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Chapter 263
As soon as she exited the Emperor’s chambers, the handmaidens who had been waiting outside lowered their heads in deep bows.
The Empress swept past them without a word, striding swiftly through the corridor.
Her attendants, showing no sign of surprise or hesitation, immediately followed behind their mistress.
Though anyone could see that the Empress was in a foul mood, it was nothing out of the ordinary. She always emerged from her meetings with the Emperor in the same state, so no one found it particularly strange.
It was only once she had left the imperial palace and neared the Empress’ quarters that her pace finally slowed to its usual rhythm.
After clearing her throat with a short cough, the Empress spoke.
“Mariam.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Leave the banquet preparations to the others and go fetch Selso. Tell him I have something that needs arranging.”
Mariam’s eyes twitched ever so slightly at the unexpected command.
Selso was the one who discreetly handled the Empress’ correspondence with her homeland. He was also the person entrusted with managing the more... unsavory dealings between the Empress and Bardem.
Though Mariam had no idea why the Empress was seeking him now, it didn’t seem like it would be for a good reason.
Sure enough, the Empress’s next words carried an unmistakably chilling undertone.
“Come to think of it, there’s still so much that never made it back to the homeland… all those fine things just lying around.”
***
“I still don’t understand what’s going on.”
Marsha sighed as she sorted the dresses that hadn’t made the final cut.
Iona, who had been checking her reflection in the mirror with intense focus, replied a beat later.
“The Empress’ invitation was pretty sudden, I agree. Good thing I packed a decent dress. I almost had to run straight to a boutique the moment we got back to the capital.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Marsha replied.
“Now that I think about it, is this the first time we’ve entered the palace together?”
“It’s definitely the first time we’ve come this deep inside... but no, that’s not what I meant either.”
Rather than diving straight into the real issue, Iona turned her attention back to adjusting her outfit.
She wasn’t one to fuss over her appearance, but tonight’s invitation was for a royal dinner banquet. A shabby appearance would invite every possible form of creative ridicule from across the palace.
There were more than enough reasons for all eyes to be on her tonight.
“What I mean is... I still can’t believe it, no matter how many times I think about it. The late Count…”
Unfortunately, Marsha’s words were cut off.
Someone knocked on the door from outside.
Then came Leroy’s gentle voice.
“Are you ready?”
It was time to head to the banquet.
Iona gestured to Marsha that they could continue the conversation later and walked toward the door.
She already knew exactly what Marsha had been hesitating to say.
After all, Iona had been wondering the same thing.
Why had her mother ever fallen in love with such an utterly unimpressive man?
“Have you been waiting long?”
Iona opened the door and asked.
Leroy took a small step back, gazing at her in silence for a moment.
His expression was closer to admiration than observation.
Even though her appearance had been flawless in the mirror just moments ago, Iona still found herself tensing up under the weight of that gaze.
After a brief pause, a soft smile spread across Leroy’s lips.
“I’d say it was worth the wait.”
Tonight, Iona had chosen a red dress—the very same one she had worn to the royal ball when Leroy had first proposed to her.
Though the fabric was matte, layers of lace shimmered under the lights, giving the hem an enchanting glow.
It was a dress that exuded elegance rather than the bold or seductive aura red often brought.
Leroy naturally took Iona’s hand and placed a brief kiss on her hand.
“Moments like this make me want to propose to you all over again.”
Iona had to work hard not to let her face turn the same color as her dress.
It would’ve been less embarrassing if it were just the people from the ducal household present, but as guests here, they were surrounded by members of the palace staff.
Those court ladies had already been sneaking curious glances at her for a while now.
And not just because of the public display of affection between husband and wife.
Leroy leaned in close and whispered into Iona’s ear.
A whisper with a suggestive intimacy.
“Word sure spreads fast. I took a quick look around outside, and more than a few ministers tried to corner me for a chat.”
Though the content of those chats wasn’t exactly pleasant.
Looking up at Leroy with affectionate eyes, Iona reached up to straighten his tie.
“Looks like the Crown Prince went out of his way to help us.”
“That brings up an interesting question,” he replied.
“I’m listening.”
“How exactly did you get him to act in our favor?”
“……There are too many ears around for that story,” Iona said with a soft pat on his shoulder, stepping back.
It was a feigned concern about surveillance, but the truth was more uncomfortable to explain out loud.
‘No way I’m telling my husband I used seduction, especially not to get help from another man.’
Not that she was sure what she had done even counted as seduction…
Still, the fact remained: Richard had harbored a dark desire for Iona, which had made the negotiation possible.
Iona found herself at a loss for how to explain this temporary alliance to Leroy.
Perhaps she could say that Richard had a small vulnerability from their time working together in the past.
They had only joined hands briefly and would return to their own paths once they got what they needed—there was no need to make it into anything more.
‘It’s not like we’ll be relying on him for long anyway.’
Iona hadn’t forgotten the betrayal of the past.
She was keenly aware that Richard was someone who would use her and discard her without hesitation.
Right now, he might be intoxicated by an impossible love and blinded by emotion, but he was a man consumed with self-love.
Sooner or later, he would shake off those dangerous feelings.
He had only ever loved Iona as much as he could afford to.
But until then—until he came to his senses and discarded her once again—Iona could still make use of his delusion.
With that thought settled, Iona walked out into the hallway, arm-in-arm with Leroy escorting her.
When she leaned in and whispered, “It was just something worth asking a favor for, that’s all,” Leroy looked down at her with clear suspicion in his eyes.
“Hmmm…”
His voice betrayed an obvious lack of conviction, no matter how one heard it.
Iona pressed forward with unwavering steps, even as it felt like she was walking barefoot across a bed of thorns.
Perhaps Leroy knew Iona wasn’t the type of person who would do something she should feel guilty for.
Instead of pressing her further, he willingly backed off.
“I’ll listen—when you’re ready to talk.”
“There’s really nothing to tell.”
“I figured as much,” he replied lightly.
His tone caught Iona slightly off guard. She glanced at him.
Meeting her gaze, Leroy added with a faint smile, “Whenever you ask for something… it just makes me want to grant it, no matter what it is.”
She couldn’t tell if he was saying that for the benefit of the palace attendants nearby, or if he truly meant it.
Steadying herself, Iona managed a belated reply.
“…You’re a good husband.”
“Maybe it’s just because I’ve got impure thoughts,” Leroy quipped.
And with that, he pressed a brief kiss to her forehead.
It was hard to deny that he might be right.
If nothing else, her husband was certainly hazardous—in a way that affected the heart most of all.
Doing her best not to move her hands and feet in the same direction at once, Iona briskly made her way to their destination.
Even as Leroy suggested they pause to catch their breath, commenting on her flushed face and slightly uneven breathing, she ignored him entirely.
They were already cutting it close to the scheduled time, and she didn’t have the luxury to slow down.
Thankfully, the chill in the air helped cool her blushing cheeks quickly.
But what truly snapped her back into focus was the cold air that struck her as soon as they arrived at the banquet hall.
Even before the attendant stationed at the entrance could announce their arrival, a sharp voice pierced the air—
“I didn’t think you were this short-sighted, Richard.”
It was the Empress.
“Well,” Richard replied casually, “I’d say this is how it should’ve been from the start. Who knows? Someone might even come forward with some useful information because of this.”
“So you go and present an unconfirmed allegation—without verifying the facts—to the council of ministers? You realize this puts her in a difficult position too.”
“I don’t know… I have a feeling there’s more than a little truth to that allegation,” he said, almost flippantly.
The icy tension between the Empress and Crown Prince was enough to make the attendant standing nearby visibly uncomfortable.
Then Richard spotted Iona.
As if flipping a switch, he greeted her with an ill-fitting, overly warm smile.
“Since my dear sister is here now as well, won’t you ease your expression, Mother? I care about our cousin just as deeply as you do, after all.”
---The End Of The Chapter---
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