Translator: Aura / Editor: Maybe

  The wedding reception was held in the evening. I took off my plain dress and put on one suitable for dancing.

  As I changed my dress, my ladies-in-waiting had somber faces. Even though they were not by my side at the parade, it was probably because they saw the reactions of the people of the Eastern Empire,

  I tried to encourage them, but to no avail, so in the end, we were silent together. In fact…… I wasn’t in a position to encourage anyone either.

  It didn’t feel good at all to be ignored by the people I cherished. Also, I felt very sorry that Heinley, a dazzlingly handsome man from afar, was also ignored for standing next to me.

  No wonder Yunim didn’t like me.

  Sighing, I finished changing my clothes before I realized it. I went to the banquet hall with Heinley.

  Fortunately, there was no one in the banquet hall ignoring me.

  The Troby Family was still in the Eastern Empire and had a great influence. Unlike the commoners who could ignore me if they wanted to, the nobles had many interests, so they could not recklessly ignore me.

  Many people close to me were present……

  It was embarrassing to see their faces because of what happened at the parade, but luckily they were all sensible enough to pretend they didn’t know what had happened earlier. After about thirty minutes, I was able to mingle with my friends, laughing as if nothing had happened during the parade.

  However, it was the same situation when Sovieshu had the first dance with Rashta. The nobles looked at me with pity, but this time I felt pretty good.

  Compared to the three hours during the parade in dead silence, this was much better.

  Eventually, Sovieshu and Rashta’s dance ended. When others could dance, Heinley immediately extended his hand to me.

  “Queen, may I have this dance?”


  I placed my hand over Heinley’s and we headed to the center to dance.

  I could feel the murmurs around me and Sovieshu’s gaze on me, but I pretended not to notice and focused on the dance with Heinley.

  Later, Duke Elgy unexpectedly approached me and asked me to dance.

  Why is he interested?

  I couldn’t understand, he was Heinley’s friend and a member of the Blue Bohean Royal Family. He even hid me in a carriage so I could escape from the Western Kingdom.

  Although I felt awkward, I agreed to dance with him and asked him in the middle of the dance.

  “Why did you ask me to dance?”


  But Duke Elgy just danced to the music with a heavy, perturbed face. He didn’t respond to my words.

  He seemed to be deep in thought. I don’t know what he could have been thinking as we danced.

  When the music finally ended, we released our hands.

  Only then did Duke Elgy speak carefully, “Your Majesty Navier.”


  However, before he could continue his words.

  “Queen Navier,”


  Sovieshu approached and asked me to dance first, “May I request a dance?”


  In an instant, silence spread through the hall.

  ***

  Honestly, I was reluctant to do this.

  But Sovieshu was the Emperor of the Eastern Empire. After refusing to take a walk, it was difficult to refuse the groom’s request. Besides, it would be rude of the wedding guests to refuse the newlyweds at the reception.

  It was unavoidable.

  I agreed to dance with Sovieshu and we headed to the center. When I appeared next to Sovieshu, the people there quickly retreated as if they were avoiding a trap.

  Looking at each other face to face before the music played, a sense of déjà vu swept over me. It was so strong that I got goosebumps.

  But when the music started, my feet, unlike the complex emotions, moved naturally.

  It was only recently that we got divorced and besides, we have danced together most of our lives.

  My body naturally accepted him as my dance partner.

  As we danced Sovieshu didn’t say a word. He just looked at me, grabbing and releasing my hands repeatedly.

  Then, when it got to the part where we had to lightly hold hands, he asked me quietly.

  “What is your answer?”


  I immediately understood which answer he was referring to.

  “Didn’t the envoy tell you?” I asked.

  “Did you have something to say?”


  “No, nothing.”


  “.……”


  I heard Sovieshu grind his teeth. However, at that moment I was making a turn, so I wasn’t sure I had heard right.

  After finishing the turn, Sovieshu looked calm. In that state, he asked again, “You have nothing to say to me?”


  “What do you want me to say?”


  “I…… I didn’t want to lose you.”


  “Today is Your Majesty’s wedding.”


  He didn’t want to lose me?

  He was holding hands lovingly with Rashta throughout the entire parade.

  I couldn’t help but snort.

  Sovieshu looked at me in surprise.

  Then, I asked him because I was really curious, “Did you think I would be happy to receive a letter in which you said you would make me the Empress again in a year?”


  Sovieshu shuddered.

  I don’t know if it’s because I had hit the nail on the head or because he hadn’t thought of this, but I kept talking,

  “How are you so sure that one year won’t turn into two? What if you have a second child in that time, will it be extended?”


  “Navier.”


  “A year later, even if you keep your word—”


  Just then the music ended. Sovieshu and I reflexively stopped.

  The distance between us was still close because of our posture at the end of the dance.

  I continued quickly in a low voice, “I don’t want to raise nor be the mother of Your Majesty’s child with Rashta, I would not like it if after raising that child to reject me growing up, hearing words like ‘its mother’s enemy’.”


  When I finished speaking, I took two steps back and looked at him.

  Sovieshu looked even more surprised. His mouth was slightly open and his complexion was pale.

  Anyone who looked at him would realize that I had said something to him.

  After a moment, I bowed politely, turned, and walked away.

  We had only exchanged a few words, but I was already tired.

  Fortunately, after Heinley, Duke Elgy, and Sovieshu asked me to dance one after another, no one else did.

  Was it also mentally exhausting for him? I glanced at Sovieshu as I sipped my drink, he too was sitting in a chair and did not dance again.

  Duke Elgy was talking with other young nobles.

  Heinley, who was next to me, seemed to want to dance with me again……

  “I’m sorry.”


  I didn’t have the strength, so I didn’t want to dance again.

  “It’s alright. Tomorrow we’ll have another chance.”


  Tomorrow will be the second reception, which will probably have a masquerade ball as its theme.

  The mere mention of ‘masquerade ball’ brought back bad memories.

  Even the thought of having to attend a third reception made me feel terribly exhausted.

  But I didn’t want Heinley to worry, so I smiled and nodded.

  At that moment, I heard many voices from a distance. They were voices of surprise and admiration.

  What’s wrong?

  Looking in that direction, I saw a lot of people gathered in that area.

  Is someone doing some interesting stunt?

  Although I was curious, I didn’t feel like going to see it.

  I calmed down and ate the pineapple slices Heinley had brought me.

  Rose, who had been walking around for a while, came up to me and said, “Your Majesty the Queen. That…… person.”


  Rose seemed reluctant to say her name, but I could imagine who she was referring to.

  She was talking about Rashta.

  Rose was on my side, so it was hard for her to call Rashta ‘Her Majesty the Empress’ in front of me.

  When I nodded and stared at her, Rose whispered, “In celebration of her marriage, she will donate a large sum of money to numerous institutions in need of help, such as orphanages and nursing homes.”


  “Really?”


  “Yes, about twenty million krangs.”


  “.……Seriously?”


  “It’s a huge amount. That’s why everyone is so impressed.”


  Twenty million krangs……

  Trying to contain my laughter, I opened my fan to cover my mouth.

  It was exactly the amount of the promissory notes I had left.

  I advised her not to use them under her name because it could lead to problems.

  How could she do it so openly?

  Is Rashta smart or the opposite?

  But it’s already done. This could raise her reputation, or cause her problems. Now it all depended on her luck for ignoring my warning.

  ***

  However, after returning to my room that day, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  Should I have been more specific in the letter?

  I didn’t give her an exact explanation as to why I shouldn’t use that money on her behalf.

  In a way……

  I didn’t because I thought Rashta would naturally understand as soon as she saw the promissory notes.

  If things weren’t going to get complicated, I might have let it slide this once.

  But after Rashta’s behavior today, I wondered if I should explain the situation to her in more detail.

  There was another part of me that objected, ‘Why should I? She is the Empress now. Besides, I was not an empress who left her position on her own accord, but an empress who was ousted and forced to divorce.’


  After careful consideration, I finally made a decision, I would only tell her what was necessary to put my mind at ease.

  And the next day, the masquerade ball began and as soon as I walked in, I saw Rashta.

  There she is.

  But as I was about to call Rashta over to talk, I became concerned as I remembered how she had thrown herself on the floor and insisted that my brother had pushed her.

  Is there any guarantee that she won’t do it again while we’re talking?

  Thinking about it for a moment, I came up with an excellent idea.

  An excellent idea to be able to talk to Rashta alone and prevent her from lying like that again.

  I waited for the opportunity patiently, then approached Rashta and proposed, “Your Majesty the Empress, will you dance with me?”