CH 19

“A gift from Baron Feldman’s Lady Sharon.”

Stella handed me a small box. It was a mother-of-pearl box with a golden lotus flower engraved in the center and adorned with peridot decorations along the edges.

When I opened it, I saw a fan inside. The fan was made of fine ivory and had several top-grade diamonds embedded in the handle.

The tip was decorated with golden feathers, giving it a unique look. The fan’s surface depicted several white flowers with seven petals each. It was a common flower that could be found in the gardens of the imperial palace, but the colorful decoration made it seem somehow special.

“I thought Baron Feldman had already sent me a gift, so…… why did she send me something like this separately?”

Today was Lethenia’s birthday. Since a few days ago, the Empress’ Palace storage room has been filled with various gifts coming from all over the country.

Even though the power of the Bledel family was faltering, it meant that in the eyes of the people, they were still a family that could contend for power with the Emperor.

“Well, Baron Feldman has a deep relationship with the Bledel family, so maybe she wanted to show her sincerity separately from her parents.”

I nodded gently and closed the box. I was overwhelmed by the continuous shower of gifts.

I instructed the secretary to record the source and put it in the storage room. Then I prepared to go to the birthday banquet.

It was my first official event since I possessed Lethenia. I didn’t really feel like attending. It wasn’t really my birthday, and there would be no one there to genuinely congratulate the unlikable Empress.

Worst of all, I would have to sit next to the Emperor, the male lead, for a long time.

Rosetin is coming to the palace today.

I was baffled as to what the hell was going on, but there was nothing I could do about it now. It was the same story, except it was a year later, when Rosetin first appeared on Lethenia’s birthday.

But now that my plan to become her helper and bond with her had fallen through, I had to find another way to get to know Rosetin. I scoffed at the thought of getting to know the woman who would become my husband’s lover. It brought a bitter smile to my face.

I stared at Lethenia’s face in the mirror. A nemesis appeared on her birthday and fell in love with her husband. For Lethenia, it was the beginning of a tragedy that would bring her closer to death.

As if reading my pensive expression, Stella clenched her fists in determination and said.

“Empress, you should be the most beautiful person in the empire today.”

“That’s not necessary.”

I knew the only reason she was going out of her way today was to silence the unflattering rumors that had been following the Empress.

Stella hesitated for a moment at my urging, then spoke with difficulty.

“It’s even been said that everyone is attending the imperial banquet just to get a glimpse of her face. But, in my opinion, today’s protagonist should be Your Majesty… At times like this, it would be nice to have at least Duke Bledel.”

Stella trailed off in disappointment. Not long ago, Duke Bledel had informed her that the Duchess was very ill and would not be able to attend. People realized early on that it was the Duke who was sick and not the Duchess, but everyone seemed to keep quiet about it.

Anyway, I was not interested in whether they came or not.

“It’s not a pleasant day. I don’t want to be the center of attention.”

Stella seemed to have been bothered by the news that a remarkable woman who everyone was curious about would be making an appearance at the Empress’s birthday banquet.

I can’t help but feel sorry for Lethenia, who is being shunned by the Emperor and has no family to support her. I know what Stella was worried about, but I can’t be the guest of honor tonight.

I chose the plainest dress I had, in a dark color, and left out any jewelry that would make me stand out except for my familiar ruby necklace.

I initially thought of not wearing any makeup, but then I changed my mind. I made my fair skin even paler and dulled the color of my red lips to make them appear bloodless.

When all was said and done, I ended up with a more somber look than I expected, but it was also the best way to contrast the bright and elegant Rosetin.

I didn’t want to risk drawing any attention by putting too much effort into my appearance and possibly hearing rumors that the empress was already trying to suppress Rosetin

“Do you really want to go like this? I think you’ll attract more attention if you look like this.”

Stella’s words made me take another look in the mirror. Hmm…… do I look too ghostly?

Lethenia was originally skinny and pale, but with the drab dress and weird makeup, it’s starting to look more like a walking corpse. As she said, I felt like I would get a lot of attention but in a bad way.

“We’d better get going, His Majesty the Emperor is probably already waiting outside the Empress’s palace.”

Bianca, the blue-haired maid, urged in an anxious voice. The reason she urged was because of the Emperor.

On important imperial occasions, it was customary for the Emperor and Empress to enter side by side, so it was also customary for the Emperor to personally escort the Empress to the main palace.

Well, of course, that was the norm…… but apparently not for the villainous Lethenia.

When I stepped out into the lobby of the Empress’s palace, there was no sign of Ian, and only a single entourage, likely sent by the Emperor, stood in the doorway.

As we walked, Bianca spoke in a worried voice..

“Ha, it looks like His Majesty the Emperor is still getting ready…….”

“No, he must have gone first.”

The maids’ faces darkened even more at my grim reply. As I approached the entrance, I saw a similar expression on the faces of the imperial court attendants.

I could tell that Ian’s behavior was embarrassing to others. His attendant spoke up in embarrassment.

“His Majesty the Emperor has gone to the banquet hall first.”

On the way to the banquet hall, Stella tried to lighten my mood.

“Ah, Sometimes this happens. Today is a day when many outsiders are visiting, so he probably went first to have important conversations with them.”

“…….”

“Hmmm, but His Majesty sent someone to inform you in advance so that you wouldn’t be caught off guard. He is truly meticulous. Haha.”

Stella’s efforts to defend the emperor were ridiculous. In the original story, Ian always seemed to slyly ignore the Empress on formal occasions.

It was a politically calculated move to keep the Bledel family on their toes, but it always hurt Lethenia. For some reason, I had a hunch that today’s banquet is going to be a bad one.

“Her Majesty the Empress is entering!”

I was looking forward to seeing the heroine for the first time, but I felt an unknown tension. Upon entering the banquet hall, Ian sat on the throne with his chin resting on one hand and an indifferent face.

The musicians stopped playing as a bell rang to announce the empress’ entrance. With each step I took, people made way for me on both sides, bowing in acknowledgment. In the heavy silence, my eyes darted around to see where Rosetin was.

Then I found a woman with fresh pink hair and bright orange eyes on a pillar in the corner of the banquet hall. I made eye contact with her.

She was beautiful, like a fairy, and her mystical aura could mesmerize even me. I knew at once that she was Rosetin Bedos, the heroine of the novel.

As expected, Rosetin’s appearance was like a diamond sparkling alone on a black-and-white screen. Like there’s no intersection with dark, dull Lethenia.

Observing the appearance of the female protagonist, I approached the designated seat. As Ian approached, Lethenia’s emotions once again began to growl like an angry beast.

Since today was the first meeting between the main characters, it was important not to make any mistakes. I took a slow breath and began to control my heart.

After I took my seat, Ian gave a brief speech. At the end, there was a formal toast to wish the Empress a happy birthday.

However, it was quite dry and had a hard tone, so I thought it was better if he did not do it. After he finished, the solemn banquet hall was again filled with lively music and people laughing.

Ian hadn’t even turned his head in my direction since our eyes met briefly when I entered the banquet hall. I, too, didn’t speak to him or even give him a glance, in an effort to match his demeanor.

Anyone could see the cold atmosphere between the Emperor and Empress; the relationship that had warmed a bit after the stabbing incident had once again turned icy, just like before.

Some time later, Count and Countess Bedos approached Rosetin. They introduced her as their daughter, and Rosetin greeted everyone skillfully.

The Count had hidden their daughter’s return for some time, and had given her a thorough education in imperial etiquette. Rosetin was more graceful than the other noblewomen in the banquet hall.

Her demeanor toward the Emperor and Empress was calm, not tense.

“Greetings, Emperor and Empress. I am Rosetin Bedos.”

I glanced at Ian unconsciously. He was staring at Rosetin with an unreadable expression. Does that man look like that even when he’s in love?

If I hadn’t read the original, I would never have known, but Ian would have fallen in love with Rosetin at first sight. Meanwhile, Countess Bedos was in tears. She began to talk about all the trouble she had gone through to find Rosetin.

“She was a precious child that we had so unexpectedly. I can’t even begin to describe the heartache of losing her. We’ve been searching for her like crazy, but we can’t find a trace of her…….”

The Countess took out her handkerchief and wiped her tears, speaking in a slightly reminiscent tone.

“But then, to my delight, she came to me like a present. Isn’t this the play of a mischievous fate? It still breaks my heart to think that I haven’t been with her for such a long time.”

“Mother, don’t be so sad, this is how we met again, and even though it’s late, I still want to build good memories with you two.”

Rosetin took her mother’s hand and spoke words of comfort. Countess Bedos said with a wistful look.

“It still feels like a dream to meet Rosetin again. If we hadn’t lost her back then, she might have become close to His Majesty the Emperor. The Emperor would have been very fond of her, too. It’s a shame that it wasn’t meant to be.”

“Even the late Empress wanted her to be his majesty’s betrothed, if it weren’t for the previous marriage agreement that had been made long ago.”

I could feel the sharp gaze of the Count and Countess Bedos. The tone of the words, and the content of them, were strangely off-putting. Unlike Rosetin, who was sweet and gentle, his father, Count Bedos, was as calculating as the Duke of Bledel.

In many ways, he harbored ill feelings toward Duke Bledel. It was clear from the atmosphere that they had other ideas when they presented Rosetin to the Emperor.