“Congratulations on your conception. It’s something Your Majesty the Empress has desired for a long time.”

“Thank you for your congratulations. I will definitely deliver this child safely……”

While receiving sincere congratulations from the nobles as she walked through the banquet hall, voices penetrated Louise’s ears.

Voices that were more pitiful because they had clearly been uttered without any awareness.

“I can’t believe the empress was once called the ‘lovely princess.’ Now she’s just an unfilial person who abandoned her parents and brothers to choose the new emperor.”

“How can she show such a beautiful smile to the new emperor…. It’s disgusting.”

“I heard she had a body that made it difficult to conceive, but she finally did. Amazing. Rumor has it… she had relations with the new emperor every day for the past three years?”

“Oh my……”

Exclamations close to screams poured out from among the nobles who were offering congratulations surrounding Louise and Rondimio.

If the emperor and empress hadn’t been right in front of them, they would have pretended not to hear and moved on. But they couldn’t, which must be very troublesome for them.

But it wasn’t just those who had uttered those words….

Louise felt a bit sorry for the young ladies on the terrace who probably had no idea that the new imperial couple was personally walking through the banquet hall receiving congratulations.

Even though it was an outdoor terrace with curtains drawn, they should have been mindful that their voices could leak outside.

They were certainly speaking the truth, but the problem was who had heard that truth.

Rondimio greatly disliked nobles gossiping about Louise.

“Hmm……”

As Rondimio, who had clearly become displeased, slightly moved his lips, the atmosphere in the banquet hall grew cold.

Is the new emperor planning to bloody his hands again today?

Louise pressed closer to Rondimio, pushing her hand deeper onto his large arm to calm him.

“Your Majesty, I’d like to rest a bit.”

Contrary to her words, there were those who stood firmly looking at Louise amid the chilled atmosphere.

They didn’t say anything. They didn’t move their lips at all, and their eyes were neither raised nor glaring, appearing docile, but Louise knew their inner thoughts were somewhat different.

Everyone talked about Louise, the empress beloved by the new emperor, like this.

Long ago, they only looked favorably upon her when she was called the lovely princess and sat quietly on the former emperor’s knee, smiling prettily, but they didn’t want her reigning above the nobles.

And they disliked how the new emperor, who loved Louise madly, would easily kill anyone over issues related to Louise and act as if he would die without her.

“Louise. I’ve prepared sweet desserts for you at the edge of the banquet hall. Since we’ve walked for too long, it might be good to rest there.”

“My thoughtful Emperor. Of course that sounds good.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, it seemed Rondimio wasn’t planning to punish those young ladies behind the curtained outdoor terrace immediately.

Seeing that he didn’t say anything to the nobles surrounding them and only pulled Louise’s shoulder closer with an affectionate touch, it was clear he was showing unusual restraint.

Was this also because of the child in her womb? Rondimio had changed a lot since learning about the pregnancy. He might have decided to handle this matter quietly as well.

Nevertheless, nobles disappearing without a trace was an occasional occurrence.

Hoping for the safety of those unknown young ladies, Louise headed to the sweet desserts prepared at the edge of the banquet hall.

At that moment, as she bit into a cupcake with adorable strawberries atop pure white cream under everyone’s attention,

A middle-aged man approached Rondimio through the still chilly atmosphere.

“Your Majesty the Emperor. Could you spare us a moment of your time?”

He was definitely a noble she had seen several times in her childhood while sitting on the former emperor’s knee.

Yes, the head of the Havent ducal family.

From what she had overheard while being attended by the maids, he was a major noble who presided over the imperial grand council.

Gaining the power of a major noble would make her plan much easier, but she couldn’t approach him carelessly without knowing whether he was a noble who only outwardly supported Rondimio or one who supported him wholeheartedly, as she hadn’t properly heard about this from her brother.

Even if that wasn’t the case, she couldn’t know exactly which side Duke Havent stood on because Rondimio deliberately didn’t inform Louise about how the imperial court operated or about the major nobles.

Neither the former emperor nor Rondimio taught her anything, they just kept her by their side and called her lovely.

Louise looked at Duke Havent, who was confronting Rondimio, as she ate two cupcakes that suited her taste after a long time.

“Can’t you see I’m escorting my lovely empress and the child in her womb?”

“Your Majesty the Emperor hasn’t shown your face at any meetings lately. And you don’t normally grant audiences either.”

“I don’t believe I have any obligation to meet with you all?”

“This is important, so please spare us just a moment, Your Majesty.”

Rondimio held Louise tightly in his arms and frowned, but he seemed unable to easily dismiss them.

It seems Rondimio’s behavior has become quite serious lately.

There were even nobles who knocked on the bedroom door in the empress’s palace, saying that important work had piled up because he hadn’t moved from the empress’s palace.

But does the empire not function at all without Rondimio?

The former emperor certainly didn’t seem to handle imperial affairs in that way.

She couldn’t tell whether the current state of the imperial court was dysfunctional, or if Rondimio was tightly controlling the imperial court and the nobles.

However, it seemed certain that Louise herself had sold out the Araceli Empire, as some imperial citizens outside the palace and some nobles were saying.

Even without knowing much, the empire hadn’t been this much of a mess before….

“I’ll be fine, so please go, Your Majesty.”

While receiving congratulations from major nobles including Duke Havent, Louise urged Rondimio.

This was fortunate, as she had been wondering how to separate from Rondimio, who had been trying not to leave her side throughout the banquet.

“But Louise, today’s banquet is for you and our child in your womb. I can’t be away from your side……”

“I said I wanted to receive congratulations from many people. I can receive them by myself too. Right, Margaret?”

“Huh? Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”

And it was also fate that Marquis Miko and Margaret, from whom she had decided to seek help, were just a few steps away.

Louise spoke to Margaret, who had returned to being Marquis Miko’s daughter today instead of the empress’s maid.

Nothing could be more natural than an empress speaking to her maid.

By the time Rondimio disappeared into the distance due to everyone’s urging,

Louise approached Marquis Miko, who was conversing with Margaret among the nobles.

The nobles looked curiously at the empress approaching the nobles alone without the emperor, but soon turned their gazes away. After all, the empress was merely the emperor’s plaything.

“Ah, I’d like to receive congratulations directly from the Marquis.”

Louise led Marquis Miko and Margaret into an empty reception room.

Both Marquis Miko and Margaret looked puzzled, but they followed quite cooperatively.

Margaret, dressed as the precious daughter of a high-ranking noble, even stayed close to Louise the empress as usual and attended to her, though she didn’t need to.

When Louise opened the door to the reception room in the corner of the banquet hall, Margaret stopped her.

“If you don’t mind… shall I guide you to the reception room assigned to our family? It’s just on the floor below, not far at all.”

“The Miko family’s reception room……”

Louise considered this unexpected proposal. It would be safer to have the conversation in the Miko family’s reception room than in an empty reception room in the banquet hall.

The conversation she was about to have with Marquis Miko would cause serious trouble if even a little of it leaked out.

She had thought any empty reception room would be fine, but in fact most of the servants and knights inside the banquet hall were Rondimio’s people.

She had called for Marquis Miko and Margaret after Rondimio had gone far away, but there would certainly be guards secretly placed by Rondimio….

“It’s sad that I, as empress, don’t have a reception room I can use comfortably. Let’s do that. Marquis, and Margaret.”

“An excellent choice, Your Majesty the Empress.”

After hesitating, when Louise indicated her agreement, the father and daughter briefly shared a glance before stepping away from each other.

As Louise was wondering about their sudden behavior, a large gloved hand was abruptly extended before her.

“Let’s go. I’ll escort you.”

Louise placed her hand gently on Marquis Miko’s hand while maintaining an innocent expression as if she knew nothing.

She was overjoyed to be able to meet with Marquis Miko as she had wished.

“You don’t have to… go this far, Marquis.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to receive congratulations from me? It is a subject’s duty to follow the empress’s command.”

This wasn’t the kind of behavior the usual Marquis of Miko would show….

Though not yet certain, could this be the effect of her persistent pestering of Margaret?

While accepting Marquis Miko’s escort, Louise wavered somewhere between rising anxiety and expectation.

That she, the empress, secretly needed Marquis Miko’s help.

Perhaps he even believed that she didn’t love the emperor, which would make her truly happy.