If he despises those who deceive him the most…

Then… I must be his greatest object of hatred.

A sudden chill began to course through my body.

“If His Majesty had embraced me back then, I wouldn’t have had a reason to do what I did!”

“Was it my fault?”

“That’s not what I mean. But now I’m your woman, too. So let’s forget about that…”

“Even if she becomes a concubine, I don’t consider a woman who shares nothing with me as my woman.”

“Surely you didn’t… consummate the marriage… did you?”

“Why not? Isn’t it natural for a married couple?”

In contrast to the calm voice of Rinel, Catherine began to become extremely agitated.

“I thought it was just a rumor! But, but how could you… Your Majesty isn’t someone who gets close to a woman!”

“I told you. The empress isn’t just any woman, she’s my wife.”

“But, but the empress is less than me…!”

Catherine did not finish her sentence.

I felt I knew what she wanted to say.

She probably wanted to say that my appearance was inferior to hers.

Well, it’s not entirely wrong.

Rinel probably also fully guessed what Catherine was about to say.

Silence flowed for a moment.

I locked eyes with Duke Martins.

It was time to decide whether to reveal our presence here, or to go into the sunflower field, prop our chins in our hands, and pretend to be sunflowers.

“Do not speak lightly about my wife.”

Rinel’s subdued voice held me back as I was about to turn away.

I wanted to quietly leave the place, but I couldn’t move.

After his words, Catherine’s voice could no longer be heard.

She must have been just as shocked by Rinel’s words as I was, her words certainly stuck.

I firmly closed my mouth and tapped Duke Martins’ arm, pointing in the opposite direction where the two were.

At the same time, I also said to the servants with my lips.

“Everyone go that way!”

Everyone nodded their heads at my words and crouched down.

I again counted ‘one, two, three’ with my lips and with the servants, we carefully lifted the hem of our dresses and began to walk.

But at that moment.

“Are you going to end your walk here? Your, Ma, jes, ty!”

The kettle that was leaking inside finally started to leak outside.

Really break that with your foot, huh?

I glared at Duke Martins with all my might.

The Duke held his hands to his mouth and loudly, clearly blew my existence like a trumpet.

What would sprout if I tear off the Duke’s mouth and plant it in this sunflower field?

The sound of footsteps from Rinel and Catherine coming from the opposite side stopped abruptly.

My sanity also abruptly stopped due to Duke Martins’ nonsense.

‘Why are you calling me out, you wicked man!’

I poured all sorts of insults at the Duke with my eyes.

Seeing me, Duke Martins laughed without a sound with a very pleased face.

My insides flipped more at the sight of the Duke laughing without any hesitation.

Looking at it now, Duke Martins’ face was blooming more brightly than the sunflowers.

“Empress?”

With the voice calling me from Rinel, a cold wind blew once more in the sunflower field.

I slowly straightened my bent waist.

I covered my face with the sunflower I was holding as I turned to look at him.

“Are you the Empress, or a sunflower? Reveal your identity.”

At Rinel’s imposing question, I lowered the sunflower with a ‘tada’ and laughed.

“Oh, Your Majesty.”

I called out to him as if I had just discovered him.

Wait, I should have acted surprised before giving him a big smile, right? I messed up.

Ah… I don’t know, I don’t know.

As Rinel slowly approached me, Catherine also closely followed him.

The sight of the two walking together was like a painting.

Even the colorful flowers around them looked faded compared to the beauty of the two.

Even under the dazzling midday sun, Catherine’s skin was as white and smooth as a peeled boiled egg.

When Duke Martins gave a courteous greeting to the two, Catherine also greeted me.

I wanted to smile as confidently as she did, but the corners of my mouth wouldn’t obey.

“Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress. I am Catherine Callios, soon to be the first consort of His Majesty the Emperor.”

She spoke with very haughty and restrained gestures.

I cast my gaze down to Catherine’s lower body.

I thought her knees were bad when I saw her at teatime, but now they seem perfectly fine.

She could bend her knees that well, yet her head remained stiff.

I wondered whether the day would come faster for her stiff head to bow or for me to be driven from the throne.

Suddenly, such a funny thought occurred to me.

“We saw each other at teatime and meet again here.”

I threw her a cliched line, having nothing particularly suitable to say to her.

“I think we’ll be seeing each other more often.”

Catherine very meaningfully repackaged the insignificant words I had tossed her and returned them.

One question brushed past me at the sight of the arrogant Catherine.

I wondered what would happen if the owner of a clear mind like a child, Princess Resilia, had to deal with such a haughty consort.

Wouldn’t it be worth watching if the two clashed?