Chapter 37
The flattery of the noble ladies reached its peak. It seemed they were trying to gain favor with the imperial family and receive even a small reward.
“Everyone must be grateful to His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress. They are worthy of respect for thinking of us like this.”
As if the timing was arranged, Pania said something that would please the empress.
The noble ladies sitting in front of the shining objects all nodded in agreement, but I just sneered inside.
All those things were obtained by soldiers who fought with their lives on the battlefield.
The emperor was one thing, but the Third Prince never went to dangerous battlefields. He only hid inside the palace, acting like a coward who tried to please the emperor and empress.
The crown prince was weak and could not go to the battlefield, but at least he had an excuse.
Thinking about this made anger rise inside me, and I felt slightly dissatisfied with Ricardo, who was doing things that only benefited others.
Well, he would eventually become emperor because he built those foundations step by step.
“Right. This time, I prepared a special gift. I feel like I haven’t properly given you a wedding gift yet.”
At the words wedding gift, my ears perked up.
Not only me, but the others who heard the empress also looked at me.
Hearing the words special gift from the empress, I automatically remembered the night of the hunting competition.
The crazy thing she had done to me.
Remembering that night when my body burned with unbearable heat made me shudder just hearing about a “special gift.”
“Come here, Stella.”
Suddenly, the empress stretched her hand toward me like a kind mother-in-law possessed me.
“I picked this separately for you. I hope you like it.”
When I carefully opened the red velvet box the empress handed me, brilliant light poured out.
“Ah…”
“Oh my!”
The noble ladies’ admiration was not exaggeration.
A green emerald necklace that looked like it contained a brilliant summer forest took my breath away.
“It should suit your red hair. When I saw it, I thought it was yours.”
Looking at the jewel that almost sucked people’s souls away, I felt momentarily stunned.
I almost said, “I forgive all the crimes the empress committed against me.”
With something like this, I could immediately run away from the duchy and sell the necklace, and probably live for the rest of my life in a remote countryside.
Such calculations made me excited.
“But it’s too much. I cannot accept this…”
The words of modesty automatically came out of my mouth even though my mind was already running a calculator.
Fortunately, the empress put the necklace on my neck before I finished speaking, and I accepted it like a gentle sheep.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
When I raised my head, Pania’s gaze from behind the empress looked unusual.
It was cold enough to freeze a person.
It seemed that, in addition to the maid incident earlier, the empress’s gift had ignited anger inside her.
Come to think of it, I also felt a little strange.
Even if the empress brought me here to use me, this was too excessive.
Even in the original story, the empress had never shown such kindness to Kayla.
Why did this situation happen?
For a moment, blinded by wealth, I came to my senses.
I shouldn’t blindly be happy since I didn’t know what trick this was.
‘Don’t be tempted. What I really must obtain is something else.’
I looked again at what I had noticed earlier.
As expected, the noble ladies were receiving the spoils from the empress one by one, or subtly requesting what they had already chosen in their hearts.
Today, the unusually generous empress satisfied everyone’s wishes so that no one would feel disappointed.
When my turn finally came, I spoke without hesitation.
“Your Majesty the Empress. I like that painting.”
When I pointed at it, everyone looked stunned.
It was natural.
The painting, placed in a corner as if thrown away, was so dusty that it looked like junk rather than a treasure.
Pania could not hold back her sneer.
“Quite a unique taste. Well, everyone has different preferences.”
I answered her mocking laughter with a refreshing smile.
“Yes. I knew at first glance that this is my taste.”
The slightly flustered empress spoke to me as if trying to persuade me.
“Just because I gave you a necklace doesn’t mean you must take something else. Why don’t you choose another good item?”
I picked up the painting with confident eyes and said again.
“No. This is enough for me, Your Majesty.”
The noble ladies beside me, especially the marquisess who had previously told me about the strange painting, looked at me with incomprehension.
Their faces clearly showed they thought my taste was pathetic, just like Pania’s earlier ridicule.
They simply didn’t know the value of this painting yet.
The person who painted it would later become a very famous sculptor across the empire.
Before he changed his career to sculpture, he painted several works.
Those paintings were rare and their prices soared to the sky.
I knew this because in the original story, Geno had told Stella about it.
One day, he proudly showed Stella a precious painting that had entered the imperial palace as war spoils.
Stella had wondered whether the painting was really great because it looked strange.
Based on the description and situation then, I was certain this was the painting I was holding.
In the original story, Geno Harberston obtained this painting, but now it is in my hands first.
With satisfied eyes, I looked down at the slightly strange-looking painting.
Crash!
As soon as Elaine opened the door, she jumped back in shock.
The vase thrown against the wall shattered, scattering flower petals and glass fragments everywhere.
“What are you doing!”
He shouted while looking at Pania, who stood in the middle of the room unable to control her anger.
“I don’t understand why Her Majesty keeps protecting that woman. Even during the hunting competition last time, and today! Ha.”
The more she thought about what happened earlier, the more frustrated she became, and she sighed angrily toward her husband.
“What do you mean? What happened today? Tell me in detail.”
Elaine asked her gently, trying to calm her anger.
His wife had been sitting in front of the dressing table since morning, humming while preparing makeup because her mother was hosting a tea party.
But now, seeing her raging like a madwoman after half a day, he couldn’t understand.
“They treated her like a country bumpkin, but she is very cunning. Who is she to teach others? Imperial etiquette? That bastard daughter who married a bastard is just filthy herself. Acting like a fox to please the empress is disgusting! Ha!”
Stella, who had dared to slap her maid and pretended to be humble in front of the empress, was hateful to Pania.
And honestly, it was shocking.
She was just a lowly nobody who had suddenly risen in status.
Pania had thought she would be timid and obedient, so she had looked down on her.
“I simply reprimanded the maid because her behavior toward her superior was too frivolous.”
When she remembered that proud face looking up, Pania felt as if she herself had been slapped, not her maid.
Elaine looked at his wife and roughly understood the situation, then smiled lightly.
When Pania tried to pick up a candlestick and throw it to the floor, he grabbed her arm and slowly put the candlestick back.
“Is it worth wasting your emotions over a woman like that? Mother has her own reasons for protecting her. Don’t you know Mother?”
“But…!”
Pania tried to argue but swallowed her words after seeing her husband’s hardened expression.
“You will soon become the Crown Princess. What will you do if you cannot even control your emotions? Tsk.”
“Crown Princess?”
Pania’s anger subsided at her husband’s words, and her eyes slightly lifted.
“Yes. Look at my brother’s condition. It wouldn’t be strange if he died today.”
Looking around once, he lowered his voice.
Pania also glanced around.
“If my brother dies, I will become crown prince. Then I won’t leave Ricardo, who is like an eyesore, as I do now. I will somehow remove him from my sight. So don’t obsess over such a trivial woman.”
Pania’s mood soared after hearing Elaine’s words.
The stubborn anger that seemed resistant to any treatment was washed away by the single word that she would become Crown Princess.
“That’s right. If you become crown prince, you will be more suitable for the throne than the weak and fragile current crown prince. But… will the crown prince really die soon?”
