IWPU 30

Chapter 30

For more than four years, he had been endlessly kind and warm toward me. Even after preparing so much for me, why had he looked so affectionate and apologetic?

My grandfather’s love for me hadn’t changed at all over the years. Regardless of how Anasha and Evan felt, they must have acted in accordance with his wishes back then—for my sake. I was the one who rejected them.

After my grandfather passed away, Anasha had come several times to see me, just like she used to follow the Marchioness. But I sent her away without even seeing her face. Maybe she couldn’t tell me the truth back then simply because she couldn’t meet me. Of course, it was also possible she had deliberately chosen not to say anything. After all, I was the one who gave her the excuse to claim the inheritance.

But at this point, the true reason behind her actions didn’t matter. There was no way to find out now. What mattered were the things my grandfather had left behind for me.

The ring engraved with his seal felt heavy. On my finger, it felt more like shackles. I knew very well that all of it stemmed from his love for me. His love was warm, vast, and endlessly deep. The more I felt it, the more grateful and comforted I was—but also the heavier my heart became. It pained me that I could never return such love.

“Apologies for the delay, Lady Eliante.”

The voice that brought me out of my thoughts belonged to a servant I’d never seen before. Usually, the person who came to meet me was a servant from the Crown Prince’s palace. The Crown Prince always sent the same servant.

I frowned at the unfamiliar face.

“I haven’t seen you before.”

“This is our first meeting, Lady Eliante. I’m Zeke, a servant from the Hibert Palace.”

“What business does a servant of the Empress’s palace have with me?”

“The Crown Prince is currently away. Her Majesty, concerned you might have come in vain, has sent me in his stead.”

He bowed politely.

Internally, I cursed the Crown Prince. If he was going somewhere, he should’ve at least let me know. I already didn’t want to come, and I had barely forced myself to make the trip—only to be met with this. I clenched my fists, trying not to vent my anger on the servant.

“It seems I came here for nothing.”

“Please wait, Lady!”

As I turned to leave, the servant called out urgently. Without turning my body, I glanced back at him over my shoulder. He was sweating nervously.

“Her Majesty the Empress is waiting for you.”

“The Empress? Waiting for me?”

“Yes, Your Ladyship.”

I couldn’t stop my brows from furrowing. There was no reason for the Empress to summon me. Moreover, if the servant’s words were true, the Crown Prince wasn’t even in the palace. What reason could the Empress possibly have to call me in his absence?

“Lady Eliante?”

The servant called out again, visibly restless. His uniform clearly showed he was from the Empress’s palace.

If he was truly sent by the Empress, refusing would be inappropriate. Even if she was nothing more than a puppet Empress, officially, she was still the highest-ranking woman in the Empire. I was merely the daughter of a marquis.

“Lead the way.”

The servant sighed in relief and walked ahead.

As I followed him, I recalled the Empress in my mind. The one I remembered was weak and constantly timid.

When both the Crown Prince’s and First Prince’s factions were at odds, the Empress’s position had remained vacant. She, from a humble baron’s family, had been chosen to fill the seat. She didn’t have the power or influence to drive out the well-established concubines. Though she held the title of Empress, in truth, she wasn’t one in the proper sense.

“Your Majesty, Lady Eliante has arrived.”

“Let her in.”

With that reply, the door opened. I stepped inside the Empress’s reception room, where both the Empress and the First Consort were seated side by side. I bowed to the Empress.

“Beyondra Rossa Eliante pays her respects to the Moon of the Empire.”

“Welcome, Lady Eliante.”

Straightening my posture, I turned to the First Consort. She was watching me behind a fan adorned with peacock feathers.

“Beyondra Rossa Eliante greets Your Highness, the First Consort.”

“Welcome, Lady.”

She received my greeting with a flutter of her fan. Despite having a son over thirty, she still looked impossibly young. Once hailed as the Empire’s greatest beauty, she had maintained her dazzling appearance even with age.

“Please, have a seat, Lady.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

I sat down where the Empress had indicated—directly across from the First Consort, who smiled at me. Faint wrinkles formed at the corners of her eyes.

“When Her Majesty said she was summoning you, I begged to join. I hope you don’t mind?”

“Of course not, Your Highness.”

I smiled at her. Her presence here spoke volumes. It wasn’t the Empress who had summoned me. The one who had used the Empress’s name to bring me here was the First Consort—smiling with her lips but watching me with cold eyes.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

She fluttered her fan again, releasing a strong musk into the air. I smiled even more brightly to keep from grimacing.

“It’s tea from Dentrek.”

The Empress had a maid place a cup of tea before me. Amid the thick musk, the subtle aroma of tea tickled my nose. I thanked the Empress and raised the cup, inhaling the scent deeply.

“The aroma is lovely, Your Majesty.”

“Is that so? I’m glad you like it.”

The Empress smiled at me, though her expression was awkward and stiff. She kept stealing glances at the First Consort. Clearly, she was overly conscious of her.

With her appearance and aura, the Empress came across as extremely weak. Sitting beside each other, the First Consort looked more like an Empress. Even when I was the Crown Princess, the Empress had never raised her voice in front of me.

“Your Majesty, may I ask why you summoned me?”

The Empress, wearing that same awkward smile, glanced at the First Consort. As I suspected, it was the First Consort who had arranged this meeting.

“There’s no particular reason. Her Majesty often feels lonely, with no peers around the palace. It would be nice if you visited her more often. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

I barely held back a scoff. To say there were no peers in the palace was an obvious lie. The palace was filled with concubines and princesses. There was no way the Empress had no one her age. Moreover, the First Consort’s tone clearly looked down on the Empress. Anyone observing this scene wouldn’t mistake their roles—the First Consort acted more like a Dowager Empress than a mere consort.

“I apologize for not visiting sooner, Your Majesty.”

“No, no, Lady.”

The Empress looked flustered at my sincere tone. She gave a nervous smile and spoke again.

“I heard news about Count Peaceon.”

“I am grateful for your concern.”

“Apparently, there was quite a stir about it?”

The First Consort suddenly cut into our conversation. Her red lips peeked from behind her fan.

“I heard rumors that you disowned your own blood relatives.”

She hadn’t changed at all. Even then, she would smile sweetly while driving a knife into my heart. Back then, I lacked patience and had poor judgment, and I repeatedly fell for her schemes. She was a woman like a snake—beautiful on the outside, poisonous within.

The First Consort, the eldest daughter of a count, had volunteered to become the Emperor’s concubine. After giving birth to the First Prince, she not only secured her title but also elevated her family—the Moiten Count’s house—to a marquisate.

Before the Crown Prince was born, the First Prince had been treated as the likely heir. The First Consort enjoyed near-equal power to the Empress. But their dominion collapsed the moment the Crown Prince was born. To the First Consort and First Prince, the Crown Prince must have been a bitter thorn in their side. Naturally, in her eyes, I was as much of a threat as he was.

“Your Highness seems very interested in my family matters.”

“Isn’t it only natural? We might become one family, after all.”

Though I had no desire to marry the Crown Prince, barring some major event, I was his betrothed and would become a member of the imperial family. That “major event” would have to be something as drastic as either of us dying, or my family being annihilated in a rebellion.

In other words, nothing short of a national crisis could prevent this marriage. Yet the First Consort said, we might become one family, implying that it might not happen.

Of course, I didn’t want to marry the Crown Prince. If I could, I’d break off the engagement. But doing so would come at great cost to both my family and the imperial family. There’s no way the Emperor or Crown Prince would bear such losses. The First Consort knew this better than anyone.

Her words carried multiple meanings—including a veiled warning that she intended to stop me from becoming Crown Princess.

A silent battle began between us. The Empress looked pale, unsure of what to do. I shifted my focus from her to the First Consort.

“I see. Since we’ll be family soon, it’s only natural to show interest.”

Regardless of my desire to marry the Crown Prince, I didn’t want to be overshadowed by the First Consort. I had always disliked her. She had kept an eye on my background but dismissed me as a person. When I first entered the palace as Crown Princess, we clashed often. Looking back now, I think she was testing me.

At that time, I was vain and self-centered. I did nothing but chase after the Crown Prince. Seeing me that way, she must have decided I wasn’t a threat—and began to completely disregard me.