April’s eyes curved like a crescent moon, yet her gaze within was ice-cold. Confirming that her lips had stiffened, the noblewomen swallowed dryly and fell silent. Their eyes, fixed on the situation, brimmed with confusion.

Until now, April had remained quiet, never stepping forward. She had never raised her voice in high society, nor involved herself in the noblewomen’s battles of pride. That was why Barbara was still able to hold sway over the social scene. The noblewomen’s eyes gleamed at April’s seemingly changed demeanor.

But in truth, April was thinking something entirely different.

‘How dare they lay a hand on my idol?’

She didn’t care about high society or politics. What mattered to her wasn’t influence in the social world, but Barbara. She could not possibly allow the Countess and Cecilia, who had treated her idol with disrespect, to go unpunished.

“No matter if it’s your first time in the capital, how dare you show such arrogance before royalty.”

“My words were not directed at Her Majesty the Empress.”

“There is more than one royal before you.”

April set her teacup down with a sharp clatter. The sound echoed through the room, laying bare her displeasure. None of the noblewomen dared to speak.

But pampered Cecilia failed to grasp the gravity of the situation. The Countess, too, had closed her mouth, yet her expression had long since twisted with bitterness.

“…But she is of the late Empress’s bloodline.”

“You’ve gone mad.”

Bang!

April slammed her hand against the table. Her palm stung, but she could not show it outwardly.

It was Barbara who stepped in to restrain her.

“Your Majesty the Empress, please calm yourself.”

“How can I stay calm when a noble dares insult a member of the royal family right before me?”

“The imperial heir could be put at risk.”

Barbara’s low yet firm words drew a sharp intake of breath from the noblewomen. If anything were to happen to April now, it was certain that the House of Fernante would vanish from the empire altogether.

“What do you mean, the imperial heir is at risk?”

The voice came from Calsion, who had entered the drawing room soundlessly. The nobles instantly rose from their seats. April tried to rise as well, but a sudden tug of pain pulled at her stomach.

“Ugh!”

Clutching her abdomen, she could not stand. In an instant, Calsion was at her side.

“What’s wrong?”

His low voice brimmed with lethal intent. April waved her hand, insisting she was fine, but Calsion instead seized her trembling hand mid-air and rubbed her back.

“Are you all right, Empress?”

Since ascending the throne, Calsion always addressed April formally in public. To her, his polite words felt strange, enough to make her shudder.

Whatever he took that reaction to mean, his eyes sharpened dangerously.

“What happened here?”

When no one dared answer, Calsion turned to Miloa, who stood behind. Without a moment’s hesitation, Miloa stepped forward, bowed, and explained the situation. With every word, the Countess of Fernante’s face grew paler, while Cecilia, glancing at Calsion, flushed bright red.

The noblewomen, witnessing Cecilia’s pitiful display, one by one spread open their fans. They could not gossip while Calsion was present, but once this tea party ended, word would spread like wildfire.

April tugged on Calsion’s hand.

“I am fine, Your Majesty.”

“How can you be fine when your face is this pale?”

His tender voice made the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand up. April grimaced, pulling him closer. Obediently drawn in, Calsion leaned near, and she whispered at his ear.

“What are you doing?”

“What else?”

The gleam in his eyes said plainly that he intended to use this chance to sweep away the remaining nobles. April pressed her lips shut. She had started this, but it was just like Calsion not to miss an opportunity. She silently offered condolences for the families who had complained about Barbara’s continued stay in the imperial palace. Now that Calsion had drawn his sword, more houses would soon vanish.

Well, that’s that—and this is this.

April’s eyes glinted with resolve. This was her chance to drive out everyone who dared speak carelessly about Barbara.

“I was only a little surprised to find there were nobles who would treat royalty with such disrespect.”

“To think such people even exist?”

“Yes.”

April’s gaze fell on the Countess of Fernante. As Calsion’s icy eyes bore into her, the Countess faltered, hardly able to breathe. In truth, an example had long been needed to restore Barbara’s dignity. In other words, the Countess of Fernante was destined to be Barbara’s scapegoat.

The imperial palace has always been that kind of place.

Not being able to eat strawberries was a slight disappointment, but there was nothing to be done. Once another family claimed that territory, strawberries would return anyway.

What April could not stand, however, was seeing Barbara’s name dragged through the mud. If she hadn’t stepped in just now, rumors would surely have spread that Barbara treated the nobility with contempt.

April smiled faintly when she noticed Barbara nodding slightly at her. Since the stigma of being the deposed Empress’s daughter still shackled Barbara, she needed to be given a new name—one that carried honor instead of disgrace.

“My ascent to the throne owes much to my sister’s help.”

“No, Your Majesty. It was nothing. I only did what I should have done.”

Barbara answered with humility, but a faint joy shimmered in her eyes. This was the first time Calsion had ever spoken aloud of her merits. His acknowledgment was the most certain guarantee that she would continue to be treated as royalty.

“Her contributions have already been acknowledged in the council of nobles. And yet—are there those who would deny that?”

Calsion’s cold gaze swept the room, and the noblewomen quickly lowered their heads to avoid meeting his eyes. Only Cecilia, still failing to grasp the situation, stared boldly at him. April gave a small, scornful laugh at her insolent posture.

“So, we have a fool here who has not even learned how to show proper respect to the Emperor.”

April knew well that Calsion would never excuse insolence, not even from a noblewoman.

Pleased by his words, April smiled in satisfaction. Cecilia, meanwhile, faltered at the sharp rebuke, lowering her gaze in embarrassment. She tried to put on a pitiful expression, but it had no effect on the noblewomen, who were far too seasoned in the ways of society.

Calsion was no different.

“What are you waiting for? Seize those who have shown disrespect to the Imperial family and drag them out at once!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The knights at Calsion’s side rushed forward and grabbed the arms of Countess Fernante and Cecilia.

“We are wronged, Your Majesty!” the Countess protested. She insisted that matters of the social world should be resolved within society itself.

At her cry, Calsion flicked his hand. At once, the knights halted, forcing the Countess and Cecilia to kneel near the parlor doors.

“Is society somehow above the law?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

It was Yulifa, the advisor observing the scene, who stepped forward to answer.

“Then why do they speak as if it were?”

“I cannot say for certain.”

The truth was that incidents at tea parties or gatherings of noblewomen were often overlooked as a matter of custom. If Calsion had not interfered, the punishment would likely have been no more than a ban on entering the palace. That was all April had intended as well—but with Calsion’s arrival, the matter had shifted entirely.

Driven by the resolve not to face his wrath, Yulifa spoke quickly.

“I have heard that some exploit the customs of society as an excuse to be discourteous toward the Imperial family, but I have never before witnessed such insolence with my own eyes.”

“Is that so? Then how do you think this matter should be dealt with?”

“Of course, Your Majesty’s judgment is correct. There is no guarantee that those who dared such insolence once will not do so again.”

“Then they must be punished.”

Calsion’s low decree made Countess Fernante squeeze her eyes shut. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Cecilia bit her lip hard.

They silently hoped someone would intervene. And only April had the power to stop Calsion.

The Countess’s desperate eyes clung to April, refusing to let go.

At that moment, April, who had been quietly observing, finally parted her lips to speak.