Translator: Nox

Chapter 94

#094. The Moment the Superiority of Gaze Was Overturned

"Princess."

The Empress's voice, calling out in a low tone, put a stop to the vision that was turning red with anger. The Princess blinked.

The noble ladies and ladies sitting at the table were all looking at the Princess with surprised faces.

Except for one person, Olivia Madelaine, who was smiling gently.

At the same time as realizing the reality, a cold shiver ran down her spine. The palm that had slammed the table trembled.

That she had fallen for the provocation of a mere Lady.

Watching the blood drain from her face, the Empress clenched her fist tightly under the table.

The table became as silent as if cold water had been poured over it. The noble ladies who had been driving the Lady into a corner as if in agreement just a moment ago busily averted their eyes as if trying to grasp the situation.

For the Princess, who was skilled in social circles, to lose her reason. As if the Lady's words were true.

Clap, clap. Everyone turned their heads at the sudden sound of applause. The person who clapped lightly was the Empress.

"You shouldn't say absurd things carelessly, Lady."

"I am sorry, Your Majesty. I mistook it for an exchange of interesting rumors and rattled off what I had heard. I am also sorry to Your Highness."

Following the Empress's words pointing out her mistake, the Lady spoke fluently as if acting in a play.

Was it just a joke? This was a challenge to the noble Princess, to herself.

But looking at the Lady bowing her head as if she was sorry, the Princess gritted her teeth and smiled.

Her cheeks were so tightly stretched that they hurt, but at this moment, there was only one thing the Princess could do.

"Haha. Lady. That was fun. But since there are many listeners, it's better to refrain from 'naughty jokes'..."

The Princess's words, which were meant to pretend to generously overlook the excessive joke, were cut off once again. Until Olivia spoke, it was the Princess who had led the 'naughty jokes'.

In the end, the Princess fell into the trap she had set herself.

Watching the Princess's face turn pale, Olivia smiled leisurely.

"Of course, Your Highness."

Once again, the atmosphere turned cold. It was the Empress who opened her mouth in this chilly atmosphere.

"...Lady, come out for a moment and let's talk separately. After all, seeing Duke Madeleine's uncomfortable face is pitiful as the same parent."

She was speaking indirectly, but in the end, what the Empress was ordering was a private meeting right away. To give her precious time to that lowly thing. It was a complete waste, but it was an unavoidable choice to order her to hand over the Abandoned Mine.

The Empress turned her gaze to Olivia. And paused for a moment.

"...Yes, Your Majesty."

The strangely smiling face was similar to the smile she had when she politely got up earlier. A strange feeling momentarily washed over the Empress.

It was an uneasy feeling, as if something had happened that went against her will. But soon, the Empress shook her head. And getting up from her seat, she said.

"Then I'll leave first. Princess, lead this Tea Party enjoyably."

.

.

.

"Then shall we continue with the Tea Party?"

The Empress and Olivia, and some of the noble ladies who were close to the Empress, left their seats.

Despite the empty seats, the Princess spoke in a more lively voice. From now on, it was easy to lead the atmosphere.

Everyone was either a close aide of her mother or her own close aide. It was at this place that she had to make sure to properly handle the matter of Lady Etel's incident yesterday.

"You must have worked hard to prepare such a wonderful banquet."

It was then. Unlike the affectionate voice, the content made the Princess's heart turn cold.

Essela Madeleine.

Essela, who was casually looking around the table, smiled at the Princess. And looking at the three noble ladies who had been called to spread rumors, she asked.

"I couldn't attend the banquet, so I don't know at all. Can I hear about what happened at the banquet?"

Her vision became blurred. It was an unexpected person. For Essela Madeleine, who used to tremble in front of her mother, the Empress, to step forward at this time.

The Princess gritted her teeth. Rough breaths that she couldn't swallow burst out from between her lips.

Madeleine. These detestable and detestable things.

"...Lady. How about we talk about something else at this place?"

Essela nodded at Lady Libeorn's words. Soon, the story flowed in the direction the Princess wanted. But Essela didn't care.

Because she had already made eye contact with the three noble ladies who were sparkling their eyes as if they couldn't wait to talk to her. It was the perfect composition to spread rumors.

* * *

The reception room of the Imperial Princess Palace.

The heavy door closed silently.

The only ones left in the eerily quiet reception room were the Empress and Olivia. The Empress slowly scanned Olivia's face.

It was a calm face that didn't reveal what she was thinking. It was completely different from the way she used to face her with a timid face as if trying to muster courage.

So the Empress threw a stone on that calm face.

"You managed to take the Grand Duke's side in such a short time. You couldn't capture the Crown Prince. It seems that your mother's cheap green eyes are useful after all."

She knew that the Crown Prince had called Olivia and been rejected, but there was no need to bring it up.

There was poison in the gentle words. A half-breed born from a cheap dancer, not a Duchess. Just looking at her made her nauseous.

The Empress continued, not hiding her contempt.

"How vulgar. They say you put a bell on the Grand Duke's ankle? Well, the two of you are the same. The Grand Duke's 'bloodline' is the same wherever it goes."

Olivia blinked for a moment.

It was a strange thing to say. It wasn't a derogatory term like 'Demon of Carnage', but she was talking about 'bloodline'.

Edwin was the lord of the Territory of Vikander and the only Grand Duke of the Empire. He was also the only surviving member of the royal family from the now-defunct Lowell Kingdom.

It was a contradiction. But the Empress made the same expression as when she frowned and looked at her.

It was at that moment that Olivia's senses became sharp.

"...Hand over that Abandoned Mine."

In an instant, Olivia forgot what she was thinking and looked at the Empress.

Abandoned Mine. She couldn't possibly be talking about the White Crystal Mine. No, it couldn't be. She knew that the Empress and the Princess would covet that place, but it was a place that should never be called that way.

"I don't have an Abandoned Mine."

"I know you took the Abandoned Mine attached to the Territory of Vikander."

The corners of her lips were raised loosely, containing ridicule. So Olivia clenched her fist even harder. There was another reason why she came here. She couldn't ruin things with a moment's emotion.

"...That place is not an Abandoned Mine. Your Majesty."

Ha, the Empress let out a low laugh. And she looked over Olivia as if it was something new.

"You've changed, Olivia. You dare to look at me straight in the eye."

The snake-like, cunning words reminded her of Olivia's old self. Certainly, the way she used to smile and try to read her mind every time she made eye contact was nowhere to be found.

She had become arrogant and stole the Princess's position and humiliated the Crown Prince. Now she dares to make eye contact with me? For a moment, the Empress's eyes narrowed.

"Your Majesty has also changed."

"...What?"

The poisonous brown eyes looked down at Olivia as if to overwhelm her. Olivia took a deep breath for a moment.

"The reason why I came here to see Your Majesty."

"..."

"It was because as the future Grand Duchess, I could no longer be afraid of Your Majesty."

She expected an answer that she was only trying to protect her sister, but the Empress felt like she had been hit hard on the back of the head.

It was only natural for Olivia Madelaine to be afraid of her. It was an unchangeable thing, like the sun rising in the morning and the moon setting at night.

It was easy for the Empress to drive Olivia into a corner and humiliate the Grand Duke again, and to turn her back to the Crown Prince.

But. At this moment, Olivia was overturning all that common sense.

Watching the Empress's shaking expression, Olivia chuckled. Old stories always made her heart ache like this.

"As Your Majesty knows, I was very difficult for the Empress."

Among the many contempts, the Empress's contempt was especially painful.

She would rather scold her harshly. The Empress always looked at Olivia with contempt and said harsh words.

Both the Empress and Olivia knew very well that each word was so terrible that it pierced her heart.

"But, you are different today."

The method of making her pay respects to break her spirit. That was the Princess's method. Not the Empress, who always looked at her like she was on the floor.

The Empress hated her so much that she would even reduce the time she spent alone with her.

"Your Majesty did not recognize me as the Crown Prince's fiancée. So you delayed even the legitimate rights that I should have received."

"..."

"Your Majesty, who used to say that you couldn't spare your precious time even for greetings, watched my etiquette for a very long time today."

"..."

"Why did you do that?"

Why? It was a foolish question. The Empress snorted. But the face that had been smiling elegantly stiffened at Olivia's following words.

"Why did you bother to humiliate me in front of everyone? You used to just ignore me without even looking at me. Why did you bother to break my spirit in front of everyone today?"

"..."

A thin breath filled the reception room. Facing the Empress, who was still looking at her as if she was exploring her, Olivia raised her red lips diagonally.

"Perhaps,"

A very small suspicion that she had had since she didn't receive her etiquette. It was now a certainty.

"Have you become afraid of me?"

"...How dare you!"

The Empress shouted sharply and got up from her seat. Afraid! How dare a mere illegitimate child spout nonsense with her mouth!

If she lost her reason now, she would lose to Olivia. Knowing that, she barely covered her mouth, but her whole body trembled with humiliation.

It felt like her vision was turning bright red. In the midst of all this, she could clearly see the calm face smiling quietly.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty."

"....!"

"I will no longer have the opportunity to see the Empress, except when I come as the Grand Duchess of Vikander next year."

"..."

"But, if you continue to bother me, I will not stand still either."

Olivia got up from her seat after speaking. The Empress scoffed, letting out a low breath at her arrogant behavior as if she was done with her business.

"It's quite bold, but what can you do? All you can do is cling to the Grand Duke with tears in your eyes, right?"

Olivia looked at the Empress with a strange face. The two were facing each other at a similar height. The Empress couldn't believe this situation. Olivia's position was at a similar eye level as her.

That wasn't the expression that suited Olivia. It was to widen her eyes in despair, not knowing what to do. So the Empress whispered and reminded Olivia of her situation.

"Poor and foolish Olivia. You have to find a way to do it with your own strength."

"So, I'm thinking of using the past when I carried out the Princess's orders as my weapon."

"You insolent thing! How dare you!"

In the end, she lost her mind. Even with the Empress's shrill scream, Olivia smiled gently and pointed out the facts to her.

"Do you think I'm afraid of mere scandals?"

In the past, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get used to scandals. But now it was different. Edwin was by her side, and everyone in the Territory of Vikander.

"But the Princess will not be. She has always only received the adoration of the people of the Empire, hasn't she?"

It was Olivia who created the background for all that adoration. Olivia smiled gently.

"So, I'm telling you with consideration. Don't touch me, the Grand Duke, and the Territory of Vikander."

The Empress's angry breathing was ragged. She never thought that the day would come when she would face the brown eyes stained with hatred so directly. She couldn't even imagine seeing the Empress glaring at her in such a mess.

So Olivia straightened her back even more. In stark contrast to the Empress's disheveled posture.

When the superiority of gaze began to change little by little, Olivia spoke slowly again.

"At least the current me. The White Crystal Mine that I received as the 'name' of the dowry dares..."

Dares.

The Empress gasped at the word spoken in a firm voice. The face that had turned red with anger glared at Olivia. Who on earth could dare to mention 'dares' to the noble Empress?

But there was no more appropriate word to describe the value of the White Crystal Mine.

A precious place that the Empress couldn't call an Abandoned Mine as if she was recklessly belittling it.

"...You, came, Olivia."

Edwin, who didn't hesitate to enter the mine even though he knew it was warded with resistance magic.

The face that had become dazed as if he couldn't believe it, and the voice that had trembled slightly.

And, even the wet breath that was holding back tears.

Recalling all of that, Olivia gave a sincere warning.

"...I know how much weight it dares to have."

The green eyes coldly looked down at the Empress. It was a more dignified figure than anyone else.

She should slap her on the cheek. The Empress barely supported her trembling body. She couldn't believe that she was overwhelmed by Olivia's quietly speaking atmosphere.

The Empress clenched her fist tightly. The nails that had been sharpened to point at others dug into her palm for the first time.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Emperor's office in the Imperial Palace.

The Emperor looked ahead with a stern expression.

"Edwin Lowell Vikander. I greet the sun of the Empire."

It was the Grand Duke. Unlike the polite greeting, the red eyes that looked down at the Emperor were extremely arrogant. The Chamberlain standing at the door lowered his head with a flustered face.

The Emperor slowly opened his mouth.

"...I clearly remember inviting the Grand Duke to dinner. How dare you come to my office without any notice?"

His unpleasant mood was dripping. It was what Edwin wanted.