“Ahem!”

The Emperor turned his head away in irritation and coughed loudly and deliberately.

He had always made his dislike of Isabel clear, but this was a gathering attended by foreign delegates. Nevertheless, he did not hesitate to treat her coldly. The surrounding nobles exchanged uneasy glances, carefully reading the atmosphere.

Cedric stood at the Emperor’s side like a shadow, saying nothing.

Unable to endure it any longer, Margaret rose to her feet, but Isabel stopped her.

She no longer expected anything from Cedric, who faithfully served the Emperor. The same went for the Emperor himself. Every time he looked at her, it was as though he were staring at a criminal.

But if anyone here was truly guilty, wasn’t it him?

Whenever she saw him, she was flooded with memories of her parents’ miserable deaths and an overwhelming urge to lose control and stab him in the throat.

But not here. Not now.

She had endured this much already.

As Isabel shook her head, Margaret let out a long sigh and slowly sat back down.

Meanwhile, Crown Princess Rianna, who had taken her seat shortly before, cast a cold glance in Isabel’s direction before turning away.

They had once been close, but ever since the competition for the position of Crown Princess, Rianna had become distant and cold towards her.

It wasn’t that Isabel hadn’t noticed. But she had far more pressing matters to worry about.

So she ignored it.

Even then, the Emperor continued to glare at her openly, his displeasure impossible to hide. Then, as if recalling something, his gaze shifted and he spotted his favorite mistress, the Countess of Sergen — Suzanne — seated far away.

“Ah—Suzanne! Why are you sitting so far away? You should be seated beside me!”

At his call, Suzanne smiled faintly and spoke in a gentle, soothing tone.

“Your Majesty, how could I possibly sit at your side? That seat rightfully belongs to Her Majesty the Empress.”

“The Empress!”

At Suzanne’s words, the Emperor snapped his head toward Empress Aina, glaring at her.

Already frail and timid, Aina trembled under his gaze, seated beside him as though she barely existed.

“W-what is it…?”

“Tsk. In front of the entire delegation, no less—what an unsightly display!”

Emperor Kaidus III clicked his tongue in irritation as he looked at the Empress, who seemed on the verge of collapse simply from being addressed.

“You’re unwell as it is, why did you even come? It’s hardly fitting to present someone in such a condition before honored guests. Switch seats with Suzanne at once.”

He drove Empress Aina from her seat with those coercive words and summoned Suzanne to sit beside him.

Although Suzanne looked apologetic, she did not resist his touch.

Empress Aina was left standing as her place was taken in an instant. She blushed deeply, unsure of what to do.

Although she was the empress, everyone knew that she was nothing more than a figurehead.

The nobles watched her with quiet pity

Under their gaze, Aina’s hands trembled.

The Crown Prince made no move to help her.

Although he was the empress’s son by name, Crown Prince Joshua von Kaidus had actually been born to a maid and later adopted by her.

Nevertheless, he should have shown her the utmost respect.

Instead, he ignored her.

In fact, he despised her weakness.

“Have you been drinking again this afternoon, Your Majesty?”

As always, Margaret von Francia stepped forward to represent Aina.

As the empress’s sister-in-law, she was Aina’s greatest source of strength, and the only person who dared to speak boldly to the emperor.

The Emperor, who had been playing with Suzanne’s hand while raising his wine glass in satisfaction, froze. His expression twisted instantly.

“What? I haven’t had a drop.”

“No, you most certainly have.”

The Emperor stared at Margaret in disbelief. He had even eaten lightly in preparation for the banquet—what nonsense was this about drinking?

His nostrils flared, and at last, his voice rose sharply.

“I said I haven’t! Margaret, what kind of madness are you spouting—?!”

“Otherwise, how could His Majesty—who should be upholding the dignity of the Empire—drive out the Empress and seat his mistress in her place? Especially at a gathering with foreign delegates, after three years, no less.”

“Y-you…!”

The Emperor flared up at Margaret’s stern words, yet he could not bring himself to respond. Strangely, she was the one person he could not dominate.

Fixing the foolish Emperor with a look of pure disdain, Margaret turned to Suzanne, who sat beside him, and spoke sharply,

“Unlike His Majesty, who seems too intoxicated to tell right from wrong, Countess Sergen appears perfectly clear-headed.”

Suzanne, her lips painted as boldly as the deep crimson dress she favored, smiled faintly at Margaret’s remark.

“My lady, I merely could not bring myself to defy His Majesty’s command—”

“That seat belongs solely to the Empress of this Empire!”

“Margaret! How dare you insult Suzanne in my presence—!”

“Your Majesty, please.”

Just as the Emperor was about to erupt—unable to show weakness before the assembled nobles and envoys, especially not before Suzanne—she gently pressed down on his hand.

“Now that I think about it, the lady is right, Your Majesty.”

At Suzanne’s soft voice, the Emperor’s attention shifted to her at once.

“The seat itself is not what matters. My heart is always closest to you, after all.”

Her whisper soothed him, and the fury that had been on the verge of bursting slowly subsided.

“If that is how you feel… then perhaps Margaret is right. I was merely concerned that the Empress, looking so unwell, might collapse again.”

“Of course.”

Margaret let out a faint, mocking scoff as she watched Suzanne cling to the Emperor’s arm.

“I am well aware of how devoted Your Majesty is to the Empress. However, today is an important occasion, and Her Majesty has taken great care of her health for this very event. There will be no cause for concern.”

Rising from her seat, Margaret personally led Empress Aina by the hand back to the Emperor’s side.

Suzanne stood at once, offering a polite bow.

“My apologies, Your Majesty. I was so focused on attending to His Majesty that I overstepped.”

“N-no, it’s quite all right…”

Glancing nervously at Suzanne, Empress Aina forced a smile as Margaret helped her sit down next to the Emperor.

Blocked by Margaret, the Emperor could not express his anger freely. Instead, he drank in silence, glass after glass, his frustration simmering beneath the surface.

As his mood darkened, the banquet quickly lost its sense of ease.

Ultimately, the Emperor could not even last thirty minutes before abruptly rising from his seat and taking Suzanne with him.

Once the Emperor had left, the Crown Prince followed soon after, as if there were no reason for him to remain.

Empress Aina was left behind, sitting frozen, her face drained of color.

Margaret stepped forward and dismissed the gathering early under the pretext of preparing for the next day’s event.

❖ ❖ ❖

“The Emperor already looks unfavorably upon you because of me… you could have endured it a little longer.”

“I already am enduring it—holding myself back from ripping that madman’s head clean off.”

At Margaret’s half-joking remark, Isabel couldn’t help but laugh.

Margaret soon looked at her with gentle warmth.

“Don’t worry. The Emperor will never be able to touch me.”

Calium was once a small kingdom that was envious of Solaum’s vast, fertile lands — the home of the ancient races.

This envy eventually led to a war of conquest.

The kingdom that seized the continent of Solaum then built an empire upon its ruins.

However, this glorious era came to an end with the first emperor, Kaidus I. By the time Kaidus II’s reign drew to a close and Kaidus III ascended the throne, a strange corruption had begun to spread across the land.

With that corruption came monsters.

One by one, the fertile granaries that had once flourished began to collapse. The land withered until not a single stalk of grain could grow. Hunger followed, then disease. Ultimately, the great houses that had once protected the Calium Empire were forced to abandon their territories and retreat to Anita, the only capital city to remain untouched by the corruption.

As a result, the nobility weakened, and the Emperor’s power naturally increased.

Yet House Francia alone did not fall.

Their domain was blessed with mines overflowing with gold and jewels, which remained untouched by the corruption. This had sustained the family’s wealth for generations.

But that was not the only reason.

In many ways, House Francia had become the very force that prevented the Empire from descending into complete ruin.

While the corruption spread throughout the land, the capital, Anita, alone remained safe.

Naturally, the starving masses flocked there in desperate waves. Even as they were cut down by soldiers’ blades, they continued to surge forward, driven by sheer desperation. The Emperor was powerless to quell the chaos.

It was at this point that Margaret von Francia, the true driving force behind House Francia, stepped forward.

Addressing the people herself, she made a promise: she would resolve the food crisis. With that vow, she set sail for Werdia, the southern continent long associated with her family.

She succeeded in opening up trade.

She imported grain, livestock and all kinds of everyday necessities at reasonable prices. Although the tribute gathered from neighboring nations was considerable, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the capital’s continued prosperity was down to Margaret alone.

This was precisely why the Emperor could not dismiss her.

For the same reason, he could not cast aside Isabel, who remained under Margaret’s protection.

“I will not die as easily as your parents did. For your sake as well, I will endure—stubbornly, no matter what.”

At her words, Isabel felt a quiet warmth spread through one corner of her heart, and she smiled.

“Yes. I believe you.”

“You should go inside now. With the arrival of the foreign delegations for His Majesty’s birthday celebrations, things are only going to get more hectic. You need to rest whenever you can. Didn’t Cedric even come out to see you off? There isn’t a single thing about that man I find pleasing.”

At Margaret’s words, Isabel’s gaze turned cold.

It had happened only moments ago.

After leaving the banquet hall with Margaret and reaching the entrance, she had seen Cedric standing there despite being supposed to leave with the Emperor. He had been speaking urgently with his men before rushing outside.

There was no doubt where he was heading.

He was going to Anna.

‘So in the end, you really intend to bring that woman into the house, don’t you, Cedric?’