Chapter 2 – Part 6

Tenere walked along the long corridor.

As she moved her feet, her face, which had been cool, suddenly began to flush belatedly. Her heart pounded uncontrollably.

“How did I?”

She didn’t know she could say such things. That she could look at him without the presence of the Empress, and that she could respond without fear. She was surprised at the thought.

As the delayed fear crept in, her fingertips trembled delicately. In the back of her mind, she felt a vague sense of pride.

She didn’t expect to be able to face her father without Beatrice, and it felt overwhelming.

‘…If the Empress were alive, she would have praised me.’

Sorrow unexpectedly caught her ankle.

If Beatrice had seen this scene, she probably would have praised Tenere, saying she did well. Beatrice was someone who liked Tenere no matter what she did, always smiling, and even turning her head away when Tenere was embarrassed, she would smile again.

…She lost such a person, and instead of comfort, she thought of her father, who came to her as if waiting.

There were no words of mourning, no words of comfort, not even words of concern for her after fainting and waking up. There was only a greedy look on his face. Relief that the Empress had died, and anticipation that he could rule over his daughter again.

Tenere found it utterly repulsive.

“Empress.”

Tenere, who was heading to the office, stopped in her tracks as Leonard approached her.

Leonard, who had a welcoming smile, walked towards Tenere as their eyes met, and he seemed puzzled as he spoke.

“I was just about to go when I heard the Marquis was here…….”

As they got closer, their breaths became uncomfortably close. Leonard looked at her face with a worried expression.

“Your face is flushed.”

“…”

“Shall I call for the imperial physician?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Tenere replied, managing to swallow her tense breath. However, Leonard’s gaze didn’t waver.

“It hasn’t been more than a week since you fainted and got up. Don’t overexert yourself.”

His face resembled Beatrice’s too much. The black hair, the golden embroidery, the affectionate gaze, and the habitual smile—all of it.

This face excites her, but at the same time, it reminds her of the one who had passed away.

“Shall we take a short walk then?”

He extended his arm, and Tenere hesitantly placed her hand on it.

The two of them strolled along the pathway. Trees lined the way, providing shade from the sunlight.

Leonard instructed the servants to keep their distance as they walked.

“What happened with the Marquis?”

As the attendants moved far enough not to overhear their conversation, Leonard asked with a slightly worried tone.

Tenere smiled awkwardly, realizing he must have suggested the walk to ask about this from the beginning.

“I seem to lack skills in managing my expressions.”

“If you keep saying you’re fine every time, I should become more perceptive, shouldn’t I?”

Leonard said as a matter of fact.

Tenere muttered something low, but he pretended not to notice.

“I heard loud noises in the reception room.”

With that comment, Tenere understood that Leonard had come to help her face her father.

He had come to support her, just like Beatrice used to do as if waiting for her.

‘I’ve been a burden all this time.’

It was embarrassing and shameful to talk about her father and to confess her own shortcomings, but Tenere tried not to dwell on such petty emotions.

“I believe my father is worried because I haven’t conceived an imperial heir yet.”

Leonard’s expression turned serious as Tenere spoke more frankly.

“He has sent medicines that are good for conception, but the imperial physician advises against taking them… It seems my father raised his voice due to frustration.”

“…”

“I will speak to my father so that Your Majesty will not have to worry about it anymore, but…….”

Tenere trailed off. Cracking down on her father was the right thing to do, but the word “Empress” still rang in her ears.

“I have been in the palace for three years, and the emperor’s medicine has not yet taken effect. Perhaps…”

“The imperial physician said there is nothing wrong with the Empress’s body.”

Leonard cut her off. It wasn’t easy for anyone to admit their shortcomings, and Tenere felt it was a sensitive topic.

“Let’s not rush things since we are still young.”

“But…”

“Moreover, we haven’t… been intimate that often.”

Although he often visited her bedroom even on days other than the designated ones, that was because he knew how she would be treated if she wasn’t the Emperor’s favorite.

Leonard didn’t want his Empress to become like his mother. People shouldn’t rely on someone they couldn’t trust.

“If you don’t mind, Empress, I’d like to try a little harder, what do you think?”

Now that Tenere was more comfortable with him than before, and considering the worry she had about the lack of an heir, Leonard decided it was time to take more initiative.

“Well…”

Tenere seemed a bit flustered by Leonard’s words. However, judging by the blush on her face, it wasn’t that she didn’t understand him.

It had been quite some time since the mourning period had ended, and the official night for their union had been continuously postponed.

They would soon resume the social activities of the nobles, and by then, things would probably be more acceptable.

Tenere nodded slowly, her reddened ears catching Leonard’s attention.

Nevertheless, since she didn’t seem to dislike the idea, Leonard felt a bit relieved.
***

Marquis Evan was in a bad mood.

Ever since meeting his daughter at the palace, he had been under constant low pressure. Because of this, the servants of Marquis Evan’s estate were on edge, attentively watching his every move.

Marquis Evan confronted the servants with a gloomy face, and at times, he murmured something to himself.

‘Karma…’

Eric still couldn’t fully let go of the irritation in his father’s demeanor. Despite that, a smirk involuntarily formed on his face.

‘Let him have a taste of his own medicine.’

For the past three years, Tenere had never met Marquis Evan alone. Whenever Marquis Evan came to visit Tenere, he waited as if he were expecting her, and he always arrived with the Empress.

As a result, Eric had seen many scenes of Marquis Evan politely following Tenere, calling her ‘Your Majesty’ or treating her kindly.

Therefore, Eric had been worried when he heard that Marquis Evan was coming to visit Tenere after the mourning period. He knew how much Marquis Evan had been looking forward to seeing her and how anxious he had been.

But what Eric witnessed was completely different from his concerns.

“I’m the Empress, Father. Please mind your manners when you meet me next time.”

She used to bow her head and apologize every time, looking apologetic. But today, for some reason, she confidently accepted her father’s words without bowing.

At that moment, Eric tried to stop himself from being surprised, but as time passed, he found himself relieved.

‘Well, she is an empress now.’

Although they shared the same blood, it was unacceptable for a mere marquis to act servilely toward the Empress like a commoner.

Eric couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that the weak sister who had always bowed her head and apologized had changed so much.

I don’t know if this will be a one-off rebellion, or if it will continue.

‘The former would be more dangerous.

If the next time they met, Tenere looked as frightened as before, her father would surely seize the opportunity and try to lord it over her again.

“You’re an ungrateful wench, ……, unaware of the grace that gave you birth and nurtured you until now…….”

Marquis Evan grumbled, chewing on his lips. Eric wanted to ask if it wasn’t Tasha who had given birth and the nanny who had raised her, but he refrained from saying anything that would likely make his father angry.

Eric hesitated, then spoke.

“Do you think it would be better to keep to yourself for the time being? It’s been three years since Tenere entered the palace, and I’m sure she’s used to it by now…….”

“I am her father. As her father, do you expect me to cater to her every whim?”

I tried to sound soothing, but the Marquis just snapped back.
.
For him, Erich’s words were as absurd and offensive as instructing a servant to listen to the crows in the marketplace.

“But, Father, Tenere is of the imperial family. If you intentionally harm a member of the imperial family…”

“I am her father! I have done more than enough by allowing her to be born and raised by Evan Marquis. If she became an empress, she should repay the favor, that ungrateful, disobedient creature!”

“Father, everything you say is correct. However, there are laws in the palace.”

Eric said frustratedly. The Marquis fell silent at last.

Eric tried to comfort himself with the thought that Marquis Evan might calm down a bit. However, the sunken eyes of Marquis Evan couldn’t focus on one spot and roamed around.

“…Right. There are laws. Such laws did exist.”

“Yes, so please calm down a bit…”

“I am, I am her father… How dare those laws…”

“Father?”

Eric called out to his father, but there was no response. The Marquis murmured to himself, staring blankly. The crumpled papers he held were not even worth looking at.

The Marquis trembled, clutching the crumpled papers tightly. His eyes, slightly bloodshot, stared vacantly into space.

Eric instinctively took a step back. After muttering for a while, Marquis Evan finally stood up.

“I’m going out.”

“What? Father, at this hour, where are you going?”

“I can’t leave Evan Marquis’s fate to such a wench.”

Without specifying his destination, Marquis Evan left the room, putting on his coat.

Eric stared at the closed door, murmuring to himself.

“Wow, that was… why is he so furious?”

Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.