Chapter 77

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 77

Chapter Title: Charge of Treason

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I knew exactly what the Empress was demanding of me.

'She wants me to bow first.'

Of course, by imperial etiquette, that was correct.

In fact, I'd used that very rule before to force the Axion Grand Duchess to submit.

'But right now, I can't bow my head or kneel before the Empress.'

As I'd said time and again, today was an extremely important day.

I was the one who'd become Crown Princess despite the weakness of a bride abduction marriage.

Because of that, for over a month after my wedding to Arpad, I hadn't been properly recognized as Crown Princess.

Only through the events from the Dragon Eclipse until now had I finally earned that acknowledgment.

'I can't let anyone see me bowing to someone else. Not even if it's the Empress.'

The situation was different from earlier, when I'd shown respect upon the Emperor's arrival.

That had been me borrowing the Emperor's authority.

Bowing to the Empress now would have the opposite effect.

It was all part of Evangeline's plan to tarnish me today, through and through.

'Mother and daughter, indeed.'

That was why I'd pretended not to hear the Empress's command to kneel, ignoring it completely.

I kept smiling brightly, needling her all the while.

"His Majesty the Emperor has already acknowledged me, so my position as Crown Princess is clear now... but it's a different feeling altogether when the lady of the inner palace offers her recognition and congratulations."

The Empress barely managed to hold her expression.

But far behind her, Evangeline's face was twisted viciously.

It was as if Evangeline were mirroring the Empress's true feelings.

And rightly so—my words just moments ago were bound to be deeply humiliating for the Empress.

'I don't need or want anything beyond His Majesty's acknowledgment. But since your recognition and congratulations feel nice, I'll graciously accept them.'

That was effectively what I'd said.

The Empress replied in a slightly lowered voice, thick with blatant anger.

"...You'll need a great deal of instruction, it seems. Every noblewoman in the Empire must first pay her respects upon meeting the Empress."

The Empress lifted her chin sharply and commanded me.

"Go on, then. Do it."

I could clearly sense her gritted teeth and seething resentment.

I replied with the same beaming smile.

"I had no word that you'd be attending the banquet tonight, so I wasn't expecting it. For you to rush over like this just to receive my respects... you must have been eagerly awaiting the chance to meet me. I'm truly delighted."

I mocked her openly.

'You threw every obstacle you could at the banquet, and now you come racing over to demand respects? Isn't that a bit too shameless?'

Anyone but a complete fool would understand what I meant.

Throughout my cutting sarcasm, my face remained that of a sweet, joyful new bride.

The Empress's face flushed slightly with anger and shame, but she didn't back down easily.

"Yes. I was waiting very, very eagerly."

Her determination to force a bow out of me was almost grotesque.

That was when it happened.

A voice cut in, as if right on cue.

"Enough."

Few could interrupt a conversation between the Empress and Crown Princess—especially not amid such a fierce clash of wills.

And only one person could speak to the Empress that way.

"...Your Majesty?"

The Emperor had stepped between me and the Empress.

Positioning himself to face her, with me and Arpad at his back.

'Anyone can see he's confronting the Empress to protect me.'

Perfect.

And just the formation I'd anticipated.

The last time I'd asked the Emperor to hold the banquet in Artanus Hall.

I'd foreseen this and made the request in advance.

"And there's one more thing I'd like to ask, Your Majesty."

"You have many demands."

"I'm a greedy woman, after all. That's why I intend to protect my husband no matter what."

"...And what is it you want?"

"If I successfully hold this banquet and complete the proof... stand by my side just once then."

"Stand by your side? What, is someone fighting you?"

"Yes. So no matter who the opponent is, please take my side."

The Emperor looked baffled.

"You speak in riddles."

"When the time comes, you'll understand why—and who—I said that about."

I finished with a face full of conviction.

"It's the only way... Your Majesty can save your son."

The Emperor hadn't given a firm promise even then.

But he'd remembered my words clearly.

And it was obvious my achievements so far had swayed his heart.

'That's why he's intervened at just the right moment.'

The Emperor normally wouldn't meddle in a dispute between me and the Empress.

That was why she now stared at him with such grievance and betrayal.

The Emperor hadn't made Isabel Empress out of love.

But having chosen her as such, he believed she deserved the corresponding treatment and power.

Especially when it came to high society and inner palace matters—he left those entirely to her.

'Because she's the Empress.'

That was why he hadn't intervened even during clashes between the Grand Duchess and the Empress.

Considering the Emperor's temperament, this was undoubtedly unusual.

The Empress glared at him, her face brimming with fury, injustice, and betrayal.

"Your Majesty!"

How could he do this?

But the Emperor stood firm.

"On a fine day like today, intimidating a young girl? It's not a pretty sight."

The Empress's lips quivered.

She barely steadied her voice to hurl her question.

Any less control, and she might have screamed.

"...As Empress and as her superior, I was merely trying to teach her what's lacking. Isn't that the Empress's duty and right?"

The Emperor furrowed his brow.

"If you're so insistent on principles and etiquette, there's one thing the Empress herself has forgotten."

"Pardon?"

The Emperor's voice was utterly cold—colder even than when he'd stepped between us.

"In this setting, who is the one above all others to receive respects first?"

"...!"

If she wanted to invoke rank and authority, the Emperor came first.

Unless Artanus himself appeared, this was an ironclad rule.

"And since you didn't enter with me, the Empress should have paid respects to me first. But I neither pointed it out nor demanded it."

"...Your Majesty!"

The Empress cried out in protest, but it was the truth.

Husband and wife or not, there was a hierarchy between Emperor and Empress.

Of course, this etiquette emphasized the ruler-subject relationship over the marital one.

So for the Emperor to invoke it now meant the conflict between them was severe.

He was warning her.

'Stop this, unless you want to make an enemy of me.'

Anyone could see the Emperor had taken my side before the Empress.

I heard Arpad mutter softly.

"Is she really using brainwashing magic or something?"

I shook my head with a smile.

"Of course not."

And I whispered the truth only to him.

"It's just that His Majesty cherishes his one and only son."

Arpad's smooth brow crumpled sharply.

"...You're not very good at jokes, are you?"

"It's not a joke."

But Arpad showed no sign of believing me.

In any case, this moment alone had spread the word to everyone around.

That the Emperor was backing me, not the Empress.

That was when it happened.

The Empress, looking deeply wounded, glared at me with a savage expression.

Wait—she'd fought with the Emperor, so why vent her anger at me?

And she shouted.

"I came here to report the horrific crime that that girl has brazenly committed, Your Majesty!"

"Horrific crime? What are you talking about?"

The Empress paused dramatically before answering, building up to the impact of her words.

"...Treason."

The final keyword—one that would be a fatal misstep for her.

The Empress herself had uttered "treason."

I curled my lips upward.

'I knew it.'

Of course, I'd anticipated this situation entirely and prepared accordingly.