The fact that it didn’t seem entirely impossible troubled her.

After all, he was someone who had already disposed of someone in front of her on their wedding day.

But he didn’t seem like someone who would torment a woman he loved.

At least based on what she had seen of him so far.

He kept his promises better than expected, listened well to what she said, and considered it.

He was someone who appreciated the hardships and efforts of his chosen wife and valued the honor of the imperial family.

He was the one who took her hand when she was dancing like a madwoman in the middle of the night.

He didn’t seem like someone who would commit indiscriminate, senseless murder.

Though his personality might be somewhat lacking, he didn’t seem like a nutcase who would kill a woman he loved.

She organized her thoughts, concluding it was just gossip spread by rumor-lovers in high society, and fell asleep.

And then the incident erupted in the dawn hours when everyone was asleep.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

Madam Peggy’s anxious and urgent voice made her wonder if she was dreaming.

“You must wake up, Your Majesty the Empress.”

When she opened her eyes, she saw Madam Peggy’s face full of worry.

“What’s happening? At this hour?”

“You must go to His Majesty the Emperor’s palace. We need to prepare quickly.”

“What?”

She had a bad feeling.

She quickly got up and moved so the maids could help her prepare.

After preparations, she headed to the Second Annex Palace with Grand Chamberlain Dalton, Madam Peggy, and several attendant maids.

“What’s going on?”

Grand Chamberlain Dalton spoke with a serious face.

“We haven’t figured out the details yet, but Princess Hyrelia is at His Majesty the Emperor’s palace. Did something happen during dinner?”

Something had happened, but why had it spread outside?

Could Lady Viviana Anderson be causing trouble? She felt worried for a moment.

However, as soon as she entered his private office, she could feel that the atmosphere was ominous.

Lady Viviana Anderson, whom she thought would be causing trouble, was nowhere to be seen, and only Princess Hyrelia was glaring at Emperor Charte with a face full of hatred.

What was going on? She felt dazed, as if she’d been hit.

He looked at her with an expressionless face.

Just as she was about to greet him, Princess Hyrelia’s sharp voice rang out.

“You did it! That man killed my sister!”

She was so shocked that she stood there dumbfounded.

“You killed my sister and covered it up by saying she ran away! Bring back my innocent sister! Right now! Bring her back! You murderer!”

“Huh? What?”

She was so surprised that she spoke without thinking.

“Yes. You, Empress, told us after dismissing all the servants and maids, saying it was a secret.”

She had dismissed the servants and maids, but that was because you wanted it.

She trembled all over, feeling absurd and flustered.

Then she suddenly realized. If she stayed like this, she would die.

All her efforts to survive would be for nothing.

She began to defend herself actively.

“Princess! What are you saying? I did what?”

“During dinner, you brought up my sister. I was so shocked by what you said that I couldn’t even finish the meal.”

As she spoke the last sentence, her delicate shoulders trembled, making her look very pitiful and truthful.

Charte’s gaze turned to the servants and maids who had attended them that evening.

They nodded.

“Your Majesty, that’s not true. I absolutely never did such a thing.”

In this crisis, her mind became clear and cold.

She had thought earlier that something felt off about that curveball…

She couldn’t understand why they were attacking her like this.

She hadn’t done anything seriously wrong to them.

Though they might resent her for taking her sister’s place, was there any need to go this far?

Who exactly was this revenge aimed at?

She thought of Lady Viviana as a witness but couldn’t bring herself to mention her name.

If it became known that she had spread such rumors, she could actually be executed for insulting the imperial family.

“Your Majesty. I never uttered such words. Please believe me.”

“Your Majesty the Emperor. Please return my sister. Even her corpse would be fine. Our parents have fallen ill longing for her. Please at least let us bury her in our parents’ arms. Please have mercy on my family. If your love for my sister was sincere, please…”

Her performance conveyed such heartbreaking pain and sorrow that even a maid was moved to tears—it was an outstanding acting performance.

Why was she doing this to her? Was there any reason for such hostility and malice toward her?

Just then, the princess glared at her again.

“Your Majesty, I have a witness. Please summon Lady Viviana Anderson.”

She also wanted to call the lady, but she couldn’t mention her name for fear that she might have been manipulated.

It was truly a life-or-death situation…

Now it seemed like everything had been planned.

No matter how she thought about it, it wouldn’t be easy to prove her innocence in this situation.

She had thought such things only happened in soap operas, never imagining she would experience it herself.

After all her efforts to survive, she couldn’t let everything fall apart like this.

Because of these villainesses! Eun-hee! Give me strength!

Charte looked at Viscount Catano and said,

“Have the empress and the princess rest elsewhere until the lady arrives.”

When he finished speaking, Grand Chamberlain Dalton and the princess’s maid entered and took her and the princess out.

In the corridor, she also saw Madam Peggy with a worried face.

About to leave, she turned around and asked the princess,

“Princess, what’s your motive for doing this to me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Your Majesty the Empress.”

She entered the room she was guided to but couldn’t rest, pacing anxiously.

She had no evidence.

To better understand the situation, she asked Madam Peggy,

“Have you heard what happened?”

“It started in the middle of the night when Princess Yasrin stood at the annex palace door, screaming at the top of her lungs to bring back her sister. She said she tried to endure it but couldn’t anymore, and even asked to be killed too. It was quite a scene.”

“I really didn’t do it. I don’t even know what Yasrin did… No one properly told me about Yasrin…”

Should she make a tearful appeal to Charte?

But he wasn’t the type to be swayed by such things.

Should she threaten him by saying if she died, he would never know the ending of ⟨The Seduction of the Marked Wife⟩?

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t see a way to survive.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Grand Chamberlain Dalton, who had been waiting outside, came in and took her away.

In Emperor Charte’s office, she saw the familiar face of Viviana.

She was looking at the emperor with an expression of extreme fear.

Her face showed such terror that she seemed incapable of telling any lies.

Viscount Catano asked Viviana,

“Lady, you are the only person who attended dinner tonight. Do you remember the conversation during the meal?”

Viviana looked at Emperor Charte, herself, and Princess Hyrelia with a frightened face.

“Answer quickly, lady.”

When Viscount Catano spoke again, Viviana hung her head and sighed.

She saw it. The corner of Viviana’s mouth curling up.

She felt pathetic for having even 0.0000001 percent hope.

This was a planned crime. The culprit was right in front of her, but she had no way to prove it.

“Her Majesty the Empress told us, the princess and me, the secret that His Majesty the Emperor killed former Empress Yasrin and covered it up.”

Charte’s expression didn’t change, but the faces of Viscount Catano and Guard Captain Rad, standing beside him, turned not just pale but almost blue.

She had no expectations, but hearing the false testimony directly brought back despair and anger.

She had anticipated that Princess Hyrelia hadn’t invited her out of goodwill, yet she still fell into their trap. Stupid.

She had thought lightly that they would just exchange some verbal jabs, but the situation had escalated too much.

She hadn’t expected them to go this far against her, the empress.

She wondered what grudge Hyrelia and Viviana could possibly have to go to such lengths.

Was this anger directed at the emperor? At the empress? Or was it truly revenge for Yasrin?

Even so, this was a matter of life and death.

The problem was too big to dismiss as the prank of an immature princess and lady.

There must be some reason.

She pondered, thinking she needed to understand the cause to find a solution, but she couldn’t even guess what the reason might be.

Now she focused all her thoughts on how to overcome this crisis.

Of course, the simplest solution would be to say, “I am Jo Yun-ah from the Republic of Korea. I’m not actually Leila, and I don’t know Yasrin,” but who would believe that? They would think she was crazy.

Sunk in despair, she couldn’t think of anything.

Dramas have foreshadowing, clues, and male protagonists who help, but reality wasn’t like that.

At this moment, she was utterly alone.

After surviving since the wedding day…

Tears welled up from the injustice, but she held them back, thinking she needed to stay calm, and looked at Charte.

However, his expression remained indifferent and cold.

Would that person really believe me? What could he be thinking? The bond of husband and wife means nothing to him—it’s just an employer-employee contract.

Princess Hyrelia continued to weep and beg for the truth to be revealed, while Viviana maintained her frightened expression.

Their plan and acting were perfect.

She didn’t know what grudge they held, but unable to find an escape from this collapsed sky and sickened by human malice, her will gradually broke, and she gave up.

Viscount Catano, who had barely regained his senses after the forbidden topic erupted again, spoke to Viviana.

“Lady, do you understand the implications of what you just said?”

“What? Yes…… Viscount. How dare I lie before His Majesty the Emperor? As an imperial citizen who respects His Majesty the Emperor, I have only spoken the truth.”

When Charte looked at Viscount Catano with irritation in his eyes, the viscount hastened the proceedings.

“I have heard the accounts of Princess Hyrelia and Lady Viviana. Now I will hear from Her Majesty the Empress.”

“I received the princess’s invitation to dinner, and when she asked to dismiss everyone because she had something to say, I did so and listened to what she had to say.”

Charte sent her a cold gaze, but she met his eyes boldly.

“Your Majesty, I am now a member of the imperial family. I would not do anything to insult the imperial family. I absolutely never said such things.”

As Charte silently stared at her, Princess Hyrelia’s sharp voice interrupted.

“Your Majesty, please reveal the truth.”