Chapter 86

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 86

Chapter Title: Shifting Winds

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In the five days that Hilia remained unconscious, the atmosphere in the imperial palace and the capital's social circles had completely transformed.

Even though Evangeline and Wilhelm had premeditated it, distributing copies of the newsletter Espitola to salons large and small throughout the capital on the day of the banquet.

Naturally, it featured two fabricated articles.

One claiming that Hilia had copied Evangeline's dress and ended up humiliated.

The other alleging that the enormous quantities of ingredients and luxuries Hilia had procured for the banquet had all been discarded.

Both articles included meticulously drawn satirical illustrations.

They caricatured and criticized Hilia to the extreme while elevating Evangeline.

They were the most lavish illustrations and text in any Espitola newsletter published that year.

But contrary to Evangeline and Wilhelm's expectations, the Espitola articles failed to generate much buzz.

Thanks to the countermeasures Hilia had prepared in advance, which were now being methodically executed.

The moment the banquet began, meat, alcohol, and white bread were distributed in the name of the Crown Prince's Palace to the slums and commoners throughout the capital.

The distributors were working hard to spread the word.

"What's all this about?"

"Her Highness the Crown Princess is holding a wedding feast with His Highness the Crown Prince and bestowing grace upon the people."

"C-can we take some too?"

"Of course. Her Highness the Crown Princess commanded that it be shared generously with everyone, without exception."

"How grateful we are...!"

Even the children in the slums were munching on the sweet confections handed out from the Crown Prince's Palace.

Anyone witnessing that would never buy into the falsehoods fabricated by Espitola.

Evangeline's pre-arranged agitators tried their best, but it was futile.

"Did you hear? They say the Crown Princess fed cake to a dying beggar..."

"Pfft! What nonsense. Look over there—the white bread the beggars are eating. It came straight from the Crown Prince's Palace."

"Exactly. It's ridiculous! Don't badmouth our Crown Princess!"

Even the children sucking on candies hurled insults at the agitators.

The kids had fully sided with the Crown Princess, enchanted by the rare taste of sweetness.

The news spread rapidly from the capital across the entire empire.

And what gave it wings was, naturally, the phenomenon witnessed at the banquet itself.

The dragon's eclipse.

Those who beheld that majestic, sacred miracle naturally linked their awe of the dragon to the new Crown Princess.

"Our Crown Princess is the one chosen by the dragon!"

"That's right! It's the blessing bestowed upon the empire by the great Artanus!"

"Hooray!"

Riding on the name of Artanus, Hilia's prestige soared without limit.

Moreover, at the banquet, the Empress and Evangeline had tried to frame the Crown Princess and failed.

The Emperor, in his fury, had confined the Empress and granted the Crown Princess authority over the inner palace. Even the clueless could sense the shift in power.

The most sensitive to such changes were, of course, the court nobles.

Since Hilia had entered the Crown Prince's Palace, aside from Mrs. Philern, there had been no requests for audiences or invitations.

An unusual situation, in fact.

A newly wed Crown Princess should normally be bombarded with such requests.

It meant Hilia hadn't truly been acknowledged as the Crown Princess.

'But that's all in the past, before the banquet.'

Hilia's standing had done a complete 180 in the lead-up and aftermath.

I stared in astonishment at the mountain of letter envelopes piled high on the trolley brought in by the maids.

"All of these... are requests for audience?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

The stack of letters nearly reached the ceiling.

Just transporting it here without toppling over was circus-worthy.

But Annie's response was even more shocking.

"We've already filtered out the ones Your Highness doesn't need to bother checking."

"And it's still this much?"

It was a truly remarkable about-face.

I'd anticipated it from the nobles' two-faced behavior at the Artanus Hall banquet, but this exceeded expectations.

Iselin, with shadows under her eyes, sighed and added,

"The gifts that piled up over the five days have filled three entire rooms. We couldn't do anything with them until Your Highness decides."

No wonder the maids and servants looked exhausted.

But their shoulders were squared with pride, their eyes sparkling.

A subordinate's fortunes rise and fall with their master's recognition.

They must have felt so indignant and angry watching me be snubbed all this time.

They were the first to sense and take pride in my changed status.

Naturally, it didn't feel bad to me either.

But it wasn't exactly thrilling.

I couldn't care less about the teetering towers of audience requests or the gifts overflowing three rooms.

'They're all opportunists anyway.'

Those scrambling to fawn now that they've finally caught on are pathetic types who lean on others' authority and power.

That's not what I need.

'More urgently, there's something I have to do.'

I asked the maids,

"Where's the head maid of the Empress's Palace?"

Their expressions hardened.

"She's holed up in the Empress's Palace with Her Imperial Majesty."

I muttered coldly,

"His Imperial Majesty already commanded it at the banquet. She hasn't once come to the Crown Prince's Palace first in all this time?"

"No, Your Highness."

Annie's eyes blazed.

The reason I wanted the Empress's head maid was simple.

'She's the one who manages the platinum key, symbol of authority over inner palace affairs.'

I was now handling the inner palace in the Empress's stead.

Of course, the platinum key had to be handed over as well.

The Empress or her head maid wouldn't voluntarily relinquish the symbol of inner palace control.

"I've waited five days. That's long enough."

In truth, I hadn't waited—I'd been passed out.

But let's leave it at that.

Everyone knew I hadn't actually been waiting for the head maid.

Officially, the reason I'd secluded myself for five days was different.

"I wanted to enjoy our honeymoon, so I wouldn't let you go. Understand?"

"What? Are you insane?!"

At that moment, I nearly spat out the medicine I'd just swallowed.

Arpad was utterly nonchalant.

"Better the rumor that I'm obsessed with you than word spreading that the newly acclaimed Crown Princess has health issues right after the feast, no?"

"Well, that's... true, but...!"

What about my social dignity?

But then I remembered.

Like when I'd ousted Mrs. Philern, or how I'd flaunted my chemistry with Arpad at every opportunity.

Hardly anyone would doubt it or find it odd.

'Should I be glad or saddened that this is considered fortunate...?'

No, now wasn't the time to feel embarrassed or confused.

It was time to act.

Five days had given me all the justification I needed.

Failing to hand over the platinum key despite the Emperor's command could be interpreted as defying an imperial decree.

I commanded the maids,

"Go fetch the head maid from the Empress's Palace—drag her here if you must."

The maids responded in unison, vigorously.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Five days after the Artanus Hall banquet.

Evangeline had remained shut away in the Ruth Marquis's mansion.

Word of her humiliation had already spread far and wide.

Since then, she'd been living in what felt like hell.

'Damn it! Everyone must be laughing at me!'

Having reigned as the flower of high society for so long, Evangeline couldn't endure the fall.

She dreaded going outside.

'Why? Why is this happening? I was supposed to become the real heroine.'

For the first time, such doubts arose.

'What if... I'm not actually this world's heroine?'

It was a terrifyingly horrifying thought.