Chapter 17
“Come in, Titania.”
“Greetings to the Emper—no, Father, His Majesty the Emperor!”
Acting like a spoiled Imperial Princess desperate to show off how much she was loved by His Majesty, I wiggled my body and slowly approached the long dining table.
It was a vast, sprawling table that took up nearly half the long hall. As expected, almost the entire Imperial Family was gathered.
The Emperor sat at the head, with the Imperial Consort and the Empress on either side. Next to the Imperial Consort and the Empress sat the 1st and 2nd Princes respectively….
No, wait.
The 1st Prince hadn’t arrived yet.
Even though I had dressed and rushed here as quickly as possible, I was still later than the Emperor, which usually warranted a scolding.
However, it wasn’t 6 o’clock yet, and seeing the Emperor welcoming me with a ‘generous’ attitude, it didn’t seem like he would reprimand me.
In truth, if he scolded me while the 1st Prince was still missing, he’d have to scold that bastard too, so he was likely just letting it slide.
I sat in my designated seat, which was next to an empty one set apart from the rest.
It was likely the seat of the 2nd Imperial Consort, who never left her palace using illness as an excuse….
Everyone at this table knew she wouldn’t come.
Out of the Emperor’s desire to save face—saying, ‘It would be too cold-hearted to remove the seat of someone just because they aren’t here’—this meaningless ritual was repeated every time the small Imperial Family gathered for a group meal.
Truly, it was a very Emperor-like thing to say.
Despite the fact that he didn’t truly care about or worry for her.
He was simply afraid that if he appeared to ignore her, he would look like a petty and narrow-minded man.
He just wanted to hear people say, ‘You are truly a benevolent ruler for not forgetting even those who cannot be present.’
“Ho ho, calling me ‘His Majesty the Emperor’ so coldly. Have you finally grown up after being sick? Just call me Father. We’re among family, so what does it matter?”
“Yes, yes, Father!”
I had to set down the water glass I was about to drink from and shout excitedly, acting as if I were so happy I couldn’t help myself.
Maintaining the tension of an excited girl who looked ready to squeal at any moment was harder than I thought.
But what’s so hard about calling him Father, Dad, or Papa?
That irresponsible Emperor bastard.
Saying things like ‘Have you finally grown up after being sick,’ when he didn’t give a damn while Titania was hovering between life and death. He hadn’t even visited once.
To think those are the first words he says to a daughter who just woke up from the brink of death.
Well, it wasn’t unexpected.
The Emperor regarded Princess Titania like a pet.
A young, beautiful child who served as a link to the Duchy of Castline, who lingered around him begging for affection while calling him ‘Father, Father.’
He’d toss out a few nice words and dote on her when he felt like it, but he never took responsibility or thought of her seriously.
If a pet were to seriously shove its paw in the Emperor’s face or shit in his living space, he would be horrified and hand it over to someone else, telling them to kick the damn thing out or beat it into submission.
And if it died, he would scramble to find a replacement as quickly as possible.
“I heard you were very ill; I’m glad to see your face hasn’t lost its luster, Princess Titania. I also heard something big happened at your palace yesterday?”
Imperial Consort Cleo threw a heavy remark at me while picking at her appetizer salad, pretending it was nothing.
She was wearing relatively modest clothes for a family dinner, but the ‘Ocean of Stars’ pinned to the end of her updo remained, making her intention to irritate the Empress crystal clear.
The look she sent my way was particularly meaningful.
Right. Officially, Imperial Consort Cleo never came to visit me or gave me a sword the other day, is that it?
So naturally, when the topic of the Dedication Festival comes up, I’m supposed to ‘voluntarily’ step forward without dragging her into it?
I lowered my head for a moment, acting like someone with a guilty conscience.
Even if I tried to play dumb, there wasn’t a single person at this table who didn’t know what had happened at my palace yesterday.
Even looking at the Empress, who hadn’t said a word to me, and the 2nd Prince, who was quietly drinking water beside her, it was obvious.
As always, the Empress ignored Imperial Consort Cleo’s disrespect and the Emperor’s subtle favoritism, refusing to even glance their way.
But the 2nd Prince was different.
On the surface, he feigned lack of interest, but his eyes constantly darted around, subtly observing the situation.
Ah, our eyes met.
Ignoring his light green eyes, which stiffened momentarily in surprise, I shouted while trembling my hands as if I couldn’t bear it any longer.
Damn it. The only thing that’s improved since regaining my past life’s memories is my acting.
“Your Majesty, Father! That crazy—no, that Lisianthus from the Castline family insulted me!”
One of the Emperor’s eyebrows twitched. Imperial Consort Cleo, who had essentially been ignored, actually looked amused.
Of course she was; her words had been like lighting a fuse, practically begging Titania to get angry.
If Titania, who lacked foresight and patience, had followed the script and given the famous sword to Raymon to try and reconcile, it would have been troublesome for the Imperial Consort.
Though, of course, she probably didn’t actually think giving him a measly sword would fix the relationship between the Princess and Raymon.
In the midst of that, Lisianthus and I had a massive fight.
Considering her fiancé’s dignity, she should just overlook a huge fight with her fiancé’s younger brother?
If Titania were the type of girl who could do that….
She wouldn’t have ended up here in the first place….
Moreover, Lisianthus was someone who always triggered Titania’s inferiority complex.
Even when they fought, Raymon always took his side.
So, the original, foolish Titania would have used this moment to openly put the Emperor in a difficult position.
She would have ranted about how that wicked boy dared to insult her father and demanded his head be cut off or his arms severed.
Of course, that’s a shallow move.
The Emperor likely just wanted to laugh it off and move on.
“I—I was so thoughtful, I prepared tea and treats with all my heart!”
Let’s cry!
I have to cry!
When was the most sorrowful moment of my life?
When the final film of a series I’d waited over ten years for… became a disaster that would go down in cinematic history because of a studio merger?
The time I took a day off to see the morning screening, only to end up sobbing as I threw away the popcorn and cola I hadn’t even touched on my way out?
When I was hospitalized with severe enteritis and lived on IV drips and thin gruel, only to be discharged and run to my favorite tteokbokki place only to find a <Closed Today> sign?
No!
It was when I suddenly opened my eyes to find myself living a second life in the body of a Princess with a hardcore difficulty level and negative social standing!
“Hic, hic, he said the hospitality at the Rose Palace was like birdseed! He said it’s not even as good as the flames he can summon with a sword! He said the Rose Palace facilities are as wretched as a mousetrap, just like me, so it wouldn’t be a waste at all to burn this place down…….”
The Emperor’s expression changed. The Imperial Consort’s expression changed too.
The Empress…. Her eyes shifted slightly as if thinking, ‘Look at this?’
The servants and maids would surely know that Lisianthus and I had a massive fight, hurling insults at each other.
However, a minor insult like that wouldn’t normally escalate into a big deal when dealing with a family like the Castlines.
The only thing that could truly be made into an issue was clear ‘damages.’
That’s right.
That punk set a fire. Furthermore, he insulted the facilities of the Rose Palace—the Imperial Palace itself.
Calling it wretched!
No matter if the Princess lived in a palace with poorer facilities than others, it was still an Imperial Palace.
Why would he call it wretched? Wasn’t he comparing it to the main estate of the Duchy of Castline and calling it pathetic?
The Emperor could just laugh off the mad dog of the Castline family losing his temper.
In fact, compared to the other members of the Duchy who were hard to find weaknesses in, it could even be something to feel superior about, thinking, ‘I’m glad my Princes aren’t that violent.’
However, he cannot tolerate the idea of the Imperial Family being looked down upon by the Duchy of Castline!
“The Princess has suffered much. Dry your tears.”
“Hic…. It’s because I’m lacking, Father…….”
“Now, now, I told you to stop crying!”
Pretending to force my tears to stop, I gulped back my sobs sorrowfully and looked at the Emperor.
The Emperor seemed to contemplate for a moment before speaking.
“I heard the fire at the Rose Palace was so bad it cannot be left as it is. Take this opportunity to rebuild it magnificently. So that no one who isn’t even the head of the Castline family would dare mock it for being wretched!”
“As expected, I only have you, Father!”
Ugh. You bastard, you don’t even have the guts to protest to the Duchy. I knew it.
While my eyes sparkled with outward admiration, I was cursing him out on the inside.
