“Chaos will ensue, of course. But I’ll reveal my identity where all the nobles of the Empire are gathered. They can’t openly do anything. Aren’t we brothers after all?”

“They won’t kill you openly, but the Emperor has a witch…”

Langen lowered his voice and observed his master.

“Would Ermedillin dare to use that terrible curse on me? Besides, I am not a noble of Tribian, but of the royal family of Ballius. They can’t involve Ermedillin in assassinating me. It would not be good if rumors spread that the Empress had used magic to assassinate the royalty of another country.”

“What if they try to disguise it as an accident or send another skilled assassin?”

At Langen’s question, Leopold frowned as if to say, why would you ask such a thing?

“Obviously, you have to stop it.”

Langen felt the veins on his forehead pop due to his master’s unprepared answer, but he wasn’t overly worried.

There was a belief that no one on the continent had the skill to assassinate his master if it wasn’t for a curse.

Valière trembled in anxiety.

After grappling with Henri’s admonition, Valière sought out Ermedillin early the next day to apologize. She accepted the apology all too graciously.

Without any passionate response, just a submissive demeanor.

She even added that since she had spoken too severely to Bellest, Valière should apologize to him as well, and she should try to relax as much as possible, being pregnant and in a foreign land.

Valière would not have felt so uneasy had she been scolded instead.

But that seemingly generous smile was filled with leisure.

No matter how hard she scrutinized it for faults, it was an impeccable smile of goodwill.

Despite clearly leading, she constantly felt like she was falling behind, and chills kept running down Valière’s body.

On her way back after apologizing, the gazes of everyone she met in the palace corridors felt unfamiliar.
Until then, they were just machines performing trivial tasks, not worthy of a second glance.

But when it became clear that the Empress’s maids had seen everything, everything began to look different.

Henri neither reprimanded nor scolded the maid who daringly spoke in front of the Emperor and Empress.

He would have normally reprimanded such rudeness, but he thought that Valier’s action had disrupted the royal authority.

Henri’s warning to not cross the line, no matter that she was carrying his child.

Until she became the Empress, Ermedillin would be insurmountable no matter what she tried.

Only now did she realize how cold the stares of the maids and guards watching her had become.

Everyone, even Henri, seemed to be against her, deceived by Ermedillin’s flawless act.

Sneers, mockery, and contemptuous glares.

If the nobles were indifferent at the enfeoffment ceremony, the servants’ reactions were far more overt.

Valier wanted to grab the two whispering maids in front of her and take out her anger on them, but she couldn’t anymore.

Everyone in the palace was watching her, and she knew that any slipup would reach Henri’s ears immediately.

‘I have no one on my side. I have to protect myself until the birth. I have to protect my body myself!’

Valier, feeling utmost distrust and wariness towards people, ordered a dagger.

A dagger with a sharp blade, truly designed for harming someone.

‘This will be just right. I won’t leave anyone alone who threatens me.’

Holding the dagger up to the sunlight streaming through the window, Valier vowed to survive on her own in this desolate palace.

“Ah, it’s too flashy.”

No matter how much Ermedillin complained, Loony wouldn’t back down.

“You have to wear it!! It’s the enfeoffment ceremony! In fact, compared to Count Valian, it’s not even that flashy!”

The necklace with layers of black pearls and a diamond pendant definitely gave off an elegant and refined vibe.

“No, it’s flashy enough. Why go to this extent when no one will see?”

“I’m also sad that no one will see! But there is the afternoon presentation ceremony. You have to attend as the Empress, and if you go out more modestly than Count Valian, others will also look down upon you like they do on the Count!”

Although Ermedillin had stopped caring, Loony still hadn’t cooled off from Valier daring to ask the Empress for her blessing on her pregnancy.

“Just forget about it. I received an apology.”

“What kind of apology is that! Not even apologizing on the spot and… reluctantly and with great effort… ah…”

Loony sighed deeply and gritted her teeth; she couldn’t help but wonder if Valier had been mistreated that badly? But Ermedillin had no lingering bad feelings.

“I don’t really care as long as they don’t mess with the people I value.”

“But what will happen after the birth if they’re already disrespecting you like this now? Their attitude will be even more blatant.”

Ermedillin smiled leisurely and winked.

“I’m only letting it go because it’s early in the pregnancy. This will be the only time I let it slide. After the birth, if they continue to disrespect me or especially the people I value, I will take appropriate action, so don’t worry.”

Ermedillin deliberately emphasized the word ‘appropriate’.

Of course, Ermedillin’s ‘appropriate’ meant something very different from Valier’s ‘just right’.
Ermedillin was fundamentally a reasonable person who couldn’t even think of killing or harming someone just because of discord.

But when Ballier mentioned the dead husband of Belest, she was truly furious, almost raising her hand.

“No matter how much the goal is to leave this palace alive, I won’t let it slide next time. I can use my head too when I need to.”

While Ermedillin pondered on how to handle Ballier without losing her dignity, Loony asked with a slight blush on her pretty face,

“Am I included among those precious people?”

“Of course. Who else is left if you’re not included?”

Finding Loony’s discreet affirmation of affection adorable, Ermedillin threw away the silk gloves she had been holding and tightly hugged Loony.

“Aaah! Let go! My necklace is falling off!”

Although Loony struggled, carefully setting down her necklace, Ermedillin hugged her even tighter and kissed her cheek.

“No matter how many enemies there are, they can’t compare to one person on my side.”