《I Married a Sick Husband》 Chapter 1 - I Married a Sick Husband Chapter 1 : I Married a Sick Husband Translated by Tam Before opening the door, Meredith took a deep breath. ¡®Don¡¯t be nervous, Meredith¡¯ It really is. Nothing will happen tonight anyway. To add to the nerve of her thoughts, Meredith recalled the image of the emperor she had seen at the wedding this afternoon. ¡°He looked very weak. As if he¡¯s going to die soon.¡¯ A trembling hand and an intermittent cough. With all those signs showed that the man she married today was very ill. ¡®How could a man who is so sick performed the first night properly?¡¯ So, she thought tonight was going to pass very peacefully. All she has to do is lie down on the same bed and sleep well. Meredith had a look on her face that she had finally made up her mind. Then she opened the door by herself and went inside. From now on, no one could enter beyond the door. ¡°¡­¡± Meredith slowly walked into the room, killing her footsteps. The emperor¡¯s bedroom finally came out, but¡­ ¡°Huh¡­.¡± The scene before Meredith¡¯s eyes and the situation she is in now were in big contrast to what she thought. Black masked men are lying and bleeding everywhere. Maybe, a spray. But the thick, fishy smell of blood flowing from them. A room that was originally neat, but now was a mess. But more than anything else, there was something else that shocked her the most now. ¡°Oh, dear.¡± A man pointed a knife at her neck heavily red-blooded. ¡°You¡¯ve been caught. ¡° ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t come.¡± It was definitely her husband, who had a hard time even standing up until this day. ¡ª¡ª Three months ago. ¡°You will get married.¡± When she first heard it, Meredith thought she had misheard it. ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a marriage with His Majesty the Emperor. The wedding will take place in three months.¡± ¡°Your Grace, hold on¡­¡± Meredith mumbled and opened her mouth. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± At those words, Duke Schwartz looked at Meredith with eyes that she couldn¡¯t understand.¡¯ ¡°How come you don¡¯t understand that?¡± he seemed to ask. Meredith felt a lump and soon she calmly opened her mouth. ¡°Sudden marriage to the royal family. It¡¯s so sudden.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°And Lady Catarina isn¡¯t married yet, so how can I first¡­¡± ¡°You mean you can¡¯t do that?¡± ¡°¡­.I¡¯m just trying to say if it¡¯s too sudden.¡± ¡°I hate to say it twice, Meredith. You know that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Marry the Emperor in three months. And be the Empress.¡± It was a decisive order. ¡°I didn¡¯t call you to ask you as a doctor.¡± It seemed so. ¡°I¡¯m just calling you to tell you what happened.¡± ¡°Do you know when you stand with the Duchess and Lady Catarina? ¡°Yes. Does that matter?¡± ¡°¡­it means both of you, of course it¡¯s important. You know what you ask.¡± Meredith accepted her father¡¯s ridiculous notice as if in resignation. ¡®What I have to do to marry His Majesty¡­¡¯ ¡°A teacher will be hired from the palace to teach etiquette .¡± The Duke of Schwartz spoke to Meredith in a dry voice. ¡°Until then, get yourself in good shape and wait for the wedding. ¡°¡­yes.¡± Meredith answered briefly and then left Duke of Schwartz. But within a few steps, she stopped there again. she couldn¡¯t believe this situation now. ¡®You want me to marry His Majesty?¡¯ It was also embarrassing to marry suddenly, but the fact that the other person was the emperor was more embarrassing. ¡°Besides¡­¡± That wasn¡¯t the only thing that was embarrassing. ¡®The Duchess Schwartz and Catarina are aware of this fact, but they¡¯re staying still?¡¯ For now, that didn¡¯t make the most sense. ¡®It¡¯s too fishy.¡¯ Those two were people who considered themselves finding a good partner and getting married, but something of a disaster that should be prevented at all costs. ¡®And yet, when I see this quiet¡­¡± As expected, it is a suspicious marriage. ¡®No, I don¡¯t have to think about Duchess Schwartz and Catarani.¡¯ It didn¡¯t make sense that Duke Schwartz recommended such a good marriage for her. ¡®But is there something suspicious about it?¡¯ It¡¯s not anyone else, it¡¯s a marriage to the emperor. He¡¯s not very old since the new emperor was not long on the throne. It was a marriage that she couldn¡¯t find a flaw in her mind. Meredith became confused. ¡°What is it?¡± Then, a sharp voice rang out from the back. As she turned her head, there was a woman of Meredith¡¯s age, with her blonde hair hanging down. As she glared at Meredith with her sharp red eyes, the woman opened her mouth. ¡°Why are you standing in the way?¡± This woman was Catarina. Catarina Schwartz. The oldest daughter of Duke Schwartz. A half-blood sibling relationship with Meredith Schwartz But Meredith dared to not say ¡°half-sister¡± in front of Catarina. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, young lady.¡± Meredith quickly clung to the wall and stepped out of the way. In fact, the expression when she said ¡®Move¡¯ was also funny because the road was wide enough. ¡®You just don¡¯t want to see me in front of you.¡¯ For Catarina, Meredith wasn¡¯t like a half-sister. It was just a mythical reproduction like a cockroach. The only but fatal stain for herself is that both of her parents are noble blood. That¡¯s what Catarina thinks of Meredith. But Catarina wasn¡¯t the only one who hated Meredith terribly. The Duchess of Schwartz, the biological mother of Catarina, and even Duke Schwartz, her biological father regarded Meredith as such things. Meredith also gave up expecting family affection from someone after her biological mother died. And they were keeping her from going against their will and using honorifics. As if she was a servant. In fact, it was not so strange that Meredith¡¯s situation in the mansion was no different. It certainly was the fact that no one has ever heard her say anything. ¡°..Ah, really.¡± The moment she was about to pass Meredith, Catarina stopped walking and looked back at her. Meredith quickly turned her head to avoid eye contact with Catarina. It was because Catarina was angry because she once made eye contact with her and said she was arrogant. ¡°Did you hear it from father?¡± ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°Great. Pretending not to know.¡± Catarina¡¯s voice became more anxious.¡± ¡°To marry His Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You must feel honored. A vulgar illegitimate child becomes the empress of the empire.¡± ¡°I know right, that¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I have a question too. I mean, instead of Young Lady, I will be the one who becomes His Majesty¡¯s empress.¡± Meredith raised her head and looked straight at Catarina. There was a clear expression of embarrassment. Meredith continued to speak with Catarina. ¡°Why would I go to that glorious position instead of the noble lady?¡± ¡°¡­how do I know what the adults mean?¡± Catarina answered in a strangely embarrassed voice. ¡°My father must have an idea.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the will of the adults¡­¡± ¡°You just have to be happy and marry Your Majesty.¡± Catarina said warningly. With a sharper voice than before. ¡°Don¡¯t ask useless questions.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°I mean, behave well. Don¡¯t hurt our family¡¯s reputation for no reason.¡± After leaving a word like a shot, Catarina went back on her way. With a confused look in her eyes, Meredith narrowed her brows and gazed at Catarina¡¯s image. ¡°¡­.¡± Long after, it was not until the time that the image of Catarina disappeared from view that Meredith muttered to herself. ¡°As expected, It¡¯s suspicious, too.¡± ¡ª- But a few days later, something more suspicious happened. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 : I Married a Sick Husband ¡°Lady, it¡¯s the dress sent by Duchess,¡± Said the maid Diane, and Meredith doubted her ears. ¡°Who, what did she send?¡± Duchess Schwartz was the one who hated her as much as Catarina. ¡°For someone who ignores my birthday to sent me a dress all of a sudden?¡± Diane explained that she was just looking at the dress delivered to her room because she couldn¡¯t read the message. ¡°It¡¯s a dress sent by the Duchess. There is a tea party tomorrow afternoon at Cuberim¡¯s mansion, and I think she sent it to let you wear it.¡± ¡°Tea party?¡± I thought I heard wrong. Meredith has never attended a social gathering until now. And of course, she has never been to the debut ball too. Not all illegitimate children were so restricted from social activities. But Duchess Schwartz was extremely hatred of Meredith¡¯s social activities. It was the same with Catarina. ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange, Diane?¡± Meredith asked as she narrowing her brows. ¡°You know, there¡¯s not a single person in this family who likes me.¡± Except for her only maid, Diane, it would really be like that. Meredith could be sure. ¡°Why is everyone who used to treat me like a dead person is now suddenly being so nice and helping me to become a good wife?¡± She couldn¡¯t quite understand it. Diane carefully wrote down the hypothesis. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a possibility that everyone¡¯s changed their minds all of a sudden¡ª¡± ¡°No way. Just a few days ago, Catarina despised me.¡± Even if Catarina was friendly to her, it is still strange. How can someone change their attitude overnight without being crazy? ¡®No matter how much I think about it, this marriage sure is fishy¡­¡¯ However, she was just frustrated because at the end she couldn¡¯t find out what was the answer behind that. ¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô The next day. Meredith went down to the drawing-room in a dress she had received from Duchess Schwartz as a gift. In the drawing-room, Catarina is talking to Duchess Schwartz. ¡°So you don¡¯t know anything¡­ Ah.¡± Catarina, who had been talking to Duchess Schwartz, quickly shut up when she saw Meredith. ¡°¡­.I don¡¯t want to see this disgusting girl.¡± And she openly showed signs of displeasure with her face. Receiving the familiar treatment, Meredith was displeased by a little bit. ¡°You come?¡± A cold voice echoed in my ear. Meredith reflexively turned her gaze. A woman with the same gorgeous blonde colour as Catarina was staring at her with bright green eyes reminiscent of emeralds. Darcel Schwartz. She was Catarina¡¯s biological mother. The Duchess Schwartz had a very aristocratic appearance, as evidenced by the fact that she¡¯s a noble since birth. ¡®¡­as expected, they¡¯re the same.¡¯ Those dry eyes now have been seen to death since childhood. Although she even received a dress as a gift, but her attitude remains unchanged. Meredith replied in a short reply. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re going to be late for a tea party.¡± ¡°We¡¯re¡ª¡± asked Meredith carefully. ¡°Perhaps, am I going to ride in the same carriage as you, madam?¡± This was quite a question. Because of Duchess Schwartz and Catarina¡¯s hatred, Meredith could not even have a meal with them at the restaurant. Meredith never once thought that both of them would ever go with the same carriage. When she asked, Duchess Schwartz stared at Meredith. Meredith was naturally nervous as that pair of mysterious eyes stared at her. A moment later, Duchess Schwartz replied Meredith a surprising answer. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll be riding in the same carriage.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Meredith, you sure talked a lot, don¡¯t you think so.¡± Duchess Schwartz cut off Meredith¡¯s words coldly. ¡°We will have to depart soon before it¡¯s too late.¡± Meredith didn¡¯t want to question any further with the risk of infuriating her. She just followed them meekly and got on the carriage. After a while, the carriage departed. ¡°¡­..¡± There was only a dead silence in the carriage of three people. Catarina was looking out the window, revealing that she didn¡¯t want to talk openly. Where should Meredith look? It was when she felt awkward because she didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°Meredith.¡± Duchess Schwartz called Meredith. Meredith answered immediately. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°From now on.¡± Duchess Schwartz ordered with a dry voice. ¡°Don¡¯t call me ma¡¯am anymore.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Call me, mother.¡± ¡°¡­.Yes?¡± Meredith was dumbfounded by that ridiculous request. However, her subsequent demands were even more absurd than she could imagined. ¡°That¡¯s right. Call Catarina ¡°Sister¡± too.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± Meredith quietly turned her head towards Catarina whom silently looked out of the window. As if she¡¯s trying to ignore this conversation. In an embarrassed voice, Meredith spoke. ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°Anyway you will have to do it in the future. Today¡¯s tea party will be your first social activity, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am..¡± ¡°This time¡ª¡± At this time, Duchess Schwartz stopped talking and took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to my illegitimate daughter to the others.¡± Meredith was surprised again at this time. She never dreamed of hearing such words coming from Duchess Schwartz. ¡°And I¡¯ll said you¡¯ve been living in a mansion because you¡¯ve been in poor health.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m telling you to keep your mouth shut. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± In other words, ¡°Stay like a flower on the wall.¡± E/N: Be like a vase. ¡®But if you¡¯re going to do that, why the hell are you taking me to the tea party for?¡¯ Either way, you have been locked me up in the mansion for all these time. Even now I wouldn¡¯t say I would like to go outside just like that. Duchess Schwartz added back her words as if she had read Meredith¡¯s inner thoughts who appears to fail to understand the situation. ¡°You¡¯re going to be the empress soon, and you can¡¯t just enter the palace without trying a bow.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Of course, not long from now we will hire a teacher from the palace to teach you manners.¡± At that time, Duchess Schwartz added with a gentle laugh at Meredith just like a cute rabbit. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t expect you to pull it off properly.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°From now on, you will follow me in all my social activities. Do you understand?¡± ¡°¡­.Yes, ma¡¯am. ¡± Duchess Schwartz glared at Meredith. Meredith quickly corrected her words. ¡°Um¡­Mother.¡± But although she corrected it immediately, there was no such thing like a smile on the lips of Duchess Schwartz. In any case, Meredith thought this situation was bizarre, too. ¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô As soon as she arrived at the Cuberim¡¯s mansion where the tea party was held, Meredith had to get around and terribly busy. ¡°Oh, Duchess Schwartz. Long time no see.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. Long time no see. Have you been doing okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been well. But, don¡¯t mind If I asked who is that person next to Miss Catarina?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s my second daughter, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Oh, you have a second daughter?¡± ¡°I kept my mouth shut about the second child.¡± ¡°Oh, what kind of story?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a weak kid, so I keep it hidden in my house to make sure nothing might go wrong.¡± The fact that Duchess Schwartz, the youngest daughter of a prestigious family, had her husband¡¯s illegitimate child was an unbearable humiliation. That¡¯s why she disguised her illegitimate child as a weak biological daughter just because she was now an empress. Meredith was disgusted by Duchess Schwartz¡¯s pretence. However, she couldn¡¯t reveal her inner thoughts, so she introduced herself to everyone pretend to be fine on the outside. ¡°Nice to meet all of you, I¡¯m Meredith Schwartz.¡± She greeted dozens of people. It was the first time. The name of Schwartz after her name, and the place like this. For Meredith, it felt very awkward and challenging. However, Duchess Schwartz¡¯s fierce gaze stop her from expressing the hardship she faced and continue to drag her around. ¡°You¡¯ll have to get used to this schedule in the future.¡± That was what Duchess Schwartz said to Meredith on her way back to the mansion after the tea party. ¡°You are going to be the queen of the Empire.¡± In fact, Meredith had another tough day after that. Like an endless day in social activities. High class of etiquette teachers were hired from the Imperial Palace. Even beauty caretaker to maintain her elegant dignity. There was no place that were left to not to be cared for her to live a normal Queen¡¯s life. And such schedule lasted for about three months. Finally, it was the day of the wedding. Chapter 3 - I Married a Sick Husband Chapter 3 : I Married a Sick Husband Translated by Tam Edited by Kio On the day of the wedding. Everyone has been busy with preparations since morning. Meredith got out of bed at dawn and waited for a carriage to the Palace. There was nothing important she had to do, as all the tasks she had to complete were to be done in the Palace. At best, it was just to tidy up her old room that she would never visit again. ¡°You don¡¯t have much luggage.¡± Diane said in a vague voice. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need anything else?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± Meredith decided to leave all except some clothes and accessories in the room. It wasn¡¯t very luxurious in the first place, but it was not necessary anymore. She only took Diane, the only maid to her. That¡¯s because she wanted to take as little luggage as possible. ¡®Because it¡¯s a new start¡¯ When she was ordered to marry three months ago, she was just embarrassed. However, after the situation became like this, she was looking forward to it a little bit. A forced marriage felt like an escape from a beggarly house. Wherever you are, it¡¯s better than here. ¡°Maryl would have been very happy if she were alive.¡± Diane muttered in a sad voice. Maryl was the biological mother of Meredith. The maid from this house. The presence of her low birth alone must have touched the heart of the late Duchess of Schwartz. It was something that she could guess without having to go through. ¡®But my mother,¡ª¡¯ Meredith became depressed when she recalled her dead mother. But that was only for a short while. ¡°Lady Meredith.¡± She heard a knock on the door from outside, and a call for Meredith. ¡°It¡¯s time to leave.¡± Meredith, who dressed only in a plain pearl dress, stood up from her seat and went out the door. As she went down the stairs, she found her family waiting under the railing. This would be the last time they were all together until the wedding. But all of them had no expression on their faces. No, Catarina¡¯s face was almost like a shit. In front of them, Meredith politely said her final greeting. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The Duke of Schwartz nodded bluntly and patted Meredith¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Beware, you must not cause any trouble to our family.¡± ¡°¡­.Yes.¡± ¡°You can go.¡± And that¡¯s how it ended. There were no emotional words such as ¡°take care of yourself¡± or telling her to visit her parents whenever she had a hard time. ¡®I expected it.¡¯ Meredith gave a bitter smile. ¡®This is a relationship we shouldn¡¯t have expected in the first place.¡¯ ¡®What do you want from them?¡¯ ¡®You thought the father who gave you half his blood would be a little different, didn¡¯t you?¡¯ She must have been so foolish as not to give up her expectations. ¡®Tsk, I¡¯m stupid.¡¯ Meredith quickly cleared her mind and turned around. She didn¡¯t turn back as she got onto the carriage. Soon after that, the carriage started to move. Meredith did not look back even after Schwartz¡¯s Mansion slowly moved away and became a speck. ****** When she arrived at the palace, it was Lady Renedi who greeted Meredith. ¡°Welcome, Empress.¡± With beautiful golden eyes, she bowed politely to Meredith, with her dark green hair gracefully upturned. ¡°Welcome to the Palace, Empress.¡± She was one of the people in charge of teaching Meredith. ¡°I¡¯m Yulia Rennedi, who will serve you in the future. Please call me Yulia at your convenience.¡± ¡°Nice to see you again, Yulia.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t fixed your tone yet.¡± Yulia¡¯s forehead creased. ¡°I¡¯ve been emphasizing that until a few days ago.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Meredith had a blank look on her face. It was not easy to completely break down a habit that had been hardened for 20 years with only three months. ¡°Well, that¡¯s all right. It¡¯s still before the wedding.¡± Knowing that, Yulia nodded generously. ¡°But you can¡¯t talk like that even after you officially become Empress. It doesn¡¯t matter to the other nobles, but be careful to those who keep you company, Your Majesty. It¡¯s a matter of Palace discipline.¡± ¡°I see what you mean. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. That¡¯s great.¡± Only then did the smiling Yulia guide Meredith with graceful gestures. ¡°Please come this way.¡± Preparations for the wedding began immediately. Meredith turned into an elegant bride with her hair trimmed, a dress full of hemlines, and colorful accessories. By the end of about three hours of preparation, Yulia kindly informed her of the schedule. ¡°Now the wedding is less than two hours away, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Yulia.¡± Then Meredith called Yulia. Yulia looked at Meredith. ¡°What kind of person is His Majesty?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Yulia couldn¡¯t answer right away. Meredith added a little word. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him before.¡± ¡°Ah..¡± However, even after hearing that, Yulia still had a hard time finding words. Like someone who has heard a difficult question to answer. Meredith waited patiently for Yulia¡¯s answer. ¡°Well, Your Majesty is¡­¡± Yulia picked her words quite carefully and opened her mouth. ¡°He¡¯s a great man¡­ And has a good personality..¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And he¡¯s really handsome.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Meredith nodded lightly. Rather than asking out of particular concern, she was just asking out of curiosity. Because no one told her about her husband until the wedding day. At that time, Meredith had no way of knowing that Yulia did not say the most important thing. ***** ¡°Your Majesty, the Empress is coming.¡± The door opened with a loud sound. Meredith, wearing a veil, took a careful step forward. She could feel the aristocrats staring at her from all sides. Meredith, who had never been so focused in her life, felt that the situation was somewhat burdensome and difficult. However, she stepped forward after giving strength to her toes. Finally, the moment came when she faced the Emperor for the first time. ¡®¡­Ah.¡¯ As Yulia said, the Emperor had a very beautiful appearance. His hair was as black as a black belt, and his pupils were darker than that. Looking deep into his eyes, seemed like looking into an abyss. In addition, he was very tall and well-built, so she could feel the Emperor¡¯s dignity. ¡®¡­You look like a statue that will be displayed somewhere in a museum.¡¯ The Emperor¡¯s beauty was beyond imagination. As pale as daylight. Sharp eyes and nose. Lips firmly shut. Although they gave a rather cold impression, the cold atmosphere seemed to make the Emperor¡¯s beautiful appearance stand out. And by the way¡­ ¡®You didn¡¯t sleep well last night?¡¯ Dark shadows hung beneath the eyes. It was funny that even the shadows underneath his eyes complimented his pale complexion. The bags underneath the Emperor¡¯s eyes had no influence on his great beauty. However, a problem arose gradually while listening to the ceremony. ¡°Cough, cough.¡± At first, she thought it was just a cough coming out of the dry air in the wedding hall. But over time, the intermittent cough showed no signs of stopping. Even at some points his hand was shaking. Only then did Meredith feel that things were unusual. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you?¡¯ But no one openly asked the Emperor, ¡®Your Majesty, are you ill?¡¯ Like they can¡¯t hear the cough. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Your Majesty, the Empress first.¡± Then the officiating question came up. ¡°Do you accept our Emperor as your husband, to love and respect him forever as his wife, and pledge to stand by him as his servant at any time?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I will.¡± ¡°This time, I will ask the Emperor. Do you take the Empress as your wife and pledge her life as her husband to love and respect her, and to keep her house and Empire peaceful?¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡°I hereby declare that you two are officially married.¡± As soon as the last word was spoken, applause erupted. Meredith held the Emperor¡¯s hand carefully first. ¡®¡­Ah.¡¯ It was as cold as ice. ¡®I almost let go because I was so surprised.¡¯ Meredith turned her head and looked at the face of her new husband. He looked as if nothing had happened. At that moment, Meredith realized. ¡®¡ªAh, you¡¯re sick.¡¯ There was a reason why the Duke of Schwartz made her the Empress instead of Catarina. ¡®So that¡¯s it.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s a waste to marry a sick Emperor to Catarina, but isn¡¯t the Emperor¡¯s wife position too attractive to give up?¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s no way they¡¯ll treat me well.¡¯ There was a bitter smile around Meredith¡¯s mouth, which roughly grasped the situation. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 : I Married a Sick Husband Translated by Tam Edited by Trevor Meredith¡¯s suspicion that the Emperor was ill was later confirmed at the Wedding Reception. ¡°Your Majesty seemed to be in bad shape earlier, too¡­¡± ¡°As expected. I wasn¡¯t the only one who felt that way.¡± ¡°You all knew anyway.¡± ¡°I feel sorry for the new Bride.¡± ¡°Did her parents fool her into marrying him?¡± ¡°No way. Did he really not tell his daughter about that?¡± ¡°Of course she knew and decided to get married. She¡¯d still be the empress.¡± ¡°It turns out that the empress was sick when she was young.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why she has never been seen in public.¡± ¡°I guess the sick people got married together, seems fitting.¡± ¡°Ssh, don¡¯t say that. Someone could hear it.¡± ¡°Hey, who¡¯s listening here?¡± ¡°Okay, this is between us. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll only talk to you here.¡± Although the origin of the story was in the powder room, they would never lie on this topic. ¡®Why didn¡¯t I hear anything like this from the social gatherings I¡¯ve been attending?¡¯ Meredith¡¯s expression became serious. Of course, the emperor¡¯s health was basically top secret. It was also taboo to talk casually about his health. Everyone would have to refrain from commenting because they could be taken to an underground prison for insulting the emperor. ¡®That¡¯s why they¡¯re talking secretly in places like this.¡¯ However, there was still something unconvincing. ¡®But I must have heard about it at least once, right?¡¯ Like now. But Meredith soon realized that it was an overly naive idea. It wasn¡¯t long after she entered society, so she couldn¡¯t have heard such a story about him. Even if there was someone who got close at a social gathering, who would say such a thing to her who would marry the emperor soon? It was the result of unavoidable circumstances. ¡®And the Schwartz people would have tried to cover my ears thoroughly.¡¯ They would never have given her an excuse to run away. ¡®And even if I had known, nothing would have changed.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t have avoided this marriage. How can a dirty illegitimate child avoid her father¡¯s marriage order? After all, it was useless reasoning now. Anyway, she married the emperor today. Now irrevocably, she has become the empress of the Empire. ¡®I can¡¯t break my solemn marriage vows.¡¯ Whether the Emperor was ill or dead tomorrow, she couldn¡¯t help it. Meredith was able to return to the wedding reception only after the ladies who had been making noise in the powder room left. Meredith was very upset, hearing all kinds of stories that she could not help but listen to. However, she greeted the ladies and their loved ones again without any problems. ¡°Congratulations on your marriage, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°I hope you have a good family with Your Majesty.¡± A happy family. ¡® ¡­I don¡¯t know.¡¯ It seemed like she had already doubted something like that from the beginning. The emperor wasn¡¯t showing up at the wedding reception at all. He didn¡¯t give a detailed reason, but it was obvious. Health problem. Meredith¡¯s expression became serious. ¡®Are you so sick that you can¡¯t attend the wedding reception?¡¯ From what she heard in the powder room earlier, it was said that the emperor was clearly healthy until given the throne. But after he ascended the throne, he began to look sick, and now he is completely ill. It is amazing how he is good and do well when he is struggling to keep his position at a political meeting. ¡°Your Majesty the Empress, congratulations on your marriage.¡± Then she heard a heavy voice. When she turned her head, three familiar people standing in front of her. The Duke and Duchess of Schwartz along with Catarina Schwartz. Meredith¡¯s expression hardened at the moment. However, she managed to keep her facial expression calm without any problems. ¡°Thank you, Duke Schwartz.¡± Duke Schwartz was also briefly embarrassed the way she spoke to her father. However, he also managed his facial expressions like Meredith. ¡°I hope you can take good care of Your Majesty the Emperor and create a rich royal family.¡± In a sense, this was a joke mocking Meredith. The emperor¡¯s condition, which she saw and heard earlier, was so terrible she questioned if he would be able to have her first night tonight. But what¡¯s with the ¡®rich royal family¡¯? Meredith¡¯s eyebrow naturally narrowed. Duke Schwartz¡¯s expression was still flat. ¡°¡­Thank you, Duke Schwartz. But you must have known one thing.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°About Your Majesty¡¯s health.¡± Meredith looked at the Duke of Schwartz with a saddened expression. ¡°You knew, but you didn¡¯t tell me on purpose, did you?¡± ¡°As you know, Your Majesty¡¯s health is strictly top secret.¡± ¡°But no matter how top secret it is¡ª!¡± ¡°Your Majesty the Empress.¡± The Duke of Schwartz asked with a face that he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Is that important?¡± ¡°¡­.Pardon?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve become the Empress. Isn¡¯t it something to be happy about?¡± ¡°You should be glad, Your Majesty.¡± Then the Duchess of Schwartz stepped in. ¡°Think with your brain. Has there ever been a single nobleman who would take a vulgar illegitimate daughter as his wife?¡± ¡°¡­.Duchess Schwartz.¡± ¡°My mother is right. How glorious of you to be empress with such an origin?¡± Now even Catarina stepped in. ¡°The empress will have to thank my family and my father all her life. Oh, well, if you¡¯re a decent human being, you should.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s such a glorious position, why didn¡¯t the princess take it?¡± Meredith stared straight at Catarina with a dazzling look. ¡°You¡¯re older than me, so it¡¯s natural to get married first.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not ready to leave my parents¡¯ arms yet.¡± Catarina added with a laugh. ¡°Oh, come to think of it, you have no mother. You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯re married, I¡¯m looking for someone to marry. Thank you for your concern.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯ll take care of my daughter¡¯s wedding.¡± Duchess Schwartz nudged in. ¡°Your Majesty doesn¡¯t need to worry, you only need to care about His Majesty.¡± ¡°Anyway, I believe you will behave well since we don¡¯t become a family member anymore.¡± If she could, she wanted to do all kinds of bad things to her family. But¡­ ¡®That¡¯s would cost me, too.¡¯ If she did something that would hurt her family, she herself would not be safe. ¡°Well, I hope you have a wonderful first night of your honeymoon, Your Majesty. They must have come here to tease people. The new bride, who had just been married, was upset and the Schwartz family left the place leisurely. Meredith watched the back of those who could not be called family members with a look of dejection. ¡®As expected, my father was blinded by power and sold me as a sacrifice.¡¯ It was not yet clear what kind of deals there were after that. ¡®But at least one thing is certain.¡¯ This marriage was never in her favor. Otherwise, Duchess Schwartz and Catarina would never allow this marriage. ¡®It doesn¡¯t feel right¡­.¡¯ The problem was that even if this marriage was disadvantageous to her, she had no choice but to live as the wife of the sick emperor. ******* The wedding reception ended around evening. As soon as the reception came to an end, Meredith returned to her palace. She simply finished dinner and then took a bath. Now she had nothing to do as the Empress today. Except for one thing. ¡°Now I need to prepare to enter His Majesty¡¯s bedroom.¡± Chapter 5 Chapter 5 : I Married a Sick Husband Translated by Tam Edited by Kio Meredith raised the corner of her lips and opened her mouth awkwardly. ¡°Yulia.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°His Majesty seems to be very ill now so¡­¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t even attend the reception.¡± ¡°Yulia, did you know that? No, there¡¯s no way you don¡¯t know.¡± Meredith asked Yulia, who had been unable to make eye contact with her since earlier. ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± ¡°Forgive me Your Majesty. I¡ª¡±, Yulia made an excuse, looking away with an ashamed expression. ¡°I thought the Duke of Schwartz had already said¡ª¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°I thought Your Majesty knew everything.¡± At that moment, the words she heard in the powder room passed through Meredith¡¯s head. ¡®Did her parents fool her into this marriage?¡¯ ¡®No way. Did she not tell her own daughter about this important fact?¡¯ ¡®Of course she knew and still married. It¡¯s still the seat of the Empress.¡¯ That¡¯s what everyone thinks. She knew everything and accepted this marriage. Anyway, the Duchess of Schwartz must have been told such important information as her parents. They just chose to withhold the information from her. ¡®Yulia can¡¯t be any different.¡¯ She must¡¯ve assumed she didn¡¯t have to bring up the uncomfortable story, since she believed Meredith knew already. ¡®It¡¯s hard to fault her, for making that assumption.¡¯ If there was no ill will, then Yulia had no need to be apologetic. But neither did Meredith. If there was no ill will, Yulia ¡°I feel like I¡¯m being deceived,¡± Meredith mumbled bitterly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡± Yulia¡¯s eyes grew bigger at her words. ¡°Your Majesty, I swear to God that¡ª! I didn¡¯t have such an intention.¡± Yulia was surprised and apologized after kneeling in front of Meredith. ¡°Sorry, Your Majesty. I really didn¡¯t know. I¡¯m really¡ª¡± ¡°I thought you knew. I mean it.¡± ¡°Yes, I know. You didn¡¯t do it out of ill will,¡± Meredith answered calmly. ¡°That¡¯s what everyone would think. I knew everything and I married him.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­..But I wasn¡¯t. I¡ª¡± Meredith paused and then calmed down. ¡°I didn¡¯t know. Really.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± ¡°How come?¡ª¡± ¡°¡­..I know, you don¡¯t understand.¡± Meredith laughed bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m the only one who doesn¡¯t know what the whole Baltic community knows.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± She felt like a fool. Of course, she has been living in a single room completely isolated for almost 20 years. She felt even more foolish today. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be easy to solve all your questions today.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Now¡­ seems like a bad time for that.¡± Right now she had an assignment called early night. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when it¡¯s the right time.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, I understand.¡± Yulia seemed to have guessed that there was a secret she couldn¡¯t say. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to hide the truth from Yulia.¡¯ She doesn¡¯t really want to, and even if she wants to, it will be impossible to hide it until the end. They¡¯ll find out soon enough. ¡°¡­in Your Majesty¡¯s bedroom,¡± Meredith said with a short sigh. ¡°I think it¡¯s better to not come in, ¡° said Yulia, ¡°His Majesty is not in a good condition, so he¡¯s not in a position to spend the night together.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°¡­Then I will tell the Central Palace.¡± ¡°From now on¡­¡±, Yulia opened her mouth with a hesitant voice. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything thoroughly,¡± Yulia finished resolutely. ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°There will be no such mistake as today again. I apologize again, Your Majesty,¡± Yulia bowed deeply and stepped out of Meredith¡¯s room. Meredith watched Yulia disappear with tired eyes. ¡°¡ªWake up, Meredith.¡± She shouldn¡¯t be stupid because she entered the Palace without knowing the truth. At least until she knows now what¡¯s going on in this marriage. ****** ¡°¡­.I don¡¯t think this is it.¡± Meredith, lying on the bed, muttered while tossing and turning several times. Diane, who was guarding, asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Empress?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going into His Majesty¡¯s bedroom today.¡± Meredith jumped out of bed, ¡°But it¡¯s my first night of marriage, and I can¡¯t say I won¡¯t go. It¡¯s against Imperial Law.¡± ¡°Actually, I was a little worried about it, too.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not too late, is it? What time is it, Diane?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not midnight yet. Wouldn¡¯t it be okay if you go now? Shall we send a message to the Palace?¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. If you¡¯re sleepy, you can come back.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll walk in vain¡ª¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s like we¡¯re taking a walk. Can I have a brush?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Meredith simply brushed her hair and then stepped out of the Imperial Palace. It was very dark that night because there was no moon in the sky. Meredith had to walk very carefully not to fall. When they finally arrived at the main Palace, the Knights of course let Meredith, the Empress, in without any special inspection. Taking a few more steps, Meredith reached the front of the Emperor¡¯s room. Perhaps because it was their first night of marriage, there were no servants in front of the door. It was a consideration for newlyweds. Meredith looked back at Diane and said, ¡°You go back to the Imperial Palace first, Diane.¡± ¡°Is it okay if you¡¯re alone?¡± ¡°This is the Main Palace, and I even brought a lamp. What are you worried about?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Okay, get back safely.¡± After a short greeting, Meredith parted away with Diane. It was only after she was left completely alone that she slowly took a deep breath, opened the door herself and went inside. And finally, the Emperor¡¯s bedroom became closer¡ª. ¡°¡­.Huh.¡± The scene in front of Meredith and her current situation were in stark contrast to what she had thought. Black men in masks, bleeding everywhere. The smell of thick and fishy blood coming out of them. The room that was originally neat, but now in a mess. But more than anything else, there was a separate scene that shocked her the most. ¡°¡­¡­Oh, my God.¡± A man who is pointing a knife at her neck, covered in blood. ¡°I¡¯ve been caught.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t coming.¡± He was definitely her husband, who had a hard time even standing properly until this afternoon. ¡®¡­.What am I looking at right now?¡¯ Meredith couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Obviously, the man in front of her was the Emperor. However, his condition was completely different from during the day. In the face of a man staring at her expressionlessly in front of her eyes, she could not find a disease that caused intermittent dry coughs. Meredith felt like she was in a dream-like situation. ¡®¡­but it¡¯s not a dream.¡¯ The sensibility of a sharp blade touching the side of her neck told her that the situation was real. Meredith swallowed her dry saliva. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Then came a question. ¡°Are you here to make sure I¡¯m dead?¡± Chapter 6 Chapter 6 : I Married a Sick Husband ¡°Are you here to make sure I¡¯m dead?¡± ¡°What are you saying¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t avoid the question.¡± The Emperor aimed the sword closer to Meredith¡¯s neck. Meredith looked at the Emperor with a nervous look. She couldn¡¯t understand why he was doing this to her. ¡°You knew that this would happen.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°You even refused to show up earlier this night.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re misunderstanding.¡± Meredith calmly explained, ¡°But, the reason I rejected Your Majesty was simply that I thought that Your Majesty was in poor health.¡± ¡°You did it for me?¡± The Emperor smirked as if he were having fun. ¡°Then why did you come all the way here instead of sleeping?¡± ¡°It seemed so rude of me to refuse the first night because of Your Majesty¡¯s condition, so I just came to see you now,¡± Meredith answered honestly. ¡°That¡¯s rude.¡± But the Emperor didn¡¯t seem to believe her much. ¡°Are you pretending to be naive or you¡¯re truly naive?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you avoid the assassination on the first night of the marriage?¡± ¡°What¡ª That¡¯s not true, Your Majesty!¡± Meredith raised her voice as if she was falsely accused. ¡°I¡¯m very embarrassed right now, too. I¡¯m just here to lie down in the same bed as your Majesty¡­ because it¡¯s our first night of marriage. I¡¯m telling you.¡± Meredith tried to explain the misunderstanding to the Emperor with a stern but desperate voice. ¡°Most of all, I had no contact with the Empress Dowager.¡± (T/n: It means Meredith¡¯s mother.) ¡°Do you want me to believe that lie?¡± ¡°Your Majesty seems to have a strong misunderstanding of me.¡± ¡°Misunderstanding?¡± ¡°I swear I¡¯ve never seen the Empress Dowager. Not even once in my life.¡± ¡°Duke Schwartz was at the wedding when you became Empress. Do you expect me to believe that?¡± ¡°It was a marriage that I had no choice in.¡± Meredith continued calmly. ¡°And if I had known you were as weak as day, I would never have agreed to be Empress.¡± ¡°It sounds like you were tricked into getting married.¡± Although true, Meredith didn¡¯t necessarily agree with that statement. ¡°But it wouldn¡¯t have changed if I knew it in advance.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Because then, I had no power to reject Duke Schwartz¡¯s order.¡± After Meredith¡¯s words were over, the Emperor stared silently at Meredith. Meredith waited for the Emperor to move the sword that had been stubbornly aimed towards her neck. Such a confrontation lasted for some time. And at some point. ¡°Your Majesty¡ª Oh my!¡± Someone came into this mess. ¡°What¡¯s all this about?¡± He was a man with red hair and a pair of glasses. He also had a neat appearance at a glance. She doesn¡¯t know where the hell he came from, but he looked quite surprised to see the room. Well, who wouldn¡¯t be surprised to see this situation? ¡°Ah.¡± Then, the man found Meredith and frowned. ¡°Why is Her Majesty here¡ª¡± The funny thing was that even though he found the Emperor pointing a knife at Meredith¡¯s neck, he didn¡¯t seem very surprised. Meredith also noticed that the man, like the Emperor, thought of herself as a figure under the Empress Dowager. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a visitor.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± The red-haired man took the serious word with great indifference. As if this happened more than once. He frowned and said to the Emperor. ¡°Even if you kill when you kill, you can take the sword away, Your Majesty. My skin is shaking.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± The Emperor didn¡¯t give him any heed to the man¡¯s words. He finally breathed a short sigh and put down the sword. As soon as her neck was safe, Meredith felt her legs relax. She stumbled. Eventually, she sat down at the spot. Then the red-haired man approached her and held out his hand. Meredith slowly raised her head. ¡°Please get up, Your Majesty. The hem of the dress will get dirty.¡± Only then did Meredith slowly get up, holding the man¡¯s hand. But her legs were still shaking. The red-haired man who was looking closely at Meredith, who was shaking, opened his mouth again. ¡°I¡¯m sure you would have known if things were going this far, but you¡¯re too nervous. You have excellent acting skills.¡± ¡°She said she didn¡¯t expect this situation at all.¡± Before Meredith could even open her mouth, the emperor replied. The red-haired man immediately refuted it as if he could not understand it. ¡°But the Empress is not Duke Schwartz¡¯s second daughter.¡± ¡°There seems to be a misunderstanding, but I never expected this situation.¡± Meredith then opened her mouth and intervened in the conversation between the two. ¡°I think you see me as the Empress Dowager¡¯s puppet, but I swear I¡¯ve never seen your face. Not even once in my life.¡± ¡°The Empress continues to feel wronged, Sir Felix.¡± Felix, that seemed to be the name of that red-haired man. ¡°They didn¡¯t know I was sick, and they forced this marriage.¡± ¡°What did you explain about your refusal to stay up all night? I thought the Empress refused to have the first night because she gave me her word.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m not feeling well. She thought it was her consideration.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe everything the Empress says, do you?¡± Felix narrowed his forehead and responded to the Emperor¡¯s words. ¡°Your Majesty, this is Duke Schwartz¡¯s daughter. Maybe this is all part of the plan.¡± ¡°Plan?¡± ¡°What if Duke Schwartz planted a spy on our side?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t say in front of me.¡± Meredith, who was still listening, cut in with absurdity. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have a lot to ask about right now.¡± ¡°I know what the Empress is curious about right now.¡± The Emperor replied in a quiet voice. ¡°But I can¡¯t tell you that until I clear my suspicion that the Empress is on that side. It¡¯s confidential.¡± ¡°Okay, how can I prove that I have nothing to do with Duke and Empress Dowager Schwartz?¡± ¡°Well.¡± She heard a creepy cold voice. ¡°That¡¯s for the Empress to come up with.¡± ¡°¡­.Pardon?¡± ¡°To put it mildly, it¡¯s much easier for me to kill the Empress here and cover her with assassins.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I have nothing to gain from keeping the Schwartz family alive.¡± The Emperor bowed his upper body toward Meredith. That alone cast a long shadow toward Meredith. In his shadowy face, she could not even see the color of his illness. With the pressure overwhelming her whole body, Meredith couldn¡¯t even get to see his pale lips. The feeling of being thrown in front of a beast. ¡°So think hard.¡± It was like a threat or warning with whispers. ¡°Give me the reason why I shouldn¡¯t kill the Empress?¡± ¡ªIt was not wrong. It seemed that the Emperor was considerate of the Duke of Schwartz. ¡®Then it would be better for you to take this opportunity to kill me.¡¯ She understood that remark. ¡®But that¡¯s Your Majesty¡¯s situation. It¡¯s not me.¡¯ Meredith got very upset. ¡®I have never benefited from the blood of the Duke of Schwartz since I was born.¡¯ Now she¡¯s in danger of dying just because she inherited the blood of the Schwartz family even though she didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Meredith glanced at the fallen assassins with blood everywhere. She may soon be in the process of death. Thinking so gave her the chills. She couldn¡¯t die like this. ¡®I have to think about it. Why you have to keep me alive.¡¯ And it would be totally useless unless it was for some great reason. Meredith tried to think fast. She needs to find what that man needs the most now. What that man needs most¡ª. ¡®¡ªAh.¡¯ Suddenly, one came to mind. But it was like gambling. Nevertheless, there was no better idea to save her life. And there was nothing more he needed. ¡°I¡ª¡± Meredith opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind. ¡°I can cure Your Majesty¡¯s illness.¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7 : I Married a Sick Husband Translated by Tam Edited by Kat-9 ¡°I can cure your illness.¡± As the words poured out of Meredith¡¯s mouth, both the Emperor and Felix looked at her with a look of disbelief, as if they had heard her wrong. ¡°¡­¡± For a while, it was silent in the blood-soaked room. ¡°¡­I think you are under some misunderstanding.¡± A cold smile flickered past the Emperor¡¯s face. ¡°You won¡¯t be saved by saying things at random.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything I don¡¯t mean.¡± Meredith responded, struggling to stop her voice from trembling. ¡°I can cure your illness, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°My illness¡­¡± The Emperor laughed as if he were having fun. Then he slowly tilted his head to make eye contact with Meredith. Meredith felt her heart shrink at the sight of his eyes that lacked all signs of warmth. However, she tried to hide her fear and maintained a firm posture. ¡°Of course, if you want to cure me, you must know the name of my disease, right?¡± He asked with a sharp-eyed look. ¡°So, what kind of disease is this, Empress?¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡ª¡± Meredith slowly opened her mouth. ¡°Even though you¡¯re weak enough to collapse during the day, you¡¯re unaffected at night. You can even dispose of a few assassins who infiltrated your bedchambers.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s an act to look like you¡¯re in pain.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Your sickly pale complexion during the day didn¡¯t look like a lie.¡± ¡°Keep talking.¡± ¡°Weak during the day, but healthy at night¡ª¡± After reaching this deduction, Meredith felt strange. ¡®Is there such a disease in the world?¡¯ Meredith was interested in medicine and had read a number of related books. However, she had never heard of a disease with the Emperor¡¯s symptoms. It didn¡¯t make sense in the first place; there was no such disease in the world. Then there¡¯s only one answer left. ¡°¡ªI¡¯m afraid it has been caused by black magic.¡± ¡°¡­Black magic?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, it seems that someone has put a curse on you to inflict harm.¡± ¡°Is it the work of the Empress Mother?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not the one who cursed you.¡± ¡°But was it really caused by black magic?¡± As if he did not believe Meredith¡¯s words, the Emperor narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. ¡°Is there anyone in this country who still uses magic?¡± It was understandable to have doubts. King Eustian IV, emperor of the Baltic Empire 200 years ago had banned all use of magic, and executed existing magicians for misleading the people and manipulating society. This is why most people think that magicians are extinct in the Baltic Empire. ¡°Of course it¡¯s rare, but they still exist.¡± There are exceptions everywhere. ¡°It sounds like you know someone like that.¡± ¡°Yes, me.¡± Meredith confessed calmly. ¡°¡­You¡¯re a magician?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to use powerful magic.¡± Meredith was a healer. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of person that Baltic Jane would count on.¡± And she just wanted to make sure that this man wasn¡¯t one of them. But Meredith was already convinced that the one who had used black magic on the emperor had considerable mana. It was because black magic was taboo even when magic was allowed, as it was usually used for negative purposes, such as curses. But she also thought so because a magician¡¯s body could be destroyed without sufficient mana. ¡®I can do it¡ª¡¯ Meredith was nervous, but now was not the time to question whether she could do it or not. Even if it was beyond her ability, she had to pretend to do it. The Empress mother and the Emperor, if she wanted to live, she needed to avoid being on either side. ¡°So the Empress Mother is a magician, too?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure whether that¡¯s right or not.¡± Meredith opened her mouth with a thoughtful expression. ¡°Even if she did have magic, she couldn¡¯t have cursed Your Majesty by herself.¡± ¡°Why do you think that?¡± ¡°Black magicians are not common, and I know that if you cast a black spell to cause a person to fall ill, you¡¯d have to recover for at least a month.¡± ¡°Then¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible she found a black magician and paid them. I think this is the most likely explanation.¡± After saying that, Meredith hesitated for a moment. ¡°But I don¡¯t think she would have cursed you to keep you tied up during the day. Maybe¡ª¡± ¡°Maybe what?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a high possibility that she would want to kill Your Majesty. But for some reason, the curse doesn¡¯t seem to have worked.¡± ¡°Is that possible, too?¡± ¡°You¡¯re healthy.¡± Meredith nodded. ¡°Because above all else, you are a descendant of the Baltic. If you weren¡¯t a direct descendant, maybe¡­¡± Meredith didn¡¯t continue. It was obvious what would¡¯ve happened without saying the rest. The atmosphere turned solemn. Meredith quickly turned away. ¡°Have you ever had a medical examination from the court?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no medical problem.¡± ¡°Then I can only think that it is from black magic.¡± ¡°Can you cure it?¡± The Emperor asked with a suspicious look. ¡°You¡¯re not going to worsen my condition, are you?¡± ¡°Is there any benefit for me to do so?¡± Meredith looked at the Emperor with a serious expression and replied. ¡°When you die, I¡¯ll become a widow. If the Empress mother was the one who cursed Your Majesty, and if she was eager to be in power, would she welcome the existence of two empresses in one imperial palace?¡± It can¡¯t be. If there are two people in power, the power must be divided. ¡°Even if I¡¯m in communication with the Empress mother now, after your death, they will choose to kill me without a care.¡± Meredith then realized at that moment, that the Duke of Schwartz had calculated her position as empress. Her life didn¡¯t matter to the Duke of Schwartz. That is the value of an illegitimate child. Meredith struggled to swallow her dry saliva. ¡°Your Majesty, you may not believe it now, but we are in the same boat.¡± ¡°The same boat.¡± ¡°Yes, I cannot guarantee my safety without you by my side. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°By more importantly, I¡¯m the only one who can cure you of your curse. It¡¯s rare to find a healing magician like me.¡± The room was silent for a long time after Meredith spoke. The Emperor seemed to be deep in thought. Nevertheless, Felix, who had been watching from the side, did not appear to trust Meredith, and he was worried that the Emperor would fall for her ¡®evil¡¯ trick. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± It was not until some time had passed that the Emperor spoke again. ¡°I¡¯ll spare you.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, no!¡± Felix hurried to stop the Emperor. However, the Emperor seemed to have made up his mind. ¡°Even if the Empress dies here now, the Empress mother is likely to send another back for her liking.¡± Unfortunately, in the Baltic Empire, it was customary for marriage to be by the will of the parents. Even if the parents did not share a single drop of blood with them. ¡°But¡ª!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to complicate things. And¡ª¡± The emperor stared at Meredith. ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s not easy to get a magician, especially a healer.¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°I think we need to clean this place up for now.¡± The Emperor smiled and looked back at Felix. ¡°My Empress has been very surprised since a while ago.¡± Meredith was dumbfounded when she heard that. Of course, she was surprised to see the assassins bleeding out on the floor, but what shocked her more was the Emperor, who pointed a sword to her neck. Meredith wanted to point that out, but she decided to stay quiet in case he changed his mind about sparing her life. ¡°Let¡¯s move rooms. At dawn, I¡¯ll have the servants clean it up.¡± ¡°Shall we?¡± The secret of the Emperor¡¯s unique illness: weak during the day, but healthy at night, was only known by Felix, a close courtier, and the Emperor himself. The Emperor stared at Meredith while she bit her lips. A woman who confidently expressed a reason to save herself in front of the person who wanted to kill her. ¡®Is that woman really the Empress mother¡¯s puppet?¡¯ He hadn¡¯t completely let go of his doubts yet. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s all a part of their strategy, as Felix had said.¡¯ However, regardless of whether she was an enemy or not, her calm yet bold disposition was admirable. He raised the corners of his mouth slightly and said to Meredith, ¡°Follow me.¡± Chapter 8 Chapter 8 : I Married a Sick Husband The Emperor and Meredith moved into a new room. As expected, there was no one there. He offered a seat to her. ¡°Sit.¡± She sat across from the Emperor and asked carefully, ¡°Who exactly knows about your condition, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Lord Felix, someone in the palace, and myself.¡± The Emperor stretched out three fingers, and then a fourth. ¡°And as of today, you, so now four people know.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only a few.¡± ¡°The less people who know about it, the less likely the secret will be revealed.¡± ¡°Is the courtier from the palace someone you can trust?¡± Meredith asked with a rather serious tone. But the Emperor simply responded with a small smile, causing Meredith to narrow her eyes. ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s kind of funny to hear that question from someone I suspect right now.¡± ¡°Do you still doubt me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be mistaken, Empress¡ª¡± The Emperor spoke with a hardened voice. ¡°¡ªKeeping you alive does not mean I believe you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t have to worry about the courtier¡¯s presence.¡± ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± ¡°His sister died at the hands of the Queen.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± A shared enemy. ¡°So all you have to do is watch your mouth.¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t lose my mother in the hands of the Duke of Schwartz for nothing.¡± Meredith slowly opened her mouth. ¡°I have a similar grudge against the Duke, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Grudge?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never seen my face before the wedding, have you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s been difficult for you to enter society due to your weak body.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the Duchess decided to say.¡± A bitter smile passed by Meredith¡¯s expression. ¡°It¡¯s all a lie. Actually, I¡¯m an illegitimate child.¡± ¡°¡­an illegitimate child.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything you need to know.¡± Meredith looked relieved, as if she had said everything she wanted to say. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Then, will you resolve your doubts about me sooner?¡± ¡°Who knows? I still don¡¯t believe you completely.¡± Meredith laughed when she heard his response. ¡°So who do you believe in, Your Majesty? Sir Felix?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone.¡± ¡°Even Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes, not even myself.¡± The Emperor answered coldly. ¡°Because I am a human being, after all; an imperfect existence.¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a life cursed by the Queen, how can it be perfect?¡± (Tn : I changed Empress Mother to Queen. ?? : can be meaning as Empress Mother, Empress Dowager and Queen ) ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough for small talk.¡± The Emperor suddenly reached out to Meredith, who stared back at him with curious eyes. ¡°Treat it, my curse.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°You said you could cure it.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m a magician, not a doctor.¡± ¡°Does it matter? Isn¡¯t that more valuable than a doctor?¡± ¡°We need to know exactly what your curse is.¡± ¡°Then you should figure it out. Now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s not my specialty.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Well, a healing magician can¡¯t treat an injury or curse without first knowing exactly what the problem is, so I can¡¯t do anything. That¡¯s why black magic is especially difficult to treat.¡± After saying that, Meredith looked at the Emperor¡¯s face carefully. He looked like he had been deceived. It¡¯s not like she didn¡¯t understand such a reaction, but it was a little unfair. Meredith quickly opened her mouth again. ¡°Give me some time.¡± ¡°What? To run away?¡± ¡°We need time to identify your curse and understand what you¡¯re suffering from.¡± ¡°That¡¯s tricky.¡± ¡°I told you it¡¯s difficult.¡± ¡°What happens after all that understanding?¡± The Emperor stared at Meredith and asked. ¡°Can you be sure you can resolve this issue?¡± ¡°You guaranteed my life, so I should be able to.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± He nodded slowly. ¡°How many days do you need?¡± ¡°At least a week¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªThat¡¯s too long.¡± ¡°I need to see all the relevant books. That kind of information is restricted.¡± Meredith quickly added. ¡°In addition, please allow me to see the forbidden books.¡± ¡°Forbidden books?¡± ¡°There are not many magic books left since 200 years ago, and any writing of black magic is strictly prohibited.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible the relevant information can be obtained through these books.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let you have whatever you need.¡± The Emperor continued with a voice tinged with fatigue. ¡°But keep in mind, you must cure this ridiculous curse I have.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to remember.¡± ¡°And everything we¡¯ve talked about must stay between us.¡± ¡°You see me as a fool, Your Majesty. I know that much myself.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s better to be sure.¡± The Emperor muttered with a slightly awkward expression, then Meredith stood from her seat. ¡°Then I shall be leaving now.¡± She had gone through many unexpected events that she was now exhausted. Meredith politely uttered her goodbye and turned to leave the room, but unexpected words came from behind her. ¡°You should sleep here.¡± Meredith doubted her ears for a moment. It was a shock, similar to when she was first told by the Duke of Schwartz to marry the Emperor. Meredith turned to face him, frowning slightly. She could see the Emperor looking at her with a calm expression. Only then did Meredith realize that what he had just said did not contain any sexual intent. The Emperor spoke again, with a voice as dry as his expression. ¡°That is, if you don¡¯t intend to let the Queen question our relationship.¡± ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Of course. ¡®The Queen must know by now that her assassins were disposed of by His Majesty.¡¯ If the person who went to the Central Palace for the wedding night returns, she would be suspicious. ¡®Come to think of it¡­¡¯ The Duke of Schwartz must have known what was going to happen at the palace tonight. He intended for her to die along with the Emperor. ¡®You planned for my death after the wedding: killing two birds with one stone.¡¯ Of course, Meredith already knew he didn¡¯t think of her as his daughter, but at that moment, a hot fire soared in her heart. ¡®¡­What should I do?¡¯ Meredith couldn¡¯t overcome her anger and squeezed the hem of her dress. ¡°You can¡¯t go to sleep like that.¡± She heard the voice of the Emperor. As she lowered her head, she could see the red-stained hem of her dress. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Despite trying to avoid it, the dress seemed to have touched the blood on the floor from earlier. ¡®It¡¯s not nearly enough to notice¡­¡¯ However, under the current circumstances, nothing should be handled poorly. ¡°The bed¡¯s big, so let¡¯s share it. It won¡¯t be uncomfortable.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just sleep on the couch,¡± Meredith responded. ¡°I think it would be better to just listen.¡± He sounded strangely threatening. ¡°¡­¡± Meredith hesitated, but eventually nodded. ****** Meredith laid down on the bed, silently regretting agreeing with the Emperor. ¡®¡­Why did I say I would go to sleep?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s so awkward that I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯ No matter how unfamiliar they were with each other, to lie in bed together on the first night was not a big problem. The real problem was that as soon as Meredith lay in bed, her accumulated fatigue completely disappeared. ¡®I can¡¯t sleep¡­¡¯ She was too awake. Meredith closed her eyes tightly with a troubled look. She wanted to toss and turn around, but she couldn¡¯t do it carelessly in case he would be disturbed. ¡®Do I have to count sheep?¡¯ It was while she was thinking this that she heard a voice from behind. ¡°Are you asleep?¡± Chapter 9 ¡°Are you asleep?¡± Meredith almost turned around without thinking. Restraining the urge to look, she opened her mouth just enough for her soft voice to be heard. ¡°No. Why aren¡¯t you sleeping, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I mostly lie in bed during the day.¡± ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Thinking about it, he had been absent since the wedding reception. ¡®Well, he must be in bed a lot during the day.¡¯ Then the Emperor¡¯s voice came again from behind. ¡°I¡¯m curious about something.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Magic is passed through maternal inheritance; I think I¡¯ve heard this vaguely before.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Was your mother a magician?¡± ¡°Yes, I inherited it from her.¡± Meredith retorted with a dry voice. ¡°My half-sister does not have magic.¡± ¡°I know, but it¡¯s amazing that magic is still here in the first place.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I have a question, will you answer it?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about your health.¡± Originally, Meredith was going to ask about it in the morning, but instead decided to ask now. ¡°When does your condition shift?¡± ¡°When the sun sets, I become healthy, and when the sun rises, I fall weak again.¡± ¡°Like a vampire,¡± he added. ¡°It¡¯s terrible to think that you¡¯ll be troubled again in a few hours. If you can¡¯t work during the day, it must be done all night¡­¡± ¡°Well otherwise, state affairs will not continue properly.¡± His cold voice continued from behind. ¡°And that¡¯s the quickest way to hand over power to the Empress Dowager.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Meredith continued to wonder. ¡°But if Your Majesty is in such a bad condition, everyone must find it strange that state affairs are running smoothly.¡± ¡°I had my own people in place before I became like this.¡± The Emperor replied in a soft voice. ¡°My subordinates handle a lot of the work, so I¡¯m getting a lot of help. I didn¡¯t expect to face such a challenge immediately upon taking the throne.¡± ¡°You must be tired.¡± She truly felt sorry for him. ¡°You lie in bed when you¡¯re supposed to be awake, and you work when you¡¯re supposed to be asleep.¡± ¡°I know. I might really get sick at this rate¡ª¡± Then, she heard the sound of tossing from behind. Noticing that the Emperor, who had been lying on his back, had turned to face the same direction as her, Meredith¡¯s body stiffened. ¡°¡ªSo your role is important.¡± His heavy voice echoed from behind. ¡°Cure me as soon as possible. If you do that, I¡¯ll give you whatever you want.¡± What does she want? Actually, Meredith didn¡¯t know at this point. She had lived her life without any desire, and just wanted to stay alive and leave the palace. ¡®Then all I want is a divorce.¡¯ However, she didn¡¯t think it was right to mention divorce on the first night of marriage, so she asked another question. ¡°Are you going to make what happened today public, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking about.¡± To be precise, he was planning to kill Meredith, along with the assassins, and then make it public. But he changed his mind when it didn¡¯t go to plan. ¡°I¡¯m going to cover this up.¡± ¡°How come? Why would you¡ª¡± ¡°The Empress Dowager will use this case as an excuse to change the guards in the Central Palace.¡± The Emperor explained in a grave voice. ¡°It¡¯s tiring to verify if the replacement guards are the Empress Dowager¡¯s men.¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult to be sure of no gaps in the process. I already changed it once last month.¡± It was a more complicated issue than she thought. ¡°And this was not the fault of the guards.¡± ¡°When I came in, everyone seemed to have no idea of what was going on inside.¡± Meredith said, as she remembered from earlier. ¡°I had no idea of what was happening beyond the door.¡± ¡°Yes, the secret passage has been exposed.¡± ¡°Secret passage?¡± ¡°The passage through which Sir Felix came in earlier.¡± Meredith remembered Felix¡¯s sudden appearance earlier and made a sigh. ¡®Of course there was a secret passage, why wouldn¡¯t there be?¡¯ ¡°It leads to the outside, but I think it¡¯s exposed.¡± The Emperor wasn¡¯t surprised. The previous Emperor, his father, was truly in love with the Empress Dowager, and it was likely he had told her about the secret passage. It¡¯s probable enough. ¡°We¡¯ll have to block it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to dig a new one.¡± The Emperor responded nonchalantly and then told her. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day. I¡¯m going to sleep now. I shouldn¡¯t have spoken to you for so long.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Meredith answered quietly, then added a moment later. ¡°Good night.¡± (TN: she said it in a formal way.) There was no response for some time after spouting the words, so she regretted saying it for nothing. It was time for her to go to sleep, she thought. ¡°You too.¡± A low murmur came from behind. ¡°Good night.¡± (TN: he said it in an informal way.) It was a dry response, with no warmth, but Meredith decided it was better than being ignored. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly and she slowly closed her eyes. ***** Usually, Meredith was awakened by intense sunlight entering through the window. However, it was the first time she was woken for a reason she could not imagine. ¡°Cough, cough!¡± A coughing sound coming from her side. She tried to ignore it a few times and go back to sleep¡ª ¡°Cough, cough!¡± In the end, Meredith couldn¡¯t resist and sat up. If it were sunlight, she could cover her whole head with a blanket, but there was nothing she could do to block the sound. No matter how hard she tried to cover her ears, she could still hear it. ¡°Your Majesty, why are you si¡ª¡± Meredith, who was still half asleep, tried to ask casually, but belatedly realised what time it was. ¡®Ah.¡¯ It was morning. Meredith checked the clock, which had its short needle between six and seven, and looked around. The sun must have risen by this time, so naturally his body would fall ill. Meredith called the Emperor with a worried expression. ¡°Your Majesty, are you all right?¡± ¡°Does it sound like I¡¯m okay to your ears?¡± ¡°¡­I apologize.¡± Maybe it was because he was sick, but he was harsher than last night. The morning seemed to have added an extra layer to his coldness. Meredith opened her mouth, thinking that she should be careful in front of the patient. ¡°Do you need anything? Do you want some water?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. This is normal.¡± His voice was definitely worse than yesterday. ¡®I can¡¯t believe people can be so different overnight.¡¯ Meredith couldn¡¯t believe it, even seeing it in person. Really, if it¡¯s not magic, it can¡¯t be explained. ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just before seven.¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± Breathing deeply, he soon murmured. ¡°Good thing we don¡¯t have a meeting on the second day of our marriage.¡± ¡°Everyone will think that Your Majesty is forcing himself to stand.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually doing that. I¡¯m barely holding on. So¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªMy role is important. I already understand.¡± She answered quickly, and the Emperor stared at her from his position lying down. It was a rather pointed look that made her feel cautious. ¡°At least there no morning meeting anyway, so please rest some more.¡± ¡°¡­How about you?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Are you going to go?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know, Your Majesty? I have a role to fulfill.¡± ¡°¡­Are you going to pay morning greetings to the Empress Dowager?¡± ¡°Your Majesty is sick and may be absent.¡± In fact, the Emperor had been excused for quite some time from his morning greeting duties to the Empress Dowager, citing his physical condition. Being excused from it was the only aspect the Emperor saw as a benefit from his condition. ¡°It¡¯s part of my duty as Empress to serve the Empress Dowager as if she were my own mother.¡± Unfortunately for Meredith, neither the Empress Dowager nor her living father considered treating her like their own child. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go there either, but what can I do if the rules say so?¡± She added, speaking honestly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to do anything that may cause Your Majesty to feel regret after the first day.¡± Of course, staying alive was the biggest reason, but she was also curious. ¡®How does Duke Schwartz have a relationship with the Empress Dowager? What was his intention from choosing her to marry the Emperor instead of her half-sister?¡¯ However, she didn¡¯t expect to learn much in the first place, but she could be able to read the atmosphere if she went. ¡°And I¡¯m sure she¡¯s very curious about what happened last night.¡± ¡°¡­I suppose so.¡± ¡°Are you worried that I might make a mistake in front of the Empress Dowager?¡± ¡°Mistake.¡± The emperor murmured to himself. ¡°I¡¯m a little worried if you¡¯re not on the same side as the Empress Dowager. She¡¯s a fox. And if the appearance you showed to me yesterday wasn¡¯t acting, you don¡¯t seem to have a very cunning personality.¡± ¡°Actually, I am worried myself.¡± Meredith opened her mouth, not being able to deny it. ¡°But I¡¯ll do my best so that I don¡¯t become someone like that to Your Majesty, since we¡¯re on the same boat now.¡± ¡°The same boat?¡± ¡°Remember, I told you yesterday.¡± Meredith asked carefully. ¡°Do you agree, Your Majesty?¡± (T/n : After discussion we decide to put Empress dowager instead of Queen. Thank you for the correction! xD ) Chapter 10 Chapter 10 : I Married a Sick Husband ¡°We¡¯re in the same boat now.¡± ¡°The same boat?¡± ¡°I remember I told you yesterday. You think so too, don¡¯t you?¡± Meredith asked carefully. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Because it is for me. There is only one Emperor in this palace.¡± If the Duke of Schwartz has truly sided with the Empress Dowager, as the Emperor believes, she has no chance of protecting herself. ¡®It¡¯s probably safer to stick to the Emperor¡¯s side.¡¯ Of course, depending on who wins, probabilities could be meaningless, but at least for now she would be unharmed. ¡°And Your Majesty should think so, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°At least I can treat you right now.¡± ¡°You said you couldn¡¯t cure it yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be able to do it soon.¡± Meredith responded immediately. ¡°And you have to believe I can do it.¡± ¡°As I said yesterday, if you can¡¯t save me¡­¡± The Emperor looked at Meredith with a dark expression and continued. ¡°I also have no reason to keep you alive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re on the same side.¡± After responding, Meredith closed her mouth as she felt she was acting desperate to reassure the Emperor. ¡®¡ªActually, I am desperately begging for my life¡­¡¯ But at least she was past the critical stage, so she decided to be more confident. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯ll call Sir Felix when I leave, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Emperor did not reply. Still, she bowed as she left, not knowing whether he noticed or not. The room stained with blood from last night was pristine, as if nothing had ever happened. But she still felt uncomfortable as goosebumps appeared on her skin from being in the room. ¡°Your Majesty the Empress.¡± Standing outside the room, Felix bowed in formal greeting, then fixed Meredith with an intense stare. She could read his thoughts: she shared blood with the Duke of Schwartz. Felix didn¡¯t know she was an illegitimate child, but she had no intention of using that to change his mind about her. It¡¯s the Emperor¡¯s opinion that mattered, anyway. ¡°Sir Felix, did you have a comfortable night?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, thanks to you.¡± Meredith only said what was necessary, exchanging simple words of perfunctory greeting. ¡°By the way, His Majesty has been coughing. You should go in.¡± ¡°¡­About what happened last night.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken to His Majesty. I¡¯ll pretend I don¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°His Majesty decided against revealing last night¡¯s occurrence.¡± Meredith responded briefly and then glanced at him. ¡°See you again, Sir Felix.¡± After speaking, she left the Central Palace without looking back. ***** The lantern that Meredith had brought along with her last night was completely useless in the daylight. When she arrived at the Empress Palace residency, the maids welcomed her. ¡°Your Majesty the Empress, you¡¯ve returned.¡± ¡°Yulia.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, you were unattended to, returning to the Empress Place without sending word.¡± Yulia said with a slightly exasperated tone. ¡°¡­Well, it slipped from my mind.¡± Too much had happened last night to care about such a trivial matter. ¡®You can¡¯t imagine what I went through last night.¡¯ Meredith parted her lips, looking at the women in the palace who were oblivious to what had happened. ¡°I shall visit the Empress Dowager¡¯s palace.¡± ¡°Are you preparing to leave now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°The bath will¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªI don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Meredith gave a pointed look to the tactless Yulia. Only then did Yulia quieten, realizing that the Emperor and Empress did not consummate on their first night. ¡®Oh my¡­ what did you expect?¡¯ It was absurd to expect it without knowing the truth of the Emperor¡¯s condition. Meredith breathed deeply and said to Yulia, who was apologetic. ¡°You¡¯re more optimistic than I thought, Yulia.¡± ¡°¡­Just in case.¡± ¡°Did Her Majesty the Empress Dowager cough?¡± ¡°She always coughs in the morning.¡± The evil are diligent, as Meredith recalled her biological father would also wake up early around the same time. ¡®They appear similar in many ways.¡¯ Thinking of their shared traits, she was reluctant to meet with the Dowager. ¡°Then I shall leave right away.¡± Despite her thoughts, it was time to face her. ***** Fortunately, the Empress Dowager¡¯s palace was quite far from her own, which would prevent unnecessary run-ins with each other. ¡®It¡¯s extravagant.¡¯ That was Meredith¡¯s first thought upon arriving at the reception room, looking around the splendid palace that was comparable to the Empress Palace. ¡°I¡¯ll get the tea, Your Majesty. Please wait here for a moment.¡± The maid spoke politely to Meredith, while she sat waiting absent-mindedly. Unexpectedly, she wasn¡¯t nervous at all. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because I went through so much last night.¡¯ After being threatened with her life, she didn¡¯t think she could be afraid of anything easily. At that moment, she heard footsteps along the hall. Meredith looked up in surprise at the sound. ¡°I was wondering who was here.¡± An elegant voice rang out. ¡°My daughter-in-law has arrived.¡± Soft, pink wavy hair and bright red eyes; such distinct features and height that emphasised her beauty. The woman who proudly walked into the reception room was, of course, none other than the Empress Dowager. Blaire Baltic Jane. Widow of the late emperor, and stepmother to the current emperor. She was also the mother of Prince Fabian, the first in line to the throne. Despite not hailing from a prestigious family, she had risen to obtain power and status within the royal family. ¡°Your Majesty the Empress Dowager.¡± ¡°Oh, my child. Sit, sit down.¡± Meredith felt awkward. This was the first time that the two had met, yet the Empress Dowager acted in a familiar manner, as if they had known each other for a long time. To be called ¡®child¡¯ was also a rather embarrassing name for a grown woman, despite being her daughter-in-law. Meredith was reminded to refrain from becoming comfortable. Ironically, the intimate tone heightened Meredith¡¯s forgotten tension. ¡°You had a hard time coming here. Colla, bring something sweet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the morning, so it¡¯s all right, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Even in the morning, dessert can be served. It would be inappropriate to send you back without feeding you anything during the first meeting. You understand, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­Of course, if you say so.¡± As soon as the Empress Dowager spoke, Blaire¡¯s maid brought a plate prepared with colorful macarons. Although Meredith liked sweet food, it was too much to eat so early in the day. Nevertheless, the sincerity of the Empress Dowager could not be rejected. Meredith bit into the macaron, diluting the sweetness with as much tea as she could. ¡°Tell me, how was your first night?¡± There were hard questions from the beginning. Meredith looked at Blaire with a perplexed expression on her face from the sudden question. The Empress Dowager¡¯s face was so young that she found it hard to believe she was in her 50s. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, dear?¡± With a thin smile, Blaire questioned. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ashamed, child. I¡¯m old enough to know everything.¡± ¡°I apologize, but I don¡¯t think I can give you the answer you¡¯d expect.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like people who talk back.¡± From the first question, it seemed so. Meredith had a strained expression. ¡°Did you not have your first night last night?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°You did it or not?¡± Even when faced with such straightforward questions, Meredith avoided answering directly. ¡°His Majesty is very ill, so¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªI heard you said you wouldn¡¯t go to the Central Palace last night.¡± ¡°At first, it was like that. The Emperor was not in such a good condition.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°But I belatedly realized that was a mistake and went to the Central Palace.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Blaire nodded as if now understanding. Unsurprisingly, there was no mention of the assassins. ¡®¡­Well, that¡¯s to be expected.¡¯ With the Emperor not releasing news of last night, it would be foolish to bring it up first. It would be the same as admitting responsibility. Meredith also followed along with pretending not to know. It should appear as if only the Emperor knew. ¡°Yes, I thought about it well. Please forgive me for yesterday¡¯s rudeness, Your Majesty.¡± Meredith apologized as politely as she could. ¡°I made a mistake because I have limited knowledge and I¡¯m not yet familiar with court manners.¡± ¡°No, no. I¡¯m sure you had His Majesty¡¯s best interests at heart.¡± Blaire smiled and looked at Meredith. ¡°You had good intentions, correct?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°I worry His Majesty is not in good health, so you may have a lot of heartache.¡± ¡°¡­Of course, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡®You placed the curse first, and then you¡¯re worried.¡¯ Meredith was dumbfounded by the pretence of the Empress Dowager. ¡®She is certainly similar to the Duke of Schwartz¡¯ ¡°Since I have become His Majesty¡¯s empress, I will serve him with all my heart.¡± ¡°How nice of you, my daughter-in-law.¡± Blaire stared at Meredith with an eerie smile. ¡°What was your name again?¡± ¡°Meredith Schwartz.¡± ¡°Now it¡¯s Meredith Baltic Jane.¡± Blaire laughed and corrected Meredith¡¯s answer. ¡°Welcome to Baltic Jane royal family, Meredith.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Your father told me a lot about you.¡± Meredith winced slightly from the words. Chapter 11 ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from your father.¡± Meredith flinched hearing Blaire¡¯s words. ¡°I mean the Duke of Schwartz.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, of course.¡± Meredith¡¯s heart began to pound. Perhaps this could lead to a clue. ¡°What did my¡­ father say about me?¡± ¡°That you¡¯re smart and lovely. I also heard that you¡¯re a beautiful child.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Which I agree with.¡± Blaire concluded with a smile. ¡°¡­My father.¡± Meredith murmured quietly. ¡°So that¡¯s what he said about me.¡± ¡°Yes, the Duke of Schwartz¡¯s eyes are not wrong.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty the Empress Dowager.¡± Meredith began with a clear voice. ¡°Did you listen to only my father¡¯s words to recommend me as His Majesty¡¯s empress?¡± ¡°Why do you ask? The Duke is a good man.¡± Blaire replied with a light voice. ¡°Since you inherited the blood of a good man, I thought you must also be a good child.¡± ¡°¡ªHonestly.¡± Meredith continued carefully. ¡°I was very surprised when I first heard about the marriage arrangement.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°As you may know, I have a sister.¡± Meredith¡¯s eyes were focused on her. ¡°So I didn¡¯t expect to be married first.¡± ¡°¡­Ah. You mean Catarina?¡± Blaire slowly articulated the name ¨C as if she were just remembering it. ¡°Your father said the empress¡¯ seat would be too much for her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor that my father looked so highly upon me, rather than my sister.¡± ¡°You know how important the position is. The order of birth truly does not matter.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Blaire looked at Meredith with the polite smile. ¡°I want to ask of you a few favors.¡± ¡°Favors?¡± ¡°Yes. Firstly, I want you to treat me as if I were your own mother.¡± ¡°My own mother?¡± ¡°Should we live together in the same palace? I think officially titled relationships are a good enough reason for a real mother-daughter relationship.¡± Of course it was possible, but the relationship between Meredith and the Empress Dowager could not be like that. There was also the matter that she knew her biological mother was not the Duchess. So far, there had been nothing to suggest that the Empress Dowager knew she was the Duke¡¯s illegitimate daughter. However, if the Duke of Schwartz was willing to sacrifice his own daughter, she could be suspicious. ¡®It¡¯s too much of a risk to reveal anything.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s an honor for you to say so.¡± Despite her true feelings, Meredith smiled brightly at Blaire. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You may call me ¡®mother¡¯, child.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty, I have not yet familiarised myself with the laws of the royal court.¡± Meredith quickly evaded the favor. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it would be disrespectful to you while I¡¯m still ignorant.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°However, I¡¯ll try the title you mentioned once I get used to palace life.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± ¡°Do you have a second favor?¡± ¡°Ah, right. The second one.¡± Blaire spoke hurriedly, as if she had almost forgotten. ¡°Now that you are empress, you will undoubtedly spend more time with the Emperor than I.¡± The following words almost made Meredith laugh. ¡°Would you watch over His Majesty and tell me of his condition?¡± A casual favor to act as a spy. Meredith paused for a moment, then asked just as casually. ¡°The meaning of watching His Majesty¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s literal. All you have to do is look at the state of the Emperor and tell me every morning as you greet me. It¡¯s easy, is it not?¡± Blaire spoke as if the request was trivial. ¡°Of course, I could ask His Majesty myself, but it must be very bothersome when you¡¯re sick.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°And as you know, it¡¯s been a while since His Majesty stopped his morning greetings due to his health.¡± Blaire appeared to be heartbroken as she talked about it. ¡°So it¡¯s not convenient to hear from him. But now that you¡¯re here, wouldn¡¯t it be much easier for me to understand my son¡¯s condition if you did this for me?¡± Meredith almost laughed again at the choice of the word ¡®son¡¯. ¡®A mother who would even cast a black spell to kill her son.¡¯ This shameless behavior left her dumbfounded. However, she showed no signs of her thoughts, and instead nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, Empress Dowager.¡± ¡°Then my favors, can I be sure that you will do them for me? Meredith quickly assured that she would, and her face became noticeably brighter. ¡®It would be in my best interest to build trust with this rather than reject her.¡¯ Blaire was unaware of the Emperor¡¯s recovered condition at night, as she, along with everyone else, believed that the Emperor was truly unwell. At least for now, it was wiser for Meredith to listen carefully, be obedient, and build a naive image. It was necessary to give the Empress Dowager faith that she could not harm her. ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. How could I refuse?¡± ¡°Thank you for saying so, my child!¡± Blaire exclaimed with delight. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to have one more person to rely on in this lonely palace. Won¡¯t you come visit me often from now on? You needn¡¯t wait for the morning greeting.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m beginning to also feel like you¡¯re my mother as you treat me so kindly.¡± Blaire spoke kindly to Meredith. ¡°I¡¯m so glad to have you as my daughter-in-law. Have a good day, Meredith.¡± ****** ¡°Ha¡­¡± As soon as she got out of the palace, Meredith took a deep breath, causing Yulia to ask worriedly. ¡°Your Majesty, are you alright?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m finally out.¡± ¡°What happened inside?¡± Meredith glanced at the anxious Yulia. She could almost see what she was thinking. ¡°Even if the Empress Dowager doesn¡¯t know Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°¡­No, it wasn¡¯t like that.¡± She quickly refuted her words. ¡°I guess I was too nervous. She is the senior matriarch of the royal family.¡± It wasn¡¯t the real reason, but she couldn¡¯t tell the truth to Yulia, who did not have her complete trust ¡®If she has been planted by the Empress Dowager, things will get very difficult.¡¯ ¡°Would you like to return to the Empress Palace?¡± ¡°Not quite yet.¡± She shook her head while Yulia glanced at her curiously. ¡°I should stop by the Central Palace. I need to check on the Emperor.¡± ***** ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to come again so soon.¡± Felix stated, but Meredith wasn¡¯t sure if he said it sarcastically or with surprise. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since you left the Central Palace.¡± ¡°Well, I was worried about His Majesty¡¯s condition. Is he inside? Is he asleep?¡± ¡°He¡¯s resting. If you¡¯d like to see him in the reception room¡­¡± ¡°¡ªIt would be quite difficult for His Majesty to get up.¡± Meredith said, interrupting him. ¡°I¡¯ll see him myself. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Felix appeared reluctant, but begrudgingly opened the door anyway. Meredith slowly entered the room. Chapter 12 Meredith opened the door carefully and went inside. After a while, she saw the emperor lying on the bed reading a book. Meredith spoke in a slightly surprised voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were reading.¡± The Emperor did not look at the door when he heard a crowd, but turned to Meredith. Meredith greeted the Emperor while moving her mouth awkwardly. ¡°I see Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­..I didn¡¯t know that the Empress would come here again.¡± He looked back at the clock. ¡°It¡¯s still morning, Empress.¡± ¡°I know, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°But I need to be here now.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m on my way back from meeting the Empress Dowager.¡± ¡°You finally went?¡± ¡°I was told to keep an eye on Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that openly?¡± ¡°Her Majesty asked me to keep an eye on your condition and let her know every morning. It means the same thing.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± ¡°I thought it would be okay to come here as soon as I heard that request.¡± ¡°The Empress Dowager doesn¡¯t know we¡¯re in contact yet, does she?¡± ¡°Well, I did my best to act.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re very good at acting.¡± ¡°¡­you¡¯ve never even seen it.¡± ¡°Well, I can guess without looking at it.¡± ¡°¡­then maybe she has already caught on.¡± Meredith replied with a disapproving look. ¡°But if so, what can I do?¡± ¡°Right. I can¡¯t help it.¡± Perhaps it was not easy to talk, but the emperor replied with a slight tiredness. ¡°The Empress Dowager must have been wary of you from the beginning anyway. Even if you didn¡¯t have anything to do with it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she is a normal person.¡± ¡°¡­not a normal person.¡± The daughter of a humble noble family captured the emperor¡¯s heart and climbed to the position of the empress at once. For ordinary people, it was more so difficult to do. ¡°So, what are you going to do now?¡± ¡°For now, I¡¯m going to report to Her Majesty that you¡¯re still ill.¡± Meredith glanced at the emperor after saying that. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not lying, actually. But if you¡¯re sick, you don¡¯t rest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not your business, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t wrong, but it was a very unpleasant way of speaking. Meredith forced up the corners of her mouth in front of the patient, thinking she should hold it in. ¡°Did you come all the way here to tell me that?¡± ¡°I have something to tell you, but I have something to listen to first.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I want to know exactly what¡¯s going on with you.¡± Meredith looked straight at the Emperor and said. ¡°I¡¯d like to see the imperial physician* you trust.¡± (t/n: ??? ? is palace, and ?? meant doctor. that¡¯s probably why it¡¯s sometimes translated as just palace because ? is just ¡®of¡¯ or ¡®s¡¯ Henceforth I will be using imperial physician instead of courtier.) ¡°¡­imperial physician?¡± ¡°I told you that I need to know exactly what your condition is, to cure it.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to say it was impossible.¡± The emperor opened his mouth after a brief silence. ¡°Jerome Bowner. That is his name.¡± ¡°Is there any way we can meet? If I call him separately, I¡¯m sure someone will be suspicious.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not difficult. Say you can¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°Sleep?¡± ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no one better at treating insomnia than Jerome Bowner in the Imperial Medical Center. And that¡¯s our code.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, I see.¡± Insomnia. Meredith put these three syllables in her head and bowed to the emperor. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± ¡°¡­.. did you come to ask only one question?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Is there anything else you have to ask?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, there isn¡¯t¡± Meredith nodded quickly and then added. ¡°I¡¯ll come to tell you as soon as I make progress. Then rest well, Your Majesty.¡± With that sentence, Meredith left the emperor¡¯s bedroom. Felix immediately entered the emperor¡¯s bedroom after Meredith left. He looked somehow grumpy. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to like something.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, do you really believe in the Empress?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she is acting.¡± If not, it would be quite a performance. But in his judgment, which has seen quite a few of the world¡¯s people lying and hiding their true feelings, that wasn¡¯t acting. ¡°I don¡¯t think she is cut out for it.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t easily believe it.¡± ¡°Sir Felix.¡± The emperor called Felix in a calm voice. ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone. Don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°But¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not going to bring in another wizard to cure my disease, you¡¯re going to shut up about this.¡± The emperor shut Felix¡¯s mouth with a slightly sharp voice. In fact, Felix had nothing to say about it either. It was because Jerome Bowner said he did not know the cause medically. Meredith was the only one who talked about the cause to treatment of the disease at once. For now. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t care about anyone right now if I can fix this bloody headache.¡± ¡°¡­can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯d better stop covering the book.¡± The emperor waved at Felix as if he was bothered. ¡°Get out of here.¡± Felix quietly bowed and then left the Emperor¡¯s bedroom. Left alone, the emperor looked lost in thought for a long time. It wasn¡¯t clear what he thought of with his throbbing head. *** That night. Empress Palace. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep at all.¡± Meredith pointed to her forehead with a distressed expression. ¡°What do I do, Yulia. I¡¯m going to stay up all night like this.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t sleep?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been like this since yesterday.¡± This was real. Because I couldn¡¯t sleep for a long time yesterday. Although it was a problem caused by tension. ¡°Yesterday was just the first night of my marriage, so I thought I was nervous.¡­¡± Meredith appealed with a face that she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should let it go.¡± ¡°Shall I ask the Imperial Physician?¡± ¡°Will you do that?¡± Meredith asked right back. Yulia nodded as if it were natural. ¡°Sure, Hold on a second, Your Majesty.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before someone came into Meredith¡¯s bedroom. A man with dark blond hair, and green eyes resembling peridot. He didn¡¯t have a childish face, so he looked older than the emperor. It wasn¡¯t a very sharp impression, but the image that seemed somewhat silent gave off a blunt atmosphere. Meredith estimated his age to be in early 30s. ¡°Nice to meet you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You are¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Jerome Bowner.¡± He introduced himself in a soft voice, and sat down in a seat. ¡°I have heard from His Majesty.¡± ¡°Then the story will be faster.¡± Meredith brought up the story as if it were a good thing. ¡°I want to hear more about His Majesty¡¯s disease.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually here to explain that, but there¡¯s nothing special about it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°His Majesty suffers as if he is about to die during the day, mainly from headaches, body aches, low energy and dry cough.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Sometimes he has a high fever, dizziness, and tinnitus. Sometimes he also suffers from chest pain.¡± ¡°¡­¡­it is a complex illness.¡± ¡°Yes, so I don¡¯t know if my story will help you.¡± ¡°Is there anything special about it?¡± ¡°Um¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Jerome looked thoughtful for a moment and opened his mouth again. ¡°On the day when the full moon rises, the condition of His Majesty is less aggravating even during the day. ¡°Oh, that day ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Meredith said in a small voice as if she had something to point out. ¡°It¡¯s the day when mana is known to be the weakest.¡± A handful of suspicions that I might have been wrong were resolved in an instant as soon as I heard this. Meredith said with a more relaxed look. ¡°Thank you, Sir Jerome. I¡¯ll figure out a way for the rest.¡± ¡°Your Majesty is a healing wizard.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re amazing. It¡¯s amazing that a wizard still exists, and I heard that there were fewer wizards in the field of therapy(healing).¡± ¡°It¡¯s a natural ability. Sir Jerome, who has learned by himself and has abundant knowledge, is even greater.¡± ¡°I¡¯m at a loss for words if that¡¯s what you say so.¡± ¡°How long have you been in the Imperial Palace?¡± ¡°I was selected immediately after His Majesty¡¯s ascension.¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long.¡± ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t want to be in the palace until then.¡± ¡°¡­..Ah.¡± You said you lost your sister. ¡®Did you come in for revenge?¡¯ She was curious, but didn¡¯t ask because she thought it would be a rude question. Instead, she smiled and said a friendly word. ¡°I look forward to your kind cooperation, Sir Jerome.¡± ¡°I look forward to your kind cooperation, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I feel reassured to think that there is a reliable physician in the palace.¡± Upon hearing that, Jerome gazed at Meredith and asked. Chapter 13 ¡°I feel reassured to think that there is a reliable physician in the palace.¡± When Jerome heard that, he looked at Meredith and asked. ¡°Do you trust me?¡± ¡°Because you are a man trusted by His Majesty the Emperor.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m Your Majesty¡¯s person.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Meredith replied, smiling silently. ¡°If it¡¯s not for me, there¡¯s no one to cure His Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°I hope you don¡¯t forget that. The health of the therapist has a very significant impact on the manifestation of their healing abilities.¡± It was also a kind of warning. If Jerome was a person who was as hostile as Felix, he was more likely to return with greater damage. (t/n: she means that if he is as hostile as Felix is, he is likely to harm her/ take revenge which can cause more damage than what Felix can do.) Because he is well-versed in medicine. (t/n: medicine can be used to heal as well as to make poison.) ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. I asked you a rude and foolish question.¡± ¡°As long as you know now.¡± ¡°If you need my help, feel free to let me know.¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Ah.¡± At Jerome¡¯s words, Meredith asked cautiously for a request. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind, can I ask you a favor?¡± ¡°Yes, anything.¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯m very interested in medicine, too. ¡°Your Majesty is?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m a healing wizard, I naturally looked into it.¡± ¡°Oh, well, that¡¯s understandable.¡± ¡°I thought studying would definitely help.¡± Meredith added, feeling a little embarrassed. ¡°Of course, compared to Lord Jerome, it¡¯s just a drop in the ocean.¡± (t/n: the phrase ¡¯? ?? ?¡¯ (literally means ¡®blood oozing from a bird¡¯s foot¡¯) has negative connotations such as ¡®quite unimportant; nothing, just a smidgen, a drop in the ocean, etc.¡¯) Jerome somehow felt that she was speaking with humility. ¡°I¡¯ll keep trying to study in my spare time, but can you tell me if there¡¯s anything I don¡¯t understand?¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. You¡¯re asking me a favor that¡¯s not difficult at all.¡± ¡°Did you think I was going to ask for an unreasonable request?¡± ¡°Yes. So I was nervous ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Meredith was curious about what that ¡®unreasonable request¡¯ was, but didn¡¯t ask. ¡°I am always on standby at the Imperial Palace Medical Center. Please come anytime.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you said that.¡± ¡°The Empress¡¯s interest in medicine won¡¯t be a flaw.¡± ¡°Thank you. I hope we can be good partners.¡± Meredith smiled and gave Jerome permission to leave. ¡°Then you may go out.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will leave my medicine for insomnia.¡± ¡°That was just an excuse.¡± ¡°I need an official justification for being here.¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot about that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good for mental and physical stability. Even if it¡¯s not insomnia, eating will help you sleep comfortably.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Please take a rest.¡± Jerome went out and Meredith was left alone. She exhaled a long breath in the room where no one was present. ¡°Hu¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± I expected it, but even the physician would look at her in a respectful manner. ¡®I need to start treatment as soon as possible to gain everyone¡¯s trust.¡¯ Of course, there is no change in the fact that the most important thing is the Emperor¡¯s heart. ¡®There¡¯s nothing wrong with winning the hearts of your people.¡¯ By any chance, when the treatment is over, the evil emperor¡¯s aides may try to kill her. ¡®When that time comes, His Majesty will have no reason to care more about me.¡¯ It may be a leap forward too far in the future, but there were many enemies anyway, so there was nothing good about it. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Then Yulia came inside. ¡°I heard from the Imperial Physician. Please wait a moment, I¡¯ll bring the medicine.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°You must be very nervous because it¡¯s an unfamiliar environment.¡± Was that the reason given? Meredith grinned and replied for her to not to worry too much. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine soon.¡± *** By the second day, Meredith had finished her urgent work and asked Yulia. ¡°Is this all I have to do today?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to the library.¡± ¡°Library?¡± Yulia seemed a little puzzled and soon opened her mouth. ¡°If there¡¯s a book you want to read, I¡¯ll have a maid bring it.¡± ¡°¡­No, it¡¯s okay. I want to go there myself.¡± All the books to be asked were related to magic. ¡®I don¡¯t want to get caught for nothing.¡¯ Meredith quickly added a reason. ¡°To get some fresh air. And I don¡¯t have a particular book I want to read.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, I see.¡± Yulia and her maids quickly helped Meredith get ready to go out. Meredith headed straight to the palace library. ¡®I wish there was a book that could help.¡¯ It¡¯s a place everyone can access, so I thought I shouldn¡¯t expect much. But at the same time, I was hoping for it. ¡®Maybe there might be an unexpected harvest.¡¯ Meredith walked a few minutes to reach the Imperial Palace Library. ¡°Your Majesty the Empress, it¡¯s been a long time¡­¡± ¡°Shh.¡± To the librarian who was about to greet him raucously, Meredith put her index finger on her lips as if to be quiet. I¡¯m here for a secret matter, but I don¡¯t want to draw attention for nothing. ¡°I just wanted to read a book for a while. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, Your Majesty.¡± The librarian added, nodding his head with a puzzled expression. ¡°But if you need any help, feel free to let me know.¡± ¡°I will.¡± With a brief response, Meredith also expressed her desire to be alone. Yulia said with a troubled face. ¡°It might be heavy for you to carry a book of your choice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that fragile, Yulia.¡± Meredith smiled silently and spoke. ¡°Most of all, I don¡¯t want to be disturbed by the time I spend reading. You know what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what Your Majesty wills¡­.¡± However, Yulia was still reluctant. ¡°You have to call me if anything happens. It¡¯s okay if you scream.¡± ¡°Yulia, too. What¡¯s happening in this library?¡± Meredith answered in a nonchalant way. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve read a book. All right?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Only then was Meredith able to be alone. Meredith, who came up to the second floor barely managing to avoid their eyes, breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, it was not easy being alone as an empress. ¡®Where should I start?¡¯ Meredith spent a few minutes pretending to pick a book at the nearest bookshelf. It was to avoid possible doubt. Then she pulled out a book or two and repeated the same behavior in the bookshelf next to her. These books were all props for the eyes. I didn¡¯t intend to check out magic books. Meredith repeated the same behavior and slowly moved to the bookshelf; a collection of magic books. This would have avoided some suspicion that she had come to the library because she wanted to read magic-related books from the beginning. It was when I held about five books in my arms. ¡°Ah¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤!¡± Meredith finally arrived at a collection of magic books. ¡®I found it.¡¯ Fortunately, it was in the very corner of the library. Meredith put all the books in her arms down to one side. Then I began to look carefully at the bookshelf. Among magic, I had to find books about curses and treatments. But ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. ¡®I can¡¯t see any books about the curse.¡¯ Most of the books on the bookshelves were only related to white magic. No use at all for now. Meredith looked upward in frustration. However, it was difficult to see because of my limited height. ¡°Why did you put the book up at such a high place?¡± Meredith complained in a small voice and brought a chair from the pillar. And carefully stepped on the chair and climbed up. ¡®¡­..It¡¯s higher than I thought.¡¯ Perhaps because of standing on tiptoes, her toes have been numb even though she was standing stably. Meredith was actually frightened of heights. So she didn¡¯t try to look down, but only looked up. ¡®Black magic, black magic ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ It was about five to ten minutes on the chair. ¡®¡­Oh.¡¯ Found it. The real reason black magic is banned ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get the information I really need.¡¯ Meredith decided to split up just in case. She carefully lifted her heels and touched the back of the book. It was so tight that it didn¡¯t come out easily. ¡°A little more ¡­¡­!¡± Meredith struggled to get the book out. Finally, I succeeded in picking out the book I wanted. ¡°I took it out¡­!¡± But at that very moment, the chair supporting Meredith¡¯s leg began to shake. It was the result of Meredith weighing on one toe. ¡°Uh¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤?¡± Embarrassed, Meredith eventually lost her balance. The chair shook and dropped Meredith. ¡°Ah¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤!¡± Meredith groaned low and closed her eyes tightly. The place where she stood was not high enough to be life-threatening even if it fell. Even if she falls from here, it will only break one place at most. Meredith, thinking that it would be good if only his fingers to flip the bookshelf were fine, Meredith prepared for the pain to come. ¡®¡­uh?¡¯ Therefore, the steady force of holding her suddenly and the pain that I could never feel no matter how long I waited made her embarrassed. Meredith slowly opened her eyelids when she realized someone had caught her. ¡°Ah¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± And I ran into a very unexpected opponent. Chapter 14 ¡°¡­¡­Your Majesty?¡± Meredith looked at the emperor holding her with a puzzled look. He seemed surprised for a moment, but soon returned to his usual expressionless face and asked. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Then come down.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little hard during the day.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Only then did Meredith realize that the sun had not set yet. She quickly descended from the emperor¡¯s arms, frightened as if she had made a very grave mistake. And asked with a worried look. ¡°Are you alright? Maybe you feel pain in your chest. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡°You look at me as if I¡¯m a seriously ill patient.¡± ¡°You are seriously ill during the day.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t wrong, but somehow I felt bad, and the emperor looked somewhat unhappy. ¡°Given that you¡¯re talking about chest pain, you must have met Sir Jerome.¡± ¡°Yes. I called him last night, using insomnia as an excuse.¡± I actually didn¡¯t hear much, but. I didn¡¯t bother to talk about it because I was afraid the emperor might look at me with untrustworthy eyes again. ¡°But what brings you here¡­¡­. How did you know about this place?¡± Meredith asked in a voice full of wonder. ¡°It¡¯s a very small corner on the second floor, and there was no one around.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not very good at acting but also at looking around.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I was behind the bookshelf before. You didn¡¯t notice?¡± ¡°Ah¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Yes.¡± Meredith had a look of great bewilderment. ¡°I had no idea.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad it was me.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t think I did anything too wrong.¡± ¡°You almost fell.¡± The emperor pointed out what that meant. ¡°What if you broke a bone?¡± ¡°As long as my hands are intact, I won¡¯t have any trouble working and reading.¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s very positive.¡± The emperor replied with an expression of absurdity. ¡°So, are you hurt?¡± ¡°Thanks to you, I¡¯m fine. Thank you for saving my life, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I only came because I was anxious since the chair creaked.¡± ¡°Maybe the library is very quiet and you can hear all sorts of things.¡± Meredith murmured with a slightly awkward look. ¡°Is your Majesty all right? Are you sure you¡¯re not feeling worse?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Maybe it¡¯s time for the sun to set soon.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s most painful at dawn.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m used to it. More than that ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± The emperor slowly bent down and picked up a book that had fallen on the floor. Then he handed it to Meredith and asked. ¡°Did you try to get this book out?¡± ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ If other people had seen it, it would have been a big deal. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, thank you.¡± Meredith quickly received the book from the emperor. Immediately a complaining sound came out of her mouth. ¡°But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to help.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been looking around and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any book I want here.¡± ¡°You mean you need access to the prohibited books, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Prohibited books are kept in secret bookshelves.¡± The emperor opened his mouth after a thoughtful look. ¡°I¡¯m the only one who has a key to it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. I was worried that I should ask the librarian.¡± Meredith reached out both hands to the emperor. The emperor looked at Meredith with an expression asking what she was asking. ¡°Please give it to me, the secret bookshelf key.¡± As if he had left the key to her, Theodore smiled with an embarrassed face. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking about going in right now, are you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s time for the library to close soon, so I¡¯ll take advantage of it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that, go with me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± ¡°Come with me.¡± The emperor added as if he had forgotten. ¡°At night.¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough for me to go alone, Your Majesty. You may have to take care of the backlogged work of the day ¡­¡­¡± ¡°First. If you come here alone in the evening when the library door is closed, whoever sees it, wouldn¡¯t they be suspicious of you?¡± The emperor soon lifted his second finger and added a reason. ¡°Secondly, I can¡¯t hand over the keys to the secret book to others.¡± ¡°Ah¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what I mean when I¡¯m the only one with the keys to it?¡± ¡°No, I see.¡± Meredith concluded with a gloomy face. ¡°You don¡¯t trust me after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s another reason.¡± Meredith narrowed her forehead without realizing it, looking at the emperor who didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°You¡¯d better come with me at night for the first reason.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t I be less conspicuous if I moved by myself?¡± ¡°No, always be prepared for things to go wrong.¡± ¡°You mean when you get caught?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should be together for a good reason?¡± ¡°A good reason?¡± ¡°You can say you¡¯re on a date.¡± ¡°¡­to a closed library at night?¡± It¡¯s not some kind of a horror experience. Meredith was taken aback. (t/n: she¡¯s questioning(?) if going to a closed library at night is not some kind of a horror experience.) ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone will believe me.¡± ¡°Anyway.¡± He also thought it was a little unreasonable, and the emperor coughed embarrassingly. ¡°There¡¯s a passage in the central palace that¡¯s less visible to other people.¡± It¡¯s like the secret passage he mentioned last time. ¡°It would be safe to move through it together.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Meredith quickly agreed. ¡°Then, I will tell the maids of the Empress Palace that I¡¯m going to the central palace.¡± ¡°Yeah. That would make your tail much less likely to be stepped on.¡± (t/n: ??(?) ??? is a korean idiom which literally means ¡®one¡¯s tail is stepped on¡¯. Meaning: For one¡¯s whereabouts that had been concealed to be discovered. Here he is saying that would make others less likely to discover/ be suspicious of them.) ¡°I guess so. I¡¯ll see you at the palace at night.¡± Meredith quickly wrapped up the conversation and bowed down toward the emperor. And immediately turned her back on the emperor and went outside. ¡°¡­..¡± The emperor gazed at the back for a long time with eyes filled with unknown meaning. *** The night came when I finished dinner. As the time to go to bed approached, Meredith told Yulia her promise to the emperor. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of going to the central palace now.¡± Yulia¡¯s eyes went wide when she heard Meredith. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes, I thought it would be better to spend as much time as possible to get a little closer to His Majesty.¡± Meredith was stabbed and added an excuse. ¡°During the day, he and I have work to do, so I can¡¯t help it but to meet at night.¡± ¡°Good idea, Your Majesty. That¡¯s how you¡¯re getting closer to His Majesty.¡± Yulia looked delighted as if Meredith had a very commendable idea. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the brush right away. Please wait.¡± Meredith wore a cream-colored brush brought by Yulia and headed for the central palace. I could feel the excitement of even the maids in the background. Meredith somehow felt stabbed in the conscience. ¡®It would be great if I were going for such a harmonious reason, but¡­¡¯ I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve been at odds with the Emperor from the very beginning. ¡®If I hadn¡¯t seen the scene in question on the first night of my wedding¡­ ¡­ ?¡¯ It would have been often that she would step into the central palace for the purpose of becoming really friendly. Well, it¡¯s all a useless assumption now. ¡°I see Her Majesty. May peace and well-being be with you.¡± ¡°Sir Felix, I see you again. I¡¯m here to see His Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, let¡¯s go in.¡± Whether or not he had been told by the emperor, Felix gently let Meredith inside. And go into the bedroom and sleep¡­ ¡°Have you come?¡± There was the emperor who was dressed in a night robe. Meredith was taken aback for a moment. ¡®It¡¯s night, so it¡¯s obvious.¡¯ The reason why I was embarrassed when I saw that was probably because of the thin cloth that was slightly visible. Meredith quickly emptied her mind of unnecessary distraction. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ I see the Emperor.¡± As she bowed down gracefully and straightened her waist, she noticed the emperor¡¯s face, which was strangely different from before. Even at night, it seemed difficult to completely remove the exhaustion from the face due to the illness during the day. But there was no sign of exhaustion in him at night. The shade beneath the eyes even gave off a dangerous and deadly atmosphere. ¡°Can I leave now?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± With a brief agreement, Meredith tried to go back where she came from. And then, someone grabbed Meredith by the shoulder from behind. ¡°Ah¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Surprised, Meredith quickly turned her head back. The emperor was looking at her with an expressionless face. Chapter 15 Meredith quickly turned her head back, and the emperor looked at her with a blank face. Meredith was so nervous at the moment that she couldn¡¯t move. She felt like she was caught in a spell that rendered her unable to move. Soon, he spoke in a low voice. ¡°Not there.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡° ¡°Over there.¡± The place the emperor pointed to was inside the bedroom. Meredith was blank for a moment and soon opened her mouth as she had forgotten. ¡°Oh, you said you¡¯d use a secret passage.¡± ¡°Yes, wait here for a while and then go out the secret passage.¡± Meredith nodded her head. Then she sat down at a table nearby. The emperor sat again in front of a desk full of documents, probably brought in before she came. Meredith stared at the figure and opened her mouth. ¡°You seem to have a lot of work to do.¡± ¡°A lot.¡± ¡°Shall I just go alone?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, as long as I don¡¯t get caught anyway.¡± ¡°As I said before, you have to explain when you get caught.¡± The emperor continued, still looking at the papers. ¡°If the explanation makes sense, I¡¯ll let you go alone.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was no such thing as a good explanation. Meredith eventually gave up and shut up. So there was a brief silence between the two. ¡°Life at the palace.¡± The voice was heard again when Meredith was mindlessly looking around the emperor¡¯s bedroom. ¡°Is it worth it?¡± ¡­¡­I thought I misheard you for a second. Meredith stared blankly at the emperor. I¡¯m sure the last time I saw you, you were only staring at the documents. For some time, his eyes were on her. Meredith was taken aback after hearing the unexpected question. But soon he opened his mouth casually. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s only been three days, so I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°The impressions of the first three days will continue to go forward.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s still worth it.¡± There haven¡¯t been any major incidents or accidents yet. And to be honest, I liked it the way it was. ¡°As you said, I¡¯d like it to continue. Quietly. Without problems.¡± Without anything happening. ¡°¡­I just hope so.¡± Meredith noticed that the momentary silence in the beginning meant ¡®it can¡¯t be like that¡¯. That¡¯s because three days ago, there was an assassin in the emperor¡¯s bedroom. ¡®That¡¯s even on the first night of the wedding.¡¯ Even if there is another attack three days from now, there is nothing strange at all. Meredith somehow became depressed. ¡°Will it stop?¡± And just in time, the emperor told me we would be leaving. Meredith smiled and nodded her head. ¡°Where should I go?¡± ¡°This way.¡± The emperor¡¯s footsteps led to a very large bookcase. Meredith looked at the bookcase with a puzzled look on her face. ¡°Is this a secret passage?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not yet exposed to Empress Dowager Blair.¡± The emperor muttered as if he liked the fact very much. ¡°Because I made a new one after my father¡¯s* death.¡± (t/n: the word used here was ¡®??¡¯, it means Emperor¡¯s father.) He seemed quite pleased with that fact, too. It was not long before he pulled the first book out of the first row in the bookshelf. The second book in the second row, the third book in the third row¡­ It was around the time that he pulled out the seventh book in the seventh row. Uung ¨C The bookshelf began to shake with a vibrating sound. Meredith took a step back in surprise. It was not long before a door was revealed as the bookshelf moved sideways. Meredith looked at the passageway that had been created in an instant with her eyes wide open. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°I had a hard time making it.¡± The emperor looked back at Meredith with a face that seemed somewhat proud. ¡°Shall we go?¡± * * * The end of the passageway led to the central library. Originally, it was a place where people didn¡¯t pass by easily. Walking along the quiet road, Meredith was strangely relieved. ¡°Will I be able to read all the books if I stay up all night?¡± The emperor laughed low at Meredith¡¯s question. Meredith looked at the emperor with a face that asked why he laughed. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s possible if you¡¯re a genius.¡± He meant it was impossible. ¡°No way. You don¡¯t know how many books there are.¡± ¡°Are there so many?¡± ¡°Today won¡¯t be enough.¡± The emperor straightened his fingers as if he wanted to calculate. ¡°Even if you stay up all night, three days? a week?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a big difference between three days and a week.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not the one who would be reading the book, but you.¡± ¡°Are you not going to help me at all?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m a perfect ordinary person who has nothing to do with magic. It won¡¯t help at all.¡± The words sounded strangely cheeky. Meredith shut her mouth. ¡®I was going to do it alone anyway.¡¯ If you spoke nicely, would it hurt you? The two arrived at the library, complaining inside. ¡°The front door should be locked.¡± ¡°So you have to go to the back door.¡± The emperor turned towards the back door of the library as if there were no problems at all. Compared to the main gate, the lock was smaller and in a less conspicuous position. He opened the lock with the key he had without difficulty and went inside. And when I closed the door, only a small lamp dimmed the perfect darkness. ¡°Watch out for the stairs.¡± Meredith followed the emperor up the stairs carefully. Perhaps because it was so dark inside, the lamp was not fully functioning. The emperor climbed up to the fourth floor. Meredith was surprised to learn for the first time that there was something on the fourth floor. ¡°I thought it was only up to the third floor.¡± ¡°As you can see, the fourth floor is locked like this.¡± It was also locked with a very large lock. And the emperor took a key out of his arms and turned it without hesitation, as if the lock was no problem either. The lock was released quickly. Squeak ¨C The door opened with a grotesque sound. ¡°Wow¡­¡± As soon as Meredith walked inside, she realized what the emperor had said was never a lie. A bookshelf full of books unfolded endlessly. There seemed to be prohibited books on the entire fourth floor. Meredith murmured in a voice mixed with admiration and astonishment. ¡°That¡¯s a lot.¡± ¡°Because this contains the Empire¡¯s millennium history.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know there were so many banned books.¡± There were countless books with titles that aroused all kinds of interest. It was time for Meredith to reach for one of them with a curious look on her face. ¡°Oh¡­¡± The emperor gently grabbed Meredith by the wrist and dissuaded her. He was smiling. But the smile didn¡¯t come from pure joy, it had some warning. ¡°Do not touch any books.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the Empress, but I can¡¯t?¡± ¡°Even the Empress is not given the right to read the prohibited books.¡± Meredith was forced to shut up by the words. There may be many advantages attached to the status of emperor, but Meredith thought that information monopoly was the best of them. A lot of this classified information is worth a lot of money. Meredith walked behind him, envious of the emperor. ¡°Now, this is the bookshelf where the forbidden books on magic are gathered.¡± The scale was enormous. Meredith frowned as if she had a headache just by looking at it. ¡®¡­When did you go through all this?¡¯ The joy of being able to know some of the information here was only for a moment. I was at a loss at the thought of finding and reading through all of this. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to read it all in a day.¡± ¡°I told you, it¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t help me? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the one being cured.¡± ¡°You should have thought about this when you made the deal.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cold-hearted.¡± I guess it¡¯s too much to expect help. Meredith quickly gave up and brought a chair built behind the pillar. But by the time the chair had been brought, the emperor had already laid down all the books that had been placed out of Meredith¡¯s reach. Chapter 16 Meredith murmured with a puzzled look on her face. ¡°Why did you do that when you said you were not going to help me?¡± ¡°Just in case you fall like you did before.¡± ¡°You can help me again. It¡¯s not daytime, it¡¯s night.¡± ¡°Are you angry?¡± ¡°No way. It¡¯s definitely my job.¡± Meredith continued with a soft voice. ¡°I was just asking for your help. Never mind.¡± ¡°Am I even helpful?¡± Meredith stared at the emperor at those words. The emperor still had a blank face. Meredith asked back, not taking her eyes off him. ¡°¡­¡­What if you could?¡± The words that were soon heard made Meredith smile brightly. ¡°Well, give me something to do.¡± ¡°Are you helping me?¡± ¡°If I may be of any help.¡± ¡°Of course it would. The person who is most aware of His Majesty¡¯s disease is His Majesty.¡± Meredith grinned and held out the nearest book to the emperor. ¡°If you read it, you¡¯ll get a sense of what we need.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ ¡± ¡°Then good luck, Your Majesty.¡± Meredith sat back against the bookshelf with a look of excitement. He watched Meredith open a book and read it fast, the emperor slowly leaned against the opposite bookshelf. Sitting face to face against each other, the two focused only on reading for hours like that. Meredith tried to find the data as efficiently as possible while skipping the unnecessary information quickly. How long has it been? ¡®¡­¡­Tired.¡¯ I felt like I was at my physical limit. Even during the day, the emperor lay sick, but Meredith did not. She couldn¡¯t have been given so much time off during the day. By the time it was between 3 and 4 a.m., Meredith felt as if she was about to close her eyes. She read by giving strength to her eyes to focus on the fading front. But it only had a temporary effect. ¡°Is His Majesty all right?¡¯ Meredith suddenly raised her head slightly, wondering what the emperor was doing. Even after such a long time, he was just as absorbed in reading as he did in the beginning, in an unperturbed manner. ¡®¡­¡­That¡¯s great.¡¯ Meredith stuck her tongue at his monstrous stamina. No matter how long you lie down during the day, there will be very little time to sleep in the end. Still, I can¡¯t believe he can read books with such sharp eyes. It was just amazing. Moreover, his reading speed never slowed down. For hours, we could hear each other turn over the pages of the books like music. ¡°My healthy self can¡¯t lose.¡± Meredith rose from her seat, feeling that she could not collapse. ¡®I¡¯ll have to read another book.¡¯ Maybe she¡¯s so sleepy because she can¡¯t find all the information in the book she¡¯s reading. Meredith, who turned back, slowly looked around the bookshelf to choose a book to read. ¡°¡­¡­ ¡° But even at that time, the drug-like drowsiness wouldn¡¯t go away. Meredith eventually stood in front of the bookshelf and began to doze off. ¡°Ah!¡± At one point, Meredith¡¯s forehead hit the bookshelf. The sudden pain awoke Meredith. Only then did the emperor look at Meredith. He quickly grasped what had happened and laughed. -Tak! He closed the book aloud and stood up. He came to Meredith, who was rubbing her forehead with a frown. ¡°I¡¯d better call it a day.¡± ¡°I can still hold out, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What if I get sick?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s time for dawn.¡± The emperor said, taking the pocket watch out of his arms. ¡°And you have a schedule tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not overdo it.¡± ¡°At this rate, it¡¯ll take a week if we don¡¯t find a cure.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t help it. We can¡¯t increase the number of people who are involved.¡± The emperor replied in a dry voice. ¡°You don¡¯t have to rush. I can¡¯t make others suffer just because I¡¯m getting better soon.¡± ¡­¡­ When he tells me to heal as soon as possible. ¡®But I think you¡¯re less sensitive than you were at first.¡¯ It was when Meredith was about to be moved by a clearly changed attitude from three days ago. ¡°And if you¡¯re sick, my treatment will be delayed.¡± ¡­¡­Yes, of course. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, I am not alone.¡± Meredith nodded with an affirmative expression and said honestly. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m so sleepy right now that I can¡¯t read.¡± ¡°But why do you say something you don¡¯t want to say?¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t come to fruition quickly, your majesty will kill me. I was afraid you¡¯d do it this time¡± ¡°¡­Three days ago, it was a special situation.¡± The emperor looked like he had something more to say. But he didn¡¯t say it out loud. Instead, he quickly changed his words. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get going. You look very tired.¡± ¡°Is your Majesty all right?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s still before dawn.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that things seem to be slowing down because of me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that it doesn¡¯t show, but I¡¯m tired. A lot.¡± The emperor exhaled briefly and then spoke to Meredith. ¡°So let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The two carefully exited the secret library. And put the lock back in the same state as it was when they first entered. After coming out of the library safely, they quickly moved to the central palace without saying a word. ¡®Finally arrived¡­¡¯ Meredith lay on the bed almost as if she had fallen upon her arrival in the emperor¡¯s bedroom. And she immediately fell asleep without leaving any significant comments. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The emperor gazed at Meredith¡¯s appearance. Then, he carefully covered her with the blanket next to him with a casual touch. ¡®What if you catch a cold?¡¯ Meredith was asleep without even realizing it. ¡®You must have been tired.¡¯ After that, the emperor couldn¡¯t take his gaze off from Meredith¡¯s appearance, but at some point, he went back to his desk to take care of the political affairs. * * * ¡°You look a little tired these days.¡± It was only four nights after Meredith stayed up all night with the emperor. Meredith, who was going to the central palace again today, looked at Yulia in surprise. ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± ¡°You look a little tired these days.¡± ¡°¡­.Me?¡± ¡°Yes, your face is much haggard than when you first entered the palace.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem that way because it¡¯s night?¡± ¡°You looked very tired this morning.¡± ¡°¡­.¡° That¡¯s because the amount of sleep has decreased. Meredith made a plausible excuse, putting aside the words she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say. ¡°In fact, His Majesty¡¯s disease gets worse at night¡­¡± ¡°Are you having trouble sleeping because you¡¯re nursing?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Meredith was silent. And Yulia took it affirmatively. ¡°Ahhhhh¡­¡± A sad sound burst out of Yulia¡¯s mouth. It was obvious what the sigh meant. You¡¯re sympathizing with the sick husband¡¯s wife, who is busy nursing, when they¡¯re in the middle of their honeymoon. ¡­¡­The reality was nothing like that. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Then Yulia called Meredith in a serious tone. Meredith looked at Yulia as if she were wondering what¡¯s wrong. She looked somewhat determined. ¡°I will inform the central palace that you will not come today.¡± ¡°What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I think it would be better not to go to the central palace from today.¡± ¡°How come?¡± ¡°Since your Majesty is unable to sleep every night like this, your Majesty will also get sick.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°If both owners of the Imperial Palace are sick, it would be a great affliction to the Imperial Family.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Of course it is.¡± ¡°Ask the Emperor for his understanding, and from tonight just sleep at the Empress¡¯s Palace.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Yulia.¡± ¡°You are not the only one who can attend to the Emperor.¡± ¡°Of course it is.¡± ¡°I hope you don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± ¡°Although I¡¯m not feeling well.¡± Meredith opened her mouth awkwardly, pulling up the corners of her mouth. ¡°But if I think that His Majesty is comfortable with my care, it¡¯s worth it.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m still healthy, so not being able to sleep a little is not a big deal.¡± ¡­¡­It was a big deal to not be able to sleep even though I was healthy. Meredith felt that fact day by day. ¡°His Majesty¡¯s recovery is a priority.¡± Meredith felt it as she said this. I didn¡¯t know I could say such a hateful thing. ?? ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ ?? Chapter 17 ¡°I¡¯m healthy but I just can¡¯t sleep, so it¡¯s not a big deal. Rather, His Majesty must recover first.¡± Yulia, who was not aware of the circumstances, became deeply impressed by Meredith¡¯s spirit of sacrifice. ¡°I really still have a long way to go. Your Majesty¡¯s loyalty is so deep¡­!¡± She expressed respect for Meredith with her moistened eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t be more ashamed of my short thoughts.¡± ¡°No¡­.¡± ¡°Forgive me if I said anything rude, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You said it out of loyalty to me.¡± Meredith smiled fondly and comforted Yulia. ¡°Because Yulia¡¯s thoughts are also quite reasonable.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°But if I can¡¯t stand it, I¡¯ll stop. So you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, I understand.¡± Julia still answered with a moved face. ¡°But just in case, I¡¯ll talk to the court lady. You¡¯d better take some stamina-enhancing medicine.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to.¡± These days, I desperately needed a remedy for fatigue or a nourishing tonic. ¡®I pretended to be okay in front of Julia but¡­¡­¡¯ No matter how healthy Meredith was, it was physically too much to not sleep for a few nights. She felt her body getting worse day by day. ¡®In fact, I¡¯d really like to take a day off¡­¡¯ There were not only physical problems, but also psychological difficulties. Even after staying up all night for a few days, there was no clear result, so I was getting tired. ¡®I just need to find a way to pass on my vitality to His Majesty.¡¯ There were various ways of passing the healer¡¯s own vitality to others. However, it was too much of a waste of life force to try all those methods. It was also dangerous because it caused great harm to the healer¡¯s body. That¡¯s why we had to find the best way out of all the known methods. Moreover, it was rare enough to have to treat a person who had failed in black magic and was also a member of the immediate imperial family. So it was a more difficult situation to figure out a way. ¡®If it was an era where magic was allowed, we would have found it sooner. There must have been a lot more information and knowledge than now.¡¯ It was an unavoidable problem, but it was unfortunate. Even as a wizard, she suffered because she was born and raised in an era where she could not use magic. ¡®Still, it will come someday.¡¯ Meredith decided to think positively. ¡®And I learned a lot about the use of magic through this incident, didn¡¯t I?¡¯ Everything I learned this time was going to be useful someday. Meredith thought positively and went to the Central Palace. ¡°Welcome, Your Majesty, the Empress.¡± Maybe because I visited almost every day. Now Sir Felix greeted Meredith without any particular resistance. ¡®Although it still doesn¡¯t feel friendly.¡¯ When I think back on the first day, I wondered where it was. ¡°Your Majesty, the Empress has arrived.¡± Meredith entered the Emperor¡¯s bedroom as usual. The Emperor greeted Meredith with an unchanging expressionless face. ¡°You came?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Meredith said a simple greeting and stood in front of the bookshelf leading to the secret passageway. And familiarly, I pulled the first book out of the first row of the bookshelf. The emperor who was looking at it, slowly approached Meredith. Before long, Meredith had pulled out the third book. It was at the moment she was about to pull out the fourth book. ¡°Ah¡­..¡± Meredith, who was suddenly grabbed by her wrist, looked next to her with a bewildered look. The emperor was looking at Meredith with a somewhat serious expression. Seeing this, Meredith asked anxiously what was going on. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°¡­ today.¡± The emperor slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just take a break?¡± ¡°¡­¡­what?¡± Meredith looked at the emperor with a look of bewilderment at the sudden remark. ¡°Are you sick? Imperial Physician¡­¡± ¡°Not me.¡± The emperor narrowed his brow and tilted his head slightly to the side. ¡°Because you don¡¯t look very good.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah.¡± Meredith recalled what Yulia said earlier at the Empress palace. ¡®Do I look that bad?¡¯ She muttered, stroking my cheeks with the back of her hand. ¡°Anyway, my lady-in-waiting told me that my face has gotten a lot haggard than when I first entered the palace¡­¡­¡± At that moment, Meredith was unnaturally cut off. It was because the emperor suddenly swept Meredith¡¯s cheeks lightly with the back of his hand. Meredith¡¯s body hardened like stone because of the unexpected touch. In fact, the emperor muttered casually as if the action had no meaning. ¡°It¡¯s gotten rough.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had enough sleep in four days.¡± The emperor nodded his head as if it were a reasonable statement. Meredith looked at the emperor, still physically energized. ¡°Let¡¯s just skip today.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Meredith muttered with a slightly sullen face. ¡°That means it¡¯s been four days since we¡¯ve had no results.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Because I might find a way today.¡± ¡°Even if you do find it.¡± The emperor pointed out the most important thing that Meredith forgot. ¡°If you don¡¯t feel well, it¡¯ll be hard to treat me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Your Majesty. I¡¯m just a little tired.¡± ¡°Are you going to keep being stubborn?¡± ¡°I have a good feeling today.¡± Meredith said with a hopeful look on her face. ¡°I had a good dream last night.¡± ¡°Good dream?¡± ¡°I had a dream about a dragon. It was a very big dragon¡±. Meredith said slightly with a determined expression. ¡°So today I will definitely find it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Sigh.¡± The Emperor finally sighed deeply. ¡°You¡¯ll be sick later, so don¡¯t blame me.¡± ¡°I am really fine, Your Majesty.¡± Meredith smiled as if not to worry. ¡°And even if I¡¯m sick, it¡¯ll hurt for a while. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t resent your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Then I will pick out the rest of the books.¡± Meredith looked back to the bookshelf. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The emperor continued to look at Meredith with a face that looked unsatisfied. * * * In the end, the two of them sat facing each other today, just as they did yesterday, and started reading books in the Imperial Library. ¡®¡­.I think I should have taken a break when I was asked to take one.¡¯ Meredith regretted it exactly two hours after picking up a book. Yulia and the Emperor also suggested that I just take a break today, but it seemed like she refused for nothing. ¡®When everyone says that, there¡¯s a reason.¡¯ (t/n: she says that when says the same thing/ or advices the same thing, there¡¯s always a reason for it,) Meredith felt her eyelids close more and more and grabbed the book. ¡°Are you going back?¡± At that moment, Meredith raised her head to the voice she heard in front of her. The emperor was looking at her with an expression like he knew this would happen. The expression made me feel strange. Meredith shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s written on your face that you¡¯re going to die of sleepiness. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re going to fall soon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ll tell you if I really can¡¯t stand it.¡± ¡°I think today you¡¯ve been more stubborn than I¡¯ve ever seen this week.¡± But even as he said that, the emperor understood Meredith¡¯s intentions in his heart. ¡®I thought I¡¯d find it soon, but the progress is slower than I thought, so I¡¯m nervous.¡¯ He felt a little sorry that it seemed like she was rushing for nothing, but he didn¡¯t say those words out of my mouth. He just focused on the black letters on the white paper with indifferent eyes again. ¡°¡­¡­¡± And at some point, when he inadvertently raised my head. His eyes caught Meredith, who was dozing in a precarious position, about to fall to the side at any moment. ¡®¡­I knew it would be like that.¡± A short sigh escaped from his mouth. ¡®That¡¯s why we should¡¯ve skipped it today.¡¯ The emperor closed the book and stood up. And he sat down next to Meredith. And that moment. ¡°¡­..¡± Meredith¡¯s head dropped on the emperor¡¯s shoulder. The Emperor looked down at Meredith, who was asleep, leaning on his shoulder with a startled expression on his face. He first put his hand close to her head to push Meredith away. ¡°¡­..¡± However, he soon changed his mind, leaving a close distance between them. The hand, which had nowhere to go, stayed still. The emperor didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. He just stayed still and looked at the face of the woman who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Inside the dark library, where there was no one else, only the sound of Meredith¡¯s breathing, who was sleeping soundly, could be heard. He thought it sounded like a metronome, and he just stared at her without touching her. It was like the gaze of a person who discovered something for the first time in the world, and had the meticulous gaze of exploring something. How long has it been? Meredith¡¯s messy hair came into his field of vision, who had maintained the same posture as before, unaware that his shoulder was going numb. ¡°¡­..¡± It was only then that he moved his hand involuntarily. Then, the black hair that ran down Meredith¡¯s white and red cheeks was carefully tucked behind her ear. ¡°Well¡­¡­.¡± And in that quiet movement, Meredith woke up. Illustration by ??? Chapter 18 ¡°¡­¡­¡± The emperor was startled and quickly took his hands off Meredith. And Meredith, who just woke up, didn¡¯t seem to notice that he had just tidied up her hair. She just blinked her eyes blankly with a face that hadn¡¯t come to her senses yet. ¡°Ah¡­¡± It was not long before she realized that she had fallen asleep leaning on the emperor¡¯s shoulder, and she got up in shock. ¡°Yo-Your Majesty¡­!¡± ¡°Are you awake?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Such discourtesy¡­.¡± Read at Travis Translations Meredith bowed her head in front of the emperor with a visibly embarrassed face. Somehow the emperor didn¡¯t feel very happy about it. But without saying it out loud, he just indirectly expressed his feelings. ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up? Have I been like this for a long time?¡± ¡°No. Brief.¡± The dictionary definition for brief is ¡®for a very short duration¡¯. Therefore, 20 minutes was definitely not a ¡®brief¡¯ time. The emperor wondered why he didn¡¯t tell the truth. Nevertheless, the situation was overlooked. It¡¯s just, like, kindness or compassion. A very ¡®normal¡¯ feeling. ¡°It was for a brief moment. Are you still tired?¡± ¡°Thanks. Thank you and I¡¯m sorry.¡± Meredith was in a daze and cleared herself of her disordered appearance. The emperor, who was staring at her, opened his mouth again. ¡°If you¡¯re still sleepy, let¡¯s return now.¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty. I¡¯m completely fine now, thanks to the quick nap.¡± She slept soundly, but the fact that she fell asleep leaning on the emperor¡¯s shoulder made Meredith feel awake. If she was sober, she would never be able to do it. ¡­¡­it¡¯s obvious she¡¯s crazy because she¡¯s sleepy. So Meredith felt very embarrassed at the moment. She coughed heavily and then opened her mouth. ¡°Now I have to read it again, the book.¡± ¡°¡­yes.¡± The emperor, who was looking at Meredith quietly, also picked up the book again. It was then that Meredith¡¯s curiosity came to her, albeit belated. How come the emperor was right next to her when she woke up, not across her. If he had just lent his shoulder with a compassionate heart to her poor self who was nodding off, why didn¡¯t he return to his seat even after she woke up? Why, is he still next to me? But it was an overly trivial and insignificant question to ask. ¡®Does it matter where he sits?¡¯ Meredith turned to the book thinking, it¡¯s better to not be picky. After a while, only the sound of pages turning could be heard in the library. Meredith began to read the book enthusiastically as if she had not dozed off. ¡°¡­ah.¡± And how long has it been? An unknown sound burst out of Meredith¡¯s mouth. The emperor turned his head and looked at Meredith. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Did you find it?¡± ¡°¡­yes.¡± Meredith opened her mouth in a small voice. ¡°I think I found it.¡± But Meredith¡¯s expression, unlike what she said, did not seem too happy. When he saw Meredith¡¯s expression, the emperor frowned and said. ¡°But you don¡¯t look too happy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Am I incurable? Is there no way?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Meredith breathed out a short sigh and replied. ¡°Fortunately, there is a way. Your Majesty.¡± The problem is¡­ Meredith¡¯s expression turned awkward. ¡°But I don¡¯t think Your Majesty will like it very much.¡± (t/n: is it what I think it is?) ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ the treatment¡¯s a little¡­¡± Meredith spoke cautiously. ¡°You may not like it, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± The emperor said as he narrowed his brows. ¡°I don¡¯t care what it is, just tell me. Come on.¡± ¡°I mean¡­¡± The listener seemed fine, but not the speaker. Meredith continued to hesitate. As his patience was slowly running low on the sluggish disclosure of the answer, Meredith finally opened her mouth. ¡°Every night with me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You have to hold hands and sleep.¡± When he first heard it, the emperor doubted his ears. ¡°¡­what?¡± ¡°You have to hold my hand and sleep with me. Still.¡± Meredith said it as if it was quite a ton of hard work. ¡°It is precisely the way I share my life force with Your Majesty through physical contact. Holding hands, kissing, or¡­¡± ¡°Or?¡± ¡°Or¡­ if I sleep with you¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The stronger the physical contact, the greater the vitality I can give you. But just holding hands will be enough for you to see the effect.¡± Meredith added, raising the corners of her mouth awkwardly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go to a more serious level¡­¡± Indeed, the emperor¡¯s eyes narrowed as he confirmed the contents of Meredith¡¯s book. Meredith spoke in a voice that had no choice but to accept it. ¡°As you can see, this is the most effective way. I¡¯m giving you my vitality directly.¡± ¡°Unless we find the person who put the curse on it, it¡¯s not a fundamental solution, but in the long run, it¡¯s definitely close to a cure.¡± ¡°And you?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Is there any problem with your health?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay to treat one person, Your Majesty. I eat well day by day, sleep well, and I¡¯ll recover safely.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± After answering, Meredith smiled a little unexpectedly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to worry.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°A week ago, you said you would take my life.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d even worry about my vitality.¡± ¡°If there is any problem with your life due to this incident.¡± He replied with a thoughtful look on his face for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll be in trouble when I need you again.¡± ¡°Ahhhh.¡± Meredith said with an awkward look on her face. ¡°Therapy is important, but the most important thing is the life of the healer. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± After speaking, Meredith asked the emperor with a slightly worried look. ¡°Anyway¡­ is that alright with you?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Sleeping hand in hand with me every day.¡± Meredith added, looking into the Emperor¡¯s eyes. ¡°Just in case you¡¯re uncomfortable¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± The emperor replied indifferently. ¡°It¡¯s not a kiss, it¡¯s not a situation where I can be sensitive with just holding hands.¡± It was. Because things weren¡¯t so good. ¡®This is the only way to neutralize the black spell right now.¡¯ Meredith nodded with a look of understanding. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve found a solution, so let¡¯s go back to the palace.¡± It was fortunate that the dream I had last night didn¡¯t go away in vain, and that it was worthwhile not to rest today. Meredith smiled with a proud look on her face. *** It was about 3 a.m. when I returned to the central palace. We have less than 3 hours left before dawn. Meredith sat on the bed with a look of excitement and said to the emperor. ¡°Go ahead and lie down, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Uncharacteristically excited.¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost dawn. I think it would be really good if you can see the effect even if it was for three hours.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°So please lie down. I have to give you a little more.¡± ¡°¡­I will.¡± Somehow the emperor laid on the bed with a complex-looking face. Meredith also lay beside the emperor. She took a long deep breath, then looked aside and asked the emperor. ¡°Your Majesty, are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then give me your hand.¡± The emperor slowly reached out his hand to the middle. Meredith held the hand carefully. ¡®¡­Ah.¡¯ As soon as she held his hand, Meredith felt that her vitality was being taken away by the emperor. She opened her mouth in a trembling voice. ¡°It seems to be the right way to find it.¡± ¡°Do you feel anything?¡± ¡°Yes. Now my life force is going to Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will. Your Majesty has no magic power.¡± Meredith smiled and said in a confident voice. ¡°You¡¯ll probably realize the effect when you wake up.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± ¡°Yes, so please go to bed.¡± Meredith said in a serious voice. ¡°If you are in good physical condition, the vitality that I give you will be meaningful.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There was a pause at the end of the conversation. Meredith slowly closed her eyes, thinking he was already asleep. And before long, a voice came from the side. ¡°You did a great job today, Empress.¡± Upon hearing that, Meredith turned her head reflexively and looked at the emperor lying next to her. He had his eyes closed. Meredith smiled at the sight without realizing it. ¡°Your Majesty too.¡± It¡¯s been a lot, of course. If I had to go through the vast secret library alone, I would have been exhausted. Meredith murmured, still smiling. ¡°Good night.¡± With that, the conversation between the two seemed to have been completely cut off. ¡°You, too.¡± But after a while, a small response came from the side. ¡°Good night.¡± It was strangely reminiscent of the first night of the wedding. Meredith smiled and closed her eyes again. It seemed like she could sleep for a very long time today. Chapter 19 A few hours later. ¡°¡­¡­Ummm.¡± Meredith woke up with a small sound. After a long yawn, she blinked slowly, her eyes not fully awake. Then, staring into space for a moment, soon realized how she fell asleep last night. ¡°¡­Hand.¡± Meredith, who mumbled unconsciously, turned her head to the side. The emperor was still sleeping. Meredith shifted her gaze to her and the Emperor¡¯s hands, still connected in the middle of the bed. No matter how many hours you slept, once you fell asleep, either of you could have unconsciously pulled out. Whether it¡¯s troublesome or annoying. But it was still connected safely. ¡°I¡¯m a little out of energy, but¡­¡± Fortunately, it was not to a serious degree. ¡®And that means I¡¯ve passed my vitality to his majesty.¡¯ Meredith got up slowly, leaning forward, and approached the Emperor. He was still sleeping soundly. Meredith sighed and looked at the sleeping emperor. ¡®Your breathing is regular, but are you feeling better?¡¯ There was a fact that I learned while sharing a bed for about a week. It was that by the time the sun came up, he would sometimes even have trouble breathing. But now he was breathing smoothly without any problems. Meredith wanted him to wake up soon. I wanted to inquire about the results in a hurry. But I couldn¡¯t wake someone who was sleeping, so I just waited for him to wake himself up. For such a long time, Meredith stared at the emperor as if she were watching the prognosis. (t/n: prognosis: The likely outcome or course of a disease; the chance of recovery or recurrence.) ¡°¡­How long are you going to stay like that?¡± The emperor moved his lips. When the person she thought was sleeping suddenly spoke, Meredith leaned back in surprise. She asked in a bewildered voice. ¡°¡­You were awake?¡± Instead of answering, the emperor slowly turned his head and looked at Meredith. Meredith asked him again with a half-mixed look of bewilderment and embarrassment. ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°From a while ago.¡± He added in a quiet voice. ¡°Since you¡¯ve been staring at my face.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Of course, I know I¡¯m handsome enough just by looking at my face.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little rude?¡± Meredith let out a gasp. ¡°You¡¯re all better now that you¡¯re talking nonsense.¡± Then, she secretly released the hand that was connected to the emperor. His hand fell helplessly onto the bed. Meredith avoided the emperor¡¯s gaze with a slightly red face filled with embarrassment. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me when you were awake?¡± ¡°I was wondering how long you would be watching.¡± ¡°¡­You have a nasty hobby.¡± ¡°Is it any better than a person looking at someone¡¯s face secretly?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I admit that your Majesty¡¯s features are beautiful.¡± Meredith cleared her throat at this time. ¡°I didn¡¯t do that for that reason.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°I was trying to figure out how you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°You said you weren¡¯t a doctor.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be a doctor to figure that out. Anyone can.¡± ¡°So what?¡± The Emperor asked, staring at Meredith as if curious. ¡°How is it? My condition.¡± ¡°Your Majesty knows better than I do.¡± Meredith answered the question, a little bewildered but properly. ¡°Your breathing is better than it was yesterday.¡± ¡°¡­you know my usual breathing.¡± ¡°How can I not know when you breathe so irregularly?¡± Meredith added quickly as if not to misunderstand, and the emperor grinned. ¡°Just kidding. It¡¯s funny how you react to every one of them.¡± ¡°Surprisingly good type to tease.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re feeling better now that you¡¯re joking.¡± Meredith sighed briefly and asked. ¡°So, are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± This was the most important thing. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t feel much better, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯m in better shape than I was yesterday.¡± The emperor stared at his hand that was holding Meredith last night with a curious face. ¡°It¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I was worried if I was wrong¡­ but I¡¯m relieved.¡± Meredith breathed a short sigh and then opened her mouth again. ¡°But even if you¡¯re feeling better, I think you¡¯d better keep pretending to be sick. The emperor stared at Meredith at her words. ¡°If the Dowager Empress finds out about this, she can cast a black spell again.¡± ¡°Can I call you again?¡± ¡°The first sorcerer who cast the magic on His Majesty may cast again, but in that case, he would die no matter how strong his mana is.¡± Meredith said firmly. ¡°Then they will have to find a new sorcerer, but finding a black sorcerer is not easy, so even if they find out about His Majesty¡¯s condition, it will not be easy.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to let your enemy lower off their guard?¡± Meredith¡¯s expression became serious. ¡°If you get cursed again, then I will have to sacrifice my life to heal Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I know what you mean. That¡¯s what I was going to do.¡± Only then did Meredith quietly shut up, wondering if she was too presumptuous. (t/n: Presumptuous: failing to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate.) ¡°Your Majesty is more intelligent than I am, and I shouldn¡¯t have said it.¡± ¡°No, thanks to you, I know things I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That you¡¯ll die if you get caught.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, even if you are a descendant of the Baltic god, you can¡¯t do it twice. Even if you don¡¯t die, you may have a permanent disability.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I will also tell the Empress Dowager that your Majesty¡¯s condition has remained unchanged.¡± ¡°¡­you.¡± Then, the emperor, who was just listening to Meredith, slowly opened his lips. ¡°I think you¡¯re doing your best for me.¡± ¡°I have to. My life¡¯s at stake.¡± ¡°Do you really think we¡¯re on the same side?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Am I not?¡± Meredith asked, looking directly into the eyes of the emperor. He still had a face that she couldn¡¯t tell what was on his mind. Meredith got a little nervous at the sight. But she asked without showing any signs. ¡°Do you still not believe me?¡± At the end of the question, there was a deep silence between the two. Meredith patiently waited for him to end the silence. The emperor seemed to think of something. But that didn¡¯t seem to be the idea that Meredith¡¯s question raised. ¡°Although I still don¡¯t trust anyone.¡± It was not long before the Emperor opened his lips again. ¡°And yet I can see that you don¡¯t have a scheming heart.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same as believing?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s different.¡± He murmured with a strange look on his face. ¡°It¡¯s different.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Anyway, you worked very hard today. I¡¯m worried if you¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°As I said yesterday, this much is fine.¡± However, Meredith was thinking that she should sleep more when she returns to the Empress¡¯ Palace. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve used therapy magic ¨C it was the first time since I treated an injured bird I found when I was very young ¨C I guess it was too much. ¡°Anyway, you must be much more comfortable today than yesterday.¡± ¡°I mean.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way. It¡¯s time to greet the Empress Dowager.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Have a good day, Your Majesty.¡± After the short greeting, Meredith got out of bed and walked toward the door. Then, the emperor¡¯s voice was heard from the back and he caught Meredith. ¡°Empress.¡± Meredith turned back. The emperor was seen staring at her. Meredith looked at the emperor with a look on her face asking if there was anything more to say. But what followed was totally unexpected. ¡°Have a good day.¡± Meredith looked embarrassed at the unexpected greeting. But after a moment, she smiled and returned the same words of greeting. ¡°Your Majesty, too.¡± Somehow it was the start of a pleasant morning. Chapter 20 Ten days later. ¡°I heard you spend almost every night at the central palace these days.¡± Meredith, who was sipping tea without much thought, was startled by the unexpected question. She looked up and found Empress Dowager Blair looking at her with a benevolent smile. ¡°Is that right, dear?¡± She seemed to have a pretty high expectation for an answer. Meredith removed her lips from the teacup and replied, fiddling with the handle. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°The two of you, I was worried that the marital relationship would be bad, but I¡¯m glad. You seem to be doing well.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°Can I look forward to the good news?¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Meredith immediately called Blair with a bewildered face. It was still a smiling face, but Meredith knew it was dangerous. ¡®¡­There is nothing more threatening than me giving birth to an imperial son.¡¯ The present emperor had to die without an heir. That way, her son will inherit the throne. ¡°¡­ To tell the truth.¡± ¡°Say it, dear.¡± ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± Meredith set the scene as if she were going to tell a very important story. Blair tilted her head slightly to the side. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You know that whenever I see you, I tell you about his condition.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid his condition is no different than it was before I married.¡± Meredith had a very woeful look on her face as she said this. Blair responded with a wistful look. ¡°Oh no.¡± ¡°So¡­ I¡¯ve never done anything you¡¯re looking forward to since I got married.¡± ¡°Ah, my God.¡± Blair sighed. ¡°I was looking forward to hearing that a baby will visit the imperial palace almost every day.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Maybe the Emperor¡¯s condition will be restored.¡± ¡°If that were the case, I would have already told the Empress Dowager.¡± Meredith recited with a gloomy look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m just happy to take care of him every night and sleep in the same bed as him.¡± This was the only truth that was told to Blair. After finding the cure, I slept on the same bed as the emperor for 10 days. The curse did not improve as soon as the cure was implemented. However, the emperor certainly seemed to be in better shape than he was at the beginning. Meredith smiled unconsciously, recalling the emperor, who had fewer coughs than before. ¡°I¡¯m just happy to be like this, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you continue living like this, maybe His majesty will be well soon, one day.¡± ¡°Yes. Of course, it should be. You have to see the heir.¡± Blair smiled and sip the teacup in front of her. It was when Meredith was looking at the figure a little nervously. Blair¡¯s voice was heard again. ¡°Oh, come to think of it, there was something I wanted to say to you, dear.¡± ¡°You can say anything, your majesty.¡± ¡°Dear, hasn¡¯t it already been a while since you became the empress?¡± Come to think of it, it was about a month since I became the empress. Meredith nodded her head. ¡°But you¡¯ve been so indifferent to social activities.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Meredith quickly put on a look of shame. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. It seems that I have been too indifferent to social activities because I have been learning the affairs of the palace and caring for His Majesty.¡± ¡°No, no. It¡¯s not something to apologize for.¡± Blair smiled mercifully and shook her head. ¡°I also thought my dear would need about a month to get used to it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Where can one experience the life of an imperial? You have a new role as an empress, and it takes time to adjust to the new environment.¡± ¡°Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t too difficult with the help of His Majesty.¡± This was a strange sarcastic remark against Blair. Blair did not hand over all of the original duties to Meredith. The reason was that Meredith had just entered the palace and didn¡¯t know anything yet. ¡®But the truth is that you don¡¯t want to lose your power in the palace.¡¯ As a result, Blair was still doing half of what Meredith was supposed to do. Meredith didn¡¯t like that very much. The reason was that it was an act to narrow the position of the empress anyway. However, she did not point that out because she had to prevent a collision with Blair at the moment. ¡°But the story you gave me today is worth remembering. We¡¯ll have to hold a social gathering right away.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡° ¡°That way, there will be no problems in managing the palace well later. You understand what I mean, right?¡± ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. I¡¯ll keep your advice in my mind.¡± Meredith smiled gently. * * * Blair was right, though still. I had to hold a social gathering at least once. Meredith made her social debut very late, even after her being established as an empress. So social activities didn¡¯t seem very familiar nor did I have any experience. ¡®But as long as I¡¯m the empress, I cannot avoid social activities.¡¯ It was also important for the empress to win the hearts of the ladies and gain loyalty. It was because if she was able to solidify her position and she could receive appropriate help when needed. Meredith held back her reluctance and sent invitations to a tea party to prominent social figures. ¡°I¡¯ve sent out invitations to everyone.¡± Of course, there was also the Schwartz family. It was terrible that Meredith had gotten married and still see the faces of Duchess Schwartz and Katarina, but she couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Well done, Yulia.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait. It¡¯s your first social gathering since you became the empress.¡± Yulia looked unusually excited. Meredith, who was looking at Yulia, asked. ¡°Will I be able to do well?¡± ¡°Of course. Your Majesty, you¡¯ll do just fine.¡± Julia nodded her head as if she believed in her. ¡°And I¡¯ll do my best to make sure there¡¯s no problem. So don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Up until this point, Meredith had not given much thought to this first social gathering. As a result, she had never expected that a turning point in her life would occur in that situation. * * * After a while. ¡°Are you having your first social gathering tomorrow?¡± Meredith, who was preparing to sleep holding hands, as usual, looked at the emperor. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°There¡¯s very little news in the palace that I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°¡­ah.¡± I forgot for a moment. Who the man, who sleeps holding hands every day, was. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. The Empress Dowager advised me to hold a social gathering.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know much about social affairs.¡± The emperor hesitated and opened his mouth. ¡°Is there anything I can do for you tomorrow?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Is there anything I can do to help tomorrow?¡± ¡°Help¡­?¡± Meredith said, narrowing her brows slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± The emperor was at a loss for words for a moment but soon explained word by word. ¡°I¡¯m asking if there¡¯s anything I should do to save your face.¡± ¡°Oh, face.¡± Meredith then realized what he meant by that. But it didn¡¯t help much, so she immediately put on a perplexed expression. ¡°I do not know. I¡¯ve never thought of it that strategically¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s messy. What if something goes wrong?¡± ¡°Is it difficult?¡± ¡°Externally, you are married to an emperor who no one would find strange if he loses his breath tomorrow.¡± At that point, Meredith let out a grin without realizing it. ¡°Your Majesty, do you refer to yourself that way?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t wrong until I met you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m proud and honored to hear that.¡± Meredith thought for a moment and added. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I know what kind of difficult situations would arise.¡± Perhaps a mischievous question will be asked about the first night with the emperor. No, I¡¯m sure that will come up. Read at Travis translations only. As I emphasized to the Empress Dowager that I and the emperor only ¡®sleep¡¯. ¡®There¡¯s no way this story wouldn¡¯t have spread to the social world¡­¡¯ Meredith didn¡¯t expect Empress Dowager to not tell anyone else about her story. ¡°But it¡¯s not a story that hits me that much.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because it is true?¡± ¡°Naive. But that¡¯s not the point.¡± ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s no rumor of discord with you, so there won¡¯t be anyone challenging my authority. But I can¡¯t tell everyone that you¡¯re getting better.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s like that too.¡± After replying so, he was silent for a while before he started smiling again. When Meredith looked at the Emperor with a face as if she was asking why he muttered candidly. ¡°It¡¯s the first time my situation has been so miserable. ¡°Why do you say that? The truth is that you are healthy.¡± Meredith said to the emperor with a bewildered expression at the unexpected self-deprecation. ¡°If you really value my dignity, come to the meeting tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I also attend political meetings.¡± ¡°But I have a question.¡± ¡°Ask me.¡± ¡°Why are you trying to help me?¡± Meredith looked at the emperor with a genuine look of curiosity. ¡°Your Majesty seems to have become much nicer and friendlier to me than when we first met.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Am I mistaken?¡± Chapter 21 OCR: Ingra ¡°There is something the Empress should keep in mind.¡± The emperor told Meredith in a dry voice. ¡°Your authority is my authority.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Even if you are my enemy¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Meredith said in a calm voice. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best tomorrow. So that no one will challenge your majesty¡¯s authority.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± He replied quietly. ¡°So I¡¯m just here to help. There is no need to give it any meaning.¡± ¡°I know, you¡¯re cold-hearted and more discerning than anyone else.¡± Meredith added with a smile. ¡°Thank you for telling me, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It seems confident, but sometimes it¡¯s soft.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing, go to bed. I¡¯m tired.¡± The emperor quickly laid on the bed. Meredith looked at him and lay down next to the emperor. But it didn¡¯t occur to them that the distance between the two was close. Although they were lying on the same bed, it was because the size of the bed was so large. So it felt like they were using different beds. Meredith, as usual, held the emperor¡¯s hand in silence. And slowly closed her eyes, feeling the vitality drained away. ¡°Good night, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You, too.¡± After a good night greeting, which is now quite natural, the two quickly fell asleep. * * * The next day, Meredith opened her eyes like usual. As always, she was up first today. Looking at the clock, it seems that she woke up earlier than usual, so instead of waking the Emperor, Meredith quietly observed his condition. The temperature was not high, and the breathing was regular. She wanted to ask about a headache or any other symptoms, but she didn¡¯t want to wake a sleeping person for that. Meredith chose to come straight out of the bedroom. ¡°Oh, Lord Felix.¡± When she came out, Felix was there. Meredith spoke in a surprised voice. ¡°You woke up early.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°If His Majesty coughs, can you check his condition? For now, I think he will be fine¡­ I don¡¯t know how he¡¯ll feel after he wakes up.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°Then, have a good time at work.¡± It was the moment she was about to leave, leaving a dry greeting like the usual. ¡°Your Majesty the Empress.¡± Felix caught Meredith. Meredith turned back with a curious look that asked, ¡®Do you have anything to say?¡¯ Felix hesitated for a moment and then opened his mouth. ¡°I heard you¡¯re having your first tea party today.¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do well alone.¡± Here Felix hesitated once more. ¡°But I wanted to tell you to do well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­what?¡± Meredith looked puzzled at the moment because she didn¡¯t understand the situation. However, soon after, she realized that Felix had been giving her the word ¡®cheering¡¯ and opened her mouth quickly. ¡°Oh, yes. Thank you.¡± ¡°Then be careful, Your Majesty.¡± Unlike the day they first met, he bowed to Meredith quite politely. Meredith looked at the figure with a strange look and turned her back. ¡®¡­¡­that¡¯s a big deal.¡¯ When she thought about Felix¡¯s attitude when they first met, the situation earlier felt like a lie. ¡®In just one month, his attitude has softened.¡¯ Well, isn¡¯t that a very strange thing? Even if it did not improve dramatically, the emperor¡¯s condition was gradually improving. ¡®At least two people have cleared me of suspicion of me being a fraudster.¡¯ But even with that in mind, Lord Felix¡¯s changed attitude was quite a surprise. Although they are still uncomfortable with each other. Meredith was stunned until she reached the Empress Palace. ¡°Your Majesty is here.¡± When she arrived at the empress palace, Yulia greeted Meredith politely. Meredith nodded and asked. ¡°What time did you say the tea party was?¡± ¡°Two o¡¯clock, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of time left.¡± Meredith stared at the clock for a moment and opened her mouth. ¡°I won¡¯t have much time for work today because of the tea party, so please prepare something simple for lunch. Even in the morning.¡± ¡°But then you¡¯ll be hungry in the afternoon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to eat a lot of sweet things at the party anyway. It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. All right.¡± Yulia bent gracefully and then stepped back. Meredith immediately sat down at the desk. She was going to spend the whole morning working. * * * Time went by so fast that she ended up having lunch. Meredith began to dress up for the social gathering in earnest. Since it was the first tea party to be held after becoming the Empress, the symbolism of today¡¯s party was great. Yulia mobilized all the maids to get Meredith ready so that Empress Dowager would not find fault with anything. ¡°Do you like it, Your Majesty?¡± Soon after, thanks to them, Meredith was transformed into a very beautiful figure. Of course, Meredith was always beautiful. ¡°Pretty.¡± Standing in front of the full-body mirror, Meredith smiled satisfactorily. She never underestimated her looks, but she didn¡¯t take it particularly high. Even in her eyes, she looked really beautiful today. It was when she was happily watching the reflection in the mirror. ¡°Your Majesty, everyone is arriving.¡± Diane, who came into the room, reported the situation. Meredith turned from the mirror and went straight outside. The place where the tea party was held was the drawing-room of the empress palace. Meredith walked a few minutes to get there. As Diane said, many of the invited ladies were seated. ¡°Her Majesty the Empress is entering.¡± Beyond the door, I could hear people dragging chairs and getting up. After entering, she could see everyone getting up from their seats and courtesying her, who had become Empress. ¡°Greetings to Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I see the Empire¡¯s Moon.¡± ¡°Infinite peace to the Imperial family.¡± A sight I¡¯ve never thought of in my life. To Meredith, it seemed awkward and unfamiliar. She, an illegitimate child of a duke, changed her status in an instant and was receiving greetings from these beloved noble ladies. Meredith, who sat at the top of the table, made a slight gesture, and then the ladies sat back down. Even that appearance was not compatible with Meredith. (t/n: She felt disconcerted with the appearance of the ladies following her orders/gestures) ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ While checking the few empty seats, Meredith soon noticed that all but two had arrived. ¡°The Duchess of Schwartz is not here.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡° ¡°Princess Schwartz, too.¡± (t/n: the author used ¡®??¡¯ which means Duke¡¯s daughter or (ducal) princess) She looked at the clock and it was a little past the promised time. ¡®¡­Looks they will continue to act like this.¡¯ It would not have been so unpleasant if another lady was late. One of the ladies quickly opened her mouth, apparently aware of Meredith¡¯s discomfort. ¡°Something must be wrong.¡± ¡°They will arrive soon, Your Majesty.¡± ¡­¡­Well. Meredith was skeptical of that remark. It was rare for the Duchess of Schwartz and Katarina to arrive on time during the three months of socializing as Ducal Princess Schwartz. (t/n: when Meredith was socializing before her wedding) It was at any meeting. They arrived late at a fixed time, whether one minute or five minutes or ten minutes, even half an hour sometimes. ¡®In a word, they are people who have a habit of being late.¡¯ Meredith didn¡¯t want to go ahead with things at their disposal. It was the moment when the tea party was about to start, except for the two who did not arrive after all. ¡°Your Majesty the Empress.¡± She heard Diane¡¯s voice outside. ¡°The Duchess of Schwartz and Princess Schwartz have arrived.¡± After a while, the door opened, and a sweet voice rang in the drawing-room. ¡°I¡¯m late, Your Majesty.¡± It was Catarina. Whether she was not aware of being late for the first tea party hosted by the empress or whether it does not matter. She stepped into the drawing-room with great nonchalance, spitting out an insincere apology. And naturally, she found her seat and sat down. The attitude of the two, without even saying sorry, was extremely rude. Meredith was in a moment¡¯s agony about whether to scold the two. Anyway, it was because the guests gathered today considered these two people as her ¡®family¡¯. ¡®Is this why you introduced me as the second daughter?¡¯ If he had revealed that she was an illegitimate child, she would have had no hesitation in confronting them. However, it was not advantageous for me to show a quarrel with my parents in a situation where it was already revealed that they shared the same blood. ¡°Duchess Schwartz.¡± But even so, it was ridiculous to just condone the situation. Chapter 22 ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I¡¯m late.¡± The voice of her answer was so confident. It was really rude, but the other ladies didn¡¯t think it was strange considering that the two had a ¡®mother-daughter¡¯ relationship. ¡°Of course, I am well aware of the habits of Duchess Schwartz.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are habitually late for other social gatherings.¡± Duchess Schwartz rebutted immediately at Meredith¡¯s words with a displeased look on her face. ¡°Your Majesty, what do you mean? Although I¡¯m late today, it¡¯s too much to nail it as my habit.¡± ¡°Too much?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a stretch.¡± The Duchess Schwartz¡¯s complaints ensued. ¡°Besides, to say something like that in a place where so many people gather. Are you trying to embarrass me?¡± ¡°Your mother is right, Your Majesty. I was just late for today. Only today.¡± Even Catarina stepped in. What is the reason for repeatedly emphasizing that you were late for ¡®only today¡¯? Her intentions were so transparent that she(Meredith) didn¡¯t even feel like laughing out loud. ¡®You¡¯re doing all sorts of things.¡¯ Meredith raised the corners of her lips sullenly and smiled. I was just trying to cover it up. Oh, I probably can¡¯t now. ¡°No way. You must have forgotten that I attended social gatherings with you two for three months before I became Empress.¡± To lie in front of the most accurate witnesses. Meredith continued as if she were in a trance. ¡°You were always late for your appointment. You always said it was okay if I urged you to go quickly.¡± Meredith finished the sentence without losing her smile. ¡°Who would dare express dissatisfaction with the Duke of Schwartz?¡± And it was a clear disregard for the ladies who were here now. Because during those three months, there were quite a few meetings hosted by the ladies who were invited to attend today. ¡®Of course, it is undeniable that the Schwartz is a prestigious family, but¡­¡­¡¯ However, the Schwartz was not the only power of the Empire. There were also a few ladies from families similar in strength to the Schwartz today. As Meredith expected, their expressions darkened at once. And when the Duchess of Schwartz saw it, she quickly opened her mouth with a bewildered expression. ¡°Yo-Your Majesty, when did I say such a thing¡­¡­!¡± *** ¡°Does the Duchess want to say that my memory is wrong?¡± The Duchess of Schwartz knew it was rude to say such a thing to the empress. The Duchess of Schwartz was eager to say yes, but she kept her mouth shut. ¡°Of course, Your Majesty.¡± However, Catarina, who had a shorter social experience, was still free from such social etiquette. She answered proudly on behalf of her mother. ¡°Of course, my mother would not lie¡­¡± ¡°Stop it, Princess Schwartz.¡± Then someone interrupted with a heavy but sharp voice. It was the Duchess of Wilkins. The hostess of the prestigious Wilkins family, comparable to the Schwartz. At the sudden situation, Catarina looked at Duchess Wilkins with a puzzled look. ¡°You were late for Madam Veneta¡¯s birthday party a week ago. I¡¯ve heard that the cake cutting ceremony was delayed by an hour because of a young lady.¡± ¡°No, Duchess Wilkins, it¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m lying that I went there? You don¡¯t seem to know that Madam Veneta and I are old friends.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°And you think no one here attended Madam Veneta¡¯s birthday party? If I was late for the first meeting hosted by the Empress, I would apologize for being late. What rudeness is this?¡± ¡°We are family, Duchess Wilkins.¡± Catarina eventually pulled out a card that she didn¡¯t want to take out when things went bad. ¡°What kind of family apologizes? That¡¯s embarrassing.¡± ¡°I think you are misunderstanding something.¡± The Duchess of Wilkins responded with cynicism. ¡°Her Majesty is the mother of Baltic Jane¡­ before she is the princess¡¯ sister.¡± (t/n: For consistency¡¯s sake, I will keep translating ????? as Baltic Jane, the same way the previous translator did) ¡°¡­¡­what?¡± ¡°How far are you going to ask for such indulgence despite the princess¡¯s disrespect using the excuse of being family?¡± ¡°Exemptions! If anyone heard it, they would have thought we had committed a very big mistake.¡± ¡°If this was a tea meeting hosted by the Empress Dowager, the two would have been scolded greatly.¡± Madam Walkins pointed out sharply. ¡°Are you being biased?¡± ¡°I beg your pardon? Duchess of Wilkins, be careful with your words. How can you say I¡¯m being biased?!¡± ¡°Madam, are you done talking?¡± ¡°Stop it, both of you. In front of Her Majesty!¡± Eventually, someone intervened. Only then did the Duchess of Wilkins realize that she had also been rude, and she quickly shut her mouth. But Catarina didn¡¯t seem to want to keep her mouth shut. ¡°Why are you silent now? Are you avoiding talking to me now? Do you feel like you are going to lose?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Princess Schwartz.¡± And at the sound of Meredith¡¯s voice, Catarina turned her head with an even more displeased face than before. ¡°The tea party hasn¡¯t even started yet.¡± It was Meredith. As she looked at Catarina with a cold subdued look on her face, Catarina felt indescribably displeased. ¡®¡­. you dare.¡¯ For Catarina, Meredith was and still is, a vulgar, worm-like illegitimate child. Even if she became the Empress, that fact did not change for her. ¡®Once a worm, forever a worm.¡¯ Thus, Catarina could not bear this situation at all. But now, the eyes of the people around her looking at her were not nice. ¡®Let¡¯s be patient for now, Catarina.¡¯ Moreover, even her mother, the Duchess of Schwartz, was sending her a look for her to restrain herself. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Eventually, Catarina had to shut up. ¡®I won¡¯t apologize until the end.¡¯ Meredith decided to quit after trying to hold on to this situation until the end. It was because she decided that the real benefit she would get would not be that great. ¡®I can¡¯t spoil the atmosphere of the first meeting anymore here.¡¯ Meredith decided to settle for the fact that Catarina had her mouth shut. She raised the corners of her lips gracefully as if she had never put on a cold expression. ¡°Anyway, thank you all for coming. Hopefully, the tea will suit your taste.¡± * * * Fortunately, the tea meeting went smoothly afterward. Although it was a tea meeting hosted by the Empress, Meredith had no intention of monopolizing the right to speak. On the contrary, she thought that she should only say what was necessary as much as possible in order not to make unnecessary mistakes. Therefore, the atmosphere was similar to other social gatherings. Meredith responded to the story, feeling unexpectedly comfortable, even though she was in the same space as the Schwartz family. ¡°Then why is Your Majesty so quiet?¡± At that time, the Duchess of Schwartz mentioned Meredith. Meredith looked back at Duchess Schwartz. She had an elated look for some reason. Just like someone who rejoices at the thought of bringing Meredith down to the ground from now on. Meredith replied without a hint of embarrassment. ¡°It¡¯s more fun and interesting to hear other people¡¯s stories. Life in the imperial palace is quiet, so I don¡¯t have a particular story to tell.¡± ¡°Oh, come on, don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Why wouldn¡¯t you have nothing to say?¡± Catarina also helped my mother. ¡°Tell me how you are with His Majesty the Emperor.¡± And all the ladies who were invited looked at Meredith at her words. The subject was like a taboo to them. Everyone who knew that the emperor¡¯s body was not normal knew. This was enough to predict an unsatisfactory marital relationship. However, Meredith¡¯s answer that followed was beyond everyone¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Ah, this.¡± Meredith replied with a smile on her face, not at all embarrassed. ¡°I don¡¯t think that kind of story fits this place.¡± Catarina¡¯s eyebrows narrowed at the unexpected reaction. ¡®Why are you so confident? There¡¯s not much you can say.¡¯ It was a fact known in the royal court that the emperor was ill and that it was difficult for a normal couple to have a relationship. Catarina felt that Meredith¡¯s attitude was some sort of a bluff. ¡°What do you mean, it¡¯s not right? Come on, you should say something, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a pleasure for us to hear the story of the two of them getting together.¡± The Duchess of Schwartz also chimed in. Meredith stared at the two and opened her mouth. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing special about married life. It¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°Just?¡± ¡°We stick to doing our work all day and lie in the same bed at night.¡± ¡°In the same bed?¡± Catarina snorted at Meredith¡¯s answer. Meredith asked, staring at such a Catarina. ¡°Why are you laughing, Princess Schwartz?¡± ¡°Oh, no, Your Majesty. My nose was just itchy.¡± Everyone would have known that it was just a lie, even if she didn¡¯t point it out. ¡®Then there is no need to do anything that hurts my mouth.¡¯ It¡¯s Meredith who says nonsense anyway. (t/n: it¡¯s Catarina¡¯s thoughts) So Catarina just smiled innocently and showed that Meredith¡¯s story was very funny. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m glad you two are on good terms. Isn¡¯t that right? ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty. Actually, I was a little worried.¡± ¡°Worried?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard that His Majesty was not very interested in women, so I was very worried about what would happen if the relationship between you and your husband was not going well.¡± ¡°He is not interested in women.¡± Meredith readily admitted. Duchess Schwartz and Catarina looked at her with a look of surprise. Meredith added with a smile on her lips. ¡°Other than me.¡± Chapter 23 ¡°His Majesty is not interested in any other woman but me.¡± Meredith smiled and ended the conversation. ¡°So I feel very at ease.¡± Unintentionally, the words succeeded in making the Duchess of Schwartz feel terribly offended. It was because it felt like a word that targeted her when she saw her husband¡¯s illegitimate child. In fact, there were many ladies who saw illegitimate children from their husbands besides Duchess Schwartz. But unlike those who had no idea, Duchess Schwartz felt mortified by Meredith¡¯s words. In the case of other ladies, all illegitimate children were insignificant. But Meredith had ascended to the position of Empress and was saying things like that to her now. ¡°It¡¯s great that he¡¯s someone who doesn¡¯t lust after women.¡± The Duchess of Schwartz opened her mouth, controlling her expression. I can¡¯t lose here. (Duchess Schwartz) ¡°But I¡¯m worried that the Emperor will not be interested in you either.¡± ¡°¡­¡­that¡¯s.¡± ¡°Your Majesty the Empress.¡± Then Yulia¡¯s voice came from outside. Meredith with her gaze still fixed on Duchess Schwartz opened her mouth. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Yulia?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt your conversation. May I open the door?¡± Meredith wondered about the sudden situation but allowed it for now. ¡°Yes.¡± The door opened as soon as the short permission was given. At the same time, everyone in the drawing-room looked puzzled. Even Meredith. It was because an unexpected sight was waiting for them. ¡°What¡¯s all this, Yulia?¡± Meredith asked, unable to hide her embarrassment. What Meredith saw in front of her now were so many desserts that she doubted whether the chef had been making them all night. Five or six maids were lined up behind Yulia with various desserts piled up like mountains. No matter how many people were invited to eat, they could never eat all of it. ¡°I¡¯ve never asked for so many desserts.¡± ¡°This was an Imperial order.¡± ¡°Imperial order?¡± ¡°Yes. His Majesty sent it saying that there should be no shortage of preparations as it is the first time that the Empress invites noble wives and ladies.¡± ¡°You mean all of this? It would have taken a long time to get ready¡­ but I had no idea.¡± ¡°Most of them are gifts from foreign royal families and imperial households, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re saying he sent so many precious things?¡± Desserts sent by foreign royal families and imperial households were usually consumed only by the emperor, the empress, and the empress dowager. Because it was a sign of sincerity between countries, they only selected precious things and sent them as gifts. Therefore, the value was beyond imagination. It¡¯s hard for ordinary aristocrats to taste them. ¡®So many of these precious things¡­¡¯ Meredith looked at the desserts with a look of surprise. ¡®Aren¡¯t you overreacting after listening to me?¡¯ But it¡¯s only for a while that she was embarrassed by this unexpected situation. Meredith smiled as if she couldn¡¯t stop him. ¡°Your Majesty, too. I can¡¯t believe he cares this much.¡± ¡°Shall I come in, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After a while, the maids entered the drawing-room. *** As there were so many desserts, it took a very long time for the maids to set the dessert plates. Even after putting it all on the wide table, there was still a lot left, so they had to bring a side table. This was at least an amount that could be consumed at a banquet. ¡®It¡¯s not a waste of time, but if there are any leftovers, the people below will eat it anyway¡­¡¯ Other than that, the quantity was too much. Even the appearances are all beautiful, and it would be a waste if there was something I couldn¡¯t eat. ¡°Oh, by the way, Your Majesty.¡± Then, Yulia quietly approached Meredith and handed her something. It was a small note. As Meredith looked at her with a curious look, Yulia explained with a gentle smile. ¡°His Majesty has asked me to deliver it.¡± At that, Meredith opened the note carefully. This was written inside. I thought this way would be much better than the ¡®sick¡¯ me going. I hope this helps. ¡®¡­¡­That¡¯s very thoughtful of you.¡¯ A smile appeared on Meredith¡¯s lips involuntarily. Even Meredith thought it was better this way. It wasn¡¯t because she was ashamed of her ¡®sick¡¯ husband. Because that was a secondary issue. It was because if he was found to be healthier than before, his work would be difficult. Moreover, due to the nature of the ladies¡¯ speech, they were more likely to face him and say things like, ¡®You look so much stronger than the last time I saw you!¡¯ ¡®It¡¯d be better not to act like you¡¯re stepping on your own tail for nothing.¡¯ (t/n: remember the proverb in a previous chapter about long tails are bound to be stepped on, this one is referring to that one.) It was when I was thinking that way. ¡°What makes you look like that?¡± One of the young ladies asked with an excited expression. She must have thought of what was written on the note as sweet whispers. ¡®Of course, it¡¯s not some cold content.¡¯ Meredith smiled softly and looked around as lightly as possible. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Would it be rude to ask the story?¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t mind but, it¡¯s really nothing much. He just sent me to wrap up the tea meeting safely today.¡± ¡°Omo, it¡¯s romantic!¡± The young ladies who listened to Meredith liked it with a flush on their cheeks. Meredith saw it and smiled involuntarily. Well, there¡¯s nothing wrong with looking like their good friends. ¡°We must leave now, Your Majesty. I¡¯m sorry if I disturbed you.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± After a long time, the table setting was finally completed, and Yulia and the maids also left. And Meredith looked at the mountains of desserts on the table with a look of reluctance. And of course other nobles too. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have a taste.¡± At Meredith¡¯s words, everyone started to taste the dessert closest to them. After a while, there were rave reviews. ¡°Oh, my God, I¡¯ve never had such a delicious macaron before, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°All the dacquoise I¡¯ve eaten so far was rubbish.¡± ¡°Aah, it¡¯s a taste that I¡¯ll think of even before I die¡­¡± Everyone started to touch the dessert like a crazy person. Meredith looked at the scene with a pleased look and soon turned to Duchess Schwartz and Catarina. Catarina seemed to have succumbed in the face of everyone¡¯s rave reviews. She was very busy moving her hands and shoving the dessert on the plate into her mouth. ¡°¡­¡­¡± But at least Duchess Schwartz sat still like a stiff piece of wood with a stiff look on her face. As someone who doesn¡¯t know how precious the desserts on the table were, this situation was by no means pleasant. Meredith stared at her and opened her mouth. ¡°The Duchess of Schwartz.¡± Along with Duchess Schwartz at Meredith¡¯s call, several people gave her a look. ¡°Why are you not eating? Do you not like it?¡± ¡°No way, Your Majesty. It¡¯s so sweet.¡± ¡°Then go ahead, Duchess Schwartz.¡± The people next to them answered on behalf of the Duchess of Schwartz. The Duchess of Schwartz remained silent until the end but spoke suddenly. ¡°I¡¯m already full. I¡¯m fine.¡± That was a very poor excuse even if it was difficult. Meredith smiled and looked at the Duchess. Still with a frown on the face. The unexpected good marital relationship between the couple seemed to have embarrassed her(the Duchess). ¡°His Majesty cares and loves you so much. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re giving this to us.¡± ¡°You two are really nice. It is the luck of the Empire.¡± ¡°Can we expect good news soon? I am envious of you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You must be so happy to see Her Majesty living so well, Duchess Schwartz, right?¡± The words further offended Duchess Schwartz. (t/n: Duchess Schwartz pov from here on Idk why the sudden change in povs tho She stared at the precious desserts she didn¡¯t want to even look at with a hardened face for a long time, and then she moved her gaze to Meredith. She really hated seeing her conversing skillfully with noble wives while pretending to be elegant and smiling. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have taken you around social circles.¡¯ I should¡¯ve just let her enter the palace and humiliate herself. The Duchess of Schwartz repeated the meaningless regret in her mind. And as people slowly slowed down on eating dessert, the atmosphere became calmer. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± She slowly opened her mouth. Chapter 24 ¡°Your Majesty.¡± At the sound of her calling, Meredith slowly turned to Duchess Schwartz. ¡°Yes, madam. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for inviting me to this wonderful event.¡± At the sudden remark, Meredith became alert. ¡®Why are you saying that all of a sudden?¡¯ However, a calm smile appeared around her mouth without showing any expression. ¡°No. I¡¯m glad I did. It has become a pleasure for me to live in a quiet imperial palace.¡± ¡°In return for today¡¯s noble invitation, I actually brought a present.¡± ¡°A present?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The Duchess of Schwartz called the maid in the drawing-room and handed her a small box. At best, it was about the size of an adult male¡¯s palms put together. Meredith took the Duchess¡¯ ¡®present¡¯ from her maid and looked puzzled. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°My sincerity, Your Majesty.¡± At those words, Meredith slowly unpacked the package, guessing what might be inside. And when she opened the box, there were some baby clothes inside. It wasn¡¯t even the clothes of a grown-up baby, but it was a very small, sized piece of clothing that a newborn baby would wear. Meredith asked with her brows slightly narrowed. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°As you can see, it¡¯s baby clothes.¡± ¡°Baby clothes.¡± ¡°I hope to hear good news from the imperial family as soon as possible.¡± The Duchess of Schwartz said with a smile. ¡°I personally made it. It would be nice if you like it has been enjoyable.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Meredith paused for a moment before examining the clothes in the box. ¡®There¡¯s nothing strange about it on the outside¡­¡¯ Moreover, baby clothes are not something you can essentially do for yourself. ¡®Why the hell are you giving this to me?¡¯ Meredith was embarrassed because she could not understand the intentions of Duchess Schwartz. ¡®I¡¯m sure she¡¯s up to something.¡¯ It seemed difficult to figure it out right now. But once the suspicions were left behind, Meredith smiled and thanked formally. ¡°Thank you, madam. The Madam¡¯s loyalty to the imperial family is truly exemplary.¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty. Everyone else probably feels the same way.¡± After saying so, the Duchess of Schwartz sought the consent of those around her. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Omo, yes. Of course.¡± ¡°We all have the same wish as the Duchess of Schwartz.¡± With everyone being in a friendly atmosphere, Meredith smiled awkwardly. ¡®¡­Have you changed your mind?¡¯ She thought about it for a while but soon concluded that it wasn¡¯t. Because it was Duchess of Schwartz, not anyone else, who gave her such a good gift. * * * Afterward, the tea party went smoothly and finally ended without any problems. ¡°Thank you very much for inviting me today, your majesty. It would be an honor if you could invite me more often.¡± ¡°Especially, the dessert was the best. Tell his majesty that I deeply appreciate his kindness.¡± ¡°I had a good time today, too. Everyone, be careful on your way. After seeing all the nobles off with a friendly greeting, Meredith buried her back in a soft chair with a rather weary look. Is it because she was in a noisy atmosphere? She was not used to the feeling of silence all alone in this situation. ¡®¡­¡­.Oh yeah. This is not the time to be idle like this.¡¯ She had to rush to the office and complete the work. Tonight too, I have to sleep with the emperor holding hands. There wasn¡¯t much time left until night. Meredith quickly rose and went out of the drawing-room. ¡®What I need to deal with right now is this quarter¡¯s budget issue¡­¡¯ It was that moment when she was moving forward, thinking of what she had to do deal in the office. ¡°Wow, the Empress Palace is nice.¡± A familiar voice entered her ears. It was Catarina. Meredith stopped before she knew it. ¡°Why, do you want to live here?¡± This time it was the voice of Duchess Schwartz. Meredith moved towards the voice. After a while, she could see the two still looking around the empress¡¯ palace as if they were looking around their own house. Fortunately or unfortunately, there were no passers-by in the space, and there were the ones there. Meredith hid behind a pillar, for the time being, concentrating on their conversation. ¡°Of course. How happy would it be to live in such a spacious palace, loved by His Majesty?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen, Catarina. Just wait a little bit.¡± ¡°How long? To be honest, I can¡¯t stand the thought that Meredith is the Empress and that she¡¯s going to be here.¡± Catarina was fed up. ¡°This sacred palace of the empress feels filthy! I feel like I¡¯m being contaminated!¡± ¡°The dirty palace should be cleaned. What are you so sensitive about?¡± ¡°Nevertheless. To use a palace that vulgar illegitimate child used¡­¡­¡± Catarina frowned and shook her head. ¡°No matter how many times it is cleaned off, It can never erase the fact that bug crawled around.¡± ¡°If you are uncomfortable, you can change the palace after becoming the Empress. Would this be the only palace you could use?¡± ¡°Um, mother is right. If I do, I can change the palace. The person who will become my husband will definitely understand.¡± It was a dumbfounding conversation. Meredith barely resisted the laughter that was about to come out. And at that moment, the conversation between the two entered a different phase. ¡°Oh, by the way, I didn¡¯t expect mother to really give it to her.¡± ¡°It? Ah, that¡¯s what you mean.¡± According to the flow of the conversation, it seemed to mean the gift I had received earlier. ¡°I didn¡¯t even plan to give it to her today. I was trying to save it and cherish it.¡± ¡°But why did you change your mind?¡± ¡°I wanted to make a fool out of her somehow.¡± The Duchess of Schwartz replied with a frown. ¡°What a spectacle it was to pretend to be noble and smile. My eyes feel sour*. Acting like that wouldn¡¯t change her disgusting birth.¡± (t/n: ??? ??? means to feel sour in one¡¯s eyes or to feel sick, hate to see or to get on one¡¯s nerves.) ¡°That¡¯s right. It was a terrible sight to see. How much do you think I will get if I get His Majesty¡¯s favor!¡± Catarina laughed and responded. ¡°Still, thanks to mother, I felt a little better at the end. Do you think she knows what she received today?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll never know. How will she realize?¡± And the words that followed froze Meredith completely on the spot. ¡°She¡¯ll never know that I killed her pregnant mother. Like an idiot.¡± ¡°She will never know for the rest of her life that the clothes she received today were made by her deceased mother for her younger brother.¡± Katarina laughed as she talked about it. ¡°What do you think she¡¯ll do when she¡¯ll look at the clothes? I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s going to rip it off because mother gave it to her.¡± ¡°If that happens, there won¡¯t be another such affair. In a way, it¡¯s the last thing her mother left behind, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way to know that. She thinks her mother ran away, that stupid girl.¡± Catarina¡¯s giggling sound continued to be heard. ¡°That girl, how much will she grieve when she finds out the truth?¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you gave it to her anyway. I kept wanting to throw it away because I felt uncomfortable and bothered.¡± ¡°Good job. I was annoyed every time I saw it.¡± After responding like that, Katarina added with a scornful look. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s better to remove any traces of that woman, right? I can¡¯t bear to see that vulgar blood defile the duke.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I killed that girl.¡± The Duchess of Schwartz laughed and said. ¡°How dare she try to convince the Duke and getting pregnant again. After all, there¡¯s nothing you can do about the vulgar blood.¡± ¡°I mean, Meredith, how much mercy did mother have for keeping the girl alive. Without knowing it, the thought of slaughtering father¡¯s illegitimate child again.¡± As Catarina comforted her mother, she grabbed her hand. ¡°You did a good job. Those things don¡¯t change their nature. Those bugs.¡± ¡°I did a good job for you. If the illegitimate child was a boy, he would have threatened your place. To not even know their place.¡± The Duchess of Schwartz shook her head as if she were horrified just thinking about it. ¡°No matter what happens, we must stop such a terrible situation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The baby was destined to die anyway. In anyone¡¯s hands. Immediately, Catarina smiled with a cold look. ¡°If my mother hadn¡¯t killed her, I would have killed her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right now. You¡¯ve gone through many difficulties because of that filthy blood, haven¡¯t you?¡± The Duchess of Schwartz shrugged her shoulders as if she didn¡¯t care anymore. Soon after, she looked at Catarina lovingly, gently covering her shoulders. ¡°My Catarina, when you become the empress, there is nothing more for this mother to wish for.¡± ¡°Mother, let¡¯s wait a little longer. I¡¯ll definitely make my mother happy when I become Empress.¡± ¡°Even now, I¡¯m only looking at you, Catarina. This mother will do her best to make you Empress.¡± Duchess Schwartz smiled pleasantly and patted Catarina on the shoulder. ¡°So let¡¯s go back to the good mood. I gave the cruelest gift of the day to that stupid girl.¡± ¡°Yes, mother.¡± Before long, the two left with a light step. ¡°¡­¡­¡± And only Meredith was left alone. Chapter 25 When the two left, Meredith was left alone. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± She stared blankly into space for a while. Her expression looked like she had completely lost her mind. After a while, Meredith collapsed on the spot as if her legs had completely lost their strength. ¡°¡­¡­.heuk.¡± At one point, Meredith¡¯s face distorted, and let out a cry. She cried out with a desperate look on her face, not even thinking of keeping her cries from leaking out. ¡°Mother, mother¡­!¡± A combination of resentment, anger, and shock enveloped Meredith. She was saddened by the truth about her mother¡¯s death, which she had known for the first time in ten years. Ten years ago, the mother, who suddenly disappeared, was cursed by everyone in the Duchy of Schwartz. The Duchess of Schwartz and Catarina, as well as the butler and maid, said Meredith¡¯s mother had run away. Three months later, words circulated around the young Meredith that she must have died. At that time, she only thought that it was a lie. Because she was too young and knew that her mother had always had a hard time living in the Duchy of Schwartz. Meredith knew how badly her mother was treated and how badly her mother worked in the Schwartz mansion. So instead of blaming her mother, she tried to understand her and stayed strong on her own. At the same time, she gave up on her family¡¯s affection after seeing her father, who was not interested at all even though her mother was missing, and the Duchess of Schwartz, who was not trying to find her even though her maid disappeared. However, she never dreamed that such a cruel truth would be hidden behind the mysterious disappearance. Meredith gripped her chest and sobbed. ¡°Mother, mother can¡¯t leave me alone¡­¡­¡± They said that her mother must have seduced their father, but Meredith never thought so. For a long time, Meredith had known that her mother gave birth to her unintentionally. It was because she knew that her mother had never had good feelings for her father. In addition, her mother had tried everything she could to avoid having to face her father since she gave birth. The Duchess of Schwartz was extremely loathsome for any reason the two of them were seen close together. If the two people were to be together in one space, that was the day when her mother was beaten unconditionally. Of course, whenever he did, the Duke of Schwartz tolerated his wife¡¯s anger and violence. No matter how much Meredith cried, and begged, she didn¡¯t even pretend to listen. She even ordered her servants to get her out of sight. ¡®There is no way a mother would have tried to give birth to her father¡¯s child.¡¯ Meredith sat there and cried for a long time. ¡®Why didn¡¯t I have doubts all this time?¡¯ Even though there was enough doubt, Meredith had believed that her mother had left her. When she was a little older, she lived holding on to the hope that her mother was not going to die, but that she would be eating well and living well somewhere. Knowing how distressed her mother was at the Schwartz mansion, Meredith thought she¡¯d rather be. For more than a decade, she had no doubt about her mother¡¯s absence. ¡°¡­¡­¡± At one point, Meredith stopped crying. She stopped crying so suddenly that she stared blankly into the air where no one was there for a while. And slowly lifted herself up. While doing so, Meredith even wiped the tear marks off her cheeks after straightening out the creases well. Then she started heading somewhere. But it was not the original destination. Meredith¡¯s steps were heading towards the central palace where the emperor was. * * * By sunset, the emperor had recovered some strength. Having stayed in bed all day, he got up to see the backlog. It was time to change his clothes and finally sit at his desk and start working. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Someone came into his office. It was obvious who it would be without having to check. With the exception of a very few, no one could enter his own space without permission. ¡°Oh, you were awake.¡± ¡°Sir Felix, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Her Majesty the Empress is here.¡± ¡°The Empress?¡± He quickly recalled what he had ordered in the morning. Did she come here to express her gratitude? A smile flashed around his mouth. ¡°Tell her to come in.¡± ¡°Well, by the way¡­¡± At that time, Felix spoke carefully. ¡°Her expression was a bit strange.¡± ¡°Expression?¡± He asked with a grin. ¡°Why? Did she look like she was touched by my gift?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t feel like that.¡± The emperor¡¯s eyebrows narrowed slightly at the unexpected answer. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°She looked¡­ determined.¡± ¡°Determined?¡± ¡°Yes. I think she was crying¡­¡± ¡°Crying?¡± After hearing the unexpected report, the emperor asked in an embarrassed voice. ¡°What happened at the tea party today?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been briefed that there was no particular disturbance. I heard the atmosphere was rather good¡­ ¡° After hearing the report, he couldn¡¯t understand more. Anyway, Felix withdrew, and after a while, he heard Meredith walking towards him. The emperor stared at the door, waiting for her to appear. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Meredith, who appeared before the emperor, called him in a low voice. The emperor looked at Meredith with a blank face. Her expression was grim as was reported by Felix. Her eyes were red and her face looked rather rough. ¡®She cried.¡¯ The emperor instinctively noticed something was going on with her and asked. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Meredith did not immediately answer. Instead, she opened her mouth after a brief silence. ¡°I¡¯m here to tell you something.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°With me¡­¡± Meredith said, moving her plump lips. ¡°Make a deal with me.¡± ¡°A deal?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Meredith said in an unhesitating voice. ¡°Help me destroy the Schwartz family.¡± The sudden request surprised the emperor for a moment. After the tea party, she suddenly comes to me to destroy the Schwartz family. ¡°What happened at the tea party?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± The Emperor¡¯s question reminded Meredith of the painful conversations she had heard earlier. Once again, there was an illusion that one side of her chest was falling off. To control her emotions, Meredith gently bit her lips and shook her head. ¡°The tea party ended safely, Your Majesty. The atmosphere was great.¡± ¡°But why all of a sudden?¡± ¡°It just happened after the tea party.¡± Meredith continued with a slightly struggling voice. ¡°I¡¯ve heard such a terrible story.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°I cannot forgive the Schwartz family, Your Majesty.¡± Meredith said with a determined look. ¡°Help them lose everything and become miserable.¡± Looking at Meredith¡¯s expression, the emperor became curious. What the hell has she been through, making this request with a grim look that he¡¯s never seen before? ¡®Even on the night of the wedding, it wasn¡¯t like this.¡¯ (t/n: he¡¯s referring to her expression.) But it occurred to me that asking the reason was not appropriate for their relationship, which was dotted with dry deals. He also thought there was no reason to wonder about it. I didn¡¯t know if you¡¯d answer. After a while, he slowly opened his mouth. ¡°¡­¡­Okay.¡± The emperor looked seriously at Meredith and asked. ¡°What will you do for me if I help destroy the Schwartz family?¡± ¡°What Your Majesty wants the most.¡± ¡°Healing me was already promised on the first day of the deal.¡± ¡°I am not talking about treatment.¡± Meredith shook her head and said the answer. ¡°Divorce, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡­divorce?¡± ¡°Yes. Once the Schwartz family is down, it will be difficult for me to use Schwartz¡¯s name.¡± It certainly was. It was burdensome to have the wife of a family, that had fallen, as the empress. For whatever reason. It¡¯s going to be unpleasant to the eyes too. (t/n: he meant it would be eye-catching but in a bad way.) Meredith said as if she was well aware of the fact. ¡°Your Majesty will one day have a woman you love.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You will want to have someone you truly want as your empress.¡± Meredith smiled as if not to worry. ¡°I¡¯ll step down before I get in the way.¡± Chapter 26 Meredith thought this would be a pretty attractive offer for him. However, the Emperor¡¯s expression upon hearing Meredith¡¯s words was not as bright as she had expected. Meredith was momentarily perplexed when the expected result did not come out, but then calmly continued. ¡°As part of that, I will be by your side and help you both physically and mentally so that your Majesty can consolidate the imperial power.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°If the Schwartz family goes down, the empress dowager will be weakened. Naturally.¡± ¡°¡­you.¡± After a long silence, he finally opened his mouth. ¡°You seem convinced that the dowager has a very close relationship with the Schwartz family.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Meredith nodded with an expressionless face. ¡°The two forces have a plan to oust Your Majesty and appoint Prince Fabien as the new emperor of Valtejain.¡± ¡°Is there any evidence that the Schwartz family feels the same way? So far, it¡¯s just speculation.¡± ¡°I heard.¡± The emperor stared at Meredith. ¡°The fact that the Schwartz family joined hands with the Empress Dowager to make my sister the next empress.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°In the process, I became your Majesty¡¯s Empress because it was simply a hand that they gave to throw away.¡± A consumable that won¡¯t hurt them no matter what happens. Empress Dowager Blair and the Schwartz family most likely felt that way. ¡°It must also be because they did not want a third force to intervene in this fight. The Empress Dowager is of the Schwartz family.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ ¡± ¡°Until we drive them out.¡± Meredith swore reverently with one hand on her chest. ¡°I will live only for Your Majesty¡¯s sake.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ ¡± ¡°Will you accept my deal?¡± It¡¯s not a deal. The Emperor thought this was not a deal. When it comes to gains and losses, it was a deal that was detrimental only to her. The emperor had nothing to lose either way. The fact that the Schwartz family had a close relationship with Empress Dowager was also something he found in his information network. Of course, it was also in his plan to oust the Schwartz family. In a situation where she was treating him, if she divorced him on her own and helped him both physically and mentally for his victory, this would really be a deal that was made only for him. The emperor was about to mention it but realized that there was no need for it and stopped. ¡°Okay, good.¡± But was it a matter of conscience? Or was it a matter of justice that had accumulated for a month? Or maybe it was because he thought it was a courtesy to his partner who would be with him for several months even if he couldn¡¯t. ¡°I promise you one more thing.¡± He wanted to give her one more thing. ¡°Do you have anything else to ask of me?¡± ¡°No.¡± The emperor shook his head and made eye contact with Meredith. ¡°I promise you.¡± ¡°What ¡­¡­¡± ¡°While you are my empress, I will protect you. No matter what.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s include this in our deal.¡± Meredith couldn¡¯t understand why he wanted to add such unnecessary conditions. She was not a fool, so she knew. This deal was purely in the Emperor¡¯s interest. But she had no choice. With no power or wealth, the only way she could get revenge on the Schwartz family was to help the emperor win. Although the fact was quite bitter, it was inevitable when she was born as an illegitimate child and had no power. ¡®Your Majesty knows that, so is this some kind of sympathy?¡¯ Or was it compassion? Or mercy? But either way, it wasn¡¯t bad for Meredith. She nodded and opened her mouth. ¡°Sure, but who would hurt me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a complacent thought.¡± The emperor calmly shook his head and responded. ¡°If they know we¡¯re on the same side, they can see you as a thorn in the eye and get rid of you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ ¡° ¡°Remember that Marionette, who will serve the Empress, can be taken anywhere.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ is that so.¡± ¡°Okay. So, I want you to be more aware of the current situation.¡± The emperor spoke to Meredith in a solemn voice. ¡°Because from now on, you have decided to officially act with my political opponents.¡± With that being said, the office became quiet for a while. It was because both of them kept silent with a thoughtful face. A long time later, the emperor opened his mouth first. ¡°Let¡¯s have the deal written.¡± He still spoke without taking his eyes off Meredith. ¡°Because I like to be precise.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Meredith nodded and sat on the chair in front of the desk. ¡°I¡¯ll write the contract now.¡± *** So a specific divorce agreement was drawn up. The contents were as follows. One, the empress does her best to strengthen the emperor¡¯s authority and oust his political opponents. Two, later the Schwartz family¡¯s disposition follows the Empress¡¯s decision entirely. The Emperor does not raise any objections and respects the Empress¡¯s will. Three, the emperor protects the empress thoroughly until their divorce. Finally, the two will be divorced without delay after the collapse of the Schwartz family. It was a neat contract with no superfluousness. ¡°Please sign it.¡± Meredith presented two contracts to the emperor to be signed at the bottom right. After a while, the emperor also handed out the signed contract to Meredith. ¡°Here.¡± Meredith accepted it and then carefully raised her gaze over his signature. A name was written in elegant and neat cursive writing. Theodore Valtejain It had been a long time since she had seen his name again. The first time at Empress class, and now 4 months have passed. The real name of the emperor was rarely mentioned directly in Valtejain. Because it was thought to be a great disrespect and disloyalty. In the case of the prince or empress dowager, it was quite common. Therefore, the name of her husband, who should be closest to her, was very strange to Meredith. ¡°Theodore¡­¡± Meredith, who saw the glamorous name, muttered it unconsciously. Immediately, she realized that she had committed a great deal of profanity and trembled like a bird. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡± Meredith sneaked a glance at the Emperor. However, there was no way to know if he was in a bad mood because his face was expressionless. As Meredith waited anxiously for Theodore to respond, she heard his voice. ¡°¡­¡­Come to think of it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Did you know my name?¡± ¡°I learned it in empress class.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°However, it is a name that is unfamiliar to me because I rarely come across it.¡± Meredith confessed frankly. ¡°Who dares to speak of His Majesty¡¯s dignity in vain?¡± ¡°Congratulations.¡± At the unexpected word, Meredith blinked blankly. ¡°There are very few living and dead in this empire who have called my name directly.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Two? Three? One more person added today.¡± At those words, Meredith was in a state of limbo. In the end, she apologized again. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to embarrass you.¡± Looking at her rapidly burning face, she seemed to have taken the joke seriously. Thinking that it¡¯s like her, Theodore muttered under his breath. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize. It¡¯s a meaningless name anyway.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A name is meaningful when someone calls me, but I haven¡¯t been called in 20 years. ¡­¡­not once.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Come to think of it, you broke the 20-year record a while ago.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I last heard it 20 years ago.¡± Recalling the last moment, Theodore¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°My name.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was so disrespectful ¡­.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad.¡± With those words, Theodore looked at Meredith. The sudden gaze was different from anything she had ever received, so Meredith felt nervous for nothing. ¡°¡­¡­what do you mean?¡± ¡°To hear my name.¡± A gentle smile appeared on his lips. Meredith knew it was the truth. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel bad because it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t have to apologize too much.¡± Meredith looked at Theodore, who was staring at her. Still, the tension was still there, and she unconsciously swallowed saliva despite it being dry. It wasn¡¯t long before she opened her mouth slowly. ¡°¡­¡­Anyway.¡± She felt like she had to change the topic. She didn¡¯t know why, but that¡¯s what she thought at the moment. ¡°Please take good care of me.¡± ¡°All of a sudden?¡± Theodore laughed silently as if it were out of the blue. Meredith responded with a rather complicated look. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve written the contract, I feel like I need to do something new. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll get divorced, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°As long as we are married, I will do my best for your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Me too.¡± Theodore moved his lips slowly with a strange look in his eyes. ¡°I will do my best for you.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°As your husband.¡± Theodore then asked Meredith for a handshake. Meredith stared at the hand and soon held Theodore¡¯s hand with a smile. It was the beginning of the second act of marriage. Note: From this chapter on, ???? will be translated as Valtejain and not as Baltic Jane. This change will be seen in chapter 12 onwards. In case, I did miss any change, please feel free to mention so in this chapter¡¯s comments. The reason for this change was simple, no way in hell am I typing Mr. emperor¡¯s name as Theodore Baltic Jane. over my dead body y¡¯all (x3) Chapter 27 ¡°Do you have any plans in mind?¡± Sitting face to face, the two began to talk in earnest. ¡°If there is such a thing, I would like to hear it.¡± ¡°I do not intend to move recklessly.¡± Meredith replied calmly. ¡°I will make sure to not create trouble for your majesty.¡± ¡°Good attitude.¡± ¡°In order to do that, I must know His Majesty¡¯s plan.¡± ¡°I have no reason to kick them out yet. The Empress Dowager isn¡¯t stupid either, so she wouldn¡¯t do anything reckless.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a way I can create a disturbance, but, you know, my body isn¡¯t normal right now. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°Above all, I heard that Prince Fabien is abroad.¡± The then Empress Blair made sure Prince Fabien fled, using studies in a foreign university when the Emperor was sick. It was to prevent Theodore from purging Fabian on charges of treason. It was a wise decision on Blair¡¯s part. ¡°So I think now is not the right time.¡± ¡°Yes, when I am cured and the Prince returns to Valtejain.¡± Theodore nodded as if he agreed. ¡°It¡¯s not too late to plan things then. It just so happens that the prince is in his senior year.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t intend to sit still until then.¡± ¡°Looks like you have a plan.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too hard to deal with two enemies at once.¡± ¡°Well?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start with the Schwartz family.¡± ¡®How?¡¯ Theodore looked at Meredith. ¡°It¡¯s not a relationship formed by great ties. I don¡¯t know who suggested the alliance first, but it¡¯s a relationship based on a desire for power.¡± ¡°I suppose so.¡± ¡°Things¡­ things like that are easy to break if there is a small gap.¡± ¡°A gap?¡± ¡°We have to keep them away from each other.¡± ¡°The person who will make the gap¡­¡­¡± Theodore¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Is it you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the only one.¡± Meredith nodded her head. ¡°While the Schwartz family is vigilant, they need someone who has the closest contact with the Empress Dowager.¡± Whoever suggested the alliance first, there would be lingering anxiety in Duke Schwartz¡¯s mind. Perhaps Empress Dowager may abandon them and choose someone else. We have to ignite that anxiety. ¡°I¡¯m the only such person.¡± Meredith grinned. ¡°Obviously, they won¡¯t completely trust each other. If they don¡¯t like each other, they¡¯ll always be ready to betray each other.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°First, let¡¯s get the Empress Dowager¡¯s trust.¡± Meredith¡¯s voice saying that was quite dignified and full of confidence. It wouldn¡¯t be an easy task at all. ¡®¡­I think you¡¯ll do well.¡¯ To the extent that Theodore thought like this. He broke the long silence and asked. ¡°What do I have to do for you?¡± ¡°The Duke of Schwartz does not want other forces to join the fight. That¡¯s why he put me here, an illegitimate child.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°But if he feels that I am threatening his position, he will dethrone me even if it breaks his initial resolve.¡± ¡°It makes sense.¡± ¡°Please protect me then.¡± ¡°¡­I promised to do that.¡± It was also written in the contract. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Marriage, although not my will¡­¡± (Emperor) He put on an expression of thought for a moment and concluded the sentence. ¡°It is not a divorce. Do not worry.¡± (Emperor) ¡°It makes me feel better when you say that.¡± (Meredith) ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to hear that even though I wrote the contract.¡± (Meredith) ¡°Ah¡­.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe in the Emperor¡¯s contract?¡± (Emperor) ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to say that, so I hope you don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± (Meredith) ¡°You are the one I need.¡± (Emperor) Meredith stared at Theodore. ¡°I have to cure my illness.¡± (Emperor) ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°And a few comrades who share my will.¡± (Emperor) Comrade. When did we get to the point where we are bound by that word? Meredith felt like a stranger. It must have been a different situation compared to the first time he pointed a blade at her throat. ¡°So I will protect you. No matter what.¡± (Emperor) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing that, Meredith couldn¡¯t say anything as if her lips had been glued to themselves. It was her first time hearing that from someone else. Saying they need me. Saying they will protect me. ¡°I was a thorn in the eye that should always be gone¡­¡± For Meredith, who grew up facing contempt all her life, the words were quite warm and touching, even though they were something necessary. ¡®I never thought I¡¯d feel this way about your words.¡¯ As expected, it¡¯s unfamiliar. Now, this feeling, it seemed, would not be forgotten for a long time. Meredith raised her trembling lip corners and smiled. ¡°¡­¡­Thank you.¡± It was sincere gratitude. *** The next morning. Meredith visited Empress Dowager as usual. ¡°Welcome, dear.¡± Blair greeted Meredith with a warm welcome as usual. ¡°I heard about yesterday.¡± Meredith put down the teacup and looked at Blair. ¡°I heard you had a great first tea meeting.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ah.¡± Meredith replied with a slight blush. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed. It wasn¡¯t a big deal.¡± ¡°No, I heard you did a great job for your first time.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Also, the Emperor did a great job yesterday, didn¡¯t he?¡± Blair was delighted with a very proud look. ¡°How sweet of him. I¡¯m so proud as a mother because I think you two have a good relationship.¡± ¡°I was also very surprised yesterday. I didn¡¯t think that would happen¡­¡± While answering half-heartedly, Meredith realized she was missing something very important. ¡®¡­¡­By the way, I forgot.¡¯ I completely forgot to thank Theodore for the dessert he sent me yesterday. ¡®I remembered it until the tea meeting was over¡­¡¯ Immediately after that, she heard such a shocking story that she seemed to have forgotten everything else. ¡®¡­I¡¯ll go see him later.¡¯ She waited until the night and forgot about it again. Meredith vowed to go straight to the central palace after leaving the palace. ¡°Yes, I hope his health will be better now.¡± Hearing that, Meredith stared at Blair. ¡°Then, sooner or later, a grandson will be born, and the imperial family will soon find stability.¡± She was speaking as if she were truly praying for Theodore¡¯s good health. ¡®¡­How could that be?¡¯ When I saw that arrogance, I thought it was strange again. ¡°Even now, the Imperial Family is very stable thanks to His Majesty.¡± (Meredith) Meredith responded with a warm voice. ¡°Your Majesty is well aware of the Emperor¡¯s services.¡± (Meredith) ¡°His Majesty?¡± (Blair) ¡°Yes, he helps me a lot in my work, and always thinks of me.¡± (Meredith) Meredith smiled as if she was right. ¡°How can your majesty not know that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t deserve to know. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve met him in person.¡± It was a rather discontented voice. ¡°As you know, he is not coming to greet me because of his health.¡± (Blair) ¡°That¡¯s why.¡± Meredith spoke carefully. ¡°I would like to arrange it for you.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I would like to arrange a dinner party for the two of you.¡± ¡°¡­Just the two of us?¡± ¡°Three of us.¡± And Meredith added the most unsuitable word in their relationship. ¡°As a family.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be a quality time. What do you think?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Blair cautiously raised her concerns. ¡°I don¡¯t know if His Majesty will attend.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell His Majesty, so don¡¯t worry about that.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± Blair opened his mouth while making a thoughtful expression for a moment. ¡°I have no reason to refuse.¡± Of course, you would. Unless you want to spread the fact that you are fighting against the emperor. Meredith smiled brightly as if she knew that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯m sure His Majesty will like it.¡± Chapter 28 Meredith came out of the Empress Dowager¡¯s Palace and headed straight to the Central Palace. ¡°Your Majesty, what¡¯s going on from the morning?¡± Felix had a look of surprise. ¡°Unfortunately, His Majesty is not here right now.¡± ¡°Ah, where did he go?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be back from the meeting regarding the current political affairs soon. Please wait inside.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Felix.¡± M¨¦redith, who smiled, entered Theodore¡¯s room. Then she waited for him to come while drinking tea. ¡°His Majesty is entering.¡± Not long after, Meredith got up from her seat at the sound. The door opened, revealing Theodore, who was walking inside with considerable difficulty. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Meredith hurried up to him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. There¡¯s nothing to make a fuss about.¡± As he said this, the door was closed and Theodore looked more energized than he was before. Only then did Meredith notice that it was all acting. ¡°You¡¯re amazing.¡± With such acting skills, he would have done well even if he had been an actor. ¡°What happened in the morning?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­.¡± ¡°What happened in the Empress Dowager¡¯s Palace?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that it didn¡¯t happen, but it isn¡¯t because of that.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°I have something I didn¡¯t tell you yesterday.¡± Theodore looked at Meredith with a look of what it was. Meredith smiled and bowed her head to him. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­Suddenly again?¡± ¡°I should have told you yesterday, but you sent dessert to a tea party.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah.¡± ¡°I forgot to say thank you. I wasn¡¯t in a good mood. Please forgive my rudeness.¡± ¡°No. I forgot too.¡± And after a moment of silence, Theodore asked. ¡°¡­ Are you okay?¡± ¡°You must have heard the report.¡± She smiled broadly as if her mouth hurt even when she said it. ¡°The response has been very good. Everyone praised His Majesty for his kindness.¡± ¡°Okay. I know.¡± ¡°Also, the desserts were very tasty. Everyone liked it.¡± ¡°Empress.¡± But that didn¡¯t seem to be the answer he wanted. Meredith, who was called, looked at Theodore still. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m curious about.¡± ¡°What..?¡± ¡°Your thoughts, your feelings.¡± Theodore said. ¡°I¡¯m curious about your heart.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± When she first heard that, she was confused for a moment. ¡®I didn¡¯t know you would ask this question¡­¡¯ This was because the event he held yesterday was not a pure purpose to please his beloved lover. It¡¯s a show-off event. Intended and well-organized to arouse the envy of others So my thoughts and feelings can¡¯t be important¡­ ¡°How was it?¡± While she couldn¡¯t say anything out of embarrassment, Theodore¡¯s voice came out. Meredith looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you were satisfied.¡± ¡­. Oh. ¡°Was it like that?¡± Now I felt like my question was solved. ¡°You¡¯re asking if yesterday¡¯s event was enough to show others.¡± I almost took the question strangely. It was only then that she looked comfortable. ¡°It¡¯s my first time doing that. Is there anything that it lacked¡­¡° ¡°No, Your Majesty. Not at all.¡± Meredith shook her head quickly and stepped in. ¡°It was great. Just as everyone was satisfied, so was I. It was very good.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes. To the point of being surprised.¡± Meredith smiled brightly and nodded. ¡°So you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m glad you liked it.¡± Only then did Theodore¡¯s face become more comfortable. ¡°What about the empress dowager? Did you have a safe trip?¡± ¡°Yes. The Empress Dowager has agreed to dinner with His Majesty.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± ¡°Your Majesty agrees, right?¡± ¡°That conversation is already closed.¡± ¡°I was wondering if you changed your mind.¡± Meredith smiled and predicted. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a great time.¡± * * * The next day, Meredith, who went to greet the Empress Dowager in the morning, delivered the answer from Theodore that she had heard yesterday. ¡°His Majesty happily accepted it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Indeed, Blair was not as happy as the answer. Instead, she told Blair with a happy face. ¡°I think it¡¯s a great thing that you two get to be together.¡± Blair looked at Meredith with a face asking what it meant. ¡°In fact, I was disappointed that your relationship was not as close as I thought.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Of course. Since you¡¯re both a mother and a son.¡± ¡°Mother and son¡­¡± Blair opened his mouth with a slightly sad face. ¡°Actually, even if he hates me, I have nothing to say.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m not his real mother.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Meredith shook her head quickly and denied it. ¡°I know very well how much his majesty thinks of you and how much you care about His Majesty.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You¡¯re always worried about His Majesty in front of me. And wish him good health.¡± Even if the heart was not sincere, Blair was at least doing so on the outside. ¡°So I hope His Majesty will take this opportunity to know more about your heart.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. Maybe there was a misunderstanding between us.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ ¡± ¡°How did this happen?¡± Blair muttered as if lamenting. ¡°But when he was young, we were pretty close.¡± At some point, they became distant, but Blair muttered sadly. ¡°Come to think of it,¡­¡± I¡¯ve never heard of Blair from Theodore. ¡®What happened in the time I didn¡¯t know?¡¯ I was curious, but I decided not to ask. ¡®It¡¯s off-topic.¡¯ All you have to do is do your job well. Whatever the past is, Empress Blair is now Theodore¡¯s biggest enemy. ¡®As long as Prince Fabien is alive, that fact will not change.¡¯ Therefore, other emotional stories will not be necessary. Also, it might be an unpleasant question in itself for Theodore. ¡°You¡¯re not asking.¡± Then Blair¡¯s voice was heard. Meredith looked at Blair as if she meant what it meant. ¡°At this point, I was curious, so I thought you would ask what he was like when he was young.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something I can ask.¡± Meredith opened her mouth with a thin smile. ¡°What¡¯s important is that this dinner will help make your relationship better.¡± ¡°Okay. That would be great.¡± ¡°In that sense.¡± Meredith asked while looking at Blair. ¡°Your Majesty, why don¡¯t you prepare dinner?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. I was thinking of doing it at first, but I thought it would erase the meaning of this dinner.¡± Meredith added with a small smile. ¡°I think I¡¯d better be into it as much as possible.¡± ¡°You have a point.¡± Soon after, however, an awkward sound came out of Blair¡¯s mouth. ¡°But I don¡¯t even know what His Majesty likes.¡± ¡°He likes seafood.¡± Meredith replied right away. ¡°I remember hearing it from my servant.¡± ¡°Okay, dear. Let¡¯s do that.¡± Blair said with joy. ¡°I get a lot of help from you in many ways.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. It¡¯s something I have to help.¡± Meredith replied as if this was nothing. ¡°If you need anything, please let me know.¡± * * * After greeting the dowager, Meredith was on her way back from the Empress Dowager Palace to the Empress Palace. ¡®¡­.Ah?¡¯ She ran into an unexpected figure. Meredith stopped walking without realizing it. The man who found Meredith also stopped in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Empress.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been a while.¡± Meredith was greeted with an expressionless face. ¡°Duke Schwartz.¡± It was her father. ¡®I don¡¯t want to call you Father.¡¯ Meredith was convinced that Duke Schwartz was clearly involved in the death of her biological mother, Meryll. He would not have actively killed Meryll, but he must have been looking at the death with his hands free.* (t/n: without dirtying his hands) As always, when Meryll was beaten, he pretended not to know and allowed the situation. The reason that she was carrying his child, wasn¡¯t enough to abandon his wife from an aristocratic family. When she thought about it, her blood cooled down. Duchess Schwartz, who killed her mother, or Duke Schwartz, who watched it on the sidelines. They were all the same enemies for Meredith. ¡­.Unforgivable. ¡°You entered early in the morning.¡± ¡°There is a meeting.¡± ¡°Yes. then.¡± It was when Meredith was about to leave after a short greeting. ¡°Hold on, Your Majesty.¡± Duke Schwartz called Meredith. Meredith turned her head and looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s my wife¡¯s birthday soon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t forget, did you?¡± ¡­ At most, everything. Meredith was obstructed. The duke was smiling meanly. Meredith couldn¡¯t overcome her anger and held her dress tightly. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll attend as a daughter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the empress of the empire.¡± Meredith flatly refused. ¡°Even a mother can attend a private aristocratic party.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not unprecedented.¡± Duke Schwartz shrugged with a face that he didn¡¯t care at all. ¡°So, it completely depends on Your Majesty¡¯s will.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°We will send you the invitation soon, Your Majesty.¡± Leaving those words behind, Duke Schwartz passed by Meredith. ¡°¡­.. ¡° Meredith stood still there for a long time. ¡°Because it¡¯s my mother¡¯s birthday.¡± At that moment, a thought ran through her mind. The corners of Meredith¡¯s lips rose. ¡°Yes, father. I will congratulate you as your daughter. Of course.¡± Chapter 29 A dinner was set for the three of them a week later. Blair once again asked the attendant of the central palace. What Theodore likes. ¡°His Majesty enjoys seafood these days.¡± After receiving the same answer as the one Meredith gave, Blair finally started preparing for the dinner. It was because she didn¡¯t want Meredith to embarrass her by giving her false information. Fortunately, there were no such incidents. And a week after that. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Meredith stopped the maid¡¯s action of putting on a garnet stone necklace around her neck. ¡°I don¡¯t have to wear a necklace.¡± ¡°But¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Like I said. Today, I want to look as modest as possible.¡± Meredith said firmly. ¡°I¡¯m not the protagonist tonight. It¡¯s the Empress Dowager.¡± ¡°You¡¯re dressed modestly enough now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Do as Her Majesty wishes.¡± At that moment, Yulia, who had been watching silently, intervened. At Yulia¡¯s words, the maid quietly retreated, and Yulia gave Meredith a warm smile and said, ¡°I think it will be fine since you are still beautiful enough.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the only one who treats me like this is Yulia.¡± ¡°Well.¡± Yulia smiled meaningfully. ¡°That isn¡¯t just my opinion?¡± (Yulia) ¡°What do¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± At that moment, a maid¡¯s voice was heard from outside. ¡°The Emperor has arrived.¡± It was unexpected news. Meredith was perplexed. But soon she nodded. ¡°Let him enter.¡± Immediately the door opened and someone appeared. Meredith habitually greeted him first. ¡°I greet the Emperor, the great divine son of Valtejain.¡± As she straightened her back, Theodore entered Meredith¡¯s vision. He was more dressed than usual for the dinner, but it wasn¡¯t overdone. In fact, due to Theodore¡¯s beauty, even dressing up seemed useless. At that moment, she thought that he would have looked good even if he had only worn a shirt. ¡°I guess I look handsome today?¡± At that, Meredith realized that she was staring at him too much. Meredith¡¯s face quickly heated up. Theodore jokingly pointed out. ¡°You did that last time, too.¡± ¡°¡­just staring in confusion.¡± Meredith quickly made up an excuse. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d come all the way here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dinner for us.¡± Theodore shrugged and said. ¡°Let¡¯s go together. But won¡¯t it be funny if we appear separately?¡± ¡°Then I should have gone ahead.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not very pleasing to the Emperor.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about.¡± Theodore quickly noticed what she had to say and stopped her. ¡°So you don¡¯t have to worry because I came here in a carriage.¡± Only then did Meredith¡¯s expression brighten up. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°And you, too, will ride a horse-drawn carriage to the Empress Dowager¡¯s Palace.¡± Meanwhile, Theodore suddenly grabbed Meredith¡¯s hand. At the sudden action, Meredith unknowingly stiffened. ¡®¡­ It¡¯s nothing special.¡¯ At least not for the two. Because they even fell asleep every night, holding hands on the bed. ¡®But I didn¡¯t think much back then either¡­¡¯ Strangely, this moment was particularly nerve-racking for Meredith. ¡®¡­why? I don¡¯t know why.¡® Meredith looked at Theodore, unable to even think of releasing the power that had been in her body. Either Theodore didn¡¯t notice it, or he pretended not to know. He made eye contact with Meredith casually and ended the conversation with a sweet voice. ¡°Because I¡¯m weak.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Looking at Theodore smiling, Meredith nodded with a tense face in contrast. *** ¡°Is this the first time you are going to meet the Empress Dowager after the sun goes down?¡± In the carriage to Empress Dowager¡¯s Palace, Meredith asked. ¡°Can you do it?¡± Of course, she was talking about acting weak. ¡®Is it a reasonable worry?¡¯ But belatedly, she thought she asked a useless question. Because his performance she¡¯s seen so far was impeccably good. To the point where it felt perfect. ¡®But maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m dull that I think so.¡¯ Because Empress Dowager is a sharp person. Maybe she¡¯ll notice it. Meredith was only concerned about that. ¡°Worried?¡± Theodore asked in an unfamiliar voice. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be discovered.¡± ¡°Seeing you say that, I don¡¯t think it should be too bad.¡± (Theodore) ¡°If I make a mistake, you can help me.¡± (Theodore) ¡°You¡¯re not going to make a mistake.¡± Meredith spoke in a confident tone. ¡°I¡¯ll cast a spell on you.¡± ¡°You know how to do that?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a lie.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Theodore looked at Meredith with a look of absurdness, and she tried to pretend not to know. Meanwhile, the carriage stopped. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, Your Majesties.¡± The carriage door opened and the servants helped the ¡®weak¡¯ Theodore. He moved toward the Empress Dowager¡¯s Palace with difficulty, as it seemed strenuous to even take his steps properly. Meredith followed him from behind. Before she knew it, the two arrived at the dining hall of the Empress Dowager¡¯s Palace. ¡°Your Majesty, His Majesty the Emperor, and Her Majesty the Empress have arrived.¡± ¡°Please come inside.¡± The door opened with an elegant voice from the inside. Theodore entered the hall arduously with the help of his attendants. Blair looked at Theodore with a very worried face. ¡°Your Majesty, are you okay?¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Theodore, who struggled to enter the dining hall, greeted Blair. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I said hello.¡± ¡°Greetings later. First, sit down. You look tired.¡± Meredith quickly helped Theodore. Theodore did not refuse the support of Meredith. So the three barely sat down. ¡°Was there any inconvenience in coming all the way here, dear?¡± Among the three, Blair opened her mouth first. The question being addressed to her was quite obvious, so Meredith quickly opened her mouth. ¡°Yes, your majesty. I came comfortably in a carriage with his Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh, you two arrived together¡±. Only then did Blair¡¯s eyes turn to Theodore. ¡°Thank you for coming all the way here, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°No, thank you for inviting me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we had dinner together.¡± Blair said with an emotional face. ¡°This mother is very happy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I haven¡¯t been able to visit often because I¡¯ve been in poor health.¡± Theodore replied with his unique low voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you¡¯ve been disappointed.¡± ¡°Disappointed? That¡¯s not true.¡± Blair shook her hand. ¡°It wasn¡¯t any other reason, but because of your health. I¡¯m not so narrow-minded to not even understand that much.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°And your empress visits me every day.¡± In the meantime, Blair looked at Meredith with her finely curved eyes. ¡°It¡¯s a great pleasure for me.¡± ¡°If you feel that way, it¡¯s an honor for me, your majesty.¡± ¡°The empress worked hard to prepare for today¡¯s meeting.¡± There was a compliment for Meredith. ¡°Thanks to you, I had my first dinner with his Majesty after his ascension.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll visit you more often in the future.¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯d better have more opportunities like this in the future.¡± Blair responded as if it was a good idea. Of course, Theodore was just saying it for formality. ¡°No matter how close, if you don¡¯t meet your family and talk, your relationship will grow apart¡±. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°If communication is cut off, misunderstandings will inevitably arise.¡± ¡°¡­.yes. That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Oh my, look at my mind. I called in the guests but didn¡¯t bring any food.¡± Blair clapped her hands as if she realized it late. The servants and maids entered the dining hall with food filled up on the dish cover. How large the amount was, the procession continued for a long time. Meredith looked at the scene with a sense of being mesmerized and only came to her senses after all the servants and maids who served the food had left. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll suit your taste. It¡¯s been such a long time since we had dinner.¡± Blair smiled nicely and crossed her hands and wrapped them together. ¡°I was worried about that, so I prepared as many things as possible.¡± ¡°Eat it before it gets cold.¡± ¡°It¡¯s such a fancy dinner, your majesty.¡± Meredith opened her mouth in admiration. ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s favorite seafood dish is full.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard from you and told them to prepare seafood.¡± ¡°Thank you for your care, Your Majesty.¡± Theodore, who had been silent until then, opened his mouth. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to prepare this much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I had dinner with Your Majesty.¡± Before he could say anything more, Blair replied back. ¡°I did my best. Please go ahead and eat.¡± ¡°Yes. Then¡­¡± ¡°Hold on, Your Majesty.¡± Then someone stepped in. ¡°I will check the food.¡± It was Felix. At his interference, the atmosphere of the table was completely frozen. Chapter 30 ¡°How discourteous of you, Sir Felix.¡± It was Meredith who opened her mouth first. She rebuked Felix with a stern face. ¡°It¡¯s a dinner prepared by the Empress Dowager, not anyone else.¡± ¡°I understand what you mean.¡± Felix didn¡¯t back down. ¡°But a rule is a rule.¡± ¡°Sir Felix!¡± ¡°Calm down, Empress.¡± Theodore, who had been silent, intervened. ¡°Because Sir Felix has only fulfilled his duty.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Soon, Theodore¡¯s gaze turned to Blair. She was quivering with her mouth closed. As if this situation was very insulting. Of course, it must have been a very insulting situation for Blair. Because she was being suspected of poisoning the emperor. Not anyone else, but the official emperor¡¯s mother. ¡°Of course, I believe in the Empress Dowager.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°My attendant is unusual.¡± The remark was an indication. This situation was, in fact, a problem that would be resolved quickly if a decision was made. In other words, it was an indirect expression of not believing in Blair. Blair bit her lips and opened her mouth. ¡°¡­¡­Go ahead, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah, you have to do that.¡± Blair added, straightening her back. ¡°That¡¯s the rule.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Even if it was a dinner prepared by the empress, not me, you would have done so. Right? ¡°¡­Of course, your highness.¡± ¡°This is food for Your Majesty, not anyone else.¡± Blair stared at Felix, who was standing behind him and said. ¡°Make sure you look closely.¡± ¡°Of course, your highness.¡± Soon after, the maids of the Empress Dowager Palace came out one by one and began to take out the food on the table. Blair looked at him with an uncomfortable visage during the testing. Meredith had a restless face, and Theodore was expressionless. A cold silence that seemed to freeze everyone wrapped around the dining hall. Then at some point. -Clink! An unheard noise of something falling. Naturally, everyone¡¯s attention was focused in the direction of the sound. ¡°W-why is this¡­¡± A maid stood next to Theodore with a trembling look. The problem was at her feet. The silver rod, which turned black with fish soup on it, had fallen. It was evident that food contained poison. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Felix looked at Theodore with an astonished face. In an instant, the atmosphere inside the dining hall turned ugly. The empress dowager tried to poison the emperor. It was obvious what would happen to Empress Dowager if this fact became known. Blair¡¯s complexion turned white. This was an unexpected situation. She was innocent and never messed with anything. I¡¯m not an idiot, and would I kill the emperor at the dinner I prepared? If I was trying to get things done, I would have done it more secretly. For Blair, this situation was simply terrifying. ¡°How did this happen?¡± It was Felix¡¯s voice. ¡°You have to explain it, your highness Empress Dowager.¡± He stared at Blair with a fierce look. Blair opened her mouth with a puzzled face. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°The silver rod turned black.¡± Felix pointed out the current situation. ¡°It means it¡¯s poisoned¡± He slowly bowed down and picked up the silver rod that the maid had dropped. And he brought it in front of Blair¡¯s eyes and asked. ¡°Are you still going to act like you¡¯re trying to deny it?¡± ¡°I¡­!¡± ¡°Stop it, Sir Felix.¡± It was the voice of Meredith. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on the empress. Meredith opened her mouth with a stiff face. ¡°Her Highness couldn¡¯t have harbored such a desire.¡± ¡°His Majesty, this is not a situation that can be resolved with such words.¡± Felix insisted with a frown on his forehead. ¡°This is clear evidence of an attempt to poison. Can¡¯t you believe it even when you see it with your own eyes?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be rash, Sir Felix.¡± Like everyone else, Meredith seemed very surprised by the situation. However, she tried to speak in a calm voice. ¡°This is not the fault of her highness.¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you the evidence.¡± Along with the words, Meredith pulled out a piece of jewelry that was adorned on her head. It was a silver ornament with a pointed tip. Then, without hesitation, she dipped it into the soup in front of her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± After a while, there was also an ornament in Meredith¡¯s hand that turned black. Everyone was embarrassed once again when they saw that. Soon, Felix calmly presented another hypothesis. ¡°Her Highness may have poisoned both of your Majesty¡¯s food.¡± ¡°Then we can test it one more time.¡± Meredith even pulled out the last accessory that was on her head. And approached Blair¡¯s side, and this time again, she dipped it in her soup bowl. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Blair looked at Meredith with a surprised face, as if he didn¡¯t understand what was going on. Meredith made eye contact with Blair, and she smiled as if not to worry. Moments later, Meredith raised her hand. ¡°Am I right?¡± The same result as before was obtained. ¡°Is the Empress Dowager trying to harm herself?¡± Everyone looked at Meredith in amazement. How the hell did this happen? ¡°After a while, even if you put the same silver rod in, you¡¯ll get a different result than now. The color of silver won¡¯t change.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, what are you talking about¡­¡± ¡°When you dip silver in hot fish soup, the color changes. This is just a natural phenomenon. It¡¯s not a conspiracy by her highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Sir Felix, can we now cast away any doubts about Her Highness the Empress Dowager?¡± ¡°¡­¡­. Of course, your Majesty.¡± ¡°Apologize to her highness.¡± Felix quickly obeyed Meredith. ¡°I apologize, your highness. I have shown great discourtesy.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay.¡± Blair still looked surprised. She replied with her trembling lips. ¡°I¡¯m glad nothing happened.¡± But the voice that spoke clearly showed signs of discomfort. ¡°Your Highness.¡± At that time, Theodore, who was watching the situation silently, spoke out. ¡°Sir Felix was just doing his job.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡° ¡°It must have been unpleasant enough, but please forgive me.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t a lot of unsavory things happen at the central palace?¡± ¡°¡­Of course, it has.¡± Listening to the conversation, it seemed that something similar had happened several times before. ¡°No way. You met an assassin on the first night of your marriage.¡± Meredith moistened her lips as if she knew it. ¡°Of course, it was unpleasant, but your safety is more important than anything else.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I can understand. I got an apology, but I am just disconcerted.¡± Blair then looked at Meredith. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for my daughter-in-law, I would have been in a lot of trouble.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Thank you, dear.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, your highness.¡± Meredith smiled faintly and opened her mouth. ¡°I know better than anyone else that your Highness would never commit such a thing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I just acted according to my beliefs. So there is no need to thank me.¡± Meredith said politely. ¡°¡­If that¡¯s what you want.¡± Blair nodded her head, trying to hide her nervousness. ¡°Let¡¯s move on amicably today. Anyway, it ended without any problems.¡± ¡°Thank you for your generosity.¡± Meredith smiled and changed the atmosphere. ¡°Now that the trouble is cleared, let¡¯s all start the dinner. Let¡¯s bring out a new soup.¡± * * * The dinner ended without anything happening. Although the incident in the beginning almost turned into a catastrophic event that shook the empire, there was no need to bring it up again because it ended in a blink. Meredith was truly delighted with the peaceful ending. ¡°Thank you for inviting me today, your highness.¡± ¡°I¡¯m delighted that you came.¡± While saying goodbye, Blair saw off Meredith with an elegant smile. ¡°See you tomorrow. You must be tired.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. You must have been surprised today, but please rest well.¡± ¡°Yes, you too.¡± The two parted after affectionately hugging each other. Meredith could be relieved only after she had completely parted from the Empress Dowager. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Meredith, in the carriage, sighed with a tired look. ¡°It was truly a long dinner.¡± It was probably something I will never forget for the rest of my life. Chapter 31 ¡°It was truly a long dinner.¡± It was probably something I will never forget for the rest of my life. ¡°It was. You look tired.¡± ¡°After all that trouble.¡± Meredith replied as if it was obvious. ¡°How was I today?¡± ¡°It was alright.¡± After a long time, she heard a good review. Meredith looked at Theodore as if it was unexpected. ¡°It was a great performance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy to be recognized by your Majesty.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been pushing Lord Felix a little hard.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the boss?¡± ¡°No way.¡± Meredith denied with a giggle. No, I think he was the sergeant. ¡°Anyway, thank you for your hard work today. Felix was pretty good at acting.¡± ¡°That¡¯s his real personality. He probably would have done the same thing even if you hadn¡¯t asked this.¡± Well. I think so too. ¡°Where did you get that knowledge?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the fish soup.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s common sense.¡± ¡°I suddenly became a person who doesn¡¯t have common sense.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to say it that way.¡± Somehow, it became an insult to the emperor, and Meredith quickly changed the subject. ¡°Did Her Highness get fooled easily?¡± ¡°The situation was quite pressing.¡± Theodore responded leisurely. ¡°If you think carefully, you may find something strange.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°At least from what I saw it was no problem.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a relief.¡± Meredith clapped with joy. ¡°Tonight, I can sleep with a little bit of pride.¡± ¡°Yes. Good job.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, too. Your weak acting was the best.¡± Meredith raised his thumb and winked. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± And Theodore, who was looking at her, suddenly shut her mouth. However, Meredith didn¡¯t feel strange much because she knew his quiet personality. *** The next morning. ¡°Your Highness, the Empress has arrived.¡± Meredith met with Blair like always. ¡°Your Highness, did you sleep well last night?¡± ¡°Oh, my dear is here.¡± Blair somehow greeted Meredith with a more welcoming appearance than usual. ¡°Hurry up and sit down. You must have been tired yesterday, but you came so early.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t wait to see your highness.¡± That¡¯s what she answered, and Meredith asked later, looking around. ¡°Is it rude to say this?¡± ¡°Rude, you say. Not at all.¡± Blair shook her head quickly and responded. ¡°I also thought of you a lot last night.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. You saved me from the crisis last night.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a big deal.¡± Meredith responded shyly. ¡°The Emperor also believes in Her Highness the Empress Dowager.¡± ¡°Oh my god, you¡¯re so naive. It wasn¡¯t something to gloss over.¡± Blair shook her head and refuted. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see His Majesty¡¯s servants harassing me? Without you, I would have been imprisoned in prison yesterday for attempting to assassinate the emperor. It was such a big deal.¡± Blair, fed up, soon grabbed Meredith¡¯s hand with a trusting smile. ¡°Anyway, you are my lifesaver.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor if you think so.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not empty talk. Do you have a wish? I¡¯ll listen to anything.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± After a moment of thought, Meredith opened her mouth. ¡°There is one thing,¡± ¡°Tell me anything,¡± ¡°Is the suggestion you gave me last time still valid?¡± While Blair was stunned because she didn¡¯t understand what it meant, Meredith smiled brightly and added. ¡°I¡¯d like to call you Mother.¡± A wave of emotion spread over Blair¡¯s visage after hearing Meredith¡¯s answer. ¡°Oh, of course, Meredith, I¡¯ve only been looking forward to hearing that from you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the late response, mother.¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re finally making progress together.¡± Blair asked with a benevolent smile. ¡°I¡¯d like to invite you to my tea party from now on. Is that okay? Of course, if your schedule doesn¡¯t work, it can¡¯t be helped, but¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to make time as much as possible. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°How about this afternoon? I happen to have guests coming. At two o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯ll be all right. As far as I know, I don¡¯t have any work in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± In such a friendly atmosphere since morning, Meredith finished her greetings. ¡®Are you being deceived?¡¯ On her way back from the Dowager¡¯s Palace, Meredith became curious. ¡®Maybe she¡¯s pretending to be fooled.¡¯ But assuming this, it became so complicated that Meredith decided to give up on her train of thought. Even if Blair pretended to be fooled, Meredith would have been as careful as before, so there would have been no loss. Then at two o¡¯clock that afternoon, Meredith went to the Dowager¡¯s Palace in a neat dress. ¡°Her Majesty is entering.¡± In front of the drawing-room of the Empress Dowager, Meredith took a short deep breath and went inside. Empress Dowager Blair was at the top of the table, and to her left was an expected person. ¡°¡­What is the Empress doing here?¡± It was the Duchess of Schwartz. A short distance from her was also Catarina. She looked quite surprised, too, as if she had thought Meredith¡¯s appearance was unexpected. ¡®You must have come earlier today than on time.¡¯ Meredith smirked inwardly at the attitude compared to the last time. Then, setting aside the surprised people, she approached Blair. ¡°Welcome, Empress.¡± Blair greeted Meredith with a big smile. Being in front of the nobles, she seemed to be more respectful to Meredith than usual. ¡°Thank you for coming. Please have a seat.¡± In the meantime, the seat Blair pointed to, was just to her right. Meredith sat there with a smile. It was opposite the Duchess of Schwartz. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t expect the Empress to come here.¡± The Duchess spoke in a rather low voice. ¡°Even if the two of us aren¡¯t on good terms, wouldn¡¯t it be nice enough to invite them to a gathering?¡± In fact, this situation did not make sense to her. ¡°From now on, we¡¯ll see her more often.¡± Blair replied sarcastically. ¡°We got much closer with what happened last night.¡± ¡°What do you mean last night?¡± ¡°Actually, yesterday¡­¡± Blair gave a brief account of what had happened at the dinner yesterday. Those who heard Blair¡¯s story only then understood. ¡°¡­.¡± Of course, even the mother and daughter of the Schwartz family. ¡°I owe the Empress a great debt. It must have been a difficult moment to step forward, but how grateful I am!¡± ¡°It was a misunderstanding I should have solved. There was no reason why I shouldn¡¯t come forward.¡± ¡°It was all possible thanks to the Empress¡¯ cleverness and courage.¡± Blair¡¯s praise continued. ¡°And how sincere you are to this mother¡­ She comes to visit every morning.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard the story, too. I admire you.¡± ¡°Me, too. It¡¯s never easy, but I thought you were great.¡± Naturally, people who were listening responded to Blair¡¯s words and continued to praise Meredith. As things went this way, Duchess Schwartz grew increasingly uncomfortable. She couldn¡¯t stand the fact that Meredith was drawing attention when she and Catrina were present. The conversation was going well. It was then. ¡°Duchess Schwartz must be very disappointed.¡± Someone pointed out Duchess Schwartz. The duchess, who was still biting her lips, opened her mouth in astonishment. ¡°What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°This beautiful and wise daughter left your bosom and went to the Imperial Palace.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re very disappointed. She must have been such a good daughter in the mansion.¡± When Meredith heard it, she almost laughed. ¡®If the Duchess had been a good mother to me, I might have remained a good daughter.¡¯ Unfortunately, however, the Duchess of Schwartz had never been friendly to her for a moment after she was born. ¡°¡­Your right. She was a good girl.¡± The Duchess of Schwartz answered, struggling to conceal her frustration. ¡°Even if she was a little sickly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I loved her a lot, too.¡± ¡°But I wasn¡¯t very good to her.¡± The unexpected voice surprised Duchess Schwartz. Meredith, who was uncomfortable listening to Duchess Schwartz¡¯s lies, intervened not too late. ¡­What is that supposed to mean? Duchess Schwartz¡¯s heart began to pound with anxiety and tension. Chapter 32 Duchess Schwartz¡¯s Pov ¡°But I wasn¡¯t very good to her.¡± ¡°The empress? I think she must have been a very kind daughter when I saw her with the Her Highness.¡± ¡°You were so busy. You couldn¡¯t have time to see me.¡± Meredith smiled and looked at the Duchess of Schwartz. ¡°Right, madam?¡± ¡°Y-you mean me¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing the Duchess of Schwartz in embarrassment and bewilderment, Meredith added a word as if enjoying it. ¡°You didn¡¯t want to see me very much.¡± ¡°Th-that, your majesty, has been very ill. I tried not to disturb your rest.¡± In response to the increasingly spectacular answer, Meredith couldn¡¯t help but laugh. As she watched, the Duchess of Schwartz felt her face grow increasingly pale. This situation felt very confusing and uncomfortable. ¡®Why am I being asked such a question from someone like that?¡¯ But even though she was trembling with contempt, she couldn¡¯t behave as such towards Meredith like usual. That made her even more uncomfortable. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I have to be nice to her!¡¯ It was impossible for the Duchess of Schwartz to come to terms with. ¡°But I was desperate for my mother¡¯s attention more than anything else.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I wish you had loved me more.¡± The atmosphere turned strange. The conversation sounded as if the Duchess of Schwartz had neglected the young and ailing Meredith without giving her enough affection. The Duchess of Schwartz could not find a proper answer, so she only bit her lower lip without saying a word. ¡®That¡¯s what you¡¯re trying to get me into trouble!¡¯ Not only Empress Dowager Blair, but in front of so many people, isn¡¯t it obvious why they have to drag this story for a long time? Then her savior appeared. ¡°I think my mother did her best to take care of your Majesty.¡± It was her lovely biological daughter, Catarina. ¡°Your mother raised you with great care.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I saw something from the side, but I didn¡¯t know you would say that. How shocked mother must have been, she cannot say anything now.¡± Change in pov to Meredith¡¯s Catarina kept protecting the Duchess. ¡°You must have thought you had done your best. I mean, isn¡¯t it so, Mother?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Without missing the opportunity, Duchess Schwartz replied quickly. ¡°I thought I took care of you really hard¡­ I¡¯m so sad to hear you say that.¡± ¡°Both of you think so.¡± ¡°Do you think your father, as well as us, would think so?¡± Of course. All three of you abused me together. Meredith¡¯s lips twisted. ¡°Are you all better now, Empress?¡± Then Blair broke in between the three of them. Meredith turned her head and stared at Blair. ¡®You must know that I am an illegitimate child.¡¯ In addition, you probably know all about how I grew up being treated. ¡®I think you¡¯re asking me to stop here.¡¯ Meredith decided to listen to Blair¡¯s wish. I didn¡¯t mean to do anything here anyway. ¡°Yeah. Staying in the Imperial Palace is no problem.¡± ¡°But the aftereffects will definitely remain in the body.¡± While feeling sorry for her, Blair praised Meredith once again with a face of admiration. ¡°Even though she is not well, she is very eager to take care of the Emperor.¡± Those who heard it began to praise Meredith¡¯s benevolence and loyalty again. ¡°¡­¡­¡± And the faces of Catarina and Duchess Schwartz, who watched this scene, hardened again. *** In the end, it would be no exaggeration to say that Blair¡¯s tea party that day started with praises for Meredith and ended with praises. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that your Majesty the Empress would have such a good relationship with the Empress Dowager.¡± ¡°I know, right. I think it¡¯s good to see Her Highness the Empress Dowager care so much.¡± ¡°I told you yesterday¡¯s dinner was also offered by Her Highness, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Maybe she will be a bridge to restore the relationship between His Majesty, the Emperor, and Her Highness, the Empress Dowager.¡± Thanks to this, everyone who attended today¡¯s tea party had a good impression of Meredith and went home. And they would have helped to make Meredith¡¯s reputation better by spreading good stories about her at other social gatherings. It was a good situation for everyone. Except for one place. ¡®How did this happen!¡¯ For the Schwartz family, the situation was very unpleasant. ¡®What the hell are you thinking, Empress Dowager? Why are you suddenly wrapped up by that illegitimate child?¡¯ As originally planned, the relationship between the two was in conflict. It¡¯s not about love and trust. No, at least I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d get along with her, even if she didn¡¯t hate her. ¡®It bothers me. It bothers me so much.¡¯ It was a different kind of annoyance from when she found out that she had a good relationship with the emperor. ¡®At that time, the fact that an illegitimate child who had no qualifications to be loved would dare to be loved by the emperor was not acceptable.¡¯ Now, political issues were intertwined, which has been accompanied by anxiety. Of course, Meredith cannot directly harm the Schwartz family. She doesn¡¯t have any political basis. However, maintaining a close relationship with Empress Dowager was never a good sign. ¡°Mother, you don¡¯t look well.¡± Catrina asked with her forehead creased. ¡°Is it because of what Meredith said earlier?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Forget it. Nothing happened, and it went well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more disturbing that the two are getting along better than before.¡± ¡°What are you worried about? She said that she saved Empress Dowager from trouble yesterday. She was lucky to get it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. It just looks good for now. Will the Empress continue to cherish that illegitimate child?¡± ¡°Of course it is, but¡­¡± ¡°And what harm would it do to us if she became close friends with the Empress Dowager?¡± Catarina did not seem to have any problems with the situation. ¡°Anyway, she¡¯s an illegitimate child with no house. Don¡¯t worry unnecessarily. You¡¯ll have a headache for no reason.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes, I got it. Excessive worrying seems wrong.¡± The Duchess Schwartz¡¯s expression was not relaxed until she listened to Catarina. ¡°It seems that I have become sensitive because she dared to embarrass me at the Empress Dowager¡¯s tea party.¡± ¡°Next time I¡¯ll humiliate her, Mother, I¡¯ll get even with her, so please relax.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you.¡± Duchess Schwartz kissed Catarina¡¯s forehead with a loving face. Relieving herself that it won¡¯t be a big deal as her daughter said. *** ¡°Oh my God, how can she be so brazen?¡± On the other hand, as she returned to the Empress¡¯s Palace, Diane burst into anger. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she lied without blinking.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a familiar thing,¡± ¡°Until when are you not going to correct that lie?¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s better for me to clarify my birth?¡± ¡°Of course, if the truth is revealed, there are some bad things about it.¡± Diane pointed out the real problem in a slightly depressed voice. ¡°Some might despise your Majesty as an illegitimate child. It should never happen, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But it¡¯s hard to hate and attack those people openly because they can draw a line saying that they are family. That¡¯s even more annoying.¡± ¡°Yes, Diane, You¡¯re right. So¡­¡± Then, Meredith found someone and naturally stopped talking. Then she slowly approached the man she discovered. ¡°I see the sun of the empire, Your Majesty, the Emperor.¡± It was Theodore. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to expect here.¡± ¡°Same. Where are you coming from?¡± ¡°From the Empress Dowager¡¯s Palace.¡± Theodore¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected location. Instead of explaining the situation immediately, Meredith smiled and asked. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± He tried to say it was okay. Because he couldn¡¯t walk without someone¡¯s support in the first place. Except when he was really sick, he considered it humiliating as an emperor. ¡°¡­but.¡± But for some reason, at that moment, strangely, he changed his mind. He felt Felix staring curiously from behind. Embarrassed for no reason, he gave reasons like excuses. ¡°Strangely, I¡¯m not feeling well today.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Meredith, who took the meaningless excuse seriously, was startled. ¡°I thought you slept well because you were relaxed last night¡­ What was the problem? Is it really bad?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not so much to worry about.¡± Theodore, more embarrassed by her sensitive reaction, coughed loudly. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be okay if I just go to the palace with the support¡±. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, You can have a cup of tea if you need it.¡± ¡°¡­that¡¯s not a bad thing,¡± Without hesitation, Theodore held out an arm to Meredith.