#94. Disturbance
When Velia entered the Empress Consort’s residence, she found Elin and the Empress Consort happily engaged in conversation.
A quick glance at the table showed that the cake was already half eaten, and the tea in their cups had dwindled significantly.
I’m not late.
In fact, she had even arrived earlier than necessary, lest the Empress Consort find an excuse to reproach her.
Hmph…
Velia concealed the irritation bubbling up inside her.
What exactly was the point of this?
It was blatant hostility.
“You’re late.”
The Empress Consort scolded her in a lofty voice, without so much as looking her way.
“…My apologies, Your Highness.”
Rather than offer excuses, Velia simply bowed and took her seat.
For now, she intended to observe their behavior.
“Since the Crown Princess wasn’t here, I was spending time with Lady Elin.”
“Oh, Your Highness! Please don’t say it like that—you’ll make the Crown Princess misunderstand.”
Elin rushed to explain, visibly flustered.
“I arrived a little earlier than the appointed time, so please don’t trouble yourself over it.”
But as Velia watched the exchange, she realized at once—
This was all staged.
“With the Second Prince absent from the palace, the Crown Princess must be all the more careful with her conduct.”
“…I shall keep that in mind.”
The Empress Consort pretended to be the senior-most figure of the palace, speaking with leisurely grace. She opened her mouth as if to say more, then gave a small, amused laugh and shook her head.
“Well, it’s not that important.”
She gestured for a maid to bring more tea.
Velia’s gaze swept over the drawing room.
Amusingly, it was far more opulent than the Empress’s own reception hall.
Lavish ornaments and paintings decorated the space. From the chandelier overhead to the carpet underfoot, nothing was ordinary.
So the Emperor’s favoritism is this blatant…
That must be why the Empress suffered such disregard in silence.
It was absurd, really—that such an unnatural situation could exist solely because of the Emperor’s whims.
“The Crown Princess must feel terribly lonely with the Second Prince away.”
“I’ve kept myself busy with charitable work, so it’s bearable. And besides…”
Velia idly toyed with the fork in front of her, speaking lightly.
“…He’ll be back soon, won’t he?”
That very morning, a new letter had arrived from Khalid.
The delegation had reached the Kingdom of Yaqoum.
Even with the aid of magical devices, the letter would have taken some time to reach the Empire, so by now negotiations should have already begun.
It won’t take long.
At most, a week.
After agreeing on a suitable ransom for the captured earl, they would return at once. Factoring in safe travel with no disruptions, perhaps a month and a half more.
Knowing he was coming back, why should she feel lonely or sad?
He promised he would return safely.
And his words would hold true.
With such thoughts, Velia’s expression showed no trace of gloom.
Perhaps that very composure grated on the Empress Consort, for she lowered her gaze as she sipped her tea.
“…It seems you’re quite at ease, Crown Princess.”
“Of course. His Highness Khalid promised me he’d return soon.”
Velia answered with a smile, which only made the Empress Consort frown faintly and murmur under her breath:
“So you put on a show of affection, but perhaps it isn’t quite so.”
But there was no way Velia could have missed it.
“…What do you mean by that?”
Such open disapproval was rare in noble society.
That the Empress Consort herself, of all people, would act this way—not a naïve debutante, but a woman of rank and experience?
She might dislike Velia, but to show it so plainly… What was her game?
“Oh my, I meant nothing by it.”
Her tone suggested otherwise.
The Empress Consort covered her mouth with her hand.
“If His Majesty were absent, I would certainly feel lonesome….”
Even as the mother of grown sons, she retained her beauty; even that small gesture was elegant and enchanting.
“And yet our Crown Princess says she feels just fine. I only found it curious.”
…Was she mocking her?
Velia tilted her lips in a faint, crooked smile and simply listened.
“Don’t you feel lonely as well, Lady Elin, when the First Prince is away for long?”
“I’m not as strong as Her Highness, so I imagine I would be terribly sad.”
…What?
Rachel had warned her to be cautious about this meeting, but Velia had still expected at least some degree of propriety.
Instead, this was…
So they mean to set themselves openly against me.
Velia bit her lip.
To answer back would only make her seem equally petty.
“Your Highness, surely Her Highness is not as composed as she appears. Please don’t press her too harshly.”
Elin smoothly diverted the conversation, all while painting herself as gentle and considerate.
“I’m not sure this is the right time to mention it, but… Weren’t we supposed to discuss the autumn wedding today?”
“Ah, yes. Though I wonder if the Crown Princess will even be able to attend.”
The Empress Consort spoke with a curious smile, letting her words trail off.
“In any case, as family of the imperial house, I thought it best to share the matter together. But perhaps that is no longer necessary.”
Velia was about to speak—unable to endure their rudeness any longer—when the Empress Consort set down her teacup with a sharp clink.
“But judging from the Crown Princess’s reaction just now…”
Her voice carried a note of laughter.
It was unmistakable mockery.
“…It seems you haven’t yet heard that the Second Prince is missing?”
“…What?”
“Oh my. So you truly hadn’t heard.”
The Empress Consort narrowed her eyes as she continued, watching Velia’s shock.
“The delegation had concluded its business in Yaqoum and was returning to the Empire when heavy rains in the west caused a landslide. Some members of the delegation are now reported missing.”
Velia could not react.
What in the world was she saying?
The letter Khalid had sent that morning said he had arrived in Yaqoum. He could not possibly have left yet.
But the Empress Consort began naming the missing one by one, slowly, as though savoring the words.
“The Second Prince, the Marquess of Caprier, and his knights as well.”
Her smile deepened.
It was no longer the light teasing tone from earlier, but the cold, venomous look of a serpent.
“Only Count Futer, who had been sent back in advance, is confirmed safe.”
“That’s impossible…”
“You truly didn’t know? The urgent dispatch arrived at the palace this morning. Perhaps I overestimated you. I thought you would already be aware. How disappointing.”
She feigned a sympathetic expression.
“What a pity. Barely wed, and now this. My sincerest condolences.”
So that was why.
All her earlier barbs and mockery had stemmed from this.
Because something happened… to Khalid.
Velia nearly dropped her teacup as her strength drained away.
Where had things gone wrong?
Why had this urgent news not been delivered to the Second Prince’s residence?
Countless questions clouded her mind, but she could not falter here and give them the satisfaction.
Velia straightened her back and forced her lips into a firm line.
“…This is the first I’ve heard of it, so I cannot judge its truth.”
“Oh? Hahaha! How amusing, Crown Princess.”
The Empress Consort laughed shrilly.
“What I mean is simple: without Khalid, you are nothing in this palace. Do you still not understand why this crucial news never reached the Second Prince’s residence?”
Velia clenched her teeth.
Ordinarily, she would have swallowed her resentment, ended the meeting politely, and sought another path.
But after hearing Khalid might be missing, her reason had sharpened into a blade.
How dare she…
To speak of his possible death with a smile?
It was intolerable.
Even if she had to clean up the consequences later, she would not retreat now. She looked at the Empress Consort with uncharacteristic sharpness.
“Your Highness, I don’t believe this is the time for you to be laughing either. I hear your father, Count Shorter, has been involved in quite a scandal recently. Have you not heard?”
The Empress Consort’s family had been caught in a major fraud, and an investigation was imminent.
She arched a brow, scoffing.
“And do you think dragging my family into this will change your situation?”
The Empress Consort had risen to power by the Emperor’s favor, but her greatest weakness was ironically her very family of birth.
Count Shorter was a man frequently entangled in scandal—fraud, embezzlement, assault, and more.
The Empress Consort had always despised him, declaring publicly that she severed ties with her family the moment she became imperial consort.
Yet she could never escape the shadow of being “the daughter of Count Shorter.”
“I cut ties with them long ago. Whatever happens in that house has nothing to do with me.”
“That would be true if it were merely the Count’s own doing. But this time, it seems he invoked your name for protection… Can you really feign ignorance?”
“…What are you implying?”
Her voice turned sour.
“From what I hear, he used Your Highness’s name as a shield.”
Velia let her words hang meaningfully.
This scandal was too large to be swept quietly away. Few knew yet, but soon it would explode across society.
She smiled, as if to remind the Empress Consort to guard her dignity.
“Well, the matter will be resolved soon enough…”
Time would tell.
Velia rose to her feet.
“Since I now understand clearly that this invitation was meant only to insult me, I see no reason to remain.”
“…How insolent.”
The Empress Consort bit down her fury.
“Perhaps you forget, Your Highness. I am the Crown Princess of the Empire, Princess of Ronica. My maternal grandfather is High Priest of the Holy Kingdom, and my mother was once a sacred priestess.”
She listed these facts for one reason only—
“Do not forget who stands behind me.”
Her enemies’ families might scrape for coin with schemes and fraud, but behind her stood entire nations.
And it was also a warning to Elin.
The power of the Duke of Canterif was formidable, but should true conflict arise, could they really withstand it?
“I came here thinking it would be a pleasant chat. But if the intention of Your Highness and Lady Elin was to oppress and mock me, I would never have accepted this invitation in the first place.”
Velia’s lips curled into a cold smile.
Then she left them with a warning:
“Today’s insult—I will not forget.”
