6. A Private Conversation (1)

“Have you heard the rumors?”  

Larael nodded.  

From her parents’ perspective, sending their daughter to the imperial palace after her engagement had been annulled seemed like the best option.  

Before her regression, Larael had never had such calm and composed conversations with her parents before entering the palace. She had never considered her father and mother’s perspective. Back then, she was always angry, blinded by rage, and believed that everyone in the world, except for Herwen, was attacking her.  

“In the end, it was my choice.”  

She had been deceived by Herwen’s sweet words and had willingly entered the imperial palace.  

The Count and Countess tilted their heads, unable to understand what Larael meant.  

“What do you mean, Larael?”  

“I… will not become an Empress Consort.”  

She couldn’t recreate the same situation as before. The one who had suffered the most in that situation was Edward. For his sake, she had to avoid becoming a consort and repeating her past mistakes. However, her words left the Count and Countess visibly shocked.  

“Larael, let’s sleep on it and talk again tomorrow.”  

The Count believed that Larael was unable to make a proper decision due to the overwhelming events she had experienced. The Countess, meanwhile, couldn’t stop crying at Larael’s words. She looked as though she was on the verge of fainting.  

Larael had been an unexpected blessing to the Count and Countess, who had given up on having children. They had raised her with great care and affection. Larael had always brought them joy, never causing trouble. But recently, she had made them experience the extremes of joy and sorrow in such a short time.  

“I’m sorry.”  

Unable to look at their faces, Larael turned her head away. Her eyes were wet with tears.  

The Count stared at Larael’s face with a complex expression before helping his wife up and leaving the room.  

After expressing her thoughts to the Count and Countess, Larael felt both relieved and conflicted. But that didn’t mean her mood improved. By refusing to become a consort, she was also giving up her child. That made it even harder for her to abandon the position of an Empress Consort. It had taken her a long time to decide to give it up under the pretense of doing it for Edward.  

‘Ian… I hope you are born into a loving family with good parents.’  

Thinking of Ian made Larael’s heart collapse. Something heavy seemed lodged in her chest, suffocating her. She pounded her chest with her fists.  

But she didn’t want to trap Edward in her cycle of greed again. To change the past, she believed she needed to stay away from Edward.  

Could someone like her, a daughter of a peripheral noble family, exact revenge on Herwen? Memories of the countless schemes and actions she had taken to make Herwen Emperor flashed through her mind.  

It had only been possible because she had wielded the Duke of Anderman, who backed the Empress Dowager, as if they were her own limbs.  

“But I know Kazel Empire’s future better than anyone else.”  

Having returned, Larael knew the future of the Kazel Empire better than anyone. Before her regression, she had done everything to help Herwen, no matter how small, and had kept track of even the most trivial events in the empire.  

‘Yes. If I use all of that, I can definitely take my revenge.’  

Despite her firm resolve, her eyes wavered with uncertainty.  

—

“I will appoint Larael Hedway as an Empress Consort.”  

At the morning’s noble council, the Emperor officially declared his decision. No one voiced opposition.  

After the meeting, Edward returned to his office and told his aides that he would personally visit Lady Hedway.  

“I will go to Lady Hedway myself and ask her to become my consort.”  

The aides stopped in their tracks. One by one, sighs of disbelief escaped their lips.  

“Your Majesty, you’re not even appointing her as Empress, but as consort…”  

Duke Nox spoke up, finding the situation absurd. It was as if Edward was planning to propose.  

Edward, who had never shown interest in women, was now bringing a woman into the imperial family for the first time. Although she was being appointed as a consort due to opposition, most believed that one woman was enough for the imperial family.  

If she were to become Empress, there would have been a grand wedding. But the appointment of a consort was often skipped or replaced with a banquet that doubled as an appointment ceremony.  

‘We may not have started on the best terms…’  

Though it was partly to ease his guilt, Edward wanted to treat Larael with the utmost respect.  

He ordered that the Abella Palace, traditionally reserved for Empresses, be assigned to Larael. This led to talk within the imperial palace that, despite being a consort, she was being treated almost like an Empress.  

Outside the palace, malicious rumors spread that Larael had deliberately seduced the Emperor, but within the palace, everyone kept quiet.  

When Larael visited the palace that day without prior notice, she passed through all the gates without any obstruction. This alone showed her status within the palace. She was guided to a private reception room, reserved only for the Emperor’s personal guests.  

At that moment, Edward had just received a specially ordered jewelry set, intended to be taken to the Hedway estate as a gift.  

While discussing matters with his aides in his office, Edward was informed of Larael’s visit by his chamberlain, Trix. From that moment on, all his thoughts came to a halt. His eyes darkened.  

“Ah… I should have gone to the Hedway estate first to ask for forgiveness…”  

The fact that Larael had come to him first made Edward feel as though he had been avoiding the situation. It could even seem like he was deliberately avoiding her.

Edward stopped the discussion and clasped his hands together, resting his chin on them. His neatly combed hair seemed to fall out of place as he repeatedly ran his fingers through it. He fiddled with the gift box containing the jewelry set he had ordered Trix to bring.  

“Should I give it to her now? Why has she come to see me?”  

When Edward murmured, Marquis Argen reminded him that there were still matters to address.  

“Your Majesty, perhaps you should first excuse yourself to Lady Hedway, handle your pending tasks, and then meet her?”  

Edward didn’t even hear Marquis Argen’s words. He stood from his chair and walked to the full-length mirror beside his desk, checking his appearance.  

“I will go meet Lady Hedway.”  

As Edward left the office with his attendants, Marquis Argen clicked his tongue and turned to Duke Nox and the other aides.  

“Is this really the same Emperor we know?”  

“He is a man with a strong sense of responsibility,” Duke Nox replied without looking up from the document he was reading.  

—

“Lady Hedway, have you been waiting long?”  

“No, Your Majesty. Have you been well?”  

Edward couldn’t look directly at her face. When she bowed her head, he stole a glance at her and quickly turned his head away.  

‘Just as Herwen said, she must have gone through a lot, her face shows the toll.’  

When Edward sat in a chair, Larael followed suit and sat down as well.  

“I’ll have tea brought in.”  

“I’m fine, Your Majesty.”  

“Everyone, leave us,” Edward ordered, dismissing all the attendants in the reception room. Once they had all left, Larael lifted her slightly bowed head and looked at Edward.  

Edward, avoiding her gaze, swallowed nervously before finally looking at her. When their eyes met, Larael, startled, quickly lowered her head again.  

“I should have come to you first to apologize, but I was busy handling other matters…”  

Larael pressed her lips together and nodded. Perhaps it seemed like she was mocking him, as Edward hurriedly added, “No, what I mean is, those matters were to ensure I could keep you by my side…”  

“I understand.”