Chapter 12: Chapter 11

“What do you mean? How could it be?”

“Uh.”

Evelina looked at Ianathas in confusion. Unless she wanted the Emperor to go crazy, she couldn’t have a person who so proudly shouted opposition at her wedding as her escort.

“It’s a lie.”

“It’s not a lie?”

“Show me the proof.”

At her words, Ianathas smiled as he shrugged, pulled out his papers from his arms and handed them to her.

“Oh my gosh.”

Evelina read the documents that he handed over.

「 Letter of Appointment,

As of today, Ianathas, the Minister of Military Affairs, is appointed as the 2nd Guards Captain. I also appoint Ianathas Peran as the escort knight of Empress Evelina Logias Abelard. 」

“Are you not manipulating this?”

“How do you manipulate the seal?”

Evelina went white, looking at the shape of the Emperor’s seal.

Why?

“I don’t need an escort knight.”

She said so in fear.

The person who killed the Empress was her father. There was no way the Emperor would pity her. There was no way he could look at Ianathas, who made a fuss at the wedding, and do such a thing.

Maybe, maybe he was trying to handle him again?

Cornered, Evelina’s head began to twitch.

What if it was really a setup rather than an affair in the original? Maybe that’s why Ianathas was beheaded by her side?

“Lina, if you say so, I’ll be hurt…”

“You know what? Get out now.”

Evelina deliberately spoke very coldly, rose from her seat and left the office as if running away. As she left the office, she gestured to her aide as if to bring her work. But Ianathas also followed her out of the office.

“Don’t follow me!”

“I’m your escort.”

Evelina walked fast and ran across the hallway. Her ankle was sore, but she was very nervous not to fall.

“Anyway, don’t follow me!”

Evelina was walking as fast as she was escaping, but perhaps because of the height difference, Ianathas followed her closely without breathing a sweat.

As the distance from him approached, Evelina felt urgent and her legs twisted while trying to run.

“Oh my god!”

“Lina!”

Ianathas grabbed and hugged Evelina’s arm, who was in danger of falling.

“Oh! My arm!”

She felt like her shoulder muscles were going to rip because of Ianathas, who pulled her arm with great force and hugged her. She didn’t fall on the floor, but her ankles, shoulders, and armpits hurt so much.

“Oh, my God.”

It was interesting to see these two people.

“Princess Elsius.”

“Your Majesty. It’s still early in the evening, but it’s not a secret meeting.”

“It’s a misunderstanding. Ianathas was just helping me in case I fell.”

Evelina pushed Ianathas out of her way to let her go. Then he fell slowly, smiling with a harmless expression.

“Aren’t you hurt?”

“Use honorifics. Duke Peran.”

“Ah yes. Your Majesty. Are there any injuries?”

Ianathas Peran asked anxiously, checking with his eyes whether Evelina was injured. Evelina thought his tenderness was the same as before the war. But now there was no need for that. Because she didn’t want an Emperor who used people’s lives like worms to get rid of him.

“From now on, if you touch my body recklessly, I will not stand still.”

Evelina spoke so soberly and tried to walk again.

“…”

“I will support you. I think you sprained your leg.”

At Ianathas’ words, Elsius spread out her fan and covered her mouth.

“Sir Rotten.”

“Yes, Your Highness the Princess.”

“Get her Majesty.”

“Yes.”

Evelina saw the escort knight of Princess Elsius approaching her, and she was rather relieved. Evelina sighed as Rotten grabbed her arm and helped her stand upright.

“I’d like to get some tea.”

“Yes.”

Evelina, supported by Rotten, had to go to the drawing room like that.

“If the escort is uncomfortable, would you like Sir Rotten?”

“No, you can’t. His Majesty has already entrusted her to me.”

Ianathas said to Elsius in a cold voice, warning her. Evelina was embarrassed to hear Ianathas’ voice like that for the first time and couldn’t reply. It was Rotten who pulled Evelina’s arm, which had hardened in embarrassment.

Evelina walked again alongside Rotten. Then Elsius stared at Ianathas and said,

“Haha. If my brother said so, I can’t help it.”

Evelina, who arrived in the drawing room and sat on the sofa, was bothered by Ianathas, who kept crying like a puppy who wanted to help her, stretched out her arms, and didn’t know what to do.

“Sir Peran.”

“Oh, yes.”

“I’m going to talk to Her Majesty the Empress. Get out of here.”

“I’m an escort knight, do I have to go out?”

“Yes.”

Ianathas nodded again, lowering his eyes like a discouraged puppy. Princess Elsius also beckoned her employees and ordered one person to serve the cart. Once everyone left, Elsius’ smile looked more like a fox’s, as she looked at Evelina.

“I tried to apologize for the last time, but things keep getting messed up.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Evelina didn’t believe the Princess. Because she was one of the two main pillars that bothered Serena Verdeen in the original. If the Empress was a gas lighter, Elsius was a sociopath. She pretended to be friendly, but she was a psycho inside.

“I didn’t know that the maid would be so brazen to steal my sister’s ring. That’s the same for my brother. No matter how angry he was, why would you kill in front of your step-sister?”

Dalgak, the door opened carefully, and soon the maid brought the car and set it up. Evelina knew that even the maid was a person of Elsius, so she felt uncomfortable drinking tea.

In the original, Elsius gave Serena tea that could cause infertility. Of course, Serena wasn’t completely infertile because of it, and she had a baby after suffering a little.

“Thank you for your concern.”

“I must have been sorry for my step-sister. The Duchess Pamelos still died outside the palace.”

Evelina realized that the Duchess of Pamelos was the one who insulted her at the Dowager Empress’ Palace whose hair got cut by Kaiden.

“I thought only entrance was prohibited.”

“Oh, it was originally like that, but I think my brother set an example for the Dowager Empress. I think the Dowager Empress thinks so. Has she done anything since?”

Elsius said it and laughed thinking it very refreshing while she watched Evelina’s expression fade away.

“I’m a little worried about my sister-in-law.”

Evelina looked at her at the words of Elsius. Then Elsius acted as if she was really worried and held up the teacup. She carefully sipped in the tea as if she were savoring it. Then, after drinking the black tea, she put down the tea cup and said,

“The Dowager Empress is like that, too. Even if you don’t like sister-in-law, isn’t it too bad that you didn’t go to the wedding?”

Evelina smiled bitterly and made a sad face, thinking that she should not sympathize with the backstory of the sociopath. Then Elsius said with a triumphant look.

“I heard that all the people who came out to be sister-in-law’s maid were stopped by her.”

“Her Majesty?”

“Yes.”

Evelina was convinced that it was Elsius, not the Dowager Empress, who prevented them from becoming her maid. This is because it seemed that the Dowager Empress would have waited until she picked one, then kicked them out as an example, making the maids run away.

“I’m upset.”

When Evelina said so, Elsius covered her mouth with her hand and said with a look of regret.

“Sorry, sister-in-law. But I said it because I thought it would be better for you to know… I didn’t think much about it.”

“No, thank you for telling me.”

Evelina smiled sadly and lowered her gaze. Elsius looked at her attitude savorily and said,

“Sister. Would you rather come to the tea party tomorrow?”

“What kind of party is it?”

“I’ll introduce you to my close friends. You can choose a maid from among them.”

She wanted to say no right away, but Evelina was not in a position to do so. So she had to answer.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Hohohoho. Then I’ll send someone tomorrow at 2 o’clock.”

That’s how Evelina came to attend Princess Elsius’ tea party.

~~~~

That evening, Kaiden did not come to the Empress’ Palace. He said he was staying at the Imperial Palace because he had an emergency. Ianathas was dragged away, saying he had to follow the work, and Evelina was able to fall asleep alone with confidence.

In the morning, Evelina, conscious of the sound of birds singing, tried to slowly open her eyes. However, it was dark even when she opened her eyes, and she was embarrassed because she couldn’t move her body. Then she remembered that it was because she didn’t take medicine.

After trying to hold her breath and ignore the pain of squeezing her chest, Evelina took out a red pill from the drawer next to her bed and took it again.

Evelina, who finally found stability, spent until noon in the office and noticed the letter that arrived around the afternoon.

「 I don’t think I can join you for lunch because I have work. Instead, I’ll attend the tea party in Elshire, so don’t set up a partner. – Kayden.」

Evelina was worried about whether it would be okay for Kaiden to go to the Elshire tea party together. Moreover, Ianathas, who was not happy to see him, but became an escort knight, did not return.

With such anxiety, she had to head to the Imperial Palace by 2 o’clock.

Evelina had to change into a moderately fancy yet stylish outfit. Since Elsius was the main character, she shouldn’t shine more than the main character, but she shouldn’t be too simple as she is the Empress.

Let’s get there like that.

“The snake you showed me last time! I thought I saw it somewhere, and it was the same pattern as Jason’s light pants.”

“Hahaha!”

“Oh, you mean the ripped pants, right?”

“Yes, yes! Those ripped pants!”

Evelina arrived, but there was no welcome or announcement. They sat in empty seats, but they continued the conversation that Evelina could not join.

“Thank you for inviting me, Princess Elsius.”

Evelina pretended to be calm. But Elsius, of course, spoke without even paying attention to her.

“You know what the pattern was? Red and black stripes?”

“Ah! It’s not even a founding party!”

“It’s rustic, really.”

Evelina suddenly realized that her clothes were red with black lace streaked like stripes.

She smirked and counterattacked at Elsius’ ridiculous play. Because this had already happened frequently when she was young, at the marquis.