Previously
Helio and the Empress Dowager share a tense but uncharacteristically civil tea where Helio openly expresses his personal dislikes for the first time.
Vesty stepped inside the Emerald Palace and began to stroll slowly through the garden, taking in the sights around her.
Before Liliana could offer a reply, Vesty carried on.
Liliana offered a curt answer.
Liliana did not quite know how else to respond. She feared Vesty, well aware that this woman was destined to become the Empress and commit horrific deeds in the future.
Yet now that she was a noblewoman herself, displaying excessive dread was improper; it would only invite scrutiny as a sign of weakness.
Liliana guided Vesty to the tea table in the garden, hoping that a single cup would suffice before her guest took her leave.
Vesty’s gaze, however, caught on one of the palace maids, and her lip curled in disapproval.
Liliana answered smoothly.
Vesty did not seem to take the implicit warning in Liliana’s words. Instead, she looked thoroughly amused, adding lightly:
She let out a soft laugh as she spoke. Even after hearing such a slight directed at her, the maid held her composure and showed no outward hint of distress.
Vesty then turned the conversation entirely toward Helio, fixating on him as though no other topic existed.
Liliana answered flatly.
First, Vesty had praised the Emerald Palace, and now she was heaping praise on Helio simply because he had selected a young maid to serve there.
Vesty seemed determined to prattle on as she pleased, while Liliana could barely muster the pretense of interest.
Vesty lifted the teacup offered by the maid and took a sip, but a flicker of distaste crossed her face and she set it down unfinished. She then drifted into reminiscences of her own past.
Liliana replied shortly.
Vesty pressed on, completely oblivious to Liliana’s lack of enthusiasm.
Liliana nearly choked on her tea. Such intimate confessions belonged only between lifelong confidantes. Yet Vesty paid Liliana’s stunned silence no mind, continuing her recollection.
It was blatantly clear that Vesty held no respect for Liliana—and looked down on Caroline with equal venom, despite the girl’s noble birth.
Vesty’s features and carriage radiated an effortless grace, but every word leaving her lips betrayed an appalling lack of manners and superficial vanity. She was truly a piece of work.
The more Vesty spoke, the more Liliana’s confusion grew.
In the original story, the Empress was always depicted as a suffocating, ruthless villainess.
She had despised the young four-year-old female lead simply because the child captured the Emperor’s favor, harboring so virulent a hatred that she resorted to horrific cruelty.
The little girl had nearly been smothered to death by an assassin sent in the dead of night.
Yet looking at Vesty now, she hardly seemed like a cold-blooded villain capable of such atrocities. She appeared more like a girl entirely consumed by a lovesick infatuation, didn’t she?
Vesty carried on.
Liliana ventured, eager to steer the subject away:
Yet Vesty took her words entirely the wrong way.
Liliana marveled silently.
‘Is Helio the only thing inside this woman’s head?’
Her assessment was not far from the truth.
Vesty murmured with conviction:
Liliana replied with dry detachment.
This time, Vesty caught Liliana’s lackluster reaction, and her gaze sharpened into a glare.
She pressed both palms hard against the table, leaning forward to stare straight into Liliana’s eyes.
Vesty’s eyes sparkled with feverish adoration as she spoke of Helio, her cheeks flushed, and her voice rose with growing fervor. Every detail made it painfully clear how obsessed she was; she was no longer making any effort to hide her feelings.
Liliana offered another lukewarm response.
Vesty’s words cut off abruptly, and when she paused, her eyes were burning with rage.
Without warning, she snatched Liliana’s hand from the table and squeezed it with ferocious force, her fingernails biting deep into Liliana’s flesh.
Her grip tightened violently as she hissed:
Liliana pleaded desperately, trying to wrench her hand free.
Her shout stunned Vesty, who stared as if unable to comprehend the words at first.
Slowly, her fingers uncurled, allowing the trapped blood to rush back into Liliana’s fingertips.
Yet Vesty’s eyes remained fixed on her, completely vacant and unreadable.
Hearing those faint words slip past Vesty’s lips made Liliana’s heart pound with dread.
Liliana had always assumed Vesty was merely a shallow, foolish noble girl, unable to fathom how such a woman could evolve into the sinister villainess of the novel. But she had been terribly mistaken.
Vesty was not in her right mind. Especially not when it came to Helio.
Vesty sat in silence for a fleeting moment, then rose as though collecting herself. She smoothed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and turned to leave.
There was not a single word of thanks nor the slightest courtesy expected of an aristocratic guest; she simply turned her back and stepped away.
As Liliana rose to see Vesty off, she caught sight of someone else approaching through the garden paths.
Liliana swallowed hard and hurried to offer her deepest curtsey. Vesty, frozen in shock as she stared at the Empress Dowager, suddenly realized her grave breach of etiquette and hastily bowed her head low.
The Empress Dowager did not acknowledge the gesture immediately. She merely cast a passing glance at the crown of Vesty’s head before turning her full attention to Liliana.
A warm smile touched the Empress Dowager’s lips as she looked at Liliana.
Liliana answered quickly.
The Empress Dowager chuckled candidly.
Though she used no formal titles, the Empress Dowager’s gaze remained solely on Liliana, thoroughly disregarding Vesty’s presence.
Vesty glanced back at the Empress Dowager, clearly stung by being treated as though she were invisible.
Sensing the stifling tension, Liliana hid her unease and turned to Vesty.
Vesty lifted the hems of her skirts to curtsy to the Empress Dowager, only for the elder woman to turn and offer a dazzling, effortless smile.
It was the tone a mother used when bidding farewell to her daughter’s playmate, and Vesty plainly understood the slight.
Vesty clenched her fists against her skirts and turned, stalking away with hurried strides.
Liliana let out a quiet sigh of relief, while the Empress Dowager watched her with a faint, bitter smile.
Liliana replied at once.
She raised her hands in an effort to wave off the concern, but the faint marks etched across her wrist became instantly visible.
The Empress Dowager’s eyes widened, and she caught Liliana’s wrist.
Startled, Liliana reflexively tried to pull back, but the Empress Dowager was already staring at the distinct crescent nail marks dug into her pale skin.
The Empress Dowager let out a weary sigh, her head tilting with dismay before her expression hardened into pure gravity.
Liliana’s breath caught in her throat.
Had the Empress Dowager heard everything? From when? A wave of panic crashed over Liliana as she scrambled to piece together the past few moments.
When Vesty had gripped her wrist so fiercely, she had been teetering on madness.
She had looked completely deranged.
‘I am the one who will become His Imperial Majesty’s wife! You are nothing more than a concubine!!’
And in her desperation to placate her, Liliana had blurted out:
‘I don’t care about that! I only came here as a Queen!’
Had the Empress Dowager heard those exact words? Liliana’s mind went entirely blank.
Liliana drew in a shaky breath, biting down hard on her lower lip, and dropped quietly to her knees, utterly careless of the grass staining her skirts.
She lowered her head, her soft pink hair tumbling over her shoulders to veil her face.