~Chapter 87~
“Why has the chief servant of the Empress’s palace come…?”
I pressed close to the door and asked cautiously.
From the moment I entered the imperial palace, I had been preparing myself for the inevitable confrontation with the Empress—but this was far too soon.
And since my engagement had been done in such a snatched, underhanded way, it was obvious what mood the Empress would be in.
“I have come to pay respects to Lady Amelie.”
But instead of a maid’s voice, I heard the steady voice of an elderly man.
The one answering was the chief servant himself?
Realizing it must be, I rubbed my forehead.
He said he came to greet me; I couldn’t very well send him away.
I had no choice but to open the door.
“My lady…”
Sophia looked at me with worried eyes.
“It’ll be fine. He won’t eat me alive, right?”
I said it to reassure her—but really, I needed to reassure myself.
Yes, even though the engagement had been held secretly, I was still his son’s fiancée. She couldn’t physically harm me.
And I had no intention of being dragged away quietly.
Resolving myself, I opened the door.
“Greetings. I am Bern Romaz, chief servant of the Empress’s palace.”
The moment he saw me, Bern bowed deeply, announcing his position.
I nearly bowed in return, but then Richard’s words came back to me, and I straightened my spine.
“Never bow to imperial servants. You’re here as the prince’s fiancée—the future crown princess.”
The word future crown princess tickled the corner of my lips—it still felt absurdly grand.
“Welcome. Sorry for keeping you waiting, I was looking around the room before opening the door.”
“No need to apologize. I imagine everything must feel new to you, given the situation.”
So even the Empress’s chief servant spoke in the overly refined tone used with noble ladies.
They always spoke as though I should feel grateful just to be Richard’s fiancée, or as if I were some primitive outsider. Exhausting.
“Yes, but most of these furnishings are things I’ve already seen at the Garnet estate. They make me feel quite at home.”
I wasn’t going to just let him look smug.
Many of the palace furnishings came from the Garnet Trading Company, so his pride was laughable.
If it was about wealth, I wasn’t lacking either.
“…That is fortunate to hear.”
But the old fox was unfazed, replying smoothly with a smile.
He wasn’t chief servant of the Empress’s palace for nothing.
“I appreciate your visit, but I’m still exhausted from the journey. I’d prefer you return for now.”
And I truly meant it.
Since dawn I’d been in disguise-level makeup, busy fulfilling a tight schedule. I was exhausted.
He said he came to greet me—he never said the Empress herself summoned me.
So there was no need for unnecessary battles of pride.
“Forgive me, but now that you are here, would it not be proper to greet the true mistress of the inner palace?”
Ah, if only we could have parted nicely.
But the sly old fox revealed his true purpose at once.
The “mistress of the inner palace” clearly meant the Empress.
He made it sound like a suggestion, but it was obviously her order.
I smiled deliberately.
“How unfortunate. I have too much to settle today. Please tell Her Majesty I will visit another time—with Richard.”
“Lady Amelie. His Highness the Prince is the brilliant light of Bienderer, the man who will one day rule the Empire. He has been generous enough to overlook the lack of formality so far, but henceforth, you must treat him with the respect due to his station.”
He poured out flattery for Richard and scoldings for me.
But he didn’t know—Richard himself had forbidden me from calling him “Your Highness.”
“I’d like to, but what can I do when he insists I call him by name? We’re not exactly a formal couple, are we?”
“You must be formal, Lady Amelie Garnet.”
The chief servant emphasized the gap between our families, stressing that I was far beneath Richard.
And deliberately, he refused to call me “Crown Princess,” using only my name, as though to deny I could ever become one.
“Also, you must not trouble His Highness with trivial matters. He is far too busy. Best not to see him often.”
“So in other words—you’re saying I shouldn’t call him by name, and I shouldn’t spend time with him?”
The servant only smiled faintly, neither denying nor confirming.
“I refuse.”
I grinned.
If he wanted to play hard, I could play harder.
I might have worked in customer service for years, but that didn’t mean I was a pushover.
I wouldn’t have survived all the nightmare customers otherwise.
“It’s hardly normal for a wife-to-be not to call her husband by name or be with him. Or is the imperial palace just abnormal by nature?”
“Lady Amelie.”
“Well said, Amelie.”
Just then, another voice cut in—low, smooth.
Richard. He stepped toward me, eyes fixed on me.
“Your Highness,” the chief servant greeted, bowing again.
“Seems an unwelcome guest came while I stepped away.”
Richard’s icy gaze turned on the chief servant, who remained bent, unable to straighten.
“Did my mother order you to bring Amelie to her?”
“No, Your Highness. Her Majesty only asked that I check whether Lady Amelie arrived safely.”
“And you truly meant to just check?”
Richard turned to me as if seeking confirmation.
Seizing the chance, I drooped my lips and shook my head.
“I told him I wasn’t feeling well after the carriage ride, but he still suggested I go meet Her Majesty…”
“Then you admit it, Bern Romaz? If you’re not senile, you won’t deny it.”
Wow. That’s sharp.
Richard’s tongue was cutting, his displeasure clear.
The old fox only gave a low groan, unable to argue.
“Tell my mother this: Amelie will never step foot in the Empress’s palace. I worry constantly that my fragile fiancée might collapse if she sees her.”
At some point Richard had stepped beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
I froze at his outrageous line, moving only because he guided me.
The male lead did everything well—even acting the doting lover.
The frustrating part was that my heart pounded wildly at his cheesy words.
“Your Highness, forbidding your fiancée from meeting the Empress is unfair.”
“There will be a proper occasion to greet her soon. With me, of course.”
“…As you command.”
“And another thing. I want my future wife to call me by name. So refrain from your petty meddling.”
When did he even overhear that?
Richard had even borrowed my earlier phrasing for his little performance.
The audience must be fuming at this saccharine display.
Still, faced with Richard’s suffocating display of affection, the chief servant had no choice but to retreat.
“What an entrance,” I muttered.
I wanted to clap for Richard, who had neatly driven off the old fox.
He claimed he was visiting the Emperor, but somehow he showed up at the perfect timing.
“Did you see His Majesty?”
“Not yet. The advisors were in an uproar.”
“Huh? Why?”
“They were scolding me for leaving you alone when you’d just arrived. They worried my mother might ambush you.”
Bless those advisors.
Seems the true MVPs behind driving off the Empress and her servant were them.
“They say if a husband doesn’t mediate properly in situations like this, it often ends in divorce.”
And they were right. In any family feud, the husband’s role was most crucial.
“Since I showed up at just the right time, you don’t need to worry about a breakup.”
Richard grinned slyly.
The more shameless he got, the more flustered I became.
