances, her primary goal was her divorce. So, she decided to quietly let most matters pass for now.

“Do I have any say in Your Majesty holding my son hostage in the courtyard? I should at least pretend to be obedient, shouldn’t I?”

“Oh, indeed? Your son! He’s quite extraordinary, perhaps because he takes after you! How they praise him for learning quickly…”

“Have you hired a home tutor?”

“Yes, I have. Regardless, he is the Empress’s son and the heir of House de Françoise, isn’t he? It would be inconvenient if he received no education at all.”

It seemed as though Henry intended to raise him as a tool he could use whenever needed.

‘Only until the divorce… Just until the divorce…’

Ermedeline lowered her head with a humble smile.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Well, there’s no need to thank me. It’s only a natural course of action as your legal guardian. By the way, about the Ilyenian Dukedom. How about quietly covering up the incident if you’re okay with it? It doesn’t seem like a good option to showcase a renowned family and the palace dividing in this already tumultuous state of the country. Of course, the Dukedom will have to provide suitable compensation to you.”

“Compensation?”

“Ask for anything you want. It’s not like it’s the value of their daughter’s life?”

It seemed Henry had something to gain from the Ilyenian Dukedom through this incident.

“So, would this incident just be forgotten if I agree?”

“How could that be? They dared to lay a hand on a member of the Trivian Empire’s royalty. Naturally, someone must face punishment.”

“Who will face this punishment?”

“Well, wouldn’t it be the perpetrator who directly stabbed the Empress and the ruthless servant who wouldn’t reveal her true master?”

“What about the boy?”

Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard any news about the boy since he went to wash up. It had slipped her mind in the midst of such a hectic day.

“Well, he’s currently imprisoned.”

“What will happen to the boy if he goes to trial?”

“Well, it would be the harshest punishment, wouldn’t it? How dare he attempt to kill a royal?”

Ermedeline thought of the pale, trembling face of the boy who had tried to harm her, a commoner’s son who had lost his entire family in just a month.

“But he’s still so young, isn’t he? In the end, I’m not dead, so couldn’t he be spared from the harshest punishment…”

“Listen, Empress. Despite being labeled as an immoral and wicked Empress for all your misdeeds, you’re still holding onto your position as Empress because you’re a noble. You’re my wife, the divine vessel of the gods. Even the entire aristocracy saw you with a knife in your body and blood flowing, should we just let it slide?”

“But didn’t you spare my father?”

“So what? Are you trying to suggest that the boy is equivalent to House de Françoise? But this is a different case. Your father’s severe punishment for abusing his daughter and the audacity of commoners to try and kill the Empress cannot be weighed the same way, can they?”

If it was a knife, the Duke must have used it too. It ended with just a small wound on her neck, but still.

Ermedeline’s mind grew more complex as she felt like she was facing an insurmountable wall. When she remained silent, Henry wore a languid smile and, as if testing her, casually uttered a single sentence.

“You’ll  have to choose between Princess Viella and the boy who tried to kill you.”