Translator: Aura / Editor: SaWarren

  It would be best to speak with Sovieshu to resolve this matter, as Roteschu had said. But less than two hours had passed since he had sided with Viscountess Verdi and ordered her to leave.

  If I go now and ask him to help me… will he help me? By reminding him that I had slave blood, won’t he get rid of the princess and me for being too much trouble?

  After some reflection, Rashta decided to visit Duke Elgy first. He was the man she trusted most in the world.

  ***

  The babies of his tribe were forced to turn into birds for several hours a day. That’s why a nest was necessary.

  When I asked McKenna what would happen if they didn’t spend several hours a day as birds, he replied nonchalantly.

  — They can become birds at any time naturally.

  I put the spoon down on the table and looked at my belly, which was still flat. Then I remembered the bird I saw in my dreams. Does that mean my baby will be able to turn into a lovely bird? Like Heinley?

  When the baby turns into a bird, Heinley should be able to take care of it better than I can. A baby is small, but in bird form it would be even smaller.

  I imagined Heinley happy to hold the baby bird, no bigger than the size of my palm, on his chest. I also immediately imagined the baby wrapped in a soft blanket with only its face uncovered.

  Would I be able to take good care of it? Although I was nervous, the corners of my mouth naturally turned up.

  “Your Majesty?”
Mastas called me because it seemed strange to her how I moved my lips.

  “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
I answered immediately, and smiled deliberately with regret.

  I knew that my ladies-in-waiting would be very happy if I told them I was going to have a child. I was sorry I couldn’t do it.

  My pregnancy was still a secret. I had decided to use this to set a trap, so I had to be careful.

  “Ah, Your Majesty. About Sir Koshar…”
Fortunately, Mastas changed the subject.

  “He was much weaker than I thought.”
What?

  However, the new subject turned out to be very strange. Was my brother weak?

  “When I saw Sir Koshar I thought, ‘Amazing. So that’s what it means to be innocent’.”
Also…innocent?

  That can’t be true.

  “… You’re not getting the wrong person, Miss Mastas?”
At my question, Mastas laughed and shook her hands,

  “No, Your Majesty. It’s impossible to mistake that face.”
I was puzzled… Was my brother starting to take care of his image now? Or did he act unusually civilized in front of Mastas?

  ***

  When the rain finally stopped after two days, I opened the window to look out at the scenery. The surroundings were filled with fresh air in no time. Raindrops gathered on the green leaves and yellow petals, glistening like pearls in the sunlight. The garden became even more beautiful.

  Then, I tried to speak in the same way as Heinley.

  “It’s a good day to fish.”
… I won’t do it again. It does not quite fit me.

  Later, I sent invitations to nobles to hold a simple tea party, even to nobles with whom I had a bad relationship.

  My ladies-in-waiting helped me with the letters, put them in the envelopes and wrote the addresses on them. But they couldn’t help but ask puzzled when they saw some of the names,

  “Will you also invite these people?”
“Your Majesty, those people were very close to the former queen.”
“Their own families are on good terms with the former queen’s family.”
Even being a tea party, my ladies-in-waiting seemed to be concerned about inviting nobles with whom I did not have a good relationship.

  My ladies-in-waiting pointed to those I had jokingly labeled with them as ‘Danger Level 2’.

  The higher the level, the more hostile it meant they were towards me. At level 3 were the Ketron Family, the Liberty Family, and the Zemensia Family. At level 2 were those who clung to these families like leeches, and took pride in it.

  It was only natural that my ladies-in-waiting were puzzled. I was inviting a Danger Level 2 group without taking any countermeasures.

  Still, I didn’t change my mind. These invitations were a trap to further strengthen the rumor of my infertility. Wouldn’t it be useless to invite only those who were on my side?

  Once the invitations were sent out, I ordered to set up a big table in the garden and prepare the food.

  After about three hours, the people who received the invitations began to gather. They greeted me and sat down while also greeting each other.

  Even while drinking tea and eating, the atmosphere was cheerful and warm. People classified at Danger Level 2 did not cause any problems.

  If this good atmosphere continued throughout the tea party, the group I had invited today would drop from Danger Level 2 to Level 1. Then, I would invite another group of hostile nobles to test them.

  “Have you heard? Miss Imaru is going to have a child.”
But about thirty-five minutes later, they finally showed their true colors.

  I deliberately pretended to wipe my mouth with a handkerchief to hide my smile.

  “Oh, so soon? Hasn’t Miss Imaru only been married for about three months?”
“It’s been almost four months since she got married. She must have gotten pregnant soon after the wedding.”
“That’s good news!”
It might seem like casual news of a young lady who became a noblewoman and got pregnant. It might even be something to celebrate.

  However, Imaru was Christa’s favorite lady-in-waiting. In other words, they indirectly mocked me for not being pregnant yet, whereas a person who had married later would give birth first.

  Maybe I should move this group up to level 3.

  “By the way, Your Majesty. When can we hear such good news from you?”
At least the person who had just spoken would certainly rise to level 3.

  I put on a serious expression while trying to suppress laughter.

  “That is a matter for the Emperor and Empress. It is none of your concern.”
After Mastas’ cold words, the comfortable and cheerful atmosphere immediately disappeared. Some of those who belonged to Danger Level 2 began to take off their masks.

  “Why are you so upset, Miss Mastas?”
“It’s just a question. The Empress’s child represents the future of our country.”
“That’s right. That’s a question one should be able to ask.”
“The Empress’s pregnancy could put an end to that ‘rumor’… right?”
As those from Danger Level 2 looked at each other and laughed, the atmosphere turned cold.

  “What rumor? I haven’t heard anything about it.”
“I didn’t know that rumors of the Empress were circulating?”
“I didn’t know there was a rumor going around about the Empress?”
The situation soon turned into a heated argument between those on my side and the nobles in the Danger Level 2 group.

  If I were to allow this to continue, the situation could get even worse. It wasn’t like an empress to let a fight break out. I had to stop them smartly.

  When I felt the time was right, I opened my hand to drop my cup of tea.

  The cup of tea shattered into pieces with a thunderous sound as it hit the ground.

  The eyes of the Danger Level 2 nobles and even the nobles on my side widened completely.

  “Ah. I dropped it by accident.”
I told a preposterous lie, smiling more coldly than usual.

  “The successor is important, but more important is to stabilize the country right now. Isn’t there a delicate disagreement with Whitemond and other foreign countries?”
It was a prepared line intended to make others believe that the successor issue made me uncomfortable.

  It worked so well that several Danger Level 2 nobles whispered maliciously.

  I had to memorize their names.

  ***