Chapter 24
Azelina looked at Ferris with an exasperated expression.
“I finally managed to get out. I can’t go back already.”
“I’ve already repaid you for the gift you gave me before. Now, as His Majesty’s subject, it’s my duty to escort Your Highness safely back to the Imperial Palace.”
Ferris smiled awkwardly. Even while smiling so kindly, he still said everything he needed to say—something about that made him especially irritating.
Azelina stubbornly shook her head. She truly hadn’t come out easily, and she didn’t want to return to the palace so quickly.
“Now that we’re outside the palace, you’re no longer the head of the security department, nor are you the Marquis. And I’m not any kind of ‘Your Highness’ either. So could you please stop saying things like that? If we go back this quickly, it’s just unfair.”
Ferris hesitated after hearing her words, then let out a sigh. It seemed he had accepted that returning early was no longer an option.
“Then… just one more round around the area, and after that we’ll return to the palace.”
“And who was the one that suggested coming out in the first place…?”
“Even so, I believe today should end around here.”
Azelina looked at Ferris with half-lidded eyes, then shook her head.
Since Ferris had taken a step back, she figured she should do the same.
“Anyway, I really enjoyed today. This feels far too valuable to be just a return gift for the handkerchief I gave you last time. And well… you’ve been friendly with me all this time, too…”
She scratched her cheek, then grinned mischievously as she casually joked with him.
“Clothes? Food? Or how about a wife instead? I think I could introduce you to a very nice young lady.”
She had only meant it as a joke, but Ferris seemed to take her words seriously.
The way he panicked and waved his hands in alarm was more than enough to make Azelina laugh.
“I-I appreciate Your Highness’s words, but… um… a wife is quite unnecessary.”
She probably should have clarified that it was just a joke, but his reaction was too amusing. Azelina pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Meanwhile, at the Imperial Palace.
As usual, the maids gathered in a corner were busy chatting amongst themselves.
“Have you heard that rumor?”
Another pointless piece of gossip, no doubt.
Passing down the end of the corridor, Rashid unconsciously slowed his steps and tilted his ear.
“They say the Marquis of Versia and Her Majesty the Empress Consort might not have an ordinary relationship!”
One maid spoke up.
The problem was that she was so excited that her voice was far too loud—loud enough for Rashid to hear every word clearly.
“Shouldn’t you be careful saying things like that?”
Another maid, scanning the surroundings with a wary look, spoke quietly.
But the first maid quickly shook her head.
“What’s the problem? We’re just passing along rumors.”
She replied curtly, then continued as if it were nothing serious.
“I’ve thought their relationship seemed suspicious for a while. The Marquis has been visiting the Selina Palace frequently, and last time, didn’t Her Majesty personally gift him a hand-embroidered handkerchief?”
The maid who had warned her looked at her in disbelief, as if amazed that she could say such things so casually inside the palace. Still, she didn’t stop her—she seemed curious herself.
The other maids nearby began chiming in one by one.
“It’s not completely unbelievable. After all, Their Majesties are only husband and wife in name.”
“And it’s pretty common for people of high status to have affairs without caring about relationships, rank, or age.”
“Later on, His Majesty will take not just an Empress but plenty of concubines too. There’s no reason the Empress Consort couldn’t do the same.”
Rashid listened silently as the maids giggled among themselves. His lips parted slightly. A strange, unidentifiable emotion seemed to flare up from deep within him.
But Rashid had no intention of examining that feeling. It had only appeared for a fleeting moment, and he neither needed nor wanted to understand it.
“…”
He recalled Ellen’s report from earlier—that Azelina had gone to the Founding Festival with Ferris.
At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it. If anything, he’d felt mildly displeased or perplexed. Perhaps because she had gone with Ferris rather than one of her maids.
But now, after hearing the maids’ gossip, Ellen’s words kept resurfacing in his mind.
He also remembered how Azelina had once personally gifted Ferris a hand-embroidered handkerchief.
Rashid thought carefully about why the fact that Azelina had gone to the festival with Ferris irritated him so much.
Yes. An Empress Consort who was nothing special, who did nothing right, yet still managed to stir up these kinds of rumors—it was deeply unpleasant.
“…How dare she let such talk arise within the Emperor’s palace?”
In any case, everyone involved was irritating.
After parting ways with Ferris in front of the palace gates, Azelina hurried inside.
It was obvious that Iana and the other maids would be worried, given how late it was.
Creak—
She was certain the maids wouldn’t know she’d arrived yet, but suddenly the door opened as if welcoming her.
Startled, Azelina instinctively stepped back.
She had expected to see the maids gathered together, worrying about her.
But the person standing before her was—
“…I’ve been waiting here for you for three hours.”
It was Rashid.
Frozen in shock, Azelina awkwardly turned her head away, pretending she hadn’t seen him.
…Let’s just go back. Pretend nothing happened and leave.
As she turned to walk away, Rashid tapped the nearby table twice.
If she ignored him and left, it looked like he would truly follow her.
With no choice, Azelina turned back and asked curtly,
“…What are you staring at?”
She had indeed snuck out of the palace, so she had nothing to say in her defense.
But that didn’t mean she wanted to make excuses or beg for forgiveness either.
“Where did you go at this hour?”
Rashid asked sharply as soon as she stepped into the room, rising to his feet as if he’d been waiting for that moment.
“Even if you were going to the Founding Festival, shouldn’t you have gone with other noble ladies—or at least your maids?”
“…?”
Azelina had assumed Rashid was angry simply because she’d left the palace on her own and returned late at night.
His words weren’t what she’d expected, but she listened quietly.
“The Marquis of Versia is someone responsible for managing the entire palace. Yet he’s disobeying orders just because of you.”
“Then what exactly are you trying to say?”
Frustration got the better of her, and she snapped.
She didn’t know why Rashid had waited three hours in her bedroom, but it certainly didn’t seem like he’d been waiting to say anything kind.
“Of all people, you went out with the Marquis—and that petty behavior of yours has caused severe damage to my reputation. Do you know what kind of rumors are spreading right now?”
Azelina honestly shook her head.
Rashid let out a hollow laugh and continued.
“They say you and the Marquis of Versia aren’t merely acquaintances—but share a very special relationship.”
“…You actually believe that?”
Azelina asked in disbelief, her eyes widening.
Ferris was kind and considerate, yes—but she’d never thought of him as anything more than that.
“I don’t need to believe it. Others will. They’ll whisper about what a pathetic emperor I am—having my one and only partner stolen by my own subordinate.”
“What am I supposed to do about people talking nonsense on their own?”
Her irritation slipped into her voice.
Rashid hesitated belatedly at her words.
It was true—he disliked Azelina for causing these rumors.
But…
Had he wanted petty revenge? By ruining the end of her day.
After wavering for a moment, Rashid sighed as if giving up.
Without offering a proper reply, he brushed past her, then shot her a sideways glance.
“…I thought you’d been unusually quiet lately.”
It was a look reserved for someone utterly insignificant and contemptible.
The words passed in an instant. Azelina stood there blankly, then turned her head too late to see Rashid leaving the room.
“When have you ever cared about me?”
She pouted.
Meanwhile, Ellen, who had silently witnessed the entire exchange, was utterly bewildered.
The Rashid Ellen had seen earlier looked fierce enough that it seemed the night would be anything but peaceful.
Yet contrary to expectations, Rashid left the room with surprisingly few words. It felt off.
Of course, Rashid had always acted in ways that were difficult to understand at times.
But lately…
It had reached the point where Ellen couldn’t even tell who the mad one was anymore.
Staring into empty space, Ellen let out a small sigh and followed after Rashid.
