IVHMH 08

Chapter 8

“Want to come with me?”

“Can I really go with you?”

At the invitation, Retisa jumped with joy.

The tears that had been lingering in her eyes had evaporated without a trace.

Meeting the Empress even once would bring her far more joy than any small gift I could give her.

She probably wanted to make a good impression on the Empress and be introduced to a good marriage prospect.

“I’ll head down first, so get ready and come out.”

“Okay, I’ll be down in a minute.”

Unaware of how difficult today would be, Retisa ran to her room, filled with excitement.

When she came downstairs after getting ready, she wore her most cherished dress. The shoes barely peeking out from beneath the hem almost made one scoff.

When the carriage was about halfway to the palace, I took out a box I had prepared. Inside was the gift Retisa had given me for my last birthday.

A bracelet she claimed was bought from ‘Rene & Rona,’ the most luxurious boutique in the capital.

She’d made a big deal about how hard it was to get this limited edition item.

“Why did you bring that bracelet?”

Retisa asked curiously as I opened the box.

“I mentioned to Her Majesty that I received this bracelet from you, and she asked to see it. Apparently, she wanted one too but couldn’t get it because it was a limited edition.”

“R-Really?”

She averted her eyes, fussing with the perfectly smooth hem of her dress.

Her eyes trembled with unease.

“If Her Majesty likes it, I’m thinking of giving it to her. Would that be okay?”

“What? You’re going to give it to her?”

“Yeah. It’s a good opportunity for you to earn points with Her Majesty, right?”

“…I guess so.”

She reluctantly agreed, but her face looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.

Since receiving the bracelet from Retisa, I had never once mentioned it.

Even up to the moment I died, I had kept it safely stored in my vault with other jewels.

Even though I knew she had given me a fake.

“Her Majesty will be delighted.”

Tap tap tap tap!

Uneven noises rang out on the floor of the carriage.

It was the sound of Retisa tapping her shoes rapidly in panic.

“Wow, that little angel statue at the fountain is so pretty.”

I leaned against the window and made a comment, setting the box with the bracelet beside my seat.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Retisa reaching for the box.

“Oh no! I just remembered—I have an appointment today!”

She shouted dramatically, and I slowly turned to face her. The box was now hidden under her dress.

“Her Majesty is waiting, so I can’t turn back. When’s the appointment? Where are you supposed to meet?”

“A-Around here! Seeing that fountain reminded me.”

“That’s lucky. When you’re done, have them take you home, then?”

“I’ll do that. Don’t worry about me.”

Even if she hadn’t said so, I had no intention of worrying.

After letting Retisa off, the carriage continued smoothly toward the palace.

Once the carriage disappeared from view, Retisa cursed under her breath.

The paper box she had hidden under her dress was crushed beyond recognition.

Sitting by the fountain, she opened the box and pulled out the bracelet.

“Even if it’s fake, I worked hard to get it!”

Grinding her teeth, Retisa grabbed the bracelet with both hands and tore at it. The connecting links of the decoration snapped off one by one.

It had been a gift she gave just to get more out of Elisia. She never imagined it would come back to bite her like this.

“So damn annoying!”

She hurled the broken bracelet into the fountain.

The scattered glass beads glittered prettily underwater.

Though they sparkled in the sunlight, they didn’t have the deep luster of real gems. A fake could only ever shine so much.

After venting for a while, anxiety about reality set in.

“I even wore new shoes to meet Her Majesty, and now what?”

The distance to the Marais Duchy was a good three to four hours on foot, and she didn’t have a single coin on her.

She had never brought money when going out with Elisia.

The thought of walking all the way home in brand-new shoes made her vision go dark.

The Empress’s lady-in-waiting, Countess Kiret, was already outside waiting by the carriage.

No one else ever received such honors when visiting the Empress.

“How are you, Countess Kiret?”

“Welcome, Lady Marais.”

“You don’t have to come out to greet me every time.”

“This is by Her Majesty’s command, but it’s also my pleasure. Once we’re in the Empress’s palace, I don’t get a chance to speak with you.”

She winked playfully and smiled.

Because the Empress favored me, even the palace attendants treated me warmly.

As I entered the garden where roses were in full bloom, the Empress greeted me with a loving look.

She believed that Calix and I were close like real siblings. That was thanks to Eda’s dedicated efforts.

Whenever she had the chance, Eda went around bragging about how much she loved me and how close Calix and I were.

“You must be sad about Calix’s sudden departure.”

“Sorrow fades with time, doesn’t it?”

“I admire how composed you are despite your grief.”

I didn’t bother correcting the Empress’s misunderstanding.

I was dealing with sorrow in my own composed way—just not the kind she thought.

As we chatted about everyday things, a thought occurred to me.

Since she was once friends with my mother, maybe she also knew about Retisa’s mother.

“May I ask you something?”

“You may ask anything you’re curious about.”

“Do you know anything about Retisa’s mother?”

“That name doesn’t ring a bell. What family is she from?”

“She’s the daughter of Baron Beck.”

“Ah!”

At the mention of ‘Beck,’ the Empress’s expression soured.

“Are you still living with that girl?”

“Yes.”

“How is she treating you?”

“She’s doing well.”

The Empress shook her head at my reply.

“That’s not what I meant. I asked if she’s treating you well.”

“…”

Before my regression, I could have easily answered that question.

Right up until the moment I died, I had no idea who Retisa really was.

“Your silence says enough.”

The Empress was perceptive.

Her tone suggested she knew something I didn’t, which piqued my curiosity even more.

“What kind of person is her mother?”

“Hmm… maybe ‘two-faced’… or perhaps ‘wicked’ is the better word.”

“What? Wicked?”

“Yes. Arena was kindhearted and brought in Forta’s daughter, but I was against it.”

“May I ask why?”

The Empress was a generous person.

With her personality, it was odd that she’d oppose something like that.

“Forta was not a good woman. I thought, what good could come from taking in a child raised by someone like that?”

Her words felt like a rebuke of my past naivety. My eyes stung with tears that threatened to fall.

I bit my lip hard to suppress the emotions rising to my throat.

‘If only Mother had listened to the Empress’s advice… would my life have turned out differently?’

But there was no changing the past. All such thoughts were pointless.

“Did my father ever have a relationship with Retisa’s mother?”

“Oh my, that’s quite the misunderstanding.”

The Empress laughed out loud as if she’d just heard something hilarious.

Her clear, high laughter was pleasant to hear.

Still, I glanced around just in case. Fortunately, the Empress and I were alone in the garden.

Even if her maids at the entrance overheard, they were discreet.

“Your father only ever had eyes for Arena. There were plenty of women heartbroken over Duke Marais, but he never once looked at another.”

“I see.”

“Forta was just one of those women. Your father was handsome and charming, but seeing a friend covet another friend’s man was distasteful.”

“Retisa’s mother must have really liked my father, then?”

“Liked him? She was desperate to steal him away. When that didn’t work, she married someone else’s fiancé. Some women are just born to take what’s not theirs.”

Sigh…

Driven by unfounded resentment, she had pushed me to death. Retisa would surely pay for that.

I would never forgive her.

The Emperor sat across from Tirzent, feeling frustrated at his unreadable expression.

He’d been subtly pressuring Tirzent toward marriage, but there had been no reaction.

“What do you think of Lady Marais or Lady Shiton, Duke?”

“I’m not interested in either.”

“Still, marriage is something you must consider, no?”

“For producing an heir, you mean?”

With just the slightest change in tone, the Emperor realized Tirzent was displeased.

Even if it reduced love to a biological obligation, that was the reality.

A lack of an heir in the royal family was a major weakness in maintaining imperial power.

Fortunately, Emperor Tavio had already chosen Tirzent as the successor early on.

“If there’s no other suitable heir, marriage is necessary, don’t you agree?”

“I haven’t even been officially appointed yet.”

“It doesn’t hurt to plan ahead. How about meeting with Lady Shiton at least?”

Pushing Elisia as the crown princess would only upset the Empress, so this was the safest option.

But seeing Tirzent scoff as if mocking him made him wonder if it was such a good idea after all.

“Why? You don’t like her?”

“From what I know, the Empress favors Lady Marais. Seems you have a different opinion, Your Majesty.”

“Royal marriages are based on family ties. Either the Shiton or Marais family would do.”

Sweat trickled down Emperor Tavio’s spine. He was worried Tirzent might see through the Empress’s true intentions.

Even he couldn’t deny that Tirzent wouldn’t make a good husband.

He couldn’t let Tirzent find out that he was secretly supporting Delina over Elisia.

“There won’t be a marriage with Lady Shiton.”

“At least meet her a few times—”

“It would be a waste of time.”

Tirzent stood, deciding the conversation wasn’t worth continuing.

The Emperor opened his mouth to stop him, but the screech of the chair drowned him out.

As Tirzent stepped outside, a sudden gust of wind blew.

Brushing back his windblown hair, a soft mint-green ribbon fluttered into his view.