The fallout from the trial was significant.
Though no trial was actually held, rumors spread throughout the capital that the Empress was not the true consort.
Conscious of the rumors, the House of Pielion shut its main gates in silence, canceling all social events and refraining from going out.
The young Count of Pielion was nowhere to be seen in the capital, and it was said that the Duke of Pielion didn’t even leave his bedroom.
Some speculated that they were waiting for the rumors to subside, but the reality was much worse.
The young Count of Pielion had disappeared to an unknown location, and the Duke had become bedridden, just like the imperial court tailor who had lost part of his consciousness.
“Is this satisfactory, Your Majesty the Empress?”
“Yes… thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Rasilia wore her outdoor attire today. Her skirt was slightly shorter for ease in getting in and out of carriages, and instead of fancy, detailed shoes, she wore thicksoled, comfortable boots.
Other ornaments were also minimal.
Suiting her purpose of paying a sick visit, Ivette had dressed her in a simple and modest outfit.
“Your mind must be troubled, Your Majesty the Empress.”
While fiddling with the ribbon that tied her long, black hair at the nape of her neck, Ivette hesitantly spoke.
“I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing that the trial fell through… The rumors, and the change in the House of Pielion.”
“That’s true…”
“Still, the rumors will die down soon. Your relationship with him has only grown stronger since the trial.”
Rasilia felt slightly uncomfortable at the comforting words.
Is their relationship really stronger?
‘Rather, I feel like I’ve lost a grasp of what’s what.’
…No, upon reflection, that wasn’t quite right.
The one who couldn’t grasp the situation was her alone. The Emperor’s belief that she was real remained unchanged.
‘I can’t make heads or tails of it.’
She had thought it absurd to consider herself the real one, but her thoughts wavered as the Emperor was so certain.
Once she started wavering, things she had been ignoring began to surface.
For instance, the recurring dreams.
If she was truly unrelated, why did demons keep appearing in her dreams? And with each dream, similar events unfolded in her life.
Such was the case with PiPi’s birth, and how she began to see people’s true thoughts.
She was incredibly confused. Rumors were spreading throughout the capital that she was a fake with no marks, but she couldn’t afford to care.
“Your hand is nearly healed. I’ll apply some more ointment. We can’t have it scar.”
Ivette, who had completed even the hair brushing, took out a jar of ointment before donning her gloves.
It was a wound scratched by the Emperor’s scales on the day of the trial.
It was also where she got burned by PiPi’s fire breath.
“Ah…?”
“Hm? What’s wrong, Your Majesty the Empress?”
Rasilia inadvertently let out an exclamation, making Ivette’s eyes go round.
“That is… the burn has healed.”
“You were burned? When?”
“A few days ago.”
“Why wasn’t I aware?”
“That’s because…”
It healed quickly before Ivette noticed.
She had a hunch why it healed so quickly.
‘Did his lips touching it…?’
The Emperor kissed the burn mark, wishing it to heal quickly.
He said he could recognize a wound made by PiPi as one he had made himself.
Could it be that something demonic in his blood influenced the wound?
‘No, don’t connect everything like that.’
Rasilia frowned and shook her head.
Once doubt began, it seemed all her thoughts tilted in that direction. And she was disgusted by that.
‘What’s this? It’s like I’m hoping to be real.’
If she gave in and accepted she was the real one—
If she couldn’t avoid falling in love with the Emperor—
Would she meet an ending just like in her dreams?
[Dash]I am your destiny. I love you. [Dash]If that’s love, I don’t need it.Why did the Emperor no longer need a companion?
There were still too many unknowns.
‘If I am real, there must be a reason. Let’s think about it after finding that reason.’
“Your salve has been applied, Your Majesty the Empress. Please wait a moment before putting on your gloves.”
“Alright.”
As if they were timing it, Serben and Dekan arrived the moment Rasilia put on her gloves.
“We have come to serve, Your Majesty the Empress.”
(This is a time separator.)
The Piellion family’s mansion in the capital was not far from the palace. It was a place just about thirty minutes away by carriage.
But the time it took for Rasilia to arrive at the Piellion home was more than doubled. It seemed that the pace slowed down considerably when an imperial guard of about thirty men followed both ahead and behind the carriage.
“It would have been better for you to be seen with His Majesty, especially with rumors going around.”
Dekan was riding in Rasilia’s carriage.
Initially, Serben should have been guarding her, but he had been demoted to a mere knight and was following behind on horseback.
Dekan, who had seemed hesitant throughout, finally spoke up.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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