Chapter 20
After Cartian lost his memory, Freya’s life became monotonous. No, it was more than monotonous—she had to spend her days confined to her room.
Cartian had told her not to draw attention, and as a former concubine who had lost the emperor’s favor, there was nothing she could do.
Before Cartian lost his memory, she could at least look forward to his visits and spend time with him—but now, she could not.
Being stuck in her room made her long even more for the past.
Even when she didn’t want to, she kept hearing stories about the emperor and the empress.
What the emperor did, what the empress did, what happened between them.
It was truly the last thing she wanted to hear.
She never imagined his feelings could cool so suddenly.
And yet, what reward was there in becoming a concubine now? How had she even become a concubine? Why had she become one?
Freya quietly sat in a chair, staring out the window, clenching her fists tightly.
“Ma’am…”
Rina, the maid who stayed by Freya’s side, looked at her with a pained expression, seeing the melancholy in Freya.
Who could have known? That something would happen to the emperor, that he would show interest in the empress?
“He won’t care for me anymore, will he? From now on, I’ll just have to stay cooped up in this room, lonely like this, won’t I?”
Freya’s voice was sorrowful, trembling with deep grief.
She tearfully lamented her own circumstances.
“Why does ma’am have to hurt like this because of that wretched woman?”
Rina had been with Freya since she entered the imperial palace. She had witnessed Freya’s pain firsthand, and now, her heart ached for her mistress as well.
“They say His Majesty entrusted all domestic affairs to the empress?”
This clearly reflected the change in the emperor’s attitude toward the empress. It was what the empress should naturally have, yet Freya couldn’t help feeling a pang of distress.
“Surely it’s the work of that wicked woman. The wise emperor wouldn’t make such a decision on his own.”
Rina spoke softly, trying to console her.
“No, ma’am wouldn’t be so cruel.”
Freya defended the empress.
“Ma’am is just… too kind.”
This made Rina feel even worse. It was heartbreaking to see Freya confined to the back rooms because of the machinations of that wretched woman.
“I must have done something terribly wrong. That’s why they gave me then took it away. All I wanted was the emperor’s heart…”
Freya shrank further into herself, looking pitiful. Seeing this, Rina’s heart ached even more.
“If only he hadn’t given it to me in the first place… then I wouldn’t have to feel this pain. I guess going between heaven and hell means this moment.”
Freya muttered bitterly, almost instinctively. Seeing this, Rina felt she could no longer remain idle.
She didn’t know why His Majesty had been blinded by that wretched woman, but once he realized the truth, he would surely return his affection to Freya.
So, Rina resolved that, at the very least, she would step forward to expose the true nature of that wretched woman for Freya’s sake.
Even though the empress’s behavior had changed after the emperor lost his memory, Rina knew it was still just another of her schemes.
“Don’t hate the empress too much, Rina. What fault could she have? She’s just a woman who loves the emperor, after all.”
Freya muttered this softly, her voice weak.
“I need the emperor’s heart so badly… so why does the empress now claim she doesn’t need it? Is she trying to get revenge on me? No… she wouldn’t do that.”
Freya whispered.
Hearing all this, Rina’s anger toward the empress became almost unbearable.
Freya glanced at her, still pretending to stare out the window.
Then, Freya gave a small smile—but Rina did not see it.
