CHAPTER 81…………
Empress’s Palace
Ayla let out a long sigh and nodded her head.
“…I’ll… be able to do it, right…?”
She muttered without confidence, sighing as though the ground beneath her were about to collapse.
The news that Ayla had risen from her sickbed spread rapidly throughout the capital. Perhaps that was why—
“Sigh…”
“Your Majesty, are you unwell somewhere?”
“No, it’s not that…”
She glanced at the stack of letters piled on the table. Rina placed a teacup in front of her with an awkward smile.
“Since the First Princess has accomplished so much lately, it’s only natural that attention would focus on you. Shall I sort through the letters and burn the unnecessary ones?”
“Would you?”
Ayla smiled faintly and lifted the teacup.
Because the First Princess’s palace was undergoing major renovations, Ayla’s own palace was also repaired under the Emperor’s orders.
This sparked countless rumors:
- “She lay bedridden all that time, only to suddenly start hosting social gatherings the moment the First Princess earned His Majesty’s favor?”
- “So that so-called ‘illness of the heart’ was just a sham, after all.”
- “Perhaps she only pretended to be sick. Didn’t the Second Empress fight tooth and nail for the Emperor’s attention?”
- “In the end, the First Princess will just be used as a pawn for Empress Ayla to win His Majesty’s favor.”
- “I didn’t think she was that kind of person…”
…Well, that’s how it was.
“In a way, they’re right…”
She had neglected her child—not for one year, but five. In that time, the girl had grown frighteningly fast, to the point she was now advising her own mother.
“Mother, write to Lady Baysa Iollin, the Marchioness. She’ll help you.”
Those were the words her daughter had whispered before leaving for the temple. And the very next day, Ayla had sent a letter to the Marchioness of Iollin.
Now, her reply had come.
It was barely noticeable amidst the mountain of letters, but Ayla finally found it and took a deep breath.
“Will she truly help me…? I don’t even know why she and my child are close.”
Lilienne had only said, “She’ll help you, Mother,” and then left for the temple.
Ayla had wanted to know the details, but there wasn’t time. And besides…
“I’m afraid… afraid to step outside again.”
She had always disliked social gatherings.
In her youth, when others were busy building connections, she had secluded herself at home. As a result, Ayla didn’t even have a proper friend.
She bit her lip, then shook her head vigorously and slapped both cheeks.
Slap! Slap!
“Pull yourself together, Ayla! You promised you’d be a help to your daughter. You swore you wouldn’t make her struggle alone anymore!”
It wasn’t like before, when she had nothing to protect.
Unlike that day, when she believed the whole world revolved around the Emperor’s affection—now, she had someone who gave her strength just by existing.
“So go. Step forward, and make Lilie happy.”
That was what she, as a mother, could do to give her family happiness.
Ayla gathered her courage and opened the Marchioness of Iollin’s letter.
Its contents were—
“If Your Majesty the Empress hosts a tea party, I will bring only trustworthy ladies. Thus, please prepare the invitations.”
Ayla’s face lit up.
I rubbed my forehead.
“Your Highness, I only fell asleep because I was tired.”
“Then His Holiness should have entrusted you to me. It wasn’t right for me not to be the one guarding you.”
“No, His Holiness…”
He must have been waiting for the traces of divine power to fade, afraid someone would notice.
If it were discovered, the Emperor—and that mad dog Dmitri—would have raised a storm.
“From the Pope’s standpoint, it was probably the best choice…”
But because of that, Dmitri had grabbed the Pope by the collar…!
“You grabbed his throat? Threatened to kill him?!”
He’d even said he would destroy the temple, this lunatic!
Hebzel had approached me in tears, explaining the situation. During that, he had said, “The First Prince declared he’d smash the temple… word spread quickly, and now even the Emperor is planning to come…” I had almost fainted on the spot.
Hebzel and the priests clung to my dress hem, begging, “Please stop him, Your Highness!”
Dmitri averted his gaze.
“You know as well as I do, First Princess, the temple’s arrogance has gone unchecked for too long. They needed to be put in their place.”
“I told you, I’m fine!”
“Have you already forgotten the hunting festival? Forgotten how you were half-dead? What if someone tried to assassinate you again?”
“Even so, His Holiness would never harm me.”
Today Dmitri was unusually emotional. He wasn’t normally like this.
“Did something upset you?”
“….”
He pressed his lips tight and turned away. Over time, I had gotten closer to Dmitri.
We’d reached the point where, when bumping into each other in the palace, we could ask how the other was doing.
“And I learned one of his habits too.”
Whenever Dmitri was cornered, he would shut his mouth and avert his eyes like this.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Do you… care about me?”
“What?”
“I mean, your behavior is a little…”
He was acting the same way he did with Yevgeni. I had only prodded him lightly, but it hit the mark—his gaze hardened as he looked at me.
“I only worry the royal family’s dignity might suffer.”
“….”
“It’s not you I was worried about.”
Even as he said that, he fidgeted with his cloak, lips pressed tight. I gave him a sidelong glance and turned away.
“Let’s go apologize to His Holiness.”
“….”
“No matter how hostile the temple and royal family may be, the two of them are still leaders of great institutions.”
“….”
“I don’t want the royal family’s dignity to be damaged either.”
His mood softened slightly. I sighed inwardly.
“Why does he look so hurt? I just repeated his own words back to him.”
Today I realized—
Dealing with an emotional Dmitri was a tricky business, unless one had a particularly clear head.
“Maybe that’s why Yevgeni always clung to him. With his head full of flowers, he probably twisted Dmitri’s words into something positive every time.”
I let out a weary breath.
“…I don’t want Your Highness’s dignity to suffer either.”
“My dignity…?”
“Yes. After all, you’re my guardian right now. And I don’t want my guardian to suffer because of me.”
“Guardian…”
“Yes. You’re my guardian. Even if we weren’t born of the same mother, we still share half our blood.”
“….”
“So yes—I worry for my half-brother’s dignity, just as I do for the royal family’s.”
Dmitri cleared his throat. The heavy air between us lightened.
He rose slowly and said,
“I’ll go apologize properly. You should return to your room.”
“Yes.”
“And…”
I stopped and looked at him. His lips moved wordlessly before he glanced aside awkwardly.
“I feel the same as you.”
“…?”
“Go on now.”
He left the reception room. I blinked and muttered,
“…So my brother’s slyer than I thought, huh?”
“Safe travels.”
“May Iridium’s light shine upon Your Highnesses. I eagerly await the day we meet again.”
The Pope of Maridris, along with the First Division priests, came out in person to bow us farewell.
The first words were the Pope’s; the rest were Hebzel’s. His expression screamed, “Please don’t come back…!” which made me smile awkwardly.
Ever since Dmitri had grabbed the Pope by the throat, Hebzel clearly regarded us as brigands intent on harming him.
“What to do… I’ll have to visit the Pope at least once a month now…”
The goddess had said I possessed faint divine power, but since I lacked a holy vessel, I couldn’t use it properly.
But just recently, the Pope had created one for me. Since it was born from his divine power, I needed his help to manage it.
Otherwise, he warned, the holy vessel inside my body could “explode” from insufficient divine power.
He told me it would be excruciatingly painful, so I must take care.
Despite being throttled by Dmitri, the Pope still beamed at me.
“Please come again. I look forward to another meaningful conversation with Your Highness.”
“…Yes.”
I forced a smile and let Dmitri lead me to the carriage.
Thus, with the priests all seeing us off, our temple visit ended peacefully.
…Or so I thought.
“Waaah…!”
That is, until I saw a teary-eyed Yevgeni.
Back at the palace, the first place I went was the Emperor’s office. Dmitri personally carried me there.
“Ah! First Princess! First Prince…!”
Reynold clapped his hands over his mouth at the sight of our affectionate sibling bond and burst into tears.
And when he saw me fully recovered, his eyes grew red with emotion.
“Thank heavens you’re safe. Your wounds have healed completely! I’m so overjoyed… From this day forth, I’ll send yearly donations to the temple for saving you!”
“That won’t be necessary.”
I rejected it flatly and entered the office, Reynold following glumly.
“You’ve come.”
The Emperor set down his pen and looked at us.
Dmitri bowed his head deeply, and I smiled faintly while still held in his arms.
“The First Prince has safely returned from the temple.”
“The First Princess has safely returned from the temple.”
“Good. And nothing untoward happened?”
The Emperor rose and walked toward us.
He looked at me, then shifted his gaze to Dmitri.
“The temple didn’t show rudeness to the First Princess?”
“Only what I wrote in my report. That she collapsed from fatigue during a private audience with His Holiness.”
“I see.”
“Yes. After that, things passed relatively quietly.”
Quietly, he says!
I nearly shot Dmitri a glare.
“I worked myself to death trying to smooth things over between him and the priests, after he glared daggers at the Pope!”
Whenever Dmitri’s reputation threatened to sour, I would dash to the priests and lavish praise on him, making sure to express my respect for the Pope too.
That way, they’d smile at me and say, “The Princess is far brighter than we’d heard,” slipping me sweets—which I then tossed to passing birds because they tasted awful.
But “quiet”?
“Sure, it was quiet for you. For me, it was a battlefield.”
When my face paled, the Emperor noticed and reached out his hand.
“….”
“….”
He and Dmitri locked eyes silently.
Dmitri held me tighter, answering flatly,
“She’s only tired, having just returned. That’s all.”
“I’ll send her back soon. Hand her over.”
“If you say soon, you mean an hour, don’t you?”
“You dare be insolent to your Emperor, First Prince?”
“Just noticing now, Your Majesty?”
“…?”
What on earth was with them?
Flustered, I looked between them, then cast a desperate glance toward Reynold—my last hope for sanity.
“Um, the Princess would enjoy these desserts—ah, and these too! Bring them all at once!”
…Hopeless.
I sighed and tapped Dmitri’s shoulder lightly. Both he and the Emperor looked at me.
It was a bit overwhelming, but I cleared my throat.
“I’d like to speak with His Majesty as well.”
“….”
“Thank you for your concern, but please put me down now.”
“….”
Dmitri hesitated, then reluctantly set me down. Free at last, I passed by them with a smile.
“Please, come, Your Majesty.”
“…Very well.”
“Will Your Highness stay too?”
“No. I’ll take my leave.”
That was a quick refusal.
“He really doesn’t want to be in the same room as the Emperor with me.”
I saw Dmitri off without regret.
The moment he was gone, attendants swarmed in with trays of cookies and cakes.
One maid handed me a glass of milk with a smile.
“We’re so glad you’ve recovered, Your Highness. Everyone was worried.”
“Thank you.”
I sipped the milk, cool liquid sliding down my throat. Then I reached for the cookies, savoring the blissful taste I’d been denied while bedridden.
“Food tastes so much better when you’ve gone without it.”
I was about to empty the plate when I felt an intense gaze. I looked up with a jolt.
Oh no…
“After eating that tasteless temple food, I must’ve gotten carried away…”
I awkwardly set the cookie down and took another sip of milk.
“Why did you stop?”
“It’s… enough.”
“Temple food isn’t fit for children, let alone you.”
So he knew. His brow was furrowed, and I silently agreed.
“It really was terrible…”
“Looks like you hardly ate there. Try this as well.”
The Emperor handed me pound cake, and I happily munched away.
Reynold’s pleased gaze lingered on us—the contented father and daughter.
