Mary, Peggy, and several lady attendants were watching the royal physician’s mouth with worried faces.

Just as Peggy was about to ask the royal physician, Mary jumped in first with a slightly sobbing voice.

“Our Empress is all right, isn’t she? She’s not seriously ill, is she?”

“It’s indigestion. Though it seems like a minor illness, it can become serious if not handled properly. She must have eaten something bad for dinner. She must have been in pain, I wonder how she endured it. I’ll quickly send the prescribed medicine. For now, she should only have soup and pay special attention to digestion.”

At this, everyone’s expressions changed to relief.

“I need to go report to His Majesty the Emperor, so I’ll take my leave now.”

At that moment, Mary quickly stepped forward and blocked his way, causing the royal physician to look at her with a puzzled expression.

“We will report to His Majesty the Emperor, so please send the medicine for Her Majesty the Empress first.”

“But that’s not the proper procedure.”

“In this situation, the most urgent thing is medicine to restore Her Majesty the Empress’s health.”

When the royal physician looked at Peggy, she nodded in agreement.

“Bring Grand Chamberlain Dalton.”

Mary, standing by the door, spoke to Peggy with a worried face.

“Madam Peggy, I’ll go quickly. Wouldn’t it be better for someone who directly heard the diagnosis to go rather than someone who just received the message?”

Peggy nodded and looked at Mary with an expression of agreement.

“You are not of a status that can see His Majesty the Emperor. I’d better go myself.”

Mary urgently stopped Peggy.

“Madam Peggy, you should stay by Her Majesty the Empress’s side. I can’t manage the palace like you can. I’ll go, ask for understanding, and report to Viscount Catano. Though from a humble family, I am still the daughter of a baron.”

After hesitating, Peggy reluctantly nodded.

“His Majesty must be very shocked, so hurry back.”

“Yes, I’ll be back soon.”

Mary, who had been rushing, slowed her pace as soon as she left the Empress’s Palace. She went to her room, adjusted her clothes, fixed her hair, slightly touched up her makeup while looking in the mirror, and then headed to the Second Annex Palace.

After slightly bending her knee while holding her skirt to Viscount Catano and then standing up, Mary said.

“I’ve come to report on Her Majesty the Empress’s health condition.”

“Why is it you and not the royal physician?”

“Thinking that preparing the medicine for Her Majesty the Empress was the priority, I received orders and came.”

Viscount Catano nodded reluctantly.

“Then speak quickly. I was worried because the report was delayed……”

But Mary didn’t speak and just stared at Viscount Catano with a troubled expression.

“What are you doing? Speak quickly instead of just standing there. I will convey it well to His Majesty.”

“I came here under orders from the head lady-in-waiting, Madam Peggy.”

“Madam Peggy’s orders?”

“Yes, I received orders to report directly to His Majesty the Emperor. I was by Her Majesty the Empress’s side during her examination.”

Though this was unusual and somewhat strange, Viscount Catano took Mary to Charte’s office, thinking it might be a serious illness.

“Your Majesty the Emperor, a lady attendant who directly witnessed the empress’s examination has come to report.”

Mary elegantly held both sides of her skirt, bent her knee, and then rose with a captivating face, smiling brightly at Charte.

“I am Mary, daughter of Baron Anderson.”

“How is her condition?”

Mary looked at Charte with eyes full of coquetry and said.

“Her Majesty the Empress’s diagnosis is indigestion. The examination is complete, and the royal physician said he would prescribe a diet and medicine to send.”

Upon receiving Mary’s report, Charte felt relieved that it wasn’t a serious illness.

In many ways, it was advantageous for him that she remained alive.

Lost in his own thoughts, Charte looked up to see Mary still standing there with a smiling face.

“You may go.”

Mary bowed once more and moved very slowly to appear elegant.

Even when Viscount Catano signaled with his eyes to hurry, she pretended not to notice.

As Mary stood at the door with a face full of regret, Charte’s voice was heard.

“You.”

When Charte’s voice was directed at her, Mary turned to him with a seductive smile.

“You don’t care about the empress you serve! Why are you smiling so happily when the empress is sick!”

Realizing that Charte’s voice had turned unpleasant, Viscount Catano hurriedly took Mary and led her out.

Outside, Mary gazed at the Second Annex Palace and became lost in thought.

‘He’s not easy, which makes it interesting. Anyway, I should have made an impression by now. This much is enough for today.’

* * *

Though she recovered quickly after taking the medicine, she was forced to stay in bed due to the insistence of the lady attendants.

It was almost embarrassing to receive such devoted care for mere indigestion.

Normally, her mother would have just pricked her finger with a needle, nagged her to stop being so greedy, and maybe patted her back a bit.

The thought of her mother made her feel melancholy, and she comforted herself.

I’m just on a temporary trip to the Oneroad Empire, so I should enjoy it as much as possible and then leave.

When else would I receive such luxurious treatment?

It’s already incredible that I came here not as a commoner but as a noble.

This is truly life’s first class, the essence of social advancement.

At first, I worried about how I would survive, but to think I’d adapt so quickly…….

Of course, there’s the disadvantage that my life is somewhat precarious and I might die at any time, but lately I’ve started to think I might not die after all.

And anyway, it’s better to die while enjoying life than to die after suffering.

At least I’ll look good.

Then she suddenly recalled Charte’s actions yesterday.

When he suddenly stood up and strode toward her, she was startled, thinking he might strangle her to death.

But when his hands went to her nightgown to untie the string, she almost panicked.

Though she lost consciousness soon after…… it was the first time someone had touched her clothes in such a way.

Thinking about it now made her very embarrassed.

Ah, if I was going to collapse anyway, how much better it would have been if it were anemia or something.

Indigestion! How undignified!

Still, seeing how he acted to save her, it seemed he definitely had no intention of killing her yet.

* * *

A few days later, Charte was relieved to hear from Viscount Catano that Yun-ah had fully recovered.

“Your Majesty.”

His expression showed peace and stability, having been secretly worried that he might not be able to hear the rest of ⟨The Seduction of the Marked Wife.⟩

“Your Majesty?”

When Viscount Catano raised his voice, Charte emerged from his thoughts.

“What is it, Viscount Catano?”

“An invitation has arrived from the Kingdom of Harua. They say the king’s first prince has been born, and they are holding a grand party.”

“After ten years? Quite a precious prince.”

“He endured all pressure, insisting on having a prince only from the queen, and finally succeeded. Since they are an important ally, if Your Majesty cannot attend, I was thinking of forming a delegation led by Her Majesty the Empress or Prime Minister Whyman. What do you think?”

“Let me think about it. I’ll hear opinions at tomorrow’s meeting as well.”

“Yes, I’ll convey that.”

“I need to go outside for a bit.”

“Yes, I’ll prepare immediately.”

Outside, Viscount Catano looked at Charte’s office with a worried face.

He understood Charte’s desire to get some fresh air.

It was clear that he was feeling uncomfortable because Yasrin came to mind.

Charte had first met Yasrin at the King of Harua’s wedding.

Viscount Catano was anxious that Charte’s heart, which he had barely managed to settle, might become disturbed again.

However, Charte wasn’t thinking at all about meeting Yasrin at the King of Harua’s wedding.

These days, his only interest was ⟨The Seduction of the Marked Wife.⟩

The story was so captivating that he had become completely immersed in its charm and had begun looking forward to hearing it.

As Charte walked out for a stroll, he was predicting the ending of ⟨The Seduction of the Marked Wife⟩ from various angles, walking wherever his feet took him.

When his steps took him near the fountain in the garden, he saw Yun-ah reading a book in a mini pavilion built of marble across the way.

Her figure appeared and disappeared between the fountain’s streams of water.

After walking a few steps away pretending not to see her, he stopped and turned toward her.

The book she was reading might possibly be ⟨The Seduction of the Marked Wife.⟩

“Empress.”

“Oh my! Your Majesty! How did you come here……”

Startled, Yun-ah quickly stood up to greet Charte and subtly hid the book she had been reading behind her body.

Charte found her behavior very suspicious.

“What book are you reading?”

“Ah…… well, that’s.”

When she hesitated to answer in embarrassment, Charte’s suspicion turned to certainty.

He felt almost elated at the thought that the secret of the story that had captivated him might be revealed.

If that book was ⟨The Seduction of the Marked Wife,⟩ it could be a two-birds-with-one-stone opportunity to know the ending and deal with Yun-ah.

Charte approached her slowly with the face of a detective cornering a suspect.

Her expression turned troubled.

Finally, when Charte came right up to her face, she stepped aside and reluctantly said.

“Actually, I’ve been studying lately.”

Yun-ah handed the book to Charte with an embarrassed look, closing it.

The cover read “The History of the Empire.”

This book was an illustrated history book made for pre-school children of the empire.

A different kind of disappointment briefly crossed Charte’s face when he saw the book.

“You’re only reading this now? I thought noble families made children read this by age five.”

“Ah, of course I read it when I was five. But reading it after becoming empress feels different somehow. It seems the position really does shape the person. This history is now my destiny and life.”

Charte flipped through the pages quickly, wondering if she had just changed the cover, but his suspicion disappeared and he returned the book to Yun-ah.

“What brings you all the way here, Your Majesty?”

“I was just walking and……”

“Thank you so much for last time. I survived thanks to Your Majesty.”

Charte responded with a slight nod of his head.

“Thank you again, Your Majesty. Ah! If you have time now, please sit down. I don’t think I told you the story properly last time.”

For a brief moment, Charte’s mind was in turmoil.

Half of him wanted to hear the story, while the other half felt like listening would mean losing some sort of battle, and these two feelings fought fiercely within him.

In the end, after the most difficult battle with himself in the world, he painfully chose his pride.

Of course, if she insisted about three more times, he would have no choice but to listen.