Chapter 20
“The achievements of the Grand Duke of Riverstar are still spoken of by many. With such excellence, he stands as a pillar of the Empire. How could that not be a cause for celebration?”
The origins of the Riverstar Grand Duchy lay in an ancient kingdom that existed long before the Empire rose. When the Empire emerged, the kingdom chose peace over bloodshed. They could have resisted until the end, but the king, unwilling to sacrifice countless innocent citizens, made the decision to yield.
As a result, the royal family was allowed to retain the title of Grand Duke of Riverstar. The family grew over time, becoming so powerful that even members of the Imperial family could not treat them lightly.
“You flatter us,” Benjamin replied humbly.
“His Majesty seems fond of the two of you. He summons you often,” said Eleonora, smiling gently with eyes as curved as her lips.
“Perhaps he does,” Benjamin answered without emotion.
Eleonora then turned her gaze to Lorelai.
“Lady Lorelai, has the Princess begun watching her figure again? I sent her a carefully chosen dessert as a gift, but she politely declined. It pained me a little.”
“You likely heard it yourself—she said she wanted to be more diligent with her figure. It wasn’t meant as any slight. She’s just a very disciplined person.”
“I see. Still, I felt a bit slighted. She could have accepted it and shared it with her attendants.”
“Her Highness the Princess likely didn’t want to give away a gift from Your Highness the Dowager Empress. The fact that she returned it rather than passing it along shows how much she treasured it.”
Unlike her casual demeanor with Benjamin, Lorelai addressed the Dowager Empress with immaculate decorum. Eleonora smiled faintly.
“Such kind words put my heart at ease.”
“I’ll be sure to convey Your Highness’s thoughtfulness to Her Highness the Princess.”
Lorelai replied, and Eleonora looked at them both with a warm expression.
“With loyal subjects such as you, how could the Empire not flourish? I hope I haven’t detained you too long from your audience with His Majesty. I was simply overjoyed to see you—please forgive me.”
“We understand completely. Since we’ve already delayed our visit, I hope you’ll forgive us for leaving first.”
Benjamin moved to leave before Lorelai could even respond. She offered a respectful bow and quickly followed after him.
The Dowager Empress, watching them go, slowly turned and made her way back to her palace, attendants following behind.
Only after the Dowager’s presence fully faded did Lorelai speak again.
“She’s still impossible to read. Always calling people over for pointless things—does she really care or is she just meddling?”
“Perhaps. But it’s true she’s managed affairs very well. Maybe her meddling stems from concern for the Imperial family.”
“I’ll admit she’s capable. But men and women have different instincts. I don’t know what you think, but I find her… unpleasant.”
“It’s natural to find some people uncomfortable,” Benjamin said, understanding. He himself found William—someone universally liked—grating.
As they neared the Emperor’s quarters, the guards respectfully opened the doors for them. As they stepped inside, Benjamin said,
“If you find all the formality exhausting, why not ask His Majesty to raise your title?”
By merit alone, Lorelai deserved a higher title. But she had refused every offer.
“There’s no point. I won’t live long anyway. I already get more than enough allowance. And besides, if my title’s too high, people get wary—it’s harder to gather information. People tend to run their mouths around those they think are beneath them.”
“If that’s how you feel, I won’t push. But if you ever change your mind, just say the word. I’ll speak to His Majesty.”
“See, Benjamin? You’re such a loyal friend.”
Lorelai laughed and playfully smacked his shoulder. Unsurprisingly, Benjamin didn’t even flinch.
“Ugh, still no fun.”
Benjamin remained stone-faced at her grumbling.
At last, the heavy doors opened. It was time to meet the Emperor.
Some might worry that having such powerful nobles could threaten the Emperor, but he had no such concerns.
For one, they had no desire for the throne.
More importantly, the Emperor himself possessed an Ability.
The Ability of Nullification.
The power to nullify all other Abilities.
That was the inborn power of the one who sat on the Imperial throne.
※※※
“Haaah…”
Shai let out a long sigh, holding the document she’d just read. In front of her lay a neatly stacked pile of papers.
She had asked the head butler to compile her spending records. Though she was still receiving treatment for her injuries and hadn’t fully recovered, she could no longer delay such matters.
She had suspected she’d spent a lot—but the actual amount was staggering.
The Riverstar family’s income was so vast it hadn’t felt like a big deal. But for any ordinary noble house, the sum would’ve been enough to leave them speechless.
‘At least it’s mostly jewelry, not dresses. Jewelry retains value and counts as an asset.’
But apparently, that hadn’t been enough—she had also begun purchasing art: paintings and sculptures.
‘She bought works from rising artists in the capital. Ironically, some of them have even increased in value since purchase.’
Shai set the papers down.
‘There’s no clear theme or intention behind the purchases. Maybe there wasn’t any deep meaning—but at least the choices weren’t terrible.’
Frustrated, Shai stood and walked to the window.
‘Why was I so obsessed with spending the Grand Duchy’s money like that? As if I wanted to be hated.’
To those at the Grand Duchy, her reckless buying of luxury goods must have seemed outrageous.
‘Maybe it was a marriage my father forced. Maybe I rebelled because he wasn’t here.’
Even so, taking it out on the Grand Duke, who had done nothing wrong, had been too much. Her past self had been cruel.
She had bristled at everyone and acted petty. Pitiful.
‘But I can still fix things. There are no more maids spying on me, no one controlling me.’
What confused her was that, even after escaping her father’s control by marrying into the Grand Duchy, she had allowed those same maids to behave as they had before.
‘Maybe they were holding something over me. Considering the rage in that letter… Maybe Father set up something here to extend his influence. That cryptic mention of the garden could be symbolic too.’
This estate was far from the capital where her father lived. Since marrying, she had rarely left it.
According to her current maid, Rosa, even when invitations came from the capital, she declined them all, saying she wanted to focus on her marriage.
‘Back at the Alantara Count’s estate, Father constantly monitored the maids, forcing me to obey them. I had no choice but to endure whatever they did.’
Her bedroom had only been hers in name. It was just a place to sleep.
Betty, Jacquelyn, and Dera used it however they pleased during the day. Betty often wore her clothes and jewelry. Jacquelyn would steal her allotted funds, claiming it was to prevent “excessive spending.”
But the worst of them all was Dera.
At least Betty and Jacquelyn left her alone if she gave them what they wanted. Dera, on the other hand, demanded control over her behavior, even her thoughts.
Dera acted as though she alone was right, dismissing everything Shai thought or felt.
Any time Shai defied them, her father would show up, hurling insults and threats, forcing her to kneel, acting as if he’d strike her at any moment.
They would run to him and complain that she wasn’t obeying.
‘Why did I let it happen? Judging by how the Grand Duke treats me, if I’d just asked, he would’ve let me dismiss them.’
She had to figure out why they’d still been able to act that way here.
As she was lost in thought, a knock came at the door.
“My lady, may I come in?”
It was Marilla, her old nanny. When Shai had collapsed, she’d accidentally called her “young miss,” but now she properly addressed her as “my lady.”
“Come in, Marilla.”
Shai welcomed her warmly.
Marilla was someone very special to her.
After her mother’s death and her father’s abuse, it had been Marilla’s love—along with her mother’s—that kept her sane.
She had been both a nanny and a tutor, an educated and deeply kind woman. Shai had adored her.
She’d been middle-aged when she last cared for Shai, but now time had whitened her hair, and her face looked even more worn. It had only been ten years since she left for the countryside, but it looked like longer.
As Marilla entered, Shai stood and walked straight to her—and hugged her tightly.
She had missed her.
Though Marilla had been summoned right after the wedding, Shai’s last memory of her was from ten years ago.
She had missed her so terribly.
Her mother had died, leaving her with grief and loneliness. And just as she hadn’t finished mourning, Marilla had left too. Her grandson had been ill—she had no choice. Still, Shai had wanted her to stay.
The illness might’ve been a coincidence, but thinking back on how her father changed afterward, she couldn’t help but wonder: had he forced Marilla away to isolate and break her spirit?
“My lady, how’s your health? Your head injury hasn’t fully healed yet. Please take care.”
“Just hugging you like this gives me strength.”
“You’ve gotten quite clingy, haven’t you? And here I thought you were all grown up.”
Shai kept her arms around Marilla and whispered.
“It’s because I really, really love you.”
The blunt confession made Marilla freeze briefly. Shai used to be much smaller, but with age Marilla had lost some of her strength, and Shai could feel it.
“Let’s sit down and talk. We’ve been standing too long.”
Shai sat first, gently pulling Marilla to sit beside her. It wasn’t the way one treated a servant—but more like a beloved relative.
