PWE 10

Chapter 10

But unlike Ameda, Tender’s expression grew seriously dark.

“I’m sorry. Because I couldn’t protect you, things have come to this point….”

“There’s no need to apologize. Please don’t say things like that. I’m satisfied with this life, you know? And even if I’m a weak and sickly empress, wrong is wrong. Look at what happened this time. It was the imperial concubine who touched my maid, which is why I made such a scene.”

“This is nothing more than gossip that will be forgotten in a few days.”

“Even if it’s gossip, they’ve learned not to treat me carelessly. I’m a fragile empress who gets startled and even suffers breathing difficulties if someone raises their voice near me. They won’t be able to visit me for a few days at least.”

“……”

“Hey~ Gael, don’t worry too much. If you ever get beaten somewhere, I’ll become the world’s most vicious empress and deal with them myself.”

“How could a sickly empress even do that?”

“Gael, is today some special day? Why are you talking back to everything I say?”

Gael let out a long sigh at his “like the heavens themselves” sister. While he sighed, Tender’s expression stiffened, but no one noticed.

“Well then, I should take my leave.”

“Father, you’re leaving already? Stay a bit longer.”

“Right now you are supposedly bedridden. As family, we should leave quickly so you can rest.”

“……”

“Ameda, please. I was truly shocked yesterday.”

“……”

“Be more careful next time.”

“Yes, I will remember. I’m sorry, Father.”

The two men of the Raymond family left the Moonlight Palace. Healthy Ameda, after dramatically portraying cold sweat with water provided by Shan, saw them off while being supported.

“You don’t need to come out.”

“No, Father is leaving. As his daughter, I can’t just lie in bed and send him off.”

“The wind is cold, Your Highness.”

“That’s right, Empress. Please go inside.”

“No, I don’t know when I’ll see him again.”

The family really worked in perfect harmony. Shan admired them as she supported Ameda. Soon, tears welled up in Ameda’s eyes.

Tender hugged her tightly and got on the carriage. As Ameda waved from the window, Tender called her in a low voice.

“Ameda.”

“Yes, Father.”

“You haven’t forgotten the promise we made back then, have you?”

Originally, Tender had opposed Ameda’s marriage to the Emperor.

But Ameda insisted there was no better position for a life of leisure, and with the intervention of Grand Emperor Charles, the marriage was eventually approved. On the wedding day, Ameda and Tender made a promise.

“Of course. You told me very clearly, Father.”

“I’m glad you remember.”

“……”

“Always remember this. Your family is always by your side.”

“Thank you, Father.”

When Fairfax struck the carriage twice with his cane, it departed. Watching it leave, Ameda suddenly burst into tears and collapsed to the ground.

“Ahh, Father… Father….”

“Ma, Madam! Please get up!”

“What a mess this is. What an embarrassment… worrying Father like this….”

“That’s not true, my lady. How is being sick an embarrassment?”

The maids inside the palace watched Ameda crying loudly, while Shan echoed her, all of them overwhelmed. Gael looked at them with a cold expression.

Women are truly terrifying beings. How could they act so convincingly without hesitation? He had heard it was acting, but not to this extent…

As Gael was about to get into his carriage, Ameda grabbed his sleeve from behind and whispered:

“Stay here for a moment.”

“First, make sure the school building itself is solid. That’s the most important thing. Replace desks and chairs with cheaper ones. Use the saved money to hire skilled teachers.”

“Yes, I’ll report that.”

“Make sure to properly survey the students and decide the school size. Don’t waste funds by building it too large.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Watching Gael and Ameda working with seriousness over documents, Shan felt deeply moved.

It felt like just yesterday they were children babbling in front of her, fighting over who would eat more chocolate. Yet now one was the empress of this country, and the other a proper baron managing state affairs.

“Good work as always. And this must absolutely….”

“Do not let it reach the Emperor’s ears, nor the nobles’ ears. This is all our family’s project, so it must be handled entirely by us. …Right?”

“As expected, my brother.”

Knock knock.

“Your Majesty, we have brought roasted garlic as a snack.”

“W-wait!!”

Shan blocked the door in panic. Ameda, Shan, and Gael were all shocked.

Ameda mouthed urgently:

“You said you sent everyone away!”

“I really did, my lady! I have no idea why they’re here!”

“Oh no, oh no, oh no! My beautiful delicate empress image!!”

“More importantly, sister, what if that maid heard everything!”

“Deal with that later, just fix this!”

Ameda shoved all documents off the table and jumped into bed, then used a spray bottle to create artificial cold sweat.

While she was doing that, Gael snatched the spray bottle, pressed her down, and splashed water onto her face as if washing her.

When her face was soaked, Gael grabbed her hand with a devastated expression.

“Open it. Open the door.”

Ameda mouthed again. Shan opened it.

A maid stood there holding roasted garlic—and saw the “frail empress on the verge of death” instead of the energetic one who had been working.

“What is this! I told you not to enter!”

Shan scolded sharply.

“W-we’re sorry! We were worried because the Empress had been talking for so long, and they say roasted garlic is good for health….”

“You serve the Empress. If she needed you, she would call you. Are you saying I am not trustworthy enough to guard her?”

“N-no, that’s not it!”

“Do not do this again. This time you overstepped.”

“Y-yes, I’m sorry…”

“Stop it, nanny…”

Ameda spoke in a fragile voice.

Supported by Gael, she slowly sat up. The maid looked at her pale face.

“Goodness… she’s drenched in sweat… and I didn’t realize…!”

“I’m the one who should apologize. I was too happy to see my brother after so long…”

“I-it’s alright, Your Majesty! It was our fault for acting without thinking.”

“I’m ashamed. I was not in good condition and complained to my brother… did you hear everything?”

Ameda cast a baited question.

The maid panicked internally.

“I-I heard nothing at all!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! I only came to deliver this and meant nothing else!”

“……”

“Please recover soon, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The maid quickly left. Shan followed right after.

After they left, both Ameda and Gael sighed deeply.

“I didn’t know my sister could speak so pitifully.”

“I didn’t know a religiously devout brother could pray so pitifully either.”

“Do you always live like this?”

“Of course.”

Gael sighed again.

The sister who used to tour Raymond territory five times a day and help farmers without hesitation… now pretending to be a fragile empress felt surreal.

“Do you really have to go that far?”

“Hm?”

“Acting like a weak empress.”

“It can’t be helped.”

“I don’t feel anything toward the Emperor. I don’t know what he feels toward me either, but I don’t feel anger or hatred. I feel nothing.”

“But I need him. As long as he exists, I can be empress. And as long as I’m empress, I can live comfortably.”

“But the Emperor can discard me the moment I become useless. Even if he doesn’t, the noble factions will.”

“That’s why I don’t want that.”

“If I become a discarded empress, I can live freely. But it doesn’t end there. My family, Father, Mother who passed away, and you—everyone will be affected.”

“But I don’t intend to fully oppose the nobles either. Why would I fight them when I could just live quietly?”

“That’s why I act this way. If I seem harmless and weak, no one will find me worth targeting.”

“The Emperor is currently suppressing the concubine faction. So we must bow even lower. Make them think I am not worth dealing with.”

“You can do that, right?”

Ameda patted Gael’s shoulder.

Gael’s expression darkened, but Ameda didn’t notice.

“Be careful, sister,” Gael said with effort.

“Of what?”

“The royal power… the so-called imperial ability.”

“…Gael, you don’t actually believe that, do you?”

Ameda narrowed her eyes.

Gael raised his voice in frustration.

“Why not? There must be a reason those rumors exist!”

“The ability hasn’t even been proven to exist.”

“If rumors spread, does it just appear out of nowhere? There must be a cause!”

Ameda looked at him.

The “royal power” was a legend passed down in the Imme Empire—that the imperial bloodline possessed special abilities.

Some said it helped the Emperor rule well, but if such power existed, why had it never been proven?

Gael muttered, offended by her look.

“Don’t ever talk about it like that in public. You might get arrested for insulting the royal family.”

“I am royal. I’m the empress.”

“……”

Gael fell silent.

Ameda wiped her sweat-drenched face with a blanket, thinking.

Probably just another useless myth. If it were real, it would already be known.

Deception and rumor—same as always, even centuries ago.