Chapter 23
(23) I Will Protect Your Majesty (15)
Normally, when receiving a guest, one would ask what brings them here or why the Consort sent them.
But Eleanor didn’t seem inclined to speak first. She hadn’t even served a cup of tea.
“Seems you don’t manage your servants very well,” Aileen said.
Eleanor tilted her head slightly, as if to ask what she meant. Her silvery hair shimmered as it gracefully fell to the side.
“No one’s brought tea, even in this kind of situation. The Snow family is so renowned that even the First Consort was looking forward to meeting Lady Snow. But with things like this, I worry Lady Snow might offend Her Highness.”
“Indeed. I fail to manage my servants, and Lady Coning fails to manage her mouth. The First Consort must be deeply troubled. Ah, but the mouth is ultimately governed by the brain, isn’t it? Perhaps Lady Coning is just a little lacking in that department?”
Eleanor’s voice was one tone lower and incredibly sweet in its soft delivery, so much so that Aileen didn’t immediately grasp the barbs hidden in her words.
When she finally did, her face turned bright red.
“I—I’m only saying this out of concern for you, Lady Snow. Why must you slander and attack me?”
“I’m concerned too, Lady Coning. If the First Consort’s lady-in-waiting is this dim-witted, Her Highness will never know peace.”
“Lady Snow!”
Aileen jumped up and glared at Eleanor.
But Eleanor remained seated calmly, staring straight ahead without even looking at her.
“Sit down, Lady. I don’t enjoy raising my voice and engaging in vulgar arguments.”
Though Eleanor hadn’t said much, if Aileen continued standing, she’d only come across as an uncouth woman.
Biting her lip hard, Aileen sat back down. Her hands, clutching at her skirt, trembled.
If only Eleanor had cursed at her crudely, it would’ve been easier to respond. But Eleanor simply smiled and stared at her.
Her unwavering pale violet eyes seemed to dig into Aileen’s mind, causing her to involuntarily lower her gaze. Then, realizing she’d been cowed, she forced herself to look up again.
“Lady Coning. If that head of yours is not just for show, listen carefully.”
“Just for show…? How dare—”
“Shh.”
Even the gesture of Eleanor placing her finger gently on her lips was so graceful it stoked Aileen’s anger.
“You work at the imperial palace too. Haven’t you heard rumors about me?”
“I have.”
“What did they say?”
‘What do you mean, what did they say? That you’re the next Empress, or whatever…’
At that thought, Aileen’s face went pale. As if reading her mind, Eleanor spoke.
“That’s why I said you were slow. You have no idea what position I might hold in the future, and yet you dare speak so rudely to me?”
The smile vanished from Eleanor’s face.
“Talking like this?”
There was something in her now-lowered voice. Aileen didn’t recognize it as killing intent, but she felt as if something were tightening around her neck.
She gasped for air, pressing back into the sofa though there was nowhere left to retreat.
The smile disappeared from Eleanor’s face only briefly, but for Aileen, it felt like an eternity. Raised as a baron’s daughter with a sheltered noble upbringing, Aileen was unprepared for the sheer weight and darkness of the battlefield aura Eleanor carried.
“So, Lady Coning.”
“Huff… huff… huff…”
Eleanor, having withdrawn her killing aura, smiled at the gasping Aileen.
“Don’t be too rude to me. I might just feel like killing you.”
***
Eleanor had realized that Heraith’s enemies were far more ruthless than expected. They were the sort who wouldn’t bat an eye if the entire empire’s population were wiped out—so long as it meant killing Heraith or removing him from the throne.
In such a situation, she had no desire to waste her time on trivial nonsense.
‘This is ridiculous.’
Honestly, Eleanor found the whole situation absurd.
In the busy district, monsters were pouring out of a suddenly-formed rift. Seven people had already died. Even if it had happened suddenly, by now word of the chaos should have reached the palace.
‘No, even when all those knights rushed out, someone should’ve at least asked what was happening.’
Anyone, even a fool, could tell that with all the elite knights leaving the palace, except for the royal guards, something serious was going on outside.
And yet, outside the palace was full of people enjoying the festival.
‘Don’t they care about the people out there at all?’
It was absurd that they were engaged in a petty power struggle instead of trying to learn what was happening.
Even after Eleanor had withdrawn her killing aura, Aileen remained frozen in fear, clearly a first-time experience for her.
“Speak.”
“Pardon? W-what…?”
“Your business. What is it?”
“Oh… well… um…”
With a dry mouth, Aileen swallowed several times before finally managing to speak.
“Her Highness… requested that Lady Snow be brought—no, escorted—to her.”
Sigh.
Even Eleanor’s short sigh made Aileen flinch.
“I told her clearly this morning. If she has business with me, she should come in person.”
“Yes, you did say that, but… we thought maybe you’d changed your mind… and besides, the Second Consort is coming too. She wants to get to the bottom of the rumors circulating in the palace…”
“Get to the bottom of them?”
Eleanor gave a short laugh and twirled her fingers lazily.
“Go back and tell them. As I said this morning, I’m not the one who should be coming and going. If they have business, they should come themselves.”
***
Even when Aileen returned huffing and puffing with Eleanor’s message, Aurelia’s expression didn’t change.
She had expected this reaction from Eleanor. After being rebuffed in the morning, it was unlikely her attitude would soften by the afternoon.
‘If anything, it would’ve been worse if she had come.’
Aurelia glanced at Calliope, who was sniffling on the sofa across from her, and Cecily, who was lying face down beside her.
“I really… don’t know what Lady Snow has against me to do something like this. We only exchanged a greeting once. Why would she…”
‘Why?’ Aurelia thought.
‘You probably rubbed her the wrong way when you went to greet her.’
Knowing Calliope’s personality, Aurelia didn’t believe for a second that she’d simply exchanged pleasantries.
But of course, she had no intention of siding with Eleanor.
Eleanor was the most likely next Empress. But no matter how much the Emperor favored her, if she harmed a Consort before marriage out of jealousy, she would never be accepted as Empress.
‘Even if she were accepted, the court officials wouldn’t stay quiet. The Empress is supposed to keep the palace in harmony, and she’s already causing this kind of trouble.’
Aurelia looked down at Cecily, who was lying flat on the floor, barely breathing.
“So what the Second Consort is saying is, this maid is not at fault?”
“She’s not entirely blameless,” Calliope replied.
Cecily flinched and began trembling.
“I—I really didn’t want to do it. But Eleanor Snow said she wouldn’t spare my family if I didn’t listen… I was wrong. It was wrong, even if my family were to die, I shouldn’t have done it…”
Calliope let out a short sigh.
“This girl is deeply devoted to her family. I didn’t think Eleanor Snow would go so far as to threaten her family… If it had happened to someone else, it’d be different. But since it happened to me, I’ll forgive her.”
“You’re rather generous toward a maid you rarely interacted with,” Aurelia said pointedly.
Calliope flinched, then forced a smile.
“As an imperial Consort, isn’t it proper to show magnanimity to the palace staff?”
What a joke, Aurelia thought. If someone else had said this, maybe she could believe it. For example, if the Fourth Consort had said it, she would’ve just thought, ‘She’s too soft-hearted’, and moved on.
But Calliope? No way.
‘This whole thing seems staged by Calliope. She’s willing to ruin her own face just to get Eleanor Snow out of the palace.’
Unaware that Calliope had tried to poison Eleanor and failed, Aurelia silently mocked her.
‘Well, whatever. She’s giving me the perfect excuse to get rid of Eleanor Snow, so why not take it? Let’s just say Eleanor threatened a poor maid’s family and poisoned Calliope’s face. That’ll work.’
Finally, Aurelia rose from the sofa.
“This situation with Lady Snow is making the entire palace restless. We can’t ignore it anymore. We must resolve this quickly, so that even Her Majesty the Empress Dowager won’t be troubled further.”
