Chapter 4

As soon as she opened her eyes in the morning and saw a simple soup and soft bread served before her, Liliana thought,

“Have I come to heaven?”

Despite being dragged here as a hostage, she had braced herself for being ignored or experiencing unpleasant things. However, aside from hearing pitying words from commoners in the border town, nothing particularly bothersome had happened.

As Liliana dipped the bread into the soup, she listened to the head maid of the Emerald Palace.

“After breakfast, you should get dressed and head to the Empress Dowager’s Palace, Your Highness.”

She was enjoying her meal when she felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her. Liliana subtly furrowed her brows and asked,

“Do I have to go every day?”

“The Empress Dowager doesn’t like fuss, so you only need to visit when she calls for you.”

Only then did Liliana nod in satisfaction. How could there be such a wonderful mother-in-law?

The saying goes, the less you see your mother-in-law, the better. If they met often, wouldn’t her nagging about having children be endless?

After breakfast, she got dressed with the help of the maids. Still amazed by the fact that she only had to be a companion without doing anything else, Sophia chatted away. Liliana matched Sophia’s chatter with her own responses as she got ready.

Of course, the Empress Dowager’s Palace was at least twice the size of the Emerald Palace. The large trees forming a small forest made her wonder whether they had been brought from somewhere else or grown here for decades. Under the greenery, the chirping of birds was distinctly audible.

Liliana tried not to look too rustic, but she couldn’t help but repeatedly turn her head in that direction.

A forest inside the palace… a garden might be understandable, but a forest! It was something unimaginable in the Nieta Royal Palace.

Liliana barely managed to calm her trembling eyes as she entered the Empress Dowager’s Palace.

Standing quietly in the drawing room without making a sound, a beautiful middle-aged woman entered. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, just like Helio, and her eyes were sharp.

Helio’s somewhat playful atmosphere gave her the courage to talk back, but the Empress Dowager showed no such vulnerability.

Afraid of making noise, Liliana lowered her gaze and bowed.

“Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager.“

“Are you Princess Liliana of the Kingdom of Nieta?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.“

“Have a seat first.“

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Liliana was tense, focusing on ensuring her behavior was in line. What might be acceptable in the Kingdom of Nieta could be considered improper in the Carlo Empire.

She had no desire to get on the bad side of this formidable mother-in-law.

As she sat quietly, the Empress Dowager ordered a maid to serve tea. Liliana, still with her head lowered, watched the steam rise from the teacup.

“You must have had a hard time coming from a far country.“

“No, Your Majesty. It is an honor enough to be able to protect my homeland thanks to His Majesty the Emperor’s grace.“

“I hear you have lively conversations with the Emperor, but I suppose he must still seem intimidating?“

“…Pardon?”

Liliana inadvertently responded foolishly, then slowly raised her head. She saw the Empress Dowager smiling charmingly.

It was clear where Helio got his beautiful features. Liliana blushed and lowered her head again.

“I have not learned much, so His Majesty the Emperor must have taken pity on my rude behavior and forgiven me.“

“Pity, you say…”

The Empress Dowager’s voice sounded somewhat bitter as she spoke. Liliana cautiously raised her head again, feeling she didn’t need to be so scared.

“I also pity you.“

“How could you find me pitiable?“

“Because I, too, was married into this Carlo Empire from a foreign country.”

Liliana nodded slightly with an “Ah.“ This was mentioned in the original story. The Empress Dowager, like Liliana, had become the Empress after being taken hostage from a neighboring country.

In her younger days, the Empress Dowager always longed to return to her homeland and often felt depressed.

This remained true even after giving birth to Helio, the Crown Prince. Helio eventually gave up chasing after his mother, who always looked elsewhere, and their relationship grew more distant over time.

This relationship didn’t change until Helio ascended the throne and elevated his mother to Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager took a graceful sip of tea and chuckled softly. Her sharp eyes now seemed much gentler, suggesting she might regret her younger days. Was this just Liliana’s imagination?

“I haven’t spent much time with the Emperor, so we aren’t very close. I had many dull days. Now that I have my first daughter-in-law, I hope you will have tea with me occasionally. Will you do that?”

Liliana, almost entranced by the voice filled with loneliness, replied,

“Of course, Your Majesty.“

It’s best not to see your mother-in-law too often! She realized it was too late but had already answered. However, being on good terms with an influential figure in the palace wouldn’t hurt.

“And it would be nice if you could tell me stories about the Emperor occasionally.”

Huh? Liliana looked puzzled. In the original story, the Empress Dowager had some resentment towards Helio. If she hadn’t given birth to him, she might have been abandoned and returned to her homeland.

But now, this middle-aged woman in front of Liliana seemed to miss her son.

Emotions are complex and can’t be fully captured in words. They aren’t always clear-cut.

“Yes, I will.”

At that moment, when Liliana smiled as prettily as she could, looking at the Empress Dowager, the head maid of the Empress Dowager’s Palace entered cautiously and spoke.

“Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, His Majesty the Emperor has arrived here.

At those words, Liliana’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit. As she fidgeted nervously, the Empress Dowager asked her curiously,

“Princess, are you feeling unwell?“

“Oh, no… I mean, yes! Suddenly, I feel a bit uneasy…”

The Empress Dowager, with her long experience in the palace, could not miss the signs. She could see through this small, inexperienced girl’s heart as clearly as looking into a transparent pond.

‘It seems she doesn’t want to meet Helio…’

She had heard that the two had some incidents and exchanged playful banter. Was the report somewhat exaggerated? After a brief thought, the Empress Dowager decided to release this restless young lady.

“If you are feeling unwell, you may return again.“

“Really?“

Liliana’s face brightened with genuine joy. It was so obvious. The Empress Dowager found this innocent girl, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, quite endearing.

Nodding, Liliana bowed profoundly and, lifting her skirts, hurried out of the reception room.

Not long after Liliana left, Helio entered the reception room. Seeing his mother already enjoying her tea, Helio smirked.

The Empress Dowager looked up at Helio and spoke leisurely,

“Princess Liliana was here.“

“I know. I came to pay my respects. I wish you well.”

After finishing this brief and highly formal greeting, Helio immediately turned to leave. It was a visit purely for appearances.

On any other day, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t have cared whether the Emperor stayed or left.

“She quickly fled when she heard you were coming.”

Seeing the tiny, rabbit-like princess made her want to talk to her son. She looked at Helio with a tense face as if she were betting on a gamble.

Helio let out a cynical laugh and sharply asked,

“What are you doing?”

The Empress Dowager continued to look at Helio before slowly turning her gaze to the cooling teacup. The tea had grown cold since Liliana left, so she pushed the cold teacup aside.

“What am I doing? I’m talking to my only son.“

“Do you want something?“

Helio’s expression was so stern that even a needle wouldn’t penetrate it. His voice was lower and colder than usual.

His demeanor was completely different from when he talked with Liliana, but the Empress Dowager seemed accustomed to it.

She gestured to a maid to place a new teacup before Helio. Helio tilted his head and crossed his arms, watching the proceedings closely.

“Whatever you do, you cannot return to your hometown.“

“…Did you offend…..?“

“Are you afraid of that now?“

“No. Did you offend that girl who will soon be Empress Consort?“

Helio frowned and brushed his golden hair back from his forehead. His attitude suggested he didn’t understand the situation. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and sneered.

“Whether I did or not is none of your concern. Just accept the greetings and stay out of it.”

Helio twitched his cheek as if it was absurd that the Empress Dowager had spoken to him, then repeated what he had said earlier.

“Stay well. For a long time.”

Without touching the teacup in front of him, Helio left the Empress Dowager’s palace. The head maid hurried over to comfort the Empress Dowager, who shook her head with a bitter smile.

“It’s been a long time since I had such a long conversation with that child.”

* * *

Liliana hurried toward the Emerald Palace. Her heart had been pounding ever since she heard Helio was coming.

She worried about what that madman might say if he caught up with her, but fortunately, he seemed to be staying longer at the Empress Dowager’s palace. Well, no matter how bad their relationship was, he would still pay proper respects to his mother.

‘Proper conversation will only be possible after my daughter is born…’

Thinking this, she felt a bit sorry for the Empress Dowager. But it was also confirmed that she had neglected Helio in her younger days, making it difficult for Liliana to get involved. Nor did she have the right to intervene.

Liliana shook her head vigorously as she walked, and finally, the entrance to the Emerald Palace came into view.

The thought of the soft bed waiting for her made all her unnecessary worries disappear, and she quickened her pace. The maids had to hurry to keep up with her.

“Princess, you should slow down in the palace…!”

One maid tried to nag when Liliana, almost running, suddenly stopped.

The maids following her stopped abruptly, some bumping heads with an ‘ouch.’ Liliana found it amusing and laughed as she turned to look at them.

The maids blushed and looked ahead to see what had stopped the reckless princess.

A woman stood in front of the Emerald Palace. She was tall, slender, and beautiful, with red, captivating hair styled elegantly.

Liliana whispered to the maid standing next to her,

“Who is she?”

The maid craned her neck to better examine the woman’s face, then quickly lowered her eyes.

“That is the Duke Gabriel’s daughter, Lady Beatty.“

“Duke Gabriel? Beatty?”

Liliana tilted her head. She had only been here for two days and knew almost nothing about the Empire. She racked her brain but couldn’t recall anything from the original story either.

Seeing that Liliana didn’t understand at all, the maid whispered again,

“It is rumored that she has been chosen to be the next Empress.”