Ladies of noble blood were so incensed by the news of a mere tenant farmer’s daughter entering high society that they were nearly trembling with outrage.

“Even His Majesty the Emperor cannot allow such a thing! This is an outright insult to the rest of the nobility!”

“Indeed! An emergency meeting of the nobility must be convened immediately to address this grave matter!”

The Empress sipped her tea to maintain her composure, but her lowered lashes quivered with indignation and contempt.

‘Such an audacious mockery.’

That wretched emperor was intent on hurling filth into the pristine, noble fabric of the Empire’s social circles, as pure and white as silk.

“It seems I must visit my father,” she finally said.

“The Duke of Rahins?”

Countess Havel’s face lit up at the Empress’s words, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

The Duke of Rahins, who wielded considerable influence over the western nobility, was a true powerhouse within the empire’s corridors of power.

As the Empress’s father, the Duke could rally the nobility to pressure the Emperor.

“I will also try to persuade my husband. The social circles of the Feorn Empire are no place for those of uncertain origin.”

“I, too, will exert myself to the utmost,” chimed in another lady.

As the noblewomen offered their determined pledges, the Empress felt a sense of satisfaction.

At that moment, a servant approached and announced, “Your Majesty, the Viscountess of Dallas has arrived.”

“Show her in.”

With the Empress’s permission, the Viscountess of Dallas stepped into the drawing room. The noblewomen fell silent as if by prior agreement.

The Viscountess bowed politely and greeted the Empress.

“I greet Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Welcome, Viscountess. I have been expecting you.”

“I am honored, Your Majesty.”

Viscountess Chloe Dallas raised her head, visibly flushed.

Recently, she had begun visiting the Empress’s palace frequently. While the Empress’s newfound attention weighed on her, Chloe couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

After all, even her husband, Viscount Dallas, had never been afforded the honor of tea with the Empress.

The Empress, her expression concerned, asked gently, “Are you feeling better?”

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s kind concern, I am completely recovered now. I deeply regret having caused you any inconvenience.”

Chloe had fallen gravely ill the day after reuniting with Baron Adrian. Stricken with an inexplicable headache and fever, she remained bedridden for two days, unable to even attend the Empress’s tea gathering.

“I deeply apologize for being unable to respond to Your Majesty’s invitation. I was so unwell that I couldn’t even rise from my bed.”

“Do not trouble yourself over such matters. I completely understand your situation,” the Empress replied, her tone sympathetic.

For some reason, the Empress seemed to know exactly why Chloe had fallen ill.

“What a regrettable situation. If only your father had better judgment, you would not have been forced to break off your engagement with Baron Adrian.”

“V-Viscount Dallas has been very kind to me… Please, Your Majesty, do not say such things,” Chloe stammered, alarmed. Whatever the Empress’s intent, mentioning her broken engagement was an affront to her noble honor.

“I mean no offense to Viscount Dallas. I only speak out of pity for your unfortunate circumstances.”

The Empress gazed at Chloe with a sorrowful expression.

Feeling a peculiar warmth mingled with pity spreading within her, Chloe lowered her eyes, trying to suppress her emotions.

Though she attempted to mask her feelings, she couldn’t hold back a deep sigh.

When she first met Edward, Chloe had fallen for him instantly. Though he held no title, Edward carried himself with dignity and possessed a rare intellect.

However, Chloe’s father had looked down on Edward, finding him lacking.

When a matchmaker offered to forgive a debt in exchange for Chloe’s hand, her father readily agreed to the engagement. But after Edward left for the battlefield, her father began to criticize him incessantly for being irresponsible.

Then Viscount Dallas, smitten with Chloe, proposed to her, and her father, dazzled by the Viscount’s wealth and title, accepted without hesitation.

In the end, Chloe had to break her engagement with Edward and marry the forty-five-year-old Viscount.

‘If only I had defied Father back then… If I had…’

By now, she would have been standing beside the dashing, noble Edward.

As a woman, Chloe was consumed by jealousy and regret, finding it impossible to sleep at night.

“Your father was truly a cold-hearted man. If you ever need someone to confide in, you may always come to me.”

“I-I could never impose on Your Majesty…” Chloe responded, startled, shaking her head vigorously. Her past was a source of scandal, and she couldn’t allow it to become fodder for gossip.

The Empress offered a compassionate smile tinged with melancholy.

“My own marriage to His Majesty the Emperor has not been a happy one. I have been called the woman who devoured the Emperor’s concubines and have endured countless lonely moments. The thought of how things might have turned out had I not borne the Crown Prince is too dreadful to consider.”

“Your Majesty…”

“If even I have felt such sorrow, how could I not understand the sadness you must feel?”

Those words broke Chloe’s composure.

The Empress’s heartfelt comfort made Chloe burst into tears.

“Sob… sob…”

The Empress handed her a handkerchief, as if she understood everything.

Chloe buried her face in the handkerchief and cried her heart out, while the Empress gently patted her back.

“How pitiful you are,” the Empress murmured tenderly.

Chloe’s cries grew louder, and a faint smile played on the Empress’s lips.

The noble ladies watched the scene in silence.

***

“Really?”

Rellia, who was setting down her teacup, turned pale as if she’d just heard terrible news.

“You truly encountered Baron Adrian’s former fiancée at the Empress’s palace?”

Yelodia nodded and sipped her half-cooled tea before popping a biscuit into her mouth. She then heard Rellia’s muttered complaint.

“That damned woman… Oh dear, I’m sorry. My mouth is far too honest again, isn’t it? Fabian keeps warning me, but I never seem to improve. Was there anything else at the Empress’s palace?”

“…The baron took me out of the palace right away.”

“That was a very wise decision,” Rellia said with a relieved sigh.

From what Yelodia knew, few people were as frank, straightforward, and cheerful as Rellia.

“Still, you were upset by the incident, so you used a stomachache as an excuse to skip your lessons with your tutor.”

At times, her honesty was excessive, but it was part of her charm.

“Wasn’t today your astronomy lesson?”

“Geometry. I still can’t understand why I need to learn it. It’s not like I’ll ever use it in real life.”

Yelodia raised her voice, unable to suppress her frustration.

“I swear, not once in my entire life will I apply the formulas I learned in geometry class!”

“Well… maybe not,” Rellia said, amused. “But does it really matter if you’re not great at geometry? You’re quite talented in swordsmanship, and your horseback riding is practically professional.”

“That doesn’t feel like much of a compliment. What noblewoman brags about such things?”

Yelodia pouted instinctively, and Rellia sipped her tea with a smile.

Fabian’s one and only sister was utterly adorable, and Rellia couldn’t help but love her. Baron Adrian, even after marriage, would probably live in constant worry about losing her.

Despite Rellia’s fond thoughts, Yelodia had been feeling uneasy and burdened ever since her visit to the Empress’s palace that morning.

That’s why, right after breakfast, she had urgently invited Rellia to her home.

“Why don’t you tell Baron Adrian the truth? That you’re upset because you ran into his former fiancée?”

“How could I say that? The poor man was engaged to her when he went off to war to protect the empire. The baron is clearly the victim here.”

“Hmm, in that case, there’s not much you can do except trust that Baron Adrian has no lingering feelings for his former fiancée.”

Rellia’s advice earned no reply from Yelodia, who simply pouted her lips.

‘How can she be this adorable?’

Rellia barely stifled her laughter and asked with mock seriousness, “Are you certain the baron has no lingering feelings for her?”

“They didn’t seem that affectionate…” Yelodia replied hesitantly, her lively, rosy lips drooping slightly.

“Then you should send him a message right away, asking to meet,” Rellia said decisively, adding that no better solution existed.

Yelodia’s face turned crimson, and she waved the suggestion off.

“That’s a bit much. We just saw each other a few days ago.”

Above all, Yelodia’s pride would not allow her to make the first move.

After some thought, Rellia offered another suggestion.

“Then why don’t you join me for a trip to Lilith Park? I heard they’ve stocked lots of new goods in Central Square.”

“Shopping?”

It wasn’t a bad idea. A bit of fresh air might lift her spirits.

Eager to go, Yelodia was almost squirming in her seat when Martha knocked on the parlor door and called for her.

“Yes, what is it?”

Martha, who entered quickly, had a faint blush on her face.

“My lady your fiancé has requested to visit.”

“The baron? Really?”

“Yes, the servant at the main gate confirmed it.”

Yelodia leapt to her feet and hurried to the window, ignoring Rellia’s laughter behind her.

Through the window, she spotted Edward alighting from a carriage and removing his hat in the lobby.

“…!”

Yelodia recoiled in surprise as Edward glanced up in her direction.