“If it weren’t for your sister’s confession, your family would have been completely wiped out. Consider yourself lucky that it ends with just you. And how dare a baron’s daughter speak informally to the empress. Watch your mouth.”

“Mary, that fox-like wicked girl—I always knew she would ruin our family someday. If it weren’t for her—!”

“I told you to watch your mouth.”

“Leila…… no, Your Majesty the Empress, I’m truly wronged. Why would I write such things on paper? It doesn’t make sense. This is all that Mary girl’s scheme. Who leaves evidence of wrongdoing?”

“My, my, you still haven’t come to your senses. But at least you know you did something wrong. You should spend your life here reflecting on your evil deeds, and it still wouldn’t be enough. How dare you play with the empress’s life without fear?”

“You……”

Viviana stopped speaking when Yun-ah glared at her.

“Lower your eyes. Don’t you know how a criminal should behave before the empress?”

Perhaps out of some last shred of pride, Viviana slightly turned her eyes in another direction as if looking at something else, and continued speaking in a deliberately lowered voice, trying to sound natural.

“Your Majesty the Empress has always been a stumbling block in my path.”

“Just because there’s a stumbling block doesn’t mean you can remove them all. Sometimes wisdom lies in going around them…… tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Yun-ah clicked her tongue and left for the Empress’s Palace.

“Madam Peggy.”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“I’ll be reassigning all the attendants and ladies-in-waiting in every palace, so please make preparations and bring Lady Mary Anderson into the palace.”

“Yes.”

As Peggy left, she was surprised to realize that the empress had spoken informally to her for the first time.

The previously awkward demeanor—somewhere between a lady and an empress—had disappeared, and she felt that the empress had truly grown into her role.

Today, the empress shone with her own unapproachable dignity.

* * *

Left alone in the empty room, Yun-ah finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She couldn’t count how many near-death experiences she’d had since coming here.

This was why people should live in civilized countries.

Though not exactly primitive, class-based societies treated human lives as cheaply as gum, whether at the top or bottom.

Isn’t life the most precious thing in the world!

One must be alive to enjoy or experience anything.

She couldn’t understand how people could so readily plot to take lives out of understandable but inferior feelings of jealousy and greed.

She decided that if political battles were necessary for the empress, she would need to build her own network of people and establish defenses to survive here.

She vowed not to attack innocent people, but she would not avoid fights that came her way and would return them all in kind.

* * *

After Viviana was punished, the Anderson household felt like a house in mourning.

Baroness Anderson directed all her anger at Mary.

Mary’s cheeks were swollen and red.

“How dare you touch my daughter. Our family isn’t saved because of you; it’s ruined because of you. If you had just kept your mouth shut, no one would have known.”

Still not satisfied, Baroness Anderson slapped Mary’s cheek again.

Just then, the butler entered and announced urgently,

“The palace is looking for Miss Mary.”

At this, the baroness and maids applied ice to Mary’s cheeks and dressed her in Viviana’s clothes.

“Stop talking nonsense and bring our Viviana back. If not, you won’t be able to live here either.”

After hearing the baroness’s threats, Mary went to the carriage sent from the palace.

Before boarding the carriage, she looked back at the baron’s residence.

“This wretched house is finally over. I’m never coming back.”

The carriage carrying Mary traveled diligently and stopped in front of the palace’s main gate.

“You must walk from here.”

Mary stepped down from the carriage with a friendly face, hiding the ambition filling her heart as she gazed at the palace spread before her.

‘This is just the beginning. I will never leave this place. This is my home now.’

Concealing her eyes burning with desire and wearing a mask of innocence, Mary walked toward the Empress’s Palace.

* * *

“It’s good to see you again, Lady Anderson.”

“It’s an honor to be invited, Your Majesty the Empress.”

Mary and I sat across from each other, drinking tea and chatting.

Peace finally settled in the Empress’s Palace after the tension had eased.

“I’d like to repay you somehow. Is there anything you would like?”

“Not at all. I didn’t do it expecting anything in return. Just being invited here is such an honor that I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Seeing someone humble for the first time since coming to this world, I couldn’t help but smile.

Just then, Mary winced while drinking her tea and clutched her cheek.

“Ouch……”

After carefully observing her slightly swollen face, I asked with concern,

“I’ve been wondering about it—what happened to you?”

Mary’s eyes began to tremble as if an earthquake had struck.

Seeing her weak and fragile appearance reflected my own situation, making me more concerned.

“Is it because of that incident…… It must be. Since your sister ended up that way…… things have become difficult at home?”

Mary bit her lip tightly without answering.

“How can I help you? I wish you would tell me……”

Mary looked at me as if she had made a firm decision after contemplating.

“Your Majesty the Empress……”

I gave her a warm look as she struggled to speak.

“As you may already know, I am…… the illegitimate daughter of the Anderson family.”

I nodded, indicating that I already knew.

“To be honest…… I have nowhere to go now. Could you possibly employ me as a lady-in-waiting in the Empress’s Palace? Your Majesty the Empress, if that’s too much, please just take me in.”

Taking Mary’s hand, I said,

“If that’s what you want, I can certainly grant it, so don’t worry. Is there nothing else you want? I’d like to do more for you.”

Mary responded with a touched expression, shyly saying,

“Then, Your Majesty the Empress, from now on, please call me Mary instead of lady.”

“How sweet! I could give you jewels or land, anything you want…… feel free to ask for more.”

“Your Majesty the Empress’s kindness is more than enough.”

Tears finally rolled down Mary’s cheeks.

Her seemingly infinitely kind and pure appearance made me like her even more.

I handed her a handkerchief and said kindly,

“Think of me not as the empress but as an older sister, a friend. Mary.”

“I’m honored. How could I dare to treat Your Majesty the Empress that way?”

“I’ll think of it as having gained a little sister, a friend.”

Mary shed tears again.

“I’ll do my very best. I won’t forget the kindness you’ve shown in taking me in.”

I called Peggy and gave instructions regarding Mary.

“Mary, follow Madam Peggy here, and she’ll guide you.”

“Yes, thank you, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Madam Peggy, make sure Mary is well taken care of. And make her my closest personal attendant.”

“Yes, I will do so, Your Majesty the Empress.”

Shortly after Mary left, Ivester visited the Empress’s Palace.

“I was too preoccupied to greet you properly, Minister Pahorder.”

“It’s fine. You don’t need to greet me like that, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Still, I want to express my gratitude somehow. If there’s anything you want from me, please tell me. I heard you rushed out because of me that day.”

“Friends should help each other in difficult times. To me, Your Majesty the Empress will always be a friend. All I want is one thing—to be treated as before.”

Being close like before would be a problematic relationship.

But unable to refuse outright, I seriously considered it, and seeing Ivester’s earnest expression, I finally spoke,

“When we’re alone, let’s be friends then. Like before.”

Ivester’s face changed as if he couldn’t believe it, then broke into a broad smile.

“Leila! Really? We’ll be like before.”

“Yes, Ivester. Let’s be that way. But we absolutely cannot get caught!”

Everyone got what they wanted, and the incident was concluded.

Vowing never to experience such a thing again, I reflected on the incident and thought about Charte.

What was going through his mind?

Did he believe me?

Did he not believe me?

I remembered meeting him in the backyard early that morning.

At the time, when he told everyone to turn around, I was scared thinking I was going to die, but thinking about it now, it seemed like his manner of being considerate about my tears.

Is that imperial manners?

Though he never properly took my side, he didn’t seem to doubt me particularly.

I could think positively since the outcome was a happy ending, but that was the feeling I got.

Of course, he clearly did it to take the side of the imperial family, not my side, but……

Suddenly, a thought struck me.

A chill ran down my spine, and I felt like I’d been slapped with water twenty times in succession.

Why on earth did I cry and sniffle so much in front of that person—someone I could never emotionally connect with?

Belated regret washed over me like a tsunami.

Jumping up in embarrassment, I buried my face in the bed and screamed.

Just then, I heard the voice of an attendant from outside.

“Your Majesty the Empress, it’s time for you to prepare.”

“Huh? Prepare for what?”

“Today is the night you share a bed with His Majesty the Emperor.”

I realized I had forgotten this important matter.

Being caught up in the incident, I had lost track of time.

Just as I had barely overcome one hurdle, another bigger one awaited me.

Tonight was the night to get my life extension approval from my employer.

Life really has no end to its challenges.

Not a single day of rest.

In the world I used to live in, the struggle was usually to earn money to survive, but here it was literally a struggle to stay alive.

This is what true survival means.

Suddenly, I felt proud of myself for living so diligently.

I resolved that once I received approval to ‘live for another week,’ I would prepare against anything that threatened my life other than the emperor.

Actually, I needed to organize my thoughts before getting dressed, but the attendants in charge of my appearance wouldn’t let me go.

In the end, I was dragged around and dressed up in a flurry.

While I was in a daze, I was shocked to see the nightgown the attendant brought and jumped up.

It was a black see-through chiffon dress nightgown.

It looked quite glamorous with gold thread embroidered stars.

“You want me to wear that?”