She dared to enact violence in my presence.

Without any fear.

I glared straight through Katherine.

Even as she knew I was watching, she continued to rail on Rosie.

Amusingly, Katherine, who had delivered the slap, wore an even angrier face than Rosie, who had been slapped.

“Didn’t I say? I’m now the first concubine. I’m no longer a target for the second concubines to be disrespectful!”

“Ah, ah, we have been casual since we were young, so I accidentally… I’ll be careful next time…”

At Katherine’s sudden slap, Rosie wore a shocked expression.

Rosie apologized, holding the cheek that Katherine had hit with both hands.

“Where is next? Next!”

Katherine yelled out with a furrowed brow.

“If you understand my words…”

Katherine’s hand slowly rose again, then harshly slapped Rosie’s cheek again.

“From now on, speak!”

Smack.

“Respectfully, that is!”

Smack, smack!

In her last words, Katherine alternated between slapping Rosie’s two cheeks.

“Phew, do you understand?”

Katherine’s violent tendencies were not particularly surprising.

However, it was hard to watch her treating someone she’d known her whole life in social circles as less than a servant, just because she had become the first concubine.

Even if Rosie is a concubine of lower rank than her, she is still officially the Emperor’s concubine, to treat her so carelessly would be crazy.

Moreover, Katherine was deliberately ignoring my existence as the Empress.

“You’re not answering?”

Katherine, dissatisfied with Rosie’s hesitation, raised her hand threateningly and spoke.

“I, I’m sorry. Mama Katherine…”

Finally, Rosie bowed her head and raised her speech to Katherine.

Tears fell from Rosie’s eyes onto the greenhouse floor.

Could she be crying because it hurts to be slapped a few times?

It didn’t look very painful, only loud.

Looking at Rosie, who was shedding sad tears, I reconsidered.

It wasn’t right to think by my standards.

Yes, comparing the strength of ordinary noblewomen to mine would be problematic.

“Good, Rosie. If you had done so earlier, you wouldn’t have had to show such an ugly sight in front of Her Majesty the Empress.”

Katherine now smiled contentedly and spoke.

“Katherine.”

I quietly called her name with a rather solemn voice.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m sorry if I startled you. But people who don’t know their place like this need to be taught a lesson, even like this.”

It seemed like Katherine was trying to tell me something by looking at her eyes.

“Tsk, tsk… How can you slap someone’s face with such a long hand?”

When I rhythmically clicked my tongue, Katherine’s eyes widened.

“What are you looking at.”

“Ye, Yes?!”

“Without knowing your place.”

I told Katherine with a smile.

Katherine’s startled eyes moved wildly before asking me.

“Your Majesty? What are you saying right now…!”

“Can you reduce your eye size a little?”

“…Eye size?”

“Yes. I’m not a subject for you to stare at so rudely either, am I?”

“Your Majesty, what the hell…!”

“Ah, and reduce the size of that mouth, too.”

I smirked at Katherine, who was making a dumbfounded face with her mouth wide open.

Then, I returned to a serious expression, recalling Katherine’s previous actions towards Rosie and returning them in kind.

“It’s a virtue for the superior to teach the inferior even by beating them, and it’s a duty for the inferior to learn even by being beaten.”

“?”

“Do you agree?”

“Yes, I agree… Ah!”

Thud!

I conscientiously hit Katherine on the side of the head instead of her cheek.

Indeed, the sound of striking the side of the head was much duller than that of slapping the cheek.

It was not pleasant to hit.

However, if I had slapped Katherine’s cheek, it would have swollen up like a fist in no time.

So, I lightly applied force to the side of her head, which would not show any sign of swelling or bruising on the outside.

And that with my left hand.

Sigh, I’m too softhearted, and it’s a big problem.

Surely, I did not put all my strength into my palm, but Katherine, who had been standing in front of me, flew a considerable distance.

Where is she flying off to like a leaf blown by the wind?

“Mama, oh my! Are you alright?!”

Katherine’s attendant flew to her and caught her as she fell.

I watched Katherine carefully, wondering if she was pretending to be weak.

She seemed to be in a daze from the pain, which she had never felt before in her life.

Well, when would a noble girl have felt such a shock and pain.

He must have only ever raised his hand to his own servants or slaves.

Rosie was frozen, her face even more shocked than when she had been slapped by Catherine.

I was slightly worried that Rosie might be afraid of me because of this, but if so, there was nothing I could do about it.

Looking at Catherine, who wasn’t moving at all, I went over to her, wondering if she had fainted with her eyes open.

Then, as if trying to run away while sitting, Catherine scrambled back, trying to put distance between us.

“Catherine. Be thankful to me.”

“!”

Catherine looked up at me with terrified eyes.