Chapter 13 – Part 4

“Let me announce to all, the Empress is carrying the next Crown Prince.”

This statement confirmed what had only been rumors, causing a stir among the attendees.

Everyone knew the Crown Prince was supposed to be a boy, but the gender couldn’t be determined until birth, adding to the commotion.

Predicting this, the Emperor added,

“We received a prophecy from the High Priest that it is a boy. This is the blessing of the gods, impressed by the work of those who serve the Empire.”

“Indeed!”

The crowd responded in unison. Laviela tugged on the Emperor’s sleeve and whispered,

“Let’s enjoy the banquet now. There are many people waiting to speak with you.”

In reality, she was worried he would continue speaking.

As soon as Laviela parted from Javier, she found Mary in a corner.

“What did you call me for?”

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, I have prepared to put Seipa in Anne Vanessa’s drink.”

Mary followed the Empress’s orders, though the Empress seemed displeased, which made Mary anxious.

“Is there a problem?”

“You’re only putting it in Anne Vanessa’s drink?”

Mary looked puzzled, not understanding what else needed to be done.

“What else?”

“Just put it in all the drinks. I can’t be the only one to suffer. I’ll just say I barely touched it and drank only a little.”

Laviela smiled brightly, finally feeling somewhat appeased. Mary pleaded with Laviela,

“You can’t do that. What if it fails? How will you pin the blame on Anne Vanessa? People will definitely suspect you.”

“Then just say you saw her handling Seipa secretly.”

Laviela shrugged as if it was no big deal.

“You are my maid. Your word is more credible than hers, right?”

“No, absolutely not. If we get caught, you won’t escape the Emperor’s suspicion.”

“Then don’t put it in all the drinks. Put it in half of them. Mary, I’m very upset right now. If you don’t, I might go crazy.”

“…Losing your child will surely weaken your position in the palace. If the Emperor finds out…”

Laviela laughed as if she found Mary’s words ridiculous.

Approaching Mary, Laviela caressed her shoulder and whispered,

“I kept you by my side because you’re clever, but sometimes you have foolish thoughts.”

“I’m sorry.”

Terrified by Laviela’s words, Mary lowered her head, repeatedly apologizing.

The Empress waved her hand dismissively.

“Enough. It’s my fault for spoiling you. You may not know everything, but I understand the Emperor’s favor better than you. I have no intention of announcing my miscarriage today, so keep that in mind.”

“What?”

Mary’s face turned pale.

“Think about it. His Majesty might blame me for the miscarriage. So, I must get pregnant again, don’t you think?”

She was right. If things went on like this, the opportunity might go to the perfectly healthy Ailon Terossa rather than to the child who couldn’t be born.

With a bright smile, Laviela spoke to Mary.

“Mary, just because you miscarried doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant again. All you need to do is bring that young man one more time. If I conceive within a month, there shouldn’t be a big problem. And if the dates don’t match, you can ask the imperial physician for medicine to induce early labor, can’t you?”

Mary couldn’t muster the courage to respond anymore.

With every word from the Empress, Mary felt an increasing sense of impending doom.

By soothing the Empress, who was prone to foolish actions driven by her emotions, Mary had turned a quick skirmish into a drawn-out war spanning several years.

Thanks to this, it wasn’t Ailon but the Empress’s child who had the chance to become the Crown Prince.

Even so, the Empress would say that her child wasn’t the Crown Prince yet and promised rewards later.

‘It’s that promise that keeps me going.’

Given her current mood after losing the child today, Mary knew persuasion wouldn’t work.

In the end, Mary answered gratefully, fearing for her life at that moment.

“Indeed, Your Majesty is truly wise.”

Laviela, pleased by Mary’s flattery, returned to the meeting room.

* * *

The Empress began to search for Anne Vanessa with a sidelong glance.

Having never seen her directly, Laviela fumbled a bit, but eventually, she spotted Anne next to Yvonne Davis and inwardly rejoiced.

She thought she could poison Yvonne Davis along with Anne in one go.

‘I was already upset that she subtly disrespected me in social circles…’

Covering her face with a fan, Laviela slowly approached them.

“Your Majesty, congratulations!”

The voices of the noble ladies greeting her made Laviela lift her chin even higher.

With elegant hand movements, the Empress closed her fan and smiled arrogantly as she accepted their greetings. Then, she took a bite of an éclair.

Until recently, just looking at desserts made her feel nauseous, but as soon as she learned about the miscarriage, her stomach settled.

Ashila, the mistress of the Kayron family, started speaking.

“Your Majesty, may I ask how long it has been since you conceived the Crown Prince?”

Caught off guard, Laviela smiled and replied.

“Well, actually, I haven’t had the time to keep track because I haven’t been feeling well until recently.”

The ladies who had experienced pregnancy nodded in sympathy. Especially Jeffren clicked her tongue.

“When I was pregnant with my first, I kept throwing up and eating over and over again. Eventually, I just wanted to eat anything.”

Anne, slightly stepping back, quietly observed the situation. Ever since realizing the Empress was her enemy, she felt uneasy.

“Oh, you had food cravings. Food cravings make you want to keep eating, unlike aversions, and I found that easier.”

When a woman with extensive childbirth experience spoke, others clapped and expressed their agreement.

“Your Majesty, could it be that you have food cravings too?”

The Empress responded with a serene smile.

“Perhaps. Indeed, I should listen well to the advice of those who have been pregnant before. All the unmarried ladies here, take note. Knowing ahead of time helps a lot, I’ve found.”

Laviela acted the part of a kind and gentle Empress.

Yvonne, glaring, internally mocked the Empress.

‘What a show.’

Rumors of the Empress’s tyranny had spread both inside and outside the palace. How many people would be moved by this act?

Yvonne found the Empress’s self-absorbed display nauseating.

She preferred watching Anne, who attentively listened to the ladies’ conversation, over seeing the Empress’s act.

Yet, she had a strange feeling that the Empress’s gaze was directed at Anne.

Thinking she was being overly sensitive, Yvonne continued nodding, pretending to listen to the Empress’s nonsense.

“But, what is it like in the middle of pregnancy?”

Anne, intently focused on the conversation, suddenly asked.

The women, engrossed in their chatter, readily answered.

“Oh, don’t even mention it. Your belly swells like a mountain, and you can’t see your feet, making it hard to move. And the abdominal pain torments you every night.”

Anne thought it might be useful to know this in case she returned to work at the hospital later.

“Oh, I couldn’t lie flat. And I had to use the bathroom so often!”

“Did you too?”

“Yes. At some point, I couldn’t even eat. I gained a lot of weight, and my back hurt so much.”

But as the women continued sharing their difficult experiences, Anne’s mouth gradually dropped open.

‘How do you endure that?’

The Empress stroked her belly with a worried expression.

“Still, to see our baby, I must endure, right?”

Jeffren, seemingly very moved by the Empress’s words, nodded her head.

Seeing this, Ashila turned to Jeffren and asked.

“Are you planning to have another child?”

Blushing, Jeffren covered her face with the back of her hand and answered.

“It’s my dream to watch children playing ball, filling the garden. Is it too much to hope for about five?”

“Oh my.”

“As expected, being newlyweds makes a difference.”

Several of the ladies burst into laughter.

Only a few who were already busy raising multiple children shook their heads vigorously.

However, the Empress alone burned with even greater vengeance in this atmosphere.

She was deeply envious of those who had what she did not. She wanted them to quickly feel the same despair as her.

“Today truly is a day to celebrate many things, isn’t it? Shall we have a toast?”

Everyone nodded at her words. At the Empress’s signal, a servant approached and handed each person a glass of champagne.

The Empress received a cup of rooibos tea instead of champagne.

“May Her Majesty the Empress have a healthy delivery.”

“To the second sun of the Empire!”

After the toast, everyone drank their beverages. Anne, looking around cautiously, took a sip too.

Yvonne Davis was the only one who didn’t drink. She had absolutely no desire to celebrate the Empress.

Pretending to drink, Yvonne poured the contents onto the floor and calmly placed her glass down.

It was then.

Crash!

“Anne! Are you okay?”

A lavishly decorated teacup shattered, sending glass shards grazing Anne’s cheek.

Startled by the drops of blood forming on Anne’s cheek, Yvonne held Anne’s face with both hands. A high-pitched scream echoed next to Anne.

“Ahhh!”

“Y-Your Majesty!”