“Why?”

“Shouldn’t an apology come first? Even if it was a mistake, that should be the first thing to say.”

Hearing these words filled with indignation, Elzere snorted and nodded.

“Sorry.”

Though she said it, Sesenia knew all too well that her sister wasn’t sincerely apologizing to her.

“…”

“Well… But this isn’t something that can be resolved with just an apology.”

“She apologized, but now you say it’s not enough. You’re so inflexible.”

Elzere clicked her tongue at her sister as if she herself were an enlightened modern woman. Nevertheless, Sesenia didn’t stop speaking.

“Do you think this is a reasonable situation? Well, if you had any common sense in your head, you wouldn’t have had an affair with your sister’s husband in the first place.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I may have been foolishly enduring it all this time, but not anymore. Unfortunately, sister, no matter how hard you try, you’re nothing but a woman who spreads her legs for any man, and a piece of trash who stole her sister’s husband. You know what? You’re trash that can’t even be recycled.”

“Hey!”

“It’s not ‘hey.’ The person before you is the Empress of this country. And no matter how hard you try, you can never become the Empress. Who knows? Maybe things would be different if we could turn back time. If we could go back to when it was decided who would be engaged to the Crown Prince. But I’ve already become the Empress, and I intend to punish you, sister. Unlike before. Take her away.”

Elzere’s face turned pale at this unexpected turn of events.

“W-wait. You weren’t like this before. You just sent me away.”

“Yes, I did. But that won’t do anymore. I’ve been lenient all this time… but you haven’t come to your senses.”

“Wait. Empress. No, Sesenia. This isn’t right.”

“What do you mean it’s not right? I may not be able to do anything about the Emperor, but at least when it comes to my sister… I can’t just let this go. I’m going to make this public.”

At that moment, the Emperor, who had been lounging on the bed, jumped up.

“Sesenia. What do you mean by making it public?!”

“Until now, I didn’t do anything because you’re my husband, and I didn’t want to tarnish your reputation. But this time, I’m going to make it official and properly punish Elzere.”

“W-wait. You don’t have to do that, right? Hmm? Sesenia. Why go that far between us? Besides, you know that it won’t do you any good either. Women are supposed to be docile and quiet. Why are you being so aggressive?”

Perhaps she had tolerated her husband’s affairs for her own sake as well.

Because she was the Empress, because she didn’t want to be the subject of gossip, maybe that’s why she had overlooked the Emperor’s behavior. But not anymore. Sesenia was resolute.

“Empress. Listen to me…”

The Emperor naturally got out of bed and grabbed Sesenia’s shoulders. But as he stood up, the blanket that had been covering his body fell helplessly, revealing the Emperor’s naked form. Perhaps that was why Sesenia’s face hardened even more.

“Don’t think about touching me. It’s disgusting.”

Sesenia’s face, as she brushed off the part of her clothes where his hand had touched, was more rigid than ever.

“Sesenia. How dare you treat the Emperor, me…!”

“An Emperor should act like an Emperor.”

‘Do you even know with what feelings I’ve endured all this time?’

Sesenia looked at the knights standing at the door, not even glancing at him as he burst out in anger.

“Take that woman away and lock her in the underground prison.”

“What…? B-but…”

“What are you worried about? That she’s the Emperor’s mistress? Or that she’s the Empress’s sister?”

“…Will this be alright?”

“I’ll handle this matter. So, take that filthy thing away.”

“Yes.”

In the end, the knights took Elzere away without further argument. At that moment, Elzere’s gaze turned towards the Emperor in the room.

Perhaps sensing that he might be in trouble next, the Emperor showed little reaction as Elzere was dragged away. He was too busy watching Sesenia’s mood.

‘But… I want to stop now too.’

As soon as she looked at him, the Emperor approached her with a sly face and expression, nudging her.

“Sesenia. This was just… a very brief indiscretion. You know how much I love you.”

She thought it was love.

That they loved each other. She thought his actions were just temporary lapses. That’s why she wanted to protect him. So she didn’t make anything public to avoid harming him. But now, Sesenia no longer felt the need to protect this place, to protect him.

“I’m going back.”

“Wait… listen to me. Sesenia. Sesenia…?!”

But that was all.

Sesenia didn’t listen to the Emperor’s words. She just returned to her own room.

And so time passed. It was like a hurricane in her life, but the days dragged on monotonously.

All Sesenia could do was set aside all her duties as Empress and head of the marquis family, and not leave her room.

No matter how trashy the Emperor’s behavior was, she had never neglected her duties, but now she did.

She was just tired of everything. When she first saw her sister with her husband, her anger made her want to kill her sister and make it public immediately. But as time passed, a sense of helplessness crept over her.

“I heard the rumors.”

Until the day Ian, Sesenia’s only friend, came to her room, Sesenia hadn’t met anyone. She even skipped meals.

Sesenia, who had been sprawled on the sofa, slowly rose like a corpse to look at him. Perhaps due to not eating for days, her body swayed as if her head was spinning.

A friend might have caught her, but Prince Ian just watched her silently.

Sesenia, who had blacked out for a moment before regaining consciousness, smiled awkwardly.

“…Such rumors spread so easily.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“…I don’t know. At that time, I was so angry… I wanted to execute my sister right away… but she’s my only sister.”

“That’s right. If you had done that… your aging father might have collapsed.”

Ian chimed in as if he had been waiting for this. It was an unusually strong reaction from someone who had shown little response when she staggered or moved. Of course, Sesenia didn’t suspect Ian at all.

“What should I do…”

Ian was almost the only person Sesenia could open her heart to. With one person having passed away recently, Ian was the only one left by Sesenia’s side. Prince Ian. He was not only her husband’s younger brother but also her only friend since childhood.

He seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking.

“Why don’t you send her far away?”

“Far away?”

“My mother has a villa in the north. It’s a place where no one lives and it only gets colder as time passes. It’s a hopeless place. Send her there.”

“Ah.”

“She’s family, so you can’t do anything too drastic. And executing her for such a mistake seems a bit much. You don’t want that either, right?”

Strangely, it felt like Ian was concerned about Elzere, but Sesenia dismissed it as her being oversensitive and just nodded.

“I see…”

“Do as I say. It’s the way to minimize your guilt while still punishing her.”

Even so, Sesenia couldn’t choose easily. She knew well what she was choosing, and because she knew what would change due to her choice, the decision took quite a long time.

After that day, Ian visited Sesenia several times, insisting that she do as he suggested.

As if it had to be done.

In reality, it was Sesenia, not her sister Elzere, who was cornered. She wanted to give up everything. So she had no choice but to do as he said.

“Alright. Let’s do it your way.”

On the day she made the decision, she informed the Emperor directly. As always, the Emperor paid no more attention to the woman he had spent the night with. To him, women were like food that changed daily, to be eaten according to his taste at the time. Elzere was no different.

The Emperor seemed only concerned about the damage he might suffer if this matter was made public.

It was actually another party that was causing a fuss.

The father of the two sisters, Marquis Bestel, tried to stop Sesenia.

“I’m restraining myself from wanting to kill her, Father.”

“But she’s your sister.”

“If she’s my sister, she shouldn’t have done this even more. When it was time for marriage, you said the Crown Prince was a philanderer… that he wouldn’t become Emperor, and you made me marry him instead. Now that he’s become a proper Emperor, she coveted him.”

“That’s…”

“In what world does a sister covet her younger sister’s husband? I want to tear her to pieces… I’m just leaving her be because I’m too exhausted. So… so please… please don’t provoke me.”

It had always been like this. She had never been a priority to her father. Was it because Elzere resembled their mother whom their father had loved so much? Or was it because she was affectionate, unlike the cold Sesenia?

While claiming with his own mouth that he didn’t discriminate between his children, the Marquis had been terribly biased.

Today was no different. Sesenia wore a sorrowful expression.

“As always, you’re not on my side, Father. Considering that you haven’t said a single word asking if I’m okay, when I’m the one who’s been wronged.”

“Sesenia…!”

“It’s fine. It’s always been like this, hasn’t it? I have no expectations or resentment. Even if we could go back, I’ve let go of any desire to be loved by you.”

That was how she felt. Sesenia had never been loved for over twenty years. She had always been a substitute for her sister. Discrimination was natural, and because she was the younger sister, she was always told to yield for her older sister’s sake.

Nevertheless, she might have hoped. That in moments like this, he would take her side. That he would ask if she was okay before siding with her sister.

‘Even at this moment, you’re on my sister’s side.’