“Then why doesn’t Ian trust the Emperor and Empress? Usually, when parents have a strong relationship, it extends to their children too.”
But despite being the crown prince, Ian seemed neglected. It was inevitable, given that his parents were not around when he, as a six-year-old child, fell ill.
Even while he was on medication, his parents didn’t seem to show much concern. Ian, in fact, seemed keen on hiding his symptoms from them.
Despite worrying about his own life. Even though the Emperor is known to have a grudge against the prophets of the Stefan Kingdom, I doubted if he would have shown such antipathy towards his own son, had he known the truth.
“There was an incident in the past.”
“What happened?”
“When the Empress first appeared in social circles, everyone ignored her.”
“Ignored the Empress?”
“Yes, because she came from a rather modest family, hardly fitting for nobility. Everyone thought the Emperor would quickly tire of her and take another lover.”
“That’s harsh.”
“Anyway, that atmosphere prevailed, and the Empress received subtle disdain. The situation worsened when…”
Suddenly, Ileina looked around cautiously, as if someone might overhear, despite only the two of us being there. She whispered, “There was a rumor that Prince Ian and Prince Daniel were not the Emperor’s sons but belonged to another man.”
It was a story I was somewhat familiar with. One reason for Ian’s sensitivity about eye color might be these birth controversies.
“The logic was that the Empress never showed her pregnancy publicly, and the Emperor was away from the palace during the supposed time of conception.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Indeed. Both Prince Ian and Prince Daniel strongly resemble the Emperor, not the Empress. But back then, the rumor was treated almost like a fact. People speculated that the Emperor would soon dismiss the Empress and marry anew to have legitimate heirs.”
“Who started such rumors?”
“People openly disrespected the Empress, thinking she’d soon be discarded. Even at banquets, they wouldn’t greet her, respond to her, or openly criticized her.”
“And that was tolerated? Even though she was the Empress…”
“Everyone thought she’d soon be ousted. It was safer to ignore her than to fall out of the Emperor’s favor.”
“So, what happened?”
Obviously, the misunderstanding was resolved since the Empress still holds her title, but I asked out of concern.
“The Empress not only remained in the Emperor’s favor but also enraged him when he witnessed her being disrespected by the nobles. He was furious that his own wife was being disregarded.”
“Rightly so. Regardless of their affection, ignoring his wife is like disrespecting him. Did the Emperor then severely punish anyone?”
Ileina shook her head, implying that it was more than just a few individuals facing the Emperor’s wrath.
“That day, the Emperor didn’t say anything and quietly escorted the Empress out of the banquet. However, at the next day’s banquet, the Emperor, holding the Empress’s hand tightly, made a statement as soon as the banquet began.”
“What did he say?”
“With great interest, I looked at Ileina, eager to know how the nobles who disrespected the Empress were punished.
“‘According to the etiquette of the Calobanian Empire, at a banquet attended by royal family members, no one can speak before they are greeted first, right?’ he said.”
“Is that really a rule?”
“It’s more of an etiquette than a law… It existed, but it’s an extremely old one, almost obsolete, dating back to before Calobania became an empire. It’s common etiquette to greet the host of a banquet first before enjoying it… But for large-scale events like a royal banquet, it was almost always omitted. It’s impractical to expect greetings from over a thousand nobles.”
“That makes sense. For such a large event, it would take all night just to receive greetings. So, did the Emperor and Empress receive all the greetings that day?”
Ileina shook her head.
“No. Every time someone tried to greet them, the Emperor would start talking to the Empress, preventing anyone from greeting them. From the beginning to the end of the banquet, the nobles couldn’t say a word and just stood in line before leaving.”
“The banquet must have been long. For all that time?”
“Until the Empress said she was bored and left the banquet hall. Almost for three hours, only the music played. Even the music sounded tense.”
“Must have been like torture, especially being wary of the Emperor’s mood…”
Ileina shuddered at the thought.
“The funny thing is, the Empress seemed oblivious, saying, ‘Today’s banquet is unusually quiet.'”
“Really? She didn’t know?”
“Although there were rumors afterward that the Empress cunningly manipulated the Emperor from behind, knowing her, she probably had no idea. She wasn’t originally from a noble family and wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about etiquette. That ignorance even led to more disrespect from the nobles… But since then, the nobles hardly dared to underestimate her. With the Emperor staunchly behind her, who would dare disrespect her?”
Occasional clueless nobles did appear, but their ends were not pleasant, Ileina added. When such coincidences of misfortune occur repeatedly, people suspect the Emperor’s involvement.
“The Emperor can tolerate disrespect towards himself, but not towards the Empress. Many court etiquettes that the Empress found uncomfortable have been abolished. Now, ‘The Empress’s behavior is the royal etiquette’ is deeply ingrained in the nobles’ minds.”
“Has etiquette been simplified then?”
I asked, hoping that I wouldn’t have to learn complex noble etiquette for attending banquets.
“Not really.”
“Why not?”
“The simplification of the Empress’s etiquette has actually led to the nobles’ etiquette becoming more complicated and detailed. There are many new etiquettes created just to show off to the Empress… So, it won’t be easy for Claire, who has lost her memory.”
Hearing this, I felt disheartened. Ileina patted my shoulder and said, “That’s why you’re going to be even busier from now on. There’s a lot to prepare for the upcoming banquet.”
“More than now?”
My days were already relentlessly busy. Adapting to noble life required meticulous attention to every little action, making even my moments of rest feel unrestful, more exhausting than when I was working as a pharmacist. Additionally, the strict governess Ileina had appointed, Mrs. Keaton, didn’t allow for any laziness.
“The banquet is just around the corner. I’ll have to ask Mrs. Keaton to start with teaching you the social dances.”
I assumed she meant the dance where men and women hold hands and spin around together. Just hearing about it made me feel embarrassed, but I didn’t voice any objections. Adapting quickly to noble life was necessary.
Though I had to undergo rigorous etiquette training for fifteen days, I managed to persuade Ileina to give me a day off. I was worried I might need to provide Ian with medicine at the banquet. Although I had given Ian extra medicine shortly before my death, and even considering the emergency medicine I had previously handed to Mr. Simmons, his steward, I couldn’t shake off my anxiety.
Thus, I decided to prepare emergency medicine for Ian to take to the banquet.
That’s why today was dedicated to purchasing the ingredients needed for Ian’s medicine.
I narrowly managed to convince Ileina, my guardian, not to accompany me. Fortunately, she had errands at her family home today, so I could leave the house alone.
“I’m glad I can at least get out today.”
I boarded a carriage and headed to 17th Street, a district where pharmacists and perfumers congregated, making it an ideal place to source ingredients.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
