Previously
At the library, Bail Gabriel examines Choo Choo's shackles and identifies the presence of powerful dark energy, which surprises him given that Choo Choo is a wind fairy.
Silence hung thick over the Emperor's private audience hall.
It was not for a lack of people. In truth, quite a few were gathered there.
Both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager were present, attended by numerous servants and retainers.
Even so, the hush was so absolute that it seemed uttering a sound might cost one their head.
It was the Empress Dowager who broke the silence first.
She lifted her teacup, savoring the aroma with a gentle smile.
The attendants waiting on them fully expected Helio to remain silent. Or worse, to respond with mockery or fury.
After all, everyone within the palace and throughout the empire knew that Helio treated the Empress Dowager with cold contempt.
Yet Helio slowly parted his lips and answered:
It was a blunt reply, hardly enough to carry a conversation, but the Empress Dowager's expression brightened. Her fine eyes, remarkably like Helio's, lit up with warmth.
Once again, Helio replied in a single breath, and the servants silently exchanged bewildered glances.
‘The Emperor is actually answering the Empress Dowager!’
No one knew what had transpired between the two, but the sight unfolding before them felt impossible to believe.
He had already answered twice, and surely he would not indulge her again. Indeed, no words came from him this time. The bright warmth upon the Empress Dowager's face gradually gave way to a subdued composure.
She offered a bitter smile, reassuring him that it was quite all right and that she would return whenever he found the time.
The Head of the Guard stepped forward with a bow. His tone was measured, yet Helio could tell the news he brought was far from pleasant.
Lifting his right brow slightly, Helio asked,
At those words, Helio’s brow furrowed. Vesty was not the Emperor's wife, nor was she even his betrothed.
Yet merely because the House of Gabriel stood alone in its claim on the seat of the Empress, everyone tacitly assumed, ‘Vesty will become the Empress.’
Even worse, Vesty carried herself as though she were already the true mistress of the Imperial Palace, a presumptuous demeanor that thoroughly grated on Helio.
Helio let out a weary breath, pressing a hand against his forehead, and looked back at the Head of the Guard.
Vesty’s brazen conduct was nothing new. Even the Empress Dowager drew a quiet sigh, weary of the woman’s antics. Yet the Head of the Guard hesitated, looking distinctly uneasy, before he finally spoke.
Helio’s eyes widened slightly, and the Empress Dowager glanced up from her teacup.
‘Vesty arrived at the Imperial Palace and did not come to see the Emperor?’
Every attendant in the room shared the exact same question.
And Helio was the first to give voice to it.
The exclamation came from the Empress Dowager. Startled, she set her cup aside and repeated,
Her voice rose higher this time. Though she retained her dignity as an empress, her shock was unmistakable.
It was impossible to imagine that Vesty had sought out Liliana with good intentions.
Helio had already risen from his seat.
His face was set like ice as he turned toward the Head of the Guard.
Hearing that, Helio turned abruptly toward the doors.
Had the Empress Dowager not called out with such urgency, he would have stormed right out. Her sharp voice pulled him back to his senses, bringing him to a sudden halt.
The Empress Dowager slowly rose and stepped in front of him, clutching the fabric of her skirts tightly in her hands.
The Empress Dowager’s voice gradually reclaimed its measured poise.
She had lived within these palace walls for decades since her youth; no one understood its treacherous currents better than she did.
Helio, usually so composed, could not conceal the turmoil plain on his face.
He pressed a hand to his brow, hanging his head as he asked,
Wise as she had always been, the Empress Dowager found herself at a loss for words.
Could he truly be oblivious to reality? It was inconceivable for a man who always acted with such cold reason.
Before his visible agitation could spread among the watching servants, Helio swiftly pulled his composure together, retreating into the icy demeanor befitting an emperor.
Seeing him steady himself, the Empress Dowager let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Helio looked down at her as she spoke so gently, then let slip a fleeting smirk.
The Empress Dowager paused in mild surprise at his words, then smiled faintly.
She signaled with a nod to her maid, who swiftly understood and draped a fine shawl across the Empress Dowager’s shoulders.
Once she had calmly finished preparing, she looked back at Helio.
Helio lowered his gaze, sinking into quiet thought.
The Empress Dowager assumed he was consumed by worry over what might happen at the Emerald Palace.
Yet the moment she stepped forward to intervene, every trace of turmoil seemed to vanish from his face.
A strange sensation stirred within her. There had been times in the past when Helio sought her affection, but never a single day where he had placed his whole trust in her.
Yet now, it felt as though he was leaving everything concerning Liliana entirely in her hands, stepping back from the matter completely.
A strange, sharp ache bloomed in the Empress Dowager’s chest. But before she could ponder it, Helio lifted a brow and spoke unexpectedly.
His words carried a peculiar weight, impossible to brush aside as trivial small talk. Even though he was her own son, his casual remarks possessed an extraordinary force.
A soft smile formed on her lips as she walked out, laughing quietly to herself as she replayed their exchange.
It was the very first time Helio had ever openly shared his personal preferences with her. In his childhood, he had shielded his feelings; as he grew, he expected nothing from her; and upon reaching manhood, their meetings had ceased entirely.
And now, he had told her he disliked a tea. It was a minor detail, yet to her, it felt like an immense gift that sent an unfamiliar warmth through her chest.
She paused for a fleeting moment to savor the surge of joy before composing herself once more.
Even if this happiness was short-lived, the one who had brought about this shift between them was none other than Liliana, who was already so lovely and endearing.
The Empress Dowager briskly climbed into her carriage.
❈❈❈
Was she mocking the size of the garden?
Unable to ask outright, I could only manage an awkward smile.
I genuinely had no idea what was happening here.
When I returned to the Emerald Palace from the library, Vesty’s carriage was already drawn up before the front entrance.
Though our current standing was merely that of Queen and noble lady, she was destined to become the Empress in the future. Could a Queen truly turn her away?
Still, there was no affection between us, so my expression remained stiff as I received her.
What felt truly odd was Vesty’s demeanor. In contrast to her youthful features, she carried herself with polished maturity, and her smile was striking and thoroughly refined.
The moment she assumed a formal posture and offered polite greetings, the vast difference in our stations became acutely palpable.
‘Ah. This is what a true noblewoman from one of the empire's greatest houses looks like.’
Even the slight tilt of her head was steeped in grace and an effortless haughtiness. It was the product of a lifetime of strict breeding that could never be mastered in a short span.
In truth, as she raised her gaze, her eyes seemed to look right down on me, her smile brimming with unshakeable confidence.
Even the palace mice knew that pleasant small talk did not belong between us. Rather than waste time on strained pleasantries, I asked her directly.
Naturally, I had expected Vesty to come with harsh rebukes. Perhaps she would deliver threats thinly veiled as polite advice.
‘I will soon be the Empress, so how dare you conduct yourself this way around me?’
Yet with that same smug smile, Vesty uttered something so innocent it seemed entirely unreal.
“We will be family soon enough.”
That alone was startling, but her following words were even more bewildering.
I wondered if my ears had deceived me, yet Vesty remained poised, her smile untouched, while the servants around us looked visibly flustered despite trying to appear indifferent.
A young maid who had just entered from the outer grounds gasped in shock from afar before hastily scrambling backward out of sight.
Relieved that I was the only one who seemed to have noticed, I turned my attention back to Vesty.
Before I had even offered my consent, Vesty smoothly pivoted on her heel, preparing to stride right inside the Emerald Palace.
Left with no choice, I could only call out the words a beat too late.