Chapter 30

Liliana knew that the Empress Dowager had a favorable impression of her.

However, she was not the child from the original work, nor was she receiving the protagonist’s buffs. Therefore, it was clear that the Empress Dowager’s favor was tiny and insignificant.

‘To dare to say in front of the Empress Dowager that she became an imperial consort by chance…’

No matter how well-known a fact might be, some truths should never be spoken. An empress consort, who had become a hostage, was obliged to say, “I am honored to be the empress consort of the empire.”

But to escape the crisis named Beatty, Liliana had forsaken that duty, and the Empress Dowager had caught her in that moment. She had nothing to say, even if all the favors disappeared, and only resentment remained.

‘In times like this, I just have to beg! Pride and everything else doesn’t matter if I want to survive!’

Liliana bowed her head pitifully, praying that the Empress Dowager would show her mercy. Considering their past relations, she hoped the Empress Dowager would stop at just scolding her.

However, the Empress Dowager’s actions were entirely different from Liliana’s expectations.

“Empress Consort, your knees must be hurting.”

She bent over and placed her hand on Liliana’s shoulder. That feather-light touch gently brushed Liliana’s arm and lightly supported her elbow.

Liliana, startled, raised her head. Her pink eyes were filled with a great wave of emotion.

The Empress Dowager, with a somewhat disappointed yet still kind smile, asked,

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Why are you…“

Liliana’s voice trembled. The garden was enveloped in silence. However, the atmosphere was not icy cold. Instead, a sympathetic and warm gaze focused on this place.

So, Liliana was able to ask,

“Aren’t you angry with me?“

Liliana’s round eyes were filled with guilt, and the Empress Dowager looked at her lovingly. She slowly helped Liliana to her feet.

“Rather than being angry, I am disappointed.“

“Disappointed…?“

“I thought I had treated you quite well, yet it makes me sad that you are still so afraid of me. Do you think I would punish you over such a trivial matter?”

The Empress Dowager’s beautiful eyebrows drooped sadly. At a loss for what to do, Liliana carefully held the Empress Dowager’s hands.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Really, truly sorry.“

“It seems what I have done for you was insufficient.”

At those words, Liliana shook her head vigorously, almost breathless with surprise.

“No! Absolutely not! It’s never, ever insufficient! I can never repay this kindness, even in death!“

“Hm, it seems you’re still scared of me.”

The Empress Dowager spoke regretfully. Liliana’s face turned pale. Seeing this, the Empress Dowager laughed softly.

“I was joking.“

“Excuse me?“

“I’m just teasing you because you’re so adorable.”

“Ah…“

“I, too, was once dragged in as an Empress and harbored it as a lifelong regret. How could I scold you?”

Liliana slowly began to understand the situation. The Empress Dowager never intended to scold her from the beginning.

The Empress Dowager guided the bewildered Liliana to a chair and gestured to the maid to rearrange the seating.

Liliana, struggling to collect herself, looked at the Empress Dowager.

“I came because I heard that Lady Gabriel was at the Emerald Palace and was worried she might harass you.“

Liliana blinked several times. She was surprised that the Empress Dowager had such a fondness for her. She hadn’t expected any further help after the few times the Empress Dowager had assisted her.

But perhaps the Empress Dowager genuinely liked Liliana as a person.

This was clearly a stroke of luck, a sign that her survival chances had increased. Liliana decided to be sincerely grateful.

“…Thank you.“

“There’s no need to thank me. I have something I want to ask you.“

“Anything!”

Liliana answered energetically, and the Empress Dowager smiled subtly.

“Do you not like my son?“

“Pardon?”

Liliana exclaimed in surprise and quickly covered her mouth. Not expecting such a strong reaction, the Empress Dowager widened her eyes momentarily before laughing softly.

“What would make you like him?“

“No, it’s not that I dare to like or dislike His Majesty…“

“Isn’t His Majesty quite handsome?“

“Yes…….”

Liliana answered honestly. Helio was one of the most handsome men in the world; people couldn’t talk openly about it because he was the Emperor.

No one could dare dispute Helio’s looks based on personal taste.

“Though His Majesty can be mischievous, he treats the Empress Consort quite well.”

Liliana couldn’t argue with that. However, she still couldn’t definitively say, “I like His Majesty.“ She thought, “How could I dare?“ came first.

Although she had seen various sides of Helio, he was still primarily the Emperor and the protagonist’s father. This also meant he was part of the chain of events that could lead to Liliana’s death.

“I am truly grateful to His Majesty.”

So, Liliana chose words that were polite but likely not the exact answer expected.

The Empress Dowager briefly showed a disappointed expression but soon composed herself.

“I suppose forcing you like this isn’t being a good mother-in-law. How about this? If His Majesty treats you poorly, secretly tell me, and I’ll help you in any way I can.“

“What? Hahaha!”

Liliana couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“His Majesty said something similar. You both really are alike.“

Liliana’s face was now beaming, a stark contrast to the tense demeanor she had shown before.

“Do you think I resemble His Majesty?”

Suddenly worried she might have been impolite, Liliana covered her mouth with her hands. As she tried to stifle her laughter, she tilted her head, puzzled by the Empress Dowager’s question.

“I’m sure everyone in the palace knows you two look alike. In fact, I thought you looked very similar in appearance, but now that you’re talking like this, you have similar personalities.

The Empress Dowager paused in thought, causing Liliana to worry she had misspoken. However, she soon realized it was not a mistake.

The Empress Dowager and Helio did not get along well, so no one around them would have said they resembled each other.

After a long moment of contemplation, the Empress Dowager smiled faintly.

“This is the first time I’ve heard that.“

Liliana’s guess was correct. And then she had a sudden sense of déjà vu.

She could predict what the Empress Dowager was going to say next.

“Can you tell me more about how my son and I are alike?“

“Can you tell me more about how my son and I are alike?”

This was a conversation the original child character had with the Empress Dowager. That child had been the first to tell her, “You resemble the Emperor.“

‘This was supposed to be the child’s role and part. Although the child might not even be born in this life…’

Liliana momentarily worried if this was okay but decided to think about it later.

“Empress Consort?”

The Empress Dowager was looking at her with concern.

Liliana smiled brightly as if nothing was wrong and began to speak.

“Honestly, it’s harder to find parts where you don’t resemble each other. Personally, I think your eyes are very similar. Beautiful blue eyes look even more stunning in the shade.“

What started as a simple comment somehow turned into praise for both mother and son, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t flattery, and the Empress Dowager genuinely enjoyed hearing it.

Eventually, the Empress Dowager left the Emerald Palace only after having dinner there.

Anyone else might have found it uncomfortable, but knowing that Empress Dowager had a fondness for her made Liliana feel at ease and enjoy the meal.

However, Liliana’s expression was not so bright when alone in her bedroom. She called for Sophia and gave her instructions.

“Find out about a noblewoman named Caroline.”

Sophia quickly recalled the name.

“You mean the lady who was fervently pursuing His Majesty when he was the Crown Prince?“

“Yes. It shouldn’t be hard to find information since her actions were quite bold for a noble lady.“

“Yes, Your Highness.”

It didn’t take long for Sophia to gather information about Caroline. Almost everyone in the empire knew about her.

Sophia came to Liliana with a pale face to report.

“Your Highness, Caroline is the only daughter of Marquis Liston. However, she…”

Even without Sophia finishing her sentence, Liliana could guess. She gripped the armrest of her chair tightly, her knuckles turning white.

“She is said to have died in a carriage accident. However, people whisper that it was the work of Gabriel Duchy. They say it couldn’t have been an accident given the location.“

Sophia’s face was worried, and Liliana’s expression was not much better.

She could now be certain why Beatty had recently visited her for a chat. It was clearly a veiled threat.

Beatty must have wanted to warn her to be careful if she didn’t want to end up like Caroline.

“A chat, my foot…”

Liliana couldn’t help but laugh at her own situation.

The Emperor showed her compassion, the Empress Dowager was fond of her, and the Emperor’s half-sister seemed somewhat favorable towards her.

Having three influential figures on her side definitely increased her chances of survival compared to the original Liliana.

Nevertheless, Beatty still approached her more subtly but with the same deadly intent.

‘At this rate, I’ll still end up dead, just like in the original story.’

As a mere hostage, she could do little. However, she needed to understand what was happening within the Gabriel Duchy.

Liliana gave Sophia another instruction.

“Get in touch with Vail Gabriel and arrange a meeting soon.”