Episode 11
As expected, the child was the Crown Prince. I had already guessed it from his black hair and red eyes.
He had a cute face with chubby baby fat, but his attitude was not cute at all.
It seemed the Crown Prince had been about to enter the reception room when he collided with me as I was coming out, causing him to fall.
With the help of a maid, he got back on his feet, dusted off his backside with his own hands, and looked straight at me. He looked full of dissatisfaction.
“Who are you?”
the Crown Prince asked me.
First, out of courtesy, I lifted both sides of my skirt slightly and bent my knees in a small curtsy as I greeted him.
“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince. I am… Mirabel.”
Honestly, I hesitated for a moment about how to introduce my name in this situation.
So instead of giving my family name, I only said my first name.
The surname I had always used was Hale, but if I followed my father’s true surname, it would be Houston, and if I followed my mother’s, it would be Crichton.
“Your surname?”
At the Crown Prince’s puzzled expression, a maid added an explanation.
“She has come from the Grand Duke Crichton’s household. She is the Grand Duke’s granddaughter.”
“There was a girl in the Grand Duke’s family? Besides Elliot, there was someone else?”
The Crown Prince tilted his head, one hand on his hip.
Even seeing his confusion, I didn’t feel the need to explain further.
“I apologize for bumping into you. Since you seem alright, I will take my leave now.”
“Hm? Ah, yes. …Wait a moment!”
The Crown Prince, who had answered readily, called me back belatedly.
I had been about to pass him, but at his call, I stopped and turned around.
“You just came out of this reception room, didn’t you?”
He pointed to the door I had exited.
I nodded in confirmation.
Then he stepped closer to me.
“Who’s inside? Aside from His Majesty the Emperor, there’s someone else in there, right?”
He looked slightly angry.
The only people in the reception room were the Emperor and my mother.
So the “other person” he mentioned must be referring to my mother.
I frowned slightly, feeling a bit displeased.
“What is the matter?”
“Because someone in that room made Her Majesty the Empress cry.”
“….”
“I’m going to go in and scold them on her behalf.”
After he finished speaking, I was momentarily at a loss for words.
I understood what had driven the Crown Prince to try to enter that room.
Inside were the Emperor and my mother—his former lover.
My mother had left the Emperor in pursuit of love, but judging from their earlier conversation, it seemed the Emperor still had not forgotten her.
However, the Emperor was now married to someone else.
From the Empress’s perspective, it must have been painful and unbearable to see him meet his former love.
Was that why she cried…?
Even if my mother still carried my father in her heart, that was her own matter.
With a troubled mind, I looked at the Crown Prince.
He must have rushed here in anger after seeing the Empress cry.
“My mother is inside.”
When I spoke carefully, the Crown Prince widened his eyes and looked at me.
“Then the one who made Her Majesty the Empress cry is your mother?”
“…Probably.”
“Oh, then…”
Seeing him flustered, I gave a faint smile.
“If you wish, you may go inside. I won’t stop you. But please know in advance that my mother had no intention of making Her Majesty sad.”
If it was a misunderstanding, it should be cleared up. Though I didn’t know how much a child like him could understand.
Just as I was about to step aside—
“Adrian!”
A low voice called out from behind.
“Your Majesty the Empress…”
The Crown Prince murmured as he noticed someone behind me.
I turned toward the sound and saw a woman with neatly styled blonde hair.
If what he said was true, she must be the Empress.
“My goodness. I came just in case—did you really come here to trouble His Majesty the Emperor?”
The Empress approached with a firm expression and stood before the Crown Prince.
“I came because I cannot forgive the person who upset Your Majesty.”
“Adrian, Aiden. There’s no need for you to do that. And the one who upset me is… no, never mind. Let’s go back.”
She took the Crown Prince’s hand.
She stared at the reception room door for a moment before stopping in place.
Her wide green eyes turned toward me in surprise.
I greeted her politely.
“Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress. I am Mirabel, daughter of Cornelia Crichton and Gale Houston.”
“So you are their daughter.”
The Empress looked at me in a daze, then gave a bitter smile.
“Did you come out because you couldn’t join their conversation?”
Noticing her glance toward the reception room, I nodded.
“Yes. They told me to wait outside for a while.”
“I see… Then come with me. If you have some refreshments with Aiden, the time will pass quickly.”
She held out her hand to me.
I only stared at it for a moment.
If she knew who I was, there was no way she would think kindly of me—yet she smiled warmly.
Should I really follow her?
Even as I hesitated, she waited patiently.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
In the end, I took her slender, soft hand.
It was far softer than my mother’s hands, which had been worn from hard work.
I glanced at her hand.
My mother must have once had hands just as soft… The thought made my chest ache.
I followed the Empress to the rear garden.
There stood a pure white stone pavilion for rest, with climbing rose vines decorating its pillars beautifully.
Inside was a table and chairs for four.
“Sit here. Is there anything you cannot eat? If so, tell Brijina.”
A maid bowed at the mention of her name.
“I don’t have anything I can’t eat. There’s nothing I avoid either.”
“That’s just like Cornelia.”
“Pardon?”
As I looked up, the Empress smiled gently but did not answer immediately, instead turning to the maid.
“Brijina, bring the refreshments.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The maid left briefly.
The silence felt awkward, so I looked around the garden.
Well-maintained trees and flowers caught my eye, followed by scattered statues.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
The Empress asked, smiling.
“Yes.”
“Of course it is. Her Majesty decorated it herself.”
Adrian muttered bluntly.
The Empress frowned at him, and he turned away with a snort.
Soon, Brijina returned with a trolley and served refreshments.
The Empress had reddish tea, while the Crown Prince and I were given fruit juice.
“Enjoy.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
While I spoke, Adrian grabbed a cookie first.
I took a sip of juice. The fresh apple scent tickled my nose—sweet and refreshing.
Then I tried a cookie, but it was too sweet for my taste.
“Your mother, Cornelia, is my friend.”
As I set the cookie down, the Empress suddenly spoke.
“I don’t know if she still considers me one, but still.”
A breeze scattered my hair.
The Empress reached out, then hesitated and withdrew her hand.
She simply smiled.
After that, she didn’t say much more.
Adrian occasionally glanced at me with narrowed eyes.
Then—
“Mirabel?”
I heard my mother’s voice approaching.
I turned, delighted, and saw her stop nearby.
But her gaze wasn’t on me.
Following her line of sight, I saw the Empress.
“Cornelia.”
The Empress spoke first.
My mother approached slowly.
“It has been a long time, Your Majesty.”
Silence lingered.
“Have you been well?”
At that, the Empress’s breathing grew unsteady.
“Cornelia… because of you, I lived in hell for eight years.”
Eight years—the length of her marriage to the Emperor.
“James always waited for you. I had no choice but to watch him. Do you understand how I felt?”
Yet her voice held no resentment.
“I’m sorry.”
My mother whispered.
The Empress broke into tears.
My mother stepped forward and embraced her.
I stopped Adrian from intervening.
The Empress did not resist.
“I hate you… and resent you… but seeing you safe, I can’t bring myself to be angry. Foolishly so.”
