46. The Empress Dowager’s Suspicion (2)

The Empress Dowager asked with a cheerful laugh. Her tone was anything but concerned for Larael.

Larael tried to force a smile, but her lips trembled and wouldn’t move as she wished. She suddenly stood up from her seat.

“Yes. I’m feeling a bit dizzy, so I’ll be heading back. You must be busy preparing for the Grand Duke’s engagement, and I feel like I’ve wasted your time.”

“It’s a shame you’re leaving without even tasting the tea. Please come again anytime. Next time, I’ll make sure to serve you a good tea.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Larael finished her farewell and left the Empress Dowager’s palace, trying to calm her wildly pounding heart.

Whether it was the sudden change in temperature or her unsettled mind, she felt dizzy.

“Your Highness, are you all right?”

Sasha supported Larael, who had stopped walking, and asked with concern.

“It’s just a bit hot…”

Larael climbed into the carriage parked in front of the palace. As the carriage started moving, she looked out the window and then spoke to Sasha and Joanna.

“I’m going to my own palace, so don’t come looking for me.”

“Should I have the carriage head to your palace?”

“No.”

Larael stared at her bracelet for a moment, then, as if making a decision, pressed two buttons at the same time.

Before Sasha and Joanna could respond, Larael vanished from the carriage in an instant.

“She really acts fast, our lady—no, Her Highness.”

Joanna murmured with a hollow laugh, staring at the spot where Larael had disappeared.

***

When Larael suddenly appeared in the emperor’s bedroom, the maids cleaning inside were startled and screamed. But when they realized it was Larael, they quickly dropped to the floor and begged for forgiveness.

“It’s not your fault. I’m the one who surprised you.”

The maids offered to inform the chief attendant that Her Highness was in the emperor’s bedroom, but Larael insisted they absolutely not do so. She didn’t want to disturb Edward while he was working.

After that, she waited alone in Edward’s bedroom.

She idly looked around the bedroom, imagining what Edward looked like when he was alone in there. She spent some time peering out the window to see how far the view extended from his room.

The area around the bedroom door gradually grew noisier, and then the door opened as Edward and Marquis Argen entered, deep in conversation.

“Well, Your Majesty, so—oh? Ah… Enjoy your time.”

Marquis Argen stopped mid-sentence, stared in surprise at Larael standing alone in the bedroom, and then quickly backed out of the room.

Edward, who had been frowning at Marquis Argen’s nagging, brightened when he saw Larael. With open arms, he strode toward her.

Naturally, Larael threw herself into Edward’s embrace and hugged his waist tightly. Today, she really wanted to hold him as soon as she saw him. Only after being in his arms did Larael’s heart begin to settle down.

“Sometimes when I come back to my bedroom, I wish you were here.”

Larael snuggled even deeper into Edward’s arms.

‘Will I really be able to let Edward go?’

She was becoming less and less certain. Just the thought made her heart ache as if someone were scraping it with a sharp knife.

‘If you ever find out what I did to you, would you still hold me this tightly?’

It wasn’t something that had happened in this life, nor would it happen now, but in Larael’s heart, it was something that happened over and over, still vivid in her memory.

Some days, she tried to convince herself that since those things hadn’t happened and Edward was by her side, she didn’t need to feel guilty. But no matter how hard she tried, the feelings never went away, nor did her heart feel any lighter.

She was paying for her sins now.

“What’s gotten into you today, coming to see me first?”

Lately, Larael wanted to be with him every moment of every day. Instead of answering, she hugged Edward even tighter. At first, Edward just laughed playfully at how tightly she hugged him. But as she kept holding on, almost as if she was afraid of losing him, he sensed something was wrong and gently pulled her away by the shoulders.

Larael’s lips formed a faint smile, but her eyes were full of worry. She looked so unstable that Edward’s expression gradually hardened.

“What’s wrong?”

Larael quickly shook her head. Just hearing his gentle question made her feel like she was about to cry. Looking into his deep, ocean-like teal eyes, she wanted to confess everything and just let herself be swept away by those waves. But she couldn’t push her burdens onto Edward.

“It’s just… I like you so much that I feel uneasy. I wonder if it’s okay to be this happy, and that makes me uneasy.”

Edward burst out laughing at Larael’s answer, which was hard to understand. Even the low rumble of his laughter made Larael’s heart pound as if it would burst. She loved even the sound of Edward’s laughter.

“I should have made sure you never even had those thoughts. I guess I’m not doing enough.”

“…”

Hearing those words, Larael felt dazed. She couldn’t bring herself to laugh along with Edward.

At least Larael knew how this happiness would end. She buried her trembling face in Edward’s chest to hide it.

‘If only time could stop like this forever…’

***

Larael sat staring at the invitation she had received.

“Hah…”

She let out a small, incredulous laugh.

The Empress Dowager had suddenly invited Larael to the monthly event she hosted for supporting artists. Larael knew the reason written on the invitation—‘fulfill your duty as empress consort by supporting the arts, which bring happiness and comfort to people’s hearts’—was not the only reason for the invitation. In truth, the Empress Dowager wanted to belittle and mock her, someone ignorant of the arts. After all, a border family like the Hedway County had little connection to the arts.

Larael looked at the invitation, pondering what to do.

It was a patronage event she had never once been invited to before her regression.

“Jojo Assefena, Carl Sione, Hannah… what was it again?”

Larael slowly tried to recall. She listed the names of artists who had risen to the top of their fields with the Empress Dowager’s patronage.

‘The person the Empress Dowager supported was Jojo Assefena, right?’

Jojo Assefena was the top composer in the empire, discovered and sponsored by the Empress Dowager. When Jojo Assefena rose to the top with the Empress Dowager’s support, more and more artists wanted to participate in her patronage events.

The number of noble patrons allowed at the event was limited, but there were many artists who wanted sponsorship. Eventually, a separate competition was held among artists just to win the chance to participate in the event. Only those who won the competition could qualify for the Empress Dowager’s patronage event.

The nobles who attended enjoyed a sense of privilege by sponsoring the artists they chose. The sponsored artists were expected to show visible results before the next patronage event. Since the nobles sponsored artists mainly for appearances, if an artist failed to produce results, the support was coldly cut off.

The Empress Dowager wasn’t just trying to frame Larael—Larael truly had no interest in the arts. She might know about scandals involving artists, but she was indeed ignorant about the arts themselves. Still, since she’d been invited, she needed to gain at least some basic knowledge before attending.

First, she planned to ask Dean for a list of the artists sponsored by the nobles participating in the event. Since they would be a main topic of conversation, she needed to know about them.

After pondering the Empress Dowager’s invitation for a while, Larael spoke to Sasha and Joanna.

“I need to go pick out a dress for the patronage event.”

Sasha and Joanna exchanged glances.

“That event, right?”

Sasha asked quietly.

“I think so.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

As Joanna replied in a small voice, Larael answered at the same time.