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“Oh my, really?”
“Shh—!”
The speaker was a young lady with light brown hair sitting at a diagonal table. When the young lady beside her reacted, she quickly pressed her index finger against her lips to hush her and, after glancing around cautiously, continued speaking.
“Lady Berner has changed a lot from before. Especially her aura and the dresses she wears these days.”
“That’s true. She’s become so bright and elegant.”
“Well, they say it’s because Lady Berner has a lover now.”
“Really?”
Their conversation gradually began to draw the attention of others nearby. From the start, their voices weren’t particularly quiet, and though they acted like they were whispering secrets, to me it looked nothing like that.
When did that rumor start spreading again?
As expected of high society—rumors never ceased. Just how many new ones were born in a single day? People clearly never grew tired of it. With fresh gossip springing up almost daily, there were just too many who loved meddling in others’ affairs.
Well, I wouldn’t normally care about any rumor, but it was different if it involved Angelica. She was someone I needed to keep an eye on, and with important matters ahead, it would be troublesome if she got caught up in another strange rumor.
But why of all things did it have to be a lover this time?
Could Rayel have leaked it? Or maybe it slipped out from the Imperial Palace. It had been a while since he and Angelica began meeting privately. Even if Count Berner was usually present, many must have seen Rayel and Angelica conversing comfortably in the palace. By now, it would be stranger if no story had come out of it.
Still, since no one had mentioned who exactly the man was, I decided to keep listening. Pretending to sip my tea, I tilted my cup and fixed my ears toward their direction in the noisy hall.
“It was a little while ago—at the opening ceremony of Café Roland’s capital branch. I heard Lady Berner attended in a beautiful light-blue gown.”
“A light-blue dress? Oh, you mean the one embroidered with gold? I’ve seen her wear it a few times. It suited her so well.”
“Well, that gown was apparently a gift from her lover.”
“What? Really?”
“I’m telling you the truth! One young lady at the event overheard Lady Berner say she had received it from a gentleman!”
“Oh my goodness! If that’s true, that’s so romantic! To give such a stunning gown… Who could he be?”
If I said, The Emperor, that would stir up a storm. I forced myself to set down my teacup without blurting it out. So that’s how the rumor spread—one of the young ladies must have overheard Alexandra and Angelica’s conversation that day.
Even though they had spoken as quietly as they could, a partition was their only shield. It was bound to leak. Judging by what this girl said, she hadn’t heard the part about Rayel. Now that I thought about it, Alexandra’s voice had risen precisely when she exclaimed, “It’s a man!”
Since Angelica hadn’t denied it, they must have concluded she received the dress from “a man” and was therefore his lover. After all, in high society, giving a gown was something only family or lovers did.
Still, no one suspects Rayel? Really?
He visited the palace so often, even chatted with her in front of the audience chamber. Even if the Count was always there and “business” served as the perfect shield, it was hard to believe no one harbored any suspicion.
And no matter how much Rayel used barrier magic, he couldn’t have hidden his movements every single time. Alexandra had witnessed him, after all. Though in her case, Rayel had intentionally let her. In truth, entry into the palace was fairly free as long as one had a clear purpose. Meaning, no matter how careful the two were, anyone passing by could have spotted them heading toward their meeting place.
“Actually, I have someone in mind,” one of the young ladies said.
“Oh? Who?”
If this were a cliché novel, it would usually be a minor side character like her making such a revelation.
“The Emperor.”
“…What?”
I nearly gasped aloud with the others. Talk about timing. Right, this was reality—but still, it was a story, and the clichés hit hard.
I steadied my racing heart and examined the speaker carefully. Light brown hair, greenish eyes—nothing unusual compared to the others. Yet the words spilling from her mouth were far from ordinary.
“Don’t you remember there was a rumor before? That Lady Berner and His Majesty were lovers?”
“But it was disproven, wasn’t it? Lady Berner herself denied it.”
“That’s true. But isn’t it possible they became closer after that?”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because I saw them meeting myself.”
“Y-you really did?”
“Yes.”
As she smiled knowingly at her astonished companion, I couldn’t help but admire her. At last, a true rumor-spreader had appeared.
Though she was certainly just a side character, her voice had the perfect quality to capture attention. She felt like one of those background characters entrusted with the task of igniting gossip.
“When did you see them? Where?”
“At the palace. Around the time the engagement rumor died down and the Berner family business started flourishing. I often saw Count Berner and Lady Berner in audience with His Majesty.”
“But wasn’t that because of business? Lady Berner helps with her family’s affairs, so of course she would accompany her father.”
“Even so, after the audiences ended, I often saw the two of them conversing outside the chamber.”
“That could have just been polite greetings. Lady Berner went through hardships, after all. His Majesty might have shown concern for that.”
“Is His Majesty the type to personally exchange greetings with young ladies and show concern for their hardships? Has he ever done that before?”
Her scoffing voice was full of certainty. For a so-called gossiping side character, she was unusually sharp. Maybe her role came with extra responsibility.
“Well… that’s true, but…”
“Besides, the atmosphere between them wasn’t bad. No—it was surprisingly good.”
“Hmm…”
“Still don’t believe me? Fine, I have even more decisive proof.”
As the others faltered, she lifted the corners of her lips triumphantly. What else did she have? I found myself strangely eager to hear it.
“Not long ago, I was leaving the palace after some business and spotted Lady Berner near the Emperor’s residence. She wandered near the entrance, then slipped into the bushes along a hidden path. A while later, His Majesty emerged from the palace and walked into the same path.”
“Oh my…”
“I waited for quite a while just in case. But neither of them came back out. Since they both entered that secluded path, it’s certain they met in secret!”
“Then could it be… this time, it’s really true… His Majesty and Lady Berner…”
As soon as she finished, the young ladies and noblewomen who had been listening in erupted into chatter. What began in a corner now spread across the entire hall. Excited voices filled the air, while the light-brown-haired lady looked pleased with herself.
Watching her, I almost wanted to applaud. Of all the side characters I’d seen here so far, she played her role most faithfully. She lacked the flashy villainous flair of someone like Baroness Tiben’s daughter or Countess Huijet’s, but she’d delivered her role perfectly—an ordinary extra who nonetheless had impact.
The spark she’d lit now burned across the hall. Others took over where she left off, eagerly dissecting Angelica and Rayel’s supposed relationship.
“If it’s true, then perhaps this time they’ll finally get engaged.”
“Exactly. Meeting in secret and even exchanging gowns—it has to be true.”
“His Majesty giving a gown to a lady… more than anything, that’s shocking.”
“But why Lady Berner?”
“Though things turned ugly before, that was all a misunderstanding. Countess Huijet and her daughter tried to frame the Berners with foul tricks, remember?”
“Oh right. The young ladies following Huijet’s daughter also bullied Lady Berner, only to be crushed in the end. Back then, people only assumed there was something between Her Majesty and Lady Berner. And when Count Huijet’s crimes against the Berners were exposed, it was Lady Berner who suffered unfairly.”
Normally, I would have stopped them from running their mouths like this, but today I chose silence. Opinions about Angelica weren’t negative anymore. At last, her efforts seemed to be paying off. Not a single critical remark about her was to be heard.
“Even if it was coincidence at first, that incident may have drawn His Majesty’s attention to Lady Berner. She overcame hardships and now helps lead her family’s business alongside the Count.”
“Perhaps His Majesty was charmed by her resilience and passion.”
“Yes, it’s possible.”
I had to fight to keep my lips from curling upward. To finally witness such a scene, to hear such words about our heroine—it was moving. At last, she was beginning to shine. For so long she had been underestimated, and now, finally, she was walking the path of a true protagonist. My chest swelled with pride.
Ah, I wanted to join in too. Everyone here belonged to the noble or neutral factions, but because of my position I couldn’t easily interject. Still, everyone already knew I had always supported Angelica, so why not? What could they do if I spoke in her favor?
Just as I opened my mouth, one young lady suddenly blurted out:
“If all of this is true… could it be that Lady Berner might become the Empress?”
With that one remark, the atmosphere of the entire hall shifted in an instant.
