Did You Know All Along?
“Good grief.”
As I strolled through the rear garden, I shook my head.
No wonder things felt off.
Come to think of it, I should’ve started getting suspicious when the reports were oddly detailed.
“Just how many people did she recruit?”
Royal chefs, designers, guards…
Throughout the entire palace.
Literally, the entire imperial palace was crawling with Helena’s people.
Helena wasn’t just impressive—she was terrifying.
This wasn’t some espionage thriller.
Isn’t this on too grand a scale?!
Groaning inwardly, I turned to Countess Chloe.
“How many are left now?”
“As of the latest count, there are still 318 confirmed individuals.”
“…What?”
I’d spent all of yesterday meeting people, and there were still that many left?
“You’re saying all those people have been helping me?”
I found myself impressed once again by Helena’s extensive recruitment network.
“I assumed there were a few aides helping out, but I never imagined it would be this many,” Countess Chloe admitted, visibly startled herself.
Well, no wonder.
I’d already met nearly a hundred people yesterday, and there were still far more remaining.
Worse, the more I met, the longer the list seemed to grow.
At this rate, I’d probably meet everyone in the palace—except the emperor himself.
How many people did she actually mobilize just to stalk the emperor?
No. Never mind the obsessive empress. What kind of people even go along with that?
This is too much. I definitely overdid it.
The overthinking was making my head throb, so I stepped out with the maids to take a walk in the rear garden.
“What a lovely day for a walk, Your Majesty.”
“The weather’s so nice, even the garden looks more beautiful today.”
Just as the maids said, the garden was truly breathtaking.
Flowers competing in full bloom.
Wisterias draped in elegant violet.
A gentle stream trickling along the path beneath them.
The wide open landscape did help clear my head a little.
It was while I was walking through the garden with the maids—
“Your Majesty the Empress?”
At the sound of a voice calling me, I instinctively turned my head.
A woman was hurrying toward me.
She was stunning—breathtakingly so.
Even though the sun had nearly set and the area was already dim, her presence alone seemed to brighten the space.
Lustrous pink hair. Shimmering emerald eyes.
Delicate features arranged on a small face.
Every little gesture, every flicker of expression drew the eye.
No one had to tell me who she was—I already knew.
“…The Crown Princess.”
The female lead of this novel’s world, Faye.
“Your Majesty the Empress, so this is where you were,” she said with a soft smile, bowing politely.
“Lady Faye. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
I offered a light greeting in return.
I knew we’d meet eventually—but not so suddenly like this.
Inwardly, I took a deep breath.
Time to play this right.
In the original story, Faye was bright and pure.
But burdened by the imperial rules and Helena’s constant harassment, she ended up terribly withdrawn.
That’s why Jerome eventually grew cold to her—and why she ended up executed.
But.
That can’t happen again.
My dream is to live long and peacefully. Quiet and steady!
So I couldn’t afford to worsen our relationship.
Don’t worry, heroine. I have no intention of tormenting you like in the original.
After all, I didn’t love the emperor anymore, so why would I go out of my way to bother her?
I put on my warmest smile.
To greet the obviously timid and anxious heroine—
“Your Majesty! It feels like it’s been forever since we last met!”
“…?”
—But she beat me to it?
Surprisingly, Faye was the one who spoke first.
And with such a bright, cheerful face at that.
In the novel, wasn’t she supposed to be timid and withdrawn?
She was described as the type to flinch and tear up just from catching the Empress’s eye.
“I heard you were quite ill recently. Are you feeling better now?”
“……”
What the—?
Which part of her is supposed to be shy and anxious?
With that sunny smile, you’d think this was before Helena ever acted up.
But no—it’s well past that point in the timeline.
“Your Majesty?”
She called again when I didn’t answer, her tone concerned.
“Are you still feeling unwell?”
She clasped her hands together with a worried look.
“No, no. I’m fine.”
I quickly shook my head.
“I’ve recovered fully. Thank you for your concern.”
“I’m so glad to hear that,” she said with a bright smile.
“Were you out for a walk, too, Your Majesty? I was strolling with His Majesty just a while ago. I guess we’re really in sync!”
She clapped her hands in delight.
His Majesty?
You mean that maniacal, dual-faced emperor?
Suddenly, I didn’t feel like walking anymore.
“Yes, he was with me just now, but the knights came with an urgent report, so he had to step away.”
Ah. So he’s not here right now.
“That’s unfortunate.”
At my words, Faye’s face fell slightly.
“I know, right? I even wore my favorite dress for this walk.”
“Dress?”
Flinch.
The word dress made my conscience sting.
Oblivious to my discomfort, she proudly lifted her skirts and twirled.
“Isn’t it pretty?”
“It is.”
It wasn’t even a lie.
The yellow dress fluttering gently in the breeze suited her perfectly.
My compliment made her smile even wider.
“Actually, His Majesty gave it to me as a gift.”
“I see.”
A gift, huh?
Just like in the novel, Jerome seemed endlessly kind and generous to her.
Not that I was expecting gifts or anything.
Just… please, no more weird behavior.
An amicable divorce would be nice, too.
“That must’ve made you happy.”
“It did. Very much so.”
She nodded enthusiastically.
Then, glancing around as if sharing a secret, she leaned in and whispered:
“To be honest, my previous dress was completely ruined.”
Sting, sting.
There went my conscience again.
“That’s truly unfortunate. Whoever did it must be a terrible person.”
“Yes.”
She nodded, then smiled again like sunshine.
“But it’s okay. We never found out who did it, but thanks to them, His Majesty gave me this beautiful new dress. I almost want to thank them.”
“….”
Apparently, the Crown Princess still hadn’t heard the rumor.
The one about me tearing her dress.
Recalling the incident, I muttered without thinking:
“I’m sure it was the head maid of the Crown Princess’s palace…”
“Pardon? What about my head maid?”
“Oh! Nothing.”
Maybe she kept quiet out of deference to my status as Empress.
From her position, even if she found out I was the culprit, there wouldn’t be much she could do.
“It’s nothing.”
“What is it? Something I shouldn’t know?”
“No, you’ll find out soon enough. And that dress—it really does suit you beautifully. I mean that.”
“Thank you. Hearing that from Your Majesty makes me like it even more.”
She twirled again, radiant.
That was when—
“There you are.”
A calm voice cut through the moment.
Jerome.
He approached, flanked by several royal guards, his expression grim.
His commanding presence made me tense—but of course, his attention was fixed elsewhere.
“I was worried when I couldn’t find you.”
His gaze never left Faye.
“I must’ve wandered too far,” she said with a bright smile. “But your face looks grim. Did something happen?”
“There’s been a report of an intruder in the palace.”
“An intruder?!”
Faye gasped.
“You should head back right away.”
Jerome gently pulled her hand.
That tone—so soft and caring.
He can talk like that?!
It sent chills down my spine.
He noticed me belatedly, casting a cool, blank glance.
“You were here too, Empress.”
The difference in tone stirred something rebellious in me.
Seriously? He’s this different?
Now I understood why Helena had been so furious and jealous.
Come on, male lead.
Isn’t this blatant favoritism a little much?
“Given the unrest, you should return to your chambers as well.”
Yeah. I could tell—he didn’t care one bit.
It wasn’t genuine concern, more like a polite afterthought.
He turned coldly, wrapping a protective arm around Faye as if shielding her from a villain.
Well, then.
I let out a hollow laugh.
Sure. I’ll leave.
As I turned to go, I caught sight of the stiff expressions on the maids’ faces.
They seemed just as insulted by Jerome’s dismissive attitude.
It’s okay, ladies. I’m fine.
I gave them a reassuring smile.
“Ah!”
Just then, a sharp cry rang out.
I turned to see Faye limping.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m so sorry. My heel just…”
Her left shoe heel had broken.
Jerome frowned slightly.
“We’ll have to call the one responsible for maintaining the shoes to account.”
“It’s not like they did it on purpose. Isn’t punishing them too harsh? Everyone makes mistakes.”
“But—”
“Please. If someone gets scolded because of me, I won’t be able to bear it.”
“You are truly… no, never mind. I won’t pursue it. I promise.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“It looks like you won’t be able to walk like this.”
Jerome bent as if to lift her.
Faye’s eyes widened in alarm.
“I-I’m fine! I can walk by myself.”
“No. I’m not fine with that.”
He lifted her despite her protests.
I watched them go with a calm expression.
It was a scene straight out of the novel.
On paper, it had seemed romantic.
But from Helena’s perspective, it felt… odd.
“Oh.”
And then it hit me—I’d forgotten something.
Those shoes? My maids had tampered with them.
Turning to them, I found them all looking guilty.
Not surprising.
They’d planned to trip her up, but ended up helping her instead.
“We’re sorry, Your Majesty…”
“We didn’t intend for that to happen in front of you…”
“It’s alright. Like I said, I don’t really mind.”
I smiled like it was nothing.
“Let’s go back.”
As I guided the maids away—
“By the way, I saw the Empress twirl your dress earlier. Why was that?”
“Hmm? The dress?”
—I overheard Jerome and Faye talking behind me.
“I told you, didn’t I? That the Empress shredded your previous dress.”
“Oh, but I really don’t mind. Thanks to that, I got this new one from you, Your Majesty.”
“I worry she might try to torment you again.”
“Oh, no. Her Majesty the Empress would never do that.”
…What did she just say?
I turned to stare at their retreating backs, wide-eyed.
Excuse me, heroine?
You knew I tore your dress?!
