Chapter 28

The Emperor’s reception room was filled with silence. It wasn’t because there were no people present; there were quite a few.

The Emperor and the Empress Dowager were there, and several attendants and maids served them.

Despite the number of people, not a single sound was made, as if uttering a word would cost them their heads.

The Empress Dowager finally broke the silence. She lifted her teacup, inhaled its aroma, and smiled.

“The tea has a very nice fragrance.”

The attendants expected Helio to say nothing or perhaps scoff and express anger.

It was well-known in the palace and beyond that Helio treated the Empress Dowager with disdain. But Helio spoke very slowly.

“Yes.”

Though his response made it difficult to continue the conversation, the Empress Dowager’s face brightened. She spoke, her beautiful eyes shining just like Helio’s.

“Does it suit Your Majesty’s taste? This is newly brought from the Triya estate, and its quality is excellent.”

“Is that so?”

Once again, Helio responded briefly, and the attendants exchanged glances in silence.

‘The Emperor is responding to the Empress Dowager!’

Whatever had happened between them, it was an unbelievable sight to behold.

“Oh, I have a tea with a similar fragrance. Would you like to try it next time?”

It seemed as though the sun might rise in the west with Helio answering twice, but this time, he did not respond. The hopeful expression on the Empress Dowager’s face slowly faded.

She was about to say it was okay, that she would come back another time if he was available.

“Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s head attendant approached with his head bowed. Though his tone was ordinary, Helio sensed that the news he brought was not good.

Helio raised his right eyebrow and asked.

“What is it?“

“Beatty Gabriel of the Gabriel Duchy has arrived at the palace.”

At those words, Helio’s brows furrowed deeply. Beatty was neither the Empress nor even a fiancée.

It was only because no one else could covet the Empress’s position other than the Gabriel Duchy that it was implicitly accepted that Beatty would become Empress.

However, Beatty acted as if she was already the mistress of the palace, annoying Helio greatly.

Helio sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead, and asked the attendant.

“She wouldn’t be demanding to enter the Emperor’s Palace again, would she?”

This was not an uncommon occurrence for Beatty. The Empress Dowager also clicked her tongue, seemingly weary of Beatty’s behavior, as she lifted her teacup. The head attendant, at a loss, finally spoke slowly.

“Actually… she has been at the palace for quite some time.”

Helio’s eyes widened slightly at those words, and the Empress Dowager raised her gaze from her teacup.

‘Beatty has come to the palace but hasn’t sought an audience with the Emperor?’

Everyone present had that thought.

Helio was the first to voice the question.

“Then where has she gone?”

“She has gone to the Emerald Palace.“

“The Emerald Palace?”

The question burst from the Empress Dowager. Initially shocked, she then set her teacup down and repeated.

“The Emerald Palace!”

This time, her voice was somewhat agitated. She still maintained her elegance befitting her status as the Empress Dowager, but she was clearly more excited than usual.

It was hard to imagine that Beatty had good intentions when meeting Liliana.

“What could Lady Gabriel want with the Empress Consort… Your Majesty?”

Helio had already risen from his seat. His face was hard as he asked the chief attendant.

“How long has she been there?“

“Actually, it’s been about an hour…”

Upon hearing that, Helio was about to rush out of the reception room.

“Your Majesty!”

If the Empress Dowager hadn’t urgently called out, he would have done so. The sharpness in her voice brought Helio to an abrupt halt.

The Empress Dowager slowly stood up and blocked his path. Her hands gripped the hem of her dress tightly.

“Do not go to the Emerald Palace.“

“…I thought you cared for the Empress Consort.“

“I do. She is so dear to me that I wonder if an unworthy mother-in-law like me deserves such a daughter-in-law.“

“Then why do you stop me?“

“Your Majesty, this is the Imperial Palace.”

The Empress Dowager’s voice grew calmer. She had lived in the palace for decades since her tender and sensitive youth. No one knew the palace better than she did.

“Remember, your affection for the Empress Consort must be shown as a political maneuver. It must appear as a carefully placed scarecrow, erected to check the rise of the Gabriel Duchy.”

“What…”

Helio, usually composed, showed a flash of confusion on his face. He rubbed his forehead and then, gazing into the air, asked.

“…Do you mean to say it doesn’t appear that way?”

The Empress Dowager, usually so wise, found herself at a loss for words. Was he genuinely unaware? Such a lapse in awareness was unheard of for the typically rational Helio.

Just before Helio’s confusion could spread to the attendants, he quickly composed himself, returning to his usual, calm demeanor as the Emperor. The Empress Dowager exhaled in relief at this sight.

“Do not allow the Gabriel Duchy to do their best. Let them always act arrogantly and foolishly.”

Helio watched the Empress Dowager speak softly and then chuckled.

“You are quite the excellent mother-in-law.”

The Empress Dowager listened to his words, then smiled faintly.

“I will act as the foolish mother-in-law in Your Majesty’s stead.”

The Empress Dowager gestured to her maid, who swiftly fetched a shawl and draped it over her shoulders. Once she was prepared, she looked back at Helio.

“I will go to the Emerald Palace.”

Helio bowed his head, deep in thought. The Empress Dowager assumed he was concerned about the Emerald Palace.

However, seeing that she was willing to go, Helio seemed to have shed all traces of his earlier confusion.

The Empress Dowager felt a peculiar sensation. Though Helio had once sought her affection, he had never trusted her. But now, he was entrusting her entirely with Liliana’s matter.

As the realization of this sank in, causing a pang in his heart, Helio furrowed his brows and said something irrelevant.

“Actually, that tea is not to my taste.“

“Pardon?”

“Go ahead.”

There was a strange power in Helio’s words, even if they were seemingly out of place, that compelled obedience. Even though he was her son. The Empress Dowager left the Emperor’s Palace slowly, replaying the conversation in her mind, and laughed softly to herself.

It was the first time Helio had spoken to her about his likes and dislikes.

As a child, he hadn’t spoken for fear of her reaction, and as he grew, any expectations faded, leaving no room for conversation as adults.

Helio’s first-ever trivial complaint to her about disliking the tea felt like an enormous gift. The Empress Dowager had to pause to hold back tears.

But not for long. The person who had facilitated the improvement in her relationship with Helio, or at least someone she already found lovely and lovable, was in danger. The Empress Dowager hurriedly boarded the carriage.

“To the Emerald Palace.”

* * *

“The garden is well maintained.“

“Oh, I’m glad you like it, Lady Beatty.“

“It’s like a rabbit village from a fairy tale.”

Was she mocking the garden for being small? Unable to ask directly, Liliana just gave an awkward smile.

She had no idea what was going on. She had returned to the Emerald Palace from the library only to find Beatty’s carriage parked there.

Even though she was now an Empress and Beatty a noble lady who was likely to become the Empress, no Empress could return such a noble lady.

Since the two weren’t on good terms, Liliana greeted Beatty with a somewhat uneasy expression.

What puzzled her was Beatty’s attitude. Despite her pure mind, Beatty’s mature appearance and smile were elegant and captivating.

Her refined manners and respectful posture reminded Liliana of the disparity in their statuses.

Ah, this woman belongs to the most prestigious family in the empire.

Even in her bow, there was an air of elegance and arrogance, a testament to long-standing training.

Indeed, her gaze was direct and confident as she looked at Liliana, her smile self-assured.

“Greetings, Your Highness.“

“It’s been a while, Lady Beatty. What brings you here?”

Everyone in the palace knew the two were not on friendly terms. So Liliana didn’t bother with small talk and asked directly.

Liliana assumed Beatty had come to provoke her, perhaps under the guise of offering advice.

‘You know I’m going to be the Empress soon, so why are you behaving this way?’

Something along those lines.

However, Beatty, still wearing her trademark arrogant smile, said something unexpectedly innocent.

“We’re going to be family soon.”

That alone was surprising enough, but what she said next was even more so.

“I thought it would be nice to have someone to talk to.“

‘Someone to talk to?’

Liliana wondered if she had heard correctly. But Beatty remained confident, and the attendants around them, though pretending otherwise, were clearly taken aback.

One young maid, new to the palace, stood with her mouth agape in the distance, quickly turning away when she realized she was being watched. Liliana was relieved that only she had noticed and looked back at Beatty.

Though Liliana hadn’t yet given an affirmative response, Beatty, with her confident demeanor, had already turned towards the inner part of the Emerald Palace. Liliana could only follow belatedly with these words.

“Please come inside, Lady Beatty.”