“Really? Time has passed so quickly.”

In fact, my meeting with Rinel was after the luncheon.

Sharon, who had been watching my mood, tactfully suggested advancing the time to return to the palace.

I put on a regretful expression and turned to the beauties.

“I have to end our tea time here today. Ah, and I don’t know which one of you will be in the harem, but I hope you all serve me wholeheartedly in the future.”

Pretending to be generous must also be a virtue of the Empress.

If I were really Rinel’s wife, I would feel terrible.

Even now, as a substitute Empress, I feel a mess.

“Are you going to meet His Majesty?”

Catherine, who had been nibbling on a small cookie, brushed the crumbs off her mouth and asked me.

“It seems like you are going to discuss the issue of bringing in the harem.”

I stood up from the sofa and calmly responded to Catherine’s question without showing any sign of being upset.

“You ladies can stay here and chat more. If I leave first, you all can enjoy the conversation more comfortably, right?”

When I got up from the sofa, all the ladies stood up in unison and bowed.

I wanted to rush to the reception room door, but I walked with dignity, step by step.

“Your Majesty the Empress?”

I was just about to step out of the reception room.

A slow voice, as if calling a subordinate, came over.

The owner of that voice was Lady Catherine.

I turned around again, trying not to frown.

“What is it?”

Four of the ladies stepped forward simultaneously and bowed to me again.

“We are.”

“Pardon?”

“We will be your Majesty’s harem. Your Majesty the Empress.”

…What?

The harem is already decided?

I was flabbergasted.

After the flabbergasted feeling, a sense of insult followed, but I suppressed my emotions and looked at each of their faces in turn.

As expected, they were the potential harem candidates I had been speculating about during tea time.

“Haah……!”

Only after I stepped onto the garden path leading from the Empress’s palace to the main palace, did my rigid body loosen up.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

Sharon came up to my side with a worried expression.

“You seem more upset than I thought. You seemed okay, but did it hit you hard? Sharon, how did it look to you?”

I pounded my chest with my fist and asked Sharon.

“Your Majesty is always dignified. If you didn’t do this…….”

Sharon opened my clenched hand with both of hers and spoke.

“If I had dignity, I’m glad.”

“Yes, if it were me, I would have been trembling and my face would have turned red, so I would have left that place long ago.”

Sharon’s words, which were probably meant to comfort me, somewhat eased my feelings.

“I don’t think it’s time to go to your office yet, so let’s walk a little more in the garden.”

“What about lunch…….”

“I don’t feel like it. I’d like to have something simple in the afternoon.”

“Yes, then I will lead you to a quieter walking path.”

“Alright.”

Following Sharon’s guidance, I strolled on a quieter walking path.

I substituted my lunch with the clear air and fresh flower scent.

My sunken mood improved considerably.

As I walked around on the various branches of the walking path leading from the Empress’s palace to the main palace, it was almost time to go to his office.

“Your Majesty the Empress, it seems you should turn towards the main palace now.”

“Yes, let’s go. I should hear what he has to say.”

I was curious about his excuses.

I am only a substitute Empress.

Entering the lobby of the main palace, I braced myself.

Even while climbing the central staircase, I reminded myself of that.

The issue of the harem is a bit premature, but there has never been a king in the Shatoneil Kingdom who did not have a harem.

I know very well that the Emperor’s power does not originate from a single person.

For a stronger imperial authority, the emperor had to maintain close relations with several powerful noble families.

The easiest way to gain their power without using force was to welcome the children of each family into the harem.

The number of harem members coming from wealthy noble families was also a symbol of the imperial power.

However, the deity within me seemed to think differently.

‘Even so, accepting harem members so quickly is just reckless!’

They grumbled all the while since the meeting with the children in the reception room.

“Greetings, Empress.”

Secretary Raphael greeted me as I arrived at the office.

Seeing Raphael who greeted me look around and whisper to me,

“The emperor has been waiting since a while.”

“Is that so? Thank you.”

When I smiled briefly at Raphael, he nodded his head and opened the office door for me.

Without checking properly where Rinel was, I lightly lifted my dress and bowed.

“Greetings, Emperor.”

I raised my head again as the office door closed gently.

At that moment, I locked eyes with Rinel who was coming straight at me.

He was smiling.

“Zelda, there’s no need for such formality between bedmates. It doesn’t look friendly.”