Charte’s gaze turned to Princess Hyrelia.

“What happened to Princess Yasrin that night?”

Angered by Princess Hyrelia’s behavior, she immediately spoke up.

“Your Majesty, I also ask that you reveal the truth about tonight’s incident. So that no other innocent person suffers in the attempt to uncover a past event.”

Princess Hyrelia glared at her, and she glared back with determination not to back down.

Charte, who had been watching them both, stood up without a word, followed by Viscount Catano and Guard Captain Rad.

“Your Majesty, where is my sister! What happened to her!”

Yasrin’s image seemed to overlap with Hyrelia’s.

They looked very similar, and this further irritated Charte.

When he paused and turned around, his eyes were cold and dry.

As Princess Hyrelia tried to say something more, he simply left the room.

Princess Hyrelia tried to follow him but was stopped by the imperial guards.

After the emperor’s party left, only she, Hyrelia, and Viviana remained in the empty room.

She approached Princess Hyrelia with staggering steps, drained of energy, and the princess looked at her with an arrogant face.

The audacity was beyond belief. So this is what it means to be dumbfounded.

Taking a deep breath to release her inner anger, she spoke to the princess.

“Princess, why are you doing this to me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Honestly, she wanted to grab that long, luscious hair…… by the roots, but she barely restrained herself and looked at Viviana.

“Lady, do you realize what you’ve done?”

“I only spoke the truth. I suggest you worry about what you’ve ‘done,’ Your Majesty the Empress.”

She felt chills at the shamelessness of someone lying with such an innocent face.

She tried to convince them that they had insulted the imperial family, but feeling it would be futile, she gave up and returned to her seat.

Shortly after, Viscount Catano entered.

“The incident that occurred today warrants immediate imprisonment for everyone present, but Her Majesty the Empress, the princess, and the lady will be sent home until the investigation is complete. Please remain in your quarters under house arrest. Outings or contact with others are forbidden. This is due to His Majesty the Emperor’s great generosity. As we cannot make a decision about this case immediately, everyone will return home today and meet again after the investigation.”

Princess Hyrelia and Viviana stood up and left first.

She remained seated, dazed and bewildered. Viscount Catano approached her.

“Your Majesty the Empress, you should return to your palace.”

“Has His Majesty the Emperor left?”

“Yes, he has returned to his palace.”

She felt strangely disappointed by his actions, interpreting it as abandonment—a death sentence.

‘Well, Jo Yun-ah…… this seems to be the end. You held up well in this strange place. I’m sorry, Leila.’

* * *

Back in her room, Hyrelia appeared calm.

As if she hadn’t been the same person who had been crying and begging to find her sister just moments ago…… She had initiated this reckless act that could cause diplomatic friction in her quest to find her sister.

Her sister had vanished without a trace overnight, leaving only rumors.

No matter how much money she spent or how many people she deployed, she couldn’t properly determine what had happened the night her sister disappeared.

All she discovered was that the room had been covered in blood.

And now the emperor had remarried, and it was said he got along well with the empress—this made her want to destroy everything.

The empress might not have been involved in the incident, but her crime was being careless and stupid enough to be in that position, and taking Yasrin’s place.

Of course, before all this, she had created a safety measure.

Viviana.

She had merely listened to Viviana’s story and asked the emperor to confirm the facts.

* * *

When Mary sensed Viviana entering the house, she went to the kitchen to prepare tea.

Returning home, Viviana was in ecstasy, not even realizing what she had done.

She had finally met Emperor Charte, and he had become aware of her existence.

Until now, she hadn’t dared approach him because the emperor would kill at the slightest provocation, but the emperor had changed.

If Leila disappeared, the empress’s position would become vacant again. The empty empress’s position……

Just then, a knock interrupted her happy fantasies.

“What?”

“Sister, I’ve prepared tea.”

“Come in.”

“I thought you might be tired from staying out so late, so I prepared lemon honey tea.”

After drinking the tea Mary handed her, her body felt comfortable.

“Even a worm has its talents—being a maid really suits you.”

“I’m glad it’s to your liking. Where did you go?”

“Why do you need to know? I’m working hard to save our family that you ruined.”

“I’m sorry. Because of me……”

As Mary stood up to leave, Viviana felt an itch to speak and a strange reluctance to let her go.

“Hey!”

“Yes? Sister.”

“I’ll get you a job at the palace soon.”

“Sister! What do you mean? Do you know someone at the palace?”

“They might become someone I know, or someone I live with……”

“What? What do you mean? Are you becoming a noble maid in the Empress’s Palace?”

“Do I look like you! Becoming a maid! Really, your standards.”

“What? Then what else is there? Anyway, I’m envious, sister! You’re really amazing!”

As Mary looked up at her in amazement, Viviana felt as if she had already become empress.

Noticing Viviana’s mood, Mary continued her praise.

Viviana shared some, though not all, details.

The empress would soon be deposed and executed, and when they selected a new empress, considering age and qualifications, she would be the best match; the emperor had been staring at her the whole time earlier; and stupid Leila was getting what she deserved for looking down on her all this time.

Mary asked with a genuinely innocent expression:

“What did you say to them, sister?”

Feeling good at the thought of becoming empress soon, she giggled and began to act:

“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.”

Not noticing Mary’s mouth curling up slightly as she heard this……

* * *

Viscount Catano anxiously watched Charte, who sat in a chair before his desk with his eyes closed.

“Your Majesty, please rest……”

At that moment, Charte suddenly opened his eyes, which gleamed intensely, startling Viscount Catano into swallowing his words.

“What do you think, Viscount Catano?”

“I believe Her Majesty the Empress would not have said such things. You two have a good relationship, so I see no reason for her to create conflict. There’s nothing for Her Majesty the Empress to gain from this incident. What do you think, Your Majesty?”

“Must I tell you my thoughts?”

“Ah, no! I was thoughtless.”

“Look into Baron Anderson’s family and find out what Princess Hyrelia has been doing recently.”

“Yes.”

* * *

The Empress’s Palace had the atmosphere of a funeral home.

Madam Peggy had been kneeling before her and crying profusely.

“I should have declined on your behalf…… I caused this disaster by delivering the invitation to Your Majesty the Empress……”

“No, it’s not your fault. I said I would go……”

“I should have stopped you then…… I failed in my duty as head lady-in-waiting. I should have better guided Your Majesty the Empress, who is still unfamiliar with the palace…… I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. Please get up from the floor. You’ll hurt your knees. Crying won’t solve anything. Madam Peggy, I’ll say it again—I never said those things. I can’t let myself be falsely accused, but what should we do? We need to find a solution.”

After pondering for a while, she carefully spoke.

“Madam Peggy, I can’t just be victimized without knowing anything. Please tell me everything you know.”

Peggy’s eyes wavered anxiously, but after a moment, she seemed to make up her mind and spoke.

“Actually, even we don’t know the exact details. I was working at the Fourth Annex Palace at that time. Empress Yasrin vanished one night without a trace, and no one knows why. It’s true that there was blood all over the room used by Empress Yasrin, and all the maids who served Her Majesty the Empress at that time died. Such rumors circulated briefly, but His Majesty the Emperor……”

Peggy stopped and looked at her face. She seemed to find it difficult to continue.

“It’s okay. Tell me everything.”

“His Majesty the Emperor…… loved former Empress Yasrin so much that everyone in the palace knew it, so no one believed such rumors.”

It felt strange. The feeling.

If asked exactly why she felt this way, she probably couldn’t have answered.

Just the fact that this psychopath who toyed with her life without any mercy or compassion had loved someone.

The fact that his love was so great that everyone knew about it…… she decided it must simply feel strange.

But why her!

Why was she facing death for a husband whose relationship with her was merely a facade?

She had barely survived nearly being killed by him, only to end up dying because of him anyway—she pitied her own life.

‘His Majesty the Emperor…… loved former Empress Yasrin so much that everyone in the palace knew it, so no one believed such rumors.’

Though sleep wouldn’t come, she had nothing else to do, so she just lay down, but Peggy’s words kept coming to mind, making her kick off her blankets and get up several times.

Her thoughts spiraled, ultimately ending in resentment and curses toward God.

Why are you doing this to me?

What did I ever do!

Why? For what reason?

Was a lifelong single like her destined to be the lightning rod for someone else’s love?

Why must I become the sacrificial lamb in other people’s love quarrels!

God! Do you really exist! Or did you create me and then forget about me!

She buried her face in her pillow, screaming and thrashing about for a while before stopping.

Exhausted, she stared blankly at the ceiling and spoke to no one in particular.

“If I knew this was a life others could toy with and waste as they pleased, I would have given up long ago. Why do you get to decide my fate! I risked my life to make a contract just to survive, but it looks like I’ll be defeated anyway.”

She poured out words full of indignation, but in reality, there was nothing she could do.

There was no voice or video evidence, and the only witnesses were already in cahoots.