In the end, the ceremony of the Emperor placing the crown on the Empress consort did not take place.

Selina showed signs of disappointment throughout the coronation ceremony. She had hoped that perhaps another crown would be brought out, or at least a similar tiara would be procured, but it was a vain hope.

In her childhood, in the short romance novels lying around the mansion, the king would give the queen’s treasures to his loved one instead. Indeed, novels were just novels, different from reality.

Selina’s gaze briefly fell on Ilarid. Despite the commotion, she remained calm and even showed a smile towards Selina, who had just ascended to the position of Empress consort.

The woman her husband openly cherished had brazenly entered beside him. Even without affection, one would be seething with anger, but her composure without batting an eye was astonishing.

‘Hypocrite.’

For now, she would endure because there were many watching eyes. But how long could she pretend to be graceful and elegant? Soon, I will tear off that mask in front of everyone.

Selina finished her resolve and rose. Everyone in the banquet hall gave generous applause.

When she turned around, Duke Diobe was exaggeratedly expressing his emotion on the other side, but she ignored it and sat in the separate chair prepared for the Empress consort.

The sound of elaborate fireworks, bright music, and endless applause. And Cledius beside her. It was the moment when Selina’s small world was finally complete.

‘No. It’s still far off.’

She wanted to be even closer to Cledius. What would it feel like to endlessly rise to their high world, up there? That place where everyone looks up to and sends envious glances. Selina glanced sideways at the chair where the Empress was sitting.

If she were to bear an heir here, the next power would inevitably flow to Selina. Then even the position of Empress was worth aiming for.

The Emperor embraced Selina day and night as if living with her. If there were no particular issues, good news would soon be heard. Imagining the perfect future that would unfold, Selina smiled brightly.

**

Ilarid was more composed than expected. She thought she might feel stifled watching the coronation ceremony, but she felt rather at ease.

Was it because she truly thought of them as strangers? Come to think of it, it was a matter between people unrelated to her. There was no reason to be upset or anything. If even a little bit of feeling had remained, would she have been hurt and angry?

However, thinking about what would happen in the future seemed quite troublesome. Not only was each of Selina’s attitudes a problem, but also managing the budget of the Empress consort’s palace…

“Empress.”

As if cutting off Ilarid’s headache, Cledius called out to her.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“From today on, the Empress consort’s palace will belong to the Emperor’s palace.”

Ilarid’s eyebrows twitched. The Emperor’s official concubine was supposed to be managed by the Empress, but to think he would even change the long-standing laws of the imperial palace.

“This is sudden. Originally, the Empress consort’s palace enters under the Empress’s palace and spends some time receiving separate education. Moreover, the budget plan is completely different from that used in the Emperor’s palace…”

“It’s not like the Empress consort’s life in the imperial palace has been just a day or two, what’s the problem? And I’m personally considering that the Empress’s palace might have a headache over the budget plan for the newly entered Empress consort.”

Consideration? More like plunder. Cledius intended to take away all the power that could be used in the Empress’s palace. Fearing that she might reveal her inner turmoil, Ilarid closed her eyes and slowly regulated her breathing.

“There are laws that have been passed down for hundreds of years, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Of course our Empress, who loves the law to no end, would say that.”

He came close to Ilarid. His sticky voice, chilling to the bone, crawled down her earlobe.

“But I’m not.”

Ilarid wanted to shake off this unpleasant whisper soon. Perhaps because her nerves were on edge, her temples became dull with pain.

“I will take my leave now.”

She didn’t care whether they had a good time or spent a passionate night. She had to find a way to overcome this situation first.

Throughout her return, Ilarid barely endured the tightening headache.

Why doesn’t this kind of pain become familiar? She thought she could endure it since there were always things to bear and endure. The headache that throbbed at her temples was one of her chronic ailments.

She couldn’t even remember when it had started. Perhaps since she entered the imperial palace?

In the beginning, she lived on headache medication, and at some point, she deliberately distanced herself from it, thinking it was bearable. She was afraid of the gossip that might spread, saying the Empress was sick or that’s why she couldn’t have children.

Now she endured because she didn’t want to show them any weakness. So she bore it even more calmly, pretending nothing was wrong.

Lynette, who noticed that Ilarid’s complexion was gradually turning pale, immediately approached her side.

“Your Majesty the Empress, your complexion is pale.”

“I’m fine. Just a moment of stress…”

Ilarid staggered as she tried to regain her balance. Lynette, startled, grabbed her arm to support her.

“Go and call a doctor. And cold water!”

“No, there’s no need. I just need to rest in the shade for a moment.”

“I’ll call for a carriage.”

“Don’t make a fuss. I just need medicine.”

Although she was clearly a patient to anyone who looked, Ilarid stubbornly insisted. She always carried headache medicine with her. Because of her chronic headaches, Lynette used to place medication prescribed by the doctor at Ilarid’s bedside.

Unfortunately, all the other maids had left to call for a doctor or to fetch water. Lynette took Ilarid to the shade of a nearby tree. No matter how imperial the palace was, she couldn’t leave the Empress alone.

“Your Majesty the Empress…?”

Lynette, startled by the sudden presence, looked around. When had he arrived? Lebel was standing at the edge of the shadow. Hadn’t he appeared like this yesterday too?

“Are you alright?”

He immediately knelt down and examined Ilarid’s complexion. While Lynette was flustered and choosing her words, Ilarid, leaning against the tree, muttered weakly.

“The doctor… have them come to the Empress’s palace.”

With her eyes closed, Ilarid seemed not to have noticed Lebel’s presence yet.

“Lynette, quickly.”

“But Your Majesty…”

“I don’t want to show them this state. So please…”

Ilarid’s pleading voice had already turned into sobs. She didn’t want to show her weakened state to the nobles who would still be in the banquet hall, and to the Emperor and Empress consort.

“I will stay.”

“Pardon?”

A small but clear voice was heard. Lynette looked with trembling eyes at the man right in front of her. Was it okay to leave a stranger who had entered the palace just a few days ago by the Empress’s side? And alone at that?

“I will make sure we are not noticed.”

He whispered quietly with a voice full of confidence. It was questionable how he could make them invisible to others’ eyes, as he wasn’t an invisible man.

But there weren’t many people passing by at the moment. If it was just for a very short while, wouldn’t it be alright?

Lebel’s eyes showed no sign of wavering. For someone who had uttered such a bold statement, he had quite a calm attitude. Somehow, his gaze gave a strange assurance that it might be okay to trust him.

Unlike the rough atmosphere he might have lived in, Lebel didn’t seem like he would treat others carelessly or with contempt. Only pure concern for the Empress in front of him was felt.

Strangely, the sight of him sitting in front of Ilarid evoked both stability and reassurance at the same time.

Lynette finally nodded and said in a small voice.

“Then, I entrust her to you.”

Ilarid heard Lynette’s fading footsteps with her eyes closed. Someone seemed to have arrived, but she couldn’t even greet them as all her nerves were on edge from the headache.

“Who…”

“You don’t need to speak.”

A low voice tickled her ear. A man quite close by. A calm voice that had become familiar after hearing it several times.

“Lebel, it’s you.”

The pain tormented her persistently with each word she uttered.

This kind of pain usually brings irritation, so Ilarid endured the headache that was coming back again. She couldn’t express her mood to a complete stranger in such a raw state.

Ilarid kept her eyes tightly closed, trying to calm the mercilessly ringing inside her head.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

Now she didn’t even have the strength to answer. She responded by slightly opening her eyes.

“Will you lean on me?”

Although she hadn’t expected to lean, she didn’t think he would approach this closely. Ilarid let her head fall to the side. She could feel the firm embrace of the man beside her.

“You don’t have to endure. You don’t need to worry about people’s eyes either.”

How could one ignore that? Who would look with normal eyes at the Empress half-embraced by a strange man in broad daylight? But there was an inexplicable certainty in Lebel’s words.

Lebel spread the cloak he was wearing to create another shade above the shadow. The inside of the shadow, the hidden darkness, was suitable for concealing the body. From a distance, it would only look like a black form swaying alone.

He naturally pulled Ilarid’s head towards his chest with his remaining hand. The small and delicate body was now completely hidden in Lebel’s embrace.

There was no time to wonder if this was okay. Having a space to lean on was much more bearable than just sitting and enduring. The power of human warmth was quite strong, more than expected.

Ilarid began to choose her words to say to him while enduring the noise made by the headache. She should say sorry, that there were many discourtesies.

“Please don’t say anything.”

The end of Lebel’s words was trembling. Pretending to be calm and unaffected required quite a lot of strength from Lebel as well.

He detected Ilarid’s stiff body. It wasn’t simply because she had entrusted her body to a stranger, but due to tension accumulated over quite a long time.

“Holding your breath will only make it worse.”

By now, Lebel had taken the place of Cledius’s voice that had been lingering in her ear earlier in the banquet hall. His body moved slightly, perhaps adjusting his posture. Ilarid quietly surrendered her body to his movements.

“Would you like to try matching your breath to mine? Slowly breathe in, and breathe out.”

A slow sharing of breaths continued. Inhalations and exhalations intertwined in an invisible place, circling under the shade and repeatedly shattering when touched by sunlight. The sound of heartbeats gently echoed along the curves of the ear.

Eventually, the breathing of the two people became the same. Now regular breathing could be heard from Lebel’s embrace. Whether she had been unknowingly tense since the coronation ceremony, her stiff body now relaxed and found its place.

The Empress in a defenseless state, hidden in the midday darkness. Lebel silently looked at Ilarid sleeping in his arms. Had she not been able to sleep properly all this time? A deep furrow formed between his brows, creating a small shadow.

‘What kind of life have you been living?’

Lebel wanted to ask right away.

He hoped that at least she would not hold the end of her life. May she live with all her might. He had promised that if she stood on the precarious balance beam called life, he would someday hold her hand. But he had made that promise.

But it wasn’t too late yet. He slowly reminded himself. That he would definitely complete this contract with the current Emperor successfully. Then another opportunity would be given. He had to create a reason to remain by her side.

‘May you have good dreams, even if just for a moment.’

Looking once again at Ilarid’s expression in the shade, it seemed somewhat peaceful.