Chapter 13: Chapter 12

“The use of red for the founding of the country is to praise the blood and hard work that has been shed on the Abelard Empire. It is a challenge to the imperial family to ignore it that way.”

Evelina said so to Lady Daisy, who was laughing at her outfit.

“Be careful because someone might misunderstand if they hear it.”

“Hmph! That’s what I’m saying. Welcome, Lady Logias.”

Even though Evelina became a low-cost queen, Daisy Lewis, who called her Lady, was funny. It was like she didn’t want to admit she was an Empress.

“Long time no see, Lady Daisy. I guess you’ve been out of the capital for a while.”

“No? I was in the capital the whole time. It was also in the capital when the Marquis of Logias prayed to His Majesty to survive.”

Evelina knew why Daisy Lewis was doing this to her.

During her time as the Marquess of Logias, Evelina was the center of society. It was because the royal ladies were trying to avoid being seen by the king. The Emperor used to solve most of his diplomacy by marrying older royal ladies. The princesses of the Abelard family were so beautiful that they were famous in other countries.

Rather, as they got older, the princesses bought themselves in order to not be sold to other countries, and Evelina, who was a posthumous writer, drew attention in the social world. Now, those princesses had left except for Elsius.

Evelina was the most influential of all socialites until she moved into the mansion.

“How is Count Louis? I thought you jumped into the lake because you were rejected by me.”

“Well, it was because my brother was young back then! He didn’t have eyes for women! And jumping into the lake was just a whim!”

Daisy Lewis was also a surviving aristocrat who had to be purged during the revolution. Daisy’s brother, who was now the Baron of Lewis, was a man who had chased Evelina very much in the past. That was the first reason Daisy hated Evelina. The second one is.

“Why did Marquis Ianathas come alone? I heard that the wedding revealed that he was a paramour.”

It was that she had a crush on Ianathas for a long time. Crush, not love.

Evelina knew how cold Ianathas was to others, although he may be sweet to her. And the attention that the Princess Elsius showed to Ianathas.

“Ian has been my escort for some time now.”

“Oh, my God, you’re so brazen!”

Daisy Lewis couldn’t hide her joy. She was so funny, it was as if Evelina had become an idiot handing her some fodder.

“How can you be so brazen with your lover?”

“Ian and I are more like family, Lady Louis.”

If Evelina hadn’t read the original work, she wouldn’t have known what Ianathas thought because he didn’t express it at all. Even in the original, he couldn’t express it to Evelina and gave up his love.

“You are shameless, Lady Louis. Writing to Ian every time.”

“What, what?”

“Ian once asked me about Lady Louis. That’s when I found out.”

That was not a lie. Having spent more than two years on the battlefield, Ianathas missed the capital, so Evelina often exchanged letters with him. Then he told her about Lady Louis.

“One letter once a week. I thought it was a great love.”

“What, what…!”

Daisy Lewis stared at Evelina, slamming the table.

“Until then, I pushed for Lady Louis. But now that I see it, the lady is not a good match for Ian.”

“Why is Lady Logias deciding it on her own? Hoo, if he’s interested in me, he’s mine!”

“Ian is not a thing, Lady.”

The words twisted the mouth of Princess Elsius as if she were displeased.

“Daisy.”

“Ah, yes! Your Highness the Princess.”

“The lady’s voice is making me cry today. Can you go over there and pick some flowers?”

“What? Oh, yes.”

Daisy woke up quickly with a face of shame, realizing that she had been kicked out of her position. The wind spilled the teacup in front of her, and her skirt was all wet and stained.

“Oh, no. My clothes are dirty, so I should go back.”

“Ah…”

“See you next time, Lady Louis. Please give my regards to Viscount Louis.”

Evelina smiled at her. Then, sitting gracefully across from Princess Elsius, she beckoned the maid to serve the tea.

“Oh, by the way.”

Evelina looked at Daisy Lewis and said,

“I’m not Lady Logias, but now I’m definitely the Empress of the Abelard Empire. I can’t accept the rudeness that just happened, so please return the royal pass.”

“Well, what do you mean…!”

“Or shall we do it according to the law of confession to His Majesty?”

The crime of contempt of the imperial family was the death penalty. Daisy bowed her head at the thought.

“No, I’ll return the pass.”

Daisy Lewis quickly disappeared, grinding her teeth and shaking her fist while holding her skirt.

Soon the Tea Party became quiet, and Elsius looked at Evelina with a funny smile.

“I really like my sister-in-law. I’ve wanted to get closer since a long time ago, but Lady Daisy ruined everything.”

“No, Princess Elsius. I was a little worried that this might push me away from the Princess.”

Evelina made eye contact with Elsius with a benevolent smile.

“I’m so glad we’re on the same page.”

Elsius rose from her seat with a smile. Then she sat next to Evelina and laid her hand on the back of hers.

“I don’t want my brother to kill my sister-in-law. That’s why I want to give you one of my people.”

Evelina pretended to be moved and was trying to think because she thought it would be difficult to refuse the maid again this time.

“His Majesty is not like that.”

Evelina, who said so, did not believe her own words, but there was no other way but to say them.

“Oh, sister-in-law. You’re so naive. My brother is cold-blooded. It’s only warm for me.”

Elsius was the woman who helped Kaiden when he ascended the throne. Kaiden knew the hard work she had put in, so he was respecting Elsius’ wishes.

“Let’s hear what you have to say.”

Evelina raised her head in shame at the words.

In her response, she could see the ladies looking at each other as if the words were true. A total of six people, including Elsius and Evelina, were sitting at a circular table.

When all their eyes were on Evelina, Evelina had to try not to look disillusioned.

“The Empress’ duty is to have an imperial child, sister-in-law.”

“Yes, it is.”

“But I can’t believe my brother didn’t even come the first night.”

Evelina shook her shoulders unconsciously as she felt horrified by Elsius’ fingers, which handled her hair behind her ears.

“As a woman, there could be no worse humiliation. Is there?”

Evelina couldn’t answer anything. She was the one who avoided the first night. She didn’t know if she could bear it, saying that maybe she would have done nothing if she hadn’t seen Kaiden’s naked body. But because he’s supposed to see her naked.

She was still afraid that what she saw then remained like an afterimage. She had never seen such a large, hard, and muscular body. And how thick his thighs were. It was obvious that she felt like a rabbit that would be stepped on by an elephant.

“Sister-in-law.”

“… Yes.”

“Do you know what happened to the concubines who were abandoned by the Emperor?”

Evelina stared into Elsius’ sociopathic eyes. She was a little afraid of the red eyes that revealed the characteristics of the imperial family. However, Kaiden’s red eyes glistened like red jade, and Elsius’ eyes were a little murky, closer to pink.

“They become entertainment for all the knights.”

“Oh, what does that mean?”

As if she had never heard of it, Countess Marianne asked. There’s no way you don’t know.

“Oh, Countess Marianne must not know. You’re naive.”

Another lady stepped up and said as Elsius smiled pleasantly and covered her mouth.

“It was the same with the Emperor. He gave the Empress to his knights, who was not satisfied with her. He said they should learn about a woman before they go to a battlefield where they might be killed.”

“Oh, true. That’s why Empress Palladis died.”

Evelina also knew the story of Empress Palladis who hung herself because she couldn’t stand the circumstances where she had been sent to the knights.

“I guess I would too.”

“Yes, it’s better to kill yourself. It’s terrible to have to spend the night with knights when you don’t know how many people there are.”

Evelina knew that Elsius’ confidants cleverly mixed the truth and exaggerations to scare her. It wasn’t just for that reason that Empress Palladis committed suicide. She hated her father in the first place. She became Empress because of the family that sold her. The greatest revenge for the family was to kill the Emperor in the bedroom.

Empress Palladis, who failed to assassinate the emperor, did not die, but became cold-hearted, and on her second attempt at assassination, the frightened Emperor could not kill her because of her father, but declared that he would send her to the knights to humiliate her.

The Marquis of Logias was a powerful family who pushed the second prince. There was no way Evelina was unaware of this information.

Elsius’ group misjudged that Evelina did not know much about social affairs because she had a long time to live. Above all, Evelina’s face was innocent, innocent and pitiful. They thought her rebelling at best was to kick Daisy Lewis out.

“Sister-in-law.”

“… Yes, Princess.”

“Feed this to my brother. Then my brother won’t recognize my sister-in-law either.”

Evelina smiled at the red bottle in her hand.

“How does the Princess know about my and Kaiden’s first night?”

“How could I not know? There’s been a rumor going around in the palace. My sister-in-law couldn’t greet my brother at the beginning of the night.”

Elsius looked sadly and laughed at Evelina.

“Who said that nonsense?”

A sudden voice cracked Elsius’ face.