Chapter 338

Chapter 338. Attract Attention (1)

“I hear you are pregnant. Congratulations, Empress Navier.”

Princess Soju turned her head with a disdainful sneer.

She had only seen Rashta as a concubine trying to imitate me. She did not want to acknowledge her current position.

In fact, I didn’t want to see Rashta either.

By the way, why didn’t she enter earlier together with Grand Duke Lilteang? Did they come separately?

“Yes. Thank you.”

Well, that doesn’t matter. I merely replied curtly with a smile.

Those who knew of the relationship I had with Rashta watched us with bated breath.

For my part, I looked at Rashta in silence. Now that she congratulated me, I was curious as to what she really wanted to do.

She would probably give me a gift. In the past, she didn’t like that I gave her a decorative sword, so she may have brought a gift that I disliked also.

“Ah, I brought you a gift.”

It was completely as I expected. No, correction… It was a little different than I expected. The gift Rashta held out to me didn’t turn out to be a gift I hated.

“It looks familiar to me.”

The decorative sword I had gifted her. It was exactly that sword. Actually, Rashta was giving it back to me.

“Isn’t life amazing?”

She asked me, the corners of her eyes curved into a crescent shape and her voice was very sweet.

Rashta pretended that she had no bad intentions. But if what she really wanted from me was to make me angry, she wouldn’t get it.

“Thank you for giving it back.”

I accepted her gift with a smile and deliberately chose the words ‘give it back’. Then, I spoke softly so only Rashta could hear.

“Actually, I never wanted to give you anything of mine.”

Rashta’s expression stiffened, but I paid no attention.

***

As if she didn’t want to stay any longer, Rashta looked at me coldly, turned and walked away.

After Rashta moved away considerably, Princess Soju, who was hiding behind Mastas, slowly returned to my side and asked,

“I disliked her before, but now I dislike her even more. Don’t you think her mood has changed a little?”

“She looks colder.”

In the past, she always tried to look helpless and pitiful.

I heard that bad things have happened in the Eastern Empire, she might have changed because of that.

While I was lost in thought, Marquis Farang asked.

“Your Majesty, did you see the gift Emperor Sovieshu sent you?”

Although he seemed to be having fun with my brother, his ears must have been tilted towards here.

“He sent me a small chariot through Grand Duke Lilteang.”

As I watched Rashta’s distant back, I noticed she was heading in Heinley’s direction, so I stared at her as I spoke, “A small racing chariot of the highest quality.”

But Marquis Farang shook his head and said, “No, I don’t mean the gift he sent you through Grand Duke Lilteang.”

“He sent another gift?”

“Yes. He sent a girl named Evelie or Evely.”

The unexpected name caught my attention. I looked away from Rashta and asked Marquis Farang in surprise.

“Evely? Are you sure?”

When I asked puzzled, Marquis Farang murmured, “Ah. Hasn’t she arrived yet?”

Shouldn’t Evely be at the magical academy?

“Are you sure it’s Evely?”

Once I asked again, Marquis Farang described some of Evely’s features. As soon as I replied that she seemed to be the same Evely I knew, he said with a cocked head,

“She left around the same time I did, so she should have arrived by now. I thought she would come to see you immediately. Where else could she have gone? It’s strange.”

“She could have gotten lost…”

“I don’t think so. She surely comes with a coachman.”

That was true. If she came as a gift from Sovieshu, she would not come alone.

I had a bad feeling. Did she come across bandits or robbers on the way here? Did the carriage break down? In any case, I was worried.

Eventually, I ordered the situation investigated because one of the guests had not arrived.

“She’ll be fine, Your Majesty.”

Marquis Farang assured.

***

But contrary to what the Marquis had assured. Evely did not show up that night, nor the next morning, nor later.

It had gotten to the point that I was afraid that something bad had happened to her. Evely did not even show up at the end of the banquet.

As a result, I couldn’t help but worry about Evely even when I sat down to dinner with some of the distinguished guests who still remained in the imperial palace.

I couldn’t focus on dinner, but a clear laughter woke my mind.

When I saw who was laughing, my mood quickly worsened. The laughter was Rashta’s.

“Of course. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been Navier and Your Majesty Heinley sitting next to each other, but Your Majesty Heinley and I.”

The more I listened to her, the more obvious it became that laughter was not the problem. What nonsense was she talking about?

“Then Empress Navier and I would be in opposite positions, right?”

Everything she said was nonsense. I remember that Rashta had always been like this.

Heinley repeatedly denied it, but Rashta just laughed as if it were a joke and insisted on that point.

Naturally, Heinley’s expression darkened with each passing second.