The noble wives, who had paid attention to the situation from the beginning, could only shut their mouths.
Marchioness Satin was the only one who realized what was going on a little late. Perhaps, because she was punished and her husband’s threats were enough to shake her badly. But luckily, Countess Hernia was there, so she was able to grab the situation a bit.
“But I’m sorry, I seem to have broken your dream,” said Evelyn.
“How can the Princess be so merciful? Lady Metis, you too. Sometimes, the future doesn’t go as you want.”
Even though Stella despised Evelyn, Rebecca, who stood beside her, scratched her ego even more. “Lady Akshire, why are you speaking as if you know me well?”
“Is there something I don’t know?”
Their bickering seemed to have started rolling elsewhere.
“Ah! You were originally married to Duke Perth, but divorced, so you’re well versed in Imperial affairs.”
“That’s right.” Rebecca gave a fierce smile. “Princess, if you’re worried about Lady Metis…How about giving her another marriage? So that she won’t be disappointed anymore.”
“Me?” Evelyn asked.
“You’ll be the Empress again, and it’ll be an honor to her as well.”
It wasn’t enough to give Stella a sarcastic smile, but now Evelyn joined Rebecca as well. If Stella was alone right now, she could pretend she didn’t hear them. But she was at the upper-class noblewoman’s gathering party right now, so she needed to show her dignity as Duke’s daughter.
“Are there any nobleman who deserve to be introduced to Lady Metis?”
“There’s someone I know very well,” said Rebecca.
Evelyn wondered, giving her a slight glance. But Rebecca continued to speak, “He’s an attractive and wonderful man who became a Duke at a young age.”
Evelyn frowned slightly. She didn’t think Rebecca would sacrifice Liam in this way.
“Why does Lady Akshire decide on my marriage?”
Rebecca chuckled, “It’s just an offer, but that doesn’t mean I forbid the Princess to care about you.”
“Isn’t the person you mean, Duke Akshire? What kind of family talks about marriage so bluntly like this? ” Stella snapped back in a fit of rage. But Rebecca opened her eyes wide and gave her a puzzled look. “Our Liam ……? My God, such a misunderstanding is too dangerous.”
“I think so, too.”
As Evelyn helped her, Rebecca’s fighting spirits soared even more.
“Even if you make excuses, there’s no other nobleman who fits that criteria.”
“Why not? I told you I knew about him very well.”
Evelyn suddenly realized who the person Rebecca meant was. So she quickly tried to hold Rebecca’s hand, stopping her from saying the next word.
“Duke Perth, whom I once divorced, fits that criteria. “
“……Pardon?”
Unfortunately, Evelyn was a step late. Stella had already blushed. Her face was about to burst from the humiliation she never had before.
“Both of you and the Duke are still single.”
“But…”
“Well, not now.”
It was Stella’s total defeat. But before their fight got tapered, Evelyn managed to hold her down. Then Rebecca finally let her go after Stella’s eyes filled with tears of anger.
“Well, the sun is already setting,” Monica asked their attention all of a sudden as she didn’t want to stay any longer in this annoying place.
“Time had passed when I saw the happy faces of all of you.” Evelyn looked around the guests’ faces and said. The rest was up to them to choose. Would they be a welcome guest like the Empress Dowager, or became a defeated dog like Stella and swallowed the humiliation?
“Next time, will you show me the Prince?” asked Monica.
“Sure, I will.”
Stella glared at Monica, who abandoned her and chatted with Evelyn. Now, she doubted which side her auntie was on. Whether she had intended to support her in the first place or not.
“It’s a fine day, so trivial things will pass easily.”
Monica’s words sounded genuine, but Evelyn knew precisely what she meant. Implicitly, she took her hands off Stella’s mistake today. Although the Empress’ position was still unclear, Monica seemed to hint that she wasn’t on Stella’s side.
“Yes, it’s a good day.”
Monica looked at Evelyn for a moment, then she turned around without saying anything. Stella still couldn’t mask her rage, but she followed her aunt reluctantly as she couldn’t stand in this place without the Empress Dowager.
“Today, I want to express my gratitude to the wives who have gathered here.” Evelyn looked around the table and said something insincere.
“Yes, it’s a great honor to have such an invitation…… I hope you’ll invite me again next time.”
They tried to ingratiate themselves with Evelyn with pleasantries. But for Evelyn, their fake smiles all tasted bitter. The tamer’s wives, more than they used to be when she was Empress, were both foolish and insignificant.
“Oh, my … … I thought you were all pissed off about this party” Evelyn looked at those noble wives coldly. Her smile, which had always been polite, now had shown her strength and determination. At the very least, she wouldn’t meet someone like Marchioness Satin in the future.
“Looks like it was just my misunderstanding.”
This time, the wives didn’t respond. If they said ‘yes,’ it meant they were again Evelyn’s authority; otherwise, if they said ‘no,’ it would also become a problem.
Evelyn smiled peacefully when she saw that the wives’ mouths, which were always unstoppable, were now speechless.
“Some stupid people interpret the kindness of others as weakness and provoke anger. I read it in a book, and it really touched me,” said Evelyn.
No one dared to refute that sarcastic remarks. Only Rebecca had a satisfied expression, staring at the faces of the sinful wives. Perhaps today was the happiest day for her since she came to the Imperial Palace.
“I hope there aren’t such fools in our Imperial family.” Evelyn smiled brightly when she spoke about the main topic of today’s party.
“How can …… those who are under the Princess …….”
“If there’s a fool, I hope the Princess will teach her.”
Evelyn didn’t want to listen to them, but at least she managed to get the answers she needed. Now, she wanted to leave this boring place immediately.
“No, foolish people can’t be taught. But, I must punish them with the discipline and rules that apply. Because that’s my job in leading my Palace.”
Every word from Evelyn created a cold atmosphere. The wives nodded their heads with their mouths shut. By not punishing someone earlier, it was a form of generosity and something to be grateful for. But they needed to know that people’s hearts could change.
“Then, I have to go to take care of the Prince.” Evelyn, who was still looking at the wives who couldn’t even make eye contact, turned her back. She didn’t feel much better than she expected. Always, it would be helpful in the future.
“I’ll pray, may the Princess have a peaceful time…..” Countess Herenia managed to give a greeting, but that was after Evelyn disappeared.
Rebecca stared at them for a while and then followed Evelyn from behind.
“Do you know what the Countess said a little while ago? Oh, my God. She prayed for a peaceful time for you!”
“… … Is a nervous breakdown popular these days? Marchioness Satin’s condition wasn’t good either.”
“Marquis Satin said that he would pluck out his wife’s tongue if she made a mistake once again.” Rebecca snorted. “But Princess, you’re still too patient. You didn’t see Lady Metis talked you back? You also have to stick out your tongue. The same goes for the other wives. What’s the point if you bow now? Have you forgotten the words you said before? “
Rebecca wasn’t wrong, but she wasn’t entirely right either.
“Rebecca, do you remember what I said at those wives?”
“Of course, I can’t miss a word.”
“Foolish people can’t be taught. If it’s me, I won’t do something like that if I had the brain and wisdom to learn.”
“But bringing up the past and punishing people is a waste of time and energy. The important thing is, now and the future.” Rebecca sighed. Unfortunately, most people in this world were like that.
“I know, but it’s unfair… ..”
“I know. They’re cunning and mean.” Evelyn paused for a moment and looked back at Rebecca.
“But Lady Metis, she seems different.”
Yes, Evelyn agreed with that. “But because you mentioned Duke Perth, your ex-husband, I didn’t have a chance to punish her.”
“…… I’m sorry for my sudden interrupt,” said Rebecca.
“No, I felt good about that. The Empress Dowager also was there, so it’s complicated in many ways.”
“What do you think about living in the Imperial family in a situation where all decisions have been made?” Rebecca poured out her complaints. In the meantime, Evelyn felt great when Rebecca attacked Stella with her ex-husband.
“Sooner or later, that problem will be solved, and time will solve it.”
“The Holy Pope is coming. I don’t know if that’s what they want,….. because it’s up to His Majesty.”
Evelyn nodded. Indeed, Rebecca was smart. She could see a big picture, different from Stella’s shallow cleverness.
“I will imitate you and pray to throw away these hate feelings.”
“… … Really?”
Rebecca nodded quickly. “Yes, I’ll pray, may the poor Lady Stella marry Duke Perth…….”
Phew, Evelyn finally burst into laughter. It seemed Rebecca’s temper wasn’t going anywhere.
“Don’t laugh, I mean it. They’re a match made in heaven.”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Evelyn spoke lightly and stepped into the Empress Palace. Her skin, which had been slightly heated by the autumn sun, cooled down as she entered the marble building.
“Today, His Majesty won’t come, so I will check on Adrian and rest early.”
“Yes, you’re exhausted. You’ve been watching those things since morning. I have a headache, too.”
Honestly, the thing that hurt more than her head was her throbbing face because she laughed too much. Of course, it was a sincere smile, so today, Rebecca was so happy.
“I’ll clean up the rest. Take a good rest.”
“Thank you always, Rebecca.”
“No, I’m really happy today…… ” A smile like a flower bloomed on Rebecca’s face.
Looking at her, Evelyn smiled vaguely and walked in.
“Happy…”
It felt like she was hearing that word for the first time in a while. When was the last time she could easily say that?
Suddenly, a conversation with Rebecca came to her mind. It’s a story that had been bothering her all along.
‘You said you were happy.’
Her newlywed life with Fabian was happy. Rebecca knew that. Even Fabian, her husband, had no idea of divorce, so maybe it was true.
“Are all my memories correct …?”
It was expected if she had such a question. After she died in 30, she woke up as a 20-years-old Evelyn, when she was still a newlywed.
Evelyn wanted to escape from her lonely death as soon as possible, so she asked for a divorce without thought twice and returned to the Felice Kingdom.
Thanks to this, Evelyn had no regrets because she was able to save Adrian, but her condition at the time was grim.
“Whenever I try to remember those days, it feels so stuffy as if there’s a fog on my head,” Evelyn whispered sadly.
Only
Rebecca said the memories of her painful days often disappear. Still, was there any reason to forget her happy newlywed’s memories?
“Perhaps, His Majesty’s memory also different from mine…….”
A Memory was subjective. Everything could be different depending on the recorded facts of each person. After all, both Evelyn and Fabian only remembered those memories from their own point of view.
“I want to know…..” Evelyn murmured. It was their past, and it was an important memory for the days ahead.
At least, she wanted to make sure that Adrian was a child born of love.
“Yes, next time, definitely….I’ll ask His Majesty,” Evelyn promised to herself. She was still afraid to look back on the past, but there was no cold feeling like before.
As long as Fabian held her hand with his warmth, Evelyn felt she would have the courage to face the past.
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