IWPU 31

Chapter 31

I can still vividly remember the expression on the First Empress Consort’s face back then. Her face was full of derision, as if looking at a pitiful woman.

I lifted my teacup. The cup shimmered with a greenish liquid. I brought it to my lips. The aroma of the tea filled my mouth as I took a sip. It had cooled slightly, but it was still at a perfect temperature to drink.

I slowly set the teacup down and, as if I’d just remembered something, looked at the First Empress Consort and said,

“Come to think of it, hasn’t there been no news of a child yet from the First Prince’s consort?”

The fan that had been fluttering gently in the First Empress Consort’s hand came to a stop. I gave her a seemingly innocent smile.

“We’re soon to become family, so I can’t help but worry. I heard it’s been well over ten years since your marriage. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty the Empress?”

“…Pardon? I… well…”

Sweat trickled down the Empress’s pale face. She was clearly anxious, glancing nervously at the First Empress Consort. The First Prince had one official wife and three concubines. Despite marrying at a fairly young age, he was in his mid-thirties and still had no children.

The fact that the First Prince had no children was a fatal weakness — not only for him but also for his consort. Even if he were to become emperor, having no heir to succeed him would be a serious issue.

The First Empress Consort’s hand trembled slightly as she held her fan. It was barely noticeable unless one looked closely. Her face, however, remained unchanged. Her composure, honed over years in the imperial palace, was evident. Her fan fluttered once more as she smiled at me gracefully.

“Thank you for your concern. I didn’t realize the young lady had such a generous heart.”

Her lips curved upward in a gentle arc, but her eyes were sharp and cold like ice. I smiled brightly in return.

“You flatter me, Your Grace.”

A silence, colder than ice, hung between us. The Empress, caught between us, looked as pale as a ghost.

“It’s truly strange that such a kind young lady is the subject of such scandalous rumors.”

Then and now, rumors always followed me. I had long since stopped paying attention to them. After all, they were rarely favorable and served no purpose. Especially now, without my nanny by my side, no one around me was nosy enough to report such things.

Even without hearing them, I could guess the content. As always, it would be about my birth—and recently, I’d expelled members of the Peaceon family, which probably added fuel to the fire. I waited patiently for the First Empress Consort to continue.

“They were so strange, the Empress and I couldn’t help but worry. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

“Y-yes. That’s right.”

The Empress, startled, replied hastily. She glanced at me nervously. It was obvious—she was not fit to be an empress. She had been married off young to a man older than her own father and was surrounded by concubines fiercer than her mother-in-law. Now, she even had to be wary of her future daughter-in-law—me. Back then, I had looked down on her as a lowborn woman. And it seemed little had changed.

“They were truly strange and vulgar rumors,” said the First Empress Consort, fluttering her fan as if concerned. Clearly, she was waiting for me to ask what the rumor was.

I responded exactly as she wanted.

“I’m curious. What kind of rumor?”

“They said you were embracing a man in the middle of the street. For someone soon to be Crown Princess, such vulgar rumors are quite worrying. What must others think of you?”

She must be referring to the day I met Evan. Many people had seen us. Though we hadn’t even brushed sleeves, rumors had a way of growing. But considering everything, this was rather mild.

“Oh, I thought it was something serious.”

“This isn’t something you can brush off. What if His Highness the Crown Prince or His Majesty hears of it? Don’t you agree, Your Majesty?”

“Th-that’s right. What if His Majesty becomes upset because of it? You should be more cautious, my lady.”

Unlike earlier, the Empress now spoke smoothly—like reading from a textbook. Clearly, the two of them had rehearsed this before I arrived.

The rumor uttered by the First Empress Consort had become a confirmed fact in the Empress’s mouth. Ridiculous as it was, using rumors was a powerful tool. It cost the speaker nothing but could inflict lasting damage on the target. The First Empress Consort knew how to wield rumors effectively. Back then, I had been helpless against her tactics. My reputation was in tatters, and I had no idea how to fix it.

And now was no different. One wrong word from me, and I would become a scandalous woman who hugged men in public. In the worst-case scenario, the engagement with the Crown Prince could be broken off. That’s exactly what she was aiming for by bringing me here.

‘What should I do…’

I hesitated. At this point, rumors didn’t mean much to me. Even if it meant being labeled immoral and breaking off the engagement, the idea of ending it with the Crown Prince was tempting. I briefly imagined what would happen if I followed the First Empress Consort’s plan.

Remaining in the Ellient household would be difficult. I was already a hurdle to Lant’s inheritance because of my illegitimacy. If I were branded immoral on top of that, staying in the family would benefit no one.

Returning to the Peaceon household wasn’t an option either. I had already passed the succession rights to El. Going back would only burden him.

What remained was the merchant guild—a global trade network. I would have more than enough to sustain myself.

It was a tempting option. But the smug look on the First Empress Consort’s face made me abandon that thought immediately. Just like before, I found her detestable without reason.

Yes, I wanted to break off the engagement with the Crown Prince—but I didn’t want to do it at the cost of giving her the upper hand. Especially when she would benefit from my downfall.

“Now that you mention it, didn’t Your Grace also once get caught up in a similar scandal?”

The First Empress Consort’s expression twisted for the first time. I gave her a triumphant smile.

“I believe it was… hmm…”

I tapped my chin, dragging out the words as if recalling a hazy memory. The fan in her hand trembled. The Empress, clueless about what I was saying, simply widened her eyes.

“Was the First Prince thirty-five at the time? That’s right—wasn’t that when the big scandal happened? I heard it was quite the commotion. Did His Majesty also get angry with you then?”

Just before the First Prince was born, a huge scandal had erupted around the First Empress Consort. Before entering the palace, she had been engaged to someone her family chose. But she broke it off and became a royal concubine. Not long after receiving her title, she became pregnant.

Rumors swirled—some of them malicious. The worst of them claimed that the baby wasn’t the Emperor’s, but her former fiancé’s. The scandal only quieted when the baby, the First Prince, turned out to resemble the Emperor and received implicit recognition from the black priests who protected royal bloodlines. But suspicions never fully disappeared.

The Empress naturally knew nothing of this. The First Empress Consort, having taken great offense, used her power to silence anyone who spoke of it.

That was thirty-five years ago. Few remembered, and even fewer dared to speak of it now. After all, she was second only to the Emperor in power.

I had only learned of the scandal by chance. Shortly after becoming Empress, a grand party was held. People swarmed around me like ants to sugar, eager to please. Knowing that the First Empress Consort and I were on bad terms, they tried to win my favor by badmouthing her. One of them, claiming to have heard it from his mother, told me the details.

At the time, I was euphoric about becoming Empress. I enjoyed the party, laughing and gossiping about her.

The First Empress Consort snapped her fan shut with a sharp clap. Her eyes burned red with fury as she glared at me. I blinked slowly, feigning innocence.

“Is something the matter? Surely you’re not offended by what this young lady said?”

I smiled at her sweetly.

“It’s just a baseless rumor. Not true at all, right? Or is there something about it that still weighs on your heart?”

“…You have no fear.”

Ignoring her glare, I lifted my teacup. It had gone cold. I gestured to a nearby maid, who quickly brought me a new, warm cup. I inhaled the aroma and smiled at her.

“In the future, as head of the inner palace, won’t I need this much courage? There are so many here who don’t know their place and try to climb too high.”

A twitch ran across her brow. Veins bulged on the back of her hand gripping the fan. She wasn’t stupid—she knew exactly what I meant.

The title of Empress is the highest a woman can reach in the empire. Yet the current Empress could barely breathe under the First Empress Consort’s shadow. I mocked that imbalance and made it clear that once I became Empress, I would not let her off so easily. It was a direct provocation.

Whether I liked it or not, I was now in the same boat as the Crown Prince. My ties with the First Empress Consort were effectively severed.