Chapter 12
Azelina silently endured the sharp, piercing gazes of the noble ladies, even though she could have avoided them if she wanted.
At the same time, she recalled the period in the Egretta Empire when talk of the Empress was at its peak.
Since his ascension, Rashid had consistently felt silent pressure from his ministers to take an empress, but there was a time when the calls for him to marry came in especially forceful waves.
Now that the empire had stabilized after the succession, the ministers urged him to take a primary wife as soon as possible.
Of course, these were just shallow attempts to place their own daughters on the throne.
Azelina knew very well that at the time, Rashid had no intention of taking an empress. Yet, she could hardly quell her jealousy.
“Your Majesty must be fortunate. Even if you don’t want to, there are so many ministers around you insisting that you take my daughters.”
That day, she and Rashid had argued fiercely.
After briefly recalling those past events, Azelina shook her head and slowly spoke.
“Yes… I understand that Your Majesty has been quite tired lately because of that.”
Of course, it was just a remark made off the cuff.
Azelina hadn’t seen Rashid recently, nor was she particularly concerned with him, so whether talk of the empress came up or not didn’t really matter.
“Everyone speaks out of concern for Your Majesty, but it seems you never acknowledge their intentions. It must be frustrating.”
You sit there quietly after saying that?
Clayta, persistently trying to provoke Azelina, furrowed her brows.
Noticing Clayta’s change quickly, Countess Annaid Austin naturally continued the conversation.
“Your Majesty would benefit from taking Lady Belisive as the Empress.”
“Oh my, Countess Austin. What do you mean?”
Clayta, blushing and covering her mouth with exaggerated gestures, asked, and Annaid quickly answered.
“Of course, Lady Belisive is the most fitting among us for the position of Empress, but gaining the support of the Belisive Marquess family would also be beneficial for Your Majesty.”
It seemed as though they had rehearsed this in advance.
“…Is that so?”
Though Azelina sat at the same tea table, drinking the same tea and facing them, the conversation subtly excluded her.
Since becoming Rashid’s Empress, she had been thoroughly ostracized by the social circle after only a few months, so she was no stranger to such rudeness.
Even so, every time it happened, it still hurt her feelings.
The host, Rosena, was sympathetic toward Azelina but dared not intervene with the other noble ladies. She seemed wary of Clayta, who had far greater influence in the social circle.
“By the way… what do you mean that it would be best for His Majesty to gain the support of the Belisive family?”
When Azelina asked softly, Clayta finally smiled with satisfaction, as if she had gotten the answer she wanted.
“Although it may be reckless to bring this up, the current Emperor carries inescapable suspicions for having caused the deaths of Empress Xenia II and Lady Penelope. While these suspicions may have subsided due to Your Majesty’s virtuous rule, wouldn’t it be more stable if the Belisive family stood behind you?”
Before Rashid’s ascension, when four princes rebelled, Empress Xenia II died suddenly and Lady Penelope disappeared.
The culprit’s whereabouts remain unknown, but at the time, rumors widely spread that Rashid had killed them.
Azelina forced a neutral smile, suspicious of why such a sensitive topic was being brought up in a casual setting.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace:
“Your Majesty, I think His Highness is sincere this time,” Peris said, glancing at Rashid before speaking quietly.
Rashid was still filled with distrust toward Azelina.
“From what I can see, the Marquess seems to think highly of the Empress.”
At first, it could have sounded sarcastic, but Peris meant it sincerely: the persistence in trying to understand the Empress genuinely was remarkable.
“What do you usually talk about when you meet the Empress?”
“I feel too apologetic to report it to Your Majesty,” Peris replied.
“You don’t talk about events from before she became the Empress?”
“No, Your Majesty, she did not.”
“Hah, she probably only mentioned things that were unfair to her.”
Rashid muttered, growling with restrained anger.
Peris observed Rashid’s discomfort carefully. He was always like this—normally kind, but unusually sensitive when Azelina was involved.
Peris shook his head slightly and changed the topic.
“Ah, yes, Your Majesty. There is something to report.”
He presented the documents in his hand to Rashid.
“There was a handkerchief inside the deceased maid’s mouth, and it bore this emblem.”
The document displayed a black eagle emblem.
“It belongs to an illegal merchant guild operating in the Zeppelin Empire. However, the problem is…”
“Do you already know which guild is involved? Then what’s the issue?”
“We have yet to determine whether the entire guild was involved or if someone acted on their own.”
Rashid knew well of the Zeppelin Empire’s illegal guilds.
Recent atrocities had caused the Zeppelin Emperor Davis significant trouble, and rumors of their influence spreading to the Egretta Empire were troubling.
Since a maid’s life was taken in the palace, it was no ordinary murder—Rashid would have to go personally to the Zeppelin Empire.
“It would be wise to send a prior letter to the Zeppelin Empire. And…”
Rashid, speaking as usual, suddenly fell silent.
Again. He thought of Azelina.
She had gone to the Evangelich Marquess house today with the noble ladies. What if she caused another incident by failing to restrain herself?
Peris watched in surprise as Rashid unconsciously shifted his gaze elsewhere.
“…Speak.”
“…No, it’s fine, you can leave.”
Peris remained puzzled by Rashid’s oddly impatient behavior.
Gradually, rain began to fall from the once-clear sky.
It had been dazzlingly bright just a moment ago—it was strange indeed.
Azelina and the other ladies of the court enjoyed tea while listening to the gentle sound of raindrops tapping against the window.
Rosena, sitting next to Azelina, spoke slowly.
“Shall we move to another room? I had my servants prepare the annex for us.”
The guests nodded and smiled.
“Oh my.”
“That’s fine.”
“Though it’s raining… it’s not far, and we can use umbrellas.”
“Indeed.”
Feeling awkward being the only one silent, Azelina quickly agreed.
The ladies followed Rosena, holding their umbrellas.
To reach the annex, they had to pass through the Marquess’ garden, which was in full bloom with bellflowers. The densely planted lilies added a particularly elegant atmosphere.
“Your Highness, the path is very slippery,” Iana said, worried, as she held an umbrella over Azelina, having barely managed to resist Mabel’s insistence on holding it herself.
‘I feel uneasy for some reason.’
Azelina instinctively shivered at Iana’s concerned words, but shook her head, thinking it was just her imagination as the drizzle continued.
“Ah…!”
Leaning slightly to look at the rain-soaked bellflowers, Azelina slipped and fell.
Startled, Iana threw the umbrella aside and hurried to help her up.
“Your Highness! Are you alright?”
“…I’m fine.”
Though it was embarrassing to fall in front of everyone, Azelina remained calm.
She had seen it.
Clayta, walking right beside her, had subtly tripped her.
Clayta looked down at Azelina with a concerned expression, then, unable to fully hide a smile, covered her mouth and smirked meaningfully.
The other ladies seemed genuinely concerned.
Even though Azelina had appeared slightly off at the last tea gathering, she would not remain passive after such a public humiliation—anything could happen next.
“Really, I’m fine.”
Azelina truly appeared unbothered, which relieved the noble ladies. They didn’t know why the Empress suddenly acted so calmly, but it was certainly for the better.
They smiled quietly, speaking to Azelina in turn.
“Oh my, Your Highness. Are you alright?”
“Oh… your dress is all wet now.”
Even though Azelina’s state was amusing, social appearances could not be ignored, so they restrained their laughter, though their lips kept twitching.
Seeing Clayta’s smug smile, Azelina wanted to grab her hair immediately but restrained herself for the sake of the loyal maids who were slowly learning to trust her.
Besides, no one would believe her if she claimed Clayta had tripped her.
Azelina, supported by Iana, lightly shook the rain from her dress.
“My dress… it’s completely soaked. What should I do?”
Mabel quickly retrieved the discarded umbrella and held it over Azelina, but the dress had long been drenched.
As Azelina pondered how to recover the ruined atmosphere, she noticed a gaze behind her and slowly turned her head.
“…Ah.”
