Chapter 112

Astelle was a little perplexed for a moment.

It was doubtful whether she heard it right.

However, Kaizen apologized again to Astelle, who was standing blankly.

“I should have asked you for permission in advance, but I was rash. I am sorry. It will never happen again.”

“……”

It was to the point that she thought he was being highly sarcastic right now.

But Kaizen’s expression was serious.

There was not a hint of anger.

Looks like he meant it.

How can Kaizen admit his mistake so easily?

It was surprising considering his usual behavior.

Astelle thought she was going to have a big fight with Kaizen this morning.

Just a day ago, Kaizen was furious because of Florin’s secret letter.

But now, Kaizen was looking at Astelle with a calm face.

“I don’t think I will be able to stay here because I have a lot of work to do for a while.”

Astelle was surprised again.

‘You’ve been sleeping here every night. Why all of sudden…..?’

Of course, the emperor doesn’t have to sleep in the empress’ palace every night.

He has a bedroom in his own palace.

It’s been over a month since they’ve been married, so even if they’re apart for a while, it won’t be strange in the eyes of others.

Still, it was a very sudden change of attitude.

Especially considering they just had a fight yesterday over the secret letter.

‘Is it because he’s still angry?’

However, Kaizen still had a calm face.

There was no sign of anger.

“All right, Your Majesty.”

For Astelle, it was good for Kaizen not to stay here.

Putting the emperor to sleep on the sofa made her uncomfortable.

But if something like this happens right after the secret letter incident happened, others may think strange things.

Astelle also couldn’t force the emperor to sleep here, even though he would do so.

A dark shadow appeared in Kaizen’s red eyes as Astelle replied positively.

As if trying to reassure Astelle, he added, “But….., don’t worry too much, I’ll stop by in the evening.”

I’m not worried.

Indeed, it was obvious that rumors would be inflated if he completely stopped visiting.

But if he stopped by at night, people gossiped less.

“I’ll be back in the evening.”

Saying those words, Kaizen turned around and walked out.

Astelle stood silently looking at his back.

It was reconciliation.

It was a rather uncomfortable reconciliation.

***

Kaizen came to the empress’ palace every evening since that day, and he returned before nightfall.

Seeing him playing with Theor, he didn’t seem angry.

He also treated Astelle as usual.

Astelle didn’t mind because it didn’t bother her, but she was a little worried about how others would see.

“The courtiers of the imperial palace are talking about the two of you.”

Hannah heard a rumor among the courtiers of the imperial court.

“What do they say?”

Hannah looked at Astelle with worried eyes.

“They think you two had a fight.”

It wasn’t quite wrong.

Some of them might have heard of the quarrel between the two of them in the imperial palace on the day Naen came to testify.

From that day on, Kaizen slept in his own palace.

Anyone who sees it would think that they were still having a fight.

“No worries. The courtiers here don’t say such things, do they?”

“The servants and maids of the empress’ palace have been taught not to speak recklessly.”

“It’s fine then.”

You can’t stop people from gossiping anyway.

Just don’t let Theor hear anything.

“Your Majesty, Miss Naen has come.”

“Tell her to come in.”

As the maid opened the door, Naen in a plain dress came in.

Naen bowed with a frightened face.

“I greet you, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Miss Naen.”

Astelle brought the girl to the empress’ palace and left her alone for several days.

Astelld looked at the pale and tired Naen, and spoke softly, “How are you feeling? Are there any inconveniences?”

“I am fine, Your Majesty.”

“If you have any inconvenience, let the maids know.”

Naen looked at Astelle in confusion.

“……Y-Your Majesty……”

“Why?”

Hearing Astelle’s calm question, Naen couldn’t continue her words.

Officially, Naen’s fault was to spy on the duke and send a fake secret to the palace as if it was real.

It wasn’t a serious crime that deserved the death penalty, but it wasn’t a minor misunderstanding either.

‘I thought I’d be sent to a place like a convent.’

But the empress brought her here, saying that she would punish her by herself.

For the past few days, she had been unable to relax for a moment for fear that the empress would call her and punish her at any moment.

But Astelle who she met again seemed calm and relaxed.

She didn’t seem mad at her, nor did she try to bully her.

Naen wondered, ‘What are you trying to do with me?’

Naen took courage and asked, “Didn’t you say you would punish me?” stutteringly.

“Of course, Miss Naen should be punished here.”

“……”

Naen was afraid of what the punishment would be.

She swallowed dry saliva as she tensed up.

But Astelle said something she never imagined.

“The punishment for Miss Naen is to work in the empress’ palace.”

“I beg your pardon…..?”

It was unexpected. Naen opened her eyes wide.

“H-here?”

Astelle explained in a calm voice, “It was common in the past for noble girls to work in the empress’ palace.”

In the old days, it was a very honorable thing for noble girls to be able to work in the imperial palace.

While working with the empress, they were able to learn court manners and how to manage the household.

As the times changed, the custom gradually disappeared, now daughters of poor noble families often worked as maids in the imperial palace.

“You will not work as an ordinary maid, but a lady-in-waiting. A lady-in-waiting is paid and works only for a set time. She has to come every time I call and do as I tell her.”

“Um, what does a lady-in-waiting do…..?”

“A lady-in-waiting does chores while helping with my work. She also helps organize the paperwork. Have you ever studied accounting?”

“Yes, yes, I have.”

When you get married, you have to take care of the household.

The noblewomen also studied accounting and managing documents along with etiquette and the liberal arts.

“Then it will be helpful enough. I’ll tell you what you don’t know.”

“Is….., is that all?”

Naen asked in disbelief.

Astelle asked back, raising one eyebrow slightly.

“Why? Do you want another punishment?”

“Oh, no, no.”

Naen hurriedly shook her head.

Astelle smiled a little at Naen’s cute behavior.

“T-thank you, Your Majesty.”

Naen was a little puzzled.

She was afraid the empress might be up to something else.

But for now, she had to say thank you.

“Let’s start today. Go to the library and find what I asked for.”

Naen headed to the library with the note that Astelle had written for her.

The note had the titles of several books written on it.

‘She is…… very different from what I thought.’

She thought the empress was a very scary person.

Naen thought Astelle was a villain who framed Marianne and put her in prison, and framed her mother and exiled her to the North.

She thought she was a scary and evil woman.

Her bad image was further cemented as her mother cursed Astelle every day.

But when she met her in person, it was very different from what she expected.

The empress who smiled calmly at her was very kind and dignified.

There was not the slightest hint of the evil woman that Naen had imagined in her neat appearance.

Naen looked back at the note in her hand.

The touch of dry paper brought back memories of yesterday.

The maid of the empress’ palace told Naen that she could bring her clothes and belongings from the Marquis’ mansion if she needed them.

Upon hearing this, she contacted her house to send a change of clothes.

But there was a small note inside the dress that was sent from her house.

It was a letter from her second sister, Florin.

Florin said she knew that Naen had been staying at the empress’ palace, and she asked her to let her know what was going on there.

“Tell me what you saw and heard while you were there.”

Florin also wrote the name of one of the maids working in the palace.

Naen was told to write down a note and pass it on to the maid.

But Naen hastily burned Florin’s note in the fireplace.

***

Vellian stood at the corner of the hallway, and as soon as he heard the door open, he hurried out to the other side.

“Oh, Mr. Aide?”

“Mr. Butler.”

The butler, who was coming out of the hallway, found him and stopped.

Vellian smiled sweetly and spoke to him.

“You’re very busy these days, right? Last month, we had a hard time because of the national wedding. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No, thanks.”

The middle-aged butler answered bluntly, but Vellian drew closer to him with an unwavering smile.

“Actually, there is something I’d like to ask you to do. One of my relatives has a daughter, and she wants to work as a maid in the imperial palace. Would you please hire her?”

“You mean as a maid of the imperial palace?”

The butler seemed a little reluctant but agreed in the end.

“……Okay. I will do that.”

“Thank you. I will never forget your help.”

The woman Vellian asked to be a maid was a candidate for the emperor’s concubine, which he decided after discussing with the ministers.

Although she was a noble, she was not a daughter of a high-ranking family.

So, the idea was to make her a maid and naturally meet the emperor.

If the agenda was officially raised, the emperor would clearly oppose it, so Vellian thought there would be no problem if the woman became a maid of the imperial palace.

‘If it doesn’t go well, I’ll just have to send her back.’

For Vellian, it was no big deal.