“Forgiveness… you say?”

I couldn’t believe it. I thought Cledius would surely punish Lebel. I believed he would retaliate ruthlessly since his loved one had been insulted.

But Cledius was calm, not even angry. Disappointed by his attitude, Selina, still sitting on the Emperor’s lap, let out her rising anger.

“That man used insulting words towards a noble. He must take responsibility for what he said!”

“As a noble, you should show magnanimity. What would a man who’s only known the gutter know about manners?”

“I was splashed with muddy water… and Your Majesty doesn’t care at all?”

Tears welled up in her fresh, light green eyes. She was quite good at crying. It was more like an act to elicit sympathy and protective instincts rather than genuine sadness.

“Thanks to that, I get to sit here wearing my favorite perfume.”

Cledius’ hand, which had been resting on Selina’s cheek, slowly moved down. She felt his cold palm on her bare shoulder. She naturally shivered at the cool touch.

“Selina. There’s nothing more shameful for a noble than reacting to and punishing subordinates for such small matters. A true noble should know how to be generous and inclusive.”

Cledius continued his quiet admonishment. Lebel was also a mercenary who would soon go to war with him. It was obvious that needlessly provoking them would affect the morale of the soldiers during the war.

“Instead, I’ll send a separate tailor. Since your favorite dress was ruined, I’ll gift you a new one.”

It was a tailor said to be in charge of making clothes for the Emperor and Empress. Selina’s eyes, which had looked about to cry, were now sparkling with anticipation.

“And there’s a most important issue…”

Cledius deliberately adopted a serious tone. The gravity he put on to capture Selina’s attention was quite successful. She was now wearing the same expression as him, gently caressing his ear.

“Do you have a concern?”

“It’s about the budget for the Imperial Consort’s Palace you’ll be moving into. Officially, the Imperial Consort’s Palace falls under the Empress’s Palace. Naturally, the Empress will want to manage its budget.”

“I don’t like that! I want to directly…”

“Can you avoid the Empress’s sharp surveillance? If anything is even slightly off, she’ll notice immediately and you’ll have to suffer all day.”

Selina’s face sulked again. If she were to enter the Imperial Consort’s Palace as things stand now, Ilarid would surely summon Selina right away.

And it was obvious she would spend all day complaining, saying not to waste the budget carelessly, that it contained taxes mixed with the blood and sweat of the people.

“So I’ll block it. We’ll just change it so that the Emperor’s Palace directly manages it.”

“Really? But if Her Majesty the Empress finds fault…”

“No matter how much of an Empress she is, she can’t disobey the Emperor’s orders.”

Only then did Selina breathe a sigh of relief and wrap her arms around Cledius’ shoulders.

“For me… there’s truly only Your Majesty the Emperor.”

Cledius did not push away the vivid concubine burrowing into his arms. The Emperor’s eyes narrowed as he gently patted Selina.

‘How simple. That’s why she’s so good to use.’

Selina’s hair wound between his fingers. While he held her naturally, pretending to love her, Cledius actually had other intentions.

There was no way Ilarid had brought in Selina as Imperial Consort without any thought.

When she becomes Imperial Consort, she naturally falls under the Empress’s Palace. Now it was possible to monitor whether there were any suspicious financial flows or wasteful spending while managing the budget.

But if Cledius changes the Imperial Consort’s Palace to belong to the Emperor’s Palace, Ilarid will not be able to exert any power over Selina.

After the Melpiram family was purged, there was almost nothing left for Ilarid to decide. She could only host events like charity parties or imperial balls announcing the social season.

‘Ilarid. I can’t let you move as you expect.’

Her efforts to do something seemed quite cute at this point.

But it was much better to look at than before. After her family was massacred, she had holed up in the Empress’s Palace as if dead, and he had to send someone each time to confirm whether she was alive.

If left alone, it seemed she would take her own life to follow her family. When Cledius tried to execute her maid Lynette and her nurse for being affiliated with the Melpiram Count’s family, hadn’t she held a knife to her own throat?

After seeing her attitude that her life wasn’t precious, Cledius felt a surge of anxiety.

Ilarid had to be completely Cledius’ possession. He couldn’t let her die as she pleased.

So he treated her even more harshly. He didn’t comfort her when the child died just 3 days after birth, and he ostentatiously brought in Selina as his “shadow” and dallied with her in front of Ilarid’s eyes.

He hoped she would be angry seeing her husband’s mess of a self.

That she would live with that strength. That she would survive with hatred and resentment as her driving force.

It felt like she could do anything if Ilarid’s heart could beat even with just the single-minded determination for revenge.

Above all, it was quite fun to imagine Ilarid’s face stained with jealousy and humiliation. He wanted to melt that cold, hard face.

If it was impossible to bring back her smile, he would make her shed her dried-up tears.

How long could Ilarid maintain that composure? Accumulated emotions are bound to crumble someday. Right now she seemed to be ignoring things quite firmly, but who knows what’s inside.

Of course, she must want to sharpen her knives and polish her guns inwardly, yearning for revenge.

Even bringing in Selina as Imperial Consort must have been an attempt to catch one of Cledius’ weaknesses by using her own limited influence. Her struggling to confront Cledius even within her restricted power was almost pitiful.

By now, a noble who received the Emperor’s orders would have secretly approached Selina’s father, Viscount Diobe. They would ask how he felt about joining a tailoring business the palace was trying to establish, planning to install the Viscount as the representative.

The Imperial Consort’s Palace and Viscount Diobe. The two were intended to be used as a means to launder illegal funds for Cledius and the pro-Emperor nobles.

The Diobe family was perfect for getting involved in this kind of thing. Not only were they of foreign origin, but they were also eagerly looking for opportunities to catch the eye of the powerful in the Empire.

The Viscount’s father had quickly surrendered his territory, judging that his home country no longer had any chance of victory in the war against the Empire. It was in contrast to other nobles who had resisted the Astrid Empire to the end.

In the end, the Diobe family was able to acquire minimal territory and a noble title in the Astrid Empire in exchange for their surrender.

Was the attitude of grasping the flow of power and trying to ride it opportunistically something that ran in their blood? Cledius glanced at Selina fidgeting in his arms.

They were truly a simple father and daughter. They overflowed with greed without even a hangnail’s worth of suspicion.

Such people tend to be naive. They are never satisfied with what they have in hand and always want more. Desire leaves only instinct, narrowing people’s vision and dulling them.

‘Am I the same?’

A weak, short laugh escaped Cledius’ lips. Selina briefly separated her body that had been pressed against him and looked at the Emperor’s expression, but he brushed it off as insignificant.

**

Finally, the morning of the investiture ceremony dawned.

Selina, who had been eagerly awaiting this day, woke up before anyone could wake her and made a big fuss.

She was sensitive about small things, saying the tea she always drank in the morning didn’t seem right, that the temperature wasn’t correct, or that the lace seemed strangely wrinkled here.

“Shall I tighten the corset more?”

Although her waist was originally slender and thin, Selina was not at all satisfied. Every time she looked in the mirror, she only saw flaws. From wondering why her skin wasn’t as white as the young ladies in the capital, to thinking her pink hair seemed too unusual.

While the maid adjusted the corset’s laces from behind, Selina slowly exhaled the breath she had been holding. Although she didn’t say anything, she looked quite uncomfortable.

Seeing her face reddened from holding her breath, one of the maids spoke up.

“I heard that a clothing shop in the capital recently made dresses without corsets.”

“Who would wear such clothes? It wouldn’t be flattering at all. You want me to stand in front of men with a sagging waistline? I can’t do that.”

“I was a bit curious about it. It seems like it would be comfortable to put on and take off, and easier to breathe…”

“Oh really? Then make sure you wear it to the next imperial ball. It’s an order from the future Imperial Consort.”

Selina said haughtily, raising her voice. Was there even such a position as future Imperial Consort in the imperial family? The maid quietly swallowed her complaints. Selina would officially become Imperial Consort in just half a day. Thanks to that, she was acting even more uninhibited.

‘Still, if she becomes Imperial Consort, she’ll belong to the Empress’s Palace, so she’ll only have trouble under the strict Empress.’

Everyone attending to Selina had the same thought.

The Empress was particularly famous for completely blocking any disrespect towards subordinates. They felt at ease thinking that this kind of behavior would end this morning.

Selina, having finished her preparations, looked herself over in the mirror. She would change into the official ceremonial dress in a small room at the banquet hall where the investiture ceremony would be held, so this was sufficient for now.

Today, more than ever, she wanted to receive more attention than Ilarid. As many other nobles would be gathered, she had to firmly establish her position in the imperial palace.

The only woman loved by the Emperor and the one who would gain the next power was Selina Diobe.

Selina’s steps walking towards the banquet hall seemed lighter than ever before.

But with about an hour left before the investiture ceremony, Selina’s excitement was shattered.

“What do you mean, the Imperial Consort’s crown… what?”

Selina’s shrill voice filled the room. Just as she was excited after putting on her ceremonial dress, cold water was properly thrown on her.

“The crown for Her Highness the Imperial Consort has disappeared, they say.”

The servant barely managed to convey the message, fidgeting anxiously. It was a moment most aptly described as a bolt from the blue.

The small tiara worn by the Imperial Consort during the investiture ceremony. It was much smaller compared to what the Empress wears, but it was still quite valuable with gold and jewels embedded in it.

The most important moment of the investiture ceremony was when the Emperor personally lifted the tiara and placed it on the Imperial Consort’s head.

But with about an hour left before the ceremony, that Imperial Consort’s tiara had disappeared. There couldn’t be a worse mishap. Selina’s flushed cheeks turned pale.

“How on earth did you manage things for this disaster to happen! Where is His Majesty the Emperor? I must see him right away!”

“His Majesty the Emperor is also working to resolve this situation. He just ordered us to find something that could substitute for Her Highness the Imperial Consort’s tiara.”

“Substitute? With what? Do you think I don’t know there’s only one crown for the Imperial Consort?”

Selina collapsed onto a chair, trembling, and clutched her perfectly decorated hair. Messing up her hair was nothing compared to the situation that had just occurred.

“Certainly, when the servants brought the tiara into the banquet hall this morning, there was nothing wrong. But just before the ceremony suddenly…”

“Someone must have stolen it.”

Selina, who had buried her face in her hands, muttered quietly. Ilarid’s words from yesterday flashed through her mind.

‘…The crown for the Imperial Consort to wear at the investiture ceremony will be quite heavy.’

As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Selina stood up abruptly. Then she glared fiercely at the servants and maids huddled nearby.

“I need to go to Her Majesty the Empress. Guide me.”