Chapter 28 – The Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince
“You! You call yourselves administrators? You call yourselves judges?!”
Whack! Whack! Whack!
The rolled-up bundle of papers rose and fell like a hammer on the judges’ heads.
“How could you sleep peacefully after doing such filthy, disgraceful things?! Huh?! Answer me!!”
The presiding judge, helpless and panicked, slipped right out of his chair and onto the floor.
“Y-your Majesty, please forgive us—!”
“Since when did this happen?! Since when did the holy court of law turn into a garbage pit?!”
Even after the three judges had collapsed in a heap, the Empress Dowager was still fuming, her chest heaving with anger.
Beside me, Joe muttered blankly,
“What… what am I even looking at right now?”
I nodded in silent agreement.
Thud—
Suddenly, someone tapped my left shoulder.
I turned around in surprise.
A person wearing a robe embroidered with the Imperial crest was sitting next to me—someone who definitely hadn’t been there before.
Judging by his small frame, he looked just a few years older than me.
“Uh… who—?”
Before I could finish my question, the boy calmly pulled back his hood.
My mouth dropped open.
“Crown Prince Tian!”
“…”
“Your Highness!”
Joe jumped to his feet so fast he nearly tripped over himself.
“I-I greet His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince!”
The others in the observation seats followed suit, bowing their heads in a flurry of motion.
Only I remained seated, staring straight at Tian.
‘Wait a second—why did he grow so much?!’
Just three months ago, he’d been barely taller than me!
“Tian?” I blinked in confusion.
That’s when he said, in a calm, steady voice,
“Annelia.”
I forgot to respond for a second.
“Your name is Annelia, right?”
“Uh… yes.”
“You didn’t tell me last time, so I couldn’t write you a letter.”
My eyes went wide.
A letter? He wanted to write me a letter?
We weren’t even that close!
But as if reading my thoughts, Tian continued casually,
“I did what you told me to do.”
“…?”
“And everything turned out just like you said it would.”
Ah.
That was it.
He’d followed my advice and gone to the Empress Dowager for help.
Which also meant she was protecting him now.
Now that I looked closer, Tian looked much healthier than before—his cheeks weren’t hollow anymore, and he’d grown taller, too.
Like someone who’d finally been eating and sleeping properly.
I was about to tell him he’d done well, but then he said quietly,
“I wanted to thank you, but… I’ve been busy with a lot of things.”
I waved my hands quickly.
“Oh, no, Your Highness! It was nothing!”
“…Still,” he said softly, “I wanted to see you.”
Gasp.
My words caught in my throat.
‘…He wanted to see me?’
Even though he was staring straight at me, I noticed the tips of his ears turning faintly pink.
Then I felt a sudden prickling on the back of my neck.
I turned my head slightly—and sure enough—
Sharon Abner, Wendel, Joe, and half the courtroom, including the Empress Dowager herself, were all staring right at us.
Oh no.
***
“Don’t worry,” said the Empress Dowager later that day, sipping her tea elegantly. “I’ve already ordered the Coel family to return every coin they stole. With interest, mind you—adjusted for inflation over the past twelve years. And they’ll pay compensation on top of that.”
I swallowed nervously.
Beside me, Sharon Abner spoke in a quiet, strained voice.
“…I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty.”
The Empress Dowager clicked her tongue and set her teacup down with a soft clink.
“You’ve taken over the dukedom with such pride, yet look at this mess! Miraena would be thrilled to see you now.”
Miraena—that was the name of the late Empress, the one who had publicly supported Sharon when she inherited the title of Duchess Abner.
That support had been one of the main reasons Sharon managed to survive politically at the time.
“And another thing—how could you let them steal that much money without realizing it?”
“…”
“And during the trial! When those filthy judges started spewing nonsense, you should’ve flipped the whole table over!”
Her booming voice made me flinch.
Not because I was scared—definitely not!—just… a little tense, that’s all.
I stared down at my cup of juice, holding it tightly in both hands, trying not to make eye contact.
Then, the Empress Dowager cleared her throat.
“Hmph. On second thought, flipping the table might not have been the best idea.”
Her tone softened slightly.
I dared to glance up—and instantly froze.
She was smiling right at me.
“Of course, I can’t do something so shocking, can I? I’d frighten this adorable child.”
Then she laughed heartily, her eyes bright with amusement.
She leaned forward slightly, still holding her teacup.
“So, you’re Annelia.”
“Y-yes, Your Majesty!”
My words came out all tangled.
I’d never been this close to a royal family member before.
‘The Crown Prince is just a kid, so that was fine—but the Empress Dowager…’
Even when she sat still, she radiated this overwhelming royal authority.
“Our Tian has missed you terribly,” she said fondly. “He says you’re his dearest friend.”
That made Sharon glance at me, eyebrows raised.
It was understandable—after all, I’d only been at the Abner estate for three months.
Being called the Crown Prince’s dearest friend sounded… unlikely.
I smiled awkwardly and stammered,
“Uh, w-well, His Highness visited the Abner estate once, and we, um… played for a bit…”
The Empress Dowager’s eyes widened.
“Oh? And what did you play?”
My mind went blank.
I shot Tian a desperate look, silently begging for help—
but he just kept sipping his juice calmly, pretending not to notice.
“I, uh… we shared some dried meat…”
I couldn’t exactly mention that I’d accidentally caused a huge scene back then.
“…And, um, we talked about… worries. Yeah, like… advice!”
“Advice?” The Empress Dowager’s face lit up. “Then you gave our Tian some guidance, did you? I’ve heard you’re quite clever.”
“I, um…”
My brain spun desperately until I blurted out,
“W-we talked about leadership! How to guide the people wisely as the future emperor!”
“Tell her the truth.”
Tian set his juice down with a soft clink.
“You told me to tell Grandmother about the servant’s cruelty,” he said calmly.
I froze.
“I used to be afraid of Jacques, but after you told me that, I found the courage to speak to Grandmother.”
“…”
“After Mother passed away, I felt completely alone.”
“…”
“But you told me I wasn’t. You said Grandmother would listen to me—and you were right.”
His red eyes were steady and sincere.
“…Ha! Hahahaha!”
The Empress Dowager burst out laughing.
Then she reached over and patted Tian’s shoulder gently before turning her gaze to me.
“Truly remarkable. This old woman owes you a great debt, child.”
“…”
“I also heard you shielded our Tian when that wretched servant tried to strike him.”
I blinked in shock, glancing between the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince.
‘Wait—I told him to go tell her, sure, but… he told her everything?’
I’d thought he was the quiet, stoic type—maybe a little shy—
but apparently he was also surprisingly open when it came to me!
Beside me, Sharon Abner finally spoke.
“Is that true?”
When I turned to look, she was watching me with a stunned expression.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
“Y-yes…”
“The day Empress Karin visited, then. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I, um… I didn’t think it was that big of a deal…”
A lie, of course.
Meeting the Crown Prince was a very big deal.
But back then, I didn’t want to cause any trouble in the Abner mansion,
so I’d decided to keep it secret.
“How precious!” The Empress Dowager beamed. “Sharon, how on earth did a stoic woman like you end up with such an adorable child by your side?”
Sharon didn’t reply. She just quietly took a sip of her tea.
The Empress Dowager turned her attention back to me.
“When I first heard the story, I couldn’t believe it. Tell me, dear, how old are you again?”
“I’m four, Your Majesty.”
“Four?!”
The Empress Dowager looked genuinely shocked.
I quickly added, “But I’ll be five in a few days!”
“Ah, I see!” she said, nodding. “Then we must have a birthday celebration!”
I blinked.
“A… birthday party?”
Come to think of it, I’d never actually had a proper birthday party before.
Even when I was the Longton family’s adopted daughter,
birthdays were quiet dinners at most.
‘Hiana always had big parties… I didn’t realize it back then, but we were so different, weren’t we?’
Feeling a little awkward, I mumbled,
“Um, I don’t think I need a birthday party…”
“I was already planning one,” Sharon said flatly, cutting me off. “A grand one.”
The Empress Dowager frowned in mock disappointment.
“Oh dear! If you hadn’t planned anything, I would’ve hosted it in the Imperial Palace myself!”
