ATIRPBT 05

CHAPTER 05

After breakfast, I returned to my quarters.

I had barely sat down when one of my palace maids entered, looking flustered.

“Your Highness, Countess Terban has requested an audience.”

“Countess Terban?”

“Yes, she says she’s brought a gift.”

A gift?

That name rang a bell.

Countess Terban was a minor noble, relatively low in rank. In my past life, she had never once tried to curry favor with me. In fact, she’d once called me “a useless ornament with a title.”

I remembered it clearly—because I had overheard her say it.

So why was she suddenly offering gifts?

“…Let her in.”

The maid hesitated. “Shall I have the guards check the item first?”

“No need.”

I wasn’t so naïve as to believe this was a heartfelt gesture. But I was curious.

After a few minutes, the Countess was led into the drawing room.

She wore an ornate dress—clearly overcompensating—and held a medium-sized box wrapped in silk.

“Your Highness,” she said, bowing gracefully. “It is an honor to be in your presence.”

I offered a faint smile.

“It’s been some time, Countess Terban.”

She straightened and presented the box.

“I brought a small token of respect. I hope you’ll accept it.”

I gestured for a maid to take it, then opened the box.

Inside was a delicate music box inlaid with tiny sapphires.

It was… expensive. And clearly custom-made.

“…This is hardly a ‘small’ token.”

She laughed nervously.

“Your Highness deserves nothing less.”

Now that was funny.

Because a year ago, she wouldn’t have even acknowledged me in a hallway.

“Thank you,” I said smoothly. “It’s beautiful.”

Her smile stretched wider.

“I heard His Majesty praised your elegance yesterday. Everyone’s talking about it. Truly, your presence has become radiant.”

So that’s it.

The tides were shifting. And she was the first to try and ride the wave.

I met her eyes, smiling politely.

“Tell me, Countess. Have I changed so much that even my enemies now see me as worth befriending?”

Her expression froze.

“…Your Highness, I would never—”

“Would never call me an ‘ornament’? A decorative title with no use?”

She paled.

So she remembered.

“Forgive me,” she stammered. “I spoke foolishly back then. I was misled by false rumors—”

“Rumors?”

I raised a brow.

“Or were you simply aligned with my dear sister?”

She flinched.

Yevgeny had her loyalists, of course. This woman had likely supported her, hoping to ride her coattails.

Now that the wind was shifting, she was changing allegiances.

I rose from my seat, approaching her slowly.

“I’ll accept the gift.”

Her eyes brightened.

“But that doesn’t mean I’ll forget.”

“…I understand.”

She bowed deeply.

I leaned in, voice quiet.

“Next time, be more careful where you place your bets.”

She didn’t reply. She couldn’t.

After she left, Emyn poked his head out from behind a curtain.

“She was so scared she looked like she might faint.”

I ruffled his hair.

“She’s smart, in her own way. Just a little too late.”

He looked at the music box.

“It’s really pretty, though.”

“It is.”

I closed the lid.

“But gifts given out of fear rarely hold meaning.”

Later that afternoon, I received another unexpected visit—this time from the Imperial Library’s steward.

“His Majesty has instructed that Princess Lirien be granted unrestricted access to the Imperial Archives.”

I blinked.

“…Me?”

“Yes, Your Highness. His words were: ‘Let her read what she wishes.’”

This had never happened in the previous timeline.

In fact, I had once tried to visit the archives and was denied—because I lacked the proper ‘educational qualifications’ as deemed by the court.

This was no small privilege.

Only crown-appointed scholars and high-ranking nobles were allowed full access. Even some princes had to make requests in advance.

Yet now, the Emperor had opened it to me freely.

“…Thank you.”

The steward bowed and left.

I stared at the sealed scroll he had delivered, bearing the Emperor’s personal signature.

Why is he doing this?

Was it simply because I stood up straighter? Because I changed how I dressed?

Or had something deeper shifted in how he perceived me?

I didn’t know yet.

But if he was giving me access to the empire’s inner knowledge—politics, history, military records—I would not waste it.

In my previous life, I had been blind to the games played around me.

This time, I would learn everything.