“Throughout the preparations for my investiture ceremony, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager imparted great teachings on the conduct befitting an empress,” Mercedes’ clear voice resonated throughout the grand banquet hall.

“Bestow upon good deeds. Care for the lowly. That is what she taught me. She also told me not to indulge in extravagance. Then she placed this necklace on me, which I understood to mean I should donate it.”

Mercedes calmly recited the words.

Those were undoubtedly the virtues of an empress that the Empress Dowager had taught Mercedes. However, they were merely words spoken with the intention of confining her to the Empress Dowager’s palace, not sincere sentiments.

The Empress Dowager’s face turned slightly pale.

“I was told by Your Majesty the Empress Dowager what kind of necklace this is.”

Mercedes used ambiguous phrasing. To the Empress Dowager, it implied that she was referring to the mention of ‘the time taken to craft it’, but to the audience gathered here, it sounded as if the Empress Dowager had directly informed Mercedes that it was the ‘government’s necklace’.

“Thank you for your meticulous care and attention, Your Majesty. I am also grateful for the wisdom you have bestowed upon me to put this necklace to good use.”

The more one listened, the more it seemed as though the Empress Dowager had advised Mercedes to resolve the troublesome matter of this necklace through ‘donation’.

It was a very good deed indeed.

The amount of money invested was astronomical, but the necklace’s value was so low that no one would purchase it.

By wearing it to the investiture ceremony like this, changing its meaning, and donating it, she could receive its proper value and care for starving orphans.

Yes. It was a very admirable deed.

Therefore, regardless of the original intention, praise would be showered upon the Empress Dowager as well, leaving her unable to scold Mercedes or scratch at Carlos and protest.

‘This is not it.’

The Empress Dowager’s insides were boiling.

This must also be Carlos’ doing. He likely devised a scheme as soon as he saw the necklace.

She had not realized that he, as a man, could think in such a way. Was this not the manner in which women in high society fought, using justifications and roundabout words?

“…Yes. The new empress is truly brilliant and benevolent.”

The Empress Dowager forcefully unclenched her tightly clenched fists.

Anyhow, it was a good deed. She had to smile for now.

Of course, good deed or not, what mattered more to the Empress Dowager, who disliked this entire situation, was that everything was not going according to her plan, and it put her in a foul mood.

She had no interest whatsoever in donations! Was that not something one did only occasionally, for image management?

Mercedes approached the Empress Dowager, who was in such a state.

Then, with a slight bend of her knees, she greeted her with a perfect demeanor and a bright smile.

“Your Majesty. I am immensely grateful for your guidance thus far. I have learned a great deal thanks to you. I will faithfully fulfill my role as the empress.”

“…Indeed. Empress. Your heart is pure, so if you bear offspring in the future, I believe the children will grow up well. Please, do become a good empress.”

“Yes. Your Majesty the Empress Dowager.”

The Empress Dowager had no choice but to acknowledge Mercedes as the empress and bestow her blessings.

As pleasant words were exchanged, thunderous cheers and applause erupted from the nobles who had been merely observing. The emperor, the empress, and now the empress consort. It was a heartwarming scene where no one needed to be mindful of others.

Amidst that cheering, the new empress, smiling shyly, was as beautiful as an angel. She truly seemed like someone who would care for and give to the lowly.

From the nobles’ perspective, it was not ideal for her to give endlessly to the commoners, but there was a limit to what she could give from the position of the empress anyway. It would not worsen, so they were rather pleased that she would elevate the name of the ‘noble ones’ on their behalf to this extent.

As the investiture ceremony came to an end, most of the nobles, having clearly captured her image in their eyes, thought:

‘It seems the accusation of her being a murderer was indeed false.’

How could a woman who was a murderer be so pure-hearted and wisely conduct herself, heeding the Empress Dowager’s words so well? Moreover, that posture with her back straight. It was truly a noble bearing.

Thus, as the investiture ceremony concluded, the suspicion that Mercedes might not be a murderer finally surfaced.

* * *

Meanwhile, Count Cromwell was in despair upon hearing the news that all ships were tied up at the port due to the waves being too strong.

Looking at the sky, the weather seemed very clear, but the sea conditions were different, it seemed.

“What’s so rough about the waves! It’s so clear out!”

“Count, I am truly sorry. But don’t we know the sea conditions better? The ship to Loom must be sturdy to begin with. The waves tend to be strong due to the two countries pushing and pulling each other, given their proximity. But today, it is truly extreme. If you look, you will see that even the other fishermen’s boats are tied up.”

With that explanation, there was nothing he could do. The count even took out the jewels he had been saving and tried to bargain, but most of the shipowners shook their heads.

The count may not have known, but an amount of money that made the jewels unappealing had already been distributed to the shipowners. The order from the ‘esteemed one’ was to tie up all the ships for just one day. No matter whose request came in, they were to keep the ships tied up.

It was not a difficult request, so they all told the count a lie, as if bothered.

They said that if one were to ride the waves now, their life would be in danger.

“Father. I don’t want to go to Loom. It’s too far, and I get terribly seasick. And I have to watch that wench Mercedes strutting around. It’s annoying. Now that it’s come to this, let’s go home. And I need to have a new dress tailored-”

“Be quiet!”

“Goodness. Why are you getting angry! What did Flora do wrong?”

In the midst of this, his child was grating on his nerves.

Anyhow, like that, the count was blocked at the port and eventually returned to his own estate.

The sound of training from the training grounds, which had been heard from some point on, somewhat calmed his mind.

“…Hmph. Damn wench.”

He wrote five more letters blaming Mercedes.

And on the last page, he wrote that if she had become the empress, it was proper etiquette for him, her father, to pay respects to His Majesty the Emperor. If she did not arrange a position for him to visit Loom, he would not let it slide.

Fortunately, the carrier pigeon exchanged between him and Mercedes was quite large. Large enough to handle his heavy letters.

Count Cromwell drank precious wine straight from the bottle, huffing and puffing.

“Uh, Master. His Majesty the King has ordered a visit to the palace. He seems displeased that you ignored the order of confinement and went to the port…”

The butler carefully spoke to the count, who was in such a state.

“Ha! Displeased with me?”

The count’s eyes flashed with flames.

How dare he be displeased with him, the father-in-law of the Loom Emperor? Moreover, had he not sufficiently confined himself!

If it weren’t for this confinement order that had not been lifted, he would have already gone to see Mercedes under some pretext.

He could have watched the preparations for the investiture ceremony the whole time, rather than hearing the news here.

Who could have objected to him going to see his daughter’s face as a father?

If he had gone like that, he might have gained the respect of the Loom Emperor and achieved results! Because he was capable.

‘Calling that a king.’

Not knowing that he was a noble guest who would bring good to the country…

Whether they thought it was a false charge or not, the count’s eyes went wild, as if he had forgotten that it was the accepted truth in the world that his daughter had assassinated the crown prince.

“The messenger?”

“He is waiting for a response.”

“Tell him I will pay my respects tomorrow.”

Now that he could not go to Loom. He felt like he was going to explode. It was suffocating to be trapped.

The one who paid attention to him was rather the emperor of Loom. Had he not sent a knight like Argos?

‘I won’t let this slide.’

Count Cromwell had a card up his sleeve.

Richard’s illegitimate child.

The rumor that he had that boy was true.

Richard had wandered outside a lot and left his seed in the womb of a commoner. It was truly fortunate that he had immediately found out, thanks to constantly having people attached to Richard in hopes of Mercedes getting pregnant.

‘If the illegitimate child of the former crown prince and the illegitimate child of the king both come to light, it will be a mess.’

It was certain that Sheim would be humiliated, asked if it was a country made up only of illegitimate children. Moreover, the succession order would once again become ambiguous and inflated. So the count intended to blackmail the king with the child.

To lift the confinement and provide the funds for the fief.

He took out the royal seal and the small pendant engraved with Richard’s name that he had kept in the safe.

The crown prince was… a thoroughly incompetent person. He even left behind such a pendant, not to mention the seed in the womb. Wasn’t it too simple a piece of evidence?

The count brought both the illegitimate child and the mother, confining the mother and entrusting the illegitimate child to a wet nurse. The mother would be a good witness if needed.

“Bring the child.”

Richard’s illegitimate child had not even been given a name. Because Richard had died at the same time as the mother’s childbirth.

“Here, the child…”

“I will enter the palace tomorrow. Prepare a wet nurse. The child’s condition is good. Choose the highest quality swaddling clothes and dress the child in them.”

The baby with a fluffy face was oddly frowning. That… greatly resembled Richard.

Count Cromwell laughed and moved his steps.

He intended to make a small request to Sir Argos as well, to let him know that the emperor’s heart was with him.

“Sir Argos. I am to enter the palace tomorrow, could I ask you to escort me?”

“-Ah.”

Bruno, who had been engrossed in training, had to try hard to hide his laughter at the count’s question.

He had wondered when the ‘time’ the young lady had mentioned would come… It seemed this count had exploded from not being able to go to Loom.

“Yes, gladly. But the royal order is a secret, so you must inform only the king of my existence. I ask this of you.”

“Of course. I will make sure it does not leak out. Thank you. These days, you seem to be the only one on my side.”

Count Cromwell grabbed his hand, getting slightly teary-eyed.

This household was indeed a mess these days. The son was stupid and could not properly receive education to inherit the count title, and he kept going out through the dog hole and heading to the red-light district.

The daughter and the countess were extravagant and had a strong obsession with appearances. Moreover, both of them were cruel-handed and would lash out at the servants at the slightest provocation.

Of course, the count was not normal either. One could see the butler walking around with a swollen cheek whenever he was bored.

“I am honored to be of support to the Count. It is news that will please His Majesty.”

Well, from Bruno’s perspective, it didn’t matter either way.

Bruno simply smiled at the count. A faint but very firm and trust-inspiring smile.