Chapter 2
At that time, Azelina was afraid that perhaps she had been abandoned, but she told herself it was all a misunderstanding and waited—and waited—for him.
However, contrary to her expectations, the Emperor did not show his face to Azelina even after several days.
With no other option, Azelina went directly to the Emperor’s palace to meet him. She ignored the steward’s voice warning that she could not enter without permission and deliberately moved forward with a composed demeanor.
“Your Majesty, I really want to see you. Please… each day is so difficult.”
Yet, Rashid, standing far away, treated Azelina as if she didn’t exist, not even glancing at her.
Even while crying and pleading, Azelina could not fully comprehend the situation.
This had all happened without any warning or explanation. Therefore, she could not easily accept the fact that she had been abandoned by him.
The palace staff mocked her, saying that the Emperor was finally giving proper treatment to the eccentric Empress.
Still, Azelina ignored their whispers and continued waiting for the Emperor.
“This is just Rashid’s temporary change of heart,” she thought, trapped in the delusion that he would eventually come back to her, enduring each day in hope.
After a long time, Azelina finally saw the Emperor she had longed for. She asked him the question she had been desperate to ask, silently praying that he had not truly abandoned her.
Only then did Rashid look at Azelina.
“…For royalty, you behave roughly, and for a noble, you’re rather unimpressive. What can one expect?”
That day, Azelina climbed a pillar and collapsed.
She covered her mouth and cried, burying her face in her knees so no sound would escape.
It was true—she had been abandoned. The Emperor no longer cherished her.
In the vast palace, Azelina was alone.
For a long time, Azelina had believed that Rashid would never turn his back on her.
Since childhood, she had often caused trouble within the palace, and those who held positions there had never particularly liked her.
Whenever she was with Rashid near the Ferdinand Palace, where the Second Prince resided, his nanny would glare at Azelina.
“Your Highness, the Empress is extremely worried. It seems the young duchess has completely captured your heart…”
“I wasn’t taken; I gave it, understand? So don’t look at her with those eyes anymore.”
But one day, Rashid suddenly changed. He did not tell her why, he cast her aside, and ultimately ignored her.
Of course, it was not entirely fair to blame Rashid alone. Azelina had often lost her temper in the past, acting as if she were the greatest in the world.
It was two years after Azelina had been abandoned by the Emperor.
The charge against her in society was that, having become Empress but not receiving the Emperor’s love, she went mad. She grew jealous of his unusually close relationship with his half-sister, Princess Shulia the Second, and ultimately poisoned the princess.
Once suspicion arose that Azelina had killed Princess Shulia, those who had long harbored ill will toward her eagerly concocted lies.
Among them were numerous maids, including the chief maid Iana, who had been mistreated by Azelina.
A ridiculous false charge. A misunderstanding that could have been cleared up with a little investigation—but Rashid, seemingly expecting this, gave up and, as always, did not believe her.
For a while, her mind was blank.
Azelina wandered the corridors for a long time.
This was the very place where she had lived alone for two years after being abandoned by the Emperor.
The Selina Palace, once particularly cherished by the previous Empress, appeared lavish from the outside but was very quiet and unimpressive inside.
No one sent gifts or flattered the Empress to curry favor.
The palace staff, exhausted by Azelina’s previous torment, had moved elsewhere, leaving very few attendants by her side.
Azelina recalled the Emperor’s smiling face from long ago when he had looked at her.
Yet, she felt no flutter of excitement as before. It was a strange, peculiar feeling.
As she gradually accepted the situation, Azelina staggered back into her room.
Her legs wobbled weakly, likely from just having fainted, but she paid it no mind.
Iana, giving her a reluctant glance, accompanied her.
Azelina had many questions, but she seemed unable to ask, fearing the Empress might mistreat her again.
“What… should I do?”
Azelina suddenly realized that if she stayed in the position of Empress, regretting things like this would be useless.
“But…”
Still, asking for a divorce was impossible; the House of Lartis was a major loyalist of the royal family, and there was no way the Emperor would divorce her.
If divorce had been possible, the Emperor would have asked her first.
“…Above all, my mother would oppose it.”
At that moment, a knock came from beyond the door, and Azelina told them to enter.
The maid flinched when she saw Azelina awake and whispered something to Iana.
Since Azelina and Iana were nearby, she could hear some of it, but the maid spoke so softly that it was difficult to make out.
“Your Highness… Th-the Emperor will soon be coming to Selina Palace…”
Iana, glancing at Azelina, spoke.
“The Emperor?”
When Iana mentioned him, Azelina’s heart grew heavy.
“…Yes…”
Azelina realized that she could no longer help Rashid lead a happy life as his partner.
Therefore, it was only natural that any remaining hope of being loved by Rashid had vanished.
She still remembered the pain as if a sharp sword had torn into her chest.
The fear and sense of loss she had felt then would not be forgotten, even after a long time.
But Azelina no longer wanted to live only as someone the Emperor uniquely hated. She did not want to spend the rest of her life locked in Selina Palace, craving the Emperor’s love.
After hesitating for a moment, she shook her head and spoke.
“But… would it be a bit rude to see His Majesty looking like this?”
Azelina had not yet changed her clothes, and she had not even washed herself.
“Ah, yes! Th-that’s right… I’ll prepare the bath water in advance…”
Iana hurriedly moved, understanding.
Azelina watched Iana silently.
Iana had always understood exactly what she wanted and followed her like a shadow wherever she went. She had been the chief maid, after all.
Even though Iana had joined the other maids in fabricating lies that almost led to Azelina’s death…
Azelina reflected on her past treatment of the maids and wanted to improve her relationship with them.
Of course, all this had happened suddenly, and it was difficult to accept having “died and awakened” overnight.
But that did not mean she could remain flustered forever.
“Yes… one step at a time.”
After washing, Azelina sat in front of the mirror.
Contrary to the image of a cruel Empress who mistreated her servants and was always irritable, Azelina was beautiful.
Her pure white, curly hair reaching her waist was proof of her noble Lartis lineage, and her blue eyes were like a sunlit lake.
As the cherished daughter of the ducal family, her skin was flawless and fair.
Iana gently dabbed her face with water infused with herbs and applied pale powder, then lightly colored her lips.
“…Ah, that should be enough now. This might be too much.”
Seeing her reflection, Azelina was taken aback.
Her hair was covered in a mysterious sparkling powder, and a large, ornate tiara sat prominently atop her head, almost dazzling to look at.
‘How is this the appearance of someone who just got back up after collapsing?’
“P-please forgive me, Your Highness…!”
Iana knelt once more, and Azelina sighed quietly.
Seeing Iana shrink in fear, worried that Azelina might scold her again, only added to her own agitation.
“…Well… I brought this on myself. Who else can I blame?”
After changing into a neat dress, Azelina carefully sat in a chair, ensuring it wouldn’t crease.
Alright. She would greet His Majesty, then, under the excuse of not feeling well, keep her distance for a while.
“The Emperor has arrived.”
At that moment, a deep, solemn voice announced his presence.
Azelina wanted to stop Iana from opening the door.
She had realized that she could no longer be loved by Rashid, and seeing him would only remind her of her past mistakes. She didn’t want to relive that broken past and blame herself.
Yet Azelina also no longer wanted to collapse in front of the Emperor.
