Welcome To The Imperial Palace (4)

The biggest fan of hers among the Imperial citizens was the current Emperor, who was then the twenty-four-year-old Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince proposed to eighteen-year-old Eleanor.

Eleanor, the greatest prima donna of Ischtern with fans across all five continents, gently refused the Crown Prince’s proposal.

Since her youth, she had always spoken negatively about marriage, wanting to pursue her art freely.

Each New Year, the Crown Prince sent a proposal to Eleanor.

Eleanor welcomed the Crown Prince with a smile as he followed her all the way to the southern continent to watch her performance, but she turned him down, saying she preferred a life on stage over marriage.

The Crown Prince did not give up.

Even after becoming Emperor, he proposed to Eleanor once more.

Eleanor rejected the Emperor’s first proposal with tears.

But when a year passed without him taking any concubine and he sent her another love letter, Eleanor stepped down from the stage and accepted the Emperor’s second proposal with a smile.

Nine years passed.

Numerous beautiful women from various countries and noble families entered the harem.

Among the dazzling beauties, Empress Eleanor was still hailed as the most beautiful of them all.

The Emperor respected the women who filled his harem, but he held the Empress as the most noble.

Even on nights he shared with concubines, he would sleep in the Empress’s chambers, which initially caused a huge uproar in the palace.

Eventually, even the concubines and their families accepted the Emperor’s actions.

The Emperor’s attitude toward Empress Eleanor remained unwavering—until just ten days ago.

The Emperor, who had loved the Empress so deeply, had fathered a child not with the Empress or any concubine, but with a woman outside the palace.

The atmosphere in the palace was one of utter turmoil.

The Empress’s quarters were wrapped in an unnatural silence.

“Lady Alicia, please enter.”

A court lady guarding the Empress’s audience chamber opened the door.

Alicia nodded lightly and entered.

As she stepped inside, a dazzling scene unfolded before her eyes.

Amidst the luxurious setting, a woman like a sea fairy incarnate smiled gracefully.

“Lady Alicia.”

Despite the passage of time, the Empress’s beauty remained radiant.

Alicia, undistracted by the beauty so close to her, walked forward calmly.

When she reached the Empress, Alicia offered a formal bow.

“Your Majesty the Empress, I greet the most noble one.”

“Please, be seated.”

“I am honored.”

Alicia gave her thanks and sat in the prepared chair.

Soon, a lady-in-waiting brought out tea.

Unlike the tense mood of the Empress’s quarters, both the Empress and her attendant appeared composed.

Seated on a velvet-wrapped antique chair, Empress Eleanor was flawless, like a painting.

The Empress smiled with perfect balance—neither too much nor too little—as she offered the tea.

“Shall we drink?”

Alicia faintly smiled and reached for the teacup.

In her barely-there smile, one could glimpse the traits of a northern high noble.

「You are pitiful.」

Alicia spoke in the Ischtern tongue, spreading a slightly deeper smile.

For a moment, the Empress’s expression faltered.

But only for a moment.

The Empress soon returned a radiant smile equal to Alicia’s and replied,

「What did you say?」

Alicia smiled like an innocent child.

「You are pitiful.」

「You—」

The Empress’s smile twisted subtly.

But to someone who didn’t understand the language, it might have seemed like a cheerful conversation.

「You’re also terribly oblivious.」

Alicia lowered her teacup, turning her gaze toward the Empress’s side with a smile on her face.

“Everyone, leave us.”

The Empress never dropped her smile.

At her gentle command, the attendants bowed deeply and withdrew.

As the sound of the closing door echoed, the Empress’s smile transformed into one filled with murderous intent.

The smile had also completely vanished from Alicia’s face.

It was a face that seemed never to have known laughter.

“Your Majesty the Empress, forgive my rudeness. It was improper because I couldn’t think of a better way to clear the room.”

With her expression changed, Alicia asked for forgiveness.

“Lady Alicia, you speak the Ischtern language quite well.”

The Empress’s expression remained chilling.

Her words and smile implied that Alicia could have simply requested a private audience in Ischtern tongue—there was no need for unpleasant remarks.

“If I were a handmaid in the Empress’s palace, I believe I would have learned at least that much.”

“Perhaps so…”

At Alicia’s reply, the Empress whispered gloomily.

A bitter sorrow surfaced on her beautiful face.

“Your Majesty.”

“Thank you for coming to see the pathetic me whom the entire palace mocks behind my back, Lady Alicia. You’ve shown enough courtesy, now go to Lady Maude. Or is it now the Baroness of Goggins?”

Twisted pain filled the Empress’s expression.

“The Baroness of Goggins…”

“His Majesty has already made his decision. Who could possibly oppose his will? It is his first child.”

“Your Majesty the Empress…”

Alicia looked down at her slender hand, clenched into a fist, hesitating.

“It’s laughable. All the wives of one man each hold different ranks. I knew this day would come. That’s why I rejected His Highness the Crown Prince’s proposal. I knew the Emperor would collect every kind of woman in the world through his harem…!”

Her anguished cry brimmed with rage.

“……”

Alicia rose from her seat and knelt before the Empress.

The beautiful woman trembling with anger did not get mad at Alicia for not showing sympathy.

Even nodding at the Empress’s words could mean beheading if seen by others.

“He followed me for four years, but I always knew it would end like this… to me… to me…”

As if needing to tell someone—anyone—Empress Eleanor let out her voice.

Tears welled in her eyes.

Just as her face looked on the verge of bursting into sobs, Alicia slowly shook her head.

“Don’t cry here.”

“What…?”

The beautiful face, steeped in sorrow, showed a look of confusion.

“Have you spoken to His Majesty about it?”

“Lady Alicia.”

“Your Majesty the Empress. You are the Empress. Think about it. Up until just before the existence of the Baroness of Goggins was revealed, His Majesty must have shown you as his most cherished and beloved.”

“What does that matter…”

“Exactly. What does it matter? Have you asked His Majesty that question?”

At Alicia’s words, the Empress slowly shook her head.

Empress Eleanor’s pride was immense.

She took more pride in her abilities than her status as a noblewoman.

She spoke six languages fluently and earned the role of youngest prima donna in her troupe through sheer talent.

During her prime, royal families and nobles from various countries prepared their grandest stages to invite her.

Even now, some foreign envoys visited the Empire not for the Emperor but to catch a glimpse of Empress Eleanor.

When the Emperor, pressured by his retainers due to the lack of an heir, brought in a concubine, the Empress stepped onto the stage for the first time since retiring as a prima donna—for the sake of those new women entering the palace.

Though each of them was a rival in love, the Empress sang songs of devotion.

Her hairstyles, dresses, shoes.

The jewels she chose, the accessories she had made.

Her makeup.

The places she went, the foods she ate, her interests.

Everything she did set the trends within the palace.

Even now, her nickname remained the “Sea Fairy.”

Later, people would say the truth was that she had been a fairy of the winter sea.

With such pride, the Empress never revealed her true feelings.

Not even to the Emperor.

“Why would I ever…!”

Eleanor flared up.

“You don’t want to because it wounds your pride, doesn’t it?”

Alicia spoke plainly, like an oblivious child.

“I’m perfectly fine.”

The Empress said with reddened eyes, acting as if she hadn’t nearly cried moments ago.

“You don’t seem even slightly fine.”

Alicia replied again as if she lacked all tact.

In any other situation, upsetting the Empress like this would have been a major problem.

Since the news of Lady Maude’s pregnancy broke, everyone had watched the Empress’s moods carefully.

They only said things she wanted to hear.

They acted as if Lady Maude’s situation didn’t even exist.

Though Eleanor seethed inside, she didn’t want to show any sign of jealousy or weakness.

Those who served her closely knew exactly what she wanted.

They were relieved by how she behaved, yet also aware that her current actions were a form of denial.

No one dared to speak frankly to the Empress.

She didn’t want it—and everyone knew no amount of empty talk would change anything.

“Lady Alicia.”

Alicia Rain, the Grand Duchess-to-be, was in a position to speak frankly to the Empress.

But doing so came with the risk that their relationship might never recover.

Had Alicia offered only some formal words of comfort, the Empress would have felt gratitude.

Just visiting the Empress’s quarters in accordance with etiquette would have marked her as a proper lady.

The court was governed strictly by pragmatism.

Showing disfavor to the Empress now would do no good.

Yet here was Alicia, calmly delivering biting words in the Empress’s own quarters.

Though the Empress was angry, she wasn’t entirely displeased.

“Your Majesty. What I say may come off harsh and make you angry. Please, just let it pass if you must. Do whatever you wish. If your pride is wounded and you’d rather behave as you always have with His Majesty, then do so.”

“I already am.”

“If you’re angry and want to smash everything around you, then do that. If you wish to show the Baroness of Goggins the dignity of an Empress, do that too. But everyone will know. This is Eleanor of Ischtern’s first defeat.”

The Empress’s lips trembled.

“So what!”

Eleanor’s shoulders trembled violently before settling down again.

“A royal descendant has been born outside the palace, and the child will be born. Anyone with sense can see that the Empress, who has long been the Emperor’s favorite since his ascension, would be saddened, despairing, and troubled. Some may take your calm demeanor as genuine. But no one can completely rid themselves of suspicion or disbelief.”

Alicia’s voice was warm and sincere.

“I know too, but I can’t show that I know.”

“Even if you must preserve your pride and the dignity of an Empress before all, at least show your true feelings to one person. His Majesty cares for you. When it comes to their own matters, people often don’t realize things clearly. If you don’t show him how much you’re hurting, he’ll just keep doubting it.”

As Alicia spoke, she was not fully confident herself.

Private matters between the Emperor and Empress didn’t leak beyond the palace.

All she knew was that there had been some long-standing issue between them, with no children for years, and that something dramatic had happened around the time of Princess Dorothea’s birth.

According to the flow of events, the Empress would eventually become pregnant, and a prince would be born.

However, during this time, the Empress would suffer severe emotional distress, and after the birth, postnatal complications would leave her unable to engage in public life.

Alicia could’ve ignored it all.

But if she could ease someone’s suffering, even just a little, she wanted to try.

The problem was—she feared that by intervening, she might erase something that was supposed to happen.